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We recently went on our first family vacation as a family of four. We wanted something relatively simple so that we could test out how the kids did with a change in their routine and environment. I worry about losing sleep. It’s a problem. I mean, I know that I am not the best person when running on low sleep. I try not to make people hang out with that person!
We usually go on family vacation with other family, especially my in-laws. They are vacation people. Having other people there definitely helps. We have great dreams of going back to Europe, but Joey and I decided we needed a closer-to-home vacation to try out how the boys did. Colorado Springs was a great idea. It was the perfect marriage of outdoorsy and touristy to meet both our desires, and the desires of the kids and Grandmom and Pop Pop. I went to Colorado Springs as a kid multiple times with my Aunt and Uncle before heading to the mountains for family camp. Joey has been for work and gotten to hike around a bit as well.
Joey decided to drive and all-in-all it went pretty well. Wyatt isn’t the best car travel companion. He gets tired, but doesn’t want to sleep, will only sleep for a max 30 minus when his naps are usually 2-3 hours, and then he wakes up angry. He just wants out of his seat. We had some moments were Joey and I were on edge, but we made it. It could have been worse. We once travel to Kansas from Texas to visit family when Liam was maybe 10 months or so and he SCREAMED bloody murder. We had taken two cars, so no one was in the back with him.I cried. I pulled over, and Joey had to take him. He then screamed in his car the whole time too and Joey just took it. Way to take one for the team honey.
ANYWAY…
We saw some beautiful storm clouds as were were driving into Colorado Springs. There was a storm in front of us and just north of us. We thankfully missed driving THROUGH it, but we got to see the dark clouds and the rain falling to the ground. I loved that you could see the storm, but also the blue skies on the other side of the storm. It was a great backdrop for the many windmills in the area. Wyatt was a huge fan of windmills. We also kept an eye on some interesting clouds the kept dropping low.
We spent the first day settling in. We ran and got groceries and checked the weather for the week to plan outings. The boys had fun playing in a new place. One of the mattresses was propped up on a bed and they had a blast climbing, or trying to climb.
They actually did a pretty great job with all of the decor in the house we were staying in as well. Joey and I both agreed that if we were renting our house out to people we wouldn’t leave half of the decor that they had. It was very nice, but also kind of gave me a mom heart attack. Again, luckily, the boys left most of it alone. We had a few issues with the pool table, but if they broke the rules they weren’t allowed to touch the table for the rest of the day, so it worked out well. Just a few reminders here and that that ONLY the balls already on the table could touch it. No food, no toys.
The first big outing we did, other than breakfast, was the Royal Gorge. It was suppose to storm in Colorado Springs, but not Canon City, so Monday we drove a little over an hour to the gorge. Wyatt cat-napped, thankfully. We arrived and walked over the bridge. Kailey and I were taking all the photos…everyone else was focused on crossing the bridge as quickly as possible. That thing is huge. And the drop is big. The boards also have some decent sized gaps that you can look through, so I understand the hesitation.
It really is just a tourist destination. I know Joey was hoping for more hiking, but it’s a bit more of a family play outing. According to the employees, the bridge was simply built because a Texan was told it wasn’t possible…so he did it. That sounds about right.
When I was a kid there was a like a small town of shops there. Sadly, basically everything EXCEPT the bridge burned down in the fires several years back. It’s all behind big fences. It was really sad and odd. They also got rid of the tram/train that takes you down to the bottom of the gorge. I have no clue when or why that happened, but I was bummed. The boys didn’t care though. There were trains they could climb on!
After leaving the gorge and starting to head back home, we saw one of the trains coming back from the bottom of the gorge. We decided to stop in a check times and costs. It was late afternoon, but we decided to take the next train at 3:30. We hopped on and enjoyed the ride. It was the perfect relaxing sightseeing activity after a morning of walking/climbing around. We were in a car with great big windows for viewing, and the train served food as well. We ate on the train and watched rafters float by. Once we were farther into the gorge some of us went out to the open air car to see the sights better. We eventually had to drag Wyatt back to the dining car. He wanted to stand on the open air car forever.
We passed the bridge once, but on the way back to the station they stopped under it for a bit. It was pretty cool to see.
We had another day just hanging around town. We went back to the breakfast joint that we really liked, and walked around Old Colorado City for some fun and shopping.
Something else that was on the to-do list was Fargo’s Pizza. I went there as a kid and my husband had gone on a work trip. He was explaining it to me after going and it sounded familiar. Turns out it was the same place. So we took everyone there when we went. It was tasty AND fun. The boys had a blast.
The next outing that we had was Garden of the Gods. I love that place. And it’s free! Wahoo! I like free.
We checked out the visitor center for a map and drove slowly through the park. I don’t think I’ve ever stopped anywhere other than Balanced Rock, so I didn’t know what places were good or not for stopping. Most of the spots that I really wanted to stop for photos were already taken by other cars, so I drove to Balanced Rock and parked. We climbed a bit. Liam did great. He was hesitant, but we just kept encouraging him take his time and watch his footing. What on the other hand really wanted to climb…but wanted to be held while WE climbed. Climbing with a 30 lb toddler in your arms…not fun. We climbed a bit, then I got out the carrier and stuck him on my back. Still, 30 lb toddler, climbing up rocks (and even more so climbing DOWN them), was rough.
After a bit I handed him off to Grandmom, who was more than willing to hang out with him. Liam was with Pop Pop, so Joey and I took off to the top. We climbed and chatted, and took photos. It was great. Somehow we found a much less steep way down than we had found going up.
I ended up with a ton of Pikes Peak images since this was our view from the back porch. I was obsessed since the light was constantly changing with weather and time of day. It was a ton of fun. I’m not the best landscape photographer, but I felt like I got some good ones!
I think a HUGE factor in vacation going well as that about a month ago we transitioned the boys to sleep in the same room. We put their mattresses on the floor and put them to bed together. They are allowed to play until their light goes out, and then they have to rest. So on vacation we put a mattress on the floor, cuddled and had bedtime, and then headed out. We reminded them that they needed to go to sleep once the light turned off. Thankfully we have a Hatch that I can program from my phone to turn off or on. We took it with us and it worked great. Since they were on a different time zone they were both waking up an hour earlier than normal, but they knew to just play and wait until someone came and got them.
All-in-all we had a great first family vacation. The boys did awesome, even with a change in location and sleep habits. They had a blast exploring and seeing new places. Hopefully there will be more places to explore in the future.
Where do you like to go for family vacation?
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