Hiking Bear Lake and Alberta Falls

Saturday morning we woke up to find Elk outside by our condo--pretty cool--they had no concern at all--just eating some breakfast! Brynn kept calling them reindeer the whole trip--which was pretty cute!

We headed up to Rocky Mountain National Park to do some hiking first thing Saturday morning--we started with Bear Lake which is beautiful and a pretty flat, good hike to do with kiddos!

We have pictures of BEAR Lake from EVERY angle--so enjoy the scenery!
Kristi, Layne, and Kids checking out the lake, which was very clear--we could see down to the bottom!

Family photo time!

Kristi and Brynn climbing rocks--the sun was not in the best position for this picture!

Caden loved being the leader!

The girls--picture taken by Caden!

Next we headed to Alberta Falls--one of my favorite places to hike to growing up--not sure if I would do it again with a 2 and a 4 year old as you can go right to the edge of the rocky waterfall and I had some mommy moments about losing my kids over the edge, but all was well--Caden and I had a safety talk before we started and we all agreed to hang on tight to his hand not matter what! Brynn was a little easier to hang on to--but it was a beautiful view none the less!

Daddy and kids at Alberta Falls!

Kristi and Brynn at the Falls.

Picture Perfect!

At the top of Alberta Falls--we stuck our feet in--still cold!

Another picture by Caden!

Caden and Mommy at Alberta Falls.

Breath-taking!
We learned a few things after hiking that first day--do the harder hike first and save an easier hike for later--so we did things a little differently on day 2, but we all enjoyed being outside in the mountains taking in the beautiful sights and sounds of nature. Leaving Alberta Falls--we had a few kid meltdowns--as you are hiking UP most of the way out--so we had to take lots of Caden breaks, but slowly we made it and he was proud of himself in the end!

Vacation TIme--Estes Park

Ready, Set, Go--we are packed and off on vacation to Estes Park, CO!
Big Thank You to Aunt Kristi for being brave enough to travel with us and even more brave to sit in the back with the kids for most of the trip--we appreciated your patience and help Kristi! It was nice to have an extra driver and extra entertainment! The kids enjoyed movies, games, books, and the Ipad on the way to CO--and did Brynn sleep any of the trip out there or back--NO! For the most part the seven hours there was pretty good!

Layne taking some pictures on the IPad--this is near Lincoln, KS--one of the first times Caden asked us if we were almost there!
We made our first pit stop in Hays America and played in the park for a bit and each got a snowball treat--plus I ran into a high school friend who now teaches in Hays, so it was a wonderful stop!

Lunch time and Run time in Burlington, CO!

Our home away from home--our condo that we stayed at for 3 days!

Awesome mountain view that we saw from our condo--takes your breath away!

Hanging by the river and rocks as we wait to eat supper at Mama Rose's that night--reminds me of an Olive Garden--Caden told me it was his favorite place that we ate at--my kids love spaghetti!

Big smiles from Kristi and Brynn--and yes, the water was cold--we tested it!