Colorado Springs - Day 5 (Last day!)

Our last full day in Colorado Springs was the 4th of July. We looked together on-line at the many patriotic events offered around the area. The celebration in nearby Monument, Colorado, caught our eye. It looked like it would be a fun, small-town day that included a parade, street fair, and other events.

When we got to Monument, though, we realized that we may have chosen one of the more popular events in the area. There were people EVERYWHERE! We loaded all of the kids up in their strollers ...

... and got in the massive crowd that was waiting to see the parade.

The parade started off with lots of kids riding decorated bikes and wagons.

Then, the "real" parade started, with lots of fun things to see!

The old-time solider recruited some volunteers from the crowd to help shoot the musket.

We saw some amazing sights including horses,

people walking on stilts,

people dressed in silly costumes,

some real elephants (!),

tiny cars,

horses in a line,

cheerleaders,

and army vehicles.

We stayed through most of the 1.5-2 hour parade and then went to the local church (passing out free popsicles) before heading back home. After lunch and rest time, it was time to play!

We enjoyed some more outside time, including using the push toys!

We read some books together.

And we played a fun "hide the bear" activity with the kiddos. An adult hid Grammy & Papa's bear (which recites all of Luke 2) and hit "play" before asking the kids to follow their ears to find the hidden bear. 

The kids really loved finding the bear hidden in all sorts of silly places, including a booster seat,

a cabinet,

and even under Papa's t-shirt!

Then, the boys had some tackle-and-giggle time,

and we all played a game of Hullabaloo.

Ryan and Ian did a little bit of bubble-wrap printing with paint

as well as just some normal painting. None of the other kiddos seemed particularly interested, partially because they didn't want to wear a paint smock.

Before dinner, we also used water bottles to spray the front window and hang up foam shapes. Each of the kiddos really got into this activity under Grammy's loving direction.

What a fun time we had in Colorado Springs. It was fun to watch the kiddos interact with each other, see some beautiful sights, enjoy the gorgeous weather, relax at the house, catch up on conversations, and play lots of games together. It was the ideal family vacation. We vote that we should do it again sometime! Love you all, dear family!