4th.

We decided, sort of last minute, to head up to Estes Park (one of my favorite mountain towns) to celebrate the 4th. Slightly cooler temperatures and getting out of the city were our motivations! We had such an amazing time we decided it's going to become an annual thing. Except after spending 45 minutes at a stop light (I wish I was kidding) trying to get on the only road heading down the mountain at 10:45PM we decided next year, we rent a cabin. Sounds perfect right? We started out the morning with a little bike ride to Bruegers for some breakfast and were planning on timing it just right so that Tindra would take her nap in the car on the way up. Perfect right? 

^Early morning bike rides are probably my favorite^

^Tindra enjoying her cinnamon bagel. In her jammies^

^Jasper wanted 4th of july nails like mamma. Mine were done in the dark while watching an episode  of weeds ^ with Drew, obviously not my best work. Or maybe it is. I'm pretty horrible at nail painting (or painting in general) It started off perfectly, she was fast asleep. But as we were driving through Boulder and stuck at stop light for 5 minutes, she woke up. And that was the end of her nap. 25 minutes total instead of 2.5-3 hrs like normal.  Luckily she was a champ and was pretty content to go between her stroller and the hiking back back for most of the day, with another 25 minute nap in the stroller. 

 ^We sure do love Estes Park^

 ^Late lunch on the cutest little patio on main Street^

  ^We spent a large portion of the afternoon and then again night to at the Stanley Hotel. They had a bunch of things^ going on for the kids, plus food and beverages for the adults

 ^Stanley Hotel^ 

^If you don't know anything about the Stanly Hotel, it's where the movie The Shining takes places. Steven King ^ actually staying there and apparently experienced some creepy things in the night, and the idea of the Shining came to him. Or something like that. This is one of the rooms thats supposedly haunted..

 ^When we came back to the hotel in the evening to watch the fireworks, a friend and I snuck upstairs to take^ 

some pictures. Red rum red rum anyone? 

 ^Any guesses who that is^

 ^Jasper and I rode around town in an old fire truck. This boy was in heaven ^

^Did you guess Jack Nickhols? If so you were right! Okay, half right. He was an impersonator but he was a ^

damn good one! He was just as creepy as I imagined he would be. Funny thing thought people were paying him $5 to take pictures with him and I'm 99% positive they all thought he was the real deal. Listening to their conversations with him convinced me they had no clue he was a fake. 

^This kid will rock climb Any chance he gets^

We ended the evening with good food, fireworks and friends who we met up with. Such a fun way to spend America's birthday!