Taos Pueblo and Rio Grande Gorge

On our way from Amarillo, TX to Pagosa Spring, CO, we stopped over in Taos, New Mexico for tourist time and sightseeing! We went to the Taos Pueblo, one of the oldest still working pueblos in the USA.  It was such a neat experience!

We got to walk around the grounds to see how the Native Americans lived so long ago and how some still live to this day.  They estimate only about 25-30 people still live in the adobe homes, but lots come back daily to run shops out of their homes selling handmade jewelry, Indian fry bread, t-shirts, and other items.  It was a great adventure!

Of course, it started raining the moment we arrived!  We stopped first at their church.

We lit a candle inside for our friend's dad who had just passed away.

We went in one home where one man let the kids play his drum!

These outdoor ovens were all around the pueblo.  They still use them today to make all of their baked items.

So cool!  A long time ago, you entered the pueblo through the roof to stay safe.

recipe for a great pic! Pueblo: check     mountain: check     family:check

Favrots

Earnests minus Justin who hadn't arrived yet

We stopped in one of the shops and picked up fry bread with choke cherry syrup, Bennett got an apple/peach/nut fried pie, and Henry got a piece of bread.

Blue Corn fry bread with choke cherry and powdered sugar!

She loved it!

After the pueblo experience, we drove 15 minutes to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge!  It was cool!  We had a picnic at a table overlooking the gorge.

The big-horned sheep came right up to the rest area.  NUTS!

Walking around like wild animals...the sheep not the kids

Henry loved exploring around the grounds

Woohoo! 

Sweet Nolan

SK and Kate

Katherine, Nolan, Kate, SK, Caroline, and Henry

We walked out on the bride to the look-outs and took some pics. Just the girls.

I was scared to walk out on the bridge!  One cool thing is we saw the big horn sheep walking down by the water!

Look-out Stop

I love how the Favrots and Earnests will just pull off on the side of the road to look at something!  That is MY kind of traveling!

We stopped off at a look-out on the way to Taos.

The Long Haul

We began our 9 hour car journey from Plano to Santa Rosa, NM on Friday.  We started my totally awesome car game about an hour in to the trip.  It's where they have to work as a team to earn presents. The presents are wrapped and contain items from the dollar store, Target dollar bin, and even some candy.  Not expensive, but a lot of work wrapping all that stuff.  I will do anything to not have a mutiny on my hands in the car!

It really worked!  The angels were EXCELLENT!  They loved opening their prize-o's!  We loved the quiet.  Win-Win.

We stopped in Amarillo again for Cadillac Ranch.  We went to Wal-mart on the way to pick up our own spray paint to do some graffiting to the cars.  You could smell the fumes from the road!  I really wanted to make sure SK went since the boys just went in February.

Cute little graffiti artists

Always doing these ballet poses

Shreveport to Colorado

We have been looking forward to this Colorado adventure for over a year and we couldn't wait to get on the road!  Since and Kenneth had to work in Plano for a couple days, we planned it right before our trip to give us a 3 hour head start and a little play time in Plano.  It turned out to be a great idea!

We arrived in Plano on Wednesday around 8pm.  We got settled in our "deluxe suite" (this just means it's a regular room that included snacks and drinks!)  The kids were pumped!  We saved them for our journey to Colorado.

On our day in Plano we went to the Crayola Experience and Dave and Buster's!  Ever since I saw the Crayola experience advertised I knew we had to go.  I mentioned it to our auction chair and she got 2 free tickets donated to our auction!  I bought it and voila...a trip was planned!  After the guys got off work, we let the kids swim while enjoying the free happy hour meal the hotel provided.  SCORE!

We got there early and got some pics at the awesome photo opps.

SK even wore her crayon dress!

You got 2 tokens to purchase model magic from a vending machine and one for your homemade crayon.

There was a place to take a picture to put yourself in a custom coloring sheet.

Here we are molding crayons into rings and cars.

We got to name our own crayons!

This crayon melting station was neat-o!

This was the spot where you designed a dress or car, scanned it, and then it was projected on the runway on the big screen!  This was my dress!

SK's dress

Bennett's Car

 We finished up at Crayola and headed to Dave and Buster's for lunch and playing. Boy, that place is pricey!  Each game was around 8 chips and we bought 60 per kid.  We are finished playing in no time.  They had fun and we brought home some tiny toys that ended up all over the hotel.

Loving it!

On Friday, we headed to Dallas to meet my dear friend, Sister Leone for breakfast at Snooze.  Snooze was DELISH!  We got to have a pancake flight that was pretty much the best breakfast thing I have ever enjoyed.  So glad we got to see Amanda!  Bennett kept asking why we call each other "sister" and it's becuase we are sisters in the Mystic Bond! :)

Sister loved Sister!

So much fun!

Jennifer and her girls arrived at the hotel and then it was time to head to New Mexico for the night!  We stayed in Santa Rosa, NM.  Breaking up the trip like this was perfect for the kids and us! :)

Henry's 3rd Swim Meet

Henry had a great 3rd meet in Minden today.  He rocked that swimming!  His first race was a freestyle relay.  He was the 1st and 4th swimmer!  So cool!

Since we are the sharks he wanted me to draw a shark on his back this week.  I'm not artist that's for sure!  

It looks pregnant!

He loved the blocks!

Good jump, Henry!

4th swimmer on the relay!

Our girl was having so much fun at her friend's house while we went to the meet!

Look who came from Ruston to watch!!  Woohoo!