Holidays Plus in Colorado
Okay, so we may have outstayed our welcome… but it was so much fun! We packed in all of our favorite family traditions: decorating gingerbread houses, strolling through the Christmas lights at the botanical garden, baking (and eating!) delicious cookies, Grada’s annual reading of The Cajun Night Before Christmas, and enjoying plenty of memorable meals and festive cocktails along the way.
My favorite meal was going out for Korean BBQ right after picking up my parents from the airport. Hannah ordered all the best things on the menu, and we had an absolute feast.
We also got to celebrate both of my parents’ birthdays this year, which made the visit even more special. We did a bacon breakfast and duckpin bowling for Dad, and a sweet little tea party for Mom.
On Aaron’s last day, he and my dad finally took the kids horseback riding at Chatfield State Park, which is practically in John and Hannah’s backyard. We’d been trying to make this happen for months, so it felt wonderful to finally pull it off, and it was the perfect little adventure for Aaron to end on.
Saying goodbye to Aaron on New Year’s Eve was really hard for all of us. We’d had such a sweet stretch of time together, and the kids were especially sad to watch him head back home. We were heartbroken to split up again, even though, yes, someone does have to make the money! Still, as much as we hated closing this chapter, we feel incredibly grateful that Aaron was able to take a six-month leave of absence to be with us: to travel, slow down, and fully soak up this season together. That gift of time is something we’ll carry with us long after this trip.
On the drive home from the airport, we tried to lift our spirits with a very emotional stop at Costco… where we proceeded to buy WAY TOO MANY exploding confetti poppers and streamers for an over-the-top kids’ New Year’s party. I’d warned the kids we probably wouldn’t use all of them, but when we got back to John and Hannah’s house, all the adults bravely embraced the chaos. The kids had a blast, and somehow the cleanup could have been worse.
By that point, we’d stayed long enough to settle into a little bit of a rhythm. While Mina was at school and John and Hannah were working, the kids and I would do schoolwork and then head out on our own little adventures. We’d regroup in the evenings for dinner and some sweet hangs together.
One day, we made the drive to Golden, Colorado to wander around their pedestrian mall. It turns out that Lawrence Halprin, the same landscape architect who helped design the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, also had a hand in designing Pearl Street Mall in Boulder. The similarities were unmistakable, and walking through it felt strangely familiar in the best way. We all left feeling a little closer to home!
Another day, we headed into Denver to visit the Museum of Nature and Science. They had an impressive LEGO exhibition, and we ended up spending hours there. I’ve learned that if I bring a book along, I’m much more relaxed about letting the kids take their time. I read, they explore, and when they get hungry, we move on. Slowing down doesn’t come naturally to me, but I’m definitely trying.
One of our highlights was the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, which is literally built into the side of a mountain, something I apparently did not fully appreciate when I casually strolled in with zero plan. In theory, a reasonable person might map out a sensible route. In reality, I operate more on vibes, which in this case resulted in a significant amount of uphill hiking. Still, every breathless step was absolutely worth it.
The zoo was incredible, with interactive exhibits, gorgeous nature areas, playgrounds, giant slides, and so many chances to get up close with the animals. But the very best part, hands down, was feeding the giraffes. Y'all, we’ve fed giraffes before, but never like this! There they lean way over your head, and you feed them by stretching your arm straight up into the air. It was equal parts hilarious and magical, and we all loved every minute of it. I went back and bout "one more bundle" of lettuce THREE times!
Most of our time in Colorado leading up to Christmas felt more like spring than winter, so the kids were thrilled when we finally got a real taste of snow. We bundled up, grabbed sleds, and spent the morning racing down the hills. Thanks to Mimi and Grada, we also got to spend a day snow tubing. The kids loved it so much that we went back and did it all over again on our last day, which felt like a fitting, joyful way to end our time together.
