Christmas in Colorado: Colorado Springs

We had a pretty relaxing few days in Colorado Springs, which was nice.  Dan and I had both had pretty hectic days in the weeks leading up to our trip, so we welcomed hanging out in sweats and not doing much of anything (first trimester pregnant girl really enjoyed it...).  

Evelyn got to open up her Christmas gift from Uncle Ed and Aunt Sandi - a Jesse doll (which she loves!)

She also got to play with Uncle Ed's rabbits.

She was a little shy around them at first, but she warmed up to them with some time!

Before the Broncos game on Sunday, Ed and Dan fixed the seat belt in the car.  We read online that you could release the tension of the belt by removing a bolt behind the seat that the belt is attached to.  Unfortunately it required an odd-shaped allen wrench to remove, so Ed had the idea to just take the seat out to release the belt.  Thankfully that worked.  Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the seat removal because I was napping with Evelyn. :-)

Yay - a functioning seat belt!

On Monday, Ed and Sandi both had to work, so we planned to take Evelyn to the North Pole (an amusement park west of Colorado Springs that is Christmas themed).  I had been when I was really little, but hadn't been back in years.  They have some bigger kid rides as well as quite a few smaller rides for younger kids, and of course, Santa Claus.

Entry into the North Pole

We got there a little early, so Evelyn was helping Daddy wash the windshield and drive while we waited.

The "actual" North Pole (there is a pole of ice in there that stays frozen year-round)

We picked a fairly good day to go.  Most of the kids in the Colorado Springs area were still in school, so there weren't a lot of people.  It was pretty chilly (30s - which is chilly for us now!) and windy, but for the most part, the wind wasn't too bad in the park. 

Daddy and Evelyn walking to the kiddie rides.  She is so darn cute (I'm a little biased, I know!).

I love this hat - I wish she could wear it more than the 2 weeks we are in Colorado!

Riding her first ride.  I don't think she quite knew what to think!

This was her second ride...it's also the only ride I remember from when I was young!

Daddy and Evelyn on the Christmas tree ride.

Coming off the Christmas tree ride (like the mittens, Em?)

Next we went on a carousel ride.  We first put her up on one of the horses, but she was not a big fan of that, so we moved to the little sleighs on it. 

This picture cracks me up because she looks like she's hacked off...but she really was enjoying it.  I think she was just trying to figure it all out!

Riding with Daddy on the fire truck ride.

Then we went to Santa's house to see Santa.  She did great on his lap!...

...Until he turned her around.

(why do we do this to our kids??...another 'white lie' to the kids I struggle with!)

The last ride we went on was a little train ride along the mountain side.  I think she was getting pretty cold at this point.

Sweet girl.

The only family picture we got at the North Pole!

Dan took her down this slide once (he said it was freezing at the top!).

We had a great time at the North Pole - I think we'll try and make it an annual event when we are in Colorado Springs (we'll see how cold it is next year with a 5 month old!).

We had one last night in Colorado Springs with Ed and Sandi.  While we were waiting for dinner to finish cooking, Dan was letting Evelyn drink out of his water glass.  She thought it was a pretty big deal to drink from the big kid cup!

Another fun few days with Ed and Sandi in Colorado Springs!  On Tuesday morning we packed up and headed to Wray to spend the rest of the trip with my family.