Sydney Fuller

Rope World

Reagan got invited on a play date with her pal Grady this week. We were meeting up at a place called Rope World. I had never heard of this place but the name alone sounded cool. Turns out it is held at one of the local elementary schools. The now retired gym teacher had come up with the idea to turn the entire gymnasium into a rope inspired obstacle course of sorts. It turned out to be really cool and very creative. What a great idea! Reagan and Grady were kind enough to let Sydney tag along. Being the monkey that she is she was climbing all over the place. Thanks for the invite, Grady!

Longmont Humane Society Summer Camp

This week Sydney had her first summer camp at the Longmont Humane Society. I’m sure many of you think her Mommy made her go to this camp. But, she picked it out all on her own. I think her Mommy’s love of pets might be starting to rub off on her. I’d have to say I was a bit jealous dropping her off.

She would spend her days walking dogs, playing with kittens and bunnies, and learning about pet care and overpopulation. During the week the kids were given chances to observe many animals and pick their sponsored animal by the end of the week. On the last day they would create a plaque to affix to the animals cage to help it get adopted. Sydney picked “Happy” for her dog. Luckily as we were walking through we spotted Happy going out for his walk so we grabbed a quick photo.

Here is the plaque Syd made for Happy. I have a feeling he’ll find his forever home soon.

Leadville Camping with the Sandovals

Brandon was hoping to get some more high altitude running in this summer before his big race. So I thought it would be a fun idea to invite our friends the Sandovals up to Leadville for a weekend camping trip to Silver Dollar. They had never been camping as a family before so we thought we’d show them how its done Fuller style. Which means you throw everything you can fit into your truck and camp with a few little luxuries. Here is our setup.

I’ll let Mr. Wyatt show you the tent set-up.

We had two huge side by side campsites reserved so we were able to set up camp pretty much wherever we wanted. We also brought along our little play tent to help keep the kids entertained. Daddy hates kids playing in his tent so we were hoping this would keep everyone happy.

After a bit we realized it was best to keep Kayla confined to either a tent or playpen to play. She was putting everything she could find in her mouth. And it was all pretty dirty. Sydney often volunteered to play with her baby sister. She would run around the tent and do something silly at the windows to make Kayla laugh. Kayla thought it was hilarious.

Sydney decided it would be fun to set up a kids only fire ring. So she and her friends went scavenging around our campsite looking for any suitable rocks. Reagan then decided that you can’t have a ring without logs. So they went off once again to gather any pinecones and small sticks they could find. I’d have to say they did an awesome job building their ring. All the parents were impressed.

The first night we cooked quesadillas camp-style. Then poor Miss Sheri made some campfire popcorn for everyone. I think she was crouched at the fire for a good ten minutes shaking the popcorn tin.

The next morning we decided to spend a few hours over at Turquoise Lake. We found a small little bay and set up a temporary camp with food and blankets. The kids ran around in the water for several hours and had a blast.

They could often be seen off to the side scavenging for large logs to throw in the lake.

And of course silliness was ever present.

Here’s a group picture of the gang.

When they had nothing better to do they played dress-up with Mr. Wyatt. I think he liked the bling.

When we had enough of the lake we grabbed a quick shower at the rec center and then made a quick walk of the small downtown area. The kids were hungry so we grabbed some pizzas at High Mountain Pies so the kids could play while waiting for the food. We made it back in time for s’mores before getting to bed a bit earlier.

Another great summer weekend!

A final group shot. Kayla was once again asleep in the truck ready to go.

Summer Visit to Fort Wayne

On Monday we said goodbye to the lake and made the short drive back to Fort Wayne. The girls were so excited to be able to see Grandma Hakes’ new house for the first time. So we made that our first stop. They loved her new place. Especially the garden in the backyard and the fact that they had their own room. We went swimming in her pool and got in lots of play time with Christian and Jonny. I did take more pictures while in Fort Wayne but when we got home they were gone. There was an error about them being in an incompatible format and then I think they got erased. Sad but nothing we can do.

The girls were also talking a lot about sleeping at Grandma and Grandpa Coburn’s house but his air conditioner had broken. We were in the middle of a Fort Wayne heat wave so we all decided that would not be the best idea. So we made plans to get together later when it cooled down. Then a few days later Papa ended up in the hospital for a brief stay. We would drop in to visit but hospitals and kids don’t mix too well. Luckily he was doing better so we were able to get the whole family together for a get together before we left. Once again no photos turned out which was a bummer.

We then found out that Uncle Ben and Aunt Sara were coming up for a sleepover at Grandma’s house. The girls were so excited to see their baby cousins Madison and Sophie. So for an added adventure we all got together for a trip to the zoo. These are pretty much the only pictures that turned out so at least we have something.

The zoo had just revamped their big African Velt area so we headed there first. They added a walkway with lions and other new animals. It was an extremely hot day so we zipped through anything unshaded. Towards the end there was a new giraffe feeding station. The girls bought greens and the giraffes would come over and eat them out of their hands. Very cool.

The giraffes had a brand new addition to their family. I think she was only about 6 weeks old at the time.

Here is a group shot of all the younger cousins. I think Ed and Ryan thought they were too big for the zoo. But, we did manage to bring Ryan’s wife, Lauren.

One more group photo, minus Sophie, who was getting tired.

There were overlooks along the way. You could see water buffalo, zebra and other African grazers down below.

They also had a music station where the kids could try out some African drums.

Next we went over to the Australian Velt where they have a water fountain for the kids to cool off. It is always a hit with the kiddos.

Soon after these photos a huge rain storm came in and we all made a dash for the car. However we did manage to get one train ride in for the little ones. It was fun to see everyone once again. It always feels rushed and you leave feeling like it wasn’t enough time. But that just means they need to come visit us more. Any takers?

Lake Wawasee

We dropped off the RV and were home for exactly two days before leaving for our next adventure. It was time for our annual summer visit to Indiana to visit the family. This trip is always less hectic then Christmas time. But, when you live in a desert climate you just wanna die when heading back to the Indiana humidity. As you soon you de-board the airplane it smacks you in the face. Yuck!

This year we we decided to plan our visit around the 4th of July. This way we could get a break from the heat at the lake. Our flight was a late one so we crashed at Aunt Natalee’s for a bit then drove straight up to Lake Wawasee. Sydney had only been here a few times before but she remembered Mimi’s house. First thing upon arrival. Float in inter-tubes. Its a Lake Wawasee tradition.

Soon the floating around was not enough for our little daredevil. So Sydney conned Aunt Natalee into hanging out at the end of the pier to watch her jump off the end. Again, and again, and again…

Nothing but air.

Since Sydney is all about the thrill and not the work. Aunt Natalee rigged up an inter-tube ladder at the end of the pier. This way Sydney could avoid the swim back to the stairs and get back up for the next jump quickly.

I did catch the girls lounging from time to time.

Nana had received a new paddle boat this year for her birthday. So we would take the girls for rides through the back channels on turtle hunts. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find any turtles which was unusual. But, we did see lots of seaweed and lily pads.

In between adventures Sydney could be seen tanning on Papa’s boat. The sun would get the back nice and hot and it was an excellent way to warm up after swimming.

As always the girls loved playing on this wall. There’s just something about it that makes climbing it irresistible.

The next morning the other members of the Fuller family joined us at the cottage for a family reunion of sorts. Which was nice because we hadn’t seen most of the family in years. Sydney and Reagan met some of their second cousins and made quick friends. The girls could be seen off floating or swinging or swimming together at any given time.

Throughout the morning the girls did more of the same. Pier jumping, boating, paddle boating, jet skiing, floating around. Daddy decided it was time to step up the action. Mommy was not too sure about his new idea. But, I shut up and watched as my babies were dragged behind a boat and high speeds. You could see their heads snap with every big wave. It drove me crazy. But, they both loved it.

Daddy was wearing out but the girls were screaming “more, more, more.” Daddy decided they could handle a few rounds by themselves. So he hopped in the boat and the girls continued on.

I could see Reagan getting tired so we stopped and let her get in the boat for a rest. However, Sydney wanted MORE. She was begging anybody to go again. Nobody but Aunt Natalee took the bait. So away they went.

After a bit we called it a day and went ashore. Not too much later we spotted Syd like this. I think she deserved it.

That night the gang piled into the boat to view the fireworks from the middle of the lake and it was quite a show.

Sydney was once again on a kick with her camera. Here are a few of her masterpieces.

And one more jump for the road.

Here is some video of the big tubing adventure.