Touring Colorado as a Family of 3

July 20, 2017 - July 23, 2017


Have you been to Oklahoma? The summer heat is sweltering. Colorado on the other hand... quite beautiful in July.

We took off on Thursday morning at 6:05am. By take off, I mean flight take off time... AKA we were up at 3:30am.... with a 6 month old. Weston did wonderful. In fact, I think the baby handled the flight better than his adult escorts. Our trio managed to pack everything into 1 checked bag, 1 carry-on and of course Weston's diaper bag. For convenience and safety, we took our full sized stroller and infant car seat. It's so easy to check this at the gate, totally recommend! Plus, it was an easy and clean and safe and familiar place for Weston during transit. Last time I flew I went WAY overboard with the bagging and tagging of the stroller and car seat. This time, I went the "I'm a cool mom" route and didn't worry about it. Guess what, stroller and car seat are juuuuust fine. As my friend Paige puts it: "If the gear gets some wear and tear, it just means it was well loved."

Weston did great on the flight. Nursing on take off to clear his ears and put him to sleep worked like a charm. You can tell he was still a little sleepy...

After arrival, we headed to downtown Denver to meet Toby's colleague for breakfast at Snooze - Union Station. Holy moly, breakfast concoction YUM. In typical Danielle fashion, I couldn't decide on what to eat so I asked the waiters advice and she said I could just do half and half. Are you kidding me? Indecisive person's dream right here. I went with the corned beef hash and sweet potato hash. Both were melt in your mouth amazing and I highly recommend.

Sidebar: We even gave Weston a few bites of sweet potato and strawberry. Two benefits of the baby led weaning program is momma orders somewhat healthy foods and baby gets to eat deliciousness from infancy.

After breakfast we headed North to Boulder to stay with friends for 24 hours of hiking and hugging. Matt & Courtney recently dropped everything, including a thriving business, their home, both extended families (grandparents are missing their babies!) and all their friends to pursue their passion and minimize their stresses. Huge life changes, but you can already tell it was the right move. Learn more here: https://hempconnex.com/
Super proud of them, glad we could be the first to visit!

Once the Deen Team trio arrived, we got to play solo with the kiddos for a couple hours while Matt and Courtney took care of some business. Next, we were on to lunch... and OMG.... I thought breakfast was good... Lunch blew me away! Think of every vegetable you can, even the weird ones!, and it was probably sauted on my plate. Mix that with some quinoa and you have a very happy lady. I wish I had a picture of the piece of art that it was.

Our bellies were full and now it was time to explore. All 7 of us loaded up and headed to some nearby trails that the Chandler family has frequented since their move. It was so cute seeing the kiddos explore and love nature. The best was when Matt took a dip in the freezing river and his little boy decided he would join. Weston and I were quite happy on the sidelines. He may or may not have gotten a little naked after this photo was taken though. Before you call child services on me... I did not dunk Weston completely... just his lower half. I swear I'm a good mom...

Family dinner at the house that night was delicious, but the dessert was so SO NEEDED. I am dairy free and my husbands favorite food is ice cream... Not cool bro. Solution? Coconut whipped cream!! Seriously, light and fluffy and sweet and most importantly DAIRY FREE! Even better than dessert was the nice 2-on-2 hang out with Matt & Courtney while chowing down at the end of the long day.

The next morning Toby and I loaded up and hit the road with Weston on to Winter Park.

We were in Winter Park for our friend Megan's wedding. Our hotel, The Vintage, was greatness! It is connected to the Winter Park Village which includes shops, restaurants, activities for adults and kiddos, fire pits, mini stages for music, etc. Such a cute little place... perfect for a getaway wedding where everything is all in one place.  The ceremony the next day would be at the top of the peak at "Sun Spot" and was connected via Gondola or chair lift to The Village and to our hotel. With our little man, we weren't able to take advantage of this "air transportation" all the time, but it was still pretty sweet.
After some lunch and downtime at the Village in Winter Park, we gussied up and headed to Megan and Andrew's rehearsal dinner. This little gentleman got to try his first rib!

Next day we felt adventurous and headed to St Louis Creek for some hiking. So glad our little man likes his baby carrier. The Tula Grow With Me is our fave for sure. Weston is so narrow (hello mini Toby) that it would have been difficult for him to fit in other carriers. There was a lot of forest devastation that left us bewildered, but once we made it creek side, we were happy hikers.

Our little adventure was great fun! Now it was time to get fancy and see Megan get hitched!

Quick pause to put on the record that Friday night was grey and rainy with not much hope in the forecast for Saturday wedding time to change and BAM... check out the BEAUTY of the evening. The weather could not have been better.

The evening was a huge success and even with the beautiful sunset, the bride stole the show. Calm, gracious, HAPPY, and stunning are just a few ways to describe my wonderful friend on her wedding day. Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Davis! And seriously, aren't my friends GORG?!? #C-Squad P.S. My dress? #ShopStevie! https://marti.stevierep.com/ - use "deenadventures" for discount!

Dinner and dancing ended when Weston realized a tooth was coming in. **Cringe**

We had a lovely ride down the mountain on the gondola and appreciated the wonder of the stars on such a dark and surprisingly cloudless night.

The next morning we packed up and hit the road back toward the airport to fly home. BUT WAIT! There is time for a stop in Golden, CO you say? Deal! Annnnd the drive back was so pretty, I had to throw up a Crow Pose on the side of the road for all the cars driving by to appreciate.

We walked along Clear Creek and dunked our feet in the chilly water before cozying up on our blanket in Parfet Park. We may have gotten some grass stains, but it was well worth seeing Weston crawl.

Off to the airport we went.

After a smooth flight home, we decided to start sleep training so we gave Weston his new lovey and buckled down for a wild night. Wish this cutie some luck! Next wedding, we are totally making it to the grand exit!

#DeenAdventures