colorado

we flew from provo to denver last week, to visit patsy and have mr. o do some jobs around her house. the boys were excited to fly, and miles especially loved it.


leo was squirmy and indifferent, but if you ask finn about it, he says it was scary. (although, he didn't act too anxious during the flights thankfully!)


one of the first things we did was go to a nearby butterfly pavillion. i forgot the charger for my camera, and the battery was low, so i didn't get many good shots!


this was a really fun place, they had lots of bugs, some sea creatures you could touch, and my favorite- the humid room filled with tropical plants and full of butterflies.


miles was totally brave and didn't hesitate to hold "rosie" the tarantula. he got a sticker, and inspired a hesitant little girl to give it a try. he said it didn't tickle or poke or anything!


this is the only butterfly picture i got! but there were all sorts- from the huge, shiny blue ones, to the camouflaged moths on the tree trunks. i did get a short, shaky video, but the blinking battery light on the camera had me paranoid.

the next day we went to a wild animal sanctuary, where they rescued big cats, bears, wolves, etcetera from private ownership.

i was shocked to learn that there are more captive tigers in texas alone than in the wild! this place must've had a couple dozen of them, and we were completely engrossed watching them gnaw on their meals, play in the water, and growl at each other.


there was also a good number of lions. most of them were really fat!


we walked on a raised walkway above the open fields where the animals were housed. they had lots of cement pipes that the bears could sort of hibernate in.


patsy was really sweet and let the boys choose souvenirs at each of the places. they came up with this silly pose to show off their animal mask/hats.


i think i'll find a way to display these in their room before they get ruined!


after the excitement, we went to lunch in a tiny, rural town. i ordered a salad with the dressing on the side, and i about died when it came out as a whole bowl full of ranch- it must've been half a bottle! could you imagine using all of that?!

it was a fun experience despite the fact that we were all sick, and our flight home was cancelled. they organised a new flight and gave us all vouchers, and everyone was SUPER nice to us and the boys. one lady bought them all happy meals, while others shared candy and games on their phones. several others commented on how good the boys were, it was really great. we loved flying to provo, even with the headaches it was so nice to be so close to home.