Kayla 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 Kayla tag along. I didn’t think she would get too much out of this place but boy was I wrong.

She was climbing all up the mats. Once she conquered the climb she would cheer herself on for her accomplishments. Its was really cute to watch.

So proud of herself!

There was also a beam placed right in front of us for the kids to walk across. It was the perfect height for Kayla to cruise around.

Who would have thought Rope World would be so awesome for kids of all ages. Thanks for the invite Grady!

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. The big kids were awesome about including Kayla in the play time. She loves being with her sisters and appreciated being included in the fun.

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.

This was Kayla’s first time tent camping. I had visions of sleeping in the hummer with a screaming baby Reagan so the others could sleep. Definitely not the case this time. Kayla loved being in the tent with everyone. She loved crawling around the sleeping bags. We borrowed a bassinet for her to sleep in but that didn’t work out. She ended up sleeping next to me most of the first night. So I was tired. Night two we put blankets on her therma-rest and Kayla slept awesome. I’m thinking she doesn’t like to be confined. I was woken up once in the night by Kayla crouching over me with a huge smile saying I’m ready to play Mommy. She was so happy it cracked me up. So I played with her for just a few minutes before nursing her back to sleep.

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. Kayla spent time crawling around the beach and eating nonstop. She also got in a long well deserved nap on Mommy’s lap.

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. Kayla was beat.

Another great summer weekend!

A final group shot. Kayla was asleep in the truck ready to go. But she had a great time!

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 tother 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.

When you get a group of young cousins together the parents always feel the need to get them together in the bath so that you can have pictures to taunt them with later in life. This visit was no exception. We stuck the two youngest babes in first. As you can see one is really excited about this new adventure while the other is indifferent.

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 Belt 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.

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.

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

Kayla loved playing in the fountain. She especially loved standing up against the small wall around the fountain. She is always up for some good leg strengthening.

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 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. This would be Kayla’s first time to Mimi’s lake cottage. She has always been a water baby so we knew she would enjoy herself.

First thing upon arrival Nana was ready to float in the inter-tubes. So all the Fuller girls including Kayla when for a float. Kayla enjoyed the laying on Mom part but didn’t care too much for the lake water. So for the rest of the weekend we confined her to land activities with the occasional baby pool.

We also had bubbles. Because all babies love bubbles. Kayla relaxed in the pool while her Nana provided the bubble entertainment.

Kayla also took the opportunity to show off her new legs to whomever would give her cheers. She only needed something to stand up against. Here Daddy is provided the stand.

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. Kayla met some of her second cousins who were eager to take turns playing with the baby. Kayla normally doesn’t take to other people too quickly but she liked these girls. And Mom liked the ever present baby sitters.

Mimi even made an appearance for the day which was a special treat in itself. And you know Mimi loves her great-grandbabies. So it was nice for the two of them to get to spend some time together.

Nana and Papa will be visiting Colorado in a few weeks to be our babysitters while Dad and I have a date night. Nana thought it would be a great idea to practice with Kayla. I think she had a little success. But I hated to tell her that its a whole new ballpark at bedtime and there is no Mommy in sight.

Sydney was practicing with the camera and got a few good pictures of Kayla. Here she is putting on a show for her audience.

And here she is after getting embarrassed by all the attention she got from putting on her show.

As a special treat for taking the kids to the lake Kayla decided to try something new. Crawling. Not the army crawl she has been doing. But the real crawl on hands and knees. At home we have a hard slate floor but the cottage has a nice carpeted floor. I think the cushion gave her knees just what she has been waiting for. Here is some video of the big event.

Later that night the gang jumped on the boat and went out into the lake to watch the fireworks. Kayla and Mommy stayed back at the cottage and enjoyed the show from the end of the pier. Unfortunately Kayla fell asleep just minutes before the fireworks started and woke up just minutes after they ended. So no show for her. Until next year.