Colorado Cabin Vacation

We took an end-of-summer trip to Estes Park, Colorado with Aaron's family. All 21 of us stayed in this group reunion cabin. The kids were so excited to go on vacation to a 'log cabin'. 

The venue had some amusing idiosyncrasies, like the super creaky floors and the crazy narrow (and low ceilinged) stairs. But- every family did have their own bedroom, and the bunkhouse had beds for all of the kids! They loved bunking with their cousins.  

The cabin 'village' had a bunch of amenities, including an outdoor pool. Nora declares this was her favorite part. We also tried to teach the kids to play ping pong (which didn't work out) and they spent some time on the playground.

Estes Park is a fun little town. There were lots of options for things to do. We couldn't resist mini golf for $3 a person. It was a cute 18-hole course and it looked like the nice older gentleman who took our money (cash-only) pretty much lived there and took care of the place. Our kids had never mini golfed before, although they were so excited to try. We spent a lot of time teaching them technique. Zeke had moments of frustration but really did catch on quickly. He was doing really well by the time we got to the end. Nora took a lot more coaching. 

We had such a blast at the golf course that our family of 4 went back again for another round the next afternoon. We played pool at the bowling alley had planned to go bowling after (which our kids have been asking to do for a long time!) but the kids wanted to putt putt again. The second time went a lot faster and Zeke is on his way to becoming a master miniature golfer. He even got a hole in one!

Sunday was our down-time day. We played a lot of games and sat around the fireplace and chatted. Here is Zeke's stinky garbage can he drew in Telestrations.

....And.... Sunday was Nora's 5th birthday! We made some donuts and sang happy birthday to her and she couldn't have been happier. 

After singing and donuts, we went out for a bonfire and smores and the kids put on a talent show. It was cute and fun and I think it very well could become a family tradition. 

The one thing I didn't do that I wanted to was go into the town to walk the main street and do some shopping. There were some fun-looking shops and those who did shop came back with some really unique souvenirs. It's okay though, because I traded shopping for more down time / cousin play time, which Zeke says is his favorite part of the trip.