An adventure

We were up in Ft. Collins today. 

View from a stop sign in Ft. Collins

I haven't lived there in 10 years, but it still feels like home. 

I love the trees, the street signs, and the way that almost every single place has a memory tied to it. 

I find myself calling to the backseat...

" Hey Max, that's where Mommy got her braces put on."

"Max, that's where Mommy played t-ball games when she was little."

"Hey Buddy, this is where Mommy got coffee and studied for exams in high school...and now it's a dry cleaner."

We made some new memories there today with our friends Natalie and Genevieve. 

Best ice cream in town :)

We met for a picnic lunch at a park near the library.  Eli chilled out on our blanket while Max obsessed over a ride-on dinosaur. Max and Evie ran around with bags of Pirate Booty while Natalie and I caught up. 

We walked over to a great little ice cream shop for dessert. 

A great little ice cream shop with a small front door unfortunately. It was a bit of an ordeal getting, me, Max, Eli in his infant seat, the giant double stroller, and my camera inside. Thank goodness for friends and helpful strangers :) 

Once we arrived though we were rewarded with delicious salted caramel ice cream, seriously yummy. Max managed his cup of classic vanilla like a pro.

Doesn't this make you go "Awwwwww"?

We snapped a few pictures of these two cuties on the bench out front.  Max and Evie made up a game that involved getting on and off of the bench and then laughing hysterically. 

These two always look so sweet together in pictures, which is a little funny because they both can be rough and tough when they play. I think Evie is the only kid I have ever seen tackle Max and take him down to the ground...of course, that made her one of Max's favorite playmates. 

There's Nana!

Next we headed over to the hospital to say hello to Nana.  

"Hey Max, this is where you were born." 

A place that will always make my heart hurt, because I waddled my way in there as a very pregnant person, and walked out a couple days later a mother.

After a few errands we hopped back on the highway and headed towards home.  

We were cruising right along...windows down, radio up...when I noticed the never ending row of stopped cars ahead of us.

Uh-Oh.
 

A friendly sign informed us that the highway was closed due to an accident.
Not good.

We crept our way to the nearest exit. 

Took a detour.

Stopped to nurse. 

Slowed for a rainstorm. 

Stopped to nurse again. 

Stopped to get a snack for Max who ate through our snack reserves and was screaming "hungry!"

Caught rush hour traffic in Denver.

It wasn't so bad though.  We bonded. 

One good thing about being completely stopped in traffic...you can take pictures!

Max turned his empty milk carton into a phone and made phone calls for the last half an hour of our drive. The conversations went something like...

"Hello"

"Nana?"

"Uncle Chris?"

"Jenny?" 

"Apple"

"Rectangle"

"Bye!"

So Nana, Uncle Chris, and Jenny, check your cell phones because Max left you some messages today :)

We finally arrived home to our Daddy. The drive that usually takes about an hour, ended up taking almost three, but it was an adventure. 

I'm sure someday I'll say, " Hey Max, remember that time we got stuck in the car for three hours..."