Our weekend in El Paso

On Friday we headed to El Paso to spend a few days with Ben and Briana.  Whenever we travel we like to find sites along the way to show our girls.  On our way to Texas we stopped at the Mogolllon Gold Mine, a Ghost Town about 10 very winding miles off the road. 

For anyone that enjoys taking pictures this was a haven!  Awesome backdrops for people with all kinds of tastes.  Lucy wasn't interested in having her picture taken so Addie and Kimber got to be my subjects.

When we finally arrived at Ben's house the girls were not only thrilled to be out of the truck but they were thrilled see their cousins. All five of Ben and Briana's boys play the piano and a variety of string instruments. Carson and Caleb picked up their violin and cello right away and played a few songs for the girls.

They also threw me a  birthday party that night.  My Aunt and Uncle also live in El Paso so they joined us as well.  There was lots of yummy food and fun conversation.  Briana and my Aunt Shelly really went above and beyond since a birthday party was the last thing I had planned on.  Thanks a million!

After we got the kids to bed the rest of us stayed up until 2:00AM talking.  Ben always has funny stories to tell and Friday night was no exception.  I'll never forget how he can tell is a woman is really in labor.  The nurses in Labor and Delivery told him that if a woman comes in and says she is in labor she's not serious.  If a woman comes in and says "aye aye aye" she IS in labor so you better take her serious!  

Jared and the girls had a great day on Saturday but unfortunately I missed out on the fun since I was sick in bed.  I was so thankful to Briana for watching my girls while I slept the day away and keeping me hydrated with Propel Water.  Ben took Jared around town and the girls stayed behind to play with the kids.  I swear I slept over 20 hours that day but I just couldn't shake it.  By the time evening rolled around Ben finally wrote me a prescription for the nausea and vomiting.  Thank goodness for a doctor in the family!

Sunday morning I was healed and we packed up to head home.  I was feeling sad because I had missed out on Saturday so after quite a deliberation we decided to stay one more day.  I am so glad we did!  We went to church, had a yummy dinner then spent the evening at Uncle Wade and Aunt Shelly's house.  Ben and Briana are so lucky to have them nearby.

I was so sad to leave on Monday morning but it was time to get back to reality and send Addie to school.  So we packed everything up and hit the road.  I am so grateful that my girls traveled well.  They were all so patient and never complained.  Not even Lucy.

Once we got to Glenwood, NM we stopped at the Catwalk Trail.

Little Ms. Cooperation will do anything to spoil a picture.

About half way up Kimber was losing interest and Lucy was getting heavy so I headed back down with those two and Jared and Addie went on to the end. 

I am so glad we had the chance to go.  It was so fun to catch up and watch Ben's family in action.  One of the things I love to do is observe people and how they function as families, as couples and individuals.  I came back feeling inspired in ways I can improve my life and the way my family runs.  What can be better than a vacation where you get to laugh a lot, your kids have a great time and you come home feeling like a better person?