Reagan 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 on the constant go so it was hard to get photos but I did manage a few.

Sunflower Farm Summer Camp

This week Reagan had her first summer camp at Sunflower Camp. The girls had their birthday party at this farm several years ago but we never attended any of their summer camps. A Mom we know from school highly recommended this camp so we figured we’d give it a try. We managed to get a few pictures at pick-up time so you can get a feel for the place.

They have a huge tree house system spread out among several trees with rope ladders, platforms and slides.

Reagan got to ride both a pony and a horse during the week. Here she is with her favorite animal of the week Belle.

There are also several animals the kids get a chance to interact with. Goats, chickens, turkeys, donkeys, horses, llamas, bunnies, turtles, chicks, baby ducks, etc. etc. Sydney, Kayla, and Mommy let Reagan show us just a few of the guys she met this week.

It was pretty hot this week but her counselors took great care of the kids. They had sprinklers, zip lines through sprinklers, ponds, and plain ole hoses for the kids to cool down with. Reagan was exhausted by the end of the week which I think was a good sign that she had fun.

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.

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.

Sydney decided it would be fun to set up a kids only fire ring. So she and her friends went scavenging around our campsite looking for any suitable rocks. Reagan then decided that you can’t have a ring without logs. So they went off once again to gather any pinecones and small sticks they could find. I’d have to say they did an awesome job building their ring. All the parents were impressed.

The first night we cooked quesadillas camp-style. Then poor Miss Sheri made some campfire popcorn for everyone. I think she was crouched at the fire for a good ten minutes shaking the popcorn tin.

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.

They could often be seen off to the side scavenging for large logs to throw in the lake.

Super sweet as always.

Here’s a group picture of the gang.

When they had nothing better to do they played dress-up with Mr. Wyatt. I think he liked the bling.

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.

Another great summer weekend!

A final group shot. Kayla was once again asleep in the truck ready to go.

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 together 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. So 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 Velt 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. Towards the end there was a new giraffe feeding station. The girls bought greens and the giraffes would come over and eat them out of their hands. Very cool.

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 Velt where they have a water fountain for the kids to cool off. It is always a hit with the kiddos.

Reagan didn’t like the idea of getting her clothes wet. But, when she saw that her baby cousins were in the water she assigned herself their little protector.

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 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. Reagan had only been here a few times before but she remembered Mimi’s house. First thing upon arrival. Float in inter-tubes. Its a Lake Wawasee tradition.

Soon the floating around got boring for Sydney and she decided to start jumping off the end of the pier. Natalee, Nana, and Daddy were trying to coax Reagan into giving it a try too. But, she wanted nothing to do with jumping into deep water. Daddy finally gave up and walked away. And as soon as his back was turned Reagan grabbed an inter-tube and jumped off the end of the pier. Nobody could believe their eyes. She was giggling and smiling and loving it.

Here she is after the big jump. Just look at that smile.

She jumped in a few more times for the crowd and then went off to relax with Nana.

Once again the girls loved the jet ski. Mommy took them out several times. We saw all kinds of water birds and swans. It was good girl time. But you wouldn’t know this because Daddy never takes pictures of Mommy doing anything with kids. But here is one I took with Reagan and Dad.

When Reagan wasn’t in the water she could be seen climbing all over this wall. The bricks are bumpy and perfect little ledges for small feet.

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. Sydney and Reagan met some of their second cousins and made quick friends. The girls could be seen off floating or swinging or swimming together at any given time.

Throughout the morning the girls did more of the same. Pier jumping, boating, paddle boating, jet skiing, or floating around. Daddy decided it was time to step up the action. Mommy was not too sure about his new idea. But, I shut up and watched as my babies were dragged behind a boat and high speeds. You could see their heads snap with every big wave. It drove me crazy. But, they both loved it.

Daddy was wearing out but the girls were screaming “more, more, more.” Daddy decided they could handle a few rounds by themselves. So he hopped in the boat and the girls continued on.

After a bit Reagan was wearing out so she jumped in the boat for a break. But I bet she was on the tube for at least 30 minutes straight. She was holding on so tight that the skin on her thumb was starting to wear off. She blamed Papa’s crazy driving. She wanted a picture of her tubing injury on file so here it is.

Not too much later we spotted Reagan like this. She had wondered inside by herself to take a nap. I think she deserved it.

That night the gang piled into the boat to view the fireworks from the middle of the lake and it was quite a show.

Here is some video of the big tubing adventure.