A week in Colorado...

Rob and I just got home from a much needed retreat to Colorado with my family. It was great to escape to the cooler weather and just enjoy some down time playing lots of cards, hiking, and watching movies every night. I took a ton of pictures (probably not surprising to anyone) so instead of writing a ton about the trip I thought I would just share some of the pictures. You'll notice that a very important family member is missing...Elizabeth couldn't make the trip for a variety of reasons...the main one being her desire to someday get a job. :) Which I get...but I still missed her.

Since she wasn't there, we took our traditional "missing child" picture. It is weird taking pics without all four of us!

Since I took so many pictures, I decided to collage all of them so I could fit more into the post. Without further ado....

Savannah led a "Bear Safety" course for us the first night. Joe was the bear. :) We actually did see a bear the very next day....luckily for us....it was from the safety of our car. :)

Bets- see the cute puppy in the corner? It reminded us of a much calmer version of Boo! And she liked to sit between the slats of railing like a chair. ADORABLE. Her name was Dina Lou and mom asked her owner if she could buy her. They said no. Obviously.

Our hike the first day.

We spent lots of time lounging around the house playing cards....and Dad got to take some naps. :) 

Our hike the next day...us girls were missing Betsy!

Joe and Savannah are pretty hysterical together.

Garden of the Gods!

We went horse back riding one day. It was beautiful! We crossed multiple creeks and even saw an old rusty abandoned ski lift in the mountains. The funniest part was probably the personalities of everyone's horses. Rob's horse was named Tinker and was like a barrel on tooth picks. Ted's horse kept biting Anna's horse throughout the whole trip. And my horse was really small. Like a lot smaller than the others. I was basically riding a glorified pony. If you look at the group pic below you can really tell when you see how much lower I am then everyone else. Don't let his size fool you...Apache was a sassy son of a gun!

Mom and Dad Dower are pretty photogenic together. :)

Robby purchased a floppy hat to wear to baseball practices because his ears always get so burnt. I think it looks absolutely wonderful on him! Makes me smile everytime I see it! :)

Just some of the planking pictures....apparently planking is all the rage. Just ask my brothers.

Ted and Anna....so glad she was able to join us for a few days!

Cuchara was beautiful and the perfect retreat from the summer heat!