Denver Botanic Gardens

Family Fun Outing #2- The Denver Botanic Gardens

Grandma treated us to a beautiful day surrounded by God's amazing creation!

The boys had a blast running around in the sunshine and taking in all the sights!

There were so many cool paths to discover.

It was an H-O-T day! We stopped frequently for rest in the shade, snacks, and refreshments!

This little rascal wanted to run the whole way through the gardens! Eventually he wiped out and let us push him in the stroller for a bit of relaxation.

Nolan put on a little show for us on this bench! He was singing and dancing...what a goofball! And he just eats up all the laughs he gets from us and especially from his brother!

My mom and I always take a picture together on each of her trips. She has a special album for all of these photos. It's neat to look through them and see all the different places we've been and adventures we've had together since I've moved here. (Not to mention our different hair cuts and colors and my ever expanding and deflating waistline! Hey, that's what happens when you have a baby every 2 years! Ha!)

We took this picture in the Japanese Gardens. This was my favorite part of the Botanic Gardens. I love all the neatly manicured trees and shrubs. (Maybe just a little clue to my completely Type A personality! The perfectionism is appealing to me compared to the other wild, freely growing flowers and greenery.)

The boys completely LOVED this pond full of Koi fish!

They could have stayed here all day watching the fish and secretly feeding them crumbs from Heath's granola bar! (I know, I know, we probably should not have been doing that! But they were having so much fun!)

After walking the whole gardens we made our way up to the top of the parking garage where they built the best Children's Garden overlooking the city and the mountains!

The boys had a blast running and running! Nolan loved this rickety bridge!

They have magnifying glasses out for the kids to investigate the flowers and plants.

You climb up some rocky paths to this bridge...

that leads to this cave and a rocky mountain overlook. Nolan found these hidden creatures along the way.

Heath peeking out from the cave!

The Children's Garden also has a great little creek to splash around in! True to form, my cautious eldest son, waded in slowly. It didn't take him long to warm up and start exploring on his own, but he just takes his time and really becomes familiar with his surroundings before he can let loose.

On the other hand, my crazy one just plopped himself right down and splashed away immediately!

Nolan had fun pulling these big sticks out of the beaver dam and hauling them around!

Nolan looked for cool rocks and creatures. Heath loved watching and making the water splash and move. It is so awesome to see how at times their personalities could not be more different. Each completely unique and perfect in their own way!

They both ended up soaked from all their splashing! And this Mommy was pretty much not prepared! They ended up driving home in basically their undies! But at least it was refreshing and really cooled them down!

What a neat, new experience for our family. Thanks Mom for helping us create wonderful memories! We can't wait to go back again...only this time we might bring our bathing suits!