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Our 2021 Durango Summer Diary

This summer, we were lucky enough to spend 2.5 months in Colorado, and after experiencing just a few days of Houston’s heat and humidity, we are even more grateful for that time in Durango! We left when Poppy was just 3 months old, which means she spent almost half of her young life in the mountains. It is such a beautiful place – one near and dear to our hearts. We spent the days playing in my parent’s front yard, walking to nearby parks, getting treats at our favorite cafe (just a few blocks from our house!), and throwing rocks in the river. For the first time ever, we signed the girls up for camps and classes (gymnastics, tennis and wilderness) to meet friends, but funnily enough, we met the sweetest family on our first weekend there and continued the friendship over our duration. The girls are already asking when they can go back to see them! We spent a lot of time with my parents at the house with us, but also were lucky enough to have Jill, Kevin, Karine, Hunter, and some of our close friends come to see us. It is such a joy to share one of our favorite cities with loved ones.

This summer, we were lucky enough to spend 2.5 months in Colorado, and after experiencing just a few days of Houston’s heat and humidity, we are even more grateful for that time in Durango! We left when Poppy was just 3 months old, which means she spent almost half of her young life in the mountains. It is such a beautiful place – one near and dear to our hearts. We spent the days playing in my parent’s front yard, walking to nearby parks, getting treats at our favorite cafe (just a few blocks from our house!), and throwing rocks in the river. For the first time ever, we signed the girls up for camps and classes (gymnastics, tennis and wilderness) to meet friends, but funnily enough, we met the sweetest family on our first weekend there and continued the friendship over our duration. The girls are already asking when they can go back to see them! We spent a lot of time with my parents at the house with us, but also were lucky enough to have Jill, Kevin, Karine, Hunter, and some of our close friends come to see us. It is such a joy to share one of our favorite cities with loved ones.

Our Durango Travel Diaries

Every summer since Isla was a newborn, we’ve spent multiple weeks in Durango, where my parents have a vacation house. It is such a special place for us, and the girls love spending time there. We spent lots of time outdoors – which makes sense since it was basically 80 degrees and sunny everyday. We did lots of river trips, visits to the parks, horseback and bike rides, and farmer’s market shopping. Because of COVID, some of our favorite daily activities were restricted, so it was a more low-key summer than some, which might have happened anyway with three active kids (boy, did I miss Georgie being fast asleep, swaddled to my chest like she was last summer!).

My older sister, Karine, and her boyfriend, Hunter, were staying at the house for our whole visit, and my parents were there for a few of the weeks as well. It was such good family time – something I’m really grateful for! We also got to spend time with two of my best friends (whose family photos I shared yesterday here). We also escaped to Telluride for a day to stay with our friends, the Gentrys, who graciously hosted us in their gorgeous mountain house. We had such a fun time with them! Lastly, we celebrated our seventh year anniversary, as well as my mom and sister’s birthdays, during our trip. It was nice being all together for these occasions.

Here are a few (okay, a ton!) of pictures from our last five weeks. If you’re planning a trip to Durango, this Durango, Colorado Family-Friendly Travel Guide would hopefully be a helpful read!

Durango, Colorado Family-Friendly Travel Guide

My parents bought a house in Durango, Colorado in 2012, and it quickly became one of our favorite places to visit. After Isla was born, we spent six weeks in Durango to escape Houston’s summer weather, and we’ve tried to keep the tradition up after our other two girls were born. Durango is a beautiful, walkable city that is perfect for traveling with children. In the past two weeks, I’ve had a handful of people reach out to me for recommendations, so I thought it would be helpful to share a post with our favorite kid-friendly activities and restaurants/cafes. I hope you find this guide helpful! Please email me at ailee@snapshotsbyaileepetrovic.com if you have any additional questions. I’m happy to help be a tour guide for this city we adore!

Our 2019 Summer Durango Trip

For the last six weeks, we escaped reality of sorts and spent time in our favorite home-away-from-home: Durango, Colorado. My parents bought a house there in 2012 – we visited twice in 2013, then spent six weeks there in 2014 when Isla was a newborn. Since then, we’ve tried to spend at least three to four weeks there every year. This past trip, with all three girls in tow, was especially fun, as Isla and Emi are now at fun ages to explore and play together in the most kid-friendly city.

Some highlights from our time in Colorado include:

  • Watching Sasha, Isla and my dad race in the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic – all on varying courses, naturally. Isla was such a champ – we were so proud of her!
  • Spending days playing cards, feeding fish, going on walks and hikes, riding bikes, going to the park, getting ice cream, drinking lemonade on the front porch, swimming at the rec center, playing tennis, getting chai tea lattes and vegan/GF baked goods at Smiley Cafe, celebrating Sasha and Isla’s birthdays and Father’s Day, and doing scavenger hunts with the girls.
  • Hosting our best friends, the Thompsons, for a few days – it was so much fun having the kids all play together! We did not want them to leave!
  • Spending quality time with my parents for the first two weeks of the trip and lots of good Petrovic family time.
  • Potty training Emilia… or rather, having her potty trained. The three days of doing it weren’t my favorite!
  • Riding the D&SNG train through Cascade Canyon – we had the best time! It was such a memorable part of the vacation.

We cannot wait to go again – hopefully we’ll be back in the fall. I am so grateful that Sasha was able to use his paternity leave this summer. Six weeks with my favorite people on earth – it was truly the best. Here are a few (ha) of my favorite photos from our time in Durango!

Week(s) in Review

I haven’t done a Week in Review post since May 14, so it’s catch up time. There are photos below from Isla’s last week at school, which was a month ago! Durango trip plus Isla’s and Sasha’s birthdays, Father’s Day, lots of photo sessions/classes, plus life/never-ending-house-building = behind on everything! Isla and I are heading to Dallas this weekend, then we all leave for the UK next weekend. It’s go, go, go until then.

Below, you’ll find photos from Father’s Day, Sasha’s birthday (on which he got a dog bite – eventful birthday!), Isla riding her new pedal bike around the streets (daily!), a recent family trip with the Hetzes to the Museum of Natural Sciences, family dinner at bellagreen, Camden’s birthday party, and some backyard mini-pool time. The girls are enjoying this summer heat way more than I am! It’s fun to be outdoors with them, regardless of the sweaty puddle I become. Excited to see family, experience much cooler weather and celebrate Jill and Kevin getting married in less than a month in Scotland.

I hope you’re having a great week so far! xo