Boulder Bear Statues

If you've been here a while you'll know that I love a good scavenger hunt and that I'm a big fan of street art. I'm an even bigger fan of these to things coming together!

So when a friend told me about the painted bear sculptures in Boulder's Chautauqua Park as part of the Art in the Park program, I knew we needed to check them out. 

Unlike other sculpture scavenger hunts that we've done, these painted bears are all contained in a relatively small area, making it an easy activity for kids of all ages. There are fifteen painted bear cubs along with one large mama bear sculpture located within just a few blocks from each other. In fact, some of them are so close to each other that you can often see multiple bears at any one time. 
 
Over the Winter break the kids and I headed to Chautauqua Park to search for the bears. I didn't think to download the map first (which you can find here), but we had no problem finding all the bears none the less. It was pretty chilly when we visited, which you can probably tell from the pics, and the combination of cold air and mask wearing made for pretty fogged up glasses for Mathilde. She totally had a Dr Bunsen look happening until I took her glasses off! There weren't other people around but the kids kept their masks on anyway to keep their faces warm. Last Winter Lola wished for a face warmer; this Winter she's got one!

Anyway, let's take a look at those painted bears...

12 Things to do in Estes Park with Kids

Estes Park up in the Rocky Mountains is a popular destination for Colorado locals and tourists alike. Located just an hour away from Boulder (or an hour and a half from Denver) it makes for a perfect quick and easy get away for the weekend. With warm Summers, colorful Falls, and snowy Winters, Estes Park is a beautiful place to visit at any time of year. 

We've visited Estes Park a handful of times and we've always found something new and fun to do on each visit. Today I thought I'd share some of the fun that we've found in and around Estes Park. 

Here are my top 12 things to do with kids in Estes Park...

The Art of the Brick

Hey Colorado friends! 

Are a big Lego fan like me? Do you love art? 

If you answered yes to both questions then get yourself to Denver Museum of Nature & Science for The Art of the Brick exhibition!

This amazing exhibition by artist Nathan Sawaya has been on display at the museum for quite a while now and we actually visited back over Summer break. I've been meaning to share it with you for such a long time. It actually closes in eleven days so I figured it was about time I shared it with you all. Better late than never, right?

If you've been here a long time (a really long time), then you'll know that this isn't our first visit to Art of the Brick. In fact, we checked it out in Melbourne, Australia way back in 2011! You can check it out here. Since that first visit Nathan Sawaya has created a LOT of art, so while there were a few pieces that we recognized from 9 years ago, most of the pieces were new to us.

Let's take a look...

10 Years of Little Hiccups

If you're following along on Instagram, you may have seen my post earlier this week sharing that it was my 10 year blogiversary. My 10 year anniversary of starting this little blog. A whole decade of Little Hiccups!

Some of you have been here since the start (ahem, thanks Mum) while others are more recent friends. No matter how long you've been following along, even if this is the first post of mine that you've read, I want to say thank you for being here. I truly appreciate it. 

Today I'm taking a look back through the archives (which you can find in side bar over on the right) and sharing some of my favorite posts from the past ten years. It's a pretty mixed bag as I can't bring myself to focus on just one thing. I have, however, narrowed it down to my favorite topics: travel, San Francisco Bay Area, events & exhibitions, parties, holidays, and crafts & DIYs. Ok, so that's not really all that narrowed down, but trust me, I've covered way more topics than that over the years!

Let's take a look at some posts...

Make sure to click the title above each photo to be taken to the post.

Thanks once again for being here!

Ice Castles 2020/21

 Happy new year! 

Today I'm sharing our last adventure of 2020 with you. Our trip to the Ice Castles in Dillon.

If you've been here a while you'll know that the Ice Castles are always one of our highlights of the Winter. This was our third year visiting the Ice Castles, and even though we know what to expect each time, it's always a magical wonderland that leaves us awestruck. I mean, just take a look at those pictures below! Aren't the ice structures simply stunning? Don't they look like they're made of pure magic? Like little ice fairies waved their wands and the ice crystals formed together to create the most wondrous and otherworldly castle imaginable. I like to think that's how they're made! Actually, I'm pretty sure that's exactly how they're made. 

Ok, so maybe there's a little more science involved rather than fairy magic, but it's all still wonderful and like nothing else I've ever experienced. 

I just can't get enough of the Ice Castles - and that's why I took a gazillion photos to share with you!

As always, I really struggled to narrow down the photos. So go grab yourself a hot cocoa (perfect for this icy adventure) and prepare to enter a world of wonder...

Oh, and make sure to read through to the end as I've got a discount code for Little Hiccups readers!

Christmas 2020

Well, 2020 is about to finish so I though I'd best squeeze in one last post to share this year's Christmas with you.

While this holiday season was very different for a lot of people, it was business as usual for us. Living half way across the world from family and friends means that we always spend Christmas alone. Well, not alone, but just the five of us. Catching up with family for Christmas always means Skype or Facetime calls at awkward times. Giving gifts has always included a long wait in the post office. What has been our Christmas "normal" for a decade now became the "new normal" for most of the world this year! Just so you know, we were doing it before it was cool! Ha!

Ok, but seriously, our Christmas really wasn't any different this year. Well, apart from the masks for our Santa visit on Christmas Eve! Santa did give us the option to take masks off too (he was wearing a face shield and was sitting far away) but I felt we had to capture 2020 in all it's glory too. Plus, Ava's Krampus mask needed to be immortalized in Christmas history!