March 29 - Goodbye Keystone

Our last day at the mountain, boo! After waking up and packing, the big kids and I went out in the snow one last time for some fun. We intended to build a snowman, but they ended up tossing snowballs and building a little snow fort they could climb through. After packing up our winter coats, it was time to drive back to the airport and head back to Houston. Unlike our flight to Denver, the flight home was rough. Our little Jillian was not a happy flier and cried the entire flight back. She was very tired and just could not get comfortable. Once we landed, she was back to her happy self. Phew!




Last minute fun in the snow

March 23 - Magical

Sunday was our last full day in Keystone and we were determined to make the most of it. We woke up and it was snowing outside!! Simply gorgeous!! Jules and I headed back to the mountain and went skiing for half the day. It was snowing the entire time and she kept saying "mom, this is just magical!" What a wonderful day I will never forget. 

After skiing and lunch, we all took the bus into River Run (the main village at Keystone) and explored. We ended up having a pasta dinner at Luigi's Pasta House where Jillian was mesmerized by the wait staff. We were sitting near the kitchen and she loved it when the workers came out with food. After dinner, it was back to the pool for swimming. 

Another great day in the mountains!

Snowing!

River Run Fun

Waiting the big kids swim

March 21 - Skiing with my Mini

Last day of ski school! I dropped the kids off at 8.15am and headed out on the slopes. It was a gorgeous day and it was so peaceful on the mountain. Since it was the weekend, it was a little more busy than the previous day but still not bad. I didn't wait longer than a minute or two for any lifts. Before I headed back to the condo, I stopped by ski school and as luck would have it, I got to watch both Luke and Julia with their classes. Luke was beyond adorable on the magic carpet and Julia was leader of the pack behind her instructor and definitely having fun. 

I headed back to the condo for lunch and some Jillian snuggles, while JD headed out to snowboard for the afternoon. Jillian and I took the bus back to the mountain base and we picked up the kids from school.

Luke's instructor was impressed he can take his skis on and off by himself and said he would be ready for the chair lift after another day of classes (unfortunately that was his last day of lessons and I couldn't extend him another day because they were booked for Sunday). Julia's instructor was very impressed with her progress and told me she already took her on the big chair lift to the top of the mountain. And she was already skiing blues (intermediate courses). Incredible! And even more awesome-Julia asked if she could keep skiing that day as well as the next day. You know I'm not passing that up! So we headed back out onto the mountain and skied for a few hours. It was late afternoon and empty, we had the mountain to ourselves. It was simply magical! 

Now, I will say that I have a newfound appreciation for my father after skiing with Julia that afternoon. My dad took all of us to the mountains by himself for weekend skiing, for years. My brother Jason and I were the same size for a long time and we were fearless. We would race all the time and speed was definitely more important to us than our personal safety. Inevitably, after a few hours, dad would get mad and "punish us" by making us ski behind him as he slowly went back and forth down the hill. We thought it was torture (we just wanted to go fast!). Julia was a total speed demon down the hill! She was in control but it was alarming when we first started how quick she was.   

Chair lift to the top of the mountain

We had the mountain to ourselves

Go Luke!

March 19 - Ski School

one of the first on the mountain

You may be wondering how we managed a ski vacation with an infant. Well, we split up our mountain time and it worked out perfectly. I dropped the kids off at ski school at 8am and skied from 8.30am to noon. They were excited to get started and walked right in with no issues. 

The first day, I was one of the first people in line for the chair lift and one of the first to the top of the mountain. Amazing-in all my years of skiing, I can say this was definitely a first. I started off on green trails and once I was comfortable, I moved to blues. It's been many years since I skied but it was like riding a bike. And skiing in the west?

Wow-it's not bone chilling cold like the northeast. It was cool at the top of the mountain and warm at the bottom. Sunshine, bright snow and just gorgeous conditions. Before I headed back to the condo, I went to the ski school area and tried to find the kids. I didn't see them (they must have been at lunch) but I did meet another mom from Niskayuna. Small world!

After noon, I headed back to the condo for lunch (food on the mountain is insanely expensive..$17 for a slice of pizza!) and switched off with JD. He went snow boarding from noon to 3.30pm and picked the kids up from ski school.

They both had a blast the first day. Julia met several new friends and couldn't stop talking about Claire-Bear and Sarah (Luke said "you know how many friends I made? Zero." I received an email update with their progress (Julia advanced from level 1 to level 3 and Luke stayed at level 1) which was pretty neat. After they got back, we had a quick dinner and then went swimming for a few hours. 

Funny exchange:

"I really like ski school but it's too long." - Luke
"Are you kidding me? It wasn't long enough!" - Julia

First day of ski school - success!

March 16 - Adventure Point

stunning views

Good morning Colorado! After a fabulous night sleep (with a gorgeous mountain view to wake up to) it was time to explore Keystone. Julia, Luke and I hopped on the bus to River Run (small village center) and collected our lift tickets. We took the gondola up to the top of the mountain...only to find out JD and Jillian were at the base waiting for us (we left before them because Jillian was sleeping). We went back down the gondola and then headed up as a family. JD took Jillian to the lodge while I took the big kids to Adventure Point. They played in a huge snow fort, complete with several little slides.

gondola ride

Luke wasn't feeling great (altitude sickness) so he ended up heading back down the mountain with JD and Jillian. Julia and I stayed and went snow tubing, which was incredible. Even more fun? One of the guys working is a student at University of Florida, originally from Gainesville and was born in the same hospital as Julia. 

After snow tubing, the gondola was closed due to high winds so Julia and I headed down the mountain on the chair lift. She was super excited to ride the lift for the first time ever. Unfortunately, my phone was dead so I couldn't get a picture. Once we got back to the condo, we had a quick dinner and then went to the pool. I took Jillian swimming for the first time ever and....she loved it!!!! Fabulous day at Keystone!

River Run

Adventure Point

Youngest baby on top of the mountain

Good morning!

we have another water baby!

March 14 - Welcome to Keystone

Happy Tuesday everyone! We flew back from Colorado yesterday and it was an amazing trip. I have a lot of photos to post, so be sure to check back this week to see our adventure. 

As you guys know, we travel a decent amount as a family and we always drive. Since Jillian is so little, we decided to fly this time around. While this gets us there much quicker, we have to be more strategic with the packing, especially since we had to pack bigger stuff like winter coats and snow pants (I'm usually of the mindset that we can "shove one more bag in the car").

We ended up checking 4 suitcases, the kids carried backpacks with booster seats and stuff for the plane and we gate checked the stroller.  It's been several years since the kids were on an airplane (Julia's last time was a trip to Raleigh when she was 2.5) so they were very excited. JD isn't a huge fan of Southwest (I used points for the tickets) and was worried we wouldn't be able to sit together (especially after we checked in and were boarding group C). Luckily, we were able to do family boarding and he was able to sit in a row with Julia and Luke while I was 1 row behind. We rotated Jillian back and forth during the flight and she did great. After we landed and picked up our bags, it was time to wait for the rental car shuttle. JD wanted to book with Hertz but I booked with Avis (I get a good corporate discount). When we excited the airport and saw 30+ people waiting for the Avis bus...and then proceeded to wait 20min while Hertz and every other shuttle came by to pick up passengers,

I could tell JD was losing faith in my travel plans (I should also note that I booked this trip the first week I was back from the hospital with Jillian in September). Finally, the Avis bus came, we all squeezed in and then proceeded to our rental mini-van. .

While I am no fan of a mini-van (I did not like the way it drives nor did I find it comfortable to sit in), the kids, especially Luke, loved it. They thought the automatic sliding doors on the side were the coolest thing ever and they loved the captain chairs and being able to easily access the third row. Once we were packed up, we had a quick lunch at Ruby Tuesdays and it was time to head to the mountains. The drive took just under 2h and once we reached the mountains, it was a gorgeous trip. Finally, we made it to Keystone and checked into our condo.

I wasn't sure what to expect since I booked this in September and opted for one of the cheapest rooms available-1 bedroom with a loft. Wow!! Our unit could not have not been more perfect. The bedroom had a king sized bed, stairs led to a loft with 2 queen beds, 2.5 bathrooms, large kitchen with granite countertops and new appliances, a wood burning fireplace and best of all-a gorgeous view of the mountains. Simply amazing! We were also located in a building next to the pool, so fabulous location within the complex. 

After we unloaded our bags, we got on our winter gear and the kids played in snow for the first time ever. Magical! JD went to the store to stock up on food, we had a quick mac 'n cheese dinner and then curled up by the fire. Fantastic start to the trip!

Room with a view

They love the snow

March 4, 2017 - Whirlwind

Greetings dimpled munchkin fans. I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I haven't fallen off the side of the earth. In fact, I have been blogging A LOT, just not here. I've been toying with the idea of a girl scout blog for awhile but the thought of blogging kindergarten through present was daunting and I kept pushing the project off. I finally decided to get it done and while it was a labor of love (I had to go back through my files to find photos and dates of a lot of different activities), it was well worth it. I love documenting everything our troop has done. If you have time, please check out the new blog: www.gstroop140008.blogspot.com. 

Life here in Houston has been great. Julia is doing great in third grade and loves swimming and diving. She also has a neighborhood group that she hangs out with all the time (she calls them "the gang"). She's the only girl, but they have fun riding bikes, scooters, climbing trees and running around. Luke is doing well in kindergarten and enjoying tennis every week. Of course, he would play video games all the times if we let him, but so far tennis seems like a good fit. He starts swim lessons in April and I'm excited for him to try out for Orcas this spring. Little Jillian is doing fabulous. The formula is doing it's job and she is plumping out nicely. She is rolling all over the place, loves the bath, still sleeps all night and is a very happy baby. Life is good!! 

We are getting ready for our first Colorado ski vacation next week and the kids are exciting to play in snow for the first time. Happy March!!

My favorite little man

Ruffle butt!

She found her toes, and they are delicious

Amelia discovered the bean bag

Luke & his bff Serene, at our school Fit Night