Vacation 2014--Vail or bust!

Sound the ALARM!!! I am still attempting to update the blog! But now that life has settled down a bit, I am hoping to get caught up on the last 6 months. Out of my mind? probably--but the only other option is quitting it and I'm just not there yet!

This year we decided to take our family vacation over one of Matt's conferences. He had a conference in Vail, CO over 3 days, so we flew in on a Wednesday and stayed through Monday. We were so excited to take the kids skiing out west and we did quite a bit of skiing here at Afton to prepare everyone. 

Watching the sunset from above the clouds

We got in to Denver around 8pm but by the time we got all our luggage (which is an extraordinary amount when you have skis/helmets/gear for 5 people skiing PLUS regular clothing) and rental car and a bite to eat, it was 10pm before we were actually driving into the  mountains. But when this is your view on the way in, you know it's going to be a good time!

We woke up on Thursday morning to see this right outside our door......

We were all SO excited and Wyatt kept saying to Matt, "Is this powder? Are we going to get to ski powder like you always talk about?" The answer? YES!

Now the events that followed require a bit of explanation….we got up to the chair lift and Matt did what he usually does when we go skiing. He hopped on a chair and rode it until it ended without first looking at a map. Meanwhile, I was preparing the kids as we rode up that the mountains would look bigger than back in MN but that they needed to trust Matt and I and that we wouldn't take them down runs that they couldn't handle. 

So we got off the lift and began navigating our way down some very deep powder. Matt led the way and I brought up the rear. So when I came upon this sign, I knew it might get a bit harry but we were beyond the point of no return so I pulled out my phone and took a pic---either to document the fact that my kids had successfully gone down a black diamond on their first runs out west or that Matt was out of his mind and not paying much attention. Only time would tell which it would be.

Let's just say that there is a reason I don't have any more pictures from that run. We started out and although the kids thought the powder was cool, we had definitely underestimated how hard powder skiing would be for small, light bodies like our kids! It takes a lot of hard work to power through all that snow and to try it maneuver down a black diamond makes it that much more difficult. At one point, Wyatt was down ahead of us all sitting in the snow, waiting for the rest to catch up. Sadie was crying and Blake just surrendered by laying down in the snow. Matt was halfway down a hill and told me we were going to have to carry Blake and Sadie all the way down to the lift. I looked at him and said, "I can't do that!?!" to which he replied, "You have no other choice."

And he was right. So he scooped Sadie up in his arms with her skis between his skis, and told her to lift her skis off the snow and he would ski her down (you better believe it took an immense amount of ab strength for her to do that the entire rest of the run and her abs were sore for days!). I picked Blake up and carried him across my arms with his skis hanging off one side for the rest of the run. It was, by far, the hardest I had ever worked to get down a run and by the time we got to the lift, Matt and I were sweating like crazy! But since we didn't really look at a map prior to riding the lift up, we had ended up skiing to a lift that required us to ride back up to another point on the mountain before we could begin to make our way down to the base. We kept telling the kids we were going to go eat lunch (as you can imagine how long this entire fiasco was taking) but we really didn't have a great idea as to how long it would take to get to a lodge to eat at. Without realizing it, we were on a side of the mountain that didn't have many blue runs (no green runs) and the snow continued to fall. By the time we sat down to eat, everyone was exhausted (remember we had gotten in the night before around midnight and everyone was up by 6:30am in anticipation) and hungry and overwhelmed. It was not looking good for our wonderful family vacation. 

Our goal for the afternoon was to get all 5 of us down to the base and head back to our condo. Matt and I both checked our maps and I agreed to stay with Sadie and he would stick with the boys. If Wyatt was feeling good, Matt went ahead with him and carried Blake and I hung with Sadie and let her take her time in getting down. At one point, the boys were waiting for Sadie and I and she was crying and saying, "I can't do it" over and over. A wonderful Vail Ski Patrol guy skied up right next to us and bent over to Sadie and said, "I think you can do it." He waited patiently with us for a few moments and then said,  "If you can make it down all by yourself, I'll have a free hot chocolate coupon waiting for you. How's that sound?"

Well she immediately perked up and found some motivation to make it down. It wasn't easy but she kept pushing through. And by the time we made it to Matt and the boys, the ski patrol had given them not only a free hot chocolate for her but also for the boys as well as giving each kid a 'vail ski patrol' tag for their jackets. They all still have them and it was a great reminder of how hard Sadie worked that day--and boy was I thankful for that ski patrol guy because I was at my whit's end as to how I was going to get her down!

We tried to enjoy our afternoon so I stopped a few times to take some pictures of Sadie in the knee-deep powder that she was skiing through.

It always helps when you smile:)

But unfortunately Sadie and I missed the lift that carried the boys back over to the front side of the mountain, so we had the pleasure of traversing and taking cat walks the entire way! For those non skiers, that basically means we were on flat terrain and I was cross-country skiing in downhill skis while pulling Sadie with my poles. I definitely got my workout in!

This was the cover of the paper from that day--and as a side note, schools hadn't been cancelled in Eagle County because of snow for several years! And with Vail Pass closed, no one could get up from Denver to enjoy the snow, so it was amazingly (and wonderfully) quiet!

That evening as we sat in our condo, Matt and I threw around the idea of putting the kids in ski school the next day. The pros--the kids getting to learn how to ski on a real mountain with other kids their ages/abilities and Matt and I would get to go ski some powder and get our fill without feeling frustrated. The cons--this was a family vacation and we would be sending our kids off with someone else. 

We talked with the kids about it and both Sadie and Blake were relieved. Wyatt was not happy, but we ultimately felt like it would be a good decision. And boy was it ever!

The next morning we woke up, got the kids all set with their ski school classes and headed for the lifts. Us and everyone from Denver (now that Vail Pass had been opened)!

But boy was the wait worth it!

We headed for the back bowls right away, knowing that there would be the most unskied terrain back there. And although everyone else had the same idea as well, the great thing about Vail is how massive it is--we were able to ski freshies all morning long!!

About to head down in…..and the snow was still falling!

Just a bit of powder

Woohoo!! The excitement was palpable and we were having an absolute blast!

Check out the snow up my knees!! You know it's a good powder day when you get a face wash on your way down

The only down-side to that much powder? A cat walk becomes way too difficult and we had to pop off our skis and hike to the lodge to eat lunch.

There are few meals more enjoyable that those on a ski trip--the level of hunger and exhaustion is at an all-time high and it makes the food taste that much more amazing. And of course I would run into the mom of one of my best friends from high school!!

Claudia and I

Matt and I had an awesome, exhausting and exhilarating day. And by 3pm, we were anxious to get to the kids and see how they were doing. I didn't take a pic of Wyatt (he didn't really want me to) but I managed to get one of Blake and Sadie (they ended up in the same group). They all LOVED ski school and asked if they could do it again the next day. 

My mommy-guilt was so relieved to hear that the kids all wanted to go back and Matt and I also felt like we got our skiing fix as well. And although the kids wouldn't be going back on this trip, we were so thankful that they had such a great experience.

We headed to one of Matt's favorite pizza places--it was perfect for the kids! They all took turns telling us all about their days and drawing pictures on the table.

Wyatt's drawings--Campbell's soup can (they had just done an art project in school with these) and a hockey rink (standard)

The kids got a hold of the camera…..

(at least they got a view of the skating rink just outside our restaurant)   

We all slept great on Friday night and were looking forward to our day off the next day--and Wyatt's birthday!!!

We woke up Saturday morning with a new 9-year old in our family! He really wanted to open a few gifts before our day got started, so we let him open his gift from Nani and Pops that they had sent along with us--his very own Ryan Suter jersey! (A defensemen and Wisconsin native and hard worker--a great player for Wyatt to emulate)

Playing in the snow never gets old!

We decided to walk into the village to do some shopping and walking around and show the kids around town. (We all needed a day off and it worked perfectly that our day off was Saturday, one of the busiest days on the slopes). 

Love this pic

When there is this much snow, there's no place you'd rather be!

The paper on Saturday, documenting the epic snow storm we were experiencing!

I love how the snow piles on top of the rocks in the creeks!

Gotta love the heated streets and sidewalks everywhere….and watching my kids walk out to explore the ice sculptures along the creek

Checking out the latest gear

We went back to our condo for some naps and down time after lunch. Then we let Wyatt open his gifts from us before going back out for dinner.

NHL mini-helmets

(some gifts were just pictures because, well, its pretty tough to bring them all along on a vacation)

A snowboard for the backyard (not a real one--just one to strap onto snow boots)

And the most anticipated--and needed--a new bike!!

These two had a blast playing with these helmets--trading players and making the 'best conference'

(This is a classic 'Blake' face)

Waiting for our dinner reservations….such a shame to see a skating rink and to have no skates along!

The next day of skiing was our last--and it was possibly the best! The kids were all well-rested and feeling confident after their time in ski school, the sun was shining, there were plenty of groomed runs and Matt and I weren't feeling a need to get to the back bowls. It was going to be a great day!

The kids had learned all about the 'golden chair' in ski school and were so excited when we actually got to see it. (There is only one golden chair in the entire resort and apparently they tell every kid in ski school about it!)

Three happy kiddos headed up the mountain (notice they all have their 'ski patrol' tags on their coats)

I apologize in advance for the volume of pictures, but it's hard to stop when you're in such a beautiful place! And with my favorite people!

And they're off!

This is how Blake rides the chairlifts----seeing how far above the ground he is!

On our day off, we let the kids all pick out a sticker for their helmets and Sadie picked out the pink peace sign--classic Sades.

Wyatt loved taking some 'jumps'

..with great form on his landing

Tree runs with Dad--this scares and excites me all at once!

Blake was getting quite comfortable and took a few tree runs on his own

Heading in for lunch--this was one of those moments for me that Matt and I had envisioned and talked about for years and were finally seeing come to reality--taking our kids on a ski trip to one of the most beautiful places on earth! I felt like I had to pinch myself several times!

These two were great buddies

After lunch, everyone was feeling confident so we took the kids to the back bowls.

Dropping in...

It was definitely a bit steeper back here….and their little legs got tired pretty quick!

Enjoying a beautiful ride high above the trees with my favorite 9-year old!

Oh man...more trees!

Gotta love the sun in your eyes!

And we did a fair amount of this throughout the day as well.

I have to say that it was an amazing vacation and we also learned a lot!! We cannot wait to go back and it's exciting to see our kids pick up on our love for skiing. And as an added bonus, Sadie lost her first tooth on the plane ride back home. She had been working on getting it out for most of the flight, so when we were about to land and it was still in, a few people sitting near us gave her a bit of encouragement to just grab it and pull it out. And that was all she needed!