Usually by this point in the winter I'm bemoaning my life, the weather, and the interminable long-ness of January. But not this year, strangely. It probably has something to do with (a) fantastically balmy weather, and (b) planning fun things for later in 2012. My current happy mood may also be related to that extra cup of coffee I had this morning.
The biggest treat coming our way is a week long vacation in California. Not until the fall, but since we're using my in-law's time share, we already had to figure out when and where we were staying. Very generous, my in-laws. I was hoping they'd come with us, but it didn't work out. On the bright side, my parents are planning on joining us, and they are super helpful with the kiddos and just all around fun.
The motivation for this trip is Disneyland. Anna's been asking to go forever, and we wanted to make the trip before the magic was gone. I think we're too late for that, but it will be fun anyway. I love those tea cups.
We're also thinking more seriously about buying a minivan. I shudder at the gas prices, but I don't think our sedan is going to be a good fit for us much longer. There's just not enough room. With two car seats in the back picking up play dates is out of the question and it's a nearly impossible fit when my folks come to visit. (Currently, I wedge myself into the third seat in the back. A tight fit.) So, there's that decision in the pipeline.
Strangely, my mood seems unaffected by my lack of sleep (again suggesting that extra coffee may still be in my system). Anna can't seem to fall asleep (or stay in her bed) until 9ish, and Isaac is up and crying during the night. Thus far, as I've mentioned before, we've been bringing him into our bed. But his co-sleeping habits are becoming obnoxious. I want him to just grow out of this, but so far it isn't working. Should we do something, or do I continue looking and feeling like death warmed over? If I wasn't so tired I bet I could think of a plan.
I may also be in a good mood because of our return to routine. Anna is still enjoying preschool, despite frequent claims that "I like being at home best." (Why?! There's no one to play with here and you spend half the time fighting with Isaac!) I'm trying to mix up the extra-curricular activities, so we switched to dance class for Anna and a library story time for Isaac. I was hoping to get Isaac into soccer for the summer, but it seems he's too young. A shame, since he's got a wicked kick.
A slight change in routine may also underlie my positive outlook. I hesitate to mention this since it's horribly domestic and likely uninteresting. On the other hand, it also takes up a lot of my time so why not mention it? Have you guessed? It's house cleaning. I used to divide up the chores over two weeks, tackling most of them when Anna was in preschool and Isaac was napping. But now Isaac isn't napping with regularity. So I'm trying to do everything in two days every two weeks. So far it's been pretty freeing - I find I have more time to hang out with the kids and my attention is not so divided. We'll see if I can keep it up.
A final excuse for my positive mood: numerous conversations with actual adults the past couple of weeks. Things can get pretty mundane, and with all the demands (big and small) I find it hard to have a decent conversation with Jon, let alone anyone else. I've been quite thankful for the friendships we're building here. I just hope and pray we can stay in the area for a long long time.
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Friday, January 20, 2012
Friday, July 29, 2011
Catching Up
It's about five days since we returned from Calgary, and I'm slowly catching up on my life. Some of the catching up is stuff that I was supposed to have time for in Canada (like, say, blog posts) but somehow, every time I got on Mom's computer, I ended up playing a few rounds of Jewel of Atlantis. I think this befuddles Jon since I am NOT a gamer in any sense of the word. The only time I play is at my parent's house. It seems this is the only time I read, as well. I went through four books in three weeks. Usually it's one book over four months.
We drove up (over three days) and the kids reacted as expected. Anna is a great traveler and has recently taken to coloring IN the lines, which she finds great enjoyment in. Meanwhile, Isaac is very much a two year old boy. A couple of novel toy cars aided the trip, but by the end of each day he was near melt-down. A few things that helped smooth the bumps: (a) hotels with suites, pools, and free breakfasts, (b) a map listing rest stops, (c) eating only in the car so that rest stops were purely active time, (d) novel toys. Even so, this is not a drive we will repeat soon.
We were in Canada about three weeks (Jon joined us for the last week, having flown back down post-drive). I tried to keep things low key, since it's simply nice to be elsewhere for awhile. Highlights included Calaway Park, Heritage Park, and play dates with the grandkids of Mom's friends. I was also blessed to spend some time with some old friends who happened to be in the area. People I haven't seen in years, but still miss. There's something so relaxing about visiting with people who have known you forever.
We also spent time camping in Kananaskis Country, which is a lovely and somewhat undiscovered part of Alberta. So, while YOU are welcome to come, please do not tell your friends about it. We like it unpopulated. It rained a lot and the nights were gloriously frigid, but our tent was cozy and Anna slept quite well. Isaac slept in the RV with my folks and brother (who was gracious enough to spend a whole week of vacation time with his sister and her slightly manic children), because I'm no glutton for punishment. He'll have to sleep in the tent with us on our next camping adventure at the end of the summer, and that's enough for me.
Speaking of sleep, that was probably the hardest part of the whole vacation. The nights are short, even as far south as Calgary. It stays light until sometime between 10 and 10:30 p.m., which had a large effect on the kid's melatonin. A 9:30 bedtime became the norm. We're still struggling (REALLY struggling) to re-adapt.
Oh, and I almost forgot. I shook hands with the Duke of Cambridge! I was able to attend a reception with my Dad (his politicking paid off) where the prince and princess gave an appearance and short speech. Poor William looked haggard at the end of his long day, but still retained that regal air. (And yes, the Duchess is as thin as she looks on TV. This is the one question that everyone asks. I figure she looks like what she is: a 27 year old with a penchant for running who has never had kids.)
Some of the adventures took place while the kids and I were gone. While working on the yard, Jon noticed movement among the rocks. There lay a 5 foot snake tangled in some netting. Seemed like a rattler, but research revealed it to be a bullsnake. After consulting with someone at Fish & Wildlife, Jon hosed it down with cold water and removed the netting from its head. With his bare hands! Eeek!!! I'm glad he found it instead of the kids. I didn't know the snakes could grow so large around here.
So now we're home and I'm making a dent in the jungle that has become our backyard, attacking the virtual pile of emails, and the actual pile of snail mail. We appear to be snake-free, as evidenced by the small rabbit who breached my back yard defenses. Maybe we should have kept the snake a little longer.
We drove up (over three days) and the kids reacted as expected. Anna is a great traveler and has recently taken to coloring IN the lines, which she finds great enjoyment in. Meanwhile, Isaac is very much a two year old boy. A couple of novel toy cars aided the trip, but by the end of each day he was near melt-down. A few things that helped smooth the bumps: (a) hotels with suites, pools, and free breakfasts, (b) a map listing rest stops, (c) eating only in the car so that rest stops were purely active time, (d) novel toys. Even so, this is not a drive we will repeat soon.
We were in Canada about three weeks (Jon joined us for the last week, having flown back down post-drive). I tried to keep things low key, since it's simply nice to be elsewhere for awhile. Highlights included Calaway Park, Heritage Park, and play dates with the grandkids of Mom's friends. I was also blessed to spend some time with some old friends who happened to be in the area. People I haven't seen in years, but still miss. There's something so relaxing about visiting with people who have known you forever.
We also spent time camping in Kananaskis Country, which is a lovely and somewhat undiscovered part of Alberta. So, while YOU are welcome to come, please do not tell your friends about it. We like it unpopulated. It rained a lot and the nights were gloriously frigid, but our tent was cozy and Anna slept quite well. Isaac slept in the RV with my folks and brother (who was gracious enough to spend a whole week of vacation time with his sister and her slightly manic children), because I'm no glutton for punishment. He'll have to sleep in the tent with us on our next camping adventure at the end of the summer, and that's enough for me.
Speaking of sleep, that was probably the hardest part of the whole vacation. The nights are short, even as far south as Calgary. It stays light until sometime between 10 and 10:30 p.m., which had a large effect on the kid's melatonin. A 9:30 bedtime became the norm. We're still struggling (REALLY struggling) to re-adapt.
Oh, and I almost forgot. I shook hands with the Duke of Cambridge! I was able to attend a reception with my Dad (his politicking paid off) where the prince and princess gave an appearance and short speech. Poor William looked haggard at the end of his long day, but still retained that regal air. (And yes, the Duchess is as thin as she looks on TV. This is the one question that everyone asks. I figure she looks like what she is: a 27 year old with a penchant for running who has never had kids.)
Some of the adventures took place while the kids and I were gone. While working on the yard, Jon noticed movement among the rocks. There lay a 5 foot snake tangled in some netting. Seemed like a rattler, but research revealed it to be a bullsnake. After consulting with someone at Fish & Wildlife, Jon hosed it down with cold water and removed the netting from its head. With his bare hands! Eeek!!! I'm glad he found it instead of the kids. I didn't know the snakes could grow so large around here.
So now we're home and I'm making a dent in the jungle that has become our backyard, attacking the virtual pile of emails, and the actual pile of snail mail. We appear to be snake-free, as evidenced by the small rabbit who breached my back yard defenses. Maybe we should have kept the snake a little longer.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Skiing, sledding, and snowshoeing
We just got back from a ski vacation with Jon's family. This is something they do every year, but it's the first time that Isaac and I went long. It was a lot of fun! The resort is geared towards families, and there is a great little ski school where Anna took her first lesson. She loved the school and the little practice hill, and was excited to go skiing the next couple of days. I wasn't sure how she'd take to the sport, but she has shown no fear. After practicing on the bunny slope Jon took her on the ride (her term for the ski lift) to the top of the "big hill" and they went down a few times. He holds her between his legs, and off they go. They even did a few jumps in the terrain park, at her request. As a bonus, she also went skiing with her auntie and grandpa, using a harness. I'm so glad she enjoys this most Colorado of sports, and next year I'd really like her to learn how to stop.
Jon spent a day a different resort with more challenging runs. He's a fantastic skier and I was happy that he could go. I'm told the weather was perfect and the views were great. He hasn't had a chance to really ski since we moved here so this was a perfect opportunity.
The accommodations were comfortable with a hot tub* in each room. The latter was quite useful for getting the kids to wind down after a fun day with the cousins. [Alas, while it may have helped the kids fall asleep, it did nothing for keeping Isaac asleep. He hated the pack 'n play and either Jon or I ended up "sleeping" with him in the adjacent big bed. By "sleeping" I mean he got up every hour to scream, kick, play, pull hair, cry, giggle, or wiggle himself dangerously close to the edge of the bed. At home we were finally able to let him cry it out. After 45 minutes of sobbing (both him and me), he zonked out. And slept until 7 a.m. Nice.] Our socialite daughter wanted to spend all her time with the cousins, and considered this event a giant sleepover. The only difficulty was that she was unable to understand why her older cousins (all boys) declined to play "princess."
Isaac also liked all the people and excitement, and especially the two Hot Wheels school buses that he promptly found and hugged to him for the duration of our stay. He loves wheels, that boy. I can only imagine what madness the age of Lego will bring.
In the mornings, while everyone else was out skiing, I would take Isaac to the sledding hill. The resort keeps a nice little slope with some tubes and sleds, and near that is a huge pile of snow with tunnels, a.k.a. large pipes, that kids can climb through. Isaac enjoyed sledding, until Mommy made the mistake of turning the sled by putting down her boots. After a face full of snow, he decided that the little snow mountain was more his speed. Actually, I think his favorite thing was just to wander around looking at all the skiers, the lifts, and the people. He was quite the picture of cool, in his Laplander hat, snow suit, and sun glasses. This is a little man who seems to be biding his time, planning his one day assault on the slopes.
Myself, I was able to go snowshoeing a few times, which is a few more times than I expected. Between the odd trail marker and some guess work we forged a trail through the trees, on the outskirts of the runs. Although snowshoeing on groomed trails is okay, I prefer a bit of powder and an incline. Otherwise it feels more like hiking than shoeing. I look forward to the next time, which at this rate will be next year.
The one unfortunate thing was that Jon's skis de-laminated, which means the two planes came apart. I think that's the term. Anyway, they broke. He took great joy in tossing them in the dumpster while remarking to onlookers, "We're supposed to return the skiis after renting?"
So the question is whether he buys new gear, and it's a big question because of the implications. Ski gear isn't cheap, and if he buys new stuff it will be because we've decided that skiing is one of our family "things." That is, it's an activity and a skill set that we will invest in as a family and take time to do. And make no mistake, it is an investment in terms of money and time. If you ski, you already know this.
It would also be a sacrifice on my part. I don't really enjoy downhill. I did it from the time I was in junior high school until mid-way during graduate school. I've skied in warm weather with the sun on my face and in bone chilling cold down to -25 C. I've skied on glorified hills, in Canadian Rockies, and in the Sierra mountains. One day I just realized I didn't like it. Maybe it was the cold, maybe I just didn't learn properly, maybe I hated waiting in line for ski rentals, or maybe it was the adrenaline (I have so much running through my veins already). Whatever the reason, I stopped skiing and started snowshoeing.
So here's the plan. I will take a lesson with Anna and we will (re-)learn together. In a decade or so, once the kids are up to Jon's level, I will again don my snowshoes and take off into the trees while they scream down the chutes and moguls. Or maybe by then I will enjoy downhill again. After all, it can be a family activity. I mean, how many sports can grandparents do with their grandchildren? Not many. So yes, I will get with the program. We live in Colorado, after all. Skiing may even be a law here.
--------------------
[Mom: I feel I should assure you that the tub is cleaned between occupants, otherwise I agree that it would be gross.]
Jon spent a day a different resort with more challenging runs. He's a fantastic skier and I was happy that he could go. I'm told the weather was perfect and the views were great. He hasn't had a chance to really ski since we moved here so this was a perfect opportunity.
The accommodations were comfortable with a hot tub* in each room. The latter was quite useful for getting the kids to wind down after a fun day with the cousins. [Alas, while it may have helped the kids fall asleep, it did nothing for keeping Isaac asleep. He hated the pack 'n play and either Jon or I ended up "sleeping" with him in the adjacent big bed. By "sleeping" I mean he got up every hour to scream, kick, play, pull hair, cry, giggle, or wiggle himself dangerously close to the edge of the bed. At home we were finally able to let him cry it out. After 45 minutes of sobbing (both him and me), he zonked out. And slept until 7 a.m. Nice.] Our socialite daughter wanted to spend all her time with the cousins, and considered this event a giant sleepover. The only difficulty was that she was unable to understand why her older cousins (all boys) declined to play "princess."
Isaac also liked all the people and excitement, and especially the two Hot Wheels school buses that he promptly found and hugged to him for the duration of our stay. He loves wheels, that boy. I can only imagine what madness the age of Lego will bring.
In the mornings, while everyone else was out skiing, I would take Isaac to the sledding hill. The resort keeps a nice little slope with some tubes and sleds, and near that is a huge pile of snow with tunnels, a.k.a. large pipes, that kids can climb through. Isaac enjoyed sledding, until Mommy made the mistake of turning the sled by putting down her boots. After a face full of snow, he decided that the little snow mountain was more his speed. Actually, I think his favorite thing was just to wander around looking at all the skiers, the lifts, and the people. He was quite the picture of cool, in his Laplander hat, snow suit, and sun glasses. This is a little man who seems to be biding his time, planning his one day assault on the slopes.
Myself, I was able to go snowshoeing a few times, which is a few more times than I expected. Between the odd trail marker and some guess work we forged a trail through the trees, on the outskirts of the runs. Although snowshoeing on groomed trails is okay, I prefer a bit of powder and an incline. Otherwise it feels more like hiking than shoeing. I look forward to the next time, which at this rate will be next year.
The one unfortunate thing was that Jon's skis de-laminated, which means the two planes came apart. I think that's the term. Anyway, they broke. He took great joy in tossing them in the dumpster while remarking to onlookers, "We're supposed to return the skiis after renting?"
So the question is whether he buys new gear, and it's a big question because of the implications. Ski gear isn't cheap, and if he buys new stuff it will be because we've decided that skiing is one of our family "things." That is, it's an activity and a skill set that we will invest in as a family and take time to do. And make no mistake, it is an investment in terms of money and time. If you ski, you already know this.
It would also be a sacrifice on my part. I don't really enjoy downhill. I did it from the time I was in junior high school until mid-way during graduate school. I've skied in warm weather with the sun on my face and in bone chilling cold down to -25 C. I've skied on glorified hills, in Canadian Rockies, and in the Sierra mountains. One day I just realized I didn't like it. Maybe it was the cold, maybe I just didn't learn properly, maybe I hated waiting in line for ski rentals, or maybe it was the adrenaline (I have so much running through my veins already). Whatever the reason, I stopped skiing and started snowshoeing.
So here's the plan. I will take a lesson with Anna and we will (re-)learn together. In a decade or so, once the kids are up to Jon's level, I will again don my snowshoes and take off into the trees while they scream down the chutes and moguls. Or maybe by then I will enjoy downhill again. After all, it can be a family activity. I mean, how many sports can grandparents do with their grandchildren? Not many. So yes, I will get with the program. We live in Colorado, after all. Skiing may even be a law here.
--------------------
[Mom: I feel I should assure you that the tub is cleaned between occupants, otherwise I agree that it would be gross.]
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Back from Vacation
On Monday we arrived home from a short vacation in northern New Mexico. Every few years, there is a family reunion on Jon's side and we meet up at a great retreat in the mountains. The drive is about 5 1/2 hours from here (sans children) and I was a little apprehensive about it. However, we stopped for the night at a halfway point, staying at a hotel with a pool. Much splashing ensued. On the way back we elected to drive straight and it *only* took eight hours. Frankly, I was impressed with the minimal fussing and crying that emanated from the back seat. A new toy, a new DVD, and many pit stops were integral. It also helped that I'm keeping Isaac in a rear facing seat for the time being, which encouraged naps. (As soon as Anna turned one, I plopped her in a forward-facing seat, but Isaac seems so much smaller than she did. And anyway, I hear the thing now is to keep kiddos rear-facing until age two. He doesn't seem to care either way.)
Between drives we had a fantastic time. Not a restful time (Mommy doesn't travel well), but it sure was fun. Jon and I went mountain biking down an actual mountain, which was fantastic and a little scary. I was sore for days after that. There was a bit of hiking, some people went fishing, a fun playground was nearby. But most of the value came from the people we were with. Jon has a great family, and everyone is very open and close despite somewhat sporadic face-to-face time. Anna had so many cousins around, and we could just send her out the door to play. It was also nice to have many eyes on Isaac, who is still in his run-wild phase. For me, it was incredible to be around adults all day and have time for actual conversations with both depth and breadth. I suspect Jon felt the same way.
It was hard to come home and get back to the grind, but we're managing. Not much choice, is there?
Between drives we had a fantastic time. Not a restful time (Mommy doesn't travel well), but it sure was fun. Jon and I went mountain biking down an actual mountain, which was fantastic and a little scary. I was sore for days after that. There was a bit of hiking, some people went fishing, a fun playground was nearby. But most of the value came from the people we were with. Jon has a great family, and everyone is very open and close despite somewhat sporadic face-to-face time. Anna had so many cousins around, and we could just send her out the door to play. It was also nice to have many eyes on Isaac, who is still in his run-wild phase. For me, it was incredible to be around adults all day and have time for actual conversations with both depth and breadth. I suspect Jon felt the same way.
It was hard to come home and get back to the grind, but we're managing. Not much choice, is there?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)