What a day! I had originally thought to take AJ skiing on Monday since he's out of school for the holiday, but realized it would be really cold and snowing. So, we changed our plans around and went today. IT WAS AWESOME!
First of all, we woke up super early and were able to get out the door by 6:15. This has NEVER happened. The lifts open at 8:30 and because we got going so early we missed most of the traffic. We got to the lift around 8:45 after getting my skis. This was a huge help!
We realized that some friends would also be on the mountain so we made plans to see Tobin (who was working there), his kids (who were in lessons) and AJ's old babysitter/my friend Jamie and her kids. We even got to ski with Jamie and Sophie on 2 runs!
The best part of the day was that the LIGHT BULB finally went off in AJ's head and he figured out how to stop and turn by himself! I went there today with the intention of trying to teach him to ski, rather than me just holding onto his harness most of the way down as I have done in the past. I read some articles last night on how to teach kids; it seemed to help a bit. I really just had the thought that we would stay on the easy lift and do it a lot so he could get used to it.
We did that lift 4 times really quickly when we got there (getting there early = no lines!) and he did awesome! The first time he scared the heck out of me because he didn't know how to turn and just booked it straight down the mountain. Even though it's not a big mountain, he can gain some serious speed and one bad move and he'll hurt himself and hate skiing. Luckily I was able to catch him!
Then, we took the shuttle to the other side of the mountain where the bigger lifts are and we ran into our friends. Tobin was working at Subaru tent with hot chocolate, give aways and hand warmers, so we hung there for a bit. Then, we found Jamie and Sophie and decided to head up Chair 2. This is a LONG chair ride. Easily 15 mins. It gets cold because of course we go up so high and it's windy at the top! We did that 2 times and then headed back over to the other side for 2 more runs on Chair 7. This time I told AJ he was skiing alone. The whole day I tried to talk to him about how to turn and stop. We always talk "pizza" (slow) and "french fry" (fast) but he hasn't gotten it. So, today I told him to imagine the back of his skis were an alligators mouth and to keep it WIDE open. This totally helped him and that's how he learned to stop. I'm blown away by how much better he was today. I can see that soon he and I will be skiing together, rather than me behind him trying to help.
I am beyond proud. Once again!
About to take our first lift!
AJ and Sophie
Top of Chair 2. It was SOOO cold! (see the blowing snow?)
AJ and I have been LOVING ski season. I think we have been up together 5 or 6 times this year and it's only February! I hope we can get up a lot more. We went once with Matt and Jason, then we went last weekend with AJ's good friend, Riley and yesterday we went up with our good friends, The Murrells to celebrate Dax's 5th birthday. Each time we go AJ gets better and better.
It's A LOT of work to go skiing with a 4.5 year old, but it's totally worth it. Here's our routine: The night before I get us all packed. I pack food and drinks, and all our clothes (socks, gloves, helmet, ski clothes, jackets, hats, extra shirt, scarf, snow boots, Ipad, AJ's skis and ski boots and candy. We always bring candy.) AJ loves that the night before we ski he gets to sleep in his long underwear. I don't know why this so exciting, but I go with it :) That night I also go online and reserve my ski rental. I have learned that if I rent skis at a place just outside Loveland it's cheaper and quicker. (Yesterday when we picked up our skis the people recognized us- I loved it!)
I try to get AJ to bed early with the hope that he'll wake up at 6 so we can be out by 6:30, but that never seems to happen. He gets up around 6:30 and by the time I have breakfast for him, teeth brushed and the car packed it's 7. It really is too late to get out the door because traffic is awful! We're working on that...
So, we get on the road and the first hour or so is always easy. AJ plays his Ipad and we talk and I listen to music and we both try to wake up. Then we get to the I-70 and we pray that traffic isn't too bad. Last weekend with Riley it took us THREE HOURS to get there. There was some insane accident and we were going 5mph for over an hour.. Other times, like yesterday, we get there in less than 2 hours. You just never know. I will say that AJ has NEVER complained about the drive. He's happy hanging out with me and his Ipad. Usually the 2nd hour I turn up the music really loud and we rock out so it's fun. We're getting pumped to ski!
Then we get my skis and take a potty break if needed and we're off to the mountain. When we get there I drop the skis near the mountain and then park (less to carry!). Then I get AJ dressed in the car and we grab our stuff and go. We head to the locker room to get our boots on and get all warmed up. We go get our tickets (thankfully he is still free) and we grab our skis and head out! It is so much fun.
We have little jokes that we like tell. We say we will always laugh when we fall (which isn't always the case). We eat candy on the chairlift. He watches other people fall when we're on the lift and tells me about it. He likes to see what # chair we're on each time. I let him decide if we're going right or left off the lift.
We do 6-8 run typically, depending on the weather and what time we got there and then we head home by 2. I'm always worried that traffic will be bad coming home so I like to get an early start home. Also, by then we are exhausted.
Yesterday we were headed out the door and I asked him, "Are you excited to ski?" and he said, "Ya! Mommy, I love Loveland!" Makes me so incredibly happy that we get to do this together. I'm unbelievably proud of him!
Last weekend the three of us headed to the National Western Stock Show in Denver. They have it every year and it's a 2 week thing- we have gone at least 3 years now and it's always a fun, expensive, exhausting day :)This year, Daddy came with us. We got there very early, thinking we could make the 11am rodeo, but it was sold out, so we waited for the 3:30 rodeo. We looked around at all the booths, ate lunch, checked out all the animals and walked around. It was really a fun day!
Waiting in line to get our tickets
The tractors are always a huge hit! SOOO many boys line up to sit on these and "drive" them.
Last weekend was so much fun! Uncle Matt came to visit us! Friday night we went to dinner and hung out with some friends. Then, Saturday, Matt was nice enough to spend the ENTIRE day with AJ. Jason and I went to the Broncos game and Matt & AJ went to Chuck E Cheese, wrestled, watched the game and played for hours. We left early AND the game went into overtime. They had a great time though and were warm while Jason and I froze our butts off (think negative temps) and watched the Bronco's blow the game! Regardless, it was a fantastic day for all.
Just got to the stadium.... not frozen yet.
A few drinks in..preparing to go to our seats
Our seats were insanely good- this picture doesnt' even do it justice...
Cheering on the Broncos from Chuck E Cheese!
Then, on Sunday we all went up to Loveland to ski! Matt and I had planned to ski together, but decided last minute to take AJ up with us. I knew that AJ would LOVE to ski with Matt. And he was excited that Daddy wanted to join us too! It was another FREEZING cold day- it was negative 3 on the way up and I think it may have gotten to 7 degrees while we were there? AJ was a total trooper though. At first, he was just way too cold to want to go out, so he and Jason went in for hot chocolate while Matt and I did a few runs. Once AJ was warm, he got his gear back on and we all headed up for a few runs together. He did EVEN BETTER this time. I know I am his mom, but I truly can see a signifcant improvement each time we go. I said it before, and I mean it- I don't care if he is good or bad, I am just so happy he enjoys it and has fun! That is what matters to me. He was happy to watch Matt and I do a few runs before we headed home too. It was really such a fun weekend! We were so happy that Matt came to spend time with us!
What a WONDERFUL holiday we had! It was truly unforgettable. I have to start out by saying how grateful I am that my entire family gets along so well!
Ever since my mom and Dave moved back to California early this year, I’d been planning to spend the holidays in California. This way, we would be with our whole family. I had talked to Jason about joining us too because I did not want to take AJ away from him for a week and leave him alone. I knew he could see his family too and spend some time with AJ. I was so happy when he decided to go! It worked out well because we spend some time together as a family and some time separately. I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to make it work- we had a lot of different people to work with- but it went off perfectly!
Friday, Jason flew out early in the afternoon and AJ and I went after I got off work. We got to my mom’s around 9:30pm and stayed up WAY TOO LATE- as usual :)
Saturday morning AJ and I hung out with Grandma and Papa and played until Jason came to get AJ. They had plans to go to Sea World but that didn’t work out. They ended up going to Jason’s sisters and hanging out. Jason’s nephew, Chase, is 12 and he and AJ rarely see each other. AJ was so happy to spend time with him and play video games. Saturday afternoon my mom and I got to spend some time together shopping and getting pedicures. It was a great time! It’s very rare that I get “adult time” in California because I’m always with AJ. Later that night, my Dad and Cory came down and I went over to Matt’s to spend time with them and have dinner. They are so fun to hang out with and we always laugh and joke around.
Sunday was DISNEYLAND! To be completely honest I was really quite stressed about Disney. I was so excited, but really worked at managing my expectations. I am known for having really big expectations and being disappointed. Plus, we had a large group going with! My mom, Jason, AJ, Cory, Dad and Chase all went. I was worried that people would get lost, that the lines would be WAY too long, the crowds would be overwhelming. I did not know how well AJ would do with the lines. All that being said, we had THE BEST time! We didn’t get to Disney until about 11am and after we got the stroller and stuff in lockers we hoped on the train.
We got off the train and walked by Splash Mountain and realized there was NO LINE! It was so hard to believe! I had expected an hour line minimum on all rides, but we got SO LUCKY! We decided to get on Splash Mountain right away and it was so fun! AJ wasn’t too sure about it, but he didn’t cry. He really didn’t like the dark but he loved the actual ride. Most of us got SOAKED! My mom, Cory, and Chase were wet and cold for much of the day.
We also went on Pirates of the Caribbean which AJ wasn’t a big fan of. He sat with Pop the whole time and was pretty scared of the dark. We did the Tea Cups, Winnie the Pooh, Canoes, It’s a Small World and my personal favorite, Big Thunder Mountain. I was so excited to take AJ Thunder Mountain! I have been telling him about it for months and hoped he would love it. HE DID! I was a little freaked out because it goes REALLY fast and I had to hold tight to AJ, but he loved it!
After all the rides, we watched the beautiful Christmas parade and it was amazing! AJ loved it and it was really neat to see it with my whole family. On our way out, we stopped and got some taffy and ice cream and while walking down Main Street, they lit the tree and the castle and it began to snow! In California! It was truly a beautiful sight!
SO EXCITED!
Pop is so silly!
Love him
Waiting in line for Big Thunder Mountain
Here we go! Pop isn't so sure...
Having a little post ride snack
Tea Cups!
Parade Time
Churros, hot chocolate and a parade. Good stuff!
Autopia!
After the ride- AJ is happy and Grandma is soaked!
All of us! (AJ is behind me, next to Jason)
Waiting in line for Autopia
Main St.
All of us on Main St. SOOO pretty!
Pop got AJ some taffy :)
When we left, we all agreed that it was such a fun, low stress day. Everyone got along, the weather was good, the crowds weren’t too bad and AJ was in a great mood all day. I couldn’t ask for more!
Monday was Christmas eve and we spent the morning at my Moms playing. We had planned a morning at the park, but it had been raining so we stayed home. Later that day AJ and I went to Matt & Kristin’s and hung out there with Dad & Cory. AJ and Matt went in the pool for a bit and played. Kristin had been preparing the house for a fantastic Christmas eve dinner. She is so crafty! The house was decorated beautifully. That night Mom and Dave and Jason all came over to hang out and enjoy a WONDERFUL meal. Matt & Kristin had prime rib, shrimp, mashed potatoes, salad and some delicious desserts. We let AJ open a few presents which made him very happy:)
Pop, AJ and Matt being silly!
All the guys!
Auntie Kristin, AJ and Uncle Matt
The group!
Pop, Cory, Matt & Kristin
Christmas morning was FULL of presents and fun. Santa came to Grandmas to fill our stockings but left most presents at Matt's. My mom made some yummy breakfast casseroles and we went back to Matt’s for presents. It was total chaos and fun- just as you’d expect on Christmas morning! One of Matt & Kristin’s friends and their daughter, who is 2, came over to celebrate too. It was adorable to see AJ with another little friend on Christmas. It was quite funny to see this little girl more interested in AJ’s Batman toys that her own girl toys. I was so happy to see AJ offer to let her play with anything she wanted and they had a blast together.
Matt got AJ some silly string which was a mess, but fun!
Once again AJ got far too many toys!
Thanks Grammy for the awesome hats!
And check out with Grammy Cory made!
Broncos Hats!
Right around lunch time, Jason and AJ headed up to see Jason’s dads side of the family. His brother, Tommy, has 2 kids and AJ hasn’t seen them since he was 1. He had a blast playing with them. They stayed the night in Bakersfield. Dad & Cory headed back home and Dave, Mom and I went to see a movie.
Wednesday I was lucky enough to see my great friend Shelly for coffee. We try to get together when I come out, but it doesn’t always happen. And it’s RARE that we catch up without kids! We had such a great time talking for hours. I miss her so much! That night Grandma and Papa got to spend more time with AJ playing toys and doing anything AJ wanted to do- haha- and Jason and I went out to a really nice dinner in San Clemente. We had a great time talking about AJ, our trip and just enjoying a lovely crab feast dinner at Fishermans.
Thursday, we were all exhausted and headed home. It was such a fantastic trip! I keep saying this, but I would not have changed one thing. Everyone got along so well. Everyone got to spend a good amount of time with AJ and it all seemed pretty easy. I am forever grateful for such a wonderful holiday with our family!
