Steamboat Springs

This January, my parents oh-so-generously took Kevin and I, plus our 3 children on a winter vacation. We sojourned to Steamboat Springs Colorado for an unforgettable week of wintry amusements--skiing, tubing, ice skating, snowmobiling, and even a dog sled. We stayed in the Taj Majal of condos, too (3 stories, panoramic views of the slopes... Seriously, the place was ridiculous. Judah asked if we could live there.

Judah attacked each activity with his signature enthusiasm and fervor. When we ice skated, he tried valiantly to stay upright on his own, then gratefully accepted one of the trainers they had for young children. He was great after that, his little feet moving like an egg beater as he "skated" (ran) all around the ice. He skied without lessons at first, and displayed determination (and no fear) as he rode up the magic carpet and let loose down a bunny slope, unable to stop. He had a great time, and went to ski school the next day. At the day's end, his instructor literally had to lift him off the slope and guide him towards Kevin-- he was having so much fun he didn't want to stop. (I asked him if he made any friends in ski school, and he said he had-- a girl. He said he asked her if he could marry her when they both grew up and she said yes. I asked her name, and he couldn't remember. Sigh.)

Canaan did not enjoy the slopes like his big brother. We strapped on his skis, and walked into the snow where he promptly fell and started crying to go back into our hotel. We conceded-- he is a little young after all. However, he loved tubing! At the first place we went, he tubed in our laps, but at the second, all by himself in a tube down that big old hill! He said it was his favorite part of the trip. He also really enjoyed snowmobiling-- I have heard all about this part, since I stayed behind with Annie (who was too little to snowmobile). He went with Kevin, and I guess they tipped the big machine over into a snow drift--Kev landing on top of Canaan. The snow was so deep, no one was hurt but Canaan was pretty deep in the snow--shocked and tearful. (This makes me giggle a lot. Is that bad?) They said up until the spill, Canaan had been urging Kevin to go "Faster, Daddy!!" Afterwards, he whined "Slow down, Daddy!" and "I want Mommy!"...and then he fell asleep.


Annie checking out the plane out the airport window

Annie got her own thrill seeking done-- she tubed down the snow hill in our laps, and she also went on a dog sled! The guides said she was the youngest child they had ever taken out. She slept through much of it (come to think of it so did Canaan-- even Judah slept through about half of it). She was SUCH a trooper though. It was COLD, and she went along with everything like a champ. The first time I put her in her snowsuit, she lay there on the floor paralyzed by the downy bulk, and looking like and adorable, pink, beached whale. It was hilarious...still is, when I think about it.


Kevin showing his mad skills.


Kevin and I loved everything-- but we really enjoyed skiing. It was my first time, and only his second. We will be telling our ski stories for years to come-- how I fell in a snowbank and couldn't find my pole for 5 minutes, how the green was closed part way down and we had to unexpectedly ride down a blue for a bit, how the trail was ambiguous in places and we had to ski across a blue/black to find the rest of the green...




My father, who is 57, skied for the first time in his life, too. And boy was he ever bitten by the ski bug-- to say that he enjoyed himself is a gross understatement. After he managed the ski lift and his first green slope, he was elated-- he has his own ski stories to share. Kevin and my dad skied together down the green slope by our hotel and my dad wiped out--big time. Kevin called out, "Jon, are you hurt?" Papa's response, "Yes." (Insert giggle here.) After a few minutes of righting himself and deciding he was fit enough to continue, he finished the hill. And then skied the whole next day, too. His battle wound beat the rest of ours to pieces, though-- 3 days later, his arm--from mid bi-cep to mid forearm-- was a gigantic, purpley bruise.

Momma got out there too-- she strapped on my skis, and took a run down one of the practice slopes. She crashed on purpose before colliding with the magic carpet, but proudly claimed to have skied, too. Her real shining moment though, was apparently on the snow mobiles... she was gunning hers and pealing with laughter as she pushed it to its limit. As the only member of the family that did not have a little child riding with her, she could afford to be less conservative in her driving.

It was the most unbelievable trip, and we will never forget it! What a fun and incredible memory to have made with my little family and my parents. I am so thankful!