Crested Butte Vacation {day 1}

Last year, we began the Family Vacation tradition and it seems as though we have waited all summer for our vacation to finally arrive.  It has been such a hot and grueling summer, a trip to the mountains is more than welcomed!  We have been enduring months upon months of more than 100 degree temperatures, and are in the midst of the worst drought this part of the country has seen since the dust bowl.  We picked a great year to move to Wichita Falls!  I keep telling myself that it only gets better from here.

Our trip began on Saturday, with an 8 hour drive from WF to Raton, NM, where we stayed in one of the strangest and creepiest hotels I have stayed in to date.  It's not saying much for the town that our hotel was the nicest for miles!  As we pulled into town, so did a huge thunderstorm, the kids didn't seem to mind and were excited to get out of the car and go for a swim.

Sunday morning we were up bright and early to begin on the next leg of our adventure.  Unfortunately, Trey and I had to turn around 3 times due to leaky cups, missing phones, and left behind iPads.  All things we can't live without!  Despite the hiccups we eventually set out to travel over the mountain passes and arrived in Crested Butte just in time for lunch.  CB has many delicious restaurants and we started the trip off on the right note with some pizza from The Secret Stash.  This might be the best pizza I have ever had, despite the somewhat bizarre atmosphere.

The rest of the afternoon was spent unpacking and enjoying the cool temperatures.

Swimming

Today was our first swim of the summer!  We went over to Great Grandmama and Great Granddad's house to enjoy their pool and the warm weather.  There was a little bit of a scare, when Lizzie jumped into the water without her life jacket.  It reminded us adults how diligent we have to be about the kids wearing their life jackets and watching them closely around the water.  Thanks to Trey's heroics, Lizzie was just fine and back to her usual giggly self in no time.  Despite the brief drama, we had a great time with the family, cooling down a bit.  I am feeling thankful that Vivi still gets a little bit nervous in the water.  She definitely does not want to swim on her own.  I am hoping by the end of the summer she will be more comfortable and understand that the pool can be a fun but dangerous place without someone to swim with.  I am hoping next year we will even do swimming lessons!

Angel Fire 2010 - Day 6

Today came too soon, and this morning we packed up the cars for the drive/flight back to Wichita Falls. While we were getting coffee at the store, we found out that the flight out of Angel Fire wasn’t going to happen. Chaos! We had to reload all of the cars to make room for Matt, Sarah, and the kids in David’s truck. Luckily with my awesome packing skills we were able to comfortably fit all of the luggage in the two cars. On to Raton! Luckily the drive to Raton is pretty, but unfortunately we got stuck behind some of the slowest drivers I have ever encountered, with no opportunities to pass! After an hour and a half drive, we made it to Raton, just in time to meet the plane to take us home. What a great vacation! We can’t wait for next year!

Angel Fire 2010 - Day 5

Today was our last day on vacation. The time has gone by so quick! The guys were granted a boys day of golfing at the Angel Fire Resort. Trey and I golfed this course last year when we were on our honeymoon and didn’t do so well, but the course is beautiful! With the practicing he has been doing this summer, I hear that there was some improvement! While they were enjoying their day on the golf course, we decided to take the kids out for lunch. What a horrible idea that was. The Pizza Stop was closed. The other pizza place was closed. Avalon’s was closed. The country club only had the snack bar open. Our only options were Chinese and a deli. We decided to get sandwiches to go and take them over to the park for a little picnic. Bad idea. The girl at the counter had about as much personality as a slug, the food took FOREVER, and when we got it to the park and tried it, it was gross. Major fail. At least they didn’t get the grilled cheese too wrong, and the kids were full and happy. The picnic wasn’t a total failure since the kids had so much fun playing on the slides, swings, and jungle-gym equipment. Luke even made two new friends! After the park, we went back to the Mountain House to relax and start packing.

Angel Fire 2010 - Day 4

Wow! Today was quite a treat. We loaded up the cars early this morning to head into Taos for brunch at Doc Martin’s (can you tell we love this place?!). The lunch was delicious and filled us up for our longish drive ahead of us. From Taos we cruised across the Rio Grande Gorge, through the Carson National Forest, to Ojo Caliente. If you are not familiar with Ojo Caliente, they have some amazing geological formations that supports the Ojo Caliente Mineral Resort & Spa. What a cool place! There are numerous hot springs that are enhanced with minerals like Lithium, Arsenic, and Iron, all of which have unique properties that benefit your skin. In addition to the hot springs, there is a large pool, filled with fresh spring water that the kids were able to play in. They had so much fun swimming, but were getting sick of the whisper zone policy by the time the day was over. While we were there we all enjoyed some wonderful spa services. I was treated to a hot stone massage, the first I have ever had, and oh my was it amazing! We had such a great day visiting Ojo Caliente and cannot wait to go back!

Angel Fire 2010 - Day 3

Today has been quite the day. Last night while we were cooking, we noticed that Winston was acting a little sickly, but more on that later. After having a nice lunch on the back deck, we decided to take a drive out to Coyote Creek State Park. The drive down the highway was beautiful, winding roads through the mountains with babbling brooks and green everywhere. Lets just say the drive was more scenic than the destination. I was picturing a babbling brook winding through a beautiful meadow full of wild flowers. The picture perfect place for kids to play and the dogs to swim. Maybe in my dreams. Instead we ended up at a State Park that had a slow flowing river but not much else. We ended up walking down to the creek to throw the ball for the dogs, the kids had fun, but it wasn’t what we had imagined.

Angel Fire 2010 - Day 2

Today we took a girls trip into Taos for some good food and shopping. We had lunch at Doc Martin’s and spent way too much money at Sam’s Shop before heading over to Twirl, one of the coolest toys stores I have ever seen. While we were shopping, I was wishing Vivi was just a tad bit older, there are so many fun activities for kids to do here. After a wonderful afternoon, we drove back to Angel Fire to hear all about the bear sighting while the guys and kids were on their picnic. There must have been something in the air, because as we were grilling up our salmon dinner, another bear crept in from the forest for a closer look at what was cookin’!

Angel Fire 2010 - Day 1

Today was the first day of the 2010 Angel Fire Family Vacation! We are taking a long weekend away from the Texas summer heat. The whole family made the trip to Angel Fire, New Mexico by plane, train, and automobile, ok maybe not train :). Lucky for Vivi and I, our trip was by plane!

This morning, we loaded up for a quick little flight over to Angel Fire and were welcomed by mild 75ish degree weather. We couldn’t believe how wonderful it felt! I don’t think any of us have felt 75 degrees in months! After a short stay at the Angel Fire Airport we all loaded into David’s truck, just as he and Johnny were headed into town. Let me tell you what a sight that was! If you can imagine…5 adults and 3 children crammed into a 4 door GMC truck, with bikes in the bed and hauling a Mule. We had to get very creative with luggage placement. It is a good thing the drive wasn’t that far! After we unloaded the car, we headed back to town for lunch at The Pizza Stop. Oh my gosh! Some of the best pizza I have EVER had. The crust is to die for. Vivi loved it too :) Later this afternoon the rest of the caravan pulled into the Mountain House. Once Trey arrived with the dogs, Luke was in heaven. He loves to throw the ball for Drake! We enjoyed the evening relaxing on the back deck, playing in the yard, and throwing the ball for the dogs.

Ten Months

Today Vivi turned 10 months old! Only 2 more months until she turns a year old, I cannot believe it! This age has been really fun for us. She is all over the place but learning so much and is so interactive. We love her so much!!! Here is what she is doing at 10 months:

• Weighs 19 pounds and 2 ounces (40%) and is 29 inches long (+95%).
• Has 2 teeth, and 4 are almost fully in on the top. Soon she will have a very toothy grin!
• Still likes to watch Wonder Pets! and LOVES the theme song. She smiles every time she hears it. She also loves Moose on NickJr.
• Goes to bed at 8:30 and wakes up at 7:30ish. This lets me get her up and dress her in the morning for a little mommy/Vivi time before I head to work.
• Puts herself to sleep every night and is getting better at nap time.
• Is back on track with the naps, she takes one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
• LOVES food! We have graduated to squishy table food. She is pretty much eating everything we eat. Some of her favorites are watermelon, grilled cheese, and risotto. She also dances in her highchair when she is eating something yummy, its so cute!
• Loves her blankie.
• Has great taste in music. She has started bouncing around when she likes the beat.
• Loves her brothers! Thinks it is so funny when they play in the pool.
• Loves going for walks in her stroller. She is so interested in the world around her.
• Your blackberry/iphone is her favorite toy.
• LOVES other babies. And loves to look at herself in the mirror.
• Loves reading books. We have a book worm on our hands!
• Loves to exercise her vocal chords. She says "Dada and Da (dog)" I am hoping Mama is in the near future!
• Is still learning baby sign language.
• Sits up like a big girl!
• Is crawling EVERYWHERE! We have to barricade her into the family room using various props.
• Can pull up like a pro, with one hand sometimes and can walk around the furniture. When she is feeling really brave she can stand on her own.
• Loves to be outside, especially when she is in her Johnny jump up.
• Is still in size 3 diaper.
• Is wearing 3-6 shirts and dresses, and 6-9 and 12 month clothes.
• Loves when Daddy sings one of his many made up songs.
• Can wave bye-bye!
• Some nicknames include: Princess Peanut, Peanutsky, Princessca, Vivs, Miss V

Ranch Weekend

This past weekend my sister-in-law, Sarah, hosted a ranch weekend getaway for some of our friends from Wichita Falls. Trey, Vivi and I headed up north on Friday morning, for an extra day of relaxation. Unfortunately it rained the entire day. That didn't stop us from enjoying the day, eating good food, and visiting with Mary Martha, James, and their new puppy, Penny.

The next day, we woke up early for a nice walk in the pastures behind the Spring House. The weather was perfect for a walk, but all the rain made the trek muddy and slippery. We all ended up with mud covered feet! Vivi loved the walk and was fast asleep by the end of it. Shortly after our walk we joined up with everyone else at the Ranch House. We were able to visit with some friends we hadn't seen in a long time. It was a blast! We were all so worried that it was going to rain all weekend, but Saturday afternoon the sun came out. Since the pool wasn't full, we decided to hike up to Bathtub Canyon for a dip in the water. Bathtub was full and flowing. Good thing the sun was shining strong, because that water was freezing cold! Everyone had a great time swimming, including Vivi!

That night everyone drove out to the Spring House to watch the Rangers play and eat a delicious dinner. Of course dinner turned into quite the party, which lasted well into the night!

The next morning we hung out at the house and hunted for crawfish in the spring. The dogs had such a fun time catching the crawfish. Drake got pinched by one and became obsessed with hunting them all down. Vivi also got pinched, it was so sad, but the face is priceless!

We are so glad that everyone was able to join us and we can't wait to relive (almost) all of it again next year!

Houston

This week I was lucky enough to have the week off. One of the perks of my job is that we get quite a bit of time off, so I decided to take advantage of that! Unfortunately, Trey doesn't get as much vacation time as I do, so he still had to work. Since we couldn't take a trip as a family, I decided that Vivi and I would use the time and zip down to Houston to visit one of my dearest friends, Meredith. I was a bridesmaid in Meredith's absolutely gorgeous wedding in May. Now, she and her new husband reside in Houston in their beautiful new home. It was so fun to have a couple of days to visit with Mere. She was also watching her niece, Sydney, for a couple of days, so it was fun for Vivi to have a playmate. I was also so happy to be able to see one of my favorite people in the whole world, Kerri! She came by the house for dinner and to hang out with Vivi, who absolutely adored her. I am pretty sure that Kerri is currently Vivi's favorite person ever. It was such a fun couple of days, but went by so fast! Vivi and I can't wait for our next trip!

Fourth of July

Happy Fourth of July!!!

The Fourth of July is always a fun weekend in our household. Since we are fortunate enough to have a pool in our backyard, our house tends to be the gathering spot for friends, fun, and food during the summer months. We spent the day with Sam, Mallon, Blake, Toni, and their dogs enjoying the rather chilly water. The weather that we have been experiencing lately cooled down the pool and made for a bearable Fourth. It was a blast!

Father's Day

Most of June we have enjoyed at home, playing in the pool and basking in the sun. This weekend we were able to go to the Ranch to celebrate Father's Day and had a great time! We left after work on Friday and met Deric, Brandy, and Lainey at the Spring House. The boys cooked us up some delicious steaks accompanied by some huge baked potatoes. As usual at the Ranch, we ate dinner at 10:30 pm. Oh well! The girls had a great time playing with each other before heading to bed a little later than usual.

Saturday we woke up and had some breakfast and lounged around the house before heading to Meers for lunch. Unfortunately when we arrived there was an hour wait! So we ordered it to go and headed back to the house to catch the TCU game and watch our Horned Frogs dominate Florida State in the College World Series. Since TCU was able to take such an early lead, we were able to listen to the game while we played in the Spring. Vivi used her new floaty and loved cruising around the spring. The dogs had a great time too!

Today was a great first Father's Day for Trey! We woke up and went to a great mass at Sacred Heart. After mass we went to the Country Club for brunch with Sarah, Matt, Luke and Lizzie. The food was really good, and Vivi especially enjoyed her meal. She was introduced to lamb, smoked salmon, and her new favorite food...watermelon! The girl could eat a small watermelon by herself, I am serious. Following lunch, we headed back to Trey's parents' house to spend the afternoon lounging in the pool. It was such a fun and relaxing day!

Happy Father's Day babe! I love you and am so proud of what a great father you are to Vivi!