Colorado Spring Break

Holy moly, this was a vacation for the memory books!! We drove to Nederland, CO to meet up with Chris, Megan, and Scarlet for a week of fun and relaxation in the mountains. After sleeping for a few hours, since we left before dawn, the kids woke up and played some Mario Kart in the car. It's funny what enclosed spaces do...they usually don't interact much at home :)

We then ran into what the news was calling a "ground blizzard" in Kansas. Mason pulled over at one point because the visibility was so bad. Notice the sage brush blowing across the road!

We creeped our way to Limon, KS and were forced off I-70 because it was closed beyond Limon. We thought it was due to the blizzard but it remained closed even after conditions improved. We learned it was because there was a 10 car pile up crews were working to clear. An hour and a half later at the gas station, and we were relieved when a random motorist got out of her car to open the gate! We decided to follow the crowd even though we might just get stuck on the road, but we were able to pass the wreck at a slow pace. 

Ah Colorado mountain roads!

Hannah taking in the view from our Airbnb in Nederland.

Zane and cousin Scarlet duking it out in Mario Kart.

I was able to catch brunch with 2 friends that I haven't seen in ages!! I was on Semester at Sea with these gals!

Nederland offers a bunch of fun shopping opportunities in town and we were not going to miss out on that! 

We nearly passed up the Carousel of Happiness and it ended up being one of our favorite things that we did.

This carousel was hand carved and is expertly preserved by a loving crew and has a working organ playing music. It truly is the Carousel of Happiness as none of us could stop smiling.

The girls enjoyed frozen yogurt in a train car (stationary) afterward while the boys checked out the record store.

Back at the rental. Lots of games and constant eating.

The sign says no smoking or vaping...but it doesn't say anything about huffing oxygen!

We drove back to town to explore the path by the reservoir. Here's Zane pouting by the sign that says "Children's Fishing Pond - 12 and under." He's 13.

Chris and Megan.

The girls thought it would be fun to trek through the snow to the rocks, but underestimated how deep the snow would be.

Zane throwing whatever he could find onto the frozen reservoir.

Scarlet and Hannah sitting atop a bench because it's the only part showing.

We needed baked goods after the excursion.

Ski day!! The 4 of us plus Scarlet headed to Loveland Mountain for a day of skiing.

The kids and I had a lesson in the morning since none of them had ever skied and it's been since I was a teenager for me. 

Scarlet took to it like a fish to water! Must be in her Colorado blood!!

Hannah and Zane took a bit longer for it to click but everyone got there in the end!

Mason was able to hang out with us during the lesson. Here he is demonstrating proper arm position. They don't automatically give people poles anymore, which I thought was odd. 

After lunch we ventured off on our own to the public bunny hill. This is the magic carpet "elevator" that took people to the top of a small hill.

And in no time at all we were all on the ski lift going down the green runs like pros!! Hannah had something interesting happen...we think she went through a wormhole and lost some time on earth...or something...because we can't explain it. I went with her and Scarlet on a short path through the trees. Hannah was first, then Scarlet, then me. It was a narrow, hilly path through the trees and both girls fell on a dip right before exiting. Hannah got up and skied out, then Scarlet. I followed Scarlet out and we went to the bottom but Hannah wasn't there. Mason came down from above and the 3 of us tried to figure out where Hannah went (she hadn't gone straight back to the ski lift or to the picnic tables, nor had she fallen on the way down). So Mason and I are starting to get legitimately worried and then Hannah pops out from above, skis down, and goes directly into the lift line again. When we asked her about it later she said "what do you mean? I skied through the woods with you and got back in line."

Zane sprung a nasty bloody nose on the way up and didn't realize it until it was dripping all over himself. It was all over his face, coat, pants, and gloves. He skied down and went inside to take care of it but couldn't get it off his clothes. When he went on the lift again the operator said "So you're the guy messing up my snow?!" Zane couldn't have been more proud.

Cousins - Hannah 10, Scarlet 11, and Zane 13.

The kids were doing so well that we didn't even worry about the girls needing an adult with them at the end. They really enjoyed riding the ski lift together!

After a full day - 9am to 4pm - on the mountain and an hour drive home, we were ready for time in the hot tub back home. It was a fabulous bonus that it was snowing (the first time all trip!) because sitting in a hot tub in the snow is one of my all time favorite things to do!!

The next day was the designated pack up day. I loved this kitchen and open floor plan!

Here's the front of the house that none of us ever saw since we always came in through the garage.

The great room the girls stayed in. Zane got a room all to himself!!

We decided to break up the 12 hour trip home and found an Airbnb in Russell, KS for the night. It was amazing!! It's a 4 bedroom and each bedroom has it's own bathroom! It used to be a Law firm and had this great wall of books in the living room. We'll be staying there on our next trip out west for sure!

Downtown Russell is a cute town. We thought it was quirky that there are speakers playing music at all times. 

T/F + Sports + BizTown

The pups got a good bill of health from the vet and were very proud of themselves.

Mason, Hannah, and I attended the March March, which is the kick off parade for the True False Film Festival in Columbia. We've yet to attend a film, but absolutely love the parade! The year's theme was This is a Test and was pretty much open to interpretation after that. Mason is being abducted, but supports his captor, and I am a spy balloon (dressed in camo so you can't see me).

Hannah and her buddies dressed in varying degrees of weirdness.

The art teachers from school are 2 of my favorite people.

We made a human chain to connect the circuit in order to inflate the balloon behind us.

The 5th graders at school and members of the community worked together to create this quilt made of embroidered patches for a public art display. Hannah's contribution is top center - half white/half grey. I couldn't get closer because hers was near the ceiling, but she embroidered flowers on it too.

Mason and his alien stood very still in the art gallery after viewing the quilt.

A close up of my balloon.

Zane's CYBA basketball season came to a close. It was a fun rec league!

We had a warmish day and decided to burn our Christmas tree. Ozzy wanted to keep all the sticks.

Hannah's school choir surprised some businesses downtown with spring caroling.

The 5th graders in CPS all get to go to JA BizTown in Chesterfield, MO (near STL) and experience what it's like to have a job, run a town, balance a checkbook, and generally be a responsible citizen. Hannah's job was a Radio DJ and she was responsible for making announcements and taking song requests. I love this pic because while she's on the air you can see her coworkers getting stuff done around her!

I took the day off school to volunteer!

Zane's latest sporting adventure is track! He said he's doing it as conditioning for basketball and he's doing really well. His first meet was earlier this week and the coaches put him in the 100m, 200m, long jump, and triple jump.

Hannah and I went to Arts Night at school and had a fun time. Here she is with her portrait of the artist Jean Michel Basquiat in the style of Kehinde Wiley. This photo really doesn't do it justice!