Spring Break :: Keystone

WARNING : lots and I mean lots of pictures ahead....

For Spring Break this year, we rented a condo with another family and headed to Keystone, CO.  Both kids decided they wanted to snowboard this year, so we rented Jayden's equipment and an extra helmet for Willow (they didn't have any boots or boards small enough for Willow) from The Slope here in Wichita - they really are so fantastic to work with.

We packed enough food to survive a zombie apocalypse and warm weather clothes while the kids tried their best to entertain themselves - like reading books on the top of dad's truck...

Then early Sunday morning we left the house in a little snow storm and headed West!

We had to make a quick stop at the Denver Airport to pick up Papa and while waiting for his plane to arrive, we ate ice cream and rode the escalator a bazillion times.

After we picked up Papa we drove the extra 90mins to Keystone where we met up with our friends, ate some dinner, and tried to get the kids to bed.

Monday : Day 1
We opted to take the first day off from skiing/boarding and get lessons set up, equipment rented, play in a snow castle, and go tubing!  It was an awesome day, sunny, and in the mid 40's!

All the kid's (Mac (Kerri's nephew), Jayden, Kyle, Briley, and Willow)

Riding the Gondola back down to the base.

Day 2 : Skiing and Snowboarding
The weather on Tuesday wasn't really ideal, the wind was blowing and it snow literally all day, and was really cold.  We put the kids in snowboarding classes, which lasted all day.  We dropped them off at 9:30 and picked them up at 3:30, they got lunch and snacks and played games and learned how to board.  We tried to get down the mountain and peek in on some of their classes.
Jayden riding the magic carpet up - that magic carpet is clutch, way better than the rope tow I learned on - and then coming down the hill.

Willow riding the magic carpet up and coming down the hill

Both kids had so much fun and Jayden came out of his class begging to go back in ski school the next day.  He started out not wanting to take lessons at all, but we insisted he take at least one lesson to get going and then if he really didn't want to do any more, we would board with him the next day.   While I am much better at skiing, I do know how to snowboard and I brought my snowboard with thinking that I could just ride it with Jayden, figuring he'd probably be better than me in no time.  :)  But Jayden begged to be put back in lessons, with his same coach, Shelley.  Willow wasn't too sure about doing it a second day, and that was one of the reasons we brought Papa with us, so he could hang out with the kids who didn't want to go the second day, but in the end Willow decided she too wanted to be put back in lessons.


After both kid's lessons were over, they weren't ready to be done and they both walked up the hill with their boards, strapped in, and rode down.  Willow only a couple times, but Jayden did it for another hour after they had shut down the magic carpet.

 Day 3 : Our last day on the mountain!
The weather was fantastic on Wednesday!  It had snowed about 6 inches the previous day and the sun was out with a high of around 35.  It was beautiful out on the mountain!
One last morning getting ready with our friends!

We ran into the kids right around lunch time - Jayden was coming out and Willow was going in.  Willow wanted to be done with her lessons, she was good enough that they had moved her from the small magic carpet hill in the 3-6 year old section to the bigger magic carpet hill that Jayden had been riding on. and she was not a fan of the bigger hill!

Jayden with his coach.

After lessons I rode up the hill with Willow to try and video tape her coming down, but she forgot to put her gloves on, so after falling twice and hurting her rear once because she wouldn't catch herself with her hands, she sat down and pouted, "I AM NOT DOING THIS!" and unclipped her board and handed it to me and started stomping down the hill.  I was on my skis so I just snow plowed next to her while she was walking and she ended up just jumping on the front of my skis and riding on them the rest of the way down the hill. :)

Jayden with his coach.  Jayden came out of his lesson saying, "You know mom, they have these packages for kids like me where I could come ride every weekend with Shelley.  Maybe you could look into it."

This was the view from our room.

The kid's lessons were on the right bottom section of the mountain, so if we would of had some binoculars, we could of watched them right from our room!

Jayden is definitely hooked.  He is begging for one more trip to the mountain, or better yet to move to Colorado or Washington, somewhere near a mountain.  Just this morning we were talking about what he might want to do for his birthday next month and he said, "Well, my first pick is to go snowboarding.  My second pick is to fly on a plane to Washington and spend it with my counsins"  I was like, "No party? You don't want to do something with your friends?"   To which he says, "Nope, either snowboarding or send me to Washington"

What Willow Wears :: vol 20

Willow got up and put this outfit on and declared, "I wish TODAY was picture day!"

And I wasn't sure that outfit could get much better, but then she put on some socks and shoes....not only did that outfit get better, but she posed for me. :)

Some New Pets!

2 weeks ago, on Valentine's Day, Jayden and I had a little date to the pet store.  He wanted to just "look at some fish" and "maybe a shark" and "maybe a couple birds".  Which we did.  He also ended up staring longingly at the hamsters and got to hold a couple which promptly bit him on the finger and then he also got to hold a baby gecko.  We left the store empty handed, other than having some brochures on how to take care of your new pets, but Jayden was sure he knew what he wanted. 

We came home that evening to bring up the subject with Royal.  Royal an adamant pet-hater immediately said "No" and crushed the dreams of a poor little 7 year old boy.   I then used my Mom-influence to come up with a deal for Jayden to help him get what he wanted and it also provided Royal some time to get used to the idea that this was going to happen.  Jayden took sole responsibility for our dog over the past 2 weeks - way more work than the pet he wanted would take - but he did it.  Got up every morning and let the dog outside.  Fed him in the morning and the evening and also did "poop patrol" (cleaned up Sam's business from the yard).  Jayden also had to save his allowance to pay for the pet.  I told him I'd buy all the stuff he needed to go with it when the time came.

It is a cold and brutal weekend here and Royal wanted to run some errands early in the day on Saturday, and I figured it was the perfect time to stop by the pet store and pick up the new pet Jayden had proved he was responsible enough to take care of.  Willow also managed to get a new pet for herself.  :)

Here is Royal's face after the transaction.

I just laughed.  Royal kept saying that it wasn't funny.  I kept laughing.  I'm still laughing.  I'm good for Royal.  That boy needs someone to make him do things he doesn't want to sometimes.  Not everybody gets their way ALL the time.   :) hehehehehe

Meet Scurry, the Winter White Dwarf Hamster.

And Marshmallow, Willow's new beta.

Jayden picked a good one, I think.  Scurry was pretty calm after getting him home and didn't really bite people's fingers.  He let people hold him right away - even though the pet store told us to give him 2 days before we tried to handle him.  Willow's a little jumpy with him, so we put both kids in the (dry) bathtub and let Scurry run around in there, so Willow can play with him too without us having to worry about her squeezing him or throwing him across the room on a reflex.   We can't afford to let Scurry get out of his cage, because we have a very serious predator in the house.  I caught Scooter on top of Scurry's cage last night, so Scurry gets out, he's going to lose his head for sure!  And that would be extremely traumatizing!

Jayden at 100

This, by far, is one of my most favorite things Jayden has brought home from school.  By the looks of it, Jayden is going to be a really cute old man.  :) 

"First, I will be a kind old man.  My grandchildren will learn {what} my life was like. 
Next, I will move where my grandchildren live in Washington. 
Last, I will tell people how we should live and I will {do} that until I die."

Kid Quote :: 26

Yesterday morning, I woke up and discovered it had snowed during the night.  Willow comes groggily into my bathroom while I'm drying my hair in the morning.

Willow : (groggily) mrning, Mom
Me : Hey, Willow.  did you happen to look outside??
Willow : (a little more perky) No!
Me : Go look and tell me what you see!
Willow : (totally awake and excited and a bit squealy) : Is it SUMMER?????
Me : Oh gosh.  Never mind.  Definitely, don't go look out the window.

Willow, my ever perky optimist was still excited about the snow, but not as much as if it was summer.  FYI, she wants it to be summer so she can wear her summer shoes - all of which are too small, but she keeps cramming her feet into.

When I took her to school the sun was shining and the top of the snow was all sparkly.

Willow : Oooooooo!  Look at the snow!  It's sparkly and glittery.  This isn't regliyar (regular) snow.  This is snow for a party.  A very sparkly snow party. 

To which she bends down, picks some up with her pointer finger and eats it.

Willow : Ooooo! Delicious, sparkly party snow.

Jayden and Basketball

Jayden's last basketball game was this weekend.  I have loved, LOVED watching him.  It was his first year playing on a basketball team and every week, I have watched him gain more confidence and be more involved.  We watched him start out as a pretty timid player and then develop into a much more aggressive player who even managed to get a few floor burns along the way from diving after balls.  It has been really fun to watch him play a sport that he seems to really like.  

Jayden, my sweet, somewhat timid child, who oftentimes folds under pressure, has turned out to have inherited some of his parent's competitiveness.  Royal and I weren't sure he had it in him, but he has stated that he really does NOT like losing and he has been willing to do extra practices with Royal and he even went to a Shooting Clinic put on by Next Level Hoops Academy in order to help him get better.

Royal has him practice dribbling with both hands and while doing so Jayden has to call out the number of fingers Royal is holding up to help Jayden learn to dribble with his eyes up.