Spring Break 2010

For Spring Break some people take wild beach vacations to lay out in the sun, drink cocktails, flip through magazines, and gossip.  Subtract the beach and add a toddler, and my Spring Break looked pretty similar.  I took Paul to the mountains to visit Auntie Diz in Vail (Ryan had to stay in town 

for baseball) and we had a fantastic time! 

A bonus of the trip is that we had the pleasure of staying at Tori's in-law's house.  The house is absolute magic to an almost two year-old.  When he arrived, Paul was greeted by two dogs, a creek, rocks to throw in the creek, and amazing weather.  I was greeted with a cocktail.  A win for everyone!

The next day we rode the Gondola up the mountain to see people skiing in shorts and tank tops.  Paul was a little unsure of the Gondola on the way up, but appreciated the transportation on the way down.  

 

 At the top of the mountain we found a children's nature museum which proved to be a HUGE hit with Paul.  The museum contained fur of many different animals but most exciting was the big brown stuffed bear.  The nice lady working at the front desk told Paul we couldn't touch the brown bear.  Paul listened, but couldn't get over that this animal was right in front of him.  I think he said "big bear" about 262 times.  Tori took a short video to illustrate his obsession.  I thought we could turn it into a drinking game- every time Paul says big bear, we take a drink.  I'm the model for good parenting.  

After the museum we went to lunch, Paul dipped french fries in ketchup and Tori and I had white wine.  A perfect afternoon!

One of the big bonuses is that Tori's in-laws had ALL the baby gear you could think of, since their grandchildren visit quite often.  Paul absolutely loved the hiking backpack.  He chanted, "Paul tall, Paul tall."  Sunday morning we took a hike and Paul was pretty happy in his spot, pointing out all the trees, planes, and birds.  I did have to pass him off to Tori's husband at one point because he was getting heavy.  But overall, I need one of these immediately!

It seriously was a perfect weekend, with one of my best friends, great weather, lots of vodka spritzers, and a well behaved toddler.  This will now have to become an annual trip!

Paul and his Aunt Diz