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

Zoo Day

In the past few weeks we have been to the zoo twice.  Paul is at a really fun age because he now knows what animals we are looking at!  His favorites are still the monkeys and gorillas, and he has no problem shimming his way up to the glass to get a closer look no matter how big the other kids are surrounding him!

When we were on a play date at the zoo, we went into the fish and lizard area where you cannot bring strollers.  This was a big mistake for me as Paul loves to run.  He thinks it is hilarious to run away and have his mom chase him.  I swear if I was not in decent shape or at the ripe age of 31, I would not be able to keep up with him!

Other favorites are the hippos, rhinos, lions, zebras, and geese that just walk around the grounds. 

I think this summer will consist of many more days at the zoo!  It is so cliche, but things are more fun from the eyes of an almost two year old!

Reading!

A few weeks ago we had the baseball coach and his wife and girls over for dinner after their game (they lost, don't ask).  We were rehashing the game, well the boys were going through inning after inning analyzing each play while I drank wine and in my haze, I looked over and saw sweet Carson "reading" to Paul.  Since then, he has been obsessed with flipping through pages of books and reading to himself.  Sometimes he tells us what is on each page and other times he just starts talking and talking as he turns the pages.  Even cuter, he will set his monkey on the floor and read a book to him.  Did we breed a little teacher?  Oh Lord!

Lining Them Up

Sometimes Paul is so particular with his toys. He takes each car out of the designated box, inspects them, and then places them in a straight line.

 

Other times, when I am talking on the phone with my friend, trying to make plans to go to the park, Paul plays in my closet and destroys ANY glimpse of organization.  

 

I guess Mom's stuff is just a little more fun to throw around.