Day 1 was full of travel. Drive to airport = 1 hour; wait around in airport for an hour and hook up with Ed’s brother and dad, then fly to Denver = 3.5 hours in the air; drive to Breckenridge = 2 hours. Then, my parents decided to go out to eat and while normally this is something I dread, Connor actually make it through the long wait for a table and then ate dinner, in a seated position, acting like he totally knew what to do in a restaurant. I was completely impressed, so much so that I blew his cover and told my parents that never in a million years could this feat ever be repeated.
On day 2, Connor howled when we left, because apparently he didn’t realize that my dad has an infinite capacity to reread “Artur” books over, and over, and over – something I eventually told Connor I was done doing. On the bright side, he took a 3 hour nap which is pretty much unheard of, though quite welcome. My mom also read books to him and plied him with cookies. Turns out, he prefers Snickerdoodles over frosted cookies. Guess it’s good my mom comes prepared!
Day 3 was a bit easier in the departure department. I quit skiing earlier than the others – because it turns out, I’m a total wimp when it comes to cold, windy days. I stopped by the Children’s Museum on the off chance that the crew was there and indeed, my dad and Connor were busy performing engineering feats with the various building materials. They were learning about magnets and fishing, and physics, and all sorts of other good stuff. Connor pretty much had the run of the place, which is always nice.
Day 4 was an off day for skiing, which in retrospect turned out to be a bad idea because the sun came out. We started out at the indoor ice arena where my father-in-law was able to strap on a pair of skates and acted like he knew what he was doing, something my mom, Ed, and I were unable to do. Connor thought seeing Grandpa skating around was super great. I was next on the ice, and once Connor saw that, he knew this was as good as he suspected.
He walked to the ice entrance and told Ed “Connor ice, Connor ice” and it was unmistakable what he wanted. So, I went back to the front desk, rented the smallest pair of skates they had and a helmet, connected Connor to a walker for the ice, and handed him over to his grandpa. He actually skated a bit, but would’ve face planted absent the assistance of an adult. I went around with him a bit, and eventually he was exhausted, though I do believe he enjoyed it. And hey, sometimes you’ve got to try things that seem impossible and decide if there’s a way to make them possible. I appreciate that spirit in Connor and most other kids his age. My dad might refer to this as a lack of common sense, but I prefer to think of it as a zest for life.
After nap, we headed to the rec center which had been recommended by a co-worker who used to live in CO, and it did not disappoint. My dad had sat out the morning activity but was more than happy to barrel into the water with Connor, which is a good thing because Connor decided to show us that he knew what “under” was as he said “under” then took a step and bobbed his head. Quite scary for a parent, but also thrilling. He’s also somehow figured out how to hold his breath because even when he slipped and went under, he didn’t cough at all when Ed and I fished him out (unnoticed by the 10 year old lifeguard, I might add).
Later that evening, Ed sent Connor out to me to get him ready for a bath, and no sooner had Connor told me “clothes” had he noticed that I was eating a bowl of ice cream – which obviously was intended for him. Ed waited for a bit before coming out to find us both covered in ice cream. Yum!
Day 5 Ed, his dad, and I headed to Keystone for the day while my parents hunkered down with Connor enjoying a book marathon, a little Elmo tickling, and naturally, some sweeping. Connor’s love for the broom probably endears him to my mom. She appreciates a clean place, after all.
Day 6 was back to Breck, cold and windy.
Day 7 the boys headed back to the slopes, but my mom and I went t-shirt and candy shopping while my dad and Connor took a nap. We tried to hook up with them at lunch but missed each other, but it gave Connor a chance to ride a Gondola, which I have to admit didn’t seem to impress him much until he looked out the window and spotted a dog. Then Connor and I headed out to a nifty toy store my mom and I had discovered while we were out earlier in the day. Connor has never been fond of rocking horses – but rocking dogs, that’s totally different.
That evening, we went on a sleigh ride – pulled by HORSES, much to Connor’s delight. It was cold. Just ask my parents.
Afterwards, there was a little skit while dinner was prepared, and Connor felt totally comfortable joining right in.
Day 8 was a reverse travel day and thankfully, Connor was once again a total champ about all this travel. It really made the trip bearable. It was super nice having Ed’s dad and brother in the airport because it meant there was someone else to chase Connor around and play with him. They also made for great entertainment on the plane as Connor would pop his head up and peek over the seats at them.
On Sunday, Ed let me sleep in while he took Connor to the zoo. I did get up and manage to get the laundry well underway and the ski gear back in the attic – a task made much easier when Connor is not around wanting to climb up there.
Phew! I’m ready to go back to work for a break!
Elaine
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