I have the worst headache. I can't believe how the altitude impacts me. Today was quite a ski adventure for our family. This is only the third ski trip of my life, and it snowed the entire day. We got 7" here in the mountains, and the powder surface conditions were very new for me. Ev's ski instructor said that in some areas the snow was a foot deep, and Evelyn was up to her knees trying to get through it. It was fun skiing through virgin snow in places, but the depth of snow made it tricky for me as a new skier. The temperature was around 25 all day, and the winds were 20 - 30 mph. Olivia, Evelyn, and Henry were in ski school all day, and they all did well. Robbie and I spent the day together on the slopes, and I practiced what my ski instructor helped me with yesterday. I feel like I'm going to end up going 80 mph less and less with each run, which is a very good thing. Robbie very carefully indicated that I would make him feel more comfortable if I would ski the center 50% of the run, and leave the 25% on each side near the trees alone. I guess I was getting too close to the line of pines for his liking. My sweet husband packed us a wonderful Paleo lunch of homemade beef jerky, spinach leaves with cherry tomatoes and red sweet peppers, mixed nuts with berries, and cut apples and oranges. I wore Emily's ski jacket again, and the bulge on my left side was something. The lunch was perfect.
Vivian showed up at my bedside at 4:39 am today, and the other kids were awake shortly thereafter. God help us. She said something along the lines of, "I love you, you cute little mama!" in a full volume voice. They all share a bedroom, the three oldest are in a king-sized bed, and Olivia can run the remote for early cartoons. Thank goodness.
Last night Robbie found a chapel for us, and we walked to mass. The mountains were visible through a cross shaped window behind the altar, and the view was lovely. Then the snow began to fall, and the sense of peace I experienced was memorable. Little Henry was so exhausted from his first day of ski school that he fell completely asleep in a seated position in the pew. At the end of mass, Vivian raised one of his eyelids with her index finger. Robbie carried him home through falling snow.
Olivia was in a class with all boys yesterday, and she got to go on some blue runs and runs with bumps. Evelyn was a little rusty after a one year break, but she quickly got her snow legs again. Vivian went to babysitting, which we call Baby Ski School for the fact that they take the kids to an outdoor snow playground in their snowsuits and boots. She told me when I picked her up that she cried and cried for me, but it didn't work. Finally, she said to the caregiver, "My mommy is up on the mountain with my daddy? And she'll ski down and come back to me?"
Our first morning in the condo, the kids all entered our room at 4:52 am. Henry asked for warm milk. I told him it was NOT six. Vivian showed me a six on her light up cell phone that my mom gave to her, then she turned on our bathroom light and left her phone playing Yankee Doodle Dandy on my nightstand!
On our drive to Colorado, Vivian exclaimed, "Oh, MY GOSH, that's pretty!!!" when she saw the mountains ahead. We stopped for lunch in the smallest town in Colorado and dined in a dive and were served by a 60-year-old waitress with purple hair. The table had slats, so it was covered with a clear vinyl tablecloth. Evelyn and Olivia looked worried the entire time, and they hated the old bathroom. I think my girls have become citified.
We left our hotel in Hays, KS just after 7 am. Henry unhappily announced the odor of smoke as we walked in 14 degree weather past a smoker. Vivian looked at the bleach blonde culprit and said, "Oooh, that's gross!!." The woman looked caught in the act. Her eyes turned to me, and I just gave her a slight shoulder shrug as we proceeded to our van.
I managed to shatter into a million tiny pieces a hurricane globe on the table of the restaurant where we ate dinner the evening we left home. The sound was tremendous, and I froze half-way out of my seat in shock and embarrassment. I still don't know how I did it. I told the girls, "At least it wasn't Henry." Finally, the evening before we left home, Henry told me that last year his ski instructors picked him up like a puppet. That was such a cute description, but the kids do wear belts with handles on the back for just that purpose.
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