A Week in Vail

As I mentioned in the last post, Aaron recently had a conference in Vail, CO for work.  We thought it would be fun to take the whole family along, the kids and I playing around town and in the mountains during the day, and then have fun family time in the evenings.  

We had a wonderful week.  It felt so good to be back in the mountains after our summer in Texas, although it was painful how much it made us miss our life in Alaska.  

We played outside the whole week, in parks, on the trail, in the pool, and around the rivers. 

Neither Aaron or I had been to Vail before and it was fun to discover that the little ski town is all it is cracked up to be.  Everything about it is pretty and perfect and cute.  Even all the nature around the village is picturesque perfect.  

Our resort was nice, sitting along a cute little creek at a mountain base.  

The parks were beautiful and crisp and fun.  I think we played in them all, and there are many.  

The mountains surrounding the town are full of great trails and places to get away from the people and enjoy nature.  

We just couldn't have been happier that Aaron's company created a nice little vacation for us, because I'm not sure there is a better place to spend summer days then in the mountains.

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My parents came to Vail with us and spent a few days playing around the mountains.  We went on hikes, roamed the town, and enjoyed the kids together.  

It was so nice having them there to help carry one of the kids, so we could hike a few of the trails during the day.  Poor Poppy even got stuck carrying Ethan the Tank for a while.  

Nana lucked out and Ethan decided to walk when it was her turn to carry him...

Nana quickly became Ethan's favorite hiking partner, once he realized she carried candy in her pocket as she walked.  We heard "mo' Nani, mo' Nani" the rest of the way.

Even on the walk home, he kept his eye on Nana, making sure his candy source was close by.  

We had picnics in the mountains,

rode the gondola to the top of the resort,

hiked on top of the world,

and learned about the local flora

and fauna.

And after all the work and play, we snuck in a few ice cream breaks.

When it was time for them to go, we were sad to say "byyyyyye"

but we are so happy we live closer to them now and can see them often.

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During the day, after Nana and Poppy left, we spent a lot of time at the parks.  

It was nice to run and play outside and not sweat.   

We played games,

learned new skills,

practiced old ones,

roamed the play equipment,

and ate in the great outdoors.

With a creek right outside our hotel, and E being a two year old boy, we spent a lot of time throwing rocks and sticks into the water.  

And when we were really lucky, Daddy would come out and play with us for a while during his break from the conference.  

We also tried hiking in the mornings, which was interesting. 

It was really just another excuse to get out into the mountains.   

And since I wasn't going to carry them both, by myself, 

we did Ethan led hikes, where he decided where and how far we walked, or roamed.  

His motto in hiking is that it is more about the journey then the destination.  

Sometimes we didn't go far, but we saw and touched a lot where we did go. 

Kelsey had a great time riding on Mommy's back,

and loved the slow pace, which gave her a chance to touch everything as we went by.

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If the previous 50 pictures weren't enough, here are a few more from our days in Vail:

Beautiful rider

He could chase that ball all day

Teeter Tottering

Playing inside

Pretty in the sun

Taking a rest

Baby girl and Mama

So HAPPY