Beaver Creek to Denver

After a busy and active few days of skiing we drove into Denver to spend a few special days with Granny and Papa, Keith's paternal grandparents. And we were lucky enough that GP was already in town on business and was able to extend his trip into the weekend. That makes eight Melkers under one roof!

Granny and Papa's swing has sure been a part of a lot of memories! This time Madison and Daddy bonded about Madison's super-girl powers and how she is going to have astronaut babies in outer space - two girls and a boy at the same time, of course. (Geez - always trying to one-up me!)

Payson had lots of questions when he came upon this motorcycle in the church parking lot and it's owner let him sit on it. He was thrilled!

Papa and Payson being boys.

Oh how blessed we are! Four generations of Melker men. Neither Rick, Keith nor Payson have brothers so there's something extra special about how the Melker name is passed down through them.

The kids sure did love their reading time with Granny. Here is Madison showing Granny how her Tag Reader works. 

And Papa and Payson spent some time reading books that are nearly 60-years-old! How neat to be able to connect while reading the old and new!

Although Keith flew out for work on Monday morning, the kids and I stayed an extra day. We spent the first half of Monday with my friend Cathy and her kids in Colorado Springs. Logan and Payson were happy to reconnect.

And it was so special to see Hayden taking care of sweet Kaitlyn. They have all grown up so much since they moved almost a year ago.

These are the mountains that Cathy's house sits upon and overlooks. Such a beautiful view and location.

Deer sightings are common, even in Cathy's own yard, so the kids were bummed when it was time to leave and there were none to be found. But just as we were nearing the end of her neighborhood, we happened upon four beautiful deer grazing along the side of the road.

While the kids have seen deer before, they have never seen wild deer this close and calm, almost completely unfazed by our presence.

After 11 days of travel, it was time to head home. I admit that a little anxiety built up within me as I anticipated my flight home alone with three preschoolers. I armed myself with snacks and candy and prayed for strength, peace and patience! We successfully drove to their airport, returned our rental car, rode the shuttle to the terminals, checked in three carseats, went through a long line at security, and began navigating our way through the airport. We arrived early and took a break on the second landing for the kids to people-watch and spend some time playing and viewing a photo slideshow of our trip.

The girls and I sat on one row while Payson was a row ahead in an aisle seat which I could reach. What a young gentleman he was about having to sit alone. Once on the plane, it was all Apple. As soon as we were approved for electronics, we had Payson on the iPad...

Hayden on my MacBook...

and Madison on my new iPhone. Thank you, Apple! (Or maybe they should be thanking us!)

HOORAY! We made it! Not without a potty accident and one major tantrum, but we made it home nonetheless. We still had to manage getting to the car with ten bags, but it was nothing that a little Mommy muscle and some last-minute help from a friendly security guard couldn't handle!

Phoenix to Beaver Creek

After four fun days in Phoenix, we flew to Denver, rented a car and drove to Beaver Creek ski resort. The kids took advantage of the down time and took a little nap in the car.

A new time zone and new temperatures met us in Denver. The kids were thrilled to see snow and they played in it right away while Keith checked us into the hotel.

We stayed at the Westin hotel and it was the perfect set-up for our family.

We had plenty of room for the five of us. We made great use of the kitchen, dining table and washer and dryer and it was nice to that the kids had their own sleeping area. And the fireplace made for a great night light!

It didn't take long for the kids to spot the balcony which overlooked Beaver Creek mountain and one of the gondolas (yes, we rode it again and again!) We spent the rest of our arrival day settling in and dining out.

Early the next morning the kids were geared up and ready to go! Keith gave them a pep talk and some ground rules before sending them off to ski school.

While the kids were in ski school, Keith and I hit the slopes.

Later, we discovered this race course where I had my one big crash (although Keith and I have different stories of how it all went down). After about gate 4, just out the corner of my eye, I see Keith go down. The next thing I know he is sliding towards me at extreme speed and a cloud of snow is coming up over my shoulder and into my face. After a failed attempt to swerve away, I too went down. No injuries, just a fun memory. And even more respect for World Cup alpine skiers!

Each day after skiing the kids spent some time playing in the snow. Here are Hayden (far left, in pink), Payson (middle, in black) and Madison (far right, in purple) making a snowball castle with some other kids.

Madison hard at play.

We were lucky enough to be vacationing at the same time as some friends of ours. When tummies got hungry we all headed to a nearby pizza parlor for dinner.

The boys bonded over ninjas and superheroes...

...while the girls colored and the parents relaxed at the adult table.

On our second ski day, Keith took Payson out on the slopes early to work on his "pizza stop" while I got the girls geared up for ski school.

Here comes Payson up the magic carpet!

Hayden was so proud of her skis.

The kids absolutely loved skiing and going to ski school. Here is the report from observation and from the kids' ski instructors:
HAYDEN: Her strength helped her excel and advance quickly from a "Never Ever" to Level 2. She took to skiing easily, even eating snow while skiing, and got to go up the gondola and ski the mountain.
PAYSON: He was full of joy at ski school and worked hard at learning the "pizza stop." He never got frustrated, never wanted to go in to take a break and simply had fun living the good life.
MADISON: She worked hard in the mornings but was exhausted by the afternoon. She learned the "pizza stop" and was working on being more consistent.

Below is a video of the kids skiing, first of Payson in a black bib and helmet starting at the back and skiing down and then Madison wearing an orange helmet and purple bib. The rest are of Hayden, in all pink and an orange helmet, skiing with her ski school team and then with me and Keith. Listen for her to say, "I'm staying in the lines!" and "I did pizza, Daddy." And, don't worry, she didn't get hurt at the end - just all laughs!

Hayden singing as she skied down the mountain - happy as can be!

Proud Daddy and his little snow bunny, Hayden.

Apres ski and S'mores!

Madison chose to lounge with me and the mommies while her siblings and friends had a snow ball fight with Keith and some of the dads.

We were unsure about taking a ski trip with three 4-year-olds but it was a big success and everyone, including the kids, already wants to go back!

The Stemberger, Bolden and Melker families - what a great vacation with great memories that will last a lifetime!

Dallas To Phoenix

The Melker family ventured away from home for 11 days to visit grandparents in Phoenix and Denver and spend some time on the slopes. Keith had to be in Phoenix for work so we planned around that and Spring Break. We booked the trip just a few weeks prior and off we went!

I have a lot of tricks for keeping preschoolers happy in the airport and on the plane but it pretty much comes down to Apple products, a new small toy and lollipops!

We took three flights over the course of our trip and Keith and Payson sat together on the first flight. Payson was content to watch shows and play games on the iPad so Keith got to enjoy some quiet reading time. I, on the other hand, had my hands a bit more full as I was sandwiched in between the girls.

Here's proof that I was on the trip!

Once we arrived at Grandpa Bob and Grandma Roxie's (Keith's maternal grandparents), the kids got busy in the backyard. They were immediately drawn to the fountain as they were the first time we visited when they were just 17-months-old. But, this time, instead of playing in the fountain, they played with the fountain.

Bob and Roxie have half a dozen orange and grapefruit trees in their backyard and the scent of the orange blossoms surrounding us was wonderful. We spent hours and hours outside each day and the kids just played, explored and picked fruit until the sun went down! 

Instead of grass, they have rocks in their backyard and the kids dug, moved, organized and played with the rocks and their various sculptures for hours. It was a dream come true for three imaginative preschoolers.

Payson and Hayden were on the hunt for the biggest oranges they could find. They wanted to pick them all!

Here is a video of the kids in action as they picked fruit and played in the backyard:

There's nothing like picking fresh fruit from the trees and eating them right then and there. I still dream of our apple picking days while living in New England. Delicious! 

We also got the juicer going so we could enjoy some freshly grown and squeezed grapefruit juice. YUM!

We ate most of our meals outside on the patio. For this particular meal we were celebrating Bob and Roxie's anniversary. And Grammy was in town to join in the fun as well!

When Keith wasn't working he was able to spend some good quality time with the kids. They sure are smitten with their Daddy!

By chance, we got to attend a spring training game in Peoria: Texas Rangers vs. Seattle Mariners. Payson was already excited for his T-ball season to start, and now he can hardly wait!

At the stadium we walked passed this rare find and the kids stopped to ask, "Mommy, what is this thing?" When I told them it was a pay phone they had all sorts of questions like why was there a phone there, what the cord was for, who needed to use it and why you had to put coins in it. I'm sure if we stood there long enough they would have asked why there wasn't a touch screen on it!

Thanks to 80-degree weather and a heated pool in the grandparent's retirement community, we got to enjoy a short swim. Here's Grandma Roxie and Madison enjoying their dip in the pool.

The kids were smiling and squealing with delight for half an hour as they bounced around and played in the water. But, eventually they got the shivers and it was time to head home.

On our last night there we taught the kids how to play Mexican Train. With a little assistance from the grown ups, they got it and we had ourselves a fun little game night!

Payson and Grandpa Bob formed quite a bond. Payson would ask how many days we had left and when it was down to one he said, "Awww, but I want to stay." He told Grandpa Bob several times that he would come back and asked him if he would come visit us in Texas. Later, after we left, we were looking at pictures from our trip and Payson pointed to Grandpa Bob and said, "He's my buddy."

Keith and I also enjoyed a date night out at Dominick's Steakhouse in Scottsdale where Keith's Aunt Joi is a Manager. Now, I have enjoyed a lot of fantastic steaks in my lifetime, but their Bone in Filet Mignon was the best steak I have ever had. In my dream world I would get to eat their steak alongside one from Nick & Sam's and Bob's Steak & Chop House - now that would be a showdown!

Just look at this place! Poolside dining, retractable roof, live music. Dreamy!

And the bar, crystal chandeliers and the detail from floor to ceiling are truly amazing. Definitely worth the splurge!

Goodbye Phoenix, Hello Beaver Creek! More fun is still to come!