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!

Just Like You

Hayden. This girl is turning into quite the young lady. When she was age 3, she would tell people that she was 4. Now that she's 4 she tells everyone she is 5. She asks to wear my make-up and lip gloss every single day, she carries around a purse with a phone, wears jewelry and says she wants to get her ears pierced when she's 5. She likes to wear her dress-up shoes and cowgirl boots because they make the same sounds on the hard floor that my stilettos and boots do. And she BEGS to go with me to my ladies bible study, mom's night out or other grown-up events. 

Here she is all dressed up, clip-on earrings, sunglasses and all, when it was time for me to leave for a baby shower. After this photo was taken, I soon walked out the door. She was devastated that she couldn't come with me.

Hayden also rushes to join daddy in heading out for work most mornings that he is home. She sees him gather his things and she runs to grab her computer and put her shoes and jacket on so she can go to work with him. He tells her that he wishes she could come too and how much he loves her. She cries. He leaves. She cries some more. Little does she know all of the benefits of being age 4 rather than 31!

Payson. This boy cracks me up. He wore his three pairs of sunglasses like this for a FULL day! Yes, into the gym, school and various stores as we ran errands. I'm still not sure why but he liked it but it was cute. Self expression maybe. But probably just a boy being a boy.

We hosted some friends for dinner and the kids and their friend Charlotte made up a hula hoop train game of going round and round the house. They were laughing so hard until the fun ended, as most preschool games do, with one child getting "hurt." 

My college roommate and bridesmaid, Katie, is having her first baby and I got to celebrate with her while she was in town for a baby shower. Can't wait to meet Baby M!

There has been hardly any proof at all for the triplets that there is a season called winter. That's right, win·ter. /ˈwintər/. Nope, they didn't believe it. They just kept asking when it was going to snow. Poor Texas children.

But, as Keith and I dined for Valentine's Day, two days early, we looked out of the restaurant windows and saw snow fall (albeit wet snow). Miracles do happen. Upon arriving home we woke up the kids (oh, yes we did) to peek out the window to take a look. Fifteen magical minutes and now they believe.

So, what's new with Mom you ask? An iPhone. Yep, I finally did it. My previous phone, with which I could only make calls and send texts, completely broke down. I had resisted a smart phone because I didn't want it to cut into my time with the kids but it was getting ridiculous, I must admit, when I was having to call Keith during the day to look something up online! It is fabulous, of course, and I. Love. It! Especially how it magically syncs with everything from my Mac. Beautiful.