At the start of February, we took the kids on their 2nd excursion into the beautiful, wild wonder that is Colorado. I made plans for a snow adventure prior to discovering that Wood Child #3 was on her way, so the intentions for me changed a bit, but, for my Ella and Summit, the party was on...or rather they were on the mountain.
To say that South Carolina has experienced a mild winter does no justice. It seems we skipped winter from a prolonged fall and went straight into the headwaters of spring. Missing some taste of cooler weather, we were excited to feel the world below 65 degrees, and the climate in the Rockies rightly cooperated. It's always amusing to see warmies experience true cold for the first time. Landing in Denver didn't really do much to affect the kids, but stepping out of the car in Breckenridge sure did. The temperature that night when we arrived was a blustery 6, and my southern bred babies were hit with a chilly sensation that simply didn't make sense. It was that kind of cold that takes the color out of things. And, their grass legs weren't prepared for streets covered in snowy ice. Did they, the almighty fountains of knowledge, believe their parents when we told them that a simple tank/t-shirt and a fleece would not be enough? Heavens no. Did they, the children of newfound knowledge, wish they had worn more on the walk across the street to the pizza joint? Of course they did. From then out, there was no argument about what to wear, and as a mama who constantly battles a 7-year-old girl about how to dress, this was a
really nice reprieve from everyday drama.
The first morning that we woke up in Colorado was like revisiting Christmas. The snow was unbelievable to my babies' wide eyes, that, thanks to the time zone change, were up as early as they would be on Christmas morning. Ah well. Who doesn't heart a 5 a.m. wake-up call? Uhhh...me. I don't heart a 5 a.m. wake-up call. But, up we were, and wowed they were. I made Colorado's newest snow bunnies wait until the sun made an appearance and their daddy rolled out of bed before they could venture out of the condo...did you really think I would take that challenge that early? It was -18 degrees outside. By 7 they were bundled up in their snow gear and headed out the door. The first thing Summit did? Take one step and fall face-first in the snow. In his defense, it was up to his waist. He was as mobile as Ralphie's little brother in A Christmas Story. While I got our stuff ready to make the trip to Steamboat, the kids took turns playing and falling in the white blanketed world they'd just discovered.
Since we moved from Crested Butte, winter trips to CO usually involve snowboarding in Breck, but we decided to visit Matt's cousin, Laura, and her family in Steamboat for this rodeo. On the drive over Rabbit Ears Pass, we stopped at this amazing snowfield for the kids (and their parents) to play in. You'd have thought the moon had just been hung for them. It was beautiful and serene, and Ella and Summit's sweet, sweet laughter filled the mountain silence. Loved. It. Loved every minute of it. Even the part where I stepped in a snow drift up to my chest and had to have Matt pull my freezing cold, pregnant badonkadonk out of the snow. Even loved that.
On the other side of the pass was our skiing/snowboarding destination. Steamboat's a pretty chill (and not just because it's cold) town. Laura and AJ and baby Charlie were wonderful hosts, and they filled us in at the local level. We signed the kids up for a day of ski/boarding school, which was a great experience for both of them. Summit was a skier, and I have to say, it was hard dropping him off that morning. He was scared, and his big crocodile tears made me hug him tighter and get a little weepy right along with him. But, off he was whisked by the kids' school workers, and off we were to take Ella to her Rough Riders lesson. Luckily for her, she was the only one in a group to sign up that day, and her instructor, Frizz, had just returned from paternity leave with a brand new baby girl. Did that make him think that teaching a little girl to ride for the first time was pretty cool? Yes. Yes it did.
With the kids in their designated areas and Matt snowboarding his mountain-loving heart out, I was left to my own devices, and rather than shopping or something, I couldn't pull myself away from watching my Ella and Summit learn how to board and ski. So, I just stood there...at the base of the mountain...in freezing cold, windy, morning, Colorado weather...and cried. What? Yes. I cried. I was so proud. So proud and so happy and so fortunate to get to see my little loves experiencing these things for the first time. My heart was full. And, so I cried. Not the tears that Summit had earlier, though I was nervous for them, but tears of gratitude and love for them. I know that I'm one lucky mama.
By three in the afternoon, Ella and Summit had learned a bunch. Ella had ridden the big chair lift with Frizz, and Summit had figured out his groove with the tiny bunny hill. And, they were D.O.N.E. done. We met up with AJ and Laura and Charlie, and headed to Steamboat Hot Springs, another first for E and S, and they loved the chance to swim outside in 5 degree weather. I did not love the journey from the locker room into the pool, and even less the one on the way out, but it was nice while we were in the warm water. Summit did not love the fact that he was too short to take the crazy big slide into the water, but his sister sure enjoyed that ride. At day's end, AJ and Laura fed us some good-for-the-soul food, and we were done.
We enjoyed a few more days in the Rockies before we had to mosey on back to the South. The kids and Matt got to spend some more time on the mountain. Ella would have loved to have had the chance to ride with Frizz, who was cooler than cool by this point...to Matt's slight dismay...it was cute. And we visited with our friends and family. While it didn't snow AT ALL in the mountains, Denver got dumped on, and by the time we made it to Carol and Steve's place, they had feet of snow waiting for us to play in before we got on the plane back home. How cool is that? What a send off!
There's something special and down-to-earth and completely relaxing about being in Colorado, something that makes you appreciate how big the world is and what a great thing it is to be able to play in the earth's adventures. I always try to relish the moments that we have there, and this was no exception.
Yeah. These are things I think about sometimes. 
Most of the time, though, I'm thinking about how lucky I am to have the family and friends that I do. They are, after all, what make my world go round, what help me through when times are tough, and what bring me happiness and laughter as each year happens by. And, though they are more commonplace than the 29th of February, they are far more extraordinary than a leap year. 
I love you all. 
