The Journey of: Breckenridge 2013: Part I

Hello Friends & Family--

We took our annual ski trip to Breckenridge February 21-26th. This year we found super CHEAP tickets to Denver at an airport outside of Madison. The 3 tickets were cheaper then our 2 tickets from last year. Yet the rental cars were more than double the price. Funny how that works.

We had an early flight, so we stayed in a hotel near the airport the night before. This hotel (which shall remain nameless) boasted that it had great rooms and an indoor water park. Let's just say it wasn't the greatest and we won't be staying there again. Cam did enjoy swimming for about 15 minutes though. No pictures at the hotel...

At the airport, waiting is hard :)

Since this year Cam was older (and very mobile), I was a little anxious to say the least about the plane ride. The thought of being trapped in a small aircraft with a rambunctious toddler was making me very nervous. In preparation I stocked up on some goodies that were especially for the plane (new books, stickers, mini puzzle and special treats). This year we opted to buy him his own seat (thankfully ticket prices were low). This guaranteed that we'd all be in the same row and could wrangle him easier. You aren't required by law to get them their own seat until they are 2 (we are close!). We also opted to use his carseat instead of just sitting him on the airplane seat. This was a GREAT idea for us, because Cam is a mover. I know Mr. Houdini would have gotten himself out and then ran around the cabin like a monkey :)

On the airplane.

He was very good during both the flights--also thankful they were direct flights. We learned that he's been growing b/c he was able to kick the seat in front of him. Lovely. I had read to stock up on $5 gift cards to places like Target or Starbucks before a flight (I also forgot this) and then hand them out to people around you when your kid acts up a bit. This keeps the peace and reassures the people around you that you aren't trying to ruin their flight. Since I forgot, I offered the woman in front of us another glass of wine. She declined and said she didn't even know she was being kicked--too much wine already perhaps??!! So note to all you families with young kids...try the gift card idea on your next trip! For the most part the new toys (mainly the mini sticker books) were enough to keep him entertained for the roughly 3 hour flights.

Mommy & Cam on the plane.

Our flight was early in the morning, so we had to wake Cam up around 4:30am. We had hoped that he'd sleep on the flight, but to no avail. He was way too excited about riding on the airplane and playing with his new toys. Yet when we arrived and took the shuttle to the rental car place he fell fast asleep. Go figures.

Sleeping next to our GIANT luggage pile.

We spent that first day at my Aunt & Uncle's house outside of Denver visiting my Aunt and Grandma. Right when we turned into their neighborhood there was a herd of antelope crossing the road. It was incredible to watch. It happened so fast I didn't get the best pictures, but I did get a few and a video! While we were at their house Cam had a lot of fun playing with his 2nd cousin's old toys and playing with Great Grandma and Great Aunt Amy! He even gave lots of hugs and kisses :) Then it was onto Breck. We arrived prior to anyone else so we had a chance to get settled and relax.