Stephens' Stories: Breckenridge

On Saturday we left for Denver and then on to Breckenridge. Austin had not been on an airplane since he was 9 months old so I had prepared myself for the worst with a very active 2 year old. Good thing he is fascinated by scrolling through photos on the computer (we don't have an Ipad yet). DiDi was brave enough to fly with us. Because he is just under 2 he was allowed to be a "lap child" and we didn't have to purchase a ticket for him. We were hopeful that the flight wouldn't be full and Austin could have his own seat without buying it. This was not the case but he ended up doing just fine. We entertained him with looking out the window, eating animal crackers (the real kind in a red box that DiDi bought- he ate two whole boxes), scrolling through pictures, reading books, and playing with the seatbelt straps. This boy LOVES straps and buckles these days! We made it to Denver on time and David left us to get the rent car while we gathered the many pieces of luggage. A very kind airport employee helped my mom and I put all of our bags on his large cart and wheeled it to the curb for us. We could not have done it without him as we had like 9 bags, a stroller, a toddler, a pac n play, and a giant carseat. Good thing David didn't bring his golf clubs. We loaded up the rent car and drove to Breckenridge. It felt so good to be back in Colorado!! Austin took a short nap on the way but we did hit some traffic on I70 (typical). Granddad (Stacy) had been in the Denver area for a golf tournament so he met us in Breck. We made a trip to the grocery store to pick up some essentials before Annabelle, Allison and David arrived. We rented a 5 bedroom house on Baldy mountain (overlooks the town of Breck) that was about 7 minutes drive from town. It was perfect because each child had their own bedroom and the kitchen was fully stocked with dishes, etc. It had a hot tub and a TV in every room. We were definitely spoiled.

It rained and was pretty chilly (felt great!!) for most of Sunday night and Monday. We were able to get out in the morning and walk/run. I ran along the bike path in town and while David pushed Austin in the stroller or played with him on the small rock slide in along Main Street/the river. This became an every-day morning activity (I was in heaven running in the 45-50 degree temperatures). On Sunday afternoon, some of us went to the Mountain Top Childrens' Museum. Austin and Annabelle had a blast and it was a great rainy day activity (and grandparents were even free admission!). Austin especially liked stacking the "tree" stump blocks. He spent 20 uninterrupted minutes stacking these (see pictures below). If they looked like they were going to fall, he backed away and tried another spot. I would venture to say that he will be an engineer someday. It was impressive (even if you aren't his proud mom). He also liked dumping the "snow". It was some sort of white, fluffy material (probably chemically made) that they had in a container with cups and funnels. He thoroughly enjoys dumping and pouring things and this was no exception. On Sunday night, Granddad and DiDi were very kind to stay at the house with the sleeping kiddos while Allison, David, David and I enjoyed an adult dinner out in town. Allison and I had yummy Colorado trout topped with crab meat. Thanks for babysitting, even if you both didn't feel too well. The altitude effected Stacy so much that he decided to leave early on Monday (instead of waiting until Wednesday). On Monday we went into town and ran/walked again. That afternoon, we took the kids to see the historical train. They loved it...it's the little things. Here are a few pictures from Saturday-Tuesday of our trip. More to come!