Kristen and AJ go to CO

Warning, this is my longest post ever!

This Aug. I took AJ on his third trip requiring an airplane. I was a little nervous since the last one was when he was 3 mo. old, and the fact we were going without Andy only added to my apprehension.  I solicited many friends and family members for tips, and one friend asked, "how long is your flight?" "2.5 hrs" I replied. So she said, "Just keep telling yourself, 'it's only 2.5 hrs' then!" Very funny. Then she added, "And remember you will never see any of those people again!" Hilarious. (In hindsight I can laugh though!) My mom bought AJ a new outfit for the plane and he was trying it out before we left by doing Downward Facing Dog and Forward Fold (yoga poses). He decided it was very comfy.

SO... Andy dropped us off at O'Hare on Thurs morning and I was informed I would have to pay $25 to check a bag for AJ. Funny how they think a child young enough to sit on a lap should need less luggage, considering they will need diapers, toys, and other baby stuff. If I'd known that rule ahead of time (it was not listed on their web site) I probably could have jammed all of his stuff into my suitcase, but oh well, what choice did I have? (I'll be writing a letter to United)

And off we went, "zoom in da Ky"! AJ did great on the plane, thanks to many "new" toys that my friend Erin lent to us, a picture album filled with magazine cutouts I made with my mom, and plenty of snacks. He was a trooper and only cried when I had to change his (poopy) diaper standing up in the tiny lavatory that didn't have a changing station (I know, that will go into the letter too). When we deplaned in CO, nice people helped me with my bags and we met up with my good friend Holly Stein and started off to have fun in Breckenridge!!

We stopped at a spot along the road for a short scenic hike with Holly and her kids, Sydney and Ian. Syd and Ian both liked pushing the stroller, which was a welcome break after our travels, but made me a little nervous when the path's edge was a steep drop-off! The scenery was beautiful, but Holly told me the reason that there were so many dead trees.  Apparently, CO is dealing with a huge Bark Beetle infestation and the problem is so out of control that it's too late to save the trees. She guessed that next year all of the lodgepole pines will be gone (or at least dead and drying up). Beyond the devastation to the tree population, this also raises the threats of fires in the forest to a dangerous level. Residents have been made to cut down any trees 30ft or less from their homes. At least the beetles leave the Aspens alone, but if the national forest goes up in flames, they will be gone too. I was told that sometimes this is how nature renews itself, and that someday the trees will grow back...here are 2 pics of the spreading of dead Lodgepoles.

On a happier note, our little hike was fun and here is a shot of Holly, Syd, Ian and AJ at an outlook.  A little further down the path was another outlook and Holly took this shot if AJ and I with the gorgeous Rockies behind us. She knows the names of many of the peaks, but it was info overload for me!

There were a bunch of other people at this spot feeding chipmunks and squirrels, and we watched the action just long enough to see this sly fox, which Sydney named Roxy. The fox stopped and posed for us and seemed to enjoy the attention!

So after our little trek, we hit a park to let AJ blow off some steam. Look what kind of backdrop parks have up in CO! It was really something. This is the Dillon Resevoir, just about 15 or 20 min from where my friends live. AJ really enjoyed running around and climbing on the equipment, and of course he found the sand area. (He's generally over the wood chips, but still tries to taste the sand.  Why, AJ, why??!!) This is a clip from the park, followed by a picture Holly took of he and I on the bike path beyond the park and AJ bending down to smell a flower.

We had a lot of fun relaxing and spending time with the Steins. Our next adventure (of which I have no pictures) was the local Rec Center in Breckenridge. Sydney goes there all the time and thought for sure we'd like it, and she was right. We took AJ to the pool there and it was so fun. The water was WARM and very shallow and there were all kind of fun things to do in the water, eg: turn a crank to fill up overhead buckets that dump over when full, ride around in a mini whirlpool, go down a very cool older-kid slide or the little kid one that landed in the water, etc. AJ was bummed when we decided it was time to get out of the water. He was having way too much fun turning into a prune. He even puts his face into the water and scares me by going under! what a little fish!

Holly planned a picnic to a special place they have found where a rock outcropping is the perfect vantage point for a beautiful waterfall. It was not a good place for AJ to explore, so I wore him in the sling and fud him his lunch by placing pieces of food on my shoulder. that worked pretty well and he was generally loving the waterfall and watching the Stein's dog, Max, run around the area Here are a few shots from the picnic...AJ and I, Ron, Holly and Max, and the view downstream to a lake.

There were also several trips into Breck...for Starbucks, sightseeing, dinner out and some general stroller-time. The town was so pretty this time of year with tons of flowers blooming in planters and yards. 

Some of them were so colorful and perfect that they looked fake! Check these out. Niether of us were sure what they were, so if anyone does, post a comment. whatever their name, they sure were showstoppers in their roadside planter. Here is a cool shot of one of the peaks of the actual resort. I thought the runs looked like a golf course turned on it's side! It would be great to come back in the winter and ski sometime. I think AJ would love it, daredevil that he is becoming!


One morning, Holly and I took AJ into Breck to troll the farmers market (which is more of an open air market, really , since there were only 2 stands in all selling any produce). We also stopped up near a decommissioned rail snowplow and let AJ run around it. He was also just short enough to fit under it! I think he thought it was neat. I sure did! In the picture of he and I on the rock, you can see part of the front that was the snowplow. after being driven through these mountains for a few days, there's no way I'd want to be the guy plowing off the tracks after a big snow! Yikes! But all looks so soft and benign in the 78degree sunshine...

There's also a picture of a rainbow or rocks we found in the railroad track rubble. I thought it was pretty amazing to find all those colors within 2 sq feet! (the rock collector of my childhood was coming out in full effect, and I pocketed the rocks...not sure if that was agains the rules since the only signs we saw said not to climb on the train...)

We also had fun around the house. AJ loved practicing his stair-climbing/descent and learned how to operate the light switch. He was soon banned from flicking the light on and off, on and off, over and over, as Ian informed us that was a waste of energy. I told him the light was tired and it was sleeping. I don't think he bought it, but he started pointing to the light and saying, "no.  Noo.  no." so I guess he got the point.  He liked to read his books, and Holly got him to sit with her for a reading of "Where's Spot?" in this cute shot.He also had fun with Holly's husband Ron. Here are two clips.  One of AJ on the couch with Ron and another with him wearing Ron's hat and making his way up the stairs.

OK, I know this is really getting long, but there's just a little more I have to tell you. Holly's backyard may look sort of "average" when you first look out her back window, but that's until they tell you they own land going straight back tht includes a teepee, the Blue River and many trees and wildlife homes! Oh, if I could have grown up there! It would have been my dream to go exploring in that "backyard" every day...building forts, following trails, catching frogs, what fun! I think Syd and Ian will love it as much as I would have, and Max seems to get a kick out of it as well. Ian was beating down a path for us, so I nicknamed him "thrasher".

So here are some pictures of my little jaunt into the willows with Syd, Ian and Ron. There's the Teepee, Ron crossing on a plank, and the pretty flowers leading back up to the the house.

On our return trip, AJ and I were delayed about 3 hrs due to the storms in Chicago. There's not much to do with a 16 mo old in an airport terminal with moving walkways throughout, but we survived and he was a trooper. He did great on the flight too, even falling asleep on my lap for about 40 min, and the people around us were all so warm and helpful. Andy took the train to O'Hare and met us at the Baggage Claim and here is AJ riding the train home. He even looked perky for having been contained most of 11hrs that day. All in all a great vacation. Thanks a million to the Stein's for having us!