Whoa... Sun Valley

There are so many things that I learned on this trip to Sun Valley...

-If Karl says you are leaving at 1, don't believe him and send the kids to school. You won't leave until at least 3.

-A trip with kids is much much different than a trip without, even if you to the exact same place.

-I am grateful for the little DVD player we got for Christmas 4 years ago and the 8 DVDs we got from the library. The kids watched the whole way and Eva only asked, "Are we there yet?" a handful of times.

-A stop at Jakes Over the Top for Chocolate (Chocolate flavored Partially Hydrogenated Oil) Dipped cones helps break up a long 5 hour road trip.

-Chocolate dipped cones are a lot of work. You have to keep up with all the leaks of ice cream that spring out of the little holes. Do you remember how Samuel mangled the cup full of ice water from the side on the last road trip? He did it to the cone this time. I don't get it.

-Asking for an upgrade is worth it. We paid for a standard condo and ended up with this fancy two story one for the same price. Just because Karl asked. Awesome. I love that kind of deal. Full kitchen, loft bedroom perfect for the kids to throw things from, and a huge bathroom. The "hug huge" tub could be entered from both sides. I can't explain it.

-Simple joys are the best. The kids thought that the, "couch that turns into a bed" was the coolest thing ever.

-Don't leave Samuel alone with a dry erase marker or scissors. The carpet and Eva's backpack will suffer.

-I love relaxed mornings with the kids where we don't "have" to be anywhere. Samuel and I woke up at 11 and Eva was coloring out on the deck.

-Samuel's fear of mega hungry birds is real. He wore that hood the whole time..."to keep the ducks from getting my head."

-Eva loves having friends to play with. Karl's coworker stayed in a condo by us so I got to hang out with his wife while the husbands, "worked." Dyllan was so much fun to play with.

-Eva still lives in a storybook princess world... and I love that about her. We fed the swans a little bit of bread and then walked into the hotel. On our way out I kept finding pieces of bread on the floor and had to keep telling Eva to pick them. I was baffled and bugged that she would just drop her bread in a fancy hotel lobby like that. When we got outside she whispered in my ear that she dropped the bread pieces so she could find her way out. I don't know if she has even heard the story Hansel and Gretal but apparently you don't need to hear fairy tales when you live in one. As we were walking around I noticed people smiling and so I looked back and Eva was walking like she was camouflaged by those branches that she was holding.

-Ice skating with a 3 and 5 year old means that you are spending an hour trying to prevent them from falling every two minutes... and it takes a lot of muscles and energy. They both love it so much. I heard Samuel "bragging" to a little girl that he could ice skate. She sweetly said, "Oh, really? Did somebody teach you?" She goes out there and ends up being an amazing skater doing all these turny jump things. So cute that she humored Samuel.
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-Eating in Sun Valley with kids is a way different experience. More burritos (we ate at the very awesome and consistently delicious Ketchum Burrito twice), burgers (Burger Grill had fancy-ish burger stuff like the Kobe beef burger and super tasty Lobster Bisque), and pizza (Bald Mountain Pizza at the resort was okay but the grouchy guy that told my kids to be quiet kind of a sour taste in my mouth).

-Instead of lounging, fine dining and shopping, we get things like biking and swimming. I did get to do a little bit of shopping. Eva and Samuel's rain boots were only $7 (that is 80 % off Sun Valley prices) and the pair of shoes I was eyeing earlier this year was 50% off AND the only ones they had left were my size! It was meant to be. Man, look at all that money I save :).

-Sometimes when your husband has to work (uh, casino night, dinner out and fly fishing is work?) and even though you know that is why he had to go to Sun Valley in the first place you might start feeling like a nanny instead of someone on a family vacation. But if you work hard enough, that feeling goes away. Phew, that could have been an ugly one.

-Karl and I need to exercise. A little bike ride should not have been that hard. That picture of Eva blocking her eyes is so so Eva that I had to post it. She hates the sun in her eyes.

-Cristina's is still one of our favorite places for lunch. Armed with Curious George on my phone and earphones we braved it to this placed that has nothing even close to a $3.99 kids' menu. My chicken was some of the best I have ever had (though it was the artichoke that lured me). Karl's brie and ham sandwich didn't match up to his fond memories of our last trip. The kid's cheese pizza was awesome. The immense bread basket was so beautiful and full of so many neat breads. We took the leftovers and the ducks loved them, too. This place has the best lemonade ever. So great that it got it's own picture. They had the cutest petite fours for the kids... Samuel got a frog and Eva got a heart with a little rose on it. I love food.

-$100+ of equipment does not a fisherman make. We pull up with all this newly purchased gear (it is what we do, see the t-ball and soccer posts.. Karl likes lots of new gear) and set up. Then this guy walks up with a little grocery bag. He pulls out a fishing line with a hook and a little cup of worms. That's it. I was in awe. It took a while for the fish to bite, then the kids forgot all their boredom and got all excited and into it. Samuel liked putting the egg things on the hook.

-No one, not even Karl, could teach Samuel to be the punk that he is. So, these deer walk up to the pond and there is one right across from us. Eva, all excited to share this experience with her brother, keeps saying, "Samuel, look, its right there! Look! There!" and Samuel keeps saying, "Where? Where? I can't see it?" Frustrated with this fruitless conversation I look over and Samuel is pretending to look everywhere but has his eyes closed. Punk.

-It's not quantity but quality. Karl snagged 6 fish. I snagged one. He tried to get me all enthused because mine was way big.

-Even when we are on vacation and we are only going to go to church for an hour, we will still be 25 minutes late.

-Fancy Resort ducks and swans are just as scary as Wheeler Farm ducks and swans. Here is Karl trying to scare them back. Here is Samuel. And here is Eva.

-There is a reason that we don't have a recent family photo. That would mean that all four of us would have to sit still at one time.

-Not every diner is as grouchy-I-hate-kids-that-make-lots-of-noise as the guy at the pizza place. Eva seemed to take to going to "fancy" restauarants and people were very nice to the kids.

-Hot tastes better when it comes in shiny pitcher things with lacy whipped cream coming out the top and orange juice tastes better in non kid proof glasses.

-I take a lot of pictures and apparently have no shame about it. It may be a phase or the beginning of something more. I don't know. Whatever the case, I am enjoying it. It makes me be there more and, of course, remember more.

-Body of water equals fun for the family. Eva is rescueing her dog from the water. Karl is poking Samuel with a stick (sometimes we blame Samuel for causing problems but a lot times it is Karl that is causing the problem. Karl is just the master of not getting caught. But I caught him on camera this time).

-Icecream is a good way to end anything.