After finally getting some decent sleep, the day began early as the kids excitedly ran around the condo full of "we're on vacation" energy and ready to go to the pool. They were very dissapointed to learn that the pool wasn't open at 7 am. Shocker! In my great desire to sleep just a little more I allowed them to eat Cheerios in their room as they watched TV. I naively figured, mostly because I was still asleep when they asked, this time would be different and they wouldn't spill. WRONG! Bevan poored the entire bag of cereal on the carpet in the bedroom and then traveled with it into the kitchen. And just before this happened I was awakened to cries of "Ooooh! Yuck!" as they all ran into my room to inform me of Bevan's exploding poopy diaper. A yucky diaper is one thing, but one that leaves excess on the couch to be viewed by all is just plain disgusting!!! Then shortly after I turned the corner into the kitchen to find Bevan had somehow gotten a hold of a full bowl of oatmeal and was helping herself and the rug beneath her to generous spoonfuls.
I wonder if being on vacation is more fun or more work and honestly, I think it's both. My children really aren't used to "being on vacation" and relaxing. They couldn't sit still all morning at the thought of swimming and doing something in glorious Aspen, Colorado. Yes, we built it up to be more than it probably is, but compared to our usual non-vacationing lifestyle, anywhere is a step up.
After cleaning all messes up, we finally began to prep for the pool. The kids were so excited! We ended up spending 4 hours at the pool and it was so great to watch them enjoy themselves and dare to swim instead of our usual sit on the steps of the pool and listen to Mom beg them to get their heads wet. They had fantastic swimming lessons this year again (Thanks Angie!) and they continue to drastically improve our swimming life!
When we returned, the kids asked for snacks and at first I wanted to give them something healthy, but then reminded myself we were on vacation and it would be ok for once to just give them unhealthy flavored refined carbs. So I gave them some Cheezits, turned on cartoons and watched them immediately get sucked in. Wow! The power. I should be less healthy more often. It really does have it's perks.
The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent with a family trip to the pool and then a drive to Aspen for some dinner. To save money, we opted to bring all of our food with us and dine in most nights, but since we needed groceries we headed to town for a rare evening dining out.
I was shocked to see what a different type of place Aspen is compared to Park City. It was very small and downscale in comparison. It's the same type of city, given the ski resorts and outdoor appeal, but there are hardly any family priced restaurants. Hardly any restaurants to begin with. We chose a BBQ joint and were seated only to find many people staring at our "large & different" family. I'm sure the fact that our family with 4 children and 2 young parents is quite a phenomenon to most of these people. Regardless of the many questioning looks, there were a few very pleasant gentlemen who befriended our children and were accepting of our differences. Having lived in Utah most of my life, I forget what it's really like outside of Utah, especially for young mormon families. I wouldn't change it for anything, but it sure makes for interesting trips to different places.
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