Wait for it….

I’ve got an update!  Actually, I’ve got months of updates, but I’m going to do them month by month since this is a record for my babies when they get older.

December 2012: Vail Trip

What an amazing month!!!  December is always met with great anxiety.  I’ve got Brandon’s birthday the first week and then before I know it the twins birthday.  A week later it’s our anniversary and then four days later Christmas. 

So, what would a normal person do that has that many parties to plan and presents to buy??  Why, plan a family ski vacation…I mean it seems perfectly sane, right?

We did it though – three days after our miracle babies had their 6th birthday.

Truly, one of the most blessed times we have had as a family.  Taking this vacation was a gift.  We are very fortunate and it was on this little getaway that God decided to put my heart at peace with our family of 4 here on earth.  Before, I could feel myself going back and forth.  Should we…shouldn’t we…no we shouldn’t, but I would kind of love to. (have one more baby)

The details of this vacation can not be left out of this blog.  It was a total adventure getting to Vail!

(Half of our bags…)

I missed the exit to the airport at 3:30 am

B left our ski jackets in a carry on bag at the curb skycap check-in area…he found them!

We are just about to enter the plane and Cullen MELTS down.  Screaming, “get me off of here!!!” at the top of his lungs.  SO embarrassing! I was sure the air marshal would escort us off.  In this pic you can see his fists clenched and the look on Ellie’s face. 

We sat down in our upgraded seats and a mom behind me says, “Oh, sweetie he will be fine.  We got through security and mine started throwing up.”

AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH

So, I did what any normal person would do.  I panicked!  I walked up to the flight attendant and told her about our CF and how I needed to move as far away from this infected child as possible…like the last row of the plane.  She wanted us to still be in the seats we paid for (which I was totally not worried about) and kindly moved us as far behind them as possible.  UGH!

We got to Denver at 7:30 am and had a bite to eat.

30 minutes before we were to board our second flight a GIANT blizzard blew in.  We were delayed…like by hours! 

We finally got on our plane and got de-iced only to be told it was way too windy to take off so we sat, got de-iced again and then had the option of deplaning.

However, if they got word we could take off and you weren’t on the plane or close by…you risked being left.  So we sat, and sat, and sat and thankfully our children were better behaved than some of the adults!  I was so proud of both of them!  And for the record…the kindle fire HD was the best investment we’ve made as far as our kids “toys” are concerned!  Lifesavers!!!

We finally made it.  Found our driver, packed up the SUV with our 8 bags…or was it 9…and made it to our resort in Vail.

 

Heaven.on.earth!  I mean, I have seen and stayed in some fabulous places, but this one tops the charts.  Customer service was unbelievable.  We got to our room and found champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate chip cookies and stuff animals for the kiddos.

 

We started to unpack and the 8 bags we had really should have been 9!!!  B realized at that moment that it was HIS bag that was left behind at the airport…an hour and a half + a private car ride away!  Oh, and did I mention it was our 10th wedding anniversary! 

So, we calm down.  Have a few drinks and decide I’ll take the babies down to eat and he will pay for a round trip private ride back to the airport to get his bag. 

I got into the restaurant and when I was asked how my day was, I responded with our story!  The man looked at me and said, “Oh, you must be Mrs. Kahl, so here is what we are going to do….”

He proceeded to bring drinks (adult and kid) and then a chefs selection of appetizers – all on them!  It was crazy!  I was literally in awe of this place.  One beverage down and B walks in!  They actually worked it out so that someone would get his bag and bring it to us by the end of the night! 

The Sebastian in Vail is totally unbelievable and worth every penny you spend!  We will be returning next year and every year after that with our kiddos.  It will be our tradition and I can’t imagine anything more special!

While we were there I planned for a professional photographer to capture snapshots of us on our actual anniversary.  They turned out beautiful! 

Dear Brandon, Ellie and Cullen,

Our trip to Vail was such a gift. 

B, after ten years of marriage I still have fun with you like we just met.  I look at the pictures of this trip and my heart wants to explode.  I am grateful to God for giving all of this to us.  More than I could have ever imagined, but everything I dreamed of.  I am thankful to you for working so hard and giving our family the chance to make these memories. 

Ellie, I am SO proud of you and your adventurous spirit!  Tubing was interesting…but, you did it!  You make every single day of life exciting for me.  You were such a big girl in the snow, in the restaurants and MAN you are an awesome bowler!

Cullen, oh sweet Cullen!  Always an adventure with you…even if we are just going upstairs to play!  You were such good boy on your first big trip away.  I see many years of skiing in your future and I am certain the ladies at The Sebastian can not wait to see how you’ve improved your robot dance by next years visit!!

I love all of you…you are all the biggest joys in my life!  I am so content with our family of 4 and making memories is what is important to me now.  I love that we all still sit at the dinner table together and talk about this trip weekly!  I can’t wait for our next trip…and if Ellie has her way it will be to Australia or San Francisco! 

 

xoxo,

Mommy

Family pictures

When Cullen was 7 days old we had family portraits made.  They are a true treasure to me.  I prayed for that with the twins, so the pictures that we have of Cullen so brand new are absolutely priceless to me. 

After we moved I was afraid we would have a hard time finding a new photographer.  I was so happy when a good friend suggested Tracy to us.  OH.MY.GOODNESS!

I am going to link to her blog so you can get a little peek at the awesomeness she captured during our 2 hour shoot.  In the blazing heat of June in Texas! 

And to top it all off…these pics were taken EXACTLY 2 years after the first ones of Cullen.  7 days after his second birthday!

 

http://www.spryartblog.com/2012/children/539/

Blogger back-up

How in the world can two months pass that quickly??  SO much has happened in our little world and I wouldn’t want to miss any of it…so, here is a blogger back-up.

My super sweet and smart girl has done AWESOME in school!  (Just keeping it real: not every day is an easy breezy day…sometimes I would rather jump out of a plane with a questionable parachute) 

However, I am so proud of what we have accomplished together and I think the most rewarding part of our homeschool is watching Ellie gain the confidence and pride in her work that she creates. 

She is growing up way too fast and actually lost two of these babies in the last two months! (she pulled the second one all by herself, b/c I was just not made to be a tooth puller)

We are preparing to take a family vacation to Vail to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary.  This man was not made for shopping, so I’m praying that in the few trips we’ve made I’ve gathered enough warm clothing for him!

And look how big he is getting!  Just this morning he woke up and looked at me and said, “I love you breast friend” (my heart almost exploded…my kids are my world)

My man at neighborhood night out.  Ellie was SO mad she had ballet and had to miss out on the fun.

My two babies at gym and then a day out with mommy.

A day of fun before the sickies invaded…

I mean REALLY invaded.  Throwing up, trips to the ER, and fevers that topped out at 105.3…scary times here.

We recovered in time to host our annual costume party!

My grown up girl getting her first library card!  She is so proud and I am so proud that both of my kiddos LOVE to read!

Our bff’s!  We did a dinner date and then a sleepover and then made a trip to the spa the next day.  So much fun!

I’ll end our back-up/catch-up with Mimi’s 66th birthday.  Mimi and her babies…true love!

And here we are in NOVEMBER!!! 

A long overdue and much anticipated visit

We had such a fantastic time last weekend.  Brandon’s sis, Aunt Courtney, came all the way from Arizona for a super fun visit. 

Every year my hubby and his die hard friends and a few family members congregate to hold their annual fantasy football draft.  I believe it is safe to say that said day is hubby’s absolute favorite day of the entire year! (and it has grown on me too…I love to throw a fun party and visit with friends)

Our kiddos impatiently waited all morning for Aunt Courtney to arrive and once she did the race to capture her attention was on!  Auntie C usually reads our blog and I know she NEVER imagined the volume level was as high as it is in real life when she looks at our pictures.  (think total sensory overload!)  We filled Friday night with family fun.  A lot of yummy Texas BBQ, swimming, mermaid flipping in the pool and sweet Cullen going under”neaf”.  After an impromptu gymnastics show that the kiddos put on at 9pm the littles were tucked safely in bed and we had a little adult time.  Not much though because this momma had to retire early in anticipation of the party prep the next morning. 

The spread…and the drafting chart

My brothers Uncle Dave and Uncle Tim and Grampy are also a part of this fun family and friends day! (mimi was out of town)

I try to avoid the actual draft time because the intensity level is just a little too much for me, but I did manage to capture a few pics.  I’ll let them speak for themselves. (and the speedo is a reflection of his team name…and he is just THAT funny as a person too)

The passing of the trophy and the speech

My bestie came since our kiddos are also best buds.  I absolutely love seeing the joy on Ellie’s face when she has Emma around to play with.  And Cullen just loves Chase!!  UGH…we miss them and are praying that they end up moving this way SOON!!

 

Cullen and his buddy Chase

The crew

Our sweet Bock-e kept the kiddos out of the adult fun and entertained them all day.

 

Sunday, was the good-bye day.  The worst part about visiting is saying good-bye, but we know we will see Auntie C again in about 298 days.  Cullen was sure he saw Aunt Courtney’s “hair”plane while we swam later that afternoon. 

Dear Aunt Courtney,

B and I are so thankful that you chose to spend a few days of your visit here with us and our loud “littles”.  Your ability to make them each feel special and give them your undivided attention is a true gift that you have.  We miss you dearly and we are already eagerly anticipating your next visit.  We love you!!!!!

Nothing better than an oreo smile!