Hello there! I'm back tonight. I just couldn't do it last Sunday since we were on vacation! So let's just dive right in, shall we?
1. Guess who has her Learner's Permit? Yep, #1 passed the written test on her first try! (OK. I'll admit that I really pushed her to study because I didn't want to have to drive out to the test place more than once.)
So far she has driven around the block a few times. It's scary. I need to get her to a parking lot for some major practice! But I'm glad the clock has started. I don't know all the rules, but I do know the sooner they get their permit the sooner they can drive solo. That is my goal!
2. I went for a 12 mile run today. It's been awhile since I've run longer than 10 miles and I was sore today. Yikes! Rock the Parkway is in 3 weeks, though. So I was glad to get the run in AND the weather was permit!
3. #2's soccer team had their last indoor soccer game this morning and they came out victorious!
I think that means they are the Champions in this league and season? I don't know. I don't really pay too much attention to all that. But it was a fun game to watch, nonetheless.
4. I don't have any pictures - just video. But guess who learned to ride her bike without training wheels? Yep, #4! It was so awesome. The hubby took her training wheels off and took her for a few spins. The next day her next big sister (#3) took her out to practice. I had no idea they were even riding bikes. That night? Done. She's now a pro. I can't wait to go for family bike rides this summer. It's going to be awesome!
5. Remember how I did Whole 30 (but really only 27)? After that was done I was still really good about eating. Mostly, I quit snacking and eating like crap. Well, it paid off and I hit my goal weight! I'm not kidding you! The last time I weighed myself I was at 129.7. I was so happy I celebrated by buying 2.5 swim suits NOT at Target.
Now, of course, I'm rather sure I'm back over that 130 mark due to a week of this:
But whatever. It was vacation and it was totally worth it! (And also, that was shared with the family. And also? We got two more orders of fries after that picture.)
But I'm really confident that I can get back down to where I'd like to be. Now that I know what it takes and that it is do-able, I'll be fine.
If you're curious what it takes, here is our menu for the week which introduces some "non-compliant" food but still healthy:
Lunch: Cauliflower soup with chicken thrown in for good measure.
- Sunday: Steaks on the grill with fried shallots, cauliflower mashed potatoes (cooked with potatoes and cauliflower both), roasted asparagus, and apple slices.
- Monday: Chili Lime Shrimp Bowls with Black Bean Salsa (homemade mac-n-cheese for the girls), fruit
- Tuesday: Pad Thai, fruit
- Wednesday: Beef and Broccoli, fruit
- Thursday: Chicken Tacos (salad for me), and fruit
- Friday: Leftovers
- Saturday: Papa Murphy's pizza and beer (need to carb load for Sunday's long run!)
6. OK. I'm going to recap our trip to Breckenridge with a ton of pictures. You've been warned!
This was probably our best year yet. Truly, every year it gets easier and easier as the kids get older and older. We left at 5am again and the girls slept past 7am which was great for them (and us)! We had donuts and breakfast burritos in the car so we didn't have to stop for breakfast. They really look forward to this tradition which is awesome!
I bought four new movies for this trip and I'm so glad I did!
- Back to the Future 2
- Back to the Future 3
- Karate Kid 2
- Karate Kid 3
Seriously, these purchases were genius. We watched both Back to the Future Movies on the way out there and all four girls were really engrossed in them. We watched Karate Kid 2 one night in the condo so coming home we just watched the third. But we followed that movie up with two more: Pitch Perfect and Mr. Mom. Having movies that all the girls wanted to watch was really key for us!
Colby, KS (otherwise known as the Oasis on the Plains) is about halfway in between KC and Breckenridge. We look forward to the stop every year because they have Starbucks!!!
All in all, the trip out and back was just so darn easy. I never thought I'd say that about a 10 hour car ride but it's the truth. I didn't mind it at all.
Remember how we bought a timeshare last year? Well, it was everything we hoped it would be and more!
This was the view out our bedroom window and the family room window:
We hit the pool every single day. It was so fun!
Of course we took full advantage of the bar while at the pool. That's what vacation is for, right?! Beer for us and Shirley Temples/Lemonades for the girls.
As for skiing, I have to admit, the weather was actually a little too warm! We skied in fleece jackets, vests, and T-shirts a few days. But if I had to pick, I'd rather too warm than below zero temps! We just had to get out earlier so we could finish earlier, before it got too slushy.
All the girls did a great job skiing this year! The littles made it down a few blues, #2 finally figured out how to parallel turn, and #4 got dragged all over the mountain by her dad! So cool.
Here's #4 on the Horseshoe Bowl:
We tried to take the Imperial Lift but it was closed most of the day on our last day on the mountain. We made the best of it by taking the T-bar. Here was our view:
What you can't see is the drop off right behind her! We skied with pretty much zero visibility halfway down. But the powder that day?! Seriously awesome. Actually, I should say it was "sick". Because it was.
This was our last day and it was a pow day. Even the littles girls got a kick out of the powder.
Of course we did more than just ski. We went shopping, out to eat, and played with friends!
We spent more than a little time at Clint's bakery:
Since it's totally tradition now, we had Sunday brunch at Salt Creek again:
This was the end to our shopping day. It snowed quite a bit and was just beautiful!
And another tradition? A day with my friend, Tiffany, and her kids. We went tubing in Frisco again. It was another really warm day!
Tiffany and I have been friends since we were freshmen in college. We've officially known each other more than half our lives. And it is always so great to get together! Plus, our kids act as though they are all besties. I love it.
And there you have it. I am officially caught up on the last two weeks of our lives. Tomorrow it's back to reality and busyness. Soccer starts for the little girls so tomorrow night every kid has an activity. It will be a crazy two months but that's what you get when you have four kids, right? And I wouldn't trade it for the world!
Have a fabulous week. Hopefully you are having the beautiful weather we've had the last two days.