Vail, part 1

After a tough couple of months, M. decided to take this semester of school online. He's still close enough to go in for meeting days, but this leaves us with a little more of the precious family time that we've been lacking this year. Of course, he'll still have studying to do on his "free days"...but at least we'll be able to take it on the road and head up to the mountains now and then during theh beautiful summer season. This, after a tough winter, feels like a vast and delicious luxury to us right now.
This week was our first opportunity to get out of town, so we scrambled up to Vail for a couple days of kicking back and unwinding our frazzled nerves.
Even though Vail used to be (for many, many years) the "every-day" for us, it now feels like vacation. The other thing we have only realized since moving away is that Vail has THE BEST playgrounds around. Of course, we wouldn't have known this before becoming partents.
The "pirate park" is always a priority, and with recent improvements it really is a wonderland for a little one these days.
QQ had a blast and it was tough to tear her away.
Strolling through town - it's even kind of fun to be "tourists" in Vail, now that we live on the other side of the passes.

Letting the dogs cool off in the Children's Fountain. I can tell you, Fred had quite the vacation in Vail! I don't think he ever suspected, when we brought him home, that all this was in his future!
A warm bath after a long day on the road.
...and a lounge with daddy on the sofa.
This also turned out to be Q's first time at the swimming pool since we returned from China. Just as we expected, she was totally fearless around the water, and loved every minute of what she considered to be "the BIG bath"!





Showing her how to pour water from one cup to another.