Santa Fe. Summer 2010

We spent the first two weeks of July at GiGi and Grandad's house in Santa Fe. It was a great escape from the heat and the daily grind. We all drove out together, then Brian flew home, worked for the week, and then came back to help us drive home. I was thankful not to have to make that trip alone this year. Not much has changed. The kids still don't sleep much in the car. In fact, Henry didn't sleep a single second on the way out.

He was screaming just prior to this photo. As soon as I pointed my phone at him to take the photo, he smiled. Little stinker.

But after a while, he was done with that game and just kept on screaming.

12.5 hours later.... ahhhhhhhh.

After the long drive, we needed to relax. So, we raided my dad's wine cellar (my parents didn't arrive home from their own road trip until the next day) and helped ourselves to some nice red wine, fixed up some bread and cheese, and sat outside and let the kids RUN for a over an hour. They went crazy over the newest toy at the Casa Rio, the "Arctic Cat." They both went to bed before 7pm and slept hard. (Brian was also down for the count well before 7:30!)

The next day was July 4th and this is how we spent the day...

We started with a hike...

Then spent some time splashing in the "river" behind the house...

The kids were anxiously awaiting GiGi and Grandad's arrival, but found a way to pass the time.

We spent a lot of time outside while we were there. The weather was ideal.

Warm days with no humidity (and no pesky bugs)...

and nights cool enough for a fire and smores.

Henry ate his first marshmallow. Poor guy doesn't get many sweets since most cakes and cookies have eggs and/or nuts, so this was a treat. I think he's in love.

One of our favorite things to do in SF is go hiking. Poor kids went on forced marches almost everyday. They did great considering neither had proper hiking footwear and their legs had to work more than twice as hard. Henry ended up in the backpack once his legs gave out, but he kept up way more than I would have expected. Aubrey walked as much as we did, but with a lot more whining. All in all, she did great. My mom was even able to join in this year and test out her two new knees. She did great and it was so fun to have us all together on the hikes.

Hiking up the Aspen Vista trail.

Brian and I even had the chance to take a long, strenuous hike (without kids). We climbed Atalaya Peak (9,121 ft). The trail is only about 2 miles up, but the elevation change is about 2,000 feet. Whew, our hearts were pumping and legs were burning. We started before the kids were even up in the morning, and 2 hours and 40 mins later, we were back down the trail and treated ourselves to a nice cup of coffee.

The views were amazing and worth every step.

One day we took the kids out to visit the home of some good friends of my parents. The have horses, chickens, a rooster and dogs, and the kids had a ball. Jack was a real cowboy at one time and is an amazing artisan. He built their beautiful home himself and it's filled with his art and found artifacts. What a treat it was to explore.

Aubrey loved getting to pet the horses.

Henry was a little unsure.

We did more than just enjoy the outdoors, of course. My mom and I took Aubrey to her first "high tea" at a great old hotel in Santa Fe. We all got dressed up and Aubrey loved every minute of it. She was very concerned about drinking caffeine though, so we made sure she had some herbal tea :).

Unfortunately, we didn't get a photo with GiGi.

The hotel had been given a modern facelift recently (I love the huge candles everywhere), so the tea was a little more "fine dining" than the traditional English fare. Aubrey didn't mind one bit and happily ate goat cheese, warm nut bread, and flan. By the way, take a look at Aubrey's new picture pose. You will see it often!

I ordered something called blooming tea. They brought out the hot water with what looked like a little dried flower bud. The waitress asked who would like the special honor of dropping it into the water. Of course, we told Aubrey she had to do it. Within 2 minutes, this is what it looked like. Aubrey was amazed. (On a side note, our server was so sweet and said she remembered having her first tea with her mom and grandmother, so she made it seem extra special for us).

We just happened to be in town for the International Folk Art Market. There is a fantastic Folk Art museum in Santa Fe, and once a year, they bring in artists from all over the world to sell their work. There were some amazing pieces, and the kids loved all the bright colors. Henry was most excited by the fact that we had to take a shuttle bus to get there.

This may have been the absolute highlight of Henry's trip. His first bus ride!

After the first week, Brian flew back to Austin to bring home some bacon while the kids and I stayed and played. I was able to hit the spa for a facial and a hot soak, and Aubrey was treated to her first movie in a theater, Toy Story 3. I meant to take a photo of her, but we were too busy eating popcorn. She loved the experience and the special time with mommy, but the movie scared her a bit and I suddenly noticed how loud the theater is and how the previews never seem to end. Does that make me old?

The kids spent a lot of time in the river, riding the Arctic Cat, and having pretend pizza and birthday parties. We also took them to a neat living history museum called El Rancho de las Golondrinas. It was a little warm that day and they didn't have too much happening, and frankly, the kids had had enough walking, but they enjoyed seeing an old schoolhouse, a goat, and a donkey.

Apparently, this was the first school house and oldest building in Raton, NM, which was transplanted to the property some time ago.

And I will end this post with same random photos...

So, my dad, who would never have let us so much as look at a motorcycle when we were children, has bought one to ride around town. Aubrey thought it was pretty cool. Henry, who LOVES anything with wheels, refused to sit on it. Let's hope that lasts until he's Grandad's age.

The drive home was equally as painful as the drive out.

Henry FINALLY fell asleep... for 27 mins.

And Aubrey rotted her brain with hours of DVDs.

We were all ready to get home. Ugh. Thank you GiGi and Grandad for an amazing vacation and thanks for putting up with us for so long. We can't wait to come back :)