Summer Trip: Vail 2018

Oh, Vail - you lured us in again only to hurt us once more.  It was one of the first trips we took with the boys back in 2010:

This was the trip where Barbara fell in the elevator and had to be flown back to Dallas on a private medical transport plane for surgery.  The same trip, Bruce had a mountain bike accident that required 15 stitches.  And yet, we managed to return several more times.

This year, we came with The Morgans, a great family that we've become close with in Seattle.  I showed up in Colorado a few days early for some work meetings and the rest of the Milam Men and the Morgans showed up on Saturday.  The goal was for them to show up and just relax - groceries procured by me and enjoy a glass of wine before dinner.

What actually happened?  Before we're even able to tell the kids to not ride in the elevator without adults, they lock the door, push the button, and within seconds, all four kids are screaming that the elevator is stuck.  There's nothing quite like your children acting as mirror to you as a person.  Case in point - Noel steps up as the voice of reason (Bruce), while Ethan is squatting in the corner screeching, "We're all gonna die in here!!!!!!!!!" (Also Bruce.....amiright?).  We finally open the elevator door and get the kids out after about 5 minutes and think "Whew - now that's out of the way, we can enjoy a perfect vacation..........."

Which it was, for six of the seven days.  We went whitewater rafting (video to come), we explored mountaintop activities and were amazed at how adventurous the boys are.  They were up for almost anything, even the roller coaster they were initially apprehensive about.  What began as "ride the brakes" quickly became "No brakes, please!"  See below for us on the "No Brakes" ride:

Ethan really became a speed demon as a result of this ride

I'm terrified and Noel is all, "Smile!!!!"

And here's a video of them hurtling down the Tubing Slide - it looked great from down below - but I had 50/50 odds that they might back out once they were at the top.  They proved me wrong and rode it 5 more times!

Noel Tubing

Ethan Tubing

On the last day, we were deciding between a hike and a pleasant bike ride down Vail Pass.  It's a 12-mile downhill bike ride on a paved path.  A little technical at times, but overall a pleasant ride.  Here's  the beginning photo, not a care in the world:

Here's us at the end of the bike ride:

Yes - there's no photo available - about 4 miles into our 12-mile bike ride, sweet Noel took quite a tumble.   After some technical turns, we hit a nice easy stretch of road and we were enjoying the view.  Noel veered off the path, which is about 4" thick and he instinctively tried to get back on the path and hit the edge of the path and literally went head over heels.  He got up and he knew immediately something wasn't right - his shoulder felt like it was on fire and he couldn't lift his arm.  

We were in the middle of nowhere and Bruce was surprisingly the voice of reason and strength here (FINALLY!!!!!!).  He got Noel back on the bike and he was able to ride to the next town where the Morgans picked them up and drove them to the Vail Hospital Milam Urgent Care Wing where they welcomed us as the old friends we were.

Ethan and I had to go get the car first, which put us 45 minutes behind them.  We show up and see this: 

Noel sees Ethan and reaches his hand out to him - it was such a sweet moment of Noel needing Ethan and the comfort they bring each other.  I broke into immediate tears upon seeing Noel in the hospital bed and I'm an emotional mess.....

Here's a look at the damage - a nice, clean break that requires two weeks in a sling and two additional weeks of low impact activity:  

Noel was a champ throughout this entire process - his resilience through this entire day was super impressive.

All-in-all, though, we had a fantastic trip - some great memories and some great personal growth for us all......though we are likely not returning to Vail after this trip......

Punta Mita 2018: Part 3 First Snorkeling Trip

As mentioned in previous posts, while we got to the same place every year, the trip is never the same.  This year the boys were all about being active - paddle boarding, boogie boarding and going on walks.

They also expressed an interest in snorkeling and so we embarked on this new adventure.  WE did tell them that once we pay for this, we're in for the long haul - and they were on board.

The day we went was beautiful, but a bit windy making the waves pretty big.  Not three minutes in, we hit our first wave and Ethan wants to throw in the towel.  However, once we showed Ethan how to  look out for waves, he calmed down (unlike the ocean) and we made it out to the Marietas Islands for a super fun adventure.

Our captain drove us around, showing us the native Blue Footed Boobies (you can imagine the fits of laughter from the boys) that inhabited the island.  The island is normally dark brown, turning white over the years from all of the bird poop - another highlight for the boys!

After touring caves and enjoying calmer waters (photos below) - we left into the cold water and snorkeled for 30 minutes before it become too cold for the boys.  We saw clown fish, puffer fish, needle nose fish and angel fish, just to name a few.  Overall, it was a huge success for our boys that are becoming better risk takers!

Ethan in a more relaxed state once we were at the island

Noel taking in all of the boobies

Said Blue Footed Boobies

The boys in a cove

All of us in a cove!

Ethan like La Ventana (The Window)

Punta Mita Part 2: Lucha Libre Edition

It was our first night out and Bruce was tipsy on family connectedness and a pre-dinner margarita, so he indulged the boys with a a gift from one of the local stores.  The boys each selected their wrestling match (Ethan in red, Noel in Blue - Que Sopresa!)

After ordering dinner, the boys quick hopped over to the beach to act out their newfound characters:

Noel showing off his signature move "The Fist of Fury"

Ethan turns the tables and shows his

Noel begs for mercy

 Ethan shows the ultimate move of dominance - revealing Noel's true identity!

 Noel says, "No photos - I'm on my break"

Two margaritas later, we have a new contender!

Punta Mita Part 1: Fun in the Sun

This was our seventh trip to Punta Mita - and so much has changed - just see below for a picture from our first year there for reference:

The great thing about this trip is that it's such a familiar and lovely cornerstone for our family - yet it changes every year.  What used to be early mornings on the beach and afternoon naps for them and beach reading for us has turned into later morning arrivals that are jam-packed with activities.

We failed on the photo from this year - we were busy paddle boarding, boogie boarding, tidal ball and  snorkeling (more details on the last one in another post).

See below for some highlights of our boys relaxing and even READING!!

Noel enjoying a virgin Pina Colada

Amazing how Noel looks so grown up with the hat and braces!

Ethan enjoying the finer things in life!

For the first time, they enjoyed reading in their down time.

One thing that doesn't change - our love of jigsaw puzzles!

Dance Party - Ethanoel Edition

For Christmas, the boys received the Nintendo Switch - something they semi-funded and were super excited to open this gift.

One of the games is Just Dance - a super fun and interactive game where you mimic the dancers on the screen and the more you are on beat and copy their moves, the more points you receive.

They were super excited to show this to the Shroyers when they were here in January and Danielle was a good sport to play along (through, by looking at her moves, she was clearly into it and well within her wheelhouse!).

See below for a few videos showcasing their moves.  Noel caught wind of me videoing and was not happy (who came blame him).