Monday, July 30, 2012

Sun Valley 2012



Recently, Sam and I took our kids to Sun Valley for the Annual Utah Bar Conference.  When we were married, we generally went to Sun Valley every year and took the kids.  Our kids really love it and were sad they didn't get to go last year (when we were in the throws of getting separated.)  This year, Sam got a condo and invited me to come along and split up our time with the kids.  It was very Bruce and Demi of us. I am proud that we can do stuff like this for our kids.

Here are the highlights:

The Opening Reception.  The first night, the Bar puts on a reception for all the attorneys and their families.  We get there the second the thing starts so we can get all the good food (because we are classy like that.)  After dinner, I ate two gigantic peanut butter cookies and took one home in my purse that I wolfed down later that night.



There is free ice-skating at the reception and luckily every year, Sam gets the coveted job of dragging the kids around the rink.  His back will never be the same:


Ryan looked extra cute in skates:


We always feed the ducks that first night.  This year, the ducks had mysteriously disappeared so we fed the swans instead.  Yes, there was a "Please Don't Feed the Swans" sign but I justified it because there were no ducks...(good rationale right!)  The best was that my mom (who was also up there) went table to table asking people if they were going to eat their roll and collected a bunch of rolls to feed the swans.  She has no dignity when it comes to her grand kids:


The Paddle boats:  This year, my kids were begging to do the paddle boats.  They looked really cute in their life jackets (and I felt like an awesome mom for a few minutes)




Then we started peddling and Buster and Sammie were dead weight.  Imagine peddling a bike up hill through water.  That is basically the idea of paddle boats.



Luke and Ryan enjoyed it though:



Sun Valley is gorgeous in the evening.  I loved hanging out on the grounds with our good friends the Hawkins and just tossing a football around:


And stealing kisses from this guy:



One of the funnest and most hilarious parts of the trip was discovering this pogo stick at a toy store on the property:


Luke became obsessed with it and got really good at it.  I decided to try it and it is way harder than it looks.  My kids got some awesome photos of me doing it.  They could really blackmail me one day:


I challenged our friend Jason (who is about 6'6) to give it a try and he did..I love this action shot.  Hilarious:


I will always associate Sun Valley with biking.  I was able to take a bike ride with my parents on Friday because that was Sam's day to have the kids (Notice my sweet Goldilocks Jersey!  That was a gift.)



We also did lots of swimming but for some odd reason I have no pictures from that (except one of Sam cramping as he got out of the pool that he would kill me if I posted!)  It was so great to see so many old friends in Sun Valley as well.

I rode home with my parents and they introduced me to the Jack In the Box taco.  Where has it been all my life?  I ate three and they were delicious!


Sammie didn't want to say goodbye to her BFF Halle.  But hopefully they will get to do it all again soon!

18 comments:

Kristine Gray said...

Dang girl! How have you lived this long and not known about Jack In the Box tacos? Those things have an addictive quality.

Jill said...

Where is Jack in the Box?!

It's cool you and Sam could swing such an outing with the kids.

Terri said...

What is the name of the resort in Sun Valley? It's driving me crazy - I know it's my age/memory trying to remember it.

Looks like you had a great time.

brooke said...

Kristine and Jill, We don't have Jack in the Box in SL so I am deprived if their greasy goodness. The one we went to was in Burley, ID.

Terri, I don't know the official name. I think it is just called the Sun Valley Resort. The Lodge is the big hotel.

Kimmie said...

Oh how we LOVE Sun Valley too. It's a yearly tradition, either right when school gets out or at Thanksgiving time. Biking is a must, and daily trips to the village candy store seem to never get forgotten. Biking is required by my husband, even though it is NOT my thing. What, exercise? Me? And the paddle boats are always closed when we are there...my kids would be jealous!

Linda said...

I'm glad to know that you and Jason can both do the pogo stick. Maybe you could jump on the new one for awhile and then send it down to Jason & Brandi to loosen it up some more. (We bought one to bring home, and the dang thing is waaayyy too tight and stiff for Luke -- it needs (big) volunteers to jump on it)

Ashley said...

Ryan is so cute with his short hair! And I swear you've had Jack in the Box tacos when you've been here, haven't you? That's crazy talk. Yes this was all very Bruce and Demi of you--way to go. The pogo stick is hilarious, but not as much as mom asking everyone if they're gonna eat that.

Elizabeth said...

Best line of this post was the Bruce and Demi one! You are so gorgeous.
I am so glad you had a great time in Sun Valley - the pics are all fab. We also don't have Jack in the Box here ... So I feel your pain.

alexandra said...

First, you look so dang pretty in these photos. Your kids are all so blonde, too! I think you and Sam may have a better relationship even divorced than a lot of people do married. I am really impressed. Now I want to go to Sun Valley, too.

Andrea said...

Your trip looks fun. I am truly impressed with the Demi and Bruce. You guys are awesome. Also the pogo stick is a favorite at our house. Max spends hours out there mastering it with no hands, up the stairs and to his dad's dismay through the flower beds.

Jenn J. said...

1. I love this post.

2. I totally saw you show up to the opening reception after we had already been sitting at our table for at least five minutes. So we're definitely more shameful than you, but there was no way anyone was going to be stealing my cheesecake.

3. What was with no ducks? Not even at the "duck pond." Can they even still call it that?

4. You're looking good on the pogo stick. I tried it out and couldn't even stay up. Love that your mom bought one.

5. I think this is the first year it has ever happened, but they ran out of cookies at the family barbeque/carnival. I went to get myself a big ol' peanut butter cookie and the only kind they had left were a few oatmeal raisin (which my kids won't even eat.) I swallowed all my pride and started picking out all the big pieces of peanut butter cookie that were sitting at the bottom of the cookie basket. Talk about having no dignity. I really wanted a cookie!

6. The Jack in the Box tacos are fantastic. Even if each little one has almost 200 calories. Bygones.

Holly said...

Good for you guys! You look AMAZING in all of these pictures!

Lisa said...

Looks like fun. You are one hot momma! You rock your Impact jacket.
You and Sam are so Bruce and Demi!

The Mostess said...

Curses to you for posting a picture of that greasy excuse of a taco. I LOVE those things. SO gross, and yet so delicious.

You're totally Bruce and Demi. Except you have good dance moves:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXp3jtDTmYM

You look fab, even on the pogo stick. I love that your mom stole the rolls. She's hardcore.

melissa walker said...

I love that your vacation posts always involve food--that's my kind of vacation! And you do look great, even on a pogo stick. That's not fair to those of us who can't photograph well even when trying!

Em said...

I wish you weren't so Bruce and Demi that you wouldn't post the pic of Sam cramping out of the pool. I think I love that you got a photo of it even more.

Where did you get those cute gray sandals? I love them!

Thanks for the heads up about the paddleboats! The last time I went it was just me and Chuche and he did most of the peddling.

brooke said...

Haha Em...I know.

The beloved sandals are Report brand and are from DSW. It is one of my life's great regrets that I didn't purchase another pair for when mine wear out. I wear mine everyday and they are no longer available.

senofhans said...

We went to that conference for several years. It was great, though we never managed to book a room at the resort. I would love to go back to the ice rink now that I know how to ice skate. We also enjoyed taking the kids to the craters of the moon national part near by.