5.Versluys'.us

Ah, Colorado winters.

The couple inches of snow that fell in Loveland while Boulder or Fort Collins got a foot and a half…

…wind chill that brought the daytime temps below zero…

…oh, yeah.

I miss those days.

Psych!*

As it turns out, I’m going to have the fun of a week smack dab in the middle of a Colorado winter this year. December 27 to January 2, to be precise.

Here’s hoping we get the nice side of Colorado during that week. Mild temperatures and please, no wind.

However, regardless of the weather, I am absolutely certain we’re going to have a fantastic trip simply because we will hopefully be able to catch up with a lot of friends and family during that time. I can’t believe it’s been nearly a year since we moved away!

We’ll also have the pleasure of finally meeting ol’ Marty boy, Annette’s main squeeze, who will also be visiting family (and Annette) in Colorado during the holidays. I’m planning on a full interrogation of this guy. Happy New Year, Marty.

Besides the risk of a subzero blizzard, there is another aspect of this planned excursion that has the potential for disaster – the flights to and from Colorado with three girls ages three and under.

I’m already stocking up on toys, coloring books, and muzzles.

If it wasn’t for the 16 hour drive, I’d do a road trip any day to Colorado over a flight with the girls. From the sound of that, you probably are thinking I’ve had terrible flights with them in the past.

Nope; with the exception of one uncomfortable flight with Roma when she was a baby, my girls have been fantastic air travelers. And I mean remarkably well-behaved.

I just don’t like all the work it takes to ensure a well-behaved trip.

Precisely scheduled flights that don’t interfere (or coincide perfectly, depending on the kid’s age) with naps, well-timed presentation of various toys and games and snacks during the trip, discreet trips to the lavatory to discipline a toddler on the verge of breaking through the “I’m a perfect child and you can thank my mommy for it” smokescreen…

So essentially, I’m lazy. I’d much rather load the kids into a big SUV and go careening down I-15 with movies playing and junk food flying. That way we always have the option of stopping at Dairy Queen and stuffing them full of greasy cheeseburgers and Blizzards if they get too ornery. Or stopping at Starbucks so Mama can self-medicate.

If you hear about passengers being kicked off a flight arriving at DIA sometime around the end of this year, don’t be alarmed. I probably forgot the muzzles.

*Surf Ninjas, anyone?