Scarlett Hits the Slopes

We took our first ski trip to Taos as a family of three earlier this month along with the Jones/Boyd family. Here's a shot out the window of our room at the Hotel St. Bernard at the base of the ski mountain. We were right at a ski lift and could ski-in and ski-out, which was super convenient.



What wasn't quite so convenient was the daycare where Scarlett hung out while we were skiing. Don't get me wrong -- the fact that there was a daycare was convenient. The fact that it was a hike downhill in the snow across a ski run and then back uphill to the St. Bernard was the not-so-convenient part. Chris dubbed it "The Trail of Tears," and poor Scarlett lost one of her new snow boots on the way back on the first day. When I suggested he retrace his steps to try to find it ... well, let's just say he declined.

Scarlett and Campbell getting ready for daycare and ski school. Scarlett looks skeptical (maybe she'd been tipped off by one of the other babies about the Trail of Tears.)



Chris and the girls gearing up for the trek over. (Note Scarlett sporting her pink snow boots for the first and last time.)



Traipsing through the snow.



Once everyone got their skis, the rest of the week Dana (who is an expert skier) graciously agreed to ski Scarlett down to daycare while she escorted Harper and Campbell to ski school. So we only had to get Scarlett back to the St. Bernard at the end of the day, much to Chris's relief. Scarlett will get to go to ski school in two years when she's three. It's amazing to watch all the little kids flying down the mountain ... Scarlett will no doubt be better than us in no time!



Scarlett gets some tips from Dana as they ski to daycare.



Mid-week, the huge weather system that dumped snow all across the country (including back home in Dallas) hit Taos. We got nearly a foot of snow -- and insane sub-zero temperatures -- which made for some amazing (but reaaaaly cold!!) skiing. Scarlett and Clementine the orange monkey enjoyed watching the snow fall from the comfort of our toasty warm room.



Here are Chris and I enjoying the great snow after the storm.



One of the best things about staying at the St. Bernard is the amazing gourmet meals they serve three times a day. The meals are served by French-born Jean Meyer, the seventy-something owner of the St. Bernard, head of the ski school, and all around incredible guy.

Here we are keeping warm by the fire in the St. Bernard dining room, where we could be found every night before dinner.



On the last night of our week in Taos, the kids dressed up after dinner and paraded around the dining room, which was capped off by Jean serenading the guests with a rendition of "Thank Heaven for Little Girls." This shot is grainy because the lighting was so dim, but you can see the kids lined up on the bar in the back of the dining room. Jean is singing on the left, and Scarlett is being held by Scarlett Sr. on the far right. (Coincidentally, the woman who works at the front desk at the St. Bernard is named Scarlett too, so we called them Scarlett Sr. and Scarlett Jr.)



We had a great time on our vacation, although Scarlett Jr. did have a touch of the Taos Crazies. We don't know if it was the high altitude, the drastic change in her routine, or the two new teeth that erupted the day after we got back to Dallas, but Scarlett was quite a bit feistier than usual while we were on our trip. On our way back to Albuquerque to catch our flight home, she slept hard but then woke up with a big smile and quite the hair-do. This look pretty much captures her Taos personality (which went back to good-old Scarlett as soon as we got home).