Headed West with the Currie Crew! {Park City Ski Trip}

 I'm not sure who I should have felt more sorry...US or THEM. And by them I mean anyone within an ear shots proximity to our crew on the plane! One might think that flying with five little ones under the age of 3.5 might deter us from taking on such an adventure, but not for the Currie family. Must be in the genes, but this family LOVES, LOVES to travel....thank goodness this momma shares the same love for it and is willing to go to crazy lengths to enjoy it fully along the way, even if it might be just a TAD bit crazy of us to embark on such a trip! Let me paint the picture for you...so you arrive at the airport, or the airport shuttle parking lot and you have your luggage condensed to the smallest possible number of bags deemed possible for a family of five on an eight day trip.

With three checked bags, a car seat, a stroller,  a back pack, a toy bag, a diaper bag, an ergo, lunches for the plane, and three little girls in tow, we successfully make our way from Preflight parking to Hartsfield International Airport in plenty of time. Victory! But the biggest victory really was getting all of them woken up and dressed in the wee hours of the morning and still leaving on time! So now you're standing on the curb with said items listed above and the feat of watching bags/kids/carrying bags begins...you don't always think about the fact that unless you can carry everything in all at once together that there's no good option for one person to carry things in because that leaves either the luggage or the kids unattended...alas, you do what you gotta do. And believe it or not, we got everything checked in and made it through security with little hassle and little frustration. Things were going too smoothly =)

Next up: boarding the plane . Kendall and I learned from the first trip we flew with the twins that it is BEST to pack as little as possible for the plane within reason so that you can actually make it to your seats carrying it + your kids...so we took that to heart and had no problem getting situated. I guess you can add in the fact that twins who can walk down the aisle makes a world of difference! At this point, we had had no meltdowns, temper tantrums, bad attitudes, or incessant crying-thankful for the many prayers!! And truthfully the next four hours went as smoothly as we could have ever hoped for. All three of ours (and of course the other set of twins too!!) were excellent and we couldn't have asked for better. Even Ashton Kate did her part in making the first leg of our journey a success.

Many thanks to the grandparents for flying 11 of us out to Park City, Utah.. What an unbelievable gift that we will always cherish. Not sure you can put a price tag on the week's worth of memories made with each other. And for the girls?! What's not to love about a huge ski resort, unlimited hot chocolate downstairs, snow all around us, fires burning inside, and cousins/grandparents to keep them occupied every minute of the day! We said over and over again just how fortunate we were to enjoy this together and truly we thank the Lord for good health, able-bodies and generous hearts that made this trip what it was: one our girls will hopefully think back to often with the best of memories! Genuinely an incredibly fun trip all the way around!!! And now we'll let the sweet pictures tell the rest of the story of our week long ski trip with the whole Currie Clan!! =)

Everyone from the kids to adults were thrilled to arrive at our humble abode for the week! We could not have asked for a better set-up than what we received when we arrived. Hilton Vacations Club-you were gracious to us! =) Each family was so fortunate to have our own room/suite so that was nice to regroup and attempt to get good sleep at each night. But we all spent 99% of our awake time/not skiing time in Nana and GDad's wonderful suite which was probably the same size as our first house! It was the best: room for everyone to eat together, plenty of space for the girls to run around, and places to stuff Ashton Kate's pack n play to squeeze in some naps without heading back to our own room! SO FUN!

This is Day 1 of skiing for the adults and we rotated who stayed in each day vs. heading out to ski =) SO grateful for grandparents willing to not only take us all on a wonderful vacation, but then graciously keep our kiddos and give them the time of their lives while the parents enjoy the slopes! So today was Mommy's day in and in order to survive/enjoy the sanity of two sets of three year old twins and a clingy baby we decided to run it semi-like a preschool and the girls loved it. Here they are enjoying their play dough time! Everyone has equal tools to work with and no tears were shed=success!

And from the looks of the picture I received, the boys thoroughly loved their time outdoors doing what they love!

We couldn't wait for the Daddies to get home so we could take the girls out to see the snow! Never underestimate the amount of time it takes to get them bundled up appropriately and have all the necessary gloves and mittens on =)

This little rug rat was doted on plenty from grandparents, cousins, aunts/uncles and then of course by her own sissies and mom and dad! She loved all the attention and the ability to roam freely around a new place! The only time she was not loved dearly was when she stole Abbie and Evie's toys-they weren't big fans of that!

4 out of 5 of our sweetest blessings on earth! Love this precious set of girls!

Takes a might large table and a patient waiter to tend to this crazy crowd!

Excited for Day 2 of skiing! Lindsay's turn to join in the fun of skiing! A big thanks  to Aunt Kim staying behind today to tend to the munchkins! Not just a date night, but a date DAY with the hubby!

Loved, loved being back on the slopes at Park City and then trying out the Canyons for the first time!

A fun little perk every afternoon was making our way downstairs to the lobby area for some warmth by the fire and an assortment of hot chocolate and coffee drinks. Nothing better than that to the girls! It's the little things...=)

There was definitely no shortage on the amount of fun cousin time!

You know things have changed when eating in is more appealing than eating out =) {five young kids at a restaurant is no more than crowd control and attempting to consume your own meal before the check comes, ha!}

We decided before we headed out west that we would all ski two days, take a day off to do something fun with the kids, and then ski two more days....so today was the Fun Family Day! And boy was it seriously SO.MUCH.FUN! I'm not sure who had more fun-the kids or the adults!?

We spent the day tubing and thankfully the sun was shining so it wasn't too cold! Hearing the squeals and laughter was seriously the best! The twins loved it and enjoyed it as much as we could have hoped for!

Daddy held onto all the ropes as we zoomed down the mountain! It was actually significantly faster than we had anticipated so we were so thankful that they loved it as much as they did and no children fell overboard =)

The tubing park opened around noon and you get a block of a couple hours once you pay so the kiddos skipped their naps and went strong until the very end...and then we had a cold pouty three year old on our hands.

At this point, we were super glad we had saved the little kiddie carousel ride for the end when we knew they would be plum worn out! They mustered up enough excitement and energy to waddle over to that area...and before we knew it, it had seriously put Makenzie to sleep. Absolutely hilarious! People were seriously chuckling as they watched her eyes grow heavy and then completely shut as she made loop after loop around catching a quick nap, ha! So glad we captured it on video too!

Day 4 we sent Daddy & Uncle Nathan to try out Alta for the day! They loved it and all the rest of us had a ball too!

Aunt Kim and I debated on whether or not to bundle the girls up and take them out for a little adventure...always a lot of work that goes into it, but was so worth it!

To top off an already amazing week with family and God's amazing creation, we had the privilege of enjoying a date night! Whoo hoo! Nothing like leaving three kiddos behind who are well cared for and then getting to spend the evening with my first love! Such good conversation...always...and so uninterrupted. We don't experience meals like that very often around our house! =) And the food? Well it was beyond delicious...down to the last bite!

All five of the kids are rather smitten with Nana & GDad and it's no wonder why...they love so intentionally and sacrifice so much of themselves for the sake of others!

We finally were able to capture almost all five of them smiling! Sweet, sweet girls!

 
As if they hadn't served us enough already, the grandparents kept all the kids on the last day so that the couples could enjoy skiing a day together! Boy did we all feel such freedom and safe to say the kids had a wonderful time too! What a treat for them to pick out their very own "candy" from the vending machine for their popcorn/movie time! SO FUN for them!

Well Friday arrived before any of us were ready to say goodbye, but we enjoyed one last chance to play in the snow and soak up the joy of watching the children play!

Definitely not everyday that they have the chance to go sledding, make snow angels, and toss snowballs at each other! They loved almost every minute of it!

Still not sure if it was the whole missing nap time thing, the uncomfortable snowsuit, or just the fact that it was cold, but this little angel wasn't too excited about seeing the snow!

Warming up to the idea of it!

But much preferred her spot beside the fire most of all...

Had to snag one picture of the whole family in one place! Doesn't happen too often! Boy do we love everyone represented in this picture...more than words can say!

Daddy wanted one more before leaving the resort!

Grabbing a quick lunch in downtown Park City before heading to Salt Lake City...

And of course a little treat for these two is always special!

We will treasure these memories for years to come...

And...the trip is almost over. Just one last night spent in Salt Lake City before flying out the next day! Ashton Kate was grateful for a cat nap in the car and the twins favorite part about staying in a hotel is always the chance to swim!

Everyone was plum exhausted, including Mom and Dad after a long day of traveling home, but we sure wouldn't trade a single memory! Fun, fun, and more fun! We will always be so thankful for such a wonderful trip with family!