SPRING BREAK 2009~ Man, What A Trip!!!! Part II~ Deer Valley, Utah

Life is good in Deer Valley. That is all I have to say. No seriously...I've always been a "Colorado" skier gal myself but after skiing Utah I'm not so sure we'll venture anywhere else to take in the slopes. Why you ask? What can I say? It's just THAT good there. Cadillac skiing no doubt. I think the easiness of it was just too hard to beat. I mean you fly into Salt Lake City, grab your rental car, head up the road, pass Park City and in less than 30 minutes you are settling in! I wish I had some better pics of our condo so you can see for yourself but as of now we are requesting the exact unit for next year so I will try to do better. It was perfect for our large family of 12. I think we had 5 bedrooms, even more baths and all on 4 different levels which really worked out great. The kids had an awesome bunk/game room complete with 4 bunks and pool table! Oh and the place also had an outdoor hot tub which was a big hit. Like I said...I wish I had taken more snaps while inside.

Floyd and Anne Craig on balcony of condo.


Melton Clan on balcony.


Trotter Clan on balcony.


Me and McLean on slope.


Me, McLean and Lisa D. on slope.


Me and McLean with Dad in our annual pose. (Circa: 2009, (below) late 70's and early 90's)



Deer Valley Ski School with kiddo teacher Eric working with AC and Patten off in distance.


Floyd IV after his first day at ski school.


Floyd and Patten comin' on down!


Group shot on mountain!


With Papa on top of mountain!


Floyd IV with his ski instructor, Barry


"Family Shot"


"Up up and away....on lift"


OOP OOP.. going down..


It's all good!


Hey Lisa D and May May!


Alllll in a days work right? Where's the valet for the skis?


Germaine and Michael at Stein Erickson Lodge before dinner our last night in Deer Valley.


The Ladies....


Swank! (Lisa and McLean)


Swank!...again (me and Floyd)


Very Swank... (Dad and Jane)


Thanks Mr. Eric for teaching us how to SKI!


Spring Break 2009 was without a doubt an awesome time! Lots of great memories indeed. Thanks Papa and Jane for a great trip!

SPRING BREAK 2009~ Man, What A Trip!!!! Part I~ New Orleans

Well, I'm sure for all you readers out there you can't help but wonder, "Where in the WORLD is Lisa?" No, it's not like me not to blog at least weekly but I must say that not only did March come to an abrupt end but April has arrived ever so busy. I mean nutso busy! I can barely come up for air and the procrastinator in me kept saying it was ok to put off the blog. Well, that is no longer acceptable so I am back and will try to do better. Anyway...back to topic....focus..... Spring Break 2009 was an absolute blast! I really am overwhelmed with where to begin but basically I will give a rendition of the trip best I can and go from there. We took out on our adventure heading to New Orleans on Saturday March 14. We arrived just after lunch and met up with the McLean Trotter Clan who hail from Fairhope, AL as most of you know! We stayed at the Astor Crown Plaza on Canal and had a fantastic time. I really had NO CLUE how much fun New Orleans can be with the kids. Yes, I have a feeling this will be the first of many treks to the Big Easy with Floyd and Anne Craig in tow! I guess it had something to do with them being at such great ages at this point in time. Curious, fun, preeeeetty patient, interested...you get the idea. Saturday, we tackled the Children's Museum which was really great. The kids loved it and for a rainy day it was a great spot to be. Bubba Gump's eatery was glad to see us coming as we had a large feast for dinner at the family friendly establishment. We topped the night off with a stroll through one of my ALLLL time favorite stores from back in our Miami dwelling days, URBAN OUTFITTERS!!! Yes, several purchases were made. Sunday we hit St. Mark's Square, Cafe' Du Monde, the Aquarium, IMAX theater and the Insectarium (which was incredible I might add and I did NOT take enough pictures there). The kids did great and were little troopers soaking it all in.
First up.. CHILDREN'S MUSEUM
Floyd testing his throwing speed with the football using the special radar!

Floyd and Patten..future QB and pitcher maybe???

Anne Craig intrigued at the bubble display!

Mary McLean delievers McLean's order at the Kid's Diner where they could take our orders and serve us up!!

Floyd working hard too! "What do you mean it's not right sir???"


Next stop...BUBBA GUMP'S!
"Run Forrest Run"


"Life IS like a box of chocolates, Forrest! BUT we do know what we are gonna get... great family and good times!!


Sunday we got up and hit the ground running hard.. all the way to Cafe Du Monde for Beignets!!


Kids at Jackson Square!

Trotter Clan

Melton Clan (great hair day by the way!!)


Next up, the Aquarium!!

Boys patiently waiting for the Aquarium to open. (Thank Heavans for Playstation DS's during travel. I highly recommend them for preoccupation!)


We are greeted by the smiling sting rays. They were so much fun and we had no idea they like to eat broccoli!! Did you?? Wish it would rub off on my kids.


MORE! MORE! MORE!


Penguin Exhibit!


Last but certainly not least in New Orleans was the Audobon Society's Insectarium. Let me tell you this place was top notch and I have no idea why we didn't take more pictures here. As you can see the humorous "roach exhibit" caught the attention of my children. BUT, there were some incredible displays and I think my favorite was the butterly sancuary. It was breathtakingly gorgeous and I thought about my Gamba the entire time I was there. She loved insects and butterflies especially. I hope to visit again soon.
Anne Craig in the roach house!

Floyd in the roach house!



Next UP! DEER VALLEY, UTAH.. stay tuned....

Pinewood Derby 2009

To me, nothing says being a little boy, growing up in a small town like a Cub Scout troop does and with that comes what else... The Pinewood Derby. I guess it's because I have vivid memories of McLean participating in this exact event growing up in Belzoni at this exact age and it always being at the First Baptist Church. Isn't it strange how some things you don't forget. To top that.. it was always held in the exact room at that church where I had my dreadful piano recitals that gave me ulcers unbeknownst to me at the time. I was always a very anxious and nervous child (keep comments to yourself if you are thinking paranoia-ha). If my mother was not first in line in carpool I broke out in hives and just knew that she would never return. What on Earth was my problem? Why did I have such fears of abandonment or neglect? I think I have dealt with those issues over time apparantly and thank goodness those traits have hopefully gotten lost in the gene pool since I am usually the last one peeling into PA at 3:30 and my kids seem totally oblivious to when or if I even come get them at all. If they had their way they'd sit there or catch a ride with whomever need be. (Thank you laid back Melton genes).. OK, back to topic... focus Lisa... focus...Last Saturday was our local Pinewood Derby for troop 4200 and it took place at St. John's Methodist Church. This event rotates locations yearly. Our troop is based out of our church, First Presbyterian and yes husband Floyd is the Scout Master. He does a great job I might add. He's so giving of his time and patient with the boys. I'm sure he has fun too but still....I know they all have a good time. Here are a few pics of the event. Floyd placed 8th overall out of about 50 or so kids. He and his Daddy worked really hard making it super sleek and getting the right amount of weights to make it just perfect. He won each Heat he was in but when all the times were calculated 8th was the final spot. His buddy, Alex Fann, got 4th overall. Good job Alex!

"and they're OFF"
"Floyd with Scoutmaster Daddy"

"the Green Machine took 8th overall"

"Alex Fann- 4th overall winner"

"gotta love the Derby"

SOLD!

I debated on how to title this post because it truly speaks for itself. We are now the proud owners of ONE home. Woo hoo! Lots of treasured memories that is for sure at 419 Bell Avenue but time marches on. I hope the Sanders family enjoys it as much as the several generations of Melton's surely did.

It Left As Quickly As It Arrived........Thank Goodness

The snow that is.....we awoke two Sunday mornings ago to the sight of a blanket of freshly fallen snow. Well, I best be clear here in saying that the KIDS awoke to the sight of newly fallen snow. Floyd and I, on the other hand, traveled home after midnight from Cotton Ball in the downpour of heavy snow. Two inches so they say! Didn't I mention that I am DONE with winter?? Nevermind that we are about to embark on our Spring Break ski trip to Deer Valley, Utah for some intense snow skiing. I must say that it's different if you travel to see snow purposefully but to have snow on the verge of Spring, after the Japanese Magnolias have fully bloomed, and on a Saturday late night, which doesn't even warrant any days off from school, why even bother. However, the opportunity for some cute pics presented itself in remarkable fashion.



My snow angel Anne Craig

My snow angel Floyd


So as the "Christmas" carol goes, not the "Spring" carol, "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow"... It was pretty. Don't get me wrong I do love to get snow at least once a year. Here in the Deep South I really prefer for it to come on maybe a Wed, Thurs, or Fri so that we can get at least one day off from school and can delight in the interruption of daily routines and travel paralysis. We all try to go to the highest elevation points we can find (usually your local levee) accompanied with the Flexible Flyer sled in tow to have a good time! Enough complaining... it was fun while it lasted. I am sure we will get our snow fill next week so brace yourself for many more snow pictures in the coming weeks that is for sure.

Happy Spring!! I think....

More of Melton Birthday week....

Not only did Floyd IV celebrate his birthday in late February so did Moms (aka: Elizabeth Melton) and Moss. We gathered for dinner at the Melton's to blow out a few more candles. It's so funny to think that most of Floyd's family celebrates birthdays in November and February. Oh, and throw Christmas in the mix of that and WOW! Let the partying begin!! Shwew.. I'm tired....


The kids with Mac and Grace

Mr. Ballas and Great Grandaddy

Moms with her new Viking pot

Moss' new duck waders

Floyd and his new Wii

Can you say...We had a LARGE time at Floyd's birthday!!