Club Intrawest & Whistler

This is about as close to nature as I got this trip.

A weekend in Whistler. We knew it would be a quick trip. And a quick trip it definitely was. Especially since the 5.5 hour drive is more like 8 with a 15 month old AND made ever longer given the fact that unlike nearly every other child, ours does not sleep in the car AND we spent 1/2 of our "full day in Whistler" in a Club Intrawest presentation. But since we had absolutely no expectations to ski and all expectations to relax and enjoy family time for the weekend, we were not disappointed.

At home packing before the weekend adventure. Thanks, Great Aunt Caroline for the wonderful new toy.
Peyton was interested in sorting and rearranging these foam shapes for close to an hour,
providing me ample packing time.

Our weekend started out after lunch last Thursday when we finally pulled the Superu (not a misspelling, that is what we call the Subaru) out of the driveway and headed north. We split the drive to Whistler into two days and enjoyed the break from driving and our first night of the weekend in Anacortes with Uncle Luke and Auntie Cheri. By mid-morning on Friday we were back on the road and Whistler bound.

Peyton, our little snow bunny (aka Chick Magnet). Yes, he draws quite a crowd.
Men, women and children alike stopped to gawk at this adorable snow bunny. Can you blame them?

We arrived late in the afternoon and while we had hopes to head to Whistler village because we had planned to nap in the car, our plans had to be revised. Instead we napped first, then took a short walk in the Blackcomb village.

Peyton and Daddy checking out the big snow tractor Friday evening.

Our Saturday, 10 am Club Intrawest presentation put a hold on any lengthy daytime activities, but we knew this before the weekend began. We've done these presentations before. We've always been tempted to buy. Timing has been our biggest holdup. We still had our reservations this time around. So, Peyton was our excuse for a quick get-away. Good planning!

Morning walk before our 10am presentation.

However, what I had not planned on was that there was childcare right there at the presentation sight (these marketing and sales people plan for everything, don't they?) and my son eagerly stepped into the kid haven. Then, once the 18 month old British twins from arrived, he was set on staying to play with "friends". I can't blame him. The room was inviting, which was reassuring. I, however, was not prepared to leave my son in the hands of perfect strangers. I can count the number of times I've left him in such child care on 2 fingers. I can also count the total number of hours he's been watched on 2 fingers. He was fine. After a near panic attack, I was fine too. I took a deep breath, composed myself and walked away, all the while hoping to hear my son's feet pitter-patter behind mine, or his cries of protest, or at least a "bye-bye." I heard nothing but the happy sounds that only toddlers make.

Into the presentation we went, just the two of us. Not wanting to ever sit in another presentation on a weekend trip, but also not wanting to pass on a wonderful opportunity that we've been dreaming about for years, we jumped. We our now proud members. 'Tis the season.

About the time we became owners and were ready to celebrate, my son hit meltdown at daycare and Mommy was called to the rescue. I guess he did really well until the twins' mommy came to pick up the twins and Peyton's mommy was no where in sight. I guess he was reminded that his mommy had left him and to make matters worse, his friends left, too! He was quietly gasping when I arrived, but once he saw me it escalated into full blown wailing. How's that for some serious Mommy guilt?

Peyton has a flair for the dramatics, or so it seems. The cries didn't last long. Some love and attention and a few snacks later he was smiling. A little on edge (it was way past nap time), but smiling once again.

New parental discovery: The sink is a great bath!
Same great fun. Friendlier on the back and knees.

It was once again dark by the time Peyton woke up from his nap and another day was almost over. There was still plenty of time to bundle up and head out for a quick family outing. So, we did just that.

Peyton's First Snow Slide:

For blog readers via email, this is a video.

Sunday the snow finally seemed to arrive in Whistler and in pretty much everywhere from Whistler to Everett. Our drive home was through snow flurries and made the scenery into a beautiful winter wonderland. There wasn't enough snow to compromise the drive, just enough to enjoy it.

We treated ourselves to cappuccino's on Sunday morning before we headed home.
The waitress surprised us by bringing one for Peyton.
His, of course, was just warm, frothy milk. It was a yummy treat!

Thanks, Uncle Gavin and Auntie Hazel for letting us stop by even though we gave you no more than 30 minutes notice. And thanks for also letting us sample your delicious holiday cookies, fresh from the oven. Delicious. Our timing was equally perfect it seems, since your homemade dal seemed to be ready to eat just as we arrived. Please forgive us if our, "I promise we won't be more than 15 minutes, 20 at most, we just need somewhere for Peyton to get out and wiggle and we can't take one more restaurant" plea turned into an hour visit and dinner as well. We loved it! It was the prefect final stop to our weekend.