February/March Break

February vacation is the best!  Our school district always takes the week after Presidents week off, as well as the Monday and Tuesday after that week (because of Town Meeting day).  So, it's a nice long vacation.  We have sort of alternated between staying here in Vermont for a "staycation" and traveling.  This year, we went back to Mont Tremblant in Quebec, Canada for five days and stayed home for the rest of the vacation.

We managed to recruit three other families to join us this year.  We were 15 and we had such a great time.  We stayed right in the pedestrian village, making sure to have a kitchen, hot tub, and free breakfast every morning. 

the view of our place from the gondola (that's John, Rich and Jenny below)

view from the gondola of the back of our hotel

 Free night tubing and ice skating was also included:

We managed to find a lot more snow, warm temperatures and corn snow conditions.

Skiing as a unit

Giving TouFou a hug

We loved the apres ski scene:

Eating Crepes

 Sugar on snow:

On the way home, we stopped by the Biodome in Montreal.  The kids got to explore the rainforest, taiga, and tundra.  Highlights were seeing the sloth, otters, and penguins.

We made it home on Friday and spent the rest of the week skiing, skating, jumping with friends, and relaxing.

Jumping with Auntie Cara at "Get Air"

Bluebird day at Smuggs

It's never easy to get back into the groove of school/work, but we had a great vacation!  Adventures with this family are getting more and more fun!

Snow, Snow, Hello Snow

Cally had a favorite book when she was really little.  It started out with a refrain, "Snow, snow, hello snow.  Glad to see you, don't you know".  She always wanted us to read it.  We read it over and over and over again.  We were so sick of it, but loved it just the same.  It disappeared. It was bittersweet.  In any case, we've been waiting for an amazing snow cycle for years and this February, we finally got it.  

It was so fun to have gobs and gobs of snow for a few weeks.

skiing Bolton to Trapps with my wombats

Bolton to Trapps

So fun to see these guys riding the chair together

My ski buddy!

Screaming barfies-- defrosting toes

The best part about all this snow was the backcountry skiing.  John and I managed to get out numerous times together and on our own.  Being in the woods, earning our turns is what we both love.  Not only do we get guaranteed fresh tracks, but we get to be in the woods, away from the bustle of our everyday life.  It is elixer for my soul. 

We even managed to make it to Burke Mountain.  I hadn't been since I was a teenager, but my dear friend Greer lured us there (by being there to visit her sister) and we loved it.

Skiing with my oldest ski buddy of all-- Greer

Instant friends

Skiing makes me so happy.  Skiing with my family makes me even happier.  Seeing my kids really enjoy the experience of skiing is what makes living in Vermont and doing what we are doing all worthwhile to me.  Whether we are nordic skiing, backcountry skiing, or doing lift service, it is hard to be unhappy when you are in the mountains with great people.  These two weeks in February exceeded my expectations.  I feel so, so lucky!

Happy Birthday Hazey!

This little man is 6!  Here's six reasons we love this guy so much:

1. He goes for it! I'm not sure whether to call it grit or tenacity, but this kid does not give up very easily.  He tries and he tries again if it doesn't go as planned. 
2. He is a total goof ball-- whether dancing around with underpants on his head or telling jokes, he loves to laugh and make people laugh around him. 
3. He is a love bomber.  He's never one to hold back with hugs and kisses and statements of adoration.  Just when I need it the most and am not expecting it, he throws out a kiss or an "I love you, Mom".
4. He's curious  He surprises me with his great questions about current events or a movie and wondering about how things work.
5. He's creative.  This may involve a ton of tape and paper scraps or wood and nails, but he loves to make all sorts of inventions and solutions to "problems".
6. He knows what he wants!  This is a guy who doesn't hold back on letting you know what he prefers or does not like at all. 

Cynthia made Hazey his favorite lemon cake and we spent his special day with the "Fairy Godparents":

He was thrilled  to get a ukelele:

We celebrated as a family by going out to eat at the Jericho Cafe and Tavern.  Hazey has taken to wearing his blazer and tie any time we head out to someone's house for dinner or a restaurant.  He's even been wearing it to school?!?!??!  

talking on the phone to Bumpa and Grandma

New backpack

 To celebrate his special day, Hazey wanted to have a skiing birthday party.  This did limit his invite list to friends that both skied and had a pass at Smuggs, but it worked out really, really well.

He had another delicious lemon cake, this one made by Auntie Cara in the yurt after taking a bunch of runs with a really fun pack of kids.

We love you little man!  Such a great celebration of you. 

Women's March

When I heard about the Women's March happening in DC, I was intrigued, but not enough to make the 10 hour journey down there.  I sort of, pretty much, hate crowds, but I felt inspired to do something, especially because I wanted Cally to see that she matters.

My dear friend Susan and I decided to make the journey to Montpelier with our girls.  Originally, we thought we had a minivan full of Moms and daughters, so when John asked if he and Hazey could join us, I said there was no room.  That didn't stop John.  He decided to join our friend Bill and his sons and do a boys carpool.

We put on our pink hats and waited in traffic for almost an hour. We took whatever parking spot we could find right off the exit ramp (they ended up closing the exit 15 minutes after we parked because of safety concerns) and walked to the march.

The march was so inspirational.  People were so happy and kind.  Cal loved reading all the signs (many of which should have been rated PG13) and we managed to find the boys amongst the crowd of over 10,000 Vermonters.  We were stunned to have Bernie Sanders speak, as well as a lot of other truly amazing role models.  I am so glad our whole family was there for this little piece of history happening before our eyes. I felt positive about their future for the first time in months.