The Winter that Wouldn't Quit

Most people in Vermont are DONE with winter.  But these crazy kids can't get enough of it!  Even with a little rain, they are willing to tromp through the snow and explore the woods.

 We went to a birthday party on March 29th (not mine) and there was a snow maze and luge course!

But the weather has warmed up a bit and we now have a tiny maple syrup operation to add to our homesteading responsibilities.  The kids had a ball tapping the trees and checking for sap.  We'll be lucky if we get enough for one pancake breakfast, but it's more about the process, right?

I got to celebrate my birthday skiing with my family and that made me so happy!  I mean really skiing.... we all ride the lifts, I carry my poles, I don't have anyone between my legs and I can make tele turns.  There isn't much more that this mama could ask for in that department.  Having my birthday on a Saturday meant that I got lots of attention from family and friends.  Most importantly, I got to go on a date to my favorite Italian restaurant with my sweetheart while our dear friends Tom and Cara watched the kids.

I can honestly say that it just keeps getting better!

Family

We finally got the snow storm we had been waiting for!  You will never hear this family complain about a real snow storm.  We get especially gleeful when it is so abundant that school has to be closed...... for TWO days!  Sure,the selfish, fresh track loving part of John and me thinks it is a bummer that our daycare provider has decided to close on snow days, but it certainly is bonding to have to spend many days together in the company of snow!

We don't really have pictures from the storm.  We were too busy playing, snow blowing, or skiing.  And I can't even tell you how much fun it is to actually be a skiing family.  Yep, we all skied off the top of both Mad River and Sterling Peak at Smuggs.  The kids have completely amazed us with their spirit, enthusiasm, and sense of fun when it comes to skiing.  There are times when John and I look at each other and cannot believe how far the kids have come in a matter of weeks.



But life isn't ONLY about skiing and being in the mountains.  I was lucky enough to get the kids into swimming lessons with Annie, the famous Chittenden County swim instructor.  She has a gift with kids and we are fortunate that John has the flexibility to be able to bring them to her lessons on Tuesdays.

They still don't love getting their heads underwater, but I'm feeling a breakthrough coming our way soon (or crossing my fingers and hoping that will happen soon).  Nothing scares me more than children around water.

This Tuesday was also about getting the taxes done and a real haircut for Mr. H.

These kids are so much darn fun!  They  keep us on our toes and many deep breaths are necessary in order to make it through most days, but they are these spirits that bring so much brightness to my days.

March (Not So) Madness

riding the t-bar!

It's the same old story....... John goes away every March.  I brace myself for the worst-- not because I'm a pessimist, but because I like to be ready for whatever may come.  One year Cally got pneumonia, another year Hazen got pneumonia, and last year Cally got the stomach flu while John was gone.  But I also brace myself because I know what John being in big mountains with big snow means.  There is a bit of envy, but a bit of fear, too.  I used to be the one tromping around in the big mountains, in the bountiful light snow, taking risks, but now there is a family involved and I worry-- but try my best not to.

This year I planned ahead and got my ducks in a row and it was pretty painless.  Being with the grandparents for several days really, really helped.  The kids were happy and I wasn't pent up at home with them.  And it was a short work week (although I did have parent-teacher conferences until 8:30 one night).  The morning drop offs went well and the kids stayed healthy.  We even managed to get out to Cochran's Ski area for "Friday Night Lights" and dinner.  I wasn't sure I could do it on my own, and it certainly took some major motivation, but it was a total success.  The three of us were able to ride the t-bar (and Cally only fell off once) and Hazen insisted on riding the tow rope on his own!

Hazey soloing the rope tow

I united with a few of my other single moms on Saturday-- sledding with the Harris-Plimpton crew:

tow assist for the way up

The kids were entertained by their "big kid" friends:

And I even got to get out on a short ski tour with Medora!

I even got out for a run on Sunday morning, thanks to Uncle Scotty coming over to play with the kids for an hour.  I'm  fortunate to have people who can help me break up the drudge of being on my own.  And I'm learning, slowly, how important it is to reach out and ask for help.

But, the fun couldn't last...... lice returned, so I spent most of the afternoon on Sunday on Operation Lice Phase II.  This time I had a better idea of how to handle it.  And Cally was a trooper!

And Dad came home in one piece!  That, ultimately, makes everything better.  I'm not sure who was happier to see the other-- the kids or their dad?

These weeks on my own are fine.  There is a little added stress and I definitely appreciate all that John does for this family when he isn't here.  But I also realize how much I am capable of and all that I can do on my own.

Celebrating Bumpa!

The troops convened to celebrate Bumpa's Dodrascentenial Birthday (that a fancy word for 75th).  All he really asked for was the family to get together for the weekend in Connecticut.  There were some logistics to schedule around (John's annual backcountry ski and avalanche class that he teaches in Idaho, Kesley's final ball room dancing class, etc.), but we made it happen. 

We did convince him to have a little dinner party, but he otherwise wanted to keep it simple.  His brother and nephew/godson and their wives joined us for an intimate evening of toasting and a little roasting.

The kids were thrilled to be together.  Things are pretty chaotic when they are all under the same roof, but it's fun energy and really sweet to see the various personalities interact. 

And they all love their Bumpa!

Grandma had everything planned perfectly...... decorations, cards, balloons, streamers, cakes, and  flowers.  She didn't miss a single detail.  Unfortunately, she was sick for the entire weekend, so had to rally through low energy, sneezes, and a runny nose.

I dropped John off at JFK airport at 5:45am on Sunday, so he could get to Sun Valley to meet with the students who had all arrived the previous day.  He barely made it in with the weather, but all worked out.  Because I didn't have to be back to work until Wednesday, the kids and I decided to take advantage of some more grandparent time.

We also found time to sneak a few visits in with old friends.  Below, Cally and Hazen were reunited with my dear friend Pixie, from college, and her kids (Jasper and Skylar).

On Monday, the kids and I headed to see Nana and Grandpa.  We decided to take advantage of our family membership to a local science museum and use it to go to the Peabody Museum at Yale on the way. 

The kids love dinosaurs, but Hazen as done checking things out after about 30 minutes.

We made it to Nana and Grandpa's for a short visit.  They always spoil the kids to art supplies, home made food, and lots of snuggles.

On our way back home today, Cally said, "I wish my grandparents didn't live in Connecticut..... It's too far away".  I agree.  It would be wonderful to be able to spend more time with both of their wonderful sets of grandparents who love them so much!

Staycation

Before winter officially started, John purchased a Sugarbush Quad Pack (4 tickets) and a Mad Card (3 tickets) for me to use.  As the adviser to the Ski and Snowboard club, he gets a pass pretty much anywhere he wants.  Although Smuggs is closer, his loyalty lies with Mad River and Sugarbush makes more snow so he went with that pass.

By mid January, I hadn't used any of our tickets.  So, we decided to try to do a Waitsfield Valley staycation for part of my February vacation.  I looked into deals at Sugarbush and John called his good friend Garrett who lives in the valley.  As it turns out, Garrett and his family were headed to Florida, so he offered up his house for us to use (as long as we watched his dogs).

Sunday was our 6 year anniversary.  Tom and Cara offered to watch the kids, again.  So, we dropped them off in the early afternoon, headed to Mad River for some couples ski time, had a beer at two separate apres spots, dropped our stuff of at our "staycation" digs, and went out to see music at the Hen of the Woods in Waterbury.  We picked the sleeping children up on our way back.

Because it was Vermont Vacation week, Sugarbush was having a 2 for 1 ski lesson special.  So, on Monday, we dropped the kids off at real ski lessons.  Neither have ever taken a real ski lesson and they were fired up.  Hazen basically had a private lesson all day because there were only 2 Micro bears.  His instructor was amazed at how well he was already skiing.

Cally rocked it as a Mini Bear.  She refined her parallel skiing that her dad had taught her, learned how to hockey stop, side slip, and herring bone!

And while the kids were in lessons, John and I skied lap after lap of groomers (because everything else was set up like cement).  We even got to have a "date lunch".

Tuesday we skied as a family.  Both of the kids were tearing up the Gatehouse lift-- willing and able to ski anything and everything.  And the fun part was getting to ride the lift as a family!

We even got some runs in on Wednesday morning, too.  Four straight days of skiing!  We capped off our staycation with a visit to ECHO in Burlington.

Sadly, we did come home to a sick chicken.  I'm trying not to really know the details because it involves blood and the butt area and pecking from other chickens.  As I've said a million times, the chickens are a problem that I can't take on.  Now we need to head out of town on Friday for five days and John is needing to apply ointment onto this chicken's butt and has moved it into the house.  He leaves for Idaho for a week on Saturday......... Ugghh.

On a funnier note, Cally has started taking "selfies" of herself.  This is our favorite!

Valentine!

I love Valentine's Day.  I've had my ups and downs with this holiday and I know it's the second biggest "consumer" holiday, but I love what it ultimately all about.  To me, it means showing the people around me that I love them.  I grew up with a mom who made a big thing about Valentine's day.  We made cards for friends and family, got chocolate, and exchanged little gifts.  Being in the right relationship and having kids are the perfect excuse to embrace this holiday..... even if it means time consuming arts and craft projects, lots of questions about the spelling of names, and many "scrippy scraps".

The first year that John and I celebrated this holiday of love (2007), we were graced with an epic snowstorm that has gone down in the history books as one of the best ski days in VT.  Over 30 inches fell and we skied together at Mad River until our legs became jelly. We then found the only restaurant that was open and relished in new love and great skiing.

Every year since that storm, we've dreamed about a day like that.  This year, our dream came true.  A winter storm advisory came onto our radar on Monday and by Thursday night the school district had called our first snow day of the year even before a snow flake had fallen.  Seven years later, life is a little more complicated.  We've got two kids who have a school and day care provider who also close when there is a snow day, we don't have the ski legs that we had back then, but we do have the passion to ski fresh snow.

After much deliberation, we decided to bring the kids and park it at Mad River for the day.  We'd swap off skiing and hopefully get the kids out there for a little bit.

Mad River has such a great vibe when it's snowing.  The lines are horrible, but it doesn't get skied up very quickly.  And, it's a really family friendly place.

Yep, that's Hazey in the background there!

We lucked out.  The skiing was great.  We each got plenty of runs, the kids got some runs, friends and their kids let us take some runs together because they were willing to hang out with our kids, and we got to get out for another romantic dinner at that same restaurant.

We spent the rest of the weekend sharing love at a few birthday parties, a sledding party for Outing Club Leaders, and a tea with Cal's friends.

Here's to a lot more love and happy Valentine's Days in the years to come.  I am feeling full to the brim with it right now.

Freedom

John had to go to a Leadership Retreat with his Outing Club kids.  It was a nice day and I really wanted to get our for a ski with the kids.  My usual option is to pull both kids in the Chariot, but it doesn't give them much of a chance to ski (and it means I have to haul over 100 lbs up a mountain on my own).  Hazen has been "skiing" for more than a season, but he has yet to make a turn or stop on his own.  We used a ski leash with him.  I don't recommend it.  It definitely allowed him to follow his sister around and feel comfortable on his skis, but it didn't help him learn any skills (or establish healthy fears).  So, I decided to just go for it and bring both kids on my own to Cochrans.  I knew my friend Claire would be there and her kids ski well on their own, so I could use her help if I needed it......  Within a few runs, Cal was riding the tow rope like a champ and Hazen was skiing after her.  I let out the biggest sigh of relief.  It's been five years since we've had one of the other kid between our legs or sitting at the bottom of the mountain.  We officially have two little skiers.

And he's really good.  He turns and he knows how to stop when he needs to.  This is one proud mama.

Now he can ski on his own with goats at Medora and Spencers:



And Cally can do the ATV assist for the way up.



Exciting times around the corner.