Utah

For the first time in 7+ years, John and I got away on a multi-day adventure in the mountains.  The last time we were so lucky, it was our honeymoon in Chamonix.  That was an amazing trip, but this one might have trumped that.  We love our kids and there were definitely moments when we wished they were with us.  But, we knew they were having a ball with both sets of grandparents in Connecticut and we also knew that this would have been a very different trip with them in tow. 

I booked the trip in September.  I wanted to do something special to celebrate John's 50th birthday.  After much research, I found a good "stay and ski" deal at Snowbird and was able to use frequent flier miles to get there.  With so many friends living in so many cool areas, it was tempting to go visit with them...... but in the end I kind of wanted John to myself. 

We flew out of JFK and were on the ground in SLC by 10:30am and on the slopes of Alta in a snow storm by 12:30.  We skied until we couldn't ski any more each day, soaked in the hot tub, ate great dinners out, and did the same thing the next day.

I had injured my back five days before we left for the trip.  It was so painful and debilitating that I thought about canceling the trip.  While the back remained painful throughout the trip, the sunshine and love made it all just fine. We were on top of the world.

It's never really possible to have John to yourself!  We did find graduated UVM Outing Club students to ski and socialize with, as well as his old friend Geoff Tabin.  But that was okay, because they showed us parts of the mountain we wouldn't have found. 

It was so, so great to play in the big mountains with my best friend for five days.  We needed this!  It brought everything about our love into perspective-- purified and real.  After 8 years of marriage, I'm still so glad I made the plunge with this guy.

We owe a lot of gratitude to the grandparents who spoiled and dotted on our babies while we were playing in the mountains.  The kids loved being with them and got to do so many fun things-- Peabody Museum, Tea Shop lunch, library visits, Stepping Stones, an IMAX movie, and the Barnum and Bailey Circus.  We are so lucky!

Not the February We Expected....

It's either been too warm to snow or too cold to play in the snow this February.  So, we've put our time in doing other activities, like skating:

But even when it's cold, the sun shines:

 We can still get out on walks (though we wish we were skiing):

And when we have a "snow day"-- where there actually wasn't any snow, we head to the high school gym and romp around in the wrestling room!

And we hit Echo, the local children's museum, for the first time in a long while and were pleasantly surprised with the upgrades:

And the kids are growing up!  Hazey now takes Zephy on walks on his own!

We've still gotten out to ski. Cally has lessons at Smuggs on Sundays.  It gets us out there-- making turns on whatever surface we can find.

LOVE!

I love Valentine's Day.  I know it's just another hallmark holiday, but I think it is so great to have an excuse to both teach children how to show their love and show the people we love how much they matter to us.  

It's a heck of a lot easier to get a 7 year old girl to make her classmates valentines than it is to get a 5 year old to make a few for his loved ones (thank the Pope that Poker Hill School doesn't encourage sending valentines).

Our animals looking like rugs on the new rug by the stove:

Cally is trying to learn to knit:

Scotty helping Hazey with a lego project:

Cally really got into making her own valentines for me and John.  She managed to find the material and teach herself how to sew me a Valentine's pillow and drew this sea creature scene at Poker Hill Arts for John.

I hope we are raising kids who know how much they are loved and can communicate their love to all the important people in their life-- weather through hugs, cards, homemade gifts, or love bombs!

Look Who is 5!!!!!!

This guy!  He is the bright sunshine peaking through a cloudy day.  He sure is spicey-- he can be sweeter than pecan pie, more ornery than a loaded donkey, but brings so much love to our lives.  He is independent, strong, thoughtful, snuggly, competitive, strong, coordinated, daring, smart, and oh, so funny.  I love him more than I ever thought it would be possible.  He keeps me on my toes.... he's always wondering and so playful, but unpredictable and pensive.  However, he always has a hug to give when I need it most.

His birthday was on a Saturday this year.  He had it all planned out!  He'd open presents and celebrate with the family that morning, ski with his best friend Henry by day, and invited his godparents, Tom and Cara to join us for dinner in Waterbury.   He loved getting calls from family and presents!

Sadly, it took over an hour for us to get seated at the Blue Stone in Waterbury, so the poor little birthday boy was tuckered out.  He managed to stay awake for dinner, but barely.

Scotty and Cynthia also joined us for a lovely dinner.  

Sunday was the big day for his birthday party!  He invited 15 friends to the Fun Zone at Smuggler's Notch for lots of bouncing around and playing with friends.

 I made Hazey my "famous" buttermilk chocolate cupcakes.

It was a perfect party for a great kid with wonderful friends!

I love, love, love you Hazey boy!  We had such a great weekend celebrating you.  I can't wait to see the person that you are going to become.  You've amazed me already.

Sunshine and Skis

These two are becoming such fun skiers!  Cally has been doing the Mighty Mights Program at Smuggs every Sunday from 10-2.  This is great because no one has to wake up at the crack of dawn and rush out of the house and it's a relatively short day for her.  Meanwhile, it's been a fun opportunity for me and Hazey to ski together.  He's so much fun to ski with-- he loves to go for it..... and pretty much loves getting air!

 

The kids have both been doing "Friday Foxes" every week.  It's a recreational Bill Koch cross-country ski program.  Hazen is technically a little young to be doing it, but his good buddy Levi's dad picks the two of them up from Poker Hill on Friday's and brings them to the "site ".  Cal takes the bus to MMU (my school) and we all meet up at 3:30 for an hour of skiing.  The first week was painful, I think Hazey fell 150 times in an hour.  But he never complained nor shed a tear, he just kept getting up and going for it.  The next week, he only fell 75 times and it has gotten better every week.   Meanwhile, Cal is learning to skate and move so much more smoothly on the snow. Now we can go out the backdoor and ski in the upper pasture!