Shredder

Last weekend Cally had a few "firsts".

1. She tried on her first pair of skis.


2. She cruised across the snow on skis for her first time.


3. She went down to Virginia and met her "god brother" for the first time. Henry, my godson, is my good friend Sarah's third child. She and I met at the University of Montana when we were in grad school together. We became quick friends and 13 years later, she is still one of my best friends. Cally and I flew down there so I could be a part of Henry's Christening. A week before I left, I wondered if this was a crazy idea..... flying with a one year old by myself on four flights in 48 hours, getting up at 4am two out of three mornings, and dealing with all that goes along with those logistics. Then I remembered that Sarah, Madison, Lucy and Henry could not fly into Burlington for our wedding because of a snow storm. That didn't stop them! They drove all the way up here and made it two hours into the reception. That is the kind of friend Sarah is. She'd do anything for you. So, the aforementioned thought was short-lived, I went for it. Cally was a great little travel buddy and Sarah made it so easy once we were there. All that talk about "Southern Hospitality", it's all so true. Sarah set us up with everything we'd possibly need while in Virginia-- and, she managed to throw a party and cook all the food.

(That's the Wootton Clan-- Sarah, Madison, Lucy (2.5), John (6), and Henry (1)). They brought me to the Richmond Botanical Gardens to see the festival of lights-- the entire premisss was decorated in lights. It was quite a display! And, for Virginia standards, it was really cold-- like 20 degrees F.

(Cally playing with Lucy)

Cally and I had a ball. I'm not sure how soon I'll be hopping on a flight with a squirmy, wormy walker, but it was so worth it. Now Cally has an even bigger extended "family" of friends who she'll continue to get to know over the years.

Our Little Trooper

It takes a certain kind of kid to put up with parents like us. This past weekend really put Cally to the test and we couldn't be more proud to call her our daughter.

Saturday, we woke up early and decided to finally clean up the house after our hosting extravaganza, do some grading, snow blow the driveway, and stack wood before heading out on an afternoon adventure. All the while, Cally took a two-hour morning nap, allowing for us to actually do all the ambitious aforementioned tasks. And so, at noon, with our bellies full and the car loaded we headed up to Smuggler's Notch for the afternoon. The previous day, we'd purchased an afternoon ticket with our Bash Badge (for $15) and traded off skiing and Cally hanging. While I skied for an hour, John brought Cally down to a great bakery/cafe in Jeffersonville for lunch. Upon swapping, I skied Cally up the Notch Road in the Chariot to check out some ice climbers and lots of dogs who were with their snow shoeing or skiing owners.


And so, the plan was the same for Saturday........ Although we ran into a significant "misfire". In order to "share" a ticket, we needed a key ring to which we attached the ticket and then could move from one jacket to another. Unfortunately, by separating the key to the lock box from the ignition key, it became clear that we had forgotten the lock box key at home (in a certain pocket in a pair of pants that were worn the previous day). Accordingly, our skis were held hostage above us in the car. We were at the mountain, where it was dumping snow, and we had no way to take advantage of it.

To no avail, we came up with a plan B....... we'd drive the 1/2 hour back to our house, retreive the key, and do a backcountry adventure on Mt. Mansfield. We live 8 miles away from one of the quintessential ski trails in New England, the Tear Drop. On a good year, I probably hike and ski that trail at least 20 times a season. With a baby, the logistics become a little more complicated, but that didn't thwart us........... Our plan was for me to skin up the steep ski trail while John pulled Cally in the Chariot up the round-about CCC trail/old road. I'd ski the top of the Tear Drop to where it intersects with the CCC road and then ski Cally down the round-about route so John could enjoy some turn down the lower Tear Drop. I was almost certain our timing would work out and no one would have to be waiting for long.

Alas, things don't always work out as planned......... The CCC road has numerous water bars. And even with the 18 inches of new snow, these water bars were not filled in. Therefore, every time John came upon one with Cally, he risked getting a ski/runner stuck in the waterbar and tipping her over. To avoid this, he ended up having to take his skis off and pull her across the dip at least four times.

By the time I'd skied my powdery run, John was so "done" and it was clear that I couldn't ski Cally back by myself (as darkness was going to be setting in). And so, with John's help at the waterbars, I attempted to ski down with her. What usually takes 10-15 minutes to ski, took over an hour. We got back to the car at 5:15 pm (in the dark).

In the end, Cally was in the car for more than two hours and the Chariot for two and a half hours, but she NEVER complained. She just went with the flow, often chatting, singing, or laughing.

The next day, we left the house at 7:30 am for a day at Mad River Glen, the ski area. There was over two feet of fresh snow in the driveway and we couldn't wait to make turns in this Utah grade powder. The drive over the Ap Gap is always a gamble, but it all worked out. We got to the mountain by 8:20 am and were overwhelmed by the situation upon us: the thermometer on the car read 5 degrees F and the winds were honking. We packed Cally's bag, my bag, and John's bag into a sled and I pulled it with Cally in my hands while John carried both sets of skis and poles. People gave us looks like we might be abusing our child by exposing her to these conditions, but once we were in the lodge we had it all figured out. John got to take the first run (since he missed the turns on the Tear Drop the previous day) and then we'd switch off every few runs. We even lucked out because our friend Colleen offered to watch Cal while we took two runs together.

Cally was the queen of the Base Box (Mad River's base lodge). She strutted her stuff, smiled a lot, ate well, made friends, and even napped in the Ergo carrier for an hour. Here we were, focusing on our own agenda, but Cally, once again, went with the flow and made the experience even better than it could have been in the days before we had a kid.

Cally Jane, you are a true trooper! You really do go with the flow, enrich our lives, and make us so, so proud to be your parents. Keep on keeping on! Below is a video of Cally strolling around the house.

Here's to a Fantastic 2009!

We can't believe that it's been a year since we brought home the best Christmas present EVER! How much everything can change in a year:

• Last year, we had my parents, my sister, and her new husband up to Vermont.

• This year we had my parents, my sister, her husband, and their new son, Will (almost six months). All of whom Cally adores.

• We were in our home this year! With a working fireplace and wood burning stove.
  

• Last year we were able to spend the holidays up at High Meadow-- a place we will always hold dear in our hearts. The gorgeous spot where Cally lived for the first six weeks of her life.
  

• Cally was walking and talking this year

• Last year, she'd hardly figured out how to nurse and pretty much only cried or slept.
  

• We were all able to ski this year (last year I could hardly walk and it poured rain on Christmas day)

• Our animal roster now includes a cat and an dog with a reconstructed achille's tendon

• Last year Zephy was just a puppy and Lobster wasn't in the equation

If every year is more and more fun than the last, we are in for a pretty amazing 2010!

Happy Birthday, Dear Peanut!

We can't believe it was a year ago that I was willing to do just about anything to meet you. We must have known that a really special person lurked beneath my belly. You were ten days past your due date and a Nor'easter was cranking through Vermont (not like this year where it hit places that can't even take advantage of it). We wanted you to come when you were ready, but we also didn't want to have your special day compete with Christmas.


Alas, you decided to join us on December 22nd. The day after the longest night of the year (that was the longest night of our lives, last year!). The day that lightness starts to increase for the first time in six months. The day the earth is starting to tilt a little closer to the sun.


How symbolic! Because your arrival has brought nothing but light to our lives. Your smile really can light up a room, your laugh can brighten any foul mood, and your simple curiosity is so much fun to watch everyday.


And so, to celebrate all the joy that you've brought to us, we decided to throw you a party last Sunday. We wanted to thank all our friends for their support over the past year and bring folks together for a Holiday/Solstice/Birthday gathering. We spent days cleaning the house, cooking cupcakes and gingerbread men and buying provisions. It was the least we could do for our little girl that brings us so much joy, each and every day.

You didn't really know what to think about the whole affair. First came the presents.....

and then the flaming cupcakes:


You weren't really sure what to do with those brown squishy mounds with candles in them:


And then when you were given one of your own, you wondered if this was supposed to be a tactile sensory experience or sweet taste sensation.


Once you got the hang of it, you seemed to really like those homemade chocolate cupcakes with butter cream frosting.


We didn't get any pictures of the insanity of this party that we threw for you, because it was all a big blur for us. But we did get a shot of the kids settling down to watch a little Charlie Brown's Christmas. In total, we hosted over 20 kids under the age of 8 and more than 50 adults! I think there was a period of time when all of us were roaming the house at once...


Happy 1st Birthday to our beautiful daughter Macalister Jane! Everyday on the planet with you is a gift. We can't wait to celebrate all of your birthday's to come...

Winters Late Arrival

Winter was slow to arrive up here in Vermont. Most years, by this time, John and I would have already put ten days in on the skis. However, the snow gods haven't been on our side this year. So, last weekend, we decided to take advantage of the "down time" and head out on a Christmas tree hunt.

It turns out, there is a Christmas tree farm less than a mile from our house. And, part of the proceeds from the sales go to the cure, hense the name "Cut for the Cure". So, last Saturday morning, we hunted, cut, and were home in less than 30 minutes-- which is my kind of Christmas tree hunt.

And by last Sunday, this is how our living room looked. This is the kind of stuff you can get done when you don't have the distraction of the local mountains.


Even without snow, it's beautiful here. These are pictures from a post decorating hike that we went on:


But our life gets so much more enriched by the white stuff that allows us to slide upon it. On Tuesday, the snow began to fly and John and I couldn't get Cally out onto the snow fast enough. So, we both rushed home from work on Wednesday, packed up the newly acquired ski adaptation that our friend Sandy MADE for the Chariot (instead of buying the kit for $270, he fashioned the entire thing out of an old pair of skis, a bungee cord, lots of metal piping, a wrestling belt, and several cotter pins). This amazing contraption has already blown open a whole new world for the Abbott Family. As you can see, Cally loves it.




And we LOVE it too. Since Wednesday, we've been out three times. Cally hunkers down with her cozy "bundle me" bag and a down snow suit and we get to shoosh across the snow and Zephy the dog frolics with us.

Yesterday, my dear friend Mary, (aka, the homesteading hussy-- http://thehomesteadinghussy.blogspot.com) offered to watch Cally for the day so that John and I could ski. She claimed she really wanted to spend some time with her and would be offended if we didn't take her up on her offer. It turns out that Mad River Glen, that ski area that hardly makes snow and didn't seem like it would open for a while, decided to open on Saturday at 10am. Perfect! We wouldn't have to have an alpine start, we could drop Cally off at a reasonable hour with Mary and her amazing spawn (seven year old Claire and five year old twins, Auggie and Timmy), and the mountain is only about 25 minutes from their house.

Mad River is reknown for having long lines on the weekend (one of the two lifts they usually operate is a single chair) and it can be kind of a scene. We also didn't really believe that they had the snow that they claimed to have gotten. After all, the accumulation at both our house and Mary's was maybe two inches. Surprised, we were! We arrived to Mad River to find absolutely no liftlines and gobbs of untracked powder-- at least a foot or more. It's hard to believe how quickly the weather went from a balmy fall to a winter wonderland


And, it was a gorgous day! John and I had an amazing time. We were like college students, ducking ropes, greedy for the freshies every run. In the past year, riding a lift and/or skiing together down the slopes has been a rare treat (last winter we usually swapped off duties in the lodge with occasional offers by friends to watch Cal for a run). So, to take eight whole runs together was just plain fantastic.

We were back to Mary's homestead by three to an amazingly content little girl. We were exhausted, exhilerated and so appreciative of the Ganz Clan. Cally doesn't have older siblings, but the Ganz kids treat her like their little sister. In fact, they are trying to convince Mary to have another.


Today, we went up to Underhill State Park with our friend Adam for a tour. He teaches with me. He's hardly 30, in a relationship but not married, and puts in almost as many days as we used to put in on the mountains. Cally took a nap for the entire hour of the ski up the hill, but awoke for the "exciting 15 minute down hill (on an unplowed road-- not a mountain by any sense). At the end of the adventure Adam said to me, "this is great, you guys demonstrate to me that this kind of life doesn't have to end when you bring kids into the equation". He's absolutely right on! Cally has only made us more motivated than ever to get out in the mountains. We know how happy being on the snow has made us, so we can only hope that she gets half of the enjoyment that we have gotten from being out in the fresh air, feeling the snow beneath our skis.

Lots to be Thankful for......

Last year, at this time, we were anxiously awaiting the arrival of Cally. Of course, we didn't know it was Cally we were waiting for, but we were sure the baby would arrive any day. Little did we know we had a lot more waiting to do. We had moved out of our home in September and had hoped the renovation would be done and we'd be home by the time the "bun in the oven" arrived. "Renovation" is probably an understatement, we really decided to rebuild our house. This is what it looked like before the roof came off:


After the roof came off:


To kill the time, John spent two weeks feverishly painting the interior of our newly laid dry wall (with minimal help from me and loads of help from friends). Because "the baby" was due within weeks of Thanksgiving, we stayed up here in Vermont and did a friends gathering. Instead of feeling isolated and alone up here, we had a delicious, relaxing and entertaining feast. Our community of friends has become like a family away from family to us. Even before we'd become our own family, we knew our baby would have a family of friends surrounding her. These are the type of friends who make us feel like we have a web of support that is so strong and ever present that we can weather almost any storm.

So this year, when the holidays rolled around. We felt like we had to share the feast of thankfulness with that same group of people that was there for us last year. And so, 11 adults and 8 children gathered at the Harris/Plimpton homestead for football, fun, & feasting:




But because we aren't just thankful for our friends, we wanted to make the rounds to see family that we so appreciate, as well. First stop was Grandma and Grandpa Meyer's house where Cal got to pal around with Gus the cat and Maggie the dog:


Next, we headed up to Nana and Grandpa Abbott's. John got to go to his high school reunion and Cal got to hang out with her Aunt Lynn, Uncle Mark, and cousins Chris and Catherine.

So, besides being incredibly thankful for a wonderful, healthy, girl, great friends, and a supportive family. We are also very thankful to have our house "almost" done. In the past few weeks, we've insulated the downstairs and we actually got a chimney (so Santa can come visit Cally at the end of the month AND we can actually use our wood stove to supplement our fossil fuel burning). This really has been a year for which so much has happened to be thankful.