Grace in small things, December 6, 2015

1. We came home from date night last night to find Sis out of her PJs but having put on the Santa hat before falling asleep...too cute...
2. Decorated for Xmas today...the house looks so festive and cheery and colorful...
3. Oh my gosh and we got the cutest wrapping paper, Frozen and Mickey and Hello Kitty and Star Wars...so fun...
4. Went for a drive after dinner looking for Xmas lights...and boy did we find them up on the mountain...hundreds of BIG trees covered in tiny white and red and green sparkles...it was like driving through a fairy tale...
5. A trip to the grocery store with my husband earlier, kids home with Grandma. We almost always have the kids when we shop and I often have them alone which is pretty much chaos. So relaxing grocery shopping without having to wrangle two 3-year-olds!
6. My mom helped my kids make a red and green construction paper chain counting down the days until Xmas...which is something we always did as kids...my kids are so excited about taking a ring off each day...

XOXO

Mt Werner, Fall 2015

Helping the river freeze

Kids went on a great bike ride after the library on Friday, on the core trail along the river (which they plow)...ducks and geese were riding the river current...and Luke and Zo spent a huge amount of time on this bridge pushing and kicking snow into the river. They told me they were helping it to freeze, lol...

XO

Sis makes snowmen at the library

Grace in small things, December 2, 2015

1. Sis and her dance moves...Bubs too...so cute...
2. Sparkles floating gently in the air this morning in the bright sun...not sure what they were...tiny icy snowflakes drifting off nearby trees maybe?
3. Bubs and I racing against Daddy and Sis to see who could get buckled in their carseat first. Sis and Dad won and Daddy said to Sis, "Tell them!" and Sis said, "We won!" and Luke, mad about losing, howled, "No! I didn't want to be telled!"
4. We have a new mattress (ordered months ago, just brought home) that we slept on for the first time last night...it is divine...
5. A burger with jalapeños for dinner...love spicy stuff...
6. Luke in the bath watching the light on the water when it moves: "Look! There is lightening in my bath! Maybe that's what's making it warm." (It does look like lightening...one of the things I' love most about little kids is what poets they are...)

XOXO

1/50

It's my intention to be on the mountain 50 days this year (generally not full days, but just an hour or two or three...I have toddlers and a husband and a job, errands to run, etc. after all...)

Today was the first day and it was glorious. Not too cold, barely any people, the snow good for so early in the season...a few little patches of powder and some steep stuff at the end that I felt very comfortable on...it's been so long and felt so good to be on a board again...

And, some other lovely things that happened today:

1. The kids playing beautifully with their wooden toy trains...
2. And outside mid-day...we tried to make snowballs and it was impossible because the snow was so powdery...which I explained to the kids and later Luke said, "We couldn't make snowballs because the snow was sugar!"
3. So grateful for a couple hours to snowboard...
4. Chili and a warm fire after coming in from the cold...
5. Our Elf on the Shelf is back...his name is Mumpho Elphie (named last year by the kids) and the kids are so cute standing in front of him and talking about what they want for Christmas...

XOXO

Grace in small things, November 30, 2015

1. Such an incredibly special long Thanksgiving weekend with all my family in Junction...including this hike on Dinosaur Hill with my loves...
2. Snow snow snow! It's so Christmas-y!
3. I picked up my snowboard from tuning today and am hoping to get up on the mountain tomorrow...even if it's only for a few runs...it's been so long...since before kids...
4. My husband and I are aligned on a holiday decorating plan...not too much...still super festive...I'm excited...I love Christmastime!
5. My mom lent me May Sarton's "The House By the Sea," and I'm enjoying it immensely...
6. So happy driving into Steamboat yesterday evening...I'm so grateful to be living in this beautiful place...
7. Unusually quiet on our porch late last night, and a slinky red fox creeping through the snow just below, back and forth twice before vanishing around the side of our building...totally silent...

XOXO

Grace in small things, November 25, 2015

1. A hike with my dog today through the deserted woods and we ran into what I think were grouse, a dozen of them among the leafless aspens...at first meandering across the trail making a quiet trilling purring sound, but then flying out of reach of my dog...first time I've seen them...
2. Me to Sis this morning: "Want to go to the bank?" (Where they have lollipops, so she loves to go.) Sis: "Yes! Mommy, you're the best!!!" (She's been hugging me and kissing me and saying, "You're the best!" a lot lately...it's so lovely...
3. Car's all packed for a long weekend at my parents...can't wait...
4. A leisurely time packing this morning which was so nice, usually I'm rushed and stressed and behind with work and everything else when getting ready to go out of town, but this week everything's just come together...
5. The kids helped pack their favorite toys into their backpacks...so cute...Zo put in stuffies and then wore her backpack around the house for a couple hours this morning...Luke put in hot wheels, which made his pack too heavy for him to carry...lol

Happy Thanksgiving and XOXO!!

Grace in small things, November 24, 2015

1. An uneventful morning at home with this sweetie and his Sis
2. Newton's (our boxer's) eye is better...the vet wasn't too hopeful last week but he's doing great...
3. A skiier flying off a jump on Howlson Hill...Sis and I saw him/her while running errands and stopped at a stoplight downtown...first one I've seen here...and to see it running errands...so cool...I love this town...
4. Sis: "I love glitter and sparkles! They are the best ever!"
5. The whole town feels giddy with anticipation as ski season gets started officially tomorrow. I read in the paper this morning they've used over 40 million gallons of water making snow...so crazy...
6. Yellow and orange rings around the full moon tonight...
7. One of my cousins is going to have a baby! Happy for her, what a blessing...
8. Thanksgiving trip to my parents starts tomorrow...can't wait...

XOXO

Grace in small things, November 22, 2015

1. We went on an adventure yesterday morning and found such a great sledding hill! Up past Hahn's Peak...beautiful drive and great hill, good snow, solitude, we sled and dug holes in the snow and made snow angels, ate snow candy bars and just generally had a wonderful time...
2. Lunch at the Clark Store after...homey and warm, with a view of the cows in the fields...
3. My husband rewiring some old lamps...and cooking dinner...
4. The sun set behind our mountain at 3:51 PM yesterday...I love living in a place with seasons...
5. Luke to myself for an hour yesterday evening while Daddy and Sis ran errands...it's so nice to have one-on-one time with the kids (and so rare...we need to do more of it...)

XO

Grace in small things, November 20, 2015

1. The kids had a plan to "Make a cake that looks like Daddy" for Daddy's birthday...but when it came time to do it, Sis wanted to nap longer...so Luke made it happen with his Grandma...turned out so cute...
2. I worked my full workday late last night and early this morning, but it still felt like a day off as I spent the whole day after 10 AM hanging out with my husband and kids...
3. The kids wanted me to get Daddy out of the house while they made their cake, so I had some time with just my husband in town today...so nice...
4. Bubs got his ski pass with Daddy today...he was so excited with it around his neck...and so much snow on the mountain...
5. So much laughter and happiness in this house today...we are all so blessed...

XO

Sis at Daddy's birthday dinner

Feeding the ducks

Grace in small things, November 17, 2015

1. Kids out in the yard this morning getting used to their skis...they've been walking around in their boots but this was the first time with the skis themselves...went pretty well...
2. The mountain's opening early!!!!
3. Luke and Zo dancing around saying "Yay!!!" after seeing an email from my dad with a bunch of smiley faces in it
4. A fox last night meandering through our front yard
5. A good vet to help us with our boxer Newton...he's got something going on with his eye...but there are things we can try to help him, so...doing what we can...

XOXO

Grace in small things, November 16, 2015

1. A great (though super short) visit with my brother and his sweet family...the kids were most excited to see their cousins who played hot wheels with them (they made a huge traffic jam all the way around the coffee table) and painted their nails, which they love...the older kids are so sweet to them...
2. Driving home through a pretty substantial snowstorm on new studded snow tires, feeling super, super safe...
3. Zo picking out an outfit for tomorrow tonight and every evening lately...
4. The kids picking up their toys when I asked...granted, I used cartoons as a bribe, but still...
5. A self-imposed snow day tomorrow...we're going to stay home, play in the snow, read books by the fire, drink hot chocolate...6-10 inches of snow expected by morning...

XO

Snow princess

Grace in small things, November 13, 2015

1. The monkey and alligator "bendy buds" the kids got in the mail from their Grammy...made them so happy...
2. Luke calling himself my "pet baby whale," eg, "Mommy, your pet baby whale needs a snuggle," :) It's been going on for a while now and it's adorable...I have no idea where it came from...
3. The kids' imaginary fox friends "Drowner" (Zoey's) and "Beeper" (Luke's) have been doing such interesting things...like parachuting off the balcony this morning...love seeing the kids' imagination at work...
4. The kids' delight at the thin sheet of ice on part of the sidewalk this morning when we took the dog out...they slid and they laughed...and then Zo fell and it wasn't so fun anymore...(she was fine, though)
5. Making plans for my husband's birthday next week...makes me happy...

XO

Grace in small things, November 12, 2015

1. Kids clomping (so noisy!) around the house in their new (rented for the season) ski boots, getting used to them
2. So much snow on the mountain already!
3. I survived a big block of errands with 2 3-year-olds in tow this morning (iPad screen repair shop, an hour or so at the bank, the post office where the kids think the Easter Bunny gets his mail because it's across from the Rabbit Ears Motel, grocery store where the kids took one bite out of every piece of fruit they put in their little carts, UPS)
4. Meatloaf (made by Charlotte) for dinner...yum
5. Deadlines are getting met (kind of...work's a little out of control at the moment...)

XOXO

Grace in small things, November 11, 2015

1. Love the boisterous energy of this sweet boy...even though it means it's super hard to get a picture of him these days...
2. My dad emailing the kids smily faces...they say, "That means Papa likes us!"
3. Talking about a father/daughter trip next spring. So looking forward to it!
4. Snow everywhere this morning. And feeling the storm coming out on the porch last night under our electric blankets...it got 10 or 15 degrees warmer right before the storm, and then  icy cold with the start of the snow...so cool to sit outside and feel the shift...love our late evenings on the porch...
5. On the phone and emails with my dad and mom today...so looking forward to seeing them Thanksgiving and Christmas...
6. Work went super smooth this afternoon, especially as far as advancing some new types of headlines and tutorials we're trying...
7. Grateful for this normal day...

XO.

Grace in small things, November 10, 2015

1. A snowy, winter-y early morning hike, with the sound of snowmaking carrying (you can see the white puffs of it down low and up high). "Get ready for shock and awe the next few weeks," one of my husband's coworkers said to me the other day. "You won't believe how much snow is going to get made before opening day."
2. Newton's leg is healing up beautifully
3. My brother's helping us out with snow tires--and I get to see him this weekend!
4. Charlotte's making tonight's dinner so I don't have to worry about it
5. No deadlines today...though a lot of big ones are coming...

XO