First Jeep trip
First Jeep trip of the year, up past Hahn's Peak, although we didn't make it far before turning around due to some serious snow. We had a great time and got the Jeep muddy, though! And played the animal game and saw 2 cranes and a whistle pig running across the road. We were trying to get to 11 animals today and made it...
Sooooo looking forward to jeeping this summer!
XO
Grace in small things, April 21, 2017
- Gorgeous early morning snowy hike...so quiet and peaceful (and cold!), followed by breakfast with some friends...
- Reading to the kids on the couch...
- Hearing frogs croaking from our deck...
- Reading a grown-up book, For The Love, it's amazing...
- Trying to take a relaxing bath just after putting the kids down...but they wanted to be in the bathroom with me (actually, in the bath, but I drew the line)...I finally gave up and took turns snuggling them in their beds and doing "scratchy and song" until they were fast asleep...times like that with them is so precious...
XO
Learning celebration + grace in small things, April 20, 2017
I'm a day late with these pics but the kids have little "Learning Celebrations" at school occasionally and they (celebrations) are so cute! I love their preschool so much. Yesterday they did a little song where they went from being seeds to growing into a tree, and then each kid read a little book they'd written and illustrated. Kids are so proud to show their moms and dads what they've been learning and doing...
Anyway, here are some nice things that happened today:
- Slept 'til 7 AM this morning...been waking up super early (between 4 and 5 AM) which has its good and bad points...I definitely need some more sleep though...the other day my husband asked if I had black eyes--had I maybe hit my head snoboarding?--because of the dark circles :(
- Loving getting a daily dose of pictures from my Dad on the Camino...
- Needed help with the kids to make it to an important conference call on time today and a sweet friend of mine was happy to lend a hand...loving the community I'm building in Steamboat...
- Zo not wanting me to work after preschool and so grateful that I can snuggle her on the couch and talk and read to her the rare times that happens and just delay getting to work (aka going into the bedroom). So grateful I can make it all about them and still work some, too. This setup is really ideal for a mom of young kids, even though I very often feel "fractured and frazzled," as my husband and I deemed it last night discussing things on the porch...
- Jenga with the kids and Daddy tonight...love playing games together...
XO
Grace in small things, April 18, 2017
- Everything's so green all of a sudden this week...all the trees leafing out...so excited for spring!
- Monkey park and throwing rocks in the river this morning...and Luke making little stick boats to send down the river to his Uncle Luke...and speaking of Uncle Luke, we've been watching the movie "Sing" and Zo is in love with the little punk rock porcupine girl...wish she could hang out with her uncle and his punk band...
- A walk with a friend today, Spring Creek trail, already dry (no mud)...it was lovely...oh, and the little blue-purple butterflies everywhere were so pretty...
- Kids doing some TV time with Daddy...a little unexpected window of time to relax...
- The Whole 30 is almost over! Wine and sushi and cheese (blue cheese, specifically) are at the top of my list of desires...but I am going to go off it (Whole 30) carefully (adding 1 thing at a time) so I can figure out what I need to stay away from to keep feeling this great. :)
XOXO
Grace in small things, April 17, 2017
- Returned our seasonal ski rentals today, with the requisite "ride" in the snow cat after...such a fun ritual...
- And while we were there, got a little backpack (on sale, yay)...nice to have something small for quick kid hikes...the pack I have is too big for our little jaunts, but I can't go with nothing with the kids...
- Big organization/laundry day around the house, switching everything over from winter to spring...feels good...
- Company beach-themed party tonight at the Sheridan...fun...
- Zo at the party, watching her daddy walk towards her: "I really really really REALLY love my daddy! He is the best daddy in the whole wide world!"
- Super snuggly kids during bedtime stories, and then straight to sleep...
- Luke's prayers tonight: "I'm grateful for Mama and love." (Every night before bed we talk about what we're grateful for. It's usually a pretty long list...but these short lists are always super sweet...)
- One more day and the Whole 30's over! It hasn't been terrible, but I'm looking forward to a glass of wine on the porch with my husband and warm blankets and a million stars...
XO
Day 39
Sis wanting a Daddy day + Luke totally up for the slopes = an unexpected last day on the mountain. And what a great (but strange) day it was. Luke likes the moguls on Norther so I went down with him (and terrible, big and icy and unforgiving, no question Luke made it through better than I did)...and my pocket was unzipped and I lost my phone but we looped back around and there it was (although it did mean we had to do the moguls again, lol). And then Luke lost a ski on the lift but it got sent up. And then we lost his fruit snacks and never found them, oh, the tears over fruit snacks, seriously.
But it was sunny and warm and the snow was decent and Luke's just no problem down any blue I take him down and at the end of the day we by chance got to ride down on the coveted blue gondola--with girls dressed as unicorns, no less. Luke had seen it (the gondola) riding up (there's just one) and mentioned that he'd love to ride it down and there it was when we were ready to go, so cool. Luke and I have decided that it needs to be a closing day tradition to ride the blue gondola. And that we need costumes for closing day next year. And Sissy and friends would be great too. Also, as an aside, I want to hike up and ride down start and end of the season next year but that's a non-kid endeavor...
Happy Closing Day!!
XOXO
Steamboat ski season, 16/17
Today was--I believe--our last day of the season, although the mountains' open 2 more days so we'll see.
Here's Luke on a cookie break at the top of Sunshine (we brought cookies out for all the lifties today, with a little note thanking them for boosting the kids all season), Duckie in his (Luke's) pocket, nice sunny spring day. Kids were just killing it on the blues today...they are amazing!
Some thoughts on the season:
- I skied with people much more than last year, super fun, lots of time with Meghan (and last weekend with her 4-year-old Milan as well), a few times with Abby, a few times with Jaimie, Bailee, Bodie, once with a Sheraton group for Stars Mountain Challenge, Sandie Godsman, Jack Painter, a few others here and there. And of course the kids from start of February on. I went alone some too but loved having the company on the mountain...
- Snow was good but not as good as last year. It stopped snowing sometime in February and didn't really start again. I had so many powder days last year, this year just a handful...
- Kids went from barely standing at the start of their first lesson to just incredible skiers. I mean, they're just 5, so they're beginners, but the progress I saw this year was amazing. And they love hitting the bumps and going up and around things on the side of the trail and into the trees and shortcuts, they are both daredevils which is equal parts the coolest thing and terrifying...
- Last half of the season almost every time I went out I went with the kids...it's a different pace...slower, of course, they need a lot more too, I needed to be more prepared...but they're only going to be young skiers once and I don't mind at all slowing down for them. It's so great to both be able to get out on the mountain and be with them at the same time...I've been waiting for this...
- Love Steamboat...such a magical place...so grateful to spend the time out on the trails that I did this year...
XO
Downloading
Skied yesterday, briefly. Bottom of the mountain is closed so here we are taking the gondola down. Kids love gondola rides, they've got a whole routine from the bottom which includes:
- Hopping in and taking a seat
- The "wobble cycle," where the gondola speeds up and they stand and wobble
- The witch's house (the witch does both good and bad things on the mountain), Donald Duck's house, and the Sleeping Giant, all of which were explained to Luke and Zo by some cool teenage girls on a gondola ride mid-season
- The "speed cycle," at the top, when the gondola speeds up as you enter the building
- Hopping out, followed by sliding down the railing to the snow vs walking down the stairs like most people do.
Downloading it's all reversed.
Kids are so great for making you notice/appreciate the little things. By myself it's just a gondola ride...
Can't believe the season's almost over...
XO
Grace in small things, April 12, 2017
- The balloon we see most mornings on our way to MOPS
- And speaking of MOPS, love, love, love those ladies! So glad to be a part of that group...it's been a huge blessing...
- So warm today! Loving the sunshine!
- Blowing bubbles with the kids. Bubbles are so fun...
- Taxes are done, yay!
XO