The Rocky Mountains

Last week, Jeremy and I took an 8 day, 9 night vacation, alone....by ourselves, to Keystone, Colorado.  Yes, you read that correctly.  For some crazy reason, our parents worked together and granted us the gift of time for over a week.  The longest Jeremy and I have been together without children for the past 3 1/2 years was overnight...less than a handful of times.  When I was 8 weeks pregnant with Hannah, we went on a 3 day cruise, and that was the longest we had been alone since having children.  So....just over a week....was a dream and far more than we could show gratitude for.

While I was pregnant with Nicole, Jeremy's family all went skiing together.  I hung out with Valerie at the condo or in the ski lodge because I couldn't ski...and she didn't want to :-)  Since that trip, my dear husband has talked about skiing nearly every single day.  He LOVES to snow ski.  Loves it. If he had his way, we would go skiing at least once a year.  But, children came, and his dream of taking a trip kept being put on the back burner.  However, after over 5 years of being pregnant and/or nursing....I was "free".  Our plans commenced. 

The map of Keystone

The only thing we knew to do was go back to Summit County and stay at the resort that has night time skiing...Keystone Resort.  Jeremy did not get to ski there on our first trip. However we did go tubing one night there, which is when he discovered what a gem Keystone was. 

I have never skiied before.  I was a little nervous...he has been counting down the days to this trip for months.  Jeremy has been working incredibly hard the past several months, and I really think at times...this trip kept him going.  The hope of a week away.  And several days of slicing Colorado powder :-)

So, we stayed in Keystone, I took an all day ski class and he explored the mountains.  I called him about 3:00 that day crying...telling him I needed him.  After realizing I wasn't hurt, I was just emotional, he came to my rescue.  We went down the bunny hill a couple of times and he gave me further instruction on cutting down the hill. 

Just before my first time down the bunny hill.

We went back to the condo exhausted (OK, I was exhausted).  The next day, he took me up on the "big" mountain (as in...not the bunny hill).  I think I cried most of my way down (I'm emotional, crying gets the emotions out...even if they are "good emotions).  I was scared, I fell a few times, I was excited, I went to fast, I went to slow, I wanted to be dangerous and daring, I wanted to quit....all of those thoughts and feelings were flowing through me. 

I even had a ski guard guy ( I don't know what he is called) comment that he had never seen someone cry while sking before....I don't believe him because I've had lots of friends tell me since then that they have cried while skiing;)

The next day we didn't ski.  Work issues all day and randomly throughout the week.  'nuff said, I don't need to go into that.  However, that night we did go into town and I helped Jeremy build my first snow man.

Seriously....that is a lot of work!  I did not realize the time, effort and sweat that went into making a snowman!  We could not finish him because the bus came.  Nicole told us it needed a hat.

Woke up to a snowfall.  It was pretty.

Tuesday, we took on Keystone mountain again because I needed more practice.  That day off seemed to be good for me.  I did much better and even took on some blue runs "intermediate". 

Finally, I felt confident enough to go to another mountain.  Our first choice was Breckenridge (actually, it was our second choice, but we couldn't get to Vail until Thursday).  We had an amazing time in Breck (as the locals call it).  It snowed 6 inches the night before.  The powder was soft, there were not a lot of people...it was perfect.  I literally giggled through some of the runs.  We went on several blues that day and had a very nice time.  Breckenridge is a beautiful little town.  We had a yummy dinner at Briar Rose where I almost had Elk for dinner, until the wattress told me I needed to order is medium-rare...Um, no thanks.  I like the blood to stop pumping through the meat I'm eating, Thank you very much.  I had a yummy fillet Mignon. Jeremy had a lobster...we splurged :-)

Getting ready to ski in Breck.  It snowed most of the morning.

My favorite run.  It was super easy, very very gentle slope.  However, no one was skiing on it and it was so soft from all the snow.  I laughed the whole way down.  I needed a really fun ride, and this one was it.  I think I got hooked (and spoiled) on skiing from this one.

In front of the Breck trail map.

On top of Breck's mountain, getting ready for a fun blue run.

Can you see any black dots on that mountain?  Those are people.  Ridiculous, crazy people who hike a portion of the mountain so they can ski down it. 

Thursday we skied in Vail.  Everyone knows Vail, right?  Everyone asks if you have "skied Vail".  Well, my opinion if you want it, which I know you do, is that Vail is overrated.  I don't know....I just didn't like skiing there.  It was busy...and it was a weekday.  I can't imagine what a weekend would look like.  Also, this isn't Vail's fault...it just worked out this way, but it was warm...in the 40s.  We were hot, sweaty, and the snow was melting and slushy.  Also, you had to walk a long way to get to the lifts, and you had to "traverse" (push yourself along on your skis) large distances to get to different runs.  It just was not my thing.  However, they had some amazingly beautiful views.  But, I would rather ski somewhere else.

The view from the top of Vail's mountain.  It was beautiful!

Friday, we spent the morning at Arapahoe Basin (A-Basin), where Jeremy spent an entire week of skiing 5 years ago.  It was a strange day. The sun wasn't out and it's hard to describe, but we couldn't see.  The snow looked flat, even though we knew it wasn't.  We could not see rolls or steep areas of the mountain.  It felt like we were skiing blindfolded...it was very weird.  We went down a few really hard runs...one was way to hard for me.  I ended up sliding on my toosh until I got to more level ground.  It was to far above my level.  But, we got some great shots of the view from the back of the mountain.

We ended Friday back at Keystone.  I really wanted to night ski, so I took the afternoon off and just rested my legs.  Jeremy got to tackle some hard runs he couldn't do while I was with him, so I think he enjoyed himself.  When I thought I was ready, we went back up and decided to go down a blue I had done earlier in the week.  Here's the problem though, when night ski begins (at 4:00), they shut down a lot of runs. Well, the run we were on did not continue like we thought it did....it went down the big, massive, grand finale of a hill called "River Run".  I had been terrified of that steep hill all week and refused to go down it.  But now, with weary legs, I had no choice.  I had to do it.  (OK, not true...I had a choice.  At this point, I could have gotten on the gondola and ridden down to saftey to the bottom of the hill.  But, I wanted to be a "big girl" and go out with lots of pride and glory and leave all of effort on the mountain.  In hindsight, I should have gotten on that gondola!)

So, my knees are shaking, I'm scared to death, but I'm trying to talk my way down this mountain (I can't even call it a hill...it's so steep and so long!)  I go slow....v.e.r.y. s.......l......o......w.  About half way down, I fell.  I worked so hard to keep my emotions in check and not cry.  But, they overtook me....and I cried.  Not because I was hurt, but because I was tired and frustrated.  Some very nice ladies stopped and helped me up, but it took several minutes. 

OK, let me say two things here.  1. I told Jeremy to go ahead and go down the mountain...I would see him at the base.  So, he did.  I'm not sure he could have possibly kept up with my slow speed anyway. 2. The mountain snow had melted (it was in the 50s) and re-frozen (it was below freezing again) that day.  So, it was hard and slick.  I just could not cut into the frozen, icy snow.

So, I get back up and very carefully and slowly cut from one side of the mountain to the other.  I made it almost all the way down when I wiped out again.  This time doing a full 360 on my back.  Again....not hurt (except my pride) I lay there crying.  Embarrased, tired, exhausted and on the verge of quitting.  Two young snowboarders came up to me and told me that I just did "the coolest thing they had ever seen", referencing my 360.  I knew that it was not nearly as cool as whatever tricks they could do on their boards.  They sat with me while I cried.  I looked down the mountain to the base and I see Jeremy walking towards me.  He walks all the way up to me, sit down next to me and convinces me to slide the rest of the way on my back.  The nice snowboarding boys took my skis and polls, told me Jeremy looked like a turtle sliding on his back, and helped me down the mountain. 

That's the end of my ski trip. A snotty, crying mess of a woman who felt like a total dork, unable to conquer the one hill that invoked fear in me.  And you know what....I don't really feel all that bad about it:-)

That night we went to a fondue restaurant on top of a mountain in the Outback Bowl of Keystone.  This is where the crazy skier ride.  You must take two gondolas to get there (I didn't even know there were two gondolas).  It was a beautiful view and a fun dining experience.

Fondue Night.

I need to learn how to work my camera better.  My intention was to get a nice picture of us with the beautiful sunset and mountains in the back ground.  You can't see either.

So, I learned to ski, Jeremy finally got to ski, we spent a lot of time together,  played Uno almost every night, ate out way to much, talked a lot and just had a grand old time together.  Thank you mom and dad and Greg and Valerie for watching and loving our children while we were away (and while we are here too:)We greatly appreciate the sacrifice you guys made.

Dry-Erase markers and Homeschooling

I have found that one of the most popular tools in our home schooling adventures thus far are dry-erase markers.  Yes, we have two white boards that are hanging in our kitchen which all three children like to draw on....but I'm not even talking about that.

I have put together a three-ring binder that is full of Handwriting practice and phonics worksheets.  Each worksheet is placed in a plastic sheet protector. 

The girls can write on this sheet protector over and over.  It's saving me time and money because I don't have to be constantly printing worksheets.  And, more importantly, I can pull this binder out and Hannah goes to town as she practices writing her letters, which gives me time to help Nicole more closely with her math or reading. 

I can not believe how well Hannah traces the letters!  She has wonderful pencil (or marker) control.  She really likes to sit there and trace the letters and will do it for 15 minutes or so. 

Then, she erases her work and moves on to something else.  I would highly suggest all you home school moms to make a binder like this.  I will probably add some basic math problems in there too so Nicole can also practice her math whenever she wants to. 

This is a page I printed from worksheet works. This sheet challenges Nicole to think of the alphabet without singing it all the way through.  She has to write the letter that is between two letters, or in front of or behind.  They don't give the student much room to write, but this will be great practice for her as she begins to learn to alphabetize things.  Another great resources for handwriting sheets is Donna Young. I printed most of these sheets off of Confessions of a Homeschooler. 

So long cold weather....

I am pretty sure we will not have any more cold fronts this year.  It has been in the 80s for a few weeks now and there seems to be little sign of letting up. I sure hope this summer isn't unbearably hot. 

Either way, we cleaned out the little pool and spent an afternoon of water play last week.  This was Nathan's first experience with the pool and slide.  When I first put him in...he stood in one place and cried for several minutes. 

Finally, after being splashed and nearly knocked over by his sisters, he started bending down to splash in the water.

Then, he realized he could climb in and  out of the pool...which was basically all he wanted to do the rest of the time.  This little boy loves to climb!

Finally, he was brave enough to attempt the slide, which he absolutely Loved!

The girls, of course, loved every moment in the water.  Neither one of them stopped for one moment to rest. They just giggled uncontrollably as they went down the slide.  

There are many...many more days of fun to be had playing outside in the water.

Legacy

Several years ago, I remember our pastor's wife teaching the women's Bible study about how we leave a legacy with our lives.  Since then, I have always felt challenged to leave a legacy for my children that would bring honor to God.  I pray that when my life is over, there will be legacy left in the lives of people I know. 

Since then, I also like to watch for "Legacy in the making".  A few years ago, the birth center I had Hannah and Nathan at, had a big 10 year celebration.  It was amazing because there were all kinds of children there that were born into the hands of Dawn, my midwife.  I went up to her and reminded her to look around at the legacy she was leaving behind.

Well, the other day, we spent the afternoon at my parent's house, celebrating my little brother's one year anniversary to Erica.  We took a few pictures....and the first word that popped into my mind when I saw them was Legacy. 

Mom and Dad...this is your Legacy.

Your two Children & their spouses
Your three Grandchildren (with perhaps more in the future)

I hope you are proud of the legacy you are leaving behind.  You have made an impact on all of our lives.  One that I'm sure will be felt for generations to come.  This is Your Legacy.

Dinner at the beach

After the past several weeks of long hours studying, our family took this weekend for some fun!  And Fun we had!!  Jeremy took all three kids (by himself) to a "Big Boys" show up at a local arena.  They watched some trick motorcycle riding, checked out custom built motorcycles and cars, bounced in a bounce house, and ate popcorn. 

After naps, Nicole declared that it was a good day to go the beach because it was "Sunny and Bright".  We agreed, and loaded up the van to have a dinner picnic at the beach. 

It was a beautiful evening.  All three love the sand (however mommy and daddy don't).  They didn't really go swimming because Jeremy and I didn't have our bathing suits on. 

Nathan was pretty much constantly throwing sand, including down his own back.

Hannah just wanted to roll around in the sand and fill her little cup up.

Nicole played down by the water, digging holes and running from the waves.

Finally, Jeremy jumped in with the kids and built some super deep hole to cover the girls in.

I enjoyed a few "cry free" moments with my son.

Perfect ending to a beautiful Florida day.

President's Day

President's Day came and went this year, and I actually remembered it!

Last Monday we started our president's day celebration, and it continued all week as we read about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. 

While reading about Abraham Lincoln, the girls made a log cabin.  We painted peanut butter on a small tea box and then stuck small stick pretzels around the box.  If I thought ahead, I could have used a small milk box, because it would have helped us make the roof.  After I took the picture, Nicole added a chimney...however it looked like a cannon!

We also made George Washington wigs.  Now, this was very impromptu, can't you tell?  I used a bright green gift bag.  I cut out the shape of the wig, including the tail.  The girls painted glue all over the bag and then randomly stuck cotton balls over it. 

Finally, we made a President's Day necklace.  Nicole traced and cut out three different color stars.  We glued them together and then glued a penny in the center.  Hannah also made one, but I did all the cutting for her.

In between all of the crafts, we read several books about these two historic presidents and about the Presidency in general.  The girls also made a "book" that I printed from the Internet.  Nicole has one more book that she's making, but it keeps getting pushed to the side.

All in all, it was a fun day.  I know the girls learned a few fun facts about the George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.  Oh, we are also watching a PBS Cartoon called "Liberty Kids".  I don't think it's on TV anymore, but it is on netflix.  I am not a history buff...but it 's a nice little program that teaches children some basic information from the colonial period.  I enjoy watching it as well.

Now...on to Dr. Seuess' birthday!  That's Wednesday!