Skiing

BEST DAY EVER!!  Seriously one of my to 10!  I am so so glad we got to go.  I have wanted to take my kids skiing for years but never had the courage to do it.  It just seemed too hard and too expensive.  Last year the deacons quorum gave me the courage.  They took the deacons skiing so I got Brock and Noah all ready to go and it helped me visualize actually doing and and I realized I totally could.  It still seemed so expensive though, so we offered it to our kids as an option for a Christmas present and 3 of them took us up on it and asked for it for Christmas (Megan wanted a scooter instead).  I was still nervous and had anxiety all week, I have only skied once in the last 19 years (once in 2009).  I wasn't sure I even could let alone teach my kids.  I originally wanted to do lessons but lessons for all 4 of us would have costed over 700 dollars - whereas just lift tickets (at this ONE resort) would only cost 170.  So we watched some YouTube videos and hoped it would work out (and Noah and Brock did go last year and the leaders taught them).  Well... it worked out great!  About an hour into skiing everyone was doing great and we were all having a ball.

Here is what I wrote on Facebook:

Today was perfect. It checked so many boxes!

Doing something I love

Finding out I am still pretty good

Sharing what I love with my kids

Watching them enjoying it and being good at it

Spending one on one time on ski lifts

Having just fun with them as a group and individually

Watching the kids bond with each other, encouraging each other, and helping each other

All of us pushing ourselves, conquering fears, and trying new things

Brock and Madison became buddies and skied most of the time together because they have the same style - fast and furious. Noah and I cared more about form and style - he got good quick! This will go in my top 10 favorite days!

*to answer some questions. Megan didn't want to go and stayed home from school with Jason and the babies.

We went to Echo Mountain and it was perfect. Cheapest, closest, smallest, and we basically had the mountain to ourselves. I grew up skiing but I haven't skied since I was 17 (almost 20 years) except once in 2008. Brock and Noah went once with the Deacons in our church last year and this was Madison's first time. We didn't do lessons but watched a bunch of YouTube videos. By the second run everyone was confident and having fun.

It was so true!  This is a perfect activity because it provides so much quality one on one time - but also some great group fun time.  We encouraged each other, pushed ourselves, learned, and even got a lot of alone time up on the mountains.  I loved riding the ski lifts with the different kids. 

Noah and I became ski buddies early on.  Brock and Madison went quickly ahead and Noah and I decided we wanted to get down the hill in one  piece.  Noah became a great skier and after about 2 or 3 runs I never had to wait for him, he was right there with me.  After lunch we were all skiing together as Noah and I got a little braver and Brock and Madison slower

 

Brock and the Switch

About 2 months ago Brock decided he wanted to buy his own switch (about 400 dollars).  It took him about a month to convince us to let him.  Then he set off to make money.  He started at home.  He worked hard at a few jobs (including watching, dating, labeling, and organizing all my home videos!!) but after about 150 dollars we cut him off and said he had to earn the rest somewhere else.  He passed out flyers, posted things on Facebook, and prayed for snow.  He figured shoveling was the easiest.  He was such a hard worker and so diligent.  If it snowed he would go out early in the morning or late at night for hours knocking on doors and asking if he could shovel for $10.00.  I had some strangers call me complimenting Brock's sweetness and work ethic.  They couldn't' believe what a good job he did.  He even had a stranger let him take his snow blower to do all his jobs so it would go faster.  Between babysitting a family in our ward (2 boys 2 and 3) and shoveling he made the rest of his money.  He is loving his new toy!

 

Snow Day

The first week of March we woke up to a snow day.  I went and told the kids to not wake up and to just sleep in, then I gratefully went back to bed.  Then I felt a nudge, a nudge to get out of bed and make the kids milk mush.  I used to make a nice hot breakfast more mornings than not.  But when I became pregnant with Dane cereal in the morning became the norm and now I can not even tell you the last time I made something for breakfast (in the actual morning, I will often make something mid-morning, around 9:30 or 10).  This was my chance.  I got out of bed, did my normal morning routine, and then headed down to make milk mush. The kids were grateful. 

Brock was up and out of bed pretty early becasue he had been praying for snow.  He went out and shoveled from 8:30 to 11:30 and then again from 1 - 4:30.  He has been diligently trying to earn money for a switch.  Jason went out and shoveled and made this awesome sled hill for Dane and the girls.  Most of the day was spent outside playing in the snow - except Noah, he stayed downstairs and crafted all day.

 

Dane's animal and trains

ok - so we all agree Dane is the cutest thing ever!  I know all my other 2 year olds were this cute - but I swear Dane is the cutest (but even as I say it I know it is a lie, they were all so cute).  In fact, Jason made a comment the other day that I totally agreed with.  Heaven would be being with all our children at the age of 2.  So true!  It almost made me cry to think of the pure joy, to have all 6 of them as 2 year olds forever.  Now, I know that is anti plan of salvation, you know, progression and everything.  I digress.

As mentioned earlier Dane gets obsessed with things.  He loves it (and only it) for a week or two.  It started with footballs, then it went to dinosaurs, then horses, then airplanes, then cars, then trains, now all animals.  Right now he kind of loves them all - each one on any given day.  He is always carrying something around the house.  He will play by himself at his train table for a good hour.  He has the trains go around the track and "go in the time tunnel".  He will take all the animals out and have them talk to each other and him.  It is all so adorable.  He acts like a horse and gallops around the house.

 

Crafting

Holy Moly I am not really sure how I want to approach this post - probably because I don't know how to feel about it.  Sometime during the last year Megan and Noah discovered hot glue and cardboard.  This is where you will find Megan and Noah almost 24/7.  They sit in the basement and craft while listening to audio books.  I love it for a few reasons: it is creative, they are adorable, it isn't screen time, they are doing it together, its a new hobby, etc.  The reasons I hate it.  They go through hot glue like it is water, they have ruined our carpet and bathroom, it is always a mess.  Obviously the reasons for loving it are better than the reasons for hating it.  So it keeps going.