A skiers dream vacation...

We just got back from our winter break. We were able to go out West to visit with my sister and her family in Boulder. (pictures to come)

We were also able to get up to our favorite mountain - Vail. It is magical!!! The scenery is breathtaking, the skiing is amazing and being able to ski as a family is unforgettable!!

We had three days to hit the slopes. Two were sunny and one was snowy- the perfect combination.

Memorable Moments:

* Henry skiing down a trail of moguls (so determined)

*A very hot room- had to keep the window open at night which meant that it was snowing in our room one morning.

* Blue Sky Basin- two words- Terrifying and Beautiful

* Favorite Trails- Over Easy, Riccochet, Avanti

*Great meals

A Cute Note and A Cute Dog

Henry wrote this cute note to himself a few weeks ago and I just haven't had time to post it. It is so "Henry."

He must be copying me with his "to do" list.

Tomorrow

D.E. A.R. Day

Read

Have fun with Lucas and Anthony

Bring in The Lost Hero

wear red (wear German soccer shirt)

Make Kan feel good

Do the best that I can do

say nice things to everyone

be creative

wear sneakers for gym

drink all of my water

LEARN Lots

share about Pinewood Derby (bring in car, metal , certificate)

make everyone smile

make mom and dad laugh

smile as bright as I can

play with Max

His own quote- "If you don't have any problems then you have a problem"- Henry Edwards

Max- we missed him so much while we were away over break.....more to come on our break out West.

Valentines and a old fashioned arts and crafts project...

Emma was on the fence about making Valentines this year...she is growing up way to quickly. In the end, she made the right decision and made Valentines for everyone in her class (boys included).

Emma wanted to decorate in binder in a unique way so she look up on YouTube to get ideas and this idea was shown. It brought me back to when I was her age and did the exact same thing. Emma and Henry worked on this project for about 2 hours and the end result was AMAZING! Both of their binders are true representations on themselves. So funny to see what words they choose to describe themselves.

Lead Foot...Pinewood Derby

Introducing Lead Foot.... Henry's Pinewood Derby Car. This is always such a fun Cub Scout event for John and Henry. This year, they waited until the last minute to build the car and as the saying goes don't save things until the last minute because something will always go wrong came true. Henry's car never crossed the finished line due to the weight on the bottom getting caught on the track. The good news was that Henry was not there....he was busy at a Boston College basketball game.

He did win an award- BEST NAME!!! Way to go Henry!

My Valentine..

Things that I LOVE about John....

* He is the most loving husband and father. He makes time for any of us whenever we might need his advice, support or creativity.

* He is loved not only by his kids but by many others. He loves to coach and the kids that he coaches love him back. Even though he has a crazy, stressful job he always finds time to coach Emma and Henry's teams.

* He is highly organized.

*He is such a partner when it comes to the kids. He helps out with everything from putting the kids to bed, helping them with their homework/projects, always getting home to have dinner with his family and just loving them whenever they might need some love!

* He is super funny. He always is making me laugh with his silly comments and funny statements.

* He encourages me to do anything that I might not have the confidence to do!!

* He provides his family with everything. We are truly blessed!

* He is a great cook.

* He loves to plan trips and he is fantastic at it!

* He is a critical thinker- sometimes it drives me crazy but usually it is for the best!

I Love You John- Happy Valentines Day!

Sunday Prayers

Well, we were trying to get to church this morning but we needed to say our prayers before we got there! We slid down our driveway completely out of control. Luckily, we had two large snowbanks at the end of our driveway that the car got wedged between. It was great that they stopped us from going into the road but very hard to get the car out of. A big thank you to our neighbors who are always there to help me out in a pinch when John is traveling. John's travel schedule this winter has coincided with most of our snow and ice storms. John- are you planning all of these trips so you miss all of the fun?

John before he left on his flight to sunny/warm San Diego!

Haircuts....

Emma and Henry were in desperate need of haircuts.

Here are the before and after shots......

(sorry for the blurry shot)

My hand was probably still shaking from the anticipation of waiting for Henry's reaction. You never know what you are going to get with him as he HATES getting his haircut. Crystal (the hair stylist) is always under so much pressure when Henry walks through the door. This time he was happy!!!

Heart Attack....

Well, we're finally in the month of February and even though the weather outside is freezing we are all feeling of warmth from our homemade Valentines. I discovered this idea on a blog this pastyear and thought it was just so sweet. The kids come down every morning and look to see if there are new hearts with their names on them. It's so much fun reading something kind that someone else wrote about you. What a great way to start each day in February! As the days progress on, all of our cabinets will be decorated with little notes of love.

These are the cookies that we made two days ago when we were snowed in.....they are delicious. Thank you Jurgen, Tristan, Hagan and Laura!!!

Yet another snow day......

Today we have another snow day. Yesterday, the kids were sent home early..... I made chicken soup and this fabulous Apple Cake Recipe. On the menu for tonight- spinach lasagna!!

There's so much snow outside that I don't think that it will melt until May. We are running out of things to do/make/or play.

Max has a head full of mini snowballs.

Henry is making a bracelet for me.....

Emma is painting her nails in beautiful shadesof blue and purple.

I am listening to Pandora- a George Winston Mix.......

We are going to make cookies from a recipe that these guys sent us! Thank you Jurgen and Tristan for the wonderful recipe.

Boy- I wish that we were enjoying the sun and warmth that the summer months bring!