Wednesday, February 29, 2012

entrepreneurialism

Sweet Hamp is an early riser.
Yesterday he popped out of bed at 6:30am while I laid in bed waiting for the snooze button to go off a third time. He went to the kitchen and by the sound of things, I could tell he was up to something...
Turns out that little bugger was making my coffee!!!
He did it all by himself, and he was so proud. I was duly impressed with his coffee making skillz, and no doubt it was the best cup o' joe I've ever had!

This morning saw a near similar routine.
However, the twist on today's story is that Hamp took his kind gesture just a bit further and here is what I saw when I (finally!) got out of bed for my morning cup:
Needless to say, I gave him a whole dollar for the pot.
I just hope inflation doesn't hit our house - or I'll have to switch to tea!

Sunday, February 26, 2012

(not so) busy weekend


Our adventures this weekend have left me with only one photo - 
and I clearly am trying to mimic the habit blog with my shot!

Now... I do not think myself as hip and poetic as to be able to sum up the day in a couple of profound and mysterious sentences, but I will tell you that the moment captured above sums up the warm creative feeling I've had today!

The boys spent Friday and Saturday enjoying playdates with no fewer than 11 friends at our house, their house, the park, the pool and everywhere in between! Consequently, we were ALL tired today and chose to skip a ski day and hole up together at home.

It has been great - we have read books, played the wii, taken Gabe on a long walk at the park, shared a big breakfast together, watched cartoons, fixed a leaky kitchen faucet, played at the park and colored pictures. We're now gearing up for a little Oscar viewing (yeah! Billy's back!!!) and what will hopefully be another great week at school. ☺

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Birthday Party!

What a way to celebrate!
My dear friend Trina did it right - a ski day/night out with her husband, a ski day with friends, a day with family, and best of all a snowshoeing adventure with just the girls (and the dogs!)
Lucky me to be invited to the best birthday party ever...

We started the day with a Bloody Mary... (thanks, Jason!)

It was a great day to hike - though it started off a little chilly and overcast, the sun soon came out and we were working up a sweat!


My favorite picture: the girls and the dogs!
The trail was beautiful, the snow was plentiful and the company was excellent...
We didn't see any wildlife... 

Before long, we made it up to the "Warming Hut" and were able to take a load off, sit in the sun, have some snacks, and make a toast (or two, or three!) to the birthday girl!





I absolutely LOVED watching Gabe in the snow - probably not as much as he loved being there! He ran circles around us the whole time and had the most fun playing with his dog friends.

headed back down the trail

Thanks for a great day!
I can't think of a better way to celebrate ~ Happy Birthday, Trina!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

ski season spirit

A long weekend made for some really great time on the mountain - we hit Sunlight on Friday and Sunday and collectively decided that it might have just been the best 2 ski days ever!

Friday was "Meeker Day" at the slopes.
I counted 12 families, making it about 50 people we knew from town that were at the mountain and it could not have been a more perfect day to be outside!
It was sunny and relatively warm, the snow was great and everyone was in a mood to really ski well. (believe me, that is not always the case!)
Having 2 dozen other kids there to pair up with and ride the lift together made it particularly fun for the boys. And having several other adults around made it particularly easy for mom & dad to get on the mountain for a "big kid" run with friends! (thanks, Meredith!)
It was so nice to ski, but also to socialize.
As we sat outside at noon in the sunshine having a buffet lunch of whatever anyone brought from home plus some of Sunlight's crack-infused french fries and a beer, I realized that despite my love for a good run down the mountain and a full day of skiing - what I have come to love most about going is being with friends and family and doing it together. So Friday was perfect.

Then Sunday came and we packed up again for another day in the snow.
This time, it was extra special because we were all pushing some personal limits with the sport.


Sam did at least 7 green runs - which is pretty good for his stamina! - and 1 really awesome blue run that tested his skills and his fortitude. He learned that bravery was doing something even though it scares you and he came out a better little dude for it all!


Hamp, out of nowhere it seems, started hitting the terrain park - the area with all the jumps! - and made his mother pretty nervous the few times he let me follow him and watch. He fearlessly approached the lips of a few jumps and then just sailed right off of them! I don't think he heard me shriek, but he definitely heard me congratulate him on "catching some sweet air" and looking pretty smooth when he did it!

Jason snuck in a couple of his own big boy runs, and made it to the bottom with a look on his face that was a combination of pride, disbelief and a little exhaustion! Then he showed me the picture he took with his phone of the run he did and I understood why he was a little roughed up.

As for me, I decided to pick up my snowboard after about 3 years and make sure I could still stand up! With a lot of encouragement from my kids and a lot of self deprecating comments from me, I managed to have a great day of not looking too terribly stupid on a snowboard!

And the best part of it all was that we didn't have to hurry home to get ready for school/work on Monday!

I didn't have a camera with me all weekend - the pictures above were either thanks to friends or from Jason's phone! - but just as I was lamenting the fact that I couldn't get a video of Hamp's jump or a picture of Sam skiing, I realized that I was able to just enjoy the whole day and not worry about getting a picture of it! Anyway, there is still some season left and a few more days to get out there and play! And next time, I'll bring a camera....



Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Saturday, February 11, 2012

superheroes

Friday was a big fun day for Sam - 
his buddies came over after school for some lunch and play time!
It did not take long for them to disappear into Sam's room and raid the dress-up drawer - reappearing as their own version of the Fantastic Four:



 Sure am glad they were all here to keep the house safe all afternoon!
(check out the vicious, giant dog under the table! Not sure if they thought he was a side-kick or a monster who needed to be vanquished...)

Saturday, February 4, 2012

growing Gabe

Today, our puppy is 6 months old! 
And he has been very busy growing like a weed...
2 months
3 months

4 months
5 months
6 months
He has grown 4-5 pounds a week steadily since we got him - and when he was weighed at the vet this week he was 96 pounds!!! Yikes... wonder what the next 6 months will bring?!?!?

Although we haven't gotten very much snow this year, the little bit we have makes Gabe happy!

And playing with Gabe makes Hamp & Sam very happy!

In case you were wondering about how the kitties are adjusting to life with a puppy, well Minou (the old lady!) was naturally quite unhappy about it at first... but he is growing on her! He patiently waits for her to finish eating before he chases her through the house and they have learned to share the couch for naptime!
Oh, and Little Kitten (the wild one!) will not even be seen in the same room as the dog! 
That relationship has got a lot of growing to do...


So, despite the dog hair all over the house and clothes, and the muddy paws that track in the kitchen, and the giant turds in the backyard, and the $15.95 I owe the library for the book he chewed up...
... having sweet Gabe around for hugs, kisses, walks and puppy love is worth it all!!!