Glen Alps Sledding

This trip was mostly characterized by all the crying, but it had its moments. It was a beautiful day, and we were all together.

A determined Esther pulling her sled.

 We saw some people para-sailing

"I wanna do that."
       - Esther on para-sailing

Telling dad about it.

Getting carried home. A little sack of potatoes.

Piano lesson

Andy teaching Esther some piano skills.

Moonlight walk

On the full moon the other day Svea organized a walk at night in the dark so the kids could see that the full moon was bright enough that we didn't need lights. We walked from 6PM - 7:30PM but unfortunately we didn't get to see the full moon, it was a little too cloudy. Still it was bright enough to walk without lights, and the kids loved running through the little trails at night.
It was not bright enough for pictures, although I did make an effort.

Here we are at the halfway point stopping for hot chocolate.

To take a picture the camera would use a long delay and a big flash, so this is all you could get.

Back on the big trail.

1/25/2016

If I tell Esther I'm getting dressed she'll say, 'I help you!' and then she wants to do all the things I do for her when I help her get dressed. She wants to hold the sock while I put my foot in. She wants to hold my pants while I put each leg in and she'll say, 'Ooooonnnnneee, twwwwwwwwoooo' as I'm putting in each of my legs. Then she'll help me pull them up.

The other day she was helping me put on a pair of skinny jeans and ok, they were tight. She says, 'Mama, these not fit you'. So I put on a vest to cover the part that didn't fit so well. Then she wanted a vest too. 

***

When I'm home she follows me everywhere I go and I if I sneak away to eat a cookie, or take a nap, or try to put on clothes by myself I'll hear her walking around the house yelling, 'Mama, where ARE you?'

1/23/2016

Van: "Butt-cheek! Butt-cheek! Butt-cheek! Butt-cheek!"
Me: "Van stop that."
Van: "But mom, I'm saying 'But' like 'But I just let the dog out'. That kind of but. and then just cheek. Just the two words next to each other. But cheek. But cheek! But cheek! But cheek!"
Esther: "But cheek! But cheek! But cheek!
Me: sigh.

****
Deep thoughts from Van

Van: "Mom, people are building new things every day huh?"
Me: "Yeah."
Van: "And someone has a birthday every day huh?"
Me: "Yeah that's right."
Van: "And maybe someone is born every day?"
Me: "m-hmh."
Van: "And someone dies every day too?"
Me: "Yeah, that's true."
Van: "And people go to the store every day?"
Me: "Yep."


****

Van wants to be a scientist. He recently he said he wants to be the kind who mixes things and makes things (like explosions) like Honey Lemon, a character on one of his favorite movies, Big Hero 6.
So that is kind of fun.

More skiing

I haven't written in a while. I have been very sick. I am nauseous every waking hour, and tired. I just go to work, come home, lay next to the kids while they play and then go to sleep, usually before them. True I have been skiing a little, but that is it.
Then suddenly yesterday, I felt less bad. Still bad, but not as bad. And today I woke up feeling much better. I still got sick around mid-day but I had all morning to just enjoy not being nauseous. It was amazing. Hopefully everything is still fine and this stage is just ending.

Here are some pictures of the only thing we do, some skiing.

Esther and I skiing while Van is out with his Jr Nordic group.

We stumbled upon another jr. Nordic group having a hot chocolate break and they gave Esther a cup. She was pleased.

Haha, after practice, kids waiting for pickup.

Finn coming up the hill.

Hi Finn!

Keeping a lookout for Van

Esther playing on a snowpile.

There he is!

 Both on the snowpile

This is from a different day where Peter, Svea and I took the kids around the Spencer loop.

And this is from another day where Svea and her friends brought Van skiing with them after school.

Skiing down hills

Some videos from the Spencer loop

Another Spencer loop

The kids did the Spencer loop again. Old hat at this point.

Getting Van to pose for a picture these days is always interesting.

My cute little cargo

Sledding

A quick sledding trip to Service

Jr Nordic

We just finished Van's first week of Jr Nordic. They ski Monday and Wednesday nights from 6:30 - 7:30 and Saturday morning from 10:00 - 11:30. Van is in the Polar Cub group.

Esther and I skied while we waited for Van. She skied the first 30 mins or so and then I pulled in her the Chariot while she napped for the last hour.