Christmas 2013

Wowee...what a week!  I've been crazy busy over here...hence the lack of posts!  I've worked everyday since Christmas so that has been taking up my days and then hanging out with the family in the evenings so I haven't had a chance to catch up...on anything!  I'm really enjoying work, although I do go through quite a bit of guilt being away from my family...but I won't be working this much once the holidays are over.  

Anyway...back to Christmas!  By the way...I did have Christmas Eve and Christmas off...which was a very much needed break!  Being a ski instructor has got to be one of the most grueling jobs!  Picking up children, lugging skis, hiking up the tow hill...bottom line...it's a work out!  But that's a post for another day.

Okay, back to Christmas...again.  We had so much fun!  I just love Christmas!!  The girls were super excited and Haley woke up several times throughout the night "to check to see if it was morning."  So needless to say Ryan and I didn't have to best sleep...but that is to be expected the night before Christmas.  We woke up with Haley and Morgan pacing in our room around 6:30 and we got the little ones up about 6:50.  Not too bad.  

Santa Came!!

(Please excuse that blanket on the couch...I wished I moved it before I took the picture.  It's for a sneaky dog that likes to sleep on the couch.)

The girls with their Christmas jammies that they opened Christmas Eve.

When Piper wears hers I want to shout out, "What does the fox say?!"  

Some things Santa brought...

Haley and Morgan:  ski helmets and goggles, doll wardrobe (perfect for their American Girl doll clothes and accessories), legos and new books.

Piper and Rory: Play-Doh, Duplos and a new book.

 After opening presents we had our traditional breakfast of monkey bread, sausages and eggs...nom, nom, nom!  Later that afternoon my family came over for a ham dinner.  We were especially lucky not only to have my mom and dad in town, but my other brother Andrew too!  So I was able to have my whole family together at the same time!!  I just loved having everyone together!

At one point in the evening we had a massive dart gun fight!

The pictures just doesn't do it justice as it was a pretty crazy affair...seriously...it was nuts.

 The girls with their cousin Jett.

I love how the majority of my children are still wearing their jammies from the morning.

 My dad and a couple of my brothers, Matt and Andrew.

And last but not least...my crazy family.

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!  Tonight we are gathering at my parents' house for New Year's Eve!  We'll see how late my children can go before they have complete meltdowns!

Happy New Year Everyone!!

Christmas Eve!

I hope I'm not the only one with children who are going absolutely crazy...seriously, it's hyper city around these parts!  And this time of year also increases the volume in which my children speak...and with an already loud house, you can imagine how it is now!  I feel bad for the people who stop by...they are bombarded with my children telling (which feels like they're yelling because they are talking so darn loud) about every decoration in the house and showing (or shoving in our guests' faces) their Christmas Eve presents.  But even with all the craziness...I'm super giddy about Christmas!!  Christmas is ten times better with children!  Truly, it is.

I worked four days straight this week...I get Christmas Eve and Christmas off, and then I'm back at it on Thursday.  It's been fun...I've worked with mainly 4-5 year olds which is a hoot.  

Selfie on the lift.  

Don't worry, I wasn't in a lesson when I took this.

We've been getting a few snow showers here and there which is nice...we'll have a white Christmas for sure!

I can't help but cringe when I look at this picture...how is this my child?

The girls have already skied a few times with Ryan.  They may even go today...gotta wear these kids out somehow!!

 And Piper loves her little skis...she tromps around the front yard in them.

And finally...did you watch the season finale of Survivor Blood vs. Water???

Yep...he did it!

Our very own Tyson Apostol won!!

Totally weird watching someone that's been in my very own house on TV.  And to see his family in the audience, the very same people we saw every Wednesday night at the Mt. Bike Series.  Kinda fun!

So happy for him!

Well, it's time for me to get to baking!  We'll be spending Christmas Eve at my brother's house and then I'll be hosting Christmas dinner here.  Better get busy!

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!!

Quick Update

Piper modeling her favorite pajamas...seriously, she wears them all the time.  I haven't even been able to get my hands on them yet to throw then in the wash.  Perhaps one day...when she grows out of it.

Let's see...here's what's been going on lately:

* A cold has sneaked its way into the house...both Piper and Rory and maybe even Morgan now have come down with the runny noses and cough.  Bummer.

*  Work is going really well for me.  I've done several ski lessons already as well as many training clinics on the mountain.  The weather is warming up to the 30's this week which is pretty darn nice compared to the single digits we had the first week I was there!

*  Christmas shopping, work, as well as just trying to keep up with everyday chores (cooking, cleaning, laundry, yadda, yadda, yadda) is taking up ALL of my time!!  Hence the lack of posts lately.  But I'm so excited for Christmas...I just love this time of year!  I've been very careful these last two years when it comes to Christmas shopping.  It's definitely a learning process with kids on how to avoid buying all the junk!  The kids are getting some really fun stuff....I can't wait!  Plus, my entire family (parents and brothers) will be together this year, which is a little Christmas miracle!

Well, I better get back to it.  Hopefully I'll be able to get out a post or two before Christmas!

The past week or so.

Seems like life just got crazy...or crazier anyway.  

I decided to do a quick update with some photos from the last week or so.

Rory's very impromptu birthday party.  Seriously, it was so spontaneous that Ryan and I ran out and bought her a present literally an hour before it...with her in tow.  Thanks to my mom who was totally cool having all of us bombard her house to celebrate last minute.  And the only reason it was last minute was because the rest of the week was too crazy, plus my dad was flying out of town...it was kind of then or it wasn't going to happen.  Hopefully she won't remember it being too lame.

She did an awesome job at blowing out the candles...only a little bit of spit hit the cake.

We have been getting slammed with the snow fall the year!  And the temps are crazy low!  Like highs in only the teens and lows in the negatives!

Of course the dogs love this time of the year because they now live in the house.

And of course Haley spoils them rotten.

I started working on Friday...I'm currently three days in.  Still finding my groove, but I enjoy it.  Although, being on the mountain when the high is only about 10 degrees is a bit out of my comfort zone.  When I get home I'm I cannot warm up...it isn't until I take a very hot, scalding shower that I feel better...and hot chocolate helps too.

Sunday afternoon we finally decorated.

It's very Christmasy in our living room now!

And we picked a different kind of tree...I love it...although we had to chop the top off to get it to fit in the room.  But I think it's so pretty!

Tomorrow, it's more skiing.  Haley's class is coming up to Sundance for the Ski Utah program...so that should be fun!

Happy Monday!

A little reminder.

So I follow this blog called Clover Lane.  She's a mother of six ranging from college age to baby...so she definitely knows a thing a two about raising children.  Although she is much more organized than I'll ever be I find myself gravitating to her posts quite often.  

Anyway, her post today was a keeper.  Seriously, I need to read this everyday...it's a good reminder.

So, here you go...and I dare you not to cry.



An Erma Bombeck Column:

A young mother writes: "I know you've written before about the empty-nest syndrome -- that lonely period after the children are grown and gone. Right now, I'm up to my eyeballs in laundry and muddy boots. The baby is teething; the boys are fighting. My husband just called and said to eat without him, and I fell off my diet. Lay it on me again, will you?"

OK.

One of these days, you'll shout, "Why don't you kids grow up and act your age!"

And they will.

Or, "You guys get outside and find yourselves something to do ... and don't slam the door!"

And they won't.

You'll straighten up the boys' bedroom neat and tidy -- bumper stickers discarded, bedspread tucked and smooth, toys displayed on the shelves. Hangers in the closet. Animals caged. And you'll say out loud, "Now I want it to stay this way."

And it will.

You'll prepare a perfect dinner with a salad that hasn't been picked to death and a cake with no finger traces in the icing, and you'll say, "Now, there's a meal for company."

And you'll eat it alone.

You'll say: "I want complete privacy on the phone. No dancing around. No demolition crews. Silence! Do you hear?" And you'll have it.

No more plastic tablecloths stained with spaghetti.

No more bedspreads to protect the sofa from damp bottoms.

No more gates to stumble over at the top of the basement steps.

No more clothespins under the sofa.

No more playpens to arrange a room around.

No more anxious nights under a vaporizer tent.

No more sand on the sheets or Popeye movies in the bathrooms.

No more iron-on patches, wet, knotted shoestrings, tight boots, or rubber bands for ponytails.

Imagine. A lipstick with a point on it. No baby sitter for New Year's Eve. Washing only once a week. Seeing a steak that isn't ground. Having your teeth cleaned without a baby on your lap.

No PTA meetings.

No car pools.

No blaring radios.

No one washing her hair at 11 o'clock at night.

Having your own roll of Scotch tape.

Think about it. No more Christmas presents out of toothpicks and library paste.

No more sloppy oatmeal kisses.

No more tooth fairy.

No giggles in the dark.

No knees to heal, no responsibility.

Only a voice crying, "Why don't you grow up?"

and the silence echoing, "I did."



With the winter season in full force now my laundry room is constantly scattered with jackets, gloves, hats, snow pants, boots and puddles.  Oh, and socks...socks are EVERYWHERE!  It's easy to get frustrated of the constant messes that I can never seem to clean.  

Let it go.  

Sedona Thanksgiving 2013

Last week we celebrated Thanksgiving in Sedona with the grandparents.  The weather was lovely and we were able to squeeze in a lot of fun outings.  It was almost close to a perfect trip, but then Ryan had to go and get sick Tuesday night with the throw ups...that wasn't so cool.  But then, it's really not a family trip unless someone gets sick or goes home with stitches.  I'm learning to roll with it.  Although, that didn't keep me from being on high alert the rest of the week, waiting for those dreaded words, "Mommy, my stomach hurts."  But fortunately, after Ryan made a quick recovery the rest of stayed healthy and happy.  I call that a win!  

Courthouse hike.

Ryan and I got out for a couple of rides together too!

Red Rock Crossing hike.

West Fork Hike.

Feeding the ducks at Talaquepacque.

It was a really fun and relaxing week!  And Grandma Sandy cooked up a stellar Thanksgiving feast!

Now today we woke up to the snow plows in full force!  We are getting quite the dumping of snow today, and it's still coming down!  There must be over a foot out there already!   Ski season here we come!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Rory!!

Today you are two!

Celebration to come!

Naps

Kinda lost it this afternoon.  Fridays are early out for the kids...they get out at 1:30 which makes it a bit tricky when it comes to Rory's nap schedule.  I normally lay her down at 12:30, but on Friday's I have to keep her awake so I can walk to pick the kids up at 1:30.  By the time I get home around  2:00 I can lay her down then.  But as you can imagine, she's hanging on by a thread as soon as 1:00 rolls around.  Today she fell asleep as soon as I put her in the stroller...this is NOT good...transferring a sleeping kid from the stroller into the crib is risky and I may lose her nap altogether!  

So already I was grumpy by the time I got the kids.  And of course Piper wanted to ride her two wheel which makes things a little cumbersome when crossing the streets and I have to help her on and off all the while I'm trying to rush so I can get Rory back home ASAP!  Well, I wasn't fast enough and Rory perked up, wide awake by the time I pulled the stroller into the driveway....NOOOOOOO!  I laid her down in her crib anyway and just hoped she would decide to go back to sleep.  I really wanted my break!  She cried out for about 10 minutes...but thankfully, she fell asleep.  

I got lucky today.  

Isn't in funny how us moms live for nap time?  Our whole world revolves around that one break in the middle of the day...and we do anything we can to make sure we get it!  Like driving with the windows open even it's 40 degrees outside...I may or may not have done this one a few times.  Aaaahhh, aren't kids so fun?

Piper playing in the leaves last week.

Tomorrow I have another meeting for ski school.  Perhaps there will be more people in my age group this time??  Then we're packing up on Sunday for our trek to Sedona on Monday!

Happy weekend ya'll!

Trying to fit in.

Yesterday I had to attend an ALL day meeting for this new job of mine.  There were about 70 people who attended, everyone from different departments of the resort.  I kid you not, there were maybe 5 people over the age of 30 in the room...I bet the average age was 20.  Really.

So anyway, I tried to fit in as best I could...perhaps people will think I'm in my late 20's???  We were all filling out the massive amount of paperwork for the job.  But after I filled out a bunch of it, I realized I might have done it wrong.  You see, I still have my maiden name on my social security card...but I go by my married name.  Should I scribble it out?  Should I hyphenate?  Should I just put my maiden name??  The lady from HR comes over to help me...but instead of quick answer she immediately thinks I'm a newlywed who hasn't changed my social yet.  "Awww, how long have you been married?!"

I mumble...."Um....14 years."

I see all four people at my table look up from their paperwork.

Busted...my cover was blown.

So much for being a 20 something.

I should have lied.

The big news.

Well, after 9 years I'm now officially employed again.  Shocked?   I know, me too kinda.  

I'm joining my brother at the Sundance Ski School...yes, I'll be a ski instructor.  It's now become a family affair.  I've been keeping it under wraps because I wouldn't be able to bare telling people that I didn't get the job if that were to happen.  But this morning I got the official word that I indeed got the job...so I guess I can share the news now.  

The interview process was interesting.  The first step was to interview at a massive job fair...this was quite nerve wracking for me!  The last time I was interviewed was 13 years ago!  I'm a little out of practice!  Plus, the average age of all the applicants surrounding me was about 20...I was feeling a little old.  But never the less, it went well and then it was on to the next step...the on mountain interview held at Brighton.  Unfortunately, it DUMPING snow...blizzard conditions really!  And cold!  A shock to the system as we had been enjoying weather in the 70's that very week!  Anyway, we were divided up into groups and they basically watched us ski, stopping often to give us instruction.  I was pretty nervous going into it...I just didn't want to be the worst skier and I really didn't want to fall!  Luckily neither was a problem.  Anyway, it went well, and here I am!  Employed!

This year as been such a growing year for me in so many ways!  For so many years I didn't really stray far from my safe haven home and the whole mom thing.  Especially when Ryan had a desk job for all those years...he had nearly 12 hour days including 2 + hours of commuting everyday.  I had two small children (Haley and Morgan) at the time, and my days were long.  I loved that I was a mom...don't get me wrong...but I never did anything outside of that.  Guilt, fear, shyness were just some of the reasons I didn't want to either.  I was comfortable at home.  Yeah, I would go on the occasional bike ride, or take walks on the path near our house...but my kids were always with me.  

This is the first year that I started getting more involved with things outside of motherhood.  Ryan now has a job that is flexible...he is home more and can work with my schedule.  It has been such a blessing for the family and my sanity!  I'm realizing that it's okay to do things for myself...it's okay to take breaks from the kids.  I know this may seem silly to some, but I had such guilt leaving my kids and husband behind while I did something fun.  

However, Ryan has been so supportive and pushes to get to involved in things.  My ski pass was the first that got me going.  Getting in the car and going up the mountain by myself to ski was a pretty big hurdle for this homebody to get over!  And then yoga (which Ryan totally got me involved in)...it's been nearly a year now that I've been doing it.  And it's something I look forward to...every mom could use a little zen!  And of course we can't forget the mountain bike series I did this summer.  

I never knew how important it is to do things outside of motherhood until this year!  It helps me feel young and alive!  And I think it's a great example to my kids.  I want them to see me outside of motherhood...I want them to know I can kiss their scrapes, read with them, and cook up a darn good dinner, but also, that I can shred the gnar, or rip some brown pow!  

So being a ski instructor is just part of the adventure!  It's getting me out the door, getting involved, and meeting new people.  And getting some ski deals for our family doesn't hurt either!  And I'm so blessed that Ryan has a schedule that allows me to do something like this.  And that he supports me with these crazy ideas!  We make a pretty good team, him and I.  

Jeff and I

Sundance Ski School, Veteran and Rookie.

Happy Monday!

Yard Work

Piper playing with one of her besties.

My blogging form hasn't been too good lately...but I'll tell you why.  Yard work....oh, so much yard work.  

This picture really doesn't do it justice.  But really, I have been in the yard working more this past week than I have all summer.  That's pretty sad really...sad, but true.  I'm covered with little microscopic prickers that I don't think I'll ever get out, and I think I've ruined a pair of pants.  But the highlight was when I was tilling the garden and came across a mouse den complete with live mouse!  Yeah, it scurried out from beneath the tiller blades (how it survived, I have no idea) and went straight onto my foot.  The scream that came out of me one might think the rototiller ran over my leg!  I screamed and ran (yes, leaving the tiller running by itself in the middle of the garden).  The mouse got away, and I eventually went back to tilling...very carefully!

So yeah, yard work...I still have the entire backyard to do and a small portion of the front yard.  It's endless!!  But the weather has been so lovely, it's been nice to soak up the sun!  I love this time of year!

Few more from Halloween.

Found these on my phone from last week.

Piper had a little Halloween party at her preschool...they dressed up in their costumes and did a little song for the parents.  I love how all the girls are doing the hand motions and the boys are just like, "whatever".

 My good friend had my family over for dinner the night before Halloween.  We had the kids decorate cookies and they also played the "Donut on the string game" (I'm not sure what it's called, but it's pretty darn funny watching the kids try to eat donuts without using their hands!)  Needless to say they were covered in icing after.

I love how confused Rory looks...I'm sure she's wondering why they aren't using their hands.

Tonight I'm solo with the kids...Ryan has an event he needed to work at.  I totally took the girls to Del Taco for dinner.  I only went there because I had four free kid meal coupons compliments of our dentist office.  I bought four extra tacos along with the kid meals and so our dinner was a whopping $2.50 (or something like that).  And let me say...there is a reason their tacos are only 59 cents...they taste like crap.

And speaking of the dentist...I had to take Morgan in this morning to get two cavities filled.  She handled it just fine, but the poor thing had numb mouth for a while.  She said she didn't mind going back to school...she really wanted to be there for lunch because Haley was working in the cafeteria today.  But oh my, I felt so bad dropping her off...her little numb mouth and all.  Luckily it was an early out today so she only had a couple of hours left at school.  But I still felt guilty.  She's a trooper.  She was all smiles when I picked her up so I guess everything was okay.

Haley is next week to get one cavity filled...we'll see if she feels the same about going back to school after.  Somehow I don't think she'll be so cool with it.

Halloween wrap-up.

Our Halloween was a lot of fun...the kids had a ball and we now have candy up to our eyeballs in this house.  And no, we are not one of those families who get rid of it all the day after Halloween.  It's all about moderation people.  I remember my candy lasting FOREVER when I was a kid and my kids do the same...well, except for Piper.  She would eat her entire bucket of candy in one sitting if she could!  I gotta watch that girl!  So it's not uncommon for my girls to have Halloween candy lasting until after Thanksgiving.

So yeah, back to Halloween.  I walked to pick up the girls from school wearing a little red wig...just wanted to see what kind of reaction I would get from them.  Morgan didn't even notice me standing about 10 feet from her.  When I called out her name she did a double take at me and then said "Mom??  What happened?!"  I pretty much had her believing that it was my real hair....that girl is so gullible!  

Side story:  The night we carved our pumpkins, Morgan asked if she could eat one of the seeds raw.  I said sure but she may start growing a pumpkin in her belly!  She decided not to eat it, but was terrified because she ate one earlier.  I told her I was kidding and not to worry.  Later when we were getting the kids to bed Ryan found a pumpkin seed in her hair.  I said, "Oh, wow Morgan!  You are starting to grow pumpkins out of your head!!"  I DID NOT get the "ha ha" reaction I thought I would.  She went into absolute freak out mode!  She truly thought she was growing pumpkins out of her head.  Poor thing.  Bad mommy moment for me.  

I should have known, as Morgan has always been that way.  Like the time she was terrified that trees would fall over at the slightest breeze.  Or the time she was convinced that every time she flushed the toilet it was going to clog.  Or the time I told her if she left her mouth wide open a fly would land on her tongue...I think she still believes that one will happen.  Oh my Morgan...how we love that girl!

Okay, seriously, back to Halloween.

My lovely, red wig.

Jeffy, excuse me Richie Tenenbaum hung out with me while I passed out candy...which turned out to be all of 10 kids (it seemed anyway).  It's tradition that Ryan takes the kids out trick or treating...and they always cover some serious ground!

I pretty much failed at getting pictures of the girls.  But they looked exactly the way they did on the night of our trunk or treat...cute!  And Rory even wore her cheese outfit (minus the hat) willingly!  It think she discovered that if she put that thing on she would be given candy...smart girl.

Piper's turn with the wig...what a doll!

Hope ya'll have a great weekend!