Rocky Mountain birthday

Wow! It's been a while, I meant to post this right away, but time and my attention ran away. For Brendan's birthday/Valentine's Day/President's Day weekend we went to Estes Park. Estes Park is only about an hour away, it's a small mountain village that's right at the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. Much more of a summer destination and so nice and quiet in the winter.

Our main reason for going was to try out our new snowshoes courtesy of Papa and Mema! They are VERY cool - super lightweight. We borrowed some for the kiddos from friends and went into Rocky Mountain National Park for 2 days.

First day we went to Sprague Lake and walked a loop - that amazing view behind Jason and the boys was our turnaround point.

After our hike, we went to the only place in RMNP where you can sled - Hidden Valley, which used to be a ski area. The conditions weren't great, but the kids still got a few good runs in! That night was Brendan's birthday, so we went out for his traditional Chinese dinner (we've learned, Papa and Mema -we go out for this now and don't try to cook it at home! : ) Birthday cake was in the motel room eaten on beds!

The next day we went to a higher elevation to Nymph Lake/Bear Lake. It was absolutely gorgeous - snow everywhere - and we hiked to a frozen alpine lake (big deal here - can't find a frozen lake around Denver) that the kids could all play on. CC took turns walking herself or being pulled by one of us (including Brendan, in the picture!)

What does CC remember most? "The fun restaurant with all the different colored cereal" - she asks constantly to go back. It's just the breakfast room at the motel, they offered continental breakfast and clearly, Froot Loops were very popular!

Olympics, Kiddo Rock Band, etc.

We are very excited for the Olympic Opening Ceremony tonight and plan to watch it with the kids. I feel a bit of a connection as I was lucky enough to spend a good deal of time in Vancouver, as it was the headquarters for my former company, Intrawest, who in fact operates Whistler where some of the events will take place. In my time at Intrawest I made some lasting friendships, and one of those friends, Michelle, actually carried the Olympic torch on Friday! I am so proud and happy for her. Many times I had an amazing tour guide to the very coolest parts of Vancouver, thanks to Jill! I did try my best when she came to our cow-town, but it's not quite the same. :)

On a separate note, I try every day to count my blessings in this life. Recently it's been easier than ever, as I have been working a little bit doing tax prep for a local office. Some of the stories of the folks that came in January were heartbreaking, it's been a very difficult couple of years for some, and for others, it's been difficult for much longer. One woman had her grown children, and her sister and her family living with her, and after 2 family members and her dog had serious illnesses, was desperate for her tax return simply to pay the rent and catch up on utility bills. How lucky I am to have the life I do, and I truly thank God for that.

Ok, happier ending - I hope I'm not overloading everyone on the cuteness factor, but I just have to include this little video...it was totally impromptu, initiated by CC, and requested to "video" by Brendan - it was also a glorious bicker-free moment in our house as I was getting dinner ready.
Thanks for listening!

Dancing Queen

CC has been taking "Pre-Dance" class at our Rec Center for a few months now, once a week. It's 45 minutes long and the parents go in for the last 5 minutes to watch...it's 5 of my favorite minutes each week. Watching all the little girlies in their little dancy outfits - staring at their moms and grinning hugely while also trying to follow the teacher in their dance moves - it's the best!!

Smalls is Seven

I'm so grateful for the fact that 2 of our family birthdays are in the first month and a half of the year. The lull after Christmas/New Year's holidays...yuck.

Andrew "Smalls" turned 7 on January 31 - for the first time it fell on a weekend day so his party was on his actual birthday. Because the boys birthdays are so close together, we trade "party years" - this is Andrew's year. He chose to have his party at Skate City indoor rollerskating rink - a blast from the past for some of the parents! (Rollerama, anyone? Couples skate?) Jason bravely put on those rental skates and got out there with CC (her first time!) and he's a natural (sorry, no pictures, you'll have to take my word for it.) I will tell you that the rental skates had such an impact on Jason that he immediately washed his feet and threw out his socks when we got home!

Our church has a tradition of calling down everyone who's birthday is that week and singing "Happy Birthday" to them, and after mass they get a gift of candy (Starburst!) We went on Saturday night, which we normally don't do, and Andrew was the ONLY person who came down for the birthday song...have never seen that. So our little shy guy was then sung to by the entire church, in front of everyone - he actually really loved it!

Andrew's choice of birthday dinner: shrimp, artichokes, and baked beans (really!) Brendan decorated his birthday cake with an Indiana Jones theme. It was a fun day, and I do believe that Andrew truly felt special and loved...all we really wanted out of it. Our awesome little bug!