Kelly Canyon Fun

Holy Cow! There are a couple reasons we only do that a few times a year.

1. Kelly Canyon gave us the free ski passes, and we still spent $72 on rentals. Skiing and golf are two of my favorites...and they are just two dang expensive.

And

2. It's 7:00 p.m. and I can barely move! LOL

Chris is a much better skier than I am. He is fluid and smooth and he does a great job. On my last run of the day I think I was down more than I was up. Ouch!

Delaney had a frustrating day. She probably could have used some more lessons, but we thought she might just like to give it a go. The first half of the day was exhausting and infuriating for her. Later she got a little more confidence, and had a better time. She thinks she wants to try snowboarding now. Cool! Next year, in the 5th grade, she'll get to go on the ski bus with her class. I think we'll be on the lookout for a starter board and boots and see how she does.

This was Cameron's first day on ski's and he was great! He ended up in a little ski school with about 5 other kids. He spent the whole day going up the tow rope, and sliding back down. He really seemed to enjoy it. Now of course, they both want to go back - but I think if you go back to the second paragraph you'll see my answer to that!

And of course the weather was weird today. We've had nothing but snow, snow and more snow for the last 10 days...and today when we decide to go skiing, it warmed up to 45 and there was massive melting. Boo hiss!

So now I'm going to put my tired legs in bed. Pretty sure I won't be able to walk tomorrow.

Big Vacation Plans

I can't believe it's only Sunday. I didn't work Thursday, Friday, Saturday and today...and I feel like I've been on vacation for weeks! I love it. I have taken several naps, and a couple baths; the Christmas tree is down and the living room is c-l-e-a-n!
Mike and his family are coming over for dinner today. We had planned on a huge pot of ham and beans but remembered that we have a lovely prime rib waiting in our fridge for us. So now we have a crockpot full of beans at the ready, and the prime rib rubbed with salt and pepper and sitting in a pan. Maybe I can dazzle them with a delicious meal. I thought about twice baked potatoes, but think I'll opt for cheddar mashed instead. We'll have a ceasear salad and Delaney is making her special "assrolls."
Tomorrow we are going skiing at Kelly Canyon. I can't wait - that will really feel like a vacation day. It's just too dang expensive to do it much, but we like to go at least a couple times a year. Lots of pictures and video I promise.
Wednesday we are headed to SLC to ring in the New Year with Ken and Amy and the girls. (weather permitting)
But for now, it's Sunday morning - we are on our second pot of coffee, and a delicious batch of cinnamon scones. I was just wondering, is 10:11 a.m. too early for a nap?

(and here is a little cuteness for you on this peaceful day)

The Day After Christmas

We really wanted to get out of the house for a bit today. It was extraordinarily cold, but we went sledding for about an hour before our faces froze off. We had packed a couple sandwiches and some hot chocolate, but we ended up coming home to eat it by the fire instead.



We did take the kids to see Bedtime Stories with Adam Sandler. I was NOT looking forward to it. With Adam Sandler, you can't really be sure what you're going to get. This movie was super cute and funny - and the children were literally on the edge of their seats.

Now we're home, in the family room, and we're going to have a little Wii bowling tournament. Delaney is kicking our butts at this game. Wish me luck.

Tomorrow, if it's a little warmer, we may head to Kelly Canyon for a day of skiing. Cameron is a little nervous, but I think he'll have a blast.

If it's still frigid...it's take down the tree, clean the fridge, Mommy takes a nap day. Whoo Hoo!!!

Happy Christmas

It was a lovely Christmas for sure. Chris really surprised me this year. We agreed (and even shook hands on it) that we would not buy more "stuff" for one another, and simply pay off some little things that needed to be paid off. Not exactly romantic, but certainly practical. As we got closer and closer to Christmas I realized I didn't LOVE that idea, but really thought it was the right thing to do. Plus, we had agreed. I almost made it, but snuck out on Christmas Eve day and picked up Madden 09 for the Wii. Chris has been saying he wanted it since Gretchen gave us the game system at Thanksgiving.

Well, apparently Chris didn't like the idea of no gifts either, because about halfway through present opening, I saw a large box under the tree. Let me just say that Chris Hunt is really good at a few things. Christmas present selection is one of them. I've only wanted a KitchenAide mixer for 17 years. I've only mentioned it a thousand times. Tah Dah! I love it. I'm mixing things right and left now. Come over and I'll make you a pie!

Delaney loaded up on clothes and "can you believe I'm not a baby anymore" things like CD's, and a satellite radio receiver, and cook board pants and ski gloves. She got a Paula Deen cookbook and whipped up some scrambled eggs and ham for me for breakfast today.

Cameron was dissapointed that Mommy gave him shirts and pants and thermal underwear. (practical, practical, practical) But Santa made up for it with a remote control truck and Wii games galore from Grandpa Steve and Rita.

Chris spent a few hours on Madden 09 yesterday, and read an entire Patrick McManus book. We all ate too much ham, took a nap, and spent the rest of the evening playing crazy 8's at the kitchen table. We do love a little Christmas "togetherness."

Today we are heading out to do a little sledding, and maybe see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. (What's more festive than Brad Pitt?) I'll have more pictures and updates soon.

Love to you all, and Merry Christmas...

Is it almost Christmas?

I can hardly wait for Christmas!!! I guess I probably shouldn't have started getting ready on October 18th - now I feel like I've been Christmasing forEVER! I shipped everything to Colorado that needed to be shipped today (and LA and UT) I have a couple more little treats to get for the babies and all the deliciousness for Christmas dinner and we are officially all done. Chris and I are trying to decide what to have for dinner.

*Ham

*Prime Rib

*Turkey

*All of the above

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight,

Big Fake Christmas Tree

It was easier than I thought. My whole life, I've never had anything but a fresh cut, smells good, "how are we going to make this fit" evergreen Christmas tree. Fireman Jeff finally convinced me that the safety of my home and family was more important than that smell. (and he got me a wall plug in thing that smells just like a Christmas tree)

When we first headed out and started looking at artificial trees, I did have a little heart twinge. I little moment when I thought "am I really an artificial tree kind of person?" I could hear Fireman Jeff's voice in the back of my mind.

My poor little Delaney didn't have just a twinge. She was REALLY sad. A few tears were shed as we walked through the parking lot at The Home Depot. I just kept telling both my children that Christmas is in your heart - not in your tree, or the lights, or the presents. I told them about Christmas 1997 when Chris and I had left Colorado and were living in Northern California. First year with no family. First year with no snow. It was a year with a lot of firsts in it. I told the children that we had Christmas Eve dinner at Denny's and I went to bed almost sad and scared of what the next day would feel like.
But the truth about Christmas is, when you wake up on Christmas morning...It's Christmas. The magic was there. The joy was there. The excitement was there. It was CHRISTMAS.

We actually spent that Christmas day on a foggy beach in Northern California having a picnic and watching the surfers. We threw sticks for our dogs, and walked for miles (and smooched a little bit) I will never forget that amazing day.

But I'm off track.

We left The Home Depot empty handed and headed to Lowe's to see if we could find a tree that made our hearts sing. All of a sudden Chris is saying "I think we have 9 foot ceilings"
WHAT? Do we? Do we really need 9 feet of Christmas tree? Will it fit in our living room? This is CRAZY!

Cameron, Delaney, Chris and I dragged a huge box, with a 9 foot Pre-Lit, "fresh cut" Frazier Fir Christmas Tree out to the back of the truck and headed home. The instructions said we could assemble our tree in 10 - 15 minutes (HA!) As we put piece A on top of piece B and so on, the tree really started to look nice. I couldn't believe how BIG it was. I don't think we've ever had a 9 foot tree before. It was amazing. (and can I just say to the guy who invented "pre-lit" I LOVE YOU)


We made popcorn and hot chocolate, and turned up the Christmas music as loud as we could stand it. We got every ornament we own on it. It looks gorgeous. My house smells good - thank you Fireman Jeff. All is well. And even Delaney said about halfway through the decorating, "I love this tree."

It's Christmas at our house. It's in the lights, and the tree, and the decorations...but mostly it's in our hearts. And my heart wishes yours a very Merry Christmas this year.