Ski bunnies

The kids took ski lessons this December and January at Snobahn in Southglenn. It's an indoor ski and snowboard facility and is a really cool concept. We weren't sure how the skills they acquired skiing on a giant treadmill inside would translate to actual ski slopes but at least they wouldn't be cold or standing around in lines.

Our first venture out on the slopes as a family this year was to Loveland Valley. We drove up on the Sunday over President's Day weekend. It was small and we didn't stay all day. But, it was a good way to get some snow under our skis, so to speak.

Later that week, we joined Uncle Jerky, Aunt Sandi, Emery, and Camden at Breckenridge for some family skiing on Friday. The cousins had been in Breckenridge all week skiing. On a fun note, we also got to see Uncle Lee and Aunt Brittany at Breckenridge Brewery when we went in for dinner on Thursday night. Emery had hung up her skis the day before we arrived so she wouldn't be skiing with us. Her plan was to hold down a table in the Maggie so that when we needed a break, we'd have a place to sit.

Uncle Jerky, Camden, and Aunt Sandi. I guess the weather earlier in the week had been pretty darn cold. Fortunately for us, we brought warm weather because it was beautiful on Friday. Clear and sunny in the morning gave way to big, fat snowflakes in the afternoon. (I will say that the big, fat snowflakes caused an eastbound closure on I-70 at Silverthorne for a few hours during our drive home on Friday. So, that wasn't great but we did finally get home safely on Friday night.)

The Dude and I. I'm not sure if he's actually smiling underneath his face mask.

Kerkhoves and Andersons at the top of the Quicksilver chair. Missing Emery.

Three of four cousins stopped for a picture before heading into Ripperoo's Forest aka Ding-Dong Forest or was it THE Ding-Dong Forest? I think this one was lovingly renamed Ding-Dong Forest.

Some bunnies around here like skiing more than others. And, that's fair. One bunny likes to borrow her mother's poles in the lift line and if she's going to do moguls. The other bunny tends to complain. But, when that bunny is skiing, he is a really good skier and seems to have fun. At one point on Friday, that bunny skied past me and yelled out, "Hi, Mama!" in his sweet, silly voice as he went by.

All in all, I think we've made major strides on the skiing front. And, I definitely think the skills they learned and practiced at Snobahn translated to the actual ski slopes. Money well spent.

We're going to Beaver Creek for a few days over Spring break later this month. We've visited there as a family in the Summer/Fall but Griff's the only one who's skied there before. Our hotel/condo is ski in - ski out so that should be great. I'm looking forward to some more ski fun with the bunnies. Let's hope for a bluebird day and no I-70 closures!

Balloon festival 2015.

Children looking to hitch a ride to the mountains.

Last weekend, we packed up the old family truckster and headed west to Steamboat Springs. Our 8-seater Pilot seated six comfortably. This year, Honey and Poppie came with us. It was a very last minute trip but boy did we have fun!

We drove up on Friday morning and stayed at Trappeur's Crossing near the base of the mountain. (Took a break from The Ranch this time.) Griff stayed there a few times with his family when he was a youngster and remembered it being nice. He also remembered a Baby Ruth-like incident occurring which involved one of his siblings who shall not be named but felt confident that 20+ years of chlorine had likely taken care of any lingering poo.

He was right about Trappeur's Crossing. It was nice. And, the pool was clean.

Saturday was the day we chose to attend the balloon festival. We jam-packed our day with activities.

6:30A Balloon festival. We left the condo a little after 6:00 to catch the shuttle bus out to the field where the festival was being held. The weather was PERFECT -- clear blue skies, cool temps, and no breeze. Saw some great ballooning (if that's a word) and enjoyed the event.

National anthem featuring US flag and Colorado flag balloons.

It was early and a certain someone wasn't ready to have his picture taken.

Mile High Madelyn and Griff suddenly find themselves in the shadow of another balloon inflating.

Honey and Poppie taking in their first balloon festival.

Up, up, and away!

Balloons skimming the lake.

Madelyn and Sawyer are looking the wrong way!

We even ran into the Nolte girls and AJ (Aunt Jen) at the end of the event. Unfortunately, they were headed out of town that afternoon but it was still a treat to see them.

10:30A Gondola ride. There were a few sweaty paw pads. BUT thanks to our expert kid skiers who learned all about riding the gondola when they were in ski school last March, we had nothing to worry about. It rained off and on at the top. As a result, we couldn't spend a ton of extra time but we still had a chance to walk around and take in the spectacular views.

Kids on the top of the world!

Standing on the download side at the top of Thunderhead Express lift.

Hello, down there!

Just enough time for a group picture in between rain showers.

Coming back down, we were some of the last set of passengers on the gondola before the lightning stoppage. As is the case in the mountains, ten minutes later, the weather moved on. Skies cleared and everything on the mountain went back to business. On to lunch!

12:00P Lunch at Slopeside Grill. Located slope side as the name would lead you to believe, we enjoyed a delicious lunch on their patio.

1:30P Quiet time at the condo. A movie for the kids and naps for the adults before heading out to the pool.

3:00P Swimming and ice cream social. Swimming was cut short due to lightning and bad weather. However, bad weather doesn't stop ice cream! We got our ice cream at the condo association's ice cream social and went back upstairs to wait for the weather to break.

4:15P Swimming part two. Good times at the Trappeur's Crossing pool. No Baby Ruth bars, thankfully. Just lots of jumping, splashing, smiling, and hot tubbing. Madelyn and Sawyer are getting to be such good swimmers. I love it!

6:00P Domino's Pizza for dinner in the condo. There's just something about Domino's Pizza and ski condos that just feels right.

8:00P Balloon glow at the mountain. Our condo was only 1/4 mile from the gondola so we just walked down for this event. Even with two tired kiddos, not to mention a few tired adults, it was an easy walk. As far as the balloon festival events were concerned, I think this was my favorite event. First of all, we had had such a great day that it was a nice way to wrap it up. Secondly, I was so thankful that Honey and Poppie were/are healthy and could attend this time. Thirdly, the event just seemed so much better than 2013. 2013 was fun but this just seemed better. Eight different balloon teams showed up and put on quite a show.

Our little photographer honing her skills.

Watching and waiting as the balloons get ready.

Five of the eight balloons participating in the Glow. It's such an amazing sight!

Sunday morning, we went to Winona's for the required cinnamon roll and breakfast before returning to Denver. It was a quick trip but we packed in a lot.

I love that Madelyn and Sawyer get to spend such quality time with all their grandparents. They certainly enjoy it. I know as they get older, they'll look back fondly on all the fun trips to both to visit family and with family.

Happy 4th birthday, Sawyer!

Little Brother is officially four years old. It's hard to believe it's already been four years. At the same time, I can't remember life without him.

He originally had a pool party scheduled for the following day (Sunday) with school friends. Unfortunately, on the morning of his birthday (Saturday), an incident occurred involving the stairs, the tile floor, and Sawyer's chin which resulted in six stitches. So...the pool party got moved to our house and became a make-shift Star Wars party.

The good news is (a) Sawyer and his chin are recovering well and (b) the extended family was able to attend as guest passes to the pool were no longer an issue. At our house, we don't require guest passes nor limit the number of guests per household admitted on a single day. Wink, wink.

Sawyer's backyard party featured --

Epic light saber battles. Are you part of the Rebels or a Sith? Looks like Uncle Gabe's a Sith.

A Star Wars jigsaw puzzle for the adults.

Cousins and juice.

Pizza and a table full of friends.

A happy birthday boy who loved being the center of attention.

Cake pops, of course, guarded by an AT-AT. As if anything less should have been expected!

Piñata.

More piñata!

And, a broken open piñata with kiddos collecting its treasures.

All in all, I believe the party was a success. At least that's what the birthday boy told me.

Sawyer, you are such a sweet, fun, funny, smart, loving, and charming little dude. I'm so happy you chose me to be your mama. Thanks for letting us celebrate you. And, I look forward to having a pool party with you next year. Fingers crossed for no more stitches! Love you, Buddy.

Hoppy Easter to you.

I hope Easter treated you well. We had a great weekend.

Madelyn and Sawyer are at such a fun age. Sure, there are times when the never ending competition that exists between siblings rears its ugly head. BUT, most of the time they are so sweet...especially with each other.

Ready to dig in to those eggs and see what goodies they hold.

Clowning around.

On Saturday we had a triple header featuring two soccer events plus a birthday party egg hunt for one of Madelyn's school friends.

On Sunday we slept in and enjoyed playing with the goodies the Easter bunny delivered. We went to late service (1100A) at Honey and Poppie's church - Our Father Lutheran Church. It was the non-traditional service with a band. Normally, those aren't my thing but I really enjoyed this one. Madelyn LOVED singing along with the songs. It was fun to point out some of the parts of the Easter story to her as the service went along. Bringing it full circle is what I'm doing.

After church, we joined Grammy and Grandad at Honey and Poppie's for brunch. We had an egg hunt, delicious food, and lots of good conversation.

Doting grandparents.

Hunting.

And, more hunting.

There were also plenty of sweet treats and goodies to go around.

The rest of the day was spent quietly at home. All in all, pretty good.

Pardon the sour puss face. Someone is finally WORN OUT.

Thursday night dinner guests.

It's not every night you're joined by the queen and wicked Captain America for dinner.

Sometimes these kids are just too much. But, then again, I think they're just right. :)

Nanoo's table

Nanoo's table got a facelift.

After my Nanoo and Papoo passed in 2000 and 2001, respectively, among other things I received was Nanoo's dining room table. The price was right and I have an affinity towards family hand-me-downs and heirlooms. (My china is also hers.) Now, Nanoo never really used this table. I remember it being in the small dining room area in their house in Omaha. But, for the most part, they used their kitchen table. According to my mother, Nanoo purchased the table in the 1950's to go along with her (my) china that was purchased with her portion of money from her father's estate.

Fast forward to when I received the table. It was in like new condition. There were a few barely noticeable marks on the table and chair legs. I've used it as a kitchen table and we dine at it every day. Most days, we eat breakfast, snacks, lunch, and dinner at it. And, after two toddlers and countless meals, the table was not looking its best. So, we refinished it.

Before. We have re-cushioned the chairs twice -- 2007 and 2012.

The table had a very thin layer of veneer on the top. We weren't sure what to expect in refinishing it. Our hope (with fingers crossed and breath held) was that we wouldn't sand right through the veneer. First step was to use a stripper to take off as much of the existing finish as possible. We used CITISTRIP Safer Paint & Varnish Stripper in an aerosol can. It's supposed to be less toxic than some of the other strippers. Plus, stripper in a can reminds me of genie in a bottle which sounds like so much fun! So...spray and wait 30 minutes.

Ironically, in scraping off the existing stain and finish, we used two of Papoo's old ice scrapers. They were perfect for the job! After scraping was completed, we wiped down the table with paper towels and sudsy water to take off the remaining stripper and old finish.

Our trusty helpers watched as we worked.

Stripped, sanded, and ready for staining. I couldn't believe we got as much off the table as we did. Fortunately, we never went through the veneer either. (Uncross fingers and release held breath here.) At this point, I should disclose that Griff did way more of the work than me. He's so good at this sort of project and very patient with a newbie like me. So, thank you, Griff!

One coat applied of Minwax PolyShades in Mission Oak. Next we waited six hours before lightly sanding and reapplying.

Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.

After. Two coats of Minwax later, the table came back inside for breakfast today. I can't believe how great it turned out. I absolutely love it.

Midway through the project, Griff asked if I thought it would look totally different or just the same as when we started. I told him that I didn't want it to look different. I just wanted it restored so it would look good again for another however many years.

Hopefully Nanoo and Papoo are pleased. I am.

Halloween...it's coming!

Welcome to our house of horrors. If you're terrified of ghouls, floors that need mopping, and a cat with a fungal infection, DO NOT COME IN HERE. On second thought, come right on in!

Googly-eyed wreath.

Who do all these eyes belong to? And, why are they looking at me?!

So that I can remember for next year, I thought I'd photograph a few of this year's Halloween decorations. I'm not necessarily a crafty person. Sure, I can make things but given that I'm left-brained, and a retired accountant, I'm not always that creative. But, with two little ones, it's fun coming up with new ideas and turning them into reality. Consider this my paper trail!

Here are my shares -

Door monster. He's a friendly fellow complete with candy corn nose.

He's a Pinterest inspiration and was very easy to make. So easy, in fact, I thought about putting them upstairs on the bedroom doors in a future year.

Halloween tea light holder and mini pumpkins.

Some people have those Christmas villages. I don't. But, I do think it would be fun to have a Halloween village at some point. If I can find a few more cute, coordinating houses like this one, I will have my mini village on the dining room hutch. Wait, we do have some small plastic coffins. Maybe next year, my mini village will include a cemetery. Ideas!

Birds. We CONTINUE to have a problem with wildlife in our house. Ha ha.

Two years ago, we had an unfortunate problem with three mice in our house. They were eradicated and have not returned since. Thank you, Orkin. However, after the mouse incident, these guys debuted. I sent a picture to my sister and remarked that we had another animal problem. She thought they were real. I'm so funny.

Scrapbook paper bunting.

Hopefully I'm not setting the bar too high for myself. The little ones and I get a kick out of Halloween decorating. We even have a few decorations that Honey gave me from my youth. I guess I could say my love of Halloween and decorating goes way back.

Happy Halloween week to all!

Rockies pre season game

Day two of our Spring break trip to Arizona included a Rockies pre season game at Salt River Fields against the LA Angels. We sat in the outfield lawn and caught most of the game. We even had a spot of shade which stayed with us throughout most of the afternoon. The weather was perfect and the company was good. Rumor has it, the Rockies even pulled off a victory.

Meeting Dinger. No tears here!

Post ice cream mustache. (Can you guess the flavor?) And, a happy boy.

 Tuckered out.

Thanks for the lift, Poppie.