Mummy cat.

Beware of the mummy cat. Original artwork by Sawyer Mally Anderson.

Please note the cat is saying, "FFTFFT," as in he's hissing. :)

Madelyn speak.

The new Star Wars trailer debuted last week. Griff and the kids watched it to which Madelyn replied, "Why is Han's hair all gray?"

Well, Madelyn, even a Jedi's hair turns gray after 30 years.

Steamboat Springs or bust!

Spring break for us was the last full week in March. Yes, this post is late. But, better late than never! We decided to take a break from Arizona and try our hand at skiing.

For me, it had been seven years and two children since the last time I skied. Honestly, I was pretty nervous about taking the little ones up. Below are several of my freak outs and anxieties -

Freak out 1: I'm older and a stay-at-home mama. Being injured will really mess up our normal life.

Answer: No injuries! I may be older but apparently my legs are a lot stronger than they used to be. Griff still skies faster than me but I can keep up and actually even ski better than I remembered.

Ski date.

Freak out 2: Will my gear which hasn't been used for seven years fall apart?

Answer: No.

Freak out 3: Skiing can be exhausting and requires a lot of gear. Are the little ones really ready? Am I ready for them to be ready?

Answer: The kids were totally ready. Steamboat is known to have one of the top rated learn to ski programs and we were not disappointed at all. Madelyn and Sawyer had a blast both days. And, while Sawyer wrapped up day number two in tears of exhaustion, they're ready to go again.

Sawyer riding up the magic carpet.

He looks so tiny!

Madelyn riding up the magic carpet.

Yesterday, we signed Madelyn up for the Epic School Kids Colorado Pack so we have an excuse to get a few days in next year, too.

Practicing turns.

After lessons on day two, Madelyn, Griff, and I rode up on the real lift and came down a real run...TWICE. She did great! That girl is so brave and so determined. Once again, I found myself wanting to be more like her and embody her spirit. Way to go, Madelyn!

Future Olympians.

You saw them here first.

Freak out 4: It is going to stink if it's cold. I've skied too many cold, windy days in January and February. It's tough on an adult let alone on little kiddos. So this one really freaked me out. 

Answer: Fortunately, the weather cooperated for late March and we definitely had Spring conditions. Mornings were cool but not cold and the afternoons were warm and slushy. Sawyer even skied one afternoon without his coat because the kid was HOT.

From our balcony.

There's a lot of brown but still plenty of white.

Lunch with a view.

In spite of it being Spring break, and maybe this is the beauty of Steamboat, it really didn't seem that crowded. Which was nice.

We stayed at the Sheraton Steamboat right at the base. Grammy and Grandad went with us but did not ski. We had separate rooms that were connected by a living room with kitchenette. The set up could not have been better. All we had to do in the morning was take the elevator down, pick up our skis at the ski valet in the hotel, and walk right out the door to the lifts. It was awesome.

It turns out that freak outs were unnecessary. Next time we'll stay longer and ski an extra day or two. What a trip!

Friday Funny

Start 'em early. Like father, like son.

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.

Soccer...It's H E R E!

I feel like Jack Nicholson in The Shining anytime I say, "It's here!" a little sing song-y. Although now that I think about it, I don't believe that's actually what he said when he popped his face through the bathroom door. Perhaps I should re-title this post "Here's Soccer!" in his honor. I digress.

Spring brings all kinds of wonderful things in Colorado -- sunny days and lots of playtime in the backyard, seedlings all over my house, garden prep, Easter (and non-Easter) bunnies, and the return of soccer. For the first time, we have TWO kiddos in soccer in this year. Yes, we are becoming those people.

Madelyn's team, the Sparkly Dolphins, began their season a few weeks ago. They practice on Monday afternoons and have games on Saturdays. In spite of their intimidatihg team name, they're not the best in their league. BUT, they're a good group of girls with wonderful coaches and a supportive fan base. I've been really happy with her experience this year. She's learning a lot and having a great time.

Last week, she even scored her first goal! Yay...Madelyn!

Madelyn keeping the ball away from her team's goal.

Go get 'em, girl!

Sawyer's team, the Dragons, began this past weekend. Theirs is a shorter season consisting of 3 weeks of soccer fundamentals followed by 3 weeks of scrimmages. They only meet on Saturdays and, for the most part, both schedules work nicely together so we won't be making extra trips back and forth or having to divide and conquer.

I'll be honest, Sawyer was a little nervous at first but he warmed up quickly. And...I think it's safe to say he had a great time as well.

Some "Red light, green light."

After the initial tears, there were LOTS of smiles.

Look out soccer world. Here comes Sawyer!

Hopefully the nerves are done and he can go straight to the fun part when we return on Saturday.

Until then, go Dolphins! Go Dragons! V-I-C-T-O-R-Y, that's the Dolphins / Dragons battle cry!

Project #2

Replaced the mirror in the dining room with a bigger, rectangular one. Such a small change with such big results.

In our Home Depot trip yesterday, we swung through the mirror section and found this fellow in the clearance pile. It was still in the box (which wasn't beaten up) so we took our chances. And...success!

I love it!

Project #1

Done.

I had grown tired of the mish-mash of picture frames on the ledge going down to the basement. Thanks to the handiwork of my very skilled laborer, Griff was able to bring my vision to reality. In more ways than one, we make a great team.

It turned out better than I expected. AND, if we decide two rows aren't enough, it'll be easy as pie to add a third row.

Griff, you did a great job! Family, thank you for being so photogenic and giving us great pictures to look at over and over again.

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. :)

National Western Stock Show.

Ever since the January visit in 2009 to meet Miss Madelyn, Poppie has talked about the two of them going to the National Western Stock Show. But, January goes quickly and they've missed it each year.

This year is different. They made it to the stock show! Although they had three tag-alongs - Honey, Sawyer, and me. Griff was in NYC having a boys' weekend at a good friend's wedding.

Cowboys and a cowgirl ready to hit the wide open trail...or highway in our Pilot.

Two Linda Lous!

Do you prefer an English or Western saddle? These buckaroos prefer Western.

Madelyn posing in her rodeo royalty stance as the winners of the pretend rodeo royalty competition are announced. This was led by the Brush Queen and included an interview, modeling, and a riding demonstration.

Madelyn reports that her favorite part was the pony ride. Sawyer enjoyed milking the cow. I loved seeing the livestock up close especially a Texas longhorn and the Brahman (humpback) bull. We almost got Honey up on the Brahman bull for a souvenir picture.

All in all it was a great day. The only thing that would have made it better is if Griff had been able to go with us. I look forward to going back next year. Now that we know what to expect, we can plan on an even better day.