Spring break, no wait. It's another snow day.

Griff was in San Francisco for work. The kids are on Spring Break but had a scheduled day of fun at Mrs Olson's house. Mrs Olson is Sawyer's teacher. Madelyn had her for preschool two years ago. We love her and when a day of fun with Mrs Olson was up for auction at the BENefit Bash last November, we couldn't not jump at the chance. I was looking forward to it as it would give me the opportunity to sneak in my required 5 mile training run.

However, I woke up to this.

I swear this is snow day number 18 of the year. Day of fun at Mrs Olson's was postponed a day and we'd be staying home. Rats...

So, we dyed Easter eggs. I only had a dozen but a dozen sufficed. We'll do more later this weekend after Griff gets home tonight. Oh, wait... Now, the airport's closed. When is he coming home?!

Our eggs are pretty. We only lost one. Sawyer dropped it on the floor.

The snow is pretty too although the magnitude of it isn't done justice by this picture. Every hour or so, I had to tap off the screen on our sliding glass door to let in what little natural light there was. The pergola had become a solid roof with all the wet snow up there.

Our poor pine tree! I shook off the branches in the morning and a second time later in the afternoon. I don't love this tree but I sure don't want to lose it. You can actually see how dark it is as a result of the pergola "roof".

Oh - But I did have a chance to Konmari fold a few drawers during the afternoon while the kids watched a movie in the basement.

Finally, around 300P, we went out front. I wanted to clear the driveway and the kids have never shied away from an opportunity to play in the snow. Never.

This picture doesn't even begin to show how much snow there was. My guess is we had 18" at the end of the driveway. The further down our driveway I shoveled, the deeper the snow became. Our neighbor's snow blower was jamming up the snow was so deep. Thankfully, he and another neighbor helped me finish clearing the driveway. And, the kids played and played.

Of course, we had hot cocoa after coming back inside. I contemplated adding a little Kahlua to mine but decided against it.

This little snow trooper couldn't even finish his snack without falling asleep. He was patiently, so patiently waiting for hot cocoa. Needless to say, by the time I woke him up, his hot cocoa was no longer hot. And...he was grumpy but that nap was needed.

Griff can't get back to Denver until Saturday. BUT, he was able to get routed to San Diego where he'll spend a few days on Coronado with his dad. Hopefully, he can see Uncle Jerky and family as well as a few friends while he's "stuck" but there are much worse places to be stuck than in beautiful San Diego.

I hope you all survived the March blizzard without major incident and are digging out!

I'm on a dam.

Please pardon me while I brag. But, last week's long run took me from our house out to Chatfield State Park and I ran across the dam. Hot diggity-dog!

It's funny because I was in the zone and didn't really notice until I was all the way at the top. Talk about a view! And, I got a lot of sun even after having applied sunscreen.

The last 3-1/2 to 4 miles home from the dam were pretty tough. It was a fairly steep incline BUT I'm ready to take it on again sometime.

Three weeks left until the half marathon!

Just keepin' on

I was helping my dad on his computer over the past weekend and noticed I hadn't posted anything since January 3. (Andersonville is set up as the homepage on his Internet...yeah!) Not sure exactly how that happened but it did. I hadn't meant to neglect posting. It just happened.

Following is a quick snapshot of the last two months -

JANUARY

Mile High Madelyn turned 7!

She celebrated by having donut holes with her class at school. And, she had a gymnastics party at Peak Athletics with her close friends. Great fun was had by all who attended including those of us who stayed to watch the fun.

There are a lot of toothless grins amongst this group but that's just one of the many things that makes this age and these friends so special.

Running.

There's been a lot of running. (1) I like it. It makes me happy. And, (B) On Halloween, I registered for the Platte River Half Marathon on April 10. Three years ago, I ran this race with a friend but I didn't have a great race. Please note that it had nothing to do with my friend! This time, I'm hoping to beat my previous time and have a better overall experience.

I finally have good cold weather gear so I've been able to log most of my miles outside. The medieval contraptions in the picture on the right are called Yaktrax. They're basically chains for your running shoes and they're awesome. With all the unpaved trails around Highlands Ranch and Littleton, now I don't have to wait for everything to be melted to head outside.

Thanks to a pair of crumb-bum running shoes, which have long since been replaced, I developed tendonitis in the posterior ligament on my left foot. Translation: My foot hurt...a lot. However, the second podiatrist I visited identified the problem and seems to have gotten it under control. I've been mostly pain free for the last month plus. For that, I'm thankful.

FEBRUARY

Girls' trip to Grand Lake with Rebecca. 

This was a much-needed and well overdue trip for Rebecca and I. Her family owns a home off of Shadow Lake in Grand Lake, Colorado. She graciously invited me up for a weekend. We had a great time catching up without interruptions, sleeping, relaxing, and being together.

Perfect weather for snowshoeing. Thank you, Rebecca. I look forward to our next trip!

Super Bowl.

Broncos win! Enough said.

The Dude (Sawyer) and I had planned on attending the celebration parade and rally downtown two days following the game. But, when I heard they were anticipating 500K+ people, we decided to stay home and watch it together on the TV. The news reported that almost 1 million people actually attended the parade and rally. Wow! Such an exciting and fun time! And, at home on our couch, we had the best seats in town.

Valentine's Day.

I'm Room Parent for Madelyn's classroom and Valentine's Day is a biggie with first graders. Needless to say, they had a great, simple party and I was relieved when it was over. A room full of 26 amped up 6- and 7-year olds is exhausting!

Boys' Ski Trip to Winter Park.

February was closed out with a boys' ski trip for Griff, Gabe, and Uncle Jerky. Gabe and Kari own a mountain house in Fraser, just outside of Winter Park, Colorado. The three boys went up to Winter Park, skied for two days, and stayed at Gabe and Kari's place. I keep hearing bits and pieces about things that happened and stories that were shared. And, I'm convinced it was a good time.

Gymnastics for both Madelyn and Sawyer wrap up next week. We're taking a break on sports and activities until t-ball (Sawyer) and softball (Madelyn) start in mid-May. Other than, I'll keep on keepin' on...and try to get back to posting more regularly.

Things I like about Steamboat (Winter edition)

It's never a long walk to or from the shuttle drop off.

I have the best skiing partner.

If we were in the powder eights, (1) I would open them and he would close them; and, (2) our eights would be REALLY big because my turns aren't very tight.

Picture perfect views EVERYWHERE you look.

Shiny, happy ski people aplenty. Seriously, this girls loves to ski.

After swapping out ski boots on day one for a bigger pair, even the youngest of skiers come back strong and have a great time at ski school.

The Wagon Trail -- Free wagons for gear and kids throughout the base area.

How did this not exist when we were younger and had to lug skis and poles all while exhausted and wearing ski boots?! Thank you, Steamboat.

Apres ski at Trappeur's Crossing featuring hot cocoa, hot apple cider, and cookies. With temperatures in the single digits all three days, this was a popular event with our crowd.

Hot co-COA!

Ski Steamboat

Three days of skiing is over and done. We've got tired, happy Andersons. Looking forward to doing it again BUT preferably in above zero degree temps next time.

Ben Franklin Award

Last Friday, an honors assembly was held at Madelyn's school. I was notified earlier in the week that my "child will be given an award on December 4th during the assembly at 9:00. This is going to be a surprise for your child so please don't tell them. BE PROUD!! WAY TO GO!!"

Well, it turns out Madelyn won the Ben Franklin Award. And, it's kind of a big deal. The award goes to a student who demonstrates all 13 of the school virtues on a daily basis. The school board and administration want to not only turn out smart cookies but good citizens as well.

Of the 400 children in attendance at the elementary award assembly (Grades K-3), only 10 were selected and she was the only 1st grader.

Below is what her teacher, Mrs North, wrote about Madelyn in her nomination -

"Madelyn comes to school every day ready to learn. She is a constant example to her peers on how to live out the 13 Core Virtues. It is a privilege to be her teacher."

Madelyn receiving her award from Mrs Spencer (Assistant Principal)

Mrs Spencer and the 10 recipients

Congratulations to you, Madelyn. Thank you to you all for the positive influences you've had and continue to have on our girl. What a wonderful little lady we've got on our hands!

We've come so far.

Being born with a head full of hair has its perks unless you're not a fan of haircuts...and you're a boy.

Gone are the days of crying haircuts and bribes that don't make a difference. My little man has moved on to quietly reading a magazine (his sister's) while getting his hair coiffed.

He still won't talk with the stylist. But, he'll get there eventually. In fact, he really liked the post haircut shoulder massage today. In fact, he almost smiled and probably would have if no one had been watching.

Thank goodness for Floyd's. You keep my little man's hair in check!

Summer wrap up. Summer wrap up.

Even though Labor Day weekend has come and gone, we still have a few weeks of Summer left on the calendar. However, I'm ready to wrap it up by sharing our list of Summer fun had by Team Anderson.

The list below is sort of chronological order but not exact -

• Swimming
• Six stitches in the chin - NOT the recommended way to kick off your birthday.
• Sawyer's Star Wars birthday party! - Quick shift from pool to our house thanks to those stitches.
• Denver Museum of Nature and Science and Mythic Creatures exhibit
• BBQ at Grandpa's house
• Cheyenne Mountain Zoo with the Noltes
• T-ball
• Light Rail and Old Spaghetti Factory day trip
• Birthday party-palooza - Madelyn had back-to-back birthday parties at the movies and Chuck E Cheese, respectively, on a Friday afternoon and evening.
• Vacation Bible School - First year for both kiddos.
• VBS ice cream social
• Clement Park and fountain (on a HOT day)
• Bullets softball tournament - Yay Rylie!
• Brooklyn's horseback riding birthday party (and the dead rat)
• Water fights
• Denver Zoo
• 4th of July eve Sac-BQ
• Fireworks
• Steamboat Springs balloon festival
• Gondola ride at Steamboat Springs
• HRCA pottery class
• Cheerleading camp
• S'MORES
• Swimming lessons
• Movie(s) in the theater: Inside Out, Minions, LEGO Movie
• Play dates
• Pool dates
• Platte Valley Trolley
• Night swimming at the Knolls
• Movie at the pool with Grammy and Grandad
• Hiking in the mountains

I know I'm not capturing everything but I'd say we had a pretty successful Summer. Now the big question is...are you ready for some football?! Because I sure am!

F is for Feenix.

F is also for the fireball that is Phoenix in August.

Really, there's no better time to visit Phoenix than in the hot hot Summer. Based on the low airfare and hotel rates we encountered, I'm not alone in this view. On a side note: The first five or so times I visited Arizona, it was always in the Summer. When we started going for Spring break a few years ago, it was the first time I finally got to experience Phoenix with temperatures in the 70's and 80's. And, it was so much better.

We're leaving on a jet plane. Dropped the little ones off after school on Friday for a weekend at Grammy and Grandad's and headed to the airport. Enjoyed a delicious dinner at RootDown at DIA. SO good.

Griff's fantasy football draft was this past Saturday in Phoenix. After sitting out for a few years, he decided to split a team with a buddy, (Scott) Cooper, and get back in. We stayed at the Westin Kierland and had a great weekend. Cooper and Val, who live north of San Diego also stayed at the Kierland. While the boys were drafting, Val and I had a ladies day. GTL! GTL equals gym, tan, lunch. Even though I lunched before tanning at the pool, it still counts.

Golf course view from our 10th floor room. It never gets old.

A little apres pool s'mores. On the left, we have a coconut marshmallow, traditional chocolate, and Arizona chip s'more. On the right, we have a traditional marshmallow, cookies and cream chocolate, and Arizona chip s'more. The hotel has so many s'more options to choose from but there really is no wrong combination.

Yum. I love s'mores.  When you travel with little people, typically the s'mores are enjoyed after dinner as a night cap. However, when you're sans children, you can have your s'mores before dinner!

The weekend was short but sweet. It's always so good to see our Arizona friends even if it's only in small amounts. The little ones had a super fun weekend with Grammy and Grandad. In spite of all the fun, it was good to get us all back home yesterday afternoon.

Thank you, Grammy and Grandad, for taking such good care of our Madelyn and Sawyer. And, thank you, to Honey and Poppie, for letting our Sadie stay with you while we were gone. We all appreciated  it!

Happy birthday, Griff!

 Happy birthday, Schmoops!

We've come a long way since that first birthday celebration at Carriage Place.

And, it also seems that I only take birthday pictures every 3-5 years. Sorry about that...

I love you. We all love you. You're truly the best. xoxo