More Winter Adventures

A couple weekends ago now, we took another winter adventure to Mad River Mountain - to take the kids skiing for their very first time.  I was not 100% on board with the whole deal - it was cold, expensive and I woke up feeling quite cruddy that day.
After we got up and moving though, it turned out to be a great day (and still way expensive)!
Ella and Silas started with 2 hour ski lessons.  First time on skis and the instructors showed them how to do all the basics.
While the kids were in their lessons, Justin forced me to go down the hills too. I would have been happy to sit inside and read.  We started on the easiest of the  non-bunny hills.  I did fine, though I'm sure I looked as confused going down the hill as I look in the photo below...


The 2nd time we went up on the lift...it didn't go as well for me.  I was concentrating so hard on "keeping my tips up" as the sign says...that I forgot to "unload" - and had to jump off (which basically was fall out) of the lift seat before it headed back down the hill.

We were able to watch a little of the kids' lessons as we'd ski/fall down the slope by the lesson area. 

Ella and Si were both awesome - both were totally ready (mentally) to hit the slopes as soon as their lessons were over.  And the lessons didn't really cover that much.  They didn't use the lifts, didn't go down anything but the bunny hill and really didn't even learn to stop all that well (as Silas proved on his first run down the hill).
Ella was really amazing - she had no fear at all and was doing the expert runs after about 4 or 5 times down the green runs (the ones that I was still doing). 
I definitely imagine that we'll be back here a lot next year. Especially if the weather is like this winter!

After getting back from the skiing, I ended up over at Hayden Run falls to check out how frozen they were. A photographer friend had taken an awesome pic on Monday and by Tuesday, they were already starting their thaw.




By the way, you may have forgotten that we actually have a 3rd kid - Mason has been busy with work (he's working at Meijer in the deli and they are working him quite a lot) and with school.  In May he will finish his first year as a college Freshman.  It's been quite an adjustment (probably for all of us) but that will have to be saved for another post...

If You Can't Beat it...Join it

This winter seems to be never-ending. It continues to be so cold and snowy. So finally, this past weekend we bundled up and went sledding. It wasn't TOO terribly cold out...around 25 degrees I think, which compared to the zero and negative temps we've had, that felt pretty good.

We went to the Battelle Darby Creek park and it was great. Not too crowded. We hadn't been there in years.

Ella started off wanting to stand on her board going down. She actually did a pretty great job!

We ended up in the van for a hot cocoa break. Good thinking Dad!


I even went down the hill a few times, mostly with Justin but with Ella and Silas too.


The scenery was pretty.


Ella's wipe-outs weren't so pretty.


I wish I had gotten Silas going down on his belly in a Superman pose. It was pretty good.








I think we're going to try our hand at Mad River Mountain this weekend. That may be a bit much...for me at least!!

Wacky Wacky Winter!

This has been the oddest winter that I can remember.  Very mild, very little snow, changing on a dime...just odd all the way around.

Yesterday was a beautiful day and I took Ella and Silas to the park to play and ride bikes.  Today it was over 50 degrees and Wednesday it's supposed to get to 64 (on the last day of February!).

I'll take it but it makes me VERY nervous that March, April, etc are going to be bad!!

This, That and the Other

To continue with my updates from earlier in the week...

Last weekend I met up with some high school pals.  As I was getting ready to go, Ella asked me where I was going.
"I'm going to go hang out with some high school girls."
To which Ella exclaims  "oh, oh, I want to go too! I want to hang out with high school girls!"
I had to grudgingly admit - "honey, it's 40 year old high school girls...not girls in high school now."
"oh, never mind then" she said all bummed out.
Do you remember being young enough that you thought 40 was pretty much synonymous with the early bird special and hip fractures? 

What was fun about this group is that (with the exception of Sherry), I didn't hang out with these girls in school.  Our paths crossed in various activities and because of other friends but we wouldn't have just called each other up or gone to the mall together.  With the advent of Facebook, we all connected on there and keep in touch.  Rhea (bottom left), who I cheered with in middle school and some of high school, has had a lot of health issues since we graduated and she wanted to get together and see us - so here we are!  We had so much fun and it was so funny to get all our different perspectives on high school and who remembered what. I'd never want to go back to high school but the memories are fun :)

~

Last week, I attended Famous American Night in Ella's classroom.  All of the 2nd graders had written a report and designed a slide show (on a Mac none-the-less) and we got to view all of the slide shows, plus a few skits that involved the kids reading from scripts.  They all did a wonderful job.  God love these teachers, I don't see how they do it. Kids + other kids = chaos!!
Ella's famous person was Amelia Earhart and as she was doing her research, there was a lot of new information about her possibly having been found after all these years. Pretty cool.

~

We've had some funky weather here this winter.  Snow, rain, ice out the ying-yang, and then hail and terrible thunderstorms and tornado watches (in February!) last Sunday. They woke Justin and me up many times throughout the night - our bedroom has a skylight and it's like the Flashdance strobe light scene in there when the lightening gets bad.  Silas was the first to come in our room, about 5 minutes after we put him to bed. Ella came in around 2:30am. Zoe came upstairs at some point and peed in the floor, she was so scared. Even Cleo came  up and slept with us. I thought that Mason was being brave but when I asked him the next morning...he hadn't heard a thing all night. He slept right through the storms.

 ~

I plan to post an end of Feb YOSP update this weekend, but one related goal is my running. I can't remember ever feeling this happy and excited about physical activity. I've been one to make myself exercise but I've never been this excited about strapping on running shoes and my iPod and just go. It's been 2 months and 2 days and I feel SO much healthier and still in shock that I actually can run. I started logging my runs soon after I started and put a widget at the bottom of the blog - if you notice me slacking, call me on it :) So far, last week is the only week that I missed some running days. I was sick and only got 2 days in what should have been a 4 day running week.

Part of me wishes I had started running a long time ago but most of me is really just happy to have something new to get me motivated right now.  It's fun to start something new - especially something new that is good for you too. 

The Weekend that Wasn't

This will be a grumpy post - because this past weekend just blurred right into last week and makes it feel like I've just had a super, duper long week with no end in sight. My fun for the weekend included lots and lots of work and tons of laundry.  Justin worked all weekend too.  All I could envision is what it might be like to just go away someplace tropical, with a book in one hand and a big drink in the other. With or without kids but definitely without the computer and the washer/dryer. The most exciting thing this weekend is that Columbus (and most of Ohio) broke the February snowfall record with 30.1 inches.  I suppose that could be why I feel so cooped up and antsy - I'd just like to hibernate.

Silas even asked me on Sunday "can't I just sleep until summer gets here?" 

- my feelings exactly!! I don't think that in my 40 winters in Ohio, I've ever wanted spring to get here as much as this year!

 Even the snowmen have had enough...look how depressed he looks...

 

The leaning pile of snow. It stayed that way all night.

One thing that I've been trying hard to work on around here is some of our eating habits.  I've been reading some books on nutrition and preventing/fighting cancer.  There are a lot of things that I had no clue about. It's been very helpful.  I have switched our pasta to whole grain, trying to cut out as much refined sugar as possible and this week we've eaten apples, bananas, oranges, tons of blueberries, other berries (lots in smoothies), broccoli, carrots, brussel spouts, orange peppers, tomatoes and lots of avocados and salads.

I am having a hard time working more fish into our weekly menu though...maybe tomorrow we'll have fish tacos. And more beans...less meat. Yikes.

The animals continue to be loved...very loved to the point of suffocation.

 And they have claimed the kids' couches as their own...

Silas has been a good sport when I put his hat on...and he looks like a lump-head. He calmly reminds me that his mittens are still in his hat.

An Ella funny:

me: don't lick your sunglasses

Ella: I'm not licking them, I'm cleaning them (with her tongue...)

ick.

Silas has been his rotten self lately.  He is quickly learning the art of manipulation, especially if it involves the Wii or DS.  We really have to watch how much he plays because if we'd let him, he'd stay on it ALL day long!
I've been going into his classroom once or twice a month to help the kids do activities on the computer. It's fun to get to know the kids in his class and his teachers.  His teacher is pregnant and the kids all ask her a bunch of questions about the baby. One girl asked her to open her mouth so that she could see the baby in her belly :)

I am VERY proud of Mason right now.   He's done a good job of keeping his grades up all year, but for some reason, seemed to be slacking in the effort last semester.  When he brought home his interim grades this time he has all A's and today he got a postcard in the mail from his World Studies teacher:

Your student, Mason, has been recognized for...

turning it up this quarter! Mason has really applied himself and is performing at the level we all knew he could.  Great job!!

Yes, GREAT JOB!  I love my kids.  I'm not nearly as grumpy now :-)

Winter Schminter....

This past week, I have had the song In the Bleak Mid-winter rolling through my head...

The kids missed 2 days of school, the roads were icy, snowy and slushy and pretty miserable.

The poor birdhouse was taking a beating...

And we really should have covered our deck furniture this year!

But on the bright-side...
it was handy for putting a quick chill on a bottle of wine.

Mason got bored at some point of being snowed in and decided to amuse himself by being tied up and seeing how long it took him to get out.
This was the most difficult (below). His escape time was 4 minutes and 31 seconds. Yes, he's an odd duck! And hopefully no one turns us in to Children's services!



Ella and Si did get outside for a bit and enjoyed the snow - but it was REALLY cold and I made them come in when Silas could no longer feel his cheeks.





It's fun to have some snow - but I am really ready for Spring and warmer weather!