in honor of the annual telemark ski race this weekend,
here's a peek at a few crazy-early morning backcountry training runs.
isn't it absolutely gorgeous?!!
go, dan (and co.), go!
check out my pics from last year.
+ the mammoth apricot tree in our backyard. jam, anyone?
+ fourth of july festivities & fireworks. and cotton candy. hooray.
+ pinterest inspired watermelon star fruit salad.
+ i love the mountains, i love the rolling hills.
+ chloe teaches dan a few chords; singing around the campfire is big in this family.
+ our annual family camp out; 32 campers from 3 months to 65 years old.
+ the boys pal around together. (the downpour of rain may have been their favorite part!)
+ the girlies bust out their guitars and play like their mamas taught them. so cute.
+ hiking cecret lake with the littles and the preggers. (37 weeks!!)
+ gorgeous scenery all around. sleeping in a tent was so worth it.
+ fourth of july has definitely become my favorite holiday.
june is flying past and there is plenty to write about; a gorgeous wedding, nursery preparations, bike rides, my bulging belly, cousin fun and more. but first i have to back up and document such a happy family day; our day out with thomas the train. on memorial day, we traveled to the train yards to introduce our choo choo loving boy to his hero–the very useful engine–thomas the tank engine. he was on cloud nine and i've come to realize when your little one loves something, you love it too. these days–depending on his mood–thomas, peter pan, lightning and robin hood are like friends around our breakfast table. we knew it was worthwhile when upon entering the event, walking with him on the train tracks, he was trying to take it all in. he looked up at me with a huge smile, mom, this is so awesome.
being a family is magic.
iphone photography by uncle ray.
my boys left town this weekend to visit family, see our sweet niece be baptized and introduce benji to a real monster truck rally in southern utah. it was the manly event and highlight of the weekend; cousins, uncles and grandpa all joined in. boys will be boys. benji could not wait! i was a bit worried seeing cars get smashed would scar the poor child, but apparently he loved every minute of it. there was even a father / son monster truck team out there. and a monster truck that resembled a dog. at one point, i'm told, a jet engine rigged to the back of a fire engine completely melted another car into oblivion. (fortunately, as benji noted, a real brush rig was on the outskirts ready to tame the flames.) now tell me, who wouldn't want to pay good money to see that?! b tells me he was happy wearing his own ear protection too. last weekend he got his first train ride and now, monster trucks. this turning into a little boy thing is pretty awesome. i just love dan's face in that first picture; just the beginning of introducing his boy to rad guy stuff. in related news, benji has the chorus to cool guys don't look at explosions memorized.
meanwhile i was busy having some girl time; cuddling whitney's new baby, wren (she's here!!), painting furniture (and managing to get paint all over myself), cooling off in the basement and eating out with friends! hello summertime!
wearing winter gear on spring break is not so bad when you're in beautiful sun valley, idaho.
+ an easter egg round up (not so much of a hunt as they were all scattered in plain sight for the wee ones)! with so many kiddos, it was the quickest hunt i've ever seen. off to get a tattoo.
+ meeting the real easter bunny, in the fur.
+ the boys got in on some serious spring skiing. i love watching dan get benji all geared up: helmet, mittens and more. okay, thumbs go in the thumb pockets. admittedly, i am not much help on the slopes. however, i am in charge of packing the apres ski snacks. dried mangoes, sandwiches and trail mix.
+ iconoclast book store and cafe is our favorite place to browse books and sit awhile. oh so charming with its chalkboard-topped tables and an incredible stationery and hipster card selection. the toasted bagel and cream cheese is an excellent lunch for the famished.
+ the latest craze while being patient for a parent who is shopping is to find a little cozy spot to make a quick movie. no, no, no, mom. we start like this: you say, how old are you benji? and then i say, three. and we go from there. he's got the script down. and there is usually a knock knock joke involved. i can't wait to show the home movies to his fiance.
+ enjoying breakfast (and bears) at the kneadery. best breakfast in town. opens at eight.
read more about our trip here.
+ i packed all our darling easter spring clothes for our easter spring vacay. i forecasted sunshine and suntans. unfortunately the short sleeves remained packed. we wore turtlenecks and parkas the whole time. in fact, in a moment of motherly weakness, i let benji hunt for easter eggs in his camouflage sweat pants. (gasp.) he also got a temporary tiger tattoo that day. on his face. it still hasn't come off yet. i'm deeming myself as awesome mom. he was unbelievably happy and it was too chilly to make him wear his charming argyle vest and plaid shirt. and the way he says hello to tiger every morning in the mirror is pretty cute. i'm learning to let things go. and come to think of it, i'm totally fine without that perfect picture of him hunting for eggs in a catalogue-worthy outfit. small steps, people.
+ dan calls him a tiger on the slopes. so, it is a fitting symbol. as all tats should be.
+ one of the highlights was watching the skillful woman in the lobby put together the easter floral arrangement as i cozied up by the roaring fire. the fresh flowers smelled divine. and the assortment was taller and rounder than me (if at all possible). it was a huge assortment of lilies and hydrangeas and all kinds of colorful blooms somehow perfectly placed in symmetry. i also liked watching the delicate flowers balancing in the assistant boy's hand while she took her time creating the huge masterpiece. he was attempting to text someone and hold a garbage bag for the clippings at the same time. my favorite was the florist's professional method, as if she does a hundred of these arrangements in her sleep. she still loves flowers but is no longer drunk off their scent. at the very end of her tango around the blooming arrangement, she took out her camera and snapped a quick shot (just one) of her incredible creation and turned away as quickly as she arrived. i liked seeing that teeny glimpse of pride in her work.
+ laundry. i dreamt about bountiful towers of folded laundry (and termites!) last night. termites that mutated into giant scary creatures. and something else called 'laundry cake' that supposedly smelled and tasted delicious, with a touch of downy. bizarre. i got the message; my laundry and cake-eating habits need to be attended to.
+ re-reading tina fey's bossy pants on the road. alas, mockingjay was not available at the local library (go figure). i was happy to share our easter vacay with tina. she's hilarious and self-deprecating, in a really likeable way.
+ the cold did not deter the fun of the vacation, of course. the boys skiied. we relaxed. and ate. i read every magazine on the rack at the glorious bookshop that has a mammoth assortment of legos for kids to play with while their moms get in on free relaxing and reading (not unlike a spa treatment). i shopped around town. and balked at a 300 dollar scarf. actually a whole wall of 300 dollar scarves. the lady working there came over to me and kindly handed me a plastic egg with a ten percent off easter coupon inside of it. guess how many scarves i bought.
+ tiny silver earrings. i finally found some in a sweet gift shop. for under $300. i am happy. and will likely be wearing them for years to come.
+ cable tv and a swimming pool and endless supply of bubble bath. the little lovelies of hotel life.
+ introducing benji to strawberry sprinkle pop-tarts was another highlight of the trip.
+ not being able to fall asleep on the long drive home. rare treat indeed. while b slept the hours away, dan and i had a chance to catch up–just the two of us. plus i didn't miss passing all the gorgeous sunlit fields, tractors, and bugs splattering on the windshield.
pictures to come. / how was your weekend?
dan and friends participated in the 10th annual powderkeg ski race on saturday. it involves crazy technical vertical climbs with tele skis–skinning up and then skiing down. for safety in the backcountry, the participants have to carry / wear their survival gear; avalanche beacons, water, snow shovels, avalanche probes, warm layers, etc. not one bit intimidating for the racers' spouses back at the finish line. dan thrives on high adventure stuff. i thrive on the safe ride down the canyon afterwards, buckled in our seatbelts. luckily the sun was shining and all went well. the racers rocked the terrain while b and i comfortably made conversation with good company in the cheering section. my boys were both officially spent by the end of the big event. hip hooray.
check out our other powderkeg adventures here and here.
sidenote // thank you for your excitement about boy numero two. we are completely thrilled about it. and i'm already prepping myself on a life of worry with high adventures like building snowcaves, skiing, river rafting, target shooting, camping, jumping on a school bus (without me!), going trick-or-treating unattended (will i ever allow it!!?), little league try-outs, riding bikes without training wheels, balancing a wobbly cafeteria lunch tray loaded with healthy foods that will likely go uneaten... oh, how you brave mothers do it!
benji and i have been discussing being brave a lot lately. every evening we make a fun game out of checking for dragons and monsters in his room. i turn his flashlight on and check every nook and cranny. he laughs hysterically; it has become routine and he loves it. last night he asked me what it meant to be brave and i did my best to give him a good answer. we also tell him there are three things he can do when he's scared: #1. say a prayer. #2. sing a song. #3. think happy thoughts. i've heard him singing quietly to himself in his room on more than one occasion. it melted me into a pool of motherly love right there on the hardwood floors of the hallway.
what are your tips on teaching bravery to your children (or to yourself!)? somedays i feel a bit unqualified due to my own wobbly stack of worries that weigh heavy on me. i want my boys to be tough and brave and to believe in themselves and believe in their capabilities (even if they are scared!). i will have to learn how to encourage courage while cloaking my own motherly fears! check out what mara says about being fearless. i'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter.
awesome powderkeg logo is not my own; created by the talented wasatch powderkeg officials.
here are a few of my favorite things.
+ the nativity scenes and christmas lights all aglow on temple square. it's my favorite way of getting into the true spirit of christmas. i love walking around the visitor's center (even with the crowds!) and viewing all the wonderful messages about Christ. the simple bible videos are something we watch every sunday morning before church.
+ we bundled up and even caught a choir performing downtown. (i have no qualms about wearing big furry russian hats in public, i deem it one of the best things dan brought into our marriage!) benji loved the giant nutcrackers and the horse carriages carrying families in the brisk night air. it was a thrill to feel christmas is coming.
+ on christmas eve, we ventured into the snowy mountains for a winter walk (not enough powder to snowshoe!). but it was sunny and the snowy hills sparkled like diamonds; which makes all the effort worthwhile. my family gathered at my sister's for turkey and all the fixin's. everything was delicious. it was a classic family night with games and the nativity story, singing carols, little cousins, presents and togetherness. the best gift of all; opa was kind enough to patch up benji's bear! just in time for christmas. we all went to bed with sugarplums a-dancing.
+ christmas day was spent at home; cozy in slippers and cuddled in quilts. it was magic. santa pleased everyone. i attempted my mom's thinnies (swedish crepes) and rolled them up with sugar and butter for breakfast. wassail washed them down. it took me back to being seven. i was so glad they turned out. we played with trains and cars until church began and then came home to play some more. leaving the mess all the while. dan cooked up a mighty fine stew for christmas supper.
hope yours was so merry and bright.
wishing you a happy new year.
xo. m, d & b
p.s. dan gave me a night to the movies! we saw the new Sherlock Holmes and loved it.
