Best Weekend Ever 2013

About two months ago the planning process began for Spencer's first skiing trip! I wrote on the calender, "Secret Activity" and would not give him any hints as to what we were doing or where we were going! I just love surprises:) Sunday morning a friend of ours was sitting at Starbucks with Spencer's favorite strawberry banana smoothie when we walked in to get some coffee. Spencer had no idea he was coming in from Colorado and he was thrilled to see him and totally stoked to find out we were all going skiing! And so the adventure began!

We signed Spencer up for two hour lessons in the morning on both days we were going to be there. The first day he was the youngest person in the lesson group & also the best even though it was his first time on skis! He did so well on the first day they bumped him up to level three for the second day! He really has a strong desire to learn how to ski well & it is so fun to watch him:)

Here he is on Bruno which is where he spent the entire first day. He learned how to ride the chairlift, how to turn, and how to stop. He loved every minute of it! But at the end of his lesson he was ready to go faster! He was feeling the need for speed:)

I could not have been more proud of this kid! He was amazing! The second day was windy, cold, and snowy which made it difficult for him. But he was such a trooper and I never heard a single complaint out of him! The best part of it is he is excited to go again!

Spencer riding the chairlift on Bruno. He practiced so hard and did a great job! I still can't believe that this was his first weekend skiing!

He's got his game face on and he looks ready to clean some runs!

This was one of our last runs of the second day! He was so cold that his little cheeks were red & there was snow stuck to his neck warmer! Once again, I never heard a complaint out of his mouth! Such a great kid with such a big heart!

We stayed in a hotel in Government Camp so we could be close to the mountain for day two (and so we could use the hot tub after skiing)! We had snow all night long and my truck was covered! It was such a peaceful feeling to be out in the falling snow. We even took a walk after we cleaned up & warmed up after skiing and headed into Government Camp for dinner. It was fun to walk instead of drive! It was so quiet and absolutely beautiful!

Spencer learned the phrase "Foot of Fresh" which was something not everyone has experienced! Fresh powder is so nice to ski on (except when it's almost 20 inches deep and you can't find your ski when you fall)! What an incredible weekend we had:) Now we are looking forward to the next "Best Weekend Ever!"

Bad Blogger!

Really? It's been since April since I last shared about my life? Maybe that's because we have been so busy living life & chasing our kiddos all over the place that some days I forget who my husband is & sometimes it's so bad I forget where I live:) Life with two busy, active, fun loving, athletic kiddos has us spinning in circles some seasons! Spring is one of those seasons! So here's the main points of our spring 2012, in photos!


The end of hockey season was a sad day! Not only did our Winterhawks lose just shy of a ticket to the Memorial Cup, but we also are going to miss going to the games & cheering on our boys! Sis is friends with some of the guys on Facebook & we follow them on Instagram & Twitter. They are all back in their home states (or countries) now & we are counting down the days until the next season!

In May I accomplished a huge goal in my life! I made it to the summit of Mt. Hood! This had been a goal of mine for quite some time because I was the only one in my family who had not been to the top. Last year my brother took me up to Mt. Adams but we did not summit. I saw that climb as my pre-climb because it wasn't the one that really counted in my heart! But months of training and the best mountain guide (my brother)& my own determination got me to the top! It was absolutely amazing & I am so excited & proud of myself!

Sis's last club volleyball tournament was in Seattle & what an awesome place to finish a great season! Instead of staying in a hotel, this trip we got to stay with Allison & Derek (G's cousin & her husband). They live just 2 1/2 miles from the UW campus where she played! So it was convenient & fun! They took us out sightseeing & Derek even made Sis breakfast fit for a tournament day every morning! Love those two!

Sis & her friend Megan @ their last tournament. Those girls have hops:)

One sad day in May Bubba's lizard Steve died:( Not sure exactly what happened but I do know we tried everything to help him, even a trip to the vet, antibiotics & special food that had to be force fed by mouth every few hours. But after a short grieving period, Spencer was ready to jump back into the lizard owning world & Hank came along! He's a bearded dragon & so far seems to be very healthy.

Bubba's lacrosse season was very busy this year. He was on his rec team & a select team (sort of like all stars). With both teams, he had only one evening a week free. Six nights of lacrosse is quite a bit:) Their rec team stomped almost everyone they played but their select team struggled with their small size! There were some boys who easily outweighed Bubba by 75-100 pounds & that's pretty intimidating. The big end of the year tournament was in Seattle this year & Bubba loved traveling because of him! He saw Sis & I go away for weekend tournaments but this one was all about him. We stayed in a great hotel, the boys got to swim, and we ate so many yummy burgers I think I gained at least 10 pounds! He is already signed up for a few camps this summer to stay involved since this seems to be his favorite sport.

The last day of school! What a great year they both had! We celebrated with dinner out & look forward to sleeping in a little:)

Not only was it the last day of school, it was also Bubba's last day of elementary school! That's right, he's on to middle school in the fall. We have mixed feelings about that but he will be fine as long as he continues to be the individual he is & stays true to himself!

With my milestone 40th birthday & the start of summer vacation & with our hearts mended from the loss of Isabella we were finally ready to open our home to another dog! We spent months discussing breeds & came to the conclusion that a Saint Bernard would be perfect! We love the big breed dogs & think that Saint Bernards are amazing. So here's Mollie! She's just 7 weeks old and came from Sacramento. G & I drove to Yreka (half way) just last Saturday to pick her up! We have all fallen in love with her very quickly!

A good Day to be Bubba!

I Created!

So, on Black Friday I bought three of these HUGE, fluffy, fleece throws. We have a billion blankets in this house already but I really feel like we use them all the time. So I like to have a variety. I also knew that Sis would love a new HUGE blanket to bring on her away tournaments. So, the one I gave her to use last weekend (her first multi-day tournament, post & pictures to come soon) has sock monkeys all over it & is absolutely adorable. The only problem is that the fleece has pilled and there is blue fuzz all over the place. I have washed it twice & picked the pills all off twice. Nothing seems to work. There is a hotel room in Eugene, Oregon covered in blue fleece pills, sorry housekeeping:( Anyway, I emailed the company & they said I could return the blankets for a refund but they are just too gosh darn cute & the perfect size, so not an option in my opinion. Instead I went to the store yesterday & found another HUGE fleece throw to sew on to the back (since the only side that is pilling is the back). Now she has a HUGE, extra thick, absolutely adorable sock monkey blanket for our next tournament. Until then it has found a home on her bed, yet I am not sure how she can fit anything else on her bed. I swear this girl nests:) Oh and by the way, you're welcome hotel in Spokane, Washington. We will not be leaving blue pills all over this time!

CREATE!!!

That's it! I have finally picked a word of twenty-twelve to represent me! CREATE!!! If you really know me, that was really an easy word to use to describe me but I am really going to focus on creating things this year! Here is an example: two pillows + a couple yards of fabric + 30 minutes = 2 happy happy children with new pillows!

My Word For 2012

Every year some of my favorite crafty people pick one word to focus on for the year. I have only done this once a few years ago & my word was enjoy. It was a good word for me & it kept me focused when my world seemed to be blurry. Usually the word is suppose to be chosen by the first of the new year but I am a bit slow coming to the decision of doing this again. So basically I have not chosen the perfect word for twenty-twelve but Optimism is definitely in the running. I will let you know when my final decision has been made! Until then, I am going to try Optimism on for size!

Challenging Times As A Foursome

There is nothing worse for a Mom than trying to make four individuals happy at the same time! And not just four individuals, this wacky group I call my family consists of two girls & two boys. One teenager, one younger & two adults. One who is content to stay home all the time, one who can't sit still. One who plays EVERY sport possible & one who lives for one sport. One who works out every day & one who is happy watching sports on tv. Two who love to create wonderful things in the kitchen, one who can't cook & one who would rather have Wendy's every night. My little foursome is a mismatch of characters but somehow we all seem to miraculously work together!

The biggest problem is usually finding one activity for the four of us to enjoy together, at the same time, without one wanting to go play video games, or without one texting friends saying how weird this family is! That is a challenge!

Last Valentines Day, that challenge was finally conquered! We found hockey! We were given tickets to a Winterhawk hockey game & three of the four of us were thrilled . Our teenage daughter was less than thrilled, wondering why in the world she would ever want hockey tickets for Valentines Day. But on the day of the game we caught her in a rare good mood (you know teenage girls) and trying her best to be a sport, she made sure she had a full battery on her phone (for texting her friends to tell them how lame hockey is)and headed to this hockey game, fully knowing she was going to hate it!!! Little did she know a lot of the Hawks are high school kids just like her. And she had absolutely no idea they would be cute! And so my little family turned into a hockey family! I am so excited that we found something the four of us can enjoy together.

Saturday night we had an opportunity to go to the Teddy Bear Toss game against Seattle. We had not seen this event before but I can honestly say that is was one of the neatest events I have seen in quite some time! After the first goal scored the crowd throws stuffed animals on the rink to be donated to local children's charities & many on the animals are delivered by the players themselves. Now keep in mind, this game was sold out so there were over 10, 000 people in the audience & the bears were flying less than two minutes into the game when Rattie scored for Portland! They flew & didn't stop! In all almost 11, 000 stuffed animals found their way to the rink! Needless to say, we are already making plans for next years Teddy Bear Toss. We are hoping to bring many bears to be donated!

The part that made it so incredibly cool was the way the players conducted themselves on the ice while the bears were flying. The goalie, who just rocks was carrying a huge bear and then a dog around the rink. Players were helping fill the trucks with armfuls of animals. A very cool thing to be able to experience. And it didn't hurt that we won 7-1!!! Let's Go Hawks!