Ski School Graduation

Stevie Kate and Jake did a six-week ski school program at Deer Valley.  They both loved it!  Which is an accomplishment since Stevie had not liked ski school before.  The last lesson she had before this program...ended in the instructor carrying her down the mountain kicking and screaming.  Jake didn't love ski school at 3 years old either.  And even though I teach 3 year olds how to ski all the time...I really don't recommend ski school until 4 and older.  It is kind of a gamble...but maybe it is just my kids.

Anyway...Stevie's instructor was Kate.  She was so sweet and drew pictures for Stevie and brought her accessories to wear every week. 

Jake had Charlie and learned a lot about carving, hockey stops, side slipping and going through the trees.  Apparently there were some very rowdy boys in Jake's class that couldn't take direction very well so that made it interesting for everyone. 

The graduation parade was a beautiful sunny day and Grandpa D came to watch too.  Having Grandpa there was really fun for Kelly :-) 

Jake graduated from Advanced Beginner to Intermediate and Stevie graduated from Beginner to Advanced Beginner.  Great job!  Here is a link to the video we took if you want to watch. 

Love is in the Air

I love Valentines day.  The theme of love is great and I also think it is a very simple holiday.  Just wanted to share a couple of pictures taken around Valentines.

Jake and Shayla - they have only had eyes for each other since the 1st day of Kindergarten.  They have a really sweet relationship.

 

Kelly and Choo-Choo - Tyler snapped this picture at the circus that we went to with the Dustmans.  I love it!  He really is Kelly's 1st love. (Choo-Choo is a nickname that has stuck with him since he was a little baby.  It is going to be hard for us to switch to Drew).

The Flood

So for my birthday this year...I wanted new carpet.  Just kidding!  But that is what I am getting.  On my birthday I woke up to a pretty major flood in our house, complete with damage to both levels of our house.  Jake went to the bathroom around 10:30 the night before and we think the toilet just malfunctioned and overflowed like a waterfall all night.  With help from Val (I love you Dad!), we spent the morning cleaning up what we could and then turned things over to the insurance company and their disaster cleanup people.  I left with the kids for the rest of the day and Steve went to work.  When I got home late in the afternoon...I was pretty shocked to see how extensive the damage was.  And how they moved our belongings around and just stuffed it into the guestroom and the office.  I had a little meltdown then, at the expense of my dear friend Kathy.  But she promptly informed me that it wasn't a fire, everyone is healthy, and to calm down (she did give me a hug first).  She is right, although I'm sure I will have a few more meltdowns until we get everything back to normal.  It is just hard to deal with when you have three small children running around and demanding almost all of your attention.  But I will be getting that carpet along with new flooring downstairs too :-)  Here are a few pictures after everything was ripped out and the very loud fans were doing their job of drying out the house.

What Comes Out of Their Mouths...

Quoting Stevie Kate...said at the table during lunch today.

"Katie told me I was a cute baby.  I told her that we were all cute babies.  But really....I think Jesus was just a little bit cuter."

Happy New Year 2011

Cheers to a New Year!  Thank you to all of my family and friends for making 2010 a great year.  I am excited for 2011 and so very thankful for the life that I have. 

The list of New Years goals could be very long (especially with parenting)...but I am trying to make it simple for now.  I am vowing to drink more water, be on time more, pray more, and smile more :-)

What about you?

Holiday Pictures 2010

Great holiday season!  Lots of great time with family and friends...

Santa 2010

The holiday craziness is upon us all and we haven't had much time to catch our breath. But here are a few pictures with Santa this year. The first shot has Kelly with what looks like a laugh (kinda)...but it is a very scared cry. I wasn't planning on being in the picture...but 2 year olds and Santa just normally don't mix.