Erik's Turns 40!!!!

Happy Birthday to Daddy......Happy Birthday to you!   We couldn't fit 40 candles on his cake this year, but the kids sure wanted to!

Here is Erik doing "All the work" this is what he loves to do, but it comes with a tiring price(;

Here is Meg on a jump at the ski park at Heavenly and Kate getting ready to go out.

We all fit on a lift!

Daddy and Kate.

Gorgeous view of Lake Tahoe.

Eating lunch at Kirkwood.

Just chilling and waiting for the girls so Sam can go do some  more jumps!

Sam and Meg get to go alone because they are such independent skiiers.

Saying good-bye to Alice so the BIG kids can go skiing at Kirkwood for Daddy's birthday.

We had a great weekend up at Tahoe.  We spent the first day at Kirkwood and the second day at Heavenly.  The second day Alice stayed in their daycare so I could join everyone.  It was so fun just to spend time together and of course ski!

Baby Monster

The Baby Monster has finally arrived at our house!  She is crawling, pulling to stand, opening cupboards & drawers and taking out everything!  She eats anything....homework beware!  She pulls hair, pokes eyes, scratches and ruins fragile toys.  Our favorite thing is how innocently she looks at you as she is pulling out an entire shelf of books or terrorizing any craft project.  "What?" is the look we get.  She is vocally unhappy with any clothing alterations and physically amazing in her ability to twist out of any position!  Diaper changes are considered a work out these days.  It's a good thing she is SO CUTE and that we are SO IN LOVE or she might hear about these obvious rule infractions!  She is also fabulous at giving open mouthed kisses and loves, crawling around the house calling for her siblings in the sweetest little voice, and giving generous smiles and excitement whenever you need to feel important walking into a room.  She is great at blowing kisses (minus the blow), shaking her head, SO BIG upon prompt with arms above her head, Peek-a-Boo, and dancing....she's got some moves!  More pictures of trouble to follow soon!

MEG

I have to brag about Meg for a moment.  She is such a wonderful person to have in our family.  We are so blessed to claim her as ours!  She just turned 10!  She is so busy and talented, creative and interesting!  She makes our home a fun place whenever she is around.  She decided to take her friends to see Alice in Wonderland for her birthday celebration.  She has a cute group of girls that she has surrounded herself with!  She also just made competitive soccer again this year with some of her old teammates, so we are looking forward to another busy fall season hanging out on fields with old friends.  My favorite brag to date is her beautiful singing voice!  She was just given a main part in the opera the Piper of Hamlin in Livermore.  She will have 2 solo parts and a duet.  The director was so impressed with her that she has asked to give her private vocal lessons in order to prep her for the Pleasanton Cantabella performing Choir for which there is a wait list.  They are so excited to have Meg become involved with their singing  groups, and Meg is thrilled!  What an honor to be able to do what you love to do and have people excited to have you there!  Way to go MEG!  We LOVE You!!!! 

Meg's Birthday Tea Party!

Utah ski time!

O'ma

We drove up to Ogden to visit O'ma while we were in Utah over the Christmas holiday.  It was a great visit and the time flew by fast!  The kids always love to "play" with her cat that hides from them as soon as she sees them come through the door.  We recently found out that O'ma is having health problems and are worried about her!  We love you O'ma and are praying for you! 

I don't think we are the only ones who like the weather out here!

When I am hiking or camping I don't really worry too much about critters, but I have to say finding them IN my house creeps me out!!!  There has been quite a few critters around my house in the last two years.  Of course starting out with spiders....they are not as big as the ones in Lehi, but there are so MANY of them!  We also had our grass torn up by raccoons, Sam even treed a 'coon on Christmas eve!  I could hear him from in the house he was so freaked out!  When the Summers were visiting we even saw an opossum  climbing on our trellis right by our window.  He just sat there and looked at us daring us to come out there.  Can I just say big hairy RAT, or R.O.U.S.es!  But to top off the feral cats and over populated squirrels out here, I have now had my second snake at my house.  The first one was on my driveway and looked and acted just like a rattle snake.  Sammy almost ran over it with the stroller wheels before I saw it!  Erik caught it and animal control came and took it away.  It ended up being just a gofer snake, which apparently do resemble rattle snakes.  FABULOUS!
Tonight as I was vacuuming I noticed a small but very real snake all curled up and trying to defend itself against my vacuum.  Red color on top and black/white striped bottom.  Was my baby just playing here?  Where did this come from?  Do I really need pest control for snakes in my house?  Sam hold the baby, no don't take her into the next room, HOLD her OFF the ground! I need to be able to see you and her! Are there more?  I wish Erik was home!  I of course freaked out (in my head) and quickly caught it and called for animal control.  Sam and Kate want a pet Erik teased me later, why didn't you just keep it?  Can I say that in the wild I am prepared for critters, they don't bother me much.  Maybe that is because I EXPECT them!  Nothing like having your "safe" place feel not so safe.  We think Meg brought the snake home from school.  They leave their backpacks outside all day long.   I can't wait to see what gets brought home next!

SNOW DAYS!

Here we are at my old Jr High School sledding on New Year's Eve.  The kids just love the snow, I think they all have Erik's snow genes!  Even Kate was tromping up and down the hill with a big grin on her face.  We met up with the Summers and with Monica and Saffron Bellinger.It was so fun to be active outside on a beautiful day with people we love.