Summer is here…

[flickrvideo]http://www.flickr.com/photos/17005385@N04/3531432731/[/flickrvideo]

I love this video. Gary always can make Ellie crack up with his silliness.  I love his goofy ways with kids.

A Mother’s Day

Today I took Ellie out for a “hike”. We ventured across the valley to a spot called Dutch Hollow where there are many looping and crisscrossing trails for horses, bikes, dogs, Mom’s, and Tot’s to enjoy. I put Ellie in the backpack and we took off up the trail. It was nice and peaceful not many others around. I was determined to get some exercise so I wasn’t really paying attention just moving.

Once we arrived at the top of the ridge Ellie began to nod off. I didn’t really want her to sleep in the middle of our hike. So I took the pack off and let her out to walk on her own. I’m so glad I did this because she starting showing me things I was not noticing before. Like the butterflies, the purple Penstemons, the bee’s buzzing, the Queen Anne’s Lace (I think), and she showed me she is trying to say “yellow”.  She made me slow down and remember the important things. She helped me live in the moment and I loved it. We had a lovely little stroll on that ridge where I was shown dozen’s of rocks, flowers, and sticks. She also made me stop and listen to bees, birds, the river, and a helicopter fly by.

I’m so happy to be a Mom to have a little person in my life that shows me how to stop and listen to the world around me, to explore my surroundings, and to discover new things.

So thanks to the Wee One for giving me a beautiful day with out even realizing what a gift it is.

A Good Day

We celebrated Gary’s Birthday yesterday.  Apparently 28 was a good year for him so he’s claiming 28 from now on.  Which isn’t a bad idea, I was 28 when we were married. It was an excellent year for me as well.

Turned out to be a beautiful day, blue sky and all. Gary was in a particularly happy place most of the day. I think all the Happy Birthdays that came poring in from friends and family all day via snail mail, email, facebook, and the phone helped him feel appreciated. So thanks to everyone for making his day a good one.

P.S. Here is the recipe I used for his Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake. It was soooo goooood.

Opinions Please

We are thinking about adding some paint to our living space. I love the cozy feeling of the wood paneling we have through out our house but I think we need to break it up a bit. Nothing to extreme and I refuse to paint over the beautiful natural wood. So our options are to paint the frames around the windows and perhaps the kitchen cupboards if I can talk the Man into it. Since we are also trying to sell our house we don’t want to go bold so I’m leaning toward natural warm colors that are similar to what we find outside our windows. Here are a few samples I picked up at the big Orange store the other day. I’m having a hard time seeing the big picture.  Do we want that deep brown or something with a hint of green or a nice light tone? Hmmmm. I like the small swatches they put some sand or something in it to giving it texture and make you think it looks like a rock or something. Kind of fun, but might be difficult to work with.

The Last Huurahhh

Yesterday was closing day for Alta. It was a perfect day to end the 2009 season, beautiful blue sky, fresh mountain air, and good friends. We set up camp in the parking lot with our friends Julie and Tom and we were quickly surrounded by fellow Altafarians ready to celebrate the end of another great ski season.  Gary captured two funny videos of kids and adults alike having a good time as the band “Lake Effect” practiced some grassroots marketing and provided the “lot rats” excellent tunes. The day ended in classic Alta style with a road closure due to a wet slide that crossed the road in the White Pine area. Therefore we were trapped for a few hours with no choice but to listen to the music, chill out, and watch the debauchery play out.  We were even lucky enough to find Aunt Laurel at the end of the day. It was good to catch up with her and see her enjoying the day as well.

[flickrvideo]http://www.flickr.com/photos/17005385@N04/3459359571/in/set-72157617003691331/[/flickrvideo]

[flickrvideo]http://www.flickr.com/photos/17005385@N04/3459216961/in/set-72157617003691331/[/flickrvideo]

Needless to say the Wee One was spent by the end of the day. It was a long one for her and we would have left ealier on her behalf but some times Alta just wont let you go… Thanks for hangin in there little one.

MERCY!!

We give Old Man Winter. We give! That’s exactly what I thought this morning when I heard Gary’s sigh as he looked out the window. Another foot plus pilled up over night. A wave of defeat washes over us today. Really I shouldn’t let a foot and a half of snow get in my way. Instead, we bundled up and went out and put our faces in it. Took it in. Literally…

[flickrvideo]http://www.flickr.com/photos/17005385@N04/3408972013/[/flickrvideo]