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Gestating another Chocolate Baby

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What is it about snow that makes me want to scarf carbs? Dwayne went to the store tonight and brought back ice cream.  But because I do not eat ice cream 1) outside of summer and 2) that wastes calories with vanilla or other non-chocolate flavors, he brought me back a little chocolate Bundt cake.  I held it to my belly just to see what putting those 10+ pounds back on.  

Fortunately, the cake actually didn’t taste good, so the chocolate baby will stay an embryo a little longer.

Snowderday

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It all went as forecasted! The snow started by 1pm Friday afternoon and it snowed all evening so the kids woke up to great sled runs.

Piper was already back in the house to warm up when I went to investigate the shenanigans.  Sure, they look darling, but that is just their picture pose.

Because then they went a wee bit nuts!

Of course, that may be because they all lost brain cells doing this for hours:

The Zombie Sledders return for more…


Piper and Abs made chocolate cake and all the girls designed glorious plans for decorating it. And then the cakes fell apart promptly after being taken of the oven, so everyone just put down the icing plans and grabbed forks!  Today, we called that “lunch”.  

Snowpocalypse II: Day 1

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And this is why I don’t take my Christmas, ahem, Winter lights down.  I can’t take down the snowflakes when there’s real snowflakes to light up! I was so glad that schools were out really early today, including the secondary schools.  The school I work at on Fridays was probably the latest to get out at 12:30, and I was home by 1pm.  That’s the last outing for the minivan for a few days, I predict!  


Snowpocalypse I: Day 3

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Let’s not even discuss Day 2.  The house is too big to clean, too small to get away from the kids.  Let’s just admit I was snappish that day, and move on to Day 3.  

We woke up to no bread, milk, or apples, so I planned a Me & 3 outing: walk down the back forty to downtown, have breakfast at the local café, and then go to the grocery store and pack it all home.  

A veggie omelet for me and different versions of carbs with extra syrup for the kids, with a side of bacon.  A good way to start the day.

The streets were clear in town, but my front wheel drive minivan stays in garage–the ice on our shaded private street is only beat out by the ice on the two hills that get us off our hill.  Hence, the lovely walk down the ravine to tow.  Dwayne had no problem on his commute, but I’m chicken with precious cargo.  

Snowpocalypse I: Day 1

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On Saturday, Kyla brought me the first bouquet from the garden. 


On Sunday, it started snowing. 





On Monday, we woke up to this:


So, so beautiful!  Today was one of my favorite days, period (in spite of a second period in 10 days, TMI).  The house always looks a little eerie with the skylights covered, but extra light reflecting off the snow into all the other windows. 



I moved my little desk in front of the window overlooking the backyard, and actually got a little work done.  We had walked over to friend’s house, and left the 10 year old girls there and took the middle school girls back to our house.  The snow was so light and fluffy, and not conducive at all to snowballs….or even sledding!  That didn’t stop the kids though.  They made paths through the orchard and probably hit about every tree they could…and at least one I didn’t think they could.




The day ended even more beautifully than it began.  Thanks Mother Nature!  

Leavenworth-y!

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We try to get a 3 day weekend in Leavenworth each winter, and this year, we had Monday off for end of semester, so we grabbed a condo right outside of town for the weekend and headed right into the snow.


Wes found a wheel-less skateboard and he and Piper found a way to play with the “snowboard.”

We did my two favorite activities as soon as we got into town Saturday afternoon: walk through the park trails and order at the Ginger Bread Factory.  
The others went back to the house, while Piper and I took some time together to go shopping-meandering downtown.

[And here is how I found out that if I take off my glasses and put on a hat, I am suddenly my mother.] 

In fact, we basically did the same thing on Sunday and then on Monday, walking and eating.  
And by walking, I mean “penguin-ing”.

I love these swings–you put your toddle in one and the baby in the other, and push just one swing while the two entertain each other as well.  Brilliant!  I’ve got two nieces I’m going to try them out with this summer. 



  

Hmmm, looks like we’re back to eating again.
 

And when everyone else went inside, SnowBoy stayed outside and played in the hard-as-concrete frozen snow.
We’ll be back again, Leavenworth!

Leavenworth-y: Ski Hill and a Win for Wes

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For as many times we’ve visited our favorite Bavarian town, we’ve never “done” Ski Hill (though we walk the multi-mile loop whenever we can).  At the top of Ski Hill is…a hill to ski on.  Kinda.  
There are two rope tows, one for the Bunny, and one that can either be green or blue, depending upon when you let go of the rope (assuming it is a conscious decision and not an “AAAUUUGGGG!” moment). 

We had rented Piper a snowboard for a week, so Dwayne and Piper set out for the Bunny Hill while Wes, Kyla, and I tackled the tubing hill, which must have been constructed by drunken teens supervised by high college kids.  Who’s to say why my pants were wet after I did 3 runs.  

I’ll admit the pictures don’t look overly terrifying, but you’ll just have to trust me…and my soiled clothes.  Pay no attention to the fact we ran to do it again each time we found that we survived. 


After we did a few runs, we stopped for cocoa at the lovely lodge, and cheered up Piper who had a horrible experience on the one run.  Usually her determination works well in her favor, but this time she was determined not to do another run.  Wes volunteered to do take the snowboard.  Unhappily, Piper gave him her coat (with the lift ticket), and I have my coat to Piper, so she could have my last 3 sled runs.  Then I took the girls back to the condo, and returned with my own snowboard.  

Meanwhile, Wes had done the bunny hill a few times, and he cheerfully reported, “I’m horrible at this!”  But he pulled a Piper and kept trying and trying, and was finally coming down the hill faster than he could go up.  So the 3 of us tackled the other run.  (It’s funny–because Wesley is wearing Piper’s coat and helmet, I have to keep reminding which kid is in the picture.)

 
We boarded for a few hours, and then quit before we were too tired.  Then my magical Traveling Coat of Mom went on Dwayne so he could do the last sled run with Wes. (Remember this is the coat that Piper had worn before, so it fit a 10 year old girl, me, and a 200 pound man. I’m not saying it’s a flattering jacket, but Mama definitely has to prioritize practicality over other considerations, especially on the mountains.)
on the mountains.

Compliments to Wesley:
1) He didn’t complain once about wearing his sister’s coat.
2) The snowboard was measured for Piper, who is significantly taller than Wes.  He learned anyway.
3) He bound his own boots on the board.  His boots are decent snow boots, but in no way have the structure proper boarding boots have, which you need to have good control.  He learned anyway.
4) Only one of the bindings was designed to be tight enough to keep his boot in place.  The other boot was on, but not firmly.  This is NOT good snowboarding equipment.  He learned anyway.
5) He didn’t complain about anything that afternoon–which is not a typical Wesley day.  He kept falling and getting right back up, ready to try again.  
It was a WIN for WESLEY!

Piper’s Win

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There are few things that make me kick-in-the-gut proud than seeing something I love about myself blossoming in my children.  Since becoming a homeowner, I’ve prided myself on fixing/problem-solving/engineering what is not working.
Tonight, Piper was microwaving her frozen strawberries, but the platter wasn’t turning.  She allowed me to be her advisor and assistant, but she was going to fix it.  Within an hour, we had removed the bottom layers of the appliance, all to get to the little piece that connects the upper plastic dohickey to the thingabob underneath that rotates it.  Not only did we fix that, we cleaned out all the years of collected grease, and to understate the complexity of this, put it all back together.  I got to show Piper the time honored tradition of putting tricky pieces together only to realize you forgot a piece.…and redoing everything. 
In fact the only one in the room more proud of Piper than me, was her.