Sledding

A fun day of sledding with friends..... both with and without a motor.

Both got alot of smiles!

(Josiah 6yrs, Adalie 4yrs, Kaiya 4yrs, and Bladen 2yrs, Baesore Meadows)

Lady Bugs

Some of my very favorite days are those that are unplanned and spontaneous. In spontaneity there are no expectations, no disappointments, no schedules to keep.... just enjoying the moment.

And so a hike up the flume with cousins, on a chilly winter day sounded like just what we needed. And to our delight, we found "millions of ladybugs", enjoyed the rushing waters, hiked out just as dark was settling in, and warmed up by the fire at home with a yummy dinner!

Aaaahhhhhh!

Babies

We Love Love Love babies!!

How lucky are we??

(Cousin Sage 11mos,and Cousin Freney 10mos)

Surprise!!

A day after Christmas SURPRISE!!
After breakfast, the girls knew we were headed up the hill to do some snowmobiling........ but, what they didn't know........ was...... they were going to ride their very own sleds!!
Oh, how excited we ALL were!!
It was a day of learning, of Daddy's running along side the little sleds to make sure little ones knew what they were doing, of wrenching on new motors, of hiking with friends when your sled is not running, of just having some fun in the mountains!

Thanx to Turner and Case for the fun place to ride AND for keeping our sleds for us ready to ride all season long!!

Christmas Day

Wow!! what an incredibly fun day. Stockings in the morning. Love at first site with Rebecca and Julie. Breakfast and presents with Amma and Grandpa. Dressing our dolls with Amma. Time to play. Fellas competing for distance with their new planes from Santa. Dinner at our house. All topped off with a phone call from Santa himself that delighted both children and adults alike!! How on earth did he remember what he had gifted to each child?

How perfectly delightful!!

Hung with Care

The stockings were hung by the fire with care.... and of course, a note to Santa was included this year. I love all the notes. They are so sweet. They take so much time and care in creating them. And this time they worked together at their little wooden desk until they were just perfect! Notice Santa's rosy cheeks and the soot on his suit..... love it!! Then each was placed carefully in the stocking so that Santa was sure not to miss it!

I suppose the notes are a result of telling the girls that there were elf footprints in the snow on the roof leading to the skylight where the elves could peep in and watch. But who knew they would ask Santa if those really were his elves' footprints??

Chirstmas Eve

Christmas Eve has always been full of traditions. And being that I thrive on times when you know what to expect, it has always been one of my favorites. Even Adalie knew the routine this year. First we meet up at the Tenaya Lodge for hot chocolate and decoration admiring, then off to find a picnic spot in the valley and last, but far from least, ice skating in Curry Village surrounded by the awesomeness of Yosemite. Then home again to Gigi's house for a hot meal. It is incredible to spend the day before Christmas in such a grand place, to be humbled and amazed by its majesty. This day has yet to disappoint. And like so many years in the past, we had another wonderful Christmas Eve.

Josiah enjoyed scooting along the ice all on her own, Adalie liked to go as fast as anyone could push her. But the smiles on their faces were what I loved the most!