February Fun!

Don't give up! We're still here! Just busy that's all. But I'm sure you are too, so I won't ramble on about that ;o)

Tyler's having fun grooming the front yard sled run. Unfortunately we veered off the run soon after this photo, onto a "no-sledding zone" where the groomer had been parked. It survived the collision surprisingly well - nothing that a little super glue won't fix.

We came home to Mr. Moose in our front yard a couple weeks ago.

Before

After

Riclyn has babysat the boys several times now. It's wonderful to go out for a nice, peaceful dinner and know they're in good hands. She's been known to give them a little exercise too! Here Tyler is "riding the bike." He climbs onto her legs and pedals just as hard and fast as he can! A good workout for both of them!

THB's 2009 Heli-skiing Extravaganza! To say they had fun, I think, would be an understatement ;o) Pictured above are Keith, Matthew B. (THB Jackson), and John V. (THB Big Sky).

Waiting for another ride to the top.

Here comes the ship - a trusty Bell 407. I guess I shoud mension - it wasn't really all extravagance. It was also a marketing move as THB invited 6 or 8 architects to join them for the fun.

And back on good ol' Snow King. Some have wondered just how little ones are carried safely on a chair lift. Boyd rides in the back pack - snug as a bug with hand warmers in his mittens and boots. Tyler wears a nylon harness with a handle on the back for loading and unloading and keeping a firm grip on during the ride.

Don't worry Grandmas - we go reeeeeally slow! ;o)

Well that's it for this month. See you in March!

Connie & Robin

What an enjoyable couple days we had with Connie and Robin. It was hard to let them go, but they said they'd be back soon - starting mid-week meetings in Alpine - exciting! We were privileged to tour this newly finished THB home yesterday morning. It is the largest, most ornate home the company has built. It was truly spectacular. It reminded me of the Conrad Mansion with all it's decorated rooms, fancy wool carpets, stone fireplaces and ornate wood and iron work.

Standing in the driveway of the same home.

Flossing!

Tyler: Connie, what are you doing?

Connie: I'm getting all the yucky stuff out of my teeth - I'm cleaning them.

Tyler: I want to clean my teeth too.

Thank you for your patience, Connie ;0)

And thank you Robs, for the wonderful music. You're doing great!

Hope you all have a great Valentines Day and a great weekend!

Remind Me Again

"What is generosity?"

"Generosity is giving to others without expecting something in return. When you are generous, you want to help others. You are not thinking of yourself. You give because you want others to feel good. Generosity is a way of being kind to others."

This is an excerpt from a children's book. It's a book about values I found at the library. And what a beautiful concept - one so strongly recommended in the Bible (perhaps what it means to really love your neighbor.)

And yet, I so often put generosity aside. Did that say, "...not thinking of yourself?" This is where I fall off the boat. I'd like to do "such and such" for "so and so" but it would take too much time, or mess up my schedule, or make a really late night... the list goes on and on.

When I read this book to Tyler, I know I'm getting more out of it than he is, but maybe that is good. Maybe if I can change my selfish habits, just a little, he can begin to see the meaning of generosity by watching me. I hope so.

More escerpts from another book of Tyler's:
"It's fun to make friends, and it's easy to do!
When you're friendly toward others, they're friendly to you!
The easiest way for a friendship to start,
Is to give of your time, and to give of your heart.
Having good friends will always depend,
On first being willing to just be a friend."

Friendliness, is another value I'd like to model for my children. I need a lot of work in this department, but I can't afford to put it off. Generosity and friendliness seem to go hand in hand, so while working on one, maybe the other takes care of itself.

We're also enjoying "Farmer Boy" by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Tyler doesn't complain at all about putting his pj's on in the evenings. He knows what comes next. He climbs up in Daddy's lap and is instantly captivated by the life of a boy on a farm long ago. His eyes glaze over as he listens to descriptions of school days and sledding, bullies and whippings, huge barns and animals and chores, tables spread with delicious food, and men and women and children working hard.

Here again, I might be getting more out of it than he is. I'm sure we'll be reading these books a second and third time as the boys get older. It't just good to be reminded of these things again!

Uncle Rick

Thank you, Uncle Rick, for carving out a little time for us. We sure enjoyed having you here.

A cold, but beautiful elk refuge tour.

And then a fun night of skiing. I don't mean to make that sound like a full night of skiing.....

.....if you wish to know the details, read on. Tyler was good for his usual 3 to 4 runs. I was set to get the boys home for a bite of supper and their Sat. night baths. Keith and Rick planned to finish out the evening on the slopes. Well, somehow this blithering bumblehead managed to lock both sets of keys in the car while it was running in a no parking zone just outside the ski lodge! Fortunately neither of the boys were loaded in yet, although, had that been the case, we could have just called the police to come and rescue them, and then our car would be unlocked too! Okay, I know this is getting boring so I'll cut to the chase. Rick watched the boys, I watched the car, Keith ran home, tore the house apart, called several times on the cell phone so we could rack our brains about where another key might be, finally found a valet key in a drawer of a stored piece of furniture in the garage (don't ask me how his nose led him there), and then rushed back to the hill to get in a few more runs while I took the boys home. Whew! What a knucklehead! No one seemed too upset, but I don't think I'll do that again anytime soon.

Anyway, we had a wonderful day Sunday. Tyler was so sad to see Rick go when we parted ways in I.F. He demanded that he should come back home with us. Thanks again, Uncle Rick, and don't stay away too long.