New York Hot Dogs

Preston, my sister-in-laws husband, is a huge fan of New York Hot Dogs.  So much so that he ordered them and had them delivered to Truckee in the middle of a snow storm.  Crazy!  But they were also crazy good, I especially loved the mustard they sent.  Yummy!  Thanks Preston!

Sledding

There is an awesome hill down the side of the cabin in Truckee.  Everytime we are at the cabin and there is snow we make a sled run.  It usually ends up looking like a bob sled run by the time everyone is done sledding.  It is so much fun.

I have to admit that this time I did not help make the sled run and I never actually went down it, but I did take pictures of everyone else going down it.  Doesn't that count for something?  :o)

The kids loved playing in the snow.  Payton and Lincoln liked it even more when we actually got some snow clothes for them to wear.  Payton stayed outside for hours.  It was great!

Payton and Ethan actually went down the sled run together without an adult.  This may not seem like a big deal to some but it was to me.  I grew up sledding in Nebraska which pretty much meant sledding down into the ditch in our front yard.  The sled run down the side of the cabin is a black diamond in comparison.  Seeing my baby go down the hill without an adult was a little nerve racking.

Lincoln also took his first trip down the run this trip.  I have a little video of him going down with Payton and Dave.  They were so cute.

Snowboarding!

I love it!  I have not been able to go snowboarding in so long.  I remember years and years ago when my friend Ron and I would go every weekend.  Man we had so much fun! 

I was so excited when I found out we were heading up to truckee for the week between Christmas and New Years.  And even more excited when I found out we were going snowboarding. 

My sister-in-law's husband Preston was even more excited than I was to go.  We were barely able to restrain his excitement.  We ended up spending two days at Squaw.  I loved it!  The weather was great and the snow was nice. 

I am kicking myself because I carried a camera around with me the whole first day and never took a single picture. 

Highlights

1) Watching Ashley take jump after jump.  That girl is fearless.
2) Not falling at all when getting off the lift.  This is a first for me!
3) Long cruising runs...Love them.
4) Preston's excitment over tree runs.
5) Ashley taking out the tallest man I have ever seen.  He was oblivious, she was coming up to the line for the lift and just couldn't stop.  He must have been at least 7 feet tall.
6) Dave slipping and sliding on the ice while trying to get on the lift.  Why is watching people slip and slide so funny?
7) Jennifer taking no crap from anyone.  :o)  Don't try and cut in front of her for any reason.  LOL
8) Lodge french fries and hot chocolate.

Good times!  I can't wait to go again.

The Move

My sister Jen and her husband, Anthony, were able to short sale their home but the bank gave them only a couple weeks notice before they had to be out of their home.  Yikes!  Dave and I immedeately offered our home as a place for them to stay and get back on their feet. 

Fortunately, the move happened while Dave and I were out of town...Ha! Ha!  Don't think bad of me, I was just not looking forward to hauling their things down 3 or 4 flights of stairs.  On second thought it would have been a lot easier than it was moving them in.  :O)

Anyway, we will see how it goes having eight people living in our little home.  I have a feeling it will be a busy place for a while.

Running and Doughnuts

The meanest thing ever is a doughnut shop right outside of the gym. 

Feeling like I have just had a great workout.  I just ran 5.25 miles, haven't done that in a long time.  Then BAM I am hit with the deliciously sweet smell of doughnuts.  How am I supposed to lose the baby weight facing that every day?  :o)

Throw Up

I have never been one that does well around throw up or around people throwing up.  Mix that with dinner time and I am pretty much useless.

I guess Payton isn't feeling well.  We were sitting at the dinner table eating when Payton started throwing up.  I am so glad Dave handles that stuff better than me.  I found myself staring in unbelief at what was happening and trying my hardest not to dry heave.  Way to go mom! ;o)

Weighty Problems

Frustration.  I think that is the word that best describes what I am feeling at this point.  I just don't understand it.  I ran 14 miles this week and gained a pound...How the heck does that happen? 

Why can't I just lose those last 7 - 10 pounds.  It doesn't look like I will be back to pre-pregnancy weight by the time Lincoln is one.  Yuck!

Keeping an eye on the soup...

Payton, Lincoln, and I were in Gilroy at our weekly playgroup and my friend Amiee was making us Pumpkin Soup for lunch.  She had to run upstairs to take care of her baby and asked if I could keep an eye on the soup for her.  I said sure and then she told me that it had to simmer for about 20 minutes but that she just didn't want it to boil over.

She went upstairs and I started my job of watching the soup...After about 5 minutes I noticed it boiling a bit and thought I would just turn it down a smidge.  About a minute later Amiee came down the staris and at the same time the soup started boiling over all over the place.  What?!

Well, in my attempt to turn it down I turned it to "light", which in my head at the time registered "low".  Whoops!  At least we shared a good laugh.  Hee!  Hee!

Lincoln Walks?

Last night Dave and I were getting the kids ready for bed when I noticed that Lincoln was taking steps while holding onto one of those popper toys. 

First thought...Oh my goodness! He is walking. Yay!

Second thought...Oh my goodness! He is walking...Gulp

This afternoon I grabbed the vaccum, set it in the dinning room, and turned to go plug it in.  As soon as I walked across the floor the vaccum took off in the opposite direction with Lincoln behind it.  Ha!  Ha!

We took a little video of him walking behind one of those push toys.  So cute!

Crazy Play Date

The play dates with my Gilroy friends are getting to be very crazy.  Within a few months we went from having an average of four kids come to having an average of eight kids.  Yikes! 

I have been trying to plan some kind of activity during the play date so that it isn't just free play the whole time and hoping that it prevents some of the little tuffles that happen.  Unfortunately, I didn't not have anything really planned for this play date.  After a while the kids asked if they could play outside and we all decided that was probably a good idea.

They decided that they didn't like how the inside of her play house was decorated and pulled out the sidewalk chalk.  Cute, right?  Ha!  Ha!  I love it.

I will say that this particular play date went out with a BANG!  The older kids were playing in Payton's room and the little ones were out with the mommies.  We heard the screaming and Cassie ran back to the bedroom followed by Aimee.  I headed back when I heard Cassie say, "Oh, that is not OK".  She came out of the bedroom holding Payton in that protective mommy pose.  I guess her and Gage were scwabbling over a toy and Gage ended up with his hand around Payton's neck.  Yikes!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I love Christmas!  This time of year is awesome.  I love the music.  I love the food!  I love how excited Payton is this year.  I can't wait to see her and Lincoln's faces on Christmas morning.