Spring? Where are you?

Spring Break

We did a staycation this year and had a wonderful, relaxing week. (However, I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss flying off to a warm, sunny spot...next year!). The skiing was the best it's been all year. Both boys did lessons and we have found great instructors for both of them. Next year Jim and I plan to take ski lessons again or else we will be left behind by our little speed demons! Jackson had his friend Erik come up to the cabin one night. They had a great time exploring in the woods around the cabin and even found what looked like a beaver den nestled on the side of the river. It turned out to be a massive root ball from two trees that had fallen over, but it was still fun to check it out. Now we are back into our spring routine....homework, book reports, lacrosse, baseball and training for an Ironman.

Happy Birthday Sean

My little guy is seven today! Such a great day for a birthday!
The world is definitely a brighter place with Sean around!!

What we've been up to...

We've been skiing, visiting our neighbors puppies (their dog had 8 lab puppies...4 black, 4 yellow), attending both boys school conferences, reading Treasure Island, watching Willow, celebrating one birthday, getting ready for another, enjoying dinner at Laurelhurst Market and taking lots of photos of everything. Unfortunately, I have a glitch on the computer that won't allow me to post pictures right now. Stay tuned!

It must be Sunday

I never thought I'd see the day when we all sit down and read the Sunday paper together. It actually has happened....5 minutes of quiet on a Sunday morning!

Snow Day!

It only takes about 2 inches of snow for Lake Oswego to close schools!
I went into the boys room on Thursday morning and told them school was canceled because of the snow. Sean's response was "Does this mean I don't have to make my bed?"....I said, "Okay...no bed making today". Sean replied, "This is the best day ever!".

Chocolate I'm enjoying lately...

Vosges Barcelona bar, Moonstruck dark chocolate ( love the label) and....yes, a chocolate Power Bar. The Power Bar isn't what I'd consider a treat but it does serve as a quick energy source on days when I have a 1 hour swim followed by a 1 hour run.

A few quick pics

Action Shots!

This is what we did Wednesday after school. While the rest of the country is dealing with snow and frigid temperatures, we are enjoying unseasonably mild weather. So, we must get outside as much as possible! Outside play time =happy children (and happy mom).

Fun on a Bluebird Day

What to do when it's raining everywhere...

Go for a hike in the rain! And it turned out to be a great day, even if we were all soaking wet by the time we finished.

Resolutions 2011

One resolution in our house is to de-clutter...starting with our closets. These pants were among the items discarded/donated. I'm not sure when they ever fit Jim but they did make for some amusing photo ops.
Resolution #2...discover new and delicious chocolate. The bar pictured above is a great find!!
I guess we should add some sort of resolution about exercise if we are eating lots of chocolate but that will be for another post! 

Adventures in Squirrel Catching

We:re on Day 2 of the Squirrel Catch and Release program....the count is 2 so far. If the sealing of holes is successful, this will be a short lived program. The squirrels will need to find alternative accomodations. In the meantime, the boys are thrilled that every day when they get home from school they get to witness a trapped squirrel being transported from the upstairs crawl space to the get away vehicle (belonging to our new friend, Marty, the critter catcher).

Finally....snow!

It just doesn't seem like the holiday season until we've seen and played in the snow. Luckily, Mother Nature cooperated and provided us with tons of white, fluffy stuff up at Mt. Hood. The boys did a 3 days ski camp and were troopers even on the 2 days of high wind and limited visibility. The last day we skied was magnificent...fresh powder! Sun! No wind! And best of all, 2 skiing boys who can navigate the mountain, giving us the chance to ski together as a family (though some of us ski faster than others....Jackson has officially surpassed me in skiing ability!).
Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

Wishing for snow....but not likely to happen. However, there is lots of snow about an hour away...and we'll be there soon. Enjoy!

Back again

How did it get to be December 22nd? I am planning on making more cookies and trying the salted caramel recipe that's been on the kitchen counter for 2 weeks. I also need to take the boys on a quick shopping trip so they can buy gifts for the giving tree that gives gifts to families in need. But in the meantime, I'm enjoying a lazy morning, listening to a mix of Ipod random songs and dodging Nerf darts being pelted at me from 2 boys dressed in ninja robes. I'm also enjoying looking at the above photo and imagining it as a painting....

The tree action shot

We lucked out with a great day to find a tree. The scene from this year looks very similar to last year....Jim on the ground sawing, Jackson ready to help, Sean running around wildly waving a sharp, pointed  stick. As an added bonus, we got a close look at the cool piece of equipment used to gather the trees. 

Cutting down the tree 2010/ attempts at decent family photo

Notice the lack of a complete family photo. 

The game that Univ. of Oregon did not win...