Another Day!

Last night Kyle and I were looking at road conditions and after getting the go ahead from people who were counting on us for help on Sunday, we post-poned our departure another day!

The extra day gave us a bunch of time to take car of staging at the cabin as well taking some pictures and getting rid of all the trash we had created with all our staging and getting rid of the old owners' out of date bedding, etc.

Another round of tubing was in order and we were able to get the earlier time block and eat dinner in Red River before heading back to the cabin for the night.  It was a great day, so glad we were able to stay!

Tubing

Today we made a last minute decision to do something other than cook and work on the house.  Red River had their mountain running and that included some sledding!  We took the 5-6pm slot and rented 4 tubes.  We had a blast!  Despite the 25 degree weather, the kids loved every minute we were out there!  Sledding down a mountain in the dark was a lot cooler than Kyle and I could have expected!

Snow Family

These guys were hard at work building an entire family of snow people.  I love how much outdoor time the kids get while we are here!

Well Hello!

On our way down the ski mountain this morning, we ran into a truck interacting extremely closely with a couple of deer.  As we drove up and the man drove away in his truck, the deer came up to our car as well.  I could have touched this deer it was so close to my window.  Instead of risking a bite, I rolled down the window and took a picture.  It was incredible to be so close to such a creature.  She never ran or anything.  We finally drove away and left her standing there with her family just up the hill from her.

Rocky Mt. Chocolate

We love chocolate, so we stopped in downtown Taos on one of our many runs to get stuff for the cabin, and walked around before grabbing some goodies for the trip back through the canyon.

Trying Hard!

I planned to take our Christmas card photo while we were here, but it sure hasn't been easy.  After scouring for poses for families of 6 and working with the clothes we already had on hand wasn't a walk in the park, luckily for me, though, I had about 10 hours to figure some of this out. 

Our first attempt was right after we got home from church.  I propped up the tripod on the driveway and snapped a shot of us in our church clothes right in front of the cabin.  Kyle and I look totally amazing, the kids are all struggling.  Unfortunately I wasn't aware of any of this until after everyone had changed.

After a morning of ski coat shopping, we started a drive to Toas and stopped at Toas Pines and snapped this photo.  Unfortunately, again, I was only able to adjust everyone but myself to avoid shadows before packing up the tripod and heading through the canyon.  None of these are horrible or great, but they will have to do!

Unrecognizable!

This little guy hasn't had a haircut this short since right before his 1st birthday when I buzzed him in preparation for a 3 month trip to Europe without haircuts!

His eyes looks so pronounced now!  You can also see the little scar on his forehead with this shorter cut and how extremely big his head it!  Overall, we couldn't be happier!

Nice Hat!

Ben had his Thanksgiving program today.  He sang "Turkey Dinner" with his classmates and I couldn't have smiled any bigger.  Speaking of bigger, I'm not sure anyone's hat was as big as Ben's!

2nd Aint Bad!

Last week, Ava's team loss a tough match and ended up taking 2nd place over all for the season.  Because of their standing, they ended up playing a team in the semi-finals that they were able to beat and head to the championship.

The team they played for 1st place in the tournament was a team of 6th graders that they had played once during the season on a net that was 8 inches too high.  The girls were able to hang with them for the first game, but lost the match in the end.

Despite only taking 2nd place, we were all extremely pleased with the season!  Go team Awesome!

Little Norah

This little girl is such a sweetheart when you can get her by herself, it is so amazing to see such a change come over someone just because they have all of my attention.  I enjoy our dates with the kids, but really wish we could see more of their sweet sides on a daily basis!

Peter Pan 360

A few months ago some friends told us about a fun play that was going to be in town.  The play was Peter Pan, but it was written with the use of trapeze harnesses worked in as well as a round stage and many trap doors in the stage floor.  It sounded very exciting and I quickly bout tickets for the girls and I (Jack said he wasn't interested and I didn't even ask Ben).  Fast forward two months and it's the day of volleyball finals.  Ava ended up needing to stay behind and play in the tournament, so Norah and I went by ourselves and had a great time.

Her friends were there making it a great choice to bring her!  We ended up exchanging the tickets we had and some that our friends had bought because we told them to, for a later date-so in the end we all won!

Fishing Of Course

Whenever Papa is in town, we have to spend at least an afternoon fishing.  The kids enjoyed their time outside with such beautiful weather and although we only caught one fish, Ben and Ava were the most patient with their poles.  Jack and I ended up peppering in the street next to the lake and Norah followed Nana around like a puppy dog.

Lakers Game

Nana and Papa got in at 2am this morning and after sleeping in, we got the kids out of school and blew their minds!!  No one except Ava had a clue they were making a visit.  It was pretty fun to see them light up when they saw their grandparents.

Since Papa is such a "huge" Lakers fan, Kyle thought it would be fitting to take him and Jack to one of, if not the, last game Kobe would play against the Mavericks.  They had great seats and although it was a close game and the Lakers lost, Kobe was given a standing ovation at the end and I'm pretty sure Kyle patted himself on the back the whole way home!! 

Tea Party

The Jones' invited us for a fun tea party right at the end of the half day of school. We brought fall cupcakes and they provided some tasty lemonade, crescent rolls and other finger foods.  So glad most of our kids love to hang out with these guys.  Jack was not very interested in sticking around, so we headed over to get his allergy shots.  Afterwards, we all went and saw the Peanuts movie and ate lots of popcorn.  Such a fun to spend a free afternoon.

Talent Show

Norah was invited to join a group of 1st graders for a performance of "When I Grow Up" for the school talent show.  They were act #46 out of 50 and even though it was the end, they seriously stole the show.  Their matching outfits, cute singing and on point choreography really made them stand out from the rest!  Norah was my favorite part, but they all were so adorable!

Teacher

Today at Jack's game, he had a special guest watching his crush his serves.  Mrs. Saenz, Jack's 3rd grade teacher, was in attendance and Jack didn't even know it!  It was cute to see him get all shy when he saw her after the game was over.  He played his best and she noticed, what a sweet lady to come out and see him!

Jack's Room

Although it is not completely finished, Jack's room has been on the verge of being done for awhile (not as long as Ava's though).  I decided with Ava's help, we could get it even closer and surprise Jack when he got back from his camp-out.  He was thrilled with what he had done so far and so was I!!!!

Haircut!

While the boys were packing up the car up last night, I took Norah to get her hair cut.  She insisted on having it short like mine-I think she looks so cute and with her natural hair texture, this length is amazing!  We headed to Max's for donuts this morning-girls only!

Camper

When the kids turn 4, Kyle usually takes them camping for the first time.  Ben has been asking when he gets to go, and this weekend was the time.  Kyle, Jack and Ben headed out and camped all night and then had a fun campfire and breakfast before hiking around and heading home for Jack's volleyball game.  Ben said he loved camping more than sleeping at our house!  The kid knows what he likes!