Hanging Out

It's hard to believe that January is already half over! We've been keeping busy and enjoying the beautiful weather that we've had these past few days. Sutton started his gymnastics class (the same one that I used to take Sawyer to) last week, and it completely feels like deja vu for Mommy. Sutton is having fun during the activity times, but he's not really keen on sitting still and listening during any of the instructional moments...just like his big brother when he first started too.

Sawyer has been really nice and helpful in showing Sutton the moves that he remembers from class, but I think he's also hoping that he's going to get to go back soon too - as soon as they're both patient enough that I can handle them both at once! I've thought about putting him into the 3-year-old class after his birthday because that one doesn't require parental participation, and I could keep Sutton occupied while Sawyer was in class. I can't believe Sawyer is already almost 3! We're planning a monster truck themed birthday party for him at Extreme Gymnastics (the same place that we went to for Ty's super fun birthday party in November), complete with a special monster truck cake. He's already really looking forward to it, and he asks us all the time if it's his birthday yet. After having him successfully test drive some big boy bikes (2 wheelers with training wheels) at Toys R Us, we've decided to get him a Tonka bike for his birthday. He's going to be so excited, and I can't wait to give it to him!



Making "prah-jackts" (projects) with Daddy for Gigi's birthday



These new dot paint markers are rad!



Sharing Gigi's special birthday cupcake treat - YUMMY!

Enjoying some sunshine in the backyard

He just got caught poking his fingers through the fence trying to torment the neighbors' puppy!

Cheese!

There's nothing better than a warm sunny day in January!

I got a new haircut, thanks to Auntie Jess!

Snow Play

EDIT: I updated the blog layout format, so a few of these pictures are getting cut off now since I used a different uploader than usual. To see the full image, just click on the photo and it will open up the whole thing. Thanks! :)

Today we took the boys to play in the snow for the first time! We loaded up all of our snow gear last night, packed a lunch and headed to Yuba Gap Sno-Park about an hour or so up the mountain. Last night Sawyer was so excited to go to the snow that he woke up around 10:00 pm just to check in and make sure that we hadn't decided to leave and go without him while he was sleeping. Needless to say, his excitement translated this morning into "Are we here?" "Can I play on that mountain?" "Can I play on that mountain?" "Are we ready?" "Are we here?" for over an hour non-stop. When we got to Yuba Gap he was about ready to squirm out of his carseat on his own and jump into the white powder, so it was a huge bummer to learn that the road into the park was being shut down because there had been too many accidents this morning because the road was so icy. Thinking quickly, Granddad suggested that we head up to the snow park at Boreal, so we ended up driving about another 20 minutes before we finally unleashed the restless kiddos and let them run around in the snow.

It was a bright and sunny morning, but it was deceptively hiding a well-below-freezing 18 degrees outside - BRRRR! It's been quite a long time since I've been that cold, and although I had a great time playing outside with my family, I hope the next time we decide to go sledding that it's at least 20 degrees warmer. I was paranoid that Sutton was going to get frostbite because he wasn't thrilled by the snow, and he wasn't really playing or moving around to warm up all that much. Sawyer, on the other hand, loved the snow and couldn't get enough of it! He's so crazy - even in 18 degree weather he quickly took off his beanie (Mommy compromised by making sure he wore his hood instead) and wanted to take his coat and gloves off too! I swear, that kid really has something against layering and wearing jackets! He had a blast sledding with Daddy and Granddad, but he was a little disappointed that it was too cold and too powdery to make very good snowballs with the snow. He settled instead for making snow angels. I decided that there was no better way to show how much fun we had than to post a gazillion pictures, so here you go...Enjoy!







In love with the cold stuff from the minute we got there



First sled ride!


Load 'em up...


...and goooooo!



"I wanna go on my tummy!"

Sutton appears to be thinking "What in the hell are we doing here?"

All bundled up

Granddad with the ever-present video camera and Gigi freezing her booty off!

Getting a saucer ride from Granddad - now that's traveling in style!

Sutton beginning to realize that there might be some fun to be had in this snow junk after all

Granddad and Saw ride the flying saucer

Nope, still just freezing cold

Toboggan Races: Mitch & Sawyer vs. Jeff & Sutton

Yay, we won!

...and still freezing. I think at one point his runny nose was actually freezing to his face, poor kid.

Sawyer had just kicked up a face-full of wet snow on his last run down with Granddad

Is that Sutton smiling!?! Ah ha, so he likes it when you go fast, eh?

Sawyer trying to avoid another face full of snow and bringing back a souvenier...

Exhausted from the largest snowball he could carry! "I'm taking a rest."

Self portraits in the snow - proof that Heidi and Rhonda were here too! :)

Pulling Sutton in the toboggan

Oh my gosh, he LIKES it! Yay!

Let's go fast!

Somebody is finally having a good time!

Finding a snowball as big as himself

Okay, I think I'm ready for lunch now!

The only people strange awesome enough to have their own card table in the snow

Happy New Year!

We've had a busy, eventful and fun New Year's week! We hope yours was great as well, and we're hoping that 2009 brings all kinds of new and wonderful things for our dear friends and family!

Last Sunday we hosted a mini-reunion for some of my high school dance team friends and their families. It's always really great to be able to just pick up where we left off - it definitely doesn't feel like it's been several years since I've seen a few of them! It was extra nice to finally have a chance to meet some new husbands and little family members that we haven't met yet. Sawyer always has so much fun playing with Darcie's boys, Walker and Jaxon, and every time they leave our house we always end up trying to convince them that they need to move closer to us (they live in Marin).

New Year's Eve found our family at home this year, partly because we were just too exhausted to go out and do anything, and partly because poor Sutton was battling a sinus infection AND an ear infection. Thank goodness his antiobiotics seem to be working, and today he seems to be feeling better. We rang in the new year with a glass of champagne and the year's 514th and final showing of Wall-e on dvd. Sawyer stayed up long enough to watch the ball drop in Times Square (in real-time, at 9:00) before he finally conked out amidst a pile of balloons and glow necklaces. We hadn't mentioned much about New Year's to him, but they did a quick segment on his morning cartoon show, so he had been jazzed up all day shouting "Happy New Year Mommy/Daddy/Sutton/Random People in Walmart!" all afternoon. He definitely knew there was supposed to be something special about the day, and it was funny to see him so excited about it.

The Wall-e Addicts

We didn't have daycare all week, so we've been having fun hanging out around the house and making cupcakes and art projects by the dozens. I think I've almost exhausted my mental stash of project ideas after this week! Luckily we also got a few new books for the holidays, so we also spent a lot of time snuggling up by the fireplace with some good books. On Monday Aunt Kari came up to spend the day with us, and we spent the entire afternoon playing outside in t-shirts in the warm sunshine...and then the next day was spent hiding out in the house from the thick and freezing cold billows of fog. Such weird back-and-forth weather this week! Tomorrow looks like it's going to be as bright and sunny as it is today, so we are taking the boys up to Yuba Gap to go play at the Snow Park - I can't wait!

Playing Moon Sand with Aunt Kari

This stuff is great (and so much more fun to play with OUTSIDE!)!

Sawyer is always SO excited to help make cupcakes!

His favorite part of making cupcakes...

Yummmmy!