a bit of snow.

we haven't really had much snow this winter.  i keep telling charlie that i'm expecting this winter to be just like last winter where we didn't get much until march and april and then it snowed at least once a week.  i really hope i'm wrong about this but i'm mentally preparing for no spring again this year.  anyway we got a few inches the other week and avery finally agreed to go out and play in it.  she doesn't have real snow boots.  we really need to get her some, but we got this snowsuit at rei at the end of the season last year for something like 60% off and i love it!  she does, too i think.  we got some use out of it last year and it still fits her fine this year since we bought a size bigger so she could wear it this winter.  i took her out in the front yard and she ran around and crawled around and caught snowflakes on her tongue and ate it by the handful.  i finally had to drag her inside because i was freezing.  i'm on the hunt for some boots and hopefully we'll get a few more snowfalls for her to play in.  

a snowy saturday...

it snowed all day today and avery and i spent the day doing random things around the house and trying to recover from our week.  charlie left to go skiing at 5 am and thankfully both avery and i slept until 7. we had a hard week last week.  between mastitis and last minute work deadlines i was ready to just spend some time with avery without trying to do a million other things at the same time.  and although usually by the time saturday rolls around i'm dying to get out of the house, the fact that the snow was piling up outside made me happy to get a few things done around the house and play with avery.  we took two naps, 'painted' with yogurt, did a bunch of laundry, cleaned out closets that i've been putting off, ate grilled cheese for lunch, read lots of books, and watched the dogs run around in the snow.  

tomorrow we're looking forward to french toast and i think after this snow i'm ready for spring.  and with the forecast showing temperatures in the 70s next week i think we may just get it. 

last week ...

this last week was so busy and so fun.

we celebrated two birthdays, went to one birthday party, and attempted to get ready for christmas.

we had plans to be at the butterfly pavalion right now thanks to some free passes from one of my co-workers, but both charlie and avery are napping on the couch so it's looking like that may have to happen another day.   

avery got a taste of opening presents by helping charlie on his birthday.  turns out ripping paper is more exciting than the present inside.  christmas morning should be fun.  

we got a very small amount of snow on wednesday, which made everything look nice and christmassy.  i brought some inside for avery to play with while i was working and although she ended up cold and soaking wet she had a blast playing with it.  i'll have to get her a snowsuit so she can play with i outside the next time we get some.  the dogs love snow and were happy to spend a large part of the day outside chasing each other around.  

and on thursday my baby turned one, which meant that i panicked on wednesday night and started baking cupcakes and making pom poms so that she wouldn't think we forgot her birthday.  charlie told me i was crazy, but it turned out that she really did like the pom poms, so i hung them up in her room after her birthday so she could have them year round.  also it make me feel like all of my hard work was justified.  we made her favorite dinner that night (grilled cheese with avocado), gave her a cupcake that afternoon, and let her take a super long bath, which is one of her favorite activities.  i think her favorite present were a bunch of bowls that i got her from target.  she loves to stack and unstack them all day long.  

and now we're (almost) ready for christmas.  and definitely ready for a longer than normal weekend.  

it snowed ...

maybe not as much as they were predicting, but still a decent enough amount.  especially for october.  

and the best thing is that it didn't really stick to the roads, which made me very happy.

the dogs were especially happy to see the snow.  henry most of all.  this morning i told him that 'it snowed' and he ran to the window and spent the rest of the morning whining until i took him outside.  

he was very impressed with this stick that he found.

but was happy enough to run around with dunkin before the 'stick' fell off the tree.

and once he was inside he spent the rest of the day staring at his beloved snow

i never mind the first snow of the year.  it's always sort of charming.  between the snow, hot apple cider, and a grilled cheese sandwich with avocado and tomato it was a pretty good day.  

the only thing that was missing was charlie who is playing golf in 90 degree arizona right now.  

he was pretty jealous that we were getting snow and he wasn't.  i think he's one of the few people who would pick snow over golf and sun.  

devil's thumb.

the monday after christmas my parents and i drove out to devil's thumb ranch.

they had been last year to go x-country skiing and have been talking about how beautiful it was all year long. charlie and alex were over skiing at mary jane and i debated going with them, but figured i could downhill with charlie any weekend i wanted.

so henry, my parents and i piled into my carolla and caused a small traffic jam on route 40. i'm oh so happy my little car made it safety to tabernash although it wasn't exactly easy getting there.

i had decided to go snowshoeing while my parents skied and while everyone tried to talk me out of it, i'm so glad i didn't listen because i loved snowshoeing. loved as in, forget skis i want snowshoes. cheaper, more practical, and both the dogs and i can get some exercise. and the best thing about snowshoeing, i stayed warm the entire time! every time i go skiing i freeze on the lift, which i hate.

anyway, devil's thumb ranch. it was beautiful. and peaceful. and i never thought i'd be the kind of person to pick a snowy cold mountain over a warm beach, but this place won me over.

yesterday i was here snowshoeing with henry.

and let me tell you, it was so.much.prettier in person.

ollie enjoying the first snow of the year.

tuesday night we got tons of snow.

i was a happy, happy girl. all of that snow = 3 day week for me!

(although, i think we could have had school today.)

tuesday night i went grocery shopping. when i walked into the store it was raining. i came out and we had an inch of snow on the ground.

2 hours later charlie asked me to move my car out of the garage. it got stuck.

luckily, i was able to get it back in and we spent the next 15 minutes trying to help our neighbor pull her car into the garage.

we spent tuesday night drinking beer and making quesadillas.

and watching it snow.

staring out the window is henry's hobby.

i slept in until 9 on wednesday.

but charlie was up at 5 (and then back to sleep on the couch) for a trip to western colorado that got delayed.

he did manage to take some pictures of the snow before it all started to melt.

our street.

the sun attempting to come out.

after lots of coffee & a play date for the dogs. i took dunkin for a walk.

a lot of the snow had melted but there was still enough around to make it pretty.

and then i dropped our skis off at christy sports, went shopping, made brownies, did a TON of laundry, and graded some papers.

i think i'm done with winter now.

happy snow day!!!

gotta love march snow storms.

Happy Sunday

Dunkin's wishing you a Happy Sunday,

hopefully with lots of snow and coffee like us!

Cozy...

Couldn't you just hibernate here all winter long?

I know I could. Curled up by one of the fireplaces with some dogs at my feet & and an endless supply of hot toddies ...

Fluffy white stuff

Oh yeah, we got some. A lot, if you want to get technical. And since Charlie was out of town and totally depressed that he was missing the first storm of the year he made me take lots of pictures.

This was yesterday ... we have a lot more now.

Picnic lunch?