Thursday, January 27, 2011

Snow-riffic!

And a little bit of this & that too!

Well, I have not been blogging regularly and I suspect that's been the case since late Fall. ( I could look back to check, but I'm too lazy. ) :) Winter crept in and along with it the Holidays, a sinus infection (pre Christmas, but blessedly healed beforehand) a round of the sickies for our Littlest Little :) , an uneventful but joyous ringing in of a new year, excitement and much planning for our upcoming Taiwan Reunion ( and happily RSVP'ing to our much anticipated Kazapalooza!) a birthday tucked in for good measure and more school events (Lauren) , basketball games (Lauren) and birthday parties ( again, Lauren) than I can count! In other words..........life as always!

But its also Winter and I joined a family friendly health club. PK ( pre kiddos) I was an avid addict of one of our local gyms but with one thing or another, let that membership go and became a religious walker and full time chaser of small children. :) Through the encouragement of a friend, another returning addict :) I have rejoined, thrown caution to wind and have even been taking several power classes designed to sculpt, tone and shape! ( and kick my bu** for good measure!) All good things, all unique things to this once avowed solo workout creature and honestly all things I need now that I'm just barely on this side of 30.....er....40. *smirk* AND? I'm loving it! Truly. And sore muscles and newly minted schedules aside, I think its been a necessary and positive change; but did I mention its keeping me busy? There is that. :)

And its Winter. I believe that deserves repeating. We have been fortunate so far this season with fairly mild to moderate snow fall and New Years' Eve day it was actually hovering in the mid 50's. Unheard of around here! And while I know that many parts of the country have been hammered time and again :( those of us nestled here in our little corner of the Midwest are making the most of it! Honestly our family relishes the snow and we make every effort to get out in it as the weather allows. Granted the extra layering can be a hassle and please don't even mention my daily destroyed foyer strewn with snow boots, mittens, hats and all things wet. And perhaps I could do without the slush and muck AND yeah, I'll probably be over it and ready for Spring in a couple of weeks ( Spring won't oblige of course until closer to April) :) but until then..............we have been having some snow-riffic fun and savoring the outside time!

Here's our best girl; no hesitation on her snowboard this year and apparently no time lost. She has conquered both of the larger local hills and now we are scouting for new horizons. I don't know how she manages down those frosty slopes on a slim plastic board, but she does somehow ~ and somehow she stays on most of the time. I sure couldn't do it! And gosh how I love to watch her fly!




And Baby Boy loves to ride the sleds and sample the snow. We taught him early on to avoid the yellow variety. A timeless lesson. ;)

Snow brings out the silly in my snowchicks. Well, most things bring out the silly.......

All the way back now to our first snow in early December. The ground was barely covered but that didn't stop one determined and spunky man from making the most of it. And yes......tasting it once again! LOL


And for some reason they both look so serious.....maybe cuz Mama made them stop for a moment and pose for a shot. See how they suffer for my craft?? LOL Lexi dog adores the snow too and often sports a snow beard romping along behind the kids! And my heart melts at how his little arm is draped around her......pinning her.......ummmm.... *tucking* her close to his side.
:)~

And finally, make no mistake......Winter can be long and sometimes a little whimsy is necessary. ( and yes, snow gear IS sporty and fun!) I spotted these coordinating coats last year, stalked them mercilessly until the price dropped a bit and made them mine. You can't put a price tag on finding something "matching" for an 8 year old girl and 2 year old boy and I smile every time I see them sporting those jackets.
Actually I smile just about every time I see them together, unless they are bickering, which ironically happens with greater frequency in the Winter too......hmmmm.......but that's for another post! (and maybe an Advil or 2) :)
Happy Winter everyone!

20 comments:

rachel said...

hey lisa,
first, thanks so much for the comment on my blog. i think lauren was asked a very similar question once. i'll have to search your archives. i really appreciated your sweet words. thank you!

i joined the gym for the first time this fall and i am loving it! i'm wondering what took me so long! it's great.

i'm so glad you are enjoying the snow and glad you have also experienced some warmer temps this winter. i'm sure that makes winter so much more manageable.

the kids are adorable, as always! :)

love!

Lou Ann said...

What a perfectly wonderful way to spend the wintry months...lots of activity inside and out. And those matching outfits are absolutely fabulous!!

Hope the rest of your winter is as much fun as the first half.

Lou Ann & Lexie too

michelle said...

Ahh, PK! I remember going to the gym religiously and stopped going once Lexie came. I try to do some DVD's but it's hard to exercise when she's grabbing my weights, jumping in front of me and then I'm trying to chase her down when she's getting into something she shouldn't be.

Love those pictures of your sweetie pies. Their matching jackets are adorable and Tyler's hat is darling. Love your little Lexi and I'm sure my Lexie would be totally in love with her.

Stay warm!

Buckeroomama said...

I was just about to say that I LOVE those matching winter jackets they have on!!

That is SO cool that your girl is loving snowboarding and doing it well! I love those pictures of her with her board. =)

Thank you for your sweet words over at Becky's on my interview. xoxo

The Hernandez Herd said...

Great snow pictures. It has been in the 80's this week. I have been shopping for shorts and they are not out yet, very frustrating. Jolene has been begging to go to the snow. We really need to take a little drive to the mountains and check it out. Enjoy your winter!
stay warm as you can, Victoria

minime0910 said...

Tyler's snow hat is soooooo perfect!!! We are enjoying the snow as well but still counting down the days till we are on the warm sunny beach for Kazapalooza :-)Lauren makes a perfect snowboarder, what a rock star she is!! XOXO Erin

Wanda said...

Lisa....I love every picture. Each one tells a story and gives us an extra glimpse into the daily fun of your wee tribe. Oh, I am with you on those coordinating jackets. Size 8 and size 2 rarely go together. These are adorable! (Oh, and do share more when the Advil kicks in.)

Your winter itinerary sounds very familiar except for the work-out part. (Though I may use you for inspiration. I have to get my b**t in gear - I need to keep up with this crew.) And good for you for finding your groove again. Have fun with that!!

Stay warm, my friend!!
xoxox

Mama Shoe said...

Love your winter pictures (something we don't get around here, we've been having 70+ degrees weather this whole month)!

You go girl! Good for you for restarting your workout routine. That's what I really want too, just so hard to find the time (and energy) and other excuses....

Christine @ 12,450miles said...

Oh, love. Love love love these. My word, did Lauren age about six years since your last post or something?! Wow!

I'm trying to work up the energy to post about the snow myself. We've been getting slammed, and by the time I've got the walks cleared and a path for the dog, I'm usually too beat to play in it. And Spencer isn't really loving the snow up to his waist. Slows him down too much.

That said, what an inspirational post! I love all the fun you've been having (And I love the coats!) And I love that you are back in the gym! I've been feeling a little "fluffier" than normal and while a gym isn't in my future, some exercise would be nice. Exercise that isn't shoveling that is!

I hope you're enjoying your weekend!

QingLu Mama said...

Love love love it! Have I said that before?
Well I always love your posts but seeing the photos on FB and then getting the "full story". Well that's just priceless!

And HOORAY to you for getting in the gym! It's hard to get in there and do it (said by one who doesn't!) so I applaud you!

Love the photos of your sweet kiddos and of course the story to go with them!

Hope you get lot's of fun winter days!
Oh, and Sammy is still "Lexie obsessed". He only wants to see her, so I'm resigned to sneaking to see your blog....

a Tonggu Momma said...

I love their matching jackets! And I am so sorry to hear that you were sick with a sinus infection for so long... I was in the same boat. I finally fully got rid of it last week, after 54 days of antibiotics. Oy vey. Enjoy the gym! (I wouldn't - heh.)

Tracy Ann said...

I love your pictures, looks like you are enjoying the season! Sorry to hear about the sinus infection, those can really zap your energy. Good job on the working out! I've started going to the gym again and Maya loves playing with the other kiddos in the child care.

I checked out the reunion blog -- looks fabulous. I would like to go, but not sure if it's in the cards the year.

Tracy

Room for More said...

how wonderful! sheer joy! We'd love snow here in TX. I hear we MIGHT get a sprinkle of flakes on Friday? That would be amazing if we did! Thank you for always keeping up with me. I treasure the relationship we have built during the last couple of years!

lorabelle said...

Those coordinating outfits are adorable! Love 'em! Sounds and looks like your family is having fun and making the best of this winter weather. The pictures of the kids are so cute and I say this everytime but they are really growing up too fast. Lauren has the most beautiful smile...
I totally get the gym and work out thing! Going back to the gym was the best thing I could have ever done for myself and my family. My house does suffer a bit from it though... It's amazing how upsidedown things can get when we take away an hour or two a day to get a good work out in. I'm getting better at over looking it and umm, climbing over it!:)

Rydley said...

I'm impressed about the snowboarding! We have not come anywhere near having our kiddos try skiing or anything like it. Glad everyone is enjoying being active in the snow!

Angie said...

Love all the pictures!!! So adorable to see the kiddos in the snow :-)

Much love,
Future Mama
http://expectingablessing.blogspot.com

momwithfaithandhope said...

Geat job on stalking those matching jackets down missy!! totally worth it. You and me - we need to make a bet or something on who can keep up with their blog! What the heck is going on - I thought I had missed a ton of yours, but glad you haven't been posting as often (selfishly) because I'm not that far behind!!!

Buckeroomama said...

Happy CNY to you and yours!

Kelli said...

I can't not believe I am SO behind in blog reading. Where does the time go!?! Love the matching jackets. Glad you are getting out and making the most of the winter weather.

Lisa said...

How did I miss this post?? I think it was a part fb thing maybe?? Anyhoo.... love to see the picts of how much the kiddos grew in one year.. amazing....and I love the workout talk... it is good.. although I am one of those that will work out everyday and stil be not thin..so you are inspiring me to try to lose while I move,
and of course the endless winter... I can't wait til P loves winter..this one was hard..
Enjoy!
Lisa