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Hi All--glad you could stop back by! It's been months and months since I last posted photos of the Crested Butte Pennies and what we're up to, but I'm back in the saddle! For today, anyway.
Since I last posted, Mara has continued to grow and grow and become more wonderful and more interesting (and more fun) than ever. She's a solid two-and-a-half years old now and is a chatty, fun-loving, directive, polite little lady. This winter she's been enjoying sledding, skating and skiing and has even made it to the ballet lately. She does two mornings a week at preschool and really enjoys going. Mara has three or four baby dolls (I lose count, but I believe there's Josh, Sally and Baby), sleeps in a big girl bed, only wears a diaper at night, changes clothes several times a day if given the opportunity and, even in the dead of winter, loves a good session of streaking all "necked" in the evenings. She can count to about twenty, can sing her ABCs, enjoys puzzles and loves Curious George, so she's quite a little lady.
Stacey and I switched roles last fall . . . she quit her job and stays home with Mara and I'm back at my old "phone guy" job at Crested Butte Mountain Resort. The change has brought a little better balance to our household, so it has been really good for us. I don't care for feeling like there are times when I don't get enough time with Mara, but even more than that, I feel bad for dads who don't have the opportunity to spend as much time as I did with Mara during her first two years. Staying at home with the kid(s) isn't for everyone, but everyone should give it a go for stint . . . the perspective it provides is excellent.
So, in case you haven't skipped ahead and perused them already, on to the photos!
Me, Mom and Mara at the Teocalli Tamali for dinner on New Year's Eve. I worked both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day this year, so we kept our celebrating pretty low key.
Mara hasn't been ice skating a whole bunch this winter, but she can actually get around on her "cheese grater" four-bladers this year. The rink in CB south is just a couple of blocks from the house, so getting to the rink is now big deal.
Pretty in pink.
Getting ready to open Mom's birthday present on Mom's birthday. Mom turned 30 again this year!
Here's Mara and O enjoying a shaving cream session. Stacey's always coming up with interesting new ways of entertaining the kids. Stacey and O's mom still do a baby sitting trade every week.
Mara in a rare quiet, pensive moment.
We feed her dirt.
I'm giving snow boarding a try this year. I pretty much knocked myself senseless my first time out. I'm almost to the point where I enjoy it.
Yes, Mara's been skiing a bunch this winter! These photos are from her first day going up the big lifts with Mom.
There was a hole posse of two year olds out that day.
Here's Mara headed for Houston with Uncle Al in tow.
Mara working her way down Houston, Mom at the reigns.
Mara skis more on her own every time we take her out. Balancing in those clumsy boots with those funny boards on your feet isn't easy.
Mara goes skiing on the snowy days, too. Here she is riding up the Peachtree lift with Stacey.
I haven't been skiing a whole lot lately. I injured my knee playing hockey in mid January. I've had an MRI and see the doctor Wednesday to get the prognosis. I'm going to physical therapy and it's feeling gradually better all the time. I would imagine that I'm at least a little ways away from getting back on my skis, though. And wouldn't you know it, it's actually snowing this winter!
How much snow? A lot. The ski resort's claiming it's received 300 inches already this season. This is certainly the most snow I've seen around since moving here in late 1993. Most of January was cold here, as well. I saw -38 one morning at our house. Brrrrr. Lows in the teens below zero were pretty common.
The piles of roof-slide snow is over half-way up our first floor windows. We're actually kind of enjoying not having to look out and see the neighbors.
You can see that the snow is piled up high on our deck, as well.
Our driveway is a perfect sledding hill for two-year-olds. Here's Mara with her friend, Campbell.
The snow in our yard is easily waist deep. The snowbanks along the driveway are between chest and head high. You can kind of see a tall drift ahead of that 4Runner--that's our truck, parked for the winter and drifted in.
Lots of snow . . . the roofs haven't slid lately, but we don't seem to be having any issues in terms of roof leakage, so that's good.
We've had the snow actually resting on the windows for short periods of time. Hopefully when the roof slides next time, it all goes at once and piles itself away from the house. It might take a while for it to melt this spring.
Weeeeee!
Mom got tripped up on her sled pushing follow-through.
And sometimes, Mara has to pull her own sled up the driveway. It's a haul for a little girl, but she toughs it out.
Sometimes it takes a while, but eventually she wears out.
That's about it for now--thanks again for stopping by! My Outlook crashed in early January, so I've lost many of your email addresses. Drop us a line to say hi or, better yet, come visit! In any case, we hope things are well in your world and take care!
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