Today was so much fun, Peanut Butter!!

Today we went to Bristol for the 2nd time this skiing season, and you are skiing like a rock star!! Mostly because we couldn’t get the timing right, we signed you up with a private lesson with Sam last time, and you did great! She took you on the chair lift and did a green with you, but even before that you were flying down the bunny hill with ease.

Today? You were crazy confident!! You were doing all kinds of stunts and silliness. You asked for a one-on-one lesson again, so we signed you up with Sarah. She was also awesome. You said you learned “big, medium and little turns” and parallel turns and parallel stops! (Though your spoken version of the word “parallel” was something quite indecipherable but cute). You were very proud of yourself and ready for hot cocoa… so that is what we did – took a break, during which it got dark. Then you and Daddy Jim did the bunny hill a few times, and I skied with Mad and Daniel. When I came back you and I had a blast on the magic carpet / bunny hill. Once I fell done on the magic carpet b/c you accidentally dropped your mitten. When I got back up (very ungracefully), I was facing backward on the magic carpet – sigh. You laughed so hard. Then I fell at the bottom of the bunny hill for no apparent reason – again we laughed our rear ends off!!

When it was time to go home I said, “Okay, Kid. You have a choice – one more time down the bunny hill or one time up on the ski lift to a green.” You really weren’t sure what to do, but you finally bravely chose the ski lift.

Mind you, you and I have never done this by ourselves before. What an adventure. The 2 young women at the lift helped us get on (including replacing your ski that fell off), and you were awesome getting off! You immediately wanted to ski between my legs like we did the previous (less successful) time we tried this (that time I skied you between my legs in a “pizza” all the way down a very very long green and we sang “Rudolph the red nose reindeer” all the way down). This time, I pointed out the hill in front of us and said – “Check that out Peanut – looks pretty flat, don’t you think? Just like the Bunny Hill? What don’t you try it, and I’ll be right here.”

And you did!! And you were a ROCK STAR!!! You skied all of this trail called “Infinity” by yourself… There was one hair pin turn that I just skied with my ski next to yours to help you get set up, but there rest was ALL you!! You were so proud when you reached the bottom – as was I – I yelled “YOU ARE A ROCK STAR!!!!!” and you were giggling and I was giggling!! We had a balll!!!!!!

Can we do crafts?
A week or so before then you asked, “Mama, can we do some crafts?” I said, “but you color and paint all the time.” “That’s not the same as crafts… I would really like to do crafts.” So we did. Five fun crafts over the holidays:

1. The dangling snowperson ornament – first made with Marlie and then you taught your cousins Niklas and Gabriela as well as Oma and Bianca in Michigan.

2. The marshmallow wreath – Madeline and I made this together one night after you headed to bed. We had such a ball! Laughing, talking, burning ourselves. And we were very proud of the way it turned out. Earlier that night we had a beautiful family night – home cooked meal, eggnog, fire in the fireplace, “Charlie Brown’s Christmas Special,” gifts of special ornaments from Austria – and then – a house filled with smoke with all the alarms going off and Mommy and Daddy Jim fighting about how to fix it. Sigh… I guess we aren’t perfect. We laughed about the night many times since. Anyway – here’s the wreath.

3. Melting snowman cookies – We weren’t sure what we were doing, but the three of us (Madeline, you and I) gave it our best shot, and I think they turned out AWESOME!!! Super cute! We took them to Daniel and Madeline’s piano recital, and they were a big hit!!

4. The Christmas card wreath – I was inspired by this idea because we really needed some way to share and see the Christmas cards we received… so we brought the stuff to Michigan and made our first one for Bianca and Mark. I think its pretty – what do you think? Next year we’ll have to make one for us 😉

5. Singing carolers – Last one was a collaborative effort that turned out quite fun – what do you think? Maybe because it was the last of our crafts, maybe because it was the most messy – but few were still standing at the end – Gabby and I finished it up together.

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