Life and Death

We still LOVE to play in the car.  This takes place almost daily after returning home from an errand or whatever.  Owen knows where the hazards are, how to turn on the heat, is enchanted with the windshield wipers, and now likes to be buckled in too. 

I am catching up with a few photos I should have included in the Easter entry.  Nana and Papa were here, and they are elusive when it comes to photos, so can't pass up this opportunity to include some, despite their tardiness.  We went to the zoo- this polar bear is really too much.  That is Nana's head there and Owen's reflection in the glass.

Carousel- always a winner.

Mom got in her one and only day of skiing on the resort this winter at PCMR with Nana and Papa. The starts aligned- schedule was free, kids were in daycare, Chip was off, and the weather was beautiful. Yahoo!

Just a cute one. :)

Ruby and Owen came down with a quick 36 hour illness which included a fever and wanting to do nothing but sit on the couch.  This allowed for plenty of time to practice our doctor skills.  Video here too-

It is maybe 40 degrees in this picture.  In Park City, we feel like we are at the beach!  And, we are really excited for spring.  So excited that we are willing to freeze our toes off at a chance to get them wet and sandy at the park.

Another cute one.

Shoulder season does allow for fun activities like "puddle hunts".  On this day, we found the mecca of puddles.  Needless to say,  a change of clothes were in order after this hunt.

Ruby loves her hase (bunny in German- Oma made these for us...Mindy, Gus, Tina and I when we were kids).  This pink one was Tina's.  Owen sleeps with my red one.

Owen loves carrots.

 This is a photo of an evening ski tour and whiskey toast to Craig

Last week, a worst nightmare came true as we learned of the death of a good friend, neighbor, and inspiration, in an avalanche on April 11th.  Craig Patterson was a shining star whose energy and excitement for life was obvious to all who met him.  I am building the courage and thoughts to do a more extensive reflection on him and his impact on me on to add to the blog we started for him.  All I can say for now is that he will be missed and remembered and that we will live his legacy as best we can.  We love you, Craig.

Easter

Easter- another holiday to celebrate. The secular side of this holiday has been my least favorite of any so far.  There was way too much candy, getting, grabbing, and not much effort or involvement on the kid's part.  However, like many things in life, it was not all bad and the baby is not be thrown out with the bathwater.  So, we jumped in and enjoyed many aspects of it.  We did love the egg dyeing and Ruby and Owen now love eating the entire boiled egg, which is new for us.  I do love the idea of a hunt...I just plan on spicing it up with more of a scavenger feel next year (which Nana did this year and they loved!...she is sorta a pro at that. It is a skill I intend to weave into our family culture as well).  Our good friends, Team Kirby, have a tradition of making some amazing Eggs Benedict in conjunction with a potluck, so that was amazing too.  And, we also had an incredible meal with family (both from in and out of town) in the evening! So, here you have it- the first Easter Ruby and Owen really participated in.

First- egg dyeing.  We did a method that involved drawing on a warm eggs with crayons and then dyed the white space with a shaving cream and food coloring approach I found on pinterest or facebook or something.  You roll (or massage in Ruby's case) the eggs in the cream and let it sit for a few minutes, then wash it off (Owen headed up this part- the kitchen sink is his favorite place to "play" these days). It was a mess, but perfect for two year olds.  Owen was in a bad mood for this activity, so Ruby gets the stage for these pics.

 Easter baskets were pretty simple, but fun to hunt for.

 And then, the group egg hunt!  8 kids looking for 80 eggs in our front and side yard as well as the driveway and trail over to Kirbys'.  Broad range of ages and still, went over really well. Owen found one egg and walked around eating its contents the rest of the time.  He did not care about getting any more.  Ruby filled her bag and persevered in areas long after other kids had moved on to other areas.  So typical- their ying and yang approach.

Graham, Owen, Greta, Ruby, Griffin, Tait, Kaya, Aminata

 Brunch!

 Jess and I (mostly Jess- I was just some extra hands when it came to assembly) enjoyed passing out these beautiful plates of edible artwork.  The bloody mary that Stephen made me was pretty gorgeous as well.

 Dinner with the DuRoss'!  Some play with playdough before dinner.

 And, as usual...no great pictures from this part of the day other than this priceless one of Ruby and Owen sticking their fingers into the dessert (brownies, ice cream, and whip cream) while they thought no one else was looking!  Not sure where they would have learned something like this! ;)

Happy Birthday OMA!!!!

Happy Birthday to the woman who has had more influence over my life than anyone else.  And, I couldn't be happier about that fact.  I am fortunate and do not take it for granted.  Neither do Ruby and Owen.  They love their Oma.  Here is a little birthday wish/message from us since we could not be there for your birthday party today.  We CANT wait to see you here in a few weeks!  Love you lots!

https://vimeo.com/63538739