Happy Birthday Grandma!

Today mom turned 51! Although I am not sure Elayna completely comprehends what a birthday is, Hannah was VERY excited to celebrate! Grandma decided she wanted an all chocolate cake. Hannah read the baking instructions to me and then we mixed it for the required amount of time...low speed for 30 seconds and medium high for 2 minutes. I used the opportunity to work some more counting with Hannah. Once we got to 30 with me counting odds and her the evens, we switched it tomedium high and counted to 120 in the same manner. Although I think it was actually more like a minute and five minutes, it was a teachable moment. As the cake was baking, both girls took a well needed nap. When they woke up, we frosted the cake and wrote happy birthday gma in green frosting. (Harder than it looks, actually, it doesn't even look that good.) We had baked chicken, mashed potatos and gravy, sauteed mushrooms, and fresh green beans with garlic for dinner (all pre mom's request), then we had Hannah's fabulous cake! Once grandma blew out the candles, I let both girls lick the frosting off the bottom, of course, Elayna forgot what lick meant and decided to take a huge chunk out of the bottom! She promptly spit it out! Funny moment! It was a great birthday, the only thing missing was Amy and Ryan! :(

Day at the Park

Last week, we went to the park with the girls. The sun was very deceiving! It looked like it should be warm, but it was not...such is Idaho I guess! None-the-less, the girls enjoyed a day outside. Elayna loves sliding and Hannah is working on keeping a swing moving by herself. Once Elayna's nose started to turn pink, I took her to the car so Ed and Hannah could play tag for a little while. Hannah is getting quicker and stronger. Can't wait for the weather to warm up completely. I hate this in-between stuff. In the winter we can sled and ski, in the summer we can swim, ride bikes, and go to the park, but during the spring when it is all melty, the girls and I get a little stir crazy!

Final Days Skiing

This was our second to last day skiing for the season. Hannah is skiing like a pro! Last week Ryan, Ed, Hannah, and I went up for a half day. It was seemingly beautiful, but terribly cold. Wind chill put it at about -2*F. We took her down every hill that Kelly's had to offer and she handled better than most. In fact uncle Ryan and dad fell more than Hannah did. Today, however, she took a spill, as I watched my daughter fall like a rag doll, roll approximately three times with skis flying in all directions, I realized that noone is invincible, especially Hannah. It took several minutes for her to gather her senses and realize that she was OK. We put her skis on, but she was hesitant for the rest of the day. Finally by the end she was getting her confidence back. I tried to tell her that people fall all the time on the ski hill and you need to get back up and keep on skiing. This was her first major fall...I remember mine. My confidence was shattered! The fact that she skiied the rest of the day through...I am so proud of her!

Blast Off!

Well, Elayna is growing like a weed. She is now at the point where she has become more independent while playing. Of course we sat within 3 feet of her the whole time, but we let herself attempt crawling out of a ball pit in which she was so rapidly sinking! Her vocabulary is growing daily. She is starting to use her manners appropriately (please and thank you). Now if only we could teach her to say "excuse me" instead of "uh-oh"!

Hannah is now more active than ever. I was lucky enough to catch her in a couple pictures, but for the most part was a small blur on the camera. Besides non-stop running, she continues in gymnastics twice a week and has become a pro at skiing. Yesterday we took her down every run at Kelly Canyon and she did it without hesitation! I am so proud of both girls!

Last Day of Ski Lessons

Well, Sunday was Hannah's last day of ski lessons. Her teacher was amazing. She was going down intermediate runs without hesitation. She was even attempting small jumps...although when she actually "got air" on one of them, I think she freaked herself out. Never-the-less, she still kept attempting the jump. She is quite the pro now and graduated with flying colors! I highly recommend her ski instructor, very patient, yet manages to get great results out of the kids. All five of them were racing down the mountain. The run that you see in the middle left took them just about 2 minutes from top to bottom...not bad for four year olds!