FIZZ and Ice Skating with Friends!

I talk to my friend Mirissa almost every weekday.

I do.  Seriously.  It's just one of those little details that makes up my daily life...texting Darin and talking to Rissa. We have such a backstory; college roommates, served missions the same time, got married close to the same time...and we are continuing to lead parallel lives (3 kids, same ages, same genders).  So there is a lot to hash out! 

We don't get together a lot.

She has her stuff...we have ours, so it's mostly a phone relationship. 

But every once and awhile we do!

These two were going to kill us off at first. 

They caught on by the end.

“We'll be Friends Forever, won't we, Pooh?' asked Piglet.
Even longer,' Pooh answered.” 
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

it's been about 20 years....

The 5th grade (unofficial) Ski Club!

These friends/neighbors/class mates/soccer teammates/or cousins have been taking advantage of the Utah 5th grade pass! So far they have only been to Brighton and Nordic Valley together but there are plans to visit as many resorts as we can before the season is up.

My family skied quite a bit when I was little, but when we finished off the cabin and bought snowmobiles, we started spending our winter time there instead of at the resorts.

Here I am back on the lift!

I ski like my mom, steady, perfect, slow turns all the way down the hill.  I never was a speed demon, and am even further from that description 20 years older! 

I loved it!

The adrenaline when the lift picks you up, the fun conversations all the way up the hill, the sense of panic when you look down, and then the determination to maintain control as you figure out a way down the hill.  I was exhausted by the time we finished, but I love that feeling too!

This trip also made me more aware of the sacrifice and effort my parents put into getting my family up on the hill.  They got us up at 6:00 am if not before...skied all day long with 4 kids (this was before Mark) and then had to drive 2 hours all the way back home....feeling every bit as exhausted as I did this day.  Amazing.

So glad we know so many cute families to car pool with.
These kiddos are having a blast....we just need MORE SNOW!!!

Lego Legue

Byron and the 1st grade Lego Legue Club from his school.

They presented their stuff at his school STEM night.

We made the tallest (for a moment) straw tower, and our tin foil boat held 100 dice!!

MLK Weekend

There is ZERO snow in our yard. 

It is all gone...blown away, and now melted away.  I forget what a winter girl I am until a winter that feels like spring makes me all melancholy. Luckily, we had a family weekend at the cabin planned where there is still plenty of beautiful fluffy snow and beautiful blue skies! This was our last weekend to hang with Mark before he returns to Korea.  So happy we got to be together where so many of our fun family memories have been made.  

I didn't think to pull out my camera until the last two days, which is unfortunate because by that time Grandma & Grandpa, Aunts & Uncles and cousins had left.  Our school districts had different days off so there was an overlapping of together time, but we also had family alone time at the cabin.  It was a nice balance I thought. 

My one goal for the weekend was to get in a snowshoeing trip with Darin.

Check!
And even better, we ran into some friends who were visiting their cabin.  They decided to come with us.

Then we did some "old fashion sledding".

That's what we call it when we don't have a snowmobile to pull us up the hill.
We have to use our own two legs!

It's worth the effort.

Darin and Miriam got their daddy-daughter snowshoe trip in.
We played some entertaining rounds to Telestrations (4 year old art increases the fun in that game).



The kids fell in love with the snowboard Marcus has left up at the cabin.  They didn't go far but they were getting braver and braver each try! We had to pull them off the hill to make it back home in time for basketball and piano. It was sad to leave because I am not sure if we will make it back up to the cabin before the snow melts.  I am secretly hoping there will be terrible snowstorms in April to extend the season a bit.

Then we really became wilderness family by walking our stuff down to the parking lot (there is too much snow to drive up to the cabin...people usually snowmobile in and out).

The kids sled all the way down,

which is by far the best way to do it!

I am grateful for the memories and wonderful moments the cabin has created in my childhood.  I am thankful for the memories it is creating for my children.  It's a gift of comfort and groundedness that my parents have been able to provide for all of us (not easily....it takes SO. MUCH. WORK) and perhaps it won't be in my life or my children's life forever.  But.... I am not going to let fear and worry about what may be, steal the gratitude in this moment, I am just going to sit back and be grateful.

(and remember these grateful feelings when it's time to paint the deck this summer)

2015 Baby!

 I am keeping the Rasmussen family traditions alive and well, even when not celebrating with my family.  We fondued (word?) with friends and played UNO Dare...no pictures because I was snarfing on food and trying to win UNO.  We did an early (8:00 pm) popper mini celebration, saving most of the poppers for the real (10:00 pm) deal but wanted to yell "Happy New Year!" while friends were around.

Miriam then went to a little party with friends till midnight?! I know....I am surprised I let her go so late too...it turns out it was just easier on everyone if I let her stay till midnight when the mom hosting was bringing everybody home. She had a great time.

So it was just us and the boys.

How to Train Your Dragon 2
Martinelli's

Many many many POPPERS!

Some jumping off the chairs....

This next photo is in because it makes me laugh REALLY HARD!

I wanted a family photo on the deck with all the town lights below.

It was REALLY COLD so the boys were less than enthusiastic.

The second this beauty had been snapped, Soren jumped out of my arms and ran face-first straight into the sliding glass door.  Ever seen a bird do that?  I know it's terribly sad but it makes me laugh every. single. time. and this was no different.  I belly laughed while trying to hug it all better. 

He is fine, he is a tough little guy.

As luck would have it, another family in our neighborhood likes to celebrate at 10:00 pm so there were some great fireworks to hoot and holler at!!

Darin and I did stay awake until 12 and again watched a couple firework displays from our bedroom window. 

The next day we had breakfast pizza AGAIN because we all loved it, and I decided it is to be our New Years morning tradition.

Then I made everyone go sledding!

Manditory Family Fun Time!

Another tradition I am holding firm to, and really once we were all out there ready to go it was so fun! 

We went to Byron's soccer field because all of us during one game or another had looked around at the mutiple rolling hills and thought "this is a perfect place to sled!"  Others have obiously had that thought as well, we weren't alone in our adventure.

In some places the snow had blown away durring the wind storm earlier in the week but there were plenty of steep snow covered hills.  They were quickly becoming ice moutains as more and more people were taking advantage of the time off.  I am glad we went when we did.

Me, in my silly too big men's hat and my 3 sizes too big snow pants.  

As always, looking hot on the hill! 

Of course we ended when Miriam and Byron took a second try at a jump and Byron got hurt...but that is to be expected on sledding trips.  That doesn't ruin a good sledding day, it adds a good story to our sledding day!

Christmas continued....

We were excited to find out that our newest cousins were coming to Utah for Christmas this year.  As a family, we alternate whose family we spend Christmas with.  This year fell on my side, but we put great effort into getting up north in time to see Aunt Nonnie Uncle James Carmen and William. 

We don't get to play with babies these days so we love having C & W around. 

The cousins (and their parents) took off early the next morning.
We said our good byes and then geared up for some Northern Utah powder!

Our first "big hill" sledding of the season didn't disapoint!

Christmas Dinner

Kelly, Sarah and Julia put together Danish dinner for Christmas evening.

That was the best Christmas gift anyone could have given my mom! There was no way she could have gone to pick up Mark and made it home to make dinner. 

Claire and I had matching hair-do's, not even planned.

Stylish girls think alike...

The Nativity

My mom then presented her gift with a special message.

This is one of my favorite things on Christmas Eve (besides Danish dinner...and the Nativity sing-a-long).  My mom and dad think of a message they want to share with the family and then come up with a gift to match.  This tradition started when I was in high school and has carried on to the grandkids making it even more challenging (and expensive!).

The messages I remember are:

Choosing happiness - Tickle-me-Elmos (yes I still have mine!)

Hand made pillow/quilts...I think the message was something about comfort that year...I was away in Boston so I am not sure.

Hope amidst life's challenges - box of See's Chocolates (we also watched Forest Gump "Life is like a box of chocolates")

Gratitude - A tin cup, piece of cake, shiny penny...we read about Christmas from the Little House on the Prairie series and that is what Laura and Mary received for Christmas with such grateful hearts.

Each of us is unique and special - Star ornaments

Faith - Nativity ornaments (gorgeous Mary and Christ child ones for the girls, hand carved olive branch ones for the boys)

and this year.......

Building our lives on solid foundations (the wise man and the foolish man)- The kids got magic sand and a rock from the rock shop.

That sand is amazing...I can run my fingers through it for hours. The kids have, they play with it all the time! This sand was secretly on my wish list....one of my kids would have gotten it if I hadn't known my mom's idea.

Then the kids each got a candy sleigh with more generosity attached. Perfect gift...the little kids were excited about the candy, the older ones by what was attached.

My parents are wonderful, thoughtful, sacrificing people....we are all incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I feel like I won the parent lottery.

The adults exchanged gifts and then we had the cousin exchange. 

The gifts are fun, but I am just so grateful we have each other....I love our "tribe"....even the crazy ones (its only fair, since I am one of crazy ones).

Ebelskivers the next morning.....lovingly made by dad.

Christmas Morning!

Our Christmas miracle.

SNOW! 

Santa didn't disapoint us!

Miriam's wrapping gag...took him FOREVER to open his gift from her.
I love how thouthful these kids are about gifts to each other.

Our gift to the kiddos...they know we are going to Legoland this Spring.  As a family, we have all been saving for it for a year. We just gave them the gift of flying instead of driving.

The LEGO assemby line....

and even though we were taking off to visit family for Christmas Day dinner, we couldn't say no to this request.

We are learning to take advantage of the fluffy stuff when we can get it!
(so glad we did...most of the snow in our yard blew away in the wind storm a few days after Christmas!)

We had breakfast pizza and crepes for breakfast. It was wonderful, but I think I need to invest in an ebelskiver pan.  Save breakfast pizza for our New Year's Day breakfast and crepes for Valentines Day....gotta to get these tradtions ironed out (and keep them straight).