Weekend Away

Thanks to Susan's willingness to watch Claire, Nate and I were able to take advantage of the Valentine's Day-Long Weekend and go away for a night about two hours from here in an old mining town called Phillipsburg. I only took one picture the entire time--the attempt of being artistic with sepia coloring and trees below--so I'll explain what I didn't get on film:

• Getting to the trailhead to cross country ski and only taking minutes to get geared up instead of a half an hour.
• Being able to explore new trails without worrying that we'll cross the "one hour in the backpack without a meltdown" thresh hold.
• Nate skiing without an extra 35 pounds on his back.
• Eating dinner together, lingering over the meal, without any interruptions other than the waitress either bringing more food or drinks.
• Hanging out after dinner at the local watering hole, meeting some locals, playing pool and shuffleboard (!?), and listening to classics from the jukebox.
• Staying at a historic hotel, The Broadway Hotel, and NOT having to set up a pack 'n play.
• Sleeping in until 8 AM and waltzing into a cozy kitchen where coffee and breakfast were made and waiting for the guests.
• Not having to pack a purse or backpack full of snacks and amusements "just in case."
• Exploring a new ski area, Discovery Mountain, though I showed some reluctance to ski the back side (double black, expert only) because it's been a few years since I downhill skied and a broken leg wasn't part of my weekend plan.
• Watching other parents coax their cranky toddlers down the bunny hill.
• Most importantly...both of missing that little girl like crazy for the two days we were gone!

Valentine's Day morning before we headed out. Claire with Nema who kept her very happy and occupied while we were gone. Thanks for taking great care of her!

Mixing it Up for February

We are welcoming several changes of routine around here for February. Nate's mom has come to visit for the entire month, renting a house about 20 minutes from us. She's taking Claire to all kinds of great toddler activities in the mornings--art, dance, play groups, and Claire loves going to visit at Nema's house. I'm having some time to myself for long walks and a bit more reading. Plus, we have a very willing and FREE babysitter! Nate and I are taking advantage with some ski outings, and tonight we plan to go to the movies for the first time in years. It's great fun having a grandparent just down the road.

We've had snow on the ground more than normal this year, meaning we've added sledding to our regular routine. There's a perfect hill on our property just behind the house, and Claire is loving it!

One way to get up the hill (she actually like this)...

Laughing the whole way down...
So cute at the bottom!

Back to Winter

After the previous post's focus on mild weather, winter is back. We've actually been getting a bit of snow at our house the last few days. Saturday we took advantage of it and did some cross-country skiing in the Elkhorn Mountains, the range closest to our house. We're "exposing" Claire to being on her own skis this year, and she is good for a few turns around the car before getting in the backpack to ski on Nate's back.

Winter weather means more time inside, and this picture makes me think Hem wishes we had had a little boy instead of a girl since Claire is desperate to dress anyone and everyone up as a princess these days--dogs named after very masculine writers (Hemingway) included.

All Out of Fresh Air

It has been a cold winter so far, and my working mornings often makes afternoons too filled with "to do" items to get outside as often as we should. Today, I had a momentary lull in grading before finals hit tomorrow, and the temperature was a balmy 45 degrees, so Claire and I took a "hike" on the hills across the road from our house. I remarked how nice it was to get some fresh air, and Claire replied, "Yep, I'm all out of fresh air." Seemed about right. We were able to see some rabbit tracks (like we've read about in a book on animal tracks), smell sage, and watch Hem flush some Hungarian Partridge--what better use of a half an hour could there be?

Notice her backpack with the pink Carebear brought along for the ride.
Nate started the year with a New Year's Day hunt for pheasant.

Christmas Trip to Washington

We arrived home safely on the 30th after spending a week in Washington with my family. The 12 hour drive each way went much better than either of us could have imagined (of course we were imagining a worst case scenario); Claire handled all the time in the car like a champ, though I'm sure it helped that we left at 4 AM so she would sleep for a few extra hours!

We enjoyed a great week with gorgeous, clear weather that allowed us to take in the views of the Puget Sound, the Cascades, the Olympics, Mount Baker, and even Mount Rainer. Through several long walks we were able to enjoy the scenery even more. My parents willingly babysat whenever asked, so Nate and I got to have several dates, including an epic meal at Adrift, our favorite Anacortes eatery.

Claire loved the time with cousins, especially her first trip to the movie theater with Grandma and Grandpa and cousin Elly to see The Princess and the Frog. I was able to spend some girl time with my sisters, and we had a great Sunday visit with our friends the Kloosterhofs. What a memorable week to end 2009!

Christmas Eve day walk along Padilla Flats.
Christmas morning...the third Christmas for Claire!
Grandpa and Grandma made an amazing doll house for Claire; she'll be enjoying it for years to come.
Christmas Day dinner at the kids table surrounded by cousins.
A short walk at the beach near my parents' house with the Kloosterhofs.
The two princesses before the trip to the movie theater.
A hike to work off some of the decadence of holiday eating and drinking.

Wonderful Week with Nema

We've been into the full swing of things around here, enjoying a festive week with Nate's mom, "Nema," visiting from Massachusetts. Claire loved every minute and all the spoiling. While I was at school each morning she had one-on-one time with Nema that included trips to museums in Bozeman, reading lots of books, and singing Christmas songs. We also took a weekend trip to West Yellowstone which included some cross-country skiing, a visit to the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, a night out "on the town" for Nate and I (meaning choosing between one of two open bars in town), and a trip to the Imax Theater for Nate and Nema. Thanks for coming out and ALL the spoiling Nema!

Here's our group shot on early Christmas.
Claire showing off her beautiful Christmas dress, a gift from a family friend, Dot O'Connor.
It didn't take long for Claire to get into the spirit of ripping open the presents. Here she's in awe of her new princess castle.
Susan gave Claire her own tent; one of the things we love about her is that she really gets down to Claire's level to play. Of course Claire darted out of this picture right before I snapped it!
Claire skied with us the first day, but on the second day she was pretty frazzled. Nema kindly stayed with her while Nate and I skied again. For Nate, that meant being free of 30+ pounds on his back.
Claire watching some of the wolves at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center. These are all animals that would have to be euthanized without this sanctuary, and they will never be reintroduced to the wild. Notice the wolf checking out the raven in the background. It's quite amazing to watch the wolves as the run, play, dig, and eat.

Getting into the Christmas Spirit

With cold, wintry weather around here (it's supposed to be a HIGH of zero degrees on Monday), it's been easy to get into the Christmas spirit. We've done some baking, are listening to Christmas CDs, doing our advent calendar, made a countdown chain and ornaments, wrapped most of our gifts, put up the tree, and even visited Santa yesterday at the Three Forks Christmas Stroll. I'm hoping this means we can enjoy some quality time with Nema (Nate's mom--who arrives Monday for a week-long visit) as well as focus on creating some memories with baking, books, music, and movies instead of frantically shopping and wrapping in the next few weeks.

Claire likes to wear the bows more than putting them on the gifts.
The end result of Claire's decorating means many ornaments on one or two bottom branches. Unfortunately, she seems to notice if I try to rearrange any.
A visit with Santa, first one ever actually, we "suggested" some things she might tell him she wants for Christmas which just happen to correspond exactly to what we got her. I'll be curious if she figures that one out on Christmas morning.