Weekend Update

Against my will, I'm home from a fun, whirlwind weekend. It's always against my will to come back to real life! :)

Thursday I took off for Phoenix, AZ to visit my family and do some skiing. I know, Arizona & skiing are not typically two things that go hand-in-hand in most people's minds, but you would be surprised! Anyhow, I got in late Thursday night, so I didn't get to see the kiddos until Friday when I picked them up from preschool. Oh my goodness - it was one of the best greetings I've ever gotten! It was a "double-take" and then "Triiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish!!!!!!!!" with a running, jumping hug. The first thing Lauren says to me is, "I like your scarf. And your boots. I don't have boots." The cutest part is that she wanted to wear a certain outfit and have her hair done a certain way that morning because she knew I'd love it. I absolutely adore that girl.

Will was equally as excited and gave an incredibly jumping-hug greeting as well. Cheri told the kids that we had a surprise for lunch and that quickly became his great distraction. When we finally told him we were going to Chick-fil-a for lunch, I swear he didn't a little happy dance! So cute! It's the simple things in life when you're a kid - I love it.

Little miss Emily has gotten so big and spunky! She's talking more and more and definitely became my "little buddy" throughout the weekend. I was showering and getting ready Friday morning and she came into the bathroom - "bunny" in tow - and climbed up onto the toilet seat (which is hard work for a little tike her size!) so she could watch me get ready. I had a comb and brush on the sink - and if I brushed my hair - she combed hers, and vice-versa. It was adorable! She would hand me makeup, toothpaste....anything she could get her hands on. I also watched her Monday morning while Cheri took the kids to school and ran some errands. We played with a variety of toys and at one point she just climbed on the couch and snuggled with me. So sweet.

Friday afternoon I said goodbye to the kiddos (much too soon after just having said hello...it was sad!!) and took off for Flagstaff with Cheri, Nathan and his friend Erin. We met up with Jordan at the restaurant that night and Nathan's friends, Song & Matt, arrived later in the evening. A family at Ryan & Cheri's church let us stay in their beautiful home (exposed beams, tongue-n-groove ceiling...I loved it), and that night we just enjoyed a fire in the fireplace while sitting around on a big comfy sectional talking and laughing.

Saturday morning we got up bright & early, ate breakfast together and took off for the slopes! Cheri & I stuck to greens that morning and finished with a blue before breaking for lunch with the group. After lunch, Jordan talked us into going to the top of the mountain and trying some blacks and blues. He was very convincing, so even though we were hesitant, we went for it. I'm so glad we did! He was very helpful and I think I even improved a little bit over the weekend. He even got me to do a jump (although it really ended up looking like more of a "hop" - the video cracks me up!). I still have a lot of room for improvement, but I've got time - and hopefully many more ski seasons ahead!

Saturday night Cheri, Song & Matt had to take off, so the 4 of us that were left went out to dinner...which was funny in and of itself because we were so exhausted we hardly talked! We rented a flick after dinner and headed back to the house. We put another fire in the fireplace, I put on my pj's, grabbed my pint of haagen daaz and crashed on the couch. I fell asleep at some point and would wake up periodically and laugh at the movie :). Thankfully I'd seen it before, so I didn't miss too much.

Sunday was another day full of skiing. It was sunny, beautiful and less crowded than Saturday...so it seemed like we got a lot more runs in. I video'd the group attempting jumps, which was a lot of fun (and did my two little "hops" that day). I was definitely sad to say goodbye when it came time to leave, but at the same time, ready to sprawl out on a couch and crash. Thankfully there's still one more ski trip before I put my ski boots back in the closet.

Monday was filled with cutiepatooties, truffle making (for a baby shower Cheri is hosting) and packing up to fly back home. It came and went way too fast...so it's time to start looking for another flight!

In the meantime...I've got a weekend of camping, hiking, fishing, frisbee and friends to look forward to! Have a great week!