Ski Day Sunday

All geared up and on the slope.

We took Helena out for her first day of ski school last Sunday.  It was extremely busy since we haven't had much snow and the 27" on a weekend definitely drew the crowds.  We actually had to park a mile away from the resort on the road and hike uphill to the resort.  This leads to tired legs...and more drama later. :)

But first, the fun part.  Here's Helena 'skiing'.  We were pretty far away so the pic my phone took is a bit grainy.  She did well for her first time...there were scared noises coming out of her and some tears, but that was to be expected. :)  She was excited after it was all over so that's what counts.

Snowplowing down the bunny hill

 Ash and I had a great time enjoying the new snow.  It was a BEAUTIFUL bluebird day.

Snowy, snowy tree.

Glistening snow and clouds from the top of the mountain.  Breathtaking.

So then the beautiful, magical, busy ski day took a turn for the worse.  I walked back a mile in my ski gear to get our car to pick up Ash & Helena and....it. wasn't. there.  Which is a weird feeling, you know, when your car isn't where you left it.  You feel crazy.  Stupid.  Confused.  And when you call your husband to tell him the car isn't there he also tells you you are crazy, stupid, confused.  But, the car was gone.  For real.  Stolen? Towed?  No idea.  From what I could tell we hadn't parked in a no parking zone.  So, me and my gear hiked BACK UP THE MOUNTAIN a mile, almost in tears, to see WTF was going on.

Turns out our car was towed for being 'improperly parked'.  We didn't receive a ticket from the police, not even a warning and when we went to retrieve our car the next day (you know, because the towing place was CLOSED when we initially figured our where our car was), it was at a 'business' that can only be described as a crack house with a fence around it.

So, without ranting too much more, let's just say I wouldn't financially recommend getting your car towed from the top of a mountain.  Or having to take a cab to your friend's house from the top of a mountain.

And speaking of our friends-- a big THANK YOU AGAIN to Jolena and Nate who not only watched Harper for us that day, but also fed us when we finally got to their house, and drove us 30 minutes to our house from their house and let us borrow their extra car seat so we could safely drive with the kids the next day.  (Yep, both car seats were in said towed car.)

And, if you see Ash in the next few months, do yourself a favor and don't ask about the towing.  He's irate.  In a lawsuit type of way.  So expect to get an earful if you want the full story.

- Emily :)

Quotes of the Week

Helena while sitting eating breakfast:  "Mom, Dad left a fart in here."

Also, after breakfast: "Mom, how do you say booger in Spanish?"

Harper today whilst engaging in a spirited game of 'whoopie cushion' with Helena: "EE-AAH, you OK?" (He was worried that those noises were actually coming out of her.  Yes, we're all about the educational games around here.)

-Emily :)

Can I get a 'sup?!?

Harper started saying "'sup" today.  Specifically in the context of "''sup, Dill?"  I really need to enunciate more.  So, in the spirit of "what's going on people"......let's do this.

OK folks, I know ya'll are reading my blog.  Blogger stats are an awesomely cool thing. :)

So, let's have a little comment party shall we?

If you're reading this, comment below and tell everyone what was the best Christmas present you have ever received.  Me: original nintendo when I was 10.  Close runner up: the tempur-pedic pillow I got this Christmas.  I know, I'm old.

Go!

-Emily :)

KC and the Galbreaths

We did a quick jaunt up to KC when we were in Kansas over Christmas to see Ash's grandma and aunt and uncle and a few friends.  We had a lovely barbecue dinner at Uncle David and Aunt Lisa's and the kids all had fun playing together and opening presents.

(Sidenote: I think I've had approximately two dinners with Ash's entire family that weren't barbecue in the 10+ years I have known him. :) )  KC, born and bred.

Eating said barbecue (yay Zarda's!)

Ash's cousins Megan and Brendan with Helena.

Aunt Barb, cousin Chris, and Great Grandma Claudene.

Cousin Ian chillin' with Harper.

And that, my friends, is the end of my Christmas rundown.   On to what is actually happening in the present....which at the moment is....very little.  It's snowing.  That's about all. :)
-Emily :)

Twister with a Toddler

Really, what goes with Christmas morning better than a good old game of Twister.  Thanks Santa!  What a great idea.

The first family match was between Meemaw, Helena and Evan with a Harper 'challenge' thrown in.  Although from the pictures it looks like he was mainly picking on my brother.  Lots of activity considering we hadn't even had Christmas morning breakfast yet!

"I'm all fours red!"

Wrestling Evan for position....

OK, that's better.

Meemaw is still in good spirits.

"Let's see here...."

"Yes, that's the ticket!"

"Now who can I 'help'?!"

"All of this monitoring and I'm tired!"

Whoops! Game over!  Hope Meemaw's OK!

Ash and I engaging in what I termed an 'antagonistic' Twister game.

This was the beginning of the end for me.  You'd think all that yoga would pay off!

Much calmer game with just Ash and Helena.  I love this pic....so cute!

- Emily :)

Christmas Morning -- In Pictures

In case you aren't intimately familiar with the Cars movies, this is what "Holley Shiftwell and 2 bad guys" looks like.

Harper got a 'Mater.

Santa also brought a Cars carrying case for Helena (and so Mom can hopefully quit answering the ongoing "where are my cars?" questions).

Santa brought Harper a Little People farm.

We always wake my brother Evan up while he's sleeping on the couch to open presents.  :)  He's always thrilled.

- Emily :)

Christmas Eve 2011

Our first of many Christmas events is always Christmas Eve at my Grandma Millie's.  We eat shrimp and pie and open presents.  This year it was so warm we even got in a walk around the lake!

Great Grandma Millie and Great Grandpa Bill with Harper, Kane, Helena & Ellie.

A family gathering isn't complete until Uncle Justin gives horsey rides.

The girls showing off their purses.

Ash & Jess snacking and drinking before dinner.

My dad's main job: fry shrimp.

My grandma ruining a perfectly good pan of jello. ;)

And then there was this:

It started when Jess decided it would be funny to have the kids 'smell' the pies and pushed their faces in it a little bit.  But then Ellie got really upset when it was her 'turn' and Jess felt bad and said, "look, I'll do it too."  And that's when Justin and I went in for the kill -- he pushing her face full force into the pie and me giving her a wet willy of whipped cream.  It was an opportunity we just couldn't pass up.

Jess took it in good humor, but then after Ash & Justin made a liquor store run, Jessica got her revenge on Justin.  And Evan got it all on 'tape'.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v=749939728072&set=vb.46103297&type=2&theater

She got him good.  It was hilarious.  I'm still not sure how I escaped.

-Emily :)

Lots to Catch Up On

Whew!  Been busy the last few weeks traveling, organizing, getting back into the groove.  Ash has been working non-stop, leaving me little time to myself to actually put some coherent thoughts on ye old blog.

We had a really fun trip back to Kansas.  Our massive road trip went really well (got really lucky with the weather).  When driving 16 hours with small kids I would highly recommend a dual screen DVD player with an arsenal of movies and a hospitable place to stay in between days of driving (Thanks again Todd & Erin!) 

I'm currently sifting through the 300 pics I took while we were gone and will try to recap December before the end of January. :) 

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and Happy New Year!

-Emily :)

Us on Christmas Eve.  Man, it's hard to get a good pic of everyone~!