Hitting the Slopes

The highlight: The ski lift and new ski helmet (which, by the way, he never takes off).

It started as a fight. Rob carried Robbie down the lift--the result was a tantrum (after all, can't he ski by himself already?). The lift made Robbie forget he was ever mad, but once at the top, all forgiveness was forgotten. Robbie wanted to zoom down the hill with out anyone holding him or telling him what to do. "But how are you going to stop at the bottom?" Rob asked. It didn't really matter. Dad was totally ruining Robbie's Big-Boy-Skier fantasy. If we asked him to put his tips together, he's parallel and we'd have to sprint to catch him. After enough falls, he was done. We went home and bought an Edgie Wedgie (the little thing that keeps the tips together). Maybe next time, he'll be able to slow down. As for Ty, he probably had more fun. He was at home eating popsicles with Grandpa Haas.

Tubing at Soldier Hollow

My mom has been dying to tube here for years, so we finally upped and decided to go. What a great decision! When I took Robbie to pick a tube, he said, "I want to go by myself!" I was shocked, but glad it was "his" idea since we weren't allowed to share tubes. I went down first and was FLYING!!! How in the world was Robbie going to brave this all alone! My dad sent him down. I couldnt' tell what he was thinking, but he wasn't crying--that I knew. When I got to him finally, he said, "I want to go again! Lots of times!!!" My mom went back to get him a two-hour pass. He's a brave little one.

The Luge

Rob and my brother, Johnny, spent a few hours one day creating this amazing luge. Not only did we have steps from two sides going up the incline, but the sides were perfectly sloped so we zoomed fast and forward. Though they created a bank (that eventually turned left for another ride) Rob still got going fast enough that he flew into the street. All the kids and families in the neighborhood came by. At one point, we looked out our window to see quite a system going. Kids went down at the top, and an adult in a golf cart waited at the bottom to bring them back up the hill.

Robbie and our amazing snowman

Isn't this such a manly picture? White T in the snow, lifting huge "boulders" --what a man!

Robbie at the top of the luge. Who needs to wait for a sled?

The bottom

Mommy & Ty. What a blast!

Murder Mystery Party

Rob and I finally went to our first Murder Mystery Party this weekend (Rob's mom & brother drove down to babysit--so sweet!)! Rob was Dr. Conroy Splint (no surprise there. I'm sure he'll play "the doctor" for the rest of his life) and I was Katherine Woods, the wife of the murdered man. A few hours before the dinner, I scrambled to come up with my costume. Where am I going to get a bonnet? Watch out Martha Stewart! I concocted this little thing using a few stitches, glue, and staples--oh and the All Bran cracker box you can see from the picture (not quite as obvious in real life) and voila! We were ready for a great night!

Winter Wonderland

Though it came late, it came hard. We woke up Sunday morning with what looked like at least 3 feet of snow on the ground. A blast for the kids, and especially Rob who loved snow blowing and using the four wheeler's plow to clear our driveway and anyone else who would let him. But the real highlights were in these pictures.

Snowshoeing after church

Robbie used mine, but they worked just as great for his little body.


Learning to ski down our street. We rented them for the season so he could practice at home all year long. There's something to be said about learning young. He's only done it once, but he was an absolute natural. Rob learned while still sucking his thumb, and he's a great skier. I learned when I was 20. Enough said. Teach 'em young!


He was afraid to try at first until we promised to not let go of his hands. Within three minutes, he told us to get away from him--he was stealing the slope (or road, whatever).

So what does Ty do during all this? Eats the snow. He grabs hand fulls and shoves them into his mouth saying, "Mmmm!" while shaking his head like it is just too good to believe.

Our Hot, Steamy Date Nights

It was time to add a little more excitement to our lives, so Rob and I decided it was time to . . .

get SCUBA certified!!

What a blast! For the last three weeks Rob and I have been taking classes and going diving, and this Thursday we finished our last class (it is great to have family around to babysit, too). It was a splurge for sure, but so worth it (and we got a screaming deal, too. $150! (of course, the equipment was just as much, but still...)).

Our last two nights were at the warm, and yes, steamy, crater in Midway. Rob and I were both a little leery of getting so deep since we had a hard time equalizing in the pool, but we ended up having no problem at all. Our last day was the best! We went to the bottom of the crater (62 ft.), only realizing later we weren't supposed to go that deep--oops! the water just wasn't the same after that. Rob repelled down the dive line, be both did somersaults, and hand stands... Rob even tried to see if we could just blow water into each others mouths and still breathe (I was a no go on that one). We had a great group, too, so we all came here afterwards for a little Scuba class party. Great memory! Now I just can't wait until Kauai in May!

Football Season

One of the many perks of living at my parents' house is being able to watch BYU games on the big screen upstairs; granted, I hate it too--Rob always seems to "disappear" for a half hour every here and there on Saturdays and Monday nights. Curious, no? Still, it was a great season for us and I'm already waiting for next year! Season Highlights:

Rob took Robbie to his first BYU football game! Our friends, the Maxfields, had extra tickets to the Air Force game (good tickets--row 14, 45yrd line, parking in Lot 1, and seat backs!! Does it really get better?). So Scott and Rob bundled up their little guys (Caden, 4, and Robbie, 3) and headed to Provo. Robbie loved the jets that flew overhead, but especially his hot dog and hot chocolate. He was scared at first because he thought he had to go out on the field and play with the big guys. He fell asleep at one point, actually. A week later we watched Rob play in the Turkey Bowl. Rob scored a touchdown, and I started cheering, "Yeah! Daddy scored a touchdown!" Robbie looks confused and says, "No he didn't. There weren't any fireworks!"

On every other game day, though, we had our own party here. My boys were very accustomed to barbecued brats with rotkohl and chips. Ty, I think, liked them the best!