Steamboat

Two days after Christmas, we drove to Steamboat!  We left around 5:00 in the morning and arrived by 8:30 that night.  We had a great drive, and everyone loved listening to Isaac's new Jonathan Park CDs from Christmas.

Dave replaced the spindles on the staircase.  The new iron ones are gorgeous! 

Emma helped a lot with the project!

It took Josiah a day or two to get used to the cold, but after that, he loved being outside!  

He said, "Everything on me is cold!"

Sledding on the hill behind Papa and Nana's house on Tuesday afternoon

Warming up inside with hot chocolate and studying a new maze book from Christmas 

(It was Josiah's gift, but Isaac and Emma enjoyed it so much that they would "do" the mazes with just the fingers.)

I'll never tire of watching my kids sleep - so peaceful and precious!

Dave took Isaac and Emma skiing all day on Wednesday and they loved it!  He wanted them to get comfortable on skis again; and, then on Thursday he took Josiah along for his first time!  Josiah was very hesitant and said "I'll go if I have to!"  But, like his siblings, he ended up loving it as well and didn't want to leave.  

Emma skiing on Wednesday, their first day this year 

Josiah learning 

Emma on the magic carpet hill

Dave helping Josiah down the magic carpet hill

Isaac skiing 

The ski lift doesn't usually run during the week at Howelson, but they had it on on Thursday, and the kids loved it!  

Dave couldn't believe it, but the kids wanted to ski again on Friday, too!  Dave was beat :) but took them again!  Papa, Nana, and I took lunch to them and everyone ate in the gorgeous sunshine!  We took Josiah home after lunch so that Dave could do the bigger runs with Isaac and Emma.  (Josiah would have much rather stayed and was very disappointed to leave.)  

Since it was a weekday, the chairlift wasn't running, so the only way up to the top was the Poma lift.  The Poma lift is essentially a little seat attached to a long rope.  You hold on to the rope, sit down, and keep your skis pointed forward while the rope pulls you all the way to the top.  Papa, Nana, Josiah, and I watched Dave and the kids go up, and Emma fell off about 1/4 of the way up.  She skied down the hill, while Dave and Isaac continued to the top.  Papa went and waited with her til Dave and Isaac came down.  We were so proud of Isaac for making it to the top and skiing down his first blue!  

It ended up taking Emma six more times to get to the top...she would get further up each time, but eventually her skis would slip to the side and she would fall.  The hill becomes progressively steeper, and I started crying watching her wait on the side.  I said I needed to leave and couldn't keep watching!  I knew Dave would keep her safe, but it was hard to watch her fall off repeatedly.  Each time, Dave helped her down - even skiing down with her in his arms!  (He said it was fun, and she LOVED it!)  Emma is determined, though, and she made it to the top on her seventh try!  By then, Papa, Nana, Josiah, and I were already at home.  Dave called me and gave me a second-by-second narration of Emma making it to the very top!  (He was on the seat behind her on the Poma lift.)  She did it, and they all had a great rest of the day skiing new, longer runs! 

A skiing picnic lunch on Friday!  

Thanksgiving in Steamboat~2012

Helping Nana cook

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving week in Colorado!  I flew to Denver the Saturday before Thanksgiving with Isaac and Emma.  My sister-in-law, Kristy, also flew into Denver on Saturday with her two boys, Griffin and Sawyer.  Nana and Papa picked us all up at the airport in Denver, and we headed up to Steamboat for a great week.  The Rinn "boys" (Dave, Jon, & Michael) joined us all on Wednesday evening.  Needless to say, this made for a lot of fun cousin time, especially for Griffin and Isaac...Emma and Sawyer just mostly looked at each other.  ;)

Here are a few favorite pictures! 

Waiting at the airport early on Saturday morning..."Emma, look at all the airplanes!"

Emma and Sawyer hanging out  :)

Griffin and Isaac playing...

...and making projects...

...and reading books...

...and more books...

...and even more books!!

One morning, we took Griffin & Isaac to "House of Bounce" in Steamboat.  They had a blast (and burned off a lot of energy.)

    

There wasn't much snow at all.  Isaac found this mound that hadn't yet melted near Papa & Nana's deck, and he played in it for a looooong time.  (He's definitely a Texan to be that excited about a small pile of snow!)

Playing outside with Nana

Roasting s'mores with Papa at the firepit

Playing with Uncle Mike!

My mother-in-law is a fantastic cook--Thanksgiving dinner was amazing!!

Papa getting ready to carve the turkey!

Thanksgiving dinner!  (I think everyone was more interested in the delicious food than smiling for the camera!)  ;)

Yum!  Isaac said the pie was "tasty!"

The "adult kids" gave Tim & Susie a family photo shoot as an early Christmas gift.  Here's a sneak peek at our pictures...apparently, it's a little difficult doing a photo shoot with two babies & two 3 year old boys.  :)  Even so, we still got some cute shots!

  

Thank you, Papa and Nana, for such a fun week!  
We can't wait to all get together again!

We hope you had a great Thanksgiving, too!

A Colorado Christmas

We flew to Steamboat on Christmas Eve morning and had such a wonderful Christmas with Tim, Susie, and Michael.  After our disaster adventure of having to sleep in our vehicle due to a blizzard, I am so, so happy that we got to fly to Steamboat.  Isaac loved the plane and had so much fun pulling this little suitcase.  He was determined to do it himself and would not let David or me touch it..."I do Isaac's suitcase, Mommy" was what I heard over and over.  :)  He also kept saying, "Go see Nana in 'Rado!"

Isaac helping Nana bake coffee cake on Christmas morning...recently he has started pushing a chair over to the counter whenever I am cooking at home.  He loves to "help!"

I love this picture, even though you can't see the words on the apron.  Isaac is wearing the apron that says "Grandma's Little Taste Tester" that we first bought when we were pregnant.  We saved it and several years later gave it to Susie when we announced that we were adopting!

Opening stockings on Christmas morning...I'd bought Dave's favorite book from childhood, The Tawny Scrawny Lion, and put it in Isaac's stocking.  Dave still had the entire book memorized! 

Isaac is wearing his Thomas the Train sunglasses from his stocking, too.  :)

Isaac loved playing with his Uncle Mike!  Susie had pulled out a box of the boys' old Matchbox cars, and Isaac played with them the whole time he was there.  I think he would have been thrilled with just that box of cars for his Christmas present!



Tim read the Christmas story, and then Isaac got to put Baby Jesus in the manger.

Opening presents!  Tim & Susie gave both Isaac and Griffin this fun woodshop. 
Isaac's favorite part is the "rill."

Christmas dinner!  Susie made her famous prime rib!

We also had so much fun playing outside in the "nose" (snow, according to Isaac).  Even though Steamboat has an abnormally small amount of snow right now, it was enough for us Texans to enjoy.  :)

Isaac was so brave when we went tubing.  He'd lay down on the tube headfirst and wait for a push.  When he got to the bottom of the hill, he'd roll off and clap for himself!

Papa also took Isaac on his first snowmobile ride on Rabbit Ears Pass.  Isaac's favorite part was walking in the snowmobile tracks, which he called "train tracks."  This picture doesn't show how incredibly beautiful the scenery really is up here!

One night we roasted s'mores outside in the firepit. 

Below, we are sitting in an original Steamboat ski lift chair that Tim had hung in the backyard.

Isaac always wanted to check on "puppy dog," Kelly, and loved giving her kisses.  Since we've been home, he's been calling his stuffed dog "Kelly."  :)

This picture makes me laugh!  Isaac had so much fun jumping into the snow and convinced his Nana to jump with him, too!  :)

We also drove down to Loveland one day to visit Grandpa Rinn.  It was great for all of us to see him, since the last time we were together was well over a year ago! 

One more sweet picture of Isaac with his Nana...I think his hand position is looking pretty good, don't you?  ;)

Well, I think this wins for longest post ever!  Thank you for such a wonderful Christmas...we can't wait to see you again soon, Papa & Nana!