(This is the boys' best
pirate expression)
Chocolate attack! Daddy introduced us to Nutella - yummy!
Without recasting the last several months, I will say we've had a lot of fun this winter! Most importantly, Aiden has discovered the art of "the snow day". And there have been LOTS of them! Not sure that I kept an official count; however, I am fairly certain that between snow days and planned days off from school, there has been only one week that A.B. has been at school all five days since he went back after Christmas! Thank goodness for family and neighbors as we have juggled all the time off!
We've also been busy with sports! Aiden started basketball this winter - and he claims that this is now his favorite. He has a little bit of a height advantage. Chris measured the other day and he is already just over 4 ft tall...and a little over 60 lbs!! The kid is a monster! Let's just say I've been weight training a lot because I'm pretty sure Aiden is going to shoot up taller than me in the next year or two and I still have to keep him in line somehow!
Kieran has also maintained his maniac mode! We moved him into a big boy bed in the last several weeks and the transition has been pretty easy. He has had occasional wake ups during the middle of the night, but goes back down quickly. I'm writing it off to the fact that he has been growing a new molar about every 3 weeks for the last month and a half. There is only one more to go and then hopefully we will be smooth sailing from that point forward. However, other than that it doesn't seem to bother him, which is great! He is such a non-two year old - Chris and I say there is barely any baby left in him. He's short on temper tantrums (which is fantastic), but his ornery streak is larger than life! He has a devil of a smile and gets away with way more than he should. I definitely can feel my hair graying as he is giving us a run for our money.
We also enjoyed another great ski trip just after Christmas with our fabulous friends - the Mareks. Aiden went this year and did a phenomenal job picking up skiing in just 3 days. Talk about making a mama proud! It's so exciting to share a sport that we really love with our kiddo - and then to have him love it just as much as us! As long as we can get Kieran on board (which given his wild streak, he'll be hitting the terrain park on his first trip), I can see many more family ski trips over the next several years.
Chris and I have been busy between work and juggling our workout schedules. Anyone who follows Chris's blog knows that he is always busy biking. I am planning on running another 1/2 marathon (not sure when I am going to give up the pain!) at the beginning of April. Not sure if I will do another marathon this fall...TBD. I also joined a mom's indoor soccer league this winter. What fun! I've really enjoyed getting to know some of the other mom's (some with other kindergartners and a few with kiddos just a few years older). I've learned pretty quickly that it's a lot easier cheering Aiden on from the sidelines - that is for sure!
While we have definitely had a bit of "crazy" to our lives, I know that Chris and I share the same goal for 2011, which is to live life fully. There are many things we can and should do with our time - and then there are those things that fill you up and make you invigorated with energy and joy. It is our hope that we set the example for our boys that we can all pursue our goals and dreams - no matter how old we are (although the recovery process always takes a little longer as the years tick by!). We are all busy doing the things we love - and I can't tell you the smile it brings to have my boys cheering me on from the sidelines or vice versa. I am constantly in awe of the joy in our lives and feel gratitude that I get to experience this life with my boys each and every day.
So, when you have been saying to yourself "what in the world are those Smiths up to?"...now you know! Here are a few of my favorite pics over the last few months:
