Seven 8/9/10

7 years ago Dan and I got married. This year we celebrate our 7th anniversary on 8/9/10, get it 7,8,9,10. Yeah we're dorks we've been looking forward to this anniversary for a while. We had big plans to go to Hawaii but then we moved and those plans are on hold. So instead our BIG plans involve a trip to the fair (and a morning at the DMV). But we'll be together and that's what really matters, and I know we'll still have a great time because we always have a great time together. So happy 7 years Dan. I love you and I love having fun with you!Ummm honestly I have NO idea why we are looking at our wedding cake that way. Apparently it was confusing us in some way... I dunno!

Airplane Trip

When we pulled our our luggage for our trip too Alaska (6 weeks ago, I'm just a little late here) Jason saw Jonathan's backpack and asked "Mine?" Now of course we weren't going to give Jason Jonathan's backpack, that would have gone over like a lead balloon, so Jason and I headed out to find a backpack more his size. What we found was a super cute, appropriately sized Lightening McQueen backpack just big enough for diapers, wipes and a book. Ok, it actually would have held more but when we put more in it the weight pulled Jason over backward.
Jason was very happy to parade around the Spokane Airport with his backpack on his back. I love his puffed out chest and mischievous expression. I'm sure this was just before he bolted away from me! I envisioned him walking along with the rest of us through the Seattle Airport carrying his backpack and having a great time. Never mind that someone would have to carry his gigantic carseat since he had his own ticket, it was going to be a picture perfect trip. Of course we decided he was old enough that we didn't need a stroller. And he wouldn't have needed a stroller if all had gone to plan. I could end my story now. But things didn't go according to plan and I if I stop now y'all would miss out on a rather epic trip.

~We can laugh about this now but believe me, when this all went down NO ONE was laughing!~

The trip started out normally enough. We headed up to Spokane early enough to have a nice sit-down lunch with one of my best friends. The boys had HUGE helping of Macaroni and Cheese. After killing some time at the airport, because I'm my mother's daughter and arrived way to early, we got on our plane. We were traveling on a small jet that had a two seat on either side of the aisle configuration. So we were sitting two and two. Dan had made Jonathan mad going though security, and Jonathan is one to hold a grudge, so he asked to sit next to me. We sat down and Dan and Jason took their seats in the row behind us. I've never been so glad that Jonathan was mad at Dad! You see just as they began pushing the plane back, you know when its too late to get out of your seat for ANYTHING, I hear Jason throw-up. Remember that HUGE lunch he ate. Yeah it was all over him, his car seat, his backpack, Dan's backpack, and Dan's shoes. Of course I couldn't get up to help him, and I don't do puke anyway, and Dan couldn't take Jason out to clean him up because we were taxiing to take off. All we could do was clean up the best we could with wipes and try to ignore the smell. Jason preceded to throw-up three more times before we landed in Seattle. And of course this was the first time EVER since Jonathan was born that I haven't traveled with at least one set of extra clothes. Thank you Murphy and your laws!

Once we deplaned in Seattle Dan started cleaning Jason, the carseat, and himself as best he could while Jonathan and I searched the airport for some sort of change for Jason. There were plenty of shirts in the airport; Seattle shirts, Boeing shirts, Mariners shirts, generic Washington shirts, but absolutely NO pants to be found. We needed pants. The only pair of pants we found, in Jason's size, was part of a $40 pajama+socks set. I practically cried as I spent $40 on something we already had in our luggage. By the time we got all cleaned up we had just enough time to scarf some dinner and race to our gate. But remember now we have a sick kid who isn't strong enough to walk, a 4-year-old who doesn't want to run to our gate and isn't getting the concept that the plane actually WILL leave without us, a huge carseat, and NO stroller. So Dan carried Jason and ran ahead so they would know we were coming while I carried the carseat and dragged Jonathan along. We were quite the sight racing through the D concourse of the Seattle Airport. The whole time we were walking Jonathan was talking about how excited he was to watch Bolt on the airplane. Some sweet passerby, must have been a mom, told Jonathan "Ya know Bolt runs really fast. Can you run fast like Bolt?" I wish I could find her and thank her because that got him moving and we FINALLY made it to our gate.

Needless to say we were very tired and worn out by the time we got to Fairbanks, but we will NEVER forget this trip!

Humanitarian Bowl

It has been a long time since University of Idaho football fans have had much to cheer about. Since 1998, the last time we appeared in and won the Humanitarian Bowl, there have been a lot of forgettable years. There were the Tom Cable years, the Nick Holt years, and the Dennis Erickson year, which left Vandal fans very very bitter.

Then Coach Robb Akey came along. The first couple of years were rough but there were glimmers of hope. And we had a coach who was excited about Idaho Vandal Football and committed to the team. And then the 2009 season began and we were winning games. Excitement for Vandal football was contagious. We got games on ESPNU and even highlights on Sports Center. And we were one of the first teams to be bowl eligible. It was exciting to be a Vandal fan again. Even during the darkest days I still cheered loud and clear for my Vandals!

Since Boise State was going to a BCS bowl game Idaho was invited to the Humanitarian Bowl. Let me tell you, if we had not been in Alaska we would have been in Boise for that game! Instead we watched with baited breath. Our hearts stopped when they went down 42-35 with 35 seconds left. And then we got a touchdown. Then we went for two. AND THE VANDALS WON! It was AMAZING!

This weekend there was a parade to honor the Vandals for their win. After the parade there was a celebration at the Kibbie Dome where fans could get the teams autographs as well as have their picture taken with the trophy. We were stoked! And so we bundled up on a very cold Saturday morning and headed out to the parade that Vandal fans have waited years for!

There was snow on the ground and believe me standing around waiting for the parade to start it was cold! Underneath all our gear we are wearing our Humanitarian Bowl Champions shirts. And I am darn proud to get to wear that shirt!

I-D-A-H-O IDAHO IDAHO GO GO GO!

Part of the team, including Coach Akey, with the trophy. It was totally awesome to see the trophy rolling down Main St. in Moscow!Up at the dome with Joe Vandal! Jason was terrified of him. We tried to get a picture with our family, Joe and the trophy but Jason would have no part of it!

We bought a poster and stood in line to get our autographs. And the very last autograph we got was Coach Akey. We shook his hand, my hand was shaking at the thought of shaking his, and we got a picture of Jonathan with Coach Akey. Jason gave him a high five but would get no closer.

That's my son sitting on Coach Akey's knee! WOW!
Me and my best girl Meghan with the trophy. She came down from Coeur d'Alene for the weekend to go to the parade and hang out with me. I LOVE HER.

And there is our family with the Humanitarian Bowl trophy. Totally awesome!

Kristen, the whole time we were there I was thinking about how excited Mike would be to get his picture with the Rose Bowl Trophy for Ohio State!

Bowling

Last Christmas Dan received a gift certificate to our local bowling lanes as a gift from a student. The certificate expired one year from the date of issue. I figured we'd have no problem going bowling sometime during the year. Well apparently I was wrong because the expiration date was coming up and we hadn't gone yet. So Dan asked one of his students to babysit and we went out bowling.

Dan and I don't get out very often just the two of us. If we do go out we usually go to dinner and then come home. It was so much fun to actually go out and do something together.

Getting ready to bowl. I hadn't bowled in so long that my arm was getting tired after the 1st game. But I was having too much fun to quit!
My handsome husband. I forget how much fun it is to just hang out together when we rarely get to do so!
Awesome fried zucchini! That is probably my favorite appetizer ever. If its on the menu you can bet I'm getting it!
Pouting after a very bad shot. I did ok. Beat Dan one game but I really just bowl for fun.
Dan was pretty frustrated with how badly he was doing. He's usually a pretty good bowler but I think it had just been too long since he'd bowled. He still had fun though.After 2 hours of bowling we were tired and ready to head home. It was a fun night and a good reminder of why its fun to get out with my husband. I definitely want to do it again sooner rather than later!

Christmas Decorating

Christmas is a season that is rich with family traditions. My family had a lot of traditions that we carried on as I grew up. I'd go into greater detail but I already know this is going to be a long post and I don't want to make it longer.

One of the traditions that I clearly remember, partly because if I'm home to decorate the tree we still abide by it, was that I always got to put the first decoration on the tree. For the last two years this has been Jonathan's job, and since Jason isn't old enough to care yet, it was his job again this year. Of course there was always a picture to go along with the placing of the first decoration. Perhaps when I'm home I'll dig up some pictures of me over the years.
Here is Jonathan placing the first decoration on the 2009 Brough Family Christmas Tree. This year's choice for first decoration was a Lightning McQueen.

We gave Jason a bear decoration to hang on the tree. I wanted to let him try on his own before we helped him out.
He didn't really understand quite what to do with the decoration. I don't think he quite has the motor skills to hold the decoration by the string and get it onto the tree. But fear not, his overly helpful older brother was more than willing to help.
And between the two of them they got the job done!

As I was hanging decorations on the tree last night I thought it might be fun to showcase some of the decorations that have special meaning to our family. I quickly realized that I could probably take a picture and share a story for almost every decoration on the tree. Since I didn't want to write that much, and I'm certain you don't want to read that much, I chose some of the most meaningful, or ones with unique stories, to share.

If you know anything about me you should know the significance of a University of Idaho decoration. Dan and I both got our degrees from the University of Idaho. It's also where we met. We are Vandal faithful and I was so excited to find this decoration in the bookstore last year.

This little giraffe came from Lenox and commemorates Jonathan's 1st Christmas in 2005. We also have one for Jason but I do believe that one is in Fairbanks. Sooner or later Jason's decoration will join Jonathan's on our tree.

This bear is named Chaucer. I found him last Christmas at a bookstore. He also has a story book that goes with him. It is a really cute story about the little bear's first winter. Perfect for our little bear who was celebrating his first winter.

This moose is part of a series from Lenox. Growing up in Alaska I saw a lot of moose. The first decoration I got came with a card that said something about making sure to lock my doors. Yes, there is a story behind that. One very early, dark Alaska morning my mom was driving me to jazz band before school. We backed out of our garage and started off when we noticed a moose in the driveway. I was a little tired and not thinking clearly so when I saw the moose I locked the doors. Not sure what good I thought it was going to do but its been a family joke ever since.

My granddaddy loved Snoppy and he passed his love of Snoppy on to me. This is just one of several decorations of Snoppy and the gang that grace our Christmas tree. They are a reminder of my granddaddy. Someplace I have a cow beanie baby that reminds me of my grandmother but that's another story for another time!

My husband LOVES Star Wars. Enough said! (And after previewing my blog my husband wanted to make sure I added that this is a member of the 501st legion. Whatever!)

Paddington is here representing a whole collection of decorations that were given to me by my Great Great Aunt Lucy. I don't remember her, in fact I'm not sure I ever met her, (mom if you are reading help me out here!) but I heard so many stories about her and her adventures that I feel like I know her at least a little bit. Paddington was also a big part of my childhood. I had a Paddington bear and his Aunt Lucy in stuffed animal form. We also read the stories frequently while I was growing up. My very favorite Paddington story is Paddington and the Knickerbocker Rainbow.

And so that brings us to the owl. Before I was born my mom and dad spent sometime living in Guatemala and this little owl is souvenir of that period in their lives. They come in three colors: red, green, and yellow. I'm not sure how many the brought back but I know they had some and they gave some to each of my grandparents as gifts.

And so that concludes your tour of my Christmas tree. Mom if you are out there reading and have anything to add to the stories I've told please do so!

What we've been up to

So it's been a few days (or maybe a few months) since I've blogged so y'all are a little behind on what is going on in the Brough Family Life. I think I shall do a full update in bullet point form.

• I started my student teaching in September. I have to do a full year of student teaching and I am fortunate enough that the teacher I'm with this fall wanted me for the full year so I don't have to get a new placement for the spring. I'm in the 6th grade at Russell Elementary School in Moscow, Idaho and I could not be happier. I've got a great team that I get to work with every day and I'm learning a lot from them. I also have a great group of students. I also got to go to the McCall Outdoor Science School for a week in October. That was an experience! One week basically on 24 hours a day, lots of hiking, and a few embarrassing moments. It was beautiful there and I would totally do it again!
• Dan started his 4th year of teaching at Pullman Christian School. This year they changed the format of the school so his home room class is now 6th-8th grade instead of 7th-8th as it was for the last two year. He's also still teaching Algebra I and computer class. He also had the opportunity to coach soccer this year. He loved coaching and the relationship that it builds with the students, and he learned a little about soccer too. I loved watching the team play and was sad when the season ended, although very glad to have my husband back! They finished 5th in league for the regular season.
• Jason is now almost 19 months old. He is a wonderfully sweet little boy. His vocabulary has really taken off recently and he is always saying new words or phrases. His latest is "lunch box". He is full of joy and always makes us smile and laugh. He is showing some hints at the "terrible twos" but hopefully that's far as it goes. Hey, I can dream right!
• Jonathan is in preschool and continues to blow us away with all that he knows. He loves to learn. He is full of energy and definitely keeps us on our toes. He loves books and can read some sight words but isn't "reading" yet. He as already shown hints of his daddy's gifting with numbers and rhythms.

As of right now that's all I can think of right now so I'll end this with a recent picture of our two boys. I think this picture pretty well captures the boys personalities, Jonathan hamming it up for the camera and Jason too busy and on the go to be bothered with taking a picture.

Today

Today is a huge beginning for me. Today I officially begin my student teaching. We don't actually have students until Wednesday but official teacher meetings today. Today is the first step toward the rest of my life.

Today I'm just the tiniest bit scared!

Hair Cuts and Head Bumps

Yesterday was a much anticipated day.

Yesterday was haircut day.

From the moment Jonathan's feet hit the floor yesterday morning he was asking if it was time to get haircuts yet.

He was excited.

Despite all the excitement he did a fantastic job sitting still and following directions.

When it was all over he looked like this...

Ignore the cheesey smile, he had gum and didn't want it to fall out of his mouth.

Umm can someone tell me where my little boy went? How is he so grown up?

He looks handsome.

I got my hair done too.

I basically told J, the guy who cuts my hair, he could do whatever he wanted.

I LOVE what he did with my hair!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jason likes to climb.

He has no fear and doesn't know his limits.

Jason fell out of a chair!
Ouch.

Bummer.

And of couse we are doing family pictures in a week!

Thanks Murphy!

Swings

My dad is a very handy man. His dad, my Papaw, built houses for a living and as soon as he was old enough my dad was out there by his side helping him. So when I was born it was only natural to my dad that he would build things for me. When I turned 5 he built me my very own swing-set. In my opinion it was the best swing-set in the neighborhood.

My swing-set had a slide. two swings, a trapeze, and a teeter-totter. I spent hours out playing on the swing-set. I'd create dance routines and the neighbor girls and I would put on performances for our families. My dad would give us "high pulls" and on occasion we would jump off the swings. We would also swing as high as we could and see who could kick their shoes the furthest.

As you can see our lawn took quite the beating for all our swinging and playing but my parents never complained. I grew up imagining I was in the circus or off having some great adventure and that was all that mattered to them.

Of couse, as always happens, I got older and no longer used the swing-set as much. The trapeze rusted and the swings cracked from exposure to extreme cold. The slide went to a good home and there the swing-set sat, an empty frame.

Until yesterday...

Yesterday morning Jonathan got curious and asked what "that thing" was. Immediately after my dad told him that it had been a swing-set Jonathan asked if he could swing. So we went to the home improvement store where we found a swing for Jonathan and a baby swing for Jason. I was also pleasently surprised to find a trapeze.



And so the torch was passed to the next generation. Something tells me Jonathan and Jason are going to enjoy the best swing-set on the block!

The Red Line

I was three years old when, at my mom's suggestion, my dad and my uncle put a red line down at each end of our driveway. The street I grew up on was by no means a busy street but there was a fair share of traffic and being the first house on the street it all passed by our house. I liked liked to ride my trike right up to the edge of the street and it made my mom really nervous. Her solution was a red line at each end of the driveway showing me exactly how far I was allowed to go. I knew going past the line meant trouble and I was careful to stay on my side of the line. Even the neighbor girls knew going past the red line at my house would mean no playing in the front yard. Then I grew up. I got a bike and the driveway no longer contained my adventures. I was trusted to ride closer to the street and eventually up and down the street. And with each passing year the red line faded a little more. Soon the red line was completely gone and the only way to know where it had been was to look for the crack in the driveway that it had followed.

Now with Jonathan being 4, having a trike of his own, and wanting to play outside the red line has once again become necessary. So Sunday night my dad took Jonathan out and showed him where the red line would go, painted the red line down, and told Jonathan the rule of the red line.
And now the red line is back on the driveway, as bright as it was when it was first painted in 1985, marking the boundaries for a new generation.

A River Hike

Those of you who know me very well know that I'm not much of an outdoors person. I like to be outside enjoying fresh air but tent camping and hiking aren't something I frequently do. You won't find me doing an overnight backpack outing like some of my friends enjoy. (love you Megs!) My father-in-law calls what we do tent camping for comfort and its just about my speed. We bring air mattresses and make sure the campground has some sort of restroom, ie. better than squatting. The campground we were at this year even had a shower facility which I used and loved.

So this begs the question how did I end up camping this year in the 1st place? Well it was actually my idea. I know shocking but true. I really wanted to spend some time at the Oregon Coast but I didn't think we would have time this summer. Then Dan found out that the paint company he works for was taking the second week of July as vacation. So we had the time to go but not really the money. Well I knew my father-in-law loves to camp so I proposed that we camp at the coast. I'd get to enjoy the coast and he'd get to camp. I figured I'd survive a few days camping, and the shower facility helped my survival! The campground we were at was along the Salmon River near Otis, Oregon, about 10 miles from Lincoln City, Oregon.
As you can see the area was gorgeous. At night in our tent we feel asleep listening to the river, it was wonderful. For some reason I was feeling extra adventurous, I blame it on the beautiful area and wanting to see more of it, so Dan and I went hiking along the river bank. It was so fun. We left the boys with Grandma and Grandpa and headed down a huge slope to the river bank. Then we traversed our way along the banks and rocks exploring the area.
Look there's my husband, isn't he studly! It was really fun to spent time together without the boys doing something totally fun. Dan mentioned that it would be cool to find a way to get to the other side of the river. We kept going and up a little further I saw a place where it looked like it might be possible to cross to the other side. The only trick would be getting to the spot because the bank was ending and we'd have to navigate the rocks. Dan wanted to quit but I was determined to make it. Then one of the rocks I stepped on gave way. I didn't fall in but decided it might be time to admit defeat and turn back. Unfortunately it was too late. My shoes were wet and when I turned back I slipped and fell in the river.
Fortunately the river is shallow and rather slow so I was fine. I was soaked up to my knees and scraped up my elbow a little bit. The trip back was slow as I trudged along in wet pants and shoes, and climbing up the hill to the campsite was difficult with wet shoes but I still had a great time with my husband. I was also very thankful for a hot shower back at the campgrounds!

Look Dan and I made an appearance on my blog. We should be good for a while, right?

Jason Fit

For my birthday my dad bought me a Wii Fit. Actually my dad sent me some money and I used it to purchase a Wii Fit. What loving father, or self-respecting man for that matter, would buy a woman in his life a Wii Fit for her birthday?

I usually exercise while the boys are taking their afternoon naps. The other day Jason woke up before I'd had a chance to put everything away. I left him alone long enough to get a cup of water and when I turned around this is how I found him.
I love his expression in this picture. The Wii was on and he was moving the cursor around and making my Mii freak out. He thought it was hysterical. When I tried to put everything away he was ticked with me. I turned off the TV and he was perfectly happy sitting on the balance board investigating the remote. So there he sat for quite a while until he lost interest. As soon as he moved on I put it away.

On a Mini Vacation

My mom and I leave for Boise today. We'll be gone for 4 days just her and I. No kids, no husbands, just us. I'm excited but I also know that I will miss my boys a lot. That said I don't know how much blogging I will get in while I'm gone. So have a fantastic week and I'll see y'all when I get back. I promise when I get back I'll be better at posting regularly.

SUMMER

Praise the Lord its summer! I survived finals week and I am now officially on summer vacation. The kids have 2 more weeks of preschool and then we are home together for the summer. This week I'm going to lunch with a friend before she moves home, chaperoning a Jr. field trip with my husband, visiting the classroom I will be student teaching in next year, and doing some Wii Fit.

Last night I had this weird moment when I was asking Dan to do something and thinking that while he did that I would do homework. Then I realized I have no homework and I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself :) My husband has been fantastic the last few weeks as school got down to the wire for me. He has kept up the housework and kept up his work. I'm blessed by him so very very much!

So with school out hopefully I'll have a little more time to blog. My mom gets here on Saturday and her and I are taking a girls trip to Boise next week. Can't wait! We've also been working on a secret project in our home but y'all will have to wait for pictures until after my mom gets here. She lurks around here every now and then and I want the project to be a surprise to her.

A light at the end

I'm almost done. So close. I can see the light but I'm not quite close enough for it to seem real. I still have a few projects to get done, including this annoying case study on a reader. My online class didn't really prepare me enough to go out and try to apply this stuff. I feel a little lost trying to interpret my data. I had to get an extension because I didn't understand how to do one part and I ended up doing it completely wrong. I realized my mistake as I was looking at my data so I emailed my prof and got an extension until Friday. Once this is mailed off I think I'll relax little. Until then its back to work. I can't wait for the work to be done. Then I have a week before my mom comes and then we go to Boise for a girls trip for 3 or 4 days. Can't wait!

I've been so busy I haven't even been taking pictures. I have a lot to write about from this past weekend but I'm still thinking about how to write it so that will come after the paper is done.

Boredom Strikes

I don't think I can really adequately explain what is going on in these pictures. We just got new laundry sorting bags and we were bored. I'm not really sure there is more to say than that, the pictures speak for themselves...

It's the newest, coolest backpack.

It gives you a giant head and big muscles.

Oh my... um... yeah

Fear not they are now in the corner of our bedroom being used for their intended purpose. This will never happen again, I hope!

That sucked!

Alternately titled: The Morning from Hell

(but I didn't think that was appropriate to show up on people's blog roles)

The day started out well enough. I got up, showered, got my kids ready for school, got everyone out the door almost on time. Then I went about my morning business. I packed my bag, dried and straightened my hair, put on my make-up, got dressed, and was pretty much ready to go. Just three things left to do: make my lunch, eat breakfast, put dinner in the crock pot.

I opened the fridge to grab my lunch and noticed that Dan's lunch was still in the fridge. Bummer! Oh well no problem I have plenty of time I'll just drop it off on my way to Moscow. It's a little out of my way but not a huge deal.

Move on to putting dinner in the crock pot. All the veggies and meat are chopped up so all I have to do is put it in the crock pot, season a little, and add the chicken broth. I put the veggies and meat in and had added the pepper, all that was left was a dash of salt. Then tragedy struck.

I keep my kosher salt in a large shaker, similar to this one. I was just adding a dash of salt when all of a sudden the lid came flying off and the entire container of salt was suddenly emptying very rapidly into my crock pot. I screamed, said a bad word, and started to cry. Dinner was ruined. I tried to rinse all the chopped veggies and meat off but it was no use. There was too much salt and it was already absorbing into the food. I was crushed. I mean it was only dinner but I'm not usually on top of things enough to have something ready for the crock pot, plus split pea soup was sounding so good. But it was not to be. So instead we went out for dinner and had an early out to dinner celebration for Jason's 1st Birthday, which is on Saturday.

Hopefully next time we make split pea soup things will turn out a little better!

BTW if you are wondering no I didn't eat breakfast before I left the house, after the disaster there wasn't time. I hit the coffee stand drive thru on my way out of town and got coffee and a muffin. And yes I still delivered Dan's lunch. The rest of the day was much better!

If its spring

Then mother nature has lost her freaking mind!

Seriously!

If you live anywhere remotely close to me then you know exactly what I'm talking about.

We've had sun, rain, hail, thunder, lightening, wind, and snow all in the same day. I'm so not kidding.

Remember this post where we went puddle jumping. Well about a week later we went back to the same field, but do you know what we did this time? We went sledding. That's right, sledding.

Sunday morning we woke up to this...
Never mind going to church. By the time we dug out and showered after digging out we would get there just in time to come home again. So when Jason went down for a morning nap Jonathan, Dan and I got bundled up and headed out side to dig out. But we only have one shovel so really Dan dug out and Jonathan and I played. We decided to make a snow man. So Jonathan got his bucket and started bring me snow, ya know in case I didn't already have enough.
He had so much fun filling the bucket and dumping it out again. And of course he didn't help me build "his" snow man at all.Jonathan and "his" snow girl. He decided after seeing the finished product that it was much too small to be a snow man so it must be a snow girl. He wanted me to give it one of Jason's pacifiers and call it a snow baby but I drew the line there. Snow girl was just fine with me.

While my mom was here we got a sled on clearance. We didn't have one and you can never find one when the first snow falls. I didn't really plan on using it this year but since we had snow I figured why not?

Do you have any idea how heavy an almost 4-year-old is to pull for a quarter mile in a sled? Yeah I didn't either until I did it. Wow that was a serious work out.
He had so much fun riding along in his sled while we made our way down to the field. I didn't tell him we were going sledding because I didn't want to deal with the disappointment if hill wasn't big enough. Fortunately the hill was the perfect size for him and he made several runs down the hill, and I pulled his heavy little rear back up the hill several times. I also made one run down the hill. I hadn't been sledding in forever and I had a great time. Next winter we'll find a bigger hill and take Daddy and Jason.
Doesn't he just look like he's having a fantastic time? I was glad when he decided he was cold and wanted to go home. I was exhausted! When we got home Jason was awake and even though I desperately wanted to crash on the couch I decided he should get to have some fun in the snow too. I'm so glad I took him outside. He had a great time crawling around in the snow and exploring.
Look at that happy face! Look at how much he has grown up since this post. I can't believe he's going to be one this month!
Dan pulled Jonathan and Jason around the corner and back in the sled before we all headed inside.

I love the snow but spring can come any time now! Seriously!