Ski School: Holiday Valley Trip

The snow was flying fast and there were no major tasks planned for the weekend, so we bundled up the family and headed to Holiday Valley. The boys were really excited to ski, so we booked Matt into a full-day ski lesson and Nolan into the "Li'l Troopers" half day lesson (at the age of 5, he isn't old enough to qualify for the full day session).

We checked them into their classes and they seemed quite happy to go out on the slopes with their teachers.

Once the kids were happily settled into their classes, Dennis and I hit the slopes. The trails at Holiday Valley are really beautiful - we took pictures at the top of Tannenbaum, where the trees were coated in snow.

Soon it was time for lunch (and Nolan's pick-up time). Nolan was upset that he only had a half-day session, but I promised to take him back out on the slopes after lunch.

We ran into Matt's class while we were on the tow rope ski slope. Nolan had a lot of difficulty managing the tow rope, as it takes a lot of strength to keep your skis straight ahead!

Dennis stopped by and helped Nolan manage the tow rope.

I had a great deal of fun watching Matt ski - he was having a great time and had no trouble navigating the course (slalom poles) set up by the instructors. He was able to turn and stop easily, so he moved on to the chair lift.

Nolan was desperate to ride the chair lift, so Dennis and I promised him a ride. We picked up Matt from ski school and headed to the top of the beginner chair lift run.

Nolan was beyond thrilled to ride the chair lift. I think this was almost as much fun as skiing for him!

A nice skier offered to take a picture of our entire family at the top of the School Haus run.

Matt enjoyed skiing, too, and didn't want to leave. He is a more experienced chair-lift rider, and was cool as a cucumber. Of course, Daddy had to hone in on his picture! This shot still makes me laugh.

I only wish skiing were not such an expensive sport. We enjoy it so much, but this was probably our only trip for the season. With lift tickets and ski school (still a necessity for the boys), it was an expensive day! Judging by the smiles all around, the money spent was well worth it.

Peppermint Marshmallows

I saw a recipe on Pinterest for peppermint marshmallows. I'm not good at making candy, but I thought I'd give it a try. As it turns out, marshmallows are a fairly easy recipe to make!

The original recipe is here, from Betty Crocker. A stand mixer helps with the process - I put the gelatin and cold water in the mixer while I made the syrup. Once the candy thermometer (finally) registered 240 degrees Fahrenheit, I poured the syrup into the gelatin as the mixer was stirring. The marshmallow fluff formed very quickly. I added the peppermint extract, poured it into a buttered dish, and added some red food coloring (swirling with a butter knife).

Once the marshmallows were set, I cut them into cubes and dusted them with powdered sugar. They look like little, fluffy candy canes and are excellent in hot cocoa.

I'm definitely adding this recipe to our annual Christmas bake-a-thon!

Sledding on December 30, 2012

We had a great winter storm come through with a 2-3 foot snowfall. The boys were begging to go sledding, so we went to the local hill at the boys' school and had a great time.

Nolan has no fear and was flying down the hill the second we reached the top. The snow was still powdery in some areas, so the boys' foam sleds were perfect for the conditions. They float over soft snow and get a lot of speed.

Matt was kind enough to pose for me before he took a ride down the hill. The boys' elementary school is in the background.

Nothing makes the kids happier than playing in snow. Since they are indoors during much of the winter, sledding helps burn off that extra energy.

We ran into some friends at the sledding hill and Matt was thrilled to take a ride on the inflatable sled.

The kids alternated between the "big" inflatable sled and their foam boards throughout the afternoon.

Dennis even went down a few times with the kids. I couldn't fit into my ski pants (shrinking fabric, I tell you), so I avoided sledding and took pictures.

The boys found the jump in the sledding hill and had a fantastic time going over it. This gives me gray hair, but the kids absolutely have a blast getting air on the jumps.

Near the end of the day, all three boys tried to go down the hill on the inflatable sled. Nolan is lying down in the back, and they had a pretty spectacular crash.

No one was hurt during any of the crashes, but they all liked re-enacting the crash stories later. The jumps became larger with each retelling!

Evening was approaching, and the clouds broke apart to give us our first glimpse of blue sky in over a month.

It was time to go home, but Nolan wasn't having any of it and threw a really impressive fit. Sadly, we cannot live on the sledding hill, so he was dragged into the car and home.

Hopefully we'll have a snowy winter this year so we can enjoy these sledding days every weekend!

Christmas 2012

Christmas Eve started out as a really fun day. We took the boys to see Rise of the Guardians, which we all loved. The boys had popcorn and Icees, and Nolan spent the rest of the afternoon pretending to be Jack Frost. Dennis made a side trip to Home Depot, and when we came home he looked awful. Within an hour, he was running a 104 degree temperature. Hello, influenza.

I was extremely grateful that I got my flu shot in early December. The boys had been immunized a while ago, so I hoped the rest of us would avoid it. I played engineer that night and put together the two Green Machines. Nolan has the Green Machine, Jr. and it was the most difficult bike to put together. Matt's regular Green Machine was a cinch to assemble.

I went to bed and the boys awoke to their Santa letters on the tree.

Matt wanted a bell from Santa's sleigh, and Santa almost forgot. He dropped a bell down the chimney before he left, so the boys found the bell in the fireplace.

The boys opened their stockings and presents. Christmas morning is a lot of fun with little ones.

Later that day, they were able to take their Green Machines for a spin. It was snowy, but the main road was clear so they were able to do a few spin-outs. They both can't wait for spring to arrive so they can ride their bikes on a regular basis.

Despite Dennis being so very sick, we had a good Christmas and the boys had a really fun day. No one else caught the virus, so we were grateful that our flu shots saved us!