Skiing

I was born in Utah, went to college in Utah and now even in Upstate NY live down the street from a ski center and yet I've only been skiing 3 times in my life! This has got to change because I really enjoy it! - I realized the other day after going again after about 20 years (which really makes me feel old - how can I have not done something for 20 years?) Anyway. . . luckily Melanie got us back into it. The fifth grade class in her school goes on a skiing field trip every winter and she wanted to go check it out before the field trip, so Eric took her one night. They had a great time. Eric remembered how much fun it is, so over the kids Winter break he took Melanie and Melissa during the day and we got a babysitter that night and he and I went. Luckily its somewhat like riding a bike and I picked up on it again without too much trouble. Here's us riding up the lift - a rare picture of him and I - alone.

So, I was most nervous about getting on and off the lift and of course the first try I missed getting on with Eric and had to ride up by myself - that's okay at least I got on! He had a good laugh. Ha, ha.

This is Melanie in front of the jump she went off her first night of skiing! Why I don't know, but I am glad she dared give it a try - she's not usually that daring. I'm sure part of it was being with her dare-devil dad -even though he said he didn't even dare do that (but he's old! ;o) ) Anyway I guess she went over a smaller one first and did just fine, but this one didn't go so well and she was bruised and hurting so came home and put some ice on it and then sat in the hot tub -while her sister lucked out and was able to switch off and go the rest of the night with dad. Melissa had a great first night of skiing too. I guess its good to learn when you're young and agile and have no fear. - and recover much faster from your falls!

Here's the girls going up the lift together on the day they went with Eric. Aren't they cute! They're so lucky to have each other!

Here's Eric and Melanie, Melanie's friend Maddie (she happened to be skiing with her dad that day too) and Melissa.

Here's them going down the hill. We met them for lunch and the little boys couldn't understand why they couldn't jump right in and start skiing too!

So fun! One more way we can enjoy the wonderful season of Winter!

Why Giving Matters

I just finished reading this article in the Summer edition of BYU Magazine (p24-29). After I started reading it I realized I had watched a re-broadcast of this speech on BYUTV last year a week or so after the speech was given. It got to me then and it got to me again when I re-read it. This is a really good speech with some important truths that I think help all of us and ones I hope I remember and use in my life as well as teach my children so they can apply them in theirs. I'd like to share it with any of you that read this.

You can watch the speech by clicking on the following link

http://byub.org/talks/talk.aspx?ID=2998


You can read the speech by clicking on this link

http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=12929&x=61&y=6

Ice Skating

Yesterday we were able to have some family fun ice skating at a local park.

Tubes in, Adenoids out

Earlier this week James had tubes put in his ears and his adenoids taken out. He did great and is still doing great. He's supposed to take it easy for the next two weeks. I think its gonna get tuff. He's already starting to run around and ruff-house with his brother. I've got to keep reminding him to take it easy.

Isn't he the cutest patient you've ever seen? And he was so polite. I think all the nurses just loved him.

He didn't care for the ID bracelet, he thought it was itchy and he hated the IV and said it was poking him (I couldn't disagree with him there). The nurse guided him through doing the unwrapping and untaping when it was time to take it off and she even let him help her pull out the needle. He didn't get grossed out at all. He was just glad to have it off.

This last picture is post-op. I wanted to get a picture of his blue tongue from the blue popcycles. He didn't really care for having his picture taken. He did enjoy all the popcycles.

His class at school made him a bunch of Get Well Soon cards that were darling. He just loved that, but he really hates having to do all the homework. He'd rather just watch movies and play video games-and eat popcycles!

Christmas 2009

Okay, so I'm a little late on this, but here's some pics from Christmas. We had a great Christmas. We were blessed to enjoy the company of both Eric's and my parents along with lots of other family and friends.

The below slideshow with probably more pictures than any of you want to see if us includes:
1. The kids with Santa at our Ward Christmas Party
2. Annual Frazee Family Christmas Eve Party at Chartrand's
3. Christmas morning at our house
4. Annual Randall Family Christmas Party at Highland Lodge
5. Family Home Evening with my Mom and Dad and Russell's kids Logan and Emma (thanks Dad for the great lesson!)
6. Ice skating/hockey on the pond at the farm, behind Nana's house.
7. Snowball fight with snow forts the kids and I built and the snowman we made
and more . . .

Birthday Week

We celebrated 3 birthdays in our family this week. Eric's 30-something, Rebekah's 1st and Melissa's 8th. It was a busy week! Here are some pictures and video we'd like to share.

I'd better start off with some commentary. Poor Eric didn't have the most notable birthday. I hadn't prepared well and planned on doing some shopping the day before his birthday to pick up the needed presents, etc. but ended up with a 24 hour flu bug and spent the day miserable on the couch. So on the morning of his birthday, he didn't have a present to open or anything to start the day off fun and then of course he had to go to work. Luckily I was feeling better and was able to run into town for presents and groceries. I found a nice mountain bike on clearance (yeah!) which was a fun present that I hadn't planned on. I also got stuff for a nice steak dinner (so we wouldn't have to attempt to go out with 5 kids 10 and under - one being a 2 1/2 year old, no other explanation needed) and a great chocolate cheesecake with strawberries and raspberries on top for his birthday cake (YUM!-and no baking required on my part!) As luck would have it, about dinner time Eric started feeling bad - he had caught my flu bug!- he wasn't able to enjoy dinner or any of his cheesecake! We sang to him after dinner and I gave the kids some cheesecake. Sad.

Next was sweet little Rebekah's birthday . . .

The knit cap in the above pictures was a gift from her Aunt Delores (Thank you!). She made it and its darling, but unless I can slip it on when Rebekah is distracted by something else she pulls it right off. She didn't care at all about the presents until they were opened, which her brothers and sisters were more than happy to help her with.

I always let the birthday child pick out their favorite dinner on their birthday. For a 1 year old that's hard to decifer. She seems to love lasagna so I made that and it worked out great because she ate like a champ. I can't believe how much she ate!

Rebekah also loved the cupcakes for dessert!

Melissa got an early birthday present and went night skiing with her dad a few days before her birthday. It was her first time going and she had a great time and did really well Eric said.

Melissa was so excited for her birthday. The day before we picked out some yummy frosted sugar cookies to take to school to share and thankfully she was excited and not sad about going to school on her birthday. The night before, she went to bed not feeling her best, she had a stomach ache that had started around dinner time. She woke up at about 11pm throwing up - all over her precious stuffed dog Snoopy and her hippo and her sister - poor Melanie. Poor Melissa too. She was afraid her birthday was ruined. She said her tummy was feeling better and asked if she'd still be able to go to school the next day. I hesitantly said she could if the rest of the night went smooth with no more throwing up and no fever. We were lucky. That was the end of it and she was feeling well in the morning and able to have her favorite - chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and open presents before school.

For dinner Melissa wanted to go to Red Lobster - her favorite place, but I think its just for the name and the lobster tank in the entry way. Eric and I really don't like that place and tried to talk her into letting us cook up some of her seafood favorites like boiled shrimp and crab or lobster bisque, or even to take her to a different restaurant (any other restaurant) but to no avail, she had her heart set on Red Lobster - so we went. When we get to ordering it comes to her and she orders Macaroni and Cheese! Eric and I look at each other and then look at her and say No Way! Apparently she didn't want to order the same thing as her siblings and since Melanie had ordered crab legs and James had ordered shrimp, she felt she was left with mac-n-cheese. Oh, what a girl.

Eric and I spent the evening back and forth in the bathroom with one or other of the kids, chasing David back and forth from the lobster tank, or climbing over the half wall behind us, cracking crab for the girls etc. etc. It was not a fun evening. One good thing was that, what I could eat of it, my meal was better than any others I can remember having there, even though I could have made it just as well at home with much less trouble!

We've sworn off that place for good and going out with the kids as well - but I think we've done that before - it seems to only last until enough time has passed that we forget just how horrible going to a restaurant with kids is.

And that was our Happy Birthday week!

Cross Country Skiing

I love the winters here in Upstate NY. Especially when we can get out and really enjoy the snow and the beauty of it. Yesterday Eric and I, along with David and Rebekah, were able to get out and do some cross country skiing. It was invigorating and fun!