(Delayed post...3/27/11) Winter just seems to want to hang around here for a while longer. I'm not thrilled with the idea, but after too many days cooped up inside (due in part to Alexa's strep throat), it seemed like a good idea to take advantage of the lingering snow outside.    Seems we've been missing out on a lot of fun this winter! Next year, we'll be sure to get out and enjoy sledding more often. But for now, we just want Spring to arrive and to enjoy some sunshine already!
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 This past Sunday, I turned 33! Hard to believe another year has come and gone! Alexa and I enjoyed dinner at Sarducci's in Montpelier on Saturday evening in the company of Minna and Ptah, as well as some new friends (well, an old friend for Minna!), Sandy and her husband. Sandy and my mom went to high school together in Fair Lawn, NJ and Sandy's family have made their home in Plainfield, VT for nearly 40 years! Following dinner, the staff brought out cake and sang "Happy Birthday" to me. Alexa began to cry and held tight to Minna until the singing came to an end. Fortunately, the cake made everything better! Before we left for dinner, Alexa made sure to grab the candles for Mommy's cake...    Anna, Alexa, Charlotte Sara and Rachel treated Alexa and I to lunch on Sunday. The girls, Anna, Alexa and Charlotte played with Silly Putty and Alexa taught the others about her favorite restaurant activity...shaking the salt and pepper into a napkin/plate to make "pizza." I don't recall exactly when this began, but Alexa seeks out the salt and pepper shakers almost immediately after we are seated and inevitably she sneezes about 3 minutes into her creation!  I just think this is such a cute shot!  On Wednesday, Mother Nature decided to remind us it actually is still Winter in Vermont! She did so with upwards of a foot of very wet snow! Alexa, along with her pony, ventured outdoors with me to shovel, eat snow (A LOT of it), and make a snow angel or two with the kids next door.       Take note of the fists full of snow. Alexa seems to enjoy eating lots of it. Too bad there is no nutritional value in it...I'd feed her snow morning, noon and night!  Eva & Alexa  'Cheese!'  my snow angel! I managed to keep a smile on my face, despite shoveling several inches of heavy, wet snow. Snow that actually had a hint of blue to it because of the water content in it. I really should have taken a minute to put a hat on....   After a long day, sometimes I want to do this too!! No day would be complete without a bit of silliness...  The things I let her do!   It's been a while since we've visited the farm. The winter keeps us indoors mostly and we figure the animals are indoors keeping warm too. We took a ride to the farm to see about advertised horse drawn sleigh rides this past Saturday. Unfortunately, Mother Nature hasn't provided us with much of the white stuff and the horses were busy doing errands in the fields. So instead we took a ride to the Children's Farm Yard and enjoyed a brief visit with some of the resident sheep, a rogue goat and some chickens!     During the winter the sheep take over the farm yard and eventually have their lambs (in a few weeks the first will arrive). The area is filled with hay and, this year, a goat was wandering the area snacking on a large mountain of hay! Apparently, the staff were unable to train this particular goat and he has had freedom the others only dream of! Here he is practicing yoga out near the chicken coup!   Ashleigh, her baby brother Blake, and her Mommy and Daddy (Heather & Matt) came along for the visit. Ashleigh, or the The Great Chicken Catcher as we can now call her, demonstrated her chicken catching skills! She makes it look so easy! We saw some familiar faces...   and as the weather began to grow colder, it seemed only appropriate to work up a sweat...   We are hoping that this week's snow storm will have the horses busy pulling the sled at the Farm this Saturday...that is if we don't get rained on for the next 2 days! Ahhh, winter in Vermont!
Just a few short weeks ago, Mike, Alexa and I drove to Bolton Valley to check out the fresh snow. Alexa was excited about the idea of building her first snowman. I promised her that once the snow began to fall at our house, we would build one. This past Wednesday (Dec. 9th), it finally snowed! Although we spent a large part of the day running errands and playing indoors, we managed to get bundled up and get outside before the sun went down.  Minna got the sled from last year out of the garage and Alexa was delighted to be pulled around the front yard. We even found just the right size embankment to push Alexa down a few times before the sun was gone for good! Alexa was less excited about sledding last year…  Christmas 2008  With her opportunity finally available, Alexa began making her snowman. It was a group effort and despite not having all the correct materials on hand, our snowgirl was a sight to be seen! We improvised, using wood chips for the eyes and buttons, and a stem of a flower for her mouth. But one thing was certain; she was getting a carrot for her nose! Lastly, we found an old winter hat of Alexa’s to keep her warm!   our snowgirl! Minna and I also gave Alexa her first lesson in creating the perfect snowball! I threw some Minna’s way and Alexa got a great big laugh out of it!  After running to the store for a few things, we were surprised to find Will and Eva in the front yard throwing snowballs when we returned home. Alexa visited for just a few minutes before concluded it was too “coldy” outside without gloves. We retreated back to the house and called it a night! I hope Alexa knows just how long a Vermont winter really is!  For as many years I've known Mike, at each start to the winter season, I hear him utter a familiar sentence, "I'm going to look for snow." It's a long standing tradition that has captured Alexa's interest as well. Back in the day, Mike's snow hunting buddy was Scott MacNeill. It's hard to imagine that anything could break Mike away from Sim City, but as Fall grew to a close and the temperatures began to drop, the snow began to beckon him. As the stories go, Mike and Scott were all giddy about the prospect of discovering those first dustings of snow in Northern Jersey or along Rt. 80 toward Shawnee Ski Resort. Once we moved to Vermont, Mike would take night time rides to Stowe or Smuggler's Notch once the weather maps showed those first hues of blue. Today proved to be the right day to go "look for snow." After a rainy and windy Friday afternoon and evening in the Champlain Valley, we knew the mountains would be sure to please. So we set out for Bolton Valley Resort, Mike's former place of work and our most visited snowboarding spot.  Bailey's Restaurant & the Hotel at Bolton Valley Despite the ominous looking sky, it wasn't too cold. We certainly could have put more thought into our choice of clothing, but we knew we wouldn't be staying long. There were a few local kids testing out their boards and skis, and some dogs running on the trails, jumping to eat the snow as it fell off trees. It was quiet. I must admit I was feeling nostalgic. It has been 3 seasons since I last rode these trails. I was no expert, but I did have fun up here. Needless to say, Alexa was thrilled. She insisted that she get out to build a snowman. "I want carrot for carrot nose," she said over and over. I really wish we could have all built that snowman, but without gloves, and apparently a carrot, it just couldn't be done. As we were leaving Alexa said, "Let's get out of this cold place." I assured her the cold would be coming to our house in no time! I also reminded her that when it arrives, along with the snow, we would be outdoors, building that snowman. Carrot nose and all!   Getting her hands on the first snow fall of 2009  On the slopes at Bolton Valley, Nov. 28, 2009     | Authormoth·er \ˈmə-thər\- noun 1. A woman who conceives, gives birth to, or raises and nurtures a child.    ArchivesJune 2012 CategoriesAll |
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