New Year's Eve sledding

I gave Adam a sled for Christmas, a beautiful sled handmade in Colorado that is both work of art and fast flyer. Well, the first run was kind of slow, but with wax and a steeper hill, it got faster.

Adam grew up sledding down his grandparents' big backyard hill in Pennsylvania, and he loves it. Isaac hadn't discovered the fun of snow yet - just its surprising coldness - but I thought this was something the two of them would love doing together.



The first time, Isaac was pretty scared and just rode down the hill once and no more. But we took him again while my family was here, and the second time, he loved it. It might have helped that he and Adam had been bent over the plastic runners on the bottom the night before, laying on the wax and buffing it smooth. Adam said the process was a little slower with Isaac's help, but I think it was worth it. As we got out of the car at a neighborhood park and laid the sled on the snow, Isaac jumped on, ready to go - a big change.



This is the hill, and below - Adam and Isaac gliding down.



Isaac loves to be pulled back uphill too.





Then we took a family ride down the hill, which was fun until I slid off the back.





Next it was Babop's turn to take Isaac down.






And Taylor tried it out too.


Adam and I took a ride together too. I'm not usually a fan of going fast on slippery surfaces (In the five years we've lived in Colorado, I haven't set foot on a ski slope.), but once I get on a sled, I love it.




Isaac was walking down the steep, icy top of the hill, then back up, again and again. On each descent, he smiled at us and said, "I'm walking carefully down that mountain, really carefully."



Thanks to Taylor for taking pictures while I was on the sled!


And then I got carried away with shots of Isaac sitting in the snow...




























Isaac finally discovered the joys of playing in the snow. It helps that we had a beautiful, blue-sky day; boots that fit; mittens that stayed on (thanks Megan!). We all had the best time while Jonah stayed in the warm house and played with Deedah. Jane, you would have loved it - wish you'd been here too.



At some point, a snowball fight started between my dad and Taylor. Isaac thought it was hilarious and started throwing snow too - mostly at me.




Isaac loves to eat snow...I tell him to just make sure it's white.





The powdery snow had melted in the sun enough that my dad and Taylor were able to make a midget snowman. A glove they found in the snow made a perfect hand on one side, and my dad gave him a Forest Creek (?) hat; we decided he was a golfer.



Isaac loved Mr. Snowman. It was the first one he's ever seen.





Tired boy - time for a quick lunch and a nap.



Portrait


And a happy boy to greet us when we got home.

Dec 30 - Jonah with my parents

After visiting all our favorite neighborhood foodie stops - the artisan cheese store, the corner wine store, the fresh seafood shop, and our amazing nearby bakery - my parents brought the goodies back to our house and cooked us another yummy dinner. Halibut with a red sauce over pasta.

Jonah was a happy boy with all the attention and all the activity in the house.

Dec 26 - Video Thank you to Aunt Kitty

This would have been a great present for Adam too...

Christmas

Here is a sleepy-looking Adam, who stayed up late helping Santa arrange Isaac's train table just right.

Isaac didn't wake up expecting anything different on Christmas morning, even though we'd told him that Santa might bring him a few presents. We all got dressed like normal and then headed down the stairs, slowly, Isaac clutching his new dump truck that he'd opened the night before.

He didn't notice the train table until he was walking into the living room. It was a good thing we stayed home for Christmas, because this present would have been hard to transport between Charlotte and here. And there was nothing he wanted more than a train table. He was kind of shocked at first, I think; he stared at it with a little smile on his face, easing into it slowly. Then once he began to discover all his cool new pieces, he played and played and didn't want to stop.

Here's the video of Isaac coming down the stairs:


And a later one, once he got into it more:





Jonah didn't really know it was Christmas, but he loved watching Isaac play with his new toys. He thought the trains were pretty cool too and kept launching himself forward as he was watching.

Isaac eventually discovered that there were a few things in his stocking too.



We kept the tradition of my family and had a big Christmas morning breakfast with scrambled eggs and homemade biscuits, although we didn't gather around a beautifully set table with our best dishes, and we didn't have sausage or country ham or preserves or grapefruit halves. We substituted bacon for Adam, and we ate in the kitchen for ease - with an infant and a toddler, it just made sense. Breakfast was somewhat chaotic but delicious.



Part of Adam's present to all of us was a new web cam so we could skype with our parents. Having never been away from home on Christmas before, it meant more than I'd realized to talk to my family on Christmas morning and be able to see each other. Isaac was delighted to show off his new trains and the real digital camera from Jane and Greg. Below, Jonah was watching too.










I love these Christmas morning shots of Jonah:




We spent the next week opening our presents slowly. I don't know how we had so many for just four of us. My big family might have something to do with it - thanks everyone!




Tiger was worn out from all the celebrating and snuggled up with Jonah for a nap.


We had an invitation for Christmas night, a gathering of neighbors at a house around the corner. Before we left, Jonah was ready to party:



After an evening in a warm house with wine, food, and neighbors, I carried my tired baby home in a snowsuit while Adam and Isaac stayed a bit longer. Colored lights adorned the Victorian houses, and hard snow crackled under my feet as I walked. I held Jonah tight and sang Silent Night quietly to him as we rounded the corner.