Spring Skiing

1. Dylan with his favorite stackable animal train, we have parades most nights. 2.I can't believe how big they both look in this picture! 3. I hope he likes shovelling five years from now. 4. Dylan and Daddy coming down Lift 10 5. Colter and Roark skiing down Lift 10 planning the next jump.

We have had a great time skiing these last few weeks. Yesterday the four of us skiied together and then Trevor and Colter stayed longer- they got home at almost 6pm after catching the last lift. I love the spring forward part the time change. Both boys are amazing and are enjoying the slopes as much as we are. Colter continues to go everywhere all the time, jumping off of anything in his path and even took an exciting powder run with Daddy through the trees. Dylan went down Lift 10 twice on the harness. For those of you who don't ski here much, Lift 10 is a very long green/blue lift that is a favorite of all ages- just not usually the 1 yr olds! He loves it and spends most of his time laughing or taking roll call to make sure everyone is accounted for. I have been skiing for the last few weeks with the boys and my ankle is doing pretty good. It has been so nice and sunny that we all have spring fever. It will be sad when it is snowing in April and May! Most of the snow around our house has melted, very different from last year when we were still waist deep in March. Grandma and Mac-Mac came for a visit. We had a great time and the boys were so excited. Ok, Colter was super excited and Dylan warmed up to the idea. I think he will remember them this time, he has been looking for them since they left. They did lots of book reading and paper airplane making (Colter's current favorite acitivity) Dylan calls roll everyday about ten times and it has expanded to "Mommy, Daddy, Dolt-da(Colter), Titi (Tim), Momoo (Modee), Pappy, E-i (Eli) and some form of Mimi and Mac Mac after they left. Colter keeps correcting him and saying "No Dylan, it's Grandma not Mimi" We'll see where that lands later. Dylan is teething- again. Brutal for him and me, he doesn't sleep well and just screams. Can't wait for that to be done. He still loves music, books and baths- anything with water and bubbles. Colter is really a funny guy. It is non-stop and I think he will be for years to come. I don't mean like little kid cute and entertaining, I mean make you belly laugh funny that has alot of thought behind it. Today he dressed up like a pirate and had me call our neighbor (our decks face each other) to come out on his deck. So Rocky comes out on his deck with little brother Josh and Colter stands up on his chair and yells "Hey Rockstar, Joshie- or should I say Ar-Bee-Dar me scurvy pirates" He loves to dress up in different costumes for any holiday real or imagined, I guess most of them were imagined by someone originally, and we go everywhere. I think people are more surprised to see him in normal clothes in public, most are used to the ninja, dragon, pirate, monkey, zebra.......... I love it and he is dressing himself, so it's fun to see him come out of his room everyday. He also continues to have an incredible memory and spouts off seemingly random facts that he picks up all day and everywhere. We definately have to be very mindful of what he is exposed to because every commercial, song, show and book sticks in his brain. Someday I think my voice might get in there too and I will be able to stop repeating myself- very selective hearing! Right now the favorites are spiders, snakes, dinosaurs, vikings, knights, and paper airplanes.The other day he asked me if I wanted this certain dishwasher soap that was on a commercial after his show ( I usually record shows and zap commercials- I was slacking) and I said "No thanks, I've got plenty" his answer "but Mom, this one leaves nothing behind but the shine!"

Mama, Mommy, MA

As always, it has been a busy few weeks. Kathleen says she can tell we are extra special busy when I haven't even taken the time at midnight to update this thing. We have had a good bit of cousin time and it has been really fun. Colter and Eli are getting along great and we spent several days and even a sleepover or so together. They are so funny and I am always amazed at the collective imagination of little boys, they come up with the best games. One day I thought we would put on a nice puppet show. So Colter and Eli each picked out a dolphin puppet (both dolphins are named Ava) then there was the shark and the parrot puppets- no names- then they proceded to show me how to catch and chomp up a dolphin about 700 different ways. Hmmm..
Gideon and Dylan are starting to interact a bit more and they had one morning of sitting on the floor playing Thomas the Train that was very sweet. They were even trading toys and Gideon was talking to Dylan. Dylan is still learning more signs and ways of communicating that are both very effective and mostly non-verbal. He can, however, say Mama, Mommy and MA in several different ways. He has a very clear word for Colter now "Dolder" and loves to yell for Dada/Daddy as well. He learned the sign for turtle today and was walking around the house showing everyone a picture of a turtle and then doing the sign, genius I tell ya! He has started using the potty quite a bit and thinks it is so special when everyone cheers for him, that and he likes to take the toilet paper off the roll like a cat. I don't want to curse the potential early potty training by posting this, but he is doing very well. He loves bathtime and any water play and is getting better at following Colter around without getting in his way. They are becoming more of a team these days.
Colter really surprised Trevor the other night when Trevor was reading a book about dinosaurs and extinct animals. Trevor was reading about a marsupial (still can't spell-sorry) and Colter says "Daddy, you know that word you just said" Trevor says "you mean marsupial" Colter says "yeah, did you know that not just kangaroos are that, also koala bears. They're not really bears" I think Trevor about passed out. He has an amazing memory for details, I can't wait to see what he does with that skill in his life.
We finally got some of the sickness going around. Not to bad just a head cold for Trevor, Colter and Dylan and it seems to be passing. Colter told me that he felt like he had two logs on either side of his head with nails and screws on top to tighten them together. He is very descriptive.
After eight weeks I finally tried out the ankle on the slopes. I took the boys skiing on a beautiful sunny springlike day and we had a great time. Dylan is standing on his skiis really well and seems to have no fear. Colter was skiing backwards down the Magic Carpet so that he could watch Dylan ski and Dylan loved it. I still have to be right there because Dylan can't stop, but he goes straight and giggles at Colter the entire time. Colter and I made a few runs on our own while Dylan went home and napped with Tim. Colter is a really good skier. He controls his speed with parallel turns and can stop whenever. He loves to jump and turn around to make sure slow Mom saw everything.
Days are getting longer and I can't wait for spring!

Firetrucks and anthills

I should have updated sooner, it has been a crazy week and I forgot most of the funnies that Colter has been spouting off. We went to Denver last weekend for Noah's surgery, that didn't happen as scheduled. He did have his surgery yesterday and is recovering well. Trevor, Mom, Sharon and I took five boys to the Children's Museum one day and it was so cute. They had a wonderdul time exploring the ant hill, the huge fire truck, building in the tool stations, shopping at the pretend grocery store. It was really cute and yes, Nana, we did dress them all in their matching CSU sweatshirts so that we could spot them easily. That worked out in our favor. We also played all around Sharon and Gary's house, the weather was wonderful. Sharon and Gary turned their garage into a giant play room and that was a big hit. Elijah and Colter were very busy climbing HUGE trees by the park. They have no fear of height, the only concern was who could climb higher. When we got home Colter and Daddy went skiing all over the place. They have so much fun together these days and go all over the mountain to find little jumps and walls to ride up and down. Our week back home was filled with sunshine and blue skies. Colter had Comets ski school on Friday and Dylan and I went to "Baby Coop". It is a fun mommy/baby group that trades off babysitting. Dylan and his little buddies get a chance to hang out and play a bit. Dylan continues to come into his own little self. He loves to follow Colter around and try to imitate whatever he is doing. He loves to play music and dance and his face lights up and he belly laughs if a flashlight is turned on- oh the little things! Colter and Elijah are having a sleep over tonight, so I should really try to get some sleep! Tomorrow will be a busy one-

Painter's tape, cardboard and plastic bags

These three items have provided an usual amount of entertainment at our house this month. Colter chose tape as his special treat for our last Montrose grocery run and proceeded to use three large rolls in just a few days. He built spider webs, gates, race courses and his all time favorite- knight's armor. The first time he did this he put all of the tape on his skin- that is the photo with the shorts- he learned a VERY painful lesson when it came time to take it off. It only took one fifteen minute tape pulling session for this guy and all other body armor was taped on top of his long sleeves and pants! He is Sir Colter the Brave and he calls me Your Majesty Queen Mommy. I like where this is going! Not to be outdone, Dylan is dressing up as a pirate, zebra, dragon and running around saying "ta-da!" He is learning so much these days and amazes me constantly with things he knows. Dylan can say a few words, like Blue, Colter, Bubble, Mine, Thank you, Hello- but is choosing not to most of the time. If you ask him "hey Dylan, can you say....?" he will look at you smile, tuck his head to the side all coy and cute and just giggle. Not an on demand performer- this little one! Dylan loves to listen to music on Colter's cd player and dance. He continues to be his own law of physics "A Dylan in motion, stays in motion" and is becoming more physically skilled all the time. Daddy and Tim took the boys skiing today, I am still on the sidelines, and said that Dylan was skiing by himself down the Magic Carpet with Trevor barely touching him. So cool. Colter is skiing all over the place and loves to go off jumps and ski up and down the walls on the sides of the run. After dropping Dylan with me, they went on a some of the blue runs on Lift 4! I can't wait to go skiing with the boys again in a couple of weeks. In case you are wondering where the plastic bag part comes in- it is not for hauling groceries. We went to our friend's cabin last weekend and went snowmobiling. I had to waterproof the toes that were sticking out of the cast, so a bread bag did the trick! The boys had a great time riding around and the weather was amazing. Overall I am not a fan of those motorized, two stroke, stinky machines, but once a year or so it is fun to zip around and explore a new area and the best part is that these were nice machines that actually worked the entire time. We are headed to the Front Range this week for Noah's next surgery- as long as our crew can stay healthy- so I will update when possible. Check carepages.com and sign up for NoahBlakney if you want more up to the date info.

Still limping, but getting faster

It has been a crazy few weeks of hobbling around after the kids. Colter thinks "hobble" is a really funny word and uses it in as many sentences as possible. He is also very sweet and has been trying help me do things around the house and give me foot massages. That is of course when he isn't staying just out of reach and running away laughing with something he isn't supposed to have, like chocolate. I have three or so more weeks of walking cast and then it should be back to full speed ahead. I can't wait, it is really chaotic to be trapped in the house for days on end with two very active boys. We have made some trips to the library and to lunch, but navigating with Dylan in the ice and snow is entertaining at best. Dylan has adapted well and holds onto one of my crutches as we cross the street. He is starting to talk more these days, he has been communicating very well for a long time, but not with words. Colter is claiming every word that comes out of Dylan's mouth "Hey Mom, I think he learned "bubble" from me- I wasn't even trying!" The funniest part is that Dylan usually only talks around me and Colter, for everyone else he still grunts and points- so pretty much no one believes me. Colter has been skiing with friends and is improving everytime. He is so casual about it- "Yeah Mom, we went on Lift 10 and jumped off the sides" "No I didn't like that run, I couldn't go fast enough!" His first day of Comets (ski lessons for the preschool set) is Friday and he is so excited. I think he will be faster than me by the time he is 6, he is already skiing runs that his grandparents won't go down. However, he is dreaming of Mexico and rafting in Moab. Just like his parents, always looking forward to the next season while enjoying the activities of this one. He began planning his 5 year old birthday party in Moab the other day, should be fun more on that in September! Dylan continues to impress me with his attention to detail, constant motion, new expressions and love of books. He seems to enjoy helping clean up and is good at putting things in their place. He has a whole pile of books that he likes to read over and over again and knows them by name(or atleast picture) if I ask him to bring a specific one to me. He is enjoying the snow more and even wants to go outside and play- too bad that isn't happening much these days! Tomorrow is Modee School (she takes care of them on Thursdays) and I'm sure she will be worn out after these two wound up bundles of energy get done entertaining her this week. They are enjoying their weekly time with Modee, and Colter always has a project or two in mind.

Merry Christmas

We hope everyone had a wonderful week or so of fun and family. It has been a bit since my last post, mostly because I broke my foot last weekend and it has taken every bit of my energy just to keep the kids and house from exploding. No good story behind this one, just walking and carrying too much ski gear and a kiddo-Sherpa Mama should have taken two trips to carry the load. The weather has been wonderfully wintery which is great for those who are still skiing, not so charming for those of us on crutches. Aside from the inconvenience of my injury and the absolutely insane hours Trevor has been putting in at work, the kids loved Christmas this year. They were so funny and excited about the whole thing. We did make it to see Santa again so that Colter could tell him that he wanted a Bow and arrows--"a real one" and a rocket. He woke up Christmas morning saying "Mom, Dad, let's get downstairs so that I can see my Bow and Arrows" Colter was not disappointed and the smile on his face in that photo says it all! Both boys were amazingly patient while opening presents and would open one at a time and then play with it for a long while. The entire event took well over two hours. I can't believe I actually put up a photo of myself with no shower, early in the morning, ugh, it is pretty sweet though. Colter picked out his and Dylan's blue outfits for Christmas Eve service. He wanted to match and also liked the idea that Dylan would be wearing the same outfit that Nana had bought for Colter's first birthday party. Very cute these days with the clothes and shoes. I can feel the days of me just picking out anything that is clean for him to wear coming to an end. He definately has an opinion about his fashion. Today, after skiing for a few hours (with some friends and other parents---not me) he came home, put on his shark flip flops, laid his blanket is a sunny spot on the floor and declared himself "Mexico Man" He wants to open a SCUBA shop in Mexico (because it doesn't snow there) and a fancy restaraunt like Wendy's. Yeah, we know, we need to get him out in the big city a bit more. I'm afraid he is going to be disappointed that we aren't going to Mexico this January. We have gone the last two years, which is half of his life, and he thinks that is what January is for. We are lucky that Colter is a great skiier and loves to go out with just about anyone. My cousin Tim took him out the other day and was amazed at how fast he skiied. Tim thought he would be waiting on Colter the whole time and instead said he was going "medium-fast" just to keep up with him. They went on Colter's favorite blue run "Enchanted Forest" where they have huge painted wooden animals hidden in the trees and apparently this year there is a tree with eyes, nose and a mouth on it. If we didn't have the outside with other people option it could be a very long six weeks inside with Mommy! Dylan is in his own funny little state of mind. Everyday he runs up to the Christmas tree and screams "ohhhhhhh" until we turn on the lights and then he screams "ohhhhhhhh" even louder. He loves the lights. He loves to sit in anyone's lap and read books, usually about ten times. Still the master of repitition. Dylan is a very good communicator with very few words. He has added a few animals sounds to his list of grunts, growls and screams. My favorite right now is his shark noise that he will make as he chases us around with this funny little chomping shark. Trevor, Colter and Dylan are all into knights, castles, dragons and saving the Princess Mommy. Trevor made them all cardboard sheilds, swords, knifes etc and they run around the house saving everyone and pretend sword fighting. I am pretty convinced that aside from "mama", "dada", "dol-ta" (Colter), and "izzykitty" Dylan's newest word is "on-god" (on guard). I will put a pic of that funniness up top in a minute. I guess that is about it for now. Little Noah is starting his next round of procedures tomorrow. Please send positive thoughts and prayers to him tomorrow morning and then for his next open heart surgery that should take place on January 6. He is big and strong and we know he will pull through and be home in Telluride soon!

Powder Day!

Trevor and I got to go snowboarding together today! That is quite an event these days and we thank Modee for letting us out the door for a few hours. It was a BEAUTIFUL powder day with 14 inches of new snow and lifts opening all over the mountain, we saw lots of friends out playing today. Our friends Keith and Julie are visiting from Cali and we all had a blast. Did I mention that is was freezing cold? Not like a little bit of winter, but frostbite, bitter, chill you to the core cold. We were all recovering for hours after and I think Julie is still chilly. It is supposed to snow until Thursday, we'll see. Trevor took Colter out for a few runs in the afternoon and they made it all the way home on the road just before freezing to the point of crankiness. Skiing all the way home is one of Colter's favorite things to do. Colter and I went to see The Nutcracker on Friday night. It was very entertaining and I think he really liked it. Some of the plays and productions at our local theatre are surprisingly professional for such a small town, others are just fun to go to. This one falls into the second catagory. There were two really good dancers that were very nice to watch and then a bunch of people who love to be on stage and put on a great show! I love the music Colter recognized alot of it from listening to it on my IPOD. He has a great ear for music and an amazing memory for plays, books and music. He keeps telling me that he wants to be on stage and act in the plays, maybe when he is 6 or 7. He has started reading Dylan books from memory, and he is fairly accurate. Dylan continues to show us his personality, good and not so charming. He was sick this week for two days, high fever, pukes etc. Not so fun for anyone, but he recovered quickly and the rest of us seem to be missing out on this round. Colter only felt bad for a few hours. Mom and Dad's house got here this week and is now set on the basement. It looks pretty good, a few things to address and fix, but overall in very good shape. They should be living in it by Feb. I can't believe it is only two weeks till Christmas. This holiday season has gone by so quickly, I am very thankful for that, as the last few have been brutally long and not my favorite time of year. Hopefully I'll have some cute photos to post soon.