Preparing For The Winter Olympics

Four years ago, Mike and Sebastian were inspired by the Winter Olympics and built a “bobsled/luge” course in our backyard.  Of course it was on a much, much, much smaller scale.  Sebastian was only 5 years old at the time, so it seemed quite grand to him.  The “bobsled” course has been an annual tradition since then.  Each year Mike has a new idea to perfect the course, make it longer or faster.  Despite the unusual snow/ice/freezing rain storm we had at Christmas time, he worked all of New Year’s Day to make it better than the year before.  With new sleds from Santa, I think the course is better than ever.  The kids agree.   I had to put my camera in sports mode to capture these shots.  They were moving pretty fast.

Air-Borne
Air-Borne, Part II
We Have Lift Off
One More Time

The jump that the kids are going over in the above photos is actually my vegetable garden.  We built the garden on to the hillside with concrete blocks.  Once it is covered with snow, it makes a great jump.  I’m thinking it might be a good idea for the kids to wear ski helmets.  What do you think?

The kids did take a break to let me take some additional photos.

Rosie Cheeks
Winter Fun
Sophia With Her New Sled
Taking A Break From Sledding & Snow Fort Building
Sebastian & Sophia

Daphne even came outside to join in the fun.  She did too much damage on the bobsled course, so we had to engage her in a game of fetch instead.

Daphne & Her Tennis Ball

Holiday Recap, Plus Photos

Now that we are through the first week in January, I thought it might be time for a holiday recap.      

Christmas Eve      

  • Pack up Christmas presents, suitcases, 2 kids, 2 adults, one dog and a whole lot of gear.
  • Drive through snow storm to reach Mike’s parents’ house in the Twin Cities. 
  • Avoid backed up traffic and accidents along the way.  See a number of cars in the ditch.
  • Arrive 3 hours after departing Duluth.  The trip usually takes 2 hours.
  • Miss Christmas Eve church service because we knew the kids couldn’t sit still for another 2 hours.
  • Finally relax and enjoy the snow.
Trying Out The New Snowball Maker

 

Instant Snowballs!

 

Posing For Mom

 

 
 
 
 
Mike & Sebastian Having Fun In The Snow

 

New Snow Block Maker + Snow = Fort

 

  •  Open Gifts
New Bulldog Sweatshirt

 

Polly Pocket Roller Coaster Resort & A Dog In A Headlock

 

Karen Opening Gifts

 

  • Enjoy Christmas Eve steak dinner prepared by Tom and Karen.
  • Tom Working Hard Grilling Steaks

     

    •  Wait for Santa to arrive.

    Dreaming Of Tennis Balls And Long Walks

     

     Christmas Day    

    • Wake up and open presents from Santa.
    • Enjoy hearty breakfast prepared by Karen.
    • Drive over to Sean & Melissa’s to enjoy more delicious food and open more gifts.
    Sophia & Will

     

    Max's First Christmas

     

    Perfectly Packaged

     

    Father & Daughter

     

    • Head back to Tom & Karen’s for some rest.

    Kwanzaa/Boxing Day    

    We don’t actually celebrate either of these holidays, but we did celebrate what would have been Grandma Helen’s 102nd birthday.  Tom & Karen hosted the annual family get-together that Grandma Helen once held at her house.    

    • Help shovel the driveway, tidy up the aftermath of two days of present opening, help with food preparation and arrangement of chairs, etc. 
    • Pose for a few family photos before guests arrive
    Sebastian & Sophia

     

    Mary & The Kids

     

    Mary & Sophia

     

    The Four Of Us

     

    Papa, Nana & The Kids

     

    • Enjoy all the wonderful food Karen prepared and visit with family that we haven’t seen in months (or a year for some), take part in holiday gift exchange – always a good time!
    • Pretend to be a reindeer – actually that was just Sophia (see below). 
    The Other Reindeer

     

    • Start packing for departure the next morning. 

    December 27 

    • Pack up  suitcases, 2 kids, 2 adults, one dog and way more stuff than we came with.
    • Drive 2 hours back to Duluth.
    • Unload suitcases, 2 kids, 2 adults, one dog and a whole lot of stuff.
    • Shortly afterwards, Mike packs up and heads for his 3 day fishing trip.
    • Mary comes to the realization that there is 2 feet of new snow that needs to be shoveled off the sidewalk and decks.  Luckily our neighbor took care of the driveway.
    • The holiday is over!