Snow Day

We made a quick trip out to Mont du Lac to ski today.  We got some fresh air, exercise and lots of sunshine.  It was a perfect February day for skiing.  Although we haven’t had much snow this year, the hill was in pretty good condition from the snow machines.  We packed a cooler with snacks and beverages and took a break outside on the deck about halfway through the afternoon.  Sebastian and Sophia tried skiing moguls for the first time and did very well.  Knowing my own limits, I stayed away from the moguls and black diamonds and stuck to easier skiing.  Mike gave Sophia pointers on skiing techniques that will help her when we all go to Vail…or maybe just Spirit Mountain.  We could not have asked for a better day – no injuries, no complaining, no cold fingers or toes and lots and lots of fun!

Top Of The World
Sunny Day
Bottom Of The Hill
Ready For Some Skiing
Look At Me!

Mike is the black spot in the background behind Sophia.

 

Moguls

You have to look hard, but Sebastian is the tiny spot on the left of the chairlift doing the moguls.

We probably won’t get a chance to get out to Mont du Lac again this year before the snow is gone, but look for us back again next year!

An End To “Spring”, CleanWare, Basketball & An Angry Bird

With highs near 50 yesterday, today’s weather was a bit of a shock to us all.  I think we were hoping to ease back into winter slowly, but instead we have snow, wind gusts over 30 mph and wind chills in the negative digits.  Hard to believe I took Daphne out for a walk last night in capri length athletic pants and a light jacket.  The beautiful sunrises also came to an end this morning when the cloudy skies took over.  I did catch these photos before work yesterday morning.  It was calm on Lake Superior which led to some great reflections on the water.

Reflection
Mirror Image
Calm Waters
Blue Sky
Along The Boardwalk

 

The kids have been busy with a number of things in recent weeks including Sebastian’s invention project.  He was given materials before Christmas break to document and create an invention to display at his school.  He had to keep track of his time, the process, trial and error, cost along with documenting the problem and solution that his invention was designed for.  Sebastian’s idea was to create a product that could keep meal time tidier.  Silverware creates a mess if you lay it on the table.  If you put it on your plate, it can slide off and make messes on the table, floor or your clothes.  Sebastian designed two utensil holders that clip onto either side of your plate to hold your messy silverware.  He used small Tupperware containers, magnets and clips and came up with a very cool product.  He displayed his “CleanWare” invention and a poster board at school yesterday.  Here’s a snapshot of his display.

CleanWare

 

When he wasn’t busy with his invention, Sebastian has been busy with basketball.  He plays for an area youth rec basketball  league.  His division is made up of 5th and 6th graders, although his team has only 5th graders.  The height advantage of the other teams makes it a bit challenging – as shown in the picture below.

Tip Off

He has a great coach and an awesome group of kids on his team.  It’s been fun to see the progress they have made since the season began in the fall.

Shooting For The Basket

 

Sophia finished up her last swimming lesson before Christmas and has now jumped into gymnastics.  She would have liked to do both gymnastics and swimming, but it would’ve been a bit crazy to have two sports and religion class during the week along with homework.  I don’t have any pictures to share of her gymnastics class, but did snap a few pictures of her new hat last night.  We found the hat during a quick trip to Walgreen’s during the holiday break.  A big display of several of these plush hats were positioned right inside the door.  Of course once Sophia had it on her head, it was hard to say no.  I did actually say no..at first.  By the end of our mini shopping spree, Sebastian had found a cool sock monkey and Sophia had an adorable Angry Bird hat.

Happy Angry Bird
Sad Angry Bird
"You Lookin' At Me" Angry Bird

Picture Perfect Fall Weekend

We had some unseasonably warm temperatures this past weekend.  We also had two  days that were not filled with running to practices, games and errands.  We were able to hang out and work on yard projects and enjoy the last bits of sun and warmth before the true Minnesota autumn sets in.

Laying In The Fallen Leaves

 

Hydrangea

 

Oak Leaves Changing Color

 

Falling Oak Leaf

 

Can You Find The Chipmunk?

 

Time To Pick The Peppers

 

Sophia And Daphne & (Sophia's Bulldog Tattoo)

 

Having A Good Laugh

 

Serious Sophia

 

Cool Sebastian

 

Sebastian And The Dog With The World's Longest Tongue