Emerging Readers in a Cozy Log Cabin

This morning I stopped to appreciate a beautiful moment as Connor was snuggled on the couch reading a "Magic Treehouse" book to himself, while Brady was sitting close to the fire re-reading the 7th "Great Brain" book. I was thinking ... here we are in our cozy little cabin on a Sunday morning enjoying a peaceful moment as our kids are learning to love reading. Then Maggie decided she should join the fun of reading. She set up her babies as her audience and began to "read" aloud (translated: recite from memory) a Dr. Seuss book in a very animated and enthusiastic voice. Almost immediately Connor began to ask Maggie to quiet down because he couldn't concentrate. She refused, his voice began to rise, and well ... the peaceful moment was over! I was comforted by the fact that Brady ignored the entire interaction and kept reading. It was only a month or so ago that he was yelling at Connor for reading out loud, interrupting his concentration. So ... in a month or so, I think we might have longer peaceful moments of reading in our cozy log cabin ... yes?

We packed it all in and went skiing ... it was a beautiful bluebird day at Targhee!

5 Day Week

This past week was the first week since Christmas vacation that all three kids were in school all five days! Corb and I took full advantage of our time during the school day and then we were able to have some fun afternoons with the kids. On Monday, during Maggie's ski lesson, Corb and I skate skied up at Targhee (see Corb's Quakie Ridge post for his experience!). I think skate skiing is the most humbling activity I've attempted this winter ... but it sure gets me out to some beautiful places. On Tuesday, we went to Idaho Falls to look at cabinets and countertops as we investigate the possibility of upgrading our kitchen this spring. It was a very fun and productive trip ... we designed our new island and looked at granite and quartz countertops ... there are so many options!! Thursday evening, Corb and I actually had a little night out - The Sibleys (a local favorite bluegrass duo) were playing downtown and we got to go listen to some good music and visit with some friends. On Friday, I enjoyed a beautiful long walk/run (about 22 miles :-) !!) with four of my favorite training partners. We went up the road to Targhee on a clear blue day. The picture is of the spectacular view of the Tetons we enjoyed, both on the way up and on the way down. I took the picture of (left to right) Susy, Lisa, Tammy, and Heather. As we ran down, I was struck by the fact that within minutes I was looking at this view of the Tetons and then at the sprawling valley covered in a blanket of snow and surrounded by the comforting Big Hole Mountains on the west side.

Quakie Ridge

I finally got to skate ski Quakie Ridge and Rick's Basin today.  Maggie was skiing with her class and Nancy had that under control so I stole away.  Quakie Ridge means a lot to us.

You see, back in the summer of 2000 Nancy and I were camping on Pine Creek Pass in the Big Holes with new baby Brady.  We'd just spent a nice day with the Campbells in Lander and were on our way to Central Oregon.  That night after Brady fell asleep in the bed of the Tacoma Nancy and I sat around the campfire.  While the sun set in the west the alpine glow slowly crept up the Tetons in the east, and one by one the lights began to come on in the valley.  With Huck at my feet enjoying the warm glow of fire I said to Nancy, "Maybe someday we'll be one of those lights in the valley instead of up on the ridge."


The next morning we drove into Driggs for breakfast and coffee.  I think it was heuvos rancheros at the Bunkhouse Bistro.  After breakfast we went around the block to get back to Ski Hill Road so we could drive up to Targhee for some mountain biking.  As we drove through town Nancy said, "Stop."  She had seen a small sign with real estate flyers and jumped out of the truck to pick one up.  On the ride up to the mountain we talked, laughed and wondered.

Once at Targhee we piled out, I assembled my bike and set out for a ride through Ricks Basin and over Quakie Ridge.  That was my first ride in the Rocky Mountains since moving east in 1995.  I still remember how the wildflowers were as high as my handle bars and how the trail switches back through the aspen trees.   In the meantime, Nancy and Brady wandered around the base area.  As luck would have it, when they walked into the lodge there was an advertisement for the same real estate company whose flyer we had picked up earlier---and a phone with a direct line to the office!  Nancy picked up the reciever and a voice on the other end said, "May I help you?"

When I got back from my ride, Nancy met me at the truck.  She said, "Get cleaned up, we have an appointment with a real estate agent in 30 minutes and she's going to show us a few houses."

So, that's how it all started.

More Skiing ...

Another Sunday, another ski day. The typical scenario ... Brady and Connor have ski team practice and Corbin and I ski with Maggie. Most would think "why don't you take turns skiing with Maggie, while the other one gets in a few runs?" But we both get such joy skiing with this little 4 year old that neither of us wants to leave and head out alone! In December, she was either skiing between our legs or on a harness. Then she graduated to the edgie-wedgie (the little rubber thing that clips the front of the skis together for a perfect snowplow!). Then she got rid of the edgie-wedgie and asked to take the "big chairlift" to the summit. Today as we let her take the lead down from the top, Maggie just cruised along ... singing ... yes, singing ... the whole way down. People would stop and look at her and smile, then look at us with that "oh my gosh, you better be cherishing this moment" look in their eyes! At one point I thought "I really wish her grandparents could see her right now." She's not fearless, but she takes risks. She goes into the trees, looking for a little powder or a little whoop-de-doo! She sings and waves her arms while moving her skis in and out ... the "butterfly." She falls, she gets right back up, she learns. I love that she loves skiing. The day rounded out so nicely, when both boys joined us after great practices. Connor is getting faster and improving his technique and feeling good about himself. Brady just loves to get big air. He's working on his heel grab, back scratcher, and spread eagle. He challenged Corbin to a few jumps at the end of the day - they both had a blast. I cannot express the joy that I feel watching my three children ski so happily and so capably ... though I just tried!

Mush!

Ashton hosts the longest running sled dog race in the country every year. So, what better way to spend a cold, clear, crisp day than on the edge of the Yellowstone caldera than with a bunch of howling dogs?

Part of Main Street is closed off and filled with snow.  The start/finish line is on a cross street and a small exhibition track takes up one block of Main Street.  We watched a few teams finish while there was a kids snowshoe race on the exhibition track.  We also watched a little of the dog pulling competition.

Fat Tuesday

Maggie is gearing up for Mardi Gras.

To the Top

Maggie skied down from the top of Fred's Mountain yesterday for the first time!  Nancy and I had been skiing with her all morning on Shoshone.  After lunch we asked her if she wanted to go up the big chair lift, Dream Catcher, to the top and she agreed.  At first she was a little hesitant, but followed Nancy down Teton Vista Traverse as I was the caboose---no problem.  At the bottom she said, "let's do it again."  So up we go for the second run.

After a few pieces of candy on the chair ride up, Maggie proclaimed that she wanted to be "the line leader" on this run.  With a little hesitation Nancy and I agreed and she took off.  The first part of the run is above timberline and Maggie navigated the traverse like a pro.  As the main run gets below timberline, there are plenty of opportunities to dart in and out of the trees, take little side tracks, and go over rollers.   As the "line leader" on this run, Maggie decided to exercise her authority and explore these digressions.   A little air here, a little stumble there and she made it down in no time---again asking to do it again.  That's my girl.

As a frame of reference, that's Mary's Peak in the right side of the last picture.  It's in-bounds, but you need to hike to the top.  You can see a group of skiers on the top.  I don't know what the name of the ridge behind Mary's is, but if you click on the picture you'll see some nice lines.

Driggs Winter Carnival

Today was the first celebration in the town to commemorate the city of Driggs Centennial.  The Winter Carnival was held at the city park.  It was a beautiful blue bird day---clear blue sky and temps in the low 40's.  There was a warm fire, a food tent full of crock pots, ice skating, a snow shoe race, sleigh rides through the streets of town, and more.

We started the celebration with a sleigh ride over the snowy town streets.  Then moved to the ice rink for a little stick and puck.  After a cookie and some hot chocolate the horsemanship events started.  That's Brady sitting on an elk hide attached to a lariat wrapped around the saddle horn while the horse runs through the snow.  The kid had a smile on his face a country mile wide.

We're going skiing tomorrow.

Ski Badger Creek

Thursday of this week the Teton Valley Ski Education Foundation (TVSEF), the boys ski team, invited everyone to ride the rope tow at Badger Creek.  The hill is located on the BYU property.  It reminds me of skiing the golf course in Lander---oh, how a rope tow on that little hill would have been sweet.
The Badger Creek hill has a small rope tow and a few lights.

One of the coaches set up a dual slalom course and built a small jump---that's Connor racing one of the coaches through the course.
We also built a jump.  That's Connor going BIG.

 It kept us all entertained for a few hours after school before it got too dark.  Good fun had by all.

Frozen Pipes

A big high pressure is now dominating the region.  With it comes clear, cold mountain air---and frozen pipes.  Don't worry, it's not our pipes (we have slow leak in the kitchen sink we're justifying not fixing as our ounce of prevention).  The Driggs Elementary School has frozen pipes.  Yesterday around noon they discovered the problem and cancelled school.  Today it still wasn't fixed so no school again---and we took the boys skiing!  Brady led us down Lost Groomers to Waterfall (for the jumps) and Connor led us through Chief Joseph Bowl (working on his parallel turns).

We got home just in time to pick up Maggie from her school.  Then a quick turnaround for an afternoon of Judo at the Nikko dojo.  After dinner, Nancy read aloud from Shredderman and Elijah---and promptly put Connor to sleep on the couch.  I carried him down the hall into his bottom bunk.  

Air Time

Our kids are getting used to Targhee.  Maggie is now searching for powder off the bunny slope through the Eyeball Forest.  Brady and Connor obsess about a run called Screaming Cheetah which is the upper Mill Creek gully complete with rollers, log obstacles, and drops.  They will take these runs over and over all day.  It brings back good memories of skiing Targhee when I was a kid.  Seems like the same runs still exist---basically bobsled runs through the aspen glades.  As a kid, with skis hovering around the 100cm mark, these runs are just like riding a roller coaster.  As an adult with a little more length, these runs test the quads, lower back, and sometimes your head as you duck under the branches--add a free-heel and I'm usually begging to go back and ride the relic.

On Sunday, I followed Maggie through Eyeball Forest to Wacky Weasel Way across the Rainbow Road to Otter Slide and back to lift.  She's now getting air on the last jump at the bottom of Otter Slide.  Nancy followed Brady for a run while he was skiing with his team.  They found this jump off a run called Waterfall.  Sick tail grab.

Sick of Sick!

Oh my goodness are we sick of everyone being sick! I will start out by saying that I know we are very lucky that this is somewhat rare for us ... our kids are generally healthy, as are we. This week, our house is simply full of germs and illness - gross. All the kids are sniffly and coughing and have had on and off touches of the stomach bug. Corb's chest cold lingers annoyingly. I relapsed on Wednesday, so much so that I could not move out of bed - literally. On Thursday, I finally got an antibiotic to treat pneumonia - lovely. That same day Maggie was sent home from school ... sick. Friday the boys had the day off anyway, so we kept them all home and declared it a sick day. We tried to give everyone a chance to rest, and Corbin went around the house disinfecting doorknobs, light switches, the remote control, etc. I do have more energy this morning, but my coughing fits are nothing short of completely annoying (to me and anyone within earshot)! Adding insult to injury, we've had 3 powder days in a row!!!

Ahh ... this, too, shall pass.

Oh, I also want to say that I am so impressed by the health clinic and doctor we've visited a couple of times this year. We've gotten nothing short of professional, thorough, respectful, friendly care -- and I'm comparing this to our primary care physicians in Andover. Who knew?!

Oh ... so this is what you meant!

On January 2nd, 1997 Corbin and I skied together for the first time - at Mount Sunapee in NH. I knew he was a very experienced skier, and while I'd skied a lot, I also knew I was a very intermediate skier. We had a wonderful day skiing together and then that evening he asked me to marry him. While he has told me many stories about skiing and we have even skied together a few times (which really doesn't count the times we've been teaching our kids to ski), this winter I'm beginning to understand what he meant by skiing!!!!

We've skied Targhee together a few times this winter, often with the kids. I've watched him take a few runs that have caught my attention. Today I saw more. I saw him jump off the side of the mountain and ski down beautifully and gracefully. I saw his passion. I (clumsily) followed him through powder and thought, "oh ... so this is what you meant by powder!!!" The whole skiing experience has been eye-opening for me and has brought me closer to Corbin. I have a better sense of the world he has spoken of so lovingly. I feel a part of it now.