that day he went sledding

 seriously dad, do i have to wear this hat???^

nope, you don't!^

grandpa steve, you're the best! ^

   carter was obsessed with eating the snow!^ i'm afraid he may have gotten this from me.

i have this problem where if i see snow i have to eat a handful. daron is always so embarrassed when i do. i always tell him, "but it's tradition!"  buthe doesn't buy it ;)

boy did i get a kick out of watching daron's dad pull daron's 27 year old self like he was 7. i'm still confused why this happened but it's a sight i won't forget soon. we had a blast taking carter out to experience the snow and sledding! it was a very last minute thing since we didn't think there would be enough snow to sled we didn't bring any clothes! luckily we were able to scrounge some up and make it happen. we had only a few minutes right after i had gotten out of the shower so my hair is sopping wet in these pictures, it was freeeezing! it makes my heart a little sad that this will be the only time carter sleds this season - which makes me even more thankful we did it, sopping-wet-hair and all! 

sledding, in my opinion, trumps all other winter activities. you have no choice but to be happy when you're sledding! and the more we went the more carter loved it. i'm so grateful we had the opportunity to go!

p.s. a huge thank you to steve who gave us a good push every single time! like i said, you're the greatest steve!

life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. it's about learning to dance in the rain.

{daron singing and dancing with carter in the rain^}

happy monday!

breckenridge, co!

during our holiday, we spent two days at daron's grandparent's cabin in breckenridge, co. the area the cabin is in is beautiful, the cabin is cozy and warm, and breckenridge's main street is one of the best. but my favorite part about the cabin is that there is no internet. we actually get away! ah! it's so refreshing! daron and i were discussing our time spent there once we were home and he had the realization that he didn't think about school once while he was there. not once! how awesome is that? i was so happy for him. it's hard to really escape the world when the internet can follow you every where you go. daron and i played games! like checkers and othello. it was fabulous. we also hung around in our winter socks, made caramel apples, spent time in the jacuzzie taking in the stars - it's sad when it's been more than 2 years since you have seen a shooting star! - and of course explored the shops and downtown.  

his pointing. oh, it kills me!^ it's constant. and i'm pretty sure i take a picture of it every single time. daron has to hold me back! why do i think it's sooOoo cute!?

like i said, we are getting used to hats^

i realized a few days later -since i was still thinking about these cookies- that they were the best i have ever had. seriously though, the outsides of them were so soft. i don't know how they do it. the only place i can think of that rivals these cookies are the ones at diddy riese in LA. it's really hard for me to commit to a cookie and say it's the best but they are that good. and now i'm going to move on before this tangent on cookies gets awkwardly long. but really, they are so good. ;) ;)

breckenridge you are sorely missed! also, last year's stay at the breckenridge cabin over Christmas time. carter was only 6 weeks old then. it was here that we saw some of his first giggles and smiles. gah! i love him!

thanksgiving shenanigans

we spent our thanksgiving holiday in colorado with daron's family. the night before the big day, we went to the spaghetti factory downtown and walked around to see the lights. it was really nice since the city was pretty empty due to it being the night before thanksgiving. it was fun to feel like we had the whole city to ourselves. it also was carter's first opportunity to try out hats and jackets. i think it may be a while until we get the hang of those... unfortunately california weather doesn't give us many opportunities to get used to those types of clothes! or fortunately? ;)

i spy carter! ^^

 

the big day was spent at daron's grandparents house. it's tradition that every member of the whole extended family (which is about 100 people) eat at grandma and grandpa's for thanksgiving dinner. (this also goes for Christmas Eve). it's quite the party! carter was absolutely exhausted by the end but he didn't make a peep the whole time. all the little ones entertained him and he couldn't get enough of it. it was amazing. it was an "aha" moment for me realizing - "oh okay, this is why people have lots of babies!" 

Shirley and Lee - where it all began! ^

i'm never going to stop kissing him. i don't care how much he hates it when he is 14, i wont! i wont!^

what would we do without auntie anna? truly though. 

another tradition is a golf cart ride that consists of one adult (maybe) and as many grandchildren as possible riding around the backyard. it's definitely a crowd favorite for the littles. carter was mesmerized. he wanted to be on that cart so bad. i think he may have even been a little jealous! of course i felt bad and took him on his own little ride later...

my little man^

i can't believe the thanksgiving holiday is over... it always goes by too, too fast! i have to say though i am pretty excited that i don't have to hold in celebrating Christmas anymore. i can start telling friends, family, people in the stores, strangers on the street, every human face i see 

MERRY 
CHRISTMAS!