More Train Moments

This was our first moment on the the train, we’re opening compartments, setting up and putting away tables, playing with the seats, taking jackets off, looking out the window, listening to the whistle and taking pictures.

Wrenny watching Spirit and Daddy and Otter playing war, “I-DECLARE-WAR-ON-YOU.”

Goodbye picture.

Screaming GOOD-BYE to Omi and Opa.  We loved the train, especially the sleeping car.

Family Picture

Snow and Cold

We haven’t seen 30º in 2 weeks.  The lowest its gotten here is -11.  On Monday we woke to a heavy dusting of snow and we thought we’d missed the storm, so when we woke on Tuesday to 16ish inches and unplowed roads.

SNOW DAY.

We don’t get many snow days out here.  We made plans to get a sled (we found our old one split when we dug it out of the boxes of winter things) and play. But we couldn’t get the car out so we had a great time just rolling and swimming in the snow.

We had cinnamon rolls and got dudded up.  Otter put on his cross country skis and skied around all day, even to the store later that day to get the sled.  Wrenny dressed herself (a first and clothes that aren’t easy to get on) while I looked for Otter’s skis; she wanted to go out and play.

Snow angels…

and playing with shovels, not much digging, but lots of fun with shovels (a purple shovel to match her jacket.)

Dan was glad to see the snow this time.  But, he says, “Burr, it’s cold out there.”

Sock

The house is still not completely moved into and we haven’t gotten a tree yet, but I made time to finish a sock.  Just one.  I’m pretty proud of it.  But I think it will have to be just a tester, it’s too tight.  Note to self: when trying something new, use cheap yarn that you have around.  The good thing about knitting is that I can (and often do) rip it out when things don’t turn out right.

This is my first sock, inspired by Tennessee cousins, mostly watching 11 year old (or is he younger?) Andrew and seeing his persistent and beautiful and patient stitches.  I love this yarn and I’m not one to let lovely things sit unused, so I’ll have to chose a new project for the yarn.  Maybe I’ll try these socks again.

Omi and Opa

We visited Reno for Thanksgiving and that meant seeing Omi and Opa!!  We all had a great time, Wrenny was in rare form.  Sometimes its hard to look at her without smiling.

The boys were crazy and wild, like boys are.  But they were so glad to see Omi and Opa.  I think Otter is really excited about the grandparent relationship and its fun to see.

I’m a little frustrated by the photos that are missing and not as excited about technology these days.  We might wait on the calender and I’m not sure about cards.

Ruby Horsethief at Sunset

We have seen this sunset before many times but from a very different perspective.  Before, there was quiet and peace but for the noises we made and that of the passing trains.  Last week we were on the train watching for river rafters and pointing out places we know.  This is Black Rock, one of the best camps ever; except for the loud trains going by all night long.

Sadly, we didn’t see the otters or the eagles we saw when we were on the river.  But a kid nearby asked over and again, until he got an answer, “why are they running away? what’s chasing them?”

This is the observation deck and we spent some nice time there, but the kids would go a little crazy and we’d end up leaving after a while to put on a movie.  Otter learned to play cards up here though and once he learned, one of us stayed up with him and he didn’t want to stop.

Catching the Train to Reno

We went to Reno for Thanksgiving to visit Omi and Opa.  It was last minute and so much fun.  I’ll post more pictures of trains and grandparents in the next few days, but for now here’s this.

Needless to say there was tremendous excitement for the train ride and a sleeping car in our family.

Thankful for…

The year we got to spend together, really together.  So much of it with family and friends and seeing amazing places.  Florida and Yellowstone and beaches

Our dogs

The obvious, my gun-loving, war mongering boys and my girl who loves anything they do (yesterday she said, “the death star blew up and the good guys had better guns.”) but is also starting to like baby dolls and she even found there’s an old doll house in her bed room.

The other obvious, my fly fishing, kayaking, running, math geek sweetie.  Its a good thing we found each other ’cause I don’t know who else would put up with my messy control-freakness.  Or my wanting to cook and never clean.

Trains, I’m thankful for trains

and Reno and Omi & Opa

Tennessee and Riverpoint

And grandpa William and Grandma Janice

Sunsets and sunrises right before weather comes in

Snow

Sun

Brothers playing together and playdates with friends

That butterfly-y feeling in my chest when my kids do something amazing, like sing in front of a group, or say please when they’re supposed, or check on someone who’s hurt instead of walking right past, or walk up to me and say, “mama, I love you”

Kind teenagers (not always an oxymoron)

Good Food that I eat too much of

My Tennessee and North Carolina family and friends and the months we got to spend with them.  Otter and Tucker Mac talk about Valarie or Clay or Emerson or Solana or Roman Roman Roman.  I’m soo glad they got to know cousins. And papa and Duck Duck.

Cousins

Colorado friends and community

Our view

 

Growing

Tucker Mac grew 2 inches last night.  See how this jacket leaves room to grow 2 weeks ago?  I can’t find the room anymore.  This morning I looked at the hem of the pants that I got for school in September.  These pants that needed to be rolled up then, are now an inch small, still acceptable but a little old-man-with-pants-around-his-chest-and-white-kneesocks looking.  Very cute on a 5 year old.

Pictures

I’m (somewhat) grateful to Flickr today.  My back-up hard drive is dead and all the pictures I put on it last year are also gone.  So yay Flickr and putting all our pictures there.  But all my pictures from June have disappeared from Flickr.  Like 3 whole sets.  Visiting Omi in Knoxville, our Chattooga rivertrip with Tio Shane-o and Betsy and the Couches.  When I look it up, Flickr says these pictures should reappear sometime.  I hope it happens soon.

But I love that Wrenny looks this different from Christmas to now.

And how much LW and T-Macaroni look alike.  Wrenny gets mad when she looks at an older picture of Tucker Mac and I tell her its not her.

Tucker Mac

Tucker Mac

I don’t have any from that time frame of Otter, that whole year was lost.  But here he is right around his 3rd birthday.  The few on our wall show another twin, with a little less hair.  These guys are different in lots of ways, but they all were skinny, bald, toothless, no talking til 2+ babies.