Good morning!

Good morning! Elijah and Eva are working on school while Peter and Joseph climbed into the rocking chair together, lifted up the cushion just the way they like it, and took a quiet moment with their blankets and milk.

Yes, No or "Maybe"

Answering questions in his phonics workbook, Elijah decided he needed another category of answer, "Maybe." He explained he has heard of people attaching thread to a fly and it going around in a circle, and "Maybe" he could do it, too.

This has got to be a family trait on both sides, not liking one-or-the-other answers!!

New Mexico Clay

Another fun field trip planned by our friend Erin! We went to a clay works and got a tour of how they make clay from fine powdered dirt they get in the Manzano mountains. The kids were very impressed by the machines and process (like a really big, awesome mud pie factory!) Then we got to go to the clay room and watch artists turning pots on the wheel. One artist especially enjoyed the attention Peter and Joseph kept giving her shouting, "Hi!" repeatedly and blowing her kisses. (She said, "How can I possibly focus when I have 2 blonde guys blowing kisses at me!") The kids then got a slab of clay and a class in making pinch pots. The instructor was fabulous, very relaxed and engaging with the kids. She especially liked when Elijah said he was making a Star Wars pinch pot. Ha! The kids had a blast.

Our instructor offered to set up a wheel turning class in a few weeks! This time, Peter and Joseph will need to stay home. They did not appreciate staying in the stroller when there were so many beautiful breakables to touch... maybe on a Friday when David can stay home with them... :)

A time of celebration

Skiing with the fam

We had a wonderful time skiing with the family at Copper. It was the first time skiing for the nephews and niece and it was a wonderful time of hitting the slopes and hanging out with the siblings. 

The view from the top of the mountain was amazing. God knew what he was doing when he made the Rockies. 

Elijah and Eva aren't quite ready to hit the slopes so Jamie brought them tubing at an amazing tubing run at Copper. 

We were so proud of how brave Elijah and Eva were going down the slopes by themselves or with Jamie. They absolutely loved it. 

It was a lot of fun skiing a few runs with Mary and Brandon and Sam joined us as well. He was a natural skier and picked it up quickly and joined us on some blues by lunch time. 

My beautiful girls. 

What a good group of brothers (that's Tim under the mask). 

On the lift chair on the way for the last run of the day we joked about how most accidents happen on the last run of the day. On the way down Mark and I were going to take a jump which he went for it first and ended up catching about 7ft of air, flipping half over, and landing on his shoulders and head. He ended up having a minor concussion and not remembering the questions the medics asked him. We're really thankful God protected him... it was a pretty epic wipe-out. At least he never lost his sense of humor... when the medics asked him what he'd learned from the experience he replied not to listen to his older brother. 

Sledding in Colorado

Sunday afternoon in Colorado we went sledding in Breckenridge on a perfect hill for the kids. Elijah and Eva absolutely loved the sledding and playing with their cousins. 

There was a great bump that the kids could get some air off of. 

Eva loved sledding down with her uncles. 

Dad and Mom even got in on the action. 

We absolutely loved being with all of these amazing family. 

Bunch of crazy fun people. 

Garden of the Gods

On our way up to meeting the family for a ski trip we stopped at the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. It's such a great spot to run/hike around and burn some energy off from our road trip up from ABQ. The multiple colors of the rock set against the dark blue sky was beautiful.

The babies loved running on the sidewalk and chasing their older brother and sister. 

Eva has an eye for setting and loves to take pictures with my camera. 

My beautiful wife! 

The kids spotted a bird nesting in the cliffs. 

The below picture was taken by Eva! 

Somebody was nice and offered to take our family picture for us. 

Forgotten Lovies

On our recent trip to Colorado Springs we forgot both Elijah and Eva's lovies that they sleep with at night. Eva was crying really hard and said she couldn't go to sleep. We asked her what would help her and she said "bruddah make me feel better."