hitting the slopes~

Our favorite family past time, as of late, is indulging in gorgeous days on the mountain. Something about those crisp, beautiful, carefree days that we just can't seem to get enough of. Some i-phone pics of last weekend~ my sweet dad with the kiddos...

Such a family friendly atmosphere~ good clean fun for all!

I love seeing our kiddos venturing into new territory, and discovering new talents.

Much thanks to my amazing parents for getting us all rolling this year.

Some precious memories in the making for sure!

~xo

snow love~

Something about the first snow that is so magical. The kiddos just couldn't wait to get out and play in that fluffy white stuff...

Of course there needs to be snowballs...

and snow angels!

Then Nic wandered out with our furry baby, cone and all...

For those of you who haven't personally met Koda, I will just go ahead and tell you that he is one sweetest heart of a dog. I can't explain how much we love him. He is such an important part of our family, and I am so grateful that he is still with us. It has been a long couple months for him, and painful for us to watch, but we are hopeful that pretty soon those pins can come out and he can be back to his crazy self:)

This snow was perfect for snowman construction~ the first tiny ball...

and a little help~

Thank goodness for big daddy muscles:)

Ah, the finishing touches...

And voilà! Snowman perfection.

Parke needed in on that action;)

And then the kiddos piled their soggy clothes at the back door, and began the begging for hot cocoa. I was on it! But we were fresh out, so I went to the computer, mixed a few recipes and came up with this...

Hot Cocoa Mix

2 c. sugar

1 c. powdered sugar

1 c. cocoa powder

2 1/2 c. powdered milk

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cornstarch

Mix together, and place in airtight container until ready to use. Stir 1/3 c. Hot Cocoa Mix into 1 1/4 c. hot water. Top with mallows or fresh whipped cream~ yummers!

The snow is all melted away now, tear.

Hope it makes another appearance in time for Christmas!

~xo

A Getaway~

Nic had a work meeting in Snowmass, Colorado. I love when his meetings require my attendance. First~ because I love to spend time with my baby, and second~ because I love to travel and explore new places. I had never been to Aspen, or Colorado for that matter~ so I was super excited. Here I am boarding our tiny little plane that took us from Denver to Aspen...

The flight was a little bumpy, a little scary, but alas we made it. We came into a pretty good snow storm...

My honey checking us into our hotel...

As I drool over the lobby.

Then we made our way up to our room. It was so cozy, complete with fireplace.

The view from our window, we couldn't wait to get on that mountain...

Is this tub the coolest? Pretty much loved that red stool...

We were hungry, so we wandered the hotel until we found a darling little sushi joint. We watched the skiers come down the mountain as we talked and indulged in Edamame and sushi...

This guy was my favorite~ spicy crab with a mango sauce... oh, my.

Then we made our way out to the pool~ that I can't believe we never made it into. I loved seeing the steam rising off the warm water as I sat by the fire.

My new obsession, infused water. I'm convinced I need one of these in my kitchen...

And hot cocoa with mallows~ come on...

The next morning Nic had a meeting {while I slept like a baby~sorry hon}, and then we were ready to hit the slopes. Can I tell you how pumped we were?

Woot whoo! This view was absolutely breathtaking~ this picture doesn't do it justice. I wasn't so sure about the helmet idea~ I'm total old school. But it took one second, and I was sold. I seriously love it, you know, for when I get all crazy~ ha ha!

We stayed and skied in Snowmass, just outside of Aspen. One morning we got up and went into town. I loved everything about it. The fact that it is completely encircled by mountains, it is quaint, historical, and has a flare that I could eat with a spoon.

Why yes, yes we do.

I am such a tourist. I have to share some of the amazing views I caught as Nicholas was rolling his eyes:)

Okay, I couldn't get over these arrangements and storefronts...

If I had a baby girl, or this store was open, I could have done some serious damage...

The weather couldn't have been more perfect~ and we skied till we couldn't ski no more{driving me grammatically crazy to leave that, but I'm gonna!}. Our legs were toast after a couple of long ski days, but we were determined to get in one last run. As we got off the gondola we decided to separate and meet at the bottom {Nic's a boarder and wanted some powder} I started down the mountain and soon nothing looked familiar. Hmm. I just kept making my way down until I finally reached a lift. Come to find out I had somehow skied clear down to this other area, and had to take a shuttle back up to our hotel. Whoops! Nic was hysterical when I called him because he had made the same mistake, but hopped on the lift before it closed. Oh, guess you had to be there~ so great! Love this boy...

I felt so spoiled to have this time with my sweetheart. It's always so hard to leave the littles, but priceless once you're away. A big fat thank you to my sweet neighbors and friends for all of your help, and my darling parents who took care of my sick babes. It means so much, and we are forever grateful.

~xo