Keeping Up

The time is now people. 

Or maybe you prefer a video version:

Confession #365

Baby girl got a piano. If the only ROI ends up being this photo, I'm at peace. 

I also wish I could have overheard the conversation that happened with her and her piano teacher, causing her to replace "dogs" with "cookies". She is her mama's daughter. Ummm, cookies. 

LPQ News

LPQ has a special place in all of our hearts after our time in Amsterdam. To think it just got even better...Big news, big job, go DS. 

I just love the feeling you get when your friends are doing cool and inspiring things. Moving and shaking.

I also love knowing that I have a running buddy and a croissant hookup in the big apple.

End of an Era and Confession #364

This news bums us out. VQ is our go to. We go for bdays, we go to celebrate BQ marathons (immediately after these photos were taken, we headed to VQ), we go for random date nights, we bring out of towners there. Their patio is a dream. So is their burger. So is their chocolate soufflé.

Confession: If there was a contest to honor the best VQ memory...I would be a contender. The night I snapped this belly selfie, O and I headed to VQ to celebrate my bday. While there, my water broke. You better believe we stayed right there at the table until I finished my chocolate soufflé. 

W Shreds

This past weekend, W decided it was time to snowboard. It took him no time at all to learn - he was linking turns, navigating trees and hitting jumps. And just like that, he is now better than me on skis and a snowboard.

He mastered every lift except the tow rope...which was a tricky necessity to get back to our car. Good thing O is still on the right side (which is the left side) of the cross over...

The Time Is Now

Over the holidays, we always take time to think about the past year and plan the new year - like most people.

This year, this graph is motivating us.

It is motivating us to keep in shape, to spend time with the kids, and to optimize the "sweet spot", indicated by the circle - which we optimistically estimate to be another decade or so...

My own mom defies the graph, because she is off the charts.

Butts

Do you miss me? I miss you too.

There are not many things I hate. And very few of those things do I hate more than butts. It has been a while since I touched on this topic. But recent news made my heart sing. Go Illinois. 

Update: i just realized this "news" is from 2013. It's still awesome...

Confession #364

I bought this. Because: duh.

If I could go back in time I would wear it for this and this. Onward. 

Twelve!

A dozen years and 3 days ago, we celebrated! Such a fun party! Such a fun 12 years. So much more to come.

New Year's Eve

If I had to pick 2 words to summarize 2015, I'd struggle...because I am bad with words. But 'delicious' and 'adventure' would be strong candidates. They certainly would be the appropriate choice to capture our last night of 2015.

We grubbed at Timberline Lodge. 

After dinner we huddled in the car, where we geared up and debated the risks and rewards of skiing all the way down the mountain...at night...in the dark...as a family. Spoiler alert - it was fantastic.  

It was so cold, dark, and windy....but....we left the car with our gear, huddled into an igloo and finalized the plan. We decided to go for it.  Duh. Headlamps? Check. 

This sign scares me every time we do the glade trail...even by day. But we have done it by day a few times (O has done it many many)...and so we knew what we were signing up for....

The kids were so fired up...and brave...

And into the darkness we all went. Laughing all the way. 

In the distance you can see the lights from Ski Bowl...where they encourage night skiing. Over where we were....not so much...so you gotta bring your own lights...

We had a blast and cannot wait to do it again. Perhaps this should be a NYE tradition.

HBD KK

KK, today you'd turn 39. Wish you were here. If you were, I would have sent you this Beyonce vase with mirrored hair. I won't bother to send one to you in heaven, because...that place must be crawling with goodies like this.

Spotted on Aunt Peaches instagram. 

New Years Day

2 weeks of vacation had to come to an end...but we took the scenic route home...

And we stopped in Hood River for a fabulous, impromptu New Year's Day taco party and bonfire. We had s'mores and we introduced our PDX buddies to the crazy dangerous beloved Dutch tradition of burning our christmas tree in a big fire very close to small children...

Ski Day With Friends

It was fun to get this crew back together on the slopes. A double family ski day was something we all looked forward to this season. It was great to see it come together. The last time these kids skied together, they were so tiny. 

My favorite part of any ski day, comes in the apres....cocoa and backgammon is a solid apres combo.