January/February 2017

These kids adore Penny.  It's common to hear Jack in high sweet voice say, "Penny is just sooo cute!"

Sasha requested a bowling party with all the girls from her class for her 9th birthday this year.  She also was given a little gift from God of a snow day (the only one of the year) on her actual birthday. 

Sasha had so much fun with all her girlfriends

She wanted a chocolate cake with raspberry filling that she saw in one of my cookbooks. 

Some of Sasha's favorite things at this age are reading Harry Potter books or any book for that matter, playing games (especially Barbie, Monopoly), scary movies, tennis (which she has been taking lessons in since last summer), Penny, hanging out with Jack and her best friends Katie, Lida, and Maya, baking delicious desserts, and going on vacations.

Jack got to bowl with his best buddy Liam whose sister is in Sasha's class.

Winter skies are so beautiful in Santa Fe!

Katie's birthday gift to Sasha was a Hatchimal which they somehow manage to play with for hours.

Jack, the lego master

A common scene:  Sasha reading book at the kitchen counter

Making Valentine boxes

The hot tub cake that Sasha saw a video of how to make on kids utube.  Turns out it is harder than it looks!

Still love reading to my babies every night before bed

Happy 42nd Birthday, Dad!

Sasha shocked the pants off us by wanting to be on the cheer squad this year.  She mostly enjoyed hanging out with Katie, but she also enjoyed cheering at all the basketball games.  I am trying to convince her to PLAY basketball next year!

For President's Day Weekend we rented a condo up in the Taos Ski Valley and enjoyed 2 great days of skiing.  The kids had a half day lesson to start and then we enjoyed skiing together the rest of the time.  The skiing highlight for me was hiking up to a wide open black diamond bowl and all of us skiing down together.  The daybed in the living room of the condo got a lot of use.

Jack and Sasha enjoy creating all kinds of structures with these Kapla blocks.  This is a game they invented similar to Jenga--it's really fun!

We have the best babysitter on the planet.  Shane babysits Sasha and Jack a couple times a month in the evenings and they adore her.  They whoop with joy when they know we are going out on a date.  Sasha loves Shane's stories, history lessons, and musings on life and Jack just says she is so fun.  She did this make-your-own plate set with them one night.