Tuesday, December 28, 2010

A not so white Christmas

This year in Denver we have not had one snowstorm that has left us any snow for more than a few hours. Our mountains are getting dumped on and we are seeing records in some parts of the state but as far as Denver we are zip, zilch, nadda. I miss seeing the snow until I look at my training load. A few weeks ago we had a 4 hour run and the last two hours were in tee shirts and near 70 degree temps. I was actually able to get a good sunburn. This season the coats have been used just a little and the jackets have been used all the time. I wonder if this will be the case for the rest of winter or will we get some change soon. Either way it is historic and worth mentioning.
Our house has been full this year with the Christmas spirit. It started with Mom right after Thanksgiving and never let up. I believe this year more than ever that if Mom is excited and in the Christmas spirit it is impossible not to catch it. Just like a cold but in a good way!
This year has been different from the start. Jackson and myself started Snowboarding and Lexi decided that she could ski without the "weeski". I had a tough time keeping up with her and will post some video of the kids later. We have been skiing 5 times this year so far and we are really loving the kids being just a litter older. They can stay out longer, do more by themselves and the overall day seems to be more fun.
The Christmas week started with some skiing and and we were able to stay at Susan's condo overnight. Staying up in the mountains and not having to drive up and down to Aurora is the most enjoyable way to do skiing and loved it.


Family at Winterpark



Christmas eve dinner was spent at John and Jennifer's home and we had a great night.

John and Jennifer Christmas Eve 2010

The table was set with Christmas China and better than any restaurant I have ever been to. The conversation was light and tolerable and the kids had a blast. We had a Christmas program and even opened some gifts.

Christmas Eve dinner in style at the Waltons




Christmas eve program a Walton tradition



We ended the night by reading our own Christmas stories at home by the tree and fireplace. The kids went to bed just after hearing Santa do a "fly by" and for the 5Th year in a row was the fastest bedtime of the year.



The next morning I was blown away by the excitement I was able to see in my kids. Jackson was most excited to give Mom her present and was glowing after she opened it. Our family was able to enjoy the season of giving this year and not getting. This is a huge switch from years past and I wish it continues for years to come. It is hard to put into words what I felt this year seeing my son put so much thought into a give, pull out his own earned money and buy it. On Christmas morning seeing how eager he was to see Mom open the gift, he was so excited to give and the joy on his face seeing her open it. I was in tears most of the morning but I bet you all guessed that well before and it is kind of expected in my home. I love my family and was excited to just be involved this year. For me it is the best Christmas I have had in many years. I hope that my kids continue to grow into the people I see them able to become. They have so much potential and I try so hard to keep pointing them in that direction. I know that it is up to them to become who they want to be but wow do they have a lot of potential and I am excited to see them grow up.





I love you Anne,

T