Crystal Mountain Ski Day

We took the entire family back up to Crystal Mountain last weekend and had a great time.  Skiing with kiddos is a lot of work.  We had to rent skis on Friday evening, gather up snow pants, coats, gloves, hats, etc.... for all the kiddos and then make sure they all dress warm for the weather.  The wifey and I managed to get everything packed up and we didn't forget anything.

We met up with another family at the resort and had a great time  cruising down the bunny hills and practicing with the kiddos.  Mr. T is able to do most things on his own and D needed some help since it was her first time.  She rode the magic carpet plenty of times and went up and down the little bunny hill over and over again.  There was also a little play area where Rosie played for a bit in the snow and the other kiddos would also take breaks down there as well.

The day started out sunny, then got cloudy and was snowing from lunch time until the end at the end of the day.  There were a couple inches of snow when we packed up for the day and the kiddos were already asking when we could go back and ski again.  Hopefully we can manage to get one more ski day before the season ends here in WA. 

Swim Lessons

My oldest son has been taking swim lessons all winter long.  They happened to fall on the same night as his soccer, so we dropped indoor soccer for the winter and he has just been swimming instead.  He is getting better and learning a lot.  We want him to become a strong swimmer where he has confidence and trust in himself when he is in the water.  This is a life long task that he can and will use.  Plus, his little sister is now interested in swimming and also started taking lessons at the same time.  The wifey and I usually switch off taking them to class while the other one stays home with the baby and gets some one on one time with her and gets her ready for bed while the older kids are at swim lessons.  It's nice to have some variety and let the kiddos get some one on one time as well.  We are just prepping them for summer since we like to spend a lot of time at the pools and the beach. 
Here's to swim lessons and parenting!

Chambers Bay

Some days after work it's nice to run home, grab the kiddos and head down to Chambers Bay.  It's a quick little get away and the views are always amazing, even on the cloudy, overcast days. As we arrived on this particular day, the views were scenic with the crisp clue skies.

When we visit Chambers Bay  we will either stay at the top of the bay and play at the awesome playground, or we will drive down to the meadows and walk along the trail all the way to the bridge that goes down to the water.   Either spot you choose, you can't go wrong.  This particular day we went down below, we ran along the trail and raced each other while I pushed baby R in the stroller and would occasionally stop to take a photo with the camera that was strapped around my neck.   The closer we got to the water the colder is became.  The fresh cold air felt good though and we continue to run to the end of the bridge.  We looked at all of the locks, checked the tide of the water, soaked up the amazing views and then stared the race back on the bridge.  We were quickly distracted as a train came by and we had to stop and count all of the cars and see what they were carrying.

After the train passed, we continued on the path all the way back to the car where we could get in and warm up from the cold air.  This particular happened to be a quick and simple adventure, yet an adventure that we will remember.  It's these small moments that mean a lot to me as a father, and hopefully to my children as well.  I will cherish these moments now because in the future years they may not want to escape the house for a brief moment because of school, sports, church or some other type of activity.  Until then, I will make the most of what I have.