The birthday girl who curls.

We have been known to sidestep the traditional gift-giving and go for more of the "gift of experience" from time to time. Ballroom dance lessons. Indoor skydiving. A cooking class. Flying lessons. Some are practical. Some are fun. And others are just funny. Jami's 33rd birthday gift was exactly that.

On the morning of Jami's birthday, Scott asked, "What is one Olympic sport you've always wanted to try?" Although the original guess of the luge was not correct (hey, wouldn't that be a kick!) Scott revealed a fun surprise gift he had arranged for Jami's birthday. CURLING! Yes, that Winter Olympics sport that resembles shuffleboard on ice. We have always joked that perhaps someday that would be our ticket to the Winter Olympics. After all, it doesn't look that difficult. Oh, how wrong we were!

A little history about curling... It originated in the 1500s in Scotland when people would hurl flat river stones on the ice. Today, it is quite common in Canada and is known to be a very social (and courteous) sport.

On Friday evening, we headed over to our local ice rink for our "Learn to Curl" class. Members of the Broadmoor Curling Club (who knew we had a local curling club?!) taught our class, which had about 25 newbies to curling. After about an hour of instruction, they turned us loose on the ice to practice our skills and then actually play the game! Let's just say the game involved a lot of falling, sliding, laughing, learning, and sweeping. Check out these action shots...

Sweeping is key to heating up the ice

so that the stone will slide better.

Scott (left) works his sweeping magic.

Jami's turn to sweep. This is actually harder than it looks

to stay in front of the stone. You also can't touch the stone.

So many rules!

Scott demonstrates his fine curling technique.

Someone is serious business about curling!

Ha! Not really ... just trying to keep balance and not fall down!

The Curling Couple!

You say it's your birthday...

It's my birthday too--yeah. They say it's your birthday. We're gonna have a good time!

In our family, most birthdays fall in one of two months ... January or October. We love being able to celebrate together as a family! We paid tribute to the January birthdays of Papa, Jami & Luke with a night out to our favorite Mexican restaurant Salsa Brava. Cheers to a good time ... and good food!

Ski Keystone!

One of the best parts about Colorado is the availability of weekend getaway destinations just a few hours away! This weekend Jami and some friends took a trek to the mountains of Keystone for a Girls' Weekend Ski Trip! Friday was dedicated to some outlet mall shopping and dinner out in Keystone Village. We spent Saturday on the slopes all day and then visited a pub at the base of the mountain to hear a local band play that evening. On Sunday, we packed up all our gear and took the scenic way home, stopping for a bit in Breckenridge along the way. What a fun weekend!

The Girls :: Beth, Kristin, Kat, Jami & Trish

Waiting for the shuttle bus to take us to the slopes!

View from the top!

In the distance on the left ... the wavy lines are

the ski runs at Breckenridge.

Waiting in the lift line. The weather was gorgeous!

Pucks & the Park

The letter of the weekend ... letter P.

:: Pucks ::

Let's hear it for Air Force Hockey!

We joined our friends the Masseys for an evening

out cheering on the Air Force Hockey team.

With seats right down near the ice, the boys loved

the action and excitement ... and even caught a puck!

:: Park ::

Our Colorado weather has been gorgeous lately,

so we took advantage of our blue skies and warmer

temps for a "winter picnic in the park." We all

enjoyed the fresh air!

Luke is ready to try out for the "snow soccer" team!

Trip to Pueblo!

First trip of 2010 ... a short road trip to Pueblo to visit a friend and tour the city! Our Phoenix friend Shauna was in Pueblo for a visit, so we hopped down to visit with her, too! We lunched at the delish Italian restaurant Rosario's, walked along the Pueblo Riverwalk, and looked around the downtown area. Such a great day!

The girls by the Riverwalk -- Jami, Shauna, and Crystal!

The boys & a dark blue sky! Right before we departed,

a storm started to roll in. We drove through this crazy mix

of sleet, snow, and hail on the way home.

Ode to Christmas Break

This Christmas vacation was certainly one to be remembered. Perhaps it's because we now have a school-aged child (the big kindergartener!) so we're more in tune once again with the concept of a "Christmas break." Or maybe it's because we stayed in Colorado and enjoyed all the beauty of this season. Perhaps it's because the events of this year have really given us cause to stop and think about what truly is important in life and how we spend our days. Regardless our Christmas break was filled with some wonderful memories (some old, some new), many laughs, and moments that we will treasure for years to come. Here's how we spent our 19 days with the boys off school and 11 days with Dear Ol' Dad at home.

Redefined the art of relaxing ... slept in some mornings and took a few naps along the way.

Rediscovered how early anxious children can arise in the morning, especially on certain ho-ho-holidays and when on ski trips.

Worked hard on house projects like touch-up painting and furniture rearranging.

Worked out with trips to the YMCA, a New Year's Day 5K run, and soccer games.

Played games, like the Lego Indiana Jones video game and sight word bingo.

Played around in the mountains on a "staycation" to Loveland Ski Area.

Enjoyed several get-togethers with our neighbors.

Visited the neighboring town of Pueblo to catch up with a friend.

Tried a new sport -- snowshoeing for Jami, skiing for Luke & Reid.

Sported tiaras and top hats at our New Year's Eve festivities.

Celebrated the engagement of Scott's brother Eric and his fiancee Charity.

Celebrated the birth of Gracyn, our new niece and cousin.

This Christmas break was a wonderful mix of spending time with family and friends (the family we choose for ourselves) ... honoring traditions and trying new things ... and enjoying little moments and major milestones. What a wonderful end to 2009 and a fantastic start to 2010!

I ski. You ski. We all ski!

With the Christmas morning festivities completed, we embarked on our next holiday adventure in the afternoon -- a trip to the mountains to ski! Joined by our neighbor friends James, Kat, Jacob, and Anna, we drove to Georgetown on Christmas Day. The Historic St. James vacation rental we booked was a fantastic find, just 15 minutes from the ski slopes of Loveland. We spent 3 days skiing, laughing, warming up (it was cold!), relaxing, cooking fine dinners like crab legs one night and rock cornish game hens another, touring the town, and enjoying our time in the mountains.

One highlight of our trip -- teaching the boys to ski! Scott was a fantastic ski instructor and had Luke off and skiing on the bunny slope on Day 1. Way to go, Luke! Reid geared up on Day 2, and Scott took him for a few runs, too. Reid isn't ready to be turned loose quite yet, but this first experience was a good one ... and he's excited to go again! So many great memories for our family. Many photos and some video clips follow. Enjoy!

Luke & Ski Instructor Scott

Getting the hang of it...

On the lift.

Luke & Mom on the ski lift.

Snowplow!

The moms enjoyed a morning on the slopes!

Reid's turn! Little man on the lift...

Reid thought he was ready to move

from "beginner" to "slalom expert"

on his first run. Luckily, Scott had

a good hold on him!

The family at Loveland Ski Area

The kiddos.

Luke skis solo!

Reid's first ski adventure.

(Notice Mr. Big Stuff has some fancy moves already.

Good thing Dad's holding him up. Ha!)

Christmas Morning.

Rise & shine! The boys were awake at 5:40 a.m.

on Christmas morning, oh-so-excited to see if Santa

had made his way to our house.

Sure enough ... he did!

This gift was one of the favorites: Razor RipRider 360 Trike!

The swiveling caster wheels on the back allow

for non-stop spinning action,

perfect for our little speedsters!

Swedish Supper.

Now Serving ... The Swedish Supper!

While many families are feasting on prime rib, turkey, or ham on Christmas Eve, our crew always looks forward to our special family tradition -- the Swedish Supper. Jami's Grandma Eleanor used to prepare this meal at the holidays, and then Jami's mother continued the tradition. Our family now enjoys making these time-honored recipes, and tonight's Swedish feast was one of the best yet with some new dishes! With several contributing chefs, take a look at our fine menu:

• Potatis Korv (Potato Sausage) -- Specially made last week for us by our neighbor James
• Fingerling Potatoes with Carrots - Prepared from our locally grown farmshare veggies
• Bruna Bonor (Brown Beans) -- Prepared by Papa
• Gravlax (Cold-Cured Salmon with Dill) -- A new dish this year prepared by Papa
• Lutefisk (White Fish) -- This is the most famous of Swedish dishes! Prepared by Papa.
• Frukt Soppa (Fruit Soup) -- Sweet, warm soup of apricots, raisins, plums, cinnamon, etc.
• Mixed Green Salad with a Balsamic Lingonberry Dressing -- A new dish this year prepared by Jami
• Lefse -- Like a potato tortilla
• Sandbakkels (Almond Butter Cookies) -- A Norwegian cookie prepared by Scott
• Glogg -- Swedish mulled wine

As we gathered around the table for dinner, it was amazing to consider the many layers of family tradition woven into this meal. Papa remembers as a young child his parents making the potato sausage in their kitchen. Scott has some Norwegian heritage, so we incorporated some of those flavors, like the lefse and the sandbakkels. The handwritten cookbook we use to prepare this meal was a treasured gift from Jami's mom several years ago for Christmas. A meal like this also deserves our best dishes so we used the china from Jami's Grandma Ruby. There is so much meaning behind this meal, and the tradition is a wonderful celebration of our family ... generations past and present.

Enjoy some photos from our Christmas Eve festivities.

Such handsome fellas in the

Christmas Eve dress code: sweater vests!

Dressed up and ready for Christmas Eve Mass.

Scott cooks the potatis korv.

Ho, ho, ho ... ha, ha, ha!

Papa & Luke in their holiday hats.

Santa was treated to milk, sandbakkel cookies,

and this nice note from Luke:

"Dear Santa, I luv you and I hop (translation: hope)

you come tonight!"

'Twas the Week before Christmas...

When all through the home.

Not a creature was stirring,

except for these kindergarten gnomes.

Christmas artwork was hung on the wall with great care,

in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

This child was nestled all snug in our bed,

while visions of sugar cookies danced in his head.

And Mama in her scarf and Dad in his sweater

think the festivities of this Christmas just get better and better!

Hope you are enjoying your Christmas season

as much as we are with holiday gatherings,

Christmas spirit, traditions, and more!

May this week of Christmas bring you

much love, joy, and cheer!

Looking for the yule log...

Hi-ho, hi-ho ... yule log hunting we will go!

Today is one of our favorite holiday highlights -- the annual Yule Log Hunt in Palmer Lake! A 6-foot pine log with a red ribbon is hidden in the snowy woods. People gather together to trek through the woods and find the log. The log is then pulled up the hill (no trucks or tractors here ... just human power) and children have the opportunity to take a turn riding on the log. Once the log is hauled back to town, the "finders" have the honor to sip the first cup of wassail. The festivities continue with Christmas carols and holiday merriment.

We have participated in "the hunt" previously, but this was the best year yet! Although we didn't find the log (some 8-year-old girls beat us to it!) we had such a fabulous day. The actual log hunt itself took less than 2 minutes, but we had so much fun with all the other accompanying festivities ... hiking through the woods, snowball fights, wearing a Christmas cape (part of the tradition), and laughing all the way! The weather was perfect, and we even saw a few snowflakes fall. Jami's friend Julia joined us, and it was fun to share this tradition with someone new. Oh, what a wonderful afternoon!

Headed down the hill to the woods.

Capes are a must for yule log hunting, which is part of the

original tradition dating back to 1933.

Snowball fight! Julia & Luke toss snowballs at each other!

Caped crusaders Scott & Reid.

All aboard the Yule Log!

Julia & the bagpipe player!

Family pic on the Yule Log.

Fa-la-la-LIGHTS!

Our neighborhood has some gorgeous Christmas lights on display, and what better way to see them than on a hayrack ride! Tonight, our community hosted a new event at the golf course clubhouse. We bundled up, hopped on a hayrack ride, and rode along the cart path to see the beautiful homes lining the golf course. We even sang some carols on our 40-minute tour!

125 Months.

Long ago, Scott started this fun tradition of celebrating our significant anniversaries ... in months. Perhaps it's his engineer personality or his inner mathematician coming out, but it's so much fun to see what he cooks up at the milestone marks every 25 months. On Dec. 10, we celebrated 125 months of marriage. And what better way to celebrate the occasion than with ice cream cupcakes from Maggie Moo's! What a thoughtful, clever guy!

Hanukkah Dinner.

With Hanukkah beginning this week, we had the opportunity to learn more about this holiday and enjoy a traditional Hanukkah dinner, thanks to our wonderful neighbors Melissa & Todd! We gathered together for a fine feast of potato latkes, pot roast, apple fritters, challah bread, and more. After dinner, we lit the menorah candles and played dreidel. What a memorable evening with our neighbor friends!

Toboggan Hill

The past week brought several things ... more snow, subzero temperatures (it was -14 one day!) and the perfect conditions for sledding. Since moving here, we've been on a quest to find "the perfect sledding hill." Mission accomplished today. Introducing our Toboggan Hill adventures. Take 3 generations of family, 3 sleds, 1 thermos of hot cocoa, 1 BIG hill, and no fear. Here's what you get...

Meet Reid (AKA The Rocket). Faster than the speed of light, he can race down the mountain using only his bare (well, mittened) hands to stop himself. Turn up your sound ... so you can enjoy his sputtering (after he gets a face full of snow) and his enthusiasm ... "Let's do that again!"

Next up, Luke (AKA Crash). While his sled may seem unconventional, it's actually his secret weapon! This thrill-seeker handles the Zipfy mini luge with the greatest of ease and confidence as he races down the hill. Stay out of his way ... and don't slow him down! Or he'll crash into you!

Once upon a time... there were 3 generations

who embarked on a sledding adventure.

Why walk up the mountain yourself

when you can hitch a ride with Papa?

Grandfather. Grandsons. Grand afternoon!