Breck Snow Carving Festival

It's that time of the year again, the Breckenridge Snow Carving Festival!  Yippee!  I don't know why I like going up there so much, but I look forward to it every January.  This year as an extra bonus there was an opportunity for kids to carve their own sculptures.  We originally thought that just Cambrie would be able to participate, but the way it worked out our whole family was able to help!  Cambrie chose the block we were going to carve, as well as the design.  The event organizers chose the theme: animals, which was right up Cambrie's alley.  She wanted to carve an owl which seemed totally doable.  There was an artist on hand to help with any questions and to give advice, and he really liked what he saw coming together.  

Each kid was given a bucket of tools.  Kelton was determined to help, and while that was easier at the beginning of the carving, he miraculously didn't destroy anything.  Cambrie would have been devastated.  

As it was, the owl was really taking shape.  Jeremy and I helped with some general guidelines, but really the kids did most of it.  

Daxton was so bundled up that he couldn't even walk, and it was my job to keep the boys fed, happy, and out of the way when necessary.  

Finally Hedgwig was finished!  The girls were so proud of their creation, especially Cambrie.  

Once we were done we went and warmed up with some pizza before venturing forth to see what the professionals pulled together.  I really liked the snow carvings this year.  They were really creative, and they did an amazing job.  Now that we know from experience how hard it is, we can really appreciate what those artists go through!

The kids' interactive piece:  A truck with slide and tunnel.

 A castle.  McKenzie's absolute favorite.

 A Viking ship.

Geographic design.

Paper crane.  This one was pretty all around.

Mermaid.  This one you also had to experience in 360 degrees.  It took first place this year.

Cambrie was in heaven when she saw the iguana!  It won People's Choice

Deer.  I think this one took third place.

These cars took second place.  It was so unexpected to see the cars on top of each other like that.

Sunburst with ice shards.

This one was carved by Team Breckenridge and it took home Kids' Choice.

McKenzie liked the dog's drool.

We happened to be there for the awards ceremony which isn't something we've done before.  There was an international parade with all of the artists, and a slide show of pictures taken throughout the week.  It was fun seeing the countries celebrate their victories.  We also ran into an artist who was sketching kids' portraits.  Now all my cute kids' are hanging in the laundry room.  Wahoo!

Love the snow and the fun!  We had to drag the girls away when it was time to go.  They wanted to stay all night!

Mover

This kid likes to MOVE!  I was enjoying a rare moment where Daxton was actually sitting down eating his lunch and I snapped this picture.  Ah, what a sweet relief.  I ate my lunch before it grew cold or stale, and thought this would be a glorious thing if it happened regularly.  

Not two minutes later, this was the picture I snapped.  Rats!  Moment gone.

Daxton turns 1!

The night before Daxton's birthday I didn't want to go to bed.  I knew that as soon as I went to bed, I would wake up and my baby would be one-year-old.  I never pictured myself as "that mom" who would lament about her baby growing up, but here I am feeling so sad that Baby Dax is one-year-old.  I'll never have a little one again and there's such a sense of finality about it.  Sigh...  I was determined to love his birthday.  The girls decorated the house for him with banners, balloons, and even found the party hats.  We made birthday waffles with sprinkles and Daxton enjoyed his first fruit smoothie.  

He's getting big, but not as big as his bear, Storm Father!

I had scheduled his birthday pictures for that afternoon just because it seemed to make the most sense in our schedule.  He wanted nothing to do with that photographer.  Not only was he not smiling, he wouldn't even let go of me.  "All right," I thought.  "I'll just get a good smiling picture later tonight."  He went down for a nap while Jeremy and I worked on his cake.  Just as we finished frosting we had the Mowers come over.  I thought it would be fun to have friends for the girls and help eating the cake.  Once again Daxton was not happy.  He wanted nothing to do with his cake and we didn't even try to open presents.  

After everyone left that night and we were wrapping up with the cleaning, he decided that maybe his cake was pretty tasty after all.  

The next morning I was determined to get a smiling picture!  We came close, so I'll have to be satisfied.  It wasn't until later that afternoon we realized the poor boy had a fever.  No wonder he didn't want to celebrate!  Poor little guy.  

Can you believe he's one!

Pictures from his South Jordan pre-birthday celebration

Miss McKenzie's birthday extravaganza

I was in quarantine during McKenzie's birthday and felt soo guilty about it.  I shouldn't have worried though, she had the most celebrated birthday ever.  Leesa celebrated in South Jordan with a Mickey and Minnie cake for Kenzie and Daxton to share.  

They also had presents and fun.  

On her actual birthday she was in Smithfield.  She woke up to balloons, a special pillow just for the birthday girl, and a yummy breakfast.  

She spent all day playing in the snow with Bethany and Matthew.  When she came home she found flowers from Jeremy and I, and a cake decorated by Camille.  Fast forward a week and she's home in Colorado.  

Her friend Molly has a birthday just a couple days later than McKenzie, and Mandy offered to throw a joint birthday for the girls.  It was Moana themed and a sunny break from all the snow.  They painted pineapples, made leis, limboed, and were just silly with each other.  It was incredibly festive and they had a blast!  

I hadn't wrapped her presents yet, so she opened them here at home a couple days later.  Her party just kept going and going! What a lucky girl!