Breckenridge Snow Sculptures

Every year Breckenridge hosts a snow carving competition that includes teams from all over the world.  As soon as I heard about it, I knew that it would be a really neat thing to go see.  We have had a crazy week but were able to visit the sculptures the day before they were taken down.  It feels like a different world up in Breckenridge.  At our home there is no snow.  We are not wearing jackets.  It does not feel like winter.  Colorado has totally tricked us into thinking they have white winters.  But once we arrived in Breckenridge, it finally felt right.  There was beautiful fresh snow everywhere.  The skiing looked wonderful.  And people were actually walking around in coats and mittens. 

Our girls wasted no time playing in the snow.  It was perfect packing snow and even McKenzie could squeeze it together to make a decent snowball to throw at me or Jeremy. 

On the way to the viewing area, we found a small playground the girls played at. 

A snow sculpture they could actually play on...or be thrown through since it was so slippery on the inside of that tunnel.

Ice carvings of the sponsors.

And a dry stream bed that lent itself to perfect natural slides. 

By the time we made it to the sculptures McKenzie was already worn out.  So to make it more interesting we tried to recreate some of the more interesting sculptures. 

The girls reinacting the faces of the seven deadly sins. 

 

One the back side of that sculpture was a fat man, Jeremy did his best to immitate him.

 

McKenzie escaping from the belly of a bear (An Inuit fable)

 

Mongolian Warriors

 

An ostrich egg

 

Two angels (picture taken by Cambrie..not too shabby)

 

Icelandic patterns

I was really glad we were able to make it up there.  However, it also came with a little bit of longing.  Last year Jeremy and I attended a time share presentation at Grand Lodge Peak 7.  It was absolutely amazing!  We were totally sold on the idea of the time share, and the location was more than ideal.  The salesman worked with us to get it at a price we could afford, and we did it.  We hadn't even made it out of the canyon, however, when Jeremy started to panic.  We realized that this part of our dream couldn't happen now and that we needed stop the transaction.  Luckily Grand Lodge was very understanding and ultimately we didn't leave with a new vacation home after all.  Being up there again brought back all of those memories and made us realize how much we really love that kind of lifestyle.  Ah...dreaming of dreams. 

Masquerade

Cambrie was able to go on her first daddy-daughter Friday night.  Meridian hosts a dance for the dads and daughters, each year with a different theme.  This year it was a masquerade ball.  Cambrie was excited because she had an excuse to wear her princess gown again.  Jeremy was excited because he was able to wear his hair in a Mohawk.  I found out hours before that they could actually wear masquerade masks, and then it was a rush to get some made before the dance.  For Cambrie it was also a surprise and she thought her mask was beautiful.  Jeremy created his on his own and both of them felt pretty awesome wearing them. 

 

We didn't know what to expect at the dance.  It started at 6:30 and I figured they would last maybe an hour before coming home.  Boy was I wrong!  Jeremy described the dance as one of the best dances he has ever been to, even rivaling most high school dances.  The decorations were superb, the refreshments were good, the turn-out was amazing, and everyone went all out with their costumes.  Jeremy said there were many masks that were totally over the top with feathers and sequins.  Some dads were in tuxedos and some girls wore huge ball gowns.  Luckily Jeremy and Cambrie fit right in and they were even inspired to wear their masks all night long.  Cambrie found a bunch of friends from her class that she danced with and hung out with most of the night.  They played the hokey pokey, Gangham-style, and did the limbo.  The pair didn't come home until they were ushered out by the event staff.  It sounded like so much fun.  I'm glad that it was a huge success and that they had such a good time.  True to form, there were even dance pictures taken at the event.  While the Mardis Gras border wasn't quite true to the theme, the mask makes it close.  Don't they make a cute couple?

Sick girls

With winter comes sick kids.  We are always pretty lucky and avoid most of the bugs that go around.  When we do snag a bug, it typically runs its course pretty quickly and we're back to normal.  Last Saturday Jeremy took the girls to see Wreck It Ralph while I stayed home and enjoyed some relaxation.  When they came home I noticed that Cambrie was not acting herself and was surprised she went straight to bed.  I didn't expect that reaction to a fun daddy-daughter outing.  Sunday morning she had a fever and so she stayed home with Jeremy while McKenzie and I went to church.  While we were gone, Jeremy kept her pretty occupied and happy with movies and Construx building.  A life-sized robot greeted us upon our arrival.  The neatest part of it all was that the head would pivot when you moved its arms.  They definitely were creative! 

 

Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Cambrie had the day off from school.  She was acting better and it was a beautiful day so we went to the Denver Botanical Gardens.  The only flower blooming was the orchid, and they were absolutely beautiful.  The rest of the gardens were in hibernation, but we were there for the fresh air, not the blooms. 

I took the wagon expecting a recovering Cambrie to lay in it while we walked around.  About half way through Cambrie wanted to explore some trails with some friends and McKenzie stayed in the wagon.  Moments later she had made herself a bed and had fallen asleep.  Hmm..more unexpected behavior from my girls. 

When we got home Cambrie was weary, but up and about, and McKenzie was napping soundly upstairs.  While Cambrie was well enough to go to school the next day, McKenzie has spent the week sick at home in quarantine.  She seems to be feeling better but has a nasty cough that simply sounds contagious.  I don't want any moms blaming me.  We are on the upswing now and hopefully we can avoid many future bugs this season.

Good-bye fairy house

When it came time to take down all of the Christmas decorations I just couldn't bring myself to destroy the fairy house.  But my mid-January we had our fill of the Christmas season and I was tired of catching friends sucking on the lollipop forest.  Jeremy had a marvelous idea to get rid of the gingerbread house.  Instead of a secret mission that involved throwing it in the trash can while the girls were asleep, Jeremy gave each girl a hammer and told them to go at it.  The girls took turns hitting it like a pinata and continued until there was nothing left of that house. 

None of the girls could resist a quick snatch at some of the free candy, and they insisted it still tasted fresh....all right.  It's a good thing I have a husband who is a heck of a lot more creative than me!

Missing Dolly

Cambrie has lost one of her dolls.  In an attempt to find it again, she covered the house in missing dolly posters.  I found them on the walls, thermostat, TV, drawers, pantry, bookshelf, doors, and multiple walls.  If she offered a reward, I'm sure I would be extra motivated to find that doll.

McKenzie's play dates

McKenzie loves her play dates with her little friends while Cambrie is at school.  Yesterday it was at my house and I decided to mix things up a bit by turning on some dancing music for them.  I should have done this long ago, they loved it!  They spent about 5% of the time dancing, and 95% of the time chasing each other.  It kept them happy for a really long time!

Miss McKenzie turns 3!

McKenzie turned 3 today!  I have wanted to call her 3-years-old for awhile now, but now it's official and I don't have a two-year-old anymore.  She is absolutely in love with the color pink, so it was a very pink-filled day.  She was greeted this morning by pink streamers all around the house.  A pink princess balloon.  And we even wrapped pink streamers around the Christmas tree to make it a birthday tree.  For breakfast this sweetie was served Belgian waffles with strawberries, bananas, and whipped cream....yummy for all of us!  She even got to use the special plate and goblet. 

From there the day just kept going at full speed.  We hopped in the car to the warmest place we could think of to have fun, Monkey Bizness.  We spent two hours there jumping, sliding, laughing, swinging, crawling, painting, and simply playing.  But the thought of her cake was never far from McKenzie's mind all day and we eventually had to go home so we could eat the yummy creation. 

 

 

 

 

We started by opening her presents.  McKenzie asked me to take a picture of her opening every present.  She was well trained at Christmas.  Cambrie gave her a stuffed unicorn that she made. 

Grandma and Grandpa gave her a fairy story all about the fairy, McKenzie Rogers.  And Nana and Papa gave her a princess playhouse. 

Even though she wanted to play with the toys, that girl likes sugar more than anything and jumped at the chance to see her finished cake, a number 3 which was red Velvet on the inside, cream cheese frosting on the outside, and completely covered with pink-ish M&M's. 

When I put the cake in front of her she immediately pointed out that she needed fire on her cake.  Well, of course.  What cake is complete without a little fire?  I hadn't even blown out my match before she blew out her candles.  I had to relight them with new instructions to wait until we had finished singing, "Happy Birthday" before she could blow them out again.  She waited very patiently while we sang-even when Jeremy accidently sang "Happy birthday dear Cambrie-" then blew them out on cue.  We have had family members calling all day wishing her a happy birthday.  The sweet thing doesn't know the best response when they tell her "Happy birthday," so she simply says, "Happy birthday!" right back.  So cute. 

Just a few things about McKenzie right now: 

-She loves, loves, loves dresses.  She will wear approximately three or four different dresses every day and I typically take her to pick up Cambrie from school in a Cinderella dress.
-She is great at sharing.  She will give you her last M&M if you ask it of her.
-She loves her sister so much.  If Cambrie isn't still in bed when McKenzie opens her eyes she gets very nervous until she finds her.
-She is an incredibly picky eater.  She survives on cereal, pancakes, and Macaroni & Cheese.  I am lucky if she eats anything else for her meals than those three things.  But don't worry, she is very good at finding and devouring any sugar in the house.
-Her speech isn't very clear, but my favorite phrase of hers is, "I wub you."  Melts my heart every time.
-She is great at problem solving.  She thinks outside the box and is determined enough to solve most of her problems without asking me for help at all.  Sometimes this is a great trait, and sometimes it means I have a lot of toothpaste to clean up in the bathroom.
-She is very active and quite strong.  When we are at the playground, I know that if she slips her strong little fingers will hold her in place until I get a chance to come rescue her.  She has also mastered her little scooter and rides all the way to school and back during drop-off and pick-up.
-She is very social and loves play dates as much as her sister.  I don't have a big enough pool of kids to keep her busy every afternoon, but I try.
-She is very loving and has a tender heart.  When someone is sad she does whatever she can to make them feel better.  For Cambrie she will find her Ducky.  For me she will give me a great big hug.  And for Jeremy she finds him the remote.  Whatever it takes right?
-She still loves her blankies.  They are her comfort item and there is typically one in every room of the house because she has carried them around. 

All in all we are so blessed to have her in our lives.  She has the sweetest smile and has a knack for making all of us a little happier.  Happy birthday Munchkin!