On Friday, we decided to go up to the Grand Mesa to have a snowshoeing adventure with our dear friends, Troy and Jenna. (Jenna was about 4 days past her due date to have their baby) Over the past week it has been super cold here in GJ and Friday it was about 22 degrees here, cloudy and windy. But we decided to get out and enjoy the Colorado outdoors. Now anyone who really knows me also is aware of the fact that I go on snowshoeing trips and other outdoor adventures largely because of how happy it makes my husband. I, on the other hand, would much rather be snuggled up under a nice, warm blanket at home where the conditions are favorable and reliable. 
Anyhow, after having a nice, uneventful trip up to the trail head, we got out of the car where it was below zero air temperature, colder wind chill, and blowing snow. Ellie was fine until Graham plopped her into the big pink snowsuit and subsequently into the top of the backpack. So off we went into the beautiful, snowy wild white yonder....a screaming toddler, a concerned mom, determined dad, a very sweet, concerned husband (Troy), and a full term pregnant woman who is just completely ready to have this baby (Jenna). We were quite the group trekking into the forest.
I was feeling alright as far as my temperature was concerned but El, on the other hand, wasn't amused. I attempted to wrap my scarf around the bottom of her face so that the only thing exposed were her eyes. Even that didn't squelch her unhappiness. So about 15 minutes into it, I asked Graham to turn around and I would just sit in the car with her as they ventured off. Back in the car, she calmed down (after another 30 minutes of screaming) and I attempted to entertain her for the next hour. I was exhausted and I am certain that it might be a month or so before Graham can convince me to try it again. The hot chocolate at Powderhorn ski lodge was a nice way to end the trip, if only it had a big swig of Bailey's..ahhhhhh
All in all, it was a fun day to hang out with friends and spend time together. Happy New Year! I'll be posting a Christmas blog soon too so stay tuned...
We have had a very busy last couple of weeks, explaining the lack of blogs...I know, I know the hundreds of you who read this and check back expectantly every hour of every day have been severely disappointed...for this I apologize. Now if only a few of you would comment and make me feel like my time and energy I put into this doesn't go to waste, my world would be changed! Anyhow, I don't need to kid myself into thinking that the second sentence was actually true but I would love just a couple comments...is that asking for too much? maybe
Now everyone knows that time flies but being a mother has just increased the speed by a lot. I always thought it was at least 2 years old before children started throwing their bodies to the floor and giving you dirty looks. Recently I have found that this is yet another one of my misconceptions of children. Our sweet, perfect daughter has been trying to prove that she is not so agreeable and is trying to explore her independence as of late. I must preface this to tell you that yes she is teething and yes she has been fighting a yucky cold/cough in the past couple of weeks, but I don't think that these are fully to blame. She wants to feed herself. This sounds like a wonderful idea because the end result will be that I don't have to do everything for her when it comes to meal time. However, as I give her the cup of yogurt and she proceeds to feed herself a few spoonfuls, she then gets distracted by the fact that she could put it in her mouth a lot quicker if she just dug her little hand into the cup. The painful part for me is the fact that I know who will be cleaning this up because I don't already have enough cleaning to do.
Secondly, who ever taught my child to lay down on her back, roll over quickly and throw her arms above her head because she is mad? It just cracks us up because most of the time she is quiet the whole time and just lies prone until she gets over it.
Ok, ok so young toddlers will throw fits...but whoever thought that a 17 month-old could glare at you and give you dirty looks? NOT ME! It started with her closing her eyes and looking away from me in disgust, but below you will see the way her attitude shows up in her facial expressions toward you as well. As I silently giggle, I wonder "Where did she learn that from?" Surely it was from dad...;o)
I guess this is an inevitable fact of parenthood but maybe I just thought that my child was immune. I don't think that it is ever too young for a child to learn respect and kindness so I am trying to learn how to do that especially in these first stages. I will end with a picture of one of her favorite pasttimes...getting herself into small spaces. I rounded the corner to our kitchen and found that she had gotten herself into a 9 by 13 pan... she still is pretty sweet and makes me laugh.
