With Valentine's Day on Friday this year, we celebrated the entire weekend long. It was actually a really GREAT weekend as I was able to spend extended periods of time with the family and we really enjoyed ourselves. On Valentine's Day this year, the kids had the day off (as well as President's Day tomorrow, so we actually have a 4 day weekend this year). So, with the kids out of school, I took the day off and Ashtyn, Alyssa, Jantzen and I all went skiiing at Eldora. It was awesome! At the beginning, Jantzen just laid on the ground and cried - he had forgotten what he learned and he was afraid. Here's a great photo of him on the ground, upset and very difficult to console:
But, after a stern talk, reminding him that he doesn't have to be "perfect" right away, he decided to give it a try and start to learn how to ski. It worked really well and you can see a few more photos with Jantzen having fun. He really did start to learn how to turn and how to slow down really well. He was able to tackle all of the green runs and by the end of the day, he was skiing the runs without falling. I was very impressed.
On the way to lunch, Alyssa and Jantzen even decided to make some fun snow angels. Ashtyn was too far ahead to join in, but as I looked ahead to see what she was doing, I noticed that she had stopped to see if she could help a family that was having trouble putting on their skis. VERY compassionate and I was very impressed. Later in the day, a young boy had fallen in the ski-lift line and she stopped to see if he needed any help as well. Again, I was very impressed with her willingness to help her fellow man. As a father, I must say that I was VERY proud of her! Wow!
Here's a final shot of the three kids right before the final run of the day. As proud as I was that Jantzen finally started to pick up skiing and have a good time, I was even more proud of Ashtyn and Alyssa. They both skied very well, didn't complain at all, and did really well with their turns and their control. I was VERY impressed with all of them! They are all very cautious skiers (no downhill, crazy skiers in this family), but they have fun, which is great for me.
While we were skiing, Amy took Aubrey to the Children's Museum in Fort Collins. They also had Panera Bread for lunch. They also had a blast together and I thought I should go ahead and put in a photo of little Aubrey playing the drums at the museum. She is just a ton of fun!
Friday evening, Amy made yummy waffles with strawberries for Valentine's Day and then we watched some Olympics together until bedtime. It was a great day. Here's a quick shot of the kids opening their Valentine's surprises from Amy after skiiing:
Saturday was also a fantastic day. I took Ashtyn with my to clean the church first thing in the morning. Then we went on a "date" to the Egg & I for breakfast. We both had great little skillets, but more importantly, we got a chance to talk and connect. Ashtyn is actually quite mature for her age and she is definitely a thinker. I don't feel like I have been able to develop as close a relationship with her as the other kids (Ashtyn has always preferred being with Mom whereas the other kids have kind of preferred to be with me). So, this concept of monthly "dates" will be very important. We had some great conversation, talking about everything from boys and grades to church and activity days. We set a goal to work together to help her finish her duty to god and we reached our first milestone with that today as Ashtyn and Alyssa both marked off some activities and we made some great progress on getting their awards. It was really fun!
On Saturday evening, Amy and I finally went out on our Valentine's Day date. It was really great! She finally let me take her to the Chimney Park Bistro in Windsor. As expected, the food was fantastic and we spent 2 full hours there, talking and laughing and really having a great time. I had the Wagyu beef and Amy wisely chose the sea scallops. We also had great desserts, with Amy choosing the Pear Napoleon while I had the chocolate mousse. Both were incredible. Here's some photos of our amazing meal:
After dinner, Amy and I did some furniture shopping for the basement. We found a game table that we really like, but nothing much more than that, which is okay. We were hoping to find some couches as well, but we haven't found anything that we like enough for the $$$.
Finally, we arrive at today, Sunday. I will admit that I woke up feeling horrible, tired, and not wanting to do anything buy lay in bed. But, I decided to get up, go to PEC and then help Amy get the family to church. Church was really good today. The Sacrament meeting talks were on adversity and I tied those talks into the lesson for Teachers/Priests and I thought the lesson went really well. The boys spoke up, participated and we even got some tears out of some of the boys. It went really well. I love the presidency that I work with as we feed off each other and really work to help the boys feel the spirit!
My only post-church meeting was BYC today, so we spent a bunch of time playing games together as a family. It was a real treat! We played games for 2-3 hours, enjoyed yummy creamy chicken, then watched Mormon Messages before reading scriptures and going to bed. I also played the "button blanket" game with all of the kids. I hope that I never forget this little game. A kid lays on my stomach on their back and then I "push buttons" (i.e. tickle them like crazy) and they try to stay on my stomack without falling off. They all really enjoyed playing this game, especially Aubrey. She loves to laugh and have fun!
Now, I'm very exhausted and that miserable feeling I had this morning has returned. I hope it doesn't last long!!!
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