Adventure in the Wasatch

Active.  A great friend recently commented to me how impressed she was that my little family makes it a priority to stay active together.  And in all seriousness, Tim and I do everything for our kids. Part of my joy in raising my daughters lies in the oppportunities for fun that we routinely experience.

L1 is just barely three years old, and has "skiied" at a top ranked ski resort , and stayed at the 5 star hotel that sits mid mountain.  She has been to a half dozen Pac12 football games, and as many NBA games.  She has the same birthday as famed Olympian, Stein Eriksen, and has had her picture taken with him on their birthday, every year for the last two years. She has ridden horses regularly(luckily we own those), and has snowmobiled through Wasatch State Park.  She has opportunities I never had as a child, and I love that we are able to provide these things for her and her sister.  This week, we went as a family to something new to all of us; we went dog sledding!  

London could not believe we were combining two of her favorite things: sledding and dogs.  I couldn't believe how strong a pack of 8 medium sized dogs could be.  My brother couldn't believe the size difference between these sled huskies and his prized Alaskan Malmute at home, and my husband was amazed at the absolute lack of fear our 3 year old exhibited throughout the entire adventure. 

We met our mushers at a beautiful lodge, hopped aboard a handful of snowmobiles, and proceeded up the hill a bit to where the dogs are kept.  Two full sized sleds, one red, one blue, each sat waiting with 8 dogs harnessed, jumping, barking their hellos, all anxious to run.  My brother and London rode together, Tim and I took the other sled.  We took some time at the top of a beautiful overlook for pictures, and the dogs are fast fast fast!

Our guides talked to us about the history of the area, and the sport of dogsledding, all while driving the sleds.  They even let each of us try our hand at mushing, and London could not have been more thrilled. 

After dogsledding, we were able to snowmobile for 2 hours, and covered some beautiful, snowy terrain.  The boys had time to run the machines as fast as they could go through some open bowl areas; later we traveled up to the top of a mountain, and looked right into Wyoming.  It was a beautiful view I'll never forget. 


I can't wait for our next adventure!

Not always easy, but always worth it.

Raising small children is a difficult commitment, a commitment that, if taken seriously, is 24hrs, 365.  I've recently heard from a lot of mothers who "can't handle it," and "it's just too hard", and "I need a serious break".  Maybe there's something wrong with me, but I thrive off spending as much time as possible with my daughters.  At eight months, and three years old, it isn't always a cakewalk, but I find myself sincerely missing them every time I'm away from them, and loving all the minutiae that goes with raising babies.  My eight month old squeals when I come home from work, and reaches for me as only a baby can.  Her chubby little fingers open and close, until she has wrapped her little arms around my neck, and nuzzled her head into the curve of my neck.  My three year old loves to show me all the wonderful new things she can do.  She begs me to read to her at least twice a day, and we love making imginary concoctions in her little kitchen.  (She baked a lovely "crème brûlée" in her little Le Creuset ramekin.)  They're only going to be little for a little while; I'm maximizing all our experiences, and taking advantage of the fact that I am still the most important person in their lives. 
While it's not always easy, I have to say that the challenges fade from my memory, almost as quickly as they occur, and it is the instances of perfection that cement themselves in my mind. 

Tim says it's because I have the "mom gene."  I'll take it as a compliment.