February. Mostly.

I know it's not the end of February yet, but we've only got one more week and I know this will be the only time I have to post.  The month has flown by.  Partly it's because I can't keep track of time with all the literal flying David has done traveling for work, and partly because we have been so super busy!

People keep asking me why I am so busy.  I look at other women with 4 or 5 or 6 kids, women who have jobs and careers outside the home, women who seem to have more on their plate than I do in other ways for sure, and I honestly don't have a good answer as to why I feel so busy.  This is the first time in my life I haven't worked (for a paycheck at least), or been heavily involved in volunteer work, or had little babies or toddlers, or a horse, or had a time-intensive church job, or a house that requires tons of yard work.  But, still my days are filled and full.  I like the full.  I don't always like the filled.

The girls are doing more and more in their individual schedules (more on that later), and we always seem to fill up any free time with some sort of activity or outing.  Now, I'm looking at March with all the birthdays, Grace's upcoming baptism, family visiting, and our normal schedule on top of it, and wondering how it will all come together.  I know it will, and I know it will be great.  But, I also know that I will be the one who has to make it happen the way I want it to be.  I'm a little bit intimidated.  But, I'm also trying to step back and look at the big picture and enjoy it while I'm doing it.  If I wasn't so detail oriented and OCD it would be a lot easier that's for sure.

Well, that was a long introduction to these fluffy pictures of our February outings.  With David's heavy travel, we do try to make the most of the time when he is home.

David went to the Dad lunch at Grace's school.  Here they are "enjoying" their corn dog cafeteria food.

Skiing - David has done A LOT of it.  He has also been mountain biking pretty much as often has he has been skiing.  Winter in NM is grand.  Grace has been skiing 3 times this year.  We went as a family last week with the Merrills and the Howards.  One more time and Grace will be better than I am.  She did all the green and blue runs that I did at Santa Fe.

Grace and her pal Christian on the ski lift.

Pizza, french fries, pizza, french fries:

let's just say skiing Santa Fe was a little more enjoyable than skiing Vermont - look at that sunshine!

Harriet.  sweet Harriet.  She skied for a total of about 5 minutes, I am told by the ski instructors.  I missed it.   But, she sure looks cute in those goggles with her daddy.

THIS is what we spent over $100 for Harriet to do at ski school all day?  Swing in the chair lift swing?  That's some expensive swinging Hattie...  (she's the one on the left.)

Well, whatever they did in ski school, Harriet and her little friend, Maren, sure wore themselves out.

Same weekend.  Next Day.  Another hike, another volcano:

Valentine's Day.  Harriet was SO excited.  She had her Valentines ready 2 weeks early.  She counted down the days on her hands, checked the calendar every day, and could not wait for that party.  I wanted to throw a fit when she came down with a fever the night before.  It was gone by morning, and she rallied and went.  Whew.  Check out this school.  Again - papered from ceiling to floor for the occasion. Her teachers are completely insane.  Harriet with friends Isabella and Marian:

Too much Valentine Party apparently.  Cute little aquarium Valentine box in hand (they are studying oceans right now in school.)

And... over to sister's party.  Remember the elementary school Valentine parties?  Well, they're not what they used to be.  They're not even "Valentine" parties.  Grace's class had a "friendship" party.  At least they got to have a party at all.  Someday, they will probably be gone for good.  I'm just trying to soak up as much of this kind of stuff as I can.  I am keenly aware that these years are short.

Valentines are also not what they used to be.  You should see what you can get in a $2 box these days.  They're pretty cool.  Here are 3D cards with 3 different images in them.

 Grace with friends Abby and Mikayla and little sis coming up too.

I know there were other things in the mix too - but these are the ones that seemed to make it to the camera.  Yesterday, we marked our 1 year anniversary of arriving in New Mexico to live here.  I really can't believe we've been here a whole year.  I still have things I haven't put away since moving.  I still have pictures on the floor of my bedroom with spackled holes in the walls waiting for an appropriate color of paint to go up before I hang them.  The year has just gone by way too fast.  David was commenting about our first year in MA.  Maybe it was because it was more than just moving, but the first time moving away from family that made it seem long.  Maybe it was feeling like I had moved to another planet.  Maybe it was because I was pregnant for most of that year.  I don't know, but that first year felt like a decade passed before it was over.  It felt like we lived in MA for such a very long time, but the time here just slips away before you can blink.  Maybe it has something to do with that sunshine.