March For Babies

Next month we will head to Grand Junction to walk in the annual March of Dime's "March for Babies" fundraiser.

Every day, thousands of babies are born too soon, too small and often very sick. You never think it will happen to you.

Spending 2 months by my baby's bedside in the NICU after Gulliver's birth opened my eyes to the challenges so many families face when their child is born premature or with other medical conditions.

It has been over a year since we've been home, and a "stranger" would never guess Gulliver weighed only 3 lbs at birth.

I'm walking in March for Babies because I want to support this amazing organization who takes steps for healthier moms and babies. Please support my walk.

Thank you for helping babies get a healthy start!

FUN! FUN! FUN!

Had so much fun with Grandpa & Grandma this week! We spent lots of time hanging out around the house.... playing trains, rubbing noses, eating, laughing, building blocks, knocking them down, hiding the stick, honking, beeping, and taking lots of laps around the house. Also did grocery shopping and attended our first swim class in Gunnison.

We think Gulliver says "Da" for "Dad" now. He said it several times this week while looking right at daddy. His walking is progressing, spending less and less time leaning forward and more time with a center of balance. Gulliver often walks around holding on with just one hand.

It's been a fun-filled week. We are sad to see Grandpa and Grandma go home, but we have lots of good memories!

Grandpa & Grandma in Town

Having a ball with Grandpa & Grandma!  More to follow later....

Skiing in CB South

Last year, the Property Owner's Association added another wonderful amenity to our neighborhood... a groomed nordic skiing track. Gulliver and I have skied this many times this winter. It is within skiing-distance of our house. But since I don't want to junk up the bases of our skis from the gravel on the road, we drive.  It takes no more than 2 minutes to get there.

We enjoy beautiful, open views up valley - including Paradise Divide and Crested Butte Mountain - while we ski the flat terrain.  This is private ranch land. In the summer, we'll often hear the moo's from cattle when they graze at this end of the land.

On this particular day, we enjoyed freshly groomed track. The snowmobile passed us 3 different times setting the side rails and grooming the track as smooth as could be. We only saw one other person. So we practically had the place to ourselves!

The only downside to this trail is that dogs are not allowed. Some days we just have to drive a little further to get to dog-friendly trails so Cassie and Cocoa can come with us. But this is an awesome alternative on days when time is limited.

This is how close our house is to the track (center of the photo, up the hill, with the Christmas wreath  hanging on the deck)...

Top O' The Morning To Ya'!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Big Air on Elk & Sunday Brunch at the Yurt

Spring is in the air, lots of things are going on in Crested Butte, and we've had a fun-filled weekend. Saturday night was Big Air on Elk Avenue - one of my favorite events of the winter. Elk Avenue is closed down, tons of snow is hauled in, and a giant kicker is built right in the middle of the street. Then ski and snowboard competitors are towed down Elk by snowmobile to gain the speed necessary to launch in the air and hopefully clear the kicker, throw in a trick or two, and make a safe landing.  It's really quite spectacular...

This morning we went to Sunday Brunch at the Yurt in Magic Meadows (Peanut Lake area). This is a ski-in event, so we loaded up the Chariot and headed out on our nordic skis.  It takes about 30 minutes to get to the Yurt (approx. 1 mile). The trail is scenic and quiet - a little winter wonderland with snow-covered pine trees and beautiful views. Once there, it's nice and toasty inside. The brunch was gourmet and absolutely delicious! We dined on fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, nuts, polenta, a Strata made with tomato, basil, asparagus and bacon, scones, and cinnamon rolls. Everything is made from scratch (even the yogurt!). Gulliver enjoyed exploring around the Yurt and checking out some of the other youngsters. We all had such a good time that I think we'll make this an annual event!

Random Photos

Just a few random photos I liked from the last couple weeks that haven't made it to the blog....

The Moore's

Mark's cousins were in town skiing this week. We headed up to the mountain last night to meet them for dinner. The last time we had seen the Moore's was over the 4th of July weekend in Durango. So needless to day, Gulliver had changed quite a bit!

There were a roomful of people - lots of teenaged kids - and Gulliver enjoyed taking it all in. It took him about 20 minutes to get brave enough to leave mom's side, but after that he ventured off and had lots of fun getting tons of attention. He especially liked the attention from Julie, Makenlee, and Mabree!

This afternoon, Gulliver and I met up with everybody again for lunch during their ski break. It was a great opportunity to re-connect with family that we don't see very often.

Bath Time

Not sure what happened, but for the past month or so Gulliver has decided he no longer likes bath time. He used to have such a good time. It's baffling.

Today I decided to try giving him a bath during the day instead of in the evening. He finally seemed to get back into the groove. He played with his toys, smiled, splashed, and babbled out loud.  He still dislikes having his hair washed, and I'm trying my best to keep the water and soap out of his eyes. I hope this good trend of fun bath time continues for awhile!