Spring Break in CO

Last week we traveled to Breckenridge, CO for what is becoming an annual Moss trip. The CA Moss group (Grandpa Dan, Grandma Ellen, Aunt Alissa, & Uncle A--along with the 4 of us) took off by plane (wimps!) or car (nuts!) to get to Uncle Joel and Aunt Karen. We were excited for the kids to play in the snow! Ironically, we had gorgeous weather while we were there, but there was plenty of snow from recent storms that set a beautiful backdrop for our vacation.

The more athletic of the group hit the mountain for skiing and snowboarding, but I declined from the fun this year. It's been 2 years since I stepped into my bindings, but another pregnancy and the changes it wrought made me decide to leave my snowboard safely at home. I looked forward to relaxing, reading, taking it easy, playing with the kids...Oh, that's right..."relaxing" and "vacation" take on new meaning when you have 2 toddlers! Add to that the fact that the kids and I became ill the week leading up to our departure for the trip, and you can imagine that I wasn't exactly up for too much snowy fun.

While nursing coughs, buying stock in Kleenex, and battling heat rash--the little ones' delicate skin revolted at the hot-cold war waged between inside and outside locations--we managed to sneak in some snow play. We took the kids to a park in town that has a hill for sledding, and they had a blast! We had ordered a little snowsuit and boots for Madi, and she looked positively adorable in them but wasn't sure about moving around at first. Her first step resulted in her pitching forward and landing on her head--think, downward-facing dog for you yogis--and she decided Mommy was the better way to travel. Yet, once in the snow, she lit up and decided that sledding was even better than being carried by Mommy! And Darrin didn't need any encouragement at all. He was ready for sledding, snow fights, and more sledding...and more snow-throwing...you get the picture!

One day it snowed off and on, nothing sticking. Near the end of that day the snow increased to a decent shower so we bundled up the troops and headed out to play. We attempted sledding, but a short, steep run had Darrin taking the ride of his life. He whooshed down so quickly that Grandma couldn't catch him and we all watched in suspended horror as he hit the slightly-upturned edge of the snow along the neighbor's driveway...and went sailing in the air as straight and level as you please, hit the driveway, and kept on sliding until the opposite edge of the driveway stopped him. He never let go of the sled and, amazingly, stayed right on it the whole time! He was totally unharmed but wisely said he was all done sledding, lol. We went inside a few minutes later!

Madi loved showing off downtown. We walked around downtown a couple of times and Madi soaked up the attention she drew in her pink sunglasses. She wore an air of confidence and acted like a movie star! If I didn't know any better I'd say she even perched her glasses just-so (having nothing to do with the fact that her button nose can hardly hold them up, I'm sure) and would cock her head to make sure any paparazzo could capture her best look. We are so in trouble! :o)

Darrin enjoyed going walking with Grandpa, and he really liked riding the gondola. We could catch a shuttle up to the lifts and get on the gondola for free, then ride the gondola all the way down the mountain into town, ride it back up the mountain, and catch the shuttle home. I really loved that we could get around town where we were without having to strap any children into carseats. It was liberating!

The week was topped off with some outlet shopping for Mommy and Grandma, and a nice date dinner for Josh and me. The snowboarders and skiers really enjoyed their time on the slopes and trails, the kids enjoyed the "new" toys that were in the home we stayed in, and we all enjoyed Karen's excellent meals--and Uncle Joel's pancakes! :o) I'm looking forward to taking this trip each year and watching how things change as our little ones grow. Maybe next year we'll put Dman in ski-school and see how he handles a board! (Just giving Gmom some fair warning, lol!)

Note: If you want to see lots more pics, you'll have to visit my facebook profile. There are way too many to dump here! :o)

Painting Chicks

We hosted a playdate today for some friends from my moms' group. We had about 6 kids running around, playing, having tons of fun! I had planned a cute handprint painting activity, and the kids that tried it made some of the cutest paintings you've ever seen. Darrin wasn't certain about the paint once I put it on his hands, but he bravely allowed me to help him finish. When he was done I asked him if he wanted to make more paintings...he said firmly, "No." :o) Here are a few pics of the masterpieces they created. Enjoy!

Miss A making a good impression...




Darrin's finished product...

Pictures, & Poppies, & Bears...oh my!

Ok, so just kidding about the bears! But we did have a great, Wizard of Oz-ish experience yesterday, minus the deep sleep--not that I would have complained about that! I belong to a digital photography group that met yesterday for a photo shoot near my home. I am sometimes still amazed that there is such natural beauty to be found where we live in Southern California. Making the move to this area has been such a blessing, and though we are far from being rural, we are surrounded by beautiful natural forest, mountains, and lots of rolling hills. Granted, we tend to see more brown than green since we live in an arid location, but recent rains have turned our dusty brown hills into lovely green shades that are becoming spotted with loads of wildflowers--mainly our state flower, the golden poppy.

I was excited to share this time with my family! I knew the kids would love being outdoors in something more than artificial turf and sidewalks. I was thrilled to get out and photograph the flowers and my kiddos playing in them. We hiked around for a couple of hours in beautiful spring weather, and even though it was awfully hazy we didn't let it get us down! Darrin found lots of rocks to throw down the ravines, Madi contented herself with picking poppies (and attempting to eat petals when she thought we weren't looking), and Josh and I simply enjoyed being in the moment with our kids.

I think it would be fun to go back and hike around again before the flowers fade and summer heat takes over. Maybe we can even brave the dirt to take some Easter pictures! Hope you enjoy these shots from our wonderful afternoon.

Obligatory flower shots...






Now the really important stuff...family pics! Though I seem to be conspicuously missing...















And all worn out at the end of our adventure...

G-mom was here...

The worst part about living where we are...we are so far away from my family!! I've always wished we lived closer to my mom, but having kids just intensifies that need. That's why we were soooo excited when my mom--G-mom as she is known to the kiddos--was able to come out for a little visit. Darrin was so excited that we got to go to the airport to pick her up. A week or so before she arrived he'd tell Josh that we were going to go in "Mommy's white car" to the airport and pick up G-mom. So when the day finally arrived he was so happy! Madi was a little less thrilled...she stared my mom down from the backseat for the first half hour, but in her typical Madi way she was offerring up kisses and hugs pretty soon thereafter!

Darrin decided to monopolize G-mom pretty quick. He loved to sit and work on his Lightening McQueen computer with her, he wanted to show her his "school" stuff, he wanted her to play in their kitchen...it was one thing after the other! Just to give you an idea, Darrin usually has to be the first one in Madi's room when she wakes up in the morning or after naptime. He sometimes becomes very distraught if I go in without him, so I've gotten in the habit of announcing to him when I'm headed upstairs to get her, and 9 times out of 10 he'll push me out of the way and go bounding up the stairs ahead of me. One morning while my mom was here I told him I was going up to get Sister. He didn't seem interested so I left him downstairs. When I came back down my mom told me that Darrin turned to her after I had walked away and said, "Don't worry, G-mom. You just stay right here with me and let Mommy get Sister!" :o)

Towards the end of our visit, Darrin and Madi discovered that they could have tons of fun playing on G-mom's bed! To make matters worse (worse now, not then...) we turned on the tv and dvd player in that room and let Darrin watch his new Thomas the Train dvds Mommy and Daddy gave him for his birthday, and now that's all he wants to do! Madi has learned to climb up on the bed--be still G-mom's beating heart!--and she fell off twice last night. Ooops! But it was wonderful while G-mom was here and they could wallow her and love on her and make her smile.

I'm not sure when we'll see her next--most likely not until summer. But we definitely can't wait! Here are a few pictures of G-mom with her babies. You can certainly see how much they all love each other!

During Darrin's birthday dinner...


G-mom and her babies!

Happy 3rd Birthday to Dman!

We celebrated another milestone earlier this month--our son turned 3! Talk about time whizzing by...it seems like yesterday that it was Josh and me. Sleeping in, making last minute plans, generally lazing about...not anymore! Darrin does his part to make sure we are busy. He is such a happy boy, most of the time. His grumpy days tend to come in waves. We are seeing a lot more of an independent streak--he will melt down in the blink of an eye if he wants to do something himself and we overstep our parental bounds and do it for him.

So what is life like with a 3-year-old? Pretty much like it was when he was 2, except there's even less of a chance he'll nap (can't remember when he last napped, to be honest), he wants to do more for himself and tries to call the shots sometimes, and his eating habits are even more sporadic and frustrating to his mommy and daddy. But with all that there are some truly wonderful qualities that make our son who he is. He has such an imagination! He loves to make up silly names and giggle. He is always playing and pretending to be grown-up in some way. He sings and makes up words to songs he knows. He loves to help out and is a tremendous big brother. He is incredibly sweet and still likes to cuddle! And nothing is sweeter than hearing him say his bedtime prayer or tell us he loves us without any prompting. I love him so much my heart hurts!

G-mom (my mom) was able to be here for my birthday and Darrin's, and I think that was the best gift of all! We had a small family dinner (pizza!) and a cake (Darrin picked a football theme) one evening. Darrin tore through his gifts, usually not even sparing a glance at what he received before throwing it (literally) behind him to move on to the next package. I think he opened his gifts in record time. He enjoyed us singing "Happy Birthday" and worked really hard to blow out his candles--he finally finally put them out in 2 good puffs.

We were originally considering a larger party later in the month, but I don't know if that will be necessary now. As far as Darrin's concerned, his birthday was perfect. For now, enjoy a few pictures from the past 3 years--from the beginning to now!

My nearly-exploding belly about a week before Darrin was evicted...notice the lasting damage he caused... ;o)



















Brand-new baby boy... 8 lbs 4.6 oz, 22 inches long...


The silly birthday boy before tearing into his presents...

Happy Birthday to me!

When did we grow up? Seriously...One day you're worried about nothing more pressing than what your mom packed in your school lunch and the next thing you know--bam!--you're worried about whether or not your toddler is eating enough to sustain a fruit fly. I know there's a whole lot more that happened in between learning to tie my shoes and wishing more of my 2nd graders could tie their own laces, but to be honest, it's all a blur. I have some really good memories, some really bad ones, and vague recollections of various school events and friends. It's just amazing to me that time can pass so quickly. I went from dreaming about the day I'd graduate college, get married, have babies to now wishing I could keep my babies as babies while wrestling with all the amazing things that come with their growth into toddlerhood and beyond.

I love being 30-something. Being in my 20s seemed like I was always waiting for something. Fabulous things happened in my 20s--I earned that college degree as well as my teaching credential, married the love of my life, embarked on a career in elementary education, bought my first new car and my first home, and gave birth to my son in the last year of that tremendous decade. But I always felt as if I was on the cusp of really living. Why, I have no idea. But I think it has to do with a conversation had in a college Spanish class...

We were discussing the "ideal" age and I decided that 35 sounded just about perfect. I reasoned that I'd have the bulk of my "learning years" behind me. I'd have finished schooling and gotten several years under my belt in my career choice, been married long enough to have worked out some kinks, and hopefully have had a couple of kids. I argued that I'd be feeling a little more in control of the direction of my life and able to enjoy the fruits of my labor (no pun intended). So in retrospect, that conversation had me looking ahead--way ahead--rather than living in the moment. Maybe that's why the past 10 years are a blur of paint in the canvas of my mind.

On my birthday this year, 2 of my best and oldest girlfriends took me to lunch. Andrea made the comment that we are moving away from 30 instead of moving towards it. I never thought of it that way! Maybe moving away from something will give me the perspective I need to enjoy it a bit longer rather than rushing ahead to the next goal. She asked what my goals were for this 32nd year of my life. Honestly, they are simple...to enjoy each day with my family and praise God for His blessings in my life. I feel as though I've "arrived," but to "where" I don't know. All I know is that I'm happy...deeply, truly overjoyed with the life I'm living! Do I know it all? Absolutely not! Will I ever know it all? I hope not! Am I to lament the fact that each year brings me closer to middle age, closer to being *gasp* old? I don't think so. I'm excited to be aging, to be gaining another year every year on March 6th. I truly believe that wisdom comes with age and experience, and I look forward to all of life's lessons that are lying in wait for me! Hmmm...guess I didn't need to wait until 35 afterall!

And for your amusement, here are a couple of pictures from my past...one as a baby (about 3 months old, I think) and one as a toddler (around 3 years old...yikes! That's how old my son is now!).

Playing Catch-up

There has been a lot going on in the Moss household lately. Well, maybe not SO much, but it sure seems that way! Nothing earth shattering or even too mildly interesting has occurred, so I have neglected to update the blog as often as I should. To make up for my transgression, the following posts are a taste of what we've been up to for the past month or so. I promise to blog more frequently from now on!