Elle says, part 2

Elle now calls me "fat pants" to get my attention when she needs to tell me something.  This is a term of endearment daddy uses for all of his girls. In fact,  I bought Elle a picture for her wall that says "you are beauty full" she says "no I not I fat pants".

The other day after our naps us girls went for a walk.  We returned to the house and had a little picnic. I let Elle grab her own juice from the fridge. Without my noticing she picked up an extra juice and handed it to me when  we got outside saying "here mommy,  this one is for you". (Heart melt)

Isla has been a little upset lately on our drives home from school. Today I asked Elle what was wrong with Isla. She said she didn't know,  I asked if she was hungry ... Elle said,  "yeah,  she wants boob".

Elle is a great singer and when I heard the song Roar by Katy Perry I told Elle that was her song, she is really good at roaring. Now you will often hear Elle singing the chorus on her own...
"I got the eye of a tiger,  fighter
Dancing in the fire
I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar oar oar oar oar! Uh oar oar oar. "
It's the best ever.

More cute sister outfits and love

Time to debut another sister and outfit photo opp. This time Aunt Sandy is to take credit. The theme is peace,  love and butterflies. Seems logical to me. Elle is  up for any opportunity to hold baby Isla.

Frivolous but adorable

It seems as though Aunt LeAnn, Uncle David and Cousin Dulcinea have way too much fun shopping for the little ones. But we really do enjoy the fruits of their labor. This outfit is perfect for the lazy summer afternoon sipping on cocktails with friends by the seaside. Thank you for this adorable ensemble. Check out my beautiful baby.

Summertime and the living is easy.

Isla's Blue Steel...she's still perfecting it. It's hard when you don't yet recognize yourself in the mirror.

The optional light knit sweater is the perfect coverup to shield against those cool ocean breezes.

Elle's first ride

I can hardly believe it but my two year old was tall enough and brave enough to go on a fair ride all by herself. The ride was her and another girl spraying water on a building to"put out a fire". She says it was"washing the hotel". I am so proud and she is very proud of herself. What a fun time at Como Town at the Como Zoo.

Elle says

Happy New Year!

Where's hat and mittens? (referring to her chef's hat and oven mits).

Elle believes your jammies should be accessorized with skirts and shoes

Helping daddy shop at Macy's for spiffy work clothes

Elle's "hat"

Some of the things Elle says are quite funny especially since she is not even 2 years old and we have some good little conversations sometimes. She remembers words from weeks ago and even the intonation used when she learned the word. 

Examples include: 
Looking at her matching book one of the pages is all about racing vehicles, I pointed to one and she said "MONSTER TRUCK" in her best monster voice. I wasn't there when she learned this one but it stuck with her and she still says MONSTER TRUCK whenever we are matching pictures on that page. 

Yesterday I made myself a latte and we were headed out the door. Elle asked me what I had I said mommy's milk, she replied, "chai tea?" I asked her to repeat it and she said "chai tea", yes I said, it's chai tea although she hasn't heard that phrase since new year's when my mom was here. 

Chad and I were telling Elle that her birthday is next month and she will be two years old. What fun! How exciting! What kind of birthday do you want? we ask, "happy" was Elle's reply. That I think we can do.

Lately I've been coughing alot so Elle says "bless you" in her sweetest voice. (heart melt)

Many conversations usually revolve around, "where did (something) go?" Elle asks, I say "I don't know,"  Elle says, "find 'em?" Then you can hear "hmmpht" as she walks around with her shoulders shrugged and hands in the air. This goes on and on but its super cute and sweet. These somethings often include, daddy, the moon, the sun, the cat that walks through our yard everyday, the deer on the hill where we live, other family members and the list goes on.

Just this morning I asked Elle if she wants cereal. "Kix?" she asks, okay. So I go to the kitchen to get her a bowl, she follows me, "and milk?", yes, milk I say, and "spoon?" she asks. Yes I say and go sit down I'll bring it to you. She turns around, "and napkin?" Okay, napkin too. Geez, talk about quality control, she wasn't so sure I was gonna get it right. Too funny. 

Now, you'll often hear, "okie dokie." She may be spending too much time with me. What a sweet girl.

Keeping our toddler busy

I am learning to love the dollar store. Now that I am working in the schools with preschool and elementary aged children I need to find inexpensive activities to enhance fine/visual motor skills. This also provides an opportunity to find fun things for Elle to do.

I love the window clings and magnets too which happens to be some of Elle's favorites. We have a magnetic whiteboard where she can play with different magnets and also color with whiteboard crayons.

I love pom poms and so does Elle she is finding lots of places to hide them around the house. This was a color sorting activity which she was able to do very easily and soon we will be doing some projects with them using glue and popsicle sticks and tongs for additional fine motor practice. The opportunities are endless.

 

The foam letter and number puzzle is fun and time consuming to disassemble, one day putting it back together will also be entertaining. Anything for learning and to keep busy.  

Elle's Latest Artwork

Salt dough handprint ornaments

Handprint turkey

Elle has a lot to do during her day in school this includes creating works of art. It is always fun when we go to get her and there is a fun project waiting for us to bring home. It is a shame that we are the only ones who get to see them so I thought I'd share them with friends and family. Take a look, the salt dough handprints were made at home as gifts for grandparents with a little help from mommy.

Whenever we see Elle's art she always says, "I made that!" She is so proud of what she does. She also recognizes her name and can identify the letter E. Pretty cool. Enjoy. I hope to be able to put more fun things in our blog to keep people up to date with our family. Please feel free to comment.

Continuing Education

It is on to a new type of adventure for Chad and I. The past year and a half, give or take a month or two have been very busy. I decided to go back to school and get my Master's Degree in Occupational Therapy. Easier said than done, I hold a Communication Studies degree so I had few of the required courses to apply to the program. It was required to have courses in Anatomy , Psychology, Statistics, and the two random courses in Physics and Human Biology among others.

On top of that the application process was challenging. I applied to several schools to increase my chances of acceptance and in order to do so I had to meet the varied criteria for application for seven different programs including separate essays, classes, job shadowing, and volunteering plus reference letters from former employers, OTs, and professors. It was an interesting journey but in the end rewarding as I was accepted to several of the schools. Even though Chad and I were prepared to move as far away as Wyoming to make my new career possible we ended up right where we started and I will be attending the University of Minnesota program.

We are very excited for a few reasons. One, the program is the shortest of all the schools I applied to, I could potentially be working around this time 2014. Two, it starts in September, so I have a few months to catch my breath and work before I dive into the program, most programs started in May and June. Three, the program is a hybrid of online courses and on site training but mostly online which is kind of a nice option. Four, it is my alma mater so I am very excited to continue with the UMN.

I am sure some of you were not sure what I've been doing the past few years and were confused as to what classes I was taking and now it is official that all my hard work and preparation will pay off as I was accepted to the Master's program. Hopefully, this will also explain why in the next two years to come I am not going to be available for trips or anything fun! It will all be worth it in the end, I just know it.

SW Road Trip: Mesa Verde, Ouray, and Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Can you believe I am still talking about this road trip? Well, I must finish what I've started. The final day of our SW road trip included an amazing drive and night north of Durango, CO. The town of Ouray (pr. you ray) is the cutest place ever with some AMAZING views, hot springs, and canyons. Apparently, Box Canyon is world renowned for it's ice climbing and ancient history. All we know is after our fearful, icy drive on the $2 million highway we landed in Ouray and were happy we did. We arrived late in the evening, it was pitch black and the roads were slick, fortunately there were hotel rooms available, unfortunately no one in town served food after 9 o'clock. Gas station pizza and a beer at the local pub cured us for the night and our next day was great. It was drizzling, but we still were able to soak in the hot springs, hike around Box Canyon, and visit the local museum. Very interesting mining town history and I would love to stay here again.

We had to get moving though because it was tough to say how long a drive it would be back to Winter Park and we had to be in MN the next day. One more National Park to hit and we'd be on our way. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is just a few miles east of Montrose and even though we were only making a quick stop it was worth the drive. All of the national parks have a movie you can watch to learn more about the area, history, and landscape. This one was crazy. This canyon is deep and the river is dangerous yet with little advanced equipment pioneers were determined to explore the river and not many lived to tell the tale. My pictures do not do it justice and Chad and I will return to spend more time in this area. It's awesome.

Our drive took us through some amazing landscape and back through Glenwood Springs. We'd been to this area years ago when we flew to Colorado for a wedding. The size of this town has more than doubled but is still a desirable area. I'd recommend the trip.

Several hours later we made it to Winter Park. We fell fast asleep with the knowledge we had a sixteen hour drive to make home with all of our stuff the next day and the worst of it we were leaving Colorado and the West behind. Hopefully, we will return and possibly make one of these areas our home. Only time will tell!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

We truly wish everyone a happy and healthy new year.

With love, Chad and Christina Sears

SW Road Trip: Arches National Park and 4X4 Trip

We woke up in Moab, UT and knew it would be a great day because there is so much to see and do. We sat down for breakfast to plan our day but couldn't decide what to do so we went to the Visitor Center and took their recommendations. It's what you do when you only have one day to do it all.

First on the list was a drive through Arches National Park with a short hike to Landscape Arch. It was already busy as we couldn't even find a place to park. This is the downside of popular parks. The upside is incredible views and landscapes.

To beat the crowd after our hike we drove off the highway and down a random dirt road. We thought we would be brave but lost our nerve when we saw the "road". So we turned around, left the park, and regrouped for the off-roading trail we had planned outside the park for later that day.




Once we refueled and regrouped we followed the directions we had been given and headed out of town. The pictures really say it all. It started out and looked easy enough but we were a little nervous for what was ahead. We were still learning how our Land Rover works off-road when navigating over rocks and up steep inclines. We really wanted to do it though because, hey, we own a Land Rover and we know it is sick of city streets. Plus, the vehicle has all these neat features provided exclusively for trips just like this one.

We started heading up and up and the road was narrow and going up and up and it was ROCKY. Don't forget there are people heading down and we needed to share the road. We were a little hyped up but when we saw that rock over the road we weren't sure. The only thing is, how would we turn around if it got to be too much? Well, we couldn't so onward we went. We made it and it was awesome. Fortunately, another vehicle came by and we were able to watch them climb the rocky road and gave us the nerve to barrel through. Sometimes it’s nice to watch how it's done and it totally helped.

The views were amazing and we felt accomplished. If you ever get to Moab you gotta do it. Either use your own 4X4 or rent one. You won't regret it.

This was a long day, we drove through Dead Horse Point State Park, Canyonlands National Park, and then drove to Cortez, Colorado to spend the night where we even had time to try some local brew and prepare for another day.

SW Road Trip: Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef and Moab

I know what you're thinking about now. We looked at a lot of rocks!

and there's more...

We woke up from our very cold evening and didn't really warm up all day. The day was sooo cold. Bryce Canyon National Park and Capitol Reef National Park were on our schedule for the day. We also drove through the northern portion of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The pictures above were all taken along a 130 mile stretch. There were towers and plateaus, hoodoos, mountains and lakes, farms, fields, rivers, canyons, and valleys. The road was windy and up and down and it was unbelievably beautiful. The pictures are in order and at times it was literally snowing and icy then the sun was out and was rather warm.

This Scenic Byway 12 was so cool. We really want to go back. Even though my photos hardly do it justice and most were taken while I was in motion Chad and I were thinking we could stay there permanently. I'm getting behind the idea of owning an airplane more and more all the time. There is NOTHING for miles and miles and I know that this statement being made by a girl from North Dakota should hold some weight. There is NOTHING out there for miles and miles. But it's an awesome nothingness.



I have one picture of the Kiva Koffeehouse. It was worth the stop. The valley photo with the silver and green trees were the view from this coffeehouse and the owner/builder/dreamer of this place also built cabins in the wall of the canyon for guests to stay. What a neat place. Great coffee and local art and pottery for purchase at a reasonable price.

Bryce Canyon was a quick trip for us. There were not many ammenities in the area, most importantly no good coffee so we just stopped at the scenic overlooks and called it good. It was a good stop but not that exciting to be honest. I think cross-country skiing and snowmobiling or atv-ing in the area would be the way to go if you are going to visit.

Capitol Reef was a better stop. The rocks were so red and the spring green was beautiful. Since it had been rainy we had to be very careful driving through because of flash flooding. These places look so dry and desolate in some parts and then there are orchards everywhere in between. that is just one of the strange and unique characteristics of Utah that is rather captivating.

It's amazing that the parks in Utah are really close and you can see so much in a few days. We were able to see as much as we wanted that day and still make it to Moab for the night in good time. We were excited to get to Moab. This place is a real destination for outdoor enthusiasts and as much as we love outdoor sports and travel we look pedestrian to most of this town's patrons.

It was only the second weekend in May and all the hotels were full. If you want to rock climb, atv, raft, kayak, bike, hike, camp, sky-dive, get lost, or test your vehicle's off-roading ability this is the place. Plus, there is good shopping, restaurants, spas, resorts, coffee, beer, bloody mary's and more. We found an RV park to pull into for the night. For around $15-20 bucks we parked in a safe spot, had access to a bathroom and hot shower. Not a bad gig really. If only we'd had our beloved camping gear we would have enjoyed the Land Rover hotel so much more.

SW Road Trip: Zion to Red Canyon

The next day after we spent our first night in the Land Rover we woke up just in time to get dressed before it started to rain, then sleet and then we watched it turn to a snow storm. I am writing this entry about three months after we were in this area but still snow in May when we were just in 90 degree weather is not what you want when you are touring national parks.

Luckily, we kept driving into Zion National Park and the farther we went the less snow we saw. We got to the park and hopped on the complimentary shuttle bus which took us down the trail to the famous Narrows. It had been rainy so we didn't get to hike very far but this park is so BEAUTIFUL. I didn't have any expectations and I was blown away. The color green with the red-orange background of the towering rocks was just spectacular. They had plenty of moisture for the season so the waterfalls were running and there were so many of them. It was awesome.

We were only disappointed that we didn't have more time to spend in Zion. We needed to stay on track as we had many more great parks to visit. This same day we drove out of Zion and made our way to the Scenic Byway 12. We would be on this road for the next couple of days. The lesser known Red Canyon was exceptional and we spent the night in a Forest Service Campground which was just reconstructed so the showers and bathrooms were nice, clean and NEW. The only downside, the nighttime temperatures were supposed to drop to 26 degrees and it did and it was cold. We survived!

SW Road Trip: Grand Canyon to Grand Staircase-Escalante

This was our last day at the Grand Canyon so I set my alarm to wake up early enough to see the sunrise. The Grand Canyon literally transforms and changes shape and color just about every minute of the day. Especially when the sun is rising or setting. So I was awake around six a.m. but I misread the actual time of sunrise so I ended up in the park just a little late. I was still one of the only people in the park. Not until I was in the vehicle on my way to the park did I realize that it was 36 degrees outside. Silly me, I was wearing a skirt of all things! Luckily I had a blanket so I wrapped up and sat as close to the edge as I could and watched the darkness of the canyon take on shapes and colors and light that few visitors take the time to see. It was awesome to say the least.

We left later that morning for Paige, AZ, stopping to see ancient ruins and the view of the canyon from the eastern edge. The drive is rather desolate but once we arrived in Paige we were excited to see Lake Powell and find out if we were in time for a boat tour to Rainbow Bridge. Only minutes late we missed our only chance for the day and decided to hike to Horseshoe Point. It was a quick hike to see a "horseshoe" shaped bend in the Colorado River. We will have to make a special trip to Lake Powell one day and rent a houseboat. It is a huge lake with canyon walls, bays and natural "bridges" that would be fun explore when we have time to enjoy it.

We wanted to be able to spend a good amount of time in Zion the next day so we headed to Kanab in search of a place to sleep for the night. We drove through the southern end of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and stopped at the Paria Movie Set, an area that once was the home to hundreds of early farmers and settlers before it became "Little Hollywood." Movies such as the "Outlaw Josie Wales" and TV shows "Gunsmoke" were filmed in this area for 40 years. Kanab is not nearly as big as we thought it would be so we just kept driving and driving.

Ultimately we end up at an RV park on the side of the highway in Carmel-Mt Junction across the road from a Best Western about twenty miles east of the park entrance for Zion National Park. This was our first night sleeping in the Land Rover and grilling out. All turned out very nicely, we made a bed in the back which was quite roomy and if we'd had our ThermaRest pads we'd have been in heaven.

SW Road Trip: In the Grand Canyon

Chad and I found a trail we wanted to hike in the Grand Canyon; the South Kaibab trail. It is just a short shuttle ride to the trailhead from the visitor center. Even though we had a late start it was a great hike. The pictures say it all.

The hike to Skeleton Point and back was a six mile trip, there and back and took us five hours with adequate breaks. If we had more time a hike to the river would have been awesome but they do not recommend doing so in one day. In fact, they strongly discourage it as you can end up spending a cold night in the canyon unprepared even if you think you are in good shape. Maybe next time!

SW Road Trip: Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon Part I

After a few errands in Las Vegas we head east. First stop the Hoover Dam and the Dam tour.

It is a five hour drive to the Grand Canyon so we arrived just in time to see the sunset. The National Geographic Visitor Center is open late so we were able to watch the IMAX on the Grand Canyon before eating a late Mexican dinner and going to bed. The Grand Canyon IMAX was filmed in 1984 and follows the history of the first inhabitants and explorers including Powell's trip down the Colorado into the canyon. It is really good and the MOST WATCHED IMAX.

We have big Grand Canyon plans the next day and need to get some rest.

SW Road Trip: Las Vegas

Chad and I met Le and Clarence in Las Vegas, Friday May 7.

We drove all night to arrive in Las Vegas around 5:30am from Winter Park, CO. His parents flew in and got there around 10am. First things first we had lunch at Spago in the Caesar's Palace Forum. Very beautiful place and the food was fab. Since I've been in the frozen land of Winter Park, CO, for maybe too long, I headed to the pool and Chad went back to work.

Our evening began with an elegant wine and cheese spread that was sent to Le and Clarence's room in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary by Lynne (Chad's sister) and her family. That was awesome. After sharing the wine, beer and cheese we went to the hotel's restaurant The Hash House A Go Go. The portions were LARGE and the food and drinks were really good.

Time was of the essence as we had to get going because we had a limo waiting for us as a surprise for Le and Clarence. We rode around for awhile, thinking it was a tour of Vegas, when we arrived at the Wedding Chapel which was adorable and we broke the news that we were surprising them with renewing their vows. It was really neat. Elvis was there, sang a song then walked Le down the aisle. There was a ring and vow exchange that was pretty emotional and then a photo shoot that lasted about as long as the ceremony. The CD of the ceremony was purchased so we can share this experience with anyone who wants to view it.

After this we were on our way to the Mirage for the 9:30 show of the Beatles Love Cirque du Soleil. That was my first time seeing the Cirque and I loved it. Everyone really enjoyed it and I believe I would go to Vegas again to see the exact same show because there is just so much going on I think you could watch it 5 more times and see a different part of the show each time. Highly recommended.

Our evening was not quite over, we walked down the strip to see the water show at the Bellagio before we could finally call it a night. Immediately after we went to our rooms. We were exhausted and had to be ready for Saturday as that is the day we would see the Grand Canyon.

End of Season at Winter Park

Sunday, April 18 was the last ski day at Winter Park for the 09-10 season. In typical ski resort fashion it was a big party with shorts, hula skirts, bands and pond skimming. The hill had classic spring conditions with super soupy snow, when skied feels a lot like water skiing. The temperature was at least 60 degrees and the sun was shining. It was a perfect way to end the season.

If you look closely at the pictures I've posted you can see just how many people showed up to party. Plus the c-lot was made into a camper haven with a stage set up for a full afternoon of bands.

Of course, Chad and I are just no fun and I had a test to study for so we just celebrated by eating out on the patio. Woo hoo.

We'll be back one way or the other for next season as we just couldn't resist buying another season pass for Winter Park.

April 'snow' showers bring unexpected powder days

Is this April? In March I was sure that spring was here. The snow was melting, my ski suit was way too warm to ski in and the ski hill was just not as much fun. Things have turned around in Winter Park, CO for snow lovers.

If this kind of snow fell in the Midwest right now there would be some angry people. As for Coloradoans, there are smiles all around. Tuesday morning we awoke to 5" of fresh powder on the hill. I figured I needed to get out there, since there's snow and all. Could be my last good day on the hill. The happiness you could see at the ski resort was contagious.

I am not in great powder shape anymore and really felt it on Tuesday, luckily I woke up Wednesday morning and there was 10" of fresh powder so I could test my abilities again. MUCH BETTER! As you can see from my photos if you don't ski the steep stuff you are going to be on a busy hill and today I was up for the challenge. Good thing I got in a practice day on Tuesday.

Everyone must love it, the Mary Jane parking extended all along the road, overflowing from the parking lots onto the highway. That's a lot of cars for a Wednesday when Tuesday the parking lots were not even full.

I'll admit I'm ready for sunshine and warmer weather so I was a little crabby about this snowiness and the overcast days but with several inches of fresh snow I had one of the best ski days all year. Even the sun is shining today.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the photos of Winter Park/Mary Jane the ski resort and the towns Winter Park and Fraser.

Weekend Update: Mara and Adam's Visit

Mara and Adam MacDonald visited the Sears' winter home this last weekend. They were able to leave their two boys at home with Grandma and take four days for themselves.

We started out with drinks and dinner in Denver with a little mini-bowling thrown in. The next day we took a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park to cross-country ski. It was a new experience for all of us. Fortunately, the day was beautiful and we didn't hurt ourselves. We actually had an awesome time and an amazing workout.

Sunday, Chad, Adam and I downhill skied. Just because we hadn't had enough the day before I guess. We were very worn out by the end of the day. Mara had a great day of r and r, getting a pedicure, and having her hair done, I think she had the right idea. Monday we went to the Coors Brewery Tour in Golden, which was alot of fun. This was an action packed weekend and a great time was had by all.