Dinner Party

Mor invited a few friends over for a lovely dinner party while I was in town. We enjoyed delicious food and tasty wine along with interesting conversation.

Sweden Visit

I made it to Sweden - a different route that brought me to mor's house in the late evening. It made jet lag adjusting easy! I am glad I packed my snow boots and a warm jacket,,,

Happy Birthday, Bob!

Bob's birthday fell on a Sunday this year, and a snowy one. Lukas made Yorkshire pudding for breakfast.
After church, the three guys spent time devising a contraption for one of Bob's labs. It was a joy listening to the banter back and forth, the discussions, and the troubleshooting. The final product, made from things found around the house, is now at school for Bob's lab. 
No birthday, nor any Sunday is complete without a nap, so it is a given that Bob took a long nice nap.
Bob wanted to go out for dinner to celebrate his birthday, so we headed to Fat Olives for amazing Italian food. Lukas and Noah got some new topping ideas for the Friday homemade pizzas and lamented the lack of a pizza oven at home.
Bob managed to blow out his candles and enjoyed opening his gifts from near and far. All in all, it was an enjoyable day celebrating an amazing husband, a fantastic father, and a great man.

Some gifts were wrapped in birthday paper others were not

Invention

High ceilings are wonderful until it is time to clean. Lukas crafted a device to wipe down all the cobweb that forms in the most inconvenient places. No need to purchase a single-use specialty tool when there are ingenuity and supplies on hand. It is good to live in a family of problem solvers!

Birthday Gifts

Lukas has found his niche in gift-giving - he makes them. For his uncle, rather than purchasing the desired camping extras, he crafted them using his sewing machine. The three items weighed in at less than five ounces - lots of utility for very little additional weight on the trail.

Best P.E.

We continue to take advantage of our proximity to the mountains. The sun is shining, the snow fell all night, the trails are good, and we are enjoying our P.E.

behind all the gear hide  Lukas, Noah, and Christina

Can't Stop Him Now

Lukas has been monitoring the movement of his most recent fabric order. He has completed a backpack for his Mama and a packable daypack for the Scout Master. He has prototyped his birthday gifts. There is nothing to do until the real fabric arrives - and today it did. Since it is President's Day, the library was closed so he could not do thesis research - and used that as an excuse to commandeer the dining room table for his newest project - his own non-destructible daypack.

Birthday Gifts

When Lukas is not editing scholarship essays, setting up drones for Stem Club, or doing school, he can be found at the sewing machine. With birthdays on the horizon, he is busy designing patterns and creating.

Bagel Making

Bob, Lukas, and Noah enjoy salt bagels. We often stop at the local store to pick up bagels after church, however, it is not that common to find salt bagels. Lukas and Noah decided that it was high time to make bagels at home again. Careful measuring of flour, yeast, and water temperature and a few hours later, they had a dozen bagels - mostly salt, but even some cheese and some cinnamon ones.

Valentine

We celebrated Valentine's Day at home - pizza, wine, and ice cream for dessert

while watching Ford vs Ferrari - a great movie. Bob brought home flowers, quite the feat considering he is biking in the slush and ice.

Stem Club

Lukas and Noah are volunteering as leaders for the local 4H's Stem Club this spring. The group is learning about drones and Lukas enjoyed the challenge of getting it all up and running despite not getting the drones but a scant two hours before the first meeting.

Obligatory Top of the Mountain Photo

The view from the top of the ski lift is amazing. Although we are anxious to get going, I can usually coaxed the boys into at least one photo before we head downhill.

you could not identify us in a line-up :-)

Winter Sunset

I walked out of the store and the sky took my breath away - no photo can do this artist's work justices.

Enhanced Rubik's Cube

Noah is becoming quite the Rubik's Cube connoisseur. He recently ordered minuscule magnets to retrofit one of his current cubes. Magnets apparently make the movements smoother and faster...

Early Birthday Gift

Lukas generously offered to make a backpack for his mama as a birthday gift. We shopped for fabric and notions and he got right to it. He even made a few smaller pouches to help keep this and that organized. This is gift I will cherish for a long time.

Sunshine

On Sunday afternoon, we headed south to Sedona. The sky was blue, the sun was warm, and since we were dog sitting a hike sounded like the perfect afternoon activity. It is truly a blessing to live right amid gorgeous mountains and amazing hikes.

Wedding

Bob and Christina were invited to a gorgeous wedding on Saturday. The bride and groom could not stop grinning and we thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful vista, the lovely couple, the worshipful ceremony, the fun reception, and the after-party. A full day of festivities.

Luxurious Lunch

Noah set out to make macaroni and cheese for lunch - but not any old mac'n'cheese. He added prosciutto, broccoli, and specialty cheeses and finished it off under the broiler. It certainly rivaled any restaurant served macaroni dish we have had.