Family Ski Days

February and March are such a perfect time in Alaska - temps have warmed up a bit from the lows of January and the sun shines a little longer in the sky.  In between our trip to Hawaii, friends staying with us and then my parents visit, we are getting out to ski as a family as much as possible.  

With Ethan comfortable on his skis, he prefers to be out skiing next to us rather than riding in the chariot.  His 'skiing' is more like a walk with skis on, but he loves to have them on his feet and is pretty proud of himself as he does it.  He does a great job of keeping the tips straight and staying balanced.  

Lately he has started to think he needs poles when he skis like Mom and Dad.  Not sure he's balanced enough yet for us to give him sharp objects in his hands... 

As excited as Ethan is to get out of the chariot, our lucky girl Kelsey is pretty happy hanging out inside in the cozy warmth.  She gets some pretty good naps in there. 

Aaron and I both bought new types of cross country skiis this year that let us get off the groomed trails and explore more unchartered land.  We are having a great time checking out new places to ski and being in more secluded woods.  

As much as Ethan seems to love walking in his skis, I think the real reason he likes to get out of the chariot on our adventures is so he can eat the snow.  This guys LOVES to eat snow.  And I'm not talking about eating snow like every other kid that snacks on a few handfuls as they make a snowman, I am talking about pure joy of having everything around you covered in your favorite food and happy to sit forever to try and eat it all.  (which is why Aaron now calls him Augustus Gloop) 

As he skis he continually pretends to fall over just so he has an excuse to shovel some more in his mouth.      Luckily, he seems to understand to only eat the white snow - yellow snow is not as tasty!  ;)  

Ethan would even rather have a cup full of snow for a post ski refreshment than a cup of hot cocoa.  He was so into the snow that day that he said his first real, unprompted word in months - snow. 

This little guy truly was destined to be born in Alaska so he can live in a world covered in his favorite food.  (there is nothing better than a little snow in your oatmeal in the morning!)

Every day it is more and more noticeable about how fast Ethan is growing up.  One Saturday morning I look over at him sitting at the counter, pouring milk into his cup by himself (and didn't spill a drop!)...

...and then proceeded to 'read' a magazine as he drank it.  He was a spitting image of his dad pouring his coffee and reading his magazine at the table.  This kid cracks me up.

Ethan is growing up in other ways as well - he runs and jumps like a big kid and not a toddler, he figured out how to jump forward (and off things...), he loves to swing from bars or anything that resembles a bar and can do a somersault by himself.  

He no longer gets bored staying at home because he is getting creative enough to make up games of his own when he gets tired of mine.  Even though he is not talking yet, his gestures and 'ooos' and 'ohhh' are so expressive I forget that he doesn't actually use words to communicate.

As for Kelsey, she is going through what I call the three month 'waking up period'.  It seems like at each 3, 6, and 9 months babies become noticeably more aware of their surroundings and make huge cognitive developments.  Kelsey is in the middle of her first!

Kelsey is starting to sleep less during the day and is so active and alert when she is a awake.  I love to watch her studying what is in front of her - you can see her learning and taking it all in.  

I've said it before, but Kelsey is such a smiley baby.  She is probably the most smiley baby I have seen.  If her eyes are open and she's not hungry, she has a big, goofy smile on her face.   

The best part about her happiness is that it's not just her mouth that smiles - it is her whole body.  When she starts smiling, her mouth opens, her tongue comes out, her head starts nodding, her arms move around, her body wiggles, her legs start jumping around and her toes turn in.  Happiness just takes over and nothing in her body can hold still.  It is the cutest thing.  (I love this picture of she and her daddy sticking tongues out at each other!) 

We are having so much fun with her now that she is awake and alert more.  She loves to practice standing with her daddy, do tummy time with her brother and just giggle and smile at all of us.  

Our baby girl is getting stronger - her head is stable and she loves to hold it high.  Her legs are also crazy strong - she can hold her weight up with them and she can throw them around impressively.  When she gets excited or mad she does a funny thrust/lift with her legs that can send blankets flying and actually move her around in her crib.

Other than her smile, one of my favorite things about Kelsey is that she does these leg thrusts in her sleep, when she is not sleeping very deep.  She wakes us in the early hours of the morning, not by crying but by shaking her bassinet or our bed.  It's hilarious to watch a sleeping baby thrust around so much.  (OK, sometimes not so funny when I would rather be sleeping, but after the fact it is pretty humorous...)

On a totally random note, here is a picture of a sunset through the birch trees in our yard.  Spring is coming!!!