The Grantster

Not too much going on around here lately . . .





I did manage to take some pictures of the G Man, though.





He never ceases to surprise us with the things he says.



I guess he isn't our lil' baby any more.

Grand Lodge on Peak 7

Okay, I admit it . . . I hauled my skis and boots and poles and gear and junk and everything else up to Breckenridge thinking that I would undoubtedly get in at least one day of skiing, but totally and completely vegged out the entire weekend instead. This place is so luxurious that it seems silly to leave and go out into the snow. Why would you want to go skiing all day, when you can just hang out in the pool and enjoy all of the amenities.





Let me put it this way - Grant nicknamed this place "The Fancy House". That about sums it up.





If I had to come up with something negative about the trip it would only be that it's a tad difficult to breath at 10,000 feet above sea level after chasing kiddos around all afternoon.





But the views more than make up for the lack of oxygen.








And the best part is that you don't even need an imaginary camera to enjoy yourself, although it does help in documenting the occasion.



Here we are enjoying our own private movie theatre, complete with digital movie database, remote control lights and a pair of gigantic bean bags . . . for your viewing pleasure.





Before pulling out of town, we headed over to the local sledding hill for some cold-weather fun. Unfortunately, a hostile band of rabid yoga practitioners kicked Jen and Bella out of the only heated pavilion within walking distance. It's a long story and not one finely suited for a family-friendly blog like this one.





Thanks again, John and Carolyn - we all had a blast.


Ben O.

Christmas Morning

I'm just going to let these pictures speak for themselves . . .



















Ben O.

Christmas Tree Cutting

A little over a week ago, we made our annual trek up into the mountains to cut our Family Christmas Tree. The Meyers (less Megan and a sick lil' Brogan) and The Mays joined us on a beautiful wintry day in Colorado. There was just enough snow that all the kiddos got tired and had to be sledded or carried back to the parking area, but not quite enough to actually make a snowman or even a decent snowball.


We started off the morning snapping the usual pictures with Smokey Bear, before heading out to secure the most perfect tree in the National Forest. About an hour later, we had our tree. Grant even helped pick it out.

After some much needed rest (after hauling the tree, the saw and the Grantster back out to dry land), we all ate lunch and sang songs. Okay, I made that part up about singing songs, but we did have a really fun time with our friends. Christmas truly is the most magical time of the year.




(Click here for the complete album of pictures.)



Ben O.

Christmas Card Out-takes

Here is a quick lil' update for those who aren't on Facebook (Nathan - hello!?! when are you going to sign up for Facebook like the rest of the Planet?)







What we have here are some of my favorite pictures that didn't quite make the cut when we were designing our Family Christmas Card this year.






I especially like the ones of Jen, Grant and Bella at Red Rocks. The sun was pretty harsh that afternoon, but the models more than made up for the less than ideal conditions. I am truly blessed and just love taking pictures of my lovely family. Hopefully, I can get my act together and get even more posted here on our Blog in the days to come.





Ben O.

Out With the Old, In With the New (or "Almost New")

After 15 years, and a lot of being covered with snow, we had to say goodbye to our Mitsubishi Eclipse. She finally died about 2 blocks from the repair shop.


The good news is that we now have a shiny new (to us) Kia Spectra. It's great - the radio works, the air conditioner works and most importantly - the engine works. There's even a direct auxiliary input for my iPod. Ain't modern technology grand?


So, we thought that the best way to kick off our little family blog would be to introduce everyone to the newest member of our family. But before we say goodbye to the Mitsubishi forever, here are a couple of parting images in remembrance of the good times . . .







Oh, we also had a new baby recently too (more on that to follow.)