Snow Bunny Easter

This years Easter celebrations, were close to home and quite. For the last 4 years we've either had Easter brunch at our house making eggs benedict with all the fixings for all our friends or we've gathered in the desert camping with friend making eggs benedict with all the fixings....have you caught on that I LOVE eggs benedict! The only other thing missing this year, other then our friends, was the mimosa! I also LOVE mimosas! But with baby brother baking in the oven we took it easy and experienced a whole new Easter in our own back yard.

Greta got spent Easter at Snowbird being a snow bunny!

She meet the Easter bunny...

found some of his eggs fill with goodies...

then spent the rest of the day skiing with Daddy!

She's really getting her ski legs this year!

I spent the day looking like the Easter bunny hid all of his eggs in my belly :)

Baby Madness

T-minus 3 weeks until the 4th member (5th if you include the big dog) is added to Team Kirby. Not sure what happened to the last 8 months. A recap of our adventures is long awaited and long overdure, as always. I honestlythink I may be the laziest blogger around...well it's time to jump back on the wagon.

Winter came on strong for the Wasatch front. Dumping loads of snow on our porch and backyard playground. I managed to get a few days in a the resorts before my ski pant button burst and before my "mommy conscious" told me that it just was not safe to risk it anymore. Cross country skiing was looking hopeful for the rest of the winter, but early contractions put an end to that fun and most any activity in my days. I figured I could it was better to stop and rest then have a 2lb baby boy.

We did manage to get one family ski trip to Southern Utah's Boulder Mountain, were we stay at our favorite lodge for a quite get away. We've spent most of the rest of the winter close to home "nesting". Time at home allowed us to finish the long awaited master bath remodel, putting the Raintree House remodel to bed, finally. There is not a surface inside this house that we have not proudly improved. Time to move...ha, just kidding.

March and April felt like a mad dash to the baby readiness finish line and as the month's end is creeping up on us FAST, I feel we are ready for the next chapter in our life to start. My belly has reached a point of no return. Even my doctor commented at my last appointment that I already look full term...and I am only 36 weeks. Not sure I have it in me to get any larger, I'll most likely just fall on my face. My only hope is seeing a friend of mine most recently bake twins in her belly to 38 weeks, and one day. Her pre-pregnancy frame is 1/3 of mine and she had twice my belly diameter, so I have some hope that I'll stay upright.

It's funny that the thing that gets me the most about this pregnancy, is not the pregnancy at all or the reality of our baby boy's arrival. No, it's the pure amazement of watching my #1 little girl grow up in what seems to be at an exponential rate right before my eyes. Greta has transformed into a full blown preschooler over the months. Her imagination is thriving and her speech is shockingly advanced. She tells fascinating stories of the adventures of "Pink Baby" (her doll). They travel the world together, cook, go to the play park, meet new friends together, but most of all they spend lots of time on Redondo Beach (her most memorable vacation spot to date, thanks to Dave and Shelley. I am convinced she will leave home to live there someday). She's also an amazing talent in the Art department. Creating masterpieces with any paper she can get her hands on, some scissors, markers/paints and a glue stick.

She is an emotional and caring girl, who is constantly bringing me pillows for my aching prego back and always remembering to give baby brother a kiss on my belly or telling him where we are going so he does not feel left out just because he can not see yet. So as the arrival of #2 is among us I can't hardly imagine that we'll be so lucky to have these experiences again, all be it in a totally new and different light then the first time. I never really thought I would be a mom, but now I can not see my life any other way. She has changed me, and he will too!

The baby timer is now officially ticking. I am not totally convinced that I will make it full term this time (May 19) leading me to believe that early May will be his arrival time, just like his sister. I'll keep you posted.

Team Kirby survived another Summer/Fall of whirl wind travels (ID, CO, CA, UT) family vacations, weddings, camping/backpacking/climbing trips, music festivals and Birthdays. In what felt like a blink of an eye the summer has come to it's end. Winter is on it's way and is always a welcomed season in the Kirby house, with cooler temperatures reminding us that our hibernation is approaching. Winter is our time to slow down, stay home and enjoy our own backyard from time to time. Don't get me wrong, we do love our "always on the go" fun, but lets face it, I'm tired! and you will be too after this post. I've attempted to photo document our summer and fall adventures...enjoy!

June

Beautiful California wedding for our

great friends David and Shelley

Early July

Jess turns 34,

Gmom Visits, Family Backpacking Deseret Peak

Mid July

Steamboat 4th of July Celebration

End of July

Sawtooth Yurt, Biking

and Music Festival

August

Stauter, Sherman, Kirby Campout

at Trappers Lake, CO

Early September

Montrose for Gmom's Birthday,

then off to through hike in the Uncompahgre Wilderness

Late September

City of Rocks Climbing Trip

Hiking in the Uinta's

Early October

Trip to Moab with Grandpa and Grandma Linda

Mid October

Miss Greta turned 3 years old!

I can hardly believe how much she has changed.

End of October

Annual Pumpkin Patch trip with Nana & Pops

and Halloween fun on Park City Main Street, dressed as Team Sushi.

Almost Done

There's just one more thing we'd like to share with all of you.......

...That's right!

We're adding a team member in May 2011!

Spring Collage Photo Update

Team Kirby has been busy over the last few months. Below is a photo collage of the past months, you can click on the collage to get a closer look. ENJOY!

We have all managed recovered from our aliments, to one degree or another, and have managed to hop back on the wagon that puts a smile on our faces, LIFE. We started off our spring with smiling faces but with an aching hearts. Grandma Viv, 95 years old this September, decided she'd had enough. The stroke she suffered just weeks before really took her strength; She closed her eye on the day of St. Patrick and walked up to heaven with the Patron Saint of Ireland himself. I am still struggling with her loss. I will miss her dearly,especially her laughter! We spent St. Patrick's day celebrating Grandma's life, with our annual Kirby-Henrikson gathering. This year with the addition of their new little man, Roarke. Topping off the day with Greta's St Patrick's Day parade with her school; She thoroughly enjoyed waving from the float.

March brought with it a trip to ZION with G-Mom, Papa-D and Oliver. It was a much needed distraction and allowed us to try out our "camping legs" for the season. The warm spring air, although windy, was welcomed and gave us a little taste of winters end. Greta and G-Mom spent the afternoons drawing our red rock surroundings and we all spent time hiking, relaxing and enjoying good food.

Grandma's funeral was in her home town of OKC. It was good to be back in Oklahoma. Stepping off the airplane was comforting...I am not sure if it's the humidity, the wind or the cowboy twang....but that city will always remind me of family! It makes me sad to think that I might never go back . The funeral was a mini family reunion, seeing faces that have been absent from my view for 7, 10 and even 20+ years. Grandma looked so peaceful as we said our goodbyes. It was a hard few days!

Returning to Utah and packing again...this time we headed waaaaaayyyyy down south to an area just southwest of St. George called The Beaver Dam Mountains. We met up with the SLC gang for an Easter weekend of biking, climbing, birthday and egg finding. The kids had a blast and all of them, less our little Eli, had a hand at their first roped climb. It was tooooo cute to see them give it there all! The egg hunt was a big success despite the inherit danger of sending 4 kids under 3 yrs running towards candy filled eggs, delicately placed on the spins cactus and limbs of joshua trees....and despite of fact that the easter bunny forget to tire up Hudson the dog who happens to be a big fan of hardboiled eggs and chocolate.

The rest of April was welcomed homebound for the family, other then a quick conference in Moab for Jess. Stefan cozied up with his birthday cake to fend off the cool spring weather, we got in a few more days of skiing before spring melt, we planted the garden and went to our first Utah symphony.

May put us on the road again, speding Mother's day with the DuRoss Clan on Mexican Mountain Road in the San Rafael Swell. Weather was prime and the desert flowers were peaking. Finn and Greta are really become good friends. It's so fun to watch them together. We took a few walks, boys did some climbing, girls enjoyed some relaxation and Greta, even though struggling with the stomach flu all weekend, managed to go "Naked Baby" on us and jumped into the San Rafael River....all 40ish degrees of it, brrrrrrr!

The rest of May was spent wishing the "cold-snow-more snow-come on it's almost June" away....We took in a Bee's Game, numerous play-parks and even managed a Big Cottonwood dinner picnic.

G is really growing up fast and is turing into one fascinating little girl. She still loves playing with her $0.50 garage sale doll house, reading, painting and being outside. She likes to tell me that she's "situated" and comes for a "big hugs and a kiss" every hour or so. She's a caring, extremely intelligent, personality superstar. She has however decided that she does not need to sleep anymore, which has her parents questioning our strength for #2?????? i.e. we're not sure we have it in us for another go around....that is until we look in those steal blue eyes and see that shinning smile. So, June is just around the corner and we're gearing up for a busy summer lineup, Team Kirby Summer 2010....here we come.

Out for the Count

There is really only comedy that can be had when your husband shows up one afternoon after skiing with a dislocated shoulder, just 1 week after you have major knee reconstructive surgery (Patella realignment and lateral release of the ligaments). The heavy narcotics that I was on at the time probably fostered my uncontrollable laughter that day. I am pretty sure that Greta did not think it was as funny. We spent weeks preparing her for mommies owie. Telling her that mommy would be coming home from the hospital with a BIG bandaid....but nothing could have prepared her for this spontaneous parental malfunction. I can only imagine what her little mind must had been thinking when she looked at us, both all rapped up in BIG bandaids, on pain killers and unable to preform as the trusty parents we had been for her until now. Her poor little eyes would just bug-out of her head in disbelief. To our pleasant surprise, she quickly took up the roll of "Care Taker", asking us each morning how our injuries we're feeling and bringing us ice. Her kindness and ability to comfort was, and still, stunning. Who would have guessed that at 2 1/2 year old has a capacity to show such empathy.

Our compounded injuries have turned Kirby land upside-down. Our usual routine of "On the Go - Never a Free Moment", has morphed into a sedentary existence, one so unfamiliar to us that we almost had to seek reference. Finally confronting the idea of what people do when they can't ski on a saturday afternoon and as cabin fever threatened our sanity, we headed out into the retail world. Our failed attempt at shopping for a new TV sent us scrambling out of the crowded Best Buy parking lot before we even steps on foot out of the car. Knowing we were not going to try that again, we settled on family lunches out and small trips to the park or Wheeler Farm for our family fun and our hopes are high for a trip to the swimming pool, now that I can get my leg wet again.

Being house bound has not stopped us from family visits. Nana was soooooo kind to come stay with us for the first week of post-op. Her priceless care and entertainment for G is something i'll be hard pressed to repay! Grandpa and Grandma Linda came 1 month post-op, originally to assist with the recover of knee #2, which has been delayed until May.Their visit was unlike any other, no XC skiing trips, no hikes, although we did manage a cool February picnic just to keep them on their toes.

Finishing off the month of February with a fun filled trip to Montrose to visit with Gmom and PapaD, with Tepees, snowy drives and a walk along the Uncompahgre river.

(Click here for more pictures).

We are healing fast and are stronger everyday. Spring is in the air and we look to warmer temps so we can stop thinking about the ski season we're missing out on and start thinking about the summer fun ahead! Greta already has her summer skin on (see photos link above), deciding that clothes are the optional part of everyday attire. She's still amazing us daily. She can count to 10, sing her ABC's and enjoys a good tea party! She says the funniest things...like when Stefan told her that a new sushi restaurant was opening in our shopping center and she said "Holy Moly!". This girl really loves sushi! or when she asked me what color her hair is and I said "Brown" then I asked her what color my hair is and she said "white", ha! I guess it's time to do some root dying. She's a sharp little one, never misses a thing. She can read stories ALLLLLL day long...discovering a new fondness with Thomas the Train, her favorite, of course, being Emily. We are potty training, she's doing GREAT! Stefan and I are already coming up with ideas for how we can spend our extra $40 a month...I vote for a beach vacation!