The Keene Family

Last year, we spent one weekend a month camping at Crystal Mountain, which we love to do. This year, we've been a little busy (ha) and haven't made it up there until this weekend. The kids love playing in the snow after the ski day is done. We also went on a "snow walk" to the lodge and back, most of which the kids spent trying to find the largest snowballs possible to throw at their parents.   Haley and I wore our new "ski like a girl" sweatshirts together too. 💕 I am so proud of Haley. She doesn't love love skiing like the rest of us, but she has a great attitude about it anyway. She challenges herself frequently, and puts forth huge effort to improve. (She is already a great skiier!) This trip was no exception. She had trouble coming down a black diamond mogul field thick with snow, and lost her ski twice. The next run, I suggested we try a different way, and she responded, "Or we could do that again and I can do better....

Three days after we got back from Utah, we drove to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho for Haley's competition called Great West Gym Fest. We were blessed to stay with my cousin, Cora, and her two kids with my aunt and uncle right next door. We enjoyed Tubbs Hill Park and a two-mile walk on Saturday morning. We had lunch at a German brewhouse in town that Cora suggested. It's like Belgium will never end - more beer and frites. Jim and I decided to give up on February and start fresh again in March! In the afternoon, we enjoyed some quiet time relaxing at home before the big day. On Sunday, Haley competed in the morning. We were at the resort on time and ready to go! Our CDA family came to watch Haley compete, and JT led the "how to watch gymnastics" lessons for Magnus and Heidi. The awards ceremony was unbelievingly long. Instead of calling maybe four or five places out for all around for each division (7 ...

Christmas Eve included the same routine we always have: dinner at home, church, and new pajamas. Then we watched the "new" Pixar version of the Grinch while we ate our usual homemade apple pie. Haley and JT look forward to new pajamas every year. I teased them that they were likely getting too old, and they protested heartily! Christmas Day we woke up around seven and opened stockings and gifts at home. We had a light breakfast of orange scones and berry bowls too. Then the kids snuggled in with Jim to watch some of A Wonderful Life while I made the egg-veggie casseroles for brunch. We walked across the street to my parents' house for brunch as usual. We ate, played a game called Telestrations, and enjoyed opening gifts together. Then we walked home, dropped off our things, and collected our gifts for round three: dinner at Jim's parents' house. We ate yummy prime rib, opened gifts, had dessert, and took our ...

This year for the first time ever, we hosted family at our house! My cousin Cora and her two children came for the long weekend. We spent Thanksgiving morning walking the neighborhood with friends and family on a gorgeous, cold morning. Then we made sweet potatoes, hung around in the kitchen talking, finally showered, and made it to my brother's house for dinner at 2 pm. The table was gorgeous! The hostess, Gena, and her girls had been working hard all day! We sat down for dinner all in a row - 18 adults here and 8 children at a different table. After dinner we took a little walk around the neighborhood in the sunshine. ...and played games together. Then there was dessert. Some of us had to make tough choices. Some of us just took a little of everything. I'm not naming names! On Friday, we hosted an Apple Cup viewing party at our house for interested family members. We had - at one point - 10 adults and 13 kids running about! ...