walkin in a winter wonderland

ok does anyone else think it's weird that i have such a horrible relationship with snow but like EVERYWHERE I MOVE (and i move a lot) there is like the winter from hell the very winter i get there?!

1) Philadelphia - I get there in June, record breaking snowfall the following December
2) Connecticut - I get there in July, record breaking snowfall the following January
3) Utah - I get there in May, 2 feet of snow after a single storm in December

like what is going on here?

except you know what, i am actually starting to kind of enjoy it a teensy bit. maybe because utah has the best snow on earth, or because the sunshine comes out after it's done here, or because i have an attached garage, or because i have a yard and ski clothes and a toddler to play with in the snow, or because when it's 35 degrees here, a coat will actually keep you warm, or i don't even know. i'm drinkin the kool-aid.

another thing about utah is, i like to ski, so i'm excited when it snows because that means i can ski and spend time in the pretty mountains and then retire to my mom's house after. i mean that makes the snow a little more bearable. i'm excited to put bea in her first ski lesson once she turns 3. PLUS shoveling your sidewalk and driveway is a killer workout and a lot more fun than going to the gym. i like snow shoveling. #weirdo

so i think i'm starting to form this new relationship with winter that could really be the start of a new thing. and i love that we just got dumped on just in time for christmas! this white christmas is going to be so magical. the midway ice castle didn't even happen last year because it was so warm all winter, and the ski resorts lost a ton of money, so this winter is going to be a bit nicer that way. i am excited to go to the ice castle again, it's pretty epic.

OH ANOTHER THING! bea has decided she knows spanish now and it's hilarious. one of my favorite christmas songs is in spanish, mi burrito sabanero, which is basically about a little shepherd boy and his little donkey that are on their way to bethlehem to see jesus and it's really adorable because they always get a little boy to sing it and yeah anyway it's very adorable. so we listen to it here and there during christmas and then bea comes up to be today and is like "jeejo jeejo leelo la lee lo! mom that's jingle bells in spanish!" very cute. she has been doing that with several christmas songs lately.

OH YEAH! her ballet recital was on saturday!! holllly cannoli people it was adorable. so bea is in a 3-4 class even though she is only 2. she turns 3 in january. except she is really good at following directions and in the 2 class all the kids are like running around or licking the mirror or climbing on the barre SO they told bea to join the older class. she had been working SO HARD on getting her moves right. they were a little above her motor skill capability since she is so young for the class but she tries really hard to do them because she wants to follow directions. at her last recital in may, she got so distracted by being on stage and got all excited and ran up to bradley and waved at his camera shouting "I'M DANCING DAD!!!" so we didn't know what to expect with this one. she didn't disappoint. in class she had been doing the whole dance pretty well but on stage she was so focused on getting that one move right, and keeping her little hat on her head, that she got a little lost in the dance. BUT IT WAS SO CUTE! she had so much fun up there. and after her number she had even more fun dancing in the aisles to all the other songs. she loves to dance, i hope this is something she continues to love as she gets older. here is the video of her recital! she is in the middle. she cracks me up.

ALSO you guys i think oliver needs a helmet. his poor little head is so lopsided from his torticollis and it is painfully noticeable. let's just pray insurance covers it! he is still soooooo enchanted with bea. he gives her his biggest belly laughs, follows her with his eyes wherever she goes and always kicks and squeals when she plays with him. it's too cute. he is also 20 pounds. at thanksgiving both of brad's grandmas were there and we offered to let them hold him and they were both like....ehhhhh we'll pass. hahaha he is a chunk. he is already snug in 12 month clothes!!!!!!! and he eats every 2 hours, a 6-8 oz bottle too! this kid man. he is roly poly ollie. but i love it. even if my arms fall asleep after holding him. it's nice that he can hold his own bottle now though! he likes to be in control anyway. we've started solids with him and he LOVES it! we let him hold a spoon while we feed him so he can get a good feel for it early, and he can guide it to his mouth pretty well but once he realizes there's no food on it, he chucks it at us for pulling one over on him. it's super funny. he is my favorite little butterball.