The Holley Pack's 1st Shoeshoeing Adventure

Today we decided it was time to use our new snowshoes. We drove about an hour and a half from our house to Herrick Reservoir (we took our trailer there for its maiden voyage, 2009). The weather was perfect, snowing lightly and no wind! Here is Cora all bundled up in the pack. She was so happy to be outside.

Mike carried Cora for the first half of our hike. Here is a cute shot of them in the trees.

We hiked back into the spot where we camped in the summer of 2009. What a great spot to camp. We can't wait to go back this coming summer.

On the way back to the car I carried Cora. What an excellent way to step up the workout. Not only does she add some extra pounds, but carrying a child on your back really forces you to pay attention to your balance. She was such a trooper.

Both the dogs came a long as well. Beck was a total rockstar and loved the snow as usual. Cassius, the poor dog was just not built for Idaho winters. He had his jacket on and was still cold. His paws didn't take well to the snow and he almost had to be carried back to the truck. I think a trip to Cabellas is in my future where I will be purchasing a set of dog booties. I think I am also going to have to sew or buy him some doggie poly pro underwear. At least both the dogs were worn out, only one of them had a good time though.

Big Snow

It started snowing last night and didn't stop until late this afternoon. I think we got over 8 inches when it was all said and done. This is Mike shoveling the driveway after he got home from work. Cassius is such a wimpy dog. He had his coat on and still avoided as much snow as he possibly could. He probably thinks he needs a pair of winter boots to go with his coat.

Beck on the other hand LOVES the snow. She played outside with Mike the entire time he was shoveling, which was a long time. Mike would throw her ball into the deepest patches of snow that he could find, or send her running up and down the street. She was pleasantly worn out when they came in from shoveling.This is Cora's first time really being in the snow. She was watching Mike out the window and was getting pretty excited. I bundled her up and set her down in the snow for a second or two. I don't think she really knew what to think about it but she didn't get upset.

Later in the afternoon Mike, Cora, and I went to the YMCA to workout (well Cora goes to childcare). She was watching the snow fall and was looking up as if she was saying, what the heck is this stuff falling from the sky.

After we worked out I couldn't take it any longer. I bought new telemark skis about a month ago and since I couldn't go up the hill today, I tried out my new skis in the street. I think I will be really happy with them, they are so much shorter and therefore more manageable than my last pair.

Cora & The Christmas Tree

For those of you who really know me, this post may shock you so you may want to sit down. Here it goes, I actually set up a Christmas Tree this year. I think the last time I set up a tree or did anything for Christmas in this house was 2006. I guess my little Grinch heart is getting a little bit bigger and making room for some Christmas cheer. Well, I don't know about that, but maybe it has something to do with Cora and wanting her to have happy memories of Christmas. So anyway, here are some cute photos of her checking out the tree.

Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving this year was so different from previous years. In the past, I was always VERY involved in our Annual Orphan's Thanksgiving Celebration. There are a lot of us here in Boise that don't have family to spend the holidays with so for Thanksgiving we all would get together and bring something to contribute. Well, over the last 10 years it has grown, a lot! Last year I think we hit almost 50 people. I was had always been so involved in the planning or just involved in making a lot of dishes for the event. This year, I had to work the night before and the night of Thanksgiving which robbed me of all motivation to do anything to prepare for the holiday. It still feels weird a couple of days later to not have made a pie. We are so thankful for our friends that invited us to spend Thanksgiving with them. It was so nice not to have to worry about cooking anything when you have been up for over 24 hours.

Regardless of how I felt, I still had to prep Cora for the holiday. Here she is in a cute outfit that her rockin' Aunt Anna bought for her while I was prego. I am so happy it fit her for Thanksgiving. The hat, well she is a Holley and takes after her dad so her noggin is HUGE and the hat was a little small, but still cute.

D & Cora on Thanksgiving (don't mind my looks, I had been up for 24+ hours :) )

Cora in her Thanksgiving Outfit

I went to work Thanksgiving night and Mike worked the day after Thanksgiving. Thank goodness for awesome friends like Christina, who are willing to watch Cora for us during the time between when Mike goes to work and when I get out of work in the morning. I can't thank her enough for what she does for us.

Cora and I spent a lot of Friday napping, I was so thankful for that. Working two nights in a row really wears on me because I really can't sleep much during the day. Later in the afternoon we decided to venture out to see what the big fuss was about regarding "Black Friday". I have never been out shopping the day after Thanksgiving because in all honesty shopping really isn't my thing and I am usually working the day after Thanksgiving. This year, I decided to head out in the afternoon to see if there were really any good deals. Cora and I visited Target and surprisingly the crowds were minimal, but so were the deals. I ended up getting some socks and a jacket for Cora.

Saturday morning Mike got off shift and we were pretty boring most of the day. We decided later in the evening that we had to get out of the house. We ventured to downtown Boise for the Tree Lighting Ceremony in the Grove. We met up with a couple of friends and it was a great way to kick off the holiday season. One could not have asked for a better atmosphere either. There were big fat snowflakes falling from the sky and with all the lights of the city it was just perfect for the lighting of the tree. Something funny though, for those of you who know me, you probably know that I am not really a fan of Christmas, I think I might be part Grinch. Anyway, I don't know if it is having a kid or if I am just getting soft in my old age, but I am actually looking forward to Christmas this year, my little Grinch heart is growing : )

Below are a couple of photos of us at the tree lighting.

D, Cora, & Mike

D & Cora

Well, that is it for now. We have been pretty boring lately. There is snow on the foothills and I can't wait to get out into the mountains for some tele skiing. I have pretty new tele skis to try out this year. My poor legs are in for a wake up call after no skiing last season.

Cora The Explora Does Chores

Mike and are are pretty tough parents. I mean come on, we already are making our 6 month old fold laundry.

Well, ok so we really aren't tough, but look how much fun she is having "helping" with the laundry. She was fighting me for pieces of laundry to fold. She loved being in the basket next to the warm clothes fresh out of the dryer.

I spent a lot of time at my dad's office as a kid filing paperwork for him. Child labor came pretty cheap :) We are getting Cora all ready to do some filing for Grandpa next month when we go and visit him. Gotta toughen up those finger pads to avoid paper cuts.

All that work makes for a tired baby.

Zeitgeist Half Marathon

Six months ago Mike and I welcomed Cora Sneh into The Holley Pack. To celebrate Cora's six month milestone, I decided to run a half marathon, well kind of. I decided to train for a 1/2 marathon at the end of August, thinking it would be a great way to continue to get back to my pre-pregnancy fitness level, and it just so happened that the Zeitgeist Half Marathon fell on the 6 month milestone.
I wish I had some photos to share of the starting line, but Mike and I barely made it to the starting line in time. In fact, we were in line for the bathroom when the race gun went off :) Our friend Sarai was at the finish line and took photos of us. Thank you Sarai for coming out to support us and for sharing your talent by snapping a couple of photos of us.The race was great but made me realize I need to work on running more hills and more strength training, ski season is just around the corner.
I can't believe 6 months has already flown by. I am so happy we have Cora in our pack, she makes every day awesome!

Halloween

This Halloween was very mellow. Rather than stick around our boring neighborhood Mike, Cora, and I decided to spend the holiday with two generations of The Hudson Family. Theron & Christina have a wonderful and most adorable little dude named Breckin who is exactly 7 months older than Cora. Here is a great shot of Christina and Breckin out trick-or-treating. A little background story.....Breckin was supposed to be a little garden gnome, but decided he didn't like the idea. When Christina placed the garden gnome hat on his head she said he had a utter meltdown. Plan B....a cow. He made such a cute little cow too. He just recently learned to walk and watching him navigate the walkways of the houses was really cute.

Cora wore the costume featured in the last post. She was so stinking cute!

After visiting a couple of houses we headed back to Theron & Christina's where Theron's parents, Kevin & Angie, were waiting to take some photos of all of us. Below is a photo of Theron, Christina, & Breckin.

Next it was our turn. Can I just ask.....why is it both Mike and Theron can't make a decent face in the photos? Argh! Mike has the weirdest look on his face. Anyway, I guess you take what you can get.

At least Cora knows how to pose for a cute photo.

After pictures it was time for dinner. Thank you Kevin for making the most delicious gumbo I have ever had. Later in the evening Angie, Christina, and I took the kids into the living room and let them play with the remaining candy they had for the trick-or-treaters. Cora and Breckin thought it was great!

They shared so nicely. Breckin loved pulling all the candy out of the bowl and then putting it back in the bowl.

Cora was just happy to chew on the wrappers of the candy. Poor girl, hopefully someday she will break a tooth.

Thank you so much to the Hudson Crew for hosting us and making us feel like part of the family. Being away from our family can be really tough, especially around the holidays so it is always nice when we are able to spend time with great friends who can double as family.