A New Year

I am back to the blog-o-sphere.  Sitting at my desk has become such a time consuming part of my life, that I needed a bit of a break from staring at the screen.  That along with, processing life and trying to put it to pen....... it's harder than you think and self reflection can be a trying process.  My writing has been rejuvenated in part though, after receiving a compilation book of all my blogs from Dottie.  It's something to look back and read about our last year and to see all the changes that have come about.  The kids have changed so much in one years time, and I think Cam and I have as well.    

It's 7 degrees outside right now.  I got up early to start the process of preparing for the coming quarter of school and get a few things done around the shop (most importantly getting the fire going for when the little ones awake).  We have had snow since the week of Thanksgiving (about when it started last year) and it has continued to stack up with temperatures remaining at freezing or below for the majority of the time.  It feels like a true winter this year.  Last year we had several periods of thaw that left us with a lot of mud to trudge through, but alas, this year has stayed cold and I'd say we have over a foot at our house with two feet of snow in the hills.  We have been enjoying it!  The kids seem to have grown enough to withstand the temperatures for longer time periods, and this year Barrett has become quite the winter adventurer, not minding wet gloves or a cold nose in the least.  We have been sledding, snowmobiling, building snow caves, and drinking plenty of hot chocolate in the meantime.  Cam has spent a good amount of time plowing snow to keep our road and the area around our shop clear; we also have two neighbors with snow plows, so that doesn't hurt our travel time either.  The snow has been so light that Cam's 4-Wheeler has no problem moving it, and we haven't been hindered much.  Kendyl continues to stay hydrated eating all the snow she possibly can, which is fine so long as it's not from the driveway, or other dirty areas.  The animals also seem to be holding up well in the weather, and the goats seem to even be growing around the middle.  I rode my horse bareback in the snow for the first time yesterday, and I was pleased with how she did, and I must say it was pretty fun.  Cam thinks she looks like a Budweiser commercial running through the pasture with snow flying!   I wonder if the severity of the seasons around here will ever get old to us???  For now, we enjoy the variety, revel in the changes, and seem to be rising to the challenges that the seasons bring.  The beauty of the winter is something else. 

The Couple That Pours Together...

I've had almost a month off from school after a busy fall quarter.  I think we have all enjoyed the break, and while we haven't been entirely productive, I think it was a good hiatus before the final 6 months of my schooling, Cam's return to work, and house building.  In our usual just in the nick of time fashion, Cam and I got the stem walls for the foundation poured (just before it started snowing).  I'm not sure if your wife is the best option for concrete help, but with the help of a neighbor, we got it  done.  I will never forget Cam and I standing alone up at the house site, before our help arrived, and hearing the concrete truck start the journey down our driveway.  Cam and I looked at each other like, well, here goes nothing, and I felt a tinge of remorse for my husband... knowing how much preparation he had done.  Luckily our neighbor arrived just in the nick of time, but it was still interesting have a couple of non-professionals pouring concrete.... luckily we had a patient driver.. and thanks to Cam it turned out
great!  For now though, house progress is halted by the weather, and our floor materials sit under a tarp and a foot of snow. 

The first snow this year fell on November 24th .  Kendyl was unfortunately down with quite the fever/cold, so Bear man and I had to head out early to enjoy the first flakes.  The anticipation builds when the first snowflake is seen in the forecast, and Cam was in full swing hunting.  We enjoyed Thanksgiving with friends, and watched the snow continue to fall.  The Sunday after the feast, we took to the mountains on a search for our Christmas tree.  I wanted a massive one, figuring that a perk of living in a shop, is tall ceilings.  We headed up towards Conconully and scanned nature's Christmas tree farm.  Strangely we found a huge grove of noble firs and blue spruce, that looked just like a commercial farm, minus the manicuring.  We settled on a giant that just about touches the ceiling.  Every Christmas I think how awesome it is to have a tree in the house, and this one definitely topped most.  We had a bit of a hard time finding our stored Christmas decorations, so the kids and I collected pine cones from the property and bedazzled them with glitter, lending a wonderful homemade sparkle to our living room.




The holidays and several months after are also our family's birthday season, with the littlest Brown starting us off.  Kendyl, the fabulous and fierce "B," celebrated her third this year.  What a force she is.  She certainly has a voice that demands listening, and a spirit like nothing I have seen.  She is quickly finding her own path, while keeping up with her brother's.  For a mom, having a daughter is a very special thing of course, but also a sacred responsibility, for your thoughts and actions become those of a little one, giving such power to all you do.  I certainly have areas to improve, but I know I do my best to love my little ones, and look forward to a lifetime of living strongly for and beside this girl.   

Barrett also had his time to shine in his preschool Christmas program.  Man, he looked sharp!  And I'll admit... he was probably the best jingle beller up there... but really needs to work on his lip-singing... not too convincing up there!  Pretty cute to see, so much joy in the faces of little ones this time of year.

After my school let out we were able to visit my Grandparents and join my family in Whistler for a snow filled weekend of relaxation thanks to my brother.  We ate too much food, enjoyed the village, and lived the life of luxury.  Returning home, we had little on the to-do list besides enjoying the winter weather.  Cam pushed up a bunch of snow in the meadow for the kids to play on, and soon devised a plan for a snow cave, which he is still saying he's going to sleep in this winter (I said go ahead!  Single digit weather = a bed and a fireplace).  We also took our first whole family journey on the snowmobiles.  I certainly agree with Cam now that even though they are loud, they are an awesome tool to have around should we get snowed in and need a way out the driveway.  We saw land that we have not seen for several months, that is now under two feet of gorgeous powder.  It's been so cold, the snow has stayed gloriously light.... virgin powder that skiiers would drool over.  I have a bit of learning to do on the snowmobilies, but I did enjoy getting up in the hills.              

Christmas around here was pretty peaceful.  Santa was in full force, and the kids were happy.  We ate good food, visited with neighbors, and enjoyed the day for what it brings to the little ones.  Definitely a change from boisterous holidays at home; and I must admit there are pangs of emotion over holidays past, but there is also intense ownership in being on our own as well, and creating purposeful memories.  As the New Year rings in, I have plenty of new goals for the year, with effort focused on my family at the top of the list.  I'm still narrowing down the specifics, but I know that progress will continue marching forward, but the story line will be focused on the minor details, the day to day activities and interactions that define the accomplishments of a year.  Morning snuggles with kids that sneak in your bed, continuing to build an exciting and grounded world around our family, new careers to support the home, and growth.