Real Life | Experiences Are Better Than Gifts

We went up to the snow today to celebrate Canada's Boxing Day and Kwanzaa beginning and National Thank You Note Day [nice, right?]. Really, it just seemed like a good way to spend the day after Christmas. We don't need much excuse to visit the blue sky and frosty amazingness of the mountains, so when friends said "let's go sledding" we're like, "yeah!"

Daddy said to bring the sunscreen, that for sure we'd get burnt on a sunny day like today. I'm from Canada -- we don't get sunburns in the winter. Really, they aren't that likely in the summer either! Daddy has been on top of very high mountains like Hood and Rainier and knows the power of the sun reflecting off bright snow. Of course he's sensible, of course I'm RIGHT. None of us got a sunburn. Wooohoo. So I must document my win on the blog for the record! #heisasmartmanthough

We're totally the experiences-over-lots-of-gifts kind of folk, so we didn't have a lot of presents. Buzz picked out that little disc shooter for his stocking [well, it was supposedly for his brother but we all knew he wanted it most] and daddy stuck a caramel apple in my stocking. Under the tree were a few powerful gifts from family -- Uncle Brian knew Peter really wanted a mixer and Grandma Robin knew we could use magic toothbrushes #sonicare. There was a motor-building kit and two very nerdy books #stem and one of those maze balls. We're set. #andthankful

And we made pumpkin pie and cranberry pie [wasn't as good as I'd hoped] and cookies and whipped cream. So hiking up the sledding hill a few dozen times today was a really good plan.







You might notice that Buzzra's face is bruised -- he had an accident at recess last Friday. Playing tag, running at full speed, checking behind him and then CRASH, right into the corner of a metal beam on the gym wall. Youch. I'm glad I was there and able to hold him while he suffered through the first few minutes of pain. I've never seen a bigger goose egg on someone's forehead. Wow. We put ice on it and he laid his head on my desk for half an hour. The bruise has slowly worked its way down his forehead and nose to his eyes. It must look worse than it feels or this kid can handle pain like nobody's business!

Cheers to nine more days of vacation!!