How do you like to spend time with your family? Watching sports teams? Cooking or baking? Playing board games like Monopoly or Scrabble? Bike riding? Hiking? Bowling? Swimming in the pool or the ocean? Our family loves many of these things, but our true favorite, despite the incredible complexity of outfitting seven people for this outdoor activity (thank you, Mom!) is skiing.

Time with Family Skiing

Our love of skiing began in Steamboat Springs, Colorado where my Aunt Simone and Uncle Will lived for many years on a rural ranch with their dogs, cats and horses. My boys came of age skiing in Steamboat’s fresh “champagne powder”, loving the freedom of the mountain as a break from the confinement of their big city apartment life.

Since then, we’ve ventured off skiing as much as we can. I do dread the preparation, trying on and handing down sets of long underwear, ski pants and jackets, neck-warmers, gloves and socks. Thankfully, since my kids are so close in age (all between 13-22 months apart), with each passing year down goes another outfit through the food chain, keeping someone younger warm. I can try to justify what we spend on travel and lift tickets against the savings that comes from not needing to buy too much clothing each year.

Here are some favorite pictures of us skiing last week. First, Beckett’s chance encounter with French freestyle champion Kevin Rolland this past week from La Plagne, France where we spent Christmas together. What a nice guy to take a break from training for this photo! Do you love trees? Having grown up in rural Connecticut, I adore looking at trees of all sorts. These snow covered furs show how much snow we’ve been lucky to get here. In fact, it’s snowed so much that it’s difficult to ski — that’s an uncommon problem. Last night we received four feet and they’re predicting more than four more feet tonight! Folks are snowed in and few lifts are open since only the rare skier can make it down these slopes covered in feet of fresh powder. Talking on the chair lift with red noses and masked faces and heads is one of the best parts of skiing! Sometimes my kids will wander off chatting in a new direction and I find myself just capturing their thoughts and words, grateful for the one-on-one time with them. I loved my chair lift with Marielle who told me of her dreams of becoming a dancer. How did you spend time with family this holiday season? Please share and thanks so much for reading. No matter what you chose to do, what matters is that you spent the time, talking, enjoying, just being together. Please share how you spent your time together below and enter our giveaway.

Happy early New Year,

Melissa

Weekly Giveaway

Prize: One (1) $25 Amazon gift card.

Rules:

Enter using the Gleam widget below.

Open to U.S readers.

You must be 18 or older to enter.

You have multiple ways you can enter to increase your chances of winning.

ways you can enter to increase your chances of winning. The giveaway ends on Monday, January 8, 2018 at 11:59 PM (Eastern Time).

Winner will be announced on the widget below within 48 hours after the giveaway has ended.

Weekly $25 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

