2015 World Championships

Last Friday, Macy and I trekked up to Beaver Creek for the 2015 World Championship ski races. Our valley has been hosting these incredible championships for the past two weeks, but I hadn't gotten the courage to take the kids up. 

I promised myself I would go while they were here because 

1. It is a World Championship - for real! 

2. It was free! 

3. How could I miss out on this?

We weren't able to make any of the awesome nightly concerts or post-race hoopla due to our basketball schedule and recent travels, but one day at the races made me wish I had gone sooner! It was actually a lot of fun. We sat at the bottom of the hill by the finish. But with the jumbo-trons and the course in front of us, we actually got to see some racing! We also sat next to the Austrian super fans - that was fun! 

As an athlete myself, I can definitely appreciate other athletes that are at the top of their game. So whether I know nothing about ski racing nor have I ever actually finished reading an article that prints in the Vail Daily, I really enjoyed watching these Olympians. 

We stayed through the first round of races (about 2 hours) and then left before the next round. I was pumped to see the next day that American Ted Ligety ended up winning that race. Macy did a great job hanging with her buddy Trevan, and then we hiked down the mountain (we took the bus up) and were on our way. I might even go to another ski race next winter because this one was so much fun! 

Great job to the Vail Valley for hosting such a great event and thanks to the over 2,000 volunteers it took to put it together. 

January Happenings

What have the Brandts been up to this month? 

Sledding behind Costco - Baxter is not the best sledding partner! 

Justin took Macklin up for a full afternoon of skiing last week! He did awesome! They went all the way to the top of Beaver Creek. Then they completed two loops on the Drink of Water lift and skied all the way down. Macklin did a great job and Justin survived on a snowboard sticking close by (we wondered how the snowboard/ski combo would be). I think there will be more "Man Time on the Mountain" for these two. 

I finally grew something! I am really great at killing plants (hence the barely growing bamboo plant on the right). But the Paper Whites from Grandma were awesome! Since this picture, they have bloomed and look beautiful! 

Macklin loves his play time! He would choose to play with toys each day unless I peeled him out of the house to go do things! 

Yummy brownies and ice cream thanks to my sweet friend Emily! 

Picnics outside! We have had a few sunny and 45+ degree days! It feels like spring time! 

We have also been prepping for baby 3. We were given a white crib from a friend to fit our new decor. The crib, along with our dresser (still pending a finish), is making our room feel more like a dorm room. So we still have some work to do. Might try to move the dress into the closet. Then onto the wall decor and accents. We also changed out the fan for a standard ceiling mount light, which does open the room up quite nicely. It's a work in progress. 

Macklin Skiing 2014

Macklin did a great job on his first day back on the slopes. He remembered most of his talents from last season and even made Justin run down a run twice because he wanted to go (and Justin didn't bring his gear). We just hope that we can get him on the mountain this year between basketball and a prego momma. 

Macy's First 2 Days of Skiing

We took Macy to the mountain! And she rocked it! Way better balance than Macklin had at that age (sorry Mack) and didn't need nearly the bribing!

We had a mommy-daughter date last week and headed back to the slopes! She did even better as she started to figure out her skis a bit more and wanted to do the long magic carpet run! Go Macy! 

Video that includes both days:

November Happenings

Beaver Creek Cookie Contest

Excited About New Toys in the Mail from Grandparents 

 

Planes: Fire and Rescue Movie Day 

"Look what I made, Mommy!" 

It is fun to watch her creativity start to blossom! With all of our Magnatile creations, we have never made anything like this before. Great job, Macy! 

"It's my GPS, Mom."

Macy Looking Older Each Day 

Our Thankful Tree

Dinner Double Date Night 

Silly Macy

My Cooking Buddy 

Enjoying the Late Fall Snow 

Muttin' Bustin' Night

It's time to take a walk on the wild side! Thursday night we took the kids to the rodeo and Macklin had the chance to Muttin' Bust! Muttin' Bustin' is where they stick a kid on top of a sheep and let the sheep out of a pin. The kid tried to hang on as long as possible. Macklin didn't really know what this totally meant, but since his buddy was up for it, so was he! He looks quite excited in the pictures (note, before someone stuck him on a sheep). 

After getting your order number, you walk with your parent inside the rodeo circle. You get "fitted" with your helmet and have a chance to watch 13 other kids fall off of a sheep before you get to go. 

When your number gets called, the BC Rodeo Queen (who happens to be a high school friend of ours) comes and takes you to the pin with the sheep. Macklin was doing great through this point. 

 

Here is where he freaked - Once they put him on the sheep, there is a split second before they open the door. Macklin just yelled "NO! NO! NO! NO!" He clung for life to the green railings and he did not let him out of the pin. Muttin' Bustin' was short lived for Mack. :) But I was proud of him for even making it that far. 

I wonder if he will let me talk him into it next summer? 

July 3rd in the Vail Valley

The 4th of July starts a day early in the Vail Valley as Avon has their fireworks on the 3rd. Since it happened to be a Thursday night, the Beaver Creek Rodeo also happened to be taking place the same night! We made an evening out of it and the kids had a blast! 

Let's start with the picture of the night….Trevan, Macklin, and Macy enjoying the rodeo! We took a lot of pictures of them cheering on the cowboys, but the one below happened to be snapped by one of the photographers of the event. Word on the street says that it will be featured in the program for next season :) Keep you posted on that one. 

The kids with the BC Rodeo Queen (who is also an EVHS student and high school YL friend!) 

Enjoying time with friends, even with photo bombers that we don't know. 

Grabbing some ice cream before the fireworks. 

Avon Fireworks! While we do not live in a big city, these are big city fireworks! The kids really enjoyed them this year and watched the whole show! 

YL Capture the Flag

What a sweet night it was in Beaver Creek Village on Wednesday. We had a whole crew of kids playing Capture the Flag from one end of the village to another. Since it is after the ski season and before the summer time, no one is in the village. It is literally a ghost town….that is, until Young Life shows up. It is such a joy to share Jesus with these kids! 

Beaver Creek Snowshoe 2014

I rallied up some of my cross country runners and we headed up to Beaver Creek for the final snowshoe race of 2014. After placing 2nd in my first two races, I was able to take the win in the final one. They have simplified things out in terms of prizes, so another medal seems insignificant compared to the satisfaction of a solid race. I was really encouraged by one of my athletes that I ran with a few days before the race. I love how inspiration can come from a variety of sources, including my JV runners! Another enjoyable year from BC. By far my favorite new sport since moving to Colorado. 

After two cold races, we were blessed with a beautiful day! 

Hardware tastes good! 

Teen Girls Age Group Winners

Teen Boys Age Group Winners