How to survive winter on top of a mountain 101

1. Capitalize on any day that is sunny and 60 + degrees (we had one glorious weekend like that at the beginning of February).

Trip is pulling Shelby in the bike trailer that the Gillilands have generously handed down to us. 

Harding hamming it up for the camera. 

Old Fort, NC

2. Stock up on the essentials for lots of time indoors: fuzzy slippers, firewood, books, beer.

Shelby loves her bunny slippers Nana!

My new chair has turned into Harding's favorite reading spot.

3. Remember that cousins make great playmates. Thank goodness for our next-door neighbors!

4. Do what you gotta do to get down the driveway and get to work, school, etc....

The Polaris is great for transporting down to the bottom of the driveway, where we leave our vehicles during snow/ice storms. But, its a cold ride to the bottom. 

Chains!! These made a huge difference.

5. Enjoy the long-range winter views....as soon as the trees leaf out again, we won't be able to see the mountains surrounding our house. 

We did it--we survived our first winter on Kinnaird mountain! 

Our Soaring Eagle

Shelby's school has a program a few times a year called the Soaring Eagle ceremony. It is a really big deal. The teachers and teacher assistants pick one child from each class to recognize because of their academic growth or character. We were invited to attend the ceremony last Friday because Shelby was among the recipients. All the students and teachers come to the auditorium for the ceremony and each teacher reads a speech about their class's soaring eagle. Shelby's teacher wrote a beautiful speech that really captured the essence of our girl:

Our class's choice for Soaring Eagle stood out quite clearly. She not only exemplifies the 3 R's (Respectful, Resourceful, and Responsible) but has shown us all what the 4th R is...Relational. Relationships are intertwined with being Respectful, Resourceful, and Responsible and Shelby shows us this on a daily basis. She meets you once and remembers your name. She remembers specific things about each individual, and reminds us how important it is to really know and love people. Shelby is brave, facing her fears and courageously persevering in even the hard things. She is one of the most independent little girls I've met, with a sense of humor and whit that is sure to brighten anyone's day. We are so proud of Shelby Kinnaird for being our Soaring Eagle. Congratultions, Shelby!! We love you! 

There were many teary eyes as Shelby came across that stage to get her award and it was wonderful hearing everyone clap for her. Her teacher assistant told us later that she kept saying, "Yay, Shelby Kinnaird" when she got back to the classroom. This ceremony confirmed for us what we already knew--Shelby is finding her place at school and the people there love her and really get her!

The Liam Neeson Cool Factor

People that know Harding well know that he is notorious for never having his shoes tied. He knows how to tie them, but it takes forever and they never seem to stay tied (even if I tie them for him). I was a few minutes early to pick up H from climbing club at his school the other day and got to watch him in action. After several rounds of climbing routes with his shoes untied (as usual), I witnessed the following interaction between Harding and one of the belayers when he got to her section: 

Belayer: “On Belay.”
Harding: “Ready to Climb.”
Belayer: “Climb on.”
Harding: “Climbing.”
Belayer: "Wait, your shoe is untied!"
Harding: (Blank stare)
Ms. Jo, the P.E. Teacher: (says to me) "She obviously does not know Harding very well."

So, is Harding "Liam Neeson cool?" You be the judge......

Post note: I have since ordered my eight-year-old a pair of shoes with Velcro straps (sigh). 

Growing up: Inches and Miles at a Time

In so many ways, Shelby is developmentally still our little girl, but I've been noticing how she seems to have grown a lot over the last couple months. My long legged baby girl is looking like a big girl!

And to cinch the deal, she lost her first baby tooth earlier this week.....

 

 

She didn't quite get what the rest of us were excited about--but she enjoyed all of us making a big deal out of the occasion, and of course, the tooth fairy came through and brought Shelby a dollar bill!

And as if to prove that she's not just growing physically, Shelby started carrying her back pack by herself. Previously, she hasn't been able to handle balancing and walking and carrying it all at once, but she's got it now.

2014: What a Year!

2014 was a whirlwind of a year for our family! So much has happened and I have been too overwhelmed and in awe of it all to even attempt to document it on this blog....  

Major milestones included: 

1. Selling and moving out of our home of nine plus years.

2. Bunking at Trip's parents' house on the mountain for 6 months while our new house was under construction (God bless them for putting up with us).

3. Shelby started kindergarten. 

4. Harding switched to a local charter school. 

5. I changed jobs and am now happily employed as a school counselor.

6. We moved into our dream house on the mountaintop. 

7. We celebrated my beautiful grandmother Penny's 90th birthday at the beach with my dad's side of the family this Thanksgiving. 

8. After 4 1/2 years of  graduate school, I finally finished! I graduated from Western Carolina University with my Masters in School Counseling in December.

We have had so many transitions since last April. All of them were worthwhile, but also incredibly  stressful for everyone. Honestly, I'm still recovering from it all! So, what's next? Hopefully no huge transitions! In 2015, we're going to concentrate on having more quality time: loving. laughing, enjoying, reading, conversing, camping, splashing, creating, and sunset appreciating. And maybe I'll even document some of it on this little ol' blog. Cheers to a new year!