Skiing, Tubing, and Our First Guests!

We didn't think it was going to snow enough after we moved here to take advantage of the numerous ski resorts near us. But a blizzard came through! (A blizzard that nearly did Chris and me in because of all the shoveling we had to do of our driveway...will definitely be getting a snow blower next year!)
The girls haven't been skiing in two years, but they picked it right back up. We went to Butternut for a lesson and they can now ride the chair lift and ski down by themselves. Delilah is very comfortable on greens, and Noelle will be fine as soon as she gets a little better at stopping...she is so light that it is hard for her to exert enough friction on the snow to stop flying! :)
After three weeks, the Blinds came up from Manhattan. Artie was ill, so just Jennie and Alexa came. Jennie doesn't ski and Alexa has hardly ever been, so we thought tubing was a better idea. Had a great time tubing, although there was a bit of the friendship-drama that often comes in groups of three. Built a fire both nights they were here and made s'mores. Also attempted to make an igloo on the back porch that turned into more of a fort.
I think the snow is gone for good this year, but we certainly enjoyed the last bit of it as much as we could!

Museums, geography exhibits, the symphony, and Broadway!

The Pittsfield library hosts a geography expo every year and I signed the girls up to participate. They chose Costa Rica to study because of the incredible family vacation we had their a couple years ago. They learned a lot and did a fantastic job of creating their display. There were about 30 countries represented at the Expo, and upon entry each child was given a "passport" and had to go to all the displays to get stamps and to learn basic facts.

We also went to our first local museum last week, The Berkshire Museum, and we loved it! The bottom floor is a tiny aquarium, and the first floor has a hands-on discovery area for children, as well as a "miniature" natural history museum...it's literally miniature: all the figures are tiny! We didn't explore the 2nd floor, or even all of the first, because the girls had so much fun everywhere else. Any photo that doesn't have the children in it was taken by either Delilah or Noelle.

 We also took the girls to Williams College to see a kid-friendly performance of Holst's The Planets. Had a wonderful time and we were thrilled to learn a few weeks later that one of their favorite babysitters, Madeline Rawson, will be starting college there in the fall!!!!

 And speaking of culture, I was thrilled to join Kim in Manhattan to watch Glenn Close in Sunset Blvd on Broadway. We had a great lunch together, then saw the matinee...it was absolutely incredible and I can't believe I got to go!!

Our New Home!

We are slowly but surely getting unpacked. The girls loved getting to pick the colors for their bedrooms and bathroom; Delilah got new bedding; Noelle got a new bed and a decorative net. The backyard was especially fun on a surprisingly warm day after some snow. More pictures to come after we get more settled!

Massachusetts

It's been quite the year of change already! After much deliberation, Chris and I decided to move to the Berkshires in Massachusetts. We loved Rye, but it just wasn't the right fit for our family in the long-term. The town was prohibitively expensive, and although we made some very close friends, the overall culture of the community wasn't ideal for us. We originally planned to move back to Texas, but the right job opportunity for Chris never materialized. So then we thought about buying an RV and traveling the Northeast for 6 months, before landing in a more permanent spot. But then something about the Berkshires started calling to us. There is an incredible amount of stuff to do outdoors, as well as a thriving arts community full of museums, theatre, and dance. We began looking for a home to buy and found a lovely place in Lenox, MA.
Leaving Rye was incredibly difficult. The short length of our time there belies the depth of the attachments we formed. I know many people in the church were surprised and hurt by our decision; many more were sad to see us go but understood and complimented us on being brave enough to leave.
The plan now is to keep the girls out of regular school until the fall; I am loosely "homeschooling" them for the rest of the school year. We will be taking several field trips all the across the northeast, and then in May we will begin a larger road trip to Texas, then to Arizona, then back home. I know that leaving their friends has been so hard on the girls, but I can honestly say they are thriving here. The larger home allows them room to paint and create and play and they love having more access to nature. Their relationship with each other has also blossomed. They have always been close, but this time together has cemented their bond in a way that I wasn't expecting; it's beautiful to watch.
Chris is loving having his own office at home, and I am loving getting to spend so much time with the girls. The four of us have been cooking more, playing games, doing puzzles, skiing together, and just generally enjoying being in a low-stress phase of our lives. I am excited to see how this next chapter of our lives unfolds.

Rapunzel

The girls went to theatre camp last week, then performed on Saturday in their very first play: Rapunzel. They worked hard all week and Noelle was so tired after the show that she took a two hour nap. Noelle was a singing & dancing mushroom, and Delilah was a sneaky little gremlin. They both did wonderfully and we were so proud of them!

Arizona

The Ernzens moved to Tucson for Kim's work, and then Grammy Di & Papa H moved there earlier this year. There were definitely mixed feelings from everyone about selling the home in Utah. Chris had visions of his girls growing up experiencing the same trips that hold such a special place in his heart, visiting grandparents at the house in Ogden and learning to ski in the unique powder found only in Utah. But it was the right decision for Diana and Don, so if they're happy, we're happy. :)
We hadn't been to Arizona yet, so we were excited to spend a week there with everyone this summer. Kim generously took the week off work, so time together was maximized!
We spent most of our time in the pool, beating the heat. There was a daily poolside happy hour of beer-ritas for the adults and virgin strawberry daiquiris for the girls. All Huntleys love games, so there was a lot of Clue, Skip-bo, and Mexican Train.
We went for a 2 mile desert hike that my girls were not equipped for. They can walk 2 miles no problem, but 2 miles in the desert summer heat was another story. But we made the most of it, and Lauren was great at keeping morale up! Speaking of Lauren, it was such a delight to spend time with her and Taylor. Lauren is starting 6th grade and Taylor is entering 10th, and I can't believe how grown up they are. Lauren still has fun playing like a kid, so she was happy to entertain the girls by playing Calico Critters and coloring with them. Taylor is so beautiful and interesting and funny, and I hope our relationship with the girls when they are teenagers is as close as Kim & Ted's is with Taylor.
The golfers went golfing twice, and the grownups had a couple nights out by ourselves. Saw Bad Moms with Kim and Diana and we enjoyed ourselves immensely at that hilarious, inappropriate film.
Now, Chris & I are in NY by ourselves, while the girls stay for two more weeks in Arizona. Then they'll fly back with Grammy Di & Papa H...it's nice to have time alone together, but we miss our munchkins so much!!!
Pics from the trip: