Things

I can't believe I haven't written since New Years! I'm am Slacking off!

Arden and Philip have come around with each other finally. She randomly ran to hug him goodbye when he left for a sleepover one night and I think it shocked him. He was not expecting it, nor was I. Usually I have to prod her just to say bye or goodnight. Then a few nights later she asked to help him with his homework. He was drawing an assignment for school and she helped him color it in. It was very sweet and Dennis and I sat back in awe! He helps her with her math, pores her milk at dinner plays video games with her etc.... I thinks she has thawed out towards him. Yea!

He swam at regionals yesterday. He didn't swim his best times. He seemed a bit nervous about missing the bus again(he missed it last week and Dennis had to drive him an hour+ to his meet!) His team doesn't seem focused. I know I am used to college swimming more but it is really relaxed.

Philip never covers up to stay warm. He strutts on the deck in his little speedo. He was talking during the National Anthem and even tho it is not his Anthem, I will mention that he should be respectful. His teammates support each other pretty well but the team seems disfunctional. All these obervances are coming from someone who knows nothing of the sport really!

We are limiting his boarding and having him help more around the house. He and the girls attempted to clean the basement together and did an alright job. He won't clean his room unless I ask. But he knoes he can't board unles it's clean so that rule has helped!!

We still are enjoying him so much. I actually am beginning to plan my summer and looking at dates when he will be joined by his family and off to Sweden. I actually teared up at the thought of it.

New Years

Haven't seen much of Philip the last few days. He's been boarding alot and going out almost as soon as he gets home. He has made some good friends but I miss hanging out. Not many of his friends come to the door to get him so we have to out and meet them. This is such a new phenomenon for us. Kids don't get out of the car to meet parents. I must be so old fashion!

I wish I knew his boarding buddies better. We are trying to give him his teenager space but we really like having him around. The games we got for Christmas we had hoped would get some of his friends here to hang out but nothing so far. We really don't know what teenagers like to do. We continue to learn everyday. I wouldn't trade a day of it.

Christmas

Christmas was alot of fun. We had a lazy Christmas eve. Mainly hanging out, napping and wrapping up loose ends. Arden and I went to the Nutcracker and Philip napped with Mary Ann on the couch. We went to Family service at St Paul's and Philip dressed very nicely. The Frasiers and Johnsons came to dinner and we had our annual Swedish Smorgesborg(??) We have done this for 4 years but never with a Swede!! How wonderful to have Philip here. My friends are getting attached to him also. He has great conversations with Jason Johnson, participated in our White Elephant gift exchange and was so helpful cleaning up afterward.

We decided to blend his tradition of opening gifts Christmas eve and ours of waiting till Christmas morning. The girls were SO excited. Lots of smiles all around and then off to bed!!

Christmas morning came VERY early for us. Mary Ann thought she heard Santa's bells outside and wouldn't go back to sleep after waking at 5:30 AM!!! The girls woke Philip up and he didn't protest. Wow. Santa was generous and many games of darts, wii and smart globe have ensued. Philip is quite the competitor. He fits right in!!

What a blessed Christmas!

Skiing

Have gotten behind on blogging without our computer(going on week 3!! without one). Thankfully Philip is generous with his.

We went skiing at Solitude on Monday. It was the first free day from school and even with a storm coming, we went up. All except Arden who was left home with a sitter for being sassy. Philip was amazed at how empty the parking lot was as was I. People were staying home so we literally had the mountain to share with a couple hundred people.

Philip is a nice boarder! He's very graceful and was probably bored skiing with me b/c I'm so slow!! He was a fun ski buddy and we had fun chatting on the lifts. I am actually a better skier than he saw but the powder was unbelievable and it was my first day up. We went down runs that hadn't seen anyone yet that day. The powder was up to my knees at times and felt like a cloud when you fell...which I did!!!

Also, Mary Ann went up for the first time. She was a little pro and on her own in just a few minutes. Philip was off on his own a bit and seemed to like exploring. What a great day for me to steal him away from his friends and have him all to myself as Dennis was with MA.

Until the next time.

Avalanche

So we have mentioned that it is our preference that Philip not ski out of bounds. Well teenagers do what they want and at least he admitted he probably still will. I just figured he probably thought we were fuddy duddy adults. Well at Snowbird yesterday while he was up there skiing and avalanche occurred IN BOUNDS! We woke up to it on the front page and were a little spooked. Later Philip text me from school asking me if I had heard about it. He didn't know it had even happened and he was there! He seemed a bit sobered by it. We have told him that it is a real danger and to keep his eyes on the signs posted at the lifts. I think he believes us now! We may be investing in a beacon for him. It would do alot to ease our minds even tho it is not fool proof.

Tidbits

Philip told us after practice last week that 'he wasn't scheduled to swim' on the Saturday of the upcoming 2 day swim meet. Mmm curious. I asked about the relays in which he has been a participant EVERY meet, and he made up some story about others getting a chance because somebody broke his foot blah blah blah. Oh but could he go snow boarding. Alarm bells are going off in my head by this point. But I say yes. Days later he fesses up that he asked to not swim on the saturday. Have to appreciate his honesty but I probably won't let him off the hook again:)

So I can't tell, but I think he was a little bummed about having to go to Park City to go tubing with the youth group from St PAul's. He mentioned all that he was missing with his buddies etc.... I held my ground knowing that a couple a fun kids would be going. I am pretty certain from his call this am that he had a blast. They went tubing, cooked a great big dinner with lots of meat, something I think he feels he doesn't get enough of here!!! I got a text from one the adults at 1:17 am that they were having fun. I have yet to see him as he went boarding asap. After 6 new inches at the Bird, he was probably drooling to get on the mountain. I can't wait to hear all about it. All I know is he is now known as the crazy Swede from the youth that I did see at church this am.

Lastly, he asked if we could wait and get our Christmas tree tonight. He has never gone and picked a live one out. I guess his family has a fake one. So we'll wait. It's not like we're hiking into the woods and cutting our own but still it'll be new experience for him.

The Nutcracker

We attended the Nutcracker on Friday. Philip has never been to a ballet and there is not a better one to start with! I figure he was a tad bit bummed as 3 of his friends were having birthday parties that he would at best be late for.

He was in a t-shirt and jeans so I asked him to get on a nice sweater. We were all dressed up and I couldn't tell if he just didn't know or if he was digging his heels in at the thought of having to go out with the family and not his buddies. Plus I was asking him to attend a Youth Group function on Saturday so yet another day without his friends or (gasp) being able to snowboard!!!

He obliged and we visited backstage, met some of the crew and finally got to our seats. He says after first act that they never talked! He wasn't aware that dancers don't speak. At the end he confessed that it wasn't as boring as he thought it was going to be! I said we'll be going again, to a luke-warm response!

It turns out that the birthday parties weren't all that and so a night at the ballet, which some of his friends(the girls) thought was cool, was a good choice.