winter in montana

so i realized upon looking over my bloggy this morning, that i've really been fixated on this whole crib/sleep thing. yet there is so much more happening! we are in the middle of winter in montana. winter here is intense, to say the least. and about this time of year, you start to get a bit sick of the whole thing (or you do if you're me and you don't downhill ski...). but instead of ranting about gray days and cold winds, i'd like to focus on all the growth i've made through these winters. i believe this is my sixth montana winter! who woulda thunk that this so cal girl could survive so many frigid seasons! but i've found a beauty in winter. winter has come to mean slowing down. i've spent may, may winter saturdays over the years, holed up sola in the house with a good book, watching the snow fall out the window, wrapped up in a blanket, and at udder peace with doing just that. the sun, god bless her, is an energy button. when it's sunny, especially in montana, you feel like you have to be outside enjoying every single second of it because it's so hard earned. we didn't have these sorts of "rest" days growing up in l.a. at least not with the furious consistency of winters in the great rockies.

so winter with baby. right now i'm drinking a cup of coffee, a candle is burning, eliana is beside me playing with her alligator on the floor, and our daily forecast looks pretty simple. penelope and aluna will come play for a while. we'll take lucy out for a walk. dad will come home from snowbowl and we'll all snuggle. and i'll make deerchiladas for the grillo-shannons for dinner. at that's it. simple. lovely. slowing way down.