Last week, Maren turned 13, meaning that teenagers are now the majority voice in our family.

Today, Evelyn turns 17, which seems crazy to me. 

Almost exactly ten years ago, I wrote the following passage on this blog: Evelyn's Birthday. Seven. Wow. I have a seven-year-old. Every once in a while I look at Evelyn and I have to remind myself that this is the same girl who I was taking on bike rides through Cuyahoga National Park just a few short years ago. Now she is reading chapter books and has her own ideas about things and is developing into an amazing person who I love spending time with. And I make sure that I remind her EVERY night that she will always be..."My. Little. Girl"...No matter what...Even when she's big. And then she reminds me EVERY night that I will always be "Her Awesome Papa." Yeah- it's pretty sweet. We'll see if she still feels that way in five to ten years. I hope so.

Well- over the years we have grown out of the little terms of endearment, but I think the sentiment remains and we still have a great relationship.  Conversations about college and future plans suddenly seem much less hypothetical though. Also, I have to admit that this birthday of hers hits me harder than I expected. In just one year she will be an adult, graduated, and probably off to greater adventures. I know it isn't happening yet, but it suddenly becomes very easy for me to imagine a house without drums, a room without vintage punk rock posters, and family trips without people having to fight over comfortable seats in the mini-van. I'll miss these things, and it reminds me to enjoy every second that we have together.

*****

On Monday night we sat around the table to dinner and had a conversation revolving around highlights of the weekend. The super fast slalom course through the trees with Me, Addy, and Ev that was probably the best ski run of the year. The Rock Run. The Fall. The Hot Tub. The kid's walk to Wendy's. The groomers with Maren. The joys and frustrations of deep, soft snow. 

This weekend we skied at Big Sky, bookended on either side with short days at Silver Mountain. It was one of those trips that seems meaningful in some intangible-yet-very-real way. Our family always seems to come together in the mountains- like little day-to-day frustrations seem to just disappear in the magnitude of what is around us. It just works, and I love it.

Here are some pictures. Enjoy, and have a good week!

Still Single on Valentine's Day, and not a bit sad about it.

The one and only photo I got at Big Sky was of Rachel locking our car topper. She was actually very frustrated in this moment. I don't think that me bringing out the camera helped. Oops. :)

On Monday, Addy used Jackson's board, and he used her skis. They both had fun, but I think they were both happy to switch back later on.

Just hanging out at the hotel. Trickster (the stuffed animal) has become part of the family over the years.

I don't really know what is happening here. I think that Addy and Lindsey static-electricitied the balloons to the ceiling? Or they are just climbing around on things, because that happens too.

It’s crazy how a week can feel like a month sometimes, at least emotionally speaking. This one definitely qualifies. I’ll be honest- it was a little rough…Maybe more than a little. It started with a couple of hard days at work- nothing terribly big, just some difficult (high stakes) cases that are proving to require a little more management than anticipated. On top of that, it appears that our Spring Break plans might not work out. Bummer, but manageable.

But then on Sunday on the way to church, Rachel got in a car accident. And not just a little one. This was the kind where both cars were totaled. A police car, ambulance, and fire truck all showed up.

Thankfully, everyone is okay. Truly. But the car? Her brand new Prius? Little Blue? Gone. Just like that. ALL of our other cars have been having little mechanical problems lately and this was the only truly reliable car we had. Not any more. On top of that, and as long as I’m being honest- having four teenagers can be fun at times but isn’t exactly a walk in the park. In short, all these things were adding up and self-pity was definitely a flavor I was tasting a lot of.

Then, something shifted. We saw two Pulitzer-prize winning plays: "Sweat" and "Rent." Powerful stuff. Stories about people facing real, significant hardships. Hardships that put our week – the work stress, the car, the teenage angst – into a little bit more perspective. It’s not so much about minimizing our struggles, but about recognizing the scale of things. These characters, these stories, they had real problems. Ones that matter a lot more than going from four cars down to three, or missing out on a ski trip. And suddenly, my self-pity felt…well, a little silly. Maybe a lot silly.

That feeling was reinforced around the dinner table. Jackson, because he is a teenager, was complaining about some perceived unfairness. And Maren, because she is also a teenager now, just calmly said, “Obviously life isn’t fair Jackson…and that usually works in your favor.” Boom. Mic drop. That one hit me too. She was right though. Things are often unfair, and by and large, that unfairness benefits us. Perspective.

The weekend brought some much-needed relief. A Super Bowl party with friends, good company, laughter, and lots of junk food. I also got a few days on the slopes, and that feeling of carving through fresh snow, the crisp air, the quiet…it’s restorative. It’s a reminder of the simple joys, made even better by the people you are with.

I started thinking- that car accident, as vexing as it was, could have been so much worse. It could have been a tragedy. But it wasn’t. And as stupid as kids can be, we wouldn’t be US without them in all of their quirky glory. And sure- work is frustrating at times- those very same factors make it extremely gratifying and fulfilling at other times though, and I wouldn’t trade that for hardly anything.

Byron and Amanda are pretty great for hosting the super bowl party every year- it's always a fun time. Also, Addy made a $4 bet with the group and came away with $100- so yeah, we are raising gamblers. Great.

Lindsey and I had a GREAT day at Schweitzer. Sunshine, soft snow, pizza, and campfires. Perfect.

Maren and Rachel had a day alone at Silver. I was at work, Lindsey was sledding with friends, and the older kids were all at a different resort for Ski Club.

The three of us made the walk up to Wardner peak to ski off the back. It always seems longer than it actually is.

So, I’m ending this week on a note of optimism. And gratitude. Gratitude for my family, for our health, for the perspective that sometimes comes from seeing stories of hardship, and for the wisdom of a TEENAGE daughter (Happy Birthday, Maren!). Sometimes, a totaled car is just a reminder of how lucky we really are.

...Even if it doesn't feel like it sometimes (I had to get that in there- I'm still convincing myself)

Addy practicing her moves for the ski park by jumping off the roof of our house. The recent soft snow has really emboldened her to try new things.