Snow, Snow and More Snow!

We (the parents) weren't set on a game plan for the day. We wanted to ski, but with so much snow and a bit of wind on the mountain, we worried how difficult it would be for the boys. The storm continued as we contemplated our plan of attack. As we discussed it over breakfast, Seth said, "Today we are going to hike up a mountain, go sledding, build a snowman and have a snowball fight." With that, our day was planned!

Here we are with our snowman. What you can't see in the picture is Seth's planning. Before leaving home, he packed an extra pair of glasses, a pencil and a Tiger's Milk bar for the snowman to wear and hold. It was so funny when he started pulling these things out of his toy bag prior to our leaving the condo this morning. The glasses were really cute. In the picture, you can't see them. Instead, you see the eyebrows!

Here are some sledding pictures of the boys. Ethan was so cute as a sledder. He kept spinning around backwards on the saucer, and he would plow up lots of snow on the other!

Dad was the hardest worker of all that day. After shoveling out a parking spot (and using the car's 4 wheel drive to do some plowing) he led the path from where we parked to the hill, sometimes sinking waist high in powder. Then, he had to dig and plow and dig and plow through deep, deep powder in order for us to have our sled path. We love you Dad!

Here I am going down the hill. It was WAY too steep for me! I only went down one more time...that was more than enough for me!

Seth was a pro! He kept doing awesome jumps! We had two types of sleds, and he mastered them both. At this time he was wearing Dad's snowboarding mask. His poor little face got so cold that is was nearly purple. The mask made an immediate change!

Here is Seth again...catching some air!

Such a fun time!

We Made It!

Okay...we weren't sure if we would make it or not, and we got off to a later start than we wanted this morning (Dad wanted to leave at 6am, but that wasn't going to happen). Luckily, we left just after 9:00. We found that the Cajon Pass had been closed all morning, but it opened up right when we made it to that point! It was a slow drive, but we made it! Ethan whined and complained the entire way, but as soon as he saw the snow completely covering the road he got excited. Before even making it to the condo, he was saying, "I'm staying here for a long time!" They were ready to go!

I tried to have the kids watch movies (using the headphones of course since we didn't want to listen to hours of E.T. and home movies aka "Baby Shows"), we listened to music (and sang), I packed lots of snacks, and we played car games. That was not enough for E Bear. He was still a crab!

The wait seemed to be nearing an end when all we saw was white!

Even the highway was completely snow covered!

Just after arriving we took a walk around the Village. The boys remembered the gondola from last year and posed for a picture in front of it. It is just steps away from where we are staying. We are so fortunate that Dad works for a company with vacation perks like this! Wow!

The boys posed for a picture on top of a huge pile of snow in front of our balcony.

Seth hammed it up while the snow fell around him.

The next morning we awoke to this snowy scene from the balcony. It had snowed all night. Only a small walking path had been cleared at this time.

While I made breakfast, Seth took being on vacation to the extreme. He lounged on the bed in the boy's room and watch cartoons in his chones!

You've Gotta' Love Grandparents!

We are off to Mammoth for the week! Hooray! Sadly, but fortunately, Miss Em will be staying with Grandma Diane. We took her last year, and it was nice, but it really was tough to get around and have fun. Also, it was difficult to keep Baby Girl warm and cozy amidst the "big guy" activities. Thanks to Grandma, Emmy will be warm and cozy at home while the rest of us hit the slopes!

While we are on the shout outs...can't forget to thank Grandpa Doug for taking our other girl, Allie Dog. She is freshly bathed, smelling pretty and ready to take over the house! Thanks to all!!!

A Day with Daddy

Dad had to run some errands today, and he took Emers along for the ride. That wasn't the original plan (he tried to sneak out of the house alone) but Emmy caught him and insisted upon going. We got her dressed for a day out, and she was so proud to be going with Dad! When then got home, she had a balloon and a new baby doll! Somebody has Daddy wrapped around her little finger!

Emerson cuddled her baby on the couch while being sure to keep the balloon out of her brothers hands!

I love this picture of Emmy looking up at her balloon. If only I wasn't using the "back up camera"! It was giving me a hard time, and the pictures didn't turn out at sharp as I hoped for.

I Love You Honey...We're Going to Supercross

Yes, that is correct. We spend Valentine's Day (ALL day) at Supercross! We arrived just after ten to set up the trailer for tailgating. You heard that right, we arrived at 10am for a race that begins at 7:30 pm! All I can say is that Dad is hard core. I suppose it was worth it though...we had a great spot and the boys had fun watching the practice races and touring the pits that afternoon with their buddies.





The kids were so worn out from a busy afternoon that Curran fell asleep before the first race even started, and Ethan was close. We were sad when Chad Reed didn't win the main event, but Murray's boyfriend, Ryan Dungy won his class! Murray cheered him on and took paparazzi pictures earlier in the day (he is the rider above). We know that must have done the trick! Next year we'll have to pay more attention to Chad!

Purse Girl and Light Saber Boy

Brent and Shana came to visit from Arizona last weekend. Where did we go? Disneyland! We love that place. Unfortunately, my camera froze up early in the day, and I got very few pictures (none of those cute little cousins). Other than having fun with Mason and Brooklyn, our two big highlights from the trip came when lil' Emmy Kate found the purse display after getting her picture taken with Tinkerbell and Friends, and when Ethan was selected to participate in the the Light Saber Training Academy. Em needed a nap, and the DumDum lollipop made her happy. As always, we had a fantastic day at Disneyland!

Hangin' with the Howells

We have had such amazing weather this winter! The skies have been so clear and blue. We spent a beautiful weekend in Ocotillo with the Howell family. It was great family fun!

Seth, Gavin, Ethan and Austin are ready to race!

The Howells are ready for a family ride on their new Artic Cat with Gracie in the back!

Silly boys in the backseat...

Hold on Allie Girl!

Look who's the bully now!

Big Brother Howell

Seth on two wheels.

Emmy loved her blueberry pancakes (with extra blueberries on top of course)!