Let the Adventures Begin!

Well, it's officially 2016 and we are up in the mountains again today. We put together a family sledding day and it was so much fun! We arrived at just the right time because a ton of people rolled in after we had already established the best spot. What a great day!

And a little fun video of one of the trains trying to make it down the mountain. We didn't have the best of luck with these. I think every single one broke off somehow, and Kendall flew out of one which resulted in me bailing to catch her.

Nicole & Fam

Last weekend, I met up with my friends, Rob and Nicole, to do some pictures. Nicole is graduating from BSU in a few weeks, so she wanted some solo pictures to send out with her announcements.  We also had her parents and brother meet up with us, to get some updated family pictures. This is also the shoot where I injured my foot - still not sure what happened, but at least I can walk now!

A Weekend in the Snow

So I have had this sledding weekend planned for....oh....months now.  Months and months.  LONG months.  In fact, the last few weeks, I have desperately needed this trip to the cabin. So when Friday afternoon hit, I was running for the door at work!  We were on the road by 3:00, radio blaring, snacks being passed around, and a LONG line of traffic.  99% of the drivers were clearly headed to McCall for the Winter Carnival.  Us?  To our private winter wonderland.  It was the perfect weekend. 

We saw more deer and elk on the drive up than we ever have - they were all over the place, though we only saw one actually ON the road.  So we didn't have any scares or near-misses.

Once we arrived and got everything unpacked and put away, the fun began.  We were joined by my brother and his girlfriend, our friend Nicole, and our other friends, Abby and Brandon, and their son, Daysen, who is Carter's good buddy.

 First thing Saturday morning, after a big breakfast of course, we got all bundled up and made our way out into the snow.  There were several feet of the fluffy, white stuff - and ample base for sledding!  Carter and Daysen kept themselves busy on the 4 wheeler (no, the key wasn't in it) while we inflated the tubes and got the sleds ready to go.

The guys (mostly Eric) were in charge of pulling around the boys.

 Which is actually quite easy.....until you start the climb UP.  ;)  I was more than happy to be pregnant at this point - my hardest task was carrying around my camera.

 Let me tell you, these boys were hilarious once the high speed sledding began.  Carter was screaming like a crazed banshee, and Daysen was just scared speechless!  Both claimed to be scared, but as soon as the sled stopped, the giggling began and they begged for more.  So it was a good fear that they had inside them - and definitely one that entertained the on-lookers!

 Abby and Daysen

 Nicole and Carter

 Abby and Brandon

 Eric and Carter - look at those red cheeks!  It certainly wasn't cold (as you can tell by Eric's lack of coat) - Carter just plays so hard and his poor cheeks get so rosy.  This was near the end of our day, and he had hiked up those hills countless times.  And when there wasn't a sled available, his snowsuit was slick enough that he just sat down on his butt and went down the hill just like that.  It was too funny!

 The boys continued to run wild late into the evening (his cheeks are still bright red here), and when it was time for bed, trust me, it didn't take much more than a few minutes for them to completely pass out.

All in all, it was a damn good weekend.  Of course, it went by entirely too fast - as great weekends tend to do.  I can't wait for the next trip up there!

Let's Catch Up, Shall We?

Let's just assume, for all intesive purposes of this post, that my life has been busy. Haven't I been saying that since.....I don't even remember. A while. Definitely a while. So I am a little behind on posting some updates. So I am here to catch you up on the happenings in my life.

Last weekend, we had an impromptu girls' night at my house. We had a fantastic meal, which quickly lead into a Wii tournament. There were definitely some adult beverages included, so the tourney got a little entertaining.

{Me, my sister-in-law Janelle, and my longtime (ok, since we were in diapers) friend, Abby}

{Me and Abby}

Bowling was definitely a good source of entertainment, especially since Abby had her best form on display!

Even the husband got involved.....though I'm certain he didn't win.


In the middle of the week.....couldn't tell you which day.....the boy rediscovered his obsession with the spray bottle. I'm not sure what the fascination is, but I'm all for cheap entertainment.

We also had a follow up appointment with Eric's cardiothoracic surgeon this last week. Everything checked out great, though the surgeon is still keeping him off of work for another two months. Yes, months. For someone who is already going stir-crazy (him, not me), this was not the best of news. But we'll take it for what it is, and keep pushing through the recovery. Along with this news came the realization that we needed to start saving money since worker's comp isn't covering 100% of his wages. So we opted to reduce Carter's time at daycare - the most obvious choice for saving money. The new schedule starts tomorrow and I really hope both Eric and Carter have the patience for this change. It's definitely going to be an adjustment for both (moreso Eric than Carter), but I'm confident it will work out.

So, in celebration of the good news, we headed out for a very nice dinner with my family, and then out for a much-needed adult night out. We gathered up some friends and hit our longtime favorite, Shorty's.

{Me and Nicole}

{The hubby and me}


{Rob and Nicole}

And since the boys wouldn't let us play in their super cool game of pool, Nicole and I started our own game. We are much better.

Sunday was a day of R&R. It was mostly spent watching tennis in the morning (way to go, Roddick!!) and attempting various chores around the house. Carter and I opted for some comfort food in the form of mac n' cheese. He LOVES helping me cook.

And we also worked on some smaller issues, like blowing our own nose. Which apparently shouldn't be done unsupervised.


And helping mommy clean the bathrooms.

Which turned into NOT so much of the helping part, but more of a fashion show of the shoes in daddy's closet.

Hey, at least he provides entertainment while I do the work! "A" for effort, little buddy.