Up North - Frozen Style

I looked at the calendar last week in complete shock.  It's already mid-February and at that point, I wasn't sick of winter.

Then this weekend came and went.  The "arctic blast" brought in unbelievably cold temps with even lower windchills.  And it just happened to coincide with our trip up to Gladwin for some winter activities.  Because, ya know, sledding and skiing in dangerously cold weather sounds like a hoot!  Thanks, Mother Nature!

Cue "Let It Go" as the snow blows around on the lake.

 We drove up Saturday after Scott ended his basketball coaching season in 2nd place.  I know he was disappointed and heck, I was disappointed considering we waited to go up until the championship game was over.  The drive was a bit stressful.  Wind was blowing snow on to the road at random times.  You could be cruising at a comfortable 75 and suddenly hit a patch of snow-covered roads making everyone brake and drive 50, if that.  Unpredictability while driving is never a good thing.

We arrived with just enough time to sled in the backyard before the sun set.  The kids made it a good 20 minutes outside before we all lost the feeling in our faces.  But, it was really cool to walk out on the frozen lake.

We're standing on the lake!

Sunday morning we let the kids veg with cartoons.  Isn't the winter about relaxing inside by a fire?  Once the parent-guilt set in about how much TV time was happening, we got creative.  Basketball tournaments, couch-cushion forts, and board games helped pass the time until the temperature seemed a bit tolerable outside.

At about 10am, we had all the relaxation we could take.  So, we bundled up again and went outside for another 20 minute round of sledding.

We took advantage of the lake's rec center and let the kids go to the indoor pool.  Not sure what to expect with the water temperature, we were pleasantly surprised when it felt like a giant bathtub.  We easily spent two hours swimming, splashing, and jumping in.  The ride back home we picked up a pizza for dinner.  The place was a little sketchy...almost something out of Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  But, the food passed the taste test by two hungry little boys.

This morning we woke up, packed, and hit the road.  We drove about 40 minutes to Snow Snake for Sean's ski lesson.  The kid lasted 40 minutes on the bunny hill and made it down about 4 times.  He complained the whole time that his feet were hurting from the ski boots, but we made it work.  Evan and Scott watched from inside the ski chalet, while I kept Sean and his teacher company on my snowboard.  Bag lunches from home for lunch on a picnic table inside the ski chalet and cups of hot cocoa kept the boys entertained until it was time to go home.  A smooth, uneventful drive home and we capped the extended weekend off with dinner at our favorite place, Hermann's.

It was a great winter-y get away spent with family!  I can officially say that I'm ready for winter to be over now.  We did our winter activities.  We got out there and skied this winter.  It can be Spring now.

Maybe we'll have better luck with the weather next year.  It's crazy to think that next year when we go up, Evan will be old enough to try skiing.  My boys are getting sooo big!!  Speaking of big, this picture from Friday, getting ready to go to their Valentine's Day parties at daycare, warms my heart.