We drove up Friday morning, after a fiasco with a late Amazon delivery of our new microwave oven. Thankfully our neighbors would bring it in our house when it arrived. We turned around and came back home twice after realizing we had forgotten things. Important things too like Scott's snowpants, gloves, and hat and of course, the Bacardi. Stressful departure, but worth going back home for those things! The ride was smooth, the kids behaved in the car, and we stopped for gas and lunch at Wendy's.
As you can see, I think we had everything but the kitchen sink in the car with us this trip. Man, ski equipment for four people takes up a lot of space! And an Imaginext T-Rex...
The boys were so excited to see some snow when we arrived (I was getting a bit nervous that it literally took until our exit before we saw snow) and they ran down to check out the lake. Meanwhile, Scott shoveled out the driveway that our van was now stuck in. Good times!
It was kind of gloomy up there on Friday when we arrived, but still cool to walk on the frozen lake and explore for a bit.
Our guests arrived a little bit later and the kids hit it off right away! Coloring, playing some intense games of Slapjack, and getting out the tent to play in. Us adults enjoyed some conversation and beer! Let the good times get started!
Amy made tacos, quesadillas, refried beans, and Spanish rice for dinner Friday night. Of course my boys were picky and decided on a peanut butter sandwich, but everyone was fed and happy. The kids all had some down time after their shower together by playing on their tablets and then they were off to bed. All the adults were pretty tired, so we had a few drinks/beers and all went to bed.
The next morning we were up bright and early to get ready to head into Harrison for the day for some skiing. We had the kids in a 10am lesson when the hills opened. Scott and I made pancakes and bacon for breakfast for everyone and we all got our gear on. I was so anxious! Evan is using Sean's old equipment this year and I worried it was too big for him. Sean had all new, to him, gear. And Scott got some new boots and is using my brother's old skis for the first time. Lots of new elements to add to the mix.
But, I worried for nothing! Everyone did amazing! Evan skied for only his third time and made huge strides from last year. He seemed to start understanding the concept of making pizzas with his skis, although sometimes he got lazy and didn't want to. By the afternoon, after his lesson and a break, I was able to take him up the magic carpet twice with the backpack harness and then we ditched it and I just skied next to him to make sure he was going slow enough. I was really happy and I know that by the end of this season he'll be doing fantastic for 4 years old!
Sean was like night and day this year! He started off with ski tips on the magic carpet and progressed to the tow rope with no ski tips and even managed to do a few turns! By mid-afternoon, we were able to take him down the magic carpet with no help, other than to pick him up a few times. I think taking him somewhere that has more variety of hills and chairlift runs will be good for him. He should be able to do the chairlift with us next time!
The good news? Everyone finished the afternoon with a smile!
Eric hung out with Kennedy in the ski lodge while we were all out on the hills and the only break we needed to take was for lunch. Bag lunches for the kids and some yummy chicken strips and fries for the adults. Oh...and cinnamon sugar donuts. An absolute must after skiing. One of my favorite memories from skiing as a kid.
We drove back late afternoon to get ready for our NYE dinner out in town. Since I forgot my toiletry bag at home, I needed to stop at a Rite Aid to pick up some cheap makeup, hair gel to help my hair curl, and deoderant. $36 I did not need to spend, but oh well. Could have been worse! We made a reservation at the only restaurant near the lake called The Hearth. The menu looked great, except I didn't realize they had a special menu for NYE that was pretty pricey. Luckily they threw together two kids meal options otherwise we would have been eating frozen pizza for dinner at the house.
After dinner we came back to the house and got the real party started. I set up a table full of activities for the kids with party blowers, beads, and questionnaires about 2016. They had a great time! We did the kid's countdown on Netflix at 9pm and let they have sparkling grape juice, which no one liked.
After the kids were in bed we started an intense euchre battle. Four games later and we tied two games a piece. It was so much fun! Mini beer shots, bacardi and diets all night, and a kiss at midnight! Our 2am bedtime was going to kick our butts the next morning, but it was worth it considering we don't get to see Eric and Amy often.
Sunday morning my boys were up by 7:30 and Amy had been up part of the night with Kennedy. While it wasn't an ideal morning after a late night, it was kind of peaceful as the boys watched cartoons quietly and I just zoned out on the couch watching the sunrise over the lake. My picture doesn't do it justice. It was a beauty! And a beautiful way to start the new year. Maybe it's a sign to slow down and live in the moment, even if it's not how I imagined the moment to be.
I cooked sausage, french toast, and scrambled eggs for breakfast for everyone once more people woke up. After a little while, Amy and Eric packed up to head home with their girls. After they left, the boys enjoyed sledding in the backyard for a bit and then swimming at the indoor pool on the lake. We came back and made spaghetti, meatballs, salad, and garlic toast for dinner and enjoyed a relaxing and quiet evening. Scott watched the Lion's game in the basement and I watched some movies on Netflix upstairs.
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