(Blurry Pictures again)
One Saturday in early January, we decided we were tired of waiting for the weather to cooperate, and wanted to go sledding. Since the snow was too patchy in our regular spot on the golf course, we packed up and headed up to Hobble Creek Canyon, hoping for more snow up there, and a good place to go sledding. We found a great place in Jolley's Ranch, which was surprisingly vacant. We had a great time sledding and vowed to go back the next weekend.
Even Scott took a few runs down the hill. He took Boston down with him, but he did not care for it.
Ok, he hated it. I took him down again later, and had to tell him it was fun. He is still deciding if he likes it or not, but mostly not.
Round #2. We went again the following Saturday, this time taking some cousins with us. Chloe, Madilyn and Wrigley came along with us.
Waverly and Wrigley
Savannah, Chloe, and Maddie. Savannah and Chloe paved their own hills, away from the rest of us, but hit a few trees a time or two.
After walking up the hill several times, it got pretty slick. Irelynd opted to hang out on the tree halfway up the hill.
We found a playground close by and everyone took a turn jumping out of the swings into the deep snow.
Wrigley requested my help in building a snowman.
As did Keaton. We used a pine bough for a mouth, which gave it an odd appearance. Savannah and Chloe built Olaf from Frozen further away, but Olaf died when one of the snowboarders accidentally plowed into him on one of his runs.
While we were there, another family showed up to use the hillside behind us to practice snow boarding. One of the guys there gave Brighton a crash course on snowboarding, and he spent the rest of the time using our little one to practice his skills. He got pretty good in making it down the hill before we left.
Round #3. We went up again with Stuart and Sallie and their family a week or two later. Boston and Sophie spent some time sitting and eating the snow together. They were so cute! Everything's better with cousins!!!
The previous few times, Scott spent time with the kids digging out a snow cave in a big drift near the pavillion. Irelynd and Wrigley made a tunnel out of it.
To entertain Boston, who has decided snow is cold and NOT fun, Scott built stacking blocks out of snow. Boston got stacking cups for Christmas, and it is his favorite toy at the moment. He enjoyed knocking the snow blocks down to buy the rest of us time to get in some more sledding before dark.
The rest of these pictures were taken by Sallie, with a much better camera. Stuart brought his lab "puppy" with him, which pulled the kids down the hill on a sled. Savannah thought that was great fun, and spent her time with the dog, since Chloe didn't come with her family.
I love this action shot of Brighton wiping out.
Waverly and Cadi sled more time "penguin style" than they did on a sled. Right after we got there, on her second run down the hill, Waverly collided with a tree and took the skin off the left side of her face, and gave herself a black eye and a goose egg over her right eye. But I was proud of her, and despite her pain, she went right back to sledding again. Just not on the hill with the tree in it.
I guess birds of a feather do stick together. The reds and blondes stuck with their own "flock" this day.
I was so proud of Brighton in trying this new sport. He didn't complain about all the times he wiped out down the hill, and kept getting up and trying again. This isn't always Brighton's strength to do this. I hope we have the ability to take him real snowboarding one day.
Sallie really captured Keaton's true expressions with these 2 photos. Sometimes I think we have an old man living inside a little boy's body. This is his "don't look at me" face.
We went sledding again a few weeks later. The time before we noticed a big fireplace in the pavillion next to the hillside, so we brought stuff for a campfire with us, and made dinner and s'mores over a big fire. It was the first time I've done a campfire in the winter. It was so fun! However, when the fire is extinguished, it is a lot colder in the snow. I took pictures, but the camera went through the wash (because I was dumb and left it in my coat pocket), so the pictures may never come to light. But I wanted to record it because it was fun.
