Sledding Day

Cold but happy!  We had a great time on Saturday, playing in the nearby mountains. My brother's family invited us to go sledding and snowmobiling with them. It was colder than we expected when we got up there. But we made the best of it!

We all trudged up the hill lots of times. Jonathan went first, really fast. Then this is Ben taking Zach down on a saucer.  It's the perfect hill - not too steep but a nice, fast ride.  Isn't it pretty?  We usually ended up down by the cabin.  On the first trip, Nicole and I took the big tube down but we weren't heavy enough so we went veeeeeery slowly and had to walk the rest of the way down.

The next time Nicole rode on the saucer with Ben. He somehow turned around backwards and they were coming down FAST.  I was worried that Nicole was scared to death.

Nope. Lots of smiles.

Zach and Nicole had an angel making marathon.  They had even practiced on the carpet at home before we went. My favorite part was watching Ben throw them into the snow so they could make the perfect angel without any footprints.  Maybe that's an Alaskan thing?

Jonathan went up and down the hill more times than I could count.  We had told the kids that if they got close to the fence at the bottom, they're supposed to roll off into the snow so they wouldn't hit the fence.  Jonathan took that advice very seriously and rolled off every time, even when it wasn't necessary.  He had several faceplants but always came up smiling. He told me to take this picture of him with snow on his face.

The big event was riding in a tube behind my brother's snowmobile. He went fast and high, up through the trees. It's so much fun! The kids were crammed into the tube and couldn't have fallen out if they tried. They never did want to stop.

Ben got to give them a ride in the second snowmobile. This time they went slower and the black cart was warmer and had more leg room. Look, Zach is waving to us!   

And where was Greg this whole time?  

He was playing in the warm car with Grandma! Because of the cold, they were both happier in there. They could see us on the hill and we could see them in the car. She gave him all kinds of treats, and Greg learned how to work the radio and power windows. At one point I saw him throwing a bouncy ball at the window!  I know Greg had more fun in their car than he would have in the cold. Thanks Mom! 

The trailer in the background is my brother's. It carries the equipment and doubles as a dressing room and lunch room. The heater inside makes it very comfy.  They are so nice to invite us every year!

After many trips up and down the hill, we'd had our fun and were sufficiently cold. We all agreed when it was time to go. On the way back to the car, Zach found these snow caves.

What a fun day in the mountains. Another adventure to remember!

And what better way to warm up from the cold than to stop in for ice cream at Dairy Queen?