Another Alpine Adventure

One Sunday evening in late February, we trekked to the mountains for a 2 night stay at a rented house just a few miles from the ski slopes. Mimi and Pop-Pop joined us for the fun and we could not have done it without them :) The big boys' friend, A, joined us as well so that they would have someone to pal around with. Monday was gorgeous... it was sunny, there was fresh new snow, and the warmer temperatures were refreshing. Knowing the inclement weather forecast for Tuesday made Monday that much more glorious. Mercy and Odesco stayed back with Mimi and Pop-Pop on Monday morning so that we could work individually with G and L. The others joined us in the lodge at lunchtime and then Mercy, Odesco and L all went to ski class while Daddy, G and I skied together on a slightly more challenging trail. Miss Mercy did much better than on our previous trip and was actually down the beginner mountain without hanging onto Daddy or falling continuously. Her primary challenge was learning how to stop (in a controlled fashion :) ) which occurred only if she would purposely wipe out or run into inanimate objects such as trash cans and fences ...thankfully she and the can/fence were just fine. Control is not her forte yet, but I'm sure with practice she'll get the idea of the 'pizza slice' (ie: snowplow!). Odesco also is working on perfecting his snowplow and L amazed us with his ability to 'fall' and get back up while still in motion. At one point he was headed straight for a downed snowboarder...he wisely sat down on his skis, shifted his weight just missing the snowboarder by a few inches...he then stood up and proceeded down the mountain. The snowboarder and I exchanged a,"Phew, that was close!!" and off I went to catch up with our little man!! It sure does help being only a few feet from the ground and having a lower center of gravity!!G is doing quite well too although we did have another ski lift mishap together....I'll spare you the details...let's just say God is refining my character on the slopes and off!!
Tuesday is our usual Homeschool ski day and we were hoping to meet up with all our church friends however most people stayed home due to the forecast and the memories of the harrowing drive home just a few weeks earlier. A few families did join us however and we were blessed with 3 or so hours of good skiing with fresh snow falling. Quickly though, the temperatures began to rise and we were soon skiing in sleet and then pure rain. We stuck it out for a while but I called it quits when Mercy and I were on the lift and I could feel the water working its way through every layer of clothing as we sat on the rain drenched seat. By the time we made it back to the lodge, our clothes were saturated and the other families who joined us were calling it a day as well. We were home by 4pm which was a huge blessing so that we had time to unpack, do laundry and dry out before Daddy had to head back to work and we had to began our school week. I am grateful for the memories we made and the time spent with Mimi and Pop- Pop. The kids are all looking forward to more ski adventures next year :)!!! Now, onto spring!!!!
Enjoy the pictures!!
Love,MamaB

It was very cold when we first arrived at the rental house...our little man happily donned his sister's warm flannel nightgown and earned the name "Lucy" as he pranced around the house!!

While we unpacked and got settled in, the ever patient Pop-Pop attempted to play a "calm" game of UNO with the youngest 4. Calm would definitely not characterize these 4 playing competitively together!

Pop-Pop and L doing a crossword puzzle together :) Definitely alot quieter than UNO...

We were surprised to meet up with the big guys ...check out L in the distance being "Mr. Independent!"

Daddy, L and G at the top of one of the bigger slopes after an exciting ride up the highspeed chairlift!

Thankfully it was not crowded so Daddy could take his time helping G and L down this more challenging trail.

L and G practicing "s" turns and 'pizza slices' to control their speed.

Daddy and Mercy taking a ride up the beginner slope...(the tube in the background is for a summertime waterpark)

A fuzzy picture but Miss Mercy was oh so proud of her progress and so were we!!

Odesco, L , and Mercy in their ski class...

Odesco after practicing all his newly learned skills...he even offered to carry L's skis to the lodge--this boy's strength amazes me!!

Warming up, eating a quick snack, and playing cards with Pop-Pop...does it get any better than that?!

Mimi and Miss G enjoying a snuggle together

On our wet Tuesday the girls passed their time in the lodge getting manicures ...

Little man L was so drenched that he had to don my dry fleece pullover...in my haste to get packed up, I forgot extra clothes for this little guy.