Family Time

We just returned from a wonderful 4 day get-away with my family. We stayed in the shoot-out barn near Ashton. It was loads of fun! It had seven bedrooms plus a loft with a dozen bunkbeds. I love love love spending time with my family. I was especially excited to spend time with my sister Alisa, who lives in Alabama. She's the best big sister in the world. She is compassionate, kind, selfless, well-rounded, and she's an amazing mom to boot.

Everyone ooed and aahed over our baby Jess and her cousin Ryken. I was napping one day and heard Jessica hollering louder and louder. Everyone thought she was being so funny. They thought it was even funnier when I told them she was hollering for something to eat. Jessica is so easy to travel with. She's perfectly happy, tired or not. Literally, if we put her in a dark room she goes to sleep.

The kids enjoyed constant movies in the theatre room. Occasionally we made them come out to eat or do crafts. Okay they played too, but they really did get their fill of movies. I almost feel like I haven't seen Amber or Kate for a few days.

Grandma made a dancing skirt for each daughter and a reversible batman/superman cape for each grandson. Way cool!

The 30 mile per hour winds confined us indoors most of the time. The wind made it impossible to heat one side of the lodge. In an effort to compensate for the wind the furnaces were kept running continually and the other side of the lodge became unbearably hot. The wind finally broke on Saturday and we were able to escape for a snowmobile ride. We pawned our kids off and had a great ride. (Thanks guys for watching our kiddos). I love the speed, the snow, and the flying effect of snowmobiling. I don't think I've been on a snowmobile since I was pregnant with Kate 4+ years ago. And that, obviously wasn't a real ride. Amber, and her cousin Jacob were the only kids who braved the wind and got outside. The reward: a ride with grandpa.

Games, games, games. No one else brought any, because they knew we'd bring plenty. Rich gets a game for Christmas every year. We played Blockus, Settlers of Catan, Great Dalmuti, Puerto Rico, Ticket to Ride, and Carcassone. I didn't like games when Rich & I got married, but I've learned. Rich is really tough competition though. He has a "winning" reputation and he lives up to it.

Grandma bought the grandkids matching jammies for Christmas.

I wanted to get a picture of the littlest kids lined up in 5 highchairs, but it didn't happen. We also enjoyed pool, table tennis, reading, late night talks in the kitchen, and way too much food. The weather messed up our plans to snowshoe, cross country ski, sled, and enjoy the hot tub. We did let the kids put on their swimsuits and play in the jetted tub to compensate.

My family is simply amazing. Thanks mom and dad for making this happen. Everyone worked to make the week fun, but not stressful. All the cousins played together without excluding anyone. I hope everyone had as much fun as I did.