New Year's Adventures

New Year's Eve was rather un-eventful. We kicked it up a notch and actually went to a friend-of-a-friend's house for a party...it was good company and good food, but I had a killer of a headache (probably from lack of sleep and piles of laundry I had to sort after returning home the day before). We left the party about ten, and I was out before 11 o'clock.

On New Year's Day, however, we really turned up the excitement!!! We humm-hawed around, trying to make a decision on whether 'to go or not to go' on a little excursion the 'boys' had planned the day before...we decided to go and it was GREAT!!!

We drove up near Island Park to a place called Bear Gulch. It's a really old ski 'resort' where Ryan's dad learned to ski as a boy. In the summer we go just below the peaks to what is known as Warm River. It's called Warm River because it runs full force even in the freeze of winter...it's FREEZING in the summer!!!

We parked where all the other 'big boys' had parked with their big SUV's and rigs with sleds and trailers full of fun toys. We got our kids bundled, bundled, and re-bundled to keep them warm, then hacked a staircase in the six foot snow embankment to get to our awesome destination...20 feet from the 'parking lot' in the semi-shelter of some trees.

Once at our destination, we set up camp, literally!!! We brought in a Coleman stove with propane, pans, wood for a fire, a card table, tarp, toboggans, blankets, matches, hot dogs, tons of water, and hot chocolate from the cannery (10 times yummier than Stephen's, in our humble opinion!)

{Ryan pulling Tanner & Adelaide towards 'the hill'. }

{Burried in the snow!!! They thought this was great!}

Tevye and Ryan built a fire, started the water to boil and put up our tarp. Sara and I kept the youngest two occupied while keeping them from getting too wet and cold. Our oldest two, just 10 days apart, really enjoyed playing in their 'cave' and sledding on a flat 10 foot snow pack.

{Tevye, Lord of the Flame}

We had a roaring winter fire to cook our hot dogs on, drank hot chocolate till our tummies thought they'd burst, and froze our little fingers off! But the best part of all was having so much fun watching our husbands have so much fun!

{Tanner in his cave}

We went to Bear Gulch to do some sledding, but drove away after only two runs down the hill...or should I say MOUNTAIN. Our hubbys took the oldest and sled cleeeeeeaaaaarrrr down the 'hill' and then hauled the kids back up....two times was plenty!

{Sara keeping these two out of trouble...while I was shooting pictures and making hot chocolate}

After about two hours, the babies were done, and I was worn out from sinking up to my armpits various times. It was time to return home. We got everybody packed up and decided that next time we'd get a sitter for the kids and come back just as adults...we are SO stoked for that!!!

The people you see in the pictures are our friends the Waites. Tevye and Sara have a little girl just 10 days older than Tanner, and another little girl just a few months younger than Taylor. We're working on a Cult. :)


Before we ever pulled from the parking lot, our kids were sound asleep. And if we would have had a taxi driver, Ryan and I would have both been asleep, too!!! We were tuckered out!

There's nothing like ringing in the new year with a great adventure!!!