Mid-Winter Break

We just got back from a week-long trip to Utah.  While most of our friends took off to sunny/tropical destinations we road-tripped to the barren wasteland of Utah so we could ski.  A few noteworthy things happened on this trip:
Landon learned to ski.  He conquered his fear of the ski lift and morphed into a fearless speed demon who zooms down blue runs, leaving his mom in the dust.
I, Mel, the non-skier among the bunch has improved quite a bit.  Unfortunately that's not saying much.
We crammed in as much as we possibly could in such a short amount of time that I barely saw my sisters.  'Le weep' as Linz would say.
On our way home from Park City we were caught in an awful snow/wind storm resulting in 3 1/2 hours spent in the car the day before my poor boys and I had to make the long drive home.  Not good.  But we are glad we are alive
Also, my boys rock at road trips.  We made the drive in a record breaking 12 hours (it usually takes 13) to beat the blizzard in Snoqualmie Pass.  Yes, that's the same pass we were stuck in for 6 hours on our last trip.  We didn't beat the blizzard but we made it through soon enough that we didn't have to chain up.  Hallelujah!
We arrived home to discover evidence of mice throughout our kitchen.  They played hard while we were away.  Now I've had the pleasure of unpacking from a ski trip while simultaneously washing/sanitizing every dish, cupboard, and drawer without setting off the plethora of mouse traps scattered throughout the kitchen.  It's like a war zone.  The pest guy comes today and I just might greet him with a big hug and kiss.

my boys know how to have fun in a pool

the hotel offered complimentary bacon, errrrr, I mean breakfast

skiing at Alta on a windy snowy day

Marcus pretending he's a pair of skis?  or maybe that he's the dying mountain climber on top of Everest (what a great movie by the way)

The first run of the day

The lift broke just as we were nearing the top.  So frustrating wasting perfect ski conditions just sitting there. But at least Uncle Toby and Megan made for good company

Eating lunch outside.  It really was the perfect day!

Landon at the top of the mountain before he cruised down it.  This kid can shred!

Randy's parents and brother skied along with us

We squeezed in a trip to the Provo temple open house

Grandpa treated us to ice cream at the BYU creamery

Playing the awesome top spinning game with cousins

more games with cousins

Parker got to hang out with Grandma Balls while we skied

more fun with grandmas

Rock climbing in Heber

Parker managed to sleep while I risked our lives trying to drive back to grandpa's in a horrible blizzard

every kitchen cupboard and drawer has been emptied out, wiped down, and it's contents washed, dried, and stacked on the tables.  what a way to end a vacation!