BUILDING BL(ayl)OCKS: Christmas Break at the Cabin

The day after Christmas, we tried to look for an after Christmas sale on a Christmas tree, but ended up only buying goodie plates for next year and wrapping paper. We’ll have to keep the hunt on for a Christmas tree. We came home and I began to do the final packing preparations while Matthew took down the Christmas tree and some of the decorations. It was so stressful to pack and have Christmas going down at the same time! I told Matthew we’re never doing that again. We had a quick lunch amidst the packing frenzy and hit the road about two o’clock. We were hoping the boys would nap, and they both slept for about the first 45 minutes to an hour but were up after that. The traffic was terrible and we rerouted off the main road several times to avoid accidents and so forth. The 70 was pretty clear of snow, but the other roads we went on were not great. I was anxious and very relieved when we finally got to the cabin around 4:40. It only ended up taking us about 20 minutes longer than usual, but it felt like a very long drive! The boys were so wound up and excited to be here, they ran around the cabin like crazy men for the rest of the evening.

They had no idea the conditions of travel and were so happy to be headed to the cabin!

Friday, Matthew started to clear the lake. We were worried it wouldn’t be cold enough, or enough snow, but getting the lake cleared is a top priority for Matthew! Jay went down to the lake with him and Grandpa soon joined. Hugh and I waited for a bit because I wasn’t sure how Hugh would respond to the snow and the cold. He did awesome and I was able to help get the lake cleared the rest of the way. Jay and Hugh loved being pulled around on the sled on the ice and Jay was happy to pull me and Grandpa around, too! We cleared our rink in a couple hours and Matthew and Grandpa went down late afternoon to water it down and smooth it out.

Hugh in the snow

The lake in process of clearing

Jay and Hugh

Hugh, laying down in the snow on the ice - brrr!

Grandpa, Matthew, Jay, Hugh, and me

Me and Jay

Jay pulling Hugh

Grandma, Jay, and Hugh watching Matthew and Grandpa lay down the water on the lake

Jay built this huge tower in the back of the dump truck all by himself, amazing!!

Hugh riding the tractor

Grandma, Jay, and Hugh - lounging together

Hugh and Jay helping with the dishes

Saturday was our day of hockey! We didn’t realize at the time, it would be our last due to the lake turning slushy. Jay tried out skates for the first time! He definitely preferred being in boots, but gave the skates a fair trial. The ice was probably the best we’ve ever had! It was so smooth, we were slipping even in the boots. We shot around, and “played” hockey as much as we could with two little ones running around the rink. Hugh and Jay loved when Matthew picked them up and skated around the rink with them! Matthew is incredible on skates, it always amazes me! I have to admit, I was a little nervous when he picked up the boys and sprint skated around the lake, but I had to trust he was more aware of his body and their safety than even me. We had the best morning and the boys did awesome playing around with us outside. Saturday was also our 7th anniversary of our wedding! Grandma and Grandpa took over the parental duties for us during nap time and we went to lunch at a local pizza shop in Leadville. The pizza was so yummy and it was wonderful to have a little bit of time to ourselves! I love Matthew and the past seven years have been the most joyful of my entire life, and I lived a pretty happy life before him! He’s so patient, kind, calm, courageous, strong, and fun. I love the life we have together and am so grateful I get him for forever!

Matthew and Jay looking at the book of Who's Who

Jay, so excited to play hockey!

Jay on the famous ninja turtle skates!

Hugh learning the basics of hockey

Grandpa giving Jay a ride!

Jay giving Grandpa a ride!

There goes Matthew!

Jay shoots, he scores!

Matthew skating with Jay

Matthew skating with Hugh

Matthew, Jay, and Hugh

Pizza and 7 years of marriage!

Jay helping Grandma clean the toy garage

Sunday it snowed, and the roads to church were slow and nerve-wracking. We made it to Frisco for church just in time for the Sacrament. Jimmer Fredette happened to be there with his family, so that’s my most recent claim to fame. I didn’t talk to him, I felt like he should just enjoy being at church with his family. Our drive home was much better as the roads were wet and the snow was mostly melted off. Grandma and Hugh had a lot of fun on Sunday! Grandma showed Hugh how to play music on the triangle and he thought that was very cool! Also, when it was time for bed, I took Hugh's clothes off and he climbed up with Grandma before I could get his jammies on. He snuggled with her for a long time. He did this a couple other times during our stay, and it was so sweet! And, I think maybe he knew he could stay up a little longer if Grandma protected him.

Grandma and musician, Hugh

Snuggles with Grandma!

We continued to get snow while we were at the cabin, probably an additional foot and a half after we got there. I love being at the cabin and admiring the snow, seeing icicles build, and not having to go anywhere! Andrew and Jessica came with James and Kate on Monday afternoon. They drove through some rough conditions and we were so grateful when they arrived safely! We had the best time with them! We played Clue, Imagine If, Apples to Apples, Grounded for Life, and some other games while they were at the cabin. James and Kate came to life with so much animation and joy! It was fun to see their personalities as they got to be the “big cousins” and stay up a little later and play games with the adults. We had some great laughs and they were really pretty good with the boys.

Jay did all those lights, so fun!

Jay loved helping Grandpa with the fire - from a distance

Hugh and Kate playing

Hugh learned how to climb up the bunkbed!

Andrew, Kate, and Jay dancing

Matthew, Jay, and Grandma playing memory matching

Jay loved playing with the eggs and tokens from our new game, Wingspan

Jay thought 1 person Connect4 was very fun

The early morning crew

Hugh giving Grandma some more snuggles

The rest of the days blur together at the cabin. Every morning after breakfast, we’d go outside and go sledding or play around in the snow. The boys found that sledding in their snowsuits and snow pants was more fun than sledding on a sled. Hugh in particular couldn’t get enough of it! He would fly down the hill, then say, “Again, Again” and start walking back up the hill. When we got several inches of fresh snow, we just trudged around and jumped in the big piles of snow wherever we could. Kate even let me throw her into the snow piles, which was super fun. She’d land and be up to her chin in snow and climb out to do it again. After naps, Matthew would take Jay outside, usually with Andrew and Kate, and play around more in the snow, or play hockey at the rink across the lake that the caretakers made and maintain. Getting Jay outside twice a day for as long as possible helped him manage his energy!

Daddy carrying the sleds!

Daddy paving the path for the first sledding hill

Matthew and Jay

Jay

Hugh

Jay flying solo!

He really did like it!

Me and Hugh sledding

Double decker, Matthew and Jay

Me, Jay, Hugh, and Matthew

Hugh, plopped into the snow and very pleased about it

Me, Hugh, and Jay

Weeeee!!!

Grandpa and Jay

Grandpa and Jay climbing up the hill

Matthew and I doing a double decker

Kate and Andrew double decker

Hugh loved dropping icicles and watching them shatter

Some icicles were very big!

Hugh grabbing more icicles and throwing them

Jay sledding down the hill

Hugh's turn!

Jay and Daddy

Jay and Hugh

New Years was a fun celebration with tons of yummy food and games and laughs. James stayed up with all of us until midnight and then was soooo tired. Matthew and Andrew rolled in the snow at midnight, they started a slow count of 1 mississippi, but soon sped up and came inside. Andrew was one of the first to start the tradition and Matthew has kept it to the best of his ability since we’ve been married. They haven’t rolled together in the snow for a while and I think they both thought it was great!

Thursday we got a few fresh inches of snow and it made it sooooo fun to play in! There was so much snow, we could walk and fall and run and jump anywhere and it was amazing!

Daddy, Jay, and Hugh

Hugh with a snowball

Jay loving the snowball too!

Jay laying down in the snow

Jay and Hugh

Matthew practicing his juggling skills

Jumping off the deck!

Hugh's turn to jump!

Me and Jay

Us again!

Matthew fell straight back into the snow!

Hugh with more icicles

Hugh sledding again

My little eskimo, Jay

Friday at the cabin came too soon. It was an awesome trip! We loved the time with Grandpa and Grandma and Andrew and Jessica and their family. Game nights after the boys went to bed are one of our favorite parts of being at the cabin! Grandpa pulls out the treats and we eat way more sugar than is healthy, while we play. We had so much fun in the snow and the boys totally loved it, too! We don't have any cell phone service, so we were present. We made the most of all the moments we had, enjoying everything that comes with being in the peaceful mountains.

Hugh and Grandma snuggling again!

This is a very old Happy New Year celebration hat!

Hugh, watching as I vacuumed

Jay and Hugh wearing glasses, enjoying the ride home

Hugh, admiring the snow from inside the warm cabin

By the end of our stay, we were all developing (or continuing) coughs and colds, so we decided to not go to Utah for Dawson’s baby blessing. We made it home in time for naps here and enjoyed the weekend together at home. We got the rest of our Christmas decorations down, cleaned and mopped all the floors, and on Monday we played. We went to the bowling alley and Jay and Hugh had their first experiences bowling. We enjoyed going with the Bryce’s and Merrill’s. We got some free arcade time after the bowling, which was very fun too! Jay and Hugh both really liked bowling, while the arcade was a little much. We finished our family fun with lunch at In N Out. It’s been a long time since we’ve just had a fun weekend together at home and we loved it! Our break was relaxing, fun and enjoyable!