We made it on Josh's family ski trip this year! I think I was pregnant with Wallace the last time we managed to go on this annual trip, so...it's been a while. Josh had a work trip scheduled right in the middle of it, so I actually ended up taking my Mom with me this time. Anna and Wallace rode up ahead of us in the RV with Josh's Mom, Joe-Joe, Sarah Faye and all of her kids. That ride sounded like it was quite the adventure.

You know what's even more of an adventure.....? Meredith...on air planes....

Our flight out of San Antonio ended up getting all screwed up due to something like the pilots needing sleep... Anyway, it messed up our connection in Denver. So we were in that airport for about 3 hours. It was only 3 hours because we managed to make it on the earlier flight as stand-by. I've never been so worried about making a flight. It would have been another 3 hours until the next flight out! Meredith was horrible on the flight from San Antonio to Denver. Hor-ri-ble.... I felt so sorry for everyone within 3 rows of us. She really liked the Denver airport though. All the moving sidewalks and escalators. And I took Jen's advice and rode the train between the terminals with her some too. Got her all worn out, and she slept on the flight from Denver to Jackson Hole! It was magical.

The Jackson Hole airport is so tiny. They warn you when your flight takes off to keep your jacket handy because you get off the plane and have to walk up to the airport! Of all cities to have an airport like that... Their weather is ridiculous! It was about 10 degrees when we landed. Needless to say, that woke Meredith up. "/ It took a while to get the rental car...and then I drove like a granny over the icy pass. So we didn't get to the house where we were all staying until around 9:00 or so.

The kids had been in ski school the day we were travelling, and since this was her first time skiing, I decided to keep Anna in ski school the next day as well. It was predicted to snow that day, so I didn't really want to attempt to snowboard in it. The last time I tried to snowboard when it was snowing I remember not liking it very much. It was supposed to be super nice the following day anyway, so I just took my camera up the mountain to take pictures of Anna in her class all day.

She ended up getting two different coaches, but this first one cracked me up.  He pretty much sounded exactly like what you'd imagine he'd sound like from this picture. — She ended up getting two different coaches, but this first one cracked me up. He pretty much sounded exactly like what you'd imagine he'd sound like from this picture.

She never made it off the magic carpet those first two days.

Ha!  This guy all nonchalantly gives them a nudge when they get off the magic carpet. — Ha! This guy all nonchalantly gives them a nudge when they get off the magic carpet.

Although she was in good spirits, I heard some familiar phrases from her.  "When is lunch?  When do we take a break?" etc.  She's so funny. — Although she was in good spirits, I heard some familiar phrases from her. "When is lunch? When do we take a break?" etc. She's so funny.

While she was at lunch, I got some pictures of Bodie and Tanner skiing. :)

After lunch I went back to watch Anna some more, but it was snowing pretty heavily, so I couldn't really take any photos. The snow would melt as soon as it hit the camera, and it was getting wet fast.

I was amazed at the tremendous improvement she'd made though. Her coach thought she'd be ready for the real lift with just a little more practice the next morning.

I'd planned to put her in lessons for half a day just so she could make it up the lift with someone who was used to taking beginners up the lift for the first time, but she flat out refused. So we stayed on the magic carpet for an hour or so, and then we decided she was ready.

Her first trip up the lift wasn't too bad. She managed to fall trying to get up to the pick-up spot, which ended up being a good thing because it slowed the lift down. And we got off without falling! I was bummed to see that even though we were on a green run, the first 50 feet or so were pretty damn steep.

It was starting to look hopeless. She was panicking and crying and refusing to go down it. She ended up attempting it and falling, but not catastrophically. Nothing like the first fall that I took on skis. But she looked about as scared as I did that day. "/ I felt horrible. I should have forced her to go to ski school again. She slowly slid to the bottom of that steep hill, and then got up. Understandably, the edges of the run had her totally freaked out. I remember thinking that same thing... "Oh my gosh! You could totally ski right off the side of this thing and die!" The first half of the run was awful. She was crying and totally losing it. So I was losing it too and threatening to put her in ski school as soon as we made it to the end of the run. She'd protest "No! No! No ski school!" Like it was torture or something. We ended up getting into a huge fight right at about the half-way point because there was a small stretch that was slightly uphill. If you were going by at a normal pace it would be no big deal, but she'd come to a complete stop. So she was going backwards every time she stood up, and she wanted me to get behind her and push her through it. This is no easy task on a snowboard, and I was exhausted from having to basically leap frog back up the mountain every time she fell/sat down and needed help getting up. I laid there on my stomach hollering at her to take off her skis and walk through it, and she was crying and hollering back. I'm sure everyone on the lift above us could hear everything. It was awesome. She finally walked through it, we got her skis back on, and then she made it the rest of the way down without hardly falling at all! So, I talked her into going back up one more time. She slid down the big hill on her butt, but did great the rest of the way down. And on the 3rd run, she made it down the big hill without sliding down on her butt! I was so proud of her! And then we did the run probably 6 or 7 more times before she was finally exhausted. By the end of the day she was going about as fast as I wanted to go. Not quite as sure footed, but a pretty good match for me. So, probably next year she'll be leaving me in the dust wanting to do blue runs. Guess she and Josh will get to do those together. No thanks.

The following day (our last full day) we stayed at the house. I took the kids out to play in the snow thinking we'd get to build a snowman, but the snow was too dry I guess. It wouldn't hold together at all. :(

Wallace made like 5 snow angels.  :) — Wallace made like 5 snow angels. :)

Wallace tends to treat the snow the same way he does dirt.

And Meredith threw it at him...just like she does with sand...

I walked them down the road thinking that we might be able to make a snowman out of the snow that receives more sun...nope. But they were all relatively close to each other, so I thought I'd try to get one of those elusive pictures of all three of them together.

Ha.  In their defense it was ridiculously bright.  And Meredith and Wallace were more interested in eating snow than looking at me. — Ha. In their defense it was ridiculously bright. And Meredith and Wallace were more interested in eating snow than looking at me.

That night was the cookie decorating contest. Josh's family does this every year.

Wallace didn't really get the point, but he loves his icing.  He's not all that competitive anyway.  ;) — Wallace didn't really get the point, but he loves his icing. He's not all that competitive anyway. ;)

All lined up and ready for the judging.  And oh my gosh... I'm loving Sadie's hair attack.  Even though she bascially scalped herself right up in front, it really doesn't look too bad!  She's lucky her hair bends over at such a short … — All lined up and ready for the judging. And oh my gosh... I'm loving Sadie's hair attack. Even though she bascially scalped herself right up in front, it really doesn't look too bad! She's lucky her hair bends over at such a short point.

Granny was the judge this year!  You can see Anna in the back ground.  She was apparently a little nervous about how this was going to turn out. — Granny was the judge this year! You can see Anna in the back ground. She was apparently a little nervous about how this was going to turn out.

There were quite a few categories of winners, and she was getting a bit discouraged after the first few categories came and went...

It's a little hard to tell here, but this was when her cookie was announced as a winner.  :)  She's so far out of the frame because she'd moped off all dejected after about the fifth category was announced.  "/ — It's a little hard to tell here, but this was when her cookie was announced as a winner. :) She's so far out of the frame because she'd moped off all dejected after about the fifth category was announced. "/

Meredith ended up with a late entry.  I call it the googely-eye cookie.  :) — Meredith ended up with a late entry. I call it the googely-eye cookie. :)

The next day we flew back. Nearly missed our flight out of Jackson Hole because the airport is just not really set up to handle the volume of holiday travelers they had that morning. They had a woman in the airport singing Christmas carols and playing the guitar, and I totally see why. Right as I was about to have a meltdown in the security line she'd start singing a new carol, and I'd force myself to calm down because it's Christmas dammit!

Meredith slept on the flight to Denver, so that was fantastic. And we literally got off our plane, sat in the airport for 30 minutes, and then reboarded the same plane. Meredith was pissed that we didn't get to ride on the moving sidewalks and pitched a shoe-throwing fit. My Mom told me people were taking pictures of her. "/ Seriously, this girl's fits are epic.

She and Wallace were both super stir crazy on the last flight. We were in the very back row, so I let them get up and move about as much as I could, we played with play dough, we played with the tablets, we tickled...Meredith threw fits...At one point Wallace had managed to get behind our row of seats... I don't even know how he was able to Gumby himself back there. It was a long flight...

I was so happy to get back to Texas, where there is no ice on the road. :)

The travel getting to and from Wyoming was challenging, but the time spent with family was well worth it. :) Plus, I think that someday my kids will be awesome little skiers or snowboarders since they are getting such an early start!

Thanks for bringing us all together Big Momma! Can't wait until next year!