Away We Go For Some Winter Fun!

Last weekend, we ventured north for a weekend of fun and relaxation near Cadillac at our friends' family cabin.  What a great time we had!!!

We left after lunch on Friday and arrived early in the afternoon.  Once we were settled in and the cabin had warmed up, we ate some dinner and waited for more friends to join us.  Then we dressed in our snow gear and loaded up for a short drive in to Cadillac for some evening snow shoeing on a lantern lit wooded trail.  This was a first for us, and took a bit to get everyone geared up.

 Once everyone was set, around 8pm, we headed outside with a sled to pull Tierney and Elam, and began our trek through the trails.

It was quite windy that night, and therefore cold, but inside the woods we didn't feel it quite as bad.  For nearly an hour, we trekked in the woods before returning about 9pm.  Then we warmed up after returning our gear before heading back home with some very tired kids who went to sleep right away.

Saturday morning, the kids had their energy back and were up early, huddled around the laptop for some cartoons.

 That afternoon, we headed back outside to a beautiful day of sunshine and warmer temperatures.  There were some old cross country skis in the basement of the cabin, so we set the older kids up and let them take turns trying it out.  They loved it!

 While Alora took her turn, Ezri, Tierney and Elam had their own fun...

 We made our way to the snow covered road for easier skiing for the kids, and this led to sledding down the road, as we were on the top of a hill.  That was a lot of fun!

 Ezri got her turn at the skis out there too.

 While the kids were skiing and sledding, the bigger kids started a bit of a snowball fight.

We decided to try a little sledding behind the truck on a flat stretch of the road with the kids, and they thought it was the best thing ever!

The adults got a try at the fun too!

We then returned to the hill for more sledding a bit before heading back toward the cabin for some snow fort building.

 Elam had fallen asleep in the sled with me when we were being pulled behind the truck, so he got laid down inside where he napped for a couple of hours while we finished playing outside, and then slowly made our way back in to dry out and warm up.

 That night, we ate too much, laughed so much it hurt while playing Dutch Blitz as the kids watched their movie, then tucked the kids in and stayed up too late, enjoying the crackling warmth of the fire as we relaxed with our friends.

All weekend long, a puzzle was in the works, and the kids finished it up Sunday morning. 

We eventually had to begin packing up and re-locating all of the things so that we could head back home.  Everyone was reluctant to leave after such a calm, fun-filled weekend away from the usual chaos and work back at home, but glad to have had the chance to go on yet another adventure with our friends!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Our week started with its usual chaos...

 and a little sweetness mixed in...

 We got a little more snow that Ezri and I tackled together one morning, she is such a helper!

In preparation for some head shots I've been asked to take for the Lakeshore Roller Derby team, I invested in a flash for my camera and a little extra equipment to go with it.  The flash arrived first, so I started learning with my favorite subjects.

 They were eager to amp up the show, when I agreed to turn on the Newsboys.  Soon I had a full stage with runway in my living room, and then the show really began!

 Friday was Valentine's Day.  The kids had each made their own Valentine mailboxes and Valentine's for eachother in the days before and were excited to hand them out and discover what they had been given.

 Then came the part of the morning they were very excited about - receiving a rose from Daddy.  Elam was first, and he got one from Mommy.

 Then Daddy handed his out to the girls

 We surprised Daddy with a Valentine gift the kids and I had made together.

 Using their fingerprints, they created a canvas sign for Daddy's office.

Saturday night, Alex and I left the kids in good hands at the house and headed out for our big evening of the year - the Lion's Club benefit dinner and dance.  This year's theme was "Thrift Store" so our group embraced it and went looking thrifty!

 It was a fun night that resulted in Kathy winning the best women's thrift store outfit and Alex winning a midnight cash prize drawing of $500!