Cabin Christmas Adventure - Day Eight - Time to go home

Today we got up, ate up, cleaned up, and headed out.  There was a lot to do. Everyone helped with the work.  We were done with the bulk of the work by 11.  But getting everyone and our stuff out took a lot of time.  We didn't actually leave the parking lot until almost 2.

I skied out.  There was never a more beautiful day, except maybe the day after the creation.   The sun was shining on the snow.  The wind was calm.  I had to peel off layers part way into my journey.  My camera battery died before I could get a picture of Moose Creek, which was pristine.

On our way home we stopped in Pocatello for dinner at Sizzler.  There Keith's old friend Luke and his wife Bridget met us.










Now I am back home on my computer in the kitchen finishing this up at 2:15 am on Monday morning.  Keith and Jackie and baby Penny have to fly back to Texas later today.  Jake and Aimee should be back in California by now.  Everyone here is in bed, asleep.  I can't express in words how much I love my wonderful family.  Thank you to my wonderful husband, Brian, for making this all possible.  I love you dearly.  You and our children and their families are the best part of my life.  I only hope I am the best mother and wife that you all so greatly deserve.  Here is a poem I wrote some time ago about closing the cabin.

The trash can is left in the middle of the kitchen floor - empty. 

 The windows are closed, shades lowered, curtains drawn.  

The old sheets are hung in windows that face the river, 

covering windows that should never be covered when we are there.  

The beds are made, 

the fridge is off, 

towels are folded, fire is out.  

The mop is drying, vacuum is away, dishes are done.  

Coats are hung, doors are locked.  

In the stillness of the quiet, flies wait to die 

and my cabin waits for my return.

By the way, I cry every time I leave the cabin.  Until next time...

Cabin Christmas Adventure - Day Seven

Today Kelsey's snowman was a little dusty...














The little girls finger painted in the snow with colored water.  See the masterpieces?

Then we visited Myron.  We saw a hole in the snow at the base of Myron where Chewy has a tunnel to an under the snow lair.  

Later that afternoon Scot and Chris skied over from the parking lot.  Brian and I met them half way and skied the rest of the way in.  It was a little cold and snowy.

Helen and I made puppets to go with our book, If You Give a Moose a Muffin, by Laura Numeroff.  We made a moose and a mouse. 

 

That night the girls gave us the second of two 'shows' they performed with a mixture of ballet and mime.

And later the big kids took pictures of Penny for Pinterest, uh, I mean, like some baby pictures on Pinterest.  

Isn't she sweet...

Cabin Christmas Adventure - Day Six

This morning Kelsey and Jackson had to head for home.  She needed to get back to work.  They took off after breakfast, much to our dismay.

Then the girls and I got busy making our gingerbread bears, moose, bison, fish, and squirrels.

Helen is really proud of the results.  She made a bunch of fish for Papa and even a boat cookie so he could take her fishing and catch fish.

We spent the afternoon getting to Scot's cabin to shovel a path and get the heat going because they were on their way up and we wanted them to be warm when they got there.  Lots of fun.

Cabin Christmas Adventure - Day Five

Sarah's 17th birthday was today.  We started out the day like most, with breakfast and then playing in the snow.

Then I went skiing on my new tracks.  

Can you see the diamonds in the snow?

Our friends, Ben, Andrea, and Pam, asked us to get their snowmobiles up onto the top of the snow since we were going to be there, and by the way, run them around a little while we were at it.  (Oh gee, no problem!)  Here Brian and Keith are digging one of them out.  

Meanwhile, the grandkids and I made gingerbread dough to be made into cookies the next day. 

For Sarah's birthday dinner, we munched on this delicious veggie and hummus platter Aimee brought and... 

this delicious Henry and David tray my mom sent from Arizona.  

Then on to birthday cake with mysteriously tricky candles that could not be blown out...  ;)

Sarah was thrilled to get an Angel's baseball team hat from her brother, Brady, who could not be with us this Christmas due to his career.  

It was a fun day for all of us.  

Cabin Christmas Adventure - Christmas Day!!!

Santa had a hard time finding us, so we hope he just forgot where we were and remembered us at home.  But we remembered to bring our stockings and we each took turns filling them with things we brought for each other.

While I was busy filling stockings I heard the ATV outside going in circles.  When I looked out I saw something that made me teary.  Brian and was dragging something behind the ATV with Keith standing on top of it.  To be continued....

Jacob and Aimee, and their two darling daughters came up from Rexburg in the afternoon and the fun began!!!

Keith helping Norah and Aimee off the ATV upon arrival

Helen and Jacob arrived next

We had dinner and opened our stockings.

Kelsey and her brothers had fun with doodle bugs.  They are these creepy, computerized cockroach-like toys that ran around in circles and changed directions when they hit against something hard, like the side of a Kleenex box.  Tons of fun!

The next morning I got to see my present.  Here is what Brian got me.  Can you guess what it is?  It's called a 'track setter' and you pull it behind the ATV or a snowmobile and it makes tracks in the snow for cross country skiing.  Brian and Keith had spent much of the day laying down track so we could ski the next day.  I was so happy!  I have the most wonderful husband in the world.  I love cross country skiing and it is hard sometimes out in the unbroken snow around here.  Tracks in the snow are fantastic because it makes skiing so much easier.  This is what what I was referring to when I said, 'to be continued...'  It was a wonderful Christmas day.