Not quite the slopes, but the road just down from the house. It’s a perfect hill for sledding and they had just driven through with the snow plow so it was smooth and ready for the sleds. The run was FAST and everyone went right off the road and into the field. Since it was all icy snow it just made the ride have a little jump in the middle and continue on. We plan on hitting that hill at least one more time today and tomorrow before we leave.
My favorite picture was the first one, with Carlos conquering the run, almost spilling out of his sled and then raising his hands in joy and victory.

After settling in, we went out to play in the snow, of course. They have a shed here with tons and tons of snow gear. Sleds, cool snow skateboards (not snowboards, it was little with no bindings), snow shoes and cross country skis. I was skeptical about the snow shoes working, as I was still sinking down about an inch or two while I was walking in them, but after I tried walking around the house without them and stepped knee deep into snow, I got it.
The kids couldn’t wait to try cross country skiing. There is a trail (or about 160 miles of them) right outside our house so we see people skiing by at all times of the day. We didn’t take them on the trails, but just down the snow covered road in the neighborhood. It worked and they loved it. There was even a small hill at one point so they got to go “fast”. Of course, our thrill seeker Carlos thought that was cool. He then proceeded to jump up with his skis and try tricks. Trey was happy doing the snow shoes and kept jumping up from the road and onto the snow bank and back down again. Levi was really good at it once he got it and he liked it!

AWESOME!!!!

I probably shouldn’t laugh at this, but he was FINE….and it’s funny

So the kids were playing out on the porch this morning and we couldn’t help but stage a little “push them in the snow” on video. All of them thought it was funny but Carlos, who got mad and cried until I told him he could go push Dee in the snow, which made him laugh and go push Dee in the snow. I, unfortunately, didn’t get that one on video.

Alice and Carlos worked really hard on their dance routine. Here it is! The floors here are

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Thursday morning we got up bright and early, loaded the kids (still on pjs) and headed off on our Snow Adventure! We put Baby R in respite care (thanks Bill and Melissa!) and borrowed my folks Outback (thanks Nana and Papa) and were ready for fun. Mary got us a place in Mazama, WA that is just past Winthrop for FREE. It belongs to one of her salon clients and it was so generous of them to let us come up and spend a few days.
The 7:05 boat was packed, as always, with commuters but we went upstairs and let the kids walk around a little before being cooped up in the car for 5 hours. Carlos goofed around in the bathroom with the hand dryer, a favorite. Our first stop was in Roslyn for breakfast. I always love going to Roslyn because of the show Northern Exposure and it’s a quaint little town with tiny houses and a great feel to it. The Brick was closed so we had breakfast at a little cafe across from the big Roslyn Cafe sign. Couldn’t help but have a photo op there. The kids played in the snow and both Carlos and Trey biffed and whacked their heads. Carlos told us that he wanted to go home and that he “wasn’t cut out for this snow stuff.”
We drove on…..through some beautiful snowy areas but the roads were bare. My parents were staying with some friends at our old time family friend’s (the Wells) Bed and Breakfast in Leavenworth so we dropped in for a quick Hi and to get some Nana and Papa hugs. If you are planning a trip there, the place is awesome! Private suites with private decks and a jacuzzi tub in each room and a view of the river. It’s the All Seasons River Inn, check it out!
After the side trip to Leavenworth, we pushed through until we got to Winthrop and made a quick stop at the grocery store to stock up on the perishables for the weekend. Roads still bare and dry until we got to Mazama, then there was snow EVERYWHERE but only the little road to our house has compact snow. We got in safe and sound and the house is amazing.

We’re lucky to have a day or two this time of year when the clouds break and we get a little vitamin D. Today was one of those days. We have been keeping Levi really mellow but couldn’t stay inside any longer. We headed down to the beach for a little walk and some fresh air. We found a cool hollowed out long and a bunch of beach glass. Nice family time, beautiful day.