Spring Break Skiing

The Monday blizzard at Deer Valley.
We could barely see each other in the fog but it was so beautiful.

The Wednesday sunshine at Deer Valley! We had the best ski conditions ever. It was sunny and beautiful, but not too hot.

I have always been a little more spontaneous than Dave (not always a good thing) so whenever we go skiing I just want to ski the runs and end up wherever we end up (again, not always a good thing) but Dave always gets a map of the mountain and plans out the day. So, here is a picture of my "map man". At least we rarely get lost!

Alaina had broken her toe a few weeks before we went and couldn't quite get her foot in the ski boot, so she stayed back at the condo and we met her for lunch every day. She played in the snow without too much pain, though.

The Diamond Peak melt down. The snow was nearly gone by Friday, but it was still cold enough to be icy.

Northstar at Tahoe: December 2009

Doesn't it look like they are having fun? Apparently they were miserable...

We made our annual trek to Northstar at Tahoe for the week after Christmas. As we were getting our snow gear on, we realized that the ski pants Ryan was supposed to have grown into wouldn't button and the new ones we bought Andy last week were mysteriously too small...so Dave took the girls up the mountain and I took the boys to the Village to get some new gear. We met them later and had a gorgeous ski day...along with about a billion other skiiers!

The three younger kids preferred to play in the snow and Ryan wore shorts whenever I didn't stop him. Dave and I decided that while we planned to ski three days, they only had to ski two. As I write this, I am thinking "had" to ski?!

Dave, Andy and I had a blast skiing nearly all blacks and loving the fresh coat of powder.

Oh yeah! That tiny ant doing a spread eagle is me.

They are actually great skiiers...just lacking a little confidence. It took me a little over an hour to get Ryan off the run when he fell. A little to ambitious, perhaps? I am just grateful that we had terrific weather and that no one got hurt.

Tahoe Fun

We went to our time share at Northstar for a few days and had the most incredible time. Poor Dave has a pinched nerve or herniated disc (we aren't sure which yet) so he wasn't able to enjoy anything, but I took the kids and did everything possible! We made s'mores in the firepit, went in the hot tub, swam in the heated outdoor pool, skiied, watched "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" in a private 18-seat theater, went out for dinner, ice skated, played tons of games, watched "Wall-E", finished the Book of Mormon, and had whipped cream , with a little bit of hot chocolate :)!! All in two days!

A rare moment with Dave out of the condo, with high hopes that the hot tub would make him feel better...it didn't.
In the incredible 18-seat private theater, enjoying popcorn and hot chocolate. All four of the kids loved skiing, especially because of the sunny weather.

Mom and Alaina at the top of the Zephyr Lift.
Becca is a little daredevil and only had a few falls. She had a great attitude!
Ryan and Alaina took a little break to build this snowman while Andy, Becca and I went to the terrain park.
The Skiing Sisters.The girls and I ice skated while the boys played with Andy's new phone and waited for our table.

We had dinner at the Rubicon and brought Dave some pizza. Ryan didn't want to be in the picture, but you can still see the top of his head.

We had the best weather and made some great memories. I don't think I have ever been so grateful to see a parking garage (I have a little phobia!) as when I saw the signs saying "lot full" and "paid parking lot full". We drove right up to the garage and were happily greeted with "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Bain! Take any spot and we'll take your things up to your condo for you." And they did. They brought all of our ski equipment to the Ski Valet and in the morning they met us at the lift with it, so we didn't even have to carry anything! Amazing service...they even popped popcorn and brought it to us in the private theater. The kids were in heaven, especially since they could operate the movie on the huge screen and replay all of their favorite scenes. And their in house masseuse didn't have any time available after the lift closed, so she gave me a massage during the movie. What a perfect way to end a fun family trip. I only wish Dave could have enjoyed himself, but we think he is on the mend now, after 4 doctor visits.