Skiing, Snowballing, and TAHOE

We left right after Marlene's birthday and said a small prayer that the traffic Gods would be with us on our drive to Tahoe!  There was a huge storm coming in which meant SNOW for us in Tahoe, we just hoped that it didn't turn the beautiful ride through the mountains into a miserable one!  Seriously, when we were leaving San Francisco, it was hailing so hard (being from Kirkland and having experienced my fair share of hail, I promise that this was legit)!  So, it's hailing so hard that there is no visibility and what does Damien do?  He opens the sun roof so the kids would feel the hail.  Fifteen seconds of hailing fun, screaming, squealing = a completely wet interior to the car, not to mention the fact that most of the water pooled on my seat which meant I was soaked.  Lovely.

The drive was amazing.  Kids napped, traffic was calm, and it was snowing enough to look beautiful without making the roads too dangerous!  Jocelyn had ordered pizza on the ride up so just a few minutes after arriving to the cabin, so did our pizza.  Genius!  Of course the kids wanted to go play in the snow even though it was dark out.  We got them all suited up and off they went!  They had the greatest time out there!  Soon, the kids were in bed and resting peacefully.

Bright and early in the morning, Mark and Damien took Michael and Claire to try skiing for the first time!  Mark told Damien about this great plan where you go to the Ritz Carlton, valet your car, and then basically just walk out to the slopes!  No parking in lots that are a huge walk to the slopes, instead- they warm your ski boots, lay out your skis, and allow you to get a warm cup of hot chocolate before you brave the elements! 

Apparently, the kids did great!  How awesome is that?  Damien said that Mark was amazing with them.  They both mastered the pizza and were skiing in no time!  They loved the chair lifts and were smiling ear to ear!  They took some videos and I had to laugh because they both skied just as I thought they would. 

Michael would be doing great- going from side to side and turning, then would point his skis downhill and go as fast as he could until he wiped out.  Claire, as expected- was more methodical and played it safe.  Claire totally is like that!  She likes to try things out, master it with an approach of confidence and security and then the next time, go crazy!  I absolutely loved seeing the videos and loved that they can't wait to go skiing again!

Jocelyn and I stayed back with the little kiddos and played in the snow.  We built sled paths in the huge pile of snow that the snow plow leaves.  The kids thought it was so much fun- and it was!  I got the best video of Matthew and Emily.  I was videoing Matthew who was playing with an ice saber (a long icicle that looked like a light saber) when Emily came along and hit his ice saber with hers.  Naturally, his broke.  He turns to her and says, "Thanks a lot Emily!" in an angry voice.  She thinks about what he said and says, "You're welcome."    He got so mad and was telling me about it when she kind of hit him on the shoulder.  He hit her back.  This exchange happened about two more times until she threw snow in his face. 

Matthew then grabbed a handful of snow and took off running after her.  They were both in snow suits and watching Emily try to run reminded me of that scene in A Christmas Story where Ralphie's brother can't put his arms down.  Anyway, Matthew caught up to her and threw the snow in her face and then . . . shoved her so hard that she fell forward onto her belly, fully covering her face and head in snow.  Emily's frozen face started crying, Matthew looked at me trying to figure out if he was in trouble, and I did what any good mother would do- I kept filming.  It is a classic video that I will treasure for years to come!

For the remainder of the day, we just played in the snow, played board games, and relaxed.  It was amazing.  We woke up the following morning and started the clean up process.  We needed to get home by 4:00 p.m. because Damien had to take some clients out to the Golden State Warriors basketball game that evening.  The clean up went well, the kids played some more in the snow, and we made it home without any issues with kids or traffic.  That's a giant WIN for us!  The kids were sad to be home.  They love the snow and certainly loved being trapped in a cabin in the woods with their cousins.  We can't wait to do it again!!