Some of our family and friends came out for a visit a week ago and the photos that follow in the next few posts are some of our favorites. Uncle Noodle, Sissy and Charly got in on Saturday and surprised Jake and Gray by just showing up at the door. We had been keeping it from them for almost a month! Talk about tough. Christy decided to send his birthday gift to him and tell him he had another one coming but couldn't open until both gifts arrived. Well, the "gifts" arrived and we told Jake the UPS man was at the door. When he opened it and saw them standing there...PRICELESS!!! The look on his face said it all. Christy has the picture on her camera so I will have to get it to post.

Brad and I skied by ourselves on Sunday while Christy and Jeff watched the kiddos. They took them to Tony's pizza and out for "Jake's favorite huckleberry shake" which he never drinks! Brad, Jake and Jeff picked up our friends Jason and Johnny at the airport on Sunday night. Christy and I were supposed to hang out but she fell asleep early with Charly. When the boys got back Jake wanted to stay up and "hang out" with the guys while they psyched themselves up for the next day of skiing by watching the TGR flick "The Big One". If you ever get a chance to watch it, you should! Jake will star in one someday!!!

The next day Jake ended up skiing with Jason, Johnny and Uncle Noodle at Targhee while Brad headed over to Jackson due to the awesome snow they got. Jake was the ultimate DUDE when he got back. His Uncle Noodle even rented him poles. We haven't let him ski with poles but Noodle was the cool uncle and vetoed Mom and Dad. Needless to say, we are on a mission to get a pair of poles now! Christy and I stayed home and hung out with Gray and Charly.

The week was pretty much filled with skiing, relaxing, eating chips and salsa (Aunt Jenny's recipe) and cooking. Johnny and Jason spent the last 3 nights over in Jackson for a little more lively nightlife so Jeff and Brad headed over with them a couple of nights. Christy and I watched a movie and hung out with kids. Brad and I skied on Wednesday and met up with everyone at the Mangy Moose for dinner. Our friends Tess and Ranyon joined us with their girls Arielle and Alena. Jake was busted when we caught him giving Arielle a little cheek smooch while slowdancing!!! YIKES...they are only 4 and 5!!! Good friends, Good food, Good music!

Thursday Jeff and Christy headed to Jackson for a date. I watched the kids and took them sledding at the house. I made many, many laps up and down our road pulling Miss Charly in the sled. She LOVED it!!

To top off the week, Friday, Brad and I decided not to ski and take the kids sledding at the house. Noodle fired up the truck and hooked on the sled and we made a few laps sledding until we decided to head in. Jake, Brad and Noodle headed to the sled hill for a bit where Jake got to practice his boarding skills. Christy, Jeff and Charly headed out for a "drive...aka tattoo for Christy" while Brad and I stayed home with the boys and I made lasagna.

Saturday came entirely too quickly bringing a rather large winter snow storm with it. Brad headed out early to ski Jackson and Chris and Jeff were gone by noon. I had a good cry watching them pull out of the driveway knowing I probably won't see them again until May when we head back to KY for a visit. I miss them dearly but certainly love life out here. It's a tough call...live closer to your family or live where you most enjoy life. Right now, the boys love it, I love it and we are all happy and healthy. What more could I ask for? It's a very simple life and I feel myself growing more and more accustomed to it. I find that I enjoy staying home with the boys and playing in the snow rather than heading to Hamburg on a daily jaunt as a did in Lexington. I enjoy my time with Brad more than I could ever express. We take our many trips to Jackson Hole a week to do "swingshift" skiing. He usually takes the morning shift and I take the afternoon. Sometimes we get to have playdates with Arielle and Alena at their house which we LOVE to do. Tess has been teaching me crochet...or re-teaching I should say. My Granny Pack taught me years ago but those skills weren't used for...well, forever. I have a couple of projects in the works that I am rather excited about. The first one is complete and it turned out much better than expected. Thanks Tess!!!

Last but not least, we are finishing up on the Winter X-Games tonight. For those of you who didn't watch...Shaun White took the gold again in the half-pipe!!! Go Shaun!!!! Jake is practicing for his future debut!!!!!!! I hear him downstairs as I type asking his Dad if he will take him to the sled hill so he can practice his boarding. He is completely obsessed!!!!

Family Pics

In this last group of pictures from the family visit, Jake got to have his "first" 5th birthday party. He got to have one a little early while the family was here. He still gets 2 more!!! The last 3 shots were taken at the Mangy Moose over at the village in Jackson after a full day of skiing. We decided to have dinner over there. It is one of our favorite spots. Here I am all snuggled up to my Graybird. He poses for a picture with Aunt Kak and Uncle Bri. And last, but not least, Grandmother shows us her super gnarly side and poses with the two shredders!

Ski days

Gray takes his first ski lesson from Daddy in this shot. He loved it!!! His smile couldn't have been any bigger coming down the mountain.

In the next picture, the boys are having a big time playing in the snow filled fire pit in our back yard.

The bottom pictures are over in Jackson. Here I am with Jake and Brylee. They are great ski buddies. I love this one of Grandmother and PopPop with their little skiers.

I love you Brylee!

The Derifield/Blair family came to visit us this past week. We got to spend New Year's with them. We had a wonderful visit. Jake must have told Brylee he loved her at least a hundred times while she was here. Gray couldn't get enough loves from her. He loved on her more than anyone...except Daddy of course. He is such a Daddy's boy.

In these first couple of shots, the kids had made Chinese Donuts. Any of you remember making these at my house...Erin? Brandy? We must have made a million of these one summer. Ahh, those were the days. I thought I would pass that little bit of fun on to this generation. As you see, Gray really wants in on the action...or at least to eat them!!!

The next few shots are of the ski bums. These kids rocked the slopes for 6 straight days!!! How many 4 year olds can say that?!? Brad and I would take them over to Jackson every day (except the day Targhee got over 2 feet of snow...then I took them up there for a lesson while I skied the fresh pow...Kel, that's for you :-)) and by the end of the week, they were leading us down their favorite trail...Animal Tracks. Brylee also taught her Daddy to ski. Uncle Bri did amazingly well for his first time on skis.

Winter has arrived...where's Santa?

My poor Gray...it would seem that he and Santa were not hitting it off. Santa really tried to be his friend, but Gray was hearing none of it! We met Santa at the Snow King Craft Fair. We met our friends Tess, Arielle and Alena there for a some Christmas shopping. It was the biggest craft fair I have ever been to. There are some really talented folks out here.

The next picture is of Jake and I on our first ski day together. We skied over in Jackson that day and had a blast. As you can see in the next shot, Jake has taken to skiing quite well. He is a Jackson Hole All Mountain pass holder...just like his Daddy.

Brad took Jake to the TGR (Teton Gravity Research) Premiere at the Spud Drive-In. In this picture, Jake is standing next to the infamous Tangerine Dream truck owned by TGR.

In the last picture, Jake and Arielle are all snuggled up keeping warm at the tree lighting ceremony at the Town Square in Jackson. Talk about cold...Tess and I tried to stay until Santa got there, but he must have been having some technical difficulties with his sleigh because he was running really behind schedule.

Jake gets his skis

This first picture Jake is in the end zone at the LC game with Chan. He was so cool...he got to hang out with half the baseball team while he was in Louisa. Chan took him to the baseball building where he passed with Jake and then took him for pizza, ice cream and some Wii at his house. Jake was in his glory!!!

The next picture is my precious Charly...she turned 1! She had a Tinker Bell party in Louisa and it was the happening place to be. I only which we could have been there. We bought a cake and webcammed with her so at least we could see her.

In the bottom pictures, my boys show us just what mountain men they have become. Brad is here with the Tetons in the background. Gray is having a time in the first big snow at Targhee and Jake gets his first pair of skis. That night the boys took me out to eat for my birthday and then a trip to Teton Village to see the lights.

Fun at Momma's House

These are some shots I got while at my Momma's house during our visit back home. The black and white of Gray was his one year shot (I didn't take that!!!). I love the one of Charly. She is such a hat girl!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Here are a few pictures from our trip to Louisa in October-November. We were able to spend 2 weeks visiting with family and friends. These are some pictures from one of the playoff games Lawrence County played. My cousin Turner was playing so I painted the kids' faces to support him.

We were there for Halloween so we got to go Trick or Treating with the family. Gray went as Mickey Mouse...his idol! Jake went as Shaun White...aka The Flying Tomato. Jake has been dubbed The Flying Potato now that we live in Idaho!!! :-) We also went out to dinner with Brad's family to celebrate the November birthdays. Pat, Kelli and I all have a birthday back to back. We had a wonderful dinner. My Mom took me out to dinner and we had a nice little (it is never little with Mimi :-)) shopping trip in Huntington. It was nice just to spend the time together. The shopping was just a plus!