Sledding at Our House

When Mary Dawn and Braden travel from Michigan everything they need is packed in her carry on bag.  The airline they fly on charges for checked luggage and she is frugal and doesn't want to give them the extra money.  While she was packing I let her know that I had a snowsuit and boots that would fit Braden to help her conserve precious room.  It hasn't snowed in Utah for almost a month but the temperature has been in the teens and the snow has stayed put.  Mary Dawn and Braden are heading home on Wednesday and Braden hadn't gotten to sled.  We called and invited them out for an evening of sledding.  They had made prior plans to go to the cabin and look for turkeys but I guess the turkeys were in hiding and so they decided to come and sled.  The snow had frozen and melted and frozen and melted and frozen and melted, did I say it had frozen and melted?  The end result of all of this was a nice sheet of ice to sled on.  I think some records were made for distance tonight . . . 

This is one of my new favorite pictures - how many grandchildren get to ride on a saucer sled with their grandpa - not many grandpa's are willing to sled when they enter this stage of life.  This hill in our backyard always makes for a great time - in the summer we use it as a waterslide and in the winter it is a perfect sledding hill.  This hill is one of the reasons we may never end up moving - it would be hard to replace.
Braden had his first sleepover at our house and now his first sledding experience here as well.  He has started to get used to our home and even walks straight to the candy jar -- he doesn't need words to communicate that he wants treats.  He might have had a more enjoyable time if he had decided to wear the gloves he was offered.  Mary Dawn tried and tried but he didn't want anything to do with them.  If you look close, Mary Dawn was wearing slip on shoes without socks and forgot to grab herself some gloves.  Maybe Braden gets it from his Mom?  Did I mention that it was extremely cold this night yet?
Mike had come out to my house for a hair cut and brought his girls.  When they saw that sledding was an option they refused to leave and wanted to join in.  Mike didn't remember to bring coats for either of them and so we dug deep in the closets to find a thing or two to help keep them warm.  Kynlee liked sledding down the hill backwards best and also tried to make snow angels in the ice.  By the way, it was really cold outside.
When Kenzee made her first trip down the hill it sounded like she was screaming.  Upon closer investigation, it was giggling.  She was having a wonderful time.  When she made it to the bottom of the hill she just stayed in the tube and her Grandpa or dad would come and pick her up, tube and all and carry her back up the hill.  For some strange reason, the cold didn't seem to bother her, maybe it was the camo pants?
Taylei and Keanna spent most of the evening in positions similar to this.  They were having the time of their lives and they couldn't have gotten much crazier.  They would crash, it didn't matter if it was on accident or on purpose, and just start laughing.  I didn't end up making down the hill this night - I was in charge of pictures.  By the time I made it inside my fingers were frozen, so cold that when I went to take the last few pictures I couldn't feel the button . . . did I mention it was cold but it was a ton of fun as well!