red bib and emergency drills

he was so excited to be 

in a red bib today at ski school.

warmest most beautiful day in the mountains.

i could have stayed up there all day.

which worked out to be super convenient to be feeling that way

because little cottonwood canyon emergency services 

was doing an evacuation drill right as we were going home.

so we rolled the windows down in the car

and sat in traffic for half an hour in the middle of the mountains

with the sun on our arms

coming in through the windows.

and i sat there thinking about how great it was to just sit in the middle of the road,

looking all around, with nowhere else to go.

dear mom and dad, i made them carry their own skis. love, em

nobody cold.

nobody crying.

everybody asking to come back.

WIN:)

...

first we went to the 

wrong side of the mountain.

parked.

put all of their snow gear on.

walked across the parking lot.

walked across the the snow to the ski shop.

walked up to the stairs of the ski shop.

found out we were in the wrong spot.

but we needed to neck warmers and goggles 

so we just got them there and got their lift tickets.

walked down the stairs, back across the snow.

back across the parking lot.

left all the ski stuff on.

drove to the other side.

parked.

walked across the parking lot.

walked across the snow,

down the elevator to the ski school.

found out we needed to go to rentals first.

went up the elevator,

walked across the snow.

down a flight of stairs into the rentals.

stood in the rental line.

where brennan slammed max's head into the wall.

she cried a lot.

it was not great.

got the kids outfitted for snow boots and skis.

walked up the stairs.

in ski boots.

carrying their own skis.

b/c in my family ya carry your own crap.

no disrespect to the equipment of course;)

have you ever done this?

my least favorite thing as a kid.

THE

WORST.

and while i was watching my kids hike up a flight of stairs

with their skis in their arms,

and ski boots on their feet,

with me hauling up the back end hands free except for a bag with their regular shoes,

i was laughing so hard.

full circle.

i had come full circle.

i was so proud watching them carry their own crap.

thanks mom and dad for teaching me to carry my own crap.

because now i don't have to carry my kids ski stuff:)

insert angel choir singing here.

because i know they can carry it themselves.

so we walked up the stairs,

across the snow,

{note: watching an almost 6 yr old and 4 yr old walk in ski boots for the first time i quite entertaining}

down the elevator to the ski school for the second time,

and check into ski school

where they tell us 

it's time to take off all of their ski stuff.

oh MY!

it was the funnest day.

i just kept thinking that this would be really awful if i was carrying and chasing chase around.

which made it fun b/c i wasn't and so it was just fun.

is it friday yet?

brennan keeps asking when is it ski school day again?

i

can't

wait!

thank you andrea and amanda for watching chase.

LIFE SAVERS.

only 2 more sleeps 

until ski school day:)

yesterday we skied in the clouds.

it's not about how cold it is.

how hard the wind is blowing.

or how much snow the clouds are dumping down.

it's about how you're dressed.

{just like the oscar's?}

this is what my dad and i talked about on the ski lift yesterday.

how you're dressed.

not the oscar's.

we weren't cold.

even though we were covered in fresh flakes and 18*.

face mask=GOLD.

{insert angel choir singing here.}

not an inch of my skin was showing.

it dumped so much snow on us that after one lift ride dad took a picture 

of how much snow had built up on my hat during the 5 minutes we had spent on the chairlift.

we stood there in the middle of all of the snow covered trees,

with the quiet of the snow falling,

and it felt like we were the luckiest people alive.

standing there on our skis.

the wind had stopped,

and the snow was just falling down in thick white flakes on every side of us.

like we were standing in our own massive snow globe.

full of flocked trees.

no one there but us in that spot.

no cars or plows buzzing by.

just trees, snowflakes, and skis.

and a big map of all of the deer valley slopes.

AMAZING.

we stopped in the mini-lodge on the top of the mountain for hot drinks.

and then went back out for more.

and after 4 1/2 hours of skiing our legs finally gave out and we called it a day.

and then i was worthless the rest of the night and in bed AND asleep by 10:05pm.

{MONUMENTAL.}

oh what a day with my dad.

:):):)

 

in honor of the oscar's this evening,

i would like to thank...

linsey for coming to my house at 7am to stay with all three of my kids.

you are the most INCREDIBLE friend a girl could ever have:)

i love you love you love you!

thank you mom for giving me your skis.

thank you dad for buying me a snazzy new pair of red poles and a lift ticket.

thank you sean for taking care of the kids all afternoon after you'd worked all morning.

thank you sandie for sending dad to utah.

{cue signal "wrap it up" music.}

{so that means i get to go on a little more...}

 thank you utah for the greatest snow on earth.

 

SKI SHOP.

i'm all set!

good thing my mom had a pair of skis that she wasn't using.

the ski shop tuner had red hair like chase.

he thought chase was the cutest.

mom was convinced that was why he tuned and waxed my skis for free.

all of the ski shop people came over to smile at our red headed baby man.

max picked out a pink hat with long pink braids.

major score at the ski shop by all.

can't wait to hit the slopes with my dad tomorrow.

 now to get my kids in ski lessons without going broke... 

i can't wait to snag a mental health ski day with all of them someday.

i love living in utah.

FRIDAY:)FRIDAY:)FRIDAY:)

how to spell "ski" and birthday report.

dad took me skiing today.
mama nacho took the kids.
it's the first day i've been gone from max for an entire day.
she didn't know i was gone until i walked in the door around 5.
then she would not let me out of her sight.
i loved it.
i spent every weekend from 1st-5th grades skiing.
mom had us on the mountain for the first groomed run,
and we closed it down on the last lift of the day.
at deer valley.
i had a season pass.
and a super cool helmet.
really,
SUPER cool.
it was white.
and i had bright pink ski goggles.
well, just the band was hot pink.
and if you had a helmet,
it meant you were really good.
i haven't been in 6 years,
but dad was right.
it's just like riding a bike.
i had to have dad help me buckle my boots b/c apparently i am not very strong.
but i can carry 35lb. brennan all around.
i just can't buckle a ski boot.
my parents had me on skis (how do you spell that???) at age 3 in the park city ski school.
there's a picture somewhere...
and then when i got older and graduated from ski school i got to ski by myself with my friends.
it was the big time.
i always met mom for lunch.
when i skied with dad,
we didn't stop for lunch.
wait,
yes we did,
but it had to be fast and furious.
it used to really bug me as a kid.
but today, it was great.
i didn't even want to stop.
i realized it's just more work if you stop.
b/c you have to ski to the lodge.
take off your skis (seriously, how do you spell that???),
hang up your poles,
walk up about 100 stairs,
wait in line,
find a table,
eat,
get all relaxed,
warm,
stomach full,
and then figure out a way to motivate yourself to go down the 100 stairs you walked up before,
in ski boots,
walk out into the cold,
carry your skis (really, this is just annoying now),
and your poles,
sometimes up a small hill,
which is exhausting when your tummy is full and you are warm,
then put everything back on,
readjust your hat,
gloves,
goggles,
boots,
which you have probably unbuckled during lunch and now have to re-buckle,
hunched over,
with a full tummy,
and warm body,
and then sit on a cold chair lift,
feeling all tired.
let me just say,
there is none of that when you don't stop for lunch.
we did however stop for hot chocolate.
dad got a latte.
we pulled out the mountain map.
talked about where we wanted to ski.
there's an entirely new part of the mountain now.
it was really cool.
i ate the last 1/4 of an old cliff bar he found in his coat pocket.
we skiied (what about ski in the past tense, did i spell that right???)
i think it's skied.
but that just sounds like sky-ed.
i'm only getting thrown off b/c of ski in the action verb.
skiing.
i think it's the only time the two "i's" are together.
so we skied until 3:30pm.
then we returned my skiis/skis (?) and poles.
boots were mine.
missed the shuttle to the parking lot.
so we walked back.
to lot 5.
which is the very last and longest lot away you can park in.
b/c we got a late start.
which i liked b/c there was absolutely no line at the rental shop.
it was one of my favorite days i have ever spent with my dad.
the snow was great.
10 inches fell last night.
the sun was out.
and the lift talk was good.
he taught me how to roll my ankles into the turn,
be directly over my center of gravity,
and lean down hill,
planting my pole before i turned,
and bring my arms in when i turned.
all of this i had forgotten.
but it came back.
and it felt really great.
i think he's training me for kootenay heli skiing.
which i told him is out of the question,
but if he wanted to take me skiing again,
i'd do the mogul diamonds with him again.
all of those years on the slopes paid off.
b/c today was really fun.
thanks for a great daddy/daughter day dad.
i love you:)

  

 ...

some photos of max on her special ONE day.

she didn't really eat that much cake.
in fact,
she didn't know what to do with it.
she ate a bite or two.
i think it was two.
then really started enjoying squishing it around between her fingers.
grandpa gibson set up the tripod and got it all on video tape.
then she realized she just wanted to go to bed.
it was her party.
she can cry if she wants to.
and brennan blew out her candle.
b/c she doesn't know how yet.
he thought it was great.
then he burst into tears b/c his piece of cake wasn't as big as max's.
he ate a bite,
and realized it still tasted like good cake.
it was funny.

  

the end.