Utah Ski Trip

The last two weeks of February were awesome.  We drove up to Utah Sunday, spent Monday recovering at my mom's house, then took our snow gear down to Brian Head for a couple of days.  It was our first time at Brian Head, and I can see why people recommend it.  We stayed in a recently remodeled condo both nights, which was right on the slopes (although we still had to drive to get to the green runs the kids and I require.)  Connor, Elise, and Evan did two full days of ski school, which runs from 10am to 3pm.  They also had a daycare downstairs for Corinne, so Ryan and I were actually able to spend some time on the snow!  
   

First Day "Skiing"

  

  

    

I was really jealous of the condo kitchen.

    

Connor was challenged, but did a great job both days.  
    

This was right after we crashed into each other getting off the lift.

    

It was only Elise's second time skiing, and the first day of class had her very nervous about the lifts.  She was really hesitant to go the second day, but was super brave, and by the end of the day was doing the ski lifts all by herself, and going down the big hill!  
   

On the Big Hill

  
Evan quit halfway through the first day, mostly because it was cold and windy.  Day two, however, he loved it!  He had a great instructor who would hold him by the vest and just ski fast down the hill with Evan in front.  I heard him say (in his loud Evan voice,) "I wanna do that AGAIN!"  
  

  

  
I was so proud of everybody.  Even me.  I feel like I finally reached a point where I wasn't scared.  That's a pretty big deal, because skiing has traditionally been like a self-dare for me.  We'll definitely go back to Brian Head!
  

  
After our return to my mom's house, we spent Friday afternoon at a sporting goods store called Scheels, in Sandy.  It has fish tanks, restaurants, lots of guns, video games, an indoor Ferris wheel, and an animatronic Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln.  On the way home, I stopped in a Seagull Book to look for a scripture case and saw this painting on sale.  It was like 100 bucks including the frame, so I sent Ryan in to have a look.  He came out with the painting under his arm.  It goes really well with the J. Kirk Richards stuff we have in our living room.
    

  
Ryan flew home on Allegiant Air on Monday (it flies from Provo!) and I spent the rest of the week hanging out with my family.  
     

Connor, Mentoring Felix in Zelda

Corinne and Grandpa

Early Birthday Celebration

We got to watch Felix and Lincoln on Wednesday

My mom helped me buzz Corinne's hair.  She was plucking herself bald!

   

  

The last couple days we were there, I took the kids to see two different movies in the theater (something I don't get to do very often,)  Wednesday night, we went to the Nephi theater and saw The Lego Movie - for the first five minutes we were the only ones in the theater!  The next day, we went with my mom (and therefore, Corinne) to see Frozen again.
  

  
I drove home Friday, trusting the internet weather reports that said things would be dry through the mountain passes.  Everything was fine until Las Vegas, when the rain started.  I had only been concerned about snow, but the rain was awful!  We said a lot of prayers, and made it home in one soggy piece.