Sledding with the Youth Group

So often in my mind the way we did things growing up is the absolute BEST way to do things. You know, like the way my mom makes macaroni and cheese is the best way in the world and the way my dad taught me to shoot a basketball is the ONLY way to do it if you want to do it right. However, I found out last weekend that the way we sledded was not the only way nor was it the best way. Granted, I have had hours of fun sledding down rocky hills and dodging sage brush and soap weeds and then spending three times as much time hiking back up the hill pulling my sled behind. We used to all throw our sleds in the back of Grandpa's pickup and find barely covered hills to sled down while he was feeding the cows and there was nothing I loved more. I also have fond memories of sledding with Angie and Tom on the hill across from our house and then trudging home for steaming cups of hot chocolate. While I will always cherish those memories, I have found a better, let me say it again, a much better way to sled!! This way includes a hill that is completely covered in snow without any rocks or vegetation sticking out. It also includes huge inner tubes and most important of all, snow machines!! Granted, it was still a lot of work getting to where we could meet the snow machines, (I was hiking with Asher in the front pack and Weston on my back in snow that would sometimes come clear up to my crotch. My hiking partner was Erin who is about 25 weeks pregnant and she also had a 2 year old on her back. The others all went ahead and left us. We could have used a sled or 2, but we are tough and we all made it up the hill to meet our husbands on the snow machines:-) But once we made it to the hill, the work was done and the fun began. Here's my little Westy just barely peeking out of his hat at the top of the world's best sledding hill. He was a trooper!


Mommy and Weston headed down on an inner tube. And yes, those are the TOPS of trees you see.

Headed down! The snow machines would pick us up at the bottom and take us back up. You can't really appreciate how tall this hill was from this picture. I decided to walk up it once just for old times sake and when I had done it once, I decided that I had proved I could still do it and it would not be necessary to do it again!

Asher also rode a snow machine for the first time and though I don't think he had as much fun as the rest of us, he wasn't unhappy about the whole thing either. He fell asleep and I made him a bed of discarded coats where he took a nice long nap snuggled up in his snow suit.

Talk about having fun, I am pretty sure that no one had more fun than Tyler and his best buddy Cody. They went down that hill like it was nothing! They both had some pretty good spills, but it didn't stop them. Tyler was one happy, soaked, and exhausted little boy by the end of the day.

Weston taking a little break and eating him some snow!

Asher all snuggled up in his front pack hiding from the snow. About 2 hours before we were done it started snowing pretty good.

Sean manning a snow machine. I am pretty sure the boys driving had as much fun as the kids sledding. And they took a break from time to time to go down the hill too. They also hooked an inner tube to one of the sleds and took us all for a ride. Now that was a good time!

Tyler and Cody playing around! They weren't allowed to go down in the tubes by themselves, but that didn't stop them from playing in them!

We borrowed these awesome sleds from some of our friends. They were a little dangerous for going down the hill, but Weston and his best bud Kirby had a blast riding on them at the top. These two are TROUBLE and I am looking forward to seeing their friendship growing!

It was a great time and I am hoping to go again sometime soon!