Island Park Part 2

 I REALLLY wanted it to snow while we were there and we woke up Sat morning to our wish being fulfilled! I just HAD to get out on a walk in the snow and enjoy the quiet with the only noise around was the crunching snow under my boots. It was so peaceful and beautiful! Nothing like a walk in the fresh snow in the mountains!

After that we hopped in the hot tub and enjoyed the sauna for a bit. Again, glorious!

After lunch, we planned to act out the nativity and get G&G Reed on video call to join us! How perfect is this little scene here?!

We also all dressed Christmasy and sang carols to them. We called Justin and Tony as well and sang and chatted with them too. It helped it feel more like Christmas and being all together. 

Oh, and we CAN'T forget these beauties! Brit made her famous snickers bars and they were AMAZING! They are so rich that it took me a bit to eat it all, but they are sooooo good. 

Then it was off to play in the bit of snow that we did get! One wrong turn added a little snow time to the day, haha....Adam got stuck in the snow down a wrong path and we spent about 40 min getting him unstuck. I was laughing a lot and even though it was hard, it was fun to be doing it together. I also got our suburban stuck but luckily Chad got it out quickly. He's a handy guy to have when things like this happen!!

We sledded for a good hour and played and took pictures and had fun. 

Uncle Jord let us burry him in the snow. 

Mollie did a face plant and we all laughed at how even her eyelashes transferred in the snow. It looked like a real person!

Ahhhh, vacations like this really recharge me when they are just nothing but fun and family. 

We had one more evening together, Jordan went home in a blizzard and we were a bit worried about him, but he made it safely going very slow. The next morning the trees were heavy with snow and everything was even more beautiful! I really wish we could have stayed one more day. The plan was to go the Island Park ward but when we showed up to church all dressed and ready to go, there was no one in sight at the building. I don't know if it was canceled due to snow, some of the roads were really scary.  So we decided we were just going to head home! Bri was coming down with some sickness so it probably was best to just get her home!

We really had the best time!!! I'm so glad we could do this trip with my brothers. I love spending time with them!

Island Park Part 1

Like I said, it would be a MAD dash to unpack and repack in one day to get on the road to Island Park! Since we packed shorts and shirts for CA, it was easy to pack warm clothes before we go to help with this process. Island Park was beyond beautiful! I've always wanted to have a winter cabin get away and when I mentioned it to my brothers they were down for it too! 

We arrived to this welcoming committee doing the hula at the door. A new Reed Family Reunion tradition.  

We hurriedly unpacked and got the pizza ready to go on the Ooni Pizza Oven!! I'm a fan. Adam and Jordan offered to stand out in the cold to cook it since it was Adams idea. We learned as we went but everyone filled their bellies with really yummy pizza!

 A cute gang of girlies having dinner!

How cozy can you get?! We  brought a small tree with us that Carter and Tucky decorated. I was glad we did, because it just added to the coziness right next to the glowing fire. 

Cute cuddles by the tree. 

The next morning we hit the ground playing hard! We colored the tablecloth, then built gingerbread houses out of grahams. 

Jord and Tay provided all the fun supplies. 

The garage was all about gaming. We set up a table and did a Chistmas puzzle too. It was the perfect place to go unwind and have fun!

Jordan put together a fun scavenger hunt for the kids complete with a fun elf video of himself. The kids ran all through the house to find the clues. 

"Look Under the Bed" was the clue in Portuguese. 

The surprise was finding Jordan dressed as an elf. He had items to play some games and earn some treats. It was really cute and creative. We did a fun gift exchange and opened Christmas jammies for all the cousins. We all cozied in and enjoyed the warm cabin. 

At the gift exchange I opened a box with Prego sauce and popcorn and I though SWEET food storage without another thought. Jord had to drop a huge hint later to help us understand they were announcing a bun in the oven!!!

Birthday on the road

Well the time came to head back home. It was Brielle's birthday and in an effort to still make it special, I door dashed some birthday supplies and treats. We woke her up bright and early by throwing a bunch of glow balloons on her. 

We managed to hang a sign on the hotel wall and took this cute pic of her with it. 

Hotel breakfast really came through with birthday pancakes complete with sprinkles!

And here we go, back to Utah, away from the sun and back to the cold. The kids traveled really well and the ride went quick. Many slept and I was glad I could because it would be a mad dash to get home and unpack and get on to our next vacation!

Happy birthday sis! We love you so much and I'm glad we could all be together for your birthday, even if it was on the road. We are so proud of the person you're becoming!
 

California Day 3 - Disneyland

Even though Disneyland is more geared to the original fairy tales and has a lot more for little kids, it still is magical and so fun to look at everything! We started our morning by rope dropping and getting our pic in front of the big tree!

We got Bri a birthday pin even though it wasn't quite her birthday. A few people/characters noticed but I didn't feel like it was excessive. 

We hit up Its a Small World, just because we had to. 

And a variety of rides through the day. 

I've never done this Autopia ride before but it was fun. 

Of course they crammed in a small tea cup and Carter and I rode but didn't spin. 

We got to see Its a Small World light up for the season. So cute!

And finished the night watching the christmas parade. 

Just magical, right?

On the way out we hit up the Emporium and got souvenirs. Grandma wanted an ear pic of Carter for old time sakes so we sent her this one. 

Rylee loved all of it so much she just had to buy a Minnie Mouse for her treasure. She loved every second and did so well with all the walking and the heat. 

And when we got back to the hotel I snuggled my 10 year old Brielle for the last time. She turns 11 tomorrow. It won't be a glamorous birthday, driving 10 hours home, but I hope she enjoyed all the fun things we did over the weekend. 

So glad we could do this trip. Chad and Carter even enjoyed. They weren't originally very excited about going, but I think they liked it. Not sure when or if we'll ever make it back with just our family, I hope so, but who knows. I'm so glad for these memories and will cling tight to them forever.