Snow Tubing and Scooter Boards

Merry Christmas friends and family,

After weeks of preparation and countless dollars spent on gear we finally introduced Easton and Layla to the snow for the first time ever. How deep was the snow? Well, this is a Cadillac buried in snow twice as high as the car itself. Someone dug out just enough snow to see what kind of car it was.


Layla didn't really grasp the concept of a car buried under all of that snow, but it was fun to see. The trip up was fun and short. We only made it through a few Christmas carols and half of Kung Fu Panda before arriving at the slopes. Easton's reaction while looking up at the big, snow covered mountain is worth every penny and every minute spent getting them here.


The ski resort was packed to over flowing with people so I took a "before" picture in the parking lot just in case one of them wandered off.


The next picture describes the weather we experienced, which is nothing short of perfect. Zero wind, lots of sun, and temperatures cold enough to keep the snow fluffy, but not so cold our noses were frozen.


A special thanks to Oma and Opa for being a part of our adventures and making the time together so much fun. They were good sports about walking up the mountain over and over again.


Opa was a real trooper as he pulled himself and the twins up the mountain.


Easton and Layla loved every minute of the experience and part of the reason is because we were hauling them up instead of forcing them to mush through the snow. They have a rope tow mounted, but we happened to visit on a non-operational day due to inspection licenses or something.


At the top of the run we had an excellent panorama view of the resort with all of the trees and resort. Easton was overwhelmed, but asked to go tubing again and again.


I took one video of Easton and I as we were going down the mountain. The camera work was a bit tricky because I was filming, holding Easton, and guiding the tube at the same time. Not bad for someone who doesn't multitask well.



This is the official 4 Webbs album cover for the Great Snow trip of 2010. The twins were bundled up with so many layers they walked around like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.


The snow run was well groomed, Opa was in control, and Easton was giggling all the way down to the bottom every time.


There were a few oddities at the resort including the random placement of two huge plastic play houses next to the admission hut. Layla took a break long enough to go inside and realize it was equally as cold IN the play house as it was outside.


Also, a bounce house sits next to the bottom of the run. Not sure why though? Maybe just in case your kid isn't thoroughly worn out from 2 hours of tubing? Whatever the reasoning Easton and Layla made good use of the bounce house. The background looks like a fake or picture, but it really is the view of the mountains from inside the bounce house!


By the end of the tubing event the adults shed our layers and were comfortable in just a sweatshirt and gloves. No one was more surprised than I about being "warm" while slogging through the snow. Coming from an Arizona boy that is a real paradox.


One final story for the snow trip of 2010: I gave Layla permission to scream as the two of us zipped down the mountain. She took me up on the offer, but didn't know you are supposed to stop screaming once the tube stops at the bottom. Kids standing by were lightened by her joyous run down the mountain, but they became concerned because she continued screaming as we exited our tube and walked away. I had to tell her, "It's ok to scream and have fun, but you need to stop now that the ride is over." No big deal, but I had to keep from laughing because she's so full of excitement sometimes she doesn't know when to tone it down.

Speaking of Layla's enthusiasm... Opa had the great idea to spend a rainy day in the gymnasium riding scooter boards! None of us knew what to expect, but the twins were completely hyped about going. Once we arrived and Opa showed us how to ride them the twins had a blast. Layla's core strength and athleticism is off the charts.


Opa broke a serious sweat pushing Easton and Layla around. I did my best, but the picture is a little blurry because they were rocketing across the floor too fast for a good shot.


Everyone joined in the fun including Oma, Judy, Megan, and Kendra. Josh did as well, but I didn't get any pictures of him because he was zipping around the gym like Flash Gordon. GG came to hang out, but declined the invitation to ride a scooter. What would be wrong with that? She rode a motorcycle just a few years ago, so I wouldn't have been surprised one bit to see her roll across the wood floor.


Remember all of the hard work lugging the twins up the mountain in the snow? It's payback time... Kendra's knee is still in the healing process so I did my best to keep her from exerting too much effort.


And in other news... My Grandma Suzie passed away today. I never really knew her or spent time with her, but it still makes me sad. I'm most grateful Dad was able to reconcile their relationship. I would be even more sad if there was no closure or reformation of the bond between them. Death of a family member always causes a person to stop and reflect on life. I'll have to think about this a while and capture a few thoughts later, but for now I'm staying focused on the blessings of close family and vacation.

See you soon!