Christmas Pre Game

Wednesday night we headed over to Jackman, ME with Brad's parents and in search of snow. We left rain, and green grass here, drove 2 and a half hours inland and up in elevation, to find a winter wonderland. This was our maiden voyage for what we have hoped will be our new family winter sport. We are all relieved that the kids loved it. Quote from Gwen: "Mommy, going on the sleds with Nana and Puga was Super fun. Really, Really, Super Duper fun!" They were all troopers and exceeded our expectations for the outing. Beckham proved to be a natural winter lover. He never once tried to get his helmet, goggles, mittens, hood, or balaclava off. He just sat on the front of Brad's snowmobile, harnessed in, loving the ride. Whenever we would stop, he would just tap Brad's leg and point forward again and again. When we stopped for a break, we just plopped him in a snow bank and he was in heaven. I loved having Liv on the back of my sled. She was great company as she giggled over the bumps and yelled, "WEEEEEEE" down the hills. And of course, everything is more fun with Brad's parents around. We love them and love everything about being with them. Plus they were a ton of help!

Lesson learned: Before we put on the tights, wool socks, long underwear, sweat pants, snow pants, 2 sweat shirts, mittens, and winter coats. . . make sure the girls go to the bathroom.

Trail Conditions: 32 degrees, packed snow underneath with 5 inches of fresh snow from the night before on top. Half of the trails groomed, half with those 5 inches still on top. Pine trees covered in those 5 inches, it reminded me of marshmallows.

Added Bonus: Brad's parents offered to let us go on a midnight ride after the kids were in bed. OK, it wasn't exactly midnight, but it was 10:00p.m. This was my first ride in the pitch dark, through clean, ungroomed trails. Three words to describe it: Peaceful, scary (a little bit), fun (a lot).

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