We went to the snow after Christmas. Apparently all of California had the same idea, because we had a heck of a time trying to find a cabin. But we ended up getting a newly remodeled apartment at the place we usually go to (Shaver Lake Village Hotel) that slept 8! It was nothing fancy, but it was sure nice to have 2 bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen with lots of room for wet boots, coats and sleds. They had a bunch of snow the week before we went, then it snowed a foot the night before and continued to snow that whole first day.
My kids don't like the snow until they are about 3 years old. Levi hated the cold, and he let us all know it. Too bad we couldn't leave him home.
Dave took him sledding a few times. He liked it okay the first couple of times, but then they got a little snowy. He didn't like it after that. As you can see, Dallin was in heaven. The faster, the snowier, the better.
Brennan was ready to come in to get warm before everyone else. That's what I love about staying right in the snow - people can go in for hot chocolate whenever they want. And cranky babies can take naps.
That snow looks clean enought to eat, right?
We especially love the big sledding hill right behind the hotel.
The next day we woke up to a very sunny, clear, COLD morning. They all enjoyed a second breakfast of icicles.
We left bright and early to drive up the mountain to China Peak, formerly known as Sierra Summit. It's where we went skiing last year. We watched the temperature drop lower and lower the closer we got. It was freezing cold there!! Spencer said it got even colder going up the ski lift. In fact he said it's the coldest he's ever been in his whole life. That's probably true. Luckily it warmed up a little after a couple of hours, and there was a nice warm lodge for us non-skiers.
Isn't this beautiful? I took this picture between the parking lot and the ski resort.
If you plan a trip there, you can get a discount at the Costco in Fresno: $80 for $100 worth of gift certificates. So for our whole family (minus me and Levi) to ski/snowboard and rent equipment on a holiday, we spent $240 instead of $300. That's a pretty good deal. However it was VERY crowded. Note to self - go skiing the week before Christmas next time.
Tyler improved a ton this time. In fact Dave took him up to the very top of the mountain twice. It was his first time to go on the big ski lift, since he just stayed on the bunny slope with Dallin last year. The three of them (Dave, Spencer and Tyler) always stuck together on the way down, with Dave yelling for one to stop when the other fell and had to get their skis/snowboard back on. At one point they were on a blue, so Dave put Tyler between his legs. They even went over a jump, which Tyler LOVED. I'm so impressed that my kids can do these things that I can't. I hate to go fast, and although I've only skied twice, I really didn't like it. Dave loves, loves, loves it, so I'm so glad he has his boys to go with him. It makes me happy to see them have so much fun.
Dallin was a little more cautious with his skiing this year. He forgot how to slow down and plowed into the line of people waiting to go up the bunny slope. Twice. He mostly hung out with me and Brennan after that.
This was Brennan's first time to ski, and we put him in lessons. He LOVED it, which was a relief because half the kids in his class were crying and complaining. But Brennan just smiled big the whole time. I know, he doesn't really need a helmet, since he never actually went down anything you could call steep. But he just got this helmet for Christmas, and he was excited to wear it. I was also grateful Brennan was happy because I was preoccupied holding Levi all day. He was cranky and tired and took a lot of attention. My arms were so sore that night!
We enjoyed a relaxing morning before we left the next day, sledding and drinking hot chocolate and slowly packing up the car. They made this jump, and I especially love this picture of Dallin flying in the air.
This was just such a happy trip. Except for Levi, there was no crying or sadness or complaining about the cold. They all just had a blast.
The snow was especially dry and powdery this year. Is that because it was so much colder? This makes for great skiing and sledding, but snowballs and snowmen were tough. So we just found clumps of icy snow for our very small, lumpy snowman. 
Someone's been reading too much Calvin and Hobbes.
Good-bye, snow! We'll see you again next year.
To anyone who says that DVD players in cars take away from good old-fashioned family car trips of games and singing (several people have told me that), I'd like to see you spend 3 hours in the car with Levi. The twerp never sleeps in the car, no matter how tired he is - he just screams and screams. And that little screen above his car seat gave us a few minutes of quiet. On the way home we stopped at a Mexican buffet in Fresno that my parents recommended, and it was a huge hit. Happy new year!
Spencer picked Dallin's name for Christmas this year. He wanted to get him a real chef thing, so he got him a flip Belgian waffle iron. One of the boys' favorite things about staying at hotels with continental breakfasts is making their own waffles. 
What is it about sharks that makes them so freakish? This was just a little guy. The big huge tank was closed for renovations. If you're thinking about going to this aquarium, wait until it opens in June/July.
That was sure scary. We were in the Splash Zone, which is a loud, crowded, play section (this picture in not the Splash Zone. I was so shaken up afterwards that I couldn't take any more pictures). Mostly Brennan and Levi stayed in the stroller the whole day, but they got out to play there. At one point I looked down and Brennan was gone. I yelled for him but there was no answer. I said, "Guys, Brennan's lost!" Spencer immediately ran out of the section and found him crying and surrounded by adults on the bridge, about to go to the other side of the aquarium. He thought we had left. One thing I've learned about lost kids - they don't stay put, like we tell them to. They freak out and run to the exit because they assume we've left without them, when actually we are right around the corner. 
It was hard to catch Levi because he wouldn't hold still.
