We had a great week covered in this white stuff! They had been calling for snow beginning Monday night and were not sure exactly when it would hit or how bad it would get, but they were being cautious. I delayed my Nashville trip to this next week and did just a day trip to Knoxville. By Monday night Maggie’s school was closed and we began juggling who would get to play for the day instead of going to work! The snow hit Wednesday during the day, and both girls schools were closed Wednesday and Thursday, and I got to stay home those days. Jimmy came home early Wednesday and was delayed Thursday. We spent Wednesday morning hanging out at Target with the Potts’ ladies and then met at Pump It Up with the Allen’s too to enjoy running off some energy! We were all bracing for how long we would be confined to the house. Thursday we played in the snow (over 5 inches which came up to Maggie’s knees) and then played at the Allen’s in the snow and a family dinner together out.
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| Snow is starting to come down! |
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| Enjoying a afternoon inside and put on a new summer shirt! |
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| Can you tell we are ready for summer? |
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| What we woke up to Thursday morning! |
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| Up to her knees! |
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| Pardon the no make up…but we had fun playing together as a family! |
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| Our now man! Thank you Peppermint (Ally's elf) for bringing us our snow man kits! |
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| Gracie did a great job helping build him! |
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| Our girls with their snow man. We are counting to see how many years before we get this much snow again! |
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| My snow girl! |
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| Daddy and the girls. |
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| Mommy and the girls! |
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| Daddy went to work so the girls played with some neighborhood friends, then we borrowed a really shovel to shovel the drive before it melted and refroze into a sheet of ice! |
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| Snow play time at the Allen's before dinner together! Love these girls all together! |
Friday we packed and played while Jimmy went to work then we hit the road about 2 for somewhere near Boone NC. We had been planning on taking the girls snow tubing for Gracie’s winter break. We met Jimmy’s sister Tammy and Ally there for the weekend. What an adventure. Never did we imagine we would have spent the week before covered in snow, but when we woke up Saturday morning it was close to a blizzard (well, okay as close as I have seen in 20+ years!). We managed to get off the mountain we were staying on and headed up to the mountain where we were suppose to tube, only to see a sign flashing “snow chains or 4 wheel drive required”. Next stop snow chains. Jimmy had remembered a place on our way in the night before that said they sold and installed them (he has been thinking we should have gotten them before we left). We got there safely and after they were installed made two stops 1) Lowes for shovels should we need to dig our cars out at some point and 2) a snow toy shop to get some sleds. During this time our 10am tubing session was canceled due to the winds and rescheduled for 6pm right after our 4pm session. So we found “Hardees HIll” and went sledding. Maggie was not a fan and begged to go sit in the car! Gracie was enjoying it until she got a big face of snow as she went down. Once we were done sledding we managed to make it back to our cabin for lunch (good thing we had done our grocery shopping the night before). But before we got back to the cabin, there was a flapping noise that we thought was an issue with the snow chains. Turns out the plastic wheel flap had a screw missing and was catching on the snow chains. We pulled into a parking lot of a used car man and got a zip tie to hold it down. The girls were great, Jimmy was stressed and Tammy and I were laughing. If you don’t laugh you would cry.
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| First night at the cabin and snuggled! |
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| All ready….. |
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| After the snow chains were on, this was our first issue! |
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| Tammy and I enjoying some fun while we watch Jimmy fix the car! |
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| Great work honey. I love you! |
After lunch and some down time we suited up for our 4pm tubing session. We were excited to finally hit the slopes! Until we heard another noise on the way...this time the other side of the Tahoe the snow chains were coming off! So we had no choice but to take them off (or should I say try). We apparently don’t know how these work and had to flag down a really nice man who spent about 30 minutes helping get them off! Praise God.
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| During the second tire issue, the girls got out and played! |
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| Family photo before our first ride down! |
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| Jimmy and Gracie! She fell out towards the bottom, but got back up and did it more. |
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| Maggie tubed with her eyes covered the whole time! |
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| first day tubing (and many other adventures) in the books with two tired girls! |
We made it to tubing just in time, but when we got there found out due to wind they were canceling the 6pm session (which really was a blessing after all). Gracie did not like the first slopes and was scared, Maggie hated them all and Jimmy and I loved it! I only tubed a few times trying to get Maggie accustom to it, but she would not have it. I sat in the lodge with her and canceled her 2 sessions for the next day as well as one adult each session. Jimmy and I would just have to trade off.
Sunday proved to be a more “normal” day. We enjoyed tubing and the one not tubing enjoyed Maggie snuggles and playing in the lodge. I tubed at 10am and Jimmy at 4 with Gracie, Tammy and Ally. At the 4pm session Gracie really got comfortable and was doing some of the other slopes. Her and Ally even double tubed and knocked out a family at the bottom! They thought it was funny and the family was okay!
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| Gracie and Mommy ready for our session! |
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| The girls all went together the first session of Sunday! |
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| So blessed by these two and their sweet friendship. We love trips that allow great memories together! |
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| Maggie's idea of getting ready to tube….or rather sit in the lodge! |
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| by the fire! |
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| A little swimming between the two sessions Sunday! |
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| Sweet girls! |
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| Gracie and Daddy's time to tube! |
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| Maggie was all smiles while I played with her the final tubing session. |
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| two tired girls after the 4pm session. We were not sure they would make it back to the cabin for dinner! |
We are thankful for the week of snow to play together and spend time with friends as well as the weekend to get away, rest and make memories that will last forever! A week of work, school and routine will be a challenge...but we are up for it!
