Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Mammoth Adventure - Journey home

Left Mammoth this morning. Before heading out we had to stop to get our annual family picture in front of the Mammoth. We stopped at Laws Railroad Museum in Bishop on the way home. The boys love going there, we stop there on our way home from Mammoth every year so the boys enjoy showing us things they remember from the previous trips. Then we started the journey home. Boys were excited to see their toys again when we got home tonight.

Bye Mammoth house!






Eric ringing the bell on the train







Mammoth Adventure Day 15

Sadly, we go home tomorrow. Took Mark and Jake to one last ski class, Daddy got one last day on the slopes, Eric had fun (most of the time) hanging out with Mommy, while Mommy stood AMAZED at her sons' ability.
I have always known I was going to be a "baseball mom" or "soccer mom" but never have I imagined that I'd be a "ski mom". Apparently, I am. Mark and Jake were cruising on the slopes today, and I mean cruising at high speeds!!! They each went down the slopes with their instructors about 15-20 times, then another, maybe 10 with Daddy afterwards. We heard such comments like: "I've never seen someone this young (jake) ski this well!", "within a few years, they're not going to need us (meaning the instructors), I hope you get good insurance because they'll be stunt skiing in no time!". Jake was lovingly referred to by the instructors as "jake the snake", and mark won his instructors heart when he showed up bearing gifts! He had stayed up at night drawing pictures for his ski teacher. HA! I've been proud of my boys before. They amaze me every day with the things they can do and the love they show (some of the time) to each other. But as I was walking back to the base of the hill, pushing Eric in the stroller, after taking a small "get warm and let Eric run around" break, I saw this tiny figure wearing a white helmet SPEED down the hill with an instructor trailing behind not needing to offer ANY assistance, and I said "now that canNOT be MY white helmet!!!" and sure enough, it was Jake. Followed by Mark a few minutes later, beaming as he speeds down the hill like he was born with skis on his feet. I think that was the proudest I've ever felt in my sons physical abilities.
Neil was on the same slope some of the time and was taking pictures and videos and giving me updates at the bottom. I was told that Mark likes to go through Whooly's Wood and he also goes on the "jump bumps" - pretty much exactly what they sound like.
After class we took a lunch break by taking the Gondola up to the top of the mountain, then watched Daddy ski down. By then the boys were rested enough to go down a bunch more times with Daddy before calling it a day.







Evidence that I was here!!




mark on ski lift

Riding the Gondola



Mark is on the right


Daddy waving to us in the Gondola


Mark drew the "Mammoth House"


"I love to ski wef my ski teacher"
need I say more?


Jake Skiing


Mark Skiing


Mark Skiing the Jump Bumps


Monday, March 9, 2009

Mammoth Adventure Day 14

BOY it was windy today!!! Took the boys to ski class and they had a BLAST!!! it was too windy for Eric so we took him inside where we could watch the boys.  They were having so much fun! Mark went on the chair lift and down the mountain about 5 times with his teacher, Jake did it once at the end.  After going down Jakes says "that was fun!!!"  and Mark says "I didn't fall!!"  on the way home they argued over who was faster - LOVING IT!!!




Eric likes to say "cheese" when he knows you're taking a picture!

Mammoth Adventure Day 13

Took the boys skiing today - in front of the house! Mark and Jake went down the "hill" about 5 times each before Mommy and Daddy got tired of being the "ski lift" HA! But they had fun.
For lunch, Mark made his own sandwich - Peanut butter, Jelly, American Cheese and Ham YUM! Jake decided he wanted to make one too. Mommy and Daddy passed.








Mark in the tunnel he dug (with some help) the first week here





Mammoth Adventure Day 12

Had an "adventure" day today! Spent the day driving around touring Mammoth, drove up to June Lake - about 15 miles north. On the way back we stopped by some public land that we've seen people sledding on last year and Neil, Mark and Jake went sledding. It was a very nice family day.





Friday, March 6, 2009

Mammoth Adventure Day 11

Beautiful day today!!! (they all are, but this one was warmer, sunnier, a hint of snow falling and just plain beautiful!) We took Mark and Jake outside today to do some sledding. Mommy's job was to hand out the hot cocoa, help with sled hauling when they "accidentally" left it at the bottom HA! and check in on Eric who just didn't want to put his snow clothes on. I find I last longer out there when not doing "hard labor" - baby is giving me limited energy and I must ration it :-)
After some time I went in and gave Eric a water bottle and snack, when I peeked in on him he was just sitting there all cute eating his banana chips. About 5 minutes later, I looked again and he was sound asleep, bag of banana chips open right next to him, water poised in his lap. CUTE GUY!!
Before going inside we made snow-ice-cream! YUMMY! I found the BEST recipe last year on youtube, I'll put it at the end if this post. Eric decided to wake up to help us eat it. Smart boy!

This evening, Mark was drawing Thomas the Train for us using a picture as a model. Jake wanted one so Mark drew him one. Later they moved to an oversized chair and Jake looked at the picture of Thomas and would help Mark draw. It was just WAY too cute!





Jake carrying his sled














Drawing Thomas













Ice Cream Recipe -
4 Cups of Snow
1/4 tsp Vanilla
1/2 Cup of Milk
1/4 Cup of Sugar

Mix together and enjoy - YUMMY!!!

Mammoth Adventure Day 10


Still feeling yucky today so didn't even take the camera out. BUT not to worry! I have pictures downloaded from Neils phone.
Quiet day today. Neil and Doug went skiing then Neil dropped Doug off at the airport to head back to San Diego. First day where the boys didn't go outside, but they had fun playing with their toys inside today and Mommy just didn't have the energy to get them all "geared up".


Whooly getting ready to go on a ski lift.


a few nights back we went in to check on the boys before heading to bed, and we couldn't find jake.  He was sleeping on the floor, NEXT to his bed.  HA!



Mammoth Adventure Day 9

24 inches in 24 hours!!! Our snowman is a little buried and wearing a cute snow hat. I wasn't feeling too well today. Neil took the boys outside to play. Did some sledding, found HUGE ice cycles, and lots of digging. We saw lots of snowplows and snowblowers - the boys loved that, except when they did our driveway, again.




Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Mammoth Adventure Day 8

Snowed all day today, probably a foot or so. It's BEAUTIFUL!!!
Mommy and Eric had some alone time at Vons, drinking our Starbucks milk and grocery shopping. Went home and we all went outside to play. Daddy and Uncle Doug went skiing during quiet time. Put a video on here of the boys saying "bye-bye" to Daddy and Uncle Doug as they are going off skiing; they get quite the send-offs! The new "Mammoth Car" is doing GREAT in the snow! Expecting to get 14 inches of snow tonight, so we'll wake up once again to the snowplows!!! YEAH!





Mr. Independent pushing his sled up the hill















Monday, March 2, 2009

Mammoth Adventure Day 7

Probably got a good 10 inches of snow today! The boys got to see the snow plow in the morning as it cleared the streets. Then got to watch later as it did our driveway, much to the boys dismay as they wanted to shovel it themselves! HA!
Daddy and Uncle Doug went skiing again today. We played out in the snow and worked on the snowman and went sledding. The snow falling the entire time.
The boys are "in bed" supposed to be sleeping. A snowplow drove by to clear the streets again, and the boys are just not fast enough (Marks words I think) so they are standing on the toy box, looking out the window, waiting for it to come back (which it wont tonight) so they wont miss it, talking VERY excitedly about the snow and the snowplows and how exciting it all is!



"Mah-Nah" - as Eric says




Our Snow Angel, making a snow angel




Jake trying to cheer Eric up by giving him a shovel - sweetheart