Trip to the Snow

Because we had a long weekend the weekend of Presidents Day, we decided to head to Utah for a trip to the snow.  It was a last minute trip (we were back and forth on whether or not to go and finally decided Wednesday morning at 10:00 that we would leave at 2:00 that same day), but we decided that if we didn't do the trip then it wouldn't happen and Spencer has been asking to go to the snow all winter, so it was a must.  We got to Brian and Megan's late Wednesday night (or early Thursday morning, depending on how you look at it) and spent Thursday with them, just letting the kids play and enjoy "cousin time".  We were also able to go out to lunch with Great Grandma Betty and most of the girl cousins/cousins-in-law and their kids on the Bruschke side for Grandma Betty's birthday.  It was fun to see Brett's cousins that we haven't seen in so long.

On Friday Megan and kids, and me and my kids all headed down to go swimming with Grandpa Bruce and the Rustad kids.  There is a neat indoor pool that is heated that we were able to go to.  The kids haven't been swimming since last summer and had a blast.  That night was another birthday party, but this time for both Brian and Grandma Betty at Bruce and Karen's.  There was delicious food and good company.  And then the fun started.  When we were putting the kids down for bed Spencer said he didn't feel too well and by the time Brett and I went to bed he had a fever of 103.  Luckily Karen had some medicine in the cupboard, so we didn't have to run to the store.  But by morning it seemed to hit everyone.  Brian and Megan were sick, Brett and I weren't feeling well and some of the Rustad kids were feeling down and out as well.  We all laid around that morning, everyone taking naps other than Grandma Karen and Natalie, but since we had come to Utah to play in the snow we pulling out the snow gear and went to play.  The kids had fun helping Grandpa plow the driveway using the quad.

Grayden, Grandpa and Spencer

Grandpa and Bailey

Grandpa and Natalie

After they got things cleaned up we headed across the street to sled in a neighbors backyard.  By this point Brett and I were feeling so down and out that we just sat at the top of the hill most of the time letting the kids enjoy themselves.  Luckily there were cousins and Grandpa Bruce to help them up and down the hill.  Natalie was the official "pusher".  She didn't want to do any sledding so she stayed at the top making sure everyone got a good start.  Spencer went down the hill at least a dozen times and Bailey was right behind him going down as often as she could convince someone to go with her (like I was saying, Brett and I were not in any condition for sledding, so she had to find sledding companions elsewhere).  Tanner just sat at the top with Brett and seems to enjoy just being outside.

Megan, Talmage, Brian and Grayden

Spencer (now there is a face of pure joy)

Grandpa, Spencer and Bailey (do you see Natalie in the background having pushed them off?)

Bailey with her limited snow gear on (don't ask me what this face is)

And Natalie with hers

Jaclyn and Bailey

Dad and Tanner

Tanner boy

Natalie doing her "snow dance" up the hill

Brett, Tanner and Bailey (Bailey was able to convince Dad to go down once)

Brian and Talmage

Bailey and Tanner look like they are just chillin'. . .

. . .but that is the way that they made it up the hill.  Wouldn't that be nice?  Easy down easy up!

Megan, Grayden and Talmage

Grandpa Bruce and Tanner

Megan and Talmage

Grandpa and Tanner

By the end of Saturday night we were feeling so sick that we decided to cut our trip short and head home in the morning.  We figured if we left Sunday morning we would have two days to make the trip if we weren't feeling up to driving the whole way feeling so sick.  Brett was a trooper and was somehow able to drive the whole way home (in Las Vegas Weekend traffic mind you).  Cutting the trip short meant that we weren't able to see many people that we were planning on seeing, but it was all for the best that we didn't expose anyone else to that terrible sickness.  Brett and I were talking on the way home and decided that even though we got terribly sick and had to cut the trip short we were glad that we did it and were able to spend time with the Bruschke side of the family.