Spring break!

We left a little early for our Spring break at Copper Mountain, Colorado.  I left the office on Thursday after class and headed straight for NWA.  I arrived at the same time that the boys got home from school...perfect timing!  We headed out, stopping in Kansas for the night.  The drive on Friday was relaxed...we stopped often, had a picnic and did a little shopping at REI in Denver.  From Denver, the Pitts crew headed to the condo while Phillip and I waited at the Denver airport to pick up Miranda and her friend Louise (better known by our family as Ms. Weez). 

Kyler got sick on Friday afternoon with Strep.  He had a high temperature and just didn't feel good, but he got out a little on Saturday on the "magic carpet" lift and taught himself the basics of snowboarding.  Jayden spent Saturday at snowboarding school, and Evan hung out with everybody.  Between the Strep and the high altitude, Kyler was having a hard time, so Sunday morning he went to the doctor at the Village and then spent the day in the condo - on oxygen!  He was so determined to get better so that he could ski on Monday.  Monday morning when he walked in that doctor's office, they were AMAZED!  He was so much better (after all, he'd been drinking lots and never took off his oxygen hose) that the doctor cleared him for snowboarding (with oxygen rests in between runs)!

Jayden just did the one day of school and the rest of the time he practiced his skills with everybody else.  He has no fear on the snowboard...reminds me a lot of his mother!  Evan started out boarding next to his Dad with Kerry holding onto him, but by the last day he didn't want any help!  "Leave me alone, I can do it myself!"  By the last day, Kyler could stop without falling!  All the boys made great progress.  Miranda and Louise skied all over the mountain and also hung out with the little boys.   Everybody skied, but just not all at the same time.  Oh yes, I didn't fall the entire time :)

Evan told pop that he wanted to stay five more days :)  I wish we could - we had a big time!  Pictures below:

Louise and Miranda:

It is a little hard to tell the boys apart with their helmets on.  Kerry and Evan:

Jayden:

Kyler and Pop on the Magic carpet

Kerry and Evan loading up:

Melissa and Kyler:

Jayden got tired of waiting on everybody so he took off.  You can see Melissa, Kerry, Kyler and Evan at the top of the hill...

Jayden - just look at that form!

Jayden riding the lift all by himself:

Jayden:

Melissa and Kyler

Kerry and Evan:

Melissa and Evan:

Kyler:

Jayden

Evan

Miranda and Ms. Weez flew out on Monday evening.  The rest of us drove all the way home on Tuesday - 14 hours!  The boys were great!  They took turns riding with me and Pop so that we had a little one-on-one time with each.  We had Evan at the end of the day - from 7-11 pm.  Melissa said that he had not napped all day and his bedtime is at 7:30, so she thought he would sleep the entire time.  I am not exaggerating when I say that he did not quit talking the entire time.  How often do you get to sit and talk with a four year old for four hours?  It has been a great spring break - lots of good memories with the family!

February Snow continues

Just enjoying the day from the comfort of my favorite chair with a roaring fire.

Let it snow...let it snow...let it snooow...

I love it when it snows! We were in Montana when Arkadelphia got 7 inches of snow, so I have been wishing for some snow days. I planned ahead and brought my work home Thurday, so on Friday I stayed in my pjs all day and had fires going all over the place! I would move from room to room to work - changing the scenery. I didn't go out on Friday...it snowed all day....it was just too cold and wet. So, I got up Saturday morning and decided I better get some pictures before it all melted.  Notice in the pictures below that all of the ponds are frozen:

We may get some more snow...suits me...bring it on!

RED LODGE, MONTANA

We left Gardiner on Monday afternoon and headed into Red Lodge.  The drive from this direction is so pretty [but then I usually say that about all of Montana :)]. 

We stayed two nights at the Pollard Hotel in downtown.  This is the view out of our hotel window:

It has been really cold this trip!  Most of the time the temperature has been below zero (one night -14!) and that isn't taking wind chills into consideration.  With temps that low, its not much fun to spend hours on the slopes skiing.  However, Tuesday we went hiking on the mountain side towards Wild Bill Lake.  The road is closed and groomed for Xcountry skiers.  We bundled up :)

 The road runs along Rock Creek.

Another great trip out West!

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK!

We were in Yellowstone several days.  Saturday afternoon we explored the thermal features around Mammoth Hot Springs, Sunday we spent all day (from 7 am until 7 pm) on the Snowcat tour.  A snowcat is a 12 passenger van outfitted with tracks and designed to go over the snow where vehicles can't.  In fact, a Snowcat is the only way to get to Old Faithful during the winter.  We had a guide and made lots of stops along the way and back.  On Monday, it was just too cold to be out snowshoeing or Xcountry skiing all day, so we drove over to Lamar Valley just to enjoy the view.  Just a few of the pictures from Yellowstone...because I have hundreds :)

This is a view from Mammouth Hot Springs:

 Sunrise on the drive from MHS to Old Faithful:

 This is the road ???  Just looks like a snow track to me...

 

 I love Bison...they are so big and look so clumsey, yet they are very agile and FAST!

 This is Fountain Geyser.  Our guide was so excited to see it erupt.  He said that he has not seen this one errupt since he'd been at the park (3 years).  Since this is one of those Geysers that is not predictable, we weren't sure if it would still be errupting by the time we hiked over to it, so I took off running (I wanted to be sure that I got to see the sight!)  However, it continued to errupt the entire time that we were at this area - over half an hour.  As we were going back to the van, the guide said to me "I just love that you were so excited that you took off running" :)  That's just the kinda gal I am - I get excited at this place!

 The Paint Pots - this is BOILING MUD!  So cool....

 This was hard to capture in a picture, and doesn't look near as pretty as it did that day, but this is a round rainbow.  The sun is behind that tree, but the rainbow went all around the sun.  It was snowing this really fine snow and I guess the light was reflecting off that??? (Obviously science is not my thing)

 This is a view of the road that we traveled into Lamar Valley.  On this day we were in our rental car (which was 4WD and had heated seats :)), and this road isn't much better that they one we traveled in our snowcat!

Another wonderful trip to Yellowstone...now off to Red Lodge!

Chico Hot Springs

Chico Hot Springs.  Phillip likes to stay in the old section...the cowboy hotel.

This room had twin beds (they are foot-to-foot) and no TV, no phone and no Bathroom.  However, it is all about the atmosphere and the Hot Springs!  We did some major soaking in the hot pool yesterday and today.  It is so relaxing!  Plus the restaurant is unbelievable!

Around noon we headed to Gardiner and into Yellowstone.  We saw a coyote on the street right after entering the park and then spotted some big horn sheep before getting to Mammoth Hot Springs.  We did some hiking around the springs and then relaxed in the lodge and just enjoyed the view.  Some pictures from the day are below.  This first one is the view from the drive between Chico Hot Springs and Gardiner:

 This picture was taken right as we were driving into the park.  That is a coyote next to the road below:

 After checking in for our snowcat tour scheduled for tomorrow, we walked up around the Mammoth Hot Springs:

As we were leaving the park (we stayed in Gardiner) we saw these big horn sheep:

Phillip and I absolutely love it here.  Even though we have been here numerous times, I am always awed by its beauty.  You just have to think....God does good work!