Big Sky 2015

It's already the middle of the week so I thought I better get this vacation post done before it's too far in the past to be interesting anymore.  If it is interesting at all...

Between my phone, my camera, and everyone else's phones and cameras there is a large assortment of photos and first I added the phone pictures and then my camera pictures, which put them at the top.  I arranged a few but these won't be in a very logical order.  Since I am a non-type A person I don't care about this at all but it may drive others crazy. 

We spent the night in Billings at a hotel before heading into the mountains.  This has been the tradition since I was a child and although a night at a hotel doesn't seem that exciting this night has always been a fun kick off to the trip.  There is a Fuddrucker's burger restaurant across the street from the hotel and since that place is gone from ND and was a family favorite when it was in Fargo it is always fun to eat there.  Well, this year, we were dismayed to walk up to the door and find it temporarily closed (there is another restaurant that overflows into the parking lot so it looked busy) because there had been a fire in one of the bathrooms!  So pizza delivery it was. 

That night we took the kids swimming. 

 

This hotel conveniently had a shallow wading pool and Tessa loved it.  She stood in her floaty ring and ran around the pool in circles for quite awhile. 

 

The picture below is the first glimpse of Big Sky as you drive along the highway toward the resort. 

 

It is always a thrill to see, especially on a clear day when you can see the mountain peak!

This year we had two condo units that connected to each other. It was a nice arrangement to have two kitchens, two laundry rooms and countless bathrooms.  There were five bathrooms in each house so we had 10!  What a dream!  There were also robes.  Fancy.  Here is my brother in his robe with my sister's daughter. 

Since we have the most kids we ended up sleeping in the bunk room with them.  So Ben and I shared  bunk bed.  He loved having the top bunk and I have to admit that I found something very cozy about sleeping in the little cave of a bottom bunk.  This is probably due to the nostalgia of someone who loved camp as a child and who lived in dorm situations for several years beyond the initial freshman in college experience.  Although, looking back, I don't know how we hauled our...ummm...exhausted...selves up to those top bunks in college. 

 The big event for us was Ben putting on skis for the first time!  Justin pulled him down to the base area in a sled the first morning so he could see us all in our skis and on the way he ran into a ski instructor and asked about the lift ticket policy for kids (they ski free!) and ended up signing him up for a lesson. 

I have more photos of him in his skis down below.

Here is the complex where he stayed.  It had one of the better views we have ever had  I think!

Here is a baby takeover in the kitchen.

Cousins!

Every year since Ben was only a few weeks old we have taken a picture at the base of the mountain.  They look thrilled, don't they?

The evening sun was not ideal for photos and they are kind of shadowed.  We thought hiding in front of that pillar might help. 

Children, look at the camera!

 

Our houses were filled with lovely touches.  They are pretty new and very modern.  Ours had a shuffleboard table and my aunt and uncle's had a pool table.

 

 

 

Here is my cousin and I on the first morning of skiing.  The weather was really nice this year and warm.  It was almost too warm and by the end of the week the snow melt was becoming an issue.  Personally, I don't like being outside in frigid temperatures all day so I liked this regardless of the lack of snow depth. 

 

Here is Ben and Grandpa in their matching outfits.  We had to joke about the recent "dress" controversy.  Does it look like they are wearing blue and black or gold and white?  Definitely gold and white...

 

Here we are out on the mountain at the same time!

This mountaintop bar and restaurant has been closed for a few years so it was fun to see it open again and the weather was perfect for outdoor breaks. 

Here is the little skier! 

 

We have a video from his lesson which is so cute but I can't figure out how to get it on here without a lot of work so I didn't add it.  I believe most people have seen it on Facebook or had it sent to them already anyway.  He did really good, which by three year old standards means that he didn't throw a fit, have a meltdown or get scared.  I didn't see him at his lesson but Justin observed from afar for a few minutes.  We skied with him after the lesson on our own and took him out for awhile again the next day.  I have to say that I really admire those teachers.  It is not easy lugging those little kids around! 

See that camera I am wearing strapped to me?  It's a GoPro.  Ben wore it also!  His footage is mostly me and Justin standing over him hauling him off the ground. 

Look at him go!  Skis nice and straight!  The instructor said that children don't have the strength in their legs to do stops and turns before they are four so they didn't get into that yet.  It was more about the enjoyment of skiing.  He did like it and continued to ask to go during the week. 

 

Here Ben is again on a tower of bean bag chairs in the movie lounge room upstairs.  It was a good place to it!

 

One morning I took these two out sledding.  It was uneventful except I just love the scenery. 

 

I'm still working on re-entering the real world after a week in the mountains.  At least the warm weather was waiting for us when we got home but now it is snowing today so Waaahh waaaaaah.