Snow Weekend

As has been noted before (both here and elsewhere), vacations are not the same once you have kids in the picture. What might once have been a winter idyll -- sitting beside a roaring fire in a cabin in the woods, watching snow fall outside while reading a book and sipping cocoa, or a weekend of college debauchery -- fifty people from a dorm crammed in one decrepit Tahoe rental condo, partying all night and skiing all day, becomes something quite different when you're traveling with two four-year-olds, two two-year-olds and one other set of frazzled parents.

To be more specific, what you end up with are kids who have a hard time falling asleep because they're (1) insanely excited and (2) sharing a bed for the first time with a sibling ("Mom! Henry keeps poking me with his feet!!!!!"). The next day you end up spending twenty minutes getting everyone suited up in snow gear only to find that (1) some kid needs to go to the bathroom or (2) five minutes of snow time is enough and someone really wants to watch Toy Story. You visit a couple of ski resorts and spend hours using brute force to hoist your four-year-old up again and again as he struggles to balance on skis for the first time (Go, Scott!). Meanwhile, you also do your best to pacify a two-year-old who wails loudly for over an hour and wants to go home because he is so strung out from lack of sleep (see above).

At the same time, you also realize that the Sierra Mountains in winter are absolutely gorgeous and that it feels fantastic to get away from your home and your routine for a few days even if "relaxation" isn't exactly part of the equation. You find that it is a big rush to see your four-year-old master the first stage of skiing and coast down a bunny hill all by himself, and that you'd put up with a lot of sleepless nights and aggravation for the squeal of joy your two-year-old gives as he plunges down a slope in an inner tube, his cheeks pink from the cold and his eyes shining. You realize how special it is to share a couple beers and a conversation with another set of parents who know EXACTLY where you're coming from -- what you've given up and what you've gained by being right here.

Boys on the Deck (Maybe Henry's eyes are so crazy because he's holding a block of ice!)

The chef "statue" in the rental kitchen. The boys had that knife out of his hand and were chasing each other with it within 30 seconds of our arrival.

Cutie Max in his snow gear

Scott and the Freund family at Soda Springs Resort

Henry tries tubing for the first time

Scott helps Max into his skis

Max bites it for the 100th time

The boys enjoying a post-bath snack

The beautiful river near our cabin