As you can see… *if you look at my new blog design*

I recently returned from our cabin near Jackson Hole Wyoming.  We celebrated our Thanksgiving there andNooNoohad the great idea of getting “Old Time Photo’s” while there.  I had them taken with my high school girl friends last spring and LOVED them!  It wasn’t only the pictures themselves that were so fun, but the actually experience.  You have many outfits to choose from and it’s so fun to pick your weapon to sport!  Everyone laughs at each other and gasps when they see that the back of the clothing GAPES open! They tighten it up in the back with ties so that it fits a lot more body shapes and sizes.  This is a great idea from a business stand point, but the underwear that peaks out the back is sometimes horrifying to say the least.  Monkey’s whole butt was hanging out, and luckily I borrowed Mac’s tank top to be somewhat covered up.  

I loved the pictures SO much that I came home and sent them right over to my friend and designer, Rita’s Sweet Shop to have her come up with a new design for my blog.  She is so creative and talented!  She had this to me within a day or two and so here we are at Pink Moss with a fresh new design!! 

Thanks Rita!! 

*also, her button is on the right hand side of my blog if you want to use her services.  She has great prices and she is ever so sweet!*

The drive up to our cabin went better than I had planned.  It was absolutelyFREEZZZingwith a triple Z!  I think we hit 10 degrees at 3:00 inEvanstenWyoming, an hour away from our house!  It continued to befareeeezingthe whole trip.  Luckily we are equipped for the conditions and pulled out all of the winter gear.  

I had one blog reader that asked about tips for driving in the car with little kids long distances, because I had six in the back!  Some of my tips are great, and some may have me called into social services.  None the less, here there are in no particular order! 

*Separate kids that fight (the most)

*bring a smallblankiefor each kid to snuggle up with

*bring their favorite movies and music (if you have a movie player.  We lived without my whole life and somehow survived!) We rent at a red box here..drive and watch and return at a red box other places.

*Bring their favorite treats…Yes, I let them eat in the car on road trips.  The car is a Disaster after the fact, but it makes all the difference.  

*Let them run around when you stop for potty breaks to get their energy out.

*Point interesting things out to the kids outside when they start to get fidgety.

*Try to time the drive between meals.  We ate lunch, and drove 5 hours until we got there for dinner.

*My kids love video games in the car.

* I always havetippycups with water or juice, and water bottles for the kids.

*Diapers and wipes on hand..*not packed in the back*

and for me?

*MyIpodwith noise canceling headphones, gum, diet coke, and iPhone for surfing the web!

and for Little Jon?

A lot of red bull, Tylenol, snacks, and patience.

The ride home was anything other than great.  It was absolute torture!!

The first problem was that we had to clean the cabin’s before we could leave.  We had to re stack the wood, wash sheets, vacuum, clean out the fridge…etc. etc… but doing this with my “twins” proved to be bigger than I was, especially after having little sleep while we were there.  I had to totally transportHandsome’s”safety room” to the cabin complete with a monitor to watch him if he woke up, his music (and jewel lullaby CD), a mattress on the floor so he doesn’t fall off and I can sneak out after he falls asleep, and a fan.  

We were shooting for leaving at 12:00 and didn’t get out until 4:00.  This may be fine on a normal summer’s day, or even winter for that matter, but it started to snow.  When I say it snowed in Wyoming and Utah in the canyons, it REALLY snowed.  We were driving on icy roads, with a nice fresh layer of powder on top with high winds.  That may not have even been THAT bad, but we were pulling our 28 foot enclosed trailer full of snowmobiles and four wheelers.  It is heavy…and the weight behind you when you climb and decent thousands of feet on the snow is scary.  

Add to that, six fighting, laughing, over tired, kicking, restless kids in the back and it was pure..can I say it?  nope….fill in the blank.

At first (about 4 hours) I was very patient.  I said, “Kids, imagine how dad must feel right now.  He is trying to keep you safe.  It is very hard to concentrate with all of THAT going on.”

“shhhhhhhhhhhhhh”

“Hey, guys…knock it off….”

“Look outside kids!  Isn’t the snow pretty?  It is really hard to drive on this in the snow…”

and on and on it went. I put my Bose headphones on to cancel out the blaring movie, and loud kids.  And then something happened.  I saw a sign flashing on the side of the road that read:

CAUTION! 

ELEVEN PEOPLE KILLED ON THIS PASS, THIS WINTER SEASON

And I snapped.  I turned around and yelled *my kids tease me for how I “Yell” but for them, they know I am serious when I sound like I did.

“KIDS! DO YOU WANT TO BE LYING ON THE ROAD WITH BLOOD SQUIRTING EVERYWHERE DYING NEXT TO EACH OTHER???? WELL IF NOT THAN SHUT YOUR MOUTHS!”

That worked…

So there you have it, my tips for a successful drive.  

Bribe

block out the sound

smile when you feel like yelling, until you have to threaten their lives.

We arrived home safely, yet very tired.  It took me until afternoon the next day to unwind.  All in all, it was worth it!  Another one for the books.  Let me share a few pics of our adventure.  

OK, not a few…a lot!

This was right when we got to the cabin in the car..

check out Handsome’s eyes!

“WHERE ARE WE?”

We had just gone grocery shopping for our Thanksgiving feast and had to load in all of the groceries.  Mac jumped out and started shoveling the snow on the walk way.

Bug is half asleep after the car ride, and Mr. Handsome looks a little relieved to be out!

This food should last us a few days…

Every time we visit the tiny super market by our cabin, they gasp at the amount of food we buy.  We are thinking…”wow, only 2 carts?”

Grandpa’s boots…

shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

The second we got to the cabin, Handsome was immediately obsessed with the fridge. 

 I couldn’t figure out why

and I realized that he was adding slippers, dish towels and whatever else he could find to help out! He was quite pleased with himself and kept clapping!

It was entertaining for a few days….

and then it got old finding plastic figurines, trucks, and dirty socks with the butter and milk.

We thought it was darling when he recognized the family on the fridge and started trying to pronounce each of their names…even “Gwampa..”

and then Little Jon had to show the twins the goose that he shot several years ago…

and then we started to work.  It was so stinkin’ cold in the cabin we had to get the fire ready.  Bug and Sprite climbed down under the cabin with dad to pass up the wood to Monkey to stack.

and then she made sure she posed for a pic!

(yes she forced me)

The next day was Thanksgiving.

We started preparing the feast for our family. 

and I was reminded once again why I don’t cook the turkey…

Little Jon must have become bored because he decided to offer Mac 10 bucks to eat an onion.

If those faces don’t explain how it tasted to her, no words will!

She ran to the bathroom when she was finished and barfed…………

Worth the 10 bucks?  She says so.

This is the view out the kitchen window up to our other smaller cabin.  The cabin we were staying in was originally a smaller A frame cabin also, but after family grew over the years Little Jon and Grandpa added on.  When that wasn’t enough room, we bought the cabin next door also.  The two cabins connect by paths through the trees, which we also use to sleigh ride on.  This is something they all love, but getting dressed for the event is something straight out of a movie!

*A Christmas Story* to be exact.

We have used duct tape for years to keep all the snow out of the boots in off their hands.  It doesn’t matter how awesome the equipment is when the snow is several feet deep and they are playing in it for a long time.  Eventually they fall off, or snow gets in.  

I love me some duct tape.

so does Handsome!

The kids are looking at a sage hen that they saw eating the berries off of one of the wild bushes.  He was chubby and cute.  We have also watched moose, dear, and other wild life camp out in our yard though this window.

And then…the to be married people got a little frisky in the snow…

and then comes Mr. Scotty’s first lesson in marriage patience…

He is a very talented wrestler and could take rooz down with one pinky, but has learned to 

pace himself.  I was a bit worried after I saw this face though!

We had our time filled with snowmobiles and four wheelers.  

Sledding and hot chocolate.  

Handsome LOVES putting on any boots he can find to make the plunk plunk sound.

The kids would get a running start and each jump on the sled as it rushed by them.  

as Monkey ate snow…

Monkey cracked me up because she couldn’t EVER see.  She ran into trees with her sled and fell down because she had no balance.

When it got dark, we still kept playing.  We took a little night ride up Grey’s river road by our cabin.  It was so fun to see six snowmobiles following each other though the trails in the dark.

We didn’t last very long because the little kids started falling asleep, but it was beautiful.  

We had a great Thanksgiving 

 *even worth the crazy drive home*