Montana Snow ROCKS!!!

For this year's Spring Break vacation, we decided to head to Big Sky, Montana. It's always been one of my and Bill's favorite ski locations, so we decided to take the kids and see what they thought of it. Thankfully, they loved it as much as us! Over and over again, we caught ourselves saying how awesome it was--the snow, the slopes, the resort, the lodging--there was absolutely nothing to disappoint.

On our second day, a winter storm system moved in on us and stayed for over 48 hours. It dumped 20+ inches of snow. It was FABULOUS!!  And, it didn't slow us down much. We were out in it loving almost every minute of it. There was a day when it was snowing so hard and the wind blowing so strongly, that we had to bring it in for a couple of hours. We decided to take that opportunity to head into the town of Big Sky. Big Sky has definitely grown over the years and developed into a quaint city. We ate lunch and did some sight-seeing, then headed back to our place to suit up for the afternoon. It snowed everyday for the remainder of the week with no complaints from us.

It was a really wonderful vacation. We had loads of family time--which was something we had all been craving. In the mornings, we would watch the sunrise while sipping hot chocolate. We would make big breakfasts together. We skied as a group all day long. We sat around the fireplace every afternoon. And, we would play board games in the evening. It was perfect!! We can't wait to go back again.

This window seat was our favorite place to sit and watch
the sun rise & the snow fall!!

Enjoying a hot chocolate break at the Pinnacle.

A little hot chocolate goes a long way.

After a full day of skiing, Anna reading in the window seat and
the boys watching a Predator's hockey game on Bill's iPad in
front of the roaring fire. Life is good!!

A FUNNY Christmas Story Picture!!!

It was a Triple Dog Dare!!!

(Obviously, still trying to catch up on my posts!!)

Phoenix Memories

Of course, the whole reason Bill chose the Rock n' Roll Marathon in Phoenix was so we could visit with the Hardin Family. Bill wasn't with us the last time we visited them, so he was due a trip!

Again, we had a fabulous time! The kids LOVED playing with Maggie and CeCe in their bouncy house. Every afternoon, Matt would go outside, inflate the big, colorful contraption and let the kids go crazy.

They also enjoyed playing Guitar Hero. I think everybody took a turn. Without a doubt, I was the worst. Everyone else seemed like they were born to play! In fact, the music was so good, it inspired some to dance, dance, dance.

It was so cute to watch the children bonding with each other. They have such a good time together. It works out perfect for us adults--we get to sit back and relax!

And, it wouldn't be a trip to Phoenix without a guy's hiking adventure! While some people are fine with resting on their laurels, Matt, Bill and William prefer to be active. William had a BLAST getting to hang out with the big guys.

It was such a good trip that we can't wait to go back! Thank you Hardin Family!

Rock 'n Roll Marathon

During the month of January, my clan flew off to Phoenix for some hard work and good fun. To be fair, the only one of us four that had to do hard work was Bill. He and Misty were running the Rock 'n Roll Marathon. We had started talking about this marathon months beforehand. But while I was still talking about it, Bill and Misty were ACTUALLY training for it.

It wasn't long before the day arrived and Bill, Misty and Misty's friend, Mandy, were off to trot all over Phoenix. Matt and I were in the "follow cars." In my car, I had Anna & William. While in Matt's car, he had Maggie & CeCe.

It was incredibly awe-inspiring to watch them tackle this endeavor. Bill was wearing a tracking device that sent messages to my phone with his location and progress. The kids and I were very impressed with his speed and timing. We were lucky enough to find him on the course (which was challenging considering that many of the streets were blocked off due to the marathon). As soon as we saw him, our hearts and feet leapt up immediately. William even decided to join him and ran along side Bill for a bit. It was so sweet! I swelled with pride, admiration and respect for Bill.

Our next stop was to find Bill at the finish line. This was no easy task! Matt and I both had a horrible time with the crowds and with signage directing you to the right finish line. In fact, Matt ended up at the full-marathon finish line; while I ended up at the half-marathon finish line. We were both in the wrong place. However, it finally came together and we found our runners! They looked surprisingly well. I was expecting vomiting (there were plenty of people who were doing it) or, at the very least, collapsing at the finish line. But, they grabbed a drink and were ready to head back home--just like that! AMAZING!!!

Below are some pictures before, during and after the race:

A Note from the Author

Please excuse our absence of posts over the last few months. I misplaced my camera and have had to borrow cameras & pictures from other sources. Said camera has now been found and posts shall resume. Thank you to all who took pictures for me or let me borrow your cameras!