Looking for Snow!

All day Friday, the weather forecast kept saying we were getting a huge cold freeze coming through, along with snow down to the 500 elevation (which is LOW and unheard of here). So, being that I live at 1700 elevation, I went to bed very excited and fully expecting to see a blanket of snow right in my own backyard. Needless to say, I was very disappointed when I woke up to NO SNOW! Even the foothills above our house weren't covered in much more snow than we normally get.

So, while Wayne and Seth went to rehearsal, I took the girls to go look for snow. I knew the mountain roads would be inaccessible due to the icy and unplowed road, along with the crowds of people hoping to play in the snow. So we went to my favorite spot just 15 minutes above our house, Lytle Creek, where we found SNOW! It wasn't sticking, but it was falling, which is something neither girl had seen before. We drove until we found a little church on a side road that we could park at and then got out to experience the beautiful snowflakes.

At first the girls didn't want to get out of the van, for they were a bit unsure of what was falling out of the sky and it was the coldest they have ever felt. But, eventually I dragged them out and was even able to get Kya to catch some snowflakes on her tongue!

I really should stop trying to take self portraits, as I always end up looking horrible! But, I wanted to document that it was a girls day out in the snow, so here it is.

Next to the church, we found a little play set. Although the girls couldn't go down the slide or swing due to all the wetness, they had fun climbing up on it.

I see you!

Kya posing in front of our beautiful mountain side.

On the way out to do our errands, we stopped for a bite to eat where we got hailed on! What a fun day to experience so many types of weather. Rain, Snow and Hail!

Strawberry Shortcake Party

We celebrated Kya's 6th birthday last week. She originally wanted a Strawberry party, but then changed it to a Strawberry Shortcake, so I combined the two.

Here is the front of the invitation. I wanted to make a bunch more stuff, but our power went out a few days before the party and I didn't get my silhouette machine back to working until 5 days after the party. Bummer, but what can ya do?
The very 1st thing we did when all the kids arrived, was the pinata. Why so early you ask? Because it looked like rain! And, it actually started to rain while we were still out there, so good thing we got that out of the way.

CANDY!!!!

She is going to love this picture when she gets older. LOL Kya, just before opening her gifts.

She got so excited when we brought the cake out and everyone sang Happy Birthday.

And she blew out all 6 candles! This is a Strawberry Cake I made from scratch using a recipe from the Pioneer Woman. It came out looking very rustic, but it was quite yummy.

Mt. Baldy

On Saturday, my parents decided to take a little day trip up to Mt. Baldy for lunch. Since we only live 15 minutes from there, they asked if we would like to join them. So I packed up the kids and all our snow clothes, only to find there was no snow and it wasn't all that cold either! We ate at a little country restaurant/bar/pool hall combination and then headed over to this beautiful hiking trail. It is actually a 5 1/2 mile hike, but we just did maybe a 1/4 mile before turning back around.

The kids were excited to go exploring and took off ahead of us.
My dad had a hard time with the elevation and steady uphill walk. He wanted to sit and wait for us, but my mom grabbed his hand and helped him continue the walk. Time to get out and exercise more Dad!!!

Perfect spot for a picture.

It always amazes me how much energy a child has. Seth would run up the trail, then run back down to us before running back up again. And, he never once got winded!

A picture of my kids and I. Seth and Elsie were too enamored with the dogs walking by to look at the camera though. Even so, I still really like this picture of us.

We can't wait to go back with Daddy. Maybe pack a little picnic lunch and go for a much longer hike too!

More Crafts I've Done

These Valentine toppers were made for Kya's class. The kids received a watch and whistle, while the teacher and aide get candy. I also made the candy ones for my MOPS table leaders.
This was a birthday card for a sweet boy who turned 3. It was also one of the first cards I made for the boys/men in my life. I did make a couple others, but forgot to take pictures.