Snow Fun....As long as no one gets HURT

Ok, so "we" have been enjoying the winter wonderland here in Utah these past couple of months. I say we because I will only go out if it is sunny and not snowing and there is no one else available. Or if we are badly in need of shoveling. I actually don't mind that because a) I get warmed up right away and b) I get some exercise. I know I grew up in it, but not by choice; by birth. The cold and I don't get along. The kids beg almost every day to be able to get all suited up in their gear to go outside and build a snowman, fort (which they did with their dad, but I didn't get any pics), help shovel, walk in it, make snow angels, etc. They love, LOVE it! I probably did too at that age and then I realized that parts of my body can freeze so,so bad that I think they are going to fall off! Frankly, I am surprised it never happened. The guy from Cali can't believe the snow hasn't melted off the street in front of our house for weeks. Welcome to my childhood.


The kids dressed up for snow play. Notice the boots the boy of the family is wearing. I just couldn't buy new ones when he could have potentially only worn them once or twice this winter. Who knew we would have a white, white, white winter! And he wants to be out there every day. Auntie Em, Uncle Henry, To-To, are we in Wisconsin again?

A snowdrift in the backyard. It was well past his knees!


One of the many snowmen built by the girls. They were very proud of it although the younger one got tired of building it half way through, so she just jumped back outside for the picture,minus her coat!


Here is our snow story for the year and hopefully we won't have another like it. Doubtful, but a mom can hope.

My family had a family reunion 2 days after Christmas. Everyone gathered in Utah for festive, winter fun! We kicked off the 3 day event with sledding in Riverton. My hubby was at work that first day, so I packed the kids up and headed off to an afternoon of sledding. The hill was on a golf course and was huge! And someone had built up a bunch of snow for a jump (not us, it was there when we got there). All of the younger kids were good at avoiding it. One of the crazy brothers-in-law decided to try out the jump on a sled.... on his belly. He comes walking up with blood dripping from his nose and a cut between his eyes. Broken nose! His wife firmly tells him he better take care of it because she isn't taking him to the emergency room. Funny!

By that time the two youngest had had it. So, I tote them off to the "kids who have had enough" car and head back to take pictures. That is when I see my nurse sister carrying my oldest over from the hill. "She isn't moving," I say. "She did," she says. A little sigh of relief. We check her out in the car. She can move everything but is complaining of head, neck and shoulder pain. I am freaking out. We head to the emergency room just to make sure there is no internal bleeding. Husband meets us there. All checks out. She has a massive concussion, and ends up sleeping and throwing up multiple times within the next 24 hours. So, what happened?

She was going down the hill on a saucer as seen in the picture. She starts down and ends up backwards, totally oblivious to the jump coming up. She goes straight over it and is thrown into the air and lands on her left shoulder and side of her head. She is unconscious upon impact, rolling like a rag doll. I am actually glad I didn't see it. That is what nightmares are made of. Not funny. Very scary. I am so grateful to all of my family who was immediately there to help her. My brother saw the whole thing and was just sick that he wasn't close enough to stop her. And those who took my babies while I was at the hospital. And for my brothers-in-law who picked up my husband from work and also helped give Emma a Priesthood blessing at the hospital.

So, my moral of the story is make your kids wear helmets. And give them specific instructions as to what to do if they are going backwards, or too fast, or heading for a tree, etc. Just the next week a four year old boy died sledding in Provo. Needless to say we are sticking to the yard for the rest of the year!


My Arizona sister and myself ready to go down "the hill."


Sledding down "the hill."


The victim coming up "the hill" before the accident.





The next day of the family reunion was skiing and ice skating. We took the day off to take care of our injured child. At the end of the day we had kids complaining of blisters from skating and to top it off another brother-in-law decided to try out snowboarding for the first, and I am sure last, time. He ended up twisting his knee completely backwards and was in a lot of pain.

So, I must ask, snow fun or NOT SNOW FUN????