Sugarloaf weekend with the Fieldroy's!! (pics to come)

We had a cold, but fun weekend at Sugarloaf with our cousins this weekend!  Meacy, Dave and the kids drove up to join us at camp, as well as Derek, our neighbor.  After a busy day on Friday, we left Windham around 3:30 and arrived at camp in time for dinner.  There had been a few inches of fresh snow so it was very pretty, especially after looking at the dirty, melting snow at home.

 We got some burgers, mac'n'cheese and salads going shortly after we showed up and then Meacy's crew rolled in as well.  The kids were so happy to see each other and after eating a big meal, they set right to playing.  Brooklyn crashed around normal time but the others wanted to play a bit.

We had a big day planned for Saturday.  Brooklyn and I were up first, she was ready to go.  She grabbed her jacket, hat and boots and walked to the front door wanting to go outside.  It was almost 6am!  I did take her out for a walk around 6:30am but it was still really cold.  The others started to roll downstairs and after some breakfast and play time, we packed up for a day at the mountain.  We made lunches, packed tons of warm clothes and planned on winging it a bit with Brooklie and her naps.  It was unfortunately way too cold for her to join us outside, so Jay and I took turns watching her.

We did get everyone else out on the slopes and the snow was actually quite good, despite super cold temps and strong winds.  We took a few runs down on the magic carpet, then moved to the lower lifts and Skidway.  Tuck picked right up where he left off and was having a ball skiing with his cousins.  They were doing really well skiing, everyone becoming a little more and more independent.  After several runs, we needed to head in, warm up and eat lunch.  Brooklie was happy to see us too!

Jay took Tucky back out after lunch and I rocked a very tired little sister in the lodge.  She did give in and had a great 45 minute nap in Mommy's arms while I watched the others ski out the big windows near the front of the lodge.  They didn't last too long with the weather and lifts closing down due to high winds.  We called it a day shortly after and drove back to camp.   We were able, after some rest time, to go on a nice long walk through the woods.  It was still chilly but great to be out there, the kids loved it!

After Meacy's enchilada specialty, we put the kids to bed, they were exhausted.  I laid down with Tuck and he fell right asleep.  I was tired too, so I came back downstairs for a bit and then decided to call it a night early...apparently it was 8pm....I thought it was later than that.  Oh well, it was much needed rest.

 Sunday morning was a bit slower to start but then we were down to the mountain by 9am!  The kids were ready to ski!  I bundled Brooklyn up really well and put her in the backpack while I skied the magic carpet with Tucky and his cousins.  She put her head down on my back and within minutes she was snoring....while I was skiing the bunny slopes with everyone.  I took about ten of those mini runs before decided to hike back to the lodge.  She slept for almost 45 minutes in the pack and was super warm, toasty and happy when I pulled her out.

 Jay skied with Tucky and they took a few more

Skidway runs and then ventured back up Double Runner to ski lower Winters Way again.  He and Derek helped Tucky on the top section but he was able to ski the lower section again on his own!  Jay said he was carving it up!  Evelyn and Spencer were skiing really well too, you could tell they were having a blast!

We decided to do lunch back at camp and then pack up while we let the kids play outside before naps and the long ride home.  Meacy and I took them on a short walk down the road while Dave and Jay cleaned up.  We had "insta-naps" on the ride home, me included.  We would have liked more seasonable spring skiing temperatures, but we'll take it anyway, the snow's good.

 While unpacking everything from the weekend, Brooklyn spotted Tuck's helmet and insisted on wearing it around.  She even wanted the goggles down at one point....yep, I think she's ready for skis!

Tuck's special skiing day with Mommy

We had originally planned on heading up to camp for the weekend but after playing at Mimi's and Poppi's on Friday... the kids didn't want to leave.  So, we decided to up first thing Saturday morning, early, around 6:15am, so Daddy could get to ski patrol on time.  Mimi offered to watch Brookleberry while we brought Tuck up to Sugarloaf so I could spend the day skiing with him.  He must have been excited to go because he was up at 6!  We had some breakfast, packed up his trains of course and we out the door by 6:30.  Brooke was still sleeping for a change.

After dropping Jay off at patrol, we hung out at the condo and played trains for awhile.  It was still pretty chilly out so we weren't in a huge hurry.  Plus we had all day without any plans, just Tucky and Mommy day!  We did get ready earlier than I thought and were heading out the door around 9:30am.  He was excited to get outside and I had packed my pockets full of snacks, a sandwich, water bottle and the camera of course!

 
The snow was a bit hard and fast to start but Tuck picked right up where we left off.  We did a few warm up runs on the magic carpet and the Birches and then headed a little higher up to Skidway.  He was making great turns, controlling his speed and stopping when he wanted.  I was having a blast watching him.  We did take a break around 10:30 and ate most of our lunch/snacks then.  We were working up an appetite.  We don't normally spend much time in the base lodge but Tuck was having fun watching everyone and taking it all in.

After a short bathroom break, we headed back out on the slopes and decided to do one more run down below before trying out Double Runner.  He loved the lift and was happy to be trying something different.  We tried coming up earlier in the winter but he wasn't controlling his speed well enough and Jay ended up carrying him down.  We decided to try out lower Winter's Way, hoping to avoid the crowds of skiers.



I started with Tuck between my legs for the steeper part and we practiced making big sweeping turns.  He wasn't sure about me letting him go but he did agree and did really well.  He was using a killer wedge but wasn't going side to side enough and that makes it really hard.  I think he was thinking about calling it quits when I asked him if he wanted to pretend to be an engine.  He though that was a great idea, especially if we had to pick up freight and the boxcars on the side of the trail.  Before I knew it, he was Hiro and I was Emily and we were skiing side to side, coupling and uncoupling our boxcars trying to avoid a derailment.  "Uhhh, what?" (Tuck's train lingo)  Well, it worked and he ended up skiing the rest of the trail by himself, having a ball.  You could hear him "chugging" as he calls it. 

At one point I didn't pick up Emily's milk cars in the right spot and he politely told me to come to the side of the trail and couple up with them.  I sure did and then we moved on down to the Sodor Steamworks, which I'm not totally convinced we found.

At this point, Tuck's friend Sage and her parents were out skiing so we skied down to hook up with them.  Tuck told Sage that she could be Percy and her mail cars were down near the magic carpet.  What an imagination!  Anyway, we skied quite a few run together before the kids started to dwindle and we needed to head in for lunch.  We found a nice spot in the lodge to eat, watch the chairlift and relax.  After a fun lunch, we headed back to the condo to play more trains and take naps.  Tucky was beat and he passed out in my lap while we waited for Daddy to finish up with ski patrol.  What a great day we had!!! 

Brooklyn also had a great day with Mimi running all over the place, inside and out.  She is totally loving her new found freedom!  Wait til she tries skiing!!!

Getting outside!!! Brooklyn IS WALKING EVERYWHERE NOW!

Friday was gorgeous, all week has been gorgeous but Friday was extra nice because we didn't have anywhere to go.  We spent the morning lounging around the house in pj's, we all needed that!  Brooke went down for a nap around 10:30 and slept for two hours while Tuck played and I finished packing up the car.  After lunch, we jumped in the car and Tucky napped on the way to Mimi's house.  Brooklyn was wide awake but she's really mellow and just hangs out with me while I'm driving!

Poppi has been a maple syrup monkey and working hard to keep the fires going and the sap boiling.  I can't keep track of how many pints he's already canned but he knows how much we all love "Poppi's special syrup!"  We arrived at their house around 2pm and despite the nasty winds, both Tuck and Brooklyn wanted to be outside.  He jumped on his John Deere gator (xmas present that he hasn't been able to use all winter) and that was it.  I did manage to get them in jackets and hats but that was a struggle. 

Tucky was really good with Brooklyn, holding on to her tight while he drove around the yard.  Yes, I was a bit trusting but you can't tell that I was chasing behind with my arms ready for her to dive into at any point.  She sat so still, just giggling and enjoying the ride.  It was so cute.  Nahne was there to play with them too!

 Brooklyn figured out how to walk this week!  Well, she's been walking for a few months now, holding on to something or someone's finger.  Finally, at Cindy's this week she got a little more brave each day and by Thursday she was off and has not looked back since.  Over a year of not being able to move on her own has turned her into one adventurous nonstop girl!  She didn't mind the wind, walking all over the yard, chasing Tuck on the gator and all.  Her balance is actually really good and she uses her "Frankenstein-like arms" to keep her up.  It is super cute!

The kids played outside all afternoon and didn't want to stop.  Tuck even got to help Poppi collect sap with his gator.  He has somehow already figured out how to maneuver that thing around, reverse and all.  He made sure I brought the shovel to help him with snow or whatever yard work he was going to try.  It made hauling Poppi's sap quite convenient I might add.  Brooklyn kept wanting to go back outside after we'd bring her in to rest and warm up.  Every time someone went back outside she wanted to go with them and then cried when she was brought in.  Both our kids are super outdoor lovers!!!

We crashed at Mimi's and Poppi's house, the kids were wiped after all that outdoor fun!  We can't see grass yet but it doesn't matter, it's just nice to be outside without snowsuits and the freezing cold!