Christmas at the Cabin

(December 21st-25th, 2021)

I can't really say last year anymore, now that it is 2023, but I only have a couple more posts left over from 2021. Christmas was a big one because we decided that instead of gifts, we were going to do an experience. We decided to take the family to a cabin, outside of Yellowstone, and we would spend Christmas there. No regular gifts, but we did splurge to get some warmer attire, since we didn't have snow pants and the like for everyone. We also did stockings and small Santa gifts, but that was it. 

There really are a bazillion pictures, so it took me a while to get everything in order. I finally decided on ONE LONG POST so it takes up less room in the blog book. (I promise it makes sense to me.) So without further ado, let's take you back to our awesome Christmas at the Cabin. (Wavy lines and music take us back...)

TUESDAY:
We planned to be gone for a few days and we had lots of stuff to pack, but we also had to be careful since we were switching vehicles up in Idaho. Tyler and Robyn tetrised the back like pros and we were good to go. Robyn drove up to Idaho, so Tyler even had a chance to take a nap on the way up.

We stopped at Granny V's to open some gifts and exchange with her. It was a nice surprise to see Kaysen and KJ there as well. 

It was a brief stop, since our final destination was the cabin, so we swapped our family van for Granny's intrepid 4 wheel drive Lexus and we were on our way. We didn't actually fit in there, so with some clever squishing, we made it work. Pearl and I shared the front and Ivory shared all her sisters' laps.

The drive to the cabin was pretty easy right up until the end. When we got to our turn off, there was finally snow! We drove down a road and when we were supposed to turn on the road to get to the cabin, there was no road there. It was just snow and a hill. It looked super sketchy. Tyler decided it would NOT be a good idea to try and drive up it. So we went around and found another road that was much better. Thank goodness. It took us a little bit to figure out which building was the cabin and what door to use, but we made it. 

The cabin was super cute. Lots of bed space and a nice big table to eat and play games. Tyler unpacked immediately.

There was a nice big couch and a smart TV. And a nice big kitchen, however we found out right away that the only grocery store closed early at 6 pm. And it was 6:30. Oops. So we went to a pizza parlor. 

After dinner, we had time to play games and even complete a murder mystery puzzle. (And yes, we figured out who did it.) I brought a whole bunch of wrapped games (some new, some well loved) and we took turns opening them. That was really fun and we got through almost all of them on the trip.

WEDNESDAY:
The goal was snow, and Idaho delivered. In fact, when we arrived, a winter storm started and it snowed almost the whole time we were there. I was very glad that we purchased winter wear, but somehow, we didn't get everything. June was without snow pants, so I let her borrow mine (and my boots) so I didn't spend much time outdoors. But I'm happy to stay inside. Everyone else made sure to get some snow time in.

We also got TV time in. I think we watched the entire Christmas Season of Blown Away. I won't give away who won, but we approved!

How cute are these snow bunnies?? I adore them all. 

There was lots of sledding. Some people came in early, but June, Ivory, and Pearl made the most of the time. Here are a couple pictures and fun videos.

The cabin was really nice and cozy. It was great to come in from the out. There were also awesome icicles dangling from the eves. And large chunks of snow would slide off now and then and startle us.

There were some fun antlers on the wall, and we all took a turn deer-ifying ourselves. Oh deer. We are made for antlers.

That day also happened to be our anniversary, so Robyn took our photos for us, which you can see here. 

The evening was full of fun and baking (since we finally went to the store) and did you know that Daisy can scream at super sonic levels?

That night Robyn was the first to try out the weird hair curlers that Granny V gave the girls. 

THURSDAY:
And doesn't she look cute!!

This day was super chill. Actually the whole trip was at a relaxed pace. Those of us who woke up early hung out and read or worked on a puzzle. 

There was still some outdoor fun, but we also played lots of games.

The best part of the day was doing face masks. I think everyone got a mask except Daisy, who tried one but it irritated her face. We had a wide variety, so everyone picked the one that tickled their fancy.

You have to let them dry, so that was a good time to finish up our show. :)

I have to admit that I'm impressed with how fast my family can puzzle. Here's another we finished. 

We had a few late night polar bears who went out to play in the dark. They even tried to scare me, stinkers.

It was Daisy's turn to try to weird curlers that night.

FRIDAY:
I think they work pretty well and the girls look really cute, but I'm not sure how comfortable they are to sleep in?

Friday was a big day since we rented some snow mobiles. The girls were really excited. Everyone bundled up for the day. 

It worked out pretty well. I drove everyone out to the rental place and they rode out from there on the trails. First up was Pearl and Robyn, although June was an adult so she got to drive alongside Tyler.

They had a blast and I picked them up while dropping off Ivory for her turn. Ivory and June were die hard snowmobilers. They went all over the place. They rode all the way out to the cabin, stopped in to say hi and then drove all the way back. They had plenty of adventures, one involving a moose. I would say they had a full, fulfilling day.

Back at the cabin, we found our own moose!

We kept ourselves busy and kept the home fires burning. 

And it just so happened that it was Christmas Eve, so when everyone got back, we opened our jammies.

It was June and Ivory's turn for the curlers. (I'm really not sure why they didn't all do it the same night?)

Also, we got some epic pictures in our jammies. This family is a riot.

SATURDAY:
Merry Christmas all my lovelies!! Like I said, just stockings and Santa gifts, but that is plenty when you already have such a great family. :)

Look at these stocking faces. I think June had a goal to do a peace sign in almost every picture. Daisy looks like she might cry...

I think they were happy with their gifts.

And the curlers seemed to work on everyone. Even Mom and Dad had epic hair on Christmas morning.

Santa gave calendars and I had each of the girls choose a favorite picture. Classic June is closing her eyes. I miss that.

After gift opening, I made a decision that we should leave early. We weren't slated to go until the next day, but the snow kept coming and I was worried about getting snowed in. Also, if we left that day, we could catch up with Grandma and drive down to Utah with her. We debated and everyone agreed. It really was magical, but it was time to go. 

I'm pretty sure Robyn broke the legendary icicle that was by the front door.

On the trip back to Granny V's, Ivory took the front with me, and the rest were able to squish in with their tiny behinds.

We didn't have a lot more pictures after that. Our ride back home was fine. We went over to the Js for dinner, and they graciously fed our whole crew even though they didn't know we were coming. They are the best. We only took two pictures that evening, and one was of their neighbor's tree. (Cool tree though.)

It was a really fun trip. I wonder if we'll do something like this again sometime. I liked making the memories, although they didn't feel real until they were on the blog. It was nice to get away and spend time together. And don't worry, we didn't leave Pearl out. She had weird hair things too, so we put them in that last night, back at home. Although I'm not sure if they worked since I don't have after pictures. Or maybe she didn't sleep in them. They don't look very soft.

Thanks for sharing the Cabin Trip with us. Merry Christmas! (A little late or a little early, depending on how you look at it.)