The Weather Outside was Frightful...

...but the trip was so delightful! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! We ventured out to the Sierra mountains just outside of Bakersfield to celebrate the holiday with my Grandma and Grandpa Hand. My mom and dad flew out from New Mexico and we all met at the cabin in Alta Sierra on Christmas Eve. The cabin was built by my great, great grandfather in 1928. My Grandpa Ted has maintained it so well and has added on a whole new living room and bedroom among other areas! He is 84 and still driving his tractor around the property making improvements. He and my moms' two brother's are so skilled and can make anything happen...true HANDy men! We arrived and Grandma Hand had the fireplace crackling, the Christmas tree and garland's sparkling, and yummy Basque soup ready on the table. It was wonderfully cozy! I especially loved her COSTCO box of hot chocolate...mmm! Add some marshmallows, whipped cream and sprinkles and I am not going anywhere... except maybe to go play in the snow just so I can come back in and have MORE hot chocolate.

This was Lily's first time actually playing in the snow. She saw snow at age 1 visiting Grandma Pat's house in Utah but was too little to take advantage of the fun it offered. Daisy really just didn't seem to care. She touched the snow and then decided it was too strange and cold to touch again. Grandpa cleared an inner-tubing (or is it inter-tubing?)run with his tractor right next to the cabin and then we made our own trails down through the pine tree's. Check out the pure joy on Lily's face! I believe we ALL felt like little kids again.

Next up came building the snowman. Sean wasn't too proud of it but Lily thought it was the coolest thing ever. She insisted his name wasn't Frosty but Dottie-dot. Who knows where she came up with that one.

This all took place on Christmas Eve and just when we went in for the day the storm came. It was a miracle Santa made it that night because we were snowed in like no other. I am still super sore from shoveling that stuff! Here is G&G Hand checking out their deck (a.k.a. 3rd fridge) covered in at least 4-5 ft of snow. My Grandma can pack a fridge so tight that as my dad says, "you can't even fit a slice of baloney in it," and she has two of them there! So we kept a few food items out on the deck, hence our 3rd fridge. My mom went out there with a broom and uncovered milk, whipped cream and a turkey! I must say snow keeps Dr. Pepper just the right temperature."Is that Santa out there Ted?"

Fun with Punkin (my dad), Great Grandma Hand, and Molly's dog bone...yuck!


And of course leave it to my dad and Sean to unveil the mistletoe! I just love my parents!

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve! After opening one present, scattering reindeer food (oats and glitter) outside and putting the milk, cookies, and chips out for Santa, we read "The Night Before Christmas" and got the girls to sleep. I immediately got to work on the stockings and a treasure hunt for Lily, hot chocolate by my side of course!