New Year's Day

We were lucky enough to spend New Year's Eve/Day at the cabin with my parents, my sister and her kids. The weather was amazing and there was still plenty of snow for us to have fun on the backyard sled run and the BIG sled run in a neighboring township.

(Again, Spencer stayed warm by the fire- but next year, I think he'll be out there riding will us...)

Hayley and I have been riding this sled hill since we were little. It is so much fun to be able to take our kids there and see them enjoying it, too.

Travis and Adaline are standing about 20 yards from the bottom of the run, and the small black dots at the top of the run are other sledders. I'm guessing the run is at least 100 yards long. 

Adaline only went down once (and we started her from the halfway point), but it was a bit much for her, so she and Hayley spent the rest of the time cheering on the rest of us.

My dad, Trace and Laura had the best ride of the season. They started about 3/4 of the way up the hill and went all the way to the end into the snow-covered pile of trees that act as a road block and prevents you from skidding out onto the frozen pond. 

We didn't have that tree pile when I was growing up. You just had to learn the perfect time to bale out of your sled :) In some ways I feel like the pile of trees is worse than just jumping ship. I remember the snow always being icy which makes the sled really hard to control. There were always huge dents in the snow which makes you really launch in the air. I didn't like it so much as a kid, but now, it was really fun. This year, the snow was just getting icy, and it was just icy enough to draw a little blood from Trace on one of his crashes. It was a pretty good snow rash on his chin.

We had a great time and then topped it off with a stop at my great-aunt and uncle's cabin for some hot chocolate. Adaline's already talking about her next "trip to sledding."