This past weekend we spent with the Stemmons family in the snow at our parents' cabin near Truckee. It was a very fun weekend! We were sad to leave and come back to reality.
Joe and I learned a lot about kids and relationships during the 4 days. There are 4 kids in the Stemmons family which is twice as many as either of us have in our families. There was a 5 month old, an 11 month old, a 3 year old, a 5/6 year old and a 7 year old. I babysat my 5 cousins for 8 days straight back before my mission so I had some previous experience with lots of kids for a few day but that was when I was a greenie and not a wife or mom and when I thought I knew everything, oh wait I still do, just kidding, sort of. We were all packed into a 3 bedroom "cabin." but when each family gets it's own floor I guess you can't use the term "packed". We had a few meltdowns (kid and adult) but for the most part everyone got along great. Even Cassidy did really well. The other time we took her up there was not the greatest experience. You can read about it in the October post. This time she slept like a dream and didn't need to be held all night long. Oh thank goodness we figured out that a nice fuzzy blanket under her head she can nuzzle helps her to fall asleep quick. Can I say how grateful I was to be up there with people who know and understand about naps and sleep schedules and don't pressure you to go do stuff when you know that it's nap time.
There was rain the first full day and then snow the second day. The kids had seen snow on the ground before but this was their first time seeing the snow fall from the sky. So to say they enjoyed it is an understatement. Joe and Danny (Stemmons) built a super sled run for the kids. It ran through the whole front yard and almost into the neighbors' yard. I loved watching the kids go down the run but the 3 year old was the cutest. She was perfectly balanced on the dish and had the biggest smile on her face as she went down the hill and when she went up the little bump she caught the most air. The little pompom on her hat would hang in the air just a little longer and I can't describe it adequately. I wish I had that on tape but of course my batteries died. Here are some photos of the kids mostly. It's all for the kids, right?
