Cherry Peak Day 1

Seth was so excited to play in the snow. 

Last year we collaborated with Firefly Power bikes on a trip to Logan. This year, the owner, Dustin, asked us to work with him again. He wanted us to visit Cache Valley, specifically the little town of Redmond to try his new ski resort. Cherry Peak is only 6 years old, making it the newest ski resort in Utah by about 40 years. We were excited, because only Dad had ever donned a pair of skis, and that was nearly 40 years ago.

It had been the mildest winter we could remember, and we hadn’t really shoveled snow at all, but on the morning of President’s Day weekend, we woke up to a fresh coat. We were all packed up, even though we weren’t really sure what we should take, and on the road before nine. Our ski lesson was to start around one o’clock, and we needed to get lunch and change into our best snow gear by then.

Dax got very bundled up!

The lesson went great! We learned the parts of a ski, and then practiced with the right ski, and then the left ski. By the time we got both skis on, Dad was already pretty tired, but the boys were doing surprisingly well. Seth and Dax kept falling over to enjoy a mouthful of snow, but Mom and Mark were naturally pretty well-balanced. Finally, our teacher Courtney decided we were ready for the bunny slope. They had a really cool way to ride up the slope, which they called the Magic Carpet Ride. Basically, you stepped on a conveyor belt and it took you up the mountain, which was basically a mole hill.

Mom was excited to try skiing.

The magic carpet was the best!

Seth was pretty happy the whole trip.

This is my favorite picture from the weekend. Seth spent a lot of time on the ground.

Dad decided to sit down on the magic carpet, but not on purpose! 

We were shuffling around pretty good, learning how to snowplow, turn left (right is easier), and most importantly, stop. After playing Red-light-Green-light for awhile, most of us had it mastered, though there were a few accidents at the red lights. Still, by the end of the lesson, we felt pretty confident on the skis, and Dad and the boys were loving it.

Mom and Dad had a lot of fun!

Mark was a great learner.

Our instructor Courtney was the best.

Seth still wasn't quite ready for the level two slopes, so he and Mom stayed on the bunny hill. Though Mom eventually tired, Seth kept riding the Magic Carpet up and and skiing down for the rest of the day. Dad, Dax and Mark took the lift up to the Cat Walk. It wasn't very steep, but it was much longer and had a lot of sharp turns and few bumps. Dax went down ahead of Mark and Dad because he had conquered the speed and was working on control. Mark was in need of some cornering technique, so Courtney and Dad helped him through it until he could get around even the tightest hairpins. The boys ended up doing this half-mile run several more times until four o'clock came and the resort was closing.

Seth improved so much over the day!

Mark got to ride the ski lift alone quite often!

The boys were so brave to go on the bigger ski runs.

Dad and Dax had fun together.

Mark skied all the way down without falling. Then he crashed right in front of Mom. 

Nice Pizza, Dad!

Dax mostly enjoyed eating snow off his glove after he fell. 

Dax became a great skier. He loved going fast!

Mark was pretty confident on the slopes.

We got all the gear turned in and climbed back in the van. We'd promised the boys dinner and the opportunity to spend five bucks on their own treats at the grocery store. They did great at the store, but not so well at the restaurant. Not only that, Mom and Dad stiffened up so much that they could barely climb in and out of the van by the time we got checked into the hotel! It was such a fun day, and we learned so much. All of the boys were really excited about their futures as skiers!

Mom and Dad love eating at Angie's.

January Fun

 January didn't feel too much like winter since we didn't have any snow. We were able to squeeze in a few adventures like a hike in Highland called Knight Rider Trail. We also took our annual trip to the Ice Castles. 

One of the most special parts of January was that Dax was ordained a Deacon in the Aaronic Priesthood. It was done in our home, and luckily, Grandma & Grandpa Daniels, Brittany, Grandpa Ockey, and Laurie & Glen could all be there to help and support. 

We played games with Grandma, Grandpa, and Brittany while they were here.

The boys got suits for Christmas. Seth's is a tuxedo!

Dax looked great in his suit at the ordination.

We were grateful for the support, even during Covid.

Our boys are growing up so quickly.

It isn't very often that we get to watch the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs. This year, though, they were really good. They had two playoff games and both of them were on Saturday! We had parties (private, of course) in the basement and rooted on our favorite football team.

We also took several trips to see how the puppies are coming along. They are really getting big! Our boys have never really been dog people, and Dax has a serious fear of dogs, so it has been good for the boys to have this opportunity to be around decent dogs.

Pizza and treats for the game! They beat the Colts in Round 1.

Everyone sported the team colors to watch them defeat the Ravens in Round 2.

They lost in the AFC Championship to the Chiefs, but it was a great year!

The puppies are getting too big to hold.

That doesn't stop the boys from holding them, though.

Seeing these gentle dogs has been really good for Dax.

Dax made a pretty sweet shark out of clay.

Dry Creek Elementary Spirit Night let's us eat ice cream and pretend we are supporting our local school.

Mark's baseball coach gives away prizes for the best fielding at practice.
He won $5, a giftcard, and wooden bat!

Mark and Mom enjoyed some Wednesday adventures together. One day they went up to see the Bald Eagles at Farmington Bay. They saw some eagles, but they were really far away. The best sightings were 10 Black Crowned Night Herons sitting in the bushes together, and a beautiful kestrel right on a sign by the road. They also went and saw the big ice piles at Utah Lake.

We liked to tease Mark that the other kids go to school.

Those seagulls photobombed the night heron picture.

This kestrel was really colorful.

The ice stacks on Utah Lake became a really popular website post.

You could safely walk on the stacks that had washed up on the shore.

We took a little hike right on the Lehi/Highland border called the Knight Rider Trail. It was right in town, but Mark still managed to spot a great horned owl right over the trail. It was a great reminder that we can enjoy the natural world right in our backyard.

Occasionally our boys don't want to hike, but with teamwork, we get out on the trail.

This little hike was right down in the hollow below the houses.

We didn't see anyone else, so we had to take a selfie.

... or two.

Seth likes to hike with a stick. This was his choice.

See? Even though he was reluctant, he ended up having a great hike!

Someone had built a little fort along the trail.

Owls are easily the most exciting birds to spot.

Every year on Martin Luther King Day, we drive down to Sanpete to spot bald eagles. It is our favorite January adventure, and this year was no different. We spotted over twenty bald eagles, along with a few other fun birds. Best of all, we had pizza in Ephraim.

Out toward Wales there are tons of bald eagles.

This was one of the few golden eagles we saw, too.

This picture is fun because it shows a juvenile bald eagle by an adult bald eagle.

They always remind us of Grandma Ockey, who loved this bird drive.

We had a great adventure at Just Add Chocolate. This is a little shop that lets you make your very own chocolate. You can dip, mold, or mix chocolate. Our boys had a great time with their creations, and Mom and Dad did, too.

Seth enjoyed using the molds to make different shapes.

Dad mixed his in little cups.

We love family outings, and this one was very memorable.

Dax made cups, dips, and used the mold to show his love of BYU.

The boys got to take all their chocolates home.

Dax's favorite was this chocolate that he filled with peanut butter.

We weren't sure we would have winter this year. In the valleys, we didn't receive enough snow to shovel by the end of January. Still, it was cold enough that the ice castles were built, though they did seem a little softer, and a little less sparkling. As always, we had a great time.

The Ice Castles have become a tradition for us.

There are many places to explore.

The kids like the tightest passages, because parents can't tag along. 

We haven't enjoyed masks, but we were grateful that they kept our faces warm!

There were fewer slides, but this one was just right for kids.

The boys liked racing down this side-by-side slide.

Seth is all tuckered out from the ice castles.

Mom always laughs at Dad's picture ideas, and then they turn out to be the best pictures.

The castles have become a part of our winters.

This was the most beautiful part of the ice castles.

Dad took a pretty cool panorama picture of the area.

We take A LOT of selfies. We've recently added two cell phones to our household, and the boys can take pictures even without knowing the passwords to unlock the phones. We delete tons of pictures, but here are a few of the gems that were worth saving.

Mark is a pretty good teenager, and Dax is always in a good mood.

Seth takes more pictures than Ansel Adams.

Mom and Dad took a selfie at the Hale before their latest show.

Seth and Dax are trying to grow their hair long.

Mom and Seth always make a cute selfie.

Seth had a celebration on the hundredth day of school. Does he look 100 years old?

At Texas Roadhouse we were seated at the Corona table. Yikes!

Dax's electric blanket is a hit for video gamers.