Silver Star Mountain

On Thursday night (or really early Friday morning) the five of us arrived home from the trip that my parents took us (and my sibs/families) on.  My parents have been so generous with their kids/grandkids - they amaze me in this regard.  My parents are people who, when my Dad was still working, saved money incredibly well (hence the lack of restaurant meals during my upbringing :)!), paid their debts; and they now spend some of those savings on us.  A few years ago, when all three of us 'kids' (me and my two siblings) had had a particularly hard year, our parents took us all on a vacation at the end of that year...and they have replicated that a few times since. Each time they've rented a big house somewhere so that all fifteen of us can stay together rather than separately in private hotel rooms.  It's really been amazing.

The kids loved going to Silver Star, near Kelowna, British Columbia.  They ended up taking six consecutive mornings of downhill ski lessons, in addition to which Geoff took them skiing on several afternoons.  So they got a lot of ski time in and, for new skiers, they did really well.  Even my little Lizzie, who usually doesn't have a huge level of stamina for anything requiring physical exertion :), did great and she was raring to go any time someone mentioned the possibility of skiing.

The instructors said that both boys (and Lizzie, in her young child classes) did extremely well, and progressed rapidly.  They also said that Seth showed promise of being "brilliant" and that they could already see him being a pro someday.  This is seriously so not surprising - that pint-sized kid is incredibly naturally talented when it comes to athletics!  After their fifth day of lessons, when Geoff took Seth skiing on his own for a couple of hours, Geoff's report back was that he could no longer keep up with Seth and that he was utterly convinced that Seth could be a pro racer some day; not only did he demonstrate his usual utter lack of fear and his strong competitive urge, but Geoff said these things were combined with incredible, natural judgment about speed and turns, etc.  Seth really is something to watch when doing something ultra athletic, and we get that feedback all the time from people who work with him.

The fact that the kids all love downhill was a bit of a dream-come-true for Geoff.  He loves skiing and, though he doesn't get to do it often, it's one of those things (kinda like teaching a kid how to ride a bike) that he's always envisioned wanting to do with his kids.  At the moment, though it's still early days, it appears that he has not one, not two, but three kids who love skiing.  He was a happy man.

The vacation was a little more challenging for me - I had a bad headache throughout a good chunk of our vacation and wasn't feeling well.  We haven't been sick a lot around here over the past eighteen months, and the kids managed to avoid whatever it is that's been going around, but I got nailed with something of it.  But I did get a chance to rest a little, and to relax, and that was great.  I also loved visiting with my older nephews, whom I don't get to see nearly as often as I'd like, and I had a chance for a couple of late-night conversations with one of them...man, I love those guys.

I thought I'd share a few highlights of this trip in photos.

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On route to Silver Star, we all stopped at a Tim Horton's for a bite of lunch.  Here is wee Lizzie sitting with my brother (in red) and her three big (as in well over 6 feet) cousins.  She looked adorable sitting there with them and ate up their attentions.

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The house we stayed in was a horrid shade of mint green on the exterior (I'm not sure why the owners would do this given that every other house in the area was painted a vibrant or earthy tone), but it was perfect for the fifteen of us on the inside.  There was easy access to trails behind the house and it was only a three minute drive to the kids' skiing lessons and to the chair lifts.

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The roof was full of icicles...every kid's heaven to pull off and suck on!

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The views from the all windows of the house were outstanding and in some lights the sun reflected pinkish off of the trees.  It looked a little ethereal out there:  Above the clouds; the trees laden with heavy snow; and mountains in the distance.  The weather was perfect:  Just below freezing - enough for the snow to stay but not so cold that the outside couldn't be enjoyed.

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We spent a lot of time together: eating; visiting; crafting (the kids!); etc.

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The younger kids loved playing Uno and Blokus...

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Naps were had by all adults.  Here are my sister and brother-in-law.

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I couldn't tell you how many cups of green tea I drank, with a chunk or two of fresh ginger thrown in (my sister's awesome concoction). 

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Just for fun...

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My Dad and Mom.

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My Dad with his oldest grandkid.

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My sister, with her daughter and mine.

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My brother with Seth...

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...and with Lizzie (they seem to have a mutual adoration thing going on!)

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The younger cousins loved tackling (and sitting on) their big cousins!

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Like-age cousins...and beloved friends. 

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Lizzie's hair looks awesome free but the ski helmets were hard on it...so mid way through our vacation, I spent a couple of hours putting twists in her hair.  I thought they turned out pretty well...I'm getting better!  They were so much easier to maintain than the free hair.

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The skiers made good use of the hot tub on the back deck.  Here's Geoff with Lizzie...and with all three kids and my niece.

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A picture of the five of us...

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...and one of Geoff and me.

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And then, of course, there was the skiing.

Every morning the kids got their gear on...

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...and we headed a few minutes down the mountain to the ski village, where the classes were, as well as access to the chair lifts.

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Here's Geoff with the three kids, heading off for their very first lesson.

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Geoff.

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Matthew (left) and Seth.

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And Lizzie.  Her boots and skis were so tiny!

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The five youngest cousins after their first lesson.

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The instructors started by teaching the kids in Lizzie's class the 'pizza wedge' stopping method and then helping them down the bunny hill over and over again.

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It didn't take long for Lizzie to insist that she could go down the hill by herself!  And darn it, she did it...without falling!  Can you see her here, hands on her knees, coasting down the hill?   On day 4 of her lessons, the instructors even had her going up a chair lift and down an actual mountain trail!!  Unbelievable!!

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She was very, very proud of her ability to go down the bunny hill by herself!

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Here are Seth and Matthew (in the orange helmets) at the beginning of their first lesson...feeling awkward as they got used to how skis felt on their feet.  But it didn't take long...

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Matthew

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Notice Seth watching his instructor's legs intently...he tried to copy everything exactly...and always had to be the first kid in line...preferably alongside his instructor.  So very Seth!!

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By the second day of lessons, Matthew and Seth 'graduated' to the largest bunny hill...enclosed in this picture by the red fence.  Later on during the same morning, they got onto the chair lift you can see and headed on up with their instructors to go down a real mountain!

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These were a couple of the trails that Geoff took Matthew and Seth on in the afternoons.

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And here comes Seth!

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Seth, goofing around.

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A final few pictures of the kids on their last day of our vacation.  In this first picture the kids are watching a little tv - look how Lizzie is sitting, spread all over her brothers.  This girl is incorrigible...and her brothers take it (usually)!