The 3 week tour

Our family took a 3 week tour in Jan/Feb

* Boise - San Diego - Sun Valley - Driggs - Whitehall - W. Yellowstone - Boise *

Surf - Snow - Sun

San Diego

We visited Grandma and Grandpa Mattson during their 2 month hiatus from the Boise inversion.  Spent time at the beach, San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park, celebrated Grandma Mattson and Chris's birthdays.  This is becoming a very fun annual tradition.

Life on the safari

Cheetah run and her canine buddy

Happy Birthday Dad!

Coronado Beach

Commissary Yurt and Papa Jim's house

We returned to Boise for 2 days and took off for the winter leg of our holiday.  The Boulder Mountain Tour was cancelled due to weather but we still enjoyed a visit to Ketchum and stay with Cara and Sam.  We left Ketchum and headed east.  Lindsey and Sparky traveled up to stay with Papa Jim and Grandma Sandee.  Chris and I skied into Commissary Yurt on the west side of the Tetons.  We skied out after four nights and drove up to Whitehall to pick up Lindsey and cruised through West Yellowstone on our way home.

One year older, another picture in front of the Tetons.  I love our annual ski trip.  Thanks to Chris for being my #1 ski  buddy.

Feeding the birds

Cute pic in front of the big Cottonwood tree out front of Papa Jim's house.

Grandma Sandee is pretty fun.

Bears in W. Yellowstone are huge.

Ski lessons

Lindsey attended ski lessons at Bogus Basin over the New Year holiday.  She was in a class with two sisters.  All 3 girls learned to ski in 4 days. 

 

Lindsey in the blue cruising down the mountain.

Nice wedge!

Solo ride on the magic carpet

Ann, Warren, and Bill Stephenson drove al the way from Portland to join us for the week.

Getting skis on an ready to shuffle to the lift

Wilson on the little ladies

Christmas

We spent Christmas Eve in Boise.  Dad worked on Christmas so we opened stockings at home and went to Grandma and Grandpa Mattson's to open gifts and spend the day.  Lindsey and I flew to Bend on Christmas morning to spend the rest of the holiday with Grandma Peggy, Grandpa Imants, Ted, Lisa, Sarah, Grandma Sandee, and Papa Jim.

 

 

Each night during Demcember the elves come and leave treats in the advent calendar.

Christmas eve breakfast

thank you JP and Sarah for the Elsa dress, shoes, and wand

Lindsey and Bandon in their holiday dresses

Grandma Peggy, Grandpa Imants, and Lindsey

pre-Christmas cheer

Boise is a fun place to live in the Winter, especially around Christmas.  Downtown is lovely, winter garden a glow is up and running, Prancer and Santa usually make a visit.  We have started some traditions which include the horse drawn carriage ride around downtown, visit to the Christmas tree in front of the capital, as many trips to see the lights at the botanical gardens as possible, and trip up to Sun Valley.

 

Our third year in a row on the horse drawn carriage ride around downtown, sponsored by Washington Bank. 

Capital building tree and turkey outfit.

Winter garden a glow has the best snickerdoodles ever.

Prancer comes to visit by why isn't Rudolph here and what is he up to?

The woman monitoring the line to visit Santa asked Lindsey what she wanted for Christmas.  Lindsey couldn't come up with anything until she mentioned Frozen.  Then Lindsey asked for the Frozen C.D. from Santa.  We will be letting it go all year long.

This will be a fun pic to look back on in the years to come.  Olivia (4), Lindsey (3), and Elsinore (4) visited the Botanical Gardens with their Vixen mothers one cold muddy evening.  We petted Prancer, listened to carolers, and watched model trains.  Love these girls.

 

 

On our way back from Portland in November I asked Chris what he wanted for Christmas.  He said a family ski trip.  We headed to Ketchum for a few nights in mid-December to skate ski, sled, and play with Sparky. 

 

Lindsey in tow (and sleeping) while Dad pulls her for 1 final season.

Mom and Dad

girls and mikey

We skied and sledded all around Galena Lodge one long afternoon. Sparky got to ski and sled with us, such a treat.

Family pic while walking around Sun Valley resort before dessert.

New snow on deer statues

November travel to Eugene and Thanksgiving in Boise

Lindsey and I hit the road for a couple of weeks in mid-November.  I had a business meeting in Bend just before Thanksgiving.  We braved the Boise snow storm and headed west for a week.  While I was in Bend working, Lindsey spend the week in Eugene with Grandma Peggy and they had a fabulous time cooking, visiting the coast, and going shopping.  We had dinner with Great Grandma Loretta, J.P., Sarah, and Kauffler. 

 

cooking in the kitchen

binoculars, yogurt, snuggles, snowsuit, and the beach 

Great Grandma Loretta Josephine Glass ~ 93 years old

Four generations of ladies

Kauffler, Uncle JP, Aunt Sarah, and Lindsey

 

Lindsey and I left Eugene and we headed up to Portland to meet up with Dad and visit friends.  Warren Stephenson (age 4) is the son of one of my best friends from high school, Ann Colonna.  While visiting them in Portland, they decided to make a plan to come to Boise in January to take ski lessons at Bogus Basin.  When visiting Ann and Warren 6 months earlier, Warren wanted to sit next to Lindsey at dinner.  She didn't like that idea and shoved him off the chair while we were sitting in the restaurant.  They didn't seem to mind each other's company one bit while hanging out in the Pearl on a rainy November day.

Lindsey (3) and Warren (4)

 We were home a day from Oregon when Grandpa Jim and Grandma Sandee dropped in for Thanksgiving.  We spend dinner with the Crane-Butler-Hall family across the street. 

 

Roasting marshmellows in the back yard with Papa Jim

Thanksgiving turkeys, Eleanor (6), Lindsey (3), and Garrett (4)

Turkey treats, compliments of Grandma Barb

Ninja turtle masks made an appearance. 
Glad there were some left over from Garrett's 4th birthday party a few weeks prior.