Grand Targhee

Ok, yes, way behind... here we go. We packed all the kids up and went snowboarding at Grand Targhee. As we were checking in (Bill with the kids, I was out parking the car) an elderly couple told Bill he was very brave for traveling with two kids. He informed them that I was coming as well, which made him less brave. But then Bill explained that we were going snowboarding, at which point, said elderly couple though he was *very* brave.

(Ian has perfected his pinching death grip - beware all skin and hair. My hair is now much shorter.)

The flight started off a bit rocky - due to a mechanical we were delayed taking off, so we spent an exciting several hours in Chicago. Sigh. Which meant we did not get in early enough to go tubing.

Getting there turned out to be a bit of a nightmare. Ian kept going ballistic the entire trip up - take him out of the car seat, he's fine, put him back in, he wails. Despite Isabella sitting right next to him and keeping him entertained as best she could. And then we got there in the dark, I didn't have explicit directions to the place, we end up driving up and back and back up... but we did eventually get there.

The place was small, but did have a bathtub, so Ian got himself another bath. Followed, of course, by Isabella, who has to do everything that Ian does. (Including eating with his covered spoons, sitting in his high chair, being picked up and carried around...)

For some reason Isabella decided that lying on the back of the couch was a good way to hang out. Except she kept slipping down the back... and she's a bit heavy leaning on the neck.

The day care at Grand Targhee was great - only a couple kids, and nice people. We tried ski lessons with Isabella. She complained constantly when we got her fitted for skis and boots. The nice instructor folks tried twice to get her out the door and onto her skis, but even with another little girl to follow, no dice. But she did stand around in the ski boots. Although she kept asking, over and over again the second day, "I don't have to have a ski lesson, do I?".

The snow was a huge hit - the day care folks thought she was tremendously funny because she kept yelling "snow!" and being incredibly excited to walk around in the snow. Ian got his first solid foods that he actually wanted to eat (puffy dissolving rice things).

Snowboarding was a bit of disaster the first day - Targhee had the worst snow they've had in a century. And it was fogged in. So first ride of the season, we end up bouncing over ice unable to see more than 15 feet. But it did get better - snowed a bit and the sun came out and we had a better idea of which direction to go (i.e., down the groomed runs).

Chicago has a great kid's area at the airport. Worth the trek over there between our flights.