Quick Snow Run

 Well, we have contended for a while that our car could not handle any trips in its current state, including a run up to the snow.  We threw caution to the wind this last weekend though and decided very last minute to push the car to its limits and drive up to Clint's Well in the hope of playing in some snow.  We had just taken the car to the mechanic, and there would be no better time in terms of the vehicle.  We also both felt quite stressed out by life in general and had a true "Wanna get away?" moment-minus the snickers.  So off we went with a small pile of food, the jackets and mittens I managed to throw together, and 5 excited kids.

Sure enough, the farther we got from home, the more relaxed Jared and I felt.  We played some car games, sang every track on our Wicked CD, and played I Spy-the snow version.  Jared and I were a little worried when we reached Payson and couldn't see much snow up on the rim.  We prepped the kids for potentially skipping snow and just hiking in the forest.  Thankfully, we started seeing some good patches once we got up to 6800 feet, and by the time we started hitting Jones Crossing, everything was pretty much covered in white.  We found a great little pull off around Clint's Well-no one around, and a perfect blanket of white.  The kids had a blast running around, building a snow alien, throwing snowballs, and hiking around the mountainside.  It honestly wasn't all that cold-Jared and I both had on light jackets, and we were perfectly fine.  The kids lasted about an hour before their feet started to get cold, at which point we threw on some dry clothes, packed up a couple of great pieces of wood to burn at home, and headed back to town.  We had so much fun being sporadic and just enjoying our family.  Sometimes it is necessary to rejuvenate and remember that the stresses of life are really not as important as they sometimes seem.

James' first look at snow-he was intrigued, but didn't seem to care all that much.  I don't think he really smiled the entire time!

 Sara was being resistant to her gloves and her jacket (which came off at some point).  She was the first to complain about cold feet.

 As always, Jordan is the crazy one to just flop down and try out a snow angel.

 Throwing snowballs!

 Building the snowman that would become an alien and was creepily watching us as we packed up the car.....

 This is my photo-op of the day.

 hiking higher up on the hill where there wasn't as much snow-but  love the footprints!

 The scenery here is beautiful!!!!

 Not sure what to do when I sat him down in the snow-yes he is shoe-less, that was the one thing I forgot in my impromptu packing.

 Look, my new buddy, the snow alien!