Helicopter Ride

Logan had a really unique opportunity last week to take a ride in a helicopter. One of his scout leaders arranged for the boys to be able to earn their aviation merit badges and it included a ride in a helicopter.  It was a little scary to have him go, especially since I had no idea who was doing piloting. In fact when he brought home the permission slip I couldn't bring myself to sign it and turned it over to Scott.  We were originally told they would be in a helicopter with no doors! Thankfully that wasn't true. I was glad Scott was there with him, although I think Scott thought the idea of no doors was pretty exciting.  As you can see there were doors, but they were clear so they provided a great view of the area for the boys.  It turned out that it was a very well run merit badge opportunity by several seasoned pilots.  They got to look closely at numerous planes, some got to ride in a small airplane also.   Below is a clip of Logan heading up for a 20 minute ride over Gilbert. 

Hard to Get Up

Lyndsee is hard to get up in the mornings. Especially now with the colder weather. She LOVES her cozy bed.

The dogs aren't making things any easier on her lately. Since Lyndsee is the last to get up every day they both migrate to her bed as everyone else has left for the day.  She is a softie for those puppies, and claims that she doesn't want to get out of bed or she will disturb their sleep.

Christmas in Pollock Pines

We had a fabulous holiday in Pollock Pines! Scott's three sisters and their kids were all there as well. The kids love playing and hanging out with their grandparents, cousins and aunts and uncles.  This year some highlights were:

• Geocaching with uncle Tony
• A hike towards horsetail falls with lots of great ice to slide on along the way
• Playing basketball in the driveway
• Exploring Grandma and Grandpas property
• Skipping rocks on the lake (and Lyndsee's boots getting stuck in the mud)
• Racing remote control cars on the driveway
• NO SNOW but beautiful weather
• A fire with tinfoil dinners and s'mores for dessert
• Running around the lake for Cynthia...and losing Kay's car key along the way :(
• Mountain biking for Scott on some of his favorite trails
• Christmas Eve nativity
• A peaceful, happy Christmas day

There was so much more, but these were some highlights. We had hoped to do some snowboarding but the weather didn't cooperate so we ended up heading up to Flagstaff right after we got home. Hopefully next time we go out for Christmas it will be white!

Thanks everyone for a great trip and especially to Doug and Kay for your hospitality. Having 18 extra people and 3 - 4 extra dogs in your house for a week is no small thing.  It was terrific! Here are a few pictures, but as always I forget to take enough. 



After our hike, silly Lyndsee



Walking on a sheet of ice



Scott and his puppies relaxing

Really boys?



Skipping rocks at Jenkinson Lake

Lyndsee's lovely boots