Liam's 8th Birthday

On our second day in Wyoming, Liam turned eight! We decided to blow off all the work we needed to do and really celebrate his big day.

We started the day off right by opening presents.

Then we jumped in the van for a trip to Snowbird Ski Resort near Salt Lake. Garreth's brother Davy and his family were up there for the weekend and they very kindly offered to share their vacation with us.

We started by taking a picnic lunch in the gondola up to the top of the mountain.

It was so beautiful - and so HIGH! We went from sea level to 11,000 feet in just a few days!

The birthday boy himself.

Animal-loving partners in crime Sam and Grace spent a lot of time trying to feed and catch a chipmunk by the lift.

There was even enough snow left for a snowball fight!

I discovered that Garreth is not the only "slave to the man/technology addict" in the family.

After a group shot, we got back on the tram, where Skittles were disbursed.

The most exciting part of the day was that Liam got to go ziplining, which he's always wanted to do. Grace, Garreth, and Davy went, too. I sent along my camera and soon learned how they kept busy in the long line!

Time to go!

Grace:

Liam and Garreth:

We had to get a picture by the Chickadee lift for Papa. My dad worked at Snowbird for a summer years ago and was on the crew that built this lift.

We saw many small rock chucks and other vermin.

Getting ready for the alpine slide.

This last picture is probably the last picture we'll ever have of Garreth and Sam together on an alpine slide. Later that afternoon after Grace and I left for a very special date (more on that in the next post!), Garreth took Sam down one last time, got going a little too fast, and had a pretty bad crash. Garreth's arm got scraped/burned pretty bad, and Sam hit his head and got a few bad scrapes. They are both fine, but they had a scare. Sam still shows me the remains of his scabs and says, "Remember when Daddy did THIS to me?" Poor Garreth, only trying to show his kid a good time!

Davy and Rachel had a suite in the Cliff Lodge and let us stay the night in the extra bedroom. Other than the injuries, it was a really great weekend and a fun way to celebrate Liam's birthday!