Running on Nitro

When Tyson celebrated his 15th birthday a few weeks ago, he got a coupon from Mom and Dad to either go snowmobiling for 2 hours or snowboarding for the day.  He eagerly chose snowmobiling ... but then we ran into a problem: You have to be 16 to drive your own snowmobile. Obviously, sitting behind Dad on a snowmobile for 2 hours wasn't going to cut it. So after some deliberation, the Parental Advisory Council decide to apply the money that would have been spent on the snowmobiling adventure and help the boy purchase an RC Nitro "gas engine" car. Well, it arrived the other day and since then, he's had all kinds of fun driving it up and down the street, into snow banks, and more. He loves being able to fine tune the engine and make tweaks here and there. We always thought he'd have to get a job when he was 16 to pay for gas for his car ... at $15 for a quart of nitro, he'll need a job long before he's 16.

Yes ... there's normally a cover that goes on top that makes it look like a race car/truck.

Personal favorite ... click to see the bigger version of this one. :]

The Thick of Winter

There are those days in July when you feel like you're in the thick of summer.  Then there are those days in January when you feel like you're in the thick of winter.  That's where we're at now ... the thick of winter ... and it finally feels like it too with the 6-8" of snow we got last night. Below are some random pictures from the past couple of weeks of "winter."

Jeffery keeps tabs on the morning's activities outside.

Paige settles in for a long, winter's nap.

Jeffery ... looking "fluffy."

The Rico Hotel in Rico, CO ... an overnight getaway for Paige & Cody.

The warm and cozy lobby of the Rico Hotel.

Cody and his truck up La Plata Canyon (before the snow came).

Dirty? Yes. New battery installed? YES!

15th Birthday

Tyson's Ty's birthday came and went over the weekend with little fanfare. They say that your 15th birthday is just a tune-up for the big birthday next year ... the one with the 'fumes (perfume and car fumes).  But we made it as special as we could for him and in typical Edwards fashion, we celebrated all weekend.  This year he wanted an ice cream cake ... so Betty Crocker Paige made him own from scratch. Genius.  When it was all said and done, it's hard to believe we have a son that's 15 years old.  Wow.  Happy Birthday kiddo!

Ty and his 15th Birthday cake.  Note the KU Jayhawks shorts that he still proudly wears!

2011 Edwards Scrapbook

Christmas Vacation, Part 2

After spending the first part of our Christmas vacation in Utah visiting family, the 2nd part was spent from the comfy confines of our new home in Colorado. But they weren't spent just sitting around the house ...

On Wednesday, Cody and Ty headed up to nearby Mesa Verde National Park where they checked out the Spruce Tree House cliff dwelling followed by a 2.5 mile hike through a nearby canyon. Hiking in December? Life doesn't get much better than that.

On Thursday, the family took the ever popular San Juan Skyway drive ... a 230 mile drive through some of the most beautiful country known to man. The drive took us through the scenic towns of Durango, Silverton, Ouray (where we had lunch), Ridgeway, Telluride, and of course Mancos. That is a drive that we'll do time and time again.

On Friday, Paige and Cody spent the day cross-country skiing. Paige had so much fun that she wants to buy a pair of skis. 4 miles of uphill skiing suited her just fine ... it was the downhill part coming back that proved to be more challenging, but she didn't let it ruin her overall great experience. 

We celebrated the ringing in of the new year twice: Paige and Cody went to a party on Friday night at some friend's house ... and then Ty spent Saturday night bowling with the youth from a combined 5 wards (congregation).  That of course created an opportunity for an at-home date for Cody and Paige.  Hooray for New Years!

Standing near Lizard Head Pass along the San Juan Skyway.

Cross Country Skiing in Cascade Creek Canyon.

Christmas Vacation, Part 1

With Tyson Ty out of school and where Cody had a week off of work, the Edwards Christmas Vacation extended from one weekend to another. The holiday break was long enough that it was essentially split into two ... one celebrating Christmas with family in Utah and the rest of it spent as a family in our new home in Colorado.

As for the Christmas holiday, we were "home for Christmas" for the first time in seven years. We left for Utah on Friday, December 23 and went "over the river and through the woods" to Grandma's house (Cody's Mom) where we spent a few days surrounded by good food and family. Paige got to see her Dad (and briefly her Mom) while we were there too. Chaos and laughter filled the house when all of Cody's siblings and their families exchanged gifts and had dinner on Christmas night. Before heading back to Colorado. we got to spend a day up in Cache Valley visiting old friends such as the Stacks, Ames and Luthers before spending the night at Cody's cousin's house (Maria and Teryl Hunsaker). After so many visits and so many miles, it was good to come home.

Hanging out at Grandma Shirlene's house.