Bethel Ridge Weekend

We have been planning this past weekend for months! We have a great group of friends from Jim’s college life. We’ve known the guys for fifteen years and have gotten to know the wives as they’ve gotten married. Now there are 13 kids to add to the six married couples. We met up last in July 2010, before Haley was born, and then saw each other last year at the 17th Ave House Reunion. We’ve been looking forward to our weekend in the snow since we planned it this summer. One family couldn’t make it at the last minute, but the rest of us had a wonderful time! Everyone is on board with making this trip an annual tradition.

Saturday: ate lunch at Snoqualmie Summit on the back of our Volvo. I love the tailgate for this very reason. 🙂

We arrived late afternoon. Unloaded into our bedroom and private bath at Bethel Ridge Retreat in Naches (outside Yakima). Got the kids geared up for some sledding right outside our cabin door.

First sled ride with dad


A view of one of the cabins at night.

JT and Liv enjoying a bedtime treat

Haley getting a pull

JT finally got brave enough to go down the hill by himself!

Jim attempts the skeleton

Smiles!

JT had this great wipeout captured on camera… he got up laughing and licking the snow crystals off his face. He still has a little snow burn on his cheek to prove it! He also went completely off the track once and landed in the trunk of a tree. He was cracking up laughing, surrounded by twigs with his foot caught in the sled rope, when I fished him out.

The adults had just as much fun as the kids

Playing in the snow fort

For lunch on Sunday, we had campfire roasted chicken sausage and hot dogs. Yum!

Jim invited me to double sled with him. Sixteen years after our first date, he’s still got it. 🙂

But I got a little nervous after we started sliding since I was barely on the sled!

Jim took JT out to practice with his beebee rifle. We are training him up correctly in firearms safety and his second amendment rights. He told me this one is his favorite picture from the whole trip!

Sunday morning, I did a Bible lesson, songs, and a craft with the kids. We made salt dough flowers and learned about Jesus caring for us. Good stuff!

One afternoon the older kids snuggled in to watch Veggie Tales while the moms prepped dinner. It turned into a wrestling match on the couch. 🙂

Halle and Haley

Our weekend stock of cocoa and cider

Waiting for taco bar dinner – playing board games

We saw deer twice – right outside the windows.

One night, the men went out and lit off fireworks for the kids (and for them… ahem!)

Playing hide and seek in the cabin

The Keenes decided to have s’mores in the snow… so fun. A great memory.

Breakfast in the cabin… Haley decided she wanted a BIG bowl of Kix. She ate it all, and drank the last of the milk in the bowl that was as big as her head.

Monday morning we spent our last minutes in the snow before leaving after lunch time. Haley was a little cold in the 20-degree temperature and wanted to be held a lot of the time.