The kids have been pestering me to take them sledding for over a year. We didn’t make the 2½ hour drive past Flagstaff last year for a variety of reasons.

This year was different. I planned well in advance. Lael got new boots and decided she could wear her winter clothes one last year. The kids were so excited that for two days, they played dress up in their winter clothes despite Scottsdale’s near balmy weather.

Our neighbors were supposed to join us, but they bailed at the last minute. Needless to say by the pictures, WE made it up to the Wing Mountain sledding area.

The hill sizes were perfect. For almost three hours, the kids got their fill of sledding. By the end, they were cold and miserable – temperatures were in the 20s accompanied by a strong wind – just as it should be when you go sledding.

Don’t worry, I had plenty of hot chocolate in the car. The kids really liked that.

We left just in time: a half mile of cars were waiting to get in even though a fairly significant snowstorm was making the steep mountain roads treacherous.

We were home by early evening. I then crashed with my usual altitude headache, but happy that my kids had fun.