Our annual MLK weekend snow-cation has become a staple in our annual family calendar – I’ve come to count on those couple of days as a guaranteed fix of January cozy. We will forever love Winthrop for its mountain views and expansive cross-country trails, but lately we love Suncadia Lodge for its proximity to home and expansive hallways, perfect for early-morning wanders.
We arrived at the Lodge on Friday evening, thrilled with the fresh dumping of snow. Less thrilled with the zero-degree temps. It was COLD. But we bundled up and booked it down the twinkly path to the Inn for dinner, our extremities numb by the time we arrived.
Thankfully, the Lodge has a handful of indoor amenities that don’t require 17 layers of outerwear. Isaac had his goggles on at 6am on Saturday, eager to check out the pool.
Breakfast first, Buddy. Pancake time!
We did make it to the pool right when the doors opened at 10:00 and the kids mostly loved it, though we wouldn’t have minded if the water was a few degrees warmer. Juliette pretended like it felt great, but the chattering of her teeth was a dead giveaway.
Post-pool chai tea latte…
And naps. You KNOW I love a vacation nap.
I was feeling antsy by mid-afternoon, so I asked Juliette if she wanted to brave the cold with me and try out our new sled. She was game, frosty eyelashes and all.
Gosh, I really do have the best time with her. Between the below-freezing temps and the surprise remodel that had put the Lodge’s lobby and bar out of commission, I was feeling a little funky about our magical weekend. But how could I have forgotten about Juliette’s ability to always bring the party?
We headed into Roslyn around dinnertime to hunker down for awhile at Basecamp Books and Coffee and then get some food at the Roslyn cafe.
Isaac’s mind was blown when he discovered that they also had a copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Turns out his copy isn’t the only one in circulation…
Once Isaac stopped resisting the bundling-up and allowed me to outfit him in boots and hat and gloves and puffy coat, he actually seemed ok with the weather. In very small doses.
Roslyn Cafe was closed due to the extreme weather, so we grabbed a booth at the nearby Mexican joint instead. Look at us, rolling with the punches!
We were tucked back into our room by sundown and again, we made our own fun.
Sunday morning! More in-room shenanigans…
And then a stroll over to the sledding hill. The temps had warmed into the (low) double-digits and we were ready to seize the snow!
(Isaac was back to refusing his gloves. He learned real quick the folly in his ways.)
Ahhh…to have feeling in his fingers again!
Juliette showed up with the inner tube and brother hitched a ride.
And then these two flew, down the hill and over the little jump, giggling all the while.
We walked out onto the frozen pond and left our footprints all over the untouched, pristine snow. Juliette’s prints were neat and sweet and lined up just-so.
Then Isaac wreaked his usual havoc.
Juliette kept falling back into the snow, remarking at how perfectly it formed to the curve of her back, how comfy it was and wishing aloud that she could just lay there all day and take a nap.
Isaac, you’re a trooper.
Eventually, though, we called it. Chai time!
We did some lounging in our room and I wish I could remember what it was Shane was saying that held Juliette so rapt, but I know it was good.
Roslyn Cafe, take 2! Perfect Sunday lunch.
And then back for naptime and snuggles.
We went back out in the late afternoon and found that the Lodge’s sledding hill was packed, so we drove over to the playground to do our rollicking.
We had a pizza dinner in our room and blitzed through a couple more episodes of the latest Percy Jackson series. Juliette is hooked. Isaac almost certainly had no idea what was going on, but if sister is into it, he’s into it.
Bedtime was a bit of a bear that weekend, requiring infinite levels of patience from Shane and I as we struggled to coax Isaac to sleep, but on Sunday evening Shane said, “I got this” and sent Juliette and me out to enjoy campfire s’mores and a twinkle walk.
Thanks, Shane!
Monday was go-day and while we didn’t need to rush home, I think we felt ready to break free from our close quarters and return to saner climates. First, though, a few final sled runs.
And raisins. Some things are worth taking off the gloves for.
The kids and I took our time walking back to the Lodge while Shane loaded up the car. They were so cute romping and falling in the snow together that I almost forgot how cold I was. Almost.
And with that, we jumped in the car, cranked up our seat warmers, and were homebound. Thankful for a family that rolls with conditions we didn’t quite plan for. We didn’t do the skiing or the snowman-building I’d imagined, but oh, those endless games of airplane that Isaac and Juliette played on the bed while our fireplace flickered in the background. That’s the good stuff.
