Mountain Get-Away for the New Year!

Wednesday after Christmas we decided to take a short trip to Hendersonville, NC as it has been awhile since the three of us have went away together.
It was a 3 1/2 hour drive to Hendersonville from Florence. A very pleasant one as it was striclty I-20 and I-26 all the way!
Maddie caught a nap (as she always does in the car!)
The ever present "Boy" snoozed with her too. Won't this make a terrific blackmail picture when she's older Ha! Ha!

When we got to our Hotel they HAD some snow, Maddie had to pick up some of it.
I know, she doesn't have on a coat and it WAS cold, however she just got out of the car and ran to the snow. We were going from the car straight inside and she never wears a coat in the car. My sister sent me a text immediately bawling me out for her not having on a coat(as I had put this on f@cebook too!)

We left the hotel to get some dinner and when we came outside it was snowing like CRAZY! Madison was SO excited!!! She was trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue.
I decreed from now on a coat was to be worn no matter what or my sister was going to kill me!

The short ride over the mountain from our Hotel had some beautiful scenery and winding snow roads! We loved it!

We were headed to "Moonshine Mountain" to go snow tubing! Here are the runs and someone had built an abominable snow man up there! Cool!

Maddie riding the lift up, they attach your tube to a pulley and it pulls you up the mountain OR you can walk but no way in !@#$% was I hiking up that mountain over and over. I noticed once I saw a person doing it they were in line for the lift next time around LOL

Me & Maddie in line, beside the pit fire. We had maybe a 5 minute wait before getting on the lift again. It was truly awesome. I didn't get to take any pictures from the top because you had to keep moving and on the way down - FORGET IT! We FLEW down so fast I had to hold on!
One time we went to the highest run and the guy informed us we had to go seperately - boom - down goes Stacy. Before I could even get my wits together, worried about Maddie, the guy said "she'll be fine" and shoves me and off I go. Holy Heck that run scared the BEJESUS out of me. You start down and then hit a rise and I SWEAR it was a SHEER drop down. I screamed like a fool, I was sure I was going to tumble right out of the tube but I didn't.
When I got to the bottom Stacy was trying to signal the guy NOT to send Madison down when - Whoosh - here she comes. I was praying my baby wouldn't fall out or get hurt and she looked absolutely petrified when she got close enought for us to see her little face. She made it fine though.
She was a little shaken, and said she did NOT want to do that run again.
I didnt' either! So we stuck to the middle one which was plenty fast believe me!

After tubing we went back to downtown Hendersonville to get something to eat.
Maddie picked this place (because she liked the idea of it being downstairs)

Actually the food was wonderful! I had boiled shrimp and some gumbo which came with french bread. OMG delicious!! We ate like pigs!

It really was an awesome trip. We spent two nights, and Madison swam in the pool both evenings. Stacy was a good sport and got in with her.
It was just so nice to be away, having fun together as a family.
I hope we can do it again - soon!