Everybody ready for the first story of the year? ;) :)

Mike: Yeah, I'm ready.

Peter: Let's have fun in the snow! :D

Micky: Ready and rarin'!

Davy: Snowball time. (Grins at the twins) How about you kids? You ready to 'ave some serious snowball fights? ;)

Katie: Me! :D

Mike: She's BEEN ready. :p

Emma: (Grins at the twins) And you guys? :)

*The twins cheer loudly.* :D ;)

Mike: (Wiggles a finger in his ear) Hoo boy... :p

*We begin in the lobby of a large lodge. It's cozy. The walls are dark wood paneling and the carpet is a deep red shag. Everything is a dark-stained wood. People in ski clothes walk around. The main lodge door opens and the entire group walks in - the girls, guys, kids, and the Abbies.*

Mike: Ok, everyone, last stop. Everybody ok after that long plane ride?

Maxine: I'll live. I'm just happy to be in a place where it feels like January. ;)

Emma: Amen to that! ;)

*Micky just grins.* ;)

Lauren: Mick's still in La La Land. Good thing we thought to knock him out as soon as we got on the plane. ;)

Davy: What did you give him that kept 'im so calm on that ride, anyway? ;)

Lauren: Don't ask. He made it himself. He said nothing else would work. ;)

Davy: Well, we won't be 'earin' from 'im for the rest of THIS story! ;)

Mike: Mick, you can't do that! We need a drummer!

Peter: Why doesn't Davy drum?

Lauren: *waves a hand* He'll be fine. He tested it about a week ago. *checks her watch* Matter of fact, he should snap out of it in about 5 minutes. ;)

Valerie: Good. We're going to need him. This is a one-night-only concert, and it's sold out! :p

Mike: Ok, guys, we need to rehearse. You heard Val. We have a sold-out crowd of skiers ready to hear us at our best.

Davy: Mike, why should we bothah? We can nevah 'ear ourselves play, anyway.

Peter: I want to sound good, too, and I don't mind more rehearsal. I love playing! :)

Lauren: If Mick was with us yet, he'd tell you guys that his little, rather late surprise is a sound system to let you guys be able to hear each other. He's concocted headphones you wear that'll relay every note you're playing real-time. *waves a hand in front of Mick's face* He's gonna hate finding out that I spilled the beans. Then again, I just learned about it yesterday when I stumbled, literally, on his work. ;)

Mike: Is THAT what he's been workin' on since before Christmas?

Peter: Wow! Groovy! :D

Lauren: *nods* Yup, that's the big surprise. ;) :D

Mike: Hey, Val, where's the stage?

Valerie: It's down towards the "Bruiser" slopes, on the west side. It's a pretty good size for a resort. I'm going to go with you and see if we can get the show set up. I've got to call Dad and see how he's going with taking care of Jordan, too. (Turns to the others) The rest of you are free to do pretty much whatever you please until the show begins. The downtown area is down the slopes about five miles or so; they have shuttles running there every fifteen minutes. (Smiles at the twins and Katie) I'm sure the children will want to run around and stretch their legs after that long plane ride. I'll have the bellhops take your bags up to your rooms. :)

Katie: 'Kay. :D

Emma: I could use a stretch and some hot chocolate. :)

Lauren: I wouldn't mind jumping around in the snow myself. :) ;)

Kimberly: This is gonna be a blast! There has to be at least a foot of snow out there! :D

Daphne: (Takes Davy's arm) Are you sure you can't come with us?

Davy: (Shakes his head) Sorry, luv. We'll 'ave some...time to ourselves...latah. ;)

Daphne: We'll find a quiet spot in front of the fireplace. ;)

Emma: I'll bet the twins are ready to have fun in the snow! This has to be the first time they've ever seen it! :)

Mike: This is Katie's first time in the snow. :)

Katie: Yay! (Claps)

Mick: Wanna make a snowman!

Shelly: I like snow angels. :)

Emma: Sounds like their mommy's been telling them all about snow. ;)

Valerie: And Uncle Peter. ;)

Peter: Of course! (Face falls) I wish Jordan was old enough to have come on this trip with us. :(

Valerie: (Puts a hand on her husband's shoulder) Honey, I miss him, too, but we wouldn't have been able to give him the attention he needs here, and he's really too little to be traveling. He'll be able to join us in a few years. :)

Mike: Ok, Monkees, let's go rehearse for this show. Mick, you ready?

Davy: (Shakes him; he continues to smile) Um, Lauren, 'e's startin' to scah me. Maybe one of us should carry 'im ovah to the stage?

Lauren: *checks her watch again* Hang on. *waits a moment, then snaps her fingers in front of his face; grins at Davy* A few seconds too early. ;)

Micky: *shakes his head* Huh? Wha...oh, *grins* we're here already! Groovy! :D ;)

Mike: (Grabs Micky's hand) Good, you can rehearse now.

Davy: Mate, what on EARTH was in that stuff that knocked you out for so long?

Micky: *slight laugh, shakes his head* Don't ask. ;)

Mike: Well, you're up and around, so let's get rehearsin'. (Nods at the rest of the crowd) We'll see you guys for dinner. (He pulls Mick out of the room after Valerie; Peter and Davy follow)

Emma: Well, what should we do now? ;)

Katie: (Tugs at her mother's coat) Out, Mama! :D

Lauren: *chuckles* I think we don't really have a choice, Em. ;)

Kimberly: (Grabs Maxine's coat and points at the door) Out, Maxie! ;)

Maxine: Gee whiz, we're bein' assaulted on all sides here! :p ;)

Emma: Well, then, let's take everyone out, before you all melt from lack of snow. ;)

(And they do so, trooping outside as a group of bellhops in uniforms comes to take their bags upstairs. The whole area around the lodge is covered with snow, from shining tops of mountains to the vast fields of white glitter. They go out to an area around a hill, where children ski, sled, and make snowmen and forts and snow angels.)

Shelly: (Voice over) "Woooowwww! Look at all this white stuff! :D"

Katie: Pwetty! :)

Micky: *voice over* Wow! The only other time I've seen this much white was when Daddy put too much soap in the washing machine! :D ;)

Kimberly: This is going to be fun! (Grabs a snowball and hurls it at Jenny) Bombs away! :D

Shelly: "Everything's white all over! Even the trees are all white! It looks like the icing on Aunt Emma's Christmas cake! :D"

Jenny: (As the snowball hits her) Hey! (Grabs a snowball) See how you like it! ;) :D

(She throws, but Kimberly nimbly gets out of the way...and she hits Lauren. ;) )

Jenny: Ooops, sorry! You weren't my target! :">

Lauren: *wipes off the snow* No problem...but I hope you know this still means war! ;) :D *scoops up snow and balls it, then throws it at Jenny*

Shelly: "Yikes!" (She ducks a snowball as Jenny runs away and it hits Daphne)

Katie: War! War! (Picks up a bit of snow and throws it at the group in general, then laughs) :D

Emma: (Rubs Katie's head affectionately) You silly girl! :)

Mick: "Incoming!" *heaves his tiny snowball towards Kimberly* :)

Kimberly: (it hits her on the leg) Let me show you how it's done, Squirt! (She lightly tosses a medium-sized snowball at Mick's leg) ;)

*The snowball hits Mick in the leg. He stands there a moment after, then does an overly dramatic "death".* ;)

Shelly: (Rolls her eyes) "Oh, get up, Mick! She barely hit you!" :p

Kimberly: (Claps) The boy is a regular Paul Newman! ;)

Lauren: Just like his daddy. ;)

Katie: (Pokes Mick) 'Kay? :-/

Emma: Katie, don't poke Micky. It isn’t polite, and it hurts. :p

Mick: *opens his eyes* I'm okay, Katie. *sits up and gives Katie a hug* See? :)

Katie: Ok! Yay! (Hugs Micky back) :D

Kimberly: Hey, why don't we choose up sides and make a fort? ;)

Lauren: Good idea! ;)

Maxine: One for each team. ;)

Emma: Who is going to be captain of each team?

Maxine: I'll take one team! ;)

Lauren: What the heck, I'll take the other team! :D

Maxine: How about I take Kim 'n Daph and Lauren can have Em n' Jenny? The kids can go wherever they want. :)

Emma: That's fine by me. (Puts an arm around Lauren) Best friends ought to stick together. ;)

Lauren: Works for me. *grins* :D ;)

Shelly: We're gonna play, too?

Emma: You kids just take whatever side you feel like taking.

Katie: Me mama! (Takes Emma's hand; Emma smiles warmly at her daughter) :D

Mick: I wanna take both sides! ;) :D

Shelly: You would. :p

Mick: What? :-/ ;)

Maxine: Well, guys, come on! Let's build a fort...and may the best person win! ;) :D

("Last Train to Clarksville" begins as the women run in different directions to start building their forts. Katie just plops down in the middle and picks up a bit of snow, then tosses it in the air, laughing. ;) :)) )

(Maxine shows Mick how to build a well-made fort while Daphne and Kimberly stockpile snowballs.)

(Emma, Lauren, and Jenny make plans. ;) )

*Lauren peeks over a mound of snow, glancing at the other team's fort.* ;)

(Katie is now making a little snow sculpture in the middle, quite happily ignoring the others. :) )

(Maxine pops out of the fort with snowballs in her arms as Kim looks at her watch and Daphne counts down. The moment she finishes, snowballs fly from all directions! :D)

*Lauren gives a yell and heaves her own snowballs.* :D

(Emma hits snowballs with her field hockey stick. :D)

(Maxine and Daphne rig a small catapult to send snowballs over. ;) )

(Jenny throws snowballs she's colored with food coloring and paint. :D)

*Mick runs back and forth between each fort, throwing snowballs at everyone.* ;)

(Shelly joins Katie. They make a small snowman as snowballs whiz over their heads. :) )

(Emma starts rolling a tiny snowball around behind the fort.)

(Jenny launches small snow sculptures in lieu of balls. ;) )

(Emma's ball is now about the size of the fort.)

*Lauren just gawks at Emma's snowball.* :-O

(Daphne tries to throw the kitchen sink, but Maxine and Kimberly grab her and it before she can. :o :p :D)

*Lauren rolls her eyes.* 8-| /:)

(Emma's "ball" is now roughly up to her shoulders. She tries to pick it up, tottering this way and that before the huge "ball" of snow finally falls on her and burries her. ;) :p)

*Lauren slaps her forehead, then goes to unburry her friend.* 8-| :P

(All of this is intercut with scenes of trains and other transportation, along with other snow scenes.)

(The music comes to an end as Lauren and Jenny help Emma to her feet, brushing her off.)

Jenny: Hey, Em, are you ok?

Emma: Yeah. (Hits the side of her head to get the snow out of her ears) I have snow in places I didn't know snow could be, though. :p

Maxine: How about we call a truce and try something a little less life-threatening? ;)

Katie: Lookit! (She pulls her mother over to their snowman)

Shelly: Mommy, we made a snowman! :D

Emma: (Smiles at the small mounds of snow) You did a very nice job, ladies. :)

Lauren: Very nice, indeed! :)

Mick: *wanders over, snowball in each hand* I still have snowballs left! :P ;)

Shelly: "Make a snowman with them!" :)

Katie: (Points at a slightly smaller mound) Mama. :)

Emma: That's the mommy snowman, Katie? :)

Katie: (Nods and points to the larger one) Papa. :)

Maxine: Which would make him the dad snowman. ;)

Emma: Why don't we take the kids over to see their daddies and uncles? They've never seen them prepare for a concert before! :)

Katie: Papa! We see Papa! (She claps happily) :D

Mick: *tosses his snowballs over his shoulders* Let’s go! :D

Emma: (Sighs) Maybe we'll see him. He'll probably be busy.

Maxine: We'll play in the snow more on the way. ;)

Jenny: Maybe we'll even try skiing for the first time! :D

Daphne: Or we could go sledding! :)

Lauren: Sledding sounds good to me! :)

Shelly: Sledding! :D

Shelly: "Sledding? Oooh, sounds like fun!" :D

Katie: Sled! :D

Emma: Sounds like the vote's unaminous. Why don't we go and rent sleds, then meet on the kid's hills? :)

Lauren: *nods* Great! :)

Maxine: Sounds good to me! We can pester the guys later. ;)

Emma: Knowing Mike, they'll be there until dinner time. ;) :p

Lauren: At which point, Mick will have had enough and demand they get food. ;) :P

Emma: (As everyone laughs) Come on, guys. Let's hit the slopes. :)

(Cut to a bit later. All of the adults now carry sleds. Some are large, some are small. Some are round metal, some are long plastic, and some are wooden with metal runners.)

Daphne: (As they get to the top) Whew, what a hike! :p

Maxine: (As they take stock of their surroundings) Nice view, though. :)

Emma: Beats the West Cape May Bridge! ;)

Lauren: Even better than my old backyard. ;)

Shelly: (Frowns) "Um, hey Mick, what IS sledding?"

Mick: "I heard Daddy mention it before. You sit or lay on one of those things the grown ups are holding and you go down a big hill. It usually involves some type of yelling or screaming." ;)

Shelly: "This is going to be so awesome!" (Frowns again) "I hope Katie can go, too. Sometimes the grown-ups won't let her do things that we can do 'cause she's little." :p

Mick: "I think she'll be okay. Aunt Emma will probably go with her."

Emma: Who wants to go first?

Kimberly: Why don't we let the kids go first, then go in twos? :)

Maxine: If we go one-by-one, we'll be here all day! :p

Lauren: No kidding. :P ;)

Shelly: Sledding! (Points at the hill)

Katie: Me! :D

Emma: You and Mama will go together, baby. You're too little to go on your own. :)

Katie: Aw! (She makes a face) :p

Emma: Don't you want to ride with your mommy? I've been sledding before. I'll bet we can make our sled go all the way back to the lodge! :)

Katie: (Grins) 'Kay! :D

Lauren: *taps on her plastic sled* I can fit the twins on here with me. I used to sled with my brother. The two of us together took up more room than the three of us will. :)

Shelly: Sledding with Mommy! (Whoops) :D

Emma: We'll go first, then. :)

Daphne: We'll note your technique. ;)

Kimberly: Yeah, some of us were born and raised in Southern California. ;)

Maxine: I haven't been sledding since I was a kid running around Central Park. ;)

Emma: (Puts down a large, long wood sled with metal rails) Ok, then, all aboard! :) (Katie gets on in front; Emma holds onto her)

Lauren: We'll meet you at the bottom! :)

Emma: Ok, guys! (Grins) Later, dudes! ;)

Katie: (Waves) Later! ;) :D

("Sweet Young Thing" begins as Lauren rounds up her brood. ;) )

*Lauren settles herself in the sled and makes comical faces as the twins climb into the sled and ON her. She settles them down and waits a few moments for Emma and Katie to get far enough ahead of them, then pushes off. The twins yell because that's what they think they're supposed to do.* ;)

(The girls laugh and cheer as the two sleds speed down the hill. Emma and Katie just barely miss a tree and finally overturn, laughing and giggling. :) :D)

*Lauren steers her sled around. They start to turn sideways, then end up backwards before Lauren leans over to make them stop.* :P

(Daphne and Maxine go to help Lauren and the kids; Kimberly and Jenny go to Emma and Katie. Katie's jumping up and down and asking to "do it 'gain, Mama!" :D)

(Daphne and Maxine look around for Lauren and the kids. :-/)

*They find the twins trying to pull Lauren, who's sprawled out, in the sled. Lauren lifts her head, grins at the two women, and gives them a wink. Meanwhile, the twins keep trying and keep slipping and landing on their rear ends, laughing.* ;)

(The girls laugh and go back up the hill to do some sledding themselves as Emma and Katie start to build a larger version of Katie's snowfamily. :) ;) )

*Lauren pulls the twins back onto the sled and pushes off again. This time, Lauren yells. It sounds rather like a Goofy yell.* ;)

(Maxine and Jenny shade their eyes and look for Lauren and the kids as Daphne and Kimberly do their own sledding.)

(Emma and Katie make a snowwoman with a wide-brimmed hat, large sequin eyes, and carrot nose. Katie gives her a stick with a curved branch; Emma grins. ;) )

(Kimberly and Daphne make a face as Maxine and Jenny come back up the hill with a cute guy between them, chatting animatedly with him. ;) :X)

(Emma and Katie now start to roll a big snowball for the snowfather's bottom. :) )

*Lauren is crouched behind her sled. The twins on the opposite side, throwing small snowballs at her. She peeks over, sticks her tongue out, and nearly gets hit with a snowball. She falls over, the sled going the other way. The twins run over and kid-pile on Lauren, who's laughing again.* ;)

(Emma rolls a medium-sized ball; Katie makes a little one. They put them on top of each other, smallest ball on the very top. :) )

(The Abbies all lay down and make snow angels. :) )

(Shelly sees what they're doing and joins them. :D)

(Emma gives the snowman a scarf, carrot nose, and button eyes. Katie grins as she hands Emma Mike's green wool hat with the buttons. Emma plops the hat on his head as the music winds down and the others join them.)

Emma: What do you think of our masterpieces? ;)

Katie: (Points) Mama! Papa! :D

Maxine: Splendid, dahling. ;)

Kimberly: (Squints at the snowman) There IS a resemblance... ;)

Daphne: He's quieter, anyway. ;)

*Lauren comes running up, the twins right behind her, still tossing snowballs.* ;)

Katie: Lookit! (Points at their creation) :D

*The twins stop and "Oooohhh!" over the snowmen.* :D

Katie: Papa. (Touches the big snowman) Mama. (Touches the smaller snowman)

Maxine: It's her folks. Ain't that sweet? ;)

Lauren: Very sweet! :)

Emma: I didn't intend for it to come out that way, but... :"> :)

Jenny: You both did a very nice job. :)

Kimberly: What's the snow woman carrying?

Katie: Hock'y! (Points at Emma) Mama! :D

Emma: Um, yeah... :">

Lauren: *grins* She knows her mama well. ;)

Katie: (Rubs her stomach) Want food. :p

Emma: Why don't we take that shuttle into town and get these kids some lunch, then come back to watch the guys rehearse? :)

Maxine: (Rubs her own stomach) I could use something to eat myself.

Jenny: My stomach's growling! :p

Daphne: I'll bet Katie's not the only kid who's hungry.

Maxine: Must be all this fresh air.

Mick: Hungry! :D

Shelly: Me too! :D

Emma: Why don't we find out when the next shuttle leaves? We could probably pick up some snacks for the kids to keep in their hotel rooms, too. We're going to be here for a week.

Lauren: Good idea.

Katie: Ros' beef! :D

Emma: (Rolls her eyes; mutters) Carnivore, just like her father. :p

Maxine: I could use a pastrami sandwich.

Kimberly: I just need some nice, hot coffee.

Shelly: Coffee too? :)

Kimberly: Not yet, kiddo. It'll stunt your growth. ;)

Shelly: Aw! (To Mick) "All the grown-ups drink coffee, and THEY'RE tall!" :p

Mick: *grins* "Not quite all. Mommy doesn't drink it, and she's the shortest!" ;) :P

Shelly: "Uncle Davy drinks it, but not as much as Daddy or Uncle Mike. Aunt Emma doesn't drink it, either, and neither does Uncle Peter. Daddy drinks cups after cups!"

Mick: "Mommy's said that's why Daddy plays with us so well. She said we tire her out easily, but Daddy just keeps on going with us." ;)

Shelly: "So coffee lets you play more?"

Mick: "Mommy said it gives Daddy lots of energy. *shrugs* She used some big word I didn't understand at first." :P ;)

Shelly: "She doesn't like it when we run away. Is that why she won't let us have coffee, so we won't run so much?"

Mick: "I think it's because she has a hard time catching us when we run away. She always ends up sending Daddy after us." ;)

Shelly: "Maybe Mommy should drink coffee. Then she'd be faster!" :D ;)

Mick: "Daddy tried to make Mommy try it one time, but she smelled it and made the funniest face I've ever seen!" ;) :P

Shelly: "I once heard Aunt Emma tell Mommy she'll only drink it with a LOT of sugar and milk. Maybe it's like a Shirley Temple?" :D

Mick: "Mommy likes Shirley Temples." *shrugs* "I don't know." :-/

Emma: Ok, everyone ready to go to town to get something to eat? :)

Katie: Me, Mama! :D

Maxine: I know I sure am. ;)

Lauren: Better believe it. ;)

Emma: Ok, ladies, let's go! ;) (They all head down the hill)

Shelly: "I can't wait to see the town, and have a nice lunch with Mommy and Aunt Emma and Katie and all the Abbies!" (Frowns a little) "I wish Daddy and uncles could join us, though."

Mick: *nods* "Yeah, me, too, Shel."

Shelly: "We haven't seen a lot of Daddy since he and the uncles started making albums and going on tours. I wish we could. I know everyone likes them now, but I miss them." :(

Mick: "I miss them, too." :(

Shelly: (As their mother takes their hands and the others gather the sleds) "I like their music. They play good music. I liked their TV specials, too. The thing is, everyone gets to see them but US! They don't have the time to do as much fun stuff anymore." :(

Mick: "Yeah, why should WE have to watch their specials just to see them? They need to take a break and spend time with us!" :P

Shelly: "I wish there was a way we could get them to play in the snow with us!"

Mick: "There has to be a way!"

(The group walks back towards the sled and ski rental building as the twins ponder how to get their father and uncles to rejoin them.)