TubaDad and I poked around this morning and found a funky little place that sold bearskin rugs and t-shirts and had kid-sized ski equipment to rent. So we got the girls all measured up, signed the rental agreement (it was so cute, Ro and Ree actually wrote their names on the signature lines—I bet my dad is going to have that little paper framed), and walked out of there with four tiny little boots and four stubby little skis. The only thing that slightly disappointed the girls was that they didn't have any hot pink skis. Hm, maybe next time, little snow bunnies.
Anyhow, we decided to skip the ski resort and use our steep, unplowed street for this first foray. Hey it was good enough for my little brother and I (and all the neighborhood kiddos) back in the 70s, plus we figured if things really went wrong we were only a few steps from the nice, warm cabin and the restorative clothes dryer and wine in the fridge. Heh.
We grabbed the purse camera (we brought the nice camera up, but are finding that we just don't have enough hands to use it) and got a quick family snap before the lesson (just in case):
Looking good, everyone's still smiling:
Oops, had to make a few short detours to climb some tall snowy things. Ok, maybe more than a few. We finally had to send my dad into the woods after them when Ree disappeared from view and Ro started yelling "I'm stuck, I'm stuck!" Hmmm.
These boots are made for skiing—the girls are ready to roll!!
Ro took to it instantly, this was the next picture I took after the boots shot, and she was already grinning and refusing any help.
Side note: Ro is usually the first one to grasp anything athletic, she's fearless and so dang strong when it comes to trying any kind of sportsy thing. And Ree is bold, funny, and fearless when it comes to singing, dancing, or performing in front of an audience. It's fun to watch the different things they excel at and how they always help each other.
We had a fancy tow-rope system in place for the uphill ride (we used my dad's antique metal ski poles):
TubaDad calls this the "athletic stance" and I think Ro is doing it proud:
Ree got her courage up by holding the pole as she went down the first few times:
Ooo, is that a teeny little smile starting?:
Ro discovered pretty quickly that she went faster if she crouched down a little:
Afterwards, they dove into the snow again and rolled around some more. Guess they weren't cold enough yet? (Man, I sure was):
I was talking (as usual) and heard an outraged "Reeeeeee, get offa me!" Ha!:
The triumphant skiers, after we stripped them down and tossed their icy clothing in the dryer. (My mom had the great idea to use their cotton jammies as long underwear, so we didn't have to make a midnight run to Walmart to buy new supplies.):
Well it's time for some dinner, and maybe, just maybe, oh I hope I hope the folks can get the fire going. The girls are just hanging out and playing with Harley dog, and TubaDad is napping again (he's still not fully recovered after the accident):
We got some awesome video of the sledding yesterday and the skiing today, but I don't think I've got a prayer of posting it on this dial-up connection. So look for that once we're back home. Tomorrow, we're thinking of trying to build a snow igloo and a snow family, and maybe (if we don't all just decide to curl up by the warm fire and nap instead) we'll try out a snowmobile rental. Cheers!
But it gives an awful lot of clues about what a typical morning looks like around here:
And typical is pretty darn nice, if you ask me. No one's sick (yessss!), everyone is happy, and we're about to sample the chocolate-chip-bacon pancake mix* that I got TubaDad for Christmas. Mmmmm. Have a great New Year's Eve. And speaking of, does anyone have any good kid-friendly ideas for how to ring in the New Year?
*Thanks for the idea Jamie!
The old family cabin looks exactly the same as it has for the last four decades. Same awesome snow, same cute a-frame roof, same green shag carpeting, same orange corduroy couches. Love this place. Ro and Ree feel the same.
We've already gone sledding, soaked two sets of clothing, figured out that we need better mittens for the girls and (ahem) larger snow pants for me, and gotten buried in the snow.
Tomorrow my dad says he's going to teach the girls to ski. He taught me when I was four, but the twinados... yikes... wish him luck!
Hope you're all having a wonderful holiday break and that you're getting way more rest than we are. Heh.
First glimpse of mama and daddy in the audience:
Wheeeee, this just calls for a sisterly hug!
Ro's hat was slipping down and she could barely see, so I tried to pantomime that she should push the hat up. She saw me and yelled out in the middle of the program "Mama, what were you doing?!" Yeesh.
Asleep on the hay:
Adorable little reindeer:
Proud grandparents (my mom definitely cried during the show, and we're not sure about BobBob...):
Oooo, bells. The festive factor instantly goes up if you add bells:
Shake it baby, shake it. Ree was in her element, rocking out and doing all the moves (some choreographed, some her own). Ro was a little nervous, but did a great job and was happy to see her family and have a sister's hand to hold every once in a while:
Done performing, and ready to "decorate" (I use that term loosely) some gingerbread men:
Huh, me? No, I wasn't eating anything...
Mom, I've told you before that decorating is very serious business. I'm concentrating here and don't have time for a picture.
The masterpieces:
Oh yeah, this was fun:
Shoot, almost forgot to include the video:
Merry Christmas everyone!
Posts
