Snow Daze

After talking about this for a couple of months, we finally took the kids up to the ski resort at Mount Baldy (only about a half-hour drive away) this afternoon for some snow play.

As with everything that is new to him, J started out nervous. He took one look at the ski lift and declared that he wasn't going on it. But since it was the ONLY way up to the resort, he was left with no choice in the matter.

This is not a happy face. But to his credit, he settled down after a few minutes and began to enjoy the ride.

I, on the other hand, remained slightly nervous. First of all, this was my first time on the ski lift, and there is sort of a technique to hopping on and off. All this while, the ski lift never stops moving. Second of all, I had to do manage this while carrying E. Thirdly, there is only the skimpiest safety bar, and E can be a wriggly baby at times. Nevertheless, we survived, and I managed to hop off, E in my hands, with the help of the guys running the lift. Hopefully, without looking too ungraceful.

She only looks like she's grimacing. She loved the snow.

So once we got to the ski resort, we brought the kids to the tubing area. Basically, you get to slide down a slope, sitting in a rubber tube (which looks like a bigger version of those round swimming floats). You slide down to the bottom and then you get to pull your tube as you hike back up to the top. Of course, when I say you, I really mean K.


Once again, J took a while to warm to this, but he really got into it, and was soon shrieking, screaming and laughing his way down. E took no time at all, she loved it from the get go; and it got to the point where I had to physically restrain her while we waited for K to pull the tube (sometimes with J in it) back up. She was so eager! At one point, K turned away to speak to J and in that few seconds, she managed to clamber into the tube herself. I was so worried though - I kept having visions of her slipping and rolling down the slopes like a ball. There'd be no way for me to chase her down short of sliding down the snow myself.

Anyway, she loved loved loved it. And thank God, we all emerged unscathed at the end of the day.

Oh, J eventually got up the nerve to try going down on a tube by himself (they had these kiddie-sized ones) and naturally, E decided that she wanted to too. There was no way I was going to let her. Again, I had visions - this time of her flying through the air. She got SO angry, she was crying and screaming. And since she couldn't have her way, she decided that she didn't want to go tubing anymore, despite K's repeated entreaties. If not her way, then no way at all.

Sigh. Does anyone else see a strong will?

***
Postscript: When J was saying his good-night prayers tonight, he said, "Thank you, God, for not making the mountain so steep."

Grin.