The boys first time on skis!
With the end of winter near, we decided to join my brother in the mountains for a ski trip to celebrate his 40th birthday. The boys had never been on skis and the last time I had was in high school, like 20 years ago! And to be honest, that was a traumatic experience so I was happy to never go skiing again. But my brother and husband, Kris, insisted it was good to 'teach them young'. Never wanting my fear to hold my boys back, I agreed to go, still unsure of if I'd personally hit the slopes. Either way, it was an excuse to buy a cute new outfit to look the part!
We rented a house right outside of the Wintergreen resort and brought the dogs to round out the madness. Day one the weather decided not to cooperate, dishing up freezing rain and high winds made it a rough start to the trip. From the moment we stepped out of the car, every surface was a sheet of ice. Somehow we made it from the car down the slippery paths that lead us to the ski rental building. While Kris fitted the boys equipment, I stared out the door watching the sideways freezing rain, praying we would call it and try again the following day. After a handful of meltdowns (the kids, not me -- yet), we decided we did not want the boys first time on the mountain to be under those conditions, so we packed our gear and headed home to warm up.
The next day was beautiful, even I had to admit, a perfect day for skiing. So we pilled in the car and made our way back for round two. My brother and Kris took charge of getting the boys comfortable on skis as I stood paralyzed by fear, still debating if I was going to actually go down the mountain with them. It was not until I heard Grants' response to my fear, that I decided I had no choice but to suck it up and do it. He said, 'Mama -- if you don't know how to ski, you're not magic anymore'. Ever since he was little, I have always told him I have 'mommy magic' and I can do anything and so can he. So, down the slopes I went.
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Falling a few times was well worth it to see how much fun my boys had and how fearless they were trying something new. Grant rode in between my brothers skis, holding onto a pole and Nathan did the same with Kris. At the bottom of each run, they both eagerly asked to go again.
Nap time for Nathan rolled around, but he seemed to be rallying, until he fell asleep on the short bunny slopes lift ride. I had turned around to wave at him and noticed him slumped over. Thankfully Kris had a good handle on him and picked up his limp body to exit the lift. So I called it quits for the two of us while the others took a few more runs.
His little body was exhausted and he went into a full on 30 minute meltdown - kicking and screaming as I carried him down the mountain to the car. Super cool. And of course, he fell asleep on the two min ride home, so I got to hangout in the car in the driveway while he slept off the devil inside him.
So like any family vacation with young kids, there were some bumps along the road but we made memories and the boys got to try something new they enjoyed. My brother has already started talking about an annual family ski trip; so it sounds like this mama is going to have to keep working her magic, or maybe I will just plan on sitting in the lodge drinking hot toddies next time!
Quick Takeaways:
Get well-made snow gear for the kids (and of course yourself). Even if they will grow out of it in a season, being comfortable on the mountain is critical. It reduces the potential for whining.
That's all the tips I have because clearly I am NOT the authority on this topic!
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