I have been wanting to take Kade skiing this whole winter and we finally picked a weekend when we could go to the cabin since the little ski resort is close by there. We were all planning for the big day to come next Friday. And then last week it started to get warmer and this weekend even warmer. The weather channel was saying by the middle of next week it will be in 60s which would never work for skiing since it's not up high in the mountains. As I was seeing yet another winter pass and not be able to go skiing a thought occurred to me - "Ehren, we have to go skiing this weekend, like tomorrow (Sunday) because it may be our last chance until next winter." I am the one who absolutely hates missing church on Sundays and if there is not a big enough reason for not going, I just can't do it. So I was a bit hesitant but then I thought how our whole family really needed a time out together and it was such a great bonding time for me and Kade.
It didn't start out that great which I knew it wouldn't. It was Kade's very first time on skis and they were pretty heavy skis too so he had a bit of a hard time controlling them but for his first time I have to say he did great. We started with the bunny hill which has a rope that you have to grab that pulls you up to the top. It took Kade a few times of tumbling down because when you first grab the rope it really pulls you hard and you have to hold on for dear life, if you're a child or a middle eastern adult who just couldn't quite get the hang of it either. But pretty soon Kade got it and was cruising down the hill like nothing. Soon the bunny hill seemed boring and mainly because it was such a beautiful and warm day that it made the snow sticky and therefore very slow for skiing. So I took Kade on the ski lift. We had a couple of hick-ups there too but he did great. First, when we got on the lift his ski got stuck in something and came off so they had to stop the lift and hand us the ski while we were up in the air so I was holding 4 poles and a ski when we had to jump off. We had a couple of tumbles down when getting off the chair lift too, one time Kade couldn't slide off fast enough until he had to jump off when the seat was up high, with his legs and skis falling all over the place. Luckily he didn't get hurt and we were soon going down the "big" hill. I wish I took a video on that hill, that would have been better than the bunny hill. Since the snow was slowing us way down though it was the perfect time for Kade to practice and not be scared of the speed. He has a lot to work on and he didn't quite get how to lift one of the legs for turning or stopping, but for one day he did great and I was so proud of him. Mostly, I was thankful for the bonding time I had with Kade and what a great activity to do with a child. I always loved skiing with my family even though I never became a really great skier. I love the sport because it doesn't matter how bad or how good you are, you can enjoy it fully at your own level. Or even going really slow with your son because he needs you. It sure gives me a lot of respect for my parents who took us skiing a lot when we were just learning. Mom was always there on the bottom of the slopes, cheering us on and wiping our noses from all the crying or serving us hot tea and sandwiches. :) Those are such awesome memories for me and mean so much more than words could describe. I only hope we can do that for our kids and they will feel that way looking back at their childhood.
Ehren was so great being our chauffeur for the day. It would not have been his way of spending the day, but he didn't complain one bit and did it very cheerfully. He took Kason and Anika to a nearby town while we skied and did some shopping there, had lunch and then they came to watch Kade in the end. Ani and Kason were excited to see Kade on skis and I was surprised how much Anika loved it and she started saying right away that next time she wants to go skiing too. So we might do that next winter, even though I think we may have to be on the bunny hill most of the day, but that's ok. I found out there is another ski resort not too far from us the other direction so we may check that one out too. I would love it if our kids really enjoyed it and make it one of our fun family traditions. It's not something we can do a lot since it costs so much, but I think if you do it once in a while you appreciate it all the more and you look forward to it so much more because it is a big privilege to be able to do that.
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| trying to go fast on the bunny hill but the snow was too slow :) |
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| finishing up our skiing |
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| got a little sun too :) |
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