There is a song that was popular when I was in high school that has the line, "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone." Never was this more true than when we moved to Nebraska and left behind, "the greatest snow on earth" that had been in our backyard our entire life. Since moving back we have made it a goal to take advantage of living next to the mountains that we missed so much and to go skiing more as a family.
At the end of December Scott and I snuck off for a date night of skiing/snowboarding with Steve and Jenna while they were in town. This is something we have always talked about doing with them, but between pregnancies and babies Jenna and I have never been able to go at the same time. Because of scheduling child care and because it was cheaper we ended up night skiing at Brighton. Besides it being quite a bit colder, I actually really love night skiing. I have said it before, but skiing with Scott is one of my favorite dates. We get the fun and excitement of skiing down the mountain and then we get to enjoy sitting on the lift together talking and enjoying each other's company. Every time we are on the lift together I am reminded of the story of Scott's first time on the tow rope when he was learning how to ski as an adult. He fell and struggled to get up as he was dragging behind the tow rope instead of just letting go. It makes me laugh so hard I cry every time I think about it.
This ski trip, however, the joke was on me. It is pretty pathetic how out of shape I am and how weak my legs are. It made for a lot more falls and my leg wore out super fast. Jenna and I ended up calling it a night early and enjoying hot chocolate in the lodge while the boys did a few more runs.
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| Steve, Jenna, Brian, Justin, Rachel, and Scott |
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| Proof that I might be getting too old to snowboard |
Mason was in a higher level that got to go around on the big mountain where he learned several tips and tricks to help him take the next step in his skiing. After his lesson was over he was a total skiing machine and wanted to keep going. He continued to ski for the next 2 1/2 hours on his own, checking in with us at the bottom of each run. It is so great to see him so confident and independent.
I underestimated Brynn's skiing ability and put her in too low of a level, but she still had fun and her confidence grew a ton. After her lesson was over she wanted to keep going so Mason came over to the easier lift and the two of them did 4 or 5 runs together.
Miles first time on skis was a huge success. He did so great in his lesson and was so excited to be "skiing down the mountain." He gave it his all and after his lesson was over he crashed asleep in my arms. I wish I could have joined him for a nap since I had been awake for over 24 hrs having worked a night shift the night before and then leaving for skiing as soon as I got home, but we just snuggled in the ski lodge where I had the perfect view to watch the big kids skiing on the small lift right outside the window.
It was such a great day. It was fun watching each of the kids make so much progress. I definitely see a lot of family ski outings in our future.
