More ice skating, sledding and skiing

Saturday Claire stayed home with Reed while I took the boys to ice skating lessons. The week before they spent a lot of time on the ice, falling down and getting up, and it sounded pretty frustrating. Beckett was still game for trying it again but Theo was pretty mad about having to go again. I tried cajoling but eventually settled on bribery, promising him a Winnie the Pooh movie when we got back from skating. There was still a lot of whining in the car on the way (nothing that blasting the Frozen soundtrack can't fix) but when I told him that we would get figure skates this time, and that I would try a smaller size for him (Theo is a size 9 shoe, Beckett is a size 10, but Jeff had gotten them both 10s the week before), he calmed down enough for me to put his skates and gear on. By the time he was laced up in his tan skates, he was pretty happy.

There must be some kind of muscle and brain work that happens when you try something and then take time off before trying it again, because the boys were on their feet way more than on the ice. Another mom who had seen Theo and Beckett last week commented that they were incredibly improved from last week-"they were on the ice most of the time last week!" You can tell from their faces that they were thrilled with their progress. They went up and back again and again, using slow marching motions with just a tiny bit of glide in their steps.

After the 25 minute lesson they didn't want to stop, so I let them go back out on the practice ice, where they kept right on skating. Theo even met another little girl who showed him a few cool techniques. Theo was enraptured.

Saturday night our neighbor Will texted that he and his three boys were heading out for some sledding behind the school around the block, so we trekked out for some nighttime sledding. The difference a year makes is pretty remarkable. Last year the boys needed help getting themselves up the hill, especially carrying their sleds, but this year Beckett just got right up, dropped his sled down, and in one movement, threw himself onto it and propelled himself down the hill. He got some of the longest runs of the night all by himself. Theo liked Mr. Will to push him down really fast.

Sunday Jeff encouraged me to take all three boys to Song Mountain to get Theo and Beckett another ski lesson. Of course, there's no way in hell Jeff would have taken two four year olds and a baby as well as all the snow gear to a mountain for ski lessons, but I did it ONLY because Sara and Preston came along to help. Theo and Beckett's job was to encourage Preston to participate in his lesson, and Sara was a huge help in carrying gear and herding and guiding me around the complex. Reed and I hung out at the lodge while the big boys had their lesson.