{flying with the greatest of ease}

I was spontaneous yesterday.  

It doesn't happen as often as it maybe should, but everyone had the best time, and it taught me that sometimes those quick, spur-of-the-moment decisions can make some of the best memories.  

I think we were dying to do something snow-related, since we have very little snow (including NONE on Christmas) and really haven't been able to get outside and do something fun in the snow this whole week.  We were looking forward to sledding, tobogganing, and wanted to take all the kids cross country skiing, but no such luck.  I feel like we're on the clock, because Rick will start his busy season next week, and then our weekend will be fairly non-existent until March.  With him home the last couple of weeks, it was the perfect time to enjoy these things, so that's probably why I jumped at the chance to go yesterday--we all did.

We headed out to a place that has tubing runs--they hook your tubes to a pulley and it pulls you up the hill, then you slide down.  Repeat.  Over and over and over!  The boys were tall enough to go, so Rick and I each sat in a double tube with one of them, and the other three had their own tubes.  When you you were ready to go down though, you could hook your tube together by holding on to the handles on the outside, so up to four of us could go at the same time.  It was perfect. 

Kate is my little daredevil.  She will do anything.  Nothing scares her when it comes to things that are high and fast.  She was so excited to go down the hill the first time, she could hardly stand it.  She went up by herself, and down by herself--and couldn't wait to do it again.  I was a few people back in line, and Emma was clutching my hand.  She was really nervous to go, but so wanted to do it, and I promised her that I would hold on to her tube the whole time.  She saw Kate start to go down, and she turned to me and said "Kate is so brave."  I turned to her and I told her that SHE was the brave one.  Courage isn't doing something that you're not afraid to do---courage is facing your fears, trying something new, and doing something that you may be a little scared of. She looked up at me, threw her arms around my waist, and thanked me in her sweet little voice.  We got to the front of the line, and I saw her start to hesitate--I told her again I would be right there, and that I knew she could do it, and she climbed in her tube.  I grabbed a hold of her tube's handle, and down we went.  Her face was frozen at first, but within seconds she was grinning ear to ear. We got to the bottom, and she was ready to do it again.  And that she did, the whole time we were there. I'm so, so proud of my girl.  She was the bravest of all.

To say Henry loved it is putting it mildly.  I sat in a double tube with him, and I was laughing out loud the entire time we were there.  Even going up the pulley had him so excited he could hardly stand it, and he would yell out "go, go" the whole time.  He did not like to stand in line--he was ready to get down that hill again.  On the way down, he was grinning ear-to-ear, and laughed and laughed.  Several times we were hooked to Ryan and Kate, and the guy at the top spun us when he pushed us down, and Henry was in heaven.  I LOVED being a part of that.  Jack rode with Rick except for the last time down the hill, when we traded tubes.  It was really fun to go with Jack too, and while he wasn't quite as jubilant, he smiled and laughed and said "wheeeeeeee" all the way down. 

Every single one of us thoroughly enjoyed the time we were there.  It was most definitely one of our favorite family activities, and can't wait to go back again!

.....

{Waiting in line to pay and checking out the hill}

{Kate, on the way up!}

 {Ryan, on the way down}

 {Waiting in line for the next run--Ryan, Kate, Henry and I, then Rick, Jack and Emma}

 {Rick and Jack}

 {My brave girl, Miss Emma Caroline}

 {Kate, Miss Daredevil herself}

 {Kate and Ryan on the way down---Henry and I are hooked to them.  Let's just say I did my best to hold on to Kate's tube, to the camera, and take a picture at the same time we're flying down the hill...}

 {My Henry B., Mr. Perma-grin on the way up the hill}

{and Henry on the way down...his grin hasn't moved}

 {Jack Jack, on the way up the hill--our only ride together}

{the girls}

 {Ryan, sharing his music with Henry, who loves it!}

 {over and out}

Happy Winter!