When Dad Came Back

Hey, y'all -

So...to rewind a minute:

Your dad came home a little before Christmas, and it was obvious we were all very excited.

We've gotten a ton of snow this winter and had already been enjoying some outdoor activities, but when your dad came back to town, things escalated. Like that time I ran into the mall to pick up my new eyeglasses and came back outside to discover you cross country skiing in the parking lot. Total dad move.

Grandma Sue offered to pick you both up from school one day so your dad and I could sneak over to the Idaho border to ski. It was one of those days when conditions were SO cold and SO windy and SO sleet-y, all we could do was laugh at the absurdity of it. Your dad and I were on the ski lift together and started giggling... "Can you imagine the sales pitch from the person who first thought of this?" I asked. "Here's how it's going to work: We're going to plop your butt in a chair, and dangle it above a mountain with no safety rail, and it's not just going to be cold - it's going to be stupid cold. And it might sleet and will probably feel like someone's hurling Pop Rocks at your face. And then, you'll need to jump off before you get clobbered from behind by the seat. And after all that, you get to launch your body - on purpose! - down a mountain while your feet are attached to sticks! ...And that'll be $40 per person with a military discount."

Skiing is all about leg power, and I was reminded fairly early in the day that I am now a forty year old person. I told your dad that most of the day, I had an internal battle going that sounded like this:

My Thighs: I CAN'T!
My Brain: YOU MUST!

If you look at my face here, you can see that my neck and forehead are white, because they were covered and my face is pink from being pummeled by snow. This is your dad's idea of fun, fun, fun.

And then there was the sledding. We did SO MUCH sledding with our friends:

Laney and your dad had oodles of fun and had to be talked into 1) wearing a coat and 2) going home. Hagen was hit and miss; sometimes, he was up for the adventure, and sometimes, he'd go on strike, and we'd find him burrowed in the back of the Subaru with the chips and ham. Or hiding in his teacher's truck with his buddy Dylan, eating pretzels and watching cartoons on my phone. 

Sledding highlights:

I could listen to your dad laugh like that all day long. 

Love,

Mom