Skiing

BEST DAY EVER!!  Seriously one of my to 10!  I am so so glad we got to go.  I have wanted to take my kids skiing for years but never had the courage to do it.  It just seemed too hard and too expensive.  Last year the deacons quorum gave me the courage.  They took the deacons skiing so I got Brock and Noah all ready to go and it helped me visualize actually doing and and I realized I totally could.  It still seemed so expensive though, so we offered it to our kids as an option for a Christmas present and 3 of them took us up on it and asked for it for Christmas (Megan wanted a scooter instead).  I was still nervous and had anxiety all week, I have only skied once in the last 19 years (once in 2009).  I wasn't sure I even could let alone teach my kids.  I originally wanted to do lessons but lessons for all 4 of us would have costed over 700 dollars - whereas just lift tickets (at this ONE resort) would only cost 170.  So we watched some YouTube videos and hoped it would work out (and Noah and Brock did go last year and the leaders taught them).  Well... it worked out great!  About an hour into skiing everyone was doing great and we were all having a ball.

Here is what I wrote on Facebook:

Today was perfect. It checked so many boxes!

Doing something I love

Finding out I am still pretty good

Sharing what I love with my kids

Watching them enjoying it and being good at it

Spending one on one time on ski lifts

Having just fun with them as a group and individually

Watching the kids bond with each other, encouraging each other, and helping each other

All of us pushing ourselves, conquering fears, and trying new things

Brock and Madison became buddies and skied most of the time together because they have the same style - fast and furious. Noah and I cared more about form and style - he got good quick! This will go in my top 10 favorite days!

*to answer some questions. Megan didn't want to go and stayed home from school with Jason and the babies.

We went to Echo Mountain and it was perfect. Cheapest, closest, smallest, and we basically had the mountain to ourselves. I grew up skiing but I haven't skied since I was 17 (almost 20 years) except once in 2008. Brock and Noah went once with the Deacons in our church last year and this was Madison's first time. We didn't do lessons but watched a bunch of YouTube videos. By the second run everyone was confident and having fun.

It was so true!  This is a perfect activity because it provides so much quality one on one time - but also some great group fun time.  We encouraged each other, pushed ourselves, learned, and even got a lot of alone time up on the mountains.  I loved riding the ski lifts with the different kids. 

Noah and I became ski buddies early on.  Brock and Madison went quickly ahead and Noah and I decided we wanted to get down the hill in one  piece.  Noah became a great skier and after about 2 or 3 runs I never had to wait for him, he was right there with me.  After lunch we were all skiing together as Noah and I got a little braver and Brock and Madison slower