Jacob and Ali ready to go!!!
Well, we did it! We went skiing and came home in one piece! I have not skied in 15 years, and I was quite anxious about the day, to say the least. I had to borrow equipment and clothes, and I don't really like doing all that either. Anyway, I was glad we did it at the beginning of our trip so I only had to be anxious for three days!
It did take quite a while to get all of us out the door...Jen and her four, Mom, Kjirstin, Jacob, and me (after getting Mattie settled with a sitter). We got out with everything but Jacob's boots...so back we came. Second try, we got there successfully! After getting 8 kids pottied and all bundled up, then the 5 adults pottied and bundled up, we managed to make it out to the slope!
We thought it would be fun to teach Jacob to ski...Jen's 4 and Marcy's 3 kids were all skiing by his age. And Jacob wanted to learn. So, Jen took on the chore. Well...we'll just say it wasn't quite as easy as teaching him to ride a bike! For the first 45 minutes, he kicked and screamed and cried. Poor Jen! I offered for her to feel free to give up, but she assured me that most kids started this way. (And it made sense...Jacob does NOT like to be unsuccessful at anything!!) So, fighting the urge to take him in and, um, discipline him, I let her keep fighting. And he did at least stop kicking and screaming when he was told we'd have chocolate ice cream after diner if he'd ski some by himself.
After ten runs up and down the bunny slope, he was getting it (though he didn't know it at all!), we decided we'd all head up to the top of the big hill. It's no harder, just a lot longer. Well, by the end of that run, he had stopped kicking and screaming, though he was certainly not happy about the situation. And Jen was still earning many jewels in her crown!
We decided it was lunchtime. Jacob wanted to quit, but I wanted him to try one more run now that he'd had some food and was quite a bit happier. I let him choose the bunny slope or the big hill, and he chose the big one! Lunch had created a whole new attitude in him! By the end of that run, he was skiing for 20 or 30 feet by himself (tethered to Jen so we didn't lose him!) and loving it!! He was actually asking to go on a huge jump! We let him quit after that, but I'm so glad we stuck it out and pushed him until he was successful. He was so proud of himself!
He did it!!!
Meanwhile, Mom, Kjirstin and I were all acclimating ourselves to the slopes after a long separation! Mom did great! We all took a few runs down the bunny slope just to remember how it all worked, but managed to take several runs down the big hill with no face plants! I actually did way better than I anticipated, and really had a great time! I could have done 15 more runs, but had to leave to go home for Mattie.
Look at Ali go!!!
We all woke up the next morning with some reminders of muscle groups long forgotten, but it was good for us all. All of that anxiety for nothing!! I'd love to try to go once a year. Maybe I'll even head down to Ober Gatlinburg with Jacob next season!
All the girls enjoying a lunch break.
1 comment:
Looks like you all had a lot of fun! Yay for Jacob! He did a lot better than I did at my one attempt at skiing. I fell face first and got the wind knocked out of me on my first trip down the bunny slope, started crying, and walked the rest of the way down. And I was umm, 13 or 14. Yeah! I'm a big baby. I also identify with the wanting to do it right the first time and just forget it if I can't. Anyway, way to persevere!
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