December 30, 2011

Outside Temp: 36 F (it felt a LOT colder on the mountain)

What I cooked today:
Really Bad Oatmeal: I was trying to make something warm and cozy to fill everyone's tummy before we headed up to the mountain for skiing.  I may have put in too much brown sugar.  Or maybe I just don't like oatmeal.  But I could barely eat it.  Poor Connor ate his entire bowl, then complained about his tummy hurting for the next hour.  Bad mom moment.

Update:

Happy Birthday to Patrick's Mom! 

Since I was sick on Wednesday (and Katie was sick on Tuesday) and yesterday was actually Thursday, although I was pretty sure it was Wednesday, that would make today Friday, instead of Thursday, and it somehow became the 30th, instead of the 28th.  Needless to say, I totally forgot about Patrick's mom's birthday, since in my mind it was at least a day or two away, until Grandpa not to subtly told me it was her birthday.  Really bad daughter-in-law moment.  I blamed it on the illness. 

We did make it up to the mountain today for skiing.  Woo Hoo!  After my flop of a breakfast, I was pretty sure that going skiing was a bad idea, but we went anyway.  Fortunately, by the time we got to the mountain, everyone's tummys were pretty much recovered and we were on our way!




The drive up to the mountain was really pretty



We got to the mountain by 11ish and the kids all took off.  Grandpa and Allen headed up to the black slopes while Katie and Connor practiced on the kids area for a little bit, just to make sure they were ready.  I worked with Ryan (and totally forgot to take any pictures of him) for about an hour before he started complaining about his boots.  We got the boots a few weeks ago, but this is the first time Ryan has been up.  His boots are too small and they were hurting his feet.  So, we're heading into Great Falls tomorrow to see if we can swap them out for the bigger size. 

As soon as Patrick got his skis, he took Connor up and Grandpa took Katie... Allen just ran off on his own.  He is 13 now, so I guess that's okay.  I went back into the lodge with Ryan and Grandma and she was kind enough to attempt to keep him occupied.  I (of course) forgot to bring anything that would entertain him (such as maybe a book?) so that's something to remember next time. 

Katie and Connor did great on the regular green runs and they didn't fall at all!  Katie was getting a little hungry, so she headed into the lodge.  Connor kept skiing with Grandpa and Patrick, but he was getting a little frustrated at being told how to ski (by 2 different people, with 2 different ideas).  So, after a few minutes of rest, we sent him back up the mountain, by himself! 

I was beyond not ready for this!  But Connor seemed okay with the idea.  So, I told him he could go, and he scooted over to the lift, and hopped on, all by himself.  It seemed like forever until he was in my sights.  Grandpa ended up running into him about half way down the mountain, and skied with him for the bottom half.  But he did great!  He got off the lift and headed down the hill, and skied like he'd been doing this all his life.  He even fell once and managed to get himself back up and going without any help!  My little boy is not a little boy anymore. 

Patrick was having a hard time with his boots (rentals just do not fit his irregular feet), so he wanted to quit around 2ish.  Since I'd been hanging in the lodge with Ryan and Katie, I made the decision to try something.  I borrowed his boots and skis and polls.  The boots were a little too big (at the toe) and a little too small (at the calf), but they worked.  The skis were a little too long, but they worked.  And I made myself attempt the kids bunny slope. 

Oh my goodness, I haven't been that freaked out in years.  Some of you may know, but I have a really bad knee.  The kneecap pops out of the socket, (similar to a dislocated shoulder I think), which hurts like... well... it really hurts.  When I twist it the wrong way, or I simply bump it, it can pop and I'll be on the floor whimpering like a little girl for about 10 minutes.  After that, I can usually get it popped back into place and then I can hobble for a few hours.  Needless to say, I haven't skied in years.  I did try rollerblading with the kids about 3 years ago, and I fell with Katie and popped my knee.  It took about a month (and doctors visits and physical therapy) before it didn't hurt anymore.  So, skiing has been kind of out of the question.

But I really, really wanted to go skiing!  I used to ski pretty well when I was a kid.  Granted that was about 20 years and a few pounds ago, but I still remember that I loved it.  So, I braced myself and tried to ski. 

I didn't fall.  I didn't even think about falling.  The bunny slope is only about 50 yards and only about 4 cones to practice back and forth.  I managed to go down, get back on the 'magic carpet' and go down again.  After about 30 minutes, I started trying the cones and could get through most of them with no problem.  Then, I practiced going fast, then slow. I practiced controlling my speed (always my vice) and simply staying in control.  All in all, I was up on those skis for about an hour.  I didn't pop my knee.  I could feel the pressure on my knee, simply telling me that I was using a muscle that I have babied for years, but it didn't really hurt. 

Who knows, maybe in a few more weeks, I might get my own skis and head up to the green slopes with my kids! 

The only problem with the trip today was that it was snowing.  Or maybe I should call it raining.  It was hovering around 30 degrees, so as soon as the snow landed, it started to melt.  By the time we all quit, all of our clothes were drenched.  Our gloves were drenched.  Our hats were drenched.  Our scarves were drenched.  Even our socks were drenched.  It wasn't even that cold, but when you're wet, it felt colder than I've felt since we've been here!   It would have actually been better if it was colder, since then the snow wouldn't have melted.  But no complaints.  By the time we got home, I took a hot shower and bundled in my jammies and now, I feel just fine. Perhaps a little tired and a little sore from using muscles I don't usually use, but just fine.