Fresh Powder

Helpin' a sister out

Just when the weather really had us down, it gave us a reason to smile.  When Birdie went down for her nap, Ted and Joe headed off to the Metrodome for TwinsFest.  Julie headed upstairs and about two hours later, when she went back downstairs, she was surprised to see a steady, heavy, and beautiful snow falling.  She texted Ted to let him know, and he texted back that he'd promised Joe sledding.  Sledding!  Whee!  By the time the Boys were home, Birdie was up and both Birds were suited up and ready.

We drove over to the sledding hill near the neighborhood park and quickly figured out that Ted is a little too heavy to go far or fast.  Also, Clara is too little to go by herself on the pink sled Santa brought her.  So by the time we'd made a few runs, we'd settled into Clara riding solo in the little red sled, Joe riding solo in the silver sled, Julie riding--solo--in the pink, and Ted coasting down about half way on the snowboard, at which point he'd get up and haul Clara back up.  There were, of course, some moments of consternation.  We were, after all, still sledding with a toddler and a pre-schooler.  The bummer of sledding, of course, is walking back up the hill with the sled.  But most moments of consternation revolved around counting off ready-set-go in just the right way.  When you are four, there is really only one way.  When you are two, you know, maybe it also goes ready-set!  And maybe you go on the set.  Maybe you also count up for your countdown, like "Three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, twelve, thirteen."  And then you go.  Really.  What's a four-year-old boy with very exacting sensibilities to do?

Still, there was plenty of fun.  You can catch some of it here, and here.