When we got there Jared and I strapped on our cross country skiis (mine are 40-yearsold).  We got up to the lodge and realized that Jared’s skis wouldn’t release.  So the kids and I went into the lodge and were welcomed by a long line at the kids’ ski rental.  Jared stood outside with Dale strapped to his front and skis straped to his feet.  It took 1 hour and 20 minutes to rent 2 pair of kids’ skis.  Dale was a peach the entire time.  However, about 5 minutes before we finally got the skis she lost her cool.  Jared started dealing with her while I took the kids on the small loop that we’d planned.  15 minutes later and 4 yards further from where we started I decided to change our course.  Jared skied back to the van with Dale.  The kids and I skied half way around the lodge to where the parking lot is.  That took about 1/2 hour.  We put the kids in the van I returned the skis and we drove home.  The whole trip took just under 3 hours.  In the end, Jared stood in skis for almost 2 hours and the kids and I actually skied roughly 100 yards.  At one point in that 100 yards I actually just picked up Harriet and carried her about 15 feet.

The kids had a blast.  Win said that skiing was the best thing that he’d done in his whole life.  Harriet claimed that this was the best day ever.  So it was a success.  Just not as adults tend to rate success.

This is a picture that Harriet took of her favorite snake.Camel rides for all……except Dale.
Win was super brave on the ropes course.  We proposed to the zookeeper that they up the ante and put the ropes course over the 800lb alligator exhibit.
The budgies are always a hit.

A year or so ago a friend of mine gave me a parenting book called Bringing Up Geeks.  It was a book about the dangers of popularity and childhood.  It was a really great book.  But I kind of wanted to tell her that I didn’t need that book.  My son’s favorite activity is reading, he loves Star Wars, and the other day he declared that watching football was boring.  I see a bright future for him in Odyssey of the Mind with a side of Quiz Bowl.

Here’s a peek into a standard evening in our back yard.  The other kid you see are our neighbors.  Jared is a Sith Lord named Barbara Bush.  The kids think that it’s a real name of a Sith Lord and that it’s just in a movie that they haven’t seen yet.  So it’s really funny to hear them say stuff like “Watch out Hattie! Here comes Barbara Bush.” with no irony in their voices.

Winfield is always Yoda.  Harriet is usually Princess Leia  but occasionally Padme or Mace Windu.  I find it hysterical that she’s either Carrie Fisher, Natalie Portman, or Samuel L Jackson.  Take your pick.  And Dale?  Well…she’s clearly an R2 unit.

We have the Star Wars soundtrack blasting through the stereo and out the windows of our house.

Harriet is the Clara Barton of the battlefield.  She’s usually rescuing someone.This time it was Winfield.  But bad Anakin (Josh) is about to attack from behind.