A family that plays together, stays together :)

Before I jump into how much "fun" we had skiing yesterday with our little guys, let's just first say it's a good thing Eric and I love to ski so much! By the time we loaded the car with all the gear, got the kids dressed, fed, pottied/changed, and out the door, it was a half hour later than we had planned. But oh no, that's not the toughest part, that's only the beginning. Once we got there, the REAL fiasco started. Socks on, check. Bibs on, check. Fleeces and coats on, check. Gloves, check. Hats, check. Goggles, check. Boots on, check. Boots adjusted 3 times because they're too tight, check. Change a fresh poopy diaper after putting 3 layers on the baby, check. Finding a spot for Austin to pee because he couldn't wait to get to the lodge, and then disrobing coat, fleece, bibs, check. Oh, wait, what about us (mom and dad)? Got to get our ski gear on too all the while trying to keep Austin from taking off and keeping Carson happy (he really didn't like the fact that he had so many layers on)! Check, check. Put Carson in a backpack and onto Eric's back, check. Whoa, we're already tired here and we haven't even left the car yet! Blow noses, get last minute drinks, and get Carson's blankie, check. Walk all the way from the back of the parking lot to the ski resort without any falls on the ice, check. And let's not forget, besides carrying Carson and holding Austin's hand (as he's trying to get used to walking in uncomfortable boots), there's 3 pairs of skiis, 2 prs of poles, and an extra backpack to tow. Are we there yet? We're already breaking a sweat!

The process of gearing up the kids-holy moly! Carson had so many layers on, he couldn't move!

Ok, so now you see the fiasco it is to ski with little ones. Again, it's a good thing we LOVE to ski, otherwise, we wouldn't have made it out of that parking lot and just bagged it! Luckily, Carson fell asleep in the backpack in the parking lot, so he was out for the count for a good 30 min. By the time we got to the magic carpet on the bunny hill, Austin was excited to practice his "pizza" and "french fries" we had practiced the day before on the carpet of our living room! And let me tell you, he did great for a 3 1/2 yr old (believe me, I used to be a ski instructor)! Of course, there's the whole balance issue or fall occasionally, but he totally got the hang of stopping and slowing down all on his own! I even got this little harness thing (I don't know how we did without it now!) and he loved going in front of me while I held onto the straps behind him. It was quite fun, and even though the fun only lasted a couple of hours, it was still worth it. Especially since Austin zonked out the minute we got in the car and stayed asleep the entire ride home! Carson was a champ, of course, didn't make a peep and loved watching all the people ski! As much work as it is, we'll definitley go as often as we can and when our kids get old enough to ski anywhere, that's when the real fun begins!