Feb 5 & 6: Sledding!

Sometimes I forget how fun winter can be.

I gave Adam a sled for Christmas 2009 because he'd always loved sledding as a kid, but also as a way for us to get outside in the cold and have fun and exercise together as a family. So on a February Saturday, with a few inches of snow on the ground, we took the sled to a nearby park. It takes so long to get coats, hats, mittens, boots and snow pants on two kids, but it's always worth it once we get out there.

Isaac and Adam took the first run down the park's bigger hill. Isaac seemed a little afraid but he liked it.

Jonah had never been sledding before. After Adam took him down, our constantly-moving toddler sat perfectly still, not making a sound. I bent down to look at him, and his eyes were glazed over. Was he okay? Maybe he was too young for this, at 16 months...



We moved to the little hill, where Isaac was more comfortable. Jonah recovered after a while, and he walked around and looked at the snow while Adam took Isaac up and down on the sled. Our little guy insisted that he didn't want to try again ("Do you want to go sledding again?" "No!"), but I was sure he'd like the little hill. So finally, I put him on the sled in front of me without asking, and we zoomed down together. It was fast but short. At the bottom, he was totally still again.

I asked, "Did you have fun? Do you want to do it again?"




Suddenly, Jonah started clapping his hands together (want sign) and saying "More! More!"

We did it again and again, taking turns with Isaac. Each time, Jonah clapped his hands and yelled for more, and Isaac said "Do it aGAIN!"





Eventually, Jonah got mad when it was Isaac's turn. He started yelling "No no no!" and then, as Isaac hopped on the sled with Adam, "Turn, turn!"



The next day was Sunday, and we woke up to several inches of fresh snow on the ground. While the snow had been patchy in spots the day before, we knew it would be perfect that morning. It was gorgeous outside - the snow was wet and sticky, and it had turned all the trees to glittering white. So we went back to the park for more sledding.





We had turned Jonah's carseat around the night before, realizing that his legs were just getting too cramped. Look how far his feet hang over the edge - he must have been getting pretty uncomfortable!


Adam and Isaac took a run on the big hill, and then we switched to the toddler hill.


Poor Jonah could hardly move in all his winter clothes - but he was warm.










Isaac was ready to go!


And Jonah needed a minute, but he rediscovered the fun of snow when Adam started swinging him.


And he loved sledding just as much as the day before.






As did Isaac.








The park turned into a Sunday morning party, as more and more families showed up.


There was laughter and squealing and shouts of encouragement, and we even saw two families from our playgroup and traded sleds for a few runs. Isaac even went down alone a few times in Mylan's bucket sled.








I was struck by how comfortable we all seemed, out playing in the snow. It was a scene from someone else's childhood, certainly not mine - but I guess winter will be much more normal for my boys than it was for me. We had fun in the snow in Charlotte, but it didn't come very often, and the cold didn't last too long - mostly, you just stay inside more until it warms up. It was fun, watching all these families out together, to discover that snow makes the whole world a playground. And if you're dressed for it, it's not that cold!