ski day

The kids had a day off school last week (end of term), so we decided to take them skiing. We discovered a resort that is ridiculously close to us and really quite nice with new facilities. The day was sunny and warm without wind and plenty of fresh air too. The only thing that wasn't perfect was the lack of fresh powder. We took up a few local learn-to-ski offers and had a fun half day on the slopes. This is Jacob -- his first time ever on skis!!Here he is skiing with his instructor. He basically had a private ski lesson even though it was technically called a "group lesson". Ski lessons for the kids are worth every penny!!

Ryan was anxious to tryout snowboarding. He had a group lesson and really did quite well. In fact, he really likes it -- we've probably created a monster. I'm thinking a helmet is going to be a necessity in the near skiing future.

Mark also took advantage of the learn-to-ski deal and tried snowboarding with Ryan. He didn't love it and that was disappointing because it looks so fun. He managed to make it through the afternoon without any broken bones, but had plenty of bruises and sore muscles. The pain has worn off through the week and he's decided that he needs to give it another shot. Sometime.

This is Jared taking a break. Jared and I skiied together for the afternoon and had a fun time together. We all enjoyed breathing fresh air and soaking in the sunshine -- it has been so awful polluted in the valleys lately thanks to the inversion.