Progress Report

Another amazing weekend in Tahoe with our big man. It is so much fun to watch him progress and, as with all things this age, it happens so fast it's like watching time-lapse photography. He jumped in on Saturday morning and, after a few turns, picked up right where he left off a few weeks ago. His turns are considerably sharper and the difference in his competency between our last trip and this one is like night and day.

Although he definitely OD'd on mac-n-cheese (dinner Friday night, lunch Saturday and almost dinner Saturday as well), the first clip below is not a side effect. He's working on getting comfortable unweighting his uphill ski. "Pizza" in the turns and "french fries" while traversing. I have no doubt that, assuming we keep up the frequent trips, he'll be parallel skiing in no time.

He also became quite fascinated (as we all did) with the boy in the blue helmet (participant #1 in the second clip below--Max is #2). (Again, my apologies for the horrible camera shake. You may want to pop some Dramamine before viewing.) The little dude couldn't have been any older than 7 and was pulling consistent 360's. Max was hooked on the terrain park after discovering it Saturday afternoon and this only served to solidify his commitment to discovering air.

Our buddy Josh stopped by to see how things were going and, after a few more runs with him, we finally convinced Max to head back up the big mountain. I was so impressed with him as the conditions were absolutely terrible and he handled it like a champ. The "run" we took him on amounted to a semi-narrow catwalk that was practically sheer ice (we're talking kids on skates in Central Park ice). It wasn't that short and was steeper in places than what he's accustomed to skiing. I was out in front the entire way down, ready to catch him when he lost control and started sliding for the edge (which I was certain was going to occur). Not only did he totally remain in control, he didn't panic once. I stopped a few times to ask him how he was doing and he told me to get out of his way.

The last clip pretty much sums it up. He's wants to do everything on his own (put his boots on, ride the lift, etc...). I've got a sneakin' suspicion that I had better enjoy skiing with him while I can. Hitting the slopes with dad will surely be too pedestrian in the not too near distant future.

Our Holiday weekend so far has been great. Yesterday, we rode our bikes over to Rosegarden Park where we met up with Leo and Lily, Brenda and Lars. Charles and his Dad showed up as well. We spent hours there, hanging out in the sunshine. The kids had such a great time riding bikes, kicking the soccer ball and running around. Brenda and Lars invited Max and Charles over for dinner and a sleepover. We didn't know if Max would go for it, but he accepted the invitation and had so much fun at his first sleepover! This morning, Lars made the boys pancakes for breakfast and Max ate no less than five of them! When Brent and Max went to church, Finn and I made a Costco run and bought EVERYTHING we needed and more. I decided to get some food prepared and made a batch of meatballs, a large Shepherd's Pie and prepared hamburger patties for Brent to grill tomorrow. The boys played out back in the yard where Max hit a few mean baseballs. We took a family bike ride over to the University. Todd came over to visit and them boys were so excited to see him. Best part about today being Sunday is the tomorrow is a Holiday and we have one more day to spend together as a family.

Kindergarten

Well, yesterday was the day. We received a letter from St. Martin's to let us know if Max got into Kindergarten there or not...and he did! We are so happy and so relieved! All the pressure and anxiety is gone. Whew!

Crash Trip to Squaw

Sorry for the wicked camera shake! May want to lower the volume a little as well (skis on snow are a little loud). Time to get Finn sliding. Then, it's condo shopping in the Sierras...

Solo on lift. (Sorry, honey...he's a little faster and a little less patient than I expected...)



Throwing down some arcs for our buddy Josh.



Through the gates.

Hike in Castle Rock area in early January. We had a picknick and enjoyed the fabulous views.

As soon as we were back from holiday break, Brent gave Finn his first hair cut. It really was needed. He could barely see, poor baby. About a week later, Brent took Finn to see Dara, our stylist. She needed to give it a once-over. She didn't give Brent too much grief about his hair cutting abilities..

Right before leaving for Dallas for the Holidays, we visited the Zoo in San Fransisco. As always, we had a great time and bought yet another year-long membership. It is worth it. You can't really ever see the gorillas, giraffes and tigers enough. And, feeding the goats sure is fun. Finn wearing Brent's aviators..

Finn eats on his own and becomes quite upset if you try to help him. Some days he does better than others.

Max bought this puzzle with his own money, earned for being a good helper at home. Super cool puzzle I might add. Of course, he didn't have any trouble laying it.

Brent and Max went skiing this weekend. They left Friday afternoon for Tahoe and are due back this evening. Finn asked about Max as soon as he woke up yesterday morning. He puts his little hands up and asks; "Max"? But Finn and I had a great weekend together, just the two of us. Yesterday, we strolled over to Starbucks. The rain was hanging in the air but it felt refreshing. After the morning nap and after lunch, we drove to Los Gatos and played at Bachman Park for a while, followed by a snack at my favorite cafe; The Purple Onion. While Finn slept in the afternoon, I tried to catch up on my photo album projects. I am so far behind..but hope to catch up at some point. Today, I covered the nursery at church. There were no other kids today, just Finn. He had fun playing with "new" toys for an hour and I let him have almost a whole donut afterwards..no more sugar for him today! He fell asleep immediately as we drove off and is now asleep in his bed. The weather is amazing; 70's and sunny. I have the doors open, enjoying the sunshine. I miss the rest of my little family and can't wait until they get back hom this evening. I want to hear all about Max's skiing experience.