Christmas Firsts

My sisters and nieces and nephews made this hill in the backyard that turned out to be a really awesome sledding hill.  I had my first experience snowboarding.  I consider it lucky that I didn't fall.  Maybe someday I'll get to do the real thing. 

 Audrey got to go sledding for the first time.  She was so happy.  She wanted to go over and over and over again until her little fingers couldn't take the cold anymore.  She also really enjoyed tromping around in the snow with her boots.  It's really the first time she's been able to run around in it.  Last year we didn't get to see very much.  She loved the sound it would make and the feeling of it under her boots.  Her older cousins were a little more adventurous taking the snow shovel as a sled down the hill.  

Earlier that day we got to go ice skating.  I love ice skating, but it's been years since I set foot onto a rink.  I got out there and thought I would never get the hang of it again.  Finally after a few times around I got used to it.  Audrey was struggling.  In no way was this what she had practiced at home on the tile in her socks.  I could tell that this was not what she imagined when she thought about dancing like a princess on the ice like she'd told me a thousand times before.  After a couple times around holding hands with me a Aunt Tamara she was ready to try using the kids skating aid.  She got pretty good at that after a couple more times around and before I knew it she was going around by herself without me behind her.  She kept yelling to me, "This is so much fun!".  It was only after her feet started to hurt that she wanted to get off and I got to go around a few times on my own.  I loved it!  I think it will become a yearly tradition for us.

A few more "first time" things happened this year.  We had a ladies night for the women on Paul's side of the family.  I thoroughly enjoyed painting nails and watching Leap Year with my sisters-in-law.  Again, another tradition worth adopting.  

Audrey also got to make her first snow man this year.  She was so excited about it and kept asking me if he was going to come to life.   She was a little disappointed when he disappeared when she was gone and became a sledding hill, but we told her he melted.  Somehow it was a little easier to take than someone burying him with snow.