Alpine Adventure

Last Tuesday our Alpine Adventure began before daybreak as we piled into the van at around 6am. Daddy courageously wanted to give all the kiddos the opportunity to ski with the homeschool group before the season was over. There's just one problem: M is the only one in our family who can take the littles down the slopes. I'm a beginner myself and of no help to an unsteady skier. We were quite a sight as we filed in to the equipment area and awaited fittings for helmets, ski boots, and skis. The friendly staff took pity on us and actually helped to fit the little ones with their boots and helmets...they didn't just hand off the equipment but came over to the seating area and made adjustments as needed. Since there was almost no other activity in the area, we were at a definite advantage and we were very grateful for their gracious assistance!! After the drama of getting everyone all geared up ( the big boys, thankfully took care of themselves!), we ventured outside where it had just begun to snow. Walking in ski boots was a new experience for Mercy and Odesco(L had done it a few years ago but was equally awkward!) and as you can imagine walking up a slippery hill with skis in their arms was a bit of a challenge. L decided then and there that he was NOT going to enjoy this...in fact before we even got the skis on him he was determined to head back into the lodge. So with a whimpering L in tow, we positioned ourselves on the level ground in the direction of the beginner's slope to get a little practice in before Mercy, Odesco and L attended a ski lesson. That's when the fun (well okay, chaos!!) began. P stuck with L who promptly threw off his mittens and declared after falling in the snow that ,"Skiing is the stupidest sport ever!!"... I tried to keep up with G while stopping to keep an eye on Odesco and C who were making their way down the mountain a little too fast for my comfort. Odesco did quite well managing to get back upright after his falls...for the most part he remained upbeat but at this point, he had little control and was quite the speed demon...
Meanwhile, L remained in the snow with P attempting to get him back on his feet-all while he is making his 'love' of skiing well known to all within earshot. Daddy was attempting to get Mercy to follow the instructions he was giving. Our sweet girl had quite a time keeping her skis in alignment and NOT facing down the hill when she finally was able to get herself upright again....she was a tangled mess and often met this with laughter but soon became quite exasperated. I confess those of us attempting to help her were equally exasperated :( We finally all made it down the beginner slope and after scrambling a bit managed to all get on the lift and back up the mountain. We took off our skis and walked over(what wisdom!!) to the area where L, Mercy and Odesco were to take lessons. Mercy and Odesco reluctantly filed into the line with the rest of the class but it was clear that this was not going to be a profitable use of time for little man, L. So, G and I went off to ski some more and L and Daddy gave it another try... the 1:1 time was fruitful and by the time we took a break for lunch, L announced that he thought skiing was his new favorite sport...what a funny boy!! At break time I attempted to observe Mercy and Odesco in their class but could not find them. We later learned they went inside with a few of the other student skiers because they were cold and tired...not sure how long they actually lasted(or how much was learned!) outside in the class but at least they were safe and sound!
Almost forgot to mention this(and if I don't G will tell you !) Before our lunch break, G and I had one mishap on the lift...I didn't get the safety bar down fast enough and she did not get back far enough on the chairlift seat... she began to slip off the seat...I attempted to scoop her up unsuccessfully and she slipped off the seat onto the snow...I hollered to the attendants who quickly stopped the lift. At this point I was 2 chairs away from my little girl who was sprawled on the ground (but thankfully unhurt!) Providentially, there was a ski patrol guy right there who helped her get on her one ski which had fallen off and rode with her to the top of the mountain. Let's just say she was not too happy with mommy and she decided it was time for a break!
After lunch, Daddy took each child (the littles only since P and C are able to go off with their friends) for a 30 to 45 minute session.The others stayed in the lodge snacking(always a welcomed activity) and playing with their non-skiing friends. Mr. Y graciously took Odesco out by himself and informed us that yes, we have a speedster on our hands. Maybe next visit we can work on control!!
By the time we got on the road for the journey home(after a quick dinner stop with some of our friends) , the roads were a bit scary. I am so grateful my hubby was there to drive 'The Bus' (our 12 passenger van) which does not handle well in slick conditions. It was a white knuckle drive home but God protected us. All in all it was a great day...in spite of how it began :) We had so much fun we're going to try one last time next week...I'm sure we'll have more stories to tell!!

Thanks for checking in,
Love,
MamaB
PS: Last evening one of the littles was 'digging for gold' (yep the finger was lodged up a nostril!) When asked what was going on, this child replied that they were picking in their 'honey hole'...oh, never a dull moment around here and always a laugh to be had!!!

Daddy and L doing the 'slingshot'. L holds onto the ski pole and Daddy 'shoots' him forward ..

Daddy and the 4 'littles'..Mercy and Odesco did not like wearing all of these clothes and the heavy cumbersome boots...Mercy started complaining of being too hot(it is a workout getting the boots on, carrying the skis etc) and we caught her just in time as she began to take off her coat and gloves etc in the boot changing area when we weren't paying attention!

Mommy and G after dropping Odesco and Mercy off at their ski lesson.

Daddy and the little man.

Mercy had lots of practice getting up from falls...she'd struggle to an upright position, 'ski' a few feet and end up in the snow again. Thankfully in this picture she is smiling...

Look at this crew ready to brave the cold...this isn't even the complete group--some of them were already outside. We are blessed to have such a great group to homeschool alongside of...no worries about 'socialization' here :)!!

What a different world this is from Odesco's life in Liberia....

There's always a party going on in the lodge with all the little ones who don't ski. This week they had homemade playdough to entertain them. Miss T. in the picture sadly broke her wrist the first week snowboarding so she now helps keep track of all the little bodies giving the moms a break and chance to 'chit- chat' :)

Mercy and her sweet friend, Hannah.

P in for a quick warm up.

Thanks Mrs. Di for helping to keep Odesco (somewhat) content while Daddy was outside with one of the others.

It's hard to see but can you detect a 'thumbs up??' Our little man's countenance and opinion about skiing changed dramatically after another try (1:1) with Daddy! By the end of the day he declared that skiing was now his most 'favorite sport'. Having a 'fickle pickle' in the bunch always keeps things unpredictable but fun:)!! And just to keep us on our toes, the kiddos often swap roles being the 'fickle pickle' of the day...you just never know who it will be until the situation presents itself!