Ice Skating

Since the boys had off from school today for Martin Luther King Day, we decided we wanted to get out of the house and do something fun together as a family.  So, we took Ryan and Gavin ice skating for the first time.  Mike and I have only been ice skating a couple of times ourselves, so it was a real adventure.  Mike was far more comfortable with it than I was.  It was all I could do to stay on my own feet, let alone keep Gavin upright!  After falling a couple of times, Gavin refused to bear any weight on his legs, so I had to hold him up by his armpits and try to skate around the rink.  We looked like poetry in motion!  It took us at least 15 minutes to travel less than a quarter of the way around the rink.  Then they announced for everyone to clear the rink so the Zamboni could come out and smooth the ice.  I panicked because they now expected me to exit the rink in mere minutes when it had taken me at least 15 minutes to cover that same ground!  Luckily, I was able to carry Gavin as I awkwardly skated out.

Ryan and Daddy skated like pros in comparison.  Ryan, who was reluctant to go at first, had a great time.  In fact, he's already begging us to go back again this weekend.  He didn't fall that often, but when he did, he giggled and picked himself back up and started skating again.  And, while Gavin and I had a death grip on the sides of the rink, Daddy and Ryan braved the center ice with no wall for support.  They even made it around the rink several times without falling down.  Ryan had such a great time that he and Daddy (much to my dismay) are considering ice hockey lessons!  Football now seems a much safer, tamer option in comparison!  But, at least his opponents couldn't knock his teeth out right now!