3 day weekends = we're going somewhere. This time we drove to the Sierra Mountains with a 2 day window for good weather & we nailed it! Sunny on the drive in, snowing on the drive out. I thought stuffed animals, role playing, singing & reading wouldn't last 4 hours, but the 3 kids laughed through it all in the back seat with no DVDs. Their happiness filled me, pure & simple & of course there was intermittent bickering. We skied all day, breaking once mid-day to build a snowman adjacent chair lift 2. We ended with a long top to bottom run, envisioning watching t.v. that night together. But our cabin was the truest sense of the word, no microwave, toaster or t.v. The only option was to play the games I brought & perform tickle torture, & have fun we DID!
In the morning the kids collected icicles from ours (& random neighbors) cabins, made snow angels & slipped around the icy areas on-purpose. We skied again, each chair lift I'd hold my breath that they'd make it, each run down I watched them improve. I was so giddy & proud! Until the worst..."MOMMMM... NATE'S HURT BAD!!!!!" exclaimed Zoe. I sped away from Logan who had needed help up above & found Nate crying loudly. "It hurts so bad! It hurts, my knee hurts!!!" Shit. I held back tears, told him how brave he was. My heart ached horribly, I hadn't been able to protect my baby. Watching my child in excruciating pain flooded me with uncomfortable emotions & self doubt.
An hour later, iced & splinted in a "to-go" cardboard box, we headed down the mountain. A stop a taco bell got us all laughing uncontrollably at each others tacos "pooping" out the back side as we crunched into the front side. "Unless you turn & become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of Heaven." -Jesus (Matthew 18:3) is a quote I read daily posted in my bathroom. I got it, I was in heaven with them right there eating fast food, right then, in our present moment of silliness.
"What's for dessert?" as they consumed their final bite. Definitely my kids.
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