Tuesday

The ICEcapades

During the holidays, we have a little family tradition.

It's the day my kids wait for:  They love ice skating.

I can't tell you why exactly.

It's crowded. It's soggy (it's hard to keep ice frozen in the heart of Texas). It's cold (in an effort to keep the ice, ice). It's expensive. 

And it's painful:


At the end of the day, we wrapped up our shivering, cranky children and assured them that were very good (!) skaters, just the best(!) and no, you hardly fell at all (!) We were forced to make our annual promise:

"YES, we will do it again next year."

Which my son points out, "That's tomorrow, ya know."

Oh, yes. Another smart one. Great.

Happy New Year, Y'all.

24 comments:

Totallyscrappy said...

I tried ice skating ONCE. Didn't really care for it. Mostly because it hurt. ;)
Count your blessings... only 364 days until your next ice skating excapade!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx said...

Ice skating is a lot easier here in N.E. And by easier I mean colder and just as hard. :)

Faith said...

Love the pictures! My oldest was laughing at how you all are bundled up for an indoor rink. When she skates at our indoor one, she only wears a light sweater...it's the outdoor ones around here (capital region NYS) where we need to wear all those layers! Enjoy your time!

Andrea said...

I refuse to try ice skating - my fear of falling and all. My hubby took our two oldest ice skating about 4 years ago and he fell so hard he now refuses to go. Our boys are deprived:)

marky said...

you toddler looks like her shoulder may have been disconected LOL..
I have a dd who is an awesome skater, competed many years.. I hate the cold!
I enjoy skating, but am soo afraid of breaking these old bones KwIM?

Dawn @ simply transparent said...

We do the very same thing!

Fun times!

Michelle said...

I love ice skating! I haven't taken my kids in a year or two. I guess it is about time.

Tammy said...

Looks like SO much fun. The closest ice skating rink is about an hour away; therefore, the kiddos have never been. I guess I am depriving them somehow. :-)

Happy New Year!

Jen - Balancing Beauty and Bedlam said...

I think I still have bruises from the last time I went - two years ago, but it's all about those treasured traditions and you are definitely on to one. Looking forward to meeting you at Blissdom (if you get on that plane. :)

Colleen - Mommy Always Wins said...

Hubby keeps saying we should take the boys, but at 4 and nearly 2 I'm thinking that's a big fat NO. Maybe in 10 years...

Unknown said...

My kids can't think of anything better...I can't think of anything worse - pain, cold and humiliation...what's to like?

Maude Lynn said...

So far, I've been able to avoid ice skating. I figure that if I was meant to ice skate I would have been born MUCH farther north!


Love the pictures!

Robin said...

We went ice skating too. Lots of slipping and sliding but everyone (except Ben) had fun.

Unknown said...

I so love ice skating! I hope you have a Happy New Year!

Valarie Lea said...

This is one thing I DO NOT do! The last and only time I went it resulted in a very big knee!

:)

Anonymous said...

Wow - you obviously don't live in Alberta... =) Glad you still get a little ice time in though!

You qualify for a blog award! Stop by and check it out!!

Anonymous said...

When we lived in Alaska both of the kids took ice skating lessons. We bought my daughter the "real McCoy" figure skates even though she was four. They are now part of our Christmas decorations and hang off our banister each year. They are so small, and so cute! We've been in WA for 5 years and are pretty much over anything that has to do with snow. Give me Texas heat any day!

Anonymous said...

I've been wanting to take our circus act to the ice... we have promised our kids this year we will do it. Didn't get to it over the holidays but hope to hit the ice this January. Looks like a good time was had by all!

Muthering Heights said...

I can't WAIT to take my little ones out on the ice someday...I will be sliding around on my bum the whole time, but I'm sure they will have fun skating in circles around me!

Mrs.Naz@BecomingMe said...

I went ice skating with my 4 yr old last year while we were in PA...she did much better than me.

Anonymous said...

You are so much braver than I am...no ice skating for this Texas family. I don't even know how far we'd have to go to find a rink - Houston or Dallas I'm thinking. (which are 3 or 4 hours away)

Stephanie Wetzel said...

I can't tell you how therapeutic for me it is to find a community of moms who do everything they can to NOT ice skate.

I just thought I was a bad mom.

But I agree with so many of you:
Cold. Pain. Embarrassment. 1 hour away. Where is the fun in that?

kymber said...

The big question is - how sore do YOU feel after a strenuous day of ice skating - what a workout that is!

Your kids look so cute out there!
Happy New Year!
Kymber

Anonymous said...

I'd love to do that some day...but I'm not such a good skater, myself. But we'll do it anyway, and they can all laugh at their mama, falling and falling and falling.

Love your pictures.