Fresh Air, Family and Fun

One of our favorite things to do is share all of the fun we have in the winter with family and friends. A few weeks ago we got to share some of our favorite winter activities, cross-country skiing and tubing, with the kids' grandparents. If you are looking for some truly affordable fun with little or no learning curve, here's your answer. Fresh air, exercise, and time with family was exactly what we needed to remind us just how lucky we are to have this winter playground. 

I loved to see their thrilled smiles as they plummeted down the tubing slope. 

For the grand finale, both kids slid down with Outdoor Dad. All that weight put together gave them a lot of momentum to fly down the hill!

Before tubing, we did a short loop around the perimeter trail with the kids' grandparents. 

Timmy was so excited to have real cross-country ski equipment for the first time.  We had bought skis, boots, bindings and poles for big sister Bridget last year, but now Timmy wanted more than just the plastic skis that strapped on to his boots. So we gave Him Bridget's gear from last year and rented her a setup for the day. 

Timmy was thrilled to have poles, too!

And sometimes, you just have to go slow, enjoy the fresh air, and let the little guy lead at his own pace. 

Sometimes I have to fight back that instinct to get somewhere quickly and just appreciate the fact that we are outside, together, getting some exercise, and enjoying each other's company. We watched for wildlife and saw rabbit tracks in the snow. Timmy started to get the feel for the different balance you need on Nordic skis compared to alpine. And when we did want to get somewhere, there was always the siren call of hot chocolate waiting for us in the lodge.