Monday, February 15, 2010

Singing, Eating, and Sledding - Our Own Version of the Winter Olympics

Yesterday was one of the best Valentine's Days in memory. The children sang at a local nursing home for Sunday School, handing out homemade Valentines to each resident. If hearing young and old, energy-filled and wheel-chair bound join together for "Jesus Loves Me" doesn't warm your heart, I don't know what will. (I didn't take my camera with me, but here's a sampling of homemade Valentines that my kids gave to Mark and me.)

The neat thing about the kids' Valentines was that the four in school used their money to purchase little candies, erasers, and key rings at the 6th grade school store for us. And the kid who isn't in school yet gifted me with the basket of dominoes, wrapped in a tiny pink doll blanket. Can you say SWEET??

After another awesome morning at church (have I ever mentioned how much I love our church?), we came home to our traditional "fancy dinner" on Valentine's Day. I made a raspberry cream pie on Friday and prepped the baked potatoes on Saturday. Ally and I made heart-shaped cream cheese mints, and she designed this festive menu:

Since it was Sunday, Mark and I decided to move the supper up to dinner (that's why the curtains are down to evoke the "dark atmoshere" for candlelight). We get out the real china and silverware for this. Mark grilled the steaks, and it was a real treat!

With classical music playing in the background, the kids actually use manners and are calm for a meal. See?

The aftermath of a fancy dinner!

A few hours later we went sledding at Mount Kilimanjaro.

Okay, I exaggerate. It's the famous Pickard Hall hill over at the local university. It's steep and it's fast, Ally soon found out!

If you don't believe me, just ask Cy. These two shots were taken in succession before he it an icy mud patch and wiped out!


Here's a view from halfway up. Shae blew out a tire (snow tire, that is) on that icy mud patch I was talking about (on the right, down from the dip). Thank goodness no one was hurt!

Mark and I didn't have to push the kids at all, that's how fast the hill was. Our main job was to hold onto the sleds until the kids were ready!


Lest you think we are senseless parents, we only let Wynne slide down from halfway up the hill. (Plus we went to a safer hill later in the afternoon.)

I tried really hard to photograph the sledders as they approached me, but I just wasn't fast enough. (I know, I know--I need to get some training in sports photography.) Before we left the big hill, a college kid came and showed us some pretty cool flips on his snowboard. That, coupled with 3 wipe-outs and one torn sled, humbled us into moving to a different hill.

Before we left the big hill, Mark slid down it once and figured he was going about 50miles an hour. Just think - the Olympic lugers and bobsledders are going 90 mph!! Incredible.
All the same, I think we'll stick with southwest Wisconsin sledding. I kinda like my kids and want to keep'em for a while.

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.--1 Corinthians 13:2

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