There is a remarkable feeling that comes over me when I sit on a sled. A wave of memories flash through my mind, all from when I was a kid enjoying a “snow day” on our hill just out the front door to my house. I instantly feel lighter, happy, free of all concerns (except maybe steering clear of the occasional tree). But, most of all I feel joy streaming through me. I am laughing, giggling even without knowing it, my smile is as big as my smile gets and I am enjoying this moment fully.
Recently during L’s winter break the temperatures dropped and there was fresh snow in our local mountains. My boys have only been sledding once and it was a short experience, they were still little. This time, we bought sleds, brought loads of snacks and equipped ourselves with the gear we needed to stay warm and comfortable. And…the joyful expressions never left my boys faces.
I could have listened to the joyous squeals and laughs coming out of my boys (including my husband) mouths forever. We found a secluded access road close enough to the car yet far enough away from the crowds to feel alone in the woods. The trees were perfectly brushed with newly fallen snow, the sky was bright blue and the snow was perfect for sledding. My husband surprised us with donuts (huge hit with the boys) and hot chocolate for a mid-morning snack. It was just about as close to a perfect day as you can get.
Helping with the gloves…again.
Bringing our snacks back to the car.
I must note, we went to this exact spot two days earlier and there was a lot of joy and a lot of tears (thank goodness for brownies, a great distraction when feet are frozen). We thought we could manage with rain boots instead of snow boots. We found out after about an hour in the snow that both our boys feet were frozen and they were miserable (little ones don’t tell you when snow falls into their boots. Instead they wait until they can’t feel their feet and start crying uncontrollably). Almost the moment we got home from the snow I was off to Target to buy snow boots. The right gear is almost always essential to support the proper joy factor while sledding.
Last winter we took my son sledding and thought the same thing, that rain boots with warm socks would be fine – it’s snow in the mountains of Southern California after all, we thought it couldn’t be THAT cold
. But we had the same experience. One slide, one snowman and one very unhappy boy. We have snow boots this year too and the sledding has been nothing but joyous. Great post, reminds me to take advantage of the local snow while we can. Thanks!
YES! The snow is calling us after all these extra cold temperatures. I am comforted to hear I am not the only one who made the rain boots mistake
Not again though, I felt so bad for my boys.
There is nothing like seeing those joyous smiles all day from my boys, I can’t get enough of it!
Happy Sledding
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What great fun to go sledding…and now with new boots! Thanks for linking up at the Outdoor Play Party.
Sure, thank you for reading. The boots are a serious hit and the sledding was so much fun! I won’t soon forget my boys laughs and squeals or their smiling jaw open faces. Lovely times!
That is an awesome sled, ours looks tiny in comparison! Thanks for linking up to the Outdoor Play Party
My husband found that sled on clearance the day before we went sledding. It is awesome! Our whole family can fit on it