Trying our hand at Ice Skating!

I was absolutely certain this outing was going to be miserable.  Which is really unlike me, I'm usually an optimist at heart, but we decided to take the kids ice skating.  I was the only one that had ever gone ice skating before; Mike, Riley, Carter, Ava and Dawson were all newbies!

I started skating with Riley and Carter.  Much to my delight they took off and did wonderfully, so we invited the other three to join us.

Commemorating Mike, Ava and Dawson's first time on the ice.

Carter had a blast!  I really thought we would be there about an hour, maybe two.  But after two and a half hours Mike and I were exhausted but this kid didn't want to leave!

He was cracking me up with his ice skating technique.  He enjoyed playing with the doors to the penalty box, trying to do the widest split possible and using the back of his ice skates to pick at the ice.  But by the end of our time he was hold Mike and I's hand and making it around the rink.

Ava, our little fashion plate who insisted on curly hair, did really well too.  I was certain she was going to fall down once, get discouraged and give up.  We had the "persistence" talk in the van and she didn't give up!  She held onto the edge and skated around and around!

This kid was a hot sweaty mess by the time we left!  He asked me if we could come back in the morning and stay all day and even eat lunch and dinner at the rink.  We have definite plans to bring him back. 

Once we were in the van Ava said "Hands down, this was the best day ever!"  

Well, I'm glad we could start 2015 off on the right foot.

And of course, our big cousin did great on her first skate outing.  The kids are so happy that she is visiting us!