No Harm Done

So. Monday we went sledding.

The boys dressed in their warmest snow pants and gear. I don’t really have any snow gear – just a hodge-podge of stuff I’ve picked up over the years. I bought a coat when we lived in Wisconsin and I was pregnant with Colson, so it’s big enough to be worn through 9 months of pregnancy, if necessary. Now that I’m not pregnant (Colson is nearly 4), I have to cinch it up real tight when I wear it, in a futile attempt to convince people that I’m really not that big. It’s navy blue on the outside, but brick red and white plaid on the inside. As ugly as it is, it’s oh-so-warm and is perfect for sled days.

I hit the sled hill wearing Marc’s black snowpants ( MUCH too big for me), a blue scarf, and a big navy blue coat that I absolutely hate. I do not have snow boots either, so I improvised and wore my LL Bean duck shoes (which saw me through 5 soggy years in Oregon, thank you) with two layers of socks. In between the sock layers, I put each foot into a giant Ziploc freezer bag.

My fancy footwear. (And giant pant leg.)

I know. Me so sexy. I was quite a sight on that hill, let me tell you. If you squinted a little, and maybe cocked your head to the side, I think I resembled a significantly less adorable version of Ugly Betty (sans braces). But I was warm and dry.

I knew the “cool” sledding hill in town was going to be packed on Sunday afternoon, and I didn’t want to spend the day dodging children rocketing down the hill at high speeds. So we went Monday afternoon instead. We had sunny skies, a brisk wind, and the hill all to ourselves.

Unfortunately, it had been pretty well used the day before. There was no part of the hill that had “snow” left. It was a hill of solid, hard-packed snow. And grass. There were many spots where the snow had melted just enough the day before, or one too many sleds had ridden over the spots, and grass peeked through.

We decided to sled anyway, and had a blast. The hard packed snow enabled us to go at speeds we’ve never experienced. We also set distance records – the tree at the bottom of the hill had never before been a concern, as we never got close to it. But on this day we had to steer clear of the potentially face-eating tree as we shot past it.

The only exception to the speed records was the giant sled run that tempts Braden every year. It’s such a hard climb up to the topmost point. Often you’re climbing up on all fours, dragging a sled behind you. By the time you get to the top you’re huffing and puffing and ready to shed a couple layers of clothing. The long ride down is so thrilling it makes the climb worthwhile. But this time, Braden struggled to the top of the hill only to sled down it seemingly in slow-motion. It had been so over-run the day before that it had nothing left to give.

I was really proud of Brogan. This was his first time back on a sled since the Christmas Day Sledding Incident of 2005. I was worried that he would be too scared to try again, but he had no problems. We did talk about avoiding the tree at the bottom of the hill, and we did a couple of "falling off the sled" drills in case he found himself in danger of a collision.

Look at that face!

The packed-down snow was very slippery. Colson had a fun time sliding down a small slope .

(My eyes!)

There was an incident, of sorts. I'll give you the photographic play-by-play.

Here's Colson bringing his sled back up the hill.

Whoops! He slipped and fell! Colson kept trying to get up, but would slip, fall, and slide back down the hill a bit.

Colson lay on the ice and snow, frustrated, when Braden came over to help.

Colson was afraid to stand up again, so Braden tried to get him to roll across the hill to a large grassy patch where he'd be able to get his footing.