The Olsons Take to the Ice

Today, we decided to fulfill one of Annika's lifelong desires.... we went ice skating. Before heading out, we bundled up the kids and grabbed their helmets, but didn't tell the munchkins anything beyond the fact we were going on an adventure.

Fortunately for us, there's an ice rink within a couple miles of our house, which made the "getting there" portion of our adventure quite easy. As we pulled into the parking lot, Annika was quickly trying to determine where we were. She guessed an arcade (wishful thinking) or a store. Once we got inside the building and she saw the ice, she knew exactly what was going on and could hardly contain herself. I'm pretty sure that kid had sparks of excitement shooting out of her. Conor was really enthusiastic, too, until it came time to actually skate; that's when his nerves kicked in a bit.

Annika was fearless and faced the ice with verve. She's quite capable on roller skates and roller blades, and seemed to transition those skills to ice skating quite seamlessly. I doubt anyone who saw her on the ice would have guessed this was her first time. Sure, she wiped out, but she also popped right back up, announced that she was fine, and continued on her merry way.

During our time at the rink, Conor gained confidence and really started to figure out how to do some basic skating. He was more comfortable holding on to the wall and either Eric or me, but did a great job facing his fears about falling on his bum, and continued to make the rounds around the ice. He even smiled and called out greetings to Annika as they passed each other on the ice by the time we wrapped things up.

Annika is now completely sure she needs to return to the ice and start skating lessons. Conor has decided he's less jazzed about lessons, but Eric and I have told him that he did a great job today and might be more enthusiastic about skating when he's a bit older. :)

Conor and Eric making the rounds

Off she goes!

Prepping for the Olympics

Mama and Annika on the ice

Annika doing her "I'm an ice skater" pose

Eric and Conor catching their breath

Conor and Mama on the ice