Best Week(end) Ever

Nothing like returning to work with a huge smile and the declaration that the weekend was wonderful (and not just because it was the weekEND).

The girls and I, sister-in-law-to-be in tow, drove up to join some neighborhood friends and relatives in the mountains for a snow/ski weekend. On Friday after a long day at work and my sister's Suddenly Possibly In Labor Eight Weeks Early Scare, I wasn't particularly looking forward to:

1. The Packing
2. The Long Drive
3. Being Husbandless (dad had to work)

Nevertheless, I woke up Saturday morning excited for an adventure, and off we went, arriving by just past noon at our destination: a two-story house already occupied by seven adults and eight kids, with a sledding slope out back. Partaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

I didn't expect to go skiing, actually. I was prepared to hang out at the house and build snowmen and do crafts with the littler kiddoes. But my four-year-old wanted to ski, much to my surprise. So she and I left her little sister behind and after long lines for lift tickets and rentals, we were outfitted and braving the Chair Lift for my eldest daughter's first run down the hill.

She loved it. We spent the rest of the day going up and down the hill, skiing side by side with my poles in front of us like we were tap dancing with a cane. Most memorable moment? When we were picking up some speed and she asked, gesturing with one hand behind her and risking our lives and limbs, "Mom! Is my ponytail flying in the wind?"

I was so proud of her attitude, her enthusiasm, and that she didn't give up because it was hard, cold, or cumbersome. Probably one of my favorite parenting days. And while I was on a pit stop during the drive home, she told my soon-to-be-sister-in-law her best part of the weekend was "skiing with my mom."

Meanwhile, my sister, with waters broken but only irregular contractions, is hanging at the hospital, trying to keep our newest little cousin safe inside until Friday at least. I am proud of her attitude, too :).