KKs Birthday Adventure
Last year I gave all the kids a calendar of adventure. An activity each month which, while fun, was a lot of work. This year we already have 20 adventures lined up so it's funny to think that 12 of them over 12 months was a lot of work. Clearly it's become part of our DNA.
This year I decided to give each of the kids an adventure for their birthday. KK got a weekend in Bend with a sled dog ride. I don't think he knew what to expect so of course he was a little 'meh' about the idea but went along with it. Afterwards he was basically telling me his life plan of becoming a musher.
The first night we got there we headed out for a short mountain bike ride by the river. Since we had a birthday brunch and basketball in the morning it made for a short afternoon in Bend. At dinner KK created a game with pine cones on the side walk where he jumped from one to the next. Sometimes one got thrown like a grenade.
The next morning we headed to Bachelor and the kids got to pet the dogs, we went on the ride, KK got to be a musher for 1/3 of the ride and then he got to help feed the dogs. He absolutely loved it.
Afterwards he had the choice of skiing or mountain biking and after seeing the lift line at Bachelor he decided biking was a better option. I didn't push that one very hard since the cost savings was huge for me. And I knew we were skiing the next day. After playing in the snow for a while we had lunch and after a short drive back to the hotel we changed into biking clothes. We headed about 5 minutes back up the hill into the National Forest and found some trails to ride. By the end of the ride we decided Alexandra's bike is headed to Goodwill. KK fits Boo's bike and, well Boo LOVES mountain biking so he'll get a new bike for his birthday. KK will be much happier on the lighter bike and Boo will love having suspension again. Alex for now will have to deal with my Beer Hopper Cruiser.
Being in a place where you can drive 30 minutes to ski, then mountain bike in the afternoon in a place where dogs can also roam free is just the place I need to live.
The next day we got up early-ish, had another waffle breakfast and headed to Hoodoo ski area. Of course some of the kids are always hesitant to try new things but we started off and did fine.
The greens were so flat that we immediately veered off onto the blues. By the afternoon I had the kids doing blacks and then we started doing backcountry skiing through powder and trees. I was delighted to see how much the kids have improved in their confidence in skiing and their technique. KK has no fear and just headed down anything.
He was the first to get lost but did exactly what he was told. He headed to the lodge where I found him. Emmett is more reserved but methodical going down the slopes. I would have never guessed he would have tried to get through these trails but he did, and he did fabulous. On our last run I could tell he was tired as he kept falling more. Then he hit a tree (not very hard) and the delight on his face when he looked at me and said "I hit a tree", like it was his life goal. Later he says "I know how this conversation is going to go with dad. Kellan will tell him he's skiing blacks and I'll say "I hit a tree". Cracked me up.
We originally said we had to leave at 2pm and just before then I told the kids "I'm sorry but responsibility, pardon my language, sucks." Alex asked whether I was apologizing for the word Responsibility or Sucks. That kid has be nailed...
All the kids are now in bed, sore, tired and happy. As an adventure mama, I couldn't be happier!
This year I decided to give each of the kids an adventure for their birthday. KK got a weekend in Bend with a sled dog ride. I don't think he knew what to expect so of course he was a little 'meh' about the idea but went along with it. Afterwards he was basically telling me his life plan of becoming a musher.
The first night we got there we headed out for a short mountain bike ride by the river. Since we had a birthday brunch and basketball in the morning it made for a short afternoon in Bend. At dinner KK created a game with pine cones on the side walk where he jumped from one to the next. Sometimes one got thrown like a grenade.
The next morning we headed to Bachelor and the kids got to pet the dogs, we went on the ride, KK got to be a musher for 1/3 of the ride and then he got to help feed the dogs. He absolutely loved it.
Being in a place where you can drive 30 minutes to ski, then mountain bike in the afternoon in a place where dogs can also roam free is just the place I need to live.
The next day we got up early-ish, had another waffle breakfast and headed to Hoodoo ski area. Of course some of the kids are always hesitant to try new things but we started off and did fine.
The greens were so flat that we immediately veered off onto the blues. By the afternoon I had the kids doing blacks and then we started doing backcountry skiing through powder and trees. I was delighted to see how much the kids have improved in their confidence in skiing and their technique. KK has no fear and just headed down anything.
He was the first to get lost but did exactly what he was told. He headed to the lodge where I found him. Emmett is more reserved but methodical going down the slopes. I would have never guessed he would have tried to get through these trails but he did, and he did fabulous. On our last run I could tell he was tired as he kept falling more. Then he hit a tree (not very hard) and the delight on his face when he looked at me and said "I hit a tree", like it was his life goal. Later he says "I know how this conversation is going to go with dad. Kellan will tell him he's skiing blacks and I'll say "I hit a tree". Cracked me up.
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| Kk, my first cliff jumper |
We originally said we had to leave at 2pm and just before then I told the kids "I'm sorry but responsibility, pardon my language, sucks." Alex asked whether I was apologizing for the word Responsibility or Sucks. That kid has be nailed...
All the kids are now in bed, sore, tired and happy. As an adventure mama, I couldn't be happier!
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