A family trip to Mt. Hood

I'm glad that I took this picture. One day, I'll think, "What did they look like back there? Where did they all sit?"

This past Sunday, we went to Mt Hood Ski Bowl. Every week,  RWF and I discuss taking the family, and every Friday night, I decide that I just don't have the energy for it.  First of all, it's a commitment because it takes a long time to get to Mt. Hood.  It's not a quick drive, and traffic can be ugly. Second, Bode's ski lessons are a two-part event, starting in the morning and then ending after 1 PM.  So by the time his lesson ends and after the drive home, it's almost dinner time. RWF and Bode have been going every weekend since we moved here.  It's been nice for them, but also kind of hard on the family (with all of us being separated for the day).

This is his "clowning around" face...he's telling us a story.

We decided to go as a family this Sunday. It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment decision (as spur-of-the-moment you can be, packing ski gear, drinks, and snacks for a family of 5).  We had a nice drive up. The roads were empty, probably because it was Super Bowl Sunday. This also proved good for the skiing, too, as not many people were out.

The funniest moment, one that I wish I had a picture of  but I do not (hopefully, I'll always have a mental snapshot of it), was when I insisted on keeping Nico in the stroller on the way into the ski lodge.   I knew it would be rough going, getting over the icy parking lot. But I just thought I would need the stroller. And when you're stuck inside a place with two small children (one who is a walking baby that wants to explore everything), you need  containment (a stroller) and free hands. So there I was, trudging through the snowy, icy parking lot. And then we got to this snow-filled hill, our only way up to the lodge, with not a single track walked into it.  The only way up was...well, up. So as I was pushing Nico in this cheap travel stroller, the wheels kept getting stuck in the snow. I was just trying to "plow" our way up the hill. But of course, the stroller was not made for plowing.   So I kept having to stop, or being stopped. At one point, I was stuck again, and I looked at my family ahead of me: RWF loaded with bags and skis, Bode slowly climbing up, his arms full with his skis, and Gianna, making her way up, bent at the waist, trying to find purchase in the snow with her little feet.  And I looked over at the other side of the hill, where there was a moving walkway for the people using their sleds to move up the hill.  I saw one lady looking at me, stuck in the snow. She must have wondered if I was not very bright, or if I had been misled about our excursion for the day (I should have wailed, "But I thought you said that you were taking us to the mall!").  I looked up and saw RWF looking at me. He shook his head, disgusted, and muttered, "Unfreakingbelievable."  And I busted out laughing. RWF said, "Right?" We were quite the picture. The BeverlyFreakingHillbillies. I was doubled-over, laughing at the picture I must have made, pushing our cheap green travel stroller through the snow. I laughed and laughed. Bode and Gianna stopped and asked me what was so funny. I continued on, and then got stuck again. More laughter. More stuck places. Finally, RWF got exasperated, and even though he was fully loaded, he walked back down to me, grabbed the handles and carried Nico in the stroller the rest of the way up hill.

Now. I only insisted on the stroller because I didn't know what to expect of the lodge! And I thought it would be helpful to wheel Nico around. But of course, there were stairs everywhere (into and in the lodge) so the stroller really was not used. And the lodge wasn't that big. It makes for a funny memory though.

We went into the lodge, and we found that the back area was completely empty. We set up camp there, emptying our duffels of snacks and pulling out gear.  Bode started whining about the chair lift, and how he didn't want to ride it.  (Ed: there are a lot of "issues" lately with Bode, with things that he suddenly is fearful of or unwilling to do/try/use. We are holding steady right now, and just calmly accept his reluctance and do what he wants.) He told RWF that he didn't want to take ski lessons. He insisted that he didn't want to do the chair lift and he didn't want ski lessons. So RWF  told him that they would ski together. This meant that instead of Gianna skiing with RWF while I waited around with Nico, Gianna would have to wait for RWF to finish with Bode before she could go out. RWF and Bode suited up and left.  

Gianna, Nico and I sat down after taking off our jackets.  Even though it was early, and we had eaten breakfast, I broke out the snacks almost immediately.  I find that snacks make waiting a lot easier!  We ate a bunch, and then walked around the lodge. We were upstairs, so I had to watch Nico carefully around the stairwells.  Of course, there were a couple of trips to the bathroom.  Then we went to our camping "spot" and watched the bartender build a fire in the fireplace.  Once he got the fire going, we sat in front of it and watched the fire for a bit.  Nico loved looking at the fire (and I held him in my arms the whole time).

Awhile later, we were pretty much over the lodge.  So we suited up and went outside.  There is a children's play area but we didn't have a pass (and I didn't have my wallet...but I was glad to tell Gianna we weren't allowed because it looked grimy to me!).  We walked around, watching people tubing down a hill.  I kept scanning the horizon for RWF and Bode. I was dying! I was trying to be light-hearted and fun around Nico and Gianna, but the waiting was wearing on me!!!

Finally, I spotted RWF and Bode skiing toward the lodge. I let out a 'woo hoo' and pointed them out to Gianna.  She was so excited, because she knew it would then be her turn to ski with Daddy.

Of course, Gianna was not ready to ski.  We all went back into the lodge to get Gianna ready. RWF discovered that he hadn't brought in her ski boots.  So he had to trek back out to the car and get them. When he got back, he discovered that her gloves were in the car. So she borrowed Bode's and then she went out with RWF.

Gianna, so happy to finally get to ski with Daddy. She was so patient, and so good, while we waited.

While we waited, Bode plowed through the snack bag. I knew he'd be hungry but I could not believe how quickly he ate everything! A peanut butter sandwich, a bag of pretzels, a bag of almonds, a bottle of milk were all gone in a matter of minutes.  He told me that he was still hungry!  So we went downstairs to the cafeteria.  They offered the usual junk - burgers, fries, pizza and nachos.  I asked Bode what he wanted and he did not hesitate. He wanted a cheeseburger and fries.  I figured that this is what he always got with RWF, so I just ordered it.  Well, when we got it, I knew that RWF probably did not get this food for Bode.  The burger was just...gross.  The bread bun was a doughy mound on top of a flat grey patty.  The fries were extra crispy, obviously coated in something. I know that RWF would not let Bode have something like this junk!  But we sat down and Bode ate the fries. Nico also ate some fries because he was hungry. I asked Bode if he wanted to try the burger. He looked at it warily and said, "No."  So I tried it, and it was as bad as it looked.

Gianna and RWF returned from "skiing" (it was Gianna's first go in a long time).  Gianna ate some French fries. Nobody wanted the burger. Gianna dropped a bottle of Gatorade, and it bounced off the table before splashing all over my boot and spilling onto the floor.  Without skipping a beat, I continued talking to RWF as I   picked up the Gatorade, reached for a handful of napkins and began mopping up the spill.  RWF started laughing and said, "I think we are there!" I giggled, too. He congratulated me on 'getting there' in motherhood, where a huge spill doesn't even phase me. It was a pretty funny moment, because I acted on auto-pilot, had zero reaction about the spill, and just moved through it quickly.  After everyone drank Gatorade and got their fill of fries, we loaded up like Sherpas and headed out to the car.  

Our drive home was long. I am amazed that RWF has made this road trip so much.  I told him later that I would not be making the drive every weekend.  It's too hard with a baby.  Nico did beautifully but a ski lodge is no place for a baby to hang out.  It is too long of a day for Nico and me. We struck a bargain that we would make a family trip every three weeks. So I have 2 weekends to rest up for our next trip to Mt. Hood!

The weather here is definitely of the "global weirding" trend.  We have had snow flurries all day (of course, nothing sticks). It's going to be super cold this week. 

Stay cozy!

xo