What if I told you that there is one week a year that I feel the “magic”, and it doesn’t revolve around the “happiest place on earth”? That’s right. The magic happens by spending time with my boys, for a week, going to a place they love and watching them be happy.
Last week, I took my boys (my two sons plus our exchange student) to Park City, Utah to ski. We had a blast. My boys were smiling all day, and we had the opportunity to spend a lot of time together playing, talking, and just hanging.
My middle son is obsessed with skiing. I took him skiing two years ago, and he’s been hooked since. He says he likes the way the cold air feels on his face when he goes down the mountain and that he has a great time learning to ski.
I enrolled him in ski school because he is the type of kid that learns well from adult peers, much better than he would learn from me or my mom.
Every day I picked him up he was excited to hear the “teacher’s report” where the instructor told me how well he did and how he’s an aggressive skier who learns very quickly.
Imagine his excitement when in just four days he went up three levels! So now, his biggest goal is to get his ski poles next year when we return. By the last day, he was skiing blue runs, the same runs I would ski with him. I jokingly told my husband that I am going to need lessons myself next year just to keep up with my kid.
This year was the first time my baby G saw snow. He is the light of any party and ski school was no different. His instructor mentioned daily how much fun he was to be around and that regardless how difficult the skill was (for a four-year-old), he always had a smile on his face.
After a few days, I have a second child who is now snow-obsessed. He cried when we left and cant’ wait to return.
I also brought Jaime, our exchange student, since it was his spring break week and he’s skied much of his life. He was super helpful with the boys and again, we couldn’t be luckier to have him around. He fits right in as the “big brother” and my two boys love him.
Although I had kitchen accident at the beginning of the week, I didn’t let that disrupt the goal of the vacation: to enjoy my boys’ company, to explore their likes, and to see them thrive in a new skill.
What we’ve gained are some great memories, bonding moments, and most importantly, we have found something in common we all love: the mountains and snow.
My middle son made me promise him that we will come back next year. He looks forward to our ski trip more than anything, and he is happiest being in the snow. I’ve never seen my very sensitive, introverted, and rather shy child shine as much as in the snow. We are coming back for sure.
As a matter of fact, I am going to make it our goal to be able to spend one month a year in Utah. I too have found happiness and extreme peace breathing the crisp, fresh, mountain air. To be able to unplug, unwind, and relax? Priceless.
Do you have a “happy place” you like to go with your family where you enjoy time away?
what a wonderful idea to spend quality time with your children. Do you do an “all-girls” trip with you daughter too?
We go skiing as a family every year! Absolutely love it and the kids look forward to it every year.
I love Park City in Utah! We went a couple of years ago and it was fantastic.
I did a “mom-and-daughter” trip last year and she loved getting all the attention and getting away from the boys in the house! It was great, I want to do it more often.
I love doing one-on-one trips with each of my children. It’s kind of like a bonding trip and you grow so much closer to them.
My family and I go skiing every year and we always have so much fun!
I do the same! My boys love skiing but my little girl and husband hate the cold.
How awesome! My family loves skiing.