Julia and Dad finally talked Sara into giving her a haircut. After 5 1/2 years of growing, there was plenty to donate with enough left over so Julia still has long hair.
Immediately following the haircut, Julia was pleased with her new doo. And so far the plan is working out for Sara as well because ...
a. The blood curdling screaming from having Sara comb her hair was replaced by Julia combing her own hair (about 20 times in the first 3 hours).
b. The pain of putting her hair in a pony tail was replaced by Julia doing it by herself.
It was a big risk, but turns out it was a risk worth taking.
On New Year's Day we headed to Whitetail for the kids first attempt at skiing. Shockingly there was pretty good snow on 4-5 trails despite temps in the 50's.
Day 1:
After receiving a lot of flak for not arriving at 11pm on New Year's Eve, Doug decided that we would get the 4pm - 10pm ski pass.
At 3:59:50, skiing began with 'lessons' for RJ. By the end of the day, RJ was skiing greens with more confidence than merited. Next Julia received 'lessons' and encouragement. By the end of the day Julia was riding the magic carpet and holding onto my poles to go down greens.
Why you should not push your luck.
RJ convinced me to ski a blue with moguls. After getting 20% down and realizing that we bit off more than we could chew, a ski patrol hero carried RJ down the slope and let him ski the last 30% by himself.
Julia and Doug started going faster on greens. Julia turned into me to stop while we were holding onto the same poles. I fell on her head. Sara had to come comfort her.
Day 2:
We convinced the kids to go to ski school/camp to learn what to really do. Great choice! In addition to learning proper technique, the kids got a snack with juice and goodies. Sara and Doug skied wide open, freshly groomed trails in warm weather while the kids learned.
Towards the end of day two Julia was able to turn and aim towards my ski poles near the magic carpet.
After the ski lesson, RJ was declared a skiing savant by the instructors. During the second class session they moved him to a different group which featured an actual race down a green trail.
After class I took this video:
Day 3:
Rain. No skiing.
Day 4:
RJ's buddy Emmett joined the fun for day 4. After rain the day before and 50 degree temps, the trails were starting to show some wear, but we skied all day anyway. By the end of the day, everybody was exhausted. RJ put himself to bed at 10pm - which seems to have become the standard bedtime at the ski house.
Julia and Sara skiing a green trail.
RJ became a bit crazy. Skiing near the edge and looking for trouble became part of the norm. Quick turns after exiting ski lifts gave RJ the opportunity to jump down short cliffs. I need to make note of directions to the nearest hospital.
Christmas 2019 was with Sara's family in Buffalo, MN. The plane ride was uneventful, except the fact that Julia talked the entire time. On the way home, she didn't even use her iPad.
Days 1-4
We stayed at the Martin's farmhouse so we got to unplug for a couple days.
Doug found a place to work in Minneapolis ... that was 3 blocks from the Packers - Vikings Monday Night Football game. The view from the office looked at the baseball field.
We did a lot of ice skating on Buffalo Lake. Luckily Uncle Corey's skates fit and saved Doug's opinion of Aunt Anna. The kids found free rentals at the skate shack. The kids 'skated' over to some people who were ice fishing. After skating we climbed a snow-plow mountain.
We got quality time with Claire, Cecilia, and Lydia.
Days 5-6: Christmas Eve and Christmas
All the cousins arrived along with Grandma and Grandpa to celebrate Christmas. RJ played football and pool with the boys, while Julia got her nails done and played with the girls.
Next Santa arrived. Julia noticed that Uncle Corey was the only person not in the room.
Day 6 1/2: Christmas in McLean
To save money and avoid hassles, we flew home on Christmas Day. Turns out that everybody else had the same idea ... airports were packed ... unlike Doug's trip to Cleveland 12 years ago. Once in McLean, we opened gifts and ate dinner with Aunt Debbie and Granddad. Highlights included Sara's Saturn V Lego rocket, a massive bean bag chair, Judy (Abby's twin) with a double stroller, hockey sticks for RJ and Doug, and an automatic nerf gun. RJ also got some Dog Man books ... which he read in the bean bag with the nerf gun ready for protection.
After the refrigerator nightmare, the Kenmore Elite (LG underneath) dishwasher decided to flood the kitchen. The problem was a 10 cent gasket that LG probably saved 2 cents per washer by using cheap materials.
Sara helped diagnose the problem the day before our trip to Minnesota. Turns out it was a half-inch seal (WPW10195677) that surrounds the diverter motor. When we returned, I bought a part from a guy in Stirling VA who said "Yeah, the washers that come with them are cheap and are not really the right size, they leak all the time." Great. Now we have a new washer, a working dishwasher, and a warped kitchen floor. Thanks Sears and LG.
Our friends Larry and Susan welcome us to see the trains at the US Botanic Gardens each year. This year we went on a Sunday so we had a bit of an early curfew. The trains were cool ... but I didn't take any pictures. I did; however, get a picture of RJ sitting in front of a bunch of poinsettia plants.
On Dec 6 we closed on our ski house at Whitetail resort. Our first two weekends consisted of a lot of cleaning and some repairs, but we had some fun too!
On the first day we hiked up the mountain. On the first night they started making snow ...
The next weekend, the green slope in front of our house had about 18 inches of snow in spots ... perfect for snowballs and sledding.
After the first weekend, we successfully got the place ready by ...
Removing 10 years of grease and grime from the kitchen.
Setting up TVs and Internet - first Roku experience
Repairing toilet that wouldn't stop running
Replacing 10 light bulbs
Attaching lights to actual switches
Replacing front door lock with programmable keypad
