Remember last month, when all Andy wanted for his birthday was to go bowling? Well, today Brady turns five!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRADY BOY! WE LOVE YOU!

Nate and I really like the idea of doing a memorable family activity with the kids for their special days instead of adding another toy to the heaping toy box… So, when Brady said he wanted to try ice skating, we were all for it!

Yesterday was the big day. Nate and I were sure we knew how it would go: Adventurous, dare-devil Brady would be attempting jumps in the middle of the ice while super cautious Andy clung to either the wall or Nate. (Nate happens to know how to ice skate very well — of course — so pregnant mama sat on the sidelines with the younger three.)

We were thrilled to find out that they were about to begin a “Tots class” for ages 3-6, and the head of the skating department at the rink invited the boys to join in for free. The kids learned off the ice the proper way to fall down and get up, how to march on the ice, how to squat and touch their toes, and more. They seemed to enjoy the class … until they got on the ice. Then, a funny thing happened: We were wrong… Very, very wrong.

Brady couldn’t stay upright. He soon realized he wasn’t having any fun! After 30 minutes, he told Nate he was done. I’ve never seen this boy give up on anything, but he was sure he did not want to ice skate any longer! Nate convinced him to cross the ice two more times, but that was all he could muster.

Andy fell down, got back up and loved it! He figured it out rather quickly. He wasn’t superb, but really enjoyed trying. The instructor gave him some pointers and he ate it up. She shared with Nate some opportunities for classes (they offer homeschool classes!) and gave us coupons.

All the while, Brady and I were removing his skates and checking out the gymnastics training center located in the same building. He’s sure he’d like that. (He probably would!)

Before all was said and done, Daddy took the three younger ones for a lap around the ice at a pretty fun speed. 

Connor wasn’t so sure about the flying feeling, but the two girls loved it.

Ferris cooed and squealed loudly!

Evan even insisted on going again and held her little arms out like an airplane.

Though Brady didn’t enjoy the skating so much, he did agree that it was fun to try something new. He’s looking forward to a crustless cheesecake tonight — hopefully that will make up for the time spent on the ice.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 30th, 2009 at 9:43 am and is filed under Andy, Brady, Connor, Evan, Ferris, family. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.