Slip slidin' away

There are only a few things scarier than watching your kids go sledding for the first time. I'm not sure what they are, but I'm pretty sure there must be something. Oh man. I'm so glad we got out there yesterday before the crowds started to show up so we could play and slide and crash into the bottom of the hill. But it did take a few deep breaths and remembering that I survived years of sledding as a kid with hardly a scratch. How did I manage it? Thinking about the boulder my sister ran into made it even worse. Oh right, we didn't always end up unhurt. But still the memories fade and all you remember is how much unbridled fun it was.  So we gave it a try ourselves and took both girls out on the big hill behind 54th Street. Did I mention the slope ended in a concrete ditch with a few stumps and light poles around for good measure? Yeah, it wasn't the most bucolic of pastures for our first sledding effort, but we managed.  Considering that Doughboy Plaza is the hill for sledding in Sunnyside/Woodside, I think it was a must. And meeting up with friends to share the thrills and spills made it even better...

Sometimes I think photos don't capture the real essence of an event, but not yesterday. The smiles, the excitement (and in Carolina's case, the screams) were all there. And I was glad to be there with my camera to record it all.  After a few runs, our little girl wasn't so sure the cold was worth it. She sat in her stroller, snacking but mostly crying about wanting to go home. In the meantime, I needed to get a sled for Elisa since she was melting down about having to share (we had yet to purchase our own considering friends had extras and I wasn't sure how well the girls would do). But getting our own plastic was a must and so I backtracked to the dollar store on Skillman Ave where thankfully they still had some pretty decent sleds for cheap. Returning with our new blue toboggan in hand, I was delighted to see how well Elisa took to it without whining. She and Birdie made several runs with Nacho and it was all going so well. I was pouring spiked cider for the adults and hot cocoa for the kids. It was almost ideal except for those nagging screams. Elisa started in about Nacho shoving off with Leonardo and then she wanted her rag which was at home. Yes, as good as it was for a minute, it quickly devolved into tired, hungry, cranky kids who needed a nap. And that was our cue. We made a valiant effort to enjoy the snow and to be part of the community of sledders in Sunnyside and we achieved both.  And I'll forgive the screaming since everyone took a good nap. Winter sports for the win!