More photos from Christmas Eve on Flickr...

While at Winter Park, we happened upon an unusual situation.  For those unfamiliar with the slopes, in the lines for a ski lift, there is often a special line for ski school that lets them head up and merge in ahead of regular blokes.  No big deal, that is how it works.  After one of our runs on Sunday, we were waiting in line, almost for our turn, to head up one of the quads (4 peeps to a chair, so Laura, Tate, Cody, Flossie was our usual routine).  Anyway, a few groups ahead of us...and here comes a ski school of young ones, but, here is the kicker...there were two teachers and 9 kids.  Seems like an ok 5 to 1 ratio or so, until you consider this is a quad, and, these kids are 5 and 6.  Now, those unfamiliar with ski areas might not understand, but for all the fearlessness that a five or six year old has, the one thing they cannot overcome is their lack of height, which, poses an issue getting onto a chair lift.  The seat is about at the height that wacks them in the middle of the back typically, and hoping up onto a moving chair with skis on is somewhat of a awkward task.

So now you are thinking, Flossie had to help some kids up into a chair lift...

Here is the best part.  Flossie was on skis, with the three of the rest of us our boards.  As such, we are stumbling around in line while Flossie is standing in front picking her nose, or laughing, or tying her shoe, or on the cell phone ordering a tasty adult beverage, or playing texas hold'em.  Since she "gots the skillz," she was ahead of us just a smidge, and here comes the ski school.  Instructor 1 takes three kids, and the back instructor takes 3, and sends the other 3 kids in the middle to "go with the lady in the blue."  Excuse me ?

Poor Flossie...on vacation, and here she is with three 5 and 6 year-olds for a 7 minute plus chair-lift ride.  Mother Flossie had to help one of the three onto the chair, but they made it on, and quickly requested the bar to be pulled down.  Great, instead of just flopping right out, they will have to artfully slide under a bar to drop off the chair.  Here are Tate, Laura, and I behind, sunken that our comrade ditched us for a bunch of kids, yet enjoying adult things while Flossie is mothering three other kids we do not even know.

Apparently, as the story goes, the kids were like Tyler after a three-hour nap and a bowl of cookies with chocolate milk.  From the time they sat on the lift until they flew off at the top, they were three yapping poodles full of excitement and good cheer.  But I saved the best for last...

See, one of the kids had an older sibling, and wanted to share a story with how cool his brother was.  In the midst of their conversations, this little one blurts out among other things...

...my brother is seven and one time he hit a tree and it broke his helmet and he saw penquins !

Never in my life have I (for a moment I hoped the brother was ok, which, I am assuming he was) laughed so hard.  Having taken Tyler up, and watching the videos, and listening to Tyler as we drive from Boise to Ogden to Laramie to Chadron to Omaha and back, I know exactly how that phrase rolled out, and what a classic it is.  Well, that, and Tate and I watched Billy Madison six-thousand and seventy-two times more than we should have in college...

It was a wee bit chilly, hovering around 6 degrees when I cranked over the Tahoe at 8:30ish, and we were off for the short trip northwest of McCall to Brundage.  We arrived around 9, and headed into the kids center.  Flossie signed Tyler up for his lesson, and he went into the kids area with the other "bears".

Nora was clamoring to head into the daycare area after spying their collection of toys, but unfortunately for her, she had to tote around with Mommy and Daddy.  We headed up to the lodge, grabbed some warm drinks, and spent a little bit gazing over the base area.  It was a beautiful, blue bird day, with nary a cloud in the sky as the Bluebird quad hummed in the distance.  The lodge was fairly quiet, but Nora managed to find another little girl around her age, and stalked her for a few minutes until her parents wisked her away onto the slopes in a backpack child carrier.  I am quite sure I could have done the same with Nora and she would have been content.

Tyler was not scheduled to come out of the Kids Center until 10:30 (I think they start gearing them up around 9:30, and going over some inside instruction, as well as letting the kids interact with each other), and Nora had already dragged Mommy and Daddy outside a couple times onto the balcony from the lodge, so we headed back to the Tahoe to dress Nora in her snow gear.  Then, we headed to the north side of the parking lot, and took Nora for a little sledding.  She did not show much emotion either way, but it was pretty clear while she tolerated sledding, she was just more interested in getting out and walking in the snow, touching it, and eating it (so, we had the "Just say no, to, yellow snow" talk).

After a bit of fun with Nora, we headed over to the Kids Center as it was nearing 10:30.  Shortly after we sat down, Tyler came waltzing out with his instructor and classmate, carrying his skiis, oblivious to our existence.  We were curious how he would do being dropped off in a strange place, with strange people, in a strange setting, but he seemed to have no issues and looked excited to get out and play in the snow.  For parts of the next 90-100 minutes or so, we hung around the Kids Center, watching Tyler while entertaining Nora.  Peaches loved walking in the snow, so we covered a fair amount of terrain, going up and down snow banks, sitting our our hiney and sliding, while Tyler went from ski noob to a little pizza wedging four-year old.

It took ~30 minutes for the two kids to make it down the hill the first time.  They started with putting on their skis, walking around on one ski, then standing up with both skis.  Next up, they made a little trek down a slight incline, both making it about 10-15 feet before introducing their rear-end to the snow.  As they worked down though, they slowly gained control and then it was time for a ride on the chairlift.  As we watched them coming up the triple-chair, you could see, and even at times hear, Tyler, yapping, the entire way up.  Hands were waving, pointing, and his mouth was rambling, presumably about the war on terror or economic policy.

After getting off the lift, the two kids were totally different, and they glided out and down the run, playing red-light, green-light with the instructor, working on starting and stopping and good pizza wedge form to slow to a stop.  We were quite excited looking on as Tyler seemed to have no issues with ski control, and also seemed to be having a ball.  Quite the feeling to see a four-year old tackle something like this and pick it up so quickly.

Of course...he did wreck once or twice...

but after a couple tries, he was cutting through trees with ease...

The lesson lasted until about 12:15...and the boys took off their skiis, carried them in, with Tyler passing us on the deck, finally noticing we were around.  He had a huge smile, but was headed in for lunch with the other "bears".  Picking him up and walking back to the Tahoe, he was yabbering as usual about skiing, hot chocolate, and his cookie.  Maybe another couple lessons and it will be time for Mommy and Daddy to strap in and hit the slopes with Tyler Robert.

More photos are available on the Flickr Set.  We also have a few movies of the day as well:

The wee ones napped for about an hour of the 2+ hour drive north. They loved the motel room, but dinner was a minor disaster. Nora ate some, but Tyler's stubborn streak shone brightly. They had live music and dancing at The Pancake House where we ate, and Nora enjoyed the vibrance in the air.