Christmas Day Sliding

I've adapted very well to life in Minnesota, so much so that I've been told I sound more like I'm actually from Minnesota and not New Jersey.  Despite all the winters I've lived here, I'd never really picked up on the term "sliding."  I've always called the activity of flying down a snow-covered hill on a sled, well, sledding, but here in Minnesota it's often referred to as sliding.  Meanwhile, according to Minnesotans, the word "sled" also means snowmobile.

So, not to be confused with sledding, we went sliding with the kids this morning.  They had received a brand-new, hand-crafted-in-Canada toboggan they needed to test it out.  (Okay, I really wanted to test out.) While Christmas morning is really lovely because I enjoy watching my pajama-clad kids excitedly open presents and having a leisurely day to spend as a family, the truth is, by mid-morning, everyone is getting a bit stir-crazy.  The toboggan provided our motivation to bundle up and head outdoors for fresh air and exercise. The temperature reached a whopping 28 degrees today, a one-day respite from the Arctic temperatures on either side of Christmas, and it had snowed an additional three inches last night, so it would have been a waste not to enjoy the picture-perfect, white Christmas. 

Oliver has been loving all winter outdoor activities lately.  He had a blast skiing over the weekend and he even begs to be allowed to go outside and help shovel.  Our un-waxed toboggan turned out to be much slower than I thought it would be that I had no qualms about sending the kids down it by themselves.  

Soren never warmed up to sliding this morning.  I don't know if he was cold, or uncomfortable in the bulky layers, or just worn out from the past couple of days, but at best, he tolerated it.  Chris and I still think he has an adventurous spirit, but we're wondering if that spirit will just show in a warmer climates.