One-on-One Time with the Kids

I get lots of one-on-one time with Nolan while Keaton is at school but I get very little with Keaton.  TJ doesn't get a lot of one-on-one with either kids for obvious reasons (working).  But he has been getting a lot with Nolan lately and I can tell how much Nolan loves it!  I guess him and Keaton playing video games counts too even though the rest of us are around.  They just ignore us while they are in their gaming world.

Since Nolan and I are together a lot our time isn't as "special" unless we do something out of the ordinary.  It was really nice a few days ago so we went to the park for the first time in months.  We both had so much fun.  It was amazing to see how much he has changed since he was last at a park.  He was interacting with other kids and even became buddies with a 5 year old.  I haven't witnessed him interacting with other kids except when Keaton is around but I think he's finally getting to that age.

Today I got to spend almost the whole day with Keaton.  Usually our friends come skiing with us but they were sick so it was just him and I.  He didn't want to play his video game player on the way there so we talked the whole time (hour and a half).  It was great.  It was great to have lunch with just him.  And share an activity with just him.  He went on the chair lift last weekend and didn't fall at all skiing down.  Today he went on the chair lift 3 times and only fell a couple of times.  He's doing really well and today his teacher spotted him after class and was impressed on how well he was skiing.  None of the other kids in his class has been on the chair lift yet, I take him after class is over. 

Playing with knives!

The kids took a cooking class at the YMCA where they learned how to make pizza.  They were also going to make applesauce but ran out of time so I made it at home and destroyed it.  I should probably sign myself up for some classes.
The guy who ran it was fantastic and it was a really fun thing to do!  I'll definitely sign them up for more.
They made sauce and dough from scratch.  He let them stir the tomatoes on the pot on the stove (something I'd never let them do), help put the pizza in the oven (again I try to keep them away from there too).  They even got to practice sharpening knives and he showed us how a really sharp knife can cut through a piece of paper like scissors.  I tried our knives at home and the paper ripped so we need to sharpen ours.  Even Nolan got to sharpen a knife but I didn't want to take a picture and risk him losing a finger.

Sadly when the pizza was done neither of the kids really liked it.  But Keaton LOVED the cooked basil leaves so we will add that to our pizza's from now on.

He'll do anything for hot chocolate

Yesterday Keaton had his first ski lesson!  I grew up skiing every week at Stevens Pass and it was something that so many of my friends also did.  I hope Keaton likes it because I'd love to get back into skiing again.  I'll have to get a job to afford it though.  You know you are old when you remember when lift tickets were $10.  They are A LOT more now.  Luckily we don't have to pay for a ticket when he's doing lessons.

His lessons are only a couple of hours and then they have lunch (and hot chocolate which he was really looking forward to).  I was so impressed with the kid in the black shirt.  He was 10 and was so great with Keaton and Camden at lunch.  It's great to see when older kids are so nice to the younger ones!  He taught the boys a new hand shake.

They encourage the kids to go back out after lunch to practice what they learned in lessons. They have this thing called the "magic carpet" that takes the kids to the top of the practice hill.  They never had this when I was younger.  You had to climb to the top of these little hills.  Keaton is the second kid in the red/black outfit.

I was so impressed with how well Keaton did on his first day.  And how brave he was.  Keaton can be a little timid when he tries new things but he was confident, didn't get upset when he fell and wasn't scared when he went really fast and then crashed.  I think he might already be a better skier than Grandpa Morgan!