We found out late in the season that there is a reduced-rate, homeschool session at the ice-skating rink every week on Wednesday afternoon. It worked out for me to take my 3 oldest kids to it last week. We had been to the ice rink once before, over a year ago, for public skating. Samuel, William and Benjamin all tried it out for the first time then and I remembered it being pretty difficult for them. Walking on a thin blade was hard enough, not to mention on an extremely slippery surface. I was curious to see how they would do this time and how much they would enjoy it.
This first picture is kind of out of order. Another homeschooled boy that William has gotten to know a little and always enjoys seeing happened to be there too. I think his family has come skating nearly every week actually, but I didn't know that. He and Will were very happy to see each other and enjoyed each other's company the whole time. His name is Noah. He and William would pick a spot on the rink and then race to it. One of the greatest things about going at this time was how empty it was so that they were able to do things like that.
I'm going to show a few pictures of each child. I apologize that they are fuzzy. I was on skates too and had a hard time getting clear pictures, for some reason. Well, Ben was timid to get on the ice at all at first. That lasted about 2 minutes and then he bravely set forth. Naturally, he held on to the wall for quite a while.
Being bored on the wall, he'd occasionally venture out a little. That usually ended in a minute or two and he returned to safety.
About an hour in, he got comfortable and began to really go. That's when the smiles started to come and he was enjoying himself.
Sam. He's my oldest, but he's my most cautious. He stayed on the wall the longest. He was putting in some great effort and was determined to get it down before he let go of the wall. He just did not want to fall.
Having a great time but not leaving the wall!
He did it! I was actually quite proud of him. He watched some of the other kids who have done it for many weeks and tried to pick up on their technique. By the end he was skating significantly better and entirely without the help of the wall. I could hardly believe the improvement over last year.
And William. I don't think Will even held the wall. He doesn't care if he falls. He'd skate, skate, skate as fast as he could, knock his feet together, tripping and skidding his face across the surface of the ice and hop right back up and repeat it all again. So funny. Around and around the rink he'd zip. It was just painful to watch him fall at those speeds and he didn't care at all.
There he goes. Zip, zip. I couldn't get him to slow down to look at me for a picture.
There, I finally got him to pose.
They gained a lot of confidence by the end. They even skated some together, holding onto each other.
So much fun. Are you feeling a little chilly after those rosy cheeks and pictures of ice? It was COLD. I'm glad they brought hats and gloves. Hurray for some exercise after a lot of winter stillness. We were all really glad we went.
Being bored on the wall, he'd occasionally venture out a little. That usually ended in a minute or two and he returned to safety. 
About an hour in, he got comfortable and began to really go. That's when the smiles started to come and he was enjoying himself. 
Sam. He's my oldest, but he's my most cautious. He stayed on the wall the longest. He was putting in some great effort and was determined to get it down before he let go of the wall. He just did not want to fall. 
Having a great time but not leaving the wall!
He did it! I was actually quite proud of him. He watched some of the other kids who have done it for many weeks and tried to pick up on their technique. By the end he was skating significantly better and entirely without the help of the wall. I could hardly believe the improvement over last year.
And William. I don't think Will even held the wall. He doesn't care if he falls. He'd skate, skate, skate as fast as he could, knock his feet together, tripping and skidding his face across the surface of the ice and hop right back up and repeat it all again. So funny. Around and around the rink he'd zip. It was just painful to watch him fall at those speeds and he didn't care at all.
There he goes. Zip, zip. I couldn't get him to slow down to look at me for a picture.
There, I finally got him to pose.
They gained a lot of confidence by the end. They even skated some together, holding onto each other.
So much fun. Are you feeling a little chilly after those rosy cheeks and pictures of ice? It was COLD. I'm glad they brought hats and gloves. Hurray for some exercise after a lot of winter stillness. We were all really glad we went. 
3 comments:
Great post Julie. I was right there with the boys - feeling the cold and holding onto the wall. Ice skating was my first sport. Yes, in Pasadena, California we learned to skate and be cold. My mom made our costumes, mine was a little red skirt with white stockings. I will always remember my first real injury - still have the scar. It was so much fun. I loved the insight into the boys' personalities as they related to the wall, or not in Will's case. I love your family !!!
Happy sabbath to all Jones family members.
Kathy,
Your mom made you a skating costume?! That is so cute! Thanks for sharing about it. I can just picture your little red skirt and white stockings. :-)
Happy Sabbath to you too!
Julie
Oh, what fun!!
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