In two months of skating..

We went from this...


To this!


It truly is amazing how fast they learned. I'm grateful because this experience didn't start out at the top of my list of fav's.

Here's my top ten list of all the things intimidating about taking your kids to ice skating lessons in Minnesota:

10. Dressing them in full winter gear while at least one of them whines, complains, and refuses to wear snow pants because they "don't feel comfortable."

9. Carrying two pairs of skates, two helmets, a diaper bag, and a 20-month old on the long walk into the ice rink (of course a stroller is not an option due to the unplowed parking lot and the several inches of fresh snow).

8. Trying to shove four feet into skates while your toddler is running off and the class is about to start.

7. Making friendly conversation with the mom sitting next to you, only to be embarrassed because of the skating terminology she uses that is not in your vocabulary.

6. Realizing you just put your babies on ice with sharp blades attached to two of their limbs, and then watching them fall, and fall, and fall...

5. Trying to skate with them (as expected by the teacher) and straining to simultaneously hold both of them upright when you barely know how to skate yourself.

4. Watching the other parents literally skate impressive circles around you.

3. Realizing you were the only parent to rent skates because all the other parents seem to have well-worn hockey skates.

2. Listening to your 5-year-old complain that she is by far the oldest and tallest in the beginner class.

1. Not being able to feel warm again until the next day because you freeze in the whipping winds and sub-zero temps on the way into the ice arena, freeze for 60 minutes in the ice arena, freeze on the walk back to the car, freeze on the drive home, and at that point, you officially become an icicle.

I suppose the intimidation, drama, and stress were worth it because look at them go!


And I'll throw in a picture of the mascot for good measure.