The morning started early...5:16am. I noticed myself waking every hour since the 9pm hour we went to sleep. Then at 5am, I heard the TV and talking. I got up and went to the bathroom. That was it I was up and there was no going back to bed. Somehow I had to keep the kids later tonite.

I knew there were some parently responsibility i was lacking...actually dozens. The kids hadnt had a good breakfast in days, not bath or shower and then i recalled Liam hadnt gone "number two" since christmas! i also noticed that someone pee was brown (sign of impending dehydration of one of my kids). I quickly asked who has the brown the pee and Ethan responded instantly...LIAM! Liam laughed and asked me why. i told him he needs to drink more water and that his body was drying out. he understood and quickly downed 8 oz. now onto the plugged bowels. I told liam we were going out until he moved his bowels. he instantly sat down and out it came.

I thought to myself...wow, i am on a role! what other responsibilities have i been remiss? BATHTIME! I got them both thoroughly bathed and hair washed before 7am! Wow, gina would be impressed. unfortunately, breakfast will loose me some points...a chocolate dipped chocolate chip cookie and some kettle corn with a few BBQ Lays chips to wash it all down! Hey high-carbs for energy, right?!?!

Well time for the one hour ritual of bundling them up to go outside. Skies are clear, no wind but tempature is below 15 degrees. The question of the day is what to do with the kids...another day of lessons or do they ski with me? If you ask liam he is ready for the largest hills by himself. He must have told me 50 times he doesn't need any lessons as he already knows how to ski.

I make the parental decision of another day of lessons. But since we got up so early i could spend an hour or so skiing with the kids and we can see how they do. After the bundling and re-bundling exercise we went over to the POMA (a toe rope that goes up a 200 foot high bunny hill). Mind you Liam has NEVER done this...grab onto a rope while wearing skiis and get pulled 100 feet up the mountain. Having just watched 2-3 people ahead of him I figure he would shy away from trying...NOT Liam. He grabs on like a champ and off he goes! nearing the top and following behind him and nervous to the core...I am shouting coaching instructions to him; "hold on, honey"..."keep your skiis straight up the hill"..."you are doing GREAT".

Now, reaching the top, I yell to him to let go!!! He lets go just as instructed but fails to turn his skis so he quickly comes to a stop....then begins going straight backwards...right past me, gaining speed down the mountain! I am terrified for him thinking is must be about to go into cardiac arrest and shock. I immediately abandon the toe rope myself and head down after him screaming to just to; "sit down...fall down"! He looks like a tiny balls of blue nylon with a black dot on top streaming backwords down the hill. I thinking the trip is over at this point. Before you it his legs start to spread and I am not sure if this is good he will finally fall or what. He is down...I rush to his side and he is laughing and we both have a good laugh together... mine of pure relief and his of excitement. He actually liked it. He said; "dad, was I going fast?"

The next few runs were of similiar gravity controlled (as to human controlled) down hill skiing. Each time he crashed near the bottom and was undawnted by the experience.