Sledding 101 (FAIL)

We had a nice snowfall over New Year's weekend and Jena invited us to go sledding on the hill at the junior high, which is just about exactly between our two houses. Sam is still working on his thesis, so he stayed home with Jack while I bundled Ryan into his snowsuit and boots. He really enjoyed playing in the snow last winter, so I was surprised when he started to pitch a fit once we got to the hill.

Ryan and David are usually pretty strong influences on each other, for better or worse - skinny Minnie David eats more when dining with hollow-leg Ryan; Ryan followed David's example in throwing toys indoors (both were quickly shown the error of their ways). Their favorite game is to follow each other around the kitchen island in a kind of slow motion chase scene. Given this copycat nature, I though Ryan would warm to the sledding concept after watching David sled, both on his own and with his dad James, whom Ryan adores.

Obviously, not. Here he goes in for a snuggle from Jena.

David, who is having a total blast, seems confused by Ryan's loud objections to this thrilling adventure.

Finally I loaded Ryan back in the car and headed home, determined to revisit sledding at a later date - perhaps on the tiny slope in our yard first. Just as we were pulling in to the garage, Jena called an asked if they could come to our house, since as we pulled out of the school parking lot, David started chasing our car, called "Ryan! Ryan! Ryan!".

Jena is due with her second baby in late April, so James got a refresher course in helping tired little ones settle down to nap.

Perfectly matched goofballs, these two...