Matt and the older three are out skiing this afternoon, so I have a minute to blog!  I actually am wishing I was out there with them.  It's 30 degrees, sunny and beautiful outside!  And I think this is the last weekend that the ski hill is open to the public.  It's hard to believe skiing season is almost over!!  I'm sure if the nice weather continues, staff will have a couple more chances to be out there....but still.  Hard to believe it's nearly March.  Yes, I am heading out after Leah's nap to try and get some pictures.

So Thursday Matt decides out of the blue that the family needs a getaway.  We've been cooped up sick in this house for three weeks, everyone is getting on each other's nerves.  Time for a fun overnight trip to a hotel in Wausau.  A hotel with a small waterpark.  I was a little skeptical about how fun it would be with a 2 yr old.  However, Leah demonstrated that she is not a typical Hoffland 2 yr old!  The child has no fear.  Last year, Anna wouldn't even do the lazy river and she was FOUR!  She wouldn't do the lily pads either.  OR the two slower slides for kids.  Before I denigrate her any further, let me say she did ALL of those things this year.  Even the dark slide.  I was very proud of her.  But what I'm saying is that typically Hoffland toddlers don't like deeper water....where they feel off balance.  They are afraid of slides and new things.  Don't like waves.  Won't ride on tubes with mom and dad.  Historically there's nothing to do with them, but sit in 6 inches of water.  Not Miss Leah, though.  She first conquered the slides in the wading pool.  She had no problem riding round and round the lazy river with mom.  She hung out in the hot tub and the big pool, and after seeing the bigger kids crossing the lily pads....she went across too.  Crawling on all fours, with mom or dad standing nearby in case she slipped off.  She had a BLAST!  (and so did we) 

She will be more of the adventurous type like her thrill-seeking brother David.  David was very afraid of his first big slide too around age 3.  But once we went down it, there was no holding him back ever again.  He was a water-sliding maniac on Thursday.  AND, he is doing so good at swimming too.  He is determined to pass the blue swim test at camp this summer, and for the first time I think he might be able to.  Johnny was getting his dog-paddling down pretty well too.  He was finally tall enough to ride the 'toilet bowl' slide, but didn't really care for it.  He was very put out with himself for not wanting to do it again.  And, he couldn't do the bigger slides b/c you couldn't go double and he can't touch at the bottom.  But, I told him despite his being so hard on himself....I was proud of him for at least trying the toilet bowl.  The kid needs to give himself a break!

Funny David story.  We were loading up the van at the hotel.  Most of us were standing inside the back door of the hotel waiting.  Matt had just finished unloading the cart and David was already in the van.  So Matt tells me to take the cart back to the front desk and he will drive around and pick us up there.  I took the other three kids with me.  When we come around to the front, Matt is standing there inside the front door chuckling.  He told me that as soon as he got in the van, he goes "DAVID....let's get outta here!  Let's ditch the rest of them!  Just you and me, man! They won't even know we left!"  He was just teasing and thought David would realize that immediately.  But David (ever the literalist) panicked and started to stutter in his haste to stop his crazy dad...."B-b-b-but WAIT, Dad.....I love them!"   Now, how sweet is that?    When I got in the car, I said, "Thank you, David!  I'm so glad that you didn't leave us behind!" and he says, still shaking his head in disbelief, "Yeah.....it was Dad's idea!"

Oh, and we had a magnificent view of the Lunar eclipse on Wed night.  After AWANA, we set up the telescope in the back room and there it was....right outside our window!  It was a perfect view.  We saw it go into total eclipse and start to come out, then it rose too high for good viewing out the window.  And considering the temperature was about 10 below, I decided not to take the telescope outside and keep on watching!