Ice Skating: Lesson 1

Today was a special day for us. I asked Chris if he could play hookie from work and spend a few hours with us at the Ice Rink. We have wanted to take the kids ice skating all season and have not had the chance. I recently found out that a local ice rink has a Parent/Tot open skate on weekday mornings. I jumped on that opportunity instead of going to an Open Skate on a Sunday afternoon with older kids zooming by us and I thought it would be very crowded (at least that is how I remember alot of the Open Skate I attended as a child).
When we arrive there was one other family on the ice and it was peaceful and quiet. We rented the skates for J & C. (Chris and I each have our own set of hockey skates). The skates were so tiny and cute (note to self: take a photo of them next time). Casey took to them right away and was walking around the room. As usual Jake was much more cautious and took his time. Once we got to the ice it got interesting. It was a challenge for Chris and I to keep them standing upright. It was a great workout for our lower back and legs. We skated around with them to get them comfortable with the feeling of the ice. Casey was enjoying it and Jake wasn't enjoying it much, he seemed to be scared of the sheet of ice. Finally I told Chris to set him down and let him sit on the ice to know what it was like. He sat there for a minute and got back up and started to enjoy himself. We found a neat walker that the kids could hang onto and push to help them skate. It was a difficult task for Casey but Jake was getting the hang of it quickly and a smile started to appear on his face. By the end of our 1 hour session Jake was zooming across the ice (with the assistance of the walker) and did not want to leave. He begged me for the rest of the day when we were going back. It was a neat experience for them and Chris and I throughly enjoyed watching them learn how to skate.
After skating we had lunch together and then Chris had to get back to work. It was sad to drop him off, but we were grateful to have a few hours with him (it was a treat for us). He deserved a break for his job and I'm glad we could do something as a family.