Of skiing, flowers, and baby goats

The big reason I am trying to be as fit as I can is not because I want to have a small waist or a healthy heart. The reason I try to go for daily walks, or a bike ride once a week, or maybe even a run is not because I want to weigh a certain amount. Sure, I care about having a healthy heart, and being slim is okay (although, truth be told, I have always wanted to be more curvy).

The main reason I want to be fit is so I can keep up with my kids.

This week, for example: We went on a mini vacation up to Canada, where we found a really good, last-minute deal on a hotel. The week before, we had bought cheap cross country skis at the thrift store ($4 for a pair of skis!). Steve and I had to take turns taking one of the boys out to ski, since they both share boots and skis (originally mine, by the way). So Lukas and I took off on the groomed trails at Lost Lake. As we headed into the winter wonderland, I felt nervous about my nine year old son's non-existent cross country skiing experience. Would Lukas be grumpy and moody, mad that he couldn't keep up with me, or mad at the skis who would constantly trip him?

Ten minutes later, he had left me in the dust snow.  Sweating and panting, I watched my kid as he effortlessly glided out of my sight.  I didn't mind too much, since I was high on exercise endorphins, but it did make me step up my commitment to get more cardio exercise in the future.

My goals for this year are riding our bikes over the North Cascades Highway to Winthrop, and also to take the boys back packing again.  I HAVE to be fit to survive accomplish these things.

I hardly have any photos of our days in Canada, since I was too busy bundling myself and the kids up, and too busy trying to stay on their tails as I panted after them.  We must have been a sight.  Amidst all the sophisticated world travelers finding themselves in Whistler, here were we Sahlin's with our duct taped boots, hand knit wool hats and sweaters and low tech, ancient gear.

But, oh, we had such fun!  Cross country skiing, tubing down the mountain with inner tubes, jumping our hearts out at a place filled with trampolines (for all the snow boarder dudes practicing their acrobatic nonsense!).

Riding up on the gondola

I made him stop long enough to take a quick picture.

In the trampoline place, Lukas was in his element.

So was Daddy.

Let's switch gears from snow to spring, shall we?  There are signs of spring about, especially at my friend Erin's flower farm.  The other day, we dropped the boys off at her place for a playdate with her son, and little Eva got to pick anemones in their green house.  Will you look at these flowers?  Doesn't your heart rate speed up when you look at these beauties?

My friend Erin with Eva "helping" 

Another sure sign of spring: Baby goats.  My goats still have a few weeks to gestate their babies, but some of my friends already have frolicking goat babies.  Here is a little buckling that was born a few hours before this picture was taken.  He has his own sweater.