Another Ethan first: He skated on single blades.

It was a perfect day for ice skating: just below freezing, minimal wind, and smooth ice. Ethan tried out his brand new single-blade skates for the first time. His skating looked more like walking at first, and there were plenty of tumbles, but within about fifteen minutes, he had the basics of gliding. Meanwhile, Eliana was much more at ease this year on her double-blade skates. She’s old enough now to keep her balance and move around, but still a small enough puffball that falling is part of the fun.

An Eliana first: She sewed a bug.

I’m pretty sure we had told her the sewing machine was off limits, but this was too funny to raise as an issue.

Another Ethan first: He caught air on a sled jump.

The first two times down the hill, Ethan rode his tube and aligned himself perfectly with a jump ramp, sailing through the air. Once I got into position to take a video, though, he went down and missed the ramp to the right. After I took Eliana down on the toboggan, Ethan tried again, and missed again. We all had a fun time sledding, and I hoped one of Ethan’s jump attempts would be successful, but Eliana didn’t hold out that long.

Once she said she was cold, I told Ethan he could take one more run down the hill. Then I told him that this time I knew he would hit it. Instill confidence and set high expectations… it worked! His last run was perfect, even better actually, because he had switched to the saucer, which makes the landing more dramatic – far too jarring for me (I’ve tried), but Ethan loved it.

An E&E first: They worked together to build a snowman.

It took almost an entire winter season to get enough snow and a nice day for a good snowman, but it was worth the wait. I rolled out the bottom, Ethan the middle, and Eliana (with Ethan’s help) the head. Ethan thought it would be good for the snowman to pet a snowbunny, but Eliana was ready to go inside. So Ethan and I finished the project with just the two of us. Happy snowman!

Another Ethan first: He tied a balloon.

I told him that it’s easier to start with a balloon with less inflation. Apparently, he took it as a challenge.

An Eliana first: She filled the car ride with music.

Eliana had been practicing "Jesus Loves Me" for a violin-vocal duet with Ethan. I’m not sure what prompted her to start repeating the first line of the refrain, but it entertained us for much of the trip. Fortunately, her cuteness overshadowed any monotony.

An Eliana first: She asked how to spell a word.

Ethan knows enough words now that when he creates a book, only occasionally does he needs to ask how to spell a word. It’s still often enough that Eliana has picked up on the question. She can write a T and O – mostly by accident – but that’s about all. Yet her inexperience didn’t stop her cute, little voice from asking, “How spell Mommy?”

She didn’t develop her book to the point where I could determine its theme, the protagonist and antagonist, or the characters’ deepest inner conflicts. But I did get to help her form the letter M.