We started 2010 off right with a trip out to my parents' house for a nighttime sledding party. My dad and his many minions set up the course on our regular sled hill. They strung outdoor Christmas lights along the path, and a guide rope to help people get back up the hill. They used old tires to make bumpers for the trees (after an unfortunate incident last year in which Max's face met a tree on the way down), set up floodlights at the bottom of the hill, and even made a warming area with the hog roaster (which doubled as a grill for burgers and dogs). Meanwhile, my mom kept base at home with hot chili and sandwiches for hungry sledders.
Max took one run with Bethany, but they wiped out. After that he declared that he was done sledding and demanded to be taken back to the house to warm up. Luckily, there were all sorts of four-wheel-drive vehicles available, because there was no way we would get our minivan through the corn fields to the sledding hill (though it would have been fun to try)! Liam, meanwhile, LOVED sledding. He went up and down, up and down, going faster and farther on each run than most of the other sledders. He attributed it to his borrowed blue sled, and refused to trade sleds with anyone for the duration. He stayed out there for at least an hour and a half (and it was COLD out there!) without a break, then suddenly, at the end of a run, he announced that he was finished, too. So we hitched a ride back to the house to join Mike, Max, and Henry and eat some warm food. Shortly after, J got off his ambulance shift and stopped in at the house to play with the boys before he went out to the hill. A bunch of cousins were there, too, so the boys got to play legos and make up fun games with them until way past bedtime.
The party was a huge success, with tons of people and no injuries that I know of (though at least one phone and one camera -- neither one ours -- were casualties). There's already talk of making it an annual event, and I hope we do. It was a really nice twist to have the sledding party at night!
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