Morning at the Skate Park

This morning we drove to an indoor skateboard park with the kids and Preston.  There were a couple dozen different ramps inside from barely over a foot to well over 8 feet high.

Owen was on his skateboard on the flat parts and only tackled a few of the smaller ramps.

Like this one.  Chloe is on her rollerblades and walking up the steps in the back left.

Go Owen, go!

The boy is just showing off.  I got this face when I suggested he actually go down the 4 foot ramp he was standing at the top of with his board.

Owen was happy Preston was at the skate park this morning.

And Nate, too.  They were happy to show me their best skater poses.

New Rollerblades for the Kids!

The kids had both been skating around in my rollerblades, but it was hard taking turns and also keeping balance in skates that were much too big for them.  Todd and I picked up some old, adjustable size rollerblades at Play-It-Again Sports the night before, as well as some new elbow and knee pads and wrist guards for Owen.  After skating around in my rollerblades, it was a little difficult adjusting to skates that fit properly.

Owen's rollerblades are Spiderman and have four wheels to go fast.  Like adult blades, there is a brake on only one foot.

Chloe's are slower, with only three wheels and brakes on both heels.

Owen was excited to get out on his blades, but was frustrated with how fast they moved...his wheels are much newer and not used nearly as much as mine.

Chloe did little baby-shuffles back and forth on her skates.  She followed Owen's previous lead of using shoes to protect her hands.  The shoes she grabbed are Owen's absolute favorites.  He painted them with puffy paint last summer when he was up here in Minnesota with his Grandma Sharon.

The girl child needed a break to pout.

Owen fell down a few times, but like when he was learning to ride his bike without training wheels, he got back up and kept on going!

Chloe was less inclined to get back up and keep on skating after she fell.  I think she was in need of a nap....and it was barely even 10:30am!

I had fun watching Owen rollerblade.  My boy is determined and persistent once he makes up his mind to learn something new.  I love that about him!

Roller Skating Madness

The kids were being sweet before we headed out for a friend's birthday party at the local skating rink and let me snap some pictures before getting in the car.

Owen held my hand as we made a our way around the rink a few times.  Then he was good to go and speeding away all on his own.

Chloe needed a little more assistance and chose to skate more on the carpet.  Those skates are so slippery!

Then it was time for pizza and Owen was thrilled to be sitting next to his good friend Matthew.

Chloe was doing her best to not smile at me.  Neither of the kids are very successful at this maneuver.

See?  She caved and burst into the biggest best grin.  Chloe continued her efforts at smile hiding and eventually covered her face because she couldn't keep her mouth straight.

When it was time to leave, Owen kept saying, "One more time around, Momma!"  Here is one of those many times, skating away with Matthew.

The skating rink was white linoleum and made a nice backdrop for a falling Bean.  By the end of this party, she was so ready to take off her skates and go home.  It was good exercise for us, but I'm not sure if Owen or I had more fun.  I had a blast skating as fast as I could around the rink and snapping pics of the kids.