Lauren's First Pair of Skates

This year, our favorite Christmas gift for Lauren would definitely have to be the pair of ice skates and helmet she received.  Chad researched which brand and size we should buy and they were a perfect fit.

As soon as she opened them up, she insisted on trying them on, and spent the rest of the Christmas vacation, putting on the skates and trying to walk around in Grumpa and Grammy's kitchen.

Her first attempt on the ice was at the Hyatt, in Cambridge, Maryland, where they put down a synthetic rink.  We all drove up to watch, and she did a lap around the small rink.  Since it was a synthetic material, she (along with Uncle Ryan) had a hard time, and we were anxious to get her out on real ice.

A few days later, Chad and I took Lauren to the Fairfax Ice Arena, which was just down the street.  Since I am pregnant, I was not able to join in the fun, but I did enjoy sitting on the team benches and taking photos every time they passed by.  Lauren held on tight to Chad's hand, and did not want to get off the ice.  After a few laps around the rink, Chad needed to drop her off, so that he could skate a few laps to stretch out his back.  And she was not happy until she got back on the ice.  

On New Year's Eve, we met up with Uncle Ryan, at the National Sculpture Gardens in Washington DC.  It is an outdoor rink, and really neat.  Once again, I was the official photographer and boy was it cold!!  Lauren skated a few laps, and then would wait while Chad and Ryan stretched their backs.  Each time, she watched their every move and was always very happy when they stopped to pick her back up.  I was frozen by the time they finished, but the smile on Lauren's face made it all worth it!

We hope that ice skating will become a regular family outing, and I have no doubt that soon Lauren will be much better than her mommy.  Also, I will continue to take a lot of photos and videos, because you never know if these outings will lead to a future in the Winter Olympics!  Hey, we can always dream, right?!?!