Sledding!!

Backstory:  I hate the cold.  Thus, I don't take my kids sledding.  That's daddy's job.

Backstory #2: I have an extremely sweet Belarusian friend who I absolutely cannot say no to. It is impossible to say no to someone so sweet, friendly, and amazing. She has two boys who are very close in age to my kids. Story: So, my Belarusian friend says to me, "Nichole, you will want to take your kids sledding today at the church by my apartment?" I think to myself, um, no. However, as stated before I can't say no to her. Ugh. "Yes, Iryna, sledding sounds great!" So, we bundled up and off we went. I ended up surviving an entire HOUR in the 20 degree weather.

"You will want to sled, too, Nichole. This sled is very soft and warm," Iryna says. Gahd! "Okay, I'll get on the sled." And I did. And I survived. And I sort of had fun.

After we were all sufficiently cold, we headed back to Iryna's for snacks and tea. Iryna always has some Russian cookies and fancy tea for us. She's a lovely hostess. Thank goodness she's also a good influence, because I'm pretty sure she could convince me to just about anything.