I managed to coax Jeanine into a quick portrait. She is extra cute when she gets all bundled up.

Fresh snow means that Aliza and Jeanine will soon be out for some cross-country skiing. Had we stayed in Burlington for another day, we would have been treated to 33″ of snow, an all-time record.

To be safe we took Kyle to the hospital today to confirm that he did not break his pelvis. Fortunately X-rays confirmed the initial suspicion of a muscular injury for which weeks or months will be needed for a full recovery. Kyle requires crutches to move about and is borrowing a pair of Nicolai’s. I am sure he will gain profound new respect for what his brother must deal with on a daily basis.

The only one in our party to refuse to wear a helmet was Kyle. Not unsurprisingly, he was also the only one to wind up in the Ski Patrol Infirmary for the second time in as many snow boarding outings. In his version of the story he caught an edge while trying to avoid a novice skier who veered into his path and heard a bone cracking sound when he landed off trail on his left hip bone. He was in too much pain to stand or walk and in his only intelligent decision of the day used his board as a sled to make his way back to a trail where he summoned medical assistance. I had hiked half way up the mountain and positioned myself for good photographs when Nicolai called to tell me that Kyle was injured and could not move his legs. When I reached Kyle he was in a lot of pain but a cursory examination suggested that his injuries were muscular rather than skeletal. By the time Jeanine arrived (she had been spending the day with her sister) Kyle was ready for transport and the kids opted to call it a day so we could travel back to Concord together. Hell of a way to start the new year. My only hope is that Kyle will begin to make a connection between going too fast on a snowboard and getting very badly hurt. Hint for Kyle: The same lesson applies to all things that go fast.

The absence of snow on her Little Bo Peep ensemble suggests that Hannah is an accomplished skier. I appreciated her tending to my little sheep while the boys were racing down the mountain.

Lydia and Maya enjoyed each other’s company and seemed like well-matched partners. Lydia had more control and did not fall, whereas Maya crashed often but went faster. The boys were instructed to stay with them at all times and to keep to runs they could handle. More often than not, it was Hannah that I observed in their company.

Nicolai appears to have lost none of his skiing skills since last season, although his patience for staying with and supervising his younger sister seemed greatly diminished. He has completely abandoned his outriggers (crutches with little skis on the ends) in favor of crutches that he uses like regular ski poles.

This morning I left Burlington with all the kids for the Bolton Valley Ski Resort where snow conditions were very good and crowds were small. Kyle, apparently having learned his lesson after yesterday’s failed snowball attack on Hannah tries a different approach by helping to secure her helmet. I am guessing he found this outcome to be far better than a neck full of cold snow.