The ice skating these past few weeks has been simply spectacular -- no new snow, temps around 30, and no wind. It could not be easier to be comfortable cruising around Cheney Lake.

Henry has always had a mild interest in skating, but lately he's had an extra spring in his step for it. His bike helmet no longer fit well enough over his winter hat to keep him safe on the ice, so we upgraded to a proper hockey helmet. I make no assumptions about any hockey aspirations he may have, but the fact is that this style of helmet is the safest way to be. So he ended up pumped up about having a proper hockey helmet, which fed into leaning hard into his skating helper and skating as fast as possible all over the lake. His confidence soars and he loves telling Mommy all about how fast he skates.

So we head to the lake as often as possible, Henry beams about playing for the "championship cup," and we always have a thermos of hot chocolate in the truck when finished.


When he stops thinking about it and gets caught up in the moment, he fails to realize that he's been drifting around without holding onto the helper. He may not see it, but his progress keeps inching forward.