All About Ellen, June & Frances: Lutsen (aka EVB's First Time on Skis!)

Adam, Ellen & I recently took a mini vacation to Lutsen so we could get away and have some special one-on-one time with Ellen. This trip was also an opportunity to finally have Ellen try skiing!

We arrived at Lutsen Sunday evening and got settled into our hotel before heading to dinner. It was nice (but strange) to be up there at the start of a week since we'd only ever been there over busy weekends ... It was like a ghost town! After Ellen got over the excitement of restaurant dining and shacking up in a hotel, we all finally settled into bed.

We woke up Monday morning and got ready to hit the slopes. Ellen's tiny rental skis were the cutest things I had ever seen and she was pleased with the colors of her skis and boots (apparently, that is important). We took Ellen on a few test runs on the magic carpet and bunny hill before sending her off for her private lesson.

I'm not sure what we were expecting the ski instructor to look like, but I certainly never envisioned the big burly guy with a gruff voice who ended up being Ellen's teacher. I was dying inside, but Ellen put on a very brave, big-girl face as she marched off with "A.J.," struggling to lug her own skis to the base of the bunny hill.

Adam and I were able to ski on our own a bit while Ellen was in her lesson, which was fun, but it was a LONG hour wondering how our little girl was making out. It turns out, she did a pretty good job learning a few tips and tricks. And while she tells me she didn't cry, she admitted to repeatedly asking A.J. when she could see her mom and dad again ... Poor thing!

After skiing for most of the day, it was time to head in for some R&R (a movie for Miss EVB) and then take a dip in the indoor/outdoor pool, which was definitely the highlight of the trip for Ellen. It blew her little mind to be able to swim outside ... in February ... while it was snowing! Somehow, we managed to stay awake through dinner before crashing after a day full of fresh air.

It was a little chilly Tuesday morning, so we decided to drive to Grand Marais where we visited the Ben Franklin before stopping for lunch. We spent the afternoon skiing back at Lutsen, where Ellen got better and better with each run. It was so much fun to watch her determination and see her success. She did so well for her first ski outing. After skiing, it was time for more swimming in the pool and our final dinner of the trip.

Wednesday morning, we loaded up the car and headed home. It was such a nice getaway and, while we missed June who was staying with Omma & Boppa, we had so much fun spending time with our Ellen. Hopefully we can do it again next year!