I’ll admit it: I baby Bode. In my defense, independent and spirited Hadley never let me do it so having a child who so willingly submits to my affections? I’m all over it.
Or rather, him.
He’s a sweet, loving and snuggly kid but also kind of a woosy.
Note: Please don’t judge him by the pink tent. It’s an unfortunate consequence of having an older sister, though he admittedly was drawn to this pink umbrella.
While Hadley was begging to ride the roller-coaster when she was 18 months old, I couldn’t drag Bode on the merry-go-round until he was 3 because it was “too scary.”
It could also be that he shares his father’s aversion to fast-moving rides that are operated by people you would not entrust to feed your fish, let alone your life.
At Park City Mountain Resort, Bode came into his own. We stayed at Silver Star, the most gorgeous three-bedroom condo I have ever laid eyes on. It was there that he claimed the top bunk.
We’ve never been able to convince him to even climb up there in the past.
Then, he kicked major booty in PCMR’s Signature 3 skiing lessons and proclaimed, “I go fast like Bode Miller.”
But the real shock came when he boldly declared he wanted to ride the Alpine Coaster, a cross between an alpine slide, a roller coaster and his worst nightmare.
Jamie and I gave him several opportunities to back out but Bode was determined. I rode with Hadley and Jamie took Bode. We reasoned that there was a brake in case of emergency.
Hadley, of course, squealed with glee the entire way and I christened her “Adventure Girl.”
Right after I managed to bring my heart rate back down.
As for Bode? Not only did he have the time of his life, he kept shouting out, “Go faster, Daddy.” The only time the kid cried was when the ride was done and we told him he could not do it again.
Of course, his sister took care of that for him. During evening prayers, she thanked “the nice lady who got us tickets to the alpine coaster.”
When we ran into “the nice lady” Krista (PCMR’s Marketing Director), Hadley sweetly thanked her. And then manipulated her to give us more tickets.
Hadley and Bode are already plotting their strategy for our return trip this summer.
I'm a Canadian-born mom of two, former Denver Post columnist, family travel writer, editor of MileHighMamas.com and 9News contributor. Expert on all things Utah, Denver, family and travel. Lover of laughter and life. Happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin. 