We did make it out to go skiing today (I only fell once) since the weather was lovely, sunny, & not-too-cold and the snow wasn't as hard as we had feared it would be after the sunny, windy, slightly-too-cold day yesterday.
	I feel so much more American on the ski trail than I do anywhere else. Annoyingly loud, dangerously out-of-control, and slightly crazed since I'm such an amateur among these people who are born with skis on their feet*. I feel like I should have a big red L pinned to my back, like people who are learning to drive in this country are required to have in the back window of their car.
The girls, by the way, went down the "big hill" (I walked alongside) today and even Sigurd enjoyed himself. :o)

*according to Odd Børretzen in How to Understand and Use a Norwegian :: Previously, until a few years ago, it was customary for the Norwegian to be born with skis on his feet. But one of the improvements that has been made is that this is no longer the case*. Modern research has revealed, in fact, that this could be very uncomfortable and, to some extent, dangerous to the mother. For this reason, in our day, the Norwegian is not equipped with skis on his feet until sometime during the first year of life.

*It still happens that the birth takes place with skis on the feet, but now it is most often the mother who has skis on during the birth.