"I Skieded!"

We really thought Layne could have fun water skiing. Dad pulled out his kiddie skies, the same Mickey Mouse ones that I learned on at a young age. They are short, wide and tied together with the handle connected to the skies. A rider on the boat holds the other end of the long rope and lets go once the skier falls, lest the kid be drug. Dad worked on pulling Layne off the shore with the jetski while Jarom arranged the skies and I readied the camera. Each day we worked with him we could only talk him into a few tries before he was adamantly done.

On our first day working with Layne, Brik agreed to giving it a try. With low expectations,we were set to grab him within the first few feet of the shore so that he wouldn't get freaked out when he fell. With sheer amazement, we watched ort little three-year-old effortlessly ski a circle the width of the river and with confidence bounce his skies on the water to add to his enjoyment. First try, every try.

A bit timid when it was go-time, but after one sucess he was all smiles.

After that, Brik was an expert on the subject, telling anyone else that skied "You have to jump so it is more funner." He was sure to tell every one "I skieded." By our last day he was waving at us from across the river while casually gliding across the water.

Brik was very encouraging to Layne, always telling him how good he was doing on every try. Eventually Layne was able to go a decent distance before wiping out, on the last try of the third day he actually skied too. Fun memories.