Alana can write her name! Obviously, she has a little trouble with the letters but I think that's pretty typical.
Alana plays piano
Random shot of my cutie pies.
From our vacation at Smuggs in northern Vermont (near Stowe)
Sun, Day 1 - Drove up in the pouring rain. Kids did well on the 4 hr trip. We were on the "first floor" but Chris had to lug all our stuff down a flight of stairs and down a hallway. It took him awhile and he was quite unhappy. We both thought this trip was going to head south fast. Our 2-br unit was nice and had a lot of amenities (including a crockpot).
Mon, Day 2- Still raining and in the low 70s. Rather than hit the various waterparks at Smuggs, we drove through the "notch" (mountain pass) to Waterbury and hit Ben and Jerry's. The tour was a bust as the factory was not in operation and the kids were a little wild. However, it was cheap and the free ice cream was delicious!
Outside Ben & Jerrys
Lani was acting up a little and Daddy was still tense.
Tues, Day 3 - The rain has blown away but we're still a little discombobulated. We walk down to the Smuggs Village green and let the kids play on the playground for awhile. It was unimpressive, but the kids had fun anyway.
We rented this Mountain Buggy onsite. What a good idea because this baby could handle any terrain.
Finished up the morning at the on-property Mountain Grille at 11:30am. We were the only ones there of course and the food was expectedly terrible.
After their naps, we headed to the Mountainside Pool, which is much more impressive than it sounds. It has a great wading pool area with a grotto, an infant area and tubes. There is a giant waterslide for older kids and adults, a standard swimming pool, and a small waterslide for those under 48 inches. Boy, did Alana and Arden love that slide. Lani went down it over and over again and Arden would have also if we had let her. Cari went down the slide once and that was enough for her. She preferred hanging out in the wading pool with us.
Wed, Day 4 - We dropped the kids at daycare and camp and headed out to the Long Trail. Someone left a bungee cord hook in the road and we got a flat next to a beautiful pond. Called AAA, waited a bit, then drove to the nearest tire place. Had a grand lunch at a nearby Mickey Ds while the tire was replaced. Drove back, rested, picked up the kids and headed to the Funzone. What a blast.
Thurs, Day 5- Alone again, we headed out again for a morning of hiking. Had breakfast at a funky little place in Johnsonville (I think), then hiked a portion of the Long Trail North. Very nicely marked and maintained trail by the Green Mountain Club. Vermont is truly beautiful, rustic and serene and just littered with streams.
Drove back to Smuggs and I headed to watch Lani's camp group march in a parade while Chris picked up the twins from daycare. The theme was western barbecue.
Parade:
Fri, Day 6 - Took the mountain buggy strollers (rented a single for Lani too) and walked the Stowe Rec Path. Wow! Lots of different scenes to pass by besides the ubiquitous streams. There is a farm on the path with petting animals and a corn maze.
The kids were excited to get out and pet the calves.
The kids were excited to get out and pet the calves.
Little Dr Doolittle made a beeline for the calf and started petting. She doesn't have a bit of fear towards animals.
One of the many foot bridges on the path.
One of the many foot bridges on the path.
Lani running (don't laugh)!
Numerous horse trails intersect the path. One can ride horses astride or take a gentle carriage ride as this family was doing.
The babysitter we hired thru Smuggs arrived at 5pm and Chris and departed shortly thereafter for dinner at the Partridge Inn and a movie. The Inn specializes in seafood and dinner was great. We both mostly enjoyed the movie, The Kids are Alright.
Day 7 - Packing up to go. Here are a couple of shots of our unit after we trashed it.
Overall, we had a blast. We were so sad to leave. Lani was crying. She wanted to stay at Smuggs "forever". Sigh.
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