Vacation to Smugglers Notch, Vermont.

We took a vacation a family resort called Smugglers Notch in northern Vermont in mid June. The kids ended up missing their last week of school since we had so many snow days added, but at this age that didn't matter. We had heard great things about this resort and it lived up to it's reputation. We had a fantastic time and enjoyed lots of different activities, all at the resort. They had family activities every evening like games and relays, a magician, karaoke (which none of my kids were brave enough to do)kids dance party, etc. They had numerous heated pools and water slides, so even though it was cloudy several days, we were able to still swim since the water was warm. Phil's mom was with us so we had a great time with her and played games in the evenings. We were able to do a greater variety of things since she could stay home with Jonah while he napped, or do something with Malia and Jonah while Phil and I took the boys to do something for older kids, like learning how to do geocaching. One afternoon Phil and I went on an adventure which included crossing over a river on a loop rope bridge, repelling down into a river and then wading across and rock climbing back up the other side. It was a beautiful location and we really enjoyed it. Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures because we couldn't take our camera and wade across the river too well. The kids took a tennis lesson, which I think they really enjoyed. As you can see from the pictures, we did a segway tour. They really are very easy and super fun to ride. I don't think they came close to changing the world as we know it like they touted, but still a great invention. Too bad they're still so expensive. The weather wasn't the greatest, but it worked out ok. We had a couple great days and those were the days we spent at the water park all day. Have you ever tried to do your grocery shopping in the dark? After we got there Phil and I went into town to do the grocery shopping for the week and it was pouring rain. The Power went out while we were shopping so we had to do a lot of it in the dark. When you're in an unfamiliar store, that can pose a challenge. The power came back on before too long so we were able to get finished and actually see what we were buying. I think (ok, I'm absolutely certain) Jonah's favorite part was the resort shuttle bus that we used to get around rather than driving everywhere. He would get so excited about it. The other kids loved the fact that they had a TV in their bedroom and watched lots of Red Sox baseball. Oh, the simple pleasures in life. Speaking of simple pleasures, on the way home we stopped at Ben & Jerry's. We've been there before, but when you're so close you take advantage of it. We also stopped at Joseph Smith's birthplace because even though we've been there before, the kids are young enough that they didn't remember much. So all in all we had some adventure, some relaxation and lots of fun.

Seth's 9th Birthday

We had a pool party for Seth's 9th Birthday. We had it at a friend's home because they have such a nice pool. Fortunately they heated the pool for us since we haven't had a lot of really warm weather around here. It was really fun and everyone had a great time. I think it was the easiest party I've done.

March is the month to party!

Here are some photos from Jonah's B-day, Zach's B-day party, and the Murder Mystery party that Phil and I attended. Unfortunately we didn't really get much as far as photos at Zach's party. I guess we were too busy directing the chaos. We got video footage, but that doesn't help for this slideshow. Hope you enjoy it.