A week in Dallas and San Antonio

We just got back from an incredible visit to Dallas and San Antonio. It was truly a wonderful visit in every respect and such a treat to spend so much quality time with the family. We did so many fun things during our visit that it's impossible to list them all.

While we were in Dallas, Karen took us to Legoland for a day which the boys loved. They got to build things out of lego, play in the coolest play structure I've ever seen, and got to see their first 4D movie which was a very cool experience for all of us. Tanner's been dreaming of building a whole world made out of lego, and at Legoland there was a whole Dallas made out of lego which which we all thought was pretty amazing and inspiring.

Another day in Dallas, Grandma (Mom) took us all to the zoo, and we had an absolutely fantastic day there. It was a quiet Tuesday and it felt like we had the zoo pretty much to ourselves. The weather was warm (not too hot) and perfect for us northerners! The boys loved feeding the giraffes and having birds come and sit on their heads. It was such a quiet day we were able to speak to the zoo keepers a bit and learn some new things which was also really great. One thing that was not so popular that day: Cam got charged by the ornary male gorilla called Patrick while I was trying to take his picture by the gorilla pen! Poor Cammy doesn't thing much of gorillas anymore. It is a great story though.

That same day was a somewhat historic day in Dallas. A huge number of storms and an even more impressive number of tornados swept through the city that day setting records for the number of tornados logged in one day in the area. When we left the zoo the tornados were all around the area of "home" and we headed the other direction towards a Cabelas that Mike wanted to visit anyways. Shortly after we arrived, the staff ushered us all into a back room (aka the bargain cave) as the tornadoes had moved into the area. We were kept in the bargain cave for almost 2 hours. It was an adventure for us - they fed us fudge and skittles, and we entertained ourselves by trying on silly hats and looking at the tornado radars. It's definetely an experience we'll never forget. Eventually all the tornados passed through and thankfully no lives were lost that day despite the incredible destruction in some areas of the city.

Mom (Cheryl) had planned a trip to San Antonio for us, and it was so much fun and so special to have the whole family together on an adventure. Mom and Dad rented a huge SUV and we all (the Dallas contingent) travelled together. Jenny (who is in College Station TX) met us in San Antonio. We stayed in an incredibly beautiful (and comfortable) hotel on the River Walk which was such a treat. We would get up with the boys in the early morning and go exploring along the river walk. We played with the rolly pollys which the boys loved, and got to watch some Night Herons work on their nests in their rookery by the river. The boys loved running along the loop of the river walk. We loved it too - it really is incredibly magical down there under the huge old cypress trees.

We celebrated Mike's birthday while we were in San Antonio, and Mike found a fantastic Mexican restaurant for us all to go out to, complete with mariaches, delicious Mexican food and a tres leches birthday cake that Mike had to eat without his hands! It was really special for Mike (and all of us) to be surrounded by the family on his birthday and it was a huge treat for Mike and I to go out with Karen, Jen and lance in the evenings after the kids were in bed.

Mom had planned a day at Sea World for us all. The boys loved Sea World. Jenny is a fund of knowledge on all things related to the sea, and she spent a few summers a Sea World camp in San Antonio. It was incredible to get a taste of Sea World through her eyes. Cam was amazed by the Killer Whales and kept asking if they were real. We all loved the Balugas and white dolphins. In fact all shows were amazing and have inspired both boys in so many ways - to learn to swim underwater (they've already been practicing), to learn to open their eyes under water. The boys were also treated to their very first dip 'n dots (kindess of Grandma) which was a huge treat.

We had an incredible visit and we all felt so sad to say goodbye to everyone. We really miss you all and love you so much.

Skating...

We had to say goodbye to skating season this week. We've had a fun winter skating with the homeschoolers down in Middlebury. Tan took figure skating lessons with the homeschool group this winter, and loved it. He learned cross-overs, hops, spins and a whole bunch of other moves that he practices every time he gets on the ice. He's at a totally different place from the beginning of the season. Cam's favorite part of skating by far is the zamboni and the zamboni driver who is so good with the kids. He's doing well on the ice too, and gave up his crate early in the season. He has been working on skating stopping and turning all by himself. I have to give him so much credit as without a crate he falls a lot (like any little one) but he just gets back up and keeps going and going.

Sugaring....

This is our boys all time favorite part of maple sugaring, or "maple saping" as they fondly call it.

The end of an all too short ski season....

We've had a great end to an all too short ski season over the weekend. With temps in the 70's it was skiing as we'd never seen it before. The snow was melting so quickly that MRG had to close early on Sunday as access to the lower mountain had been totally cut off. We're so grateful to them for opening at all - as many of us were saying only MRG would make it happen under such crazy conditions and with so much snow melt! We learned to ski on grass, through rivers, and negotiate our way patch to patch of snow. It was an adventure we'll never forget. At the end of the day, Tan still wanted to keep going, so he and I hiked back up a small part of the mountain which was also a fun adventure.

Cam started the season on a harness, but by the end of the season is easily skiing, turning and stopping all by himself. He even has been taking us down the bumps on Moody's and other black diamonds - his own choice and has been doing really well with it.

It was Tan's first year riding the single chair by himself which is a huge MRG milestone in and of itself. Tan was moving to parallel turns this year and by the end of the season was even working his parallel in the bumps. We were really proud of both of them this season.

Favorite moments - the day poor Mike wasn't feeling well (not a favorite moment, obviously) and I had both boys out. Cam went up with a kind ski patroller as I couldn't take both of them and when I asked him how it had gone he told me "It was good, I told him my name and I sang him my song." When I asked him what his song was he started singing "Rain makes corn....". Another favorite moment was the day Tan asked me what bred meant....and I explained about breeding in dogs and horses and such. He turned to me when I'd finished and said, "well, I was bread to ski."

First snow of the season!

Our first snow of the season did not dissappoint. We got enough for sledding, enough for a snowball fight (infact it was absolutely perfect for packing snowballs), and it's last over 24 hours! Yippee!!! We're hoping to build our first snowman today!

Riding Lessons

A big highlight this fall for both boys has been learning to ride. Of course, being in VT, most lessons and actvities are a fair drive, but there are horsebarns everywhere and ironically it's our closest activity to home! Tan's been loving the horses and has been doing really well with it. Last week his teacher gave up the lead line as he's gotten pretty good and guiding the horse himself, and she even had him learning to trot. Cammy always gets a turn on the horse as well. He's pretty quiet when he's up there, but as I've learned with Cammy he's always taking it all in and he can tell you without hesitation how to stop the horse or make it go which is pretty neat for only 2. I haven't taken many pics of Cam on the horse only because he likes me right by his side so it's a little tricky to snap a photo:)

Birthday Weekend for Tanner

I cannot believe Tanner is 6. How fast the time flies. We had a fantastic 6th birthday weekend. Geemie and Poppa arrived Friday night which was very exciting and a big highlight - thank you both for making the long trek. Poppa, with Mike's help, very kindly spent a lot of Saturday doing some major repairs to our bed which we are SO grateful for. But Tan still got lots of playtime with Geemie and Poppa and on Saturday night we had a very special dinner out at American Flatbread in Waitsfield (Tanner's choice) which in Tanner's words has "the best pizza in the whole world." (I would definetely agree with his assessment!). I think it might also have the best atmosphere in the whole world. They gave us a fantastic seat right by the fire. Dinner took 2 full hours and I have never seen our kids so still and mellow at the dinner table. I think the combination of the fire, the warmth, and the bustling sounds around them somehow lulled them into a state of calm after a busy day.

Sunday, we had Tanner's party. Tan had requested a CandyLand theme this year, and we had a great time putting it together, and pulling it off. Mike and I spent Saturday night setting up, and Sunday morning Mom and Dad took the boys to their favorite park for 2+ hours while we finished the cake and decorations. It all turned out well. We pretended that evil Lord Licorice had kidnapped King Kandy, and we had to go search for him through CandyLand. We played a lifesize version of CandyLand and made stops at Plumpie's Plum tree (to help him pick - pop! - plums), Minty's ring toss, got stuck in Gloppy's sticky caramel puddle and had to get ourselves out with teamwork, visited Grandma Peanut, and went pretend ice fishing at Princess Frostline's. Then, Lord Licorice had left us a licorice tangle which we had to sort out, and as we were following it out the window and through the yard, Lord Licorice appeared. Poor Cammy was a little terrified by Lord Licorice, but Tanner loved it! The boys battled him with Silly String and eventually were able to make it past the licorice tangle and find King Kandy and of course the cake and presents. We then ate Pesto pasta with corn (again Tan's choice) and cake and played with toys. Tan was really happy (which of course makes it all worth it) and we all had a really fun time.