The Hoosier state

Not quite sure what a Hoosier is, but here we are in Indiana. Six more hours and we'll be sitting still, at least for a couple of days!
Since Jesse stayed at a hotel for 168 days, we racked up so many points that he is a "Platinum" member at Marriott. Basically we get the royal treatment when we walk into the hotel. So today we are staying in a jacuzzi room and the kids thought it was so cool to watch tv and swim in the hotel room. I'm just ready to NOT be in the car!

Off like a herd of turtles

So after some desperate manipulation, arranging and re-arranging, we did not leave yesterday. We had to spend $ to ship (which costs twice as much going across the US), a trip to Once Upon A Child and then Goodwill. I did eat a slice or two of humble pie, but everyone made it through the ordeal mostly unscathed. We all got a good night sleep and we got going this morning and should make it to Buffalo, NY tonight. Jesse is already anticipating wings!

Moving Day

So let's just say that I don't have a stellar track record with the day that we pack up and go. I become what some (Jesse) would call a "Packzilla" and get impatient and moody with anyone in a 20 foot radius. Really, you think I may be exaggerating it but truly I have a weird obsession with packing a car(and the loading dishwasher too, but that is a whole other counseling session). I actually take great pride in my packing abilities and deem it as some sort of tetris-like puzzle to solve.and to receive help would lose the challenge. I am fully aware of my oddities. Unfortunately it doesn't stop there. Once we are loaded in the car, I have to get as far as we can, as fast and efficiently as we can. The problem with this, is that when you have a (some would say) big family, NOTHING gets done fast or efficiently. And so you can see where I come to a dilemma. I can't get away with a stinky attitude. At least if I want to survive the ride in the car without Jesse and the boys re-arranging suitcases and putting me in the storage thing on the top of the car. And so, with full disclosure of my short comings I will strive:

-to be nice
-to smile
-to allow input and receive help
-acknowledge and ask for forgiveness if I fail
-release the expectations
-pray internally and vocally (if needed)


Pray for me and Jesse and the kids too!
(Smile). :)

Days 77-82

So I'm not sure why it won't let me add pics from my phone, so you will just have to use your imaginations!

Day 77-Tuesday:(Boston) We went to Plymouth,MA to check out Plymouth Rock and a Pilgrim and Native Plantation, which was like going to a museum come to life! My little history-lovin heart was just jumping with joy. The entire Plymouth village was completely authentic. Each actor represented an actual person from the original village!it was so much fun and really solidified history for me (and hopefully Colton). From ther we went on a replica of the Mayflower (equally as cool) and took pictures in front of the official Plymouth Rock. Which is surprisingly smaller than I expected(about the size of sofa). We finished the day having dinner at a seaside restaurant happily munching all sorts of treats from the sea! (Of course lobster!) This day has, by far, been one of my favorites!

Day 78-Wednesday: On our way out of Boston, we realized we were only about 20 minutes out of our way from Salem and thought "while we're here". I am so glad that we went! We saw AMAZING architecture (which also set my heart a-flutter). We went through a very tasteful Wax Museum that was a great representation of the not-so-great history of the Salem Witch Hysteria. It sparked some great conversations with Colton. I want him to learn that some times "real" history isn't always great and to learn from others' experiences.

Day 79-Thursday: Jesse and Colton went to see the play "Shipwrecked!". In typical "man" fashion, all I could really get from them was "It was good."

Day 80-Friday: Drove to Stowe,VT (20 minutes) to the Laughing Moon chocolate shop to make truffles and chocolate bunnies! It was a fun experience and I am making them save them for their Easter baskets! I know, mean mom, right?!

Day 81-Saturday: Laundry. Hey, it can't all be fun and games! Though we went to "How to Train Your Dragon". Definitely one for the Home DVD library! Loved it!

Day 82:Sunday: Plan on going to Shelburne Farms to see Maple Tree sugar tapping and taste some maple syrup! Finish packing everything up and load up the car!

Day 83: Planning on hitting the road! Our Vermont adventure will be over!

Posting from my Blackberry

Well if anyone is out there checking up on our adventure, we were praying that we would have the opportunity to stay here in Vermont for another quarter. We got confirmation that we would definitely be heading back to Montana. Luckily we are heading back the week of Easter and will be splitting up our five day drive to spend Easter and Colton/Christopher's birthdays (April 2nd and 22nd) at Coco Key water park!

Day 74- Bahhhhston

Our computer crashed so I'm not sure how often I will get to post anymore. In the meantime, we traveled down to Boston for Jesse to attend a meeting we will play around here today, down to Plymouth tomorrow to see pilgrims and then back to Vermont on Tuesday. I am on the hotel computer, so you may have to wait until we get back to Montana to see any pics. Only a week and a half left here and then we'll spend Easter with family in Missouri/Iowa/South Dakota, then be in Montana Friday the 10th. Wow, if you think there are a lot of states in just a few sentences, try driving it! See you soon!

Day 72- Carson's First Haircut

Before After

Day 70 continued- St. Patrick's Day

Hope you all had a great day! It was absolutely gorgeous outside today! We went down to church street and ate at RiRa's Irish Pub and Restaurant. Jesse had Corned beef and Cabbage and I had Lamb Stew. Sorry lambies, you were delicious! They had a traditional Irish band and Christopher and our little friend Abbey had a great time dancing and entertaining everyone!

Afterward we took a nice walk along Church St (outdoor walking mall) and enjoyed the weather!

FYI. Though you may think Christopher's BK crown is very festive for St Patty's day, it's actually his 5th day in a row of wearing it.

Jumping on the rocks along Church St.

There were some girls (8-12yo) doing an Irish dance
and Christopher couldn't help but join in!

Making the Irish soda bread (see previous post)

We pulled this out of the oven, topped with a little butter and I actually liked this a lot.
I had never made it before and was pleasantly surprised.The Sponge Pudding (aka Spotted Dick) didn't really impress me.
Though it wasn't too bad, it tasted like gingerbread with old raisins and
had the consistency of undercooked brownies. It was fun to try new foods!

PS. (for Rachel) Jesse had a pint of Guinness with his lunch, just to be festive, you know! :)

Day 70-Top O' da Mornin to Ya!

Happy St. Patty's day! How long do ya thinks me can git away with talkin like this. Not be sure if'n I sound Irish or like a pirate! :)

Today we are going to go to the local Irish Pub RiRa's to listen traditional Irish music and have some tasty food. Here's a sampling of things we plan on trying that I found in the "Irish" section at the grocery store. I was surprised that they had an "Irish section"! It was small, but had some interesting choices. Today we're going to have Irish soda bread, Spotted Dick sponge pudding, and an Aero mint chocolate bar.

Have a fun day!

Catch up

Sorry for having to do three posts in one day. The horrible "Notme" goblin broke the keyboard, so our computer was pretty much worthless until we got a $10 keyboard from Walmart. We think it could also have been done by the "Ididnt-doit" fairy, but no one saw it happen, so we don't know who to blame.

Day 67- Sat Mar. 13th- Drama club and Irish Festival

Colton as "Flying Eagle" the Indian Warrior/Hunter (Saturday Drama Club)

Flying Eagle became Soaring Eagle when he went on his
quest through the many lands, defeating many foes.

Christopher, Carson and I went to the Irish Festival

Christopher playing the Bodhran, an Irish drum

Making an Irish necklace

Playing the "spoons"

Day 66- Fri, 12th- Got sugar?

In our study on where sugar comes from, we experimented with some sugar cane. They were not impressed with sugar in it's purest form. This weekend we are going to go to see how they tap maple trees and make syrup and brown sugar.

Day 65- Thurs 11th- Spring!

Day 64 (Wed)- Awana Grand Prix

Yesterday, Colton participated in the Grand Prix at the Awana club he has been attending. We have been working on his car for a couple weeks. (read: it has been sitting on top of the microwave in partially constructed condition for weeks) Which has been an interesting endeavor since we received his bag with a block of wood, four wheels, and four pins for the wheels. Back home we would've cut it out, sanded it down, painted, etc., but with not even a hammer, we were at a loss as how we were going to turn a little block of wood into something we could race down the track. Thankfully they had (wonderful) people bring in the necessary tools to at least cut it out for any kid that didn't have the resources. Colton decided on a design and I got to figure out how to make it happen. He chose the Batmobile for his design, so I found some usable Batman stickers, glossy black spray paint, I little poster putty (to reinforce the stickers) and a trip to the lobby to borrow a hammer for the wheels, we put together his car. Besides painting it (hmmm, Colton with a can of glossy black spray paint... yup, I painted it), and reinforcing the stickers with poster putty, it was all him.

From this:

To this: The Batmobile!

After a little disappointment from not winning a trophy for racing, he jumped out of his seat when his name was called for 3rd place for his design!

Day 62- Eric Carle Puppetry

Today we went to see The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Little Cloud, and the Mixed-up Chameleon "play" done by black light puppets.

It was really neat and I was completely impressed with how they brought these stories to life. The puppeteers were completely in black and they used black lights along with vibrant colors to make the "puppets" explode with color!

Day 59- First tooth

Mr. Carson has his first tooth,
though he declined comment to the paparazzi.

You just wish you could do this! :)

Day 54- Burke Mtn Sled Dog Dash

Sunday we went to the Burke Mtn Sled Dog Dash. We have never been to any dog sled races, even though there are some in Montana. Earlier this year we read with Colton "White Fang" and "Call of the Wild", so this was a pretty cool experience. We got a late start, so we missed out on the kids getting to ride in one of the sleds, but they still had fun watching the races and having a snowball fight with some other kids.

P.S. Need your feedback: When I have a quite a few pictures in a post, do you prefer that I use this method (a slideshow) or do you like it when I put them right on the page and you can click on them to view it larger?