We love Stowe, VT!

Well we've been home for a week, but in my usual fashion, I've fallen behind on my blogging (don't mind my post-dating!). Not upholding well to that resolution so far! We were fortunate to join all of the Isabell family for a week vacation in Stowe, VT. We stayed in Dad I's cousin's, Steve and Mary's, rental home. It was so gorgeous! The last time Justin and I could join them was when Jackson was 6 weeks old. (That was an eye opening *vacation*!) We had to sit out last year because of how close I was to Liam's birth...

So this year... It worked out better than I anticipated. Vacationing with 2 children 3 and under is, well, not a ton like vacation... What can I say? It was great to have Josh and Bethany, Grace, Jon and Emily, and of course Mimi (who Jackson renamed "Mimsa" while there) and Poppy to help share watching the tots. It was busy! In between nap times, we ventured out often for various fun things. We all went cross country skiing one day at the Trappe Family Lodge. I was anxious about that. We brought up a wooden LL Bean sled Mimi had given Jackson for Christmas when he was one. We planned to strap that to Justin and he'd pull the boys along. We didn't think about what could happen going downhill, though! Fortunately for Justin, the lodge rented out these really neat ski sleds. I looked them up to see what they're called and the technical term used is a "pulk." It was really neat. It safely harnessed around Justin's waist and the attachment to the sled was rigid so it wouldn't come crashing into Justin once going downhill. It all worked out great. So great in fact that the boys both fell asleep while we were skiing! For like and HOUR! I was floored. Poor Justin couldn't stop though because once he did Liam would stir and we wanted them to rest since we were out during naptime. It was hilarious while they were awake though. Jackson would shout, "Mush, mush Daddy!" Justin wasn't laughing once we had to go uphill though. That was work... for him... I felt a little bit bad for him. ;)

We got out just the two of us for a ski day on the mountain another day. Justin skis and I snowboard, so we look like an interesting pair out together. I feel like I should learn to ski. It seems more "grown up" or something. But then I decide to embrace my youthfulness (or what's left of it!) and go for it again. It had been 5 years since I'd last gone snowboarding. I used to do it a ton when I was a teen and when I lived in Maine and Boston. But now that I have kids and am on the verge of the big 3-0, I'm afraid I'm going to severely injure myself doing this. And that wouldn't be good! Justin, of course, is like an expert skier. Having lived in Utah, semi-professionally skiing for some time, it's like walking to him. I was so nervous getting off the lift, but apparently it's akin to riding a bike, and I picked it right back up. Of course Justin could ski backwards faster than I was comfortable going forward, but I somewhat kept up with him. It was fun to feel youthful again, until that night and the next day with my muscles got very mad at me for making them do things they haven't done in 5 years.

So I'd have to say those were a couple of the highlights from our trip! Our little boy turned one while we were there, too, and that is entitled to it's own posting, so on to that... Oh, but first some photos! (and while Justin is crazy enough to wear a t-shirt in freezing cold weather, this is not one of those instances here, it was actually around 60 degrees!)







Oh, and Mary, (Jusitn's dad's cousin) had these kid size cross country skis from her kids that she so kindly gave us for Jackson. Check out the little man trying them out!


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