Steakcation at the Dells

Vacation at the Dells is what the opening line should read. We rented a cabin in the Dells for a short little vacation starting on Wednesday after Jet got off school and coming home today ... Saturday. Oh my, the boys were so excited. They have been talking about this all week long (several weeks actually) ... in fact, much to our alarm, Charlie told everyone he saw. The list includes (this is not a joke) his teachers, all the neighbors, woman at the car wash, the sprinkler guy, grocery store clerk (s), grocery store baggers, Target check out associate, Target Deli manager, and so many more including the UPS guy (the most coveted man, after the husband of course, for every 'stay at home' mom. Who doesn't love a guy that is consistent in his dress, his wheels and comes with a quick 'toot toot' before depositing the VERY thing that you desire at your feet on your doorstep). OK, I digress. Fortunately for us, Charlie wasn't telling people that we were going on vacation but rather steakcation or staycation. Most folks figured it out but for the confused few ... we're had a big rib eye steak party at our house this last weekend.

The Dells in WI are a short 3 hour drive away. We stayed at a cabin in the Wilderness Resort. The lodging was better than we could have imagined. Clean, spacious, updated and with it's own fully equipped kitchen, washer/dryer on a private lot with a view of the golf course. If we had known it was so spacious we would have invited you along .... 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, large deck, and most importantly .... 1 flat screen, surround sound speakers, DVD, a TV for each bedroom, 5 bars on the cell telle and Internet access. So yes, Chris was happy too.

The resort had 3 different pools - 2 water parks and 1 wave pool (boasting the largest in the USA). So here's how our days laid out .... Arcade, pool, indoor play ground, water park, nature walk. REPEAT for the next three days and add Mommy/Daddy juice at night.

We really had a blast and are scoping out this as a possible multi-family shindig down the road. It's always a good vacation when everything smells like chlorine (and what better excuse for not giving baths ... I mean doesn't it kill every bacteria on the skin?). Well, we're all beat so I'm going to load in the pics and close the chapter on this vacation.

Slacker Blogger

Geez, talk about really falling down on the job, this is one area that I haven't been able to keep up with this last month so we have a lot of updating.  I started out meaningful ... planning to blog everyday of spring break but it just didn't happen.  I feel off the bandwagon after day 1.  SOOOO .... here's what's been happening in a nut shell over the last month:Charlie's Birthday! Charlie turned 5 on 3/27.  The only party that he wanted was with the family ... wow definitely something that Mom & Dad were not going to fight.  

He was thrilled to receive a Powe

r Ranger Costume (one side Blue Ranger and one side Red Ranger) ... yes Power Rangers are still around ... the series that keeps re-inventing itself much to the dismay of every adult who has had to endure an episode.  Charlie also got art books and supplies which always come to good use in our house.  We have two boys who draw, color, cut, tape, paste, create everyday.  We've killed a fe

w tree's with the reams of paper we've gone through.

Moving onward, for the first time since we have lived in Chicagoland, we had snow past Charlie's birthday.  But gosh darn it ... it's spring and we're still going to u

se the swing set ... snow or no snow.  It has been a very long winter (snow season) and

 FINALLY the trees are in bloom and the tulips have arrived.  It was nice enough on Easter morning to do our annual block Easter Egg hunt.  Since we have rabid raccoons in the hood, the Easter Bunny

 must appear Easter morning ... somewhere's between 8:00 and 8:45  ... just in time for the "race for the eggs" which commences at 9am.  It was fun and the kids on the block, all 15, had a ball.

One other highlight for the 

month was Charlie and I being promot

ed to Green Belts in

 Tae Kwon Do.  We tested and passed.  I don't think we'll make the next test in late May.  Neither Charlie or I have a strip on our belt yet for Kick, Form or One step tests.  We try to get into TKD 3-4x per week but we were out last week when I got strep throat, we are on vaca later this month and Charlie gets his tonsils out in early May.  In addition, we are starting up soccer and tball.  May and June are going to be busy.  Here's our other news, it looks like we are all set to host an exchange student next year from Korea.  Her name is Ah Ram and she'll attend our local high school.  We feel very fortunate since our HS only accepts 4 exchange students per yr.  She'll come in August and stay with us until June.  It looks like it will be an exciting year with lots of good blogs coming.