Day 1 – Family togetherness
This Christmas vacation started with the Pieper family driving to Wisconsin Dells just before the snowstorm arrived. We had been planning this for nearly a year when my husband’s sister had suggested it.
They are part of a condo thing and were able to arrange 2 condos for the families to stay in (Our family of 4, Alex’s oldest sister’s family of 4 – the Morrisons, Alex’s other sister’s family of 4 – the Curries, and Alex’s mother). Yep, 13 of us all together. This is a picture from the front porch of ours looking out at the others - ours looked like those as well. The condos were very homey. We had a fully stocked kitchen and were able to spend many meals together in either one of the two places. Below is an awful picture of me standing in the kitchen making breakfast. I had made a lasagna supper and breakfast for two of the mornings. The menu for one morning was pancakes, eggs, sausage, breads, fruit, juices, and my specialty of bagels with egg, cheese and ham. We had tacos one day for lunch, poor boys and turkey navels on Christmas Eve and a huge ham dinner on Christmas day. 
I bet some of you have never heard of poor boys or turkey navels. I hadn’t either until I was integrated into the Pieper family. There is actually a story behind the turkey navels…
My husband was a small boy and was continually nagging at his father as he was making this holiday favorite. It uses (get this) white meat chicken (not turkey as the name implies), mayo, spices and almonds. Well, imagine that small boy going on and on saying “whacha doin’ …whacha makin’…” and so on until in utter desperation, his father yells “turkey navels!” The name stuck after that.
Day 2 – Snow fun and Snow fears.
The condo place where we were at was called Christmas Mountain, and contrary to the name, there really is no mountain but a series of big hills – hills for skiing and tubing, both of which we participated in! This was my “first time” skiing since I had children (my oldest turned 9 while were on vacation – that’s still another “day” you will read about). So with it being close to 10 years since I was last on skis, I call it my first time. In addition, this was the first for our kids as well. We opted to skip the lessons they offered for a fee too expensive for our tastes and my husband taught the kids to control their skis and how to turn and stop. They were really pretty good at it! The only thing our son and I had trouble with was the towrope. Both of us were flipped over several times by the damn thing. Actually, our son’s jacket pocket was unzipped, unbeknownst 
to us, until the handle of the towrope got caught on it and our son was being dragged up the hill. The guy working the station got his a** chewed by my husband and the manager by not noticing what was happening because he didn’t stop the rope, another person hit the emergency stop button. Anyway, once all of us got the hang of rope, it was a matter of staying upright. Our daughter maybe fell once or twice; she was a natural. She couldn’t wait to get on the bigger hills. And so her dad took her and she was awesome! I worked with our son to control his turns more, but he insisted that going straight down the hill was more fun. When my husband took him up on a larger hill, speed was no longer exciting, but something to avoid. I guess looking down a big slope that turned, and if you went straight there were just trees, was mighty scary for our son. For that reason, he spent the rest of the day on the bunny hill, going up slowly on the rope and going down quickly in a straight line.
On another day, almost the entire group of us went tubing. Here they have a rope that drags you while you are in the tube to the top of a hill, and then there are 3 tracks that all start at the same areas and all end in the same spot. I could see this being more fun if the tracks were not so icy. Actually we did have fun, but as a mom, I was always watching out for the other idiots who would hurt my kids because the idea of fun was all they had on their minds. We tried a group thing.
Our family of 4 and the 2 teen aged Morrisons all “tied” our tubes together. Boy did we have speed. We were also safe. We waited until the people on the bottom were out of their tubes before we proceeded. We had so much speed that we got to the end of the track and went up the embankment and then started going backwards. My husband and I were trying to drag our feet to slow us/stop the movement. However, we cannot control others and someone else started down the track before we came to a stop and we plowed into each other. Our daughter got her head knocked by this guys boot. Ouch! She cried. We settled her. It wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t have so much momentum as a group, or if that guy waited until we were out of our tubes, or if there was someone monitoring the top or the bottom of the hill, spacing out people and groups appropriately. This really, really bugged by husband so he went to management to give him a piece of his mind. I just went up the towrope with the kids. When there, I waited until the person in front was out of the tube. I let one kid go. Waited. I let my other kid go. Waited. Then I went down and sure shit, the person behind me never waited for me to get out of the tube. I guess no one there was a mother. The mothers I know would do what I did. We paid for an hour of tubing and used most of it until my husband got so irritated by other people because they would walk back into the area where the tubes ended or just stand around and not watch their little kids wander off. He almost plowed into a little kid who wandered off. My sister-in-law was at the tubing hill the day before and said the tracks were much slower then. She said she didn’t see nearly as much in the way of collisions that day. We left soon after. The kids were able to be thrilled. My husband and I had fun amongst our feelings of danger. Overall the experience was good.Day 3 - Celebrating a birthday too!
On the 23rd, we celebrated our daughter's 9th birthday. This was the day of the snow storm. We drove into town to a restaurant/bowling alley/indoor theme park/arcade. YES, all of these in one building. We stumbled upon this place during our last visit when we stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge. The restaurant is called Buffalo Phil's Grille and the amusement park is called Knuckleheads. 
We started out by bowling, munchies, beer and soda. After that we ate at the restaurant. Our daughter even got a birthday sundae while a dozen or so wait staff sang her "Happy Birthday". After that, my husband and I took our two kids and the youngest Morrison kid to the amusement park where they rode on several rides, including bumper cars! This place was a blast. It was starting to get dark so we opted to get going, but we wanted to stay so the kids could play in the arcade as well. When we returned to the condo, 
we were happy to find out that the Curries and my mother-in-law arrived at the Dells, just in time for the birthday cake I had made for my daughter. See, the night before, my 14-year old niece helped in creating the snowflakes adorning my daughter's birthday cake. I know my daughter will love the memories she has of this birthday! I have many pictures above to share in telling the story.Day 4 - Many Cookie Monsters!
In preparation for Christmas and, in particular, Santa, I had made cut-out cookies for all the kids to decorate during our stay. Except for the youngest Morrison, who just was not interested, 5 of the cousins participated in this enjoyable activity. 
I had made an awesome frosting from a recipe that I received from my mother-in-law. I also brought various sprinkles and such for the kids to use. Here they are doing what they do best! I forgot to take pictures of the final products, but I will tell you that the oldest Morrison is much like me in cookie decorating - retentive. Yes, both of us spend a considerable amount of time placing the frosting in just the right place and in the right proportions to get the desired look. In addition, how sprinkles are placed is also very important. I do not know if this characteristic is inherent in the two of us, or if it comes with age, all I can say is that I am so happy that I am not the only one who enjoys making things look "perfect". Does it make the cookie taste any different? No.Day 5 - Game Night
My husband bought a game - one to be played with just adults. It is called PervArtistry. We first played it with our siblings/siblings-in-laws. We made sure all the kids were put to bed and Grandma was sitting for the kids in the other condo. It is a team competition of pictionary and charades of terms that are for adults only. We have no pictures of this activity, and even if I did, I wouldn't be able to post the pictures we drew! We had a blast. It was one of the only activities we were able to do as just adults. I learned a few things: 1. Guys are way more perverted than females; 2. I know less than my husband, but more than one of my sister-in-laws; 3. Acting things out is difficult, drawing is easy; and 4. My husband knows more than I'd like.
Day 6 - I love vacations!
I haven't said a lot about these condos. They were really nice. My husband and I stayed in the master suite upstairs. It was huge! It had it's own bathroom with a shower and hot-tub for two. Yea, we used it. Three times. Kids took baths in it as well. On the main floor was a living room with a fire place. There was a dining area and a kitchen. The couch in the living area was a sleeper bed, and that is where our kids slept. There was a second bedroom with two twin beds. The oldest Morrison and my mother-in-law slept there. We also had two decks that we could not use (too cold, too much snow, yea, that covers it). We also had our own washer and dryer so we didn't have to come home and do huge loads of laundry. I don't know how the sleeping arrangements were in the other condo, I think it changed from night to night.
Even though we were in two condos, we were in buildings right next to each other. It was pretty easy to go from one place to another, which was nice for the cousins. They had a great time playing with each other. The oldest Morrison is 14, the Currie and Pieper kids are between ages 6 and 9 so they played well. The youngest Morrison was super with the Currie and Pieper kids. He is 11. He was so patient with all of them. He needed some alone time, which is completely understandable, but when he played with the younger kids, he did such a great job!
Although most of our meals were at the condo, we did have a meal at a restaurant before everyone arrived in the Dells. It was at the Moose Jaw Lodge. I have pictures of my family there. I think that is enough to say about the Moose Lodge.Day 7 - The gift giving is better than receiving!
Yea, watching kids get happy about what they receive is more fun than anything I get to open. Case in point. The Morrison niece and nephew would like to make a purchase at a place that I don't have access to getting gift cards, so I made them gift certificates. It was real fun, I put in expiration dates, card numbers, pictures and a bunch of other things to personalize it. Then just put the cash behind it - rather than just giving the cash.
Another case in point. Allison got a My Twinn doll from Santa. To see her face was most delightful. I had the same joy as I watched Christian open the DS and the Star Wars Complete Saga and the Nerf Super Shot that he received from Santa. Sure, it was awesome for me to get a new digital camera that would fit in my purse. We already have this totally rockin' camera, a Canon EOS digital, but it is big and cumbersome at times. Sometimes I just want something small to carry. I have noticed that the quality of the pictures are not the same as the EOS.I won't have many more years of this pleasure, but I love all these moments right now.
Day 8 - Time to Vent
Okay, I need to write this out. I need to say it, but I cannot gather all my thoughts in a linear time line unless I write it out first. I know this will get read. I know. I just need to say what I feel. First I need to make a few statements of evidence before I make my point.
My sister has two kids, one boy and one girl. I gave the niece a tea set for Christmas. I did this because she is of the age that my daughter was at when she became interested in tea sets. I know that not all little girls are in to tea sets, but it was something I thought about and decided this was a good gift. I was right. I gave my nephew a Connect Four game. Again, I did this because he is close to my son's age, and both of my kids like to play this game. I am not sure yet if this was a good gift for him, none-the-less, it was something I thought about carefully.
I am a teacher. I have been teaching for 17 years. 17 years having 5 classes of 20-25 students. Each of those kids (5 x 20 x 17 = 1700 students) all very unique and having their own style of learning. As a teacher, I try to find general methods that work for the majority of them, then fine tune lessons as to reach each kid. My point is that I come in contact with very unique people. I consider all activities and lessons as to reach each student. It is my job. It is my personality.
I was at a party, a book party that a friend had. She has two kids. Both are unique. One has autism. My friend, the mom of these two, researches the best techniques. I looked to her for advice. I wanted to make a purchase for my two nephews, one of which is also autistic. I carefully considered what I would purchase. I really tried hard. My sister-in-law seemed to appreciate that I was careful in this thought. She did not say this, but I heard from another voice "All autistic kids are not the same." I know that! All "normal" kids are not the same, as I stated in the earlier paragraph. However, there are some ideas that seem to work, or could be tried. I would have liked to hear, "It is so great that you care so much to really think about the kind of gift to give these boys - what a thoughtful gift!"
This was not directed at either one of my sisters-in-law. My husband needs me to say that.
Day 9 - Missing our Traditional Christmas Eve
"The true, uncorrupted spirit of Santa Claus is founded as a thankful and giving celebration of the Holiest of Holidays."
For years we've celebrated Christmas Eve by going to church, then to my parents house, then home. This year was odd. Since we were in the Dells, there was no Christmas Eve service. In my heart, I still went through the Bible stories of Christ's birth. I find I do this more now as a parent than as kid, teen or young adult. I missed our church this past Christmas. It such a friendly place to be. Every year, our population grows. More and more families with kids. It is important to me to have a faith as well as trying my best to be a good and tolerant human. I want to do right in my eyes, in the eyes of my family, in the eyes of my neighbors and in the eyes of God.
Day 10 - Going out with Friends
Upon our return we were blessed with yet another snow storm. It came on Friday. We got a lot of snow. However, one of my friends was not going to cancel our double date night and she and her husband drove to Sheboygan, from Appleton, so we could go out to eat at Stefano's Trattoria. We had an excellent meal! Actually, any words that I could think of to describe our food just would be so inadequate. You need to experience the food. Each and every time we have gone there, I have been amazed by the flavors, the drinks, the conversations, the smells - EVERYTHING! I cannot say enough thanks to my friend, Annie and her husband, for making that long and potentially scary drive in all that snow. We had a really good time - and we also hope you enjoy playing PervArtistry on New Year's Eve.
Day 11 - Reason #1, 386 and #1,387 why the Internet rocks!
Our kids got Webkinz this year. Each of my kids now have two pets to care for in the virtual world. As a matter of fact, both have been bugging me to get off the computer so that they can visit the site and see how the pets are doing. If you have kids that are computer literate (I swear they are born that way these days) your kids need to have a webkinz. My daughter was at a birthday party this week. Her friend has 9 of them. After the birthday party, she had 14 of them. That's a lot of pets to care for!
Also, I finally found the site my son loved when he was at his Grandma's house. He plays checkers and chess here. If you can not find a place that you like to play games on line, try this site!
Day 12 - I still have 3 more days of Christmas Vacation!
Is that all? Just 3 more days? I know those of you may be thinking "I can't wait until the kids go back to school". I don't think that way because when they go back to school, so do I. I still have papers to grade - lots of papers to grade - lots and lots of papers to grade. Also, we still have New Year's Eve. We are excited about that. My husband's friend and best man in our wedding will be coming with his wife. We have not seen them in a while. Yep. Just 3 more days to enjoy with my family.
