Our Family Vacation on a Farm

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Dear Noah and Dylan,

This is cool, now that I'm caught up on the written journal entries, I can write to you directly on the blog. The only difference is there won't be a paper copy of it. Uncle Joe will help you find the blog or whomever lives longer than I do, and also the URLs of all my blogs are written in my Will. Kimsdogwalks.blogspot.com also has posts that include stories you were a part of with pictures. Ooo...I could also post pictures here now! It is a bit of a pain to get the pics from my phone to the computer and then onto this website but heck...I'm not going to many places with my knee still in a brace.  This has been a tough year so far for me dealing with cancer treatments and a fractured knee. It's been quite the nightmare but now I'm getting used to being laid up with a system between crutches, wheel chair and Uncle Joe's help. The time is starting to pass a little faster and now it's almost 4 weeks since I fell. Your mom suggested you make me get well cards and they are now taped up on our famous orange cabinets. I love the pictures, Dylan drawing me and Uncle Joe with cast, computer and dogs and Noah drawing me at the Vet's parking lot with Frida walking AROUND the ice patch. Sigh....if only!  

    So let me tell you about our family vacation at East Hill Farm. Uncle Don made a great Go Pro video he posted on Facebook and I'm sure your dad took 8 gazillion pictures too which you may never see if some girlfriend steals the memory cards he stores in his drawer like the last time...that was crazy! I'll paint a picture for you with words:

    First of all, executing something like a family vacation is no small feat! I didn't think either your dad or Uncle Don would be all that interested but they were. We managed to find a weekend all ten of us could make it, between Uncle Don with his airline schedule, your dad getting the right weekend of custody, Holly getting out of work and having Ryan available, and Grandma Chris skipping her bible studies. (She studies weekends at Caris School, preparing to be a minister!) But we did it! We all met at the farm on Friday night in time for dinner in the main inn. You guys and your dad, and Grandma Chris were sharing a three bedroom cottage called The Hideaway and Uncle Don, other Auntie Kim, Holly and Ryan were at the English Cottage. There is supposed to be a view of Mt. Monadnock but we were socked in with clouds, heavy rain Saturday night too, which was horrible since it made the icy areas very dangerous. There had been an ice storm a few days prior so it was not easy to get me from the cottage to the main inn. I did all indoor activities with you (seated activities of course) while you guys got to go out sledding, visit the farm animals, swim in the indoor pool, play Ping Pong  and attend a kids' party. Uncle Don, Auntie Kim and Ryan played snow volleyball but they were mad because they were unfairly matched against the inn's employees. (and Auntie Kim hates losing!) There was also Bingo and you all played. I don't remember where I was for that. (I HATE Bingo)

    There was also a band Saturday night and they were quite good! You two went swimming with your dad instead, which surprised me since I expected your dad would want to show off his moves after a little of the rum punch! But it was Uncle Don and Auntie Kim that got up and did the twist, and Uncle Don who tried to twist one leg in the air but lost his balance and fell on me. Good thing he hit my chair or he would have broken my other leg! Uncle Joe has that scene on video. The best part of the weekend for me was spending time with all of you at meals and playing Knockout Whist and Apples to Apples. Sunday morning was really fun since all ten of us played Apples to Apples. We are a competitive lot, some more than others, some more upset about losing than others, but the two of you are much better at accepting that you don't always win. I've mentioned that before and I wrote it to you in a couple of cards sent to your mom's house. That has been a struggle for you both!

In one of the sitting rooms next to wood stove

    We didn't hardly spend any time in the cottage. I stayed there for breakfasts and had Uncle Joe transport me for lunch Saturday and the rest of the day and evening. The dogs were with us too, although it was a mistake to bring poor Ruby. She was very stressed and it was hard to get all 3 dogs out to do their business. Ruby had to go in the middle of the night and did it all over the living room. It was not pretty. Poor Uncle Joe had to do all the work, cleaning poop, hauling my butt around, taking the dogs out, packing and unpacking the car...but he still had a great time. It was a good break for me to get out of the house, too. Everyone loved the inn, the food was great and there was plenty to do. I hope we can go there again next year for dog sledding weekend! The summer would be fun there since they have two outdoor pools as well, but it is doubtful that we would all find time to go then. But you never know.

The Kudym Table!

     I was happy that you both got to spend more time with Uncle Don and Auntie Kim since you hardly ever see them, pretty much holidays only, also with Holly and Ryan. The three of you boys are so close in age and get along pretty well so far as I can tell. Ryan and Noah seemed to spend more time together and Dylan you seemed to prefer to hang out more often with the adults. Your dad was so proud of Dylan when you were playing Apples to Apples at Uncle Don's cottage and Auntie Kim got mad that you didn't pick her card "Stephen King" when the descriptive word was "violent." You told her that while Stephen King writes violent stories, he himself is not violent. Auntie Kim was impressed you even knew who Stephen King was! 

    Well, kids, signing off for now. 

Love you!

Auntie Kim