Skiing in Vermont

We decided at the last minute to take a little ski trip over the holiday break. Mike found a great place called Bennington,VT. It was next to 3 nice ski resorts and also just a 15 minute drive from Manchester,VT which is a cute little resort town with great local shops and outlets.



It wouldn't be a Rich family trip if we didn't learn some history about our destination. This is Mike and the boys standing in front of the Bennington Battle Monument. It is the tallest structure in Vermont and commemorates the Battle of Bennington, a battle that lead to the turning point in the Revolutionary War.




Braxton standing next to a bronze statue of General John Stark who lead the Battle


The boys thought it was a dream come true when they saw there was a Chilis in the same parking lot as our hotel. We love their bottomless chips and salsa!


This might have been the boys favorite part of the trip. We had a jacuzzi tub in our room and it definitely got used every day.








Porter

Porter, Hudson, and I took a lunch break in the lodge to get warmed up. They were so cute sharing this drink. Braxton and Mike never came in for a break they skied straight through!


Hudson was so cute, I was trying to get good picture of his tiny little skis but this picture does not do them justice.



Emily and the boys on the chairlift together



Porter



Braxton



Mike & Hudson



STILL SMILING!! We considered the ski trip a success because everyone including Hudson had a huge smile on their face at the end of the day!



Do you think Hudson is worn out? Poor kid was wiped out after a full day on the slopes. When we were all getting our things together to head out to the car Hudson literally fell asleep standing up!



We woke up on our last day in Vermont to about 1 1/2 ft of new snow and blizzard conditions. The roads did not look good. We were all having such a good time and Mike didn't need to get back to work yet, so we decided to stay one more day and spend New Year's Eve in Bennington,VT. It was great we slept in, swam 2 more times, went sledding, hit Chilis again, and caught a movie! It was great and we think it might be our new tradition.

Sledding with the boys-

Christmas Day!

WE BELIEVE!!! The boys were lucky enough this year to be woken up in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve to reindeer hooves and jingle bells on the roof. Then they caught the real live Santa Claus writing a note and leaving them the Wii! Our kids were having a hard time believing in Santa so this visit came just in the nick of time. The only problem was that our poor little Porter even though he was present during it all has no recollection of the event. Luckily we got this photo!



The boys anxiously awaiting for the OK that Santa really came and that they could line-up to go downstairs.



The Line-Up Christmas Morning



Mike in his Christmas pajamas



These were a big hit. My mom made little quilts for each of the grandchildren. They turned out so cute and the boys love and use them everyday! They are the perfect size- thanks Grandma Wilson it is a gift they will always cherish.




Another highly anticipated Christmas gift in the Rich house is the one Grandpa Wilson makes in his wood shop. Every year he makes all the grandchildren a special gift that he keeps a secret until Christmas morning. Every year the kids love it and this year was no exception. He made them each their own magnifying glass. Hudson said," mom look grandpa made me something to look at bugs with." They have all loved them and keep them in a special place so they don't loose them. Thanks Grandpa Wilson!



Hudson was thrilled when he opened this remote control car from Braxton. He drove it around all day.



One of the big "wants" for Christmas this year by all of our boys was Bakugan stuff and a game board for it. So when they opened the packages from G&G Rich and found this they were more than a little excited! Thanks G&G Rich they loved it!




This is how we spent most of the day- The boys love the Wii and actually so do Mike and I. Mario Kart is probably the fam favorite. Even little Hudsy can play and he is awesome at it!

Just a Cute Picture of Mike and Braxton

Christmas Eve 2008

For Christmas Eve this year we had our good friends the Bench's over for dinner, Christmas carols, and our attempt at a program. First A and I combined forces and created what I thought was a pretty fantastic dinner, and then got everyone dressed in character to act out the Nativity. This was a Christmas tradition in both my home and Mike's growing up so it was a must have in the program. Mike narrated while the rest of us acted it out. The kids did a great job and A & C were nice enough to be Mary and Joseph. We then sang carols (thanks C for your help in this area w/o your great voice it would have been pretty weak) and then had dessert. It was a fun night! Thanks Bench family for sharing it with us- repeat next year?

Mary & Joseph



The cute shepherds



Our little wisemen



I love this picture because it shows how sweet J is. He is Hudson's age and he was so soft with the baby Jesus. He is going to be a big brother in about 3 weeks and I can tell from this little display of sweetness that he is going to be awesome at it!




The whole Nativity



Mike's Favorite- the group photo



The last picture of the evening

A new Christmas tradition

This year we started a new tradition. As a child in elementary school I always looked forward to making our graham cracker gingerbread houses. We did it every year during the holidays. We had to save one of our 1 pt milk carton from school lunch and then we cut the top off and used it as our form. We would all bring some candies to decorate and the teachers would provide the graham crackers and frosting. Anyway my friend I were trying to come up with a tradition that our families could do together every year. So we decided to do this. Some day we might actually make real gingerbread but for now graham crackers it is! The kids had a great time and really got creative!






The Final Product!

Hudson's Preschool Holiday Program

Here are a few pictures from Hudson's Holiday program. Unfortunately they didn't turn out that great. Hudson had the camera last and had messed up the settings and I didn't realize it until the program started. It was really cute though. I was actually surprised at how much Hudson got into it. He was singing and doing all the motions and loving being up in font of everyone. Then after the program they had a lite breakfast for all of us. It was funny all Christmas break Hudson was singing the songs and his favorite was the Dreidel song. I have to admit it is a catchy little tune.





Hudson wanted a picture in front of the Christmas tree with me. I figure I need to take advantage of that while I can.



They had the Christmas Program at the Elk's Lodge this year because they are finishing construction at Hudson's Preschool. They had these huge red chairs that all the kids were loving, it was pretty cute.