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Sunday, August 29, 2010

Family Vacation 2010...Shawano, WI

This last week we went on our family vacation (or as the kids were saying "A-cation") in Shawano at the Brusky Sandy Shore Cottages.

The cottages are owned by Alice and Peter Brusky. Alice was the kids' home health nurse when they were discharged from the NICU. She so graciously offered to have us come up and stay and even offered their personal cottage to us at a very reasonable price. Alice has not seen the kids since they were just a few months old. Although she follows the blog and my Facebook, pictures just do not do justice. She hold such a special place in our hearts. Not only was she the kids' nurse but she was a cheerleader for me, she was not afraid to roll up her sleeves and help with a feeding, she handled dealing with the pediatrician and saving us a trip in and much more. It was great seeing her and meeting Peter. Thank you again!

We spent the whole week there in a cottage...enjoying the great weather, the beach, some fishing and general relaxing. I was able to start a book and got half way thru it. The only bad part of the week was both Jeremy and I ended up sick for about 24 hrs each...thankfully on separate days. We had a blast and believe this could be an annual thing.

For those that are friends with me on Facebook you have probably seen all of these photos already. But for those who have not, enjoy!
How to pack for a week for 3 kids...step one: figuring out what to pack...pick an outfit a day w/undies, 2 extra outfits per kid, 3 extra undies per kid, two pair of pants each, sweatshirt each, 3 pair of socks each, 4 pair of jammies each, two swimsuits each and a sun hat each...lay it out to make sure you have not forgotten anything.... Step two: put the outfits for each day in a labeled/color coded ziploc bag and empty all the air.
Step three: cross your fingers and hope it all fits into their suitcases...taaaa-daaaa...even a little room to spare! If you thought the kids' suitcases were full...take a look at the truck...not a whole lot of extra room! The Bunk house that was part of out cottage...complete separate from the main cottage...has bunk beds, trundle bed and couch...1/2 bath and small kitchen area...perfect for a little bit older children as we did ask the kiddos if they wanted to stay in there and they immediately asked if we would too...lol.The main cottage...2 bedroom, living room, kitchen, full bath, 3 seasoned porch...very cozy!
A warm welcome from the Brusky's...perfect! After arriving and getting the truck unloaded and doing some grocery shopping the sun had set and night was falling upon us...here is what the lake looked like at the time...so peaceful! Then a beautiful reflection from the moon on the water....We packed a small tote of toys to take with us to occupy the kids while still inside...it worked for the most part...but everyday did start with the question of 'when are we going to the beach?' Unfortunately the kids did not see the point of sleeping in on vacation...there was not a single morning of sleeping past 7am. Luckily for us there was cable tv and the Disney channel...the kids LOVED Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (so did mommy and daddy...lol). the kids would get all cuddled in their blankies and wait for us to get going. (Unfortunately, I had a picture of the boys too but must have erased it :(...so just imagine them cuddling in their blankets...lol.)This was our dinner table...here the kids are eating a great breakfast.Since there were 2 bedrooms with full size beds, we determined it was best to have the kids share one...so after a little manuevering it into the corner, we were set to go. They loved being able to goof around together. Most nights were plenty warm so no jammies, the kids just love that! Liz playing on the pier...Alex washing off the pier one little bowlful at a time...Zach cleaning out the water using his sinking boat Tuggy...Liz swimming back to shore with Addy and Bella(two other kids that were there)...Alex cleaning off the table in prep for another great sand meal...Zach looking for what to do next...Daddy and the kids after their very first fishing experience...they loved it! I did get pictures of them but most were not so great...we were watch Bella and Addy too, so our hands were VERY full....add some hooks and very hungry little fish...worms went very quick to say the least!Alex with a catch the next time fishing...Zach showing off his catch...Liz with her next catch caught up in the weeds...At the very end of the pier are fishermen/woman...Daddy and Liz...Zach hammin' it up...Daddy and Alex chillin...Daddy and the kids relaxing...Self portrait of Liz and me...and Zach and me.Building a sand castle with daddy....the best part was smashing it. :)Down the road was a park, so we went to check it out. The kids had fun playing for the short time. First it was a climb up the rope wall...Then a jaunt across the wiggly stone thingamajigs... then a swing on the tire made for three... and finally quick swing on the regular swings prior to leaving. They got a chance to cook some s'mores...mommy missed out on this due to being sick, but did manage to get some pictures of their first s'more making... Another round of fishing...more catches to show off...they are good little fishers...lol. After fishing, the boys stopped to help Bella find shells... then Liz and Skylar join in. Mommy and the monkeys... The one thing we did manage to get out to do was go to Doc's Harley Davidson. We did plan on trying to get to Bay Beach in Green Bay, but due to illness we did not go. So we really enjoyed our little outing to the Harley store. This was more then just a bike store...it had exotic animals as well as a museum. Here is a Macaw: Alex standing in front of the bike he wanted to buy... Liz in front of the car from the museum she wanted to take home... Zach found this statue that he was find of...I think it was the roller skates...lol. Finally a bike for the family...lol. The tortoises were cool to see esp the baby one... The alligators were even more cool...the kids were in awe of them. Even a camel, a donkey and a pony... long horned cattle, buffalo, and some fainting goats too! Then there was this old ship... Everyone took a turn at the helm... The kids loved watching the wildlife around our cottage...we had some very large woodpeckers, squirrels, chipmunks and this little bunny that the kids liked being so close to. Playing in the water was high on the list of things to do... as well as playing on the beach...here the kids are working on a mud pie. The kids playing the last day...soaking up every ray of sun and every moment of fun. Moments before a waterfight broke out... the boys were having a blast getting each other... Zach doing a reverse bucket over the head...how about a head in a bucket...lol. I made up signs for the kids to color to show our appreciation. Thanks again Brusky's...we had a fabulous time!!!