Thanksgiving in the Dells

In honor of Uncle David's 75th birthday, the entire Rasmussen clan invaded Wisconsin Dells, WI, to celebrate over the Thanksgiving holiday.  For Liam, Joergen, and I, it was our first experience with the Dells-- but I can pretty confidently say I don't think it will be our last.  It was one of the best trips we've taken as a family, and we can't wait to go back!

We flew from Philadelphia to Chicago on the day before Thanksgiving, and then rented a car to drive up to Wisconsin.  Our trip got off to a fun start when Liam won some Eagles swag from 94 WIP's live broadcast in the airport that morning!

Despite traveling the day before Thanksgiving, we got there without a hitch. Everything in the Dells was covered in a blanket of snow, and it looked more like January than November!  We were so excited to have finally arrived, though, and no sooner did we get out of the car at our resort when we heard the Peoria Derrys calling for us from an outdoor hot tub!  Liam pretty much jumped out of his clothes and into a bathing suit, and ran off to go join the fun.

So for those who may be unfamiliar, Wisconsin Dells is the waterpark capital of the world-- and this title is very well deserved.  I have never seen so many waterparks in my life!  We stayed at the Wilderness Resort, and with its 3 indoor waterparks, massive arcade, go-kart track and laser tag arena, let's just say we were certainly never bored!

We spent most of our time in the waterparks (admission was included in our overnight stay... best idea ever!).  Joergen was in heaven at the WaterDome, which was a little quieter than the other parks and had the best area for younger kids, hands down. It's hard to believe it was 27 degrees outside!

Liam, on the other hand, wanted to be wherever the "big kids" were going to be, and braved all kinds of water slides with his cousins.  They had a blast!

I spy... 8 Derrys/Rasmussens in the wave pool!

Abby, Toni, Joer, Aidan, Grace, Liam, and Kate in Klondike Kavern

On Thanksgiving Day, we hit the buffet at Wild Canyon Cafe and let someone else do the cooking... and clean-up!  It was the most relaxing, easy-going Thanksgiving, which I think was quite a feat given that there were 27 of us in our party!

Toni, Aidan, Grandma, Liam, and Gracie

(Some of) The girls- Jacie, me, Surabhi, and Beth

(Some of) The guys- Jake, Anthony, Uncle David, and Andrew

After dinner, the kids found their way to a giant indoor fun zone and got serious about gaming.  I laughed when I saw how many kids they crammed into this one!

Liam, Kate, Joergen, Toni, Joseph, and Grace

Once we pried them away from the video games, they discovered the go-kart track, and hey- why not?

Liam and Uncle Andrew, with Grace and Jud in the car behind them

Grace and Jud weren't behind them for long, though! 

On Thanksgiving night, we all gathered in one of the condos to celebrate Uncle David's milestone birthday.

Best buddies Liam and Gracie. They are two peas in a pod!

In honor of Uncle David, Grandma helped all of his great nieces and nephews put together an acrostic about their favorite uncle, and each kid was responsible for reading a line.  They did awesome!

After a special evening of gift-giving and story-sharing, we took some family photos with the man of the hour.

David with all of his Rasmussen great nieces and nephews

This one cracks me up-- Joergen, what ARE you doing?!

David with all of his Rasmussen nieces and nephews, their spouses and children

Papa, Aunt Lyn, David, Aunt Jan, and Grandma

And while on this theme of family photos, I love this one of the Peoria Derrys from the weekend too!

The Derry grandchildren:

Even with so many fabulous amenities at the resort, I think my favorite moments that weekend were those from right in the condo, which offered the perfect space for our large group to gather, play games, share stories and lots of laughs!

An unforgettable evening playing Cards Against Humanity... lol!

Watching football and playing games with Uncle Andy

Cousin time! Liam and Kate

Joergen and Toni (twinsies!)

And don't forget about the random fun that just happens when you are vacationing with this many people.

No officer, I swear we did not operate this vehicle with 5 kids and an adult crammed in the trunk!  Really! I mean, at least it's a hatchback, right?!

For our last night all together, Uncle David and Aunt Lyn treated the family to the Rick Wilcox Magic and Comedy Show, which was just a few miles from our resort in the Dells.  The show was fantastic, and certainly one that we will never (ever) forget!  Guess who was picked from the audience to go up on stage...

I laughed so hard I cried at Liam and his antics.  He was terrific- and had some pretty awesome comedic timing, too.  Between putting on the magician's coat (when he was simply asked to hold it for him) and then actually trying to climb into the box himself for the disappearing act, I could have died!  It was the perfect end to a fantastic trip.

Happy Birthday, Uncle David, and cheers to many, many more!

Hanging with Nana

We had been LONG overdue for a visit to York, and especially to visit Nana as she is recovering from surgery!  So we donned our ND gear (it was a game day, after all), gathered some holiday crafts, and headed off for a very fun day trip to see our favorite patient.

Liam and Joergen had each picked out the craft they wanted to do with Nana, and she very patiently helped them assemble and decorate their creations.  Joergen chose a "gingerbread house"...

... while Liam opted for a nativity set.  I wish I had a pic of the finished product-- it was really sweet! Mary's nose and all!

This is not the best picture, but it makes me laugh-- it pretty much sums up the experience :)

Fun with VFPNS

I was so thankful this fall to be able to take some time away from work to be with Joergen for some fun with his preschool class.  In October, Joer had his first field trip to Freddy Hill Farms to go pumpkin picking.  We scored a hay ride, a corn maze, a cool pumpkin, and perhaps the best soft serve ice cream I've ever had.  We are so going back there!

Look Grandma and Papa!  It's the right color!

VFPNS 2014

I spy my little guy!

Thanksgiving at VFPNS brings the annual Thanksgiving feast, and a "feast" it most certainly was! Seeing all the preschoolers reenacting the first thanksgiving just makes me laugh.  Could they be any cuter? 

Joergen proudly wearing his macaroni wampum

The best part of the feast is the kids' handmade placemats.  I smiled when I saw Joergen's...

...especially as I remembered two years ago, when Liam's said "I"m Thankful for... Eating Roast Beef."  Alrighty then!

When Joergen came home from the feast with his coffee can drum and his little headdress, Liam got nostalgic for his preschool days too.  Although his headdress was long gone, we did still have his original coffee can drum (my pack-rat tendencies save the day!), and some scissors, tape, and cardstock took care of the rest.  And you can guess what ensued for the rest of the evening!

Ear plugs, anyone?

Halloween, AKA Best Holiday EVER

This Halloween, we made the switch from DC to Marvel: 

Wolverine and Captain America to the rescue!

The boys were so excited about Halloween that they picked out their costumes sometime around Labor Day, and wore them many, many times around the house before Halloween finally arrived.  I am endlessly amused by the boys when they are playing superheroes (they have made me a firm believer in alter-egos, as evidenced by the change in Joergen the moment he puts on a mask!), and I dread the day when they outgrow this phase.

Dad and I realized that it had been a couple of years since we had actually carved a pumpkin, so we were long overdue!

Making their best "jack-o-lantern faces"

Halloween fell on a Friday this year, and I am now advocating that Halloween be celebrated every year on a Friday.  It was a blast!!  It started when we got home from work and Aunt Doreen's that day.  Liam and Joergen were beyond excited to find a basket on our doorstep with their name on it, full of safe, non-food Halloween "treats" for them to enjoy!  Thank you Theresa and Ed for the most thoughtful gift ever!

After a quick dinner, it was time to suit up and get on the road for some treats.

Annual Halloween photo op with Aunt Doreen

Captain America twins!  Liam and our neighbor Will

 We started the evening by going to our old neighborhood to see Miss Anita and drop by our old house (which looks fantastic, by the way!), and then to see a choir friend, and finally to go see Theresa at her boyfriend Michael's house.

After all that running around, it was time to park the car and hoof it around the neighborhood.  It was a cool, gorgeous evening, and tons of kids came out to trick-or-treat well into the night.  I've never seen our boys so happy!  After almost every house, I would hear Joergen say something like, "Wow. That was a stranger and they gave me a tweat.  That was so kind of dem." Or Liam, who must have said 100 times that night, "Best. Holiday. EV-ERRRR!"

While all of this was going on, a mini block party was forming in our neighbor's driveway across the street.  Before long, we all decided to turn off our own porch lights and distribute candy all together out of that one driveway.  It was perfect: a one-stop-shop for tons of kids, while the adults stayed warm by a fire and enjoyed an adult beverage or two.

When Liam and Joergen decided their bags were heavy enough, I brought them inside to sort candy in preparation for the Great Pumpkin to come take all the unsafe stuff away.  They were excited to discover that Milk Duds are safe, and subsequently disappointed by how badly Milk Duds get stuck in their teeth :)  Regardless, they walked away with an impressive haul-- and will have plenty of candy well into the new year!

Throwback: Labor Day 2012

The boys and I saw a commercial for Adventure Aquarium the other day, and they immediately begged me to take them there for a visit.  When I told them they had already been there once, they didn't believe me - so I brought up this blog to prove it... only to discover I never wrote the post!  So, my dear Liam and Joergen, this one is for you (better late than never).

Labor Day of 2012 came with a bunch of rain and a wide open schedule - a rarity! - for us.  Joergen was a curious, animal-loving toddler at the time, and we knew we needed an outing for the day to occupy our squirrely little men.  With all the rain, we nixed the Zoo and opted instead for a visit to the Adventure Aquarium across the river in Camden.

Apparently, the rest of the greater Philadelphia area had the same idea, because it was pretty crowded!  That didn't stop us from having a great time, though.

We saw giant sea turtles...

...pet the sharks...

... and found Nemo.

We made some music...

and climbed inside all kinds of things!  Such as turtle shells...

... a fish tank...

... and a shark's mouth!

One of our favorite spots was the tunnel through the shark tank, where we got up close and personal with some very cool creatures.

Although it was our first visit, I'm pretty sure it won't be our last!