The Jones Girls

Mindy spent the night with us Sunday night and was a huge help with assisting us in cleaning the hosue and getting ready for our trip back to Los Angeles.

I did 3 loads of laundy Sunday night, packed all of the clothes in the boxes. 

Mindy was a huge help Monday morning, vacuuming the carpets and helping me get the girls ready.    We mailed out the boxes of clothes att he post office.    We headed out at noon towards Boston airport.

We arrived in Boston, dropped off our minivan rental and checked in at the airport.  They advised us the plane was running a half hour behind.  Well that was much better, tell us before we board on the plane, and let us wait in the airport not on the plane for the delay.   

The flight went well.  The airline stewardesses got together and purchased me a little bottle of wine.    Now how thoughtful was that?  They said that I deserved it watching me entetain all of our 4 girls and keeping them quiet on the plane.

Sid our neighbor drove our minivan and met us at the aiport.   Our plane was supposed to arrive at 10pm but arrived at 11:45pm instead.    Long haul for all of us.

We were lucky enough to get re-acquainted with Cliff’s cousin, Doug.  He lives a couple of blocks from our house.     Doug brought over his girlfriend Sandy over so we could meet her.    This women is a true peach and I just love her.   

They both invited me to take a look at their beach that they had along a beautiful river in their backyard.   I was imagining this rediculous little swimming hole.  

Well, when i stepped onto their property, I was blown away.     They truly have a sandy beach the stretches out to the river.  They took me on a little nature walk and was I surprised when before me was the most beautiful water falls, right there on their property.    Totally cool!!    Sandy’s house was beautiful    Their whole property is just beautiful.   They invited us to spend the day at their beach the next day.

So on Sunday, the next day, Mindy, my niece, Grandma and Grandpa Belden joined us at Doug and Sandy’s Paradise Beach Resort.   I suprised the girls with shovels and buckets to play with down at the sandy beach.   They played with an innertube and we walked them through the water.  It was a truly amazing and beautiful experience.  

Then we had a cook out.  Sandy made this awesome homemade pasta salad that had us begging for seconds.   Doug is quite the barbecue guy and grilled up some amazing food!!   

We could have stayed all night.  Unfortunately we had to call it a day because the next day we were heading back to Boston to fly back to Los Angeles.  Gosh I had wished that we had met sooner and could have enjoyed other days at their Beach Resort during out time in VT.

Sandy and I have made fast friends and we have promised each other that when we are there, we will be spending some quality time with them on the Paradise Beach Resort.    We are also planning on them coming out to visit us in California for a vacation in February.

Thanks for a beautiful day Sandy and Doug!!

We were invited to our neighbor’s 1st birthday party for their baby girls Paige, AKA Squishy Cookie.   This baby girl is the cutest little thing.

The weather started out nice.   We had lunch at their house and the girls played in the yard with the other kids.  Then the looming dark grey clouds attacked our party!!   I mean really, the weather is so unpredictable in Vermont.    One minute the sun is out, the next minute it feels like you are in a crazy storm of the century.

So of course those huge boulder rain drops came upon us and in 2.2 seconds everybody ran for cover.   Thank goodness our house was next door.    It rained like the dickens for a few hours.    Then when it cleared up we ventured outside again.  Then at bedtime, around 9pm, the clouds came back and argued with anger as we heard the loud thunder and lightening for hours and hours that night.   There is nothing like a summer storm in New England.

Grandma and Grandpa Belden gave the girls some birthday money.   Cliff and I thought it would be fun for the girls to have their 1st trikes at the house and also for Savannah to have her own bike.   

So we went down to Walmart which by the way is about a 1 hour drive from our house.  Yep, we are in Mayberry my friends.   Anyway, we got the girls their trikes and Savvy a bike.

We took them home and Cliff got them all put together in about an hour.   Another thing that me me proud of Daddy Cliff.    The girls had a blast riding their new bikes.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Belden!!

On Monday July 6th my friends headed out back home to Boston.    Cliff’s sister, Teresa and her dad came over for a visit.   It was a short visit.  

Cliff offered something that all wives dream of.   He offered to babysit the girls so Teresa and I could go out for a pedicure and spend some time together.  I called Teresa and she came over in a flash.   Before I knew it we were on the road, just us 2 girls, laughing like 2 crazy women getting out of the psyche ward.   

We drove to the Rutland Mall and walked around.   We relaxed in a salon and had our pedicures done.  Then we ventured to KMart to get a birthday present for a neighbor whose daughter who was turning 1 year old.  

Then we had lunch and some super delicious alcoholic beverages…Mud Slides.  YUM!!  I think that was my favorite part…drinking…LOL!!

It was so nice to have some sister girl time with my sister-in-law.   We vowed that we are going to make this an annual tradition.  I love you Teresa!!

On Sunday, July 5th we had a day packed with lots of fun.  

At 9:00am we ventured out to a friend of ours, Phil Webster, who helps caretaker a farm.   Everyone got to ride a horse and surveyed all of the grounds for cows, sheep and 2 adorable well-manored dogs.  My friend from Boston is a city girl and she was tickled pink to be on a farm and even more amazingly, sitting on top of a horse riding!!

We walked over to the barn and were pleasantly surprised to find it was so clean and tidy, probably more so then the way some people might keep up their living rooms.    Phil Webster takes great pride in that farm for sure.

We visited boarded horses and pet their noses and learned some interesting facts about horses from Phil.  Then we visited a baby calf that was being weaned from its momma.   It was so cute.    The girls saw some roosters and chickens walking around and found a chicken coop in the barn.   They really enjoyed watching the chickens.  Phil surprised us and gave us 6 freshly laid eggs straight from the nest, eggs were still warm.     I was told I needed to clean the eggs with warm soapy water and because the were so fresh they could not be hard boiled.    I was so excited, I had never eaten fresh eggs before!!

After our time on the farm, we headed over to The Magic Forest located in Lake George.  This mini amusement park is geared for toddler-aged children up to age 7.    Lots of cute rides.  The place is a blast from the past from the mid 60’s.   The girls had a blast and we closed the place down at almost 5pm.

Then we rushed home to prepare for the Triplets and Daddy Cliff’s birthday party.   Daddy took out the bouncy house that we had purchased for the triplet’s birthday party last year (that we never got to use last year because of all of the rain!).    We picked up a couple of trays of sub sandwiches and a cute Nemo birthday for the triplets and a cute little cake for Daddy Cliff.   My sweet friend Wendy brought her famous and delicious homemade beans, potato salad and mini weenies with bbq sauce.    We partied like it was no body’s business and had a great time.

It was a very busy day in Vermont that day.

So we had plans to leave the house at 8:30am to be in Poultney by 9am to watch the parade.    Yeah, those plans flew out the window – who were we kidding?

So our Boston friends and us managed to pile out of the house and hit the road at about 9:30am.  We reached Downtown Poultney and made it in time to see the parade.  This is where the parade ends.  Normally we watch the parade where it begins and then drive down to downtown Poultney after the parade ends.  I kinda liked seeing the parade in downtown Poultney, that way I don’t have to leave the house so freakin’ early in the morning.  Sleep is the name of my game 🙂

Well, when the parade started going, wouldn’t you know it…clouds came out from nowhere and decided to laugh in our faces and pour the biggest rain drops that I ever saw!!    So we all huddled under a maple tree to protect us from the killer rain drops.   You should have seen us.  It looked ridiculous.  You would have thought we were keeping safe from a typhoon or something.   We were determined to ride out the storm under that maple tree.    God Bless that Maple Tree.

After the parade we went shopping at the Original Vermont Store.    Of course I spent more money that I had budgeted, but I just love the great stuff at that store.  They have a charming room decorated in the Christmas theme…a year round Holiday shopping treat for sure.   While I was doing my browsing and shopping, the girls played in the room with all of the stuffed animals.  When we had to leave they did exactly as I requested and put all of the animals back on the shelves.    They made me such a proud mommy shopper!!  Way to go girlies!!