The Algeras

We're having a fun weekend in frigid Traverse City! Ben ran the Bigfoot Boogie snowshoe race this morning in below zero windchills. I decided to keep my sleepy, sneezy and teething children inside instead of being a spectator. He finished in 1:13:57, fourth place in the 30-35 age group and good enough to win an official Bigfoot Boogie coffee mug! To all our running friends - who wants to join in next year?

We had a very nice drive up here while the kids napped. It got a little snowy and we had an interesting spin down the driveway of the grocery store. Sara had a hard time settling down to sleep at night and David woke up with a fever at 2 AM, so we are feeling a little worn out, but I'm glad we decided to come up with the whole family.

Ben had a great race, as I mentioned. He was pretty cold when it was all over! I'll have to get the picture of the grand prize off his camera -a Bigfoot trophy!

Sara's favorite part of the trip was the hotel pool. "I swim in the sea, Mommy! I brought my bathing suit!" She stayed in until her teeth were chattering but "I not cold, no! Stay in longer!" Later, while watching her Letter Factory DVD in our room, she said "I like hotels, Mommy." Probably because the rules were relaxed a little on vacation!

In the afternoon we took a drive up Old Mission Peninsula where Ben took some pictures of the lighthouse and the bay. It was cold but sunny and he got some good shots. The kids napped in the car and we enjoyed some grown up conversation while enjoying a beautiful drive.

The kids are probably so sick of being in the car! It's going to be a little rough getting back into the routine, but it's nice to get away and explore a little every now and then. Ben and I would really love to come back some time without the kids and just drive and hike around. We realized that our tenth anniversary is only 18 months away, so maybe that will be a good excuse! Who wants to babysit?