Many years ago, two young boys spent every waking minute together. By most measures they could have been brothers. But like most friendships, time re-shapes lives and paths diverge. Our divergence began somewhere between when girls become interesting and wearing jogging pants to school is less than hip. Sure, my decision to bail on French education may have played a part but whatever the causes we remained close through common friends, trips and family gatherings -- with geography also playing a major part as we still lived in the same city. Once free of the shackles of home town education we saw less of each other as our lives took us beyond the boundaries of Niagara.
Fast forward a few years and we're standing up for one another on our wedding days, a mere month apart, and a testament to our deep friendship. A couple more years later and our families are growing - typically the death blow to remaining in contact. Toss in 100km of gridlock traffic between us for good measure. During one of our (unfortunately) rare visits to the Rousseau household we began to hatch a plan to pack up the families and head up to Blue Mountain. The conversation was not very different from the countless "hey we should.." ideas that never transpire to more than wasted breathes. The guys would ski one day, the girls would hit the spa the other and we'd likely spend more time bouncing kids on our knees and tripping over toys then out of the room. The latter aspects were expected and even welcomed as our new place in life as parents redefine vacation and we work to maintain the strong family values instilled by our parents
Scheduling time to get away, typically the failing point of group travel, was simplified since Julie and Renée are on maternity leave. A few messages back and forth and off we go to spend 3 days at the Westin Blue Mountain.
After check-in we quickly appreciated the extra space the room offered. We chose a room with a very large common space -- to let the kids, or at least those that could, roam free -- book-ended by rooms with en-suites; which proved very handy.Video tour here.
The room also overlooked Mill Pond, which is a skating rink during the winter months, and the village. To the left are the hills of Blue Mountain and heated outdoor pools of the Westin and Plunge Aqua centre. All in all, probably one of the best views at the resort.
After unloading the overloaded luggage cart, which later became Ethan's favourite hangout spot, toys were unpacked and the kids wasted little time enjoying themselves.
We decided in advance that dinner on the first night would simply require calling down to room service -- promptly supplied by the on-site O&B Cafe Grill. Once we got the kids all settled in to their resting areas, which in some cases meant moving cribs in to one of the three bathrooms, Curt and I ran to pick up some groceries and all were able to kick back and enjoy a few beverages.
A few cries here and there and we all survived the first night with 3 kids and a dog .. all in one space. Success. Morning arrived and the boys were quick to task. Curt offered to walk over to Starbucks while I wrangled up some omelettes and sausages ..
.. while the girls tended to the children.
Ethan said he didn't need any help.
After getting everyone fed, Curt and I grabbed our gear and set out for the slopes. Weather conditions were great with clear skies and mild temperatures. Skiing on a Tuesday is practically the only way to visit Blue as the non-existent queues make the short runs of Ontario semi bearable. Working our way from the South base to the North base and back a few times we decided to take a break and see if the girls were out and about in the village.
It was fairly easy to figure out which store the girls were in when we spotted Sadie standing guard.
We had a reunion outside the candy shop in the near empty village.
The girls had a good time introducing the kids to the area under the perfect blue sky. Next year, we'll have Ethan on skis!
Curt and I hit the slopes again as the girls brought the kids back for some naps. After a couple more hours we called it quits and returned back to the room from some eats. Curt and Renee went to the park with Ethan; resulting in a pretty awesome video of Ethan going down the slide and everyone forgetting to catch him.
Back at the room the kids were making best of friends.
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| Let me give you a boost! |
The next morning the girls headed over to Scandinave Spa and the boys were left together. We had a good time although things probably got a bit wackier then with the girls at the helm.
By the end of the three days Ethan seemed to have mostly overcome his fear of Sadie. Even teasing her and laughing (at her expense).
Sadie had her own way of dealing with all the kids by taking naps under furniture.
Pushing check-out to 1:30 we were packed up and ready to hit the roads just as a snow storm was passing through.
Overall a great few days away that we hope to repeat in the years to come. Heck we even stopped into the village realty office. Who knows.
