Vacation!

So... I haven't written in a while. Are you still here? Hanging with me? It's been hard for me to blog because--well, no. Just no. My life is 27 kinds of crazy right now, but... seriously, isn't it always? I have no excuse. I'm glad we're together again, friends.

My heart is so full of things to share with you that I hardly know where to start. But for tonight, my head is also full of decongestants--not the mention the congestants that were already there (Blogger is trying to tell me that's not a word, but what else would you call it? Get with it, Blogger.)--so we're going to keep it light. Let's go with vacation pictures.

About two weeks ago, our family had a chance to take a company cruise. My hubby is self-employed, so we took our family, all of our employees, and a "plus one" for each of the employees. It was lots of fun! I'll try to give you the highlights...

First of all, let me tell you that I was a bit apprehensive about this cruise. We left out of Baltimore and traveled to the Bahamas. If you are even marginally familiar with geography (which is my level of mastery of that particular subject), you know that "Baltimore" and "Bahamas" are not exactly neighbors. This meant lots of time at sea. With three kids. One of whom is Roo. Yeah, just tell me your heart isn't already beating a little faster just from reading that. We had 3 days (out of 7) that were entirely at sea--no ports of call. But I have to say, it went surprisingly well. For one thing, those days afforded good opportunities for naptime... for Roo and his mama. Also, cruise ships have this wonderful childcare program where you can drop your children off and they entertain them and keep them safe and all that while you... pretty much do whatever you want. To be honest, they were only in there for about 2 hours a day (and less than that for Lamb, who wasn't wild about the whole deal), but it was a nice break--for them and for us.

One of my favorite things about cruising is the food--or really, the food service. I mean, the food is delicious and all, but no one at home does this for my kids...

Another waiter one morning brought out our breakfast, then asked if he could help cut up the boys' pancakes so that Mr. Fantastic and I could eat. Ummmm... YES PLEASE! And is it wrong for me to kiss you?

And of course, let's acknowledge that the food is fantastic...

This is "best French toast", which is crusted in Frosted Flakes. And then drenched with syrup. Duh.

Oh, I have to show you this--this is one of my favorite pictures...

This is actually from the first day of the cruise. Roo was already so worn out, he fell asleep sitting up during an informational session in one of the showrooms.

It was adorable. You know how people will post pictures of their kids falling asleep in random places, like in their high chair or passed out on the floor or something like that? That has never been my kids. EVER. I couldn't believe that he would fall asleep sitting up, with people walking around and talking and laughing... but he did. One minute he was chasing the big kids through the aisles, the next he just climbed up next to Mr. Fantastic and ZONKED. I love this kid!

Another advantage of the multiple "at sea" days: time for homework.

Yes, this picture is of Monkey, but I have to tell you... it was Lamb who really had to devote time to her studies. Third grade is no joke, friends. She had work to do. Sister cranked out close to an hour of homework every day, not to mention that she spent tons of time getting stuff done before we even left so she would have less to do on vacation!

So our first stop was Port Canaveral, Florida. And here's an interesting story... if you are a Facebook fan, you likely saw my post about Roo needing a fingernail removed. Yep, a fingernail. My digits are tingling just thinking about it. Anyway, he had developed an infection in his finger a few weeks before our trip, and it just wouldn't go away. I kept putting Neosporin on it, and it wasn't terrible looking (I even had a pharmacist look at it, and he said it wasn't bad enough to warrant a doctor visit.), so we decided to just wait it out a little longer. Unfortunately, on the ship it got much worse. Mr. Fantastic finally took him to the infirmary on the ship, and the doctor said we needed to take him to the ER at our next port (Florida) to have the nail removed. Fun times. (Spoiler alert: Mr. Fantastic took him, the doctor there decided it didn't need to be removed. He prescribed a stronger ointment--to be given 3 times a day--and an antibiotic--to be given FOUR times a day. On vacation. Right. Oh, and he recommended that we soak it for THIRTY MINUTES AT A TIME three times a day. Did this guy even LOOK at that child?!?)

Anyway, while Mr. Fantastic and Roo were off on their own little adventure, I took the kids to the beach. Ah, the beach in Florida. Doesn't that sound lovely? OK, honestly, it was lovely. But it was not especially warm. I think the high that day was 60. So we didn't do any swimming, but we had lots of fun just playing on the beach.

 

Lamb decided to do a little photo project...

 

That's my girl! She was so proud of herself!

The next day we were in the Bahamas

Again, lovely to be out of the great Midwest, but not the weather one might expect in the Bahamas. Another day at the beach, another high in the low 60s. But this time, we were in the water. Yep, we froooooooooooze!

But it was so worth it. Because we weren't alone in the water--we were with dolphins!

(Yep, just 4 of us. Lucky for us, Gram--my mother-in-law--works for my hubby and was on the cruise with us. She volunteered to take Roo for the day so that we could enjoy the dolphin encounter with the big kids!)

Oh, Little Miss Lamb is very into dolphins right now, and I thought she was going to absolutely BURST with excitement. We had tons of fun doing this encounter!

And then... we just wanted to get warm.

There's nothing quite like a good cup of hot chocolate when you're on vacation... on the beach... in the Bahamas...

Next up: our third and final stop, also in the Bahamas. In a cruel twist of fate, this was the warmest day of our trip... and we weren't at the beach. At this stop, our whole crew (11 of us) did an excursion together, and we visited a botanical garden. It was a little bit of a bummer to be away from the ocean on the nicest day, but the place we visited was beautiful.

They have a labyrinth there, which was not at all what I expected. It was actually just a big slab of... something... with a path printed on it. The idea is that you walk the path slowly while meditating/praying/thinking/humming, and as you journey to the center you also find your "center."

Our family took a different approach: Run as fast as you can, making sure to be loud enough that everyone on the island knows exactly what you're doing.

After the botanical garden, we had a chance to do a little shopping on the island, and there was a courtyard with live music. I took Lamb and Roo out to teach them the electric slide...

Then Roo decided (as always) to dance to his own beat...

But the real magic happened back on the ship that afternoon. We went up by the pool (which was actually covered with a retractable dome roof! Is that cool or what?!?) after Roo's nap. I set him down, thinking he would run to Daddy. Instead he did this...

I love this video. Seriously love it. Do you know that at this time last year, that kid couldn't walk? Check him out, people. This boy is amazing.

So that pretty much sums it up, but let me give you a few other random shots that I enjoy...

Wake up, Monkey!

 

"Seriously, Mom? Do you see this girl behind me? THIS is why I refuse to grow hair. Bed head. I don't have time to deal with that. I have places to go and people to see."

And don't forget the super-cool towel animals that you find in your room each night...

 

There should be 6. I have no idea why I only have pictures of 3. But still. VERY cool. It's such a little thing, but one of my favorite parts of cruising. :-)

It was a great week--I'm so glad we had the family time.

Come back tomorrow for more pictures, but not of vacation this time..................

Weekend Review... in time for the next weekend...

I have been waiting and waiting to tell you about last weekend. Now it's Friday again, time for another weekend. But I still want to tell--and show--you what we did last weekend! So here I am. Better late than never, so I've heard.

My kids had the day off of school on Friday--YAY! Instead of just hanging out at home or spending the day focused on our own fun and happiness, we decided to make our day about others. This will be the subject of a whole other post, because it.was.AWESOME. Seriously fabulous. We had a GREAT day giving to others. And then at the end of the day, we DID do a little family celebration... by taking the kids to Boo at the Zoo.

This is a terrific family event, and we have gone every year since Lamb was just 1. (Well, last year we got TO the parking lot, and then Roo puked all over Daddy, so I don't know if that really counts as GOING. But other than that.) Everything is decorated for Halloween, nothing is scary, and there are 12 trick-or-treat stations, featuring full-size candy bars and Little Debbie snacks. The kids have a blast--and so do we.

This year... oh my heart... my three munchkins decided to wear coordinating costumes...

ASSEMBLE THE MINIONS!

Are they not the cutest minions you have ever seen?

And talk about the perfect costume...

I wish he would have left those goggles on, because they were PER.FEC.TION.

Unfortunately, around 1 AM (back at home, while everyone was in bed--not still at Boo at the Zoo!) I started hearing an all-too-familiar sound... the barking cough. Poor Roo gets croup so darn easily! I was up with him off and on until 5, and then I just sat up with him, trying every trick in the book. No luck. Finally around 6 I decided to take him to Children's. Since this has become a semi-regular occurrence for us, we decided not to bother any grandparents or babysitters, and Mr. Fantastic just stayed at home with the big kids while I took Roo to the ER. I have to say, I have been SO THANKFUL for our Children's Hospital in the 3 years since we have had Roo. I think we have taken him in there 5 or 6 times since he was born, and we have NEVER had to sit in a waiting room. We always go directly to triage and then straight into an exam room. They are really great.

Of course, although I had waited for hours to take him in... he improved GREATLY during the 20-minute drive to the hospital. His breathing was still labored when we saw the triage nurse, but by the time we got to the exam room he was almost back to normal. He did still have the barky cough, though. This was a mixed blessing, because I felt like an idiot, but it meant that we didn't need the breathing treatment--which is never a fun experience with Roo. They did give him an oral steroid, though, to reduce the inflammation, and that worked wonders. Within 20 minutes he was totally fine, no cough--and it never came back. They discharged us, and we were home less than two hours after we had left!

And then we could get down to the real Saturday business: a whole lotta nothing. We played board games, we did crafts, we read...  we just hung out together as a family. It was glorious. It was the second weekend in a row that we had time for that. It needs to become more of a habit. We really enjoy just being together, the 5 of us. It's lovely.

And just to completely bookend our day... right before bedtime... this same child who had needed a trip to the ER that morning... SLAMMED his head into my nose while we were playing on the ground. About a year ago, he broke my nose during a fit, and I am pretty sure he did it again. OH.MY.WORD. that is some pain. Mr. Fantastic was in the basement watching the Buckeyes game, and poor Lamb called him up because she knew I was hurting.

But I have to say, it completely warmed my heart to watch my big kids take care of me. Mr. Fantastic had to leave a few minutes after it happened, and Lamb and Monkey did everything they could to make life easier. They got their own dinner, they made up a bed for me on the couch, they got MY dinner, they rubbed my feet! Who are these children? I ADORE them!

And Sunday was more family time... church, lunch, a few errands/chores, and a family birthday party. A bit busier than Saturday, but still lots of fun.

Weekends like this make me want to be one of those parents who doesn't let their kids be involved in ANYTHING. It is just so nice to be together, to not have a bunch of places to run. Which reminds me of this post I saw today on Becoming Minimalist. This really struck me! You know that I have been doing some soul-searching lately, and as part of that I have been working toward simplification. But I think I often forget that simplification doesn't just mean "less stuff." There are other things we can simplify--like our calendars. Amen.

So how was your weekend? Or maybe a better question at this point: What plans do you have for THIS weekend? Do you do Halloween? What are your kiddos going to be?

Daytripping, a comparison

What it looks like when a dad goes on a day trip...
The night before: Go to bed
The morning of: Get up, get dressed, and leave

What it looks like when a mom goes on a day trip...
The night before:

• Set out clothes for everyone for the next day, so there are no "Daddy outfit" incidents
• Put everyone to bed
• Straighten house
• Fold one last load of laundry
• Pack lunches
• Write note to hubby, explaining what time to wake up each child, what time the buses come in the morning (yep, there's 2 of them!), what time buses come in the afternoon, what to do for dinner, and what time to put the kids to bed
• Finish preparations for the next day that she couldn't do while running kids all over God's creation after school
• Go to bed way too late

The morning of:

• Get up way too early
• Get showered and dressed
• Paint toenails, primp, etc.
• Pack an extra pair of shoes, since the cute ones aren't comfortable and the comfortable ones aren't cute
• Pack makeup in case she needs to freshen up
• Pack toothbrush and toothpaste because she KNOWS she'll need that
• Put dinner in the crock-pot
• Set out everything the kids need to pack in their bookbags
• Wake hubby up--remind him to check the note for details, warn him that one child went to bed absolutely heartbroken because he forgot to bring his homework home and may potentially have to "flip his card" and/or miss a whopping 2 minutes of recess so that he can complete said homework (Or maybe not. He's a worrier.)
• Put reminder on phone to call youngest child's school to make sure it's OK for a family friend to get him off the bus (oops)
• Leave, wondering what is actually going to get done and PRAYING that the evening/bedtime goes smoothly so that I--I mean, SHE--will be able to leave the house alone again someday

True story.

First Day

At our house, we like to play a little game called "High-Low." It's a pretty simple game--we simply go around the table (or around the room, if it's not dinner time) and tell our high and low for the day. I'm sure many of you do the same thing, or something similar. It's a good way to get people talking about what's going on in life.

So today, on the first day of school, I am going to tell you all about my highs and lows...

High: Everyone got up and ready with no complaining! We had a delicious breakfast (waffles, at the kids' request, and scones that my mom made), got the bookbags loaded up, and had plenty of time for pictures. Nana & Papa (my parents) and Gram (my mother-in-law) came to see the kiddos off, too.

 

Low: My babies got swallowed up by a big yellow monster. Two of them, actually.

 

High: Everyone got through the morning tear-free, including Mommy (mostly).

 

Low: When I got back in the house and tried to upload the many, many pictures I had taken, I found out that my memory card was dislodged. I didn't get ONE.SINGLE.PICTURE. :-(

 

High: At least the grandparents had some photos. I have the photos from Gram already (which is why I have some of the morning shots) and am looking forward to getting the shots from my parents as well.

 

High: I got to spend some quality time with two wonderful friends. :-)

High: More work is getting done on my basement! Yay! The painting should be done tomorrow, furniture will be arriving soon, and carpet will be ordered on Thursday.

 

Low: First day of school = first call from the school nurse. She is a lovely person. Last year we talked a LOT because of Monkey's headaches. Today, though, his head was fine--this time she called because he had fallen off the monkey bars and landed on his shoulder. She was calling to tell me to keep an eye on his collarbone, because his range of motion was definitely affected. Fortunately, I could hear him in the background, and he didn't sound upset.

 

High: Everyone came home happy! :-)

High: After-school snack...

Funny: A direct quote from Roo's teacher (in a note she sent home): "He certainly is curious!"

 

High: I shamelessly made the kids redo the morning's photo shoot, which is why we have so many good photos here. :-)

 

Low: Monkey's arm was still hurting when he got home. He could lift it to the side, but not in front of himself. Oddly enough, though, it didn't seem to be bothering him when he was playing--not even when he reenacted the event that led to his injury. ;-)

High: By the time bedtime prayers came around, Monkey and I had a talk about the cost of medical care and dramatizing an injury just so one can get an x-ray. And then he realized that, whaddayaknow, his arm didn't hurt anymore.

 

 Low: As the kids were heading up to bed, Lamb tripped on a dog toy and went down crying. This led to some major overly-tired-and-already-dramatic 8-year-old drama. She started off with, "Life is just so hard when you're in school!" and moved to "Sometimes I just feel like parents don't understand" and then she sobbed, "Today just wasn't very exciting!!!!!" Oh for the love. I think it's time for bed.

High: Everyone is sound asleep, and I am thankful for my kids, their schools & teachers, and the opportunities they have before them. Lunches are packed, kitchen is clean, and now I can relax. And tomorrow I get to hang out with my Roo! :-)

 

 

Thanks for joining us on our first day of school. See you soon!