Thoughts on Vacation, Part 1

I've thought of many ways how to approach my blog posts regarding vacation. I could give you a run down of how each day was, what we did, how excited the kids were, how much fun we had, etc. I could write a book about the whole process of finding a place to stay, packing, loading, traveling, arriving, settling, sleeping, playing, and eating. That's all well and good and some of you may enjoy it, though I think most would skim the writing and look the pictures (which aren't that all spectacular because my SLR broke the first time I tried to use it, but I'll talk about that later).

I think that I'm going to share it a different way this time around.

I think I'm going to approach this vacation storytelling from a perspective of a Mommy. And not only a Mommy, but from a Mommy who sometimes thinks she's still a kid but realizes that she isn't and that she really is a Mommy.

As I packed MY bag to get ready for vacation, I brought with me 4 books: a pre-school science book my dear friend lent to me (after I bemoaned about trying to find things to do with the kids at home), Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, some random Debbie Macomber book and Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss. It was a strange collection for me to bring yet I was really under the impression that I would read through 2, maybe 3 of these books while on vacation. I envisioned sleeping in, lounging on the beach with my hubs and kids, taking a dip on the pool, reading, and overall relaxing. Though I had a touch of all these things, it was not at all what I expected.

Even though we brought a small amount of toys, we still had sharing issues, the boys still pooped and peed in their britches, we prepared meals, the TV was still on, the stuff we had to schlep down to the beach was monstrous, the kids clung to us in the pool, the laundry was endless, etc. I was disillusioned by all the R&R I thought I was going to be able to do. For the first day or two, I was wondering if this was really vacation.

When I woke up to Patrick's alarm the morning after our first night at the beach (at 5:30!!!), I was ornery. Very much so. But my husband has come to love the early mornings and he wanted to continue waking early, reading and exercising while on vacation. I didn't realize that. I guess this nixed my idea of sleeping in because shortly after the alarm sounded, Evan woke with poop every which way. And shortly after that, Ethan and Mallory awoke raring to go.

After Patrick read, jogged and showered, we got ready to go to the beach, which took an hour in and of itself with sunscreen, bathing suits, towels, toys and the like. Then the sand was everywhere. EVERYWHERE!!! There was lots of screaming and crying out on the beach, mainly from Evan, but all 3 kids had some sort of fear of the ocean. I was on the verge of imploding.

I felt down that first day. I realized that I wasn't going to have things the way I had envisioned. There was not a lot of joyous family playtime, towering sand castles, lounging on the sand, reading quietly or resting for long stretches of time. It was normal life, but just on the beach.

I honestly have to say that first day was not fun. I was internalizing the fact that I was no longer a kid but an adult with a lot of responsibility. Even on vacation, I still needed to be as selfless as my current role as wife and mom already required of me. I figured that while on vacation, I could have a break from being a servant and be served. I also figured my kids would understand that I needed a break and they weren't allowed to pester Mommy while on vacation because hey! I was on vacation too!

Why was I so disillusioned? Why did I set myself up for disappointment? Why was I so...so...SELFISH???

But, during the course of the week, my perspective and my life changed. I didn't plan on that. God chose to sanctify me in the midst of my my selfish sinfulness. After that first morning of having a cursing-under-my-breath-because-I-couldn't-sleep-in attitude AND after realizing I was going to be waking up early every morning with my kids in toe, I realized that this was a good thing.

Why?

Because I got to see this every morning:




And I got to share it with them:


"His brightness was like the light;
rays flashed from his hand;
and there he veiled his power."
Habakkuk 3:4

Whew!

I've been so distraught about my last post that it's just been hard for me to write another post on top of it and get past the fact that we gave away our dog.

Um...

My computer wouldn't boot.

Uhhh...

My mind went numb.

Er...

My brain decided to leave my head, take a vacation and never return.

Which one do you believe?

None? OK...

I have no excuse as to why I haven't posted. I've had the great aspirations of being a great blogger with great posts...and lots of them but then life got in the way. I have to decide what needs to be let go. I hate that it's my blog but that's what happens. Yeah, that's a sour excuse, too.

We've been on vacation, we've been recovering from vacation, I've been drowning in laundry, I've been running errands, I've been carting the kids to soccer and the library and the grocery store and to Wally World and then while we're at home, I'm trying to do something with my kids other than push the power button on the TV. Life is crazy.

Life is good.

At any rate, my biggest endeavor right now, other than being a wife and mom, is to re-vamp my kid's sleeping arrangements. My eldest 2 kids are about to stretch off of their toddler beds and it's time for an upgrade. My youngest 2 kids are going to start sharing a room, which I think will cause a great outcry from my middle child. Many changes to come. Many plans to make.

Anyway, I had a wonderful time on vacation. Once I get around to dumping my pictures onto my computer, I will share some of our adventures. I'll get around to that sometime...

Now it's time to take a deep breath and head back under water...

Over and out.

We gave our dog away today.



We have hemmed and hawed about finding her a new home now since before Evan was born, so I guess it's been about a year. It seemed as though one thing led to another that would cause us to delay the decision. We'd then get used to the other situations we came up with to further the delay, which would cyclically lead us to lots of "anothers" until we finally reached a breaking point.



When the breaking point happened, I asked Patrick what he wanted to do. I knew what his answer would be but I wanted him to come up with it. And he did. He said that he didn't want to give her away but he knew it would be the right thing for her and for us if we gave her an opportunity for a new life. Before he blinked, I placed an ad.

Well, I placed 4 ads.



And we got a phone call. "Oh, she looks adorable and I really would love to take her. Tomorrow."

Which is today.

We spent a lot of time reminiscing about Cayman last night, knowing that this morning we would be packing up her personal belongs and favorite treats to give to another owner who would then give them to her.



Since I "seemed" emotionally unphased by her parting, Patrick wanted to know if I had any good memories of her - you know, about her energy, her face, her personality. So, we strolled down memory lane thinking about all the good things we remembered about our dog. Here are some of those memories we both had of her...



"Remember when we first got her and she tore around the house like a mad-dog. She jumped all over the furniture and bed and couch and ran laps and laps until we were dizzy?"

"Remember when I hurt my knee when I chased her after she started jumping over the fence?"



"Remember how I ripped my shirt on the fence when I chased her after she started jumping over the fence?"

"Remember how I laughed so hard watching her walk around in a no-jump harness we got for her when she started jumping over the fence? And a few hours later I went into labor with Mallory?"



"Remember when she peed in your mom's purse?"

"Remember when she used to stare into the vents of our little rental house because she heard the mice scurrying around in the air conditioner ducts?"

"Remember how she used to jump up on top of the grill and sleep there?"

"Remember when she peed in the middle of our bed?"

"Remember when she chewed up the red pen in the middle of our dining room and stained the carpet red? That's when we decided to re-carpet the house."

"Remember the time her face swelled up like a balloon after she got bit by that spider?"



"Remember how she chewed up our door frame in the laundry room and basement because she didn't like it when we left her alone?"

"Remember how she humped our babies every time she sniffed their butts? And she sniffed their butts a lot."



"Remember how we had to DRAG her into her crate before we would leave the house? She'd be hiding under the depths of our king-sized bed and we'd have to sprawl out in an army-crawl position to reach her? And then she'd nip at our hands when we reached in to grab her collar to get her out?"

"Remember the time when she figured out how to jump our 6-foot privacy fence, wander around the neighborhood and look for someone to bother? And that time on Christmas Eve when our neighbors brought her over saying she was rooting around in their trash?"

"Remember the time she escaped at my parents house and was missing for 4 days? Remember how tired she was? Remember how much we missed her and were so relieved she was found? That's when we stopped bringing her to my parents house. Or anyone else's house for that matter."



Wait. Aren't we supposed to be talking about the good memories? I guess these are.



We both have said, though, that Cayman is a dog-lover's dog. People who love animals love Cayman. People who do not love animals do not love Cayman. She needs a pack. She needs a lot and a lot of love. She needs a champion.

I think we found her a good home. And I think the lady who is her new owner is a dog-lover. And I think Cayman will be very happy.



I don't think I'll be second-guess our decision, though there will be times I will miss her.

Just a teensy bit strange

I've been stalking Craigslist for a few days now as I am on the prowl for some bedroom furniture for the kids. I came across this item description and I found it interesting, to say the least.

"Massaging Husband with Cupholder *No Ring Necessary*"

This made me think really strange thoughts.

How could I not?

Eliminating a case of the Dailys

It seems as though, lately, our weekends get pretty jam full pretty quickly. It's like one day we have nothing to do on a Saturday and then *wham*, there is more that can be done in one day alone. Despite the craziness, we had a Saturday recently that had nothing on the docket and we racked our brains to figure out what to do. When you get so busy it's sometimes hard to figure out what to do with free time, ya know?

Hello?

You know what I mean?

*crickets*

...maybe I'm just the only one who has no idea what to do if it's not scheduled...

I'm crazy like that.

And in a lot of other ways...

So, what should we do with our family free time? Go to the mall? We'd only spend money and fill our eyes and heads with things that we really don't need, but think we do.

Watch TV? We'd only be sitting on our butts, stroking the back of laziness which will only produce discouragement at the end of the day because we didn't do anything.

Invite people over? Now, there's a possibility. A good one. But we haven't had some family time in a long time. We need to be together.

Yard work? Fun. NOT!

Housework? Laundry? Oh, Lord. Not on the weekend.

So, we thought up an adventure we used to do when we lived on the otherside of Johnson City: go to Sycamore Shoals. Hiking, Rivers, Forts...outdoors!


Now THERE's an idea.

We got off our tooshies and headed out the door to a fun-filled adventure before it got even hotter then Hades it already is. We were out the door by 9 and told the kids we were going on an adventure to explore a river. They really didn't know what in heavens name we were going to do, but I'm sure they were just thankful that they were going to see something other than the walls of the inside of our house.

Needless to say, the kids had a BLAST. Daddy and I had a blast watching the kids have a blast.


It's amazing how much fun you can have being together just as a family while...


watching the river


playing in the river



playing on the bars


pretending in the fort



pretending you're a soldier with a heavy load on your back, watching for the enemy and wishing for a musket to defend your beloved countrymen



and being with the family.

I must say, it was a refreshing day. We were home by lunch and then the kids took a nap...a LONG nap. There's nothin' like tuckerin' out the kids 'til they flop into bed.

I feel that sometimes we overlook the abundance of activities that nature can bring because we get so caught up with daily-ness. I forget that some of the "mundanity" (if that even is a word) of the dailys can be eliminated when we get out, have fun, develop our relationships, and see the beautiful creation that God intended for us to enjoy.

Go forth! Get outta the house! Have fun!

Then take a nap.

Evan is 9 months

My sweet baby boy is 9 months.

He's all over the place, crawling and cruising his way into mischief. He eats anything in sight and is seemingly hungry all the time. We're going to grow broke by the time our boys are teenagers. I can only imagine the food we'll be going through...

He's my buddy. He's a little booger. And I love 'im.

It's been a long time in coming, but I finally...

had a photoshoot recently!

I'm still in the process of editing this shoot and I'm looking forward to shooting this cute little girl's birthday party next Saturday.

If you want to have a photoshoot, let me know. We'll work somethin' out!

Something is just outta place

I'm often finding things in my home that are just so outta place. When I find these oddities of placement, I figure I am just losing my mind.


But I don't think it's just me putting things in the wrong place.

I'm certain of it.

My kids and husband seem to do it to just keep me THINKING I'm losing my mind.

Thanks, guys, but I really don't need your help.

845

Here's my youngest at 8 months.

He's a cutie, huh?

The thing is he'll be 9 months old tomorrow.

I just downloaded 4 weeks worth of pictures onto my computer. Do you know how many pictures that was?

845.

What is a gal to do with 845 pictures? I have lots to sift through, that's for sure. And I've got about 10 blog posts with all these pictures. I wonder if I'll ever get around to it.

I will.

Next year, maybe.

Proof of Life

Little boys. Dirty hands. Candy. Watching Tractors in the parade.

Life is good.

Gettin' Ready

We've been plumb busy.

Side note: I like using the word plumb. It's very southern. I'm living in the south therefore I can use plumb. If a northerner uses plumb, it's just weird.

Lately, we've been busy going out of town and getting ready to go out of town. Both activities pretty much require the same amount of time when you have a family of 5, of which 3 members need me dependently, and a dog that is very high maintenance. And when the dog's normal boarding facilities are full, it requires a little more leg work on my end. By the way, if my legs COULD get a work out from all the "leg work" I do, I could be a weight lifter in the Olympics.

This week, we're prepping for Ethan's surgery on Thursday. Today I've got to go to the grocery store to shop for food for the next week or so but before I go to the grocery, I have to make my lists. But, before I make my list I've gotta figure out what we're gonna eat for the next few weeks. Then it's perusing the coupons for the money savers. I like going to the grocery, but it takes me a long time to prepare. It's worth it to save at least 35% off my grocery bill, though...

I've got pictures and pictures that I haven't even loaded on the computer: pictures from blackberry picking, 4th of July, our trip to Gommy and Poppy's, my first "food photography" endeavor, canning...one of these day's I'll get around to it (that's my life's mantra, ya know?).

I just wanted to check in. I'm here. And I'm alive.

Just plumb busy.

Vacation - Part 3

"It was shortly after the kids went to bed when Patrick noticed the rash."

We left off from my last post talking about the quasi-successful day at Dollywood with the kids. It was hot, though not terribly hot. I'd say it was around 85 degrees. Ok, that's hot when you're toting around a 20+ lb baby.

Anyway, Patrick started noticing a rash developing on this legs when we got back to the hotel on Wednesday afternoon. It was more noticeable on Thursday morning, but still not too bad. He had gotten these rashes before when we had vacationed in the Caribbean back in '03 and '08. We had not yet determined the cause of the rash, though heat and humidity were both suspects. But, the '03 and '08 rashes were not fun - not fun at all: a red, itchy rash covering him from head to toe. So when we saw the beginning stages on Wednesday, I was concerned about Patrick and new what we would most likely be dealing with. He was concerned, but excited about trying Dollywood again. So, we pressed forward with our plan and left for D-ville.


We arrived at an earlier time and avoided the train like the plague. We took them right to the water area of Dollywood and let them get soaked. They ran around like banchies on Halloween, happy to be free of the heat and soothed by the cool waters. Mallory and Patrick went on the log flume ride while Ethan had a ball in the play area adjacent to the flumes. There were a few other children there, but he tromped around like he owned the joint.


And Evan just zonked.

I must say, a woman must have designed this little play area because it was adorned with huge fans blowing shaded air into the heat of the play area. It was refreshing and it helped ease the sweat drips that were trickling down my back.

We later took the kids to the kiddy rides and they had a blast. There were no lines and there were a few rides they could go on by themselves. We also took several turns on the carousel. All the while, I kept glancing at Patrick's arms and legs, noticing the redness spreading. He said he didn't feel it and was having a great time. Hmm. I didn't believe him.



I have to say that Dollywood had a very nice nursing room for moms like me who were a walking grocery store. Though I know a lot of moms who don't mind whipping out the milk section in public, I'm just not that kinda girl so I was very thankful for the privacy. The room was very small but had A/C and a comfy chair. I just tried not to think about how many sweaty bums and backs that have graced that chair...

After a great day at Dollywood, the kids were hot and tired and very excited to ride their most favorite ride of the day: the tram! Who woulda thought that the tram would be the best ride? At least they weren't fighting to leave. They like Dollywood, but the REALLY liked the hotel. But before we went back to Hotel Heaven, we stopped at the nearest pharmacy for some calamine lotion for that mystery rash that was now very, very evident on Patrick's body. When we got back to the hotel, there were naps all around then pool time. We decided not to take the kids out to dinner because we didn't want to spend a ton of money on food that the kids wouldn't eat. We decided to just pick up whatever they wanted and eat at the hotel. Mallory asked for a biscuit and Ethan asked for sausage so Bojangles it was. And they were happy. Like banchies on Halloween.



My husband still hadn't applied the calamine lotion and Patrick was redder than a ripe cherry. It was not a pretty site. I scratched my leg subconsciously.

After the kids went to bed and Patrick took a shower, we covered him in pink calamine lotion. He was itching to high heaven, though the calamine helped relieve some of his discomfort. Thankfully, he slept very well that night while I tossed and turned, dreaming about mosquitoes attacking my body and sweaty nursing chairs.

The next morning, we considered going back to Dollywood before heading home, but I insisted Patrick try to get an appointment with a doctor back home. It was a holiday weekend and I knew that he wouldn't be able to see someone until the following Tuesday. He said that he felt OK, but he was going to take a shower to see what his rash really looked like under the pink calamine hue. After the shower, he felt miserable.

He called the dermatologist, who was not able to see him. So then he called his usual doctor, who was able to fit him in at 2pm. We packed up the hotel room, snapped a few pictures of this beloved little space and headed home. I drove while Patrick itched. And itched. And itched some more. I scratched my chin subconsciously.


The doctor told Patrick that he had some kind of reaction to the sun and the rash would linger for a week. She gave him a shot in the bum of some steroids, which helped alleviate his misery to just being uncomfortable. In our talking, pondering, questioning and wondering about this rash, we think it's a combination of cheap hotel soap and the sun. He takes the same care of his skin at home like he does on vacation and it's not like we live in a cool climate (though cooler than some) so it can't be JUST heat. The biggest difference between home life and vacation life is the soap. That's my theory, at least.

Anyway, we had a great time despite the rash. We're planning another trip in August/September and I know that I have to take great care in choosing the location since our kids LOVED the hotel. There is no sense in spending tons of money on the other thrills of vacationland since our kids would just be content in a hotel room.

Vacation #1 down and a whole lifetime of more to come!!!

I'll just remember to bring our own soap.

Kids!

I had to tell my #1 son to get his head out of the toilet today. I had to discipline my girl and my #1 son because they pulled the curtain rod off the wall while they were playing too rough with my curtains...and they hardly ever touch them! Why now?

The kids sure has been pushing limits with me and I'm plumb exhausted. Ethan is testing the waters of how serious I am about discipline and he's learning the hard way. Mallory is obeying for the most part, though I'm concerned about her intentions, whether it is obedience to one-up Ethan or obedience because she wants to please me and glorify God. She's showing me signs of really getting the connection to sin, acting on sin, and the consequence of sin, but I think she also likes to make sure I know (and Ethan knows) that she's doing things right. Maybe it's my sin that makes me think she has some underlying intention? Or maybe it's because I'm a woman. It's a mix of both, I'm sure.

This parenting business is hard work, lemme tell ya.

So is being a girl.

But this sure is pretty, huh?

Growing

We have a garden this year. Well, I guess you mighta sorta figured that out in my prior post, but I never really talked about it before. Here it is:


OK, that was a while ago.

We had a great time building this little thing. It was a family affair.






I did some of the digging and grass removal. Then I pooped out so I took pictures. Someone had to.

Patrick has been working very hard in the garden this year. We had quite a few yummy salads from the robust romaine we planted, which quickly were overtaken by the butternut squash. Our garden is small, comprised of tomato, green pepper, jalapeno peppers, and butternut squash, but it will give us a nice harvest which will allow me to produce a few jars of salsa, tomato sauce, and some delish butternut squash stirfrys. I talk sassy to my tomatoes in hopes they grow up to be nice and plump and juicy.



I give our peppers a lot of love, too. They need some spice in their lives. And they'll, in turn, give me some spice in my life.


We also are greatly anticipating our first crop of blueberries that I gave Patrick last year as a father's day gift. Hello, you beautiful berries, you. I'm dreaming about making some blueberry pancakes outta you...hmmmm...

I love you.

We bought some blackberry bushes at last year's Evergreen midnight madness sale and they are ripening very nicely. I go out and sweet talk my berries as I know they will sweet talk me with a glop of whip cream on the side. I dream of how I am to use them in scrumptious crumbles and cakey cobblers. And next year? Oh, I have high hopes for next year!



It's amazing seeing where our garden started to seeing the fruit of our labor. Well, of Patrick's labor. Patrick has put a lot of sweat in this garden. Since it's hotter than a fat woman runnin' in corduroys, he's been watering it a bunch. And the kids have been helping.

So, come on, boys and girls. Let's get growin' so I can make somethin' soon!

Happy Birthday, America!

I've explained to the kids that we're celebrating America's birthday this weekend. To celebrate, we were going to go to a parade and wear red, blue and white with all of the other people at the parade. And we were going to have lots of special treats. And some cake later.

No, America is not going to blow out the candles.

We'll still have fun.

Trust me.

Well, hello there beautiful!

So, when did you get red?



Let me pick you off, slice you up and cover you with dressing.

Mmmmmm.

Hmmm...

Do you notice anything a bit unusual in this picture?

At least I didn't do this. It would make sense that I would do this, but I didn't. This just proves that our lives are plain crazy.

Aw, heck. WE are just plain crazy.