it's a zoo

We had several appointments at the children's hospital for our foster daughter, back to back and over an hour drive one way. So we made it a fun trip and rented a hotel room (actually two), went out to eat and swam in the pool. The next day we went to the zoo and wore everyone out!

I am going

to the ETAMM. I can't wait, you have no idea.

Epcot

Garden Show Characters

CHINA

spaceman

Magic Kingdom

When I arrived in Orlando on Monday afternoon, it was pouring rain. I was disappointed and hoped it would stop before we hit the parks. On Tuesday, we started the day somewhat early and it was overcast but not raining. It turned out to be a beautiful day! We went on all the rides we planned for, skipping the little kid stuff. I loved Space Mountain the most. We went to dinner at Portobello in Downtown Disney and returned to the park for the fireworks (I actually got teary eyed!) and another ride on Space Mountain (over an hour wait, the wait time was deceiving). I wished there was more hours in the day, but was glad to get into that lumpy hide a bed by the time we got to the condo!

Happiness

is:

• checking in to my flight for a four and a half day vacation
• good behavior in church today by ALL children
• chocolate-peanut butter ice cream
• Oh Brother Where Are Thou? soundtrack

Migraines and such

My C. has been having migraines this week. Every day for nearly seven days. Yesterday and today she has been feeling a bit better, so that is hopeful. It concerns me because it came out of no where. She has never had issues with headaches before now. She goes to the doctor on Monday to discuss this and her ADD medication. She needs to have gained weight since her last check up three months ago.

L is on his way with dad to Grandma's house. They will be leaving tomorrow morning for Florida. I am not far behind them! He is so excited.

We are preparing the back yard for the playground to be set up. We figured out we will need to move our fire pit which will be a bit of work, but it's the only place in the yard where the big set will fit. We also pulled out our ugly rotten deck. It was such a hazard and I couldn't wait to pull it down. Now J. will be working on rebuilding some stairs down from the house. When we have some more money we can build a nice replacement deck or patio. The playground has been ordered and we are thinking it will be put in early May. We will have some volunteers (anyone?) to come out to help set it up and do some celebrating too!

E. and S. had a school conference the other day. Teacher G had a lot of good things to say but also noted some of the areas that concern us too. E. will be trying Kindergarten in the fall. He will enter with an IEP and he may have to go two years in a row if we feel it's best. S. is doing pretty well, with learning classroom rules and routines. He bit a little boy a few weeks ago and we discussed that. He were also told he has a willful side and gives the teachers the stink eye often!

Count down!

I am going away for a few days soon. I can't wait. For a birthday gift, my oldest is going with Grandma, Aunt A and I to Orlando on vacation. My mom likes to travel and loves company. She started taking grandkids on Disney trips when L. was 5. Since the youngest boys are still a bit too young to travel, L. is next in line. And Disney World seemed like a fun place to go, somewhere new! Aunt A and I are tagging along, just cause we don't want to miss out.

L. and Grandma will be gone a full week, and I will only be away for five days. I think it will be a perfect little getaway.

Every day L. is announcing to the family how many days left until his trip. He is so excited to go see the Harry Potter stuff at Universal.

We are also going to Discovery Cove. So exciting.

Great Wolf Lodge, Grand Mound

We were treated to a two night vacation to Great Wolf Lodge for a Christmas gift. The kids have been looking forward to it since Christmas morning.

We started off the day by leaving early on Saturday, dropping the dog at the kennel, the other one with Grandma and Grandpa, and driving for three hours to get there. We stood in the lobby line for quite a while, Saturday was a busy time yet it appeared there was only one person working! Thankfully another employee was passing out bracelets so the kids and I could change and go to the water park while J. finished checking in. Aunt N. was able to come an join us for the day, and she was able to go on the fun slides with the older kids while someone stayed with the little boys.

The waterpark was lots of fun. There was something for everyone, big slides, medium slides, hot tub, wave pool, water basketball, and little kid area with small slides. S. didn't really enjoy getting splashed and there was not a quiet area for him to just sit in the water. The little kid area had all sorts of water squirting, splashing, dumping and spraying. I wish they would have a pool just for kids who don't like to get really wet! E. had a great time and by the end of the weekend was putting his face underwater every chance he got!

We went to our room after a few hours, had a snack, got bathed and changed.

We went out to eat at Country Cousins to celebrate S.'s birthday and met with family there. S. opened some gifts, ate some mini corn dogs, got some ice cream and tried to blow out the candle. He really loved having all that attention.

After the kids went to bed J. and I left the teens in charge while we snuck out to the bar and had a snack and a drink to unwind. It was a busy day and was nice to just talk.

The next day we ate breakfast at the Loose Moose in the resort. It was Sunday morning and CRAZY busy. The service was ok, and the food was fresh. The kids filled up on sweets and junk, but we encouraged a few healthy choices too. I had some eggs, bacon, potatoes and waffles with strawberries. It was pretty good.

We spent most of the day in the water park. K was able to go on all the slides (expect the Tornado) with an adult. L and C had quite a time going on all the slides, riding the waves and enjoying every bit of the park. They even supervised the little boys so J and I could ride down the slides with K a few times.

We took a break at the arcade, and in our room for lunch (there was a fridge and microwave in the room so we packed our meals). We got the boys to take a nap, so we laid low for a few hours in the afternoon.

We went back to the waterpark until 8 pm. It was so much quieter by the afternoon and we were able to enjoy the slides with no lines. I went on all the big slides with the kids, a few were pretty scary. At night the lighted slides are lots of fun. The Howlin' Tornado was completely dark and had a huge drop. Next time J. tells me "it's pretty tame" I am not going to believe him!

J. took the little boys to story time while we finished up with some time in the hot tub. We went back to the room for some pj time, popcorn, tv and treats. The kids ran around with their wand at the interactive stations around the hotel for a bit too.

Monday morning we got up earlier and had breakfast again. This time there was nobody there! It was quite a change. The downfall was the food had been sitting out for quite a while and it was not as good. We went up to our room, packed up everything, brought it out to the car, checked out and then hit the water park again for a few more hours. It was snowing and we wanted to get home before dark, so we had to leave earlier than planned.

We all had a really good time and think it was one of the best family trips we've been on. I think we will go again, in a few years.

Our romantic getaway

We stayed in a quaint bed and breakfast on the way to pick up the kids.  The best part, it was half off due to a booking error!  It was nice and we had fun around the small tourist town nearby.  We enjoyed a yummy mexican dinner that evening and mini golf the next day.  

Scene of the b&b

Mini golfing

Reunited

We had a relaxing few days and had a great time experiencing life without kids again (it's been 12 years!). Now we are all together. It's amazing how quickly the stress from the fighting, whining, tantrums, constant needs, etc. can all come back. I love being a mom, but sometimes it is just a lot! We (moms) really need to take care of ourselves. The support from loved ones is so important too. Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for providing the opportunity to let us get away!

E. did fine and seemed really excited to see us again. He also learned some new words in the last 3 days! S. didn't want to give me a hug at first, he was too excited to see Dadden (his word for Daddy). Soon he was excited to see both of us. The other 3 always do great and they had a fun time.

No kids

J. and I have been home alone.  No kids, quiet house, lots of time to ourselves.  We met Grandma and Grandpa about halfway between our homes (they live about 6 hours away) and left the kids with them.  ALL of them.  We had planned on going on an anniversary getaway this week, but thought it would be better financially to stay close to home.  So instead of my mother in law coming to stay at our home, which would have been ideal for the little boys, we sent them to their house.  I think things are going well, besides some minor sleep issues.   I am a bit worried about little things, but am sure they will be fine.  We've been having a great time together and it has been a lovely break!  We'll be together as a family again on Thursday.  We celebrate our 14 year wedding anniversary tomorrow.  Time has flown by.

Caps for Sale

One of my favorite children's book from my childhood was a book called Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina. The peddler would walk up and down the streets selling caps that were balanced on top of his head.

While we didn't see the peddler on our trip, there was a hat shop in Oregon that sold all sorts of hats.  Our favorites were the funny/silly ones. What a fun, no expense way to create memories! Or maybe pick up a new parasite?

Pictures of our trip

S. and Papa

Handsome E.

Shipwreck

K. all cold and wet

Love Birds

Our camp

The carousel

Tilt-a-Whirl

Science on the beach

At the arcade

The ride home

Pioneer Farm

K. in her bonnet:
E. looking cute:

K. cutting biscuits:
Grinding flour:
E.'s first horseback ride:

L. showing off his smitty skillz... they actually let the kids heat a horseshoe and shape it with tools all by themselves as long as an adult was with them.  I was scared!  Do you know how hot coal can burn?
L. in the barn:
C. by the pond:
E. getting ready to jump into a pile of hay:
Milking a real cow: