I am finally back from my 3 week long vacation in Spokane and I totally need a vacation! The short version
- 3 weeks away from home
- 4 kids- ages 12, 10, 3, and 1 month
- Just me, Bobby did not come
- 3400 miles driven total
- Four 12 hour days of driving
Every year I try to send Austin & Christopher to see my parents, either by flying them up to Washington alone, or by flying or driving with them. Last year we flew them up first, then Bobby, Matthew and I drove up together and then the five of us drove back together. The trip from Colorado to Washington is about 1200 miles each way.
This year Bobby did not have enough vacation time and it was even more important for me to go because my dad is having some health issues and because I wanted my family to meet Sophia. I knew it would not be easy to drive that far with a 4 week old and a 3 year old, but they were actually very good. My van has a DVD player in the back and all the jacks necessary to hook up a game system, so the three boys brought their Gamecube and kept themselves entertained while the baby slept through most of the drive. We made a point to stop once or twice a day at parks along the way to get the kids out of the car. In Billings the hotel we stayed at had a pool with a water slide and the five of us unwound in the pool, which was heavenly after the long drive.
My dad looked amazing, we don’t know what is causing his health problems, but he has to be on oxygen and we are all pretty bummed about that because my dad leads such an active lifestyle and the oxygen pretty much keeps him tied down. My dad is a non-smoker, and the doctors had no answers to why he is having breathing problems, despite spending a week in the ICU.
While we were there we visited with Bobby’s nieces and nephew who we met last year for the first time. To make a long story short, Bobby and his brother had a falling out. We have always liked ex-SIL, but lost contact with her when we moved away. I met her back in 1997 when she introduced us to her oldest daughter, R., despite her husband’s (Bobby’s brother) wishes. I found BIL on myspace, contacted his girlfriend who gave me his ex-wife’s number, and we have been in frequent contact since.
Here is a picture of her youngest daughter with my youngest daughter. Click to see a larger image.
And here is a picture of her three and my four.
From Left to right is Austin -12, B. - 9, and Matthew - 3
Christopher - 10, A. - 6, R. - 11, and Sophie - 5 weeks.
In addition to spending time with my parents and his family, we also got to go to Faragut National Park in Idaho for a family reunion. My mom and her sisters and their families get together once a year for a long weekend campout. Since my dad could not stay the night and I did not want to camp with a baby, we drove back and forth each day (1 hour drive each way). My sister kept Austin and Christopher with her so they were able to stay the night. Matthew loved playing in the dirt as you can see.
It was so nice to spend the weekend with my sisters, Aunts and uncles, cousins, and all their kids. My oldest sister made me the nicest gifts ever, she is so talented. She scrapbooked a little brag book, and hand painted Sophia’s name on wooden letters, she also got her the most darling little outfit. All three were in Sophie’s colors, pink and brown, which I did not know were also my sister’s colors. I need to take and share some pictures, the scrapbook has got to be about the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen, I wish I had an ounce of her talent.
We also spent a lot of time up at their cabin in Priest Lake Idaho. The older boys stayed a little over a week up there with my parents, where the little ones and I drove back and forth a couple times (2 hour drive) since the cabin is unsafe with exposed electrical and a loft without rails. They are building it themselves, so they are waiting for inspections and such, and with my dad’s health issues, they did not expect the process to take so long. Since they are only a couple miles from the lake, we spent almost all our time at the lake. Click on the pictures below to see larger images.
Time flew by so fast, I only got to spend a couple hours with my best friend of 28 years, and my best friend of 14 years.
My mom started the potty for penny campaign with Matthew, and now he is almost potty trained, I am so proud! He is now peeing in the potty with maybe one or two accidents a day, and rarely needs reminding. Even more shocking is that he is pooping in the potty, something we could not get him to do when we almost had him trained a few months ago!
Leaving was bittersweet, I was so homesick and missed Bobby so much, but I did not want to leave either. I had such a wonderful time with my parents, and the boys were ready to leave me forever and live with their grandparents forever. My 11 year anniversary is tomorrow, and school starts in 2 weeks, so it was necessary to return. On the drive home, I did get some amazing pictures of Sophie, you can’t tell in the pictures, but her eyes almost looked violet in the light.
She was so good in the car, she only cried when she wanted to nurse. The rest of the time she either slept or just looked around contently, or smiling at her brothers.
…or as my kids know it… “Mandatory Slavery Day”.
So today DH painted the wall around our fireplace and finished painting the kitchen so now 100% of my two main floors are finished.
Austin and Christopher scrubbed doors, counters, and trim.
I vacuumed, shampooed carpets, shampooed my dining room chairs and living-room furniture, fixed a hole in the back of a sofa cushion and puttied a hole in my window from where Isis ripped down the blinds.
When DH was done painting he made a super yummy dinner for Austin’s birthday of BBQ steak, pasta salad, corn on the cob and mashed potatoes. I also made him the cake he picked out. OH YUM!
We got SO much done, I am exhausted and we are going to go lay in bed and watch movies, if we can stay awake.
Happy Mother’s day to all the mothers!
1. I learned that I have WAY too many songs with hidden tracks, silence or just crazy long on my iTunes, easily remedied by clicking Get Info>Options>Skip when Shuffling, OR in a large batch edit Get Info>Skip When Shuffling>Yes. I know, my anal retentiveness qualities are showing, but I hate having to Fast Forward through songs when listening to my iPod.
2. Dogs are the most annoying creatures EVER, just ask the one who lays in front of me and won’t let me move, or the one who is obsessively licking a bone and will not stop bringing it in the house no matter how many times I toss it out the door. The bone is supposed to keep her from chewing my deck, not enable her to annoy me in the house.
3. Friends are friends are friends. Be them online friends, or real life friends, it does not matter, they are there to pick you up when you are down and it works. After some encouraging emails and phone calls, I feel so much better about my day. I am not at 100% yet, but I think that won’t come until a good night’s sleep.
4. YouTube is EVIL! I watched this today and turned into a bawling puddle of tears… any of the videos they show about Soldiers or Iraq hit so close to home I just have a mini emotional breakdown. I have mentioned how much I LOVE what the Patriot Guard Riders are doing, but this tribute from an Aunt of a fallen soldier touched me even more than the news stories I have seen. I also love the Welcome Home Soldier program too. THANK YOU to our men and women serving our country, and THANK YOU to the men and women who serve those who serve or served! You are just as important as the soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen!
Enjoy your cry, I know I did.
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Now playing: John Mayer Trio - I Got A Woman
via FoxyTunes
Author’s note: I am splitting this story into several smaller entries to make it easier to read. I apologize if it makes it harder to follow.
If you are reading this entry hoping for a happy story of butterflies or cute fuzzy puppies, you better hit your back button right now, or better yet, click the X in the upper right corner of your screen.
In order to tell you this sad tale of woe, I have to go back, back to Saturday the 19th. The day started out ordinary… I slept in, woke up and ate lunch, went to my acupuncture appointment and then came home to relax on my day off. We had turned down the request to baby-sit baby A. that evening because we had plans with our dear friends to have a Chili potluck and we have not seen this group of friends in almost/over a month.
I just got off the phone with my friend Jennifer, who is new foster mommy, and has three kids in her home. I am so happy for her! Being in the mommy role is so great for her, she is such a great person and was like a second mommy to my boys when we lived in Texas. I got to see pictures of the kids, they are so cute and sweet, especially the baby! There are people who should be parents, and people who shouldn’t; there are people who can have kids, and people who can’t. Why is it you see people who should have kids, who can’t; and people who shouldn’t have kids, who can?
