This is soo Adelaide:

The kids did lots of coloring,

and painting…

(with only one disaster involving Arianna, lesson learned),

hanging out with Papa,

playing games…

taking care of new babies,

going to the library (not shown), playing the leappads,

and I got to have lunch with Mer.  :)

That night Andy and I had a date at PF Chang’s (yum) and then went to Mission Impossible 4. Very fun. Saturday was spent celebrating Drew and packing and then we got a babysitter for 4 of the kids and went out to dinner with my parents for New Year’s Eve.

Too bad Ethan won’t remember all the fun things he gets to do.

And sorry for just disappearing for so long here!!

Saturday was overcast and rained a bit on and off all day, so we took the kids to the cove instead of to the beach.  They ended up jumping in the bay, IN THEIR CLOTHES.  (I knew it was coming the minute they rolled their pants up and pretended to wade in with just their feet.)

We probably should have just saved ourselves the trouble and gone, in suits, straight to the beach.  I had to go back to the house for a stack of towels and they all had to get an extra bath.  And, obviously, there was lots of extra dirty laundry.  But, they LOVED it.  (And I get Fun Mom of the Year.)

Once the kids were down for a nap, Andy and I realized we hadn’t had any lunch.  We left for an early dinner (to make up for my birthday dinner; when all else fails, go to Chili’s).  When we got back the kids were awake and had been fed, so we loaded everyone up and went out for gelato.  It was a perfect last-night outing.

We took the kids back to the beach for an hour in the morning before we had to check out of the house.  I brought my camera and got few last shots of the beach, some with the kids riding their boards.  As you can see, the waves were still really choppy from the weekend storms.

Practicing her ice skating landings (except that she’s 3 and has no idea what ice skating even is):

Notice the band-aids.  She fell on the way to the beach and suffered quite a bit of sidewalk sand-rash.  Poor girl.

Andy going out for his last run:

SUCH a great trip.  But glad to be home.  (I think.)

I left my camera here at the house yesterday and just enjoyed being in the moment with my kids and frying myself laying in the sun.  Drew was a crazy maniac on the boogie board; Andy was a little shocked at how enthusiastically he got into it.  Fun to watch.  The storms were blowing in so the waves were higher but the sandbar was really shallow.

In the afternoon Andy took Madeline to this little beach memory shop and let her pick out one thing.  She’s been begging ALL WEEK to go buy a shell there.  She ended up picking a stuffed dolphin instead.  (I shouldn’t have been surprised.)

We didn’t get dinner in the oven on time so we ended up getting a couple of pizzas. Some friends were supposed to come spend the weekend with us and decided it was too much; so we ended up with more of a down night.

I’m off to enjoy our last full day of vacation! (And my coffee!)

• On Friday morning Andy and I met my cousin Bryonie and her husband Josh for coffee and bagels at Einstein’s. (It was the first time being with them in person since they lost their precious babies in the spring.) The Lord really blessed our time together and we all had a great time of fellowship and fun. They came with us to pick up Drew and Madeline from VBS and then we went back to my parents’ house. Visits are rarely long enough, but at least we got to spend half the day with them.

• My mom had wanted to take my kids to the North Pole/Santa’s Workshop, since we used to go there as kids. We stopped there Friday afternoon on our way up to the cabin, and then when the cashier rang up the admission price of $85 for all of us for the mere two hours we’d be there, we turned around and left. I mean, really. So we stopped for ice cream instead and then drove straight to the cabin.

• My mom roasted marshmallows for the kids that night in the fireplace. I think Madeline ate about eleven.

• After the kids were tucked away in their beds, we played a rousing game of Taboo. The twins are never allowed on the same team. I mean, fair is fair.

• I had a very hard time breathing at 9,000 feet and woke up twice during the night in a near-panic. I’m sure it didn’t help being pregnant.

• Saturday my dad took Andy, my sisters, and their friend Patrick 4-wheeling. Drew was supposed to go but chickened out at the last minute. I was so not surprised. I think it was because he wasn’t going to be buckled in a proper car seat and the boy loves following the rules. He also didn’t like that they were driving on grass.

• When they got back we took a walk to see the horses.

• Andy and dad fished a lot of Saturday. I took a nice long nap.

• Bry and Josh got back up to the cabin in the afternoon, so we had tea together. My grandparents and Aunt Becki also came up to have dinner with us so it turned out to be a good-sized crowd.

• We played Taboo again after dessert and every last adult played. (Why is “wonderbra” on one of the cards?)

• My dad, sisters, and Patrick stayed up there Saturday night but my mom and our little family drove back to their house and didn’t get home until midnight. Fortunately my parents’ church service starts a little later and we made it there (mostly) on time.

• My grandparents had all of us over to their house for lunch, including my Uncle Miles and his family. Drew found a new buddy in my cousin Julia (he didn’t seem to notice she’s about 15 years older.) We had our dessert out on the deck and Madeline pretty much just ate whipped cream. She licked it off the cake and strawberries and then kept asking for more. Aunt Becki came to the rescue with a spatula and scraped the bowl for her.

• Our drive home Monday was uneventful, save for our DVD player breaking late that afternoon. Adelaide probably pushed too many buttons with her toe and the thing decided it had had enough.

• We stopped in St. Louis and stayed with my cousin Courtney and her hubby. Too short a visit, but glad to see them anyway.

• Got home late afternoon yesterday and went straight to pick up Andy’s car from the shuttle service. I went immediately after to Walmart for a fridge/pantry re-stock and I’m so glad I did because that meant I didn’t have to go anywhere today. We had also cleaned out the car (Drew vacuumed, one of his favorite things) and got almost everything unpacked. It’s nice to start mostly from scratch the day after a long trip.

They did a 3-par course, which was perfect for the little guy. I wish I had thought to drop off my camera as well.

(Because I’m sure we would have all loved to see pictures of him chasing the geese…an impulse he apparently inherited from his father.)

They stopped for chocolate shakes at Sonic on their way home, so needless to say, Drew was riding high on life yesterday. He only had a mild fit when we told him he couldn’t finish the entire thing before naptime.

(And what do you think was the very first thing out of his mouth upon waking up?)

I enjoyed a quiet afternoon here, which I needed after running around like crazy the last few days. When my sisters got home from work, my mom, Cassandra and I went over to my grandma’s house for a little impromptu tea party. Which, you know, are really the best.

Andy, Cassandra, and I took Drew and Madeline to see “Earth” last night at the $1.50 theater. We got there a little late and were forced to sit down near the front, and then as soon as we had sat down, Madeline looked up and exclaimed “TURTLE!!”

Five minutes later, “FOX!!!” And then after two beautiful scenes of flowers, “it looks like the ‘Secret Garden’!!” Our shushing her clearly wasn’t meaning much. (There were other kids there so it wasn’t a big deal.)

But then she and Drew started begging for water (what do you know, salty popcorn makes one thirsty) and we had a few up-and-downs for that. I’m just thankful the entire tub of popcorn didn’t spill or something equally as embarrassing.

On the way home Drew started asking about the rest of his shake again, and we told him it would be nice of him to share some with Madeline. She piped up with “I’m only going to eat a teeny, tiny bite because you got your special shake from McDonalds.” (Sonic.)

Drew, a touch condescendingly: “Madeline, that’s exactly right.”

And the grown-ups died laughing.

Afterwards we met the kids and my mom, grandma, and aunt at the playground where they were having a picnic. We stayed too long there because the SECOND we got to the pool, they closed it due to thunder. Drew had a total meltdown, which is actually really unlike him.

His day was redeemed later since we ate dinner over at my uncle’s house and they have a hot tub:

And now it’s Thursday already. Sniff.

My kids have been in VBS every morning this week, so my mom took Adelaide for me and I drove up to meet Mer at a tea house. It was a gorgeous day and we ate outside:

But then we decided that wasn’t enough time together so I ended up going back to her house, we took her daughter Sarah over to her little friend’s house, and then sat in her kitchen for two more hours and had leftover ice cream cake.

(Mer- thank you so much for lunch, for being honest and real, and being such a good friend!)

Right before I left my mom called saying my van wouldn’t start.

OH THAT’S JUST LOVELY.

Remember when it wouldn’t start before and we had it towed to the shop and it ended up being nothing but us trying to use the wrong key? Well, my mom had stopped at Walmart yesterday and had two spare keys made. Problem is they weren’t the dealer keys with the programmed computer chip. Which meant they also wouldn’t start my car.

She didn’t know that.

She called back later to tell me she had gotten it to start again, and then mentioned about the new keys, and it all clicked into place. I’m surprised Walmart didn’t tell her those keys wouldn’t drive the car, but whatever. I explained it wouldn’t start for her before only because she was using one of those new non-chip keys. I WAS SO RELIEVED. Car repairs on vacation are never any fun.

Also at Walmart, she picked up Razor scooters for Drew and Madeline. My grandparents’ neighbor’s kids have them and Drew had found his new love. Problem is he only got to ride it once and has been talking about it ever since.

Enter grandma and the problem is solved! I’m just praying they don’t kill themselves because have I mentioned that Madeline is clumsy?

And then to round out the day, Andy and I went to see The Proposal after dinner. He thought it was just as funny as I did.

Which is convenient.

So, since we really didn’t do anything newsworthy yesterday (besides picking Andy up from the airport and doing a little shopping), I thought I’d post a few of Sunday’s pictures today.

The pool had both a diving board AND a slide. My girls were enamored with the slide. It was one of those older ones that have a steep ladder of about eight rungs, and the slide itself has a pretty steep incline. I could just picture Adelaide slipping off a step at the top and falling backwards onto the concrete below.

But she would NOT be deterred.

The girl has no fear. So my mom and I took turns standing behind her on the ladder as she clambered up and then she’d sit herself down at the top and, seriously, FLY down the slide. Rinse and repeat about 20 times.

Madeline was a little more nervous her first three times and then she was up and down as often as Adelaide. Drew took way more convincing, and I kept telling him he didn’t HAVE to go on the slide.

But what self-respecting boy is going to be shown up by his two little sisters?

The diving board, believe it or not, didn’t give me quite the nervous breathlessness as the slide did and they jumped off that plenty, too. Adelaide jumps as far as her stubby little two-year-old legs will get her, goes under about three feet, pops up (THANK YOU FLOTATION DEVICE INVENTOR), and “swims” back to the side. You really can’t believe it, she’s so teeny.

I have a feeling I’m going to be the mom chauffeuring her kids to water parks when they hit junior high.

(That and high-dive lessons.)

After dinner my sisters watched my kids (just like old times!) and my grandparents, parents, aunt, and I went to see The Proposal. Hilarious. Gorgeous Alaskan scenery. I absolutely recommend it if you like romantic comedies, otherwise known as chick flicks.

And then I promptly fell into bed.

(What am I, 80?)

(In my defense, the altitude is totally kicking my rear.)

A little bit of a shock, even if expected, coming from the South where you don’t need lotion because it’s so humid. Madeline’s curls have even fallen out, turning into a messy sort of wave.

We got to my mom’s yesterday afternoon. When my sisters got home from work, they wasted no time in taking the kids out to play and showed the kids this new trick:

My grandparents live down the street, so we went over there for dinner last night.  My kids got to sit up at the bar (which they thought terribly exciting):

My aunt made the yummiest chicken enchiladas but they should have come with the pregnancy heartburn warning label “FIRE, FIRE! PROCEED WITH CAUTION OR YOUR STOMACH WILL HATE YOU LATER!”

And then we got to watch some natural beauty like this:

And “borrowed” my grandparents’ neighbor’s toys:

This morning we’ve been playing puzzles (which have their names personalized into the picture, courtesy of the grandparents):

My girls have been in heaven with my sister’s makeup drawer(s) and having their aunts around to do things like apply glitter and paint nails:

(Aren’t chubby two-year-old hot pink nails the cutest?  You should see her toes.)

And we’ve been messing up the Post-It notes:

The things you get away with at Grandma’s.

I’m telling you, the fun never ends.

We’ve had gorgeous weather and almost no traffic. The sunset was beautiful and you could see it stretching for miles across the flat plain. We’re about 15 minutes from where we’re staying tonight and we’ll all be thankful to be out of the car for a while.

***

Memorable quote from today: “No, Mommy doesn’t have to call Grandmommy ‘Grandmommy’ because she’s a big girl so she can just call her ‘Mom’” – Drew.

So here I am in the Deep South, visiting Dolly and trying not to lift a finger.  (Vacation is not for finger-lifting, you know.)  She also has a kitten and I’ve been painfully reminded of how allergic I am to the feline species.

(She left to pick up Chinese for dinner last night, asking if she should pick up some Claritin for me while she was out.  I thought I’d be okay and brushed her off.  And then as soon as she pulled out of the driveway, I sneezed at least fifteen times in a row.  I immediately called her back and begged for mercy Claritin.)

Today we lazed around here (we’re good at lazing around) and then took the kids to a park.  Came back for lunch and naps and then ran over to Costco to grab a pizza for dinner.

Dolly also ordered the two of us mocha freezes to enjoy while we browsed (I mean, why not? we had to wait for the pizza to bake, after all) and as soon as we had walked away from the counter, my arm got bumped by a child’s head and my mocha crashed dramatically all over the floor.

(And I’m sure it warranted all fifty-gazillion paper towels the employee threw down on the floor.  Hmph.  At least they gave me a new one for free.)

Our shopping trip continued in much the same fashion; children arguing over sips of my drink and who got to push the cart, Madeline’s toes getting run over, and Adelaide first protesting sitting up in the seat of the cart and then kicking Drew when he got too close.  Oh, and him pouting and hurt because I wouldn’t let him push the cart since he can’t even see over the top and kept ramming both product displays and innocent people.

At one point I said out loud to no one in particular, “who are these children?  Ain’t never seen ‘em before.”

I managed to get a set of summer pajamas for Drew and a darling smocked church dress for Madeline.  (Costco: The One-Stop Shop.)  Dolly made out pretty well, too.  We got our pizza and headed home, both of us glad not to have to cook.

Tonight after everyone was bathed and tucked in (and repeated requests for potty stops and drinks of water were dealt with), we popped in a movie and the evil spirit within her cat came out to taunt me.

That cat is seriously out to get me.  He jumps and lands on me out of NOWHERE, digging his claws into my unsuspecting legs and feet and I about jump out of my skin from shock.  Rinse and repeat at least a dozen times.  He’s seriously about to give me a heart attack, or at least a nervous breakdown.   Don’t be fooled by his look of kitten innocence.

(And just because he’s the size of a squirrel doesn’t mean he can’t do some serious damage with those tiny razor claws.  I’m telling you, don’t be fooled!)

Although, I bet Max could take him.

Yesterday we met Kristen (This Classical Life) at a local park and even though it was cut short due to drizzling rain, it was really fun to finally meet her IRL and her kids are simply adorable. And they love donuts, so clearly they’re our kind of people.

Other than that, there has been lots of making messes, dressing up, and tractor-pushing going on. When we finally get the six (six!) kids to bed each night, D and I have been watching Masterpiece Theatre’s productions of a couple of Jane Austen’s works.

First was Mansfield Park and last night was Persuasion. See why I come here? We speak the same language.

And the coffee’s really good.

(And it’s not like it was in a warehouse somewhere. The dinner was at a hotel, the Hilton Gardens, with banquet rooms and eateries. The last time I checked, the Hiltons had enough money to buy a couple of high chairs.)

But as far as I can tell, it was a sweet tribute to my cousin Robbie and his fiancée, Jordan. And the food was good, even mostly vegan friendly (*grin*). But we did have to leave early due to all the chasing and the hushing.

Yesterday morning we again spent by the pool. Adelaide wasn’t nearly as excited about her floatie so I ended up holding her most of the time. I did let her walk around a good bit and play on the stairs. At least twice she stepped off the second stair and fell in. A face-full of water doesn’t seem to phase her much.

The wedding pictures started at 4. We found that out around 2ish. But miracles do happen, and we managed to make it to the church on time. Except when we got there we realized we had left one of Drew’s tux-worthy shoes back at the hotel. Always something. I did what every reasonable woman would do and sent Andy back for it. I even had him bring Adelaide along for the trip.

I’m going to do a separate post with the wedding pictures – after Andy gets back with my Starbucks.

I’m sure you understand.

Slightly embarrassing.

We spent the first half of today doing some of this:

Adelaide loved the water. She stayed in that floatie for well over an hour, splashing and giggling and having a grand ole time.

My other fishies…

Madeline is much more daring than Drew. She jumps of her own accord and totally trusts the floatie to catch her. Drew needs more coaxing.

And we even squeezed in a little bit of this:

Tonight we had the rehearsal and the Rehearsal Dinner. More on that later though, I’m wiped.

We had to bring a LOT of stuff (including several items of baby gear), but most of our carry-ons could be piled high atop the stroller. I use the chest clips to attach the car seats to the stroller handle, a handy little trick:

Although, when we pulled up to the gate Madeline jumped out and the whole thing toppled over backwards, with Adelaide still strapped inside. Yeah, top heavy. No one was hurt except maybe my pride.

I think Drew’s a little excited to go swimmin’, don’t you??

(Pardon my early morning face and hair.)

Being their normal silly selves:

Madeline, can you say “static cling?”

Why I drag carseats onto the plane:

Coloring in the coloring book that our new airplane friends let us use (I had an empty seat next to me and then another mom sat in the third seat and she was so nice. Her two little kids sat in the row across the aisle.):

After we landed, we found all of our checked items save one – Adelaide’s carseat. (It’s supposed to be delivered to our hotel by tonight and they gave us another one to use in the meantime.) Andy went off to get our rental van and the kids and I waited. And waited. And waited.

And waited.

I was starting to think he had ditched us and gone to Disneyworld.

Finally – about an hour and a half later – he pulled up outside the baggage claim doors. He’d taken a wrong turn and ended up having to go across Tampa Bay and back.

So that little, um, setback was the worst part of our day. Not too bad, in the grand scheme of things.

And as soon as we got in the rental van:

(And yes, I realize the straps are in the wrong slots – this was the one we “borrowed” for the drive to the hotel and frankly, I wasn’t about to re-lace the whole thing for such a small window of use.)

Watching TV in our hotel room (because what else are you supposed to do, cooped up in a small space with a half-fridge, desk, two beds, and a tiny bathroom?):

Andy with our stash from Publix:

The kids resting and warming up after a late-afternoon swim:

Looks like it’s going to be a relaxing weekend after all.

(Sigh of relief.)

After the kids were bathed and dressed and I was also showered and dressed, we took the kids to Focus on the Family – they have this fabulous children’s play area based on Adventures in Odyssey and Whitt’s End or whatever (I’m 28 now, remember? Don’t expect me to remember all the stuff we used to listen to on the radio during family road trips way back when).

The kids had a BLAST and it was FREE. Although unfortunately, they were too short for the big green twirly slide. So we’ll have to do that another year.

And there was even a place for Adelaide’s level of skill and intellect. With a door that latched.

A mother’s dream.

Later my mom and I ran some errands while the kids were down for a nap and I found myself a new best friend, a little pink ipod nano. (Shh! Don’t tell Andy!)

I feel like I’ve finally joined the 21st century.

My sister and I just went through her library list and I snatched all the music I wanted. See? Already saving myself time and money.

My mom even put my older kids to bed and I didn’t even ask her to.

Vacation, indeed.