catching up

Long post alert - there's a lot to catch up on between moving, vacation, settling in and back to school! Two days in and it seems like the kids had only two weeks off of school instead of the two-and-a-half months we enjoyed apart from the stress of moving.

This year, we planned to stay in Port Huron instead of Waterloo. However, a wrong turn while aiming for the hotel we spotted put us on the ramp to the border. So we spent the night in Sarnia instead.

selfie in Sarnia the next morning - it's really hard to squeeze 6 people into a picture, but Dave did an admirable job

 
Here we tested the waters of Lake Huron before heading to the cottage (you can see a piece of Michigan on the top left)...

Dave made apple pie for the journey in his new cast iron skillet - his birthday present this year. Half it was consumed on the road....

 ...And here's Moses enjoying a piece shortly after we arrive. He was quite happy. :)

  The cooler weather + strong wind most days made for perfect sandcastle building opportunities...

Here's Ben's lighthouse...

 And Brie resting after all that construction.

 More wind turbines seem to crop up each year we return. Dave likes taking the kids to see them up close and personally. Personally, it freaks me out to be that close to one.

 Luke thoroughly enjoyed the water this year and lost much of his past fear of the water. He and Isaac even ventured out to the first sandbar.

The day after we got back, we made a last-minute decision to head to our local county fair - we missed going our favorite one last year. The week at the beach must have caught up with Luke and Ben:

synchronized sleeping

But they quickly recovered. Luke  seems to be conquering much of his fears this year as he chose to brave an airplane ride with Ben...

Brianna had a hard time choosing at first. She settled for the "fun" slide, but it wasn't exactly the thrilling ride she was looking for. 

This however, was.

 We spotted it from a distance and it proved to live up to its name. Here she stands in line...

And my brave two-days-away-from-turning-ten year old soloed (she rode without one of us by her side) a ride that took her high in the air and turned her upside down.

 Brie tried her best to convince Reese to join her on the "Screamer" but he'd had all the thrills he wanted on Pharaoh's "death" ride (his name for it). It was one of those big boat rides that swing you perpendicular to the ground. Especially if you choose to ride on the very end like Reese did. After that, the fun house and bumper cars were more his speed.  

 And, in a rare photographic moment, here's Reese arriving at home after the fair. It always takes a little extra activity to wear out our Reesie. :) 

However, it wasn't all fun and games. Despite just spending a week away and a good time at the fair, three out of four arrows found it hard to say they had a good time. (Big parental sigh). I know they did, as the pictures clearly show, so it's frustrating when I see a lack of gratitude and good attitudes in our children. In these moments, I'm tempted to ship them away to a farm or a boot camp to get a good dose of hard work. But then again, I know I often do the same thing, but as an adult I'm just better at hiding it.

And, finally, Brianna turned 10! Where, oh where, did that time fly? For her birthday this year, we braved the cooler, overcast weather and had a few friends meet us at the beach. And then home for dinner and cake. Like the loving big cousin that she is, Brianna gladly helped Jack help himself to a piece of cake (rocky road cheesecake made by Daddy).   
 

The Attraction (and a bite-sized homeschooling howsitgoing)

We just got back from a great trip to D.C. and Gettysburg and I had to share something that still makes me shake my head in baffled amusement.

I took the kids to a couple of the museums in D.C. on Thursday while Dave was in meetings. As we were walking around looking at the many amazing exhibits, I kept hearing people quietly counting and exclaiming in hushed amazement over the number of children I had in tow (just our four ;) ).

And that amused me...to think we were in a city filled with many wonderful exhibits and memorials and statues and yet, seeing a parent with four children was also something to exclaim over. To me, four children isn't a huge number though having four aged seven and under does create some added craziness that one or two children probably does not bring or even having four children with greater age gaps between each child.

Anyway, it was quite funny.

But the only way I survived this day-in-a-city-without-Dave-to-help-out-and-no-place-to-let-the-kids-nap-in-the-afternoon was because of God and His faithfulness in answering my prayer to help us through the day. He sent some wonderful women to help us find some restrooms in Union Station when the ladies' room was closed for renovation and to help carry our trays from the food stations to the table and then from the table to trash when we were done eating. Plus, He gave Dave the perfect plan for where to park and then make our way to the mall.

And that was our week in homeschooling...listening to books on tape in the car, reading about D.C. and Gettysburg, visiting national monuments and museums, touring battlesights at Gettysburg and eating at a restaurant damaged by bullets. We are so blessed to live within driving distance of these historically and culturally significant places.

Vacation Recap - Last Installment

Tuesday

Time to head home! As there was light packing to do and we were all up early, we were able to leave by 8:15 a.m. After a brief stop for some ice to preserve the crab cakes, we were well on our way...or so we thought. :)

It was a bumpy start for the first couple of hours...

It seems a large swarm of "mosquitos" decided to follow us. (Interjection: I forgot to share this in a previous post, but when we were in our second day of travel on the way down, as soon as we hit the highway this loud humming noise sounded over our heads. It was coming from the car top but it sounded like a swarm of oversized mosquitos were following us. We ended up having to stop four or five times before we lost the swarm - turned out we had to lighten the load up top by a bag or two). After stopping four or five times again, the loud humming noise was reduced to a barely noticeable hum.

Then Reese, who was overtired, was fussing in the back for about a half hour. Understandable since his schedule was completely thrown off but it was challenging to get through. I think Dave and I both wondered how far we would make it before needing to stop for the day. I prayed we'd at least make it to Wytheville, VA which is about the halfway point. However, that was the last hiccup we encountered, thankfully, as the rest of the drive was peaceful. The kids did so well in fact that we ended up driving all the way home - 14 hours total on the road.

Highlights:

Stopping in Greensboro for lunch. We picnicked on the grounds of a huge Baptist church - they actually called it a campus! - at some tables which were shaded by trees. The kids snacked on their lunch but had a better time running through the grass and pretending they were exploring. Here is a picture of the picnic table:

When we began to round up the kids, Luke came over to me with his face covered with some red juice. As I didn't recall giving him anything which fit that description, I asked Dave if he'd given something to Luke. Nope. So I began frantically searching the grounds where they'd been playing for anything that looked edible and possibly poisonous. Turns out most of the trees around the tables were plum trees and Luke had helped himself to a plum that was on the ground (no telling if he also ate some bugs along with it!). As I was looking around, Dave was trying to get Luke to spit out what was in his mouth. He obliged by spitting out the pit and was looking quite pleased with himself. It hard to resist the temptation to pick plums from the trees once we made the discovery. We settled for trying an unblemished plum that had fallen to the ground. Here's a picture of the trees and a plum:

We stopped in Charleston, West Virginia in hopes of seeking lodging (we thought the kids would declare mutiny if we didn't stay at a hotel...with a swimming pool!). We tried 5 or 6 hotels and all of them were booked. Who would have thought we'd need reservations in Charleston, on a Tuesday night, at the end of June. Apparantly there was a medical transcription conference going on...hence the lack of beds. We kind of got an idea of what Joseph and Mary might have felt like - at least I wasn't about to go into labor though!

So, on we continued, still thinking we might stop. We discovered there isn't much in the way of lodging between Charleston and Parkersburg, WVA. Instead, with the kids still doing amazingly well on this epic journey, we decided to stop for dinner and then continue on home. (Parkersburg is about 2.5 hours from home so there didn't seem to be much point in staying overnight).

We found our way to a Cracker Barrel, ate a quick meal and then bought some a treats for the kids to show our appreciation for their endurance. Here are the pictures...Brie and Reese are in rocking chairs outside the restaurant, Luke is holding up his dump truck, Reese is holding his favorite cupcake recipe book instead of the race car we got him and Brie is holding her sticker books.

All told, it was a great vacation (thanks Eddie & Kim!) and we look forward to returning in a year or two. But, it's also good to be home. :)

Road Trip! Vacation Recap cont'd

Monday

We had a relaxing morning as we waited for Kim to get back from taking Collin to camp (the same one Casey went to the evening before). When she returned we headed to downtown Wilmington where we intended to see one of the historic homes which gave tours. A torrential downpour stopped us in our tracks. Seriously...the entire weekend so far, we had seen rain clouds, had small bursts of rain and heard thunder but nothing which kept us from doing anything. So it was funny that the first time we actually plan an event it does pour. This was really a good thing though because the region is in a drought so no one really complained.

By the time the guys got the cars the rain started to taper off, and given the time, we headed to a restuarant for some lunch. It was a fun atmosphere (it's always a good sign for people with kids to see butcher block paper and crayons on the table) and good food. Here are some pictures:

Since no lunch would be complete without ice cream, we headed to the same ice cream place we visited last time. The funniest part was Luke complaining when his supply of ice cream ran out. He would cry and point to every person he saw who still was enjoying their frozen confection...me, Brianna, Reese, complete strangers walking down the street.

In our second attempt to view the historic home we discovered it was not open on Mondays. We decided to cut our losses and head out for the ferry ride Eddie planned. We headed down to Southport and caught the ferry to Fort Fredick on an island who's name I can't remember. Luke got the biggest kick out of the seagulls which were dive bombing the ferry.

Fort Frederick (I think that's the name of it) was fascinating - at least what we saw of it. There's so much history in this region that it's hard to take it all in on the attention span of three little one's who love to run from one thing to the next. They did great watching the animated map of a Civil War battle and we're looking forward to going back there again.

Thunderstorms put a damper on the plans for swimming after dinner. Oh, and Dave got his crabcakes!

Road Trip! Vacation Recap cont'd

Saturday
Except for Luke (who had trouble sleeping the night before), we all got up by 7 a.m. Dave took Brie and Reese to breakfast while I got myself and Luke ready. The biggest challenge of the morning was keeping the kids inside the hotel room. Brie could reach the sliding lock which meant they could escape at any time and took full advantage of the fact. At one point, while Dave was loading up the car, Brie made it out the door and all the way down the hallway, which was out of my sight line, Reese started to make a bee line for the "alligator" (his word for "elevator") and I was trying to keep Luke in the room without locking myself out. Some people took pity on me and attempted to get Brie back to the room but it didn't work. In the end, I grabbed Luke, rigged the door so it wouldn't lock and had Reese follow me to where Brie was. I forget what I threatened her with if she didn't get back to the room right now, but whatever I said, it worked.

And off we were again. Our lunch stop was less exciting than the day before. We ended up picnicking from the car in the parking lot of a strip mall anchored by a Food Lion and Dollar General. I visited both stores in my quest to find a bread knife and bowls I could use in a microwave for our oatmeal - two oversights in my packing list. I found the bowls but had to settle for steak knives.

Our only other stop was a sandy lot next to a church when I needed to change Luke's diaper. Dave wanted me to throw the poop on the ground but I thought it better if we took it with us. So that stop brought us a slightly poopy smell into the car plus some sand flies which entertained Dave for the rest of the drive as he tried to smash them on our windshield.

We made it by 3 p.m.! Thank you Jesus! The longest part of the trip always seems to happen between Raleigh and Wilmington.

As Eddie and Kim's neighbors were giving a surprise birthday party for their next door neighbor whom they affectionately call the "mayor" (or is it the "governor?") because he knows everything, we got to share in the festivities. Dave now believes he knows more of their neighbors than he does of ours.

We capped off the evening with a trip to the pool - Luke still wasn't believing that swimming was a fun activity but he did enjoy running around the kiddie pool area.


Sunday
Up early (again!) which was good because we needed to leave for church before 9 a.m. Eddie and Kim's church is huge and it's amazing to see the efficiency with which they run the childcare/Sunday school system. They also are in the midst of a huge capital campaign so I think Dave picked up on some ideas or food for thought for the campaign our church will be embarking upon soon.

The rest of the day was low key. Another trip to the pool and Dave made "Pizza for Everyone." Casey headed off to camp that evening. It's crazy to think how much she's grown since I first met her and Dave can't believe she's the little baby he saw about a week after she came home from the hospital.

Monday/Tuesday...to be cont'd

Road Trip! Vacation Recap

We got back yesterday from Wilmington and it feels good to be home - a day early, too! The kids did amazing in the car yesterday which is why we did the trip in one go. We left just after 8 a.m. and got home at 10 p.m. Whew! God is good.

Here's a journal of the trip:

Friday:

We left at 8:15 a.m. and drove until we reached Marietta. Brie and Reese were happy watching movies but Luke was uncharacteristically fussy. I still don't know what was bothering him but he eventually settled down. We stopped in Marietta for lunch at the same parkway we did two years ago. The kids enjoyed running around, but it got a little crazy as we were trying to round them and the picnic things up. One time there were where we wanted them, the next, across the park. Eventually, we all made it back into the car.

Marietta's version of a totem pole

Luke giving the turtle a pat

Reese checking out the squirrel

Picnic at the gazebo

The drive through West Virginia is amazing - so many hills - mountains really. It's my favorite part of the trip. The kids were getting ansy again a few hours later so we found a place to stop in Virginia. That was a little adventure in itself. Dave saw a sign for a state park, but once we got off the exit, we discovered it was 10 miles from the highway. So, he looked for another place to stop. He saw a building that looked like a school (thinking a playground would be there) but it turned out it was a forestry station. Thankfully, they had a nice bench to sit on and a sign near the entrance indicated the chance for a forest fire was low.

Luke in his happier moments in the car

Luke in his sleepier moments in the car

We ended up making it all the way to Mount Airy which is a shade south of Virginia and the birthplace (I believe) of Andy Griffith. We stayed at the Hampton Inn (AAA discount!!!) and the kids demonstrated their approval by immediately jumping on the beds. The next order of business was to find a place to eat. Going on the "suggestion" of the local restaurants in the hotel binder, we settled on Pandowdy's in the downtown area. It's been awhile since we've encountered smoke in a restaurant and even longer since we came across a restaurant with no distinction between smoking and nonsmoking sections - every table had not one, but two!, ashtrays on it. Our server was friendly welcoming, though, so that made up for a lot.

Luke learning to drink from a straw and loving it

Dave and Reese enjoying the water (at the restaurant, not the pool)


So happy together

When we got back to the hotel, we took the kids for a swim. Brie and Reese had a blast. Luke, not so much. I think the noise and splashing freaked him out a little. Reese took to jumping into my arms from the side of the pool like a fish takes to water. :) Brie was able to manage somewhat on her own since she could stand on her own in the shallow end. At point, she had a scare - she had drifted to the part of the pool where it began to slope down and she started taking in water into her mouth. Thank God! I saw her just as this was happening. I could see the look of fear on her face and panic because she couldn't stop the water from coming into her mouth. It's no wonder you are not supposed to take your eyes off of them around the water for a moment - drowning can happen so fast! Thankfully, she is completely fine and it didn't turn her away from wanting to try to swim. Jesus was looking out for her.

Luke chilling on the bed in the hotel room - doesn't he look comfortable?

Saturday/Sunday's installment to come...