The day before I left was total chaos, but it was chaos because I was trying to get everything ready and Isobel wants to be held ALL day. By me. ONLY me. It’s getting old.
Heather. How do I describe the awesomnes that is my sister? She drove all the way in to my house to hold Isobel for me while I packed (and distracted her so she forgot that she wasn’t being held by me), and picked up Liv and Holden so I didn’t have to stop packing to drive them to her house. Heather truly is the most thoughtful and giving person I know. Everybody needs a Heather in their life (but you can’t have mine).
I woke up the next morning at 5:00 am so that I could get myself and my babies ready. Because of Heather’s selfless generosity I was ready well before our departure time of 6:00am and I even had time to give Isobel a bath and make green smoothies for everyone (recipe coming soon…YUM!).
We arrived at our gate just in time to board. Leaving at 6:00am for a 10:00am flight doesn’t seem so extreme anymore. My parents sat in seats across the aisle from me, Gray-bee and Isobel. This was especially helpful when Isobel needed a nap. She won’t fall asleep in my arms and fights the nap with all of her Kung-Fu might. My mom was able to get her to take two short naps during the four hour flight. The woman sitting beside me was very kind and understandng about the kids.
Holly picked us up and took us to her house in Maryland. She was our official chauffeur for the entire trip. We arrived around dinner time so we walked the short distance to the IHOP just around the corner.
After dinner we went to Target. We even talked mom into using a motorized cart. Too bad her daughter won’t let her have her dignity, I couldn’t miss this picture opportunity.
And Holly couldn’t miss this one…
So that brings us to the end of day one. Let’s review, IHOP and Target, two places readily available in Utah. Hey, the “I” stands for International.
I LOVE this man.
He made me a mother. We have four beautiful babies.
He makes me want to be a better person.
He makes me laugh every day. Some days more than others.
He spoils me. A lot. (But I probably deserve it.)
His girls have him wrapped around their little fingers.
His boys want to be just like him. They will be great men, too.
He loves me. He loves his babies. He loves his family.
He is our hero.
He is my Gary. Happy Father’s Day!
My sister, Holly, lives near Washington D.C. She has been there for almost thee years now.
I miss her.
This distance between us is getting old. Frankly, I am sick of her responible attitude and noble work ethic. It’s time to play hooky and come visit already! But, since all of these “morals” of hers are getting in the way of my instant gratification happiness then I guess I will just have to go visit her.
Which is exactly what I am going to do next week!!! The opportunity presented itself and I’m going! I was able to talk my parents into going as well and I am so grateful since I will have both Isobel and Gray-bee with me. My sister, Heather, very foolishly kindly offered to take Liv and Holden while I am gone since Gary will be working the whole time.
Holly already has car seats and a crib lined up for my babies while we stay with her. We have also been planning out some of the things we want to do/see while there…
- The National Mall - I’ve been there before, but that was seventeen years ago.
- Slave quarters - I requested this one.
- The Holocaust Museum - Also at my request. I’m starting to think that I am a real downer.
- Alma’s grave in Westchester, PA - My dad’s sister. (We’re going to party like Joe
)
- My cousin - Whether she likes it or not.
- Hershey, Pennsylvania - Prepare yourself, Gary, for your wife returning weighing 300 lbs.
I bought a bunch of travel games to entertain Gray-bee on the plane which makes Liv and Holden jealous thinking that Gray-bee is getting super sectet double chocolatey one on one time with mommy, when in reality he will be stuck with a frazzled travel worn mommy for a week with travel games as bait. Don’t tell Gray-bee, I have him tricked into thinking it will be fun. Hmm… maybe I should buy some travel games for Holly, too.
My kids are not big on dress-up. They don’t go through twelve different outfits in one day just because. They are not inclined to wear Super hero outfits to the grocery store. When Liv was a baby I started gathering clothes for a dress up trunk and I soon realized that it was pointless. She won’t dress-up. My boys also will not wear capes. I assumed that capes were just a given for little boys “attire”. Not so.
Since dress up is not an option, then of course my kids need some sort of substitute that would drive me crazy.
How about getting every single undershirt out of the drawer and trying them each one on until you are stuffing yourself into the final layers, so much so that you can’t get them off by yourself. With so many layers on his (upper) body language says, ”Coach will totally ream me if I don’t make weight”. He posed for my pictures, but he wasn’t happy about it.
I am a girl that is way too proud of her Scottish heritage. I love that my children have Strong Scottish lines coming from both parents. I love it so much you would think that I wanted my children to get beat up at school.
Gray-bee’s kilt was a last minute decision, but I think he looked cute even if he didn’t have a sporran or the right socks. I told the boys that we will get them a little plastic knife to hook onto their socks because I want the Primary President to hate me. I couldn’t get Holden to wear a regular tie because he insisted on wearing my grandpa’s bowtie. He thinks it makes him look like Pee-Wee Herman. Hmmm… less Pee-Wee, more Professor Holden.
My babies have all been great sleepers. I take no credit for this. Liv slept through the night the second night she was home. We have our challenges, sleeping has just never been one of them.
Even though they are all great sleepers, each of them has their own “sleeping style”.
Olivia: Loves to hold hands when she sleeps and loves to snuggle Holden at night because he lets her.
Holden: Thrashes around in his sleep as though he is having night terrors yet he is sound asleep.
Gray-bee: The belly sleeper. He kicks off his blankets and ends up with his feet on his pillow.
Isobel: She looks so uncomfortable, yet will sleep for up to fourteen hours straight through the night. She is always smashed up against the edge of her bed. It makes me nervous.
What should I be doing? Cleaning.
Girl Scout Bridging is over, but my table is piled high with luau decorations, awards, GS forms, and everything else we brought home.
My sink is full of dirty dishes and has been full for several days.
Laundry is still taking over my living room. Clean and dirty.
Toys. Everywhere. I want to throw them away. All of them.
A huge bottle of salsa from Sam’s Club mysteriously opened and tipped over in the fridge. I found the mess yesterday as we were on our way to Mark and Mel’s so I had to just close the fridge adn deal with it later. It’s later and I still haven’t dealt with it.
The outside is getting out of control. It’s time to start bugging Gary about the lawn.
All of that is just what needs immediate attention. There is so much to do. It has been “let go” because we have been busy and having fun. Riding bikes, playing with friends, playing with cousins, Girl Scout bridging ceremony, doctor appointments, ear infections, shopping (sometimnes fun, sometimes a chore), a baby shower, reading books, and so much more. Gary and I let Gray-bee stay up late the oher night and we played Ants in the Pants with him for some special time and he loved it. Family time has been a priority lately, but now it’s time to stop living in filth. My plan is to recruit the kids to help me and reward them with a board game with mommy when we are all done. That is my plan, but reality will probably be me begging pleading and crying for the kids to help and the three older ones ending up on time out. I’ll still give it a try.
With so much to do it is time for me to get off the computer and get to wotk.
Teaser: Mel and I are ready to resume our Mel vs Heidi “duties”. Bring it on!
Isobel has a doctor’s appointment yesterday and I had the “brillant” idea to leave early and take all four kids shopping with me. Before we left I wouldn’t let the kids outside until they finished their lunch and they only got about five minutes of play in before I called them to get buckled in the car. Five minutes was no where near enough time to burn off their energy. So what do my sweet angels, who whould never disobey their mother, choose to do? They chase each other around the store and ignore every, “Stop running!”, “Calm down!”, “Get over here!”, “Don’t hit your sister!”, and “Put that down!” from me.
You know what is missing from this shopping trip? A witness (besides all of the customers). She comes in the form of our check-out girl who just happens to be my visiting teaching partner. It must hae been bad because it was not the usual “We should really go out this month” chit chat. It was just the eye contact and nod of aknowledgement and then she didn’t say another word to me.
I was so mad when we got in the car and I just started in cranking at the kids and telling them that their behavior was so awful in the store that I wanted to go to the ice cream store and not buy them ice cream.
Um, who even talks like that? I have been known to say things that don’t make sense when I get frustrated or angry and this was no exception… except that when I started thinking about it, it started sounding like an incedible idea.
They didn’t think I would do it, until I pulled into the drive-thru ice cream shop. And that was when it started. The crying, screaming, yelling, pleading, and begging. “No mommy! Pleaase don’t do it! I want an ice cream! Please buy us an ice cream! We promise we’ll be good! Please mommy! I want ice cream! NO MOMMY!!!”
“Could I please get ONE chocolate ice cream bar?”
When they realized that I really wasn’t going to give in was when they noise died down and it turned into sniffles and whimpering. I couldn’t just let it go at that. I had to really deliver my message. …and have a little bit of fun. “Oh, this ice cream is so good. Don’t you wish that you has behaved nicely at the store so you could have some? You should think about this ice cream while we are at the doctor’s and remember how you should behave. Don’t forget to tell Doctore Huff how mean your mom is.”
That was the best sixty-five cents I ever spent.
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