Day 4: 4 Generations

Tuesday was a special day. It started off with Brandon and I going to Meijer quick, by ourselves. We got home and a few minutes later, my Grandma, Aunt M.C., cousin, J, and a second cousin, J, came to visit. I hadn't seen my Grandma for a year a a half. I am so thankful they made the 3 hour trip to hang out. My Aunt M. had made a printed scrapbook about my Grandma for her 87th birthday. I absolutely LOVED looking at it! I am hoping to get my own copy for Christmas. Hint, hint, mom. :)
We enjoyed delicious salads for lunch. After that, two girls napped, Brandon worked, and I enjoyed the time of conversation with family I rarely get to see.

The girls and I with Grandma May, whom Sadie is named after

4 Generations! Doesn't my dad look good with all those women?

After they had to leave, we loaded the van and drove 15 minutes to enter Amish country. We went to a local Amish produce store to get fresh corn and other things. I always enjoy coming out here. The simplicity is almost enchanting. After we were finished shopping, we walked around to the back to see the big work horses. And BIG they are.

After a good summer meal, the girls played in the jet tub. More to come on that later. Brandon and I again went for a late evening walk after the girls were in bed. This trip is going too quickly...

Day 3: Shop til she Dropped

After a few days of go, go, go, we decided to have a nice slow morning at home. I think it was a good for everyone. Brandon spent time upstairs working, and the girls enjoyed all the "new" toys...and of course, Minnie. :)
Here Sadie is pretending to be Minnie.

All the girls enjoyed the Little People that my sister and I used to spend hours playing with.

Analise played a lot of Memory and Crazy Eights this time out.

Analise was so good with old Minnie.

Analise and I spent some time outside playing catch. Besides her throwing into the rose bush a couple of times, we had fun. It was nice to just be and play with the girls.

After lunch, Analise, Grandmom and I headed out for school clothes. Analise did pretty well (better than last year) but she still wears out quickly. We had some luck, but I was hoping we'd do better. Children's Place had some things, and I got just a little at Kohl's. I am quickly learning firsthand what others had told me. As girls get older, it gets harder to shop. The styles become more trendy and grown up looking. Unfortunately for Analise, I didn't like this year's trend. I wore those same kind of clothes years ago. I don't need to relive it. :)

We got home just in time to make supper for our company...B and G. What a nice evening it was hanging out with them. Dinner was yummy, too.

After the girls were in bed, Brandon and I went for a walk. A walk....by ourselves, late evening, a beautiful full moon, holding hands and just talking. It seems like something so simple, but it was wonderful. He enjoyed it, too. We used to go for walks together frequently, but as we added daughters, it got more difficult. So having that uninterrupted time with him was heavenly.

Day 2: Jet Ski and More

Sunday morning we went to church with my parents. I took Sadie and Maisie to their class, and I was so excited to see that a childhood friend was the teacher that day. Not only was it great chatting with her for a short time, but I felt better knowing someone I knew was taking care of my girls. After church I was able to visit with several people. I always enjoy that time, and Brandon is always good about giving me that time and not rushing me out of there.
We went home, ate lunch and packed for the lake. We headed 40 minutes north to the home of some dear friends (like an aunt and uncle to me). They live right on the lake, and I have great memories of going there as a kid. Their son and family were also there, so we enjoyed the time together. Analise couldn't wait! She remembered the jet ski ride from last year and wanted to go again. Brandon and C spent a lot of time on the jet ski, and Analise got plenty of time as well. My mom stayed back at the cabin so Sadie could nap, so the girls and I went on a pontoon ride. I enjoyed that time of chatting to G.
After we got back, Maisie played in the water. She couldn't believe her feet could touch the bottom of the lake. G played with in the water, and Maisie loved it all.
We came home for a good dinner, gave the girls showered and relaxed. Thank you Lord for a good day with perfect weather to be at the lake!

Let the Fun Begin

I always look forward to vacation, and going to my parent's house is at the top of my list. This year I was really looking forward to it. Brandon had not had a vacation since we went to IN last year. He didn't take any extra days over the holidays. He's been working like crazy. So a week with him and the girls sounded heavenly. I was even blessed with him asking for an extra day off, and his boss giving him the okay. Before the trip, Brandon did tell me he was going to have to work on vacation. I'll admit - my first reaction was dread and sadness. However, we talked it out, made clear our expectations, and it all worked out fine!
We left last Friday and drove most of the way. And I drove most of the way. :) Brandon worked in the van. The girls did awesome! Praise the Lord for a DVD player and an Ipod for when we need a "pick me up." We'd crank the music and dance in our seats. We got to the hotel about 8:00. The girls can be so tired in the van, but as soon as we pull into the hotel, they come alive. I let Maisie and Analise go swim with Brandon for a short bit, and Sadie took a long bath. We then gave them showers and snacks and tucked them in. I'm sure it was 10:00 before they were all asleep.
Day 1: Got Milk?
Saturday morning we woke up to storms and rain. I was bummed! However, as we traveled the sun appeared and stayed out. Yeah!
We met my parents and sister and bro in law at the coolest dairy. It was so much fun. Everyone age 2-62 enjoyed it!

We started with a 4D movie called "From Grass to Glass." We got sprayed with water during the show. (I love Analise's look in this pix; cracks me up!)

My favorite was the birthing barn. We saw a live birth! SO COOL!

Here is a calf standing up for the first time. So precious.

We took a bus tour of the dairy and got out to see the milking parlor. Quite impressive.

They had several play things for kids outside. Here Analise scaled the climbing wall.

She quickly climbed up the 25 feet.

Analise and Aunt P. enjoyed jumping on the "Dairy Air."

Sadie liked the playground equipment

Brandon joined in on the fun. Look at his ups!

We spent about three hours at the dairy and enjoyed a picnic lunch while there. We then made the 2.5 hour drive home. Yesterday we went the entire 9 hours without an, "I have to go potty" announcement. Before we left the dairy, everyone went potty.

We were in the van 5 minutes when Analise made the announcement. Analise...my girl with the steel bladder. So we stopped. 10 more minutes down the road, Maisie pipes up....again we stop. Goodness!
We got home, settled in, the girls played with beloved Minnie, we enjoyed a pizza dinner and relaxed after the girls were in bed. I stayed up with my folks, and we watched "Hitch." I had forgotten how funny that movie was. Day 1 - just like I had hoped.

Before Vacation

So I write this post for my own memory's sake, but I have a hunch many other moms will relate. And as I write this, I mean no harm to my husband or any man for that manner.
So we plan our vacation, and this is what it normally looks like:
Brandon:
*cuts his hair
*cleans the inside of the van until it looks brand new
*washes the van
*packs for himself
*completely loads the van
(and I appreciate it all)

What Pam does before a trip:
*plans the snacks for the car ride and buys accordingly
*purchases "special" things to do in the van. This trip was a new movie, a Mad Lib book, and new crayons/coloring books.
*pays all the bills
*cancels mail and paper
*makes sure all prescriptions are filled
*mows the yard (unless the hubs does it)
*laundry, laundry, laundry
*lays out outfits for three girls and then pack them accordingly (can't forget matching shoes)
*makes sure we pack all toiletries, medicines, and any extra thing "we just might need"
*pack for myself late in the night
*pack the cooler
*download news songs for the Ipod
*download podcasts for Ipod
*fill the van with gas
*line up someone to take care of the frogs (Brandon helped with that this time)
*line up someone to water the garden
*pick up all toys, both inside and out
*clean sheets and towels
*vacuum
*clean bathrooms
*pack the travel bags for each of the girls
*make hotel reservations
*have to remember diapers and wipes!
*make sure each daughter has their special blanket and animal

I am sure I am forgetting some things...just like I forgot white socks and a razor for myself. Mom is still to the rescue. :)
I'd love to know what else you do before a trip!

Whew...We made it

Last week was just crazy. A pretty good crazy, but nonetheless crazy. We had our VBS (Kid's Camp) every night from Sunday-Thursday. We had about 150 kids, so that was awesome! Each night there was a meal provided for families. I think there were about 250 people that ate each night. It was fun seeing families together. Our small group helped on Tuesday night, so the girls and I made brownies. We ate up there two nights. Since I lead worship for the preschool kids, I needed to be up there by 6:00 each night. So Brandon would come in the door five til' 6:00, and I would leave with Maisie and Analise. By the time we got home and the girls got to bed, it was late, and I was tired. They both loved it, and I enjoyed having Maisie during the singing time. It's even more rewarding to hear her now sing the songs at home.
Brandon and Sadie had some good bonding time during the evenings, though I was told she constantly asked him, "Where'd mommy go?"
We kept busy during the days with park visits, we finally went swimming (first time this summer with all three girls) with friends one afternoon. Analise got to swim one afternoon at her cousins, and one night she got to sleep over there. She was trilled!
It was a rough week for me emotionally. I felt like I hit a wall. I won't go into details here, but I am learning how to be a wife (and a supportive one at that) for a husband who is working a lot. I really missed our family dinners at night and hanging out with him in the evening. Thankfully we got to spend a lot of time together this weekend.
Saturday we went down to the lake, ate lunch with one of Brandon's cousins and family and boated. Since the girls woke up from naps while the others were still on the boat, we went out and joined them. It was close to 100 degrees, so we spent time in the water. It was fun! Since Gma and Gpa were out there, we had another driver and extra help. Brandon and I rode the Big Mable with Analise and Maisie. They then floated in the water. Sadie was dipped in the water, and she would sit with me on the tube.
We got home later than I had hoped (typical), showered the girls and had them in bed about 20 minutes when a bad storm hit. The sirens went off, so down to the basement storage room we went. We hung out there 45 minutes or so. We sang lots of Sunday school and chapel songs from my growing up years and some of the new Go Fish songs. It helped us pass the time by worshiping the Lord during the storm. Literally. :)
Sunday was church, and then I got to run a few errands by myself. Ahhh...so nice! After a yummy dinner, (together after 10 days!), we went fishing. More fun there. We caught several fish again. I felt refreshed after a good family weekend.

Busy Times

Here we are, half way finished with summer. I've accomplished a few things on my mental goal list; other areas are slacking. Kudos to being consistent with Analise's responsibility chart. In fact, last week she slacked, and I didn't give reminders (Kevin Leman would be so proud. :)), and she didn't earn any rewards. She was bummed, but she's also been more responsible since!
The girls are still excited to earn a stone for good behavior. We celebrated Friday evening with a really simple activity. We didn't have lots of time, so we went out to a local attraction where you can feed big fish from a neat bridge. I didn't buy the fish food there; I took our own loaf of expired bread. All three girls enjoyed sharing the bread with the fish.
Maisie is more responsible in getting herself dressed all the time. Yeah!
Now things I still need to work on...working with Maisie on holding a pencil and doing some fine motor skills with it. My goal of doing this weekly is slacking...
I still need to teach Analise how to tie her shoes. Here she is 6 years old, and I have to tie her shoes. I purposely bought shoes with laces to motivate me to teach her. I tried passing this task along to dad, but that hasn't worked. :)
So last week was kind of crazy. We had something every morning of the week. Brandon is working a lot and coming home later than normal. Weds. night as soon as he walked in the door, I left for a meeting at church. By the time I got home, he was in bed.
Thursday night was the same thing. Hello and goodbye. I went out to eat with my MIL and two sister in laws. It was a refreshing night hanging out with the girls. We enjoyed dinner, a movie, dreaming of the future and talking until 1 am.
Friday morning was park day with friends. Saturday was lake day. One of these days all three of my girls will like to be on the boat. Analise enjoys it all for the most part. She learned this weekend that she is brave enough to float in the water with her life jacket; she didn't hold on to anything. She was so proud!
Sunday after church we went over to some friends for a cookout, and the kids (11 of them under age 6) played in their new inflatable pool/water slides. They loved every minute of it. I loved being with my friends that feel like family.
Sunday evening kicked off VBS for church. So now I find my thoughts on that a lot. It's good to be with kiddos again, I will admit. But I will miss my evenings with my hubs. However, it's exciting for him to have one on one time with Sadie. I better keep moving...