A Good Day

I wonder if my husband gets sick of me saying "I can't get anything done!"  If I get sick of hearing myself say it, it seems rather likely that almost everyone else I speak to on a regular basis gets sick of hearing it too!

I say it a lot because that's how most days feel to me.

But not today!

As I was washing the dishes tonight, thinking of all the things I still needed to do tonight, I found myself feeling kind of proud of all that I had done today.

Today was a good day.

So I thought I'd document it.

I'm giving myself a pat on the back today because I did all of this...

• Showered and put make up on BEFORE taking Emily to her first day of Pre-K this morning.  

• Assembled a last minute teacher gift in the 30 minutes prior to having to leave to take Emily to school. 

• Made ALL of the beds!

• Vacuumed the upstairs and mopped part of the wood floors to remove the mud spots.

• Wrote and posted a blog post, complete with pictures, in one quick sitting (before this one!)

• Threw dinner together when I had nothing planned instead of going out.  That's major for me people.  I am not one of those "oh, I just threw something together and used up what I had in the fridge" kind of people.  But today, I was!

• Read multiple books to several small girls.

• Played puzzles with Molly and worked on teaching her colors.

• Finished a project for my high school reunion.

• Had a good idea!

• Wrote Thought about writing thank you notes.

• Unloaded the dishwasher after the dinner dishes had ran through it.  This is such a bonus for me!  I really loathe unloading the dishwasher and when it is the very first thing I have to do in the morning, it kind of makes me a little grouchier than I already am!

• Did one load of laundry.  AND folded it!  OK, just did one load of laundry.  It's still sitting in the dryer.
• Did something I haven't done in many, many years... exercised!  I purchased a workout DVD 4 months ago and finally did it for the first time last night.  It was brutal.  And I followed the "program" by taking measurements of myself AND took a "before picture" of myself it "form fitting clothes".  Talk about pure awfulness.  Just.plain. awful!  But it will probably motivate me to put the DVD in again tomorrow!

• Took my vitamins.  ALL of them!

• Didn't eat Orange Leaf... OR a cookie from Kwik Shop!

• Didn't cry or yell or lose my patience.  Not one single time!

So today was a good day.

So good, that I think I'll go for the get up early, shower, put on make up, make the beds, exercise and take vitamins kind of day again tomorrow!

Following Suit

Food.

Feeding my children food.

I despise it.

Why?

Because they despise it too.

My children are far beyond the typical "picky eater."  

They simply don't care about eating.

Ever.

And as a result, they have no energy, low blood sugar, and are GROUCHY.

I spend much too much of my day trying to get them to eat healthy food that will help them feel better.

It is exhausting.

And it rarely works.

We have daily food "negotiations".

And bribes.

And trips to "time out."

And eventually I usually end up caving.

Food.

I have never liked making it because I'm a terrible cook.

But I try.  

Pretty hard.

I make weekly menus, go the grocery store, and attempt to make healthy, home cooked meals.

But the fact that I spent the entire mealtime trying to convince my kids to eat what I made makes me hate cooking even more.

Ugh.

Food.

It really shouldn't be this difficult.

And now, Miss Abby Grace seems to be following suit.

It's time for her to start eating baby foods.

So we started with the traditional rice cereal.

{Abby's 1st Rice Cereal Feeding - July 30, 2012}

Don't let this smile fool you.

Because Abby Grace is following suit.

Following suit by not eating.

She likes to hold the spoon.

And put the spoon in her mouth.

As long as there is no cereal on the spoon!

She seems to get a little satisfaction out of torturing me with her not eating.  Her eyes and little smirk show that satisfaction.

So even though she has cereal all over her face, she's still following suit.

Approximately 2% of that cereal actually made it to her stomach.

Like those who came before her, she just doesn't care about eating solid food. 

And by "doesn't care", I mean screams and cries when I try to feed her.

And so I tried sweet potatoes.

Those are always a sure hit with the babies.

All the babies except Abby Grace.

So I decided to break all the rules of good and conscientious parenting and completely skip the vegetables.

Go straight for the fruit.

Surely she would like the fruit.  

Every baby likes the fruit!

Right?

Every baby except Abby Grace.

She's just following suit.

Not wanting to eat.

Anything.

Ever.

Food.

I don't know what to do about it.

Maybe I'll start adding sugar to it.

Because that's really the only thing I never have to negotiate with my other kids.

Suggestions are welcomed.

Marking it Down

Tonight marks an occasion that, by all rites of parental passage, simply must be documented.

As I've explained before, my darling little Emily Kate is either adorable or horrible.  Her emotions can change from high to low in a mere matter of seconds... going from a delightful, smiling little basket of joy to a screaming, foot stomping, name calling bundle of hormonal rage!  

I have become fairly accustomed to this character trait of hers and so I just inwardly smile when I see her stomp her little feet, swing her arm, furrow her brow, puff out her cheeks, and profess her disdain for whatever it is I've asked her to do that she is not happy about.  It's common to hear her say...

"I'm not never gonna talk to you again!"

or

"You a MEAN Mommy!"

or

"I not gonna love you anymore"

or my newest favorite...

"I'm gonna call you mean FOREVER!"

But tonight, she upped her ante!  She pulled out all the stops!  After insisting that she return to her bed even though her sister was still awake, I heard a phrase that I'm certain every mother has heard at some point in time.  As she started to spew out the words, I instinctively knew what she was going to say.  It was my turn to go through this parental rite of passage. It was my turn to hear the words...

"You are the MEANEST Mommy....


{stomp, pause}


EVER...


{slam door, pause, and increase voice decibel to pack the last part of this punch}



in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!"


So I'm marking it down.

Tonight is the first night that I was called the meanest Mommy in the whole wide world!  And it most likely won't be the last time I hear it either.  

Thankfully, I know all too well, that when morning comes (after I feed her), she will flash her delightful smile at me, ask to snuggle with me in my bed, and both of us will forget all about the night the meanest mommy in the whole wide world made her go to bed before her little sister!

A "Little Thing"

They slept together on our beach vacation.

They started out like this... 

and ended up like this!

LOVE!

Down by the Sea {South Carolina Vacation}

PICTURE OVERLOAD WARNING...this post literally has a bazillion pictures!  And the commentary is mainly for me to remember this very fun and special event :)

We had not been on a large vacation with kids since Noah was born.  And after having canceled several vacations in past years due to colicky babies and me being sick and pregnant, we decided that this was THE year to finally do it!  

And so, we decided to go somewhere that we have been talking about going since before we were married... the South Carolina Coast!  We almost went to Kiawah Island on our honeymoon, but ultimately ended up in Maui.  But it has been one of Vance's dreams to play golf on the beautiful courses on the SC coast for many years.  And so we did something completely outside of our own comfort zone... something neither of us have ever done before!  We packed up 4 kids, flew to a small little beach town, and rented a beach house!  

Here is the synopsis of our fun adventure!

Day 1:  Departure Day
3:30 pm:  leave Wichita
This was a LONG day!  Packing the car made me question, once again, whether or not we would be able to pull this trip off!  Our luggage consisted of 4 car seats, 5 suit cases, 1 set of golf clubs, 1 portable baby bed, 1 double stroller, 1 diaper bag, 4 backpacks, and my purse!  We made it through security without too many hitches and quickly boarded the plan.  The kids SUPER excited to ride on the airplane!

6:30 pm:  arrive in Atlanta
Noah had a rough ride and I was sweating as I frantically nursed Abby to keep her from crying and fanned Noah in an effort to keep him from having to use the barf bag!  He did fine except for take off and landing... those were the times when his face was as white as a ghost and I was praying he would keep it all down!

11:35 pm - leave Atlanta
After boarding our original plane and pulling away from the gate, we got the news that our airplane was "broken" and that we would soon be de-boarding while we waited for a different airplane.  Thankfully, I was able to find some Dramamine and a set of kids sea bands for Noah; both of which made our second flight much smoother... aside from being several hours delayed!  And as a parent BONUS, we had so many people in the airport approach us to tell us how impressed they were with our kids' behavior; especially considering the long wait and late hour!  

1:30 am - arrive in Columbia, SC
Oh boy!  We FINALLY made it to South Carolina.  Despite the late hour, the kids continued to do pretty well as we got a rental car and reloaded the mountains of luggage!

4:30 am - arrive at destination!

2237 Oyster Catcher Court

Seabrook Island, South Carolina

Day 2 {Friday}
After an EXHAUSTING day of travel, we slept in as long as the excited and anxious kids would allow.  Shortly after waking, we made our way down the short boardwalk to the beach for the first time!

Things got off to a bit of a bumpy start!  Noah curiously touched something washed up on the shore only to later discover it was a jellyfish.  To say that he freaked out is an understatement!  He was certain he was going to DIE because "jelly fish can still sting you after they are dead"!  That fear combined with Emily's fear of the waves didn't make for the picture perfect first beach experience I had in my mind :)

BUT the kids did enjoy collecting sea shells and playing in the sand. Abby snuggled up close to me and fell asleep to the sound of the waves.

Next on the agenda were NAPS... for everyone but me and Noah!

Later that evening, my friend Rebecca and her family arrived!  The kids all made fast friends and we enjoyed a late dinner at the local pizzeria.  We went to bed even more exhausted, but looking forward to another day of fun!

Day 3 {Saturday}
We spend the day at the Seabrook Island Beach House pools!  It was Abby's first time to be in a swimming pool!  She favored sleeping beneath her beach umbrella to being in the water though.

We had lunch on the decks overlooking the beautiful ocean.  The kids enjoyed watching the many sea gulls try to snatch a bit of food!

After lunch, the girls and the babies headed home for naps while the boys and the "big kids" headed down to the beach.  Emily and Noah quickly overcame their fears and ended up having a FABULOUS time in the waves!

We ended the day eating dinner al fresca while we listened to a Jimmy Buffet style band play on the lawn.  Ice cream was the perfect end to a perfect day!

Day 4  {Sunday}
A tropical storm was brewing right off the coast and threatened to end our days in the water.  So after Mass, we decided to head into Charleston in anticipation of rain.  We ate breakfast at a cute little place in downtown Charleston and received another compliment on the good behavior of our children... this time, from our waitress!

The rain never came and the kids really wanted to go back to the beach.  Despite the hurricane force winds, we put on our hats, grabbed our pails, and made our way back to the beach!

It was WINDY and the waves were HIGH!  There were lots of rip tide warnings so Vance had to take the kids in the water one by one to be safe.  They didn't understand the danger of the conditions and just wanted to play in the waves as much as possible.  We did our best to oblige.  

While they waited their turn, they made sand castles and dug holes so deep they hit water!  And Abby fell asleep again to the sound of the waves.

We ended the day eating oceanside at the Beach House restaurant... again!  I enjoyed fried green tomatoes on my Southern Style BLT!

Day 5 {Monday}
Assuming rain would surely come, we headed back to Charleston to spend the day indoors at the South Carolina Aquarium which overlooks the bay and the picturesque Charleston bridge.

Noah was super excited to see a real live SHARK!  He is quite interested in sharks and thought it was very neat to be able to see one up close... even if they were quite small.  We watched a show with a scuba diver inside the huge shark-filled aquarium.  The girls were a bit freaked out by it all, but Noah thought it was great!

{Scuba Diver behind Noah!}

  
The rain never came (again!), so we stayed in Charleston and took a horse drawn tour of historic Charleston.  Despite the heat, the kids were FANTASTIC on the tour... even Abby was all smiles!

We attempted dinner at a local sea food place recommended by our tour guide, but shortly after ordering, we were told there was a fire in the kitchen and we needed to evacuate the restaurant!  Vance said the hush puppies we got as an appetizer were the best he had ever tasted, but that is ALL we tasted at that place!  We ended up at Bubba Gump's which the kids thought was fabulous because they had rubber ducky races!

Day 6 {Tuesday}
The rain finally came!  And lasted all day.  I spent the morning getting pampered at The Sanctuary Spa on Kiawah Island.  It was blissful!  After my spa treatment, everyone joined me and we ate lunch outdoors at the Sanctuary Hotel (gorgeous!) pool deck.  The winds were once again hurricane force, so we headed back home for a much needed day of resting.

Vance got to take his second nap of the vacation which made him happy beyond words!  He said that fact alone may have made this the best vacation ever!  While he and Molly napped, me and the other kids rested (kind of).

Day 7 {Wednesday}

We spent the morning swimming at the Beach House pool.  Although the kids loved the beach, they were equally (if not more so) happy at the pool!  And the Beach House pool had such fantastic views of the coastline, it was a good place to be!

Vance did most of (or rather ALL) of the swimming while Abby and I lounged pool/beachside!  I couldn't have enjoyed anything more than holding Abby while listening to the sound of the crashing waves and the happy squeals of my "big kids"!

After lunch, we took a family stroll down the beach while Abby napped in my arms.  

That afternoon, we headed over to Kiawah Island again so that Vance could do what he really wanted to do in South Carolina... GOLF!  He got to play The Ocean Course and the most unexpected highlight occurred when they happened to stumble upon the PGA championship trophy!  The PGA championship was set to take place on this very course a few weeks after we left and the day the boys played, there were some news/sports people out doing some pre-championship footage of the course.  So Vance and Noah got to have their picture taken with the trophy!

While the boys golfed, the girls SHOPPED in the cute little market called Freshfields!  

When we went to pick them up late in the evening, we saw the most amazing and gorgeous view and sunset!  And the houses... oh, the houses!  I've never seen homes like the ones I saw on the way to this course.  Absolutely unbelievably amazing!

 

Day 8 {Thursday}
The boys started the day off with another round of golf... this time at one of the Seabrook courses.  While the boys golfed, the girls and I had a mini dance party :)

Upon their return, we headed back to the Beach House for more sunning, swimming, snacking, and sleeping!

{I love how her little hand is resting on Vance's leg}

We ended a long and fun day with one final meal at The Pelican's Nest overlooking the beautiful waves.  Poor Molly gave in to her total exhaustion and fell completely asleep in her Daddy's arms!

Day 9 {Friday}
We took one last trip down to the beach before heading back to the airport.  The weather was gorgeous and the water was picturesque.  We attempted that "perfect family beach photo", but as is usually the case when you have a "picture perfect" image in your mind, it didn't quite happen :)  But I snapped and snapped and snapped shots of the kids, the sand, the water, the houses, the sky... I loved it all and wanted to remember all of it!

After soaking up every last second of sand and surf that we could, we jumped in the van and headed back to the airport.  The trip home wasn't quite as exciting as our outbound trip, but overall, the kids did FANTASTIC!  They were all troopers even carrying their own bags!

 

Overall, we had a GREAT, great trip!  So good, in fact, that Noah said he wants to go every year... so does his Mommy :)