The Best of Our Road Trip 2010

We have been back for a week and after further reflection and after conferring with my family, here are our highlights from our trip down the Oregon Coast.

1.  When talking to Sarah about her favourite part of the trip, over and over, she mentions the hotel phones.  On our vacation, as soon as we got to a new hotel,  she would run to check out the phones.  All telephones met with her approval. We would quickly unplug the phone and then she would make "calls" to let friends and family know where she was and what she was up to.  To be honest, I was hoping for something a little more when it came to her favourites on the trip.

2.  Jack proved to be a difficult interview subject, but from what I could garner, he loved running down hotel hallways.  His little arms and torso would often be moving more quickly than his legs and he was quite a picture with his wide grin, open mouth and quick moving limbs.

3.  Judging by how quickly Jack rejected his crib once we returned from our trip, I can also infer that he really enjoyed sleeping in hotel beds and loved sleeping with his head in mommy's arm pit.  It would not be my first choice for a place to sleep, but it seems to work for him even a week after the trip.

4.  Adam loved the dune buggy tour of the sand dunes in Florence.  Sarah enjoyed the first half of the tour and as mentioned in a previous blog, promptly fell asleep with her head buried in Daddy's fleecy jacket.

The big kids after the dune buggy tour.  Sarah bright and chipper after her nap.

5.  We all loved sledding on the sand dunes in Florence.  We spent one morning hanging out at the dunes alternating between sledding, sand boarding and playing in the sand.  Running up the dunes carrying children and boards is a very good workout.

6.  The beach at Seaside.  Miles and miles of beach, waves big and small crashing against the shore and the mountains in the background made it a not too shabby place for a picnic.  We all know how I feel about picnics.

7.  The treats at Seaside.  There are a lot of candy and treat stores in Seaside.  There are chocolate dipped twinkies, deep fried chocolate bars, fudge, chocolate dipped marshmallows and every kind of candy you can think imagine.  There was even chocolate dipped bacon. Of course don't forget the salt water taffy.  I was in heaven.  Sarah loves ice cream with sprinkles so she was also a very happy girl.

8.  The train and hand pedal operated cars at Seaside.  On our way to dinner the first night we spotted the train and cars, but by the time we finished dinner, it was closed for the night.  It was all the kids talked about until the next evening when we made our way back.  I think all the kids thought it was worth the wait.

9.  Story time at Great Wolf Lodge.  After a long day at the water park, it is fun to get cozy in pajamas and head down to the lobby for a story.  I could tell that Jack was enjoying himself when he dipped his hand into someone's popcorn bag and it was no one that we knew.

10.  One of the best things about this road trip was the chance to spend time with our family exploring new places and sharing laughter and good times with friends.  Travelling with kids can be tiring, but in the end it is so worth it.

Kids Say the Darnedest Things

I had planned to write a different blog tonight.  But the bed time routines at this house are taking my time and my energy.  A seventeen month old not in a crib, is not a good idea, but we are doing it anyways. The never ending bed time routine combined with the fact that Sarah, my exuberant and loving daughter had an epic tantrum tonight and I don't have the energy.  I will save it for another day. So instead, I leave you with two funny things that Sarah said today so we can end this day on a positive note and with happy thoughts.

1.  To me as I cut off the beginning of her favourite t.v. show, Little Bear, "If you do that one more time, I am going to throw you in your room."

2.  To her Daddy after a big, dramatic sigh, "One day I will be a princess." To which I was thinking, oh sweetie, you already are.

Tantrums and diva behaviour aside, we love our girl to bits and bits.  She is precious and thoughtful and she makes us laugh.

Saturday at the PNE

Five on Friday

the what I learned on my summer vacation edition.........

1. It's a good idea to have a general idea of the geographical area you are traveling, so that when the GPS takes you on a "short cut" you know better than to listen to your GPS and stay the course.  We saw a lot of back country U.S.A. on our trip.

2.  That a piece of pretzel up a child's nose can be difficult to extract while traveling in a fast moving vehicle along the I-5.

3.  That third party reservation companies make mistakes.  These mistakes can be stressful when your two options are pile nine people in one hotel room (not a suite) or drive to the closest available hotel that is over an hour away.  Thank goodness for kind people and excellent customer service from the Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites in Seaside, Oregon.

4.  That a tired three year old can fall asleep anywhere including a dune buggy ride with sixteen other people hooting and hollering while the dune buggy careens up and down dunes along the coast.

5.  That trying something new, exploring new places with friends and spending time with your family are ingredients for an excellent vacation.

Happy weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

The Florence, Oregon edition:

"Is it my turn yet?

Sand boarding on the dunes.

Running around the parking lot at our hotel.

Jack's first foray into the land of mini golf.

Sarah Sharp Shooter Schwartz

Strolling through Old Town, heading to dinner at Mo's.

Sleep Tales- Part 3

I sit here in shock as I type this.  My baby, my little boy is done with his crib.  How can this be?  He is only seventeen months old.  I don't think I am ready for this.

We just returned from a five day holiday.  Each of the five nights, we all slept in the same hotel room and Jack was not keen on his play pen.  In fact, after the first night he slept in a bed with me and would have nothing to do with the play pen.

Jack contemplating sleep at Great Wolf Lodge

Jack has the cutest ritual for settling into sleep.  It is just another way that he reminds me of a golden retriever.  He lays down, wiggles around, sits up, moves around and lays down again.  The movements get less and less frequent and eventually he drifts off to sleep.

We got home last night and he slept in his crib for a mere three hours before he woke up crying.  When I went to get him, he was pointing.  I thought he was pointing to downstairs because he wanted a snack.  Looking back, he was pointing to our room.  He ended up sleeping with us for the rest of the night.

Today, for his afternoon nap, he cried and cried in his crib.  I picked him up, put him in our bed and he was asleep within five minutes. He slept for three hours.

During his nap, I got his twin mattress ready on the off chance he wanted to sleep on it.  I put it on the floor of his room and covered it with a sheet. After his nap,  his sister and I explored the mattress with him.  After baths, we had story time on his new mattress. At bed time, Jack climbed the stairs laid down, wiggled around, sat up, rotated around, laid down and wiggled some more and then he fell asleep.  That was it.  He is asleep on his big boy mattress on the floor.  As I contemplate sleeping with him tonight, the story Love You Forever by Robert Munsch dances through my head.

Holiday of Fun

We are currently on vacation.  We started at Great Wolf Lodge in Washington.  We are currently in Florence and today we are heading to Seaside with a stop in Lincoln City.  We will be home on Monday and posts will be up and regular again.  Happy Weekend!

Family photo from Great Wolf Lodge.  

Wordless Wednesday

Sarah having fun in Vernon

Five on Friday

The quick and dirty addition....

1. We are in Vernon for a little get-away, staying at my parents house. I have been here since Monday with the kids. We have been busy all week, with many outings that included water because it has been so hot here. Captain Canada arrived tonight and I was so happy to see him.

2. So graduating from university was a big accomplishment and getting my first permanent teaching job was also huge. But, Sarah being potty trained feels like I battled a fierce dragon and came out on top. She has been peeing in the potty since Sunday with no accidents. I knew when she peed in the public washroom at the Walmart in Merritt that we had turned the corner.

3. So on my summer to do list was a swim in Kalamalka Lake. Instead of Kalamalka Lake, we opted for several swims in beautiful Okanagan Lake. One was off the boat in the middle of the crisp, clear lake with not another vessel in sight. Today, we decided to capture the moment. Inspired by my friend Amanda:

4. We are also in Vernon to celebrate my parents 40th wedding anniversary. To commemorate the occasion we had a family photo taken by our friend and photographer, Allan Attridge. We are so happy with how it turned out. The colours, the light and the background are breathtaking.

5. Happy 40th Anniversary to my parents.

We are having a shindig tomorrow to celebrate my parents anniversary. I am looking forward to good food, good drinks and good times. Happy weekend.

Wordless Wednesday

My big boy. Growing so fast.

When Things Don't Go Quite as Expected

Friday night, we decided to head to the park after dinner. It was a beautiful evening and we thought it would be the perfect way to end the day.

We go to parks a lot. When we do, I am usually a well prepared mama. My bag is packed with snacks, water, sunscreen, towels, bathing suits, swimmer diapers, extra clothes and the list goes on and on. This was more of an impromptu visit, so my bag was less than full. Of course, on this evening both kids headed straight to the water park. Generally they dash for the swings. Fully clothed, they got absolutely soaked. I think it was the wettest Sarah had gotten all season at the water park. It is something about getting wet while fully clothed that makes the water park that much more fun.

Sibling Love

Jack was born at 7:57 p.m. on March 23, 2009 with the help of my two lovely midwives, Jane and Yarra. We could have gone home after four hours, but we had a plan. We wanted Sarah to be a part of bringing home her baby brother, Jack. Since she was already in bed, we decided to spend the night and head home bright and early the next day. That morning, Sarah rushed into the room to meet her baby brother and immediately wanted to start helping. Here is a photo of her beaming with pride as she holds Jack for the first time. This picture still makes me smile and tear up at the same time.

As we left the hospital that morning, she insisted on carrying the car seat. With a little help from her Daddy, Sarah brought Jack to the car and we made our way home as a family.

Since that day, the bond between Sarah and Jack has grown. Don't get me wrong, now that he is more of a real person with wants, needs, likes and dislikes, there are times when Sarah wants him to buzz off. Especially since he wants everything she has and he follows her everywhere. But, she loves him to pieces and he absolutely adores her.

I love the way they hold hands in the car.

I love how Sarah introduces him to random strangers in the park, "This is my brother Jack. He is one. He got new shoes. Do you like his new shoes?"

I love how after a bath, they race to Sarah's room to play on Sarah's bed and practice bum drops.

I love the way they make each other laugh

Five on Friday

1. Last Monday, while running errands at the mall, Sarah decided she wanted to get a hair cut. Really, I think she just wanted to sit in the hot, white Barbie car and watch Dora. She did not really care about the hair cut itself. But, she let the stylist use leave in conditioner, comb out her hair, cut it and style it with a cute clip. I was happy because these are all things that rarely happen at our house. It feels like an accomplishment if I can get Sarah's hair combed once a week. It is lucky she has curly hair and can get away with it. Sarah enjoyed her time in the car so much, she asked if she could get another hair cut yesterday.

2. I was recently introduced to the t.v. show Modern Family by our friends Andrew and Cheryl. I love this show, absolutely love it. I cannot get enough of it. I have been watching the episodes on my iphone during workouts or if I don't make it to the gym in full couch potato mode, once the kids are in bed. I find myself laughing out loud a lot. It seems like a long time since a sitcom made me laugh that much. But, there is often a moment at the end of the show where they get just a little bit serious and I smile and nod because I get it, I relate to their message.

3. We are gearing up for a road trip at our house. I am taking the kids to Vernon to stay with my parents for a week. I am very excited to take the kids around the town doing all sorts of touristy things.

4. In a few weeks, we will be doing our annual family holiday. This summer we are heading down the Oregon Coast with Michelle, Rick and their kids. I am looking forward to this trip as I have wanted to drive down the Oregon Coast for a few years. We are kicking off our trip with an over night stay at Great Wolf Lodge. It will be our second visit to the Lodge and I think both kids are going to enjoy all that the water park has to offer.

5. It seems like bad things have been happening lately to people I know and friends of people I know. Young people battling cancer, others gone too soon. It makes me sad and I have a hard time falling asleep with all of these sad stories running through my mind. It makes me hold onto my kids just a little bit tighter, give them a few extra squeezes and kisses. I like to bury my head in their necks, drink in their smell and memorize the little things that I love about them. The way Sarah crinkles her nose and eyes when she is being funny or the way Jack hand dances when a familiar song comes on.

Give your loved ones an extra squeeze this weekend. Happy Weekend.

Wordless Wednesday

The Science World Edition:

July- Month in Review

My month in review is inspired by Amber at Strocel.com. She posts a month in review and invites us to play along. Here are a few things I learned during the month of July:

Chocolate chip cookies and pie is an amazing combination. On Canada Day, I was inspired to make a Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie. Thank you Bakerella. It was so good I made it a second time this month. But for the good of my waistline I will only make it again if I am invited to someone else's house. So please, invite me over.

Driving above the posted speed limit on Main Street is not a good idea.

I hate potty training and it hates me. That's all I am going to say on this never ending topic.

The beauty of Centennial Beach became clear to me and we went there no less than four times this month. Each time was a little bit different and we always took away something to savour.

Someone should really invent a pair of urine proof pants to wear when snuggling yet to be potty trained three year olds on ferries.

Even though I get tired and frustrated sometimes, I love spending the summer with my kids and I am fortunate to have the summers off.

My son's feet have grown two sizes in four months and buying running shoes for him at the Stride Rite outlet is a much cheaper alternative.

By focussing on the positive aspects of my day and not dwelling on the negative things such as tantrums makes me a much happier person.