It was hot and humid but we survived. It is good to be back home and have the little girls back in their own cribs. Man bedtime was R-O-U-G-H! They don't like sleeping in the play pens and were miserable. After grumbling for a couple of hours every night they'd finally settle in and sleep. Morgan managed to sleep with us a few nights after waking up in the middle of the night. She slept fine once she was in bed with us.
The trip down was pretty uneventful. Jason, my brother-in-law Billy and my nephew Cody went in my sisters SUV and had most of the luggage etc. with them. I took my sister and my niece with me in the van with Kori and the trio. The DVD players were going and we had walkie talkies to communicate with the boys. We stopped a couple of times to potty and had lunch and got in around 3:30 or so. The cabin was GORGEOUS! Beyond our expectations! It was really great! It smelled so wonderful too. The deck was fantastic as well!
We got in and got settled and headed down to the Branson Landing to "ride the ducks". It was a bit long for the trio and my niece but all in all not bad.
We split up again and Becky and Cody and I headed to the grocery store while the hubby's took the girls back to the cabin for bathing and jammies.
We had some dinner and got everyone in finally.
Tuesday we headed to Silver Dollar City. After a bit of a delay, allow me to translate that. My husband refused to take the map I had and decided to go a different way. Not a problem, except for the fact that he and Billy both failed to see the big sign indicating that to go towards the Table Rock Dam we would need to go right. Nope they missed it and 20 minutes later we found ourselves in a lovely area of homes. The boys were too proud to ask for directions, but being a woman I was not. I drove over to a nice man working in his yard and he got us going on the right path. WHAT is it with men and directions???
Anyway after 45 minutes or so we finally arrived. Morgan was less than thrilled about the whole thing and wasn't shy about voicing her displeasure. In her defense it was hot and humid. Her nose was a bit runny and I think she wasn't feeling 100%. I had a horrible sinus infection that I developed just in time for vacation so I wasn't feeling super hot either. After a couple hours of her grumbling, groaning, screaming, yelling and just generally being miserable, I'd had enough. In tears I told my hubby I was taking the trio and heading back to the cabin. My sister went with me to help out and the rest stayed behind for more fun.
Things were going great until all three of the girls fell asleep in the strollers while waiting for the trolley to pick us up to take us to the parking lot, which by the way was about 5 miles away. Well it seemed that way in the heat otherwise I would have just walked it. So after getting my sister on and settling the three very unhappy girls on with her, folding up the two strollers we were on our way. While Kamryn and Alexis were unhappy about being awakened so soon after falling asleep, they managed to make the best of it. Kamryn quickly started eating some kettle corn and Alexis busied herself with the remaining bit of some frozen strawberry lemonade. Morgan, well she was a WHOLE different story. She was VERY UNHAPPY and was not shy about voicing her displeasure. She screamed the entire ride back. Did I mention we were in the last row of the tram, right in front of the nice gentleman trying to chat with everyone via loudspeaker. He was nice about it all and informed everyone that there was a little one on board not happy about leaving Silver Dollar City. So after a few strange looks, lots of sympathetic ones as well, we finally arrived at our parking lot. After tromping the 3-more miles to the van, we loaded everyone up, popped in the Little Mermaid and sat for a minute to collect ourselves. I was sweating, stressed, hot and thirsty. My sister was equally as sweaty and hot. She was also covered in lots of Morgan's tears, and even a bit of snot and boogers I believe. Woo hoo! Loving me some vacation now...NOT!
I took the long way back thinking the girls would sleep. Not so much. We got everyone in and I gave them a bath and then we started to make some tacos for dinner. The rest of the crew arrived later and we had a nice dinner. Jason stayed with the little girls while the rest of us went swimming. That felt nice!
Wednesday Jason and Billy golfed in the morning. The course left a lot to be desired apparently and a lot of balls were lost. Upon their return we headed in for some lunch and some more sight seeing. We also pit-stopped at Walmart to get some medicine for the sinus infection that both my sister and I were now suffering from. One of our stops was at the Table Rock Lake fish hatchery. We were told that would be a fun thing to do with kids. NOT SO MUCH! My sister and I both needed some Xanax when we were through there. It was hot first of all. Then there are lots of concrete "tanks" (for lack of a better description) in the ground. They are covered with a flimsy net covering that my kids kept wanting to lean on. The "tanks" are full of water and trout, lots of trout! This is where they keep the trout that they stock the lake with. Did I mention LOTS of trout? They sell food and you can feed them. My girls were enthralled but it was very stressful with three two year olds. I kept seeing them falling in and swimming with the million of trout in there. It was not fun. My sister and I joked about wanting to crawl into the fetal position and cry it was so stressful. So we got rid of our fish vittles and headed for the car. We got drinks at Sonic and re cooped. Even poor Cody said it was stressful. Never again thanks.
We headed back to freshen up a bit before Becky, Mallory, Cody, Kori and I did the Dixie Stampede dinner show while the hubby's kept the little ones. It's a fun time, but there are no high chairs and such for little ones, and with three that would be tough. It was a blast and we all had a great time!!!! The food is served without utensils which is kind of fun. It's food you can eat with your fingers, chicken, pork loin, corn on the cob, roasted potatoes, soup and apple turnovers. Kori thought that was awesome! Mallory loved the hee-hee's, or horses as we call them.
On Thursday Becky, Billy, Mallory, Cody and Kori visited the Titanic museum. Jason and I did that two years ago when we took the girls when they were 3-months old so we passed on that.
That evening we went to the Celebration City amusement park. If this is any indication for you my husband comment was, "It's nice someone thought to put an amusement park on the surface of the sun!" It was sooooooo hot and miserable. Morgan did better here than at Silver Dollar City but after a few hours and some dinner they were done. They did get to ride a few rides which was interesting. They just didn't understand the concept of getting off and getting back on. Alexis was super grumpy about that and had a bit old tantrum about it. So after dinner Jason took them back to the cabin while the rest of us stayed. We were wanting to ride some more rides and see the fireworks/laser light show at the end of the night. There was a play area at the resort that the girls could enjoy so they had lots of fun there. LOTS! They were also very dirty and left a lot of residue behind in the tub. At least they had fun.
We ended our night VERY wet! Well Becky, Kori, Mallory and I did anyway. We rode a water ride three times with the girls. They LOVED it, despite the rather large hill we went down, and wanted to do it over and over. Becky and I would have stopped after the second time but when the boat came into the loading/unloading area everyone (except for us) was chanting "one more time!" so they just sent us along again. Man we got duped into that one! So totally soaked, but with happy kids we left. The fireworks/laser show was good. We enjoyed some deep fried Oreos while we watched. Yes you read that right. Dipped in funnel cake batter and fried. They were rich but yummy!
Friday Becky and I took the four little girls shopping while the boys and Kori went to play mini-golf and ride go-karts. We hooked up later for dinner and then headed back for some swimming. The little girls LOVED the pool! Alexis liked it the least, but enjoyed watching the others when she got out. Morgan and Kamryn LOVED it and had so much fun. It's stressful taking three little ones swimming. We were glad to have lots of extra hands there.
It rained overnight Friday night and into Saturday morning. They had gotten 5 1/2 inches of rain when we left. There was lots of flooding and damage which is too bad.
The ride home seemed long to me. My niece was unhappy, my sister wasn't feeling well and it just seemed to be going slow. We survived though and that is most important.
There were high points as well as some low points. We laughed a lot which is always good. There was lots of good food too which is great! Taking 4 two-year olds on vacation isn't relaxing in the least, but we did it and we survived. Where to next year you ask? Too tired to even entertain the thought. Ask me in six months.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
We Survived!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Bon Voyage!
We are headed to Branson in the morning and will return on Saturday! Pray we have a wonderful time and great weather!!!
Ciao!!!!!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Portraits
In the 1st picture the order is: Kamryn, Alexis, Kori and Morgan.
2nd picture is Kamryn
3rd picture is Alexis
4th picture is Morgan
5th picture: Alexis, Morgan & Kamryn
Again...
Well as I said before my dad was unable to make it to the girls' birthday party last weekend due to being sick. He felt somewhat better on Monday, but not great. By Thursday it was evident he was not getting better so my mom made him an appointment and got him into the doctor. Apparently he has pneumonia.
He is sick of being suck. Frustrated about being in pain all the time due to his arthritis, neuropathy etc. It's so hard to see him like this. He told my mom he's just ready to give up. He's tired of the constant pain.
THAT breaks my heart. I wish I had a magic wand to wave and make him better. It's not time for him to give up. We all need them. My girls, as well as my niece Mallory need MORE time with their Pop-A.
He's never even got to enjoy his retirement. It's such a bummer. If you could spare a prayer, it would be greatly appreciated.
A Conversation...
It seems as if I am always having to repeat something to Kori. At times it seems that EVERYTHING I say is met with a HUH from her. It drives me nuts. Last week when we were going to pick up a few last minute things for the little girl's birthday party I had had enough.
Our conversation went something like this:
Me: Kori do you have trouble hearing or do you just not pay attention?
Her: I just don't always pay attention.
Me: Well when you ask a question, try and stay focused for a few seconds until the answer to the question you asked is given.
Her: Uh okay mom.
Me: I was beginning to think you were going to need hearing aids.
Her: Hearing maids? WHAT is a hearing maid?????
I quickly thought to myself, time to call the audiologist.
Monday, June 16, 2008
TWO years???
Seriously has it been two years since I welcomed my wonderful, beautiful, perfect miracle trio into this world??? Well techincally it's been two years and one day now, but still. Where has the time gone? As I type this I am listening to said trio NOT taking a nap. There is a lot of jumping, laughing, gabbing, giggling etc. going on, but not much sleeping. **Sigh**
The girls party Saturday went well. Not a huge turnout, but that's another story. We kept it to family this year. We did Mickey Mouse Clubhouse as our theme. We grilled out hot dogs, sausages and brats. We had potato salad, pasta salad, chips/dip, veggies/dip and cake and ice cream. The girls had fun and enjoyed their presents a lot. If it would quit raining we'd enjoy our playhouse, picnic table, bubble mowers and new tricycles a bit more. They got LOTS of stuff and are waaaaaay too spoiled. My dad got sick the morning of the party and was unable to attend. He was bummed, and we were bummed he couldn't be here, but we know if he could have been here he sure would have. Jasons dad and step-mom, and his mom didn't come for whatever reason. But we enjoyed having those that were here to celebrate my girls!
Aunt Becky and Cousin Mallory stayed late so the girls could all keep on playing. Then it was directly into the baths for all of them. There were some serious dirt rings in my tub afterward!
Hard to believe that this time two years ago I was anxious to get to the NICU to see the girls. I couldn't visit them the first day as I still had my catheter in. I was also dealing with the fact that I felt like my innerds were going to come tumbling out of my stomach. I am still not very happy with my sister Becky for ensuring me that c-sections were "easy" and "no big deal". I've had it the "old fashioned" way and I MUCH prefer that way! C-sections stink!!!
My life, while busier and more hectic than ever, would never have been the same without these beautiful girls in it! (I'll post pictures later!)
Friday, June 13, 2008
OUCH!
I mentioned my nephew plays baseball. Last Friday night he took a ball to his back...this is the result:
Now had that been me I would have been rolling on the ground in the dirt...crying like a girl!!! Not him, I took his base and kept going as if nothing had even happened.
These pictures were taken 20-30 minutes after the fact. OUCH! Who says baseball isn't a contact sport.
Baseball, housework, errands and stuff.
I've been BUSY lately. Last weekend we went to some baseball games for my nephew Cody. We had birthday errands to run. We managed to eat out too, which is always nice.
Wednesday and Thursday I got all my housework done. I did some organizing too. I love when I'm in the mood to get rid of unused junk and get things better organized. We have a lot of space here and we don't use it to our full potential, especially since we have a lot of kiddos, which means a lot of joys.
So my house is clean. My laundry is on it's way to being done. I will make some pasta salad to get ready for tomorrow and that's about it.
The party time is 2:00 and it should be fun.
It Speaks!
My blog that is. My sister thinks she's sooooo funny. This is an email she ent to me yesterday. SOMEONE has a little too much free time on her hands huh?
Dear Melissa,
Hi, I am your blog and I am BORED! Can you update me please? You act like you have 12 children, a husband, house, animals, annoying family and other activities that keep you busy. WHATEVER!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Bedtime Stories
Kori and I read books every night. It's something we've always done and I really enjoy it. Now that she can read, she usually reads a couple and then I will read one. Tonight she picked out a couple for her to read and she picked mine out as well. Mine was simply titled "Dolphin". Okay, cool! I love dolphins.
Page 1 got us started. Okay great! Page 2...a new dolphin is born. Illustrated picture as well. Oh great! Kori was like "Cooooool, look it's coming out of it's mommy's tummy. Look his little tail is poking right out." I'm thinking, "Please God, don't let this lead to ANY other questions about child/dolphin birthing. I'm not up for it tonight, it's been a long day!" Nothing further from her, awesome!
Moving on! We read about how the dolphins like to swim in the waves created by passing boats. Oh, that's cute! A little fact I didn't know.
We then get to the part about how the killer whales, or Orca's like to eat dolphins. Not so great! One is quickly approaching the newest baby dolphin and Kori is on the edge of the bed with fear thinking the baby will soon be whale snack food! I was thinking the very same thing. But after some fin slapping on the water, to signify danger, the male dolphins come in and rescue the baby and all is well! Kori and I both gave a little cheer.
We then read about them confusing a school of mackerel so they can eat them. I wasn't too torn up about that because mackerel aren't really cute or cuddly and there are probably lots of them in the big ol' ocean.
We're reading about muddy waters made my shrimp boats releasing unwanted fish into the water. The dolphinsmake some sound that echoes off the fish so they know where they are so they can eat them. Creative little fellas, I'll give them that. We're cruising along when along comes a......SHARK!!!
Kori exclaims "OH NO!" I 2nd that! Well long story short the baby dolphin calf gets part of it's fin ripped off by said shark and Kori and I are both a little traumatized and upset by it. The baby gets away finally and we learn in the next couple of pages that the fin will heal and all is well with the baby.
Yikes! So much for a nice light read before bed. We should have stopped with "Honey Bunny Funny Bunny" I think. I'm thinking children's book should come with a rating system like violent video games perhaps. **Warning** Dolphin Mauling Mentioned! Avoid this book if you are reading it as a light bedtime read! For mature and shark loving people!"
Tomorrow I will do a little more research on our bedtime books. Off to dream of dancing dolphins. Preferably ones with all their fins intact!
Whew!
Ever have one of those days? Me too and today was one of them. Jason worked off-duty all day and then took a nap when he got home because he had to work tonight all night for his regular shift. So the girls saw him for 5 minutes before the nap and 10 minutes before he left for work. Rough on them, rough on me.
All four of the girls are suffering with allergies. Kori has been coughing and sneezing and just feeling cruddy. Her Zyrtec has kicked in and today she was feeling better. The trio, not so much. I started them this morning as soon as I saw how miserable they were and I am keeping my fingers crossed that it kicks in soon! They were whiney, crabby, clingy, grumpy at times, happy at times, needy and just blah most of the day. My throat is scratchy and my nose is runny so I know that I am suffering the same fate. Days like this are the days I really need more arms, legs, lap room, just more of me in general. Everyone wanted to sit on my lap, no one wanted to share said lap with any of the other siblings, that makes for a rough time.
After dinner I took the girls to Sheridan's for custard so that the house would be semi-quiet for Jason so he could nap. That went over well, the custard was a hit.
The girls went down pretty easy tonight. No barking, pretend barfing (see birthday post), meowing, gigging or yelling. This usually means trouble. I've been in with Kamryn twice and Morgan twice so far. These nights can be rough. These are the nights I wish Jason were on days so that I'd have an extra pair of hands here with me. Oh well, I've done it before and survived, I'll do it again.
Just kind of a blah day for me today I guess. My post matches my mood I suppose.
My Birthday
Was 5/30 and it was a wonderful day! I got to sleep in! I had birthday cake for breakfast! I had a facial, which if you've never had one, you MUST! It was the most wonderful and relaxing thing EVER! I was so relaxed when I was done ( 1 1/2 hours later) that I thought for sure I'd never be able to drive home.
I got home and showered and "fixed myself up" so that Jason and I could go on a date. BIG thanks to Aunt Becky for tending to the herd, along with her little one, so that we could go out. We plied them with pizza and fled like bandits!
We went to Harrah's for the "All You Can Eat Crab Leg Buffet". Now I'm not a fan of crab legs, as a matter of fact I am pretty sure I was the only person there NOT eating them. I had to fuss at my hubby a couple of times as he was plowing through his because he kept flinging crab juice on me. That stuff is S-M-E-L-L-Y!!!!
After dinner we headed off to a movie. We saw What Happens In Vegas with Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz. A funny, light comedy, just what we needed! It was a great night! It's nice after almost 12 years together and 10 years married, I still enjoy hanging out with my hubby, who happens to also be my best friend.
Kori was wounded during our outing however. She decided it would be a good idea to jump on the couch and fell off. She banged up her shoulder pretty good on the coffee table and now is sporting a nice bruise that has a lot of different colors in it's make-up. She learned a valuable lesson, one that she already knew...we don't jump on the furniture.
During the movie I texted my sister to make sure all was well. She informed me the little girls were almost asleep. They had been in bed for quite sometime, but they were busy "pretend barfing". That made Jason and I crack up when we read her return text. Only my kids would be in there making fake retching sounds. Usually they meow or bark at one another, guess they were mixing it up.
So now I am 35. Blah! Oh well, it was a great day and a great night, so I can't complain!
I am adding a picture that Kori took. I was sitting on the arm of the chair which is why I look so short and Jason so tall. Not to mention our photographer is a bit short for shooting a picture from the perfect angle. I think my sister has a better one...maybe she'll send it to me. (Hint hint!)
