Vacation

Gearing up for vacation is a lot of work. Our favorite vacation spot is anywhere BEACH. We were not able to coordinate time through our timeshare for when/where we wanted. So it's off to the mountains of Harrisonburg we go.

I spent several days leading up to vacation planning attire, meals and activities. Fortunately it wouldn't not be a long ride. One DVD should suffice for the trip. Our teenager had a friend join us us. This has been our vacation partner and adopted daughter since they were 8 years old. Originally it was to give her someone to keep her company and occupied so we could 'enjoy' the time away ourselves. I must admit this was a first. We weren't sure what to expect. A mountain resort in the middle of the summer?

The place was nice. Customarily we unload, unpack and then head to the grocery store to get all the things we want and need for that week. We typically prepare dinner a few nights a week and eat out the remaining days. Having breakfast, lunch and snacks options on tap at all times is a good thing. The kids loved being there. We thoroughly enjoyed the wildlife. Deer were everywhere. Greeting us upon our arrival and just hanging out all throughout the day. They were certainly used to people who likely fed them a treat or two. We were intrigued when taking trash to the dumpster. There was a hidden hand contraption that took some coordination to open. A larger sticker on the dumpster explained it was necessary to keep bears at bay. Oh wow don't want to run into a bear in the middle of the day or night unless they are off in the distance and I mean a really sizable distance between them and us. Our days were filled with swimming, playground play, grass tubing (which was very cool), magic shows and water park visits. We coordinated naps as best we could and at night we regrouped from the days activities. We always bring the Wii and/or Playstation with us. So there was a few evenings of Video challenges and fun. We also found some really great local spots to eat. The buffet at the Water Park was awesome. A great selection of really good food. The greatest find was a local BBQ spot (Hanks) that was simply incredible. It was a very nice, yet family friendly place. Both of these places were the dining choice of the day more than once.

This year Jalen decided was his breakout year in the water. He was becoming fish-like. Just enjoying every aspect of being in the water. Jumping in, closing his mouth and holding his breath under water. Just wanting to swim, swim, swim. That was so fun to watch and experience. Paris and I even went out one night for a little Mother/Daughter Bingo. It was a little intimidating at first. I'd never gone to a organized Bingo game. There were a lot of rules, but in the end it was a fun time. As always the girls had some admirers. We enjoy hearing and laughing at those stories. This year was no different. Over the years we've developed a vacation groove we like to flow with. It generally consists of something like water fun, eat, activity, video games or rest and then dinner and nighttime water fun. Believe it or not it never gets old. We did elect to go fishing during the trip which was a good time. We didn't catch anything but to have everyone out on the water participating in something I have loved for so long was awesome. A downpour was unleashed from the sky which quickly ended our time on the water. Typically rain/storms create a feeding frenzy in the water, but that was not the case that day. The water park and game room were a lot of fun too! The not so amusing part was turning in the tickets and trying to select a toy that would be suitable for the overexcited little ones.

Overall we had a great time. My son loved this trip. He couldn't stop talking about our mountain house and how he wanted to go back there. I'm certain at some point we'll go back. We definitely want to experience the area during ski season.

Milestones

Reaching, grabbing, grasping, kicking, splashing and laughing....oh and i definitely know my name.....the joys of watching your little one grow.

It's amazing how each child differs and reaches a variety of milestones at a different time and pace. For me watching all these things with Makinley is bittersweet. It's exciting to see her world unfold, but the reality for me is I'm witnessing the 'last' of many 'firsts' which makes me sad. The time goes by so quickly. All the more reason to take the time to relish and savor every moment. Onward to the next series of milestones...solids, rolling over, clapping hands, 1st tooth, and so on and so forth.

Nap Trap

I have to thank my new Mommy friend Jayne for this one. The Nap Trap. Perfectly coined. Nothing like a newborn that requires consistent sleep. A two year old who still has a nap schedule of at least 1 long name or 2 shorter naps. The five year old gave up naps all together close to age four. This Nap Trap makes it difficult to plan our days. Sometimes even getting out of the house fails to happen. It will likely be at least a few years before we are out of this all together. Which I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not. At least I know at some point in the day at least 2 of the 4 are resting and I have some time to myself to shower, get online, clean up or do whatever I please. I'll take it for now.

Anniversary

Today is my Anniversary. 10 years ago today my husband and I were married. I truly believe he is my soul mate. 'Soul Mate' is one of those terms that casually gets thrown around from time to time. However, I'm convinced with everything in me, that the Lord created this man for specifically for me. I am amazed at our how our lives took various dips and turns to bring us to the point of finally finding one another. Once we found one another, our connection was immediate. Unfortunately we both were otherwise spoken for, but 2 years later, the Lord orchestrated our coming together again. This time we never looked back. It doesn't seem like it has been 10 years. The time has gone by so quickly. Our love has withstood challenges and circumstances that likely would have taken others to their knees. Ours literally drove us to our knees.... in prayer. Together we are a fearless team. Without the Lord we are nothing. What we have is built upon the foundation of God's love. That love is enormous. I am thankful and grateful for him. I'm extremely happy with him and I'm proud to be his wife. I'm looking forward to continuing to share my life with him beside me. It promises to be an even more awesome and eventful journey with each day and year that unfolds.

Broken

I spent most of the week busted up from neck, back and shoulder drama. I sarcastically snickered as the Doctor suggested I get a lot of rest. Well I believe a broken toe will help facilitate that along. I wish I had a fabulous story to go along with this injury. The truth of the matter is I was at playgroup with the kids. As I was walking along one of the toddlers walked in front of me and decided to stop. I had my shoes off and walked full force into the back of his foot. I heard a *snap* and thought to myself what was that. The pain was immediate. My toe was sitting twisted to the side. It was not a happy moment at all. All I could think of was if my toe was broken, how much it was hurting and wondering how I was going to get home. I have a high tolerance for pain. I hobbled along, denied everyone the opportunity to drive me home and high tailed it to my house. I was able to get a relatively quick appointment time. After a few x-rays it was determined that I did indeed break my toe. My Doctor said it was the worse broken toe he has ever seen. I must admit when I saw the x-ray I immediately wanted to throw up. It not only broke, but splintered too. Yikes!

Who knew something so small could be so painful and so debilitating. I'm limping along. Trying to do the best I can...1) to keep the kids and the dog off and away from my foot and 2) to keep up with the kids in this state. It's been a tricky and challenging feat, but so far I'm managing. Sleeping as been interesting too. I tend to be someone who is all over the place in my sleep. A broken toe and wild sleep habits are not good. Every time I move, my toe monitor let's me know about it. My Doctor said it will be weeks and weeks before this heals. These are the weeks I had been looking forward to. Family reunion at the Lake, vacation at the beach or the mountains. Some of my plans will definitely need to be revamped. At least all the activities that definitely require to fully functional feet. It's likely that I needed to slow down, take a pause or just stop and enjoy the moment verses rolling through some moments, but this one has really taken me down to a crawl. I"m praying for a swift recovery on this one.

There is Help for the Weary

Ok so I woke up today feeling extremely overwhelmed. I'm going to ride out the emotions until they subside. God will keep those whose mind remain set on him. I'm praying and pressing.

Busted

Have you ever had those days where your body just won't cooperate? Kinks, knots and a variety of uncomfortableness in my neck, shoulder and back. An ankle that feels touched and a knee that continues to remind me that I need to work on strengthening my quad muscles. I've had this issue before, but the pain subsided within a short period of time. This time was different. Everything came to a screeching halt this past week. The pain was semi-debilitating and intolerable. An appointment and prescription later, it is determined that I am suffering from trapezius muscle strain and spasms. The trapezius muscle is the entire triangular muscle group from the base of the neck to the middle of the back. Not a good equation with 3 littles ones. Particularly one that is nursing and has to be held and supported by that muscle group. The doctor told me I need a lot of rest and to get into physical therapy asap the following morning. I chuckled at the get lots of rest part. I was sarcastically thinking 'when' will that happen. I can barely manage the little sleep I am getting.

I took the medicine and really didn't feel any better after a few hours. I took another one several hours later. When I woke up the next day I was in a fog. I could barely function. Thank goodness for my husband. He got the day started as I tried to get myself going. I was able to get a last minute appointment with the therapist. An hour of exercise, electro-therapy and heat really helped. I felt brand new...well at least better. They wanted me to commit to physical therapy twice a week and doing the regimen twice a day at home. We compromised at once a week. I have high hopes to maintain this, so I won't have be strongly coerced to the twice a week office visit. So far so good.