Home Sweet Home

He'll be home tonight! Not wanting strangers who may stop by the blog to know that my house was short a husband for the past month, I've kept this to myself. Jeremy went to Vermont for a week in late September. He came home for a week and then went to the Kansas City area for the month of October. Since he was so close by, he was able to come home on weekends except for the weekend that we went down to Kansas City as a family. These trips were for training; he has left for training in the past (including one six week stint in Georgia a few years ago) but he doesn't normally travel and probably won't travel in the future very often.

This is not a pity party, just an exercise in sympathy. Other moms are missing their husbands, too. There are thousands of military moms across the nation doing it all on their own. There are single mothers and widows raising families by themselves. I already had a great appreciation for what they were going through but my understanding has increased quite a bit. I offered up all of this time for those moms and it made the load a lot easier to bear.

I didn't realize how hard it would be to sleep alone. I did it for 23 years, so what's the big deal now? As his time away increased, my bedtime has gradually been pushed back so that lately, I haven't hit the sack until about 1:30 in the morning. Showers had to wait until bedtime, if I even had the energy to make it to the bathroom by then! There were roughly 46 meals alone with the children for which he is usually present. Bedtimes have been tough. The kids usually go down and stay down but since he's been gone, someone (if not three someones) have gotten up for one reason or another nearly every night. When the kids do finally go to bed, every little noise in the house scares me. There was the night that the garage door opened on its own and I stood in the kitchen with my heart racing wondering what was happening on the other side of the door. Luckily, it was nothing.

The hardest part was watching the children miss their dad. Morgan would get quiet but she understood that Dad would be coming home soon. Madeleine cried at least once every two days; sometimes she was inconsolable. Noah would cry for Dad whenever he got in trouble. After Jeremy would leave from a weekend home, Isaiah, who doesn't say much, would run from wherever he was when the garage door opened and closed calling, "Daddy! Daddy!"

The trying part was being the only parent here to answer all the tattle calls and all of the 4,834 questions that a six year old, a five year old, and a four year old can come up with in a day. I was the only one available to help with homework, the only one to fix scrapes and cuts, the only one to give baths, and the only one to do the stressful morning routine. There were no late night runs to the grocery store and no nights out for bible study. There were no last-minute runs to the library and very few solo excursions.

Family has been great during this time. My brothers and sisters, in-laws, and friends have been babysitting when I needed help and visiting (or having us to visit) to keep company and help me keep my sanity. Because of this, the time passed quickly.

Thanks to all of you who helped us through it!

For the Love of Baby Curls

I took my baby (toddler) in to get his hair cut today. He had these gorgeous little curls at the nape of his neck and he had all of the hair he was born with save a few wispies that were tickling his eyes. When we'd cuddle, I would run my fingers from the base of his neck up through the girls. They felt so soft. But the baby curls weren't clinging to his head like they used to and as his not-curly hair grew behind his ears and with the push of winter shirt collars, his hair started to look more like a mullet so it was time. *sigh* I ran my fingers through his soft baby curls once more and then she trimmed them and put them in an envelope for me. The lady did a very good job and now he looks like a little boy and not so much like a baby anymore. Why on earth am I a little sad thinking about this and why on earth do we save HAIR for our babies' baby books?

Homeschool or Parish School?

In the comment section of a recent post, a fellow mom asked my opinion about homeschooling versus sending the children off to a parish school. The truth is, I don't have a strong opinion about it. Several of you who check this blog homeschool. If you have time, maybe you could leave your thoughts in the comments section! Don't hold back.

There is a solid homeschooling community in our area. I know many mothers who homeschool their children. I wish I had the drive to join their ranks, but I didn't think that I could handle it well with other little children (Isaiah). Even now with one child in school full time and one child in school half time, I struggle to find the hours to do chores, make meals, clean up after everyone, stop the arguments, and keep everyone's lessons straight. I have great admiration and respect for mothers who manage their households AND homeschool but it is not for me.

We send our children to our parish school. We belong to a middle class parish which has many young families with young children. We live close to the school; we're only 16 blocks away. Most of my friends are members of the parish and we have children in the same grades. Our tuition is extremely low; it's $100 per year per child, so finances are not an issue for us. The School Sisters of Christ the King staff our school with several teachers and our principal. Our diocese is extremely conservative as is our parish and school. I am glad to send my children to school where they learn about their faith as well as academics. I am extremely happy with our school and with the girls' teachers, the administration, and the other families.

Remember always that we are the primary teachers of our children. It is our business to find out what they are learning in school and expand upon it. I try to be as involved as possible in the school. Right now, I've not been able to spend much time there but I hope to spend a lot of time there in the future when my younger children are older. I'd love to do recess duty and help in the classrooms. Until then, I visit when I can and attend field trips and parties when possible.

Long story short? As I said in the beginning, I don't have strong feelings about whether parents should homeschool or send their children to a parish school. Sending the children to a public school is a whole different topic and for some people is the only option!

What's the bonus about sending your girls to a Catholic school? Those jumpers are so darn cute!

Anyone else care to weigh in?

Afterthoughts on Stair-step Children

What a great response to my recent post about stair-step children! This had me thinking even more. I want to thank you so much for leaving comments--such supportive, positive things you had to say! I'm hoping that my words were encouraging to those of you in the midst of a crowd of toddlers and babies; that's the hard part! It only gets easier. My friend Lisa's response to "boy, you've got your hands full," is, "better full than empty!" You can improvise, too; it's better to be busy than idle, for example.

Better full than empty is so true. I am motivated to welcome another child (or more children) by reflecting on this regularly. As hard as it can be sometimes to manage a family of four children, I know that it's going to get easier. Many people, especially the elderly in nursing homes, will say that they wish they'd had one more or two more children. I have NEVER heard anyone say that they wish they had stopped at #3 or #4 or even #11. I have heard many of my peers--especially ones who are an only child--wish out loud for siblings that they never had, but I have NEVER heard a peer say that they wish that they had less siblings.

I'm the oldest of nine children. I've got three sisters and two brothers all living here in my city. Another brother is serving in the Navy and a brother and sister are still living at home. As I type this, one of my sisters is sitting behind me on the couch keeping me company. No matter the day, it's pretty easy to round up one or two people to hang out with. What if the only sibling I had was the brother in the Navy? I'd be awfully lonely!

A topic for another day: how great it is to have four sisters-in-law and three brothers-in-law in addition to my own siblings...
Here's my disclaimer: I know that there are women hungry for a child to love. I know that there are families who would love to add to their numbers but can't, whether the reason be physical, financial, or something else. I am not here to judge small families. I feel a lot of joy in seeing large families, but when I see a small family, I do not make the assumption that they are choosing not to expand for selfish reasons. I would never presume to say that their family is too small, just as I expect others not to judge the size of my family. I don't know what their family is going through. Perhaps they have been trying to have a child for years, perhaps they've lost a child or children to miscarriage, or perhaps their older children have already grown and left and all they've got left in the pew is one or two!
That being said, I am glad that we are open to life. My Catholic physician helped me to understand this a little better (he and his wife have 12 children). He was lamenting the idea behind contraception and said, "what does it tell your other children when parents say, 'we couldn't handle any more,' or 'we are DONE.' ?" I imagine that it makes them feel like a burden. Children are not a burden! Even when it is difficult to manage or when mom sits on the couch begging for grace because she's overwhelmed, child-rearing is a blessing. After all, nothing is easy! The message sent to your children when you are open to life is a message of joy. You're telling them that they're so great that you hope for more just like them!
There are some days when I think that I could handle 12 kids and some days when I want to send back the 4 that I have (only kidding). The one thing I know for sure is that I would welcome the next little life that God might offer us.

Overheard: Noah

"Mom, these gloves make my hands soaking warm!"

::

A couple of days later:
"Mom, is this my right hand?"
"Yes, Noah."
He holds up his left hand and says, "then this is my wrong hand!"

Laundry Saved Me!

The laundry piles up and I always complain about it (or maybe think really hard about complaining). Well...It's a darn good thing that I let the towels pile up for so long and left them right inside the laundry room door because when I tripped over the big red firefighter toy and moved my other foot to avoid the new Spiderman car, I fell flat on my face...right onto a nice, fluffy pile of towels.

Stairstep Kids

Recently, a fellow mother asked about stair-step kids (I like her term "stair-step" so I'm going with it), meaning siblings who are born very close together. I know many families who have children spaced less than two years apart. What's our story? Most of you know it, but I'll tell it anyway.
Eleven months after we were married, Morgan arrived, kicking and screaming, a big healthy baby girl. Thirteen months after she was born, Madeleine arrived calm and quiet. Sixteen months after Madeleine was born, Noah arrived, tiny and blond. None of our first three children were planned; they were all pleasant surprises.

Above: Morgan is held by Vera, her great-great grandmother.
Below: Morgan (13 months) meets Madeleine.
Along with all of the good things, like health and always having a newborn, having three children under three offered some very unique challenges. It felt like a never ending parade of dirty diapers, non-stop pregnancy and nursing, and a nearly four year hormonal roller coaster. My body and my spirit were exhausted!

Going from one to two was not too stressful. Madeleine was a very content baby and that made it easy on us. There were two children, one for each parent during mass. There are two seats in most grocery carts, we didn't have to upgrade to a mini-van yet, and with a double stroller, we were pretty mobile. Going from two to three was quite the step for me. Perhaps it's because they were so close in age, perhaps it was the fact that Jeremy and I were suddenly outnumbered. No longer could I get around with only a double stroller unless I could carry the baby. No longer could the children fit into a grocery cart all together. Now we were outnumbered at mass and at every other public place and it was difficult.

Below: Nana brings Morgan (2 1/2) and Madeleine (16 months) to meet Noah.

The good thing was that Noah was healthy and content. We didn't do much the first year that he was a part of our family. We would head to the park and I could sit with him while the girls played, but it had to be a small park with limited access to the street. Everytime we went somewhere, I had to pack Pull-ups for Morgan, diapers for Madeleine, and diapers for Noah. I had to label each child's diapers so that I could tell them apart when I was in a hurry. It seemed like someone needed something all of the time. The girls were too young to get their own drinks, to set up their own games, and to help me very much. We watched quite a few Baby Einstein videos so that I could get through a nursing session without having to plunge the toilet to free a toy, clean a pile of flour up, or stop nursing to rescue a toddler from a precarious situation!

When Noah was about a year old, things started to get easier. Morgan was three and a half by then, their sleeping hours were more regular, the children napped during the same three hour span in the afternoon, and Madeleine was potty trained. By the time Noah was nearly two, we were thinking about having another child. We asked God to bless us with a healthy baby boy (Noah needed a brother, folks). Isaiah, the perfect answer to our prayers, arrived a few months before Noah turned three.

We took a lot of ridicule from people for having children so close together and also for having four children. Of course our family and friends were very supportive and helpful. However, when acquaintances were first introduced to our family (and even now), they would sometimes ask rude questions (Are you done yet? Know what birth control is? Figure out how that happens yet?) or raise their eyebrows in judgement (Wow--you've got your hands full!). Those people acted as many people in America do toward children. They see children as a liability. We see children as an asset! Many people are surprised that we still entertain the thought of having another child.

The thing that many people fail to see about stair-step kids and something I didn't realize until they were older is that it is a blessing to have them close in age. Morgan and Madeleine have always had each other to play with, although their interactive play didn't really start until Maddie was about two. Noah has always had someone to play with. Isaiah is in the best position because he was born into a group of siblings that were eager to have someone else to love.

When we go to the park, it doesn't matter if we're the only family there. The kids have someone to play with. When mom's busy doing dishes or making supper, there's someone to play with. When Maddie started her first day of kindergarten, Morgan was there to hold her hand. Morgan is there for her at lunch and at recess. Madeleine is there for Morgan at lunch and at recess. God could not have given us a better gift than giving us children close together. We are harvesting now the "wheat" that we worked so hard to sow a few years ago. It was worth the work, it was worth the stress, it was worth the exhaustion. We have given our children the best thing that they could ever be given--siblings.

Checking back?

Checking back for the answers to For the Love of Music meme? Scroll down.

Morgan's Big Day

Morgan took a field trip Friday with her class to Vala's Pumpkin Patch. It had been raining for about three days by that morning and the sky was still dripping that morning. Her teacher decided that we would go anyway since there were many inside things to do and because it was supposed to stop raining by noon. When we arrived, it had stopped raining and we had lunch and explored the pumpkin patch for awhile. It was muddy and a little chilly but the kids had fun regardless. I was glad to be there that day; Jeremy's dad watched the boys so that I could go. It was great to see Morgan interact with her friends and to be able to visit with the other moms and with her teacher. She brought a pumpkin home which she cleaned immediately and is determined to carve this weekend. These four girls (including Morgan) were in my charge for the day. The grandma of one of the girls also chaperoned this group. Morgan is on the far right in this picture.

Here, the girls are heading downstairs in a haunted house. Morgan is on the right.

That's Morgan making the wicked face over on the right. (How did she end up on the right side for all of these?)

Oh, finally Morgan's on the left by the chalkboard in the schoolhouse.

And on the left again, Morgan and the girls watch a robotic display.

The girls pose at the back of the haunted house. Morgan is on the right.

Morgan and I attempt to take our own picture while we wait for the Hayrack Ride.

Morgan took a spill about halfway through the day. Remember the white gloves from the earlier pictures? Hope they can handle bleach!

Morgan hugs her friend M.

Morgan and I sit together on the hayrack.

For the Love of Colorado!

The Mountain Mail has made me weak in the knees again with this recent picture of Colorado's majestic fall scenery. This is the Arkansas River looking toward Mount Shavano. One year, I was lucky enough to be able to photograph lightning striking in front of Mt. Shavano directly over the Arkansas River while standing on a bridge downtown. I'll have to dig that up sometime and post it. In the meantime, enjoy this one!Photo by Casey Mills

For the Love of Music: The Answers

1. Clocks by Coldplay--This song reminds me of Colorado.

2. Crush by Dave Matthews Band--I've been completely in love with this song for 10 years but after the attendance of eight DMB shows at which 156 total songs but 77 different songs (figure out the repeats) were played, I've heard Crush live only once. Be still, my aching heart...

3. Divine Romance by Phil Wickham--This song reminds me of being at mass: "The fullness of your grace is here with me..."

4. Moments Like This by Alison Krauss--This song brings me back to our long engagement. I was looking forward to getting married and living the part about, "this is what we're made for, how we learn who we are."

5. Worlds Apart by Jars of Clay--This song makes me feel humility. "Can I be the one to sacrifice, or grip the spear and watch the blood and water flow?"

6. World on Fire by Sarah McLachlan--This song is for a day when my best was all I could do. "...it's more than I can handle, tap into the water, try to bring my share. Try to bring more, more than I can handle, bring it to the table, bring what I am able."

7. Dancing Nancies by Dave Matthews Band--Could I have been anyone other than me?

8. Strong Enough by Sheryl Crow--This song evokes sympathy for my strong, wonderful, eternally patient husband. "I have a face I cannot show, I make the rules up as I go, just try and love me if you can, are you strong enough...when I'm showing you that I just don't care, when I'm throwing punches in the air, when I'm broken down and I can't stand, could you be man enough..."

9. Annie's Song by John Denver--This song is about sweetness.

10. Why Georgia by John Mayer--This song is just plain good.

Bonus:

11. Belong by R.E.M.--I've loved this song since I was 13.

Other songs that I play a lot (or at least this is what iTunes says):
*Under African Skies by Paul Simon
*The Sun Doesn't Like You by Norah Jones
*Can't Take It In by Imogen Heap
*Noah, Sinking Into Sweetness, Count the Colors, and Mrs. Sample, all by Sarah Sample
*Calypso by John Denver
*American Baby by DMB (and a lot of other DMB songs)
*Open Your Eyes by Snow Patrol
*A selection of 17 songs from the Lord of the Rings soundtracks by Howard Shore which I compiled and titled Arkansas Valley, Colorado. Imagine reading an entry in my blog without reading the word Colorado at least two times (oops--now 3).

For the Love of Music

I was tagged for this meme by Regina and we all know how much I love music. It is my favorite thing. Some people have round blood cells but mine must be shaped like whole notes and my ears are receivers for 3/4 and 6/8 time signatures. My feet can't hold still for a good song and I love to dance with my babies in the kitchen.

I'll post the lyrics, you guess the song and post the title and/or the artist in the comments section. If you've not left a comment before, click on Comments and follow the instructions. No cheating! I'll post the answers later this weekend.

1. Confusion never stops, closing walls and ticking clocks, Gonna come back and take you home, I could not stop that you now know, singing, Come out upon my seas, curse missed opportunities. Am I a part of the cure or am I part of the disease? ....Home, home, where I wanted to go....

2. Let's go drive till morning comes and watch the sunrise and fill our souls up....It's crazy I'm thinking just knowing that the world is round and here I'm dancing on the ground. Am I right side up or upside down? And is this real or am I dreaming?

3. The fullness of your grace is here with me. The richness of your beauty's all I see. The brightness of your glory has arrived. In your presence, God, I'm completely satisfied. For you, I sing, I dance. I rejoice in this divine romance.

4. So hold me, whisper gently this is what we're made for, how we learn who we are, it defines us, ever reminding us that life never is more precious than this.

5. To turn away and not become another nail to pierce the skin of one who loves more deeply than the oceans, more abundant than the tears of a world embracing every heartache....Can I be the one to sacrifice, or grip the spear and watch the blood and water flow?

6. World's on fire, it's more than I can handle. Tap into the water, try to bring my share. Try to bring more, more than I can handle, bring it to the table, bring what I am able.

7. Could I have been anyone other than me? Then I'll sing and dance, I'll play for you tonight, the thrill of it all. Dark clouds may hang on me sometimes but I'll work it out and then I look up at the sky, my mouth is open wide. Lick and taste, what's the use in worrying? What's the use in hurrying? Turn, turn, we almost become dizzy!

8. [Man] I feel like hell tonight, tears of rage I cannot fight, I'll be the last to help you understand. Are you strong enough to be my man?

9. You fill up my senses like a night in a forest, like a mountain in springtime, like a walk in the rain, like a storm in the desert, like a sleepy blue ocean, you fill up my senses, come fill me again. Come, let me love you, let me give my life to you. Let me drown in your laughter, let me die in your arms, let me lay down beside you, let me always be with you.

10. Cause I wonder sometimes about the outcome of a still, verdictless life, am I living it right? ....Might be a quarter life crisis, or just a stirring in my soul. Either way, I wonder sometimes about the outcome...

BONUS
11. Those creatures jumped the barricades and have headed for the sea. She began to breathe, to breathe, at the thought of such freedom, stood and whispered to her child: belong. She held the child and whispered with calm, calm: belong.

I tag Staci (if she has time) because I'm curious what she'll post! If anyone else reads this and wants to try, give it a go and let me know!

A Little Boy's Love

Noah's favorite phrase is "I love you." Especially when faced with a new situation or new people, he'll cling to my leg and say, "I love you, Mom." Now it's extended to, "Mommy, do you know how much I love you? I love you like Jesus loves you."

A couple of weeks ago, while talking on the phone with Jeremy, I overheard Noah say, "Daddy, do you know how much I love you? I love you as much as Great-grandma in Beatrice loves you!"

It is sweet to hear the measure of this boy's love. He understands the love of Jesus even though he's never met Him and he most definitely knows the love of his grandparents and great-grandparents who have loved him unconditionally since before he was born.

Thank you, God, for little boys!

Overheard

"Hurry up, shorty," I said to Madeleine

"Quit calling me shorty, tall-ey!" She replied.

Overheard

In the pouring rain on the way home from school today, Noah called out, "God? Could you please make it stop raining?"

When we got home and it had indeed stopped, "Mom! God listened! It quit raining!"

The Four Year Old has the Camera!

When it looks like this outside, Moms sometimes turn the fireplace on and make a tent in front of the fire for little boys who want to pretend to be camping (without roasting marshmallows). Isaiah is thinking, "I can't believe that my mother opened the deck door to take a picture of the rain and standing water and then she shut it and she won't let me go outside!" When Noah figured out that I was taking pictures of our morning (I was going to do a Wordless Wednesday), he asked if he could have the camera. He took 72 pictures and these are the choice, focused ones. They're not bad for a 4 year old!

"Look! I took a picture of Jesus!"

"Isaiah was following me upstairs."

"Mom, let me take your picture!"

"Isaiah...Isaiah, hold still!"

" This is my baby Isaiah."

"Mom, don't turn the fire off yet!"

Tagged Via Sidebar...

Okay, Staci said I didn't have to, but why not?

10 years ago, I was...
1. On the Dean's List
2. Taking long field trips with my Stratigraphy class
3. In love with my future husband (two years in)
4. Living with my college roommate Beth
5. Rolling burritos 30 hours per week

5 things on today's to do list (this was Monday)...
1. Unpack from our weekend trip
2. Run to Wal-Mart
3. Get library materials back
4. Get house into respectable condition
5. Miss my bible study (sigh)

5 snacks I enjoy...
1. Hot Tamales
2. Greasy, salty, buttery popcorn
3. Hot Tamales
4. Molasses cookies
5. Hot Tamales

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire...
1. Write a big fat check to our church
2. Pay off the house and our student loans
3. Buy a brand new silver Honda Odyssey
4. Build or buy a second home in Colorado and go there often
5. Hire a maid

5 places I have lived...
1. Small City, Nebraska
2. Big City, Nebraska
3. Small Town, Nebraska
4. Back to Small City, Nebraska
5. Still here!

5 jobs I have had...
1. Babysitting
2. Detassling
3. Stop Inn (cooking)
4. Amigos
5. Data entry clerk

I've seen this on many blogs already and will not tag anyone. If you see it and want to put it up, blog away!

In the Name of Diversity?

A children's organization, which will remain unnamed and is not publicly funded, hosts an annual Halloween bash with different displays, trick-or-treating, and fun activities during the week of Halloween. Many local businesses have displays and are sponsors of this event.

It came to my attention this morning that daVinci's will no longer be sponsoring or appearing at this event. IN THE NAME OF DIVERSITY, they were asked to remove the story of Noah's Ark from the back of the coupons that they hand out at their Noah's Ark display. They can keep the display but they have to take off the bible story...in the name of diversity. Instead of doing this, they opted to discontinue their sponsorship of the event. Viva daVinci's!

How is this diversity? Let's look at the definition of diversity. I'll add italics to part of what The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language says.

Diversity n., 1. a. The fact or quality of being diverse; difference. b. A point or respect in which things differ. 2. Variety; multiformity

Now, I'm assuming that this organization meant that in order to promote diversity, they could not include something that is part of the Christian tradition. Let me think out loud for them: Well, we sure like the animals two by two, especially since we're a ZOO, but man, they mentioned the BIBLE on the back of their coupon. Christians are the majority in our nation, so we must remember to squelch their stories in order to make it a level playing field. So does that mean that diversity includes only minorities? Uh-oh...oh wait...the story of Noah's Ark is found in Jewish tradition. Jews are a minority. Are we limiting diversity by not including this story or are we only limiting the Christians? Man, this is tough. Um, well, maybe if we go ahead and censor the Christians, others will have the chance to come forward with their own stories. Wait...Noah's Ark is part of Islam as well. Aren't they a minority in America? Well, who are we supposed to oppress, then? We can't make up our minds. Dang it! Let's just silence the Christians. Then we won't hurt anyone's feelings...except the Christians, who are the majority and therefore not allowed to have their feelings hurt. And the Jews and the Muslims. Dang it! Can't we quiet Christianity without oppressing members of a minority? Dang it! Let's do it anyway. Maybe nobody knows that Noah's Ark isn't unique to Christianity. We don't want the ACLU to bring their kids trick-or-treating here and SUE us because we're forcing Christianity (and Judaism and Islam) down their throats by offering coupons to their kids on which are printed the story of Noah's Ark which they might be forced to read. Yeah, we'll call it diversity. Great idea!

Many people called in to the radio show I was listening to to comment on this form of diversity. Most people were outraged. One man said that this unnamed organization would no longer receive his money since it has, "In God We Trust" printed on it and figured they wouldn't want it because of that.

What the five or six callers left unsaid was that as parents, we make choices for our children all of the time. If there were a Muslim or Wiccan display there, what would I do? We would walk past it because we're not interested in Islam or Wicca. It is that simple. Would I cry foul? Would I complain and ask for it to be removed? No. I've got better things to do.

A lady came to my door today to offer me literature about a different religious denomination. I told her that we were Roman Catholic and were not interested in any other beliefs. I thanked her for stopping by and said that I hoped she had a good day and said, "God bless you." She was a very nice lady who talked to the boys and commented on their biblical names. Did I run her out of the neighborhood in the name of diversity? No; she's not infringing on my rights. She's knocking on my door to offer me something. I politely refused and that's the end of that.

If diversity truly means variety and multiformity, then people who would suppress any belief are behaving in opposition to diversity. Diversity does not mean "stomp out the majority." Diversity means allowing all things...and trusting people to be smart enough to make their own decisions and ignore things in which they have no interest.

A Weekend Getaway

We took our very first family (mini) vacation this weekend! Jeremy's parents kept Isaiah so that we could focus on the three older children. We went down to Kansas City and stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge! This is a child-centered resort with a gigantic indoor waterpark, a restaurant, and plenty of activities for kids. There are many locations throughout the U.S. I would strongly recommend this for families! We arrived Friday night at supper time. We checked in, put our things in our room, and went over to the restaurant for supper. The kids had fun eating out of buckets and drinking soda (a rare treat).

After we ate, we changed into our swimming suits and went into the waterpark. What fun! This picture is of Morgan getting soaked. You'd think as big as the lodge is that it would be overcrowded but that was not the case. There was a playstructure in the center for climbing and playing with water. On top is a 1000 gallon bucket (that green thing on top) that dumps itself every five minutes. There are water slides from the top levels of the playstructure.

Maddie runs under a little waterfall. We let the kids play and explore and before we knew it, the lifeguards were clearing the area because it was 10:00!

Saturday morning, the first thing the girls and I did was get back into our swimsuits and head for the waterpark. Jeremy and Noah went to the arcade for awhile and then joined us.

Here, Maddie floats in the river that wound around the back of the waterpark area.

There were also water slides of all heights, some that you went down on your bottom and some that you went down on tubes. There were little slides in a zero-entry area for small children and medium slides for slightly older children, then there were TALL slides that required rafts. One slide would seat three, the other two would seat one or two people.

After a morning of playing, swimming, sliding, and splashing, the kids were ready to take a break and eat lunch. We walked about two blocks from the lodge to The Lonestar for lunch. We got to eat peanuts out of buckets and have a leisurely lunch.

Even the kids took pictures! Morgan took this one of Jeremy and me.

Our camera took this shot of us outdoors after lunch.

Our hotel room had a special area for the kids to sleep in called Kid Camp (They spelled Camp with a K, but I can't bring myself to do it). This is Morgan and me making funny faces through their Camp window while Jeremy takes pictures. It was apparent Saturday afternoon that Noah needed a nap, so I stayed with him in our room and Jeremy took the girls to the Cub Club where they colored pictures and then he bought them each a ceramic piggy bank to paint.

Morgan painted a turtle and Madeleine painted a pig.

Noah posed in this carved bear during storytime in the grand lobby.

We slept well Saturday night then had a slow Sunday. We allowed the kids to watch TV in the top bunk in their area while Jeremy and I packed up our room and got ready for mass.

This is the view of one side of the lodge from our patio. It's huge, folks!

Jeremy takes our things out to the van before checkout time.

Morgan smiles from the top bunk where she and Madeleine slept. Sidebar: We went to mass at St. Patrick which was about two miles from where we stayed. We found out that it's a small world afterward when we introduced ourselves to the priest who said that he knew one person in our city...someone that grew up three houses away from Jeremy. In fact, she just joined our parish after recently moving back to our city with her husband and children!

We headed back toward the hotel after mass, intending to go swimming again (you can use the waterpark for the rest of the day, even after you check out). We stopped at The Legends and went into the mall area to look for a restaurant we'd heard about which was dinosaur themed. We got lucky!

Here, Noah enjoys soda (again!) at T-Rex, the neatest restaurant I've ever been to (and I've been to Casa Bonita). The food was great, too!

This dinosaur moved behind me while we ate. There's a bigger one behind it.

These mammoths were just a display in a part of the restaurant!

There's more than just food at this restaurant. There's a gift shop and an area for kids to explore (for $2.50 per person--well worth it) which has a digging area, computer games, and several other displays. Here, Madeleine takes notes on her dig (she's truly my daughter now) on a little notepad. Jeremy got a notepad for each of the children from the gift shop. Morgan poses beside her "pretty purple rocks." Since I couldn't convince her that they are called Amethysts, which are a variation of quartz often found in geodes, she may or may not be my daughter...(only kidding). Here's a quick read for those of you still confused about which ones are stalactites and which ones are stalagmites (me too).

Noah clears sand away from a buried dinosaur skeleton. Really, he was flinging sand and watching it fly through his legs, but let's call it digging.

Madeleine clears/digs with Daddy.

Morgan plays a matching game on a touch screen console.

My little geologists are still digging! I'm so proud!

This is a replica of a skeleton guarding the gift shop.

The girls pose (still in their church clothes) against the wall in the Ice Age area.

This is a pretty good picture of the kids' reaction to the question, "are we going back to the hotel to swim now?" Noah was screaming and crying, Madeleine was smiling, and Morgan was busy taking notes. (The answer was no.)

...and it's a darn good thing we didn't, because this was what was going on in the van not 15 minutes away from the restaurant.

::Bonus: we got 25.992 miles per gallon. Not bad for a 13 year old minivan!

What a great weekend!