Spring break in Moab

Sometimes when your stress level is at an all time high and you don't feel like you have the time to plan, pack for, and take a vacation... it's the very thing you should do.  I'm learning, slowly, that all the effort it takes to get a family of seven ready to go on a vacation is totally and completely worth it. We need to do it more.  That's easy to say now, after a successful and fun trip together.  
My parents and three of my four siblings and their kids all went to Moab, Utah for spring break this year.  We rented and shared a couple of condos and then met up each morning and hiked all day until dinner time.  
Normally that wouldn't be my cup of tea. Hike all day, with babies and little kids.  No thank you.  But, surprisingly I loved it.  Some how it worked.  
We mostly did short hikes, only a couple of long ones.  
We had three baby backpacks among us, to carry those cute babies. 
Luckily no one fell off a cliff. There were a lot of bumps and scrapes, but Aunt Suzie whose a nurse came armed with neosporin and bandages. 
We went to Arches National Park the first day.  Sand Dune arch was the favorite arch/hike for all the kids.  They loved playing in the soft red sand. 
My dad planned out all the hikes.  He's a true outdoorsman. 
Everyday my mom armed us with snack/treats, water, and sandwiches.  She's is so generous and thoughtful.  
This is what hiking Arches all day does to you.  Three of the five "nestlings" were wiped out from all our adventures. 

We went to Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point the second day.  It rained on and off, but that didn't deter us.

The third day we went to a couple of local canyons. We hiked up Hunters Canyon and Millcreek Canyon.  They both had rivers/waterfalls.  The kids had a lot of fun playing in the water.
There is something about being in the outdoors that grounds you, not to mention time with family.  Going on this trip was like the vacation we didn't know we needed. 

Water for Sale

When a neighbor came up to me at church today and told me my daughter must of made a ton of money selling WATER yesterday, I was mortified.  I do realize that how I felt initially has to do more with my own pride than anything else.  Miss "C" wanted money for the gumball machine we have and she found a way to get some. She filled up one of my old hospital mugs, got plastic cups from the pantry, and her brothers dump truck.  She then proceeded to push it door to door.  I’ve gotta to hand it to her, she had a problem and she came up with a solution all of her own.  She didn't think to run it by a parent first, but that's not normally her style.  I had no idea she had gone around the neighborhood with her friend selling water for fifty cents a cup.  I thought they were just playing outside together.  Little did I know.
After church we had a talk with her and she helped make some chocolate chip cookies to take to the neighbors who couldn’t resist her charm and  bought a cup of water from her the previous day.  We told her in the future she needs to ask permission to sell anything door to door.  

Next thing you know she’ll be trying to sell air and knowing her she’ll probably make money doing it.  Ha ha.

Last of the March Birthdays

 "D" turned five years old today.  

He is usually a very sweet, well behaved, quiet little boy.  

 Sometimes his siblings bring out his wild side, 

especially his older brother "T". 

 We're so happy to have him in our family!

An escapade

 Remember that song?  I know I'm aging myself, but that's okay because I turn a year older tomorrow.  Darn it.  Can't stop time.

This bed is incredibly comfortable, so I looked to see what kind it is and wouldn't you know, it's called a heavenly bed.  Maybe I'd age more gracefully if I got one.  

I've learned a few more things...
6.  Eating out and shopping are over rated.  Sort of.  Let me explain. Not that its fun to dodge flying food from a two year-old, or keep the boy happy while flying through a store, trying see what I can as fast as I can before the time bomb in the stroller explodes. It's just that things don't mean as much without my kids with me. I see things I want to point out to them and remind me of them. I did get to go in a "West Elm" for the first time. That was fun. This wall inspired a big project I'd like to do someday. And this hanging ladder at Pottery Barn inspired another. 
 
7.  A lazy river is extremely boring by yourself, specifically without kids to push, climb on, and splash you.  Refer to number 2 in the previous post.

8. Weaning a fifth and last baby is not for the faint of heart. I'm a mess of emotions, not to mention the physical pain.
9.  Going on a "work" trip with the "husbird" isn't all it's cracked up to be.  Not so much of an escapade as I thought it would be.
10.  I think I need to practice some of the doctors advice from this post.

Not a moment too soon

I don’t like to leave my babies overnight before they are two years old. Call me crazy, but I feel like they need me and I need them and so I wait.  Well, my baby turned two yesterday.  Sniff. Sniff. I’m quite emotional about it.  It just so happened that the “husbird” had to go to a work conference/show held at a beautiful resort/hotel in Scottsdale Arizona.  He asked if I wanted to tag along and at first I told him no, until I looked at the hotels website and figured out that baby “G” would turn two the day we’d leave.  Sign me up.  Honestly I need a break.  I haven’t been away from my baby for more than a few hours at a time for the last two years and he's been the busiest one year old of all time. 
You would think we were leaving for a month with the amount of work it takes to leave the "nestlings" for three days.  Oh my goodness---the laundry, the schedule, the cleaning, the worrying!  I wanted to make it as easy as possible for my sweetheart of a mom.

This is the view from our room, a beautifully manicured golf course.  Do you see that fire pit? People sit around it in the evening and a bag piper comes and plays his bagpipes.  It's magical.

  (our room)

In about a days time I've already learned a few things about myself---

1.  I need noise.  I think I want quiet, but then when I get it, I crave noise.  I must be accustom to it. 
2.  I'm not very good at relaxing.  I'm so used to being on the go constantly that I don't know how to sit still very long.  When the  "husbird" and I grabbed a bite to eat the place we went to was on island time and it was driving me insane.
3.  I over pack and underpack.  I brought an umbrella, which we probably won't be needing, but I forgot our toothbrushes.  Go figure.  I guess our heads will be dry and our breath will be gross.  Ha ha.
4.  I love to write.  I wish I had more time for it in my life.  The "husbird" and I need to do things like this more often so I can actually have time to think and write.
5.  I'm more attached to my kids than I think I am.  I feel lonely without them around and miss them terribly, especially the baby.  I know he's two now, so not technically a baby anymore, but he'll most likely be called the baby forever.

Soap in the Mouth

Did your parents do this to you?  Mine did.  It's not a usual practice at our nest, but when patience was short today and words we don't like to hear in our home were spoken, two of the nestlings got to hold soap in their mouth for a minute while they thought about their choice of words.  I realize "stupid" and "shut-up" aren't the worst words that could be spoken, but after they were repeatedly reminded and we heard those words over again and again something had to be done so the "nestlings" can learn to talk kindly to one another.

Junior High has been an interesting challenge, because sadly a lot of the students use foul language, so when "T" tells a sibling to "shut-up" and I reprimand him, he tells me he could use far worse words.  Anyone deal with this?  Is "shut-up" and calling someone "stupid" acceptable or not in your home?  What do you do when your kids use offensive words?

I went red

Just for fun I colored my hair red, well, reddish.  It didn’t go as red as I thought it would. Maybe I’ll do it even more red next time.  We’ll see.  Only a couple of people have even noticed.  This isn't the best picture, but what do you think?