Family Vacation

Family vacation, we had one!  Normally it is just the kids and I traveling together, going on our adventures.  My sweet husband can rarely go with us.  For him to have two full weeks off of work was crazy!  Crazy in a good way.  We started off our vacation with an eleven hour drive to Saint George, UT.  It was a long drive and I get bored easily as the passenger.  At one point I told my husband he needed to let me drive as I couldn't handle the just sitting there doing nothing anymore.  Patience young one, patience!  The kids may have been a tad more patient during that part of the drive than I, probably.  We spent the following day in Saint George with my brother-in-law and his family.  Seriously love those guys a lot!  The kids had a great time hiking the red rocks, sleeping on the trampoline, and just running around with the cousins.  Archer is his young cousins favorite to follow around, cause he's so big.  Good thing he likes the little ones!

On Memorial Day we hit the road for California.  Arizona and Nevada were hot, flat, and dry.  Just as I suspected they would be.  It was supposed to be a quick six hour drive, nothing compared to the eleven the day before.  However we did not take into account the gamblers heading back to California from Las Vegas.  Oh my goodness!  A twenty minute drive turned into TWO HOURS of stop and, every now and then, go traffic.  It was madness.  Made it to my brother's a few hours later than expected and we had a nice birthday dinner with my mom.  Happy birthday mommy!

Turns out that my niece in St George had a tummy bug and unfortunately 3 of my 4 kids caught it.  I woke up the next morning to find that my sweet, amazing niece had cleaned up puke not once, but twice the night before!  Poor girl.  Thankfully the tummy bug only lasted a couple hours and the kids were better for the graduation that night.  My niece woke up to vomit and ended her day a high school graduate.  There's a story for her.

The next day was Disneyland!  My niece, nephew, dad, step-mom, brother, and sister all came with us.  It was so much fun!  Archer especially loved the fact that he got to go off with the teenagers for half the day.  The younger kids stayed with us and their grandparents and had fun exploring the kingdom.  We met the mouse and many others.  Rides were gone on.  Princess was freaked out by It's a Small World (thanks Doctor Who!).   Much laughter and many smiles were had.  As the night drew in it was time for fireworks!  We found a spot to sit and a gentleman that worked at Disneyland hustled over.  No!  You don't want to sit there, come with me I've got the perfect place for you.  And he did!  He set us up in a great spot with a view of the castle and the fireworks.  It truly was magical experiencing it all with my family.

The next day was meant to be day 2 of Disney.  Unfortunately Picasso woke up sick again.  This time it was pure exhaustion.  So Picasso and his dad took a four hour nap.  When he woke up he felt tons better.  So off to the beach we went.  My brother and niece joined us at the Santa Monica Pier.  The kids loved playing in the ocean, building in the sand, and stockpiling seaweed.  We wandered the pier and got our name made up with a drawing of sea related pictures.  The rides were all closed by then, but the lights and the music were beautiful.

Next morning, you guessed it, more vomiting.  Seriously NOT cool!  This time it was Princess early in the morning.  Thankfully after sleeping in she was good to go.  All the traveling and late nights sure was catching up with those kids.  We did another day of Disneyland and then the last day was California Adventure.  Picasso had been desperate to find "the duck".  Turns out Donald Duck spends his time in California Adventure!  We sat in a non-existent line for a good twenty minutes waiting for the duck.  It was completely worth it to see the joy in Picasso's eyes!  Roller coaster, ferris wheels, river rafting, bumper cars, more characters to meet.  Such an amazing time was had!  We could have used another day or two at the parks, but what we had was wonderful.

 

On our last day in California my sister-in-law made me arepas.  Venezuelan heaven in my mouth!  Seriously, I love those things.  I should try and make them myself sometime as it doesn't seem overly hard.  The food was the perfect send off to a wonderful week in California.  We piled back into the van and off we went.  We spent the night in Henderson, NV at the Springhill Suites (nice place, check them out if you need a hotel in the area).  We stopped in Vegas and checked out the M&M store.  The other things we wanted to see were no longer there or you now had to pay for and we didn't have the time.  So off we went.  We stayed our last night in Green River, UT at the River Terrace  (I will not stay again as they treated me awful when I checked in).  One last day of driving, with a stop at the John McConnell Math & Science Center (LOTS of fun).  Man was I glad to get home!  The three youngest were happy to be home in time for the last day of school.

Our vacation was truly fantastic.  All the time spent together, enjoying each others company was just what we needed.  I cannot wait for our next vacation.  Hopefully it won't be too long in coming!

End of the School Year

We're coming to the end of the school year and things are getting hectic.  Archer is still struggling with getting things turned in on time.  We have been staying on him about it pretty hard and I am sure he just wishes we would back off.  He has to learn that it is not acceptable to fall behind.  He could easily be a straight A student if he would just turn things in on time.  Over the summer I am planning on sitting down with him and coming up with consequences for grades.  Bad grades he will owe us money.  Good grades, not sure yet.  Maybe dinner and a movie out with mom or dad, maybe going out to an activity of his choice with a friend.  Not sure yet, but we'll come up with something.  I just do not want him to feel like he is only being punished.  We all work better with something good to work for, why not try it with his grades.  Many of his teachers have been emailing me thanks for supporting them and him in his studies.  I cannot imagine not!  He will get there, I know he will.  He is a great kid, this has just been a tough learning curve for him.


Angel just started an endangered animal project.  Of course it is due the Tuesday after we go out of town.  Another email to a teacher asking if my child can do a project early.  I did tell her today that I wanted her to try and have it done over the weekend so she has plenty of time to prepare.  She is doing her project on sand cats.  The kittens are SO cute!  I finally got the approval from the school to put her on a 504 plan next year.  Finally!  It took a couple years to get the approval, but I am looking forward to getting it in place so that she can get all the support she needs in the years to come.


Picasso is about 1/3 of the way done with his report on Scotland.  Through the spouses group with my sweet husbands work I was able to get a few recipes to choose from to make a treat for his project.  He is getting really excited and has learned a lot about the country.  He had his first baseball practice yesterday.  He has been anxiously awaiting it for months.  This is his first year playing and the teams first year with kids pitching.  Turns out he was in the top three kids for pitching!  I was surprised as we haven't really worked with him.  I am sure he will do great!  He will miss two practices while we are gone and then have his first game the week we get back.  I am looking forward to cheering him on!

Princess had a popsicle party today at school for her reading group.  It was their last time meeting for the year, so they had a fun hour.  She says it is okay, as she still gets to see that teacher for math.  She has loved being in both of her classes this year.  She and I will be attending her classes field trip next week.  I love being able to attend field trips with the kids! 

I am also finishing up preparations for the elementary school's yearbook signing party.  The kids always have an amazing time and I am glad I get to be a part of it.  I do love the school my younger kids attend.  The teachers and staff are all just amazing!  The middle school I am still up in the air about.  Archer is learning and advancing, for the most part the teachers seem great, it is just the ones that do not seem to know how to communicate that are driving me crazy.  At the end of the day it is my job as the parent to make sure the kids get done what they need to.  The teachers will do what they can, but the buck stops here.

After all that we will climb in the car and head out for our family vacation!  I am looking forward to that more than I can say.  It should be a fabulous trip.  I am looking forward to being able to spend all that time together.  So thankful to have family close enough by to have a built in house/pet sitter thanks to my awesome brother in law. 

Now to find the motivation to take care of everything that needs to be done.  I know it is hiding in their somewhere.

Shhhh....it's a secret!

Keeping a secret from my kids is HARD!  It is doubly hard when you want so badly to let them in on the secret.  My niece is graduating from high school in a couple weeks, yay her!  My kids all know that I am going out to the graduation.  What they do not know is that the whole family is going to California for the graduation and Disneyland!!!  Seriously is killing me not to tell them.  Especially when Picasso is begging me to take him with me as he will miss me too much.  When they are getting excited about end of the year school stuff, which they are going to miss.  When I'm trying to arrange finals for Archer without him knowing why he has to take some of his tests early. 

One more week and then I can tell them!  Only one more week of biting my tongue.  One more week of trying to not lie to them about stuff, but not being able to quite tell them the truth either.  They will be finding out through a gift with Disney shirts, Mickey and Minnie cake pops, and the tickets to Disneyland.  I am expecting a fairly epic freak out!  That should be pretty freaking fantastic.  It should be worth it all. 

Until then I will keep organizing our trip.  Getting house sitting/cat watching set up.  Arranging things with teachers so the kids will be good to miss the last week or so of school.  I am trying not to stress about my foot and the pain that it is still in.  Hopefully it will hold up well enough.  If not, what do you do.  I may make an appointment to go in to see the doc next week, but really there is nothing he can do at this point.  A little pain is worth the memories we will make on our first ever big family vacation.  I cannot wait!

Post Surgery Catch Up

Been a bit since I've blogged.  Having my surgery threw everything for a loop for awhile.  It is all getting back to normal though, so it's time to get back to putting my thoughts out there.  :)

Things went well with my foot surgery.  I'm still in recovery mode, but hoping that in the end the pain will be gone.  It does seem to be getting better, so I am very hopeful!  I can almost walk down stairs like a normal person.  Stairs are still one of the most painful things to navigate.  That and standing for longer than 5-10 minutes in one place.  It no longer hurts just to put shoes on, so I take that as a good sign.  I have to say that I am very grateful for my sweet husband and my kids throughout my recovery.  They have taken such good care of me and each other. 

Christmas went well.  Thanks to one of my bff's and my little sis I was able to get all the presents wrapped.  The kids all loved their presents and had a great time putting together all of their Legos.  We have Middle Earth in Legos at our house!  They have had a blast playing with them and I love it.  My hubby got me Merry Christmas Alex Cross by James Patterson, a sketch book, and a drawing kit.  I haven't broken them out yet, but I am really looking forward to it!  I haven't drawn in a while and I miss it.  My mom gave me two notebooks full of family history stuff.  One of the coolest presents ever!  I am enjoying the chance to go through them and read about my ancestors.

Angel had to do a family history project for school.  The notebooks my mom gave me were a big help!  Angel put a lot of work into her project and got the highest grade possible on it.  She learned a lot about her grandparents when she interviewed them.  We're hoping to frame the family tree she made.  We are wanting to print off pictures of different family members back many generations to hang around the family tree. 
A couple weeks ago our elementary school had a mother/son bowling night and a father/daughter dance.  The boys and I had a fantastic time going bowling.  Technically they bowled and I took pictures while cheering them on.  My foot isn't quite up to bowling yet.  After bowling we went out for pancakes and ice cream.  It was a great night!  The next night was the father/daughter dance.  The girls got all dressed up fancy and had beautiful wrist corsages.  They went out to a mexican restaurant with their dad and their uncle, who was Angel's date for the night.  At the dance they posed on the red carpet, went on a horse drawn carriage ride, ate some tasty chocolate dipped fruit, and danced the night away.  I am so glad that we have a school that provides us with these types of activities.  They are truly memory makers!

We've got the Blue & Gold banquet coming up this week, the Destination Imagination tournament for Picasso and Princess the following week, and the first Rapids home game of the season that night.  We're really excited about these things.  I love being able to support my kids in their endevours and spending time with them.

That's my recap post surgery.  Now it's time to help Picasso make cheese quesadillas for lunch as we are spending the day snowed in while the blizzard is blowing outside.  I truly love my life.  It isn't perfect, or stress free, but it is fantastic.

Saying Goodbye

Last Friday I attended a funeral for a beautiful woman, Rebecca Wingo.  She was one of those people who was beautiful not just on the outside, but on the inside.  Her smile would light up a room and she was a self-proclaimed hugger. 

I left early for the funeral so that I could pick up a couple hams that had been donated by the Honey Baked Ham Company.  I found where we were to set up food and met one of the other ladies bringing food coming in.  We got a ham ready to be served and went out to wait for the others bringing food.  While we were waiting I was asked if I would let people know they could have a t-shirt.  Rebecca's favorite color was purple and there were purple t-shirts with a beautiful RW logo and her picture on the back.  So I spent the next hour and a half greeting mourners, handing out t-shirts and memorial cards, and letting them know where to find the food.  I did not know many of those who I greeted, but we all knew Rebecca.  I received many hugs.  I shared tears and smiles.  I was thankful to be able to help out in that small way. 

Once the funeral was ready to begin I slipped inside the doors.  It as standing room only and so I waited in the foyer.  When a member of the Air Force honor guard played taps as others from the honor guard handed folded flags to Rebecca's daughters and her mother it really hit home.  I was going to sit on a sofa in the foyer, but another friend found me and took me back to the room where my MLM friends were.  For those who do not know, MLM was a mom's website which was shut down last year.  While it was up I met many amazing women who I call friends, those friends included Rebecca. We had the funeral piped into the room we were in, but mainly spent our time remembering Rebecca in our own way.  We shared memories of her, we smiled and we laughed.  We felt that was how she would have wanted to remember her.  At the end of the funeral purple and silver balloons were released and swirled off into the distance.  We fed many more people, received many more hugs, we said good-bye one last time to Rebecca.  At the end of the night we packed up all the leftover food which had been donated and it was taken to feed Rebecca's family for the next few nights. 

At the end of the night I was one of the last few people to leave the funeral home.  I was exhausted, both physically and mentally.  However, I was also comforted and uplifted.  I am glad that I went to pay my last respects to Rebecca.  I am glad that I was able to help in my small way.  I am glad that I was able to know Rebecca.

Her Smile
Though her smile is gone forever,

And her hand I cannot touch,

I still have so many memories,

Of the one I loved so much.
Her memory is my keepsake,

with which I'll never part.

God has her in his keeping,

I have her in my heart.
Sadly missed,

but never forgotten.

For those who may want to help out Rebecca's daughters, their father has asked for all donations to go to the girls 529 fund that he and Rebecca set up before her death. 

‎529 Fund for the Wingo Girls - checks must be made payable to Nebraska Educational Savings Trust. In the memo line, include the account number

Nebraska Educational Savings Trust
NEST Advisor College Savings Plan

P.O. Box 30277
Omaha, NE 68103-1377

Account Number: 748788940-01 only checks please or Paypal acct 529 for Wingo Girls.

Don't Forget to Say "I Love You"

It has been a strange few days.  Archer was gone to scout camp this week, my sweetheart is in Mexico City, and so it was just the three youngest and I for most of the week.  We did fine alone, but it just has not felt right in the house all week.  Thankfully my best friend helped to keep us busy so we were not sitting home feeling lonely.  We took the kids to see Spy Kids 4 (part of a summer movie series), took the kids swimming, and took them to see the new Spiderman movie. 

The night before we went to see the Spiderman movie, technically the early morning, there was a shooting at a movie theater nearby.  Twelve people died and 58 (I believe) were injured.  It gave us a moment of pause before we headed to the theater.  In the end we decided that we could not let fear rule us.  Plus I did not want to explain the shooting to my kids, they did not and do not need to know about it right now.  There is enough time for them to be confronted by the evil things in the world as they get older.  Instead I will let them live in their peaceful childhood for as long as possible.  Unfortunately many children no longer have that peace.  Two of those children belong to an acquaintance of mine who lost her life in the shooting.  Thankfully those girls are surrounded by people who love them, but they lost their mother due to an evil man.  My heart goes out to all those effected by this shooting.

I really am looking forward to my sweetheart returning home tomorrow and being able to curl up in his arms.  Maybe I'll let myself have a good cry.  If I'm honest I won't let myself, it will just happen as I tend to blubber like a baby on a regular basis since my last miscarriage.  I would rather do it with my husband there to comfort me though.  Tonight I have all my children home, safe in bed.  I hope they know how much I love them, I try to show them all the time how much I love them.  Do not forget to hold those you love close.  Let them know how much you love them.  Do not let the little petty things get in the way.  You never know what will happen in life, so live it fully and with much love, happiness, and joy.

Family Reunion

The last family reunion we had Angel was not quite one, so it had been years!  Two years ago I decided we were past due for another and so the planning began.  After two years of planning we had our family reunion last month and it was amazing!  We were missing one family, my step-sister's, but everyone else was able to make it for at least part of the time.  Honestly I cannot wait to do it all again! 

We ended up renting the Serendipity Cabin from Bear Lake Lodging, plus an additional three bedroom town home from the same company.  Our check-in was really smooth and our "cabin" was spectacular!  It was really beautiful on the inside, the beds were super comfortable, and there was plenty of space for everyone.  Then there was the view, we cannot forget the view.  It was breath taking.  Looking out over the sparkling blue lake, the boats, all the lush green.  Beautiful!  The weather was perfect also, staying in the mid to upper 70's. 

Serendipity Cabin

View from my bedroom doorway.

View from our deck.

The first night we were there was Picasso's 8th birthday.  Happy birthday little man!  What a party that was.  Huge dinner, cake, ice cream, presents and THREE pinatas!  We had a pinata for the little ones, a pinata for the teens, and a pinata for the adults.  I have not hit a pinata in years, but oh my goodness was it fun!  I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard.  Being blindfolded while swinging a stick at a swaying pinata is a TON of fun!  Especially as you can hear everyone else laughing and urging you on with your swinging.  My sweet husband stayed above on the deck and was the "puppet master" of the pinatas.  Moving them up, down, from side to side and making it that much more fun.

A hike was gone on the next morning.  Unfortunately I had a migraine so stayed in bed.  My husband however actually took pictures!  This is quite the feat for him.  He spent three weeks in Scotland a couple years back and came home with less than 100 pictures.  It was very pitiful really, especially to someone who would have taken thousands!  So when he went on the hike with my camera in tow I really did not expect much in return.  I was so surprised when he returned with over 60 pictures.  He took them throughout the whole hike and it really helped me feel as if I had been there.

Princess and a cousin running through the woods.

Picasso sitting on a funky shaped tree.

Angel and her Grandma walking through the woods.

We spent that afternoon and the next morning on Rendezvous Beach.  My mom had rented a camp site for us, so we had our own private beach. The first afternoon we spent there was REALLY windy.  The wind did not deter us!  The kids still got in the water, volleyball was still played, smiles were seen all around. Then the mosquitoes came out!  It was a horde of mosquitoes.  So much for the bonfire planned that night!  Instead we headed back to the cabin.  Marshmallows were still toasted using the grill and smores were happily consumed.  The second day on Rendezvous Beach included GIANT bubbles and canoes!  My mom brought the supplies for the bubbles and my dad rented two canoes.  Kids were buried in the sand, my youngest brother buried up to his knees while standing up, sand castles were built, bubbles were made, and much fun was had in the water.  Later I found out that Princess had gotten lost for a time!  I feel like a horrible mother for not realizing she was gone.  She had been out on the canoe with her dad and when he dropped her off she got disoriented and walked the wrong way, away from our beach.  Thankfully she was okay, realized what happened and turned around.  Needless to say she stuck close by my side after that.  I am so THANKFUL that no harm came to her. 

My younger sisters did an amazing job planning out a menu for our time there.  There was plenty of food and all of it was wonderful.  We had a great time playing games, hanging out, talking, laughing, and just being together.  I am extremely grateful for the time spent together as family.  For the bonds that were strengthened.  For the love that was shared.  Soon I will start planning another family reunion.  I've been asked when the next one is and everyone agreed that we are not going to wait nine years again.  In another year or so I will start planning the next one, until then I will be happy in my memories of this one.

I truly, madly, deeply LOVE my family!

Family Reunion

Our family reunion is fast approaching and I just got news today that ALL of my siblings will be there!  I am so excited about that.  All your siblings you say?  Can't be that big of a feat right?  How many siblings can one person have?  The answer is yes all of my siblings, a very big feat and a person can have a LOT of siblings!  I have 4 brothers, 2 sisters, 1 half-sister, 1 half-brother, 3 step-brothers (one deceased), and 1 step-sister.  For those adverse to doing the math, as lets admit it not everyone wants to do math just for kicks, that is 12 (TWELVE) siblings.  Throw in 5 sister-in-laws, 3 brother-in-laws, 12 nieces, 12 nephews, plus 2 sets of parents and you realize that everyone coming was a feat to be accomplished.  I am very excited and very content in knowing that we will all be together soon for a few days.  I feel blessed to have such a big family and I truly love them all.  Not only do I love them, but I like them too!