You Don't See That Every Day

It's the first day after spring break. The older kids are back at school. The youngest has been falling apart all day. I didn't get enough sleep last night. And the other girls only had a very light day of schoolwork today (another nice benefit to homeschool!) But the fun of spring break and the memories made are worth it. We made a plan this year to actually do something over the break. I made up a calendar with a list next to it of things we wanted to do, and then we plugged activities into the dates. So it started with skating for one girl and her friends; and I took the other girls to the new movie "Cinderella". We all really really liked it! There was the requisite trip to the library to stock up on books for free time. And the cousins came for a three day visit - which included a fun time at the carousel. After they went home we joined some friends for a trip to the Oregon Trail museum in Oregon City. It was interesting to see the size of the wagons pione...

I've finally dug out from under the mountain of laundry and found time to tell our tale The mountain, minus one load 4 states in 1 day of a two day road trip. 2100 miles. 5 children, 2 adults, and only 1 minor meltdown. Burger King and Denny's - more than once. Lots of snow, lots of love and cousins. It was a beautiful Christmas vacation. sledding! And yet, there is so much more to say. We saw God's hand on us in many ways. We originally rented a van to haul all of us and our gear to Wyoming. When we went to pick up the van, the rental agency said they didn't have one... but had a Ford Expedition instead. I thought at first, it would be too small. And yes, it was a little tight. But that just meant we had to pack lighter and that meant less to lose along the way. It also meant 4 wheel drive. Which we needed the first night, and the second night of traveling. We hit snow in Spokane and again in Billings. Driving in blowing snow, when the temps ou...

It has been a long time coming, but G and I were finally able to run away from home without the children. I think our last trip for more than one night would have been in 2009. Maybe. He was traveling a lot back then, and I don't remember going with him. So when he said he had a trade show to attend in Las Vegas, we made plans for me to go with him. And we are both so glad that we did! The immensity - and the excess - of it all was nearly overwhelming. The trade show was held in Caesar's Palace, which was pretty glam; unfortunately we did not stay there. Our hotel was a dump, as you can see in the photo. Note to self, pay attention to the online reviews. A hotel that duct tapes its carpet... better make plans for elsewhere.   But we made the best of it, and enjoyed our time together. I had time to sleep in and read and relax. It was lovely. Not until Friday did I really miss my kids.  I was able to help G in his booth, and meet some of his colleagues. That ...

Getting ready to go on vacation is a lot like having a baby. This thought came to me as I was stirring up some rice crispy treats. I had found a very, very old bag of marshmallows (like from Christmas ... maybe). I decided I had better use them up, and what better way than to make a little treat for the family I am leaving behind. Tomorrow I start my trek to Texas, with my little Baby K. Taking a one year old on the plane doesn't excite me. But the end result should be worth it! I get to see my brother's house (finally) and visit with him and his family, whom I haven't seen in years. And I get to see my niece (my god-daughter) graduate from high school! I still remember the day I got the call from my brother about her birth; ah .. happy memories. So I have been cleaning, and making lists (oh so many lists!) and shopping, and storing up groceries for G. to utilize while I am gone. Just like I did when I was planning before I had the baby. Except this time it is a little e...

A weekend jaunt to Montana. Never thought I would do that in a weekend, but we packed up the 4 kids, dropped off the dogs, and headed east. Eastern Washington - possibly our home-to-be - is brown. We passed a sign that said "Welcome to the Evergreen State" and I laughed. The next day we made it to and across Idaho. It took one hour to cross. Now I know the lower half takes longer, but the state I come from ... hours and hours to cross either way. And finally into Montana. The leaves were changing colors. We were up in elevation, so there was rain, but the colors were beautiful! The highways there now have speed limit signs posted - but 75 miles downhill on a mountain, s-curve was enough to put finger dents in my door handle. So on Friday we got to visit wit h G's 103 year old grandmother. She is still mentally very sharp, although can't see or hear qui te as well as she used to! She is an amazing lady! The kids really enjoyed meeting her - and we decided to take her o...