Just the Five of Us

Vacation: Aftermath

We briefly entertained the thought of going to Hersheypark yesterday but quickly nixed that idea when Owen spent most of the morning melting down. We needed down time.

Doug and I are TIRED. We were amazed at how tired we were . . . until we recounted all we had done over the past week. I think we've come off our adrenaline vacation rush, and we are starting to adjust to being home. I was happy to have a day where I didn't have to sunscreen anyone or hang bathing suits and towels a dozen times.

The kids seem happy to be home. Jake's been playing with his toys like crazy and enjoyed an hour with his DS yesterday as well as time on the computer. Emma and Owen have been watching too much Noggin as we rest, journal about vacation, and try to get ready to get back in the swing of things. I got a lot done yesterday on my various to do lists as well as cleaned out the shed, helped the kids paint shells (we brought home 75 shells), did a bunch of laundry, and continued unpacking.

Today we're having a lazy morning of cartoons, playing, and trying to clean the house. I went to the gym this morning and was happy to learn I only gained two pounds on vacation . . . but had a sluggish workout and can't really get moving. We're going to the pool later with friends, so I'm hoping to get Owen down for a nap at some point. I need to go to the grocery store and run some errands, but I'm putting it off until I feel motivated.

I'm so glad we went. It always puts a huge dent in the budget but it is well worth the time we spent togehter. And i know that each year it will get easier to schlep all the kids and stuff back and forth (Emma and Jake were very good about carrying things to the beach this year) and they'll be able to hang their own suits and towels and Owen will suncreen himself and they'll get their own food ready . . . but then they'll be old enough that they won't want to hang out with us in the pool or hold our hands in the waves or laugh as we throw sandballs into the water.

It has become our tradtion and we can't wait to go back.

Vacation: Saturday

Doug woke up and hit the beach for his goodbye swim while I got ready and packed up. Jake was up, but Emma and Owen had to be woken up after 9:00! The kids watched Alien vs. Predator for a while and then we checked out. Jake was very sad to leave, and all the kids yelled goodbye as we crossed the causeway.

We arrived at the zoo right at 10:00. Owen was screaming to go to Herhseypark, but as soon as he realized he was surrounded by animals, he calmed down. He hated the hens that walked around free and squwaked constantly, but he liked everything else especially the reptile house. All the windows of the displays were low enough for him to see in. We walked the zoo, bought animals drinks, and then did some shopping in the gift shop. The kids played on the playground for a little bit, and then we hit the road.

We stopped for lunch around 2:00--Emma was really upset and feeling carsick from hunger . . . we were all hungry actually. After a lunch at McDonald's, I took over the driving and we headed for home. I drove over the Delaware Memorial Bridge again this year and had a small panic attack--I hate driving over bridges. But I made it and we pushed hard for home, stopping once for gas in Delaware.

We ran into tourist traffic in Lancaster and we didn't get home until 5:00. Having left at 10:00 it was a LONG day on the road. We unpacked the car and started unpacking the bags, and the kids bounced around and asked what we were going to do that night. Um, go to bed! I started the laundry, downloaded the pictures, started reading through over 500 emails, and the kids chilled out in front of Noggin. We were back to reality.

Vacation: Friday

Friday morning was slow. We slept in and lazed around the room feeling tired and watching TV. Gram came over to say goodbye, and we watched the last half of Open Water on TV--not a great choice for a beach vacation!

We hit the pool at 11:30 and swam until about 2:00. I made a cherry and Triscuit plate for an appetizer, then brought our raviloli for lunch for the kids and leftovers for Doug and I. We ate by the pool, and it was very relaxing (except for Owen's usual refusal to sit down but we're kind of used to that). I made s'mores for dessert . . . those were VERY messy--poor Emma had a hard time eating hers with her loose teeth.

We went in for an hour of rest and sunscreen application and hit the beach around 3:00 for the last time. We had a blast. We built a huge sandcastle, dug some really deep holes, and played in the water. We stayed down until 7:30! Emma and I found a million shells, and one of my favorite moments was Owen resting on my shoulder in the water and signing back to me as I sang him a lullaby as we walked up the beach to our chair. I was hoping he'd take a little snooze, but there was no way he was sleeping on the beach this year. The tide was coming in and we wanted to see the water enter the moat of our castle. I took Jake and Emma out on boogies boards in the swells, and Doug held Owen. It was wonderful until the surf got a little rough and a skate swam past us (though after viewing Open Water that morning, we found ourselves wondering if it really was a skate). We bought ice cream again and learned that the ice cream man had seen us out on the beach last night as it was flooded and had wondered who that crazy family was. Yes, that would be us.

 

Doug swam and rode waves after it got too rough for the kids, and we played in the sand. I sat in the surf with Emma, and we covered our legs with sand. I laughed as Owen sat down and imitated us, asking, "Water come rinse off?!" Jake went a little crazy, imitating Transformers and calling himself Sandatron. We had had enough beach! Just as we were packing up, a huge gentle wave came up to infiltrate our castle--it was just the wave we had been waiting for, and it was as if the ocean was saying goodbye to us.

We trudge home, exhausted, and showered everyone and went to WaWa to pick up some dinner. We ate around 9:00 and got the kids to bed around 10:00. Doug and I sat outside with our drinks and watched the fireworks from Wildwood. We packed and started loading the car so we wouldn't have as much to do in the morning and started planning next year's vacation. And talked--something we didn't get to do a whole lot of for most of the week.

Vacation: Thursday

Thursday was our rain day. We were pretty fried from three days on the beach, so it was nice to have a break. It was just a sprinkle, so Gram took Jake and Emma to the boardwalk for indoor mini golf, lunch, and games. They both had pizza, and Jake had ice cream. Emma got a hole in one during golf!

Doug and I took Owen for a LONG walk on the promenade, all the way down to the end. We stopped at McDonald's and bought him a cheeseburger Happy Meal and then finished our walk back to the motel. We met up with the kids and headed to Sunset Beach for more golf. It had stopped raining and there was just a slight sprinkle every now and then.

We left at 2:15 and took a back way to go over the drawbridge. It would have been a lot cooler without the massive traffic, and it took us about an hour to get there. We golfed, and Owen actually "played" for six holes (they let him have a ball and club but didn't charge us). Emma got another two holes in one! Doug got one too.

Owen lost interest and I took him over to the beach to look for rocks. I bought him a little bucket and a shark grabbing toy (which he broke after ten minutes), and we looked for rocks. He threw a couple into the water and we found some little crabs, but then he started to cry for Doug. So we sat and looked for more rocks until Doug and the kids joined us. Emma loved collecting the rocks (I figured she would), and she told me, "I just can't stop collecting them . . . there are so many pretty ones!"

We left around 5:00 and found a back way home, bringing us into Wildwood around 5:30. Much better than on the way there! We called Gram and had her put in our Rick's Seafood order. We hung out at the hotel while Doug went to get our food.

Rick's was fantastic, as usual. The kids loved everything--they had lobster tail, scallops, clams, fish, fries, coleslaw, scampi, and onion rings. Jake really liked the clams, and Emma inhaled the shrimp. Owen couldn't have any shellfish yet, but he had some fish and noodles and some fries.

We went down to the beach around 7:00 for some late evening fun. It was a blast! High tide was coming in, and with a storm system off the shore, there was some major coastal flooding. The entire beach ended up covered in ankle deep water--it took out the garbage cans and the walkway. The kids loved running around looking for "dry land"--patches of sand not flooded yet, and Owen followed them, running all over the shore and showing no fear of the water at all. He loved covering his feet with ocean foam and was brave around the seagulls. We finally left the beach at 9:00, totally flooded off. 

We ran home, showered the sandy kids, and went for a walk on the promenade to see how much flooding there was. Jake and I turned back early, but Doug, Emma, and Owen walked down further to see the flooding. It was about a foot deep in the pub district on the street, but it never breached the promenade.They came home around 10:00, Owen still awake, and we put the kids to bed. Owen fell asleep within a couple minutes.

budgeted: 80.00/spent: 120.00

Vacation: Wednesday

We decided to hit the beach in the morning. After breakfast, we headed down around 10:30 and we stayed until 2:00! And Owen went in! It was low tide, and we told him the waves were Owen waves. That's all it took, and he happily splashed in the Owen waves while keeping eyes on the Daddy waves further out. We bought ice cream from the ice cream man (on Monday, Doug lost 10.00 to the ocean when he left the money in his suit pocket so he was more careful with it today) We took a break in the hotel for some pool time, quiet time, and lunch, and we came back down to the beach from 4:00-6:00. It was a long beach day, and we were all a little fried after that.

Owen still loved the Owen waves though the tide was starting to come in. We did lots of hole digging, and Jake rode some great waves as they got bigger and rougher with the incoming tide. Jake found a really deep hole and took Owen down to see it. We had to laugh at Owen's fear . . . he thought Jake was taking him to the Daddy waves but was very happy to find the hole. Nanny and Ray handed out cookies and peanut butter cups for snack, and Owen showed a little less fear of the birds. He circled the path we made, climbing in and out of the hole over and over and over. We said goodbye to Nanny and Ray, who were heading home, and we played on the beach a little more before heading back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

We ate with Gram at the Star. We ate A LOT of food--we were all starving (except Owen who was very fidgety and spent most of dinner climbing on Doug). We went for a walk down the bike path after dinner and the kids played on some wooden play structures. My favorite moment was sitting up on the lifeguard chair and yelling, "Hey, you!" down at Jake as he walked past, unaware I was up there. He jumped, scared, and insisted that I didn't scare him. He later admitted that I "startled" him, which was not the same as scaring him.

It was Emma's night to sleep at Gram's, so we had a nice time with Jake. We watched some TV and laughed while singing goofy songs about Doug. We turned out the lights at 10:00 to Jake's insistence that he wasn't tired. Doug and I went outside for drinks, and when I came back in five minutes later, Jake was out like a light.

budgeted: 80.00/spent 55.00

Vacation: Tuesday

Tuesday morning, we woke up to a slight drizzle. The first words out of Emma's mouth were, "When we move, can we live at the beach?" A girl after our hearts. The kids had a quick breakfast while Doug and Owen made the daily morning trip to WaWa for water . . . and a watermelon lollipop for Owen. Clearly, Doug is not aware of the "no watermelon" rule. The kids can choose whatever candy they want on vacation . . . but I can't stand the smell of watermelon. Thankfully, Owen forgot about it after I offered him a little box of cereal--he loved the "loop loops" (fruit loops). Doug took the kids for a quick visit at Nanny and Ray's while I boiled eggs for snacks and cleaned up the kitchen and got us ready to go to the beach.

Since it was still a tiny drizzle, we went to dinosaur golf. Owen was super excited--he had seen the course that mornign from WaWa. The kids and I walked down, and Doug met us there with the car. Jake and Emma loved golf and both did really well. Owen had no interest at all and was always getting in the way--teeing off where and when he felt like it, picking up the kids' golf balls and moving them around, climbing on all the rocks, acting "cared" of the dinosaurs, and playing with a waterhole--one of the holes was filled with water, and Owen enjoyed splashing his golf ball in and out of that for a while. Fortunately, we had the course to ourselves. Unfortunately, we paid $6.50 for Owen to do his own thing. We decided that he wouldn't be golfing again.

We went home, had a snack, and went for a quick dip in the pool. The kids and I loved throwing the torpedo back and forth to each other and diving for it when it fell to the bottom of the deep end. Jake had a hard time diving down, but by the end of the week, he could make it to the bottom of eight feet and retrieve the torpedo or diving sticks.

We spent four hours at the beach that afternoon. Jake was really brave in the waves, going out with Doug and a boogie board and riding some really good waves. Owen and Emma made a little friend and they all dug and played with the sand toys togehter. At one point, Emma and the little girl ran for the ocean to get water and Owen started after them, getting about three feet until he realized they were headed for the water. He stopped on a dime, turned, ran back to me, and waited for them to come back.

After showers, we went to dinner with Gram at Dolce for pizza and pasta. The kids ate like horses. Doug and the kids and the grandparents went for an hour walk on the promenade but I stayed home with some Advil and ice on my knee, which was really hurting. Fighting waves and swimming in the ocean is a lot different from funning on an elliptical, and I battle knee pain for most of the week. Thank God for Advil.

Jake slept at Gram's, so we had some nice time alone with Emma--Owen fell asleep on the walk again and transferred right into bed without so much as a twitch. We taught her to play UNO and then Doug showed her how to make card houses, a mug under Emma's for stability. She made more of a hut but loved having both of us to herself--something that hardly ever happens.

budgeted: 80:00/spent:55.00

Vacation: Monday

We left about 9:20, only ten minutes later than last year. Again, less than a minute into the car the kids asked for the movie. I bought them Shark Tale as a surprise, thinking that a new movie would hold their interest better. That worked for about 45 minutes.

We stopped for breakfast at the Burger King drive thru and then took our hotel money out of the bank. Jake got a huge hit out of holding it all in his hand at once, and Emma liked examining the hundred dollar bills. We were on the highway and on the go by about 9:40. Twenty minutes later, Emma asked, "When are we at the beach?"

An hour into our trip, I brought out little gifts I had bought for the ride. The kids weren't as interested in Shark Tale as I had thought they would be--I think they were just too excited to be leaving. Jake got American president flash cards, which totally thrilled him. Emma loved her tablet of Ariel stickers, and Owen wanted nothing to do with the dinosaur flash cards I bought him. And Jake even offered to read them to him.

The drive went pretty well. We made it through Route 30 pretty easily and then kids loved looking at the Amish farms and horse and buggies that were out. A farmer was out with his horse drawn tractor, and we couldn't help but laugh when Jake asked if the horses were real. We drove over our favorite under ground cow tunnel and didn't have to stop until 11:15.

We stopped at our usual gas station in New London for a potty break and to buy some treats. Jake and Emma both chose Skittles, wild berry and tropical. After much thought--and a little help from me--Owen picked out peanut M&Ms. Doug and I enjoyed the cookie bar that he had smashed. Hey--it's vacation!

We arrived in New Jersey after crossing the Delaware Memorial Bridge, and I made my first casual mention of the Jersey Devil to Doug. It was one of his biggest childhood fears, and he still jokes about being scared to death of it. We of course had to explain it to the kids who were more interested in looking for sand along the side of the highway--a sure sign that the beach is nearing. Jake kept Owen entertained for over half an hour reading his Transformers guide book to him.

We crossed the causeway at 1:30, clapping and laughing as Emma yelled out the car to the seagulls, "Don't steal our food!". We checked in 15 minutes later and started to unpack the car. Jake helped bring things in from the car, and all the kids unpacked their bags into their drawers. Though it looked a little rough, I packed our clothes in the reusable grocery bags this year. They were easy for the kids to carry and soft enough to squish into the packed car. Even Owen unpacked his clothes into his drawer after he saw Jake and Emma unpack. It was really cute watching him shove everything in there. He was very proud of his efforts.

We finally hit sand around 2:30. We stayed down at the beach for three hours building sandcastles, riding waves, and digging huge holes to play in. Jake came out past the breakers with me and discovered that riding swells and hanging out past the rough part of the waves is really fun. Owen took one step in the water, let a wave hit him, and then wouldn't go near the water without screaming for the rest of the day. He was scared of the noise and terrified of the seagulls. "Mema care them!" he would cry, and Emma would run after them, chasing them away whenever they landed too close to him. Thankfully, he was happy digging in the sand.

 

We went back to the hotel around 5:30 and swam in the pool until after 6:30 while Nanny and Ray visited.

After dragging ourselves out of the water and showering everyone, we ordered Russo's takeout. Owen was crazy in the suite, running back and forth between the rooms and screaming and acting crazy as usual. WAY too much excitement for one day. So we strapped him into his stroller and went for a walk on the promenade. We walked for almost an hour and he fell asleep in the stroller. We transferred him to bed, and he didn't even move. It was Emma's day, so she chose to sleep on the pullout couch and Jake set his sleeping bag up on the floor. They were all asleep by shortly after 9:00.

budgeted 80.00/spent 67.00

Off to Gram's

Before Owen broke his bone, we had had plans to go to my mom's for a couple days. Since I didn't want to travel with him, she wonderfully came up and got the kids so I could focus on Owen for the first week after his accident. The kids were so excited to go home, and they ended up having a "mini" vacation that was all about them.

They grabbed their Webkinz, threw on their shades, and were ready to go in no time:

Activities included:

• a trip to Wegman's
• nature walks with the dog
• a Spongebob marathon with Pappy
• lots of Doritos from WaWa
• swimming with Nicole

We joined them for the weekend and brought them back on Sunday.

A Busy Monday and the Fire Station

I like to have easy Mondays to recoup from the weekend and get ready to face the week.

Not today.

Owen actually slept until 9:00. After that, it was a race to get everyone ready at to the fire station by 10:00 for our tour. After that, we hit the playground with friends to enjoy the weather. Got home around 1:00. Thankfully, Owen napped for a half hour so I could get some lunch together. Emma watched some TV while I fed and nursed Owen and then it was back in the car to drop dinner off at a friend's and then pick Jake up at school.

From school, we went to the dentist. Both kids fought over who got to go first . . . they had been looking forward to the dentist all day (!). Emma went first, all by herself while I changed Owen. I rejoined her for a bit until it was my turn. Then Jake and I went into another room with Owen. Jake entertained Owen while I started getting my teeth cleaned. Emma returned and Jake went in, coming back almost when I was done. I finally finished up just as Owen was tiring of the bottle, keys, toys, funny faces from Emma and Jake, and the toothbrush the hygienist gave him since he was crying for one once he saw Emma's. I was surprised at how smoothly everything went . . . Jake and Emma were really very good at keeping Owen occupied and I actually relaxed in the chair (I was tired . . . what can I say?).

We came home, played, had dinner, and then Doug took Emma and Owen to the store. Emma clomped around in her "Baptism shoes" (white pumps with little heels), pushing the cart and helping put things in it. A super helper.

I put the kids to bed with stories where they went to the dentist and the eye doctor with a friend . .. Thomas the t-rex and Snyder the spider. They had to guess the animals at the end based on hints . . . no one guessed the t-rex (although I thought for sure they would with my hint that he couldn't brush his own teeth because his arms were too short), but Jake did guess that Snyder was a spider. I then had to give extra sweet dreams to Emma and count all her buddies in her bed (29!) because she had a really bad nightmare last night that she and Jake were playing in the backyard and someone shot them with a gun. Not sure where that came from, but I told her I would get her head so full of happy thoughts there wouldn't be any room for bad ones and that seemed to help.

Owen was not that thrilled with the trip to the fire station. And he even had a fire truck on his shirt!

He was REALLY not thrilled with his hat, which he wore for about 6/10 of a second.

He was a bit happier when I let him crawl around. He found a nice corner to shake some hoses in and played with the boots.

Emma tried on the coat. It was very heavy.

She also decided to drive the truck :).  She was amazing the whole time. No fear, volunteered for things, played with her friends . . . totally independent and all on her own. Wore the hat, carried around her dog, and had a great time.

She enjoyed the playground, too. Especially doing roller coaster with Gianna and Jackson.