Great Wolf Lodge

While in MO and while D1 was away with the guys for the weekend, I threw all reason out the window and headed for an adventure to the Great Wolf Lodge with the boys. And an adventure it was! We weren't going completely solo, though - my friend, Tammie and her daughter, Sydney met us there (after they made a 5 hour drive from Iowa to see us!) for an overnight stay. I might add that this isn't any random little girl - this is (one of) d1's true loves (apparently he has three - me, Syd, and Taylor Swift). They met when they were both just turning 2 and still play amazingly well together. This was the first time we had seen them since our Atlanta Zoo trip . Crazy how much they've both grown up! And even crazier is how my son acts when he's with her - as if he's trying to win her over. Hello? They are 6 years old. Throughout the entire 24 hours we were with them, they would randomly hold hands or she would have her arm looped through his. It was just very uncharacteristic of him to act so affectionately. There may have been moments where I was working up a scenario in my head for a kid swap - or just take Sydney home with us and keep all my boys, too. Her influence on d1 might be worth having the extra child around.


The Three Amigos




I realize this is not a good picture but I like the double fist-pump action here.....or is he snapping his fingers?




Giant Waterfall






About sums up his excitement for the waterpark





Is this kid lovestruck or what?




Our entire crew in the KidKabin Bunk Area - d2 kept calling her Cindy - guess her real name was too hard to remember





Great Wolf Story Time Set




How cute is this? And it was constant




So we were pretty much on the go the entire time we arrived. Indoor water park, arcade, tattoos, shopping, Dinner at T-Rex, Story Time in jammies. The resort set up is great for kids and the water park was a big hit, although not so much for the little ones (as you can see from the stroller picture). It's just a little tricky without two parents. I had to make sure I could see the older two who were EVERYWHERE and I couldn't put d3 down to walk because it was slippery and he's just getting comfortable with this walking thing (yes....15 months.....entirely another post) so it was a little nerve wracking. There are lifeguards and they seem to do a good job but there are so many kids that I'm not ready to grab a lounger and send them off alone. And not to mention what sorts of kooks are lurking in there. They also have this huge fort-like thingy-ma-bobber in the middle of the waterpark that the kids can climb on. This 'thing' also has a giant bucket at the top that fills every 5 minutes and once it's full, it comes crashing down like a huge waterfall (see above pic). The older kids loved it! d3 HATED it. Screamed! And he wasn't even near it or feeling any water from it - he just didn't like the big crash or so I assume. He didn't really say......

Overall it was a great time. I only had a few times where I wanted to get in the fetal position and cry. One of those being in the arcade. You see, I had just returned to the arcade after taking d3 back to the room to change his blowout diaper that extended all the way to the neck, only to find d2's pants wet. In the 'guts' area. WHAT. THE. HECK. He hasn't had an accident in well over a year and it was all because he didn't want to leave the air hockey table that he decided to tinkle in his undies. I realize it's not a big deal, I think it was just a combination of the previous 5 minutes I had endured with the blowout (wiggly toddler, runny poo, hotel carpet). Or maybe the fact that I had about 2 hours of sleep the night before because our A/C unit in the hotel kicked on every 5 minutes and sounded like a jet taking off. I can appreciate 'white noise' but this was absurd. Oh and in between take-offs, the hotel phone would randomly ring....at, oh, 2am. And again at 4am. It eventually was taken off the hook. Needless to say, I was running on very little sleep and SO missing my husband. But it was great to see them and a wonderful experience for the kiddos......but never again will I go it alone. At least not until I can have my lounger and little umbrella drink....

Mission: Muffin Top-Be-Gone

Scroll down to my recent post about our road trip - do you see any common themes within my 'highlights' section? Um, hello? All I did was EAT. Constantly. I don't know if it's just being on vacation or what but I totally let loose and ate like I was pregnant. Which I am NOT - no rumors need to be started. And in the end, I gained right around 4 lbs.....in 10 days. Ick. Anyway, I made sure to thoroughly enjoy every last latte and buffet because I am now on a mission to lose 15 lbs. And I even have a deadline of September 23rd. Why that day? Because that is when we leave for our long weekend in MO (yes, AGAIN! but flying!)for a family wedding, which includes D1 as Best Man and d2 as Ring Bearer. I have a super cute black dress that I want to wear and look smokin' hot in. Not much better motivation than that!

So my plan is this - following the Weight Watchers guidelines and trying to squeeze in some ab workouts. I would love to say I will hit the Wii Fit hard every night but I am also going to set realistic goals and know that I have zero energy at 7:30 after working all day, cooking/cleaning up dinner and putting the boys to bed so I will do what I can for exercise and make up the rest in my diet. I lost 35 lbs last summer/fall after d3 so I know I can discipline myself to do it but I also know that I could possibly be at a plateau stage in where my normal weight should be. I don't mind a little meat on my bones.....truth is, I have never been little by anyone's standards....but I just don't like wearing jeans that push my pudge over the edge.

Here's my challenge to you, my friends and family ~ Push me. Encourage me. YELL at me. If I'm in line for that donut on Sunday morning, walk by me and whisper mild expletives like muffin top, fatty, oinker, etc. I have thick skin....I won't cry. Or you can do it nicely with little black dress, chic mama....I respond to those, too.

Though I probably won't update weekly, I'll keep you posted on my progress. GAME ON!

Heavenly Questions From a 4-Year Old

As I mentioned in the earlier post, I took the 3 little guys to put flowers on my grandmother's grave on the way to the GWL. We stopped by Target for some last minute overnight necessities and picked out a bouquet of the most beautiful pink flowers (no idea of the name, I only know roses, tulips and petunias and they were none of those). I have to say that I was a little nervous about how this would go but I was pleasantly surprised at how well they did. They acted as if they were among many strangers, which I guess was just about right being in a cemetery. They asked questions, lots of them and were very curious. We only stayed a minute and when we left I told them we could wave and blow kisses to Great-Grandma and when all THREE of the boys waved good-bye and blew kisses.....well, let's just say that I'm glad I had my Jackie O BIG sunglasses on because the tears were falling. My grandmother was such an amazing woman and a big part of who I am today. D1 and I decided that it was by the grace of God and my grandmother's constant prayers for me that I did not end up where statistics would have guessed. I miss her terribly, every day, and only wish she could be here to share these miracles with us. But, as I explained to the boys, she is always in our hearts, is always watching us from heaven and will be waiting with open arms to hug us one day when we arrive......





Which leads me to the point of my title ~

I know last year, d1 and I had a few conversations on heaven, Jesus and some random topics on the way to school but this year, it's d2's turn and they are some good ones....and some goofy ones but in his eyes, it's important stuff. Here are some recent Q&A sessions we've had, many logistical questions, and a few that really blew my mind given the age of this child:


d2: Will we go to heaven in an elevator?
Me: Maybe. I don't know.
d2: No, I think it will be on a white horse. And he will be really, really, really fast. What if I fall off the back of the horse?
Me: You won't. It will be a nice horse. No bucking.
d2: What???

d2: Does Jesus have a bigger rock than Daddy? ('rock' meaning his biceps)
Me: Definitely.

d2: How does Jesus hold the whole world in his hands like the song says? That's way too big for anyone.
Me: He's SO strong, only He can do it.
d2: Yeah, but Daddy could probably do it, too.

d2: When we get to heaven, will Daddy be our brother and God be our father?
Me: Well, yes, he will. How did you know that?
d2: I just do. I'm learning alot. But you will always be my mommy. (wiping tears)






I just never wanted to forget these innocent and precious thoughts of my son. I love all my boys so much and although they have similar characteristics, they are all their own little people and I am so proud of them. Are they wild & crazy? Absolutely. Do they enjoy jumping on beds and off of swings? Yep. But they are all BOY and I am working very hard to remember that instead of trying to change them. That does not make them bad or naughty, that makes them spirited, playful and full of zest. They are amazingly smart, handsome boys and God gave them to me for a reason and I'm going to continue to strive to be the best mommy I can......

Summer Road Trip

Our family vacation this summer was a 10 day trip back to Missouri to visit family and friends. So we loaded up the mini-van and headed out on our 14-hour overnight drive (on my actual birthday - not sure who decided that). And because I am a big girl and can admit when I am wrong (because it obviously doesn't happen very often), our 14 hours ended up being closer to 16 due to a slight veer off the path somewhere in Nashville around 2 am. It's a very confusing interstate swap at that point and my DH has made the same exact mistake himself. It may not have been a pleasant car ride for a couple of hours but a few tears on my part made it a lot easier for everyone. Who cares if they weren't exactly authentic....it worked. :)

So on this vacation we did lots of 'fun' stuff. Most of which I have no pictures for. Totally lame but I'm going to use the 'I'm overwhelmed with my children' excuse and post what I do have. And I'll say 'fun' because the boys definitely had fun during our adventures. At this point in our lives with the ages of the children, it's hard to do things that we know d1 and d2 would LOVE but d3 cannot/will not do such as water parks. And we visited two different parks so fun for the kiddos = stressful for us 'rents. Oh well, it's just a part of the journey, right?

Our vacation highlights (in semi-chronological order):

*missed exit for I-24 in Nashville (ok, maybe this isn't a highlight....)

*devoured fried mush for our first breakfast in K'ville (greasy heaven at its best but ohhhh so good)

*arrived at hospital in time for the birth of the precious twin girls, Ava & Cora - pure sweetness




*Casey's BBQ pizza

*lunch with my aunt and cousin from Colorado - very special for me because it's very rare that I see any of my family

*Guesstures and THE best Chinese with friends

*belated birthday parties for our entire family of 5 so that Grandma & Grandpa can celebrate, too



*GIRLFRIEND DAY including lots of shopping, pedis and lunch

*Summit Waves water park followed by dinner at GoJo's (Japanese Steak House)

*Deanna Rose Farmstead....six kids, two mommies, 100 degrees then followed by Burger King lunch after the near heat stroke where I inadvertently put on a peep show for construction workers in my sun dress whiling chasing d3 up the slide

*Dueling Piano club

*cemetery visit to place flowers on my grandma's grave with all three little guys - such a sweet scene they gave me with their innocence and eagerness to know about her

*Great Wolf Lodge overnight stay w/o D1 - semi-traumatic experience deserves it's own post, perhaps for tomorrow.

My Big Fat 30th Surprise Party

Earlier this year, I am quite certain I told D1 that I did not want a surprise party when we were discussing birthday options for the big 3-0. I think it's because I'm somewhat of a control freak (shocking, right?) and I need to know what, when and where for everything.

So the story goes like this --

About a month ago, D1 told me that his name had been drawn for a gift certificate to Red Lobster. Yum-o! We love us some RL. Unfortunately, babysitters aren't so easy to come by for our trio so we had to plan it out. And we were actually able to secure overnight sitters so that we would have an entire night to ourselves. Finally! It has seriously been at least two years. So this past Saturday was the big day. Earlier that morning, D1 handed me the gift certificate. I opened it and informed him that it got switched with another certificate made out to a co-worker for the Olive Garden. He said it wouldn't be a problem, he would call the secretary (Katie) that handles them and we could swing by and pick up the RL certificate on our way. Whatever, I didn't think anything of it. We got the boys to their sitters, got ourselves ready and headed out. On the way to get the right certificate, D1 gets a phone call from a friend, who was telling him that his daughter had been attacked by a dog and was in pretty bad shape at the hospital. In hindsight, I should have known that it was a bit over the top and that D1 probably should have been freaking out a bit more but I bought it - hook, line and sinker. So I'm trying to listen to the details of the story but we pull into Katie's driveway and he can't seem to get off the phone so he nudges me to go to the door get it. Seriously? What am I supposed to say? Hey, his friend's kid is hurt....can I get the free money for cheddar biscuits? I mean, a little weird. So I go to the door......



When the door opens, I am speechless. And confused. Can you tell? I remember thinking, 'What are you doing? Get back in the car! I am starving and we are wasting precious time!' Oh, but he had roses. Still confused. Then a second later, 20 of our closest friends pop out and scream SURPRISE! It was awesome! If you can't hear the poem he gave me to read, it basically said that I was having a casino night party (all for charity - no gambling, thank you!) with a spread of food, some 'beverages' and BLACKJACK! D1 knows I love to play so it was perfect. When we all got us some food in our billies (borrowing d2's lingo), we huddled up to hear the rules of the game. This is where I learned that my friends had come together to celebrate my birthday with me but at the same time, we were also donating to a great organization, the Frazee Dream Center. We raised $250! Then came a toast from D1. And it was like everything else - perfect! He just really thought of everything. Everything! He knows I have a love for music so he hacked into my iPod in the recent months (because he had been planning this party that long!) and noted my favs and then had them burned onto CDs to play at the party and for me to keep. Love it!


The rest of the night and most of the next day, he unveiled all the pieces that I should have picked up on but didn't. A big one - in the week leading up the party, we had thrown around some ideas on what to do on our date night after dinner - movie? Nah, nothing out that was worth wasting our money on. Baseball game? Nope, too hot. Shopping? His response was a quick 'Yeah, that sounds good.' Um, what? He would NEVER agree so quickly to shopping. Never. Ever. I still think it was probably my giddiness of a full night sans kids that I didn't care if we stared at the walls - we would be able to stare in silence. I know he was thrilled that I didn't learn of the surprise - especially given how many times I had been around all these people in the days leading up to the party AND how much they like to talk (which is why we all get along so great!). He changed his passwords on all email/FB accounts, created fake contacts in his phone so my friends could text him pertinent pieces of info,etc. It really could have fallen apart somewhere along the way but it all worked out!















I had such a great time! I truly am the luckiest girl in the world to have married such an exciting, loving and giving man who would stress himself out so long just to make me feel so incredibly loved! And yes, I am still a girl. I may be turning 30 but I hear life doesn't REALLY begin until after 30 so BRING IT!


ETA: Thanks, friends, for keeping your lips sealed. Especially when I look right at you (ahem**Laura**ahem) just hours before the bash and you lie right to me. Actually, you didn't lie right to me....you wouldn't look at me at all when you were giving me your plans for the night. An evening with the in-laws? Riiiight:)

ETA#2: Watching the video back, why did not one of you brutally honest friends point out my pudge? Thanks.....

Little Guy in the Big Chair

d2 had his first dentist visit with big Dr. C last week and he did fantastic. The trick, according to the staff, is to keep the parents out....so that's exactly how it went. So far, we are cavity-free -- at least where the offspring are concerned. My experience with the dentist is a different story for a different post and I'm getting annoyed just thinking about it so I'll just zip it up for now and show off my tan little feller and his pearly whites....






Another visit he had last week was his 4 year well-child checkup. D1 took him for this and I showed up towards the end. Good thing. You see, we LOVE LOVE LOVE our pediatrician. He is truly a blessing to us - patient, kind, loving but extremely thorough and honest. Just cannot say enough about him. An important piece to this story is that I also have a professional relationship with him - definitely never hurts to have those connections when you have young children, right? Anyway, my point is that had I arrived earlier, I might have wanted to crawl under the examining table and/or submit my resignation. During the appointment, Dr. Y was checking the testicular area (side note: that just sounds weird saying testicles- to me, they are balls, plain and simple) and d2 just started giggling uncontrollably and saying, 'Hehe, Daddy - he's touching my guts - hehe. That's funny!' No words to describe my embarrassment....and I wasn't even in the room. Guess it's better d2calls them guts, though we have no idea where that came from, than some other terms like scrotum - or balls - or (gasp!) guts with a capital 'N.' I'm sure once they hear them called that, guts won't be near as funny as nuts.

Bye Bye Baby Curls

d3 had his first haircut last month, although we didn't completely do away with the curls. We went to a special baby salon and he did so well. No tears were shed. And d3 even managed not to cry....

A Mini-Man's Perspective

So, this may come as a shock to some of you but I am not a real girly-girl. More of a tomboy, actually. I know, hard to believe, right? So there's no coincidence that I have three boys. God totally knew I would screw that up big.....

There is a point to this story, not just a random piece of information about me and my dysfunctions. Last weekend, while I was unpacking my wardrobe box, d2 came across one of my few dresses. No, seriously - I think I have two and one is a black dress used only for weddings (that I still have from my rehearsal dinner 7 years ago). And skirts? Nope. Not so much. Anyway, he asked me why I never wear dresses. Bless his heart, he's so observant. I told him I didn't really have any dresses and that Mommy preferred pants and capris.....which then led into 8 questions about what capris are - 'are they the same thing as my Capri (Sun) juice box?' And I might have to shave more often if I wore dresses but I wasn't even going there with a 4-year-old. When we finally got back to the initial dress topic, he told me that mommys are supposed to wear dresses. Good to know, I guess. But then he asked me if I would wear it tomorrow to church. And he told me if I did, I could pick him up from his class. Oh, so it's like that, huh? I have to wear a dress for you to acknowledge me as your mother? So I wore the dress. I didn't enjoy it but I did it for him.

That night, I gave it some more thought and decided I would try to get out of my comfort zone a bit and maybe give dresses a chance. I even purchased one on sale earlier this week and plan to try it out on Sunday. It really is not my thing but if it makes my little guy proud to show me off, how in the world can I say no? We'll see how long this endeavor lasts.....

At Last.....

We are finally Eastside residents!! Last Friday we did back-to-back closings on the old and new house. Whew, it was C-R-A-Z-Y! We've always moved ourselves (with the help of a U-Haul truck) and after last week's chaos, I vowed we would never do it again without professionals and I mean it. It was just too much. I'll spare you the details. We are just thrilled, thankful and BLESSED that all of the details worked out!

However, none of the details matter (and I do have stories) because we are here and loving it! D1 has accomplished so much in the last week inside and out but we still have a ways to go. Nothing major, just some updates. The boys are thrilled (but not as much as we are) when we are in the van only a few minutes before we arrive at BiLo/Chik-Fil-A/Target. Oh, and did I mention I am probably 8 minutes from Chipotle? A longtime dream of mine! And tonight is a very special night - our modem arrived today! Both D1 and I are sitting side by side on the couch with our laptops. The excitement is like kids on Christmas morning. I'm particularly excited about returning to the blogging world! This may be a bad thing for my sleep - between Kingsbury books and blogging, I might have to settle for 4 hours a night.....