Heard Around the House This Week: Vacation Edition

"Better than Disney World."

~E-Bear, rating his opinion of our summer vacation in Hilton Head and Indiana

"Are there roller coasters in Disney World?  Then, I like them the same."

~Buddy Bear, rating his opinion of our summer vacation in Hilton Head and Indiana

"Mommy, I get out bed, want come see you."

~J-Bear, explaining to me why she crawled out of her crib for the first time while on vacation.

"Mom, do you know what I am wishing for?  A day when you and I get to spend the day together, just the two of us.  A Mom's Day out.  Could I make a list of the things I would like to do together?"

~G-Bear, making my day at the end of vacation.

The hardest part of returning from vacation, according to Buddy Bear

Sweet Buddy Bear loves his dad so much, and he loves to have our family together.

While we were on vacation he said to T:

"Daddy, do you want to know the best part of vacation? There is no work."

Of course, Buddy Bear meant that while on vacation, T didn't need to leave for work in the morning.

So, you can imagine our Buddy's disappointment when he woke up on Monday morning.

Yes, Buddy, Daddy does need to leave for work this morning.

Tears in his eyes, Buddy Bear took his usual place on the landing to wave good-bye to Daddy.

For some of us, it's unpacking, for some of us it's the laundry,

for some of us, it's the return to a schedule or waking up early again,

for some of us, it is saying good-bye to Daddy for the day;

for all of us, it's hard when vacation is over.  

Happily Ever,

Queen B

Moments from Road Trip 2015

When you head out on a seventeen day, cross country road trip to reunions with family and friends two weeks after having a baby, there are certain to be many memorable moments, some highlights, some low lights.  We have returned from a week in Hilton Head with T's family, followed by a once-in-a-lifetime reunion of eight college friends and their families in Indiana.  Here are a few teasers:

Highlight: 

Pushing through the exhaustion of a full day of packing 

and finally climbing in the car to pull out at 10pm.

Low point:

Waking up every 15-20 minutes throughout the night to feed a baby, 

comfort a toddler or change a diaper, only to have the toddler "wake up" for the morning at 2am and want to chat for the rest of the morning car ride.

Sunrise over Indiana after our first night on the road.

Highlight:

Seeing the sun rise over Indiana at the end of our first night on the road.

T had driven through the night, we were 10 hours into our 24 hour drive, 

and with the exception of J-Bear, none of the Bears were even awake yet.

We finally stopped at Chick-fil-a to celebrate with breakfast.

Highlight:

Looking into the back of our minivan and seeing the seats full of Bears.  

What precious cargo!  What amazing blessings!

I don't think that T and I could have ever imagined this 

when we started out on this journey together 9.5 years ago.

Highlight:

We passed the miles in the car with new sticker books from Melissa and Doug, 

and by listening to Magic Tree House books on tape (10 hours!),

a BBC audio book version of the complete Tales of Narnia (17 hours!),

watching a few VeggieTales (4 hours!),

and sprinkling in a few hours of Radio Lab podcasts and Paul Harvey Clips.

Low point:

Having to adjust headphones for back seat passengers.  

If you live by the headphones, you die by the headphones.

Highlight:

Our stopping points along the way were treats in and of themselves.

We stopped in Mars Hill, NC at the end of our first full day of driving.  T had always wanted to see Mars Hill growing up, and we happened to be driving near enough to make it our stopping point for the night.  After a hearty dinner along main street, we snuggled in for an early bedtime in our hotel to recharge.  Ahhhhh.....

From Mars Hill, we continued onto Charleston, SC.  We ate dinner near Charleston at the fantastic Five Loaves Cafe (definitely worth a second trip), and then spent the night and the following morning at the Inn at Middleton Place, on the Middleton Plantation.  

Low point:

The traffic getting onto Hilton Head Island at the peak of Saturday tourist arrival.

So close, and yet, so far.

Highlight:

The shouts of joy from family members and the smell of Jim and Nick's BBQ

 welcoming us once we did arrive at the house in HH.

Low point:

Having to leave our family and cousins, with tears in our eyes, as we left HH one week later

High point:

Realizing that we still had a whole week of vacation left, 

with some of our closest friends and their kids.

And those are just the moments from the Road Trip.  Get ready for the moments from the vacations....

Happily Ever,

Queen B

Raise your hand....

Raise your hand.....

.....if you have lived more of your life on vacation than at home!

After two and a half weeks of an epic road trip summer vacation, we are home.

The Littlest Bear definitely wins the Super Duper Trooper Award for spending most of his life away from home.  Runners up for the award are Dad, for driving all of the 3,000+ miles that we traveled, Mom for doing the trip 2 weeks postpartum, and the Bears for being awesome kids on vacation.

There are many tales to tell.  

First, get us out of these car seats.

Happily Ever,

Queen B

Spring Skiing in Lutsen

This past weekend, we made a break for spring skiing at Lutsen Mountain on the North Shore of Lake Superior.  There was decidedly less snow this year than last year, but still plenty of snow on the ski hills.  With one day of snow, one day of warm sun and one day of freezing temps, we got a little taste of everything.

Fortunately for our whole family, we were able to convince Nana, MoMo and Papa to come with us for the second year in a row.

As far as I am concerned, there are several keys to ensuring a successful ski weekend with four kids under eight.  First of all, enlist all possible grandparents.  Second of all, set low expectations.  The Bunny Hill may be too good for us.  Third, plan to never leave the Bunny Hill.  Fourth, pack an enticing picnic lunch with treats like mini gatorades and applesauce pouches.  Fifth, enlist all possible grandparents.

This was only our second adventure skiing at Lutsen.  One will notice from all the pictures that we all decided to go with helmets this year, since preserving gray matter is all the rage on the slopes these days.  I must say that helmets are a great way to take the edge off of watching your kids ski.   I found my helmet to be comfortable and cozy, but terribly orbital.

When we left Lutsen last year, G-Bear was just learning to turn and stop on the Bunny Hill.  E-Bear was upright but out of control on the Bunny Hill, and Buddy Bear was barely upright.  What a difference a year makes!

The skiing crew (with J-Bear)

This year, J-Bear sat out the skiing in favor of playing in the snow, snagging afternoon naps with Nana and going for gondola rides with Mom.  

G-Bear was in control of the Bunny Hill (turning, snowplowing and stopping) and ready for the ski lift by the end of our first day.  By the end of the trip, G-Bear was skiing blue runs all by herself!  Awesome!

E-Bear was in control of the Bunny Hill by the end of his second day, and after a brief ski school lesson with G-Bear, he was ready to try the Big Bunny green hill by himself.  E-Bear was truly persistent, and his efforts paid off.  He made it down the green Big Bunny without any help.

Buddy Bear was riding the Magic Capet lift to the top of the Bunny Hill by himself the first day, and by our last day we had him laced into a ski harness and he was skiing down the Big Bunny green hill with T holding onto the reigns.  Buddy Bear's progress was amazing, and he was so excited to be "skiing by himself" in the harness.  Next year, he'll be old enough for ski school, and we can't wait to see how much he improves.

MoMo and G-Bear on the lift.

Truly, we were ecstatic to make it off the Flapjack bunny hill.  By our second day, all the kids were riding the lifts with an adult, while Nana or I cheered at the bottom of the slopes with J-Bear.  One afternoon, T and I even got to take G-Bear for a ski by herself.  We skied nothing but blue hills that afternoon, and G-Bear declared them her favorite runs.  Papa warned us that next year several of our kids may leave T and me in their dust.

On Mystery Mountain with G-Bear

MoMo and Papa are super skiers in their own right, and it was a special moment for them to get to ski with their grandkids.  I am so grateful that they taught me to ski when I was little, doubly grateful that they are willing to help my own kids learn the same sport.  As T and I also took G-Bear down the blue runs, we also experienced the uncomfortable feeling of watching one of our kids do something for the first time that we couldn't protect them from.  I'll say it again, thank goodness for those helmets!

After a long day of skiing, there were still plenty of treats in store.  We would catch the shuttle back to our townhouse,

 soak for a while in the swimming pool or hot tub at the Lodge,

 and then head down to the beach to explore, 

hunt for treasures, 

and throw rocks into the lake.

We also had time for a few gorgeous early morning sunrises, s'mores by a starlight bonfire, a dinner out at the Lodge, family board games, a viewing of the Sound of Music (the kids LOVED it), and a Saturday Vigil Mass in Grand Marais.

Thanks, once again, to Nana, MoMo and Papa, for making the trip so special, and to our all-star skiers, who didn't quit when the going got tough.   Until next year, Lutsen!

Sunrise with T over Lake Superior.

 Happily Ever,
Queen B

A wedding in Carmel

The beach at Carmel was a worthy reward for our last long day of travel.

We needed to unwind and air out after our last hours in the car.

Nothing makes for smiles and relaxation like sand and sand castles. 

Little J-Bear took in the ocean sites with her Papa.

It was hard to keep her out of the water, even though it was only 68 degrees!

We had a day to relax in Carmel before the big wedding day.  My cousin's wedding, by the way, was the whole reason we had come to California in the first place.  Thanks to T's fantastic planning, by the time we reached our wedding destination, we already had a week's worth of family experiences and memories to treasure.

One of the most exciting parts of the wedding was that all eight cousins were invited to walk down the aisle as part of the bridal procession!  Months before the event, MoMo took on the task of planning, coordinating and purchasing all the wedding clothes for the wee attendants.  Her efforts were gift to our families.  Moments like the one below were her reward for the hard work.

Before the ceremony, each cousin received a gift from the bride and groom.  Buddy Bear and E-Bear loved their watches.  The girls received lovely bracelets.

The wedding was held at a lovely hilltop winery right outside of Carmel by the Sea.  The location was stunning.

Finally, it was time to get ready with your escort!

Each of the cousins were given a pendant to carry down the aisle which ready, "Here Comes the Bride!"  The commotion of the procession hopefully attracted, rather than detracted, attention to the approaching bride.  In truth, the older cousins were a huge help in leading the little ones down the aisle.

After their procession, the wee ones joined us to the side of the guest area, to watch the ceremony.

After the ceremony, of course there were more pictures!  

We certainly had plenty of material with which to work. :)

As we enjoyed the reception, I couldn't help but reflect on the spectacular week we had enjoyed together.  I was thankful to my cousins for including us all in their big day.  I was thankful to T for his dedicated planning of so many wonderful experiences.  I was thankful to MoMo and Papa, Nana, Uncle T and Aunt K for making the commitment to travel with us.  Family trips are an investment in so many ways.  This one was most certainly worth it.

Happily Ever, 
Queen B