2nd Annual Huntington Beach October Break Extravaganza

The adventure begins…

Today, we are en route to Huntington Beach. Studies show that children hold tightly to tradition in their lives. That is creates a sense of order for them and is how sweet memories are created. Repetition of certain activities gives them the chance to create and recreate memories. Since we are so very attuned to this as parents (bwahaha!), we took the same approach as last year: drive to Palm Springs, load up on In N Out, nestle down for the evening and then onward to the ocean.

This year, Ricky and Jenniemarie brought a fifth wheel and truck instead of a motorhome. This way, we have wheels for quick runs to the grocery and untold emergencies. It is also brilliant on their part, as their kids are divvied of between the other two RV’s. I’d think they had planned this as a clever way to get rid of kids, but once parked, their fifth wheel will be a kid Mecca. The back of their trailer is outfitted with huge bunk beds and also has bed/ sky deck over the middle. I figure we won’t see a few of our kids the whole week. Hope they feed them.

Unfortunately, the truck they are using is having some power issues. So it will lose all power unexpectedly and they will have to pull over to the side of the road and hang out for 20 minutes until is will go again. Not wanting to leave them behind, we pulled off at the nearest exit. I looked out the window and saw nothing but tanks. I would just like to point out that nothing surprises me these days. We found ourselves at the George Patton Museum. It was closed, but we did get to run around his gianormous statue and peer through the chain link fence. I had to snap a shot of the daddies in charge. These guys are awesome. They know how to fix all those things we have no clue about. Like how to add oil to the generator, but not too much. And that you should have oil on board in the first place.

A few of the kids roam off, so I set out in the direction of the crazy barking dogs. I find a crew of children heading toward a small building that says, “Keep Out!” and “Stay Back!” I threaten them. They return. There seems to be a pattern forming here. It’s all fun and games until someone loses a limb to a rabid dog.

A brand new 2010!!!!

Hooray! A brand new year! Not setting up any resolutions or anything...but am hoping for blogging a little more often. Every two months doesn't quite cut it as blogging!

Last year was a hard one for us. A lot of stress worrying about the unknown. A lot of growing up (mostly on Mom's part :). Very much thankful for answered prayers. Not really feeling like gushing, but just a thankful deep breath. You know... sometimes there aren't words to describe life. Just the hope that your future actions can reflect, in some small way, your gratitude for every gift that each moment is. It all sounds cliche, until you've been worn down to the bare bones of who you really are.

Yet, there's always someone who will dump out a Jamba Juice on your rug, someone will pee the bed, someone will forget their homework (again) and the occasional "nite, nite, I love you" that makes up the fabric of the everyday. Makes you inhale deeply, the unique, lovely smell of each of your children and thank the Lord for both the stress they cause and the blessings they create.

My predictions for 2010:
Dave will find a new, or rediscover an old hobby.
Jocelyn will be able to swim 400 m with ease :)
Hannah will become a 12 year old teenager
Tatum will discover walking in her own shoes (tune in later...you'll see)
Jack will be the big kid
and Carter...will hopefully be potty trained. Hopefully!

Happy New Year!!!! Stay tuned...we might just post this year!

October Break!!!! Huntington Beach

We’re heading back from our week at the beach…sad that we have to leave! What a perfect day we had yesterday. The sun broke through the clouds and fog, for a lovely day sitting on the beach. Tall, yet gently rolling waves for boogie boards. A breeze. Nowhere to be except back for supper.

Since we were too busy relaxing to blog, I wanted to note some of the highlights/ memorable moments of our trip:

• 3 RVs, 6 adults and 12 children. Going anywhere as a group was just comical. Our clan moseying down the boardwalk was like the circus was rolling into town. I do want to point our that the night we all went to BJ’s for pizza (table for 18, please?) the kids were angelic. Shockingly so. The other kids around us were screaming and running around, but not ours, for once!

• Jack and Kaiden are going to be SO embarrassed when we whip out photos in 10 years of them skipping down the boardwalk, hand in hand or sharing what Ricky called a “lingering embrace”.

• I wonder if the folks at the Thousand Trails RV park outside of Palm Springs are still talking about the one night we hit them by storm.

• I wonder if Hannah will ever forgive me for chucking my glass of water at her for hitting me on my bruised arm for a “slugbug” at In-n-Out.

• Is there any more priceless moment than seeing Dave and Ricky, beers in hand heading out across the RV park to go “help Todd dump”.

• A rainy day at the beach is still better than a sunny day stuck in school.

• Children in large groups form posses and factions. They can be intimidating at times. They can also be put on time out.

• There is much power in the hands of she who brings her tooth fairy money to buy candy.

• I may never want to vacation alone again, since I was only responsible for 2 meals the entire trip.

• Bike chains go rusty within a day of being at the beach. California drivers are way better to cyclists than those in AZ.

• Todd learned that you can’t leave your flip flops at the beach wall or a homeless guy will stroll off with them. We all agreed he probably needed them more…

• You need to sunscreen the area where the shirt comes up and the shorts ride down on little boys digging in the sand all day.

• You feel somewhat validated; when your friends (who both have 4 children) agree that you have your hands full with your 2 year old. Carter throws sand. Even at strangers.

• LA traffic stinks.

• It was humbling for me to realize the last day that the kind gentleman that we had been sorting our cans and bottles for was also sorting through our garbage for food too. How easy would it have been for us to serve up an extra plate or two, if we had only known.

• You’re hanging out with the right crowd, when you love your friends (and their kids) even more after a week together!

Where did the summer go?

Here it is, August already! School starts in just a few short days and it seems like the kids just got out. I'm a little sad, but really...they are ready to go back. Everyone is done with so much quality time together. It seems there are a lot more brawls and sibling angst than normal. The Staples commercial with Dad dancing around the store with the cart to the tune of "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the year" is hitting a deep chord with me.

I had big plans...the girls were going to learn their times tables and how to do laundry. We were going to hit a few of the museums. We actually made a list of ideas of things to do. I'm guessing we're about 1/4 of the way through. I don't really feel like a loser, except for the math. Who can blame them? They may be genetically wired to love literature and hate math...not sure where they would get that :)

We did have an amazing road trip together. We celebrated 4 out of 6 family members birthdays in a period of less than two weeks. We've waited patiently for Grandma's surgery date. I've learned to spell the word surgery, not surgury. Carter has learned to strip down, out of his jammies at night and sleep in the buff. He's a regular Houdini. A peeing Houdini. The girls have watched way too much TV. Jack has morphed into a boy and is ready for kindergarten, complete with Transformer backpack. Dave became an Ironman. I became an Ironwife. I don't thing you get a tatoo for that or anything, but it is an accomplishment, no less!

Yep, we're ready for the new school year. As soon as I can relearn how to get dinner on the table earlier than 7:30 at night! Summer '09, you were good to us!

Day 16: Hooray for Hollywood!

After doing a few loads of laundry, we head south down past Malibu. We point out to Hannah the park we stayed in when she was a 4 month old colicky baby. She screamed non-stop all night. Ah, the memories!

Malibu is nuts on the weekends! We drove in so much traffic, with people scrambling for parking spots, revving huge Harleys and carrying surf boards. It made for fabulous people watching!

We made our way through Beverly Hills and Hollywood in horrendous traffic. The girls found the Hollywood sign. We popped out to show the kids the Star’s Walk of Fame, where they didn’t recognize a single name!

We ended up in Banning, CA in a wooded KOA for our final night. We enjoyed a beautiful evening breeze and reflected on the past few weeks while the kids played on the last KOA playground for the summer. Dave asked me if we were going to do the same thing next summer and I told him to wait a few weeks to ask that question! J

Day 15: Lovely, Lovely Santa Barbara

Dave gets up, unplugs and heads out, with the rest of us still asleep. We need some time to relax and getting an early start on things seems to be the best way to get some afternoon down time. I have to remind myself of this, as I fly around the motorhome getting yet another bruise and bump. I’m much nicer after a cup of coffee. I call around to a few RV parks in Santa Barbara, realizing it is a Saturday night. They’re all booked. Yikes! Finally, I find a tiny 33 site park that has room for us. This should be interesting!

We drive through Paso Robles and see all the cute wineries along the way. No…we don’t stop, but were tempted!

We stopped in Solvang, for our Danish heritage experience. It’s a cute little Danish village/ tourist trap, if you haven’t been there before. Unfortunately, it is HOT! Having spent the last two weeks trying to stay warm and the kids in sweatshirts, we’re ultra sensitive to the heat. Should make returning to AZ a lot of fun!

We have a traditional Danish lunch of meatballs, sausages and red cabbage. Mmmmm. Afterward, we get some of the local homemade ice cream, where Carter throws an all out tantrum over his rapidly melting cone. So here we are…sweaty and irritated, pushing a screaming child around in a stroller with three other grumpy kids in tow. People are beginning to stare and point. We step into a toy store to cool off. Within two minutes, the shopkeeper comes over and tells our kids to “put things back where you found them” and begins to put things away (presumably some kids before us had them out…but we’re guilty because we’re here and we’re kids). Both Dave and I’s feathers ruffle immediately. Why on earth would you open a store called The Children’s Toy Shoppe and not want children to actually come in? Homesick for the amazing toy store in downtown Coeur d’Alene called Figpickers, we announce it is time to leave.

It is time to get out of Solvang before things go from bad to worse. We’re in motion a few minutes before Carter is sleeping…well, like a baby! We drive for what seems like forever when we finally roll into Santa Barbara.

Downtown is bustling with adorable shops, cafes and street musicians. This is not the day for exploring, but I make a note to myself that this would be a wonderful mommy-daddy getaway someday.

We drive through a neighborhood with a bit of ghetto flair and find our RV park. It is a gravel lot next to the freeway. Right next to the freeway. We check in and decide to drive down to the beach area. After circling a bit, we find a spot to park our big rig and walk out to the pier. Hannah is begging to rent one of the bicycle powered carts and we finally break down and do it. It ends up being a wonderful, goofy time, with Carter and Jack screaming with delight in the front.

We find a casual restaurant overlooking the ocean called The Endless Summer Grill, with live music. They tuck us in right next to the musician, which is nice, because we don’t have to worry about the kids bugging anyone. Another little girl is dancing in front of the singer. They actually have salmon on the kid’s menu, so all three order it. It reminds us of a lovely night in Maui. Boats bob up and down in the harbor just out the window. Santa Barbara is nothing short of lovely.

Our sparse RV park, which is the reason we were forced to go hang out on the beach and have the perfect evening, is welcome respite. We tuck in and fall asleep to the sound of the highway.

Day 14: The Road to Hana

We wake up under the Redwoods to the sound of diesel engines revving up to hit the road. Good thing there aren’t any generators…they might be really loud! It is a beautiful sunny day. The kids climb around on the trees and discover 3 more banana slugs, one of which is creepy long.

We pack up and drive out the long, winding road to the 101, still in awe that we were so fortunate to stumble upon this gem. The drive through the rest of the Redwood Forest is nothing short of majestic. The sun filters through the branches of these huge trees as we silently roll along.

We stop for lunch in Trinidad, CA at the Catch Café, expecting a selection of the local catch, but are surprised to find a menu boasting of local grass –fed beef, nearby Humbolt blue cheese and nine grain breads. With Bob Marley (think granola crunchy vibe) crooning in the background, we make our selections. We’ve finally figures out the best bet for Jack is a huge garden salad. He thinks he’s won the lottery, with a huge plate of greens, tomatoes and cucumbers in front of him. Halfway through his meal, he realizes there’s ranch on the side. Carter refuses to eat, but happily chucks rocks at us while we eat. Why is it that the skinny ones refuse to eat? Hannah was a wonderful eater at two and had Michelin man arms!?

It is time to head inland, so we turn on the 299. It is a beautiful drive. It think we scaled at least 3 major mountains. We are either going up or down! Couldn’t help but snap a pix of the road sign pointing out an upcoming “turn”. I’ve decided, at this point in our lives together, that there isn’t much Dave won’t at least try in a motorhome.

It turns out that the 299 is like the infamous Road to Hana on Maui. Switch back after switch back. The kids all look green. Dave tells Hannah to take the map out and put a big red X over 299. We can smell our brakes, presumably wearing out? After what seems like hours, we finally, finally reach I-5.

We end up in Lodi, by some lake. We’re so road weary; we don’t care where we are. After some big fat steaks, we head to bed, exhausted.