Lazy Saturday Afternoon

Here we sit...in the family room. All of us. I love this, since i'm sure the days of the kids wanting to hang out with us are probably numbered! Hannah, Tate and Jack are on a laptop searching for costumes. Tate has her Alice costume on already. Jack is begging for us to pull out his pirate costume, with sword in hand. Hannah can't decide, but continues to suggest ideas for Carter, like Tootsie Roll or a puffy Peep. I'm sure Carter would never forgive us! I don't think the tootsie costume is even designed to walk in. A baby straight jacket. Hmmm....

Jack is tired and grumpy after a belated birthday celebration at the mall with Grandma. Tate got to join in on the special day...but it seems that the celebrating has caught up with her too. "But we never get to make cookies anymore!" she cries at me when I tell Hannah she can help make them. At least it's my plan in a few minutes, unless the whining continues. Then I may go hide somewhere and just eat 2 cups of chocolate chips on my own!

The boys are both wearing ASU garb, as the big Georgia game is tonight. Dave is finally setting up a Facebook account. Hannah just finished another book. Carter quietly slips around in the shadows, searching for a computer to crash or a plug to chew on. I was making dinner the other night and out of the corner of my eye, I saw him stroll past the counter...with an empty wine bottle from the recyle bin. Where he was going, I don't know.

A few days back, i'm blow drying my hair. Behind me, in the mirror, I notice him shuffling past. He's sporting swim goggles, slightly askew and is clutching my meat mallet in his other chubby hand. He's headed to my shower. I can't even phathom what is going on in his little mind.

Well, it's time to make cookies and Jack is doing gravity experiments with books off the back of the sofa, so I best close for now. Carter just found a new kitchen utinsel to play with. Hannah just let out an ouch! in the kitchen and I hear yet another "hey mom!". Just another lazy Saturday afternoon!

Back to school!

Ok, it seems i'm a month behind on entries! Today is the first day of September?! We've been busy getting in the swing of a new year at school. The girls started up two weeks ago and Jack starts preschool tomorrow.

Hannah is in 5th grade and is in a combo 5th/6th grade class. She has her first male teacher, which was intimidating for about a day! He's a wonderful, dynamic teacher and they seem to do a lot of fun things. He's big on literature and writing, so they are being challenged there, as well as having the chance to learn some big 6th grade algebra in the process. Not so sure what her opinion of that is, but she's getting it!

Tate has the same teacher as last year-from her 2nd/3rd combo class last year. Her teacher enjoyed them so much, that she asked for her 2nd graders back for 3rd. She's an incredible teacher too- so loving toward the children, yet challenges them.

Tomorrow, Jack starts his preschool...we shall see how that goes. He's not super interested in the whole concept. He says school is bad. Wish us luck!

Catching up...

Ok, it has been forever since our last post! It has been a blur since getting back. The motorhome trip was a blast. The kids are already planning next summer, so I guess they weren't too marred by the whole experience.

We've spent the last month doing gymnastics camp, VBS and celebrating 3 birthdays in one week. Carter turned one, Dave turned 40 and Mommy turned 25...right? No one in their right mind would plan 3 family birthdays in 6 days.

Carter enjoyed the sugar rush of his first cupcake. Though apprehensive at first, he figured it out pretty quickly. He got some awesome toys and gifts. His current obsession is the mickey mouse "airplane" that he can ride on or toddle about on. Yikes...don't know if we need another pilot in the family!

We celebrated Dave's big day with a dinner party at our home. It was a white out theme, so everyone wore white. It was elegant in some ways...and in others...we looked like a painter's convention. Poor Chris had broken his glasses and couldn't tell a soul apart without them.

It was Asian inspired fare for dinner- starting with an amazing choice of finger appetizers as well as sashimi and seared ahi. Dinner was prime cut grilled flat iron steak and Oriental Glazed Chilean Sea Bass, Pearl Couscous, Grilled Veggies and Asian Cabbage Salad. We finished with pineapple gelato sweetend with agave nectar (instead of sugar, for Dave) and garnished with toasted coconut and a slice of spiced rum soaked pineapple (Cindy's invention).

The hit was the coconut-lemongrass sake. I was torn over what red wine to serve, since it is Dave's favorite. We were amused in the end to see that we really hang out with a "beer" crowd. We had not a bottle left at the end of the night. We're cool with our beer crowd. More red for us.

And I was taken out by the crowd for an amazing sushi night, after a wonderful lunch alone with Mom. Life is good!

We're heading for Cali this evening and I have yet to pack. Here are some random pix to update before we go. Highlights of this past busy month!

Day 17: “Flagstaff or Bust!”

We’re still in Utah. We’re heading to Flagstaff today. It would be 8 hours to get home, so we’ve deceided to make it one more day. Otherwise, Mom might have a nervous breakdown.

We’ve driven through some strange towns along the way. Anyone want to stay in a quaint little B & B next to the junkyard? We aren’t sure how some of these people sustain themselves so far out in the middle of nowhere.

Eventually, we see it: the Welcome to Arizona sign. We hoot and holler- Hooray! We pass Lake Powell, cross the Glen Canyon Bridge and Dam and stop off at Page. We dock at the park and walk to “R.D.’s Drive In” for burgers and onion rings. I figure this is the last hurrah, so I order a fresh banana shake. Good choice. Afterwards, we go back to the park and play on the teeter totter. When it is my turn, Tatum asks if I’ll fit in the seat? Guess I should have skipped the shake? She claims its because of my legs being too long, yeah, right. I give the rest of my shake to the kids...it doesn't taste so great now.

Carter climbs up the steps and gets a ride down the slide. Big smiles. Jack climbs on Daddy and then the girls have a hanging contest on the pole. First Hannah, who hangs gallantly. Then Tate breaks her record. Then a rematch. I gaze across the grassy park at the nice group of gentlemen having their lunch together. One stands up, mid conversation with the group and pees just to the side of the table. Gross, gross, gross! Time to go- Tatum has set a record of hanging for 3 minutes and 4 seconds and I fear what these nice “gentlemen” will do next. Let's hit the road, Jack!

We pull out of Page with our sites set on Flagstaff. So far, the generator has been able to run for a full hour. Hopefully we will arrive home tomorrow with the AC whipping in our hair. Or dripping with sweat. We’re slowly re-acclimating to the dryer weather. I’ve used about a tube of chapstick and poor Carter, his legs are molting. We’re surrounded by a desert of mesas. It’s hard to believe we are north of Flag.

We end up in Flag at a KOA with an awesome playground. It doesn't take much to impress us anymore. It has an old broken down merry go round, but there is a chain link fence around it and we can watch the kids walk there. Jack thinks he's all that when he gets to walk by himself.

I call Cindy and check in on Chelsea, our dog. They've been awesome to take care of her. They've saved us hundreds of dollars and poor Chelsea the misery of lock up. We have such great friends. Cindy informs me that the high should be about 108 tomorrow when we roll in. We're hot in Flagstaff. Maybe about 5 more days out wouldn't be so bad?

Carter shuffles around the campsite while I make dinner. By the time dinner is served, Carter is unrecongnizable. This filthy little animal joins us for dinner from the portals of his stroller.

I make a big pan of fried onions and potatoes (my Arkansas roots- Mom, you'd be proud), pan fried (of course) pork chops, applesauce and steamed snap peas. Then somehow, a water fight ensues. Dave, as always, is the ringleader. Hannah, dripping with water, pretends to be horrified, but she is ringleader number 2. Next thing I know, they're all on the roof of the motorhome. I call out that I do not approve, and return to sipping my glass of vino.

I’ve learned a lot about myself, my guy and my kids. We keep seeing a lot of stickers on motorhomes that say “Roughing it, Smoothly”. That’s so true. It has been a fun trip. It’s time to return to reality. I haven’t exercised in over 2 weeks and I’m hoping all the bills got paid online. Regardless…I think we take life a bit too seriously. We’ll have to vacation real soon to remember that! Hee-hee!

Day 16: “Man, there’s a lot of Utah”

I look at Carter and his red welts and wonder if I should change his nickname to “Skeeter”. The girls argue that “Stink” is still the best. That’s short for Stinker, since he likes to grab and pull hair when you least expect it. He’s grown up a lot on this trip. A bit of his ornery side is starting to come out. Probably from such close observation of his big brother.

We leave Provo and drive and drive through Utah. There seems to be a lot of Utah. It’s sort of a drive through the book of Mormon, with towns like Nephi and Moroni.. I make tuna sandwiches as we drive down the road. By now I’m a pro- though I notice the Miracle Whip is front and center in the fridge and I have to dig around for the Mayo. I’m covered in bruises from bumping around in the motorhome while it is in motion. I try to keep everything in the fridge as we bump along the road. Alas, I find it. We make it to Bryce Canyon. As we drive in, we’re behind a truck with a strange looking hitch of sorts. Dave comments, “I wonder what that guy steals for a living?” Eventually, we realize it is a headstone in his truck bed. Now that’s a little ominous.

It is really beautiful. Lots of red rock. This place is hopping. We stop at Sunrise point and overhear a plethora of languages. The guys walking behind us have an Aussie accent. A gentleman from China asks if these are all my children? He holds up 4 fingers, just to confirm. I laugh and say yes…we’re crazy. On the way back up the trail, a group of chipper Germans singing a marching song gallop along. Hannah leans in and asks why everyone here is so old. At least she whispers it!

We go down the trail, which is steep without fences on the side. Jack stays true to form and throws a temper tantrum at yet another National Park. He’s screaming and it is echoing off the hoodoos (the rock formations in Bryce). A family hikes down as the father holding the hand of his 3 year old laughes and says, “That sounds familiar”.

Bryce Canyon is the perfect lazy person’s park. You get wonderful vistas right from the turnout. It works out well, since the kids could care less. Carter has finally fallen asleep. The girls come out for the the natural bridge. After our tour, we head off in search of a campground. We find one outside of the main area, which works out well. We can have a fire here. We walk to dinner and have a strange, but filling meal at the nearby .restaurant. The kids eat everything on their plate, in promise of homemade pies. We order peach a la mode and the banana strawberry creme pie. Good choices, I must say!

Later, we sit by the fire and have more smores. Hannah slips Carter bits of marshmallow and he gives her looks of intense devotion. Tatum catalogs her new collection of rocks- each one named after a family member. Jack is in the motorhome playing trucks. We head to bed. I look at how grubby my little boys are, but Dave reminds me that they showered this morning. Ok…

Day 15: “Big Wheels keep on Rollin…”

We wake up and it is snowing. Quite a lot. Jackson is expecting 3-4 inches of snow. It’s time to roll up the carpets and head south. Dave is putting away some toys when suddenly he moans, bends over and lies on the floor. He has pulled something in his lower back. Jack goes up to him and says, “Daddy, your eyes went like this..” and rolls his eyes around. He does ice and takes some IB. He supervises while Hannah dumps the sewer stuff. He isn’t moving very fast. I fear that I may have to drive this beast.

After a few Motrin, a heat pack and some Chinese food, Dave is road ready and I breathe a sigh of relief. He isn’t cured, bu is functioning. I’d step it up in any other arena, but the last time I tried driving a big rig in Palm Springs, and got blown all over the road.

We drive through miles of beautiful countryside. The kids don’t care anymore, so we stop calling them out of the back. They only care how much farther to the next campsite. We see some more snow, then rain and then blue skies. We decide that Provo will be the stopping place. It really is beautiful here- with snow capped mountains in the backdrop, yet we step outside and it is warm and beautiful! We’re thrilled to be done with wet and cold. It was a treat for awhile, but we’re Zonies after all.

Our campsite is nestled into a lake, with cottonwoods all around. These aren’t the cottonless kind..so it actually looks like it is snowing as the wind blows. But it is warm. What we don’t realize is that this lazy lakeside locale is actually located next to a stagnant body of water. It isn’t until the next morning when we look at the fresh pulsating mosquito bites on the boys’ heads that we realize this. Oblivious, I pan fry catfish- I’ve learned to cook just about anything with a 14” skillet, as we didn’t want to buy a grill and there’s no oven on board.

I’m grumpy, so it is good to go to the laundry and do 4 loads of laundry. As I fold all of the jeans and long sleeves, I think…I won’t be seeing these for awhile!

Day 14: “Jackson meets Jackson Hole”

It rains all night. We awaken to the excitement of all the motorhomes migrating on to their next destination. We have a front row seat after all. We chuckle and pack up camp.

The Tetons peek in and out of a gray cloud cover. We see a herd of elk from a distance, but too far for pictures. We slow down for Jackson Dam, but don’t dare take his picture. Jack is going through a no pictures, please phase. He yelps in anger- as I’m sure you can see from most of the pictures. We skip a lot of the visitor centers here. We were spoiled in South Dakota. The centers there had great exhibits and information. Here, you get a ranger and a map.

We continue south seeing the occasional elk. Up ahead, we see a bunch of people pulled off to the side of the road. It’s the critter alert. We slow down and it’s a moose! We park and bring out the cameras. What a beautiful animal. He seems so serene, munching on the grass along a creek with 50 tourists snapping his picture.

At the end of the Teton park (or the beginning if you were heading north) is a huge new visitor center. Apparently they spent all their money on one, because this one is impressive. Architecturally, it is log cabin meets modern. There’s stuffed bears near monitors on the floor playing wildlife scenes. We learn about people who have climbed the Tetons and thus, the search and rescue teams as well. As we load up, we see two “Cruise America” RV’s who have bee traveling together along the same path we have. They are all wearing yellow coats and speaking French, so they are easy to spot.

From there, we find ourselves in the cute little town of Jackson Hole, WY. We pass the town square, where each corner has and arch of antlers. We’re ready for some retail therapy and this is the place! We check into the Virginian campground and then catch the bus downtown. You can’t exactly park the RV in downtown Jackson. The city bus has a free downtown shuttle, which is easier than calling a cab for 6 people- besides; the kids have only ridden the shuttles at the airport.

Downtown, we find a lunch place, but have to wait a bit while they seat a group of folks in yellow coats. Oh, how funny…our traveling companions from before. We’re all a bit grumpy from low blood sugar and appetizers help a lot. The kids order “rabbit food” and dig into a plate of carrots and celery. Dave and I have pita brushetta that has huge kalamata olives, roasted garlic and tomatoes. It puts us right back into our happy place. Dave orders the corn chowder with buttery croutons and cheddar broiled on top. More happy place. We enjoy our entrees, which we are way too full by now to eat. Our poor waitress has been struggling to communicate with our French companions. We look over and see that one of the men has pulled her on to his lap while his friends take photographs. She’s about 5 shades of pink. We gently tease her about it when she comes back and she reaches her 6th shade of pink. I’m sure she sees all types.

The kids want to do one of those vintage style photos where you dress up like cowboys and fancy ladies. This seems like the perfect place. We have fun picking out our costumes. Carter is the cutest little gambler you’ve ever seen. Dave walks out in his bow tie and hat…I tell the girls that their dad is hot. They both roll their eyes as I delight in their embarrassment. The photographer hands Jack a rifle- frightening. We end up with a great shot, though Hannah is mad that I picked the one without her glasses on. Tate is such the lady with her fan and hat.

We spend a fortune on cowboy get-ups for the kids. Jack gets what every almost 4 year old needs…chaps. Tate ends up with pink boots, pink leather vest and pink hat. She’s a total Barbie girl in a Barbie world! Hannah can’t find her size boots and all that pink is a no-go with her. We’ll look tomorrow. After investing in the local economy, we head to an Italian restaurant and have a huge delicious dinner. We ride the bus home. Tate and Jack, both decked out in cowpoke gear grab two seats next to each other, as though the rest of us aren’t even there. The European girls sitting across from them can’t stop giggling at how cute they are.

Carter is peeking over my shoulder, batting his big baby blues at the Spanish speaking gal behind us. You can almost hear him saying, “Hola, mi amore!” I think he misses Alma. I know I do!