A Tale of Two Sissys

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. We are a little over a week into our monster vacation and things have gone great.... for the most part. We've had great weather and were able to do everything we wanted to in Washington, DC. Will has been a champ and it has been so fun to watch Jack oooh and aaah over all the exhibits in the Smithsonian. The girls, well, they've been a bit trying this trip, but for different reasons.

The first sissy, Erin. I'm sad to report that I fear we've entered those dreaded tween years; which only leads to teen years. She is now officially too cool to hang out with her family. While we were in DC with Matt's family, Erin was doing everything she possibly could to spend time away from Matt and me. "Can I go with ........?" was the question of the day. Now in one instance, I'd chalk it up to a baby, except we have one too. The other explanation for her desired independence could have been the extra cell phone I brought to give to the girls as we looked at things. Erin has a tendency to get a little lost in her thoughts sometimes, and so she doesn't always notice when she gets left behind. We got a couple "I'm lost" phone calls last week. She was content, and mostly well-behaved, as long as she wasn't with us. It worked out okay, but I'm not sure I'm ready for this phase just yet.

Now the second sissy, Allie. I am at a loss with this child. She is such a good girl. Too good, in fact. She spends so much time worrying about all possible scenarios that she might encounter, that she literally makes herself sick. The night before we left found her hunched over my toilet, chucking her guts out because she was nervous about the plane ride. Evidently, she felt a tad motion-sick on our way home from Milwaukee a couple of weeks ago, and didn't like having to take a connecting flight. After the puke and blood were cleaned up (she got a bloody nose just before she started throwing up) and her teeth were brushed, I'm not ashamed to say I drugged my child to get her to sleep.

Since that experience, Dramamine has been our constant companion on this vacation. I don't know what is causing it, but the Dramamine seems to fix the tummy ache. Praise be, modern pharmaceuticals. There is a whole side story about her tummy aches, and the attention I think she thinks they give her. Needless to say, we'll be going to the doctor for a full work-up when we return, but in the meantime, Dramamine it is.

Well, one of the things about this trip was the fact that Matt has to work in Akron, OH for a couple of days. I am in Akron right now. Jealous??? Anyway, because he has the car all day, and to save my children hours of boredom and my sanity, my awesome brother and sister-in-law offered to meet us in Pittsburgh and take our older three kids to their house in Columbus, and we would join them later today. Great plan, right? Except for my sweet Allie-bear has decided that she CANNOT be separated from me. She has cried, wailed, and called at least 40 times in the last 24 hours. She is driving me crazy; so I can only imagine how things are going at my brother's house. Erin, who I asked to take care of her sister, is evidently "so over" dealing with the drama, and even my mom, who is still in Utah, has switched from her grandmother role, to the no-nonsense mother I remember growing up with and has tried to give Allie a healthy dose of "it's not all about you and get over yourself."

Are you ready for my diagnosis... I think it's mostly in her head. I say mostly because her Homer side of the family is known for having stomach issues, so it's entirely possible that she has a sensitive stomach. Add to that the fact that I, myself suffer from anxiety, this kid might be on to something. She suffers from a major case of the "should haves" courtesy of her dad's side and has convinced herself that there is always a better option that she may have missed. I also think that she might have emetophobia, which is an irrational fear of vomit. By the way, the jury is still out on whether free wi-fi in a hotel room is a good thing.

So folks, I need some help. If you read this blog, and I think there are at least a few of you because I make you, I need your advice. I am not looking to medicate my dear daughter, but how do I help her get over this, because it's going to get worse if it doesn't get better quick? She is persistent, and stubborn, and there was a point in time that I had actually rented a car yesterday to go and get her. Props to the "no-nonsense Mom" who convinced me not to give into her demands. Matt's philosophy of "not negotiating with terrorists in any form" was tested yesterday, for sure. How do I help her to not worry and stress so much? I spend a lot of time worrying about what-ifs, but I have no problem with the "I should haves." Matt struggles a little more with second-guessing himself but has no problem going with the flow. My poor Allie.

Any and all advice would be appreciated, unless it starts with... "you find a homeless man." Hugs, kisses and hope for a barf-free day. (I should write cards for Hallmark, I know.)

Two for One.... So Much Fun!

Every few years, Matt is lucky to celebrate Two for One! This year is just such a year! Father's Day this year happens to fall on our anniversary. We have been married for 14 years! My typical response would be that it seems like just yesterday that we got married, and Matt will tell you that it seems like we've been married so much longer!

Well, because I just recently blogged about our wedding day and have gushed about Matt and how much I love him, I'm going to take a minute and focus on him as a dad. He is an awesome dad! I knew he would be. People think I'm joking when I tell them that I married Matt because he was better with kids than I was. I'm not.

Generally speaking, he has the patience of Job when it comes to all things kid-related. He is all to eager to teach and instruct the kids... with patience.... I'm not good at that.

He will sacrifice anything and everything to give his kids as much as he can. He works very long hours to provide for his family, and rarely does he complain. He is a man constantly juggling and trying his best not to let things drop.

When I said that I wanted to have another baby, he didn't even flinch, although he had to go through just as much as me on the medical end to get Will here. He loves his kids.

Matt has a way of indulging me as a mother, but at the same time, expressing such confidence in my meager abilities that he makes me want to be a better parent, and a better person.

He loves to take the kids to do things that I don't love to do.... like camp, and fish and hike. He looks at each stage of their lives and appreciates it, instead of wishing it away.

Here are a few of my favorite dad pictures.

This is my very own Scooby and Shaggy. Matt is very supportive and loves hanging out with his boys. Matt also uses it as an excuse for the photo below.... but I know, the truth is that he loves Alice and is a sucker for the accent.

What a day this was.... Matt and Jack were at the U game in the afternoon and the Jazz game at night. Jack didn't quite make it, so Matt was all to happy to carry him to the car.

I love this picture. Matt danced with Erin at my grandparents' 60th Anniversary.

How sweet is this?

First camping trip with the girls. Chillin' in the hammock and showing off the catch of the day.

This sweet picture was taken the day that Katie and Alan got engaged. It seems like so long ago, but I love seeing this picture and how much he obviously loves these little ones.

Erin was scared of the characters, so Matt jumped right in and got his picture taken with Winnie-the-Pooh.

Taken on our first family vacation after Will was born. We loved Legoland!

Matt & Allie on the day of her baptism! June 5, 2010.

Allie on her birthday date with Dad. She wanted a prom dress and a night out. Dad threw in the makeover to make it extra special.

I love this picture of Matt and the kids. We took it in Colorado Springs a couple of years ago. Everybody is looking at the camera.... that NEVER happens.

Matt & Erin on her Baptism day. May 31, 2008.

This one taken just last week.. at the end of the half-marathon. Jack wanted one with just the boys. These guys are my favorite!

Taken in February during Will's first trip to Disneyland. It was so nice that he wanted take his family out for a fun day.

Matt always does his very best to be the bet dad he knows how. He would do anything for his kids. I hope you have the very best Father's Day! I love you tons!

Chew On This

Evidently, I take a lot of photos when we're eating. Not so much when I'm eating, because I've got better things to do, but before or after we get our food. The digital camera can be a mom's best friend. The kids love to make silly faces and do silly things. You can show them the pics and then delete them without printing them. Love it! Here are some of the silly photos from our trip that I snapped at restaurants.

This was all the girls, preparing to eat Wisconsin Mac n' Cheese from Noodles and Company in Wisconsin! I thought this was kinda cool, but I think I'm a dork! Apparently, these girls must be related to me because they're planning to try and eat their dinner with chopsticks. Dorks!

These were all the grandkids, minus Will, trying to be good while the grown-ups finished their breakfast at Baker's Square. Not the best restaurant in the world, but honestly, it's pretty hard to screw up pancakes.

Grandpa and three of the littles while we wait for our breakfast at Baker's Square. I love that he enjoys his grandkids so much. Sometimes, as a parent, you forget that they really are awesome little people. I love watching my dad with the kids..... he is so patient and loving and he always lets the kids know how much he loves them. I think this is such an important thing for growing kids to hear.

My girls, being silly at the Hard Rock Cafe in Chicago. That is another Homer thing (thank you Greg). We always go to the Hard Rock if one is nearby. We have had some very interesting discussions about tattoos, hairstyles, piercings and lyric appropriateness. However, the food isn't terrible (albeit overpriced) and I love the energy of the place. It's also fun to take a trip back in time to some of the songs I loved as a kid. However, I also find myself thinking that I am decidedly un-hip because the music is loud and some of the new-fangled "jackrabbit music" just isn't my thing.

Bon Appetit!

Old World Wisconsin

Are you sick of reading about our trip yet? I hope not, because this was one of the funnest things we did.

We had a little extra time to kill. Everyone else on our trip went to two Brewer's games, but I was pretty sure my kids couldn't handle three games in three days. So we had an afternoon to ourselves. After spending some time with my buddy Google, I found this place. It is a living historic site.... kind of like "This Is The Place" in Utah.

We paid our admission, and we were off to the gift shop. Specifically, we went in their for the "modernish" bathrooms because I hate porta-potties and that is the option throughout the rest of the park. While Matt was using the facilities, the littles talked me into a couple of items. The girls really wanted bonnets, which were fairly affordable and I thought were a good purchase because you're always looking for something like this to complete a social studies report, sharing time, or primary lesson. The one caveat was that they had to promise to wear them the entire time we were there. Jack wanted a gun, but settled for a giant lollipop that he promptly dropped in the dirt.

Doesn't Erin look thrilled? I'm really hoping this is a phase and that the rest of my family vacation pictures until she's 20 don't look like this.

Anyway, they have lots of different areas in the park. An area called the Crossroads that looks a lot like I imagine Walnut Grove (of Little House fame) to look. We went to the Blacksmith shop, where the kids got to pump the bellows and watch the smithy make S-hooks.

We saw some baby animals.... so fun.....

The kids got to take a good look, up close, at some of the staples of 19th-century living. Jack couldn't believe that this wagon was a precursor to our wonderful mini-van. We talked about shocks, suspension, potholes, etc.....

Jack loved ringing the bell at the old fashioned school house and was amazed that they used to get water this way. Kind of grateful that we have indoor plumbing. I'm not sure what I'd end up with if I had to depend on this little guy to "fetch a pail of water."

This is the one decent picture I got of Will before he decided he was hungry and pooped his pants. We headed back to the car and spent the rest of our brief time in the car.

Matt took the kids to see as much of the rest of the site as we had time for. They had a German area, a Norwegian area, Danish area, etc.... We really could have spent a lot more time there. They have all sorts of things year round, so if we ever find ourselves back in that neck of the woods again, we will definitely be going back.

At five o'clock, the whole group was back in the car, checked for ticks, noshing on Jelly Bellys and headed towards the Marriott. All in all, a successful day of traveling.

Touring a Candy Factory..... Heck Yeah!

Okay, so we Homer's have a few interests. Honestly, we're fairly simple creatures.

1. American History

2. Baseball

3. Disney

4. Food

Anytime one or more of these manifests itself on vacation, it's sure to be a good time. Our most recent discovery was the Jelly Belly Factory in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. Who knew this little bit of yumminess was between our two ballgames? We just had to stop.

This was the queue where we waited for our tour to begin. We donned our mandatory head gear (although we were never actually by any food production areas, so I think the mandatory part may have been a little overkill) and the tour began.

So, you're not actually allowed to take pictures during the tour, which apparently, made Will very upset. However, we did get free jelly beans at the end of the tour.

Now, I need to be completely honest with you. I am not a huge Jelly Belly fan. The big jar you buy at Costco with the million and a half flavors is not a done deal for me. Don't get me wrong, I like most of your basic jellybean flavors, but every once in a while, you bite into something, that someone in a dark R&D lab thought would be a good idea. I mean, buttered popcorn.... if I wanted that flavor, I'd go to the movies. Ditto the ice cream flavors.... mint chocolate chip is just not the same in a candy form. However, being able to pick out and purchase as many jelly beans as I want in whatever flavors I choose is HEAVEN. Let's just say I bought lots of watermelon jelly beans! It was so much fun and we ate way too much candy. They have a lot of the rejects (in size and shape, not in flavor) for sale and we bought bags and bags of what they call "belly flops." We won't even go into the ten pound box of Sunkist Fruit Gems that my mom bought. Let's just say that my grandchildren will be eating them years from now.

At the end of the tour, even Will had come around and Allie had her crystal jellybean. What a booger! (And just in case you're wondering, they have that flavor too!)

Thank Heaven For Little Girls

On our recent trip to Chicago, Grandma treated all the granddaughters to a trip to the American Girl Store. The girls knew we were going, but they didn't know that Grandma was planning on surprising them all with new dolls!

These dolls are nothing new for my girls. We have had them in our home for about four years now. The clothes, the movies, the books.... they love them. In fact, here they are on Christmas Day, posing with all of their dolls, plus my Kit doll. (Who says I have to grow up?)

Can you tell that they took this photo themselves??? Anyway, we love the dolls. I think they're all kinds of fun and if my girls want to play with them until they're 20, I'm okay with that.

So we went to the doll store and the girls were loose, looking for their new best friends. In all honesty, my brothers and my dad kind of had a glassy-eyed expression and seemed a little bit overwhelmed. Matt had been through this before, and simply said, "I'll take the boys to the Cafe; come and get me when you're done."

Now because the girls knew we were going, I was able to "motivate" them to help out around the house so that they could earn money to buy all the extras that I knew Matt would have a hard time with. I have to say, that Erin busted her butt trying to earn extra cash. When you add the gift cards that Uncle Greg and Aunt Sarah gave the girls for their birthdays, my girls made a haul at the store and they have been so happy ever since.

They have set up an entire American Girl house in their bedrooms, with their new beds and bedding. These dolls have a bathroom, complete with a styling chair and hair accessories. Erin's dolls have glasses and head gear, and one of Allie's plays the violin. They have their own assortment of pets and a sleeping bag, should they choose to rough it. So much fun for them, and I am so happy that they have each other to enjoy it with.

This last photo is one of them in a pink-induced haze.... clearly basking in the afterglow of their shopping experience. Leave it to Jack to find some way to have an adventure of his own.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Summer was coming (at least the calendar said it was) so we headed to Chicago and Milwaukee to help kick-start our summer break.

My brother Greg is crazy about baseball. I'm not really sure where that comes from, because it wasn't like he was a serious player growing up, and outside of the World Series, I don't remember it being on TV a ton when I lived at home. However, as he has grown up and moved around, it has become something of a conquest for him to see Major League Baseball games, and it is an endeavor that my parents have been all too happy to enjoy with them. Fortunately for my little family, we're lucky enough to go every once in a while. This year found us at a Chicago Cubs game and a Milwaukee Brewers game.

I was so excited to go to Wrigley Field. It is historic and it was FREEZING!!!! I knew the weather was going to be on the cool side, but it has been at home too, so I didn't worry too much about it. We packed jackets and headed to the game. We had great seats. Check out the view from our seats....

Now I have no fast and hard evidence, but if it was 55 degrees in the sun, then I'm guessing that it was in the 30's where we were sitting. The way the stadium is constructed, it was like we were sitting in a wind tunnel. Instead of ice cream, we bought hot chocolate and Grandpa invested in some nice stadium blankets..... gosh, it was cold!! Add to this the fact that the Cubs sucked that day and the first four innings took 2 1/2 hours. Normally my kids make it to at least the 7th Inning Stretch, but by the top of the 5th, we were all ready to go. By the way, the Cubs ended up losing to the Pirates so I don't think we missed much. Here are some photos of us trying to enjoy the game, nonetheless.

Aren't these photos great? My favorite things about these trips is the time my kids get to spend with their cousins.

The next game that our family went to was on Sunday at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Stupid me, I didn't realize that the Miller in "Miller Park" was Miller Beer. Add to this the fact that Milwaukee was settled by a lot of German immigrants, and it was one giant beer and brat fest. Which was...... pretty much awesome! I have to say that I have seen some interesting fans in my lifetime, but the Milwaukee fans take the cake.... so far.

First off, the tailgating. I didn't know that people tailgated for baseball games, but they do! And they are hard core! It was amazing. As we made our way through the parking lot to get to the stadium, I do believe we could have found anything and everything our little hearts desired to partake of. People were playing games, grilling, talking.... it was really something.

We got to the stadium and headed to the Team Store. This is yet another perk of traveling with my dad. All the kids get something so we can "root, root, root for the home team." Here are the kids decked out in their gear.

Can I just say that I loved Miller Park??? For starters, it is an indoor stadium with a retractable roof, which means, when it started to rain, we didn't even know. The kids' hot dogs and drinks were $1, which is virtually unheard of in professional sports and we had AMAZING seats. We made it through the entire game, literally a first for my kids, and as a reward at the end, they got to run the bases. What???? It was so fun!

This is Erin and her cousin Lizzie, who are completing the run they watched these five guys take earlier in the game.

That's right.... those are sausages that are racing. This is actually a relay race where the big guys pass off a baton to the little guys. They have identities; are you ready for this???

1. Brat

2. Polish Sausage

3. Italian Sausage

4. Hot Dog

5. Chorizo

Jack came home with a stuffed chorizo that he named Teddy. Here they are posing with Bernie Brewer.

Yes, just like a little boy to strategically place his stuffed sausage. However, after watching my brothers at the ballgame, I can't say that I'm really that surprised.

Oh, what a fun time we had. Thanks so much, Grandpa for the trip, and for Uncle Greg, who is continually patrolling Stub Hub for tickets. As a matter of fact, the Pirates/Orioles game has just been added to our summer schedule. Batter up!

Run, Run.... As Fast As You Can!

My husband, you gotta love him. He's taken up running in the last year. Great for him, but yet another way that he makes me feel inferior. Now to be clear, he doesn't do it to specifically bring out said inferiority, but he has grabbed the bull by the horns and is doing something that is new and hard for him. I blame my sister-in-law Katie.

She's a runner... done a couple of marathons. Well last year, a bunch of Matt's siblings thought it would be fun to register for the 10K put on by the Deseret News in conjunction with Pioneer Day. So we made our way to Research Park at 5AM on the 24th of July. We had left our kids sleeping at our cabin in Summit County with my parents and headed down into the valley. After I dropped Matt off, I headed to Mickey D's and got my morning DC and then headed to watch him finish near Liberty Park. Boy, what a different world these runners live in. I saw things, and heard things, that made me never want to run again, (see the implication that I have run in my lifetime?) But then, I saw things and people, that were inspiring; pregnant women, old people, little kids, cancer survivors.... all these people doing something that I think is so hard, and evidently enjoying themselves. Matt finished the race with his brother and two sisters and they were hooked.

Man, were they sweaty? And Carolyn, the girl on the end, never has her eyes open for pictures so don't think I put in a bad one on purpose.

Since last summer, they did a 10K at Thanksgiving and then we all participated in a charity 5K in March... even me! I was practically the last one across the finish line, but I did it. There was also very little running involved on my part. I tend to fall when I run, but that's another story. Suffice it to say, the ramifications of me falling are greater than my desire to win any race.

Anyway, Matt & Carolyn (closed-eye girl and future pharmacist) signed up this year for the Utah Valley Half-Marathon. 13.1 miles. I'm pretty sure that Matt was scared that he was going to die, or have a heart-attack, or both. Carolyn has been training hard, and she's awesome! We knew she was going to be great.

Matt, on the other hand, has a crazy job, a crazy life and a wife who is happy to eat out and watch movies, i.e. NOT RUN. Thankfully for Matt, we have a dog Annie, who loves to run. She goes crazy when he puts on his heart monitor and iPod. They have been great running buddies.

Saturday morning, the 11th , found me and the kids, along with Uncle Spencer, down in Provo waiting for our loved ones to finish the race.

Jack didn't want the sun in his eyes, but the kids were all too excited to show off the awesome signs we made.

Uncle Spencer got some great pics due to his awesome camera and media credentials, but I'm having a hard time loading them on Blogger, so you'll have to make do with my crappy pics.

Here are my two favorite runners after they finished their race. I am so glad they have each other. They talk often about training, they trade their favorite Runner's World articles and they encourage each other. It's great to watch that kind of relationship.

Here is our family, all together after the race. The kids loved watching their dad finish, and Allie asked Matt if he would train with her so she could run the 10K on Pioneer Day. What an awesome example he is. I'm proud of him for running, as long as he stops every once in a while so I can catch up.

News Flash.... We Found Nemo!

Actually, we just went to the Living Planet Aquarium. Yesterday was World Ocean Day. Yes, I know things like that because I am a HUGE nerd! Anyway, we put it on the ol' summer schedule and drove to Sandy to see all the critters that live under the sea.

Allie went to the aquarium a couple of weeks ago for a field trip and really loved it. She was gushing. So we went, and I have to say, I was impressed. It's not the biggest aquarium I've been to, but seeing as how we're landlocked, it wasn't half bad.

Did you know that I have a fish named after me? Seriously?

We started out with the SuperHero Animals. It was kind of a cool display. We loved seeing the fish that laid flat in the sand, and you couldn't see until they moved.

Allie couldn't wait for us to go in the South American area where the huge snake was. Kinda creepy if you ask me!

She also thought the piranhas were super cool. They thought she looked super yummy!

They also had penguins, that I'm sure we'll go back to see and sting-rays that Jack got to pet.... we missed the feeding. I had to fight off a paste-eater to get this picture. Is it wrong that as this weird kid was covering his sting-ray with sand that I was hoping he'd fall totally in the water???

Finally, the kids went to the Utah exhibit where they talk about all of the fish and water creatures that are indigenous to Utah. They also talk about threats to various species. Really, I thought this part was pretty fascinating. I also love this picture of Jack & Allie riding a bullfrog.

Overall, a lot of fun to go to the aquarium. We will definitely be going back, although not before the kids earn some money to buy all of the cheap crap in the gift shop that they wanted.

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We are having the best time this summer. Now granted, we're only four days in, but it's been awesome so far. We've been to a movie, to the park with friends and I got to have dinner with my mom and sister-in-laws at the Cheesecake Factory last night. Are you jealous??? You should be, because I have a piece of Turtle Cheescake in my fridge that is calling to me and I am going to eat, RIGHT NOW! Have a great day friends.