Vacation to Chicago

Scott had bicep/rotator cuff surgery on December 1st. He's been off of work this month. So I had a great idea to take the kids to Chicago on christmas break. For a couple of different reasons. I think having family time is really important. When we take vacations in the past, its me driving the triplets to the destination and Jacob and Scott driving in another vehicle. Then usually Scott is doing his own thing (fishing) and I spend time with some or all of the kids. So family time, but not really family time.

I want to give my kids great memories of their childhood. Opportunities to learn, places that they have been, memories. Hopefully good memories.

So I planned this trip overnight to Chicago. We stayed at Embassy Suites, which was great because we had plenty of room to sleep and have the kids play. However, when I booked the room on priceline, I thought I booked a nonsmoking room. Yeah. Love the smell of stale smoke. But the hotel had free continental breakfast and we made sure we had our fill. There was a small pool and when I took the triplets swimming, it said 3 feet 2 inches. Well, the pool was deeper than that. It was almost over their heads. So they couldn't stand in the pool and had to be by the ladder or clinging to the edge.
Then as it got more crowded, six ghetto girls were horseplaying near us. Even though they could go anywhere in the pool, they had to be right on top of us. They kept bumping in to us. And the last thing I needed was one scared moment to set my children back in the pool. And then it happened. The girls were on each others backs and one bigger girl threw another bigger girl right into Matthew and knocked him into the water. And I went ghetto on her. I started yelling at her and she tried to walk away from me. Hehe. She didn't get away. I got in her face and told her to look around at who she just fell on. She had no comment. I told her that he was four years old and she needed to be careful around little ones. She had no comment. I asked if she understood me. She said yes and then I let her pass. They left the pool then to go sit in the whirlpool and stare at us. Of course they had no supervision.

So, the kids were pretty good on the way down to Chicago. We stopped at the Chicago O'Hare Oases and ate lunch there. It was really neat to see all the cars going right underneath us. Then we drove into the city and went to The Field Museum. Sue the T-rex was pretty interesting. But the kids were excited and Scott and I were tired. We didn't last long at that museum. I wish there had been more dinosaur related things there.

Then we walked to the Hard Rock Cafe and ate dinner. It was a nice walk in winter, but on the way back to the hotel, we decided to take a cab ride. The kids really enjoyed it. They always got excited when they saw a cab. Appleton has two or three cab companies, but seeing cab after cab was still exciting to them. Another exciting thing was looking for license plates. Jacob had this list made up of all the states and then checked off how many times we saw that license plate. I'm guessing we saw at least 20 states and 2 provinces.

The next day we got to the Shedd Aquarium bright and early and we actually stayed almost five hours. The kids loved the Caribbean reef and shark aquarium. We saw an aquatic show with dolphins, penguins and Beluga whales. It was very entertaining. But five hours wears on anyone, especially children. We were glad to leave. That is a place I'd love to visit again.

On the way home we did a detour to the Lego Store that took over an hour to get to. It was not like the Lego Store in Minneapolis. The trip home was quieter, but the kids were whiney and ready to be home.

There was some fighting and bickering. With two of the children kicking each other and one child doing a soccer kick to her brothers head. She got a time out for that. But overall, I think they had a good time.

I could use my own vacation now.

The hangover

And boy do I have one. Las Vegas was tiring. I think I'm still recovering.

I had suppressed my known fear of flying until I got on the airplane. Not sure why I don't like flying. Lack of control, fear of heights, smell of stale urine, who knows.

But the fun started when we got to our rental car and tried to leave the security area and they gave us the wrong car, so in the 100 degree heat at midnight we figured it out with the nice but clueless Budget people.

We stayed at Circus Circus and it hadn't changed in the five years that we had been there last. Same gaudy decorations, but the rooms are nice and comfortable. Basically we gambled a lot, did a little bit of sightseeing and not much sleep. I think our highlight was seeing Red Rock Canyon. Very pretty area. Very different from the green vegetation around here. I love the Red Rock Canyon Casino too. Very nice place.

The last night we went downtown and boy has it gotten seedy. I cannot believe how many children are out at all times of the night for one thing. Las Vegas is not a place for children. Or at least children you want to keep from seeing the darker side of life. Anyway, as we walk down Fremont street I look into a casino and see a girl pole dancing around blackjack tables. We go into Binions to play poker and when we come out the same thing is happening there too. Come on.

This whole thing got brought up at the Poker table. I was sitting next to the dealer and he leaned to me and said, "They have places around here that men dance too." I wrinkled my nose up and said, "that's not for me" or something to that effect. It was like the dealer was talking about a favorite blanket or teddy bear. He whispered to me, "oh, I just love watching men dance." And I got the hebbiegebbies. And then I realized I wasn't in Kansas anymore. It wasn't so much that he was gay, it was more about the tone of voice and how he described it. I didn't have to guess where my tips were going...

And that basically sums up my trip. I like living in an area where there isn't advertisements for sex being blown around, parents respect children's nap times and bedtimes, respect for ourselves and others is predominant. All those good things that make Appleton a great place to raise a family.

Vacation 2009

Vacation was filled with lots of firsts. Each of triplets caught their first fish. They seemed to like fishing off the dock. They also got their first tube ride before the boat. They didn't cry, but Brooke and John really didn't like the water spraying in their faces. Matthew was really relaxed and seemed to enjoy it the most.

The weather was very good. Warm, 70s, and only rained twice. The day we arrived and the day we left. The kids enjoyed playing on the playsets and running around. I put life jackets on them most of the time and they loved playing on the beach in the sand and in the water. It was just easier to watch them that way with their life jackets on. It gave me piece of mind.

Jacob was obsessed with finding out-of-state license plates. I got him a board that had a picture of the U.S. and then listed all the states on the back. You're supposed to check the state when you see it. He found 23 different states when we were in Minocqua. Thats amazing. But its a pretty popular vacation area.

I didn't have to stop at all on the way to Minocqua. It was a good 2 3/4 hour drive. But on the way back, Matthew had dropped his blanket on the floor while I was driving on HWY 29 and John unbuckled himself from his car seat and picked it up and gave it to him. I think I almost passed out. I pulled over and told him he had to stay in his car seat and he then thought it was a game. Brooke started doing the same thing, unbuckling herself when we were driving.

Sigh.

Finally, I had it with Brooke and we were in a parking lot going about 5 miles an hour. I put my brakes on a little harder than normal and she flew forward onto her feet and hit the seat in front of her. This not so gentle reminder has gotten her to keep her from doing it again. She wasn't hurt, just surprised. I told her that's why we wait until mom or dad tells you that you can unbuckle the seat belt.

I'm just getting over my migraine that started at 8 p.m. last night. I went to the doctor around lunchtime and he gave me some stuff to take when I got home. Luckily, my MIL and a friend were over and could watch the kids. For anyone who has had a migraine, you know how horrible it hurts. But when you're watching four kids who can't be quiet and are jumping on you, it really brings you to your knees. I'm glad the medication worked although I still feel a little fuzzy. A good fuzzy though.

Going, going GONE!

Busy, Busy summer. We now have Jacob's T-ball games twice a week. He seems to really like playing ball and actually pays attention most of the time. At least for the moment he's not the kid picking grass in the outfield. But we've got 8-10 games yet to go, so I won't get to cocky yet.

Jacob asked me the other day how old he has to be to drive the boat. I told him 16. I think he's now required to take a boaters safety class anyway before he actually gets to drive on his own. Then I ran across these pictures of him driving. So I guess dad or grandpa let him drive. I'm sure its thrilling for him to steer the boat, but at least I know where the line of questioning came from.

I'm trying to pack for our vacation to Minoqua Wisconsin next week. Its hard to pack around kids because they take stuff out of the bins you just put in. Or they don't want you to pack the toys or throw a fit about something. So I have to be sneaky. Still challenging though. I have a ton to do, but decided to blog about it first.



Jacob cannot wait to go fishing at the cottage. I think Scott is not far behind him in excitement. I have a feeling that John will want to go with them this year too. We'll try fishing off the dock with the triplets and see how much they like it and how long their attention span is.

Either way, I'm still stuck with two kids and its really not a vacation for me since the kids now no longer nap and they are getting up earlier than I'd like. I have my fingers crossed that the weather is good and we can be outside.





I admit that facebook has been quite addicting. I love to play scrabble with friends (and strangers) on it. They also have great games and time fillers. Its also nice to chat with friends and people I haven't run across for awhile.

Well, I'm off to get the kids dressed and get something done.

Crossing the line -the state line

Its been so long since I logged on to this account, I almost forgot my logon. Or it could be that being sick for the last four days has taken its toll.

On Sunday, my friend Shell Dinter, Jacob, Matthew, Brooke and John headed out to Minnesota to see some friends. On the way over, I had some rumblings in my tummy and thought "oh, oh." No way could I get sick! Jacob had gotten over his bug four days before this. Well, after five or six stops (just for me) we arrived at our friends, Bob & Cindy's house. Shell and I used to work with Bob and Cindy for a long, long time. I think I met Cindy in 1995 and from what I remember, our first trade ever was TSA - The Sports Authority. She and Bob got married a few months before Scott and I in 1999 and we even had our children at the same time. Jacob and Luke are a month apart and Erika and the triplets are three weeks apart.

Its nice that we've kept touch even though I'm not working anymore. So, I regress...

We arrive at their house on Sunday afternoon and the kids played so nicely together, the four of us catch up, we have a little birthday party for the kiddos and have a few glasses of wine.
The next morning, Matthew comes up to me and his pants are soaked through. I change him and its diarrheaish. Oh no. So I end up taking him in the shower with me to clean him up. He acts fine and frankly, we had plans to go to the Mall of America and just about nothing was stopping me.
We head to The Mall of America and Shell and I go to Legoland with the kids. She rents a couple of double strollers for the kids so we can get around easier. We spend a gazillion dollars at legoland. Jacob picked out a Coast Guard set that he wanted, I got the little boys a SpongeBob lego set for their birthdays which everyone can share, and a ton on Lego plates so we can build a table for the kids to build their stuff on.

Then we perused Hanna Anderssen, Gymboree, Disney Store and Shell probably got 1.5 seconds in a store of her choice. The kids got sick of sitting in strollers and were tired from not taking naps.

We met up with Bob and Cindy and the kids and ate at Ruby Tuesdays. Well, before that Bob took Luke and Jacob on rides while the girls did a little more shopping. Matthew just cried and fell asleep on Shell.

On the way home, I said I'd drive and follow the trusty Garmin that I borrowed from the in-laws. Cindy also had written out some instructions on how to get from their house to the mall. So really, we just had to reverse the directions and follow the Garmin and we should be able to get home.

(Just to caution the readers, I may not still have my road names right in this story and it may contain graphic language and descriptions that may be unsuitable for small children or delicate palates.)

I got onto 494 and then as I knew, I KNEW, that I should stay on this road until 35E North. But I was looking at the Garmin and I thought it showed me on the screen to take a right. Shell's yelling, "No! No! don't get off the highway!" This was my first of many mistakes with the Garmin.

So, we are in a big city with four precious children and I put my faith in the Garmin to get me back on track. So after a 1/2 hour of trying to get back to 494 or maybe it was 694, we finally got back to where we needed to be. During this time, Matthew had messed his pants, and it wasn't the ordinary messy diaper. It was the diarrhea diaper. Once you smell that kind of diaper, it will be engrained in your brain for the rest of your life. So we have our windows open a smidge and its pouring rain. Just as I'm merging onto one freeway to another, Michelle says, or screams, "Matthews throwing up!" And she dove into the backseat and tried to catch the vomit to lessen the mess. Shes a superhero.

As you know, you can't just pull over on a freeway, so I just open my window a little bit more and she cleans him up with whatever wipes we have and cleans up her hands. I don't think she realized it but she just held her hands up from her lap for quite awhile. Then we just started laughing hysterically. I mean, it really couldn't get much worse.

The Garmin gets us back to the house an hour after we left from the mall, while it only should have taken about 30 minutes.

I am going to write a strongly worded letter to the Garmin people. The thing would tell us to get off the freeway to drive on city streets and then have us get right back on that same highway. I'm not sure it tells us the shortest miles or what the logic is. The other problem is that if there is construction and the on ramps are closed, it doesn't recognize detours. So it will keep rerouting you to that same ramp that is closed. That's great in a big city you don't know.

On a positive note, it does tell you where the nearest McDonalds is.

So we enter the house, Shell puts the kids to bed, I give Matthew a bath, strip down the carseats and wash a bunch of stuff. O.K. how crappy is it to bring a sick child into another house?

So I get more sick overnight and we pack up to leave to drive home. Shell drives the whole way home. We stop to see her parents in Stanley, Wisconsin and had a really nice lunch. Jacob met the oldest person he know knows, Shell's Grandma. She's 93. The oldest person before that was Grandma Callaway's dad, Grandpa Ken. John wanted to be picked up by Shell's dad Dave and he wanted him to carry him around everywhere. John is such a stinker.

We arrive home and I get even more sick. Today I just laid on the couch and slept. With children running around. Go ahead, call social services. I need a break.

Things I learned on this trip.

Shell will probably never take a road trip with us again.
Shell didn't deserve to be puked on and I owe her a bazillion favors.
Bob and Cindy probably won't ask us to come back for a really really long time.
Jacob has now found someone else that he wants to marry, his new friend Erika.
Carry your own tissue because the toilet paper in gas stations or restaurants is really rough.

No more NUKS?

Well, I told Brooke and John that tonight was the last night with the NUK and tomorrow they would go bye-bye. I suddenly have mixed feelings about this.

I don't believe that there is a certain age that anything should be done. It all depends on the child and their nature.

So, usually pediatricians recommend deep-sixing the NUK by age 2. My pediatrician isn't putting pressure on me because of the triplets. I think Brooke is ready to give it up. But John, my little Johnny, not so ready.

Some kids go with the flow of things and then there is Johnny. Johnny needs structure. He needs rules and he does not like change. His NUK is his thing. He has one in his mouth and usually one to three in his hands and he just holds them.

In the past few months I had been limiting them to just their cribs and then on vacation I gave them to them more because of the change in environment.

So I'm contemplating just going back to just nap time. Because I don't want to harm John's fragile eco-system. (If you know John, you know what I mean).


Another funny story. When we were on vacation Amy, Katie, the babies and I went shopping for shirts. Seriously, every single person commented on the triplets in their triple stroller. We went into a couple of shops and got what we needed (or wanted). Then, there was no more milk in their sippy cup and there was a serious attempt at a coup. So I quickly went into this cafe and of the 10 or so tables of people every single one of them looked and commented. It was like they thought I couldn't hear them. Here are some of the comments I heard. "Good for you! Are those triplets? It must be a daycare. Wow! Look at that stroller!" I waited to get some milk and was probably in there for five minutes while I paid. And I swear they all just kept staring at the babies.

Then we went outside by the main road and waited for Amy and Katie and I'm surprised that there were no accidents. Wow, can people turn their heads at odd angles.

Also, and update on Cosmo Kitty's eggs. They miraculously hatched while we were gone and two little black and white stuffed kitties were left in the eggs place. Jacob checked on the eggs right away when he got home and I don't really think he bought into the stuffed animals. Too bad I couldn't put real kitties in the box.

The Vacation

I'M BAAACK! I'm so happy to be back home. In my own house, using my own bathroom, my kids in their own beds, sitting on my own couch and touching a computer for the first time in seven days.

Last Saturday, I left in the van with the babies and Scott with Jacob in the truck towing the boat. I was getting sick. I could barely keep my eyes open during the trip, I'm not sure if its a cold or allergies or a bit of both. Pretty scary driving with your precious cargo when you're not feeling well. But I had a lot of caffeine and had the window open. No accidents that day.
The next morning I took the kiddos to Walmart to get some infant Tylenol, a tarp and some milk. On the way back, I wasn't feeling well, hadn't gotten a lot of sleep, my head felt like, like, like a block of snot. I pulled into our resort, and was careful not to drive on the grass. But in the meanwhile, I sideswiped my sister-in-laws SUV. Yep. Ahhuh. Read it again. I hit a car.

So with that said, get all your snide remarks out of the way. Lucky for me the taillight was just cracked on her car, but I have a nice four foot mark on mine. Now, if I had been feeling 100%, the likeliness of this happening would have gone down dramatically. This is just a great life lesson of not driving while impaired (even it is sick in the head).

So, each day Scott, my brother Jim, my nephew Sam and Jacob went fishing each morning, most afternoons and every night. So their vacation was probably pretty good. Jim and Scott found a fishing spot on Blue Lake that there were tons of small mouth Bass and were really fun to catch. They caught a bunch of them and they were 18- 21 inches.

The babies learned a lot of new words and loved spending time with Daisy the dog. Johnny especially. He would get down to Daisy's level (well, he'd bend over a bit) and then pet her and look her in the eye. Maybe he'll be an animal tamer. The next dog whisperer. Brooke said her first 3 word sentence. "Where dog go?" "No, dog, no!" And Johnny's every other word was Daisy.

The babies loved to roam around the resort. There were really nice playsets and Matthew surprisingly was fearless and would climb up them to go down the slide. Johnny decided after landing on his butt that he didn't really like a bruised bum. I'll post pictures in the next few days of our adventures.

Also, our vacation was riddled with sickness. I was sick first, then Matthew came down with a fever and a cough, then Brooke, then John (and the world ends when he gets sick), then my nephew Sam and then today Jacob woke up with a fever in the middle of the night. And then he threw up at the cabin. Yep. Ahhuh. Lucky for me the Green Machine was there to clean it up.

Johnny knew something was up and cried and screamed all morning so we left at 9:30 a.m. to go back to Appleton. When we got home, Grandma Callaway came over so I could run to the laundromat to do six huge loads of laundry (it was all I could fit in my van). Then, when Scott got home tonight, he brought home the rest of the laundry and I think I've done four or five loads with another two to go.

The babies somewhat enjoyed the beach and water. Matthew and Brooke liked playing in the sand and Matthew loved to tromp through the freezing cold water. But John would rather sit on my lap and cling to me. I don't think he was comfortable around the water. Or maybe because of the new situation, he wanted to melt into me.

Regardless, it was a MUCH better vacation than last year. I even got to read two whole books at night. I LOVE Janet Evanovich. She's hilarious. She's got a line of books - the Stephanie Plum series - that are just a hoot. Jacob asked me what the book was about. For those of you who know Stephanie Plum, its hard to describe to a five year old without being PG-13. So I told him I was reading a book about a girl who gets bad guys and puts them in jail who have been bonded out for their crimes.