Summer Vacation

As summer approaches I can't help but think about summer vacation; not because I will be taking one, but because I have already taken so many wonderful ones! As a child I can't remember a summer when we didn't go on some kind of vacation. Whether it was camping at Mount Shasta or staying in a cabin in Cape Cod, our family always made a point of being together for a week each summer. My memories of these trips are all wonderful even though I know many of them were plagued by broken bones, rain, trips to the hospital, and boats flying off of trailers, nonetheless we endured and created some of my favorite memories. Learning how to body surf in Cape Cod, eating BUCKETS of fried clams, once again in Cape Cod, having my dad use his underwear to keep his head warm at night during a particularly cold camping trip, seeing my mom tough it out with crutches and a broken ankle during a very rainy east coast camping trip. Some memories belong to my parents rather than me, like when I locked myself in a port a potty at the age of 3 and they thought I had fallen in the lake, or when I said to my mom, who was very concerned about bears attacking us at night and would sleep with a spoon and pan, "bears are very quiet you know." The summer meant no school, running through sprinklers, swiming at the community pool, and of course, vacation. Sometimes we would incorporate our vacation with driving my brother to camp, which always made me sad. I would cry and cry as we drove away from his camp, missing him terribly!

And the vacations didn't stop after leaving home. I have been blessed as an adult to have visited some of the most beautiful places on earth. My honeymoon it Italy, while not a summer vacation, still stands out as one of the most amazing trips I have ever taken! SCUBA diving in the Caymen Islands, Bahamas, Hawaii, and Cancun also stand out. Cancun was our first vacation with a baby. Anthony was only 9 months old when we took him to Mexico and he was the BEST! There was only one incident where he pooped all over himself and his highchair. Daddy took care of that mess and I am still paying for it to this day! Then there was the Bahamas with both Anthony and Dominic. Again, such a fun trip. Dominic almost walking in the condo living room, Anthony sleeping on the floor, practically under Grandma and Grandpa's bed. Daddy going diving with SHARKS! Then there was the Caymen Islands for the second time, again with Anthony and Dominic, and learning that Auntie Erin would soon have a baby of her own! Joe losing the van keys in the ocean on a dinner cruise. Oh, and to go back a little, Australia, where we celebrated Chrsitmas in the heat and humidity, and with a slightly tipsy Santa. Soon after this trip we learned we were pregnant with Anthony.

All of these trips hold such wonderful memories, both big and small, and I wish I could go back and take them all over again! I have no idea what future vacations will hold, probably some trips a little closer to home. I would love the boys to see the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and other national parks. I want Joe to see Cape Cod, and I want to see the Florida Keys! So, we have a lot of planning and vactioning to do. Thanks for letting me share some memories.

When it rains, it doesn't just pour, it deluges!

So, you all know about Nico. I won't go into details with his latest antics, I will simply say; he has eaten toothpaste, filled up a huge bowl with water from the sink and spilled it, put his monkey in the toilet, and poured aftershave all over the floor. So, that is that. Now I also have two boys with pink eye (recovering, but still a pain) 1 husband who still has a staph infection in his elbow, and we still need renters for our house and to find a new rental of our own! It seems like I should be really frazzled, but I am not. Somehow the Lord is giving me peace amongst the chaos. Not to say that I haven't had my moments over the last couple days, but for the most part, I am doing ok. Hope you are all doing well yourselves.

Just my life over the last few days

Ok, so I really don't want to sound like I am complaining. I mostly want to document the last few days so I can look back and laugh because at the moment I am walking around in a daze. So, Nicolas. Where to start. The kid needs to be a spy or something. I have never known a kid as stealthy and determined. Many of you know that for a while we had to put all our chairs and bar stools up because he would climb and get into trouble. Well, I thought we had passed that stage so for the last month or so all the chairs have been down and he hasn't gotten into anything! That is until last weekend. He pushed a bar stool to the back counter where I keep the dish soap, knives, bananas, and other random things I don't want him or the other kids getting into. But as I mentioned, he is determined. So he grabs a banana and the soap and pours about a cup all over the banana. Then he grabs a steak knife and cuts the banana several times. Thank goodness I found him before he cut himself or tried to eat his creation! A couple days later he pushed the bar stool to our other counter with the coffee pot. He took my freshly poured mug, drank and spilled a bunch, then tried to refil the mug wtih creamer, which of course spilled all over him, the counter, and the floor. Yesterday he woke up completely naked, diaper and jammies off. Then he tried to take everything off two more times. This morning, same thing, diaper and jammy bottoms off. Now again with the bar stool, pushed it to coffee counter OPENED THE CABINET and helped himself to a mug. Luckily I heard him before he tried to pur himself some coffee!!! And last but not least, he once again pushed a chair to the back counter where I had accidentally left the milk out after making smoothies. It did have the lid on, but he twisted the lid off, found a cup, and poured himself a big old glass, of course spilling most of it on the counter, cabinets, floor, and chair he used to climb on. He then carried it all the way to the couch, without spillng nearly as much as I would have thought considering how full the glass was.

So, I am tired, needless to say. The kid needs a dog bell.

Some more Dom wisdom

Just wanted to share a couple more Dominisms. While driving in the car one day he says, "My head can say things that I don't say." He had discovered his inner monologue. In the car yesterday he wanted me to look at something and I said I couldn't because I was driving. His response was, "but I thought you had eyes on the back of your head."

There will be many more of these I am sure. I just love how kids' minds work.

4 year old wisdom

Ok, some of you already saw this on facebook, but I wanted to share with everyone. Today while driving home from the gym Dom and I got on the topic of poop. With three boys that is pretty much a given during car rides. Anyway, I made some silly joke about peanut butter looking like poop since Dom wanted a PB sandwich for lunch and he very seriously replied, "poop is black, mom, because it sucks up all the darkness inside of you and then you poop it out." So, in case you were wondering why poop is the color it is, now you know! I love kids!