Four Under Five on Vacation Part IV

When my older sister and I were kids, my parents took us to Balboa Park all the time.  I have fond memories of walking around in the museums, splashing in the fountain, observing strange artistic dancers  and musicians, and having picnics in the grass.  

I am, therefore, naturally drawn to this place as I raise my own kids.  When Danny and I didn't have specific plans for the day, my go-to place for everything kid friendly was Balboa Park.  And I know my kids: they are happiest in a place where they can run free and go up and down a million steps if they so desire. 

So on one of these outings, my mom, the ever faithful Aunt Bette, Danny, me and all four under five of my kiddos decided to visit a museum.  The Natural History Museum is featuring an amazing exhibit on dinosaurs.  I thought the kids would love it.  And this time, for once, I was right! 

At first, everyone was a little psyched out by the huge, moving, roaring Tyrannosaurus Rex  that greeted us in the lobby.  I love Little G's face right here.  That is real fear.  Cubby is gearing up to roar really loud right now, and I am getting ready to feel really embarrassed about the noise.  My oldest daughter experienced some actual trepidation about going any further into the museum after seeing the moving T-Rex.  She had to be held while I explained that it is not real, just a huge toy.  Like the one in Toy Story.  "Remember that cute little green T-Rex?" I told her, "He's just like that," and she bought it.  

I love this photo.  I love the looks on every one's faces.  I love the fact that my mom is hovering ever so careful of the kids' safety in the background.  And I love the light green sign in the background that says, "Please Do Not Climb on the Exhibits."  

E and Cubby could have set up camp and lived in this little cave for the remainder of our vacation.  They are all about secret get-aways and dark hideouts right now. 

J.D. and Aunt Bette got up close and personal with a mountain lion. 

Cubby, who was not afraid of any of the semi-frightening exhibits, gladly posed in front of anything and everything.

Anything and everything.

This is our most recent family photo.  It is extremely difficult to get a picture of all six of us together, I'm sure you can imagine why.  This was a success, however, and yes, two out of six had a major meltdown following this picturesque scene.  And also yes, one of them was me.  

This was such a fantastic trip.  The most wonderful thing about it was the amount of time the kids got to spend with their dad.  Each of them got as much one on one time as they wanted for five consecutive days with Danny.  It was a gift of time that could not have been better spent.  

 I've got to give a shout out to all of the family members who helped make this trip possible.  Thank you to mom, dad, Susie, Jim, Aunt Bette, and Ayron.  You all bless our lives in so many ways! THANK YOU!

Four Under Five on Vacation Part III

I am amazed at how much the simple things in life totally entertain my kids.  

A plastic cup and a running hose can keep my two year old son happy for at least an hour, given his sisters leave him alone.  A pad of paper with crayons will keep my oldest humming away pleasantly as drawing after drawing is created.   My number two daughter is pretty much satisfied with life if her pink blankie and big sister are within grabbing distance.  And my youngest daughter will do pretty much anything for her Grandma Donna and a sippy of cold juice.  That really is what makes them content with life.  

So imagine these kids in a beautiful park with fountains, a huge koi pond, botanical gardens, museums, musicians, hidden walkways, art exhibits, the works.  

Out of all of these amazing things to view and enjoy, what grabbed my kids' attentions?

Stairs.

E chose to dance around from level to level.

The babies decided to run up and down while laughing hysterically at the wonder of these amazing technological advancements.  STAIRS!  WOO-HOO!

Cubby scooted her way around and around at the bottom for a while.  Then she discovered how much more fun it was to carry the scooter to the top, then glide down the grass embankment.  It was poetry in motion.

Finally, and I mean twenty-five minutes later or so of 100% stair action, they discovered the fountain which stood maybe fifteen feet away from the stairs.  J.D. struck a handsome pose.

E happily watched the water sift through her hands.

And Little G splashety-splashed.

Stairs and a beautiful fountain made my kids' day.  This is definitely another one of those perks of having four kids under five.  They are all so close in age that they can truly appreciate the same experiences at the same moment in time.  I thank God I don't have a teenager also in this photo, rolling their eyes at me, begging to leave this park so they can go hang out with their friends.  Ahh.  For me, splashing around in a fountain and galloping up stairs is exactly where my little family belongs.

Four Under Five on Vacation Part II

This particular family vacation came with a few perks. 

First and foremost, we stayed at my in-laws' condo completely free.  That is huge.  Without the free place to stay, we may have still gone to San Diego, but we definitely wouldn't have stayed for that long. Along with the free beds, we had a kitchen in which to fix our meals.  In a hotel, we would have been stuck with at most, a mini-fridge.  However, the condo gave us the opportunity to fix a hearty breakfast every morning as well as prepare dinner at night and snacks in between.  We therefore afforded the luxury of eating out everyday at lunch.  

Another great perk on this vacation was the free and ever available childcare.  That would be my mom and Aunt Bette.  My mom and aunt came up for the week as well, and would call every morning to ask how they could be of service.  With four kids under five, I am always up for a little help, so we usually split the kids up and enjoyed the day with two instead of all four at once.  

On one of those split up outings, mom and my sister took the babies to the zoo, while Danny and I took the big girls around the zoo.  The babies and the big girls move at completely different paces!  The babies could walk around and around the monkey exhibit for thirty minutes because it has a cool windy staircase.  

The girls are fast movers.  They prefer to glance at an animal, and as if checking it off their list of required viewings, are ready to move on to the next.  We trekked a long hot couple of miles (or so it seemed to me), to get to the new Elephant Odyssy exhibit.  The girls hardly glanced at the huge creatures before heading off in the direction of the camels.  Go figure.  Personally, I could have hung out watching the orangutans or gorillas all day long.  

One evening we decided to drive down to a quaint little shopping area on the water called Seaport Village.  The most amazing thing happened in this shopping paradise.  My mom, aunt Bette, and Ayron volunteered to take ALL OF MY KIDS, plus their little cousin, on a carriage ride.  A fifteen minute carriage ride!  

"Are you sure, you guys?" I asked tentatively, not wanting to get my hopes up.  They were sure, and Danny and I made tracks.  We held hands walking over the footbridge.  We meandered around the adorable bookstore. We may or may not have kissed under the laurel tree.  It was fifteen minutes of heaven.  It felt like a wonderful, unexpected gift and I savored every moment of it.  

As they drove away, I snapped this picture.  They seemed so happy and excited (except Cubby), I knew I had nothing to fear.  

After the ride, and my glorious fifteen minutes of romantic freedom with my hubby came to a close, we watched as Little G gave Prince Charming a pat.  Yep, the horse's name is Prince Charming.  And no, my big girls won't be forgetting that fact anytime soon.

Now don't get me wrong, I love my kids, and hanging out with them is usually pretty darn fun.  However, sometimes a moment alone without responding to, or looking out for, or straightening out arguments of kids can be a really wonderful thing.  A great thing!  In my case, it only takes a few moments to get recharged, and fifteen minutes was all I needed.  

Mini-Mac

This blog will serve as  a little side note to the description of our vacation.  Please allow me this minor tangent.

While reviewing our family pictures from our San Diego get away, Danny pointed out how much our youngest daughter resembles a very famous person in our nation's history. 

Little G, along with my three other kids, had a wonderful time wading through the water at Balboa Park's beautiful fountain.  Now, Little G didn't just splash around, she walked with purpose through the water.  She trudged. She swung her tight little arms with gusto. She resembled, well, a general. 

Danny just gave me a little history lesson.  OK, so way back in 1942, General Douglas A. MacArthur who was America's chief Army general was driven to retreat from the Philippines.  He left by uttering the iconic statement, "I shall return." (and kick butt, I might add).  In 1944, MacArthur returned to the Philippines with another famous line, "People of the Philllipines, I have returned.  The hour of your redemption is here."  

MacArthur wanted to return to the place of his defeat under his terms.  He wanted to walk gloriously onto the beaches via ramp, but due to some glitch, he had to wade through the waters of the Pacific. Apparently, MacArthur did not want to get his feet wet, so his face from that original landing shows some displeasure. However, when he heard the positive feedback the pictures received when posted in the newspapers, he actually staged the return through the water again.  What a showman!  From then on, he insisted on wading through the water in photo ops, since it made him look like the towering hero.  

What follows is the second take of MacArthur, striding triumphantly through the water to the beaches of the Philippines.  And just beside him is a photo of my little two year old sweetheart, making her way valiantly through the waters of the treacherous Balboa Park fountain.

    

A military leader and national hero alongside my sweet little angel.  Looking on the bright side and having a laugh over the silliest moments make this life so much sweeter.  Keep trudgin' mini-Mac!

Four Under Five on Vacation Part I

Today marks our last day of vacation.  I say this knowing full well that I've been gone most of the summer with the kids while my dear, hard-working hubby has stayed home to keep the home fires burning.  And by home fires, I mean the blazing hot Southern California desert weather, not the type in the fireplace, that would be insane.

This vacation to which I am referring is the one that Danny took with us.  He took five and a half days off from the ranch to hang out with his awesome wife and kids in San Diego.  Taking time off for Danny this go around meant no cell phone, no early rising, no quick trips out to check on how things were going.  He let it all go, and he quickly became a free, vacation loving man!

I am going to have to break our vacation description up into four or five parts, since there are so many aspects to vacationing with four under five that are straight up hilarious, frustrating, and heart warming.

By the way, I need to explain the new Four Under Five header picture.  This shot of all four of my kids is absolutely as good as it gets.  They are all smiling. They are not showing their underwear.  They are not crying.  They are all looking in the general direction of the camera.  It is a winner.

Anyway, you might notice that J.D. and Little G have extremely red lips.  Here's the whole story:

We went to that park that morning to walk around and enjoy the sights, but Danny's main purpose in going was to take the two big girls to the Imax movie on the Hubble telescope.  He was totally jazzed about it, so the girls faint whimperings about not being interested didn't damper his spirits whatsoever.

At the park, as it neared time to get over to the theater, the my oldest, E made her status very clear.  She didn't like space, she didn't like movies, she didn't want to go.  Her whining and complaining increased until it hit a fever pitch, so Danny decided to take just take Cubby.  I agreed to watch twin-time and E while they watched the movie.  Danny and Cubby headed off in the direction of the theater, and the three other kids and I walked over to the nearest fountain to splash their little hands.

About five minutes later, Danny's sad, frustrated dejected voice informed me over the cell phone that right in the line for the movie Cubby decided against the show as well.  They met us at the fountain.  I told Danny to go back and catch the movie by himself, but it was too late, they'd already closed the doors.

The kids played at that fountain and ran up and down the stairs nearby for about thirty minutes.  After that we hiked around the park while the kids laughed and ran and jumped around.  We were nearing a bunch of little snack carts with ice cream, frozen lemonade, and shave ice for sale.  Danny and I decided to get some shave ice.  The girls looked at us with those big puppy dog eyes, silently, and then not so silently begging for a cold, sweet treat of their own.  We bought only two, one for me, one for Danny.  


Then we made our way over to a bench close to a large fountain.  We sat down and ate our shave ice.  Mine was raspberry, Danny's was grape.  It was fantastic.  The babies asked for bites, and we gladly gave them their bites.  The girls sat there, looking miserable.  Finally E plucked up the courage to ask for a bite.  And here's what I said.


"OK, E, here is why I am not going to give you any bites.  Daddy does a lot for you.  He loves you, takes care of you, buys you toys, and gives you food and clothes.  Daddy and I planned this whole vacation for you.  We took you to the zoo, the beach, and multiple parks.  We did these things because we want you to be happy and enjoy your vacation.  Now Daddy asked you to do one thing.  He asked you to go with him to a movie.  Your response to your loving dad was, 'no, I don't like space,' and then you proceeded to throw a fit in public.  So, no, you won't be getting a single bite, and I will not tolerate one complaint."  


She was silent.  So was I.  The day continued.  I can't say it was without more issues and discipline problems, but it was a good day.  And hopefully, the girls will think twice before making these decisions.  


So very long story short, the babies lips are red and purple due to the shave ice they ate.  It stained their lips and tongues dark red.  I will always look at that picture and remember the lesson I attempted to teach my little girls and of course, how delicious that raspberry shave ice tasted!

My New Favorite Burger

Today marks the beginning of the fourth week on this Clean Eating plan.  I have lost another 3.5 pounds and am feeling fantastic.  I even stayed on the plan while on vacation, which is kind of a miracle, since usually I come back from vacation with a nice little Buddha belly as a not so welcome souvenir.

I have discovered some amazing new clean recipes, including a clean baked ziti dish, almond cookies, and my new favorite, bison burgers.  Ok, so it sounds wierd, and I thought it was too.  I actually saw the recipe, and skipped right over it thinking I would never happen upon a package of ground bison at my local grocery store.  But a week ago, while perusing my perennial favorite, lean ground turkey, there was the ground bison.  And yes it has a picture of an actual bison on the package.  Kind of bizarre.  But I bought it.

My sister came by for dinner last week, and I told her what I was making.  She wrinkled up her nose and refused to try it.  I actually felt the same way, but decided to go for it.  I prepared the recipe to the letter, made the patties, and Danny went outside to get the BBQ going.  He brought in the finished product a few minutes later, and I remember wishing I hadn't told Ayron what we were having, since they looked just like a beef hamburger patty once grilled.

She made me take the first bite.  It was mouth-watering and delicious.  Shocking!  I ate the whole hot patty in a matter of seconds, sans bun.  She took a bite, and loved it!  She thinks I should make some for her cattle rancher husband, but only if I agree not to tell him what they are beforehand.

Ground bison is so good for you!  It is leaner than ground beef and has more protein!  It has a softer consistency, however, and so I used a recipe that incorporated egg whites, mashed sweet potato and sauteed onions.  It was kind of like making meat balls.  The end result was fantastic.

Therefore, be warned if you come to my house for dinner!  That meatball, burger, or burrito might not be exactly what you thought it would be, but I promise you this, you will love the taste, and your body will love the added nutrition!

Summer Storm

We opened up our front door today after lunch to find a surprise!  It had started raining!  In August! In the desert!  

Now, I love summer storms.  They are rare and fleeting and beautiful.  The rain washes the dry, dusty plants, cleans off the streets and sidewalks, and reminds us desert dwellers that there is more to life than heat, heat, and more heat.  I like to sit and watch it come down while listening to the light pitter patter of the drops.  

The kids, however, saw the rain, and went through about a ten step process: denial, fear, anxiety, gradual acceptance, curiosity, happiness, glee, and finally unabashed silliness.   

Here's the scene today at lunch.  Danny is tying on his work boots, which in itself is very sweet.  See I no longer insist that he take his boots off in the house, since we have all tile floors now, but he still does it.  I love that.   The kids are a little nervous, a bit pensive.  They are considering this substance falling from the sky.  What is it?  Why is it coming down?  Is there cause for concern?  A tantrum perhaps?

Cubby, true to character, is the first to venture out to dance in the rain.

This is the face Danny made when I asked him what he really thought of the rain.  Nice.  Farmers.  What can you say?  The poor guy probably has hay down or something, but a few drops isn't really cause for that face, now is it?!

That's better.  What a handsome guy I've got!  

Then Danny attempted to introduce little G to rain, since this is completely new to her.  Her little two year old brain is trying to comprehend what is happening here.  Or maybe she's just wondering why she's out in the front yard with just a diaper on.  Because you're a Walker, silly!

Once she felt it, understanding started to set in...

She is clearly thinking, "Wow.  That........was...............awesome."  Do I need to point out again how cute my loving man is?  Ooops, just did!

Then she let loose with pure, unfiltered joy!

J.D. was a little more subdued, but in his heart he felt the joy overflowing as well.  What is it about the rain that made my little baby boy turn into a real boy?  Look at him, he looks like a little kid in this picture!  Rain, rain, go away!

Then dad had to go back to work, and J.D. jumped at the chance to give his dad a big kiss and hug.  The hug is adorable, but I was equally taken with the wet street and water standing in the gutter.  Aaahhhhh! Thrilling!  I know, I need to get out more.

So my little Minnie Mouse clad four year old continued to enjoy the wet sidewalk,

while my rambunctious five year old enthusiastically dressed for winter (it is raining, you know!) then did a crazy dance on the oh so slippery sidewalk.

Oh so slippery.    Ouch!  Thank goodness for diapers!  And thank God for the gift of a summer storm.  We needed the refreshment!