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!

The Day J.D. Caved

It finally happened today.

Today was the day I have been waiting for since the babies' birthday over two years ago.  

Now I am going to build up the suspense a little. 

OK, I have three girls.  My two older girls are really into dress-up.  Like so into dress-up that they have been known to walk into Vons wearing princess dresses, high-heeled sparkly shoes, crowns, purses, jewelry, and think nothing of it.  They prefer dress-up to normal clothes.  My oldest, Emma, after a full day of kindergarten, would strip down only to don her favorite red gaudy queen gown and prance around the house for the rest of the evening.  

We have a drawer dedicated only to dress-up shoes.

We have a drawer dedicated only to dress-up headgear: hats, tiaras, silly headbands, you name it.

So all this time, I have known that eventually, their little sister, G, would want to get involved in this addicting pastime.  And in the last few weeks she entered the world of dress-up and never looked back.  Little G prefers Little House on the Prairie dresses over the straight-up princess garb that her big sister E chooses.  

Anyway, the point of all of my rambling is that I have a lone boy.  From 5:45 AM when Danny leaves until 5:30 PM when he returns home (albeit with a nice sized lunch break in the middle), J.D. is solo amidst a sea of estrogen in our home.  He handles it pretty well, I think.  He wakes up by literally wailing for his dad.  One of the first sounds I hear in the morning is, "Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-dee!" from little J.D.  He always looks kind of disappointed when I walk in, which bugs me a a little.  I feel like saying, "Hey kid, I don't want to change this dirty diaper either!"  J.D. prefers his dad, tools, the grandpas, and tractors to pretty much everything else in this world.  He is male, and that's the way it is.  

For two solid years, my lone boy has not shown one inkling of interest in dress-up.  Not one sparkly hat has been placed upon his head that he hasn't ripped off immediately.  Not once has he allowed a single scarf to wrap around his shoulders, or a dress to be draped upon his shoulders.  No sir, he is a boy.  A boy who likes tools.  Got it?!

Well today was the day.  

Today was the day he caved.  

The girls finally succeeded in their plot to dress-up their entire family.  

Was it the pink sequins that pulled him in?  Or maybe the page boy cap?  Perhaps he thought, "The cap seems like something a boy would wear, but the sequins, I'm not so sure....." But before he could protest, the girls had fitted it onto his head, and led him out to his parents to be paraded about like a monkey in a suit.

The girls could not have been more proud of their feat.  It was quite an accomplishment.  Can you hear me chuckling behind the camera?  Can you picture Danny doubled over, trying to hide the laughter from his dear son? 

And then there appeared to be a wardrobe malfunction.  G was thoroughly embarrassed by this show of anger in public, Cubby remained full of glee, and J.D. made his demands....

And there, now he's happy.  All the boy wanted was his pink Dora sunglasses for Pete's sake!  Whew!  Crisis averted.  Or was it?

Dolly's Day Out

My oldest daughter is really into her doll.  The doll's name is Sydney Lee and she has fully captured my little five year old's heart.  E literally dresses her for bed, gives her a "bath" in Sydney's pink plastic tub, and takes her with us just about everywhere we go.  

Sydney Lee is part of our family.  In fact, we share the same last name.  More than once, I have thought myself alone, when all of a sudden I'll sense someone watching me.  I'll look to the chair beside me which I assumed was empty, only to find Sydney Lee sitting quietly next to me.  It's a little creepy, but hey, things could be so much worse.    

The truth is, I am trying to subtly ween E and Cubby off of their obsession with Barbie.  After reading quite a few of his books over the last year or so, I have come to agree with Dr. Dobson's way of thinking on the Barbie matter.  Barbie is too grown up and way too curvy for little five year old's to be playing with.  He has other, more scientific research and findings to support his case against Barbie, but basically I don't need all that.  I agree with him, and my home has become a no-Barbie zone.   I want my girls to play with dolls that look like them, not some long-legged hussy!  Whoa, I went a little far, sorry.  

So back to Sydney Lee. 

 E mentioned to Grandma Donna that she wanted to put on a doll fashion show.  Ever since E discovered a little shop that sells Sydney Lee sized doll clothes, E is all about doll clothes and accessories.  So, Grandma Donna took this idea and ran with it.  She and the girls made a curtained entrance that opens onto a red-carpeted runway.  They wrote out a script and organized three full outfits for Sydney Lee to wear for the big show.  Grandma Susie and Aunt Ayron were called and lunch was planned.  This fashion show was going to be success no matter what!

Here are my proud daughters, standing before the stage of Sydney Lee's fashion show.  My orange jumper clad niece is considering ripping everything to shreds.

The show began, and Sydney Lee walked the runway with composure and confidence.  She dazzled.  She shined. She did need a little support from Cubby, but all models need a little guidance and mentoring, right?!

E read the script that she and Grandma Donna had written and practiced.  

Despite my girls' best efforts for the fashion show, no one would have guessed that the pint-sized peanut gallery would show up and go for broke.  These two little munchkins clapped and screamed and squealed throughout the entire performance. 

Luckily, Sydney Lee is a professional, and she continued her walk unfazed. 

The heckling and screaming continued....

but E remained the consummate grown-up in a sea of juvenile delinquency.  The show must go on!

Until the little girls decided to stage a toddler sized protest. 

In the middle of the show, they decided to lay across the red carpet, disallowing the entrance of our dear Sydney Lee in her newest ensemble.  Was it Sydney Lee's leather shoes?  Were these two kids opposed to using animal products in clothing?  Did they consider this slave labor, since Sydney Lee is obviously underage? What could their motivations possibly be?  Oh yeah, they're two.  Enough said already.

Just as at the end of every great fashion show, the designer (and doll owner) walked the red carpet with her dear model.  Amidst the clapping and cheering, a deep love of fashion bloomed within my little girl's heart.

And then they got hugs and congratulations from the crowds of admiring onlookers.

After the show, the stage and entrance turned back into a playhouse.  Maybe this is what those two crazy toddlers wanted in the first place!