Destin- The PTS getaway 2010

It has become a tradition that every year after tax season that we have a little getaway. Hence, the PTS getaway (Post Tax Season). This year we went to Destin, Florida. We drove down on a Friday, spent Sat, Sun, Mon and returned on Tues night. There was rain on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, and even a tornado watch Saturday night. Saturday after errands and naps, we still went to the beach while it drizzled and the kids didn't even notice! There is no way we could stay in the condo...I bet the kids had asked a billion times, "when are we going to the beach!?" Anyway, although the wind lingered, it was sunny and warm on Sunday and Monday.
Steve and I wrote some things down on the drive back that stand out most in our minds of this fun little family trip...

Beach faves: Jenna and Zac loved the waves and because of the high winds and storms there were lots of waves on the gulf this trip. jenna and Zac were often called back closer to shore because they ventured out jumping over waves. Trevor, on the last day, decided that he wasn't leery of the water and wanted to head directly for it. No fear or no sense...maybe a little of both. They liked playing in the sand...esp Trevor. Most of the time he carried a shovel. Trevor also liked chasing the birds. Oh and the big kids think that being buried is the best thing ever. Trevor didn't like it when Jenna was buried and he would motion for her with his hand to come out. That was cute.

Beach woes: Sand rash between Zac's legs from his droopy shorts, water and sand combo. He referred to this as his "sandburn". Jenna's black suit had a liner that made a good pocket for about 2 cups of sand to nestle in nicely. It looked like she had a small potato in her swim suit bottom. The bad thing about the beach is all the sand when you get back to the condo. Thank you for the shower and tile floors.
There was a pool at the condo that was slightly cooler than the ocean water! So we spent most of the time at the beach and the kids are huge fans! Next time we decided that the pool isn't a necessity for such a short trip.

Feasting: On Saturday we went to the grocery and stocked the condo with food and stopped by a fresh seafood market for a couple of pounds of fresh caught shrimp. Steve deveined these and boiled these, and we had colossal peel and eat shrimp. Also he made some delicious ceveche with shrimp that we all devoured. We went out to dinner at Dewey Destin's that may be the best seafood ever and to the Crab Trap that was right on the beach and delicious as well. By the way, I am certain that Jenna ate more shrimp than me and was a close second to Steve. She must have eaten pounds (ceveche, peel and eat, fried, colossal and popcorn varieties... and don't forget the seafood ketchup (cocktail sauce!)

The Condo: had a great view and the balcony doors over-looked the ocean, so when they were open you could feel a nice breeze and hear the waves crashing. That was nice. The last night after the kids were down, Steve and I sat out there and wished we were drinking a coke and talked.

The Driving: 22 hours total, I think it was. Steve happily drove the entire way. It was a good trip. The kids could pass up a ticket for a snack or a chincy toy every half hour and they thought that was great. We love Red box movies and cuss any McDonald's that doesn't have a vender. Trevor was able to be satisfied with powdered donuts and throwing toys when given to him. It wasn't all fun, but overall went well and the kids were real troopers, in fact Steve insist that half the fun of a road trip to the destination is the drive. I think that kids liked it too, except Trev may have been wondering on the last leg home why the heck he was still in that seat!

Enjoy the slide show!

The "Bakeries"

Zac: "Jenna, we are both bakeries and just look at our aprils". (translation: bakers and aprons). These are the next Food Network stars.



Steve will often times pretend he is a cooking show host as he cooks. The kids think it is great. They love to watch the Food Network with Steve.

Tax Day

There was a laboring patient yesterday morning that said in dismay, "Oh, I am going to have a baby on tax day." I said to my co-worker, "At my house, we love tax day!"
Steve got home early yesterday. It was a beautiful day. He jumped on the tramp with the kids, helped clean the kitchen and our sweet babysitter agreed to watch the kids (very last minute) for 2 hours while we had our first date since Valentine's. The Olive Garden was delicious and it was so nice to just look at Steve. Congrats to us all on another tax season completed. Now we have our post tax season celebration that we are so excited about, we are headed to Destin next week for a few days.
It'll be nice to have Steve around again. Yay for tax day!

Eggstravaganza..well it was a great weekend!

We did have a fun spring break and Easter weekend with family in Indiana. These are pictures courtesy Carrie. Thanks Carrie. We did a lot of fun things over the long weekend. We had a "SCABenger" hunt (as Jackson thought it was called and was really worried about getting scrapes and scabs in the wilderness. So cute.) We played at the playground, we rode bikes, we had great food and awesome weather. We played at Buddy's house, in his fun back yard and the kids even had a horse ride with Pa...even Trev. We relaxed at Ma's house and loved her front porch; we colored Easter eggs and went to Aunt Marilyn's for her annual huge Easter egg hunt and potluck that is a mini Lorton-side family reunion. We celebrated with Carrie her baptism into the Catholic church. Also we celebrated and remembered the reason for the weekend- Easter and the Resurrection of our Savior. A huge thanks to all that love us and make these times so fun and memorable and do it with ease and a smile! Really the Easter egg hunt is amazing. I am thinking about 500+ eggs are stuffed and hidden. Thank you everyone for making it so fun for the kids...and grown ups!

The Rhetorical Juggler Post

If seeing this smiling picture makes you nauseated then please read on.
I remember as a child there was a clown that would visit the schools. Conner the Clown, I believe is his name. As a part of his act he would juggle, and as a part of the entertainment he would try to teach the audience how to juggle: first starting with one ball, then 2, then three and although he could add more, for the purpose of teaching, there were only three. So I do remember the chant that you were to say as you added the second ball:"throw---throw-catch---catch". I never could do it. I don't even know the chant for three balls. I was too busy chasing the balls on the floor to move forward with the next one. Juggling is cool, looks pretty easy really. Since I am a fairly coordinated person, and I could in no way do it, I respect it and find it to be fascinating and entertaining to watch. Well, you know where this is going, right?
So lately, I have been thinking of all the things that there are to juggle, and how very many balls that there are on the ground rolling around, some covered in dust or off in a corner nearly out of sight, and also of the balls that I am keeping up. So we could label truly a hundred balls, and from those balls spawn more balls! Ahhhh! You go ahead and fill in the blank:__________, the kids' schooling, teaching them stuff, playing with them, quality time with the kids, their Dr appointments and check ups, keeping up on their hygiene, the laundry, clothes that fit, clean dishes, food in the fridge and cupboards, my and Steve's relationship, service, being a good citizen, the house, the budget, church calling, spiritual maintenance and progression, building talents, building my kids' talents and self worth, teaching my kids about the gospel, my work- getting there, being nice-ish, critical thinking. Oh yes, my health, this pregnancy, my relationships with friends and family, the house, the dog, the yard, sleep, again did I mention the house ball? What am I forgetting? You see, that ball is under the couch!
Anyway some of the balls on the ground are really important things and makes me ponder how do I get those balls up and going again when it seems inevitable that something will have to fall?
Let's be reasonable here, somewhere along the way I have grown up to realized that there is no human way to juggle all things and do all that is required in a perfect fashion. Or do I really believe that? Afteral, there are pictures like this woman that make me think it can be done. Is that reality? I like to remind myself that there is a time and season for all things and not that the spiritual ball is flying high as of late, but I do have a testimony that with faith in Christ, he will lift the burdens that are heavy on our shoulders and pick up the slack where we come up short. Also that we can be guided and inspired as to what is most important. But then the faith ball is dusty.
I suppose the whole juggling thing made me think that even though I know that I cannot do it all at once, I would like to have up in the air those things that are important to me and am trying to figure out how to make that happen. Really, Conner the clown was of little help to me with juggling colorful balls, and I was quite miserable at it and frustrated by all the running and failing, but I still liked to watch and try. So although there is running and failing in real life, I will keep on. Some help from Steve, and from my old friend, Prayer, may be in order, but who better to ask? By Joe, let's dust off those balls and try again. Afteral, juggling is supposed to be fun!

The Doctors Appointment

I have had a head full of snot for about 6 days now that is getting progressively worse. Sudafed is not touching it, and benadryl does nothing but make me tired. I cannot smell poopy diapers, and wouldn't know if there was a propane leak or the house was on fire because I cannot smell anything. I can taste very little. I am able to taste some if I blow my nose after a bite of food, but that gets tiresome and not real pleasant if I have an eating companion other than a 1, 4, or 6 year old.
Last year, almost to the day, I went to the doctor, 4 weeks post-partum and had congestion and a cough that was ruthless. I had pneumonia. 2 years before that, in April, I had pneumonia that I was hospitalized overnight for, and had out-patient IV antibiotics after my discharge. So as you can imagine as my congestion got worse, and a cough started in the night, I thought, "by Joe I will not get pneumonia again! Not now, not during tax season, not when the sun is starting to shine, not when I am already so freaking tired! I am going to the doctor."
I made an appointment this morning. We had a date with our friends at the playground and since Jenna was off today, I didn't cancel. They were so excited to get outside in this awesome weather, besides...why stay home? Life doesn't stop when you are sick, right? And if I am contagious, stay 3 feet away and upwind! I, on a side note, have always known God to be perfect and organized, and all-knowing, but I wonder if it wouldn't have been a good idea that once children are born, moms could henceforth be immune from any illness, until at least their smallest is 18 years old. What do I know though.
So we go to the park and they all enjoyed themselves. Running and playing in the sunshine and warmth! After an hour or so, it was time to go, I look at Zac who had mud on his pants and shoes, and had cheeto powder all over his face and t-shirt sleeves. I look at Jenna who had dirt all over her jeans and under her fingernails, and Trevor, who was surprisingly presentable, and thought to myself, "I am not going to drag these kids and get all these looks", then I fought back a tear, and said "heck yes, I am going to get me an antibiotic!"
So we are on our way, in the van are wipes and a change of clothes, not because I am prepared but because I am both lucky and lazy... the van just needed to be cleaned out and my friend had just given me some freshly washed clothes that Zac had messed up at her house. So I tear out the wipes, throw them in the back and have them do their best in the van to look less unloved and unkept. I cheer on Zac to change his clothes in the back seat, and he does it...in like 70 seconds! We get there only 5 minutes late and looking not bad...except me, who perpetually looks like crap lately, but all the more evidence as need for intervention!
I sign in, make the co-pay and corral the kids until my name is called.
The nurse holds Trevor who bawls while I get my weight which is totally necessary for a respiratory infection, then we not so quietly make our way to the room. We get in there, the kids are fighting over the rolly stool or the chair, and tripping over each other for the best diabetes magazine. Trevor is still bawling- perhaps fearing an immunization, and I am trying to tell her how I feel so she can write on her little folder something that she interprets. And I add the obligatory side note, "by the way it would be good for the doctor to know that I am pregnant!" (Yes, this is my announcement too, so if you hung in there to read you know that I am 11 weeks). Her response is "OOOOOOOH", but not the-excited-congrats-"OOOOOhh". "It was the what the heck, do-you-need-a-birth-control-pamphlet-"Oooooohhh". Which was annoying, but I refrained from hitting her and telling her what I thought. After she leaves I threaten my kids with their lives to be good and bride them with an ice cream cone.
I got my Z pack and was validated as she heard some wheezes and noted that I probably couldn't smell, taste or breathe from the nose. She mentioned the pregnancy, but this time, I said, "Yes, we are!" in an excited voice.
Afterall, it is exciting. We were surprised, but we are happy to have another baby. Our kids are pretty good and they clean up decent! We can provide for them and even though only 10% of families have 4 or more kids these days, it doesn't mean we are crazy! (That could be debated, actually!) I think from now on when people ask in an exasperated tone if we are done, I am going to say, "I don't know, maybe we will have 2 or 3 more!"

Well Steve is almost home (thank you for coming home), Trev just woke up, and dinner is just about finished cooking, so I will be headed to an elevated-head-of-bed and hope for some mouth-gaping sleep while the sun is even still out!

Sounds like life to me

I heard this song today by Darryl Worley and loved the lyrics. If you have 4 minutes take a listen. Spoke to my heart and made me smile!


"Got a call last night from an old friend’s wife
Said I hate to bother you
Johnny Ray fell off the wagon
He’s been gone all afternoon
I know my buddy so I drove to Skully’s
And found him at the bar
I say hey man, what’s going on
He said I don’t know where to start

Sarah’s old car’s about to fall apart
And the washer quit last week
We had to put momma in the nursing home
And the baby’s cutting teeth
I didn’t get much work this week
And I got bills to pay
I said I know this ain’t what you wanna hear
But it’s what I’m gonna say

(Chorus)
Sounds like life to me it ain’t no fantasy
It’s just a common case of everyday reality
Man I know it’s tough but you gotta suck it up
To hear you talk you’re caught up in some tragedy
It sounds like life to me

Well his face turned red and he shook his head
He said you don’t understand
Three kids and a wife depend on me
And I’m just one man
To top it off I just found out
That Sarah’s 2 months late
I said hey bartender set us up a round
We need to celebrate

(Chorus)
Sounds like life to me plain old destiny
Yeah the only thing for certain is uncertainty
You gotta hold on tight just enjoy the ride
Get used to all this unpredictability
Sounds like life

Man I know its tough but you gotta suck it up
To hear you talk you’re caught up in some tragedy
Sounds like life to me
Sounds like life"