Sandcastles and Seashells

We took an impromptu beach vacation with our friends down to Pismo Beach this week. Their travel plans fell through in the middle of their planned family vacation and in lieu of melting away with us in 100+ degree heat, I suggested we all head west towards the coast. So I quickly packed up for the three kids and myself and left for two days without Chris for a brief visit to the beach. Crazy, huh? But, with my very best friend, her two girls and her husband/Daddy for hire we managed.

The mornings were cold and damp, but were also the best time to check out tidepools. Shell Beach is under the cover of water at high tide, however at low tide we found seashells, crab claws, and lots of algae. In the afternoon, we went to the main drag of Pismo which has miles and miles of the softest, powdery sand. The girls spent hours running back and forth from the water to their sandcastles, building and digging and dumping.

It seems I have just enough brain cells to take care of my children and none left for myself. They had everything they needed for a day at the beach however I left my bathing suit in the hotel, I didn't have shorts (only jeans) and even though the kids were covered and wearing suscreen, I forgot to put it on myself and got totally sunburnt on my face, arms and chest (not my legs because I was wearing jeans at the beach, der).

Sand got everywhere, I am still dumping it out of shoes and suitcases. And poor John Patrick, even though he was kept covered in his carseat when we were at the sandy beach, he still had sand in all his little creases and crevices. He was very good-natured about it though and just amazing the whole trip. The girls were mostly good too, but something happens when the number of children are doubled, the intensity, crazy energy and not listening seems to multiply as well.

The downside of the trip was that my friends were traveling with their sweet little puppy and not many quality hotels will accept a pet. So we were stuck with the kind of hotel you don't want to walk around in barefoot. Our room smelled like stale beer and cigarettes and the other hotel guests thought it was a great idea to have a cannonball contest in the pool at 1 o'clock in the morning. I got zero sleep and Zoe, Sophie, Ian and I all went home sick.

All in all, even though it was quite difficult herding four little girls and a baby around, we all got sick and the hotel was a disaster, our daytime excursions were super fun and we made great memories with good friends.

Checking out some cool algae.Collecting seashells.

This is how we rolled.

Half of the Pismo Beach crew.

First Strike

At John Patrick's baby shower, Laura and Aunt Barb wrote a great game where guests had to answer like Chris. One of the questions was "Who would be the first to hurt John Patrick...Athena or Zoe." Both Chris and I (and many guests) knew it would be Zoe and guess what, we were all right.

This morning, as I was sweeping up the after math of breakfast, I laid John Patrick in his play gym on the carpeted living room floor. Athena was coloring on the kitchen counter and Zoe ran into the living room to be with John Patrick. I have no idea what happened, I just heard a screaming cry from John Patrick and found Zoe with her head between her knees and arms over her head trying to hide and be as small as possible at the same time.

She was obviously really frightened by his crying and visibly upset. Through her tears, all I could get out of her was that she had "hit him with her foot." Athena and I examined him and found a scrape over his eye and a reddish spot at his temple. He was screaming bloody murder. It is unclear whether this was accidental or not - I like to believe it was.

Many many hugs and kisses later all is forgotten. Until next time...

Got Milk?

ATHENA: Look Mommy!

MOMMY: You have a white mustache!
ATHENA: I look just like Baba!
ZOE: Hey! I'm Baba too!

(That was specifically to make you laugh, Dad!)

Wild and Free

Today was a totally unscheduled "laissez faire" day. The girls are incredibly inventive when given a whole blank day to fill up with whatever they can think of and I was really easy going about it today. So when Athena asked me if she could wash the sand off her feet in the hose, I said "Okay!" and then if she could turn on the sprinkler and run through it naked, I said "Why not?" They didn't have any sunscreen on so we kept it short and then came inside to have Zoe's request of "Bunnies!" for lunch - which I figured was rolled up turkey sandwich meat with raisin eyes and carrot whiskers. Sometimes I feel like the fourth kid...

Ready for Baptisms

Godmother:

Godfather:

Now we just need to set a date. We're thinking late September or early October, but only because we don't want our So Cal relatives to fry in our 100 degree heat. We'll have the baptism at our church here and then a party at our house. More information to come at a later date.

Now Zoe still needs to be baptized and isn't yet because her Godmother was only recently allowed in public without a surgical mask (and we weren't doing it without her!) We're planning a separate baptism for Zoe in San Pedro probably later this summer but need to check the schedule of her island hopping Godfather first. It's going to be a little weird baptizing a three year old, and scary for her, so we are scaling down that event to just a service at Chris' mother's much smaller church.

Laundry

Do you ever get the feeling you're being watched?

I can't seem to get anything done without an audience these days. Even laundry is a group activity. I had a pile of it on my bed this afternoon and, of course, John Patrick woke up from his 45 minute nap and asked to join me. Then Athena meandered away from her quiet time activities because, you know, she has to be where he is.

They were so cute I had to take pictures, although they didn't come out like I had hoped (think breezy, laughing commercial for fabric softener or something). John Patrick ends up looking scared in some of these pictures but he adores his sister. His face lights up when she's around.

Will this love affair last forever? Or just until he starts walking?



Zoe was snoozing the afternoon away so she missed this photo session, but even if she was awake she has not wanted me to take photos of her lately.

The New Normal

I found an old never published post, that made me laugh. I sound so terrified and overwhelmed and scared. It must have been the sleeplessness. The vast difference between then and now really struck me because now life with three is our new normal. Getting all three changed, fed, dressed and out of the house is an everyday activity and quite routine.

I've now know just how easy it is to give three children a bath at the same time and that it's okay to let one cry while you are tending to another. And along the road I've learned a few things, like

• always have sippy cups filled with water, milk or juice ready to go in a low level of the fridge so that your little ones can help themselves when you are nursing
• when properly incented, your potty trained child will sit for hours reading books to the potty training child while she waits for something to happen
• teach the older ones how to give the baby a bottle while in the car
• an at home playdate with one or two well behaved friends is the best activity because it allows for tons of playtime while not disrupting the baby's schedule
• do a little bit of laundry everyday (rather than ALOT of laundry once a week)
• it is possible to nurse a baby and put shoes and socks on a two-year-old at the same time
• sleeping counts as "me" time as it's pretty much the only time I am without babies (but, hey, at least I'm getting sleep)

People keep asking me how I'm doing, or how I'm able to manage, but it's no longer a big deal it is just what I do. Everyday. Sure there are moments of pure chaos, but for the most part that is fleeting. There is also so much love and joy.

Chris and I couldn't be happier walking through life with these three. I can't wait to see what the next day, month and year will bring.

When is love...

too much?

The Sweetest Thing

Chris is away on a business trip this week and both girls saved part of their dessert cookie for Daddy. They only got one cookie each tonight and they really love these cookies. It was Athena's idea and then Zoe quickly followed (although hers is the smaller piece). They made me promise to give them to Daddy when he comes home on Wednesday.

I'm trying really hard not to eat them (because they are very yummy cookies).

What is so funny?

Do you see anything particularly funny about this? Because John Patrick thinks it's hi-LAR-ious. Every time he lays on the couch or on our laps and catches sight of it, he coos and giggles and squeals with delight. I've laid on the couch in the exact position he usually is in and don't find it particularly entertaining. I must be missing something.

Look Who's Talking

A couple of weeks ago we caught the tail end of the cinematic classic "Look Who's Talkin' Too" (the sequel even, not the first one). The girls thought it was hysterical, babies talking, truly a masterpiece! Ever since then, Athena and Zoe think its the funniest thing when we make John Patrick "talk." They say "What's he saying?" about a hundred times a day and we'll have to quickly come up with...

"Hey! You! Fetch me a fresh diaper, fire in the hole!"

"Hmmm...interesting. Tell me more about this “puppy” you speak of..."

"Gah! That's not a REAL puppy!"

"Uh...Can you please help me find my contact lens?"

"What you lookin’ at?"


"I never noticed that sconce before. It’s pretty."

"Hmm...this horse smells curiously of peppermint..."

Sum Sum Summertime

Summertime finds us with all the girls programs ending last week and nothing planned yet to fill our days. Their Mon-Wed class ended for the summer and their full-day Tues-Thurs "school" went into summer session ($100 fee per child requested), while I was looking for cheaper/better daycare alternatives to keep them busy while I work.

So, I'm quickly perusing the "Family Fun" magazines looking for summer activities, but everything is so expensive (gym classes $125 per month+ $50 fee) and or time consuming (swim classes everyday for two weeks) or just right for one but not for the other (ballet classes for 3 1/2 to 5 year olds)- I haven't found the right fit yet.

Luckily, until I figure it all out, we have free movies at the cineplex starting this week and splash parks and friends' houses and

a sprinkler Grandma Andree bought us this weekend

and watermelon in season

and this guy to hang out with...