Twenty Questions - Korri 9

Twenty Questions - Korri 9

Starting at age three, I've asked Korri 20 questions around the time of her birthday. I chose NOT to direct or influence her initial answers. Here are her responses:

20 questions: answered by Korrigan on 2/10/2020

1. What is your favorite color? teal

2. What is your favorite toy? Barbies, no American Girl Dolls!

3. What is your favorite fruit? watermelon

4. What is your favorite TV show/YouTube channel/movie? TV: Free Rein and Winks; YouTube: The LaBrant Fam and Movie: The Greatest Showman

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Grilled Cheese with tomato soup or ketchup

6. What is your favorite outfit/thing to wear?  I like all my clothes...dresses, comfy clothes (UA), and two new boots

7. What is your favorite game? Mastermind or Apples to Apples

8. What is your favorite snack? Ice cream with no chocolate

9. What is your favorite animal? horses

10. What is your favorite song? This is Me, The Greatest Showman soundtrack

11. What is your favorite book? Ivy and Bean series

12. Who is your best friend? Lauren Cardinal, Hunter Olson and Lilly Steen

13. What is your favorite cereal? Fruity Pebbles

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? swim

15. What is your favorite drink? peach kiddie margarita

16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas, because you get to spend time with family and get new things AND celebrate Jesus' birthday

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Trois (stuffed dino) or Crab stuffy

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Mini Cinis

19. If you could pick anything, what you would eat for dinner on your birthday? eat at Unhinged Pizza or spam

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A mom and horse rider

Bonus Questions:

21. What is your favorite sport/activity to play? Gymnastics and Karate, no actually horse riding

22. What is your best/least favorite part of school? Best: PhyEd and reading Least: math


I think this might be the first year where we didn't get frustrated with each other when asking these questions! LOL She was thoughtful and for the most part, answered them exactly as I would have if I had taken it for her. Here are some comments.

2. She said "Barbies!" right away and I gave her a look and she said, "No, American Girl Dolls!" which in my opinion is the more "right" answer.

4. Testament to the times we live in: she didn't know what a "TV Show" was!! I said, something with episodes. Sheesh! She also didn't come up with Free Rein on her own, but once I mentioned it, she said it had to go first.

6. She REALLY struggled with this one. We came back to it and finally I suggested her new boots. She said they weren't an outfit and I said they are a thing to wear though! And she strongly agreed. She does like all her clothes though. She's my fashionista for sure.

14. She looked outside and I just said, "it can be any time of the year!" and she immediately said "Swim!" She doesn't like winter. LOL

15. Specifically at Bugambilias in Buffalo!

17. Unlike Finn, she doesn't HAVE to take anything to bed with her, but she does like to have a stuffy of some sort. Also, yes, I had to google how to spell three in French! Whatever, I took Spanish!

18. These are mini cinnamon rolls at school. Good job school for having yummy hot breakfast!

19. She mentioned spam last year too. I promise we don't eat it THAT often! Sheesh.

20. Awww! Sounds like a pretty good life to me. She specifically said NOT a horse competitor or trainer! She just wants to RIDE.

21. She didn't think horse riding was a sport, so I changed the question to say activity...but I think it is a sport!

22. I was shocked with PhyEd. I even questioned her and she said yes! Okay, then. I knew reading would be best and math would be worst..even though she is so good at math! Argh.

I've already bestowed my thoughts and feelings about Korri in the post about getting her ears pierced. That is going well, for the most part. One ear is more sore than the other and we've had tears, but hopefully we are on the way to healing at this point. She does a good job keeping them clean and moving them around.

Korri is helpful, kind, loves to be in the kitchen doing anything, loves to be involved in activities (karate, piano, ice skating, horse riding, gymnastics, religion class to name a few!). She also loves it when I'm involved with her activities, like volunteering in HER classroom or when she helps when it's my turn to facilitate Children's Liturgy at church. I cherish this because I know it won't be too long until I'm not "cool" enough to do anything with her, in public anyway.

We still work on her being respectful and opening up about things going on in her day and how she feels. She tends to either hold it all in (bad!) or not let it phase her (good!). I'm not sure which it is yet...probably a combo of the two. She's had to deal with a lot of conflict in her short 9 years and she has handled it with grace. I'm very proud of the lady she is growing into and can't wait to see the things she accomplishes.

This is the last picture before she turned 9 (in one of her "nine" shirts from Customly Yourz by Andrea Johnson!):

If you are curious as to what her responses were last year, click here to link to that post!

Nine is fine

Yesterday was the day. I'd been looking forward to it and asking about it for years. And finally, Korri decided she was ready to get her ears pierced! She said something about a month ago, which was prefect with her 9th birthday coming up. We looked at the calendar and decided we would go together on the Sunday AFTER her birthday because she had a friend come over ON her birthday and then it was her and Finn's hotel family party on Saturday, so Sunday seemed to work the best.

Side note: I LOVE that she was nine when she decided she was ready to get her ears pierced. I wasn't allowed to get mine pierced until I was 13 and I remember BEGGING (like B.E.G.G.I.N.G!) my mom to let me get mine pierced when I was nine because it was my golden birthday and I was so ready. For real. Well, I wasn't allowed to but it was a part of my heart that never fully healed. Clearly! LOL. So, now my daughter did when SHE was nine!! Oh, the things that stick with us, am I right?!?!

After a LONG week and weekend, I wasn't sure I was up for going, but I'm SO glad we did. It is a mother/daughter experience that I will never forget. Doing things like this reminds me what an amazing young lady she is.

First off, I was thinking we'd just go to Claire's, but I heard so many bad things about them, that I looked around. I found out on Saturday, that a local hair salon does them BUT they aren't open on Sunday. Then Google told me about a place called Piercing Pagoda. The best part? They have TWO technicians, so they do both ears at the same time. AND they are open on Sunday. Perfect. I called to make an appointment and they said they had two technicians scheduled from noon to 6pm on Sunday but didn't make appointments. Again, perfect.

We had two vehicles at the hotel, so the boys went in one direction (home) and the girls went in another (to the Mall of America, the closest Piercing Pagoda location). We got the MOA right after they opened, so parking was a breeze. It was too early to get her ears pierced, so we went to her favorite place to eat there: Freshens Crepes and Smoothies! She got a crepe filled with bananas, strawberries and nutella! I MAY have had a small bite and it was as magical as it sounds!

We walked around (I mean, if you can't get your 10,000 steps at MOA, where can you?!?!) for a bit. We noticed a Claire's location and she asked to go in. I let her pick out some earrings for when her ears heal. She wisely picked two cards of earrings with 8 pairs on each! LOL She wanted to get a good bang for MY buck ;)

Then the piercing place wasn't quite ready (but we did get to watch another girl get her ears pierced and thankfully she didn't freak out!), so we stopped in DSW and Korri was appalled as some of the platform tennis shoes there! I love her shoe fashion and opinions. It made me feel not so old when we agreed on ugly shoes. I needed some casual/dressy shoes but didn't find any there. I mean, they have a ton of shoes, but does anybody else have a hard time FINDING anything?!?! Oh, well. That's what website search filters are for!

When we went back, they had two technicians on staff so it was time! Korri told me on the drive there that she was nervous. I told her I would be worried about her if she WEREN'T nervous! But also, she's my tough nut, so I knew she'd be okay. Here's her virgin ears before:

We picked out earrings and she wanted ones "just like yours, mommy." Awww...she does have good (i.e. expensive) taste! Then we picked out a couple for daddy since you of course got a deal on subsequent ones if you bought one pair! I spared no expense. I got the extended "warranty" (in case there are issues), the 14k gold studs (JUST in case there's an allergic reaction!) and the rapid healing spray (which probably doesn't do anything different than the normal solution, but it made me feel better!). Whatever, you only get your ears pierced for the first time once! Don't judge me.

Before and after

And she has a smile in the after pic! She was a stoic rock star. She held my hands but didn't squeeze or anything. After, I asked if she was okay and said said, "owww?" Tough cookie. I think I was more emotional than she was! They got hot and sensitive and she kept bumping them and saying, "Oh, yeah!"

After the ears, I asked if she wanted to get our nails done and she said yes yes yes! So she got a pedicure and her first GEL manicure! I just got a fill, as I had a cut on the bottom of my foot and while I needed a pedicure, the idea of putting my foot in water and then brushing it at all, made me shutter. Oh, well.

The ladies there were very kind and helpful and were amazing with making Korri feel special. By this time, I realized I hadn't eaten lunch and was getting light headed. We went to Noodles and Company where I had lunch (shrimp zoodles, which were amazing!) and Korri had a "snack" (chicken Cesar salad!).

While we were eating, we realized we were exhausted. We made one more quick stop at Claire's (there are THREE locations at MOA! Crazy) and then we headed home.

It was a beautiful day and wonderful experience to share together. It was a coming of age for Korri and she rocked it. She is growing up so fast and is so mature in some ways and I just want to hold on to her and tell her to stop growing up! She really is great. I know we butt heads a LOT but I guess that's what kids do with their "safe" person, right? I hope I'm always a shelter for her to give her rest and comfort and that we can share in a LOT more experiences like we did yesterday. Love you so much, Baby Grill!!!!

Oh, and I think it is safe to say, we were tuckered out!! I however, didn't get a nap!

Twenty Questions - Finn 11

Twenty Questions - Finn 11

Starting at age three, I've asked Finn 20 questions around the time of his birthday. I chose NOT to direct or influence his initial answers. Here are his responses:

20 questions: answered by Finnegan on 1/08/2020

1. What is your favorite color? Blue and green
2. What is your favorite toy? BeyBlades
3. What is your favorite fruit? Berries
4. What is your favorite TV show/YouTube channel/movie? TV Show: Pokemon; YouTube Channel: Popular MMOs; Movie: Star Wars Last Jedi
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Home: Adult lunchables; School: pizza rounds; Restaurant: burrito
6. What is your favorite outfit/thing to wear? Under Armour
7. What is your favorite board game/card game/video game? Board Game: Monopoly Jr; Card Game: Uno Attack; Video Game: Minecraft
8. What is your favorite snack? Nutella and pretzels
9. What is your favorite animal? Arctic fox and a lion
10. What is your favorite song? RadioActive by Imagine Dragons
11. What is your favorite book? Anything by Rick Riordan
12. Who is your best friend? Ryker, Xavier, Isaiah, Paxten and Martin
13. What is your favorite cereal? Fruit Loops
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play football
15. What is your favorite drink? Rootbeer
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas, because we get to spend time with family and get gifts from Santa
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? KiKi
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Skinny pancake burritos
19. If you could pick anything, what you would eat for dinner on your birthday? Ice cream, mint chocolate chip cookie dough
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? I don’t know, author, drawer and comic book illustrator

Bonus Questions:
21. What is your favorite sport/activity to play? Golf and football
22. What is your most/least favorite part of school? Best: Social Studies/History; Least: Band, it’s too hard

My two cents (for what they're worth, which isn't much! LOL):

In general, I feel like he had a hard time picking just one answer for a lot of the questions. Not sure why, but there's definitely a theme or pattern!

5. Adult lunchables are the Hillshire Farm Snacking Small Plates. If you haven't had one yet, they are pretty fabulous!

12. It used to bother me that he doesn't have one "best friend" but it doesn't bother him and really, it is probably better that way. When you list five boys as your best friend, you always have somebody to hang out with! Plus, I know three of the boys well and they are really good kids, which helps, too!

17. KiKi is his "lovey" from when he was a baby. It is a small blue blanket with a Winnie the Pooh head that rattles. I've had to buy several extra ones from China over the last 11 years. Hopefully he doesn't need any more new ones!

18. Skinny pancakes are a Thomas family tradition and are a cross between a pancake and a crepe. We just started putting bacon, egg and salsa or hot sauce inside and rolling them up and they are amazing!!!

19. Hey, the question said "anything!"

20. He ALWAYS struggles with this question. One year he said "a boat." Really?!?! I really made him stay with this one and think about it. Eventually I did start to list some professions as well as tell him things he's really good at. Eventually he came up with these. But was very adamant that a drawer is different than a comic book illustrator!

22. I would argue that his favorite part of school is ACTUALLY getting two food choices for lunch every day! Seriously, every day he comes home, tells me what the two choices were and then I guess which one he picked!! Hey, you connect with your middle schooler anyway he lets you! And for the record, Band is NOT too hard...he NEVER practices, which might make it SEEM hard.

If you are curious as to what his responses were last year, click here to link to that post!

Here is the last picture of my ten year old before he went to bed and turned 11 (at 5:25am the next morning):

And I want to thank Jim for taking it, as I was already in bed, on my way to being sick for Finn's entire birthday, which was a huge bummer for me. Finn handled it with grace and rolled with the punches. Every year instead of a big friend party, they get to pick one friend to get off the bus with them, play and then go out to dinner with us. He picked Paxten from #12 above. Also, because I was so sick, they did NOT get to go out to eat, but Jim grabbed some Pizza Hut for them, which I think they thought was a fine substitute. Jim also picked up a Dairy Queen Blizzard cake for him since, for the first time, I didn't finish a cake on time, which totally wrecked me. Again, Finn was very gracious.

For his cake this year, he picked R2D2 from Star Wars and we compromised to R2D2's head, as his whole body would have taken a LONG time (I've done it before, so I know!). Even though Finn celebrated ON his birthday, we celebrated again the next night so I could participate.

I was well enough for him to come into my room (please don't judge the dirty clothes in the background in the pictures...I was sick!!) to open his presents on his birthday right before bed. He got a BeyBlade Metal Fusion set including Beys and a new stadium (refer to question 2 above!) and new Under Armour pants (refer to question 6 above!). But the REAL birthday present was a letter from Hogwarts inviting him to go there! Which he didn't understand until Jim explained that we would be taking him to Hogwarts in Florida (The Wizarding World of Harry Potter) in Feb! He's beyond excited. Oh and the best part (for me!) is that Sasha and Sonia (Jim's cousins) are joining us!! I mean, come on!!

Eleven is going to be great. I FEEL like Finn is starting to outgrow some of his behavior issues that we struggle with (compliance, listening, over-reacting, showing remorse, etc.). He seems to really understand what respect is and even if he doesn't act that way all the time, he seems to be respectful more often than not. Oh, and now that he's 11, he can babysit Korri and Mac!! Which he has done twice (as of me typing this on 1/19 and had done a great job!). He's honestly growing up. He is rocking middle school and gets excited about projects and things going on at school. He's started identifying his emotions and expressing his feelings to us which, if you know him at all, is HUGE for him (and makes parenting him easier!). But as with every year, I'm a little sad that he IS growing up so quickly. I love all my baby birds in my nest and needing me. But I know eventually you must set them free and if you've done a good job raising them, they will fly! I know with every fiber of my being that one day (too soon for me!) Finnegan is going to fly and fly big, whatever he does in life!! (as long as it isn't "being a boat!) Love you to infinity to the infinity power, Buddy Boy!!!

And it's finally done!

Today was a long awaited day in the Thomas household: Mac had surgery to fix his umbilical hernia! It is something we've been watching since he was born, hoping it would correct itself. However, if it hasn't by the age of 5, it most likely won't on it's own. So I (finally!) scheduled it.

Other than a few nerves, he was very cooperative before surgery and of course, all smiles once they gave him an iPad to use during pre-op! He could bring a comfort item and his dragon Cinder was watching the iPad with him!

However, I did NOT schedule it for today! I scheduled it in November but at the last minute, Children's had to reschedule because the surgeon went on "medial leave." We reschedule for today and then earlier this week, they called to tell me that he was STILL on medical leave!! OMG! Seriously?!?! But they told me that the chief of surgery was able to do it instead, if we wanted. Um, yes please! I don't think you get in better hands than that!

After lots of paperwork, and phone calls and scheduling and answering a million questions, we came successfully to today. We chose to have the surgery at Children's West to avoid having to go to Minneapolis. The two inches of snow this morning was a concern, but we got there right on time and there was plenty of parking. Sweet.

Other than a short wait to check-in, it was boom, boom, boom...done! Other than the extremely rude people in the waiting room (I mean, if you are a grown man, you do NOT need to play a game on your phone so loud that is causes others in the FAMILY WAITING ROOM to get a migraine!! What happened to common courtesy?), things went as well as they could today.

These were right after we were allowed in to see him. He was VERY drowsy at first. But then his nurse brought him a Popsicle, which made him happy (he actually got two before we left!).

Eating Popsicles and watching Monster's Inc. Doesn't get much better than that! We had to finally tell him he could watch a movie at home, to get him to get dressed to leave! LOL

We are now home and Mac is sleeping comfortably for the night. We left him after he was put under around 12:15. Surgery started around 12:30. The surgeon came to talk to us about 1pm to let us know that the surgery was successful and once Mac started waking up, we could go in to see him. Well, he ended up having a hard time waking up, so it took almost an hour before we went back. Then once we were there, he was having a hard time keeping on oxygen levels up, so we worked through that for quite a while. Once he didn't need extra oxygen for half an hour, the anesthesiologist came to talk to us and check on Mac. Apparently during surgery, he gave them a bit of a run for their money. His breathing and oxygen decreased, so they had to use a nebulizer and eventually suction his lungs to clear some fluid. He thinks it was basically because of his cold. But he listened to him and was satisfied enough to send him home.

He got the royal treatment with a wheel chair ride right out to the car (which was a good thing because he was still a little wobbly!). On the way home, daddy picked up some Dippin' Dots to hold him over until we got home (they said soft foods for the rest of the day, so we were limited). And after his treat, he was pretty tired, so he held my hand and went to sleep. I mean...honestly...it doesn't get better than this!!!

We left around 3:45, but had to stop on the way home for Mac to get something to eat! He hadn't eaten since bedtime last night! We made it home just before 4:30 and all is well.

After watching some YouTube videos, he picked one of the Chipmunk movies to watch. Here we are chillin' out on the couch. He's clearly made himself comfortable. I did warn him at bedtime that tomorrow he may be a little more uncomfortable, but that we would manage it as needed. Fingers crossed and prayers that we can manage with Ibuprofen and Tylenol and don't need to get his narcotics prescription AND for speedy, healthy recovery!!!

Mac's 5 year well child appt

No, I didn't just forget to do a post on his well child appointment: his appointment was actually on Wed...almost two months after his birthday! I've NEVER waited that long before, but I waited to figure out a few things in our schedule and with summer, our doctor was booked (for the record, I did call before his birthday!). Oh, well. He's healthy overall, so there wasn't a pressing issue or need.

Anyway, Jim, Mac and I went to his five year well child appointment on Wed. And let me tell you five is WAY better than four or three. Man, in the past, I've left his appointment sweating because of his horrible behavior. For this one, he was a rock star. He was quiet when he should be, he answered when asked questions, he followed instructions when given, and was his usually silly "Mac" self...I mean, it was wonderful, but I think I used up all my "bad doctor visits" in the past!

Oh top of that, he is doing super well and the doctor had good things to say about him and his health. So, here are his stats as of 9/11/19:

Height: 46.5", which is 97 % (42.75" which is 93% last year)
Weight: 54 lbs, which is 97% (46 lbs which is 97% last year)
BP: 90/56
BMI: 18, which is 93% (94% last year)

So he's big! LOL, we already knew that. But you read that right: he grew almost FOUR INCHES in one year! No wonder he comments about aches and pains a lot and wants to eat constantly. Sheesh. He's hoping for 48" so he can ride on "all the rides." I don't know where he thinks we are going where there are rides, but he's excited for that milestone.

And at least he's consistent: 97 percentile for height and weight! He has thinned out so much this year probably because he's only gained 8 pounds but 4 inches. Up not out.

We talked about a few things. She gave me the number for the surgeon to do his hernia surgery. I had fully planned to do it LAST year but just never made scheduling it a priority. We talked to Jim's cousin, Dave, this summer when we visited, who is a surgeon, and he said to fix it sooner rather than later. Not having the surgery doesn't put Mac at a huge risk for problems or anything but he will be put under for it. However, the actual surgery is very minor (Dave said he could have done it while we were visiting if he'd had the right stuff!!). And not fixing it can lead to some major complications later in life. Okay, okay...I'll do it!

We talked about Mac's articulation again, and she strongly recommended getting him retested at the school as the next first step. Even though he didn't qualify last year, doesn't mean he won't this year because the threshold changes as they get older. So, I need to talk to his preschool teacher about it. I was hoping to just do a few private speech therapy sessions, but if he qualifies through the school, it would be free AND done during preschool which would be super easy.

We mentioned how severe his reaction to mosquito bites was and she said there just isn't a ton that can be done for it. Obviously to use bug spray when he goes outside (duh!) but we could also give him a dose of Claritin or Zyrtec during the times mosquitoes are more likely to be out. We can also give him a dose of Xantac, an antacid, that works in a different way, but can be combined with allergy medicine and we'd have a better chance of stopping the severity of his reactions. She did say that while it is severe now, he most likely will grow out of it...which I'm not buying given Korri and Jim are the same way, but here's hoping! Also, we are going into winter, so we won't have to worry about it until late spring!

We also talked about how Mac says he has headaches all the time and prays every night that his tummy doesn't hurt. She said it could be a lot of things, most of which aren't a big concern and to make sure he is drinking enough water and not constipated regularly. If it gets worse, we will go back in but I vaguely remember Finn going through a headache phase, too, which went away without major intervention.

He had his vision and hearing, which he was so freaking good for! My baby is growing up. And then he got to have his shots: a total of three because of the flu shot, too. Man, I hate when my kids get shots. He sat on my lap and they did it as quickly as possible but he had huge crocodile tears dripping down his face. It was so sad. Thankfully, he recovers quickly and just wanted some extra love for a bit. Then McDonald's for lunch helped!!

Overall, Mac is just a really great kid. Don't get me wrong, he has his moments: like his thing right now is lying. But he is also so kind and sweet and silly and strong. He holds the door for me almost ALWAYS whether at home or the car or at a store. He kisses my face all over and won't stop until he gets every spot. He snuggles with me multiple times a day (but always after nap) and enjoys it as much as I do, if that is possible. He naps a few times a week, but is usually fine if he doesn't. He loves to dance and sing and really has some amazing moves. He loves to run and kick and do karate ALL. THE. TIME. He is smart and knowledgeable and while he never stops talking, he is learning what is appropriate and when. I'm cherishing this last year with him and spending as much time with him as I can.

And going back to a topic that I beat to death...kindergarten. I am so thankful we decided to do preschool another year. And don't get me wrong, he would have been "fine." But I just wasn't ready and he will be so much more ready next year. Here's to all the amazing things you'll do this year, Little Buddy!! I love you so much.

A Last First

Well, today it happened. I was in complete denial. I wanted to pretend it wasn't going to happen for weeks (or hopefully months). I kept telling him to leave it alone. I kept saying he was too young. But today, my baby lost his first tooth!

 

It is his bottom right (or left if you are looking at him) tooth. Number 25 in the below diagram:

There were tears. There was a queezy stomach (mine!). There was blood. But we got the job done. Jim tried first and then I remembered Finn "needing" me to do it for one (or two!) of his teeth. So I offered (hesitantly) and Mac said yes. Crap! It took me a couple pulls because his teeth are so stinkin' tiny but then it popped out.

You guys...this is a perfect example of loving somebody more than yourself. Teeth are NOT my thing. Anybody who knows me knows that. I'm not a squeamish person in general. But they creep me out. The idea of the root being pulled out grosses me out. I avoid them at all costs and it is the one thing I told Jim was his parenting job (well, that and the boys during puberty!!). But when your baby is crying and can't eat his corn; you put your big girl panties on, step over, grab a paper towel and go in for the pull.

And then there's the feeling after the trauma of the pure joy of the whole family surrounding Mac in love and support and claps and cheers! Nothing like somebody else experiencing pain to bring the family together! Jim asked him who he wanted to call to tell and the first person he said was Friedrich, who is a friend, which was so sweet! Oh and the best part of the whole situation: Mac actually LOST his tooth! Like dropped it somewhere and can't find it! You couldn't possibly come up with a more "Mac" scenario if you tried!!! Good thing the Tooth Fairy only needs a letter and not the actual tooth to come for a visit! Sheesh.

I'm just not ready to not have tiny Littles any more (but my uterus is closed for business!!) and when these events happen, it makes me realize this stage in our lives is quickly slipping away. Thank God (for many reasons) we decided to wait to send Mac to Kindergarten until next year or I'd be a puddle on the floor. Like for days. I mean Kindergarten, first tooth and Middle School in two days is too much for anybody!! At the same time, it is so fun and exciting to see them growing up and becoming who they will be. Here's to many more last firsts and first firsts and everything in between!

Wenatchee or Bust - Home!

Start: Courtyard Marriott, Moorhead, MN
End: HOME!!
Miles: 219 miles (approx)
Total Trip Miles: 3,734 miles!!

We slept in a bit this morning. I mean, it's been a wonderful but LONG trip! The Marriott doesn't have complimentary breakfast, so the kiddos and I walked to the gas station to grab something to eat. It was BEAUTIFUL outside. We ate our breakfast in the hotel lobby so as not to wake Emma or Jim!

Then it was pack up and head home! HOME! While the trip has been amazing, I think we were all ready to get out and stay out of the van for a while and to sleep in our own beds! We pulled into our driveway at 2:30pm. I think this shows how happy we all were to be home:

Twenty "deep thoughts" from our trip:

1. I am now scared of hotel shampoo and conditioner because Emma said they put stuff in it to make your hair fall out! Great! One more thing to worry about. Thanks!

2. Complimentary breakfast at hotels is a MUST when traveling with kids. They can all get what they want and you can get on the road with full bellies! Because my kids want to eat ALL. THE. TIME. (which I already knew but being stuck in a vehicle with them really brings that out!!).

3. My kids are pigs and our van was their sty! I mean, seriously. Emma was a Drill Sargent about picking/cleaning up after themselves and it STILL was a mess. Sheesh.

4. You can pack all the fancy games and toys and books and at the end of the day, my kids just wanted to watch movies, play on their tablets and the Switch and color. Duly noted. Although, I couldn't find our Mad Libs Travel book from last year and I remember having a lot of fun with that. SO, I ordered one while we were gone and here's hoping I can find it NEXT year!!

5. The BEST find for our trip was a self-cooling cooler! Seriously you guys...you NEED one of these things! They plug into the van and keep everything cold without needing ANY ice. LOVE so much and saved so much space and time. For next time, we need a converter so we can plug it in the hotel room instead of having to unpack and repack it every night.

6. Use the space your vehicle gives you! Last year we had a roof topper, which blew off somewhere in Nebraska, so we knew we didn't want to worry about that happening again for this trip. Jim, ingeniously might I add, suggested we use the stow-and-go space to store the kiddos' suitcases! They fit perfectly and saved so much room in the back of the van.

7. You learn so much and are way more in the "know" when you travel with a teenager. That's straight facts! Period. I can now say the Hootie concert had lots of "bangers" and if you don't know what Tick Toks are...you really need to look them up! Hilarious. Also, teenagers like to stay up really late and sleep in equally as late (but we all already knew that!!).

8. When visiting and touring a dam, your five year old NEVER gets tired of saying "dam" jokes. Like ever. Think: "That sure was dam fun!" I eventually had to tell him he can only say them while we are physically at a dam.

9. My kids will never EVER get tired of swimming. Period. And they are 2.5 out of 3 not needing life jackets (Mac still uses one some of the time because he isn't a strong swimmer...but the little fish CAN actually swim! By far my earliest swimmer!).

10. We will never be able to go on a road trip again without adaptive cruise control. I mean, driving any distance without it is torture, but on long driving days like these, it is a must.

11. When my kids are involved, do not mention the "H" word (hike). Instead call it a nature walk! They are far more willing to go along and not complain...even though they are actually the same thing. Smarter not harder!!

12. If you suffer from migraines (me) or back pains (Emma)...bring your medication and back brace along on a long road trip. I mean, duh, right?!?! In my defense, my insurance only gave me two pills and didn't refill it until the day before we got back! Argh.

13. Blankets for everybody in the van saves so much arguing about temperature! And makes great shade if the sun is on you and you don't want it to be. They also work great as a shawl when you're in the mountains and the temperature drops over 25 degrees in a matter of minutes. See? Multi-functional. Zipper sweatshirts are also helpful and easy to get on and off.

14. When a bull Bison decides he wants to walk down the center of your lane...you let him and you don't rush him. Things are on his time table. Just enjoy the experience and the views around you!

15. If you want to enjoy the more popular spots of wherever you are visiting, you really need to get there at the crack of dawn or right when it opens. I think Mammoth Springs and Norris Geyer Basin would have been fine if we'd gone way earlier. We did that when we went to Mount Rushmore a few years ago and it was empty! Pro tip!

16. Another Pro Tip: If you have to do laundry when traveling, do it at "extended stay" type hotels. We find they usually offer it free of charge or WAY cheaper than normal hotels and have nicer facilities. Score!!

17. Sasha's presence is always felt, even if she is in a different state.

18. For being a "picky eater" Emma's culinary journey was very diverse on this trip! I was very proud of her for trying new things and stepping out of her comfort zone. Jim said on the way home that if I hadn't mentioned that Emma was a picky eater, he would never have guessed based on the things she ate on this trip!!! So proud of her. However, she did learn that if she ever orders trout again (which is a big IF), to order it without the head or skin. Now she knows!

19. The trick to Nana's popovers is to mix the batter the night before and mix for at least 5 minutes! Ha, now I know!!! I will conquer you, you darn popovers!!

20. There is nothing more precious or important than family time and making memories. We are so happy that our kiddos are growing up with their own experiences and memories of family in other states, even if we only get to see them once or twice a year. But also, this includes the time we spent on the road together. Yes, there were trying times and yelling and arguing (sometimes I wasn't sure if bringing the Switch was a good idea at all!!), but at the end of the day, we played together, talked together, ate together, helped each other, swam together and even were kind to each other (shhh, don't tell Finn he was kind to Korri!!). Times like these bring us closer together and we learn more about each other and us as a unit. Here's to many more trips and lots more family experiences and memories being made!!!

21. Bonus thought: Kidz Bop concert was WAY better than Jim, Emma or I thought it would be. Super fun for the whole family. Highly recommend it, even if they didn't perform Old Town Road! Oh and for the parents...they sell beer! I mean, they kind of HAVE to sell beer, right?! LOL

Thank you for following along on our journey. It was amazing and we know how truly blessed we are. We are thinking maybe the Redwood Forest next time (for the "nature walks" NOT hikes!!). Until then...

Wenatchee or Bust - Day 12

Start: Comfort Inn, Dickinson, ND
End: Courtyard Marriot, Moorhead, MN
Total Miles: 292 miles

Today was our last full day. While I'm sad to see our trip end, I'm excited to see what the next two weeks bring (Walsh sisters' family vacation, first day of middle school, Welcome Day for 3rd grade, first day of 3rd grade and Mac first day of preschool (for the third time!). Should be fun!

I started the day bright and early. I worked out, got ready, woke the kiddos up (well, Finn was awake, Mac had JUST woken up and I woke Emma and Korri up), we went to breakfast (Comfort Inn breakfast is way better than Holiday Inn breakfast in my opinion!), I got ready, the kiddos got ready, the kiddos packed their stuff and I packed up the van. Not bad on my part!! I think we left just at 10am, which is what we were shooting for.

It was an uneventful travel day. We did stop for a picnic lunch, which I love, even though it was a bit chilly and windy. And they LOVE Tick Tocks. Oh, you don't know what Tick Tocks are?!?! I'm so in-the-know because of Emma! Look it up. They are hilarious.

We got to the hotel  a bit early today, so we decided the kiddos has time to swim for a bit before we headed to our adventure today.

What adventure you ask? The Kidz Bop Kids concert in Moorhead!! It fit perfectly into our schedule and Finn and Korri both asked to go seperately from each other and they NEVER want to go to these things. So Jim decided it was worth it to go. I don't know who was more excited...the kids to go to their first concert or me to experience their first concert excitement with them! Emma was "ho hum" about it but I know secretly she was excited but just too old and cool to admit it!

Okay, love or hate Kidz Bop, it was a fun concert and the kids had a great time. Mac danced his butt off in isle and Finn got ticked that Korri was dancing his Finn's "personal bubble" during the songs!! Emma knew every word today every song...but the "original" not the the Kidz Bop version, of course! Jim and I had a few beers, which not surprisingly, made it a lot more fun for both of us!

Jim also got them each a t-shirt (I would have taken a tank, but they didn't have any!) They were copying the pose om the front of the white shirts!

Honestly, such a great family fun night. The perfect way to end our trip. We got back early enough that the boys decided to go swimming a second time while the girls (Emma and Korri) walked to Noodles and Company to grab a late dinner (after Korri fell on the stairs and hurt her knee!).

Tomorrow, we are heading to Waverly and ultimately the State Fair for Jim's birthday present. Maybe you'll have to wait for a post about that (or look at the State Fair's concert schedule...LOL).

Honestly, this has been an amazing trip. For the most part, the kiddos have gotten along and listened well. It was great having Emma long, but being an only child, I think it was a learning curve for her as well!! I mean, going from only child to three annoying younger siblings is a lot!! I'll post more post-vacation thought tomorrow after we get back and I have a minute to collect my thoughts. Overall, I've been very lucky that Jim and Emma did most of the driving but being in the car for almost two weeks is a LOT. I need some down time!

Until then, thanks for following our journey! We are so fortunate to be able to take trips like this and I feel like we have it down to a science at this point. Until tomorrow...