It's 3 pm on Friday and usually I'm laying down for a nap since both kids are sleeping, but today I've decided that if I'm going to get this blog entered the nap is going to have to be sacrificed. You gotta do what you gotta do. :)
What was expected to be a very long week has completely flown by. John left early Monday morning for High Adventure/Boy Scout Camp. I'm not a good single Mom, I dread whenever John leaves for just an evening so a whole week away almost terrified me because yes my imagination gets the best of me at night and 2-bedtime usually runs smoother with John around. Talking to my friend Leslie who's husband was also leaving on the same adventure I found that she her plans to leave town had fallen through. I didn't necessarily want to stick around myself and mentioned this although I had no idea where I wanted to go... Leslie offered up her condo in Orondo which is close to Chelan a few hours away and I jumped on the wagon. It was a 4 bedroom/2 bath condo and thinking about the other men folk leaving we immediately thought of our friend Lori and invited her to go with us. Monday afternoon we met at Leslie's and with Lori (who is also pregnant and due in a 2 weeks) in her car with her 2 boys and Leslie and I and her 1 yr old and my 2 girls piled into our rental truck we headed...East(?). I'm horrible with directions I just know it was about 2-1/2 hrs away. It was a rocky start for us and after 15 minutes in the truck we did have to pull over and rearrange the kids order in the backseat.
After that the drive went pretty smoothly...well the actual driving and the kids cooperation. We had planned on stopping at Walmart in Wenatchee and the Garmin/GPS sent us on a detour which involved a dirt road and then returned us to the freeway...and then there is Easy Street in Wenatchee which is not actually that easy. Again in trying to find Walmart (which we never did see) we drove a couple of loops that continued to return us to Easy Street. We finally gave up and stopped at the Food Pavilion where they were actually selling boats out front. It was pretty funny, or we were just loopy from the driving.
The Condo where we stayed: Desert Sun Resorts was gorgeous. The condos are just off the golf course and according to the price sheet that Lori found everything in the place was very nice and expensive. (an $8 juice cup? really?) It made us a little nervous since we had 5 kids ages 4 and under so after quickly securing anything we thought could be broken we started on dinner. Murphy's Law was against us and our fun idea of English Muffin pizza's soon turned into disaster-can you see the bottle of Spaghetti Sauce my daughter was sticking her spoon into fly from the bar and fall all over the carpet? I can only imagine what the price to clean that up would've been, it wasn't on the price list. Luckily I had brought a couple of last minute things with me-Shout Gel for set in stains and a small bottle of OxyClean, 2 of my best friends especially at this point of the trip. I still can't believe that by the time we were done scrubbing from the surface you couldn't even tell.
It was a very fun trip that involved a lil Birthday party Monday Night for Jack who turned 4.
What was expected to be a very long week has completely flown by. John left early Monday morning for High Adventure/Boy Scout Camp. I'm not a good single Mom, I dread whenever John leaves for just an evening so a whole week away almost terrified me because yes my imagination gets the best of me at night and 2-bedtime usually runs smoother with John around. Talking to my friend Leslie who's husband was also leaving on the same adventure I found that she her plans to leave town had fallen through. I didn't necessarily want to stick around myself and mentioned this although I had no idea where I wanted to go... Leslie offered up her condo in Orondo which is close to Chelan a few hours away and I jumped on the wagon. It was a 4 bedroom/2 bath condo and thinking about the other men folk leaving we immediately thought of our friend Lori and invited her to go with us. Monday afternoon we met at Leslie's and with Lori (who is also pregnant and due in a 2 weeks) in her car with her 2 boys and Leslie and I and her 1 yr old and my 2 girls piled into our rental truck we headed...East(?). I'm horrible with directions I just know it was about 2-1/2 hrs away. It was a rocky start for us and after 15 minutes in the truck we did have to pull over and rearrange the kids order in the backseat.
After that the drive went pretty smoothly...well the actual driving and the kids cooperation. We had planned on stopping at Walmart in Wenatchee and the Garmin/GPS sent us on a detour which involved a dirt road and then returned us to the freeway...and then there is Easy Street in Wenatchee which is not actually that easy. Again in trying to find Walmart (which we never did see) we drove a couple of loops that continued to return us to Easy Street. We finally gave up and stopped at the Food Pavilion where they were actually selling boats out front. It was pretty funny, or we were just loopy from the driving.
The Condo where we stayed: Desert Sun Resorts was gorgeous. The condos are just off the golf course and according to the price sheet that Lori found everything in the place was very nice and expensive. (an $8 juice cup? really?) It made us a little nervous since we had 5 kids ages 4 and under so after quickly securing anything we thought could be broken we started on dinner. Murphy's Law was against us and our fun idea of English Muffin pizza's soon turned into disaster-can you see the bottle of Spaghetti Sauce my daughter was sticking her spoon into fly from the bar and fall all over the carpet? I can only imagine what the price to clean that up would've been, it wasn't on the price list. Luckily I had brought a couple of last minute things with me-Shout Gel for set in stains and a small bottle of OxyClean, 2 of my best friends especially at this point of the trip. I still can't believe that by the time we were done scrubbing from the surface you couldn't even tell.
It was a very fun trip that involved a lil Birthday party Monday Night for Jack who turned 4.
LOTS of Yellow cake and Triple fudge with choc chips frosting (so yummy, especially for store bought!) and although the sun wasn't always out we did spend some time out at the pool. The kids got a long great entertaining one another and with the Lil Tikes Playground Leslie brought, the kids had a great time together. Once again Tyler thought she was Queen of the Slide and you would often find her sitting at the top growling at those who attempted to walk up the slide or looked like they intended to come too close. Poor Tanner didn't have a chance, but was such a good sport, he crawled around begging for food and even stood up a few times. The kids also had a great time on the balcony yelling at golfers, throwing balls over the banister and eating their meals. (side note: don't tell your kids things that aren't true you never know who's listening. In an effort to persuade McKenna to stop screaming I told her Golfers didn't like you to scream and if you did they might hit you with one of their balls. Which if distracted it could happen...but Jack took this to a new level. My kid didn't listen but he was very good at reminding McKenna whenever she started screaming outside.)
One of the funniest things I saw was McKenna running after Jack and upon "catching" him she would proceed to hug him. He hugged back, but you could tell it was a little bit awkward for him, especially as it continued to drag on. He would finally pull himself free and then she would either try and hold his hand or he would run. Tuesday night as we were all getting ready for bed I found Jack and McKenna on a bed under the sheet (on opposites side of the bed) but laying there like an old married couple watching SpongeBob. I jokingly thought to myself you are way to young to be starting this.
Wednesday morning rolled around far too quickly, as the end of most vacations do. We did get in one last swim and then all packed up we headed home.
One of the funniest things I saw was McKenna running after Jack and upon "catching" him she would proceed to hug him. He hugged back, but you could tell it was a little bit awkward for him, especially as it continued to drag on. He would finally pull himself free and then she would either try and hold his hand or he would run. Tuesday night as we were all getting ready for bed I found Jack and McKenna on a bed under the sheet (on opposites side of the bed) but laying there like an old married couple watching SpongeBob. I jokingly thought to myself you are way to young to be starting this.
Wednesday morning rolled around far too quickly, as the end of most vacations do. We did get in one last swim and then all packed up we headed home.
I believe Leslie gave me permission to use her pictures, the ones she has on her blog so those are the ones you see. Thanks Leslie & Lori for a fun week! Thanks Leslie for letting me use the pictures!
4 comments:
So that name thing to the right is completely confused...it says I haven't updated in two weeks?!
That aside I TOTALLY had a BLAST and it was fun to read your version because there were parts left out that had me laughing with the memories (how could I forget our rearranging in Auburn OR the boats for sale?!) :)
Talking with Victor - he, John and Quinton would like a 'mans vacation' away from all wives and kids. I said I was game as long as WE WIVES got the exact same deal! He willingly said, okay. You talk to John and we'll have Lori talk with Quinton and lets get this next MOM'S ONLY vacation planned too! :)
You can link my site for pictures.
That's great that you were able to get out of town. I hate it when Greg is gone. It gives me so much more respect for single mothers! So much work! I usually head to my moms. I can't believe you brought along shout gel and OxyClean. Talk about prepared!!!
Glad you had fun!
This was started on 7/28/08:
I am sitting here enjoying the quite and peaceful golf course and the soft evening breeze...the kidlets are drifting off to sleepyville and now it is time for the Moms to party. Rather than a traditional 'funeral' a normal widow would have....we aren't. We're vacationing. The three 'widows': Melanie, Lori and I. Why we are considering ourselves widows....our husbands + one more man are camping (in the desert) with about 15 teenage boys. The thought of being single moms sent us into a scarry fright and Melanie and I started planning our 'funeral'. Which includes 4 bedrooms, bathrooms and a pool. Pure Luxury and we're having fun!
I don't have cell phone service and I don't have my camera-card reader so I am left to scrapbook...fun times! (I also don't have the best of internet services and this post will not post....so to be continued!)
SO NOW I FINISH:
OH my goodness! I have the greatest friends (if they'll still have me as a friend!) and I had THE BEST time with them!
The drive to Orondo, Washington is 3 hours of pure craziness. I learned that without a doubt Tanner does not sleep in the car. Plain and simple. I also learned that GPS really are a dumb machine that you must NOT trust with 100% surety! Close to Wenatchee we added in 'find WalMart'....only the GPS took us out and down 'the scenic path'.....which lead us down a DIRT ROAD! only to put us back on US97, a few miles down from where we got off. Then, in Wenatchee it sent us down a road only to turn right then head back down, and turn right again, back onto the same road. Sending us in a 'square type' circle...it kept wanting us to turn down Easy Street-which was a one way street and the opposite direction we needed to be heading AND was anything but Easy. We, finally, opted for a small town grocery store and were pleased with the selection of foods we found.
Monday night was so calming and peaceful; after the 'big' accident. Melanie and Lori are cool moms and have the kids help make dinner and we decided on mini-personal-pizzas (english muffins, sauce and cheese) well the glass jar accidently slipped and broke...and splattered all over the floor. I surprised myself and really let it roll off my back, but it was probably becuase Melanie is some sort of super woman and packs not only spray oxiclean but spray shout also! So we ended up NOT having a red stain anywhere on the carpet!!! After that the kids mainly played and we ladies just talked...I think the most discussed topic was 'if this breaks it will cost:' the silly condo had a price list on the fridge and MAN! were the prices CRAZY HIGH! A silly fork was 5 dollars! Yeah, right! So anything slightly breakable and or easy to tamper with was suddenly up very high and then the condo was baby/kid proofed.
Melanie and I stayed up until about 11:30 chit-chatting and somewhat scrapping. I say somewhat becuase I never got ONE thing done! HA!
Tuesday, was a bit cloudy and we played inside and outside on the balcony. I brought my fold-up Little Tikes Toy (I can already see that toy will end up being a great investment!). Late morning we headed over to the pool. I was surprised how much Tanner LOVED the water. I know that he loves baths and water but he also has NO fear! He jumped and splashed and didn't mind being dunked. (I guess it is time to start up on swim lessons again...might as well get some use out of the Y membership!) Then it was almost time for naps and so I headed back with Tyler and Tanner. Miss Tyler was so fun the whole trip....she was the Queen of the Slide and had serious issues with sharing the slide. The girl made her claim of it and that was that. :)
Monday night we made cupcakes and celebrated Jack's 4th birthday as it was his birthday that day...I am pretty sure that those were the YUMMIEST cupcakes I have had in A LONG TIME and the triple chocolate with chocolate chip frosting was TO-DIE-FOR (for a can frosting!).
Tanner did not nap well the whole time. I am now realizing he ALSO needs a fan blowing in his room...another noise maker he is used to. Because we purchased and air purifier for his roof last month (and it always runs and sounds like a fan)....so I guess I'll start packing one of those too! LOL.
Tuesday night I turned into crazy Leslie and almost thought I was going to be 'offed' and never spoken to again once we made it home. I always do sort of of a 'fast pick up' right before or after (sometimes both) Tanner goes to sleep. That way the house is clean and tidy and put together and then I can relax and do whatever....well, I started this and soon everything was put away, except a few small items that needed to go to each of the other parties rooms. I didn't want to invade in their space too much and so I made these piles...Well, poor Melanie, comes out and puts down toothpaste. She heads in a different direction with toothbrushes and I assume she is done with the paste. So I moved it from the kitchen counter to 'her pile' and continue on. I am almost outside with a bowl of hot soapy water and a hand broom when Melanie comes out. She is thinking she is crazy because she swears she just put down the toothpaste...I tell her it's over here. Then, she yelled at me. Not a seriously mean yell, but a pretty big yell for the ever so patient Melanie. "You've got to take it down a notch..." I didn't know what else to do but continue on. So I headed outside and scrubbed the balcony of brown (chocolate) and red (red sauce)....the whole time contemplating if I had just ruined my friendship and also thinking that maybe Victor is right (only a bit!) that I do turn a bit crazy during this clean up time....I am now realizing that I was tired and slightly off key as I didn't get to nap much that day either.
After the balcony was clean I went in and sat on the couch and calmed myself down and then FINALLY found cell phone reception and checked my voicemail and also texted Kelle. A little bit later Melanie came out and everything was fine. We decided we needed *more* cake and we needed to run to the grocery store. We headed off and I told Melanie and she laughed at me :), phew! At the store we picked up snacks for the ride home, cake, pop, and a hispanic type of hot chocolate.
We headed home and made the cake. We, also, watched Sydney White starring Amanda Bynes. I really love her and the 'teenie bopper' movies she is in and enjoyed the movie. One thing my Mother and Victor will tell you is that they HATE watching movies and shows with me because I talk out-loud, ask a million questions the whole movie AND I think outloud. This movie was no different. There is an underlining remake of Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs. I would have never picked up on it but Melanie hinted and then I was thinking. There are 7 men portraying each Dwarf and I, finally, paused the movie and had to put a Dwarf with each man. I was finally happy and didn't ask many questions after that, but I did continue to think and talk out loud (mostly repeating whatever line I thought was funny....). I was telling my mom this today and she asked me if Lori and Melanie were going nuts with it and I said if they were I didn't know it....I can not help it I am so analytical :)! HA! It was a cute movie.
Wednesday we woke up and basically packed while the kids played or took partial naps. Once we were packed and checked out we headed to the pool and played for a bit. Then we, finally, headed out. We stopped at Subway for lunch and were off after a quick lunch. Both Tyler and Tanner were READY for naps and Melanie and I prayed that the kids would sleep a majority of the 3 hours home....the first hour was worse than the drive over. Babies screaming and crying and a very patient almost 4 year old McKenna did wonderful watching her video...lots of blanket stealing (or Tanner attempting to steal it) and binky sharing (Tanner offering his binky to Tyler only to freak out as soon as she took it AND Tyler ALSO freaking out as soon as she was holding it....) Finally, within minutes of each other the two were out, but not after crying A WHILE. About 15 minutes after they fell asleep I started to get a bit tired and got comfy to fall asleep. I no sooner close my eyes and I am awaken with "McKenna! NO!" McKenna has a thing were she taps the sleeping baby and says "wake-up baby." Melanie, thankfully, caught it in time. I threw my pillow back to her and told her to put it up against the window and to lay down. I even told her to close her eyes, which had Melanie laughing out loud. Soon after I fell asleep. I slept from about Cle Elum to almost North Bend (I think about an hour). I was awaken with Melanie on her cell phone stating she was on EMPTY and was afraid she wouldn't find a gas station in time and we had 12 miles before North Bend AND she didn't want to wake up the whole car when she stopped.
We, luckily, made it to North Bend. But. Not. Before. Tyler. Woke. Up. And as soon as she said, "hi Mama" Tanner's eyes were open and not long after that McKenna was awake, too. CRAP. We were a good 45-1 hr away....hope for no traffic, hope! The end of the trip was filled with lots of Cheeto Puffs and M&M's.
Overall, it was SOOO much fun and I am already tyring to figure out when we can go again. It looks like the next time we go though Lori will have had her baby and Melanie will be very close....if we get to go again it will be the last time before we are 'holed up' for the winter. I would really love to do a trip with only adults (and nursing babies only)...but that probably won't happen anytime soon!
Wow! I need to do that sometime!! What a great idea! I hate when steven is out of town too. Ha ha my imagination also gets to me. Don't know why?? It looks like so much fun. Very nice pictures your friend took. I liked them a lot.
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