Easter Break 2015: Arizona

We decided to head to Phoenix for Easter break this year. We did Florida last year, and well, we had bad weather and Saylor was just a wee bit young for everything. So, we decided to go with more dependable temps, a direct flight, a resort atmosphere, and a Saylor who is one whole year older, and hope for the best!

Day One:
We headed to our direct flight and it was smooth sailing on the plane (that's because I sat by myself in the exit aisle and Joe had all 3 kids in his row! First bullet dodged!)

 We started our trip out with Mexican food by the resort. Then, were greeted with sunny skies, 80 degree temps, and poolside drinks. The kids were a little tired from the traveling and a little overwhelmed, I think.

That night, we went to a Western restaurant that was low on food quality, but high on kids entertainment. There was a slide inside the restaurant, a bull outside the restaurant and a magician that went table to table. The kids loved that!

Day Two: We learned that the key to getting good chairs at the resort was to get in line one hour early. So, the resort pools "opened" at 10, and I got in line at 9.  Then, we spent our day in the lazy river, the wave pool, or going down the slides. Both boys went down the slides and liked them but didn't love them. Joe went down the slide and we all paid the price of his aches and pains for the three days following!

On the night of day two, we headed to Top Golf which came highly recommended by several people. We heard it could be a two hour wait so I was anxious about that. But, we got there and it was an hour and a half wait and we ended up getting in after 45 minutes. While you waited, they had video games, shuffle board and pool to keep you entertained so it was the easiest wait I've ever had with 3 kids!

Day Three was more of the same as far as the day goes! We mostly swam, ate and drank. But, Saylor did nap for the first time too! Again- the temperature was so dependable- I loved that. The sun was beating on my by 9:30 a.m. every day!

On this night, we decided to head to the Chicago Cubs vs. Arizona Diamondbacks game. It was a fun game because there were a couple of Iowa boys who played for both teams so it was fun showing the boys what a small town Iowa kid can do. The field was so awesome, our seats were great, and our tickets were very reasonable. It was really a fun experience!

Day Four- Joe took the kids to go see an Iowa kid play a spring training game for the Angels (Jake Yacinich). While he did that, I got in line for us again! After they came back, we did the pool thing again.  On Saturday night, we were invited to my friend's house for Easter dinner! It was nice to have a dinner at "home" and not be in a restaurant again!

 Our very last day on the resort was actually Easter. Truth be told, I kind of missed our Easter traditions at home and missed being with family. But, after I thought about that a little bit, I decided to forget it and enjoy our last day there. Saylor was SO happy to see the Easter bunny- she kind of stalked him a little bit actually (this was quite the contrast from her reaction to Santa Claus just four months ago!)

 On the evening of our last day, we decided to go to a little mock western town called "Rawhide." We got there an hour before it closed, so we really didn't take advantage of all it had to offer. However, the boys did get to ride the mechanical bull, which is apparently something they always wanted to do. It was a fun escape and something to do but I probably wouldn't recommend it to others!

This Sunday of Easter was also Joe and I's 12 year anniversary. So, we celebrated by going to California Pizza Kitchen (one of my favorites) and then headed home to go to bed early before our flight out the next day!

Final thoughts:
* We loved Arizona and we loved the baseball games, Top Golf, and things to do. When Saylor is a bit older, we can do horseback riding and hiking, which I think we would all like.  As much as I'd like to pretend that my family likes to be lazy and sit by the beach...we just don't. We do much better to do the pool by day and have some kind of activity in the afternoon/evening. Maybe we'll grow out of that a little as the kids grow older
* We loved the dependable temps. We didn't have a bad day there!
* We did kind of miss the ocean....but we missed the sounds and the smells of it- we really didn't miss being it. The kids are too young to really enjoy swimming in the ocean. But, we did miss being around the ocean.
* The lazy river was key to our happiness. It was really fun to do as a family- we floated around and talked to each other and had funny conversations. I learned about some of the boys and the girls in Joey's class...it was like I had his full attention all the way around and could ask questions. And, since he had nothing better to do, he told me stuff.
* Maddox got the nickname "Boom Boy" because Joey and I both thought he was going to go get this kid who gently nudged Maddox's tube. I still laugh thinking about Maddox's reaction to that. And, Maddox laughed at himself....but that was the inside joke of the trip.
* Saylor was GREAT. She gets an A- for the entire weekend. She was fun and happy and easy to please. I really can't complain. She was great at Golf and at the Cubs game so that was a relief.
* We had a suite which was absolutely necessary but I tell ya, with 5 in one family, it's just impossible to have a perfect setup (at a reasonable price). Every night we had a fight over who was sleeping with who. Bottom line: Maddox is like me. No one wants to sleep with him because he's restless. But, also like me, he doesn't think he is the problem. He's confident he sleeps straight as an arrow.
* Joey and Maddox were able to have a degree of separation from us and could be on their "own" for increments of time. So, that freed Joe and I up a little....although we still had Saylor. It was fun seeing Joey and Maddox be best friends and hang out with each other and laugh at each other and play with each other. It was good bonding time.
* Speaking of bonding time, Joe and I had none of that. Our time was really focused on the kids. We really got very little time to even have conversations. But, the kids walked away with a lot of undivided attention on this trip....and that was nice, and they needed that more than I knew. They talked and talked and talked and talked....

Overall, we'd recommend Phoenix and the resort. I think we'll be back sometime!!  Saylor asks every other day when she can go back to Arizona, so I definitely know she will be back!

Dear Joey and Maddox

Dear Joey and Maddox -

I want you to know how much I love going to Ely. But, I love going to Ely because I love watching you there. I love seeing you tube, watching you jump off the cliff, watching you try to ski, play in the water and much, much more.

But, here's what I want you to know about what happens before we go on vacation. Here's what I do to prepare:
* Clean our house
* Make lists of what we need in Ely
* Check all the lifejackets and sizes
* Check all the swimsuits, goggles, sunscreen & sunglasses
* Pack everyone
* Pack dog- leash, collar, food, bones, treats
* Plan one full meal for the entire island and make sure I nail the quantity
* Get groceries
* Go to bank
* Run errands
* Plan for place settings, napkins, toilet paper, paper towels, etc
* Plan for rainy days- card game, board game, etc
* Plan a bag of tricks for the 8 hour car ride
* Fill the car with gas
* Clean the car out/clear of trash
* Pick out movies that 3 children of different ages and sexes might all enjoy
* Water plants, do lawn, stop mail (your dad helps)
* Clear your schedule of camps, play dates, appointments, etc so we have a full week we can spend in Ely
* Drinks - Plan for a whole bunch of bottled water, gatorade, alcohol, caffeine-free pop, coffee, creamer, gatorade, etc
* Plan clothes for night time when it's cold and day time when it's hot
* Pack a cold cooler; Pack another thing of food
* Write up a grocery list of things we need at Zup's in town
* Pack a first aid kit of benadryl, tylenol, advil, etc.

And, once at the cabin, I do this:
* Unpack
* Put food where it should go
* Get swimsuits on and off multiple times in one day
* Get Afterbite ready for all the bug bites
* Pack drinks and snacks for fishing trips and boat rides
* Get towels ready for you every day and at the end of the night, hang out to dry for the next day
* Do laundry almost every day so that we don't have to pack heavy
* Keep cabin clean and do dishes every day
* Make you breakfast, lunch and all of the snacks every day
* Keep you warm when you are cold; and cool you off when you are warm
* Prepare you for sauna; help you get into pajamas when you get in from sauna

Your mom (and dad) do a lot of work in order for this trip to happen. Your job is to have fun and follow our limited rules we set while on vacation. But, my job is to take care of all the little things that you probably never notice while at the lake.

Why do I tell you this? Because some day, your wife and the mother of your children will be doing all of these things that you don't notice. And, you will have this opportunity to thank her and to help her. Your dad helps me a lot- I make a lot of the plans but we BOTH execute. You need to be a good husband and father by helping her prepare, pack and plan for the trip. And, it's your job to make sure that it isn't a thankless job for her - that you NOTICE what she does and you recognize her for it.

So, to Joey and Maddox's future wife- My boys are expected to help you, and they are expected to thank you. Don't settle for less, my dears. They are fully capable with two working and willing hands...make them use them! I'll see you at the cabin....love, your mother-in-law

Summer Vacation 2014: Ely, MN

Time for the annual Ely, MN vacation recap.  We headed up to the North Woods on Thursday, July 3rd and came back the following Thursday. On the way up, a really bad accident caused an interstate closing which tacked on 1.5 hours to our trip...needless to say, it was a long, long trip and we stayed at a hotel on Thursday night. We got up bright and early and headed to the cabin on Friday morning! As soon as we got there, the first thing on the kids' agenda was tubing! And, we did a lot of tubing all week long. Saylor went with me a few times and loved it - and it was a lot more fun getting to pick up a little speed this year with her!

We had lots and lots of cousin time which is always nice and the kids never stop running around, jumping in the lake, fishing, tubing, boating, kayaking etc. It's non-stop fun with that many kids! I love watching them make memories with their cousins and hold "little people" conversations with each other. It makes me miss my cousins and all the times we spent at the lake together...

The meal we prepared this year was our "usual" ribs on the rock, corn casserole, cole slaw and indoor s'mores! The kids just love the ribs so it's always fun watching them dig in (and, the men also REALLY like the ribs!)

We brought Copa with us and she did better than I ever expected but it still added a little bit of difficulty to our trip! By the end of the trip though, she was roaming the island on her own. She did not care for the water though but I remember Remsy didn't care for it the first time either! 

 Mostly, I loved watching our kids go out on their own adventures, do their own thing, interact with their cousins, play on the beach, play Battleship in the cabin, fish together, go on hikes, etc. .

It was a great trip and this year was the first year that we were ALL really sad to go home. Usually, one or more of us are ready to go back home, get on a schedule and a routine and a lot of the times, the kids are ready to go home...but this year, we could have stayed a day or two longer and been content. The kids were good, Saylor was much easier, we got a few "breaks" here and there, and we relaxed. It definitely was different and much more relaxing without me checking my phone and my email for work constantly....I definitely enjoyed being relieved of that stress while on vacation! We most likely will not get back to Ely this summer again- but the boys may fit in a short fishing trip if we're lucky.

First Family Beach Vacation

Joe and I bit the bullet and took our first family vacation - by plane, to a beach, no other adults or friends, with all 3 kids.  We were hoping to escape the cold Iowa winter and the stress of work, but to be honest, both probably followed us a little bit.  I've been summarizing the trip as "it had its ups and downs and highs and lows!"  Here's a quick summary and photo re-cap!

Here are the kids in the airport....they were so excited to fly! Saylor did great! She had one 5-minute episode of crying on the way down and one 5-minute episode on the way back - but that's it! I consider that a success!

We got into Florida late at night so we got into town, rented our car and got a bite to eat and then went to bed in anticipation of waking up to the sun and sand! Here we are waking up the first morning and getting into our swimsuits and at our first lunch!

At night, we would go out to eat and walk around and listen to live music! Most everything was in walking distance of our hotel so that was nice. I had some serious help in cracking open my crablegs this night! We ate at SOB's and the boys didn't love it but Saylor loved the live music and made me go dance with her, so it was enjoyable for me!

We did have some great times watching the boys play on the beach. Saylor did not like the sand at first but she eventually got used to it and of course, on the last day, she was very content playing in the sand, looking for shells, etc. 

On the second night there, we had dinner with our friends, Wes and Amy.  But, this is by total coincidence that they were in Fort Myers! So, it was kind of a fun little outing for all of us!

As much fun as we had on the beach though, we also ran into a lot of this:

 Which led to a boys outing of drinks, food and fun....and a girls nap back at the hotel!

On the last day, we spent a lot of time on the beach, shelling, playing in the sand, and playing in the pool. All the kids said they preferred the pool, but I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that it was cold and windy on the beach almost every day. On the last day we were there, it was the nicest day to be on the beach - where they could throw a football and play baseball, etc.

We really enjoyed the mini-golfing and got to feed live aligators which they thought was really fun! And, we ended the night at Doc's Restaurant which was really delicious and had a really neat atmosphere! 

On our last day in Fort Myers, we spent a lot of time with our boogie boards on the beach and some time in the pool! We checked out at noon though so the morning went by really fast, and of course, the last day was the nicest day for weather!

We were sad to leave, but mainly because the next four days in the forecast looked beautiful! Here are a few things for me to remember for future trips:
* My boys need readily accessed food. I didn't plan for this.
* There's not a lot of other options in Fort Myers when rain comes.....
* I spent a lot of time napping with Saylor
* Saylor had a runny nose that was like a faucet the entire time
* Everyone loved the pool
* I loved how my kids will try anything to eat- they tried mussels, clam strips, fish, fish tacos, crab legs, dungeness crab, everything. I just want them to be willing to try new things.
* Joe really helped make the best out of the rain situation
* We saw one dolphin up close and personal and we saw lots of dolphins on the horizon
* Saylor did not like the sand
* There was lots and lots of rain and wind....the wind would blow Saylor over on the beach and would blow in the kids' eyes on the beach
* We loved all the restaurants nearby
* 3 kids is just a lot of work....and we purposely chose a short trip for our first time around, but on the other hand, you do the same amount of work for a shorter trip as you do a longer trip.
* It was fun hearing the kids say "Let's go to the beach!" every day....
* Joey ate an adult-sized meal at every single meal- and rarely left a crumb.
* Maddox is overall easy to please and just goes with whatever you are doing....he just kind of floats along. However, he is unable to walk by a stroller without running into it 19 times.
* Saylor was harder to please but also made the trip a lot of fun. Her reaction, her eyes, all the things she said were so cute....but on the other hand, she provided just enough extra work to make things difficult!
* Sleeping as a family of five in a hotel room is not an easy task....I never slept through the night. Joe slept like a husband (you know, when they say they don't sleep but you are up and you are staring at them and they are snoring and so obviously they are sleeping but then they say they slept awful. It's a husband thing.)

So, our first family vacation definitely could have been better....and could have been worse. Our flights were good, our kids were good, there were some great experiences and it was nice to just get away. We just wish the weather would have been better!