October Mini-Vacation

Okay, so I'm a little (okay, a lot) late on this post. But I decided I needed to post about the little vacation we took back in October.
The story goes like this: Josh was at Bass Pro Shop and was approached by a lady selling timeshares. She kept trying to get him to sign up to spend two nights in one of their resorts in exchange for us listening to their presentation. He kept saying no, and she kept throwing in more and more incentives until she offered him more money in Bass Pro gift cards than the cost of the stay in the hotel. So, he went for it.

We decided to go to Wisconsin Dells, since it was one of the closest resorts we could choose, and it was also near Camp Forest Springs, where Josh's brother Matt is currently living and working. If you've never heard of the Dells, it's basically a tourist trap town. It's the waterpark capital of the world, and the world's biggest waterpark is located there.

We stayed at a hotel that had an indoor waterpark and an indoor amusement park (and a lot of outdoor stuff that was closed for the season). I wouldn't recommend visiting the Dells during the off-season, but there were plenty of things to do for our young boys. The indoor amusement park had a lot of kids rides. Here are my three guys on the spinning teacups (it was a little too nauseating for this pregnant mama to ride!).
The kids really enjoyed the arcade, too, especially this mini-bowling.

We splurged on one fun dining-out experience at a restaurant where a toy train brings your food out to you. The kids loved it, especially when the train came by with a bubble machine on it!

The indoor waterpark was pretty fun, too. There was a whole area just for kids, and the boys were brave enough to try the little slides and things. We could only talk Micah into riding the three-story tall slide with Daddy once, though.

After two nights at the hotel (and one morning spent listening to the timeshare presentation), we went on to Westboro, Wisconsin where Camp Forest Springs is located. We were blessed to be hosted by a couple of college friends, Sam and Tawnya Smith, so we were able two spread out in their basement and get better sleep than at the hotel. Our kids had a great time playing with their kids, and Tawnya's cooking was amazing!

While we were there, we went to the camp (where Josh also worked one summer in college) to look around, and I was able to understand the setting where so many stories I've heard took place. Josh and Micah played some mini-golf and we looked at the lake and game room. We also hung out with Aunt Courtney and Uncle Matt at their apartment. It was a treat to get to see them. (And I didn't take a single picture of our time at camp. Bummer.)

It was about a nine-hour drive home, and the boys did great until the last hour. By that time, it was dark, so they couldn't see anything, and Eli had simply had enough of the car, so he cried inconsolably for the last solid hour. But we made it.

So there you go. That was our mini-vacation. Hopefully we'll get to take more vacations as the kids get older, because I hear that's how the most memorable memories are made. :)

Quick 5 #10

1. We moved Eli's crib into Micah's room. We knew we'd have to double them up before the baby gets here in June, and we were debating when to make the switch. Then we had a cold front come through, and since Eli's room is the coldest in the house, and he will not stay under a blanket when he sleeps, he woke up early a couple of nights just from being cold. So, we decided to go ahead and move him. So far, it's worked out great. I think they really like sharing a room. I'm sure we'll have nights when they spend time laughing and talking instead of going to sleep, but so far that hasn't been a problem.

2. Eli is in a running-away phase. If I set him down in a store or parking lot or a long hallway, he's off in a flash. Twice now, he has put himself in potentially dangerous situations while my hands were otherwise occupied. This phase must die! I remember going through it with Micah, and I'm so glad that he has now learned to stay next to me.

3. Micah has always been my pickiest eater, but recently he's maturing enough that we can get him to try certain foods (usually with some sort of promised reward), and he's actually learned to like some new things. That gives this frustrated cook some hope!

4. I spent a fair amount of time this week throwing together a concession stand for a movie that was being shown at our church. I took it on as a last-minute, easy fundraising opportunity for a mom's group that I'll be starting soon. The movie was free, but you had to print off tickets, so the internet was telling us to expect around 475 people. Unfortunately, only 250 or so showed up.....So, I bought waaaaaay too much stuff, and if I return all the unused things that I'm allowed to return, we'll break even. It's frustrating to put in hours of work on a project and get no return for it. Oh well, live and learn.

5. Christmas is coming quickly! I still need to sew a few gifts for nieces and nephews, so I'm hoping I can find some times next week when the kids are occupied enough that I can bring out sharp objects without them getting too curious. Ha ha, maybe not until after they're in bed for the night!

How Eli Amuses Himself

I'm really not sure how to describe this, but every once in a while, Eli will do this goofy thing where he tenses up until his face turns red. It's really funny and he likes making us laugh. This isn't the best example of it, but it's what I caught on video. :)

Quick 5 #9

1. We spent the week of Thanksgiving at the Browns' in South Dakota. It was a lovely week, which included me learning to make gravy and stuffing when Grandma got the flu on Thanksgiving Day. It was up to us sisters to pull the dinner off, and I think we did a pretty good job.

2. Micah and Eli like to play a game called "Micah Pie" or "Eli Pie." One of them gets in a laundry basket, then the other puts in "ingredients" like invisible flour, cinnamon, eggs, and sugar. Then they mix it up, cover the basket with a blanket "crust," shove it in the "oven," count to ten, then take the crust off and eat the Micah Pie or Eli Pie. So cute!

3. I went to a bridal shower tonight for a girl that I've known since 5th or 6th grade. She was in my youth group (as was her fiance), and now they're getting married. I'm very excited for this couple, and I realize that this is probably the first of many weddings I'll attend for former youth group members.

4. Josh is going to Israel. He has the opportunity to go with his seminary and get three credits for it, so he jumped at the chance. The trip is in the beginning of January. I'm really excited for him! We've both wanted to go there for a long time. It would be nice if I could go, too, but I didn't think now was the right time for me, being pregnant and having such little boys at home. I'll go someday. :)

5. I've been trying to talk with Micah about the meaning of Christmas. He's heard the story many times, but so far, whenever I ask whose birthday is on Christmas, he says Eli. Oh well, he'll get it eventually.

Quick 5 #8

1. Happy 11-11-11! That may just be the coolest date in history. I might write a check today, just so I can write today's date.

2. Living in a military community, Veteran's Day seems more meaningful than it was growing up in a small town where most of the veterans served in WWII or Vietnam. I now know hundreds of active duty and retired servicemen and servicewomen, and I see the dozens of sacrifices they and their families make on a daily basis.

I'm grateful not only to those who have given their lives for my freedom, but to those who have survived combat to endure the rest of their lives with disabilities or agonizing memories and constant nightmares about the things they saw.

I'm also grateful to those who haven't seen combat, but have sacrificed living near their families, endured the frustrations of Tri-Care and military red tape, have willingly moved more times than they can count, and have lived with TDY's and deployments. Not sure how many veterans read my blog, but I'll say a big THANK YOU to Kellen and Jenny and Josh and Erin and anyone else who serves or has served.

3. Last night I gave the boys haircuts. I recently bought a haircut cape (for free with my Swagbucks), and it made all the difference! Micah didn't cry at all and he was very patient. Eli still had a hard time, but it was much better than before. Why didn't I get one of these years ago?

4. Tonight is our annual "Boasting in the Lord" women's event at church. Basically, it's a potluck of desserts and we hear testimonies from women in our church. I love this event! Delicious treats and encouragement--what could be better?

5. Micah insists that there's a baby in his tummy. He's said things like, "Hmmm, what should I name it?" and, "The baby in my tummy is making me feel sick, too. Can I have some hard candy, too?" This morning I overheard Josh explaining that Micah can't have a baby in his tummy because he's a boy, and only girls can have babies in their tummies. Apparently, he was kind of disappointed to find this out. Josh said, "You'll be grateful for that fact when you're older, son." Ha ha ha ha ha!

Quick 5 #7

1. I am so behind on everything right now. We went on vacation, and then I started feeling the morning sickness, so my chores, paperwork, picture and blog posting, and almost every other area of my life is so far behind right now. My house is a DISASTER. And the worst part is, every time I clean up one area, it just gets dirty again. Funny how frustrating that is when you're trying to grow a baby.

2. We went on vacation a couple of weeks ago to the Wisconsin Dells. We stayed there two days and then went on to Camp Forest Springs where Josh's brother Matt and his wife, Courtney, are living and working this year. We had a good time, and in the (hopefully) near future, I will post all about that.

3. I am now beginning my 30th year of life on this earth. My 29th birthday was November 1st, so my 20's are coming to a close. I don't mind at all. It seems like the older you get, the younger your current age sounds.

4. Eli's current obsession is saying "hi" to anyone and everyone. He greets just about everyone he meets, at church or in the store or anywhere. He does the cute little rotating-wrist wave with it, too. He also greets Josh and me several times a day.

5. Micah needs a haircut. The last time I gave him one, it was a 45 minute cry-fest, so I'm dreading doing it again. But I used some Swagbucks to purchase a haircut cape, so maybe he won't hate it quite so much. It seems like the hair falling on him is what he hates the most, so we'll see.

Announcement

For those of you who have not heard via facebook or word of mouth, I have announced that Josh and I are expecting a baby early next June.

Micah says he wants another brother, and he first thought we should name it Eli, but since we already have an Eli, he changed his mind to Ella. Not sure naming a son Ella is such a good idea, but we have several months to talk Micah out of that name.

We asked Eli what we should name the new baby, and he said, "Micah." It was so cute, because he really hasn't said Micah's name before.

The kids might be rooting for a boy, but I think Josh and I (and pretty much everyone else I've talked to) are hoping for a girl this time. It's good for boys to have a sister. And, back at the ultrasound when we found out Eli would be a boy, the first thing Josh said was, "Well, that just means we'll have to have another baby so we can have a girl." We'll see how it turns out.