Our Monday morning started out early for Lincoln and the
twins. They were down in my room at 6. We got the day going and the older kids
were so excited to hear that we were trying to get back to a routine which
meant back to regular chores since I wasn’t asking them to help me out as much.
I also told them they had to do some of their workbooks. Jackson was fine with
the chores and didn’t like the idea of doing school work while Ellie was fine
with the workbooks since she had been doing it anyways but she wasn’t crazy
about getting back to a regular routine of chores. Lincoln just did what I
asked. He has to do educational games on his Kindle for 15 minutes before he
does any other things anyways so he was used to that. I got some of my chores
done and then Jackson helped me put up a new towel rack in the kids’ bathroom.
The old one was just a regular bar that would fall down when you used it so I
switched to a board with hooks so that more than one towel could be hung up in
there which is what we need as more kids shower up there. Andrew came home for lunch and then went on a
bike ride out to the lake and back. It was hot and humid which isn’t fun. Ellie
ended up going to the Country Club with the other kids and I headed to my
parents. It started getting cloudy around this time so Lincoln swam for just a
little bit and came in. The twins laid down for a nap and a little later
Jackson and I went out. I put on my suit for the first time this summer and
tried to get a little sun but it was really overcast most of the time. Jackson
swam for a little bit and then headed back into the house while Molly and I sat
by the pool and talked.
Then we had to head home to get dinner ready and then
head to Lincoln’s ball game. Autumn had given us some chicken in marinade that
we froze so I pulled that out earlier to grill. She also gave us some frozen
broccoli and said we could just cook it on the grill to in foil. So we did that
and I cut up some fruit and we had our first dinner at our dining room table
since before I had my accident. But we were in a hurry so it wasn’t a leisurely
dinner. We ended up just having Andrew going with Lincoln and then Ellie
decided last minute that she wanted to go. I had been off of my crutches for a
couple days and was feeling pretty sore. I am now thinking I may need to keep
using them a little bit. So Jackson helped me clean up after dinner. I gave the
twins a bath since we had a severe thunderstorm on the way and wanted to get
that done before then. Lincoln was able to get his game in and they got home
just as the thunderstorm warning was issued. It was a little while longer when the storm
came. Through the lightning you could see the lake forming in our backyard and
the river running beside our house into the street. I think there was some very
minor damage around town but we were totally fine.
The next day I was able to finish up some more packing
that I was putting off. I also got a pedicure and Lincoln got a haircut. Andrew
decided to take him to his barber just to see how it went since he needed a
haircut also. Lincoln thought it was great that he got to sit in a little car
and he got two pieces of candy.
Andrew went for a bike ride when he got back. We had a
breakfast dinner and I wasn’t quite sure when Andrew would be back, so we started
without him. He wasn’t too far behind though. Then after dinner I took three
oldest to go see Inside Out while
Andrew stayed with the twins at home. It was a cute movie but I don’t think it
was one of the kids’ favorites. I knew my mom was wanting to see it too, so I
let her know we were going and she met us there.
We had more rain the next morning. I think since it was
dark outside and Lincoln was sleeping in the family room, the twins actually
slept in. I was able to get some office work done before they woke up which was
nice. Kaitlin and her kids came into town so after running multiple errands we
made our way over to my parents house. I thought they would be able to go
swimming but it was somewhat cloudy. Some of them did finally make it out to the
pool though. The twins were excited to see Lola and Owen. We ordered some
dinner out over there and then we had to go to Lincoln’s last ballgame. My mom,
Kaitlin and her kids came over to watch him for a little bit. After a little
talk from his dad, Lincoln finished his season on a high note by actually
paying attention J.
He was most excited to get a medal afterwards. And he loved being on the team
with so many of his friends.
After we got home, Andrew did baths while I worked on
installing a keypad for our garage door. And while I was at it, I tried to
reprogram my car since I wasn’t able to use it to close the other garage door.
But I was unsuccessful and just went with one door (or at least I thought).
Thursday was the day for the final packing. I got almost all of our last minute
stuff packed up. Andrew and Jackson went out to the ranch to fix a water gap
since we had been having so much rain. Actually as of that day we were 15
inches over our average for June. When Andrew got back, he went out on one last
ride before we left. Before he headed out, he brought all the luggage and
others outside so I could load it all up in the car. Then after the twins were
down for a nap, Lincoln went to the pool with Alex so I decided to get the car
serviced and I picked up a couple things at the store. And surprisingly,
Ellie’s last ballgame was still on. I think they were desperate to get any
games in. Andrew took her to the office to finish up some work. She brought her
roller blades and skated in his basement and then they went to her game. I
brought the others a little later. Ellie was sad to see her season come to an
end and she loved playing. Her team was small for their last game since quite a
few were out of town. It was also a quick game because a storm was rolling in
and they were wanting to get another game in before that happened. They ended
the season with their team medals too.
When we got home, I gave the younger three a bath while
Andrew started working on loading stuff on to the top of the car. I ran one
last load of laundry and the dishwasher and made sure everything was ready to
go. We had a lot of storms again that night and I guess things started flooding
around town. We were supposed to leave at 6 and actually got out of the house
at 6:15. As we were closing the garage doors, when I closed one the other one
opened. It had worked fine the day before , so I don’t know what happened. But
we were able to get it them both closed and on our way. We decided to run
through McDonalds and it was then that Ellie remembered she forgot to get her
Kindle, even though I asked before we left if everyone had all of their stuff.
She was lucky her dad decided to drive back to the house so she could get it.
Oh yeah, then Jackson says he has a bloody nose. Thankfully it wasn’t a big one
and he was able to take care of it easily.
So at this point, we were a ½ hour late and then we are driving in rain.
A great way to start vacation J. A little after we got
to Hannibal my dad called to let us know that they were closing 61 again north
of Troy. I had checked before we left and it was open. So we had to find a new
route. The one my dad suggested wasn’t going to work either because of more
road closings. We finally ended up at Sara’s about 1 ½ hours late.
We let the kids get out of the car, use the restroom and
then it was time for them to load back up. I tried to have everything organized
in the car so that it would be easier for my replacement, Lissy, to get stuff
for the kids. She actually rode with my parents for the first few hours and let
Jackson be in charge. They stopped in Sikeston at Lamberts for a late lunch. My
dad sent me this picture of the kids “detailing” the car. And, of course, they
enjoyed the thrown rolls.
I stayed at Sara’s house while she finished getting stuff
ready for them to head out. Ryan had a meeting so they had to leave a little
later. I helped out however I could but Sara took care of most of it. Ryan got
everything in the car when he got home and then they were off. A little while
later I went out to make a couple returns since I was actually near some
stores. I had Kaitlin’s car since she needed to get it to the airport for when
they flew back, so I was going to take it the next morning for my flight out. I
went to Kohls and then to Target. I was surprised when I walked into Target to
see that it was mostly dark. They lost their power the night before in a storm
and were still able to run registers and some lights, so I was thankfully still
able to make my return. I grabbed some food to save for dinner and then went
back to Sara’s house. I was staying with Heidi but she didn’t get off work
until 8 so I found ways to keep myself busy. I went through old photos and
videos downloading what I needed and deleting stuff on my phone to clear up
storage. I also worked on this blog and editing pictures. Heidi ended up
getting off work a little early so I got over there around 8 and then we went
to get some ice cream. Jeff and the kids were at his brother’s house and they
showed up a little after we got back home. Heidi and I ended up staying up
until one talking. At least my flight wasn’t too early in the morning. I got up
around 7 and was ready in less than 40 minutes. It is amazing how quickly you
can get ready when it is just you. I made good time to the airport, parked the
car, hopped on the shuttle and found my gate. I just had my backpack so I
didn’t need to check any luggage and the security line wasn’t too bad.
Everything went smoothly and even though the flight was packed and I was in the
B boarding group, I got an aisle seat towards the front. The flight was smooth
and on time and Caroline, Jared and Molly were there within 5 minutes of me
stepping outside the airport. I was so grateful to Andy for getting me the
ticket to fly. I was a little sore after the flight, but nothing like it would
have been after 16 hours in the car. We met up with Andy and their crew in
Rosemary and walked around a bit. We went to see the ocean and then I grabbed
some lunch while the others got ice cream since they already had lunch. Then we
went over to Alys Beach to look around and found a splash pad that Andy’s kids
loved and it was nice to cool off a bit because it was a hot day.
My parents and Andrew got into town a little later and
grabbed a bite to eat before we all met at the houses. The trip for Andrew went
surprisingly well. Lissy never rode with them. Andrew said they didn’t watch
any movies, didn’t hand out any of my “travel surprises” and didn’t really go
through that many snacks. He also said there wasn’t too much screaming. I told
him I guess I should always just fly if it goes that like that when I’m not
around for them all to ask for things and whine to J. They all stopped just
outside of Birmingham and met up with Amanda and her family there and then Sara
and her family showed up later that night. Then they headed out the next
morning. Lissy posted this sweet picture of Jackson holding Charlotte while
they were all eating breakfast.
They stopped at the Durbin fruit stand to get peaches and
nectarines and headed for the beach. We got to our houses around 3:30 and they
were still cleaning them so we just had to hang out for a bit. It was good to
see my family again even though it had just been since earlier the day before
that I had seen them. We were finally able to move in and Andrew started
unloading the car while I unpacked everything in the house. Then I had to get
the pizza ordered for dinner. I was also
trying to figure out what to do about a surprise I had planned for the family
that night as a thank you for all of them helping us out after my accident. I
had setup a beach bonfire and had little invitations made to hand out to
everyone during dinner. But it was starting to rain and it looked like more
rain for later that evening. So we ended up rescheduling for Wednesday night.
Before the rain came and while I was unpacking, Andrew
took the kids down to the beach. The twins were excited but they got knocked
over by a wave so they weren’t too excited when they got back. We all ate when
they got back from the beach and I handed out my invitations and told them it
was rescheduled. We spent the evening getting everything organized and figuring
out sleeping situations. Lincoln was in a different house from us in a bunk
room with 5 other boys. Craziness. Our houses were on a little cul-de-sac with
only one other house so the kids were able to go back and forth pretty easily.
And we had small views of the ocean and just had to take a couple minute walk
to get there which was pretty nice. Our first day at the beach was pretty
cloudy and we battled some sprinkles here and there along with a few showers.
The kids were loving it though. Since
the sun wasn’t beating down on them they played a lot. The twins were hesitant
to get in the water. When we were getting them ready in the morning, they said
they didn’t want to go to the beach because the beach knocked them down. We had wonderful the weather the rest of the
week though with just a couple showers here and there. It was hot but we had a
pretty good breeze most of the time. That also meant the water was kind of
choppy though. We never had a day when the water was calm but the kids really
seemed to enjoy the waves. All of our
kids loved the beach and it was such a great year for that. We spent mornings
at the beach, came up for late lunch and then the twins would go down for a nap
and Andrew would stay with them while I went back to the beach with whoever
wanted to go. We traded off nights with everyone for dinner but then really
didn’t cram too much into our days. We visited Seaside on night for a quick
stop for shaved ice and ice cream and then another night for dinner. We also
did our own family pictures night along with some crab hunting. Our last night
we went to a new place called The Hub where they had live music and several
small restaurants to order dinner from and just hang out. Instead of doing a
day by day recap, I thought I would just try to remember a few highlights from
the trip.
•
The fun of the whole family being together. It
can get crazy and chaotic at times, but I am glad we get the chance to do it
every now and then and connect with those we don’t see as much plus see the
cousins form great friendships.
•
We were so thankful for great weather after our
previous beach vacation where it rained almost the whole time. And we took full
advantage of it by spending a lot of time at the beach.
•
Watching each of our kids find fun and joy.
Jackson liked exploring with his goggles, riding his boogie board and throwing
the football around. Ellie was a total beach bum, either in the water or
playing in the sand. She did it all and did not want to leave. Lincoln was much
braver than I thought he would be and spent a lot of his time in the water
whether on a boogie board or just body surfing. He loved it. Miles was the most
hesitant but he didn’t complain that much at all. He entertained himself
playing in the sand and would venture to the water a little but was content
just standing on the edge of it and letting it run over his toes. Bennett learned to love the water. We put a
life jacket on him because he wanted to go in all the time and loved jumping
the waves. Then we would join his brother rolling their trucks through the
sand.
•
Andrew got to ride his bike 5 days while we were
there and got 210 miles in. I thought it was great that he got that chance and
he enjoyed doing it. He would have to get out early in the morning though
before things started getting busy. He met a couple bikers along the way and
rode with them for a bit. And he finally achieved a King of the Mountain for a
segment on Strava-the Seaside Square. He joked with the kids that he would have
to move around secretively when we ate dinner at Seaside since people would be
wanting his autograph after that.
•
My mom had little surprised throughout the week
for all of us. She is always so thoughtful. She gave all the couples cute
little magnets for our anniversaries. She also had number shirts made for
everyone in the family. My siblings and I got ours 1-8 and our spouses got our
number too. Then the grandkids got theirs 1-19. Lissy took a picture of us all
in them at the bonfire and it turned out super cute. She also got the girls
little plastic mason jars with nails polish and remover so they could paint
their nails on vacation and the boys got the water balloons that you fill up
all at once. The girls got to join in on that fun too. Jared was put in charge
and he helped blow up the balloons and actually organized a couple games for
them. One was like dodge ball and then they got to chose someone to chase and
try to get with the balloons. He even sat behind a railing on our front porch
and let them throw some at him. Such a good sport.
•
I really enjoyed the late afternoons on the
beach when things started cooling down and clearing out. I had a couple books
on my Kindle that I ready and just enjoyed people watching.
•
It was fun to see all the different
personalities of my nieces and nephews. I was able to get some of the
previously shy ones to talk to me a little more. Miss Finley reminded me so
much of Briley when she was her age and we were on vacation. I think she spent
her whole time down there trying to bum snacks off of everyone. I was the
sucker girl to Lola and Owen which helped Lola and I form a good bond. One
night Kaitlin needed to clean up since it was their night for dinner and I was
the only one Lola would go to J.
It was fun to see all the cousins interact too.
•
Speaking of cousin interaction, my mom and Molly
set up a Best Bunk competition to encourage the kids to be responsible and
respectful of other people’s property. So they were expected to clean up their
rooms every day. The group that won got to go out for lunch with my parents in
Seaside on Friday. The kids did a great job and worked hard making their beds,
putting away all of their stuff, cleaning the floors and even arranging all of
their blankets and stuffed animals. The younger ones even got in on the
excitement and could be found with the brooms trying to clean the floor. And
there was definitely some competitive taunting too. And in the end they were
all rewarded with Frost Bites Friday after lunch. My parents and Molly loaded
up 11 kids and took them over. They had the order all written out and just
handed it to the workers so they could start making all of them. Then they all found a shady spot and enjoyed
their winnings
•
Spending time with my siblings and my parents.
Our lives are so busy anymore that it is nice to get a chance to slow down, sit
down and visit.
•
Amanda came to the rescue for all of us with the
best snacks. Our pantry was the envy of the other house. Some of my snacks were
still unopened when I packed them back up at the end of vacation because
everyone liked Amanda’s better. You can always count on her to have what you
forgot. She gave me extra sunblock and Claritin to try to alleviate the lovely
sun rash I got that stuck with me all week (I’m hoping that goes away when we
get home).
•
I didn’t have to use my crutches at all. Things
were sore but it all got better as the week went on and I’m saying I’m completely
done with them.
•
The bonfire was an ordeal but I’m so glad it
turned out. It took a while to actually get in contact with the company I
wanted to use. Then I had to get a permit from the fire district which is
something the company usually does but the guy asked me to do it. Then we had
issues about which beach access we could actually do it at. It was supposed to
be Saturday night after we all got in but we were rained out. Wednesday night
was perfect-great weather and a full moon. My dad and I took over handing out
the s’mores supplies to all the kids along with sparklers and glow sticks. It
was pretty chaotic for a while but then it was a lot of fun. Caroline and Jared
brought their Bluetooth speaker so we could have a dance party too J.
•
Crab hunting with all the kids. We didn’t see
much but it was fun to especially see the twins experience this for the first
time.
•
Our second night there a few of us went over to
Seaside to get shaved ice. Jackson and I ended up sharing a frozen custard
which was delicious. But then Jackson’s stomach started hurting on our way
home. I joked that it sounded like he was in labor as he was moaning. Caroline
reassured him that we have all been there and he said, “I’ve never been here
before.” J
•
Then we went back to Seaside a couple days later
and my parents and Amanda and Todd treated us all to dinner. Then we got some
ice cream afterwards. I actually let the twins get cones dipped in chocolate
with sprinkles. I usually say no to those kinds of things, so I thought I would
be the nice one for a change J.
Andrew wasn’t crazy about the decision though as they were a mess. Lola
appreciated it as she kept grabbing bites off of Miles’ cone-he wasn’t very
happy about it but it didn’t deter her. After ice cream the kids played in the
amphitheater for a while before we headed home.
•
One afternoon I was throwing the football with
Andrew. I knew I needed to be careful about how I moved but I didn’t realize
that I wasn’t the one in danger of getting hurt. On one throw to Andrew I hit
Bennett right in the face and he ended up with a bloody nose-oops.
•
Lincoln karate chopping and kicking the waves.
•
A random funny moment-Zane had built a few
little sandcastles and while he was out in the water, Owen came over and just
rolled around over all of them knocking them all down. Totally reminded me of
Chris Farley J.
•
On our last day there, someone started yelling
shark and people frantically started getting out of the water. One guy close to
us said he saw it go by and it was actually a sting ray. Some people were still
hesitant about going back in the water.
•
Lincoln decided to sing, “Andrew and Allison
sitting in a tree, KISSTUV.” J
•
I hardly got on the computer except to download
some pictures and never watched TV. The kids did but I enjoyed being
disconnected from everything.
•
Lissy split up the families on a few different
nights to do family pictures. We shared a night with the Sedlaks and Taylors
and the wind was blowing like crazy. We all had the windswept look but we just
went with it. Plus I got leaned on a countertop at dinnertime before the
pictures and ended up with bbq sauce on my dress.
•
The twins had a tiny bunk room. I was nervous
about putting one of them on top and them having to get down on their own so we
put them both on the bottom bunk and they did really well. I loved hearing
their conversations after they went to bed at night and when they woke up in
the mornings.
•
Our last night we tried to do some Chinese
lanterns down on the beach-fail. It is too windy to do them down there. We
tried two and they would just roll down the beach on fire. So we gave up and
saved the others for when we got home.
•
Our last afternoon at the beach was awesome. The
water was the calmest it had been all week but still had waves. It was a
beautiful color and the weather was so nice. I threw the football with Jackson
(the twins were napping so no chance of them being injured) and then we all
started looking for the little clam shells that would bury themselves into the
sand. The kids liked holding onto them and feeling them suck on their hand. I
wish we could have stayed down there longer but Andrew, the twins and Lincoln
were up at the house so I felt bad leaving them there. It took a lot of
convincing getting Ellie to leave.
It was time to head home Saturday morning. We were the
first ones to leave around 5:15. Ellie ended up staying with my parents. They
got a 1 bedroom house in Seaside to stay for their 4th of July
festivities. Lissy, Caroline and Molly were staying with them too so they were
packed into the house. Our ride went pretty smoothly. The kids slept for the
first several hours which was nice. I was able to edit all of my pictures, work
on the blog, do some meal-planning and make a grocery list. We made it home in a
little over 15 hours and even made it home in time to see the city’s fireworks
show. We had a little bit of time before it got dark so Andrew and Jackson
unloaded everything from the car and I started some laundry and unpacking. We didn’t go anywhere to watch the fireworks but
just tried to watch it from our house. We were outside for a little bit but the
bugs were bad so we moved inside and could still see them from our front windows.
The twins loved them. But we were all
tired and ready for bed so off we went. The fireworks went on around the area
for a while though-probably close to midnight.
But I was glad to be back in my bed at this point and so ready for
sleep. It was a great week. I wish we could have stayed longer but now it is
time to get back to real life.
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