Spring Break 2011: Our first official staycation

We are not the indecisive types. Usually we make a decision and stick with it. I decided to take the week of spring break off since work owed me 4 days off and we hadn't taken a family vacation in a few years. We had a few options, some friends offered up their homes for us to visit: Dan and Kate May in Charleston North Carolina, a family at church with a cabin in northern Georgia, a pastor's retreat in North Carolina, plus we have been wanting to visit Key West for some time now. We looked all the options, how long the drives would be (all 6-10 hours), and what there was to do and what the weather would be like. The cost of gas gave us pause. We started to think of all the fun things there are to do around here that we don't ever do because we live here. By the way, we still marvel that we actually live somewhere that people travel to for vacation. We discussed with the kids the options and all agreed it made the most sense to stay home (no packing, trying to sleep in someone else's bed, no long drive, no eating out for every meal and trying to keep it healthy...okay, we still did that one!) Our plan was to get all our "work" done over the weekend and then not do anything we didn't have to (in other words, no cleaning, no projects, just fun!). So we did our cleaning on Saturday and I went through all the kids clothes and got rid of things they won't wear and things that don't fit any longer. That ended up being a big project and we got rid of a big box and two trash bags of clothes and all the closets and drawers got organized! One of my favorite things to do! Then we went to Home Depot and got mulch and Paul and I put it down while the kids played Wii. We had uninterrupted project time together and made quite a difference in our front yard. Amazing what a little mulch will do! Now we just need some plants and flowers! That will have to be another vacation though!

What we came up with may be one of my favorite vacations ever and its not over yet, though I think the majorly fun things are behind us. Here is what we have been up to on our staycation:

We went up to some stables about an hour from here to go horseback riding first. The kids were really excited about this! I had to take this picture because just to Gabe's left is the office. Seriously, the trailer was the office. We were cracking up! There was also a petting zoo there and lots of animals, goats, ponies, an emu, llamas, and of course horses.

Holden and Alayna got to pet the Emu. She was very friendly and soft. It wasn't long before they were bringing out our horses to us and instructing us how to ride.Riley and Alayna waited for everyone to get their horse and line up. They got to have time to pet and love up their horses. Alayna was in heaven loving on her horse Daniel who we learned was the oldest of the group at 19 years. Riley's hose George was only 6.

Our horses waited in line very obediently. They were very well trained and did what they were supposed to. So much so that Riley's horse would not move up like he was trying to get him to so that everyone could use the cement block to climb onto their horse. He was trained to follow and was not willing to head out on his own even for a few feet! Gabe and Paul could get mounted in the proper place, but Holden had to be lifted onto his horse.

The horses followed each other down the trail. My horse Eden was a bit slower than the rest and held everyone behind us up. Riley and Alayna and our guide had to keep stopping to wait for my horse to catch up so there wasn't a big gap or lost family members!

Riley had one camera and I had another, so here are some pictures from his perspective. I just climbed onto my horse right behind Alayna. She had just bitten my shirt (it was sparkly, so I didn't take it personally).

Gabe moving into position to climb up on the cement block behind Alayna and I.

Holden figuring out how to climb on without the benefit of the step up.

He is a comedian...

The ride was one hour long and we were SO glad we didn't do the three hours instead. My saddle was  not soft and I felt like I had been sitting on hard bleachers all day after just one hour. Paul and Holden were able to hang back a bit at the end and then convince their horses to canter a few yards for some added fun. I don't think any of our other horses would have cooperated with that. My horse pretty much did whatever she wanted. I tried to steer her around some low branches and she turned her head that way but kept her feet going where she wanted. Alayna's horse tried to eat every time they stopped and she was pretty much powerless to make him stop! It was comical but very safe and the kids really enjoyed it.

We had to drive right by the only ice rink in the area, so after horseback riding, we stopped to ice skate on the way back home. For some reason, the kids love to ice skate. Maybe its the cold weather that they miss. I don't know, but they were thrilled for this activity as well.

I was very impressed at how they stayed together and kept track of each other. Holden was having trouble turning for a bit and the all were trying to help him get it figured out.

It took Alayna a bit to warm up, but she got really brave and got up some speed and only had a couple falls. She has come a long ways from the kid that needed someone on each side of her just to keep her upright!

It proved to be an exhausting day as all but Gabe fell asleep in the van on the way home!

Tuesday, we went fishing in the Gulf with our ex-landlord Frank. Such nice people from Missouri. Frank put up with all of us on his boat and didn't even get to fish for helping us with our snagged lines, lost bait, fish that swallowed the hook, or knotted reels. We met at the dock and got loaded, i.e. took over the place:

Then went to the bait shop on the water for some live shrimp:

We were fishing for sheepshead fish and they eat barnacles, so we set up shop near all the leftover pieces from a railroad bridge that you see in the foreground of this picture. The background is the swing bridge in the area. as you can see it separates from the road and swings out perpendicular to the road to allow big boats to pass that wouldn't fit underneath it. It was fun to watch.

Alayna got the first bite but her ladyfish got away before she could get her reeled in all the way. As I was exclaiming loudly how well she kept her composure and was trying to reel her fish in (the other people fishing were completely thrilled too, I am sure!), I got a bite on my hook and reeled in my first sheepshead! It was a keeper at 14 inches! No, I didn't touch it or the bait in case you were wondering :o) They had huge teeth, like our human incisors! See all the people on the railroad bridge behind me? They knew I had caught a fish too! I am sure they were thrilled again for us.

It looked bigger when Frank was holding it:

Next, Holden and Gabe caught little bitty fish that they hoped they could keep on the line and use as bait, but gave that up after a while too. They were fishing off the opposite side of the boat from Alayna and I.

As I was taking this picture of Gabe's fish, I got another bite and reeled in a keeper size Spanish Mackerel. I had already thrown back a ladyfish. Apparently they are not good to eat.

I quickly caught another Spanish Mackerel. By now everyone is tired of me catching fish and I am squeezed out of my fishing position on the boat...

Then Paul caught a bigger sheepshead. This was the best picture I managed of his fish. That is Riley's foot for size comparison:

Then Holden had a very hard time reeling this beauty in. When we got her in the boat, we knew why all the struggle. She was HUGE! He was just a bit proud of himself. He declared he was going to eat all of his own fish.

We called it a day shortly after that. Frank cleaned all the fish for us. Here are the sheepshead we were able to keep. Holden's in the middle, mine closest to Holden and Paul's at the bottom.

After fishing, we headed home and got cleaned up and changed and headed out to the gulf to jet ski. A friend from church loaned us their 2 jet skis for a few days. Gabe and Riley rode with me:

Holden and Alayna went with Paul. We had such fun jumping waves. Riley was screaming in my ear almost the entire time and Paul said Alayna did the same. I guess you could say they had fun. Tuesday was cooler but calm. Wednesday was warm and we headed out a bit earlier, but it was windier and the waves were much bigger, lots more jumping and less speed and we got much wetter too. We took breaks on the beach a couple times.

This was a tiny island in one of the bays where we stopped to warm up and play. The kids dug in the sand, explored, and learned to skip shells. It was so beautiful but just a bit too cool for me. I don't know what the water temperature was, but it felt about 33 degrees! I turned a corner too sharp once while we were barely moving and dumped us all off into the frigid water. I learned my lesson!

Gabe was thrilled that he was finally old enough to drive the jet ski with an adult on board. I was happy to let him drive it to the dock. It was unbelievable to me how tired my fingers got from squeezing the throttle.

Alayna found a cute hermit crab in the water just as we were leaving. Paul was holding it and it started to come out of its shell, but when it saw me it pulled itself right back in. So funny. Paul put him down and he was in a major hurry to get back to the water. I haven't seen them move much before on land, but he had it figured out how to use the shape of the shell to roll him faster into the water than he could run. It was comical to watch him scramble.

So, we are almost through our staycation and we have checked out  a few movies from the library and gotten new books to read and plan to go out for lunch and make Molten Chocolate Lava cakes for dinner (yes I am serious, we are planning on eating cake for dinner...Paul might fry up some boneless chicken wings too if the guilt becomes too much to bear) because it has been raining all day today here. The kids are enjoying a good excuse to play Wii as well. They didn't even have to do any chores to earn play time since we are on staycation. Oh, how we are not going to want this week to end!

Happy Birthday Gabriel!

 Okay...don't judge me...on several levels. Yes, this blog is SUPER overdue (I am sure you know this has nothing to do with the measure of my love for my firstborn!) AND, I let my child have an Airsoft war birthday party AND, I made his cake in the shape of a gun. Well, actually Paul cut it out and I frosted it. So it was a team effort...don't judge us! The kids had a great time and we adults did too. Gabe's birthday was on a Saturday so he had a few of friends over (we didn't manage to get a group shot) who brought their Airsoft guns for some games of capture the flag in our backyard/preserve. Our yard backs up to a wooded area that the kids have taken over as their personal wilderness/exploring area/battle ground. It has been great fun for them and the perfect place for capture the flag, Airsoft style. While they were playing, we were cutting out and decorating the cake:

 We were very pleased with how it turned out. It was an exact replica of their Airsoft rifles. Except Paul put a sniper's muzzle on it as his own signature (the squarish thing at the end of the barrel). I am not sure who had more fun with this, he or I!

 Heading out to hide the flag:

See the safety glasses? Everyone had to have them so no one would shoot their eye out. They were amazingly willing to wear them. I guess that is what happens to a generation who grows up with safety equipment like bike helmets and the such.

The finished product. I was horrified to find I had no black frosting after getting it all cut out and to our likings. I was quite glad when it came time to eat it since we weren't all wearing the black frosting on our lips and teeth! The camouflage turned out okay after all.

After pizza and nachos, we had cake. It was quite funny hearing the big boys singing happy birthday with our family.

As another treat, Paul's parents arrived late Saturday night to spend time with Gabe for his birthday and escape the the Iowa weather. We had a great visit!

It is so amazing to think we have been parents for 14 years now. Poor Gabe has been the experimental child. I have explained to him that I believe that is why the firstborn in Biblical times got a double portion of the inheritance as his birthright! Gabe has taken all of this in stride his entire life. He is so easy going, such a helper, and has even turned into a neatnik, harassing Riley until he cleans up his side of the room! It has been fun watching him grow and mature into a young adult. My friend Cindy Hogan helped us decide not to use the word teenager because of  what it congers up in the mind (irresponsible, rebellious, disrespectful), but to use the words young adult because that is what they are physically and should be striving for emotionally and spiritually. Speaking of physically, Gabe's growth spurt has continued and we are not sure when this one will stop, but finding clothes for a 5'11" young adult who only weighs 115 pounds is quite difficult right now. I know all the supermodels would be quite jealous of his eating habits and ability to maintain his figure!

Gabriel:

You are such a blessing to our family. I know we couldn't survive without the help that you so willingly (usually) give around the house. We pray that your relationship with Jesus will continue to be a priority in your life and that you will always know that you can tell us anything, ask us anything, and we will  NEVER stop loving you! We are so proud of the leader you have become in school and in your youth group and the heart you have to serve at church. We love watching you with your first job; learning to budget your money, give regularly, and accept more and more responsibility. We are amazed at your work ethic and ability to work hard and not complain. Keep up the good work! WE LOVE YOU!

That Christmas letter I couldn't find time to write

For some reason, I am having a hard time writing the Christmas letter this year. Maybe because I feel too busy to really reflect on what the year has brought us. Maybe because... if I am really honest, I am not a fan of what the year has brought us. Maybe because I feel guilty for not being a fan of what the year has brought us as I think about all of the amazing and miraculous things that go on in our lives every day that we simply overlook in selfish self centeredness and self pity. Can anyone relate? I guess this is one of those months when my life feels so overwhelming (new job, trying to keep pace with 4 kids' activities, desperately trying to keep my house clean and organized, trying to stay in shape, etc).

I decided that I would share the responsibility this year and let each person share about their year themselves. I will go first since its my blog :o)

TRAVIS

**I am still working full time and changed jobs December 1st. I was getting very burned out at the Health Department and a new opportunity landed in my lap. God opened the door and I walked through. His timing is perfect. I should be feeling refreshed as the pace is much better, but learning a new specialty is daunting and I have allowed it to stress me a bit. I think that would be my pride in not wanting anyone to know that I do not, in fact, know EVERYTHING. I have ventured into the world of Pulmonology (lungs) and truly am enjoying the challenge. I will be back to the hospital starting at the beginning of the year, helping with rounds and consults in the morning and then have clinic in the afternoon. I was very surprised at how much I missed the hospital environment. It has been very hard leaving all the relationships I had at my last job. I was there long enough to start to get to really know people and enjoy all their personalities and talents. We laughed a lot. I miss that.

**I am hoping my new hours will allow me to be at the kids' school more too. I really got spoiled when I worked part time (or not at all) and miss seeing what is going on in the classrooms. 
**I read every book I could get my hands on about teenagers since we became a family with one this year.

**I became the 3rd tallest in our family this year. I think next year I will likely be demoted to 4th.

**I plan to get back to my daily Bible study/reading in 2011. All the books I read this year were Christian books, and I still read my Bible, but I am definitely missing the in depth study time and regimented reading. I have missed how in the past years, in my reading, how many days I would be so amazed as I read a story that seemed brand new (in spite of reading through the Bible either chronologically, front to back, or reading OT/NT verses) or how the day's reading was so pertinent to the events of my life that exact day.

PAUL
**I continue to work as the Executive Pastor for our church while wrestling with God over His long term plans for my life. My hip has not been dislocated yet, but after 16 months, still no answer. Support has dwindled but we do not see this as a discouragement, just God refining and teaching and possibly moving me on.
**Coaching basketball at the middle school has been quite an experience!
**I actually enjoyed the negotiation process when we bought our house and all the joys of home ownership and teaching the boys how to fix things. We are all still trying to adjust to in-town living.
**I love teaching Financial Peace University and I also meet with two other men for in-depth Bible study and accountability.
**Our church received a complete makeover requiring me to order 450 feet of pipe and drape (to make a cafeteria look like a church) and then hire staff to oversee set up and tear down of our mobile church, purchase signs, toys for the kids' classrooms and lots of other stuff that was a major undertaking of my position this year.
**Our church has seen major growth with nearly doubled Sunday morning worship attendance and a Christmas Eve Eve (not a type-o) service that hosted 630 people. We were BLOWN away.
**I have gone back to grad school for a Masters of Arts, but will only attend as we have funds for classes.



Gabriel
**It has been a crazy year. We have been having fun, it's nice and warm and I am loving it, but I miss the snow.
**I had a really awesome birthday this year.
**Our church and youth group is getting bigger.
**I am playing basketball and we are having a good season so far.
**School has been crazy. We now have a high school and it's really big. I do not like school anymore because it's school and it's a lot of work. I have about three tests a week.
**I am now taller than my mom, even when she's wearing high heels. I finally weigh 100 pounds!
**I got stitches again last weekend (ear this time) and we think my total for my lifetime is over 40 stitches. All in my face except for the 17 I had in my leg two years ago.
Gabriel has really grown this year both physically and spiritually. He has taken on a leadership role in his middle school youth group willingly. He started 8th grade this year. Wow, high school next year. Here is the proof of his growth spurt:

RILEY
**I started 5th grade this year. I have a first year teacher and she is pretty nice.
**I started football this summer. Our team lost the first game and we were undefeated the rest of the season. I liked my positions as a left guard and defensive end. I was also on the kick off team. I crushed a few people; it was fun.
**In my spare time, I like to read and ride my bike.
**I had 13 stitches in my leg after falling off the counter (he is a boy...is there really any other explanation??)
**I am playing basketball. I don't like it as much as football, but its still fun. I am the only 5th grader on the team. We are 5-3.

Riley grew up several years this year it seems. He acts much older than he is (maybe because he shares a room with Gabe and they spend so much time together). He is more reserved like Paul and has a  fabulous sense of humor and loves to quote Bill Cosby from his stand up routine "Himself". He is always cracking us up!

HOLDEN

**I have been having fun in Florida, and I miss my Iowa friends.
**I started third grade this year. I just started health and it is my favorite class. I have been having fun doing math, science, English, Spanish, reading, computers, PE, art, library and playground. I still don't like school uniforms.
**The cool thing about this year is that I didn't lose any teeth. Riley finally caught up to me!!
**I had fun playing soccer, racquetball, Frisbee, yo-yoing, riding my Heelys. I am still waiting for a new bike.
Holden is doing very well in school and reads his dictionary in his free time! He is very interested in my medical journals, and loves to look at the pictures everyone else thinks are gross. Hmm, may have another medical person in the family!

ALAYNA

**I started first grade this fall. I like my teacher and I like work (papers...I LOVE papers!) I have a lot of friends. Jacob is the only one in my class taller than me.

**I started gymnastics again this fall. I feel stronger every time after gymnastics. We are learning stretches and we can do a roll and penny drops on the bars. Every year after gymnastics, we have a jamboree (a show for the parents). I like the bridge even though it does hurt.

**I lost my two front teeth this year.

**We went to Iowa for my birthday and Daddy's.

**The best thing this year was that we went on a cruise for Gabe's birthday.

**I learned how to make a paper airplane, ride my bike for a few feet without training wheels, and ride my roller blades and I haven't been hurt yet.

 Alayna still chatters and eats nonstop. She loves to read and recently started a Ted Dekker novel because he is the boys' favorite author. (Ummm, not sure she comprehended any of it!) She loves animals and still does not own a single baby doll. She is a fan of lizards, snakes, toads and even spiders.

We have had some fun Christmas things to do around here. Our neighborhood has a Christmas light/decorating contest and offers nice prizes to the winners, like free home owner's association dues for a year! On the night of the contest, a trolley offers tours of the neighborhood to look at your neighbor's lights and efforts at decorating. They had funnel cakes, cookies and hot chocolate while you waited. It was great fun. We did not enter the contest. We had seen a house who did last year and knew we would spend more than the year's worth of dues just to purchase enough lights to even have a chance! Here we are getting off the trolley:

The only picture I was able to get of the winning house was blurry since it was dark and we were constantly moving on the trolley. It was pretty amazing! I am not sure I would have chosen this house if I was judging, but I wasn't! The reindeer in the yard were more funny and the rest was very formal and elegant and absolutely beautiful, especially the garland over the front archway.

This was my favorite and the 2nd place house. I liked it because it really reminded me of the Grizzwald house but was prettier. They even had snow coming off the roof over the garage and a train in the front yard. I think you could probably see this house from space because of all the lights on the roof!

And this is the house I would have chosen for honorable mention in the understated category! Yes, its my house! I am not a fan of the yard blow up thingys, and only like white lights, so this was what we ended up with this year. I was very happy with it.

 Front porch:

 Alayna had to bring Christmas cookies to her party on the last day of school before break. I cringed when I got her assignment because it meant I had to actually make something. The night before the party I had nothing planned, but we had all the ingredients for frosted sugar cookies. We actually had a great time making these and sprinkling them with different Christmas sprinkles I had in the cabinet for years. I only own 2 cookie cutters though: a star and heart. I don't think the first graders cared!

We had fun trying to decorate this house for Christmas. I have to admit that I am relieved that we will finally be sure we will be in the same house next year! I can actually put things in the same place next year and start to think about what to add if anything! The stockings are always tricky when you don't have a fireplace:

So we hung them all around the knee wall in the entryway. The sofa table got some Christmas cheer too:

And I finally have my Papa Dee's clock up with some bling as well:

And the little Christmas tree found a home on the table in the living room. This made the kids miss their Christmas trees they used to have in each of their rooms. We just didn't have room when we moved for all the Christmas stuff and they didn't make the cut. Maybe again someday!

This cute one will probably lose its home on the front porch for someone's room.

Okay, this has gotten waaay long. I forgot it wasn't a blog, but a Christmas letter! Please know we pray for each of our blog visitors, family members, friends, coworkers, and brothers and sisters in Jesus. We would love the privilege of knowing exactly what we could be praying for you in the new year. Many blessings on you and your families! We love you!