Mini Vacation, Day 1

We finally got to take the mini vacation originally played for May 4. We had to cancel our plans then and for our back-up date of May 18 because of bad weather. This was our third and final attempt to make the trip happen. Fortunately, it was a perfect weekend for a short getaway.

We left on Thursday morning at 6:15 and drove straight to Six Flags Great Adventure. It is a 4 hour drive. We made one stop for a bathroom and food break and got there around park opening at 1030. There were very few cars in the parking lot, but several buses. By several, I mean around 2 dozen. Most appeared to be celebrating 8th grade graduations (judging by the various shirts we saw, several schools were represented). Unfortunately, we forgot Luke's stroller. His stroller is a source of annoyance for me. It rattles around in the back of the van and makes it difficult to put in groceries or other items. It is always there, even though we very rarely use it. Eventually, I take it out for some reason or another (after months of non-use) and then I forgot to put it back right before we actually need it. A vicious cycle I have found myself in more than once.

However, Luke was fantastic. We ended up walking 9 miles and he didn't complain once. We offered to rent him a stroller, but he wanted to walk and he never wavered. Despite all the buses, the crowds felt very light and we had very minimal wait times. Everyone had a fantastic time. The only complaint I could make was that El Toro, which is routinely ranked as one of the best coasters in the country, was down all day. We rode everything we wanted to ride and even did the safari. We saw many animals, including tigers, peacocks, elephants, giraffes, ostrich, bison, bears, rhinos, etc. There were a few babies and the animals were active, Spring is definitely a good season to visit.

By 5, most of the school groups had left and the park went from light crowds to almost no crowds. We walked right on any ride we wanted to go on. A few rides, we just stayed on and rode over and over again. A while back I read about rich families renting out theme parks, now I can relate!

We stayed until the park closed and then made the drive to our hotel, a Homewood Suites about 45 minutes from Six Flags. We didn't have to talk anyone into being quiet, everyone was asleep within minutes. Day one was a definite success!

One of the first rides of the day, Luke had it all to himself and rode twice.

I stayed on the ground, but everyone else is up there!

Anna and Kara are sitting in the front row. They were the only riders. Living the life of the rich and famous!

Luke insisted I take his picture in this tree. 

Their best roller coaster faces!

We did a photo shoot while waiting for Thomas and Jack to ride Kingda Ka

Luke was quite a trooper

The pink poop emoji hat may detract a bit from this shot :)

Blue Crabs and Separate Activities

Last week we took in our second Blue Crabs game of the season. It was Harry Potter night, which we were all very excited about. We got there in time for the kids to be part of the high five tunnel. While standing on the field, Kara was pulled out of the group and taken to home plate. She had been chosen as mini-manager! They announced her name and she got to stand out there for awhile. Unfortunately, she didn't really listen to what was going on, so we have no inside information on Blue Crabs management.

There were only a few kids dressed in Harry Potter gear--two of them were Anna and Kara. Because they were dressed up, they got chosen to participate in a broom race in the second inning. Unfortunately, neither of them won, but they had fun.  The last activity was finding "Golden Snitches" hidden throughout the park. The kids all found one (the staff was kind and was re-hiding the ones that were turned in). The prize was a free ticket to any game. Jack gave his away, but we still got two tickets. They had some Harry Potter decorations, including writing on the bathroom mirrors, and we stayed for the whole game. Luke was really into the game by the end. They also had a sorting hat and sorted kids for free and a table where they sold inexpensive wands. All in all, it was definitely a fun, successful outing.

The next day, we were kind of double booked. They were doing a Hamilton sing-along at Mount Vernon and Luke had a birthday party. We had intended to go to Mount Vernon, but I forgot to write it on the calendar, thus I RSVP'd yes for the party. So, Thomas took the big kids and I took Luke. The party was at Pump it Up and Luke had a blast. The cutest part was that he asked the little girl, who is in his class, what she wanted and she told him a purse. He took that request very seriously and was super excited to pick one out for her. Plus, the way he says "purse" is just adorable. He was very proud of his gift. He told several of the adults at the party that he picked out a purse for Lacey and when the worker was loading up the gifts, he told her multiple times that his was the purse.

Meanwhile, the other Wilsons also had a good time, although it was slightly marred by some extreme heat. It was something like 95 degrees. And, Thomas and the kids got there an hour early for good seats and then they were kind of stolen from them at the last minute. They still had fun and even stopped at Krispy Kreme for limited edition blueberry glazed donuts on their way home.

While at Luke's party, I had a rare moment of feeling some jealousy. The people hosting the party are local to the area. They had Aunts and Uncles, a grandma and even a great-grandma in attendance. I was sad that my kids (and me!) don't have that. Our closest relatives are hundreds of miles away. I wish they could grow up with their cousins and surrounded by family and I am jealous of the people who get that experience. I can't imagine the bliss of sending my kids off to grandma's house for a weekend. I hope those folks know how lucky they are!

In final news, we gave Gus away. It was a difficult decision. He is an awesome dog, but I just couldn't get myself on board. It was a very costly, emotionally trying, experience. However, I am glad that we didn't let it go on longer than it needed to. Definitely a tough lesson learned! He is with a neighbor who adores him and will be relocating to California in June. He seems to be adjusting well and I have told the kids to think of us as his foster family. They were very mature about the decision. Jack was the one who spent the most time with him, which is ironic because he is the (wise) one who didn't want a dog. However, ultimately, he understood and he is happy to see Gus happy and well taken care of. I know that it was a huge misstep on my part and I honestly feel terrible about it, but not terrible enough to carry on with a 14 year decision that I know wasn't the right one.

Mothers Day and Reflection

I have now been a mother for just over 10 years. That also means that my mother has been missing from my life for just over 10 years. Mother's Day is always a bit sad to me. I still think of it as a day to pay tribute to my mom, and I feel the loss of her presence more keenly. I am so thankful for the woman she was and the example she served. I am not as smart, patient, or loving as she was, but I know what she would say and I can play out the reassuring conversation in my head. I truly believe that there is something unique about the unconditional love of a mother. Anyway, enough sadness. I just want to say that my mother was fantastic and I miss her.

This Mother's Day, I was hoping we would go to Kings Dominion. To get our money's worth, I wanted to go once a month. And, May is fast ticking away. But, with the dog, it was not meant to be. I really like Gus, he is an extremely well-tempered and easy puppy, but he still vastly interferes with how I like to spend my weekends. So, we are staying home. Kara and Thomas brought me breakfast in bed and let me sleep until 8!!! I can't remember the last time I slept until 8. It was pretty amazing. The kids gave me their homemade school gifts, which were very cute. We are going to go out to lunch and I don't have to do anything all day. Thomas and the kids cleaned yesterday, so the house is in good shape. It should be a nice day!

Yesterday we had a busy day. I took the older 3 to a party at Sky Zone. They had a great time. And, since I like the mother of the kid who was having the party, I got to enjoy talking with her. It was a nice group of kids and I was happy to see my kids in good company (and with fun parents for me to hang out with). I hope that they can always surround themselves with the good crowd.

Kara and Anna loved the obstacle course. Jack was playing dodgeball, which was harder to get a picture of.

After the party, I did some quick shopping at Aldi while everyone else cleaned. Very nice. Then, we went to a Blue Crabs game. We were supposed to meet up with several of my coworkers and their families, but all but 2 backed out. However, we had a good time and despite the threat of rain, made it to the fireworks, with literally just minutes to spare. As we walked to the car, the wind picked up and blew dirt in all our eyes. It was strange and I am not sure where it was coming from--maybe a construction site nearby. Then, we got in the van and it started to pour. It was a major storm and I am glad we made it home safely. We had watched the forecast and it wasn't supposed to start until much later, so we got very lucky.

Valley Forge

My goal is to blog at least once a week, I am falling woefully behind on that goal. Maybe May will be my month!

This weekend we had plans to go out of town for a long weekend. We were going to go to Six Flags New Jersey, spend a day in New York, and then head to Valley Forge before making our way home. Sounds pretty fun, right? Well, the forecast for the weekend was terrible. Extremely windy and hot (average high is 68, it was going to be 92) on Friday, good on Saturday, then rain on Sunday. So, we decided to postpone. We had already made arrangements to board Gus, and we had to pay for him regardless, so we took him as planned and made alternate arrangements for an even minier vacay. On Friday, we pulled the kids out of school a little early and went to our local Six Flags. It was completely empty. We walked on every ride and had dinner. Unfortunately, they closed at 6, so we only got to enjoy the emptiness for a couple of hours, but they were pretty glorious.

Only two people--Jack and Anna sitting in the front row. They did this twice in a row.

From there we went to the Valley Forge area. We had a night booked at a Homewood Suites (that and Residence Inns are my favorite for family travel). By the time we arrived it was after 9, so we just went to bed. We offered a prize to the first kid to fall asleep and the last one to wake up. It kept the kids extremely quiet. Except Luke. He was the last to fall asleep and the first to wake. He was calling for me by 5:45 the next morning. Kara won both, although it was hard to judge.

We had our hotel breakfast and then went to Valley Forge. We explored, watched the movie and after walking for a while, decided our best move would be to drive through the remainder of the park, stopping at each site. However, as we were walking to our car, we saw they had bikes for rent, including kid sizes and a trailer for Luke. It seemed like a great idea, so we did it! It was absolutely beautiful and I really enjoyed the ride...for the most part. At one point, we had to off-road along a river. Which was nice, until the bolt connecting Luke's trailer to Thomas' bike fell off. Fortunately, the safety strap did its job and Luke was safe. Thomas had to try and hand-tighten the bolt and then we had to stop periodically to make sure it was still secure. Then, a few minutes later, Anna and Kara fell simultaneously. They were both scraped up and unhappy. It was on a rocky dirt road and they both tried to brake as we were going downhill. I felt bad for them, but they were troopers and hopped back on, although Anna became pretty timid and wanted to walk her bike down the hills after that. We found our way back to the concrete trail and everyone was (relatively) happy again.

The best part was seeing Washington's actual winter quarters. The house is 75% original and it was amazing to think of the history that took place there. The whole area was very pretty.  It was a sad contrast to imagine the harshness of the winter that the Patriots endured. Definitely a vastly different experience than the beautiful spring day we enjoyed. From the winter quarters, it was a 2-mile ride back to the visitor's center.  By now we had been riding for about 2 hours. I estimate we went around 12 miles. The kids handled it very well. Ironically, Luke complained the most about being tired. It was exhausting to be hauled around like a little prince!

After Valley Forge, we went to the King of Prussia mall--the second largest in the country. We had lunch and walked around for a while and then decided it was time to head home. We arrived home around 6:30 and proclaimed the miniest of vacations a success!

And now, the photo dump:

Huts in the background were built like the ones the army spent the winter in.

Arch built in 1917 as a monument and entrance to the national park (there were supposed to be two entrances, one for Washington and one for General von Steuben, but Congress only allowed funding for one). It was pretty impressive and it was hard to believe it was constructed over 100 years ago.

I'm not sure hte pictures convey, but it was a very hilly ride

A super cute covered bridge 

Riding by the river

The family on the back stoop of Washington's stomping grounds

Luke wanted to dance on the wall

The front of Washington's winter quarters

Kara took this cute picture of Thomas and me

Hands touching the same bannister that George and Martha used

Luke taking a well deserved nap

Cherry Blossoms, Solos, Family Date Night, & a Math Competition

Last week I spent three days in DC for a work-related training. It was a fairly useful 3 days, but I hate being away from home. However, I decided to make the best of my time away and enjoy some of the sites. It happened to be prime cherry blossom blooming time, so my coworkers and I ventured down to the tidal basin and I finally got to see what all the fuss was about. They were very pretty, but I am not sure I would try and fight the crowds with the family. We went on a Wednesday night around 7 pm and there was still a good crowd. Plus, we can see cherry blossoms where we live. My second night away from home, I went to Old Town Alexandria, had a nice dinner and walked down King Street.

Meanwhile, I was missing the Fourth Grade play. It was the first school thing I've missed and I felt bad about it. I felt even worse when Anna was given the opportunity to sing a solo! The play was on Thursday. They held solo auditions on Tuesday, and made the announcement of who was singing on Wednesday. Thomas also couldn't go. He had some meetings at work that could not be moved. We were both very disappointed. We didn't even know the play was taking place until Monday and that just wasn't enough notice to change our plans. Jack had a speaking part, so that made missing it even worse. Fortunately, my neighbor was working at the school that day and she kindly took a great video for us. She also bought Anna flowers. Anna has developed a very nice singing voice and she sounded great! Jack did fantastic with his speaking part, so all was well.

First time trying to embed videos, hopefully it works!

I came home Thursday night, but had to work on Friday. It was the day of the annual Friends of the Library book sale. Thomas and I decided I would take a few hours of leave so that we could get there when they opened. As a special treat, we picked up the older kids from school and took them with us. We all had a great time browsing for books. I was really hoping to get a set of the Narnia Chronicles and I did! We bought two giant bags worth of books--something for everyone. I got a set of the first Bob learn to read books and Luke has been enjoying sounding out basic words.  He is one smart cookie--he can count up to 100 now, which he does proudly and often. The Bob books were something Kara loved. Doing them with Luke has brought back lots of good memories; and served as another reminder of how quickly time goes by.  After the book sale, we went to Harris Teeter and let everyone pick out a treat food.  We got Luke and then played outside until dinner time. To continue the family date, we went out to dinner and when we got home, we went for a walk. By the time we got back inside the house, it was after 7. A long, fun, day spent close to home.

Bags of books? Yes, please!

The girls also got cd's to keep in their room. 12 for $10--can't beat that!

Saturday was Jack and Anna's math competition day. They were both asked to be in the fourth grade math club. Then, the 7 top scoring students from math club comprised the math team. Both Jack and Anna were selected. Twenty-two elementary schools competed and their team came in 4th place! We were very proud. To celebrate, we took them out to lunch to a restaurant of their choosing--Cracker Barrel. Now, we are watching Cars 3. In a couple of hours, we have a birthday party to attend. Another fun, busy day!

the math team with their principal

The Wilson Mathletes

Glasses, Spring Break & Easter 2018

Kara got glasses! Thomas took her to her well visit and during their routine eye check, they realized there was quite an issue. We were both surprised, neither Thomas nor I wear glasses and we thought vision was primarily hereditary (Thomas' vision is actually crazy good, probably like 10/20). But, Kara definitely needs them. So, we made her an eye appointment and a few days later, she was sporting her first pair of eyeglasses! She likes wearing them, although she says it doesn't make a huge difference in her vision.

We kicked off Spring Break by going to Kings Dominion on Saturday. It was opening day, so I was expecting it to be crowded, but the lines were very manageable and everyone had a great time. The kids kept exclaiming that they couldn't believe that after three long years, they were back! The park was clean and the atmosphere was fun (I love how they play different music in different sections). There were a couple of new kids' rides that Luke was happy to try. And, they modified one of the wooden roller coasters, adding metal tracks and some fun elements. Thomas and Jack tried it out and said it was amazing--one of the best roller coasters they've ever ridden. However, the line for that got pretty long (over an hour), so I opted to wait for another day to try it out. Jack and Thomas were fortunate to ride it early before it got crowded. The only downside of the day was the food was not as good as we remembered and our favorite barbecue sandwich was no longer on the menu. But, it was a small price to pay. I am already looking forward to summer when they open up their Cirque Show.

Jack was up there too

Digging in the dino area

Kara's old favorite--the Pumpkin Coaster

This was the first Spring Break since the kids started school that I've had to work. It was a little sad for me to not join in on all the fun, but overall it was a good experience. They are fortunate that their much beloved babysitter agreed to watch them and she had lots of great activities planned. On Monday, they went hiking. On Tuesday, they made sock puppets at the library, Wednesday was the pool and Thursday they did an activity at Sotterley. Thomas was home with them on Friday. I was going to take the day off, but the forecast called for rain seemingly everywhere within a 3-hour radius. So, I went to work and the kids celebrated Major League Baseball's opening day with ballpark themed treats and a viewing party. When I got home, we dyed Easter Eggs with our neighbors.

Go Tigers!

Using both traditional method and shaving cream method.

I loved the marbled look the shaving cream/food dye gave!

Saturday, we went to Stratford Hall. They have an annual Easter Egg hunt. They had all the kids go at the same time (in different areas, grouped by age). It was nice not to have to sit around waiting for different age groups. They even provided a lunch--a hot dog and cupcake. Each kid was also given a goody bag. Everything was free and we were able to explore the grounds after. We had a great time walking through the woods and being outside.

Today is Easter and we are relaxing at home. It was a little sad not to spend Spring Break in Florida. We often go this time of year, and, this year, all my siblings were there. But, I do not have enough time saved off from work yet to take a trip like that.

I asked the kids their favorite part of Spring Break and they unanimously agreed--Kings Dominion for the win!

Lukey is 4!

On March 17, our baby turned 4. This is quite a milestone. For me, 4 has always been the separation between toddler and little kid. It is also the age where we first let our kids have a party with friends. Luke chose to have his at the gymnastics center. It was a close call between that and Pump it Up and on the day of his party he tried to change his mind (ummm, I think we should have my party at Pump it Up instead). Fortunately, he understood and was very excited.

But, let me back up a day. On Friday, March 16, they celebrated St Patrick's Day and Luke's birthday at his school. When I picked him up, he ran to me and very excitedly announced, "I turned 4 at school today!" They gave him a birthday hat that he absolutely loved. He wore it all day Friday and Saturday. On Saturday, we told him he could choose anywhere he wanted to go for lunch. We thought we had him talked into Cracker Barrel (which is what the rest of us wanted), but then he insisted on Chick-Fil-A. It was a good lesson for the older kids and we all were good sports. (We like CFA, but had gotten excited about Cracker Barrel pancakes). He wore his hat and lots of people wished him happy birthday. When we got home, the mail truck pulled in behind us and Luke ran out to tell them that he was 4 now. It was fun to see how much the birthday meant to him.

Birthday boy and his big brother. Funnily, the table sitting behind us had 4 kids as well and two of them were named Jack and Anna.

We invited 27 kids to Luke's party and 27 showed up. That has never happened to us before! I guess the gymnastics center is a hot ticket! My kids had a blast running around. It is the perfect place for a winter party!

This was Luke's favorite thing

He also walked the tall balance beam, like a pro

I missed a couple of kids on the ends, but this was the best I could get. They were squirmy!

Party table 1

Party table 2

We ran out of time at the gymnastics center and had to open presents at home. Luke got some great stuff!

On the day after his birthday, he came downstairs in a terrible mood. Thomas asked if he was coming off the birthday high and sad not to get any more presents or be the center of attention. Luke responded, "NO, NO, NO...actually, yes."

Now, all about Luke. He is very smart and sweet. At least to me. He is all about mommy right now. He tells me many times a day how much he loves me and how I am the best mommy ever. I know it won't last long, so I am making sure I enjoy it while it lasts. Although, it will be nice to have a bit of personal space, I wouldn't trade all the loving hugs and kisses. As for being smart, he knows all the letters and their sounds and can (sort of) sound out super basic words. He loves puzzles. He is a great counter, and likes us to give him simple math problems, for example, if you have three cookies and I take two of them away, how many cookies do you have left? Most of our math problems involve cookies.

He also has good fine motor skills. He wrote out all of the Valentines to his classmates (15 of them) and they were legible. He is motivated to do whatever his older siblings are doing, and gets mad if we leave him out. Last night, I was telling the older three to come clear the table before dinner. Luke asked, "what about me." I told him he had things he needed to come put away too. Then, he whined about how he was too little and he didn't want to.

This is impressive for a barely 4-year-old, right?

He is about 40" inches tall and weighs 36 pounds. Now that he has hit the magic 40" mark, I am dying to take him to Disney World. But, he still isn't super brave. I want to wait until he will ride Splash Mountain and Big Thunder, so we will see how this summer goes. We have passes to both Kings Dominion and Six Flags so there are lots of opportunities for him to try different rides.

He is a good brother and loves his siblings. He also loves Gus. I think he is still the most excited about having a puppy. He complains about going to school, but I think a lot of it is for show. I told him on my last Friday off that he could stay home with me, but that he had to come grocery shopping and take a nap. He opted for school, so I know it can't be that bad.

All in all, he is one fantastic little 4 year old!