A Hammer, A Gift

Steve's birthday is today. It is hard to believe that it has been over a year since my stepdad passed away. Our family was forever changed when he came into our lives, and our family has been forever changed by his sudden departure. In that time, I've learned so much about what it really means to be a family, how priceless memories can be, how the smallest thing can trigger a flood of tears or a warm smile and, most of all, how there is, and always will be, a hole in our lives that Steve used to fill.

Not a day passes that I don't think of how much I would give to have one more late night conversation with Steve, both of us night owls who discussed so many different things during my visits home. Not a week passes that Caitlyn doesn't remind me how much she misses him. Just last week she got angry with me because I never asked Steve how many planet Earths could fit inside Jupiter, a pressing question for her, and she reminded me that now I never can before she just said quietly, "I miss him."

One of my most treasured items this past year has been a hammer that belonged to Steve. Steve, like my mom, was a handy DIYer who rarely met a project he couldn't tackle. He worried about my generation--a generation of lazy pencil pushers who were just as likely to hire out their painting projects as to pick up a brush, exert a little effort and get the job done themselves. He enjoyed showing others how to do things, and he was patient and careful in both his teaching and his tasks. I learned a lot from him, and some of my most treasured memories now are the times I spent working on a project with him and my mom. I remember a lot of painting--our Cunningham house, the hot tub surround, my first house (which we actually painted TWICE because the color I picked the first time was so awful), the lake house (sweet freaking jesus--that place was a never-ending stream of projects!). I remember a lot of flooring. I remember fencing, picture hanging, drapery hanging, power washing, door installation and on and on.

Of course, I also had another teacher in my mom, and she and Steve differed a bit in their execution of projects. Steve was careful and deliberate, making detailed notes, lists and plans. He measured twice and cut once (usually). He made sure walls were square, nails went into a stud and things were level. He liked to put as few holes as possible in drywall.

My mom and I could (and did!) lay nearly an entire room full of flooring before Steve had even decided which wall we should start on. My mom taught me to be creative in tool selection (did you know a hair dryer can be used to hammer a nail into a wall when you need to hang a picture RIGHT.NOW. to see if it looks good?). My mom also cared nothing for preserving the drywall--if the picture is off, just move the nail a couple inches, rehang the picture and repeat until you get it in the right spot.

Sometimes his methods drove her crazy, and sometimes her methods drove him crazy, but they loved to work on projects together. I know he admired her energy and "get it done" attitude, and I know she admired his attention to detail and patience with even the most fiddly projects. And I think of both of them every time I work on a project, drawing on specific knowledge each of them shared with me.

Back to his old hammer. After Steve died and my mom sold their beloved lake house, she asked all of the kids if there was anything that we wanted from the lake. I tried to think about what would best capture Steve's love of the lake and any one of a hundred happy memories from all the time we spent there. When my mom asked if we needed any tools (since the lakehouse garage was fully stocked), I knew that tools were exactly what most embodied what I loved about Steve, as a teacher, as a dad, as a partner to my mom and as a friend.

Steve's hammer is old, the wood worn smooth by his warm hands. It is unremarkable to look at, but I cannot do so without feeling the prick of tears in my eyes. Holding that hammer makes me feel like Steve is right here, helping me with projects, reminding me to go slow and do things right the first time. When Caitlyn helped me hang pictures in her room, I let her use the hammer, delighting her in the knowledge that it was PawPaw's. Her tiny hands grasped the same hammer his hands used to hold, and she gritted her teeth, anxious to get it just right. I remember feeling a wave of sadness and gratitude for all of the lessons he taught me that I will be able to pass on to her. But, I had to laugh when we realized the picture would look better slightly to the left. Caitlyn told me, "Well, just move it over and make another hole." We girls have a lot of Grammie in us, after all.

Steve's hammer, now my hammer, is priceless, and every time I use it, I remember him. Those who work with their hands may understand the connection that this simple tool gives me to Steve, that it is as if he imparted some bit of himself into it during those countless projects, and now I get to hold onto that energy as I add to its legacy.

Those closest to us know that this year brought some hardships in regards to settling Steve's estate, and I've learned some very hard lessons about human nature, family and finances. The things that happened have been so contrary to who Steve was as a person that I genuinely hope that my beliefs are correct, and there is no way for him to know or see what has gone on because I think he would find it disappointing, although I don't know that for certain.

What I do know for certain is that Steve's hammer far surpasses the value of any home, any account and any asset he left behind. And I am grateful I learned enough from him (and my mom) to know that.

November?

Really? November is almost over? Hmm, that explains the cooler weather, the Christmas decorations everywhere and the fact that the leaves are almost gone on the trees. How did this happen so quickly?

I guess it must have something to do with the crazy schedule and running after two kids all day, everyday!

Ok, so a quick recap of the last couple of months, and then a promise to start blogging again regularly!

We hit the pumpkin patch in early October with the Pankratz family. And it was so much fun, we returned later with Jason, and then again for a birthday party! The weather was gorgeous each time we were there, and the girls really loved the petting zoo. Caitlyn wanted to take home a kitty and a duck, and Lorelei wanted the baby cow to sleep in her room.

We also made a trip to Mt. Rainier in October. It is just breath-taking, and I cannot wait to see the meadows in full bloom in the spring. The girls loved hiking the trails and exploring the beauty of the park. I think we only saw three other people, and it was peaceful, magical and beautiful.

Halloween was lots of fun, even if Jason wasn't able to be here for it. Caitlyn planned for months to be a water fairy, and we made parts of her costume together. Lorelei did not show much interest in picking a costume until there were actually costumes to look at in the stores, and by that time, I'd convinced her to wear a kitty costume I bought last year. Two days before Halloween, in the midst of a Michael Jackson obsessed frenzy brought on by watching "This is It," she declared she WAS MJ. A quick scramble through the closet and trip to Target later, we had black pants, black jacket, white glove, white shirt, white socks, black shoes and a sequined black fedora that satisfied Miss MJ. She sang, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" at every house, and she is still declaring herself to be MJ. We also have to take the hat with us to an embarrassing number of places. This too shall pass, right?

In early November, we hit up the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge with the Pankratz family. The girls and Kausten were thrilled to run down the boardwalk and search for giant leaves. There was no quiet observation of nature, and I'm sure we scared off more wildlife than we saw. However, we did see a bright red-headed woodpecker going to town on a tree!

Caitlyn is loving her school, and her teacher is just amazing. She told us that Caitlyn is one of the most remarkable students she's ever had in 18 years of teaching . . . but we knew that, right? On November 12, the school had a St. Martin festival. We enjoyed a potluck dinner, and then the kids took a walk down the lane with lanterns they made in class. They sang songs and wondered at the night sky. It was really a fun night.

And now, here we are! I know I've skipped a lot of the little moments, but these are the big things! I swear, I'm going to do better!

Updates

I'm going to cite crazy, busy summer as the reason why I have not blogged at all since June. And really, had you walked a mile (or over 6000 miles!!) in my shoes, I doubt you could blame me. I was looking back through previous posts, and it was so cute of me to think I could just blog everyday after chasing 3 kids around Florida. By the time we spent all day at Sea World, I switched from unwinding by blogging every night to unwinding with a glass or three of wine.

I'm pretty sure I can sum up our Disney trip in just a two words--it ROCKED!! The kids and I hit the water parks a couple more times, and then my mom arrived to play with us at the World. We moved from our condo to the Pop Century Resort, and that place was like a child's dream come true with giant Mickey statues, an enormous pool and bright colors everywhere. Just some tidbits about Disney:

1. We all loved the character meals, but I think the Pooh and friends meal at Crystal Palace remains the best. The food is great, and the characters are very interactive. We also loved Garden Grill, the revolving restaurant at The Land in Epcot. Some of the best food we had AND we got to meet Farmer Mickey. Hard to top that.

2. For her 4th birthday, Caitlyn got to go to Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique to be transformed into her princess of choice (Belle, of course). While I admit I had some "Toddlers and Tiaras" flashbacks, it was a wonderfully over the top experience and likely the pinnacle of every little girl's dress up fantasies. The look on her little face as she was sprinkled with pixie dust was well worth the hefty price tag.

3. All of the kids had a ball, and it impresses me that the magic of Disney does not wear off, even if you go a couple of times close together. I still tear up walking down Main Street, USA.

4. The drive back to Houston was mostly uneventful, and except for a few incidents of major 8 year old attitude, the kids were really good.

Our time in Houston was marked by friends, margaritas and lots of fun things to do. We've been so lucky to be able to take extended trips back home for the last few years. Some tidbits from that time:

1. The girls love their friend Rylee, and it melts my heart to see how much they love each other, even though they do not get to visit very often. Caitlyn taught Rylee how to cross her eyes and that might be the funniest thing I saw all summer.

2. I so miss good Mexican food. I've been all over the country, and except for perhaps New Mexico (which is so different it may not even be a reasonable comparison), Texas has the best Mexican food. And the best, cheap margaritas. In fact, I wish I had one right now (6:30 in the morning be damned!)

3. The kids and I tried to go do something fun every other day. Our various VA memberships got us into lots of places for free, so we took advantage. We went to the children's museum, health museum, museum of fine art, science museum, moody gardens, downtown aquarium, jumping place, parks, pools and more. Houston may not be my favorite city, but there is a lot to do there.

4. I love all of our Houston friends, and I am so glad we have them. One family, the Broussards, have been best friends with our family since I was born, and they are some of the best people I know.

5. We held the girls' birthday party on the 4th of July. Jason got to come down for it, and it was a big success. I'm so happy Lorelei could have at least one big Texas birthday party.

6. I threw a surprise 50th birthday party for my mom. I rented a limo and took her and some gal pals out to dinner in Houston. The decorations, the cake, the candy bar in pink martini glasses, the pink and black feathered birthday hat--all of it was perfect. What was not perfect was seeing our limo break down as it pulled around to pick us up after dinner. Talk about a buzz kill, as well as an ironic situation that was not funny! Luckily we were on the road again in about an hour in the cool new Excursion limo they sent to rescue us--and then it was a little funny.

7. I hate mosquitos. And hot, humid days.

8. The fact that Steve is gone still hits me like a punch in the gut. Steve was a night owl, and I am, too. On all of my past visits, he and I would sit up late and talk, and I missed that. In fact, one night I swear I heard him walking around the living room, and I called out to him. The reality that I never get to talk to him again makes me really angry and resentful and just plain sad.

9. My mom is wonderful, and I love her so much! I know it wasn't easy to have the kids and I invade her house for a month, and we made it through our visit with minimal strife (which is inevitable since she and I are just alike). I see the stress and strain she is under, and I am glad I know I don't have to worry about her. She is the strongest person, both in terms of strengh and character, that I know, and I am proud to be her daughter.

Our move began with a 1500 mile trip back to VA. I laugh now as I think back to how sick I was of driving then. HA! That was just the beginning! Our trip was slightly complicated by the fact a big tropical strom was forecast to hit our route along I-10 on the day we left, so we moved up our trip a day. It was a good decision because the one thunderstorm we did hit reduced our speed to about 40 mph in driving rain with 18-wheelers all around. One snag hit as we arrived in Atlanta to an overbooked hotel that I had a confirmed (and paid for!) reservation at. They did send us to another hotel and picked up the tab, in addition to refunding my money, but the hassle of taking an additional hour to get to our room may not have been worth it.

In Williamsburg, our movers fouled things up when they decided they only needed one day to pack us and thus did not show up the first day they were scheduled to be there. To be fair, they did only need one day to pack, but it would have been nice to know that in advance or have some say in the matter. The downside is that my mom was already scheduled to leave, so the girls ended up with me almost the entire time both the packers and movers were working. They were fabulously well-behaved, and the movers cleared out one room first thing so they would have a place to play and watch DVDs.

Some highlights from our move:

1. We saw my brother and his wife in Chicago. The city itself was just ok, but it was great to see them. Lorelei started laughing the second she saw Joey, and I don't think she stopped giggling the whole time. Caitlyn loved climbing on Joey, and then flipping and sliding her way back to the ground.

2. The girls continue to amaze me as to what good travelers they are. Our car was packed full, (and I am NOT one to travel with 100 different things to entertain them) and still, they were good. I put one small plastic box of toys between them (ponies, Barbies, Little People figures), and they each had some books, drawing supplies and their movies. Caitlyn also had a Leapster 2 that she got for her birthday, but that was it. The best time wasters were little journals from Target's $1 section and some twistable crayons. Caitlyn also liked coloring a map of each state we went through as we crossed the border (printed off the internet).

3. Best items I brought--an ice chest so we did not have to fast food our way across the U.S. and a little pink potty for emergencies. It was fun picnicing at parks and grassy areas, and we ate far more healthy food than we could have otherwise. It was also easier with the dog, and the girls liked running around after a meal. With Lorelei about 80% potty trained, the pink potty was a lifesaver on many occassions, and Caitlyn used it, too. It was nice, on long stretches of empty highway, to have a solution for the, "I need to go potty NOW!!!" moments.

4. Mt. Rushmore was cool, but far smaller than I thought it would be. We met a lot of bikers in the area for the Sturgis rally, and as a group, they were some of the nicest, most interesting people we met on our trip.

5. Went to a cowboy dinner and rodeo in Cody, WY. The girls danced to the band's music and became the stars of the show. Caitlyn's ballet is very . . . emotional and soulful. She twirls and spins and moves her arms in slow, exaggerated movements with sorrowful eyes during the slow songs, and she usually collapses to the floor at the end of the song, before jumping up to bow. Lorelei follows right along and does whatever Caitlyn does. It is precious, funny and slightly heartwrenching to watch.

6. At the rodeo, Caitlyn decided she wanted to be a cowgirl when she grows up. But still a palentologist, too. She also tried the calf scramble, though she thought she was going to ride a bucking horse. Lorelei cheered for the animals.

7. And speaking of Lorelei, the girl can talk your ear off. We went from a girl who said two words at a time to a little chatterbox who runs her mouth like there is no tomorrow in a matter of months. And because Caitlyn has such a big vocabulary, Lorelei does, too. It's amazing, and my favorite thing she says right now is, "I lus (love) you so much."

8. Yellowstone was breaktaking. We saw bears (including a cub not 5 feet from our car), birds, elk, moose and coyotes. It was hard to drive more than a few minutes without jumping out of the car to take a picture of something. Because of the girls, we had to stick to the easier trails, but Caitlyn shocked both Jason and I when she begged to hike down to a river. I warned her that the trail was steep and nearly a mile long. While we were hiking, I kept warning her that we were going to need to go back UP the long, steep trail once we reached the bottom. I told her I would not be able to carry her. She assured me she was fine. And you know what? She was. She even, shocking, I know, talked the whole way.

9. We hit the Museum of the Rockies in Montana. If you like dinosaurs, you need to visit this place that is right in the middle of some of the most prolific dig sites in the country. The displays were like nothing I've ever seen before, and the dinosaurs were feathered and colorful, in keeping with recent findings that suggests they were more avian than reptilian. Caitlyn insists she is going to dig up dinosaur bones one day. Steve would be so tickled by her.

10. Our next stop was Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. Listen up, Idaho: You need to do some better marketing. When I think of Idaho, I think of dusty, dry potato fields. Who knew there was a lush, beautiful lake that is so stunning it made it into our "1000 Things to Do in the USA and Canada Before You Die" book? Not me. At least not until I sat down to plan our route to Washington with said book in my lap. We enjoyed excellent fish from a lakeside patio, and we watched the sunset. Beautiful.

11. Vancouver was next on our list. Since our house closing was pushed back 2 weeks, we decided to add a couple of stops to our trip. Vancouver is a beautiful city, and the glass buildings make it look sleek and futuristic. We stayed a cool suite hotel in downtown, and we were able to walk to the ferry for Granville Island. I found approximately 537 things that I wanted to buy, and the girls had fun searching for lunch.

12. Seattle was our last stop before we got to our new city, and I really think that by this point, we were all too worn out to have much fun. We did go to the Pike Place Market, and the girls loved the flying fish booths. Caitlyn got a scare from a dead monkfish tied to a string so he could pop up at unsuspecting patrons. Honestly? The hotel pool and giant whirlpool bathtub were probably the girls' favorite parts. Although a close second would have to be spotting Mt. Rainier everyday in the distance. We've already learned to love the days when the mountain is out!

At this point in our journey, the girls and I had logged over 6000 miles since we left for Disney in June. We were all road weary and sick of sleeping in a different bed nearly every night. Thank goodness the girls are not picky about where they crash in the evenings, but at this point, even I was slightly whiney about wanting to sleep in my OWN house, in my OWN bed, with my OWN covers.

I'll leave it here for now. Our fun-filled two weeks in two different cabins at Fort Lewis is up next. Will we all go crazy? Stay tuned.

A Day With Dolphins

I freely admit that I still think the coolest job in the world would be to work as a dolphin trainer, and if the opportunity to HAVE that job ever comes along, I'm taking it. Because of that, anytime we are near a Sea World, it is a must-do for me, and fortunately (because we'd go anyway), the kids love it.

I was a bit apprehensive about taking the three of them to Sea World without any other help, especially because I planned to stay all day long and try to see everything. I really needn't have worried-my kids, who can shriek, pout and murder innocent caterpillars, were unbelievably good, leading me to think the best way to tackle summer is to have some big event planned all day, every day.

We got to Sea World when it opened, and I gotta say that Busch Gardens/InBev has earned by respect in some regards by offering military members and their dependents one free admission each year for the last several years. Because our tickets were free, I bought all-day dining passes for the kids and I, meaning we could eat and snack all day long.

A word about that--I figured we would eat lunch and dinner, as well as one or two snacks, making the plan a reasonably good deal. I hadn't counted on how excited my kids would be at the prospect of unlimited theme park food, nor had I counted on how delicious cold watermelon and strawberries would be in the middle of a 100 degree day.

We ate THREE meals each that day. I don't even remember what the kids got, but I had a wonderful turkey club with real chips, fried fish and fries (that Lorelei ate most of because I didn't think it was very good) and a Gardenburger. In addition to the meals, we got 4 servings of delicious chocolate chip cookies, a round of chocolate pudding, two slices of cake to share with lunch, countless bottles of water and juice and more fruit than I imagined they could eat in a day. No kidding, I think my kids and I ate an entire watermelon and 3 pounds of strawberries that day.

Needless to say, the meal plan was well worth the $60 it cost.

The shows, as always, were magical. During the first show of the day, a dolphin show with Cirque-type performers, Caitlyn, whose face was lit up like it was Christmas, turned to me and said dramatically, "THIS is what I want to do with my LIFE!!!"

Lorelei wouldn't sit still during the shows, preferring to stand and imitate the marine life. At the dolphin show, she twirled. At the sea lion show, she clapped and barked, and at the Shamu show, she followed the lead of the trainers, yelling out, "Shamu! Shamu!" in time to the music. She also relished the "Melmo" show since she loves that furry, red guy.

Chris most liked the pet show, where they teach rescued cats, dogs, pigs and birds to jump rope, open doors, climb poles and more. He also says the food was his favorite part of the whole thing. He is such a boy!

A day at Sea World was also educational. When Caitlyn asked me if dolphins were omnivores, I suggested she ask the trainer nearby. She marched up to the trainer, and in her tiny Minnie Mouse voice, said, "Excuse me. Are dolphins omnivores?"

The trainer was taken aback and laughed, "What do you mean are dolphins omnivores?"

To which, Caitlyn responded, "You know--omnivores. Do they eat plants and meat?"

The trainer told her, yes, she knew what omnivore meant, but was just surprised that Caitlyn knew. And the answer is no. Dolphins are carnivores.

True to kid form, one of their favorite moments was when a squirrel decided to approach our stroller. He got so close to them that I worried he was some deranged, rabid squirrel that intended to hop in the stroller and maul the girls. So, I did what any concerned parent would do and snapped a picture!
Twelve hours after we got to Sea World, it was time to leave, and because the day had gone so well, with no meltdowns, tantrums or fighting(amazing since there were also no naps), the travel gods decided our good fortune was due to run out.

As we made our way to the exit, the skies opened up and buckets of water came down. Instead of it putting a damper on our evening, the rain almost enhanced it. First, it felt good to have cool water washing off the sweat and grime of the day. Second, we didn't have far to go since I'd paid for premium parking, not wanting to juggle kids and stroller on the tram. Third, the kids thought it was great fun to run in the rain.

So ended another day, and I didn't even have the energy for my nightly glass of wine. That really says a lot.

Now, where were we?

If you've been worried about me, all is well. The kids did not do me in! We just got so busy that I figured I would wait until we reached the relative quiet of my mom's house to continue.

Our 3rd Disney day was spent at Disney Quest, which is probably pretty cool if your kid is older than my kids. They have virtual reality games and rides (most with a height requirement of 51", meaning even I am barely tall enough to ride), as well as some video game type things.

Caitlyn made up a song about puppy love, and Chris got to engineer a tune about never wanting to grow up. Lorelei just danced to both of them. The kids also learned how to draw Mickey Mouse, though Caitlyn got bored halfway through because her circles weren't round enough.

After a couple hours at Disney Quest, we headed to Bongo's, a Cuban restaurant at Downtown Disney. I was so proud of Chris because he tried lots of new things. He is our "chicken nuggets and fries or I'm not eating" kid, so it was a big deal for him to sample plantains. Caitlyn tried a couple of new things, but stuck to cheese pizza since she is now a plant-eater, as she calls herself. Lorelei ate it all. That child will eat anything.

After dinner, we got some jelly beans and headed down to the water to listen to the band. The kids were having a great time eating candy and dancing, and then these monks came over to watch.

I knew that Tibetan monks traveled, but I never thought they would hit up Disney World. It doesn't really seem like the type of place that would be appealing (rampant commercialized money fest that it is!), but it was interesting to watch and see what things were interesting to them. They had a guide who was translating to English, and of course, I listened. It seemed like they really enjoyed watching the water and ducks, the landscaping, the music and the energy of the area. They sat down on a bench next to us to people-watch, and they quickly became entertained by my kids.

One monk was particularly fascinated with Lorelei. He waved at her, and she blew him kisses. They played a wordless, peek-a-boo, and he watched her every move with a rapt smile that lit up his whole face. Honestly, their entire interaction was sweet and beautiful, and it was fun to watch someone else be won over by our red head. He asked, through gesture, if he could take her picture, and she ended up giving him a great big hug.

At this point, Chris, who'd been watching bugs crawl along the sidewalk, let out some exuberant karate yell and stomped on a caterpillar.

Really.

My daughter was creating a transcendental relationship that needed no words or language (with a freaking MONK who treasures nature), and here was my son, stomping to death the innocent bits of nature these monks HAD been enjoying. I was so humiliated--so much for imparting the idea that all life is sacred and special.

At this point, I hurriedly gathered up the kids, hoping that these men had not seen the massacre, and Lorelei waved good bye to her new friend. Chris got a long lecture about why we don't just stomp on bugs, and once Caitlyn figured out what we were talking about, she launched into a cryfest over the death of a caterpillar.

"But why did you kill it?" she wailed. "What about its family? That's not nice!"

She's a little protective of animals.

Anyway, kids all got calmed down, bathed and put to bed. Another mostly successful day.

Next up- a 12 hour day at Sea World, the kids who ate the world and a torrential downpour of fun.

Water Park, Disney-style

After a bit of Friday evening drama with Chris' mom (and really, what summer vacation would be complete without it--it is as expected and annoying as mosquitoes and sunburns), it felt incredible to have a stress-free day planned at a water park, especially since the temperature topped 100 degrees!

The kids and I spent half of last summer at our local water park, so a day alone with 3 kids there didn't scare me at all. It helps that Chris is kind of a wimp about a lot of water rides, so they can mostly just play happily in the kiddie areas, wave pool and lazy river.

Plus, Caitlyn and Lorelei have the coolest life jackets ever. I swear, they must have been invented by a mom with multiple kids. Normal life jackets bunch up around your kid's neck like some sort of contraction device, in a position that is neither conducive to swimming nor feeling remotely relaxed in the water. The girls' jackets are a combo of floaties and a ring, and even Lorelei can control her body enough to "swim" happily within arm's reach of me. (And yes, I'm putting the whole 'within arm's reach' disclaimer just in case anyone gets the idea that the kids are off frolicking in the pool while I lounge in a chair--who knows who reads this stuff!)

Anyway, I'd been to Blizzard Beach in high school, but obviously did not appreciate how neat it is for kids. The entire park is themed to represent a ski resort that is melting away, complete with snow-capped peaks and a chair lift.

Our first stop was the kiddie area where my little beasties had a blast on all of the slides. Here I met my next defining moment. Are Caitlyn and Chris old enough to climb to the top of the slide by themselves while Lorelei and I play in the adjacent "baby" slide area? Keeping in mind that there was a good 25 feet of pathway in a blind spot, but I would be able to watch them enter, slide and exit to the return path, I decided to let them try it. They received a 35 minute lecture on staying together, holding hands while WALKING, not talking to anyone, as well as a brief safety drill on what to do if they couldn't find me and a pop quiz to ensure they knew how to identify a life guard.

Considering the entire area was about the size of my parents' house and they were out of sight for about 10 seconds, I may have been slightly overreacting. The kids loved it, and I remember that giddy sense of budding independence I felt when I first got to do something fun by myself (Which, incidentally, was a hell of a lot more dangerous since that first memory happened when I was 5 at a ski resort when my friend Travis and I got to ski the bunny slope solo while our parents watched from the lodge).

We hit the lazy river for a good hour, and here again I marveled (yes, really. I marveled) at the fact that while Disney offers the traditional assortment of tubes for floaters, they also have tiny kid-sized tubes with bottoms for toddlers. If you haven't been to water park with a small child, you have no idea how novel and convenient that concept is, but trust me, it was worthy of the marvel.

At this point the kids and I stopped for lunch. In an effort to save $$, I packed lunch for the kids and I. My mom always did this. I hated it.

For one thing, my mom never bought the good lunch stuff. She sent us to school and the beach with bologna sandwiches, whatever type of chip was on sale (usually tortilla chips or pringles), fruit and Little Debbie snacks. I longed for fruit roll-ups, Ding-Dongs, cheetos and the little rolls of salami and cheddar that my friend Natalie brought to school.

With that in mind, I packed Uncrustable sandwiches, rainbow goldfish, chocolate chip granola bars, bananas and, wait a minute. That sounds strangely similar to the lunches I hated with some very slight tweaks. Hmm.

Oh well, I made up for it when I bought the kids a pail of ice cream. Yep, you read that right. I bought the kids a PAIL of ice cream. It was my cool mom moment of the day as I presented them with an entire sand pail filled with bits of waffle cone, cherries, strawberry sauce, hot fudge, nuts, sprinkles and soft serve.

Little do they know I made that choice because the one giant pail was cheaper than 3 individual desserts! And I'm willing to lose a little bit of cool mom luster by admitting that. They still loved it.

Our final ride of the day was a family raft ride that is supposedly the longest of its kind in the world! It took some talking to get both Caitlyn and Chris to try it, but try it they did. Caitlyn asked me before the ride if it would freak her out. I pointed out the gentle slope and easy curves of the ride, reassuring her that it would not.

Much to my dismay, about halfway through the ride, she turned to me and said, "Mama, I'm officially freaked out!" I just choked back a laugh and pulled her in my lap for the remainder of the ride.

Our day ended with happy, worn out kids who were perfectly content to climb into our giant whirlpool bath together to wash off the detritus of the day before they settled in to watch a movie.

We will definitely be adding at least one day at the Disney water parks on all future trips.

Arrival Day

It has come to my attention that my writing is more comical when I've had a glass of wine, so in the interest of entertainment, I guess I'll force myself to have some sangria during this blog session. The sacrifices I make to keep my family up-to-date on our activities! Sheesh! Maybe tomorrow night I'll have a mojito and see where that takes me.

Anyway. Arrival day.

So, after our luck with getting our car so quickly off the train, the kids and I headed to Orlando. About 15 minutes after we hit the road, despite the order to use the bathroom before we left the station, someone (the biggest kid) had to go RIGHT.NOW. Lesson learned: When traveling alone, everyone goes to the bathroom together so Mama can make sure everyone really does what they are supposed to do lest we spend our entire vacation stopping at every single restroom at Disney.

While we were stopped, we grabbed some lunch to eat on our short, albeit rather expensive, drive to Orlando via Onstar-directed toll roads.

We headed to the condo to drop off our things, and I was pleased to see we are staying about 25 yards away from Disney property. I booked the condo through Armed Forces Vacation Club, which offers unsold timeshare weeks all over the world for cheap. Our week in a one bedroom condo with a full kitchen and whirlpool bath cost around $300--not too shabby!

After the kids thoroughly inspected the room (turned on all faucets, climbed on the furniture, made sure the television worked and opened and closed all the doors numerous times and dumped their junk everywhere), we were off to Downtown Disney to . . . buy more junk.Just a little PSA. I hate plastic junky toys (a trait I likely inherited from Grammie). Loathe them, actually. In fact, on a regular basis, I go through the house and toss any toy crap I come across. My poor kids don't even know Barbie is supposed to have shoes. They must think Dr. Barbie and Fashion Barbie and all the rest have some sort of medical condition that is incompatible with shoe wearing. And that really could be true, I mean, have you seen the girl's weird high heel feet?

But, I digress.

So, Downtown Disney has a toy store where you can stuff a box with as many Disney-themed Mr. Potato Head pieces as you can cram in. AND they have another spot where you can actually build your very own working light saber (along with a whole host of Star Wars related junk). AND they have a third area where you can stuff a box with as much My Little Pony junk as you can cram in . . . and guess what? It's all Disney-themed!!!

Everything I just named falls under the heading of plastic-crap-toys-that-I-hate, but I throw aside that aversion when we are at Disney World. Didn't I say I was a sucker for Disney marketing? With a capital S?

I told the kids I would buy each of them one souvenir, and when they found out about these options, each kid wanted to do one of them. Lorelei picked Potato Head stuff, Caitlyn went for the ponies and Chris made a Darth Vader light saber.

As it turns out, each kid wanted what the other kids chose by the time we got home, but fun was had by all in the actual selection process. On the plus side, we now own Tink, pirate, Dumbo and Donald potato heads, and our My Little Ponies are decked out to the nines in princess outfits, complete with crowns, jewelry and, oh yes, shoes--4 for each outfit. Eat your heart out, Barbie. And we are all stocked up on the Force, even if it does come from the dark side (I lobbied hard for a Yoda saber.)

After the toy adventure, we headed over to T-Rex Cafe for dinner with the dinos. The place is just like the Aquarium restaurant or Rainforest Cafe, but there are dinosaurs, wooly mammoths and giant insects everywhere. The place is intense--loud, colorful, larger than life, and, with a meteor shower that goes off every 20 minutes, a bit overwhelming for the younger set.

Caitlyn got very quiet (her typical nervous reaction), Lorelei cried at least once, and even Chris was a bit unerved at one point. But, overall, it was fun. And by fun, I mean I'm in no hurry to do it again. Once was good. There were some defining moments I hadn't considered when I planned a big trip alone with 3 kids. For instance, what do you do when one kid has to go to the bathroom (and yes, a lot of moments center around bathroom issues!) in the middle of the meal? Is Chris really old enough to sit alone in the middle of a crowded restaurant while I take Caitlyn and Lorelei (who is decidedly NOT old enough to be left in the care of her nearly 8 year old brother)? First, the obvious answer is that you do not sit down in a restaurant without making all the kids pee, under threat of losing a new toy or not having dessert, if you must. Second, yes, Chris can choose to stay at the table or come with us, though if he stays, I ask a nearby mom to keep an eye on him and alert the waiter!

At this point, the day pretty much becomes a hazy chain of events that eventually ended with kids in bed, a heavenly shower (much needed after the overnight train ride), a glass of wine and a long conversation in my head about why exactly this was a good idea, a common refrain that has often repeated itself over the last few days!