Headed Out

We rattled the girls' cages at 3:30 a.m. for a long day of travel out west. Our itenerary had us going for 13 hours which made me a little nervous. We have flown multiple times with the girls but never have we left so early and traveled so long.

Here are my lovelies after arriving at the airport.

The first of three legs was uneventful. Savannah and I slept while Daddy dozed on and off between the twins who were glued to their ipods. When we got off the plane in Denver, Adeline seemed completely normal. Within 30 minutes she was flat on the floor, unable to get up. Soon she was puking, dusky, and lethargic. We didn't have the pulse ox but it was clear she was desatting. Alex and I were both shocked that the cabin pressure and high altitude in Denver made my little girl, more or less, tank. I carried her listless body onto the plane and soon was surrounded by flight attendants. They wanted to know what was wrong with her and what they could do to help. Getting the show on the road was about all I could suggest. I watched Adeline closely as she slept for the entire next leg of our trip. She was breathing harder but not retracting which made me conclude we weren't in crises mode.

Miss Belle woke up in Vegas. Within 30 minutes she was her old self. Somehow she got it together enough so that the next leg of the trip didn't send her into respiratory distress again.

Here she is in Denver and later, on the plane in Vegas. 

Thank goodness for Apple products.  Lila and I were stir crazy from Vegas to Seattle but the other three we quietly glued to their devices. 

Eventually, Lila found her groove too.  A snack, an ipod and straw in her mouth. . . what more could a girl want?

Well, she could want a couple more hours of sleep!  When looking for Adeline today, we found her in her bed asleep.  She had taken it upon herself to grab a couple more hours of shut eye.  Lila couldn't make it in her bed before she passed out. 

With Adeline's need for more oxygen aside, the girls did a fantastic job of traveling.  Not a fuss, moan or cry.  They really are super stars when it comes to this kind of thing.

Occupations

There seems to be a lot of talk about growing up in our house. The girls are starting to think about their future occupations. Here is what I have thus far. . .

Savannah has decided that she only wants to work part time. Where does she come up with this? She thinks working full time won't leave her room to do all the fun stuff in life. She is holding strong to her landscape architect career and to her first customer, me of course, getting a new back yard design for free! The part time thing is strange but wouldn't we all rather work less than more?

Adeline. . . we all know it is going to have something to do with a mode of transportation. I was sure she was going to be a conductor but she surprised me. Miss Belle wants to drive truck. Yep, she wants to drive a big, big, big, truck. She makes me giggle.

Lila has plans to for a stage career. This is rather odd because she gets nervous in front of others. Inside these four walls, she is a tenacious performer. Lila loves to sing and has dreams of doing it on stage. Reason one being that she loves to sing and reason two, not much behind that of reason one, because she plans to wear a beautiful princess dress. Lila has requested that Alex and I watch her performances. I should wear a beautiful, big, dress and daddy is requested to sport a tuxedo. It took awhile to decipher that one but she got tuxedo across eventually. 

A few days ago, Lila amended her stage career.  She plans to be a princess on a rocket ship that flies to outer space.  I give her points for creativity.  She asked if I could go and I told her that I didn't learn how to fly rockets in college.  "That's okay Mommy.  After I learn, I will teach you!"

With minds thinking about the future, the unfortunate subject of death and dying reared its ugly head.  We have had long talks about dying and how once in heaven, one cannot return.  That doesn't sit well with the twins.  They can't stand the idea of me dying, going to heaven and never returning.  I tell them that my love fills their hearts everyday, even when I am not with them.  That didn't seem good enough.  These conversations make me sick to my stomach. 

Miss Lila. . . Hanging With the Big Kids

This year, Lila hung with the big kids. Five weeks of swim lessons gave her the confidence she needed to just roll with the big kids - literally. While the big kids could keep their heads above water in rough waves, Lila prepared her little body to be knocked off its feet and pushed into shore. The big kids were waist deep while Lila Grace was often up to her chest. I don't have many pictures because I had to be in the water with her at all times. She didn't want a hand but I was there for the "just in case moment." Luckily, I was in arm's reach the one time current got a hold of her and sucked OUT into the ocean. Tiny bodies and strong oceans are not always a good mix. I have to say, Lila was an impressive four year old. She knew when to hold her breath, time the waves and take the beating.

Here are some pictures I was able to grab. She enjoyed boogie boarding for a day or so and then gave it up for body surfing. Because she is so little, she can really ride a wave on her belly.

Probably, her most noteworthy moment at the beach was when she decided to cut bangs!! Yep, just one inch of them. I guess every parent has to go through this? Here they are flapping in the wind.

She really enjoyed playing in the waves with Savannah. I am still in shock that by the end of the two weeks, she never got hit so hard that she came up crying. Such a change from last year. Lila can be really tough and brave when she wants to be.

Couldn't get this picture again if I tried.

Here is my "up to her neck girl" hanging with the big kids.

In Case You Didn't Know

Beaching it every day, can be exhausting.  My girls slept hard and napped even harder.  Miss Belle still thinks she is an infant and found a way to curl up and sleep/balance on her daddy.  Too bad she was in such a deep sleep that she had a little accident. . .

Another Reason Why I Love Her

When we have family races on the beach, Savannah recognizes that Adeline is always the last of the three girls to finish. While this doesn't seem to bother Adeline, Savannah ALWAYS makes a point to ask Adeline for a race.

The two of them line up and I drop my arm and yell, "Go!"

Savannah ALWAYS lets Adeline pull away and puts on a pretty good show for her little sister. Adeline is all smiles and feels pretty good about herself as she crosses the finish line first. Savannah pats her on the back and gives her a congratulatory remark such as, "Wow Adeline, you run really fast!"

And yes, that is just another reason why I love my big girl. Her heart continues to push me to be a better person.

Lovin' My Family

I'm so proud of my kiddos for rising to the occasion. Being out of their home for two weeks with five other kids can be a recipe for not so great behavior. I am happy to report that my kids have treated us to another great vacation. I got just what I wanted. I have immersed myself in my kids and was able to enjoy them without multi-tasking. Such a treat for a Mommy who often feels pulled in too many directions.

Turning Corners

Every year as we drive to the beach, Alex and I have the same conversation. We try to predict how well Adeline will adjust to the beach environment. Sand, wind, and loud and strong waves naturally fall into her "fearful" category.

Each year she surprises us.

This year, Adeline has turned some huge corners. The first week of vacation she was happy to go wade at the water's edge, jump waves up to her waist (as long as she was tightly gripping an adult hand) but was most happy playing in the sand. Her favorite place was playing in one of the many holes her daddy digs for the kids. She likes to jump into them and wallow around in sand. The wallowing alone is amazing!

Now that we have been here over a week, the holes are still interesting but the waves are clearly the draw. Just yesterday, Adeline asked me to go into the water with her. She stood waist deep, pulled and tugged on my arm to go deeper and said, quiet emphatically, "I want to go deeper Mama, I want the waves to splat me." I don't know where this deeper desire comes from but The Belle likes big crashing waves that knock her off her feet. I need to keep a hand on her because one strong wave can knock her off her feet and push her 10 feet away from me, underwater most of the time, before she finds her footing.

The first week. . . 

The second week. . .

Adeline really surprised us when she spotted Savannah out in the waves and walked out to her without asking an adult to come with her. While this was a dangerous choice, we kept a good eye on her while our hearts were swelling with pride. After years of Adeline constantly holding our hands in any new or uncomfortable situation, it was a delight to watch her wade out, independently, to her big sister.  Miss Adeline wasn't going to stop until she was jumping waves with her big sister. Thankfully, she has a sister like Savannah that subtly moves into more shallow waters while still giving Adeline the thrill of independent wave jumping.

I just love this girl!

And speaking of corners, Miss Adeline held a sparkler this year!  Yes, this is the same child we were trying to acclimate to fireworks just a few weeks back.  We can close that chapter.  Adeline happily watched the fireworks over the ocean this 4th of July.  Alex and I couldn't believe it when she asked to join in with the other kids, and hold a sparkler.

Finally, I will let this video from today's water slide outing speak for itself.

Happy 4th of July