Trick-or-treat!
Happy Halloween 2018!
Up Nort’
A couple weeks ago we took our first vacation as a family of 7, and it ended up being a lot of fun. We drove up to northern Wisconsin, rented a little cabin for a couple days, and tested the waters of big-family cabin life.
We went to a little place called Delta Lodge in Iron River, WI, which is all the way near the northern border of the state, up by Bayfield and Ashland on Lake Superior. It had 12 cabins on a small inland lake, and we were in cabin #4 – 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, kitchen, living room, and screened-in porch. We shared a dock and campfire pit with the cabin next door, and we got to use a rowboat and kayaks for the whole stay.
We split up the drive north, spending our first vacation night with my aunt and uncle in Eau Claire. That in itself was a great time, because we hadn’t been there in years. It made for a wonderful visit, and the kids had a blast exploring all their land on a couple nice long walks.
We only spent 2 full days at the cabin, after getting there around 3:00 p.m. on the first day and leaving at 10:00 a.m. on the fourth day, but Ryan and I agreed that it was plenty for this first trip. We really just wanted to get a feel of how things would go with this crew at a cabin, and we wanted to check out someplace new since we haven’t done this before. We won’t be going to Canada this summer, so I really wanted the kids to get some swimming and lake time in somewhere. This was perfect.
Ryan took them on row boat rides, Della learned how to kayak, the girls swam like water bugs with me, Morrison loved playing on the dock, they constantly fed hot dog and hamburger buns to the bluegill who lived under our dock, we made s’mores over the campfire, we played games after dinner in the cabin, we celebrated the summer solstice, the twins broke in their new playpen as their bed, and we figured out what we do and don’t want to do the same next year.
There had been some really severe thunderstorms in the area right before we arrived, and by the time we drove home, Lake Superior was still so churned up that the water looked red from all the iron in the soil up there. It was crazy.; it looked like we were on Mars.
It was a great time, and we’re already looking forward to finding another fun spot for next summer.
The monkeys are definitely out!
We’re reaching the end of the first week of summer vacation, and it’s off to a great start!
Personally, I love summer vacation, what with the total lack of schedules since I cherish our lazy days and don’t make the kids do tons of activities and lessons in the summer. People keep saying oh man, how are you going to manage all 5 at home this summer, and I just politely smile and nod and think psshht, I got this. Just like any other day.
Lana finished up K4 the day before Della finished 2nd grade, and they both had such wonderful years. I can’t believe Lana’s first full year of school is already over!
But to kick off our summer break I’ve already taken all 5 of them on a run, we got the big 3 signed up for the summer reading program at the library, they had a picnic lunch in the backyard, the girls have both created and started filling nature drawing binders, the girls are also loving the daily entries in their summer bridge workbooks (a sure sign it’s still early in the summer since Della has never wanted to finish it by the time school starts up again), we’ve played at the school playground where Della and I raced on the monkey bars (totally a tie!), and Ryan’s taken them to various parks a couple times plus out to lunch. He’s home for 4 weeks right now finishing his paternity leave from the twins and working on the attic. Plus we play with friends every day. And by playing with friends, I mean all the kids run around together while the parents enjoy cocktails.
We also sold the little wooden playhouse we’ve had in the backyard since Lana was born. The girls were outgrowing it, even though they all still played in it a lot, but they all voted to set up a new picnic area in that space instead of fixing up the playhouse. So away it went, with us all waving goodbye to a good little friend. Fortunately we are all enjoying what I like to call my new cocktail lounge very much.
We’re going on a family trip up north next week, and we’re all really looking forward to that. Summer is here, and life is good!
Buddies
This was my view on the walk to school this morning, and it made me so very, very happy.
All day yesterday, Morrison insisted on loading up his little dinosaur backpack and toting it around the house like he was going to school like his big sisters. Then this morning, when the girls got their backpacks ready for school, his was right there in the mix. So Della hung it on the stroller hook with theirs, and off we went.
He had a couple dinosaurs and books in there, so I stuck it in his lap because it was too heavy to carry on the backpack hook. He held tight to it the whole way, and it was the cutest thing. After a little while, Lana started helping him take books out and “read” them. First she helped him spell his name out loud, and then she’d say, “Now you try.” I about melted! Then they went through the little collection of books, and Morrison was in 7th heaven.
I absolutely love watching the bonds between these kids grow stronger every day. They love playing with, teaching, and learning from each other. Prime example, when we got home from dropping the girls off, Morrison set this up on the arm of the couch, exactly like Lana has. They amaze me constantly and make every day that much better.
Springtime fun in the sun
This spring, we were lucky enough to get 2 vacations within 2 weeks of each other. I will actually call the second one a trip, because, contrary to popular belief, traveling with children halfway across the country without your spouse or their other parent is not technically a vacation. It is a fun trip at best, a torture sentence at worst. It’s definitely not a relaxing, put-your-feet-up vacation, though. Those of you who have traveled solo with your kids, let alone flown with them, know exactly what I’m talking about.
Our first trip was truly a vacation. The 5 of us went down to Key West over Della’s spring break from school with my sister and her family and my mom and stepdad. I had never been there and had always wanted to go, so I was really excited to get a chance to visit the southernmost point in the US. I was beyond thankful, too, because, due to the fact that I’m currently doing some work for my sister and the company she and my brother-in-law work for, our entire family essentially got a company-sponsored vacation. Otherwise, we probably definitely would have been enjoying a Rau family stay-cation for spring break this year.
My excitement, however, soon turned to dismay, when Lana and Morrison caught a bug from their cousins and started vomiting. Unstoppably. As such, I was stuck in our rented house for almost the entirety of the trip, since barfing kids not only feel terrible and need extra care but are generally unable to do the fun things that come with tropical vacations, like boat trips to see dolphins and manatees, exploring the island, and going anywhere other than our house. Thankfully it had a private pool in the backyard, which I was able to enjoy most days while the sick ones napped.
I did get to have a little fun before the sickness ensued, fortunately. My sister rented bikes for everyone the first day we were there, so Ryan took us all on a big bike tour of our part of the island on the second day of our trip. That was cool – we saw the southernmost point landmark (even though the line was ridiculously long and we couldn’t stop to take a pic there), we did get a picture at the start of Highway 1, we biked through some of the cool little Key West neighborhoods, we rode by Hemingway’s house (unfortunately i never got a chance to go back for a tour, which i really wanted to do), and we got the general vibe of the island. We also watched the sunset in Mallory Square one night and saw the elusive green flash; that made me really happy, because I’ve always wanted to see one.
Some of us also went to the beach one morning, which was nice. The beaches there are very rocky, though, not sandy, so it made walking on it rather unpleasant. I swam out a ways to a small coral outcropping that was a popular snorkeling spot, and as far out as you could touch the bottom it was rocky. So weird; I’ve never experienced a beach like that. We found a bunch of cool shells, though, which the kids loved, and we brought back enough to fill a mason jar that’s currently decorating their bedroom.
I got to go on a sailboat ride with my sister, brother-in-law, and some of their coworkers on what was supposed to be our last afternoon there. Fortunately, I talked Ryan into staying 1 extra day so I could try to get some relief from all the vomit and have a relaxing day to myself. It kind of happened – the little ones were still barfing, but it would have been a nightmare with them on a plane that day instead of at the house, plus I did get to enjoy the afternoon sun by the pool with drinks brought to me by Ryan from some of the bars on Duval Street that I never got to see in person due to my pseudo-quarantine status most days. I need to remember, however, that boats and I don’t mix very well anymore. Any time anyone asks if I want to go on a booze cruise I jump at the chance, forgetting that I get instantly nauseous as soon as we leave the harbor. Ah well. I got to help hoist the sails and did feel good after I laid down with my eyes closed for a bit and just enjoyed the lull of the ocean, so it all ended well.
I have to say, my favorite part of our trip was the almost-daily trips to the Cuban coffee shop. That stuff was delicious!! I lamented the fact that I barely got to see or do anything else due to the kids being sick, but that’s ok. Hopefully I’ll be back. And Ryan checked off everything on his list (of course!), which was good because he hadn’t had a true vacation in about 3 years.
Then, 2 weeks after we got home from Key West, I took the kids out to Tucson over the long Easter weekend to visit my grandparents. We had a layover in Denver, and thankfully my sister booked all our flights so that I met up with them to fly the second leg from there into Tucson together. I’m not sure 4 planes by myself with the 3 Goonies would have been quite as enjoyable as having company/help for half of them.
It was a great visit, even though I was parenting solo. The weather was beautiful, we took the kids to a new-to-us pool that was pretty perfect for them, we spent some time at the house of a wonderful family friend who I’ve literally known my entire life, we got to spend important time with my grandparents, and we overlapped with other family who we don’t see that often.
It’s always nice to get out of Dodge every once in a while, especially when Wisconsin winters can seem endless. Â So these were some fun, sun-filled days.
Please don’t go!
I cannot believe today is the last day of summer vacation and we have to start the school routine all over again tomorrow. Waaahhh!!! Della is so totally excited to get back to school and start 1st grade, but I am so not ready for summer to end. It is my absolute favorite time of the year, and this one has been especially good. Why must all good things end so soon??
We kicked off the summer in high gear, as I explained just over 2 months ago in this post. Then came week after week of playing with friends; runs and bike rides; trips to the library and fountain; visiting the beach to make sand castles, look for sea glass, and picnic; and just generally enjoying the hot, sunny days to the fullest. No lessons, no schedules, no commitments, just fun.
The 4th of July is always a fun celebration in Whitefish Bay, and this year was no different. All the kids love to go up to watch the parade and collect as much candy as their little arms can possibly carry. Ryan and I saw a couple concerts at Summerfest, which were great since I hadn’t been in a couple years, and Morrison went to his first Brewers game, a milestone occasion.
The kids and I had a wonderful vacation in Canada, which was extra nice this year since we missed getting up there last summer after Morrison was born and we went out to Colorado for my sister’s wedding. We drove up with my mom and stayed on the island for almost 2 weeks with my sister, brother-in-law, and niece and nephew. The kids absolutely adored being up there, and all 3 turned into the best little water bugs by the end of the trip. I actually got to enjoy some peace, quiet, and sunshine during nap times, and I read more in those 2 weeks than I have in at least 2 years. I was almost as sad to see that vacation end as I am to see this summer end. (i could fill an entire post with pictures from that trip, but this selection will do for now)
Then this last part of the summer during August has just been a whole lot of relaxing and playing around here, with a trip back to the Wisconsin State Fair thrown in for good measure. Today we went for one last run together as a crew of 4, then down to the beach to look for more sea glass. Unfortunately, the waves were bigger than I’ve ever seen them down there and it was way too dangerous for the kids to go near the water. Not to mention there was no beach on which to search today since the waves came up so high. So the girls were bummed, but I promised them we can go back down this weekend to check again. I so cherish my days home with all 3 kids, and I’m going to miss having Della around with us all day when she goes back to school tomorrow.
We met her teacher last night at meet and greet and she does seem awesome, though, so I think Della is going to have a very fun year. They have a travel theme in their classroom, and Mrs. Tauscher (d’s teacher this year) said they’re going to travel all around the world, learning tons of new things as they go. They even have little construction paper passports with their pictures in them that they get to stamp all year, so that got Della very excited. And I was put at ease yet again to know that she’ll be in such good hands all day when she’s out of mine.
So cheers, Summer of 2016! You were an amazing couple of months, and I will miss you dearly. Hopefully this transition back into the school routine and the coming cooler months won’t be too hard for me, because I truly yearn for your sunshine and warmth all during our long, dreary days of winter around here. I will be eagerly awaiting the arrival of your cousin, Summer of 2017, in roughly 280 days!
Summer vacation!
School’s out, school’s out! The night before the last day of K5…
Della has been out of school for a week and a half now, and it has been so great! I absolutely adore having all 3 of these munchkins with me all day again, and it’s so much fun to see especially how Della entertains herself all day. I got her a summer workbook for kids going from K5 to 1st grade and she loves it. She’s also already made her K5 teacher, Mrs. Murphy, a card and a couple pictures that we mailed her last week. Seeing how much she grew and thrived this past school year was incredible, and I’m so excited to watch her passion for learning continue in the years ahead. Can you even believe how big she’s getting??
We started off this summer vacation with a bang, too. On the very first day off last week we went for a run (Della’s first one joining us on her bike this season), went to the library to sign all 3 up for the summer reading program (yes, even morrison gets to participate in the read-to-me part and get a free book at the end), walked over to check out and throw wish pennies into the fountain, and the girls had a picnic lunch in the backyard.
Since then, we’ve been to the zoo, Bookworm Gardens, playing in the sprinkler, and generally enjoying days without too many schedules.
The summer weather is in full swing, so the kids are always outside playing with their friends. And the parents are out together having a glass of wine or a beer, so it’s a win-win. I love summer and am thoroughly embracing every single day of this one!
