Bravery

I've wanted to cut bangs into my hair for a while.  But I've been putting it off.  Today I talked myself into finally going to get my hair cut.  I went from an a-line that has grown out for waaaaaaay too long. 

 To this.

It's a big change, but I love it. I love that the bangs keep my hair out of my face.  I had the lady cut my bangs just a little shorter than I wanted.  That way they will be the perfect length when I take family pictures with my siblings in two weeks.

Brandon keeps saying, "it's different. But I like it."

Tips for vacationing with babies - 2012 edition

I know summer's winding down, but I really wanted to do this post before it officially ended.  So bookmark this page or pin it or whatever and save it for next year.  

In July we completed another successful road-trip.  This year we went to Colorado and played around.  We had a great time together as a family.  We put 1300 miles on the jeep.  And we did it all with three kids under the age of 2 in tow.    

Here are some tips we learned along the way for how to make vacationing with babies easier.

1. Admit that it will be hard.
Oh my goodness it is hard to travel with babies.  It's even harder to camp with them.  But road tripping/camping is something Brandon and I enjoy doing.  We want our kids to experience it.  So we do it.  We figure that it can only get easier.

Also daily life is pretty hard too.  It's nice to have a diversion from the usual work of washing dishes and picking up toys.  Even if that diversion is setting up a tent and cleaning out the car.

2. Research 
Part of the fun of these road trips is the planning process.  I ordered a map of Colorado as a Christmas present to myself. (They are free if you go here)  When it arrived Brandon and I sat down and started talking about places to go and routes to take.  Over the next few months I read guide books and searched the internet.  As I researched I paid particular attention to things that would be stroller accessible and hold a toddler's attention.  

3.  Prioritize 
We knew we wouldn't be able to do EVERYTHING we wanted to do.  Even without the kids it would be impossible to cram everything into ten days.  Early on we decided that we would focus on things that were unique to Colorado.  We would avoid the waterparks, zoos, aquariums, butterfly pavilion, and even the air force base.  Those were things we could do one way or another in Utah or elsewhere.

4. Do things on the kids level
We went on a lot of short, stroller friendly walks.  It would have been nice to go hiking, but it just wasn't practical.  We also went to a lot of parks.  The kids put up with our activities and we figured it was only fair to do something that they love.

5. Camp with another family
One of the reasons we picked Colorado as a destination was to go visit my sister Emily.  It turned out that her family was able to go with us on most of our adventures.  I'm so glad that we had two more adults to help watch the kids.  Sure they had two kids of their own, but somehow 4 versus 5 was a lot easier than 2 versus 3 - especially when setting up the tent and cooking was involved.

6.  Bring toys
Some of my favorite memories as a kid are of staring out the car window and making up stories as we drove.  I want my kids to have the same opportunity.  So that is why we don't have a DVD player in the car.  (And maybe because I'm cheep too)  Instead of movies we brought along a bag of toys.  Whenever the kids started getting a little fussy I'd start handing back toys.  And they would play with them.  I was especially happy when I would turn around to see Lydia showing her toys to Derrick.

7. Have nap time in the car
At home we have blackout curtains on the kids window.  The curtains keep out the morning sun and ensure that the kids will usually sleep until after 7:00.  That's not an option on a camping trip.  The kids were up around 6:00 each day.  Luckily they were great at falling asleep in the car.  So we would plan to drive for about 2 hours every afternoon, just to make sure they fell asleep.  Once we were even lucky enough to pull over to the side of the road and get our own nap time.

8. Keep the bedtime routine the same
We discovered that the best way to get the kids to bed was to make the bed time routineas familor as possible.  We brought the girls' pillows, babies, and bears along.  We sang, read, wrote in a journal, and prayed with them exactly how we do it at home.  We gave them bottles and binkies. And when all else failed, they were in pack and plays so they had to stay in one place and fall asleep.

9. Remember sun block and bug spray
The last thing I want to deal with on vacation is a sunburned, itchy baby.  So every morning I made sure to slather the girls in sunblock.  Derrick technically was too young for sunblock.  Most days I'd put a hat on his head and keep him in the shade.  But I wasn't ashamed to slather it on him too if I knew we'd be in the sun a lot.  The girls love sunblock - the same way they love candy - they want to eat as much of it as possible.  So I found the best time to put sunblock on them was when they were strapped into their car seats.  That also helped me keep track of which arms and legs still needed to be covered.

10. Don't forget laundry
One of the reasons we camped at an RV park in Colorado Springs was to have access to the laundry mat there.  We knew there was no way we could pack enough clothes to last through the whole trip.  We brought our own soap so we didn't have to pay extra.

11.  Clean the car every day
Our morning routine involved me getting the kids ready while Brandon organised and repacked the car.  By the end of each day the inside of the car was a disaster area.  Toys, water bottles, milk bottles, treats, and blankets were scattered everywhere.  We were always so tired we didn't care.  But each morning Brandon would  put toys back in the bag, refill water bottles, put powdered milk into the milk bottles, clean up candy wrappers, and refold blankets.  He would also put each bag and accessory back into its proper place.  The jeep would be ready to take us on another day of fun.

12.  Make simple meals
Road trips in general are not the time to do elaborate meals.  Even less so when kids are involved.  We ate things like canned stew, pasta and sauce, and instant oatmeal.

13.  Bring snacks
One reason we love our vacations is because they are the one time of year we justify buying things like pudding cups, granola bars, fruit cups, string cheese, Capri sun, nutty bars, Twizzlers, caramel bars, and lots of other food that we usually avoid because it's either too processed or too expensive.

14.  Go on vacation without the kids
We were able to stay sane during our non-stop week with the kids because we'd gone away by ourselves the weekend before.  I don't necessarily recommend doing it right before your family vacation (packing is a nightmare) but make sure you do get away.  We thoroughly enjoyed sleeping through each night, reconnecting as a couple, and going places without a diaper bag.  Our kids also enjoyed spending the weekend with their grandparents.      

15. Use powdered milk
One of the tricks for a successful road trip is to bring along as little perishable food as possible.  The girls are still heavily dependent on bottles of milk (don't judge me) so I was a little concerned about how we were going to bring along enough milk for them.  Luckily, they don't mind the taste of powdered milk.  So we just brought that along.  We treated it the same way we did formula.  We'd pre-measure it out into bottles and then add water when needed.  Derrick just nursed the whole time.
  
16.  When all else fails roll down the windows
Of course there were timeswhen all three kids were crying as we drove.  When that happened we just rolled down the windows to drown our their crying.

Well that's all the advise for this year.  If you want more you can read my tips from last year, and the year before that.

Bon Voyage Party

Brandon came home from work early on Friday.  As if that wasn't a treat enough he also brought me these roses.  I'm going to miss that man!

 On Saturday we held a goodbye party.  Brandon wanted a chance to say goodbye to everyone.  It was an open house style party which was so nice and relaxing.  We had over 75 people come through in 5 hours.

 Derrick hung out in his chair and was passed around from person to person.

 Charlotte and Lydia were outside when my parents showed up. They cheered and clapped and jumped up and down as soon as they saw "Gram gram and Grir pa"  Then they sat really close to them because Grandpa was willing to share his ice cream.

We served homemade strawberry and chocolate chip ice cream.  We also had store bought cookies and cream, chocolate marshmallow, and orange swirl.   We had three topping flavors, chocolate, caramel and sprinkles.  (The sprinkles were kind of an inside joke.  When Brandon graduated from college we had a little ice cream party with my sister and brother in law who also graduated that same year.  We told them to bring their favorite topping.  Both families showed up with the same exact kind of sprinkles.)  

 We were so happy to see everyone that showed up at our house.  Brandon served most of the ice cream which insured that everyone would come up and talk to him.  Charlotte and Lydia were supposed to take a nap before the party.  But that didn't happen.  Instead they went to bed about halfway through it. They must have been tired because they slept through all the talking and laughing going on.

 Just as with Derrick's blessing the party migrated outside.

Once again, I am so glad we moved downstairs.

 Everyone had a great time visiting.

 Through it all I had just a little touch of sadness.  This was the last party Brandon and I will host for a while. I couldn't help think back over all the parties we've done.  We planned our wedding, my graduation party, Emily's wedding, the emergency preparedness fair, Brandon's graduation party, Thanksgiving, the girls blessing day, Derrick's blessing day, and so many other things.  Brandon and I have loved working together to bring these events to life.

It's sad to know that we aren't going to have a chance to work together on ANYTHING for the next little bit.  Instead we will work on separate parts of a common goal.  He will be at basic training learning a new career and earning money.  I will be at home raising the kids and paying down the student loan debt with that money.

But despite the little touches of sadness it was a really great party.  I'm so happy that so many people were able to show up and show their support for us as we begin this new phase of life.

Minnie Me(s)

We took family pictures a few weeks ago.  I wanted the kids to have photographic proof that they have a dad.  That's not what this post is about though.  Take a good look at the girls . . . 

 . . . And then take a look at me in this picture.  I'm 4 years old in this picture (I couldn't quickly find a younger picture of me) so I'm a little older than the girls, but you can see how much we look alike.  Except for the curly hair I feel like I'm looking in a mirror when I look at my girls.  I love it!

By the way that picture is of me and two of my sisters.  Lindsey is two in the picture.  I think Lydia looks a lot like Lindsey as a kid.    

Anyway, the girls have started copying me.  They love to do whatever I'm doing.  Whether its emptying the dishwasher, putting away laundry, sweeping the floor, reading books, playing with Derrick, whatever it is they want to be a part of it too.  Of course they always put their own spin on it as you can see in this picture.    

Charlotte loves to get her vacuum out and bump it into the big one while I vacuum the floor.  You can see her doing that in this picture.  

And before you think I'm some sort of super clean freak, here is what the bedroom usually looks like. (It's worse right now)

The other day, on a whim, I handed Charlotte the plates and told her to set the table.  She put them all exactly where they should go.  So I handed her the forks, and then the cups and she put them in the right places too.  (Then she added the play goblets as I got the camera.)  Lydia did it the next day.

Another day the girls saw me writing on my calender.  They wanted to write on it too.  Since my calender is my sanity there was no way I was letting them do that.

But I made them their own calenders to write on.  They loved them.

 Here is a random picture of Derrick because I'm trying to do better at taking his picture.  He's so cute.  He'll smile and laugh at the drop of a hat.  Yesterday I put him on his tummy and put a book in front of him.  Lydia came over and laid down on the other side of the book and flipped the pages and pointed out things to him. She is so good at including him in everything.  She also likes to take the remote and hold it up to his ear so he can talk on the phone too.

The girls have also started talking a lot.  It's still just one word at a time, but I am so happy to have a means of communication.  Lydia used to stand at my legs and do the most annoying sounding cry.  Now she stands at my legs and says, "see?"  And I'm like, "oh you're not trying to drive me insane.  You just want to see what I'm doing!"  Words are wonderful!

I must say "eww poopy"  a lot when I change diapers, because now that is what Charlotte says every time I lay her down to change her diaper.  

The girls started saying thank you (tank you) a few weeks ago.  So I started saying "You're Welcome" back to them.  That confused Lydia so now she says you're welcome (well come) instead of Thank you.  It's so cute.  I filmed her doing it when we were at the cabin.  

 

The girls also have a few other things in common with me.  Stubborn and independent streaks a mile wide.  Oh boy, the next few years are going to be fun.

It's here!

Look what arrived at my house yesterday!  

I am so glad that I finally have my triplet jogger stroller.  I've wanted this thing for months.  I kept talking myself out of it though.  I almost bought it before our vacation, but then I realized if we brought it along we wouldn't have ANY room for anything else.  

After our vacation I started thinking it wasn't worth the cost. I figured I could just get a wagon or something and transport all three kids around in that.  

Luckily I faced reality.  Brandon will be gone in two weeks.  I NEED a stroller that can help me transport and contain three little kids.  Plus I can get exercise while jogging.  The price was basically the same cost as a year's gym membership.  I plan on using this thing for the next 5 years so it's totally worth it.

Honestly I wasn't prepared for how big the stroller would be compared to our little twin umbrella stroller.  I knew it would be wider, but it's also taller and longer.  Brandon says it looks like the Batmobile.  So that's what I've started calling it :)  

 Derrick is very happy to be out of the front pack.  And I'm so glad to have him off my chest!

 He was asleep while we got the Batmobile out of it's box.  We set it up and took Charlotte and Lydia on a little test drive around our complex.  Then I brought Derrick out.  The girls started pointing to the empty middle seat.  They knew exactly where Derrick belonged.

 We took it on a long test run to the store.  And today I took it to the park.  It is so nice to know I can easily get all three kids to one place.  I haven't felt this free since last fall.

1 weekend, 2 camping trips, and 0 panic attacks

I'm not very good at handling stress.  Instead I'm fantastic at managing the situations that cause me stress.  That's one reason I'm so good at planning things.  I can see what will stress me out and I plan around it.  However, lately, this has been back-firing on me.  For the past month or so I've been stressing over the possibility that I wont be able to plan for something well enough.  That I'll be caught unaware and unprepared.  So then I start planning MORE.  And worrying that it is still not enough.  It's a dizzying thought train that leads to panic attacks.  

What's causing me to stress so much?  I'm not sure, but I'm pretty certain it's partially caused by postpartum hormones combined with pre-husband-leaving-for-basic-training jitters. Oh and the fact that I have three kids under the age of two might be a tiny factor. 

Last week Brandon sat me down and had a long talk with me about "How does one handle stress?"  We came up with five ways.  They are exercise (I ordered the triplet jogger stroller during this conversation), relaxation, breathing, meditation (we changed this one to reading because it's impossible for me to think about nothing -my mind wanders and I start writing blog posts in my head), and not worrying about what people thing of me.  I've also started planning things one event at a time.  

I've felt a lot better since then and I am happy to report that I have been panic attack free for seven days.  This is a huge accomplishment considering those seven days included two overnight camping trips.  I was able to pack for the trips without feeling like the world depended on me to pack for every possible contingency.  And then I was able to enjoy everything that happened.  Here is what we did.

As soon as Brandon got off work on Friday we put the rest of the stuff in the car (we'd pre-packed most of the gear on Thursday night) and started driving to our branch camp out.  We made pasta as soon as we got there.  Pasta is one of the few meals the girls will consistently eat.  

I set up the tent (along with some other people helping.)  We let another couple borrow our little tent.  It looks so small compared to our new tent.  

After dinner we went to the camp-fire program (sans-campfire thanks to the fire restrictions)

 Derrick wore this cute little jacket with ears.  It was the first opportunity he's had to wear it.  Lydia couldn't resist the ears.

 Derrick loves it when his sisters include him.  He thinks he is their age.  I love this picture because it totally captures the relationship between Lydia and Derrick.

 We left the campfire program early and got the kids situated in their beds.  Derrick wasn't ready to sleep so I took him outside.  Our neighbors brought ingredients to make smore's, and we had a heat source, so we got together and created a gathering place for anyone interested in staying up late.

 Staying up late and talking is my FAVORITE part of ward/branch campouts. It's fun to get to know people in a setting other than church.  (Check out Derrick's tellytubby sleeper)

When I finally did head to bed (around 12:30) I discovered that Charlotte's diaper fell off and she'd soaked through her sleeper.  (Thank goodness for backups) I changed her and got her back to sleep.  Then sometime during the night Lydia woke up crying and I just brought her into bed with me and Brandon.   Despite those two minor annoyances I actually slept really well because   . . . . wait for it . . .  Derrick slept through the night!!!!!!!!  I don't know if it was a combination of bundling him up in 2 sleepers or the cold mountain air, but he (and I) slept great.

The branch provided breakfast for everyone who could eat regular food.  Derrick and our neighbor Lily enjoyed their own food.

 All through the trip I kept thinking about how much easier the girls are to camp with than they were last year.  Last year they couldn't even sit up by themselves.  This year they could walk all over.

Brandon and I were in charge of the games again.  We played a few "dry"games and then some water games.   

I really liked playing "wet, wet, dry" (It's duck, duck, goose with water)

The games were going on during the girls' nap time so they were kind of clingy, but we got through it.  Then we packed everything up and drove to a get together at the family cabin near Mt Pleasant.  We had to stop along the way for groceries.  We let the girls ride in the front of a car-cart for the first time.  They loved it.     

Eventually we made it to the cabin.  Brandon's brother Bryan and his family were in the state for a wedding.  We are so glad they were able to come and hang out.  Brandon was happy to see them before he leaves for basic training.  We were also happy to see the other family members who came too.

After dinner everyone went down to the field to watch and shoot off rockets.

Justin and Melanie invented this really cool rocket launcher.  You make a rocket out of rolled up paper, attach fins and a tip, and then put it in this stand.  Then someone pumps up the pressure chamber (made out of an irrigation valve) with a bike pump.  Justin wired the chamber to a shop light.  All you have to is press the switch on the light which completes the circuit and opens the chamber.  That releases the pressure and the rocket shoots way up high in the air.  It's super fun to watch.

We launched rockets for about an hour.  Then all the kids lost interest and wanted to play on this old ski lift that is in the field.

Here are the girls with their pseudo-cousin, Natalie.  (She's the daughter of Brandon's friend)

And then we had to add Derrick too.

A few minutes later the toddlers in each family all melted down.  So everyone split off to take care of bedtime.  We could have slept in the cabin, but I was trying to manage my stress.  That cabin was too small for me to sleep in when there were only 12 members of the family.  This trip had a potential of 32 participants. (Only 23 were able to make it)  There was no way I was planning on sleeping in that cabin.  So we slept in our tent which would be along for the ride anyway.

We got the kids in bed.  I was a little tense from everything so I told Brandon to go back to the cabin and take advantage of the chance to hang out with his family one last time.  I stayed in the tent with the kids and read.  It was so relaxing!

In the morning we opted to just make breakfast in the field rather than trek up to the cabin with 3 hungry kids.        

The girls didn't mind.

And neither did Derrick.

Then we started walking up to the cabin.  Lydia looked so pretty in this field.

I wanted to get a picture of the girls holding hands and walking, but they weren't interested.

I took this picture of the pretty stream.

I was holding Charlotte and she pointed to the other side of the stream and then to the camera.  As if to say, "This side is pretty too, Mom"  So I took one of the other side for her.

When we finally made it back to the cabin the girls had fun running around and playing with their cousins.  I kept thinking about how much easier the girls are to go to the cabin with.  Last year they kept climbing these stairs even though they couldn't walk.

Most everyone left and so Brandon and I tried to get the girls to take a nap.  We ended up falling asleep while they played.  Then later they conked out on the couch.

Bryan and Kara were back.  Their kids fell asleep too.  We all talked and then decided to go on a shot nap. Charlotte woke up while we were gone.  When we came back we found her asleep in front of the door.  Poor girl.  I felt like the worst mom in the world.

She never really got over it either.  She cried until we left and then she basically cried the whole 2 hours home.  But as soon as we walked in the apartment she stopped crying.  I think she was worried we were going to drag her on another 10 day road trip.

Well she did stop crying long enough for me to shoot this video.  I love how the girls play with Derrick.

Anyway, it was a great weekend. I'm so glad I wasn't overwhelmed with stress the whole time.