The Countdown's On

Only two days to go before we head off on the Westward Adventure! My father-in-law showed us the ins and outs of the Casita tonight. Hope we can remember everything. It's a small camper, but very cozy.

I'm a little concerned about heading west, due to the raging fires out there. The entrance to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon was closed down for a bit yesterday, and that's right where we're heading. I guess I should see it as even more of an adventure, if we'll be able to see the things we're setting off for! I think it'll be okay, though. I'm not gonna get stressed about it. We'll just go with the flow.

On a lighter note, today my baby turned 3. Three years ago, I went to the hospital in the hopes of moving the labor into gear, and 3 hours later I had a baby. A c-section wasn't exactly my plan, but when the doctor tells you that things don't look good for a traditional labor, you do what they say. Thank goodness we did - girlie would not have survived labor. When the doctor opened me up, he confirmed that there was hardly any amniotic fluid in there with my girl. Looking back on the last three years, I hate to think of her not being here with us. Having three kids can be trying at times, and sometimes I want to run away, but the thought of not seeing her dimpled grin and hearing her "Meow" to me in the mornings is unbearable. She's the baby I got to enjoy. I didn't have a newborn at her 2-year checkup, as I did with her big brother and big sister. I get to savor her toddler years instead of flying blind through them like I did with the other two.

It makes me feel guilty sometimes when I think of what I don't remember or probably missed with the "big kids", but then I remember that they have two siblings who love them and will always be there for them. I guess as a parent, you're always second-guessing yourself. I'm just gonna believe I did the best I could for all of them. And the fact that they're only 3 1/2 years apart from the oldest to the youngest is something that they will appreciate as they get older.

So I'm off, to explore new places. And to take a good look at my two older kids and breathe them in as they are now. Commit their quirks, likes, dislikes, everything about them, to memory. They'll only be this age once.

Conversation-us Non-Interrupt-us

Wayne and I celebrated our 15th anniversary on the 8th. Seems like yesterday we were in study hall together, showing each other our "serious" wink. Four short years later we were taking that walk down the aisle.

It hasn't always been easy, but it's been worth the work. Wayne is a great guy. I can count on him to be there for me when I need him, he loves our kids and is kind and patient with them (well, as patient as you can expect a father of 3 to be!), he gives me pretty much anything I want.

So we're taking a week-long trip to celebrate our anniversary. Without the kids (thanks, mom and mother-in-law!). A whole week of non-interrupted conversations. What will we do? Will we have a full conversation? It's mind-boggling to think about.

The trip will be a new experience all around. We're pulling Wayne's mom's Casita travel trailer. It looks like this photo. You might notice it's pretty small. So small that the shower is over the toilet. Should be an interesting week.

We're heading out West. From Dallas to Albuquerque, to southwestern Colorado, southeastern Utah, and the Grand Canyon. We'll be staying KOA campgrounds along the way, with the exception of a night at a lodge near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Neither of us has been to any of the national parks we're headed to this week, so I'm really looking forward to seeing new parts of the United States.

And to uninterrupted conversations.

Summertime, and the livin' is...

BUSY! Summer Fun for the kids, Vacation Bible School, swim lessons, karate, piano lessons...when does it end? When does the fun start? I guess within the next week or two, when we settle into the routine.

Driving down the road today, I just felt the best feeling of happiness. It is summertime. The skies are blue, it's hotter than friggin' hell outside, all of the kids are out of diapers and we can be footloose and fancy-free. I love it. I always hated working in the spring and summer. I thought up every reason to not go to work. And now I get to stay home with the kiddos. It's all I thought it would be (and sometimes more, but that's another post).

Busy or not, it's summertime and I'm loving it!