Aggie Day

Today marked the official kick off of college football in the Seward house. I spent most of the day being a C- parent, paying attention to my children in between plays and only fulfilling requests during commercial breaks. But contrary to years past, the girls were very cooperative and even happy to be included in the football excitement. I usually am met with whines and protest when I demand Aggie gear be worn; today all three girls put on their Texas A&M garments without complaint. They actually sat and watched portions of the game with us. (Not much, but still an improvement from before.) Ava remembered pretty quickly the basic rules of the game and could follow along. Molly learned how to put her thumb up and say "Gig 'em, Aggies!" All three girls had fun yelling "Go Aggies!" at the television screen. College football is a passion of mine - always has been, always will be. It is very fun that my kids are finally participating and including themselves in a pastime that I enjoy so much. Maybe it's out of love for the game, maybe it's out of necessity for attention; either way, we had a fantastic first Aggie Day of the college football season, what I hope will be the first of many more in the weeks to come.

A Day Saved

My start to the day was far from promising. And to be perfectly honest, it was almost exclusively my fault. I have been trying to catch up on sleep all week and have not been successful. I haven't been able to lie down for even a 15-minute power nap during the day and cannot get my act together to be in bed before 10pm at night. This lack of sleep makes for a pretty grouchy Momma to begin with. Then today I added the stresses of going grocery shopping at the worst possible time - a Friday, payday, and just before a long weekend - and then reserving a park for an event for Ava's dance company.

We made it in and out of the commissary in good time and good spirits. I even got the kids little treats for being well behaved. My original plan had been to come home, unload groceries as quickly as possible, and then head back out to complete my other errand. Again, the kids were not behaving badly; they were just FULL of energy, and I didn't have the patience to deal with it. I felt myself slowly losing my cool. I knew if I tried to put them back into the car that I would lose it altogether and end up with three sad kids and one guilt-filled mother.

So I gave myself a time out. I fed the girls lunch and told them that for 10 minutes they were to take care of themselves. I was upstairs and accessible in case of emergency, but short of mortal danger they were to handle themselves. They did a good job. I emerged for a few minutes, doing some chores in the same vicinity as the kids but still maintaining my distance. Then I put Molly down for a nap and told the other two I was taking a Quiet Time today too. I went to my room, checked my email for a minute, and then laid down and closed my eyes. I'm fairly sure I never actually fell asleep - I was hearing lots of "fun" being had during quiet time downstairs - but I was alone and undisturbed for 45 minutes. I wasn't totally refreshed by the end, but I was a hell of a lot better off than when I had started the day.

My afternoon improved even more when Ben offered to make the run for me to reserve the park for the dance company's picnic. Not having to drag all three kids to run this errand lifted so much stress from my day, and I was so thankful that Ben did this for me at the end of his own workday with no complaint.

My day ended with Ava reading to her sisters before bedtime. I watched these three sweet girls quietly sitting together and thought of how differently the day could have gone. We were on the fast track to a day full of yelling, crying, and overall frustration and misery. I was glad (and I'm not going to lie, a little proud) that I was able to take a step back and refocus before things got out of hand. The day ended with all smiles, and that is a blessing in itself.

The Power of Caffeine

This evening Ava was CRAZY. I mean, the child was outside running around like a madwoman, sweating like crazy, but still came in for dinner talking a mile a minute. I kept telling her to calm down and she just wasn't. As I came to the table with my flavored water, Ava asked me, "Oh Mom, did you use the tropical flavor like me?" It was then that I realized: Ava had made her own flavored water earlier. Not normally an issue, except that the tropical flavoring I bought a month ago is an "energy" formula loaded with caffeine. As I watched my child about to crawl out of her skin, I realized she was on an incredible caffeine high. I mean, I'm not sure Ava has ever had more than a sip of soda when it comes to her caffeine intake. Well she sure got some today. She was NUTSO all night long. I sent her down to dance with the Wii for 30 minutes in hopes that it would get some of that energy out. She somehow managed to calm down so as to go to bed on time; we'll see how well she sleeps tonight. I hope not to see this side of my child again anytime soon... but I'd be lying if I didn't say it was slightly amusing to see Ava in such a silly and out-of-control state.

A Good Day

Today was just a nice day. I got to have a nice visit with my friend Heather while our daughters entertained each other. I had the time during the afternoon to both get a bit of rest and do the necessary cleaning. I had some quality time with Ben, just the two of us, which was much needed and greatly enjoyed. And I ended the night getting to catch up with our friend Katy, who has been gone all summer long in Minnesota. It was a day without any major event but lots of lovely moments, and I felt greatly blessed to experience each one of them.

Summer Wind-Down

Today felt like the beginning of the end of summer vacation. Yesterday was busy with post-vacation unwinding, so today was more back to real life. We decided to make one last Tuesday excursion to Ikea for playtime and free lunch, and then the older girls spent the rest of the day playing outside with their friends. I took the afternoon to start catching up on all the loads of laundry from vacation and other random chores to get ready for next week. It's hard to believe that school is already starting up again. It's been a pretty fantastic summer, and I was glad that the girls had today as a great start to their last week of the break.

A Clean Car

Today was the first day back to "normal" from our Virginia Beach vacation. I started things off right by cleaning out my car. And I mean I CLEANED my car. Removed every toy, piece or trash, and leftover scrap of food. Then I vacuumed every inch and crevice I could reach - I even vacuumed the car seats! My car is just about as clean as when I drove it off of the lot a few months ago. A big part of what made this so satisfying is how easy it was to clean this van as compared to my past few vehicles. The van is so spacious, I pulled the vacuum INTO the car to reach everything more easily! But at the end of the day it is just nice to have a clean and pretty car... at least until the next time my kids have to bring a toy or have a snack in the car and start the whole process over :P

One Last Beach Day

Today was the last day of our Virginia Beach vacation. So we ended the way we began: at the beach. Ben's Navy reserve unit had a bar-b-que on the other side of the dunes from the beach. It didn't take the girls long to figure out how close we were to the sand and water, and they were soon begging to make one last run at the beach. We didn't stay long - maybe an hour or so - but it was just long enough for the girls to get their fill once and for all of the beach they have so enjoyed this week. The traffic fates were very kind to us, and we hit almost no traffic the entire drive home. Despite this, it was still just over a 4-hour drive, of which Jocelyn slept over an hour and a half and Molly almost an hour. We all vacationed hard and came home happy and tired. It was a great trip but I am glad to be home and have the next week to recover before gearing up for the upcoming school year.

Fun with Friends, Norfolk Edition

Today we got to spend most of the day with friends. We spent the morning with our old neighbors the Trests. This is the family who took Ava to school when Jocelyn had preschool last year, and we all became good friends. Rachel is active duty Navy, so they were transferred to Norfolk just a few weeks ago. It was nice - even though it's only been a short time the kids were so excited to play together. We went to a different beach, and the kids played for hours in the sand and surf.

Then in the evening we headed to the Mannings' house. Matthew was on Ben's first ship and worked in his division. Angela and I became friends, especially when the boys went on deployment. When I was pregnant with Ava, Angela was my back up person to get me to the hospital if I went into labor while Ben was gone. And even though Ben made it home in time Angela was still there with us when Ava was born. It's been years since we've seen each other, and even though we have kept in touch over Facebook it was great to catch up with a good friend. While it has been great to have this vacation just the five of us, it is always nice to catch up with friends, and I enjoyed getting to do a lot of that today.

Fun at Busch Gardens

Today we went to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg for the day. We have never been and were therefore unsure what to expect. We honestly just went because thanks to a military appreciation program we all got free admission.

We all had a GREAT time. There were a ton of rides for the girls, and they loved every one of them. No one ever complained of being tired of walking or anything else for that matter. Ben even got to ride on a roller coaster all on his own.

What may have been my favorite moment of the day: when Ben rode his roller coaster he had to get tokens to store his backpack. We were left with some extra tokens and could only use them at one of the arcades inside the park. We gave each girl 3 tokens. I was following Molly around to use her coins. She put one into a machine and got no tickets as a result. She then went to a second machine, put in her last two tokens, and walked away. I have NO idea what she did - only that moments later tickets started pouring out of this game. They just kept coming... and coming... and coming! In the end Molly won 675 tickets!! She was able to get this little pillow as her prize, and was so proud of herself. I was shocked that she somehow got that lucky. We all left the park exhausted, having had so much fun together. It was a nice break from the beach, and so much fun spending the day together.

pic at the start of our day

I didn't even tell them which sign to stand in ;)

getting ready to ride the first ride of the day

cute pic, except for that goofy guy photo bombing...

riding under some water

Ava and Jocelyn were ride buddies most of the day

Molly cooling off while the older girls rode a (mini) roller coaster

we got to meet Elmo!

and Grover!

Ava took this - she loved the different flowers all over the park

their first ride sans parents - they had a blast

Molly and I riding the glider ride

Ava and Jocie got to ride lying down

Jocelyn rode a "big kid" ride with me

riding a baby roller coaster-type ride

they survived TWO rides on the tea cups

they had their own little kid bumper cars

always looking her best

Molly turned more than she actually went anywhere, but she still loved it

riding the baby swings

always all smiles

we returned in the afternoon to find Big Bird for one last photo op

Molly proudly holding her pillow prize 

The Wonder of Elevators and Puppies

Today was much like yesterday - morning at the beach, coming back and relaxing at the hotel in the afternoon and evening. The two moments I enjoyed today:

*Molly pretending to be a puppy. I don't know what's in the air down here but all three of my children have developed some crazy allergies. Of course Molly has them the worst and is just a faucet of constant snot coming out of her nose. And of course she is not allowing this to slow her down in the slightest. Tonight she crawled up to me with her stuffed dog in her mouth. I took it and she barked at me. I asked if she wanted me to throw the puppy and she said yes. So I did, thinking that would be the end of it. Fifteen minutes later, she was still barking and playing fetch as I was slowly getting grossed out by how wet this toy was getting from her saliva and probably mucous. It was cute to see her having so much fun, and made the yuck-factor much more bearable.

*The girls in the elevators. EVERY single time we take an elevator in our hotel, this is the image I see:

The girls are fascinated by the glass elevator and stared out to the hotel below each time we went to and from our room. It makes me smile to see the small things that amaze these kids.

Beach Bums

Today was our first day at the beach. I wasn't sure how much the girls would really enjoy the beach. They have been excitedly talking about going to the beach all summer, but I know all too well how they can be completely engrossed in something and an hour later be completely over it.

They never did get bored of the beach. We arrived at 9:45am and were the ONLY people on the entire beach. Ava immediately jumped into the surf, while Jocie and Molly spent some time playing in the sand. In the end we stayed at the beach until just after 1pm. Ben and I managed to keep the children well protected from the sun while thoroughly cooking ourselves - the aloe lotion will be used a LOT over the next few days. I remember always loving the beach as a kid, and I am so glad to see my kids share this love.

Like I said, Ava jumped right in

Jocelyn had to warm up to the water, so she started WAY back in the sand

Molly scoping out the buckets

Ben and Molly building sand castles

family beach day

Ava loved the water

I love this picture

Jocelyn testing out the surf

She kept trying to quickly turn and run away and would fall! 

This was as close as Molly ever got to the water on her own

Jocelyn's mermaid pose

jumping!

Ava's mermaid picture

In Daddy's arms, Molly was all about getting in the surf

All smiles after our first beach day

drying off

snacking

We're HERE!!

Today we arrived in Hampton for the start of our vacation. Ben was able to finish his Navy commitments for the week and met us at our hotel. The girls were SUPER excited, first to see their Daddy after a few days and then to be in a new and fancy (to them) hotel. We didn't really do anything other than check out the pool and hang out in the atrium on the main level, but no one really cared. It's the start of what I'm sure will be a fun week, and we definitely started it off with a bang.

Molly working on her swimming skills

She was having a great time

I'm not sure what we all thought was so funny, but I love these smiley faces :)

hanging out in the atrium area of our hotel

Ava made a mustache with her black tortilla chip