I Want OUT! And Other Things We Heard, Saw and Did This Year in Mystic

Summer wouldn't officially be here for our family without our annual trek to Mystic, Connecticut.

A few days before our road trip I took the van in to have the carseats checked by a professional (yes, four kids in and I still don't trust myself to install them properly). I was mainly concerned about Leo's booster but when the tech noticed Harry and Lucy were still rear facing, we started to talk (she was impressed they were still rear facing since it is technically safer). But then we began talking heights and weights and since they were close to outgrowing their seats in their present position,  it made sense to take care of that while we were there. So, one hour and most of a Lego Batman movie later (thank you, minivan DVD player), voila!


Two officially forward facing, big kids.

We hit the road early on Saturday morning. Lucy has never been what I'd call mellow in the car but I was really hoping the novelty of the forward facing would help.

No dice.

Three minutes into New York State and Lucy was shrieking, "I WANT OUT!!"

It was just as relaxing as it sounds.

We stopped in Connecticut to use the restroom and let the kids get their shakes out. We taught them the art of relay racing (not the firing squad that it appears).



It calmed Lucy. For about three minutes.

Side note: I had to laugh at us the night before we left, as we ran around the house like the proverbial chickens, throwing clothes and toys and swim goggles into tote bags. We were going away for One. Night. The scene reminded me of the beginning of "Home Alone"--which takes place the night before a large family is leaving for a trip to Paris. So I had only one goal really, for this year's trip to Mystic: to not forget any of our children.

Newsflash: It's hard traveling with many small children. Really it only takes one miserable child (not mentioning any names) to make the whole thing challenging. But in certain moments, all the hard stuff, all the whining and struggling and cajoling and haggling all falls away.



Our first stop when we hit town was Abbots, our favorite Mystic (technically in nearby Noank) restaurant. Its location on the water (coupled with its lobster rolls and lobster chowder) is truly transporting--it screams "Vacation!" even if you do have to eat your lobster roll while you are chasing around an almost three year old and keeping her from landing head first in the water.






If these two pictures of the kids and me aren't the quintessential shots of being a mom of four kids then I don't know what is. (My favorite part of the picture below is Leo, by the way). And notice how Lucy is getting set to go rogue and refusing to look at the camera? Yup.



I always aim for little, transcendental moments when we travel with the children. For me, that came after lunch, at the hotel pool. Everyone was tired and stir crazy from the car time. But all we had to do was add a little water and soon, all four (all six actually) were in bliss. We had the pool to ourselves for a while--allowing Leo to cannon ball off the side to his heart's content, while Ellie practiced her back stroke. Erin and I took turns throwing twins around the pool (Lucy squealed "I want to do that AGAIN!" about ninety-seven times).

The big plan for a nice dinner at another favorite local restaurant was foiled by an unnamed, non-napped preschooler. Needless to say what began as an "early dinner" quickly became "Uh...can we actually get that to go?" Cheese pizzas and Greeks salads and spaghetti and meatballs were quickly wrapped and it was "home" to our hotel room where the kids picnicked on beach towels and I (out of desperation) paid more to RENT "The Lego Movie" than it costs to buy the DVD. Best money we've spent in a looooong time.

I'll skip the part about the pretty torturous night in a hotel room with twin two year olds (complete with a 1 a.m. wake up due to drunk wedding revelers in the hallway outside our room). It was everything you would imagine it to be.

Oh but I do have to share this.

Poor Leo is afraid of the dark. At home he sleeps with a lamp on in his room. He pleaded with us to leave a reading lamp in the hotel room on. WAY too bright. We agreed to leave the light in the bathroom on AND the door open. He was not satisfied with that compromise. Which is why this trip to Mystic will be remembered as the One When Leo Slept In the Bathtub. I'll once again use the line that sums up our family: Can't. Make. This. Stuff. Up.

Needless to say, we all survived, as we always seem to. There was hot, dark roast venti-sized Starbucks in the morning (shouldn't all hotels have a Starbucks in the lobby?), along with a breakfast buffet complete with strawberries and whipped cream (of course Lucy fell off her chair in the middle of breakfast). Par for the course.

After breakfast came the moment we'd all been waiting for:


Visiting an old friend, the beluga whale at the Mystic Aquarium.


We took our annual picture in front of the penguin statue. Notice anything different about this one? No stroller! This is the first trip we've taken as a family of six wherein no stroller was used. Hooray! And also, EEK!

You know what else was pretty cool?





On our way out of town we finally got to meet Abby and her family. Her mom Cate writes one of the first DS blogs I ever read (hers was one that inspired me to start writing my own). I can't believe I've "known" her now for six years--when we first connected, Abby and Leo were toddlers. Now look at these giant big kids.


Until next time, Mystic. Our goals for when we do return are mighty: Dinner AT a restaurant, sitting  at a table, perhaps? And sleeping through the night in beds. Oh we ask for SO MUCH!

Remind Me Not to Take These Twins Out of State Again Until They're Four: Trip to Mystic, 2013

Oh, I kid. We all had a good time.


There may have been one small girl who spent much of the time a bit cranky.


Have I mentioned Lucy turned two? And now officially hates strollers and holding your hand when walking?


It's taken me a while to figure this out, but I've come to realize that when you have four kids, the odds that someone is going to be irritated about something or unhappy with a situation is almost inevitable. Of course when they're all happy At Once I feel especially proud and revelatory. And it does happen. At least, so I'm told.


See? Totally recovered.




Truthfully, our annual trip to Mystic, Connecticut was just fine. Fun, even! When we weren't fighting with Lucy to sit in the stroller or hold a hand when walking. And in spite of the Miniature-Time-Bombs-Off-Their-Nap-Schedule-Known-As-Two-Year-Old-Twins, we partook in the usual things we love about Mystic: boat climbing, beluga watching, lobster roll eating and hotel pool swimming. (Please note: I am choosing not to disclose what happened on Thursday, between the hours of midnight and 2 a.m. Let's just leave it at, I now know what it's like for someone to sleep with their body draped across your throat. And yes, I'm looking at  you, Lucy).




She's momentarily in control so of course, she's thrilled.


As the big kids like to say, Harry "blew his mind" looking at all the boats at the Mystic Seaport (although I think in this picture he was actually taken by the sound of a passing truck-that boy is in loooove with all things vehicle and mechanical).


What happens when Lucy is contained in the medieval torture device stroller. She kicks. Me. A lot.

This year we were lucky enough to have extended family along to join us: Grandma Jerry and niece/cousin Brandy.

I hope we didn't embarrass them too much.

After a long day of wrangling uncooperative toddlers exploring seaports and children's museums and aquariums and waterfronts, I can think of only one thing: All hail the intoxicating benefits of the hotel room television and Disney Jr. Room-service wine is also helpful (for the moms).

I can't think of a better end to a day with four kids on vacation a trip.


And as I like to say whenever we manage to leave the house: cue the theme to Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey!

The Great Trip to Oregon, Part 3: All's Fair

On our way back from central Oregon, we stopped at the Oregon State Fair.
I swear I've told Erin about this fair that I visited almost annually, throughout my childhood. I think she's under the impression I've been holding out on her, but I swear! I haven't! This year the stars aligned and all fifty of us made it to the Oregon State Fair and, well I think it's fair (HA!) to say that a great time was had by all.
 
You can't argue with rainbows AND unicorns. Ellie was in her element.
Erin and Ellie rode the bumper cars. Leo and I (and the babies) were content on terra firma.
After Leo had his face painted (Spiderman, natch) we moved onto the rides. He really wanted the pink
bike.
 
Ellie won that war. (Mostly Leo just really wanted to ride next to Ellie. True story.)
We made some new friends (can't visit Oregon without a hug from Smokey!)

 In between all these shots, we visited with the cows, horses, pigs, goats, sheep, rabbits...you get the idea. We watched people stand in line for a loooong time to hold a baby lion, surveyed the collections (one of my favorite exhibits) which this year included a cereal box collection. Leo and Ellie loved looking at the cakes entered in the cake decorating contest. Leo and Ellie donned fire fighter garb and held fire hoses. In short, small minds were blown at nearly every turn. This fair? It's a kid's dream. And as a bonus? I had just as much fun as a grown-up as I remember having as a kid.

 I can't remember the last time I went to this fair--I guess I must have been a teenager. I am here to tell you it has not changed AT ALL, which, in our times (geez, how old am I?) is saying a lot. You laugh, but this state fair is the epitome of good ole family fun. Funnel cakes and snow cones, jumpy houses and skee ball, miniature horses and long haired guinea pigs. I've tried to replicate this experience at other fairs and festivals in other states and I've yet to do so. Every fair I'll ever go to will get compared to this one. It just feels so comfortable and familiar. (I'll admit I was disappointed by this year's absence of deep fried pickles, but I soldiered on.)

And of course it was the source of one of my favorite pictures of all time (we were fortunate to have Grandma and Grandpa with us at the fair, too).

At the end of a very long (but long in a good way) day, we happened upon a playground built atop a mound of haystacks (only at the Oregon State Fair). The sandbox? Was made of corn kernels. Of course. This playground was serendipitously located not only right next to the beer garden (score!) but across from some more than decent live music. Leo and Ellie played for a good hour (the irony was not lost on me that one of their most favored things ended up being free!) against a backdrop of the setting sun, the sky a swirling palette of blues and pinks and purple. There was a marked chill in the air: autumn was on the way.

It felt so good to be "home."

Heaven is Here

If there is a Heaven, and I really hope there is, I'm pretty sure it looks like this:And also this.

Saturday afternoon, sipping lemonade against the backdrop of the tall ships lining the Mystic River, the soundtrack of our children laughing as they ran up and down the grassy fields (we played the "Let's tire them out game"--aka who can run the fastest--works every time).

This weekend was the annual trip to Mystic. It always feels like the kick off to our summer.

You may recall this photo from last year.

No, that's not a beluga whale in between Leo and Ellie, that's just me, bloated and swollen and pregnant with twins. Yes, things looked a little different last year. I remember looking at that picture and thinking: Technically, there are five people in this picture. Next year we'll come back here with two babies.

And here they are. The missing two, on the outside now, here to enjoy the aquarium and our little patch of "Heaven" (yes, I realize they don't look all that thrilled to be there--you'll have to trust me--they did have a good time.)

That's more like it. Thanks Harry. (Lucy's pondering something: her next escape, perhaps?)

We spent a wonderful afternoon by the river, the babies on a blanket, getting their shakes out after the long drive. Here Lucy demonstrates her newest favorite trick: Climb whatever obstacle is in front of her. There was a time when a setting like this, the bank of a river, would have given me palpitations, in relation to Leo. But he's in such a great place right now. I really see him maturing in wonderful ways. He's listening better, mellowing out.

Lobster rolls and macaroni and cheese (I'll give you two guesses as to who ate what) by the river at Abbot's. Everyone looks so giant to me here. The babies are clearly still babies but in my mind I often think, We have two kids and two babies. But I look at this picture and it's very clear: There are four of them. I also think: How did we get all these kids?

It always seems like going away (even for one night) is so much work but every time we do it (whether it's going away for a weekend or spending six days in Disney World) I'm always so glad we did it. I can't believe I'm saying this but it was actually more fun with the babies (except for the sleep part--Harry and hotel rooms still don't mix but we all know sleep is overrated).

Another highlight of the trip for me was a Sunday morning swim with just Leo and Ellie. Ellie adores a hotel pool--I'm pretty sure she would have chosen the pool over the aquarium--lucky for us we got to do both. It's just so different now that they are these big kids who know how to swim. It's-dare I say it-relaxing to be with them. We laughed and threw a foot ball. At one point Leo and Ellie were in the pool and I snuck over to the hot tub--of course I was watching them but I didn't need to hover. And of course no one was happy with me in the hot tub and I was ordered to get back in the pool to throw the football to Leo in a matter of minutes.

By the way, pool, then hot tub, then pool? Big Mistake.

Faith, Trust, Pixie Dust and the Poolside Mai Tais Were Pretty Great Too

In spite of how it looks here, we did not plan on color coordinating our outfits with Tigger and Pooh.

When Erin announced, right after the holidays that she wanted us to go to Disneyworld, my reaction was simple.

Are you crazy?

But somehow, through her magical and mysterious ways, I was convinced. And I admit. I was skeptical. Two little kids, one with a predeliction for wandering off? Twin babies? On an airplane to Florida and all of us, loose in a giant theme park? How were we going to pull this off?

And when I told people we were going to Disneyworld? All of us? Everyone had the same reaction.

Are you crazy?

Well. We have four kids. Clearly we are crazy.

But we did it. We went to Disneyworld.

And I'll tell you right now. I'm a believer. I get it. The Disney magic? I bought into it all.

I don't even know where to begin. I've spent the last seventy two hours gazing at pictures, still on a vacation buzz. Dreams do come true.

We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge which was perfect for us, lovers of the pacific northwest. And the fact that we could get to the Magic Kingdom via boat in less than thirty minutes (including wait time for said boat) wasn't bad either.

I'll preface all of this by saying our expectations for this trip were low. We didn't want to try to plan too much or try to do too much. I told Erin I would be ecstatic if we all just got home safely (i.e. no lost children at the Magic Kingdom). What can I say? I'm a worrier. We weren't even sure if the kids could handle two days at the Magic Kingdom and we went back and forth over whether we should try to do another park too (Epcot? Universal Orlando? Sea World?).

We thought it best to go with the flow and the flow ended up being, two days at the Magic Kingdom with a day of rest in between (that's where the fabulous poolside mai tais came in).

One day, a few weeks before we left for the trip when I was on the phone with someone at Disneyworld for the ninety seventh time (OK I lied, I am a little bit of a planner), the Disney cast member was checking on something for me. "Hakuna Matata," she said. I paused for a moment, confused. Then I realized, she was quoting "The Lion King." Of course she was. No worries. Of course! And that became our mantra for the trip. Whenever Erin and I sensed the other was getting stressed out or bunchy, it was "Hakuna Matata!" And I'm not embarrassed to say that it worked.

Our first day at the Magic Kingdom we had one goal. Tinkerbell. For Ellie.

Ellie was nervous. Tinkerbell has surpassed Princesses for Ellie (thank goodness--there is something way less annoying and almost empowering about the fairies--OK that's probably going a little far but you know what I mean--but I do like that Tink is a "Can Do" kind of gal). I don't think Ellie could quite believe she was going to actually meet Tinkerbell.

Not the world's best picture, but I had to include it. Tink gave Leo and Ellie fairy dust and here they are showing it off. In the end, Ellie was disappointed that she hadn't been able to fly with Tinkerbell.

For Leo, the goals were Woody and Buzz.

Check (with bonus Jessie).

And Check again.

Ride-wise, two of the biggest hits were Peter Pan's Flightand It's a Small World (which will always remain close to my heart since I loved it as a child and it was the only ride that all of us (even the babies!) were able to ride together). Ellie kept asking why the dolls weren't waving back at her. Sometimes I really do forget that she's four.

Leo also loved the Tomorrowland Speedway.

Here he's showing off his "license."

The Magic Carpets of Aladdin was another favorite.

The Teacups (with Grandma Jerry, to boot!) were also memorable.


And me? Fruitball that I am, lover of "Glee" (the old Glee, not so much this season) and Broadway musicals, I LOVED the "Celebrate a Dream" parade (that's us, above, waiting for it to start).

I loved it SO much, I forced everyone to watch the parade twice (not in the same day, don't worry). Just watch that snippet and see the hug Leo received and just try not to feel like the world is a wonderful place. Or at the very least, that Disneyworld is a wonderful place.

The kids loved the parade too. What's not to love? It was the most perfect, awesome Disney mash-up. All the characters! All the princesses! Together! Coupled with a catchy little song that is still in my brain five days later!

You just don't get smiles bigger than that, anywhere.

Those babies were there too.


Harry, aka Shameless, who tries to steal everything and anything from Lucy, even her bottle, when she's sleeping. Seriously Harry, how low can you go?

I like to call this one "Mission Accomplished." Finally napping.

Trying to find the quickest way to Splash Mountain. Shockingly enough the babies were not much help.

Back at the hotel we swam (did I mention Ellie can officially swim?). I mean, she's been taking lessons but I hadn't really seen her in action.

Side note about the pool: I have never felt so safe at a pool with kids. At one point I asked the lifeguard a question and he said he could not turn to look at me because he had to keep his eyes on the pool at all times. Another time Leo wouldn't leave the pool when both Erin and I had to get out with the babies who both got cold and tired of swimming at the same time. The lifeguard told me not to worry, that Leo was fine, that "no one was going to drown."

I enjoyed the break from cooking and cleaning up the kitchen approximately seventy-nine times a day. It was also heavenly to come back to a clean hotel room every night. Daily housekeeping? I could get used to that.

Wash cloths and hand towels on the bed at our hotel. No detail is too small for Disney.

This trip did wonders for my confidence as the mother of four (cough, cough I am still not used to saying that). And as a family of six (again I am coughing). For a while I was terrified that Life As We Knew It was over. That we'd never do fun stuff again (well, I knew we'd do it again, I just thought it would be a long while). I'm not going to say it was easy or that there weren't a few moments of What Were We Thinking? But I have to say those moments were fewer and farther between than I expected.

We concluded our first day at the Magic Kingdom with the fabulous "Wishes" fireworks spectacular. It has it all, wonderfully cheesy Disney music with a montage of Disney quotes about wishes ("I wish I could be part of that world" (Little Mermaid); "I wish I could go to the ball," (Cinderella); "I wish we'd never have to grow up" (Peter Pan).

I never realized the thread that ties so many (all?) of the Disney movies together: wishes.

Star bright, star light, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish, I wish tonight, we make a wish as dreamers do and all our wishes will come true.

We didn't lose any children. We didn't go crazy (well, any crazier than we already are). We drank mai tais (yes I'm still thinking about those mai tais) and juice boxes poolside, hugged fairies and Tigger and Pooh (and many, many more). At least one baby slept through the night in the hotel room.

Some wishes do come true.