How to Pack an Entire Summer Vacation Into Two Weeks

Here's hoping your summer of 2013 was filled with great memories too.

Spring Breakers

Leo introduces Harry to the Best Movie Ever  (in Leo's mind).


Last night, after the babies were in bed and the big kids were pajamaed and drawing idyllically at the kitchen table, it dawned on me:

The kids start spring break tomorrow. No school. I don't have to make school lunches for ten days.

Let me repeat that: I DONT HAVE TO MAKE SCHOOL LUNCHES FOR THE NEXT TEN DAYS.

Now that's what I call spring break! My friend Cate says she thinks there's an episode of "Girls Gone Wild" that has to do with moms not making lunches and I'd believe it, because while it doesn't take me that long to do it at night, it's the knowing that my evening is that freed up. I can never truly relax when I have that monkey of Must Pack Lunches on my back. But with no lunches? Once Ellie is in bed (Erin usually puts Leo to bed), I'm a free woman! I can...oh I don't know...throw in a load of laundry! Organize a closet! Or watch "Smash" bad television, play Words With Friends and drink wine. You know, just hypothetically speaking.

The reason for the packed lunch respite is this the first year in the history of, ever that the kids haven't been in daycare during a school break. For the last few years, Ellie's preschool stayed open year round and ran a camp for school age kids during school holidays, which Leo always attended. Before that, Leo and Ellie were both in daycare.

I wish I could be home with the kids every day (well maybe not every day all day, ahem). But we're cobbling together some fun(ish) plans. Next week I'm bringing Ellie and Leo to work with me on separate days and I'll take a day off here and there where I can. There were some long faces and tears when I left this morning, but we rallied. And I guess at least Ellie recovered, because when I called to check on everyone at lunch Ellie asked me, "Can we, um, not be talking on the phone?"

Alrighty then.


Spring Break means playing outside in your pajamas on the first day that really "felt" like spring. In other news, I think it might be time for Ellie to get a real bike.

It's amazing how much fun can be had before 9 a.m.


They have the entire driveway and yet, here they sit, tush to tush.

The Great Trip to Oregon, Part 2: When in Rome

Our days in central Oregon alternated between lazy hours by the pool (well, not exactly lazy) and side trips.

One of our favorites was a visit to the fish hatchery in Camp Sherman. Look closely at the water. All those fish! Ellie is feeding them here. You'd throw a tiny bisquit in the water and hundreds--thousands? would rush to grab the food.

Cowboy Leo read ALL about the salmon and trout.

Why yes, the big kids were outfitted in their western attire (new cow boy hats and boots for both, I for one am seething with jealousy at Ellie's red cow boy boots...they did not come in my size). Hey, when in Rome...

Lucy, not in western garb.

I could have stood on the bridge overlooking this gorgeous water for a loooong time. Such an incredible bluish green color.

After the fish hatchery we headed to Bend where we had lunch at Deschutes Brewery pub (or as I like to call, it the Mother Ship). No pictures of our meal (and beverages) because, well, you can't drink the best beer in the world, wrangle small children AND take photographs.

Post lunch, the big kids and the grandparents went to the High Desert Museum in Bend. Meanwhile, just to shake things up, Erin and I spent a few hours with the babies at an urgent care clinic, suspicious that the lack of sleep and several hours of Lucy wailing the night before might indicate an ear infection. But no dice! Diagnosis: just nasty little colds (and probably the time change) = no sleeping! Ah well, what vacation is complete with young ones without a trip or two to urgent care?

When we weren't fish hatchery or museum going, there was time for dress up. Here's Ellie, channeling Michael Phelps, Dolly Parton and Stevie Nicks.

And morning snuggles with Grandma.

And more art with Grandpa.

A fairy, by Ellie

A fairy, by Leo

"Relaxing" by the pool.

As you can see, it was a rough life.

Still to come: the final Oregon installment, which includes this event, also known as, perhaps my favorite picture ever, of all time.

And in the End, It Was All Worth It: The Great Trip to Oregon 2012: Part 1

And we were off...

Erin, at the Portland International Airport, shortly after arrival. I'm betting we win the award for Most Carseats in Checked Luggage!

At approximately zero o'clock in the morning we woke the kids and took all seventeen bags and fifteen car seats to Newark airport.

Thirty years later (in case you were wondering, a cross country flight with two fifteen month olds? It's long.) we arrived. Sidenote: there were three sets of twins on our flight to Portland. How funny is that?

Less than twenty-four hours after we arrived in Portland we hit the road for Black Butte, where my family has a vacation home and where we've been going since, well, before I was even born. I have so many memories there, which is part of why it's so special to be able to bring my family there now.

Tired yet?

This is the view you see much of the time at Black Butte.

I think you can see why we make the trip. One look at that, and one breath of that mountain air and I am done. In a good way. Stick the proverbial fork in me. Oh and the readily available and plentiful Deschutes Brewery beer doesn't hurt either.

Prior to Black Butte, we stopped in Eugene to see my aunt and cousins. My family has a food booth at the Eugene Saturday Market.

Leo and Grandpa Rog shared an intimate lunch.

The kids frolicked with their cousins (some of whom they'd never even met, ah the plight of cross country living).

Now, let's be honest. With four kids, two of them toddlers, it wasn't much of a vacation as much as it was a relocation. Keeping the babies safe in a non-baby proofed cabin was exhausting (to say nothing of the sleep--or lack of it-they never quite got on Pacific time, not that I expected them to, but Harry? The waking up every hour thing? That was a bit much, my friend. Ahem).

But as a friend said to me when I told her what we were setting off to do, it was a chance to make some wonderful family memories. And that we did.

Leo fished. (For the first time!)

Ellie and I rode a surrey

The babies, as usual, played hard.

By the way, this picture? This encapsulates Lucy and Harry's personalities To a T. This is it. The end. Done.

The big kids got to do art projects with Grandpa Rog.

Days dawned early, as they do wherever we go.

And I'm pretty sure that we broke Grandpa Rog more than a few times.

There was plenty of time to practice walking. Oh! I buried a lead--Lucy learned to walk on this trip!

Video proof of the Lucy walking that runs a bit long and might only be of interest to relatives but hey--if you want to know why we now call Lucy "Lurch"--well, take a look.

And there was time to sit and rest too.

Harry gave Lucy tips on the old verticle moves.

We took a lot of walks.

To be continued...