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...

Sunrise, Sunset: Back to School

Aaaaand we're back from the Great Oregon Vacation (otherwise known as Sleep is for the Weak).

And our return means one thing: School.

Leo, first day of third grade

Ye Annual First Day of School Portrait by the Front Tree. Can someone please tell me where these giant children came from?

Walking Ellie to kindergarten (OMG, OMG, Breathe--that's me I'm talking to--she was of course, cool as a cucumber). This photo, blurry as it is, really sums it up for me. It could have been taken from a merry-go-round, which, I'll admit, is sometimes how life feels, spinning and spinning, sometimes (often) a little out of control.

Time, it flies. It just keeps marching on and on and on, ready or not, like it or not.

Ellie, first day of kindergarten

I was a little unprepared for how emotional I felt this morning, when I gave Ellie a hug and a kiss and a squeeze and an "I'm so proud of you, I can't wait to hear about your day!"

After all, I've been dropping her off at "school" for more than four and a half years but this...felt different. This is an entirely new beginning. The door on Ellie's baby and toddler and preschooldom has been slammed shut forever. It's wonderful and inevitable, of course, but it stings a little. The beginning of this new life for Ellie is thrilling but yes, it does leave me humming "Sunrise, Sunset." Because really, where does the time go? I know that I will be turning around in a few years as I drop Harry and Lucy off at kindergarten, asking myself the same damn thing.

This morning I lingered for a few minutes in the school yard after Ellie and I said our goodbyes, careful that she not see me. I wasn't sure what to do. Should I stay and watch her go inside with her class? A lot of the other parents seemed to be staying. Ellie fidgeted with the straps of her supply-laden backpack and peered in the window of one of the classrooms and finally, when I realized I had done everything I needed to do, that this was Ellie's experience to have, I turned around and started toward my bus.

Deep breaths.

***

I leave you with this. A teaser of our amazing, exhilarating, exhausting and altogether wonderful trip to Oregon.

More soon.

And here's hoping your back to school season, whatever that might entail, is off to a good start.

Adding to the List of Nicknames While Packing, Beautifying and Breathing

Long ago, Lucy became (at least to me) Lou or Louie. If she was being especially naughty, she became Louis. My own mother only used my full name when she was cross with me, maybe that's why. Louis feels more formal, don't you think?

Now, may I present to you: Evil Kanevil. AKA Crazycakes. Or maybe we should just call her Fearless.

Yes, this is the baby who isn't yet walking (cruising all over town, will hold your hand while walking but will not yet brave it alone) yet she stands at the bottom of the stairs and literally rattles the gate. If allowed, she would climb those stairs faster than you can say Evilkanevilcrazycakes. And believe me, she's tried. And succeeded (don't ask). She's also a fan of slide climbing (see top photo, as she plans her ascent).

She also learned how to scoot the stool the big kids use to wash their hands, over to the ottoman and climb said ottoman.

Yes, this incredibly innocent little creature is actually quite devious. Not to mention, she is a workout. Take her away from the spot of acrobatics du jour and she goes right back to it. And then she laughs at you.

She's pouting here. Because I wouldn't let her push that cushion over to the love seat and use the cushion as a ladder. To climb the loveseat, of course. (By the way, we do normally wear clothes in our house it was just really really hot that day). Like, really hot.

Can you hear the eyeballs rolling out of my head?

In other news, I've been very busy packing for five people (see above). I must be one of the worst packers on the planet. I'm sure it would be easier if I wasn't interrupted every fifteen seconds. And when I do get uninterrupted time it's about fifteen o'clock and I'm plain exhausted and not thinking straight and bed just seems so much more appealing.

Like everything at our house, it will get done, maybe at the eleventh hour, but we will not arrive at the airport without luggage. We might not have the world's most organized carry-on bag and we might forget something, but the good news is, we're not going to Mars so I'm pretty sure if we run out of baby wipes we'll be able to buy them at our final destination.

I'm in slight denial about the cross country flight with twin toddlers but I'm going to do my best to channel my Disneyworld "Can Do" attitude. I'll be whistling "Hakuna Matata" and thinking about the end reward which is family, friends and the best beer and coffee in the world (yes, I know you can get Stumptown in New York now but there is something about visiting the Mother Ship that is incomparable).

***

This weekend, Ellie and I had a little "Day of Beauty." OK I may be overstating it slightly: We both got haircuts, I got a pedicure and she got a manicure (her first! Sniff!). As I always do, I reveled in the one kid glory and with my ability to focus all my attention on one person, rather than feeling like I'm being pulled in nineteen different directions. Not that there is anything wrong with nineteen different directions (it's our new normal and for the most part, I'm all in) but it's nice for all of us to get that little respite.

I think everyone agrees.

Trifecta of Sensory Troubles: Overcome

Leo, age 8: First successful dental cleaning.

Longtime readers know that for years, Leo has struggled with three tasks: haircuts, doctor visits (specifically ear, nose and throat--basically anything that involves the use of an instrument to peer into anything) and going to the dentist.

Well, check, check and check!

In case there was any question, Leo is most assuredly, growing up. Tuesday I took him to the dentist (he was loooooong overdue). I'll admit I rescheduled this appointment a few times. Every time I've taken Leo to the dentist in the past, the most the dentist has been able to do is peer into Leo's mouth. He had yet to have an actual cleaning. And going has just felt like a huge waste of time, though of course I knew we had to keep persevering to help get him comfortable.

You may be appalled, thinking, eight years old and still no cleaning? But our dentist (who has a daughter with Down syndrome, himself) assured me that Leo would be fine, that his own daughter didn't allow him to give her a real cleaning until she was eight (apparently eight is the magic number?). Did I mention what a relief it is to have a doctor who "gets" it? The uninitiated might assume the medical community is compassionate to special needs and understanding of kids who might be more a little more afraid or uncomfortable and who in turn, make the appointments take a little longer. For the most part this is the case, but it isn't always.

And our dentist? Oh boy, does he get it. He asked Leo about his stuffed dragon. He tickled him with the toothbrush and the dental floss. He understood every word Leo said (this was extra awesome--to not have to play translator to every five words is liberating for all involved). And he wasn't even offended when he offered Leo water (he was dying to spit in the little rinse bowl next to the dental chair) and Leo asked instead, for orange juice.

Leo was definitely hesitant. But he never got hysterical and he was reasonable. I would say that's one of the biggest changes I've seen with him in the last year or so: he listens to reason. He can still be impulsive but you can get to his level and talk to him and say "This is what we're doing and this is why" and he might not love it or necessarily want to do it but he eventually says "OK."

I never quite figured out why Leo was so terrified of the haircut, ENT, dental trifecta. I just know that every time we left a hairdresser (usually with both of us in tears) or a doctor's appointment without a proper exam (remember how we had to have Leo sedated to just see if his tubes were intact?), it was like a punch in the gut. You're different. This is hard. Not to mention, all the undue stress it put on Leo, the poor guy.

So I'm relieved to say that I think we are finally closing the door on these struggles. Sensory? I guess. It doesn't really matter. All I know is that Leo finally has consistently, closely cropped hair, twenty-two teeth and I don't break into hives when I have to take him to the ENT (or even the regular old pediatrician).

As you can see, Leo is ready for Halloween, already. His dentist will be happy to know he doesn't even like candy.

I know! What's wrong with him?

Terrible Summer (Can't You Tell?)

Another miserable day for Leo at camp.

Another awful day for Ellie in New York City, where she accompanied me to work (here she is after lunch on a rooftop terrace in midtown).

And yet more torture, this time it's the babies who are clearly very unhappy.

Such a shame these kids never have any fun.

Meanwhile, I'm having a hard time believing that in just a few short weeks, Ellie will be a kindergartener (Dun dun dun!) and Leo will be in third grade. We still have a big, exciting adventure/vacation (OK, it's not a "vacation" if it involves small children, but still! We're excited!) to look forward to. But first I have to pack for five people and withstand a cross country flight with twin toddlers.

I can totally drink on the plane, right?

Because Fourteen Month Olds Need Shoes Too and Early Risings=Even More Olympics

Hello? Anyone there?

Oh, the days dawn early around here lately. It seems as though 5 a.m. is the new wake-up time for at least one baby and sometimes two. By 6 a.m. at least one big kid is up. Sometimes two. Which leads me to my question, which I think top scientists should be studying:

Why is it that children (babies are excluded from this) rise a good one to two hours earlier on weekends? Ellie moans and groans through her Monday through Friday mornings but come Saturday she is up with (often before!) the sun and the chickens and she is positively peppy. I mean, I know why she's so exuberant, she doesn't have to go to school or camp! But it's the early hour that I wonder about.

You think it's a cup. Harry knows better. In Harry's world, anything can be a phone!

Friday afternoon I got off work a little early and figured I would take advantage of the fact that with Leo and Ellie at camp, I wouldn't have to drag all nineteen children to the mall (Striderite=Proper measurement=Lots of wide shoes=Harry appears to be following in Barney Rubble aka Leo's feet) to buy Harry's First Shoes (sniff!).

Boy shoes usually don't excite me but I did a bit of poking around online and found these and well, how can you go wrong with the name?

Normally, I do what I can to avoid loading and unloading the babies and the Giant Ridiculous Stroller 2.0 in and out of the car, particularly on a 95-degree, humid, August day, but now that I'm back at work (again, sniff), errands with the babies are more novel than drudgery. So I thought this little after-work/pre-Big Kid camp pick-up would be a fun little treat for all of us. So I circled the parking lot amidst Harry's late afternoon meltdown and sweated my way through the folding and the unfolding of the stroller and the unbuckling and the buckling of two sweaty, semi-compliant individuals. You can imagine my surprise when I rounded the corner where the Stride Rite store was in our local mall, only to find the windows darkened.

The store had been closed for two months, the kindly Mrs. Fields manager informed me. Gah. That's what you get for doing all of your shoe shopping online, I suppose.

Still content to be barefoot at all times, Lucy cruises around on whatever object or human (or dog) she comes across. Ellie, an ottoman or an empty Zappos box all serve as perfectly suitable push toys. She does the stand and squeel, where she looks like she's about to take a step. But no. Meanwhile, her language is exploding. When you enter a room she says "Hi! Hi! Hi!" until you greet her back. She's been calling Erin "Mama" for weeks. The other day I was holding her while making Leo's scrambled eggs and I swear she pointed at the pan and said "hot," clear as a bell. Speaking of pointing, it's her favorite thing. She points all the time. Such a rude little thing, right? She's also finally picking up sign language. When I asked her if she wanted to "eat" this morning, she signed "more."

Both babies wave "Hi" and "Bye" like professional Hi and Bye Wavers. Sometimes it's two minutes after we've arrived or left, but hey, we'll work out the details eventually.

Lastly, and unrelated to anything I've just said (5 a.m. wake-ups, people. 5 a.m.) I just have to say again, how much I'm enjoying watching the Olympics with the kids. One plus side to waking at 5 a.m. on the weekends: Plenty of Olympic viewing opportunities, and hey, they're even live! Ellie and I watched some of the marathon, bright and early on Sunday (Harry and Lucy appeared disinterested and sloth-like Leo slept until an unheard of 6:45 a.m.). The night before, we watched another one of my favorite events (after gymnastics): synchronized diving. Ellie asked me what it was and I explained it was when "two girls jumped into the pool at the same time."

"Do they hold hands?" Ellie asked.

Man, do I love her.

TGIF: New Shoes Edition

Don't you wish you could just bottle this kind of self-confidence? Ellie models her new sneakers.

In case you were wondering, it was "Fairy Tale Character Day" at camp today. For Ellie, the decision was obvious and easy (well, as easy as it can be to choose just one princess dress). For Leo...the choice was more complicated.

And so, I give you Super Grover Leprechaun Boy (hard to tell but he IS wearing a cap AND a Leprechaun hat left over from St. Patrick's Day festivities). I just knew that cap would come in handy someday and resisted the urge to put it in the giveaway bag during one of my recent, weekly clutter purges which really ought to be done daily.

And because that wasn't exciting enough, it was also New Shoe Day: sneaks for Ellie and Crocs for Leo. Here's a testament to how important online shopping is for our family. Last week the strap on one of Leo's sneaks broke. He brought it to me and instructed me to "Call the mailman."

In other news, how is that Crocs can be so hideous on adults yet so adorable on little kids? Don't even get me started on the tiny turquoise pair I put on Harry the other day, hand-me-downs from a friend.

I am absolutely giddy about Leo's Crocs (yes, my life is that exciting, try not to be too jealous). His feet are kind of freakishly wide--we don't secretly call him Barney Rubble Feet for nothing--and not only is he notoriously difficult to fit, he's, hmm, how shall I put it...very attached to wearing shoes that light up. He's owned a variation of these for the last three years (mostly because they are one of the only pairs of "light up" shoes that come in extra wide). Ask me how I feel about the fact that my son owns exactly two pairs of shoes: sneakers and rain boots (seriously, he's that difficult to fit and that intent on the "light up" factor).

But Leo has "water play" at camp and if all goes well we'll spend a lot of time at the pool in the coming weeks, so he really needed some type of shoe that could be worn around water/get wet. The last time I attempted Crocs on him it was an utter fail--not only were they too small (narrow) but he broke the strap in the back almost instantly. But this time, we started talking about getting Crocs and he tried on a pair of Ellie's that are too big on her but they fit Leo! And he liked them! And did I mention they don't light up and he doesn't care? He asked for orange and his wish was my command.

Did I also mention how awesome it is to have big kids who can put on their own new shoes (see below)? That's been the case for some time, but we hit another big milestone this week: both big kids can strap themselves into their car seats. Can you imagine what it will be like when Harry and Lucy can do that? That's when you'll see me in the front seat kicking back with a cigar and a brandy. I mean, what will there be for me to doooo?

Leo took this photo this morning. Not the best picture but it's just so "us," I had to include it. Happy weekend to all!