The Long-Awaited (definitely over-hyped) Vacation Post

Finally all of our pictures are uploaded to Flickr and I can share our camping vacation adventure. By now I have talked about this post so much that it is sure to be disappointing, but I will soldier on.

What does a massive van with camping supplies for a family of eight look like when full?



We also had stuff crammed under every seat! We actually took this picture when we were packing up to come home, so a few things had been thrown away. We forgot to take a picture when we were packing up to get to the cabin.

We stayed in a cabin at Cooper Lake State Park South Sulphur Unit. We chose this location by default. I looked for state parks with full use cabins a reasonable distance from home (three hours or less) and found this park. We didn't know what to expect from the cabin and were pleasantly surprised on our arrival.



We arrived at the camp after regular check-in hours and the park staff was nice enough to have the cabin unlocked for us and the A/C already running! It was very cool inside. Two ceiling fans also helped (we are talking about July in Texas, no way was I camping in a tent). The layout was simple: a living room, a galley kitchen, and a bedroom with two full beds and a full bath. Enough space to be comfortable most of the time. Sleeping was a little tricky though. We took two air mattresses for kids to sleep on and BTS slept in his car seat. Husband is a lighter sleeper than I am, so he shared a bed with one kid while I shared with LCS and another kid. It wasn't until our last night that Husband found a kid that didn't kick him all night. I had a sliver of bed to sleep on, so I was very excited to come home to our king size bed with no kids in it! Still, sleeping in close quarters is an essential part of family trips, right?

The highlight of the trip (at least for the kids) was probably playing and swimming at the beach area. This is a man-made lake (as are all the lakes in Texas except one) and the beach area is just a walled off swimming area with sand dumped on top of the original clay/dirt. Still, it was fun.







We spent a good part of both days at the beach.

Husband took the big kids fishing two different times. He would cast the line and then the kids would reel them in. Everyone caught something! We didn't keep any of the fish, but the kids had fun.







For some reason we have no picture of TMS with her catch.

We knew that three days in a small cabin and hot weather with small kids could get tricky, so we took along the laptop and movies. This was a life-saver during the hottest part of the day when we needed to be inside and resting. It was the only way we were able to get LCS to nap. We watched an episode of Little House on the Prairie the first night, and enjoyed the awesomeness of the Sandlot twice (one of my favorite movies). I guess having a computer with us took away from the idea of getting away from the world, but it was definitely good for us. Here's the crew ready to watch Little House on our first night there.



We played UNO and Chinese Checkers (very interesting with six players, five of them playing for the first time). We had sugary cereal and pop-tarts for breakfast two of the three days (my kids loved that). We cooked hot dogs and s'mores (peanut butter cup is the way to go). We had a fish fry one night and Husband cooked Mountain Man breakfast one morning.

At times we had a hip-hop vibe going.



BTS was pretty relaxed the whole time. LCS shared her sunglasses with him.



The kids put on a show when we happened upon a very small amphitheater and stage. I'm not sure what the plot was, but they were proud of themselves.



All in all it was a great trip. Of course there was still bickering between siblings and loss of patience in the parents. But we spent time slowing down and playing games and paying attention to each other. The kids can't wait to do it again (although TMS likes fall and winter camping better because there are fewer bugs) and we definitely will. The lake didn't offer a lot of recreation options for us, so we might try some other locations, but summer cabin camping is definitely going to be a standard for us from now on.

Tomorrow I'll share some random pictures that I didn't put in today's post. I bet you can't wait.

A Girl Can Dream

Picture issues continue to plague me, thus delaying a vacation post yet again. Instead, I'm going to share my first birthday wish list. I call this one the "Not Going to Happen" list.

1. I want an iPhone. Husband is well aware of this desire, but I'm not eligible for an upgrade until January and it is strictly a luxury item for me. I have no practical reason to have one. I just want to play Words With Friends.

2. A weekend getaway in sunny California would be amazing. We have lots of family there, so we just have to get there. But it is not in our budget and finding an open weekend would be impossible anyway. My heart just longs to be near a beach. Our tenth anniversary is next February and we are talking about going to spring training for the Rangers, but I wouldn't mind doing that another year if a beach could be within reach.

3. World Series tickets! Okay, this one is dependent on a number of variables anyway. First the Rangers have to win more than one playoff game. If they do make it to the Series maybe we'll find a way to go to a game anyway. The Rangers are in first place right now and look good to make a serious run this year. I'm so crazy excited it is ridiculous.

That is all on this list, at least that I can think of right now. I would like to think I'm mostly content and above selfish desires, but I am human. And I love celebrating my birthday. My next post on this topic will be more reasonable but still special wishes.

And maybe tomorrow I'll finally share some pictures from our trip.

Teaser Post

We are back from our cabin camping trip. I want to write a post all about it with pictures. But first I have to upload the pictures and to do that I have to get the software on the new computer and blah, blah, blah, it might happen tomorrow.

Until then, here are a few random things.

I'm making BBQ Chicken Pizza tonight for the first time. I've never even tried it before because I am very traditional in my pizza preferences. But, we have leftover smoked chicken and barbecue sauce and it sounds good and so I am going to try it. I even made the crust from scratch. I used the Pioneer Woman's recipe for the crust and pizza (just google her, too lazy to link right now). I am sure to report back on how it tasted.

It has been a little over a month since I started exercising again. There have been two weeks where I only exercised once so I shouldn't be surprised that I haven't lost any weight. I'm still disappointed though. I did return to Boot Camp class and Cardio Kick-boxing though, and that is good. I'm recommitted to drinking unsweet iced tea, or Coke Zero sometimes, so that should help. I just really need to start running regularly. I know that will work the best.

Is there anything cuter than baby stretches? Seriously, BTS will stretch his arms and legs and scrunch up his face and it is soooo cute. So, if you need some cute in your life go find a baby and watch it stretch.

I'm still getting used to typing on the laptop and it is kind of annoying.

Trip post soon, for real!

Quick Takes

I'm not sure I have seven thoughts to share, but we shall see.

1. I ran today in my new shoes. I have a blister on my right heel. :( Hopefully it will be a short-term problem, as this is just the newest version of the model of shoes I was already wearing. I did my run outside, since I need to start preparing for the 5K we are doing in August. I completed two miles, but only ran .8 total. I was frustrated, but it is what it is I suppose.

2. Speaking of exercise, I think I have finally reached my breaking point, so to speak, and am fully committed. I just felt like a slug yesterday, all lumpy and squishy. I'm tired of wearing the same few things and feeling frumpy. I know what I am capable of and I know what weight and shape feels good on me. So it might mean giving up sleep sometimes and it definitely means getting serious about what I eat, but I know it will be worth it. I know I'll still indulge in sweets sometimes and the occasional soda, but I'm really going to try to be disciplined.

3. We're taking a trip after all! After some discussion and compromise we are headed to Cooper Lake State Park for three nights. We're renting a cabin this time because no way was I camping in a tent in July in Texas. Our original plan was to go to Oklahoma City for a few days, but Husband convinced me otherwise. We're all excited about taking a break from regular life for a few days. We have big plans to fish, swim, hike, play games and eat. I know I'll enjoy at least one peanut butter cup s'more.

4. My birthday is in a little over a month, so be prepared for some wish list posts. I like to give Husband a wealth of ideas to choose from, so he can surprise me but still be confident I'll like what he chooses.

5. Speaking of Husband, it looks like he might be on the barefoot running bandwagon. It is working for him, so that is good. I'm still too wimpy and vain to give it a try.

6. BTS has had a rough couple of days. He cries a lot if he is not being held. Yesterday I carried him/held him a lot, but today he is having to do more crying. I know how much I can handle and I just need a break from all the touching. It is hard, but I know I'm not scarring him for life or anything.

7. School starts in a little over a month. I don't think I'm excited about that. While we have some days that are not great, I definitely am still enjoying the freedom of summer. Maybe by the time the first day rolls around I will feel differently, but right now it seems like summer is going too fast.

For more quick takes, visit Conversion Diary.

Grumpy Guts

An uncle of mine coined that nickname when I was a child. And I have to say he was on to something, as I displayed what it means throughout the day.

I woke up on the wrong side of the world I think. My big girls have spent the last three nights with my parents and I was meeting my mom today to pick them up. We meet in a town that is roughly halfway between us (a little closer for us, but we have more traffic). I was not looking forward to the drive. I've only driven the Largeness (as Husband calls the van) around town, in minimal traffic. Today's drive was going to require multiple lane changes and sharing the road with large trucks. I think I let my nervousness affect me right away this morning.

BTS cried the whole time I was showering and getting ready. I had nursed him, so I knew that wasn't the problem. I guess he was feeling like a grumpy guts too.

We met my mom and nephew and my girls at a restaurant for lunch. Thankfully the drive was quiet and peaceful, with everyone sleeping except Buddy. I listened to MercyMe's newest album, The Generous Mr. Lovewell, and pondered some things. That ended up being the best part of my day.

BTS fussed as soon as we sat down and I was holding him while deciding what to eat. He pooped. On me. And him. I took him to the bathroom that had no changing station and laid him on his blanket on the floor (blanket also had poop on it, as I was using it as a barrier between me and BTS). I go to get the wipes out of my purse only to realize LCS took them out of my purse at home. That's right: a mom of six with no wipes in her bag. Of course there are no paper towels in the bathroom either. So I had to use toilet paper that fell apart almost as soon as I wiped him. I took off his clothes and did my best to clean him up. Thankfully I did have a spare onesie in my purse. He was happy after that, but I still had poop on my shirt.

LCS decided to be a pill during lunch. She screamed more than once and had to be taken outside by my mom. I am especially sensitive about this behavior because I feel like people are already judging my because of the size of my family. We rushed through the rest of the meal and left eventually.

Uneventful drive home followed by naps for LCS and BTS and myself, much needed. My nap was taken on the couch while the kids watched Nick Jr. Thank the Lord for kids' programming. But, because it was a nap in the same room as four kids happy to be reunited it was frequently interrupted.

The day carried on. The kids were wound up and I was grouchy and Husband had a meeting tonight and so on. I could have handled myself much better. I apologized to my kids and said I would try harder tomorrow. I'm responsible for my bad attitude, not them. Perhaps seeing a late showing of Eclipse last night was not a wise choice, although I enjoyed it very much. It was much better than the first two movies and the Harry Potter trailer was incredible.

The chocolate shake that Husband brought home after his meeting has guaranteed that this day will end better than it began.

Popping In

Hello! I have a few things I want to write about, but no time today. Hopefully I'll get a couple of the ideas to the blog this week.

BTS was baptized this weekend, I'll post pictures soon. We had a great group of friends and family join us to welcome him to the faith and to remind us that we are not alone in this great task of raising Godly children.

Husband bought me a laptop! Okay, it is to his benefit too, eventually. He is going to take over the desktop and use it for recording. He is longing for time and space to write music again and we think we have a solution.

I went to Boot Camp class today for the first time in ten months. I felt every single day I have missed. It was even an easier-than-usual class and I had to take lots of breaks. But it felt great to try to do everything and I'm motivated to get back in shape. The babysitter at the gym has a six-month old, so I feel comfortable leaving BTS with her, thankfully.

We are taking a little family trip next week. I'll talk about it soon.

Okay, life calls again. I am aiming for three posts this week!

Consistently Inconsistent

I took a week off from the gym. Not smart. When I finally made it back yesterday I was feeling every single day off. It was hard to get moving. I had some pain in a few places. I managed 2.5 miles, but walked more than usual (and may have had a snickers while grocery shopping). Something is better than nothing, though, right?

I have a problem with consistency though. If I'm going to the gym regularly, I can guarantee my food intake is less than stellar. I'm one of those people that will spend an hour on the treadmill and then leave the gym and go straight to our local taco joint and get two tacos and a soda. Dumb. If I'm not going to the gym on a regular basis then I might be doing a better job limiting my sweets and soda consumption. Eventually I can get both good things together and leave the bad habits behind me, at least most of the time.

I'm frustrated at myself for struggling with motivation. But I'm even more frustrated about how some of my clothes look and feel on me. I can't go buying a whole new wardrobe, especially if I'm really going to get back to a good exercise routine. So I need to just say NO to the junk.

But chocolate is so good.

Perhaps new running shoes will help me out. We're buying some tomorrow. I've had two babies and trained for and completed a half-marathon since buying the shoes I have now. I think a new pair is well deserved.

What new music needs to go on my running playlist?

Two Months!

BTS is two months old! Time continues to fly and it seems as though he has been here much longer at the same time.

He does a lot of smiling.



And his share of this:


But mostly this:


He is tipping the scales at 11 pounds, 3 ounces and is 23 inches long. So he grew 3 inches! He seems to be following the family trend of long-ish and lean. He is almost sleeping through the night, waking up just once, usually between 3:30 and 4:30. This makes me very happy, especially since some days he is nursing every 2 hours. We love his smiles and his coos. The kids don't seem tired of him yet, so that is good. And now he is screaming and I must go.