Gone Fishin'

Sometimes happiness consists of a stick,

some string, a wall hook, some seaweed,

and a grandpa.

Getaway

Remember this?

Well, we finally did it, cashed it in, took a trip, and celebrated our anniversary in style.

My in-laws very graciously came to spend the weekend with our kids two weeks ago, and Mr. Einstein and I took off.  Alone.  Just the two of us.  *bliss*

Our gift certificate allowed us one night of accommodations, but we wanted to make a weekend of it.  The Resort is a wee bit expensive, so we spent the first night at The Davenport Hotel in Spokane.

It's a completely remodeled hotel in downtown Spokane, and only one word can be used to describe it: luxurious.

Our room was small, but well-appointed.  They even have their own exclusive line of mattresses made for the hotel.  Everything was white and black and gilt and fluffy and expensive.

We lounged around for awhile and went downstairs for a cocktail (I seriously can't believe I just typed that.  A cocktail.  Me?)  where I had my first-ever martini, key lime.  Yum!

Then we went across the street to The Davenport Tower for dinner and, again, Yum!

Of course, I didn't take any pictures there.  It just felt too touristy to do something like that amid all that luxury.  I felt enough out of place as it was!

The next day, we headed on over to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, to The Coeur d'Alene Resort.















While we were waiting for our river cruise to begin, we saw (unexpectedly) the hydroplane races!  Growing up in Seattle, we watched the hydroplanes on television every year during Seafair, so it was really cool to see them in person, and from so close!  Oh Boy! Oberto was always my sister's and my favorite, so I snapped a few shots of it, just for her.

 












Our St. Joe River cruise was hot and breezy, and about 2+ hours too long.  We were on the cruise for 6 hours total, and while it was nice, the scenery rarely changed and there were no extra seats up on the second level.  Fortunately, we had a nice spot at a table next to an open window.  We played cribbage and read and played around on the iPad.  It was all stuff we would have just done in the hotel room, so it was nice to get a chance to at least get some fresh air.















Our room was a "lakeside" room, but it mostly overlooked an outdoor dining area and the marina.  This is the entrance/exit of the marina from our room at night:

The Davenport was definitely my favorite of the entire trip, but I'm really glad Mr. Einstein won that gift package!  The resort was an experience we might never have had otherwise.  The whole weekend was something that we definitely needed, just the two of us.

Camping Adventures

We had talked off and on all summer about maybe going camping, but Mr. Einstein didn't think it was fair to the wildlife for M to be in their territory.

At the end of July, however, some friends of ours asked us if we wanted to go, and we said yes.

So, we frantically searched online for a campground that still had available campsites and discovered Alta Lake.

Alta Lake at sunrise. Yes, I said sunrise.

We snagged the last two. And even better, they were side by side, set apart from the rest of the campground!

Technically my sister's tent.

The five big kids spend their time playing in the "woods," getting as filthy as possible, swinging, and playing in the water.

We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Made hobo dinners and drank instant coffee.

We talked and talked and talked.

Saw the stars.

Battled yellow jackets (oh, the yellow jackets!).

We swam in the lake, froze in the mornings, and sweated in the afternoons.

I cannot wait to do this again next summer!

One

One trip.
One week.
One walk to feed the ducks.
One water fight.
One evening of fireworks.
One day of shopping.
One boat trip.
One day of sleeping in.
One lazy day.
One nap.
One cold day.
One trip to eat ice cream before lunch.
One dinner out.
One carsick kid.
One visit to the zoo.
One stop at the outlet mall.
One return home.
One trip.
One week.

Spring Break

This is quite possibly the first spring break since E was born that I haven't actually wanted my husband to go back to work. Usually he's quite the task master during spring break, because thingsmustbedone.

And they always are done. And this year they were all done, too. But it was nicer, more relaxed. The kids are getting older, the landscaping is getting maturer, and the weather is getting nicer, all making for a nearly-perfect spring break.

Mr. Einstein finished his National Teacher Board portfolio and mailed it off (yippee!) We had E's birthday party at the bounce house with homemade knock-off Oreo ice cream cake (yummy!) at home.

We went to Seattle to visit family and Ikea (love!) and bought some new armchairs. We rearranged some furniture, and our house finally feels comfortable and looks like grown ups live here.

We did some weeding and some pulling. I dug up tons of nasty aster plants in our front planter and, sadly, had to throw some of my beloved day lilies away with them. Mr. Einstein mowed the lawn for the first time this year and got the sprinkler system all ready.

We bought seeds for the garden we're going to put in this year and replaced some weather-stripping (stupid cats).

I started to organize all my recipes online (yay!) and made a huge donation of baby stuff to the crisis pregnancy center here in town.

We filed our taxes. Yes, we are that family.

We spent Saturday in Leavenworth "hiking" along the river. We had a blast! I think we're going to start making hiking our family activity, assuming we can find some good, easy trails out here. The kids had a wonderful time, and so did Mr. Einstein and I. It was overcast and warm, but not humid. It was so relaxing, and we randomly ran into quite a few people we know. Small world! One person we hadn't seen since college. (That's more than 10 years ago!!!)

Sunday afternoon we went to Potholes State Park and hung out with some friends from church grilling hot dogs and watching our kids play (18 kids among 4 families!). The wind blew, the rain fell, but we had so much fun! What a perfect ending to a wonderful week!

And because I like to post pictures, here are a few from our day in Leavenworth. All are unedited, straight from the camera. I liked the muted colors, so I left them.

Oktoberfest 2010

We've decided to make visiting Leavenworth an October tradition in our family.

Straight out of the camera. Unedited. I swear! Look at those trees changing colors!

Yes, we know it's Oktoberfest. No, we don't go for the beer.

But we would, if we didn't insist on bringing our kids with us.

Which we do. So we don't.

We walked and walked and walked. And somewhere along a trail, the girls managed to find walking sticks.

And somehow, M never even noticed. That's how excited he was with all of his unexpected, longed-for, outdoor freedom.

He usually gets carried/worn a lot. He tends to wander.

E in the baby swing. What a goof! And yes, that is yet another missing tooth. That makes seven total. With one more loose.

Good grief!

Let's all just pause here and revel in my son's cuteness. Go ahead. He's cute, I know (and dirty, but that's beside the point). But you can tell me again, if you want to.

And just because I'm not convinced you really stopped to gaze adoringly at him long enough, here's another one:

You're welcome. :)

We stopped to throw rocks in the river.

And by "we" I mean C and M.

We climbed rocks and logs down by the river.

And by "we" I mean E and C.

I love this last photo. He's just a boy being a boy.

Oktoberfest 2011, here we come!

SPF 0

The second half of our vacation was spent in Bremerton at my in-law's.

They have a boat.

So...

We saw sailboats,


a bridge,


and a beloved mountain.


Cinderella innertubed,


Sleeping Beauty floated,


the Little Prince looked cute,


and Prince Charming kneeboarded.


And I? I got sunburned.

Oh, yes. After thirty-*mumble, mumble* years, I still haven't learned my lesson.

My arms look like lobster claws, and my chest looks just as bad. My face and scalp were protected by my hat, and, for some reason, I had decided to wear pants on a scorching hot day.

Have you ever tried nursing a baby with flailing arms and dragon claws while sunburned? It's not pretty, my friends, not pretty at all.

And, of course, it was too hot and humid to wear long sleeves.

If I'd had any with me, that is.

"Normal" Is Only a Setting On the Dryer

Why is it that getting home from a vacation is so stressful?

Despite two weeks of doing not much more than relaxing, I'm wiped out.

Why is it that the routine of activities, house-cleaning, general maintenance, summer jobs, fun, and naps is so difficult to reestablish?

Of course Prince Charming had to go to work this morning. Of course he did.

Why is it that the arguing, screaming, clutter, and dirtying of dishes are the first things to fall back into place?

Why?

Oh, relaxing vacation! Where art thou? Thou art but a vague, distant memory, though ended only yesterday.

Oh, for something easy, something familiar, something normal, that doesn't include arguing, mediating, or high-pitched voices. Maybe I should just go do laundry...

We've Got Tickets to Ride

Yesterday, at the butt-crack of dawn, we set off on vacation to the Live Music Capitol of the world: Austin, TX.

Beautiful, sunny, oh-so-hot Austin.

I should probably lose five pounds this week just from sweating, if I ever leave the house, that is.

Anyway, our trip started uneventfully at the airport.

Until we got to the gate, that is.

All seven of us (my five, plus my in-laws) had JUST walked up to the gate, when we heard the page: "Prince Charming's father, party of seven, please come to the ticket counter. Prince Charming's father, party of seven, please come to the ticket counter."

Uh, oh.

We all thought we were being kicked off the plane, for some reason or another. Until my father-in-law got back to us.

"We've been upgraded."

Upgraded?

"All seven of us have been upgraded to first class!"

?!?

Seriously, we got to fly first class. All seven of us.

Yee haw!

And let me tell you, first class is so worth it! Heated towels, breakfast, drinks, super nice flight attendants, wide seats.

THAT is the life!

I could definitely get used to that.