Bath Night

I really do not enjoy bath nights.

In my mind, it is a necessary evil.

Aidan is such a joy during bath time- he loves it, and has so much fun. He loves to splash, play with his toys, dunk his head and help get all the soap off of himself.

There's a small problem, though- I. AM. PREGNANT. Once getting down, I don't get up very easily. Bend over? It's just impossible. Lean over the tub? Um, hello, small mound of joy in the way. So how do I do it?

I just do it. And I give Aidan an incentive which guarantees we have bath night: he gets messy food, and is free to play with it. Isn't that just awful of me?

I have to admit, watching Aidan play with his food is so entertaining. At the same time, though, I never fail to cringe as I see my son run his sauce covered hand through his hair, rubs food down his chest or legs, slap his hand on the plate. I never fear to dread the moment he gets out of his chair and runs to touch everything. For the most part, I can clean him up pretty well and rush him straight to my arch nemesis, the tub.

Without the added incentive of a messy little boy, I truly don't know how often we would have bath time in our house. Before I got so big, I loved bath time with Aidan, and look forward to enjoying it with him again. Whenever Eric gives Aidan a bath, I listen with some envy as he leans over and plays with our laughing, giggling boy.

Moral of the story: need to bathe your kid but can't get yourself to do it? Let him have fun with his dinner and trust me, you'll care about how dirty he suddenly is. Plus, you'll get some fun out of watching him play with dinner. Trust me, it's fail proof.

What in the World are You Thinking??

At least, that was the question so many people asked me before our trip. And even after hearing about our trip. And yes, I'll be honest, I asked myself that same question a few times as I began to prepare and pack. 

Here's the lowdown: two pregnant women (both due mid May), three children three years or younger, and Myrtle Beach. Sounds like fun right? Our husbands have been in the field for the past few weeks, so Ashley and I decided to try to find a cheap place for a few days to get away with the kids. We all deserve it- the kids are just great staying home while their dads are gone so much and mom are just plain tired and miserable, and well, we deserve it before having more kids to deal with :) Well, needless to say, we were thinking. And hoping. And praying that it would all work out.

I am now back home telling you it did work out! We all had a blast- the weather was fantastic, the condo perfect for the five of us, and the resort (right on the beach and hosting 5 pools) exactly what we all needed. The kids love each other, and were a huge blessing to us as they distracted each other and inevitably wore each other out each day. Ashley and I were able to crash each evening, relaxing and watching tv, talking and eating the yummy vacation food we all love and hate at the same time.

 Here are a few pictures. Im sorry to say that my packing left much to be desired: everything I did Aidan just came back and undid it. The camera as well as a few unmentionables (cough, cough, ALL of them) were thrown about and in my personal battle to not lock my little "helper" in the closet while I finished packing, I forgot to follow through on repacking what he had undone. The child truly drives me nuts. Im just crazy about him, I tell ya- when he learns at the condo he can open the bathroom door in the condo that doesn't lock and visit whoever is in there doing whatever they are doing, when he throws a bathing suit over the balcony railing from our 14th floor room, when he continuously hits the HELP button in the elevator that is way too low for my liking, when he snuggles and looks up at me with a huge smile on his face, when he giggles uncontrollably, when he nods sleepily in his crib when I ask him if he loves his mama. Sigh. Yep, just absolutely crazy about him.

 Anyway, onto the pictures: Following a filling brunch at IHOP, we loaded ourselves into the van excited and more than ready to go. 3 children, two pregnant women with the pact to not go into labor under any circumstances during our trip, lots of toys, more than enough snacks, and of course, the required diet coke. Yep, we were ready!

Upon arrival, our little helpers helped us unpack and made sure the place was fit for us to stay in. And working- especially the air conditioner/heater. Im sorry to say that it did work. All too well.

The beach and pools were such a blessing. Mornings were spent at the beach, afternoons in the pool. Thank goodness for the heated pool water; we wouldn't have lasted as long as we did otherwise! The kids had a blast and came out of the pool for snacks or the necessary switch from one pool to another. Molly was quite the fish, swimming from one end to the other, while Aidan did the best he could to shovel the pool water into his bucket and dump it elsewhere. And little Riley? Well, she was quite content charming the sunbathers and staying as far away from the water as humanly possible. The poor girl didn't have a chance- Mommy and Riley spent more than enough time in the pool, floating along and watching everyone have fun.

We spent some time checking out the attractions in Myrtle Beach including Ripley's Aquarium where the kids did more climbing than looking at the main reason for being there: the fish. We also spent that time in Target searching out our needed items that had been left at home. Who knew Myrtle Beach attractions included Target? And Chick-fil-A, where we ate dinner and spent over an hour playing in the play place. What a glorious invention play places are. Now, if they could only make the steps up to the slide small enough that a toddler could climb up them! Thankfully, our kids were creative enough to go up the slide and climb or jump down the steps. Um, how do you teach kids something like going up steps and down the slide when its impossible? You don't.

All in all, we ladies thought things would go great. Some doubted or worried about our plans (including me, I admit)succeeding, but I am happy to say that they did indeed go great. We all came home happy, exhausted and refreshed from our trip, ready to welcome our hubbies home- whenever that may be this weekend. The only thing that may have made our week better was to have had our hubbies with. We made the best of it though, and will indeed look back at our memories with a smile.

Even amidst the fun we had, Aidan sent many waves to his papa, missing him and wishing he was with us.

Easter Weekend

This past weekend was a flurry of activity, especially since it was Eric's last weekend before he went away for a few weeks. There was much relaxing around the house, many errands to be run, and even some work to be completed on Eric's part, but more than anything we did our best to make memories to last for the next while.

First and foremost, we celebrated my mom's birthday. Happy birthday Mom! We weren't able to be with her as my parents live a few states north of us, but our hearts were with her and that is what mattered most. She is quite a looker at the ripe young age of 40. Not too shabby ;)

A number of memories made this weekend included Chubbs' first haircut. He had had the back chopped by Eric this past Thanksgiving (I had not had the strength to do the deed) but the front, sides and back were definitely in need of a trim. Prior to getting this done on Saturday, we spent Friday in Raleigh at Pullen Park and wandering the mall, finishing our day with a treat at the Cheesecake Factory. Mmmmmm :)

&We had some fun at the park riding the carousel, the train, climbing the play set to slide down the slide as fast as possible, and running around wearing us all out. We arrived home around 8:30 pm more than ready for bed.

Prior to getting our hair cut on Saturday, we had to work out with Papa. Lifting 300 pounds isnt as easy as it looks:

Aidan sat in Papa's lap during the haircut and truly impressed us all. He was very curious as to what was going on, but sat as still as possible while the nice lady cut off those long hairs. The woman who cut Aidan's hair also cuts mine, so she has heard many stories about my "wild child." Uhhhhhh, yeah, she is never going to believe any story I ever tell her again. I was nervous going into the salon, I will admit, but walking out I was more focused on wondering where my real child is...my wild, precocious, crazy and wonderful son that never ceases to wear me out.

And of course, we must post Easter details. We stayed here in Fayetteville, attending our church and being blessed by a wonderful sermon reminding us how glorious and generous our God is once accepting us into his arms. The requirements for becoming a child of God is simple and yet demanding...the prize all too worth it in the end. After returning home and spending a few hours cleaning and cooking, we had a number of good friends joining us for dinner. One of the families has two little girls Aidan regularly plays with, so the kids had quite a good time as did the adults. It is such a blessing and constant reminder of God's grace as we surround ourselves with such good friends, with lots of fun, laughter and good times. Here are a few pictures of the fam; some of the little man prior to leaving for the service, then a few taken after church:

Side note: Yes, our son is wearing sandals with his suit (the suit in which Papa picked out himself). I had dress shoes for him, but they happened to disappear the morning he had to be dressed. Needless to say, we had a panic attack tearing the house trying to find them but were unsuccessful. Sandals were my next best option. If I find those stinkin shoes sometime soon, I will be rather upset. In fact, I dont want to see them for quite awhile. Anyway, back to the pictures:

Easter was a holiday weekend that I don't think will be forgotten too soon. It is sad that we must say goodbye to Eric for awhile, but we are awash with numerous memories and the refreshing reminder that our Lord is alive and ever present in our lives. Blessed are we!