Scoop - The Brief, I'm Losing My Mind Edition

I temporary lost sight of reality and took 5 kids to Union Station.....which includes Science City, the model trains, the KC Rail Experience and lunch at Fritz's in Crown Center. We're soaking it all up, peeps.......saying goodbye to Kansas City soon enough......so we're loving it while we can.


Carter invited Jake and Luke......take a look at these yahoos. Lainey and Jack came, too. Notice I called them the yahoos and not the littlest punks. Irony.

Lainey did wear the most darling smock ever, given to her by Aunt Caroline and made my her friend, Cassie. I love, love, love it.




Some random bits:

***I'm working like a fool right now. As much as I can. Moving cross country is not cheap.

***Blake has been taking the kids to the pool TWICE a day. I can barely stand it once a week. The good news? Jack and Lainey are SWIMMING! Without life jackets, under water, swimming. They even play "tea party" on the bottom of the pool with Blake. Meaning, they go under water and pretend to drink tea and eat cookies......which means they open their eyes......something I haven't done since the 3rd grade, I believe.

***Our house should have been officially leased exactly 9 minutes ago. I'll tell you when it's totally official......but everything looked good per Blake's phone conversation this morning.

***I lost my momentum, but will get back on it soon. Have been going room to room and clearing out about 1/2 of what we own. It's exhausting. But, if we have a move date, I'll be inspired. Cross your fingers again.

***Now, we just have to settle on a place to live in California.......arrange the move.......and find jobs! See? I told you it would be easy.

Off to work!

La Jolla Vacation - Day 14 and 15 - You Made It!

Remember when Caroline and I painted Lainey's nails for the first time this summer? Well, the little monster can't live without them. She climbed up onto the counter like this nearly every day we were on vacation demanding for someone to paint them. I don't know where she came from! (sick me of saying that yet?)

Pa left the morning after Disney, and we had one day left on the beach. I arrived and helped everyone set up. Lovely, isn't it?

Blake arrived back from an errand and I traded spots with him. I hit the wall at some point and needed a nap. He stayed with the kiddos at the beach.

And, took some great shots.



Shake that booty, Laine.





Lainey + Meow Meow = LOVE.

Headed out that evening for our last dinner in San Diego.

Kansas City BBQ......represent, Midwest! I love it.

By the water, admiring the mega-ships and aircraft carriers.



I know. It's rare you see me in a shot. There I am!

After a few prior failed attempts (no cash, ATM broken, etc), we finally made it on the carousel.



And later, found this unusual book store while searching for penny press machines. I could have looked for hours.

Headed home for last minute laundry, cleaning the house and packing.

Our drive out on day 15........just like we drove out to go anywhere from the beach house......sadly, we were en route to the airport.

Kids did as well as they could. Our flight from San Diego to Denver left late, so we were hysterically running through DIA to get to our connecting one home to Kansas City. Frustrating doesn't quite cover the feeling.

Ring Around the Rosy helps, though.


Trip Recap:

***15 days is a long time for young children. By the time Pa arrived, the little ones were in melt down mode. As fun as vacation is, it's still stressful at times - kids out of routine, getting accustomed to a new place and naps are often missed. Not sure if we'll stay so long again next time we travel.

***Connecting flights are tough with 2 car seats and 3 kids. We bought 1/2 our flights with miles Blake accumulated while working in Denver, so it made sense financially, but we were regretting the double flights per travel day once we were in the middle of them.

***While flying, taking car seats is a must. Despite the difficulty of lugging them from one gate to another (we used an Eddie Bauer travel bag to help), the seats on the plane absolutely helped to keep the children in their "norm" and feeling safe. Which helped them nap often. Which makes everyone on the plane happy. :)

***Get a routine down and you'll be happy you did. I basically had the kids running laps through the airport while Blake boarded with car seats during that pre-boarding (families/medical/elderly) window. He hooked them in, arranged bags and toys as needed and so we were all set to go walking on. Flight attendants even remarked, more than once, on how organized we were. (If they only knew!)

***If you choose to fly, make sure your seats are FAA Approved. Click here for a link with info. Most people know that Britax seats are flight-friendly and that is why we purchased them. We also have an Evenflo Titan, which is designed ergonomically like the Britax. It, too, is approved for air travel. We boarded 4 planes and each time, the attendants checked for the sticker stating approval.

***Depending on which airline you use, there are options for upgraded seating, which include "free" bags. We bought 2 Classic seats on Frontier because 2 checked bags were included per ticket. These tickets also included free drinks and free TV. We limited our packing to 4 bags due to these tickets and it worked out fine. Research your options with each airline. After considering all of our options, we chose the best combination that worked for us.

***We've traveled with 1 child and attended 5 theme parks in 10 days (2003). We've traveled with 2 and went to 3 parks in 7 days (2006). We've traveled with 3 and went to 3 in 18 days (2009). This time, we went to 2 in 15. Theme park days are big ones. But, they're magical ones - especially Disney parks. Don't wait until your kids are "old enough to remember". They're fun at all ages and if you wait until they're older, you'll miss the magic. Trust me on this one.

***We love California. Have I covered that yet?

La Jolla Vacation - Day 13 - Tide Pools and Disneyland With Pa

We started early on this day, waking with the sunrise and exploring the tide pools at Windansea Beach.



Crabbie. I love seeing these creatures in their natural element.




Back home, coffee for everyone and then breakfast on the way to the happiest place on earth!

Pa had never been. In 59 years.......never visited Disneyland or Disneyworld. So happy to be there for his first visit.

Love this. We bought him his own Mickey Ears with "Pa" stitched on the back like the kids.

Such a good sport.





Pretty sure he's praying here.....

And, now looking at Carter like, "Why did you talk me into this?!"

Lainey got her first autograph book and was lucky enough to have the princesses sign it throughout the park. She twirled and danced with Belle......so sweet.



In true Disney fashion, they were princess-like in every way. Their costume, demeanor, voice and handling of the children. It was so sweet to see. Pa and the boys stayed back to give Lainey the spotlight.

Except for this one.....Lainey got a little nervous.



She clung to her book for the rest of the day.



The luckiest kid ever, Carter, was chosen by the Straw Hat band to compete with Donald in drumming skills.

We all watched the excitement from the curb.

Donald showed him how to do it.

A video from the competition:


Here he is after the showdown. Cute.

Jungle cruise.....



Pa had his "First Time Visit" button on......and Carter, his from the drum solo performance. Pretty cool.

Time for a late lunch......delicious clam chowder.

Parade!

Treats for everyone.

Lainey put on her own show before the actual performers arrived. Notice how she licks Jack's shoe at the end. Because she thinks she's a cat. Of course.





The music started and things got interesting. Jack tried to kick Winnie the Pooh because he was scared of him. This must have spawned an alert to all of the costumed cast members, via headsets, I'm assuming.....they all visited Jack at one point or another. I can just hear it, "Psycho kid in orange mega-double-stroller. Looks a little unstable. Go mess with him."



Lainey went out to dance at one point.

More visitors for Jack.



It all ended well after the characters razzed him a bit. Two non-costumed cast members came over with confetti and celebrated with Jack at the end of the parade. He loved it. Happy Jack = makes me love this place even more.

It's a Small World......

A roller coaster in Toon Town......love Pa's face with Jack.

Here, too! Look at daredevil Laine.

And, they're out. If we had a stroller big enough for him, Pa would have been as well.

While the little ones dreamed, we enjoyed a final corny dog.......which, I will say was better than the State Fair of Texas. Pa launched into a 20 minute comparison of the two....he seems to know a lot about this delicacy. Told us he once ate 12 at the fair one year. 12, people. I didn't even know that was legal.


One more post. Promise. Then, it's back to daily life with the Starnes fam. Coming soon!