Bye Bye Pacis

I knew this time was coming. I had considered taking the pacis away when the boys were 18 months old, but I decided I wanted the boys to have their pacis while we were on vacation. When we got home from the BVI's my mom said the boys fought over pacis a lot. Hudson always wants the blue paci and Hampton is obsessed with having one in his mouth at all times. Hogan likes a paci, but is rather indifferent.

 I have a rather impulsive personality so I just woke up and decided that today was the day. I  went to the dollar store and bought 4 balloons. My plan was to tie all the paci's to the ends of the balloons and then send them up. Fail. The pacis weighed down the balloons so we ended up sending two bundles of balloons up and then throwing away the other pacis aka "Dis" as the boys called it. 

The looks on their faces was was priceless, so confused. Hudson kept saying "Bye Bye Boon, Uh-Oh Dis" Hampton was so sad, and Hogan wasn't to concerned...

SAILING!!!

Cam and I went on a trip of a life time to the British Virgin Islands. It would not have been possible without our parents who were willing to keep our FOUR boys while we went away. That is no easy task as they now know! I am very thankful for a hardworking husband who earned us this trip, as well as a great company that rewards their employees!

It took weeks of planning for us to walk out the door for eight days but it was totally worth it. I made a binder of important info, so hopefully that will make it easier leaving in the future. I knew the boys would be in great hands and to be completely honest...I was more worried about the grandparents than the kids.

We left for Puerto Rico early Friday morning. We met up with our boat buddies, Kevin and Robin, at the airport. Robin is a former flight attendant so she knew all the fun spots for our over-night in Puerto Rico. We checked in at our hotel and then headed out to explore San Juan for the evening. We ate a delicious dinner of snapper, black beans, plantains, and mojitos at Metropol. Next, we headed to the Intercontinental to walk on the beach and then went dancing at the Old San Juan Hotel and Casino. It was a fun first night!

We woke up Saturday morning and headed to the airport for a quick (45 minute) flight to Tortola. At the Moorings Marina and met our Captain and First Mate, Jason and Paulina. They helped us get our bags and then familiarized us with the boat. I have never gone "Sailing" before or been on a "Yacht or Catamaran". I really did not know what to expect. Our boat had four rooms, each with a bathroom and shower. I didn't spend very much time in my room because it made me a little claustrophobic. Lucky for me, this was a bathing suit/coverup only/showers optional trip!! I brought two pair of flip flops and shoes weren't allowed on the boat. I apologize in advance for all the pics...we wore bathing suits and pajamas... a very laid back/low maintenance trip.

We woke up early every morning, it was much like camping. We were up when the sun came up because we slept with the windows open in our cabin. Paulina was a fabulous cook and would make breakfast, coffee, and mimosas each morning. After eating, we would set sail to another spot. Sometimes we would stay there through lunch and then sail on to the next spot, and sometimes we would stay there all day. Everything was up to us, and the weather, of course!

We sailed to Dead Man's Bay and swam ashore to Peter Island. I need to look it up, our captain said it was rated #1 resort by Conde Nast. Our boat had two double kayaks and a paddle board. I have always wanted to learn to paddle board since our trip to Hawaii. It is definitely harder than in looks, but I liked it. We layed on the beach and soaked up the sun. The water was SO clear....I need to learn to use my camera because the water was clearer than these pics!! However, most of the pictures were taken with our underwater camera because we swam to every island. We sailed to Marina Key and moored there for the night. While Paulina was cooking Tuna steaks we took the dinghy over to Last Resort for a quick cocktail. There was only one other family there...I am amazed at how these places stay in business especially since you have to take a boat to get there!
Our boat "B'Shert" which is Yiddish for Destiny.

I got seasick the second day at sea. The swells were huge and I was laying out on the trampoline which is on the front of the boat. I didn't realize that was also the least stable part of the boat. After feeding the fish, I decided to put on my "patch." Thankfully it worked quickly and I had no more problems.

The trampoline

We swam into the "Baths" at Virgin Gorda (said in a south african accident like our captain), which is an area of boulders brought to the surface by volcanic eruptions. The huge rocks formed "baths" and caves. I was so glad we had the waterproof camera for this excursion because it was a really beautiful area.

We moored at Jost Van Dyke for the evening because we wanted to go to Sidney's for lobster. Jason called Sidney's and said we need a cab ride for dinner. It was a 5 minute, less than 2 mile drive from the dock. A lady came and picked us up, before she dropped us of we asked her how much we owed her. She asked if we wanted a ride back, which we did, and she said she would tell us after dinner. Well $12 a person later...$74 ( do the math!!) we were back at the dock! The gringos got ripped off!!!! She even picked up her 11 year old nephew on the way home to sweet talk us! Jason picked us up at the dock in the dinghy. The swells were really rough and the windy was howling so we went really slow. Then as soon as Jason said we were more than half way to the boat...it stopped!! We started freaking out, but soon realized that I had disconnected the gas-line...oops!! Jason tried to start the motor for a solid 5 minutes with no luck. Lucky for us a boat came up and offered to tow us just as the motor started....whew! We would have been soaked if we had gotten towed. What.a.memorable.night. We finished the night with the girls killing the guys in a game of Taboo!! And, needless to say we ate the rest of our meals on the boat with Paulina!

The next day we got to White Bay early to get a good spot. We did some snorkeling, kayaking, laying out, swimming, talking, and laughing. There were so many one-liners from this trip!! You get to know everyone really well when you are on a 46 ft boat!! We swam over to the infamous Foxy's in Great Harbour and got our picture taken with him.

I am getting confused as I type this, but we also went to Soggy Dollar and then walked over (on hot-sharp rocks.. barefoot!!)  to Ivan's where Kenny Chesney shot his music videos. That afternoon we went to Norman Island and stopped by Willie T's.

Captain and 1st mate

The last day we chilled all day. It was so peaceful, I felt like I was on Lake Conroe.  I paddled boarded around the cove and then Jason took us to his favorite snorkeling spot. Special Ed got a little crazy and went knee boarding and surfed behind the dinghy. It was a great way to end of vacation.

Our first vacation without the four H's was a complete success. We a blast with our "boat buddies" and made so many memories. I can't think of a more fun group of people to travel with.

It was nice being treated like royalty, but it's back to being mama-the cook-maid- and family planner! I wouldn't have it any other way.
Until next time...the gang

More BVI pics

The 411

It is so hard to find time to sit down and put into words what my tribe has been up to. I struggle with remembering it all, so I find myself writing little notes every time the boys do something funny and/or memorable. The trio will be 22 months and Harper will be 5 and a half on Valentine's Day.

Harper has been OBSESSED with time lately. He is constantly telling me what time it is, asking me how many minutes have passed since ________, how many hours until ______, what time was it when I asked for a snack, etc, etc etc. I can never find my phone to check the time, so I say "I don't know" a whole lot! I feel like I say that all the time these days. He is very inquisitive and asks good questions, but oh my goodness, he can make his momma feel dumb! I dropped him off at preschool last week and he said, "See you in five and a half hours!"  Obsessed, I tell ya.

He continues to be the best big brother. He refers to himself as Bubby and always talks in third person. He loves to play basketball, legos, chase, dig in the sandbox, and read to the boys. It is pretty cute! They absolutely adore him and call him Bubba, until recently, and now they can say "Haaa-per."

Harper is growing up right before my eyes. He has started to take on more responsibilities and is a great help around the house. He is now responsible to for brushing, flossing, and rinsing twice a day. Yep, SIX cavities at our last dental cleaning will light a fire under me! He has the biggest sweet tooth (like me) so we are working on cutting back on sweets...which is easier said than done!

Ducky Dynasty is his favorite show. He has seen every.single.episode. When we were driving the other day, he became star stuck when he thought he saw Uncle Si driving in Conroe!! He usually asks to watch an episode every night before bedtime.

He continues to excel in Kindergarten Prep as we prepare for Kinder next year. He earned all E and S on his report card!! Hopefully he will take after his daddy scholastically! Harper has started to show interest in reading. He knows a ton of sight words, but I haven't really pushed the issue. I recently got out some level 3 reading books and he flew through them!! I was in shock, because he has never brought home a book from school to read. Hopefully he will enjoy reading like me.

These next 3 pictures sum up any given minute at our house..happy.crazy.crying.....

The little boys are officially toddlers. They are not babies, except for the fact that they sleep in baby beds and wear diapers! They are little people:) Recently they have discovered toilet paper and love to take it all off of the roll. It gets dangerous when it gets quiet, I can always find them in the bathroom!! They are learning to share toys. It melts my heart when they give another brother a toy to play with. Also, if someone is crying they will go find a paci and bring it to them. Very sweet.

Hampton still loves his paci, mama, and oatmeal...in that order! He is constantly wanting "dis" and fussing until he gets his way. Taking away the paci (next month) is going to be tough. Hampton is such a little flirt and can be so smiley, and giggly BUT he can also throw the biggest tantrums. We are working on our meltdowns and banging our head on the wall.  Mercy.

swinging with cha cha

LOVES kale smoothies

Being independent=messy

The balloon is like the shopping carts at Ross, you can always find him!

Hogan is still our active guy. He is usually the first to try something daring...like climbing out of his crib! He has climbed out three times over the last month. Hogan is obsessed with legos and building towers. He is easily entertained by music and loves to dance. He continues to hate diaper changes, so we usually change his diapers standing up. Recently he has become a little more reserved and likes to be held. He says, "Hold me" and reaches up with his arms...precious. He weighs the most so this can be a challenging and should count as part of my Crossfit workout.

We are currently patching his left eye for one hour a day. The doctor is hoping to strengthen his right eye. At the beginning of March we will reassess the situation and see if surgery is necessary.

Hudson is still our serious guy, especially to strangers, but this kiddo is funny!! You can get him to belly laugh and it is SO cute! He has started to make a "Grape face" which was a Harper-thing. He puckers his lips and squints his eyes. It it so funny to us. He loves to marching and has a little pep in his step when he runs. We recently brought out the basketball goal and he loves to shoot hoops and get "2" when the ball goes in. He is an accessories kid too...he loves to wear mismatched socks and shoes. He is always styling and can usually be found with a pair of "worker" classes on too!

Grape face

I think things have to get harder before they get easier. I find myself saying, "I've got this" one minute and then the next minute feeling overwhelmed.  I feel like the boys know that I am not enough. The 3:1 ratio for the majority of the day is tough. I desire to have special one on one time with each of them, but it is not possible. My recent prayer has been "Jesus, please fill up my kids where I can not....and please redeem my parenting failures." I know that my little family was all part of God's divine plan, he doesn't make mistakes, but I often feel overwhelmed...I think I need to be an octopus!!

But amongst all the chaos, I am thanking God for the absolutely beautiful weather we have had in January because we have had lots of fun outside!