JUNE / JULY 2013

So, I’ve learned a very big lesson on picture taking and blog posting over this summer…. It is extremely time consuming to get my pictures from my iphone to my blog – I won’t bore anyone with the details, but I have a streamlined system that works much better/faster if I just use my traditional camera. 

Anyway… I am FINALLY getting around to actually posting about our summer in the states… I’m not sure why I always procrastinate doing this.  I honestly think that putting this off is a coping mechanism – as it is physically painful to say goodbye to everyone and then to just jump back to pictures and fresh memories it is just kinda too hard.  So, I let time pass – problem with this is that the more time that passes the less I feel like tackling this project.   So now you have my long list of excuses of why this took forever…

Our flight there wasn’t too bad, I know many people cannot wrap their head around flying with small children like we do, and to be fair, neither can i.  It’s like we just cannot “over think” it – get on the plane and go.  One thing that was wonderful this time around is that we did not all sit together.  Good for me at least.  Julia and I sat together on the bulkhead row and Charles was just enough rows back to where they kids could not ask me for stuff.  He dealt with them and I dealt with baby.  It was a fair split.  When we all sit together – even though we try to divide and conquer – you know how it is, everybody wants mama.  I end up working the entire flight and by default daddy gets to watch movies unbothered… Splitting up the family was my saving grace. 

Below is Julia’s/My chair.  Yep, folks that’s it – and we shared.  I actually did a lot of standing and sitting on the floor so she could play.  Thankfully the strangers on our row (who were ALL men) were headed home from business to see their families and were very tolerant of baby J… I was also relieved I was no longer nursing since this would have made for a very awkward situation.

Me and J.Rae jet lagging… Jet lag with three kids is a WHOLE ‘nother ball game. Oh my WORD. Difficult is just not strong enough of a word.

The kiddos were barely among the land of the living by July 4th and we had a low key (but just right) fireworks session to celebrate.

The kids are always fascinated by the rain – As soon as it starts raining they beg to go outside and play.  So weird, but I get it.  If you go a year without seeing rain.. a real good rain, it will captivate you.  I’m sure  they will both have quirks about this when they are older.

Most of the summer we just bounced back and forth between my parents house and my in-laws’ house.  My hands were so full with three kids it was great to just hang out and enjoy their grandparents.

My mother in law always had activities ready and something new to pull out of her hat when things got crazy… The kids were always entertained!!

My mom and I did a craft store run and had some arts and crafts projects.. they kids enjoyed!!

We hung out at the river on a couple weekends – I have had a baby or have been pregnant most of the summers they’ve had the camp.  This time it was one of the hardest because the big kids want to get in the water, this is not water you would put a baby in… so I spent lots of time on the deck trying to keep her cool or inside the camp.. here is dad taking a turn with her :)

This night was a river party night… at my parents camp (lake house – to those of you that may be yankees)  they will sometimes have a band and all the people up and down the river road will collect at one camp and dance the night away.  Good times.  This of course has a story behind it – I had to bring my big kids to my sister in laws house, feed them, bathe them and then bring Julia to the babysitter at my mom’s house – then I had to shower and get dressed with Julia screaming underneath me since she had stranger anxiety… She was crying so hard she couldn’t breathe… it was close enough to her bedtime that I just stayed there until I could put her to bed.   she was breaking my heart and there was no way I could do anything but worry about her.  Once I put her down for the night and drove away I got the text that she was asleep and that was my green light to have some fun.  From start to finish it took me over 3 hours to get 3 kids settled and myself ready.

^^Me, Kari and Mom^^

Below is another picture of the kids enjoying an afternoon rain shower… on their scooters. ha.

Julia wanted to go out there so badly

Audrey went to my in-laws beach house for a week without me.  So HARD to let her go, but I wasn’t ready to go to the beach with three kids (crawling baby) and no hubby.  Maybe next year…. anyway - Not sure why, but as we were loading her up to go, My mother in law and I were chatting and the discussion of rainbows came up – I told her that Audrey is dying to see a real rainbow - she has never seen one before, since we don’t have much rain in the desert.  Just a couple of days into their trip they got quick rain shower and left the beach.. when they went in they prayed for a rainbow… and God answered!

While Audrey was away enjoying the sand, sun and her real, life rainbow – I took the night off (My mom &dad kept William and Julia) and drove to baton rouge to spend some time with my seeester, Kari and (her then fiance – now HUSBAND!!) Jon.

I came back to LC for the night, unpacked, repacked, loaded up William and Julia and headed off to Sugar Land for a few days to stay with my friend Kimberly… and visit all my other Telfair (neighborhood) Peeps.  We did not shut up long enough to take pictures.  seriously.. the only one I took was as we were heading out the door.  Naturally there has to be some sort of problem for me while I was away– Julia had a little cold before we left, I thought it was actually teething symptoms.. runny nose, fussy, low grade fever.. etc.  when she actually had an ear infection that ruptured.  So, dealing with a sick baby is not easy when you are away.. it took me 4 different places before I actually got her looked at and then another hour at the pharmacy to get he prescription filled. poor heart.  Three hours later we had antibiotics and were ready to use them.   Fussy baby made the trip a little more challenging than expected, but still had a great time and lots of time to chit chat with my girlfriends. 

Speaking of girlfriends, I was so thankful that I got to side-trip to Katy, TX to visit some more gal pals.  Between the 7 of us (one not pictured) we had 22 children present and one on the way (thankfully not mine)!!  Talk about a fertile group – don’t drink the water!!

Back in years past as we were growing and birthing this bunch, I remember us dreaming of the day they could all go play so we could actually have an interrupted conversation… Well, ladies, we have arrived.  The house was actually kinda quiet  – even when they were all inside.. amazing, I tell ya.

 

After our tour of Texas we were all WIPED OUT.  Time to go back to lake charles and get ready for Audrey to come back.. I was missing her something BAD! Here is the ONE picture I have of being in Sugar Land… as we were packing up to leave – LOL.

William and I made a big banner for Audrey to return to:

He missed her so much and just sat there waiting for her to get back. It was heart wrenching.

I had all my chickens back together so We spend some time at the children's museum

We were back 3 days from Texas, Audrey was back 2 days from the beach and we were ready for our visitors.. The Moddelmogs!  Audrey and Addison were tight buddies when we lived there and since Audrey did not come with us on our visit to Sugar Land, they drove to Lake Charles to see her!

All the kids piled up in the bunk room! I have GOT to get a better picture of this grandkid PALACE…. y’all it is incredible!

We brought them for some fun in the sun out at the river…

Mealtimes were always interesting as we lined up 6 kids around the island bar!

Here is a sweet pic of my mama rocking Jules for a nap… Yes, that is her GRANDMOTHER. what, your grandma didn’t look like this? ha. mine either.. she could pass as her mother.

Uncle Matt! the uncle that created the nickname “JRae” !! We got lots of great quality time with my brother since he came home from an internship and spent a couple weeks at the house while we were in town.

Baby Girl cut a tooth this summer too..

And got her first haircut …

Audrey learned a couple of tunes on the piano from her grandpa (Charles’ dad)

Julia and Will loved pulling of the cushion to the papasan chair and watching cartoons.. not sure how many hours of “Sofia the First” I endured..

This wraps up our June/July of our trip… I’m sure I’m leaving out tons of stuff – that is what happens when you post about something 2 months after the fact.  it’s not really the big things that get you lonesome for your family – it is tons of little things… the daily morning coffee chats with my parents, working on wedding stuff, having dinner at my in-laws house… there are too many to mention here.. Every summer I always have a list of wishes too- like I wish we could have spent more time with (fill in the blank), or got to visit with __________, or gone here or gone there did this. or that.. all things we had envisioned or planned on doing.. however, I know without a doubt we did everything we could.  Mothering 3 young children takes massive amounts of time and even more energy - things are not as easily played out as they are in your head and being out of your environment spins your daily life into a bit of chaos.  As the kids get older we will be able to have more days at the river, more freedom to run the roads etc…. and the main thing to remember is that the kids memory of the states is ALWAYS AWESOME… it doesn’t really matter what we go and do or not do.. they LOVE our summer trips. 

Next post will be about August – and the big, wonderful WEDDING!