August Angst

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

We Lewellens had a wonderful summer, really we did. In mid-July, I found myself thinking, 'I am really not looking forward to school starting back up! Summer is just too. Much. FUN.' I loved the lazy days and the slow pace of not having any set place to be. And then, it happened.
The calendar page turned.
With the onset of August came an overwhelming sense of, 'If these kids don't go back to school I think I may...'  I'll have to allow your imagination to wander. I wouldn't want to put anything in print that could potentially land me in a straight jacket. Although, three weeks ago? That may have felt like a vacay. I kid. I kid.
The August days creeped by like those in June and July had not. And the girls.  OH MY. They fought. And they whined. And they fought. And they FOUGHT. Wright had more tantrums than I could even try to count, and more than once I just broke down right with her. One can only be physically assaulted after chasing and eventually wresting a 19 pounder to the ground all in an attempt to simply change a poop so many times without just losing your sh*t, ya know? 
Somehow, though, we made it. We ALL survived, and I am coming to you over halfway through our big girl's first week as a first grader and on the eve of the two littles' open house for preschool which is all set to begin next week. {That's right. Littles. Plural. Everybody's going to school! Woo-freaking-hoo.}
Overall, things have gotten off to a good start. The mornings are still rough for this non-morning Mommy. That first day, when my alarm went off at 6:40 AM, I thought for SURE it had to be the middle of the night. Realizing the sun was actually up and that I should be as well, I stumbled up the stairs to wake Carter. Poor thing. She sleeping like the dead, and I just could not rouse her. I carried her limp body downstairs and set her on the potty. She eventually came to and was generally pleasant, but these early mornings are definitely an adjustment. 
One thing I really did enjoy in August was taking Carter back to school shopping. We took advantage of some one on one time and created a fun little first grade wardrobe. When she walked out the door on Tuesday in this little ensemble, I melted. 
That tunic! Those leggings! And the glitter toe flats?! I mean...
And moments after she and her Daddy drove off I realized,
SHE HADN'T BRUSHED HER TEETH. oops.
One thing that I do find challenging about getting back into the swing of things when summer ends, is being on such a time crunch, particularly in the evenings. While summer days allow for flexibility in bedtimes, bath times, meal times, etc... school days need to be much more scheduled. So, this week I've been moving us towards an earlier dinner time than what we'd been accustomed to this summer. This morning I had a craving for Campbell's Tomato Soup. I haven't bought the stuff in years because of all the preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, etc... and have never fed it to the kids, but - out of nowhere - it sure sounded good. So, I did a quick Google search for a copy cat recipe. 
The first one sounded fantastic but took three hours to prepare and multiple moves to and from the food processor. (Strike one.) The second one seemed easy enough and the reviewers said it tasted just like the Campbell's, but it called for something called xanthan gum. 1) I don't know what that is and 2) I didn't want to go searching for it. (Strike two.) The third recipe I clicked on seemed easy enough, containing only six simple ingredients, most of which I already had at home. (We had our winner.)
I literally prepared this soup in the time it would take to open two cans of Campbell's, add the water to the condensed soup, and stir it together. It could not have been more simple. While it was simmering, I whipped up four grilled cheeses, and, and in fifteen minutes flat, dinner was served. 
My bowl with  added fresh cracked pepper on top. 
And with grilled cheese strips for dipping.
Such a comfort meal.
Threw in a few Annie's saltines with the girls' place settings.
I wish I could say that the soup was a hit for the whole family, but this is real life people. So here are a few glimpses as to how our family dinner went down... 
Carter, always the polite first-born, took five bites, kindly said, 'No, thank you,'
and then asked if it was ok to fetch the ketchup for dipping.
Murphy, flopped and whined around, asking how many bites she had to eat 
before she could go "dot-com" again.
(For the record, she ate zero, licked one, and spilt a giant spoon-full.)
Wright, before I was even three bites in to my own dinner,
decided to climb on to the table for a borderline tantrum.
And, at the conclusion of the meal, 
her grilled cheese looked like this. Completely intact. 
The hubby didn't get home from work in time to join us for this completely typical family dinner. I kept the soup simmering on the stove and made him a grilled cheese with pepper jack when he got home a little later. He seemed to like the soup; at least if he didn't he was able to remain in his seat for the duration of the meal and refrain from substituting it with ketchup for his main dish. 
As slowly as August began, I can hardly believe this week marks its end. I'm happy to be getting back into a routine. I still need to work on going to bed earlier and waking up earlier - perhaps trading in some of my Orange in the New Black binge watching for some book reading prior to the 11:00 PM hour. I know it will all come together, and I am hopeful that my sanity will be restored. 
{Till Christmas break, anyway...} 

Our Beachtastic Getaway

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Every now and then when I sit down to write, I realize that what I'm writing will not likely be interesting to anyone beyond my immediate family or anyone who knows us in real life. Rarely do I document single events just for the sake of doing so, but every once in awhile we'll have some sort of experience that I'll realize I just don't want to forget. This was the case with our family's trip to the beach this year.
Unlike a lot of our friends who take several trips to the beach over summer, we only had one trip planned: a single week, so we had to make it count. Our trip was originally scheduled for the week following July 4, but Lindsay's work schedule required a change of plans. This rescheduling turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the girls were so much more comfortable in the water after that extra month of pool time, and we had the most gorgeous weather imaginable for the entire week. 
After a short, uneventful three and a half hour drive from Charlotte, we arrived at our favorite Wrightsville resort at around 4:45 on Sunday afternoon. We unpacked and got settled into our suite and then headed downstairs for a quick dinner. After which, we were all itching to get our toes in the sand.
My people.
I had no idea how much I needed this until I was there. That salty air. That sea breeze. The sounds of the crashing waves. I didn't realize how much I'd missed it or how calming and therapeutic it can be. Just watching them made my heart smile. Big. 
The girl who usually won't get even her pinky dirty 
wasted no time getting acclimated to the sand.
And, of course, posing. 
Sweet sleeping sisters. 
After a good night's rest was had by all, we began Monday morning by getting into a routine that went so smoothly that we continued it each day all week. We'd hit either the beach of the pool in the morning (and by morning, I mean around 10:30 or so), then the big girls would head to Kids' Club for two hours (which they LOVED) while Lindsay, Wright, and I had a quiet lunch, then we'd return to either the beach or the pool. Dinner was most often room service which we enjoyed on our ocean front balcony. The evenings varied but included nighttime swimming, a dive in movie, and a trip into town for ice cream and new hermit crabs. 
This one was initially unsure of her feelings of the sand/ocean.
She spent a lot of time saying 'Toes! Toes!' and wanting her feet to be cleaned.
Filling up our sand toy box with water made her so happy.
It was a daily 'must do'.
This girl. 
Ocean lover.
And, Murphy.
Sunning, of course.
Pestering.
One of my favorite pictures. Ever.
Wrighty quickly warmed up to both the sand and the water. In fact, she was the most comfortable and free in the ocean of any of our girls at a comparable age. 
Group shot - mid activity.
The water box had many uses.
The big girl requested a photo before round two on day one.
We weren't sure how sleeping would work out since we were all going to be staying in a single suite. Well, as it turned out, Little Miss Wright took on the sleeping habits of a teenager rather than a not-quite two year old. On Monday morning, we were shocked when she slept till nearly 9:30. Little did we know that the next two mornings, she would need to be woken up at ELEVEN AM! 
Rise and shine, Beautiful!
Apparently, sleeping behind plexiglass and INSIDE a shower is especially soothing for her. 
Cheetos. Simply cheetos.
The only appropriate breakfast after a nearly noon wake up time.
While Wright was catching some extra zzz's
Daddy was burying Murphy in the sand. 
Love them. So much. 
(And love their Daddy for snapping this pic.)
I was warming her up. She was cooling me down. 
Murphy woke up each morning asking to go to her 'class' (Kids' Club) and said throughout the week that it was her favorite part of each day. The girls loved the attention from the counselors (they were often the only kids there) and made crafts out the wazoo each day. Lindsay and I loved the early afternoon downtime and the chance for a little individual time with our Bitty Boo. 
Enjoying lunch with a view.
Checking out the lobby birds.
That moment when I gave in to a tantrum and let her hold her own ice cream treat.
Sandtastic.
Afternoon shallow sea fishing.
Pool time with Daddy.
These two got in some extra special beach bonding during the week.
Bedtime stories read by an overly-sunned big sister.
A morning gaze anticipating the day ahead.
Vacation agrees with her.
Adorable, super hip $9 swimsuits from Target agree with her Mom.
Late afternoon sand play with just my big girl.
(Though nobody napped all week, downtime for the littles was occasionally needed.)
Seagull chaser.
Precious.
Working on her potions.
Another day. Another ice cream treat.
That time I tired to take a picture of all three girls.
So hard to get a genuine smile from Number One.
Love this one.
Taking a break from the beach by making magic wands out of snail shells.
{Well, of course.}
Party the WRIGHT way.
I, mean, come on. How could we not take advantage of this photo op?!
Our Three.
{Turns out, you move the three down to the water's edge,
plop them down on a body board, and precious pics come pretty easily.}
That sums up a pretty standard beach trip I suppose, but for us, this was such a wonderful week. We made memories, and realized that vacations actually can be relaxing and enjoyable even with young children involved. We were sad to head home and are all itching for our next oceanic getaway. Moments after we arrived home, as I was still unloading the car, I walked into the art room to see this single word written by Carter on our chalkboard wall:
Looks like we were all left with the same feeling.
{And, there really is no "i" in family.}
CopyRight © | Theme Designed By Hello Manhattan