LegoLand 2018!

We  took our first real family vacation, and it was actually something I think we'd do again! Ha Ha! I can hardly believe it; who'd of thought!...the Patton family, actually assembling everything and loading up onto an airplane... for enjoyment!

We made family vacation memories.

We surprised the kids Christmas morning with the promise of Legoland! The kids were thrilled because the sound of it was so magical! However, they didn't have any context for what a place full of Legos was all about.
To them, May was so far away. But the anticipation stirred up so much excitement.
However, before we knew it,
 May 14, 2018 arrived. 
It just happened to be my 36th birthday. Yes, although the number is shocking when I look at it, I can in fact believe that I am this age and  going to Legoland on this day just about captured and celebrated this season appropriately.

I love being 36. I should be 36. My life screams 36: Four precious children, an amazing husband of 13 years, a place to call my home, deep friendships with a community of people I've know for more than a decade now; and the best part is we just keep aging together so no one really notices! 😀

Legoland for me summed up all of this beautiful life.

My parents, who live in Chicago, came along with us. It was a wonderful blessing for us all to experience our first family vacation with them.

It was also nice to have Grandma who is willing to get  in the pool with Evie and help her swim and Grandpa to accompany all the boys to the bathroom!

Evelyn looked forward to Legoland the most.  Last year we took just her to Disneyland and because of that experience, I believe she comprehended and anticipated more of what was to come. The day before when I asked her to start packing, she proudly replied she was finished. Opening her suitcase to double check, she indeed had packed; neatly folded were about five of her fanciest dresses and high heeled shoes! I smiled as I realized that her selection of clothing only showed her enthusiasm for her trip and that she regarded it as truly an occasion.
After suggesting she switch out her clothes for items that had less lace and ribbons, she started going through the boys clothes and packing them as well. I'm telling you, this little girl is turning into a little mama every day the way she cares for her brothers.

We met my parents at the airport on May 14, picking Evie up from school a little early. The energy in the car was electric.
Our reunion with Grandma and Grandpa was full of hugs, kisses and excitement, and we boarded our plane for San Diego.

Upon landing, John reserved for us a small youth group looking retreat van, the only rented vehicle that he could find to hold eight passengers and luggage.

The Patton Family Vacation Van

The kids thought it was great! It was truly a "Patton family vacation van." If you would have told me in my 20s that I would be excited about this mode of transportation, I would have laughed. Now I laugh because I love it!

We arrived at the Lego Castle after dark.

It was a sight to see, all lit up, the draw bridge down, welcoming our family into it's magic. The hotel was only open about 2 weeks, so it was brand new! It was a child's lego dream world.

Our room was outfitted and designed perfectly for our family of six. There was a separate master suit for John and me (with a lego dragon watching up throughout the night above our bed) and a room with bunk beds for the kids. Each night there was a puzzle the kids had to solve that unlocked the treasure box in the room which revealed a surprise.

The rides overall were pretty tame; this is the reason we decided to go to Legoland over another theme park. Our kids are easily intimidated and these rides were all giggles.

The jousting horse had to the the cutest ride I've ever seen 

One of their favorites, the helicopter ride. 

Upon entering the park the first day there was a rollar coaster. Albeit small, it still looked intimidating to the kids and everyone quickly decided that they would not be riding it.
However, James quietly took Grandma's hand and said he wanted to do it. "Are you sure...are you sure?!" We all asked.
He was kinda-sure, but determined to do what his other siblings were scared to attempt.
My mom said she'd go on it with him, but I really wanted to be a part of this whole experience too. So, we did it. I had front row. The rest of my family watched from below, and I made quite the scene as I playfully put my arms wildly in the sky. James huddled against my mom behind me, covering his eyes, yet staying strong as he endured the sharp, sudden drops.
Getting off, he was all smiles, confidently and proudly telling his siblings about it.
Upon hearing that James made it through, Evie and Caleb decided they didn't want to be left out and they bravely decided to give the ride a go too.

Scared but determined, they rode the ride, huddled nervously against Dad and Grandpa. There were even a few shed tears. Nonetheless, they exited the ride, proud of what they did.
They all agreed they didn't want to ride the coaster again; however, when asked later what their favorite part of the trip was, they all said the rollar coaster.

The Lego safari ride was quite the experience

 

These car rides were a favorite too: They even got little lego drivers license when they finished! 

I believe that conquering fears and doing something that seems unimaginable does produce a type of elation. In this case, it was also "out doing" their siblings. Except Levi. Levi has a timid yet strong personality. He knows what he is afraid of (which is a lot) and he doesn't care if he is the odd man out not wanting to do it. It didn't bother him at all that he was the only one not riding the coaster.

Boat building had them occupied for hours

Two days was plenty at Legoland. We got home late late on Wednesday, and the kids were ready to be back to normal for awhile.

However, looking forward to this trip for so long now produced somewhat of a let down as it was over and done. The kids have come to me the past two weeks since being home and said, "I miss Legoland."
They are learning that the anticipation of something in life is most of the fun; after the trip is over, we can now talk and think about the memories we shared on it.
And dream about our next one 😉

Until next time.....

Levi's face captured how he felt about some of the things at LegoLand

Beautiful Mess

I get to be in the thick of it. 
          The Mud. 
The pancake syrup.
                 The slug collection. 
The thick, messiness of life that four children bring. 

These boys, middle of the day...in the sludge, down by the river under the bridge, in the park. 
             Simple days,
                     throwing sticks into the water, cascading down the small stream...
finding
the
perfect
rocks
                 and tossing them into the water, analyzing the splashes, and vowing to do better.

These simple days, childhood days, of packing sandwiches and eating on a tire swing, making comments about the birds laughing-"tee hee, tee hee"- at the top of the oak trees.

Walking down grassy slopes,
            picking dandelions
and watching the seeds blow into the sky.

I get to be in the thick of this.
This 
beautiful 
mess.

8:30 am and we already have three outfit changes.

 7:00 pm at the park, negotiating with my children to not to fully submerge into sand box swamp because we need to go home now and get ready for bed...

She has hot dog stains on the front of her new softball  jersey right before team pictures.

convincing them that they need to finish their hotdogs and Fritos before eating their twinkies.. (?!?)

 .....sand trails throughout the house, deep into the crevices of the couch cushions, 
foot prints on the white carpet...
these are the reasons I don't have a life outside my kids and home....these reasons...these precious precious reasons...

Evie comes home from school, a new space between her front teeth. Another tooth is gone; dried blood stains the gap in her proud smile. Beaming, she presents her small little tooth, evidence that she is growing up.
John is out of town, and I realize I don't have any cash or can't possibly get to the store by night. Her hopes are set high for what the tooth fairy will bring....
Thank goodness for amazing friends and neighbors who can contribute $5.00 to the tooth fairy.

With the  stealth of a preying cat I slip into her bedroom that night, one eye on the target of her pillow and one eye on her heavy deep sleep breathing. I am slightly stressed, trying to get this job done. But alas, I succeed and make the transfer. Between my thumb and pointer finger  I hold the prize, a small tiny baby tooth. My initial thought was going to be to toss it down the toilet; but instead, I pause as I gaze at the barely visible tooth in my palm.
  I get flashbacks of six year earlier, of John and I absolutely astonished by the fact she has her first tooth sprouting.
We are beyond excited, giddy...texting pictures to family. 
And now, so fast it's gone, it's job is done.
 On to the next stage.
It's not needed any more.
And now, I can't bear to throw this tooth down the toilet.
Instead,  I put it far far in the back of my jewelry box, just so John can see it if he wants when he comes home from his business trip; but, somehow I think it will remain there longer.

These beautiful moments rushing past me, like Caleb tonight, dressed in his orange cape as "super boy" at the crowded park. Oblivious to everyone else he runs at full speed, cape flying in the wind.  His excitement is wild, real and uncontainable. He truly looks like a super boy, unstoppable and so big looking. I want him to be super boy forever.

Later, Levi comes crying to me from downstairs, blaming James. James knows he did wrong. He knows he's in trouble. And as I come down the stair case to confront his behavior, I already see him in the "time out" chair, arms crossed in front of him, that "James scowl" across his face.
I get to his level, try to understand what he did and why. I ask him to apologize to Levi, give him a hug. He mumbles a sorry and briefly embraces Levi. All is well now and James shuffles away.

It is night. I check on them as they sleep, all their daytime mischief laid to rest until tomorrow. There are small reminders of the day's events scattered throughout the house and yard.
But all is silent.
For a few short hours, anyhow, until the beautiful mess begins again. 

Spring has Sprung

Spring activities keep us racing around town to softball practice and swimming lessons. 

But, it also has the boys building bridges across our family room on rainy spring days.

There have been some hot days this spring and Caleb agreed to do yard work.

I try to keep extracurricular activities to ONE per child per season. So far in life it's been divided as
-Evie's activities and
-the boys.

 To my delight, Evie is playing park district softball. I talked her into it because I played softball growing up and have the best memories. 
Honestly I'm not sure how "in to it" she is. She's only played one game so far. 
One of the games was rained out and one of them she contracted pink eye the day before. 😝

Ready for action

When I signed her up in the winter, I was naive as to the expenses with all the needed equipment! All the girls need their own helmet (complete with face guard), junior mitt, bat, pants and cleats! 

 Growing up, I remember picking up any old dusty helmet and bat off the dugout floor. 
Sanitation is considered a little more these days, which, I honestly don't mind! 😀

It's pretty entertaining watching them play and I've had to adopt a relaxed attitude. 
There are girls hitting balls and forgetting to run. 
There are girls who watch the ball roll by them on a base hit. 
There are girls who'd rather pick dandelions in the outfield. 

They cap the game at 1 hour, which is a good thing. This is just the beginning of little league sports competition for our family!
During softball practice, the boys are eager to practice hitting balls on the sideline. Levi has a natural ability and swings that bat, making the ball sail. 
James is a natural lefty. I've tried to correct him on his positioning but he just explains that "it feels better this way." 
Little Caleb can hardly hold the bat up. He is all smiles though as he swings a few moments after the ball sails past him. 

We will see if they all end of playing baseball. 
 I know one thing for sure, they must be all on the same team! I feel like having one child on a team takes up a lot of time and energy. 
And, they will all share a helmet. 

So while Evie's Spring activity is softball, the boys are forced to take swimming lessons.

 It's going pretty much how I envisioned it.
 Caleb jumps in, nearly drowning, believing he can already swim;

 James really really doesn't want to get his face wet or be cold. He cries a bit, but afterwords declares "it's not so bad";

James rather be loungin' in the sun with a piece of banana  bread

 Levi is just one paranoid mess.
 Crying, kicking, protesting, this kids absolutely detests the water and putting any part of his body into it. 

Our kind swim instructor is very patient with him and just puts him on his back and guides him to float down the pool as he screams into his ear drum. 
I believe swimming is a necessary skill; so, regardless of their dislike and protesting, in the water they go. 

John calmly guides Caleb down the pool 

April just flew by. On April 9, John and I celebrated 13 years of marriage! 13 years! That happened so fast...but there was a lot of life in between. 

Young and free

I feel like at 6 years, when we had Evie, the years started speeding up. 
As we go through the ups and downs of life, I am more convinced than ever that good marriages just don't happen. It's both people constantly choosing to honor, respect and love the other. John shows me everyday that he still cherishes me and our family, taking the vows he made 13 years ago seriously. 

From then....

To now.

The other day, after a busy morning the kids needed a little down time (and so did I). We have a big sectional couch in our family room. I laid down at the end of it, head on a pillow. James came over and had a "very good idea" to put another pillow on my lap and lay down. Then Evie decided that a pillow on James' lap would make a comfortable resting place. 
Levi followed suit and then John and Caleb. From end to end on our large sectional the six of us laid in perfect order together. 
It was one of those moments to just soak up. Feelings of gratefulness and contentment flooded every ounce of my being and I thought, "it doesn't get any better than this." 
Little did I know when I said "Yes" to John when he asked me to be his family, that "two would become ONE"...and then Six.

Spring Break 2018

Spring Break 2018

Caleb and James spent a lot of Spring Break doing this:

It seems like our entire house is taken over by train tracks sometimes.

John and I decided to surprise the kids and take them on a real train!

We didn't leave the state or even the city. We bought an "all day" MAX ticket and rode downtown Portland for a day of stops along the river. There was truly magic in the kids' eyes as they boarded the MAX and we headed down the track over the Tillicum bridge, getting off in downtown Portland.

Before our excursion, I sat down and drew the kids a rough "map" of exactly where we'd be going and what we'd be doing. Admittedly, I wasn't quite sure exactly what and where everything was, but I felt confident that John and I together could successfully navigate the kids through a portion of the city.

Our travel time out on the MAX was a mere 20 min to our first stop; we jumped on and off at various points in the city to explore different sections and neighborhoods of Portland.
The kids were excited just waiting for the MAX to arrive!

Crossing the pedestrian bridge over the Willamette was a thrill in itself; we exited the train and walked on foot back over the top, observing boats, bridges and buildings.

Next, we got off at Clinton Street and had lunch at a place called Ford Fuel and Food. A huge, farm house sized table was available and fit our family perfectly.
We all sat around it, enjoying our lunch in this new section of town; thick grilled cheese sandwiches for the kids and organic bean and rice bowl for the adults, we all enjoyed lunch.

We climbed aboard once again and got off at Bybee St and walked about a mile to Westmoreland Park. A charming landscape of flowering trees, ponds, bridges and ducks, this place was bursting with  spring.
The playground was inspired by nature. It was constructed with fallen tree trucks and sand.  The kids ran around in the sunshine for awhile, climbing trees and building sandcastles.

Finally, we headed back to our initial stop in Milwaukie.

Overall, we kept it simple, cheap and enjoyed the small things, like walking over bridges and looking out the windows from the train.

This summer I plan on mapping out a few train adventures for the kids. It's a simple, inexpensive way to see the city, explore new places and have a good family time.

Another fun adventure I took the kids on was the Woodburn wooden shoe tulip farm. The kids enjoyed riding the hayride, bumping through the flower fields on a cow train and eating a corn dog in the sunshine.

Easter weekend had us searching for eggs at a local church.

We spent Easter day enjoying the special service at our own church and then having a nice Easter dinner with our  friends and neighbors. We organized  another egg hunt for the eleven kids. We hid the first batch of eggs in the house, all filled with vegetables! (April Fools!)


We then directed our disappointed kids outside to another batch off eggs hidden around the yard, this time filled with Easter candy. :)

 

This week we've been getting back into the routine of school and social fun!  Its a windy day today but the wind sweeps the white blossoms off the trees around the house creating quite the magic show.
It reminds James of snow: "Is it almost Christmas time now? It's taking forever!"