5 kids on a plane!

Last week we travelled to Naples, Florida with our friends and their 3 children. As Melissa put it, we had a newborn, a 1 yr old, 2 yr old, 3yr old, and a 4 year old. We flew down together, and believe me, we were quite the site to see at the airport. I was a nervous wreck the days leading up to the flight because Charlie is just at that age where he does not want to be still for any amount of time, and he will let you know when he is not happy. Luckily, it went pretty good, and we were able to keep him (fairly) happy for most of the time with lots of suckers, twizzlers, and other various snacks.  Believe me, I would have given him anything he wanted during those 2.5 hours. Kenley loved the plane, and was great. It was so fun experiencing such an exciting "first" with both of them.

We had a great time, and all of the kids were really good on the trip.  Yes, it took us about 2 hours to get out the door each morning, but we did it! The kids had a blast swimming and playing. They loved the beach, and I had so much fun watching them play in the sand and look for shells. The guys went golfing, and Melissa and I got massages at the spa. We actually managed 3 dinners out with all of the kids with no major meltdowns! I think it helped that we got to eat outside since the weather was perfect. We had a really nice time, and we are very greatful our friends invited us on this trip. The plane ride home went pretty well, and Charlie even slept for the last half hour.  Ray and I have been talking about planning a Disney trip in our future now that we conquered our first plane ride!

This week we are preparing for Halloween with all things pumpkins, dressing up, candy, and lots of parties!  Kenley has a party for ballet, pre-school, Ray's work has a party, and the gym is having a party.  So, we hope we can make it to all of those.  The kids will be getting a lot of use out of their costumes.  I'm also super excited because my sister is having my new niece the week after! 

6 week catch up

I was going to title this blog end of September, but then I realized it's already halfway into October! Halloween will be here before we know it, and then full on into the holiday season!

So, in the 5 weeks I celebrated my 32nd birthday with a weekend getaway with my husband. So fun, So relaxing, and much needed! Ray planned an amazing weekend in Geneva. We shopped around, had some drinks/lunch outside, and had a romantic dinner. I was really able to relax and took full advantage of the awesome whirlpool tub in our room, and I even got to read out on our balcony. Call me boring, but it enjoyed every second of it!  Of course, we also celebrated with the kids earlier in the week too.

It's been a challenging few weeks with Charlie, and he been throwing some really bad tantrums, and when he is mad, he bangs his head on the floor. he's had black and blue marks on his forehead for weeks. I've been told that it's normal for a 1 year old, but I hope he grows out of it soon.  We were kicked out of the gym 2'days early last week because he was throwing bad tantrums in the childcare room. I even tried taking him to the doctor to check if maybe he had an ear infection or something.  Nope, just a case of the fussies. I wish there was a medicine for that. I was afraid to go back to the gym, so I stayed away the rest of the week, which was NOT good for my mind or body. I guess it's a good thing that I actually feel a need to workout, and I know that when I miss a few days I start getting cranky. A cranky baby and a cranky mama is no good.

Then, once I decided I was going to suck it up and try to go back, I got the flu. So, the past 2days I've been mostly sleeping/laying around in pjs. I had to force myself to go to work yesterday even though I was so sick. I really don't know how I made it, but I knew I had to go because I will be missing class next week for a much better reason than being sick. I've always been a strong believer in going to work sick and using sick days to do something fun:). I'm feeling better today, and I am hoping to get out and about tomorrow because 2 days of being cooped up in the house is more than enough for me.

We took the kids to the pumpkin patch last week, and we have an exciting week ahead, which I am looking forward to.  We also had a family photo session, which turned out amazing.  It was our first time getting professional pictures since Kenley was one.  I am so happy that we got a lot of great pictures of all four of us.  I'll be posting pictures soon!