Sleepless in Seattle...R E A L L Y

So what could be more insane than two moms (Tallie & me) taking FIVE active kids ages three and under, two of which are nursing babies, through an airport, luggage, baby 'stuff' and car seats in tow from San Diego to Seattle? How about the return trip trying to carry very sleepy and sick Lexie and Izzie off the plane solo at 10 pm with Vivs in the front pack....large carry-on bag on shoulder through the terminal to meet Curt at the curb! Actually, it wasn't all as bad as it sounds. The kids all did really well on the flight and things went more smoothly than one could hope...thanks to Tallie being a veteran with this flying thing! (at least on the trip from SAN to SEA-TAC).

Isabella had a fever in the airport on our outbound trip and it quickly developed into a croupy cough and she just felt yucky much of the time while in Seattle. It's no fun to be up in the middle of the night making a 'steam room' in the bathroom because Izzie couldn't breathe then feeding Vivs two hours later and trying to keep Lexie quiet when she woke up at 5:30 am so that she wouldn't disturb Luke & Hank, Izzie & Vivie! I sure missed Curt's helping hands in the middle of the night! Who needs sleep anyway when you're supposed to be 'on vacation!'???? What really is 'vacation' when you have six kids?

We actually managed to have a good time thanks to fun Aunt Tallie & Uncle Mark! We drove all over Tacoma and Seattle and I've decided that I COULD move there and like it. Maybe it's because the sun poked through the clouds at some point everyday we were there (just to tease me?!) and it just didn't seem as dreary as they say. Tallie was excited to hear that and quickly pulled up listings so we could get an idea of affordability. Who knows what the future holds!

The kids all had tons of fun running around the Puget Sound at Fort Nisqually touching dead jelly fish on the shore, sloshing around in a very muddy pumpkin patch, walking around and around the Seattle Temple, driving by The Needle and Pike's Place (kids were snoozing & not feeling well). Looking back, I was either pumping or feeding Viviana in the shelter of the car during most of these fun things! Hooray for fun Aunt Tallie- my kids LOVE her! Luke had his fair share of teasing little girls and pushing their buttons. I think our kids act more like brothers and sisters than cousins because they're so familiar with each other and love one another so much! Of course Lexie is ultra sensitive and Izzie is a screamer so it as a lot to handle teaching 2 and 3-year-olds how to love one another nicely! We got home and Lexie said she misses Luke already so
I guess the hair-pulling and 3-year-old stuff wasn't as bad as it seemed! It's fun to have family to visit and it's also good to come home to a routine....like visiting the Doctor! That's been pretty routine in our family for MONTHS. The good news is that Izzie doesn't have pneumonia. It's just croup so now we'll just pray that Vivs can stay healthy!