Day 2 in Florida

Nobody puked!!!!! What a great day!

Today was fun only a dab of drama...well, it depends on who you talk to. We started the morning with a trip to the grocery store. (Where the refer to shopping carts as buggys...how weird...)

Got home and Doug had gotten us Starbucks coffee, only after getting hopelessly lost...Went to the ocean with the whole crew. I had bought a couple of boogie boards and a basket full of sand toys for the kids. I thought that Wes and Jed would love the sand toys and the older two would get the boards...well, Wesley promptly declared the boards were his and screamed his head off anytime someone would take one. The surf was pretty rough today so it was great for the boards. The Ettema boys got "skim boards" they are skinny and made of wood. The idea here is to throw them on the inch or so of water as the waves come in and then jump on them as they move...Doug thought that was a great idea until he wiped out. Talking lots and lots of blood...

Then it was time to go up for lunch, time to gather up the kids..the only question is "Where's Christian?" He was right here...but now he's gone. 7 minutes we can't find him...the surf is high...where is he??? There are thousands of people on the beach...where is he??? Did he go up to the pool, where is he??? I turn around and he's right there crying his eyes out. He had lost his bearings and gotten lost. To his credit, he had found a lifeguard and asked for help...but it was a long and intense time of searching the beach for him.

The day ended with all of us at the pool for awhile and then back in the ocean. The kids and Doug loved surfing the waves...you should see Wes and Jed!!!! Colin got stung by a jelly fish...but took it like a little man...what a brave kid. You should have seen his face when Laura and I told him to pee on it! That was great! Laura says something like, "Come on Colin, do you think I'm kidding...when would I ever tell you to pee on yourself?"

We went out for dinner and Jed got his picture taken with a bird on his head...wait till you see it!!!

Just a little drama from the Biermas..and Ettemas...we are waiting for the drama to begin from the Deckers, it seems their life is too easy right now doesn't it?

Have a great Tuesday! Love ya all!
Christine

Oh, the drama!

We are finally in Daytona Beach...thank goodness! As we were heading down 294 I asked myself, "I wonder what kind of drama will unfold or what terrible things will happen this vacation. Because no vacation goes off without a hitch and usually the best memories happen through adversary...and I remember thinking...too bad for Deckers or Ettemas, because nothing ever happens to us!" Ha! I think that was the Lord preparing me to get a lesson on humility, trust and perseverance.

We started out the trip well, only 20 minutes late. trafficnto a little trafic near Torrence but nothing bad. Somewhere around Crown Point Christian yells from the back seat, "I think Wesley just threw up or something!" I look to the very back seat and sure enough he's puking in his car seat in my new van! Thank goodness I brougtowelsll of paper towells...it wasn't too bad but it was all over his Na-ne and other blankets. Once he pukes, he seems fine...we stop for breakfast at a Crackhunderdell another hunderd miles down the road and everything is ok. We get back into the car and somewhere near Mamouth Cave National Park, he starts puking again! We pull over in the 100degree weather start cleaning up and I notice that the heat is on full blast in the back seat...and now I'm ticked at Christian because he has control of the temp...and of course Wes is getting car sick, who wouldn't with this blasted heat back here...!!!! < /DIV>

So off we go again, we pull into Georgia, making great time. I'm driving to give Doug a break. Most of the time I'm in the lead but once in awhile I'll let the guys take the lead to be nice. Well, Bob and Dave are in front of me and I get stuck behind a slow truck. Once I can finally pass him I notice that they are about 1/2 to a mile in front of me. I decide to take my cruise off and catch up to them, come over a hill and look a Georgia state trooper straight in the eyes...totally busted! And it ticks me off too, because I had just taken the cruise off and was only trying to catch up.

Well, my nerves are shot because if I'm not driving, I'm constantly checking to see if Wesley is going to throw up again and yelling at Christian because he keeps complaining that he is cold and turning the heat up. We finally get into the hotel parking lot and look back at Christian and he is bawling his head off, he has a headache, he doesn't feel good...could this day get any better? We get him up to the room and take his temp(for some odd reason I took my thermometer?!) and would you believe it reads 102.3!!!!! It's about then that I start to cry...and cry and cry...

Today has been much better and Christian is starting to turn around. We changed Wesley to the front captin's chair and he hasn't thrown up since. Yeh! Daytona is beautiful, I can see the ocean from my patio!

Hope you have a great Monday and hope we do too!

Off to Florida and the Smokies

We leave tomorrow morning at 3:30am!!! Everybody here is extremely excited...it has made bedtime very difficult to say the least. Wes was so confused when we were packing the van, he thought we were leaving and shed many tears when he had to go back into the house and go to bed. This will be the first trip we take with our new Honda Odyssey. So far it's proving to be MUCH bigger than our last van. We have so much extra room in the trunk it looks like I must have forgotten something...and yet, we have everything! It is truly amazing!

So wish us luck as we begin our journey with 6 adults, 10 children, 8 boys and 2 girls all between the ages of 12 and 2. The first time we descend upon a McDonalds will be a like a tour bus unloading.

Anyone know how early Dunkin Donuts opens? It's not 3:30am is it?

Busy, Busy Summer!

Christian had a fantastic time at camp. He came home hardly able to hold his head up carrying a bag full of wet, sweaty and filthy clothes. While he was gone Jed and Emily took swimming lessons at Lincoln-Way. They did great; both completing the levels they were in. Jed has become an underwater maniac but thankfully he still will wear his arm floats in our pool. Wesley was quite ticked off that he couldn't take lessons and only had to watch. It stinks being two!

We've been entertaining like crazy, almost from the day the kids got out of school. Lampens have been here, Deckers, Ettemas, Jacobsens, Krygshelds, my parents, Doug's parents and we had a birthday party for my niece last night with Dan and Becky.

Laura and I also had a garage sale on Saturday. I always think it will be a great idea, love the idea of extra cash and then when faced with the clean up wonder what the heck I was thinking!

This week we clean the house and start getting ready for vacation. I'm so looking forward to getting away...I'm getting so excited! Sorry I haven't posted much, too crazy here. I think once a week will be my average this summer. Have a great week!

My baby is going to camp!

My first born, my little 5 ft baby boy is going to overnight camp today. Summer camp is such an awesome experience and I'm so glad that he gets the chance to go, but I can't believe he's old enough...when did this happen? This should be a memorable year because the camp is covered in Cicadas...I mean they are everywhere! Well, we drop him off at 11 today...it sort of feels like we are dropping him at college, good thing I can wait a few years before I do that! Go hug your babies...they grow up so fast!

I'm bored!

Summer break started on Friday and already I'm hearing the chorus of "I'm bored!" Unfortunately, the weather has changed drastically with chilly temps and lots and lots of wind and rain...so there isn't much to do besides clean your room or watch tv. Oh, help!