so we are here.
summer break.
the kids are already telling me "it's too hot to go outside."
we are two days in.
oh my.
we had a full week…in a good way.
full of friends, achievements and good old fashioned hard work.
lauren was promoted from 8th grade.
they had to wear those shirts…lauren was so embarrassed.
we were proud of her for making it through.
jr. high is over.
she made it….it was bitter sweet to watch another milestone pass for her.
four more years is all we get with her.
strange feeling.
wasn't she just born?
wasn't i just feeding her a bottle?
didn't she just learn to walk?
when did this woman appear in our home?
scott had a birthday party.
and he is offically at the stage where birthdays and parties are a bit of a let down.
he had some friends over to go swimming and eat pizza.
but really ALL they did was play basketball.
for hours.
they didn't even come in for rainbow cake!
obsessed.
man….they are cute.
peter from chicago came to visit us.
he travels to kansas for his work and sometimes we get to spend some time with him.
the kids were so happy.
and he brought "specials" for everyone.
(peter…annie has used all her band-aids up already. :)
we took him out for some local yumminess.
this is why we go to breadbasket for ice cream cones instead of dairy queen…
self serve and craig makes them giant!
ahhh….small town.
and there were campfires, gardening, photo sessions, cleaning, weeding, neighborhood parties,
bike rides, crafts, sleepovers, sprinklers and games too.
craig just walked out the door with all the kids for the whole day.
i am in charge of laundry and packing for california.
big job.
can you think of anything that is a MUST HAVE for traveling with your family?
or for surviving an airport with five children?
tell me so i don't forget anything.
thanks!
the suitcases await.
Ali - Kim Smith – So cute! I LOVE the hugging one! I bet their Mom loved that one! And the one of the litlte girl sliding down the slide is precious! Great captures!
Ozan - Katherine Huff – Your children are aultsboely gorgeous, Arianna’s hair is getting so long and Easton looks adorable with his missing teeth. Michael lost his but watch out girl you are going to have to do a lot of editing to help him out this summer. You definitely have to do the bubble pics with my kids I love them. Yeah your coming home soon! Can’t wait and wait until you see what Brandi and I have in store for you. hehe
Gagan - TOO STINKING CUTE!!!! What cute kids and just a beautiful faimly altogether. One of your BEST faimly shoots ever!! Love the Little Princess .
sara - congratulations to the graduate! hope you have a great trip!
pam - PS: i love the pictures. lauren is beautiful. scott is TOUGH and cool. your kids are having an awesome childhood. miss you!
pam - Dramamine. seriously, you never know when one of them will puke. and it makes them sleepy. 🙂 i found orange chewable ones in the airport gift shop but that’s the only place i’ve ever seen them. they were yummmy too.
have a super trip!
Lisa - MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A FULL SUPPLY OF LITTLE BLUE PILLS. YOU WOULDN’T WANT TO RUN OUT.
OH YEAH, THATS RIGHT. THATS ME. OOOOOPS. HAVE FUN ANYWAY.
HUGS FROM MAINE
chasity - love the ice cream on the elbow!
we always travel with twizzlers…a traveling necessity.
Jennifer P. - as many electronic gadgets as you can shove in there. And Lollipops. They got my kids through our airplane ride.
Congrats to Lauren! And enjoy your alone day!
Shar - The above all have good suggestions but don’t forget to check the guidelines of what you can take aboard the plane and sizes of liquids, etc. Would be a shame to have to throw out surprises because they don’t pass muster. Believe me, I have learned the hard and expensive way!
Anna - For the airport… leashes!
I agree with a change of clothes for all… just incase. Maybe some Sudoku/Activity books.
Enjoy the summer. What I wouldn’t give to be at home everyday with my little one, instead of being in the office.
Traci - i always bought the kids a new magazine and gave it to them on the plane. actually i still do this and now that they are young adults the magazines are interesting to roger and i too and we get them for the ride home. hope you got all your stuff done.
Michelle - Any QUIET activity, a change of clothes in your carry-on for everyone, and good snacks are a must for our family. Annie isn’t super young, but I highly recommend an umbrella stroller anyway. You can gate check them and it saves you from listening to whining if you have a huge airport to get through or worse a close connection where you have to run for your next plane. Not to mention the fact that it isn’t easy to wander when you’re strapped into a stroller.
Dawn W. - DVD player, Ipods, and gum. Enjoy Lauren while she is still at home. The time will FLY!!! My oldest graduates this week and it seems like just the other day she was a freshman in high school. Now we will be packing her stuff and she will be going to college in the fall. I don’t know where the time has gone.
Have a great trip!
Dawn
Whitni - Just finished up my first semester of college, meaning I graduated from high school last year, and if there is ONE THING I could tell anyone getting ready to begin high school is: Don’t take it all so seriously. It doesn’t matter if you’re the coolest, or the prettiest, or the smartest, or if you have the coolest, cutest or smartest boyfriend. All that matters is that you be yourself and stand up for yourself. Don’t let anyone put you down. High school doesn’t last forever. OH, and if she doesn’t believe any of that. Tell her she just has to make it to college, college is amazing. Sorry for the long comment, have a nice trip!
Starnes Fam - Looks like fun! We are headed to Cali this summer, too, but driving cross country like the Griswolds. We’re a bit obsessed with that fictional family. So, I’m tempted to quote Vacation, but will hold back! Enjoy!
Kameron - DVD player. Enough said. :o)
Alison - Go buy a few, small, new toys/books/markers…and snacks. One thing for each of them, hide them in your bag until you take off in the airplane. Wait for a bit and see if the settle in, then break out the goods. Take snacks too, those itty bags of peanuts aren’t worth a darn. In the end, let them take turns going to the bathroom, that is always a thriller and time killer. Enjoy your time!
Sarah - Pipecleaners! Kept my three busy crafting and then pretending with their little creations….have a great trip and love your blog! 🙂
Ashley Ann - Your words about Lauren were just perfect tonight…put a lot in perspective after what has been 5 very long days!
Sandy - I’m still trying to figure out what Lauren found so embarrassing about the shirts they wore at graduation. Is there something on it that my monitor isn’t picking up? I don’t see anything odd about any of the kids shirts. But, I also understand that it could very well be that the shirt is embarrassingly ugly and a teenager would never wear it unless forced to do so. 🙂 I think she looks beautiful! Is she still playing volleyball? I miss my daughter playing volleyball (she’s in college now and doesn’t play anymore).
Sandy - Snacks. When is your trip?
patricia - I always like to pack things for laughs – a wig, funny glasses or something they all want.
A jump rope….cards, a whoopie cushion – and a ther-mom-eter!
Do not forget that camera of yours…. show us the funnies….
pve
Meredith - We’ve got six children and I’ve always thought as long as you have an enormous pair of sunglasses to hide behind and a favourite lipstick that makes you feel fab, you can cope with anything. Baby wipes are good too.:-) Hope you have a great time.
nicole milkie - HI THere, if you can, I would fit a set of daily essentials in your carry-on in case your bags get lost. I couldnt live without a fresh pair of undergarments and my face powder…just a suggestion
Pattie - I like the idea of benadryl too; works like a charm. Seriously, just wanted to tell you congrats on Lauren getting through middle school. The next four years will fly by. My middle one just graduated from high school this past weekend. Next year my baby will graduate from high school and my daughter will graduate from college. It goes so, so fast. I love how you will have this blog to look back on in the future.
Have a great time on your trip!
Julia - Have you taken the kids to see Night at the Museum 2? Even the 14 year old liked it.
Kate - We are a well traveled family of 7 (hooray for five kids!) and my advice to you would be keep it simple. I am queen of “we might need this” and forever this has turned out bad for me. Something will lose a piece, a noisy handheld game is irritating…they never feel like doing the stuff we pile up beforehand. The simple stuff works best…a small notebook and pencil, deck of cards, a treat that won’t get melty. The older kids bring their stuff (ipods, etc). It never fails that they buy gotta-have-it-stuff during the trip. Less is more, eh? But you probably know all this junk already–I have been reading your blog for a few months–you’re so inspiring! And your photos are stunning.
Marla @ Stolen Bon Bons - Mine have 7.5 days left of school and then they will be out for summer break. And my little over 7 hours of peace Monday – Friday will come to an end.
When we travel with our 5 I make each of them their own travel bag full of “stuff” to keep them busy. Crayons, coloring books, paper, pens, reading books, travel size games, and a few snacks.
I also wanted to stop by and let you know I have a recall notice on my blog for the senseo coffee maker. For some reason I am thinking you also received one during their their free coffee pot promotion.
princesslasertron - ummm children’s benadryl?
probably not the most responsible choice 🙂
when we were little, we traveled a lot. my brother and I each have a backpack that my mom would fill up for us and give to us when we got on the plane. it was so magical opening the bag to see what she got us. there was always some really fun gum from the candy junk in the checkout aisle, something artistic for me to do like a little package of clay or floam (some nickelodeon product), and matt liked something soft to play with. Sometimes she’d give us a cd or a tape to listen to. Snacks. That was the best.
Kathy - Valium for you for sure and lots of treats!
CherryTreeLane - I learned (very quickly) this weekend, to bring a change of clothes for everyone. You never know when you will need it. A towel and extra water. And change. And a cell phone charger.
Wendy - Hi, I’m new to your blog (well, been lurking for about 6mo or so now). My husband is an airline pilot so we do a lot of flying in the summer with the kids (I have 4). I agree with the posts so far. We do personalized treat bags (containing gum, starbursts, chewy stuff and lollypops) for each child with their name on it, portable dvd player, ipods for the older ones (ours are 17,15,10 and 8). When they were younger we enjoyed pre-boarding if any of the kids were under 5. Doesn’t hurt to ask. I’m not sure what airline you’re taking but I know my husbands has activity books for the kids and sometimes if you ask the FA, they’ll let the kids get up and help hand out pretzels and such (seat belt sign not illuminated of course). And the pilots like to see the kids. My husband has fun showing the wide eyed kids all of the stuff that is in the cockpit and it helps the kids with any anxiety if they meet the pilot I think. 🙂 Good luck and enjoy your trip.
Amanda F - Lots of snacks (juice boxes and fruit snacks are a special travel snack in our house), mini-notepads with pencils taped to them, activity books, Magna Doodle, CASH… and for that moment when the entire plan is looking like they want to smother your loud but oh, so lovely children… the portable DVD player with headphones.
Good luck! Adore your blog!!
Melanie - Where are yall going in California? It is my favorite place. It is beautiful.
Julia - My 3 year old wants an iPod – crazy – for plane trips, I have found that LOTS of FOOD is the ticket. Everybody’s favorites. The 3 yr old used her own money to buy a Disney Princess book at Barnes and Noble about 3 weeks ago – she’s still obsessed with it – so maybe something like that for your 4 yr old.
rachel - Wow I’m in scotland and our kids aren’t off until end of June – thank god! Its a rare occasion here when “its too hot to got outside” and thats in the summer ha! p.s love your blog
Patti - pack a surprise for for each kid that you give them on the plane….something fun and small for california. like sunglasses for the girls and maybe some sort of little water/beach toy for the boys. it takes their mind off the long flight and it’s a nice surprise. 🙂 don’t forget to pack lots of snacks! the weather is gorgeous in california right now. i’m taking a break from my gardening to write this. have a great time!