FL sun + CG boat + friends + sand = memories made

I'm a little behind on blogging from our trip to Florida and Louisiana........ Jumping back into our busy routine has proved interesting, but most of all tiring. We wouldn't change a thing, though.

Our time in Florida wrapped up with a not-long-enough visit at the Watson home. We were stationed in Kodiak together for 3 years and experienced trials and tribulations together, including the adoption of the twins for us and a little girl for them. In fact, the day we brought the twins home, I was a zombie - exhausted, unsure of what we were getting in to, equally unsure of what to do. The foster family that had the boys prior to us flew to Kodiak with us for a transitional period... which was difficult for the boys to comprehend and us to manage.

But I digress. When we arrived home to our waiting three children and my mother-in-law, we quickly realized what we DIDN'T have for the boys. My dear friend, Lisa, appeared at my door, poked her head in to get a glimpse of the newest family members and whisked me off to Wal-Mart. Small town Wal-Marts are infamous gathering places where the saying "everyone knows everyone" holds true. I walked into the store and was approached by several people who knew we'd just added to the Vorholt zoo. I remember answering their questions, but then couldn't recall what I needed, why I was there. Lisa took over and had me push the cart while she filled it with necessities... Simple things.... That's all I needed that day. Simple necessities, simple acts, simple empathy. Because the next few months would be filled with complex nightmares, complex knowledge and even more complex happiness.

Again, I digress.

The Watsons, along with the amazing members of USCG Station Ft. Lauderdale, treated us to a day of galley lunch, boat rides and beach time. The new boat was PERFECT with a chair that fit the boys AND had a seat belt! Seat belt on a boat = happy mommy! Allen was allowed to drive for a few minutes and I wonder if he'll consider that opportunity when it comes to choosing his future path.... Hmmmm...

Memories were made and I will share a few with you.

Nine rhymes with birthday!

Guess who is NINE today?????

JESSI!!!!!!!!

We began the day with a lit single candle stuck in the middle of a muffin and six family members singing "Happy Birthday" to Jessi at 6 AM. This is a Vorholt tradition. Always a muffin. Always one candle. Always at 6 AM.

So when Michael and I went into the boys' room to wake them up, Nick spotted the muffin and shouted, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" He may not know how to do addition, but he certainly knew what a muffin in his bedroom before dawn meant!

Casa Watson has welcomed Tribe Vorholt

When you're asked by a friend with FIVE children if she can stay with you for a few days, you immediately say yes, right, and then think of details on sleeping arrangements, meals, etc later. And then the army arrives and throw your plans right out the window. LOL

OK, we didn't throw them out the window, but we did make some changes. Luckily, all of the kids know one another and picked up where they off during Christmas 2009 in Anchorage, AK.

Lisa and I spent the morning talking adoption, vulnerability, parenting, meals, her school work and had lunch after pedicures - which the wise decision of green puts us in prime St. Patty's Day mood!

Dinner was pizza with a movie. And anyone that knows this family well also knows movies are accompanied by ginormous amounts of candy. I sure hope all of these kids sleep through the night!

farewell Disney

We spent our last Disney day hanging out by the Shades of Green pool. Little kids played, Emma had her nose in her Nook, Michael packed the truck, I blogged and read and Allen made his way from Hollywood studios to us. Yes, we let our teenager take a bus all by himself... When you've been to Disney as many times as he has, we knew he could find his way to SoG.

No major upsets during our trip to see the mouse. No one was misplaced, all seemed to enjoy themselves. The only hiccup (OK, there were 2, but I'll get to the 2nd one later) was Michael consuming what he believed to be a refilled water bottle. I can't stand the taste of refilled water and always complain about it having a "dirty" or "green" note to it. His water definitely had both of these characteristics, but he didn't mention it. He wasn't in the mood to hear the "I told you so" that would launch itself from my mouth before my brain could finish comprehension.

Later that afternoon, Emma asked where her Pirates of the Caribbean water bottle was..... And Michael want to throw up. You see, Emma was bringing it back to a friend as a souvenir. No, the bottle was not marked. No, it wasn't placed separately from the other perfectly fine drinks.

And now Michael is sick. He thinks it's just a cold, but it's a bad cold that has me worried. I wonder how he'll explain this to the clinic doctor.....

Now time for the second hiccup... I went to use the women's restroom and was in a hurry. Briskly walked in, found a stall, finished, wash hands and then turned around to face several men at their urinals.... Oops! At least my hiccup didn't have as much of a health violation as Michael's! Poor guy!

I'm sincerely hoping his symptoms are from a cold he caught on his flights back to VA.

our visit with Uncle Don & Aunt Joyce

We all took an hour or two out of the grinding Disney experience to spend time with Uncle Don and Aunt Joyce around the SoG pool. They shared stories of their retirement home living and we shared kid stories. Before everyone headed back to their plan of the day, we managed to get a quick image.

the happiest place on earth

The happiest place on earth is also the most exhausting and stressful place on earth. Kids have these blood curdling screams because mommy refused to buy them the pink princess dress or the chocolate mouse ears. They can be seen kicking parents, grandparents, siblings, strangers for no real reason other than these actions are their single mechanism to combat their misunderstandings.

My guys started the day on a cranky note, but perked up for rides. Tea cups became the major hit.

Matt waited 30 minutes to ride the go-karts with Dad. I think it was his highlight of the entire trip.

flip flops aren't always vacation appropriate

I traveled to Florida as a single parent with only four of my five children. My husband had Coast Guard commitments, but was able to join us for a whopping 40 hours this weekend. My oldest was enjoying spring trip with the high school marching band. We will have approximately four hours today as a family.

Having my husband with us gave me divine peace and happiness with interruptions of dread and sadness. Happiness he had time to be with us, sadness for what small amount of time it would be. In the middle of a magical moment, I'd fret over the pain I'll feel when he leaves.

My emotional flip flop exhausted me, so why allow it to happen? No one can define my mood - except ME!

Ironically, through a subject-specific maze of internet sites that began with a quick peek at the horoscope to an article on adoption to the rocketing discovery of Brene´Brown, my understanding of banning flip flops was validated. Halting the negative thoughts would allow the joyful experience occurring all around me to "fill my reservoir with what I need for when the hard things happen."

I am grateful. Grateful for all that follows and much more:

• my 5 children (even if 2 of them are literally bouncing off of the hotel beds and walls right now)
• the opportunity to see my oldest growing into an outstanding young man (and to see him march down Main Street USA)
• my mini-vacation with my 4 youngest children (and sit in awe of my oldest daughter who recognized my frustrations with the twins and counteracted with happiness)
• sharing an adventure with my husband's family (3 moms + 6 kids = complex, LOL)
• being together as a family and embracing the completeness of what is felt from literally a few hours while letting the worries and fears find no home with us

No flip flops for me! Only joy and happiness!

Disney ~ Day 2

We spent the morning in the hotel rooms waiting for the rain to stop. The idea of dragging four children through the cold rain, even with the very cool-looking poncho protection, wasn't the least bit appealing. We arrived in Magic Kingdom and took advantage of the short lines for a few rides before meeting Allen for lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern.

The boys, Matt specifically, were thrilled to find their big brother at Disney. He didn't travel with us, but instead made his way to the mouse via his high school marching band and a plane.

We spent the afternoon parading with Mary Poppins, playing air guitar with a chipmunk and dancing with Stitch. We also rode a few rides and then waited in the FREEZING cold for the Pride of Pearland Marching Band to make their way down Main Street USA.

picture this if you will.......

Picture this if you will......


This phrase was near the "look at your face" photo wall at the end of the Tower of Terror ride at Hollywood Studios. I read it several times while waiting for Emma, Jessi and Matt to finish their turn. If you're wondering what the Tower of Terror ride entails, let me paraphrase Matt:

It goes up and then DOWN! AGH!!!! Fast! It's scary!!!!!!

I included a picture of their "look at your face" below. Notice how Matt just seems oblivious to what's about to happen... because this was his first big person ride. He's now scarred for life.

We began the day with well-thought plans, which were hijacked by Nick about 10 minutes into breakfast. So, we threw those plans out the window and took the remainder of the day hour by hour. Turns out life is much less stressful that way.

When we entered the park, we acquired our handicap sticker for Nick. He really can't stand upright for long periods of time without losing balance (unless NASCAR is on tv, then he can stand upright in one spot ON TOP OF THE COFFEE TABLE WITHOUT FALLING FOR HOURS.....), so waiting in long lines just isn't fun with him. Our bright red and white "front of the line" sticker certainly helped make our experience easy and effortless. I was almost giddy at how easy it was.... Until the reality of having a disabled, MR child came crashing down when he completely lost it around lunch. So we headed back to our hotel and let him nap. Didn't stop him from pushing limits over and over and over again for the evening, but did give the girls and I a chance to regroup.

We had a productive day, though. Caught a few live shows, rode a few rides, saw a few characters and Matt was able to be part of the Disney Rocks show. And no, he didn't get up on the stage and steal someone's microphone (a miracle, right?).

bubbles of laughter

Our drive to Disney World was uneventful and for the most part, quiet. The occasional bubbling of laughter that would begin with one of the musketeers would quickly spread to the two others. Emma and I would turn up the radio or movie soundtrack in hopes song would change their target of joyful release.

We are safe and sound and ready for a great night's sleep to begin a long, adventurous day tomorrow.

Nick was very tuckered with his red-ringed eyes.