Pictures of Great Wolf Lodge and Cooper's Birthday

Happy Late Birthday Coop

Cooper turned 5 last week and it took me this long to post about her birthday, signs of the times I guess. She chose this year not to have a traditional party with friends but for hte entire family to go to Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg for the night. For approximately the same cost as a party, all six of us got to squeal, laugh, jump, and splash in the gigantic indoor water park. We had a blast and thank you my little coopster for picking such a fun adventure. Pictures soon to follow......

Supersize Family

Now I do not claim to have a super size family compared to some.......I do not have 8,10,12 or more children BUT in today's society I seem to have a pretty large family. We do not fit in a regular car, we need a giant booth or table at a restaurant, we take up an entire row at the movies, and we do not fit in a regular hotel room. This last one was pretty eye opening to me just this week. We wanted to go to DC for a night to see the museums and zoo BUT could not afford the hotel costs. We were going to have to reserve two adjoining rooms and pay double to room rate just for my family to stay for a night.
Having a big family certainly has its advantages BUT for this weekend and our plans, it has drastically impacted them.

Summer Rain Storms

We just had a very intense summer rain storm and I was so glad to see it. It means we have to stay inside and chill. It is now Friday and until today we have been going, going, going, so a justified break is a good thing. Unfortunately, like typical Summer storms, it came in like gangbusters and then has seemed to disappear completely. I see Blue skies and no clouds in our near future. It is wrong for me to want it to stay rainy? The minute the sun comes out I feel BAD about staying indoors. I feel like I should be rushing off to the pool and park or somewhere outside instead of chillin' inside. Maybe if I keep the tv on for a bit, the kids will be too entranced in the television and will not notice the sun.
Uh oh, spoke too soon, now they are all clamoring for their suits and towels and I think off to the pool we are headed.....

Preparing

Well we have three short weeks left until school starts again This year I have to prepare three children for elementary school. That is right. Somehow, little Coop is old enough to start kindergarden. So in three weeks and 1 day, big yellow will come rolling around the corner and I will be left at the stop with only one little hand to hold. Am I sad? Yes but so happy as well. My little girl seems so ready to go and become her own person. She talks about teachers and homework and everything she will see and learn. What am I going to do all day with only one child at home? Who knows? Maybe I will be able to accomplish the unpteen million projects I have thought about and started over the course of the past few years. Whatever, I do plan on doing....I am going to relish my freedom for a few moments first, that is of course after the tears have stopped.

Posting

I do not have much to post about but I felt the need to post something. Quite funny though because it is Saturday night and Chad and I are sitting in our jammies across from each other checking and typing on our computers. What a sad world I live in. I guess as said in A Bug's Life,
" This is my lot lot in life. It is not a lot but it is my life."

Setting Good example

In this day and age of over eating and super sizing everything, I think it is more important than ever to set good examples for our children. I started it last year by signing up for a half-marathon and this summer decided to try my first triathlon. Well, on Sunday, the hottest day of the year, I completed my first ever tri. My parents, my super amazing husband and all four kiddos were there, braved the heat and cheered me across the finish line. Oddly enough, the minute I was done, I was more concerned about keeping the kiddos cool and hydrated than myself. I guess I never will completely step out of the mommy role. Anyway, the comment I loved more than anything on Sunday was Parker looking up at me after just crossing the finish line and asking me, "When I am bigger can I run with you Mommy?" I don't think I could set a better example for them......what do you think????

Fountain Fun

I took the three younger kids to the fountains at Stony Point Mall today to burn off a little extra energy. They had a great time and I was able to use the 25 uninterrupted minutes to catch up on emails and phone calls. NOW Coop has a friend over and all four are playing happily in the back yard. GO Figure, they do it on a day that I do not have that much to catch up on or do. Isn't that always the truth? On days I NEED time, they won't give it to me even a bit but on days where I need less time, they give it to me in bundles. Not only that, but I finished my book for book club last night so I do not even have something good to read. Oh well, I decided to use the time to catch up on photos and my blogs that I like. Lucky you guys, you get three posts in just as many days.
Heck, I could be on a roll.....

Terrible Twos, Not so much

Everyone talks about the terrible twos. They speak of all the crying and whining and temper tantrums that come with being two. WELL, I beg to differ. Twos in this house were just fine. We did not have a problem with twos with any of the four children. NOW, threes are a different story in the Gill House. Parker has certainly hit the threes in full force.
Prime example:
Mommy: it is time to go out to dinner!
Parker: Yeah! I want to go.
Mommy: let's get in the car.
parker: NO!
Mommy: Do you want to go to dinner?
PArker: YES!
Mommy: Do you want me to pick you up?
Parker: NO!
Mommy: Please get in the car so we can go.
Parker: NO!
Momy: I am getting in the car.
Parker: DON"T LEAVE ME!!!!
Mommy: Do you want to go?
Parker: YES!
Mommy: Get in the car!
Parker: NO!!
I then grabbed him kicking and screaming because he wanted to go but did not want to be carried to the car.
Just another day in the life.....

Daddy Days of Summer

We had another Daddy day this past Sunday and things went great. We went to Jamestown. I must admit, I was a little concerned as the day began. We headed out as the further we got from Richmond and the closer we got to Jamestown, the harder and harder it rained. For a little while, Chad and I thought we were going to need an ARK to get to the settlement, not just a ferry. WE kept looking out the car windows and trying to come up with an alternative plan but we stayed true to our original course and were rewarded for doing do. We stopped for lunch and after eating, the skies cleared. Well, the skies did not CLEAR but the rain stopped so we were able to continue on to our destination. We saw the settlement, ships, and indian village. The children got a lot more out of it than I expected and we had a fabulous time together as a family. These pictures are of the children trying on the armor and on the Susan Constance ship.