Thomas Spring Break -- Grizwold Style

Our Spring Break included a visit to Carlsbad Caverns, 2 MLB baseball spring training games in Tucson, a visit to a Desert Nat'l Park, a Mission in Tucson, then to Flagstaff where we saw Grand Canyon, a Pueblo Nat'l Monument, a day of snow play, then a trip through the Petrified Forest Nat'l Park on our way home. We usually go snow skiing for Spring Break. We usually book it before Christmas, and drive to the snow in March. It is nice that way... we know what to do, where to go, how to proceed. It is exhausting, but we stay in one place for at least 5 days. We are very well trained for taking a family of 6 to the snow.

This year, due to the economy, we did not plan our usual ski trip in advance. We did not expect a job loss or catastrophic event, but John is mr. conservative, always prepared, so we waited to see what the Spring would have in store before we committed. Plus... being the frugal man that is my husband, I think he expected to find a last minute "deal". As March approached, there really were not any great deals to be found. We surveyed the kids for their wishes for this trip, and they started to think about trips other than snow skiing. Disney was one request. Hawaii was another. We needed a driving trip due to our last minute planning and large family. Maggie requested that we go somewhere that we could take our puppy Marshmallow and hike and do outdoor activities. Grand Canyon was one idea. We wrote it off because it seemed too far (20 + hour drive). This is Carlsbad Caverns. We were speedy tourists here! We will have to visit again one day when we don't have 20 other National Parks and Monuments to hit in 5 days!

Anthony wanted to go to MLB Spring Training in Arizona or Florida. The other kids could care less about baseball. We started to think about Big Bend National Park in southern Texas. About an 8 hour drive, it didn't see too bad. I began to research and ran into a problem with finding accomodations for our family of 6 that accepts kids AND pets. I tried every lodging facility I could find, and they all laughed when I asked about a date so soon, with the criteria of 4 kids and a dog, then I gave up on that location. It wouldn't be a fun trip if we couldn't find a place to stay. We like camping for 1-2 days, but a whole week is a bit much. I turned my search toward Grand Canyon.

This was the moment when John became "Clark" (Grizwold") John then says..."well... maybe... we could just "swing by" Big Bend on the way, then up to Carlsbad Caverns, then into Tucson, then we should "go by" the Grand Canyon on the way home. If you look at a map, this seems quite comical. 2 adults, 4 kids, and a puppy, with all of these detours. I protested... and of course my vote has a lot of weight in this family (yeah, right!) HA! Well, at least we missed Big Bend.

We did, however, "swing by" Carlsbad Caverns on our way to Tucson, where we got in 2 MLB Spring Training games, then toured a National Park in the desert, a Pueblo monument on the way to Flagstaff, then Grand Canyon, snow skiing, and the Petrified Forest "on our way" home..

Maggie loves her Puppy (and her mommy -- sometimes), Marshmallow was so good on this long trip.

We went through Phoenix (and I was proud of John for not finding a detour in or around Phoenix) on our way to Flagstaff, where we would base for our Grand Canyon adventure. -- Oh wait... there was that Pueblo between Phoenix and Flagstaff that we visited. It was a cool pueblo built into a cliff, that housed 35 people about a thousand years ago.

Check out the missing fence behind us in this picture... Little Ben could have gone over in a millisecond! I was a nervous wreck!

We went for a day trip to the Grand Canyon. It was so beautiful. My mom had warned me when we first started to plan this trip that Ben could just slip under the barriers. She said she would be a nervous wreck if we took him there. He is so busy. As usual, we had to see it for ourselves. We went... we saw the beautiful canyon and scenery (truly one of the great wonders)... then we decided our hiking in the Grand Canyon would have to wait until the kids were teenagers. Even the 8 yr olds didn't really grasp the danger of that huge canyon.

(Note to self: Listen to Mom more often)

Anthony tried to tease me by putting one foot up on the rail like he was going to climb... then the others would follow, and they laughed when I freaked. My stomach sank every time Ben or Alexander got close to the barrier. Some areas don't even have barriers, which I am sure some visitors prefer, as it is great for pictures and scenery. This momma would have liked a prison fence around that canyon. I have never held on to my children so tightly. It was gorgeous, but I was so relieved when we called it a day and we still had all 4 children and a puppy. I breathed a big sigh of relief. We are glad we went, but we will look forward to a more relaxed visit when the kids are older. On our second and last day in the Flagstaff area, John and the twins visited snowbowl ski area for a day of fun in the snow. Because the March temperatures were around 60 degrees at the base of the mountain, the beginner ski school was closed, so our little guys were out of luck. Mommy hung out with them all day. We found a small snow patch and played in the snow for a while. That was all the little guys needed... so easy to please at age 3 and 5. Can't we just freeze this moment? Pretty Please? We rented houses in both Tucson and Flagstaff, through VRBO.com, a company that we have used before for renting private homes for our vacations. Our Flagstaff home was a little too far south for us to really get a lot of time for exploring in Flagstaff, but it was in the mountains, and had a great game room, so the kids enjoyed it. Ben called both houses "our camping house". The kids really didn't even want to go to dinner... they just wanted to cook at our "camping house". It is so easy to please them at this age.

Finally after about a month of activities in only 6 days, we were ready for our journey home. John doesn't like to sit around on vacation... he is a machine! I was like a horse heading for the barn. I was ready for home! I stayed up and loaded the car on Friday night, then I was up at 5:30am on Saturday, ready for our driving home day, and couldn't seem to get John out of bed. I thought we would just get dressed quickly and throw the kids in their pjs in the car and go. He wanted to cook pancakes and bacon on this last morning... we were not really on the same page here. After a great pancake breakfast, we were on the road by 8am, but we would lose 2 hours on our 20 hour journey home.

John is the main driver, and it just works better that way. I make him nervous, and he annoys me with helpful suggestions if I drive, so I usually only get a shift if he is desperate for a rest... then he quickly learns that co-pilot with 4 kids in the back is not really a resting place either, so I think it really doesn't involve my driving as much as he really can't hack the co-pilot chaos. It is really much less stressful to be the driver! Ben has been potty trained since Christmas, but his bladder is just small, so he needed frequent potty stops, and Alexander doesn't give a lot of warning for his needs for stops, so it seemed like we stopped every 30 minutes for a while.

Just when I thought we were cruising, John took a turn for the Petrified Forest National Forest. I love this man for his commitment to educate our children every chance we can, but I was so ready to get moving. It was beautiful, and we probably made one of the quickest trips through the park, and the kids got away with some samples of the petrified wood from the gift shop.

We were on the road again... finally. It was at this moment, that I began to beg John to just keep moving. Please, please, no more visits to parks or monuments! Then I began to work on my ploy for driving all night to just get home. He didn't want to, but he gave in and just kept going. He didn't even let me have a driving shift. I napped a little off and on, but we all were tired. Still, better to be home and tired than still on the road! We arrived home at 8am on Sunday morning. There is truly no place like home! I sent John to sleep upstairs and told the kids that whoever woke him would be grounded. As it happened, Ben let Marshmallow inside, and she ran right into the room where John was sleeping... nap was over... but what the heck... our OSU Cowboys had a basketball game in an hour! No place like home! It was a great week of hanging out and seeing a lot of things, but these trips make me appreciate home, and suddenly our busy week of sports schedules and chaos doesn't seem that crazy!

Little Ben at the Spring Training baseball game..."Mr Happy"... so easy to please

Boys and Baseball

Spring Break - Family Time

We are planning our spring break trip this year, at the last minute, just like a lot of people. Because of the uncertainty of the economy, we decided to wait to plan our trip. John is big on family vacations. Even though he is frugal as all get out, and this economy is likely causing him major anxiety issues, he will give up almost anything before a vacation with the whole family. Sometimes I curse him for this, as at times, I have really wanted such things as a new refrigerator, hardwood floors, new washing machine, and he puts that off, yet has no problem splurging for a family vacation. It makes me crazy, but I do love this man for this. When I was pregnant with the twins, and still in the throws of my corporate HR career, a co-worker who officed next to me happened to have 2 year old twins. She quit before my twins were born, but we have stayed in contact. She was like my mentor into parenting twins. I was shocked at the thought of one baby, much less two, so she really helped me a lot. One piece of wisdom I will never forget is that when she goes with the family, it is a "trip", but when she travels without kids, it is a "vacation". She told me never to confuse the two things, because, though family "trips" are fun, they are far from a vacation. How true this.

John has been all over the map on this trip. He first thought we should go skiing like we normally do at Spring Break. He recently visited his friendly orthopedic doc who gave him some bad news about his knee that he neglected back in college and has already had ACL surgery on -- surgery is looming here. We then had a Grizwold style family meeting to discuss our options, and the kids threw out things like Hawaii, and Disney. John explained that this is last minute, and would need to be a driving trip, so these were not options. Even without last minute, with a family of 6, we rarely fly. At the end of the meeting, we were looking at Grand Canyon, or Big Bend National Park in south Texas -- oh, and the kids wanted to bring Marshmallow the puppy along. My mom told me she would be a nervous wreck if we were to take "busy Ben" to the Grand Canyon. She said the barriers are not Ben-proof! We then considered Big Bend. I started searching for vacation rentals near Big Bend. We do better in a cabin or condo, so we can cook, etc., but options are limited. I finally narrowed down some choices, and John tells me that we should stay a few days, then head on over to Baseball Spring Training in Arizona, like it is in the next city over or something... we just have to cross through New Mexico, into central Arizona -- that's all! John makes me crazy on vacations, because he cannot sit still. He like to move 24/7. I just want to have the opportunity to finish a book or something. He is a great dad -- almost comical, he is so enthusiastic about go, go, going to show his kids everything he can possibly fit in.

I really like to find a place to stay, and set up "base" and do activities from that one location, vs. packing up every couple of days. The packing is stressful. I always pack more than John would like, and to punish me, he sometimes puts the things I need the most in the most difficult place to access, and claims it was an accident, but I know... man do I know. One year on our ski trip to New Mexico, we had to put the roof carrier on our SUV to get all of our gear in. I strategically packed the items we would need in our hotel on the way to go inside the car so we would not have to mess with the roof. In packing, my beloved hubby "accidentally" put my bag in the roof carrier. This meant that when we stopped at midnight in freezing temperatures, and I said that I really needed my bag, the stinker said, do you want it badly enough to go out on the roof and get it. The truth is that I did! It had all of my cosmetics, etc., and when mommy doesn't have that, it isn't pretty -- not that I am a big make up person, but I am 40+ now, so I need a little something. I was out in the cold, on the roof of my Ford Expedition, looking in the dark for my bag. I am sure it was a funny sight to passers by! I got it, and was not so happy about the mission. The next morning, the whole clan accused me of making a dent in the roof -- the kids got on board. After discussing this for the entire trip, we ended up at the conclusion that there was no dent -- it was just the natural contours of the ceiling. They all had fun accusing me though. I can laugh about it all now! The truth is, we have a great time on our vacations, but we always have some interesting event, whether a child in the emergency room, a problem with our car, lost luggage, a child with a major break down...We love it all though. Hubby is right in that we will not remember the new appliance, but we will always have memories of our time together on these vacations.
I am very tired right now, and I start to wonder why, then I tell someone what we are doing, and I hear myself spouting off this insane schedule that even Wonder Woman would struggle with. We have a solid 6-7 days per week of baseball, horseback riding, basketball, cub scouts, brownies, my part time teaching gig, John's full time plus career... help! I have fallen... and I can't get up. And little 3 yr old Ben keeps asking when his soccer coach is going to call. When we are racing from one activity to the next, out of the blue, Ben will blurt out "We are going to be late for my soccer practice". I have not signed Ben up for soccer. He is just used to tagging along to sports and he is ready to get into the mix -- poor guy. The insane thing is... we will likely get him started in soccer next year. We are to the point where we will have more than 2 places to be at one time, so we have to call in relief of family and friends. This is a great life, but I never knew it could be this crazy. I hope I still have my mind when I am older so I can remember these days.

The search is still on for Spring Break 09 in the Thomas / Grizwold familia, and we have made no decisions, and Spring Break starts in 2 days. I have comfort in knowing that if I don't make the plans, they won't get made, so I do have a little control here.

Saturday Chaos

Today, John and I left the house in 2 vehicles, with 2 boys in baseball uniforms, a girl in horseback riding gear, and a 3 yr old & puppy. We had 6 sporting events + a vet appointment, then a brownie cookie booth. I first got up, started the dryer, as Anthony had a baseball game last night, then had to be cleaned for this morning (he thinks it is "cool" to slide, even when it is not really necessary, which makes my laundry task more tedious). I quickly took my shower, then, I had to pull the tricks that my dad used to do to me to get up when I didn't want to. I stood in front of John who was trying to ignore our chaos, and demanded that I would not leave until his feet were on the floor. I ran around the house and turned off the kitchen TV where Alexander was watching cartoons, then the living room TV where Anthony was watching ESPN, and demanded no TV until they were both in their baseball uniforms. I then went upstairs and carried 46 pound petite Maggie downstairs and dumped her in the bathtub half awake. I washed her hair, gave her the horseback riding cloths, and sent her to the kitchen for breakfast. Somewhere in there, I managed to get myself into a t-shirt and sweat pants, and a tiny bit of makeup for this day. Anthony was telling me that we needed to find a way to "tape" his baseball socks so that they did not slide down, and was having a fit about these socks. Alexander(5) was fussing about wearing his cleats, and Maggie was asking if we could cancel her riding lesson at the last minute just "because". All the while, John has had a peaceful routine in the bathroom getting his shower, etc. It is now 7:45, and Ben (3) is still asleep. I race upstairs and quickly dress Ben while he is waking up. He comes downstairs in his sleep, asking for breakfast, and requests "eggs, bacon, pancakes, sausage" -- "not today buddy", I respond... "how about cheerios?" We have to have the boys at the opening day baseball parade by 8:30, and Marshmallow the puppy at the vet for a 8:30 appt. John asks for the camera, and the small camera doesn't have a charged battery. I offer him 2 other cameras, but they won't fit in his pocket so he declines...He leaves in disappointment, with a parting reminder that I should just keep the camera charged... thanks for that! I love my hubby, but his "helpful reminders" might one day cause him injury. He is out the door! I quickly scramble to get my other 2 children and puppy out the door and we are off. Marshmallow at the vet by 8:30, then horseback riding lessons at 10, basketball pictures at 11:30, then basketball game at 12:30. Brownie cookie booth in front of the grocery store after that. By the time we finished basketball, we could not find the brownies and we tried 4 grocery stores. We concluded they must have canceled and threw in the towel. It was now only 2:30 pm, but we were exhausted. We all arrived home at the same time. Kids ran around a bit, then snuggled in my bed w/ me for a movie. John went to hit a few golf balls, and came home to cook steaks for dinner. We will all sleep well tonight... of course it is daylight savings time and we loose an hour tonight! Go Figure!

I AM Murphy's Law -- Bank Robber at my Dental Appointment

Today I was at a routine dental appointment in a quiet location off Panther Creek (next to Dr. Anderson pediatric dentist). The below bank robbery occurred in the bank directly across from the dental office, and we were locked in the dental office for a couple of hours while the police chased the man w/ the gun. We live in this very quiet utopia suburb, where most people have this false sense of security. I think people are starting to catch on to this and take advantage of this. A couple of area banks and restaurants have been robbed lately, and we never really heard of this sort of thing so close until recently.

He was not caught. It certainly livened up a boring dental appointment. Episodes of Law and Order flashed through my mind as I balanced my worries with my need to get out of there and proceed with my long list of things to do. I think I AM Murphy's Law... I seem to be a magnet for these random encounters. What are the chances of a dental appointment ending like this?
Robber targets bank in The Woodlands
04:12 PM CST on Thursday, March 5, 2009
KHOU.com staff report

Authorities say that a man walked into the Wells Fargo Bank located at 4880 West Panther Creek in The Woodlands and robbed it at 10:50 a.m. Thursday.

MCSO photo
Witnesses say that the thief pulled out a black colored semiautomatic handgun from a briefcase and then demanded money from each of the tellers.
The man fled with an undisclosed amount of money.
The accused thief is about 6’0” to 6’02”, and weighs about 230 to 250 pounds.
He reportedly has a shaved or bald head, and was wearing sunglasses, a white button down dress shirt, yellow tie and dark colored slacks during the robbery.
Anyone with information should contact Montgomery County authorities at (936) 760-5876.

Doctor Ordered Mommy to Week-end In Bed!!!

After 2 weeks of caring for sick children, the bug finally got this strong mommy down. I mean it really got me. I am tough, and I fought it, but it got me! Finally, I saw the doctor on Friday, and she ordered me straight to bed. With any luck, she said, if I rest, I would be better by Monday.

John has had a busy day w/ activities, and he has handled it well.

• Anthony baseball practice at 9am (he took Ben and Anthony),
• then Anthony basketball game at 11.
• Paul relieved him at this game so he could come home to pick up Maggie for her 12:30 basketball game,
• then to 2:30 horseback riding.
• He arranged for Paul to bring Anthony home and take Alexander to his 2pm baseball practice...
• Tonight is cub scout blue and gold awards ceremony.

I typed up the steps for John to take Maggie to horseback riding... And it is raining. They ride rain or shine, as the arena is covered, but the pastures are not... He will be so tired tonight. I am grateful for his help today, but I also laugh to mysef thinking of how much he will hate the horse routine.. Esp in the rain. It isn't a mile in my shoes but it'll do for today.
Horseback Riding Lesson – Tacking Up
1. See the chart with Maggie’s Horse name assignment – Instructor is Cheyenne.
2. See the map above with the pasture for that horse (note that the map is upside down, so you might want to confirm with someone who looks like a regular that you are headed to the right pasture) – sometimes, Cheyenne’s daughter Is around and can help – Maggie knows her.
3. Check photo book in saddle room for pic of horse so you know what you are looking for.
4. Get the correct halter for the horse (they are hanging in alpha order, except for a few private horses which Maggie will know where to look.
5. Catch the horse
6. Strap the horse for saddling in the barn area.
7. Get grooming materials and let Mag start grooming.
8. Check the chart in saddle room for which saddle # works w/ the assigned horse.
9. Guess on the girth strap based on how big the horse is.
10. Saddle Pad
11. Bridle for assigned horse.
12. Begin saddling horse.
13. After horse is saddled, move halter to the neck of horse and apply bridle.
14. Get the Red vest if it is available (smallest and there is only one) for Maggie.
15. You are ready!
16. After lesson… undo all of this. Good Luck.

The Christmas LABRADOODLE PUPPY "MARSHMALLOW"

Here are some Christmas pictures, including the very exciting surprise arrival of our labradoodle puppy, now named… “Marshmallow” … yes you read right… Maggie decided within seconds of seeing the gift from Santa that this puppy should be named after the treat we eat in our s’mores. We tried for a bit to talk her out of it, then sorta compromised at shortening it by calling her “Marci”, but Marshmallow is starting to stick with all the kids, so not sure Marci is going to fly!

Though is is a strange name for a female dog, we love it because it fits our eccentric Mags. She knew it immediately, and the other kids know that Maggie has the creative imagination in the family, so they jumped on board immediately!

Here is how the morning went.

First, note that we had agreement from all 4 children on Christmas Eve that they would not come downstairs before 6am... yeah right!

On Christmas morning...
It is 4am, and Anthony claims he heard a noise. He thought that was good enough reason to come downstairs before the 6am rule, then... he saw a "LIVE DOG"... alert, alert... this would certainly exempt him from the 6am rule... off he goes to inform the siblings that a live dog has been delivered by Santa!

It is now 4:30am and all kids are aware of the live dog.

Daddy and Mommy try to hide under the covers... when we hear a child screaming "The puppy is getting into the chocolate!". John jumps up to tend to this problem... no real danger, but it is a good idea to hide all of our chocolate that was out with our stockings.
By 5am, Mommy realizes that this day is getting started, and insists on a shower to wake, if required to wake up this early.

By 6am, we are starting to dig into the gifts from under the tree.

By 7am, all gifts are open, and kids are moving on to play with new toys and the puppy.

Mommy dives back under the covers, and daddy cooks breakfast. Daddy cooks a wonderful breakfast of biscuits, eggs, bacon, strawberries, and Mommy got to rest... (Why do I feel guilty for this? This NEVER happens.)
As the day went on...
Mommy started cooking at noon, though it is just us, we like the traditional holiday feast, so we cooked a big Turkey, a Duck, green beans, Grandbetty's Jello salad, mashed potatos, stuffing, sweet potatos, homemade rolls and pie. Mommy cooked all afternoon. I do love to cook, when there is an occasion, and I have the time to do a good job (which is rare in normal days). The kids are in and out with the puppy and new toys. Daddy plays catch with the boys, and Anthony and Alexander are excited about new Wii games to play. I love this day!

Maggie comes through the kitchen mid afternoon, to inform me that she is "training the dog". I asked if Daddy was helping her, and she said, "no, it is Sophie, Simone, Mariele, and Shaun" (all kids her age or younger). I laughed. She said she wanted to give the dog a bath, and I told her I did not have time to supervise this as I was heavy into my cooking. I sorta forgot this, as I got caught up in my cooking. John came down from his Wii gaming and asked about Maggie and I said "oh yeah... ya might wanta check on her, as she told me she and the neighbor kids are training the puppy." He asked "Training to do what?" I said "no clue... check it out". He returned with the puppy, Maggie and her 4 partners, who had used 75% of a bottle of girly soap Maggie got in her stocking to bathe Marshmallow. The puppy is pooped... can barely keep her eyes open at this point. Here is where the puppy realizes that this nice family is going to give her a run for her money. Whoever thought Labs had a lot of energy... never met those crazy Thomas kids!

yes... she has even turned her back to us. "I beg you, leave me alone for a minute... OK?"

"Are you all still there? Haven't you ever heard of a nap??"
"Give me a break... go away!"
She is dog tired...So is someone else... Actually, all the kids (and grown ups) are exhausted from the exciting day and the early wake up. Ben and Mommy got a nap, but everyone else kept going until they ran completely out of power.

Alexander just couldn't make it any longer. This is how he enjoyed the holiday dinner... too bad, it was a yummy feast. He missed the jello most he said!

...Sweet Marshmallow struggled for the next several hours to get some shut eye... but no real quality sleep was possible. Finally, around 6pm, the munchkins started to crash. Alexander crashed first, and we could not wake him for our holiday dinner. We served him a plate and moved him to the table, but he wouldn't budge.

Immediately after dinner (7:30), Maggie crashed on the floor next to Marshmallow. She was so tired, she could barely speak. Marshmallow was finally at peace.

Ahhh... finaly, some peace in this house.

Maggie fell asleep next to her new love, and where we would normally carry her upstairs to her bed, we decided to let her sleep next to her new Marshmallow. Maggie exclaimed all day "This is the best day of my life!" What more do we need for Christmas? She slept so well last night, after a day full of activity. The only child that doesn't seem to be in love with the new addition is Alexander, because he fears that Maggie doesn't love him anymore, since she gives all of her attention to the puppy. Maggie is such a great playmate for Alexander, and he is jealous right now. This will pass.

Right now, Marshmallow looks much like a white / yellow lab, but her hair will likely get longer and a little wavy as she grows. She is 75% lab, and only 25% poodle, but the mix is supposed to help with allergies. She will be bigger than a lab, because of the long legs she will get from her poodle side. We are hooked on her, no matter what, and she is getting comfortable with us. Merry, Merry!

Christmas is coming! Christmas is Coming!

Ben and Alexander are so excited on the day of their Christmas party at preschool.

We all enjoyed a night out on Dec. 15 for Alexander's 5th birthday. Grandbetty was in town, which made this extra special.

This is our princess Maggie... with 3 brothers, she needs 'lots of character, and she has that for sure!

Christmas is coming ... Kids are out of school, and so excited for the celebration. Poor Alexander celebrated his 5th birthday in the middle of December. I think he knows he got a little short changed. Party is postponed until January... moving on to Santa for now.

The family at the Nutcracker ... our new tradition, now that all the kids will finally sit through the show... a small step, but a great one for us!

Sweet Alexander celebrates his 5th birthday with a dinner hibachi style... our tradition.

Maggie went caroling with the brownies on Dec. 19th

Give Thanks!

It is moments like these that make this life worth every bit of blood sweat and tears that we give. I love Thanksgiving. The kid are learning about being thankful at school and we are discussing it more at home, and everyone just seems a little kinder. The little pilgrims and Indians are pretty cute too.

I am so thankful for this life we have. I may complain from time to time (well, okay, a lot), but I really do know that we are blessed, and I don't know what I would do without all 4 stinkers in my life!