Two things

1. Dex's mohawk is curly. Weird.









2. Emma's other front tooth came out.

Ahhhh, vacations (AGAIN.)

So, we went on our family vacation. To the beach. Our fabulous fabulous luxurious weekend included:

FRIDAY

Dex began running a fever on the flight.

By the time we arrived in South Padre, he was crying and pulling his ear.

We drove to the nearest ER, in Brownsville.

We waited for 5 hours to find out that he had an ear infection.

SATURDAY

30 mph winds and cloudy

Went to the Sea Turtle Rescue center.

Ate at a pirate-themed restaraunt (Emma was in heaven).

After naptime, went to the beach. Found out that sand and binkies/bottles/drinks/food/cameras/diapers do not mix well.

Walked Emma and Claire to the nearest bathroom (approx. 1/4 mile away) 86478632 times.

Put the kids to bed with Nana, went to a bar where I found out that they have never heard of a Chilton, nor do they have lemon juice at the beach bar (wtf?). Ask for cherry vodka sour and receive pink lemonade + vodka.

Give up and go home.

SUNDAY

Shopping at a souvenir shop where playground balls are priced 10 dollars.

Buy obligatory souvenirs.

Michelle eats sushi for lunch.

After lunch, Claire and Dex take a nap while Josh, Emma, Michelle, Kimberly and Mom hit the beach.

Michelle complains of stomach upset and returns to her hotel room.

Josh spends 4 hours sunscreen-free at the beach and gets the worst sunburn ever.

Michelle calls us to complain that she can't stop throwing up.

Visit Michelle, determine that she is seriously ill, and head for the Brownsville ER. Again.

Spend evening at ER (read: 8 pm until 3:30 am).

Michelle receives IV fluids, anti-nausea meds, and a pat on the back.

Go to bed at 4 am.

MONDAY

8 am- phone rings. Terminally ill grandmother is worse.

Throw every item we own into random suitcases and head for the airport.

Need wheelchair service for Michlle, who is too weak to walk.

Carry 3 kids, one carseat, 2 backpacks, one diaper bag through security.

Arrive home sweaty, tired, and smelly. Give kids to dad's parents and go directly to to the hospital.

So, officially, it was bad. We did have a tiny bit of fun.

Oh yeah, one more:

Mother's Day photos

Everyone got pictures for mother's day this year. (Shock! Gasp! Unbelievable!) I was pretty happy with the results.

This is what my mom got:

and this is what Josh's mom got. I have to say, these pictures were a bit more... problematic. 6 toddlers. 6!!! Well, to be fair, 4 toddlers and two infants. Jeez, it was work, lemme tell you.

Stuff

Dex is the funniest kid lately. He loves finger food. With abandon. His skill is not quite keeping up with his desire, however. He is more of a "grab a handful of food, throw it at your face, and hope something goes in" kind of eater. Half of the mealtime is spent frantically grasping at the piles of food and trying to get them to his mouth. It is a sight to behold. By the end of the meal, he is smeared with food, from elbows to eyebrows.

Riley got his final booster this morning, which means it is haircut time!! His current look is a messy shag.

As soon as we get our newly shorn dog back, I will be sure to post pictures.

I have been photographing people outside of my family a little more than normal lately. Here are some of my favorites from last month:

Overheard last night

(Banging noises)
Josh: Claire? What are you doing?
Claire: Fixed things. With a tool. That name is hammer.

Claire is going to be three in a couple of weeks. It astounds me that she has not yet reached three, and already has a multitude of embarrassing phrases under her belt.
"(Spoken loudly, completely with twang) Oh Gawt. What is da-at?"
"I trowed up. Onna table. At Nana's. It was icky."
"Because I want to do dat." (Most often spoken after the question 'Claire, why did you [fill in toddler offense here]?']
"You hitted me!" (always in public, always directed at me, never directly after an actual hit.)

When we named Claire, I could have never imagined that such a sweet, innocent,... calm name could produce a child like her. She is a bundle of energy, sure. But she is also stubborn, demanding and impatient. And don't forget defiant. However, she does it with such cuteness that it is hard to be annoyed by her for long.

She can be stopped in her tracks by any image of Dora or the promise of a marshmallow. She is immune to all manner of threats and punishment. They do nothing to deter her from whatever toddler felony she is currently committing.

I am not sure why I have Claire on the brain so much lately, but I think it is something the checker at WalMart, of all places told me: The middle one will never do anything new. The older one does everything first and the younger one will always be the baby. The poor middle child will never be either. It made me somewhat defensive on her behalf. Sure, she had the unfortunate situation of being born in the middle, but trust me- she never gets lost between baby and big kid. She is always the kid on the top of the pile, screaming happily at the top of her lungs. She leads mutiny such as this: