Mahalo very much to the hospital previously know as Sioux Valley

Once upon a time, my dh won a trip from his employer.

After much deliberation and research we have finally decided to use the 'gift' he received and take an anniversary trip to Hawaii.

We leave April 22nd and make a quick stop in Oakland, CA to watch the Twins play. Then it's off to Hawaii to see a couple of islands and we return home on the 30th.


This should be an exciting time, right? I mean I just bought the tickets for the game and I should be feeling little butterflies of anticipation in my tummy, but I am not.

All I can think about is the kids. We went back and forth and sideways trying to figure out what to do and where to go and whether we should take the kids. Finally, we decided that after 10 years we really "needed" a little husband and wife time. It has been a crazy couple of years and our life has been turned completely upside down. My dh is really excited and he keeps saying, " I wish we could leave today..." I just smile and sigh. I hope that in 50 days I can really walk away and feel like I am going to be able to relax and enjoy the special time with my best friend whom I haven't really talked to in ages. What on earth are we going to talk about for 8 days?

I just can't stop thinking about who is going to sing to the baby when she is getting her diaper changed and who is going to gently remove the booger from her nose when she has one. Who is going to rock a bye her at night when she can't get herself back to sleep. It's eight days and I keep thinking she is not going to remember me when I get back. Who's gonna rub her gums and put a cold apple slice in her mouth to help her teethe? Who's gonna make sure the 7 folds of skin under her chin are clean? I worry about the fact that I wash her sheets every night and make sure she has a dry bib on every few hours. I worry about the fact that my son likes to snack every other hours and he loves a nutritious lunch of cheese tacos and apple slices. I worry about who is going to check off the tooth brushing chart for my kindergartner and who is going to read to the kids for 20 minutes a day. And how am I going to remember to tell whoever we convince to take over that the baby loves to watch her older siblings wrestle in the living room. It's the only time she laughs out loud. Will I remember to tell the sitter to lay her down on her back but tilt her slightly to the left or right, alternating sides so she doesn't have a flat head? Will I remember to tell the sitter that when my son says he wants to wear his "handsome clothes" he means his suit and tie? Will whomever we get to watch the kids have the patience to play connect four and trouble for 3 hours straight without a break? Will the sitter have the patience to sit at the computer and play Webkins with the oldest because she can't quite read yet? I know you think I am going crazy but this is just the beginning. I have to remember to tell them that if #1 doesn't leave by 8:10 she will miss morning recess and on gym days she likes to wear short sleeves and a hoodie so she can take it off when she gets overheated. Oh, and the preschooler loves to wait outside the elementary school door until both lights turn green so he can open it himself before preschool. After school can be really stressful if you don't have snack ready and supper is best when planned early because it seems like between 3:30 and 6 time ticks twice as fast. If I miss bedtime by less than 30 minutes the morning routine is extremely difficult. Who is going to put #1 back to bed when she is sleep walking or calm her down when she has night tremors and rub #2's legs when he has growing pains at 3am? Do I write a book and hope that the sitter has a few days to read it or just let her fend for herself? A baby can change so much in a week, maybe she will need to start eating veggies or go up in a diaper size? ARRGH!

So do you see now why it's not really a vacation? It's a lot more work. I love you, honey, but is it really worth it?