Family Vacation

Our weekend was fast and full of the good stuff in life: people we love, music, delicious food, good alcohol, live music, and nature.
We went to Tahoe with Joey's family, all three of his siblings and their spouses and kids. It's great to have so much family to enjoy! On Saturday night we had two babysitters come up and watch all the littles so we could go see Brad Paisley at Harvey's. The concert was outside, the fresh air as intoxicating as the beer. We  listened and swayed to the loud, rock'en music of   Easton Corbin, The Band Perry and Brad Paisley. 
My husband practically held me the whole time, which felt good. I'm glad after nine? ten? (where the hell are we?) years of marriage I still want to be held, and he'll still hold me.
The bathroom situation was entertainment in itself. I'm not sure I'd pay money to do it again (I almost fell over in the sani-hut, due partly to the uneven ground it was sitting on and partly to the Coors Light) but maybe. It was like walking away from the concert into a scene from Armageddon: crowds of desperate people needing to relieve themselves, dressed in their best, standing in  long lines, waiting and waiting in the most putrid smelling air. The men didn't even bother to close the doors to the urinals. As one would leave, swinging the door in front of him, the other three were left helpless, their manhood finishing its business right there in front of a crowd of waiting women with nothing else to look at. It made me think how quickly even our "best" gets brought down to earth: we all gotta pee and we'll pretty much do whatever it takes to relieve ourselves.
The next day we spent at the beach. It's still hard with Noah-Ethan entertains himself, but Noah, at almost three, still has to ask for a "nak" (snack) ever eight minutes and isn't quite satisfied with anything you give him. In one word, the kid is EXHAUSTING. I dream about the days he's about six and will play happily for twenty minutes by himself.  Nirvana.
At least he poos in the toilet. Every time the kid does his business I say a very happy mama prayer to the bathroom angels for bringing that on so swiftly.  As far as Noah goes, that's my one sane point: he puts his poo in the toilet. Hallelujah.
Ethan hit a major milestone by jumping into the pool of the side for the FIRST TIME IN HIS ENTIRE LIFE.
"Mom! I never knew jumping in could be so fun!" We've only been telling him for three years now.
We were thankful Ethan was all better because he was sick the previous Sunday and into the beginning of last week, but by Friday he was good to go. We were a little rattled when we got Noah up from his nap to go, truck running, and he says he doesn't feel good followed by barfing all over his bedroom carpet.
What to do? What to do?
We went. I was quarantined in the hotel room with Noah for the first night. He made it through the evening and all through the night. When I sent an enthusiastic "We're all better!!!" text to my sister in law the next morning, she informed me her three year old barf and pooed, the runny kind, all night long.
How do we ever survive children? How?
Somehow the sickness kindly left us, and our weekend, so that we could enjoy ourselves, instead of going stir crazy looking at the over-patterned carpet in the hotel room, wiping off barf on the white toilet seat every thirty minutes.
Instead, the gods smiled down on us, and we got to do Paisley and the beach.
We also rented a jet ski and Joey and U.Scott took the older boys out. I wanted a ride too-so I climbed onto the back and held on tight to my husband's life jacket straps. I needed something to take my breath away, wake me up, and I knew a good ride behind Joey on a jet ski would do it.
Of course it did. My husband doesn't hold back. But just like in life, I know I am safe holding on to him, no matter how fast he flies, how hard he pushes.We flew around like two crazies, jumping over waves and and coming down hard as the water spit up in our faces, the wind cool and refreshing to our bodies, but mostly to our souls.