VACATION POST!: Wales Day 1 and 2

 

Since we spent most of Tuesday morning looking around the Lake District farm, the remainder of the day was pretty much just driving to North Wales.

We did pass through an area of the Lake District that the poet Wordsworth claimed was the prettiest place on Earth!  I didn’t take a picture  (too busy gawking) but, MAN was it a beautiful drive.

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Let me pause and say how thankful I was for our GPS device in the rental car.  Even if we had wanted to ask for directions, we couldn’t have pronounced half of the towns in Wales

because, clearly: Welch is a MADE UP LANGUAGE.

It sure is a beautiful place though though!

(Do you see the windmills in the water on the horizon?  Click to enlarge)

We stopped along a random road so that I could…well…use the side of the road for personal reasons…and BEHOLD!  A glorious view with the Ocean!  Small bladders can be an advantage, is what I’m saying.

 

Tuesday night we stayed at an awesome dairy farm.

And this was a SERIOUS dairy farm!  Tons of cows and equipment!

There was even a calf born that night that we got to see all fresh the next morning!

It was a beautiful room, even after we got through with it.

We loaded up bright and early and went to explore Snowdonia National Park

Note: most of these pictures were taken out of the window of our moving car.  The boys were sleeping and Brian and I were enjoying our alone-to-stare-in-wonderment time too much to risk stopping!

(white specks on picture above are sheep!)

Sheep crossing.

Also please note that these are all two-way roads!

At this point I looked at the GPS and said “Look Brian!  We are by the ocean!  Let’s go to the beach!”

So, we went!

Joseph kept smiling and saying “THANK YOU for taking us to the beach!”

Isaac says “Hiya!” to the Irish Sea!

Joseph’s first “Dog poop castle” at a beach in Wales.  Who knew?!

Brian walked up to a viewpoint:

I got to dip my feet in the Irish Ocean too!  Pretty cold, colder than the Jersey shore, but not as cold as Oregon!

Reluctantly, we left the beach and went to our next hotel, not knowing what the next day would bring us….

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(Remember I mentioned a tow truck?)

Send Help

 

Our babysitter found a job in the city and is now unavailable.

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The children are destroying my house.

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Every day, Isaac pulls a chair up to the counter and manages to get into something. 

A few days ago?  Sprayed PAM on his face.  Two days ago?  Dumped out the trash while I was going to the bathroom.  Yesterday?  Dumped orange juice on the floor.  Today?  Well, I don’t know yet, but it’s coming.

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Joseph has questions questions questions.  Why is a tree called a tree?  Can Superman still fly if he isn’t wearing his costume?  Who is stronger, green hulk, red hulk, or grey hulk?

Ummmmm… 

My specialty is finger paints, and tea parties, people.  I am underequipped.

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My baby dolls never stepped in a runaway-poop that escaped a diaper and smeared it all over the pillows.

My dolls never jumped on furniture repeatedly, bumped chests while roaring, knocked over pictures, or dumped out bins of toys for no apparent reason!

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Oh, I love those boys!  Every night I pray that the next day I will have more patience and yet every day I find myself yelling “Get out of the kitchen!!!!  Mommy needs SPAAAACE!”

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My fingers are raw from taking costumes off and on.

If I have to act interested in where Catwoman is going on her motorcycle for one more minute, I am going to gouge out my eyes.

My car sounds are terrible,

much less my bat-erang or light saber.

I have a sinking suspicion that they aren’t going to agree to do arts and crafts with me much longer.

Pom poms don’t thrill them.

And maybe I shouldn’t be encouraging boys to dance with me to Captain and Tennille? 

Anyone?

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No one told me that it would be like this.

Why did no one tell me that it would be like this?

To all of you out there who are having their second boy- it will be like this.

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You will love it!

But sometimes, you will need a babysitter.

 

Isaac’s First Haircut

Last night we took the plunge.

Now that the humidity is gone for the winter (thank you, thank you, thank you)  Isaac’s curls are less bouncy-soft

and more frizzy, cotton candy dreadlocks.

So, last night, Brian and I had some time to kill before bedtime, and we decided to just do it already!  Haircut time!!

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BEFORE:

 

I must say, it is fantastic to have a child who is so calm about haircuts,

(offering it to Joseph)

unlike you know who (rhymes with Boseph) who, until he turned 3 was always a sweaty, screaming, nearly-vomiting, covered in hair and bribery-lollipop stickiness mess.  Just ask my friend Colleen, who used to cut his hair!

I must admit I felt a bit teary for a minute (his baby hair!), but I pulled it together.

(the first clip)

 

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AFTER:

Why do kids with short hair look so old?  Why? Why? Why?!!!

But he is still my little baby sunshine!

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PS  For the record: Joseph’s first haircut- over a year younger than Isaac:

 

Waaaaaaait a minute… As I am posting these I am noticing:  It seems that he did not cry the first time either.  Oh NOOOOO!!!!