The rest of our Anchorage trip

Our few days in Anchorage passed in a blur of errands, speeding cars and bedtimes.  We managed to get everything on our to-do list done, and then some.  We even took advantage of the sunshine one afternoon and played at a large park.

Wyatt went on the swings for the first time.

He was beyond precious.  Giggling and trying to kick us.

Then, as fast as it had come, the good feeling ended and he was done.  I think he had gotten a bit motion sick.  I knew the feeling. The whole time we were in Anchorage I suffered car sickness.  I used to get car sick when I was younger, and had (mostly) outgrown it.  But I think nine months of being off the road (only occasionally riding with Josh a mile down the road to the store or post office) meant my body had some readjusting to do.

Thankfully, since arriving in Washington, the sickness has subsided. Phew!

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We stay at the Quality Inn and Suites in downtown Anchorage when we're there, and I absolutely love it.  The actual room is perfect for our family's needs- it has a "living room", separated by a door from the bedroom.  So Josh and I can lay the kids down for bed at seven, and stay up watching TV (or blogging) in the living room.  

The bathtub is huge, and the water pressure in the shower is awesome.  I also like the towels (not too rough or too fluffy) and they give you tons of pillows.  

They also do a huge buffet breakfast every morning.  Waffles, bagels, toast, cereal, eggs, sausage... the works!  The first morning I sat at the table with the kids while Josh made them waffles and Jack goes, "Lo-gan," in a sing-songy voice, "Look... Daddy has whip cream!"  They were ecstatic!

Traveling with three kids is not easy, but I love that the hotel has so much to offer us.  It makes it that much easier.

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One thing we found about Anchorage that was irritating is their late hours.  The mall didn't open until noon. Every day of the week!  And the DMV didn't open until 10am.  Our kids are up and at 'em by 7 every single day.  Most days by 6:30am.  So to sit around the hotel room waiting for the rest of Alaska to wake up was annoying!

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It was fun to take Wyatt to the park now that he can walk.  When we left Washington last summer, he still wasn't walking, so he hasn't really played at a park before.  He walked up and down the stairs, climbed on the play equipment, went down the slide, and went on the swings twice.  He walked around like he owned the place, and had a huge smile on his face the whole time!

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The week before we left for home, I started playing around with  my hair, trying to find something I could do with it, now that it's so long, that I could do without needing to blow it dry, which takes forever!  So I discovered that if I twisted it, almost like french braiding (adding more hair as I went along) I could tie it together in the back, and voila! My hair was done quick and it looked like it took a lot more effort than it did!  I love tricks like this that make my life easier.

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Another reason I love our hotel?  

The pool

The big boys were so excited to swim after nine months of missing it.  

Honestly, Josh and I were excited, too!

We are a family of fish!

This picture reminds me of something else that was interesting on our trip.  At least three times I was asked if the boys were triplets.  Now, I get that the three of them look alike, and that they resemble Josh greatly.  But I can't understand someone mistaking my almost two year old for an almost five year old.

Yet it happened.

Multiple times.

Once at the airport, once at Fred Meyer and once at Sears.

Honestly, I was so thrown off by the absurdity of it, I wasn't ever sure what to say.  

At Sears the lady checking us out asked if the three of them were twins.  I didn't tell her that three is triplets, and I didn't say, "Yep.  Except for the age difference, they are identical!"

Instead I said, "No, the older two are twins, but not the baby."

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This little guy wasn't so sure about the pool.

But his brothers were all over it!

Shivers and all, they LOVED it!

They were so brave, jumping in, putting their faces under the water and racing Josh across the pool.

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At Sears I took the twins, and Josh had the baby.  Josh and Wyatt perused the tool area, while the twins and I searched for jeans for the three of us.

Shopping with them, I had forgotten, is not easy!  They are in constant motion.  Hiding in the clothes, running and playing games, and shouting at each other.  It reminded me of when I was little and would shop with my mom and cousin Kimmy.  Kimmy and I would pretend we were twins, talking with fake accents and, I'm sure, making my mom's shopping trip harder.

But we managed to find pants for all of us.  And it was nice, as it always is, to see them in public. Using their manners and learning about social rules.  (Like, ahem, not peeking under the walls of the changing room... Sorry random shoppers of Anchorage!)

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I love these guys, and as we march onward toward their fifth birthday I am realizing, we did it!  We have made it through their infancy, toddlerhood and preschool years.  This next part, the school years, are going to be so much fun.

Camping, hiking, fishing.  

Reading, listening, learning.  

Watching as their personalities continue to develop and seing them become who they will be.  

It's very exciting.

And then there's this guy.

I cannot believe he has only been with us two years--

it's hard to remember our family without him.

On the other hand, I cannot believe he's going to be two.

I cannot believe his infancy is over.

We all love him.  If pressed, I think that we would all say he's our favorite.

He has such a great personality, and is just so dang lovable!

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This is my wish for our boys:

And as we start our summer, it's my hope for our family.

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