Attached

I'm struggling with a situation right now that is making me very unhappy. Some old, dear girlfriends are getting together for the weekend in another state. They will be gathering and staying at the home of one of the old crowd. I've been invited to come along, with a catch. I am still nursing A., and she is very attached to me. I told them that if I come, I would be bringing her along. I figured I would also bring J., who is best friends with the hostess' daughter, as a babysitter. The price of her ticket would be helping me out. We have already discussed it and she is fine with that.

I was worried that A's presence would spoil the fun, and told them to be honest with me about it. So the hostess (who has 5 kids herself, is a dear friend and is A's godmother) just informed me that she really doesn't want A. to come. My friends have left the place that I am at. Their youngest child is 7 so their lives are rather different from mine. I did expect this friend, in particular, to understand, since she felt the same way when her children were small.

I realize it would be good for me to get away with my girlfriends. I also realize that she is old enough to leave behind. However, she still wakes up occasionally at night, and wants her mama. Also, Daryl will be out of town on business part of that weekend, so I will have patched together child care--a combination of both grandparents and Daryl rotating in and out. The real probem, though, is my emotional response. I am not ready to be away from her for the weekend. This time will not last forever, and I cherish it. For all I know, she is my last baby.

Several years ago Daryl and I went to Europe, and I left my then 2 year old, feeling much as I do now, and it took a lot of enjoyment out of the trip for me. That experience taught me that it is just not worth it, for me, to do that.

So I feel sad and insulted by my friend, and disappointed that I will not be going on the trip. And wishing I had more like-minded friends who were in the same spot as me emotionally.

Weird ways we entertain ourselves

IMG_1576, originally uploaded by PaulaK.

I don't know if it's unique to a large family, but hanging out in the laundry room, full of laundry, strikes me as slightly odd!

First Day of School--Late Shift

IMG_1567, originally uploaded by PaulaK.

These girls were excited!

First Day of School--Early Shift

IMG_1565, originally uploaded by PaulaK.

Not all of the early shift look happy to be awake and heading off to school!

Happy Birthday I!

I. turned 9 on Aug. 12. She had 2 friends spend the night and we all went to our small town festival. I gave them each some money and gave the group of them a walkie talkie so they could "call" me if they needed me. They were instructed to buy some food for dinner (pizza slices,etc.) and stay together. It was the easiest birthday party I ever threw. The girls got their faces painted and ate lots of candy, listened to live music and were ready to go home after about 2 hours.

I. is my princess. She always wants to look beautiful, and usually does. She is lively, outgoing and fun, with an infectious laugh. She can be hard to convince that she is expected to do the same chores as her siblings, though! I admire her strength and determination. She walks to the beat of her own drummer and is not easily swayed by what others are doing, thinking, wearing, etc. She is impervious to the peer pressure exerted by her siblings.

She is smart and very perceptive about other people. More physically coordinated than I will ever be, she is naturallly muscular and athletic. My "middle child"--I am so glad I have her!

The Tribe

KIds at Parc national des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivi�re-Malbaie.

St. Anne and her daughter Mary, the Blessed Mother

Inside the Basilica of St. Anne de Beaupre

The feast day of St. Anne was the day after we visited, so there were loads of people there at this time, and many masses and prayer services going on leading up to the day.

A View of the Riviere Malbaie and the Gorge

Library - 140, originally uploaded by PaulaK.

L'Isle Aux Coudres

A view of the island and the ocean. EVERY town in Charlevoix boasts a church that can be seen from literally miles away as they are always the tallest building around. Many are very beautiful.

In the Trailer

K. and A. spent a lot of time, riding fairly happily, in this trailer.

Taking a Break

We rode the chairlift to the top of Mt. Tremblant, then did some hiking. Here are A. and I taking a "mimi" (nursing) break in a mountaintop meadow.

Tremblant resort and Mountain

Paula and Kids at Tremblant

Paula and Daryl

Paula doing the Luge

Bungee swinging at Tremblant

DSC_0712, originally uploaded by PaulaK.

Here is L. in the air. It wasn't actually jumping from a high place, but rather jumping off a trampoline and getting airborne and doing flips.

Baie St. Paul

Our final vacation destination was a little village in the Charlevoix region of Quebec called Baie St. Paul. It is on the St. Lawrence River/seaway, and is known as an artists haven. There were many galleries, in addition to shops and restaurants. We were north of Maine, USA and had traveled 1000 miles to get there. The reason I chose this place to vacation was that the region is boasts and amazing amount of unparalleled beauty and things to do.

The first day was overcast and cool, so we went whale watching. In the summer the whales come to the area where the St. Lawrence joins the Atlantic. We saw 2 humpback whales very close up, and 2 enormous Finn whales, as well as many porpoises and seals.

The next day we took a ferry to L'Isle Aux Coudres. We brought our bikes and rode the 23 kilometer road around the island.

One day we went to Quebec City and spent the day. We stopped on the way at the shrine of St. Anne de Beaupre, a Catholic Basilica. St. Anne de Beaupre is the mother of Mary, the mother of Jesus. She was infertile for many years, but never lost faith, and was blessed with her daughter Mary late in life. She is credited with many miracles.

Another day we spent sea kayaking and horseback riding. We did this in shifts, one group riding in the morning and another kayaking in the afternoon.

The last day we visited Parc national des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie, named after a series of valleys cut deep into a range of high mountains by the Riviere Malbaie. Steep slopes, beautiful natural surroundings, and the unusual course of Rivière Malbaie fill this park with dramatic scenery at every turn.

We had a great time, but vacationed ourselves into exhaustion. Although I wouldn't have wanted to miss anything we did, I was ready to go home 2-3 days before the vacation was over, and then I had to ride 1000 miles back home! I tried to convince Daryl to stop in Montreal at the airport and let me fly home with A., but he wouldn't go for it! Truly, though, we had a great time.

More vacation

We spent half the day walking around Ottawa, and then headed to Mont Tremblant, a village and ski resort north of Montreal. We stayed at the resort for 3 days. This part of the trip was a celebration of sorts, of a recent business success of Daryl's. The resort is beautiful, bright and clean. There are many free things that go on, like evening concerts, parades, face painters and clowns making balloon animals. In addition to hotels of every style and price range, including condos for rent, the resort is comprised of shops and restaurants of many varieties.

While there we were able to paricipate in numerous fun activities, like the luge, rock wall climbing, and bungee jumping (which were not free!). The area is covered with bicycle trails, and as we had brought all of our bikes and a trailer for the little ones to ride in, we did some biking as well.