We woke up bright and early Saturday morning and got ready while Brad went and got us breakfast from a nearby McDonald's. After breakfast we finished getting ready, got bags packed, and Brad and the 2 older kids took it down to the van. Betty and I checked out of the hotel and we all met back up in the lobby area. Brad and I dropped Lora off at AIC. Philip was not enjoying it and really wanted to listen to some of the speakers, so Brad decided to pull him out of AIC and let Philip hang with him all day. We did some looking around downstairs for a while before Betty headed upstairs for her first session. I went ahead and messed around for a little bit downstairs before heading back upstairs. I let Hannah run around for a while upstairs, we walked, and did stairs and played with toys and ran around in circles for quite a while. She was feeling much better and it showed..:)
A little bit later we all headed downstairs to mess around, do some more shopping, and visited with some good friends from Stafford for a while.
Betty, Brad, and Philip, along with our good friends from Stafford headed back upstairs for more sessions. I entertained Hannah and myself and was back and fourth between upstairs and downstairs most of the morning.
Before we knew it, it was lunch time. I went with Brad to go get Lora from AIC. I had a couple good friends helping with AIC so I went and said hi every chance I got. We met back up with Betty, along with her friend Amy and daughter Megan for lunch, only this time our good friends from Stafford joined us as well. We ate Papa Johns again since it was closest to the convention center and pretty cheap.
We had to have Lora back to AIC by 12:30 and sessions started at 1. So again, it was a kind of rushed, but good lunch. It was HOT Saturday so it felt good to be back in AC after walking to Papa Johns and back.
Lora and Philip found water outside the restaurant and you know what happens when a 10 yo and a 7 yo finds water??.. They end up in it!!!! We couldn't help but laugh! As hot as it was outside, they were pretty much dry by the time we got back to the convention center.
We get back to the convention center and dropped Lora back off at AIC . Betty headed back up for more sessions, while I stayed down with Hannah and changed her and back packed her, while I looked around for a little bit. She fell asleep in the Mai Tie so I just left her in fear of not wanting to wake her. I walked around the exhibit hall for quite a while. Due to the loudness of the exhibit hall though she didn't sleep for a long time. After she woke up I went upstairs to let her run around for a while. Her and another 15 mo ends up having an absolute ball together and they played for quite a while.
I bounce between exhibit hall and upstairs all afternoon.A little bit later, Betty had a break between sessions and headed downstairs for some shopping and decided to take Hannah for a little while. So I stole the laptop and checked face book for a minute and caught my breath.
I head back downstairs to relieve "Mom". We end up all messing around downstairs for a while. Hannah decides it's time to eat right before another session starts so I go into one of the last sessions with "Mom" while Hannah eats....Hannah decided she wasn't going to be quiet after she got done so I didn't get to listen to that one very long LOL. That was OK though, as it was more important Betty listen then I..:)
Next thing I know, It's 5 and time to go watch the kids AIC program they put on for parents at the very end.
We went downstairs and all met back up outside the area where AIC is held. It's an organized chaos mess if that's even possible LOL. We finally were allowed inside and ended up standing in the back, due to Hannah falling asleep in my arms and the stroller being too full to lay her down. Plus this sister didn't want to lay her down...shes our cuddle bug :). Not to mention we're all beyond tired of sitting anyway and we have an hour and a half drive ahead of us so we choose to stand.
The program went really well and it was really neat to see what all the kids have learned over the last few days, and to see them put into practice, so to speak. After it's over, Betty and I decided we're going to go ahead and head outside to the van and start getting the stroller unloaded and the van cooled down. After getting a little lost, we found our way to van. Not long after Brad and the kids show up. We got everybody loaded and the van cooled down and we head to find somewhere to eat. We decided that since nobody is really hungry yet we're going to head onto Yoder and eat at Carriage Crossing. We get there and find out that its going to be an hour and a half wait minimum..WHAT?? So we head on into Hutch and eat at Sirlion Stockade...it was delicious!!!
After getting our tummies full we headed on home. We got home around 9:30 or so. We unloaded the van and got everybody somewhat settled while Brad went and got the other 3 kids from grandma's. They came home tired and very excited to see us.
After talking about the days events and getting baths and showers we fall into bed exhausted.Betty and I woke up Sunday morning and decided that we're too tired to try to entertain and chase 6 kids around, so since we're all up anyway we decided we're going to go to church and Sunday school. Brad was bailing. Kids were really good for the most part and it gave us something to do.
It was another successful home school conference with many wonderful speakers and tons of great info. Along with tons of laughs and many memories made. We're all looking forward to next year and cant wait to see who the speakers will be and whatever else it holds.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
~ Home School Convention~ Day 1.
This past weekend, we went to the area home school convention in Wichita. I went with " my other family". This is my 3rd or 4th year getting to go with them. I also go and spend a week with them either before the convention or after. This time it ended up being about 2 days before and about 3 days after.
With 6 kids, leaving the house for a weekend is not an easy task. A lot of planning has to go into it. " My" baby sister Hannah had been sick for most of that week and let's just say we had been going through outfit changes like nothing else, so just to be safe we took about every nice outfit she owned with us, along with 2 extra outfits for everyone else just in case. We did manage to get it all into one huge duffel bag, diapers in all.
We only took 3 kids with us this year, Philip 10, Lora 7, and Hannah 16 months. Other 3, Heidi 5, Noah 4, and Isaiah 2 went to Grandma's to make things a little easier on us. Unlike last year, Betty's DH was able to go with us which also took a lot of stress off.
Thursday night, after supper and baths, we delivered the 3 kids that were going to grandma's house, to help make things easier for in the morning. The house felt EMPTY that night. We got up around 7 or so and got things around, ate breakfast, got kids dressed, finished any last minute packing and loaded the van. We left the house around 9:15 or so. It was a pretty peaceful, and uneventful drive for the most part.
We got to Wichita around 10:30 or so. We normally park in the hotel parking garage because its normally free for hotel guest...not this year. We get there and find out that its 8 dollars a day..WHAT???.....So we go and attempt to find somewhere to park that was free. We find a parking lot that has other 15 passenger vans parked there and it was right across the street from the hotel which we decided we could handle. We get the stroller out and packed and kids unloaded and head into the convention center to get our name tags and things of sort. At this point it's about 10:45 somewhere in there. There's nothing in the morning except walking through the exhibit hall and "shopping" So we split up and Brad takes the 2 older kids off to look at whatever they want to look at. While me and Betty look at whatever we want to look at. We decide to all meet back up about 30 minutes later, when we were going to head over the closest papa johns for pizza. Betty's friend Amy and her oldest daughter Megan joins us for lunch. It was fun to catch up and visit for a while.
The kid's AIC ( adventures in Character) started at 12:30, and the keynotes and regular sessions started at 1. so we kinda rush through lunch so we can get back over to the convention center on time.
We get over there in plenty of time. Brad and I drop kids off at AIC and Betty heads to her first sessions. I walk around with Hannah for a while and do some more looking.Then I headed upstairs to let Hannah run around for a while in a little sitting area they had up there outside the rooms where all the sessions are held. It's not long before Hannah crashes, so why she takes her nap I go ahead and head back down stairs and do some more looking, mainly because I was beyond tired of sitting at this point. Hannah took a pretty good nap. After she wakes up, I change her and Betty feeds her, and we both do some looking and shopping downstairs for a while. Not long before Betty heads back upstairs for more sessions. Hannah at this point is pretty stressed out from the crowds and kinda fussy, so I put her in the mei tie, with the feeling of security being strapped to her big sister she settles down and is in a pretty good mood. We go back and fourth between walking around downstairs and going up stairs and letting her run around and play.
Before long its' time go get kids from AIC and grab some quick supper before they have to be back at 7. We go get wendys which isn't to terribly far from the hotel. We get back to the convention center and drop kids off at AIC and I take Hannah up to our room to run around and get her away from crowds ( she had just about had enough at this point) Betty and Brad go and listen to more speakers. It winded down for the night around 8:30, 8:45. They come up the room and we finish getting unpacked and settled in. At this point Hannah is very unsettled and very fussy. We're trying to figure out what might possibly be the matter when it dawns on "Mom" and I that ever since she got sick earlier that week, she had pretty much went back to full nursing and wasn't really eating solids or drinking water like she had been. It was HOT that day, with the high being in the upper 90's. She hadn't hardly drank anything all day, and she'd been away from mom enough that she didn't get to nurse like she was used to. Due to complications at birth, she doesn't handle getting hot, or cold well like the rest of us can. This baby was dehydrated. She nurses for a good 45 minutes and I give her a quick warm, yet cool bath and she is in a MUCH Happier mood and acting more her self. We get the rest of us bathed and ready for bed. We are all exhausted at this point and we had another long day ahead of us so we go to bed kinda early.I don't think any of us had any trouble sleeping. It had been a very good, yet exhausting first day. We were all looking forward to the next day.
With 6 kids, leaving the house for a weekend is not an easy task. A lot of planning has to go into it. " My" baby sister Hannah had been sick for most of that week and let's just say we had been going through outfit changes like nothing else, so just to be safe we took about every nice outfit she owned with us, along with 2 extra outfits for everyone else just in case. We did manage to get it all into one huge duffel bag, diapers in all.
We only took 3 kids with us this year, Philip 10, Lora 7, and Hannah 16 months. Other 3, Heidi 5, Noah 4, and Isaiah 2 went to Grandma's to make things a little easier on us. Unlike last year, Betty's DH was able to go with us which also took a lot of stress off.
Thursday night, after supper and baths, we delivered the 3 kids that were going to grandma's house, to help make things easier for in the morning. The house felt EMPTY that night. We got up around 7 or so and got things around, ate breakfast, got kids dressed, finished any last minute packing and loaded the van. We left the house around 9:15 or so. It was a pretty peaceful, and uneventful drive for the most part.
We got to Wichita around 10:30 or so. We normally park in the hotel parking garage because its normally free for hotel guest...not this year. We get there and find out that its 8 dollars a day..WHAT???.....So we go and attempt to find somewhere to park that was free. We find a parking lot that has other 15 passenger vans parked there and it was right across the street from the hotel which we decided we could handle. We get the stroller out and packed and kids unloaded and head into the convention center to get our name tags and things of sort. At this point it's about 10:45 somewhere in there. There's nothing in the morning except walking through the exhibit hall and "shopping" So we split up and Brad takes the 2 older kids off to look at whatever they want to look at. While me and Betty look at whatever we want to look at. We decide to all meet back up about 30 minutes later, when we were going to head over the closest papa johns for pizza. Betty's friend Amy and her oldest daughter Megan joins us for lunch. It was fun to catch up and visit for a while.
The kid's AIC ( adventures in Character) started at 12:30, and the keynotes and regular sessions started at 1. so we kinda rush through lunch so we can get back over to the convention center on time.
We get over there in plenty of time. Brad and I drop kids off at AIC and Betty heads to her first sessions. I walk around with Hannah for a while and do some more looking.Then I headed upstairs to let Hannah run around for a while in a little sitting area they had up there outside the rooms where all the sessions are held. It's not long before Hannah crashes, so why she takes her nap I go ahead and head back down stairs and do some more looking, mainly because I was beyond tired of sitting at this point. Hannah took a pretty good nap. After she wakes up, I change her and Betty feeds her, and we both do some looking and shopping downstairs for a while. Not long before Betty heads back upstairs for more sessions. Hannah at this point is pretty stressed out from the crowds and kinda fussy, so I put her in the mei tie, with the feeling of security being strapped to her big sister she settles down and is in a pretty good mood. We go back and fourth between walking around downstairs and going up stairs and letting her run around and play.
Before long its' time go get kids from AIC and grab some quick supper before they have to be back at 7. We go get wendys which isn't to terribly far from the hotel. We get back to the convention center and drop kids off at AIC and I take Hannah up to our room to run around and get her away from crowds ( she had just about had enough at this point) Betty and Brad go and listen to more speakers. It winded down for the night around 8:30, 8:45. They come up the room and we finish getting unpacked and settled in. At this point Hannah is very unsettled and very fussy. We're trying to figure out what might possibly be the matter when it dawns on "Mom" and I that ever since she got sick earlier that week, she had pretty much went back to full nursing and wasn't really eating solids or drinking water like she had been. It was HOT that day, with the high being in the upper 90's. She hadn't hardly drank anything all day, and she'd been away from mom enough that she didn't get to nurse like she was used to. Due to complications at birth, she doesn't handle getting hot, or cold well like the rest of us can. This baby was dehydrated. She nurses for a good 45 minutes and I give her a quick warm, yet cool bath and she is in a MUCH Happier mood and acting more her self. We get the rest of us bathed and ready for bed. We are all exhausted at this point and we had another long day ahead of us so we go to bed kinda early.I don't think any of us had any trouble sleeping. It had been a very good, yet exhausting first day. We were all looking forward to the next day.
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