This picture Brad took really makes me smile; it is so real. I love that Annika is trying to cheer up Elise by feeding her a peanut butter sandwich.

For the benefit of any of you out there who are wanting to take a growing family on a long vacation, here are some of the things we learned (mostly through trial and error):

1. If you can con an unsuspecting couple without children to join you on your vacation, you will not regret it. They might, but the addition of four extra hands will make your life much, much easier and might just save your sanity. If your toddler is absolutely in love with these friends it makes having them around that much better. Thank you, thank you, thank you Paige and Andy.

2. You might plan really cool trips to see things like Roman arenas, gladiators, medieval castles, giant catapults, and rolling fields of lavender. That’s great, as long as these are things that you want to see and you are willing to deal with crying, hot, tired children along the way. Just know that your kids will be much more interested in playing with rocks at the beach, watching ants, climbing on (and through) rocks, jumping on the hotel bed, eating ice cream, and riding carousels. Most of these things can be done without driving all over France. Also, the lavender may not yet be in bloom. Lesson learned.

She hasn't stopped talking about this ride - she felt just like Cinderella

3. Eating dinner at a nice French restaurant might sound like a good idea. Your mouth might water at the thought of all that fresh seafood, local herbs, and summer vegetables roasted to perfection. Your husband might warn you repeatedly that eating out with all the kids is just going to be a hassle. But, eventually your husband will give in, because he is a great guy and wants to make you happy. As you sit at the restaurant with two crying babies and a toddler who keeps knocking over her glass and getting spaghetti sauce everywhere  you will realize that you would have been better off getting a baguette, a quiche and a slew of pastries and eating at a park. It’s a good thing we only ate out once. It left us more money to spend on pastries with raspberries and pistachio cream, decadent chocolate eclairs, treats in various animal shapes that Annika was happy to devour, and plenty of fresh local produce from the markets.  Eating has always been a prominent part of our traveling. That didn’t change this time, but we did learn to avoid restaurants.

4. If you are traveling with three children, only one of whom can walk (and not very far), ignore manufacturers’ safety recommendations and do whatever you have to do to get them around. Creativity is essential. One time we even tried to cram both babies into one seat in the stroller. They weren’t particularly happy about it, but it worked.

5. Spending time at the beach is the perfect vacation with kids. We could have stayed there forever. Annika was hesitant at first, but she warmed up quickly and never wanted to leave. We swam, splashed, built sandcastles, played catch, ate sandy food, and then did it all over again. No matter what the local pool says, water wings are amazing. Annika was so proud that she could swim by herself, and even though we always kept a close eye on her, those water wings gave us a couple of free hands and enough peace of mind so that we could give the babies more attention. It also helped Annika feel more confident and made playing in the water much more fun. The babies were content to lounge in the shade with an occasionally salty dip. There were a fair share of topless sunbathers, but it was more a curiosity than a scandal. I don’t think Annika even noticed. She sees me nursing so often that it probably didn’t even strike her as odd.

Elise is in pink, Lucy is in green

6. Besides the beach, we decided to go to Provence because it was supposed to be beautiful. Though it was different than we thought (more desert, fewer rolling hills of purple lavender) Annika loved pointing out flowers, castles, birds, trees, boats, mountains, and “peoples.”

7. She also loved her DVD player. We wouldn’t have survived without it.

Our family, 4 hours into an 11 hour drive that should have been 8.

In other news, we had an ultrasound the other day and both babies are extremely healthy and active. They are growing well and both weigh 1 lb 6 oz. Besides becoming increasingly uncomfortable I am still in good health and don’t have any restrictions yet, for which I am very grateful.  The doctor didn’t even want to see us again for another four weeks. As we celebrate Thanksgiving we found we have much to be thankful for.

The last time Annika visited a beach she was only a couple of months old and we went to the one of my favorite rocky beaches near my parents house. I was surprised then that the waves and freezing cold water didn’t even seem to phase her. This was not the case this time around. The sun was shining and the water was warmer, but Annika refused to get anywhere near it. She cried and clung to our necks when we tried to take her into the gently rolling surf. She has quite a few new fears lately, and I guess waves are one of them. She did, however, love the sand. She ate it and threw it and picked rocks out of it. We buried her up to her waist and she loved it. I was really hoping my daughter would love the ocean as much as I do, but for now, I guess I will have to settle for sand. Someday she will learn to appreciate the sea – waves and all.

Sunrise over a stone house abandoned during the potato famine

The Muckross Mansion in Killarney National Park

Coumeenole Beach

And, even though this is supposed to be a post without people, I couldn’t resist this last picture. This was Ireland for me — watching Annika spend four uninterrupted days of fun with her new best friend. This shot is from the Gap of Dunloe.