Adventures in Weenie Lake

The past week's activities are too numerous to cram into any less than about 10 posts, so I'll skip right to the weekend, which filled my adventure/entertainment quota for the month!

Friday after lunch we loaded the kiddos into the van and drove to Winona Lake, IN, the town where Danny and I both attended college. . . . eons ago. A student who was very involved in our youth group for several years and then attended Grace had asked Danny to do his wedding, and invited the whole family to come along.

Now, as soon as the munchkins hear the word "hotel" they get absolutely giddy, especially if there's an indoor pool. I get a little lightheaded myself, just thinking about all the extra swimming gear there is to pack and keep track of.

The trip there was uneventful (thank goodness). As soon as we assured Rachel that she really would survive the 3-hour trip without watching a DVD, Danny and I listened to a Mark Driscoll podcast (good content; interesting word choices) and a Piper sermon.

As soon as we got to the ampitheater for the rehearsal, I realized we had a problem. Between Zekers' intensely loud voice, and Karis trying continually to "hug" a little boy in the wedding party and forcing him to run for cover, it became clear that I needed to quickly relocate the kiddos until everything was over. Fortunately, at the bottom of the hill was a sort of moat around a grassy island that could only be accessed by a footbridge. The moat widened into a pond, where there sat a lovely fountain, which fascinated all three kids. So to the island we went, where I spent about 30 minutes freaking out every time one of them went too near the edge (which was about every 10 seconds).

Suddenly, I heard six words that made my blood run cold: "Mommy, I have to go potty."

We were very near the shore of the lake, where, since our graduation from Grace, various art shops and cafes have been built - and it's all very eye-catching and looks loads better than it did 10 years ago. However, with the landscape so altered, I had no idea where to locate a restroom, and at the pace we were able to travel, I knew it would take more than 5 minutes to enter the nearest building. So I did what any reasonable mother would do under the circumstances. With a furtive glance over my shoulder to make sure the coast was clear, I informed Zekers he would have to pee on a tree. Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, upon seeing he was very willing to do this, he asked, "Mommy, can I poop on the tree, too?" Aaaaagggghhhh!

I scooped Kari Bou up into the stroller, and hustled all three kids down the hill and across the street to the nearest shop, where I was informed that NONE of the shops had bathrooms. In fact, the nearest one was at a large restaurant several blocks down. So to the restaurant we ran - as fast as three small children and a pregnant woman in a panic can run. The entire journey took about 10 minutes, and miraculously, Zekers made it all the way, although he did inform me just as we entered the restroom that he was starting to pee a little. He then proceeded to describe everything he produced very loudly and in great detail, causing a fellow-restroom-user to comment, "He's three, isn't he?"

Later that night, at the rehearsal dinner, the kiddos gorged themselves on chocolate pudding, pizza and cake (you'd never have guessed they'd already eaten dinner several hours before), and we tucked them into their "super secret" bed (a fold-out couch next to our bed) by 9:45. Danny & I kept the door cracked, and pulled chairs out into the hallway and read for a couple of hours. It was wonderful.

The next morning we went for a swim (very cold and boring story), had breakfast in bed (ate cereal bars, juice and bananas sitting on our bed), and headed to the wedding. We had a couple of hours to kill beforehand, so we walked along the lake and watched part of a "sailboat regatta," which we decided was probably wealthy-speak for "sailboat show"; then we stopped at a coffe shop where I had THE perfect iced caramel cappucino. No joke. It was heaven in a plastic cup.

The fact that the wedding was at 3:00 posed a bit of a problem. I knew the kids, having had a late night and eventful day, would be nearly impossible without naps. They were already getting tired and grumpy. So we came up with the best plan we could think of: at around 2:00, Danny took Rach with him to the wedding, and I drove the other 2 around in the van until they fell asleep, cringing inwardly the entire time over all the gas I was wasting. 20 miles later, they fell asleep, and slept until about 4:00. I parked the van in some shade, and spent a wonderful hour just sitting in the van, praying and thinking, while my angels slept. Wow - how often does a gift like that come along!??

On the way home, we had another adventure. About 30 minutes from home, while driving through absolutely nothing but farmland, Zekers once again had to go potty. After five minutes of desperately looking for somewhere - anywhere - to stop and coming up empty, we ended up pulling into the drive of a farmhouse, hoping that maybe a complete stranger would have mercy on us. By this time Zekers was crying and grabbing his crotch. Fortunately, a super-nice older couple lived there, and were home, and said we could use their bathroom. So I marched Rachel, in her Ariel nightgown, and Zekers in his Batman PJ's in to use the facilities. Of course Rachel, in her loudest voice, made the observation, "Mom, these people are really old!" before I could shush her. Thank goodness for people nice enough to extend hospitality to a family they've never met!

We made it home by 9:30, put the kiddos to bed, and the rest is history. Fun times . . .