Troyer Party of 9: Caldera 2021

Moss Stone Retreat 2021

Last year we missed out on this trip which was so hard for us but we just didn't feel like we could manage the twins, and the big 5, and the pool, and the lack of sleep, and all the stresses that go into vacationing with littles, and so we made the decision to stay home. This year we were again nervous about how the babies would do but we told the big kids we'd try and kinda set it up with the expectation that we might only be able to stay for one night. I figured if we drove up early in the morning we could spend the day and then even if they didn't sleep at all we could probably manage the next day and would need to head home that evening. I feel like I've gotten more and more realistic about what we can handle and what is even worth handling. One night without sleep is doable, more than that and we're going to be irritable and most likely snapping at children or each other, and it's just no longer going to be fun for anyone.

So this was our original plan, but after our beach trips earlier in the month and seeing how well the babies did in the car we felt a little braver. The fact that they actually slept in the car, which is a new thing, made us decide to leave on Thursday afternoon with the rest of the family. At this point we were committed to 2 nights of no sleep if it came right down to it.

Here we go!

And 45 minutes down the road they were out.

Caleb and Grammy took Hazel and Evie for us but they took a wrong turn. The plan was to let the little girls get there first because if we ended up leaving early we were going to leave the big 3, but as it turned out we all left about the same time and then with a wrong turn it was looking like we were going to beat them there. So, we stopped for some coffee and stood out on the street to wave and try to get Uncle Caleb to honk as he drove by. He DID NOT honk but Hazel and Evie thought it was awesome! :)

Day 1

The kids wanted to hop right in the pool but they settled for the park and the hot tub after dinner.

Everyone LOVES Miss Hadley!

The girls never cease to surprise me. When bedtime came they actually went to bed without a problem. I bought these new pack n play before we came that zip down on one side so that they can crawl in and out and I set them up first thing when we got here so that they could get use to them.

In the past when I've tried to put them in a pack n play they immediately climb out, fall, and then are hysterical. The last time I even tried was in February and after about an hour I gave up and let them skip their naps. So as I was trying to imagine how we were going to manage them on this trip I started with looking for a tent to go over the pack n plays we had but then found these and liked the fact that they could probably work as a sort of sleeping mat even as they get a little older.

Anyway, so when bedtime came we gave them their melatonin gummy (a lifesaving recommendation from my friend Courtney), we sat with them for a bit as we usually do, and then we zipped up the pack n plays and put them in with all of their "things." We left and I watched them from the video monitor and to my utter shock and amazement they stood up, talked to each other for a minute as usual, and then laid down and went to sleep. They woke up in the middle of the night and realized we were in the room with them and I heard some excited "Mommy! and Daddys!" but I pretended to be asleep and after a few minutes they went back to sleep. In the morning we were even able to get ready and sneak past them and they stayed in bed until close to 8:00 as they usually do at home. I literally still CANNOT believe it!!!

Same thing happened at nap time. They went down no problem and took normal length naps. It was more than I would have ever dared hope for. They were AMAZING!!!!

Day 2

In the morning Uncle Robert took Grandpa, Sadie, Wyatt, and Payton for a drive to Crater Lake.

We took the younger kids down to the pool about 11:00 for lunch and a little swim time before naps.

Day 3

On Saturday morning Uncle Robert, Uncle Brian, and Daddy took the oldest 4 on a hike to Dillon Falls.

They played in the lake and even found a rope swing.

While the big kids were off hiking Grammy, Kendra, and I took the younger girls and Tommy on a walk and ran into Uncle Ryan down at the dock renting a Canoe. I've never tried a canoe but Hazel and Evie wanted to give it a try so we tagged along.

Then we grabbed lunch down at the clubhouse with Ryan and Katie before nap time.

During naptime we hung out at the pool and when the bigger kids were tired of swimming they went out on the paddle boards with Daddy.

Day 4

We spent some more time at the park, the big 3 when on a bike ride with Uncle Ryan, we went back to the pool and tried a different pool in Sun River in the afternoon, and Brandon an I stunk out to grab a drink after the babies were in bed for the night

Ollie caught an impressive number of frogs. This is only a fraction of the frogs he had before he started letting them go.

The Cove

Everyone was pretty tired by the time we got to this pool in the afternoon and it was way busier than the pool in Caldera but still fun.

Day 5

Time to head home. It really was time to head home as everyone was starting to get tired but we almost could have stayed longer.

This trip felt like such a big milestone for us. The twins have made it so hard for us to get out and do things. Now to be fair its not so much the twins as the twins PLUS the 5 big kids. One or the other would honestly feel pretty manageable but together it is often just so overwhelming. So this trip, 5 days out of our routine, felt HUGE to us!!!

That said we also owe a huge THANK YOU to Grammy and Uncle Robert. All of the family pitches in and helps but Grammy is always there to do anything, watch anyone, entertain anyone, for anyone, and we're so thankful for her. Uncle Robert is also always so willing to take a kid or 2 on an adventure and for this trip he planned, shopped for, prepped, and prepared ALL the food. I barely even had to think about meals and that was an amazing blessing to this Mom and I think a big part of why this trip was a success for our family as meal time can be really hard during this season of so many littles.

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