Regional Airport Tour

Last week I called to inquire about scheduling a tour of the airport ten minutes from our house. I coordinated with my group of mom friends to schedule a free group tour today. It was so interesting! Here's the tour description:

Pre-Arranged Guided Tours: Concord Regional Airport is the 5th busiest airport in the state, with nearly 200 takeoffs or landings daily. The airport is home to over 160 airplanes, five flight schools and a helicopter training school. Because of the close proximity to so many race teams, about 60 percent of the airport’s overall business is NASCAR related. Roush Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, Stewart Haas Racing, and Hendrick Motorsports are just a few of the tenants. Pre-arranged tours begin in the terminal with an overview of the facility. Then, take an up-close look at the planes, a fuel truck and other equipment used by the airport. Visit the on-site fire station to learn about aircraft rescue and see the fire trucks designed for airports. Ride by hangars where some of the biggest names in racing house their personal aircraft. Tours are geared to fit groups' needs.

Even though I scheduled the tour last week and called yesterday to confirm it, they weren't expecting us today. We had to wait in the lobby for a bit while they located someone who could lead a tour. Jackson's friends love the babies, so none of the kids noticed the delay.

Because it is a regional airport (as opposed to the international airport a half hour from our home), we could actually walk beside the runway. We were only a hundred feet away from a row of private jets and smaller commercial airlines.

We even watched some of the trainer pilots taxiing planes and taking off.

The tour guide pointed out the fueling trucks. He showed us various equipment they used to put behind the wheels of the planes, literal red carpets for celebrity passengers, and other interesting items.

By far the most interesting part of the tour was the medical chopper. We talked at length to the pilot, who was stationed through the military, and two medics, who worked for the hospital.

The medical helicopter transports patients from one hospital to another, as well as from remote scenes of accidents to the hospital. The medics explained how challenging it is to perform CPR on a patient while in the air, which is why they will not transport a patient until their heart is beating. I knew a good bit because of my sister-in-law, so the pilot said, "You must be in the medical profession." No way.

I asked if a family member could travel with the patient in the helicopter and a medic replied, "generally, though it depends on their weight". I got a bit lost in the technicalities, but apparently the greater the weight, the more fuel is used. I cannot imagine being told that I could not ride with my critically ill husband or child because I weighed too much!

The kids weren't as interested in the medical equipment as the adults so they just ran around the hangar. Then each kid got a turn sitting in the helicopter.

The kids were able to touch several planes. I kept the babies in the wagon the whole time because I knew they would be under and climbing inside planes. Since the tour was outside I packed their lunch to keep them content in the wagon.

Our last stop was the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting section. While it barely resembled the typical fire department, the firefighter showed the kids the hoses and valves.

He passed around his helmet and clothing to let the kids try on. He tried to ask them fire safety questions (i.e. "What should you do if you find matches?" What should you do if you hear the smoke detector go off?"). None of the kids answered correctly, so then he asked the moms to review fire safety at home. Mom-fails all around.

After the fire safety lecture, each child was allowed to sit in the gargantuan vehicle.

After an hour and a half, we returned to the main terminal and departed ways. I'd love to return when the kids are older and have a greater curiosity about aircraft. This was definitely my favorite "field trip" to date.

Finger Painting: Pumpkin Edition

I bought a bag of tiny pumpkins for $2 at WalMart this weekend. I thought they would be perfect for the trio to finger paint. This was their first painting experience. When Jackson was younger we made our own finger paints using various recipes (cooking flour and sugar, adding dyes to condensed milk, etc). I an normally a fan of DIY things, but I couldn't find a recipe that I thought would adhere to the pumpkin and not the babies. 

I bought a poster paint set at A.C. Moore for $2 (using the weekly 50% off coupon). The paint is non-toxic, washable, tempera paint. I spooned a few dollops of paint onto small plates. I placed the pumpkins, paint, and large paintbrushes on the shady deck and let the (naked) babies explore freely.

They were unsure at first. They mostly rolled and threw the pumpkins around. 

I dipped a paintbrush in the paint to show them what to do. James immediately grabbed the paintbrush and put it in his mouth. I firmly said "No!" and grabbed his hand. He ended up painting his chin. He repeatedly attempted to eat the paint and I repeatedly stopped him. Eventually, he stopped trying to eat it and painted his pumpkin, body, and sister instead. 

Amelia was very focused on painting. She never really smiled or laughed, but I assume she enjoyed herself. She was certainly captivated.  

Maddie was appalled when she unintentionally got paint on her leg and could not get it off. She quickly left the scene, then played in the water table while James painted Amelia.

I wasn't able to make many pictures since I also ended up with paint on my hands. Taking pictures of the trio painting pumpkins was very similar to cake smash pictures-messy, but fun!

The clean up was incredibly easy since we were outside and the triplets were naked. I had filled the water table with warm, soapy water ahead of time. James and Amelia were captivated for about 15 minutes. Once they began to play on the slide and swing, I utilized the water table and scrubbed all three down with a washcloth. 

We barely used any of the paint so we definitely got our money's worth. Another favorite fall tradition is crossed off the list.

Silly Milli

Amelia is such a fun personality. I really adore everything about her, especially when I recall her early months. Incessant crying has been replaced with constant giggles and smiles from our sweet girl. I love her soft voice and laugh, her stubbornness to get her way, and how ticklish she is. Amelia is the strongest, fastest, and most assertive of the trio.

I took each of these pictures of Amelia today. She is a mess!

Stealing Cheetos from the pantry

Cuddling with her blanket and frog during nap time

Who wouldn't want to have those long, thick eyelashes?

She has a fearless confidence and talent for rapidly escaping diaper changes.

Grand Prize Winner

One of the stories I failed to mention yesterday was that we entered all four kids into a raffle drawing to win a pedal tractor. The tickets were $1 each and I'm sure the money went to some kind of charity, but I honestly didn't pay any attention. There was a table located in the center of the festival. We walked by several times and each time we passed by we were asked if we wanted to register for a drawing. We declined.

As we were walking towards the van to leave, an eager man stopped us. He said, "Now you got to enter that drawing. There ain't gonna be but maybe 25 kids who enter and you here got four kids. You got a good shot to get you a tractor for them kids." He was sweetly persistent so we agreed to purchase a raffle ticket for Jackson.

As Jesse entered Jackson's information (including his weight), the same man physically pulled me to the side, got out his wallet, and put three dollar bills in my hand. He whispered to me, "Now go ahead and get them babies' tickets, too." I didn't even try to argue him since he was clearly determined for our kids to enter the drawing.

Fast forward to this afternoon around 3:45 p.m. We made plans to bring dinner to our in-laws at 5 o'clock and cuddle with the newest family member. I had just put brownies in the oven when Jesse's phone rang. I could hear the voice on the other end of the phone and I recognized the eager Southern accent. Jesse was laughing and relayed the message, "Maddie is the grand prize winner. We have to pick up the tractor by 5 p.m." The triplets were still in their cribs from a late afternoon nap. Jesse quickly changed diapers and loaded the kids while I prepared the diaper bag and packed up dinner and (uncooked) dessert.

We were greeted by a fervent crowd. Everyone "oohed" and "aahed" over our sweet girl. They all took out their phones to take pictures and video of Maddie. A beautiful man dressed in jeans and a plaid button up shirt told us to buy a trailer so the trio could take turns pulling one another. The entire scene should have been a John Deere advertisement.

Maddie is clearly the cutest pedal pushing, tractor riding, grand prize winning girl around!

Fun Festival: Life in the 1800's

A friend told us about "A Touch of Yesterday" festival happening this weekend. The location was at Bost Mist Grill, a local mill that was established in 1810. For $10, our family of six enjoyed the following:

The first activity we stopped at was this woodworking tent where they made toy tops for the boys. It was quite fascinating to watch the men turn blocks of wood into a spinning top. Jackson and I picked out the colors for the tops.

We checked out some other items such as worn shoes from "the War Between the States", dolls, quilts, and other handmade crafts. We then looked at the various methods of transportation. I was particularly interested in the wagon. Westward Expansion was one of my favorite social studies units to teach. I would have loved to take my fifth graders here!

Jackson could literally sit inside the wheel of this tractor.

We planned ahead and packed a lunch for the kids. Jesse and I each bought a $1.50 hot dog for ourselves. I asked Jesse to take a picture of me with the kids.

I was a bit leery of how much money we would spend, but all of the games and activities were free once the adults paid admission into the festival. Jackson was able to pan for gold. The lady in charge managed to find the tiniest fleck of gold and put it in a small container for him.

My favorite area was the "little farmers" section. Each of the kids dug through dirt to find potatoes and carrots.

This simple activity kept the girls' attention for quite some time. Surprisingly, they never once put a carrot or potato in their mouths.

Jackson was also able to pick a pumpkin and paint it. He used markers and finger paint.

The kids played with milk jugs, sidewalk chalk, hay, bean bags, tools, toy tractors, and more. Jesse and I were genuinely impressed with the kids' area. We played long enough to work up an appetite for ice cream. Jesse and Jackson indulged in banana pudding ice cream while I stuck with the class butter pecan.

Jackson's final request was to sit in the firetruck. He didn't talk much to the firefighters, but he sure was content sitting in the driver's seat.

I think Jesse and I were both surprised at how much fun we had. We spent over two hours at the mill and only left because Jackson had a birthday party to attend. The festival had a really great balance of interests for kids and adults. And we could not have asked for better weather with Carolina blue skies and a slight chill in the air indicating fall.

More Than A Hobby?

I already know this post is going to be scattered, because that is the best description of my thoughts lately. I feel like I'm at a crossroads and trying to figure out what my next step is. Before I became a stay at home mom, I didn't have time to daydream. I woke up, went to work, came home, worked some more, went to bed. Repeat. Of course, after Jackson was born I came home, played with Jack, worked some more, and went to bed.

Now that I'm home, I find myself fantasizing about so many different things. Strangely, none of them have a thing to do with the classroom. Can I turn interests into income? What do I really want to do? It's not that I'm bored or feel like something is lacking. I'm really enjoying this stage of life and motherhood. But that doesn't stop me from dreaming.

Here's a list of things I love and what I've considered doing about it:

Photography
I am 99% confident that I do not want to turn this hobby into any form of profit. The idea that I could come into anyone's home and capture these magical photographs does not interest me. However, I really, really like taking pictures. I've looked at photography courses at the local community college but I can't justify the money. Still, I think I could have potential to take some beautiful photographs if I knew a bit lot more. I also looked at entering photo contests, but most of the pictures I take are with my cell phone and those don't really belong in photo competitions.

Pregnancy and Birth
Ever since my pregnancy with Jackson, I've become fascinated with all things related to pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postpartum care. Every article I read only furthers my amazement of a woman's body. Every few months over the past three years I have gone through phases where I want to be a doula or a Bradley Method instructor. I have seriously looked into the certification process for both but I never feel confident in spending upfront costs or attending out-of-state conferences and workshops. I enjoyed pregnancy so much I've extensively researched surrogacy, but I'm not a desirable candidate since I've had a c-section and am currently uninsured.

Early Childhood Education
I never, ever expected to enjoy raising young children. I know that sounds terrible, but I was never fond of such needy children. When I student taught kindergarten, I remember getting so frustrated that I spent my entire lunch opening milk cartons, bathroom breaks zipping pants, and recess buttoning coats. Now that I am surrounded by toddlers, I frequently think about having an in-home daycare. Realistically, I know I'm not very marketable considering I already have four young children. I would have never considered allowing a mother of four children (ages 3 and under) to care for Jackson. I think most of my interest in an in-home daycare stems from the fact that I won't have any more children. We don't have the physical space or money to have more children, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy coming up with activities for young children to do. I think I would be perfectly happy taking children to the library, park, and museum for the next decade.

Baking
When I'm not convincing myself to become a doula or daycare provider, I am researching home-based food business. I've read the files so often that they are bookmarked under my favorite links. I'm too paranoid to sell cakes and other desserts without a license. Jackson's preschool is having a "Vendor Blender" fundraiser in their gym. They asked the parents for names of sellers who would be willing to donate 20% of sales to the school. I would love to have a professional bake sale and advertise to parents, but the last thing I need to do is promote illegal activity.

Blogging
I keep going back and forth about who my audience is and what my purpose is in blogging. I frequently consider allowing ads and making the blog more professional. I even research search engine optimization. Then I feel guilty that I would ever try to sell my family. Blogging is time consuming, though. I spend a considerable amount of time each day taking, editing, and uploading pictures, then providing commentary. I could easily adapt the blog content to emphasize activities, tips, and general feelings on raising multiples or being a mother to four.

So...all these ramblings and daydreams do little more than keep my up at night. I think the only result in all these interests is perpetual insomnia. My mind never rests! Maybe I should just return to teaching already so my mental energy could be focused into productive work. Or perhaps I should take some risks and actually turn one of these hobbies into something more.

October Photo Fun

The kids and I ventured to a new park today. We ended up spending an hour exploring over a mile of trails. The trails were extremely kid friendly and stroller friendly. There were also several semi-confined areas for the babies to play safely. I brought the Canon to take pictures. 

Turtle!

No ducks at this lake  :(

These three devoured two ham and cheese sandwiches and diced pears. No crumbs wasted.

Contemplative Maddie

Serious James

"Can we go now?"

Jackson comparing color and size of leaves.

Sweet Amelia smiles

We tried to have a photo shoot with leaves falling. This was the result. ;)

Happy girl!

Robert Frost poem?

Classic James smirk

Maddie playing with leaves

Jackson's "treasure" he collected for me

The underside of a red mushroom

I can't wait to return to this park once the leaves have changed colors. Oh, October, how I love thee!