The North Pole in Colorado Springs

(above) Ah, Michael, my little reindeer pulling our sleigh.  He's just such a wonderfully quirky breath of fresh air. So literal and so funny.

(right) A nursing pit stop. Notice how matchy-matchy Sam and I are in our patriotic colors and chunky legs?!

This is the ride that broke the camel's puking button, or something like that. This thing went round and round and round. Then stopped. Then went backwards round and round and round. Callie rode this 100 times. I rode it once and wanted to hurl into a trash can. Of course, the Tilt-a-Whirl with Joel before this ride probably didn't help.

Kids and Coffee/Coffee Ice Cream ... Santa's Workshop in Colorado 2010

Holy crap-a-rooni, when did I become a BEFORE weight loss picture???? Sitting on my ample butt eating ice cream, no less!!! But look at those 5 beautiful faces! If I had to gain 5 pounds per kid, then it's all worth it. Plus I get the excitement of anticipating what my boobs are going to look like after I'm all done nursing Sam! Sooo, this pic was taken at the North Pole/Santa's Workshop in Colorado Springs. Three of my 5 kids are eating coffee ice cream. Why do people go into full-on freak-out mode when you give your kid anything labeled COFFEE??  Newsflash, World and Judgemental Parents: not EVERY SINGLE KID in the world experiences a sugar or caffeine buzz and then crashes. My kids are naturally spastic like myself. We can drink coffee then fall asleep. We can eat a candy bar and then sit quietly in front of the TV and watch an entire movie (not recommended, though ... how about going on a walk instead?!).

So I'm thinking you respect this about my family and I'll respect the fact that if I sneak your kid one Junior Mint he will bounce off my walls for 30 minutes. Basically, we're all different, huh?

Embassy Suites in Colorado Springs 2010 Travel with Kids

This is the inside of the Embassy Suites in Colorado Springs where we stayed on vacation. You, too, can stay here FOR FREE if your husband travels so much for work that he gets a buttload of hotel miles to spend! They had an excellent free breakfast, but standing in a long line every morning for protein was a bunch of b.s. when you have small hungry kids.  The E.S. in Phoenix was much better back in 2002 ... you only had to stand in line if you wanted an omelet, while bacon and scrambled eggs were in a separate warmer. In case you're doing, "Who gives a crap, Kerrie?" ... I write all this because companies Google themselves and this is an easier way for me to review them than to mess with finding out their contact info and on and on.

This is a pic Aron wanted to take of us from the downstairs part of the hotel. We were on the 4th floor, and the kids had a blast messing around in the glass elevators!

Look at those monkeys on the luggage cart! This is a goofy tradition we have: taking pictures of our kids after giving them rides on hotel luggage carts.

This concludes the hotel portion of Postcards from the McLoughlins. Not sure where we're heading tomorrow, but it'll be a good time.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado 2010

This is Michael feeding a giraffe a "biscuit" ... more like a graham cracker/Triscuit mixture ... you get 3 for a dollar. I dropped a bunch of dollars there. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs is so awesomely cool.  And if I may put in a plug for homeschooling, the place wasn't busy at all because we went at the start of September.

I should start a website called Zoo Review and travel to every zoo in the world and review them all.  I'll do whatever it takes to raise the money for this project, and that includes selling my husband's tools and his boat and his canning supplies and his shiny new red truck.

Didn't go to the NICU Reunion 2010

Today is the NICU reunion at the hospital where Sam was transferred after he was born on October 7 of last year. I'm not near home today, and Aron and the boys are out of town fishing, so I won't be able to make it. Also, it's being held during the time when Sam usually naps. Maybe I'll make it next year.

Then again, maybe not. It was such a traumatic time in my life that my heart still bears the hurt from it. I feel blessed that we did not lose Sam, but it was still a very scary time. I don't know that I want to go see his nurses. I sent them our family Christmas letter and a picture of our family last year and will probably do the same again this year. I want them to know how much they are appreciated, these people who cared for my infant in the middle of the night and during the day when I was recovering from my own infection and caring for my other 4 children.

Thank you, staff of Overland Park Regional Medical Center NICU. Without your unceasing care, we might not have a happy, sweet, precious, almost-one-year-old around today. He sleeps next to his mama every night and nurses whenever he wants. He had his first Dum-Dum sucker the other day (no teeth yet to rot out!).

(This picture taken last week at Rocky Mountain National Park before a hike!)