"I wish unicorns were real so we could buy one. Then we could eat it's poop."
- Amanda, who really just wanted some candy for breakfast.
Monday, June 16, 2014
The Birthday Extravaganza
Over the weekend I took Sarah to Dallas for her birthday. Yes, her birthday was last month and yes, she did have a little party, but her main "gift" or "party" was to go to Dallas and go to the water park with her friend Natalie. I took that to mean she wanted to stay at the Great Wolf Lodge, so that's what we did.
We left Friday morning and were picked up by Natalie's mom, Larisa, and went to play and have lunch with one of my old friends Ellie. It was so great to catch up with them both. It was like nothing had ever changed and our kids didn't go to different schools and we didn't live a million miles away. The three of us have been friends since Andy was in Kindergarten (the two of them even longer) and I cannot begin to tell you how much I love hanging out with them. They don't judge and they just get me.
Unfortunately all good things have to come to an end so after we said good-bye to Ellie we got shaved ice at the most amazing shaved ice place ever that believe it or not is run out of a gas station. I promised Sarah we would go back at least one more time over the weekend and she is still mad at me that we never had time for a second visit.
We got the girls home and somewhat settled with Larisa's husband and we set out for dinner with a few more friends and then to my friend Jenny's new house. Overall the evening was wonderful. Friends, food, drinks and catching up with people I haven't seen in about a year.
On Saturday we moved kind of slowly in the morning but finally made it to the hotel. I got a room with a bunk bed for the girls and they loved it. Larisa and I loved it because there was a wall between them and us, haha. It didn't matter though because we were all so exhausted that we didn't go to bed much later than the girls.
The water park part of the hotel was pretty amazing. There were several slides and pools, a wave pool and a lazy river. The girls loved the lazy river and spent a lot of time in there, especially after they saw some guys totally lounging down the river on an inner tube and wanted to reproduce his pose. Unfortunately Sarah was about an inch too short to go on a few of the rides and the other big ones required her to ride with adult. You know what that means? I had to get wet. I hate getting wet, but I wasn't going to let her down on her birthday trip so I sucked it up and got wet, really wet. And I went backwards down a huge water slide and almost lost my lunch, all in the name of love for my little girl.
On Sunday we let the girls sleep in a little bit and then went back to the water park for a few more hours before we got to meet my super fun friend, Melanie, and her family for lunch and then head to the airport. It was a whirlwind of a weekend but I am so glad we got to go. Even though it was Sarah's weekend it was pretty much a present for me too!
We left Friday morning and were picked up by Natalie's mom, Larisa, and went to play and have lunch with one of my old friends Ellie. It was so great to catch up with them both. It was like nothing had ever changed and our kids didn't go to different schools and we didn't live a million miles away. The three of us have been friends since Andy was in Kindergarten (the two of them even longer) and I cannot begin to tell you how much I love hanging out with them. They don't judge and they just get me.
Unfortunately all good things have to come to an end so after we said good-bye to Ellie we got shaved ice at the most amazing shaved ice place ever that believe it or not is run out of a gas station. I promised Sarah we would go back at least one more time over the weekend and she is still mad at me that we never had time for a second visit.
We got the girls home and somewhat settled with Larisa's husband and we set out for dinner with a few more friends and then to my friend Jenny's new house. Overall the evening was wonderful. Friends, food, drinks and catching up with people I haven't seen in about a year.
On Saturday we moved kind of slowly in the morning but finally made it to the hotel. I got a room with a bunk bed for the girls and they loved it. Larisa and I loved it because there was a wall between them and us, haha. It didn't matter though because we were all so exhausted that we didn't go to bed much later than the girls.
The water park part of the hotel was pretty amazing. There were several slides and pools, a wave pool and a lazy river. The girls loved the lazy river and spent a lot of time in there, especially after they saw some guys totally lounging down the river on an inner tube and wanted to reproduce his pose. Unfortunately Sarah was about an inch too short to go on a few of the rides and the other big ones required her to ride with adult. You know what that means? I had to get wet. I hate getting wet, but I wasn't going to let her down on her birthday trip so I sucked it up and got wet, really wet. And I went backwards down a huge water slide and almost lost my lunch, all in the name of love for my little girl.
On Sunday we let the girls sleep in a little bit and then went back to the water park for a few more hours before we got to meet my super fun friend, Melanie, and her family for lunch and then head to the airport. It was a whirlwind of a weekend but I am so glad we got to go. Even though it was Sarah's weekend it was pretty much a present for me too!
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Kid Quote of the Day
"Look kids, corn! Look kids, more corn! Look kids, EVEN MORE CORN!"
- Andy, Sarah and Amanda, mocking us as we drove through Nebraska to Mount Rushmore
- Andy, Sarah and Amanda, mocking us as we drove through Nebraska to Mount Rushmore
A First for Everything
Over Memorial Day weekend we took our first ever driving vacation as a family. I mean a thought out, planned, we're going to drive more than four hours to get somewhere driving vacation. Charlie doesn't really like to drive very much, but since we don't have flight benefits anymore and we have to be a little more selective where we fly, driving it is.
It's not like we've never driven anywhere. We drove from Dallas to Denver (although we both swear we never want to do that again) and we have done Dallas to Austin or San Antonio because it would often take the same amount of time to get to the airport, get checked in, wait on the plane and fly as it would to just do the drive. I also did back and forth between Detroit and Chicago with the kids last summer, but we've never actually picked a vacation destination with the sole intent to get there by car.
It was just a three day weekend and we didn't go that far. Mount Rushmore, a seven to eight hour drive. Remember we were going to go there over Labor Day weekend except that it was closed due to the government shutdown? I know a lot of people have already forgotten about that shutdown, but not me because it ruined my vacation plans. Don't mess with my vacations. So we left on Friday night and drove about three to four hours and then got up the next morning and drove some more. It really wasn't bad. Kind of boring, but not bad.
We stopped somewhere in Nebraska to see Carhenge, a little version of Stonehenge made out of cars. It was cute and a good place to stretch our legs. It was kind of lost on the kids but they thought it was cool anyway. We made it to our hotel near Mount Rushmore in the late afternoon so got unpacked, had a s'more on the fire pit in the back (the kids did, Charlie and I passed) and then went to see the night lighting ceremony at Mount Rushmore.
The next day we were going to do alpine sledding and miniature golf after we went to "Bear Country" and made our way through the drive through zoo with lots of bears and other wildlife, but there was a torrential downpour that prevented all that fun. Instead we just went back to Mount Rushmore to check out the exhibit hall and find out a little more about it and then headed home.
Not really a rip roaring vacation, but somewhere we wanted to go and now we don't need to go back for a very long time. My parents took me when I was a kid but I was pretty small and it was definitely different than I remember. That could be due to renovations or it could just be that my memory stinks and I have no idea what I saw when I was that little. I don't know that we will be doing another driving vacation soon, but at least we know we can handle it and there's some pretty interesting, random stuff out there to see.
It's not like we've never driven anywhere. We drove from Dallas to Denver (although we both swear we never want to do that again) and we have done Dallas to Austin or San Antonio because it would often take the same amount of time to get to the airport, get checked in, wait on the plane and fly as it would to just do the drive. I also did back and forth between Detroit and Chicago with the kids last summer, but we've never actually picked a vacation destination with the sole intent to get there by car.
It was just a three day weekend and we didn't go that far. Mount Rushmore, a seven to eight hour drive. Remember we were going to go there over Labor Day weekend except that it was closed due to the government shutdown? I know a lot of people have already forgotten about that shutdown, but not me because it ruined my vacation plans. Don't mess with my vacations. So we left on Friday night and drove about three to four hours and then got up the next morning and drove some more. It really wasn't bad. Kind of boring, but not bad.
We stopped somewhere in Nebraska to see Carhenge, a little version of Stonehenge made out of cars. It was cute and a good place to stretch our legs. It was kind of lost on the kids but they thought it was cool anyway. We made it to our hotel near Mount Rushmore in the late afternoon so got unpacked, had a s'more on the fire pit in the back (the kids did, Charlie and I passed) and then went to see the night lighting ceremony at Mount Rushmore.
The next day we were going to do alpine sledding and miniature golf after we went to "Bear Country" and made our way through the drive through zoo with lots of bears and other wildlife, but there was a torrential downpour that prevented all that fun. Instead we just went back to Mount Rushmore to check out the exhibit hall and find out a little more about it and then headed home.
Not really a rip roaring vacation, but somewhere we wanted to go and now we don't need to go back for a very long time. My parents took me when I was a kid but I was pretty small and it was definitely different than I remember. That could be due to renovations or it could just be that my memory stinks and I have no idea what I saw when I was that little. I don't know that we will be doing another driving vacation soon, but at least we know we can handle it and there's some pretty interesting, random stuff out there to see.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
And Then I Turned 42
With the craziness of everything May, I failed to mention that my birthday was last month. I guess that's what happens when you only post about three times during the month. Anyway, it wasn't a big deal as it was on a weekday and Charlie was out of town (he got home with about an hour to spare) and I don't really make much of a big deal about my birthday anymore. Of course I bought myself a couple nice gifts like some new running shoes, but I don't need a lot of hoopla. In fact, Charlie and I were having a conversation a couple weeks ago about whether we need to start doing more for our birthdays and Mother's/Father's Day not for our benefit but so the kids knew that we are people too and need to be celebrated just as much as they do. I know, waste of time.
So I treated myself to a pedicure and a massage that morning (I had just run a 1/2 marathon two days before so they were both mostly because of that but my birthday was a good back-up excuse) and then for dinner I ran to the grocery store for a rotisserie chicken and a cake, yippee! Nothing too exciting, but a celebration nonetheless and I didn't have to cook.
The girls were sweet and gave me little wooden boxes that they decorated for me to put my rings in, even though I never take them off, and Andy remembered at the end of the day to give me a card that the girls had signed that Charlie had left with him to give me. I just kind of laughed at how Andy had blown off my birthday because he is 11 and is getting a little spacey with the increase in hormones lately, until he showed me a video he made me on his iPad. It is a little redundant, but extremely sweet and thoughtful and nice to watch after a very long day with the kids. When I see this I know that I'm not as bad of a mom as I think I am and although there is definitely room for improvement I must be doing a few things right.
So I treated myself to a pedicure and a massage that morning (I had just run a 1/2 marathon two days before so they were both mostly because of that but my birthday was a good back-up excuse) and then for dinner I ran to the grocery store for a rotisserie chicken and a cake, yippee! Nothing too exciting, but a celebration nonetheless and I didn't have to cook.
The girls were sweet and gave me little wooden boxes that they decorated for me to put my rings in, even though I never take them off, and Andy remembered at the end of the day to give me a card that the girls had signed that Charlie had left with him to give me. I just kind of laughed at how Andy had blown off my birthday because he is 11 and is getting a little spacey with the increase in hormones lately, until he showed me a video he made me on his iPad. It is a little redundant, but extremely sweet and thoughtful and nice to watch after a very long day with the kids. When I see this I know that I'm not as bad of a mom as I think I am and although there is definitely room for improvement I must be doing a few things right.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Like Mother Like Daughter
I got the following email from my mom the day after I wrote that post about taking the kids to the dentist:
"I just finished reading your blog about the kids' dental appointment, and I have to tell you--the first time you went to the dentist's office you had cavities! Yes, you were probably 3 or 4, and you got too many snacks, too, including your secret activity of finding the other kids' Halloween candy in their pillows and eating it at will without their knowledge!
Maybe Amanda takes after you. Do you think?"
Well played, Mom, well played.
"I just finished reading your blog about the kids' dental appointment, and I have to tell you--the first time you went to the dentist's office you had cavities! Yes, you were probably 3 or 4, and you got too many snacks, too, including your secret activity of finding the other kids' Halloween candy in their pillows and eating it at will without their knowledge!
Maybe Amanda takes after you. Do you think?"
Well played, Mom, well played.
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