Two big things --
1. Disneyland with my parents:
2. Casey's birthday:
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Operator Error
Here are some snapshots of my left leg (shin) after an . . . uh . . . incident earlier today.
Can you guess what happened? Here are some hints:
1. I was the operator referred to in the title of this post.
2. We went to Legoland today.
3. This happened to me before we ever made it into the park.
Post your guesses in the comments. If someone gets it right, I'll even send 'em a prize!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Family Photos
We jaunted off to San Francisco this past weekend for a wedding and to visit with my older brother and my sister. My brother and his family opened their home to us, which was fantastic. My brother even sent me back to bed both mornings so I could sleep in while he watched the kids. Did I mention it was fantastic?
I have more pictures to show, more stories to tell, but for now, here are a couple recent family photos.
Us on a cable car. Can you tell Casey is tired? Did I mention how cold it was?
Our five year old nephew/cousin Vince captured us in this photo. Even though you can tell Marcie's being a bit temperamental, you can still see the smile. Aren't we cute?
Monday, February 18, 2008
Road Tripping
I thought our trip up to Oxnard was a fluke because of its length. But it turns out our kids are just not that good in cars. Marcie in particular. She doesn't like to watch movies. Casey prefers movies to music.
We felt a little badly about piling up the van and leaving Sunday morning because the families had invited us to a "Day After" lunch at the beach house. We knew the kids would love the beach house, and we caught a tiny bit of flack from the groom's family when we said we weren't planning to attend. They had made the same drive, and they also had kids (though a bit older). The thing is, their kids are not our kids, and our kids needed to get home before naptime if we were going to get back on routine. And our kids fall apart if their routine does. So as much as we wanted to go to lunch, we knew it would be better for our kids not to.
Thing started out fun. Marcie played with my beautiful boquet. Casey colored. We stopped for gas as we left town, started a movie, and hit the road.
All went well enough for a long stretch. The first 20 minutes seemed to fly by-- mainly because that same stretch of road took us around an hour and a half to complete two days before. And there were bunches of traffic here and there, but we were never completely stopped. About an hour and a half into the ride, Marcie started crying and screaming that she wanted to listen to music. We gave in, promising that if she stopped crying, we'd turn on music. Then begged Casey to agree. And it worked.
We listened to music for a while, then told Marcie it was Casey's turn to watch some of his movie. She was angry. And she let us hear it. Eventually, about 35 minutes from home, we pulled off the freeway into a rest stop. By then, Marcie was arching her back, kicking and screaming that she wanted out. And Casey was echoing her pleas with whines of his own.
Apparently Disneyland is the exact perfect distance from our home if we want to avoid total meltdowns. If ever I thought a long road trip would be a good vacation plan, I have now adjusted my expectations. They seemed better after their nap.
And this morning, they were asking me about Ann. Where she was. Why. What she was doing. And life was back to normal.
We felt a little badly about piling up the van and leaving Sunday morning because the families had invited us to a "Day After" lunch at the beach house. We knew the kids would love the beach house, and we caught a tiny bit of flack from the groom's family when we said we weren't planning to attend. They had made the same drive, and they also had kids (though a bit older). The thing is, their kids are not our kids, and our kids needed to get home before naptime if we were going to get back on routine. And our kids fall apart if their routine does. So as much as we wanted to go to lunch, we knew it would be better for our kids not to.
Thing started out fun. Marcie played with my beautiful boquet. Casey colored. We stopped for gas as we left town, started a movie, and hit the road.All went well enough for a long stretch. The first 20 minutes seemed to fly by-- mainly because that same stretch of road took us around an hour and a half to complete two days before. And there were bunches of traffic here and there, but we were never completely stopped. About an hour and a half into the ride, Marcie started crying and screaming that she wanted to listen to music. We gave in, promising that if she stopped crying, we'd turn on music. Then begged Casey to agree. And it worked.
We listened to music for a while, then told Marcie it was Casey's turn to watch some of his movie. She was angry. And she let us hear it. Eventually, about 35 minutes from home, we pulled off the freeway into a rest stop. By then, Marcie was arching her back, kicking and screaming that she wanted out. And Casey was echoing her pleas with whines of his own.
Apparently Disneyland is the exact perfect distance from our home if we want to avoid total meltdowns. If ever I thought a long road trip would be a good vacation plan, I have now adjusted my expectations. They seemed better after their nap.
And this morning, they were asking me about Ann. Where she was. Why. What she was doing. And life was back to normal.
Wedding Weekend
Despite having a horrendous road trip on Friday, the troops mainly rallied on Saturday. I got to spend most of the day with Ann, first getting our nails done, then our hair and her make-up. She got ready in the ranch house in which her grandfather was literally born. She was married on the front porch. The reception was in the barn, and it was a huge, festive party.
I was pretty good about taking photos before the ceremony. Here's a glimpse into my afternoon with the bride (and I must say, it was such an honor to be with her on her wedding day):
The dress:
Ann had a bottle of champagne to share with Julie (now her sister-in-law), who was doing her hair and makeup, me, and her mom. But I've never actually opened a bottle of champagne before, and I couldn't get the top to pop off the way I thought it was supposed to. So I handed it over to Ann to figure out:
She's so expressive, it cracks me up. After she finished getting ready, a phone rang in the room. We all looked at each other, each of us insisting it wasn't our phone. It turned out it was Ann's. She recently purchased a new phone, and playing around with the calendar function, she put her wedding as an entry on the calendar. The phone ringing was a reminder that it was fifteen minutes until her wedding was to start. We cracked up at that. If there were any tension, that certainly broke it.
I have some other nice pictures, but they all involve minors, and I'm just not comfortable posting their picture to the Web, so you don't get to see a photo of me because I couldn't crop the flower girl out of them. But I looked fabulous. Just ask my kids.
Speaking of kids, right after I got to my spot on the stairs of the porch, Marcie saw me and burst into tears. I was willing Jason to remove her immediately (with my eyes, of course) because I didn't want anything to interrupt Ann's big moment and big day. I know if Marcie had come running up to me and insisted on hanging on to my leg, Ann would have been cool with it. But not me. I wouldn't have been. Fortunately, she calmed down right away, and when she started crying again later in the ceremony, Jason did step away with her. Casey didn't just let Marcie steal the show, though. He managed to announce quite loudly in the middle of the Blessing of the Hands, that he heard a train pass by. I'm hoping no one noticed but me-- that everyone else was too intently focused on what was happening between Ann and Mark to hear my kids. And if anything, the experience has reinforced my love of child-free weddings.
Don't get me wrong. Casey and Marcie feel a special connection to Ann. Ann is Casey's Godmother. She even danced with him at the wedding. And it probably would have felt strange not to have them with us. But when 8:00pm rolled around and our kids really began losing it, I was wishing we'd brought a babysitter with us so we could stay and have fun after sending our kids back to the hotel. Jason and the kids left a little after 8:00pm, and I left about an hour later, feel quite awkward about leaving the reception so early and yet also feeling odd about sticking Jason with them in the hotel. I didn't actually leave until closer to 9:45, but I said my good-byes to Ann around 9. And Casey was still awake when I got back to the room.
As for the rest of the reception, I think my toast went fine. It's been a long time since I spoke in front of 200+ people, and I forgot the one joke I was going to tell. But I think I did okay.
The kids had a blast rolling around the barn. There were a few openings that left me nervous-- behind the bar and behind the band, but for the most part the kids stayed out of trouble. Marcie managed to get a giant splinter in her hand, but Jason was able to remove it. The wine was imported from an exchange student friend of Mark's-- from Italy. And there was even a chocolate fountain to go with the fresh, fresh strawberries from a nearby farm and neighbor. Ann even thought to pack each child a kiddy bag, filled with a kid cup and a pad of paper and markers and a bottle of bubbles. My kids used the paper pads to draw on our way home the following day:
I hope Ann had a day and a night to remember. I know I did. . .
I was pretty good about taking photos before the ceremony. Here's a glimpse into my afternoon with the bride (and I must say, it was such an honor to be with her on her wedding day):
The dress:
Ann had a bottle of champagne to share with Julie (now her sister-in-law), who was doing her hair and makeup, me, and her mom. But I've never actually opened a bottle of champagne before, and I couldn't get the top to pop off the way I thought it was supposed to. So I handed it over to Ann to figure out:
She's so expressive, it cracks me up. After she finished getting ready, a phone rang in the room. We all looked at each other, each of us insisting it wasn't our phone. It turned out it was Ann's. She recently purchased a new phone, and playing around with the calendar function, she put her wedding as an entry on the calendar. The phone ringing was a reminder that it was fifteen minutes until her wedding was to start. We cracked up at that. If there were any tension, that certainly broke it.Downstairs, as we waited for the last few guests to be seated (that would be Jason and the kids who had front row seats), I grabbed a shot of Ann and her brother (her dad walked her down the aisle, but I'd already handed off the camera to Jason by then):
I have some other nice pictures, but they all involve minors, and I'm just not comfortable posting their picture to the Web, so you don't get to see a photo of me because I couldn't crop the flower girl out of them. But I looked fabulous. Just ask my kids.Speaking of kids, right after I got to my spot on the stairs of the porch, Marcie saw me and burst into tears. I was willing Jason to remove her immediately (with my eyes, of course) because I didn't want anything to interrupt Ann's big moment and big day. I know if Marcie had come running up to me and insisted on hanging on to my leg, Ann would have been cool with it. But not me. I wouldn't have been. Fortunately, she calmed down right away, and when she started crying again later in the ceremony, Jason did step away with her. Casey didn't just let Marcie steal the show, though. He managed to announce quite loudly in the middle of the Blessing of the Hands, that he heard a train pass by. I'm hoping no one noticed but me-- that everyone else was too intently focused on what was happening between Ann and Mark to hear my kids. And if anything, the experience has reinforced my love of child-free weddings.
Don't get me wrong. Casey and Marcie feel a special connection to Ann. Ann is Casey's Godmother. She even danced with him at the wedding. And it probably would have felt strange not to have them with us. But when 8:00pm rolled around and our kids really began losing it, I was wishing we'd brought a babysitter with us so we could stay and have fun after sending our kids back to the hotel. Jason and the kids left a little after 8:00pm, and I left about an hour later, feel quite awkward about leaving the reception so early and yet also feeling odd about sticking Jason with them in the hotel. I didn't actually leave until closer to 9:45, but I said my good-byes to Ann around 9. And Casey was still awake when I got back to the room.
As for the rest of the reception, I think my toast went fine. It's been a long time since I spoke in front of 200+ people, and I forgot the one joke I was going to tell. But I think I did okay.
The kids had a blast rolling around the barn. There were a few openings that left me nervous-- behind the bar and behind the band, but for the most part the kids stayed out of trouble. Marcie managed to get a giant splinter in her hand, but Jason was able to remove it. The wine was imported from an exchange student friend of Mark's-- from Italy. And there was even a chocolate fountain to go with the fresh, fresh strawberries from a nearby farm and neighbor. Ann even thought to pack each child a kiddy bag, filled with a kid cup and a pad of paper and markers and a bottle of bubbles. My kids used the paper pads to draw on our way home the following day:
I hope Ann had a day and a night to remember. I know I did. . .
Saturday, February 16, 2008
On the Road
I tried blogging from the road yesterday, but neither Jason's i-phone nor my Blackberry would let me.
For all the traveling we've done with the kids, we've never stayed in a hotel with the two of them over night. Until now. One of my very best friends and Casey's Godmother is getting married today. And we left town to participate in the wedding.
Jason and I took the day off work. We picked the kids up from school around noon and headed north toward Oxnard for what should have been a three hour drive. Four in traffic. I feel like we headed off with Gilligan and his friends because almost six hours later, we drove up the driveway of the ranch. Yep. Six hours.
Needless to say, things didn't go terrifically well in the car. Casey told us he wanted to go to Ann's house or asked us where Ann's house was about every 45 minutes. At one point, about 4 1//2 hours in, Marcie began screeching in the bag seat, sobbing and screaming that she wanted us to turn off the movie. That's bad enough when you're traveling at full speed, but we were crawling in the single digits. I don't know how Jason maintained his composure. And if Jason weren't with me, I might have lost mine.
So we missed the Rehearsal. And we were even 10 minutes late to the Rehearsal Dinner. Despite having been cooped up in the car all day, the kids were amazingly well behaved at dinner. Casey hadn't slept all day, and both kids fell asleep at the table. Casey nodded off and woke himself up when his head hit Ann's mom's beautiful suede jacket. So Jason checked out of dinner early and took the kids back to the hotel.
I thought they'd both be asleep for sure when I got back in a little after 9:30pm. But no such luck. They were wiggling in bed. And just as they were about to nod back off to sleep, someone checked in to the room next door. With a small and very loud child.
I would normally feel just terrible that my kids have been up since 6:00am and don't really understand how to use their library voices for more than a few minutes at a time, but since they kept us up until after 10:00pm, I don't feel very badly at all.
In just about an hour or so, I'll head out with the bride to begin our primping for the big event. I'm so happy for her, the thought of her pending nuptials literally brings tears to my eyes.
For all the traveling we've done with the kids, we've never stayed in a hotel with the two of them over night. Until now. One of my very best friends and Casey's Godmother is getting married today. And we left town to participate in the wedding.
Jason and I took the day off work. We picked the kids up from school around noon and headed north toward Oxnard for what should have been a three hour drive. Four in traffic. I feel like we headed off with Gilligan and his friends because almost six hours later, we drove up the driveway of the ranch. Yep. Six hours.
Needless to say, things didn't go terrifically well in the car. Casey told us he wanted to go to Ann's house or asked us where Ann's house was about every 45 minutes. At one point, about 4 1//2 hours in, Marcie began screeching in the bag seat, sobbing and screaming that she wanted us to turn off the movie. That's bad enough when you're traveling at full speed, but we were crawling in the single digits. I don't know how Jason maintained his composure. And if Jason weren't with me, I might have lost mine.
So we missed the Rehearsal. And we were even 10 minutes late to the Rehearsal Dinner. Despite having been cooped up in the car all day, the kids were amazingly well behaved at dinner. Casey hadn't slept all day, and both kids fell asleep at the table. Casey nodded off and woke himself up when his head hit Ann's mom's beautiful suede jacket. So Jason checked out of dinner early and took the kids back to the hotel.
I thought they'd both be asleep for sure when I got back in a little after 9:30pm. But no such luck. They were wiggling in bed. And just as they were about to nod back off to sleep, someone checked in to the room next door. With a small and very loud child.
I would normally feel just terrible that my kids have been up since 6:00am and don't really understand how to use their library voices for more than a few minutes at a time, but since they kept us up until after 10:00pm, I don't feel very badly at all.
In just about an hour or so, I'll head out with the bride to begin our primping for the big event. I'm so happy for her, the thought of her pending nuptials literally brings tears to my eyes.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
The Weekend in Review
Ok, so I cheated a little. The first two photos are of Casey and Marcie on their respective school field trips to the pumpkin patch last week. Fortunately, Other Grandma (my mom) was in town to take Marcie.The rest of the photos highlight the weekend. The third photo cut off Geoff's head, unfortunately, but those are "the boys" in Vegas, and the next picture (row two, far left) is of "the girls." Both were taken at the Four Seasons, which has the most amazing breakfast buffet, complete with a donut guy who made me two donuts to order while I watched (and directed). I felt slightly entitled because I'd actually gotten up by 8:30am and gone running on the spa treadmill. It was a pricey run ($27 just for day access!), making me think I should have just scheduled a treatment and gotten the access for free! Once again, though, I digress.
The next series of photos are Casey and his cousin Joey at the annual Fire Station Open House. It was rainy (which San Diego really needed, so no complaints from me-- particularly given that I was out of town). Then, the bottom row, middle, is of me and my dad. The last time I took a photo with him, I was sticking my tongue out and he was looking on disgustedly. It was his idea of a practical joke on me, and if I had more time, I'd link to the original post with that picture, but I'm too lazy to search the archives, so you'll just have to trust my description of things. Anyway, while my mom was here in So. Cal., Dad was able to schedule an overnight in Vegas. So he joined the gang for dinner at Michael Mena's Strip Steak, the new restaurant at Mandalay Bay. Dad was good, too-- he had salmon, not steak. It was fun to catch up with him; it always is.
And the last photo is one Casey took tonight at dinner. After we returned home, we headed over to the Halloween Super Store to help Casey pick out a witch costume. He has his heart set on it-- just like in the Charlie Brown show. And although he initially told us he wanted a green face, once he saw what that meant (make-up), he changed his mind. But he loves the hat he picked out. We still haven't decided on anything for Marcie just yet. And neither has she. Anyway, the store was right next door to Casey's favorite restaurant, and after our last debacle there (where Jason ended up with cold food, my burger was missing half the bun, the server literally threw a cup of apple juice at us, and we were seated in a bustling mall alleyway), this was a much better experience. Really, it was like eating at a completely different restaurant! Casey's getting pretty good at snapping photos, and even though he cut off Jason's head a bit, I love the picture of Marcie with her dad.
One last thing-- my mom did manage to make pumpkin pie from scratch. Two of them. Jason says it's delicious (I haven't tasted it yet). Casey, who was the one all gung-ho about doing it, took one, gigantic bite, then practically gagged and spit the pumpkin pie out. It was fun to help make it, but he won't be partaking in pumpkin pie again any time soon (wish I had a photo of his expression!). . .
Alas, it is Sunday night, and I'll be off to bed soon. When I was in law school, I never went to bed before 11pm or midnight. Now I'm lucky to make it to 10pm. And I'm at least a week behind in television! Geesh!
Friday, October 12, 2007
It's Official: We're Paper Pregnant!
We have our official Log-In-Date (LID)! This is wonderful news. It's the date China will use to match us with B.S. #3.
Our LID is October 9, 2007!
If the current estimates of 24 months pan out, we should be traveling in early December of 2009.
If the (more likely) speculation pans out (a 36 month wait), we should be traveling near the end of 2010. Yeah, it's a little later than we'd like, putting five years of distance (well, maybe 4 1/2) between Marcie and B.S. #3, but anything can happen.
And if the wait looks like it'll stretch longer than three years . . . well, I'd prefer not to contemplate that possibility. But being a worst-case-scenario planner, I realize that we may get antsy waiting and take alternative action in the mean time (translation: adopt another child while we wait for B.S. #3, who I suppose would become B.S. #4 at that point-- though, technically, if we label our kids in order of when we started the process, B.S. #3 will always be B.S. #3 even if he or she arrives fourth. But I digress).
So Other Grandma (the name my kids have given my mom) is in town this weekend, and Jason and I are off to Autumn in Vegas for a couple nights. Looks like we have something to celebrate (other than the new job, I mean).
The kids will keep O.G. (Other Grandma) busy-- yesterday they sliced up the pumpkin and cooked it like squash and mashed it. I think they plan to make a real pumpkin pie from scratch tonight (aren't grandmas great?!?). And tomorrow they're going to the annual fire station open house (after music and sports classes, of course).
Our LID is October 9, 2007!
If the current estimates of 24 months pan out, we should be traveling in early December of 2009.
If the (more likely) speculation pans out (a 36 month wait), we should be traveling near the end of 2010. Yeah, it's a little later than we'd like, putting five years of distance (well, maybe 4 1/2) between Marcie and B.S. #3, but anything can happen.
And if the wait looks like it'll stretch longer than three years . . . well, I'd prefer not to contemplate that possibility. But being a worst-case-scenario planner, I realize that we may get antsy waiting and take alternative action in the mean time (translation: adopt another child while we wait for B.S. #3, who I suppose would become B.S. #4 at that point-- though, technically, if we label our kids in order of when we started the process, B.S. #3 will always be B.S. #3 even if he or she arrives fourth. But I digress).
So Other Grandma (the name my kids have given my mom) is in town this weekend, and Jason and I are off to Autumn in Vegas for a couple nights. Looks like we have something to celebrate (other than the new job, I mean).
The kids will keep O.G. (Other Grandma) busy-- yesterday they sliced up the pumpkin and cooked it like squash and mashed it. I think they plan to make a real pumpkin pie from scratch tonight (aren't grandmas great?!?). And tomorrow they're going to the annual fire station open house (after music and sports classes, of course).
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Disneyland
In a treat to myself more than anything, back in April I planned a Disneyland trip. It was really just a mental plan because we didn't have the time off to go. Until now.
As a general rule, we decided three is appropriate age to bring your child to Disneyland for the first time. Sure, they're free before their third birthday. But really, there's not much for them to enjoy. And they definitely aren't going to remember or appreciate it. Plus, they tend to be freaked out by all the Disney characters, which must look a bit like giant bobble-heads to preschoolers. In any case, we dutifully waited until Casey's third birthday to go. That was January of 2006.
And now that Casey's older, we thought he'd appreciate it even more. Sure, we could have left Marcie behind to hold steadfast to our three-year-old rule. But how do you explain that to your almost-two-year-old? We didn't even try. We just decided to go as a family. And we dragged along some family friends, too.
Lucas, who you will see featured in some photos below, is 6 months older than Marcie-- two and a half years younger than Casey. But the boys get along famously. So off we went to Disneyland on a one-day park hopper.
We promised Casey he could meet Princess Ariel (known in our home as the Little Mermaid) and hug her. So we made reservations at the over-priced Ariel's Grotto in California Adventure. And even though the cost of a three course meal might make you choke, it was like a ride unto itself. Not only did Casey get to hug Ariel and take pictures with her, but we were greeted by and received autographs from Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Belle (from Beauty and the Beast), and Cinderella. The boys were giddy with joy. Plus, because princesses are people and not costumed with giant heads, they weren't intimidating in the least.
Even though we only rode maybe 6 rides (and not because there were long lines-- there weren't lines for anything but the new Nemo ride, which we skipped because we didn't want to waste 2 hours standing in it), it was worth the money. The thing about Disneyland, particularly through a small child's eyes, is that it really is one of the most Magical Places on Earth.
(Click the collage to see larger version)
As a general rule, we decided three is appropriate age to bring your child to Disneyland for the first time. Sure, they're free before their third birthday. But really, there's not much for them to enjoy. And they definitely aren't going to remember or appreciate it. Plus, they tend to be freaked out by all the Disney characters, which must look a bit like giant bobble-heads to preschoolers. In any case, we dutifully waited until Casey's third birthday to go. That was January of 2006.
And now that Casey's older, we thought he'd appreciate it even more. Sure, we could have left Marcie behind to hold steadfast to our three-year-old rule. But how do you explain that to your almost-two-year-old? We didn't even try. We just decided to go as a family. And we dragged along some family friends, too.
Lucas, who you will see featured in some photos below, is 6 months older than Marcie-- two and a half years younger than Casey. But the boys get along famously. So off we went to Disneyland on a one-day park hopper.
We promised Casey he could meet Princess Ariel (known in our home as the Little Mermaid) and hug her. So we made reservations at the over-priced Ariel's Grotto in California Adventure. And even though the cost of a three course meal might make you choke, it was like a ride unto itself. Not only did Casey get to hug Ariel and take pictures with her, but we were greeted by and received autographs from Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Belle (from Beauty and the Beast), and Cinderella. The boys were giddy with joy. Plus, because princesses are people and not costumed with giant heads, they weren't intimidating in the least.
Even though we only rode maybe 6 rides (and not because there were long lines-- there weren't lines for anything but the new Nemo ride, which we skipped because we didn't want to waste 2 hours standing in it), it was worth the money. The thing about Disneyland, particularly through a small child's eyes, is that it really is one of the most Magical Places on Earth.
(Click the collage to see larger version)
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Vacation Photos (at long last)
I'm attempting something new here . . . something Picasa offers that I haven't tried before. Making photo collages. I think if you click the collage, it will get bigger on your screen so you can see the photos better.
It was hard to select pictures. I took 481 photos in the month of August (and it's only the 22nd!). But here's what I narrowed it down to:
OHIO
It was hard to select pictures. I took 481 photos in the month of August (and it's only the 22nd!). But here's what I narrowed it down to:
OHIO
These are photos of Casey with extended birth family, including extended birth family. In one photo, you see him with his great Grandma Davis. In another, he is holding a week-old kitten.
We kept busy while we visited in Ohio-- from a water park, to football in the yard, to riding the dune buggy, to playing with cars, to visiting the science museum, to just hanging around and having fun together!NEW YORK CITY
Left to right: Central Park; Central Park; Karen with an MnM; Time Square; Tony's Italian Restaurant; FDNY Memorial; subway (taken for Casey); firefighters (taken for Casey); Hershey billboard.
NORTH CAROLINA
Visiting the trains in Spencer. Casey rode in the engine, then we visited the roundhouse and the other trains. 
Left to right: Casey riding a scooter; Grandpa H with Casey and Marcie; Grandpa with Marcie, me pushing Marcie on the scooter; Casey on the swing; Jason with Marcie; Casey climbing; Grandma H with Marcie blowing bubbles; Marcie blowing bubbles all by herself.
These are all photos of the kids keeping cool during the heat wave that hit North Carolina.
Painting in the kitchen; the golf course pond near my parents' house; Marcie removing her bandanna; Marcie playing at the mall; Marcie dragging her Peanut Puppy Build-a-Bear box through the mall; Casey and then Marcie playing in water at the Nature Museum; Casey performing a puppet show; Marcie sporting her new sunglasses.
I think that gives you enough of a sense of how busy the kids were. . . I should be tired from the trip, but I'm not. Strange. Honestly, I just really enjoyed the ability to completely enjoy being with the kids, unfettered by work or school or anything. I just loved watching them, playing with them, being with them. And it didn't hurt that my mom let me sleep in every day, either!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Traveling with Two Small Children
So we're home, safe and sound. Our return trip was, thankfully, relatively uneventful. I don't know which frightened me more-- the thought of being on an airplane with two small children who I would need to confine to their seats for the sanity of all the passengers or the thought of having a three hour layover in the Atlanta airport.
Once we got settled in near the gate in Charlotte, the kids were pretty rambunctious. For them, it was typical kid energy, but I could tell the other passengers in the waiting area didn't think they were so cute. I even commented to one older woman that I was letting them get all the energy out now so they'd be calm on the plane. She coldly replied, "I should hope so." All I could think is "What a bitch!" I mean, it's not like I want my kids to cry loudly or scream at me or refuse to buckle in on the flight either. I know small children can be irritating to other travelers, but imagine the anxiety any normal parent feels traveling with them knowing that!
Anyway, the kids were wonderful on the flight. But the airline made a big mistake. They let me put the car seat in our seats, which were immediately in front of an exit row. Apparently an FAA no-no. I don't mind shuffling seats with the kids, mind you. But the flight attendant (kindly) carried the car seat to our row and set it in for me. Then the flight attendant announced that they wanted to push back in 6 minutes, they were closing the doors, and would everyone please hurry up and take their seats. My kids were already seated, happily munching on the last of the popcorn I'd brought and guzzling their apple juice boxes.
Then a different flight attendant noticed us. And all hell broke loose. They wanted us to switch seats with the people in front of us. Again, no big deal if they'd given me time to do it. Instead they wanted to give me help. Which, again, is a nice idea. But not so much when your toddler is terrified of the male flight attendant who wants to help you by unbuckling her or even just picking up the car seat (she was really mad when she thought he was taking away her car seat). She began screeching. Then Casey began whining, "What's happening, Mommy?" Of course, now everyone on the airplane is looking at us wondering the same thing Casey is, and I'm trying to calmly tell the kids to "hurry, hurry," so the airplane can push back. All the while, throwing our stuff from our well-settled location into the row in front of us.
That wasn't the end of the world, of course. Once Marcie was settled into her new location, she was fine. Until the pilot came to a screeching (and I'm not exaggerating) halt just as we'd begun to power up and pick up speed. He came over the PA and told us everyone needed to stay seated during take-off, and I wondered how he could tell from the cockpit that someone at the back of the plane had stood up (if that's why he stopped at all). But the thing was that when he brought the plane to a stop, it shuddered. Forcefully. And that freaked out the kids, causing Marcie to begin crying. At the moment, Casey was sitting in the middle seat because I'd chosen to strategically place myself on the aisle to prevent Casey from springing himself loose in-flight. I was able to shift Casey over the top of me into my seat and buckle him while sliding myself next to Marcie. Both kids were (understandably) concerned by the shuddering brakes, but once we actually took off, they were fine. Marcie slept through the second half of the flight, and Casey played with a new frog my mom had purchased for him the day before. I spent the first half of the flight trying to reattach the band-aid on my left arm/elbow. It somehow got attached to my sweater, and then I had to pull it off, but I didn't want to leave the skin exposed. I had a travel box of band-aids and neosporin with me, and I applied the neosporin to my arm. But it got too spread out and then the band-aids wouldn't fit. So I had to use the antiseptic wipes to clean the area around the wound so that I could get band-aids to stick. I'd say all in all, the process took me 5 band-aids and 30 minutes. I think it entertained Marcie. The flight was only about an hour long, and when it landed, we waited for everyone else to disembark before we unloaded ourselves.
The nice flight attendant again carried the car seat through the aircraft for me, and the double stroller was waiting for me on the jetway. Marcie clung to my pant leg for dear life while I opened the stroller and placed her in her seat, but she was fine once Casey was seated next to her. If you're wondering, Casey had his own Thomas backpack filled with toys, which he wore to get on and off the plane. Then I hung it by a strap on the stroller. Marcie's car seat when on the other stroller arm, and the kids balanced the weight by sitting in their seats. I traveled with a single backpack, in which I'd stuffed changes of clothes for the kids, the changing pad, diapers, diaper cream, PB&J sandwiches, Special K bars, granola bars, popcorn, peanut butter crackers, gold fish, graham crackers, the DVD player, the DVDs, extra wipes, ear phones, Benedryl, Motrin, a thermometer, the pack of band aids, the neosporin, and a book for me. I'd also stashed a couple toys that Casey had never seen to take out when he got bored. All that in a regular old Jansport backpack!
Once we got into terminal A, we located our final flight home-- which was going to be leaving from terminal E. So the kids and I trekked through the airport to the underground tram. On our way, I noted that there was a pretty big play area for toddlers, and I hoped there would be one in the terminal we were departing from, too. No such luck, of course. But after riding the tram and walking the entire length of the E terminal to discover this, Casey had fallen asleep.
Marcie and I ate some dinner at the food court, where I bought Casey some piping hot pizza, then we went over to our gate. I let Casey sleep for about 45 minutes, and then I woke him up because it was way past his nap time and I really wanted him to sleep on the flight home, especially since he was going to be flying during bed time. He wasn't so happy I woke him up, but after about 30 minutes and some pizza and chocolate milk, he was a little less cranky. I found a nice spot outside the window where we could see our plane. We watched them load refreshments and food, we played in the semi-enclosed area. We went to the bathroom to let Casey go, and then we returned a while later to change Marcie's diaper. And the next thing I knew, three hours had passed, and they were boarding our flight.
We boarded early again. Marcie still didn't like being removed from her stroller and cried as she clung to my pant leg. This time I carried the car seat myself (though the flight attendant did offer). And we settled into our row-- nowhere near the emergency exit. It was a 767, which meant a configuration of 2 seats, then 3 seats, then 2 seats, and we were in the 3 middle seats. Marcie took one aisle seat and Casey took the other. I sat in the middle. As the aircraft boarded, I pulled out one of the new toys Casey had not seen before-- a tube of air crafts (balloons, fighter jets, bi-planes, water-planes, a blimp, and a hang-glider). That occupied him for about 30 minutes. Then, as we were taking off, I pulled out his Jay-Jay airplanes and the two model 767s we'd bought on the trip, and we played like we were flying our airplanes. Marcie played, too.
By the time we got up into the air, Marcie had fallen asleep, and Casey was ready to watch The Little Mermaid. Which he did. Followed by a Thomas DVD. And the machine was still working halfway through his second Thomas DVD when Casey told me he was ready to go to sleep. Marcie had just woken up, and she was not interested in the DVD player, so she and I played with some other toys while Casey slept.
Marcie was pretty upset as we began our final descent into San Diego because I took away her apple juice (because she was going to spill it all over herself!). She cried so loudly, I finally took her out of her car seat for a few minutes, explaining that she had to sit back down when they told us we had to put up our tray tables. She wasn't happy when that time finally came, but she didn't squawk loudly enough to disturb anyone, either.
When we arrived in San Diego and got off the final elevator, the kids were thrilled to see their grandmother waiting to give them plenty of hugs and kisses. You'd think we'd been gone for weeks they way they ran to her, screaming, "GRANDMA!" Yeah, I know, we were gone for weeks. But just 2 of them! Still, I'm glad they were happy to be home.
After I gathered up the bags, and the kids had given Jason kisses, I pulled out the last toy I had stashed away. I carried it with me from San Diego to Ohio to North Carolina and back home again and never needed to give it to Casey. I told Casey how proud I was of him for being such a good boy during our long, long day of travel. I told him I was giving him a brand new Snuffy (a character from Jay Jay the Jet plane) because he was so good and listened so well.
He's been carrying Snuffy around ever since.
So here's my advice on traveling with small kids:
Once we got settled in near the gate in Charlotte, the kids were pretty rambunctious. For them, it was typical kid energy, but I could tell the other passengers in the waiting area didn't think they were so cute. I even commented to one older woman that I was letting them get all the energy out now so they'd be calm on the plane. She coldly replied, "I should hope so." All I could think is "What a bitch!" I mean, it's not like I want my kids to cry loudly or scream at me or refuse to buckle in on the flight either. I know small children can be irritating to other travelers, but imagine the anxiety any normal parent feels traveling with them knowing that!
Anyway, the kids were wonderful on the flight. But the airline made a big mistake. They let me put the car seat in our seats, which were immediately in front of an exit row. Apparently an FAA no-no. I don't mind shuffling seats with the kids, mind you. But the flight attendant (kindly) carried the car seat to our row and set it in for me. Then the flight attendant announced that they wanted to push back in 6 minutes, they were closing the doors, and would everyone please hurry up and take their seats. My kids were already seated, happily munching on the last of the popcorn I'd brought and guzzling their apple juice boxes.
Then a different flight attendant noticed us. And all hell broke loose. They wanted us to switch seats with the people in front of us. Again, no big deal if they'd given me time to do it. Instead they wanted to give me help. Which, again, is a nice idea. But not so much when your toddler is terrified of the male flight attendant who wants to help you by unbuckling her or even just picking up the car seat (she was really mad when she thought he was taking away her car seat). She began screeching. Then Casey began whining, "What's happening, Mommy?" Of course, now everyone on the airplane is looking at us wondering the same thing Casey is, and I'm trying to calmly tell the kids to "hurry, hurry," so the airplane can push back. All the while, throwing our stuff from our well-settled location into the row in front of us.
That wasn't the end of the world, of course. Once Marcie was settled into her new location, she was fine. Until the pilot came to a screeching (and I'm not exaggerating) halt just as we'd begun to power up and pick up speed. He came over the PA and told us everyone needed to stay seated during take-off, and I wondered how he could tell from the cockpit that someone at the back of the plane had stood up (if that's why he stopped at all). But the thing was that when he brought the plane to a stop, it shuddered. Forcefully. And that freaked out the kids, causing Marcie to begin crying. At the moment, Casey was sitting in the middle seat because I'd chosen to strategically place myself on the aisle to prevent Casey from springing himself loose in-flight. I was able to shift Casey over the top of me into my seat and buckle him while sliding myself next to Marcie. Both kids were (understandably) concerned by the shuddering brakes, but once we actually took off, they were fine. Marcie slept through the second half of the flight, and Casey played with a new frog my mom had purchased for him the day before. I spent the first half of the flight trying to reattach the band-aid on my left arm/elbow. It somehow got attached to my sweater, and then I had to pull it off, but I didn't want to leave the skin exposed. I had a travel box of band-aids and neosporin with me, and I applied the neosporin to my arm. But it got too spread out and then the band-aids wouldn't fit. So I had to use the antiseptic wipes to clean the area around the wound so that I could get band-aids to stick. I'd say all in all, the process took me 5 band-aids and 30 minutes. I think it entertained Marcie. The flight was only about an hour long, and when it landed, we waited for everyone else to disembark before we unloaded ourselves.
The nice flight attendant again carried the car seat through the aircraft for me, and the double stroller was waiting for me on the jetway. Marcie clung to my pant leg for dear life while I opened the stroller and placed her in her seat, but she was fine once Casey was seated next to her. If you're wondering, Casey had his own Thomas backpack filled with toys, which he wore to get on and off the plane. Then I hung it by a strap on the stroller. Marcie's car seat when on the other stroller arm, and the kids balanced the weight by sitting in their seats. I traveled with a single backpack, in which I'd stuffed changes of clothes for the kids, the changing pad, diapers, diaper cream, PB&J sandwiches, Special K bars, granola bars, popcorn, peanut butter crackers, gold fish, graham crackers, the DVD player, the DVDs, extra wipes, ear phones, Benedryl, Motrin, a thermometer, the pack of band aids, the neosporin, and a book for me. I'd also stashed a couple toys that Casey had never seen to take out when he got bored. All that in a regular old Jansport backpack!
Once we got into terminal A, we located our final flight home-- which was going to be leaving from terminal E. So the kids and I trekked through the airport to the underground tram. On our way, I noted that there was a pretty big play area for toddlers, and I hoped there would be one in the terminal we were departing from, too. No such luck, of course. But after riding the tram and walking the entire length of the E terminal to discover this, Casey had fallen asleep.
Marcie and I ate some dinner at the food court, where I bought Casey some piping hot pizza, then we went over to our gate. I let Casey sleep for about 45 minutes, and then I woke him up because it was way past his nap time and I really wanted him to sleep on the flight home, especially since he was going to be flying during bed time. He wasn't so happy I woke him up, but after about 30 minutes and some pizza and chocolate milk, he was a little less cranky. I found a nice spot outside the window where we could see our plane. We watched them load refreshments and food, we played in the semi-enclosed area. We went to the bathroom to let Casey go, and then we returned a while later to change Marcie's diaper. And the next thing I knew, three hours had passed, and they were boarding our flight.
We boarded early again. Marcie still didn't like being removed from her stroller and cried as she clung to my pant leg. This time I carried the car seat myself (though the flight attendant did offer). And we settled into our row-- nowhere near the emergency exit. It was a 767, which meant a configuration of 2 seats, then 3 seats, then 2 seats, and we were in the 3 middle seats. Marcie took one aisle seat and Casey took the other. I sat in the middle. As the aircraft boarded, I pulled out one of the new toys Casey had not seen before-- a tube of air crafts (balloons, fighter jets, bi-planes, water-planes, a blimp, and a hang-glider). That occupied him for about 30 minutes. Then, as we were taking off, I pulled out his Jay-Jay airplanes and the two model 767s we'd bought on the trip, and we played like we were flying our airplanes. Marcie played, too.
By the time we got up into the air, Marcie had fallen asleep, and Casey was ready to watch The Little Mermaid. Which he did. Followed by a Thomas DVD. And the machine was still working halfway through his second Thomas DVD when Casey told me he was ready to go to sleep. Marcie had just woken up, and she was not interested in the DVD player, so she and I played with some other toys while Casey slept.
Marcie was pretty upset as we began our final descent into San Diego because I took away her apple juice (because she was going to spill it all over herself!). She cried so loudly, I finally took her out of her car seat for a few minutes, explaining that she had to sit back down when they told us we had to put up our tray tables. She wasn't happy when that time finally came, but she didn't squawk loudly enough to disturb anyone, either.
When we arrived in San Diego and got off the final elevator, the kids were thrilled to see their grandmother waiting to give them plenty of hugs and kisses. You'd think we'd been gone for weeks they way they ran to her, screaming, "GRANDMA!" Yeah, I know, we were gone for weeks. But just 2 of them! Still, I'm glad they were happy to be home.
After I gathered up the bags, and the kids had given Jason kisses, I pulled out the last toy I had stashed away. I carried it with me from San Diego to Ohio to North Carolina and back home again and never needed to give it to Casey. I told Casey how proud I was of him for being such a good boy during our long, long day of travel. I told him I was giving him a brand new Snuffy (a character from Jay Jay the Jet plane) because he was so good and listened so well.
He's been carrying Snuffy around ever since.
So here's my advice on traveling with small kids:
- If you can afford it, buy the kids a seat. If they are in a car seat, use it. They know their car seat and are comfortable in it. It will give them a sense of security during the flights.
- Don't be afraid of layovers. Even though trekking through an airport with so much stuff is a hassle, the layovers break up really long flights.
- Pack lots and lots of their favorite snacks and as much of their drinks as you can. Comfort food is, well, comforting.
- Have a small stash of secret toys to introduce at various points during the trip, especially for a preschool aged child. This will help pass the time.
- Bring one of those DVD players (or a laptop) if your kids like movies.
- Explain to your kids everything that's going to happen in advance. Repeatedly. And again while it's happening.
So there you have it. How I survived my summer travel!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Beaten to Bloody Pulp
Ok. So I'm exaggerating, I admit it. But really, I'm thinking that if I were a full-time, permanent stay-at-home-mom, I'd be in pretty poor physical shape. Not for lack of exercise (though that may be true, too), but because I'm insanely accident prone.
In Ohio somehow I landed a monstrous bruise on the underside of my left arm. It didn't hurt right away, so I'm not sure how I got it-- though my guess is that I got kicked on one of the water slides. At least I protected Marcie from that injury, since she was on my lap when it happened (a guess, I realize, but she was on my lap every time I went on a slide, so a pretty reasonable one).
Last week, I was trying to get the kids to stop running in circles around the first floor. As one of them came careening through the dining room, and around a corner of the kitchen, I bent over to stop her before she smashed into the counter top. Once I stopped both the kids, I stood straight up-- and smacked my own head on the corner of the counter top. Yup. Another bruise-- this time on the right side of my head.
Then when we went to Carowinds earlier this week, Marcie started to freak out a little while we were waiting for them to start the carousel moving. My dad was stationed next to Casey who was on a horse that was immobile, but Marcie likes the horses that go up and down. To calm her, I decided to launch myself up onto the horse behind her. In doing so, I managed to swing my right shin directly into the horses tail. Literally. The knot and bruise were immediate. And ugly.
Yesterday we took the kids to Monkey Joe's, which is a giant warehouse full of bouncy houses. I had Marcie on my lap going down a slide. I realized about halfway down that Casey wasn't going to get out of the way despite my yelling, so I shifted my weight over to my left side to avoid kicking him the head. The skin near my left elbow slowed me (and Marcie) down, keeping Casey from harm. My arm on the other hand has some painful rubber burn (which is just like road rash) as a result. Ouch.
Sigh. At least I haven't fallen down the stairs here. Of course, I'm not gone yet . . .
In Ohio somehow I landed a monstrous bruise on the underside of my left arm. It didn't hurt right away, so I'm not sure how I got it-- though my guess is that I got kicked on one of the water slides. At least I protected Marcie from that injury, since she was on my lap when it happened (a guess, I realize, but she was on my lap every time I went on a slide, so a pretty reasonable one).
Last week, I was trying to get the kids to stop running in circles around the first floor. As one of them came careening through the dining room, and around a corner of the kitchen, I bent over to stop her before she smashed into the counter top. Once I stopped both the kids, I stood straight up-- and smacked my own head on the corner of the counter top. Yup. Another bruise-- this time on the right side of my head.
Then when we went to Carowinds earlier this week, Marcie started to freak out a little while we were waiting for them to start the carousel moving. My dad was stationed next to Casey who was on a horse that was immobile, but Marcie likes the horses that go up and down. To calm her, I decided to launch myself up onto the horse behind her. In doing so, I managed to swing my right shin directly into the horses tail. Literally. The knot and bruise were immediate. And ugly.
Yesterday we took the kids to Monkey Joe's, which is a giant warehouse full of bouncy houses. I had Marcie on my lap going down a slide. I realized about halfway down that Casey wasn't going to get out of the way despite my yelling, so I shifted my weight over to my left side to avoid kicking him the head. The skin near my left elbow slowed me (and Marcie) down, keeping Casey from harm. My arm on the other hand has some painful rubber burn (which is just like road rash) as a result. Ouch.
Sigh. At least I haven't fallen down the stairs here. Of course, I'm not gone yet . . .
Eaten Alive
At least that's how it feels. Apparently I have delicious skin. Mmmm. Yummm. A couple mornings ago, it was cool enough to go outside and play in the yard. It was shaded. The kids were having a blast. And then I felt a bit itchy on my calf. A minute or so later, I looked at my hand and caught a mosquito biting me. I got rid of it, but not before it bit me, dangit.
The kids didn't seem bothered, so I went inside and used bug repellent wipes and went on my merry way. I smelled like summer camp (apparently I used bug spray a lot at camp growing up) the rest of the day, but the bugs left me alone.
The next morning, I opted not to venture into the yard, leaving my parents and my friend to contend with the four kids on their own. I stood on the screened-in back porch and waved to them. . .
Apparently my absence led to a new victim. Poor Marcie. I don't think they are mosquito bites because she's not really scratching, but she has maybe half a dozen on her legs and arms. And one on her face. Right to the side of her eye. I know not to use Deet on them, and I know Cutter is supposed to be safer for kids. But instead, I'm opting to keep them out of the grass and woodsy areas for the rest of our trip (which is only a couple more days).
I'm just chalking this up to one more good reason to live in Southern California . . .
The kids didn't seem bothered, so I went inside and used bug repellent wipes and went on my merry way. I smelled like summer camp (apparently I used bug spray a lot at camp growing up) the rest of the day, but the bugs left me alone.
The next morning, I opted not to venture into the yard, leaving my parents and my friend to contend with the four kids on their own. I stood on the screened-in back porch and waved to them. . .
Apparently my absence led to a new victim. Poor Marcie. I don't think they are mosquito bites because she's not really scratching, but she has maybe half a dozen on her legs and arms. And one on her face. Right to the side of her eye. I know not to use Deet on them, and I know Cutter is supposed to be safer for kids. But instead, I'm opting to keep them out of the grass and woodsy areas for the rest of our trip (which is only a couple more days).
I'm just chalking this up to one more good reason to live in Southern California . . .
Some Pictures (at long last)
Some time last week I promised to upload some photos of our trip. Unfortunately, I sent the card reader home with Jason, so I don't have any way to get any of my pictures onto a computer here. Fortunately, my parents have taken some snapshots and are giving me free reign over the computer where they are stored. So, finally, here are some pictures:
Apparently we arrived in North Carolina along with a huge heat wave. It hasn't rained in a couple weeks, and the temperatures have consistently been in the 100 degree range. That means that outdoor play is virtually unhealthy, leaving us to seek refuge in air conditioned places or outdoor places with water and/or shade. To combat the heat-- and potential boredom of playing inside, we have taken to hitting the pool each afternoon after nap time. Here's Marcie floating around in her ring.
The morning Jason left, it was cool enough to head over to Jetton Park, where we hunted for ducks along the shore of Lake Norman and let Casey ride the scooter. He refused to be in our family picture, as luck seems to always have it. But Marcie sure looks cute with us. She recognizes herself in the picture, by the way. Even calls herself "Marcie" now.
The kids have had Dairy Queen soft serve twice now. They prefer chocolate. Marcie will eat the cone with her hands, but this is a little less messy, I guess (not much, though!)
Casey road in the engine he's standing in front of. It was quite loud inside, and the whole time he clung to my dad for dear life and repeatedly expressed his desire to be done with it. When the ride was over, though, he told us he'd ridden in the train engine and that it was "awesome." It's too bad he only seemed to enjoy it in retrospect. It was a great experience anyway. We also went to the round house and road the turn table. He thought that was too loud, too. It figures. The kid loves trains, and he'll talk about the experience like it's the best thing that's ever happened-- but he sure didn't act that way while he was there!
My friend Danielle of South Cackalie (check out her blog by clicking the link on the menu bar) came to visit us for a couple days with her kids Emma and Nicky. Her oldest child, Emma, and Casey really hit it off. My parents treated us all to an afternoon at Carowinds (in South Carolina) while they were here, and the kids really had a blast. This is Casey and Emma in front of my mom, Marcie, and me on the Dora the Explorer train ride. Danielle and Nicky sat it out because he wanted to wiggle all over the train car. . .
When we first got to Carowinds, Casey was a cautious ride-goer. The first time on this airplane ride, he really hunkered down and clung to the rail. The ride probably goes less than 5 miles per hour. A lot less. By the end of the day, though, he was riding it with his hands in the air like he was on a giant roller coaster. Speaking of roller coasters, he rode one at his request with my dad. I don't think he'll be doing that again any time soon! And he also road the log ride-- for which I was very proud of him. And he was proud of himself, too. There's a big drop at the end, and he did great on it!
Marcie also took ride-going a bit seriously. She really wanted to go on this boat ride, during which she turned her wheel carefully and rang the bell repeatedly. She really had a good time.
Here's Nicky with Marcie after dinner. He's such a happy kid-- always a ready smile!
And here is Emma and Casey. They spent a lot of time dragging each other around like this-- they really were two peas in a pod.
Apparently we arrived in North Carolina along with a huge heat wave. It hasn't rained in a couple weeks, and the temperatures have consistently been in the 100 degree range. That means that outdoor play is virtually unhealthy, leaving us to seek refuge in air conditioned places or outdoor places with water and/or shade. To combat the heat-- and potential boredom of playing inside, we have taken to hitting the pool each afternoon after nap time. Here's Marcie floating around in her ring.
While Jason and I were in New York, my parents kept the kids on their feet. I think this is the Discovery Place. I just like the picture of Casey-- I think he looks so grown up here-- except for the doll house in the background, of course.
The morning Jason left, it was cool enough to head over to Jetton Park, where we hunted for ducks along the shore of Lake Norman and let Casey ride the scooter. He refused to be in our family picture, as luck seems to always have it. But Marcie sure looks cute with us. She recognizes herself in the picture, by the way. Even calls herself "Marcie" now.
The kids have had Dairy Queen soft serve twice now. They prefer chocolate. Marcie will eat the cone with her hands, but this is a little less messy, I guess (not much, though!)
Casey road in the engine he's standing in front of. It was quite loud inside, and the whole time he clung to my dad for dear life and repeatedly expressed his desire to be done with it. When the ride was over, though, he told us he'd ridden in the train engine and that it was "awesome." It's too bad he only seemed to enjoy it in retrospect. It was a great experience anyway. We also went to the round house and road the turn table. He thought that was too loud, too. It figures. The kid loves trains, and he'll talk about the experience like it's the best thing that's ever happened-- but he sure didn't act that way while he was there!
My friend Danielle of South Cackalie (check out her blog by clicking the link on the menu bar) came to visit us for a couple days with her kids Emma and Nicky. Her oldest child, Emma, and Casey really hit it off. My parents treated us all to an afternoon at Carowinds (in South Carolina) while they were here, and the kids really had a blast. This is Casey and Emma in front of my mom, Marcie, and me on the Dora the Explorer train ride. Danielle and Nicky sat it out because he wanted to wiggle all over the train car. . .
When we first got to Carowinds, Casey was a cautious ride-goer. The first time on this airplane ride, he really hunkered down and clung to the rail. The ride probably goes less than 5 miles per hour. A lot less. By the end of the day, though, he was riding it with his hands in the air like he was on a giant roller coaster. Speaking of roller coasters, he rode one at his request with my dad. I don't think he'll be doing that again any time soon! And he also road the log ride-- for which I was very proud of him. And he was proud of himself, too. There's a big drop at the end, and he did great on it!
Marcie also took ride-going a bit seriously. She really wanted to go on this boat ride, during which she turned her wheel carefully and rang the bell repeatedly. She really had a good time.
Here's Nicky with Marcie after dinner. He's such a happy kid-- always a ready smile!
And here is Emma and Casey. They spent a lot of time dragging each other around like this-- they really were two peas in a pod. So those are some highlights. There's a lot more to write about-- and show, but I think this will take care of some of your curiosity!
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Second Leg
We arrived safely in Charlotte, North Carolina yesterday. At some point early next week (maybe as early as Sunday), I will post some photos. But Jason and I are leaving tomorrow for Leg Three of our trip, so it'll have to wait until we return to North Carolina for that.
We left Ohio around 5:30am yesterday, and everyone woke up to send us off. Casey didn't want to say good-bye to his big brother Bryce, and I think that's actually a good thing. We've spent a lot of time wondering how his relationship with his birth family will grow over time, and he obviously feels a sense of belonging and connection, which we were hoping for. I know that as Haley and Bryce get older and have their own interests, our visits will in some way be an interruption. But for now, they seem to genuinely enjoy Casey's participation in their summer break. And Marcie took to both of them like she was their sister, too. In fact, Bryce at one point asked me what Marcie's role was-- and I wasn't really sure how to answer. It's one of those things I've thought about with respect to Marcie. I mean, I expected Marcie to ask that question in a few years. But I hadn't considered that Bryce or Haley might wonder the same thing.
How do you classify it? Does her relationship have to have a title? I suppose not. Bryce asked if she was his sister-- and I suppose she is by mere virtue of being Casey's sister. I mean, there's no question about that relationship even though they aren't biologically related. So does that make her Bryce's half sister, too? Even though they aren't biologically related? Or is she like his half sister once removed? I know that it doesn't matter what you call it-- that Marcie will just always look up to Bryce and Haley the same way that Casey does. And I am so grateful Casey's birthfamily has taken in Marcie just like an extension of the family -- because that's obviously how we think of her. It's just one more example of how we know we hit the jackpot with them-- just one more reason to thank Casey's birthmom Angie for picking us to parent him.
But I digress. After leaving at 5:30am and driving a couple hours to Dayton, we had no trouble checking our bags curbside. The sky cap did a nice job figuring out why the airline had us down as checked in with checked bags already, and I tipped him well. So then he covered Casey's booster seat with plastic, which we sure did appreciate. We had enough time to stop for breakfast. And then we watched the planes for a while before we boarded ours. It was small. The kind with one seat along one aisle and two along the other aisle. Marcie and I sat behind Jason and Casey for the flight to Cincinnati, which was less than 20 minutes long. The bummer for us was that even though it was the same aircraft taking us to North Carolina, we had to remove everything when we deplaned. Including Marcie's car seat.
Inside the airport, the kids and I browsed a toy store, where Casey picked out a new airplane to play with. We returned to our plane and flew the hour and a half to Charlotte, where my dad was waiting for us at the gate! Back in the old days, your family and friends always met you at the gate. But nowadays because of security no one can do that. Unless you're lucky enough to have an airline employee for a friend or family member. As it turned out, my dad was on his way to his own flight (as a pilot), so he was there to greet us in uniform and everything, which Casey thought was so cool. As a matter of fact, my dad has models of all the various air craft he's flown in his study. Casey keeps taking my mom in there to point out the one that looks most like this most recent flight we took. He says, "Remember, Grandma, when we took that airplane?" as if she flew with us!
After lunch and a short nap, my mom and I took the kids over to the pool, then we had dinner, where Marcie ate more broccoli than I have ever seen a child eat.
This morning we headed over to a city pool that's an indoor water park! The only bummer was that I couldn't put Marcie on my lap to go down the slide, and she kept flopping backward and landing under water (thankfully she knows to hold her breath), so she wasn't long for the water slides themselves. The kids ate there, then home for a nap again. Casey begged us to go to a nearby park to ride a scooter. I don't know if he didn't like all the gear (helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, etc) or the heat-- or both. But after getting everything loaded into the car to go, Casey wailed that he wanted to go to the pool instead. So we did.
And now the kids are asleep. So leg two is going well so far. Then again, the real test will be these next few days-- while we're in New York and Marcie is here with my parents.
As for me, I am really enjoying this unfettered time with the kids. They make me laugh. Marcie is so determined and independent and inquisitive. Casey is so busy and musical and smart. And I did manage to finish a couple books (including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows).
We left Ohio around 5:30am yesterday, and everyone woke up to send us off. Casey didn't want to say good-bye to his big brother Bryce, and I think that's actually a good thing. We've spent a lot of time wondering how his relationship with his birth family will grow over time, and he obviously feels a sense of belonging and connection, which we were hoping for. I know that as Haley and Bryce get older and have their own interests, our visits will in some way be an interruption. But for now, they seem to genuinely enjoy Casey's participation in their summer break. And Marcie took to both of them like she was their sister, too. In fact, Bryce at one point asked me what Marcie's role was-- and I wasn't really sure how to answer. It's one of those things I've thought about with respect to Marcie. I mean, I expected Marcie to ask that question in a few years. But I hadn't considered that Bryce or Haley might wonder the same thing.
How do you classify it? Does her relationship have to have a title? I suppose not. Bryce asked if she was his sister-- and I suppose she is by mere virtue of being Casey's sister. I mean, there's no question about that relationship even though they aren't biologically related. So does that make her Bryce's half sister, too? Even though they aren't biologically related? Or is she like his half sister once removed? I know that it doesn't matter what you call it-- that Marcie will just always look up to Bryce and Haley the same way that Casey does. And I am so grateful Casey's birthfamily has taken in Marcie just like an extension of the family -- because that's obviously how we think of her. It's just one more example of how we know we hit the jackpot with them-- just one more reason to thank Casey's birthmom Angie for picking us to parent him.
But I digress. After leaving at 5:30am and driving a couple hours to Dayton, we had no trouble checking our bags curbside. The sky cap did a nice job figuring out why the airline had us down as checked in with checked bags already, and I tipped him well. So then he covered Casey's booster seat with plastic, which we sure did appreciate. We had enough time to stop for breakfast. And then we watched the planes for a while before we boarded ours. It was small. The kind with one seat along one aisle and two along the other aisle. Marcie and I sat behind Jason and Casey for the flight to Cincinnati, which was less than 20 minutes long. The bummer for us was that even though it was the same aircraft taking us to North Carolina, we had to remove everything when we deplaned. Including Marcie's car seat.
Inside the airport, the kids and I browsed a toy store, where Casey picked out a new airplane to play with. We returned to our plane and flew the hour and a half to Charlotte, where my dad was waiting for us at the gate! Back in the old days, your family and friends always met you at the gate. But nowadays because of security no one can do that. Unless you're lucky enough to have an airline employee for a friend or family member. As it turned out, my dad was on his way to his own flight (as a pilot), so he was there to greet us in uniform and everything, which Casey thought was so cool. As a matter of fact, my dad has models of all the various air craft he's flown in his study. Casey keeps taking my mom in there to point out the one that looks most like this most recent flight we took. He says, "Remember, Grandma, when we took that airplane?" as if she flew with us!
After lunch and a short nap, my mom and I took the kids over to the pool, then we had dinner, where Marcie ate more broccoli than I have ever seen a child eat.
This morning we headed over to a city pool that's an indoor water park! The only bummer was that I couldn't put Marcie on my lap to go down the slide, and she kept flopping backward and landing under water (thankfully she knows to hold her breath), so she wasn't long for the water slides themselves. The kids ate there, then home for a nap again. Casey begged us to go to a nearby park to ride a scooter. I don't know if he didn't like all the gear (helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, etc) or the heat-- or both. But after getting everything loaded into the car to go, Casey wailed that he wanted to go to the pool instead. So we did.
And now the kids are asleep. So leg two is going well so far. Then again, the real test will be these next few days-- while we're in New York and Marcie is here with my parents.
As for me, I am really enjoying this unfettered time with the kids. They make me laugh. Marcie is so determined and independent and inquisitive. Casey is so busy and musical and smart. And I did manage to finish a couple books (including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows).
Observations on Ohio
We look forward to visiting with Casey's birth family each year. And we look forward to visiting their home, too. It's pretty different from suburban San Diego. Casey's half brother and sister live in what we would consider a small town-- Jason tells me he remembers hearing it's got a population of around 4,000. Our home town, dubbed "the city in the country," on the other hand, has a population in the neighborhood of 40,000. I bet the geography has similar acreage, though. And that says a lot.
Each time we visit, Jason comments that we should buy a place in their home town. There are plenty of rolling hills and wide open spaces. And generally when we visit, even though it has always rained during our trip, the weather is more or less pleasant. Of course, we've tended to visit in the spring. And apparently it's a tad bit hotter and more humid in August. That doesn't mean we didn't have a blast at the water park and visiting Cosi, the Columbus science museum, where there were plenty of wet activities to keep the kids engaged and cool. And we were pleasantly surprised during our foray up to Cleveland for my good friend's wedding to have even escaped the humidity for a while.
One thing we noticed, the thing that really struck me is this: people actually drive the speed limit. Now, I'm no speed demon or anything. But I don't drive the speed limit either. When we explained that we'd be taking an interstate, people repeatedly commented with statements like, "Oh, that's good. You can drive 60 (or 65) on that road." 60 or 65, huh? I don't remember the last time we drove that slowly on an interstate! And when expressed our surprise at the conformity with the speed limit to my friend's other wedding guests, we were warned to take it easy-- lots of state troopers. We didn't believe it. After all, we'd traveled from Dayton down to south of Chilicothe, up to Columbus, and up to Cleveland and run into exactly one state trooper in two days. And we'd passed two highway patrol stations!
But there we were, driving home around midnight, coming down a hill onto a straight road, about to pass under an overpass when we saw the vehicle, sitting with all his lights out in an unlit area. And though Jason slowed immediately, it wasn't enough to prevent us from attracting the officer's attention. It turns out it wasn't a state trooper, but a local officer. And when we tried to hand him Jason's license and our rental agreement, he told us he knew it was a rental and just wanted to know where we were from. One look at the California license and he sighed a knowing sigh and said, "Well, I'm just gonna give you a warning as long as your license comes back clear. But you were going 75, so take it easy." And he was pretty nice about the whole thing.
On the rest of the four hour drive, we didn't slow down to 60 (except when we got lost downtown-- why are the freeway signs in Ohio so darned confusing?!?--and when we hit construction zones with speed limits of 45mph). And we still rolled in the door around 4:10am. That was after a deer darted across the road in front of us as we took our last hill back to the house. Fortunately, Jason has quick reflexes.
Cleveland was fun-- mainly because my friend was a beautiful bride. By now I think we've seen about all of Ohio you can see from interstates. Of course, there are plenty of fields and other places to explore. And lucky for us, we have family sprawled across the state, and in one small town in particular, which beckons us back to "the country."
Each time we visit, Jason comments that we should buy a place in their home town. There are plenty of rolling hills and wide open spaces. And generally when we visit, even though it has always rained during our trip, the weather is more or less pleasant. Of course, we've tended to visit in the spring. And apparently it's a tad bit hotter and more humid in August. That doesn't mean we didn't have a blast at the water park and visiting Cosi, the Columbus science museum, where there were plenty of wet activities to keep the kids engaged and cool. And we were pleasantly surprised during our foray up to Cleveland for my good friend's wedding to have even escaped the humidity for a while.
One thing we noticed, the thing that really struck me is this: people actually drive the speed limit. Now, I'm no speed demon or anything. But I don't drive the speed limit either. When we explained that we'd be taking an interstate, people repeatedly commented with statements like, "Oh, that's good. You can drive 60 (or 65) on that road." 60 or 65, huh? I don't remember the last time we drove that slowly on an interstate! And when expressed our surprise at the conformity with the speed limit to my friend's other wedding guests, we were warned to take it easy-- lots of state troopers. We didn't believe it. After all, we'd traveled from Dayton down to south of Chilicothe, up to Columbus, and up to Cleveland and run into exactly one state trooper in two days. And we'd passed two highway patrol stations!
But there we were, driving home around midnight, coming down a hill onto a straight road, about to pass under an overpass when we saw the vehicle, sitting with all his lights out in an unlit area. And though Jason slowed immediately, it wasn't enough to prevent us from attracting the officer's attention. It turns out it wasn't a state trooper, but a local officer. And when we tried to hand him Jason's license and our rental agreement, he told us he knew it was a rental and just wanted to know where we were from. One look at the California license and he sighed a knowing sigh and said, "Well, I'm just gonna give you a warning as long as your license comes back clear. But you were going 75, so take it easy." And he was pretty nice about the whole thing.
On the rest of the four hour drive, we didn't slow down to 60 (except when we got lost downtown-- why are the freeway signs in Ohio so darned confusing?!?--and when we hit construction zones with speed limits of 45mph). And we still rolled in the door around 4:10am. That was after a deer darted across the road in front of us as we took our last hill back to the house. Fortunately, Jason has quick reflexes.
Cleveland was fun-- mainly because my friend was a beautiful bride. By now I think we've seen about all of Ohio you can see from interstates. Of course, there are plenty of fields and other places to explore. And lucky for us, we have family sprawled across the state, and in one small town in particular, which beckons us back to "the country."
Monday, August 06, 2007
First Leg
We made it to Central-ish Ohio safe and sound. We flew from San Diego to Atlanta and Atlanta to Dayton, then drove a couple hours south east to our final destination. The kids traveled like champs. I was heartily impressed. My strategy? New toys.
I bought Casey three small toys (two from Bob the Builder and one from Jay Jay the Jet Plane). I put one in his carry on and two in mine. He found the first one on our way to the airport, and he played with it all the way to Atlanta. Of course, he also watched a movie and ate some snacks. And the flight was smooth, so he was able to stand up in the aisle between me and Jason. But he didn't try to run off or anything, so it was good. Marcie was in her car seat much of the flight, but she wasn't pleased about it all the way.
We only had one hour in Atlanta, which was barely enough time to switch terminals and go to the bathroom, so no lunch. Fortunately, the kids didn't mind. They both fell asleep during take-off (so I never introduced one of the new toys). When we landed in Dayton and got in the rental car, we could plug in the DVD player to the car to run another movie. Plus, I'd brought Casey a new toy and I had my secret weapon-- popcorn which I'd popped the night before and put in a gallon-sized zip lock. Of course, by the time we'd traveled nine hours without any real food, I was famished, so we stopped for food at the start of the drive. At the restaurant, we sat next to a family with a toddler wearing a Hooters bib. That was a new one!
Casey's aunt and uncle sold their goats, so they weren't here when we arrived, but his half siblings were waiting for us and came running out to the car when we pulled up. Casey was ecstatic to see them, and he didn't even notice the new Thomas Tidmouth Sheds toy they'd bought him at first! He spent the night with his big brother in a big boy bed, and he had so much fun with Bryce in the morning, that he didn't even come wake us up for breakfast when he first got up.
I'll leave off there. I'll just mention briefly how much both kids loved the water slide park. And true to form, Marcie insisted we go down the biggest, tallest slide in the children's area. Saturday, Jason and I drove 4 hours to Cleveland and back for my good friend Poornima's wedding. She looked beautiful, of course, and the food was amazing. And her new sister-in-law is a massage therapist in New York, where we are headed in a few days-- so you can imagine we'll be calling her!
Ok. I've gotta go now, the kids are wrestling next to me on the couch. I told Casey this morning that we'd be leaving tomorrow, and he was pretty upset by the news, even though I also told him he'd get to go on another big airplane, see Grandma and Grandpa, and go swimming in their pool. We expect that from here on out, it will get harder and harder for Casey to say good-bye to his older siblings. And it's gonna be hard to watch. But I think it's a good thing, too. Because it means he feels a connection with them, with his birth family. And that's what we wanted for him. And I think his birthmother would have wanted that for him, too. They are, after all, his family.
I bought Casey three small toys (two from Bob the Builder and one from Jay Jay the Jet Plane). I put one in his carry on and two in mine. He found the first one on our way to the airport, and he played with it all the way to Atlanta. Of course, he also watched a movie and ate some snacks. And the flight was smooth, so he was able to stand up in the aisle between me and Jason. But he didn't try to run off or anything, so it was good. Marcie was in her car seat much of the flight, but she wasn't pleased about it all the way.
We only had one hour in Atlanta, which was barely enough time to switch terminals and go to the bathroom, so no lunch. Fortunately, the kids didn't mind. They both fell asleep during take-off (so I never introduced one of the new toys). When we landed in Dayton and got in the rental car, we could plug in the DVD player to the car to run another movie. Plus, I'd brought Casey a new toy and I had my secret weapon-- popcorn which I'd popped the night before and put in a gallon-sized zip lock. Of course, by the time we'd traveled nine hours without any real food, I was famished, so we stopped for food at the start of the drive. At the restaurant, we sat next to a family with a toddler wearing a Hooters bib. That was a new one!
Casey's aunt and uncle sold their goats, so they weren't here when we arrived, but his half siblings were waiting for us and came running out to the car when we pulled up. Casey was ecstatic to see them, and he didn't even notice the new Thomas Tidmouth Sheds toy they'd bought him at first! He spent the night with his big brother in a big boy bed, and he had so much fun with Bryce in the morning, that he didn't even come wake us up for breakfast when he first got up.
I'll leave off there. I'll just mention briefly how much both kids loved the water slide park. And true to form, Marcie insisted we go down the biggest, tallest slide in the children's area. Saturday, Jason and I drove 4 hours to Cleveland and back for my good friend Poornima's wedding. She looked beautiful, of course, and the food was amazing. And her new sister-in-law is a massage therapist in New York, where we are headed in a few days-- so you can imagine we'll be calling her!
Ok. I've gotta go now, the kids are wrestling next to me on the couch. I told Casey this morning that we'd be leaving tomorrow, and he was pretty upset by the news, even though I also told him he'd get to go on another big airplane, see Grandma and Grandpa, and go swimming in their pool. We expect that from here on out, it will get harder and harder for Casey to say good-bye to his older siblings. And it's gonna be hard to watch. But I think it's a good thing, too. Because it means he feels a connection with them, with his birth family. And that's what we wanted for him. And I think his birthmother would have wanted that for him, too. They are, after all, his family.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Auto Out of Office Reply
They don't really have one of these for blogs. If they did, it would read:
I'm out of the blogsphere for a short stint, experiencing new things to write about so this blog doesn't become stale. I hope you'll forgive the short hiatus and check back in a week to hear all about my latest adventures!
Here's the deal:
We're off on our trip tomorrow (actually today-- in about five hours. Good lord, I hope the kids sleep on the plane because I'm obviously going to be exhausted!). I don't know what my computer access will be while I'm away or how much time I'll have to write.
I expect to post a blog update within the week though-- my guess is next Tuesday (the 7th) at the latest. I'll have lots to tell about. I'm a little nervous about what to do with the kids on the plane. I've packed sufficient snacks, though-- so many, in fact, there's no room for Harry Potter (but that won't stop me from bringing his last book along).
I'm out of the blogsphere for a short stint, experiencing new things to write about so this blog doesn't become stale. I hope you'll forgive the short hiatus and check back in a week to hear all about my latest adventures!
Here's the deal:
We're off on our trip tomorrow (actually today-- in about five hours. Good lord, I hope the kids sleep on the plane because I'm obviously going to be exhausted!). I don't know what my computer access will be while I'm away or how much time I'll have to write.
I expect to post a blog update within the week though-- my guess is next Tuesday (the 7th) at the latest. I'll have lots to tell about. I'm a little nervous about what to do with the kids on the plane. I've packed sufficient snacks, though-- so many, in fact, there's no room for Harry Potter (but that won't stop me from bringing his last book along).
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
In Your Carry On . . .
So, in honor of our pending trip across country, I decided to look up the TSA Regulations for what we can carry on so that I don't have to throw away a bunch of stuff when we try to pass through the security check-point. Mainly, I wanted to know if I could bring soy milk for Marcie (it's not listed as a permissible liquid in amounts greater than 3 oz., but baby formula and juice are, so I'm going to bring a box of it anyway, and if they may be toss it, so be it).
I was surprised to discover there have been some changes in the TSA regulations.
Most notable is that I am now permitted to bring scissors with metal tips that measure less than 4 inches in length. I used to travel with small scissors pre-children (and pre-9-11, obviously) because I cross-stitched on the plane. My very sharp Fiskars are a fraction or two under the two-inch mark. But man are those things sharp. I wasn't planning to bring scissors, but then when I saw that screwdrivers 7 inches in length or shorter are permitted in carry-on bags, I began to think maybe I should bring my puny scissors for protection. You know, just in case we need them on the plane. (I don't want to be too explicit here for fear I'll trigger some red alert and screw myself out of the trip!)
Then I decided to read what items are not allowed in your carry on. I was pleased to learn that swords and sabers are among the list of prohibited items. Along with cattle prods, throwing stars, and axes or hatchets. Geez. What kinds of items were people bringing on airplanes before?
In any event, I know I'll be safe. As long as I have my trusty Fiskars nearby. Heh heh.
I was surprised to discover there have been some changes in the TSA regulations.
Most notable is that I am now permitted to bring scissors with metal tips that measure less than 4 inches in length. I used to travel with small scissors pre-children (and pre-9-11, obviously) because I cross-stitched on the plane. My very sharp Fiskars are a fraction or two under the two-inch mark. But man are those things sharp. I wasn't planning to bring scissors, but then when I saw that screwdrivers 7 inches in length or shorter are permitted in carry-on bags, I began to think maybe I should bring my puny scissors for protection. You know, just in case we need them on the plane. (I don't want to be too explicit here for fear I'll trigger some red alert and screw myself out of the trip!)
Then I decided to read what items are not allowed in your carry on. I was pleased to learn that swords and sabers are among the list of prohibited items. Along with cattle prods, throwing stars, and axes or hatchets. Geez. What kinds of items were people bringing on airplanes before?
In any event, I know I'll be safe. As long as I have my trusty Fiskars nearby. Heh heh.
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