Wednesday, February 10, 2010

On the Road Again -- Grandparenting Time

This could possibly be a pretty long entry --- I know, I know -- they are ALL long, lol. We were on the road for two weeks with kids and grands and have great shots to share from all three spots. So sit back and enjoy the trip as we relive it with you.

We started out by flying to Ohio and spending a few days with Amanda and her "boys". It had just snowed that day and so that was the end of us seeing anything but white ground for the entire trip. We relaxed at home with the boys that afternoon and evening while adjusting to the temperature change.



Then the next day was "our" day
with the boys while mom and dad worked and so we were off to the Great Lakes Science Center for a morning of discovery and fun. A few of the exhibits really stand out as "winners" for the boys: the shadow room, the bubble sheet, the lunar car, and a couple of mechanical movement smile makers. Then of course the play room --- where we let them run off a little of that excess energy.



We left there exhausted, with candy treats for later and absolutely starving. We headed downtown to the Great Lakes Brewing Company for lunch and got a booth and let the boys order a big burger and fries that they split and ate every last crumb of -- i guess they weren't joking about being hungry. From there we went to pick up mom from work and go home to change before going to dinner that night with the boys. The treats we had gotten the boys were sugar tubes and so they got to have them at home. Amanda just closed her eyes while we fed her boys straight sugar (the hygienist in her shivered) and then as the tubes came away --- the funniest looks and faces were left. Too cute.


Trent fell asleep while trying to get Raef and Ryan settled down and so Amanda went out and picked up a movie and the three of us snuggled down and watched Julie and Julia together. Nice end to the evening. The next day was Saturday and so after a leisurely morning where Mister was used as a climbing post we dressed and headed to the Childrens Museum for some definite entertainment. Upon hitting the sand pile -- Amanda just giggled at Mister and asked if he was going to be able to handle it ---- no one was sure, ha ha.





READ THOSE LIPS!!!!! MOOOOOO! I love it.
We ended the trip with a night out for the adults and went to a restaurant called Felice. It was in a converted home and with the bad weather everyone was being routed through the kitchen to get in the restaurant -- kinda funny but understandable. Trent wanted a table up front where there weren't so many people and so off we went only to discover why no one else was seated out there --- it was freezing!!! There was a space heater though and so we pulled it over to the table and after a few minutes we were perfectly comfortable -- well not perfectly -- we moved the table too, lol. It was a great dinner though and a good time was had by all -- the chicken was some of the best I have ever had and we enjoyed absolutely every part of our meal. The weekend had flown by and we were off for South Dakota the next morning. See ya again in a couple of months guys.

Next stop: South Dakota. Louis was home from his deployment and so he and Jen were heading off for a few days of "together" time in Las Vegas so we were the official babysitters. What had we gotten ourselves into? We started out with gifts -- makes sense doesn't it? Actually the day before had been Jared's birthday and so we had a quick little birthday for him -- with his remote control dinosaur that we had gotten him --- again, what were we thinking?

Then, since Louis had been gone for Christmas, we had gotten him a multi-occasion gift --- we called it a Christmas/Birthday/Graduation x 2 gift. Kinda funny and we definitely were not able to find such a card -- surely someone else has had this need? He was all grins with his gift and was eagerly looking forward to learning about it and seeing what he could do with it. It was soooo fun to do that for him.






The next morning, they were off to the airport and we were in charge. Lookout kids -- we were now not only the babysitters, but the teachers, housekeepers, cooks, and chauffeurs. We just dug in and got started. First on the agenda was to go through the cupboards and refrigerator/freezer to discover what all we had to work with on feeding this crowd. That was fun and once we had it under control, we were off and running --- literally. I handled the meals and kitchen for the most part while Mister did all the driving and and part of the teaching. We threw cleaning and laundry in whenever we could and even tried to make some of their favorite foods.



They managed to sneak in some Webkin time, computer time, Super Mario time, and of course Lego time. A few movies and cartoons were thrown in and Miss Bekah even managed to watch approximately EVERY episode of Chuck when she could sneak away to her room.

One morning we set up a little photo shoot and did pictures of each of the kids -- it was selfish actually, I wanted updated ones for the office as ours were two years old. It was fun though and I picked a few to post here --- Mister hasn't touched these up yet so they are not in a final stage, but I enjoyed them.


It was fun and they got a kick out of it once we got past the "please put on a nice shirt" part of it. During the drives, Mister was able to do some fun things with the kids one or two at a time and the "Mexican Hot Chocolate" was an instant success while they waited for others to finish activities. We did sneak in Alvin and the Chipmunks - The Squeaquel as well as a trip to the Journey museum. It was a fun week and yes, we were tired, but pleased with the way it had gone. We enjoyed our time with them and they are such bright children that it was a joy to teach and play with them each day. We ended our stay by taking Jen and Louis out to an adult only dinner and having some quality conversation. We left with complete admiration for all that Jen does each and every day while she is on her own --- we were swamped and there were two of us without any of our own activities or jobs to worry about. WOW --- she is incredible.

Last leg of the trip --- we headed to Billings so that I could work for a couple of days and spend time with Matt and Rhiana and their families. It turned out that Rhiana had a severe case of strep throat and so even though it broke our hearts (especially Mister's as he saw Elena through a room and saw her recognize him) and many tears were spilt by me, we skipped seeing them this trip and will have to wait for another month to do so. While I worked each day Mister sanded and stained Matt and Becca's waterbed that they had gotten from Jen and he didn't quite get it done, but got a long way on it. We were able to have some fun with Hyrum though and he is in a stage where he sometimes stops and poses for pictures. Check this out!!! Unbelievably adorable. OH MY!!!!!


We enjoyed our time with them -- starting out with a mini Super Bowl party on Sunday complete with all the snacks. We had a carpet picnic downstairs and it was really quite enjoyable. After work each day, we took them to dinner and tried to give Becca a break -- being pregnant is so tiring and she is almost to her third trimester and so we didn't want to give her any additional worries about taking care of us. It was so cold there ---- each day was just a shiver --- I was looking forward to going home to warmth.

I try and arrive with a book in hand each trip and this one was not any different --- when we get there we usually have to take a few minutes and go through ALL of the books. I'm glad he gets so much enjoyment out of them. Hyrum had gotten a marble game for Christmas and he and Mister had a good time with it. He was so meticulous about keeping track of the marbles that I was shocked. They set up a really good course and many hours were spent this way.


I would sit in front of the fireplace and watch the two of them play ---- Matt, on the other hand --- well apparently it just wasn't exciting enough for him.


We had a good time there and look forward to the next trip. Perhaps we can get them down to Texas for one more short visit before his work season really gets going and he is tied down.



Monday, January 18, 2010

Off to St. Louis -- (smile smile)

Mister and I had decided to only give each other stocking gifts for Christmas and then take a trip afterwards.  He had booked a sleeper car on Amtrak and we left Dallas and were off to St. Louis --- I was so excited as I had never been there before and he said it had been 30 years since he had.  Our cabin was perfect and we settled in for the evening.




















We arrived in St. Louis early in the morning and took the transit rail towards Delmar Loop where our hotel was hoping for an early check-in.  We were lucky and I found out that Mister had gotten us the "Shelley Winters" suite.  It was beautiful and we were certainly spoiled.


After dropping off our things, we were off to check out the city.  The weather wasn't all that great, but we were hopeful that it wouldn't last the whole weekend.  We rode the trains, took cabs, and walked, never seeming to have any trouble finding our way around.  The first evening found us checking out a couple of micro-brews, shopping in a little boutique (I got a new purse!!!), and finding the most wonderful little romantic spot all based on chocolate.  At around 10 that evening we headed to the City Museum which opened late on Friday nights for adults and for two hours you could wander and play with the aid of a little tiny flashlight only --- no lights.  A must see for anyone going to St. Louis.  I don't have any pictures of the cave (it was DARK) but at one point we wandered through it and climbed 7 stories to ride a slide back down.  Add in the climbing we did outside and after two hours, we were exhausted --- and very sore for a couple of days, lol.  This was truly one of the greatest times I have ever had --- I have talked about it time and time again since we returned.


 

We slept in a little the next day -- go figure huh.  Our hotel was right on Delmar Loop and that day the entire street was having an ice festival and so we were able to explore the shops and take in the festival atmosphere.  From ice slides, ice putting greens, ice sculptures in front of each shop and ice games for kids at all the stores to various street acts and music, it was festive indeed.  


After spending the morning there and enjoying a Thai lunch, we headed for other parts of the city.  Next stop was the Cathedral Basilica and all I can say about that is "Oh My Gosh!"  I have been in some of the most beautiful religious buildings, but this was beyond anything that I had ever seen.  The ENTIRE place was done in mosaic pictures -- tiny tiles that showed absolute detail and beauty.  They didn't leave any space untouched and the walls, ceiling, pillars, etc. showed that beauty in abundance.  We both stood in awe.


We wandered down to the waterfront that night for a stop at another micro brew and then off for dinner and the end of the day.  After last nights late night, we were beat.  The next day the sun was shining.  YEAH!! We had waited to do the Gateway Arch hoping that we would actually be able to see the city from it.  We quickly headed down there, even forgoing breakfast and walked the grounds and got out tickets, picked up some hot cocoa, and visited the museum that is below the monument.  As you can tell, we had a bit of a wait, but it was oh so worth it.  This was one of the most incredible views for me and I was still in shock that I could even go up in the arch.  That was news to me.  Mister and I took the time from the top of the arch to call Raef and sing happy birthday to him as we looked out over the city.  What a great memory.

 
  

  
  


We grabbed some lunch after that and started the journeys back to the hotel to gather things and head for Amtrak for our trip back.  What a great trip --- we had a ton of fun and some quality time together.  A super Christmas gift!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Christmas Ends -- Kyle and Rhiana visit - welcome 2010


Rhiana and Kyle came to visit for 5 days to help us end our Christmas holiday celebration.  Miss Elena was only in the house a short time when Gammy's bowls once again were discovered by another little one.  Doesn't that look just say it all?  "I'm too cute to be doing anything wrong here."

We had a great time together and once again spent more time at home enjoying visiting and cooking together. We even let the kids get away for a night out with a free babysitter and they hit the clubs in town for a change of pace.  It was supposed to be a break -- well as much of a break as you can get with an eight month old around.  She was a pure delight though and never lacked for someone to talk to her, play with her, or cuddle.  Mister had such a good time taking pictures of her --- he did a complete photo shoot it seems like -- has probably 75 pictures of her and some are absolutely amazing shots.  Choosing which ones to put in here was the hard part and I'm sure I picked too many, but I love them all.


We did find time to go out to dinner, shop at the mall (of course), and make a return trip up to the silos for a climbing repeat.   It was great -- last time it was 100 degrees in the silo and they sweat themselves to death while loving every minute of it -- this time it was "see your breath" cold in there and the trip didn't last quite as long but we think they had a good time anyway.

I had gotten some Discovery Toys before Christmas and bought duplicates of some of them to have at the house for "visitors" and so soon they were all over the house, but the tables and Gammy's baskets and bowls were way more fun.  There were times though when the toys were put to good use --- Rhiana and Kyle made competitions out of them which often times resulted in one person or the other having to do a physical punishment.  Elena and I sat in the chair and watched her dad take his lumps.


Getting time to visit was the best though.


We had the chance to have some great talks and get to know each other even better.  Feeding time was always good as we tried to keep it quiet and perhaps we could get a few minute nap out of Miss.

It wasn't always to be --- she sure is a little ball of fire.

Bath time turned out to be quite fun as well -- new toys and Mister always there taking pics --- he has a "pink sequence" that he is working at putting finishing touches on that is sooooo good.  Here are just a few pictures from the "pink" ones.  We are working on kissing.


 

Here's Miss in her "Elena" shirt --- see the giant E?


Watch the look here --- What's this?


Oh I think I like it.

 

Are there more of them?

As with all good things --- it has to end sooner or later.  Our moments like this would have to wait for another day but the memories would last forever.  





  

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Misters Mom's Birthday/New Year Party

We made a trip down to Arlington to celebrate Mom's birthday with the whole family.  Getting together for these events is always fun and we enjoy the opportunities they present.  A yule log seems fitting for a birthday right around Christmas and doesn't it just look beautiful?  Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves for lunch, dessert, and a football game playing in the background.  Rockin' was the only one who didn't seem real impressed with everything that was going on.



From there, we headed home to prepare for a New Years Party we were having for people that we used to work with.  So off we went to make mountains of homemade macaroni and cheese (lol) and bake a ham.  It was a good time and fun to get together with friends that we hadn't seen for awhile.