A new perspective

Nothing can make you look at things differently like your kids do. And I don't mean the way you look back on your childhood and think about how it's amazing you survived your no-car-seat-no-seat-belt childhood. I'm talking about how the smallest things can look like the most amazing things in their eyes. Take this house that we rented on our vacation to O'ahu, for example.

When I saw it, I saw a double bed that seemed to be half the size of the bed I share with my husband at home. I see tight quarters and cramped spaces. To them? They used words like cozy and cute. In fact, my youngest told me that his favorite thing about our trip to O'ahu was the house. It's all about perspective!

Keys Recap: Fun in the Sun Days 1-3

We all had lots of fun hanging out with our extended family. We were greeted each day with Morgan and Avery singing "He is Lord", which they learned at Vacation Bible School and which also happens to be one of those songs that you cannot get out of your head. We'd find ourselves singing it in their absence if that is any indication. The place where we were staying was a really interesting community. Mostly older people who have retired there. Lots of snowbirds that won't even be back until winter.

They had all sorts of rules, but our favorites come from the pool. They had rules like "No food or beverages in the pool area", "no one with diapers or an incontinence problem is permitted in the big pool", clearly saying CRAP IN THE TODDLER POOL ONLY! Or, my sister-in-law Amy's personal favorite. "No one with communicable diseases or open sores allowed in the pool". This was so important, that it was not only listed on the list of pool rules, but also had it's very own sign. Obviously, this has been an issue in the past.

Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable place to stay, with a place to dock the boat right behind the house and a pool within walking distance.

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On our first full day in the Keys, the guys went fishing while the ladies hung out with the kids, tried to figure out schedules, and took the girls to the pool. They didn't come back from fishing with too many fish, but they came back with tales of barracuda eating the fish off their lines as they were reeling them in!

*Please note: I have taken artistic license with this photo. There's one more guy on the boat than actually went out on the first day - my uncle, who happened to be down in the Keys and went out fishing with the guys one day. This wasn't actually taken on the first day of the trip. It was like the third or fourth day, but it fits with the description of the first day. So sue me. :)

The next day, we headed to Key West (about 25 minutes away) to take the kids to the aquarium there. It was really humid and hot, but the kids enjoyed watching the sharks get fed, seeing the iguana who has made it's home there, and seeing lots of other fish and animals. Bennett REALLY liked the iguana, but it didn't care for him too much. The other little girl in the picture with Morgan is her cousin, Avery.

After the aquarium, we had lunch and then ice cream and then walked back through Mallory Square, behind the aquarium on our way out. The picture on the right is of all four cousins: Bennett, Avery, Morgan and Miles.

After we got home and had naps, Amy and I took the girls down to the pool for some more swimming. There was a swimming area in the ocean, but the girls (and Moms!) preferred the pool.

Day three marked the exact halfway point between the girls' birthdays, so we picked that day to celebrate. The girls started out the morning by playing some Wii (please take note of the vast amount of large items blocking the TV from Bennett), hanging out on the porch outside the house, and then celebrating their birthday with a feast of their choosing (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and macaroni and cheese). Followed, of course by cake, which everyone enjoyed!

This concludes your tour of the first half of our trip to the Keys. Tips are welcomed.

Keys Recap: Road Trip with Kids

We took two days to drive down to the Keys. We thought it would be easiest for the kids, who aren't fond of sitting in one place for eight hours straight. I should have known how the trip was going to go when I found out that my Dad had broken the front gate of their neighborhood (they live in a gated community) with the boat that he was hauling down to the Keys for my brother.


We were only about 30 minutes late from the time that we had pick for our departure - naptime. Not too bad, but the kids were super cranky, ready to sleep and we are doing last minute packing and tying stuff down in the boat. And we are off! We get on the interstate (a VERY busy one at that) and all of the sudden, my Dad pulls over because, apparently, something had flown out of the boat. Into the middle of the interstate. And he was going to get it. I was really nervous and scared, but trying hard not to show it too much because I didn't want to scare the kids. He comes back, with a life jacket that had blown out of one of the compartments that had come open. Sweaty, panting, but not empty-handed! And we're off again!


Morgan immediately wants to watch a movie - Grandpa has a DVD player in the car and this is a luxury that we don't normally have. I told her that she could watch a movie after nap, so she proceeded to go right to sleep. Wish I could say the same for Bennett. We had missed The Window, and now he was overtired and cranky. The rest of the trip to Sunrise, FL was spent trying to get Bennett to go to sleep, asking Morgan to not talk so loud with her headphones on, and keeping a steady flow of snacks running through the car to keep the natives from getting too restless. About four hours after we started, we pull into the hotel parking lot and get checked in. My Dad has to find a place to park the boat and when we get out, we realize that one of the trailer tires is low! Needless to say, it had been a long day and we were wanting dinner and beds and dealing with a tire just didn't fit into that plan.


We went out to TGI Friday's for what might go down as Bennett's Worst Meal. I keep saying that he's at that age where you can't really take him out to restaraunts, but yet, I keep taking him! It's really my fault for bringing an overtired toddler who's been pent up in a car all day to a restaraunt, but needless to say, I really just wanted the food to be eaten and us to leave. I was all about a means to an end! After dinner, we headed back to the hotel and got the kids ready for bed.


Bennett was in a portable crib, and Morgan wanted to share a bed with Lance. I put Bennett down in the crib and tried to escape to the bathroom for a few moments of privacy. That's when I heard a loud *thump*. THUMP THUMP. I ran out of the bathroom, to find that Bennett was standing up, holding onto the crib railing and shaking it with all his strength. Against the wall. That we shared with another room. So, we moved him to the end of my bed and watched as he continued the show there. Morgan kept complaining that she couldn't go to sleep because Bennett was keeping her up. I was up and down, laying him down, wrapping him in a blanket, HOLDING HIM DOWN, anything to make him STOP! He continued and I was curled up in a ball, nearly in tears when Lance made a brilliant suggestion. IGNORE HIM. He will eventually stop. And he did.


Here's the little stinker, the next morning. Happy as a lark, acting as if he didn't keep us up all night. Loving up on Daddy.

The next day held a lot more promise. We were a mere 1 mile away from FLORIDA'S LARGEST MALL and the guys agreed to drop us off there after breakfast. After all, we couldn't check into the house until 3pm and the remainder of the drive was around 4 hours, so we had time to kill. When we walked out to the car, we took notice of the tire that was previously LOW and we realized that it was not low, it was FLAT. We were originally going to just take Bennett with us, and the guys were going to take Morgan with them geocaching, but the flat tire changed the plans a bit. We agreed to take the kids with us so we could still get our shop on and the guys were going to get the tire patched. We were dropped off at the mall a little before 10,when it opened, and instructed to meet them back at the drop off point at 11:30. We shopped our little hearts out and then headed back towards the pick up point around 11:15. That's when I got a phone call from my Dad letting me know that it was taking longer than they had thought. They would need another 10-15 minutes. They would call us. We didn't want to stray too far, so we hung around the stores closer to where they were going to be picking us up. 45 minutes later, we still hadn't heard from them. I called and confirmed that they were still working on the tire. Apparently they had accidentally lost their place in line and then when they were be attended to, finally, the guys at the tire place took the tire off my Dad's TRUCK instead of the trailer. Ha! Needless to say, the guys were a little perturbed at the whole situation, when they finally picked us up. And the kids were hungry. We stopped for gas and gas station goodies, as we were holding off for lunch in Islamorada Key, and then we were off again.

The drive down was somewhat uneventful, other than the bazillions of tolls that we encountered on the Florida turnpike. UNTIL we reached our lunch destination, the Bass Pro Shop, where they have a restaraunt out on a dock by the water. All ten of us were there at this point, my family, my parents and my brothers family and we decended on the restaraunt in need of highchairs and booster seats and milk/water for thirsty kids and snack for hungry ones too. There was a large aquarium inside the store where the kids could check out really large fish like tarpon and grouper. After eating, shopping and seeing, we headed back out to the car and I took one look at the boat trailer and realized that the OTHER tire on the same side of the boat trailer was low now. Not so bad that we couldn't keep driving, but we also didn't know where there would be a place to get the tired fixed when we got to the Key we were staying on, Cudjoe Key. We found a place, and while the kids slept in the running car, the tire was patched in just a few minutes while we waited.

After another hour or so, we were finally there! We got to the house and started unpacking everything. That's when we got a visit by the community security. Apparently they have a 6 person-per-house policy and we had 10 in our house. So, we ended up having to rent another house and move four of us there. My parents graciously agreed to stay with the kids while my brother, his wife, Lance and I slept at the other house. Not as we had planned, but it would have to work!

After getting settled in, we had to do some food shopping, so we made up our lists and my Mom, my sister-in-law, Amy, and I went to the grocery store, about 20 minutes from us. People, I've never SEEN shopping like THIS! We each had a cart. And it was full of groceries. It was like a grocery parade, coming out of that store! But, with six adults and four kids, it's what you need! It really was a funny sight. But you know what was even funnier? The expression on the guys' faces when we came back. With all those groceries. Ha!

Let the fun in the sun begin!

Brag brag brag

I need to do this, because on those days when the kids are whining incessantly, I need to remember that they have it in them to be angelic little creatures. Up and out the door at 4:40 this morning, first flight landing in Atlanta at 7:35, two hour layover, and then a crazy long five hour flight. And my kids? The ones that scream defiantly in my face when the wind blows the wrong way? They were nearly perfect. Sure, Bennett had to run a few laps up and down the aisle around the half-way mark, but the people he accidentally head-butted didn't mind. And maybe, just maybe, we let Morgan watch a couple of movies to keep her quiet. But you know what? It worked. We all slept some. I even got to sleep! And read my book! I got many comments after about what a lovely family I have and how good the kids were. *Proud Momma*

To make things even better, once we got home, both kids went down immediately for naps. Morgan didn't end up sleeping very much, but "rested" for a solid two hours and Bennett had to be woken up at 5pm! And once up, they are both extremely pleasant, very happy to be back home with their toys, as is evidenced by the stuff strewn out all over the living room floor.

The adults are unpacked. Kids are next, but I'm taking a moment to get caught up on So You Think You Can Dance (priorities, people, priorities!). Then I've got to switch it into high gear because Morgan's dance recital is Saturday and her birthday along with her birthday party is on Sunday!

Now breaking radio silence

The last time I blogged was the day before we left for the Florida Keys. It seems like forever ago, but it was just a little over a week ago. Since my last blog entry, we picked Lance up at the airport and had a joyous reunion and then left the next day for the first half of our drive down to the Keys. We spent the night in Surise, which is near Ft. Lauderdale, and then drove the other half the next day, after some excitement. I'll leave the story of The Trip for another time. Suffice to say that we were happy to finally get there and start enjoying our fun in the sun! We were down there with my parents and my brother and his family. The kids all had fun playing together and the adults all got a chance to do something they really enjoyed doing; whether that be fishing, swimming, snorkeling, eating, sight seeing or shopping!

We leave tomorrow to fly back home and at some point, I'll have pictures to share and more tales to tell. For now, I'll leave you with the highlight of my trip.

On Saturday, my brother loaded up the cooler with sodas, beer and water and my sister-in-law and I headed out on his boat with him to Looe Key. That's where there is this wonderful coral reef with so many different species to see. We were out there snorkeling for probably around three hours and during that time, I saw so many different things. This was by far, the best snorkeling I've done.

I was greeted in the blue-green, crystal clear water by a school of yellowtail snapper who didn't seem to mind in the least that I had invaded their space. I immediately knew it was going to be a good trip because not long after I got into the water, a loggerhead sea turtle swam right by me. It even looked back at me as it swam by. It was close enough, that I could have reached out and touched it with little effort. I saw lots of HUGE tarpon - we're talking about HUNDREDS of pounds here, saw a Giant Grouper (and they don't call it Giant for no reason), and swam over a smallish Blacktip shark. We swam with a school of large parrot fish, were stalked by a barracuda until we managed to somehow swim right into a school of them (scary!). I found two VERY LARGE lobster hanging out under the shallow part of the reef in addition to hundreds of smaller tropical fish and clear jellyfish. By far, my favorite site was the eagle ray that swam under me as I was going back to the boat to change out my mask. What a gorgeous site! It was awesome! The only thing I wish was that I hadn't forgotten my underwater camera!

Pictures to come.

Wish us well on our trip home to California tomorrow!

Bread is for ducks

Going to the duck pond that I used to go to as a kid has become a tradition for Morgan. We have to go at least once each visit out here. Yesterday was our first real opportunity since she was officially done with VBS. We headed out a little before noon and went to The Atlanta Bread Company for lunch. Bennett thoroughly enjoyed some of his grilled cheese, most of Morgan's peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a little bit of her cookie. Morgan thoroughly enjoyed cleaning Bennett up after his disasterous lunch.

Once at the duck pond, there seemed to be more hungry turtles than there were hungry ducks. We had about three ducks that swam over for our offerings, but about 20-30 turtles! The kids also had fun discovering all the Floridian things in the surrounding park. I've takent these things for granted, not realizing that we don't have an abundance of them out in California. The big lizard on the tree trunk, the woodpecker holes, the hanging Spanish moss, and the elaborate spider webs that were woven in between braches.

A childhood memory was made

I had an interesting evening last night at my brother's house. We ended up getting there later than I had anticipated and so it made sense for me to put the kids down to bed so we could hang out and chat. Bennett protested at first, but did finally go to sleep. I *thought* Morgan was asleep until she showed her face, about 40 minutes later. She claimed to have gone to sleep and she told me that she was ready to go home to Grandma's house. I was right in the middle of a conversation with my sister-in-law and off and on with my brother (it was our first real opportunity to sit and talk without interruptions), so I was not really ready to leave. I felt bad about making her go back upstairs in a house that she's not all too familiar with, so I let her sit on my lap while I continued talking.

About three or four days ago, Morgan BEGGED me to let her stay up as late as I did. She told me that she didn't want to go to bed because it was boring. So, with this in mind, I didn't really mind letting her stay up a little since she never gets to do it and I knew she really wanted to be "one of the girls". So, we're sitting on the couch chatting and watching What Not to Wear. And there she is. In the middle of the couch, hanging with the girls. My sister-in-law went to get a little snack, and Morgan asked if she could have some. My first inclination was there's no way I'm adding sugar to an overtired preschooler, but my sister-in-law reminded me that we ARE on vacation. So, she got a bowl of dry fruity cheerios (which I don't keep in our house, so it's a treat) to eat in the living room while we watched TV and chatted. Oh, the excitement she had. She kept saying that she could NOT BELIEVE that she was staying up with us and hanging out. She promised not to speak a word of it to her younger cousin, who was asleep upstairs, and who would have been terribly jealous. She was sitting there, between us, watching us as we talked, popping fruity cheerios in her mouth, all the while with a HUGE grin on her face.

She really felt like she got to do something special, and she really did. Bedtime is sacred around our house because it's the only time that Lance and I really have to ourselves. So, bedtime is bedtime is bedtime. So, the fact that she was up late was cool. Hanging out with the girls, even cooler. When we got back to my parents' house, they were still up and she went ON and ON about how she got to stay up as late as me. Did you hear? Did you hear about it? Hee Hee!

She also made me realize that sometimes I just need to relax a little and not worry about being "on top" of her. She is just a kid after all. And those special, fun, unplanned moments are the stuff of great childhood memories. Last night, she kept grinning at me, knowing that she was doing something special and that we were sharing it together. If I could physically FEEL a bond being made, it was definitely happening last night. She may really make me loose my patience and sometimes my temper, but I just love that girl.

I thoroughly enjoyed last night and I know she did too. We'll see how bedtime tonight goes. Lucky for me, my Mom and I are going to see The Happening tonight, so it's all about Grandpa! :)

It's the thought that counts!

Please do not alert the media, but I did, in fact, leave the house today. THREE! TIMES! My Dad was playing golf this morning, so I dropped him off at the clubhouse and then had his car to myself for as long as I needed it. I returned home and took the quickest shower ever while my Mom was still there to watch the kids. I washed AND DRIED my hair, put on makeup and got dressed. Not in workout clothes. In real clothes. You know, for my Big Day Out.

Where oh where do you go on your Big Day Out in a city that you are visiting, with your 14 month old son? THE MALL, of course! We were there when they opened and I stayed until it was time to come home for lunch. Bennett was very patient with me as I perused the various stores for the perfect little sundress. I didn't find anything for me on this trip, but did find some rompers for Bennett, in 18 month size, since he's so rapidly outgrowing his 12 month clothes. Belks and Gymboree were having really good sales, so it's all justifiable! And can I please go on for just a moment about the dresses for babies and toddlers that I found at Dillards?? It's good for my wallet that Morgan is old enough to have an opinion on clothes and that Bennett is a boy. Because if they weren't? It would have been hard to stop me. I really, SERIOUSLY considered buying some of these dresses for some of the girls in Bennett's playgroup. But I'd have to buy them all dresses. And how, exactly, would I explain that to Lance?? But, I digress. The mall was good, but Bennett got antsy and ate through all the snack I brought with me in the matter of minutes. He started screaming DaDa! at the top of his lungs, thoroughly enjoying the echo of his own voice. So that signaled our departure time. And I hadn't found that dress yet! Dang!

I came home and made lunch for the girls when they got back from VBS. Everything was going well until Morgan kept messing around at the table during lunch. This is one of those constant battles with her and, honestly, I was tired of her totally ignoring me. So, I let her know (on like the third time I had asked her to eat and quit messing around) that lunch was now over and she needed to clear her place. Now, let me be clear here that she had eaten the turkey and half of the cheese from the middle of her sandwich and she had cleared the plate of the goldfish and apples. She was not going to starve. BUT OH MY GOODNESS. OFF ALL THE INJUSTICES IN THE WORLD. The fit continued and so I asked her to just go ahead and go get in bed for her nap (about 30 minutes early). I NEED SOMETHING TO SLEEP WITH. The fit rose to a fever pitch about getting something to sleep with. I went and discussed with her that if she had not thrown such a fit about wrapping up lunch, she would have had an opportunity to pick something to sleep with. The fit continued growing, and in true Morgan style, she informed me that there was NO REASON SHE SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO PICK OUT SOMETHING TO SLEEP WITH. I nearly lost it. I had to basically talk her down from the ledge and get her to regain control of herself. It took a loooooong time. She said a few choice things, like she doesn't like my "deals", but at the end of it, she was laying in the bed, quiet, afraid that if she made a noise she would be left at home alone while everyone else went and enjoyed the pool.

After that episode, I really needed to go back for more retail therapy. My sister-in-law and I headed back to the mall where I was rewarded for my perseverance with some killer deals (a sundress for $15!!! and a fitted jacket for $8 -- yes, you read that right!!). Once we were done at the mall, we headed back home just in time because all four of the grandkids had woken up at the same time. :) Time to get everyone in their swimsuits and sunscreen and head over to the pool. The pool was nice, but would have been nicer if Bennett would have enjoyed being IN the pool as much as he enjoyed running around and up to the edge of the pool, keeping me in a state of stress and anticipation. He actually did fall right at the edge of the pool once and that's when I decided that we'd had enough swimming! :)

The day wasn't quite what I'd pictured, but I left the house today -- three times!

Have I mentioned I miss my husband?

A whole lot of nothing

I felt like I should write something last night, but really didn't have a whole lot to say. Fact is, I've been just hanging out at my parents' house -- not even really leaving the house for whole days lately (except to go for a walk). My days have been consisting of getting up in the morning when I wake up, or when one of the kids wakes me up, whichever happens first, and getting whoever still needs breakfast fed. Since my Mom has been taking Morgan and my niece to VBS every morning, I've had the mornings alone with Bennett. It's pretty much me or my Dad chasing him around the house, trying to keep him from getting into everything. Moving the pig around for him.


I've also been trying to get some stuff done for my Mom in the mornings while she's gone. Just to help out, but mostly to stay busy. I've been cooking lunch for the kids -- Morgan, Bennett and my niece -- and having it ready when they get home. Today was my niece's birthday, so I even added a few candles to her PB&J to make it a little more special (PB&J is her favorite!). The afternoons have consisted of us getting the kids to nap so that errands can be run or things can be organized without their interruptions. We've been trying to head over to the neighborhood pool for two afternoons now, but we are in some sort of weather pattern that brings with it thunder, lightening, and rain just about the time we are ready to go swimming. Poor kids!


Bottom line is that I'm busy trying to fill my days with stuff because I can't stand having NOTHING to do. It's a sickness, right? Of course, my Dad can't stand to see my expending my energies doing useless and mundane things such as cleaning out my Mom's cabinets. He'd much rather "keep me entertained" by having me help him copy computer files and reformating hard drives. Yep, he's really looking out for me. :)

It has been fun to watch the cousins playing together. Morgan is very busy being The Oldest Child (which apparently entitles her to knowing everything, bossing everyone around, and throwing fits when she feels like it). Bennett is very busy being Mr. Busy Body; circling the girls and checking out my nephew, who's about six months younger than him. Yesterday, the girls were sitting on the living room floor and Morgan was doing her cousin's hair. She kept straighteing her neck/head with her hands and telling her that she needed to keep her head still. Gee, wonder where she got that from? My niece is not too sure about Bennett, especially now that he's walking around and might actually come take a toy from her. She has decided that she doesn't much care for that. She keeps a good eye on him. Which, of course, makes him want to be near her even more.


Today, I helped my Mom go through her desk and get things organized. It was fun to see the things that she's been hanging on to. For years. And years. And years. I know we all have things we keep for various reasons, so it's not like this was something to call Oprah about, but I was just curious about how many various size/shaped/colored pads of paper one person might need. Or boxes of rubber bands. Or those return address labels that the Humane Society sends you. Oh! Oooohh! I almost forgot that she has her very own USPS timeline in her desk drawer. Do you remember 29 cent stamps? No? Well, she's got some! And just about every other stop the postage stamp has made on it's way to it's current 42 cent value. :)


I'm very happy to report that my Mom was an easy subject. She didn't object too much to the stuff I was asking her to purge or move. I am pretending that I did not hear her say that I was "cut throat". Because at the end of the day, I know that this will make her life easier. Did I mention where I found the birthday candles I used for today's birthday celebration? In the bathroom. Of course! Isn't that where we all keep birthday candles?? ;) If that's not funny, how about the fact that my FATHER knew to find them there. Yeah, go figure. :)

Return to life

I'm so glad to have my children back from the depths of sleep deprivation. Today was a fairly battle-free day and I'm thanking all the sleep for it. The kids were downright pleasant!

Evidence that Bennett was in desperate need of sleep:

~ 3 hour nap yesterday.
~ Slept from 8pm-9am this morning.
~ Fell asleep during our walk at 11am.
~ 2 hour nap this afternoon.
~ In bed without any fussing at 7:30 tonight.

Today was pretty low key. Morgan is going to Vacation Bible School with my Mom and her cousin all week, so I was up at 7:45 this morning to help get her out the door. Once they left, I got to work hooking my Mom up with a home/time management plan and doing some stuff around her house. I feel so useless unless I'm doing something around the house. Yeah, I know it's vacation, but I'll relax when we get down to the Keys. Bennett woke up at 9 and had breakfast and then after I let him play for a little bit, we headed out for a walk. Dude - it's HOT here. I mean hot and HUMID. I don't miss that at all. So, after about 3 miles, we were back home and Bennett was asleep. I put him down in his crib for about 20-30 minutes until he started babbling (and had a nasty diaper). He got up and played a bit while I prepared lunches for everyone. I had grilled cheese sandwiches ready for the girls when they got home from VBS.

After lunch, it was nap time and while the kids napped for 2 hours, my Mom and I worked on organizing her filing system. After the kids got up, we went outside and bounced balls and blew bubbles until it was too hot to stand any more and then we came back inside and played a bit more before dinner.

Dinner, baths and bed and then I hung out with my parents. My Dad is helping me on my quest for the best auto GPS unit. Lance and I have discussed this as our anniversary gift to each other. I really want one. I hate always having to print out directions. What a waste of paper. Speaking of anniversaries, I'm missing my husband. I'll be glad to see him on Sunday. :)

Hey there little Paige!

So, there is one story that stands out from our trip to Alabama. One that really deserves it's own post. Not just because it's funny, but because it personifies my daughter and her character, really well. This happened yesterday, as Morgan was swimming in the pool with her various third cousins and my two friends' girls. She had already done a lot of talking with lots of hand motions and eye rolling, etc. Being Very Dramatic. My friends were laughing at her, talking about how much she's like me (what?!). Then, in an effort to get the attention of everyone in the pool, Morgan proceeds as follows:

Hey!
Hey you guys!
Heellllooooooo!
Guys!
Guuuuuyyyyys, I'm trying to talk to yooooouuuu!

This obviously isn't working, so she takes another tactic. She starts CLAPPING HER HANDS! (Yes, she really did this!)

(clap clap) Okay Guys! (clap clap)

(clap clap) Everyone! Okaaaay everyone, get in a circle! (clap clap)

Of course, these kids aren't going to be bossed around by some four year old CITY girl! So, they were totally ignoring her. Ha!

(clap clap) Everyone get in a circle and hold hands!! C'mon!! You guuuuuyys!! (clap clap)

*sigh* And she goes off and does something else, signaling her defeat.

My friends and I were DYING laughing. The whole sight was pretty funny. Until he says, "Hey there little Paige". I just refuse to find the humor in that. ;)

We are ALL family??

We are now back from Alabama and our family reunion. It was a long drive and short stay for the reunion, but it was good to see family that I haven't seen in years, in some cases. Morgan was very funny at the reunion. She couldn't even believe that she was related to ALL these people. She just couldn't believe that Grandpa had such a big family. My grandaddy was the youngest of 13 kids and of course they all had fairly substantial families, and theirs had kids. And then we had kids. And so on. It's one of those things where you are walking around and you know that you are probably related to a person, but don't know them from a total stranger. The food was good, of course. Didn't expect anything different, here in the deep south. Got my bit of banana pudding. Apparently, it's not a widely eaten thing outside of the south?? But here in the south, it's banana pudding with Vanilla Wafers and I was really looking forward to having some. It didn't disappoint!

Morgan and Bennett are all out of whack. They seriously do not know what time zone they are in. On Friday, we left to head up to Alabama shortly after lunch. They both napped in the car, but not at the same time and not for very long. After getting checked in to the hotel, we headed out to eat at a restaurant owned by one of my Dad's cousins. Bennett was a complete disaster at dinner, throwing food and just throwing a fit in general. Poor guy was tired and didn't know where in the hell we were. After dinner, we headed over to my aunt's house to see both of my aunts, my uncle and a bunch of my cousins as well as their kids. There were tons of kids running around and Morgan was in heaven! Bennett was just walking around like a zombie! Morgan was really taken with my youngest cousin, who is getting married this fall. He spent time jumping on the trampoline with her, and then she wouldn't leave his side. She also proceeded to talk EVERY ONE'S ears off. They just kept coming in from outside on the porch, one by one, telling me about what all she was saying. We finally got back to the hotel around 11 that night and Bennett decided to get his third wind and was really difficult to get to bed. Once he let himself fall asleep, he was out, though.

Saturday was the reunion and so we got up and got everyone ready to go. We headed to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. Bennett was a mess again - throwing food and screaming, so my Dad kindly took him away once he was done eating. I'm seeing a theme here - we cannot take Bennett out to eat right now! After breakfast, we made a quick stop at Walmart and then headed over to where we were having the family reunion. We got there, I put Bennett in the stroller and he pretty much fell asleep right away. Morgan immediately took off to play with all the kids there. She was having a blast. We have the reunions at this recreation center and it's actually inside a gymnasium. So, the kids were over where the hoops were, throwing balls and playing chase. It was good to let her cut loose and play with her cousins. I have such fond memories of hanging out like that with my cousins. And here she is, a generation later, doing the same stuff. It just makes you feel good, you know? And a bonus was that I was actually able to enjoy some adult conversations and catching up with family for a good couple of hours! It was nice! The food was all out and we ate and then Bennett woke up. I fed him and he seemed happy, but he was very clingy and didn't want me to be too far from him. After we all took family pictures, my Mom and I took the kids next door to a water park to play in the water. Bennett rubbed sunscreen in his eyes and proceeded to cry pretty much the whole time we were there. As soon as he stopped, Morgan decided that it was time to go because she needed a nap. Can't say I blame her. So, we got packed up and changed and headed back to the hotel.

Of course, she fell asleep in the car on the way back to the hotel and then didn't go back to sleep once we got there. Bennett was so far PAST being tired that he was walking around like a drunk. After a good hour or so of me pulling my hair out with Bennett and Morgan not napping, we got the kids out and walked them around the hotel a little and then decided to head back over to my aunt's house. Some good friends of mine from college who live close by, in Georgia, came to meet us there. They brought their two adorable girls with them and so the girls all swam (I got in the pool too) while I got caught up with them. My Mom was holding Mr. Cranky Pants and he fell asleep in her arms (just shows you how tired he was!). When he finally woke up, we got the girls out of the pool and my friends left just as we were having dinner. Morgan and Bennett both ate a TON of food and then it was time for us to get going back to the hotel. We didn't get back there until around 11 again, but this time Bennett didn't fight going to bed too much.

On the trip back home today, Bennett slept for a good hour or two on the way home. Morgan didn't sleep at all, but did play quietly on her Leapster for a while. Long enough for my Mom and I to have an interruption-free conversation. Once we got home, my Mom had to run over to the church for something they had going on. I got the kids fed and down for their naps, a little later than normal. I wasn't sure how it was going to go since they are so totally out of whack. But, they've both been down for about two hours and counting now. FINALLY! They haven't both napped at the same time in about FOUR days. It's tiring!!

This week is going to be all about getting back into a routine! Morgan is going to Vacation Bible School with my Mom in the mornings and so I'll just have Bennett to take care of in the mornings. Looking forward to some alone time with him and maybe even for me too. Mostly though, I'd like to get my children back from the cranky-non-sleeping-zombies that have taken over their bodies. :)

We made it in one piece

We are here in the very warm state of Florida. We made it, pretty much intact (unless you count my sanity). Bennett was THE NIGHTMARE on the first flight. You know the one you have prior to a trip about your kid screaming and being generally inconsolable? Yep. Plus he was throwing anything I tried to distract him with. Luckily, he didn't do it the ENTIRE flight, but he also didn't sleep the entire flight! The minute we got off the plane and got him into his stroller, he was out like a light.

Oh, and a quick shout out to some people who made a generally miserable day, a little brighter.

A big THANK YOU o the lady at the check in counter at AirTran who looked the other way as my suitcase weighed in at 51.5 pounds. It didn't weigh that much on my scale at home, which I know is perfectly correct because that's what I weigh myself on nearly every day and there's no way that it could be wrong!! :) Anyway - she saved me from having to readjust stuff from my suitcase into the kids' suitcase because there's no way I'm paying for an overweight bag.

A big shout out goes to the nice gentlman who came up to me in the Atlanta airport as I was struggling with food, bags and a stroller and also ordering our drinks for lunch. He offered to get my drinks for me while I sat down at the table with the kids. What a nice man! It's too bad I had to take a pass on his southern hospitality because my daughter who's mission it is to inconvenience me decided that she had to go potty. Now. Though no more than 2 minutes before, when we passed the restrooms and I asked her if she had to go, she didn't have to go. Odd.

I can't fail to mention the lady who allowed Morgan to look on as her daughter was watching a movie at the Atlanta airport. This was my 30 minutes to recharge and it was awesome! Morgan was eating lunch and watching Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium while Bennett napped. I actually got to read a book at the airport with two kids under the age of five. By myself. It was pretty much a miracle.

And lastly, the lady who moved from our row, to provide us with an extra seat on our last flight and then had the decency to tell me that she knew I could use the extra room and it wasn't because she didn't want to sit next to my crazy kids.

Now that I've gotten my shout outs out of the way, there's just one more thing. Why, oh why, do I stand in the toy section of Target agonizing over the perfect choice to keep little hands and minds occupied?? This is what were the biggest hits today with Mr. Cranky Pants. A small snack size box of raisins; a healthy snack that doubles as a box to take the raisins out of (or dump them out) and then to put them back in. Rinse, repeat. A bazillion times. An empty bottle of water with a lid. To practice unscrewing the lids of things. I don't think I want him to learn this yet! And lastly, just add a few Honey-Nut Cheerios to the empty water bottle and you have a VERY entertaining musical instrument, plus it's fun to try to get the Cheerios back out once they are a little soggy. Who needs Target, anyway??

Now that we're here, having traveled thousands of miles and on the plane and in airports for hours upon hours today, what do we have on the agenda tomorrow? A nice long car ride up to Alabama.

You haven't seen crazy yet!

Leftovers for dinner

Have you ever had a day that you feel like you just fought your way through. Like nothing comes easy, but it's not just one big thing, it's lots of little things? Yeah, that's been my day. And days like that leave me just exhausted. Too exhausted to bore you with all the details, but I will give you the highlights.

"No nap Bennett" made it extremely difficult to get lunches made for today's park outing.

Morgan had to change her shoes not ONCE, not TWICE, but THREE times!! First it was flip flops, then it was sandals. Then it was tennis shoes once I finally convinced her that she would not be happy with tan bark in her sandals. Oh, and side annoyance here - I use those zip up laundry bags for the kids' socks and happend to have done a load last night. I COULD NOT get that stupid bag open for the life of me. I actually threw it down and screamed. Yes, I did that. In front of my children. And then I asked Morgan to just go grab some socks from her suitcase. Because I didn't have TIME FOR THIS! :)

"Let's dump out every toy that has a bazillion parts all over the living room and dining rooms floor Morgan" made it so that when we did actually get to leave the house, it appeared as though we were fleeing the site of a hurricane.

The park was fun - the kids had lots of fun playing in the water. But it's always a hassle to lug the kids, the stroller, the umbrella, the sand toys, the bathing suits and towels, the sunscreen, teh hats, the lunches and plethra of snacks, water, etc, etc. Just makes me tired thinking of it. :) And of course, I meant to bring some things to one of the girls from playgroup and forgot it!

After the park, I had to zoom home because I had my niece coming over for a little nap-time babysitting so I could go indulge in a pedicure. She came right on time and things were looking up. I got to the place and they were able to attend to me right away. Okay, okay. Things might be getting better. Except for the part where I asked her to please be careful with where I got kicked playing soccer on Sunday and have the HUGE bruise on my leg. She was pretty careful. But after it was all done, she gets up and grabs some cream?! and puts it on my bruise. So, I ask her what it is. She tells me that it's a cream that will make the pain go away. It's so good, she tells me. She puts it on her fingers when she cuts them and it takes the pain right away. Ummm. Okay. I'm not even going to go into the whole finger cutting thing and why she has the cream in HER DRAWER. At the nail salon. But anyway - you could have ASKED me before applying this cream on my bruise. As I sit here, a good six hours later, my leg is still NUMB where she applied this cream and there's a big red spot now. Gee, thanks!

The pedicure went pretty quickly and I thought I might have a little more time before the kids woke up, so I called and checked with my niece and then headed over to Target to try to find the Cheerio dispenser that Wendy suggested. No luck. Of course. I did manage to find some other toys that I hope will do the trick!

After getting home and seeing my niece off, Bennett woke up (Morgan was already awake) and was honery as all get out. One of those times where he's just roaming around, just crying and making noise. Not fun. I try to see if he wants snack and he goes crazy when I ask if he wants watermelon. So, I set him up with watermelon as I'm trying to finish getting whatever I need out of the kids' rooms so after dinner, they can just go to bed undisturbed. While I'm doing this, I hear a loud crash and then Bennett going "Uhhh-oh! Uhhh-oh!" At this exact moment, Morgan's friend and his Dad ring the doorbell to see if she can come over. Yes, please take her out of this crazy house. :) I go to check on Bennett, and this is what I find. Yes, that is his bowl behind his highchair back. And yes, that's a watermelon seed on his forehead. Crazy fool.

Well, that makes it bathtime, so I bathe Bennett and get him dressed in his jammies. It's getting on 5:30 now and nearing dinner and bedtime, so why not? Except he's really cranky. Okay, I just need to get him out of the house. I plop him in the stroller, and stroll over to the neighbor's house where Morgan is playing out front. We hang out there for a while, but Bennett is screaming to get out of the stroller. He has no shoes on, of course, because he's ready for bed. So, I take him out of the stroller and he starts screaming to get down. I fight that for a while. Stroller. Arms. Stroller. Arms. But finally, I give in. It's the fatigue getting to me. I let him down on the ground with strict orders to stay on the sidewalk only! Of course, I needed to be more specific because he decides to just high tail it the other way, trying to make an escape around the plock. So, I try to corral him back, but there's no corraling a 13 month old baby. So, I pick him up. And he wants down. And up and down. Up and down. More screaming and then it's time to go.

Oh, and by the way, when we got home, Morgan asked me if I wanted her to try to get her sock laundry bag open. Sure, why not. And what do you know - that little stinker gets it open right away. By this time, even if I wanted to make dinner (and I *had* planned to cook dinner tonight), I just couldn't muster up the energy. Leftovers it is. Sorry, honey.

But, finally, something went right. My husband walked in the door. And I went and escaped upstairs. In the bathroom. But hey, I got away. Alone. :)

Tomorrow should be fun. Cross-country flight. Two kids and one adult. 3 hour layover.

I can hardly wait.

Pre-Vacation Stresses

All of this hair-cutting and complex lie unraveling has distracted me from the task at hand. I leave for Florida in two days. Two! Just me and the kids at first. Yes, I'm that crazy. Lance will meet us out there a little over a week later. So, my attention has now come back to focus on what I have left to do before we can leave. I've already started packing the kids' clothes and my clothes, but there is SO much more to do.

You see, I've learned one thing in my various travels with the kids. The clothes are NOT what matters. The clothes can be purchased when we get there. No, what's really important is what we take on the plane to keep the kids entertained. Especially when I'm traveling without adult supervision.

Normally, I would already have a gift bag with various trinkets wrapped up inside it. But, with all the distractions lately, I am left with a couple of bags with various snacks in them. Yes, the snacks are also important. But, there's only so many ways you can play with goldfish. And although Bennett really does enjoy eating, he also likes to be entertained.

I managed to nab a farm animal set from the dollar section at Target when we were there this morning. That is good for at least 45 minutes of entertainment for Morgan, and it may also serve to entertain Bennett as well (there is a cow, you know!) I grabbed some twist-up crayons, a pad of paper and some pipe cleaners from our art supply chest. Not sure what we're going to do with the pipe cleaners just yet, but they are LIGHT WEIGHT and BENDY. How can I not take them on the plane? And as if sent from heaven, my Cookie magazine arrived in the mail yesterday afternoon and I found an article in there that mentioned that a fun and easy thing to take on a plane or a trip is dental floss and some Fruit Loops or Fruity Cheerios. They can make a necklace of of them and it also doubles as a snack. Now, I love a good multi-tasking item as much as the next person, but I don't stock Fruit Loops. I have Honey-Nut Cheerios, which just seems lame in comparison. What do you think? Would it work if I drenched them in food coloring?? :)

And I really, really need to find something to occupy Bennett's time. Because, he's not as easy to plug into a Leapster or a movie, if needed. Nope, this kid has the attention span of a gnat. And while we have TONS of toys here, seems like whatever I choose to take with me is never the right one. Whenever he's getting fussy while we are out and about, I pull out the cell phone toy! That he's been playing with non-stop for the past two days at home! Which is greeted with the now predictable head shake and, if he's feeling really opinionated, the grab-and-toss move. I hate spending tons of money on stuff, but it has to (1) work, (2) be small and preferably light weight, and (3) not be too loud and obnoxious.

And then there are the lists. PEOPLE, I have LISTS to make!! For me, for the kids and, most importantly, for MY HUSBAND. Who will not be very happy if I come home and find a bachelor pad when we return from our three week trip! His mother is coming to stay with him while I'm gone and I will be super embarrassed if he makes a huge mess and then doesn't clean it up. Or what if he forgets to give my niece her graduation present? Or lock up windows. Or get someone to take care of the dog and the fish while we are gone. Or throw out food that's going to go bad while we are gone. I know, I know. He is an adult. But, it's been proven to me, on more than one occasion, that we don't often see eye to eye on what's important. Yes, having someone feed the dog is important, but it's not something that he thinks about regularly. Making sure the floor gets mopped before his Mom comes into town? Trust me, it didn't even make his list.

Yes, people. There are lists to make!!