Two weeks ago, we went to Chicago to visit Jon's side of the family. Natalie was on Fall Break, so we had the whole week! Had a great time - the kids had so much fun with their cousins, Will, Maggie and Owen - Oliver is still asking to go to Owen's house. And of course, they loved all of the time they got to spend with Grandma!
The flight out was a little rough - Oliver had a hell of a time, and made his displeasure known. Mama Bear (me, duh) tangled with a couple of fellow passengers, but we arrived safe and sound, and I managed to avoid getting arrested. :-P Natalie was her usual excellent traveler self - she just travels so well. Settles herself down on the plane and sits back and enjoys the ride.
Aunt Lois and Uncle Don drove in from Michigan - which was such a nice surprise! And they came bearing pumpkins, gourds, and some awesome candy. Got the whole group together - I think there was 16 of us (?), and we went to Aurelio's - a great local pizza place in Jon's hometown, where Grandma still lives and works.
Checked out a pumpkin patch too, which was a lot of fun. They had a Moo Choo ride, corn maze, kid's area with animals, you name it, they had it. Great place in Indiana. Go figure though... We left AZ in 90+ degree weather, and that weekend in IL/IN, it was 90 degrees! Mercifully, it cooled down in the early part of the week - we really enjoyed the crisp fall weather. The leaves were even turning, and it was so gorgeous.
Got to take the kids to the Shedd Aquarium, and also the Children's Museum at Navy Pier. Went to the parks around Grandma's house a bunch of times. Visited Grandma at work, at got a full tour of the school, and met a lot of Grandma's colleagues. We also had a chance to see Aunt Elizabeth's and Uncle Matt's new house (gorgeous!) and neighborhood - where Aunt Annie and I nearly got into a brawl at a bakery. Don't ask!
We also took the kids to see Great-Great Auntie Annie, and took her out to dinner. Oliver was fascinated with her wedding picture.
Oliver cracked us up one day... I had gone out to get doughnuts, and I guess Little Man fancied a snack one afternoon, and thought he'd be sneaky. All of a sudden, he came out of the kitchen with a shit-eating grin on his face, rubbing his belly with one hand, holding a doughnut with the other - saying "Mmmmm mmmmm mmmm" over and over. He busted himself!
Natalie was great with her cousins - she and Will really hit it off, and she was so good with Owen and Maggie. Sometime that first weekend, she looked at me and said "It's really great being here with the cousins, isn't it Mommy?".
It was such a great time, and we're looking forward to seeing Grandma out here in December - just a couple more months!
Working on pics. Backlog - sorry!
Showing posts with label trips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trips. Show all posts
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
It's a good thing he's cute
Oliver is sleeping with Jon and me this trip. We found out he sleeps very well with us when we were in Baltimore in June, so we decided not to haul along the crib my mom has this time around.
5:30 this morning, Little Man was prying my eyes open. When that didn't work, he resorted to saying "Eat eat Mommy" and proceeded to gnaw on my head.
So I did what any good mom would do. I sent him into the girls' room to torment them. They were already up, but being nice and quiet. I guess they heard him coming, and quickly locked their door. So he started growling outside the door, and when he didn't get a reaction, proceeded to beat on it. Totally wouldn't be funny at home, but I was cracking up this morning!
5:30 this morning, Little Man was prying my eyes open. When that didn't work, he resorted to saying "Eat eat Mommy" and proceeded to gnaw on my head.
So I did what any good mom would do. I sent him into the girls' room to torment them. They were already up, but being nice and quiet. I guess they heard him coming, and quickly locked their door. So he started growling outside the door, and when he didn't get a reaction, proceeded to beat on it. Totally wouldn't be funny at home, but I was cracking up this morning!
Tropical Horse
We're in our favorite spot in the mountains for Labor Day weekend - Overgaard, AZ. Having a blast, and Natalie's best friend Trinity joined us this trip! This morning, we took the kids to a town about 30 miles from here, called Taylor, to check out their Sweet Corn Festival. There was a nice kids' area with pony rides and a number of different inflatable bouncers. Natalie kept telling me she wanted to go on the "tropical horse". I reminded her that she and Trinity would be having a pony ride tomorrow at the barn on the property where we stay. She said "No Mommy, THAT", and pointed to the OBSTACLE COURSE.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
4th of July
A week late.
The kids and I had a wonderful weekend with Mitz and Pops - we headed to the mountains, in Payson, that Friday. Jon joined us Sunday for the day/night - stayed home so he could get a ton of yardwork done that is impossible to do with the kids underfoot.
The kids had so much fun! They were able to play outside all day - it's too hot here in the Valley for that, even with the pool (we limit pool time to a couple of hours a day, at most, because of N's eczema, and the sun is of course strong). They rode their bikes, ran around, just generally had a ball. Even got to play in Pops' boat!
Checked out an arts and crafts festival in a neighboring town. Very small, but I bought Mitz a boobie cooler (for real, it's a fabric thing you soak with water and I think refrigerate, then stick in your bra. lol). I think the official name is Boobe Toobe or something like that.
On the 3rd, I took the kids to the second annual 4th of July parade in Payson. Shortest parade ever. Over in less than 20 minutes. I wasn't too impressed, but the kids loved it, and that's what counts! Natalie and Oliver were so excited - and Oliver quickly learned to go diving for candy when it was thrown from the floats! Natalie helped pass out miniature American flags. Anyone can join in the parade - if we're there next year, I might have the kids decorate their bikes and walk in the parade. I was in a couple of parades for the American Legion as a child (Jr. Miss Poppy several years - yes there are pics, no they aren't scanned), and rode in the Memorial Day parades - it was so much fun - I think the kids would enjoy it too. Oliver cut his finger pretty badly that night - Mitz and I took him to a fire station at the end of the development to have it looked at. It wouldn't stop bleeding for a while, got all over me (just to illustrate how much it was - it was even all the way down my back), and I was worried. I didn't want to subject him to an ER on a Saturday night over the 4th if I didn't have to (hello drunks), so we stopped by the fire station first to see if they thought it would need stitches. The firefighters felt it wouldn't be stitched at the ER, gave us some tips for bandaging it, what to watch for, then gave Oliver the royal treatment. They were so nice. They had just returned from a call, but took so much time not only to look at his wound, but to try to cheer him up. They gave him a stuffed dog, a bag full of goodies (stickers, crayons, coloring pages, cup) and let him tour a fire truck! Then he gave hugs all around. His boo-boo is much better now, but he still talks about it. It oozed for a couple of days if the Band-aids came off, but that stopped by Tuesday. Now it's just the barest scrape. Scared the hell out of us though!
Took it easy on the 4th. Pops grilled some killer steaks. I made The Pioneer Woman's Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies, which were awesome. Although I'm going to try this version next time too. Mom, Jon, the kids and I went to check out the fireworks. Couldn't have been a more perfect evening. We were a little irked at first because they wouldn't let cars near the park, so you were forced to take the shuttle buses from a local HS. I wasn't thrilled, because Jon and I had to leave early the next morning - he had a flight to catch, and I didn't want to get caught in post-4th traffic - I thought we'd be out super late. But, they had it down to a science. The weather was perfect - 60ish. We got there early enough to hear the band they had playing - the kids were rocking out - it was SO cute! Oliver was even playing air guitar - he was a dancing machine. Mitz bought the kids glow in the dark necklaces, which they loved. Then we settled back to watch the show. Awesome fireworks display - really long too - longest I've ever been to. Oliver was a little upset at first, then he loved them. Kept saying "fireworks, high, BOOM". He sat in Mitz's lap for a long time, and it was so sweet to see them snuggled up, and I could see Oliver pointing to the sky saying "BOOM" over and over. He was also so excited because the shuttle buses were school buses - he's been itching to ride on a school bus since Natalie gets to ride one too and from school.
We somehow managed to get on the first set of buses back to the HS. Got right in the van - Mitz once again had the parking gods on her side, and were back 5 minutes later. Kids in bed 20 minutes after that - unbelievable. I thought it would be midnight or later before we got out of there - we were back by 10!!
The kids and I had a wonderful weekend with Mitz and Pops - we headed to the mountains, in Payson, that Friday. Jon joined us Sunday for the day/night - stayed home so he could get a ton of yardwork done that is impossible to do with the kids underfoot.
The kids had so much fun! They were able to play outside all day - it's too hot here in the Valley for that, even with the pool (we limit pool time to a couple of hours a day, at most, because of N's eczema, and the sun is of course strong). They rode their bikes, ran around, just generally had a ball. Even got to play in Pops' boat!
Checked out an arts and crafts festival in a neighboring town. Very small, but I bought Mitz a boobie cooler (for real, it's a fabric thing you soak with water and I think refrigerate, then stick in your bra. lol). I think the official name is Boobe Toobe or something like that.
On the 3rd, I took the kids to the second annual 4th of July parade in Payson. Shortest parade ever. Over in less than 20 minutes. I wasn't too impressed, but the kids loved it, and that's what counts! Natalie and Oliver were so excited - and Oliver quickly learned to go diving for candy when it was thrown from the floats! Natalie helped pass out miniature American flags. Anyone can join in the parade - if we're there next year, I might have the kids decorate their bikes and walk in the parade. I was in a couple of parades for the American Legion as a child (Jr. Miss Poppy several years - yes there are pics, no they aren't scanned), and rode in the Memorial Day parades - it was so much fun - I think the kids would enjoy it too. Oliver cut his finger pretty badly that night - Mitz and I took him to a fire station at the end of the development to have it looked at. It wouldn't stop bleeding for a while, got all over me (just to illustrate how much it was - it was even all the way down my back), and I was worried. I didn't want to subject him to an ER on a Saturday night over the 4th if I didn't have to (hello drunks), so we stopped by the fire station first to see if they thought it would need stitches. The firefighters felt it wouldn't be stitched at the ER, gave us some tips for bandaging it, what to watch for, then gave Oliver the royal treatment. They were so nice. They had just returned from a call, but took so much time not only to look at his wound, but to try to cheer him up. They gave him a stuffed dog, a bag full of goodies (stickers, crayons, coloring pages, cup) and let him tour a fire truck! Then he gave hugs all around. His boo-boo is much better now, but he still talks about it. It oozed for a couple of days if the Band-aids came off, but that stopped by Tuesday. Now it's just the barest scrape. Scared the hell out of us though!
Took it easy on the 4th. Pops grilled some killer steaks. I made The Pioneer Woman's Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies, which were awesome. Although I'm going to try this version next time too. Mom, Jon, the kids and I went to check out the fireworks. Couldn't have been a more perfect evening. We were a little irked at first because they wouldn't let cars near the park, so you were forced to take the shuttle buses from a local HS. I wasn't thrilled, because Jon and I had to leave early the next morning - he had a flight to catch, and I didn't want to get caught in post-4th traffic - I thought we'd be out super late. But, they had it down to a science. The weather was perfect - 60ish. We got there early enough to hear the band they had playing - the kids were rocking out - it was SO cute! Oliver was even playing air guitar - he was a dancing machine. Mitz bought the kids glow in the dark necklaces, which they loved. Then we settled back to watch the show. Awesome fireworks display - really long too - longest I've ever been to. Oliver was a little upset at first, then he loved them. Kept saying "fireworks, high, BOOM". He sat in Mitz's lap for a long time, and it was so sweet to see them snuggled up, and I could see Oliver pointing to the sky saying "BOOM" over and over. He was also so excited because the shuttle buses were school buses - he's been itching to ride on a school bus since Natalie gets to ride one too and from school.
We somehow managed to get on the first set of buses back to the HS. Got right in the van - Mitz once again had the parking gods on her side, and were back 5 minutes later. Kids in bed 20 minutes after that - unbelievable. I thought it would be midnight or later before we got out of there - we were back by 10!!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Toothy McTootherson
We were in Baltimore for ten days, and am just getting back to our normal routine - which is why I haven't posted. We had a wonderful time! Saw my grandfather and father, my step-grandmother. Packed a lot into ten days - absolutely exhausting. Aside from the kids being way keyed up the whole time, they were little troopers! I ate like a pig. We all did. Had steamed crabs four times, crabcakes twice, crab dip, crab pizza (the dip and pizza from a local restaurant called DeSantis' Pizza and Grill in Parkville, MD - best crab dip I have ever had, hands down), pizza sub, inside-out pizza (stromboli), and an egg-custard snowball with marshmallow in the middle and on top - that satisfied a 15 year craving! Hawaiian ice and snow cones are NOT the same, and you can't find egg custard flavor OR marshmallow topping out here, as far as I know. I'm on a mission though!
And now for the post title... Natalie had two loose teeth. She lost the first one (left center, bottom) last Monday night - we were at my friends' house (Lynette and Derek) for our final night in Baltimore. She worked and worked that tooth - it was pretty loose and finally twisted and pulled it out - the new tooth is already on the way up! She was so proud of herself! She was so excited to lose her first tooth in MD - "You lost your teeth in Baltimore, Mommy! Just like me! We're lucky! We're twins".
Speaking of teeth, I was sure I broke a tooth our last weekend in MD - was spitting shards of tooth, and had a fair amount of pain, that got worse through the end of the trip. What are the odds of both of us having teeth issues? Went to the dentist Wednesday... Painful visit. I have one tooth on the upper left - last molar - that is my problem tooth. It shredded 8 years ago while I was eating pasta. My dentist at the time was able to do an onlay - basically a huge filling that is cemented in - has to be created in a lab like a crown, but isn't quite a crown. I was eating really soft bread and crab dip this last time. Apparently, the onlay was fine, but there was a gap between the gum and tooth/onlay. So I had to have the onlay cut out, the area cleaned out (my dentist found nothing broken, he thinks what I spat out was tooth from 8 years ago that got trapped up in there when the original onlay was put on), a temp on, and the new onlay will go on in about three weeks. Good times. The only good thing was, I was so tired from the trip, the nitrous put me completely out, so I got a really nice, 1 hour nitrous nap. lol Woke up to lots of pain though. The damn retraction cord they have to use to cut off blood supply to the area is so painful.
Then Thursday night, I was getting the kids to bed (Jon was OOT), and went downstairs for a minute to grab Oliver's lovey. When I got back upstairs, she handed me the other tooth (right center, bottom)! Apparently it was very loose - she was able to get it almost completely perpendicular, and used one of Oliver's hardcover books to knock it out. When asked why she used his book - "I didn't want to get germs on one of mine". The stinker!
And now for the post title... Natalie had two loose teeth. She lost the first one (left center, bottom) last Monday night - we were at my friends' house (Lynette and Derek) for our final night in Baltimore. She worked and worked that tooth - it was pretty loose and finally twisted and pulled it out - the new tooth is already on the way up! She was so proud of herself! She was so excited to lose her first tooth in MD - "You lost your teeth in Baltimore, Mommy! Just like me! We're lucky! We're twins".
Speaking of teeth, I was sure I broke a tooth our last weekend in MD - was spitting shards of tooth, and had a fair amount of pain, that got worse through the end of the trip. What are the odds of both of us having teeth issues? Went to the dentist Wednesday... Painful visit. I have one tooth on the upper left - last molar - that is my problem tooth. It shredded 8 years ago while I was eating pasta. My dentist at the time was able to do an onlay - basically a huge filling that is cemented in - has to be created in a lab like a crown, but isn't quite a crown. I was eating really soft bread and crab dip this last time. Apparently, the onlay was fine, but there was a gap between the gum and tooth/onlay. So I had to have the onlay cut out, the area cleaned out (my dentist found nothing broken, he thinks what I spat out was tooth from 8 years ago that got trapped up in there when the original onlay was put on), a temp on, and the new onlay will go on in about three weeks. Good times. The only good thing was, I was so tired from the trip, the nitrous put me completely out, so I got a really nice, 1 hour nitrous nap. lol Woke up to lots of pain though. The damn retraction cord they have to use to cut off blood supply to the area is so painful.
Then Thursday night, I was getting the kids to bed (Jon was OOT), and went downstairs for a minute to grab Oliver's lovey. When I got back upstairs, she handed me the other tooth (right center, bottom)! Apparently it was very loose - she was able to get it almost completely perpendicular, and used one of Oliver's hardcover books to knock it out. When asked why she used his book - "I didn't want to get germs on one of mine". The stinker!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Spring Break
Over a week late, but who's counting? :-P
We had a great week, but busy, busy, busy! I'll just break it down by day....
Monday - took the kids to the zoo. Had a great time! We fed the giraffes, looked at some animals, then the kids played on a huge treehouse structure they have there. Rode the carousel and went home for lunch.
Tuesday - Natalie had her yearly allergy appointment. Nuts and tree nuts still an issue - it took over ten days for her skin to heal where the peanut and walnut oils were applied. She is also highly allergic to basically the entire AZ outdoors. 7 weeds, 8 trees, 2 grasses (Bermuda mix and Rye), cats and dogs. She has mild, developing asthma, which we can treat with nebulized Albuterol on an as/if needed basis, and Singulair daily (mainly for the allergy symptoms - her asthma presents as allergic response) - so far no daily asthma meds or rescue inhalers are required. She is at high risk for developing severe asthma, and sometime within the next year or so will be required to start an allergy shot regimen - a shot once or twice a week for 3 months, then a shot a month for 3-5 years - this will greatly reduce the risk of her developing severe asthma. I'm starting to talk it up now, because she is very shot phobic, but we are going to have to do this, because the risks otherwise are too great. Her friend Trinity came over and played the rest of the afternoon.
Wednesday (St. Patrick's Day) - took the kids to get Easter and Oliver's birthday pictures. That went shockingly well - especially since Jon was OOT and I had to go solo with them. Then her friend Kevin from school came over to play - very sweet boy! Later that night, we had breakfast for dinner - green eggs for the kids (blech) was on the menu. So foul, but Natalie loved them!
Thursday - headed for the mountains in the afternoon! It was close to 80 in Mesa, but in Overgaard, there was still quite a bit of snow on the ground! Just got settled in that evening.
Friday - took the kids out for a bit in the morning, but it was 40 and raining off and on, so we didn't last too long outside. Ran a couple of errands, went back to the condo, had lunch. Once Oliver went down for his nap, Natalie and I went to a local tea place in town and had afternoon tea. Tea and an English muffin for me, tea and 3 enormous pancakes for Natalie. I am not a fan of pancakes at all, but these were amazing. Big, thick, fluffy and slightly sweet. They smelled kind of like cakes. Had dinner at the condo. Then the kids and I locked ourselves in one of the bedrooms, and I colored all over them with washable marker, (including "Hi Daddy" on Oliver's butt, lol) - and of course the kids got in on the action too! Oliver was so funny - he was so serious about coloring on himself. The look on Jon's face when we came out was priceless. The bathwater was unreal. Mad props to Crayola though - their washable markers come right off, with a minimum of scrubbing!
Saturday - Jon took the kids out to play while I got ready. Another cold morning, but clear. Then we all putzed around a bit - went to a local food store in town and ugh - they had hotdogs that expired in January. Came back, had lunch. Got Oliver down, then Natalie and I went over to the hot tub for a bit. After we got changed, she and I went to the coffee shop on the property and got hot chocolate for her, a Mexican (real sugar!) Coke for me, and a huge cinnamon bun. Went back to the condo to share with Jon and Oliver, but they had taken off somewhere. I intended to just eat a bite of bun and save the rest for Oliver, but it was too good. Little man had no idea what he missed. Walked around a bit, found the guys, visited some of the shop owners on the property - we've gotten to know several of them really well! Had dinner. Drew on the kids again.
Sunday - left for home.
We had a great week, but busy, busy, busy! I'll just break it down by day....
Monday - took the kids to the zoo. Had a great time! We fed the giraffes, looked at some animals, then the kids played on a huge treehouse structure they have there. Rode the carousel and went home for lunch.
Tuesday - Natalie had her yearly allergy appointment. Nuts and tree nuts still an issue - it took over ten days for her skin to heal where the peanut and walnut oils were applied. She is also highly allergic to basically the entire AZ outdoors. 7 weeds, 8 trees, 2 grasses (Bermuda mix and Rye), cats and dogs. She has mild, developing asthma, which we can treat with nebulized Albuterol on an as/if needed basis, and Singulair daily (mainly for the allergy symptoms - her asthma presents as allergic response) - so far no daily asthma meds or rescue inhalers are required. She is at high risk for developing severe asthma, and sometime within the next year or so will be required to start an allergy shot regimen - a shot once or twice a week for 3 months, then a shot a month for 3-5 years - this will greatly reduce the risk of her developing severe asthma. I'm starting to talk it up now, because she is very shot phobic, but we are going to have to do this, because the risks otherwise are too great. Her friend Trinity came over and played the rest of the afternoon.
Wednesday (St. Patrick's Day) - took the kids to get Easter and Oliver's birthday pictures. That went shockingly well - especially since Jon was OOT and I had to go solo with them. Then her friend Kevin from school came over to play - very sweet boy! Later that night, we had breakfast for dinner - green eggs for the kids (blech) was on the menu. So foul, but Natalie loved them!
Thursday - headed for the mountains in the afternoon! It was close to 80 in Mesa, but in Overgaard, there was still quite a bit of snow on the ground! Just got settled in that evening.
Friday - took the kids out for a bit in the morning, but it was 40 and raining off and on, so we didn't last too long outside. Ran a couple of errands, went back to the condo, had lunch. Once Oliver went down for his nap, Natalie and I went to a local tea place in town and had afternoon tea. Tea and an English muffin for me, tea and 3 enormous pancakes for Natalie. I am not a fan of pancakes at all, but these were amazing. Big, thick, fluffy and slightly sweet. They smelled kind of like cakes. Had dinner at the condo. Then the kids and I locked ourselves in one of the bedrooms, and I colored all over them with washable marker, (including "Hi Daddy" on Oliver's butt, lol) - and of course the kids got in on the action too! Oliver was so funny - he was so serious about coloring on himself. The look on Jon's face when we came out was priceless. The bathwater was unreal. Mad props to Crayola though - their washable markers come right off, with a minimum of scrubbing!
Saturday - Jon took the kids out to play while I got ready. Another cold morning, but clear. Then we all putzed around a bit - went to a local food store in town and ugh - they had hotdogs that expired in January. Came back, had lunch. Got Oliver down, then Natalie and I went over to the hot tub for a bit. After we got changed, she and I went to the coffee shop on the property and got hot chocolate for her, a Mexican (real sugar!) Coke for me, and a huge cinnamon bun. Went back to the condo to share with Jon and Oliver, but they had taken off somewhere. I intended to just eat a bite of bun and save the rest for Oliver, but it was too good. Little man had no idea what he missed. Walked around a bit, found the guys, visited some of the shop owners on the property - we've gotten to know several of them really well! Had dinner. Drew on the kids again.
Sunday - left for home.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Forgot two funnies...
From Overgaard.
Natalie loves refried beans, so I sang the "beans beans the magical fruit, they make your hiney go toot, toot, toot" song. I only sang it once, so she gave it her own twist -
"beans beans the magical fruit
they make me stink
and they make me fart
and they make me poop".
And she opened a barber shop. The day we were leaving, I was trying to get ready and then load up the car. The kids were watching a movie, and Natalie had her arts and crafts kit out. All of a sudden, I heard Jon yelling "That's it, no more scissors". Apparently she decided to give Oliver's cowlick a trim - and dude just sat there and let her do it. I walked into the living room, and they were both sitting there with shit-eating grins. I wasn't pleased, but I couldn't help but laugh (I have no poker face, and it's already biting me in the ass). I couldn't figure out where she had cut at first (which is a good thing!), so I asked her to show me. She kind of circled her hand over the top of his head, then said "Don't worry. He still has a lot more". And when asked why she did that? "I was trying to make him more handsome".
Natalie loves refried beans, so I sang the "beans beans the magical fruit, they make your hiney go toot, toot, toot" song. I only sang it once, so she gave it her own twist -
"beans beans the magical fruit
they make me stink
and they make me fart
and they make me poop".
And she opened a barber shop. The day we were leaving, I was trying to get ready and then load up the car. The kids were watching a movie, and Natalie had her arts and crafts kit out. All of a sudden, I heard Jon yelling "That's it, no more scissors". Apparently she decided to give Oliver's cowlick a trim - and dude just sat there and let her do it. I walked into the living room, and they were both sitting there with shit-eating grins. I wasn't pleased, but I couldn't help but laugh (I have no poker face, and it's already biting me in the ass). I couldn't figure out where she had cut at first (which is a good thing!), so I asked her to show me. She kind of circled her hand over the top of his head, then said "Don't worry. He still has a lot more". And when asked why she did that? "I was trying to make him more handsome".
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Overgaard - MLK weekend
Jon and I took the kids to the mountains over MLK weekend - hoping to run into some snow. It was definitely cold! Natalie was so cute on the way up - searching for snow on the side of the road. And the property had older snow on the ground - not 2 minutes after we arrived, Oliver let out a "woooo hoooo" and did a bellyflop in the snow - the first of many. :-)
We just got settled in that night (Friday), and had dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant in Heber/Overgaard - Casa Ramos.
Saturday, we got up earlyish and drove to Flagstaff, so we could see Jamie and play in some snow. Had a great time! Oliver learned how to say Jamie - and stalked poor Jamie the whole day. At one point we were following her car, and Oliver spent the entire time pointing to her car and moaning "Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay". Jamie took us to a field on the NAU campus (where she goes to school), and the four of us had a blast (Jon wielded the camera, since he was recovering from surgery on his deviated septum)! There was a hill that was just the right size for sledding. Just before we got into town, I pointed out the large mountain to Natalie (where the ski/snowboarding is) and told her that was the hill we'd be sledding on, and she said "COOL". Several minutes later, I heard her whimpering in the back. I asked her what was wrong - she said "I'm too scared to go down that hill". I thought she knew I was joking! I told her don't worry. It would probably take me two weeks to get up that mountain, and we had to be home in three days. :-) Got back to the condo, made dinner and had a quiet evening.
Sunday we just stayed around the property. Took the kids to a local park. While Oliver napped, Natalie and I went to the front desk/club house to make a birdhouse. Had a nice time! Once Oliver got up, we just walked around the property until we got too cold. Dinner and another quiet evening.
The kids were so good this trip, and so cute too. They really loved the snow! Natalie says she loves visiting it, but doesn't want to have to live in it. She's her mother's daughter, that's for sure!
We just got settled in that night (Friday), and had dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant in Heber/Overgaard - Casa Ramos.
Saturday, we got up earlyish and drove to Flagstaff, so we could see Jamie and play in some snow. Had a great time! Oliver learned how to say Jamie - and stalked poor Jamie the whole day. At one point we were following her car, and Oliver spent the entire time pointing to her car and moaning "Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay". Jamie took us to a field on the NAU campus (where she goes to school), and the four of us had a blast (Jon wielded the camera, since he was recovering from surgery on his deviated septum)! There was a hill that was just the right size for sledding. Just before we got into town, I pointed out the large mountain to Natalie (where the ski/snowboarding is) and told her that was the hill we'd be sledding on, and she said "COOL". Several minutes later, I heard her whimpering in the back. I asked her what was wrong - she said "I'm too scared to go down that hill". I thought she knew I was joking! I told her don't worry. It would probably take me two weeks to get up that mountain, and we had to be home in three days. :-) Got back to the condo, made dinner and had a quiet evening.
Sunday we just stayed around the property. Took the kids to a local park. While Oliver napped, Natalie and I went to the front desk/club house to make a birdhouse. Had a nice time! Once Oliver got up, we just walked around the property until we got too cold. Dinner and another quiet evening.
The kids were so good this trip, and so cute too. They really loved the snow! Natalie says she loves visiting it, but doesn't want to have to live in it. She's her mother's daughter, that's for sure!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Baltimore!
And oops. I didn't realize how long it had been since I updated. I was sick, Natalie was sick, got distracted and there you have it.
Last week was Natalie's Fall Break, so we went to Baltimore to see my family and friends. We stayed with our friends Lynette, Derek and their son Austin, as usual. Austin will be 12 in a few days (can't believe it!!) and is Natalie's new idol. He has a really neat school set-up in their basement, and he gave Natalie classes every night. He really went all out - researched kindergarten worksheets online for Natalie to complete, gave her homework, a grade, and honestly just in that week, I'm seeing an improvement in her handwriting and also math. He also made a website for his "school". Natalie had a blast!
We spent a lot of time with my grandfather, Dee-Da. This is the first time he (and actually everyone we saw in Baltimore) met Oliver. We ate steamed crabs (and crab dip and crab cakes, and I got a couple pizza subs) until they came out our ears! Oliver LOVED them! We couldn't get the meat out of the shells fast enough for either kid. We also got to attend the monthly Karaoke Night at Dee-Da's senior apartment complex. He started it, and it has pretty decent attendance each month. He sang 4 or 5 songs, and had a whole table full of fans - our AZ contingent, his nieces Ellen and Eleanor, and great-nephew Jeffrey - they usually go each month. The kids were a hit at his complex too - Natalie even scored a huge ice cream sundae just for hugging the lounge manager at karaoke. :-) Both of them were so friendly, and Natalie really went out of her way to talk to and hug Dee-Da's neighbors - you could tell so many of them are lonely and really enjoyed being around young kids.
We went to Annapolis to visit Great-Gramma Bev and her boyfriend, Tony. We had a lot of fun visiting them, and Beverly was just glowing around the kids. We had a nice lunch, and then took the kids down to the water - Bev and my late grandfather's house is literally right up the street from the Bay. The kids ran around, played on the playground and just had a blast. Tony's daughter came over to meet us as well - really, really nice woman, which is no surprise because Tony is an absolute sweetheart of a man. Bev says she's (and maybe Tony) going to visit next year, and we intend to hold her to it! Natalie loved going to her house and spending time with her. Oliver too, he just can't tell us in so many words. :-)
My godfather/Great-Uncle Bill had a stroke a few weeks ago, and was still in the hospital when we were in town. I wanted him to meet Oliver (he met Natalie a couple of times on past visits), but the hospitals decided to ban visitors under 17 starting that week. Go figure. So I took Dee-Da over there since he hadn't been able to get to see Uncle Bill yet. Uncle Bill was doing remarkably well! Sitting up, able to dress and feed himself, and was speaking really well. He'd kind of lose his train of thought at times, and that was clearly frustrating for him, but really, I was impressed at how well he was doing so soon after a stroke. He looked great, sounded the same, and was really happy to see us. He and Dee-Da traded stories for a while - some I'd heard before, others I hadn't, and it was a nice way to spend part of the afternoon. Bittersweet for sure, because many of the stories included my grandmother and godmother/Great-Aunt, but really fun to hear too. He was actually moved to a rehab facility the next day (the hospital was pushing to discharge, even though he still needs 24/7 care. Assholes), and hopefully he won't need to stay long).
We also saw my other Great-Uncle, Uncle George. He was my paternal grandmother's (Dee-Da's wife) youngest brother. He was always known as the Grouch, but I've always had a big soft spot for him. We went out to lunch, and had a great time. Unfortunately we missed Aunt Betty, but it was great seeing Uncle George. He got a kick out of the kids, and they got away with way more than my cousins and I would have at their age. I jokingly pointed that out, and he laughed. :-) Then he gave his trademark "How would you like a size 11.5 up your behind" and all was right with the world.
Went out to dinner at a good, local sports bar/restaurant, Padonia Station. My brother Rich and SIL Christie joined us. I just about got our server to spit in Rich's beer before she served it to him, but she opted against it. After dinner, I really wished she had, because Rich farted on my arm outside the restaurant. I'll get him back.
I also got to see one of my best friends, Colleen, her SO Tim, and their daughter MacKenzie. She's just about 3.5 and an absolute doll. I can't believe she's that old already - one of our past trips back there was to throw Colleen a baby shower!
I think those are the highlights. If I think of more, I'll edit. Oh and it was COLD!! Before we left, projected daytime highs were mid-upper 60s, which is tolerable. By Wednesday it was 50, by that afternoon raining. The rest of the week was 45 for the high and rain, rain, rain. I finally had to give in and go to Target to get flannel pj pants and a thermal top. When we got back to Phoenix, it was 104 - quite a change!
Have some kid updates... I'll get to those tomorrow. I also need to get September pictures up. Will try to this weekend. I'm going to go ahead and post Baltimore, since I know for sure those are all up and corrected.
Last week was Natalie's Fall Break, so we went to Baltimore to see my family and friends. We stayed with our friends Lynette, Derek and their son Austin, as usual. Austin will be 12 in a few days (can't believe it!!) and is Natalie's new idol. He has a really neat school set-up in their basement, and he gave Natalie classes every night. He really went all out - researched kindergarten worksheets online for Natalie to complete, gave her homework, a grade, and honestly just in that week, I'm seeing an improvement in her handwriting and also math. He also made a website for his "school". Natalie had a blast!
We spent a lot of time with my grandfather, Dee-Da. This is the first time he (and actually everyone we saw in Baltimore) met Oliver. We ate steamed crabs (and crab dip and crab cakes, and I got a couple pizza subs) until they came out our ears! Oliver LOVED them! We couldn't get the meat out of the shells fast enough for either kid. We also got to attend the monthly Karaoke Night at Dee-Da's senior apartment complex. He started it, and it has pretty decent attendance each month. He sang 4 or 5 songs, and had a whole table full of fans - our AZ contingent, his nieces Ellen and Eleanor, and great-nephew Jeffrey - they usually go each month. The kids were a hit at his complex too - Natalie even scored a huge ice cream sundae just for hugging the lounge manager at karaoke. :-) Both of them were so friendly, and Natalie really went out of her way to talk to and hug Dee-Da's neighbors - you could tell so many of them are lonely and really enjoyed being around young kids.
We went to Annapolis to visit Great-Gramma Bev and her boyfriend, Tony. We had a lot of fun visiting them, and Beverly was just glowing around the kids. We had a nice lunch, and then took the kids down to the water - Bev and my late grandfather's house is literally right up the street from the Bay. The kids ran around, played on the playground and just had a blast. Tony's daughter came over to meet us as well - really, really nice woman, which is no surprise because Tony is an absolute sweetheart of a man. Bev says she's (and maybe Tony) going to visit next year, and we intend to hold her to it! Natalie loved going to her house and spending time with her. Oliver too, he just can't tell us in so many words. :-)
My godfather/Great-Uncle Bill had a stroke a few weeks ago, and was still in the hospital when we were in town. I wanted him to meet Oliver (he met Natalie a couple of times on past visits), but the hospitals decided to ban visitors under 17 starting that week. Go figure. So I took Dee-Da over there since he hadn't been able to get to see Uncle Bill yet. Uncle Bill was doing remarkably well! Sitting up, able to dress and feed himself, and was speaking really well. He'd kind of lose his train of thought at times, and that was clearly frustrating for him, but really, I was impressed at how well he was doing so soon after a stroke. He looked great, sounded the same, and was really happy to see us. He and Dee-Da traded stories for a while - some I'd heard before, others I hadn't, and it was a nice way to spend part of the afternoon. Bittersweet for sure, because many of the stories included my grandmother and godmother/Great-Aunt, but really fun to hear too. He was actually moved to a rehab facility the next day (the hospital was pushing to discharge, even though he still needs 24/7 care. Assholes), and hopefully he won't need to stay long).
We also saw my other Great-Uncle, Uncle George. He was my paternal grandmother's (Dee-Da's wife) youngest brother. He was always known as the Grouch, but I've always had a big soft spot for him. We went out to lunch, and had a great time. Unfortunately we missed Aunt Betty, but it was great seeing Uncle George. He got a kick out of the kids, and they got away with way more than my cousins and I would have at their age. I jokingly pointed that out, and he laughed. :-) Then he gave his trademark "How would you like a size 11.5 up your behind" and all was right with the world.
Went out to dinner at a good, local sports bar/restaurant, Padonia Station. My brother Rich and SIL Christie joined us. I just about got our server to spit in Rich's beer before she served it to him, but she opted against it. After dinner, I really wished she had, because Rich farted on my arm outside the restaurant. I'll get him back.
I also got to see one of my best friends, Colleen, her SO Tim, and their daughter MacKenzie. She's just about 3.5 and an absolute doll. I can't believe she's that old already - one of our past trips back there was to throw Colleen a baby shower!
I think those are the highlights. If I think of more, I'll edit. Oh and it was COLD!! Before we left, projected daytime highs were mid-upper 60s, which is tolerable. By Wednesday it was 50, by that afternoon raining. The rest of the week was 45 for the high and rain, rain, rain. I finally had to give in and go to Target to get flannel pj pants and a thermal top. When we got back to Phoenix, it was 104 - quite a change!
Have some kid updates... I'll get to those tomorrow. I also need to get September pictures up. Will try to this weekend. I'm going to go ahead and post Baltimore, since I know for sure those are all up and corrected.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Overgaard - Labor Day
We took the kids to Overgaard for the long weekend to get away from the heat! We had a lot of fun! I was pretty sick, but kept up. Drove up Friday night, didn't do much since we got there at 5. Unpacked, kids to bed, then we ate (the kids ate in the car).
Saturday we walked around in the morning, collected pinecones, went to Natalie's favorite rock shop, then it started raining, so we went in for lunch and a nap for Oliver. Natalie and I went back out and walked around for a while. She made friends with the boy whose family was staying next to us, so she showed off for him while he hung out on their balcony. Once Oliver got up, we went to a nice park nearby and let the kids play. Had dinner, baths, bed.
Sunday Jon took Natalie fishing (not so much as a nibble), and Oliver and I just went outside. I let him lead me wherever he wanted to go. He was having so much fun running around and exploring - it's been too hot this summer to go to parks, so this weekend was the most time he's had outside since Spring. He was squealing and laughing, pointing things out, then he'd start running and letting out this funny little happy yell. We met up with Jon and Natalie, had lunch, then Natalie and I hit the pool while Oliver napped. Took the kids for an ice cream cone so we could spoil their dinner. :-) Natalie was also given some really pretty stones from a jeweler who is on the property - she calls him "The Cowboy" - and always in this hushed, awed tone. Afterwards, the kids played in the hallway between the two units with Natalie's new friend Alex and a couple of his brothers.
Came home Monday. Yikes. Hell of a drive. Should have taken an hour from Overgaard to Payson - took about 3. Had our 2nd worst lunch ever in Payson (the worst was there too), then walked and looked at some shops to kill some time/wait out traffic. It had been raining pretty heavily, and we came across a big, deep puddle. I let the kids go to town in it - they were SOAKED! Jon went to bring the car around, and while he was gone, I got in the puddle with the kids. Oh his face when he drove up. The three of us changed and we were on our way home.
Saturday we walked around in the morning, collected pinecones, went to Natalie's favorite rock shop, then it started raining, so we went in for lunch and a nap for Oliver. Natalie and I went back out and walked around for a while. She made friends with the boy whose family was staying next to us, so she showed off for him while he hung out on their balcony. Once Oliver got up, we went to a nice park nearby and let the kids play. Had dinner, baths, bed.
Sunday Jon took Natalie fishing (not so much as a nibble), and Oliver and I just went outside. I let him lead me wherever he wanted to go. He was having so much fun running around and exploring - it's been too hot this summer to go to parks, so this weekend was the most time he's had outside since Spring. He was squealing and laughing, pointing things out, then he'd start running and letting out this funny little happy yell. We met up with Jon and Natalie, had lunch, then Natalie and I hit the pool while Oliver napped. Took the kids for an ice cream cone so we could spoil their dinner. :-) Natalie was also given some really pretty stones from a jeweler who is on the property - she calls him "The Cowboy" - and always in this hushed, awed tone. Afterwards, the kids played in the hallway between the two units with Natalie's new friend Alex and a couple of his brothers.
Came home Monday. Yikes. Hell of a drive. Should have taken an hour from Overgaard to Payson - took about 3. Had our 2nd worst lunch ever in Payson (the worst was there too), then walked and looked at some shops to kill some time/wait out traffic. It had been raining pretty heavily, and we came across a big, deep puddle. I let the kids go to town in it - they were SOAKED! Jon went to bring the car around, and while he was gone, I got in the puddle with the kids. Oh his face when he drove up. The three of us changed and we were on our way home.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
4th of July/vacation!
We just got back from a week long vacation in Overgaard, AZ. AKA Heber Overgaard - the two towns run into each other, both are small, and are often referred to together. We had a nice, relaxing trip! I'm listing out what we did, more for Natalie and Oliver, as each year, I'm having our blog made into a book so they'll have it when they are older.
We arrived in town on Thursday, July 2. Didn't do much - unpacked, got a pizza. While waiting for the pizza (there is a restaurant/saloon on the property), I noticed someone eating wings that looked awesome. Made a mental note to go back for some over the weekend. Our unit had two bedrooms and a Murphy bed in the living room. Put the kids in a room together. Epic fail. At 2 a.m., we were jolted out of bed by banging and laughing. Went in their room - Oliver was standing in the crib, banging on the closet doors. He'd look to Natalie for approval, she'd laugh, then he'd crack up. Over and over. Jon finally hauled the crib into our room. O partied a bit longer, then finally settled down. The next morning, Natalie told us "I want to always share a room with Oliver. He's funny!". For the rest of the trip, Jon and I took the Murphy bed -we all slept better.
Friday - took the kids to the playground, went swimming, low-key day. Sent Jon out for wings once the kids went to bed. They ran out of food (the hell?) and closed the kitchen at 6.
Saturday - 4th of July! Got up, checked out the arts and crafts festival on the property, bought some killer fudge. Headed out to stake a spot for the parade. The parade was nice. Natalie was miffed that no one threw candy - it was mainly fire trucks spraying the crap out of people, and floats with people spraying the onlookers, but fun all the same! Went back to the festival on the property, took the kids to the petting zoo that was set up there. Both of them loved it! Even Oliver did well with the animals - overall he was pretty gentle with them. Had dinner, then I stayed back with Oliver, while Natalie and Jon went to the fireworks in town. Jon said it was one of the best shows he's seen. It was in a canyon on the Rim, and the sound echoed off the walls. Apparently Natalie fell asleep during the finale. LOL. I wound up having a fun evening too! I went grocery shopping before we left on Thursday, and mentioned to the front end manager (who I talk to all the time) that we were heading north for the week. She asked where, I told her, and she told me she was going to Overgaard for the weekend too! Her son is a firefighter there. So she came over to our place Saturday night - once Oliver went to bed, we sat on the balcony and had some drinks and snacks. Always fun to make new friends!
Sunday - Natalie woke up sick - vomited once. Low energy off and on all day, so we didn't do much. Went to the pool for a bit. She perked up in the afternoon, so I took her to the bigger park in town that also had an arts and crafts festival - they had a number of bounce houses set up, so she went on all of those. We also took the granddaughter of the woman who works at the general store on the property. We've been there 3 times, and she actually remembered us! I walked in the store Thursday afternoon with Oliver and she said "Wow, he got big and you shrank!". I was amazed she remembered us - we hadn't been there since October. Anyway, before we left for the park we saw her and her granddaughter, mentioned where we were headed, Destiny said she wanted to go. I pulled Susan aside, asked if she wanted me to take her, and off we went! Natalie enjoyed having company! Sent Jon out for wings. The kitchen closed at 2 that day. Jesus.
Monday, Natalie was better. Unfortunately, I wasn't. I woke up sick as hell. Like her, vomited once. I couldn't really get out of bed though, just had no energy at all - everytime I tried, I fell back asleep. Jon took the kids to get fishing supplies and then swimming. I got up around 11, showered, and took Natalie for a pony ride that I had promised her. That did me in. My body ached so badly - right down to the bone. I went back, went to bed, woke up at 5 in a cold sweat, no pain - must have had a fever, which broke while I was sleeping. After that I was fine.
Tuesday - Jon took Natalie fishing - there's a catch and release pond on the property. They had a lot of fun! Jon caught four fish. Natalie had one on the line - they saw it, but as she tried to reel it in, it got away. I took Oliver in town for a bit, then he and I went swimming. He's a little fish! Both kids are! They had a kiddie pool which was great for both of them - they could have at it much easier than they can at our pool at home. Natalie is learning depth, and how to read the signs, so she told us the kiddie pool was "1 deep down". Had lunch, got Oliver down for a nap. Took Natalie for another pony ride, but as soon as she got seated, her nose sprung a leak. Couldn't get the nosebleed to stop and since it was hot out, we decided to go ahead to the club/rec center on the property and play Bingo, then go back for her pony ride. We didn't win at Bingo - played against two older women who had stacks of cards in front of them (LOL), but Natalie got a consolation prize - a little baggie full of all kinds of neat things! And I was so proud of her - the first thing she did was pick out two things that she wanted to give to Oliver. Went swimming again once Oliver got up, had dinner, kids to bed. Jon got wings. Finally. And guess what? They looked great, but kind of sucked. Figures.
Wednesday - Oliver's turn to be sick, and the poor guy is still kind of sick. :-( He threw up once in the morning, then seemed OK - crabby, but OK. Crabby enough that Jon was trying to work, I was trying to shower and dress and neither of us could make him happy. I finally gave each kid a roll of toilet paper and let them have at it - hoping for 10 minutes of peace. I got 20! Yay! Went
to Natalie's favorite store at the site - they had all sorts of rocks - let her pick out some more. Took her for an Italian ice, then went back, had lunch, got Oliver down. Natalie and I spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool. Such a nice afternoon! Several other families were there, so Natalie had lots of kids to play with! 85, breezy, beautiful scenery. I could have stayed there another week (wish we had. My car registered 114 outside today). Went out to dinner at a nice local Mexican place, came back, got the kids to bed.
Came home on Thursday!
Nothing else really to report. Although we finally moved Oliver to a booster seat - he likes it much better - plus he gets a plate now (we always fed both kids trough style while they were in the highchair - to avoid plates being thrown)! And I love not having to clean out the highchair seat - God that was foul. Especially since the vinyl covering cracked and peeled in places, so food would get trapped in there. Blech.
Pics are going up. Vacation and June. I skipped May. Didn't have any real good ones besides Chicago - and those are up there.
ETA: June will go up tomorrow. Shutterfly is acting up, and won't load all my pictures, so I can't see what I'm trying to link here. I'll try again tomorrow evening.
Just posted June - I didn't realize until I gathered all the pictures, that it was the Oliver show last month! He hams it up for the camera, and Natalie usually ducks it.
We arrived in town on Thursday, July 2. Didn't do much - unpacked, got a pizza. While waiting for the pizza (there is a restaurant/saloon on the property), I noticed someone eating wings that looked awesome. Made a mental note to go back for some over the weekend. Our unit had two bedrooms and a Murphy bed in the living room. Put the kids in a room together. Epic fail. At 2 a.m., we were jolted out of bed by banging and laughing. Went in their room - Oliver was standing in the crib, banging on the closet doors. He'd look to Natalie for approval, she'd laugh, then he'd crack up. Over and over. Jon finally hauled the crib into our room. O partied a bit longer, then finally settled down. The next morning, Natalie told us "I want to always share a room with Oliver. He's funny!". For the rest of the trip, Jon and I took the Murphy bed -we all slept better.
Friday - took the kids to the playground, went swimming, low-key day. Sent Jon out for wings once the kids went to bed. They ran out of food (the hell?) and closed the kitchen at 6.
Saturday - 4th of July! Got up, checked out the arts and crafts festival on the property, bought some killer fudge. Headed out to stake a spot for the parade. The parade was nice. Natalie was miffed that no one threw candy - it was mainly fire trucks spraying the crap out of people, and floats with people spraying the onlookers, but fun all the same! Went back to the festival on the property, took the kids to the petting zoo that was set up there. Both of them loved it! Even Oliver did well with the animals - overall he was pretty gentle with them. Had dinner, then I stayed back with Oliver, while Natalie and Jon went to the fireworks in town. Jon said it was one of the best shows he's seen. It was in a canyon on the Rim, and the sound echoed off the walls. Apparently Natalie fell asleep during the finale. LOL. I wound up having a fun evening too! I went grocery shopping before we left on Thursday, and mentioned to the front end manager (who I talk to all the time) that we were heading north for the week. She asked where, I told her, and she told me she was going to Overgaard for the weekend too! Her son is a firefighter there. So she came over to our place Saturday night - once Oliver went to bed, we sat on the balcony and had some drinks and snacks. Always fun to make new friends!
Sunday - Natalie woke up sick - vomited once. Low energy off and on all day, so we didn't do much. Went to the pool for a bit. She perked up in the afternoon, so I took her to the bigger park in town that also had an arts and crafts festival - they had a number of bounce houses set up, so she went on all of those. We also took the granddaughter of the woman who works at the general store on the property. We've been there 3 times, and she actually remembered us! I walked in the store Thursday afternoon with Oliver and she said "Wow, he got big and you shrank!". I was amazed she remembered us - we hadn't been there since October. Anyway, before we left for the park we saw her and her granddaughter, mentioned where we were headed, Destiny said she wanted to go. I pulled Susan aside, asked if she wanted me to take her, and off we went! Natalie enjoyed having company! Sent Jon out for wings. The kitchen closed at 2 that day. Jesus.
Monday, Natalie was better. Unfortunately, I wasn't. I woke up sick as hell. Like her, vomited once. I couldn't really get out of bed though, just had no energy at all - everytime I tried, I fell back asleep. Jon took the kids to get fishing supplies and then swimming. I got up around 11, showered, and took Natalie for a pony ride that I had promised her. That did me in. My body ached so badly - right down to the bone. I went back, went to bed, woke up at 5 in a cold sweat, no pain - must have had a fever, which broke while I was sleeping. After that I was fine.
Tuesday - Jon took Natalie fishing - there's a catch and release pond on the property. They had a lot of fun! Jon caught four fish. Natalie had one on the line - they saw it, but as she tried to reel it in, it got away. I took Oliver in town for a bit, then he and I went swimming. He's a little fish! Both kids are! They had a kiddie pool which was great for both of them - they could have at it much easier than they can at our pool at home. Natalie is learning depth, and how to read the signs, so she told us the kiddie pool was "1 deep down". Had lunch, got Oliver down for a nap. Took Natalie for another pony ride, but as soon as she got seated, her nose sprung a leak. Couldn't get the nosebleed to stop and since it was hot out, we decided to go ahead to the club/rec center on the property and play Bingo, then go back for her pony ride. We didn't win at Bingo - played against two older women who had stacks of cards in front of them (LOL), but Natalie got a consolation prize - a little baggie full of all kinds of neat things! And I was so proud of her - the first thing she did was pick out two things that she wanted to give to Oliver. Went swimming again once Oliver got up, had dinner, kids to bed. Jon got wings. Finally. And guess what? They looked great, but kind of sucked. Figures.
Wednesday - Oliver's turn to be sick, and the poor guy is still kind of sick. :-( He threw up once in the morning, then seemed OK - crabby, but OK. Crabby enough that Jon was trying to work, I was trying to shower and dress and neither of us could make him happy. I finally gave each kid a roll of toilet paper and let them have at it - hoping for 10 minutes of peace. I got 20! Yay! Went
to Natalie's favorite store at the site - they had all sorts of rocks - let her pick out some more. Took her for an Italian ice, then went back, had lunch, got Oliver down. Natalie and I spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool. Such a nice afternoon! Several other families were there, so Natalie had lots of kids to play with! 85, breezy, beautiful scenery. I could have stayed there another week (wish we had. My car registered 114 outside today). Went out to dinner at a nice local Mexican place, came back, got the kids to bed.
Came home on Thursday!
Nothing else really to report. Although we finally moved Oliver to a booster seat - he likes it much better - plus he gets a plate now (we always fed both kids trough style while they were in the highchair - to avoid plates being thrown)! And I love not having to clean out the highchair seat - God that was foul. Especially since the vinyl covering cracked and peeled in places, so food would get trapped in there. Blech.
Pics are going up. Vacation and June. I skipped May. Didn't have any real good ones besides Chicago - and those are up there.
ETA: June will go up tomorrow. Shutterfly is acting up, and won't load all my pictures, so I can't see what I'm trying to link here. I'll try again tomorrow evening.
Just posted June - I didn't realize until I gathered all the pictures, that it was the Oliver show last month! He hams it up for the camera, and Natalie usually ducks it.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Chicago trip - Maggie's Christening
Last weekend we flew to Chicago to attend our niece's Christening. We all had a wonderful time, and the kids did so well on the flights and while we were away - despite later bedtimes than usual. What troopers!
We arrived late Friday night, and just let the kids get acclimated to Grandma's house, then off to bed for both. Both kids thoroughly enjoyed their time with Grandma! Natalie even got to sleep in Grandma's bed!
Saturday morning, Natalie and I made a Target and Dunkin' Donuts run, then came back and hung out with Grandma, Uncle Matt, Aunt Elizabeth and Will. Natalie, Oliver and Will had a lot of fun playing together! Natalie just adores Will. We paid Great-great Auntie Annie a visit so she could see the kids. Came back, Aunt Annie was there, had lunch, gave Oliver a nap. Great-Aunt Lois and Great-Uncle Don came over too! Took the kids to the park in the afternoon, then had pizza for dinner. Bed for Oliver, and then Natalie, Jon and I went to Aunt Sara and Uncle Kyle's so we could meet Maggie! She is just the sweetest little thing! Natalie got to hold her a couple of times, and was very gentle and sweet with her. Then she went out back with Uncle Kyle and hit some "golf" balls around. Their new place is beautiful, and they have an awesome backyard!
Sunday was the Christening, so we didn't do much in the morning, except send Jon out for more doughnuts. :-) The Christening was at 1, and was a very nice service. Maggie looked beautiful in her gown. Went back to Sara and Kyle's for a party. The food was excellent, and Maggie's cake was beautiful - it had an exact replica of her gown on it - and it was easily the most delicious cake I've ever had. Hung out for awhile, then took the kids back to Grandma's to settle in for the night.
Flew home early Monday morning, once again, both kids did well. We're hoping to be able to stay a little longer next time - this visit was just a little too short!
Pictures will be up tonight!
We arrived late Friday night, and just let the kids get acclimated to Grandma's house, then off to bed for both. Both kids thoroughly enjoyed their time with Grandma! Natalie even got to sleep in Grandma's bed!
Saturday morning, Natalie and I made a Target and Dunkin' Donuts run, then came back and hung out with Grandma, Uncle Matt, Aunt Elizabeth and Will. Natalie, Oliver and Will had a lot of fun playing together! Natalie just adores Will. We paid Great-great Auntie Annie a visit so she could see the kids. Came back, Aunt Annie was there, had lunch, gave Oliver a nap. Great-Aunt Lois and Great-Uncle Don came over too! Took the kids to the park in the afternoon, then had pizza for dinner. Bed for Oliver, and then Natalie, Jon and I went to Aunt Sara and Uncle Kyle's so we could meet Maggie! She is just the sweetest little thing! Natalie got to hold her a couple of times, and was very gentle and sweet with her. Then she went out back with Uncle Kyle and hit some "golf" balls around. Their new place is beautiful, and they have an awesome backyard!
Sunday was the Christening, so we didn't do much in the morning, except send Jon out for more doughnuts. :-) The Christening was at 1, and was a very nice service. Maggie looked beautiful in her gown. Went back to Sara and Kyle's for a party. The food was excellent, and Maggie's cake was beautiful - it had an exact replica of her gown on it - and it was easily the most delicious cake I've ever had. Hung out for awhile, then took the kids back to Grandma's to settle in for the night.
Flew home early Monday morning, once again, both kids did well. We're hoping to be able to stay a little longer next time - this visit was just a little too short!
Pictures will be up tonight!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Weekend in Tucson
As mentioned earlier last week, last Thursday we headed to Tucson for a long weekend. Our very good friends from OH, Stacy, Paul and their children Christian and Kamryn were in Tucson visiting Stacy's family, so we seized the opportunity to see them! Christian was Natalie's best friend in OH - they are like two peas in a pod. We had such a wonderful time! And Tucson is gorgeous. I've only been there twice - once years ago on a day trip, and then last summer to have a girl's slumber party at my friend Alison's, so I hadn't had much of a chance before this weekend to really check it out.
We drove through Florence on the way there and back. Florence is probably best known for the state prison there. I read about a prison outlet online, which is a store stocked with items made by inmates, so when we passed it, I made Jon turn around. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it was a let-down. Natalie bought something though. lol. We met Stacy and her family for dinner that night, and the kids had a great time running around and playing with each other!
Friday, Jon golfed with Paul, Stacy's brother and stepfather. Stacy, her mom, the kids and I went to IHOP (cleared out our section in about 20 minutes, oops! The kids were a little excited), then to a local park. Later on, we all met up at Stacy's mom's and headed to her brother's for the evening. Her family is so incredibly warm and welcoming. They haven't seen Stacy, Paul and the kids in 8 months, but just took us right in! Their nieces loved the kids! There was no shortage of arms to hold Oliver. ;-)
We went to lunch with my friend Alison on Saturday, then took the kids back to the condo for a much-needed nap. After naps, we checked out a local toy store that was written up in a couple of local tourist guides. Mainly gag items, so not worth going to again, but Natalie enjoyed it. We had a quiet dinner back at our place, then got the kids to bed early.
We got to see Stacy, Paul and the kids Sunday morning before we left - they came by our place, then we went out for breakfast. Headed home after that.
All in all, it was a wonderful weekend! Although now we miss them more than ever.
We drove through Florence on the way there and back. Florence is probably best known for the state prison there. I read about a prison outlet online, which is a store stocked with items made by inmates, so when we passed it, I made Jon turn around. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it was a let-down. Natalie bought something though. lol. We met Stacy and her family for dinner that night, and the kids had a great time running around and playing with each other!
Friday, Jon golfed with Paul, Stacy's brother and stepfather. Stacy, her mom, the kids and I went to IHOP (cleared out our section in about 20 minutes, oops! The kids were a little excited), then to a local park. Later on, we all met up at Stacy's mom's and headed to her brother's for the evening. Her family is so incredibly warm and welcoming. They haven't seen Stacy, Paul and the kids in 8 months, but just took us right in! Their nieces loved the kids! There was no shortage of arms to hold Oliver. ;-)
We went to lunch with my friend Alison on Saturday, then took the kids back to the condo for a much-needed nap. After naps, we checked out a local toy store that was written up in a couple of local tourist guides. Mainly gag items, so not worth going to again, but Natalie enjoyed it. We had a quiet dinner back at our place, then got the kids to bed early.
We got to see Stacy, Paul and the kids Sunday morning before we left - they came by our place, then we went out for breakfast. Headed home after that.
All in all, it was a wonderful weekend! Although now we miss them more than ever.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
We're back!
We spent the weekend in Overgaard, and initially, couldn't win for losing. Check this out.
We went up there to go to an annual festival. It used to be an Oktoberfest, but apparently, they decided to stop serving alcohol at it (buh?), and changed it to something else that sounded fun. Yeah. People got pissed about the booze ban, so they canceled it outright. We didn't find out until we got there.
The property where we stay has horses and a bison (it is called Bison Ranch, afterall!). They have pony rides for kids - Natalie loved her pony ride when we were there earlier this summer. Yeah. The pony rides closed for the season the weekend before we were there.
We decided to go to Holbrook on Saturday to check out the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest State Park. I was there 8 years ago, right before I moved to CA, and it was just incredible, and I wanted Jon to see it anyway. It is only an hour from Overgaard. Someone at the front desk told us there was a dinosaur park we should check out, near Holbrook. I looked at it online, and Natalie wanted to go. We got up to Holbrook, saw the sign for the dinosaur park, got onto 40 and saw two of the dinosaurs at a truck stop. We drove for a bit and didn't see the park, turned around and went back to the truck stop. Yeah. The Dinosaur Park closed a year ago due to declining business, and those two dinos at the truck stop were all that were left. So we stopped so Natalie could check them out. The funny part was, as Natalie and I were going back to the car (as an aside, I thought Jon was honking at us. Nope. He had Oliver in the driver's seat with him, and I think O was doing the honking!), another mini-van pulled up and started unloading kids. The father looked at us and said "Please tell me this isn't it". Sorry dude!
Since Holbrook is only about 20 minutes from Winslow, I insisted that Jon take us there so I could stand on the famous "Standin' on a corner, in Winslow, AZ" corner and get a picture by the mural - I think there was supposed to be a park or something dedicated to it. Yup. You guessed it. A year ago, there was a fire. The only thing left was the front facade of the building, but luckily the mural was still intact. There isn't much to do in Winslow, so we got the shot and left. :-)
All in all though, it was a nice weekend! Friday I had the kids out all morning at the playground, throwing rocks in the pond, checking out the shops on the property while Jon got some work done. Then we hung out all afternoon. Saturday was awesome - the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest is just incredible. There are petroglyphs in part of it (see the pictures I'll be posting after this) that are 600-800 years old. When we got back to Overgaard, we had dinner at this awesome Mexican restaurant we discovered on our last trip, Casa Ramos. It was good to get away, and the weather was refreshingly cooler. Could have done without the rain, but hey, that's ok!
And on a sadder note... There was a lizard that lived on our property - liked to hang out on the concrete block fence near our honeysuckle and palms. When Jon's family was visiting the weekend prior, Dude was in the yard, looking a little worse for wear. I kept moving him back to the shade under the palms, and we hoped he'd pull through. He died sometime over the weekend. Fortunately, I don't have to tell Natalie. Right before we left on Thursday, I noticed another Desert Spiny (a friend helped me ID him online) about the same size, hanging out in Dude's old spot. There's also a much smaller Desert Spiny and two geckos that live on our property! So, that brings our lizard total to four.
I'll be posting pictures in a bit - check them out! You'll notice there's a picture of a train station. That's the train station in Holbrook that Geronimo boarded to go to a reservation.
We went up there to go to an annual festival. It used to be an Oktoberfest, but apparently, they decided to stop serving alcohol at it (buh?), and changed it to something else that sounded fun. Yeah. People got pissed about the booze ban, so they canceled it outright. We didn't find out until we got there.
The property where we stay has horses and a bison (it is called Bison Ranch, afterall!). They have pony rides for kids - Natalie loved her pony ride when we were there earlier this summer. Yeah. The pony rides closed for the season the weekend before we were there.
We decided to go to Holbrook on Saturday to check out the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest State Park. I was there 8 years ago, right before I moved to CA, and it was just incredible, and I wanted Jon to see it anyway. It is only an hour from Overgaard. Someone at the front desk told us there was a dinosaur park we should check out, near Holbrook. I looked at it online, and Natalie wanted to go. We got up to Holbrook, saw the sign for the dinosaur park, got onto 40 and saw two of the dinosaurs at a truck stop. We drove for a bit and didn't see the park, turned around and went back to the truck stop. Yeah. The Dinosaur Park closed a year ago due to declining business, and those two dinos at the truck stop were all that were left. So we stopped so Natalie could check them out. The funny part was, as Natalie and I were going back to the car (as an aside, I thought Jon was honking at us. Nope. He had Oliver in the driver's seat with him, and I think O was doing the honking!), another mini-van pulled up and started unloading kids. The father looked at us and said "Please tell me this isn't it". Sorry dude!
Since Holbrook is only about 20 minutes from Winslow, I insisted that Jon take us there so I could stand on the famous "Standin' on a corner, in Winslow, AZ" corner and get a picture by the mural - I think there was supposed to be a park or something dedicated to it. Yup. You guessed it. A year ago, there was a fire. The only thing left was the front facade of the building, but luckily the mural was still intact. There isn't much to do in Winslow, so we got the shot and left. :-)
All in all though, it was a nice weekend! Friday I had the kids out all morning at the playground, throwing rocks in the pond, checking out the shops on the property while Jon got some work done. Then we hung out all afternoon. Saturday was awesome - the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest is just incredible. There are petroglyphs in part of it (see the pictures I'll be posting after this) that are 600-800 years old. When we got back to Overgaard, we had dinner at this awesome Mexican restaurant we discovered on our last trip, Casa Ramos. It was good to get away, and the weather was refreshingly cooler. Could have done without the rain, but hey, that's ok!
And on a sadder note... There was a lizard that lived on our property - liked to hang out on the concrete block fence near our honeysuckle and palms. When Jon's family was visiting the weekend prior, Dude was in the yard, looking a little worse for wear. I kept moving him back to the shade under the palms, and we hoped he'd pull through. He died sometime over the weekend. Fortunately, I don't have to tell Natalie. Right before we left on Thursday, I noticed another Desert Spiny (a friend helped me ID him online) about the same size, hanging out in Dude's old spot. There's also a much smaller Desert Spiny and two geckos that live on our property! So, that brings our lizard total to four.
I'll be posting pictures in a bit - check them out! You'll notice there's a picture of a train station. That's the train station in Holbrook that Geronimo boarded to go to a reservation.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Pink eye and Pinetop
The night before we left for Pinetop, I noticed that Oliver's left eye was red. Took him to the doctor before we left town, and sure enough, the poor guy had pink eye. It has cleared up well - we caught it early - and it never seemed to bother him. *knock wood* Apparently there is a non-contagious strain, and as none of us have caught it as yet, I'm hoping we all dodged a bullet! He's teething hard though, and just isn't his usual happy, mellow self. I think he still has a ways to go too - Natalie teethed at about three months, but didn't pop those first two teeth until sometime in her fifth month.
So, Pinetop! What a lovely town! I'd been there years ago, but can't remember exactly when or why - I think I just drove through it. It's hard to believe you are still in Arizona up there - it's pine country, in the White Mountains, no cactus or dirt to be seen anywhere! The high was 84, which was perfect, and the nights were cool. We had a fantastic storm on Friday night, and then Saturday night it rained most of the evening - just a nice, cool rain with a breeze. We had the windows open, and just enjoyed it. Well, all of us except Mitz enjoyed it. She came down with a triple whammy on Friday - thought it was a cold - but turned out to be bronchitis, pharyngitis and sinusitis. Ouch. So she was a little feverish, and just a little more chilly than the rest of us!
Thursday night we went to dinner at a little Mexican place called La Casita that Mitz kept talking about the whole time leading up to the trip. Supposed to be really fantastic food. Supposed being the operative word. They've gone downhill since the last time Mitz and Pops ate there. We've now christened it "La CaSHITa". Mitz had some kind of mystery meat paste on her plate - you couldn't pay me to try it. :-)
On Friday, we split up. Jon, Pops and Natalie went fishing at Rainbow Lake - Herself's first time! Pops bought her her first fishing rod, which I think is really cool, because he gave me my first one as well. Coincidentally, both rods are Shakespeare's, except Natalie's is a Disney Princess one, and mine wasn't. I got robbed. :-P Just kidding, Pops! Apparently Natalie knocked all the bait in the water pretty early on, so she didn't get to catch anything, but she sure had fun trying! And who knew that ducks like Cheetos? Mitz, Oliver and I went antique shopping in town. Mitz and I enjoyed ourselves, and Oliver slept through it. We all met up again for lunch, then headed back for naps for the kids, Mitz, and who am I kidding? The adults napped too! After naps, Natalie and I checked out the woods on the property - "We going on a 'venture Mommy!" Dinner was at a great place called Charlie Clarks - really great food - great menu. Back to the condo to get the kids in bed, and break out the cards and poker chips. Poor Jon lost his shirt and had to keep getting loans from me and Mitz, hit up Pops once. Mom and I aren't loan sharks at all. Nah. Word to the wise - if you need a chip loan, go to Pops - he's not nearly as ruthless as the chicks. Must be the shared "S" gene.
Saturday was spent in the town of Greer - about 30ish miles from Pinetop. Mitz and Pops honeymooned there, and Pops' family would go there when he was a boy. Mitz told me that Pops used to take his fishing rod as a kid, and just disappear for the day - neat to find out more about his childhood! Anyway, it's a lovely, small town. We went to the stream there - beautiful clear, running water. Natalie attempted to "fish" with a stick. And of course had a blast throwing rocks in the water. Had lunch in town, shopped a bit, then headed back. Everyone crashed out, then we had a quiet dinner at the condo, kids went to bed, we watched Phelps take his 8th gold, then headed to the table for more poker. Jon and Pops held their own, Mitz cleaned up, and I lost my shirt.
Oh, Natalie got her first set of marbles. Jon and Pops tried to teach her the proper way to play, but she still plays by Natalie Rules. Which are basically, you shoot at point blank range, and if her marble so much as touches one of yours, she takes three. And God help you if you knock one of hers and get to take it.
Headed home Sunday morning, then just crashed the rest of the day.
Back to the routine now! Natalie had school/Mother's Day Out today, and pre-school officially starts next week. She'll be going three mornings a week. Oliver has his four month checkup on Thursday, and Natalie will be seen too. She's had four nosebleeds in the last nine days - one was over the weekend, which was probably due to the elevation, but the other three have been at random times at home. The nurse at her Ped's office thinks it could be the heat, but they want to check her out just in case.
Hope everyone is enjoying the last bits of their summer! I'm working on getting pictures up after I post this! I wish we were back in Pinetop - this intense heat and humidity is for the birds.
So, Pinetop! What a lovely town! I'd been there years ago, but can't remember exactly when or why - I think I just drove through it. It's hard to believe you are still in Arizona up there - it's pine country, in the White Mountains, no cactus or dirt to be seen anywhere! The high was 84, which was perfect, and the nights were cool. We had a fantastic storm on Friday night, and then Saturday night it rained most of the evening - just a nice, cool rain with a breeze. We had the windows open, and just enjoyed it. Well, all of us except Mitz enjoyed it. She came down with a triple whammy on Friday - thought it was a cold - but turned out to be bronchitis, pharyngitis and sinusitis. Ouch. So she was a little feverish, and just a little more chilly than the rest of us!
Thursday night we went to dinner at a little Mexican place called La Casita that Mitz kept talking about the whole time leading up to the trip. Supposed to be really fantastic food. Supposed being the operative word. They've gone downhill since the last time Mitz and Pops ate there. We've now christened it "La CaSHITa". Mitz had some kind of mystery meat paste on her plate - you couldn't pay me to try it. :-)
On Friday, we split up. Jon, Pops and Natalie went fishing at Rainbow Lake - Herself's first time! Pops bought her her first fishing rod, which I think is really cool, because he gave me my first one as well. Coincidentally, both rods are Shakespeare's, except Natalie's is a Disney Princess one, and mine wasn't. I got robbed. :-P Just kidding, Pops! Apparently Natalie knocked all the bait in the water pretty early on, so she didn't get to catch anything, but she sure had fun trying! And who knew that ducks like Cheetos? Mitz, Oliver and I went antique shopping in town. Mitz and I enjoyed ourselves, and Oliver slept through it. We all met up again for lunch, then headed back for naps for the kids, Mitz, and who am I kidding? The adults napped too! After naps, Natalie and I checked out the woods on the property - "We going on a 'venture Mommy!" Dinner was at a great place called Charlie Clarks - really great food - great menu. Back to the condo to get the kids in bed, and break out the cards and poker chips. Poor Jon lost his shirt and had to keep getting loans from me and Mitz, hit up Pops once. Mom and I aren't loan sharks at all. Nah. Word to the wise - if you need a chip loan, go to Pops - he's not nearly as ruthless as the chicks. Must be the shared "S" gene.
Saturday was spent in the town of Greer - about 30ish miles from Pinetop. Mitz and Pops honeymooned there, and Pops' family would go there when he was a boy. Mitz told me that Pops used to take his fishing rod as a kid, and just disappear for the day - neat to find out more about his childhood! Anyway, it's a lovely, small town. We went to the stream there - beautiful clear, running water. Natalie attempted to "fish" with a stick. And of course had a blast throwing rocks in the water. Had lunch in town, shopped a bit, then headed back. Everyone crashed out, then we had a quiet dinner at the condo, kids went to bed, we watched Phelps take his 8th gold, then headed to the table for more poker. Jon and Pops held their own, Mitz cleaned up, and I lost my shirt.
Oh, Natalie got her first set of marbles. Jon and Pops tried to teach her the proper way to play, but she still plays by Natalie Rules. Which are basically, you shoot at point blank range, and if her marble so much as touches one of yours, she takes three. And God help you if you knock one of hers and get to take it.
Headed home Sunday morning, then just crashed the rest of the day.
Back to the routine now! Natalie had school/Mother's Day Out today, and pre-school officially starts next week. She'll be going three mornings a week. Oliver has his four month checkup on Thursday, and Natalie will be seen too. She's had four nosebleeds in the last nine days - one was over the weekend, which was probably due to the elevation, but the other three have been at random times at home. The nurse at her Ped's office thinks it could be the heat, but they want to check her out just in case.
Hope everyone is enjoying the last bits of their summer! I'm working on getting pictures up after I post this! I wish we were back in Pinetop - this intense heat and humidity is for the birds.
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