Disney World

We took the BEST trip to Disney World a couple of weeks ago! We were there for 11 days/10 nights and had an absolute blast. Here are our secrets:

We rented a condo at Mike Ditka's Lighthouse Key Resort and Spa. It was almost 2200 square feet and had four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a full kitchen, dining room, living room and laundry room. It was, in short, incredible. It was ONLY $129 per night. AMAZING. Especially when you consider that, on our last trip to Disney World (after which I swore I would never go again) we paid $99 per night for a "Disney Hotel" on property that was MAYBE 300 square feet (one room).

We bought a $30 crockpot when we got there and cooked most of our meals in the crockpot while we were in the park all day. What's that? Oh, you want the recipes? Of course. Yes, I will share those soon. :)

Each kid had a "pack" that they wore around their waist (I refuse to use the f-word ... as in "fanny-pack") (What f-word did you think I meant?) They carried their own snacks for the day, "Disney Dollars" that they had earned at home for their souvenirs, an i.d. card with their name, our names and our cell phone numbers, and pennies for pressing.

Mitchell didn't carry a pack - John carried his stuff for him. But, I wanted his name and our phone numbers on his person somewhere. I didn't want a place that was too obvious - like a nametag, yet I didn't want anything too hidden like a piece of paper in his shoe (who would look there at park security?). I finally came up with what I thought was the perfect solution. I went to PetSmart and bought a little round animal tag that said "Mitchell" and then listed John's cell number and my cell number. And then I bought the cutest little dog collar. Just kidding ... I attached it to his shoelaces ... it was noticeable if someone had found him, but not obvious to everyone walking down Main Street, USA.

We left Charlotte at home with my parents. It was really hard to say goodbye to her, especially because we knew that she didn't understand that we were leaving, and more importantly, that we were coming back. My mom told me when we got home that it seemed like she was a little depressed the first couple of days, but then she perked up and definitely began to "bask" in all the Grammy and PawPaw love she was getting. When we got back, she actually didn't want anything to do with me at the airport, though. She only wanted John (definitely a Daddy's Girl).

We took our Phil & Ted's stroller with the doubles kit so that Mitchell and Holly Grace could both ride if they wanted to. It was awesome. And a lot of moms pushing those tandem double stroller "limos" wanted to know where we got it after they saw the small footprint and maneuverability of it. It's camo blue, in case you were wondering. We also got the double rain cover, pannier bags, and packing tray to take with us, all three of which were invaluable.

Why did we stay so long? Well, consider this: an adult 4-day ticket to DisneyWorld (includes Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Disney's MGM Studios) costs $212. A 10-day ticket is only $13 more at $225. Yes, it's crazy, I know. So, we just figured we'd take our time in each of the parks and not try to "marathon" it by staying from opening until closing. We did not buy the "park hopper" option, but we did buy the Water Park Fun & More Option for an additional $50 per ticket. It allowed us ten (total) entries into the two Disney water parks (normally $39 per day), Disney Quest ($37) and Pleasure Island ($21.95). We went to the water parks three times and Disney Quest twice, so it was definitely worth it.

This year Disney's theme is "Year of a Million Dreams". Now I'm not really sure why they have to have a different theme each year. It seems to me that an appropriate theme that would always be fitting is "Disney - Where it's all about the movies and us cashing in on them". Anyway, on our first full day in Orlando, we went to the Magic Kingdom. Jack, Holly Grace and I rode Space Mountain (yes, she is too young to ride, but she is tall enough and she insisted that she wanted to and so we said, "okay" and yes, she was in tears at the end of it). Well, as we were getting off the ride (tears and all) there were these people at the "disembarking" area handing out free mouse ears as part of the "Year of a Million Dreams" celebration. Apparently, sometimes they just start handing out free "stuff" at random times in the park. So, I gave my mouse ears to Mitchell outside and all three kids then had a pair. So that was a great start to our day. Then, just a little while later, we were riding "Pooh" and there they were again - at the exit! Only this time, they were handing out "Dream Fastpasses". Basically, it was like a credit card on a lanyard. It had nine different break-off tabs for nine of the most popular attractions at the Magic Kingdom that were like Fastpasses (basically, you get to go to the front of the line when you use a fastpass. At least, you get to go in the Fastpass line, which is significantly shorter than the "standby" line). We actually saved most of those Fastpasses because the crowds were so light that day that we didn't need to use them. We did use them, however, when we went back to the Magic Kingdom another day and the lines were longer.

We spend three days at the Magic Kingdom, 1 1/2 days at Animal Kingdom, 1 day at Disney MGM, and one full day and two half days at Epcot. We worked in Water Parks and Disney Quest in the other half days. And the afternoon we arrived in Florida was spent at Cocoa Beach. Until Holly Grace got too much sand in the nether regions of her bathing suit and begged to leave so that she could take a bath. :)

Someday I'll get around to getting the photos off my camera and onto my computer. And then maybe I'll upload them and share. We'll see ...

Charlotte at 15 months

My friend Lindsay posts monthly updates about her little guy - and I love it! I've never really done that with Charlotte, but I thought it might be nice to let everyone in on what she's up to at fifteen months:

Height: 31" (75th percentile)
Weight: 21 lbs, 3 oz (25th percentile)
Head circumference: 18" (50th percentile)

Words: "Dad-dee", "Mama", "Jack", "PawPaw", "Uh-oh", "Puppy", "Kitty", "Moon"
Signs: More, milk, please, thank-you, yes, no

Loves: dancing, the "Itsy-Bitsy Spider", when Mommy sings "Moon, moon, moon" at bedtime, swimming, milk, Dad-dee, toilet paper, sneaking into Mommy and Daddy's room when the door is left open, going outside, grabbing her girly-parts during a diaper change, eating crayons

Hates: diaper changes, when Holly Grace tries to pick her up and carry her around, when we run out of milk, getting awakened from a nap to take someone to an after-school activity, staying up late, hairbows/ponytails

She's still a delightful child who LOVES HER SLEEP. She still naps twice a day, although we're starting to push toward one early (about noon) nap. It's hard unless we are out and about and staying busy. She is starting to be interested in climbing the stairs (ack) and she gets really upset when the other three kids go trooping outside to play and leave her standing at the door.

Meatloaf - the sequel

I have been honored recently on two other blogs. Go check it out here and here. And all because of a meatloaf recipe I posted over a year ago! :)

Thanks, guys!
*wipes a little tear away*

The Word Art Below

Here's the link to the program that I used to make the Word Art below. Why did I select "Jack" as my example? Because it's only four letters long. Anything longer than four letters wraps around the page because it's too wide.

Word Art

If you have a blog...

would you let me know so that I can keep up with your family? This is you:

Cathy M.
Angie B.
Kay L.
Carrie S.
Jorie G.
Kim W.
Carrie H.
Debbie N.
Kelly E.
Candice D.
Stacy M.
Tara H.
all of John's siblings (except David and Beth since you already complied with my request)

And anyone else who's lurking around. I woud love to know what you're up to!

I guess I'm "tagging" you to get a blog.

Double Feature

Last night John and I got a babysitter and had a real date. Our baby sitter showed up a few minutes early and took the kids upstairs while I finished cleaning up the kitchen and getting ready. I could hear her upstairs playing "Blue's Clues" with the kids. Not watching ... playing. They were having a blast. With the kids in good hands, we left right on time for a local theater where you eat dinner and watch the movie at the same time. We arrived 30 minutes early, like you're supposed to, were seated and ordered our dinner, and were eating by the time the lights dimmed for the movie. It was great! I mean, the food wasn't all that, but it's a real time saver to eat while you watch the movie. And The Bourne Ultimatum was excellent. Just our kind of movie.

The movie let out at about 9:10, which is still pretty early for us. We walked out to the car and were talking about what to do next, when I said, "Hey, I wonder if Ocean's 13 is playing over at the $1 movie."

"Do you wanna go see?" asks John.

"Really?"

"Sure, why not?"

So we hopped in the car and drove over to the $1 theater (about 5 minutes away) and, sure enough, it was playing at 9:45. So, for another $3.50, we saw another movie before we got home at midnight. Ocean's 13 was also fabulous, although I think I would need to see it about 3 more times to really get it.

The whole time we were waiting for the second movie to start, I was thinking to myself, "Look at us! We're so spontaneous! We never do things like this!"

The First Day of School

Jack went back to school yesterday. Holly Grace started Kindergarten yesterday. Whew. What a summer. I'm so glad that they are back in school!!!! Here are some pics:


Holly Grace picked her own shirt out of the catalog, we ordered it, and she wanted to wear it the first day. I was really pulling for the sweet petal-pink shirt that I picked out, but nope, she wasn't having it. The purple bow has little sparkles all over it, too. Notice that the backpack is practically as big as she is. She chose it, too. She has to take a beach towel and a pillow every day for "quiet time" so it really is stuffed full.


Oops!


I always like to get their shoes in the picture. I love the blinding whiteness of those brand spanking new back-to-school shoes. Although I do wish that Jack didn't have to wear all white tennis shoes.


This picture I just loved. My firstborn is getting so big and serious.

And what, exactly, did I do with myself all day on Wednesday? Well, Mitchell and I had a nice morning while Charlotte took a short nap. We played "Mark, Seck, GOOOO!" with matchbox cars on the wood floors. Wow, they go a long way if you really fling them hard. Also, I have not yet fished out the ones that went under the buffet in the dining room.

Then, everyone had an early lunch and I put them both down for afternoon naps at 12:45. Then I had TWO WHOLE HOURS to myself before we had to leave to pick up the big kids. Did you hear me? TWO WHOLE HOURS. So what did I do?


Made cookies, of course! Hoping to be back in the running for mom of the year by having warm cookies for the kids when they got home from the first day of school.

When John got home from work, he promptly plucked the top cookie off the pyramid of tastiness and ate it. After which I fussed at him for ruining the perfect display. Then he rearranged the cookies to look as if he hadn't eaten anything. He might just be in the running for husband of the year.

The best school supply yet

Every year I struggle with this school supply: the water bottle. Some teachers want sport-top, some don't care, some sport tops my kids can't even get open without using their molars to pop the thingy up. A couple of weeks ago, we were at REI and I found these:

CamelBak Water Bottle - 25 oz.
*CamelBak® convenience comes to popular water bottles for the benefit of anyone in need of quick hydration.
*Durable Lexan® polycarbonate construction now benefits from easy-to-use, no-drip bite valve system; simply flip up the valve, bite and drink
*Wide-mouth bottle fills easily and holds 25 fl. oz.; dishwasher safe in the top rack
*Standard cap size fits most wide-mouth bottles; bottle fits many water filters
*Easily attached to a pack or belt using a small, lightweight carabiner; handles warm liquids as easily as cold
*Lists approximate volumes in ounces and milliliters

Did you see that part about the "bite-valve"? It's awesome. The kids just bite on the blue part and the slit opens up; then it works just like a regular straw. As soon as they release their bite, the slit closes again and prevents leaks. It's polycarbonate, so it doesn't absorb odors and make the water taste funny. Holly Grace (a.k.a. the "midnight waker") likes to keep one on her nightstand and sometimes sleeps with it in the bed with her. It never leaks. And that blue thingy can be replaced if need be.

Grandkids' Camp Day 6

Our day started with cranberry orange scones, oranges and a smorgasbord of meats. A Bible story about pouty children followed - I promise that was not planned! God gave it to us on just the right day, though.

An attempt at the hot tub was more successful today - no flies.

Dressed and ready for the day, the rock shop opened briefly. We are concerned about the fate of the business. A better offer came along and the choice was made to go crawdad fishing. Everyone caught at least one, but we employed the catch and release program, thankfully.

Lunch was sandwiches at the picnic table on the deck. A squirrel wanted to join us when he found a few goldfish crumbs. We wouldn't let him, though. He was very entertaining!

Some free time outside allowed the kids to fight off the Japanese (?) bad guys before quiet time. Everyone was in separate rooms with books chosen just for them at the library. Jack was thrilled to have time to read in Grammy and PawPaw's room. Holly Grace was singing in her room. We heard Will reading in the attic room. He also had a perfect view of the new culvert being installed on the driveway above us. Of course, Grant was the last one up and he made a surprise appearance at the top of the stairs with, "What's up, Doc?"

It was then time to complete the camp project - a new bridge across the ditch. It is beautiful and sturdy! We have pictures to prove it!

Now we decided to play a new game - Hide and Seek with Walkie Talkies (Rocky Talkies according to Grant). It didn't go over so well at first. It is a difficult concept to embrace - being quiet with a communication device in hand! So Grammy and PawPaw hid (without walkie talkies) while the kids counted under the deck. The kids are not so quiet or sneaky and Grammy and PawPaw are. After an extensive search, they finally found the old folks waiting where the kids had been counting. hmmmmm.....

PawPaw had a good time with Jack and Will by giving them directions via walkie talkie. Jack was the communications officer and Will was the navigation officer. They followed directions very well as PawPaw sent them to the gate, up to the cul-de-sac, across the water and the new bridge to the deck and around to the hot tub. Very impressive! Grant and Holly helped Grammy with supper.

Supper was Chicken Stir Fry filled with veggies - yummy and everyone ate very well. Showered and jammied, ice cream was served with a movie and then, popcorn.

We are headed home tomorrow!
Grammy and PawPaw

They will change your life

I recently took a big leap. With the prodding of my husband. And it's phenomenal - the difference.

I invested in 800-threadcount sheets. I LOVE getting into my bed every night. The sheets are so thick and heavy. They aren't as soft as I thought they might be, but they are NOT scratchy like the 6-thread count sheets on Jack's bunk beds (kidding - they are at least 10-thread count).

I have often thought that nicer sheets would be a luxury I would like to have, but have held back because I thought we would be getting a king-size bed soon and didn't want to invest in nice sheets that we would be getting rid of. But, John's been traveling and sleeping on quality sheets in some hotels that are really proud of their beds. So, he urged me, when he saw a sale ad for 50% off to take the plunge. We are in love. With the sheets, I mean. And each other, lest you should wonder.

We got them two days before my surgery. That afternoon, when I got home from the hospital, it was so wonderful to crawl into my freshly made bed with nice cool sheets. I slept for four hours straight. Okay it might have had something to with the fabulous drugs I had. But still.

So having a fabulous bed (I got new bedding, too - nothing expensive, but new to us) has inspired me to clean out the master bedroom. Get rid of all those kids' toys lurking in there. Institute a new rule: No Kids Playing in My Room or Watching TV in My Room That's Why There's A TV in the Gameroom Full of TiVoed Kids' Shows. Donate the old bedding already. Figure out a better laundry system that will actually get the clean clothes put away instead of sitting in laundry baskets until the kids need them. I feel like I'm "nesting" only I am most certainly not pregnant! :) I am feeling SOOO liberated now that Charlotte is one. I am getting rid of pesky things like: bottles, the breast pump, the boppy, the bouncy seat, the infant carrier, the pregnancy/nursing/childbirth books, the burp cloths, etc. etc. Whew. Apparently we needed a separate storage unit for all that baby paraphernalia. Who knew?

Today I went through all of Holly Grace's clothes and boxed up all the too-small things, labeled with sizes on the outside of the tubs, and put them in Charlotte's closet. I helped the kids clean their rooms and the gameroom and get school uniforms ready and accessible.

All because of new sheets? Can you say "obsessive"?

Grandkids' Camp Day 5

GKC 2007
Day 5
Date: July 11, 2007 10:20:02 PM CDT

Pancakes and bacon got the day off to a good start! A Bible Story and morning activity included coloring pages. PawPaw found a space program on the Science channel and the kids decided that the cabin would be a great space shuttle with booster rockets and we would all wear space suits. Holly Grace would have a purple one. The most important thing is to look good!

Grammy and PawPaw put together a fun obstacle course on the driveway that included hurdles, cones, loops, balls, frisbee, start and finish lines and a stop watch! Everyone handled the course very well. A game of washers followed.









Off to the creek on the 4 wheelers with fishing poles! Grant and Jack almost caught minnows and crawdads, but they would not hang on to the salmon eggs. We had only one serious fisherman, Jack kept his bait and hook until something took both from his line. Everyone else traded them early in for a little yellow fish to cast.

Back to the cabin for lunch - hot ham and cheese sandwiches with pickles and carrots, then ice cream cones! It seems that everyone looks forward to quiet time each day with no complaints. It is such a good break in the day for one hour! PawPaw and Grant usually make the most of it.

The campers have struck gold! It was found in the fire pit where PawPaw had been burning scrap lumber. You won't believe how many nails and screws are there! Everyone will be rich!

Will has moved the little orange trailer about 10 miles on the driveway. A little trailer is always useful, especially when there is a rock shop that needs inventory. Speaking of which, the Rock Shop opened again late this afternoon. There are many helpers and they are always busy. Grant was trying to shoo away the humming birds today because Holly Grace does not want birds in her store. They might eat the food if there was any. She is definitely in charge and is good shop keeper. However, we are unsure of how profitable this business will be. There is no business plan and no set hours but lots of fun and she is generous!

The zip line has been in use and probably needs to be raised because these kids are getting so big! A big campfire was just the ticket tonight for cooking supper. It was cool with a little wind, but no rain. So, hot dogs and beans and marshmallows were cooked over the fire. More sticks have been cooked this week than any food. They are all getting really good at firebuilding with great respect for the fire and the fire pit.

Inside, there were showers and a game of Old Maid. Then, we had to make a decision - another game or ice cream? Grant was so excited that he said, "Ice cream? - I don't know how to play that!" The vote went to ice cream.

Dental hygiene, Bible story and bedtime story relaxed everyone and caused some heads to nod. So, off to bed...
Grammy and PawPaw

Grandkids' Camp Day 4

We knew it would be a good day when there was ice cream in the honey nut cheerios for breakfast!

After the Bible story, an activity book for Smokey's Friends kept everyone busy for a while. PawPaw discovered a show on the Science channel about dinosaurs while we made dinosaur posters. We found the flag and said the pledge as we put it up.

The rock shop opened early with expanding inventory. Rocks have started appearing in the bathroom, livingroom, dryer and elsewhere! Jack has found a piece of obsidian and is very excited about it. Geology is a wonderful hobby.

We started the camp project which is cleaning out the drainage ditch on the north side of the cabin that has been filled in with rocks and limbs and wood. Maybe we will build a new bridge across it! Taking a hike to check on Grammy's blackberry plants, we found a huge, new climbing rock. A long 4 wheeler ride completed the morning. We stopped to talk to the neighbors and their "giant dog, Ziggy". Holly Grace thought that Ziggy wanted to snuggle with her.

We had a great lunch - turkey sandwiches and a wonderful quiet time - one hour of total peace! Letters home were painfully written and you will find them in the duffle bags upon return. This brought a need to get outside. So, a hike along the game trail took us to the old castle rock. There was a big fight with bad guy indians, but good prevailed and we are all safe.

When we returned, we started a freezer of ice cream and tried out the hot tub. Unfortunately, horse flies chased out all hot tubbers. So, back to the rock shop when rain began and then hail! Talk about exciting! Glad we weren't trying to cook outside today! All camp cooks got the day off andGrammy and PawPaw cooked tacos and beans. Hopefully, we will have a campfire again tomorrow. We had a diverse group of ice cream sundaes - chocolate, strawberry, and banana and all mixtures!

We discovered Jack reading Calvin and Hobbs to all the other kids after supper.

A short ride took us to the meadow to watch for the bats - and we saw three, though Grant got a little "freaked out"! PawPaw had left a fire going and it sure felt good when we returned to prepare for bedtime. First, we had to receive stickers for today. Teeth, meds and jammies readied everyone for the bedtime story. Will and Grant fell asleep and Holly Grace was almost there when we made our way to the attic room.

Today, Will asked, "When does the next Grandkids Camp start?"

Yesterday, the birds were fed and everyone tasted the hummingbird food. The general consensus is that it tastes like marshmallows.

Grammy has received fresh flowers everyday.

More tomorrow!
Grammy and PawPaw

I did it! All by myself!!!

I finally figured out how to get video off my new (since Mother's Day) digital video camera and onto my computer. I swear, I was trying to use the PC instructions, but my Mac made it so simple. All I had to do was buy a firewire cable, connect the camera and turn it on. Have I mentioned my new love, iMac?

Anyway, here's the inaugural video ...

When all else fails, Baby Girl, just kiss your daddy.

Grandkids' Camp Day 3

GKC 2007
Day 3
Date: July 9, 2007 11:19:53 PM CDT

What a great day at GKC in the mountains! Grant was the first up, but came downstairs and into Grammy and PawPaw's room very quietly. Holly Grace followed later, then Will and Jack was last. We had eggs with bacon and cheese, hash browns, toast, pears and peaches and apple juice for breakfast. A Bible story every morning helps us through the day. We had a Smokey the Bear Fire Safety Fun lesson, too.

Outside, the boys gathered rocks for collections and Holly Grace opened a Rock Store. Rocks were free and cleaning the rocks was free, too! So, the rock cleaning began. They all used water and "toulet" (Holly's pronunciation) paper leaves (a nice soft and rather large leafy plant that they all agreed would be perfect for an outdoor toilet!). We have a fine rock shop on the deck, now.

A ride on the 4 wheelers took us to the creek and back before lunch. Lunch was individual make your own pizzas - yummy and creative. Everyone had 2 english muffins. Toppings included marinara sauce, mozzarella, canadian bacon, jalapenos, capers and olives. Some toppings never made it to the pizzas. :)

Quiet time was wonderful for everyone. Holly Grace listened to Amelia Bedelia in the east bedroom, Grant read 2 books and slept in the west bedroom and Jack and Will listened to Hank the Cowdog in the attic room. PawPaw and Grammy rested in the bedroom. This all lasted one perfect hour! After helping Paw Paw with new water hoses for the trees, it was off again to the creek on the 4 wheelers.

Everyone made and cooked their own supper tonight. We had yummy chicken trail burgers. Eating on the deck was a treat. We are so proud of all the participation of all the campers!

The boys were playing out back and Jack accidentally hit Will in the back with a big stick. We knew that it was serious when Will cried. Apparently, it knocked Will's breath out. Jack was horrified! We are unsure who cried more - Will or Jack. All was immediately forgiven. Ice cream saved the day!

Throughout the day, there was the zip line and exploring and rock climbing. No bears are coming around here, but Grant discovered a big, huge pile of bear poop just south of the cabin. He thinks we should clean it up tomorrow - maybe he will forget.

A quick game with the Woodsy the Owl team kept some busy while others showered. Then, a Bible story and we started reading a book. We hope to complete it this week. Sleepy kids brought bedtime and good rest.

We have found that camp is so easy with older kids! We are getting spoiled!
Grammy and PawPaw

Don't get too spoiled, Grammy and PawPaw ... Mitchell is pooping in the potty these days. I have a feeling he'll be joining you next year.

Grandkids' Camp Day 2

GKC 2007
Day 2
Date: July 8, 2007 11:06:17 PM CDT

Well, let's see - where to begin. Perhaps at 4:30 this morning with coughing and crying. Holly Grace needed more meds, then right back to sleep on the floor beside Grammy. At 6:30, Jack and Will appeared at Grammy's side, dressed and ready for the day! hey did not see Holly, but avoided stepping on her, so she slept a little later. Grant was soon behind them.

So, off to Capulin early, had breakfast on the way (yogurt, oatmeal to go bars, pinapple juice and yogurt covered raisins). There was a feed lot on the way and Will told us that he saw two cows wrestling. One of them "got bucked up". Hmmmmm.

Capulin Mountain finally appeared and we were so excited! Stopping at the information center, we watched a short video (Grant was looking for the video games). We drove up to the crater to hear the ranger talk. Jack was really in to her talk and interacted with her. We had picnic sack lunches of string cheese, peanut butter crackers, goldfish, teddy grahams and capri sun - eaten not necessarily in that order. We hiked down to the center of the crater and completed the lady bug hike forms. Everyone received their lady bug buttons. Jack and Will received the junior ranger badges - oath and all after completing the requirements! We even saw a lady bug this time. Will spotted her first! Of course we stopped for a group picture at the entrance sign.

A movie kept everyone occupied while we drove to the cabin and finished the lunch bags. Grant slept. It was not a long trip and we arrived at the cabin a little after 4 pm. So, we unloaded, poured wine (adults only) and built a campfire. Hot dogs and s'mores were a big hit. We are glad to report that there are no burns on any bodies.

We took the 4 wheelers to the cafe for our daily dose of ice cream and rode back little way in the rain. Hot showers, meds, teeth brushed and story time completed the evening. All four campers are asleep in the attic room.

Everyone is playing nicely and earning stickers for the name tags. Jack is all about that!

Holly Grace is better today, but her energy level seems to fluctuate. We keep ibuprofen, cough drops and cough syrup handy, but she is improving. Tonight, she started coughing and Will said, "Bless your heart" as he put his arms around her. It was really sweet.

We are all happy to be at the cabin and off the road. Everyone is looking forward to coffee with PawPaw in the morning.

More tomorrow!
Grammy and PawPaw

PS - Will had a red tiger blood snow cone last night.

Charlotte's First Birthday Party Slide Show

This is a digital scrapbook I made yesterday in about 3 hours with software from Topline Creations (TLC). I LOVE this software. This template was pre-designed, so I just dropped in my photos and adjusted sizes, etc., when needed. I went to see a demo of this software and fell in love - so much so that I signed up to sell it. If you are interested in a copy of it, let me know! I am having a hard-bound copy of the book printed by TLC and I've burned an interactive CD with music for my mom. You can mouse over the slide show to stop on a page at any time. I made the slide show with the hi-res images of each scrapbook page on slide.com ... super-easy!

Funny things Mitchell says

"Mom, Mom, I want some this cumcumber in my salyad."

"You want some of this cucumber?"

"No, it's too strangerous."

Grandkids' Camp

Every summer, my parents take all the grandkids who are potty-trained with them for a period of time and give us moms and dads a break. The first year, it was just Jack and Will. And actually, they weren't potty trained. Either of them. They were 21 months and 12 months, respectively. After the first two years of "Grandkids' Camp" (or GKC, as they call it), when they pretty much changed diapers and put babies down for naps all day, they instituted the "must be potty-trained" rule. They have seven grandkids now, but only four are potty-trained. The cast of characters: Jack (7), Will (6), Holly Grace (5) and Grant (4). And of course, Grammy and PawPaw. This year, GKC was a WEEK LONG. One week of heaven.

Several years ago, Christi (my SIL) and I decided that it would be fun for the two of us to get together and scrapbook while the kids were away. So we meet up either at her house or mine (we live about 5 hours apart) and work as fast and furiously as possible. The highlights of our time together are: eating, scrapbooking, and getting the daily email update on how camp is going from my mom. After all the kids are in bed each night, she writes us an email that highlights the day. So, I thought I would share the highlights of GKC with you! This year's theme (EVERY year has a theme!) was Ice Cream Every Day.

Grammy and PawPaw came into town for Charlotte's birthday and picked up all four kids. They left at 9 a.m. Saturday morning ...

GKC 2007
Day 1
July 8, 2007 12:08:44 AM CDT

Oh yes, it is very late! We had a good, but long day. Leaving a little late was just the beginning! Will shared his Spiderman comic books that Nani Dot gave him and everyone was busy for a while. Then, the movie was good.

At Sonic, we ordered a dozen corny dogs, tater tots and slushies. As Grammy remembered to get Grant's patch and closed the back of the Land Cruiser, there were four little heads popping up through the sunroof! We got everyone back inside along with lunch and went on down the road to the rest area for lunch and playing.

Holly coughed a lot, but it did not slow her down much until later. There were lots of trains today, mostly stopped and very long. Everyone has been kind and generous!

When we talked about stopping at the local water park, Holly Grace said that she loves water parks! As we turned in, Will said that he had always dreamed about going to this place! So, about 5 pm, we arrived there, got changed and lockered and in the water. It really felt good! The wave pool was fun and the lazy river was nice, but Holly barely made it around two times. She must have gotten water in her mouth and started coughing again. It did not stop and she was exhausted. She and Grammy sat in the lounge chairs and she went to sleep wrapped in towels! Grammy was so worried about her, thinking that there could be a trip to the emergency room or at least some phone calls this evening. PawPaw and the boys went off to ride the big slides. Jack was a little apprehensive, but he was glad that he went. When they returned, Holly Grace woke up happy and refreshed and walked to the car! Miraculous recovery!

At home, we showered, had Meatloaf for dinner and went to get snow cones for our ice cream of the day. Jack had cinnamon, Will had toasted red something (can I get back to you with that?), Grant had spiderman, Holly Grace had blue coconut, Grammy had strawberry daiquiri and PawPaw had butterscotch.
Jammies, meds, tooth brushing and off to bed for all!

Tomorrow will bring adventures at the volcano!
Love from GKC~
Grammy and PawPaw

Charlotte is One!

Here are the promised photos from Charlotte's first birthday. We started a James Avery Charm bracelet for her. John and I gave her the bracelet and the girl baby shoes charm. My mom gave her a 2006 charm for the year she was born. My brother and sister-in-law gave her the ladybug charm. Jack and Holly Grace picked out a whole slew of play wooden food from Target to get for her (i.e. themselves ... it was all for ages 3 and up). She also got some great books and a few electronic toys from Grandma. We had a swim party and it was oh so much fun. Just family was there, which was great. Unfortunately, I didn't get to swim ... too busy taking about 150+ photos. It was only 14 pages worth in her scrapbook.

Shake Your Groove Thang


My nephew Brock


My newphew Will


Jack and Will enjoying cake


Uncle Cory and Charlotte

I have been shamed

Okay, so I have been shamed into posting (see Lindsay's blog at crawfordhouse.blogspot.com. Scroll down to the part where it says I update "rarely"). What's going on in our lives? Let's see...

Since my last post I have:
*Watched Charlotte take her first steps. Captured it on film - video and still! Still don't know how to get digital video off my camera and onto my Mac. Help, Bre!
*Celebrated Charlotte's birthday with grandparents, great-grandma (NaniDot) and my brother, Cory, and his kids. What's that? You want to see photos? Okay... coming soon.
*Spent a week with my brother's wife and their littlest while her older two and my older two went to "Grandkids' Camp". Yes, it's awesome. I shall blog on that, as well.
*Spent two weeks with my parents in New Mexico at their cabin. Mom and I scrapbooked like crazy and I got SIXTY pages done. And the weather was gorgeous. And the food was amazing.
*Had a minor day surgery. I'm fine. Don't worry. I suppose I could blog on that if you want gory details.
*Watched the first three episodes of the first season of the BBC's "Coupling". John and I laughed out loud several times. Although it was odd watching a show with canned laughter again. We don't watch many sitcoms ... actually "The Office" is the only one we watch, and there's no canned laughter, so it took us a while to get used to it again. But, it's hilarious.
*Been to the library twice with four kids (glutton for punishment).
*Been to the Honda dealership to replace the rear entertainment system remote that we can only assume was inadvertantly thrown away after our spring break trip to the mountains. It was $238 to replace. I said, "No thanks". Update: John found one on a Honda Accessories website for a mere $168. I guess I'll have to suck it up and pay it.

Alright, everybody happy? More coming...

My dad reminded me

of something I forgot to put in the last post. (Hi, Dad!) That day I spent with my Grandmother? She told him about one thing that I omitted.

While we were at the library we decided to ride the elevator on our way out. Because it's one of Mitchell's favorite things to do and it's free. :)

We always let Mitchell push the buttons because, well, he's two. That's what two-year-olds do. So, we got on and let him push the button for the second floor. Then he looks at me and says "I push this one?"

"No," I respond as the elevator door opens. It was like slow-motion. He never took his eyes off of me and pressed the button anyway. I couldn't reach him to stop him because the stroller was between us. In the blink of an eye, he'd pushed the "HELP" button and called 911!!! Meanwhile, the older two kids had gotten off the elevator on the second floor (which is the ADULT/QUIET area of the library) and were calling to me "We're going to go down the stairs, Mommy!" Mitchell ran out after them, screaming, "I go too!"

Back at the ranch (in the elevator) I heard, "911, what's your emergency?"

Um, hello, I have a two-year-old who likes to push the buttons in the elevator ... that's my emergency!

The elevator doors were open. My grandma was trying to corral the three older kids. I hade Charlotte in the stroller half-way out of the elevator and I was leaning down to talk into the built-in speaker on the wall.

"There's no emergency," I hissed, but I was interrupted by an automatic recording that comes on to respond to the operator:

"Please send help to ..." and proceeded to give the address of the library to the 911 operator. I was pretty sure I was going to die of embarrassment. I wanted to strangle robot-man talking to the operator and tell him that there was, in fact, NO EMERGENCY and to quit talking for me.

Finally, the librarian sitting nearby hung up her phone and said, "I've already let them know it was a false alarm ... it's okay". Meaning, I could now leave the elevator and not try to talk to an operator who couldn't hear me. I just didn't think it was right to leave the operator hanging, you know?

So, I retrieved Mitchell, we had a talk about being quiet in the library and obeying Mommy, and I made him apologize to the librarian. Then we got the heck out of dodge before he could find a fire alarm to pull.

Lovely Saturday

John's Grandfather died on Thursday. He was 95 years old. Wow. He was a lovely man - I wish I'd picked his brain about gardening, but the last time I spent any time with him was before I knew I enjoyed gardening!

John flew home to be with his family this morning and after the kids an I dropped him off at the airport, we decided to go by my Grandma's house to visit. So we called when we were about five minutes away and said, "Can we come by?" Of course, the answer was, "Of course!" She only lives about 15 minutes from us, but we don't seem to be in her neck of the woods too terribly often. We got there and piled out of the car. The kids played (and fought over) her mega blocks and Barbie car for a while, then they headed out to the HUGE backyard where they played until their faces were pink and they had little beads of sweat all over their foreheads.

So, then we invited Nani Dot (that's what we call her) to lunch with us. We picked up tacos at Taco Bell and brought them to our house to eat. Again, the kids played outside and she and I walked through our garden. After that, we packed up the kids again and went to the library. I hadn't been to the newly remodeled library in her town, and it was GREAT! We got lots of books, DVDs and books with tapes/CDs for Holly Grace to listen to. She can't read yet, but enjoys those, "When you hear this sound {DING}, turn the page" books. It was interesting that Nani Dot (80 years old) showed US how to use the self-checkout computer. What a lady! We had a great time with her and we were thankful to get to spend part of the day with her.

The whole reason for our trip to the library was Jack's current obsession with geology. We got five juvenile non-fiction books on geology. We worked on his geology beltloop for Cub Scouts a while back and he took quite an interest in it. Then, this week at Cub Scout Twilight Camp, they had a geologist come and talk to the boys. They earned their geology pin and got samples of all different kinds of rocks. So Jack officially has a rock collection now. Before it was just an unofficial rock collection - two gallon-sized ziploc bags that he had collected on his last trip to Grammy and PawPaw's house. John's excited because the geologist at Twilight Camp said that Geologists are in the 4th highest-paid profession in the U.S. (behind doctors, lawyers, and something else that John couldn't remember).

Anyway, after the library, I thought about how this is how learning should be! Jack is fascinated with Geology right now. Well, we'll go to the library and help him pick out some books and then we'll capitalize on that interest. Even if it's just a passing interest, that's fine. This is why I love [partially] homeschooling our kids. Summer seems so much more "doable" now.

Party till 2 a.m.

Last night we partied till 2 a.m. With all four kids. In our downstairs hall bathroom. It was quite crowded, really too crowded to even dance but the music was great. It went something like this ... "Woooooooooahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, woooooooooahhhhhhhhhhhh."

The party started at 1:40 a.m. when the tornado sirens sounded. I was actually awake watching the lightning flashes all around, which I love, but I do NOT love dragging my husband and four kids out of bed to join me in the smallest room in our house for a late-night soiree.

Of course, Holly Grace complained that Jack was touching her and making her "itchy". It's hard not to touch you, sweetheart, when you've staked your claim on the entire floor so you can lay down. Jack had some real fear in his eyes; I assured him that this was just like the tornado drills they had at school. (Only this time, there really was a tornado, which I omitted.) He wanted to know why we had to have a tornado drill in the middle of the night. I sat on the floor with the kids, while lucky John got the potty. But, both Mitchell and Charlotte wanted me to hold them; Daddy just wouldn't suffice; and then Charlotte was grabbing Mitchell's hair and he was crying about that and the fact that Jack was trying to lay his head on my knee, which was clearly Mitchell's territory. Ugh.

Miraculously, all four kids went RIGHT BACK to sleep when we closed the party down. With no complaints.

Although, today Jack stated that he hopes we don't have another "tornado drill" tonight.

Oh, and I couldn't even find anything on the news this morning about this alleged tornado.

Augmentin = Chocolate!

Really, it's true! Augmentin tends to give kids diarrhea, so our doctor recommends a Hershey's kiss after every dose. It works! Even Charlotte gets 3.5 mL of chocolate syrup after every 3.5 mL dose of augmentin. Genius! And the kids NEVER complain about taking their medicine.

Speaking of which, have you ever tasted this medicine? It's nasty, really. When Jack was about three years old, he was taking augmentin (and complaining about it - I didn't know the chocolate trick at the time). My parents were in town and my dad was really talking it up: "Jack, you're really going to like it; it's yummy white medicine!" (Jack called it "white medicine"). Jack looked at him with a really straight face and out of the mouth of my babe came, "PawPaw, have you ever HAD white medicine?"

My dad, realizing that he really couldn't actually attest to the tastiness of augmentin, wisely said, "Well, you know, Jack, I haven't ever had white medicine. But you still have to take it."

Things to pick up ...

off the living room floor before you let the baby roam free.

* 5 year-old's flip-flops (one of these you will have to physically take away from said baby)
* small plastic make-up brush
* Thomas the Tank Engine DVD case
* one single, solitary square of toilet paper (???)
* wrapper from one red crayon
* piano sheet music "Theme from Cheers" (don't ask)

My life in numbers

6 - the number of people in our family
6 - the number of people in our family who went on vacation
5 - the number of people in our family who came home sick
5 - the number of doctor appointments our family had yesterday
3 - the number of ear infections diagnosed (well, Charlotte's isn't technically an infection ... yet)
4 - the number of breathing treatments Jack has had since then
3-5 - the number of minutes it takes to administer a breathing treatment with the new "fast" cup
20 - the number of minutes I spent LOOKING for the nebulizer
370 - the number of tissues I've used on my own and other's noses
1 - the number of sinus infections diagnosed (my own)
2 - the number of times I was up during the night hacking up a lung
37 - the number of minutes I was up during the four-o'clock hour
14 - the number of items I "googled" while awake in the middle of the night (killin' time - ya know?)
3 - the number of people on antibiotics in this house
2 - the number of yeast infections I predict we will be dealing with in less than two weeks
6 - the number of prescriptions I picked up at Target yesterday
4586 - the combined number of mine and Jack's coughs through the night
8 - the number of times I predict narcolepsy will overtake me today

Haiku

In honor of Chris's "Bad Haiku Tuesday" at Notes from the Trenches, a haiku for you:

Long days, endless fits.
Why can't my two-year old fly
Unaccompanied?

So peaceful

29 months old

Overheard

From the backseat while in a drive-thru line

Jack: (reading the bumper sticker on the car in front of us) "My son is in the US Army."

Holly Grace: "Who's your son?!?"

Someone, please just shoot me.

Really, that is what I thought while I was sitting on the couch yesterday unable to will myself to stand up, walk to the kitchen and get myself some ibuprofen. I have Strep. Again. I had it last fall and didn't even know it for several days. This time, again, no fever, no vomiting, just a wicked sore throat that hurts when I swallow. Then yesterday morning I woke up with a plum bulging out of the right side of my neck. Oh, wait, no ... that was just my swollen glands! My joints ached, my skin hurt, my head ached. So I called my doctor ... he said "strep" is my middle name after the test came back positively positive. Great. I forgot to ask for a shot of penicillin, so now I'm taking the long way around to "wellville".

Ibuprofen is a miracle drug. If I forget to take it every six hours, I start feeling rotten again.

That's all I can type. I have to go lay on the couch some more. It beckons me.

I know why you don't comment

I couldn't figure it out. So I signed out of blogger, went back to my blog as a visitor, and clicked on "comment". So you have to sign in. And in order to sign in, you have to use your google or your blogger sign-in. Oh, dear. And there's no link to click to create a user i.d. if you don't already have one. There are knots in your stomach. The room starts spinning. Wasn't it enough that you typed in the address from scratch again because you don't know how to manage your bookmarks?

Here's what you do. If you have a google account, use that i.d. If you have a gmail account, use whatever comes before "@gmail.com" as your username, and your gmail password as your password.

Okay, if you don't have a google account, create one. Go to google.com and click "sign in". Then click "create an account now". Take a deep breath, it's gonna be okay. All you have to do is enter your current email address and then make up a password. Oh, and then you have to enter the crazy word verification letters as they are shown on the screen. Don't hyperventilate. It's just so that someone can't program their computer to create multiple accounts without a live person doing the work. Another post on just that coming soon.

So, you've created your google account, congratulations! You may put the paper bag away, you can be done hyperventilating. Now you can comment all day long on my blog. I know you're there. I have "statcounter". I can see that you are visiting ... I just don't know who you are!

Is it lame to beg for comments? Because I'm not proud. I'm shameless, in fact. Show me some love!!!

My Two Year Old Threw Me Under the Bus

equals




We were on our way out to eat Sunday night (all six of us) but first we had to stop at SuperTarget and pick up a prescription. John dropped me off at the door and circled the parking lot while I ran in. While I was inside, he aske Mitchell, "Where'd Mommy go?"

To which Mitchell replied, "Ummmm. Get coffee!!!"

Oh, yes. He ratted me out. John was not supposed to know that every time he sees a "Target" charge for $4.37 that it is a Grande Half-Caf, Extra Hot Peppermint Mocha.

Photo Booth

Ohhh, I haven't laughed this hard in quite some time.

Funny things

Funny conversations

Crissy: (enter holding crying baby)
Jack: Charlotte is really sensible (sensitive) this morning.

**************************

Scene ... Jack and Holly Grace at the kitchen table. John is on his way home from a week-long business trip. They are making welcome home cards for John.

John: (Entering the room) Hey, guys!
Jack: No, Daddy! We're not done yet!!!
John (shrugs and heads outside)
Crissy: How's that for a "welcome home?"

Cards are presented to John. Pink hearts with fancy-scissor-trimmed edges. Writing on Holly's (done by Jack):
"Welcome Homo Daddy!"

***************************

Holly Grace: Talk to me some more about what happened at school today, Mommy.
Crissy: Don't you think you should talk to me? After all, you were the one who was there!
Holly Grace: I can't renember!

***************************

Sam's Mom: (picking up the kids from school) Okay, everybody, let's hold hands in the parking lot!
Holly Grace: I'm a hooker!

And I get this...

John's away overnight on a business trip. Here's the email he sent me at 7:22 p.m.

(subject)
Guess who is sitting at the table next to me

(body)
George Clooney.

At 7:22 p.m. I was wrestling the Elmo Spinbrush away from a toddler while a 4 year-old and 7 year-old were SUPPOSED to be brushing their own teeth. While my husband was eating a dinner in a nice restaurant. One table away. From. George. Clooney.

"Small Laundry Rooms that Work"

"Small laundry rooms have a big job to do. A well–designed space with clever furniture choices and creative storage is the key to making it both efficient and clutter-free."





Okay, so this is on the "Big Ideas for Small Spaces" page at PotteryBarn.com. Um, hello. I don't have a teeny laundry room, but it can be a tight squeeze when there are six loads of laundry in the queue (on the floor) and we're trying to get out the door to the garage. So, I clicked on the link, thinking I would get some helpful hints on how to organize my laundry room, since the sink is always NOT full of babyclothes soaking, or dirty mop water, or some other item you might expect to find in a laundry room sink.

Instead, it's full of:
1. Pharoah costume, bagged up and ready to be returned to the person from whom we borrowed it for Jack's Egyptian Festival at school.
2. Tuff Stuff (carpet cleaner), since it belongs in the cabinet below the sink. Said cabinet is locked with a magnetic Tot-Lok for the protection of the children in our house who might like the taste of various cleaning products. However, when the "key" disappears from any other room in the house, I always snag the laundry room one since it doesn't see a lot of action. Also, John constantly has a pair of shoes in front of this cabinet. Usually it's flip-flops, but if I happen to get off my hiney and move those to the closet, he promptly replaces them with another pair. If you were to ask him, he would have no idea that he does this. It's just as if there's some primal need to put muddy shoes in front of that cabinet. So I really can't hold it against him.
3. Preschool artwork - currently a snowflake made of Honeycombs glued on a snowflake outline on blue paper. Really, most of the time I take these straight out to the trash, unless it's one we want to display in the game room. Why did this one happen to make it all the way into the house? I don't know. Perhaps said preschooler had her eye on me when exiting the car, and I couldn't make a beeline for the trashcan. (Don't get me wrong here - I love the preschool she goes to - and she has a blast and learns alot, but the sheer volume of papers and art projects in this house are mind-boggling, so we only save the very best!)
4. Hat from the Spanish TV station Jack's Cub Scout Den toured last weekend. It didn't even make it the additional four feet to the coat/hat/shoe closet.

So, Pottery Barn, if you are going to give me some tips on making the most of a small laundry space, can you please illustrate with a SMALL LAUNDRY SPACE??? Instead of a photo of a palacial laundry room with a built-in space for the washer/dryer? Seriously, if you have a space that is large enough to be making "clever furniture choices" about, then you do not have a small laundry space. By the way, dear readers, if you have a laundry room that looks like this one, raise your hand. Raise it high ... you should be proud.

"Small Laundry Rooms that Work".

Wait, do you hear that?

Yes.

It's the sound of me laughing hysterically.

No time for that!

Someday maybe I will have time to watch the news again. Then, maybe I can have an intelligent conversation with someone who says to me, "Can you believe about those two missing kids being found?" Okay, I do know a teeny bit of that story, but only what I could read on yahoo! news (didn't have time to watch the video clip).

We are too busy to watch the news. Busy trying to figure out if this kind of poo is from Rotavirus or Noravirus or neither. Busy trying to figure out the best way to remove said poo from the back of every one of Charlotte's outfits, since she only "goes" every two or three days, usually in the exersaucer, and it goes all the way up her back. Busy trying to figure out when I'm going to have time to take the Christmas tree down (last year it was up until February). Busy giving the baby breathing treatments every four hours. Busy folding six loads of laundry I did over the weekend. Busy listening to a "barking cough" coming from the one child upstairs who is neither sick nor has asthma.

So next time you see me, let's have a current events report. Remember, the kind you did in high school? You read the paper or watch the news, then summarize for me the current event of your choosing. Oh, and I need you to do it in less than 15 seconds. Because at that point someone under four feet tall is likely to need me again.

Identify yourselves!

It's delurking week, the brain child of Sheryl over at Paper Napkin. If you enjoy the blog, or even if you just read it because you're related to me and feel like you have to, leave a comment and show me some love. Seriously.

Keep your clothes on, already!

I have a friend whose daughter became so obsessed with "getting naked" during naptime that she finally started using duct tape to secure her diaper. Every day at naptime she would wrap duct tape around the child's diaper to keep her from taking it off and smearing poo all over her crib. Eventually, the child learned to go get the duct tape and bring it to mommy before she put her down for her nap.

I think we are headed toward duct tape.

Mitchell has been having trouble settling down and going to sleep at night. Which then causes him to be sleepy about lunchtime each day, because he stayed up so late the night before. So sleepy that as he's sitting in his chair eating lunch, he starts saying to me, "Mommy nap?" Then I put him down for a nap and he sleeps 3 to 3.5 hours! Then, at bedtime he can't go to sleep and the cycle starts all over again.

At bedtime tonight, apparently the insomnia set in and he decided to amuse himself by getting his shirt all wet. I'm not sure how, but probably by taking a sip of water from his sippy cup, then letting it run out of his mouth and all over his shirt. So, I change his shirt and put him back to bed. Fifteen minutes later, I discover that he's stripped himself down to nothing but a diaper and is trying to get said diaper off. Arghh!

So I put him in "zip-up" jammies and safety-pinned the zipper up. We'll see if it works. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Overheard Upstairs

(Holly Grace has decided that she's going to marry her friend Mason...)

Holly Grace: Mommy, do you know how many babies I'm going to have when I grow up?

Me: No, tell me how many!

Holly Grace: FIVE!!!

Me: Really?!?!?

Jack: Then MASON will have to have a surgery!!!