6 days ago
Thursday, August 16, 2012
August
I've gotten so behind!
We went to the ocean with my family like we do each August. We went a day early and that was great. It gave us 2 full days at the beach and more time just lounging. As always the kids have a wonderful time running around with their cousins and not sleeping.
When we got home we had just a week to throw together Benny's 3rd birthday. It was stressful, but we did it. I think he had a great time, even if my house still looks like Lightning McQueen threw up all over it.
Oh! And Tuesday was our 8 year wedding anniversary! Sean took us to one of my favorite restraunts, Purple, and then we saw Rent at the 5th Ave Theater. We saw that right after we got back from our honeymoon for the first time so it was a sweet thought. I can't believe how time has flown!
On top of that, I've been tutoring and trying to get my new classroom set up for the Fall as I'm switching grades again! I haven't been to hot yoga in forever and it shows I'm really feeling run down without the exercise. The next couple of weeks we hope to get organized for the twins starting Pre-K and shifting back into school/ Fall mode. So much to do! I need to have a garage sale to clear out a ton of extra clothes and toys, too. Unfortunately, I'm afraid of spiders so I can't dig through this stuff without Sean standing right next to me. :)
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Book Review-The Chaperone
I have to interrupt my vacation posts to review this book I took with me for the blogher bookclub. It's called The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty. Check it out here!
I was excited to read it because on the book jacket the author of The Paris Wife had said she loved it. I loved THAT book so I hoped that was a good sign! The book was slow going in the beginning, I didn't really care about the characters until the 5th or 6th chapter really, but reading a story set in the 1920's was new to me and interesting in itself. The story centers around Cora, a housewife from Kansas picked to chaperone a young would be movie star to New York for the summer. There she learns about her past as an orphan and gains the confidence to seize control over her life again. There were some plot twists I did NOT see coming and some heartache that kept me engaged with Cora, but there were many times the story dragged and I just didn't "get" her. She drew so much strength and says she learned so much from this teenager, but I just didn't buy it. I wanted to, but I didn't. I would be been more interested if we left out the movie star altogether and just focused on Cora's life, past, and changes in her community during that era. I was always rooting for her. This was an easy read and I'd recommend it for a weekend away or vacation for sure! Thanks Blogher for sending it my way! *I was compensated for this BlogHer Book Club review but all opinions expressed are my own.
I was excited to read it because on the book jacket the author of The Paris Wife had said she loved it. I loved THAT book so I hoped that was a good sign! The book was slow going in the beginning, I didn't really care about the characters until the 5th or 6th chapter really, but reading a story set in the 1920's was new to me and interesting in itself. The story centers around Cora, a housewife from Kansas picked to chaperone a young would be movie star to New York for the summer. There she learns about her past as an orphan and gains the confidence to seize control over her life again. There were some plot twists I did NOT see coming and some heartache that kept me engaged with Cora, but there were many times the story dragged and I just didn't "get" her. She drew so much strength and says she learned so much from this teenager, but I just didn't buy it. I wanted to, but I didn't. I would be been more interested if we left out the movie star altogether and just focused on Cora's life, past, and changes in her community during that era. I was always rooting for her. This was an easy read and I'd recommend it for a weekend away or vacation for sure! Thanks Blogher for sending it my way! *I was compensated for this BlogHer Book Club review but all opinions expressed are my own.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Disneyland Part 2
Day 5: We got up very early, Sean was too excited and ready to go at 6am! We got the kids up and didn't tell them where we were going, just on a special surprise trip. They were so excited and guessing what it could be. When we drove into the parking lot they all saw the Chip and Dale signs and we were surprised they even knew who they were. They have only ever seen Disneyland's castle at the beginning of movies so we still figured we were safe. We parked and got out of the car and then Sean told them. I got it on video here:
Tate was surprised and excited, Gracie was nervous about it, and Benny was apparently expecting it. "I saw the sign over there." Oh well, you can't win 'em all. It was awesome getting there so early. We went on Peter Pan first and then back to back rides with about 5-10 minute wait times at the most. The weather was sunny, but not yet hot. It was perfect.
I think Fantasy Land was the best place for us overall, but we wanted to explore more of the park as well. We went to Toontown and saw our first character, Goofy. Totally freaked Gracie out. We tried to make a quick getaway into a ride, but we went into Roger Rabbit's crazy cab (or something like that) and it was super scary just walking through the line. Then all three were screaming, terrified. We rushed out of the line maze and ran to "It's a small World" to calm down. The boys were fine, but Gracie still needed some TLC for a while after that. We had lunch and waited in line for Finding Nemo. Gracie tells us she has to go potty and we tell her to hold it because we were literally steps from it being our turn. Then I look down and see this puddle underneath her.
I know, I can't believe I took a picture of it either. Anyways, we were stuck. Sean wanted to just pretend it didn't happen. It sounds crazy, but when you've been waiting in line for 30 minutes all rational thought is lost. We are getting on this ride! But I just couldn't do it. Not when I saw strangers and their children stepping dangerously close to it as it spread. I would be so grossed out if my kid stepped in someone else's pee. So I caved and called an attendant over. I told him she had an accident. Gracie piped up "It wasn't an accident, I TOLD you I had to go potty and you didn't take me." Thanks, kid. The guy tried to look unfazed, but I could see he was slightly grossed out. Thankfully, he let Sean and the boys step to the side to wait and just let me run her back to the stroller parking to change and clean up. The more embarrassing part was him closing down the entire lane we were in with the yellow cones and all. Now everyone around would see what happened. Oh well, what can you do? We learned, and for the rest of the trip everyone wore pull-ups whether they wanted to or not. When we got back in line the guy was gracious and said was much worse when people didn't tell, especially adults after barfing on a ride. Ha ha, so I felt much lower on the disney disgraced list now. Nemo was a great ride by the way! So cool! I was proud of the kids not crying in the dark parts either.
We figured this was a good time to nap. The park had gotten much more crowded after lunch and we were hot and tired. We went back to Grandma's house for a nap-beautiful. We ate dinner at home and came back to the park around 6pm. We weren't sure how this would go considering normal bedtime is around 7pm, but we really wanted to stay up for the fireworks. It was an awesome night. We did the Jungle Cruise and Tate was in awe. He kept talking us how he'd never been to the jungle before and would have to tell everyone he knew that we went there, when we got back to America! (Because disneyland it not in America I guess). My favorite part was when the fake darts fly above you and the cruise guide told them to hit the deck. Gracie and Tate were on the floor covering their heads FAST, ha ha. Slightly scary to them I'm sure.
Everything was super crowded so we took the opportunity to ride Winnie the Pooh and then take the long train ride around the park. Then we settled into a spot on Main St. so we would have a great view of the parade. We ate cotton candy, popcorn, and talked and played. I think it might be my favorite memory of the trip. When the show started they were all amazed. They have never seen fireworks before and they loved it. Tate kept saying "Thank you for bringing us here! This is the most wonderful surprise ever EVER!" My sweet boy. Benny was half asleep by time it ended and completely passed out as soon as we started walking for the exit.
We were exhausted, but in the best possible way.
Tate was surprised and excited, Gracie was nervous about it, and Benny was apparently expecting it. "I saw the sign over there." Oh well, you can't win 'em all. It was awesome getting there so early. We went on Peter Pan first and then back to back rides with about 5-10 minute wait times at the most. The weather was sunny, but not yet hot. It was perfect.
I think Fantasy Land was the best place for us overall, but we wanted to explore more of the park as well. We went to Toontown and saw our first character, Goofy. Totally freaked Gracie out. We tried to make a quick getaway into a ride, but we went into Roger Rabbit's crazy cab (or something like that) and it was super scary just walking through the line. Then all three were screaming, terrified. We rushed out of the line maze and ran to "It's a small World" to calm down. The boys were fine, but Gracie still needed some TLC for a while after that. We had lunch and waited in line for Finding Nemo. Gracie tells us she has to go potty and we tell her to hold it because we were literally steps from it being our turn. Then I look down and see this puddle underneath her.
I know, I can't believe I took a picture of it either. Anyways, we were stuck. Sean wanted to just pretend it didn't happen. It sounds crazy, but when you've been waiting in line for 30 minutes all rational thought is lost. We are getting on this ride! But I just couldn't do it. Not when I saw strangers and their children stepping dangerously close to it as it spread. I would be so grossed out if my kid stepped in someone else's pee. So I caved and called an attendant over. I told him she had an accident. Gracie piped up "It wasn't an accident, I TOLD you I had to go potty and you didn't take me." Thanks, kid. The guy tried to look unfazed, but I could see he was slightly grossed out. Thankfully, he let Sean and the boys step to the side to wait and just let me run her back to the stroller parking to change and clean up. The more embarrassing part was him closing down the entire lane we were in with the yellow cones and all. Now everyone around would see what happened. Oh well, what can you do? We learned, and for the rest of the trip everyone wore pull-ups whether they wanted to or not. When we got back in line the guy was gracious and said was much worse when people didn't tell, especially adults after barfing on a ride. Ha ha, so I felt much lower on the disney disgraced list now. Nemo was a great ride by the way! So cool! I was proud of the kids not crying in the dark parts either.
We figured this was a good time to nap. The park had gotten much more crowded after lunch and we were hot and tired. We went back to Grandma's house for a nap-beautiful. We ate dinner at home and came back to the park around 6pm. We weren't sure how this would go considering normal bedtime is around 7pm, but we really wanted to stay up for the fireworks. It was an awesome night. We did the Jungle Cruise and Tate was in awe. He kept talking us how he'd never been to the jungle before and would have to tell everyone he knew that we went there, when we got back to America! (Because disneyland it not in America I guess). My favorite part was when the fake darts fly above you and the cruise guide told them to hit the deck. Gracie and Tate were on the floor covering their heads FAST, ha ha. Slightly scary to them I'm sure.
Everything was super crowded so we took the opportunity to ride Winnie the Pooh and then take the long train ride around the park. Then we settled into a spot on Main St. so we would have a great view of the parade. We ate cotton candy, popcorn, and talked and played. I think it might be my favorite memory of the trip. When the show started they were all amazed. They have never seen fireworks before and they loved it. Tate kept saying "Thank you for bringing us here! This is the most wonderful surprise ever EVER!" My sweet boy. Benny was half asleep by time it ended and completely passed out as soon as we started walking for the exit.
We were exhausted, but in the best possible way.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Back from Disneyland!
Well our California Adventure has come and gone! (pun, slightly intended).
Overall, I'd say it was a success, we had a great time at the parks and seeing family. I would just fly if we could. I am not a great road tripper. It wasn't awful, just hard. There's so much to say so I will just go day by day and remember what I can. If I don't write it out now, I never will!
Day 1: We left friday and drove just 4 hours south to Vancouver. We stayed with our friends at their adorable home/farm. My kids are crazy for that place. They'd be happy to stay the week there. We got big kid sleeping bags for G and T and they slept in them all week leading up to the trip. They thought they were just for fun at home, so they were excited they had a purpose on the trip as well, ha ha. We stayed up late and it was a great night.
Day 2: The next morning was a 5k for our friend Jordan and it was nice to see other people and get some exercise before being confined to the car for endless hours. We ate lunch at the park and headed out about 11:30am. We packed up the car with bins of various items: coloring supplies, craft supplies, tons of snacks, frozen juice boxes and grapes (because we have no ac) and as a last resort dvd players. I sorted little toys into paper sacks to give them at random times.
I think after 5 hours everything had been given out in attempts to distract them from the heat. One we crossed into California we stopped at a Dairy Queen for ice cream, potty break and to play at a local playground. It was awesome because it was actually a covered one. We all needed a break. We gave ourselves an hour.
We drove a few more hours until it was too hot to bear and stopped somewhere for dinner.
There was some pouting and they were a little wild, but we let it go. There were no major meltdowns until right before we got to the hotel for the night. We got to Anderson, CA around 8pm and Benny was just DONE. I know the feeling. We got in the room and they were SO excited. They jumped on beds and went nuts for about an hour, then it was lights out for everyone.
Day 3: More of the same, but hotter and with desert. This was the hardest day. We had a spray fan so the kids took turns getting wet to cool off (and so did Sean and I). We took turns driving and stopped for milkshakes, lunch and dinner. We got to great Grandma's and Grandpa's house in Huntington Beach about 7PM! It took a little while for the kids to unwind and fall asleep, but I don't remember much. I think we passed out by 9PM.
Day 4: Such a nice day! We had no plans, but to enjoy some family time. We slept in until 8am (grandpa gave cups of cheerios to the early risers and put on cartoons!) and we had a slow morning. We went swimming in the pool and G and T learned how to "walk" holding on to the pool walls. Then lunch and naps. So happy they slept because I got to read and eat In 'n Out burger. :) I was an idiot and didn't put on sunscreen so that was when I developed a major sunburn on my chest. That evening we went to Sean's cousins' house. They have 5 kids ages 9-3! They tried for one more and got boy girls twins 3 years ago. We hadn't even seen them yet! It was so fun and the kids all loved each other. They ran around outside while we BBQ'd and I coveted their dining room table with benches. Perfect for a house full of kids!
We tried to get a picture of all 9 cousins eating dinner. Benny and their little Zoe were best buddies by the end of the night and kept kissing. They were adorable. I think we left about 9PM (waaaaay past bed time) and went right to bed, the next morning was Disneyland!
I'll finish the rest tomorrow, my massive pile of laundry beckons!
Day 1: We left friday and drove just 4 hours south to Vancouver. We stayed with our friends at their adorable home/farm. My kids are crazy for that place. They'd be happy to stay the week there. We got big kid sleeping bags for G and T and they slept in them all week leading up to the trip. They thought they were just for fun at home, so they were excited they had a purpose on the trip as well, ha ha. We stayed up late and it was a great night.
Day 2: The next morning was a 5k for our friend Jordan and it was nice to see other people and get some exercise before being confined to the car for endless hours. We ate lunch at the park and headed out about 11:30am. We packed up the car with bins of various items: coloring supplies, craft supplies, tons of snacks, frozen juice boxes and grapes (because we have no ac) and as a last resort dvd players. I sorted little toys into paper sacks to give them at random times.
I think after 5 hours everything had been given out in attempts to distract them from the heat. One we crossed into California we stopped at a Dairy Queen for ice cream, potty break and to play at a local playground. It was awesome because it was actually a covered one. We all needed a break. We gave ourselves an hour.
There was some pouting and they were a little wild, but we let it go. There were no major meltdowns until right before we got to the hotel for the night. We got to Anderson, CA around 8pm and Benny was just DONE. I know the feeling. We got in the room and they were SO excited. They jumped on beds and went nuts for about an hour, then it was lights out for everyone.
Day 3: More of the same, but hotter and with desert. This was the hardest day. We had a spray fan so the kids took turns getting wet to cool off (and so did Sean and I). We took turns driving and stopped for milkshakes, lunch and dinner. We got to great Grandma's and Grandpa's house in Huntington Beach about 7PM! It took a little while for the kids to unwind and fall asleep, but I don't remember much. I think we passed out by 9PM.
Day 4: Such a nice day! We had no plans, but to enjoy some family time. We slept in until 8am (grandpa gave cups of cheerios to the early risers and put on cartoons!) and we had a slow morning. We went swimming in the pool and G and T learned how to "walk" holding on to the pool walls. Then lunch and naps. So happy they slept because I got to read and eat In 'n Out burger. :) I was an idiot and didn't put on sunscreen so that was when I developed a major sunburn on my chest. That evening we went to Sean's cousins' house. They have 5 kids ages 9-3! They tried for one more and got boy girls twins 3 years ago. We hadn't even seen them yet! It was so fun and the kids all loved each other. They ran around outside while we BBQ'd and I coveted their dining room table with benches. Perfect for a house full of kids!
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Disneyland Bound
My little blog has been sorely neglected as we get ready for our Haney California Vacation Spectacular TM.
We are driving down to Huntington Beach area to stay with the great grandparents and surprise the kids with 3 days at Disneyland! I think my husband is more excited than they will be, but it should be memorable. I am not looking forward to the 2 days drive at all, but we have borrowed some dvd players if we get desperate and I've been collecting random toys to keep them busy. Sadly, my bag of stuff got stolen out of our car a couple of days ago (they smashed in our window!) so that has put a kink in our finances and of course cost me time and energy rounding up more toys. People are so selfish sometimes.
Anyway, we started packing last night and I took my friends' advice of pre-packing outfits for the kids in gallon ziplock bags. More time consuming up front, but ti will be awesome to just grab a bag with their name on it and be ready to go instead of sorting to a through a messy suitcase several times a day. Yay for organization! To make things a little more interesting, Gracie had a fever and threw up yesterday. I am just PRAYING that she doesn't spread it to her brothers. So help me, if the kids are sick on this trip, it could be a nightmare. A very expensive nightmare.
The last time we were there G and T were 3 months old!
Can't wait to introduce Benny to family he's never met and explore with bigger kids!
Just 2 more days of tutoring and we are off!
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Happy 4th!
It is finally feeling like summer in Seattle! We met up with a group of friends and went to a parade in Edmonds. The kids parade is first and adorable. I'm hoping we can make a little float and be in it next year, but Gracie is still terrified of Ronald McDonald on a segue, so we'll see.
We went home for lunch and nap and then re-joined our friends at the city park for the fireworks. Really, we knew we would never last until 10pm, but we had fun eating a lot of food and watching the kids run around together! We gave up around 9pm and toted home the exhausted kiddos. Gracie had a reaction to the sunscreen on her face which made her look even more pitiful at that point. We managed to watch about 10 minutes of fireworks on TV while getting in pajamas. I was REALLY hoping we'd get to sleep in this morning, but Benny was "hopping like a bunny" in his room at 6:40am. Tired, and guzzling coffee this morning, but really thankful for a fun holiday and the sunshine showing up!
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
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