Amy and the Clark Zoo

My First Half Marathon with Rocky's Rescues on My Mind

2011-03-20T16:17:00.012-04:00

Hey family and friends,
As probably you all know I have been working my butt off at training for a half marathon. My run is in 2 weeks!!!! yey!

I am dedicating my run, all 13.1 miles, to an awesome animal rescue called Rocky’s Rescues... who recently was in the paper for their animal rescue/education efforts:
http://galvestondailynews.com/story/210718)

They are an amazing rescue organization where I have found another love of my life, Sadie.

Our new dog Sadie was is terrible condition, pregnant, sick, heartworm, emaciated, and probably worst of all, without anyone to love. She was rescued by a man named Tom English (a rescuer) and a woman named Sarah Mann (a foster mom). These people dedicate their lives to saving animals, spreading the work about spaying and neutering, spending thier own money on treatment, nurturing them back to health and to an adoptable condition, and then finally finding these desperate animals a safe and loving home. I have come to know these people through phone conversations and emails.

Becaused we rescued Sadie, Sarah now had room to rescue another dog they named Babe. Her story is very similar to Sadie’s. Pregnant, no food or shelter, emaciated, heartworm, and no love. Yet they are the sweetest dogs around. I have copied an email and picture below of Sarah’s recent email to me. She was very attached to Sadie but let her go to me because she knew there was another Sadie around the corner to be rescued.

Anyway, by this time you are probably considering I am going to ask for a donation, and you are right. : )

And if you need more of a reason, check out this video made by Tom (video is not for kids). The first dog in the video is Sadie. :(

Please consider sponsoring me on my run. All the money I collect will go to Rocky’s Rescues. They are a non-profit organization; where no one gets paid, they are all volunteers, they do this in their spare time, and all the medical care is paid for by donations!

Seriously any bit helps, even $1. And I mean that with all my heart.

Thank you all! And thanks so much for your words of encouragment in my training. I am still amazed that I can run! : ) And a big big thanks to Celeste for inspiring me to run and for believing in me! I am so happy that you are going to be running by my side, even though you could be at the finish line by now!

If you want to donate, you can make a check out to me or directly to “Animal Alliance of Galveston County — Rocky’s Rescues Account”.

I thank you and dogs just like Sadie thank you!!!

And Saber thanks you for his new friend, which he is so happy to have now. Even the cats like her now!

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From: rockysrescues@aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2011 2:42 PM
To: amycclark@comcast.net
Subject: I've got you - "Babe"

Hi Amy,
Thanks again for the sweet updates on Sadie girl. I miss her tremendously but I smile big every time I see her face in a photo!

Miss Sadie getting adopted allowed us the opportunity to go rescue another dog yesterday. We have named her "Babe".
.
.
.

A day in the life of a San Leon/Bacliff dog on Monday March 7, 2011.

The difference one can make by simply caring enough to stop & render help to the helpless.

Tom & Sarah -Pulling up to a house in San Leon/Bacliff on 10th street March 7, 2011 @ 4:00 PM

Living in dirt, no food, no water & tied up.

A beautiful female dog who recently had her 3rd or 4th litter of puppies found emaciated & full distention in tummy.

Tom approaches to make a new friend - Nice big thick chain around her skinny neck.

He assures her - everything will be alright.

Tom gives her Frontline flea prev.

Worms her & vaccinates her.

Tom checks her gums. They are white - she is anemic.
Most likely her bloated tummy is from heart failure to do heart worm disease

We just can't leave her behind for certain death to come.
We take her back to my house to help her.
( Owner admits he hasn't got enough money to feed Mama & puppies, but he himself looks like he hasn't missed a meal.)

Tom gives some much needed reassurance- Help is here. Tom names her "Babe"

Tom draws blood for panel screening & hw test -
He knows she is hw pos. before the results have even come back.

Look at this mug - Beautiful girl will now receive love & medical care.
She will leave her old life behind for good.

She say's thank you Sarah - "Got some food ?" I'm hungry!

She is in a warm comfortable bed.
Eating boiled chicken breast & rice to put over delicious kibble, she eats it all up &
say's Thank you. We are waiting for all blood work to come back to see the plan of action to get her health back.

Thank you sister Sadie for making room for me to get help, soon I will be dancing & wagging my tail.

P.S We rescued all her puppies also. The owners of this dog should be in jail.

DAY 5 – St. Lucia

2010-03-11T22:55:00.001-05:00

So I consider myself pretty good at directions, following a map, knowing which way is north, etc. (although I am pretty sure after this trip, Dave might not share that same confidence). But really people… no street signs outside the city… really???

The day started with a long wait for our car rental agent to show up Costless (I now know how they get their name). We finally meet up with our Costless agent and she informs us that the car we rented is not a 4x4 like we requested, rather it is a small sedan. They do give us a $2 cost break. Wow, aren’t we lucky. We stand out in the parking lot for about 20 minutes filling out paper work (which I had filled out online, per their request to make things go faster). None of that information was transferred to our paperwork. Not impressed.

So we finally head out of the pier area. Our goal for the day was to see the pitons located in the southwestern side of the island. We think we are heading out of the city but instead we make our way down a narrow road (btw, all the roads are narrow) to a dead end, looking straight at a parade. In hindsight, I wish we had parked and watched but we were Piton bound. So it is all kind of a blur but I do remember that I was so excited to finally find a street sign, still too far away to read, but as we get closer to the sign, I am anticipating the excitement as I can finally pint point us on the map. Approaching the sign the rest of the gang erupt in laughter as they read the “street” sign. It says “Shine for Jesus”. Damn it I say.

Forgoing the detail of getting out of this mess, the next half hour involves, Dave (the hero driver in this story) backing up a narrow road, hitting another car with his side mirror (which must happen a lot there), lots of honking (not the St. Thomas kind of honking), following a guy in a van (who leads us out of the chaos), pulling up his whole vehicle on a city sidewalk, Dave doing the same, getting directions from this guy who is going well out of his way to help us and even declines money from Dave,

following a taxi full of tourists who look like they are going south on the only main road in St. Lucia, realizing we are likely not going to where we though, finding ourselves on some sort of school campus,

not seeing any road signs… until 2 hours later a sign!!!

We are located about 10 minutes north of the pier. ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!

Deep breath.

I am not sure why we still decided to pursue the Pitons. In hindsight, I wish we stayed at Gros Islet. I hear they have nice beaches. But this time through the city we are pretty sure we can stay on the one main road (which is not named) that heads south to Soufriere. So we go back by the pier and back by the sidewalk we parked on. This time, we head south… as best we can.

On our 2 hour very winding steep narrow drive, we don’t get lost but we do meet… Dr. Twist, Rescue, and Bird Man. All who are trying to sell us something. Some art, some jewelry, some birds, and some other “things” that will make us feel better.

I did buy a turtle from Dr. Twist and Ian did buy a coconut carved bird for $1 (I refused to pay the $5 that he thought it was worth) and Ian talked Rescue down to $5 for a necklace. In hindsight… maybe we should have reconsidered the other item he had for sale.

We finally made it to the Pitons.

We are starving (American style). We grabbed lunch at a local place with a beautiful view of the Pitons. We all wanted to try local food so we each ordered a Roti… ugh. It is basically a burrito filled with potatoes and some yellow sauce.

Not a big fan. The fried plantains were good as well as the tamarind juice.

The waitress came out with a fresh tamarind for us to try. It is a sour thing for sure.

After lunch we had all of 20 minutes for us to enjoy the pitons. Ideally we would have taken a water taxi to view them and in between the pitons there is a beach to enjoy. But we did not have time. On the way back there were either controlled burns going on or the island was on fire.

Either way, the smoke was a bit bothersome but Dave did an amazing job driving. He was definitely in some kind of zone.

We made it back to the pier area and decided to stop at some local shops.

And finally it happens… a meltdown. It is not from Dave who has been driving all day, or Shannon who is car sick in general not to mention the 6 hours of winding steep smoky driving, or even me who is frustrated that I still haven’t seen a freakin’ street sign all day, but it is Ian.

The heat was slowly putting him over the edge all day. Signs of it came early in the day when he had enough of being lost and when we drove by the boat the second time was debating whether to jump car or not. But he waits for the day to be over when Dave pulls the car over for shopping which it is clear Dave, Shannon and I all want to do.

But Ian shouts, to Dave’s somewhat rhetorical question of “Does anyone want to shop?”, “No, I emphatically do NOT want to shop!” This is worth blogging about because this story comes up several times throughout the rest of our cruise. Probably on average 5 times per remaining day. The Farrs got a big kick out of Ian’s fit. I kindly remind Ian that he can wait in the car and he responds: “I am not waiting in the fucking car in the 97 degree Caribbean heat!” I kindly let him know we have AC and he can rest there but Ian is on a mission. A mission to get on the f’n boat. So he, in tantrum form, shouts “No! I want my backpack and I am walking back to the boat!” And off he goes. He doesn’t look back. He probably had a 15 minute hike in the Caribbean heat back to the boat but it was his mission and he is now the one in the zone. When we left the shopping, we did keep our eyes open for his dehydrated body which we half expected to be slumped over on a park bench or something but upon return to the cruise ship he was spread out like a towel animal on our bed. Safe, sound, showered, rested and no longer grumpy.

And here are some random boat pictures I took throughout the day:

Services:
Costless - Recommendation, spend more, don’t rent from these guys. 5.
St. Lucia Department of Transportation – lack of road signs. -10.

Overall score for the day: 7 still a decent day, but only for the stories.
Ian’s tantrum bumped it up from a 6 to a 7.

DAY 4 – Barbados

2010-03-10T23:42:00.000-05:00

Shasa is her name and a beautiful catamaran she is.

We spent a day at sea on a catamaran captained by Jason O'Neal. Because we booked a tour with Shasa Catamaran Cruises, we didn’t see much of the island but whomever was our taxi driver, he sure did pack a lot of history in one short drive. Great guy, wish I knew his name to give him a shout out, but he made our land portion very informative.

When we arrived at Shasa we met Jason and his sea partner, who apparently has only been sailing with Jason for a week, but you would never know it. Already on board were two other very friendly New York couples that were staying together on the island.

We headed out immediately to hopefully snorkel with some turtles… and sure there were no disappointments there. There was another boat already there with a few other folks snorkeling and there were sea turtles every where. This was one of my highlights of the whole trip. Just knowing that these turtles are wild (although they certainly love the treats the captains are tossing them) made my day. Thanks to Shannon I have some great turtle shots to share.

Then we headed to snorkel a reef, but this is where my fun ended. I was sea sick. I think Dave and Shannon felt like me. Not terribly sea sick, but enough to make me focus on not throwing up at sea. I couldn’t tell what was worse, being on the boat moving up and down or swimming on the swells themselves. I tried both. Both made me nauseous. Ian tells me the snorkeling was pretty good.

The day ended with some shopping at some cute shops near the port. That night Shannon and I enjoy the hot tub and later that evening… the infamous late night Mexican Buffet. Which was basically eating in the middle of the night when you are not hungry. I am not sure why I participated but really…. Why can Carnival serve my favorite food at lunch time! J

Services: Shasa Catamaran Cruises, good day, aside from being sea sick. Score: 8+

The captain, Jason, was a really nice guy, fun and professional. I actually would have liked to get to know him better. I bet he was full of more information about Barbados, the turtles, etc. Drinks were great, if only I could have enjoyed them!

On an interesting note: He stated that he ignores online reviews, and I don’t blame him, but what Shannon and I thought was funny was that in one breath he said: You just give people what you tell them and don’t worry about reviews. And in the other breath he mentions that we are not going to do the shipwreck stop since it will be crowed and it is a bit corny anyhow. Hummm…. interesting. I actually believe him that it was probably not the greatest stop but why advertise a place that is really nothing worth seeing. Frankly, I didn’t really care. But I did find the comment or tactic an interesting one.

Still, great boat, great captain, good drinks, and the turtles exceeded my expectations so I was happy… even if half my day was wishing I was on land (or on a really big cruise ship!).

Overall score for the day: 8+ (probably would have been a 9+ if I wasn’t sick)

DAY 3 – Dominica

2010-03-09T23:19:00.000-05:00

The morning starts off with Shannon swearing that she shall never drink again, at least on the cruise. We have a hike to conquer today and it is not clear if Shannon will make it. But it only takes her the morning to shake it off.

Our tour was with Bumpiing (yes with two ii’s) Tours and our guide is Levi (aka: Bumpiing) himself. We are in a small group of 8 people.

We hiked Middleham Falls, explored Titou Gorge, and visited Trafalgar Falls… oh and a special stop for Shannon to the squished bus.

Middleham Falls was so worth the trek. There was a little (or maybe a lot!) of complaining the next day about calf muscles being sore but everyone agreed that it was so worth it. The flora was incredible and there was an incredible waterfall at the top We swam in the natural quarry like pool at the bottom of the falls and some adventurous people (Shannon and Dave) jumped from the cliffs into the pool. What a tour.

Titou Gorge was a relaxing spot.

It is also a spot where part of Pirates of the Caibbean 2 was filmed. This place was really neat. You essentially jump into this cold but fresh water and swim into these caves. The caves open up and in there you have this waterfall. If you have the strength (like Dave and Ian) you could climb up a cliff and see another waterfall around the bend. I was content to just float about in the cave.

Trafalgar Falls was an easy hike to view a couple of amazing waterfalls. And we ended the tour with a nice soak in a hot mineral bath… ahhhh.

Services:
Bumpiing Tours, arguably the best tour of the week, highly recommended. 10+

Levi is an awesome tour guide! Really this guy is awesome. Not only is he handsome, muscular, and fit, but friendly, supportive (to those that fell a little behind on the hike), and very informative. You learn a lot about the island and although I did not take the carnival version of this tour, we did see them on the hike and there were about 30 people! I prefer the small setting and there is no way Levi will let you miss the boat so there were no worries there.

Overall score for the day: 10+

DAY 2 – St. Thomas/St. John

2010-03-08T23:55:00.001-05:00

Our first cruise stop is Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas.
Our plans are to take a taxi to the ferry and head over to Trunk Bay in St. John for some snorkeling but when we wake, it is still rainy. Ian and I decided to get off the boat just the same. We sat under an awning at a restaurant while we decided if we really wanted to do this. It was raining pretty hard but not pouring. Rather than a $20 taxi ride to Red Hook for the ferry, we decided to try to catch a local bus which was only going to cost $2. After asking several friendly people, we finally figured out which direction we wanted to go and how to get on the bus. Should be easy, but there was no actually bus stop, you just wave at this safari looking truck that says taxi on it (go figure!) and it stops and picks you up. They have dedicated stops too but apparently you don’t actually need to be standing at one of them.

Anyhow, this was a great way to see St. Thomas, or at least the non-touristy places in St. Thomas, and I love the way they say good morning to everyone when they get on the bus and although it takes some getting used to, they give a friendly beep at everyone! Beep beep, hello. Beep beep, good morning. Beep beep, I am passing you. Beep beep, have a good day. Much different than the USA horn!

So we end up taking the ferry over and by this time, it is lightly raining and the sky is changing from gray to gray blue. I’ll take it. We met a really nice couple from NH on the ferry and the woman was co-workers with our cruise companion Shannon! Small world.

We made it to Trunk Bay.

It is in a national park and although they let us enter, the snorkeling trail was closed.

Bummer but they at least didn’t charge us to enter the park. Although, now that I think of it, we should have donated some money just to support the park; but we didn’t. By this time, it had stopped raining and the sky was cloudy but blue. The weather was still warm and not one time during our stay in San Juan or in St. Thomas/John did the rain make me cold.

Ian enjoyed our stay at Trunk Bay.

It was still beautiful, not crowded whatsoever because of the weather, and a pelican landed right next to us while we were swimming and searched for fish. Very neat.

We left before noon and grabbed a bite to eat at some place near the ferry at Cruz Bay. Can’t remember the name of it but it wasn’t that great, pricy, and took a long time to get our food. But we were seated outside and the sun was fully out by then and it was a nice to be enjoying the outside. We poked around a few shops while waiting for the ferry back.

These beautiful flowers were everywhere. I love them!

Our return to the boat was easy, as well as grabbing the bus back.

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That evening… drinks. Lots and lots of drinks! You know what they say about Vegas… well this isn’t Vegas so here is my photo journal of the night. Fun times!

There was also a dance contest that Shannon should have won with her fancy slide move, an elderly man who we danced with (some of us remember him, some of us don't!), a piano bar, and a friendly couple from Texas (Melanie and Chris).

Fun night!!!

Services:
St. Thomas Local Bus: 10, take this over a taxi if you can. Much more enjoyable.

St. John taxi service: it is all government regulated, so no hassling over prices… that I am aware of.

Red Hook to Cruz bay (and back) Ferries: I think this is too standard to grade. But sure it was nice, no complaints.

Overall score for the day: 8+, nice day but with better weather, I am sure there is so much more here.

DAY 1 – Victory leaves San Juan

2010-03-07T23:55:00.000-05:00

The following morning was still rainy, which apparently is not normal Puerto Rico weather. We had planned on visiting El Yunque, a rain forest in the Caribbean National Forest. But it was raining and we decided not to go. Actually, we were just tired, tired of driving in circles, and at this point we just wanted on the boat. So we wandered into Old San Juan for lunch, ended up at La Bombonera, which apparently was featured on one of Rachael Ray’s shows. The food was good, not super great, but definitely good. I did order a half a pineapple and it was so fresh… mmmm!

Dave & Shannon enjoying their La Bombonera lunch:

We also did some window shopping and enjoyed a free trolley ride around the “town”. That was enough for us, by 1pm we were on the boat.

Embarkation was very fast, smooth, and had some nice cocktail taste testing we enjoyed. Mmmm… Apple Rum. I also love that you are greeted with that Carnival friendliness. Just love that first smile and welcome. You have that feeling of… ahhhh…. I am on vacation and these people are going to take care of me for a whole week.

Dinner on the boat:

Ian and I practicing our Muster cry that evening...

See you San Juan:

Services:
United Airlines: smooth flight, no issues. 7 (airlines can’t possibly score any higher, so this is actually a decent rating).

Charlie’s Car Rental: 9…. The people weren’t overly friendly but nice enough. The service was prompt, car was as expected, would have been nice to be given a map and directions to our drop off place, but the perks were that you could pick up at the airport and then drop off near the port. They then gave you a free shuttle to the pier. I would rent again from them and I would recommend them to others.

Howard Johnson’s Cardiovascular Center Hotel: 7 --> 7+. Decent room actually. Desk guy was nice. But finding the place sucked, it is not marked, there is limited parking, and the fire alarm apparently goes off frequently. I moved it up to a 7+ because if you suffer a heart attack during your stay, there is really no better place to be.

El Morro: 10+. This place is a MUST see. Incredible. If it weren’t dreary out, I imagine the views are stunning. The staff was very friendly. And be sure to use the bathrooms there, because you will not get a better view from a bathroom… no seriously.

Overall score for the two days in Puerto Rico: 8 (this is all relative… the day was still good, I mean “It’s Puerto Rico” for goodness sake!).

CRUISE! Eastern Caribbean

2010-03-06T07:13:00.005-05:00

Eastern Caribbean Cruise on the Carnival Victory

DAY 0 – Arrive in San Juan a day early
DAY 1 – Victory leaves San Juan
DAY 2 – St. Thomas/St. John
DAY 3 – Dominica
DAY 4 – Barbados
DAY 5 – St. Lucia
DAY 6 – St. Kitts
DAY 7 – St. Maarten
DAY 8 – Victory arrives back in San Juan
DAY 9 – Newark New Jersey airport
Day 10 – Finally home

What a trip… again! It is hard to believe it is over. Last year we cruised for the first time and had such a great time, so it was an easy decision to cruise again with friends Dave and Shannon.

The excitement and planning leading up to the cruise was even fun but I will spare you those details.

DAY 0 – Arrive in San Juan a day early
On Saturday March 6th we flew out of Logan airport directly to San Juan. It was an easy flight and you couldn’t have asked for anything more straight forward. Easy on, easy off. I think we were even 20 minutes early. Those people that complain about air travel really have nothing to complain about; or do they?

We arrived in San Juan early afternoon, rented a car from Charlie’s Car Rental. The rates were good, the car was nice, and best of all we could pick up at the airport and drop off near the cruise terminal, where they then shuttle you to the cruise terminal. Nice staff and would rent again from them.

San Juan was rainy but that didn’t stop us from having a good time. We visited El Morro but didn’t have time for San Cristobal. El Morro was incredible and because it was rainy, not many people were out.

And we did see a wedding while wandering around the streets. The wedding party was outside and these two Puerto Rican guys were helping park cars. There was this tourist looking guy in a car behind the commotion and he was getting impatient, so he laid on his horn. And the two Puerto Ricans, without missing a beat, just put big smiles on their faces, with their hands shrugged to the air, and said in a relaxed Puerto Rican accent (in unison) “It’s Puerto Rico!” I am sure I am not doing the comment justice, but we loved it so much that we used it on almost every island thereafter… something went wrong… “It’s Puerto Rico” (even if it wasn’t). I love that attitude. I have always loved Puerto Ricans and never really new why, I now know.

We had a nice dinner in Old San Juan and before we knew it, it was time to head back to our hotel to get some sleep. Finding our hotel was an adventure in itself. We stayed at a Howard Johnson’s in a cardiovascular center. Really. It was as weird as it sounds. The hotel was nice, but finding it was a whole other story. I will try to not reminisce about the bad parts of the trip, so let’s just say, after turning around several times, asking directions several times, we eventually found ourselves snug in our beds. Until 5am when the fire alarm went off. But it stopped. Then went off again. At checkout in the morning the desk guy said not to worry it happens all the time. Helpful to know. Next time…. The Sheraton. Three times the cost would have been worth it.

Kaiden Hearts Horses

2009-10-17T00:53:00.000-04:00

Kaiden still loves horses. He rides at a stable a lot closer to home. And he has a great connection to a large pony name Luke and we his trainer Julie is great too. His riding is getting a lot better since he learned to ride a bike. His legs are a lot stronger and his balance is great.

A shout out to all you hard working teachers!

2009-10-15T23:44:00.000-04:00

Kaiden and I volunteered to put a bunch of mini books together for his class... we did about 1500 of them! We did them in small groups throughout the month so it wasn't so bad.

But to all you teachers, here's a shout out from Kaiden:
“Mini books are hard work. I use to think I wanted to be a teacher when I grow up. Now I realize it is too much work so I think I just want to be a principal” ~Kaiden

LOST!

2009-09-26T15:35:00.000-04:00

LOST! Have you seen this child???

So I am one of those mothers that dress her kids in the same bright color when we go to well populated places, just in case I loose one. I always envisioned I would be talking with the mall security guard and would say, pointing to the one son I had in custody… “See this here green shirt, he is wearing one just like it!”

Well, it didn’t quite work out that way but I am thankful that they were wearing a bright shirt….

So, the story of course has a happy ending but I was terrified for probably a good 2 minutes that felt like an hour. We went to the Deerfield Fair with my good friend Laura and her daughter and I had my two boys in tow, each dressed in Kelly green t-shirt. We went into a barn with lots of cows (and tons of people looking at the cows!) and in the barn there was a large petting area. You know, one with the double gates so the animals don’t escape. Well, the kids loved this area so we were in that area for quite a while.

Then in just seconds after I last saw him, Kael was gone. I had no idea where he was. Thanks to the Kelly green shirt I was able to scan a bunch of kids in a far off corner and easily tell Kael was not in the bunch. Then my eyes scan the next corner of the petting area, and the next…. and then I spot a hiding house for the goats… maybe he is in there…. I run over… but only find goats. In a matter of seconds I knew for sure Kael was NOT in the petting area. That is when the crazy mom (me) starts shouting down the hall of the barn… “Kael” “Kael” KAEL!” KAEL!” I felt like I was just on the verge of total panic, my heart is pounding, and my head is just thinking “no. no. no.” And then I spot him… he is running to my call, he comes close to getting stepped on by all the people around, but my relief sets in. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…………..

I have no idea why he left the petting area. Didn’t he know we were still there with him? Did he see someone that looked like me and left? Did he want to go pet the cows (no way)? But I am thankful for the Kelly green shirt. If I had spent any more time in the petting area by the time I was shouting in the barn, he could have been too far to hear me. And for the record, I felt like I was watching both my boys so closely. I still don’t have a clue how he got out of my sight.

We did enjoy the rest of the day. A few fun rides and some ice cream. A perfect day for the boys I am sure.

Ride Kaiden Ride

2009-09-15T16:04:00.000-04:00

Kaiden can tear it up with training wheels. All summer we thought he just might be ok with taking them off his bike for good, but no. But the other day I asked, so you ready to learn to ride a bike? "Yes." was the answer.

So I prepared myself for a few falls, complaining, frustration, and disappointment. I am not a half empty kind of person, but you know, it is tough to learn to ride a bike. We have tried in the past and it didn't go well.

This time... it took all of 7 seconds. They are recorded on video... see below. And he was off. If you listen closely he says... "don't touch, I can do it myself". Ah, music to my ears. And after about an hour on non stop bike runs down (the flat part of) our driveway, he had mastered stopping. And now, all he wants to do it ride. After school, in the morning, before and after lunch, ride ride ride.

Click here to see the FIRST atempt.
And Click here to see a few minutes later...

It is so much fun to see him ride. He can go faster and do many more crazy things but I just close my eyes and keep the doctors number handy.

August was Just one Big Blurr

2009-08-31T22:24:00.001-04:00

And here it is…. Don’t blink.

We spent the weekend with friends up to their parents cabin in Vermont on a lake. It was relaxing and nice:

Photo courtesy of Dave Farr

My wonderful friend Claudine got married to a great guy Alexej:

Kael got step and scarlet fever. No worries, he’s ok now.
*** no photos sorry! ****

Kaiden and I went to Canobie… while Kael stayed home with step and a red rash. Kaiden and I had a great time, rode the log flume ride (yikes! Splash!) and just had a great time.

Kaiden started first grade… sniff sniff. All day school!!! It feels like it was just yesterday, I was holding him with one hand while he nestled his head under my chin and keept me warm. More sniff sniff.

Kaiden lost his first tooth!

Ian works diligently on the tree house…

Enjoyed a few days at the Racquet Club with friends (thanks Celeste and Shannon!)

And some how me managed to take the kids to the Dover Children’s museum where they had a blast!

The boys have been getting along so much better these days and it is so enjoyable to go places with the two of them. And I love the brother moments they have.

The summer is over. And man were we busy. But we had a wonderful summer but I look forward to a restful fall. :-)

Kaiden is SIX!

2009-07-31T21:51:00.003-04:00

Again we had great weather for Kaiden’s birthday. It seems every year the sun just shines on him.

Happy Birthday Kaiden!!!
The 5 things I love most about you:
1. You are so very caring. If I am having a bad day, you want to make me feel better.
2. You are so smart, oh so very smart. What shall we ever do!?
3. You love animals, especially cats… and horses and dogs.
4. You are sensitive and love to hug and snuggle.
5. You are inquisitive. Thank God for the internet to answer all your questions!

If I had to guess today... you will either become a vet or an inventor.

To celebrate, we had a cookout and a few friends over: Cole, Lorelei, Jacob, the Ashleys, and the Quennivilles. There was a water slide and a sprinkler which the kids enjoyed. The next day, my parents took Kaiden and Kael to the Portland Children’s Museum. The boys LOVE that place!

Here are some photos of those wonderful memories:

York Beach Vacation 2009

2009-07-19T00:00:00.002-04:00

YORK BEACH

Oh how I wish I had time to blog. Here is a photo recap of our AWESOME vacation.

Lots of great beach days this year which included:

wave jumping

relaxing

rock climbing

castle prep

a visit from Lexi and Shannon,

and lots of happiness

After all the long beach days, it was nice to just chill at the cottage.

Then after dinner we had time for sparklers on the beach, a taffy watching trip to Goldenrod, lots of playground time downtown, a visit to the Wiggly bridge, trolly rides, and Brown's ice cream.

And of course a trip to Nubble Lighthouse to end the day

Oh how I love my boys. They were both so good this trip. If only daddy owl could have joined us. Vacation time during the summer is hard to sacrifice.
Can't wait until next year's York vacation!!!

Trains, Planes, and lots of swimming!

2009-06-25T22:09:00.000-04:00

I think it was last year when I decided that my boys *need* to see their cousins at least once a year. I wish it could be so much more frequent but it is what it is.

So this year we made our trip to Tennessee again to visit my brother, my sister-in-law Ana, and their kids Kayla and Orion. Kael, Orion, Kaiden, and Kayla are ages 3, 4, 5, and 6 respectively. At least they are at the beginning of this post.

My boys enjoyed the flight down. Sipping on apple juice in style.

And before we headed to my brothers we stopped by one of my dearest friends, Rebecca. I love seeing her. She is like a friend that I wish was one door down from me. For a year, we shared an apartment together while on a college work co-op and I loved those days with her. Wonderful memories. She's this cute country bumpkin on the outside. Her voice sweet as southerns get.... but don't let that fool you. She is a firecracker inside. Passionate about animal, a recycler, a breast feeder, a photographer, an engineer, and just an amazing thinker. Now mind you many people care about animals. Many recycle. And many breastfeed. But Rebecca.... well.. she doesn't go just half way. She goes all out with passion. She'd drive you crazy if you didn't think like her. But I do, so I love her. Well.... we don't talk about politics. :-)

Anyway, a couple of hours at her house chatting isn't enough but it has to do. Our kids ran around and enjoyed each other like they have known each other forever. I love this age. And after being tired from the running and the 90 degree heat, they sat on the porch for some popsicles.

And on to Cookeville....

Man these kids are growing.

This trip with my niece and nephew was filled with lots of swimming. I think it was 90+ degrees every day. We swam, swam, and swam some more. All the kids are getting pretty good.

And we stopped at the train museum in Cookeville to play on the trains. The kids love that place.

And by the end of the week it was close enough to Kayla's 7th birthday that we threw her a mini party. I love that girl. She is, after all, my only girl. Happy 7th Birthday Kayla!

Until next year.....

T-Ball - proud, buggy and boring

2009-06-24T09:26:00.000-04:00

Kaiden did T-ball this year. He looks so grown up in his uniform. The season was short, which didn't bother Kaiden at all! He didn't really like going. Although once he was there he enjoyed it... reminds me of hockey but to a lesser extent. :-) His coach was very nice and great with the kids.

He did make me proud though because at the end of the season they pitched to the kids and he just kept trying and trying. I thought his arms were going to fall off from swing the bat. I was starting to get a pit in my stomach thinking... what if he can't do it, he will be crushed, but just as I began to worry... whack. He hit it. A releif. He was so excited. Not as much as I was though.

In general, he says he doesn't like it because it is buggy and boring. I see his point.

StoryLand with the Farrs

2009-06-22T19:22:00.002-04:00

We headed north to StoryLand with our new found couple friends, Dave, Shannon and their adorable daughter Lexi. Ian did the planning (which I love!) and he found us a great condo just minutes away from StoryLand. Dave and Shannon are so fun to hang out with (unless they are debating on whether or not she can go to Japan or not).

The kids loved StoryLand so much. They have this new area called the “Loopy Laboratory” and the boys could have spent all day just in that one place! It is a crazy and very well designed dome with two levels. The kids (and adults!) on the first floor work very hard to get the balls to the second floor and visa versa. Hard to describe, pictures may help a little.

So as you work like mad to get these balls in all different kinds of contraptions, all the kids upstairs are working just as hard to get them back down to you! Fun chaos!

The kids just had a great time! And so did we.

And it is so neat to take the kids to a place that I remember as a child their age.

And some things never change....

This is Kaiden when he was almost 2 years old! What a cutie.

And here he is now... man does he look big on this tree stump.

And can you guess who this might be???

My dad emailed me some photos of my brother and I at StoryLand. I think I am 4 years old in this picture and my brother Andy is 8.

What a great place! Great trip Ian!

Father's Day Survey

2009-06-21T19:07:00.000-04:00

Click here to read Kaiden's survey. I just love this!

OOB Camping 2009

2009-06-14T10:06:00.000-04:00

Mid-June we started off with a family camping trip to Hidden Pines in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. My uncle stays there year round. Last year I just really missed him and wanted to visit so we packed up the camper and stayed the weekend. We let family know and it turned out that my parents, cousins, and aunt and uncle could go. We had such a great time… not to mention I was the inaugural cribbage tournament champion…. we decided to do it again this year. Again we had a great time. Kaiden and Kael enjoyed the wicked cold pool with Adam and we had another Cribbage Tourney. And as crazy as it may sound… Liz won the championship game against Uncle Paul. Hummm…. I am not sure how it happened but it did. We all are still in shock.

The boys had a good time especially building a fire with grampie...

...I think the fire was my favorite part too!

Fun times. Mostly dry, except as we packed up Sunday morning. Little did we know that it would rain 30 of the next 38 days! Wet wet summer!!!

Skunks may be to blame for the demise of the dinosaurs

2009-05-11T22:11:00.003-04:00

The other day we talked a lot about dinosaurs. My boys asked lots of questions, most of which I did not know the answers to. “How did they become extinct?” “How big is a T-Rex” Etc.

Well, yesterday’s topic was skunks. Kaiden asked lots of great questions about skunks, most of which I did not know the answers to. So we got on line. He wanted to know “how far can skunks spray?” and “Can skunks spray any time they want to or do they have to be startled to spray?”.

Thanks to Google the answers are “too far” (actually the answer is 10 – 15 feet) and the for the most part, skunks have to be startled or scared before they spray. We also found out that they eat stink bugs. Kaiden thought this was very funny. Great info about skunks in the nature video by PBS titled “Is That Skunk?”

So the whole time Kaiden and I were exploring skunks on the web, Kael was playing near by and he came over to us, looking confused, he asked…

“Mumma, how did the skunks make the dinosaurs stinked?”

:-)

Kaiden’s behavior… I love him just the way he is.

2009-05-11T22:08:00.002-04:00

I try to help out at Kaiden’s school once a month and the other day I was there while they were learning about whales. My job is to help them along in their journaling. That day they were asked to write one thing they learned about whales and draw a picture. For example, one kid drew a sperm whale then wrote “sperm whales are 65 feet long”. Another drew a blue whale then wrote “blue whales have two blow holes”. These are all little facts they learned about whales.

So I try to help Kaiden out a little but for the most part I stay my distance because he takes direction and suggestions very well from others but let’s just say, not so well from me… so I check in on him once in a while but kinda let him do his own thing. So I check in and he has drawn his whale and many other things…. So I ask, “Can you tell me about your picture Kaiden?” And so the story begins…. “There’s this whale, and he has lots of friend, he has an octopus… you see him right here mumma?.... and here’s a jelly fish, and here is the ink that the octopus squirted on him because he startled him… and you see this mumma?.... here is some coral, and some other fish…” and he goes on and on about the names of the whale’s friends, and why there is coral near the whale, and on and on….

So I gently remind him that he may want to start his writing… well… then he says this is what I want to write…. And the recites pretty much the whole story over again! So I tell him, why don’t we do that part at home… because I think your teacher asked you to write one thing you learned about whales….

He sighs then I know that is my cue to give him space to think about it.

Well… he was the last one done with his assignment and with his teachers help, he did eventually write, “A killer whale is 30 feet long”.

Kaiden loves to write, he loves to be creative, and his imagination is amazing. For about 3 years (just before 2 to about 5 years old) he had imaginary friends…. 3 of them! With very detailed lives. Anyone who knew him then, met Chrissy, Dunda, and Sussa (and occasionally Splat). He mentioned Chrissy just a few months ago but they are pretty much gone now. Busy I guess. My point is that Kaiden has some amazing creativity but he does not take direction very well. I wonder where that will take him in life. It should be interesting!!!

Bye bye not so terrible twos!

2009-04-15T09:02:00.000-04:00

Whoever came up with the slogan "terrible twos" must not have had children. Every parent I talk with, loves or loved the twos. I too loved the twos. Both my children that year were filled with so much learning, talking, expolring, laughter, and love. It is all so new for them. The hugs a two year old gives is so big and warm. They are just so much fun to watch from a distance.

Kael was no exception to this. He went from a little toddler to a little boy right before my eyes. To watch him smell a flower or jump off a step or see his reaction to a bug, are all memories I hope to have forever. He loves to snuggle and keep me warm but he is independent and hard to catch. He fills my heart with so much happiness.

Well, we are turning to the next chapter... Kael is three. Over the past 3 months he has been asking for a Wall-E cake. He loves Wall-E. I love Wall-E too. :-)

So Wall-E is was. The night of his birthday, we enjoyed a few friends over to celebrate along with my parents. They never miss a birthday party. I wouldn't blame them since they live 3 hours away but it is so nice to have them, especially because all our other family lives far away too. And not to mention, Kael loves his grammie adn grampie!

It was a laid back celebration. We played outisde, ate Chinese food (which ALL of my boys love!), and some how found room for cake later in the evening.

I love you Kael!

CRUISE! Western Caribbean

2009-04-11T21:02:00.080-04:00

Western Caribbean on Carnival Cruise

DAY 1 – Leave Miami
DAY 2 – Day at Sea
DAY 3 – Grand Cayman
DAY 4 – Roatan Island, Honduras
DAY 5 – Belize
DAY 6 – Cozumel, Mexico
DAY 7 – Day at Sea
DAY 8 – Back to Miami

So it all started about 8 weeks ago when Ian came home one night and ask if we would go on a cruise with friends Dave and Shannon. At first I thought he was crazy. Ian, the guy who doesn’t like it when temps get in the high 60s and the guy who doesn’t like crowds of people? But to make a long blog just a little shorter (cause it will be long!), Ian badly wanted to go and I badly wanted to take a vacation with my husband (plus I love the sun and I adore Dave and Shannon), so we said yes. The only real issue was, was my mom able and willing to watch the boys.

Let’s just say that my boys aren’t angels and Kaiden is going through some growing pains right now, so although my mom loves her grandkids and she is fully aware of these growing pains, she isn’t insane. Actually, it turns out she is.

So we plan (ok I plan and Ian nods). Shannon is like me, a planner. She and Dave have also been on two other cruises, so it is nice to have her to bounce questions off and be able to tap into all her research knowledge. For example, she showed me http://www.cruisecritic.com/ which is The website to go to for non biased information on ports and anything else you could ever want to know about cruises. This site was very helpful and Shannon is a nut on this thing.

The week leading up to the cruise I was a bit nervous about going. My stomach was not feeling so good and I am not sure if it was worrying about my kids (they had been sick all that week), worrying about my mom’s sanity (what was left of it), or worrying about traveling (being on a boat and in other countries)… but what ever it was it did get the best of me. I think that was confirmed when I passed out on the plane and woke up to a doctor and a crowd of airline staff. All was well in the end. Ian worried, I was a bit uneasy the rest of the day, and Shannon was just excited that she got to hear over the intercom “Is there a doctor on board?” Actually all were concerned but all was ok. Just nerves or something that left itself somewhere in the air between New Hampshire and Florida. Although… that wouldn’t be the last time I would see a doctor on our trip.

Day 1 – Departure. We land in Ft. Lauderdale and take Ace Tours shuttle to Miami. We then board our ship. The Carnival – Valor!

Odd thing about today was that it rained when we were in the car to the airport, it stopped when we got out of the car. It rained when we were in the airport in Florida, it stopped when we were outside waiting for the shuttle. It poured when we were undercover and in line boarding the ship and it stopped by the time we made it to outside on the top deck. A sign that it was bound to be a great trip!

Day 2 – Day at Sea. We got to explore the ship, including a trip down the waterslide, chatted with our room steward Georgio, enjoyed dinner with friends, played bingo, saw a comedy show, and saw our first towel animal…. it was an elephant.

DAY 3 – Grand Cayman. We start the morning early to get the first tender to the island so that we can rent a car from Cayman Auto Rentals. It is just a short walk from the port. We rent a jeep wrangler and Dave drives us around the island on the left side of the road to Rum Point. Rum Point is AMAZING!

We are on this small beach area all by ourselves for more than an hour. The water is aqua blue, white sand, and just really breathtaking. I can’t believe it. Later I rent a kayak. Dave and Shannon relax on the beach and Ian enjoys the water. Just before lunch, the four of us are wading in the water, and a huge stingray comes our way. We actually have to step out of the way for this guy. That was just the so much more than I could ask of what was already a perfect day.

We enjoy drinks and an awesome lunch at a shack right on the beach and soon after that it is time to head back to the ship.

That night we enjoy a juggler and a comedian. Not to mention another great dinner with Dave and Shannon.

Georgio’s towel animal for us that night… a rabbit.

DAY 4 – Roatan Island, Honduras. Arguably the best day of all. We arrive in Roatan in the morning. We hang out on Dave and Shannon’s balcony as we enter port and we can hear a group of Hondurans drumming and singing. As we get closer we can see that they are dancing for the arrival of our ship. A great way to be greeted.

The people of Roatan were so gracious and welcoming. We met a woman holding a Victor Bodden Tour sign and she was so nice and welcoming to us. She led us to Victor himself who was waiting as well and after a quick hello to him he introduced us to Benjamin our tour guide for the day. ALL three of these people were super nice and friendly. Ben was an outstanding guide. He told us all about Roatan, its people, culture, and answered in detail and in excellent English, every question we threw at him. He often pulled off on the side of the road to point out things. We eventually ended up at an iguana farm. That was neat and a great opportunity to see an iguana up close. They also had some caged animals that I was not too fond of (the cages, not the animals). I think there were some monkeys and an anteater crammed in some small cages, a few other kinds of animals too. I don’t like that kind of stuff at all. So that side trip was a little blah for me. They did have a beautiful craft shop. Wish I bought something from that place because it turns out we had no time for shopping.

The second major destination Ben took us to was a Zip Line tour of the jungle. AWESOME!!! Fun fun fun!!! And it was long. I can’t even remember how many platforms we zipped to but maybe 15. Some lines were hundreds of feet long. A bit scary on the first jump but they seem to be very safe, our guide Pedro was terrific. He didn’t speak much English but he knew enough to have fun with. He was a fun guide! And all the guides seem to take safety very seriously.

Also I lost my hat on one of the zip lines and another guide Joshua asked me if I would want it back. I said oh that would be awesome! He zipped all over the place and in a flash was back with my hat. That was very generous of him!!! It is worth mentioning that the zip line was built by some of Victor’s group. And again, everyone was so very nice!!!
The day continued with a trip around this small island, a chat about a big match of football between Mexico and Honduras, and a stop at a small local diner for some local food. It was great. The owner’s name was Bertie and he came out to greet us. He is expanding his diner to include a few hotel rooms. He was so nice to come out and greet us and chat about his business with us. I am losing count of the number of Roatan people who have been super pleasant with us.

Then one last stop to an orphanage there in Roatan which Shannon suggested we visit while there. We did so and had brought a few donations. Dave and Shannon brought a soccer ball… I mean football… and the kids LOVED it! They swarmed her and couldn’t wait for permission to play with it. They did wait patiently until they got the ok to play with it which was very polite of them. They also brought some school supplies. Ian and I dropped off some clay, glue sticks, markers, and pencils. These were all the recommendations from Kaiden who thought every kid should have a glue stick and pencil. One boy asked very politely if he could play with the clay. I just think it is so nice that they asked before just diving in (like my kids would have!). the name of the orphanage is: Majken Broby Children’s Home. A site that for some reason I think I haven’t seen for the last time. Dave is very interested is connecting with this home and making a difference there. We chatted for quite some time with Glen, the minster of the home.

Meanwhile our tour guide Ben was trying very hard to get us moving. I didn’t really know what his rush was since we were about 5 minutes from the ship and we had a little over an hour to get on board. He was very polite and just said he thinks we should head out now. I noticed that within about a 15 minute time frame he received about 5 calls. Each time kind of peering over at us and somewhat trying to move us along. So eventually we did. Interesting fact… Roatan is 2 hours behind ship time, not the 1 hour that we thought and planned for. So as we approach port and it is relatively empty.

The Honduras security guy tells us that our ship is leaving. We don’t really believe him because after all we are sure that we have almost an hour left to roam around the shops and get our passports stamped (which is Shannon’s big thing which we love too… get them stamped, although not required). But just in case we head toward the ship. On the way we see the immigration office and check in to get our passports stamped. Then as we head to the ship is becomes evident that we may be late. Minutes later, the ship pulls out.

We were told a “just so you know”…. “you’re late”. But because it is Carnival, there is a smile after the “just so you know” and we take the next few hours of the night to think about our day over and over again and how we almost missed the ship! We could have easily ignored the security guy because we “knew” he was wrong! The security guy could have not said anything to us. We could have done some many things at that moment to find ourselves back at the orphanage asking if we could stay the night! Ahh… what a day!

The towel animal Georgio made for us that night…… a bulldog.

DAY 5 – Belize. Well this day certainly started off on the wrong foot. I woke up with my eyes sealed shut with gunk and a rash on my arm that was driving me crazy. I tried to go to the infirmary at 3am. Not sure what I was thinking but they were closed. Damn. You can get pizza and ice cream at 3am but not a doctor visit. They would open at 8am.

The problem was that we needed to catch an early tender so that we could get in the Belize City early for our Mayan Ruins excursion, which left at 9:20am. So I went down at around 7:45am just to make sure I was first in line. And sure enough I was. By the time the doors were open I was hanging out in close quarters with 3 sick crew members. Just thinking the whole time, please don’t cough on me. And for some reason, just because you are first in line doesn’t me you get seen first. I can understand in emergencies first come first serve isn’t always the best way to do business but come on people we are on a boat and I have places to go! So although I felt I was patient, after four other people went in front of me, including one guy that just walked in and didn’t even get a chance to sit down, Ian peaked in and was able to witness by tears as I asked to see the doctor, after all I was the first one here and have been waiting for almost an hour! I think the crying helped. Not to mention by eyes were burning and I could hardly see. Of course I just had conjunctivitis which after failing (thank God) a painful eye ulcer test, the doctor prescribed eye drops. As for the rash on my wrist, I decided to wait on that one since we were late and I could deal with the itching.

So off to Belize we went. Sneaking in the tender line for the 17th boat off the ship, I wasn’t quite sure we would make it on time. Ian had a tender ticket for the first boat off the ship so it wasn’t like we were really cutting in line. We were late but the group hadn’t left yet, they were waiting for their driver not me, which made me feel better.

Our tour guide was Elio, who was very friendly, knowledgeable, and spoke English very well. During our one hour trip in a somewhat air conditioned van we saw lots of the country side. The country seemed somewhat poor but compared to Roatan, it was well developed and their transportation is much more advanced (lines on the roads, school buses instead of pick up trucks, etc.). We however saw a lot of what looked to be starving animals. Dogs and horses. The flora was interesting.
Not sure what kids of species we saw but certainly many plants that I did not recognize. We were in the back of the van with 6 others in our tour group. We were about 2 decades younger than anyone else with us. There was an older gentleman who was very nice. He had to be in his 80s.

We made it to our next stop which was the New River. We needed to take a 45 minute boat ride up the river before we reached our destination, Lamanai. Along the way Elio took us to see two monkeys which his family found it their back yard and kept as pets until they grew to be too much for them to take care of. So Elio let them free on this island in the river. He visits them everyday to give them food.
We also saw some bats, laser hawk, black collared hawk, and a crocodile! Yes a croc. He was huge. That was quite the sight! And one highlight of the day.

But the best was yet to come.

We finally arrived at Lamanai (which means “submerged crocodile”). We got off the boat. Ian helped Elio carry a cooler full of food and drinks to a hut where we ate homemade Belizean food (rice beans, curried chicken, and spicy salsa… really really spicy!). The food was excellent!

We had to enter the ruins with a registered tour guide. It is not open to the public and you are not allowed to roam around by yourself. There were three huts there selling some very nice things. I wish I had spent more time looking because the people there made many of the items themselves. As we entered the site Elio explained that these Mayan ruins was from as early as 1500 BC. However, some of its later structures were occupied as recently as the 18th century AD. Which made this site unique in that way because you had some very old structures mixed in with relatively new structures (if you call 1700 BC new!). And unlike other ancient ruins, this site was built in layers. Instead of destroying the temples as they became outdated, the next generation built upon the existing temples. Of the 400+ ruins there in Lamanai, all but 4 of them remain unexcavated. The sites that have been uncovered are: the Jaguar Temple, a ball court, the High Temple, and the Mask Temple.

The Mask Temple:
The High Temple:

We were not able to climb on any of them except the High Temple which is 115 feet tall. Ian and I and another couple climbed to the top. At the top there was an amazing view of the jungle. You could see how deep in the jungle we were and off in a distance you could see Mexico. I wouldn’t have known it was Mexico but Elio informed us that it was. So going up wasn’t too bad, going down was definitely a mental challenge for me but I think I did well at not freezing up. The steps were near vertical and you couldn’t really see the next step down the temple until you got the edge of the step above it.
Also what was amazing about this temple is that even though it is so high, the people down below could hear the “ruler” speak. He did not have to shout. The acoustics are crazy amazing. As I was climbing down, I said a few things in the corner of the step and the sound just bounced off. It was so weird and fascinating. This trip is one to remember that’s for sure!

The trip back was fast. We were pressed for time and so we loaded up the boat, and off we went down the New River and then to Belize City by van. Elio was very nice, couldn’t hear anything he said while in the van, but got all the details once at Lamanai. We made it back to our ship with 8 minutes to spare!

Enjoyed a formal night dinner with Dave and Shannon. We heard all about their cave tubing tip which for the most part they enjoyed very much.

Dinners were great. Every night you sit at the same table and have the same waiter. Not to mention you can order anything you want (it's free!... well I should say, it is included in your cruise ticket). The food was great! The wait staff was very nice and they would dance or sing to you every night.

That night Ian suggested we get some drinks and go dancing… so we did! That was a lot of fun. We enjoyed the piano bar for a while then hit the dance floor.

Not sure how it happened but we came up with this silly call which is used similar to how Seinfeld says “Newman”. When something happens that sucks and you need to blame it on someone you clench your fist and shake it while saying “Suki!”. This is about the dumbest thing I could blog about but we had so much fun with this that I couldn’t leave it out!

Towel animal = snake. Thanks Georgio!

DAY 6 – Cozumel, Mexico
Last day at a port. I am sad already. The only thing that keeps me excited is seeing my kids. Our day is Cozumel was great but it didn’t quite compare with the other ports. Part of this was poor planning on my part, trusting a taxi cab driver, and realizing that swimming with dolphins isn’t quite like it is in the movies or in my dreams.

So we take a little time getting to port since we are exhausted from staying up the night before. That’s no problem because we arrive in Cozumel at 6am (local time) and our swimming with the dolphin tour isn’t until 9:30am. But we still don’t waste much time on the boat and we are walking around in Mexico by 7:00am. Not many of the shops were open in the port area, I was a bit surprised by that. If I owned a shop and I knew 3000 people were going to walk by it at 7am, I would open early.

So we go to sit down to get oriented and see how we want to get over to Chankannab park (where the dolphins are). I go to look a few things up in my paper work and a taxi cab driver asks if he can help. I tell him we want to go to Chankannab Park but I am not sure it is open yet. He tells us yes it is open and he would be happy to take us. He charges us twice the fare (he charged us $10, so we didn’t get taken that badly). But the worst part was that when we got there, the park would not open for another hour. That sucks but it is only an hour to wait so we just sit along the beach front and I hunt for shells for the boys.

For getting stuck somewhere, it was not a bad spot to hang out. Too much coral so you can’t get in the water that easily and the sand was not made of sand it was made of billions of shells. Very interesting. So an hour passes and by this time it is 8am.

We go to get into the park and they won’t let us in because we have a dolphin swim package, which came with a park pass, BUT the dolphin place does not open for another hour! So this is where I because a little ticked because here Dolphin Discovery included a park pass for Ian and I but they open an hour after the park does! This is so stupid on the parks behalf. They should work something out with their anchor store Dolphin Discovery so we tourists can be in there spending money. Oh well. We wait ANOTHER hour for Dolphin Discovery to open. There are about 4 other families that have to wait too. So we have been in Mexico for 3 hours and we haven’t really done anything. Oh, well. Now it seems silly to be upset about it but at that moment I was not happy.

Ian and I finally go into the park and took a nice walk along the beach. By now it was hot but we found some hammocks in the shade and for a short time we enjoyed laying there looking at the sea. Ahhhh…. this was very relaxing and probably my favorite part of the whole day!

We headed back to Dolphin Discovery for our excursion with the dolphins. Overall it went smoothly. There was a long wait for the trainer to come and he did not really tell us much about information about dolphins. He just told us the signs for getting the dolphins to do their tricks (how to get them to kiss you, hug you, give you a hand shake, let you ride on their belly, and how to get them to push you while you are on a boogie board). There was a lot of…. ok look at the camera and smile. It was just too commercial and staged for me. Your “free” time with the dolphins is standing in a line and the dolphin swims by you and you get to touch him. The most fun thing was to ride with the dolphin on his belly. And it was cool to be in the water while he jumped in the air in front of you. They are awesome animals. Overall a great experience, I don’t regret spending the money for it, my expectations were just too high for this swim.

After the swim they corral you into a room to watch a video. Ian and I skipped out on that part. We headed back to the beach where they had snorkeling gear to rent. We did that. It was my first snorkeling experience and it was nice. The water was clear and there were lots of fish to see. Not the best area for snorkeling though, the fish were not that diverse nor that colorful. I look forward to snorkeling again near a reef or an area that is known for snorkeling because I think that was well below par for what Cozumel and other places in the Caribbean offer. As we finished up snorkeling we ran into Dave and Shannon snorkeling. They had a great time renting a scooter and seeing the island.

As we headed back to our ship, there was another ship next to it. It was a great sight as we walked between these two ships.

And the water…unbelievably blue. I just can’t describe it so all I can say it that I love seeing this blue, blue water.

That night after enjoying a dinner with Dave and Shannon we went to a show and headed back to our rooms for a quick 9pm nap. Shannon and I never made it to the midnight Mexican buffet, which I was looking forward to all week, but apparently Dave and Ian enjoyed playing games and hangin’ together.

Our towel animal that evening was a monkey.

DAY 7 – Last Day at Sea
After sleeping in, which felt so good, we had some breakfast. We just lounged all day. I spent a few hours on the Lido deck enjoying the sun while reading a book. Later we spent some time in the casino. My first bet was at the roulette table. I placed $1 on the number 8 and then hit it. That was my one and only big win for the night. Shannon taught me how to play Caribbean Stud which was a lot of fun. We later spent some of the evening in Dave and Shannon’s room playing Ticket to Ride. We also had to pack so the day was pretty busy.

Georgio’s last towel animal for us was a seal. Georgio was awesome.

We had our last cruise dinner with Dave and Shannon who I must say are an absolute wonderful couple to take a trip with. Ian and I really enjoy their company and are so thankful they asked us to join them on this once in a lifetime trip… and after having a great time we realized by the end of the week that this will not be a once in a lifetime trip… we already put down a deposit for a future cruise! I hope we go with them again.

DAY 8 – Back to Miami
By morning we are back in Miami. We needed to be out of our rooms by 8:30am. We were in no hurry to leave the ship since our flight did not leave until 6pm. We finally got kicked off around 11am. If you knew Shannon, it would be needless to say, she wasn't ready to go. Fly in Lexi and I think she would live on a boat!Customs was pretty easy. Lines moved fast. Eventually we made it to the airport where we killed time by playing Ticket to Ride. The flights were smooth, on time, and by 11pm I was hugging my children and just so thankful to be home with them. I really missed my boys. Great to see my mom, too. I am so blessed to have her. I can’t believe she watched my kids for a week by herself. I don’t even think I could do that!

Thanks to great friends and amazing memories.

We are looking to go again soon, maybe the southern Caribbean, but definitely with Carnival. Can’t wait!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Amy’s Ratings
Carnival = 10+

Cruises Only = 10

Southwest = 10 (great staff! So friendly and was very responsive and professional when I had my needy moment)

Ace Tours shuttle Ft. Lauderdale/Miami = 8 (reasonable price, clean van, pick up at Ft. Lauderdale was smooth, but pick up in Miami we waited a long time and our driver was not friendly at all!).

Cayman Auto Rentals = 10 (close to port, reasonable prices, opened early to accommodate me, and the jeep was practically new. The guy that checked us it wasn’t particularly pleasant but he wasn’t rude).

Victor Bodden Tours = 10++

BelizeCruiseExcursions.com = 10

Dolphin Discovery = 6 (did not like that they included the park tickets but did not let you in until an hour after park opens, too much posing for the camera, no information about dolphins, and to pushy with video and pictures)

Chankannab Park = 8 (did not like that if you had park tickets bought through Dolphin Discovery they make you wait for it to open before coming into the park, snorkeling wasn’t terrific, love the hammocks!)

Overall rating = 10++ amazing trip! Better than expected and I had high expectations!

Kaiden – riding lessons

2009-03-21T22:59:00.005-04:00

Today I took Kaiden (and Kael) to River Crest Farm in Nottingham for Kaiden’s first horse riding lesson! It was a wonderful day. We had a great time!!! And it brought back memories from when I rode when I was young. I loved horses for many years. It felt great to be back around them.

As we pull into the long driveway we see all of these beautiful horses. There seemed to be about 20 horses around the farm. We also meet one of the four dogs there, a cute white terrier. And as I pull into the parking lot I park right in front of a beautiful peacock. He has the classic amazing peacock feathers and is just a few feet in front of us. This is how the morning starts… and we are not even out of the car yet!

Once out we take a look at the farm animals (geese, goats, two amazing Irish Wolfhounds, a couple of other dogs, and a cat named Steve). We soon meet Haley, a very mature 16 year old girl, who was very impressive throughout the day. She is Kaiden’s instructor. So she asks if he is ready to go meet his horse Star Pony. They go out to the pasture and Haley teaches Kaiden about always staying on the left side of the horse. She goes on to teach him to pat the horses rump before you pass behind him, and how horses don’t like it if you stand directly in front of them because they can’t see you since their eyes are off to the side a little. Kaiden walks on the horses left side and leads him into the barn (all with Haley’s help of course!).

Inside the barn they tie the horse up and brush him, clean his feet (don’t touch the frog!), and tack him up (saddle, bridle, etc). There Kaiden begins to bond with Star Pony: brushing him, talking to him (although mostly talking to Haley about how much he loves horses!), and giving him a couple of treats. Haley lets us know that next time we come we can bring carrots, apples, or peppermint for the horse.

So Kaiden is off to the riding ring outside. He leads his horse to the ring and there he mounts the horse (he’s not nervous at all! … which surprises me a little). He and Haley go to the center of the ring. I stay back to give them space. Over the next 20 minutes Haley gets Kaiden to do all sorts of fun things. I was surprised how much “learning” to ride Kaiden did verses just sitting on a horse and getting led around in circles. He was do things with his hands, practicing moving around in the saddle, getting the horse to walk, trot, and stop. He got his horse to walk over the jumping bar and did some exercises that appear to get the rider use to being on a horse, like leaning all the way forward and touching the horses front, then leaning all the way back and trying to touch his rump, raising one hand at a time off the saddle (it's English by the way), and eventually riding with no hands on the saddle.

Kaiden eventually dismounts from Star Pony then takes him back to the stable where he takes his saddle and bridle off and puts things away. It is here where we met Steve the cat who Kael just adores. All the animals there were so friendly!

Kaiden said his favorite part was the trotting. He said to me, it is not as fast as a gallop but it was super fast! And he is right, watching him our there trotting was exciting.

Amaryllis

2009-03-15T19:46:00.008-04:00

We are starting our Amaryllis project. The boys planted the bulb yesterday and we will be taking photos of it once a week so we can watch it grow.

The summary from the scientist:

So here are our results:

DAY 1:

DAY 8:

DAY 14:
DAY 21:
DAY 28:
DAY 35:
DAY 43:
DAY 56:

The flower didn't last long. It was brown before day 63. It was a lot of fun for the kids and I to watch this flower grow!!!

Kids do and say the funniest things!

2009-02-16T07:36:00.004-05:00

I came across this journal I started to keep to remind me of the funny things this kids do and say but I only had a few entries, so I thought I would share them here:

August 18, 2006 Kaiden (3 yrs) said: “mumma, I have a sleepy seed in my nose”. Some how three year olds can even make boggers cute. He also told me this summer that I have cactus legs!

February 14, 2007 Kael (10 mo) is starting to fly things around and pretend they are planes. It is so cute. He also pushes around cars and says “vroom vroom”. We wonder if this should be his first word…. Grammy and Grampie think so. I disagree.

May 25, 2007 Kaiden is now 3 ½ and Kael is a year old. This past year has gone by so fast. Yesterday Kaiden sat on the cats’ toy mouse and said “squeak squeak”. The he pulled it out from under him and said “mumma I have a mouse in my bum”. One of those moments where your not sure if you should laugh or ignore. Ian and I laughed. Then Kael started laughing at us laughing with Kaiden. It was a cute moment.

June 13, 2007 Kaiden (3 1/2) woke up this morning and came downstairs and said “You want me to sing you a song?” I said yes please and he said “It will take me all morning to sing.” I said ok. After a while he stopped and said “well, I am only going to sing half”. :-)

July 7, 2007 Kaiden like to say to me: “I love you as many as the stars”. I just love this saying especially from my soon to be 4 year old. 4 wow. I can’t believe he is going to be 4! That seems so old.

July 28, 2007 At Kaiden’s 4th birthday party Kael decides to take his first long walk (more than just a few steps). We were inside the garage and he starts walking to the flower garden!!! Awesome. :-) About time too since he is 15 months old!

July 31, 2007 Kaiden peddles his bike on his second try. He got an awesome red bike for his 4th birthday from his Grammy and Grampie. He LOVES it! They thought him how to peddle (with training wheels still on) and he was off. Kaiden has never like to peddle. With his tricycle he many times refused to peddle and preferred to use his feet to “walk” it around.

And recently…
January 5, 2009 – Kael was sitting on the floor with Ian and Ian and I were talking about Kael being sick. I said looking down at Ian “I think he just has a stomach bug.”. Kael looked on the floor where he was sitting, and was all concerned and said “Where’s the stomach bug?”

Burrr

2009-01-17T08:00:00.005-05:00

I think our thermometer says it all...

.... or maybe it doesn't because I should explain that although it really was -22 degrees out (actually -23 just a minute before I took this photo), the 36 degrees inside temp is a little deceiving because the thermometer sits on my kitchen windowsill where it is apparently much colder than the rest of the house!

Aunt Sarah

2009-01-12T21:29:00.007-05:00

I can't believe it has been 8 years since you passed away. It feels like yesterday that I was talking to you in your living room. Me in the recliner, you on the couch. Just talking and listening. Giving me advice but mostly just listening to me. Do you remember?

You were a gift from God to so many people, I guess you must know that now. I am just so thankful that I was one of them. You changed my life. I still miss you so much that I can't stand it but I feel better when I pray to you. I know you are listenting. I can still hear your voice, your laugh, and that family sense of humor. Uncle Brent could get you going for sure. I appreciate your love for your children so much more now that I have my own.

Did you know that I wrote a poem for you the day after you died? Seemed to help ease the pain. Could you ask God why you had to be so damn special anyhow? If you weren't I wouldn't miss you so terribly. Thankful and glad though. And mostly it is so comforting that I will see you again someday and that you can breathe.

Aunt Sarah

You were given three miracles
He cooks, he cleans, he takes care of you
Then the second, you saw her to college
she was all that you asked for
and more
Then the third, you became his number one fan
he was all that you asked for
and more
cough

Are those your chicken legs?
They look good on you
As you sit devoured by pillows
You listen and you listen well
You offer Diet Pepsi and pretzels
It is not you who gets up
It is your first miracle
Your flannel pjs make you look comfy
Looks can be deceiving
cough cough

Do you still like turtles?
Cough

It is a sunny day
And you are hidden among the pines
The ocean looks good
but the pool looks better
you scoot on over
it’s blue, it has a horn, and it takes you where you want to go
You hurt but you swim
cough cough cough

Is that a salt shaker in your purse?
Cough

You ride in a big SUV
They say they can take you anywhere
But we take pictures
we wave
from the places you will never go
cough cough

Flowers to room 369 please
It is your room
It is your wing
They love you there
We love you here
Among the children
You are cared for
cough

The holidays make you tired
You got tired before the holidays
But you came home to see the tree
It was your last
You are everyone’s favorite
but we let go
only because we know
as an angel you breathe
breathe
breathe
without pain
You cough no more

By: Amy Cathrine Clark
Date: January 10, 2001

Sarah Jane Sites

March 28, 1951 - January 9, 2001

Chuck the Beaver

2009-01-10T08:20:00.002-05:00

Kaiden loves to sing and I am really not sure where he gets his love because Ian and I are not musical (although Ian loves to listen to music) and we are certainly not lyrical. But Kaiden has this fascination with singing. It ranges from hard rock, to soft love songs, and now… even holiday music.

Oh, and his preferred method is to sing his own material. Here is his latest creation which I have to blog about because it is a fun story.

CHUCK THE BEAVER by Kaiden Clark, December 2008

Chuck, Chuck, the Beaver
I’m Chuck, Chuck, the beaver.
I’m good for chewing down trees
Slapping and making a house for you and me
But when Santa asks me to pull his sleigh
Who never goes up up and away?
Me. Chuck the Beaver.
Who?
Me. Chuck the Beaver.

I’m good for chewing down trees
Slapping and making a house for you and me
But when Santa asks me to pull his sleigh
Who never goes up up and away?
Me. Chuck the Beaver.
Who?
Me. Chuck the Beaver.

When Christmas comes it is the time where I am not good for flying away with the reindeer
I’m good for chewing down trees
Slapping and making a house for you and me
But when Santa asks me to pull his sleigh
Who never goes up up and away?
Me. Chuck the Beaver.
Who?
Me. Chuck the Beaver.

It’s always been the same on Christmas Eve
I never fly through the sky with the reindeer
But some magic happened and now when Santa asks me to pull his sleigh
Who goes up up and away?
Me. Chuck the Beaver.
Who?
Me. Chuck the Beaver.

There are other versions some of which last what sometimes seems like forever but they always have the same chorus and somehow at the end the beaver gets to fly. I actually catch myself singing this song throughout the day: who never goes up up and away? Me. Chuck the Beaver

I wonder what's next!?

2 year old logic

2009-01-07T22:34:00.004-05:00

It is funny how humans think... especially two year olds.

Kael said the funniest thing... he wanted dessert last night after dinner but he hadn't finished his meal so I said he had to eat his nutrition before he could have some of his Christmas candy.

Kael: "Why mumma?"
Me: "Because the nutrition will help you grow."
Kael: "Candy cane is tall and it help me grow."

This just had me laughing so hard. Interesting logic. :-)

2009 Resolution!

2009-01-01T20:11:00.003-05:00

I wonder how many people blog about their New Year’s resolution???? Probably millions. Well, count me in. First I should blog about my successful 2008 resolution which was to not drink soda. Zero. I went from a heavy addict, maybe drinking 4 – 8 cans of it a day to nothing. The main source… diet Mt. Dew. Most people would say yuck but I love it. Note I didn’t say “loved” it.

So look to the future… 2009. And what will my resolution be? Well it is the proverbial “lose weight” resolution. I figure if I can give soda up for a year I can do anything! So my resolution is to lose 40 pounds this year. I may even blog about it. Probably not on this blog because I really don’t feel like sharing my ups and downs with the people I know, not sure why I care. It’s not like my family and friends don’t know I am overweight! Funny how that is. I guess it is just embarrassment.

But I will say, if any of my family or friends want to join me in my resolution, I would love the support.

Happy New Years everyone and let me know what your resolution is!

Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T22:47:00.002-05:00

Earlier today we arrived home after our busy and quick visit with family in Maine. My mother-in-law is here visiting us, it is so nice to have her. The boys adore her. On Monday we headed to Norridgewock to visit faimly and to pick up my oldest son who had been spending a few days with my parents. We were able to visit Ian’s dad and his grandfather as well. In addition, we enjoyed a great Big G's breaskfast with the Pieds and Puccios, a Christmas tradition. All good visits.

Then we went to a Christmas Eve service at Grace Capital Church. Lots of wonderful holiday music and a great reminder about what Christmas is truly about. I feel so connected to God lately and it feels good. I am starting to feel good about religion and my liberal views. At one time I thought they could not coexist.

But now I feel a spirit around me, I feel the presence of my Aunt more than ever, and all of these feelings are positive. My mind is more open than it has ever been. I am growing as a person, I can feel it.

For once my feelings about God don’t question my beliefs, they don’t give me guilt, they don’t focus on how I feel about other people, rather they focus on my spirit and my blessings. They remind me of how short time on earth is in the large scope of eternity.

Hold on to your family, friends, and any thing you enjoy. Appreciate. Respect. Love. Give. Because tomorrow it could be gone. The touch from my children, the jokes from my husband, the love from my family, the warmth of our home… it one day will all be gone. Reality. No matter what you believe happens after life here, it will one day be gone. If I can live my life knowing that these things are temporary I can appreciate, respect, love, give… just a little more.

I am not sure about everything about God but one thing I know is that I am starting to have peace. Merry Christmas everyone.

Is stealing wrong???

2008-12-15T17:02:00.002-05:00

Today I dropped Kael off at daycare and as usual he takes off his coat and shoes. He hands me his coat and says “you do it mumma” (meaning he wants me to hang his coat up for him). So I kindly oblige and as I reach to the hook I hear this loud crash at my feet. I look down and there is glass everywhere. I just can’t believe that I knocked something down. I am puzzled... where did it come from and how did I hit it???

Then I look down more closely and I seem to recognize this glass mess on the floor. It is one of our Christmas ornaments that fell out of Kael's jacket! I look over at Kael and with my stern face and I can’t help but laugh. I say “Kael, did you take an ornament off the tree this morning?” He looks so sad, so I can’t help but hug him and say while laughing “It’s ok sweetie, but you can’t take the ornaments to school with you”. He just says “I show it to school and keep it in my pocket”.

You know how they say "it's the thought that counts". Well it is. The thought of Kael trying to secretly stuff a glass ornament in his pocket to show his class is just a sweet memory that I will have for many Christmases. It was his thought that counted.

Remembering Santa

2008-12-11T22:56:00.001-05:00

So today, Ian took the kids to the mall to see Santa. He later called me at work to tell me the kids had a great time. They both sat on Santa’s lap and they both gave him a big hug. He said the kids were really well behaved so they ate lunch there and he took them to the candy store to pick out a piece of candy. Ian is such a great dad. Although this is not why I am posting…..

I get home from work and ask “Kaiden, how was your day?” was and he gets all excited and says “daddy took us to the mall!” He goes on to tell me about how much fun he had eating lunch and picking out candy. I asked…. “Did you do anything else at the mall???” He says “no, just lunch and candy”. I ask “wasn’t there anything else fun you did at the mall???” and he says “no, just lunch and candy”. He then goes on to describe the kind of candy he picked out. “oh and we saw Santa” he says at last.

I know they are excited for Christmas but I can say they are not too excited!

Thankful for old books

2008-11-24T22:15:00.003-05:00

I have a large box of old books that my parents gave to me when I had my kids. There are lots of books from the 70s and 80s in there but there are also several that were considered "old" even when I was young. Here is a little treasure I found among them, the book has good pictures but it is the words in this book that make me like it so much. The kids love it too:

A Christmas Party

On Christmas Eve would you believe the forest gave a party.
She asked the little squirrels in and rabbits, fat and hearty.
She called the bear who slumbered there until he heard the talking.
And all the little woodchucks came in couples nearly walking.
She lit the skies to charm their eyes with many Christmas tapers.
She spread the ground with snowy rugs to help their merry capers.
She hung a tree for all to see with frosty chains and pompons.
She spread a feast for scores at least with nuts and carrot bonbons.
They clapped their paws and joined their claws and danced in dizzy measure,
and Santa Claus drove home that way and dropped them each a treasure.
He gave the bear a lion’s share of sweets and Christmas candy.
The rabbits, bows, and no one knows how fine they felt and dandy.
Each squirrel found pecans, a pound, the woodchucks corn and clover,
and Santa stayed to watch a while until the fun was over.
On Christmas Eve, would you believe? And yet I think it shocking,
not one of all the guests who came could hang a Christmas stocking.

Poem by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey 1909.

I googled her and found of that she was born in 1875 and was an American children's author. In 1947 she won a Newbery Medal for her book Miss Hickory.

The “Little Things”

2008-11-23T19:00:00.013-05:00

In response to my dear friend Andrea’s blog, I am blogging about the “Little Things”. I can easily list the “Big Things” and even the “Funny Things” but listing the “Little Things” took me more thought.

BIG THINGS
Finding a wonderful church
Family, friends, and my wonderful dog
Time for hockey
The people I work with
Ian and I both having a job

FUNNY THINGS
An Evening with Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood, who we saw last week
Kaiden’s skunk spray (thanks for reminding me about this Celeste!)
The way my cat sits
My husband
Kael’s lack of understanding…

Yesterady....
Kaiden: “Kael, what are your superpowers?”
Kael: “Two”
Kaiden: “No Kael, I said what are your superpowers?!”
Kael: “Two”
Kaiden: “Kael that makes no sense, I asked you what do you have for superpowers, like super speed, or are you invisible?”
Kael: “I’m two” …. this went on for the whole ride to town.

AND THE LITTLE THINGS
Bedtime stories
Hot coco
Scotch Tape
Drop in visits (thanks Piszczeks!)
Playing Tomb with Ian
Putting together puzzles with kids around….

HISTORY!

2008-11-05T19:27:00.003-05:00

History! Where were you when Obama was declared the President Elect????

I was in tears last night. A big night for our nation. It is funny because I had somewhat forgotten he was black. Well, I don't think I forgot, my excitement just wasn't focused on it. I just wanted him to be president so badly because of his policies and for the person he is. It wasn't really until last night that this overwhelming joy filled me (on top of my joy that I was already feeling) as to what this means for the African American community.

Donna Brazile, an African American, gave a great visual last night on CNN (she's one of my favorite analysts, probably second only to David Gergen ...man I love that guy!). She was walking down the streets of her town, getting ready to cast her vote, she was talking about the role model Obama will be to young African American kids. That's when it hit me. And as some else said, it's not about Obama, its about possibilities. Some truth there.

The pride, the joy, the hope, the example that Obama is and will be to so many black kids. I imagine I may feel this when a woman is president. But our plight in America, altough a rough one, was not nearly as bad as slavery. So maybe I won't think of it as the same. Thinking back on a time, a time when my parents were young, that blacks were treated by most as second class citizens, and just a few generations before that... slavery. Amazing, disgusting, and heart breaking. But now, the symbol Obama will be. And what a symbol he is. It took a man of his caliber, his grace, his smarts, and his calmness to do it and I am so excited for where he will take us in the next 8 years. Maybe I am all goggly eyes over him, but I just have so much hope for our nation now. My expectation are high.

His policies are my highlight, but his race is like the cherry on top.

Lincoln, New Hampshire

2008-10-31T19:31:00.010-04:00

So we took a family foliage trip up north a couple of weeks ago and I am slow to blog about it but I will say that it was very nice. I was just so nice to be together, the four of us. We only went one night but family trips for us are very rare, so I will take one night with my family. Ian and I have work schedules that are like ink and water. Literally.

On a Thursday afternoon we took off to Lincoln, New Hampshire. Our first stop was a to Loon Mountain. We rode the Gondola up, which gave us a great view of the mountains and leaves. They were so beautiful! At the top of the mountain there are these “glacial caves” which for me was the high light of the trip. Basically it is a loop hike with 10 side trails that take you off the easy boardwalk path to explore these huge boulders and their crevices. Some tight squeezes but I was impressed because it was something that the whole family could enjoy. I thought for sure I would have to stay on the main boardwalk with Kael while the big boys explored but that wasn’t the case. It was easy enough for our 2 ½ year old (with lots of assistance). Ian and I had to pass him from hole to hole and kind of guide him and remind him to stay low (we did forget one time and he ended up with a big bump on his head). The hike was very easy but with the side trails it made it lots of fun for the kids.

The next morning we took the Hobo trail ride. This was an 80 minute trail ride that the kids enjoyed. They had a great play ground outside too. We got lunch on the train and the kids sat patiently and ate while we all enjoyed the scenery. Very nice.

We then took a drive up through Franconia Notch just to enjoy the views. Ahh… the beauty! It is amazing that this place is just an hour north of us and we don’t spend more time up there. The White Mountains are just breath taking, especially in October! If Kael wasn’t snoozing and Ian didn’t have to be back for work, we would have spent more time up there hiking or just stopping to take it all in. But I was very thankful for the quick drive through.

Innocence

2008-10-29T21:06:00.003-04:00

Another moment I just have to write down....

Kael: “Mumma, see that kitty? I saw a kitty! He wasn’t walkin’. He was dead."
Me: “He was dead? What does that mean, Kael?”
Kael: “His legs no movin’. He no have batteries.”
Me: “oh”

And for the record, I think the cat was just lying in the grass, sleeping. I think.

Halloween Party 2008

2008-10-26T22:46:00.013-04:00

For the past four years we have had a Halloween party at the house for the kids and their friends. It was a lot of fun this year, as it is every year. Each year there are new faces. I wonder if the kids are getting tired of the same old things… arts and crafts, pumpkin decorating, cupcake decorating, story time, etc. Maybe next year I will add in a candy hunt, where you hunt for clues and it eventually leads you to candy. ... hummmm....

I did add a song this time… the kids enjoyed it. You all sit close together and you sing very softly…

Ghost so scary, ghost so white.
Don’t scare [LEAH!] on Halloween night!

And when you say the kids name you shout and reach out towards them to jump them. They loved that. Leah, Emily, and Geetika especially jumped!

I didn’t give prizes for best costume but there were some good ones there. Leah was an absolutely adorable flamingo and Kaiden’s friend from school was a cute zebra… it makes me so envious of those who can sew! Jacob and Brendon were Legos. We had to keep them separated so they didn't stick together. :-) I also thought it was cute that my son was a firefighter and his best friend showed up as a cat. To the rescue! Although, I did see the cat chasing my son with his fire ax; so I guess times have fully changed.

Honorable mentions: Hanna Montana, Tinkerbelle, Barbie, Venom, cow, giraffe, and a not so honerable mention: my youngest went as a boy who did not want to wear his cow outfit.
The kids ended the afternoon with a Halloween cup (that’s tradition!), some stickers, a book, and a few pieces of candy. Not too much candy, because after all they got to frost their own cupcakes and add sprinkles. I make several colors of frosting in which some kids insist on adding some of each to their small cupcake! It is fun to see the difference this year from two years ago. Two years ago the kids were not patient enough to add frosting. The cupcake was gone before they got around to that. All around, this year the kids were much more patient and there were no melt downs (other than my 2 yr old being, when I said he couldn't have a fifth candy pretzel!).

So if anyone is reading this that made it to the party, thanks so much. I enjoy so much seeing the kids have fun and get ready for next year because I think we will have a scavenger hunt outside and there's already talk from the hubby of a haunted house in the basement. And of course thanks to my parents who help me out so much!

I'm a rock star

2008-10-08T22:48:00.002-04:00

A memory I need to write down....

my husband picked Kaiden up from school the other day and like every other day all the girls said bye to him in their very sweet voices. But this day, as Kaiden walked with Ian to the car, Kaiden turned to him and said... "yeah, I'm a rock star".

This just tickles me. I have no idea where he even heard this saying. I didn't even know he knew what a rock star was!

Baby quilt... some progress

2008-09-26T22:28:00.008-04:00

On Wednesday I stayed home with Kaiden because he was sick. He was pretty low key all day but later in the afternoon I decided to cut up my material and start on my quilt project (ya know, the one I blogged about many many weeks ago) and Kaiden showed some interest in joining me, so it was nice to see him feeling better.

Before I could work on my project though, Kaiden wanted me to make him a blanket for his resting buddies. He and his grammie made a resting buddy blanket last time we were in Maine but he has two nest of resting buddies. The cats sleep in one nest with the duck and the dogs sleep in another nest.

So he picked out the material from my large stash and his only stipulation was that it had to be exactly the same size as the one grammie and he made. He was very adamant about that which I find funny because I think he was worrying about being fair to his resting buddies. Very cute.

So here he is sewing his blanket:

Phew… it is the exactly the same size of the other one:

And here is my material cut up, ready to be sewn together.

…. wonder how long it will be before I blog about its completion!

oh... and thanks mom, I love my hand me down machine!!!!

Obama!

2008-09-23T20:24:00.009-04:00

On Friday, September 12, I attend another Obama rally and it was so much fun. Earlier this summer I went to the Unity rally to see Obama and Hillary. That was a blast. It was especially exciting because some coworkers and I got selected to be seated behind Obama! Not only did we get to see both Obama and Hillary up close but we also got to skip the what seemed like an endless line at the check in and I got to shake Obama’s hand… twice!!! You could even see me on CNN, among the hundreds of people around me. Such a great time.

So Friday's rally was awesome too. It started with an email Wednesday night announcing that Obama would be in town and that tickets would be available the next day at the Obama office downtown. So Thursday I went down to the Obama office and picked up tickets. It is always so cool to see lines and lines of people excited about getting tickets for Obama.

What made this trip special is I asked Kaiden if he wanted to attend and he said yes. So in order to make sure Kaiden could see, we needed to get good seats so we didnt' end up on the floor. Doors opened at 4:30pm, so Kaiden and I got there at 3:45pm. We found our way in to the lobby and waited. It was great because we were among the first 30 people to arrive, everyone had Obama stickers, hats, and shirts on and we just sat and waited. At around 4:15pm I was a bit puzzled as to why more people weren’t arriving. Then shortly thereafter, someone announced for all the volunteers to meet in the adjacent room. A few seconds later we were the only ones left in the lobby! We were hanging out with the volunteers and not in line!!! So we walked, in the rain, around the building to where the public entrance was and there we were greeted by hundreds of people in line. Crap.

It worked out just fine though. Many people wanted the floor spots to be up closer to Obama and I wanted the back bleacher spot so Kaiden could spread out and we could stand on our seats without blocking someone’s view. This way Kaiden could actually see Obama speak.

Obama was 1.5 hours late which I look back on and am amazed at how wonderful Kaiden behaved. Of course I had a coworker, her daughter, a friend, and two young girls to entertain him. I also brought lots of snacks and water. By 8pm Obama showed up and gave a fantastic speech. And by 9 pm we were out of there.

Kaiden picked out an Obama button on our way out. I must note that he asked for a pin and I simply agreed to buy it for him, because I am not a big fan of putting paraphernalia on kids as they are too young to make their own decisions. As I type, I can spy Kael's Patriots shirts on the couch. :-) Speaking of Kael, my wonderful friend Celeste watched Kael for me and I am so glad that I decided not to bring him with me. That would have been too long for him.

So Kaiden and I also made it on the radio. Listen.

Kaiden was definitely the most articulate of the three of us!

I also must say that my blog started out ranting about McCain and Palin, expecially Palin, but I deleted it all and decided to just post the top 10 reasons I like Obama:

1. His willingness to end this war
2. His ability to motivate young people to serve their country, military and non-military service
3. He’s pro-choice, something that women fought to have that be their decision, not the governments. Also knowing that Palin, who could be one heart beat from the presidency, doesn’t even support abortions if a girl was raped by her father… yikes! And doesn’t think birth control should be taught to teens… her conservative Christian values terrify me as a Christian! Ok… I’m ranting….
4. He supports the reform of immigration while realizing people are people… i.e., he would not tear apart breastfeeding mothers from their American children unlike the recent raids in Massachusetts and elsewhere that were then praised by the republicans
5. He is for universal health care .
6. He wants to STOP the tax breaks Bush gives to the wealthy (income from 250k and up) and will CUT taxes for working families a $1000 per family ($500 per working person) and ELIMINATE income tax for seniors making less than $50,000.
7. His ability to deal with economic issues and his focus on not outsourcing America jobs… that’s where the tax cuts need to be
8. He is focused on HAVING an energy plan! Wow what a concept!
9. His grass roots campaigning, which means he doesn’t owe anybody anything once in office! Small donations from just average people. Amazing what he has done.
10. This administration had 8 years and totally messed us up, it is time for CHANGE!

Someone put it this way… even if you don’t like Obama, if you were trying to fix something with a wrench and that wrench just wasn’t working, wouldn’t you reach into your tool box and grab something else, or would you still keep using that wrench?

And if you missed it, here is the Saturday Night Live skit with Palin and Hillary. People are still talking about how funny this is!!! Watch.

AND most importantly... don't forget to VOTE on November 4th!!!

If you haven't registered get info on your state's registration process here: click.

Maine & New Hampshire: You can register on election day at the polling place!

It is soooooooooooooo important this year to vote and know the issues. A lot is a stake.

Ice Cream Social at Mem's

2008-09-18T20:47:00.012-04:00

Oh, there seems so much to blog about lately but I have been way too busy

Where to start!....

On grandparent's day, September 7th, I took the kids up to Maine to visit my grandmother (mem). She lives in an assisted living place and they had an ice cream social to celebrate. I actually didn’t want to go but my mem doesn’t ask for much and at my cousins wedding the week before she said to me, “oh, I would love it for you to come”. I didn’t go out of guilt and I didn’t hunt for excuses. My grandmother never puts guilt on me; she’s not that kind of grandmother. I did it because I knew she would love it but I think mostly I did it because it felt like one of those moments that I thought I should seize, more so than usual. I wonder if it was the time and place that she asked me. It is always good to remind ourselves that not one of us will be here forever. She is a very special person to me and I treasure seeing her with my kids. I want them to know her and remember her. I remember my mem’s mom. Not much but I do remember her. It really gets back to how I feel about my Aunt Sarah; I want them to know her. They didn’t have that opportunity to have their own memories but they do with my grandmother. So we made another memory and it was a really nice time. The kids loved the ice cream, mem loved seeing them, and I must say my mem just looked so pretty that day. All smiles too.

She also called Kaiden today because he sent her a picture of a butterfly. The other day we were painting and he was making was about to make her a picture and he chirped up., “can I call mem-mem to see what she wants in her picture?” “Sure” I said. So he gets on the phone with her and says, “mem-mem, I am making you a thank you picture for sending me presents on my birthday, what would you like… a volcano, a tornado, a fire…… oh, a rainbow…. (he thinks a little)… yeah, I can make a rainbow for you mem-mem… oh, a butterfly too….. well, do you want a monarch butterfly or a blue one?.... ok, I can do that. Love you mem-mem, bye.”

It was a very cute conversation. So he went to work making a beautiful blue butterfly with a purple and blue rainbow in the background, one that I wish I took a picture of. Well, she got it today and wanted to call to say thanks. I think he said you’re welcome.

We got some great grandparents photos. Here is me with my grandmother, mem and my Walter.

And here are the boys with their grandparents, grampie and grammie.

Also, we came across these pirates eating ice cream too. Scarry place!

Finally Project 1 COMPLETE!

2008-09-14T15:55:00.006-04:00

Ok, so it only took me a month, almost to the day but Kaiden's room has officially been transformed.

BEFORE
AFTER:
And it seems to be working....

Liz's Wedding

2008-09-01T11:50:00.018-04:00

Ahh… my wonderful beautiful cousin Elizabeth got married on Saturday. She was absolutely beautiful, to no surprise. She has a great smile and it fits her very friendly personality. Adam was handsome, as usual. I think that was his quote, but I do agree. He wore a gray suit that looked great. He was a little nervous like Liz but you wouldn't have known it during their ceremony. From what little I know of Adam, he likes to joke around and he is crazy about Liz, so he will be a good fit into our family. We joke lots but mostly, we are crazy about Liz too.

The wedding was at Old Orchard Beach at Joseph's By the Sea. It was outside and you could see the ocean and sail boats in the background but not the beach goers. A perfect backdrop. And the weather was predicted to be rain, but it was dry and couldn't have been better. A perfect day for Liz and Adam.

They met online (MySpace), so they had these cute little computers on the table as dinner mint dispensers. They were about the size of a baseball. Not the mints, the dispensers. :-)

They each had 2 bridesmaids/groomsmen by their sides that also looked beautiful and handsome. And as a perfect entrance to the ceremony, Liz's dad (Uncle Brent to me) and her brother Dan led her down the aisle. Dan and Uncle Brent looks handsome too! Must be in the genes.

The newest member of the Sites: Adam.

I wish my brother Andy and his family could have been here but they are in Tennessee and it was just too hard to get the time off for the travel. He is missing from the below photo of my grandmother and all her grandchildren. Tanya (who looked great in her sexy brown dress); Liz and Dan; and me all behind our mem. The great grand kids (Lucas, Elise, Kayla, Orion, Kaiden, and Kael) all call her mem-mem.

What a wonderful wedding.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I didn’t get through it without crying though. It was definitely a wonderful day and I am so happy for Liz but any big event without my Aunt Sarah is just tough. It is hard not to crave to have her there to hold, to have her to laugh with, to just see her beaming with delight for Liz, to just share this wonderful day with her.

Life on earth moves along without her. I miss her so badly, as so many others do too. Adam never met her, their children will never meet her, my children never met her, any friends that come into our family lives since she left in 2001 will never meet her. I get this lump in my throat because I want my loved ones to know her like I knew her. That won’t happen but to some level I need to make sure they understand this piece of my life. She is so hard to explain to others because her character was so unique…. so fun, so special, so honest, so caring, so loving, and so strong.

My uncle said to me at the wedding, it’s ok to cry, just never forget her. That is impossible. I do feel her around and I am not fully sure about the form of God and heaven but I fully believe in a higher power and spirits and angels and life beyond here. So I know I will see her again one day and I don’t just say that but I honestly know that. But that doesn’t settle my cravings now.

An empty seat remained beside Liz's dad at the ceremony. A precious little calla lily rested there with a note that said "In Memory. Mother of the Bride"

Lots of love and happiness to Liz and Adam and I look forward to all the new memories they will bring to the family and they will share with us.

Thank Yous

2008-09-01T11:03:00.004-04:00

Here is a glimpse of Kaiden’s thank you paintings. For thank you notes for his birthday he wanted to make each person a thank you painting. I usually just have him make a couple of paintings and I cut them up into little notes. But he was determined to paint everyone a personal painting with a story or title attached to each. I would tell him the name of the person and he would paint them a painting using a feather as a paint brush. They came out very nice. They were mostly of fire, tornados, and volcanoes. Hummm.... I wonder if he has been watching too much National Geographic: Earth Biography!

Kaiden's First day of School

2008-08-26T19:05:00.017-04:00

Kaiden's first day of school was today. Wow. I didn't think I would cry but I did and more than just a couple of tears. Ian was so sensitive by responding..."don't even think about having another baby. Only 3 more years and the other one will be in school... wooo hooo!" His joking did follow with a nice warm hug, so I guess I should add that for the record. It is hard to let your first child on the bus. 5 years old. Wow. I can so easily close my eyes and picture the two of us sleeping together in the recliner when he was just weeks old. I can feel his soft skin and he is nestled in my neck. I can feel those warm arms around my neck. I can see and hear him laughing at himself when I would plop him in front of the mirror.... peak-a-boo.... followed by more laughter and those big big smiles. I can hear his new words saying "love ew mumma". I remember those first steps. I can see him learning to run in the grass in the front yard. I can hear him saying to me now, "I love you more than all the stars". I can do all this by just closing my eyes. It is so fresh, so recent, as it was the chapter we just finished. As my mother always says as one chapter closes on your life, another one is right there in front of you to have all of these new and wonderful memories. But today I don't want to move on to another chapter. I loved the one I was in. But I did fight the urge to hold onto him and not let him on the bus. It was a good thing that it all happended so fast. No time for me to hold down his wings. Here's the bus, hug, kiss, "don't forget to say his to the bus driver", and off he went. The big wonderful boy that he is, is growing. And his mumma is sad, happy and proud today.

.
.
.
The conversation:
"Hey buddy, I am going to want to take a few photos of you before you head to school"
"oh man... just not to many ok?"
"ok"

Bus Number 16

Stay-cation = Good Times

2008-08-25T20:14:00.014-04:00

What a weekend! We left our home, bound for home, at about 9am on Saturday. Yes, that’s right, bound for home. we had our first stay-cation. We were going to go camping this weekend up north but just decided to stay put and camp right here in our backyard. This was definitely a great weekend for us. It reminded me of the importance of turning off the TV (and computer!), not doing housework, and spending time, quality time, with my kids. I don’t know about anyone else but I have a hard time focusing on playing. I can sit and do a craft for sometime or weed the garden while they ride their bikes around me but pretending that I am a race car, or a doctor, or a superhero for more than 8 minutes is hard for me. So this weekend really gave us that time to be fully engaged.

So our weekend was packed full of activities. The weekend activities included crafts (making necklaces, mostly), tie dying t-shirts, chalk drawing on the drive way, body tattoos, jumping in the kiddy pool and sprinkler, playing at the local playground, setting up the tent (a favorite), testing the tent out by wrestling and playing “camel saves the day” (more on that later), hiking up the brook, eating our meals outside, having a family ice cream social, starting a campfire, roasting marshmallows, and tenting out, oh… I am just exhausted thinking about all that we have done! Not mention, Ian and I did slip away for an anniversary dinner on Saturday night followed by some mini golf at Chuckster’s in Chichester while our sitter played with the boys in the tent and put them to bed inside the house (or as Kaiden has been calling it this weekend, our really big camper).

Our Bee Hole Brook walk was just awesome. We walked upstream in the brook for about a quarter to half mile. It felt like longer than that! Lots of little tiny rapids, some deep pools that came up to Kael's waist and lots of very careful steps.

I do have to elaborate a bit on “camel saves the day", as it was a learning experience for me. This is a game Kaiden made up. First the man in the desert (Kaiden) collapses and falls on to the mattress in the tent (yes, we have nice cushy foam mattresses in the tent… and yes, we still consider it camping), the man is dead, then the doctor (Kael) gets on his camel (that’s me) and rides to the man’s aid (although he is already dead so I am not sure what a doctor on a camel can do about it at this point). We finally get there but the doctor croaks getting off the camel. Not sure if it was too hot out or if it was hereditary but then the camel does surgery (tickling) on both the man and the doctor. The camel, as I quickly learned, has a magical hump that saves dead guys but only after they have had surgery. It is all so obvious after you understand the magic hidden in the hump!

We went through the weekend with pretty much a TV-free weekend. I *had* to watch a little tube to catch the Biden announcement and hype. I am sad Obama did not select Hillary but I do like Biden too…. that is a whole other post! See how TV can get you distracted and off topic!

We enjoyed the comfort of our own beds Saturday night, but spent Sunday night in the tent. The kids loved that. Monday morning we woke up from the tent and packed up (“grabbed my pillow”) and headed for home to end our Stay-cation. Kael and I left the house at 7am… to go back to the grind. Our very private site came with water and electricity, we didn’t get charged much, we didn’t have to fill up the car once, the neighbors were quiet, no barking dogs, and we added lots of great memories. And just like regular vacations, we came home to a messy house, we are tired from all the fun, and we are somewhat looking forward to the routine once again.

Good times. Really good times!

Liquid Planet Water Park

2008-08-20T17:25:00.019-04:00

Kaiden did it! It took sometime and some adjusting the rewards chart but he made it before the summer was over!

Back in late June Kaiden and I made a rewards chart for him. If he could sleep in his own bed the whole night (had to be daylight before he snuck in with us) then he would get a sticker. He quickly made it to his first reward, Wall-E. Ian took both the boys to teh theater and they enjoyed it very much. But the bonus round took a little longer… and as the summer nears an end, he just finished putting the last sticker on his rewards chart. Water park here we come!

So the following day we headed to Liquid Planet. Thankfully it was nice out!

We had a great time. I think this park is a little pricey for its size but it was great for little kids (say 9 and under). There were only 2 water slides and 1 small pool. But in the end this was actually a good thing for us because we spent the whole time in the kids area, which is the main focus of the park and there weren’t many older kids there (which until I have older kids, is a good thing. And if I can add one complaint (ok two)… the snacks available were disappointing. Just junk food (chips, ice cream, etc) and you are not allowed to take in your own food AND it’s mostly a little kids park so they should at least have some kid snacks (fruit, crackers, raisins, etc.) They did have healthy subs and salads for lunch items but no good snacks. I think I’ll sneak in some rice cakes next time! ).

And my last complaint is that they have this yellow bump disc like thing with water squirting out and many of the toddlers love this because they can walk on it… but it is slippery and Kael fell and bumped his head. Hard. As I am standing and rocking Kael back and forth trying to calm his screams and tears down, this guy comes over to me and tells me that he has seen 4 kids today fall and hit their heads on that yellow-disc-bump-thing (ok, so he didn’t exactly call it that). It’s slippery and apparently dangerous. Then later in the day Kaiden was playing on it and I told him to be careful and a woman told me that her son and another kid fell on it and bumped their heads! So I would stay, away from that area. It is by the swings and its about 8” high by 5’ diameter, yellow, with water squirting out. And yes, I will be writing a letter. Other than those complaints, I thought the park was great and can’t wait to go again next year. I am so easy to please.

And stay tune for the results of our Stay-cation this weekend! Tenting, marshmallow roasting, ice cream social, hiking, all at the Clark Zoo this weekend! Kaiden is so excited about it. It will be a big challenge for me to be at home without doing housework!

The only exception will be… the lawn needs to be mowed but we will do that before we leave for our Stay-cation.

Project Update and Hair Cut

2008-08-16T19:02:00.014-04:00

Project update:
Quilting… still picking out colors! No progress. Actually, we have been so busy with Kaiden’s room that there has been no left over time for quilting. But soon.

Kaiden’s room looks great! So far we have it cleaned out, painted blue, and vacuumed. I am allergic to dust so any intense cleaning bothers my eyes for days. Still itching and rubbing. If only I cleaned regularly! Not going to happen.

The blue is striking. I enjoy looking at it. But no sign of superman yet. I did buy some wall stickers on ebay so we will see how it looks in a few days. Meanwhile, we need to put Kaiden’s bed back together.

It broke several months ago from perhaps some play by the zoo members, instigated by the daddy. I am not sure they are fessing up to the whole story, but basically the bed collapsed and almost killed our cat Trapper who was sleeping underneath. “We were just sitting here reading books, honest!”…. hummm….

Kael is working on talking lately. He tries so hard to make his sentences complete now. Today he stepped in some peanut butter on the floor in the kitchen (I am reminded when I come home from work that I do live in a zoo, although the head animal does do a great job at taking care of the young creatures.)… so anyway, Kael steps in some pb and he looks down all curious and says “peanut butter, shoe, step in, kitchen, Kael” then he pauses and thinks for a bit then says all together “Mumma, Kael step in peanut butter in kitchen, on shoe”. Very cute. I wish I had it on video.

So speaking of growing up... it is 7pm Thursday night and we drive by Supercuts. Kael usually is in bed by 8pm. But he says he wants his hair cut so we turn in. At first he cried and so Kaiden hopped in the chair and went first. Kaiden loves to have his hair cut because he gets to talk nonstop and tell the hair dresser all about his day and his life. So Kael watches but pretty much there is no chance of getting him in that chair. Except... he eyes a jar of lollipops on the counter and asks for one... "sure buddy, when you sit in the chair, I'll give you a lollipop" Ahh... yes, the bribe. At one time in my life, I would have thought it was out of the question to bribe my child. I also thought Kaiden wouldn't have a Superman room. So he eventually sits without much of a fuss but I definitely learned something that day.... it is not wise to give a child a lollipop while they are getting their hair cut! Kael took the lollipop out of his mouth, hair stuck to it, he then tried to take the hair off with his hands, then fussed because he had hair on his hands and it wouldn't come off, then Kaiden would go and get him another lollipop just in time to distract him from thinking about the hair on his hands. This process repeated itself until 3 lollipops later we were finally finished.

So the results:
Before:

After:

A cute handsome boy. But I do miss the curls!!!

And last night, Ian and I played coed hockey together. It is not often we play on the ice together but before kids we did it fairly often. Our sitter, Stephanie, is going to college in Florida at the end of the month so I don’t know what we will do without her!!! She is so awesome.

Hopefully I will have a room update tomorrow… it’s looking good.

Projects

2008-08-09T20:16:00.012-04:00

First I have to start by saying Happy 35th Birthday Ian! Ian is gone with his buds to a concert meanwhile the boys and I are having a blast with starting a new project, or two, or three.

First, I haven't quilted in probably over a year and my mom gave me her "old" sewing machine last Christmas. This sewing machine is awesome and I have been so excited to use it but time goes too fast. My friend Alaina, who I hope doesn't read my blog, had her first baby this summer. She lives in Colorado and we met up last week in New Hampshire. Her daughter Katie is so beautiful!

So project #1: Make Katie a quilt. She is so beautiful, soft, and cuddly and her mom says that she is such a great baby, so I have to go with soft girly colors... here some of the top picks...

I'd like to narrow the colors down to 6. That will be the hardest part. The quilt will be very simple. Squares but with differnt textures. So I have cotton, fleece, satin, some fluffy stuff, and flannel.

And while I am making one, I may as well make 2.

Project #2: Here are some brights that I like. No baby in mind for this one but since I quilt like a snail races, I may as well start.

Project 3: Kaiden's room. Kaiden has never really had his own room. He feels most comfortable right next to mom and dad. He loves to have a life size snuggle buddy and I love it too. So since birth, Kaiden slept with us. I didn't really begin to push the issue of sleeping by himself until he was 3 and even then I was a bit laid back about it (still am). But now that I see how Kael loves his room (always has) and how he just curls up in his own space and feels safe and warm, I wish Kaiden had his own space like that as well. We thought that eventually he would sleep with Kael and he did for a few weeks but Kaiden kept complaining about Kael keeping him awake with his breathing (he doesn't snore so I am not sure what he means by that). I thought he was just saying this so we would let him fall asleep in our room, so one night I called his bluff (or so I thought) by saying that he didn't have to sleep with Kael, rather he could go sleep in the guest room by himself. And he did. He's been there for several months now. I will always let him sneak in our room in the morning but I would like him to start falling asleep in his own room rather than ours. He pretty much makes it to 2 - 4 am now by himself. I sleep like a log so I really don't know. Ian doesn't. I have been very careful in the post to use "I" where appropriate and "we" where appropraite!

So the guest room is becoming Kaiden's room. We are redoing it from a white, boring, somewhat messy room, to a Superman room.

Superman blue walls with yellow and red accents and hopefully I can find some of those wall stickers with Superman on it. I was hoping from some non-commercialize room like a nature room, frog room, water room, etc. but he is stuck on Superman at the moment so if Superman makes him feel safe and cozy, then Superman it is!

Stay tuned for the results. I hope I will be posting the results this month rather than a year from now! My projects are never as quick as I hope them to be!

Great Eight

2008-08-08T23:04:00.012-04:00

I need to take a moment to blog about the great number 8. Today is 08-08-08 and this is a very special day for me because I love the number 8! I did keep forgetting that today was 08-08-08, so I didn't really enjoy it as much as I should have but nonetheless I do have to blog about it.

It all began 20 years ago to the day. It must have been a weekend day because at 13 years of age and I had a slumber party. Why? Can you guess???.... To celebrate 8-8-88 of course! I thought I would maybe have a party this year but I never got around to it. Maybe I should start second guessing my love for the number eight.

I have included a photo of Sharon here. Some of you Sci-fi readers need no explanation I am sure but since I don't have a wide range of sci-fi readers out there, I don't imagine, I will let you know that she is a Cylon on Battlestar Galactica. One of the greatest shows of all time! And of the 12 human cylons models that exist, she is model number.... you guessed it.... eight.

Ok, so this post is much to do about nothing but to add a recap our week at the Clark Zoo: Kaiden went to the doctors and he is back to normal. Healthy lungs. Phew! He went to Audubon camp this week. He had a blast! He absolutely loves this camp. Kael is just in the super funny stage right now. Ian came home with a hair cut today and Kael put two hands on his head and started rubbing his hair then he said "Have hair cut today?" His sentences are just so cute.

Ian's birthday is tomorrow so he heads out to New Jersey to the "Testament, Motorhead, Black Sabbath with Dio, and Judas Priest". Lots of music I know nothing about but he's a big fan. And for me, I just got back from playing ice hockey which was coed tonight. I haven't played for about 2 months and I am sooooo tired! I also bought some material today to begin a baby quilt for my friend. I will be sure to post some photos as I progress. Oh, and Kaiden had a play date with Lorelei last night. We had a little ice cream social and that was fun. And the night before we went to Celeste's house for dinner and the boys played with Leah. The boys were very good at Leah's. Both those nights were very nice!

Well, I better get this post blogged becuase I only have a few minutes left to celebrate 08-08-08.

Weekend in Maine - Liz's Bridal Shower

2008-08-03T22:08:00.009-04:00

I just got back from a weekend in Maine with my family. Kaiden had his first sleepover at his grandparents house last Thursday. He actually wanted to go. That is a big step for him! Then the following day, Friday, Ian, Kael, Saber and I joined him. It was a nice visit. On Saturday we met some of our friends, Steve, Claudine, her parents, and Claudine's soon to be husband, Alexe. We ate at a nice sandwich shop in downtown Skowhegan called Kel-mat Cafe (no website that I know of). Never heard of the place but my sandwich was delicious and I the atmosphere is really nice. The place is in an old house, very quaint and lots of unique sandwhiches. Our favorite place back home is Big G's in Winslow. That place is untouchable for sandwhiches as far as I am concerned. Missed that this time around but it was worth it to try something different and Kel-mat didn't disappoint. Later that day we met my cousin Lori and her two girls at Ossoola Park. They have new playground equipment there and it is really nice. I do miss the snail though.

The night closed with a game night with my parents playing 3 games of Ticket to Ride. An outstanding game. It comes highly recommended by the Clark Zoo! Even Kaiden likes it. He doesn't partake in the actual game but Ian gives him some extra pieces and cards and he gets his own game going. He entertains himself amazingly well... when Kael is not around. He loves pretend play. He is a lot like Ian.

Today, Sunday, Ian visited with his dad and his grandfather while I attended my cousin Elizabeth's bridal shower. Ian and I have been married 11 years and I had 5 bridesmaids: Lori (married 5 years), Jodi (married 5 years), Arcy (married ~15 years), and Liz and Claudine. Not sure if either of them would ever get married. And now, both of them are engaged. Funny how that works! The bridal shower was nice. It is so nice to see Liz happy. The big day is August 30th and for Claudine, next August.

I am sure Liz is thinking the same thing, but it is one of those days I really miss my Aunt Sarah. It has been 7 years since she passed away from cystic fibrosis and I just want to give her a big hug. I remember her at my bridal shower. I miss her soooo much. Liz must miss her more.

Crash!

2008-07-28T21:26:00.001-04:00

Well, the day of the party came to an end with a crash. That night Kaiden had a fever and a breathing attack in the middle of the night. Long story short because I am sick too…. is that I took him to the doctor the next morning and he has pneumonia! He is on antibiotics and doing really well. His energy level was very low on Sunday and ok today. I think tomorrow he will be back to bouncing off the walls.

Kaiden's Birthday Playdate

2008-07-26T19:47:00.018-04:00

What a day! Kaiden is turning 5 next week and so we had a birthday playdate today to celebrate with his friends.

A birthday playdate is something I actually made up this year in April for Kael when he turned 2. I looked at my little "baby" and thought... what does he really want. I knew the answer almost immediately.... he wants to play outside, get dirty, and run. So to celebrate his birthday I thought I would actualy give him what he wants.... a birthday playdate. It is just like a playdate but with lots of kids and much different than a party because there are no gifts, cards, decorations, etc. Sounds boring right? Well, actually it was a huge success. We went to White Park, a local park. Parents loved relaxing while their little ones did their own thing, playing, getting dirty, and running, albeit, mostly by themselves.

As a parent it was great... I brought my kids, sunscreen, napkins, cups, juice/water, and chex mix. Kael loved it because he didn't have to stop playing for cake, stop getting dirty to open gifts, or stop running to engage in some planned activity. And at 2 did he really miss the traditional hoopla? No. And to make the family happy, that night we had dinner with family and some close friends and served cake and yes he did have a few gifts so my husband wasn't deprived of buying him a new toy.

OK, so this brings me back to Kaiden, my soon to be 5 year old. He for sure would miss tradition. He's been to birthday parties. He knows he is entitled to gifts, cake, and a at least some hoopla. So I asked him... "what do you want to do to celebrate your birthday?" His answer... "I want to play at White Park with my friends like Kael did". We can do that.

So we did and it was FUN! Kaiden played straight for 2 1/2 hours with his super hero team which consisted of: Sam, Jack, Arhat, Emma, Ben, and Fiona They fought crime all over the park. And there were others that didn't seem to dig the crime scene so they did their own things with smiles too. And for my own memory others that were lying low: Paige, Maria, Cammille, Lorelei, Geetika, Lexi, and Shauna.

And to add a small memory piece to the playdate, I folded a piece of paper and wrote "Happy 5th Birthday Kaiden" and brought markers for kids to use to sign their names in it.

And just like Kael, we will have a small celebration on Wednedsay night on Kaiden's "actual birthday", as Kaiden likes to say. If you wish him a happy birthday right now, he will say that it is not his "actual birthday" and if you ask him how old he is he will still say "4 1/2".

So that was our day. Oh.... and it is my 11th anniversary today.

My first post!

2008-07-25T22:09:00.002-04:00

Under Construction!

I have been debating about blogging for a long time now and I have finally begun! It will take me some time to get this in a format I like, but for now... Welcome to my Blog!

More details soon.