Monday, June 30, 2008

Post-vacation blues


Well, we've been home a week, but it seems like an eternity! I'm already slowly forgetting how cranky Molly was and how hot it was. I've been looking over the photos, and starting to think about next summer's family reunion.

But then I'm thinking, why wait? We could move to Orlando! Matt H. has a season pass and goes after school sometimes. I'd love to get off work and grab the fam for a few hours at the parks. What fun! But, then reality kicks in and I know it would never work. I can't even get the kids over to Mom's to go swimming after work. Who am I kidding?

So, for now all I can do is wear my souvenir t-shirts and look at our trip photos. BUT, I'm looking forward to our quick trip over to H-town, it's only 4 weeks away!

Which is a good segue into this:

Ian's birthday is July 18...he wants the whole family (Chiamom/pop, KenEllie, H2 and H2GF, and us - sorry Houston Herricks, you can make it up to him the next day!!!) to go to the movies. I don't know which movie yet, but we will pay for the tickets. You're on your own for the popcorn! Then home for (probably) ice-cream cake. (We had a specific request for "not chantilly berry cake".)

Friday, June 27, 2008

BB's Quote of the Day

Last night....
BB: "Grandma's house is closer to the ghetto than ours, so technically Grandma's kind of ghetto."

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

How could I forget to mention.....

I forgot to mention Molly's duck-feeding experience. We were in the Magic Kingdom and J was taking a smoke break. Molly saw some popcorn on the ground and noticed birds were eating it so of course she ran right over. The birds flew away and she grabbed the popcorn and tried feeding it to any bird that braved popping out of the bushes every time she had her back turned. Well, this man who was sitting nearby mentioned that there were ducks on the other side of the bushes who were eating people food, so we turned the corner and Molly ran up to the duck and tried to feed it the popcorn. She extended her hand, and the duck reached out it's neck and grabbed it from her hand!!! Boy was she surprised - she let out a yelp that was so full of surprise all we could do was laugh! She wasn't hurt, just surprised. The whole thing was too cute!!

More pics






Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Vacation Wrap-up

Well, we’re baaaack!!! What a blast! Here are some of the highlights:

-On the way there, we stopped at a rest stop where an Ohio fan stopped Ian to compliment his LSU attire and said if Ohio had to lose to anyone, he was glad it was LSU. What a great fan! We arrived and had dinner with the Hayes’ and Guillorys at a neat Japanese buffet. At one point J mentioned he had a headache from driving and BB told him he should take a Viagra to get rid of it! I almost choked!! Hahaha!

-Our room at the Polynesian was beautiful! They had two pools, a “quiet” pool right outside our door and a “volcano” pool with a waterslide and waterfall. BB loved the slide and Molly loved the “rain” at the pool. The beach was right behind the volcano pool – J and BB watched fireworks one night from the beach. The grounds were gorgeous, they had beautiful plants and bunnies, ducks, and birds wandered around freely. As we were looking over our balcony after a rain, we saw some ducks and threw potato chips at them to eat. One duck kept pecking and chasing another, and as we watched…yep, you guessed it – one was a boy and one was a girl. Need I say more? I think not. Right after that, Molly left a cookie on the balcony and as we were standing in the room we saw a huge bird swoop down and take the cookie – neat!

-The parks were fun – we got there early and did lots of rides before it got crowded. We utilized the “baby swap” – I would wait with Molly while J and the kids rode a ride, then he’d come back and hang with Molly while the kids and I went on the same ride. So the kids got to do most rides twice! Molly’s favorites were Buzz Lightyear at Magic Kingdom and Nemo at Epcot. I think my new favorite ride is Soarin’ at Epcot – way too short though – it was awesome!!! And we did get to do Pirates on the day we checked out of the hotel. The park opened at 9:00 and when we got in line at 9:30 there was already a 40 minute wait! But it was a great ride and I like the new improvements. We went to the Monster’s Inc. Laugh show and one thing you can do is text a joke while you’re waiting in line and they might use it in the show. J sent BB’s joke “What weighs 3000 lbs and wears glass slippers? Cinderellephant” and they used it – and thanked BB for her joke – she was soo pleased! We had a late lunch at the restaurant in the Mexico pavilion at Epcot. J, Ian, and BB were not impressed with their meals, but mine was wonderful – pork tacos with pineapple salsa. Molly was fussy so I took her outside while J paid the bill, then we headed back to the hotel for a rest. Once we got there, I realized I left my purse (including room key, camera, travelers checks, and cash) at the restaurant! Luckily they had it and BB and I went back later that evening to get it. J, Ian, and Molly went to his mother’s house while BB and I walked around Epcot. On the way home we got to ride in the conductor’s car on the monorail! I thought it was cool but BB fell asleep (in her defense, it was midnight). Oh – BB got stuck in a bathroom stall at Epcot! She ended up having to crawl out from under! That was funny!

-J and I were walking though the hotel lobby and there were a bunch of people handing out leis and taking photos, so they took ours. We didn’t realize it was for the luau that night, and we couldn’t get reservations (I tried), but the lady told us to go and put our names on for standby. We got in and had a great dinner. The show was fun and I think J and the kids were impressed by the fire dancers. Molly not so much, so we hung out in the lobby area and listened to the show while she stretched her legs and played.

- We did not do Animal Kingdom, which in hindsight Molly might have liked but I thought the rest of us would be bored. We tried Hollywood Studios but left after an hour, due to meltdowns. Part of the problem was that when we got to the park, I thought I lost BB’s ticket, so we waited in line over 30 minutes, only to find out that her ticket was stuck to mine and we had it all along. Plus, it was hot, crowded, and only had 3 or 4 rides, the rest of the park was shows. Not good for a family with small kids. So, maybe we’ll try it again when the kids are older or we’re alone.

- The day we checked out of the Polynesian and into the hotel by Universal, we went to WDW in the morning (to ride Pirates) and then had lunch and went to the new place. BB got sick at lunch and again after we checked in. Ian, Molly, and I went to dinner with the Hayes’ and J stayed home with BB. That night J and I got sick too, so our first day at Universal ended up with us in bed and Ian watching Molly. Kind of a bummer as we only had 3 days at Universal but at least Ian and Molly did not get sick. I really felt terrible because that was the day Ian was supposed to hang out with his cousins instead of us and he missed it. We did end up having another fun dinner with the Hayes' (and K's dog) and then went home to get some rest before our last day of "parkin' it".

-Universal was fun – we did both parks and got in most of the rides. The Mummy and The Simpsons were awesome! I took Molly to see Barney and, while she wouldn’t leave my arms, she did wave and say hi, and we got a good picture. Ian, BB, and I were in line to ride the Dueling Dragons, and Ian suddenly “had to go”. BB and I stayed and rode the line, but by the time we were done it was raining and Ian didn’t get to go. I told him I was sorry he didn’t get to ride, and he replied, “I’d rather go to the bathroom and feel better than have fun and crap on myself.” Hahahaha! What an awesome kid. He did have a few “bowel” issues, probably due mainly to things like, oh, I don’t know, eating two 3' long gummy snakes at once, or buying and eating a pound of candy while we walked around the parks. Maybe that had something to do with it. But all in all I think he had fun. Oh, and J made grilled cheese in the hotel suite and set off the fire alarm! I called the front desk to find out how to turn it off (except the whole hotel was beeping) and she answered "may I help you? Oh, never mind, I understand". click. Too funny! He was also very good at the "carnival barker"-type boardwalk games and won each of his sisters a large doll (what a sweet boy!).

So, would I recommend doing the Parks with an almost-two year old? Probably not, Molly was a handful. But I did have a lot of fun. Disney still holds the “magic” for me and I loved being there. I told J that as I was walking the paths at the Polynesian I was thinking that I was doing something that I had wanted to do for years – go to Disney and stay at the Poly, go to the luau, eat a meal at the Mexico pavilion, and ride in the front of the monorail. Universal was fun too, I wish we would have had that extra "sick" day, though. What an awesome vacation!








Monday, June 23, 2008

Homeward Bound


Well, we just had lunch at the "Honkey Bucket" (aka Cracker Barrel) in Tallahassee, should be home around 6:00 tonight.


What a great vacation! Got some great pics, had a lot of fun (and a few meltdowns) and would definitely do it all again!


More to come!

Thursday, June 12, 2008

OH MY GOD THAT FELT GOOD!!!!!

So, there's this bitch at work who drives me nuts. She tells me to do stuff (which is fine, as she is an atty and I am not), won't tell me how to do it but utters those dreaded words "figure it out", and then takes credit for my research/work. Recently she took something I had done, had me recopy it without my notes, then wrote in her handwriting my exact notes, down to the arrows pointing out various problems, and sent it out as her work.

So, today she comes to me and tells me there's a lot of work to be done on a project - tedious work that involves microfiche - several days' worth of standing over the microfiche machine that doesn't work well and breaks down a lot. Well, I had the pleasure of telling her I'd be happy to go tomorrow and look at what exactly needs to be done and write down everything she needs to know to do it herself - I'm leaving tomorrow at noon and I'll be back on June 24!!!!! Snap!!!!

Vacation Packing List:

Here's a list of what I'm NOT bringing:

1. makeup
2. any pants longer than my knees
3. stockings/pantyhose
4. shoes that are not "sneakers" or "crocs"
5. emotional baggage (personal or work)

48 hours from now we will be somewhere in Florida, on our way to vacation nirvana. Just me and my family unit - a slice of heaven on earth! I don't care if it's hot or the lines are too long, I just want to spend time with my peeps. No outside pressures or obligations, just us.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Oh, and look how cute manga Ian is...


It's a conspiracy to keep us all busy while they plot their takeover....

This is soooo much fun!!!! (credit where credit is due, found the site at the hot librarian)

Here's me as a manga cartoon character:


and here I am as a Boticelli:


Try it - but be warned, it's addictive!!!!

Monday, June 9, 2008

Wax On, Wax Off....

To SIL(H) and SIL(E):

Let's just say....hmmm...one side of the lawn was tilled and the other side just mowed. To clarify, one side was only partly tilled, but the tiller was difficult to maneuver and didn't get all the grass, so I gave up and mowed. Once the grass is greener on both sides again I will be using my gift certificate for landscaping.

That is all.

Friday, June 6, 2008

Sweet Relief.

Well, after a week of nail biting, Ian's grades came in today. It was kind of mostly good news, with a pinch of "ouch". He did not fail Honors Geometry, ended up with a 4th quarter C, in fact, but did tank his Honors Science exam and ended up with a D for the 4th quarter (had a C going into the exam). BUT, he raised Honors English to a B and Computer to an A, so I was pleased in that respect. As for his Year-End Final Average grades, he ended up with Three A's, Two B's, and Two C's, which, because 4 of them are honors classes put him on the Alpha Honor Roll for the year. Hallelujah! Thank you all for your prayers and concern. Since he will be going into regular classes next year I am hoping for less nail-biting and more high-fives!

And, to you, Ian (because I know you occasionally cruise by), I am proud of you. A bit frustrated, yes, but in the end you stepped up to the plate and handled your business. Congratulations on making the Alpha Honor Roll!

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Shit.

Okay, so remember about five weeks ago when I was going to lose 15 lbs by vacation? Yeah, me too. Well, I lost 2, then gained 4. WTF?

This is what people who don't have weight issues don't understand. Hell, I don't understand. I want to do it. I've partially succeeded. I'm at the point where I am seeing a difference and you would think that would be all the motivation I need to continue, right? Apparently not. I really, really, really want this to work. I don't want to hate myself.

Okay. Enough pity party. What am I going to do about it? Here's my plan: I'm not going to sweat this last week before vacation. I will try to behave but as I type this I'm eating a candy bar, so let's be realistic. Hopefully while I'm on vacation, even though the food is horribly bad for me I'll be doing enough walking to counter it. Then, when I get home, IT. IS. ON.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

I can't stop laughing....




(thanks Hannah for the link)I'm still wiping the tears of laughter from my eyes!!!

A Pirate's Life for Me!*

*if you don't recognize that quote from POTC then congratulations on waking up from your coma!

I took Ian to the mall last night to look for swim trunks. We didn't find any, but did end up getting his ears pierced. He now has a large "diamond" in each ear. It looks pretty good - My little pirate!!!

Monday, June 2, 2008

(mostly) BB's quotes of the days

Well, I guess I should start off with "Man Boobs". BB suggested I blog about them. What? Yeah, that's what I said too. Then, when Ian said he didn't want to see man boobs, she suggested "man boob-crack". Oh. My. God. WTF? I don't wanna know.

Next.

We're in the car and Molly's getting fussy. BB and I start singing "Old MacDonald" and do about 10 different animals. We end the song, and BB yells "THANK YOU SAN FRANCISCO, AND GOOD NIGHT!!!" Hahahaha! Totally unexpected and really funny!

Next.

BB is reading a book and asks, "What does D-U-N-C-E spell?" J and I say "dunce", while Ian blurts out "doonce". (Cue sound of a record scratching.) What? "Oh, yeah, doonce (spelled like it sounds, not the actual spelling). My friends pronounce it that way too." So BB says "what does dunce mean?" and we answer someone who's not very smart. "Well, what does doonce mean?" and we answer at the same time, "your brother".

Bonus.

I thought this was intersting: We had dinner at a friend's house last night. They have a child the same age as BB, we'll call him C. They are also Catholic but he goes to public school. Last night, they came running up and BB asks "Did God make C?" We answer "Of course, God made us all", to which she replies, "C says YOU and his dad made him". "Well...", and we sent them out to the Dads to let THEM answer that question!