Long Time

Yes, it has been a long time since I blogged, but things have been very busy and now my favorite passtime is Facebook. I am now back in touch with elementary, middle, high school and college friends that I might never have heard from again. It is so fun. Being stuck out in Texas, not seeing anyone you went to school with at Target or at the movies, it is fun to be in such close contact with people I knew so well at one time.

So, first things first. Work. Yeah, well, I don't blog about this because I know people (ok, read or heard on dateline/20-20) about people who bitch about their job, etc. on their blog and get fired. So, work is great! Love it! Can't imagine my life without it! It will enable me to travel to NYC again, but this time, turn it in to a girls weekend with my sisters. That will be fun. Our office just moved, again, so the commute is about 15 minutes longer than before. Tag that onto an already 30-40 min commute and life just sucks. I am thinking my 2 days a week in the office might turn into 1 day a week, with 4 at home....hmmm...

Kids - Great. John is really thriving and just growing up so much. Funny as ever. Still will give his mommy a kiss and hug when I get him from school. I know this won't last forever, so I savor each time. Caroline is just sprouting. Still my own personal stalker, but sweet. She loves to play outside now and throws quite the dramatic tantrum when it is time to come in. This whole "girl, whiny" thing is new for me. Adore her, but it gets really old. I am sure much of it is due to the fact that she cannot speak and tell you what she wants. I often find myself standing in the pantry with her while she points upwards towards something, and I am pulling things off the shelf as she shakes her little head "no" until I get it right. She is also starting to grow some hair. A little mullet-ish in the back, but I will take it. Bows cannot be that far away!!

We took them to a pumpkin patch last weekend and we had a nice time. The weather was actually nice. I remember last year we took them and I was sweating like a pig. Now we move into Halloween. John will be spiderman and Caroline will be a ballerina. I cannot wait to take their picture and post it!

We're Going on a Trip

The title of this blog is a song that is on Nick Jr. in the mornings. It is a cute little song that some cartoons sing along to. They talk about "packing the suitcases and counting all the days'es". John loves it and when it comes on, we have to stop what we are doing and sing along. I love it because even if Chase is in the room, John is only wanting me to sing with him. It is our special thing.

So, we went on a trip. We drove to Austin on Friday and stayed at Barton Creek Resort. It was so nice. Great pool and the kids loved that. We took a scenic route, which is ironic since I don't think that anything in Texas is "scenic". However, I was proven wrong when we drove through a bunch of little towns vs driving on the highway. It was really nice, until it was lunch time and I am looking for a Chili's so I can get one of their great salads. Note to self "Little towns don't have Chili's". Subway would have to do instead.

We got to the hotel around 3pm, checked in to a beautiful room, went to the pool and swam for quite awhile. Nothing wears out a 4 year old like 2 hours at the pool. Poor John, we came back to the room, turned on a Little Einsteins show for him and he was out in about 10 minutes. It was 6:45pm and little girl was still awake, even though she was tired, too. I sat with her and held her, trying to get her to sleep, but I think she sensed that John was out and she had mom and dad to herself. She soon was running around the room, giggling and loving the attention she got from Chase and I....without having to share it with big brother! But, I was a mom on a mission. I knew she needed to get to sleep and mom wanted some time to sit in a comfortable bed and watch tv with dad. 8pm Mission Accomplished. Put her in the crib (it was really nice, too!) watched about 45 minutes of tv with Chase, then decided I would go to sleep myself. It was a wonderful night!

Off to Sea World Saturday morning. I think I had a small bout of insanity. It was going to be 104 degrees this day. If you don't know, Sea World is outside...and it is hot...and crowded. When we went to Sea World in March (it was a pleasant 84 degrees that day), we got so busy doing all the stuff they have there, we completely missed all the Shamu shows (I don't think I spelled his/her name right...no disrespect Shamu). That whole week John talked about everything we saw, then followed it up with "But I didn't see Shamu". We were gonna see this whale if it killed me. And it almost did. I loved seeing John watch Shamu and his pal do all the tricks. It was fun and that is one HUGE whale. Caroline even seemed to enjoy it. This show was at 11:30am. Cut to 1pm , after lunch (we sat in the airconditioning restaurant) and even John was ready to go. He knew we were going to another hotel with lots of pools and he wanted to swim. Love that kid. One swing through the shark tank and we were out of there. Not a minute too soon..for me anyway.

Off to the, well, used to be, Loveley Westin La Cantera. I am going to contribute a whole other blog to this experience. And no, it wasn't just Wofford Luck. Everyone had a story of SOMETHING going wrong. My wondeful hubby stepped up to the plate, though, when he talked to the manager. So proud. Long story short (or just a preview of my rant to come), this place is NOT A WESTIN. Those of us who are loyal Starwood followers, love the Westin hotel, BE AWARE. It is now owned by some random group and they are TRYING to sell it to the Gaylord Hotel chain. Summing it up - total chaos, lack of management, bad service....horrible hotel in general.

Back to our trip - John LOVES going to hotels. It is a real treat for him and I egg him on by making a big deal of it, too. I love to see his reaction to things. So, here are a few of the funny things little guy did/said on our trip:
-We got into our room at the Westin, John had to tee-tee, so he starts looking around for the bathroom. This room had a bathroom, then a sliding door where the toilet (and phone..yeah, fancy, that's how we roll) was. He didn't open the sliding door, and just comes running out of the bathroom yelling "mommy, this hotelo doesn't have a potty!"

-John and I were playing in the pool with a noodle and he said "mommy, can I have that noodle" (I was holding it). I said "no". He looks at me funny, then says "mommy, can I PLEASE have that noodle". I said "no" again. (I was teasing him). He then swims right up to me and says "mommy, why are you being so grouchy?".

We

Sweet Home Alabama

Caroline and I went on a "surprise" visit to Alabama this weekend. My sister, Ellen, and her 2 girls were there for the week visiting my mom and dad. I had a feeling that it might be another couple of months before Chase, the kids and I get to DC, so I decided to meet them in Birmingham. I told mom and dad that Caroline and I were coming, but didn't tell Ellen. It was so much fun to surprise her! I had such a great time with Esther and Ruthie. Ellen and I talk on the phone almost every other day, so even though months go by and we don't see each other, I don't feel like I am not in touch with her, what's going on, etc. But, I do realize just how much I miss with Esther and Ruthie. Especially Esther at this age. I want her to get to know me, know that I love her and that we have fun together....even though I have 2 of my own children, I want her (and Ruthie) to know how special they are to me. My Aunt Marsha did an Excellent job of this. Even though she had her own 2 boys, she always made my sisters and I feel like we were her own daughters. I want Esther and Ruthie to have that same special connection with me. But to do that, I need to see them, interact with them, make sure I make the effort...b/c it is SO worth it!

I also was able to see my childhood friend, Erin, and her 3 kids. Erin and I grew up together and I spent so much time at her house over the years. Her family was so kind and welcoming to me. It was nice to go over there and escape the "2 sisters" at home!
It was nice to watch the kids play and catch up on everyone/everything. Erin is probably one of the easiest people in the world to talk to...not to mention a great friend!

Ellen and I hit of Gymboree, of course. She helped me pick out the items that were at least 50% off. I got some really cute things for Caroline for the fall and some dirt cheap shirts for John...which is good since he is SO hard on his clothes!
I just love going back home to Birmingham. It doesn't change much, so you feel like you haven't been gone for as long as you actually have. Chase and I miss the little things about Alabama...like every license plate being for Auburn or Bama; the high school guys with their hair that resembles an Alabama frat guy, the barbeque, etc. Fall, of course, is the best time to visit and we will be doing that this year. Chase and I haven't been to an Alabama football game since before John was born. Time to go back....even if the entire season is sold out. I am optimistic we can find tickets somewhere!

John and Caroline

Updates on each! Caroline has started to "walk". I say that lightly, but I really think this is it. I have not encouraged it at all! She just started doing it one day this past week and I think she realizes it is easier than crawling. The first day she started, she was doing the "Frankenstein" wobbly walk, but today she is much more sturdy. She has also learned how to give a "kiss" and leans in to you when you ask her for one. It is adorable. Still talking up a storm, just in her own language. She adores John and often when Chase has them both home during the week, he will look over at them, playing with their toys, only to see them giving each other a big bear hug!

John continues to be the family comedian. He is in the stage where he uses grown up phrases, but not exactly as a grown up would use them. For example, I will say "John, why don't you put on your shoes and then we can go outside and water the plants". To which he will say "Oh, mommy, that IS a good idea!".

This morning he told me that he was "hundry". I asked him what he would like to eat and he replies "there are yots of trees in the pantry". I wasnt' sure what he was talking about, so I asked him what he meant. He said "come on, i will show you". He walks me into the pantry and points to a basket where I keep Spiderman and Batman treats for special occassions, and says "see, you have yots of trees in the pantry". Interpretation: "You have lots of treats in the pantry". Such a sweet boy.

Still Not Walking

Well, Caroline is still boycotting the whole walking thing, but she has found a very creative way to use those darling little shoes that I have bought for her. John thinks it is hysterical!

Day 5 - Time to Go

The nice part about traveling for work is that you get MILES. The bad part is that the airlines screw you on the flights that you can book with those MILES. We were set to leave San Diego at 5pm, which means 7pm our time, and even though both kids had on their pj's, neither of them slept long enough to even blog about. We landed at 11pm, Dallas time. Both kids WIDE AWAKE and full into the 3rd WIND MODE. Not good.

But, before we had to leave the place we love, but can't move to b/c we cannot afford it.... we went to La Jolla...once again. This time, Cody's was open and we did lunch. It was so nice. I just love this place. It is outdoor seating, with a wonderful view of the pacific ocean...La Jolla Cove. And they put up with our kids....maybe that is it. Oh yeah, and, we saw former Cowboy great LaRoi Glover...fun for Chase.

Day 4 - Tuesday

Didn't do much this day. Just used the day to have free to "beach it" and do whatever the kids wanted. We had a nice breakfast, then headed over to the beach. Note to self: Buy tent for beach that Chase can close easily, without me laughing at him while he tries and pissing him off AND being pure entertainement for the entire Hotel Del Coronado beach go'ers. Yep, note to self on that one.
We did go to the beach where:

A. John was knocked over by a wave within the first 5 minutes of being there and therefore does NOT want to go into the ocean...EVER AGAIN.

B. Caroline likes to eat sand...just doesn't like the taste. I told her it doesn't taste good...but who the hell am I??

C. After a long time at the beach you ask yourself "Maybe it is time to pack up and go"...GO FOR IT. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, JUST GO. I waited, after that point, and the whole 5 minute walk back to the hotel was HATING myself. NOT FUN. Just a warning for you rookies

It was sad to think that the days had gone by so fast and that our time in paradise was almost over. We hung around the hotel that night and tried to savor the last of the 70 degree weather. So WONDERFUL

OMG - Almost forgot. So, that night, we were at the Hotel Del, outside, on the patio overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Caroline wouldn't go to sleep, so I decided to take her for a walk in her stroller, while Chase and John kept the seats warm at our favorite outdoor place at the Del, Babcook and Story. So, I was walking back towards the table, 30 min later, Caroline asleep, and my sweet little John Michael was so excited to see me that he JUMPED up from his chair, knocked over the table AND the 2 glasses of wine that were on top of it. So typical Wofford that I cannot even being to explain - my sisters will get this. "Unfortunate" luck seems to follow my husband. The waitress was SO NICE and I figured that at this kind of high end hotel, she deals with some real assholes, so the fact that we were falling over ourselves to apologize...and a good tip...ALL was forgotten.

Day 3 - Monday

Zoo Day

Big day for us. Had to get to the Zoo by the time it opened. Since they opened at 9am, this was no biggie for us 7am risers. We took John to this zoo when he was 14 months, so it was fun to take him back. I almost started to cry when we sat at the SAME restaurant we sat at 3 years ago and John was only 1.....and then...all of a sudden....here is my 4 year old little boy! Tim Russert was right..having children is the greatest JOY and PRIVELAGE you can have. Caroline liked the Zoo..as much as she could. She is much more interested in things than John was at that age. She likes to "take inventory" as we call it. John is more "go with the flow". Zoo was fun, but by 3pm, we were Exhausted! Only 12 Panda Bears in the United States...we saw 3 that day...TIME TO GO. Both kids fell asleep in the car on the short ride from the Zoo back to the hotel.

Another night of just finding a nice local restaurant, this time pizza, then over to the Del for some music and family fun.

Day 2 - Sunday

Father's Day.

What a nice way to spend Father's Day. Chase had planned the day for us. A sea lion cruise in the harbor and then an early dinner in La Jolla. The Sea lion boat ride was fun. Only saw about 1 minute of sea lions, but the weather is so nice in San Diego that it was fine. We left there, kids napped back at the hotel, then off to La Jolla. My favorite spot in the WHOLE world. It is just such a place of serenity...calm, relaxing, etc. I try to picture the cove on those days when work is just too much...

We didn't get to eat where we wanted, a place called Cody's. They were closed, as it was a Sunday, so we took a gamble and went to another restaurant nearby. It was WONDERFUL. Kids were good, food was good, service was amazing. So nice when it all comes together!

Vacation

So, I thought i would break up the vacation into days and cute pictures. We had such a great time!
Day 1 - Saturday
Unfortunately, i wasn't feeling well when we woke up at 5am and just thought I was tired. I had just gotten back from a business trip to Atlanta the night before and convinced myself I was just worn out. I was wrong. We got on the plane, all was fine, then I started to feel sick. Sparing you the details, I threw up the whole way over to California. And to make matters worse (for Chase), I felt extremely faint before i would vomit, so I couldn't make it to the bathroom AND was embarrased that I was puking, so I would grab the little white bag, lean into Chase and let go. Needless to say, Chase was less than thrilled with this process. The flight attendants kept asking me if I was ok, and I didn't want anyone to freak out that I WAS really sick, so I lied and said I thought I was pregnant. If I do turn up pregnant, it's karma for lying. You should have seen the look on Chase's face when I said that. I thought he was going to puke.
The flight lands, we go to the hotel and I go directly to bed. In the short 4 years as "Mommy" and CEO of this household, I have learned that if mommy doesn't rest when she is sick, mommy is sick a HECK of a lot longer than anyone else who happens to get the same illness. I shucked my guilt aside and slept most of the day. By that evening, i was good to go. We walked over to the hotel Del Saturday night for a light dinner and Chase & John went to play in the ocean. Us girls stuck to the land....just in case.

Walking

Caroline is now walking...well, 10 steps in a row, but today was just day 1!!!

Just hum the ZZ Top Song "She's Got Legs" while you watch this video. I can't figure out how to load songs on it!
Seriously, she does this EVERY TIME you lay her down to put clothes on her or change her diaper. Her own personal way of being difficult!

Playdough Juice

After being a mom for 4 years to my wonderful kids, I find that we have something I like to refer to as "family" language. My husband's mother and her family have a language all their own, and Chase & I have incorporated some of this language into ours (can't give details b/c it is like speaking in code and if you ever hear me say some of the words, you will know what I am talking about and that ruins the fun!). But, after 4 years, we have developed some "family" words that are only understood by the 4 of us (Caroline, not so much...yet). Here are some examples:
-Hotelo....this is what John calls a Hotel. He first said this 2 years ago while we were in San Diego and said "mommy, let's go back to the hotelo". It just stuck. It's really cute, too.
-White Steak....John LOVES steak. So, to get him to eat pork chops and fish, I call these "white" steak. He ate a bite of fish the other night and said "mommy, I love white steak. It is good for me"
-4 Minutes....This is what i say to him when we need to get ready to leave somewhere. I say "John, you have 4 minutes, then we have to go". Other moms often look at me like 'what? 4 minutes'....I guess most moms say 5 minutes. This started when John was little and I would say "it is time to get out of the tub now" and John would say "not yet mommy, 4 minute".
-Playdough Juice....this is a funny one. So, one day, John was playing with playdough and was curious as to what it tasted like, so he ate it. Of course, it doesn't taste good, and he quickly figured that out. He spit it out and then took a big swig of juice. Later that day, Chase gave him a cup of Juice, thinking it was the same cup John had that morning. It wasn't....and God only knows how old it was. John took a big drink and got this awful look on his face and said "Daddy, this is yucky. It is playdough Juice. I want new Juice!"

Baseball

Fun day at the Ranger's Game on Sunday. Caroline LOVED the ice cream! Although they are not selling the ice cream in the rangers "hat" cups anymore. Just a stupid bowl now. How magical is that?

Do You Smell Something?

Growing up the middle of 3 girls, I was not exposed to many "boy" things that a sister is exposed to if she has a brother. So, it often stuns me when my 4 year old boy says or does something extremely gross. I have a "list" of things I never thought I would hear myself say. It goes something like this:
-Take your finger out of your nose
-Put your wee-wee away
-We only pee-pee outside, at home, and in the backyard. NOT in the front yard

Now, this is my favorite one....and a new one, too:
-No, I do not smell something

And, of course, I do smell it. The entire DFW area smells it and it stinks. Here is how the conversation goes:
"Mommy, do you smell something?"
"No, I don't. Why?"
"Betause I just TOOTED!".....he is laughing hysterically at this point

BOYS.

Mother's day

We had such a nice Mother's Day. Chase really went all out and put alot of thought into the whole day. It was so nice. First, and foremost, he let me sleep in. That was great...even if I couldn't fall back asleep and ended up with only a little 20 min. cat nap. But that is my issue! He then made a big brunch, complete with eggs, hash browns, french toast and mimosas! Yum! Then we just tooted around the rest of the day and went to Central Market to have an early dinner and let the kids play on the playground. John loves this place and it is nice that you can get a really good meal AND sit at a nice table and watch the kids play. Caroline hung out in her stroller and ate puffs, some chicken (little pieces I gave her of mine) and was generally her sweet self. John did not have a nap that day, so he crashed at 7pm, Caroline was down at 7:45pm and that left just enough time for Chase and I to sit on our front porch, with the new chairs that were my mother's day gift, and enjoy the last few minutes of the day. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. The nice thing is, Chase really did go all out for this special day, but he (and John & Caroline) let me know I am appreciated all throughout the year....

I cough, You cough

Entertainment provided by Caroline

Day 5, Night 4

We are 4 nights into the "new" routine of me not laying with John until he falls asleep. He is doing great, getting up just a few times, with a gentle reminder from me that if he stays in his bed that we will go to Target and he can pick out a special toy. Last night, he got up twice. Each time saying he is "hundry". He ain't hungry. But, it's a stall tactic and you have to admire the persistence. I took him back to his room after he got a box of raisins (by the way, I found this morning that he had 6 boxes of uneaten raisins in his room, hence the "he ain't hungry" hunch) and tucked him in. This was 9:30pm. I then went to sit on the couch with Chase and watch ER....I have not seen this show in so long and I just LOVE it. Although, I think that Abby and Luka are going to split. Back to my original topic - So, at 10pm the show was over and I thought - Great! He is asleep! So I walk back to his room and the little toot is laying in his bed, eyes wide open. I can see b/c he insists that his lamp be on, which I don't mind. I couldn't believe it! He must be planning on taking us to the cleaners with this "special toy" at Target! Good thing was that he stayed in his bed! We watched a little bit of the news and then I walked back to his room and he was fast asleep! 1 more night to go!
We have had our new fridge for a week now and I am still just as madly in love with it as I was on day 1! It is so nice and big! I have been thinking about it alot lately, though, and feel a twinge of guiltiness thinking that we have this big fridge just for 4 of us....I think of the families that don't have much and probably have an old fridge without an ice maker and probably have 5 or 6 kids. They probably would love to have my fridge, but can't do it financially. Then I realize that every thing Chase and I have, we are grateful for. I know that I can have nice things and not feel guilty(or try not to) because I am grateful and acknowledge that. Also, even if we didn't have those things, I would still be happy and grateful. Chase and I work very hard for ourselves and our family. Chase likes to say that we work so we can take nice family vacations. The vacations is what makes a permanent memory...that is what lasts forever. Also, I think about other people I know, people that take money as just a given. That it will always be there, that the nice things will always be there. They aren't grateful...(I think, anyway) that they feel they deserve it b/c they work so hard, or whatever. I don't feel I deserve anything. I feel like I am given things (right place, right time theory), both by my hard work and the kindness of God. I feel sorry for people that get caught up in the things without being grateful. I knew one person at one point in my life that had so much STUFF that this person never truly appreciated anything (I think, anyway). Everything was just there for the taking. and always would be. And I realized at one point, that I NEVER wanted to be like that. I am truly grateful that God put that person in my life so that I could learn that lesson. I know that was the whole point of that person being in my life at that time....now I realize that. Everything happens for a reason, and hopefully, you learn and grow from it. Even if tomorrow, we didn't have any things, I would still be happy that I have my family, my heart, and my life. I would be sad that I don't have my nice, big fridge....or my minivan, but I would still be grateful....

John

With the arrival of Caroline, and all that new things she does/explores every day(she can blow a kiss now, it's cute, except for yesterday when she put her little hand up to her mouth to blow me a kiss and her fingers got stuck in her nose), I feel like I write about her too much. So I am going to write down the cute little things John has done/said the past few weeks. He really is a funny kid.
-We got a new refrigerator. He was so excited because I told him that he could open the freezer door himself (our old one was not a side by side) and get his waffles. He likes to eat frozen waffles. Gross, I know, but he likes it. So when my mother in law came to babysitt Friday night, John said to her "Yook, dida, I got a new rigerator. See, (pulling it open) there is my juice, and my butter, and my fruit, and my bej-a-tabuls..." He went on and on naming all the food in the fridge!
-Yesterday, I was in my bathroom and about to pee-pee (TMI, I know, but it's part of the story) and John saw me and said "Mommy, don't tee tee on the floor". He told me this b/c that is what we tell him ALL the time!
-I was just getting out of the shower this morning, both kids were still asleep in their rooms and I had the monitor in the bathroom with me. I was toweling off and I hear Caroline crying. Then I hear this, through the monitor:
"Dood Morning Taroline, why are you crying?"
"Do you want your mommy? Yes, you want your mommy"
"Here, Taroline, here is your nu-nu. There. That's better"
It was so damn cute! I went into her room & John said "Yook, mommy! I gave sissy her nu-nu!"

Bedtime is going much better, too. Last night was the first night I laid with him, but then got up and left the room. He asked me where I was going and I said that mommy had to clean up the kitchen. I told him that daddy was on the computer, paying bills, that Caroline was in her bed, Kramer was outside and what I was going to do. It seemed to help, but then about 10 min. later, he came out of his room. I asked him if he wanted to see what daddy was doing. So I walked him over to the computer, then took him to Caroline's room, then showed him that I was almost finished in the kitchen. I put him back in his bed and told him not to get out and that I would leave the door open so that he could see me in the kitchen. I was finished and had to watch the rest of Medium standing near the sink pretending to do something, but it worked. I really think he just wants to be out there, with us, and that if I tell him what we are doing and act like it is no big deal, he will fall asleep on his own. That is the plan, anyway.