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.