Pizza, Penguins & Fishes

We took a fun trip this past weekend. Husband had a work trip in a nearby city, and we decided to crash his hotel room! He was working when we arrived, so the kids & I enjoyed some pizza. Also? Mad props to the guy at Mellow Mushroom for bringing the pizza out to the car for me so I didn’t have to park in a paid lot & drag the kids across a busy downtown street in single-digit temps.

The next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel, then headed to the aquarium. The first thing we saw were the penguins. The kids loved them.

And they loved the kids. These guys rival Oz with their photo bomb skillz.

Shark cage? Maybe I need one of these at home.

And one of the sharks that go with it…

We got to see the divers in the big tank.

The jellyfish were beautiful.

We went back to the big tank and hung out for a while. The kids loved this little dome where they could lay and watch everything swim by.

They had a “touch tank,” where we could touch several different kinds of rays, a horseshoe crab, and even a shark. The kids were a bit timid at first, but once they got the hang of it, they loved it! I have tried for two days to embed a video right here, so play along and imagine it’s here. And if you really want to see a super short video of Honor almost touching a shark, click here.

We had lunch with Husband and then went for ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s…the kids had never been before. Judging by Caedmon’s face, I think they enjoyed it.

Then, it was back to the aquarium for the fresh water critters…which somehow included a flying squirrel and this possum. The kids went nuts over these guys (no pun intended), and actually got to pet the flying squirrel.

We saw some giant fish in their big freshwater tanks – almost as big as the sharks in the ocean tank. But the kids thought the diver was pretty cool again. He was friendly and posed for pictures through the glass with several different people.

The aquarium was lots of fun, and we were worn out by the end of the day. Which you would think would mean that the kids would actually fall asleep. But you would be wrong. I think it was 10pm before Honor finally gave up and went to sleep. And Caedmon got to experience the gloriousness of The Mighty Ducks for the first time, watched from his own hotel bed. At which point he declared his deep, burning desire to play hockey. (I don’t even need to tell you how much that is not going to happen.)

The next morning, we ate breakfast, then loaded up and headed home. But not before stopping at the Lodge Factory Store. Momma got some goodies!

I love cooking with my cast iron stuff so, so much. And I got some great deals on “factory seconds,” which means they have a little dimple or a spot somewhere. So do I, and that doesn’t keep me from being awesome. So these will do just fine, especially at half of retail (or less). (The white spot on the skillet above is paper.) I used the Dutch Oven for dinner on Monday night. I couldn’t wait any longer!

That was a fun little get away. Now it’s time to get back to reality. It’s been pretty crazy the past few weeks – for good reasons – but it’s time to get back to the real world!

The Disney Thing

So, the time has come. It looks as if we’ll be taking the kids on their first Disney trip this fall. I know lots of y’all have been, some of you many times. Husband and I have been before, but never with kids!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on things we must do, things to skip, and all sorts of tips and advice. Go!

Travel Trouble, Christmas 2011

We’ve taken many car trips over the past 13 years. They’ve had their ups and downs. And they’ve changed a lot, especially with adding kids, one who isn’t too fond of the carseat. But we’ve never, ever, had a trip like this one.

That’s not to say that it was bad. Or that horrible things happened. But after this trip, our “new” car may have lost its road trip privileges.

The trip to Husband’s parents’ was uneventful, as far as the car was concerned. The windshield wipers had a spot that was smear-y, but other than that, things were fine. We spent two nights there, and got to spend time with Husband’s parents and grandparents. The plan for Saturday was to meet my parents and siblings at my grandparents’ house, then go over to visit the other side of the family before heading to Mom & Dad’s.

And that’s where things went downhill.

We were driving from one small town to another, about an hour and a half apart. And between them? Nothing but more small towns. Tiny. We were out in the middle of nowhere when the battery light came on in the car and it started acting weird. Not good. We kept going. Because when you’re in between two tiny towns, you keep going. And pray you can get there.

Thankfully, we had cell service, so I Googled local repair shops in the town we were nearing. It was a Saturday, and I didn’t have much hope that we’d catch anyone. But the second place I called was open. I got directions to the shop and told him I hoped we’d make it. We didn’t. The car died on the side of the road on the outskirts of town in front of someone’s long driveway. So I called him back. And a few minutes later, we met John. He was kind enough to come jump the car and follow us to his shop.

Our battery was shot. The car dealership next door had one we could buy, and when that was switched out, we discovered that (as we suspected,) the alternator was also dead. And the closest one was a good 30 minutes away. It was, however, near my Father-in-Law, so he was able to pick it up and bring it to us.

Meanwhile, the lady from the car dealership next door took the kids and me down the road to a diner while we waited. It was warm, clean, quiet (until the duck hunters started pouring in), and they had fabulous French toast and bacon. We even got to watch part of The Pioneer Woman’s Christmas Special. They were sweet to us and fussed over the kids.

My family members were all about an hour away, and everyone volunteered to help however they could. Trump was on standby to come get the kids and me. My cousin was going to be driving through that area later and was ready to pick us up if needed. If John’s shop hadn’t been open, my brother would’ve cut his deer hunting short and come to work on the car for us, and Mom and Dad would’ve arrived as soon as they could get there. But since the auto shop was open and Poppy was able to bring the part for us, the whole ordeal only took about an hour and a half to two hours out of our day. Honestly, if we had to have a breakdown in the middle of nowhere, that was the best place and time to have it. The Lord was definitely orchestrating those circumstances.

We had to miss seeing my grandparents because of the car trouble, but we made it to see my extended family. It was wonderful to see everyone, many of whom I hadn’t seen in years. When we left to head to Mom & Dad’s, we got stuck in traffic. Sitting still, bumper-to-bumper traffic. On the interstate. For an hour and a half. True, it was completely unrelated to the car trouble earlier in the day, but it didn’t help things.

After we arrived at Mom & Dad’s, we spent a fun few days with family and friends. Then, we loaded up to head back home, trusting that our trip home would be uneventful, though long. We were wrong. Sort of. It was long, but not as uneventful as we would’ve liked.

That morning, we left Mom & Dad’s at 6:40 and got out of town (after stopping for donuts and coffee) at 7:15. After we’d been on the road less than three hours, we stopped at “our” Starbucks, the one we used to stop at all the time on our way to Children’s. Husband’s windshield wipers were still smearing, and we were expecting rain most of the way home. So while the kids and I waited at Starbucks, he ran across the street to get new ones. The guy at the parts store helped him switch them out and within just a few minutes we were on our way with a clear windshield.

We continued on our way and things went well, although tedious with a baby girl who was less than thrilled with her seat, a Momma that was crammed in the back seat between the car seats, and a boy trying his best to be content with his circumstances. (The DVD player was a huge help.)

We decided to take a new, alternate route to avoid a crazy interchange with some bad traffic in a large city. As soon as we pulled off the interstate onto a two-lane highway (in the general area of a town, but really kinda in the middle of nowhere), Husband noticed something funny. It was like the car didn’t want to slow down. And it was getting dark.

Not good.

Also? Both children had JUST gone to sleep. For the first time all day.

We decided that the cruise control was stuck. Husband was able to pull over in the only place we could find – the parking lot of a Mexican Restaurant. I called my Dad, and though he was working, he was able to talk me thru what to look for.

Husband stayed in the car with the kids (who were now awake) while I got instructions from Dad and fiddled under the hood. Of course, Dad had dealt with this exact problem before and could tell me what to look for. About the time I thought I had things figured out, a guy drove up and asked if we needed help. I told him what was going on, and he knew exactly what part was messed up and how to get it to shut off. He told me that he’d seen us and thought that if his daughter was having car trouble, he hoped someone would stop and help her. And then he’d seen the kids in the car and knew that he had to see if he could help. Again, the Lord sent the right person at the right time. It was a wonderful testimony of people’s kindness and willingness to help strangers when they’re able.

We made it back to “civilization” and stopped to stretch our legs and get a bite to eat. I got back under the hood to tape the broken part back so it wouldn’t get caught since it seemed to be wiggling around. I used the electrical tape that Mom had put in Husband’s stocking. Her practical gifts come in handy in the strangest times. We were definitely thankful we had it.

After 13 1/2 hours, a gillion stops, 3 dirty diapers, 2 new windshield wipers, and 1 stuck cruise control, we arrived home. I would’ve been fine if I didn’t have to get back in the car for a month. I hadn’t even gotten all the car ick off my hands.

We let the kids stay up a little while to stretch and get some wiggles out.

This girl was super glad to be out of her seat.

I don’t know that falling into my bed has ever felt so sweet. It was time to get ready for Christmas!

Arrrrr…Pirates!

**Happy 13th Anniversary to my husband; my best friend, the best Daddy our kids could ever ask for, and coolest guy I know. I love you!**

After we all got acquainted with the beach, we needed to see some pirates. We knew Caedmon would love it, and we were right. But we almost didn’t get in. We got there to find out the show was “sold out” and we watched the pre-dinner show while we waited to see if they had room for us. Husband had suggested making reservations, and I was certain we didn’t need to. I mean, who would think that on a Wednesday night in a beach town at the end of October, the show would be sold out? Thankfully, they had a spot for us.

We settled in, and Caedmon was instantly mesmerized.

The set, staging, and show were all spectacular!

The food was good, too. Caedmon didn’t have time to eat his. He was afraid he’d miss something.

We bought him a pirate hat and sword from the gift shop as we were leaving. He was a pretty cute little buccaneer.

And a boy can never have too many swords, right?

The next day, we finally decided to explore the indoor pool. The beach was really windy, so this was a calmer place to play. And squirt water at each other.

And jump!

Honor played in the water a little, too.

I think she’s going to enjoy the water as much as Caedmon does!

We had a great time at the beach and are thankful for the opportunity to go and spend some time together as a family. It was our first vacation as a family of four. I know there will be many more!

Honor on the Beach

Continuing our trip to the beach….

The first time Honor went down to the beach, it was just the two of us. (Caedmon was napping and Husband stayed with him.) As I got closer to the water, she got more and more excited. She’d look at the waves and kick her feet (what she does when she’s excited). She’d have too much excitement and bury her head in my shoulder. It was so sweet.

The next day, we were ready to play in the water! (We waited until it was a little warmer.)

A family photo, taken my a random stranger. A kind, random stranger.

If there’s anything better than baby toes, it’s baby toes on the beach!

Honor got her name written in the sand too, but she was still a bit too wobbly to sit there by herself.

Caedmon spent a lot of time running on the beach. Thus, Husband and I ran with him. A lot.

They built another masterpiece.

Caedmon was so proud!

But that’s not all. Next…pirates!

The Beach in October

I meant to have this posted yesterday, but I managed to spill water on my laptop the other day and it needed to dry out. Thankfully, it’s working just fine now, and I’m really hoping it continues to do so!

We were given an opportunity to visit the beach a few weeks ago. It was Caedmon’s first time, and he was excited. Almost as excited as I was at the prospect of sitting and listening to the waves.

This was our view for a few days, which we thoroughly enjoyed.

The first morning, Husband took Caedmon down to build a sand castle.

Their masterpiece.

Caedmon spent a lot of his time on the beach doing this.

And this.

He also chased a few seagulls.

Caedmon got a set of army men as a “vacation surprise,” so during some of our inside time, he and Husband had some epic battles.

Honor was a happy girl during our trip. (Beach pictures of her to come, I promise!)

We took Caedmon to Hard Rock Café.

He l.o.v.e.d. seeing the memorabilia everywhere!

But he especially loved the guitars. This one from Bad Company kept drawing him back.

He asked to have his picture taken with it!

One morning, Husband wrote Caedmon’s name in the sand. Caedmon thought it was super cool.

The sunrises were beautiful.

Caedmon and I made a sand castle.

After which he immediately destroyed it.

We also found some jellyfish on the beach. Of course, he had to poke one with a stick.

It’s what boys do.

But that’s not all we did at the beach. More tomorrow!

Travel Day 2

Not caught up? Try here and here.

Honor slept like a champ at Nana and Poppy’s, but the rest of us…not so much. We were overtired and anxious to be done with the trip. Hence, all of us except the baby were awake at 4:30am. So we decided to get up and leave. We were on the road by 5:30am.

By 9am we were in our fourth state. But not before stopping for potty/coffee breaks and an orange push-up breakfast for a certain little boy.

Because what’s an agonizing day of travel without a sugar rush? I had to veto the Root Beer. I don’t think any of us could’ve handled it.

When Husband made the trip the week before with just he and Oz, the 2nd day took him about 7 hours. It took us 9 hours. Honor is not a fan of being in her carseat for more than about an hour to an hour and a half at a time, so we’d have to stop to let her out to stretch. And of course, to eat. And then we had to eat. And take potty breaks. I think we stopped more on that day’s trip than I’ve stopped on any trip in a very long time.

Caedmon kept saying things like, “I don’t want to be in this carseat forever!” We assured him that it wouldn’t be forever, but it sure did seem like it at the time…to him and to me.

I did take the advice of a few friends and purchased him a few special surprises for the trip. I bought a Tom & Jerry DVD and a few small toys I knew he’d like (and kept some for backup for the days at the house with few toys). They were a hit, but he was so tired of sitting still that by lunchtime I don’t think that a fire breathing dragon could’ve distracted him from how weary he was of the car.

So we were glad to finally roll into our new town mid-afternoon. We went right to our house and gave Caedmon the tour. He took advantage of having no furniture in the way and ran around like a wild child. I can’t say that I blame him. Husband went to pick Oz up from the kennel and when he came home I could almost hear Peaches & Herb singing “Reunited.” Our boy was happy and so was our dog.

I ran to the grocery store and we fixed some dinner and settled in for our first night. It went surprisingly well…Honor slept like an angel – not a peep for 12 hours (rare, but awesome). Caedmon was so tired that he passed out and slept until the next morning. I was shocked. I just knew he’d be up a hundred times, so I was extremely happy that he not only left us alone, but got some good rest. And I think Husband and I were so tired from the previous weeks leading up to that day that we would’ve slept anywhere.

And thus part of the journey ended, and another began.