The Trip! (Part Two)

Friday we hung out with my dad a little bit...he came over and visited for a few minutes then we ran to get lunch. My favorite thing to get in MI is a Hani...it's basically a pita sandwich w/cut chicken tender strips and lettuce and mayo and ranch--I get no tomatoes. YUM YUM!! So we hit a nearby Coney Island restaurant....

It was time for the kids to take a nap, so we headed back to Gram's apt. I put the kids down. My brother, Eric, came by and the three of us visited while the kids napped. After they woke up, we went to get pizza. By now, it had started snowing and they were predicting 4-12 inches! Yikes!

We ran by my dad's place for a little bit then came home b/c the kids were irritable and tired (remember--we are only on day 3 of 13!) and I promised them there would be snow to play in when they woke up in the morning! Sure enough there was--about 4-5 inches worth!!

It doesn't do this in Alabama!!!

"Let's go play, Mom!"

Lawson saw this tree and said "Look, Mommy, A Christmas Tree!!!"

They were pretty timid about actually walking in the snow at first.

I couldn't find Grandma's shovel, so I used a broom. Here's Jordan helping me out.

Lawson picked this up and told me it was the "Biggest snowball I ever seen!"

Dad wanted to take us to breakfast, then to the park to watch the kids play. They had such a fun day!

The Trip! (Part One)

Here goes nothing....I'm going to try to recount my crazy insane trip to Michigan!

Last last fall my college roomie Lynnette called me up and told me to keep Spring Break open on my calendar. She said her and her boyfriend had been talking, and were talking about a nearing proposal, a whirlwind engagement and a March 29 wedding. I knew then that I was in for a wild ride!!

I haven't been back to MI since I was 7 1/2 months preggo w/ Jordan! I went back to help my mom clean out some of the stuff in the house when she was getting ready to put it on the market. Time and money issues have kept us from going back since.

June 2006

I knew if I went back for the wedding, I would have to allocate plenty of time for my parents and grandma and friends to visit with the kids and me. Jon doesn't have a whole ton of vacation, so that pretty much meant I would have to go up a bit before the wedding, and by myself!

So....the plan was for me to take off Wednesday morning headed for the Motor City. The days leading up to this were INSANE! I spent the weekend trying to get everything together and ready--there are so many things to take on a trip--especially in single parent mode!!! Monday and Tuesday I had (previously) agreed to sub my friend Lisa's paper routes. She has 3--I threw almost 900 papers both days! (She's a way better trooper than I am--she has subbed my route countless times! It just makes it hard for me to get through the day after 4-5 hours of work in the morning.

Well, Tuesday while I was throwing the route (3 down, 2 to go) my van broke down. It had been shifting hard for a couple of days, but it got to where it WOULD NOT ACCELERATE! If I came to a stop, I had to turn my van off, then restart it for it to go into gear! I tried to go home to get Jon's car to finish and BROKE COMPLETELY DOWN on Hughes road and had to call my manager to come help me finish the route! We had the van towed in, and found out the transmission was completely out. (The transmission was only 17 months old--just had this done 2 Octobers ago but unfortunately are out of miles on the warranty.) Huge blow to the wallet!

Well...I'm supposed to leave the next morning, right? So we try to decide what to do...I still have to get there before the wedding b/c my family will flip out if I come all the way up there and don't see them...so we decide to rent a car. Huge blow to the wallet, number 2!

So we find a company that has an available SUV--most places were out b/c it's Spring Break and apparently NO ONE drives their own car on vacation...and Wednedsay morning I get up and see the rain! So...I get to load up the car alone, in the rain!

After making a quick run to the shop to get a couple things out of the van, getting an early lunch w/Jon, and running to Walmart for some Dramamine b/c Lawson told me he had a very yucky tummy, we were on the road at 12:30.

The drive was pretty okay. Both kids had little spells where they were fussy, but overall the trip went smoothly. Lawson could watch movies forever and ever, and Jordan slept quite a lot. We stopped for dinner at a mall so we could spend some time walking around and not have to worry about being quiet in a restaurant. We arrived at our hotel around 11--later than I had planned. This is because we lost an hour going to EST, and we spent almost 2 hours at the mall and I missed the exit and had to go 25 min out of the way to get back!

A note about the hotel...we had looked online to find a hotel in the town I wanted at a reasonable price. I found a Comfort Inn for 52/night...and the room was nice. Just one word of advice if you're looking for a hotel and traveling alone w/2 kids...ask if the have an ELEVATOR!!! Holy cow...I had to get both kids, and our overnight bag, and the pack and play and the diaper bag out of the car and to the far end of the 2nd floor!!! Good thing the nice man at the desk saw me come into the lobby sweating and out of breath and offered to carry my bags!!

The kids were pretty wired b/c they had been sitting all day. I let them run around the room and play for a little while, then started putting them to sleep. Lawson fell right to sleep just listening to me singing to Jordan...Jordan, however, didn't go to sleep til after 2AM!! Whoo...a looooong day!

Well, we woke up Thursday morning, grabbed a quick lunch at Cracker Barrel next door to the hotel, and headed out for our last 3 1/2 hours of driving. I got to my grandma's about 2:45.

Sidenote...My sweet grandma offered to let us have her apartment to ourselves and she would stay with a friend. It was so nice to have a place of 'our own' and not have to be staying 'with' someone.

So...don't have any pics of the actual trip...maybe I was just a little too busy!! :)

Thursday when we got there, my mom came over and asked what I was going to do. I just said I wanted to do something to let the kids play and run b/c they had been so cooped up. She offered to take us to Chuck E. Cheese's. It was both of the kids' first times, and they loved it!! So...let me close out this post with some of the pics I took of the kids playing...

The kids on the carousel. They rode this about 20 times...and when there were other kids waiting and they had to get off Jordan threw a huge fit!

Lawson's favorite ride...the bike that went up and down when you pedaled.

Jordan in the Barney ride. She sat in here for a very long time!

My mom helped Jordan, I helped Lawson. Here's Jordan in the big rocking horse.

Here's Lawson catching a ride with Chuck!

The kids both loved going through this ladder, funhouse, slide combo. The next couple pics crack me up b/c they did the slide so many times that their hair went crazy with static!!! :)

Long time gone...

Long time, no type! It has been a couple weeks since my last post, and I have many pictures and stories to post. I shall say, if you are not interested in pictures you can pretty much avoid this blog for the next few posts. I shall then add, if you are not interested in pictures, you probably don’t read this blog anyways!!! :)

I have enjoyed reading up on everyone earlier this week…it’s hard to keep up on blogs when travelling. Then, due to confusion while travelling, our internet was not paid!!! After a day of waiting for it to be turned back on (oops!!! ) I finally have internet access again! I will try to return and make comments over the next week…I will also be trying to update everyone on our BUSY end of March, but first I feel I need to get a few random things out of the way…

· After nearly two weeks of traveling, I saw my house again for the first time! I was so glad to be home, but was dreading the first night at home with the kiddos!! It always seems that for every day on the road we have one bad week of bedtimes when we get home… I was ASTONISHED that both of them went right to bed, and slept til 8:30!! (Listen…can you hear the Hallelujah music in the background???) THEN, they both laid right down at naptime and slept for 3 and 3 ½ hours!!! Holy smokes!

· I am very excited—Lawson is playing tee ball this year! He is very excited and keeps telling everyone he’s going to learn how to be a baseball player.

· Jordan keeps sitting on the potty. She’s almost 20 months old. Lawson was so easy at 2 1/2; I’m not sure I want to tackle this with such a young one!

· I am SICK of cold weather. It SNOWED twice while I was in Michigan!! It was freezing! I had to buy Lawson a winter coat…so I found one in his next size on clearance. It was only $8! Hmmm…I wonder why it was on clearance? Maybe because YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE TO BUY A WINTER COAT AT THE END OF MARCH!!!

· My kids LOVED the snow!

· I feel like I use all-caps way too much, but it’s how I let you know in writing where I would raise my voice or roll my eyes if I were really talking to you!

· It is so refreshing to see GREEN everywhere! I woke up this morning and was shocked at the greenery in my yard! The grass, the flowers, the bushes-everything is in bloom! BEAUTIFUL!! What a surprise that our azaleas are in bloom too!

· We had a 2008 rental car for 15 days. I’m afraid that when I go to the shop to pick up my 2000 van w/ 200,000 miles I will be sad to see the nice, new car go!

· It was great of my mom to take care of the entire Easter Bunny duty. More to come on Easter, but I don’t know what to do with the two nice Easter baskets, the two plastic Easter baskets, and the plastic sand-castle bucket I brought home????

· Jon flew up to Michigan Thursday morning to spend the weekend with us, go to the wedding I was in, and drive home with us. Before he left, he washed our sheets so when we got home we would have a fresh bed. Heavenly.

A-Fishing We Will Go!

We have been spending a lot of time in the great Alabama outdoors! Jon has been promising Lawson when it gets warm he'll take him fishing...This weekend it was rainy so Monday was the day!!! If you'll recall their last fishing trip, it was FREEZING cold. I was ready for them to get to really enjoy fishing.

Lawson LOVED the worms!!

Of course...what was Jordan doing??? BUB-Os!!!

(not her best pic!)

My family

Jordan was NOT glad to be going when we were all done!!!

Family Time!

Saturday evening we all went to walk on the trail off Old Madison Pike across from Little MA. We have gone there several times before, but this time was especially enjoyable! There was a lot of 'nature' for the kids to see, and the weather was nice! We passed cows and horses. We looked for bugs. Along the trail there's a river/ditch/whatever that flows, and because of the storms the current was swift. We pulled off the trail at a point where there was a little bit of white water to let the kids throw rocks and just look!

We started picking up rocks and under one we found a worm!! Cool!

Like father, like son!

This is Lawson's "Rock-Skipping 101" class... :)

Nice form! :)

She's getting bigger and bigger! Notice the Dora "Bub-O's" that now go with us EVERYWHERE!

I just love this picture. We were almost back to the van, nearing the end of the trail, and Jordan reached up and wanted to hold Jon's hand! This picture melts my heart! :)

A Lot of Recent Pictures!

So...I haven't posted in a while!! As a matter of fact, I haven't done much on the internet lately... I've briefly browsed through blogs, and I've checked my email, but haven't done much else. I am going crazy trying to plan our trip to Michigan. I am leaving either next Tuesday or Wednesday and won't be back until the NEXT Monday (like, almost TWO weeks!) Whoah!!!

Also, Jon's mom was here again this past week trying to help me finish up a project. She's been awesome--sewing like CRAZY!!! :)

Anyways...I just talked to my dad today and he just got the internet!!! SO...I'm going to post several of our most recent pics for him...probably will be lengthy but not too wordy! :)

Lately Lawson's been very interested in what he wants to be when he grows up. He's been talking about "learning how to be a baseball player". Today, his shirt had a surfer on it and he asked me what a surfer was. I looked up a video on YouTube and showed him, then he asked me if he could be a surfer when he grew up. Here's a pic of him after we had been playing baseball in the front yard.

We went for a walk one night--the day had been pretty mild but it got very cool that night! We decided sitting still in the stroller could become pretty cold, so here's one of J in her winter gear!



I've never posted our house--we've lived here over a year!!! Here are some recent springtime shots. Notice the GAZILLION trees!

Our backyard

Who doesn't have a friendly crocodile in the backyard?

I laid down on my back and took this picture!

Today we spent some time outside blowing BUB-O's (according to Jordan!). Here are some pics I snapped...I am especially proud of the one w/ the bubble over J's face! I think it's pretty cool! Also...today is the first day she wore her new sandals...and of course she spilled almost a whole bubble bottle right in them!!! Sorry Nana! :)

Spring Wishes

Seems my prediction didn't come soon enough for some of you since during the cold of this recent week I've received a few "What happened to Spring?" remarks! The other day the kids and I were coloring and cutting and I decided to look on the web for a project. I found this and decided to make myself a beautiful spring bouquet, courtesy of my kids' handprints! Here's the link in case you need some spring cheer as your centerpiece too!

FYI Lawson's hands are green, orange and yellow. Jordan's are pink and purple.

Lawson the Worship Leader

Sunday night one of our Seniors was baptized after Huddles. After the baptism, we were all just standing around visiting and Lawson asked his daddy to take him up to the pulpit and hold him up so he could lead a song. Our Youth Minister caught it on his camera and emailed it to me. I think this will be a fun memory to have for Lawson when he gets older and (maybe) fills this role for real!

Notes:

1. He usually gets more words right, but there were lots of people standing around and I think he was distracted!

2. Check out Jordan being goofy and making fish faces on the pulpit! Sorry to whoever has to wash it!

3. Also...at the end, he sees a handheld microphone and wants to get down and use the "real one."

Just an observation...

When I am in a hurry I get stopped by EVERY light.

When I need to get something done in the car (like reach for a paci, put on make-up, or adjust the volume on the kids' TVs) EVERY light stays green until I get to where I'm going.

Back in the Day...

Last night Jon and I were able to go out on a date! We ate at Red Robin (we love their burgers) and then went to see a couple of our seniors in Grissom's production of Kiss Me Kate. It was very cute, and we laughed a lot.

Sometimes it's amazing to me how caught up I can become in day-to-day things. I forget how much fun Jon and I used to have together and how much fun things could be if we would just take more time to focus on each other. When we actually take time to just be out together it's kinda fun to remember what it was like back in the day...

Christmas 2003--Married 1 1/2 years

We had (not-as-care-free-as-college-students) adult conversation. We drove around in our (not-as-cool-as-my-GrandPrix-used-to-be) van. We saw a (not-as-young-and-crazy-a-show-as-we-may-have-gone-to) musical. And then we came to our (not-as-cheap-as-our-college-apartment) house at (a much-earlier-than-pre-kids-curfew) 11:00.

Okay...So maybe it wasn't JUST like it was back in the day, but it's good to remember that we're not the same either. To me that is part of the hard part, along with being part of the best part of being married to your best friend. In a way I want everything to stay the same as my memories. In a way, though, I am so curious to see each change and evolution that happens to us as individuals and as a couple and as a family.

On the way home from our date, a song came on the radio that really took me right back to our college dating days. One of my favorite things that Jon does that is just for me is to change a couple of words from Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville and turn the radio down and sing for me. I think the first time we ever heard the song together he did it, and he's done it ever since...

Don't know the reason, Stayed here all season
With nothing to show but this
brand new tattoo.
But it's a real beauty,
My Michigan cutie,
how it got here I haven't a clue.

It melts my heart. It reminds me of where we used to be. It also helps me remember my dreams for where we are headed. It helps me realize that I can treasure my memories of back in the day, but that I need to be thankful for and focused on this day.

November 2007--Married 5 1/2 years

The Last Three Weeks--Sans Prose!

It seems that Feb has just arrived
But quite a month we've all survived.

Clean the house, this place is a zoo.
Go to Ladies Retreat, and Bonco too.

In-laws here almost two weeks-
Dress almost done! (A few more tweaks...)

To Gatlinburg with all the MYG
God, Fun and Teens--so much fun-Whee! :)

My very first trip to Winterfest
And I can't seem to catch up on rest!

We're back-we're home...hey look! Mommy!
I think my kids are glad to see!

Boogers coming out of every nose.
Does anybody have clean clothes???

Both of Jordan's eyes are pink,
And 40 poopy diapers STINK!

This month my posting has been parched
And now, by golly, almost March!

All this to say what's been going on
One last thing...HAPPY BIRTHDAY JON!!! :)

Airplanes and a picnic

I never posted about a fun day I shared with my kids one warm day back in December...We go to a field over by the airport and spend the morning loving the outside and watching the planes come in to land! We also love making the semi-trucks that drive by blow their horns!

It's Unofficially Official!

As your local, on-the-scene every night reporter in your local Madison neighborhoods, I would like to make an announcement.

This is for all of you mommies.

This is for all of the mommies who don't think they can bear to see another nose that's snotty-to-the-paci, let alone make another hurried run to the tissue box only to get back to the kid 1/2 second after they discovered their own Snot River and turned it into a Snot Marsh all over their face, eyebrows, hands and ears!

This if for the mommies who can't handle their toddlers standing at the door pointing and hollering to go outside--totally oblivious that if we did, in fact go outside, we might start losing and having to look for fingers because it has been so insanely cold outside!

This is for mommies who, even on the days it's not a 5 degree windchill, try to go outside and spend 15 minutes trying to get a kid into a carseat because apparently the straps 'self-re-adjust' everytime you take someone out and now you are going crazy trying to get the kid-and his/her puffy-fluffy coat-into those harnesses!

This is for everyone like me who, as soon as the first leaf fell last fall, knew that these months were upon us. I'm telling you...maybe after a scorching summer the cool breeze feels refreshing, but to me it is SO not worth the winter months that follow! As soon as it cooled, I was longing for a hot summer day again!

Now...(were you wondering how long it was going to take me to stop rambling?)...here's my announcement...

Da da de daaaaahhhh....

SPRING IS ALMOST HERE!!!

Well, duh, you say...of course it's on it's way!

I want to unofficially announce that it's CLOSE! I can almost taste it. But the thing that makes me so sure is the preliminary evidence! Let me explain...

This is my 3rd spring to witness it. Based on a thus far predictable track record, I shall present my evidence...

THE BUNNIES ARE OUT IN FULL FORCE!!!!

On my route the last week or so, I have seen an extraordinary number of bunnies hopping around...This happens some all winter, but I also have started noticing that they are hopping around with "friends"!! This means that they feel like it's gonna be warm enough soon enough to start doing what bunnies do to make baby bunnies!!! I'm telling you...

All you winter-laden mommies, take this paper girl's word...it won't be long before the baby bunnies are here!!!

Sometimes I don't either...

I have been commanded to cast my cares upon my Father.
Sometimes I don't.

I have been commanded to be a cheerful giver.
Sometimes I'm not.

I have been commanded to trust in the Lord with all my heart.
Sometimes I don't.

I have been commanded to not worry.
Sometimes I do anyways.

I have been commanded that my conversation should always be full of grace.
Sometimes it isn't.

I have been commanded to be humble, gentle and patient.
Sometimes I'm not.

I have been commanded to have the attitude of Christ Jesus.
Sometimes I don't.

I have been commanded to be an imitator of God.
Often I fail.


Father, please help me to be more understanding and patient when my 1 and 3 year old children disobey. Please help me to show them the love and grace and forgiveness that you daily show their very imperfect mother. Amen.