Thursday, August 7, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Play Ball!
JP bought Kaitlyn & Ethan baseball gloves and a baseball T. They love to practice and are getting pretty good at catching with their gloves. Kaitlyn has an amazing throwing arm and Ethan is a great hitter.
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As for Kylie, as soon as anything sport related comes out of the garage, she asks if she can go inside and watch TV ;)
First Day of Preschool- July 22
We've been talking about starting preschool for as long as we've been talking about Storyland. As soon as we got home from vacation, Kylie exclaimed, "Now that Storyland is over, we get to go to school!" I can't believe they are already old enough to start preschool- sniff, sniff.... but whether Mommy was ready or not, off we went. The kids were all smiles as they grabbed their lunch bags and backpacks and headed out the door.
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New Hampshire Vacation- July 14 to July 18
We have been talking to the kids about plans for our summer family vacation since March or April. Kylie has been very excited for Storyland and has loved looking at the Storyland website to get the lay of the land. She has especially been looking forward to meeting Cinderella and riding the Flying Fish. When we first starting talking about our trip, Kylie wasn't tall enough to ride some of the rides (including the Flying Fish) which require that children be a minimum 36". She fully understood that she needed to grow "big and tall" before vacation- and she did! She just barely meets the 36" requirement- so look out Storyland- Here we come!
Monday, July 14:
The kids were great on the car ride up and spent most of the 3 hours either coloring or napping. We met Mimi & Papa at the North Conway Grand Hotel on Monday afternoon and headed straight for the pool. The hotel has a fabulous outdoor pool as well as a really fun kiddie splash pool that the kids just LOVED!
Tuesday, July 15 & Wednesday, July 16:
JP and Ernie managed to escape the hotel Tuesday morning after breakfast to go golfing. Mom and I took the kids down to the outlet shops to play on the playground and do some shopping.
After lunch we met back up with Ernie and JP and headed to Storyland!
I first went to Storyland when I was around 3 or 4 with my Grandma & Grandma Wallstrom, my dad, my Aunt & Steve. I have pictures of myself as a little girl with this clown so it was really fun to get some pictures of the kids with him as well, 30years later. I guess you can never be too young to be nostalgic!
The next stop was Cinderella's castle because Kylie just couldn't wait any longer to meet her favorite princess. Once she saw the castle, she took off running up the hill and raced right in the front door of the castle. She took one look at Cinderella and raced right back out...... She was suddenly just too overwhelmed by it all and I had to go fetch her and carry her back in. Perhaps she was also a little confused (as Mimi and I were) because Cinderella had dark brown hair and looked more like Snow White than Cinderella. Go figure! Honestly, I don't think they were at all bothered by it. THe kids all had a chance to sit on the King's throne and have their pictures taken with Cinderella. So sweet!
After a Pumpkin Coach ride back down the driveway, we headed to the carousel for some horse riding. Ethan, Kaitlyn and Kylie all enjoyed that. We also saw Little Red Riding Hood's Granny's house, Little Miss Muffett's tuffet and spider, and took a swan boat ride. After a bit more wandering around and some snow cones and cotton candy, we headed back to the hotel for the night to rest up.
Wednesday, July 16:
Day 2 of Storyland was just as fun as the first but much easier. We decided to push the kids around in carriages instead of having them walk everyone so we managed to move around faster and stay together better.
The days highlights included:
The Teacups- Fun for all.
The Carousel-
Visting the Three Bears Cottage- fortunately there were no arguments about who was going to sit and sleep where. They just grabbed the first available chair or bed :)
The Rollercoaster- Ethan loved it, the girls did not....
The Bamboo Chutes (a flume ride)- the pictures and video say it all.
The Train Ride- a bit long
The Lazy River Raft Ride- refreshing! Kaitlyn stayed behind with Mimi and Papa after the traumatic experience of the roller coaster and flume she no longer trusted the rides and needed a break.
The Splash Playground- a big hit
The Pirate Ship- Ethan surprisingly refused to get on but had fun on land firing water cannons at us as we sailed by....
The Flying Fish- only Kylie and Mommy dared this one. I wasn't a big fan but Kylie was fearless and really liked it and that made it worth it!
The Twirling Turtles- Kylie, Mommy & Ethan dared this one. It was a bit too much for the kids who exited saying "I don't like the Turtles" but I loved it.
The Antique Cars- the last ride of the day- enjoyed by everyone....
And lastly, Our Family Portrait-
All in all- Storyland was a big hit even if some of the rides were a bit much for the kids to handle. Definitely worthwhile! The kids love nursery rhymes so it was so neat for them to see them all come to life!
Thursday, July 17:
A relaxing ride on the Conway Scenic Railroad
Friday, July 18:
The kids said farewell to all the animals at the hotel and we headed home.
Who knew that a vacation could be so exhausting!
Monday, July 14:
The kids were great on the car ride up and spent most of the 3 hours either coloring or napping. We met Mimi & Papa at the North Conway Grand Hotel on Monday afternoon and headed straight for the pool. The hotel has a fabulous outdoor pool as well as a really fun kiddie splash pool that the kids just LOVED!
Tuesday, July 15 & Wednesday, July 16:
JP and Ernie managed to escape the hotel Tuesday morning after breakfast to go golfing. Mom and I took the kids down to the outlet shops to play on the playground and do some shopping.
After lunch we met back up with Ernie and JP and headed to Storyland!
I first went to Storyland when I was around 3 or 4 with my Grandma & Grandma Wallstrom, my dad, my Aunt & Steve. I have pictures of myself as a little girl with this clown so it was really fun to get some pictures of the kids with him as well, 30years later. I guess you can never be too young to be nostalgic!
The next stop was Cinderella's castle because Kylie just couldn't wait any longer to meet her favorite princess. Once she saw the castle, she took off running up the hill and raced right in the front door of the castle. She took one look at Cinderella and raced right back out...... She was suddenly just too overwhelmed by it all and I had to go fetch her and carry her back in. Perhaps she was also a little confused (as Mimi and I were) because Cinderella had dark brown hair and looked more like Snow White than Cinderella. Go figure! Honestly, I don't think they were at all bothered by it. THe kids all had a chance to sit on the King's throne and have their pictures taken with Cinderella. So sweet!
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After a Pumpkin Coach ride back down the driveway, we headed to the carousel for some horse riding. Ethan, Kaitlyn and Kylie all enjoyed that. We also saw Little Red Riding Hood's Granny's house, Little Miss Muffett's tuffet and spider, and took a swan boat ride. After a bit more wandering around and some snow cones and cotton candy, we headed back to the hotel for the night to rest up.
Wednesday, July 16:
Day 2 of Storyland was just as fun as the first but much easier. We decided to push the kids around in carriages instead of having them walk everyone so we managed to move around faster and stay together better.
The days highlights included:
The Teacups- Fun for all.
The Carousel-
Visting the Three Bears Cottage- fortunately there were no arguments about who was going to sit and sleep where. They just grabbed the first available chair or bed :)
The Rollercoaster- Ethan loved it, the girls did not....
The Bamboo Chutes (a flume ride)- the pictures and video say it all.
The Train Ride- a bit long
The Lazy River Raft Ride- refreshing! Kaitlyn stayed behind with Mimi and Papa after the traumatic experience of the roller coaster and flume she no longer trusted the rides and needed a break.
The Splash Playground- a big hit
The Pirate Ship- Ethan surprisingly refused to get on but had fun on land firing water cannons at us as we sailed by....
The Flying Fish- only Kylie and Mommy dared this one. I wasn't a big fan but Kylie was fearless and really liked it and that made it worth it!
The Twirling Turtles- Kylie, Mommy & Ethan dared this one. It was a bit too much for the kids who exited saying "I don't like the Turtles" but I loved it.
The Antique Cars- the last ride of the day- enjoyed by everyone....
And lastly, Our Family Portrait-
All in all- Storyland was a big hit even if some of the rides were a bit much for the kids to handle. Definitely worthwhile! The kids love nursery rhymes so it was so neat for them to see them all come to life!
Thursday, July 17:
A relaxing ride on the Conway Scenic Railroad
Friday, July 18:
The kids said farewell to all the animals at the hotel and we headed home.
Who knew that a vacation could be so exhausting!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Florida Vacation....June 27-July 2
My parents arrived to bravely watch the trio for us for 6 days while JP, Emma and I flew down to Tampa, Florida for a friend's wedding.
Friday, June 27:
We woke up absurdly early at 3:45am in order to be ready for our car to pick us at 4:30am. Once we got to the airport and through security, Emma was ready for a drink.
The flight was thankfully uneventful, because I am not a big fan of flying. Emma slept for a good amount of it and didn't seem to bothered. After take-off, we asked the stewardess for a spoon to feed Emma her breakfast. She replied that she couldn't do that until all the dinners on the plane had been purchased because they only had enough silverware to go with the dinners. Keep in mind that neither JP nor myself were ordering a meal so realistically, shouldn't there be at least 2 available spoons on the plane? And wouldn't you think she'd want to appease a hungry child as opposed to having her start to scream on the plane? Apparently not. Fortunately, a kind passenger behind us gave us his spoon before there were any temper tantrums from Emma (or me).
When we were checking into the hotel, Emma received her first goodie bag- a Westin Kids Club bag with a rubber ducky, outlet covers, and a nightlight. She loved her ducky and gave him lots of kisses throughout the vacation. The outlet covers were also handy because Emma is a very fast, military crawling diva.... The nightlight was a bust however. I turned it on when we went to bed at 11:30pm and when Emma woke up at 3am, it was pitch black in the room because the batteries had already died.
On a positive note, that was the last time Emma woke up in the night*- Woohoo!
Be sure to catch the footnote to this under the June 28 entry...
Saturday, June 28:
After carrying Emma around for a day in the sweltering Florida heat, JP and I decided we needed to leave the air conditioned hotel and hit the road in search of an umbrella stroller. We mosied up the street to the trolley station and hopped aboard to go to Ybor since we'd been told there were lots of shopping places there. Unfortunately after a stroll through the village (did I mention the sweltering heat?) we did not find an umbrella stroller but a shop owner that we met thought that would be a great item to carry. So if you're ever in Ybor and need an umbrella stroller someday, you may have more luck than we did.....
The Nanny:
JP headed off to Tyson (JP's college suitemate from Bryant College)& Marissa's wedding while I stayed back at the hotel with Emma. We arranged to have a nanny watch Emma for us during the wedding reception which was held downstairs in the hotel. At 4:50 the nanny arrived, looking a bit haggard. I asked her a little about herself and she said she had just relocated from Oregon. Of course, the first thing that popped into my skeptical mind was- why did you leave Oregon? Did you have to leave? Are you running from the law??? I know the nanny service does extensive background checks but I was leary. After being at the cocktail hour for less than 10 minutes, I raced back to the room to make sure that Emma was still there (under the guise that I'd forgotten my camera). The nanny, Ros, had already changed Emma into her jammies and was rocking her while Emma drank her bottle. They both looked right at home so I went back to the reception a little more at ease. About an hour later, I checked on them one more time and Emma was fast asleep and Ros was just watching TV. Sigh of relief- all was well.
The Wedding Reception:
Thursday, June 26:
The wedding reception was a blast! We caught up with a bunch of friends that we haven't seen in a while. And it was open bar...... How can you go wrong? The happily married couple had arranged to have a photo booth set up in the foyer next to the bar. At the beginning of the night we all thought it was a bit strange. But after a few drinks, we truly appreciated all the fun that could be had. Basically, you hop in the booth with however many friends you want and have 4 photos taken- at the beginning of the evening we just smiled pretty for the camera. As the evening progressed, the photos got more "creative"..... Then you sign the back of 2 photos that you want to leave for the bride & groom and you get to keep the other 2 as a memento. It was really fun (and a bit crazy)! I'm sure Tyson & Marissa will get many laughs out of their photo collection.
By the end of the night, all the "Bryant Wives" were drinking "Dan Specials". Dan was the bartender that Jen had asked to come up with something different for her. Well whatever it was, we all loved it and kept going back for more.
When we got back to the room, Emma woke up and was screaming for some attention. I picked her up and she desperately wanted to nurse so I let her. And she slept through the night.... I kept checking on her from 6am on and she was sleeping soundly. *I'm glad to say that she woke up very happy at 8am (and didn't seem to have a headache....) Regardless, from that point on she's been sleeping through the night. Coincidence?- I'm not sure......
Sunday, June 29:
We took our time packing up on Sunday and joined friends for breakfast. We then headed to the pool for some splash time with Emma.
The Search for an Umbrella Stroller- take 2:
On our way to Clearwater Beach, we stopped off at Target to find an umbrella stroller and they didn't have any either. Fortunately, there was a Walmart across the street but we slowly learned that getting there wasn't an easy task.... The parking lots were horribly laid out both at Target and Walmart. We kept driving down dead end access aisles trying to find our way out. It was quite comical. Eventually we made it back to the main access aisle and waited at the same light to cross the street for 4 light cycles! Walmart's lot was just as poorly laid out but thankfully, we made it there and they had an umbrella stroller with Emma's name on it. Woohoo!
Then we were finally off to Clearwater Beach.
Monday, June 30:
The Beach:
Clearwater Beach was just as beautiful as I remember it from the days when I worked at Disney and used to head west with friends on the weekends.
We rented a cabana for the day and camped out from 9:30- 3:00 enjoying the sun, the shade, and the warm ocean water. We wouldn't have minded it being a bit cooler in the water so that maybe we could have actually cooled off a bit but at least we had the shade to go back to.
Tuesday, July 1:
The Pool:
The day started off cloudy which made for a comfortable few hours by the pool. Once the sun came out full strength, JP and Emma headed back to the hotel room for a break. I enjoyed some quiet time and actually managed to read a book uniterrupted.
Wednesday, July 2:
3 Hr Plane Trip Home becomes a 6 Hr Trip:
Due to severe thunderstorms in Boston just as we were preparing to begin our descent, the pilot announced that we were being diverted to Bradley Airport in CT to sit the storm out and refuel. We spent close to 3 hrs on the ground after repeatedly hearing from the pilot that we would be leaving shortly. Emma was relatively patient through the whole thing but JP's and my arms were very tired from her insistent bouncing up and down.
Kids happy to see Emma:
By the time we made it home, the kids were already in bed but weren't yet fast asleep so JP and I excitedly went up to say hi and give them all hugs and kisses. And what did we get in return? Not a single "I Missed You" to Mommy and Daddy but rather a bunch of "Oh, I Missed Emma!", "Oh, Emma's home!", "Oh, I Love You Emma!"
Princess Emma gladly reclaimed her throne ;)
July 3:
Like we never left:
After ten minutes of being with the kids Thursday morning, all memories of our relaxing vacation were quickly washed away and it was back to life as usual.
Time to pack for our next adventure- heading to the Cape for the 4th of July
Friday, June 27:
We woke up absurdly early at 3:45am in order to be ready for our car to pick us at 4:30am. Once we got to the airport and through security, Emma was ready for a drink.
The flight was thankfully uneventful, because I am not a big fan of flying. Emma slept for a good amount of it and didn't seem to bothered. After take-off, we asked the stewardess for a spoon to feed Emma her breakfast. She replied that she couldn't do that until all the dinners on the plane had been purchased because they only had enough silverware to go with the dinners. Keep in mind that neither JP nor myself were ordering a meal so realistically, shouldn't there be at least 2 available spoons on the plane? And wouldn't you think she'd want to appease a hungry child as opposed to having her start to scream on the plane? Apparently not. Fortunately, a kind passenger behind us gave us his spoon before there were any temper tantrums from Emma (or me).
When we were checking into the hotel, Emma received her first goodie bag- a Westin Kids Club bag with a rubber ducky, outlet covers, and a nightlight. She loved her ducky and gave him lots of kisses throughout the vacation. The outlet covers were also handy because Emma is a very fast, military crawling diva.... The nightlight was a bust however. I turned it on when we went to bed at 11:30pm and when Emma woke up at 3am, it was pitch black in the room because the batteries had already died.
On a positive note, that was the last time Emma woke up in the night*- Woohoo!
Be sure to catch the footnote to this under the June 28 entry...
Saturday, June 28:
After carrying Emma around for a day in the sweltering Florida heat, JP and I decided we needed to leave the air conditioned hotel and hit the road in search of an umbrella stroller. We mosied up the street to the trolley station and hopped aboard to go to Ybor since we'd been told there were lots of shopping places there. Unfortunately after a stroll through the village (did I mention the sweltering heat?) we did not find an umbrella stroller but a shop owner that we met thought that would be a great item to carry. So if you're ever in Ybor and need an umbrella stroller someday, you may have more luck than we did.....
The Nanny:
JP headed off to Tyson (JP's college suitemate from Bryant College)& Marissa's wedding while I stayed back at the hotel with Emma. We arranged to have a nanny watch Emma for us during the wedding reception which was held downstairs in the hotel. At 4:50 the nanny arrived, looking a bit haggard. I asked her a little about herself and she said she had just relocated from Oregon. Of course, the first thing that popped into my skeptical mind was- why did you leave Oregon? Did you have to leave? Are you running from the law??? I know the nanny service does extensive background checks but I was leary. After being at the cocktail hour for less than 10 minutes, I raced back to the room to make sure that Emma was still there (under the guise that I'd forgotten my camera). The nanny, Ros, had already changed Emma into her jammies and was rocking her while Emma drank her bottle. They both looked right at home so I went back to the reception a little more at ease. About an hour later, I checked on them one more time and Emma was fast asleep and Ros was just watching TV. Sigh of relief- all was well.
The Wedding Reception:
Thursday, June 26:
The wedding reception was a blast! We caught up with a bunch of friends that we haven't seen in a while. And it was open bar...... How can you go wrong? The happily married couple had arranged to have a photo booth set up in the foyer next to the bar. At the beginning of the night we all thought it was a bit strange. But after a few drinks, we truly appreciated all the fun that could be had. Basically, you hop in the booth with however many friends you want and have 4 photos taken- at the beginning of the evening we just smiled pretty for the camera. As the evening progressed, the photos got more "creative"..... Then you sign the back of 2 photos that you want to leave for the bride & groom and you get to keep the other 2 as a memento. It was really fun (and a bit crazy)! I'm sure Tyson & Marissa will get many laughs out of their photo collection.
By the end of the night, all the "Bryant Wives" were drinking "Dan Specials". Dan was the bartender that Jen had asked to come up with something different for her. Well whatever it was, we all loved it and kept going back for more.
When we got back to the room, Emma woke up and was screaming for some attention. I picked her up and she desperately wanted to nurse so I let her. And she slept through the night.... I kept checking on her from 6am on and she was sleeping soundly. *I'm glad to say that she woke up very happy at 8am (and didn't seem to have a headache....) Regardless, from that point on she's been sleeping through the night. Coincidence?- I'm not sure......
Sunday, June 29:
We took our time packing up on Sunday and joined friends for breakfast. We then headed to the pool for some splash time with Emma.
The Search for an Umbrella Stroller- take 2:
On our way to Clearwater Beach, we stopped off at Target to find an umbrella stroller and they didn't have any either. Fortunately, there was a Walmart across the street but we slowly learned that getting there wasn't an easy task.... The parking lots were horribly laid out both at Target and Walmart. We kept driving down dead end access aisles trying to find our way out. It was quite comical. Eventually we made it back to the main access aisle and waited at the same light to cross the street for 4 light cycles! Walmart's lot was just as poorly laid out but thankfully, we made it there and they had an umbrella stroller with Emma's name on it. Woohoo!
Then we were finally off to Clearwater Beach.
Monday, June 30:
The Beach:
Clearwater Beach was just as beautiful as I remember it from the days when I worked at Disney and used to head west with friends on the weekends.
We rented a cabana for the day and camped out from 9:30- 3:00 enjoying the sun, the shade, and the warm ocean water. We wouldn't have minded it being a bit cooler in the water so that maybe we could have actually cooled off a bit but at least we had the shade to go back to.
Tuesday, July 1:
The Pool:
The day started off cloudy which made for a comfortable few hours by the pool. Once the sun came out full strength, JP and Emma headed back to the hotel room for a break. I enjoyed some quiet time and actually managed to read a book uniterrupted.
Wednesday, July 2:
3 Hr Plane Trip Home becomes a 6 Hr Trip:
Due to severe thunderstorms in Boston just as we were preparing to begin our descent, the pilot announced that we were being diverted to Bradley Airport in CT to sit the storm out and refuel. We spent close to 3 hrs on the ground after repeatedly hearing from the pilot that we would be leaving shortly. Emma was relatively patient through the whole thing but JP's and my arms were very tired from her insistent bouncing up and down.
Kids happy to see Emma:
By the time we made it home, the kids were already in bed but weren't yet fast asleep so JP and I excitedly went up to say hi and give them all hugs and kisses. And what did we get in return? Not a single "I Missed You" to Mommy and Daddy but rather a bunch of "Oh, I Missed Emma!", "Oh, Emma's home!", "Oh, I Love You Emma!"
Princess Emma gladly reclaimed her throne ;)
July 3:
Like we never left:
After ten minutes of being with the kids Thursday morning, all memories of our relaxing vacation were quickly washed away and it was back to life as usual.
Time to pack for our next adventure- heading to the Cape for the 4th of July
The 4th of July
Every year we watch the Falmouth fireworks on Cape Cod from Grammy's friend's house who lives right on Falmouth harbor. It's a great spot, without any crowds so we can just let the kids run around without fear of losing them in the masses. As usual, Ethan, Kaitlyn & Kylie had a great time watching the fireworks despite a few bug bites. Emma loved the fireworks too and just stared into the sky with a marveling smile on her face.
Pics to follow soon....
Pics to follow soon....
The Not-so Glamorous Life of a Mom.........
This morning I woke up with plans to quietly sneak into the bathroom without the kids hearing me and then head back to bed to nurse Emma, who was sitting quietly in her crib, talking to her dollies.
On the way to the bathroom in a groggy and blind state, I stepped in poop. I then stumbled into the bathroom to find the toilet clogged with toilet paper and no toilet paper left on the roll. On one foot, I managed to unclog the toilet and hop back into the hallway to clean my foot off with a baby wipe. I then headed downstairs to get the carpet cleaner to rub the poop out of the rug.
So much for sneaking back to bed. I turned around in the kitchen to see 3 pairs of eyes greeting me, all wanting breakfast. I managed to get back up to Emma about 20 minutes later. And she was still chatting away with her dollies. She's such an easy and happy baby :) Good thing in this household!
On the way to the bathroom in a groggy and blind state, I stepped in poop. I then stumbled into the bathroom to find the toilet clogged with toilet paper and no toilet paper left on the roll. On one foot, I managed to unclog the toilet and hop back into the hallway to clean my foot off with a baby wipe. I then headed downstairs to get the carpet cleaner to rub the poop out of the rug.
So much for sneaking back to bed. I turned around in the kitchen to see 3 pairs of eyes greeting me, all wanting breakfast. I managed to get back up to Emma about 20 minutes later. And she was still chatting away with her dollies. She's such an easy and happy baby :) Good thing in this household!
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