National Air and Space Museum, Dulles

We visited the National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center in Dulles, VA. For some reason, Scott and I thought it would be a home-run and the kids would love it. We were wrong. They liked the one exhibit where they could get in a plane and practice with the controls, and that was about it.

Precious moments of happiness.

Seriously, isn't this amazingly cool!!! How could they not be impressed!

Early Winter - 2012

Zoe wrote the following note to us (punctuation and spelling all her own) to help kick off the winter season:

"How to make a snowman:

First: gather all the materials.
Second: Put the hat up on the head.
Third: Put the ribbon on the hat.
Fourth: Put the scarf on his neck."

Later, she added:

"Fifth: You put the arms on the body.
Sixth: Put your picture on the head." (Apparently, Zoe's teacher takes a picture of a child and then affixes it to the snowman's face.)

Even with little snow so far, we're jumping in to winter skates and skies first.  (And finding out whose gloves, ski pants and hats are too small before they really, really need them!)

Snow skiing with friends is way more fun than snow skiing alone.

Mia on the move.

Zoe and her pal before she headed up on the chair lift.

Cocoa to come.

Sophie eating as much as she can before it turns yellow.

Just goes to show that you don't need that much snow to make a snow angel.

Post ice-skating. Mia's face is poking out of the card board, and Zoe's on the side. Looking forward to more of this!

Sophie's face is poking out of the card board this time, and Zoe's giving the sign that she's ready for more.

We also got our share of light displays this winter. Bull Run was fun to drive through on a cold, wet night. Brookside Gardens is always pretty and has a great scavenger hunt at the train display. The Botanical Gardens never disappoint, and we like their scavenger hunt too. I am always so impressed with what they create out of plant materials too. Amazing talent. There were many fewer trains this year though. Zoo lights was done really, really well this year in my opinion. It helped that we were there on a great weather night, and there are lots of kids activities as well as the indoor animal houses and the lights. My favorite however was Meadowlark Gardens. The lights were spectacular. The hot apple cider at the end was yummy too.

The Botanical Gardens

Zoe and Mia delighted to be at Meadowlark Gardens.

Great Wolf Lodge - Winter 2012

Our second visit to Great Wolf Lodge was a ton of fun. Zoe and Mia are old enough to enjoy everything in the facility now. Last year, they liked the MagiQuest game that runs throughout the hotel, but this year they really understood it and played by the rules. 

We were also able to use nearly all the facilities. Sophie was big enough to go on the slides and loved them. We did the bigger raft rides, and Zoe and Mia were both able to balance their way across the monkey bars.

For whatever reason, they can't seem to serve quality food there and the beds aren't that comfortable, but the overall experience is fantastic for kids. 

Happy recipients of wolf ears.

In front of the holiday display. 

At the bedtime, pajama story time in the lobby.

At the end of the story time, during the holiday season, they have an extra show and then make the ceiling "snow".

Character wolf mascots visited during our stay. Sophie could not get enough of them.

Zoe about to pull a bucket of water on herself.

Sophie sliding. I was amazed that she was able to stay seated and went on her own. Way to go!

Doing a few arts and crafts before heading home.

Gymnastics

Sophie LOVES gymnastics. This is one of her favorite spots in the gymnastics studio.

Children's Museum

We tried out the new Children's Museum this past weekend. It seemed a little small to me, but the kids had a blast. We participated in a few story times and puppet shows. We also visited the Gaylord hotel and wandered through it's beautiful lobby. 

Sophie in the grocery section.

Zoe and Mia using the pulley to lift up cargo at the dock.

Button making

Sophie the fire fighter.

Class Holiday Fun

I'm the room parent in Zoe's class this year. I love being a room parent. (If only Mia's class had room parents...) For the holiday party in Zoe's class, we made ginger bread houses. The kids used small, clean and taped up milk cartons which we taped to plates as their base. Then they used icing to add the graham cracker sides, roof and all the candy decorations. It was a ton of fun.

Later, we took the kids to the Building Museum for a field trip. They had a lesson about communities and built all the buildings needed in a city. 

Zoe presenting her school building before placing it in the community. 

The finished community with all the different types of buildings spread out to allow for green space.

When we got back from the Building Museum, there was a school-wide holiday sing-a-long. I think we all could have used a nap by then, but it was a lot of fun.

Zoe is a happy camper in the middle of this sea of kids.

The McEnroe Family

We got a new packet of headbands, and you've all decided to wear them in the style a la John McEnroe. It's not necessarily a good look, but you wear it proud.

Hokie Pokie Sophie

Hope this video works. The kids has moves!

Farewell NaBloPoMo (and 24 hours in review)

Another NaBloPoMo has come and gone.

It's always a little surprising to me that for someone who feels like there's rarely a dull moment, I often scratch my head and wonder what to write about during this blog posting month. Today's a good example. I feel like I have zero to comment on or report. Of course, anyone who knows me knows that if they ask me about politics, Barbie, or any number of topics I can be off at the races. But, I'm usually not in the mood to get on my soap box(es) in this blog.

So, I've been sitting her scratching my head about what the heck to write about, and I decided to review my 'rarely a dull moment' past 24 hours.

Yesterday was a work-from-home day for me which usually means a solid mix of home-work activity.

My day started with my continued re-entry from my return from Houston the night before. I was eager to check in with my grandpa to see how he's doing, finish unpacking, catch up on work emails, work out, etc. (PS - My grandpa's story is a cautionary tale about the vulnerabilities of advancing age and being kind to your step-kids. Mom, feel free to share with Ed. ;) )

By 8:30AM, there were researchers at my house for me and Sophie to participate in a study about kids and technology. (Mini soap-box: I'm getting less interested in volunteering with this research group because it seems more of their work is about helping the technology reach younger kids vs. learning about the effects of technology on kids and learning.)

I had about 30 minutes to work and return calls before getting to my back doctor appointment. My back completely seized up and I was losing mobility over the past two weeks. Twice I almost collapsed at work with no warning. No good. I was so happy to learn that I didn't have any neural issues, but he said I needed a solid two weeks to get the inflammation down before we could go back to preventative efforts. (Wasn't I just talking about the "vulnerabilities of advancing age.")

I left the back appointment feeling relieved and a little better, ran home to return work calls and emails for about an hour, and then headed out to Chevy Chase, MD (because I'm a moron and decided to pick up a pair of shoes I tried on and liked and could have purchased easily earlier in the week but instead decided I hated shopping and didn't get them. Only later did logic sink in that I only have 20 pairs of shoes included slippers, sneakers, and Tevas, and I just gave several away with a big pile of GoodWill stuff. I needed shoes to wear to work today. DUH!). So off I went to the only store in the area that now had them, because the others I had tried on were sold.

On the way home (with snazzy new shoes in possession), a fellow moron hit my car. If it wasn't sad, it would have been an SNL skit. The woman who hit me 'wasn't quite right' which means she was a whack job. She kept climbing all over the inside of her car looking for her papers, set off her car alarm FOUR times in the process, lost her keys in her car for 30 minutes, kept accidentally stomping on the gas and revving her engine, etc. A homeless man came over to watch her spectacle. Even though it wasn't a bad accident and neither of us were hurt, we ended up needing to call a police officer for assistance because she would only take my insurance information and wouldn't give me hers (paranoid much?). The officer came, clearly stated it was her fault, pried her information out of her, and then let me leave (AN HOUR LATER).

I ran by the grocery store to pick up the ever-urgent bananas and a few other things and went home to cram in 20  minutes of agenda preparation for today's meetings. Then, off to pick up Zoe (with a snack or she turns in to Medusa - who does she get that from?), rush her to dance, drop her off, run to another appointment of mine while she's at dance, and then pick her up and head home.

I had the kids at bedtime while Scott went to play guitar (awesomeness). After doing homework with Zoe, reading time and playing, etc., they went to bed.

Then I re-focused on that work-life activity that I fluctuate between on work at home days.

I coordinated a meeting with 15 colleagues (who all also were on-line at that time - what's wrong with us?), did some meeting preparation for today and Monday events, set up the holiday party for Zoe's class (making gingerbread houses next Friday), bought a goat as a gift for her class (very fun), did all my client billing, balanced my check book, did a little research for Mia's birthday location next month, caught up on all my email, and who knows what else. I'm sure I left out a few things.

When Scott got home, we hung out together and caught up, went through the mail, and talked AGAIN about what the heck we're going to do the week the kids are out of school for the holidays. Lights out at 11:30 PM.

And, lights out on NaBloPoMo. Thanks as always to my Milk Mom friends who encourage this month of gabbing.

Kid Speak

When talking with Zoe about my trip to Houston, she asked about when we'll all go back to visit him. I told her that the whole family would go in June for his 98th birthday. Zoe responded:

"We can still celebrate him after he dies just like we celebrate Dr. Seuss every year on his birthday even though he's already died."

I think my grandpa would like the Dr. Seuss comparison.

___________________

Mia: "Mom, I love everything about you. (Pause) Except when you don't give me what I want."

___________________

When I came home, Scott and I were hugging. Zoe looked up at us and muttered in a disgusted tone of voice. "That's embarrassing!"

Grandpa Milton Visit - November 2012

If I ever feel like time is moving too fast at my house, I've found the remedy. Time moves very, very slowly at my Grandpa Milton's house these days. While he's usually feeling uncomfortable, he is still very social and alert and very much wants to be out and about even if his body is revolting. Having a visitor in town often helps his mind win the battle and out we go.

On our first afternoon, we went over to visit his wife for a couple of hours which is always the best medicine for him.

On our second afternoon, we went all out. We had lunch at his favorite cafeteria Luby's, and then went by his store which he thought looked fantastic. After a nap at home and some down time, we then went out to dinner with my couisin Dee Dee, his wife Lena and her daughter and boyfriend. This is pretty monumental because he rarely feels well enough to go out to dinner (even though he desperately wants to), and Lena will rarely leave her house and hasn't been out to dinner with him in a restaurant for probably close to a year. He was so excited it was palpable. Lena on the other hand was very uncomfortable being out, and it's unlikely she'll be willing to go out to dinner on too many more occasions. It was a memorable night for him.

Looking pretty dapper at 97!

I'm so happy that we were able to get around and do some of the things that really bring him pleasure and distract him a little bit from how lousy he feels. I also wish I were able to do it more often. He's typically in his apartment for days at a time with only the caregivers for company. That's a pretty lonely existance, especially when not feeling well. I'm sorry I can't be there more often. I also wish his caregivers knew the grandpa that I grew up with . He was so silly, always telling jokes. He was a romantic and doting husband to my grandma. He was an adventurer who loved to travel. I try to tell them about him and engage them in those conversations with him.

This is a decoration in his guest bathroom. Someone gave him the little butler as a gift years ago, and he thought it was funny to write the note "Please Seat Yourself" and put it in the bathroom. It perfectly demonstrates his and my grandma's spunky sense of humor.

After a very long couple of days, it was great to come home to my little ladies. I had missed them so much. They had decorated the walls with cards and pictures which all had different versions of "Welcome home mommy. Love Zoe, Mia, Sophie and Dad. I love you. PS. I love you."

Fall Leaves

The last of the leaves are coming down, giving us just what we needed for one more huge leaf pile. We made this leaf pile just for jumping in on the day after Thanksgiving. So tempting.

Zoe and Sophie

Mia

Sophie

Cuddle Time with Dad

When it happens, I love lazy mornings at home.

Houston Visit

I'm going to visit my great grandfather in Houston, Texas tonight. These trips are always taken with mixed emotion.

I feel so lucky that I'm able to go visit him and be supportive. He's not enjoying being a 97 year old man whose body isn't cooperating with his ambitions. I'm grateful that I can be there with him and help him have some fun and some comfort. We usually talk a lot and mostly hang out. If he's feeling up to it, we'll go out to eat, maybe a doctor's appointment, and even a trip to the family costume and display store. If he's not feeling great, we can still take a walk to the end of the hall, look at pictures, or just sit and hold hands.

As much as I'm happy to be going, it's also not a very easy trip. Aside from the emotional part of the visit in Houston, it's also hard to leave my family. I'll spend part of today preparing dinners for Scott, lunch for the kids, organizing back packs and homework, etc. But mostly I feel lousy leaving them and leaving Scott to take care of them solo for a couple days.  It also takes a bit of courage to navigate my way all over Houston from the airport, to my family's store, and my grandpa's apartment, and his wife's apartment, and the hotel, etc. often with him as a passenger. (Yes, he and his wife have separate places. That's another story.)

This morning he was feeling really well and very excited for our visit. He doesn't realize I arrive tonight because it'll be too late for me to go to his apartment. He'll see me first thing tomorrow. We'll make our plans one minute at a time.

Basketball Game

We scored some last minute box seats with Scott's company to the Hoya game today. We're not particularly big Hoya fans, but it was a really fun game. Sophie couldn't get over her excitement with the dog mascot, and Zoe and Mia were really interested in learning the rules of the game.

Thanksgiving 2012

Grandma Barbara and Grandpa Ed visited us this year for Thanksgiving. We went swimming, played in the leaves, cooked together, and did a Turkey Trot. 

For the actual meal, we went all out as usual. We always make too much food to be sure there are left overs. This year, we introduced you to one of my Thanksgiving traditions from childhood. My mom used to put out a bowl of olives with the appetizers. The kids would put them on their fingers and carry on weird food puppet shows. No sooner had we put out a bowl of olives were they on your fingers.

We read some of your favorite books, and you got to wear some new fun clothes Grandma brought.

There was plenty of time for cuddling and more puppet shows after dinner.

Puppet Show

 Happy Thanksgiving!