{vacation}

Our trek across the world is nearly over. OK, it's only across a couple states, but it sure feels like we've driving to Japan and back. Is that possible?

We had a lot of fun at Nani and Poppy's and I'm sure they're going to need time to recuperate now that we've left. Actually, the kids did pretty well while we were there. There wasn't a whole lot of DON'T TOUCH THAT, IT'S BREAKABLE or STOP RUNNING IN NANI'S HOUSE or DON'T USE CRAYONS IN THE LIVING ROOM! They kept themselves pretty busy. Uncle Randy and Aunt Jo-ann came for dinner one night, too. Gerard and Morgan were both pretty tired by that time and unfortunately there was more than the usual SIT DOWN WHILE YOU EAT and DON'T MAKE THOSE NOISES and EAT OVER THE TABLE! Overall it was a very nice visit, and well worth the trip. I'm just sorry I didn't take any pictures with Nani.












We left Nani and Poppy's on Wednesday morning and had a chance to meet up with Lynn and Mary K. Lynn had the brilliant idea to meet at a McDonald's Playland. Not my favorite cuisine, but the kids sure appreciated it and had so much fun. It also gave us a LOT more time to sit and chit chat. The kids were so happy to be out of the car and running around, we probably could have stayed for hours. Wait. We DID stay for hours. We could have stayed for MORE hours then. I brought my camera in, but was totally preoccupied with all the gossiping and catching-up, that I totally forgot to take any pictures. Bummer.

Both Lynn and Mary K gave the kids presents that were PERFECT for the car. Gerard spent some time "writing his book" in the notebook from Lynn and Morgan loved the Dora dress-up book from Mary K. My favorite kinds of gifts -- ones that keep them busy and quiet! (Oh, the Teddy Grahams helped a bit too!) THANKS!!



Since we were already there, we decided to take a slight detour and drive past our old house. Yup, still there. It needs a good lawn-mowing and the landscaping needs some work, but it's still there. We even stopped across the street to say hi to Mrs. S but she wasn't there. She would have loved to have seen Gerard and meet Morgan. Oh well. Next time. I left her a note...




From there we drove to Granpa G and Mima's house where we also got to see Aunt Elizabeth and eat some pizza. Gerard was sad that their cat died... he was really looking forward to a good chase. He got over that quickly, as Mima and Granpa G had some cool toys for him to play with. Of course, I think Mima ended up putting the race car together after Gerard had given up. Something about a zillion unmarked pieces must've intimidated him.

Thursday was one of our busier days. We first went to see Patti and Dick. Of course Gerard was excited to see the fish, play their piano and play with the magnetic thing in the family room. (What would you call that, Patti?) They had presents for the kids, too. Nothing like a good tiara for our little princess and some Bendaroos for both of them. THANKS!! Gerard promptly made stuff out of the Bendaroos, like a fire for roasting marshmallows. Very cute. Patti took these pictures (Patti, I got them from my mom, thanks!)




It was nice seeing them, and luckily I remembered to take some pictures. I figured Arleen would kill me if I didn't take any.



We left Patti and Dick's and went to Wegmans. HALLELUIAH. HALLELUIAH. Can't you just hear the bells from heaven? We picked up the necessities, like a half dozen bottles of Salamida's State Fair Spiedie Sauce. The cashier thought Gerard was a bit nuts, but who cares!

Then we went to Stephanie and Craig's house for some good food, good friends and good swimming. As expected the kids played wonderfully, even though it's been YEARS since they've seen each other. In fact, Natalie was ONE when we saw her last, and Morgan wasn't even born yet!

Morgan and Natalie enjoyed the sandbox. Or should I say mudpit. Natalie dug her way to China and Morgan was kind enough to jump into the hole. I think the pictures will speak for themselves. And Morgan's bathing suit that I worked so hard to get clean (thanks for the OxyClean, Jayna!) is now a filthy mess again. Ahh, to be a kid again.







Ethan and Gerard fell right into a routine like it was old times. They swam in the pool and Gerard even jumped off the diving board and then they spent a lot of time in the hot tub, chit-chatting like old men.





From Stephanie's we all headed over to Laura's for dinner. It was a bit chaotic with 6 adults and 7 kids under the age of 7, but we had fun nonetheless. It was nice to see Laura, Derek, Christian and Noah, but it was especially nice to meet baby Grace finally. I can't believe this is the only picture I took!



Today we hung out with Mima, Granpa G and Aunt Elizabeth. The weather didn't look promising at first so we stayed at their house for a while, but once the sun came out we went to Godfrey's pond for some lunch and fishing. BOTH kids caught fish and had a blast, and I took lots of pictures, but I'm too tired to post them all now. I'll do it soon, I promise! Goodnight for now!

{i need friends}

Stalkers. Lurkers. Peeping toms. Show yourselves! Leave a comment on my blog. Please!? Pretty please? It makes me feel special.

I know you are out there. I know that the 12,000+ blog views aren't all from my mother. OK, maybe half of them are. And another quarter I can attribute to Debbie, Robyn, Patti and Arleen. That leaves lots of readers unaccounted for!

Come out, come out wherever you are!

{on the road}

Day 4 into our trip. LOTS of driving, of course. The kids have both been surprising well-behaved in the car. On Friday we were in the car for about 8 1/2 hours, including a dinner break and a few bathroom breaks.

Saturday was more of the same. We got a late start because big Gerard had to visit Steelers heaven, aka The Steelers Outlet Store. He has been DYING to go to there since he found out about its existence. Several hours and several dollars later, we hit the road. We lost another hour when we hit this:

It went on for about 4 miles.

I’d rather be stuck behind this accident than IN it. We saw the car getting carted away -- it hit and slid under an 18-wheeler and a girl was pinned in it for 90 minutes. Not a pretty sight.

Once again, both kids were great in the car.

Once we got to Nani and Poppy’s house, it was late and past their bedtime. Gerard kindly read to Morgan before they hit the hay.

The next day we jumped in the car again and drove to Aldine and Jeff’s. Gerard asked if we were going to drop him off for his playdate with Eliya and Noah. He was shocked when I told him that it was actually MY PLAYDATE because I was friends with Aldine before he was friends with Eliya. The look on his face said “WHAT? MOMMY HAD A LIFE BEFORE ME???”

The weather was pretty crummy when we first got there, but as soon as the sun broke free we headed to the pool. Morgan had fun in the little wading pool and Gerard had fun watching Eliya jump off the diving board into the deep end. He was so impressed!

They were probably most excited to get ice cream after swimming. Nothing like Spiderman and Dora on a stick to brighten a day!

Eliya had fun dressing Morgan up. Morgan had more fun GETTING dressed up.

We had a very nice time visiting them. Thanks for lunch and dinner, guys! Of course I waited until the last possible moment to try to get a picture of all the kids. Not too smart waiting until they were all too tired to keep their eyes open. Nothing like asking 4 tired and cranky kids to pose nicely on the couch and SMILE!

{vacation}

Start spreading the news. We're leaving today. We want to be a part of it, New York, New York!

We'll be out of town for 10 days to see Nani and Poppy, Mima, Granpa G and Aunt Elizabeth, and a few friends if we can squeeze it all in. (Patti, if you're around Thursday the 30th we'll PROBABLY be in Buffalo that day and we would love to stop by to say hello!)

My postings may be limited -- I'll have my laptop but I don't know if I'll have internet access everywhere. I'll at least post lots of pictures when we get back!

{the answers}

Gerard was truly upset about not going to the park and having to cancel his playdate today. He was initially very sad about not getting a popsicle. But he was MOST upset that I made him clean his room. His WHOLE room. And that does NOT mean pushing everything under his bed. Or in his closet. Or hiding it behind his pillow. And YES, I will check under his bed, in his closet, and behind his pillow. I am SO mean!

And while Morgan was amused that someone got to stick a large Q-tip down Gerard's throat, was interested in the feet passing by the window in the door, and enjoyed coloring on the exam table and eating MOST of her ice cream, she is ALWAYS most excited about her pretty princess shoes. She is such a girly girl!

{poor dude}

Gerard was still sick today. His fever was down to around 100 this morning but he complained of a sore throat. His glands were a bit swollen and his tonsils were red and swollen, so I took him to the doctor.

The rapid strep test came back negative, but we'll have to wait a day or so to find out about the throat culture.

Time for a pop quiz. Gerard was most upset today about:

(a) having to get his throat swabbed

(b) the doctor's office being out of popsicles

(c) having to cancel our park playdate today when Luke was supposed to come into town

(d) having to cancel his playdate tomorrow

(e) having to clean his room


Morgan was most excited today about:

(a) watching someone stick something down Gerard's throat

(b) watching people through the window in the door at the doctor's office

(c) coloring on the exam table paper at the doctor's office

(d) her pretty shoes

(e) getting ice cream since the doctor's office was out of popsicles


I'll leave you to ponder....

{pretty things}

Morgan and I both got pretty little things. I bought these pretty earrings at a local craft show this weekend. The picture doesn't do them justice. Trust me, they make my ears look faaaabulous.

Morgan loves Minnie Mouse. She was tickled pink (or in this case purple) when she saw the pretty dress that Grandma Andrea made her. Doesn't she look cute?

Poor Gerard. All he got was a 103 degree fever. Motrin made him feel better. That, along with doing nothing but watch TV all day. He took a break from TV to play in his room and surprisingly he took out his old Thomas the Tank Engine stuff. He hasn't played with that stuff in AGES. In fact, I was thinking of selling it all on Craigslist. We've invested a small fortune in Thomas. We probably could've funded his college education if it weren't for his Thomas obsession. Know anyone who likes Thomas and doesn't mind withdrawing from their 401K? We've got everything a little boy could dream of! Anyway, he and Morgan actually played very nicely together today.

His fever was down to 99 by the time he went to bed, so I'm hoping this was a short-lived illness. We're supposed to go to the park tomorrow!

Oh, and speaking of pretty things, Morgan's pretty bathing suit appears to be a lost cause after yesterday's trip to the beach. Anyone have any good tips for removing mud stains from clothing?

{woo hoo}

Check THIS out!

{the beach}

It's official. I have become THAT MOM. You know the one. The one who screams "GERARRRRRRD! CUT THAT OUT!" from 100 yards away. The one who says "Sure. Go ahead and eat that. It was only on the ground for 10 seconds." The one who allows her 2 year old to run naked in public. Yes. THAT MOM.

Luckily today I was not alone. I was in THAT MOM Mecca. The Beach. When one of THE MOMS yelled "STOP THROWING SAND AT YOUR SISTER" all the kids stoppped and looked. Whose mom said that? Did MY mom see me? And the good news is that ALL the kids who were throwing sand at their sisters stopped.

We had a lot of fun today. We were at the beach for about 4 1/2 hours and I think Gerard left the lake twice: to eat and to pee. Apparently he should have left three times though -- he told us tonight that he peed in the lake once. I'm proud it was only once. I am THAT MOM, remember.

Morgan had a ball, too. She was covered in sand and mud from head to toe and EVERYWHERE in between so I did what any good THAT MOM would do when it was time to leave -- I stripped her down, rinsed her out in the lake, and carried her to the car.

Both kids fell asleep in the car immediately.

Goodnight! THIS MOM is tired!

{he means well}

Most of my blogging is about the kids, so I thought I'd try out a different subject today.... Big Gerard.

* * * * * * * * * * *

I love my husband. He's a great dad and a great friend.

He kills the bugs that find their way into the house. He usually wipes the blood stains from the walls/floors/furniture.

He takes out the trash and almost never has to be reminded when it's garbage day.

His clothes almost always make it into the hamper.

He can fix almost anything, even if it means fixing the squeaking dryer by placing a used fabric softener sheet between the drum and the wall of the dryer, something that I'm sure our local fire chief would cringe at.

He starts any project I ask him to start. I'll let you know when he finishes them.

He happily runs to the store when I realize I forgot the hotdog buns to go with the hotdogs I'm making for dinner. He doesn't complain that we are having hotdogs AGAIN this week. He also has an innate ability to find 87 other things while he's at the store...things he thinks we just MUST have. Little does he know we already had 86 of those things at home from his last trip to the store.

He also happily runs to the store to fill the propane tank that he swears he filled just last week. Or at least he was thinking about filling it last week.

He never complains about my cooking. He doesn't think I can tell that he's holding his breath while he eats and I pretend not to notice when he eats a bag of dark chocolate peanut m&ms after the kids go to bed.

He is the official bath-giver. It's magical. The kids go in dirty and come out clean. The floor starts off dry and clean and ends up a sopping puddle of mud. Magical.

He says excuse me when he farts. I'd prefer it if he excused himself before he farted, but hey, I guess I can't have everything!

Thanks for all you do, honey!

{camp tire-him-out}

Anyone want to contribute to Gerard's camp fund? He loved camp this week and I loved that he fell asleep by 7:30 most nights this week, too. As promised in their brochure, they kept him safe and sent him home dirty and tired. Very dirty. And very very tired. We'll be sending him for another week in August. We're ALL excited.

It was camp the way camp should be.

They swam every day. He came home smelling of sunscreen and lake.

He canoed. He thought it was totally cool that he and his boat-mate capsized.

He climbed the rock wall. He certainly doesn't have my fear of heights.

They jumped on the trampoline in the lake. Again, no fear.

He learned how to shoot a bow and arrow. Can't say I'm a big fan of that one. The last thing he needs is more weaponry skills.

They hiked through the woods. He came home smelling of bug spray. He also came home with about a dozen mosquito bites.

They sang songs, did some arts and crafts (the boondagle/lanyard sure brought back memories), and played lots of games. He loved everything about it.

Thursday was Family Night and we got to go and experience a little bit of camp. We only had time to try out archery and see the lake before we had to leave -- he had swimming class last night, too.

Gerard totally played the part for DRESS LIKE A ROCK STAR DAY today. He had everything necessary to be a totally cool rocker:

Spiky hair? Check.

Cool shades? Check.

Lots of tattoos? Check.

Tattered jeans? Check.

Awesome guitar? Check.

Bad attitude? Check.

Just kidding about the bad attitude. Mostly.

And yes, even rock stars eat breakfast.

One of his favorite games at camp is called Ga-Ga. I had never heard of it but big Gerard had. The kids stand in what can only be described as a pen. (Can I get one of those for home?) Then somebody hits a ball with his hand and tries to hit the legs of one of the other kids. (Again, can I get one of those for home?) If a kid can't get out of the way in time and gets hit with the ball, he's out. They play until only one person is left and then they start all over again. And again. And again. And again. I tried to take pictures each day, but none of them really turned out. Since today was his last day, I'll have to post the pics I have.