Mommy's Cruise Weekend

So, I'm super duper excited - I am leaving for a sunny 3-day Caribbean cruise very early tomorrow with my wonderful friend, Ann. We are going from Miami to some island in the Bahamas to Nassau (again, Bahamas) and back to Miami. But, we will have a solid 3 days to hang-out, chat, read, sleep, eat, and drink as much as we want without children or spouses. How awesome is that?!

Not that I don't love my children or my spouse - it's because I love them that I know I really need to leave them at least once a year. Being a stay-at-home mom, you don't get a lot of "me" time - there are no vacation days, no sick days. And, I really think everyone needs me time - I really don't think any more need be said as most of you are probably agreeing with me. I also think couple time is really important, especially when you have children - it's a little weird as this is the first vacation in over 3 years that I've taken without Brent. We really value couple time and the vacations we've taken together to reconnect without our kids. At the same time, it's really exciting to know I'm going to spend some quality time reconnecting with Ann.

I have to admit I'm a little nervous at the idea of Brent alone for 3 days with our kids - I know he'll do a great job, but still . . . . He's never done this before. I figure he'll have a new appreciation for me when this vacation is over. Not that he's not a wonderful dad, because he is and does a great job with the kids. But, this should give him insight into what I do when he has to go on business trips and there's no relief in sight at 6 pm. :)

I should end this posting as we all have to head to the airport for a 7:30 flight (Brent's a travel Nazi and thinks I should be there by 6 to check-in -- I honestly don't envy the day he'll have after getting the kids up that early - no one should have to deal with that). Wish Brent and the kids luck and be totally jealous of my fun trip! I'll tell you all about it when I get back! :)

School and Soccer Updates

I was hoping to have a picture for this one, but it's just not in the cards tonight. Sorry.

First - the school update. Will is loving school and is doing really well. He always gets a smiley face report card at the end of the day. And, Tuesday, one of his teachers called as a courtesy to let me know that he's always smiling and laughing, and chatting and playing well with the other kids. She said he's a delight and we love having him in our class. As a parent, that's just so exciting to hear - we're so darn proud of him - who wouldn't be? :) Today, in the car-pool pick-up line, the other teacher put him in our car and told me "Today was all smiles." He's done some crafts lately too - a real first for him since I could never really get him to sit still long enough to color, ect. Tuesday he used finger paint and made a W - he complained to me later that there weren't any brushes. I guess he's taking after Jerry and wants to be neat. He's always excited about the train table and cars at school and today talked about playing in the gym with Coach Good (that's really the guys name). I'm so excited he loves school.

We finally had a sunny day today, after much gloom, and I decided to surprise Will when we picked him up with a picnic at the zoo. The kids really liked it and it was nice to hit the zoo at a different time of day. There were fewer people (thanks to early naps) and the animals were doing different things too. The lemurs were running around and playing (Madagascar, the movie, anyone?) and we saw the baby orangutan, Baby Bob, climb up the ropes and swing around while his parents napped. It was awesome and the kids really liked it too! From there, we went to the playground and hung out for a little while. It was just nice to be out again (even if it was super muggy).

Now - soccer update. We were late today, as Brent was wrapping up some stuff (see next blog for details), but that's OK. Will just missed the warm-up and he really doesn't do much of that anyway. I was pretty worried how he would do, since I had to wake him up from a nap and that puts him in a terrible, whiney, awful child mood. But, armed with a milkshake bribe, he readily joined in the rest of the kids for running. After running, they worked on stopping the ball again today in little groups. Then, they broke off into two groups to kick the ball into the net with small kicks again. It's so funny for kids to watch the "small kicks" idea - they mostly just want to kick the ball as hard as they can and get it in the net. Will had several tries and did a good job. He was rewarded on the way home with a milkshake. :)

After our busy day, both kids tuckered out early tonight, which is good - we all have a very early morning tomorrow to get Mommy on an airplane.

Soup of the Week

We've had a bit of a cold front here (for SC at least) and it's been a bit gloomy outside with lots of rain. So, I decided to take a page from my Grandpap's book and started making soup. My grandpap (my mom's dad) is a great cook - his house always smells like homemade bread, soup, garlic, and onions. It just always smells like home and is very comforting. With the gloom and rain, I was craving a bit of comfort and went for soup. And, since I've liked every single one of the soups I've made, I've decided to share:

Turkey and Black Bean Soup from Food and Wine's Quick from Scratch One-Dish Meals Cookbook (seriously, this is the best cookbook - I use it all the time and it has the best, easiest recipes) -- http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/turkey-and-black-bean-soup
-- I actually made this without the turkey, and it was excellent; it's Brent's favorite of all the ones I've made lately. I also added some frozen corn (about half a bag) - I love corn.

Lentil and Spinach Stew
- I got this one from Kristi a long time ago (when she lived in NC) so I have no idea where it came from. It's very healthy and hearty and I love spilling balsamic vinegar on the top when you serve it. If anyone wants this recipe, just let me know and I'll write it down in a later post.

Corn Chowder from the all-time classic Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook (don't tell me you all don't have this one) - http://www.bhg.com/recipe/soups/potato-corn-chowder/
- Super fast and full of flavor. I added some Old Bays seasoning to the soup to perk it up a bit without adding much heat and think that next time I'd add garlic (cuz garlic makes almost anything taste better).

Moroccan-Style Chickpea Soup from the new classic America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (thanks again, Mark - I love this book!)
- Will helped me make this one, so that was a lot of fun (I let him stir things). Still didn't make him want to eat it though. For me, this one was just OK - I think it needs something but I'm not sure what. Brent quite liked it though (which is good because it's part of his menu plan for this weekend when I'm away). If anyone wants this recipe, again, just let me know and I'll put it in a later post.

I'm not sure what I'll be making next week (I'm game for suggestions if anyone has a favorite), but I'll keep you posted!

Soccer Super Star

Isn't that the most handsome soccer player ever? :) And, as hard as it is to believe, he actually got himself into that pose AND I actually had the camera ready to snap it. Never in a million years would it happen if I actually tried to set that up. Good stuff!

This past Thursday we had our 3rd soccer practice, under threat of rain - it's been quite gloomy and rainy lately here in Greenville. We were very glad the rain held off, though, as Will did awesome! I was very glad too, as I did this practice solo (Brent had to go to TN for work).

First, he ran out when Coach Jim blew the whistle and
actually stayed out there to stretch and warm-up; something he hasn't done with soccer yet. Yeah - progress.

Then, the kids split up by age again and headed to the fence to run. And, he ran! Every time.



Towards the end, it was really cute because he'd be one of the first ones up to "give five" before heading back to the fence. But, instead of pushing to get to the coach, he waited his turn (so he was almost last) before doing it and heading back. Then, when he got back to the fence, he was giving the other kids five and cheering for them. It was so cute and I am so proud off him.

The next part was new - the coaches throw a ton of balls in the middle of the little field and told each kid to go get one. They were supposed to use "little kicks" to get the ball into the net.

Will did great with this (which is surprising since last week, when they introduced the little kick idea, he was kicking the ball as hard as he could). Except . . . he headed for the wrong goal. I thought he had some good logic though -- all the other kids were mobbing the one goal and he headed toward the one that was free and clear. The coach got him turned around and he cheered when he got it the goal. They did this a couple more times and it was pretty funny watching all the kids run to balls and then mob the little goal.

The final lesson of the evening was stopping the ball and passing. Will was in a group of 4 and was too busy talking and playing with his neighbor to worry about listening to the coach. He did stop the ball and pass it back to the coach when it was his turn, but that was about it.

He had a great time and I really hope this coming week goes just as well. We'll keep you updated!

Sofia Stories

We've been hearing an awful lot about Will lately, so I thought I'd mention what Fi's been doing. First off, she's now 16 months old and here are her latest stats (as of her 15 month check-up):
Weight: 25 lbs 13.5 oz (81%)
Height: 32 3/4 inches (98%)
So, she's still a really tall girl. She's more or less in 18 month clothes now. (Don't worry family - I'll keep you updated on her sizes as Xmas gets closer; I'm thinking she'll be in 24 months by then though.)

Her vocabulary just keeps growing. She can say the following: Mama, Dada, Hi, Yeah, Ni-nite, Up, and Go
And, she knows the following animal noises/sounds:
Baa (her favorite - you ask her what a sheep says and she practically screams it), Bock-bock (her other favorite - anytime she sees a chicken in a book, on tv, or a stuffed one she gets all excited and laughs while she makes the noise), Moo, Woof, and Oink. She also says tick-tock when she sees a clock. She also understands so much (let's go Fi's room, let's go, come here, no (not her favorite), and so many others) - it's wonderful! We're really having a lot of fun.


She's finally started defending herself from Will too. At first, she was biting (about 3 months ago) but we got her to stop that. So, now, when he takes something or tackles her, she hits him on the head. We think it's pretty funny (although we tell her no) because most of the time it's deserved. Will's finally getting the idea and doesn't take things quite so often now.

One recent story to share -- we got her a little plastic horse the other day at the store (because Will was getting a present for being a good boy at school). It's like a little model for a farm. She put it on the ground so it was standing and then backed up over it like she was going to ride it. As she got closer to it, it fell over. She did it like 3 times and it was super funny.

She also like to take all the throw pillows off the couch and then back up to sit on them. She'll sit there and laugh, or she'll stand and dance, or she'll lay on it and hug the pillow. It's pretty funny - she gets such a kick out of it that she laughs the whole time.

She's becoming a dancing queen too. When Will was little, he would move his left arm back and forth as he danced (I never got it on video - he'd always stop when he saw the camera and I wasn't sneaky enough). Sofia bends her knees and bops up and down, then she does circles, and then she stomps her feet. I love it! When I pick her up to dance with her, she laughs; when I tell her it's Will's turn, she clamps her little legs around my waist so I can't put her down. We have a great time.

That's all for now - I'll jot down more stories as they happen and let you know.

School Days

Will has started school - I can't believe it. He is attending The Academy (sounds fancy, right?) of the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Greenville on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 - 12.

Two Fridays ago (the 4th), he went for orientation (top picture). Fi and I walked him to his room where he met his teachers, Mrs. O'Neal and Mrs. Leaphart, and showed him his locker and his new school bag. We watched while he started playing (at the train table, of course) and started meeting some of his classmates. Then, we told him we'd be back. Fi and I went to the "Sip and Sob" room where all the other parents were waiting for the hour to be over. Fi charmed the other parents and we all talked about our kids starting school.

We went back to pick him up and he was having a great time. He spent the rest of the day at home talking about school and asking to go back. We took this as a good sign.



After waking up every day of Labor Day weekend asking to go to school, Tuesday finally came. Will couldn't wait - he came to get us saying, "It's school today." He immediately wanted to get dressed and actually ate a good breakfast (we told him he needed energy for school). The rest of us got ready with lightening speed (for us in the mornings at least) and we left at 8:30 to head to school.

Feeling very nervous and excited (like it was the first day of school for me), we all walked him to his room. He put his bag in his locker and barely looked back. We gave him a hug and told him we'd see him soon. And, then, we left - I'm getting all choked up and Brent says, "My heart is breaking." It almost pushed me over the edge towards tears, but I held off.

Sofia was not as excited about her alone time with me as I thought she'd be - the car ride home she was just so upset, like she was wondering where he was. At home, she was Ok and had fun playing with us. We kept watching the clock to see when we could go and pick Will up.

We got to school way too early and played with Sofia in the courtyard until it was time to get Will. They have a nice line-up system and they bring your child out when you tell them your name (alternatively, there is a car pool line and you have a car tag with your last name). Will was super excited and started telling us all about his day - playing with the dump truck in the sandbox at the playground, playing with trains, and making crafts with snipping scissors. He didn't want to stop for me to take his first day of school picture (the bottom one).

He had a great time and couldn't wait to go back. He got a good report card (they send a little note home every day so you know how things went) - it said he was a great sharer, a good listener, and respected his teachers. Wow! We were so proud and excited he liked school - we hope he continues to love school and learning for the rest of his life.

Busy Thursday

Two weeks ago (yes, I know I'm behind again), we started into the busy schedule that plagues all parents with school age children. I never thought it would start at the age of 3 though.

So, this particular Thursday (the 3rd), we had our first day of soccer and, at almost the same time, we had our first parent orientation at Will's preschool. We were very torn on what to do, especially since the parent invite specified PARENTS ONLY. Luckily, we were able to enlist our close relatives - Jerry's cousin, Barry, and his wife, Kathy.




They willingly signed up for this odd babysitting assignment that went something like this:
- drive to their house with both our cars (to save moving the kid seats around)
- drive to soccer for 5:15 sign-in
- watch Will play soccer while keeping an eye on Sofia
- Brent and I leave around 5:45 for our 6:00 school date
- Barry and Kathy take the kids back to their house when soccer ends at 6:30
- Brent and I leave school at 6:30
- eat pizza at Barry and Kathy's house

So, the first part of the plan worked out really well. Will got ready to play soccer and was dragging Kathy around with him. He didn't want to warm-up (shocker, I know) until Kathy offered to go with him. They got ready to run (memories of t-ball) and Sofia decided that she wanted to run around. She and Barry had a great time poking sticks through the fence. With Fi distracted and Barry and Kathy still game, Brent and I made a run for it.

We were told later, over pizza, that Will decided to participate fully after we left and had a great time. And, that Sofia did not miss us one bit (which is awesome!)

Brent and I met Will's two teachers - Mrs. Leaphart and Mrs. O'Neal. Mrs. Leaphart seems touchy feely and Mrs. O'Neal seems more no-nonsense, so we were pleased with the balance we thought would be in the room. We knew Will would love his room - there was a truck area, a train table, a play kitchen area, a carpeted library area, and then little table and chairs for crafts. Then, there were little lockers - his had his picture in it with his name. We had a great orientation and were very excited (and very nervous) about his first day (which is coming in the next postings).

All in all, it was a very busy day and we are very grateful that Barry and Kathy were there to help out - thanks again, guys!

Atlanta Side Note

Aside from all the fun we had in Atlanta, another great thing happened. Will FINALLY figured out when he needed to go poop in the potty and he did it ALL BY HIMSELF!!!! It was amazing, and just in time for preschool to start. I'm not sure what finally made it all click, but he went all weekend. And, he's been doing it ever since - even when he had a mild case of diarrhea. He even went without any help while I was in the bathroom. It's a total turn around and we're totally geeked (and such parents!) We're all very, very excited and proud.

Weekend in Atlanta

This past weekend (the one before the long Labor Day weekend) we decided to take a long weekend and head to Atlanta for our trip a month plan. We left Thursday night after nap time and made the easy drive. It was only 2 and half hours, so it was much shorter than the drive to the beach. We got to our hotel (thanks, Marriott points) and were happily upgraded to a two-bedroom suite with a little kitchen. This was optimal for getting the kids to bed - I hope we can do this in the future. After a late, quick dinner of McDonald's (surprise, surprise) we hit the hay as we had 10 am tickets for the aquarium.

True to form, the kids woke us up around 7:30. It was pouring outside, but since we had an inside day planned, it was no big deal. Until I went back into our room and the roof was leaking - awesome! You could see the bad patch work where the leak was - guess this happened before. Great! We immediately called down to the front desk and they sent someone up.





He told us we were getting a new room (duh!) so we started frantically packing to try to move to the new room and still leave before 9:30. They didn't get the room ready in time, but the woman at the front desk said it wouldn't be a problem to keep both room keys. So, we headed off to the aquarium.

We got there and actually met two sisters from Farmington Hill - the one sister lived in Atlanta and the other was visiting with her family. Funny thing - they both went to North Farmington High School and one of them had Jerry for a teacher. They both remembered Jerry - too funny! Just makes you think what a small world it really turns out to be.

The Georgia Aquarium is the largest one in the world. After going through it, I totally believe it. And, I have to say it is totally awesome! They have several different galleries, all off a central node so that you always come back out where you started (very good plan).

We started with the Georgia waters section - there was a great touch pool, a turtle window, and a great play area with a slide that ended in a whale's mouth. From there, we went to the Asian waters area. The coolest part of this exhibit were the fish and trees above you - they were just swimming all over. And, there was a really cool crocodile section too (they could have been alligators - I don't know how to tell the difference).

Then, we went to the Cold water area. Sofia got really brave here - we let her out of the stroller for a bit and she barged in front of some people to sit right in front of the kelp window. It was hilarious. She kept touching the glass every time a fish came near her. Then we saw giant crabs, beluga whales (they were playing - it was awesome), sea horses, and otters. A very fun gallery! We headed down for some lunch before the movie.

We went to a 3-D animated movie (the kids and my first one) all about fish and the sea (think Finding Nemo here). It had a very, very green message (a little overly so for their young audience in my opinion) but the 3-D effects (bubbles, strings, and air) were really cool and so was all the singing. Will didn't like the 3-D so much but he liked the dancing after we took his glasses off.

After the movie was the real fun - the coral reef gallery and the open ocean gallery. Too cool! Most of you know that I love scuba diving, so this was the best part for me. The largest exhibit in the coral reef was a giant reef with a wave - Will loved waiting for the wave and Fi really liked watching the fish. The open ocean gallery had the largest salt water tank anywhere, complete with a huge manta ray (that liked to do loop-de-loops) and two whale sharks. They wisely had a moving walkway around the majority of the tank and then a huge auditorium on the other majority. We sat for awhile and just watched all the animals swim around. It's so peaceful. But, I have to say, the coral reef was my favorite with all the color.

The kids actually lasted 4 and a half hours before Sofia just had it. It was an awesome experience and I totally recommend it to anyone.


The next day, we went back downtown to the Children's Museum. It was a great set-up - a huge open floor plans with different areas. This actually made it easier to get Will from place to place because he could see everything. We started out with the trains (of course) - there were two tables and they had holes in the middle to make some of the tracks easier to reach. We thought this was a good idea. Right next to the trains was basically a giant erector set - all kinds of building stuff capped off by a giant crane that the kids could work. I think this was his favorite part.

Then, we went to the farm section. Both kids drove the John Deere tractor, which would have made Great-Grandpa Booth proud I think. Sofia actually couldn't get enough of it. The farm fed into a grocery store that had a truck with a conveyor belt. Will got to work the fork-lift to put things onto the conveyor - it was pretty cool.






Then, we went fishing. The poles and the fish both had magnets on them - very cool! Will got to catch several whopper while Sofia played in the toddler area. We left the water to play in a giant tree house - lots of netting. A different little boy was running around chasing Will with some foam branches and Will was laughing like a loon - it was so funny!

This was at the back so we worked our way back to the front again. We played with the moon sand, but then Fi started to eat the sand so she and I went and tap danced. They had little tap shoes that fit her AND some for me - it was pretty cool. Will didn't want to try it though - he said it was too loud. We went back to the building area and the train table one more time before we left.







The kids were still game and it wasn't close to nap time, so we headed across the street to Centennial Olympic Park from the '96 Olympics. They had two really nice playground areas that the kids enjoyed. But it was getting hot and I had read about a splash area, so we went to find it. It was at the other end of the park, but it wasn't a long walk at all. Will and Fi both were gung-ho to get in the Olympic Ring Fountain even though I didn't have swim suits for them. I did, however, have an extra pair of shorts and diapers. So, we tried to strip them down and let them have at it. Will was running all over (and started showing some plumber butt as he was wearing a pull-up; didn't want to take a chance out on vacation with real underwear) and having a blast. Fi just ran up to the water and then ran back to us, laughing the whole time.



After wearing them out, they both took great naps back at the hotel - Fi didn't even make it to the car before she zonked out. That evening, we decided to take Will on a subway train since there was a station close to us with free parking. He had a blast! We only went 3 stops before we turned around, but he loved every part of it!

We had dinner that night in the little town of Norcross, right outside of Atlanta. It has a great downtown - there's a huge park that we'll have to check out next time - and our dinner was awesome. We plan to explore there some more when we go back.


Sunday, we decided to check out Stone Mountain park. It's kind of like Mt. Rushmore for Civil War guys - Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Davis are carved into the mountain and it's actually larger than Mt. Rushmore. (Side note - I can now say I've been to Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Stone Mountain. I think I got 'em all.) When we got to Stone Mountain, it was overcast. But, we hoped the rain would hold off while we took a trip on a train around the mountain. Will was really excited (of course). Fi was not into it - until we started moving and then she liked looking around.





We got done with that and had planned on taking the tram to the top of the mountain. But, the weather was against us. It was raining just a bit but they weren't taking the tram up. So, we got a refund on our tickets (thank goodness - it was very expensive to do stuff there and I don't know if I'd pay again) and high tailed it back to the car. About 3 minutes after we hit the road, it started pouring. It rained all the way back to Greenville.

We had a fun trip and I look forward to exploring Atlanta some more in the future.

Sweet Surprise

I picked up the mail today and had such two sweet surprises.

First, Kristi sent me a huge box of clothes, shoes, and socks for Sofia - SCORE! Those who know us both know that I've already gotten a ton of use out of the clothes from her girls and I'm super excited about what she's sent for me. I can't wait to get back to MI and return the favor (baby Taye gets Will's old clothes).

Second, I got a really nice note from Ann thanking me for the clothes we have handed down to Sylvia (which we're so happy to do - the kids aren't in the clothes long enough and the clothes are so cute!) and she included a gift certificate to Children's Place (my absolute favorite kid store). So sweet and totally unnecessary! It's so nice to get unexpected, fun things in the mail.

So, thank you so much, my darling, wonderful friends! I really appreciate everything!