Christmas 2007!!

Christmas came and went in a flash it seems. We spent Christmas day at Adam and Bev’s and had a great time and great food! As seen above. It was a whirlwind of fun that came to a screeching halt when we entered the airport. Since adults don’t do well waiting in lines, it would be safe to say that children's lack of patience for it could be multiplied by at least 10, 20, maybe 30. And, really…kids are just doing and saying what we would like to, but are socially unable.

The truth of it is though, that the lines were the worst part. Spencer took his Dramamine and was successful in not tossing his Christmas Cookies. Olivia, we found out, is the happiest when she doesn’t sleep. She was having the time of her life on the plane, playing “peekaboo” with the passengers seated behind her. It helped that Tom and Sarah were on the plane too, they helped entertain the kids.

Once we arrived in Houston, we found out that our ride was held up by the ferry and was still over an hour away. We were starving, but had already left the secured area of the airport. Turns out, we flew into Houston Hobby, not Houston Intl. Big Difference…..
They don’t have any restaurants in the lobby of the hobby. By this time, it was 7:00 pm and the kids/adults were “done”. We had no transportation and no food. We asked if we could go back into the secured area, but told “no” because we didn’t have boarding cards.

Then, at our darkest moment of despair, we rallied around the baggage claim and arrived at the best idea I’d heard in years. We would call one of the nearby hotels and ask for a shuttle. We would get free transportation to the hotel and then eat at their restaurant. We would have Larry’s dad just pick us up there. I called the Mariott and the 6 of us, so proud of ourselves, hauled all 16 bags out to the underground CO2 hell they call the loading/unloading zone.

After about an hour of waiting, we realized they weren’t coming. So, I called the Hilton and they were there within 15 minutes. You might ask why we still followed through with the plan if an hour had already passed? Well, we spoke with Larry’s dad again and he still hadn’t caught the ferry and was at least 45 minutes away.

Sidebar: There are 2 ways to get from Galveston to Crystal Beach. One is the aforementioned Ferry and the other is a roundabout expressway that is about 50 miles long. The ferry itself, once you are on, only takes about 15 minutes. So, if you catch the ferry, it’s worth taking…but if not, you are stuck in the line waiting.

Now then….Next we were whisked away to the Hilton and as the shuttle driver was helping us unload all 16 of our bags he told us that the restaurant was closed because it was Christmas. Somehow we all overlooked that possibility. In fact, after everything that had happened, I had forgotten it was even Christmas. So, there we were, dropped off in front of the Hilton, with no reservation and no intentions of getting one. Poor Spence had been talking about how he wanted a cheeseburger and Tom mentioned how he really wanted a taco. I would’ve been happy with anything. Now, those dreams were dashed. The only person in luck was Olive who had food in the suitcase.

Then, I remembered that when we pulled in, I had seen a Jack in the Box next door to the hotel, we looked and it was open!!! It was a Christmas Miracle!! Everyone would have their wish. Spencer got his cheeseburger and Tom his Taco and I got an old-time favorite from when Mom&Dad lived in Dalls…the chicken fajita pita!!!

So, there we were, in the lobby of the Hilton, surrounded by our 16 bags, eating our Jack in the Box Christmas Dinner. Thankfully, the people working the front desk there had sympathy and didn’t ask us to leave. Right as we finished, Larry’s dad pulled up and we loaded our bags and headed for Crystal Beach. And, as expected, we waited over an hour for the ferry. It felt good to finally reach the “Escondido”, which turned out to be much nicer in person than in pictures.

So, that’s our Christmas adventure in a nutshell.

Computer Generated Fun!!

This weekend, Spencer and I had some fun creating some computer-generated images of us as elves. Then Aunt Bev showed us another website, Jibjab, and we created a snowball fight (as seen below). The best part of the snowball fight is Olive's face. It wasn't hard finding a picture of her with her signature nose-wrinkling glare. Spence still had some difficulty understanding how she could walk...

Non-Crappy Starring You! eCards on JibJab

Both kids have colds again (ugh) and Spence is running a fever tonight. Hopefully he will feel better tomorrow morning and can go to school. This weekend was hectic with Larry in Memphis. We spent Saturday at Mom & Dads, and Sunday, Spencer was my date to my company Christmas Party, held at the Rivue (the old Flagship atop the Galt House). Let me just say, that place is awesome since it's recent renovation. The deco is gorgeous, very retro and I highly recommend it!! Spence had a great time, and was quite a little gentleman; He did his best to use good manners. They had a chocolate fountain, need I say more....

Visit with Santa Claus!

Well, today was the annual Take the Kids to the Mall to See Santa Day! Spencer was very excited and Olive was.... less than enthusiastic about the whole thing. But, going on a Monday morning works out great because there are no lines. When we arrived, Spencer ran up to the decorated area where he saw another little boy who was clinging to his mom, crying. Spence then yelled.."I'm not scared" and ran right up to Santa. I followed with Olive, but didn't put her in his lap until Spence had his time with the big man in red. He told him he wanted a snowball maker...don't know where that came from....probably him just trying to make something up on the spot.., some art supplies and CD's.

Once I sat Olive down, I knew it wasn't going to be good. She didn't cry, but she didn't like being left either. Spence was all smiles, and Olive gave her basic "get me out of here" look. I'm just thankful she didn't cry...I'll expect that next year. We didn't get a pic of Spence at two, because he wouldn't go near Santa. Speaking of Spence...wow, he's giving us a time lately. His obsession with music and CD's is on the verge of mania. He knows every song and their track numbers on various CD's (i.e. Elvis Costello, Joan Osborne, Jimmy Buffet, Paul Simon, Fiona Apple, Beastie Boys, Ben Folds, etc.) You can probably tell Larry's music versus mine. Anyway, we had to put a stop to Beastie Boys when Spence asked me the other day if I wanted to "kick the habit".....

I am considering getting him a child-size piano that has "real" keys. I've been researching it online and have found a few that have 30 keys. We are planning on starting him with lessons....looking for a way to channel his love and energy for music. I asked him not too long ago to pick an instrument he would like to learn to play and he said "either the violin or the piano"....so I'm going with the piano since we have one (that is in dire need of tuning) and I know how to play (somewhat). That might be his big gift from Santa.

As for Olive for Christmas...I just don't know what to get her. She has all of Spencer's hand-me-downs, so it's hard to justify getting her much....but Spencer knows Santa comes, so I have to produce at least a few things. These are wonderful predicaments to have.....and I so enjoy the magic that surrounds Christmas with my little guys!!!

Thanksgiving Weekend!

We had a great Thanksgiving Weekend!! The early part of the day was spent at our house. Mom, Dad Adam and his family came over as well as my Aunt and Uncle (Loreita & Randy) from Nashville. It was so nice to spend some time with them. They brought the kids their Christmas presents early....and they just loved them. Spencer received a talking parrot which he called a talking woodpecker...and named him Paul Simon... Olive fell in love with her Pooh Bear that shakes. She hugs it and bites it (her way of showing affection). So much is going on with her. She wants to learn to walk soooo bad!! She's like her brother, very OCD when she gets set on something. She can stand up all by herself, but is unable to take steps. She wants you to hold her hands and help her walk all the time (as seen below)..which is great, but it takes its toll on your back and shoulders. The second half of our Thanksgiving was spent at the Raible's. It was so nice to see Larry's Grandma Sarah, who was able to attend. We missed Sarah, Tom and Adrienne....but will see them soon.

On Saturday, Isabelle and Jenna came over to join Spencer for our First Annual Gingerbread House Making Party!! Mom and Dad came too and helped construct the houses. I think the adults had more fun than the kids. Adam and I had some good laughs over the whole thing. They all turned out great and it's a tradition I hope to continue. We also put up Christmas decorations this weekend. We have no luck with lights. Last year, we had to buy a new set of lights for the tree, and this year, we only had 1 working set. So, I refused to buy another set and decorated the tree with only one set (yes, it is dimly lit...adds ambiance). But, it came back to bite me b/c at some point yesterday, half of the lights on the tree went out. So the bottom half of the tree is light-less. I will have to go buy 2 new sets this week. In addition to this issue, Larry strung lights around one of our tall evergreens out front, only to be disappointed when he plugged it in (don't know why he didn't check them out first). One of our reindeer won't light up and the giant wreath that hangs over the garage only lights up half-way. We are a disgrace to the neighborhood. I turned all of the outside lights off until we can remedy this situation.

Spence and Olive had fun decorating the tree. We let Spence hang most of the decorations b/c he was biting at the chomp or wait...chomping at the bit to hang ornaments. Here's how it always goes.....kids get all hyped up for decorating the tree, then you pull the thing out of the box and have at least an hour of work, putting in the branches and then straightening them out to look decent, then stringing lights.....it's a long and drawn out process that should be fun, but ultimately results in frustration, then anger and then usually someone breaks something.

I'm looking forward for things to get "back to normal" and school to resume (Spence was out for the week of Thanksgiving) at least until the next holiday break.

Olive's First Word!!

Olive has officially started talking. She only has one word so far, but it's a good one!!! Poor Spence didn't have his first word until he was about 18 months, and his word was "Bob". I thought she might say "Mommy or Daddy", but no...she chose...Pancake. One of her favorite things to eat...and eating is her favorite thing to do, so I guess it makes sense. It is very cute to hear her say it...she says "pa cay" or sometimes "pa pay" or "ca cay". But, it is usally with much enthusiasm to get some pancakes!! I'm just glad she's talking...wonder what she'll say next!!

My Weekend in Gatlinburg

I spent this weekend in Gatlinburg attending a Regional Jewelry Expo. Marci and I left Friday afternoon, and I realized as we drove away..... that I have never left Spencer (or Olive for that matter). He usually leaves me and goes with Larry on some soccer trip, but I'm never the one who goes away. It was hard. But, he stayed strong long enough to help me put my bags in the car and then he broke down crying. It was a much needed break for me though.

The drive wasn't too bad and we made it there in about 4 hours. Our hotel wasn't the best. It was a Comfort Inn and was located right down the street from the convention center.....but it was one of those hotels where you enter your room from the outside. Does that mean its considered a motel? Anyway, it wasn't the most upscale place I've ever stayed.

Friday evening, Marci and I hit a few outlet stores and then had dinner. When we returned and were walking from the parking lot to the room, I heard Marci say "Oh My God". I looked up and noticed that our room door was cracked open. We both froze in horror. She, a braver woman than I, said she would go in and check it out. I stood in the parking lot, ready to run and call for help if I heard screams, or if she wasn't out in a few seconds to give me the thumbs up. She didn't find anyone and nothing was missing.....both of our laptops were in there. After checking every corner (I even checked the mini fridge), we decided that it must have been our fault. The doors there don't shut automatically (like normal HOtels) and I guess we didn't close it all the way when we left for dinner.

After a fair night's sleep at best (there was the lingering thought of "what if there is a psycho killer still hiding in here somewhere), we headed out to the convention center for the big show. We shopped for 8 hrs. straight. I was ready to give up many times, but Marci kept saying "you can do it, hang in there...one foot in front of the other", and I didn't want to let her down....but I was miserable... dying to get out of there. My left foot hurt and my back/neck/arms/legs/etc... were hurting and people kept running into me. I mean, it was crazy the amount of people who would bump into me. It was annoying the heck out of me and was really baffling.....then I realized that they were all dead tired too and were stumbling around aimlessly just like me. There weren't many "Marci's" out there who could keep on going and going..and going....I'm glad she is a tenacious shopper though...we found many good buys that hopefully can be resold for a decent profit. I also picked up some Christmas gifts too!! My biggest buy of the day was $15 smocked dresses for Olive!!!

It was nice to get home today. Spence ran out and welcomed me with a big hug....Olive acted like she didn't really know me and wouldn't let go of her Daddy to give me a hug. Of course, a few hrs. later and she's warmed up to me again. Now I have to mentally prepare for the week ahead..thankfully its only a 3 day work week!!

Hello, Fire Truck!

I had to post this. I must warn you though, if you are easily offended, you may want to stop reading here.....Ok, now for the rest of you, this is such a funny story that I hope I do it justice:

On Sunday, Mom, Spencer and I spent the day running errands and on our way home, we decided to stop and get some ice cream. Mom called the guys and they ordered some milkshakes. Spence couldn't wait and ate his ice cream at the shop, but we packed the milkshakes to take back home. We were driving my new car and maxed out the cup holders so that I had to hold my own shake in my lap.

Before going into the ice cream shop, Mom had just given spencer a mini voice recorder to play with. So, the ride home, he was practicing recording his voice. We would pass by different things and he would say "Hello trees" or "Hello Cars" and then try to play it back. The problem was that he had trouble holding the record button down long enough for it to record his whole phrase. So, when he would hit play, it would just be a quick "he".

We passed by the fire station and he said "Hello fire truck", hit play and heard "he", "Hello Fire Truck",...."he"....Hello Fire Truck!!!.... "he"....HELLO FIRE TRUCK!!!.."he"......."HELLO FIRE TRUCK"...."he".... HELLO TIRE FUCK!!!!!" Mom and I lost it, we could not stop laughing. Then he said "This thing doesn't work" "It's not worth it!!" And he threw the voice recorder up to the front seat.

My laughing came to a shrieking halt when I spilled the milkshake on the floorboard in front of me....Oh..my new Car!!....but it came out, and thankfully today my car doesn't smell like sour milk.