NC Trip - Day 5

Today, Tuesday we had quite a day... It started off a little earlier than normal - 9:30 am. We took the kids to downtown Williamston to walk from town to the river on the new bike trail. We got about halfway down the trail when I realized I didn't have my cell phone. So, back to the car we went...no phone...back to the hotel room we went...no phone. Now I'm in a panic - not for the phone itself but for the sensitive information I have on it. After a prayer of desperation...I just felt strongly that I had left it on top of the car when I was buckling Hailey in. So Dani and I retraced our drive and low and behold there it was! Laying beside the 4 lane highway unharmed. I ran out, picked it up and did a happy dance all the while saying a prayer of thanks to Heavenly Father for his help. My little miracle of the day!

Afterwards we headed to the river and met Dad and Sarah for a half an hour of walking along the boardwalk and showing Hailey the ducks and the river. We all went to Bunns BBQ in Windsor. There is still some debate as to whether their BBQ is better than Shaw's.

We headed back to the hotel for some much needed naps before our planned trip to Greenville for the Pitt County American Legion Agricultural Fair (yes that really is the name). The fair was great...Hailey rode the adult ferris wheel, the worm roller coaster, the dizzy dragons and the carousel. She definitely has her mother's and grandmother's DNA. We all love rides - the faster the better! We also watched the pig races, Nick's Kid Show, the Carolina Girls dance (80+ years old) and then on to the animal barns - cows, sheep, goats, horses and chickens. A little fair food and we were headed home by 8:00. Taylor screamed most of the 30 minute ride home with Hailey trying desperately to quiet him by singing the ABC Song.

We finally made it back to the hotel safely... Kids asleep by 10:00. Whew! (For pictures, see Dani's blog at folsomposts.blogspot.com

NC Trip Day 4

Today we once again didn't get out of the room until 10:00 am. I guess having two babies rule your life makes it difficult to get an early start. Today was the "Jumpin' Monkey" said in a southern drawl cuz it sounds better. Hailey had a great time! We jumped and played for 2 hours for $5. Worth every penny to keep her entertained that long.

After jumping, Dad and Sarah met us for lunch at a seafood restaurant. Taylor didn't really cooperate but the food was still good. But Dani and I finally had a nice "quiet" two hours on a drive to "Little Washington". We drove around the Pamlico Sound and through the historic part of town. It was nice...except for the part where we went around the McDonalds twice looking for the entrance into Walmart for sodas. After much giggling we finally found the right entrance.

We spent the evening with Dad and Sarah - once again she brought out the food - ham, collards, corn bread and more cake...I swear she has an endless supply of homemade cakes.

NC Trip '09 Day 3 - Hailey Defends Herself?

Today was really special to my dad. His son Bob "Bobby Joe" was in town and I finally got to meet him in person. Bob is Dad's son from his first marriage and they just found each other again after 50 years apart. Too long of a story to print here. We spent the day getting to know each other and visiting with various family members who came and went all day. My cousin Kevin, his wife Lisa, their son Devin, their granddaughter Madison, my cousin Dorothy, her husband Asa and their grandson Ryan dropped by for lunch or "dinner" as it is called in NC.

To say that Hailey and Ryan did not get along would be an understatement. It all began with Hailey trying to tell him to be careful - the argument went something like "you have to be careful", "I do not", "yes you do", "no I don't" - well you can guess the rest of that argument. That argument was quickly followed by various tug-o-wars over several toys and Ryan "telling" on Hailey for saying no to his request to play with her toys and vice versa. As you can tell it was quite enjoyable....not. But after a couple of hours and a few "time outs" they settled down into a tense relationship of "sharing" toys.

But even with the kids' antics we had a really good day visiting with family and friends. We got a few pictures with Bob and I and Dad. Danielle's blog at folsomposts.blogspot.com has more pictures.

NC Trip '09 Day 2

Our first night at the Hampton Inn went really well. The kids slept great! Thank goodness...I'm really too old for midnight feedings:) We had breakfast at the hotel - which went ... well let's just say we had breakfast with a 5 month old and a 2 1/2 year old...you can fill in the blanks.

We arrived at Dad's house and I knew we had done the right thing by coming for a visit. As Dad hugged me, he shook with tears. It was nice to feel how much he loves me and sad to feel how much he missed me.

We spent the morning catching up, having Hailey get used to Great Grandpa Joe and Great Grandma Sarah. We sat on the back porch and played with Taylor and watched Hailey play in the dirt. Sarah made a Red Velvet Cake and put it out to cool.

We went to visit my cousin Debra in the hospital. It was really good to see her after 4 years and nice to have a private visit. She's doing pretty well and should be released on Monday.

After our visit we headed to one of my favorite places to eat in Williamston - Shaw's BBQ House. Dad, Sarah, Dani, the kids and I sat at a table in the middle which soon became the center of attention for all the people having lunch. As soon as our food arrived Taylor began to cry and needed to be fed. While Dani was outside feeding him, Hailey dropped her hot dog on the floor. When Dani returned she took Hailey potty and upon their return Hailey sat on her knees in the high chair and immediately got her tennis shoes stuck in the back and her knees stuck in the front...and of course she immediately had a meltdown. It took both Dani and I to free her. And, of course we were then really truly the lunch entertainment. But we all survived and actually did enjoy our BBQ.

Immediately following the restaurant fiasco, we headed to the park. Finally Hailey got to work out some of her wiggles. Taylor got his first ride on a swing and followed that up by entertaining Dad, Sarah and I under the gazebo in the shade.

After our park visit, we got the kids to nap at Great Grandpa's house and the adults got to enjoy sitting on the porch and having some adult conversation. A few people dropped by to say hello. We got a visit from Mike Pollard (an old friend), Aunt Oneal and my cousin Charlene. It was really nice to sit around and just catch up. Dad bought us pizza for dinner and Sarah twisted our arm into eating some of her Red Velvet Cake. By the time we headed back to room we were well fed and exhausted. After a bath and an hour or so of wrestling...the kids finally went to sleep.

North Carolina Trip '09

Friday, October 2, 2009
We got up this morning at 3:30 AM and went to pick up Danielle and the kids. We realized we didn’t have both strollers so we went back to our house and I couldn’t find the stroller in the garage. I quickly realized that it was in Danielle’s garage. So back to Danielle’s we went. We finally made it to the airport at about 4:50 for our flight at 6:00 am. We piled on 2 car seats, 2 strollers, 2 suitcases on sticks, 3 backpacks, 1 purse and 1 diaper bag. Wow are we good or what?

The first leg of the flight was great! Danielle had 3 seats for her and Taylor and Hailey and I had 3 seats for us. Hailey said “This is so fun Mom. We’re going on an airplane!” She played with her stickers, her phone, had snacks and watched Cinderella. She went potty on the plane several times and no accidents! Taylor was even good. It was a nice surprise.

The 2nd and 3rd legs were a little more crowded, but all still went well. Hailey napped in my arms for a couple of hours and so did Taylor.

We arrived at Raleigh Durham airport at about 4:30 and after missing 2 rental car shuttles we were finally on our way to get our car. It took about 30 minutes to get the car, put the car seats in and get on the road. After about a half an hour we made it to dinner and got back on the road. We arrived at our hotel at around 8:30. Now the kids are struggling to get to sleep. Wish us luck…

Apparently Hailey is a Gymnast!

So, as you know dance class did not work out...but Gymnastics (or as Hailey calls it "nastics") was a SUCCESS! The first class was on Thursday, March 12th at Tricks Gym. Sam was home sick with pneumonia, so Dani and I took her to a trial class.

Once again a very pregnant Danielle and I switched off working with her in her class. She loved it.

The funniest part was towards the end of class when all the parents/grandparents and kids were sitting in a big circle. The teacher, Miss Brooke, gave each of us plastic eggs with rice inside.

We were practicing shaking them slow, then fast, then slow, etc. Hailey put hers down on the floor, got up and went to the center of the circle where she performed a perfect somersault and then stood up and went "ta da".

Of course all the adults clapped - just what she wanted - she's found her nitch...

Hailey's 1st Dance Class???

Today was a day that Danielle and I have been looking forward to for a few weeks... Hailey's very first dance class. Wow, did it turn out differently than we thought it would. The teacher was great, the studio was great, the idea was great...Hailey on the other hand was not great.

Oh she enjoyed herself, but she was doing her own thing - the whole time. She had her own ideas about how she would participate in class. She did everything, except what the other kids were doing.

But, she did look cute in her leotard, skirt and ballet slippers. When class was finally over and Danielle and I managed to wipe the sweat from our brows, it was a collective decision that it might be best to sign her up for gymnastics class.

We'll see how that goes...

Things I Have Done

Things I have done... Just copy and paste this to your blog and bold the ones that you HAVE done and make sure to put your score at the end. I saw this on Danielle's blog and thought it would be fun to do.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Gone without food or water for 24 hours or longer
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Stayed up for 24 hours with NO sleep at all
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Changed a lightbulb
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Mowed the lawn
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (If fish count)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
Total: 60

Entertaining a Sick Granddaughter

Somehow Dani and I got our wires crossed... Dani asked me over the weekend if I remembered that I had Hailey on Monday. I, of course, did not. I had a dentist appointment this morning. So, I packed a purse full of fun for Hailey and took her to the dentist with me. She was GREAT! Surprisingly enough she sat in her stroller and brushed her teeth and the stuffed dinosaur's teeth. The hygienist assured me that the toothbrush was clean....well what's a few more germs right?

After the dentist, we went to gas up the car and shopped for Grandma a pair of hiking boots at REI. Hailey tried on all the kids rain boots and rearranged a few shoes on the racks. Somehow I'm sure the salesperson was glad when we left.

We came home and enjoyed our lunch while watching "Barney." Fun...fun...fun! I then spent the next couple of hours trying to convince Hailey that it was nap time. After another snack and a dose of "The Grinch", she finally decided she would go to sleep if Grandma held her and sang to her. Well it worked! She is now asleep on the couch beside me. What an angel.

My First Post

I was so impressed with my husband Dean's blog and our daughter Danielle's blog that I had to try this out for myself. I get to brag about my family, subject all of you to my family photos (note photo) and assuage my guilt over not keeping a journal the way I should.

Today was a good day. A rainy Sunday chock full of fun things. I got up with Dean this morning at 5:15 so I could drive Alax and Alyssa to the airport for their belated honeymoon trip to Cabo. It was great fun to see them so excited and to hear their plans for their trip.

After my drive in the rain to the airport, I came home and got ready for our Regional Conference. Dean was at work today, so I picked up Dani, Sam and Hailey and we arrived at the Mormon Center an hour early in hopes of getting the soft seats up front...and it paid off. Between helping Dani and Sam entertain Hailey and taking notes, the two hours went by fairly quickly. My take on the theme of conference was for us Californians to have faith, things will get better and as one speaker put it, "don't go looking elsewhere for Zion, you have it here in your stakes and temples."

After conference, I spent the day at home, emailing, enjoying Facebook, and creating this blog. Overall a nice day, considering I am so sore from the hike we took yesterday with the Scouts that I can barely move without a great deal of pain from the old muscles. Not great for the self esteem and the attempt to still feel young, but I can only hope that all this pain will eventually lead to a healthier me...