Reborn as a Hyena!

Tonight we were listening to a Disney CD and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" came on.  I told Ian that it was a song from Mary Poppins.  He looked at me and said, "Why did Charlotte die?"  I told him that she got very sick and her body could not take it anymore so she went to Heaven.  He said, "very, very sick?"  I said, "yes".  I asked, "Do you miss her?"  He said, "yes".  He said, "When will she come back from heaven?"  I said, "She is now one of God's angels and we can think of her when we see butterflies".  He said, "Is she in our heart?"  I said, "yes, she's always with us in our heart and our heart will get warmer when we think of her."  He said, "Mommy, when I die, I want to become a hyena!"  I said, laughing, "Really?, why a hyena?"  He said, "Because I love them." 

And that was it.  It was a very tough but important conversation and then he totally shocks me with his plan to be reborn as a hyena.  Geesh!

The Starretts Invaded Orlando

We had a great vacation to Orlando.  I thought I'd summarize each day's events and include cute quotes by Ian and Ruby.  I hope I can remember everything...

Day 1: WE ARRIVED IN ORLANDO
We had an early morning flight.  Meg was so sweet to take us to the airport very early.  Ian was really excited about going to the airport and riding in an airplane.  We made it through security after they thoroughly scanned each carseat, the stroller, and tested the milk in Ruby's sippie cup.  Geesh!  Ian and Ruby stood at the window at the airport screaming when each plan took off and Ruby kept saying, "More airplane!".  JetBlue was wonderful and was able to give Ruby and empty seat so she was able to ride in her carseat instead of my lap as planned.  Ian was great!  He had his headphones on and watched cartoons the whole flight.  Ruby didn't do as well.  She was sleepy and all the books and songs were not making her happy.  Unfortunately, she pulled a lot of her hair and Chris and I were getting frustrated with that.  She fell asleep as we were landing.  Although it was frustrating that she finally fell asleep while landing, it was nice to have her sleep through the majority of the wait for our rental minivan.  We loved the direct flight from Richmond.  Very quick!

We were on our way in our silver minivan around noon so we had the whole rest of the day to play.  When leaving the airport, Ruby spotted a pond and said "More wata (water)" and that became her phrase for the week.  Everywhere we went, she spotted "more wata".  At first she sounded like she was from Boston.  Then as the week went on, she sounded like she was from Japan.  There is a lot of "wata" around Orlando in form of lakes, ponds, waterfalls, creeks, puddles and sprinkers! 

We got to the resort and our room wasn't ready so while we waited, we had lunch by the pool and then changed into our bathing suits.  Ian was so excited to get on the pirate ship in the pool!  We had fun and then got into our room to get settled.  We then jumped in the minivan to go pick up Mom Mom from the airport.  Ruby spotted "more wata" going and coming.  Mom Mom had a good flight and we got back to the resort for her to get settled.  Then we went back to the pool and had dinner at poolside and enjoyed the Karoke night.  I think we heard one of Taylor Swift's songs at least 3 times.  Later, Mom Mom and I went to the grocery store to stock up for the week.  I'm glad we got that out of the way.

DAY 2:  DOWNTOWN DISNEY & MIKEY

We met my sorority sister, Vicky Mederos-Rodgers, and her son, Michael "Mikey", at Downtown Disney to eat at the TREX Cafe.  We went a little early and explored Legoland.  Ian enjoyed making a race car out of legos and racing it down a ramp.  We spent some time dealing with Ruby's sock that she had removed and thrown over the fence near the "wata".  Chris really wanted to jump the fence and climb down for it but obeyed the rules and waited for the slow staff people to try to help.  In the end, we gave up and said goodbye to the sock.  Vicky and Mikey showed up and we went to the TREX Cafe.  Luckily, they have a fossil digging area that the children enjoyed until it was time to be seated.  We enjoyed the restaurant.  It was really neat with all the dinosaurs.  Ian was a little hesitant with the moving dinosaurs but Ruby LOVED them.  I appreciated the signs telling me the name of the different types of dinosaurs.  It was great to meet Mikey and hang out with Vicky.  I had not seen her since 1998.  We left the cafe and went to ride the train.  Ian and Mikey rode together and Chris rode w/ Ruby.  They loved it.  Then we went to the merry-go-round.  All of the kids enjoyed it but Ruby seemed to really like riding her horse.  We then went to Ghiridelli for the yummiest ice cream.  Ruby ate the majority of my mint chocolate chip waffle cone w/ milk chocolate drizzled on top.  Geesh, I was struggling with sharing!   Then we all left Downtown Disney and Vicky and Mikey came with us to the resort.  Mikey and Ian enjoyed playing in the pool together.  Vicky and Mikey then went home to Melbourne, FL and Chris, Mom Mom, Ruby, Ian and I enjoyed the Polynesian show at the resort.  We had great fun dancing to the music and Chris and Ian learned how to dance the hula.

DAY 3: THE POOL AND THE BOARDWALK

Ian and Chris started the day with a round of putt-putt.  Then we went to a Disney outlet to look for souvenirs.  Mom Mom found some t-shirts and Ian found a Nabisco race car that Chris bought him.  Then we went back to the resort to wait for Vicky, Mikey, and Robin (Vicky's husband) to meet us at the resort.  They had so much fun, they came back again to play at the pool with us.  Then we all went to the Disney Boardwalk Resort to the ESPN Sports Bar.  It was the end of the Masters so we got to see Phil win it all!  Then we yanked the kids (including Chris) away from the arcade and said goodbye to Vicky, Mikey, and Robin.  Then Mom Mom, Chris, Ian, Ruby, and I walked around the pond at the Boardwalk.  The weather was beautiful.  The kids enjoyed chasing a few bunny rabbits and we took some nice photos.  We watched a magician perform and then had some yummy ice cream. 

DAY 4: RUBY'S EAR INFECTION & DOWNTOWN DISNEY

Chris and I were so fortunate that Mom Mom shared the bedroom with the children.  We had a vacation from being the first responders.  She dealt with Ian's falls out of the bed and Ruby's thumb-sucking.  But apparently Ruby was up every hour during the night.  She was putting her finger in her ear and saying "owwww".  So, Chris and I took her to the urgent care clinic and Mom Mom stayed with Ian.  We got to the clinic and she was buck wild!  She was running around the waiting room and acting like she felt great!  We kept thinking, this is a waste of time!  Ugh!  Finally, after about 1hr 30min wait, Ruby was seen by the doctor.  She had a bilateral ear infection and was prescribed Amoxicillan and we were on our way.  We went back to the resort.  We had planned to go to Magic Kingdom today but we didn't want to go for just 1/2 a day.  So, we decided to go to Downtown Disney again.  We went back to Legoland but this time we went to a race car store and it was awesome!  The kids had a blast!  They had all of these signs that said, "touch this" and "try this" so they encouraged the children to touch the cars and play with them.  It was refreshing.  Ian had a great time playing with the remote control cars.  Then we went and had a wonderful lunch at Fulton's Crab House.  It was really good!  We then walked around some and went back to the resort for my fun in the pool.  Ruby seemed to feel okay and slept better that night.  As we were driving back to the resort, we were taking an exit and the ramp went in a circle.  Ruby said "round and round and round and round" and twirled her finger in a circle.  That became the next cute phrase.  So everytime we took an exit, we all said "round and round and round".  Later that night, Mom Mom stayed w/ the kids and Chris and I got to go to the hot tub alone.  Thanks Mom Mom!

DAY 5:  MAGIC KINGDOM!!! 

We got up early and headed over to Disney.  There was a Dunkin' Donuts near our resort and the DD coffee became a morning staple (and a Boston Cream Donut :), so we had our morning coffee and donuts.  Magic Kingdom was amazing and overwhelming all at the same time!  Ian loved the tram and the monorail just getting into the park.  We went and rode rides and saw the shows.  We rode the train to the cartoon land and Ian and Chris went to drive the race cars.  Ruby, Mom Mom and I watched the tea cup ride and Ruby just explored around the area.  When we were leaving the race cars, Ruby said "Mommmmmmy" in her whiny voice.  I realized that she'd had a poop explosion in her diaper and it was all over her outfit (remember the Amoxicillan).  Oops, I didn't bring another outfit.  :(  None of us even thought about an extra outfit for her.  So, Mom Mom and I tried to get Ruby and her outfit cleaned off.  Mom Mom surprised another lady at the sinks when a little poop fell in to the sink when she was cleaning off the outfit.  They laughed about "never knowing what you'll see."  So, we were off to buy Ruby a new dress/outfit.  We found a little dress that was $35 that had Mickey Mouse all over it.  She loved saying "Mickey" so it seemed like a good choice.  It was too big for her but it covered her up for the rest of the day.  Ian rode a big boy roller coaster with Chris and me (Thunder Mountain, I think).  And Ian and I rode Splash Mountain and got very wet!  Mom Mom loved the Small World ride.  It was really cute!  We had a great time but we were exhausted!  Mom took us all to dinner at a steakhouse and we all enjoyed it!

DAY 6:  ANIMAL KINGDOM! 

We headed to Animal Kingdom for the day.  All of us were tired and the kids (and I) were a little cranky but that improved.  We got there and headed straight to the Lion King show.  That was a lot of fun and the music was stuck in our heads for the day!  Then we went to see the animals.  We loved the safari jeep tour.  It was really neat and the animals were beautiful!  We went to the Nemo show and Ruby got a good nap.  Then we rode rides in Dino Land.    But everyone eventually had a great time!  Ian got his face painted like a tiger and he was hilarious!  He loved having a tiger face and he kept calling himself "brother tiger".   We brought an extra outfit but Ruby didn't need it. 

DAY 7: VISIT WITH FAMILY:

Aunt Dot, Cousin Doreen, and her son, Anthony, visited for the day.  They made a 3 hour trip to visit us in Orlando.  Aunt Dot is Mom Mom's sister and Doreen is Aunt Dot's daughter.  We had a great time together!  The kids enjoyed the pool.  We had a nice lunch with some yummy cocktails and got to catch up.  It was the first time I'd met Doreen and Anthony.  It was great to meet them and it was wonderful to see Aunt Dot again.  Aunt Dot really enjoyed Miss Ruby and all of her 22-month-old words/behaviors.  After they left, Mom Mom graciously agreed to take care of the kids and Chris and I went out on a date!  We went to a Japanese restaurant and had a nice meal.  We then went to Universal Studios to City Walk.  We went to a dance club that was having 80's Night.  We had a great time listening to the music and watching people.  We played Pac-Man and UNO in one of the backrooms.  It was fun for a while but then we decided to just walk around.  It was fun and great to be alone. 

DAY 8:  DEPARTURE  DAY :(
Mom Mom had an early afternoon flight and we had a 6pm flight.  We packed up and then played some putt-putt.  We then took Mom Mom to the airport and said our goodbyes.  Then we headed off to Downtown Disney, again, to hang out until it was time to drive back to the airport.  The kids had another train ride and we enjoyed Ghiradelli ice cream, again.  It was a good day but we were tired and so we headed on to the airport to return our rental minivan and go to the gate.  As usual, things didn't go well at security but we made it through.  JetBlue didn't have an extra seat for Ruby so she sat on my lap and actually did pretty well.  She even napped for a little while.  Unfortunately, a college aged boy guy sat next to us and I was worried about Ruby bugging him.  He ended up being very patient and kind about Ruby's wiggles, kicks, and occasional cries.  And then Meg came to pick us up a the airport.  We were exhausted and happy to be home. 

We hope to return to Orlando in the next couple of years.  I'm sure that it will be a totally different experience with older kids.  We LOVED our resort and the pirate swimming pool.  That was definitely a hit!

Easter Sunday

We had a lovely Easter weekend!  The weather could not have been more perfect. 

Chris and I both had Good Friday off so we enjoyed a nice lunch together.  We both did some chores and relaxed but were happy to have a day off w/ no kids around.  It is rare.  Chris picked up the kids early and we had a blast at the playground with our friends.  On Saturday Chris played softball with his coworkers and we went to watch.  There were hotdogs, chips, and Oreos (of course) and we had a good time watching them play.  Ian brought his bat and ball so he did a lot of practicing.  Unfortunately the game started late so we missed the neighborhood Easter egg hunt.  We were disappointed but enjoyed a nice family egg hunt in our backyard when we got home.  That's the beauty of young kids, they really don't know what they're missing.  We had a nice day just the 4 of us.  

Easter Sunday was filled with church early and then home to get lunch together to enjoy with Mom Mom and Pop Pop.  Father Ed cracked me up with his sarcasm during announcements.  He said, "You know, we do this 51 weeks a year."  Ha!  I thought it was funny.  I tried to take photos of the kids and Ruby was great with saying "cheese" but Ian was refusing to be photographed.  And with in minutes he was in his VT jersey and shorts that are UVA colors (navy and orange).  He was showing his Virginia pride.  Oh well, at least I got a couple photos to document that he was dressed nicely, even if he looked ticked off.  Ian and Ruby went out to buy Mommy and Mom Mom Easter flowers.  I got beautiful purple tulips from Chris and Mom Mom!  I love them.  Mom Mom and Pop Pop arrived and we had an Easter egg hunt in the front yard.  Then we enjoyed the lunch.  Pop Pop cracked Chris and I up with his love for the ham.  He couldn't get enough of it.  It was very tasty!  I just got lucky and picked up a good ham at Ukrops.  There was nothing else to choose from since our Ukrops was closing for good the next day, it was this ham or nothing.  So I bought it.  Turns out, it was fabulous and really made Pop Pop happy!  We then dyed eggs on the back deck and had more Easter egg hunts.  My kids love to hunt for eggs!  We then enjoyed our dessert of angel food cake, strawberries and whip cream.  Yum!

We said goodbye to Mom Mom and Pop Pop.  Pop Pop starts chemotherapy and radiation tomorrow.  We're so glad that they made the trip to spend the day with us.  Please keep him in your prayers! 

I was thinking alot about Roger and Rachel Reynolds today.  I read their blog and it appears that they planted Charlotte's ashes with a butterfly bush today.  What a great way to spend the day!  Regardless, their loss of sweet Charlotte is a constant reminder that "every day is a bonus" with your kids.   

My parents and Meg's family are in NYC right now.  I'm envious, I'm sure they are having a wonderful time. 

Chris's shift is changing this week.  He is back on evening shift which presents new changes and challenges.  But we'll make it work after a week or two of transition.  And of course we've got Disney World to prepare for.  Lots of packing to be done when the kids are finally down for bed at night.  We're getting really excited about our trip and are pleased that Mom Mom is still planning to go with us. 

Ian's QOTD (at bedtime).  "Mommy can I get a puppy that sleeps as much as Molly?  I'd like an old puppy.  Can we go to the pet store tomorrow?"  I then went on to explain that puppies cannot be "old" because they are new dogs.  That came outta nowhere!

Hoppy Easter!

I'm Back!

I have not written on the blog in a while.  So, I'm back. 

We just had a great weekend!  I FINISHED the Monument Avenue 10k with my twin sister by my side!  I got emotional during the walk when I got half way (3.1 miles) and as we got close to the finish line.  I thought about how I felt this time last year.  I remember my days were full of muscle spasms that would leave my left arm stuck until the spasm ended.  And I was having about 50 spasms a day (when I was able to actually keep count).  I was just going through the motions to get through the day and for my children at home and at work.  So, Meg and I walked most of the way but had some short jogging moments.  Overall, we finished it in 1.5 hours.  I can't remember the last time I exercised for an hour and 1/2 straight.  I guess it would be the last time I did the 10k, before Ian was born, so 5 years ago.   It was chilly at the start but it turned out to be a perfect day for the race.  I loved seeing Rachel and Meredith at the CJSTUF cheering section.  And then I saw Chris, Ian, and Ruby in the median watching me.  That was really special!  So, I'm feeling really accomplished.  My only complaint is the large blister on the ball of my foot.  But I was able to walk to the playground w/ Ruby yesterday afternoon.  And today we walked all around Maymont, so I'm really doing great!   Thank the Lord!  And thanks to all of my friends and family who donated to CJSTUF!

We chose to skip church this morning and go to Maymont.  We enjoyed the morning.  The children loved the animals.  Ruby would say, "Bye pig", "Bye Goat", "Bye Sheep" "Bye Horsey Nay".  She loved the animals and following her big brother around.  Ian was so cute.  He wanted to pick the daffodils and "pick one for Mommy".  He's such a dear little boy.  We tried to explain that they are not ours to pick.  I gently suggested that he and Daddy could buy Mommy flowers for Easter.  I thought that was a good idea!  Ian said something cute as we hiked up the big hill back to the car.  He started to slow down and he said, "Daddy, I'm all out of energy!"  He makes me laugh.  

This afternoon was spent with playing outside and errands.  Later, I went to help stuff eggs for the neighborhood Easter egg hunt.  I struggled to keep from eating all that candy. 

So, over the weeks we've been busy...  I had all 3 of the Helsleys over for a sleepover on 3/12/10 so that Erik and Meg could go to see Wicked.  Chris was with me until he had to head to work at 10pm.  Overall the kids did great and enjoyed their time together.  Ian's behavior was the most challenging and he was mainly tired and excited to have his cousins over for a sleepover.  Landen had a cute quote after watching Shrek II.  He said, "I'm going to go home and look in my big book of fairy tales because the story of Shrek is in there."  He then said, "In Shrek II they said, this is the best fairy tale of all time!"  So cute.  I didn't dash his hopes.  Cohen was cute when he was playing w/ 2 cars and named one car Emily and the other car, Chris.  Kate was so sweet and affectionate to Ruby.  She introduced Ruby to blueberries in yogurt.  Now Ruby always requests "berries" in her yogurt. 

Cohen turned 2 on March 21st.  Shocking!!  Here's a photo of the precious little boy.  He's wearing a shirt that was Ian's and it's one of my favorites.  I love seeing Ian's clothes on Drew and Cohen.  Mom and Dad were here for a week around Cohen's birthday so they helped with childcare and cooking meals.  And Amanda, Chris C., and Drew came for the birthday party.  It was great to see them.  Drew is so cute!  

Pop Pop (Allen Jr., Chris's dad), saw the oncologist and they have a plan for treating his lung cancer.  He starts radiation and chemotherapy on 4/5/10.  I think he and Mom Mom are pleased to have a plan.  Please keep them in your prayers.  Mom Mom still hopes to go to Orlando with us if Pop Pop is doing okay. 

I need to start preparing for the Orlando trip.  We're now flying instead of driving so that adds a different level of preparation.  But, hopefully it will be low stress and we'll be happy we flew.  :)  We're looking forward to Disney World!  I've tried to read and look at info. but I feel so overwhelmed by it all.  But, I figure if I can navigate through NYC, I can handle Disney World and the Orlando Area. 

I've got to get ready for the week... 
 

Ian's QOTD: Dreaming of Candy

It's a busy week of Ian's quotes.

This morning Ian said, "Mommy I dreamed about candy."  I said, "Really?"  He said, "Yes, I had sugar plums dancing in my head!"  Clearly, last night we read The Night Before Christmas at bedtime.  And, he's definitley my child since he's "dreaming about candy". 

Ian's QOTD: The Sun

This morning on our drive to daycare, the sun was shining very brightly.  :) 

Ian said, "The sun says, 'I'm going to shine you up' and we get warm from the sunshine." 

I hope that the sun continues to "shine us up".  :)   Very cute, but I'm biased.

First Warm, Sunny Weekend in 2010

We had a great weekend!  I had Friday off so I was able to have lunch with my friend, Deanna, at a yummy Thai restaurant in Carytown.  The rest of the day was spent sorting the kid's clothes and shopping.  On Friday evening I took Ian and Ruby to First Baptist Church so that I could go to dinner with Nichole and Wendy.  First Baptist Church was offering babysitting as a fundraiser and Wendy had signed the kids up for me.  Wendy, Nichole, and I went to Bandito's for burritos and Bev's for ice cream.  We had a great time and I was in Carytown twice in one day.  That's crazy for a suburbian like me! 

Saturday was busy with Ian's haircut, Target shopping, playing with the cousins, and birthday parties.  We really enjoyed the day.  Ian loved the birthday party at SCOR with the indoor soccer field.  His face was plastered to the glass watching a soccer game when we first arrived.  I guess we need to sign him up!!  Ian had a great time playing with his friends from daycare.  After we celebrated with Gavin, we hopped in the car and headed north to Will's 5th birthday party.  We met Ruby and Daddy there.  There was a bouncy house that Chris seemed to enjoy as much, if not more, than the children.  There was some serious wrestling going on in that bounce house.  I let Ruby bounce quickly and then we headed inside where I didn't have to look.  The negative part of being a pediatric social worker is that I've seen some horrible accidents happen to children while they were "having fun".  You don't understand until you've walked into a Pediatric ICU.  So, I just went inside.  Outta sight, outta mind.  Will's party was lots of fun and we enjoyed hanging out with some our favorite people.  And thankfully, no one got hurt (well Chris was a little sore the next day). 

Sunday was spent OUTSIDE!   Ian and Ruby "helped" Chris outside early in the morning and then we all headed to the playground.  Then we all napped.  YEAH!  After naps we played outside at the playground behind our house and in our backyard.  Ian and Ruby had a blast and we all enjoyed being outside.  Ruby, especially, is just so happy outside.  She's such a big girl!  She's able to walk up and down all of the stairs on the deck and kick the balls.  She runs everywhere and loves to swing and slide.  Ian had a great time playing baseball with Chris.  He really is doing well with hitting the ball.  I got a lot of "watch me Mommy"!  Also, inside, she went pee pee on the potty.  Not much, but she tried and I was really impressed with the little drops she left her her tiny "big girl potty".  Mommy did the big girl dance in celebration! 

Ian said something really cute tonight.  I was reading a Curious George book and there was a sentence with an exclamation point.  Ian said, "exclamation point" and said, "We need to say that sentence again and say it like we are excited".  So we did.  We then "pointed out" every exclamation point and question mark we saw.  Ian is learning so much, it amazes me.  He tells me about  animal's habitats and points out patterns of different colors in pictures. 

Some prayer requests...

1. Kiki, my boss, was approved for a lung transplant.  That's great news but scary news too.  Please keep her in your prayers.  She has been battling pulmonary fibrosis.  Her daughter is getting married in Atlanta in 2 weeks so I pray that she will be able to get brand new healthy lungs right after her daughter's wedding
2. 
   
   Of course, please continue to pray for Allen (Pop Pop).  Allen has a 2nd biopsy on Friday afternoon.  I pray that it gives the oncologist more information to help determine the best type of chemo to help him fight the lung cancer. 
3. 
   
   Nicole, my sister-in-law's sister, is home from the hospital. 
4. 
   
   A child on my caseload is having a big orthopaedic surgery tomorrow, she is 3 months younger than Ruby. 
5. 
   
   My friend and colleague, Laura, is having her little boy, her 2nd, tomorrow if the induction goes as planned. 

Please keep them all in your prayers, I know I will. 

Oh, and please pray for more sunny weekends so we can play outside.  :)