Soccer

Brendan's last soccer game was this afternoon. He played SO GOOD! I was very proud of him. He played defense most of the game and did really well at blocking the other team from scoring. He even took a spill at one point. That surprised me because he's not usually one to throw his whole body into the game. His team lost the game, but they played better than any other game this season. It was fun to watch!

Oops!

Not even one week in, and I've blown it! Oh well. Let's catch up now...

What to post...?? Nothing new is really going on around here.

Jake is healing from his mis-haps earlier in the week. His lip is back to normal size, and his chin looks good. His knees still need to be covered with band-aids, but they are getting better.

Brendan is doing great in school! He brought home a salt-dough map of Texas that he made. He got a 95 on it! It looks really good! We really need to work on his spelling words for UIL in the next couple of weeks. The competition is only a month away!

I really need to come up with something interesting to write one of these days... :)

Poor Jake

Jake's luck just isn't getting any better. This evening, he and I walked across the street to get Brendan from our neighbors' house and see their new guinea pig. As we were walking back home, Jake tripped over his own feet and fell down on the sidewalk. BOTH knees are scraped now and bleeding. I was able to clean them when we first came inside, but now he won't let me near his knees to try and clean them off or put any Neosporin on them. His lip is still swollen, and he's still talking funny from yesterday's accident. Poor little guy.

This blogging thing

I know that no one but me reads this, so it doesn't really matter that I've decided to do this blogging thing every day for 30 days. I read a few other blogs regularly, and there's a challenge out there in blog land to write every day for the 30 days in November. I'd just like to see if I can do ANYthing every day for 30 days straight. It's not likely, but what the heck... I'll give it a shot.

Today was a good day until around 5pm. I had gone over to Milly's for her party-thing, so Jeff took the boys to the airport (with Scott and his kids) to hang out at Founder's Plaza for a while. I get a text from Jeff that says "Injury to Jake. Brendan caused it. Busted chin split lip and teeth into lip. Blood. Driving home and Mia pukes in the damn car." Holy crap! I came home about 30 minutes after that text, and Jake's lip is all swollen. The bleeding had stopped, and he seemed to be acting fine. His chin was scraped a bit, and so was one of his legs. Apparently, Brendan was swinging around on something and knew that Jake was going to be in the way. He asked Jake to move, but he didn't, and Brendan swung around anyway and knocked Jake to the ground. He hit the concrete with his chin, and bit his bottom lip. It looks like his leg got scraped on concrete also. Poor little guy...

This picture was before the "incident". So sweet...

Halloween 2008

The boys had a blast last night! Brendan was Captain Rex from Star Wars/Clone Wars, and Jake was Buzz Lightyear. We walked the entire neighborhood, and came home with quite the load of candy! Jeff even dressed up - as a hockey player! We had a great time, even though the temperature was in the high 70s! When we got home, we ended up turning the A/C back on to cool us all down. Then we were comfortable enough to enjoy some candy! :)

Chaos

Tonight we watched the 3 M's for a while until Scott got off work. The kids were all playing together well, and Scott came to get them around 7:30. At about the same time, our next door neighbor came by to give us some mail he had gotten by mistake. While he talked with Jeff at the door, a bird that had been napping in the wreath decided to come in our house to look around. AAAGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!

This poor little sparrow was so lost! Jeff, Scott and our neighbor all came in and tried to catch the little guy - or at least guide him back out one of the doors. He flew around here for at least 15 minutes! He ran into several things, including the ceiling. The windows were open in the living room, so Scott went outside and took the screens off. At one point, the bird flew out one window and right back in the next one.

Meanwhile, all 5 kids are screaming and running around every time the bird moved. It was absolute chaos in here!! Finally, the bird flew out the back door. There were tiny feathers everywhere in here - including on the ceiling. Luckily, he didn't make any messes worse than the feathers!

Happy Birthday to my 3 year old!

Jake is our little surprise baby. I guess "surprise" could be an understatement! For years, we were under the assumption that I wouldn't be able to have another child. My medical issues are under control, but the possibility of getting pregnant was still pretty slim. It took some time for me to come to terms with that, but I did, and we were cool.

December 2004: Jeff and I were celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. We had decided to take a long weekend trip to Disneyworld by ourselves. Mom stayed at the house with Brendan, and we were off. As our gifts to ourselves, we bought annual passes to Disneyworld. We were planning to go again in March for Spring Break, so we would buy Brendan a pass then.

Jeff and I had so much fun exploring our favorite place! It was a very different trip without a kiddo with us. We missed him, but enjoyed spending time just the two of us.

Let's fast forward to January 2005... Due to my medical conditions, I wasn't very "regular" - so I would take a pregnancy test every once in a while just to be sure. My doctor had told me that it was highly UN-likely that I would ever get pregnant again, but there was always a VERY SLIM chance that I could. Well guess what? On January 4, 2005, I took a test and it was POSITIVE! I was half asleep, and had to blink a few times and shake my head in disbelief. And then I took another one. Same result. I couldn't believe it. By this point, I really didn't want another child. It had taken a long time for me to accept that I would have only one child, but I had done it. Now our world was being turned upside down. We were in shock.

Jeff was actually speechless! He did not say a word to me the whole drive in to work that morning. It was around 9:30 or 10:00 that morning before he spoke to me again. He was just stressing out about the whole thing! His biggest concern was the money issue. Obviously, it would cost more to have another kid. We just weren't prepared for that. Looking back on it now, I really feel guilty that I felt so bad about it. It didn't take long though to start getting excited about having another little person in our family. We would figure out the money thing somehow. In the grand scheme of things, the money was a tiny little part. We were having a baby!

The funny part about finding out we were going to have another child was discovering when he was conceived. I found a calculator online and put in my due date. The date of conception turned out to be December 4, 2004! Hmmm... That happens to be that weekend we were in Disneyworld! Jeff liked to say that Disneyworld was not only the "Happiest Place on Earth", but also the most fertile!

We waited a few weeks before we told Brendan about it. I wasn't sure how he would handle it, but he was great! He was excited about it, but told me that he wouldn't change any diapers!

August 22, 2005: We show up at the hospital at 9:00 to have a scheduled c-section at 10:00. We ran into several delays, and finally Jake was born at 3:28pm. I was awake for his delivery (unlike Brendan's), and there was some pain!! I remember the anestesiologist telling me that as soon as the doctors got him out, she'd give me the "good stuff". And she did! I heard him cry and then I fell asleep for just a few minutes. I was wheeled into recovery and then my room. One of our friends had picked up Brendan from school and brought him to the hospital. He was excited to meet his brother, but didn't get to that day.

Jake had a minor problem with his heart, so there were several hours after his birth that were spent running tests. They had called in the pediatrician-on-call to come in and check him out, but he didn't arrive until around 2am. I didn't get to see my baby until after that! AND, the worst part of it was that none of the nurses would tell me WHY I couldn't see him. It was awful! I was so upset after I found out the truth about what was going on that night, and I talked to my doctor about it. She spoke to the head nurse and then she came to see me. I let her know how stressful the situation was and that I hoped this didn't have to happen to any other mother!

I'm not a doctor, but this is what I know about what was going on with Jake's heart... There is a valve in the heart that typically gets closed during birth (it's supposed to). The pressure of going through the birth canal usually forces this to happen. Sometimes, with c-section babies, the valve doesn't close properly. Most of the time - at some point after the birth - it will close on it's own. In rare cases, the baby may need surgery to close it. Luckily for Jake, the valve closed on it's own within a day. In the end, he was perfectly healthy and we went home on time and he's had no other issues.

What an amazing little baby we had! He was adorable and so sweet. Brendan was so good with him. He was a proud big brother!

I am so blessed to have my two boys in my life. I love them both so very much and I can't imagine what life would be like without BOTH of them here with us. Life is good!

I love you Jake! You're 3!! What a big boy! Now, let's talk about potty training... :)

Frustration

I hate credit card companies. They lure you in, and then they screw you over. They start young, too! They came after me in college. I was young, and liked to have fun. (typical 18-year-old!) I didn't give too much thought to having to pay back what I "borrowed". But anyway... I digress. Let's fast forward a few years - to present day.

We have credit card debt. A lot of it. Too much, I know. A couple of months ago, we realized just how bad it really was and made a vow to change it. Easier said than done. I was looking through statements one month and noticed that a certain bank had raised our interest rates - quite a bit!! Almost double - to be more precise. What the hell??? Why would they do that? Because they can. This happened to 3 of our cards - and they all happen to be from the same bank. When I called to question this move, I was informed that it's because they noticed that we had too much debt (in their not-so-humble opinion). Well, no shit! I'm fully aware that we have too much debt. We are striving to lower it as we speak, I tell the guy. His response was that the bank was doing this to everyone, meaning - reviewing accounts and adjusting things as they saw fit. How nice of them.

I ask the guy how I could be penalized like this when I've ALWAYS paid on time? I've ALWAYS paid at least the minimum required. I've NEVER gone over my limit. He said that those things had nothing to do with it. Well, why the hell not???? Those good things should count for something, shouldn't they? If I had consistently been paying late, then of course I would deserve a penalty of some sort. If I couldn't pay the minimum required, I should be penalized. I know they charge over-the-limit fees, and I would understand being penalized for that. But NONE OF THESE APPLY in our case! We've played by the rules, and now we're being screwed over. AND WE'VE DONE NOTHING WRONG!!! YOU (the bank) offered us credit. YOU approved us when we applied for credit. YOU increased our spending limits - BECAUSE WE WERE SUCH VALUED CUSTOMERS. And now, because YOU have determined that we have too much debt (that YOU allowed us to have), you are penalizing us. Thanks a lot. I'm so glad that we chose to do business with you.

So, I ask the guy if anything can be done about this. I point out once again all the things that we've done right regarding our accounts (everything). And I ask him to explain to me once again all the things that we've done wrong (nothing). He agrees that we've done nothing wrong - except to actually USE the credit that was given us. How is this wrong again?? He doesn't have an answer for me. He tells me that the only thing we can do is "freeze" our accounts and they'll lower the interest rates. "Freezing" the accounts means that we can't use them. Well we can, but the first time we do, they'll jack the interest back up again. He said that as soon as we get to a zero balance, they'll be willing to "negotiate" with us for a low rate and unfreeze the account. Wow. Thanks for working with me!

I let the guy know how I feel about this whole deal, and he just listens. I know that it wasn't actually HIM that did this, but he's representing that company, and he got an earful that day from me. I point out to him that while I'm fully aware of the fact that I have too much debt, raising my interest rates (and subsequently the minimum payments) is only going to make it that much harder to actually pay the bills! I ask what sense this makes... ?? He says he understands, but there's nothing else he can do. Well, great. I tell him to freeze 2 of the accounts for now. Times are REALLY hard right now, and I feel like I need the flexibility to keep that 3rd card available if I need it. So it's done. 2 cards are "frozen" with somewhat reasonable interest rates. The 3rd card is still "un-frozen" and available for use. Of course, the interest rate is an un-Godly rate of 24.99%, but what can I do?

So, where are we? Since April, we've been living with those 2 cards frozen and the 3rd with the ridiculous interest. Fine, we're struggling - but hanging in there. Then, last week, we get some lovely mail from this bank. They've decided to LOWER our credit limits on 2 of the accounts! The one that we left un-frozen was lowered by about $1000, and one that was frozen was lowered by about $4000. They had determined that we carried too much credit (in general) and felt it was in their best interest to lower our limits. What amazes me is that I haven't used that one frozen card (either frozen one actually) since April, and they lower our limit by $4000!! I haven't charged anything on it in months, but yet it's in their best interest to lower it?? Please!!

And the hits just keep on comin'...

My Kind of Town!

I love Chicago. Love it. Love it. If it weren't for the winters, I would live there.

We went to visit Jeff's parents last weekend. They live in a suburb with a beautiful yard and a nice patio in the back. The first night we were there, we sat outside watching the birds and "critters". My first reaction to the word "critters" was EWWW!! I thought she was referring to mice or rats or something. And why on earth would she enjoy watching them?? Actually, they are ground squirrels. That's not so bad. They're actually kind of cute.

Jeff and Brendan were able to go flying with his dad on Thursday. They had a great time. We (me, Jeff's mom, and Jake) didn't have such a great time. On our way to meet them at the airport, Jake threw up in the car. That was awful!! (I should have known something was up when he fell asleep in my lap before we even left the house. He never does that!) Poor guy was not well at all for the rest of the afternoon. The evening improved though, and the boys all went to the playground in the neighborhood after dinner. Jake loved the swings, and Brendan ran around the tennis court chasing stray balls. Easy and cheap entertainment! :)

Friday we all met up for lunch at Portillo's near Woodfield Mall. What an awesome place! They have a HUGE selection, and everything was delicious. We will definitely go back again! After lunch, we split up again and the big boys went home to hang out at home while the ladies and Jake went to the mall. I stopped in the Disney Doorway to Dreams. It's a storefront which is used for the Disney Vacation Club - Disney's version of a timeshare. They have mock-ups of 2 different rooms at the Animal Kingdom Villas. They are absolutely beautiful! Jeff and I would LOVE to be a part of DVC. Unfortunately at the moment, we can't afford it. I really wish we could! Disney World is the place where we, as a family, can all go and have a great time together. We ALL love it, and hopefully that won't change for a long while. Maybe one day they'll be saying "Welcome Home" to us!

Saturday we took the train into the city to go to Navy Pier. Brendan, Jake and I rode the big Ferris Wheel and took in the sights. We had fun walking around and checking out the shops and then we ate some lunch. We spent most of the day there, and then took the train back home. It was a hot day (by Chicagoan standards), and we were all tired and ready to get home.

We flew home on Sunday and had to take a connecting flight through Shreveport. This wouldn't mean anything normally, but if we didn't have to stop there, Brendan probably wouldn't have done what he did. We got off the plane and set our stuff down in some chairs near the wall to re-charge the DVD player. Brendan wanted to finish watching the movie he had been watching on the plane, so he sat down and watched for about 10 minutes. I was watching Jake play and then noticed that the plane we had just been on was taking off to head back to Chicago. Right then, Brendan came over near me and said "Oh no. Mommy, please don't hate me." WHAT? Oh, please. What could you do that would ever make me hate you?? He starts digging through his bag and then quietly tells me that he thinks he left his DS on the airplane. OMG!!! OK, I don't HATE you for this, but I am certainly going to be a little upset! Sure enough, it was not in his bag. Or my bag. Or Jake's bag. Or Jeff's backpack. We checked. Twice. So not cool, kid!

Jeff got on the phone with everyone he could think of to try and help us locate it. No luck. 2 people met the plane and called him later to say they couldn't find it. My guess is that the person sitting there (or maybe near-by) found it and stuck it in their bag and figured it was just their lucky day. I really wish that there were more decent people in the world that do the right thing. I really wish that maybe the person that took it will have a change of heart and turn it in so that we could get it back. I realize that Brendan was at fault for leaving it in the seatback pocket in the first place. But when you find something like that, the right thing to do is to turn it in because you know it's expensive and IT DOESN'T BELONG TO YOU!! OK, rant over.

All in all, the trip was fun. We don't get a chance to visit them often, so it was nice to hang out for a while.

Pictures to come... :)

Our New Swimming Pool

Yes, we finally got a pool... It's wonderful! The boys love it and I like it because it's easy to keep clean. Actually, Jeff keeps it clean - I just watch him do it. :)

I'm addicted......

...to Guitar Hero. It's true. I cannot stop playing that stupid game! We got it for B for his birthday a few weeks ago, but I keep playing it! I've only been able to finish songs in the "easy" section, so it's not like I'm very good at it. But it's fun! I've gotten 100% on one song, and only missed 1 or 2 notes on a couple of others.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to my awesome, funny, sweet (although he wouldn't want anyone to know that...), loving husband!

Happy Birthday to my 10 year old!

We had Brendan's party this afternoon. We did laser tag at Main Event. Jeff and I even got to play! We teamed up against the 6 boys and beat them! We all had a great time!

Double Digits!

10 years ago today, I was sitting in a hospital labor/delivery room waiting to have my first baby. I was so excited/nervous/scared/thrilled/terrified/happy!! Jeff and I had gotten to the hospital at 7:00am for our appointment to be induced. The doctor gave me a pill that "supposedly" was to start the induction. We sat around for about 2 hours waiting and wondering. The doctor finally came in and said we could go home for a couple of hours and then come back in at 1:00pm.

We left the hospital and went to eat breakfast at a cool little diner near our house. The doctor had said that he didn't want me to eat too much. Yeah right! I'm sorry, but you can't tell a 9-months-pregnant woman to "not eat too much". I was starving! Anyway, after brunch, we stopped by the grocery store to get a few items and then went back to the house to hang around for a while.

Back to the hospital at 1:00pm and they put us in a different room. This one was awful! The TV only showed 2/3 of the picture! It was especially bad, because we ended up spending the next 6 1/2 hours cooped up in there. The doctor gave me 2-3 more doses of the "induction pill" that did nothing for me. Nurses came in and checked on me several times throughout the day, and never once was I in labor.

At one point, a nurse came in and stuck something in my IV. I asked what she was doing and her reply was that she was giving me something to stop the contractions because the baby's heart rate would drop with each one. Contractions??? I was having contractions?? I hadn't felt a thing.

Off and on all day, nurses and the doctor would check on me. They kept telling me that they were watching the baby's heart rate and I would probably be going home soon - after they checked with the doctor about it. ugghhh... When was I ever going to have this baby???

Finally, at around 7:30pm, the doctor came in and stood at the foot of my bed. He said, "I think we should talk about the possibility of doing a C-section". He was so laid-back about it, I almost felt like I had a choice in the matter. I asked if this was the only solution, and he said that he was concerned about the heart rate and felt like this was the best idea. I said, "You're the doctor - if you think this is the best thing to do at this point, then I guess we're having a c-section".

The next thing I knew, there were dozens of nurses flying in and out of my room. One threw some scrubs at Jeff and told him to get ready. Another gave me some liquid to drink so I wouldn't throw up. One came in with a razor and a small tub of water. (ack!) One came in and caused me the most pain I've ever felt in my life!! An anastesiologist came in and talked to me about the different ways of numbing me to do the surgery. As he was talking to me and Jeff, a nurse came in and told him that we would be doing general anastesia, so don't bother telling me any more. She then looked at Jeff in his scrubs and said, "you won't be needing those after all. You can't go with her when we do general anestesia." He looked relieved and scared at the same time. He's not one for dealing with blood and stuff, so he was a little freaked about the birth anyway.

It was at that point that I really started to freak out. The nurse said we needed to get going NOW!! "We have to get that baby out NOW!" They started rolling my bed down the hall and into an operating room. I remember them counting instruments and the doctor telling everyone to get moving because they needed to get the baby out immediately. Then I was out.

I woke up a couple of hours later to Jeff telling me that our baby was fine and that he had 10 little fingers and 10 little toes. We were OK! I was so excited and couldn't wait to see him. They moved me to my room and brought him to me a few minutes later. He was perfect! He had a perfectly round head and beautiful blue eyes. He was the most amazing little person I had ever seen! I was thrilled beyond belief.

Happy Birthday to my first born! I love you with all that I have, and I am so proud of you. You are a wonderful, sweet, caring, funny, awesome boy and I am so lucky to have you in my life!

Slip Slide and Away!

Last weekend, Jeff's parents flew in for a visit. We had fun hanging out with them for a couple of days. Sunday, we went over to Jeff's brother's house to cook out and let the kids play together. They set up the Slip & Slide in the back yard, and the kids LOVED it! Brendan would run and slide, but Jake just walked carefully around it and splashed a little bit in the water. They had a lot of fun. :)

Mickeymousecuckhouse??

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is Jake's FAVORITE show right now. He gets so excited about it and when he asks for it, he's usually in a hurry and it comes out all run together like "Mickeymousecuckhouse Mommy?" Jeff and Brendan went on their bikes to pick him up this afternoon and as soon as he walked in the door, that's what I heard. He's now sitting on the couch in the computer room watching and singing along with Mickey, Minnie, and their friends. He's so darn cute, I have to just smile when I hear him singing. I really had to smile when I checked in on him a minute ago... :)

"I go uh-ice sound, Mommy?"

Jake's new favorite thing to do is to have one of us pick him up and hold him upside down and walk through the house. He loves it! He just giggles and looks around while we walk. He especially loves it when we stop in front of the mirror so he can see himself. He just cracks up!

Happy Mother's Day!

B came home yesterday with a card he made at school. The front of it has a picture of him and it says:

Mommy, I love you
for all that you do.
I'll kiss you and hug you
'cause you love me too!
You feed me and need me
to teach you to play.
So smile and be happy.
On this awesome Mother's Day!
Happy Mother's Day Mom!

awww... What a sweetie! I love my boy!

Friday!

I'm so glad it's Friday! I hate the feeling of wishing away my week, but I get sooooo sick of sitting in that office! I was informed this afternoon that I didn't get a new position that I had interviewed for. I didn't really think that I would get it, but it was still a bummer to be told a definite "No". Oh well. I guess it really wasn't meant for me.

Someday I hope to be in a position that has me doing something I really love and getting paid EXTREMELY well for it! Ha! :-)

A little about me...

1. What bill do you hate paying the most?
Any credit card bill. Stupid bills.
2. Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner?
What on earth would that be??
3. Do you regret losing your virginity to who you lost it to?
Unfortunately, yes.
4. If you could go back and change one thing what would it be?
I would finish college so that I might have a better job.
5. Name of your second grade teacher?
Mrs. Hazelrigg. She was one of my favorites!
6. What do you really want to be doing right now?
Walking through the Magic Kingdom with my boys!
7. What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A teacher.
8. How many colleges did you attend?
2
9. Why did you choose the shirt that you have on right now?
It's just a comfortable T-shirt. Once I get home from work, I get comfortable!
11. If you could move anywhere and take someone with you where would it be?
I'd take my boys and move to either Orlando or San Diego.
12. First thought when the alarm went off this morning?
Ugh, I don't want to get up yet!
13. Last thought before going to sleep last night?
I hope Jeff doesn't have some crazy dream again and wake me up at 3am!
14.What do you miss about being a child?
The carefree feeling of no responsibilities/bills/job/etc...
16. What errand/chore do you despise?
cleaning the toilet! yuck!
17. If you didn't have to work, would you volunteer?
I would love to!
18. Get up early or sleep in?
I LOVE to sleep in, but then I feel bad for wasting the day away when there's so much to do...
19. What is your favorite cartoon character?
Mickey Mouse of course!
20. Favorite thing to do at night with a girl/guy?
Hang out and talk
21. Have you found real love yet?
Definitely!
22. When did you start feeling old?
When I started saying things to my boys that made me sound like my mother.
24. Your favorite lunch meat?
It's a tie between roast beef and ham.
25. What do you get every time you go into Wal-Mart?
Milk and Stuffed French Toaster Sticks.
26. Beach or lake?
Beach.
27. Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual?
No. I believe in marriage!
28. Do you own property?
Yes.
29. Favorite Guilty pleasure?
TV!
30. Favorite movie you wouldn't want anyone to find out?
Bring it On. I always wanted to be a cheerleader!
31. What's your drink?
Anything with Vodka...
32. Cowboys or Indians?
Cowboys
33. Cops or Robbers?
Cops
34. Who from high school would you like to run in to?
Michael. I miss talking to him like we used to...
35. What radio station is your car radio tuned to right now?
I switch around all the time. I think it's on 102.1 at the moment.
37. Grey's Anatomy or The Office?
Grey's Anatomy. I've never watched the Office, although everyone says it's great.
38. Worst relationship mistake you wish you could take back?
Can we just say bad choices in the people involved?
40. What famous person would you like to have dinner with?
I'd be too intimidated to have dinner with anyone famous.
41. Indoors or Outdoors?
Indoors. A/C is the best invention!
42. Have you ever crashed your vehicle?
Yep. I wrecked my Escort twice in 6 months. I hadn't even had it a year... That sucked.
43. Have you ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose?
No.
44. Last book you read?
I don't even remember.
45. Do you have a teddy bear?
I have a bear that I built at the Mall of America with Mom. It's cute.
46. Strangest place you have ever brushed your teeth?
I usually do that in the bathroom...??
47. Somewhere in California you've never been and would like to go?
San Francisco
48. Do you go to church?
No.
49. At this point in your life would you rather start a new career or a new relationship?
Career!!
50. How long have you been out of school?
High School? yikes... 19 years!

I copied this from another blog I like to read, and changed the answers to mine. I just realized that the questions are numbered, but there are some numbers that were skipped! Oh well... It was fun anyway!

Stevie D.

Steve was a great guy. I worked with him for several years until he retired in 2000. He was originally from New York, and sometimes he tried to sound tougher than he really was. Inside, he was a sweet man with a heart of gold. For many years, he would bring me and my co-workers bagels on the weekends and he refused to take our money for them.

Once, years ago, I was battling a horrible sinus infection. Jeff and I were having some money troubles, and I didn't have enough money to go to the doctor. Steve insisted that I go and get checked out and get some medicine to get over my illness. I didn't want to tell him at first that I was too broke to go, but he finally got it out of me. He immediately whipped out his checkbook and handed me a blank check. He told me to do whatever I needed to get better and not to worry about the cost. I was amazed. I went to the doctor that day and was able to get a prescription that helped me right away. I was embarrassed that I was so financially pathetic, but at the same time, so grateful that such a kind-hearted man was willing to help me. I paid Steve back as soon as I could and have forever remembered his generosity.

Tonight was Steve's wake. He was diagnosed with cancer just a few months ago, and lost his short battle this past Saturday. He will be remembered fondly by many people and missed greatly.

Easter Trip to DC

I really need to catch up!

We took the boys for a long weekend in Washington D.C. over Easter. We had such a good time! It was a bit chilly, and a little rainy, but we still had fun. Brendan was so excited to see the Capital, the White House and the Washington Monument. We didn't go inside any of them, but he was excited just the same.



Jeff had some sunflower seeds and found a squirrel that looked hungry. The boys were amazed at how close this little guy would get to them. I was just hoping we wouldn't have to all go get rabies shots later.

We checked out the Air & Space Museum.

We also went to the Museum of Natural History.

We did a LOT of walking!! On our first day, we happened upon this guy:

I wasn't sure if he was breathing at first, but we checked. He was. The next day, Brendan decided he needed to become an impersonator:

On Sunday morning, we decided to go visit the Newseum. Jeff and I had gone there the last time we were there (2001 I think?). It was a pretty neat place all about the history of news media - papers, TV, internet. We thought Brendan would enjoy it, so we took the Metro to the Rosslyn station and walked 2-3 blocks to the museum.

The building had no sign, and the doors were locked. What was going on? Jeff was concerned that it was closed since it was Easter. He called Scott, who checked on the internet for us. It turns out that they have moved! Crap! So, we walked back to get back on the train. We walked down Pennsylvania Avenue to the new location. The doors were locked here too! What's going on here? They are supposed to open at 10:00am, and it's 11:30... And then I saw it. A big banner above the doors that says "Grand Opening - April 11"!! Yep, it's only March 23rd. Dang. Maybe we'll be able to visit it next time we visit...

As we were walking that morning, we see this:

It says:

GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC

Organized at Decatur, Illinois April 6, 1866

by Benjamin Franklin Stephenson MD

Pretty cool - since that's my hometown! I am embarrassed to say that I know nothing about this statue/monument though. History was never my strong suit.

We also drove around to see Jeff's old neighborhoods. It was pretty cool to see the houses that he grew up in as well as his old schools.

On Monday, we went to the Air & Space Museum out by Dulles Airport.

I liked this one a lot better than the on on the mall. It is only a few years old, and has hundreds of airplanes on display. Jeff and Brendan did a simulator which they both agreed was WAY COOL.

We saw the IMAX movie - Forces of Nature. Very interesting. They also have a "control tower" that you can go and check out. You can watch planes take off and land from there.

We spent a few hours at the museum, and then it was time to head over to the airport to fly home. Unfortunately, there had been a delay on one of the DFW flights, so we had to sit and wait. And wait. And wait. We arrived at the airport at about 3:30 and had planned to take a 5:30pm flight home, but ended up on that delayed flight that left at 9:45pm. Luckily, Jake wore himself out in the waiting area during the 6 hours we waited. He fell asleep at 8:15 and slept until we touched down at DFW at 11:45 that night. The plane was empty, so it was a nice peaceful trip home.

Wiggly Play Center!

Today we went to the Wiggly Play Center in Frisco. It was a lot of fun. Jake and Zoe had a great time sliding and then driving the cars around.

Brett Favre at Open House!

Tonight was Open House at Brendan's school. The 3rd graders have all been working on biographies of various famous/influential people. B picked Brett Favre (he's been very into football lately). They were all to dress as their chosen person and give a brief speech to anyone that stopped by their desk. It was pretty cool and he seemed to have fun with it.

Happy Day Mommy!

Today was my birthday! It's hard to believe that I'm 37... That just sounds older than what I feel! It was a good day. Mom brought bagels to work for me and my co-workers, Jeff took me out to lunch, and then we went to dinner after we picked up the boys. I told him I didn't want a present since we've spent so much money lately on the TV, fridge and dishwasher. He decided that he should get me a little something, so he got me season 1 of Two & a Half Men. That show just cracks us up!!

All in all, a very good day!

Snow in Texas - March 6th!

It snowed today! This has been a weird weather week... Sunday, it was in the 70's. Monday night it snowed a lot for about 2 hours, but had mostly melted by morning. Tuesday and Wednesday it was chilly, but not horrible. And then today, it started raining and then turned into snow by early afternoon. We left work at 2:30 to get the boys after we got word that the extended school day had been cancelled. It took about an hour to get to the school and then as soon as we were home, Brendan was outside with his friends. He had a blast!! After a while, Jeff went out to play too. I waited a few more minutes and then took Jake out. We don't get snow often, so we don't have boots or even gloves to wear in this kind of weather. Poor Jake's hands were freezing after a few minutes. They had so much fun though!

Small steps to a new kitchen

We are taking small steps to re-do the kitchen. We ordered a new refrigerator and dishwasher! They were delivered yesterday. The fridge looks awesome! Unfortunately, they delivered the wrong dishwasher. The man at Home Depot keyed in the wrong number when he placed our order, so now we have to wait while they fix it and send us the right one. We should get that on Wednesday. It sounds silly, but I'm excited!

The next step I would like to do in there is to get new countertops. I know that will have to wait at least a year or two (maybe 3?), but eventually it will happen! In the meantime, a girl can dream... :)

It's almost time!

Tonight as I was getting Jake ready for his bath, he gave me a hint that he's almost ready for potty training! He's getting very good at taking off his clothes and putting them in the hamper by himself. Last thing to go is the diaper... I unfastened it and asked him if he needed to go. He had this far-away look on his face and then proceeded to go! (I was still holding the diaper in place, but watching.) I started cheering and praising him like crazy!! Until..... I took the diaper away from his body to throw it away and he decided to go again - on the carpet! UGH! Luckily, it really wasn't TOO much.

I'm excited to get this going... I've had about enough of this diaper-changing stuff! I'm trying to stay calm though, because I know with Brendan it took quite a while to get the hang of it. I'm not going to freak out about it just yet. He's only 2 1/2... :)

Quiet Day

It's a beautiful day here - bright sun, blue sky, temps in the low 60s... B has been outside all day playing with his friends. Hopefully soon, we'll have a swing set for Jake to play on in the back yard. A family in our neighborhood moved away and said we could have their old set for free. It's several years old, and will need some work, but it's free! The only problem is actually taking it down and transporting it 2 streets to our house. Some day soon, we'll get that done!

Cancer Sucks

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... Cancer Sucks! Why does this horrible disease happen to people? Why can't the millions of doctors around the world figure out how to cure it?? Or, better yet, how to prevent it??

A very close friend of ours - Chris - is losing his battle. He is at home, and they are trying to keep him comfortable. He was just diagnosed 6 months ago. He was a strong, healthy man. Last June, he turned 50. He worked out regularly, ate fairly healthy, didn't smoke, etc... He left work one day in tremendous pain, and has never returned. I look over toward his desk every day when I walk in the building hoping to see him. I know I never will. He wanted so badly to beat this thing - to go against the odds. The really strange thing is that we really thought he would! Just last week he got approval to try a new chemo. He was very excited about it - hoping that THIS would be the one that would work. The weekend prior to that, Jeff took him out shopping for a new TV. He figured since he spent most every day at home watching TV and hanging around, he might as well have a good one. Jeff said that while they went from store to store, Chris seemed better than he had in weeks. And now this? How does that happen??

Chris and Jeff have been friends for years. They played hockey together for several seasons, and have gone golfing together numerous times. He watched Kramer for us a couple of times even though he doesn't have a fenced-in yard and would have to walk him. He didn't mind - that's what friends do.

Chris has this amazing personality and seems to get along with most everyone. He's funny, outgoing, and smart. He's a character! He always made me laugh.

We love you Chris, and we'll miss you.

It's Brendan's turn...

Unfortunately, it's Brendan's turn to have the nasty bug... I got a call this afternoon from the nurse at his school that he had just thrown up - all over her. :( Poor lady! She told me that he was very sweet to her though. He noticed that he had gotten some on her watch, and he felt really bad about it. He said, "Oh no - I got it on your watch!" She told him not to worry, that she has others. He was still very concerned though, and asked how much money she had, and if she had enough to get a new one. She told him that she usually buys cheap watches anyway, so not to worry. She said he was very sweet about it and she could tell that he really felt bad about what had happened.

What a kind-hearted son I have! I am so proud of him. I hope he starts feeling better soon, so he can enjoy the weekend.

Poor Jake

We went to dinner last night at Cotton Patch Cafe. Chicken fried steak... Yummy! The boys both ate really well - macaroni & cheese of course! They both ate so good, that I let them eat the Oreo cookies that they give them for dessert. Everything was fine until...

Jake went to bed on time and then at 10:00, I was starting to get ready for bed and I smelled it. He had thrown up in his bed. Yuck! It was obvious what he had eaten for dinner... Jeff helped me clean him up and change the sheets. Unfortunately, Jake had it bad. I sat up with him most of the night. Every 15-20 minutes, he would throw up just a little more. Finally at around 5:30am, he seemed to be done. I finally went to bed and then he woke up at 7:45.

He seems to be doing pretty well today, although he's not eating much. He has his moments of quiet - laying on the couch, and then moments of running from room to room. I called in sick today and just told him that I was up all night sick. (pretty close to the truth!) I do not want to use another VC day this early in the year!

I really hope that Jake will be better soon. I just hate when he's sick. :(

Another day off...

Today is a school holiday for Brendan. He was also off this past Friday, so there's 2 VC days used already for 2008! He had a rough week last week at school, and came home with 4 bills for the 4-day week. Not good!! I drug him around all over the place on Friday. We went into and out of 4 or 5 stores. He was not a happy guy. That's the way it goes! He also lost his DS, TV, computer, and playing outside with his friends. Taking away those things for a few days was the best way to try and knock some sense into him. He has been better throughout the weekend, and has earned back some of those priviledges. The only one he doesn't have back yet is his DS. It's still mine for a while. I should really figure out how to play the silly thing!

I have spent the entire weekend organizing pictures on the laptop. I had a million different folders on the old computer, and I've now organized them into month/year. It was fun to look back at some of the older pictures and see how much the boys have grown!

November 2005:

August 2007:

A new laptop!

Tuesday was Jeff's birthday, and what do we do? We buy a new laptop! We've never had one before, and have been shopping for one for a few weeks now. We found one at Best Buy pretty cheap, so we got it! How cool is that? It's basically mine, since we gave Brendan my old one, but when it comes right down to it - it's OURS. I'll just be the one to use it the most. :)

Ebay is fun!

I've listed several items on Ebay in the past year or so, and made a little bit of money... I think it's fun to do and interesting to watch what people are interested in. Well, last week JoDee came to me and asked if I might be interested in listing some clothes that belonged to her daughter. She had several name-brand items that were in excellent or brand new condition! She said if I was interested, we could just split the profits. Cool!

So far, I've listed 19 items for her. 11 of them ended tonight, with 8 selling and 3 not selling. I was very surprised that one of the shirts didn't sell. There were 4 people watching it! That's the tricky part though... People may be watching it because they're interested in buying it, but just waiting until the very end to bid, OR they may be watching it because they have a similar item that they want to list and are curious to see how much someone else's goes for. I always get excited when I see people watching something, but I have to remind myself that it doesn't always mean a bidding war will break out! When we sold Brendan's bed, there were 39 people watching it!! I had e-mails out the ying-yang about it. I was just sure that there would be people bidding and bidding... But, we ended up only selling it for $1.50 over the reserve price. AGGHH!

Tonight I listed some of Jake's toys and some PJ's that he's grown out of. Hopefully, we'll do well with these things and bring in a little $$.

A Disney World Thanksgiving!

Day 1 – Sunday, November 18, 2007

Wake up at 3:45am for a 6:15 flight. We are all up, ready, and in the car backing out of the garage at 4:45. Right on time! Flight was un-eventful and we arrived in Orlando on time. Went to check in for Magical Express and were immediately escorted to a waiting bus. Off to Caribbean Beach Resort! Check-in went smoothly – except for the part where they asked for a company ID for our discount! Neither one of us had remembered to bring our ID, so I panicked just a little… Luckily our insurance cards have the company logo on them and the CM’s manager accepted them as ID. Whew! That was a lucky break. Our room wasn’t ready yet, so we checked our 1 carry-on bag with bell services and were off to the parks by 10:30.

The first bus that showed up at our stop was headed for Epcot, so we jumped on that one. Our plan was to go to MK, but we just wanted to get going to anywhere! We arrived at Epcot and went straight to the monorail over to MK. (I’m sure this took longer than if we had just waited for a MK bus, but we like riding the monorail!) We asked to ride up front, and were lucky enough to do it.

Got into MK and had to catch our breath. Yikes, it was crowded! Wanted to stop at the Barber Shop, but the line was out the door, so we decided to come back later. Got Fastpasses for Space Mountain for 2:55-3:55. Rode TTA and then stopped and had a quick bite for lunch. Gotta love those turkey legs! Had some time to wait before Fastpass time, so we walked over to Frontierland. Standby time for BTMRR was 75 minutes. Normally, we don’t wait that long for anything, but at that point we didn’t have much of a choice. Plus, Jake had fallen asleep in his stroller and we wanted to let him sleep for a while. Jeff and B waited in line while I walked around with Jake. I found a quiet spot in Liberty Square to stop and sit for a bit. It was behind the Christmas shop, and part of it was actually a smoking area. Luckily, it was not very crowded there, so the smoke didn’t bother us at all.

Got a text msg from Jeff that they were done with BTMRR, so I met them back over there to ride with B using the Rider Swap. (Having a little one who can’t ride the bigger rides, I really think that the Rider Swap is an awesome idea! It also really works out well for B, since he usually gets to ride everything twice!) It was time for FP on SM, so Jeff & B head off to ride that while I go try the Barber shop again. (Both boys seriously needed cuts, so I was determined!) There were only a few people in front of me waiting, so we stick around. Jeff calls to tell me that SM is shut down at the moment, so they head over to the barber shop too. Saw the 3:00 parade from there... Not a bad location! B and Jake both got cuts. B got the colored gel and pixie dust. He just loves that he has a hidden Mickey on the back of his head! We had gotten Jake’s first cut done there last year and it was a breeze. This year, not so much. I ended up sitting in the chair holding him – facing me – while Jeff blew bubbles behind me to distract him. He would calm down for a minute, but then look in the mirror and freak out again. Crazy kid!

Hopped on the monorail back over to Epcot for our 5:30 dinner reservations at Le Cellier. On the way in, we checked out the new stuff at the exit area for Spaceship Earth. B loved the games! Jake was running around and tripped on the edge of the carpet. Got a nice quarter-sized bruise on his forehead. He shakes things off pretty quickly though, and was back to running around in no time.

Went to dinner at Le Cellier. I have to say, this was a very good meal! I think the only thing that would have made it better was if we didn’t have to pay for it! We got spoiled last year with the free dining plan, so this year I cringed just a little when I had to actually pay for food! But, it was good and we enjoyed ourselves very much. Stopped in to watch the 360 movie – O’Canada. I don’t remember everything about the previous version, but I know it’s been updated recently and I really liked it.

We were all tired, so we headed back to CBR around 7:30. Somehow, on the way back, B convinced Jeff to take him back to MK for EMH. MK was going to be open until 3:00am. B kept saying that he wanted to try and stay up that late – even though he had been up since 4:00! Jeff agreed to take him back once we got back to the room and had unpacked a little.

Got to our room – 4505 in Jamaica – and unpacked. A little about this resort… I was concerned because it was so big, but we had a great location. It was a short walk across the lake to Old Port Royale to the food court and gift shop, and it was also close to a bus stop. It turned out that Jamaica was usually the first stop coming back from the parks, so that was nice too! We loved it, and would definitely stay here again!

Jeff & B went back to MK, and I got Jake ready for bed. He wanted no part of sleeping in that pack & play though! I ended up laying him in our bed until he fell asleep and then moved him. I fell asleep and never heard the guys come in. Jeff said they got back around 12:30. I don’t know what all they did, but he said they did check out the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor and thought it was pretty funny.

Up next… We’re joined by Jeff’s parents – from here on out, known as Ma-Ma and Pa-Pa.

Day 2 – Monday, November 19, 2007

Since I was asleep by 10:00 the night before, I was up at 7:00. I got dressed and ready and woke the boys up at 8:30. We walked over to Old Port Royale to get some breakfast, and then headed to the Custom House to meet up with Jeff’s parents. We walked up just as they were getting off the Magical Express bus. Great timing! They got checked in and we went back to our room so that they could change clothes and drop off their carry-on bag. Then off to Animal Kingdom!

We went straight over to Expedition Everest, and ended up getting the front row! AK is not ever high on our “to-do” list, but we all love this ride! It was at this point that I hear Pa-Pa say, "Oh jeez... I guess we have to go backwards now, huh??? AAAGGGHHH!!" I was cracking up so much that I couldn't get any other pictures!

Jeff’s parents were pretty hungry by this point, so we stop and get a bite to eat. After that we headed off to the Kilamanjaro Safari. The wait time said 50 minutes. Right! It ended up being more like 75. Not a good idea for Pa-Pa to be standing that long with such little movement! He has issues with both of his knees and walks with a “walking stick” (and don’t ever call it a cane!). We had offered to rent an ECV for him to use, but he refused. Anyway, he was quite relieved when we finally boarded our jeep for our excursion into the savanna!

After checking out the animals, we headed out of the park to go over to MK. We were slowed temporarily by the Jingle Jungle Parade, so we just hung around and waited for a few minutes.

This is also the point where I witnessed the loudest yelling-at-another-family-member exchange ever! Ma-Ma and I were making our way through the crowd to a spot to stop and wait for the parade to pass. I hear a woman say something to her (I assume) husband about wanting to get closer to watch the parade. He didn't hear her, so he shouted "What are you doing?" She replied with, "I'm getting closer so I can see better!" and then proceeded to walk off. His response was, "JENNY!!!! COME GET YOUR DAUGHTER!!!!!" Seriously, I think the CMs - in costume - on the floats could have heard this guy. I think people riding EE clear across the park could have heard him. It was unreal.

Anyway... We had dinner reservations at The Plaza for 6:00pm, so we grabbed a bus and went to MK. We walked down Main Street just as the “lighting of the castle” show was starting. (I have no idea what they were really calling this, so this is just my made-up name for it!)

I really thought that the castle looked beautiful and I know I took way too many pictures of it, but… Oh well!

Dinner was good, and the price was a lot easier to swallow than at Le Cellier! As we were leaving, we ran into a co-worker of Jeff’s who was also there with his family for the week. We ended up seeing him every day we were there! How crazy is that!?

We spent the rest of the evening at MK. We were able to check out Space Mountain, TTA, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Indy Speedway, Mickey’s Philharmagic, and the Hall of Presidents. Jake and B really enjoyed running around in the entry area of the Hall of Presidents. My apologies to anyone Jake may have run in to, cut in front of, or otherwise annoyed! We ended up staying at Magic Kingdom until around midnight that night. Pa-Pa’s knees were bothering him, but he hung in there and really had a good time. Ma-Ma surprised me and even rode Space Mountain twice! What a fun evening we had.

Up next… We have a date with a mouse!

Day 3 – Tuesday, November 20, 2007

We slept in a little bit and made our way over to the Contemporary for brunch at Chef Mickey’s at 10:40am. We took the bus to MK and then hopped on the resort monorail to the Contemporary. Jeff, his parents, and B got to ride up front. They were pretty impressed with the view!

Arrived at Chef Mickey’s and checked in. They handed me a beeper thing and said it should just be a few minutes. Boy, were they right! I turned around and went to find the rest of the family, and as soon as I sat down, the beeper started buzzing. Cool! We sat down at our table and were immediately greeted by Pluto. So cute!

Jake was so excited to see all the characters! Brendan is starting to get to an age where he’s not overly excited to see them because he knows that it is a real person in a costume. He still seemed to have fun though, and he’s such a sweet guy, that he was happy to see his little brother so happy. Ma-Ma and Pa-Pa seemed to really enjoy themselves too! The food was great, and the atmosphere was fun. We have eaten brunch here 3 times now, and will continue to do so in the future. We love it! There’s something for everyone, and we’ve never felt rushed to get in and get out.

Everyone stopped by to visit our table: Chef Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto, & Goofy. When we finished our meal, we rolled out of there and made our way to the bus stop. We were off to MGM Studios! I couldn’t wait to ride Rockin’ Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror!

Unfortunately, the bus stop at the Contemporary was where we had our first meltdown from Jake. He had become enthralled with my cell phone and insisted that he hold it. Well, I wasn’t thrilled with this idea, but I let him hold it for a while. He was cute with it for a few minutes pretending like he was taking pictures and saying, “Picture! Cheese!” I changed my mind about the arrangement when he dropped it a few times, and he threw a HUGE fit when I took it away from him. I ended up walking away with him to the end of the bus stop area and just sat there letting him scream. There was no consoling him and no getting him to shut up. I just shook my head. I didn’t know what else to do. A few minutes of screaming went by and then Jeff came down to tell me that the bus was here. I picked up Jake and carried him to the bus – screaming all the way. I could tell that the other people were just thrilled that they were going to get to ride with a screaming 2-year-old all the way to MGM, and I felt bad for them. But as soon as I stepped onto the bus, he gave the bus driver a huge smile and said, “Bus! I get on Bus!” Little Stinker!!

We arrived at MGM and again tried to offer to get Jeff’s dad an ECV. Again, he refused. I don’t know if it was pride, embarrassment, or just plain stubbornness, but he insisted on walking and not using an ECV or even a wheelchair. OK, then – off we go! We all walked over to Rockin’ Roller Coaster. The FastPasses we got were for 6:55pm – 7:55pm. That was several hours away… But the CM at the entrance said that the Single Rider line was only about 30 minutes or so. Jeff, B and I talked to Ma-Ma and Pa-Pa and they said they would stay with Jake while we waited in the single rider line. Pa-Pa had really wanted to ride this too, but didn’t want to stand in the line. It’s a good thing he didn’t, because the “30 minutes or so” turned out to be over an hour!

We met back up with Jeff’s parents and Jake and started walking toward the Lights, Motors, Action! Show. We hadn’t bothered to check a times guide though, and soon realized that we would have to wait over an hour until the next showing.

OK… Plan B. We got in line for the Backlot Tour. It would only be 10 minutes until the next showing for that, but Pa-Pa refused to wait in the line with us because his knees were really hurting him. He just wanted to sit on a bench and wait for us. UGH! How much fun is that??

OK… Plan C. We then decided to leave MGM and go over to Downtown Disney for a little shopping and just hanging out. We took the bus to Saratoga Springs and then another bus to Downtown. We went into Once Upon a Toy so B could make his own Light Saber. This was a really cool thing for him to do. The CM (I don't remember his name - sorry) was great with him and very helpful. He got to pick out all the pieces and put them together (with a little help) and then they also provided the batteries for it. He also got a pin - his choice of either a Jedi or Sith pin. It was pretty neat.

Ma-Ma decided to take Jake and B on a ride on the little train that is there. At first, Jake didn’t know what to make of it, but by the end he was loving it! Pa-Pa wanted to go back to the hotel and rest, and the rest of us wanted to go back to MGM, so we split up and did just that. Jake fell asleep on the bus on the way to MGM, and ended up staying asleep for quite a while. We walked through the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights. It was amazing! The music was awesome, and the lights were just unbelievable! I was really looking forward to seeing them, but Jeff was just concerned that it would be so crowded that we wouldn’t enjoy them. No worries though… there was plenty of space to walk around comfortably and enjoy the sights.

We still had the FastPasses for RnR that we had gotten earlier in the day, so we walked over to take a ride to see Aerosmith one more time. Ma-Ma stayed with Jake while the 3 of us rode the limo. We had gotten a Rider Swap for her to use, but by the time we had returned from L.A., she had changed her mind about riding and so we used the Swap to go a second time.

Standby times for nearly everything were at least 45 minutes, so we were ready to get going back to the hotel. B really wanted to go swimming, so we caught a bus back to CBR. Jake didn’t wake up until we walked back into our room! He had slept for over 3 hours!

We all went down to the pool so B could swim and Pa-Pa could hang out in the hot tub for a bit. We enjoyed a few adult beverages and then called it a night.

Up next… Did you know that Test Track has a VIP lounge??

Day 4 – Wednesday, November 21, 2007

We decided that we needed to get up early today to arrive at Epcot’s 9:00am opening. This was the only way that we figured we’d be able to get on Soarin’, Test Track and Mission:Space without too much waiting. We were trying to spare Jeff’s dad more pain because – once again – he refused the offer for an ECV. We arrived at 8:45 and waited – not so patiently – for the opening. Jake started to get antsy, but then the rope dropped and we were off.

Jeff ran over to Soarin’ to get us all Fastpasses, while the rest of us headed for Test Track. We got a Rider Switch pass, and Pa-Pa, Ma-Ma and Brendan went on to ride while I took Jake through the gift shop to check out the cars. He was enthralled with the Richard Petty Experience race car that was on display, and kept pointing it out to me. “Mommy – Car! Mommy – Car!” The place was empty, and we struck up a conversation with the CM that was working there. She told Jake that since he was the first person to check out that car, he got a special prize! She walked back to the desk and came back just a minute later. I figured she had some sort of toy car for him or something, but then she handed me a business card. She explained that it was a guest pass for the VIP lounge located above Test Track! I never knew such a thing existed! She said there were free beverages up there, as well as amazing views of Epcot and the inside of the ride that not many people ever get to see. We would also get a pass to go to the front of the line to ride Test Track when we left the lounge. The pass was only good for that day, and they would close at 4:30pm. No problem, we’ll be there!

B and Jeff’s parents finished their ride, and then Jeff showed up, so the grandparents stayed with Jake while Jeff, B and I went to ride. We decided to come back in a bit to check out the lounge and headed over to Soarin’. I think this is my absolute favorite attraction in all of Walt Disney World. I love everything about it - the music, the sights of California, the feeling of flying… And I love that the pre-boarding announcement is done by Patrick Warburton (Puddy from Seinfeld)! He just cracks me up!

We did the Rider Swap on this one too, and when we met up with Jeff’s parents in the food court seating area after our flight, we learned that the people at the table next to us were winners of the Cinderella Castle stay for that night! They had just come off of Soarin’ and the actual winner was a girl who looked to be around 15 or 16 years old, and her mom was signing a ton of paperwork. There were about 7 or 8 Dream Squad Members with her and her family. She looked completely overwhelmed! I don’t know if she really understood all of what would be happening, or if she was just in shock. I just kept looking at her like, “Ya know, if you don’t want it… I’d be happy to take your place!” But, I’m sure they had a great time with it and congratulations to them!

We were off to get some lunch at the Electric Umbrella and then take a ride to Mars on Mission:Space. On the way over to that side of Future World, we took a look around Mousegears and got to see the Jammitors play. They are awesome! Jake was really impressed by them, and wanted to join in. After they finished and handed out stickers to all the kids, they let Jake play with the drumsticks for a few minutes. He loved it! One of the guys decided to just let him keep the drumsticks since he was having so much fun with them. So nice!! Jake was thrilled! Ma-Ma now seems to think that a drum set would be a nice Christmas gift for him!? Oh no!!

We made it over to Mission:Space and somehow convinced Ma-Ma to ride the orange side with us. Bad move. She was not well for several hours afterward. I really felt bad for her. Jeff had stayed with Jake at the play area and then we switched so he could ride. Jake had a lot of fun playing there. I have to say a big Thank You to Disney for having this sort of area for the little ones. He was content to stay there for quite a while!

We then decided to go check out this VIP lounge at Test Track. There is a door just to the right of the entrance that is marked with the GM logo. If you go through that door, and down a hallway, you’ll run into an elevator. There is a security camera with a button on it. We pushed the button and the receptionist asked if we were GM employees. We told her that we had a VIP pass, and she buzzed us right up. We had to sign in the guest book, and then were free to roam around a bit. It was really nice. There were conference rooms in the middle, but they were all closed up. The receptionist sat at a large desk that faced a small room with a few chairs in it. This room had some drinks in it – coffee, tea, and fountain drinks (Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite). This room also had a window that overlooked the inside of the ride. We could watch as people rode in their cars through the different tests. On the opposite side of the room was a wall made entirely out of glass. This looked out onto the entrance area for the ride. (Next time you’re there – look up as you walk toward the entrance and you’ll see the glass. It’s above the track where the cars go by.) This area had several big comfy chairs to sit and rest in and also a couple of tables with chairs. The whole place was very quiet and peaceful and a really good spot to relax and recharge.

When we were ready to go, the receptionist asked how many of us wanted to ride Test Track. Ma-Ma decided to sit this one out – she was still recovering from Mission:Space. The receptionist directed us to a different elevator that would lead us to the exit area of the ride. When we opened the door, we were right where you step out of the cars! Ma-Ma took Jake to the exit gift shop area and the rest of us went up some stairs and across the track and were put at the front of the line to ride. We felt like we really were VIPs! We owe a big “Thank You” to Jake and a very nice CM named Milo for this awesome experience!

We started to walk over to ride Soarin’ again with our Fastpasses. On the way over we stopped in at Club Cool to try some Beverly. We couldn’t get our cameras out fast enough to catch the looks on Ma-Ma and Pa-Pa’s faces, but let’s just say they didn’t enjoy it!! We tried some other drinks and decided that we had quenched our thirst, but we felt like we needed a little snack. So, we all got some ice cream at Edy’s ice cream parlor. Yummy!!

We went towards The Land, but stopped in Innoventions first. B found some video games to play, Jake ran around with Ma-Ma close behind, and Jeff, Pa-Pa and I did the quick Segway tour. I have always wanted to try this, but just never did. It was really cool! We watched a short video about the inventor and how the Segway came to be. Then we each got to try it for a quick 2-3 minutes. This was not nearly enough, but it was still fun. I would really like to try one of the longer “real” tours sometime in the future!

We went to visit Nemo and friends, and rode Soarin’ one last time before heading over to World Showcase to stake out a spot for Illuminations. We ended up finding a bench in Japan where we stayed for the remainder of the evening. We each got something different for dinner and hung around there waiting for Illuminations. Pa-Pa was obviously tired from all the walking back and forth across Future World, but he was hanging in there better than the day before. He really enjoyed himself that day and actually seemed to be warming up to the idea of renting an ECV the next day. (Yippee! Progress!)

We watched Illuminations together and everyone just loved it. I even found myself singing along… We made our way slowly out of the park and back to CBR. We called it a night and made plans to have breakfast the next morning at the food court together.

Up next… It’s someone’s birthday!

Day 5 – Thursday, November 22, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving!

We were up early and at the food court by 7:30 for breakfast. We were celebrating Pa-Pa’s birthday today! (His actual birthday was on Saturday - the 24th) We had gotten him a Disney t-shirt and a plaque that he can mount inside his airplane that has the aircraft tail number on it. He loved his gifts! We had also gotten him a “Happy Birthday” button from the concierge, so he wore that all day. He loved all the attention that it got him throughout the day!

We finished our breakfast and then headed over to MK. Surprise, surprise… Pa-Pa agreed to get an ECV!!! I went to get one for him and found that they were already all rented out! It wasn’t even 10:00am yet! They had a waiting list started, so I put my name and cell phone number on the list and was told that they would call me when one was available and I would have one hour to go claim it before they went on to the next person on the list. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long…

We arrived just as the Thanksgiving parade was starting. It’s hard to actually call this a parade, but that’s what they called it. It lasted all of about 5 minutes. We saw the official presidential “pardoned” turkey – May - riding a float. He was very calm and we wondered if he was sedated or something!

The “parade” was over before you knew it, and we made our way to Frontierland to ride Splash Mountain. Jeff had gotten over there before the parade and got Fastpasses for Big Thunder and then met us at Splash. I stayed with Jake in the Laughing Place play area while the others visited with B’rer Rabbit and the rest.

We swapped and I rode Splash with B. I got soaked! What a great idea to start the day! After my ride, I stayed with Jake at the Laughing Place while the others went on the Wildest Ride in the Wilderness! After that we checked out the Railroad. We took this all the way around the park and then stopped in Toon Town. Jake fell asleep riding the train, so when we got to Toon Town, Pa-Pa sat and rested with him while we checked out Mickey’s and Minnie’s houses. They were all decked out for the holidays. We saw the 2 pardoned turkeys - May and Flower - in the backyard of Mickey's house.

Jake was still asleep, and it was starting to sprinkle just a bit, so I walked to a covered area while everyone else went flying with Peter Pan. I found a spot just inside the Columbia Harbour House to stay dry while Jake slept. Jeff sent me a text to let me know that they were done with Peter Pan and to just meet them all at Crystal Palace for our lunch reservations at 2:35pm. I walked that way when I finally got the call that an ECV was available.

I met up with everyone at the Crystal Palace, and Jeff ran to the entrance to get the ECV. I didn’t know anything about renting one of these, and neither did Jeff. When he showed up to get it, the CM asked if it was for him. He said, “No, it’s for my dad.” “Well then, your dad needs to be here” was the CM’s reply. So Jeff said, “No – that’s right… It’s for me.” Ok then, sign this, pay that, and you can be on your way! He was told that no one else should drive it since he had been the one to rent it (kind-of like renting a car!), but we all know that Pa-Pa was going to be the one behind the wheel. What can ya do, ya know?

So Jeff took off and drove it back to the Crystal Palace to meet us for lunch. He said that he got quite a few looks along the way. I guess since he looks like a perfectly healthy man, that no one thought he should be driving it. No, technically, he shouldn’t have been driving it, but he was just trying to help out his dad by not making him walk all the way back up to the front to get it himself. We were all so happy that Pa-Pa had agreed to it today! (I think he was too.)

Jake woke up, and I missed some excitement while I took him to the restroom for a diaper change. Apparently, there was a family that had had enough of each other… Two women (probably in their early 30’s or so) were arguing about something. Then one of them spit in the other’s face! The Spit-recipient said to their dad, “You better do something about your daughter!” The dad didn’t do anything. Then the Spitter stormed off towards Main Street. The husband of the Spit-recipient walked after her – apparently to try to talk to her and calm her down – and came back with a red eye!! It was obvious that he had gotten punched! He then said to his wife (who was still wiping the spit from her face!) that “She is not allowed around our kids ever again!!” Yikes!

Anyway… We had our meal at the Crystal Palace with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet and it was a lot of fun. The food was good, and the characters were fun to interact with. Jake really enjoyed jumping with Tigger!

Our server had noticed Pa-Pa’s Birthday button, and without mentioning it to us (which was very cool!), brought him a cupcake with a birthday candle on it. She also brought him a birthday card that had been signed by the characters. It was very thoughtful and a nice surprise!

We spent the rest of the evening checking out Buzz, Space Mountain, the TTA, and the Jungle Cruise. Jake got to play in the play area in Toon Town – which he loved!

We started to do a little shopping on Main Street when we realized that we had lost Brendan! I had stopped in the Baby Care Center for something and everyone else headed to Main Street. When I caught up with them, Pa-Pa was sitting in the ECV outside of one of the stores. I asked where everyone else was, and he said they were all inside. I found Jeff, and then his mom (who was pushing Jake in the stroller), but I didn’t see B!! I asked where he was, and Jeff said that he was outside with Pa-Pa. Um, no he wasn’t! I panicked!! Jeff found a CM right away to let her know we were looking for him, and we searched and searched. It’s really difficult too, because those stores look like individual stores from the outside, but on the inside – they go on and on! Finally, he shows up and is just talking to Pa-Pa outside like nothing had happened. I was so relieved! I have never felt panic like that before, and I don’t ever want to again!

Once I had calmed down, we decided to get our spot for Wishes, and Jeff went to get us all ice cream. We all really enjoyed the fireworks and when they were over, we were ready to get going back to the hotel. This is where we had Major Meltdown #2. Jeff had taken B to ride TTA one last time, and his parents and I were going to take Jake and stroll through the shops on the way to the exit. I had been letting Jake wander around our spot for a while, but he kept going farther and farther away. He would look back at me with that sneaky little smile – like he knew he was doing something wrong, but wanted to see how much he could get away with. I warned him that if he went that far away from me again, that he would be going in his stroller. Well, of course he went away from me again! So I promptly picked him up and strapped him in his stroller. You would have thought I had really hurt him with the way he screamed! It was ridiculous! He screamed for about 15 minutes – without stopping. UGH!! He finally stopped as we were going through the exit and heading to the bus stop. So much for strolling leisurely through the shops! I didn’t even go in any! Oh well… I saved some money I guess, huh?

We made it back to CBR and started packing. Unfortunately, we would all have to leave the next day.

Up next… Our final day, and I finally get to step into the Twilight Zone!

Friday, November 23, 2007

Sadly, this is our last day. We’re up early so that Jeff and his dad can get all of the luggage to the Custom House at 7:45 and get everyone checked in for flights home. Ma-Ma and Pa-Pa were then going to the airport; they had a flight home at 12:00. We said our good-byes and they were off to get breakfast and then board a Magical Express bus to the airport.

We decided to go over to MGM for our last day since we didn’t get to see or do much there earlier in the week. We got there at the 9:00am opening and went straight down Sunset Blvd – with about a million other people! Jeff went to RnR to get us all Fastpasses, and B and I waited at Tower of Terror for him. I love how the Standby sign says “13 minutes”! I watched it change to 45 while we were standing there though… We got a Rider Swap pass and Jeff and B were off to ride. I waited in the exit area – where you buy the photos. Jake got to play a little bit here and was content. The guys returned, and then I went to ride with B. I was pretty happy, because I really like this one! I love the theming of the lobby and then the “unknown” of the drops is so cool! It’s never the same ride twice!

We walked over to the Jedi Training Academy show. Brendan is really into Star Wars, so I knew he would LOVE this! We waited patiently for it to begin, and kept our fingers crossed that he would be picked to go up on stage. They were encouraging all the kids to jump up and down and act excited, so Jake was into it! B wasn’t sure if he wanted to really jump around or just stand there, so he did a little of both. Unfortunately, he wasn’t picked. Oh well. It was a pretty cool show, and Darth Vader gave B a hard time when he shouted something at him. Vader came to the edge of the stage and pretended like he was wrapping his fingers around B’s neck and then picking him up. It was funny! After the show, we went into Tatooine Traders to buy B a book he had been wanting all week.

It was time for our Fastpasses for Rockin’ Roller Coaster, so we then walked over to ride in the Limo one last time. While Jeff and B rode RnR, Jake decided he needed to have Meltdown #3. I was hanging out with Jake near the entrance, and he was happy for a while... He was walking around and checking things out when he found a doorway to backstage that was not completely closed off. He decided he needed to go back there and see what was going on! I kept trying to re-direct him, but he kept going over there. I finally had enough and strapped him in the stroller. He did NOT like that!! I took him into the family restroom and away from people for a few minutes. This of course didn’t make him any happier, but it was more for me to not let everyone witness my own breakdown! While we were in there, Jeff called me to let me know that he and B were done, and it was my turn. Cool! Someone else can deal with the screaming kid! Wouldn’t you know it though… Jake takes one look at Jeff and immediately stops screaming, grins and says, “Hi Daddy!”

I take B and we head over to the Aerosmith concert. It was awesome, as usual! By the time we were done riding, Jeff had sent me a text that Jake was sound asleep. Of course he was. We were planning to go to Downtown to shop a little bit, but instead of waking Jake up and getting on a bus, we decided to walk over to the Boardwalk. It’s a nice walk, and it let him sleep for a while longer. We stopped and ate some pizza there and then caught a bus to Downtown.

We bought a few souvenirs and then went back to CBR. We re-organized our carry-on bag with our purchases and got on the Magical Express bus to the airport. I think we all had mixed feelings about leaving. We were sad to be leaving, because we always enjoy ourselves so much when we’re there. It’s so nice to relax and play and not have a care in the world. But at the same time, we’re ready to get home to our own house - with our own beds – and our “normal” lives. I’m really glad that Jeff’s parents were able (and willing!) to join us there, and I hope we can do it again one day.

So long for now Mickey! See ya real soon!