We hit the road - 6:00 am Friday. We have to drop off Justin and Lauren and the rental car before checking in.
Long story short... more of the same: Laney eating and sleeping, Elmo, Elmo, more Elmo. Though this time Carter slept on the first leg. It was Dallas before we were able to deplane, and then we went straight to the gate to get on - luckily - a very empty flight.
We greatly enjoyed our visit with family and the cool weather, but it was nice to be back in "Hotson."
I know Carter is.... well, Carter, and being almost 2 isn't an easy time. That being said, Ivy - I don't know how you do it from here to FRANCE with the girls (and now baby on the way) for that long. He was great on our Idaho trip last year, and I'm sure it will be Laney's turn next! We forgot how nice it was to be able to strap him in the car seat. I know there are lots who travel great distances with lot of kiddos (Aimee and Jeri, you too!), but I will be grateful when they are a TAD older. And, when they have their own seats again!!!
Sadly, we will make one more trip with heavy hearts. Joel's grandfather passed away last week, so we are off to Idaho soon. The kiddos will stay home this time. Charlie Just was a sweet, sweet man. He certainly made me feel like one of his own grandchildren from day 1. There will be lots of stories to share as we celebrate his life. It was an honor to know him, and we look forward to telling Carter and Laney all about their 'Grandpa Great.'
Charlie with Baby Carter
"A what?" you say?! Yep... a cold front blew in Saturday night. With it came rain as well, but I can't tell you how good COLD AIR felt! Of course, we left wearing short-sleeves, so we borrowed jackets just in case. I admit, I was a bit chilly on the way to Seattle, but we quickly shed our jackets once we started walking around. It just didn't feel right. I almost NEEDED to be cold.
(This was Carter in the morning at the hotel while Laney was still asleep. It's a little fuzzy, but you get the idea. Elmo - 24/7. Below is Laney hanging out while she's waiting for breakfast.)
We had lunch at one of the piers with Grandma and then split up to do some sight-seeing. We headed to the Aquarium; Grandma went to the Market. Carter's expression in this picture makes me laugh.
Seattle's Aquarium is WAY cooler than ours. They have so much stuff there is no need for a kiddie theme park next door. And no white tigers.
Next stop: Pike Place Market.
We did get to catch some of the famous fish tossing and sampled some fabulous goodies. We all shared a gingersnap cookie that was the size of a dinner plate. I think it may have been the best cookie I've ever had.
Up next: Home for naps, playtime with cousins, dinner, and BED!
Pictured below are: Aimee and Carsyn, Reagan, Betsy and Ethan, Laney, and Carter and Grandma
How do you like that bedhead?
(Insert "The Disclaimer" - see previous post)
Stick with me... the first one will be a bit longer than the rest!
5:00 am - We literally scoop the kids out of bed and put them in the car. Time to head to the airport.
"You're traveling with two lap children? Well, bless your heart." Thank you, Mr. Check-in-Boarding-Pass-Guy. What he should have said was, "Bless the hearts of those sitting around you." Oh yeah... and our flights are all FULL. Joel's parents helped us quite a bit with the kids, and Grandpa Mike even parked the car for us while we checked in. Thank you! :)
By the end of breakfast, we had already pulled out 2 of our 'no-fail tricks' - both bombed.
For some strange reason, no one wanted to take the only empty seat on the plane next to us on the first leg of our flight. Really, what could go wrong with 2 children under 2 on a full flight at 7:15 in the morning??? By the time we had taken off, the man in front of Carter had already asked to change seats.
At this point, all I can say (and I say it with the utmost sincerity) is THANK YOU, LORD, FOR ELMO AND DVD PLAYERS. Seriously. I owe the little sanity I have left to that fuzzy red, little monster. Joel set Carter up with headphones and the Elmo DVD we can recite verbatim. Life was good. I fed Laney a bottle and she slept until the captain came over the VERY LOUD speaker to tell us we were nearing Denver. She only woke up for a second or two when Carter would shriek "MOOOOOORE" as he ran out of airplane crackers. He had never worn headphones before and had no idea how loud he was talking. Still no nap.
Then came time to "stow all electronic devices and put seats and tray tables in their upright position." Life was bad. Elmo was gone, and so was any bit of peace and quiet we had on the plane. I would have paid money for a sedative or a straight-jacket. For Carter AND me. Still no nap.
First stop: Denver. We hop off the plane and quickly recharge the DVD, change diapers, run around, and hop on the next plane.
Unfortunately, I wasn't aware that we had ANOTHER stop in Salt Lake. Repeat the same incidents with Carter and Elmo and snacks and Laney and her bottle and sleep - but it turns even uglier here. The DVD player dies. No more juice. And we can't deplane in Salt Lake to recharge.
BY THE GRACE OF GOD (again meant with utmost sincerity), Carter falls asleep on the last leg of our flight.
Off to J&B's- and where the fun begins!! WOOO-HOOO!
J&B live in Everett - just outside of Seattle. They are RIGHT on the water with a beautiful view. The weather was perfect. I actually wore jeans and didn't sweat! I love Houston and treasure our friends and family here - don't get me wrong. But how cool would it be to live where they do? Granted, I would have to take all of said friends and family along with us.
This is what they see out of their kitchen window:
I know, not near as pretty as the bricks of our neighbor's house we see out of ours - not to mention their AC unit...
We had wine and dinner while we caught up with family. Carter discovered their cat, Birdie, and was instantly intrigued - as was Birdie! He did manage to bang himself up pretty good while "exploring." By the end of the day, he had a bruise on the side of his head (not sure where that came from), a swollen lip (that you'll see in the pics below), and had fallen off the last patio step smack against the flagstone. I admit - I was VERY concerned about his noggin', but Grandma assured me he was ok!
The kids' schedule was so screwed up at this point. Only bad thing about traveling across 2 time zones! We weren't staying at J&B's, but we finally put them down until we were ready to leave.
Here are some pictures from our first evening:
Carter woke up about an hour or two after Joel put him upstairs. He was asleep when Joel laid him down, and then woke up in the dark in a strange bed in a strange room. I can't imagine why he would be disoriented???? We left hoping he would fall back to sleep in the car.
After an hour or two of hyperventilating-type crying and refusing to go to sleep, Joel finally drove him around for a bit. Nada. Well, it put Joel to sleep, so he decided it was best to come back to the hotel. About an hour later, he finally crashed. Poor little guy. He had a rough day, but the kids were both great sports.
We were just a couple of hours shy of being up 24 hours straight.
We're back from Seattle and up and running with VBS already. I have lots of pictures and stories to post from our trip, but I'll have to do it in sections. Too much to tell in just a paragraph or two.
Joel's aunt and uncle - Jim and Betsy - were wonderful hosts. They have a beautiful home overlooking the water that seemed to withstand the many little bodies running around everywhere. We appreciate their hospitality and hope to return the favor some day.
The main reason I wanted to take my camera was to get some good family pictures - most likely at the wedding. The last time we were all together was at our wedding 5 years ago (next month!). But did I take my camera to the wedding???? Noooooo. I'm sure I had a reason at the time, but... I do regret it now. Blaire looked wonderful, and the wedding was beautiful (Not to mention the best chicken picatta I've ever had....).
Anyway... I'll post over the next few days assuming I survive the rest of the week with a room full of 2 year olds.
Didn't mean to glance over our July 4th. I didn't get too many pictures, and things were a little crazy trying to get ready for our Seattle trip. However, we did manage to have several outings during the weekend and enjoyed spending time with friends.
Friday night we headed to Galveston to visit our friends, Joe and Angela, who were in from Ohio. They were staying with family at a beach house and invited us down for dinner. It was SOOOOO good to see them. Joel and I miss them terribly and WISH THEY WOULD MOVE BACK TO HOUSTON!!! We had a nice visit while the kids were entertained by Joe and Angela's niece and nephew. They were too cute. I wish I would have taken my camera. I think the last pictures I have of us with the Wilts was at their wedding! Plus, it was an absolutely beautiful sunset, and the kids were having so much fun playing together. Guess that just means they'll have to come down again soon! ;)
Saturday morning I took Carter to the Bellaire Festival. We missed the parade as everyone slept in from getting in so late the night before. I should have done a tad bit of research before we went. I figured I wouldn't need much money for anything, so we showed up with $1 to my name! You couldn't do ANYTHING without money or tickets. We stood in line for a snow cone (that was $1), and they ran out of ice 2 people ahead of us. I cashed in my dollar for 4 tickets, and we hit the petting zoo. It was packed with all kinds of critters, and Carter had a good time. We saw his friend Will while we were in there (pictured with Carter below). I took 2 seconds to take a picture of Will petting some llama-type animal, and I turned around to find that Carter had dumped out the entire bowl of feed. We quickly picked it up and left after we gobbed on about a gallon of hand sanitizer.
Off to Central Market and then home as Carter was starting to doze in the car. Great! Perfect timing for him to nap before we headed to Melissa and John's new house for a cookout. The Bop stayed in his room for hours - no nap. It was a risky move, but we went anyway. Great food and more time with friends. Carter played with Cooper and another little girl he just met. He threw a 'wet-noodle' tantrum when he couldn't go outside, so we figured it was time to head out. Of course, he had already secured the 'item of the day' at Cooper's (actually TWO items), and we couldn't leave without them - see below. He took them to bed that night, of course, but the balls were returned to Cooper - unharmed - the next day. (Notice Fake-face also made it to the party?)
Give me a minute to hop up on my soapbox again... Joel and I watched a special on TV that night about the American Revolution. America's story is such a fascinating one, and one that you can't learn about without noting the multiple miracles along the way (sad I don't know it as well as I should). It is very clear that God's hands shaped the foundation of this country we are fortunate enough to be a part of. I literally find it sickening that someone like Michael Jackson could monopolize the news for weeks while many fallen heroes pay the ultimate price for our country and go unmentioned forever. It's a sad state of affairs we find ourselves in today. I truly believe that we still live in the greatest country in the world - despite what many are doing to change that. I hope - for my children's sake - something changes in a big way before it all unravels.
Happy Birthday, America. And many more.
Back down from my soapbox.
