Another Week Down

Our week started with mom heading out to Phoenix for 5 days.
A totally exciting MS project Conference was awaiting me. I know you all are jealous. :)
My flight left early Sunday afternoon. It was a rainy Sunday morning and I reluctantly packed up my bags to max capacity. Little Wiggy thought she was going with me and ran to her room to pack up her most precious belongings....her doll and Cabbage Patch Bed. She was set.
Of course when she didn't get out of her carseat at the airport, she looked away and gave me the silent treatment. It made cry.... It did. This little girl kills me, in every possible way.

The flight was quick and by the time I got checked into my hotel I had received plenty of pictures from Luke on their afternoon activities. The boys didn't want to go to church without me, so they worked on their Pinewood Derby cars. The kids all had a great time and I was happy Luke knocked it out before the busy work/school week started.

Bubba's original idea was a maple donut bar, but decided on a pencil.

I went to an early dinner at Cheesecake Factory and when I came out to the rental car, this was left on my windshield. Such a warm welcome! :)

I ate soooooo much at dinner I was actually sick the remainder of the week. At least I think it was from eating so much. Maybe I got some kind of food poisoning. Who knows.

My home for 5 days.

Luke's parents came down on Tuesday and stayed through Thursday afternoon. I am very thankful they came to stay and help out with the kids.

Of course Wiggy was a pig in mud with all the undivided attention...and treats.

I ate pretty good while I was away! :) One item that was interesting...zucchini chips.

I had room service most mornings. We all know what a rip-off room service is but I had to capture this $26 meal for Luke. It was an egg white frittata, chocolate crossiant, and yogurt parfait. It was TINY! I think the crossiant was finished in 2-3 bites.

I did get a little shopping in. My friend Laura from church told me about "Last Chance" which is the only store of its kind in the US. I found some gently used Uggs for Wiggy for $29.

Each night we would use "FaceTime" on our phones. When I showed Wiggy the boots her little face lit up. It was priceless!

Bubba had a track meet on Thursday morning. I was so disappointed I had to miss it because Bubba was very motivated. He tried out for a few running events but ended up doing the softball throw and the shot put. I was VERY proud of him for wanting to do it. He is not my most athletic child and usually doesn't like to do stuff like this.

The kids at the bus stop.

I got in from the airport on Thursday evening and my boss dropped me off at the church, just  in time for the end of Bubba's Pinewood Derby. Luke and the kids were very excited to see me and I couldn't WAIT to see their faces. It was a long week.

First thing Friday morning I was taking Tubbs and Wiggy tot he doctor. Both kids had bronchitis so they we walked out of the office with five prescriptions.

Its good to be home! :)

I sure missed my family.

Jog-A-Thon 2012

Another school fundraiser down.
Of course the boys didn't actually try to find any "donors" beforehand.
Oh well. We will conjure something up.
I didn't even turn in the permission slips for the boys to participate until this morning. It just kind of slipped my mind. It was due Wednesday apparently, and Tubbs was concerned.
Bubba of course said he didn't even want to walk it. He tried to tell us it was so he could conserve his energy for the track meet he signed up for. I don't know who he thought he was kidding, since that meet is almost 2 weeks away. The boy just doesn't like to move... unless its under his own conditions.
Of course, being the understanding and compassionate mother I am, I told his father he needed to tell Bubba he had to do it and there would be no sitting on the sidelines. :)
Tubbs, on the other hand, is always motivated to run and do his very best for the jog-a-thon each year.
This past week, over half his class was out sick with the flu--which meant the teacher told everyone they couldn't run it-- They had to walk. Since Tubbs wasn't out sick, I told her it was fine if he ran it. Tubbs was very excited because he didn't want to walk it for 20 minutes.
Wiggy and I dropped the boys near the office and then headed out to Tubbs' classroom after the bell rang. We helped put tally cards on each of the students, then we headed out to the track.
Tubbs' class ran around 9am. One lap around the track is 200 meters. Tubbs ran 15 or 16 laps in 20 minutes. Bubba on the other hand, walked 6 laps in 20 minutes. I think he did run the first and last 15 seconds, otherwise it was a slow mosey around the field. Big surprise Bubba.

 

This Little Wiggy

Miss Wiggy!
We have all sorts of nicknames for her and they keep evolving. Wiggy rhymes with Jiggy, which is what we called her at one point.
Its funny to hear the boys called her Wiggy...even when they are upset with her.
One of her favorite things to do is wake up EARLY and then wake everyone up in the house... one at a time. One morning she flipped on the boys' light in their room to wake them up and I can hear Tubbs shrieking, "WIGGYYYYYY STOP! WIGGYYYYY STOP!"
Luke and I got a kick out of it. Of course Tubbs' favorite name for her is "sweetie"---when he is happy with her. Its very cute and affectionate to hear him say it.

Anyways, Miss Wiggy-Wigg-Wigg is a piece of work and we all enjoy every moment with her.
She really enjoys picking her nose. I don't think I've ever seen a child enjoy her nose this much. Its like she is constantly exploring up there.

Last weekend I got her a dress and some Minnie Mouse jewelry when I went out of town. When she saw the dress she gasped like it was fine silk or something. She loves her dresses!

She also enjoys coloring....alot....and folding her blankets. The girl can fold a blanket better than the boys can fold. Its amazing to watch her.

She loves watching me and trying to replicate everything. (I guess that means I need to be a little more careful) Of course, the one thing she doesn't want to do is wear big girl panties.

Potty-training is of no interest to her. Every time we head to Costco to buy more diapers, Luke tries to explain to her that he could be spending the $40 on something more fun-- like a baby doll. She just  stares at him like he is the fool. She loves her diapers! It doesn't matter than she practically dry heaves every time I have to change one of her stinky diapers. Its very humorous as I try convincing her, every diaper change, to use the big potty.

Here is a few of my favorite pictures. This little girl is giving us a run for our money.

Disneyland - Girls Only

The last time I went to Disneyland with no kids and no husband was before I became a wife and mom.
In fact, it was my "Bachelorette" party in September 1999 with my best friend Julie.
So....we decided to have another go of it. I was so excited and ready to have some girl time. 

What started out as a day trip, quickly turned into an overnighter. We left Friday afternoon after school/work and made the drive down.

We stopped at the Glendale Galleria, shopped at H&M and ate at the Cheesecake Factory. After dinner, a few raspberry lemonades, and a tasty peanut butter banana shake to go, we were back on the road to Anaheim. We got to our hotel later than expected and hit the sack around midnight.

Long day.

We were up early, ate our protein bars and were at the Disneyland gates by 8:10am.

THEN we find out the park is evacuated until further notice because of a suspicious item they found near the front gate. I was not a happy camper.

After an hour of waiting on Harbor Blvd with thousands of people, we walked down to the IHOP and had some breakfast. I tried to eat healthy, but the fake eggs and "grainy" pancakes were too much for me to finish. :)

After breakfast, we waited another 30 minutes before finally deciding to head home. Blah.

About 20 minutes on the road north, I found a news article online that said the threat has been cleared and the park was reopening.

Brilliant!

We decide to turn around and make another go of it.

We were FINALLY in the park around noon. We head over to the ONE ride I absolutely had to ride: Space Mountain. I haven't been on the ride since the last time Julie and I were there.

We approach Space Mountain and it doesn't seem very busy.

Why? The ride was closed because of "technical difficulties."

Grrrrrrrr.

So, we head out to find another ride.

First ride...Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

  

  Tea Cups!

Its a Small World....with our best duck lips.

Space Mountain eventually reopened and we got a "Fast Pass" for 7pm. We got over there by 7:02 and the ride has just reclosed because of technical difficulties. What the heck people!? They can't keep a ride open all day?

Alas, it wasn't meant to be. No Space Mountain today.

But Julie and I had a great time together.... with no whiny kids or husbands! Ha! :)

I didn't know what to bring home to the kids--but it turned out I picked out the just the right things: caramel apples for the boys and a Minnie Mouse inspired polka-dot dress and head wrap from H&M for Wiggy.