Summer Summary – In Two Parts

PART ONE

Instead of trying to back blog about each individual event that happened over the summer, I have decided to just write about the whole summer all in one post.

Looks like I stopped blogging right around May – same time every year. I must have some type of mental break down when all the kids get out of school, and are here 24/7 with non-stop whining and arguing. I’m sure it’s not that bad, but I don’t remember very well. I do know that I enjoy having them back in school now. It’s so nice to be back on a regular schedule.

So I am looking back through pictures to help me remember what we did.

Here are the little boys at the zoo in May. They had a lot of fun. The weather was perfect. We actually went again today, but I didn’t have my camera. So I won’t be able to start and end with a zoo pic. :(

Thomas celebrated his 12th birthday in May. He asked for a strawberry shortcake. I don’t know if he remembers, but he asked for a strawberry shortcake when he was three. Sometime over the summer, he got a haircut and has decided that he prefers his hair short – we are all happy about that.

One of the major events of this summer was our vacation to Disney Land. It’s not very often that we take a family vacation. I’m sure it’s because we are afraid of having to be in such a small confined space like the car for hours and hours and hours together. I’m happy to say that it wasn’t as awful as I imagined it would be.

We did the drive to Orange County all in one day. It must have been the excitement of the final destination that kept everyone happy and agreeable. My new favorite way to pass the time in the car is to have an audio book. We listened to I Am Number Four. It wasn’t the best book, but it kept everyone occupied.

There was a slight problem when we arrived at our place of lodging, only to find out that they didn’t have any more rooms that would fit all of us. Yes, we did make a reservation. They were thinking that maybe we could share 3 rooms. Can you imagine the complete lunacy in suggesting that we share 3 separate villas for 4 days. Luckily we found someplace else to stay – A newer, brighter, cleaner place. Crisis averted – but not before I had a nervous breakdown at the front desk and bawled like a baby in front of the staff of idiots.

Here are my children walking away from us as they head out into the park with no adult supervision. It was hard for me to let them just go off and roam the park by themselves.

The girls got their faces painted.

The little boys were quite comfortable in the stroller that we were able to borrow from a friend – Thanks Mindy, we would have been super miserable without it.

 

We didn’t actually ride the Tea Cups – Blech!

We packed up and hauled in all of our own snacks, but for some reason we couldn’t resist the popcorn from the park. We also couldn’t stay away from the churros either – we ate way too many of them.

 
While we were there we celebrated Henry’s 4th birthday, and our 17th anniversary. We even got to wear special buttons and all of the workers congratulated us on our celebrations.

On the way home, we stayed at my Sister’s in Vegas. She was kind enough to pick up a Buzz Lightyear cake for Henry. That was his most favorite ride and he got to go on it several times.

A magnificent time was had by all and I am looking forward to more family vacations in the future.

 

** PLEASE PAUSE FOR A SHORT INTERMISSION **



 

August 17th 2010 – Neisha’s Birthday

 

My new resolution is to post something at least once a week. I think Sunday is a good day to dedicate to documenting family history, So it’s time to get caught up.

For my birthday this year we decided to take a trip to Disneyland. Just me and Steve. The kids were disappointed, but they got over it quickly because they got to spend time with Grammy.

The night before we left, Steve surprised me with cakes from a real bakery – something that I have been hinting about for years. They were so tasty! It’s a good thing that they were small cakes so that I didn’t have to feel guilty for eating all of the leftovers.

The next morning, we hopped on an early flight down to California, took a cab to the Hotel and then headed out to Disney. We thoroughly enjoyed wandering through the park without having to listen to kids whine about everything.

* * * Flash Back * * *

When I was a senior, Steve took me to my Prom. The Prom itself was uneventful, but the day after, he took me to Disneyland. The day was filled with adventure as we explored the park and talked about our favorite rides, and got to know each other better. We had such a good time, that we missed our flight and had to take a later one that routed us from Orange County to Las Vegas to Phoenix.

(Insert lost pictures here when you figure out where you put the box of old photos)

Since my entire existence is based on the consumption of deliciously tasty food, the day was made extra special with a lunch at the Blue Bayou. This is the restaurant that you can see as you are floating by on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Neither of us knew what to expect as we ordered - Steve chose some type of steak, and I opted for something called a Monte Cristo sandwich. I had never heard of such a thing before – a ham and turkey sandwich dipped in batter and deep fried, served with grape jelly. I had my doubts, but the menu was New Orleans Style food, and this was really the only thing that sounded edible. I am happy to tell you that I chose wisely that day.

* * * End Flash Back * * *

What a delectable combination of taste and texture. I immediately fell in love with that sandwich. For eighteen years, I have searched unsuccessfully for a sandwich as good as that one. Other sandwiches claiming to be a Monte Cristo did not even come close to the awesomeness of the Blue Bayou version. We have been back to Disneyland several times, but have never been able to get a table at that restaurant.

So, for my Birthday, we made reservations. I was worried that maybe I had only imagined the greatness of my lunch that day and that it would be a bitter disappointment when I was finally able to bite into my sandwich.

It seemed to take forever, as we ate our way through the first course of soup and salad. Steve, who rarely tries anything new, opted for a chicken gumbo soup. I sat and watched with amazement as he ate the entire cup full of soup. His palette has grown so much since we first met.

When at last my lunch finally arrived, my fears of being disappointed by the built up sandwich were laid to rest as I took my first bite. It was just as good as I remembered it to be. The only problem that I faced was when I realized in my older age how utterly fattening a deep fried sandwich must be. But hey, it was my birthday, so I tried no to think about it.

It was hard for us to get going after lunch. Too bad there is not a sleepy time land to take a nap for a while. The problem that we usually run into, is that Steve is ready to leave when we have gone through the park and hit all of the rides. I, however, feel like we must get our money’s worth and stay until the kick us out. Again, since it was my magical birthday trip, we got to stay for the fireworks.

I love Disney firework shows. They are absolutely the best. It was crazy how many people were packed in front of the castle to see the show. It was like sardines. We ended up having to sit on the road, but It was still  enjoyable. I really didn’t want to leave, but I don’t think they let you sleep over.

It was such a great Birthday. Thanks Steve for spoiling me rotten.

More Vacation Pictures

With a lengthy post to follow

Who would have thought that this . . . . .

Would turn into this . . . . .

Uncle Paul and Dad got creative with the frosting.

I’m not too old to play in the bounce house, and I was even able to show the girls how to do flips and handsprings without getting hurt – unlike Steve who thought he could too, but was wrong.

Jack had fun playing outside, but even crawling on grass and concrete did not motivate him to walk.

Thomas

Jonathon

The boys

Ten out of twelve grandchildren – maybe one day we will get the other two in the picture.

Steve, his brother Paul and his sister Sandra

James and Jack

Long Month = Long Post

Warning: This is what happens when you don’t write anything for a whole month. This post is more for documenting the events than it is entertaining.

I don’t know if I can remember ever having a month seem as long as April. I guess it could be said that the last month of a pregnancy might be close, but usually the end result is joyful.

It’s a good thing that we were able to go to Vegas because that trip was like the calm before the storm.

We had one week from the time we got home from Vegas until we left for Florida. We decided to ship our clothes instead of checking baggage, because now they charge you per bag. If you don’t have to check bags, then you get to go straight to the gate, so that is an added bonus.

It is always a little overwhelming getting all of us through security and onto the plane. The kids were great. They might drive me crazy all of the other days of the year, but I will put up with it as long as they behave at the airport.

I hate to fly. I get sick on take-off and landing and during turbulence. I can usually keep everything down, but it’s such an icky feeling. Plus there’s always the horrible thought in the back of my mind that planes crash. Luckily we only had one bad upchuck moment, and that was on the way home. Hannah lost it when we flew into Atlanta for a plane change. It’s our fault, we forgot the Dramamine.

We flew into Tampa and so we had to drive for a couple of hours to get to Grandma’s house. It sure was nice to finally get out of the car. Everyone was so excited to finally be there.

The weather was perfect. I would like to never have to go back there in the summertime again. We stayed two nights at Grandma’s and then they put us up in a resort for the next week. The kids got to take turns sleeping over at Grandma’s.

On Friday we decided to leave the kids with grandma and go check into the resort. On the way we got into a fender bender in the rental car. I have to say that I think this put a damper on our entire vacation. We are still sorting out the details, because it’s our word against the other guys, but I’m telling you - He switched lanes into us.

 

On Saturday we headed back to Tampa to watch the Yankees play the Rays. We had great seats right behind the Yankee bullpen, it was fun, but it just wasn’t as exciting as going to a Yankee home game. The traffic was awful and we spent more time driving in the car than we did at the game, but at least they won.

 

Sunday was the day of the Bounce House. Steve’s parents rented one to keep the kids busy for the day. Steve’s mom also decided that we should celebrate everyone’s birthday because we were all there together.

Tuesday found us at The Magic Kingdom in Disneyworld. By this time the camera had run out of batteries, and we didn’t feel like digging up the charger so we don’t have any pictures. It doesn’t matter thought, because I think all of our Disney pictures always look the same.

We wrapped up our visit with a trip to Nana’s, where we all got to go for a golf cart ride and see a baby alligator that lives in one of the golf course ponds. Again, no pictures – I always forget the camera.

While we were there, I found out that my Grandpa up in Bear Lake was very sick. My mom didn’t want to worry us, but the doctors had only given him a few days. So as soon as we got home, I headed up to see him. There were many family members there and it was good to see everyone, even if the reason wasn’t the best.

By the time I got home, I felt like I had been away for the whole month. I was not even sure what day it was. Luckily there was nothing scheduled so I didn’t have to worry about remembering anything.

The rest of the month was long because I was always wondering when I would get that unwelcome phone call about grandpa.

Just One More Day

We got home from our Vegas Getaway today and I just wish that it could have lasted one more day. I know it’s good to leave why you are still enjoying your vacations, but I think I could have had fun for just a little longer.

We headed out on Monday morning after we got the kids off to school. I was thinking it would be a super long drive, but we were to St. George in no time. We stopped in for a visit with my grandparents for a little bit. We spent some time looking at family photos from over the years. My grandma has a hard time remembering who people are, and I was glad that she seemed to have a moment when she knew who I was. We felt bad when it was time to leave.

It has been a while since we have stayed on the strip, and there were tons more people than I remember. After we parked, we had to journey through Italy to get to the front desk of The Venetian, and then had to wait in a line longer than Airport security. I had to take a picture of the floor in the lobby, because it reminded me of a game of Q-Bert and I couldn’t walk on it without jumping from block to block.

 
Both Jersey Boys and Phantom were playing at the hotel, so we were greeted with songs from Frankie Vallie in the elevators and Phantom in the hallways. I am seriously amazed at the amount of money spent on building these hotels. Our room was so nice and comfortable, I wish it could be my little home in Italy.

We met my sister for dinner and then went to see the fountains at The Bellagio. The fountains are something that I would tell you not to miss if you were going to Vegas. I think they are pretty entertaining.

 

The highlight of our trip was our hike to Ice Box Canyon in Red Rock Canyon on Tuesday. I am so not a hiker, but I was sure that the Jillian workouts had made me tough enough to tackle most anything. My sister recommended this hike and even though she told me it might be tough, I said if she could do it then so could I.

It was a 2.5 mile trail – half of it was climbing up a river bed. Yep, I think Jillian needs to work me a little harder, because I was ready to give up before we even got half way in. It was definitely a challenge, but It was also totally worth it. I guess that’s what it’s all about – getting to the end and being able to say that you did it.

The pictures don’t even come close to showing what it was really like, we had to climb up all sorts of rocks and boulders.

That’s my sister with us. She made a good show, but she was just as sore as I was today.

Hey, guess what? I climbed up that – yes, I did!

 
So did Steve!

It was pretty cool.

Then we climbed down, ate some great pizza for lunch and went shopping. I wanted to take a nap, but then I knew that if I did, I wouldn’t be able to get up ever again.

We decided to get tickets to Blue Man Group on Tuesday night.
I have to tell you that it wasn’t the greatest show I’ve ever been to. In fact, I don’t recommend it unless it’s free or at a drastically reduced price. Go see STOMP instead.

We had never seen these guys before, so we didn’t know what to expect. Especially when they asked Steve if he wanted to be part of the show. Steve reluctantly said yes, and they took him away to explain what he needed to do. Then he came back, and he wouldn’t tell me what was going to happen.

Now, because the show was kind of lame, Steve’s part wasn’t that funny, but just that fact that he had to go down on the stage and participate was great. He really hates doing things like that.

Then we had to get up early this morning so we could beat the bad weather and drive home today. I didn’t think we would be able to get up, but we had a nice 7am wake-up call from Hannah who wanted to know where her black turtle neck shirt was. Yeah, even when you get a way you can’t really get away.

Thanks to my mom – who never ever gets online to read this. She was nice enough to watch the kids so that we could go and play. It was great to go and hang out with my sister. It was even nice to spend time driving in the car with Steve for 12 hours. We need to do it again soon.

Happy 15th!

Well, we are back from our trip and we had a blast. It’s good to be home, though, not good to have to do all of the laundry that needs to get done. We have gone to NY many times, but this is the first time that we have ever taken pictures - at least good pictures anyway.

This trip started out with Steve heading off to Florida on Wednesday to leave Jack with his grandparents while we were away. Wednesday was sort of a downer day for me – and I didn’t really want to do anything to get ready to go.

I put off cleaning and packing until late and finally headed to bed just after midnight. There was no sleep for me though, because Henry woke up with a nasty croupy cough and a high fever, and didn’t really go back to sleep until about 5 am. By then it was time for me to get up and get ready to go. How awful I felt leaving him home with my Mom while I ran away to play.

Steve and I met up at the NY Airport on Thursday and headed right for the Pizza place - we were starving. It took us a couple of tries, but we finally found the right Famous Original Ray’s to eat at. Really, I don’t know if it is just because we are always starving when we go here, but It is truly the best pizza I’ve ever had.

We were supposed to go to the top of the Rockefeller Center but the weather wasn’t great, and there was zero visibility up there so we rescheduled for Saturday. You can’t really see it, but the top of the building disappears into the misty sky.

On Friday we decided to walk around downtown. Across the street from Ground Zero was St. Paul’s church and there was a small cemetery in the yard. Apparently this church miraculously survived 9/11. Some of the gravestones are more than 200 years old.

Next stop Grand Central Station for lunch. There is a huge food court downstairs with way to many things to choose from. I went for a chicken sandwich from a place called The Chirping Chicken. My sandwich was not really a sandwich at all – just a flat chicken breast marinated and grilled up, served in a folded pita bread. Topped with lettuce, tomato and a little mayo, it was delicious. Steve and I agreed that you don’t come across pita sandwiches very often, but I will be picking up pita bread next time I head to the store.

Later it was the Yankees vs. the Mets. This was our first visit to the new Yankee Stadium. We were sad that the old one is no longer in use and will be torn down. The new one was very nice though, and we hope to make it back many more times in the future.

I had to throw this pic in, because I enjoy watching Jeter play. This is him warming up before the game. It’s amazing how far these guys can throw the ball.

The Yanks were set to lose the game in the 9th with a score of 7-8. Jeter was on second, Tex was on first and A-Rod was up – pop fly to shallow right field. The Mets second base man was right there and all of the Mets fans in the stadium were on their feet cheering . . . until the guy dropped the ball – oops. The Yankees Win! But it was bittersweet because they really lost.

Our night ended with a trip to the top of the Empire State Building. This is the second time I have been up there, and I have to say that I don’t love it – even at midnight it was way busy and there is not a lot of room. Also, at night there is not too much to see, just the lights of the city. It’s just one of those things that you can say you did.

Saturday morning we headed up to the Top of the Rockefeller Center and had a great view of the Empire State Building.

Also, Central Park. It amazes me how big it is and how it’s just smack dab in the middle of this huge city.

I recommend The Rock over the Empire State Building. The only thing was that we couldn’t really get a good shot of the Chrysler building, For that you need to go to the Empire State Building.

We had lunch at Lombardi’s – the first licensed pizzeria in America. Located in Little Italy. It was pretty good pizza, but the breadsticks were awful. Little Italy and it’s neighbor Chinatown are the place to go for souvenirs at half the price they are elsewhere. I always shop here first – even for scarves and handbags.

Thanks to the hotel concierge, we had dinner reservations at a place called Gallagher's. This was supposed to be our nice anniversary dinner, but it was quite a disappointment. I guess we should have specified that we wanted to go to a nice restaurant. This was possibly the worst steak house we have ever eaten at. With the exception of the Apple Pie, the food was not good and the service was worse. Things got a little brighter as we were walking from the restaurant to the show, a group of about 20 naked cyclists rode down Broadway in some sort of protest – ewww.

Later, the night improved greatly as we thoroughly enjoyed the musical Wicked. We are sitting in front of the set, but you can’t really see it. It was amazing. Please Note: It was humid and windy while we were there, so that no matter how good my hair looked in the room, there was no hope for it when we got outside.

After church on Sunday, we headed to the Park for a lovely stroll. Or so we thought. When we got there, the park was partially blocked off because of the Puerto Rican Day Parade. Who knew it would last over 4 hours.

This is Times Square – we try to avoid it at all costs – way too many people in one small area. Makes me so I can’t breathe.