I'm going to do bullets for the highlights of our day:
Rob took Jack to get a haircut. He was bouncing off the walls crazy when he returned. I tried to get a decent picture of it to show you. Here's the result:
He was all thrilled to see his silly face afterward on the camera, after staying put for 0.0000001 second.
Rob went and bought a brand-new BMW F650 GS motorcycle today. Well, he put down a deposit on it, and will get it in about a month when it arrives from overseas. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
I took a nap.
We made S'mores for dessert. The kids didn't quite know what to do with them, except for Chloë, who proclaimed the ones at camp better because they used Girl Scout Cookies. Well, duh! Here are the other kids:
I am the worst mother in the world, and do you know why?
Because my five-year-old son is going to kindergarten next week, and we met his new teacher and his new classroom today, and I did not remember to bring my camera!!!!
What is it with me and the camnesia lately??
After Stephanie returned with my van this morning - she needed it to go get her car keys from home! - the Littles and I headed to Jack's new school - and Chloë's all-along school - for the Back to School Picnic.
We didn't actually have time for all that picnicking stuff, though. Mommy had an appointment to get to up in Newport News.
So we made our way to the free t-shirt table, and collected one for Jack. They didn't want to give me one for Chloë since only kids present at the picnic were supposed to receive a shirt, but since everyone at that school just adores that child, they made an exception. I didn't even have to ask!
Wherever we went, it was, "Where's Chloë? Where's Chloë?" I swear everyone in school knows her. It amazes me. I was never popular, but my kid? Universally loved. Of course, then they all looked at the three of us and wondered what the heck we were doing there without her, so I pointed out Jack as the new kid on the block to everyone. He was thrilled about this recognition. Ever since we bought his supplies and new backpack, he is dying to go to school!
We headed straight for the kindergarten wing of the school, to meet Mrs. Swann, Jack's new teacher. She was young! Way young. After Mrs. Meltzer's ancient teaching methods when Chloë was a kindergartner, I was thrilled to see this. She should have plenty of new tricks for getting the children to accomplish their goals, surely. Rote drilling? Not my style, not good for my kids.
Oh, let this be a wonderful new year of learning for Jack. I hope so.
Then, even though Chlo is still at camp, I wanted to meet her new second grade (OMG) teacher, Mrs. Duke. She turned out to be a lovely lady, and I liked her right from the start, just as I did with Mrs. Pfeiffer last year. I hope that is a good sign. She already knew who Chloë was, so she was disappointed not to see her today.
We visited the art teacher, music teacher, and gym teacher, too. Jack won't have art this year, though - they do that right in the classroom. Oh, and the principal, Mr. Timlin. He and I know each other well from my work on the PTA board and from me pestering him to put out more recycling cans in the school, so his first greeting to me was, "You dyed your hair blond on me!" He's a Chloëphile too, so he seemed thrilled to meet my little guy, giving him high-fives and handshakes.
Because the kids were begging for something to eat, then, I bought them each a snowcone. We don't do hot dogs and hamburgers, and I didn't want to buy them chips and sodas. It was super hot today, so a snowcone seemed like just the thing. And it was. I know, because Jack ate three bites of his and declared himself finished, and I tore into that thing. So good. Refreshing. Perfect.
We went home after that, making this the first year I didn't sign up for the PTA at the picnic. I'll do it when the papers come home next week. I just had to get out of that crowd, and I had to get ready for the drive up north. I was just looking up the address when Stephanie returned to babysit, toting her freaking adorable little niece, Carolynn. (Forgive me if I spelled her name wrong, Steph; I just know SO many Carolines right now!)
So.
I gave her a few quick instructions and then took off for my visit to the gastric bypass surgeon in Newport News. My appointment wasn't until 4:30, and I left just after 2. But I had to take their computer questionnaire first. I ended up being wicked early and finishing the test over an hour early. I was all set to take a snooze in my van when they called me back early to see the doctor. Yay! I wouldn't have to wait after all.
Dr. Clarke was very nice. He spent as much time as I needed, going over my questions and issues, and he never made me feel like a gross, disgusting fatass - not once - unlike the doc from Bariatric Surgery in the Naval hospital. I am glad I made the choice to stick with him; it was the right thing to do, I believe. Long drive notwithstanding.
I talked to the insurance lady about my upcoming hoop-jumping fest after that, and then I was on the road again, before my actual appointment time. Nice. I will have to do a lot of the same things I did for the other doc, and they could probably use the same tests, but I feel like I should just do them all over again in case things have changed. As soon as I get that - and the daunting psych consult (Lord, give me strength not to break down this time!) - out of the way, we'll be ready to schedule the surgery. I am excited! Skinny-me, come on down!
The drive home was excruciatingly slow, made worse by the fact that I was suddenly exhausted and doing touch-and-goes all the way home. The bridge and tunnel are always backed up at that time of the day, and this was no exception. If I could pulled over to take a nap, I would have. But, I made it home in one piece. Maybe I should store some No-Doze in the glove compartment.
I really wanted a nap when I arrived home, like Rob and the kiddies were doing, but Sam the Schwan's guy was due to be there in a half-hour. And I hadn't yet gone through the catalog to see what I wanted. So I grabbed it, and my pen, and lickety-split came up with a good list. We still had a lot of food from the last time, actually, so I just replenished the few things I knew we liked. A lot of it was ice cream. Hey, it's summer, and I don't mind if the kids eat a lot of it right now.
Well... I'm suddenly out of words. That's a good stopping point, I think. Tomorrow, we go pick up Chloë! I am beside myself with excitement!!! Fin.
I broke out the 'special crayons' and let Jack and Sophia go to town on Chloë's huge coloring book at the table. They love those crayons. Half are missing, and one of the remainders is broken, so I bought some more when we went school supply shopping at night. They must be watched with a hawk-eye, though, because those things will get everywhere, just like with paint.
My penny cup was full, so I told Jack he could have them all for his bank IF he counted them, one by one, with me. He did it! He managed with little help to count up to 56. I was very pleased with that - and I think he was, too.
For a snack, we had carrots and ranch dip. That's the awesome blue dish I bought in Pisa; yes, it's technically an ash tray, but it was too cool to pass up!
Wednesday:
I stupidly forgot my camera, so I have no pictures of this wonderful day. The children and I woke up very late in the morning, and we had a slow, leisurely breakfast while we waited for Steph to come over and go swimming. When she arrived, we headed over the to pool only to find out, oh no! It was closed until Friday. Apparently the pump broken, and we couldn't even go in the baby pool. Stink.
Then Stephanie had the brilliant idea to go to the beach! After all, it's only a 20-minute drive.
So we waited for Rob to come home and get Jack, because they were going to the Naval hospital for Jack's last-minute immunizations before school starts. Turns out he needs them after all, even though they said he was up-to-date at his five year check-up. Bah.
Once they left, it was just us girls, and Sophie's first alone time in very long time. We stopped at the pet store, so Steph could get food for her pets, and then wait straight to the ocean front. I had to pay $5 to park, even though it should have been free today for Beach Residents, because I forgot my license. Bah.
At the beach, we stopped short when we saw the red flags. Oh, no! The beach was closed, too!
But we kept going, and we could see that there were people swimming in the ocean. Phew. If they can do it, we can, too.
So we put Sophie's swimmies on and carried her down the water, a little bit against her will. "Relax, baby. It's okay. Mommy's got you." She fussed a little, but we lifted her up out of the waves, and held her close when we could, and finally she relaxed. We had a great time, until the current started to get to strong to hold a baby in, and we went up on the sand to play. Steph and I lay out while Sophie scooted around, making sand angels and otherwise getting covered from head to toe. She had a blast.
We got bored of that after a while, so we took her and her pail and shovel back down to the water's edge, where we just sat and played in the sand and let the water rush over us. It took a long time, but finally she was able to sit still and enjoy the pleasure of the rushing water. The current was super strong, though. I've been in the water all my life, and it was definitely one of the strongest I've ever experienced. It was no longer safe to bring her in.
But then Daddy showed up, with Jack! So two adults took turn going into the waves, while one of us stayed behind to look after the nontwins. The waves were enormous and powerful, and we all got knocked around quite a bit. It was energizing and draining all at once.
And Stephanie and I showed each other our boobs. It was like Mardi Gras, but without the beads. I don't know why. Don't ask me.
The biggest surprise, though, was that with each other for support, the Littles started going into the water on their own! They'd come back, screaming, "I got wet! I touched the water!" and then turn around and go right back after receiving their high-fives. They even got knocked around a little themselves but did not cry. Once, Jack got pushed up the shore by a wave, and he yelled out proudly, "Daddy! I swimmed!"
It was a great day, full of elation.
We tiredly dragged ourselves up the beach to the shower station, where we stripped the babies naked and tried to get the sand out of all their little parts and pieces. But the very high tide had claimed our towels, so drying off was a bit of a futile effort.
Jack rode home with Daddy, and we girls rode separately in the van. We all showered and waited for Tim to arrive. Once he did, the menfolk took off to pick up some Chinese take-out for dinner, while we cleaned up the kitchen and watched a little TV. Then we sat around at the table for a good, long time, laughing, telling stories, laughing, teasing each other and oh, yeah, laughing.
I love to laugh.
Tim left after that, to go home to bed. Stephanie stayed behind, so we moved down to the living room with our dishes of ice cream and goofed around some more. (The kids were in bed by this point, so our talk got a little more 'adult.') Steph drank some of the sangria that we'd all had before our cruise, and I pretty much acted like I was drinking, too.
Then Steph realized that, whoopsy, Tim had taken her car keys home with him! And it was now after midnight, and that's a good drive home back to Chesapeake for her, so... she's now sound asleep on our couch and will have to borrow the van to get home in the morning. Oops!
I guess I shall carry myself off to bed, too. Oh, but a few more things I've forgotten to share:
Chloë (who is still at camp until Friday) not only has her first loose tooth, but she also has an adult tooth already growing into the gap in her bottom front teeth! I need to get to work finding or making a tooth pillow for her!
Rob is buying a motorcycle. I guess he plans to shop around this weekend. Yikes! Yes, there will definitely be safety courses in his future. Rest assured.
I thought I had a third thing, but now it's forgotten for another day. Remember to check out the European blog! I posted two days at once tonight.
Today's highlight was the drive up to Williamsburg to bring Chloë to her Girl Scouts camp. Rob had to stand watch, so I enlisted Stephanie's help to get her set up there. I'm glad I did! I would have had a hard time getting everything taken care of on my own. Afterward, I called up Rob and insisted that he come with me on Friday to help pick her up and get her squared away! Thankfully, he agreed.
Chloë waiting in the van for Stephanie to be dropped off, so we could head up to Williamsburg!
Um, drinking out of the sippy cup before I took off the lid, Chlo sits and waits for her turn to have her head examined. Seriously, they checked everyone's hair for nits and took their temperatures. She passed. Whew.
Steph took the suitcase from me as I struggled to pull it over the rocks, on our way to finding Chloë's unit. I huffed and puffed all the way there, but I made it, damn it.
Everyone stop and look at Mommy!! It was a really nice day in the woods, though very hot (about 95, according to my van).
While Chloë and I put on the sheets, and the counselor talked my ear off, Steph got busy putting up the poles for the mosquito netting we bought at check-in. See Chloë too-huge shirt? She got a free camp shirt for being one of the first 50 camp registrants! She'll probably wear it as a nightgown.
Chloë puts on her bug spray as Stephanie and Pixel, one of the counselors, watch.
Sophia and Jack, who take after my red-faced sweaty tendencies, haul around a gigantic branch as we leave.
Chlo has already made a friend, Bailey, who IS the same age as she is, believe it or not! I'm glad; none of the girls from her troop were coming to camp.
She seemed excited and happy to be at camp, and none too worried when she said good-bye to us. In contrast, I have worried about her all evening, wondering what she's doing now, if she's afraid sleeping in the woods, if she's comfortable, if she had enough for dinner, if she took a good shower and brushed her teeth, if, if, if.
I think she'll be okay. As for me... is it Friday yet??
Whoops, I'm a day behind already and we've only been back since Monday!
Wednesday was a busy one for me. We got up pretty early for us on a Wednesday morning (8:30 ish) and had breakfast. Afterward, since Barbara was coming, we had to do some cleaning up. Not a terrible amount, since Stephanie did an awesome job of keeping the place neat while we were gone, but we had gotten some toys out and had a lot to put away still from the trip. The kids were a great help. When they are in the mood to clean up, you can't beat them! When they are not in the mood, you want to! Hehe, kidding of course.
Barbara came while I was still downstairs in my nighty, picking things up, so we said our hellos and how-do-you-dos, and then I high-tailed it up into a shower. Oh, the cool water felt so good. I love a cold shower in the summer, especially after working up a sweat doing some cleaning or something. Do you? Am I the only one? My husband HATES them and will take the hottest shower possible, no matter how hot he already is.
So after my shower, I unpacked my suitcases and put them away, piddled around doing a few more things so she could clean in there, and left. The kids love going for rides in the car, so I planned several errands for Barbara Day.
First stop: New glasses for Chloë! The day we left for Spain (hi, my trip is over and I'm still excited about it), I had taken her to For Eyes to pick them up. Well, guess what? They were the wrong effing prescription! Someone had put minuses where there should have been plusses, and my girl said, "Uh, these are not the glasses I ordered. I can't see a thing!" What?! Sure enough, when the tech checked them, they were for near-sighted folks and not my extremely far-sighted little darling. So, anyway, they never called Stephanie in our absence, and she was still wearing the old-old glasses (the old glasses broke) of yore.
[I'd show you a really cute picture of her in her glasses, because I think they look just DARLING on her, but now I can't upload pictures to the computer from my camera at all. Freaking technology!! I finally get Typepad settled down, by switching to Firefox instead of IE once again, and now the computer doesn't recognize that there are pictures on my camera to upload. Thankfully the Europe ones worked, but now I have to settle that mess. Another pictureless blog for you, sorry!]
After that, we headed to the library, to bring back the last book before it was due the following day. I don't relish paying those kinds of fees at all. Well, any fees, come to think of it, but certainly not something totally avoidable. Anyway, I let Chloë out at the curb so she could put her book in the drop box, a new 'chore' she loves to do. I also recently started letting her cross the street by herself, to put out the outgoing mail, and I know she feels so grown up doing it!
Meanwhile, there are kids younger than her doing far more adventurous things on their own, but ours is a busy street, and what can I say? I don't like the idea of a squashed Chloë.
The babies started yammering about being hungry (always wanting to be fed, that lot), so before I knew what was happening, Vanna started turning away from the grocery store and toward our favorite Barbara Day locale: Panera. Oh, Panera, how I missed you during our fortnight away! Lunch was good, very, very good, and the kids ate all their food. Love that!
A silly old goose of a lady stopped by our table and said, "Look at all your children! They're all yours? Did they all come at the same time?" I just smirked and said "no," but Chloë felt the need to be more informative: "I'm six and a half. I'm the oldest. He's five, and she's three. And he had a twin brother, but he died." The lady looked at me, made a face, shrugged, and walked away, saying, "How nice." I had to laugh, before I turned to Chloë and, yet again, explained that we don't need to tell Every. Single. Person. that we meet about Robby. "But why?" she asked. I blurted out, "Because it's none of their damn business!" And you know what? It's not.
But I know I'll be explaining that one for a while.
I had planned to go grocery shopping, to get a few things in the house that we needed and in preparation for Bunco, but Jack was rubbing his eyes at the table. His father called to check in, and when I asked him if he'd mind going to the store for me when he got home, because his son was tired and needed a nap, Jack snapped, "I'm NOT tired!!"
In the car, five minutes later, he was sound asleep and snoring his little sweet snore.
So we drove home, where I chided the kids as usual for walking on my freshly-cleaned carpet with their shoes on, and settled the kids down for naps. They all must have been tired, because I didn't hear a peep out of them. Zonk.
I would have liked to nap myself, but it was time to set up for Bunco! It took me about 15 minutes, but I finally lugged the big-ass treadmill out of the middle of the room, to the side by the back door. I opened the two new packages of card table and chairs, setting one up on the living room and the other in the office. I took all the booster seats off the kitchen chairs, and set out the Bunco dice, pencils, and bell. Ready! Now I just needed that food.
I was hoping people would be late as usual to Bunco, but every single person showed up right on time! Gah! I was still rushing around, making the vodka punch for Drunko Bunko, and putting out the dishes and forks and server-ware stuff, while the house was filling up with food. I have decided, since we're not leaving this area, at least we need to buy a bigger house so I can properly host Bunco. There just is not a lot of room here!
No? You don't think so? Well, at least I have managed to talk my husband into new carpets. Ours are SHOT. Maybe we'll go for wood floors, though. We'll see. And kitchen appliances are next on the list. Ours SUUUUCK.
Anyway, Bunco was a lot of fun. If you remember my blogging about hosting it last September, I was a nervous wreck!! This time was so different. I didn't have time to stress about it, Barbara had cleaned the place up, and there was just one issue: the litter box. Ugh. It was full to bursting after two weeks away, and though I emptied it, the smell lingered on. Even my new Oust Air & Surface cleaner didn't take the stench away, dagnabbit, and I found out from Stephanie that they were talking about it during Bunco! Ahhhh! How embarassing. I sent out an email after Bunco, apologizing to everyone about it!
I had bought enough Bunco prizes in Europe for everyone to go away with something. Usually, there are seven prizes, to split amongst 12 people. I bought extras, a little from Spain, some from France, from Italy, from Greece, and from Croatia, so that each person would get something. They loved this idea! They all oohed and ahhed as I brought the items out of the bag where I'd hidden them, and when I asked 15 times if they liked the prizes, they all assured me that they did. Stephanie won top prize, so she picked out a coconut necklace from Nice and a leather-and-beads bracelet from Croatia. Looks great on her, with her coloring, too! (Yes, I actually bought something leather. I know!)
Oh. Drunko Bunko: Steph and I had made prior arrangements to get completely smashed and have her spend the night. I was buzzed early on, but I get red-faced and sweaty when I drink, so I decided to save my drinking for the private post-party. Stephanie, not so much. She was HAMMERED. And hilarious. We were all laughing at her, and she was laughing at herself. (Now that you know she won first prize, you can see how little skill this game requires!) When everyone left, she insisted on pouring me some more punch. Spiked with the Limoncello from Sicily. Ahh, good stuff. I was toast shortly afterward. I haven't been that way since I turned 21 ten years ago, and we had a good time, just laaaaughing and laaaaaughing and being silly and raunchy. Rob joined in on the party - not the drinking, just the funning - and the three of us giggled ourselves into oblivion. I have a few funny pictures, but again, I can't show them tonight!
Soon enough, we were passed out on our respective couches, and Rob went upstairs to bed. When he got up at 0400 for work, Steph woke up and texted him that the shower and my snoring were keeping her awake! So he ushered her upstairs to our bed, where she spent the rest of the night.
This morning, I woke up first, when Sophia and Jack got right in my face singing, "Good morning, Mommy, we're hungry!!" Chloë joined shortly afterward, and then Steph made her way down. We had a very unhealthy breakfast of Bunco leftovers, and then we sat at the new card table in the office and made a stickers-and-foam Christmas craft that my MIL had sent months ago (obviously) for project time. I have pictures of this, too, but alas... We all helped, and it came together quickly. The kids did a really good job, even though Jack threw in the towel early to go play with cars.
After that it was lunch time, and I think I made five different things for lunch. But no matter. Everyone ate something healthy, and their bellies were filled. Time to go to the pool! We suited up the kids and sprayed them down with sunscreen, before getting ready ourselves. Of course, we neglected to use SPF on our own bodies, and that was our fatal mistake.
Man, after two weeks in the Mediterranean and no burn (and no sunscreen then, either, because I am apparently stupid), it was pretty annoying to get such a bad burn today after ONE HOUR at the pool on an overcast day! Just goes to show you, you can never be too careful or sure where the sun is going to get you. But I am fried, and Steph got herself a nice sunburn, too, for the sixth time in her life. A couple of dumb bunnies we are!
Fortunately, the kids were unharmed. Sophie did get a little color, but Sophie always gets a little color. She tans, though - and yes, I know, even a tan is a sign of sun damage. But it's far better than a burn, especially on one so small.
Anyway, we came home, gave the kiddies a snack, and sent them down for much-needed naps. Again, they were quite worn out and didn't make a peep! Stephanie left then, and I tried a dozen times more to post on the European blog, with no success. But if you'll check, I have finished posting about Day One now, so go read!
Argh, I'm yawning my head off, so it's time to cut this pictureless saga short. Long? Not much happened the rest of the day, anyway, other than my getting the chills so bad that Rob had to lay on top of me to get me warm. I'm better now, and tomorrow is another day.
I tried to be good. I went to bed much earlier than usual last night, so I could get up early with the kids, go do my errands, and then take them to the pool until Daddy got home. We haven't swum since the end of May, so we're due for a pool visit.
Instead, I was up at 0600 with an upset stomach, and I was shivering and feeling awful. When it was all over, I went downstairs to rest on the couch until they got up. Only, I fell back to sleep. And it was late morning before I woke up again.
Dammit.
Oh, well. No sense berating myself for it; what's done is done.
I just love Chloë's profile, especially when her glasses are missing and I can see it.
I got right up with the kids and we sprang to work in the kitchen, assembling our ingredients, preheating our oven and preparing ourselves to bake chocolate chip banana bread.
First, Sophia mashed up our three extremely overripe nanners.
Next, Chloë whisked in a few eggs.
Jack dumped in the shortening, and Chloë added the sugar.
Sophia mixed it all up, after adding the vanilla.
They added the rest of the ingredients, and Chloë mixed it all up.
Voilà! The kids dumped it into the pan {note to self: really must buy loaf pans!}, and their very own chocolate chip banana bread was ready to go into the oven!
During the 75-minutes baking time, Jack played downstairs with his cars, and the sisters took turns perched atop the fainting couch and sliding down it. Then they all took turns cuddling in my arms and singing lullabyes with me. Sophia didn't know many of the words, but she sung along anyway. This caused mucho hysterics on my part, and she laughed as hard as I did. It was a fun time.
It's ready!
Jack was the first lucky boy to dig in, once it cooled enough. He gave it his stamp of approval and demanded some margarine.
Any chance to show off the Fiestaware...
Daddy came home just as we were starting to dig in, so he enjoyed his piece, too. Then we showered and got ready to go out. We'd gotten some really good Moe's (Welcome to Moe's!) coupons, and Chloë was asking to go for her special dance recital dinner, so I looked up online to see if there was a Moe's mystery shop available. There was! Score.
Dinner was great, even though there were still no tomatoes for salsa, and even though the smoke from the North Carolina wildfires was too overpowering to let us sit outside. They way overstuffed our burritos with yummy good stuff.
Jack didn't want to eat his quesadillas. Just chips. Nope, not this time. I told him if he didn't take at least one good bite of his quesa, he was going right to bed when we got home.
Guess who went right to bed when he got home?
That's right, it didn't work. He didn't eat. He cried a whole bunch about going to bed, though. Oh, well! One thing I'm adamant about is following through; no empty threats here!
Once home, I sat outside in the nice evening air and called my father in Ohio. I never did reach him for Father's Day. He's doing well up there, just getting used to life there as opposed to South Carolina. It was good to hear from him.
Rob snapped this picture of Sophia once again up on her perch. She was also reaching back behind herself and licking her foot. Girlfriend is mighty flexible, which is why I'm going to go with the majority from the poll and put her in gymnastics this fall! I did manage to call and get the details from them about that; it's comparable in cost to dance class, and she can start anytime since it's a year-round program. Should be fun! Thanks for the help!
Stephanie soon joined us to have some cheesecake, again in celebration of Chloë's dance recital. It was supposed to be Friendly's, but we had all these Schwan's desserts already and decided to save our moulah. It was pretty good! (The slices are bigger than theirs, which I'd cut in half for them to share.) I should have made some strawberres because I'm God, to put on top.
After dessert, Rob took the girls upstairs to bathe and get ready for bed, while Stephanie and I drove to Walgreen's so I could pick up my prescriptions. We got there, though, and I realized I'd forgotten my checkbook at home! Gah!
So we drove home, picked that up, and ran to Farm Fresh. I'm out of salt and wipey-wipes, and she needed chicken and rice for her poor sick doggies. Then we went back to Walgreen's. Now I'm stocked up on my drugs for the cruise. Another item crossed off my list. Whee!
She soon said goodbye, and I decided to start back in on sewing Chloë's blue dress. It was not off to an auspicious start, however, when I couldn't even thread the darn needled and had to call in the troops for support. Took Rob a while, too, but he finally got it after cutting that fat yarn at an angle. So I was on my way to press some seams when I realized it was time to post my nightly blahg entry.
Okay, y'all didn't vote in the poll! There are only two votes, and one's mine, and one's Stephanie's. Y'all need to give me your input on this; I know there are more of you out there than that! ;)
So today, I had a whole heckuva lot more on my to-do list than there was actually time to accomplish. Perhaps tomorrow.
I tried to call for referrals to an allergist and a neurologist, but there was no answer after 20-odd rings at my clinic. Humph.
I called the cocky SOB who was going to paint our house, to see if he had a contractor's license or anything, and he does not. So I gave him the boot. Didn't like him, don't want to give him our business.
I did manage to (finally) make Sophia's 3-year well-child appointment. It'll be the day after we get back from Europe. No rest for the weary... traveler.
Tried calling the gymnastics place to at least get the deets for their 3yo program, but there was no answer. Yet another $#%(*& place that's closed on Mondays!!
Never made it to the bank to cash out our trip account and get some traveler's cheques. Never made it to the base to fill my scripts so I'll have enough meds for Europe.
Couldn't remember the name of the karate place, to get the deets for their 5yo program. Five years we've lived here, five years that we've been going to the same grocery store right next to the karate place. You'd think it would have sunk in by now.
Didn't do any sewing. Didn't have the desire today, after toiling on the floor with my fabric all laid out yesterday, cutting the huge pieces for Chloë's dress. But maybe I'll go do some after this.
Didn't crochet, either. No time. And we didn't bake. I planned to make a new cookie recipe, from my Martha Stewart cookie book, with the kids... but we're out of flour and darn near out of butter. And dog food, not that that would make for great cookies. I sent Rob to the store for those three things tonight. He just got back. At least I cut out the coupons from yesterday's paper.
Oh, and I folded five loads of laundry and washed two more. I'm trying to really keep on top of it so there isn't a ton to do before our trip, and all my clothes will be clean.
After I folded all that, the Littles went down for nap, Chloë went downstairs to get ready and then play on Webkinz (finally, she knows how to log in by herself!), and I took a shower. I was going to do my make-up and, you know, try and look decent, but my face was so blustery and hot after I blow-dried my hair that it would have just slid right off. So I went nakey-faced. As usual. Oh, well. I wear glasses, anyway.
I didn't even really dress up for the Show. I'm wearing jean capris and a red polo shirt. Rob wore a polo and some khakis, but when we were walking in downtown Norfolk before the show, he noticed what I wore and cursed himself for not wearing shorts, too. Ha, ha. Sucka. I wasn't underdressed, though. Lots of folks wore dressy things, but plenty others went casual.
We forgot to take Chloë's earrings out when we dropped her off, and now they are gone. I am disappointed, because they were the little pink flowers with which she got pierced, and they were my favorites. Live and learn.
After she was backstage and taken under the instructors' wings, I drove around the corner to the market so Rob could run in and buy her flowers. We found a place to park nearby (there was a garage right there the whole time! Who knew?!) and then went to our favorite sushi place in the world, Domo. We discovered it a few years ago when we went downtown for a Steven Wright concert. The food is out-of-this-world fresh, and so tasty. The service is good, too. If you're ever in Norfolk and like sushi, go!
Finally, it was time to get back across the street to the Roper and get ourselves seated. I was bemoaning having camnesia, so I wouldn't be able to get a backstage picture of Chloë and her teacher this year. So, I taught Rob how to use my phone's camera. Wouldn't you know, when he went around the block to get her at half-time intermission, he took a picture of her with her flowers, but no Miss Ashley! Just completely forgot!
The Show was great. Darlene did her usual introduction of all the graduating seniors, and for no reason at all, I found myself in tears. It's not like I know any of those girls! I guess it was just reminiscent of my years as a dancer. I just imagined my little Chloë, starting off at the age of three and, finally, still doing dance, graduating from high school. Imagine!
There were some pretty risqué moves going tonight, especially for some of the younger girls. Lyrics, too. I bet a few tongues were wagging!
There was one girl in at least four numbers on that stage tonight, who is every bit as heavy as I am, if not more. Rob can vouch. We talked about her afterward, in wonderment. She wasn't even good! I mean, I wasn't anywhere near that big when I danced, not at all, but I did the moves and then some. She barely tried. At what point does a parent look at that and say, We're wasting our money, let's get her into something else? I felt embarrassed for her. She just did not look good up there, nor did she look particularly enthused. Oh, well. Not my problem.
What is my problem: my own children's health. I can say, with a high degree of certainty, that I will never let them get that way as long as they are under my roof. Not that there's any danger of that anytime soon, but if one of them ballooned up, we'd do something about it, and pronto. (In a loving, we-want-you-to-be-healthy kind of way, not, ew, you fat freak, go to camp and lose it!) (I can say this all, because it takes one to know one.)
I looked at the lithe, flat-chested bodies of the 'serious' dancers, and wondered what my Chlo and Soap will look like at that age. Will they be like me? Will they be like their Dad? One of each? I think it's safe to say Chloë will be a skinny thing, and Sophia will be a bit more on the curvy side.
When we'd collected our Chloë, we sat back and watched the second half through her eyes. She wriggled and shimmied in her chair, copying the older girls. She clapped loud and tried to "wooo wooo" along with the appreciative audience. When I giggled, she looked up at me pointedly and said, "What!"
Normally, it's our tradition to go out for sundaes (again, stemming from my dancing days) after the recital, but it was 2200 when we got out of there! The Littles were put to bed by Stephanie, and we agreed to do it tomorrow, with Stim. Friendly's, here we come!
Hey, look, I found a picture of me when I danced - see, not so chubby (click to see it big):
At home last night, Jack came downstairs and went to sleep inside the cat scratching post tunnel thingy! So funny.
We were up late last night, so we slept late this morning. It still wasn't enough, and I was bleary-eyed for quite a while. Let me tell you, blear looks really hot on fat people.
I made my way downstairs where Rob was feeding the kids, and set to work sewing the panels of my stripey blanket together. I got about halfway through the first seam when I remembered Rob needed to finish his LensCrafter's shop for his new eyeglasses, ie, pick them up so I could do the pick-up section of the report. And there was no food in the house and he'd be right nearby, so I wanted him to go to Panera, too. Yum, yum.
Shortly after he left, Stephanie called me to say she and Tim were on their way over for our Day O' Fun. Rut-ro, Raggy! I was still in a nightgown, Rob was out, and the kids were in various states of undress. But we quickly got our bathing suits on, just in time for Stim (their name together, see) to come a-knockin'.
I kept on seaming my blanket while we waited for Rob, and then I gobbled down my brunch while he got ready for the pool. Mmm, mmm, Panera. Good stuff, man. We shared some cookies with Stim and the kids, and then scrambled to get our pool necessities together. You can't just go to a pool these days. Of course, there must be towels - five. Then there must be "some scream," no matter what time of day or how short or long your visit. And most importantly, there have to be pool toys for each child. We ended up bringing all the blow-up toy prizes from our night at Motor World last weekend.
The pool water was frrrreeeeeeeezing. Rob barely made it into the pool at all. No meat on his bones. The rest of us managed to acclimate just fine. We didn't have any water wings (must put those on the shopping list), so Chloë clung steadfastly to the wall as she played with Stim and her school friends. Jack and Sophie were in and out, in and out, cold and hot, up and down. Little monkeys, they are. It was a good time. The adult swims were very much welcome, as the neighborhood kids were there in abundance and got quite rambunctious. Can't tell you how many times I was pushed and shoved with a baby in my arms. Don't like that. Not a bit.
After a while, we left and came back to our house, where everyone changed and showered and dressed. Oh. Ask me what's the worst that could happen? I'll tell you: Being allergic to the pool, my oasis in the summer months. But not just allergic. Full-body-welt highly allergic. The hives were huge and angry, and my face swelled up, and it was all very uncomfortable and unattractive. Once in the house, I chugged some four or five Benadryls and waited for the ugliness to depart. The ugliness caused by chlorine, anyhow. It took a while, but I'm back to "normal" now. I use that term loosely.
Then Steph and I took Jack to the grocery store for some dinner needs: Dog food for Lily's sup, and sangria, green beans, linguine, strawberries and Italian bread for ours. Jack picked out a new car (I'd promised him a few days ago for something), and I picked up some Cottonelle wipes four our tushies. I love those things. No more TP for me!
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Rob was peeling and cooking up some shrimp scampi to go atop our linguini. Linguine or linguini? I'm too lazy to go look at the box right now. When we arrived, he set to work boiling water for the pasta while I sliced up the strawberries for our dessert. Those things were almost as big as my hand, look:
Ginormalous!
The kids (and Rob) kept buggering me for some berries, but I threatened them with my knife and kept the thieves at bay. (Not really, put down the phone.)
Then I remembered I didn't have any whipping cream for the strawberry shortcake, so Stim took Sophie back to the store for some heavy cream and, oh, yeah, can you pick up some more Bisquick too?
Dinner was excellent, and we all ate our fill. Even the kids did pretty well with no complaining, other than Jack repeatedly tell us he didn't want his shrimp even though no one was making him. I should have bought more than one loaf of the bread, though; it was awesome. I had two glasses of wine and got quite inebriated, and Stephanie soon joined me so we could be silly together. And we were. I said a lot of dumb stuff and giggled at myself.
We went back to the living room to rest our bellies and let the kids play while I tried to show Steph briefly how to crochet. She did a stitch or two and looks like she's going to be an easy student, so we'll have to sit down together soon and do it fo' real. I had finished seaming up the second seam earlier and was working on the edging of my stripey blanket. We were also running back and forth, Steph and I, to the kitchen so I could show her how I make the biscuits (big tongue stuck out to Stephanie-Canada!). It was a lot of back and forth. I got a little dizzy. Remember, I was drunk. (Hey, let's call a spade a spade. I wanted to say 'a worm a worm' just there. I don't know why.)
Um, so, what else...
The shortcake (biscuits :P) were finished, finally, so everyone regrouped in the kitchen to down some strawberries. It wasn't our usual shortcake: I'd added more sugar to the biscuits than usual, and I didn't have milk so I used some of the heavy cream in them. And Rob whipped the cream and some sugar together instead of using the canned stuff. It was so-o-o good. We all scarfed it down pretty well. I never get tired of strawberries. Maybe I should think of some new things to do with them? I don't know, if it ain't broke...
Rob made Tim give Jack his growth hormone shot after that, so he'll be able to do it while we're in Europe. It went as well as expected. Jacky cried, and it's sad, so I showed Steph how much he's grown since taking the shots for the past almost-two years, versus no growth over the previous two. They'll be fine. I'm sure of it.
Drunken self-portrait of Stephanie
Rob and Tim, overjoyed about sticking little boys butt's with sharp needles
Stim left shortly after that, and the kids went to bed, so I finished up my single crochet edging. I have two more rounds of single crochet to do, and all those ends to sew in, but for the most part, it'd finished! Yippee! I've only been at it for a few months, off and on of course. It's cotton and really heavy. I'm loving the colors together. Steph really liked it, too, and she called it funky. I think. Now she wants one. A day after I told Rob I was never going to make another one of those again (it was my third). Haha! But of course I will, if she wants.
I fell asleep under my new allergy-free blanket right after that, from the effects of the pool and too much good food and fun times with our friends. Very comfy. I love it!
We all slept in really late today after our adventures last night. Really late. Like, no longer AM.
When I woke up, I was definitely sick. Right eye matted shut, sore throat, earache, headache... the whole bit. We were supposed to go to the Pungo Strawberry Festival today, but I didn't think I was going to be going anywhere at all. I felt bad. But, we've been here five years and keep wanting to go, but something has kept us from going. This, our last year, had to be it.
So I took a shower. A shower always makes you feel better, right? Well, it didn't, much, but I was game to go anyway. I did a little laundry, got dressed, and made my way downstairs where the rest of the family was eating breakfast. Rob showered, and off we went to the grocery store to get some sunscreen and dolladeros for the festival.
On the way there, Sophie asked where we were going. Rob told her, "We're going to the Strawberry Festival!" And she said, "Mmmmm... I LOOOOOOVE blueberry pie!" <insert laughing guy here>
We also decided that we weren't going to eat anything that didn't contain strawberries. Well, that proved to be tougher than we thought. The website specifies there are strawberries served 50 different ways? We found two: strawberry shortcake and daiquiris. Of course, we ate some shortcake right away, and, I gotta say, the Bisquick biscuits are hella better. I'm stickin' with those.
The festival was set up along a main drag, so the traffic was shut down going in and out of the area for fest goers. Well, it was over at 1900, and they let traffic get back in the very same minute! Right away! They didn't even give people a few minutes to clear out of there and walk the mile or so back to their cars. Kinda dangerous, if you ask moi. But you didn't.
A few highlights of our day, in pictures:
The children running around in the field of buttercups where we were parked. Of course, I received a bouquet or two.
The kids have never had their faces painted before, so that was one of the first things we let them do. I wonder if Jack was checking out this woman's, um, *ahem* decolletage... oh, and I know that's not his face. They all chose to do it on their arm instead. Whatever!
Chloë chose an angel,
Sophie picked a hibiscus flower,
and Jack wanted a bunny. His was the only one that lasted past the second ride. The rest were all smudged off on shirts and faces. Oh well, easy come, easy go.
Finally, once we made it past the tons and tons of vendors, we found the area that was like a fair, with rides, games and fair food. Not that we were looking for that, or anything, in particular. Rather, it found us. Tickets were $1 apiece, but today there was a military armband special for $15, good for unlimited rides. Eureka! We bought five, in case they wanted rides that needed parental units. Good thing we did; they were needed. These trucks were the first ride we came upon, much to Jack's delight!
Next, we all took a spin in some Tilt-a-Whirl-ish apples. Whilst riding, Chloë looked at me and exclaimed, "Mom, this is the time of my life!"
After several more kiddie rides, we all went on the Ferris Wheel together. It was my mother's favorite ride. Not so, the kids'. They all snuggled closely to us and screeched every time we went up, up, up.
After some more rides, a bite to eat, and a potty break, we found the giant midway slide. The girls bravely decided to go on it, while Jack held back. Chloë has done it before and didn't like it, so I'm surprised she chose to go again. She didn't like it any better. Despite the look on Sophie's face here, she enjoyed it and ran right back up to go on it again!
Finally, after doing the rest of the child-friendly rides, we found these cars as the fair was closing down. Jack was in seventh heaven! The cars whipped around the corners pretty fast for a toddler ride, so I was a bit surprised to find each of them enjoying themselves immensely! They went on it at least twice and laughed the whole way.
We headed back to the car along the treacherous car-packed road after that, and I waited with the kids in a corner lot while Rob went to fetch the van. The kids were being cute, running around and racing each other, but I neglected to get a picture of that. We stopped at a drive-thru on the way home for some dinner to bring home, and the kids gobbled theirs up right away when we got home. Then they headed to bed, worn completely out for the second day in a row.
Rob and I just watched There Will Be Blood when they were down. Hmm. I don't know what to rate that movie! Daniel Day Lewis was definitely good in it, as was Paul Dano. Have you seen it? Roob, I know what you thought of the ending, but I've decided I liked it! It was a hard flick for me to get into at first, but it grew on me. Good film.
Friday did not go as I had planned at all. It started when Chloë and I were walking out the door to go to the bus stop. Usually, the door is locked, so I have to turn the switch to make it unlocked. Well, for some reason, it was unlocked, so as I was leaving, as usual, I turned the &*^*& switch and, yep, locked myself out of the house. Now, normally when Chlo lets the dog out in the morning, she forgets to lock the back door afterward. But nope, not yesterday morning! So I was completely SOL. And Jack and Sophia were locked inside the house, sleeping in their little beddie-byes.
Fortunately, this was the one day I happened to grab my cell phone on the way out the door.
I called Rob and told him the sitch. He's got a long drive to come home from work, but he was on his way to bail me out. I was glad to at least have that morning's paper still sitting in the driveway.
After a half-hour of reading that, I decided to call Rob and see if he was close to home. Oh, he was very close... but he had a flat tire. And no jack. Aughhhh! So he had to wait and wait and wait for motorist assistance to come and bail him out, before he could come bail me out.
But, aha! Barbara the cleaning lady has a key to my house! It was early, but I figured she was a normal person, unlike myself, and probably up at that hour. She was. She was in the middle of cleaning her house. If I could wait, oh, an hour, she could come after that? Argh. No, I'll wait for Rob, thanks anyway.
Shortly after that, I heard a commotion coming from inside the house. So I started ringing the bell and knocking on the door, and almost instantly, Sophia unlocked it and let me in. What was she doing up so early and out of her room? Jack had gotten her up. She still had the sleepy face. But I was in!
So finally Rob came home (I'd called him to let him know I'd gotten in), because he wanted to get the jack out of the shed and put in his, you know, actual vehicle where it was, you know, actually needed.
And then he said he needed my *^%^*& van to drive back to work, because his spare tire was not going to be making it all the way there and back. Fudge! I had plans, and lots of them! So in return for fouling up my day even more, I talked him into running to Panera first to get us some lunch, which he did. And it was yummeh.
But then he left, with my van, leaving Sophie and me stranded for the day instead of being able to do all the running we had planned. Sigh. We trudged upstairs, where I spent the better part of three hours hauling out all the kids' spring/summer clothes and putting away winter clothes, sorting through them to see what would still fit and what would need to be handed down/tossed/donated.
I'd forgotten that Chloë still wore a lot of 3Ts last summer! So literally half of her summer wardrobe went directly from her closet into her sister's; Sophie is wearing 3Ts and some 4Ts now! Good thing I just bought a bunch of clothes from Gymboree; it should be here next week. Jack will still mostly be able to wear his 2T clothes, of course; the boy just doesn't grow much, and short shorts don't matter as much as short pants. Sophie lost a lot of her wardrobe, too, so I put it in a bag to bring to consignment.
I wanted to dig in on the laundry some more - I must talk about laundry constantly, because literally, it never freaking stops around here! - but it was time for Jack's bus. I made my way down just as she was pulling up to the driveway. I peeked out the peekhole to see her looking pissed because she thought I wasn't home - after all, the van wasn't there. So I threw open the door with a big smile to catch her nodding to her aide and mouthing "yeah, she's here." Have I mentioned this bus driver and I hate each other?
We couldn't go to the Farmer's Market because, of course, no car. So we hung out in the living room, playing with toys, reading, knitting, and what-have-you, until Daddy finally came home from work, a little early, having gone to the Exchange for some shoes and a tie for the cruise, and to the Naval hospital for Jack's shot record so he can register for kindergarten. Holy run-on, batman. I don't care. It's my blog and I'll babble if I want to.
So the kids all needed naps, and they went right down when Daddy returned from work. We were going to watch movies and eat something while they slept, so Rob went to Moe's (Welcome to Moe's!) to pick up our usual order. Then Steph called to say she and Tim were around the corner and heading over. Cool. I decided to put on a bra, at the very least. I'd been sitting around in sweats with no underthangs.
They came right in while I was half-nekkid, putting on my brassiere, and I screeched at them to stay out! Hehe. There are always boob issues when Steph and I are around each other. There was another boob issue later, but she forbade me from posting about it!
They brought along their two puppies, one-year-old Wazowski and this new little cutie, Rosie May. She is the most beautiful puppy ever!!! (At least since Tiger Lily was a wee lass.) So soft and sweet and .... ahhh. I love puppies. Especially this one.
Rosie May falls asleep on Chloë's lap; she's in heaven
After a long while of shootin' the shit, we puppy-sat for them while they went out to get some dinner and leave us to ours. Chloë was awake by this point, so they took her along for dinner! This was a special treat for her, to go out with them, and she was very excited. The pups were good, although Miss Rosie had a couple of accidents during her visit. She's new, though, so she's excused. I sure don't miss the puppy stage with Lily, though. Man.
I showered and dressed fo' reals while they were gone, and by the time they returned, the Littles were awake, too. Steph wanted all 26 of our legs (7 people, 3 doggies) to get some exercise, so we took a walk around the smaller lake across the street from our house. I was really nervous about this, because of my back and the troubles walking I've had lately, but I do need to build up some stamina so I can enjoy our cruise to the fullest. We headed out.
Sophia sat right down at the beginning of our walk to watch the ducks!
Jack liked being up close to this guy and kept calling him a turkey, which made me laugh.
I got about halfway around the lake before I kept having to stop and sit to let my back stop it's painful spasming and seizing. It was annoying and embarrassing. I'm hoping the impact of this injury will diminish after the gastric bypass.
I'm awfully fond of this sight every spring, especially because I often think of my children as my little ducklings following along behind me, wherever I go. Duckies are the cutest babies!
Back home again, I let Stephanie cut my too-long bangs... and I won't be doing that again! LMAO! They look not so good. But they'll grow back; they always do.
Then I cut her hair, and there were many jokes made about the kinds of things girls do when they get together. We hung out some more before they headed home, and all of us were so glad to have such good 'couple' friends.
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Are you liking the music being back on the site? No? You'll have to thank or blame Daisy for that, depending on your opinion!
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I stayed up until 0400 on my monthly online charity crochet-a-thon thingy, chatting with crochet friends and trying to win a prize. I won nothing. I've won nothing all year. Suckage. Rob had long since fallen asleep upstairs, but I didn't have the energy to join him and crashed on the couch until 10 AM when Tiger Lily started banging on the back door to go out. I was just getting up when Rob and the kids came downstairs, on their way out to get new tires for my van. Yeah, both our cars were desperate for them. So I was all set to lie back down - hey! free time without the kids means sleep! - but then I remembered the crochet-a-thon. I was determined to win a prize.
I sat on that computer for the next three hours and still didn't win. Dammit. I kept playing Webkinz tournaments to pass the time, and I've won about 40 between last night and today during the chat. Rob just rolls his eyes and laughs at me. Hey, it's fun. And I had to pass the time while the chat was slow somehow!
At 1300, I jumped in the shower to get ready for my eye exam appointment. [I didn't really need an exam, but I needed new glasses (I burned mine!), and so I picked up a mystery shop to get free ones. Yeah, I know, I said I was done with that, but it keeps pulling me right back in. And hey, you can't beat a free exam and glasses. Plus I have pink-eye and needed a prescription.] The appointment was for 1440, but I had had enough of the computer. Still no sign of Rob and the kids. Another hour passed. Still no sign. Ten minutes before I had to be at the eye doctor, I called him, only to find out he was still at the flipping tire place! Five hours getting tires! With three small children! Ay ay ay.
The eye tech said I could be late, so we took off immediately when they finally came in, and I had my exam. The doctor was very nice, very thorough, very pleasant... I enjoyed him immensely. He's right up there with Dr. Michael Bidus in my little book of Medical Types To Love. He gave me a script for the strongest antibiotic eyedrops available, since the Rx drops I'm using from my last bout aren't helping and confirmed that my vision is still pretty crappish at 20/200.
He dilated my pupils, so I called Rob and the kids out of the van to come help me pick out frames while those drops were taking effect. We were at For Eyes (Rob's favorite name for an eyeglasses store), where they were having a sale: two complete pairs for $99! After much deliberation, we picked a regular pair and a pair for sunglasses. Blue ones. That's a switch. We'll see.
I headed back over and let the doc look in my eyeballs some more, and I whined a bunch about the brightness. He gave me the paper sunglasses to wear around looking snazzy, and we were off.
Well, I'd spent all that time looking at the Mi Hogar Mexican Restaurant right next door, and Rob is always, always, always down for some Mexican, so we headed there for lunch. The usual: Jack ate chips, the girls ate quesadillas, I ate a vegetarian combo... and Rob orders something different every time. He ordered something called the "big burrito" and they were not kidding. I have literally birthed a smaller baby than that thing! He ate half and called it a day.
On to the next fun thing: Motor World down by the beach! Rob and I had last been about three years ago and still had some valid ride tickets, so we brought those along and bought some ride bracelets for the kids.
Our first stop was the bumper boats. The Littles rode with Rob, and Chloë rode with me. Jack and Chlo were scared at first, but once they got in there, they had a lot of fun. I'm a big fan of bumper boats, but mine would hardly go! It was very frustrating. We basically just sat around in the water and waited for people to run into us. Chloë giggled every time she got a little wet.
Next, we headed to the kiddie race cars for the kids to have a go around the track. Did you watch the video? That was just the beginning of our amusement. We parents were doubled over laughing by the end of their ride, as the kids were just horrible at it! They crashed, went three feet, crashed, two feet, crashed... you get the idea. It was totally hilarious. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.
Next up was some 'real' driving in the family cars. I don't know what these things are all called, so you'll have to bear with me. Cars is cars. Unfortunately, in the cars, two kids couldn't ride with one parent, so we had to take turns. First, Daddy and Jack rode together while the ladies patiently waited with their mama.
The girls waiting their turns for a drive
Next up, Chloë and Mommy. Yes, I know, an actual picture of me. I can't believe I really look like this. I mean, I know I do, but I just can't believe it has gotten to this point. Sigh... It's the "before," Melanie. It's the "before."
Sophia makes a new friend while she waits
Our car lover, transfixed by the action in front of him
I tried to get a decent picture of Sophie's ride, oh, how I tried, but her little head just didn't come over the edge of the car! So I'm just including this picture (a) to show she got her turn and (b) to show I managed some depth of field with this picture!
My pretty little baby in her pretty little dress
The girls wanted to go on the jumpy thing after that, while Rob took Jack on one of the other kiddy rides and to get a drink and funnel cake. Older kids were flipping over and over in their harnesses, but Chloë was too scared to try that. After a while, she was too scared at all and got down early.
Sophia loved her turn on the jumpy, and she was winging all over the place, her hair flying in the breeze. She was fun to watch, giggling away as she flew in the air. The ride operator got a kick out of her, too, and he was holding her down so she'd fly higher and higher. This one's going to be a daredevil.
Next up, because the kiddie rides were finally opening as the evening came upon us, the girls rode the dinosaurs that Jacky had just finished. He didn't want to go again. He was all about the cars by that point.
He was all thrilled to see his silly face afterward on the camera, after staying put for 0.0000001 second.