We went to dinner at my best friend's house tonight. Seeing my friends that have known me for 20 years intensifies the desire to move back to Portland. We don't really have couple friends in Minnesota and it's nice having them back here. We get along, our kids get along. It's hard for me to leave it behind.
We brought some oranges to have at dinner. There was some chatter about needing ingredients for an antidote between our older sons; and then it was determined that the oranges were the perfect antidote. I thought this was clever, and funny and really what could they do with an orange? They can't yet open them without assistance. But then there was talk of getting a "driller." Aid was bummed that they didn't have one! Keldon excitedly yells, " I know Aiden! We need to build a driller to get the antidote!!" They began to look around the house for tools and materials to use.
No oranges were taken and they disappeared. I assumed the game had ended.
I was wrong.
We noticed while we were eating that Aid and Keldon were collecting oranges. Bob put limits around the oranges. They could each have one orange for their antidote. They both took their oranges upstairs after they were done eating. A few minutes later they both come running down the stairs and ducked under the table, going in different directions. We see little hands bumping along the edge of the table. Operation get Antidote is in full swing. They are called out and run back to safety. Another few minutes pass and Keldon comes down and grabs a huge spoonful of lettuce. Cindy asked him what he was planning on doing with the lettuce. "Uh...I wanna eat it!" "Without any dressing or anything?" Cindy asked. "Uh...yep." And with that he at the lettuce. Then ran back upstairs.
Cindy said she heard Aid ask, "So did you get the salad?"
Time to regroup soldiers!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Buckle Your Seatbelt
"It will be fine."
This said by my darling husband trying to convince me that a flight with one stop/plane change would be no big deal. And saving us $150 per ticket. Ok, saving my amazing in laws $150 per ticket. I reluctantly agreed. First of all, I am scared of flying. I get some serious anxiety and spend the two weeks prior having nightmares about the plane falling out of the sky. This has obviously never happened to me, and yet I am almost certain that this time will be the time.
So I suppose I should begin by being grateful that the plane did not fall out of the sky. (feel free to giggle, I know it sounds dramatic and ridiculous, I try to laugh at it myself.) But everything else that could go wrong probably did.
I was actually packed and well below the baggage weight requirements. I was on time and ready to go. I took this as a good omen because these things don't usually happen. Bob walked us in to help me with the suitcases. I get to the ticket line and can tell almost immediately that the person helping me is not in the happy customer Christmas spirit. Her scowl could shoot down the plane on it's own. We weigh the bags. Apparently my scale was not super accurate and they both weighed about 5 more pounds. My bag was still 10 pounds under. (unheard of) The boys, however, was .5 above. I am thinking,"score!!" Mrs. Grinch, however, asked me to transfer the extra pounds from their bag into mine. I looked at her. Nope, she wasn't kidding. I really have to move over .5 pounds to get under? You can't let .5 slide or take into account that my accompanying bag is well under the weight so I'm still WAY under the weight? Nope. Good grief. So I move over 2 pairs of socks. Happy lady? She re-weighs them.
Then we stand in the slowest security line imaginable. Sometimes, despite the lines, it moves fairly quickly. Not today. Today I noted how many people they were stopping to give the pat down. I immediately start to worry...."Has there been some terrorist threat or something? What color are we on?!" The boys did ok. Grant had a little bit of a hard time waiting for so long and at some point began to weave in and out of the posts. Some found this adorable, some did not.
We get everything in the buckets. No melt downs from the boys about taking off their shoes. (Hey, I'll take my successes no matter how minor!) Then they let me know kids under 10 don't have to take off their shoes anymore....well, great. They go through the detector. Then I do. I make it beep. "Seriously," I think. I search for what it could be. They ask me if I am wearing an under wire bra. "uh huh." "We are going to have to do a pat down ma'am." Of coarse you are. I receive instructions that I cannot touch the boys or be touched by them in anyway or I will be taken into the room and they will have to be patted down as well. "YAY!" Aid yells." I scowl at him. Grant gets the look on his face that means he is tempted to do exactly the opposite of what he is asked. I scowl at him too. I get my pat down. Surprise, there are no weapons and/or drugs on me.
We walk to the gate to find out that the plane is late, by about an hour. I start to worry about our connecting flight, but they assure us that we will all make our connecting flights. But an extra hour in the airport by myself is not ideal. If Bob were with me we would take turns sitting and watching the bags while someone walked around with the boys. But I have too much stuff. The boys began playing with their toys and I sit patting myself on the back for raising such respectful little people. I have given myself credit too soon. They begin to get antsy and start a chasing game. I let them. Seems harmless enough. People around us seem to be appreciating the scene. Then they begin wrestling, which I put a stop too. Several times. Then they begin scaling chairs and jumping. I try very hard to stop it and there are several time outs. Some people still find this all amusing and charming. Some start to move away. At some point I let it all go and hear myself say that as long as they are not jumping by anyone it's ok. That's how desperate I've gotten. Luckily there is this younger couple just married who are staring at the boys with stars in their eyes. I turn to the other couple with 4 young children who look just as frazzled as I am and the mom says, "Whatever you gotta do." Comradery.
We get on the plane and the flight itself goes reasonably well. There are tv's in the seat, which are insanely expensive, but have cartoons on. Sold. I happily read my book while they watch their cartoons laughing and talking to each other about them. About five minutes before we land, they both fall asleep despite my efforts and attempts at bribery to stop it. But I really don't think it's too big of a deal because in 15 minutes we will be off the plane and maybe it will just be enough of a cat nap to get them through the plane change. Then an announcement from the pilot. The jetway is not working so we cannot exit at that gate. They will have have to wait for someone to tow the plane to another gate...once one opens. I can't decide if this will be bad with the boys sleeping or good that they will get more time. Turns out to be bad. About 45 minutes later we are at the gate with only about 10 minutes to get to our next one. I cannot wake either one of them up. I finally get Aid awake but he is crying and super upset. No one seems amused by this scene. I carry everything except Aid. Coats, pillow pets, their bags, my bag...and Grant. I am struggling to get off the plane when I look up and see the husband of the couple I was sitting near while waiting for the plane. He takes all of the bags from me so I only have mine and Grant and Aid to contend with. Comradery.
I thank him profusely and then sprint with everything to the next gate, which thankfully is only 2 gates away. Aid is sobbing behind me and I feel like the worst mother on the planet. But I have not cracked and am trying very hard to keep it together. We get to the next gate and I see that everyone is still sitting. Thank God. We find our spot. I comment to the women, who has an older daughter maybe 15 years old, that I can't believe we made it. "The plane isn't leaving until 11:30" She grimly tells me. @*!! Apparently there is a missing flight attendant. "God help her if I find her first," I think to myself. Both boys are in full melt down mode and I am trying to calm them back down. The women offers to watch our stuff and I take them to the bathroom. Aid has to pee like I have never seen him pee before. "I feel better mom." Again I feel like a horrible mother. I think he is crying because he was woken up but really it's because he has to pee so badly it hurts and is too tired to articulate that. At least things are looking up. I can hold Grant and Aid is back in the game.
He holds court with the mom and her daughter teaching them the intricacies of Bakugan. They enjoy him and I get Grant back to sleep since we still an hour and a half until the new departure time. They make several announcements about the plan. One plan is that we can downsize to a smaller plane. A smaller death trap. The other is that we can all just wait until we find her which would hopefully be before 11:30 otherwise we'll have to wait until morning. I am in airline purgatory hell I decide.
At 10:30 they announce that we will be boarding the smaller plane and request that we be patient while they work out who will forfeit their seat and receive the vouchers. At 11 we finally board the plane. They offer us free television this time. And we're off. It was also fairly uneventful if you don't count to nasty woman in front of me who was appalled that I asked her if she could just raise her seat back up a little, as her head was in my lap. She responded with heavy sighs and one last pound to my knees before relenting. Or I should say, before she was asked by the stewardess who witnessed our transaction to raise her seat. We didn't get in until 1:30am. By 4am the boys are finally asleep and I climb into bed. I hear Grant crying and just pull him into my bed.
Two and a half hours later, they wake up! @*!! They are bouncing off the walls. I put on a movie on the computer and stall for another hour and a half.
"Whatever you gotta do" I remember the other mom saying to me.
This said by my darling husband trying to convince me that a flight with one stop/plane change would be no big deal. And saving us $150 per ticket. Ok, saving my amazing in laws $150 per ticket. I reluctantly agreed. First of all, I am scared of flying. I get some serious anxiety and spend the two weeks prior having nightmares about the plane falling out of the sky. This has obviously never happened to me, and yet I am almost certain that this time will be the time.
So I suppose I should begin by being grateful that the plane did not fall out of the sky. (feel free to giggle, I know it sounds dramatic and ridiculous, I try to laugh at it myself.) But everything else that could go wrong probably did.
I was actually packed and well below the baggage weight requirements. I was on time and ready to go. I took this as a good omen because these things don't usually happen. Bob walked us in to help me with the suitcases. I get to the ticket line and can tell almost immediately that the person helping me is not in the happy customer Christmas spirit. Her scowl could shoot down the plane on it's own. We weigh the bags. Apparently my scale was not super accurate and they both weighed about 5 more pounds. My bag was still 10 pounds under. (unheard of) The boys, however, was .5 above. I am thinking,"score!!" Mrs. Grinch, however, asked me to transfer the extra pounds from their bag into mine. I looked at her. Nope, she wasn't kidding. I really have to move over .5 pounds to get under? You can't let .5 slide or take into account that my accompanying bag is well under the weight so I'm still WAY under the weight? Nope. Good grief. So I move over 2 pairs of socks. Happy lady? She re-weighs them.
Then we stand in the slowest security line imaginable. Sometimes, despite the lines, it moves fairly quickly. Not today. Today I noted how many people they were stopping to give the pat down. I immediately start to worry...."Has there been some terrorist threat or something? What color are we on?!" The boys did ok. Grant had a little bit of a hard time waiting for so long and at some point began to weave in and out of the posts. Some found this adorable, some did not.
We get everything in the buckets. No melt downs from the boys about taking off their shoes. (Hey, I'll take my successes no matter how minor!) Then they let me know kids under 10 don't have to take off their shoes anymore....well, great. They go through the detector. Then I do. I make it beep. "Seriously," I think. I search for what it could be. They ask me if I am wearing an under wire bra. "uh huh." "We are going to have to do a pat down ma'am." Of coarse you are. I receive instructions that I cannot touch the boys or be touched by them in anyway or I will be taken into the room and they will have to be patted down as well. "YAY!" Aid yells." I scowl at him. Grant gets the look on his face that means he is tempted to do exactly the opposite of what he is asked. I scowl at him too. I get my pat down. Surprise, there are no weapons and/or drugs on me.
We walk to the gate to find out that the plane is late, by about an hour. I start to worry about our connecting flight, but they assure us that we will all make our connecting flights. But an extra hour in the airport by myself is not ideal. If Bob were with me we would take turns sitting and watching the bags while someone walked around with the boys. But I have too much stuff. The boys began playing with their toys and I sit patting myself on the back for raising such respectful little people. I have given myself credit too soon. They begin to get antsy and start a chasing game. I let them. Seems harmless enough. People around us seem to be appreciating the scene. Then they begin wrestling, which I put a stop too. Several times. Then they begin scaling chairs and jumping. I try very hard to stop it and there are several time outs. Some people still find this all amusing and charming. Some start to move away. At some point I let it all go and hear myself say that as long as they are not jumping by anyone it's ok. That's how desperate I've gotten. Luckily there is this younger couple just married who are staring at the boys with stars in their eyes. I turn to the other couple with 4 young children who look just as frazzled as I am and the mom says, "Whatever you gotta do." Comradery.
We get on the plane and the flight itself goes reasonably well. There are tv's in the seat, which are insanely expensive, but have cartoons on. Sold. I happily read my book while they watch their cartoons laughing and talking to each other about them. About five minutes before we land, they both fall asleep despite my efforts and attempts at bribery to stop it. But I really don't think it's too big of a deal because in 15 minutes we will be off the plane and maybe it will just be enough of a cat nap to get them through the plane change. Then an announcement from the pilot. The jetway is not working so we cannot exit at that gate. They will have have to wait for someone to tow the plane to another gate...once one opens. I can't decide if this will be bad with the boys sleeping or good that they will get more time. Turns out to be bad. About 45 minutes later we are at the gate with only about 10 minutes to get to our next one. I cannot wake either one of them up. I finally get Aid awake but he is crying and super upset. No one seems amused by this scene. I carry everything except Aid. Coats, pillow pets, their bags, my bag...and Grant. I am struggling to get off the plane when I look up and see the husband of the couple I was sitting near while waiting for the plane. He takes all of the bags from me so I only have mine and Grant and Aid to contend with. Comradery.
I thank him profusely and then sprint with everything to the next gate, which thankfully is only 2 gates away. Aid is sobbing behind me and I feel like the worst mother on the planet. But I have not cracked and am trying very hard to keep it together. We get to the next gate and I see that everyone is still sitting. Thank God. We find our spot. I comment to the women, who has an older daughter maybe 15 years old, that I can't believe we made it. "The plane isn't leaving until 11:30" She grimly tells me. @*!! Apparently there is a missing flight attendant. "God help her if I find her first," I think to myself. Both boys are in full melt down mode and I am trying to calm them back down. The women offers to watch our stuff and I take them to the bathroom. Aid has to pee like I have never seen him pee before. "I feel better mom." Again I feel like a horrible mother. I think he is crying because he was woken up but really it's because he has to pee so badly it hurts and is too tired to articulate that. At least things are looking up. I can hold Grant and Aid is back in the game.
He holds court with the mom and her daughter teaching them the intricacies of Bakugan. They enjoy him and I get Grant back to sleep since we still an hour and a half until the new departure time. They make several announcements about the plan. One plan is that we can downsize to a smaller plane. A smaller death trap. The other is that we can all just wait until we find her which would hopefully be before 11:30 otherwise we'll have to wait until morning. I am in airline purgatory hell I decide.
At 10:30 they announce that we will be boarding the smaller plane and request that we be patient while they work out who will forfeit their seat and receive the vouchers. At 11 we finally board the plane. They offer us free television this time. And we're off. It was also fairly uneventful if you don't count to nasty woman in front of me who was appalled that I asked her if she could just raise her seat back up a little, as her head was in my lap. She responded with heavy sighs and one last pound to my knees before relenting. Or I should say, before she was asked by the stewardess who witnessed our transaction to raise her seat. We didn't get in until 1:30am. By 4am the boys are finally asleep and I climb into bed. I hear Grant crying and just pull him into my bed.
Two and a half hours later, they wake up! @*!! They are bouncing off the walls. I put on a movie on the computer and stall for another hour and a half.
"Whatever you gotta do" I remember the other mom saying to me.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Spam
Good Grief.
I was talking to my mother last night and she mentioned my Dad commenting on the blog and my lack of response. What is she talking about? I didn't think anyone was reading. (Which as sensitive as I can be TOTALLY get.)
So I'm looking through this morning and decided to check my settings.....25 moderated comments that were waiting approval. WHA!!!!!
So I apologize for any lack of response. I realize that I have slowed down too because I am a facebook junkie and always feel like it's overkill. But I'll start back up. Camera or no camera.
I was talking to my mother last night and she mentioned my Dad commenting on the blog and my lack of response. What is she talking about? I didn't think anyone was reading. (Which as sensitive as I can be TOTALLY get.)
So I'm looking through this morning and decided to check my settings.....25 moderated comments that were waiting approval. WHA!!!!!
So I apologize for any lack of response. I realize that I have slowed down too because I am a facebook junkie and always feel like it's overkill. But I'll start back up. Camera or no camera.
Friday, December 2, 2011
In and Out
I feel horrible. I used to be so on top of this.
First my camera broke and I was finding it harder to just write every night.
Then I got my camera back and the computer has been slowly dying and made being on the computer at all very difficult and frustrating.
We just got the computer back and fixed and now the camera is dead again.
I don't even know if anyone is reading this anymore, so if you are feel free to comment so I know if I need to revamp my efforts or not!
First my camera broke and I was finding it harder to just write every night.
Then I got my camera back and the computer has been slowly dying and made being on the computer at all very difficult and frustrating.
We just got the computer back and fixed and now the camera is dead again.
I don't even know if anyone is reading this anymore, so if you are feel free to comment so I know if I need to revamp my efforts or not!
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