Happy Halloween...

... From our ocean to yours!

Day six brought us back to SeaWorld for the Halloween Spooktacular among other things... We had a nautical theme going on, which included Ariel, Sebastian, Nemo, and Squirt. Phil and I dressed as the ocean...


We started the day off at the show, "Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island". I missed this show two years ago, because Caleb would not sit still. As it turns out, Ian is pretty good about sitting through shows. That's not to say he doesn't ever whine or cry (as was the case with the last show tonight, since he was tired), but I actually was able to take in a total of six SeaWorld shows on this trip, four of them today! I am happy! The other three shows were "Blue Horizons", which I thought was fantastic; "Count Down to Halloween", which... hey... was Sesame Street... and Ian loved dancing to the music, so I can't complain about that one; and "Shamu Rocks" which was fantabulous!

Today we also had the opportunity to play with dolphins and pet stingrays! Since we rode everything in "Shamu's Happy Harbor" on Wednesday, we were able to concentrate more on the animals today! We enjoyed sharks, alligators, manatee, beluga whales, a polar bear, seals, sea lions, a walrus, sea turtles... and I am no doubt missing something!

We also experienced the "big rides" today! Phil and I walked on to Krakken, and Phil, Grace, Caleb, and I rode "Journey to Atlantis"! I am posting video of Caleb's ride:



We ate at "Shark's Underwater Grill" which was a great experience, but the food was not outstanding. I am glad we ate there, but I wouldn't do it again... if that makes sense. I am posting a picture of my plate. I know that there is steak in the middle of it. That was pretty good. The other things are foreign to me. I think they're called vegetables... or something like that. I ate the orange ones... hehehe... That pile of stuff to the right of the meat was supposed to be mashed potatoes of some sort... but I don't believe it... I mean, why would there be a tree growing out of my mashed potatoes?

The kids loved Trick-or -Treating, and Spooktacular was definitely Spectacular! After having researched amusement parks and their Halloween activities, and after having visited Cedar Point on Halloweekends, I was a little nervous about attending another Halloween event, even though it was advertised as family friendly. However, SeaWorld really lived up to it's reputation, with friendly sea creatures roaming throughout the midways and posing for photo opportunities. There were even Pumpkin Fish! There was nothing scary about this Halloween event at all! It was the way Halloween is meant to be... in my opinion! And they even let the adults Trick-or-Treat, so I have a little bag of candy, myself!

The only potentially negative thing that happened during our Trick-or-Treating time was that I set off an incident that I am now referring to as "Smoke Rage"... Most parks are now non-smoking, except in designated areas, which is a really good thing... especially for families with multiple asthmatics! So... I really have no shame when it comes to letting people know that they need to put out their cigarettes if they are not in a designated smoking area. Well... one particular guy didn't seem to have gotten the memo about designated smoking areas, and he was smoking right there on the Trick-or-Treating path, so as my kids ran by... holding their breath... I shouted out to him that SeaWorld is a smoke free park and that he wasn't in a designated smoking area... which he completely ignored... but I figured "no harm done". Then... a lady in front of me... with two little kids... turned around, thanked me, and proceeded to yell back at the guy about what an idiot he was... and she kind of went on about it, which made me laugh... even though the guy continued to ignore her... Moral of the story... If you smoke, that's your business, but don't do it where it's illegal, because there's no sense killing my family just because you want to kill yourself... Besides... I might call you out on it... and you never know what kind of riot that might start!

The best part of our Trick-or-Treating experience was probably the singing bug... This guy had a line of people waiting to have their pictures taken with him, but he took a liking to our family and walked down the midway with us for quite some time... serenading us... with made up verses to popular songs from "The Little Mermaid"! We promised him we'd upload it to youtube... and we will... soon... It was absolutely hilarious!

That pretty much sums up our day! I think the lack of sleep is getting to me just a bit, as I am feeling sort of crabby. However, it doesn't look like there's any hope of things gettin' better in the sleep department, so on we press toward theme park domination!

Lisa

Which Way Do We Go...

... Which way do we go?

Day 5 began with a bit of mass chaos, as we originally planned to set out for Wet and Wild but then changed our minds, because we didn't have tickets yet... and it looked like Saturday was going to be kinda rainy... and we'd planned to go to Aquatica on Saturday, because we had seven day passes that included Busch Gardens, SeaWorld, and Aquatica... except we are really looking forward to going to Aquatica... so we didn't want to risk the rain...

With all of that in mind, we decided to go to Aquatica... until we found out that we actually have 14 day passes to Busch, SeaWorld, and Aquatica... at which point we realized that we could visit Aquatica on a better weather day if Saturday really does turn out to be yucky... and at which point we discussed the value of going to Wet and Wild today, because we were going to be able to get a substantial discount for being college students (see... really does pay to be in school all these years later)...

And so we went to Wet and Wild...


I had never been there before, but Phil has wonderful memories of Wet and Wild from previous family vacations! Now I know why... Today was a blast!

We started out on the "Bubba Tub"... which you have to be 36" tall to ride, and since Ian is 35 1/2" tall, they let him on... this probably has something to do with the way Ian's Mommy was huffing and puffing after carrying him up all those stairs! I think they took pity on me! At any rate, a split second into the ride, Ian says, "I need up"... which can really be translated into, "I am going to try to stand up and escape now, even though we are plummeting down a hill"... I held onto him, and he was all smiles at the end.

Then, Phil, Seth, and Grace rode "Brain Wash", which neither of the kids wanted to ride again, but I was able to talk Seth into going one more time, because I really wanted to ride! It was a great ride, but it was very difficult to carry the four person clover leaf tube to the top... by myself! Here's a video:



After this, we played in the wave pool for a while, which all of the kids loved, even though it made me nervous! Then we went in search of the lazy river but took a short detour to "Bubble Up", which I can't really describe, but I can post a pic. Seth and Grace both managed to climb to the top, but only Seth slid down. Grace kind of inched her way back down, holding the rope, and I'm shocked that she does not have rope burn!


We finally did make our way to the lazy river, which we circled three times! Ian kept saying, "big boat"... which seems to be a recurring theme for him on this trip! Here's a pic of Phil and Grace:


We then checked out "The Storm", which was an amazing body slide funnel ride. As it emptied into 6 1/2 feet of water, with water still rushing down at you, I did not ride. The kids thought it was pretty funny that there was something there that Mommy couldn't ride, because I am not a strong enough swimmer! Phil did, however, take the challenge, and it was really fun to watch his adventure!

From there we proceeded to the "Kids Park", which was one of the nicest children's water play areas I have ever visited! There were at least 7 slides, 2 zip lines, a float area, a small pool, a kid sized lazy river, and a baby pool! We had an interesting experience on the tube slide when Caleb lost his tube and then proceeded to walk down the slide! I am posting video of Grace and Caleb on the zip line:





One of my favorite parts of the day was sitting with Ian in the baby pool, because we had it all to ourselves, and I was able to snag a tube from the kid sized lazy river and just spin him around and let him float! During this time, Phil took a brief... uh... nap (not really, but the pic. is incriminating) while Seth, Grace, and Caleb met some new friends from England who they played with in the other pool. We stayed here for around an hour, and it was so relaxing! My exact comment was, "this is vacation"...

Catchin' Some Zzzs...

Have You Ever Seen Anything Like This?

We decided to hit a few more slides after this. Caleb and I rode "The Blast"... which was a little surprising! I did not expect the forceful water jets, the waterfalls, or the steep drop at the end, but Caleb was all smiles coming off, so it's all good! As far as how I felt about it... well, the expression on my face in the pic. pretty much sums it up!

Grace rode with Phil after Caleb and I got off, but we couldn't talk Seth into riding this one. Seth was pretty much frozen at this point, even though it did turn out to be a nice day. It wasn't terribly hot, though, that's for sure...

Seth, Grace, Caleb and I rode "The Flyer" next, which was an incredibly fun family raft type ride! In fact, it was so fun that both Phil and I rode it with them twice!

We walked past a couple of rides that were closed for refurbishment... bummer... and then Grace and I took a spin on "The Black Hole: The Next Generation". It was tons of fun, and although Seth did not originally want to ride it, we talked him into going with Phil, and it ended up being his favorite ride of the day!

Then, Grace and Caleb read the map and decided we needed to go back to the wave pool again!!


Which we did...

We left the park around 3:30, after having ridden everything we wanted to... and, as mentioned, some of those things multiple times! It was a great day to go, because there were almost no lines, and we were able to maximize our fun!

We ate at Cicis Pizza, just down the road from the park, and then we returned to the hotel to find that Grandma and Grandpa had arrived!

After bath time for all the kids and a quick briefing on Grandma and Grandpa's trip as well as Brad, Sheri, and Abby's day at Hollywood Studios, it was time for all "little people" to go to bed... and apparently for most "big people" too... I am headed there shortly myself!

Lisa

I Love SeaWorld...

SeaWorld and I have history! I grew up going to SeaWorld… although it was the one in Columbus, OH rather than the one in Orlando. It is a calming place of sorts… or something like that. I love all of the animals (though I am rather partial to Stingrays as of late). I love to pet them! I have wonderful memories of going to SeaWorld with my parents and my grandparents. And even if everyone else in the whole world thinks it’s sad… SeaWorld is my favorite…

Now… We are planning to spend a whole day at SeaWorld later in the week. However, we had some unaccounted for time to enjoy today, and after my whining about wanting to see more shows than we have time for in one day at SeaWorld, Phil relented and took me there… Which is sort of the truth about how this all came about, but not entirely…

We were originally going to wake up early today, but that plan was blown when we got in so late last night, and it was totally blown when I stayed up until 2am, because blogger was being rather stupid, and I couldn’t get my post to look right… which it still doesn’t… but I’m OK with that now…

So… we woke up late (a little after 8), got everybody dressed and ready to go, ate breakfast outside (which would have been nice were it not freezing and had Grace not forgotten her coat in the hotel room, so I had to give her my sweatshirt), and then made our final decision to visit SeaWorld…


Of course, Shamu is the feature attraction, so we took many pictures of her in various settings:


We really enjoyed the “Believe” show this time around. When we were here two years ago, the overall presentation was more powerful, but they had added some things to the show that were just amazing, as well. The only disaster was when Ian fell off the bleachers and smacked his face on the row in front of us. He has quite a shiner, as the ice I was able to attain at the concession stand was too little, too late… poor guy!

We also rode all of the rides in “Shamu’s Happy Harbor”, and even Ian was big enough to ride everything except for the roller coaster:

Above and Below: "The Flying Fiddler"

Phil and Caleb on "The Shamu Express"

We saw “A’lure”, which I thought was beautiful, but Grace thought was scary… and I doubt I will ever talk Phil into going to Cirque du Soliel (which definitely wasn’t in the plan for this trip, anyhow)…

After a quick trip by the Dolphin Nursery, we left the park and headed to Pizza Hut… where we ate lots… and lots of food… and then made our first journey onto Disney soil:


We shopped just a bit at Downtown Disney, hitting the Lego store where all “five” of my “kids” enjoyed the lego pick-a-brick wall… Ian even stuffed legos under his bottom in the stroller, but don’t worry… we didn’t shoplift anything… I got them all out and returned them to the wall:


I also finally managed to secure a pressed penny holder, which is exciting for me, but probably everyone else is just laughing…

At any rate, we returned to the hotel after our short Downtown Disney excursion, and all of the kids were asleep shortly after that. I have been downloading pics. and typing ever since, and I need to go hang out with Brad and Sheri now, and then I need sleep… because tomorrow promises another exciting day… hopefully not quite so chilly!

Lisa

I Thought We Were Going To Florida...

... But, apparently, that was another one of Phil's "surprises"... because it feels a lot more like Alaska here!

We started our morning with the ever famous Holiday Inn Express breakfast. If you can believe it, I only had one cinnamon roll… That’s not to say I didn’t eat a million other things I shouldn’t have… but only one cinnamon roll… for real! We also didn’t have any repeats of the last trip… water being dumped all over the cinnamon rolls… and table… and the now infamous, “Uh…Oh”… Well… anyways… We also didn’t go outside to take any pics... or find any salamanders (although Uncle Brad did find a salamander inside… long story…) Did I mention it is cold? So cold that the Florida wildlife is taking refuge in local hotels!!! Brrrrr… Thankfully we packed jackets, but the boys were all in shorts…

We left for Busch Gardens just a little later than we’d planned and arrived to find a nearly empty parking lot, which seemed like a good sign to us! As the day went on, there were actually quite a few people in the park, but it wasn’t overly crowded, and the lines weren’t too bad.

Upon walking through the gates, I immediately lost my sense of direction, and from there the best laid plans were… well… just nonexistent to tell you the truth! Seth, Grace, Brad, Phil, and I waited in line for Gwazi first off, and I wouldn’t do it again! As much as I love coasters, this one just caught me by surprise! It took off quickly and never slowed, and it was very bumpy. I will be paying for it tomorrow. It was Seth’s favorite ride of the day…

I think my main goal in life for today was to get to Jungala at the back of the park! We got a bit sidetracked, though, when we walked right past “Land of the Dragons”… It seems that no one could resist the chance to hatch from an egg:

We also took a detour to ride the flume, and Ian got his first shot at a “big boat” and a big hill! Not quite sure what he thought about it, but I loved it! By the way, the sign said that no one under two could ride, but nobody asked how old he was, so I just kind of threw him in the boat… I thought I was going to have video of this, but apparently I pressed the wrong button! I am still getting used to my water camera, but I think it is going to solve my lack of video problem. Hopefully I will get it right tomorrow… keep your fingers crossed…

We did, indeed, finally make it back to Jungala, where we climbed through the various nets… and tubes… and stairways and enjoyed ourselves a lot… although it was kind of painful for a full sized adult in flip flops…

We also rode “Wild Surge”, which was very fun. The line for the glider ride was awfully long, and since Caleb, Abby, and Ian were too young (and short I might add), we skipped this one. The Tiger habitat in Jungala was very nice. Unfortunately, Seth was eaten:

I was rather impressed by the overall atmosphere of Busch Gardens. There was music in the streets, and we met a wide array of colorful characters:

The “Walking Stick” actually jumped over Seth, and I wish I had a picture or video of that, because it was very cute to watch!

Since I am a sucker… and Grace really wanted to ride Congo River Rapids (which is basically what it sounds like)… I got soaked on this very cold (remember) day… and I think I am still drying out… At any rate, there was no line… huh… wonder why…

We didn’t have a whole lot of time to work with today, as the park closed at 6:00, but we tried to cram in as many things as we could! We rode Rhino Rally, which was definitely worth the ½ hour wait! It was the best “Safari Ride” I have ever been on, hands down! Phil had to wait with Ian, because you had to be three to ride this one, and I didn’t figure we’d get away with that much of an age stretch. However, we were able to take advantage of the “Kid Swap” program, so after we all got off, Phil was able to go to the front of the line to ride, and they let Seth, Grace, and Caleb ride again with him! This was definitely a plus!

And... just because these pics. are worth posting, here we are filling some time while waiting for everyone to get done with a potty break:

We decided we’d better eat at this point, because it was getting later in the afternoon. Thankfully, we made the decision when we did, because the restaurant was about to close when we got there! We ate at the Crown Colony Restaurant, overlooking to Serengeti Plain. What that basically means is that we had a nice family style meal, while watching the giraffes… and Seth and I got “drunk” on the fish… Uh… I don’t know if I can really explain that, but in case anybody is really worried, we didn’t actually get drunk (I don’t even drink), and the fish was very good!

We took a quick trip through King Tut’s Tomb, which was pretty unimpressive and scared Grace half to death… For some reason, I was enamored with King Tut when I studied him in school, bu I could skip on this attraction if I was ever at Busch Gardens again…

Then we sort of ran to the train station… where we caught the last train of the day, which took us through the Serengeti Plain. Here are pics. Of Seth and Caleb waiting for the train and Ian once we had boarded:

We got off at the station nearest Sheikra, a very cool looking coaster that Phil and Brad went to wait in line for, even though we hadn’t seen it actually run in awhile, while Sheri and I took the kids back to Land of the Dragons, and I got to sit in an egg this time… It was a Ferris Wheel of sorts, and the amazingly kind ride operator, Amos, gave us a complimentary second ride, so I got to spin around... and around… and around… and he was going to let us have a third ride, but we finally convinced him to let us off instead!

The kids rode one more water kiddie ride, and then everything was closing, so we let them play in this little playground area until they kicked us out… and then we went and sat on some rocks until Phil and Brad finally emerged, having ridden Sheikra which they thoroughly enjoyed!

It was really a wonderful day, but there were still so many things we didn’t get to do! Ah… well… such is life when you’re trying to cram this much into 2 ½ weeks!

We arrived at our hotel some time later. Phil and Brad saw some trains first… I guess… but I mostly slept, because I am wiped out… and I am sneezing, which is probably because of the whole Congo River Rapids ordeal…

Our hotel is wonderful, but we haven’t really had a chance to explore or enjoy it just yet. We were too busy loading half asleep kids into beds and then unpacking the house… uh… I mean van! Finally got to munch some of my leftover Cheddar’s and more chocolate than anyone should ever eat in one sitting!

We don’t even know what we’re doing tomorrow, for sure! It was supposed to be our Typhoon Lagoon day, but since TL is closed for refurbishment we will have to make another choice. Sleeping in sounds good right about now…

Lisa

Florida Or Bust...

... Day 2

Here it is, the end of our second day of vacation... and I'm finding myself thinking I should not be so completely exhausted... because we really haven't done anything yet... well... except travel... and I guess that is significant!

Today was a bit more challenging than yesterday, as everyone was getting a little antsy in the car. We had some pretty good fights break out, but in the end the only injuries came from the kids being so excited to be "free" when we actually reached the hotel that Caleb slammed his head into a nightstand, and Grace bumped her nose... overall... no harm done, really!

We slept in, this morning, until 5:30... Uh... yeah... I wrote that right. We had planned to leave a bit earlier, but Phil figured he really needed four hours of sleep to function, so that's the way it went down!

Even though we started late, we still arrived in Brandon a little after 6:00, which was earlier than we had originally planned. We made up most of the time by opting not to sit down for dinner, but rather to reheat our leftovers from yesterday at the hotel. Unfortunately, Phil just now informed me that there is no microwave here... so I am feeling a little on the hungry and cranky side. The kids went to sleep without a real dinner, but it doesn't matter much, because they have been snacking on junk all day anyhow...

We had Chick-Fil-A for lunch, and other than a minor... uh, shall we say "identity crises" on Phil's part, it was just as good as usual!

We were all excited to meet Brad, Sheri, and Abby at the hotel and to take a dip in the pool... which felt warm at first but got cooler the longer we swam... and resulted in us all turning into icicles when we actually got out. Other than the fact that Caleb flipped out of a tube... causing me to let go of Ian's float for a moment... which in turn sent Ian underwater... and brought all three of us up looking a little shocked... our swim time was a much needed break from being cooped up in the van all day...

I still haven't decided exactly what to do about posting video while we are on this trip. It is a little more complex than I imagined it would be. I hope to post some at some point, but it won't be daily like I planned. I do have trip pics. for the day, of course. These are some pics. of us at the pool (I forgot to take my water camera down there... duh!), as well as one of Ian after he got all dried off and in his jammies... and blanket...

Grace... Showin' Off...

Right After Our "Spill"

Abby and Seth... Seth was swimming better than ever tonight!

Is he cute... or what?

Tomorrow should be quite the adventure... Busch Gardens, here we come... in the balmy 30-60 degree Florida weather... For now, I am going to finish my dinner of cashews and dove chocolate (which I just remembered I have)... and go to sleep for hopefully around eight hours!

Lisa

And So The Adventure Begins...

… Again… and again…

Ah… Day 1… October 26… an anniversary of sorts…

Just a little background information, for those of you who don’t know or who have forgotten…

It was seven years ago, today, that we made a decision from our tiny, molding (though we didn’t know it), not much bigger than a double wide trailer, house on the Eastern Michigan District campground, that we were going to set off on a journey… across the country… to follow God wherever He wanted to lead us in order to fulfill the call to ministry on our lives…

It has been an interesting seven years… I do not have time to go into the full scope of what this means at the present hour… So, for today, it must suffice to say it’s been interesting…

Then… a year ago, today, we began our current ministry assignment. And… well… that’s been interesting so far, too… Don’t worry… interesting could just as easily be written “good” here…

At any rate… today is not seven years ago, nor is it one year ago! Today is today, and it is the beginning of our vacation… a vacation that we have been planning for over the course of the past two years!!! And we are ready!!!

We left home at 1:45pm, just 15 minutes after we were scheduled to leave, so not bad for a couple of OCD people with four kids and a van that was probably never meant to carry this much stuff! I still am a little amazed that it all fit. I hope we didn’t forget anything that we really needed, because it is way too late now…

We presented the kids with “travel packs” filled with goodies of all kinds and listened to squeals as they informed us of everything they contained… as if we didn’t already know. This event, of course, guaranteed that the entire back seat of the van was covered in mess within a few moments of departing the driveway!

Caleb kept saying, “I can’t believe I got my own CD player”! He said it three times in about ten minutes to be exact. I found this especially cute. He also chimed in with, “I am so lucky!”, which was adorable, as well. His best quote, however, and the quote of the day for today was about three hours into our trip when he exclaimed, “We’re never going to get to Disney World”! I have video of this, as well as another one that I plan to add to this post within the next couple of days.
For now you get trip Pic. Of the Day #1:

Sardines:



We had a relatively uneventful trip until we stopped for gas in Clarksville, IN and Phil informed me that we were going to eat at Cheddar’s… which is my favorite restaurant… and which I was thoroughly unprepared for… as in dressed in sweats from head to toe, ate pizza for lunch and snacked on too much candy on the trip! I am really not one for surprises. Let’s say I was certainly surprised. After changing my pants in the back of the van I agreed to go into the restaurant, where I proceeded to eat very little of my delicious food, because there comes a point where you just can’t eat anymore, or you will throw up! I am looking forward to eating the leftovers tomorrow for dinner unless Phil pulls in somewhere else and exclaims that we just have to eat there… Truly, though, I appreciated the gesture. It was very, very thoughtful (and well thought out) of Phil.

Of course, it would be completely unreasonable to think we could get through a whole travel day without a meltdown of some sort, so grace came through for us at Cheddar’s. I honestly don’t even know exactly what set her off, but it had something to do with unwrapping silverware. And suddenly, Grace became moody and pouty… and she even tossed a coat over the booth and hit someone… and she would not eat any appetizers, which I thought I was going to hear about from her later… but didn’t! She finally decided to eat a few fries and half a grilled cheese sandwich, and she was “really sorry” by the time we reached the van. I hope this new attitude lasts until at least noon tomorrow…

We were about ½ an hour behind schedule after dinner, which would have been fine were it not for gridlock traffic, due to what (in the end) appeared to be a one car accident. This delayed us by another ½ an hour, which was too bad, because Phil most likely could have made up the time…

About an hour before we arrived at our hotel (the highly acclaimed Motel 6 in which we intended to crash for about the same number of hours), all the kids started getting fussy with each other and Ian just started flat out screaming. This went on for about 45 minutes, until Seth, Grace, and Caleb were instructed to remain completely silent or risk forfeiting their trip, and Phil and I burst into song (“The Itsy, Bitsy Spider,” of course) which finally calmed Ian a bit. After the “Itsy Bitsy” spider was exhausted, all of the other spiders took their turns at the water spout. We started with the Daddy Spider… and the Mommy Spider… and the Seth Spider… and the Grace Spider… and the Caleb Spider… and the Ian Spider. Since Ian was still wide awake, we went on to friend spiders… and the Miss Monica Spider took her turn… along with the Keegan Spider… and the Mr. Robert Spider… and the Miss Amber Spider… and the Avalyn Spider… and the Aubrie Spider. And Ian was still wide awake, so we returned to family spiders… the Grandma and Grandpa Spiders went up the water spout… and so did the Aunt and Uncle Spiders… and then the Cousin Spiders… And, thankfully, by the time the Abby Spider “went up the spout again”, Ian was nodding off, just in time for us to pull into our hotel… And my arms are very tired from doing the Itsy Bitsy Spider motions that many times in a row… I wouldn’t suggest it… Just in case you wondered…

Not long ago, we managed to get all people under age 10 tucked in bed… which would be almost ideal if Ian was tucked in his own bed! It was as this process was going on that Phil let me know that we only had access to dial up Internet, and we didn’t have what we needed for our laptops to connect without wireless. Phil proceeded to grab the phone book and look up the nearest Panera Bread, which he found down the street… And in a few moments, I am going to send him back to make this post and send some schoolwork in for me (which I completed on the ever faithful Lillian the laptop, while we were stuck in the aforementioned traffic jam)…

And now it is time for bed. Because I have been awake for goin’ on 20 hours… and I am really tired… and Day 2 awaits…

Lisa

Tomorrow... Tomorrow...

... I Love You, Tomorrow...
But, at this point, You're only about 45 minutes away...
And I need sleep...

The good news is...
My glasses and contacts arrived... after much hassle, but that's life...
Grace and I have awesome... awesome... hair...
We are mostly packed and we might fit everything in the van...
I am only on the verge of failing 1 out of 4 classes...
I remembered I needed to wash the diapers before it was too late... which is why I'm still up...

The bad news is...
I still haven't changed Bobby's water... but I have time to do this tomorrow before we leave...

'Night...

Lisa

Harvest Time...

For those of you who remember... I planted a garden for the first time this year!

I cannot say it was amazingly successful, but I did grow a few things, and of that I am quite proud! Next year I will know what to do a little better...

I grew two zucchinis and a handful of pumpkins...

I took pics. of the kids with the pumpkins yesterday:

Of course... The real Halloween fun is yet to come...

Lisa

Gosh... I Almost Forgot...

... As of the last post, I still needed to go cast my absentee ballot! I have done that now! Phew... That was a relatively important thing that I needed to not forget!

Everybody... Vote November 4th! This is your right as a United States citizen... and you have no right, whatsoever, to complain about the leadership in this country if you don't cast a vote! OK... that's my plug for the polls...

Lisa

The Final Countdown...

Wow... I think it just hit me!!! 3 more days!!! Vacation, here we come!!!

I have just a "few" things to accomplish before we leave...

School (9 assignments, 6 tests or quizzes, 8 discussion boards, and 3 labs) I will never get it all done before we leave, but that's what laptops are for... and... yes... you probably don't even know about Lillian, but she is my new laptop that came at an incredible price... although she was on sale, so her price was not as incredible as it could have been...

Illuminate Tonight (we are having omelets. because let's face it... everyone is on WIC, and we have dozens and dozens of eggs that need to be eaten, since we don't have any friends who need eggs)!

Change Bobby's Water! For crying out loud, the fish is resilient (reminder... 17 cent goldfish here... still swimmin' strong after almost two years in his PH balanced water...), but I don't think he can swim around in that mud much longer! (and, yes, we have a fish sitter... hehehe)

Clean the house! (and especially do the laundry, because you have to have clothes when you go on vacation... you know... not just sweats like we usually wear around here)!

Pack (aforementioned clothes, as well as everything else we own)!

Take Care of Last Minute Church Stuff (like budgets and ordering materials for the children's Christmas program)...

Have Hair Cornrowed by Amazing Friend Who Probably Doesn't Really Have Time to Do it But is Coming Anyway...

Pick Up Trial Contact Lenses (and pray that new glasses and real contact lenses arrive on the front porch by tomorrow)!

Activate Disney Dream Reward Dollars!

Sleep... Eat (but not too much)... Sleep Again...

So, now you have my list of things to do, even though you probably didn't need it!

Starting October 26, I plan to make posts, pics, and videos available for each day of our trip! Please check back frequently... and leave comments, because I like comments, and no one ever leaves comments!!!

Lisa

Addendum...

One of my friends reminded me, tonight, that I actually own a maternity swimsuit, too, so that brings the count to 10... TEN... and, yes... I realize that I am starting to sound like the count from Sesame Street (and I plan to meet him next week)... That one doesn't fit either (I hope), although if I find it, maybe I'll wear it... It couldn't look worse than the rest of them...

Lisa

I own NINE Swimsuits...

... and none of them fit!!!

Now... technically, I can get into 8 1/2 out of 9, from the size 6 bikini to the size 12 one piece swimdress, but they all look ridiculous! I am so serious, the size 6 looks awful (really awful), but it actually doesn't look any worse than the size 12, and it's so not that they're all too small, because the 12 is loose in places, even though it's tight in other places...

ARGHUGHHHARGHA... (That was me screaming...)

I am going to Florida in 4 (count them, FOUR) days, and I am seriously thinking about investing in a burlap bag... to wear over my head... so that at least no one will be able to identify me while I visit 4 ( again, count them, FOUR) waterparks! Or, maybe I just need a scuba diving suit or something... hmmm... eBay?

Lisa

Outrageously Stressed Out...

I have been putting off making things "right" with someone for quite some time now. It's not really that it's been intentional... just inconvenient, I guess...

Or maybe there's more to it than that, but I am really struggling with what to do about this.

Sometimes I think stuff is better off just left in the past, but I know I'm never going to feel quite right about the whole thing until I've made every effort possible on my part to make it right...

And I thought I needed advice about this, but I guess I really don't. I know what I need to do...

Now... to just do it...

Lisa

The Spider That Made Me Cry...

... So, I took my kids (Seth, Grace, and Caleb) to see Charlotte's Web today.

I read Charlotte's Web a long time ago, and come on... everybody knows Charlotte dies at the end. But I honestly got tears in my eyes when she did, and sat there thinking to myself what an idiot I must look like, because here I am sitting front and center, mind you, crying over a fictional spider, when I smash the real ones at my house all the time... ah... the irony...

After the show, I took Caleb to the women's bathroom, and let me tell ya, he was furious. The child does not understand why he can go into the women's bathroom but I can't go into the men's. At any rate, I let him go into the stall by himself, while I held the door. But, after a few minutes, I decided he was taking way too long, so I opened the door... and he was gone!

At this point, I pretty much screamed, "CALEB"... and a lady from the other side of the bathroom asked, "Were you with that little blonde boy?" And I (in a panic) of course said, "Yes!" And she said, "He just ran that way (pointing)... fast"!

So... of couse (again) I ran out the door, to find Caleb standing calmly with Seth and Grace... and to find Grace wiping tears off of her face, because Charlotte was dead... and so we come full circle...

Caleb is not allowed to go potty by himself in public restrooms anymore...

And somewhere there is a point in all of this... about Charlotte I mean... not about going potty...

On the way home, I talked with the kids about how Charlotte had great love for Wilbur because she gave her life for him. It's Biblical, you know... John 15:13 says, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." Amazing where you can find truth... sometimes when you're not even looking for it.

By the way... I actually observed the rules about not taking pictures this time... not because I'm getting better at following rules or anything, but because I was in a rather conspicuos spot to be taking pics. I did, however, get a nice shot of the kids outside before the show:

Lisa

Buy This CD!!!

So... a few months ago I wrote about the song, "Words to Build a Life On" that I heard at Paradise '08. I then went on an amazing google search that took me all over the place until I finally found somebody who knew the guy who wrote the song, and I found the writer on myspace. Yes, myspace is good for something... At any rate, I have had several comments/questions on my blog about where to get a CD with this song on it. I am glad to say that the CD has been released! I ordered my copy, which is on it's way, and I said I'd give it a "shout out" on my blog... So... buy this CD!!! Here's the link. Seriously... everybody needs this song. It rocks!

http://store.bandwear.com/mikecrawford

Lisa

Time Flies...

... When you're seven goin' on seventeen!

Ah... Grace's 7th birthday! It never ceases to amaze me that my kids are growing up so fast, and then I stop and say that every time one of them has a birthday, and I realize that it's still true!

We mercilessly teased princess Grace all day long about how she wasn't going to get any presents, but I guess she knew that wasn't true, because she informed me that you only have to be good to get presents for Christmas... You always get presents on birthdays... hehehe...

Took some pretty good b-day pics. after fighting with her about the bees outside... ugh! Here are a few of my favorites:

My beautiful girl, after she stopped screaming about the bees...

A pretty good look at some real character...

Exploring the flowers...

At the park...

Of course, Grace thought we needed to go to Chuck-E-Cheese for dinner... which we did. We ate pizza and played games and came home with a boatload of candy, because that's mostly what the kids spent their tickets on this time around!

I made a Disney Fairies cake, which was one of my more pathetic cake efforts, but Grace loved it anyway. I made a funfetti cake with white frosting, sprinkled it with tons of "Pixie Dust" (aka white sugar sprinkles), and added five mini fairy dolls and a number 7 candle! I think I am going to start buying birthday cakes... then again... maybe not:

Present time was nothing short of hilarious! Grace has always loved opening presents, but I have never seen her quite so excited! And that's sayin' somethin'... Many of her presents were Disney Princess related, and by the time she got to the last one (FIVE Disney Princess dolls wrapped together) she was so excited that she was literally throwing the individual dolls on the ground and screaming! Oh my gosh... I will try to post the video once we get it captured, because I have seriously never seen anything like this! I was cracking up! I do have a couple of pics. that do the facial expressions justice:

I think Grace would tell you it was a very good birthday!

Lisa

Wasting Time...

...That I don't have to waste!

But... anyhow... I have needed to make a post for some time. I hope that in the very near future I will have the chance to smother this blog with videos and pics. of things like the end of summer children's program, Backyardigans Live, and our recent (uh... yesterday) field trip to Science Central. I have also had some really great Spiritual kinds of thoughts here lately that I want to share. But for now... I have a somewhat mindless rambling on this very cold day, on which I am sick, and on which I am functioning on little sleep since I stayed up until 2am...

Begin Rant:

So... I was reading all the rumor boards about what might happen at Cedar Point next summer. Look, I warned you that I was wasting time! Did you not read the title of this post? Anyway... looks like the most popular predictions are that Disaster Transport and/or Demon Drop will come down (uh... have we not all been saying this for many, many years)... And that a lot of people would like to see a dark ride, water coaster/water ride, huge wooden coaster, or flyer (no surprises here either). I, for one, want a flyer. I have never been on one, and you know CP would build the best one ever.

At any rate, I came to one post that just almost cracked me up. The vote was for a new wooden coaster, and I quote,

"Woodie. The park only has 2 woodies and with 17 coasters that is pretty odd. Both of their woodies Aren't anything special. I can understand that Blue Streak is a nice little historical woodie but Mean Streak is just a big mess from what I've heard. And since woodies are getting popular again they could take out Mean Streak and put in a BIG GCI or Gravity Group. Maybe even an Intamin! Mean Streak takes up a lot of space doesn't it? An Intamin would be great right there." (http://www.coaster-net.com/forums/?showtopic=8777)

You know, I just love reading posts by people who can't count almost as much as I love reading posts by people who can't spell... (Not to mention the fact that the post would have been a lot easier to read if the guy just said "Wooden Roller Coaster"... my gosh... people just don't think!)

CP Wooden Coasters:
Blue Streak
Mean Streak
Mine Ride
Uh... Gemini... hello!

That comes to four, I think. Could someone count that up for me, just to make sure I've got it right? It just irritates me when people try to look cool by talking about something that they know nothing about. Have I ever done that myself? Yes... absolutely. I made myself sick.

So... yeah... there are definitely things I could be doing right now that would be a better use of my time than this. But just so you know, based on my research I think the most likely scenario is that CP is either going to revamp Mean Streak to make it a more palatable ride, or I think there will, indeed, be a new Wooden Coaster. One of those things, or the park might actually take a year off to improve Soak City or the resorts or something. Personally, I'd like to see them resurrect the Mill Race or at the very least bring Pepsi Plunge on over from Geauga and stick it in Kiddie Kingdom. Flume rides are really fun for little kids, and they can't ride Snake River (which isn't even a "real" flume ride) until they're 48" tall...

OK... I'm out... I need to go do some Chinese Fire Drills or something...

Lisa

Science Central, Field Trip #1...

... Three hours in the car, was it worth it?

Yeah... I'd say so!

The kids and I had a wonderful time at Science Central today! We went for a meteorology lab, but we figured since it was such a long drive we might as well make a day of it! So... for the morning we explored the exhibits!

Seth and Grace had a lot of fun going down the two story slide and measuring the amount of time it took to reach the bottom. Unfortunately, the calculator was broken, so we didn't figure out their speeds... Yeah, I could have done this with pencil and paper, but I was being lazy... Seth also had a "blast" with the rocket launcher (yeah... bad pun intended), and Grace loved using the pulleys to lift herself off the ground! The mirror exhibit was lots of fun, but I liked the one that made me skinny a whole lot more than the one that made me fat! Caleb enjoyed the climbing wall and kept posing and saying, "Mommy, take a picture of me!" I think he thought it was a huge studio prop... hehehe... He also had fun in the "littler kids" area, where there was a train table! And Ian... Oh, how he loved the water table... so much so that when I turned my back for a moment he climbed right in! He spent the rest of the day in wet pants, because I didn't have a change for him, but wow, did he ever have a good time!

All of the kids liked "the sewer"... but not in the dark... at first! It was this tunnel that they had to try to crawl through using only their senses of touch and hearing, since it was completely dark. They couldn't find their way out, which was sort of hilarious until a balloon popped somewhere and they all freaked out! And I really mean freaked out! Seth thought it was a bomb, and all three of them started screaming and crying! (By the way, we were almost the only people in the building, so there wasn't a huge audience or anything) I got one of the staff people to turn the lights on for them, and they made it out, but it took some doing to convince them it was only a balloon! After that, they went through the tunnel a few times in the light and were finally brave enough to try it again in the dark, which they did masterfully this time around!

We left for lunch, because the "food court" consisted of a couple of vending machines (not even with sandwiches, just chips, candy, and ice cream). We had to take some one way streets, which always makes me a little nervous, because I am scared I will not be able to find my way back! We found a Burger King and did, indeed, get back to Science Central. We then walked to a nearby park to eat our "picnic", which was good until the "bumblebees" decided they wanted to share. Then we picked up the rest of our food and ate while we walked back! Next time we will pack a lunch!

The lab part of the day was really fun for the kids. There were about 12-15 kids, I would say, and they all got to participate! Seth did part of the balloon popping experiment, and Grace got to demonstrate the effect of lightning! Everyone had the chance to shake thunder sticks, and then the kids did a weather forecast (which they think was actually on TV, even though I am about 103% sure it was not!)

Here are a few pics of the day:

The only really bad part was the drive home! I actually managed to navigate the one way streets without any issues, but when I went to get on the expressway, a semi truck literally ran me off the road! I have gone over this about a million times, and there was absolutely nothing I could have done differently to make the situation any better. I tried to give him the right of way... twice... while he was running into my lane. I know... for sure... that I was not in his blind spot and that he definitely saw me, because he sped up when I tried to get over, and then he decided to get into my lane (without the use of a signal, I might add). I finally had to make a split second decision about whether I wanted to be hit by the semi or go over the embankment. I, of course, chose the embankment and was, thankfully, able to stop just barely short of actually going over it. Can't say I wasn't shaking when the whole episode was over, but I was very, very grateful that we were all safe. If it hadn't been so scary, it would have been funny with the kids yelling, "Mom, how are we going to get back on the road!"

So... yeah... Science Central! Overall it was a fantastic day! This is definitely a spot we will hit again... and again!

Lisa

The Backyardigans Live...

... Well, Phil probably said it best, "If you've seen one stage show, you've seen them all!" But, come on we all know it's fun... at least for the kids!

This was Ian's first stage show, and actually it was Seth and Grace's first major stage show (although we've certainly hit our share of amusement park shows and educational assembly type shows). Ian wasn't all that impressed once he'd ripped his paper shield to shreds, but he did like it when Pablo flew across the stage, and I was able to convince him that the egg was a ball, so that kept his attention! Over all, he didn't do too badly. I am quickly learning that Caleb loves stage shows, and I am not sure the child ever sits that still for anything else. Seth had lots of fun (although the Backyardigans are probably getting a little on the young side for him). But is was Grace who I really enjoyed watching! She was so caught up in the whole thing, and on the interactive parts, I think she really thought the characters were listening to just her and that she could help move the plot along (even from the nosebleed seats up top)! It was great.

So... yeah... It was basically a spur of the moment decision to attend this show. We had considered it early on, but when the seats dropped to half off the day before the show, we figured we might as well go and take some friends along, too! We all had a fantastic time!

And, by the way, there was no photography allowed, so I only snuck in about 50 shots... along with every other parent there... I took many of them without the flash, which resulted in a whole bunch of blur (ah... pretty colors...), but by the end I realized that there were so many flashes going off, nobody was ever going to figure out who was taking the pics, so I got a couple of good shots in:

Lisa