After visiting for a few days, Meme took M&M to Alabama for the next two weeks. (They left on 6/28) I just talked to them this morning, and they were all excited about all the things that Meme and Pepa have planned. They were going to ride scooters this morning, before it got too hot, then go swimming. Megan in particular loves the pool they go to, because it is indoors, so she doesn't need sunscreen!
They are all excited about going to get to play with their cousins, Ricky and Chrissy this week, and then Zachary and Hunter next week. I'll post as I get details.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Monday, June 26, 2006
pics crom the Grand Canyon
For whatever reason, Blogger does not want me to post these pictures with the actual Grand Canyon post, so here are the pictures that go with the story!
Bad Scrapbooking Mom! I didn't think to ask anyone to take a picture of all three of us! But looking back, everyone was so busy-- getting ready to go on hikes, painting pictures of the view, or really photographing. Very few casual sightseers...
For a while, Megan and Matthew were awestruck
by the size and beauty of the Grand Canyon. I don't
think they had any idea how big it would be (and
neither did I).
This was the little rock that Megan was so concerned about, when Matthew wanted to throw it into the Canyon. Not to worry, Matthew chose another rock to throw in, and the Grand Canyon has managed to survive the impact.Happy Birthday, John!
Actually, John's birthday was yesterday, but I am just now getting to the computer! We had a fun day-- We went to IHOP for breakfast. John went off his diet for the day, and started with a hearty IHOP breakfast. He came home and took a birthday nap :), and then had to go to work! The radio stations are getting new computers, and he needed to be there to help.
I had to teach a class at my store, so Suzie stayed with the kids for a few hours.
When I got home, Patti and Chuck were here visiting. It was so nice to see them again... I think it's been about two years! Very sad, since we live just three hours away. We all promised to see each other more often, and I hope we do.
After visiting for a little while, P&C took Suzie out to dinner, for an early birthday present, and I took the kids to the pool for a short swim. Finally, John got home, and we went to a Colts baseball game (one of our favorite pasttimes).
Jeremy (John's friend/co-hort, sports partner)announced to the crowd that it was John's birthday, and made up a very, very funy list of "10 Reasons We Know John Flint is Getting Old". It was hysterical! Several members of the crowd came up to us, and said that they, too were able to relate to many of the things on the list. (I had the list, but Jeremy needed it back, bacause someone wanted a copy of it-- I will get it back in the next day or two, and post it here.) Anyway, everyone was tired, so we left the game early and went home. I can't believe I didn't have my camera for any part of today! I will do better next year!
I had to teach a class at my store, so Suzie stayed with the kids for a few hours.
When I got home, Patti and Chuck were here visiting. It was so nice to see them again... I think it's been about two years! Very sad, since we live just three hours away. We all promised to see each other more often, and I hope we do.
After visiting for a little while, P&C took Suzie out to dinner, for an early birthday present, and I took the kids to the pool for a short swim. Finally, John got home, and we went to a Colts baseball game (one of our favorite pasttimes).
Jeremy (John's friend/co-hort, sports partner)announced to the crowd that it was John's birthday, and made up a very, very funy list of "10 Reasons We Know John Flint is Getting Old". It was hysterical! Several members of the crowd came up to us, and said that they, too were able to relate to many of the things on the list. (I had the list, but Jeremy needed it back, bacause someone wanted a copy of it-- I will get it back in the next day or two, and post it here.) Anyway, everyone was tired, so we left the game early and went home. I can't believe I didn't have my camera for any part of today! I will do better next year!
Sunday, June 18, 2006
The Grand Canyon!!!
While we were driving through AZ on the way to CA, we were talking about how AZ is called "The Grand Canyon state". We talked about how every state has something special, which gived them their nicknames, and the Grand Canyon is what AZ is known for.
We decided that this was the perfect trip to go to the Grand Canyon, since we didn't have Jacob with us (and that was before I saw that there is just a guardrail -not a fence- between the viewing points and the Canyon itself. Also, it was a rare driving trip that did not require us to be home by a specific date. So, after eating lunch with my parents in Hollywood, we left for the next part of our journey.
First of all, our country is FreakingHuge! Mapquest said it would take almost 8 hours, but they obviously didn't account for an eight year old boy with a bladder the size of a marble. So, at 8:30 p.m., we exited the interstate, then began the 54-mile drive north to the Lodge we were staying at on the South Rim. Mapquest also didn'taccount for the 35-40 mph speed limit, which you can only do during daylight hours. At night, the road is pitch-black, with signs every 1/2 mile thatsay "Watch for Elk." And they weren't kidding... a female elk ran out infront of us, and we avoided meeting personally by about three feet. Needless to say, my heart was going a million beats a minute, but I slowed down to about 25 mph. So at 10:00 p.m. we pulled into the parking lot, got to our room, and discovered that the hotel did not have air conditioning!(They were nice enough to mount an oscillating fan on the wall...) We woke up the next morning, and went to see the IMAX movie of the Grand Canyon. Itwas awesome, and air conditioned.. After the movie, we went to see the real thing. It was hot already- at 10:30 a.m., and let's just say that my kids are not exactly hikers. We stopped at the first point of the rim, and thekids were oohing and ahhing like everyone else. When we got to the next point, Matthew found a rock that he decided he wanted to throw into the Canyon. Megan wasn't so sure. "Matthew, if you throw that rock in there,you might change everything, then other people won't be able to enjoy the same thing we see." (Spoken like a girl that just heard a conservation talkat the Ft. Worth Zoo several weeks ago.) After I assured her that the Grand Canyon had been there for at least 4000 years, and that Matthew throwing a rock in it would not change a thing, she decided that it would be okay forhim to throw a "small" rock in. Literally 15 seconds after he threw therock, which barely made it past the trees, they decided that they had seen enough! After seeing the movie, which included river-rafting, an airplane trip through the canyon, and where they were cool and seated, the real thing didn't do much for them after the first impression. Leave it to my kids to be barely impressed by one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World! (They did want to make sure I took lots of pictures, though.) After a trip to the gift shop, we left to get lunch, and head back to Scottsdale. We got to Scottsdale, and as soon as possible, they went swimming with their cousin-- for two hours!The next day, we left AZ and got home at 11:00 that night. I would have been home sooner, but the last 90 miles or so was a dark road with many, many deer alongside it. Since I was successful at avoiding the elk, I decided that it would be best to keep all other game off my suburban (although Ithink I did hit a rabbit) :(
We decided that this was the perfect trip to go to the Grand Canyon, since we didn't have Jacob with us (and that was before I saw that there is just a guardrail -not a fence- between the viewing points and the Canyon itself. Also, it was a rare driving trip that did not require us to be home by a specific date. So, after eating lunch with my parents in Hollywood, we left for the next part of our journey.
First of all, our country is FreakingHuge! Mapquest said it would take almost 8 hours, but they obviously didn't account for an eight year old boy with a bladder the size of a marble. So, at 8:30 p.m., we exited the interstate, then began the 54-mile drive north to the Lodge we were staying at on the South Rim. Mapquest also didn'taccount for the 35-40 mph speed limit, which you can only do during daylight hours. At night, the road is pitch-black, with signs every 1/2 mile thatsay "Watch for Elk." And they weren't kidding... a female elk ran out infront of us, and we avoided meeting personally by about three feet. Needless to say, my heart was going a million beats a minute, but I slowed down to about 25 mph. So at 10:00 p.m. we pulled into the parking lot, got to our room, and discovered that the hotel did not have air conditioning!(They were nice enough to mount an oscillating fan on the wall...) We woke up the next morning, and went to see the IMAX movie of the Grand Canyon. Itwas awesome, and air conditioned.. After the movie, we went to see the real thing. It was hot already- at 10:30 a.m., and let's just say that my kids are not exactly hikers. We stopped at the first point of the rim, and thekids were oohing and ahhing like everyone else. When we got to the next point, Matthew found a rock that he decided he wanted to throw into the Canyon. Megan wasn't so sure. "Matthew, if you throw that rock in there,you might change everything, then other people won't be able to enjoy the same thing we see." (Spoken like a girl that just heard a conservation talkat the Ft. Worth Zoo several weeks ago.) After I assured her that the Grand Canyon had been there for at least 4000 years, and that Matthew throwing a rock in it would not change a thing, she decided that it would be okay forhim to throw a "small" rock in. Literally 15 seconds after he threw therock, which barely made it past the trees, they decided that they had seen enough! After seeing the movie, which included river-rafting, an airplane trip through the canyon, and where they were cool and seated, the real thing didn't do much for them after the first impression. Leave it to my kids to be barely impressed by one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World! (They did want to make sure I took lots of pictures, though.) After a trip to the gift shop, we left to get lunch, and head back to Scottsdale. We got to Scottsdale, and as soon as possible, they went swimming with their cousin-- for two hours!The next day, we left AZ and got home at 11:00 that night. I would have been home sooner, but the last 90 miles or so was a dark road with many, many deer alongside it. Since I was successful at avoiding the elk, I decided that it would be best to keep all other game off my suburban (although Ithink I did hit a rabbit) :(
Saturday, June 17, 2006
A couple more pictures from Hollywood
We found a NY pizzeria on Hollywood Blvd. YUM!
Today, Megan learned the "Super Woman" pose!
Look out Hollywood... Here we Come!
Megan thought it was cool to match her hands to the stars' hands.
Can you pick out the biggest characters in this picture?
M&M posing with Shrek!
The characters on Hollywood Blvd. come from all different eras.
Matthew's feet aren't quite as big as Donald Ducks'!Today, we went with Grandma and Grandpa to Hollywood... So many freaks, so little time. We only had the morning to spend there; after lunch, we had plans to leave for the next segment of our trip. Here are some of the fun pictures we took... There are LOTS more for the scrapbook pages!
Friday, June 09, 2006
More pics from from 5/31
This is the prize picture for M&MBlogger was being finicky, so here are some more pics from the second day in CA...
How cute is Little Sarah?
and who was smiling more, Megan or Grandpa?
Universal Studios, Here we come!
Ami, Megan, Matthew & AndreaToday was the day we had decided to go to Universal Studios. The kids we very excited. We started off going through Dracula's Haunted House, which was a little scary, but fun. They are finally old enough to know the difference between real and make-believe. Universal had lots to offer- Shrek in 4-D, photo ops with Spongebob, an Animal Show, but the highlight for Matthew was the Studio Tour. He was just amazed at the behind-the-scenes views- Like the fake earthqake and the "impromptu" flash flood. When I asked him what he thought about the tour, he said "That was AWESOME!". (I was afraid he might be bored during the 45-minute tram ride.)
The only bad part of the day was when Megan fell in the "Blast Zone"- a water playground. She had taken her shoes off, because they were soaked, and as she was walking away from me, she slipped and fell, hurting her back and head. After sitting in the First Aid office for about 15 minutes, she bagan to feel better. The manager of the park gave us some "Front of the Line" passes for the rest of the day, which helped cut down on the wait time for several rides. Megan's head hurt for a couple of days, but she is fine now.
When we got back to Simon and Andrea's, my parents (Grandma and Grandpa) were on their way over to visit. Everyone enjoyed seeing each other, and we took lots of pictures. The kids went swimming for a while, then Simon and Andrea served a delicious dinner.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Santa Monica Pier
Matthew and Megan just couldn't get enough of the ocean. It was such a beautiful view!
Okay- So this picture was placed here out of order... Andrea and I in front of an unbelievable mountain view.
Before we left the pier, Matthew and Megan begged for me to let them "just put their feet in"... You can see from this picture how that worked out. A few seconds after this picture was taken, a wave came, and knocked them both over. After I finished laughing hysterically, we went up and both them towels! We learned two things today. 1) The Pacific Ocean is cold. and 2) There is no way to go in the ocean and stay where just your feet get wet.Andrea and Simon suggested that we go to the Santa Monica Pier on the first day we were in CA. To be honest, I didn't know what to expect. It was great! There were carnival rides for the kids (and me), beautiful views all around us, and even a man who painted scenes with his fingers! Of course, M&M would not let us walk away from him without buying one. For $10, we got a finger-painted scene of the Santa Monica Pier. You would think I had just bought the kids an X-Box, they were so excited! For lunch, we ate at "Bubba Gump Shrimp Company", and just like the name suggests, it was a restaurant with a Forrest Gump theme. Fabulous food. Great service. Now I have to let the kids see Forrest Gump, so they understand why everything was so funny to us.
After we left there, we left to go to Scrapbook Safari, a scrapbook store in Woodland Hills that I had read about on the internet (occupational hazard). Simon led us down this amazingly beautiful road, Topenga Canyon, I think. That is where the picture above of Andrea and I was taken. Then, we went back to Simon and Andrea's apartment. It is small, but set up so nicely. Their baby, Sara (6 weeks old), is just beautiful. I will post pictures of her as I find them in their files!
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Home Sweet Home
After a fun-filled week, we are safe at home. Over the next few days, I will be posting pictures, and telling about all of the fun stuff we did! I am uploading pictures to my computer now, so starting tomorrow, I will be posting them to the blog!
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