So last night I was lying on the couch watching some TV after an exhausting day. Nathan was out walking the dog, and the kids and I were just hangin'. That 70's Show was on the TV (one of my absolute favorites), and Donna was mad at Fez for ruining her wedding dress. She said to him, "I'm gonna kick your ass!" Guess what I heard come out of James' mouth? "I'm gonna kick your assssss!" Oh no. I ignored it... didn't do a single thing, said nothing, kept quiet. Thank goodness it hasn't resurfaced yet. ABC Family should maybe bleep out some things. GEEZ.
I know, for a fact, that quote... "I'm gonna kick your ass." is going to surface at the very wrong place, at the very wrong time. Ha.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Ahhh, home sweet home.
We got home last night after a long day! Whew!
The kids and I started the day off yesterday by getting packed up and checked out of the hotel. Wouldn't you know... as soon as I had returned my key cards, put most things in the car but was still rolling the suitcases, Kaitlyn turned to me and said, "I have poopies, Mommy!" Oh geez. So off to the bathroom in the lobby we went, and whaddayaknow... no changing table. Awesome. Pull up some bathroom tile Kaitlyn!
I texted Kevin (who was with the kids, en route from Rapid City to Sioux Falls) to make sure he would be at the airport at 4:30 to help me with my 5 tons of crap that I had hauled along on the trip. Agreed, he'd be there at 4:30 at the Enterprise desk.
We picked up some food for the plane ride at the local "Grab N Go" gas station, you know, the usual... M&M's, two Lunchables with ham and cheese, etc. Pretty nutritional stuff there! The kids, especially James, were thoroughly excited to get Lunchables (James' first experience was on a picnic with Harrison, Bennett and Aunt Beth). At least we had one orange in the bag... that made me feel much better! Ha.
We got to the Enterprise place to return the car, so I left all the stuff in the car and went into the airport to tell them that I had the car but still needed to unload. Kevin and family were still no where to be found, so the nice guy at Enterprise helped me get all my junk out of the car, get my car returned, and walked us to the ticketing counter to check in. Lovely. Thank you kind guy. We chatted about Florida, he had lived in Tampa for a while.
We headed up through security and by the time boarding started, Kevin and kids still hadn't been through security yet. I was thoroughly excited to see them boarding the plane after we had all gone to the bathroom one last time. I seriously thought they were going to miss the flight. Turns out someone had a screw driver in their bag through security. Who was that anyway? I never heard.
The flight was uneventful, thank goodness. Kaitlyn had a first. She sat in her seat by herself instead of in her car seat. I literally didn't have enough hands on the flight there to carry the seat, so Kevin did it for me. This time around I elected to check the thing. I thought I had made the WRONG decision when we first got seated. Kaitlyn threw a fit because she wasn't in the window seat (where she is required to sit if there is a car seat involved). I had her in the aisle, and she didn't like that much. I bribed her to calm down with a half of a pack of M&M's, and told her if she didn't stop crying that I'd take them away. #1 Mom award nomination, right here, thank you. It worked though, and the rest of the flight was great.
When we started our decent and I had to turn off Cars on the computer, James started acting extremely bothered. He was saying that his tummy hurt, so naturally I asked him if he was going to throw up... he said yes. OH NO. GET THE BARF BAG! I got it out and opened it. He put his face in it and then said that he was fine. Oh thank goodness.
After we got over that, he started saying that he had to potty really bad. He said, "OOOOh, I have to go poottyyyy!" for the next 20 minutes while we landed and deplaned (he even tried to go into the bathroom when we were walking off the plane). Poor kid, I didn't think he was going to make it to the bathroom. He provided some entertainment for the people around us on the plane, and I'm sure, they were silently rooting for him to make it to the potty. Everyone, on the way out, was telling me that there was a bathroom at the top of the jet way. He made it. Whew!
We were so excited to see DADDY! Both kids ran up to him and gave him gigantic hugs and kisses. Love is so beautiful. The smiles even spread to those around us that were watching the kids reunite with their Daddy. So sweet.
Since we had that potty stop, Nathan had already gotten all of our luggage from the baggage claim, including both car seats. Onward! Home! Oh, wait, what Kevin? Mandy accidentally went to the wrong airport to pick you guys up? Oh, well, we'll all fit in the VAN! So, in we piled, all 8 of us and our luggage into the Odyssey. Three Miller kids in the back, the Wilcke kids and me in the middle, and Nathan and Kevin in the front. Voilla! We felt like clowns in a car... or sardines in a can... you get the picture. It was fun though, and we made it home safely. It was fun to see the Miller kids reunite with their mom.
The kids slept until 10 this morning, which was wonderful for me. We just got home from the doctor's office, not much to report on that. James is sick, but we think it's viral. I got a prescription for him though, in case it doesn't go away in a few days. It's most likely a sinus infection if it hangs around for a while. Poor kid.
We are all very happy to be home!
The kids and I started the day off yesterday by getting packed up and checked out of the hotel. Wouldn't you know... as soon as I had returned my key cards, put most things in the car but was still rolling the suitcases, Kaitlyn turned to me and said, "I have poopies, Mommy!" Oh geez. So off to the bathroom in the lobby we went, and whaddayaknow... no changing table. Awesome. Pull up some bathroom tile Kaitlyn!
I texted Kevin (who was with the kids, en route from Rapid City to Sioux Falls) to make sure he would be at the airport at 4:30 to help me with my 5 tons of crap that I had hauled along on the trip. Agreed, he'd be there at 4:30 at the Enterprise desk.
We picked up some food for the plane ride at the local "Grab N Go" gas station, you know, the usual... M&M's, two Lunchables with ham and cheese, etc. Pretty nutritional stuff there! The kids, especially James, were thoroughly excited to get Lunchables (James' first experience was on a picnic with Harrison, Bennett and Aunt Beth). At least we had one orange in the bag... that made me feel much better! Ha.
We got to the Enterprise place to return the car, so I left all the stuff in the car and went into the airport to tell them that I had the car but still needed to unload. Kevin and family were still no where to be found, so the nice guy at Enterprise helped me get all my junk out of the car, get my car returned, and walked us to the ticketing counter to check in. Lovely. Thank you kind guy. We chatted about Florida, he had lived in Tampa for a while.
We headed up through security and by the time boarding started, Kevin and kids still hadn't been through security yet. I was thoroughly excited to see them boarding the plane after we had all gone to the bathroom one last time. I seriously thought they were going to miss the flight. Turns out someone had a screw driver in their bag through security. Who was that anyway? I never heard.
The flight was uneventful, thank goodness. Kaitlyn had a first. She sat in her seat by herself instead of in her car seat. I literally didn't have enough hands on the flight there to carry the seat, so Kevin did it for me. This time around I elected to check the thing. I thought I had made the WRONG decision when we first got seated. Kaitlyn threw a fit because she wasn't in the window seat (where she is required to sit if there is a car seat involved). I had her in the aisle, and she didn't like that much. I bribed her to calm down with a half of a pack of M&M's, and told her if she didn't stop crying that I'd take them away. #1 Mom award nomination, right here, thank you. It worked though, and the rest of the flight was great.
When we started our decent and I had to turn off Cars on the computer, James started acting extremely bothered. He was saying that his tummy hurt, so naturally I asked him if he was going to throw up... he said yes. OH NO. GET THE BARF BAG! I got it out and opened it. He put his face in it and then said that he was fine. Oh thank goodness.
After we got over that, he started saying that he had to potty really bad. He said, "OOOOh, I have to go poottyyyy!" for the next 20 minutes while we landed and deplaned (he even tried to go into the bathroom when we were walking off the plane). Poor kid, I didn't think he was going to make it to the bathroom. He provided some entertainment for the people around us on the plane, and I'm sure, they were silently rooting for him to make it to the potty. Everyone, on the way out, was telling me that there was a bathroom at the top of the jet way. He made it. Whew!
We were so excited to see DADDY! Both kids ran up to him and gave him gigantic hugs and kisses. Love is so beautiful. The smiles even spread to those around us that were watching the kids reunite with their Daddy. So sweet.
Since we had that potty stop, Nathan had already gotten all of our luggage from the baggage claim, including both car seats. Onward! Home! Oh, wait, what Kevin? Mandy accidentally went to the wrong airport to pick you guys up? Oh, well, we'll all fit in the VAN! So, in we piled, all 8 of us and our luggage into the Odyssey. Three Miller kids in the back, the Wilcke kids and me in the middle, and Nathan and Kevin in the front. Voilla! We felt like clowns in a car... or sardines in a can... you get the picture. It was fun though, and we made it home safely. It was fun to see the Miller kids reunite with their mom.
The kids slept until 10 this morning, which was wonderful for me. We just got home from the doctor's office, not much to report on that. James is sick, but we think it's viral. I got a prescription for him though, in case it doesn't go away in a few days. It's most likely a sinus infection if it hangs around for a while. Poor kid.
We are all very happy to be home!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Automatic Trash
I took the kids to the mall this evening since we didn't have anything to do here in Sioux Falls. The weather was supposed to turn bad, so we decided to head out and get some dinner before it started to rain. Of course the kids wanted to play first at the germ infested play area. That lasted about 5 minutes until Kaitlyn slipped and fell backwards off of some stairs and James had to go potty. Long story short, after getting shoes on, James didn't have to go potty anymore, and Kaitlyn was back to running around. Doh. Oh well, I thought, this would be a great time to get hands washed and head back to the food court.
The kids enjoyed a ride on the miniature carousel for a WHOLE dollar (geez). They had a blast though, and it actually lasted a while, to my surprise. Then, it was off to the DQ.
I love Dairy Queen, but really only for their ice cream. I did notice though, that they had a kid's meal for around $3.00, which included a hot dog, drink, applesauce, a toy, AND a free kid's ice cream. Really? $3.00? Wow. Must be some quality hot dogs... sigh.
The kids and I sat down to eat... me my bbq beef burger and them their hot dogs, and they weren't the least bit interested in the hot dogs. Both kids ate their applesauce first, and while they did that, I cut their hot dogs in half for them. I looked in the center of the hot dog, and honestly, I could NOT tell if they were cooked all the way through. SICK! I tried a bite of Kaitlyn's and still wasn't sold, but she gobbled up a few bites and seemed happy with it. James had one bite, and after the past history of his touchy stomach, I decided to not push it. So basically, for dinner, they had applesauce, and ice cream. Nathan, I've lost it, haven't I?
The best, most awesome part of the night was me showing James the automatic trash door on the garbage cans in the food court. I told him, "James, watch this!" and I waved my hand in front of the door, and voila! It opened! You should have seen the look on his face! For the next five minutes while we waited for Kaitlyn to eat her ice cream, James put one thing after another into the trash just so he could wave his hand in front of the door to open it. Every time, he giggled. One older gentleman, who had just finished his ice cream, came over to the trash to throw away his cup. James quickly waved his hands in front of the door to open it for him and then rushed off to the side to get out of the man's way. The man looked at James and said, "Why thank you!" and James bent his elbow, putting his hand up to his waist, slowly bowed forward and said, "With pleasure!" LOL! Where does this kid come up with this stuff???
Pretty soon the trash can door stopped responding. I told James that it must be because it was tired. As we headed out through the rest of the food court to the parking lot, James waved in front of every trash can door he could find. When it opened, he said, "Nope! This one's not tired!" :)
The kids enjoyed a ride on the miniature carousel for a WHOLE dollar (geez). They had a blast though, and it actually lasted a while, to my surprise. Then, it was off to the DQ.
I love Dairy Queen, but really only for their ice cream. I did notice though, that they had a kid's meal for around $3.00, which included a hot dog, drink, applesauce, a toy, AND a free kid's ice cream. Really? $3.00? Wow. Must be some quality hot dogs... sigh.
The kids and I sat down to eat... me my bbq beef burger and them their hot dogs, and they weren't the least bit interested in the hot dogs. Both kids ate their applesauce first, and while they did that, I cut their hot dogs in half for them. I looked in the center of the hot dog, and honestly, I could NOT tell if they were cooked all the way through. SICK! I tried a bite of Kaitlyn's and still wasn't sold, but she gobbled up a few bites and seemed happy with it. James had one bite, and after the past history of his touchy stomach, I decided to not push it. So basically, for dinner, they had applesauce, and ice cream. Nathan, I've lost it, haven't I?
The best, most awesome part of the night was me showing James the automatic trash door on the garbage cans in the food court. I told him, "James, watch this!" and I waved my hand in front of the door, and voila! It opened! You should have seen the look on his face! For the next five minutes while we waited for Kaitlyn to eat her ice cream, James put one thing after another into the trash just so he could wave his hand in front of the door to open it. Every time, he giggled. One older gentleman, who had just finished his ice cream, came over to the trash to throw away his cup. James quickly waved his hands in front of the door to open it for him and then rushed off to the side to get out of the man's way. The man looked at James and said, "Why thank you!" and James bent his elbow, putting his hand up to his waist, slowly bowed forward and said, "With pleasure!" LOL! Where does this kid come up with this stuff???
Pretty soon the trash can door stopped responding. I told James that it must be because it was tired. As we headed out through the rest of the food court to the parking lot, James waved in front of every trash can door he could find. When it opened, he said, "Nope! This one's not tired!" :)
Back to Sioux Falls, can't we just go HOME?
On the 5th, we drove back to Sioux Falls. My parents, the kids and I made the trip over nap time again, but late nap time. Before we headed out of town, we stopped at Auntie Lois' house to see it. Mom and Gini liked looking through the house and through some family photo albums. It seems I may have another scanning project on my hands someday. :) It was fun to see Maggie and Justin, Kari and Matt again too. I didn't get to see them much, which I chalk up to having the kids with me.
The kids fell asleep immediately in the car and slept the whole way again, I even nodded off for a while which was nice but uncomfortable. Ha. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, as these past few days have been. I seem to be exhausted and really really really ready to go home. My patience has run thin, and I basically have none left. When we said bye to Grandma and Papa today (we dropped them off at the airport for their flight to Utah) and I used all my energy not to cry in the car on the way back to the hotel. James was chanting, "Grandma! Grandma!" and I was just about bawling. Pure exhaustion, I think.
The best part about being in Sioux Falls again is the pool at this hotel. We're staying at the Clubhouse hotel on Loise. It has a pool, but it's only 3 feet deep in the deepest part. Why is it so great then? SLIDES! There is one huge slide for kids that are at least 48" tall (damn them!), and then a little froggy slide for the little ones (they climb up and into the back of the frog's mouth, and then slide down the tongue- very cute). The kids absolutely LOVED it! The slide has water pumped up to the top of it to keep it wet so they slide down incredibly fast. Kaitlyn loves the pool also because she could walk from the slide to the shallowest end and get out all by herself. The downfall is that the floor in the pool area is extremely slippery (something Jack Miller apparently found out the hard way, twice). I had to lay towels down on the floor just for my kids to be able to make it from the pool's edge to the slide's ladder. Seems like they need some mats on the floor! James and Kaitlyn had so much fun in the pool- it's definitely one of the better memories of this trip.
James has found the Light Saber on my phone. It's a stupid app that I downloaded secretly one day to play fight with Nathan with our phones. James thinks it's a game, which it's not, but since he can change the light saber color by moving the sliders, it's all a game to him. When you swing the phone back and forth it makes the light saber noises, and is all accompanied by Star Wars music. I can see why a 4 year old would like this app, but really? A total obsession? Yes, apparently it is for James. He asks to use my phone about 20 times a day. I tell him no most of the time, telling him that I need my phone to make calls, receive calls, etc. but that doesn't seem to sink in to his brain. I'm contemplating getting him a Nintendo DS, or some type of gaming system that has educational games on it for him to play. We'll see. For now though, maybe the light saber app may mysteriously disappear. Ha. One thing that it has also brought out in James is ATTITUDE. An attitude that I despise... bossiness. He told me today, "Mom, you call Dad and then you give that phone RIGHT back to me!"
"EXCUSE ME??? You don't talk to me like that James."
So this brings me to mentioning that Kaitlyn is mimicking me more and more. After this incident with telling James how NOT to talk to Mommy, she started in on him too. She gets this low raspy voice that is apparently her "mommy" voice. "MY turn!" she'll grumble. Or something like, "Do NOT do that!" It's funny, but it also really irritates me. Another thing that irritates me? ME! I let it slip today that something (or someone) was driving me crazy, and James says (while watching Cars on my computer and constantly being interrupted by Kaitlyn's big head in the way), "She's driving me crazy!" Ugh. Sigh. I guess one can never be the perfect parent... and with that, I end this blog... hopefully to wake tomorrow with a better attitude and a replenishment on my patience level. Man I wish I had some BEER. Ha.
The kids fell asleep immediately in the car and slept the whole way again, I even nodded off for a while which was nice but uncomfortable. Ha. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, as these past few days have been. I seem to be exhausted and really really really ready to go home. My patience has run thin, and I basically have none left. When we said bye to Grandma and Papa today (we dropped them off at the airport for their flight to Utah) and I used all my energy not to cry in the car on the way back to the hotel. James was chanting, "Grandma! Grandma!" and I was just about bawling. Pure exhaustion, I think.
The best part about being in Sioux Falls again is the pool at this hotel. We're staying at the Clubhouse hotel on Loise. It has a pool, but it's only 3 feet deep in the deepest part. Why is it so great then? SLIDES! There is one huge slide for kids that are at least 48" tall (damn them!), and then a little froggy slide for the little ones (they climb up and into the back of the frog's mouth, and then slide down the tongue- very cute). The kids absolutely LOVED it! The slide has water pumped up to the top of it to keep it wet so they slide down incredibly fast. Kaitlyn loves the pool also because she could walk from the slide to the shallowest end and get out all by herself. The downfall is that the floor in the pool area is extremely slippery (something Jack Miller apparently found out the hard way, twice). I had to lay towels down on the floor just for my kids to be able to make it from the pool's edge to the slide's ladder. Seems like they need some mats on the floor! James and Kaitlyn had so much fun in the pool- it's definitely one of the better memories of this trip.
James has found the Light Saber on my phone. It's a stupid app that I downloaded secretly one day to play fight with Nathan with our phones. James thinks it's a game, which it's not, but since he can change the light saber color by moving the sliders, it's all a game to him. When you swing the phone back and forth it makes the light saber noises, and is all accompanied by Star Wars music. I can see why a 4 year old would like this app, but really? A total obsession? Yes, apparently it is for James. He asks to use my phone about 20 times a day. I tell him no most of the time, telling him that I need my phone to make calls, receive calls, etc. but that doesn't seem to sink in to his brain. I'm contemplating getting him a Nintendo DS, or some type of gaming system that has educational games on it for him to play. We'll see. For now though, maybe the light saber app may mysteriously disappear. Ha. One thing that it has also brought out in James is ATTITUDE. An attitude that I despise... bossiness. He told me today, "Mom, you call Dad and then you give that phone RIGHT back to me!"
"EXCUSE ME??? You don't talk to me like that James."
So this brings me to mentioning that Kaitlyn is mimicking me more and more. After this incident with telling James how NOT to talk to Mommy, she started in on him too. She gets this low raspy voice that is apparently her "mommy" voice. "MY turn!" she'll grumble. Or something like, "Do NOT do that!" It's funny, but it also really irritates me. Another thing that irritates me? ME! I let it slip today that something (or someone) was driving me crazy, and James says (while watching Cars on my computer and constantly being interrupted by Kaitlyn's big head in the way), "She's driving me crazy!" Ugh. Sigh. I guess one can never be the perfect parent... and with that, I end this blog... hopefully to wake tomorrow with a better attitude and a replenishment on my patience level. Man I wish I had some BEER. Ha.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Onward, to Chamberlain! Happy 4th of July!
On Friday, I woke up at an early 6:50 AM after spending the night with a throwing-up sick child. I was off to shoot senior photos of Jeanne's daughter Claire. After only getting about 5 hours of sleep, I was a bit blurry eyed, but nothing a FEW gigantic coffees couldn't fix. Ha.
I met Jeanne and Claire at Ballereana Dance Studio to start our series of photos. We were supposed to be the only ones there, as Claire had reserved the studio for photos from 8 to 10 AM. No such luck, apparently. There was a Zumba class scheduled for 8:15 AM, and yep, they did their Zumba despite our plans. So... we had to wait. There was no sense in wasting time though, so we shot in a much smaller room that was painted red and had a ballet bar in it. We got some very "moody" shots, and frankly, I'm so excited to see them!
After the Zumba ladies danced their way out of "our" studio, we set up a few fun shots of Claire at the ballet bar there. The window light was there, but nearly unusable because of the dark skies and rain clouds hovering overhead. Jeanne posed as an assistant for me, outside, in the drizzle, holding my amber covered flash. Thanks Jeanne!! ;)
After we finished up at the studio, we shot around Sioux Falls, first at a bridge in the drizzle then at the amphitheatre, then did a few shots downtown at a location that Jeanne had scoped out. We took the last shots at the hotel that I'm staying in, in the lobby. What fun we had!!! I can't wait to work on the images when I get home, I must say that I haven't even peeked at them yet! I'm dying!
I met up with my parents who had taken my kids to lunch at Cracker Barrel, and off we drove to Chamberlain. I think my parents must have sprinkled some Ambien on their grilled cheeses, both of them fell asleep immediately in the car and stayed asleep for two hours to Chamberlain. Kaitlyn was sound asleep, still, when I woke her up at Casey's Welcome West. It was a very relaxing drive.
Aaaahhh, Chamberlain. Easy life, nice people, beautiful river and scenery, and GREAT pie. :) We spent the next few days at Cedar Shore hotel along with a slew of people there to celebrate the 4th of July. Most everyone was able to attend the reunion except Mike Casey and is family. We missed them desperately, and said a blessing and cheered them around the table at Terry and Sharon's house that night before dinner.
We all gathered at Terry and Sharon's house for lasagna and good laughs, and to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. They even had a BAR set up outside in their back yard! What an awesome idea!! The kids played their hearts out, and we had such a great time catching up with everyone. Mom and I got to give Terry and Sharon the book that we had worked on together "Fifty Reasons Why We Love Terry and Sharon". We got input from a lot of people in the family for our top 50 reasons why we love them so much. They loved the book, I'm so happy Mom and I got that accomplished!
That night was another restless night for James. He tossed and turned in his bed (and was talking in his sleep) until 3 AM when I finally realized that I should probably give him some Tylenol. That worked... and we all slept comfortably until 7:30 or so. Needless to say, I was a bit of a wench that day... so tired and not really in the mood to celebrate. But, all of that changed as time passed in the day and we had a happy 4th of July. It was great to see cousins and play with everyone, even if we didn't quite get to chat as long as I had wanted.
The kids got to stay up late for the fireworks show. It didn't start until 10:20 and even I was starting to get bleary eyed. The fireworks were great, the kids weren't even scared. They were further away this year than usual, which was a great thing. I think they nearly blew up the marina last year. ;) Ha.
Courtney and me in Chamberlain. Fun fun!
I was giving Kaitlyn cake, and with every bite she would say, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?" from her low tones up to her highest tones.
Mom at the piano at St. James Catholic Church in Chamberlain, SD. They had a mass in celebration of Terry and Sharon's 50th Anniversary, but I wasn't able to attend. :(
Dad, me, James and Kaitlyn on the Cedar Shore marina walkway.
James, Pops, Grandma and Kaitlyn on the dock.
James runs up and down the ramp, fulfilling his need to obsess with ramps on a daily basis.
Mr. and Mrs. Terry Casey. Congrats on your 50th! We love you!
Kevin and kids at Cedar Shore Bar-b-que on the 4th.
Kev and Ben.
Me and Bonna Casey.
Kari (Matt's fiance), Jeanne, Maggie, Molly and me during the bbq.
Kaitlyn saying hi to Sutton.
Run, James, run!
Strong Ben!
Kevin enjoying some sports on the lawn.
Jack and James chillin'.
Cameron giving James a piggy back ride.
Fireworks time! FINALLY!
Happy 4th of July!
Cookie monster.
The old Chamberlain bridge, slated to be demo'd this week. Mom says she remembers this bridge from when she was little.
My parents... this was the view I always had when growing up and riding in the middle seat of the back row. This really cracked Mom up when I told her "this is what I used to see as a kid... the back of your heads." :)
I met Jeanne and Claire at Ballereana Dance Studio to start our series of photos. We were supposed to be the only ones there, as Claire had reserved the studio for photos from 8 to 10 AM. No such luck, apparently. There was a Zumba class scheduled for 8:15 AM, and yep, they did their Zumba despite our plans. So... we had to wait. There was no sense in wasting time though, so we shot in a much smaller room that was painted red and had a ballet bar in it. We got some very "moody" shots, and frankly, I'm so excited to see them!
After the Zumba ladies danced their way out of "our" studio, we set up a few fun shots of Claire at the ballet bar there. The window light was there, but nearly unusable because of the dark skies and rain clouds hovering overhead. Jeanne posed as an assistant for me, outside, in the drizzle, holding my amber covered flash. Thanks Jeanne!! ;)
After we finished up at the studio, we shot around Sioux Falls, first at a bridge in the drizzle then at the amphitheatre, then did a few shots downtown at a location that Jeanne had scoped out. We took the last shots at the hotel that I'm staying in, in the lobby. What fun we had!!! I can't wait to work on the images when I get home, I must say that I haven't even peeked at them yet! I'm dying!
I met up with my parents who had taken my kids to lunch at Cracker Barrel, and off we drove to Chamberlain. I think my parents must have sprinkled some Ambien on their grilled cheeses, both of them fell asleep immediately in the car and stayed asleep for two hours to Chamberlain. Kaitlyn was sound asleep, still, when I woke her up at Casey's Welcome West. It was a very relaxing drive.
Aaaahhh, Chamberlain. Easy life, nice people, beautiful river and scenery, and GREAT pie. :) We spent the next few days at Cedar Shore hotel along with a slew of people there to celebrate the 4th of July. Most everyone was able to attend the reunion except Mike Casey and is family. We missed them desperately, and said a blessing and cheered them around the table at Terry and Sharon's house that night before dinner.
We all gathered at Terry and Sharon's house for lasagna and good laughs, and to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. They even had a BAR set up outside in their back yard! What an awesome idea!! The kids played their hearts out, and we had such a great time catching up with everyone. Mom and I got to give Terry and Sharon the book that we had worked on together "Fifty Reasons Why We Love Terry and Sharon". We got input from a lot of people in the family for our top 50 reasons why we love them so much. They loved the book, I'm so happy Mom and I got that accomplished!
That night was another restless night for James. He tossed and turned in his bed (and was talking in his sleep) until 3 AM when I finally realized that I should probably give him some Tylenol. That worked... and we all slept comfortably until 7:30 or so. Needless to say, I was a bit of a wench that day... so tired and not really in the mood to celebrate. But, all of that changed as time passed in the day and we had a happy 4th of July. It was great to see cousins and play with everyone, even if we didn't quite get to chat as long as I had wanted.
The kids got to stay up late for the fireworks show. It didn't start until 10:20 and even I was starting to get bleary eyed. The fireworks were great, the kids weren't even scared. They were further away this year than usual, which was a great thing. I think they nearly blew up the marina last year. ;) Ha.
Courtney and me in Chamberlain. Fun fun!
I was giving Kaitlyn cake, and with every bite she would say, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?" from her low tones up to her highest tones.
Mom at the piano at St. James Catholic Church in Chamberlain, SD. They had a mass in celebration of Terry and Sharon's 50th Anniversary, but I wasn't able to attend. :(
Dad, me, James and Kaitlyn on the Cedar Shore marina walkway.
James, Pops, Grandma and Kaitlyn on the dock.
James runs up and down the ramp, fulfilling his need to obsess with ramps on a daily basis.
Mr. and Mrs. Terry Casey. Congrats on your 50th! We love you!
Kevin and kids at Cedar Shore Bar-b-que on the 4th.
Kev and Ben.
Me and Bonna Casey.
Kari (Matt's fiance), Jeanne, Maggie, Molly and me during the bbq.
Kaitlyn saying hi to Sutton.
Run, James, run!
Strong Ben!
Kevin enjoying some sports on the lawn.
Jack and James chillin'.
Cameron giving James a piggy back ride.
Fireworks time! FINALLY!
Happy 4th of July!
Cookie monster.
The old Chamberlain bridge, slated to be demo'd this week. Mom says she remembers this bridge from when she was little.
My parents... this was the view I always had when growing up and riding in the middle seat of the back row. This really cracked Mom up when I told her "this is what I used to see as a kid... the back of your heads." :)Sunday, July 5, 2009
Onward, to South Dakota!
We said goodbye to the Neiperts and Grandma Marilyn on Tuesday, and when we dropped them off at the airport, Kaitlyn cried. I'm not sure if it was related to the fact that they were leaving, or that she couldn't get out of the car and go with them. She cried and whined for nearly 5 minutes on the way home, so I kept repeating what she was saying. "I'm gonna miss Grandma! I'm gonna miss Bennett! I'm gonna miss Harrison! I'm gonna miss Aunt Beth!" For 5 minutes.
The rest of that evening I spent time packing and getting things ready for our trip to South Dakota. Nathan wasn't able to take more time off of work, so I decided to try traveling with the kids alone. I got us packed along with a bunch of photo equipment to photograph senior photos of my cousin Jeanne's daughter Claire. I can't believe that girl is going to be a senior in high school next year... it seems to me like it was not so long ago that I remember her as a beautiful toddler. Now, here she is, a grown up girl, and still beautiful. I can't wait to work on her photos when I get home.
Anyway, I got side tracked. The kids and I left Florida on Wednesday and headed on Allegiant on a direct flight to Sioux Falls. What a great thing. I heart Allegiant for having direct flights. The plane ride went smoothly, with naps for both kids, and a little iPod action for me. No complaints, really.
After the flight we headed over to my Uncle Todd and Aunt Patty's house for pizza and fruit (and BEER). Jason was there, as well as Kevin and his kids (they were on our flight). We had a good time letting the kids run around outside and play. By the time we got to the hotel, unloaded our bags, changed rooms due to AC problems and then got into bed, the kids were exhausted. I was too. We had a good night of sleep though and were rested for the next day's fun.
On Thursday we had a lazy morning and then headed over to see my Grandma Doris (my dad's mom, and only living grandparent). She is living in an independent living facility in Sioux Falls that is brand new and absolutely gorgeous. I asked her if she was happy there, and she said, "Well if I can't be at my house, this is where I want to be." So that's great. GREAT. She really enjoys being there, and now that she's in Sioux Falls, it's easier for her family to go see her.
Kevin and his kids, my parents and my kids and I went over to her house for the later part of the morning. We were given the grand tour (we even saw where they show movies and play Wii bowling), and then hung out on the lawn in the sun and watched the kids play football and play with rocks. Perfect South Dakota weather. It was hot, but cool enough to be comfortable in the shade.
Great Grandma Doris and 5 of her great grandchildren.
Grandma Doris and Cameron.
Kevin, Grandma and me.
Kevin, Grandma and Ben.
Kevin, Grandma and Jack.
James and Kaitlyn were playing with the rocks, and putting them down in the holes.
Cameron told us that Uncle Todd taught her how to throw the football the right way. Uncle Todd should have been a quarterback I guess because he taught Cam how to LAUNCH the thing. Good job Cam!
After a much needed lunch at Culver's and naps at the hotel, we went BACK to Culver's to get ice cream for the kids. We were on our way to Jeanne's house, so we went through the drive through. I ordered them chocolate shakes, and pleasantly, to my surprise, they were able to make them just like James wanted it... with M&M's in it. What a mess Kaitlyn made in the back seat. I got them shakes in the first place thinking that they would have normal lids on them with straws in them. No, instead, they had lids like you get on a mocha, with the dome and a gigantic hole in the center. Dang. I removed the spoons from the shakes (licked them clean! :)), and left the straws in there and told the kids to drink it through the straw. Alas, as usual, I forgot I was talking to a 2 year old, who didn't pay any attention to my directions and was trying to use her straw as a spoon to scoop it into her mouth. Yep. Chocolate shake... everywhere. Awesome. Of course by the time I had noticed what she was doing it had been long enough for her to drip all over. At that point, there was nothing I could do besides let her finish it. I got the car cleaned up when we got to Jeanne's house. Sigh.
The kids had an excellent time at Jeanne's house jumping on their trampoline and then having a water balloon fight. Fun in the sun! Mom, Molly, Courtney and Jeanne and I sat on the porch and sipped our cold drinks while the kids played. Ryan and Kevin were out throwing the baseball and then had a small soccer game going on with the Hassel girls and Kevin's kids.
At one point, James was left alone playing with the hose that had filled up all of the water balloons. He turned around and said, "Friends? Where did all my friends go?" Oh it was so cute and sad at the same time.
Anna, Maria, Kaitlyn, James, Gabe, Alex, Cameron and Jack fill up water balloons.
Molly and Courtney chilling in SD.
Molly and Mom.
Alex Powell was so much fun for the camera!
Cameron told me about a small spider web near the hose what was covered in droplets, so we photographed it. Good luck seeing the web... :).
For dinner that evening, we were hosted by Dick and Bev for sloppy Joe's. The kids didn't eat much, which turned out to be a problem later in the evening. We had a good time chatting and laughing as usual. When we got back to the hotel, James was complaining of a sore throat so I gave him some ibuprofen and put them to bed. The problem? James was up at 12:30 AM throwing up. He threw up three times in an hour and then finally settled back down for the rest of the night. Poor thing... stupid mama. Never again will I give him ibuprofen on an empty stomach.
This blog is getting long, so I'm going to divide it into parts. Keep reading! :)
The rest of that evening I spent time packing and getting things ready for our trip to South Dakota. Nathan wasn't able to take more time off of work, so I decided to try traveling with the kids alone. I got us packed along with a bunch of photo equipment to photograph senior photos of my cousin Jeanne's daughter Claire. I can't believe that girl is going to be a senior in high school next year... it seems to me like it was not so long ago that I remember her as a beautiful toddler. Now, here she is, a grown up girl, and still beautiful. I can't wait to work on her photos when I get home.
Anyway, I got side tracked. The kids and I left Florida on Wednesday and headed on Allegiant on a direct flight to Sioux Falls. What a great thing. I heart Allegiant for having direct flights. The plane ride went smoothly, with naps for both kids, and a little iPod action for me. No complaints, really.
After the flight we headed over to my Uncle Todd and Aunt Patty's house for pizza and fruit (and BEER). Jason was there, as well as Kevin and his kids (they were on our flight). We had a good time letting the kids run around outside and play. By the time we got to the hotel, unloaded our bags, changed rooms due to AC problems and then got into bed, the kids were exhausted. I was too. We had a good night of sleep though and were rested for the next day's fun.
On Thursday we had a lazy morning and then headed over to see my Grandma Doris (my dad's mom, and only living grandparent). She is living in an independent living facility in Sioux Falls that is brand new and absolutely gorgeous. I asked her if she was happy there, and she said, "Well if I can't be at my house, this is where I want to be." So that's great. GREAT. She really enjoys being there, and now that she's in Sioux Falls, it's easier for her family to go see her.
Kevin and his kids, my parents and my kids and I went over to her house for the later part of the morning. We were given the grand tour (we even saw where they show movies and play Wii bowling), and then hung out on the lawn in the sun and watched the kids play football and play with rocks. Perfect South Dakota weather. It was hot, but cool enough to be comfortable in the shade.
Great Grandma Doris and 5 of her great grandchildren.
Grandma Doris and Cameron.
Kevin, Grandma and me.
Kevin, Grandma and Ben.
Kevin, Grandma and Jack.
James and Kaitlyn were playing with the rocks, and putting them down in the holes.
Cameron told us that Uncle Todd taught her how to throw the football the right way. Uncle Todd should have been a quarterback I guess because he taught Cam how to LAUNCH the thing. Good job Cam!After a much needed lunch at Culver's and naps at the hotel, we went BACK to Culver's to get ice cream for the kids. We were on our way to Jeanne's house, so we went through the drive through. I ordered them chocolate shakes, and pleasantly, to my surprise, they were able to make them just like James wanted it... with M&M's in it. What a mess Kaitlyn made in the back seat. I got them shakes in the first place thinking that they would have normal lids on them with straws in them. No, instead, they had lids like you get on a mocha, with the dome and a gigantic hole in the center. Dang. I removed the spoons from the shakes (licked them clean! :)), and left the straws in there and told the kids to drink it through the straw. Alas, as usual, I forgot I was talking to a 2 year old, who didn't pay any attention to my directions and was trying to use her straw as a spoon to scoop it into her mouth. Yep. Chocolate shake... everywhere. Awesome. Of course by the time I had noticed what she was doing it had been long enough for her to drip all over. At that point, there was nothing I could do besides let her finish it. I got the car cleaned up when we got to Jeanne's house. Sigh.
The kids had an excellent time at Jeanne's house jumping on their trampoline and then having a water balloon fight. Fun in the sun! Mom, Molly, Courtney and Jeanne and I sat on the porch and sipped our cold drinks while the kids played. Ryan and Kevin were out throwing the baseball and then had a small soccer game going on with the Hassel girls and Kevin's kids.
At one point, James was left alone playing with the hose that had filled up all of the water balloons. He turned around and said, "Friends? Where did all my friends go?" Oh it was so cute and sad at the same time.
Anna, Maria, Kaitlyn, James, Gabe, Alex, Cameron and Jack fill up water balloons.
Molly and Courtney chilling in SD.
Molly and Mom.
Alex Powell was so much fun for the camera!
Cameron told me about a small spider web near the hose what was covered in droplets, so we photographed it. Good luck seeing the web... :).This blog is getting long, so I'm going to divide it into parts. Keep reading! :)
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Sand castles and kayaks.
Sand castle time!
The "babies" were in charge of shoveling sand into the bucket.
That's Marilyn out in the kayak.
Group shot! All who built the castle say, "AYE!"
Bennett's turn?
Time for a little bit of a show... or movie. Disney's Incredibles.
Silly kids. Bennett and Kaitlyn were playing with each other so well today, running around, pushing each other around, kicking each other. It sounds like I'm kidding, but I'm not. They were roughhousing and enjoying it, laughing so hard!
Adorable "Harrison John Deere Green." He told us today he wanted his name to be John Deere Green. Apparently, that is his favorite country song. I overheard him playing a few minutes ago and he was calling himself "Harrison John Deere Green." :)
Sweet Bennett... chewing on a pool toy!Saturday, June 27, 2009
A few from today... only a few... I'm tired and going to bed.
As you can see from the photos, we had a very long day on the beach. God gave us a beautiful display of clouds today, along with plenty of sun and even some dolphins swimming near the shore. What a beautiful day!
James got his wish, we went to the pool first today.
Mommy? Mommy? Where's my Mommy?
Harrison and James LOVED jumping in the waves. Even more, they loved going out into the water with us holding them. Beth and I are stunned that James is liking the beach so much.
Jump James!
Check out the clouds in these photos!
James got his wish, we went to the pool first today.
Mommy? Mommy? Where's my Mommy?
Harrison and James LOVED jumping in the waves. Even more, they loved going out into the water with us holding them. Beth and I are stunned that James is liking the beach so much.
Jump James!
Check out the clouds in these photos!
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