To Papaw and Grandma Debbie's House We Go

Who wouldn't want to travel with this crew?

Road Trip

Wish us luck we are heading to Kansas on a road trip. We are leaving the others behind while Bryson and I hit the open road alone. What will I do with silence in the car? Enjoy it, that's what!

Freemont Santa Train

I surprised the kids with a ride on the Santa Train this year. Rob had to work all weekend so I decided we could spend some time on a train with friends. Mason was really excited to be riding on a train. He is clapping in his excitement.

Santa came through and visited all the kids. Ellery wasn't really that excited to see Santa and she refused to come over and join in on our Santa photo. The ride was 2 hours, a bit long, but we brought friends and things to do to help pass the time. Even a train loses it luster after two hours.

Cafe Mason

We found Tiernan's Pub and also Cafe Mason while out in San Fran. We now have a goal to find a Bryson or Ellery restaurant.

Muir Woods and Sausalito

While Rob was busy with is conference I took a bus tour to Muir Woods and Sausalito. I was able to walk through the woods and see the 700-1000 year old redwoods. They were spectacular and it was such a peaceful walk. Bryson was awake for most of the walk and what a beautiful view he had. I wish I could have been pushed around on my back looking up at these magnificent trees.
We left the woods and let me tell you the signs looked like something Ellery would draw. Hair pen turns and squiggly turns and luckily I got on the small bus instead of the big tour bus sized ones. I am not sure how the large tour buses go through those turns. I am just glad Bryson and I were on the short bus!




















We then went to Sausalito. There is a peace to Sausalito as well and I hear it was a wonderful place in its prime. The view is spectacular and the shopping was fun, but I think Internet really hurt some of these unique shops. It was fun looking at them, but it wasn't anything you couldn't find on the Internet. You can even get great art on the Internet now. What they did have was a Chinese massage parlor right on the strip of shopping. I pulled the stroller in so fast I could have given Bryson whip lash. I signed up for a 30 minute foot rub and I would have done more, but I had to be back on the bus in 30 min. I didn't get a "happy" ending, but I was in heaven being rubbed by big strong man hands.

Chinatown

Bryson and I headed to Chinatown after we hit the more traditional shops in Union Square. I was in a scarf buying mood and found some beautiful scarves for a really good deal. Bryson started crying in the process and the dealer started clapping her hands loudly and speaking to Bryson in Chinese.
I also was told to check out the fortune cookie factory. Bryson and I headed deep into Chinatown to find this factory. Since they used the word factory I was thinking it would take up a bit of a city block. I was wrong..After getting lost due to the fact that I was looking for a "factory" and I was deep into Chinatown where no one was speaking English or understanding a word I was saying. We are talking funny mystery things were hanging in the windows. I finally found a family whose 5 year old boy did some interpreting and put me in the right direction.

I headed up this "shady" alley to find the factory. Note the fancy graffiti.

It was a tiny room and very hot inside. I had uncovered Bryson because it was so warm and I woke him up. The Chinese lady inside started telling me "baby cold, cover him up" then went into a clapping fit and speaking to him in Chinese to comfort him. Must be something about clapping at a baby in the Chinese culture. I would love to know what they were saying to him.

This is how the fortune cookie is made. It comes off this hot press and the lady pulls the flat cookie off and puts the fortune inside. Then she folds it in half and then folds it over the metal bar and places it in the tray to cool. I was allowed to write my own fortunes and put them inside the cookie for only 50 cents a cookie. What a deal. I was shocked the factory was so small. She has a nice view of the graffiti in the alley.

Blue Grass Festival Take 2

Rob had official conference meetings today so Bryson and I were left to explore the city on our own. I decided we would hit the Blue Grass Festival again. My line up consisted of Indigo Girls, Randy Newman, Elvis Costello, and Patti Smith. Rob was jealous that I was going to get experience all these artists in one day without him. Bryson and I hit the public transportation circuit and made a few friends along the way. I should have taken pictures, but I failed to take any except when I was skipping out a bit early. See the sea of people, it was outrageous and tons of fun. I did learn that over 750 thousand people attended the event last year on one day. Also, Warren Hellman is a financial guru and gives this festival to the city every year for free in celebration of his birthday. This was the 10th year. My first acquaintance I made was a man named, Tim, openly gay and in his 60's. We had a great conversation on the bus and found out we were both heading to the same stage to start our day. He felt compelled to walk with me and show me the way. I didn't have the heart to tell him I knew exactly where to go, but it was nice knowing he was so willing to help. It was a shocker to him that I was from Omaha, NE and venturing out into the city on my own with a small child. I didn't ask him why, but I assume he stereotypes the midwest and pictures me being barefoot and pregnant. I did run into him a few times and it was fun saying "why hello Tim". I next met up with some hippies. I think they might have been some of the original hippies from the 70's just living like it is still 1977. I found a picnic table tucked away in the corner and used it as a changing table and was sitting with Bryson enjoying the music when the hippies joined us. They openly took out their marijuana and placed it on the table and rolled themselves a fat one. They were well mannered and offered some to me, I declined and pointed to the baby. They also would go into the woods to smoke it so Bryson and I didn't get a contact high. Oh so very thoughtful of them. We were also joined by an old man named Bruce who was carrying his body weight in cans of alcohol he bought at the nearby quickie mart. I really should have taken a picture of the eclectic group we made. It was a great time listening to the music and enjoying conversations with my new acquaintances for the day.
Lastly, my public transportation story. The bus would get packed on the way to and from the festival. I learned that it gets so packed that they the bus doesn't stop at other stops unless someone is getting off due to the fact we are packed in like sardines. I decided to walk through the park and get on the bus prior to a few other festival stops so I could get a seat since I had Bryson strapped to me. I was successful and by the 3rd stop the bus was filled. We are cruising home and not having to stop much due to full capacity when we stop all the sudden and the driver dons on big black gloves and pulls a crank on the back of the bus. Bad news, our bus broke down and I am supposed to be meeting Rob. I allotted enough time for a non broken bus. We all get off the bus and some people start walking to a different station immediately. I keep hope that a bus will come and not be as full so I can hop on, wrong. When the fifth bus passed without even a brake, I decided to get creative and walk off the beatin path a few blocks and hop on another bus. I have no idea where it is taking me. Rob was texting me and asked where I was and how much longer I would be, and I responded with I am on an adventure. My adventure worked out for me. I ended up on the other side of the street from where my original bus would have dropped me off. BONUS, I have to admit, I was a bit nervous. Plus I was only a few minutes late in meeting Rob. That is because I didn't stop by the hotel to freshin up

Wine Country

We were going to rent a car and drive up to wine country, but then decided to do the tourist bus trip. We could sip our wine without dumping because we could walk back to the bus to take us to our next winery. We just carted Bryson along. We did get a few high fives along the way along with strange judgment stares from people. We hung with the high fivers over the staring people. We hit a few winers both quaint and small along with big and commercialized. We were able to taste in both Napa and Sonoma. It was a great day. We also ate lunch in Yountville where they have a wonderful bakery. I stood in line for a good 10 min and it was well worth it. It is called Bouchon, and they have a signature chocolate treat called the Bouchon that is to die for. I am thinking about ordering something in the mail just to get another tasty treat, I'll have to look to see if they even offer this option.

Trip to San Fran

Rob had a conference in San Francisco and Bryson and I decided to tag along. A big thanks to Uncle Tom and Aunt Laurie for taking our other two for the week so Rob and I could have some time to ourselves. Well, we had Bryson with us, but since he is our 3rd and can't tell us no, sleep almost anyplace, eats what I eat, and easy to bring along we found it a semi vacation. He was a great traveler and only cried on the plane for less than a minute. People would ask how old he was and we already know how those responses went. I did tell a fib once and say he was 4 months old just to see the reaction and I am not surprised that I didn't get a reaction. They had no idea that I just lied to them. Anyways, he was a great travel companion and it was nice to be able to devout some time just to him. I didn't have to put him down to chase after another kid. I got to spoil him and love on just him. It was fun pretending that he was my only child for a few days, although I did find myself in conversations with people and I would some how find a way to say that he was my third. It was more in the times when we were out with him in a bar, late at night, or in a place where we probably wouldn't have been with our first child. It is true, you get relaxed with the more you have.

Daddy Fun

Rob took a trip to DC through his FBI Citizen Academy contacts. He had a wonderful time and I am lucky he is over the age limit to join the FBI or he might have decided on a career change. They did some normal tourist sites, but were able to get some VIP access in the White House. Might not be too impressive, but they did get to sit in the office chairs and desk of Speaker of the House etc etc. They went though FBI head quarters and met the Director of the FBI and then got to tour Quantico. A dream come true for Rob. We now have to refer to Rob as Special Agent Rob.

On the Road Again

We headed up to Sioux Falls for a follow up eye appt and to visit Tom and Laurie. The kids packed themselves into their car seats with all sorts of blankies and animals. They actually napped and held onto most of it. I think they would have brought more if I didn't cut them off. We had a wonderful time visiting with everyone and Cody even came up from the farm to golf with Rob and Tom. It is really nice only being 3 hours away.
We thought we would get to meet baby Seth who was due on the 23rd, but has still not arrived. We hoped he would arrive while we were visiting, but no such luck.
My eyes checked out great. I can see 20/20 with both eyes and my right eye looks good and might need some tweaking in the future, but it is still in the healing process. We get to go back in two months and then we should be able to see where my eyesight will finally settle at.

Another Trip up North

While Rob worked all weekend Grandma Ellen and I loaded up the kids and headed north to Sioux Falls. Tom and Laurie hadn't seen the kids since they watched them in Sept. Uncle Tom said he was going through some kid withdrawal. We had a fabulous time visiting and everyone enjoyed our company as we did theirs. Well, maybe Carson, the dog, wasn't thrilled with the kids being back, but I do think Carson enjoyed cleaning up the floors after my children sat at the table. He even would sneak up to the table and try to sit with Mason. Carson is Laurie's empty nest pet, we predict Carson is in for a rude awakening when Laurie's first grand baby arrives in April.

Tuckered Out

After looking at the weather we had to spend an extra day in Wichita due to ice and blowing snow in Nebraska. We decided to take the kids swimming the morning before we left to wear them out and it was a successful mission. On our ride home the kids fell fast asleep and slept longer than usual.

Visit to KC

We headed down to KC this past weekend and had a wonderful time visiting Kim, Ben, and Cora. Something must be wrong with me because I didn't take very many pictures and Cora would run away every time I brought the camera out. Usually I would stock her or the subject until I got my shot, but I let it be. Not usually like me, but I'll take it. Kim said she got one of Mason and Cora together, so I will have to get that one from her to share.
We had a fabulous time gorging on food all weekend. We hit BBQ the first night and got a baby sitter on night two and went out for dinner and listened to some jazz. We also ended the night with a chocolate bag, yummy. It might be my favorite dessert of all time, and I am lucky I have to drive 3 hours for it or I would eat it all the time.
Saturday morning we all loaded up and headed to Union Station and looked at the miniature trains they put up for the holidays. Mason loved it , and this is when I broke out the camera. I was unsuccessful at catching the kids running and stopping to look at the trains, but they all loved it. The kids all wanted to bring an animal friend with them on the excursion and they all ended up in the stroller. I wanted one of us to just walk around the venue alone with the dolls in the stroller to see what kind of looks we would get, but I didn't have any takers on the idea. Rob did watch the stroller and animals while the kids ran around the exhibit. Rob and Ben watched the kids on Sat. afternoon while Kim and I went out for some girl time. Surprisingly we went shoe shopping, not so shocking for Kim, but it is for me. This is the second time I have gone shopping with Kim where I have purchased something and she showed restraint. That is not the norm, usually it is reversed. I blame my new shoe love on those darn red ones I got for the gala.
The kids had a good time playing all weekend and Ellery enjoyed loving on Cora's animals. We are getting ready to depart and she is giving back Cora her animal blanket. Cora likes to dress herself and wears a tutu and leotard when she can. At one point she had made a head scarf out of the animal blanket that Ellery is giving her back. It has inspired me to finally let Ellery choose her own bow for the day, so if you find Mason and Ellery in mismatched clothes, it is because they are sporting their own creativity. Maybe the three of them will have a fashion line someday!

Trip to Nana's

I decided we needed a change of scenery and loaded the kids up and headed down to Nana's for a visit. Fun travels for me and the kids. It is only a 5 hour drive and I am blessed with good kids and good traveling kids.

Visit with Papaw

We made a detour on our road trip in Salina, KS to eat lunch with Papaw and Grandma Debbie. Our fine dining experience happened at McDonald's in the play place room. We decided to let Mason blow off some energy while we all chatted. Papaw spoiled him with Thomas the Train trains that make noises and light up. Mason played with them in the car latter and he would say "thank you papaw" out of the blue. I think he really likes them.
It was fun watching Mason in the play area. They had a spiral stair case that went up really high and Mason started climbing it but then realized he was getting a bit high so he stopped and came back down. He wanted to go higher but it just took him 20 minutes to warm up to going higher and higher. He would climb up a step further each time and then say "look at me" then climb back down play in other areas and then turn around and do it again until he finally reached the top. He did reach the top but he didn't go into the crawling tubes, maybe next trip.

Road Trip

We took a road trip home this weekend to visit family. The kids did great in the car and we were able to go 3-4 hours in the car without stopping. We did however have to listen to Wheels on the Bus and Old McDonald more times than I can count. We made a fun kid song CD for Mason but he requests his favorites over and over and over and over again. We did break down and finally give him the portable DVD player. I am thinking I am going to give him lessons on the IPOD for future trips and go with having to just listen to him sing without the song itself.

Weekend Trip

We took a weekend trip to Sioux Falls, SD to visit Rob's brother. The purpose of our trip was to watch Marina play soccer and we were happy to watch two games. Mason was thrilled to watch her play and she was sweet enough to wave to him from the field. Rob took Mason out on the field at half time to let him kick the ball around and they both enjoyed it. I see Rob coaching a toddler soccer team in Rob's future and spare time. Uncle Tom also enjoyed playing and cuddling with the kids during the game. Ellery did great with everyone and Aunt Laurie enjoyed her as well. We think Laurie and Tom need grand kids soon, but we enjoy them spoiling our children in the mean time. We are giving them good practice for the future. They have toys, pack and plays, and baby gates. They claim the baby gate is for the dog.

We also got girl time and boy time. Laurie and I went out to lunch and left the kids with the boys and then the girls stayed home while the boys went out for golf.

It was great seeing everyone and catching up. Ed and Laine were able to come up and eat dinner with us along with Jenna and Bryan. Grandma Ellen also drove up to see everyone after being back in the country from her Holland bike trip for less than 24 hours. We all sat around the table eating and telling stories while Ellery was stuck up at the bar by herself. I don't think it phased her a bit, she had her puffs and was happy.

Travels Back to Omaha

We are traveling back to Omaha for a big shopping spree. We are going house hunting. Our house is still on the market in Milwaukee, but we hope that will change soon. Our flights are non-stop this time so that will make our travels much easier. Mason enjoyed the colors and the chocolate chip cookies provided my Midwest Express. Most kids fall asleep on the plane, but not ours. Neither one of them slept on the flights, they didn't want to miss any action. Ellery was a champ and smiled and cooed her way through the flight. Mason didn't seem scared this time when we took off and didn't say all done over and over until the last flight home. He was getting restless and kept saying all done as if it would make the flight done and he could get up out of his seat and off the plane.

He did accomplish a milestone while on the plane. He can say all of his other basic colors, but won't say yellow. He can pick it out for you, but is never correct in telling you the color until our plane ride. We were playing with colors and he said yellow for us. More like yallow, but he still said it.