Day two at Disneyworld was much more relaxing than day one. You are right Erin, MGM is a lot smaller than the Magic Kingdom. We did ride the Great Movie Ride and it was fun. Jim and Laura rode the Tower of Terror and loved it better than the Disneyland version. We ate lunch at the Brown Derby, shopped some and then went to the Playhouse Disney show. Jack loved to see all the Playhouse characters that we see every single day. There was Jo Jo, Stanley, Bear, and Winnie the Pooh. Lots of fun for the toddler set, however, Laura was sitting there thinking "this is soooo lame". But I had fun hehe.
When we went to the Animation area, there were Leo, Quincy and Annie from Little Einsteins and stupid me left the camera in the stroller outside. I also missed the camera opportunity for Mr. and Mrs. Incredible and Jo Jo and Lightning McQueen from the movie Cars. But I am not sure if Jack would have cozied up to any of the characters because he still looks at them with disdain. I am pretty sure he doesn't trust them at this point.
We were in MGM only about 5 hours and came back to the condo and pretty much collapsed. Jack slept about 2 hours while the rest of us laid around being ultra lazy. That was fun after the all the craziness of Disney. After dinner, we went swimming and Jack is absolutely loving the pool these days. And Laura, well she is now known as the "Sissy Fish". The girl could live in a pool if we let her.
Tomorrow we will say good bye to Disneyworld and head back west. We have been watching the news and between flooding and fires, not sure which way to go. But no matter what, we are in for some really long hours in the car. Yay!
Probably no more updates until we get back to California. I am not really looking forward to getting back cause I know all the work that is in store for me in regards to getting ready to move. Can't somebody else do it all? Please?
Anyway, signing off till we get back to the other coast.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
We Made It!
14 hours of Disneyworld that is. Yes that is right, we just spent the last FOURTEEN HOURS at the Magic Kingdom. AND Jack had NO nap. An amazing feat and the most amazing thing? There were no major temper tantrums other than the normal stubborn toddler stuff. A much better day than yesterday - thank goodness!
We had fun and rode lots of rides. The big highlights were the Buzz Lightyear, Goofy roller coaster, small world, Enchanted Tiki Room, Jungle Cruise, Magic Carpet, Haunted Mansion and various other rides that I can not remember at the moment. We also saw the Country Bear Jamboree and the Mickey's Philhamagic shows. Cute. We also had ice cream floats that of course was a big hit with Jack.
It was very very hot and humid. I think we all sweated about a gallon today. About 6 pm, it started to pour, which was good timing because it was time to eat anyway. But we still got drenched. The kids were running around in the rain while Jim and I were running for cover. It felt good for the first 2 minutes after being so hot, but then it was just not good. But it only lasted an hour and soon were back out walking.
Jack's new word of the day was "OW OW OW". Everytime we tried to grab him from running away, he would say "ow ow ow" like we were abusing the child. And his little stubborn streak came out and did NOT want to hold our hand. Independent one that child.
We stayed for the parade and fireworks at the end. The parade was pretty and all, but I still think the Electric Light Parade that Disneyland had a couple of years ago was better. And of course, the fireworks were specatcular.
All day we kept comparing everything with Disneyland and usually Disneyland came up short. Every ride including Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise and Small World was better and bigger at Disney World.
We are off tomorrow to MGM Studios. Laura all but begged to not spend all day there tomorrow. I think we had two very exhausted kids at the end. And also two very exhausted parents. I tell ya, Disney is fun, but man is it work.
We had fun and rode lots of rides. The big highlights were the Buzz Lightyear, Goofy roller coaster, small world, Enchanted Tiki Room, Jungle Cruise, Magic Carpet, Haunted Mansion and various other rides that I can not remember at the moment. We also saw the Country Bear Jamboree and the Mickey's Philhamagic shows. Cute. We also had ice cream floats that of course was a big hit with Jack.
It was very very hot and humid. I think we all sweated about a gallon today. About 6 pm, it started to pour, which was good timing because it was time to eat anyway. But we still got drenched. The kids were running around in the rain while Jim and I were running for cover. It felt good for the first 2 minutes after being so hot, but then it was just not good. But it only lasted an hour and soon were back out walking.
Jack's new word of the day was "OW OW OW". Everytime we tried to grab him from running away, he would say "ow ow ow" like we were abusing the child. And his little stubborn streak came out and did NOT want to hold our hand. Independent one that child.
We stayed for the parade and fireworks at the end. The parade was pretty and all, but I still think the Electric Light Parade that Disneyland had a couple of years ago was better. And of course, the fireworks were specatcular.
All day we kept comparing everything with Disneyland and usually Disneyland came up short. Every ride including Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise and Small World was better and bigger at Disney World.
We are off tomorrow to MGM Studios. Laura all but begged to not spend all day there tomorrow. I think we had two very exhausted kids at the end. And also two very exhausted parents. I tell ya, Disney is fun, but man is it work.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Thank Goodness for Alcohol
We went to dinner with my brother and his girlfriend tonight. It was THE dinner from hell. We went with good intentions of seeing my brother and having a nice dinner and a nice talk catching up with each other. HOWEVER, the devil child also known as Jack made it absolutely horrible. I can honestly say that I have never ever ever seen him act as badly as he did tonight. EVER.
It all started with a two hour drive to the restaurant 30 miles away! Yes that is right two hours to go 30 miles. Orlando traffic is worst than LA traffic and THAT is saying alot. Oh my gah. And Jack? Yeah he was crying and screaming the whole way. Even the movie Brother Bear couldn't make him happy. So by the time we get there, he is in a very foul mood and I just knew it was going to be bad. And it was. The boy screamed, whined, squirmed, jumped, and basically acted like a demon for almost the entire meal. Tim and I could barely say anything to each other without me constantly saying "Sit Down Jack" "No Jack" "Stop that Jack" and giving him swats on the butt. I wasn't going to drink but Tim handed over his sake to me and I sure did appreciate it.
When we got back to the condo, we went to the little convenient store next door and stocked up on beer and wine coolers. Ahhh. A great ending to a very very long and turbulent day.
We did go to Chef Mickey's for brunch. If you haven't been to Chef Mickey's before, it is a buffet that is totally catered to kids where the characters come out and say hi. Jack was scared of them and pretended like they did not exist when they came to our table. He just stared straight ahead and you could see him thinking "if I don't move, maybe they will go away". We did manage to get a few pictures that I will post when I get home.
The buffet has things like peanut butter, chocolate chip, and jelly pizza, gummy worm chocolate pudding, and other assorted sugar filled foods. We let the kids eat whatever they wanted in whatever quantities they wanted. After all you only go to Disneyworld every so often right? Ummm... Big Mistake! For Jim, Laura, and myself it meant really bad stomach aches about 2 hours later. And we didn't really eat that much junk in comparison to Jack. For Jack after consuming approximately 3 lbs of sugar went on a sugar high that I have never ever seen. I mean really the kid was a blur and he turned into this super-human with strength like superman and could run just as fast as him. He was fascinated with the monorail, so we thought we would go ride it around and thought he would really enjoy that. Ummm. Nope. He thought it was cool for about 30 seconds but when he found out that we didn't let him run around on his own in the crowded monorail car or he couldn't do leaps off the bench, he decided to throw a huge temper tantrum. I am pretty sure that the childless couple sitting next to us were thanking their lucky stars that they didn't have children and after seeing Jack, probably never will. After the monorail, we could not get back to the condo fast enough. He went to sleep in the short drive and thought he would sleep it off. Think again. He woke up about 15 minutes later raring to go. And it was all downhill from there culminating in me drinking large quantities of alcohol.
Whoohoo gotta love Disney with a two-year-old. I think I grew a huge patch of gray hair in the last 12 hours.
It all started with a two hour drive to the restaurant 30 miles away! Yes that is right two hours to go 30 miles. Orlando traffic is worst than LA traffic and THAT is saying alot. Oh my gah. And Jack? Yeah he was crying and screaming the whole way. Even the movie Brother Bear couldn't make him happy. So by the time we get there, he is in a very foul mood and I just knew it was going to be bad. And it was. The boy screamed, whined, squirmed, jumped, and basically acted like a demon for almost the entire meal. Tim and I could barely say anything to each other without me constantly saying "Sit Down Jack" "No Jack" "Stop that Jack" and giving him swats on the butt. I wasn't going to drink but Tim handed over his sake to me and I sure did appreciate it.
When we got back to the condo, we went to the little convenient store next door and stocked up on beer and wine coolers. Ahhh. A great ending to a very very long and turbulent day.
We did go to Chef Mickey's for brunch. If you haven't been to Chef Mickey's before, it is a buffet that is totally catered to kids where the characters come out and say hi. Jack was scared of them and pretended like they did not exist when they came to our table. He just stared straight ahead and you could see him thinking "if I don't move, maybe they will go away". We did manage to get a few pictures that I will post when I get home.
The buffet has things like peanut butter, chocolate chip, and jelly pizza, gummy worm chocolate pudding, and other assorted sugar filled foods. We let the kids eat whatever they wanted in whatever quantities they wanted. After all you only go to Disneyworld every so often right? Ummm... Big Mistake! For Jim, Laura, and myself it meant really bad stomach aches about 2 hours later. And we didn't really eat that much junk in comparison to Jack. For Jack after consuming approximately 3 lbs of sugar went on a sugar high that I have never ever seen. I mean really the kid was a blur and he turned into this super-human with strength like superman and could run just as fast as him. He was fascinated with the monorail, so we thought we would go ride it around and thought he would really enjoy that. Ummm. Nope. He thought it was cool for about 30 seconds but when he found out that we didn't let him run around on his own in the crowded monorail car or he couldn't do leaps off the bench, he decided to throw a huge temper tantrum. I am pretty sure that the childless couple sitting next to us were thanking their lucky stars that they didn't have children and after seeing Jack, probably never will. After the monorail, we could not get back to the condo fast enough. He went to sleep in the short drive and thought he would sleep it off. Think again. He woke up about 15 minutes later raring to go. And it was all downhill from there culminating in me drinking large quantities of alcohol.
Whoohoo gotta love Disney with a two-year-old. I think I grew a huge patch of gray hair in the last 12 hours.
Hello from Florida!
Well we made it to Florida. We did the coast to coast drive. We have logged 4200 miles on the van since leaving California over a week ago. It has been quite the trip and I have tried to journal it on the laptop.
Yesterday we left Gulfport around 11 am after Jim had a few more interview things to do for the police there. It is looking like he is going to become one of Gulfport's finest (although he has always been my finest). It also looks like I have 2 months to get back home, sell the house, pack up our crap and move our butts to Mississippi. Can you say YIKES! Oh my, my brain is just a twitter of everything that has to be done. Oh and if anybody has any tips at all on how to move 4 animals across the country - please share!
Anyway, we arrived here in the Orlando area. We are staying at this amazing condo/villa place 5 minutes from Disneyworld. We didn't get here until around 9 last night. But for only $150/night, we have a 3 bedroom condo with a computer and internet access. Yay! No longer having to ask one of Jim's siblings if I can use their computer. The kids have their own room with 2 twin beds. Jack slept really well last night for being his first time in a twin bed by himself. And we have our own master suite and our very OWN bathroom. Yay! I love visiting family, but don't you hate having to use somebody else's bathroom? You always make extra effort you don't leave any sign of you ever ever being there. And it even has a full sized washer/dryer, which is really good cause boy do we need to do laundry (ewwww). Anyway, it is really nice to be here. The kids were very happy to go swimming last night at 10. And what did Jack do while we were unloading the car? He ran around the living room and down the hall like a crazy child. I guess he needed to run off some of that pent up energy from 9 hours in the car!
We were planning on going to Disneyworld today, tomorrow, and Tuesday. But we are all exhausted. I think with the family reunion, Jim's job status, and the all the driving, we are absolutely exhausted right now. So today is going to be a kind of a leisure day. We plan to go to Chef Mickey's later for brunch. I am sure Jack is going really enjoy all the characters. Either that or the kid is going to be crying all the time because he is afraid. We shall see.
After brunch, we are just going to take it easy and maybe look around Downtown Disney or go shopping in one of those tacky souveniur stores that are lined the streets around here. We have plans to meet my brother for dinner tonight halfway to Daytona Beach where he lives.
So now I am off to try to figure out how their stupid coffee maker works cause I don't hear it making coffee like I demanded it to do. Argh I need coffee!
Yesterday we left Gulfport around 11 am after Jim had a few more interview things to do for the police there. It is looking like he is going to become one of Gulfport's finest (although he has always been my finest). It also looks like I have 2 months to get back home, sell the house, pack up our crap and move our butts to Mississippi. Can you say YIKES! Oh my, my brain is just a twitter of everything that has to be done. Oh and if anybody has any tips at all on how to move 4 animals across the country - please share!
Anyway, we arrived here in the Orlando area. We are staying at this amazing condo/villa place 5 minutes from Disneyworld. We didn't get here until around 9 last night. But for only $150/night, we have a 3 bedroom condo with a computer and internet access. Yay! No longer having to ask one of Jim's siblings if I can use their computer. The kids have their own room with 2 twin beds. Jack slept really well last night for being his first time in a twin bed by himself. And we have our own master suite and our very OWN bathroom. Yay! I love visiting family, but don't you hate having to use somebody else's bathroom? You always make extra effort you don't leave any sign of you ever ever being there. And it even has a full sized washer/dryer, which is really good cause boy do we need to do laundry (ewwww). Anyway, it is really nice to be here. The kids were very happy to go swimming last night at 10. And what did Jack do while we were unloading the car? He ran around the living room and down the hall like a crazy child. I guess he needed to run off some of that pent up energy from 9 hours in the car!
We were planning on going to Disneyworld today, tomorrow, and Tuesday. But we are all exhausted. I think with the family reunion, Jim's job status, and the all the driving, we are absolutely exhausted right now. So today is going to be a kind of a leisure day. We plan to go to Chef Mickey's later for brunch. I am sure Jack is going really enjoy all the characters. Either that or the kid is going to be crying all the time because he is afraid. We shall see.
After brunch, we are just going to take it easy and maybe look around Downtown Disney or go shopping in one of those tacky souveniur stores that are lined the streets around here. We have plans to meet my brother for dinner tonight halfway to Daytona Beach where he lives.
So now I am off to try to figure out how their stupid coffee maker works cause I don't hear it making coffee like I demanded it to do. Argh I need coffee!
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Hello From "The Gathering"
We are here at the Big C Gathering. There are roughly 35 people here for the weekend. Jack is getting soooooooo much attention from all his aunts, uncles, cousins and grammy. He is also getting spoiled to death. Grammy C bought him a batman pedal car which was the first thought he had this morning when he woke up - "Where is my car?". His other uncle bought him a cool car and somebody, not sure who, bought him some cool bulldozers.
Daddy bought him a little fishing pole to go fishing in the lake here. This morning Jack and Daddy went fishing and had a good ole time. They even went out in the row boat, but didn't catch anything.
Last night Jack and I were sleeping together because we forgot his inflatable Thomas bed in Gulfport. When we were getting in bed last night, he reached over to hug me and poked his finger in my eye and his 9-inch nails scratched my cornea. Talk about ouchie. It has been hurting all day long and I have been walking around with sunglasses looking like the druggie wife of Jim.
Other than the scratched eye, we are having fun. Laura is having a blast hanging out with her teenage cousins and pretending to be a teenager. That girl so can't wait to be a teenager. Scary. She has been in the pool all day long and I mean all day long. But in this heat and humidity, I don't blame her.
We will be leaving tomorrow night to drive back to Gulfport and then Monday we will be off to Orlando and the World of Disney with breakfast at Chef Mickey's on Tuesday. Busy busy busy.
Daddy bought him a little fishing pole to go fishing in the lake here. This morning Jack and Daddy went fishing and had a good ole time. They even went out in the row boat, but didn't catch anything.
Last night Jack and I were sleeping together because we forgot his inflatable Thomas bed in Gulfport. When we were getting in bed last night, he reached over to hug me and poked his finger in my eye and his 9-inch nails scratched my cornea. Talk about ouchie. It has been hurting all day long and I have been walking around with sunglasses looking like the druggie wife of Jim.
Other than the scratched eye, we are having fun. Laura is having a blast hanging out with her teenage cousins and pretending to be a teenager. That girl so can't wait to be a teenager. Scary. She has been in the pool all day long and I mean all day long. But in this heat and humidity, I don't blame her.
We will be leaving tomorrow night to drive back to Gulfport and then Monday we will be off to Orlando and the World of Disney with breakfast at Chef Mickey's on Tuesday. Busy busy busy.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Hello From Mississppi
We made it to Mississppi on Tuesday night. It was a very long 12 hour drive from Arkansas (the very most north west part of AR) to Gulfport area. That was a long day.
Yesterday we went to Gulfport where Jim passed his test and is one step closer to joining the police force in town. So that is exciting. While Jim was taking the test, we drove around and saw some of the utter devastation from Katrina. It is truly a sight to see. It just makes you speechless to see it in person. The old beautiful homes that have stood for over 100 years were just wiped off the face of the earth. Just awful.
We are staying with Jim's brother who lives in the area. They have an absolutely beautiful house on 18 acres. They own 5 horses and 5 Boston Terrier dogs. The dogs love Jack to death and he is now sporting more than a few scratches from the dogs. But the kid loves to get down and roll around with them on floor and giggles through all the licking.
This morning, the kids went horseback riding. Laura got on the horse first and she did quite well. She looks like a real horsewoman up there. Jack was a little bit afraid at first. He hasn't ever been that close to a horse before and I don't think he realized just how big they were. But after seeing Sissy riding the horse, he soon wanted get up there also. So we put him up on the horse with Sissy and the boy LOVED riding. Uncle Dan even got the horse to start trotting and with Sissy holding onto him, he just giggled and laughed through the whole thing. I have a feeling when we move here, Jack is going to be getting a lot of horse riding time.
We are going to look around at the different neighborhoods and some houses for sale. I am looking forward to getting a feel for the area to see where we want to live.
Tomorrow we are going to Jim's mother's house for the "Big Gathering" as they are calling it. There will be many many people there and I am sure Jack is going to just eat up all the attention he is going to be receiving from them all.
So that is our little adventure so far. We are having a great time and everyday is a new adventure for the traveling Jackaroo Family. I will update in a few days and maybe try to show ya some of the horse riding adventure.
Yesterday we went to Gulfport where Jim passed his test and is one step closer to joining the police force in town. So that is exciting. While Jim was taking the test, we drove around and saw some of the utter devastation from Katrina. It is truly a sight to see. It just makes you speechless to see it in person. The old beautiful homes that have stood for over 100 years were just wiped off the face of the earth. Just awful.
We are staying with Jim's brother who lives in the area. They have an absolutely beautiful house on 18 acres. They own 5 horses and 5 Boston Terrier dogs. The dogs love Jack to death and he is now sporting more than a few scratches from the dogs. But the kid loves to get down and roll around with them on floor and giggles through all the licking.
This morning, the kids went horseback riding. Laura got on the horse first and she did quite well. She looks like a real horsewoman up there. Jack was a little bit afraid at first. He hasn't ever been that close to a horse before and I don't think he realized just how big they were. But after seeing Sissy riding the horse, he soon wanted get up there also. So we put him up on the horse with Sissy and the boy LOVED riding. Uncle Dan even got the horse to start trotting and with Sissy holding onto him, he just giggled and laughed through the whole thing. I have a feeling when we move here, Jack is going to be getting a lot of horse riding time.
We are going to look around at the different neighborhoods and some houses for sale. I am looking forward to getting a feel for the area to see where we want to live.
Tomorrow we are going to Jim's mother's house for the "Big Gathering" as they are calling it. There will be many many people there and I am sure Jack is going to just eat up all the attention he is going to be receiving from them all.
So that is our little adventure so far. We are having a great time and everyday is a new adventure for the traveling Jackaroo Family. I will update in a few days and maybe try to show ya some of the horse riding adventure.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Hello From Kansas
We made it to Kansas! After a day and a half of driving we finally made it to Kansas. We are visiting really good friends who moved here a couple of years ago to run a gorgeous old hotel. They are the best! Unfortunately, we can not stay but only one night. Too bad, because it has been great seeing them again and we realize just how much we miss them.
We are off again tomorrow to drive to Arkansas to stay the night with Jim's niece and after that we are off to Gulfport for about 3 days. We will be checking the area out to see what part we want to live in when we actually move there. After that we are going to visit Grammy C, where there will be a big family reunion with a ton of people. Jim is the baby of 6 kids, so Jack will be overwhelmed by his new cousins. And then we are off to Orlando and Disneyworld. Phew quite a trip.
Jack has been quite the little trooper on this trip. He actually has been quite good in the car for all those hours. We stopped off in Arizona at a Dinosaur museum and I do not think that Jack will look at a Dinosaur the same ever again. We walked in and they had a huge T-Rez model that had a motion sensor which moved when you got near it. He saw Daddy and Sissy go near and it started roaring and moving and he absolutely FAHREAKED out. He would not step more than one foot inside the doorway. He was so freaked out about the whole experience, he wouldn't even watch the Dinosaur movie by Disney in the car afterwards.
I am now off to bed as it has been one long day for us. Nite Nite.
We are off again tomorrow to drive to Arkansas to stay the night with Jim's niece and after that we are off to Gulfport for about 3 days. We will be checking the area out to see what part we want to live in when we actually move there. After that we are going to visit Grammy C, where there will be a big family reunion with a ton of people. Jim is the baby of 6 kids, so Jack will be overwhelmed by his new cousins. And then we are off to Orlando and Disneyworld. Phew quite a trip.
Jack has been quite the little trooper on this trip. He actually has been quite good in the car for all those hours. We stopped off in Arizona at a Dinosaur museum and I do not think that Jack will look at a Dinosaur the same ever again. We walked in and they had a huge T-Rez model that had a motion sensor which moved when you got near it. He saw Daddy and Sissy go near and it started roaring and moving and he absolutely FAHREAKED out. He would not step more than one foot inside the doorway. He was so freaked out about the whole experience, he wouldn't even watch the Dinosaur movie by Disney in the car afterwards.
I am now off to bed as it has been one long day for us. Nite Nite.
Friday, June 16, 2006
HELP!! JUST GET ME ON VACATION NOW!
What a day. Between dropping cats off at kennel, getting into a HUGE fight with some guy in the Home Depot parking lot who almost hit me TWICE and he yelled at ME when all I was doing was just sitting there waiting for him to get his big Butt Truck out of the parking spot, to dropping dogs off at friends, to picking up Laura, to having a toddler with NO NAP in tow, to trying to finish up the packing, to cleaning the house - I AM WIPED OUT. And I didn't sleep but maybe 3 or 4 hours last night cause I had my mind going about 1000 mph with all I had to do today. Now I am down to cleaning up the kitchen and family room, packing up any last minute toys, getting the boy a bath, the girl a shower, getting them to bed, and packing the van and into bed hopefully by 8:00 because we are hitting the road at 3:00 am. Oh yeah and Jim is going to be late, probably won't be home until 7 or so.
Geesh, I am looking forward to chilling out in the passenger seat and just enjoying the trip. Not sure when I will have internet access, but will try to update along the way with what we will be doing and pictures.
Cya Laters
Geesh, I am looking forward to chilling out in the passenger seat and just enjoying the trip. Not sure when I will have internet access, but will try to update along the way with what we will be doing and pictures.
Cya Laters
"My Kitties"
Poor Jack. I just got back from taking our cats to the cat boarding place and he had a complete and total meltdown when they took them away. He started screaming "My Kitties My Kitties" and threw himself on the floor. I told him that they were going to have fun with all their kitty friends, but I don't think he believed me. Even the 3 doggies that were there could not cheer him up. And now 2 hours later, after getting McDonalds for lunch and watching 101 Dalmations, he is still mourning his kitties.
Now my problem is, what is he going to do when we drop off the dogs at friends in a few hours? Oy this is going to be a hard day on him.
Now my problem is, what is he going to do when we drop off the dogs at friends in a few hours? Oy this is going to be a hard day on him.
The Beach
As I get ready in my mind to move to the Mississippi gulf coast, I am very excited to know that we will be within minutes of a beach, and not just any beach, but a big white sandy beach with warm water.
I love love love the beach and as I just read Rbelle's post about growing up at the beach, I hope that Jack will have that love of the beach one day. I did not grow up near a beach, but all of my adult life has drawn me toward it. Maybe that is why I live on the west coast, less than 2 hours away from the beautiful Pacific Ocean. When I lived in Seattle, my most favorite place on this earth was Cannon Beach Oregon. I would go there at least twice a year, if not more, just to relax and feed my soul the relaxing qualities of the surf. I always told myself that when I retire, it would be in a small coastal town like Cannon Beach. In fact, I thought seriously of moving there a few years ago. I haven't been back to Cannon Beach in the 8 years that I have lived in California. Sure, the beaches here are nice and all, but there is something about that spot on Earth that totally feeds my soul that no other spot has before.
So, with our move to Mississippi, I get my wish of "retiring" on the beach. Now if those pesky hurricanes would just stay away.
I love love love the beach and as I just read Rbelle's post about growing up at the beach, I hope that Jack will have that love of the beach one day. I did not grow up near a beach, but all of my adult life has drawn me toward it. Maybe that is why I live on the west coast, less than 2 hours away from the beautiful Pacific Ocean. When I lived in Seattle, my most favorite place on this earth was Cannon Beach Oregon. I would go there at least twice a year, if not more, just to relax and feed my soul the relaxing qualities of the surf. I always told myself that when I retire, it would be in a small coastal town like Cannon Beach. In fact, I thought seriously of moving there a few years ago. I haven't been back to Cannon Beach in the 8 years that I have lived in California. Sure, the beaches here are nice and all, but there is something about that spot on Earth that totally feeds my soul that no other spot has before.
So, with our move to Mississippi, I get my wish of "retiring" on the beach. Now if those pesky hurricanes would just stay away.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
The Way Cool Van
Yikes, the time is almost here. The time we are jumping in our super cool van with every gadget in the world. I tell ya, a few short years ago, I would never had imagined I would own a vehicle such as this. This van has the dvd entertainment system for the kids, the navigation system so Daddy never has to ask for directions again, the satellite radio to listen to while kids in back have headphones on watching Disney movies. Still not sure how we are going to convince Jack to wear said headphones, but we shall see. It also has about 600 plug-ins for all your appliances. We have a mini refrigerator in the back to store all our goodies for the road and to save money by not eating out all the time. We also have a power converter where I can run the laptop and get to play, write potential blog posts, or watch my own movie. So, if ya gotta go on a cross country road trip, this vehicle is the must-have.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
The Frog
So there I was last night. I was putting Jack to bed and about to read a Thomas story to him. I happened to look across the hallway into the bathroom and what do I see? A Frog! Not just a tiny frog either, no this frog could have won the record for the Largest Frog Ever! And it was sitting IN MY BATHROOM! How it got there, I do not even know. I have a sneaking suspicion that a cat or two brought the thing into the house. I have been leaving the back door open to let in some breeze through the house and this is what I get - A FROG in MY house.
I yelled for Jim to come get the thing and take it outside. He was sleeping, so I am pretty sure, he was not thrilled to get out of bed to move a frog. But at that moment I did not care. When he went to pick it up, it jumped away and of course I screamed and then Jack was wondering what was up and kept saying "froggie Mama". Yeah Jack, Mama is just having a slight nervous breakdown because of the froggie, no big deal.
So, all day today, I have been wondering and worrying about what ELSE is in this house. If I find a snake in this house, I will move out faster than you can say "FREAK OUT". Oh My Gah! Just the thought of it make me want to scream.
Big Yuck!
I yelled for Jim to come get the thing and take it outside. He was sleeping, so I am pretty sure, he was not thrilled to get out of bed to move a frog. But at that moment I did not care. When he went to pick it up, it jumped away and of course I screamed and then Jack was wondering what was up and kept saying "froggie Mama". Yeah Jack, Mama is just having a slight nervous breakdown because of the froggie, no big deal.
So, all day today, I have been wondering and worrying about what ELSE is in this house. If I find a snake in this house, I will move out faster than you can say "FREAK OUT". Oh My Gah! Just the thought of it make me want to scream.
Big Yuck!
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Coupons and BIG NEWS
I just got back from our local grocery store. For the past two days they have been having triple coupon days and let me tell you that you can save big time on the triple coupon days. I know some people who have saved over $200 with their coupons. Unfortunately I am not the best coupon clipper, however, I did save $39.60 in coupons and was able to get some free stuff. Always fun saving money. Because I saved so much money, I decided to splurge and get a couple 6-pack of beers for Jim and I. And they are really good and much needed by Jim who has been stressing a bit lately about everything that has been going on.
And what has been going on? We are moving to to the Gulf Coast in Mississippi in the next few months!! It looks like he is going to get a job offer there and we are up and moving the family. We will be within an hour or two from Jim's mother, sister, and brother. That means there will be free babysitters (yahoo). And we will also be closer to my family in Michigan, which means we can easily drive there for long weekends. And Jim has been missing Mississippi a lot and it is home for him. And of course, my home is wherever he and Jack are.
Financially, it is going to be sooooo nice for us. With the equity that we have gained in this house and our previous house, we are going to be able to buy a house for cash or have a very very little mortgage. And of course, with my anal research self, I have been scouring the internet looking at houses for sale and now have a list 4 pages long of houses that I want to look at when we are there next week.
It absolutely astounds me as to what you can get there for a house in comparison to this area. In Southern Cali, you need a minimum of $500K to get into a 3-bedroom house and there in MS, you can get one for about $200K or less.
Of course, there are cons to us moving. The biggest one being, is that we are not going to see Laura on a regular basis. That is going to be really really hard on all of us. But we plan to have her fly to us for long weekends, vacations, and summers, so we will be seeing her at least every 6 weeks or so. I will also miss a lot of friends that I have made here, especially the L. Family that I have come to consider my California family. I consider Janet my sister and their kids my neice and nephew. It will be hard to move away from them. I will also miss our house. I love our house, but I do know that it is just a house and there are many many houses out there that I can love just as much. And of course the mother's playgroup that I have come to enjoy so much. I hope that I can find a playgroup that is half as good as this one here.
So things will be a bit hectic here in the Jackaroo World for the next few months. We plan on putting our house on the market right after we get back home in July. There there is the whole cleaning the house to get ready to show and doing some minor repairs (yuck). Not to mention, trying to keep the house spotless all the time for showings (double yuck). The last time we sold a house, we did it in one day with 3 offers that day. I am not so sure it will be that easy this time.
I also have going through my mind of what we are going to sell off and/or get rid of. We have a lot of junk to get rid of somehow. And doing all these things while taking care of the Jackaroo. Should be fun.
And what has been going on? We are moving to to the Gulf Coast in Mississippi in the next few months!! It looks like he is going to get a job offer there and we are up and moving the family. We will be within an hour or two from Jim's mother, sister, and brother. That means there will be free babysitters (yahoo). And we will also be closer to my family in Michigan, which means we can easily drive there for long weekends. And Jim has been missing Mississippi a lot and it is home for him. And of course, my home is wherever he and Jack are.
Financially, it is going to be sooooo nice for us. With the equity that we have gained in this house and our previous house, we are going to be able to buy a house for cash or have a very very little mortgage. And of course, with my anal research self, I have been scouring the internet looking at houses for sale and now have a list 4 pages long of houses that I want to look at when we are there next week.
It absolutely astounds me as to what you can get there for a house in comparison to this area. In Southern Cali, you need a minimum of $500K to get into a 3-bedroom house and there in MS, you can get one for about $200K or less.
Of course, there are cons to us moving. The biggest one being, is that we are not going to see Laura on a regular basis. That is going to be really really hard on all of us. But we plan to have her fly to us for long weekends, vacations, and summers, so we will be seeing her at least every 6 weeks or so. I will also miss a lot of friends that I have made here, especially the L. Family that I have come to consider my California family. I consider Janet my sister and their kids my neice and nephew. It will be hard to move away from them. I will also miss our house. I love our house, but I do know that it is just a house and there are many many houses out there that I can love just as much. And of course the mother's playgroup that I have come to enjoy so much. I hope that I can find a playgroup that is half as good as this one here.
So things will be a bit hectic here in the Jackaroo World for the next few months. We plan on putting our house on the market right after we get back home in July. There there is the whole cleaning the house to get ready to show and doing some minor repairs (yuck). Not to mention, trying to keep the house spotless all the time for showings (double yuck). The last time we sold a house, we did it in one day with 3 offers that day. I am not so sure it will be that easy this time.
I also have going through my mind of what we are going to sell off and/or get rid of. We have a lot of junk to get rid of somehow. And doing all these things while taking care of the Jackaroo. Should be fun.
Monday, June 12, 2006
A Cowboy Breakfast
Jack found Daddy's hat yesterday while we were packing up. He is quite enamored by the thing and insisted on being a "towboy" for breakfast this morning. Sad thing is he will NOT wear any of his hats, but Daddy's hats? He will wear those all day long. Silly boy.
Jack and I have lots and lots of errands to run today. We have to go get the van a bath and an oil change to get ready for the trip. There is also a trip to Target involved to get some last minute items and then the bank to get some actual money for the trip (always nice to have money).
Oh and if any of you Toddler Mommies out there have actually seen juice box holders in an actual store, could you let me know. I have been looking for these for a long time and I don't want to order online (although there is a cute Thomas one) and pay 4x the amount in shipping to get it here before Friday. But I really really want a few of these because Jack + juice box = BIG MESS.
Anyway, we are off on our adventure day of errands. Of course, the boy LOVES the car wash and could go there every single day.
Oh and to update on the stroller "crisis" we had a couple of weeks ago. After looking at the strollers and considering one of those jogging type strollers and then fainting with the price of said stroller, we decided just to take the HUGE stroller with us and somehow fit in the van along with his bike (pictured with Foo Foo in the post below) so he can ride it around Grammy C's property. We will be stuffed to the gills me think.
And Mrs. Flinger, I would love love love to go to Seattle sometime for a girls weekend with ya'll. I think we should grab the other girls and force them to go also. Erin, Rbelle, Carolyn, Jane should be there! What fun we would have. Problem is, we are going to be having some BIG NEWS soon that is going to impede the girls weekend. Will update soon on the BIG NEWS. Now aren't ya'll just soooo excited to learn what our BIG NEWS is? And nope again, we are NOT adding another little Roo to the Jackaroo House. It is NOT THAT.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
READY
The clothes are packed. The diapers, wipes, toys, videos and other assorted kid needs are packed. Days until we leave? FIVE! Yep we are ready to get outta here.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Two Thumbs Up
We went to see the movie Cars last night. And I just have to say that it was awesome! I mean even if you don't have any kids, GO TO THIS MOVIE! I think that the older generation would get a huge kick out of this movie. Hint Hint Grammy and Papa - go out to the movies and see this movie. I know it is a cartoon, but you will love it.
So we went to our little local theatre, which was not all that crowded for the 6:30 showing. Jack did really good and sat there for the most part and absorbed the movie. He did get a bit antsy in the middle of the movie and had to move from seat to seat. He also had to bring Foo Foo into the movie with us (thank goodness stuffed animals are free admission) and Foo Foo had to sit in his own seat, which got moved from seat to seat also. But at the end when the big race was happening, Jack was glued to the screen and kept yelling "Go Red Car" "Look Mama, car racing!".
I totally encourage you to go see this movie. It is so much better than the movie Over The Hedge that I took the kids to see a couple of weeks ago. In that movie, I was literally looking at my watch every 5 minutes wishing the movie would end. Not so in Cars. The Jackaroo House gives it two thumbs up.
So we went to our little local theatre, which was not all that crowded for the 6:30 showing. Jack did really good and sat there for the most part and absorbed the movie. He did get a bit antsy in the middle of the movie and had to move from seat to seat. He also had to bring Foo Foo into the movie with us (thank goodness stuffed animals are free admission) and Foo Foo had to sit in his own seat, which got moved from seat to seat also. But at the end when the big race was happening, Jack was glued to the screen and kept yelling "Go Red Car" "Look Mama, car racing!".
I totally encourage you to go see this movie. It is so much better than the movie Over The Hedge that I took the kids to see a couple of weeks ago. In that movie, I was literally looking at my watch every 5 minutes wishing the movie would end. Not so in Cars. The Jackaroo House gives it two thumbs up.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Hair Cut Day
I took Jack to the barber shop today to get his hair cut. The boy was suffering big time with all his hair and would sweat so much through his head that his hair was constantly wet these days. So here is the new and improved, no-curl Jack. He looks so much older. Wahhhh.
He has been insisting on riding his bike through the house the last couple of days. When I say ride, I use that term loosely, because he hasn't caught on how to pedal yet. He, instead, just scoots around with his feet and actually can go pretty fast. He also gives Foo Foo rides on the bike. Notice Foo Foo is wearing a My Gym t-shirt and although you can't see it, he is also is wearing a pull-up diaper. Jack thought that Foo Foo needed to be dressed the other day, so hence the "outfit".
He has been insisting on riding his bike through the house the last couple of days. When I say ride, I use that term loosely, because he hasn't caught on how to pedal yet. He, instead, just scoots around with his feet and actually can go pretty fast. He also gives Foo Foo rides on the bike. Notice Foo Foo is wearing a My Gym t-shirt and although you can't see it, he is also is wearing a pull-up diaper. Jack thought that Foo Foo needed to be dressed the other day, so hence the "outfit".
I also think that the lazy days of summer has hit me already because I can not make it through an afternoon without my 2-hour nap these days. I just about body-slam Jack into his bed for a nap and run to my bed for my siesta. All this sleeping has not been so good for the house however, because the dishes just ain't getting done, and neither is anything else. Oh well. The naps are really nice :).
Jack and The Little Blonde Girl
Another mother, Karen, just posted more pictures from yesterday's playgroup. As you can see her daughter, Courtney, thought Jack was coolest.
"Wow Look At Those Muscles"
"Wow Look At Those Muscles"
Jack, the ever so generous host as he is pushing Courtney down the slide.
Are the parents looking? No? Cool, let's go!
Jack is thinking hurry, hurry, hurry.
My little wet swimmer guy.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Yay! I Can Post!
I guess blogger has been having some problems the last couple of days because everytime I have tried to post something, it would say "We are experiencing difficulties". Whatever.
So to update on the goings and comings of the Jackaroo house. Yesterday, was not a good day in the house. Jack would not take a nap at all. I tried about 5 times with no success. And me? I was literally begging him to take a nap because for some reason, I needed sleep badly. I barely could keep my eyes open yesterday afternoon and he was just not helping as he was pushing his toy lawnmower through the house yelling "YeeHaw". Yeah. Nice. And all that with NO sugar.
Today was our turn to host the toddler playgroup again. The pictures above show that it was a great success. I bought a kiddie pool at WalMart and that was a huge hit during the hot day today. I think those kids could have stayed in that pool all day. As it was, they were in there for about 2 hours!
And afterwards, both Jack and I took major naps. He was sleeping for about 3 hours and I was sleeping for about 2 hours. I think we were both drained from all the fun of hosting. And being out in the sun for 3 hours.
My backyard still looks like a toy tornado hit. There are toys strewn all over the patio, but it is so hot out there, that I figure they will still be there in the cool morning air.
Right now, Jack and I are relaxing in front of the tube. He is insisting on watching the same show of The Wiggles over and over again. If I try to put Mickey or Thomas on, he yells at me "NOOO WIGGLES". Fun stuff, especially since Daddy is going to be really late tonight. Oy! Another hour and a half till bedtime. That is a lot of Wiggles people.
Monday, June 05, 2006
My Alarm Clock Is Going Off Earlier and Earlier
Jack, aka The Alarm Clock, is waking earlier and earlier these days. It used to be, I could trust that he would sleep until 6:00 - 6:30 and on those oh-so-rare occassions until 7:00!! But the last few days have been a completely different story. He has been waking up at 5:30 and earlier and this morning it was 4:30!!! And I have been pushing his bedtime back to 8:00 - 8:30 instead of the 7:00 bedtime we used to have. Ahh those were the days.
I tried to bring him into bed with me and watch some tv while I attempted to doze for awhile, but nope that didn't work. I gave it up and got out of bed. I told him "Mama needs coffee" so then he started to say "Baby needs Tossee (coffee)". Yeah right. He needs Tossee like I need to gain another 10 pounds! The boy loves the taste of coffee and now screams/demands it every day. He is addicted to coffee at the age of two. Nice. And no, I do not give my two-year-old coffee, except for a sip here and there and that is all it took to make an addict out of my son.
Anyway, it is now 7:00 in the morning and I have already gone on my 1.5 mile daily walk, had two cups of coffee and now what? Oy it is going to be a very long day folks. And it is only FIVE HOURS until naptime!
I tried to bring him into bed with me and watch some tv while I attempted to doze for awhile, but nope that didn't work. I gave it up and got out of bed. I told him "Mama needs coffee" so then he started to say "Baby needs Tossee (coffee)". Yeah right. He needs Tossee like I need to gain another 10 pounds! The boy loves the taste of coffee and now screams/demands it every day. He is addicted to coffee at the age of two. Nice. And no, I do not give my two-year-old coffee, except for a sip here and there and that is all it took to make an addict out of my son.
Anyway, it is now 7:00 in the morning and I have already gone on my 1.5 mile daily walk, had two cups of coffee and now what? Oy it is going to be a very long day folks. And it is only FIVE HOURS until naptime!
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Cool Baby
We bought Jack his own little suitcase for the upcoming vacation. He absolutely loves the thing and it gets rolled all over the house al the time. It is really cute with cars, trucks and motorcycles all over it - right up his alley of course. Yesterday, I was packing it with his clothes that I want to take with us just to see if it all will fit (it does - barely!) and he was "helping" me by totally emptying the contents of his drawers and dumping them in the suitcase saying "All ready!".
We also bought him a pair of Thomas sunglasses and for once the boy actually wears them. Actually I should say that the boy is obsessed with the sunglasses. I told him that he was one cool baby with them and now he walks around with his sunglasses pulling his suitcase saying "Tool (cool) Baby". I think he is ready for summer!
Jack and I are alone this weekend as Daddy had to go off for the weekend. There might be big news soon in the Jackaroo World!! (And no it is not that we are adding another little Roo to the fold).
Friday, June 02, 2006
Staying At Home Has It Perks
Because you can have days like this:
Jack and I went to a pool party hosted by another mother in our playgroup. It was sooo much fun and a perfect day for the pool, seeing as it was 100 degrees today. On our way over, Jack was going on and on about swimming. He was so excited to go swimming. But when we got there, he froze in his tracks as soon as he saw the pool and totally FAHREAKED out when I went to put him in the water. This is the same kid who just a year ago, was practically diving into the pool by himself if we let him.
But after he saw all the other kids having fun, he joined in and pretty soon was having a total blast. I think what helped was I put him in a floatie and after that, he was like "bye bye Mama" and didn't want me to touch him at all. Mr. Independent that kid.
As you can see from the pictures, to say we had fun would be an understatment.
Jack and I went to a pool party hosted by another mother in our playgroup. It was sooo much fun and a perfect day for the pool, seeing as it was 100 degrees today. On our way over, Jack was going on and on about swimming. He was so excited to go swimming. But when we got there, he froze in his tracks as soon as he saw the pool and totally FAHREAKED out when I went to put him in the water. This is the same kid who just a year ago, was practically diving into the pool by himself if we let him.But after he saw all the other kids having fun, he joined in and pretty soon was having a total blast. I think what helped was I put him in a floatie and after that, he was like "bye bye Mama" and didn't want me to touch him at all. Mr. Independent that kid.
As you can see from the pictures, to say we had fun would be an understatment.
It took all of 2 minutes for the kid to pass out in the car. I had to drive really slow and the long way home for him to get the nap he needed. I also think he is going to sleep very very well tonight.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
It almost was a funny story
This morning as I got out of the shower and was standing in my bedroom getting dressed, I heard what sounded like water gurgling. I went to look out the window and I guess somehow somewhere one of our sprinklers broke in the back and water was freeflowing like a fire hydrant all over the back yard. Now let me explain a little bit about our stupid town and their stupid water. Water here is on the same equivalent as liquid gold in the price. Last year when we were trying to keep the new sod alive, it cost us $400 in water for one month! And we live in a town that hasn't the largest natural lakes in southern california! So seeing that fire hydrant going in my backyard threw a terrible fear into my thrifty (cheap) self and I ran to the garage to shut the sprinkler system off before we wasted another $5 of water.
Now let me just give you a picture - I was completely nude. And let me tell you what the boy does when one of us goes into the garage without him - he deadbolts the door leading to the garage. So as you can imagine and put two and two together, I was in the garage nude and I heard the boy fiddling with the lock on the door. Talk about fear. I ran to open the door before he could get the deadbolt locked and thankfully it opened! But I could just imagine trying to walk around the side of the house to get into the back door in my condition.
Yeah almost a funny story - thank god it wasn't!
Now let me just give you a picture - I was completely nude. And let me tell you what the boy does when one of us goes into the garage without him - he deadbolts the door leading to the garage. So as you can imagine and put two and two together, I was in the garage nude and I heard the boy fiddling with the lock on the door. Talk about fear. I ran to open the door before he could get the deadbolt locked and thankfully it opened! But I could just imagine trying to walk around the side of the house to get into the back door in my condition.
Yeah almost a funny story - thank god it wasn't!
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