Last week sometime, B and I were watching 20/20 on a segment called "What would you do." It's where they set up a situation and then video the reaction in an effort to have you reflect on what you would do in that situation.
The one we were watching was where a woman has her purse snatched and then the bystanders try to identify the thief. Lise' watched it with us, and zeroed in on the purse snatching. Her first reaction, "hey, that man took that lady's purse." We talked about how that wasn't nice, and then rolled it into a talk about how there are some bad people in the world that do things like that. She seemed to get it, so I went a little further and told her that sometimes those people take little kids too, and that is why it's always important to listen to Mommy and not run away from me in stores (something that has been a problem lately). She seemed to get it, and I dropped the subject.
Then, last night, it resurfaced. We went out for pizza, and Lise' had to go to the potty. I took her, and it was a one roomer, so I stayed in there with her. She asked me to leave, and I told her I couldn't. She then started repeating the old conversation back to me. She asked if I had to stay b/c there were bad people in the world that take little kids. That was the reason, so I told her yes. She seemed good with that answer, and we went back to the table.
Later that night, I finished reading books to her, and we usually talk about what she would like to do the next day. She told me after she woke up, she just wanted to stay home. That's a little strange for her, but I figured she was tired from our trip and wanted to slow down a little.
Right before B put her in bed, she asked him the same thing, but told him it was
because there were bad people in the world that might take her. Ooops, guess it went a little too far, but I'd rather her be a little cautious, right?
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
We're Back
The 1332 mile drive from Hammond was better than expected. The girls were relatively good, and the weather didn't give us any trouble. We're all happy to be out of the car. The adjustment to being home is a slight one, but overall, we're good. The girls definitely miss the extra attention
Here's a rundown of the rest of our week in Louisiana.
Wednesday, March 19-the day Daddy was supposed to be back with us. His flight was late anyway, but due to weather moving across the country, his flight was delayed, and so was our visit. The girls and I stayed in BR one more night while Mr. Ed & Ms. Becky did the 11:30pm pickup from the New Orleans airport. You have no idea how thankful I am for that.
Thursday, March 20-We loaded the van and headed to Hammond for the anxiously awaited homecoming of Daddy. As expected, Lise' did not leave her Daddy's side for days. He loved every minute of it. She had all sorts of new dance moves and costumes to share with him.
That night, Clare and Kaye (cousins from Houston) arrived. It was after the girls went to bed, so the fun had to wait until Friday.
Friday, March 20-Let the games begin! From the moment they woke up, there was fun to be had. They played on the rope swing, they ran in the yard, they played ball, dyed Easter eggs, dug in the mud, played with Uncle Richard's puppies and dressed up. The fun didn't cease until their heads hit the pillow that night with a thump. If you measured the fun they had by the dirt ring on the tub, you knew they were happy.
That night, we also boiled crawfish. It was the perfect night for it. The weather was wonderful, and the bugs hadn't yet arrived. We look forward to our one boil of the year when we make it home, and this one definitely lived up to our expectations. Lise' even peeled a few herself, something I would have definitely put my money against.
Saturday, March 21-We packed up the girls and drove to Baton Rouge one last time for the Wale Family Easter Egg hunt. We had 8 of the 11 great grandchildren there (ranging in age from 2 weeks to 5 yrs) for lunch and a backyard egg hunt at MawMaws. The weather couldn't have been nicer or the company any better. It's especially nice to see all my family in one location when I come into town. I hope this turns into an annual event.
That night, we returned to Hammond for one last round of fun before everyone headed home after Easter. For the most part, Lise' spent her evening on the rope swing in the backyard. It's her new favorite pasttime, and you can't push her high enough or fast enough. It's enough to make me a little nervous.
Easter Sunday-After a delicious brunch of grillads and grits, we said goodbye to the Houston Swindells and started packing our stuff as well. Because we weren't leaving until Monday morning, B and his dad were able to get a few last minute things done in the yard, and Lise' was right there with them digging holes, dragging pipe, running wire-all in her sparkle red shoes (aka Dorothy shoes).
We ended our visit with one last crawfish dish and headed to bed because we had an early morning the next day. It was a great visit.
On Monday, we hit the road at 4:45am. The girls made it to Tuscaloosa, where we stopped at Waffle House for breakfast. We called just in time to share a waffle with Ms. Jennifer, Ira & Flossie's mommy. Once on the road, it was pretty much smooth sailing. We had a small delay in Knoxville and a "get me out of the car" meltdown soon after, but once we took a dinner break, we made it all the way to Virginia-a little over half way.
The next day we had about 8 hrs left in the 20 hr journey (not counting stops). We slept a little longer than expected and therefore got a later than ideal start, but no big deal. We drove through beautiful countryside. An exciting moment came in the 10 mile stretch of West Virginia, when the tractor trailer in front of us carrying a tractor of somesort had a back tire blowout which caused another tire blowout. It was enough to get your heart pumping, that's for sure. The later part of the trip was long, but we eventually made it home around 8pm.
Now, the job of putting everything away is before me. With that said, I must go. I promise I'll try to get my pictures downloaded in the next day to share with you.
Here's a rundown of the rest of our week in Louisiana.
Wednesday, March 19-the day Daddy was supposed to be back with us. His flight was late anyway, but due to weather moving across the country, his flight was delayed, and so was our visit. The girls and I stayed in BR one more night while Mr. Ed & Ms. Becky did the 11:30pm pickup from the New Orleans airport. You have no idea how thankful I am for that.
Thursday, March 20-We loaded the van and headed to Hammond for the anxiously awaited homecoming of Daddy. As expected, Lise' did not leave her Daddy's side for days. He loved every minute of it. She had all sorts of new dance moves and costumes to share with him.
That night, Clare and Kaye (cousins from Houston) arrived. It was after the girls went to bed, so the fun had to wait until Friday.
Friday, March 20-Let the games begin! From the moment they woke up, there was fun to be had. They played on the rope swing, they ran in the yard, they played ball, dyed Easter eggs, dug in the mud, played with Uncle Richard's puppies and dressed up. The fun didn't cease until their heads hit the pillow that night with a thump. If you measured the fun they had by the dirt ring on the tub, you knew they were happy.
That night, we also boiled crawfish. It was the perfect night for it. The weather was wonderful, and the bugs hadn't yet arrived. We look forward to our one boil of the year when we make it home, and this one definitely lived up to our expectations. Lise' even peeled a few herself, something I would have definitely put my money against.
Saturday, March 21-We packed up the girls and drove to Baton Rouge one last time for the Wale Family Easter Egg hunt. We had 8 of the 11 great grandchildren there (ranging in age from 2 weeks to 5 yrs) for lunch and a backyard egg hunt at MawMaws. The weather couldn't have been nicer or the company any better. It's especially nice to see all my family in one location when I come into town. I hope this turns into an annual event.
That night, we returned to Hammond for one last round of fun before everyone headed home after Easter. For the most part, Lise' spent her evening on the rope swing in the backyard. It's her new favorite pasttime, and you can't push her high enough or fast enough. It's enough to make me a little nervous.
Easter Sunday-After a delicious brunch of grillads and grits, we said goodbye to the Houston Swindells and started packing our stuff as well. Because we weren't leaving until Monday morning, B and his dad were able to get a few last minute things done in the yard, and Lise' was right there with them digging holes, dragging pipe, running wire-all in her sparkle red shoes (aka Dorothy shoes).
We ended our visit with one last crawfish dish and headed to bed because we had an early morning the next day. It was a great visit.
On Monday, we hit the road at 4:45am. The girls made it to Tuscaloosa, where we stopped at Waffle House for breakfast. We called just in time to share a waffle with Ms. Jennifer, Ira & Flossie's mommy. Once on the road, it was pretty much smooth sailing. We had a small delay in Knoxville and a "get me out of the car" meltdown soon after, but once we took a dinner break, we made it all the way to Virginia-a little over half way.
The next day we had about 8 hrs left in the 20 hr journey (not counting stops). We slept a little longer than expected and therefore got a later than ideal start, but no big deal. We drove through beautiful countryside. An exciting moment came in the 10 mile stretch of West Virginia, when the tractor trailer in front of us carrying a tractor of somesort had a back tire blowout which caused another tire blowout. It was enough to get your heart pumping, that's for sure. The later part of the trip was long, but we eventually made it home around 8pm.
Now, the job of putting everything away is before me. With that said, I must go. I promise I'll try to get my pictures downloaded in the next day to share with you.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Still down south.
I know, everyone is sitting on the edge of their seats just waiting to find out what we've been doing each and everyday of our visit in Louisiana. Well folks, the wait is over. I hope you can hold onto your hats.
Tue, March 11-this was our chill out day. We had been going nonstop with all our friends along the way, so we stayed put at Grandma's for the day. Lise' ran a small fever too, so it wasn't a bad idea.
Wed, March 12-fever gone. Lise' ran around just fine. We drove to Mandeville that afternoon to visit Mimi's classroom. It was Lise's first trip into a real school. Her favorite part of the day was drawing on the white boards with dry erase markers-the nemesis of mothers everywhere. Try getting that out of their clothes!
Thursday, March 13-We were back in BR. We didn't do much of anything. The girls had a great time playing in the kiddie pool in the backyard. They haven't been out since we moved to NJ, so they are enjoying the sunshine to the extreme. That night was a special one for me. My friend Christy and I snuck out for a girls night out. We did the usual, dinner and snooping in her sister's home with a flashlight after dark. (It's under construction). It was the best night out I had in a long time.
Friday, March 14-Another quiet day. Mom took off, so we hit a few stores in the morning and made the pilgrimage to the new Bass Pro Store in Denham. It was a lucky day for us b/c we were greeted by Dora the Explorer and Diego, Lise's new favorite shows, although she didn't want to get near them.
We had a nice lunch at the Islamorada Fish Company restaurant in the store. The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was great for kids.
Saturday, March 15-The luck of the Irish brought beautiful weather to BR for the annual St. Patrick's Day parade. We watched the parade where the floats line up, and the girls were loaded with more beads than they could count. They were too cute in their matching green shirts. By the time the parade was over, the temperature was near 85 degrees, so the pool was pulled out once again. They must have spent two or three hours out there having a ball. Once the fun subsided, we traveled to Hammond for the night to spend some time with Mimi and Papa.
Oh, I almost forgot...while the girls were having fun in the sun, B was skiing at Camelback in the Poconos, which is about 1.5 hrs from our house. He and a buddy from USG hit the slopes. He said it was a little icy, but the fun came at the end of the day when they signed up for "pond skimming." It's where you ski/board down the slope and skim the pond. yes, you end up in the water, soaking wet.....and they didn't even bring a towel. Poor Mike was drenched while he waited for B to take a turn. Here he is.
Sun, March 16-The fun continues. The weather couldn't be nicer, and the girls were once again in the yard the majority of the day. Unfortunately for all of us, the pollen has started to fall, and anyone from here knows the look of the "green" car. Lise', me and Abri were all affected, and by that afternoon, I had decided Lise' needed to go to the doctor. The verdict, ear infection and upper respiratory infection. At least we caught it early.
That night, mom cooked a dinner for all of her little chickadees (minus B). MawMaw joined us for dinner, as did PJ's girl (as Lise' refers to Arielle-I hope I spelled that correctly). It's always nice to sit around the table. That night, Abri ran a slight fever and had a nice little cough.
Mon, March 17-Lunch with Dad at Picadilly and a visit with PawPaw Dysart rounded out the day. Unfortunately, Abri only worsened, so as soon as the clinic opened, I took her to the doc, and she has a double ear infection. Poor thing. What can you do?
After she was fed and medicated, I snuck off again. This time with Addie. We had a tasty italian dinner downtown. I forget how nice it is to have an adult dinner. If it weren't for the mommy factor for me and the work factor for her, we might have ordered another glass of wine. Maybe next time.
Tue, March 18-Mom's off again, and we hit a few fabric stores. By noon, I wasn't feeling great, so we headed home for lunch and a nap. Lise' seems to be improving, but Abri is having a tough time. On top of that, I think her antibiotic is hyping her up right before bed. She didn't' go down until almost 10pm. That's unheard of for her. She's down now, so hopefully she'll stay that way tonight.
As for tomorrow, I'm not sure what is on the agenda. B is supposed to be flying in late, but with the weather moving across the country, who knows what will happen. We're keeping our fingers crossed b/c we sure do miss our daddy!
Tue, March 11-this was our chill out day. We had been going nonstop with all our friends along the way, so we stayed put at Grandma's for the day. Lise' ran a small fever too, so it wasn't a bad idea.
Wed, March 12-fever gone. Lise' ran around just fine. We drove to Mandeville that afternoon to visit Mimi's classroom. It was Lise's first trip into a real school. Her favorite part of the day was drawing on the white boards with dry erase markers-the nemesis of mothers everywhere. Try getting that out of their clothes!
Thursday, March 13-We were back in BR. We didn't do much of anything. The girls had a great time playing in the kiddie pool in the backyard. They haven't been out since we moved to NJ, so they are enjoying the sunshine to the extreme. That night was a special one for me. My friend Christy and I snuck out for a girls night out. We did the usual, dinner and snooping in her sister's home with a flashlight after dark. (It's under construction). It was the best night out I had in a long time.
Friday, March 14-Another quiet day. Mom took off, so we hit a few stores in the morning and made the pilgrimage to the new Bass Pro Store in Denham. It was a lucky day for us b/c we were greeted by Dora the Explorer and Diego, Lise's new favorite shows, although she didn't want to get near them.
We had a nice lunch at the Islamorada Fish Company restaurant in the store. The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was great for kids.
Saturday, March 15-The luck of the Irish brought beautiful weather to BR for the annual St. Patrick's Day parade. We watched the parade where the floats line up, and the girls were loaded with more beads than they could count. They were too cute in their matching green shirts. By the time the parade was over, the temperature was near 85 degrees, so the pool was pulled out once again. They must have spent two or three hours out there having a ball. Once the fun subsided, we traveled to Hammond for the night to spend some time with Mimi and Papa.
Oh, I almost forgot...while the girls were having fun in the sun, B was skiing at Camelback in the Poconos, which is about 1.5 hrs from our house. He and a buddy from USG hit the slopes. He said it was a little icy, but the fun came at the end of the day when they signed up for "pond skimming." It's where you ski/board down the slope and skim the pond. yes, you end up in the water, soaking wet.....and they didn't even bring a towel. Poor Mike was drenched while he waited for B to take a turn. Here he is.
Sun, March 16-The fun continues. The weather couldn't be nicer, and the girls were once again in the yard the majority of the day. Unfortunately for all of us, the pollen has started to fall, and anyone from here knows the look of the "green" car. Lise', me and Abri were all affected, and by that afternoon, I had decided Lise' needed to go to the doctor. The verdict, ear infection and upper respiratory infection. At least we caught it early.
That night, mom cooked a dinner for all of her little chickadees (minus B). MawMaw joined us for dinner, as did PJ's girl (as Lise' refers to Arielle-I hope I spelled that correctly). It's always nice to sit around the table. That night, Abri ran a slight fever and had a nice little cough.
Mon, March 17-Lunch with Dad at Picadilly and a visit with PawPaw Dysart rounded out the day. Unfortunately, Abri only worsened, so as soon as the clinic opened, I took her to the doc, and she has a double ear infection. Poor thing. What can you do?
After she was fed and medicated, I snuck off again. This time with Addie. We had a tasty italian dinner downtown. I forget how nice it is to have an adult dinner. If it weren't for the mommy factor for me and the work factor for her, we might have ordered another glass of wine. Maybe next time.
Tue, March 18-Mom's off again, and we hit a few fabric stores. By noon, I wasn't feeling great, so we headed home for lunch and a nap. Lise' seems to be improving, but Abri is having a tough time. On top of that, I think her antibiotic is hyping her up right before bed. She didn't' go down until almost 10pm. That's unheard of for her. She's down now, so hopefully she'll stay that way tonight.
As for tomorrow, I'm not sure what is on the agenda. B is supposed to be flying in late, but with the weather moving across the country, who knows what will happen. We're keeping our fingers crossed b/c we sure do miss our daddy!
Monday, March 10, 2008
It's been a long, hard trip, but we're here!
Yes, this post comes to you from Louisiana. One week and 2 days later, we've arrived. Of course, we stopped along the way, so don't think I broke down or anything. We spent an entire week with Ira & Flossie. What a week! The kids played well, and we had a good visit. What more could you ask for? On Saturday morning, we hit the road again. It was sad to say goodbye, but we knew there was more fun ahead of us in Daphne, AL (near Mobile). There, we stayed with our friends the Fahertys. Their son, Trey, is a year older than Lise', so she had another buddy to get in trouble with. They enjoyed each other for 2 days, and this morning, the girls and I packed our bags and headed to Grandma's. For some reason, the 3 hr leg was the shortest in time, but the hardest on Abri. It was nice to pull into the driveway knowing we'd be here for 2 weeks. I finally get a break!
Already, Lise' has raided the costume box for new dance outfits, and the girls have played in the hose. We missed our afternoon nap, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that an early bedtime is in order. Wish me luck.
Already, Lise' has raided the costume box for new dance outfits, and the girls have played in the hose. We missed our afternoon nap, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that an early bedtime is in order. Wish me luck.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Sweet Home Alabama...
Is a thing of the past. We've returned though with much fanfare. We departed NJ on Saturday at 5am, and traveled to Raleigh, NC to stay with Chris and Caron. The highlight of that leg of the trip was meeting Ms. Emery. She's even cuter than the pictures, and Lise' just loved to "take care of her." Babies are such wonderful things, and we're so happy Chris and Caron have joined us in the journey of parenthood.
We did have a small OOPS moment with Lise'. She and Abri were horsing around, and she clobbered herself somehow. The end result was small gash above her left eye. Thankfully it stopped bleeding, and we determined she probably would be fine without the assistance of stiches. That sure would have been a memorable way to start off our trip!
After we said our goodbyes, we hit the road again. This time, it was all the way to Tuscaloosa. Surprisingly, the girls did really well. We made it the entire way with only 2 fits, a triumph in my eyes.
The remainder of the week, we'll be in Tuscaloosa at Ira & Flossie's house. The kids didn't miss a beat. It was as if they hadn't been away from each other at all. They play from sun up to sun down, and are having a ball. Today we even fit in a trip to the park before the weather turned downhill.
That's it from the road. I'll report more as the news comes in. So long and goodnight.
We did have a small OOPS moment with Lise'. She and Abri were horsing around, and she clobbered herself somehow. The end result was small gash above her left eye. Thankfully it stopped bleeding, and we determined she probably would be fine without the assistance of stiches. That sure would have been a memorable way to start off our trip!
After we said our goodbyes, we hit the road again. This time, it was all the way to Tuscaloosa. Surprisingly, the girls did really well. We made it the entire way with only 2 fits, a triumph in my eyes.
The remainder of the week, we'll be in Tuscaloosa at Ira & Flossie's house. The kids didn't miss a beat. It was as if they hadn't been away from each other at all. They play from sun up to sun down, and are having a ball. Today we even fit in a trip to the park before the weather turned downhill.
That's it from the road. I'll report more as the news comes in. So long and goodnight.
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