Feeling the Love

This morning I was helping Kaity condition her hair and she wanted me to dry her off and do her lotion. We were talking through this process about nothing in particular, and this is where the conversation went.

Kaitlyn (who keeps asking for Hello Kitty panties b/c they are her favorite, though she has a lot): I don't need any more Hello Kitty panties Mommy.

Me: Why is that?

Kaitlyn: Because I have enough already.

Me: True

Kaitlyn: I don't need any more love either, because I have enough of that already too. You give me so much I already have all I need.

Talk about warming my heart. Oh, and just so ya know, I'm not gonna stop givin' the love sister. It's the gift that keeps on giving. Gosh I love this girl!

The First Snow of the Season

Last night I looked up the weather forecast and discovered it was "currently snowing." I didn't even know snow was in the forcast! We were just outside riding bikes right before dinner. It was COLD, but didn't seem like it was going to snow anytime soon. I knew there was rain in the forecast a couple of days this week, so imagine my surprise when I got out of bed and looked out the window. The snow was really coming down and there was quite a layer already built up! I was almost too excited to sleep! I had already decided we were going outside to play as soon as the kids woke up and had breakfast. Well, they both decided to sleep until 8:45 (on the one day I wanted them up!) and Kaity came to my room first. She walked to the window and looked down, noticing that it looked different, but not really registering anything yet. I asked her what she saw. She broke into a huge grin and said SNOW! Then she told me she almost didn't recognize it. Silly girl! We went to the kitchen and started breakfast and as soon as Ryan heard Kaitlyn, he ran out of his room and said, "I didn't know Kaity was awake!" I think they just didn't want to get out of their warm beds. Can you blame them? He looked out the window in the living room and started hopping around the living room yelling, SNOW! After gearing up we headed downstairs to play.


Kaitlyn getting her amunition.

Ryan ready to fire.

Kaity's wicked look waiting for me to safeguard the camera so she can fire.

They had a blast sliding faster and farther on slide and bed of snow at the base.

One of the great things about homeschooling is the flexibility it provides. Today, we had a three hour snow delay. It was awesome! We played outside for a long time, was joined by a friend, and then went upstairs for a warm playdate with coffee and pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. Now that's how I like to start school! It was a great day both in the "classroom" and outside.

Liver and Onions

I am sick and my husband has quarantined me to my bed.  Mostly because he is supposed to fly twice on Monday and doesn't want to miss out by getting sick himself.  Plus, he wants me to get better as soon as possible.  Uh huh, sure. ;)  So, I am making the menu for the week and sending him to the commissary to do my dirty work.  I have come up with a few things and asked him what he wanted.  He said he didn't care (pretty standard response for him, as he is pretty easy to please.  I really wanted some direction, so I told him, "fine, liver and onions it is."  He laughed and told me I wouldn't eat that.  I told him that I was sick so I wouldn't be eating in general.  Kaitlyn quickly responded, "The people that are not sick will not eat that either."  I guess they called my bluff.  All Recipes, here I come!

So This is Fall....

Growing up in Florida and never having lived north of the Mason Dixon Line, I have never really experienced fall. I mean really experienced fall. The bright, vivid colors of the trees, the cold (okay maybe cool, remember I am from Florida) temperatures, spending the day outside with pink noses, and coming home to warm up with a bowl of hot soup. Today was my day! Today was the day where I got to experience fall. To be able to see all of the shades of fall on one tree. Sure, I had a slight taste of fall on our newly planted maple in South Carolina, but this year was the first year I got to watch the leaves on the trees change color. Fall was just starting to arrive while we were in Japan, and I was loving it! Over the past couple of weeks, the temperatures and humidity have been dropping and the leaves have been changing. Today was one of the most beautiful days I have spent in nature. It was certainly the most colorful and I just have to share the many pictures I took. While the day itself wasn't remarkable, it was cold and hazy, the Garden of Morning Calm was a place I will always remember and will make plans to return to. Last week a friend of mine sent me a link to a place about 2 hours away and asked if I was up for a road trip. Of course...I am almost always up for a road trip! So, we packed our lunches, packed in her car, and headed northeast of Seoul. Two hours and one missed turn later we found ourselves walking through the Garden of Morning Calm. While it was still morning, it was not at all calm. We had 2 boys ages 2 and 3 and a 6 year old girl and were in Korea, where there are always people around, no matter when you go. After all, Seoul's population is over 10 million people! While it wasn't calm, it was fun and a great way to spend the day. Here are some pictures of our day.  They are in no order (they uploaded randomly and I don't have time to figure it out) and there are a lot.  I narrowed them down the best I could (there were A TON!), but I'm outta time....  Enjoy and HAPPY FALL!!!

 

Broken Bums

Kaitlyn was jacking around today, playing with something she wasn't supposed to be playing with. I call to her, telling her if she breaks it I'm going to break her bum. Ryan, who is sitting next to me at the table doing some schoolwork, tells me I can't do that. I respond with, "Oh yes I can." While Kaity knew I was being silly and wouldn't really break her bum, Ryan obviously did not. Very seriously, with a worried look on his sweet little face, he tells me that I can't break her bum because then she can't go poop. I couldn't help but break into laughter.

Literal Thinking

We are getting ready to walk out the door for Girl Scouts. The kids are playing Hullabaloo and have already had baths and dinner. I tell them, "Hey guys we are leaving in less than 5 minutes." Then Kaitlyn says, "Ryan, we're leaving in 4 minutes. Hurry, get your pants and shoes on." Hope you got a little giggle. Gotta run, we're leaving in less than 2 minutes. ;)

Everything that Starts with Muffin

Today I am making zucchini muffins so we can have some healthy and yummy snacks. Ryan is sick and super crabby, so he is making a big fuss over the fact that I am grating zucchini and an even bigger fuss that I will be putting said zucchini in the muffins. Christy and Jeri, if you are reading this, I know what you are thinking! ;) I am also adding pineapple, golden and regular raisins, carrots, applesauce, yogurt and pecans. He doesn't know about that yet, but will when he helps make them. I know they will love them, but Ryan thinks he won't. Welcome to 3!

To get him out of my hair while I grate, I sat them each down at the table with a container of yogurt from the freezer. After a few minutes of calm, quiet eating, Ryan exclaims, "I'll just eat everything that starts with muffin!" Translation...he's not eating the zucchini. We'll see. I think he will change his tune when the house fills with the smell of muffins and they come out of the oven.

Laminating the Chicken

So, I am in the kitchen preparing dinner while the kids are eating snack. After combining all the ingredients in a very convenient, but not environmentally friendly, Ziplock bag, I start rolling the bag around in my hands to mix it all up and then through some chicken in it. Ryan comes over and asks what I am doing (certainly he was convinced that it was some great snack I was hiding from him). I told him that I was marinating the chicken. From the kitchen table I hear, "You're LAMINATING the chicken?!?!?!

Are you thinking we've been doing too much school? Don't let her fool you! I was just laminating some number cards this morning while she was working on her math. Funny that the laminating stuck, hopefully the word problems did too.

Here's another great recipe that I am making tonight. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/07/grilled-chicken-with-lemon-basil-pasta/ (I love this woman!) Not exactly the healthiest one on the web, but Bill's PT test is done and we are celebrating this week! With burgers and margaritas at Chili's and recipes at home with heavy cream. Plus, I need to prepare my layer of blubber for winter. I was freezing yesterday without the sun and the high in the upper 60s. It's gonna be a long winter for this Florida girl.

Annie

My child is being naughty today and instead of charging her tickets (because she is out) I am making her do extra chores. Win, win...for me. I don't have to yell/nag/harp and my house gets clean. Yes, I realize I have to let go to accomplish this and her job is not going to be as good as mine, but hey, at least it is getting done. As I write this she is spraying down the cabinets and wiping them clean. She has been really into Annie lately and she just told me that this is really hard work and she is like Annie......except she isn't singing the song. Ha! So, either she will start to behave or my house will be really clean. The funniest thing about this is that I was making 5 buckets of margaritas for our show and my naming tomorrow and looking at all the empty bottles on the counter, I did remind myself a little of Mrs. Hannigan.

Big Island Adventure - Part 1

Our first day on the Big Island was spent hanging out in the condo, shopping, napping, and otherwise preparing for Bill's arrival the next day. After we woke up from naps, we took the kids to a beautiful place called The Place of Refuge near Captain Cook, south of Kona. We spent a couple hours or so exploring the wonderful tide pools there and was hoping to catch a beautiful sunset. While the clouds didn't cooperate with the sun setting as we had hoped, we had a great time and got a bunch (again, way too many) pictures of the kids enjoying the exploration that comes with a new world and the curiosity of being a child. I love the moments where we can just slow down and enjoy those youthful moments, instead of feeling rushed by the day to day hustle and bustle. Please enjoy the slideshow of the best pictures below.

The Car with the Horse

After being in Florida for 7 weeks, which went so fast I didn't get a chance to spend as much time with people as we wanted or see some of the people we wanted to, the kids and I boarded a plane for Kona, Hawaii. We had a 4 hour layover in LA and my sister and Rylee drove up from San Diego to spend a few hours with us. We were so happy to be able to steal some extra time with both of them and the visit was worth the tears shed from Kaitlyn when she had to say goodbye to her Aunt Sharon and baby Rylee again (mostly Aunt Sharon, as they have always had a special bond).

We arrived in Hawaii after a very long day of travel (we left at 5 am and finally settled into our condo at 8:30 Hawaii time, which was 2:30 am Florida time), caught a shuttle to pick up our rental car, and then went back to baggage claim to pick up our (many) bags. We did just a little bit of shopping while back in the States. ;) Fortunately, Kona is an open air airport and the baggage claim is outside 50 feet from the curb and the whole process went seamlessly.

While we were standing in line, Kaitlyn was asking where our car was. There were two cars out front that looked like they were ready to go, and I told her I thought that one of those were ours. She got very ePublish Postxcited and with wide eyes asked if the blue one with the horse on it was ours! My response, "No honey, that blue Mustang convertible is the car Mommy and Daddy would have if we were here without children. The one next to it is probably ours." Once we took the top off the 4-door Wrangler, she got a little bit more excited about the boring vehicle without the horse on it.

Motivation...or Complete Lack Thereof

I go through these phases where I get so far behind that I begin to feel overwhelmed and instead of just biting the bullet and getting it done, I shut down and don't want to do anything. That's kind-of how I am feeling about this blog and our pictures. We just take to darn many. This week I have been watching a dear friend's 3 sweet children in addition to my own, and while it is busy during the waking hours, nap time is pretty quiet as the four children who are home during the day are 6, 3 (2 of them), and 18 months. With the jet lag, today is the second day Kaitlyn has napped this week. Yet, nap time comes around and I jack around, not accomplishing much of anything besides keeping the house somewhat tidy and checking facebook. So, today I am biting the bullet and at least getting some of the stuff out of the way. I need to get over my all or nothing perfectionist mentality and get on with it already! I made myself a delicious cup of coffee with half and half and turbinado sugar, threw on my hoodie, lounge pants, and cozy Korean socks, and am enjoying my little sweet treat and quiet house with only the sound of the keys as I type. It may not be perfect, but at least it will be done. So here goes!

The Girl Who Played with Fire

I have been doing a lot of reading while here in Florida without the distractions of home and love that I am getting to do that. I also love that my kids are watching me read and that Kaitlyn and I are reading our own individual books together. I've read a couple James Patterson and Iris Johansen books and just started The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. My mom gave them to me and I put them in the back seat.

The other day we were driving in the car and Kaitlyn starts the following conversation.

Kaitlyn: Mom, have you read that book The Girl Who Played with Fire?

Mommy: No, not yet.

K: Did she get hurt?

M: I don't know babe, I haven't read it yet.

K: Well, I think that seems kind-of dangerous.

Funny little story I thought I would share. I wish I could share the tone and inflections through the blog, but I can't, so you'll just have to take me at my word when I tell you how cute it was.

Shopping in Americaland

We got in late on Thursday night. The kids slept until maybe 5 or 6 on Friday morning. Saturday morning they were up somewhere near 3:30 am for the day. After keeping them quiet for a few hours while huddled in the back room of my in-laws' place (which is no small feat, by the way) we got dressed and headed to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things and kill some time. We arrived about 7, which is the perfect time, if there ever is a good time, to shop at Wal-Mart.

As we were turning into the parking lot (after the 10 minute ride where we were all giddy talking about how great the car is, how smooth it rides, how roomy it is, that it has a DVD player, and how it is definitely NOT the Korean Batmobile we left behind that we love to hate) Ryan asks, "What is this place?" I tell him that it's Wal-Mart. I guess his memory has faded after 6 months on the ROK. He then asks what this Wal-Mart place has. My response, "It's Wal-Mart, what doesn't it have?" I told him it has food, toys, bath stuff, books, clothes, etc. He replies in an awe-filled voice, "Wow, so it has everything that people need?" Yup. Pretty much kid.

We got out of the car and walked toward the store. I retrieved my military id and ration card from my wallet and approached the doors of the store I have vowed to never shop in again. Several times over. Yet I keep returning. Very quickly I tucked them both back in my purse in just enough time to spare myself the embarrassment of showing them to the greeter to gain access to the store. We are creatures of habit. I know those of you who have been stationed overseas have also done this and are laughing!

We grabbed the items we needed and checked out. We weren't sure where to go next, as it was only 7:45 and we knew the rest of the house would still be sleeping. We climbed into the Odyssey (which I have missed so much...and swore I would NEVER EVER drive, but thank God that I have it and that it is paid off) and arrived at Target when it opened at 8. The kids were ridiculously overtired and Ryan was a crying mess off and on the whole time, but it was so great to be back in America, shopping in Target, and in a place where people understood the language I was speaking. We checked out, got a muffin for the kids and a Starbucks for me, and headed back to attempt to reprogram our clocks and distract the kids from their overtired crankiness with a swim in Grandma and PaPaw's pool before nap.

Our Trip to the US and Some Travel Advice

If you have ever traveled great distances, I don't have to explain to you what a beast jet lag is. We are literally upside down when we come and go. Korea is 13 hours ahead of Florida and boy do our bodies get confused. We have made this journey four times now (three of them just me and the kids) and it still takes us a good week to adjust. In a way it does get easier because we know what to expect, even though we are still waking up at 3 am because our bodies think that we just woke from a nap. It was also easier this time because I could throw the kids in the pool. By far the best way to beat jet lag. Fresh air, sunshine, and lots of energy burning activity!

We took an evening flight and even though Delta completely sucks compared to Korean Air, our flight was pretty good. The only benefit of the near complete inattention of the flight attendants on our flight was that they didn't interrupt our sleep. Or more importantly the children's sleep. They woke me once to scold me for letting a child sleep in a bed I made on the floor, but Kaitlyn transitioned well and both kids slept with their heads on my lap while I dozed from my middle seat, straight up, but thrilled that the kids were sleeping. There is definitely a lot less leg room on the Delta flight and the seats barely recline, but the kids slept and that is all I care about. Good thing too because the only (almost) kid-friendly movie was the new Alice in Wonderland and the only thing animated was a few Cartoon Network cartoons, not really appropriate for young children. Not one G rated or animated movie. Or anything that would keep a toddler's attention. Let's face it. If the toddler isn't happy the whole plane isn't happy. This was a serious shocker after flying Korean Air, which caters to children's needs and makes a mom's life much easier. Fortunately, the little guys were awesome for yet another flight and I thanked God, once again, for blessing me with the children I have. While they aren't perfect, they are great kids and I am thankful.

Here are a few things that helped on this trip that I would like to share with my friends who also make the 24 hour trip. I swear, every trip I learn something new.

1. Take the night flight. This is the first time we have done an evening flight. Usually our plane takes off mid-morning and we have to wake the kids wicked early to get to the airport on time. Then they sit all day without expending any energy and Kaitlyn has been known to not even sleep a wink. This flight was scheduled for 5:30, but didn't take off until closer to 6:30. We were ready early and were able to spend an hour or so at the park before having lunch with Daddy and going to the bus station.

2. Beach balls. I usually try to make the children sit quietly with books or toys before we board our flight. This time I wanted to make sure they were properly worn out so that they would sleep. I figured it was way more important for them to behave on the flight than in the airport, so I let them run around. Many thanks to my friend Terese who gave me the beach ball idea that she uses during layovers with her four. We kicked, passed, blocked, and chased two big beach balls for an hour and a half. The kids were sweaty, I was sweaty, and we definitely had an audience. We also had a lot of fun. While we played where it wasn't crowded, we did have to utter some apologies to people walking through or when a ball went astray. Everyone smiled and said it wasn't a problem. A few loved that we were playing hard and blowing off steam before the long flight. It worked like a charm and when they called us for boarding, we deflated our toys and slipped them back into the bag, where they hardly took up any space.

3. Something to block/minimize light and sound. I have been doing a lot of sewing lately due this this awesome place to buy beautiful, fun, and inexpensive fabric. I let the kids pick out fabric and I made them each a two sided tent/sheet to go from the backs of their seats to the seat in front of them. I attached big safety pins in case we had cloth seats and brought sticky backed velcro in case of leather seats. I didn't have to use either, but was able to tuck the material into the crevices of the headrests. Bring it anyway cuz ya never know what you're gonna get. Then I put the airline blankets across the top of that in the other direction making a dark tent for the two of them. This kept out the light from the other passengers and the lights of the aircraft when the crew turned all the lights on and allowed the kids to sleep. I also brought ear plugs and put them in the kids' ears before they fell asleep. Kaity wanted to keep hers in, but Ryan took his out. I slipped them back in after he was asleep and they both got about 8 hours of sleep. Ryan may have even gotten 9. Praise God!!! Just that leg of the flight is 14+ hours and without movies geared towards children could have been heinous. I really didn't even have to bust into my arsenal of travel things until the flight from Detroit to Tampa. Did I mention how awesome these guys are?

I know there are more tips and many more to be learned, so if you have any fresh advice for traveling with little ones, please feel free to comment.

An Overdue Update

I know, it's been a while. We haven't fallen off the face of the earth, just slid on over to the other side of it. We are back in the land of the free and the home of the brave and it feels so good to be back in America where there are no (or few) language barriers. The land of Wal-Mart (which I have sworn, more than once, I wouldn't go back to, but can't seem to stay away from), Target, Costco (the America version), Chick-Fil-A, and all other things American. Most likely made in China. I haven't been able to do much shopping at all yet, but can't wait to do so. Especially since I brought so few clothes.

Upon arriving nearly 3 weeks ago, we kicked the jet-lag and went down to Naples to visit my grandparents. Just before we left, my Grandpa was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and was not given very much time left with us. After a very emotional roller coaster, we found out last week that though the power of prayer and the grace of the Good Lord, my Grandpa's cancer is not only contained in the esophagus, but with radiation and low doses of chemo and due to the location of the mass, he may have painless years with us instead of mere months. And, with just three radiation treatments, the stint they put in to keep his esophagus from closing on him as the cancer grew, fell out! The mass shrunk (at least enough to not be able to hold the stint in) and he can go back to eating whatever he wants and living life as he did before. Well, when he isn't wiped out by chemo and radiation anyway. The change in the spirit of my grandparents when they got the news from the PET scan was as noticeable as the difference between night and day. The relief that washed over them both was as visible as the car they stepped out of. Grandpa said that he almost dropped to his knees in praise in the middle of the hospital parking lot! What a relief. Many thanks to all of you who kept them in your prayers. Please continue to pray for them as they go through this process. While the news is good, the situation and the treatment still sucks and continues to take a toll on both of them.

We have also been spending the past two weeks with my sister and my nearly 14 month old cutie pie of a niece Rylee. While it has been anything but relaxing, we have been enjoying watching her warm up to the family and getting to know this cute little bundle of personality. I will be posting some very precious pictures of her and her visit soon. She took to Kaitlyn right away and it has been fun to watch them interact. Kaitlyn has such a kind and gentle spirit and it has been sweet to watch Rylee go to her for comfort when she is heartbroken that mommy left the room and didn't take her. When they leave tomorrow, I think it will be Kaity who will be heartbroken. We will miss them and it is so tough to be apart from the little sugar when she is changing and growing so fast. Especially when we don't know when we will see them again.

We've had a few funny stories since we've been back and I hope to get them blogged soon. I've been out of the technology loop while here, trying to entertain the kids quietly when home during the day and visiting with family at night and have been lucky to return e-mails, much less blog and check facebook. Maybe one day I will be able to find a happy medium between too much technology and too little, though I am not holding my breath. As with many things in my life, it seems to be all or nothing. I suppose it is the perfectionist in me. :)