Atlanta ~ Day 8

Saturday, December 27. Our Atlanta trip had come to a close. Our flight didn't leave until 9:20 PM. We flew on Delta for the first time ever and possibly the last time ever. I will avoid, at all costs, having to fly Delta Airlines in the future. Our flight back to Denver was worse than the flight out ~ but, Ben didn't get sick this time. The flight was delayed 1 1/2 hours out of Atlanta, not because of weather, but because one of the flight attendants had an "accident" and they were waiting for a replacement. Huh? That's a first. Then it took us 1 hour and 15 minutes to get our luggage after we landed in Denver. I realize this time of year is always difficult, but it was midnight in Denver and the airport was nearly empty except for the few Delta flights stuck waiting around at the baggage claim. Holly came to pick us up from the airport and had to wait all that time, too ~ sorry, Hol. We didn't get home until 1:30 AM. I was very tired and very angry. We did not have a good experience on Delta Airlines for either flight.

On another note, I was thinking of all the fun things from our Atlanta trip. I know there are many more, but these are a few that stick out in my mind:

• Playing Wii ~ Lily and Cailey kicked butt in bowling!
• Eating TONS of good food ~ It was "calorie free" week :o) But, somehow I think I gained 10 pounds :o)
• Carne Asada!!!!
• Ugly Christmas Sweater party ~ Juli and Robert's friends are really fun!
• Hearing Lily and Ben say they are "best friends"
• All four kids playing so nicely ~ I still can't believe how well they all got along! Ben says his favorite part was, "Playing nicely with Lily" ~ I swear, his words totally! That is cute.
• Playing "cooking" with Ben and Lily
• Playing "school" with Ben, Cailey, and Lily ~ Lily was the teacher and boy did she take her job serious :o) I joke that Cailey and Lily compete for high-ranking diva-dom in our family :o) They are such girls.
• Lily's reaction when she opened gifts, "OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH. IT'S JUST WHAT I WANTED. What is it?"
• Being there to see Dane learn to say "CHHHEEEESSSSE" with a big cheesy grin!
• Christmas morning! ~ Cailey's favorite part
• All 10 of us packed into the truck for our drive around Lake Linear to look at all the light displays!
• The Christmas Village and the live Nativity scene at Lake Linear, plus the hot cocoa (BONUS!) and cotton candy (Ben informed us that that is his favorite part about the carnival!)
• The sudden Georgia DOWN POUR OF RAIN at the Christmas Village ~ it was the craziest thing I have ever seen
• The funny face camera program on Robert's computer ~ Cailey and Lily laughed so hard playing with this program; making bug eyes, big chins, pink hair...
• Matching PJs
• The MARTA ride from the airport ~ we get a five year cap on talking/complaining/bringing up this topic...yes, Juli...Scott and I decided five years would be sufficient! HEE HEE :o) :o)
• Driving around the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights ~ hearing Ben get really excited about the palm tree light display in front of one house.
• Listening to music in the kitchen while we cooked ~ how many songs are there about Julie's? :o)
• Our "European" style Christmas dinner ~ we had a three hour delicious dinner of salad, steak, mushrooms, potatoes, asparagus with hollandaise sauce and, or course, lots of wine :o)
• Friday night at the Irish pub ~ playing pool and listening to live music by a young guy that sounded a lot like Grandpa Rich...ahhhh, memories.
• The Georgia Aquarium ~ we went early only to find a huge line...but the line was much, much, much longer when we left later in the afternoon.
• Skype-ing
• Noodle Art ~ my new favorite thing!
• Re-connecting with a sister and her family. Love you, Juls.
• Making memories to last a life time.

Atlanta ~ Day 7

Friday. We all headed off to the Georgia Aquarium. It is a HUGE aquarium ~ the Denver aquarium is good, but this one is a lot better. The kids, especially Cailey, were very excited. Once we got there, we found out that most of Georgia had the same idea that we did...okay, it wasn't most of Georgia (duh), but it certainly felt like it. This place was packed with people, shoulder to shoulder. But, we are nothing if not persistent and we took our deep breaths and pushed forward. We did skip several attractions, but the kids didn't notice and we ended up spending most of the day at the aquarium.

Friday night Scott, Juli, Robert, and I went to dinner, a movie, and drinks while Grandpa Rich and Grandma Sunny watched all the kids. It was a great kid-free night and the grandparents got some good quality time with the kids ~ they got a bath and some fruit smoothies. Cailey enjoyed being the "helper" all night.

I don't normally keep the pictures of the animals/fish, but I love the jelly fish and these are a couple of my favorite photos. I just think these pictures are beautiful:

Atlanta ~ Day 6

Thursday. Christmas Day. I won't comment much, except to say, it was a wonderful day filled with lots of family time together. The kids have played so nicely all week ~ with only a few disagreements and no fights!! They have all been great. We had a non-traditional Christmas dinner of steak, potatoes, and salad. The kids definitely enjoyed the gifts, but I think they enjoyed being with each other more. Ben and Lily love each other and said several times they were best friends. So, my Christmas prayer this year is that all the cousins stay close to each like this forever. Ben misses his cousins (all of them) terribly ~ I guess he is like his mommy and wants family around all the time :o)

Atlanta ~ Day 5

Wednesday. Christmas Eve Day. A busy day that started with a trip to the Urgent Care to find out why Ben still wasn't feeling well and complaining of neck and ear pain. The Urgent Care didn't open until 11:00 AM, but we were there at 10:30 AM ~ whoo hoo, a chance to make a quick stop at Starbucks! When we arrived back at the UC (11:06 AM), we encountered some not-so-Southern-hospitality from the mean lady at the front desk because we had taken a 'number' and should have been there 6 minutes ago when they opened the doors. I made a not-so-quiet-comment about the rudeness and the apparent myth that Southern women were nice. Someone must have heard me, because after that we were treated VERY nicely ~ everyone was nice as pie...Southern pie, that is :o) $50 and two hours later we left ~ Ben just had a virus and some sores on the back of his throat that needed to be treated with Motrin around the clock ~ that's it! Geesh.

While we were gone, Juli let Cailey, Lily, and Dane take a bath and let Cailey and Lily have a picnic lunch in their bathrobes on the floor in her bedroom ~ so cute.

After we were all showered and ready, we ate dinner, Grandma Sunny gave Baby Dane his very first hair cut, and then we helped decorate the Gabsa's tree (they waited to put the ornaments on until Christmas Eve). Cailey really liked that part. Then we went to Lake Linear to see all the light displays (driving several miles around the lake that was decorated with so many light displays...it was amazing), the live Nativity scene (that was cool), and the Christmas Village (with carnival rides and all!). After a late night out, we let the kids open one Christmas Eve gift ~ matching PJs!! Thanks Juli!!! The kids had a really great night and, as the mantra went all night, "This is what memories are made of!" :o) We sure created a lot of memories!

Christmas Eve Day:


Christmas Eve at Lake Linear:

Atlanta ~ Day 4

Tuesday. We spent most of the day doing last minute Christmas shopping and grocery shopping. We had a blast eating Juli and Robert's famous Carne Asada for dinner (YUM!) and playing Wii late into the night. There was a lot of resting and snuggle time for everyone throughout the day. Ben still wasn't feeling well and went to bed early, I joined him :o) Dane seemed to be having a blast with so many people around to play with. Cailey and Lily were great and enjoyed playing Wii with everyone.

Atlanta ~ Day 3

Monday. We started the day early with Ben wide awake at the crack of dawn and Dane up shortly after him.

Ben and Dane watching morning cartoons:

This picture is of Dane sneaking up on the stool by the sink. I was washing Ben's hands at the sink, went to put something away, and as I walked back I see this little blond head pop up over the counter. I started to laugh and grabbed the camera...I thought it was so cute. Obviously, after I took the picture, I moved the stool and gave him a strong "no, no" ~ he smiled at me. Love that Dane.

Lily had to go to the doctor on Monday...she has asthma and the beginning of pneumonia ~ what a way to start Christmas. By the end of Tuesday evening and a couple of breathing treatments, Lily was feeling much better.

Scott, Robert, and I took Cailey and Benjamin to Monkey Joe's ~ it's a huge warehouse of bouncing things. Lily and Dane didn't go because they were napping and not feeling well. We promised Cailey and Ben we would go and during nap time was the only option. It was a great way to let Cailey and Ben blow off some steam. Just a few picture:

This is my favorite picture from Monkey Joe's. Robert took this picture with his phone of Cailey flipping upside down. I absolutely love this picture. I think it captures the mood of the day.

Grandma and Grandpa Adams arrived from Phoenix late Monday night. Ben still wasn't feeling up to par, so he was sound asleep on me on the couch when they arrived at the house. The other kids were up and were excited to see Grandma and Grandpa ~ all of the kids ran up to them and gave them big hugs and kisses!

Atlanta ~ Day 2

We spent the day recovering from a long travel day and a late night. We managed to make it out of the house for dinner at Steaks and Shakes. That's about it. The kids played SOOO nicely together and it was nice to just hang out with the Gabsa's.

If you are thinking of taking a big trip with kids...

... DON'T!!

Once again, Ben got sick on the way out of town for our big vacation (see July post for a reminder of our last big trip). We were fine, great even, until we went through security at the airport. Ben got really agitated and upset and started crying ~ uncharacteristically...he's usually very easy going and doesn't get upset about much. He was clingy and whiny and whimpering. I figured he was just nervous and scared about flying, but at the gate he suddenly spiked a fever and wouldn't eat. He was limp and pale, so I gave him some of the Tylenol I had packed in my purse (I threw it in my purse just at the last minute, thankfully!). Just as we were getting in line to board the plane, Ben said his tummy hurt and then proceeded to throw up all over the carpet at our gate and, after I flung into action and lifted him over the trash can, he finished by spewing his entire stomach contents into the trash can (so much for the Tylenol) ~ at least it wasn't on me, Scott, Cailey, more of the carpet, or anything else we were carrying ~ yes, that's the silver lining in the story. By the time we got in our seats and in the air, the flight had been delayed an hour (ugh!). Then we arrived in Atlanta and waited 45 minutes (!!!!!!) for our luggage. The topper was having to take the MARTA (mass-transit rail system) through downtown Atlanta on a Saturday night (the train was PACKED), with more luggage then we could handle and a sick kid. By the time we arrived at Juli and Robert's house, I was done. But, we were scheduled to go to an "Ugly Christmas Sweater" party. I was prepared to back out and stay home with the kids (and with the babysitter), but Juli and Robert convinced us to go ~ the kids would be fine with the babysitter and Ben was fully medicated with Motrin.

The party was a good way to defuse and mellow out after a very stressful travel day. Thanks to Juli, Scott and I had matching Christmas turtlenecks to wear!!! I wonder where those went after the party??? They were so cute, after all. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves :o) :o) I used some discretion and only included the more mild pictures (HEE HEE).

Merry Christmas!!!

More to come later, but for now...

Merry Christmas to all!!!

Another early Christmas

We had another early Christmas before we leave for Atlanta. We met with the Emerson girls and exchanged gifts and wishes for a great holiday ~ I love my blocks, Terra! Then, The Bergs came over and we had another gift opening. Ben thinks that Christmas is everyday ~ because of all the Christmas decorations and the fact that we has gotten to open Christmas gifts on several different days :o)

Time Warp Thursday

California ~ May 2006

Record low

From record highs of 100+ degrees....

...to record lows in only a few months. We reached -18 degrees last night. Ben is trying to demonstrate his smokey-breath from the cold. :o)

Early Christmas

We are going to Atlanta for Christmas so we decided (on the spur of the moment) to celebrate Christmas last night. Because it was last minute, only Richie and Kathryn were able to make it. None the less, we had the kids open gifts from us, Grandma K, and Richie ~ Santa will be bringing his gifts to Atlanta :o) We wanted to let the kids open the gifts now from us so they have some time to enjoy them before we hop on a plane and leave the new presents here. Ben was very excited about every gift and enjoyed lining his gifts up in a straight line :o) Cailey liked everything, too. They are still young enough that they don't care about the cost ~ it's just the thought that counts and the thrill of opening a present. Some of their favorites are the least expensive. That's nice ~ for us :o) :o)

Cailey got a brand new bike, clothes, books, jewelry, and craft projects. Ben got a new computer game (Kid Pix) with a wireless mouse, movies, toy cars, board games, and toys. We got Ben the computer game because, unbeknownst to us (until last weekend), he knows how to work the computer ~ he uses the mouse like a pro...clicks and drags, erases, clicks in and out of programs...it's really very cute...and disturbing. Our three year old can use the computer better than some adults. He has computer class at school, so I guess it doesn't surprise me when I think about it ~ but it was quite surprising as I watched him for the first time at the Apple store doing things I never showed him and had no idea he even knew how to do! He gets really focused on his computer project ~ he never sits still that long for anything else.

As a bonus, Richie and Kathryn helped us decorate our tree. We've had the tree up for weeks, but have been so busy that we haven't put any ornaments on it. It was actually a lot of fun to have a bunch of people decorating the tree! I am glad we waited.

Shim Sham Shimmy

Cailey did her mid-year Tap3 review last night. There are only two of them in the class ~ Cailey and the little boy, Camden. They have been in tap together since the beginning and they are starting to get really good. The first dance is a famous tap dance called the Shim Sham Shimmy. I think they did a good job with it. They will continue to perfect that dance. But, they are also working on their dance for the big recital in June. Cailey and Camden will join the girls from Tap2 on that dance so it's a bigger group. They think they are going to do "You're The One That I Want" from Grease. It would have a good part in it for Camden. So, enjoy the Shim Sham Shimmy and the mid-year 'taste' of Cailey in Tap3. We are very proud of her and she loves it so much!

Time Warp Thursday

Cailey's First Dance Recital - June 2004

Ben's Winter Festival

Ben had his very first Christmas 'Winter Festival' concert. We started out good ~ I brought dinner to school and we all ate in his classroom. We didn't have time to go to dinner and get back in time so I just brought dinner to the school. Ben needed to eat first or he would have been a grouch. Unfortunately, just as we were leaving the classroom to take Ben to the 'holding room', Ben bumped his head (his ear) hard on the shelf in the classroom...so then his ear was bright red and he wasn't very agreeable. But, we successfully cheered him up and left to find a seat standing room...in front of other people...who didn't like having people stand in front of them ~ but there really was no other choice! Ben's class came out and, as you can see in the video, Ben was singing until he jumped and bumped his elbow ~ the rest of the video is of him crying. Scott and I both tried to get him to stop crying from our standing position way in the back of the room. He only had to sing three total songs! But no, he cried for most of the time and the whole way out of the gym. They went back to the holding room, where Ben received a 'Boo-boo Pad' for his elbow and all was well again for the finale. There is a little bit at the end of the video of him singing during the finale. Enjoy the video...it's really kinda funny. I edited out most of it ~ since he was just crying anyways :o) Sorry about all the bumping around ~ 1) I am clearly not a good videographer, 2) we were standing in a walk way of sorts and I was trying to stay out of the way, and 3) someone at the end kept sticking their camera up right in front of Ben's face ....grrrrrr.

Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs

Jeannine asked us if we wanted to go to the museum with her on this last free-day of the year at the museum. Of course we wanted to go! For free! Yes! They have the Dinosaur Exhibit that is going to be leaving Denver soon and I wanted to take the kids to see it ~ particularly Ben because he is obsessed with dinosaurs right now. Ask him to name a dinosaur...he can probably tell you the correct name of the dinosaur. We also invited Kathryn to join us because it was a good opportunity to spend time with the kids.

We started the morning with breakfast downtown. Jeannine, Richie, and Kathryn met us for breakfast ~ we needed to get extra fuel for a day at the museum! Then, Scott headed off to catch up at work (since he left early on Friday) and Richie went back home (he wasn't interested in the Dinosaurs at the museum...geesh!). Jeannine and Kathryn hopped in their cars and met us at the museum. It was still early and it wasn't nearly as crowded as I expected. We headed straight to the Dinosaurs and spent a good portion of the day there ~ learning about fossils and preservation. Then, we headed to the other dinosaur exhibit ~ the one that Denver has all year round ~ and learned more about dinosaurs and evolution. I was really, really surprised at the the interest both of my children showed in these exhibits. We even had time to visit the Space Odyssey exhibit and the Egypt exhibit ~ both kids seemed fascinated. Cailey liked the Space exhibit the best, but it was after lunch time (and nap time) and Ben was getting restless. I will definitely take Cailey back to the museum soon (without Ben) so we can spend some time at the Space exhibit. It was a fun day ~ but now we all need to rest and officially kick the cold bug out of our home. :o)

Saturday ~ revised

Teddy Bear Tea ~ check.
Birthday party number one ~ nope.
Birthday party number two ~ sort of.

We made it to the Teddy Bear Tea, but Cailey wasn't feeling great. Just tired and worn down with the cold and cough ~ she didn't get a good nights sleep with the cough keeping her awake most of the night. But, Cailey got to participate by donating a teddy bear to a children's group, making a picture frame, and a birthday card for a soldier fighting overseas. Then, they had a cute little tea party and we were done.



We made a quick stop to pick up more Christmas cards and then went home to see if Ben was going to make it to his little friend's birthday party. Nope. Ben's cough was worse and he really needed a good nap if he was going to go to Zach's party that night. So, we skipped the afternoon birthday party.

We gave both kids a decongestant ~ which works great to dry them up and keep the cough at bay (the cough was from all the drainage from the nose...it wasn't a chest thing). Cailey seemed to be okay, but Ben's cough was kinda bad and it makes him gag to the point of throwing up. So, Scott and I took Ben with us to do some Christmas shopping while Cailey hung out with Zach at his birthday party.

Another so-so night of sleep ~ no fevers or anything, just the normal every-day cold. But both kids were coughing and coughing so they didn't get the good deep sleep they need to kick this cold for good. We are now off to the Denver Museum... it's free day at the museum and we want to see the Dinosaur Exhibit before it leaves Denver. The little sniffles won't keep us away.

I've just made several posts, so keep scrolling down to catch up.

Friday night Nutcracker

On Friday we started the morning with two sick kids ~ coughing, runny noses. I gave them cold medicine and sent them to school ~ only to get a call from Cailey's school (low fever of 99.4 and lots of coughing). I decided to take some Tylenol to the school, but once I got there I decided to go ahead and bring her home since we were scheduled to go see the Nutcracker that evening. I would let her rest at home until it was time to leave. Just as I got home with Cailey, Ben's school called (no fever, but lots of coughing). I called Scott ~ he's on his way home so he can pick up Ben from school!!!! Yeah! I look in Cailey's mouth and see white spots on the back of her throat ~ strep, maybe???? I call the doc and make an appointment for both kids. Luckily, neither of them had anything more than a cold. My date with Cailey to see the Nutcracker was still on. Unfortunately, I was now running 45 minutes behind schedule.

Quick shower, makeup, and hair and we were on our way...only to meet rush-hour traffic...ugh. So, we quickly change plans and decide to stop for dinner closer to home instead of near the theater. If we eat first, the traffic will be less when we get back on the road. Restaurant number 1 ~ 3o minute wait, but has a children's menu. Restaurant number 2 ~ no wait, no children's menu. Hmmmm...door number two, please. Cailey will enjoy Chinese Bistro even if it kills her :o) We actually had a nice dinner and found several menu items that we would both enjoy.

Now, off to the theater. Traffic is much lighter, but we are still running a little late. We arrive at where I thought the theater was ~ nobody around...can't find the actual theater. A quick call to Terra (Lauren was in the Nutcracker and Terra was saving us seats) to find out I was just two streets away from the correct parking garage. I pull up to the parking garage only to suddenly (and to my absolute horror) realize I don't have any cash for parking! Crap. Turn around, drive to the 7-11 across the street, but the ATM is broken and 7-11 won't cash checks!!! WHAT THE *&^%! I look at Cailey, try to figure out how to find parking on the street and get into the theater within five minutes ~ yes, we only had about five minutes. I run back into 7-11 and plead with the nice lady behind the counter to let us park in the 7-11 parking lot for the two hours we needed to watch our first Nutcracker. The nice lady said, "Okay, just this once." I seriously wanted to kiss her. So, we park way down at the end of the parking lot and run ~ me in heels ~ into the theater just in time to find Terra and get seated for a few minutes before the show starts ~ whew. Thankfully, the Nutcracker was great, wonderful, and amazing ~ I am sure glad we didn't miss it. Lauren was great as a mouse and Bon Bon! Cailey enjoyed her first Nutcracker and I was glad we got to see it together...just us, just the girls.

Today is another busy day ~ with the Girl Scout Teddy Bear Tea and two birthday parties. Not, sure how many of these we'll get to with our two little sick-eys.

A Taste of Jazz

Cailey had her mini mid-year recital on Thursday ~ just a taste of what they have been working on. The weather was horrible which made for a stressful trek to the dance studio and then I had to go get Ben from pre-school and get back to the dance studio in time for the performance. We made it just in time. After the recital, we met Scott at Red Lobster for his birthday dinner ~ Yum!

I finally remembered to video record the performance ~ hope you enjoy the little video. This is her first Jazz class, so she is a bit older than most of the girls. She will have her Tap3 performance on Thursday and I will post that video, too.

Time Warp Thursday

A special Time Warp Thursday for my husband on his birthday! Love you! I am not positive about all the dates, but they should be pretty close.

Scott ~ circa 1973

Scott ~ circa 1973 or 1974

Juli and Scott ~ circa 1974

Scott ~ circa 1974

look at that 'car seat'!

Scott ~ circa 1975(?)

Even I remember the Big Wheel ~ we had one, too! Scott looks like he's about 4 or 5 (???)
Look how he's grown ~ Like a fine wine, he keeps getting better with age!

Loves!!!

Happy Birthday, Zach!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ZACH-MAN!!

HAVE A GOOD DAY! WE'LL SEE YOU SATURDAY!

Happy Birthday, Kevin!

Happy Birthday, Kev! 4o is a BIG number :o) :o) Glad that's not me (HEE HEE)! Hope you have a great day!