Well, we are all winding down after another long day. Ethan has climbed out of the Pack-n-Play twice, and is still not sleeping. Mary Claire has been moved to the couch to keep her and Clay from giggling and playing footsie (spelling looks weird!). Hopefully I'll get to bed earlier tonight!
Ches made the trip back to Cracker Barrel to pick up the backpack while I took a shower this morning. He took Ethan with him which helped me! Clay and Mary Claire goofed off, got dressed, and generally had a ball. I had them make the bed and brush their teeth, but I can't say they really did either well. Anyway, we went to the Adventure Science Center-their children's museum. I'll say that upon walking in, I was sorely disappointed, seeing all the same things we see at every children's museum, only smaller. The balls, angles, mirrors, crawly things..but upon closer examination, I give it an 8! There were more floors of things that you couldn't see at the entrance. You had to crawl through this thing in the middle-about 5 stories in all-of body parts-heart (crawl thru the ventricles, etc.) we climbed up the spine to get there, then around in the femur, thru a tube to feel different skin/textures, then up to the next level with sounds-climb in a guitar to strum it, play a pipe (wind) organ-you hook up a vacuum-type hose (only it blows) to the pipes and they play, a lifesize-piano, then up to the next level-more crawling, to planetarium stuff-and we were so high!! We were looking out over the city from a pyramid of glass windows up at the top of the museum. In other floors, we played in their version of water-the blood/circulatory system with floating red & white blood cells, oxygen, etc. and you could stop the flow with a wall called smoking, and one called cholesterol. One big paddle wheel that sped it up was called exercise-it was so cute and original! : ) We went to the excretory system (bathrooms!) and traveled through the digestive system that ended in a slide under which there was a huge rug of a whoopie cushion with all the names for gas!! It was hilarious! Ches and the kids also played a game of shoot the pathogens (can't remember the real name), with laser guns-they shot cavities, germs, cuts on toes, etc. It reminded me of the Toy Story Pizza Planet shoot-em game at Disney. THen we went downstairs to let Clay climb the walls-about 3 stories up-to work on the outside of a space shuttle. He did well, but since he was at the weight minimum-60 lbs-he was having trouble getting higher. There is a counter balance weight on the back of his rope, so he had trouble. He really didn't know it though, and loved it! I'll post a few pictures down below. I've had to cut down on the number of pictures I load, because they take so long!
Then we dropped Ches off at the Opry Convention Center again, came back and took naps. We made chocolate cookies, did fraction work together since that's what they are missing at school!, then picked Ches back up. We went back to the mall-third time?-and shopped a little-I got some kids' clothes at Carters (my coupon was expiring today! 25% off my whole sale-those are rare!), and got the kids shoes at Nike. Ches has spoiled the kids-multiple balls at Nike-again, and more toys. He did keep them occupied while I was shopping, so it worked out okay-I can't complain too much!
He did tell me he went back to the movies today! He said his presentation was boring-and it was stuff he already knew, smarty-pants)-so he went back to the mall and saw Monsters vs. Aliens (again, only in its' entirity) in IMAX 3D. He said a show was JUST starting when he got over there, so he said he had to see how it ended (although I told him yesterday!). So, he learned alot about safety-a little about a broken highway...
Then we walked in, ordered pizza, paid, and asked them to deliver it. We were tired. We came home (hotel), gave everyone a bath, then ate. They pigged out on all our food that has to be eaten by tomorrow anyway, and are now in bed. Maybe (big, fat Maybe) they are finally asleep. I haven't heard sounds. Until just now. Mary Claire just came in-she doesn't like their water. She wants her Propel-it's upstairs, just two creaky stairs away. Not.
Okay, must check her blood again, and give them a sleeping potion. Got any good recipes?
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Piles of Cheese!
Today we went down to get breakfast, brought it back, then took Ches to one of the a presentation (we dropped him off so we could have the van!). We got directions and went to the nearby (about 10-15 minutes away) Target. I could not go back into the mothball-smelling Kmart that was so very close. It’s just awful. Anyway, we got what we needed (q-tips, gum, tissues, yogurts, more soup (for Ches’ late night eating sessions), band-aids and headed back to the hotel room. I had planned to fit in some laundry before meeting Ches, but.. Whatever! We got in, they wanted yogurts they’d picked out, Ethan ate about three piles of grated cheese, they played outside, then it was time to go to meet Ches at the Opry Mills Mall (in fact, we were late).
I ran into Gymboree (which was *luckily* right by the train stop in the mall)! Ches and the kids went around the whole mall (it’s a battery-operated train with tires-no track-which the kids didn’t notice) then when I still wasn’t done (surprised?) Ches and Ethan went around again. Clay and Mary Claire watched the tv in the store-one of the best perks there! We only spent $30 on the train-they should’ve just went to the toy store to get new toys! But, Ethan did have lots of fun. I took pictures, but I didn’t catch when they left the first time-they were all blowing me kisses-they were so excited! : ) It would’ve been an awesome pictures, but then I wouldn’t have experienced it I guess.
Then we ate lunch at Chili’s-and Ethan ate almost nothing (maybe due to the piles of cheese?). Then we headed out to the zoo! As expected, Ethan fell asleep on the way there. Clay, Mary Claire and I went on in to get started! We spent the rest of the afternoon playing at the Jungle Zone, and taking in all the animals-both indoors and out! About 2/3 of the way through, Ches called and Ethan was awake. They met us at the massive porcupines, then we went to the children’s petting zoo, petted and brushed the animals (mostly goats), the goats tried to chew Ches’ belt and my purse, then we cleaned our hands, and had ice cream! We’d walked so much! We sat and ate-I had to eat most of Ethan’s since he lost interest and wanted to climb around! Poor me. Two chocolate ice cream cones! Teehee. Then back to the Jungle Zone kids’ play area to spend the rest of the afternoon! Ches and I took turns playing with the kids (well, mostly chaperoning Ethan). As we’d get totally tired out from climbing the massive rope spiderwebs, or crawling through the swinging tunnels, or sliding down the DaRk tunnels, we’d trade out with him and take turns. We took Ethan into this large, padded play area where he just bounced, jumped, did crash landings (that I’d swear would hurt!) and made friends! We had one little girl, Eloise, checking on Ethan and Mary Claire (“How do you know him?" and “Why is she sitting with you?”). There was another little boy who was chasing Ethan, then Ethan would chase him, and they’d copy each other on the big mats: rolling around, crawling, jumping off the benches, or bouncing down on their bottoms. I had to pull him out when we’d been there long enough. It was almost 5:30,and they closed at 6. I was exhausted-I couldn’t believe they weren’t ready to go! Whew, they’d better sleep well tonight (I know I will)!
We ate dinner/breakfast at Cracker Barrel, then came back to the hotel for baths (too tired and too late to swim!), then more Junie B. One-Man Band. We finished it tonight. : ) She’s so funny!
Ok, on another subject…Laundry! I just went down, loaded two washers, got them started and left. There was another nice man down there sitting with his computer in the steamy laundry room. I guess when he figured out that no one would “get” his silly laundry, he left. When I went back to move my stuff to the dryer, I found his stuff sitting in one of the dryers. Like I wanted his gray socks! : P So guess what I forgot to take down? My quarters! I had to come back, get them, and go back in there to start the dryers. Heehee : ) I bet nice man didn’t forget his quarters! So then Ches wanted me to get him a pass to use the Marriott’s gym (since I was out)-nicer than ours even though we are at a Marriott-I guess they figure if you’re at the Residence Inn, you are with the fam, and there’s no time to workout! And it’s already 10pm. It’s gonna be another late night! : )
I’ll try to post zoo pix (and train!) maybe in another set down below?
Ps-Just got a call from Cracker Barrel-we left Ethan’s backpack there. I told her the kids were already in bed, and it’d be tomorrow before I could get it. Get this-she wanted to know if it should be locked up for the night in the manager’s office! Yeah, right-if you count diapers, wipes, books and cars as valuables!
I ran into Gymboree (which was *luckily* right by the train stop in the mall)! Ches and the kids went around the whole mall (it’s a battery-operated train with tires-no track-which the kids didn’t notice) then when I still wasn’t done (surprised?) Ches and Ethan went around again. Clay and Mary Claire watched the tv in the store-one of the best perks there! We only spent $30 on the train-they should’ve just went to the toy store to get new toys! But, Ethan did have lots of fun. I took pictures, but I didn’t catch when they left the first time-they were all blowing me kisses-they were so excited! : ) It would’ve been an awesome pictures, but then I wouldn’t have experienced it I guess.
Then we ate lunch at Chili’s-and Ethan ate almost nothing (maybe due to the piles of cheese?). Then we headed out to the zoo! As expected, Ethan fell asleep on the way there. Clay, Mary Claire and I went on in to get started! We spent the rest of the afternoon playing at the Jungle Zone, and taking in all the animals-both indoors and out! About 2/3 of the way through, Ches called and Ethan was awake. They met us at the massive porcupines, then we went to the children’s petting zoo, petted and brushed the animals (mostly goats), the goats tried to chew Ches’ belt and my purse, then we cleaned our hands, and had ice cream! We’d walked so much! We sat and ate-I had to eat most of Ethan’s since he lost interest and wanted to climb around! Poor me. Two chocolate ice cream cones! Teehee. Then back to the Jungle Zone kids’ play area to spend the rest of the afternoon! Ches and I took turns playing with the kids (well, mostly chaperoning Ethan). As we’d get totally tired out from climbing the massive rope spiderwebs, or crawling through the swinging tunnels, or sliding down the DaRk tunnels, we’d trade out with him and take turns. We took Ethan into this large, padded play area where he just bounced, jumped, did crash landings (that I’d swear would hurt!) and made friends! We had one little girl, Eloise, checking on Ethan and Mary Claire (“How do you know him?" and “Why is she sitting with you?”). There was another little boy who was chasing Ethan, then Ethan would chase him, and they’d copy each other on the big mats: rolling around, crawling, jumping off the benches, or bouncing down on their bottoms. I had to pull him out when we’d been there long enough. It was almost 5:30,and they closed at 6. I was exhausted-I couldn’t believe they weren’t ready to go! Whew, they’d better sleep well tonight (I know I will)!
We ate dinner/breakfast at Cracker Barrel, then came back to the hotel for baths (too tired and too late to swim!), then more Junie B. One-Man Band. We finished it tonight. : ) She’s so funny!
Ok, on another subject…Laundry! I just went down, loaded two washers, got them started and left. There was another nice man down there sitting with his computer in the steamy laundry room. I guess when he figured out that no one would “get” his silly laundry, he left. When I went back to move my stuff to the dryer, I found his stuff sitting in one of the dryers. Like I wanted his gray socks! : P So guess what I forgot to take down? My quarters! I had to come back, get them, and go back in there to start the dryers. Heehee : ) I bet nice man didn’t forget his quarters! So then Ches wanted me to get him a pass to use the Marriott’s gym (since I was out)-nicer than ours even though we are at a Marriott-I guess they figure if you’re at the Residence Inn, you are with the fam, and there’s no time to workout! And it’s already 10pm. It’s gonna be another late night! : )
I’ll try to post zoo pix (and train!) maybe in another set down below?
Ps-Just got a call from Cracker Barrel-we left Ethan’s backpack there. I told her the kids were already in bed, and it’d be tomorrow before I could get it. Get this-she wanted to know if it should be locked up for the night in the manager’s office! Yeah, right-if you count diapers, wipes, books and cars as valuables!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Carousel, Cookies, and Swimming-Quite a Vacation!
Today we fit in a movie: Aliens vs. Monsters! It was good, but gave me a headache. It was so loud! We sat about the third row from the back, but maybe we were closer to the speakers? Anyway, Ethan did very well for the first hour or so. He didn’t even know that we had popcorn! He just sat so still in my lap. I was just sure he was going to fall asleep on me-we even took his blanket (kiki) in to help him get a nap! But, alas. He discovered the popcorn, age his weight in it, then decided to get some exercise: feet on my lap, hands on the chair in front of me, then just leaning over the chair, then crawled through the crack in between the chairs… Ahh, and then Ches took him out. We have an agreement. I don’t think he’s ready for movies-which I’ve been proven right at the last 8 or so movies. He just can’t take it. Every month or so, Ches says he thinks Ethan’s ready. So…if we take him, Ches has to be willing to take him out. I don’t want it ruined for everyone else too! So, I met Ches outside, and began to debrief him on what he missed (what I’d want if it was me), and he told me no! He liked it so much, he’s going to go back alone one afternoon or night after work, and see it again! Ok, it was pretty good, but not that good. Ok, if you are going to see it, cover your eyes. The monsters win! Yay! In the story, it’s a good thing. It’s a good story with the main character learning to trust herself, and that she can do more than she every believed she could. And she makes odd friends. It’s Disney, but different-a little less cutesy and musical. It’s probably not one I’ll purchase as they said several things I wish I’d known about: one-said the girl had boobies (why was this necessary?), the president said to call a code brown, he was going to change his pants (not as bad, but again, why?), and we can’t remember any more right now… I’ve quizzed Ches, but he forgot we even went! We’ve done so much!
We took naps today-we were so tired after our late night last night. We came back in about two, put the kids down to read, darkened the room, and I put Ethan in bed with me. Well, yeah..that didn’t work! I put him upstairs by Ches and Clay, and he finally went to sleep. I was awakened repeatedly by Mary Claire requesting to go to the bathroom (why, I don’t know. It’s just something she does-maybe since she asks at school?), but fortunately I fall right back to sleep-being a mom maybe? Or sleep-deprived?? Anyway, I woke up feeling better. I called down to request a cookie sheet, since we didn’t have one (they can’t think of EvErYtHinG!) and I was feeling a little chocolate-chipy. I’d bought some frozen break-n-bake, knowing I need chocolate when I’m on vacation. Well, you know-all the time, but I needed supplies. Anyway, we went down to the front desk and got one, then came back and the kids were helping me. I introduced them to the dough (yum!!), then they helped me make them (heehee, we broke them up, and put them on a pan!), then they wondered out to play on the tennis court while they baked. I had requested a pancake turner/spatula, and they banged on the door with it. At some point, they also rang the phone to ask if we wanted housekeeping (they didn’t come in all the time we were gone!), and I got more towels! Keep me in towels and Cascade (since there are only four of each thing: bowls, spoons, glasses, etc!) and I’ll be happy. I also handed off my trash since Ethan finally had his vacation poop. Since he doesn’t eat that well on the first day (or maybe enough liquids or maybe exercise enough..) he doesn’t potty. When it comes, it’s big, and it usually takes two to clean him out. I sure didn’t want that sitting around here another day! : )
Then we took Ches to the Grand Ole Opry Convention Center for his presentation, got dinner at the mall, back to the hotel, played ball outside, met some new kids, changed into our swimsuits and went swimming! It was so warm! (Inside I mean.) We haven’t taken Ethan swimming since last summer, so it was fun to see how he loved the water! He had his swimsuit on, then we put his body suit with the floaty bits (he looked like a ninja turtle!) on, and he loved the water! I was in the hot tub (perfect, not too hot, and big with a shelf for him to walk all around the edges), and Ches was in the pool. He’d play with me (jump in, jump off the shelf into the middle-so brave!) then he would climb out, walk to the pool, jump in with Ches, play around (also heated, but not like bath water), and then come back to me. He had quite a game going! At one point, he would walk past Ches, around to the back, and Ches would have to swim to catch up with him till he decided to jump in-quite the leader! I was surprised at how well he did. I think the outfit fit him better this year than last, and he loves to jump with his face (or at least his mouth open) into the water, and get a big drink (yes, gross).
We are all tired. Ches is gone to work out, Mary Claire was low, ate, and I think is sleeping now. Ethan is asleep, Clay can’t sleep and is reading beside me. Hopefully we’ll get back into a routine, and get some rest! It’s funny how you need a vacation when you get back to rest! I guess we work hard and play hard.
It’s been fun-cookies, playing ball, swimming, just plain stuff, but better if it’s a game to find a pan, or a friend, or a towel… can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds! : ) We’re off to the zoo! Pray for warm, dry weather! : )
Ps-I’ll load the newest pictures down below-I’ll have to use Photobucket this time I think. It’s so easy to max out on Flickr every month! It only allows 1gb a month I think. Huh-that’s less than two days’ worth for me!
We took naps today-we were so tired after our late night last night. We came back in about two, put the kids down to read, darkened the room, and I put Ethan in bed with me. Well, yeah..that didn’t work! I put him upstairs by Ches and Clay, and he finally went to sleep. I was awakened repeatedly by Mary Claire requesting to go to the bathroom (why, I don’t know. It’s just something she does-maybe since she asks at school?), but fortunately I fall right back to sleep-being a mom maybe? Or sleep-deprived?? Anyway, I woke up feeling better. I called down to request a cookie sheet, since we didn’t have one (they can’t think of EvErYtHinG!) and I was feeling a little chocolate-chipy. I’d bought some frozen break-n-bake, knowing I need chocolate when I’m on vacation. Well, you know-all the time, but I needed supplies. Anyway, we went down to the front desk and got one, then came back and the kids were helping me. I introduced them to the dough (yum!!), then they helped me make them (heehee, we broke them up, and put them on a pan!), then they wondered out to play on the tennis court while they baked. I had requested a pancake turner/spatula, and they banged on the door with it. At some point, they also rang the phone to ask if we wanted housekeeping (they didn’t come in all the time we were gone!), and I got more towels! Keep me in towels and Cascade (since there are only four of each thing: bowls, spoons, glasses, etc!) and I’ll be happy. I also handed off my trash since Ethan finally had his vacation poop. Since he doesn’t eat that well on the first day (or maybe enough liquids or maybe exercise enough..) he doesn’t potty. When it comes, it’s big, and it usually takes two to clean him out. I sure didn’t want that sitting around here another day! : )
Then we took Ches to the Grand Ole Opry Convention Center for his presentation, got dinner at the mall, back to the hotel, played ball outside, met some new kids, changed into our swimsuits and went swimming! It was so warm! (Inside I mean.) We haven’t taken Ethan swimming since last summer, so it was fun to see how he loved the water! He had his swimsuit on, then we put his body suit with the floaty bits (he looked like a ninja turtle!) on, and he loved the water! I was in the hot tub (perfect, not too hot, and big with a shelf for him to walk all around the edges), and Ches was in the pool. He’d play with me (jump in, jump off the shelf into the middle-so brave!) then he would climb out, walk to the pool, jump in with Ches, play around (also heated, but not like bath water), and then come back to me. He had quite a game going! At one point, he would walk past Ches, around to the back, and Ches would have to swim to catch up with him till he decided to jump in-quite the leader! I was surprised at how well he did. I think the outfit fit him better this year than last, and he loves to jump with his face (or at least his mouth open) into the water, and get a big drink (yes, gross).
We are all tired. Ches is gone to work out, Mary Claire was low, ate, and I think is sleeping now. Ethan is asleep, Clay can’t sleep and is reading beside me. Hopefully we’ll get back into a routine, and get some rest! It’s funny how you need a vacation when you get back to rest! I guess we work hard and play hard.
It’s been fun-cookies, playing ball, swimming, just plain stuff, but better if it’s a game to find a pan, or a friend, or a towel… can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds! : ) We’re off to the zoo! Pray for warm, dry weather! : )
Ps-I’ll load the newest pictures down below-I’ll have to use Photobucket this time I think. It’s so easy to max out on Flickr every month! It only allows 1gb a month I think. Huh-that’s less than two days’ worth for me!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Alarm should be in the "off" position on vacation.
**I put up a new slideshow from today down below!**
Well. I’ve learned another lesson. When you get to your hotel room, you must find the alarm clocks. And make sure the alarm is turned OFF. Yes, I learned the hard way. All too early this morning. After a long night last night-in bed at midnight. I had to catch up with my peeps on FB. : ) heehee It’s just fun to say it.
It’s always hard on the first night in a hotel. We have to acquaint ourselves, get ice, feed everyone, find jammies, make up the sofa bed if that’s where the kids are sleeping, set up the pack-n-play for Ethan (and get the sheet on), find a tv channel that kids can watch (hard at night), then take turns in the bathroom, set up Ches’ computer (as he’s still teaching online) and now my new to-do: check the alarm. Hahahahahaha. Seems funny doesn’t it? Until the alarm wakes up the baby, and you’re screaming at the one nearest the alarm, “Hit it! Hit the snooze! Unplug it! Make it stop!!” After which the baby is up, and therefore everyone is up.
So now we’ve traveled through Arkansas, stopped in for lunch at a questionable restaurant in West Memphis for lunch, went over the Mississippi River, and into Memphis, and straight to the Children’s Museum of Memphis (CMOM-Cute, huh? “C, Mom!”).
It only cost $45 for the five of us! Ches swore it was a “good one” and would be worth it. It was okay. Equal to Denver, a little bigger. Still doesn’t rival Indianapolis. Anyway, I took lots of pictures: surprise, surprise! I’ll post some later. There was a police car and motorcycle, fire truck, big hamster-cage looking thing, a dentist office with a cool tooth puzzle (you could pull all the teeth out-just a little creepy), architect’s office, and of course the water stream you could block off or fish in, an airplane to climb in/on, the general post office, store/restaurant, etc. There was also a house to climb in/through where you could see the insulation, plumbing, wiring, etc. and then you could play with pipes and tools. While we were there, a little girl(Laiken) got lost, and since we were in the right place at the right time, we helped them look for her. I told the guy at the front desk, so he could watch the exit doors. They paged her, put out a a.p.b. to the employees, etc. We looked everywhere!! It seemed she’d just vanished. There were only two exits to the house, and we were right there. The kids had been playing with her, and went back in to see what’d happened. Finally, they found her! Talk about relief! I had to back to the front desk to see her and talk with her grandmother. She’d been sooo worried! Get this. Laiken was griping her mom and grandma out for putting her name on the loud speaker (she’s only 7)! She was saying how embarrassing it was. They were worried she’d been kidnapped, disappeared, and she was mad! I think we’d have had a good ol’-fashioned talkin’-to. You know, if she was my daughter. I quickly exited the scene-girl found, game over.
So next we made our side trip to Pottery Barn Outlet in Memphis (which is just great!). It’s really changed over the last few years. It used to be a true junky outlet, but now it’s nicer, and there is a lot more stock. Mary Claire went in with me while Ches and Ethan slept, and Clay continued to play the Wii-his eyes are getting red! So we found tons of cute girly things! She got a new duvet cover (I got an extra to use for fabric since they were only $10 each!!!), drapes, pillow sham, a pink gingham bust with pins to put jewelry on or use to pin up pictures (so cute!), a jewelry box for her birthday (and not until then!), some washcloths for me, some towels for her bathroom (and Ethan’s)… lots of fun! : ) We will be doing some minor redecorating when we get back! : )
Now we are on the Interstate 40 headed East to Nashville. I’ve gotten everyone (except Sleepyhead) snacks, and we should be in Jackson for dinner in the next 45 minutes to an hour. We’ll have dinner there, then drive into Nashville tonight.
We told the kids we’d probably get to swim this evening (does that count as baths??), and then do our “settle in” routine again, as it’s a new hotel (and check the alarm!).
Ps-New Discovery About Myself:
Last night, after the kids were asleep, I began my “get ready for tomorrow” routine (yes, there are routines for everything). I got all the kids clothes out for today (yes, their outfits are coordinated, if not matching, and yes, I’d written them down. OCD again.). So, I actually felt like setting up the iron and ironing the boys’s shirts and Mary Claire’s pants. Funny enough, I kept going. I ironed my pants for today, and my shirt for another day, and Mary Claire’s shirt for another day. It’s like I was looking for stuff to iron. Weird. I actually had to push this little button after it timed out at 15 minutes, so it would stay on! I’ve discovered maybe I like to iron? Iron out the little wrinkles in life? I like smoothness I guess. Why do I discover these things out on the road? Probably since there’s not a floor to mop, a bathroom to clean, dishes to put away, and crafty things calling my name! It was just weird, is all I’m sayin’.
Well. I’ve learned another lesson. When you get to your hotel room, you must find the alarm clocks. And make sure the alarm is turned OFF. Yes, I learned the hard way. All too early this morning. After a long night last night-in bed at midnight. I had to catch up with my peeps on FB. : ) heehee It’s just fun to say it.
It’s always hard on the first night in a hotel. We have to acquaint ourselves, get ice, feed everyone, find jammies, make up the sofa bed if that’s where the kids are sleeping, set up the pack-n-play for Ethan (and get the sheet on), find a tv channel that kids can watch (hard at night), then take turns in the bathroom, set up Ches’ computer (as he’s still teaching online) and now my new to-do: check the alarm. Hahahahahaha. Seems funny doesn’t it? Until the alarm wakes up the baby, and you’re screaming at the one nearest the alarm, “Hit it! Hit the snooze! Unplug it! Make it stop!!” After which the baby is up, and therefore everyone is up.
So now we’ve traveled through Arkansas, stopped in for lunch at a questionable restaurant in West Memphis for lunch, went over the Mississippi River, and into Memphis, and straight to the Children’s Museum of Memphis (CMOM-Cute, huh? “C, Mom!”).
It only cost $45 for the five of us! Ches swore it was a “good one” and would be worth it. It was okay. Equal to Denver, a little bigger. Still doesn’t rival Indianapolis. Anyway, I took lots of pictures: surprise, surprise! I’ll post some later. There was a police car and motorcycle, fire truck, big hamster-cage looking thing, a dentist office with a cool tooth puzzle (you could pull all the teeth out-just a little creepy), architect’s office, and of course the water stream you could block off or fish in, an airplane to climb in/on, the general post office, store/restaurant, etc. There was also a house to climb in/through where you could see the insulation, plumbing, wiring, etc. and then you could play with pipes and tools. While we were there, a little girl(Laiken) got lost, and since we were in the right place at the right time, we helped them look for her. I told the guy at the front desk, so he could watch the exit doors. They paged her, put out a a.p.b. to the employees, etc. We looked everywhere!! It seemed she’d just vanished. There were only two exits to the house, and we were right there. The kids had been playing with her, and went back in to see what’d happened. Finally, they found her! Talk about relief! I had to back to the front desk to see her and talk with her grandmother. She’d been sooo worried! Get this. Laiken was griping her mom and grandma out for putting her name on the loud speaker (she’s only 7)! She was saying how embarrassing it was. They were worried she’d been kidnapped, disappeared, and she was mad! I think we’d have had a good ol’-fashioned talkin’-to. You know, if she was my daughter. I quickly exited the scene-girl found, game over.
So next we made our side trip to Pottery Barn Outlet in Memphis (which is just great!). It’s really changed over the last few years. It used to be a true junky outlet, but now it’s nicer, and there is a lot more stock. Mary Claire went in with me while Ches and Ethan slept, and Clay continued to play the Wii-his eyes are getting red! So we found tons of cute girly things! She got a new duvet cover (I got an extra to use for fabric since they were only $10 each!!!), drapes, pillow sham, a pink gingham bust with pins to put jewelry on or use to pin up pictures (so cute!), a jewelry box for her birthday (and not until then!), some washcloths for me, some towels for her bathroom (and Ethan’s)… lots of fun! : ) We will be doing some minor redecorating when we get back! : )
Now we are on the Interstate 40 headed East to Nashville. I’ve gotten everyone (except Sleepyhead) snacks, and we should be in Jackson for dinner in the next 45 minutes to an hour. We’ll have dinner there, then drive into Nashville tonight.
We told the kids we’d probably get to swim this evening (does that count as baths??), and then do our “settle in” routine again, as it’s a new hotel (and check the alarm!).
Ps-New Discovery About Myself:
Last night, after the kids were asleep, I began my “get ready for tomorrow” routine (yes, there are routines for everything). I got all the kids clothes out for today (yes, their outfits are coordinated, if not matching, and yes, I’d written them down. OCD again.). So, I actually felt like setting up the iron and ironing the boys’s shirts and Mary Claire’s pants. Funny enough, I kept going. I ironed my pants for today, and my shirt for another day, and Mary Claire’s shirt for another day. It’s like I was looking for stuff to iron. Weird. I actually had to push this little button after it timed out at 15 minutes, so it would stay on! I’ve discovered maybe I like to iron? Iron out the little wrinkles in life? I like smoothness I guess. Why do I discover these things out on the road? Probably since there’s not a floor to mop, a bathroom to clean, dishes to put away, and crafty things calling my name! It was just weird, is all I’m sayin’.
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