good moo-ning
a foal in the shade
just hanging out
snuggles.... kisses
flowers...
the neighbors
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Monday, June 2, 2008
more pix of Paso
good moo-ning a foal in the shadejust hanging out
snuggles.... kisses flowers... the neighbors
Sunday, June 1, 2008
that place
You know those homes, those places that just ooze- "Please, relax and make yourself at home. Help yourself to anything in the fridge, curl up on the couch, whatever, really, we don't mind."
My Uncle Jim and Aunt Ceressa's home is one of those places. We had never been there before. In fact, we hadn't seen them since our wedding. That's not one, but two kids ago! A lot has changed in four years, but alot has stayed the same. My uncle is still building. Their kids, my cousins, Andrew and Julianna are much bigger now. Hovering on the brink of teenage years. But so kind and patient and friendly, especially, and this meant the world to us, to our kids.
Eli was absolutely in love with both of them. He wanted to jump off the diving board like them, ride the dirtbike like them, eat cereal like them, ride a skateboard like them, play basketball like them...you get the idea.
I just soaked up the space. It was everywhere. They live on 50 acres, and there is just lots of beautiful scenic space. Rolling hills, sprawling vineyards, lazy blue skies, twisting turning oak trees, cows, horses, big estates that almost look like normal sized homes against all the open space. It was hot and sunny and we loved it.
Aunt Ceress had a huge pi
le of toys ready for Eli when we got there.
Eli loved running around.
Joel said it best, that it just felt like family. We ate, hung out at the house, talked, read, saw the town, spent an afternoon at the beach, saw San Luis Obispo, and got a tour of the area. It was great to visit with them, and we were so thankful for the days we got to spend there.
My Uncle Jim and Aunt Ceressa's home is one of those places. We had never been there before. In fact, we hadn't seen them since our wedding. That's not one, but two kids ago! A lot has changed in four years, but alot has stayed the same. My uncle is still building. Their kids, my cousins, Andrew and Julianna are much bigger now. Hovering on the brink of teenage years. But so kind and patient and friendly, especially, and this meant the world to us, to our kids.
Eli was absolutely in love with both of them. He wanted to jump off the diving board like them, ride the dirtbike like them, eat cereal like them, ride a skateboard like them, play basketball like them...you get the idea.
I just soaked up the space. It was everywhere. They live on 50 acres, and there is just lots of beautiful scenic space. Rolling hills, sprawling vineyards, lazy blue skies, twisting turning oak trees, cows, horses, big estates that almost look like normal sized homes against all the open space. It was hot and sunny and we loved it.
Aunt Ceress had a huge pi
le of toys ready for Eli when we got there.Eli loved running around.
Joel said it best, that it just felt like family. We ate, hung out at the house, talked, read, saw the town, spent an afternoon at the beach, saw San Luis Obispo, and got a tour of the area. It was great to visit with them, and we were so thankful for the days we got to spend there.
IN-N-OUT
On Thursday we headed to Paso Robles to visit more family. We were looking forward to a stop in Salinas for the much loved IN-N-OUT burgers. Yum!
Beckett really wanted my milkshake, or at least the straw.
Beckett really wanted my milkshake, or at least the straw.
He had some issues, and I was too busy trying to take a picture of him to notice that he was busy gagging on the straw. Until I saw the women at the table across from us looking kind of panicked- they were speaking Spanish, but it sounded urgent. Then I noticed. 
Oops!
Eli made good use of his straws while we waited for our food. He really concentrates when he does this. Notice the flared nostrils.
Ta-Da!!! There's that big finish.
And here come the burgers. Drum roll please...
the days flew by...
Moments at a time. Walking on the curb at the marine lab...
Eating breakfast together on the bench at their great big table...
Playing and cooking in the little house, which also doubled as a Starbucks and "ice cream store".
Aiden is all boy, and taught Eli how to play golf, turn almost anything into a sword, and be an animal rescuer. Emerson was all about Beckett. She wanted to help change diapers, bathe, feed, hold, comfort, and snuggle. It was cute, and great practice for Aiden and Eme's little sister, due in a few weeks.
The day we left, Aiden and Emerson left for school and Eli cried, saying he wanted to go to school too. He didn't know about the treat we had in store for him. A much loved CA treat...
Thursday, May 29, 2008
a lizard on a leash...
I don't think most people are too aware of time zones. I don't even pay attention when I hear "7 central" listed as a tv show time. But having family in CA and GA makes us more aware that one is two hours behind, the other one ahead. Which just means we pay attention to the time when we call.
Beckett, on the other hand, doesn't know or care about time zones. Which is why he woke up Tuesday morning at 4:30 a.m. Pacific Time, because it was, after all, 6:30 a.m. in St. Louis thank you very much.
Despite the early start, it was a great day. The cousins hit it off immediately. Emerson and Eli "cooked" in her kitchen, Aiden and Eli golfed and threw balls in the yard. I ate my weight in olive tapinade and sourdough bread.
Later that afternoon, my mom arrived. Aiden and Eme call her "Chicken Grammy" because, well, because she had chickens. The other Grandma is, quite logically, "Pool Grammy". Beckett met Grammy, and eventually we all walked to the playgroud and the beach.
There, we ran into a man who had a lizard on a leash. Yep. Apparantly, even though lizards are lightning quick, you can catch them by making a slipknot on the end of a long piece of grass. They don't care about grass touching them, so they let you place the circle around their neck, and their movement tightens it just enough to keep them on the end of the leash. And that's how you catch a lizard.
The kids were fascinated, and "hiked" to follow the man and his kids. Then we checked out the waves, but it was pretty windy by then, so it was a quick look.
Beckett, on the other hand, doesn't know or care about time zones. Which is why he woke up Tuesday morning at 4:30 a.m. Pacific Time, because it was, after all, 6:30 a.m. in St. Louis thank you very much.
Despite the early start, it was a great day. The cousins hit it off immediately. Emerson and Eli "cooked" in her kitchen, Aiden and Eli golfed and threw balls in the yard. I ate my weight in olive tapinade and sourdough bread.
Later that afternoon, my mom arrived. Aiden and Eme call her "Chicken Grammy" because, well, because she had chickens. The other Grandma is, quite logically, "Pool Grammy". Beckett met Grammy, and eventually we all walked to the playgroud and the beach.
There, we ran into a man who had a lizard on a leash. Yep. Apparantly, even though lizards are lightning quick, you can catch them by making a slipknot on the end of a long piece of grass. They don't care about grass touching them, so they let you place the circle around their neck, and their movement tightens it just enough to keep them on the end of the leash. And that's how you catch a lizard.The kids were fascinated, and "hiked" to follow the man and his kids. Then we checked out the waves, but it was pretty windy by then, so it was a quick look.
one cool lab
On Wednesday, we headed to Seymour Discovery Center . The kids got to touch starfish and seaweed and other sea creatures. Aiden, my nephew, loves animals and Diego, so he came in full "animal rescue" gear.
I learned that abilone, which I love, are actually giant snails. Uh, yuck! And that there are giant pockets of trash in the ocean. The Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch is the size of Texas. How have I not heard of this until now?
Anyway, here are some pics...
I learned that abilone, which I love, are actually giant snails. Uh, yuck! And that there are giant pockets of trash in the ocean. The Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch is the size of Texas. How have I not heard of this until now?
Anyway, here are some pics...
Trains and Planes
Eli was so excited to go to California. Though I couldn't tell you why. He can't remember his last trip there- he was 10 months old. I told him about it two weeks before our departure date. Big mistake. He woke up from nap time and said, "NOW we get to go to California, yeah!!!" I told him not yet, so the next morning he woke up, same thing. CA bound. So I dropped it.
We told him Sunday night that when he got up in the morning, we would get on a train and go to the airport, and then we would get on an airplane. He was thrilled. And we were praying that the train and plane would it all go smoothly.
I wish we had pictures of the adventure that morning. We don't, because I didn't have a free pinkie finger. We got to the Metro Station and saw the sign "No Parking Overnight". Uh Oh. Too late to change plans though. We hid the keys, Joel took a picture of our parking spot with his phone, and sent it to a co-worker who saved the day and arranged to pick up our car. Meanwhile, we got on the train. With our 2 year old, 6 month old, two car seats, 2 suitcases, diaper bag, computer bag, toy bag, and a stroller. And then we had to get off to change trains. Ugh. Those doors don't stay open long, and it was one part comedy and one part nightmare to try to get all our luggage off AND not leave a child on the train bound for East St. Louis.
We made it to the airport about 2 hours to spare. Another way that Joel and I differ, and truthfully, another way he is making my life less stressful. We had time for some Starbucks, diaper changes, and run around the airport time to burn off some Eli energy.
Eli was still super excited to get on the plane. When it was time to board, he handed the agent his own boarding pass, then ran to the end of the ramp, where we ditched the stroller. He took one step onto the plane, saw the rows of people looking back at him, and thought, "uh, uh." He froze, turned around, and said, "Mama, I don't want to get on this airplane anymore." We eventually carried him to his seat while he protested and cried. The guy in the row behind us had a worried look on his face. I know he was wondering if this was going to be one of those flights with the screaming toddler. But Eli was fine in two minutes, and except for his fascination for kicking the seat in front of him, he was fantastic the whole flight. No significant delays, two easy boys, an easy transfer in LAX...it really could not have gone better.
We're in CA.
We told him Sunday night that when he got up in the morning, we would get on a train and go to the airport, and then we would get on an airplane. He was thrilled. And we were praying that the train and plane would it all go smoothly.
I wish we had pictures of the adventure that morning. We don't, because I didn't have a free pinkie finger. We got to the Metro Station and saw the sign "No Parking Overnight". Uh Oh. Too late to change plans though. We hid the keys, Joel took a picture of our parking spot with his phone, and sent it to a co-worker who saved the day and arranged to pick up our car. Meanwhile, we got on the train. With our 2 year old, 6 month old, two car seats, 2 suitcases, diaper bag, computer bag, toy bag, and a stroller. And then we had to get off to change trains. Ugh. Those doors don't stay open long, and it was one part comedy and one part nightmare to try to get all our luggage off AND not leave a child on the train bound for East St. Louis.
We made it to the airport about 2 hours to spare. Another way that Joel and I differ, and truthfully, another way he is making my life less stressful. We had time for some Starbucks, diaper changes, and run around the airport time to burn off some Eli energy.
Eli was still super excited to get on the plane. When it was time to board, he handed the agent his own boarding pass, then ran to the end of the ramp, where we ditched the stroller. He took one step onto the plane, saw the rows of people looking back at him, and thought, "uh, uh." He froze, turned around, and said, "Mama, I don't want to get on this airplane anymore." We eventually carried him to his seat while he protested and cried. The guy in the row behind us had a worried look on his face. I know he was wondering if this was going to be one of those flights with the screaming toddler. But Eli was fine in two minutes, and except for his fascination for kicking the seat in front of him, he was fantastic the whole flight. No significant delays, two easy boys, an easy transfer in LAX...it really could not have gone better.
We're in CA.
Unpacking
It became apparent pretty early in our relationship that Joel and I have much different styles when it comes to unpacking. There were seasons in my job- a lifetime ago- when I traveled every week. When I came home, the last thing I wanted to do was touch my suitcase. That green Samsonite sat in the corner of my room, untouched, for days. I'd slowly pull things out as I needed them. Or after I'd looked everywhere else I finally remembered that they were still in the suitcase.
To Joel, it was absolutely maddening. When he comes home from a trip? It goes something like this. Sort through the mail, unload the car, use the bathroom, and unpack all of the bags. The whole affair is done about 20 minutes. And, truthfully, over the years, I've come to see his point. Why drag it out?
We've been home for over a week now from our trip to California. We enjoyed our time there, but when we finally got home we were tired. Traveling with two young kids is quite a bit of work. And then, there were those souvenir colds we brought home with us. I really just wanted to sleep for a few days. But like I said, I'm making progress, so those suitcases? Emptied the next day. Then I went grocery shopping, Joel did laundry...we slowly eased back into our routines.
But there's this camera. It's worse the my old green suitcase. It's not running shoes and pajamas and pantsuits. It's pictures of the boys and cousins and starfish and vineyards. It's funny little phrases and moments I don't want to forget about our trip.
Time to finish unpacking.
To Joel, it was absolutely maddening. When he comes home from a trip? It goes something like this. Sort through the mail, unload the car, use the bathroom, and unpack all of the bags. The whole affair is done about 20 minutes. And, truthfully, over the years, I've come to see his point. Why drag it out?
We've been home for over a week now from our trip to California. We enjoyed our time there, but when we finally got home we were tired. Traveling with two young kids is quite a bit of work. And then, there were those souvenir colds we brought home with us. I really just wanted to sleep for a few days. But like I said, I'm making progress, so those suitcases? Emptied the next day. Then I went grocery shopping, Joel did laundry...we slowly eased back into our routines.
But there's this camera. It's worse the my old green suitcase. It's not running shoes and pajamas and pantsuits. It's pictures of the boys and cousins and starfish and vineyards. It's funny little phrases and moments I don't want to forget about our trip.
Time to finish unpacking.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Savannah, GA
After six days in Hilton Head, we headed to Savannah, GA with Essie, Jennifer, Sarah and Shane. The city it filled with amazing old buildings and squares, which are little parks designed by Oglethorp. We went to Aunt Jen's church where Eli kept repeating the pastor when he'd say "pray" or "Jesus" or "Amen". After church, we drove around the city and ate lunch. It was fun to watch Shane and Eli together. Shane was so patient, loved to make Eli laugh, and could tell that Eli adored him. Goodbyes were hard, and Eli kept looking for everyone in the hotel room that evening and the next day. Later we spent some time at the park, and of course visited a local ice cream shop.
First Trip to the Beach
We were tremendously blessed by an opportunity to go to Hilton Head, SC for a week over Memorial Day. We got to spend time with family, since Aunt Jen lives in Savannah, and Essie, Sarah, and Shane made the trip up from Adel, GA. It was a true vacation...a beautiful 2 bed/2 bath condo near the beach, weather in the mid 80's, seafood, naps, sand, waves, seashells, some golf for Joel, some bike rides, and lots of relaxing.
Some of our favorite highlights include Eli's first real prayer: "Thank you Jesus for potty...beach...amen." He loved to put the seashells "away" in the water. He loved the elevator to get to our room, the bikes with the "car" in the back, pushing a toy truck around on the beach, the birds, floating in his boat in the water, and watching other kids in the pool. I loved spending so much time with Joel, falling asleep hearing the waves, taking naps whenever we wanted, the king bed, the jacuzzi tub, the beach, and the ice cream.
Some of our favorite highlights include Eli's first real prayer: "Thank you Jesus for potty...beach...amen." He loved to put the seashells "away" in the water. He loved the elevator to get to our room, the bikes with the "car" in the back, pushing a toy truck around on the beach, the birds, floating in his boat in the water, and watching other kids in the pool. I loved spending so much time with Joel, falling asleep hearing the waves, taking naps whenever we wanted, the king bed, the jacuzzi tub, the beach, and the ice cream.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Adel 2006
We went to visit family in Adel a few weeks ago. It took us a very long time to get there, and I was grumpy and irritable. Yes, I was less patient than a 15 month old, while Joel and Eli calmly accepted every announcement from the flight attendants and pilots. Mechanical issues, delayed paperwork, a burnt out light bulb, weather, not enough fuel, canceled flight, change of planes, delays on the runway, and then, 6 hours later, we finally left St. Louis. We got to Adel. Safely, which was something to be thankful for under the circumstances. (We weren't able to make it to Adel for Cassie's funeral, but the accident was still fresh on everyone's mind.)
We stayed with Steve and Terri in their new home, took some walks around the golf course, ate great southern food, spent time with family and friends, and had a late "Thanksgiving". Joel played some bluegrass at a benefit concert, and fit in 18 holes at Kinderlou Forrest, a nearby pro course. Eli played with Bo, Rachel and Shane, got lots of "sugar" (kisses) from Essie, Aunt Jen, and Aunt Sarah, tried (and liked) sweet tea, black eyed peas, fried okra, dumplings, and field peas. I enjoyed a great dinner and some sweet conversation with a good friend in Atlanta. We shopped a little. One early morning (was it 4:00 am?) Joel and I resorted to "driving" Eli to sleep for the first time since he was born.
All the while, St. Louis was blanketed with ice, snow, and power outages. 5 days flew by. It was a good visit, and good to be home. We left in November, came home on December 4th, and I realized, Christmas is just around the corner!
Eli, Katelyn, Essie, & Jean
We stayed with Steve and Terri in their new home, took some walks around the golf course, ate great southern food, spent time with family and friends, and had a late "Thanksgiving". Joel played some bluegrass at a benefit concert, and fit in 18 holes at Kinderlou Forrest, a nearby pro course. Eli played with Bo, Rachel and Shane, got lots of "sugar" (kisses) from Essie, Aunt Jen, and Aunt Sarah, tried (and liked) sweet tea, black eyed peas, fried okra, dumplings, and field peas. I enjoyed a great dinner and some sweet conversation with a good friend in Atlanta. We shopped a little. One early morning (was it 4:00 am?) Joel and I resorted to "driving" Eli to sleep for the first time since he was born.
All the while, St. Louis was blanketed with ice, snow, and power outages. 5 days flew by. It was a good visit, and good to be home. We left in November, came home on December 4th, and I realized, Christmas is just around the corner!
Eli, Katelyn, Essie, & Jean
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