The Four Seasons

It is 'officially' summer. 
At least that's what the weathermen and calendars say. 
But for us, it's been summer since the beginning of May, if not earlier. 
I love it.  I am not complaining one bit.  I wish it was like this year-round.  I am one of those people who would much rather be hot than cold.  That's probably one of the top reasons why I loved living in Phoenix.  What gets me is how people from back East would always ask me how I could live without the four seasons and how everyone always says they love their four seasons. 

What Four Seasons??

We have lived back here now for 5 years after living in AZ, and unfortunately, I haven't experienced a whole lot of the four seasons.  To be honest, it's more like two:  six months of winter and six months of summer.  And when you add in all of the humidity to those summer temperatures....disgusting.  Granted, Arizona summers are pretty unbearable.  However, it's five months of wall-to-wall sunshine, no humidity, and just plain hot.  And then the next seven months it's sunny, 75-80 degrees, and pure perfection.  People actually get excited and enjoy the few rainy days they actually do have, could you imagine?
What brought all of this up was when my next door neighbor 'surfaced' from her home yesterday.  I honestly don't think I've seen her since Christmas.  It was a beautify sunny day, I was outside washing the car, the girls were beside me playing in the baby pool, and she says "I've been hibernating inside, it's so hot out here!"  Really?  So you hibernate all winter, and then when it's finally nice out, you hide inside as well.  Interesting.  And it's not just her, most of our neighbors are the exact same way.  They are never outside, they never have their blinds nor windows open...it's straight from having the furnace on to the A/C.  It's so funny!  What is so great about these 'four seasons' you speak of all the time?

Although I am not going to take back my "I love KY" statement from a few weeks ago, I am going to admit that feeling has now passed and I'm back to normal again....
I love AZ and it's one awesome season!

Father's Day Fun

So the girls decided to give their dad his gift first thing this morning...when they both decided to sleep in

(which meant we ALL did)...

unti 9:30! 

Followed by a pancake breakfast made by the dad himself (because he makes them the best!) and the rest of the morning spent playing at the park and then water fun in the backyard.

And of course, Ali's favorites..."throw me, throw me!"

And the day wouldn't have been complete without some ice cream to finish it off. 

It was the perfect day!

"Attention Please"

Those were the words we heard at our local community pool this afternoon...followed by:

"We need everyone to please exit the lap pool as it will be closed for the next four hours."

Not exactly something you want to hear on a sunny, 90 degree summer day. 

Let's rewind 5 minutes...

The four of us are having a blast at the pool...it's our first time there this summer and everyone is having a great time.  Bug is jumping off the side and going under for seconds at a time (which is big for her!) and Monkey is dunking her head and trying to swim all around...it was the perfect day.

Then Bug gets a mouthful of water. 

She starts coughing.

I pat her back thinking it's just a little water.



She projectile vomits.

In the pool.

AND.........that's our cue to exit the premises.




On a scale of 1-10 of embarrassment, that was definitely a TEN.  We felt like we were in an episode of Modern Family (best show ever).  So much so that we changed the girls into different clothes and tried to make a quick, incognito exit in hopes that no one would recognize us.

Needless to say, I am completely mortified and feel so bad for ruining so many people's day...but then I do think, 'hey, it could have been worse, she could have been the kid who made a floater in the pool!' 

Only us!

Unplanned

It was not by choice.

It was bound to happen.

Should have known better. 

Another lesson learned.

(would love to know the thoughts

running through some of your minds...)

~Monkey's First Haircut~

by:  Her Sister

Guess that's what we get for teaching her how to use scissors!

New At This

We've been through a lot with the girls over the past two and a half years.  Becoming a parent for the first time was obviously overwhelming and filled with more "new" things than two people could ever imagine.  Then there's the world of two children.  Last year at this time, I was learning the ropes of juggling '2 under 2' and becoming a permanent stay-at-home-mom.  Needless to say, there were lots of new things that rocked my world!  And now that Monkey is a little older and able to actually play together with Bug, the days are filled with lots of fun and lots of laughs (not that they weren't before, but it was just a little different!)  But over the past few days, my eyes have been opened to many new things that we haven't had to deal with yet...and I'm welcoming any suggestions, thoughts,  & help that may be out there!

~As I posted on my facebook...the ice cream truck is a daily occurance in our neighborhood.  Last summer, Bug would simply ask, "What is that?" and be satisfied with my answer, "The Music Truck."  (I'm terrible, I know!  But if the crazy thing didn't come everyday I would tell her the truth and treat her to it, but at this rate, we would have to go everyday and then we would be broke and she would be 100 pounds!)  But this summer my answer doesn't go over that smoothly...because now she asks the ever so dreaded question that everyone said would drive me nuts someday..."WHY does that music truck drive around everyday?" I'm not really good at making up stories and I feel horrible not telling her the truth!  I know that by explaining the truth to her is the best option and telling her that we can get ice cream on special occasions, but I'm just not ready yet!  However, I think I only have a few months left of keeping her sheltered from it...soon enough she WILL notice all the ice cream pictures on the side of the truck...

~Bug's been a talker from the start...and hasn't stopped in 2 years!  Monkey on the other hand...is the quiet one.  Enter our newest big dilemma (which after years of working in daycare, I prayed none of my kids would ever do...)...biting.  Ugh.  I don't even know where to go with this...it just started over the past week and it is driving me crazy.  I'm praying the 'talking fairy' will visit her overnight and magically grant her with the words she needs to use to communicate rather than chomping her teeth into us! 

~Playdates.  We host them.  We participate in them. 
They are planned.  I love them. 
This week, a neighbor girl (who we know) was riding her bike on the street and stopped at our house.  She asked if Bug could come out and play with her.  This is the first time any other child has ever asked for mine to come out to play (it made me just a little sad to realize she is getting so big so fast!)  I explained that she was inside with her dad, so the girl proceeded to go up to the door, in the house, and remained there for an hour and a half.  We had no clue if the girl's parents knew where she was (she said her mom was sleeping)...and she would have stayed longer but it was lunch time/naptime so I sent her on her way back to her house (after she asked if she could stay for lunch) and there we had it, our first impromptu playtime.  (And just a side note, the mom left a message later in the day saying she hoped her daughter didn't cause any trouble or make a mess.)   My question is...when and how do you know the time/age is right for your kids to go off on their own in your neighborhood/on your street without you checking in with the other parent first to make sure it's okay and wanting to know where your child will be...it's scary to me, very scary.  Can't they just stay little and play with us for the rest of their lives?

And to sum everything up...here are two new things that happened at our house today:

Bug wanting to try out her new bumblebee gear during the monsoon...

While Monkey found her own new way of playing with her walker...

An Exception

I have a terrible memory.  Ask anyone.  Although I am great at remembering important dates and where I (or other people) have placed items that they can't find, my memory regarding events is the worst. 
Except for this...the years that I spent with my grandparents.  Both have passed, and today actually marks 15 years since my grandmother was relieved of her pain and suffering. The last day that I spent with her is etched in my memory like I was just there yesterday, as well as the day that we said goodbye.  And although those are two instances that bring much sadness, they are not the ones that I immediately think of when I think of her and my grandfather.
I don't know what it is about grandparents, but my husband and I are the exact same when it comes to both sets of ours that we no longer have with us...we have the fondest and most vivid memories about them, and we both have triggers that automatically remind us of them.  For example, Frosted Flakes.  I can't eat them without thinking of sitting at their kitchen table right before I went to bed. (had them in the morning too!)   Coffee...EVERY time I smell it I feel like I am walking into their house.  A backyard garden...it was my Grandpa's pride and joy (which I can only hope to someday replicate!)  Golfing...I don't do it often, which is the opposite of them, but everytime I ride in a golf cart or see golfers playing, I go directly back to the Golf Club I spent hours at with them as a child.  Homemade Strawberry Jam...my Gram made it the best...I would eat it right out of the jar.  And I think my favorite memory of them, which I am reminded of each night when I put the girls to bed is when my cousins and I were little and used to sleep over on the weekends...we would be put to sleep in separate bedrooms but we would wait a little bit and then one of us would carefully peek out to the front room where they would be watching tv and reading the newspaper, and when they weren't looking down the hall, we would crawl into one another's rooms and play until we thought they were getting ready to go to bed and then we would return to our original rooms...no wonder we were always so tired the next day-who knows how late we were up until!  And I think of that and if the girls will someday do the same thing...which I hope they do!
Grandparents are wonderful...and our girls are lucky enough to have both sets of grandparents as well as two sets of great-grandparents, which we are so grateful for.  We can only hope that they make as good and as many, if not better and more of the awesome memories that we have.

For the First Time

I love New York City.  I always have.  I always will.  From the days of mother/daughter trips, to girls trips, to husband & me trips, I love every minute of being there.  We were there for the past four days and had an absolutely amazing time.  No kids, no whining, no housework, no cooking, no worries...just pure f-u-n.  Here's a look...

Day 1...got in around 4pm, dropped our bags & did a quick wardrobe change at our wonderful friend Michelle's Upper East Side apartment.  Within 15 minutes, we were off to our first stop of the night, an awesome little Mexican place for margaritas and apps.  Then we jumped on the subway and headed to the West Village (our new favorite place in the city)...we did a bar tour from Sushi Samba, to Wilfie & Nell, The Spotted Pig, Kingswood, (a minor detour to Duane Reade to get flip-flops to replace my high heels!), dinner at Crispo, and then back up to the UES for late night dessert at the local diner...the perfect night.  (And in between all of that, my night was complete when I got the chance to sit on Carrie's stoop from Sex & The City...lame, I know!)

Day 2...slept in until 9-that was a great start!-and headed to the Lower East Side to try and get into this well-known tiny cafe for one of the best brunches in town...unfortunately though, our sleeping in cost us and we would have had to wait 90 minutes with the rest of the crowd that was lining the block.  So, instead we headed west and found a crazy, unique place serving brunch and I had the most amazing waffles I've ever tasted with bourbon syrup...unbelievable.  That's the way to start the day!  We then headed over to SoHo, did some shopping, hit up Little Italy for some gelato, checked out the Meatpacking District, and stopped for drinks at the new Beergarden they recently opened next to The Standard...a great afternoon watering hole!  Union Square was our next stop for shopping...gotta love Filene's Basement for good deals...and then due to the extreme heat and sore feet, we headed home for showers and the couch for an hour.  After some good R&R, we headed out to dinner and drinks...it was a gorgeous night, hence our theme was 'patio seating only!'

Day 3...feet were a little beat up by today, so we took it a little slow.  First stop, the Today show...the other half had never been, and obviously lived it up! 

Grabbed a quick bagel and Jamba Juice for breakfast in Bryant Park, spent some time at St. Patrick's Cathedral, hit up the shops on 5th Ave, and landed in Central Park where we ended up falling asleep under the trees which was the most relaxing part of the whole trip.  We woke up revived and ready to go, got lunch to go at Pret and took it over to Bryant Park again, grabbed some drink at the beergarden there, and then were given the best suggestion of the whole trip to check out Jimmy's Corner on 44th.  Best idea ever.  It is probably one of the top dive bars in the city, but the two of us had the best time. 

We met up with friends for dinner at yes, Bryant Park!  We grabbed dinner at the Cafe' there and then picked up some dessert at Magnolia Bakery and back to the UES we went.  It was our last night, so of course we were back out on the town for drinks, but stayed low-key as there was a big morning ahead of us...

Day 4...this was what I had been saving up for...my awesome husband worked his magic and got us VIP tickets to Regis & Kelly!!  I am such a sucker for TV personalities and have loved this show forever.  It also checks a 'to do' off my bucket list!  We got there at 8am and didn't get out of there until 11:30.  They filmed 3 shows with us as the audience...so in addition to being on Tuesday's show, we will also be on Friday, June 11th and Monday, June 21st!  Even with all the background knowledge I have about what goes on 'behind the scenes' of a tv production...I was still amazed at how they put this show together.  There had to be at least 20 people surrounding R & K the whole show, telling them what to say, where to go, telling us when to clap, when to laugh, etc.  It was a great time and I couldn't be more thankful to my husband for not only working to get the tickets, but for sitting in that tiny little seat for 3 1/2 hours with me as I soaked in every minute.

Then came the rest of our day....I'll try to make it short...over brunch at The Barking Dog and dessert at Crumbs Bakery, we spent a lot of the day talking about how great it was to have a few days on our own, but how anxious and excited we were to get home and see the girls that night as this was the longest we had been away from them....so, we were to leave JFK at 8:45pm and fly straight through arriving home at 11:30.  As we get ready to step onto the subway, my phone rings.  Flight cancelled.  Re-booked for the next day at 4:45 PM.  No.  Not possible.  I flip out.  We call the airline.  They tell us there is bad weather and no flights are landing at CVG.  I call home...it's sunny.  I'm even more frustrated.  The earliest they can get us on a plane is the next morning at 6:30.  Still not good enough.  We go to LaGuardia.  The women there really try to help us but tell us we will probably be staying on the floor that night.  I bring on the tears.  They find us a flight that leaves in 20 minutes.  We haul ass to the terminal that is 10 minutes away and make it just in time.  We fly to D.C. and then to Lexington.  We rent a car and and at 1am I was covering up Bug and Monkey and kissing them goodnight. 

I love New York City.  There is something about it that is unlike any other city I have ever been to.  I love San Diego, Phoenix, Vegas, Erie, and our little getaway places in the Carolinas as well...but NYC is in a category all by itself.  But for the first time in two years, something I never thought I would hear myself say came out of my mouth when we were driving home from Lexington...

 "I love Kentucky." (gasp)

I love the smell, the green grass, our backyard, and not feeling like we live in a fishbowl.  And it wasn't just an 'at the moment, glad to be home' statement because even now, two days later, I still feel the same way.  I love it here for many different reasons, for many big reasons.  Don't tell anyone...