Tampa Bay

Splashed by the big brothers

Climbing on Charlie

Justin's signature "Cannonflop"

John's Grand Entrance

He got their attention!!!

Zane and "Yohn!!!" back together again

Doin' the Robot

Doin' the Twist

The Worm

Fancy Dancin' with Daddy

Done.

So the Florida driving adventure continues...

We drove from Jacksonville to Tampa Bay on Wednesday to spend some time with the Von Bergens at their new house. This was the only tough part of driving that we did since Justin had a bathroom emergency right as we entered Orlando. If you can imagine, it was tough to find an exit that did not wind me through the intricate maze of Disney owned parking lots and he was screaming in the back, "Mom!!! I gotta go NOW!" I did not have a bottle in the car (nor did I have one of Thom's U-R-IN Controls with me) and I could not find a place to pull over where he could find a tree. I started yelling, he started crying, and it was a disaster.

Luckily, we found him a bathroom and then we made up. I apologized for being a monster mom and asked him to please try to give me some advanced warning in the future. We put on a movie and the rest of the drive went fairly well ... until my navigation system let me down ... again. We did circles and roundabouts in downtown Tampa for a while and eventually I found a spot where I could pull over and consult the old fashioned paper map.

When we finally made it to Polly's house, all of the pain was forgotten immediately as she and the kids ran out to give us hugs. It felt so nice to see those familiar faces and know that time and distance had not changed a thing. Zachary hugged me tight and while I could not get my fill of Zane before he ran off, he did chat with me for a minute and show me how well he can talk now. Jasmine rolled in armadillo poop (only at Polly's house can such a thing happen) and the kids ran to explore the house. Fourteen seconds after our arrival, all four were floating in the pool, I had a glass of wine in my hand, I was enjoying sun (I forgot about that magical feeling) and chatting with Polly.

When the Dads arrived (both had to work - can you imagine that?), the kids were so happy to see them. Annalise gave Charlie a hug that I thought would choke him and she wasn't ready to let go very soon. John surprised them with a cannonball in the pool and his good buddy Zane jumped right on his shoulders to wrestle him to the ground. I think that's little boy speak for "I missed you so much!"

We spent the entire afternoon and evening in the pool, dancing in the kitchen, and having a good old time. Polly certainly knows how to throw a party and you just can't beat an evening spent reconnecting with good friends. There's not much more to say about it but I think the smiles in the pictures tell the story better than I can anyway.

Hanna Park Beach

My Family

An exhausting game of Frisbee

Sand Castles

John and Justin enjoying some time together

This California family was feeling a serious need for some sunshine and some sand between our toes.

The sun was shining when we woke up on Tuesday and we hit the beach. John did his research (I know, this was shocking to me too) and found us a great beach where even Jasmine could enjoy a day in the sun. We made a stop at Walgreen's and ran through the store stocking up on sunscreen, boogie boards, sand toys, magazines, and water. John, who is constantly referring to us as "The Griswalds" was even more disgusted than usual when he was forced to wear what he calls an "old man drugstore hat" that says "Jacksonville" across the front of it. Oh well.

The day at the beach included boogie boarding (John and Justin), castle making (Justin and Annalise), running (Jasmine), a game of Frisbee (John and Justin) and "a whole lotta nuthin'" (Lisa). Much to John's dismay, we left with piles of sand absolutely everywhere and I am still amused by this each time I go to clean out another section of Big Ben! The day was a success with four happy people and one very happy dog. It was made even better when John mentioned that he needed to study for a little bit. While that statement might make you wonder if I am perhaps an evil person, just let me tell you what I did with the opportunity: Super Target! We were very successful in our quest for water toys to take with us to Polly's house.

There was only one casualty of the day and that was our poor little surfer who spent the day riding the waves without a rash guard. Poor little guy was brave about it but I doubt it's something he will repeat any time soon.

Kennedy Space Center

Our "Space Buddy" reporting for duty

IMAX Show: "Walking on the Moon"

"The Astronaut"

Justin talking to Dr. Bartoe

Justin hugs his new (autographed) bear

We woke up this morning in Florida (which was rumored to have more sun than Rhode Island) to dark and stormy skies. Seriously? More rain? I guess my beach plans were out! No problem, the kids are happy doing anything that we come up with and for that I am grateful.

John had to work and my plans of hitting the beach were clearly not going to work so I tried some "out of the box" thinking. I looked into taking the kids to Disney World but I wasn't feeling the love when I looked at the 3 hour drive and the shocking, painful price of admission. John suggested going to Cape Canaveral and visiting the space center - The idea was nothing short of genius! We climbed back into "Big Ben" and we hit the road. The 2.5 hour drive seemed relatively painless and short after the 20 hours we spent in the car over the weekend!

The first thing we did when we got there was see an IMAX show about walking on the moon. It was an incredible 3-D show that was perfect for the kids. (Except the part where Annalise fell asleep in my lap). Justin watched with wide eyes for 45 minutes as they showed footage from the lunar landings and he was amazed by how hard it is to walk on the moon (which has 1/6 the gravity that we are accustomed to here on Earth). The highlight of the day came next when we all hopped in the fight simulator and got to experience a shuttle launch. It was pretty intense and I was afraid Annalise would get scared but both kids loved it! They tipped us to a 90 degree angle to simulate sitting on the launch pad, threw the force at us which made it impossible to lift your head, and then they added the shaking. I am faced with the reality that I am old and wrinkly because this thing forced my cheeks all the way back to my ears and jiggled every inch of skin on my face. I looked over at Annalise when she tightened her grip on my hand but she had joy rather than fear in her eyes and I knew she was having a great time. Justin was in the row behind us and I heard him giggling. When they opened the cargo bay doors for us, we were looking down on Italy and Annalise announced that a space alien had flown over us. Justin just said, "Cool!"

We met an astronaut (John David Bartoe) and he chatted with Justin for a minute before we got rushed away by the handlers. Dr. Bartoe signed Justin's astronaut bear and patienly talked with him about being a Navy kid and, more importantly, the grandson of a NASA Engineer. Dr. Bartoe shook Justin's hand and told Justin to "keep at it" when he said proudly that he wanted to fly fighter jets one day. (For reference, Annalise currently wants to be a "Navy Ship").

It was a sunny day after all and we had a great time. The best part of the day was that while John was flying, and we were in the simulator, even Jasmine got in on the action as a "Space Buddy" in the Space Center Kennel. She did not exacly love it but she kept cool in the air conditioned cargo bay they have for dogs.

I am not sure what Justin will do when he grows up but after today he has a little spark in his eye and he says that he plans to be "Maverick"...I bet he will be...

Short Drive

Hanging out with Jen and the Baby

Civil War Fun

Lunch in Fredricksburg

Outside the Cafe where we ate lunch

Justin had Spring Break last week and we took the opportunity to head down to Jacksonville to see John. We loaded all four of us (yes, four, including Jasmine) into the car and we hit the road Friday after work. My original "plan" was to head out and get as far as I could that day. Auntie Jenny called to see if we would be driving through Maryland and I said, "I'm doing whatever my navigation system tells me." After laughing at me, she pointed out that I-95 was probably the road I would be taking and that her house was about 5 minutes away. She graciously invited us to stay with her on Friday night and that's what we did! She took us in when we arrived around midnight and then treated us to a fabulous breakfast in the morning. (She has a personal chef on staff these days).

The kids were very excited to see Auntie Jenny and Uncle Matt. The highlight for Justin was playing his DS with Uncle Matt and he let me know that "Uncle Matt really doesn't know what he's doing but I didn't tell him that." Justin also confirmed with Auntie Jenny that he would be a cousin to the baby. He was considering being an Uncle but decided against that when he learned that he would have to give presents if he was an Uncle. It's much more fun to be a cousin because the only requirement for this is to be able to play.

When we left on Saturday, Auntie Jenny gave each of them a gift bag. Let me tell you...

In Justin's bag there were cologne samples that came conveniently in spray form. Every 15 seconds or so I would hear the familiar sound of him spraying the dumb thing and I begged him each time (through teary eyes and cologne particles tickling the inside of my nose) to give it a rest. "No problem Mom!" That worked for about 15 seconds until we started the process again. The problem with Big Ben is that he has a significant amount of freedom because he sits in the very back seat where he is well outside of striking distance.

In both of their bags was an abundance of candy (and the wrappers that come with the candy) but the coup de grace was the little packet of RED kool-aid that could be added to a water bottle. Annalise was under the false impression that this was a "Lick a Stick" type candy. I had no idea that this was going on and when I looked back at her I saw that her face was bright red. Confused, I checked her to see if she had a fever or was overheated. Out of slight concern, I pulled over to check on her. This is when I discovered the little blue wrapper and figured out that a Baby Wipe would take care of it. Oh, sweet revenge...

We stopped in Fredricksburg to wait out the traffic, clean Annalise's face, and hide the cologne spray. We had a great lunch and we shopped for Civil War toys while we waited out the traffic. We found a great little ballet store and Annalise tried on several leotards before settling on a cute little blue one. Justin patiently hung out with us and told her each time she modeled a new one, "Annalise! That's beautiful!" The staff got a kick out of them and told me what sweet children I had which made me smile for the rest of the trip.

With a new Civil War plastic soldier collection and a blue leotard in our possession we jumped back in the car and, after close to 1200 miles, we finally made it to John's hotel late Saturday night.

Cliff Walk

Uncle Bryan was spending the weekend with friends in Jamestown and we were able to catch up with him for a while on Sunday before he headed home to Boston. We met at the Cliff Walk and enjoyed the sunshine for a while. Annalise was very sleepy and she was having a hard time focusing but she loved playing on the lawn of the Breakers with Uncle Bryan - you would think she really was a Vanderbilt girl!

The day was quite the opposite for Justin. He was having a great time borrowing my camera and taking his own photos. He was in a mood to notice nature, art, history, and talk about things going on in his life. I enjoyed some quiet time with him while Uncle Bryan chased Annalise from one corner of the state to the other. As you can see, he was in a mood to let me take some photos of him and there are a few that I am really happy with!

Enjoy...

Rain

And it's raining...again....

Rain

There seems to be some debate here in Rhode Island about just how bad the floods were. Some reports say it was the worst flooding in 50 years. Some reports say it was the worst flooding in 100 years. One report even said it was the worst flooding that Rhode Island has seen in 200 years. This debate makes me smile because what it all really boils down to is that we had some insane flooding!

Here are some pictures of life here on Aquidneck Island. We made it through without a single drop of water in our house but I'm afraid that most around here were not so lucky. While I don't know anyone who had any catastrophic damage, there are several of our friends and neighbors who spent a lot of time cleaning, drying and replacing. If you were watching the news, you most likely saw pictures of Warwick (near the airport) which was hit much harder than we were. These photos will give you a good perspective of what our little part of the state looked like.

The entrance to Common Fence Point

I saw a swan swimming here at one point - it's a sight I'll never forget!

The parking lot at Clements

A farm on Union Street

Annie's Backyard

A sand trap on the golf course disguised as a water feature.

I'm very happy to report that I'm writing this a week after the storms died down and we enjoyed sunshine and 80 degree weather today. The kids played on Annie's play structure this afternoon and I think that most of my neighbors have pumped their basements out by now.

Fishing

Here is the view of "The Fort" from my bedroom window. You can see Justin at the edge of the water patiently casting his line.

...Jasmine, Annalise, and Mom invade his quiet little world...
and he graciously welcomes us.

Having grown up in California with somewhat urban parents, Justin hasn't been presented with the opportunity to do a whole lot of fishing in his lifetime. To be clear, here's what I think about the sport: "Worms? Bugs? Slimy Flopping Fish? Really?" However; since living here, we've noticed that it seems to be something he really enjoys. For Christmas this year, he asked Santa Claus for one thing: The Rocket Fishing Rod (as seen on the infomercial promising that simply holding the thing would attract a million fish and immediately elevate you to world's most accomplished "fisherkid" status). Santa Claus delivered on his promise and the Rocket Fishing Rod was waiting under the Christmas Tree when he woke up Christmas morning. Justin first tested the thing with John over the back porch and was a bit dismayed when it broke upon it's first launch. Poor Kid! I remember when he gave me the sad little face and said, "The commercial kind of lied...but that's OK...I think it will work at least a little bit."

Over the past couple of weeks, Justin has been spending a lot of time with his friend Mark down at "The Fort" by our house. The Fort now has two completed rooms, a bike rack, a fire circle, and a lake out back for fishing. They often bring lawn chairs down there for furniture and when the mood strikes them Jasmine is allowed to tag along too. As they plan for dinner, Justin patiently stands at the water's edge waiting for the fish to jump onto his magical pole and I am summoned over the walkie-talkie from time to time to come down and "fix this dumb thing" when it gets tangled. The "dumb thing" seems to be working these days and he has recently learned how to untangle the smaller snags in the line on his own. Given these improvements, I now enjoy fishing with him because the sun is shining, the line rarely gets tangled to a point where my assistance is needed, and I am quite confident that there is not a single fish within a 5 mile radius of his fishing line that I would ever have to deal with should it meet an untimely death at the hands of the pretend hook hidden under the SpongeBob bobber.

I admit it - I hate "The Fort" because it has bugs and I hate fishing because it means mud. Justin? He sees a different world than I do and I love watching him explore it. My son is undeniably the best kid under the sun. He's so sweet and generous and his imagination knows no bounds. He's a loving child with a heart of gold and I treasure the time I have with him. This activity makes me smile because he's trying something neither John nor I have ever tried to teach him. More importantly, he's passionate about it and he's embracing it! I pray that he catches a fish and that I have to deal with the mess because it will make him smile that magical smile of accomplishment that melts my heart and helps me remember why being his Mom is the greatest gift that was ever given to me.

Easter

Justin and Annalise ready for the Easter Egg Hunt.

"Ready, Set, GO!" You can see Justin but I couldn't find Annalise in the crowd.

Four Happy Dolbys! For once, there was way too much sunshine!

The Chesters and the Dolbys


Me and My Buddy

Brynn and Annalise

Justin and Jake

Once John came home for his first visit, I got addicted. This routine is ridiculous! He lives in Florida, we live here, and we all spend our weekends bored and missing each other. During the week of the floods, I was feeling a little "grey" given the weather and I wanted to plan a trip to get away for the weekend. I looked into taking the kids to Cape Cod for an Easter Sunrise Service and when I seriously considered the costs associated with the trip, it occurred to me that I really just wanted John to come home. I called, asked him if he was free, and he booked a ticket.

RI Flood Adventure: The rain meant that the airport connector was still closed on Friday (John was set to arrive at about 3:00) and I didn't know if we were going to be able to pick him up. In my usual fashion, I didn't really worry about it but set about my day and hopped in the car to pick him up. As luck would have it, they opened the road at noon and we picked him up without any drama to speak of.

Here's the thing. I think that I spent so much energy making sure the kids were happy last weekend that I forgot how much I also needed John's attention. When he got home on Friday afternoon, I talked Jane into taking care of the kids while John took me on a date to The Boat House. It was absolutely wonderful! I talked a million miles a minute and John graciously obliged by listening and nodding when appropriate. I love him for so many reasons but mostly because he lets me ramble, he doesn't hold it against me, and he only answers with the comments that he knows I am looking for. Don't get me wrong, he also challenges me as I babble about the way I want to change the world, but he does it in a way that helps me figure out the way I should do it. I hope everyone is so lucky as to have a best friend and husband who knows her so well.

A record breaking event was that Annalise had so much fun at Jane's house while we were at dinner that she decided it was time for her first sleepover. She requested her "B" and one "sleep friend" so John went home to get them. She bravely said she'd be home in the morning and settled in to watch some quality "Sprout" with Maylee before turning in for the evening. Jane reports that she fell right asleep and woke up in the morning ready for (ahem...not Mommy!) her breakfast. She's such a strange mix of timid and confident that I'm not sure where she'll take it. I do know that she's going to have a beautiful blend of grace and power when she grows up!

Easter brunch was delicious! John made fried tomatoes, crab cakes, eggs benedict, tossed potatoes, fruit salad, banana muffins, coffee, and mimosas. Trust me when I say it was a step up from the usual oatmeal or frozen pancakes that I make for the kids! We also met up with the Chesters at the Brown House (actually a yellow house) for an egg hunt and the kids had the time of their lives! Purely by chance, we saw Brynn and Jake there and it was a wonderful "small town" sunshiney day.