San Antonio Trip

The Flowers Family took a trip this past weekend. I think it's the first time we've been on a "vacation" since Luke was born (excluding trips to see family). Dave had to go on a cross-country to San Antonio which is only about 2 1/2 hours from us (I know, that's really "cross-country" isn't it?). For the non-military, that's where he takes a student on a trip so they learn about planning and traveling to different airfields. They have two full days of flying (Friday and Sunday) but typically have nothing to do on Saturday. I was supposed to be playing in a soccer tournament that weekend so I was kind of conflicted on going, but at the last minute (Friday afternoon) I decided to do something spontaneous for once and packed up the boys and hit the road. We got up to San Antonio Friday evening and met Dave at the hotel (Grand Hyatt on the Riverwalk - beautiful). If you've never been to San Antonio, the Riverwalk is awesome! It's down below street level, a small "river" which is paved on both sides with shops and restaurants all up and down it. I'm not sure how long it is, but we walked at least half a mile. It was really, really neat. I lived in San Antonio for two years and never really went down there (probably because I was in college, no car, no money...). Anyways, we walked right out of the hotel and down to a restaurant, not having to worry about traffic or anything.
On Saturday we took the boys to Sea World (which offers military and their dependents one free visit a year). We had such a great time - saw some neat shows, rode rides, and fed some animals. Here are some pictures I got.

Dave and Luke, waiting for the "VIVE" show. This has beluga whales, dolphins, synchronized swimmers, and divers putting on a very neat show. Both boys loved it. Luke kept pointing to the whales and dolphins when they jumped, and then he was saying "more, more". It was cute.

After the dolphin show, Calvin wanted to ride a roller coaster. Luckily, they had a great kids area. He got to go on a Shamu coaster, which was just a small ride for little kids, but he loved it. While he and Dave rode, Luke and I walked around and took some pictures. There were Halloween decorations all around. Here's Luke posing with some:
There was a huge sand pit for the kids to play in, as well as all these tunnels and ropes to climb through. Here's Luke's first carnival ride. Waiting for the Shamu show to start. We were in the splash zone, which Calvin did not like one bit. In fact, he insisted on sitting elsewhere and he and I had to move.
A picture of shamu jumping out of the water.
Here's Calvin feeding the seals and sea lions. You could buy a little basket of fish to drop down to them. Calvin was all for this until he saw the little fish. Then he had to be coaxed into picking them up. But he did it. You can see the fish falling, just below the railing.

And here are the sea lions, waiting for the food. That seal in the back actually jumped over the sea lions to steal the fish!
The dolphin interaction area. You can stick your hands in the water and you can feed them too, but we weren't there at the right time.
The dolphins are so close to you.
Calvin didn't make it to see the dolphins. I let him ride in the stroller for a bit and by the time we got to the dolphin area he had passed out. Well, who could blame him after that exciting day.
That night we went back to the riverwalk and ate at the Rainforest Cafe. The boys weren't too sure about all the animals and noises at first, but ended up having a great time. All in all, it was a great weekend and I'm glad we got the chance to have a little family getaway.

Reunion

All right, so I want to know who's planning the "Oak Harbor Little Swimmers Playgroup" reunion? I'm just going to go ahead and nominate Tracy for that one, since she's a planner and has all those great ideas. Any one second the idea?

Facts of Life

So, I got one of THE questions today. In the middle of what was an otherwise peaceful breakfast, Calvin looks up at me and asks:
"Mom, how does the baby get out of the mommy?"

What? Where the heck did this thought come from? Panic setting in. What do I tell him? What do I tell him?
"What did you ask honey? (stalling for more time)

"How does the baby get out of the mommy?"

Think, think.... Luckily, I've had this conversation with my sister. What did she tell her kids? Ah-ha!!
"Well, from the baby hole." Please work, please work.

"What's a baby hole?"

Hmm, haven't thought this through too clearly.
"Mommy's have a baby hole."

Calvin contemplates this for a moment.
"Oh. Where is the baby hole at?"

Okay, I'm so not going there.
"It's hidden, honey. But when the baby is ready to come out, he comes out of the baby hole."

Calvin pauses and thinks about this a bit more. "Oh," he says, nods his head as if this makes perfect sense, and goes back to eating his cereal.

Crisis averted, remember to blog and laugh about this later.

Outdoor Painting

Since the weather was nice on Saturday I decided to let the boys have a little outdoor painting fun (plus, less worry for me about clean up). So we headed outside, taped down some paper bags, gave each of the boys some paint and a paint brush and let them go at it. They were both very excited.

Calvin worked very hard on his painting. Luke worked very hard to make the biggest mess that could be made. Calvin's masterpiece:

Luke's masterpiece (you have to click on this one and make it bigger to truly appreciate):
I think he did two brush strokes on the paper and the rest was on him and the driveway. Oh well, that's what the garden hose is for, right?

Just Random

Okay, we went to our first non-playgroup, non-family birthday party tonight. Calvin had a wonderful time and was so excited, but it just wasn't the same for me. Probably because I didn't know any of the other moms except the one throwing the party. Nothing over the top like I'm used to...

I have an asparagus-lover. Luke will not touch ANY type of fruit except for frozen berries, yet he can't get enough asparagus. I made some last night and he kept asking for "more, more, more". I just don't get it.

This morning Calvin asked me "Mommy, can I get dressed and go for a run?" Then he said "Mommy, I just need to go for a run. I need to get some exercise because I haven't exercised in a long time." (This is almost exactly what I say to him when I want to go for a run and he's refusing to cooperate). It's so nice to know that they're just sitting there, soaking up everything you say, and waiting for the right time to spit it back out at you. Except, of course, for the things you want them to remember, like, say, letters or numbers...

Has anyone read the Trucktown Books by John Sciezska?? He's really into promoting boys reading, and he created a line of books just for boys. Calvin loves them.

Dave is flying tonight, it's 9:45, and Calvin is still awake. He's been playing in his bed for the last hour and just walked in and told me I was supposed to be going to bed and the computer was for daytime, not night time. Too much cake and ice cream I guess.

That's it. Just some random thoughts. And one random, somewhat blurry picture of my little sockman (I walked out of the closet to find him putting Dave's socks on both his legs and arms...).

Daily Reminders

I am constantly reminded of the good friends and times we had in Whidbey whenever I look down on my carpet and spot....................................... a pink confetti heart. Yes, from the Valentine's party a year and a half ago. They somehow attached themselves to my stuff and made a move of thousands of miles, just so that I could look down every now and then and say............ "What the heck, another heart??!!!" I don't know how many are left, or where exactly they are hiding, but they just keep turning up. And I do cherish the memories they elicit.

Aunt Jenny's Part 2

So it looked like Hurricane Ike was going straight towards us last week and I decided to take the boys and get out of town ahead of the storm. Dave had to evacuate the planes, so he's no help to me in a hurricane. Anyways,last Wednesday I packed up the boys and drove up to Austin, back to my sister's house, which we had just left 4 days before! This was also my first time driving long distance alone with the boys. It wasn't too bad except for the last 45 minutes up there, when both boys were whining and fussy (it was 6, so past dinnertime, and they had been in the car for over 4 hours). Calvin alternated repeatedly between "When are we going to get to Grady's house?" and "It's too far, it's taking too long". But we made it. Again, it was LOUD there. Seriously, I have never heard so much screaming, crying, and fighting. It's funny how the kids can go from best friends one minute to tormenting each other the next. Now, they don't always fight - there were plenty of times they played together very nicely. But they know just which buttons to push to get to each other. My sister and I are both just hoping that they grow out of it as they get older. Even Luke has learned to scream. Ugh! I'd like to blame it on my sister's kids, but I'm pretty sure he would have picked it up anyways. He let out a good one when I picked him up to leave the play area at Chik-Fil-A. In fact, he screamed so loud that I'm pretty sure people thought I was abducting him. There were lots of strange looks as I quickly exited the building...


Some pictures from our trip. Here are the kiddos, watching a movie.
Luke showing off those pearly whites...
Playing red light, green light (pretty hilarious with two little kids who totally don't get the start/stop thing). Notice Calvin's baseball uniform. That was actually Grady's, but Calvin had to try it on and then decided he needed to wear it the entire day - socks, cleats, and all.
The "babies" playing on the table. Don't they look so innocent? hah
Story time with four of the five kids. Just a little crazy.

On a more serious note, Hurricane Ike did so much damage along the Texas coast. We were very lucky that it changed direction and didn't hit near us. Whole towns were destroyed and lots of people lost their houses and all of their belongings. They're saying that it could take months to get everything cleaned up. Keep those people in your prayers.

On another note, Luke said "I love you" for the first time!!! My mom has been teaching him to do it and make little hand signals (point to his eye for "I", point to me for "you") and he did it last night while also saying all the words. So cute!!!

Cold Front

We are enjoying the first cold front of the season. Which, down here, mean temperatures in the mid-80's with lows in the mid-60's. Some of you (those in WA) are probably laughing about that being a "cold front" but trust me, when you've been living with 90 degree temperatures and 90% humidity, 80 degrees feels AWESOME!!! I can walk outside without breaking into a sweat! I got to open my windows, and the boys and I spent a good portion of the day outside. There is something about that change in weather that just really lifts your spirit. I'm sure it will be back in the 90's by the end of the week, but I'm enjoying it while its here. I can't wait for more fall weather!!!

Trip to Aunt Jenny's

The Flowers Family (sans Dave, plus Mimi) took a trip to visit my sister last week. We had completely chaotic fun (and just a few I want to pull my hair out moments). Well, I guess I should start by saying that two little boys and one mommy sleeping in one room is not the greatest thing. Especially when the older boy is sharing a bed with mommy and he likes to rock and roll all night long. Calvin would toss and turn for an hour, before nestling his feet right in the middle of my back. As soon as I'd move him, he'd roll back over and stick his head on my neck. And so it went for four nights... Which really just makes for one tired mom who had to drink two cups of coffee plus a diet coke by 10 a.m.... But I digress...
My sister has three kids - 7, 4, and 20 months. A perfect fit for my two - 3 and 15 months - or so it would seem. But something about that combo just doesn't work out. A lack of sleep coupled with too much together time led to some major squabbles. My sister even made the point that it was strange that she's fine at home with her kids and I'm just fine with mine, but put them all together and we're both crying "MOM!!!!". No, really, we had lots of fun and its so awesome for the kids to get to spend time together. I wish she lived closer!!! Some pics from our trip:
Cady and Calvin hanging out
A rare picture of all five kids. Of course, it was the oldest who refused to cooperate.
Well, they were supposed to be going to sleep, but that didn't happen. Listening to "Frosty the Snowman" on Cady's MP3 player. Hey, at least they were sharing.
Batgirl and Batman, saving the day (Calvin's new favorite superhero - he's moved on from spiderman).
We love Aunt Jenny's cause she has tons of cool dress up. Notice Luke in the background cheesing for the camera.

That's about it for the past week. Right now we are keeping a close eye on the hurricane and if it looks like its going to come close we will probably be taking another trip to my sister's.