Vacation - Part 4 - NYC Day 2

On our second day in New York City - we first went to the top of the Empire State Building.  It was recommended that we do it right when they open, and given the massive back-and-forth roped areas we bypassed I am very glad we did.

Happy Jacob:

Then we went to Central Park and walked around while waiting for the Museum of Modern Art to open.  The kids rode the Carousel, played a little at a park and pleaded to go to the zoo (not part of our passes).

We left Central Park in the rain and bribed the children with ice cream to walk to MoMA.  Here's a thing to remember - food drastically changes the speed of our children from slow to glacial.

We spent some time exploring MoMA.  A few highlights - Jacob found video games.  Allison and I circled past a video of naked people throwing a ball at least 4 times (they chose a really CENTRAL location for that one.... Brian missed it completely).  I officially declare that I do not "get" art in the slightest.  I mean, it was neat to see - like - the actual painting of Starry Night.  But there was one room with a big brown rectangle on the floor.  You were encouraged to stand on it.  Standing on it did not make it make any more sense to me.

After MoMA, we went to Momofuku.  Wow - it was good. And the kids tolerated it.  Both liked the duck fried rice (though neither ate much of it) and Jacob wanted the whole duck from the ramen to himself.  They did not like the foie gras - which was Fine By Me because it was awesome.

We then headed to the Museum of Natural History and watched one of the planetarium shows.  This would be the planetarium headed by Neil deGrasse Tyson.  Personally, I thought the Whoopi Goldberg narrated show was a little weird.  It seemed to jump around like "now you are 4 billion years in the future."  Also, it may have made more sense had I been able to stay awake the whole time....

Our final stop was an unsuccessful attempt to see the World Trade Center memorial.  Then we boarded the train and headed back to Connecticut.

Vacation - Part 3 - NYC Day 1

The Big Apple.

We spend two days and a night in NYC.  It was a quick tour!  We had bought city passes in advance, which got us into several attractions (and thus set the agenda for the two days).

First stop - Statue of Liberty!

Then over to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge:

Back to the hotel to check in and rest.  Then an evening of seeing Times Square:

An all-important visit to Toy's R Us.  A hot dog purchased from a street vendor (probably Jacob's favorite meal the entire trip.  He had hot dogs twice later and declared them both to be "not as good as NYC famous hot dog").  Then we went to the top of Rockefeller Center to view the city skyline at night.

Sleep?  What's that?

Vacation - Part 2

Next stop - Connecticut!  (where we also left smelly leftovers in the fridge)

First stop was the coast, where we crashed Rob and Lauri's vacation!  Actually, they were kind enough to let us stay with them for the night and show the kids the fun of hunting for crabs.  Here's Jacob and Brady:

The beach was not Allison's favorite thing.  It "freaked her out!"  Jacob was slow to warm up to the sand and critters - but then did not want to leave.

We went back to Rob and Lauri's real house, and spent a few days playing with the cousins in their awesome basement and backyard.  Apparently, you never grow out of steering wheel toys that sing songs to you!

 And caught a few bugs.... as there was no bug net, I was required to photo-document.

 All the kids in the pool.

Vacation - Part 1

How do you post about an awesome 2-week vacation?  I have no idea.  Does anyone really want a total rehash of the trip?  The highlights?

Ah - it's too overwhelming.  We had fun.  Lots of fun.  Jacob caught bugs in at least 5 states.  We got to meet the newest family member and see friends we hadn't seen in three years.  The kids were (overall) great in the car and with all the traveling.  I'm not saying we didn't have a few meltdowns.... but everyone can get out of sorts when the routines are disturbed.  So, I'll summarize with a few pictures and maybe a funny story or two.

Pre-Brian: The kids and I drove out to visit Jen, William and Henry in Pennsylvania.  Let me say that PA is a VERY boring state to drive though (so is OH) with some pretty cool to stuff to do it in.  We spent two nights there and during the day, we went to Ricket's Glen State Park - which had a lot of waterfalls to hike to.

 Here they are HOLDING HANDS.  Had to capture that on film.

 And, of course, some bug catching with Henry in the backyard.

We left Jen with Jacob's toothbrush and a fridge full of smelly left-overs.  (We're AWESOME houseguests).  After leaving PA, we headed on to coastal Connecticut and to pick Brian up.  More to come.

Sleepy Girly

Well, Allison and I woke up EARLY this morning to make her 8:15 appointment at UW Children's Hospital in Madison.  She was totally awesome and did not complain about the lack of food and water for her.  (nothing after midnight)

They retook the bone age scan x-ray first and then put us back in a room with a bed and a big TV and DVD player.  Allison took the pills that were supposed to kick in her growth system and then insisted she was not at all tired.  She did the first blood-draw after an hour, which she was very nervous about but then didn't even notice because they put on this numbing cream.  Poor girl inherited deep and difficult-to-find veins from the Nolan side of the family (Grandma Mary and then me).  The nurse opted to have her blood drawn in the lab because she couldn't feel a vein - which is impressive given Allison's body fat % of like.... nothing.

Anyway, after insisting she was NOT TIRED, she fell asleep during the half hour before the next blood draw.  Apparently the medicine makes you tired and your blood pressure drop - so then it was a little while before she got back to a "dischargable" blood pressure.  I'm not sure what that number was, but we waited three tests rather than two.

She then slept while I drove to the bakery.  Slept while I went into the bakery (seriously.... they had cupcakes!).  Slept on the drive home.  And she's sleeping now upstairs in my bed.  Bets on whether or not she sleeps tonight??

They have to send the samples to an outside lab, so we won't get the results for a few weeks.  They get them in one week, but then we'll get a letter (hopefully as indecipherable as the last!!) about a week after that.  The nurse did say we could call her if we needed someone to interpret it for us.  So, that was nice.

Par lay v'oooo fron-say?

So - Jacob took French camp this week at the YMCA.  It was run as a program in partnership with the school district, and due to low enrollment they combined the 1-3 and 4-6 grade groups.  Notably, one of the two older kids did not show up after day 2.

Let me start with being totally happy that Jacob was even interested in French camp.  I was surprised he wanted to do anything other than sports, sports, sports.  So, yay Jacob!  However, I found the whole thing... well, I don't know how to say "somewhat wrong" in French.

Day 1 - this was the craft:

I was - I kid you not - trying to keep from laughing so hard I was simultaneously trying not to cry and/or pee at the same time - holding it all in because Jacob was so proud (he doesn't really DO crafts).  Jacob's head, on a toilet paper roll painted like the French flag, with a handlebar mustache and a beret; a baguette in one hand and the French flag in the other.  Because - and I quote - "more French people have mustaches than Americans, so I wanted to have a mustache."

Um - stereotype much?  But, yes, it's totally on the mantle because it IS that awesome.

Then, each day they played a sport for an hour.  On the second day we were requested to send in their swimsuits on the third day.  So, it was really 1 part French, 1 part playing around at the YMCA.  But that's kindof OK.  I get the activity break.

Day two - Jacob came home and requested nutella on a croissant for dinner.  Oddly, we had those things.

Day three - I was presented with a "special French treat" - cornflakes covered in chocolate.  Now, I'm no expert to say that is NOT a French treat.  However, I'm pretty sure corn flakes are quite an American invention compliments of Mr. Kellogg who set the course of the American breakfast away from a balance of protein, fat, and carbs compliments of your eggs bacon and toast - to the sugary boxes of marshmallow filled goodness that breakfast is today.  I was curious of all the possible French foods to introduce the kids to - how they ended up with cornflakes and chocolate.  

Days four and five were pretty uneventful.  Jacob made a pom pom and a scrapbook page.  He learned a little French (my name is Jacob, Grandma and Grandpa - or at least that was all he was willing to say for me).  

The sad part is probably not the funny French Jacob or the cornflake treat... but the fact that Jacob said camp was "fine" but he was "not doing another language camp at the Y."  Though he was excited to start, he was happy to have it end, and I'm not entirely sure I blame him.

Scheduling Fail..... (s)

Funny story - last week I got home from dropping Allison off at Ninja camp only to have my phone beep at me.  What's that?  A text?  Nope - a automatic reminder for a meeting at work in 15 minutes.  Whoops.  Grab Jacob, grab tablet, and be thankful that I live close to work.

Then Monday I got home from taking Jacob to French camp (why do I kids pick these things?) when the phone beeps.  Guess what - another meeting in 15 minutes that I totally forgot about!!

So what if I don't pay that much attention to my work schedule during the summer.  I have the home schedule totally under control.  Right?

Except.... I have been checking the phone all week waiting for the call reminding me when the kids dentist appointments are.  No calls.  Not that weird, we don't get many.  Until I looked at the phone yesterday afternoon and saw that it was out of batteries.  Plug it in. Wait.  Charge the phone then check for messages - yep - two.  The first telling me the kids had appointments yesterday and the second asking me where I was because we missed our appointments.

Which wouldn't be sooooo terribly bad if these weren't the appointments I rescheduled because I missed the appointments I scheduled a few weeks ago.  I'm not sure they'll take us back.  #fail