| ON THE ROAD AGAIN | Last Updated: Jun 28, 2008 |
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Stories May 23, 2008 Lily and Riley are both tucked in snug in their bed right now taking a nap. Praise God!!! Today has been a great improvement over yesterday. When I picked them up from school, Lily had too many presents to carry. She told them her birthday is Saturday, so they really spoiled her. One of the teachers hand made a gift box, card, and frame. She took pictures of the kids and put about 5 in the box to switch them out. It was so sweet and thoughtful. They drew her a big birthday cake on the board and let her decorate it. It made me feel so good that even though we are not home, she still is having a special fifth birthday. Riley did great today. He lasted one hour in his underwear before he had an accident! Whatever they are doing is wonderful. She told me today that all kids are potty trained no later than 18 months. Wow!
We had so much fun at the pool. There are two baby pools for the kids to swim in. One is one foot deep and the other is two. The lifeguard came over and was playing games with them and taking pictures. She got on her cell phone and about 10 minutes later her friend showed up just to see the kids. The kids took a ton of pics with them and just wanted to swim. The only negative about the pool is that there are slippery stones to walk on inbetween them. Riley got out and bit it hard. He hit the back of his head and has a little goose egg. They all ran over and checked him out. He cried for about two seconds and then wanted back in the pool. He's so tough. After that the lifeguard was glued to us. They let us get in the two lane lap pool and Lily can touch the bottom. Oh my gosh! She is so excited. She has waited two long years to be able to touch. I added a short video of them swimming today. I also broke down and had them take a pic of us in our swimming caps. The gym is awesome and I can't wait to go work out. They have a couple hot tubs and then some sort of massage like pool. It has jets everywhere and looks so nice. I will def have to try it out. When we went into the bathroom to put the towels in the hamper I got yelled at by the cleaning lady. She was pointing to my feet and out the door. I showed her the towels and she kept yelling. I just laughed! I guess you can't wear your shoes in the bathroom here either. I'll have to check my Chinese Etiquette book on that one =) Ricky just called and said that it is pouring in Taipei. The guys said that they never have thunderstorms but they have one today. Guess we brought them with us is what they say!
May 23, 2008 Don't Talk Back To Me Mister! Especially in Chinese! Okay, I have to admit something. Yesterday was one of those days that you would like to just forget. It was BAD! I wasn't going to blog about it, but I figure you all can't think it's sunshine and roses here all the time =) The day started fine with the kids going to school, but Riley cried for the first time. It broke my heart, but not enough to let him come home with me. haha They said he stopped right after I left, so that was good. However, after school was not great. I had promised them that they could ride bikes after school and Lily immediately started in when I picked them up. "You said we could ride bikes? Where are they? Why didn't you bring them?" This is where I snap!! I am only one person who doesn't want to carry two bikes and two helmets all the way to your school!!!! She finally calmed down, but then Riley joined in. I couldn't get mad at him though because I had no idea what in the world he was saying! Most of you know he was a late talker and now he doesn't ever want to stop. I understand 99% of what he says even when some people can't. But this time folks, it was in Chinese! Oh yes, you heard me right, Chinese. He kept saying the same word over and over, and I just stared. I finally get him to talk where I can understand him and now he pulls this stunt on me! We were already on our way back to get the bikes, so I couldn't even have the teacher translate for me. Ugh! They did get to ride bikes for about 45 minutes but it started to rain. When we got back to the apartment, it poured! It rained hard all afternoon. The worst part was both of them refused nap time. It was the longest afternoon ever! They were bouncing off the walls and we had nowhere to go! They were both bathed and ready for bed by 5:30. Oh, I'm not kidding. But then I remembered it was Sheries' birthday, so I had to let them stay up to call. I don't think she would have appreciated a Happy Bday song at 5:30 AM =) They did calm down and watched TV(Thanks to Alisa and her slingbox) and went to bed at 8:30. We prayed for a better day today and everyone agreed to wipe the slate clean! We all survived and I am here to blog it for your enjoyment today. This morning started out great with Riley going on the potty! Yee haw!!! I was so excited. When we got to school he told Winnie Mommy and the other teachers and they all cheered for him. I told them about the Chinese episode yesterday and they laughed so hard they cried. We are going to go swimming today at the gym, but they have to nap in order to go. I will do what I need to get them to sleep. They really need it because school wears them out. I am very excited for tonight because Meggy Mommy(the english teacher), Winnie Mommy, and Mickey Mommy invited us out for the evening. They are taking us to the night market. I think it's like a big flea market. They told me not to eat, that we will get something. That should be interesting. Meggy Mommy is picking us up in her car so we don't even have to take a cab. It is very sweet of them to invite us and I can't wait. Ricky has been on the road since Wednesday and will not be back until Monday night. I can definitely use some interaction with other people. As far as Ricky goes, he is doing great. He is now activated, but with a rain out and off day, he hasn't gotten a chance to pitch yet. They play tonight and then have an off day on Saturday. Must be nice! I keep telling him to watch out, the kids and I might hop on the bullet train up to Taipei on Saturday and spend the weekend there =) They play Taipei again on Sunday and then make up the rain out in Taichung on Monday. I will definitely update once he pitches. Have a great night everyone! We miss you all terribly!
May 21, 2008 Home Away from Home I thought that it was about time to share our home away from home with all of you. We are finally unpacked and settled in nicely. The first stop on our tour is the parking lot.
Next we have the laundry room. I know, I know, you are all jealous. However, we have two of these lovely laundry rooms! Oh yes! We definitely need the space to hang all of our clothes. I have been doing laundry every night after baths. There is enough space to hang two loads. Most of the clothes are dry by morning.
Here we have the fabulous tiled kitchen. No, Ricky did not bring his tile saw and do this backsplash for me! How lucky am I to already have this beautiful white tile EVERYWHERE! However, it is easy to keep clean, which is nice. We do not have an oven, only two gas burners. Our refrigerator is miniature, which is fine for us. We really only keep the basics, so we don't need a lot of room. We do have a microwave, but have not even used it. All the food here is very fresh and there aren't a whole lot of frozen foods. No Smart Ones for me to nuke for lunch! The door leads out to the laundry room. The extra bedroom is to the left and our room and bathrooms are to the right.
Next we have the kids bathroom. Riley is so happy to finally have a tub to take a bath. I'm sure our neighbors are thankful too! He screams through showers because he does not like them at all.
Next is our bathroom. It is the strangest one I have ever seen. There is no shower curtain, so when you take a shower water goes everywhere. There is a little bar on the floor that is supposed to keep most of the water in the shower area, but it doesn't do that great of a job. You literally can shower and brush your teeth at the same time. As for the potty, you could do that to with a little ingenuity =)
Next on our stop we have the closet area. This is right as you walk into the apartment to your left. The kids have one armoire and we have the other. We put all of our shoes in the corner. The rooms do not have closets, so this is where all of our clothes go. It is very strange to have everything out in the open like that.
We have decided to use our bedroom for all of us to sleep in. I still have trouble with them being in the other room by themselves. It may sound silly, but it makes me feel better. And good Lord, check out the size of the sleeping area! They have a king and a double bed pushed together. We could even fit a few more people in if we needed to. Any takers? Meemaw? Kalynn? ha ha I do let the kids nap in the second bedroom, but there isn't much room in there. Since there is no storage here, all of our suitcases are in there.
Next we have our central air! No really, this is all we have in the living area. We do have a window air conditioner in each bedroom, but that's it.
Last we have our media room! Oh yeah! It is high tech. We bought the kids those teal cushions to sit on and watch tv because the tile floor isn't very comfy and the couch isn't much better. We have no dining room table, so this is also our dining room. They were watching ICarly on the computer tonight. Lou Pote, the other American on the team, told Ricky about a website that has free tv shows and movies. It is so nice to finally watch some American tv!
I wanted to let everyone know that I added a new feature to the site. At the bottom of the front page you can sign up to be automatically emailed when I update the website. Come on now, I know that everyone wants to be notified IMMEDIATELY when I update! Ha ha. Just wanted to let you know about the new feature.
May 20, 2008 First Day of School
Well, the kids and Mommy made it through the first day of school. They headed out in their little dressy uniforms and entered the real world. Was I sad, yes. However, I know that they need time apart from us. They both kissed and hugged us and headed into their classrooms. Ricky and I enjoyed a nice breakfast and a trip to the little grocery for some fresh fruit and an ice cream treat for the kids. Then back to the apartment to make some phone calls in peace and quiet. When we went to pick them up at 11:30, they were eating lunch. It is so cute because they give the kids lunch boxes that have 3 silver bowls with lids and spoons inside. One is for breakfast, lunch, and snack. When we walked in Riley was eating a bowl with rice, meat, and spinach. Imagine that, Riley eating =) His teacher said that he likes to try new things and enjoyed two bowls of corn soup for breakfast. He ate half of his bowl of rice for lunch. They said that he had a great day but did ask for me all morning. No tears though, so that is good. He also peed all over himself when Winnie mommy put him in his underwear. Oops! I warned her. She was not fazed and will try again tomorrow. They are very persistent and I'm sure will have him trained! Lily also ate two bowls of corn soup for breakfast, but didn't care for the lunch. She had a great day and got to go to music class. The teacher had Brown Bear, Brown Bear out for storytime and Lily got to read to the class! Ms. Norma will be so proud! They are both wiped out and napping right now, but I'm sure will be ready to go again tomorrow! As my sister Jen said, "If you can let both of them go by themself to preschool in Taiwan, you can surely let Lily ride the bus to school for Kindergarten!" Um, we'll still have to see about that =) May 20. 2008 My first Chinese foot massage....and my last!! Sunday morning we decided to make our first trip to Carrefour, the Taiwan version of Walmart, and buy a lot of household items. By the time we got back, it was lunch and then nap time. Ricky had a day off, so he decided to play Tiger Woods instead of nap with the kids. I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to go and try out one of these Chinese foot massages. Anyone that knows me, knows my love of massages! I adore them. I was so excited to find out that these heavenly massages only cost 600 nt per hour, which is about $18.00. Count me in! When I walked in I realized that no one spoke any english, but how hard can it be to mimic a foot massage? The man had me sit on one side and soak my feet in what looked like tea. He then poured me a hot cup of tea and I layed back ready for some sweet massage. He put a towel around my neck and on top of my head. I was thinking that was a little weird, but hey, I'm game. Then, this tiny man put pressure on part of my neck that had me jump out of my chair. He pushed points on my neck and back that brought tears to my eyes. I asked to go a little softer, but no English. Um, how about body language. I was squirming under his tiny little hands in pure pain. He did go a little softer until he started beating my back, neck, shoulders, and head. Yes, I said head. I felt like I was getting beat to a pulp. So much for relaxation. Finally, after about 15 minutes, he was done. He pointed to the tea and I was hoping there was something stronger than tea in there. I thought about running, really I did, but the foot massage couldn't hurt that bad. Right?!? So I moved to the other chair and leaned back on a pillow and drank my tea. At this point, I'm trying to figure out how to explain the bruises I'm sure are all over me to Ricky. He then went and got a hot towel and wrapped it around my right leg. I leaned back, closed my eyes, and then start to climb the back of my chair as he starts on my left foot. I said it couldn't hurt that bad, but it did!!! With his little knuckles he inflicted more pain than is imaginable. All I kept thinking was how am I going to walk back to the apartment. When I again asked him to go a tad bit lighter, he smiled and told me to close my eyes. Listen buddy, I can close my eyes, but you won't go away and neither will your painful little fingers. So, at this point, I'm just trying not to cry. They go all the way up to your knees, and each spot was as painful as the next. One interesting thing was when he hit a certain spot on my foot that actually hurt so bad that I pulled away. He acted like he was slitting his throat and nodded his head no. He then pointed the spot to me on the chart that showed the thyroid gland. Maybe coincidence, maybe not. However, I do know that he is correct and my thyroid is low. Hey, I'm trying to focus on at least one positive point of this experience. =) Finally, after 60 extruciating minutes, it was over. Oh wait, that is the most positive point of this whole thing. I was clammy and my hands were clenched, but I made it through. I can now say that I have had a Chinese foot massage and lived! I would like to say that I ran out of there as fast as I could, but it was more of a hobble. No running for me for awhile =) May 18, 2008 Don't trip over the chicken claw!
This has to be the number one thing I never thought I would hear anyone say, but I did! We went on the road trip to Taipei with Ricky so the team could move our things into the new apartment. I have to say that the hotel was very nice, similar to the Westin. However, our timing was still off, so we were up with the chickens, or chicken claws, and ready to explore. The team gave us tickets to eat at the buffet, and I was a little worried. However, we hit the buffet at 6:00 AM and was very surprised. They had all kinds of Chinese food, but also a few American items. They had french toast, some pastries, and lots of fresh fruit. I was so relieved!!! There were also some really interesting foods to have at a breakfast bar such as french fries and salad. I stuck with the basics and was happy. Now back to the chicken claw! We decided to go and walk around after breakfast, so we headed on out. We passed an American with a Starbucks cup (smile), and asked him where that was. He gave us a map of the area around us and told us to go walk through the market. We headed that way with great excitement. My excitement faded as we got close to the market. The smell was horrendous, but I really wanted Starbucks, so we went through. Riley kept saying "stinky" and I had to agree. The worst was at the end when we saw the meat man. There was some sort of intestine swinging around, pig legs with the hooves still attached, and he was plucking hairs off of some meat. OH MY GOSH! It was disgusting and we never even found the Starbucks!! Are you kidding me?!?
We headed back to the hotel as I pouted, and I hear Ricky shout from ahead of me, "Watch out! Don't trip on the chicken claw!!" Lily and I immediately looked down and cracked up. There were actually two of them in the middle of the sidewalk. Lily wanted to know how the chicken lost his feet, and we said that he was just really tired =) My oh my, what a different world we are in! We had to go with the team to the field on Saturday and we had about 3 hours to wait until gametime. Luckily, there is a park with grass right next to the stadium in Taipei. I had to add with grass, because most of the parks here are concrete. This was the first time the kids got to play since we got here. We met a man with his twin girls, Doris and Cindy, who didn't speak any English. However, we played with them the entire time. The kids had so much fun and seemed to communicate very well without words. They were starving by the time we got to the game, so we headed right to the concession stand. They were so excited to see corn dogs, so we got two of them dipped in ketchup and two orders of fries. However, the first bite revealed an orange center that looked and I assumed tasted nothing like a hot dog. So, they downed the fries and were still starving. Ricky came out of the dugout to wave before we went to get more food, and the kids were so excited. They stood up to see him, and the next thing I know, we are on the big screen. They kept us up there for what seemed like FOREVER! Then they put Ricky up for a second. We definitely stand out here! Back at the concession stand, which by the way is only in Chinese, we see some bags with fruit in them. Riley picked one that had what looked like little crab apples and Lily picked popcorn. My eyes were drawn to the last bag that contained some sort of animal intestines. I'm talking right next to the fruit and popcorn. Wow!! We are definitely adjusting slowly, but we are adjusting. We really appreciate all the emails and comments on the website! May 18, 2008 Soooo......We finally have our internet hooked up and ready to go. However, we can't skype anyone because it's 12:30 AM back home! Guess we'll have to check it out tonight. We are finally settled in our new apartment that has 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, and 2 balconies to hang our clothes on. Thank goodness!!! It is so hot here right now. I would compare it to August back home. They keep telling us to wait until summer, that it's cool right now. We have two window air conditioners, one in each bedroom and a fan in the living room. We also have a dishwasher and her name is Tracey! Oh how I miss some of the simple things from home that I took for granted. I think my dryer and dishwasher need a hug when we get back! We took the kids to the Genuis Neo Tech School this morning to check it out. They loved it!!! We just went to look and ask about pricing, but they asked them to go check out the classrooms and join in for the morning. Miss Meggy, or Meggy Mommy as they call them here, stayed in the hall with me to observe. Lily is going to be in Mickey Mommy's class and Riley is in Winnie Mommy's class. They are right across the hall from each other which is great. Lily joined right in and had so much fun. Riley kind of did his own thing but would join in when he felt like it. They have to take their shoes off to go in the classroom. We have to go and buy slippers for them to wear around the school when they are out of the classroom. They have gym, art, music, Chinese class, and English class. All the classes, even Riley's, are very structured. They will also wear uniforms to school. Oh my gosh! Wait until I get a pic of Riley in his dressy uniform. He looks like a little sailor!! Oh yeah, all the kids in Riley's class are potty trained. Winnie Mommy said that she will train him for me! She took him to the bathroom today and made him stand in front of the urinal. (they are tiny) He just stared at the other kids!!! He didn't know what to do. The good news is that the exhaustion has gone away somewhat. The past couple of nights have been somewhat closer to normal. Riley has napped his regular 2 hours and then crashed around 8. Lily did not nap and crashed at 8 as well. Ricky and I were both asleep at 9. They did get up at 5 today, but are both napping right now. I can't sign off without mentioning baseball, you know, the whole reason we are here. It is going well. Ricky is still not activated, but has thrown a couple of bullpens. He is throwing a simulated game today and his arm feels great. The dimensions of the ball are smaller, so he is having to adjust. He says it's like high school diamond balls, whatever that means. They earn money for cheering on the team, so I told him I'm going to get him some pom poms and expect to see him out on the field. They earn 100 nt, which is equivalent to about $3.00!!! I am getting used to washing his uniform, and threaten him not to get too dirty. We have to wash it and hang it every night. We love that they have at least one day off every week. They were off yesterday and have practice only today at 1:30. That will only last a couple of hours, and then they bring them back on the bus. If you made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read this! I have really missed not getting to blog every day. I have so many stories to tell!!! I am going to add the pics next! Take care! We miss you all.
May 15, 2008 EXHAUSTION I have a new found appreciation for that word. The exhaustion that we are feeling beats anything I have ever felt, even the newborn phase for both of the kids. Let's put it this way, last night at 6:00 Ricky and I both fell asleep while the kids were coloring. We are in a hotel in Taipei as they are switching our apartments. (Thanks for updating everyone Sherie!) Ricky said that he woke up, not sure what time, and Lily was in bed with me and Riley was asleep on the floor! He put Riley in bed with him. I did not wake up until 3:00 this morning when the kids woke me up. The funniest part was that when I turned on the light, Riley had marker all over his face. Not a clue how he did that, but he was a mess. We are all so tired and just can't figure out this time difference. It's been hard on our body and minds. We all are snappy and the kids are crabby. I'm sure we are a ball of fun to be around =) We did get out after we ate breakfast at 6:00 this morning! We walked through a market and saw some interesting (trying to be nice) food. There was also a meat stand at the end of the market where a man was plucking hairs (gag) off of some type of meat. That did it for me, I am now strictly a vegetarian here in Taiwan!!!! We walked by a beautiful temple with the most detail. Very colorful dragons and drawings. The smell of incense just consumes you as you walk by! (Lily said it smelled like Meemaw's house!) That's as far as we made it today. I did see an American today with a Starbucks cup and he told me how to get there. I will definitely be needing that before the game tonight! I will write more later about the trip and some more experiences. My computer is not hooked up yet, but should be on Sunday! Thanks for all the prayers, we surely have needed them. Love you all and miss you! May 13, 2008 (I think?!?!) Just wanted to give a quick update that we made it to Taiwan. We are in Taipei and are leaving here in a few minutes for our last flight. Thank you for all the prayers and keep them coming. So far the trip has been great and we can't wait to just get there =) Will update as soon as I can! May 11, 2008 Now Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 Happy Mother's Day! Today is the day! I have 7 suitcases packed and ready to go. We also have a computer bag, rolling carry on, personal dvd player, my bag, lily and riley each have a backpack, stroller, husband and two kids =) The only thing missing is Maddy, and she will be greatly missed. She will be shacking up with the Hamm Family, and snuggling up next to Kalynn! Oh yeah Kalynn, you better snuggle with her!!! Our flight leaves tonight at 5:45 pm and we don't arrive into Kaohsiung until 9:20 AM on Tuesday, May 13. Yes folks, that is a looooooong trip! What that really means is that we are traveling for almost 28 hours on a plane! Yikes!! But wait, we still will have to clear customs at the airport with our thousand, I mean 7 bags and then take an hour bus ride to Tainan! We have packed lots of activities for the kids, so I know they will do great =) We will miss you all and will update as soon as we can! Love, The Stones May 9, 2008 Lily had a great Hannah Montana birthday party last night. She really enjoyed getting to see all of her friends and family. She was disappointed when she woke up at 7:30 am and there was no party. "But Mom, this is supposed to be my surprise party." Where she comes up with these things I have no idea. She really thought that yesterday was her birthday and can't believe she gets to have another one in Taiwan. Hope she doesn't expect her friends to be at that one =) We have had a super busy week and are overwhelmed by all of the offers to help out in any way. Although it has been busy, we have gotten to enjoy the time with family and friends. Ricky was a little upset by the fact that men must wear speedos along with their swim caps. I, on the other hand, couldn't help the uncontrollable laughter when he was doing pretend dives from the top of our steps. What a good sport he is to let me take a pic for the world to see!!!! Hope you all get a good of a laugh as we did! We are heading out Sunday night at 5:45 pm. I will try to post one more time before we head out, but don't know when my computer will be up and running. For anyone that needs to get ahold of us, email will be the only way to get in touch. We will be able to call here, but no one can call us! Take care! May 6, 2008 I just wanted to give a quick update. Our trip to Chicago was successful and we had our passports and visas in our hands when we left. However, we don't have to leave until Sunday evening now!!!! Thank goodness. We definitely need those extra two days. I will write more before we head out on Sunday! May 2, 2008 Well we definitely have some big news....we are heading to Taiwan. Yes, you read that correctly, TAIWAN. The place where everything is made! Ha Ha Ricky was offered a job pitching for the Uni-President Lions in Tainan, Taiwan. We just found out yesterday, and we have spent the past 24 hours frantically figuring this whole situation out. We are driving to Chicago on Sunday so the kids and I can get expedited passports. The team wants us to be there asap, so we are trying our best to do what we can. I have been blessed to get in touch with two wonderful women who have been a tremendous help in making the transition to this new culture. The information given to us has been so helpful. Little things like....you have to bring bathing caps to get in the swimming pool, and to bring clothes pins to hang your clothes because there are no dryers. (You better believe I will get a pic up here of Ricky in his bathing cap) My mind is going nonstop as I try to prepare, but I know that God will get us through this! Even with the mass chaos, we are so very excited to embark on this journey. We just keep thinking about what a great experience this is going to be for our family. We truly feel blessed to be given this opportunity! I will update as we get closer to our trip! April 24, 2008 I sit here in disbelief as I write that my baby has graduated....preschool!!!! I can't believe it. Everyone says how fast time will fly, and boy are they correct. I remember holding her as a little 5 pound peanut, and now here she is running across the stage with a diploma. She is still a little peanut, but with a big grown up mind! She has really excelled in school the past few years, and has loved The Potter's House. Her teacher this year, Ms. Norma, is amazing and has been truly a blessing. Lily has grown so much academically and socially. It was announced that she wants to be a vet doctor when she grows up. I have no doubt that she will accomplish anything she sets her mind to. She has become so independent and is ready for kindergarten next year. (Although I am NOT ready!!!) She can't wait to ride the school bus, not to sure that will happen. If so, I will be the lady crying hysterically and following it to school =) After the program tonight, she could see that I was so happy, but still a little sad. At bedtime, she added a little extra to our prayer. She prayed that Mommy wouldn't be so sad since she isn't in PreK anymore! Someone please grab me a tissue. Ok, enough about that! Hope everyone has a great night and enjoy the pics! April 22, 2008 Well...where do I begin?!? We headed down to Louisville for the first week of the season. The kids had so much fun at the first ball game of the year! Oh yeah, and that was the last one =( Ricky was released on the fourth day that we were in Louisville. So in typical Stone fashion, we packed up and headed on out. If feels SOOOOO good to be home. We have been trying to figure out where we go from here, but we are really enjoying getting to be together at home. We know that God will put us where we need to be, and right now, that is here. We have been busy working on the gardens, which is something we haven't gotten to do....EVER! The kids have loved getting to spend so much time at home and especially outside. The weather has been beautiful. We even got the sprinklers out today! I have finally updated pics, so enjoy! April 8, 2008 Hey everyone! Long time, no update. Sorry about that. My laptop is in the shop(it's not even a year old, so I am not happy Bob, not happy), so I have had to use the desktop at home. I can't figure out the pictures on this computer, so I will add those when I get the laptop back! We have had a busy couple weeks. We left Florida and headed home on the 29th. It took us 19 and a half hours to get home. That was soooooo much fun. Ha Ha Once again, the kids were excellent, but we sat in tons of traffic. I guess everyone else thought it was a good weekend to head back north. We got home on Sunday the 30th, and headed to Louisville on Monday the 31st. Ricky had a few days of workouts, so we decided to head down with him and stay at the hotel. The kids are totally confused and not understanding why we can't go swimming and wear shorts and tank tops! They had a ball in the hotel (not quite as much fun for me)! We got to hang out with Daddy a lot since his workouts were pretty short. We were so sad to send him off on Wednesday for his first road trip of the season =( However, we are so thankful that he made the team!! Yeah Daddy! We really did not know until last minute, and we are just thrilled. The kids have had a wonderful week at home and have enjoyed being in there own beds and having their toys back. You know they were so deprived in Florida with only the beach, pool, and 80 degree weather!!!! Lily has loved getting back to school and gymnastics. She is so excited because she finally learned a new skill at gymnastics that she has been trying so hard to do. She can do her back hip circle (no idea how to explain what it actually is), and she is so proud. She did it twice in class last night!!! Riley has had to sit through two days of gymnastics and is ready to get to his class on Thursday morning. We have had beautiful weather here, so we have had lots of time to play outside. The kids are also very excited to have Maddy moo back home with us! Ella and Jakey (once again, sorry Jody and Drew, they only mention Ella and Jakey) took great care of her when we were gone. She went through a little depression when she came home, but is now back to her crazy self. She is a little anxious with all the unpacking and repacking, but she will be happy to head to Louisville with us on Thursday! As I sit here typing I am making a mental list of the 1001 things I have to do before we leave on Thursday. We are heading down on Thursday afternoon and will set up the apartment for Daddy's arrival on Friday. The kids miss Daddy soooooo very much, and can't wait to see him.
March 25, 2008 Well....we FINALLY got to go to a ball game! The kids were so excited, but I was a little worried. The game was a night game that started at 7:05. Many of you know that Lily and Riley go to bed by 7:30 or 8:00 and do not do well if they do not get their 12 hours of sleep! Oh, how I miss 12 hours of sleep! However, I could not deny them getting to see Daddy, so I prepared them for the night out. They both napped for 2 hours, so I was feeling better about going. Daddy met us as we were going in and they were both ecstatic. Riley thought he was going to get to go play with him, and was smiling from ear to ear! He was a little disappointed that we had to sit in the stands, but was fine once we got there. He thought that everyone in a uniform was Daddy, and kept asking if he was pitching. Lily understood that Daddy wasn't out there, but was very sad that he didn't get to pitch. I knew that they would want every bit of junk that was being sold in the stands, so I came prepared with pb&j sandwiches (no birds to steal them this time), juice boxes, granola bars, and gum! They still asked for snow cones every time they walked by, but it was way to cold! I know, yall back home feel sorry for us, but it was a little chilly last night. Riley enjoyed doing the YMCA standing on his chair and shaking his booty to every song played! Lily just laughed at him and so did everyone around us, but she did not join in. She did belt out "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and Riley tried, but we really need to practice! They were disappointed when it was over and wanted to know when we will get to go again! I am happy to report that even though they went to bed at 10:15 (however, they were still up talking at 11:00), they are both in great moods today! Not bad considering we were out of the house at 7:30 to take Ricky to the field this morning. It is now getting to the end of Spring Training and Ricky is pitching 2 innings today in a AA game. His game is at 11:00 and he is starting, so we are going to enjoy the last few days we have down here. We may try and head to the beach today! Until next time... March 23, 2008 Happy Easter I decided to write a little something while the kids are crashing from their sugar high. They are watching A Bee Movie and coming down from the loads of chocolate and jelly beans they have eaten this morning! The Easter Bunny brought them each a game, some books, and a basket of goodies. Lily could hardly sleep last night and was up before the sun this morning. She couldn't wait to find ALL of the eggs. We had to remind her a few times to leave some for her brother. He really just followed around and he'd say "Wow! Eggs!" I stayed strong and did not let them have chocolate at 6:45 (yes, I said 6:45) this morning. I made them wait until we got back from dropping Ricky off at 8:00. Wow! That sounds just as bad as 6:45. Riley couldn't wait and dug into a chocolate truffle egg. As he was cramming that down, Lily was opening each egg and deciding which treat to eat first! It was so cute. She eventually decided on some jelly beans and a couple of dove chocolate eggs. I have now placed the baskets out of reach and I am trying to plan their next sugar crash around nap time! We have had a rainy couple of days here, so there isn't much to report. Yesterday was a movie day (aka drive mommy crazy inside the house day) because it was so rainy. Ricky did get to come home a little early because the game was rained out, so Lily and I went and did some shopping. We hung out at Target and shared an icee and some popcorn. Then I took her to get her first manicure and pedicure! She absolutely LOVED it! She can be such a girly girl. I will try and get some pics before it all chips off. She picked a lovely pink with a glitter top coat. The man that did them told her he thought the Easter Bunny would tell her she looked like a princess. She replied, "He's a bunny. Bunnies don't talk!" Well....excuse me! It was so funny. We miss everyone and will be home sometime next weekend. We will find out sometime between now and Friday whether or not Ricky has made the team. We know the decision is out of our hands, so we are just enjoying the time we have down here as a family! Hugs and sugars to all! March 20, 2008 Lily and Riley have really been missing home the past few days. We have really enjoyed being down here in the sun, but there is nothing like home! As we were swimming the other day, Lily was floating on her back looking up at the sky.(I guess she could be floating at home right now with all the rain yall have had! Ha Ha) She turned to me and told me that she remembered laying in the grass at Meemaw's house on their backs and trying to guess what the clouds look like. She loved doing that! I was so touched by this. It made me realize that it's the little things that we do that make an impression on our children. We can go to Disney, the beach, putt putt, and all of those things make great memories. But it's the laying on the grass and looking at the clouds that they really remember. I think as adults we sometimes forget this! (I know I do) Soooooo......we all sprawled out on the concrete(no chance of me laying in the grass down here, there are red ants everywhere and they bite!), and talked about our memories of home. I thought that I would list a few that Lily mentioned. "The Cousins" Justin-Swimming in the baby pool in the backyard singing the shark song! We got this on video and will be great to play at your wedding one day! Tyler-Playing dress up and making a video and saying "Cheese" the whole time. Oh yeah! We got this one on video as well. Another great wedding clip. Kalynn- She loves having secrets with you! Especially ones with the word toot! My Mike-She loves the my game. Especially when you told her that she had on your bathing suit. "My bathing suit! No, my bathing suit!" I would love to see that one =) Meemaw- Laying on your backs in the grass and looking at clouds. Please don't be offended if you did not make the list. As much as she loves ALL of you, the pool was too inviting to stay out much longer. Just know that we love and miss all of you! March 17, 2008 We have been so busy the last few days that I haven't had time to update the website. Daddy finally has had some early days, so we have been spending lots of time with him. He did make it to the beach with us one day, and that's probably all he will do! He doesn't enjoy it very much, the water and kids make him nervous. Not to mention all the spring breakers down here right now! It took us FOREVER to find a parking spot (see previous post for all that drama), however he was driving so he pulled the bus right on in the first time. The kids had a blast playing with daddy, and since we were both there we all got in the ocean! Riley drank half the ocean, we told him to save some water for the fish =) He couldn't stop smiling with his mouth open. It was too funny. Lily wanted to go to the deep end, but we thought waist high was deep enough!! They loved jumping the waves together and holding hands. Soooooo cute! After a few hours, Ricky made the trek to the car by himself and came and picked us up. Now that is what I call service! If only it were that easy when I had them by myself. We got to go to putt putt and Lily beat us all! She is quite athletic in many areas (I think she gets that from me!), and putt putt is one of them. Riley putts left handed and is pretty good. He has to place his ball about two inches from the hole and then putt it in. All the balls must stay in the hole until the last person has gone, or he is not happy. 18 holes was plenty for us that day! We also got to feed the alligators. Only in Florida do they have gators and putt putt all in one place. They loved feeding them and the gators were happy to get fed. The pool is finally warm and blue enough to swim! We had some issues with algae, but it is all cleared up. The weather has been beautiful and in the 80's, so the past few days have been pool days. Riley was unsure at first, but is now jumping in like a pro. Lily had no fear from day 1, and loves to swim with no floaties. I won't let Riley take his floaties off, or I'm sure that he would! The water is still a little to chilly for me, so I just supervise from the sidelines =) The kids and I found a beautiful park at a school up the street the other day. We were out walking and happened upon it. It is brand new and so quiet. We have gotten to walk up there since it's only about a mile away, and they really have had a lot of fun. It's huge, so they have not gotten bored with it yet. Riley's favorite thing to dois make laps around the stairs and the slide. He'll go up and down FOREVER! Lily is really having a major issue with the monkey bars down here. Anyone that knows her knows she LOVES the monkey bars. They are shaped really different down here, and she has had a hard time with them. She tries, but gets scared. She definitely needs to get back to CGA to build that confidence back up!! We miss everyone and can't wait to see you soon!
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