To Grandma's House We Went

Look how excited they are for a little road trip! And Travis's first ride facing forward (he's 11 1/2 months, I rounded up and I know he's big enough - no doubt). We got to my mom's house around 2 pm. We unloaded and hung out while my mom made social plans for us. The car seats were transferred and we headed out to visit a couple of my sisters. First stop, Eanne's house. We got to see Eanne and John and their daughters Kathryn, Madeline, and Mary. Eanne, John, and Mary had just returned from Disney World (Eanne had to go to a conference there). And Kathryn and Madeline went to school and behaved in their absence. Then we went to Lorre's house. We saw Lorre and Jim and one of their daughters MacGregor and her friend Malina. Jimmy is off at boarding school and Isabel was at a friend's house. All little pit stops but enough to see people and catch up a little. We'll see each other and anyone we missed at Thanksgiving.
My mom finished furnishing guest quarters in the attic bedroom. It's very nice with a sitting area, queen size bed, and TV. Travis had his pack and play in the sitting area and Nicholas and I shared the bed. Since we were in a house this trip, I was able to put the boys to bed at separate times and we did not encounter the issues we had on our NY trip.

Travis moving soda from one end of the kitchen to the other.


Nicholas developing his Tetris addiction skills. It's my mom's Gameboy Advance, and since Nicholas accidentally wiped out her high scores, he had to try and get them back. Hah!

If you're concerned your parent(s) might have an eating disorder, or are becoming senile, below are some clues to help you.


A freezer only containing frozen pizzas, flatbread sandwiches, and ice cream.


Cheese danish is hiding in a drawer with appliance instruction manuals. I also found a stash of Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies in a drawer with stock dividend statements.

This morning Nicholas and I went to play on the back deck. We found a little friend. It was wandering up and down the railing and plotting a path over to a nearby tree.

Thanks Mama for letting us check out the new guest area and eat your food. We had a lot of fun spending time together. Nicholas really enjoyed playing with all of the old toys and eating Gushers. Travis had fun climbing up the stairs and learning the reverse crawl to come back down.

Mental Health Day

I took today as a vacation day all to myself. I sent the boys off to school and Adrian off to work by 7:30 am. Then I went back to bed. I think Nicholas shared a little of his germs, I wasn't feeling 100%. I woke up again around 11 when someone rang the doorbell a couple times. As a general rule I don't answer the door unless I am expecting someone. Ed McMahon and the Prize Patrol must have missed me a few times, I'm sure. I showered, dressed, and ate a bowl of ice cream for brunch/lunch while watching Grey's Anatomy on DVR. The doorbell rang again. I pretended I wasn't home again. Do traveling salesman still exist? Or do I have signs in my yard that I need a religious intervention? I know there are signs that I need a landscaping intervention, but that's another issue entirely.
After a very entertaining season premiere of Grey's, I go out of the house...alone! I go to Target to get things that I convinced myself I need. Then Panera for a Pink Ribbon bagel and caramel latte. HT to get a few necessities for the weekend: bananas, bagels, milk, and Corona. Oh, and then the gas station to fill up, just in case we really do run out, and through the car wash. Ever since Adrian told Nicholas the brushes were monsters a couple years ago, he's been deathly afraid to go through another car wash.
I come home with enough time to stash a couple of Travis's birthday presents before everyone is home. So now it's back to normal family life.

Baking

For whatever reason I am a far better baker than cook. And sometimes things I bake become legendary. A few co-workers have regular requests - pepperoni rolls, brownies with pecans, peppermint bark, and blueberry scones. My good friend Janelle was reaching her 5 year anniversary at work and although she's only had them once, she loves my scones. I decided to trash my kitchen and make them for her, and a few for me.
I thought about the last time I made them. Wow. It was just about a year ago. We were having my baby shower for Travis at Janelle's house. It wasn't going to be the big hoop-la like my first baby shower. It was to be more of a ladies' tea party where we stuff our faces with sweets, drink tea, and talk. I loved it and of course loved eating cupcakes, cookies, pumpkin rolls, and scones. At the time I was as big as a house and sweating like a pig trying to make scones in my kitchen.
This time around was drastically different. Travis was not in my belly (and my belly is completely deflated making it easier to work at a kitchen counter), he was in his high chair giggling, eating some puffs, and throwing his sippy cup on the floor. Amazing what changes in a year. Of course, my kitchen didn't change. I still managed to get flour and powdered sugar everywhere, and had tons of bowls, graters, and measuring devices to wash.
It was all worth it to see Janelle's face when she received a plateful of scones to enjoy. And rightfully so, she did not share them with anyone. Luckily I had a dozen or so on a tray at my desk for people to enjoy, which they did very much.

Falling In

Yeah, I am so glad it's fall. We've been ready for it to cool down around here. The heat gets old after a while. The A/C has been off since Friday and the house is open with fresh air coming through since then. It's great! I can hear the sounds of nature: leaves rustling, dogs barking, crickets chirping, and birds tweeting. And then there's the sounds of the rest of the world: lawn mowers, power tools, and emergency vehicles.

So Pitiful

I was working hard this morning when I got the dreaded daycare phone call. Nicholas has a fever of 101.5. Ugh. Pack up my laptop and inform my coworkers. I get to daycare and there is Nicholas in the Boo Boo Room waiting for me. One of the directors informs me that some cases of strep throat are around, again. He is so pitiful when he's sick. His cheeks are flushed and he's lethargic. After assessing his symptoms for myself, I decide to call the doctor. I get an appointment for less than an hour later, awesome. He relaxes for the ride listening to Jack Johnson, his favorite.
Nicholas was a real trooper through the whole appointment. The nurse swabbed his throat and he gave only a minor gag reflex. After the test was positive for strep the doctor gave the choice of the regular antibiotic or a shot. We had already been down the antibiotic road last time he had strep, not easy getting him to drink it 4 times a day for 10 days. I opted for the shot, even though she warned it is very p-a-i-n-f-u-l. Good thing he can't spell yet. He knew the shot was coming and was so nervous and scared. His rear end is not meaty enough according to the nurse, so she had to go for his thigh. Luckily he had his Batman shirt on today and stayed strong. He did shed tears and whimpered about it hurting. If he could curse, I'm sure he would have. They recommended Tylenol or Motrin to help with the soreness and his fever. I think it was really the chocolate donut we stopped for on the way home that helped him. Cravings when you're sick often don't make sense but they do make you feel better. Now little man is dozing off while watching The Incredibles. And I'm trying to do some of the work I am missing today.

Just a Sunday

While Adrian was at his regular lacrosse league, which happens every Sunday rain or shine including holidays for as long as I can remember, the boys and I went to the fairgrounds to check out the Greek Festival. I've heard good things about it. They were expecting 20,000 people to attend over the weekend. We met up with my friend Edward, wife Richelle, daughter Sophia (2 weeks younger than Nicholas), and Edward's mom and stepdad. Smartly, we planned to meet up around 11 am just as it opened. The lines for food were not all that long...yet. The festival was extremely well organized. The most popular foods had their own stations to order and pay (gyro, fries, pastries, etc.) The baklava sundae (vanilla ice cream, crumbled baklava, and honey or chocolate syrup) had its own station, so I knew that had to be a good sign. I ordered spanakopita and Greek style green beans to share with Travis. Nicholas ordered, and later declined, seasoned french fries. It was all really good. And we had to top it off with a sundae. When we were done eating and being entertained by the musicians and young dancers we headed outside. People were lined up for at least 100 yards outside the doors to get in. Those Greeks must be on to something (FYI, a portion of the proceeds goes to Habitat and last year they raised enough for one whole house).
The flea market happens to also be at the fairgrounds. We perused the goods for a little while. But Nicholas and Sophia were getting anxious and whiny so we decided it was best to leave. Edward had made a shopping trip to Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. on his last trip to Pittsburgh. He gave me my imported Italian goods and we parted ways. Everyone was well fed and happy.
Currently I am making supper. I got a great recipe from a friend at work for Porcupine Stew. Cute name, but it's really because the rice puffs out of the meatballs and looks like a porcupine.
(Note: if you choose to use the recipe linked, the instructions are poorly written and portions are not logical. Personal discretion should be used.)

And the appetizer is fresh baguette with mozzarella and tomato. The mozzarella is fresh and wonderful, courtesy of Edward's trip.

Adrian is keeping the boys occupied while I cook (and blog).

Post-Vacation Recovery

I think we're almost back in our groove now. Returning from a trip has a lot of emotions. We're glad the traveling and airports are all done. We really enjoyed the time we had visiting Adrian's parents and extended family. It was great they could get some face time with the boys. I know Nicholas was excited to meet more cousins and both he and Travis were able to bond some more with their grandparents. And we have lots of pictures to remind them of the good times we had. Maybe we won't remind them of the hotel room wrestling matches and the crazy giggling trying to get them to sleep at night. We want to thank everyone we did see for making the time for us. I've already started to think of things to do on our next trip.
On the flip side of reminiscing about the trip and the time away from home is adjusting to returning home. The boys have been back at school for a few days so they are on their regular sleeping and eating schedules. It was a little rough having to wake them up from such a beautiful sleep to get ready for school on Monday and Tuesday. Also, I had a lot of groceries to buy when we returned. I had sort of let things run out before we left and needed to restock. Plus being away from a kitchen and stuff, I was recharged to conquer cooking. I felt revitalized as I cruised the aisles at the grocery store and picked dinner items for the week.
Since we are back on schedule, I do have to get the elder one off to bed with his routine. Batman, pajamas, brush teeth, and read a story.

Central NY - etc.

For those of you curious about Vernon Downs. It's a track for harness racing and is 7/8 mile around. The infield is used for live concerts and Fireworks Over Central NY. Adrian spent a lot of time there as a child with his family's race horses. They have since retired from owning horses, but still enjoy going to the track.




And what would be a trip without some sign photos.

Maybe New World Antiques (NWA, for short) is around the corner.


Are there bilingual poachers at the zoo?


Fingers, fries, it's all delicious to a donkey.


Who has the job to name penguins?

Central NY - Day 4

We finished off the cereal variety pack, bananas, and all the milk on our last morning. I am such a good shopper and planner!
Because everything fit perfectly (and snuggly) into our luggage on the way up, it was a challenge to get it all back in. We had to make room for the claw machine bear and a yellow ball, so something had to be sacrificed. The past week or so had been the chosen period to transition Travis from formula to whole milk. He had been enjoying a cocktail of the two for about a week and was doing very well. So the remainder of the formula and its rubbermaid container were left behind. Hooray for freedom from the formula!
We loaded up everything into the pimping SUV and drove to the airport. We had to return the car by noon and our flight was not until 12:55. We got there around 11:45, returned the car, and checked our luggage. The airport is small and the security checkpoint overstaffed so we had time to kill. Before the secured area is a kids play area, including a cross-sectioned plane.
Thankfully this time Nicholas did not have a meltdown going through security and we made it aboard our plane and started our journey home. What a relief to know we would be back in the comforts of our own home by dinner time.

Central NY - Day 3

Day 3 started off about the same as Day 2. We ate our planned breakfast, got dressed and ready. The weather was much clearer, sunny but a little cooler - approaching 70 for the high.
We loaded up in the pimping SUV again and drove to Syracuse. Again we took the scenic route, the official directions to the zoo suggested the thruway. How boring.
It was a small zoo with even smaller habitats. But that is based off our other zoo experiences, like the NC Zoo, where the habitats are large enough for animals to go hide and you don't see them.


A red panda, so cute!


Good thing the lion is sleeping.


Some funny looking penguins.

We were walking towards the penguin exhibit and Nicholas proclaimed, "It's my lucky day!" Penguins meant a lot to him, for that day at least.
After the zoo we were starving for lunch. We went to the nearest Friendly's. Travis had a grilled cheese and mixed veggies. Nicholas held out for ice cream, double cone with chocolate and vanilla. (I convinced Adrian to let it slide just this once since we were on vacation.) I didn't eat my fries so I could have a fruit and sherbet sundae. Adrian ate his patty melt and had a Reese's Friend-z. I guess he realized he was on vacation too.


Passed out boy #1.


Passed out boy #2.

After their car-ride naps, and a little relaxing at the hotel, we went to dinner at Denny's in Rome again. It's a good family restaurant and they don't herd you in and out really fast like at some restaurants. The menu is very picky-eater friendly with lots of side dishes. We were able to hang out and talk with Adrian's parents. I promised Nicholas I would make two attempts at the claw machine in the lobby. On my first grab at a teddy bear, it fell. I scoped out both machines for another possible toy that seemed easy to grab. Everything was crammed in tight, apparently there had been issues with people shaking the machines. So I went for the teddy bear again, and score! We are now proud owners of a teddy bear wearing a NY Giants t-shirt.

Central NY - Day 2

I was naive to think sharing a hotel room with everyone would be as easy as home. I envisioned sleeping boys while mom read a book and dad worked on his laptop. The boys did not go down right away and proceeded to giggle incessantly, Nicholas on the sofa bed and Travis in the pack n play. We ended up all falling asleep at about the same time. Travis did wake up a few times during the night, probably just due to his unfamiliarity with his surroundings. It was a decent night of sleep and we all got up around 8:30 am.
We ate the breakfast food I bought the day before, cereal variety pack and bananas. We all got dressed and beautiful, even though the weather was not. Loaded up the pimping SUV and drove to Cooperstown. It's only an hour from Vernon. And since we're in Central NY every route is the scenic route. We were amazed by the recent installation of wind turbines on some of the hills. It is very windy up there, and now it's being put to good use. Way to go!


Nicholas posing with a statue outside of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.


We lunched at the Lake Front Hotel and Restaurant. Adrian had a regular burger and fries, I had a really good veggie burger with lemon aioli and chips, the boys split a grilled cheese and fruit cup. The restaurant had the feel of the places I've seen on Chef Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares. Good food and some flies to keep you company.

After Cooperstown we went to Chuck E. Cheese in Utica. Adrian's parents, aunt, cousins, and their boys were meeting us there. It was a lot of fun to get the next generation together. Nicholas loved hanging out with his big boy cousins and playing games. We cashed in his tickets and got an inflatable ball, lollipop, and a sheet of stickers. We have plenty of tokens left on the cards to use at another Chuck E. Cheese. (Maybe Raleigh can step up and modernize. They still use the antiquated token and paper ticket deal.)


Nicholas on his favorite thing there, the monster truck.


Performing in front of the blue screen.


Adrian's cousin Neal with his son Tyler. Adrian with Travis and Nicholas. Adrian's cousin Leslie with her son Derek.

The boys were pretty much exhausted from the exciting day and went to bed a little easier. Stay tuned for news from Day 3, a little more laid back with a trip to the zoo.

Central NY - Day 1

Did you miss us? We took a trip to visit Adrian's side of the family. We safely returned this evening. I hope you're ready for the details. I'll try to keep it somewhat brief on words, and use more pictures to show the fun and excitement that is Central NY, seriously.
We left our house before the crack of dawn on Monday - we had a 7:35 am flight to catch. There was about a 90 minute layover at JFK and then on to Syracuse. All in all, 5 hours ground to ground. It sure beats the 10 - 12 by car.
Travis won the best passenger award for the under 4 division. He napped, chilled, ate, and was very pleasant throughout. Nicholas refused to take his shoes off and go through security. I am sure TSA was on the verge of denying him his flying rights. Adrian talked Nicholas off the ledge and through security.
We hit a bonus in Syracuse. I had reserved a full size sedan, infant car seat, and toddler car seat. It seems full size sedans are in high demand and they were out. So you guessed it - free upgrade! We were pimping in an 8 passenger Ford Explorer, with the reserved car seats, of course.
We made a stop at a grocery store for some necessities, mostly food for our room. Then we checked in to the Suites at Vernon Downs.

The boys relaxing in our room. Nicholas is coloring, Travis is eating.
We then drove over to Adrian's parents' house.


Field of pretty weeds on their property.


A bee doing its thing.


Nicholas looking at the tractor, and being bit by a mosquito.


Savannah, a huge German Shepherd. She is chained to 3 cinder blocks, but that doesn't stop her. Beware.

After visiting their house, we all went to Denny's in Rome for dinner. Travis showed off his eating ability, Nicholas showed off his lack there of.
Stay tuned for Day 2. It's action packed with Cooperstown and Chuck E Cheese.

Bye Bye Pacifier

A long, long time ago when Nicholas was six months old he had a terrible cold and stopped using a pacifier. About a year later he succumbed to peer pressure and took up the habit again. We had always planned to break his habit but things kept coming up - a new baby, potty training, etc. Nicholas planned to break his habit when he was old enough to be in the gym at school (the before and after school program for the elementary age kids). I guess to him that's a long way off and seemed like he could keep his pacifiers for as far into the future as he could see.
We surfed the web and asked our friends how to help him give up the pacifier. The "binky fairy" who comes in the middle of the night to steal the pacifier seemed scary for a child. Cutting holes in the pacifier so the joy of it is gone may not work on an older child who would notice (or be like Adrian who preferred his "boo-boo passy"). We utilized another plan and took advantage of Nicholas's very caring and giving nature. We told him there are babies that don't have pacifiers and really want to have one. And told him he could give his pacifiers to them. When he went to bed Sunday night we put his pacifiers in a bag to send to the babies. It went so well I thought to myself, "why didn't we do this sooner?".
Of course I was concerned about how well he would sleep without a pacifier because I'm sure it helped soothe him. So here's a breakdown of the nights since the charitable pacifier donation:
Sunday (night 1): came to our bed around midnight
Monday (night 2): came to our bed around midnight
At this point I could hear Jo from Supernanny in the back of my head, "Mum, you have to take charge and have him go to back to his bed and stick to it!"
Tuesday (night 3): came to our bed around midnight and I walked him back to his bed, tucked him back in, gave him a cup of water...15 minutes later I did it again.
Wednesday (night 4): came to our bathroom while I was getting ready for work at 6 am
Thursday (night 5): came to our bathroom while I was getting ready for work at 6am
There you have it. Done. He really didn't put up a fight after giving up the pacifier and managed to get through the night on his own after just a few nights.

Hills Are Like Mountains

Nicholas and I went on a nature walk at Umstead Park (about 5000 acres of forest with hiking and biking trails) and it's right here in town. We set out with plans of a walk, but we took the first trail we came across. It ended up being 2.75 miles. Not bad for me, but for a 3 year old it was probably like a marathon. Nicholas did surprisingly well. I was very impressed. About halfway through he started taking frequent Gatorade breaks and rests. Then I carried him for most of the last mile, you know just an extra thirty pounds to lug. We had a lot of fun. We didn't see any wildlife except one small brown frog. It was a lucky sight and made Nicholas very happy. At some points you couldn't see anyone around you and you could hear only insects and birds. Lots of fallen and rotten trees, lush green foliage, moss, and mushrooms. It was very refreshing and nice break from our neighborhood walks.