Last week we took in our second Blue Crabs game of the season. It was Harry Potter night, which we were all very excited about. We got there in time for the kids to be part of the high five tunnel. While standing on the field, Kara was pulled out of the group and taken to home plate. She had been chosen as mini-manager! They announced her name and she got to stand out there for awhile. Unfortunately, she didn't really listen to what was going on, so we have no inside information on Blue Crabs management.
There were only a few kids dressed in Harry Potter gear--two of them were Anna and Kara. Because they were dressed up, they got chosen to participate in a broom race in the second inning. Unfortunately, neither of them won, but they had fun. The last activity was finding "Golden Snitches" hidden throughout the park. The kids all found one (the staff was kind and was re-hiding the ones that were turned in). The prize was a free ticket to any game. Jack gave his away, but we still got two tickets. They had some Harry Potter decorations, including writing on the bathroom mirrors, and we stayed for the whole game. Luke was really into the game by the end. They also had a sorting hat and sorted kids for free and a table where they sold inexpensive wands. All in all, it was definitely a fun, successful outing.
The next day, we were kind of double booked. They were doing a Hamilton sing-along at Mount Vernon and Luke had a birthday party. We had intended to go to Mount Vernon, but I forgot to write it on the calendar, thus I RSVP'd yes for the party. So, Thomas took the big kids and I took Luke. The party was at Pump it Up and Luke had a blast. The cutest part was that he asked the little girl, who is in his class, what she wanted and she told him a purse. He took that request very seriously and was super excited to pick one out for her. Plus, the way he says "purse" is just adorable. He was very proud of his gift. He told several of the adults at the party that he picked out a purse for Lacey and when the worker was loading up the gifts, he told her multiple times that his was the purse.
Meanwhile, the other Wilsons also had a good time, although it was slightly marred by some extreme heat. It was something like 95 degrees. And, Thomas and the kids got there an hour early for good seats and then they were kind of stolen from them at the last minute. They still had fun and even stopped at Krispy Kreme for limited edition blueberry glazed donuts on their way home.
While at Luke's party, I had a rare moment of feeling some jealousy. The people hosting the party are local to the area. They had Aunts and Uncles, a grandma and even a great-grandma in attendance. I was sad that my kids (and me!) don't have that. Our closest relatives are hundreds of miles away. I wish they could grow up with their cousins and surrounded by family and I am jealous of the people who get that experience. I can't imagine the bliss of sending my kids off to grandma's house for a weekend. I hope those folks know how lucky they are!
In final news, we gave Gus away. It was a difficult decision. He is an awesome dog, but I just couldn't get myself on board. It was a very costly, emotionally trying, experience. However, I am glad that we didn't let it go on longer than it needed to. Definitely a tough lesson learned! He is with a neighbor who adores him and will be relocating to California in June. He seems to be adjusting well and I have told the kids to think of us as his foster family. They were very mature about the decision. Jack was the one who spent the most time with him, which is ironic because he is the (wise) one who didn't want a dog. However, ultimately, he understood and he is happy to see Gus happy and well taken care of. I know that it was a huge misstep on my part and I honestly feel terrible about it, but not terrible enough to carry on with a 14 year decision that I know wasn't the right one.
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Sunday, May 13, 2018
Mothers Day and Reflection
I have now been a mother for just over 10 years. That also means that my mother has been missing from my life for just over 10 years. Mother's Day is always a bit sad to me. I still think of it as a day to pay tribute to my mom, and I feel the loss of her presence more keenly. I am so thankful for the woman she was and the example she served. I am not as smart, patient, or loving as she was, but I know what she would say and I can play out the reassuring conversation in my head. I truly believe that there is something unique about the unconditional love of a mother. Anyway, enough sadness. I just want to say that my mother was fantastic and I miss her.
This Mother's Day, I was hoping we would go to Kings Dominion. To get our money's worth, I wanted to go once a month. And, May is fast ticking away. But, with the dog, it was not meant to be. I really like Gus, he is an extremely well-tempered and easy puppy, but he still vastly interferes with how I like to spend my weekends. So, we are staying home. Kara and Thomas brought me breakfast in bed and let me sleep until 8!!! I can't remember the last time I slept until 8. It was pretty amazing. The kids gave me their homemade school gifts, which were very cute. We are going to go out to lunch and I don't have to do anything all day. Thomas and the kids cleaned yesterday, so the house is in good shape. It should be a nice day!
Yesterday we had a busy day. I took the older 3 to a party at Sky Zone. They had a great time. And, since I like the mother of the kid who was having the party, I got to enjoy talking with her. It was a nice group of kids and I was happy to see my kids in good company (and with fun parents for me to hang out with). I hope that they can always surround themselves with the good crowd.
After the party, I did some quick shopping at Aldi while everyone else cleaned. Very nice. Then, we went to a Blue Crabs game. We were supposed to meet up with several of my coworkers and their families, but all but 2 backed out. However, we had a good time and despite the threat of rain, made it to the fireworks, with literally just minutes to spare. As we walked to the car, the wind picked up and blew dirt in all our eyes. It was strange and I am not sure where it was coming from--maybe a construction site nearby. Then, we got in the van and it started to pour. It was a major storm and I am glad we made it home safely. We had watched the forecast and it wasn't supposed to start until much later, so we got very lucky.
This Mother's Day, I was hoping we would go to Kings Dominion. To get our money's worth, I wanted to go once a month. And, May is fast ticking away. But, with the dog, it was not meant to be. I really like Gus, he is an extremely well-tempered and easy puppy, but he still vastly interferes with how I like to spend my weekends. So, we are staying home. Kara and Thomas brought me breakfast in bed and let me sleep until 8!!! I can't remember the last time I slept until 8. It was pretty amazing. The kids gave me their homemade school gifts, which were very cute. We are going to go out to lunch and I don't have to do anything all day. Thomas and the kids cleaned yesterday, so the house is in good shape. It should be a nice day!
Yesterday we had a busy day. I took the older 3 to a party at Sky Zone. They had a great time. And, since I like the mother of the kid who was having the party, I got to enjoy talking with her. It was a nice group of kids and I was happy to see my kids in good company (and with fun parents for me to hang out with). I hope that they can always surround themselves with the good crowd.
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| Kara and Anna loved the obstacle course. Jack was playing dodgeball, which was harder to get a picture of. |
After the party, I did some quick shopping at Aldi while everyone else cleaned. Very nice. Then, we went to a Blue Crabs game. We were supposed to meet up with several of my coworkers and their families, but all but 2 backed out. However, we had a good time and despite the threat of rain, made it to the fireworks, with literally just minutes to spare. As we walked to the car, the wind picked up and blew dirt in all our eyes. It was strange and I am not sure where it was coming from--maybe a construction site nearby. Then, we got in the van and it started to pour. It was a major storm and I am glad we made it home safely. We had watched the forecast and it wasn't supposed to start until much later, so we got very lucky.
Monday, May 7, 2018
Valley Forge
My goal is to blog at least once a week, I am falling woefully behind on that goal. Maybe May will be my month!
This weekend we had plans to go out of town for a long weekend. We were going to go to Six Flags New Jersey, spend a day in New York, and then head to Valley Forge before making our way home. Sounds pretty fun, right? Well, the forecast for the weekend was terrible. Extremely windy and hot (average high is 68, it was going to be 92) on Friday, good on Saturday, then rain on Sunday. So, we decided to postpone. We had already made arrangements to board Gus, and we had to pay for him regardless, so we took him as planned and made alternate arrangements for an even minier vacay. On Friday, we pulled the kids out of school a little early and went to our local Six Flags. It was completely empty. We walked on every ride and had dinner. Unfortunately, they closed at 6, so we only got to enjoy the emptiness for a couple of hours, but they were pretty glorious.
From there we went to the Valley Forge area. We had a night booked at a Homewood Suites (that and Residence Inns are my favorite for family travel). By the time we arrived it was after 9, so we just went to bed. We offered a prize to the first kid to fall asleep and the last one to wake up. It kept the kids extremely quiet. Except Luke. He was the last to fall asleep and the first to wake. He was calling for me by 5:45 the next morning. Kara won both, although it was hard to judge.
We had our hotel breakfast and then went to Valley Forge. We explored, watched the movie and after walking for a while, decided our best move would be to drive through the remainder of the park, stopping at each site. However, as we were walking to our car, we saw they had bikes for rent, including kid sizes and a trailer for Luke. It seemed like a great idea, so we did it! It was absolutely beautiful and I really enjoyed the ride...for the most part. At one point, we had to off-road along a river. Which was nice, until the bolt connecting Luke's trailer to Thomas' bike fell off. Fortunately, the safety strap did its job and Luke was safe. Thomas had to try and hand-tighten the bolt and then we had to stop periodically to make sure it was still secure. Then, a few minutes later, Anna and Kara fell simultaneously. They were both scraped up and unhappy. It was on a rocky dirt road and they both tried to brake as we were going downhill. I felt bad for them, but they were troopers and hopped back on, although Anna became pretty timid and wanted to walk her bike down the hills after that. We found our way back to the concrete trail and everyone was (relatively) happy again.
The best part was seeing Washington's actual winter quarters. The house is 75% original and it was amazing to think of the history that took place there. The whole area was very pretty. It was a sad contrast to imagine the harshness of the winter that the Patriots endured. Definitely a vastly different experience than the beautiful spring day we enjoyed. From the winter quarters, it was a 2-mile ride back to the visitor's center. By now we had been riding for about 2 hours. I estimate we went around 12 miles. The kids handled it very well. Ironically, Luke complained the most about being tired. It was exhausting to be hauled around like a little prince!
After Valley Forge, we went to the King of Prussia mall--the second largest in the country. We had lunch and walked around for a while and then decided it was time to head home. We arrived home around 6:30 and proclaimed the miniest of vacations a success!
And now, the photo dump:
This weekend we had plans to go out of town for a long weekend. We were going to go to Six Flags New Jersey, spend a day in New York, and then head to Valley Forge before making our way home. Sounds pretty fun, right? Well, the forecast for the weekend was terrible. Extremely windy and hot (average high is 68, it was going to be 92) on Friday, good on Saturday, then rain on Sunday. So, we decided to postpone. We had already made arrangements to board Gus, and we had to pay for him regardless, so we took him as planned and made alternate arrangements for an even minier vacay. On Friday, we pulled the kids out of school a little early and went to our local Six Flags. It was completely empty. We walked on every ride and had dinner. Unfortunately, they closed at 6, so we only got to enjoy the emptiness for a couple of hours, but they were pretty glorious.
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| Only two people--Jack and Anna sitting in the front row. They did this twice in a row. |
We had our hotel breakfast and then went to Valley Forge. We explored, watched the movie and after walking for a while, decided our best move would be to drive through the remainder of the park, stopping at each site. However, as we were walking to our car, we saw they had bikes for rent, including kid sizes and a trailer for Luke. It seemed like a great idea, so we did it! It was absolutely beautiful and I really enjoyed the ride...for the most part. At one point, we had to off-road along a river. Which was nice, until the bolt connecting Luke's trailer to Thomas' bike fell off. Fortunately, the safety strap did its job and Luke was safe. Thomas had to try and hand-tighten the bolt and then we had to stop periodically to make sure it was still secure. Then, a few minutes later, Anna and Kara fell simultaneously. They were both scraped up and unhappy. It was on a rocky dirt road and they both tried to brake as we were going downhill. I felt bad for them, but they were troopers and hopped back on, although Anna became pretty timid and wanted to walk her bike down the hills after that. We found our way back to the concrete trail and everyone was (relatively) happy again.
The best part was seeing Washington's actual winter quarters. The house is 75% original and it was amazing to think of the history that took place there. The whole area was very pretty. It was a sad contrast to imagine the harshness of the winter that the Patriots endured. Definitely a vastly different experience than the beautiful spring day we enjoyed. From the winter quarters, it was a 2-mile ride back to the visitor's center. By now we had been riding for about 2 hours. I estimate we went around 12 miles. The kids handled it very well. Ironically, Luke complained the most about being tired. It was exhausting to be hauled around like a little prince!
After Valley Forge, we went to the King of Prussia mall--the second largest in the country. We had lunch and walked around for a while and then decided it was time to head home. We arrived home around 6:30 and proclaimed the miniest of vacations a success!
And now, the photo dump:
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| Huts in the background were built like the ones the army spent the winter in. |
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| Arch built in 1917 as a monument and entrance to the national park (there were supposed to be two entrances, one for Washington and one for General von Steuben, but Congress only allowed funding for one). It was pretty impressive and it was hard to believe it was constructed over 100 years ago. |
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| I'm not sure hte pictures convey, but it was a very hilly ride |
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| A super cute covered bridge |
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| Riding by the river |
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| The family on the back stoop of Washington's stomping grounds |
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| Luke wanted to dance on the wall |
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| The front of Washington's winter quarters |
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| Kara took this cute picture of Thomas and me |
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| Hands touching the same bannister that George and Martha used |
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| Luke taking a well deserved nap |
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