8.26.2010

One of my favorite things...

Kacey, this post is for you... ;-)

This, ladies and gentlemen, is on my list of top 5 favorite things in the world! I LOVE Rita's. I make a trip to Rita's at least once a week. If you've never been, I would suggest you find the nearest location on your GPS and go. (Kacey, I guess that means you've got to come back to Ohio. I'm saving a Fudge Brownie just for you. ;-) ) SO yummy! My favorite flavor is either Island Fusion or a mixture of Fudge Brownie & Smores. It's a toss-up. Rita's specializes in Italian Ice, though if you're more in the mood for creamy ice cream, then you can't go wrong with their yummy custard. If you're feeling adventurous, then indulge yourself with a Gelati - a parfait which has custard on the bottom, Ice in the middle and custard on top. The possibilities are endless. OK, now I'm craving it and need to go get some. ;-)

My boys have enjoyed Rita's since they were just young babes:


Yay for Rita's!

8.25.2010

Don't mess with Friday the 13th

I admit it. I'm somewhat superstitious. Historically, Friday the 13th has never been a good day for me. Friday, August 13th of this year was no exception. Generally, I'm known to be a lucky person. After what I experienced two weekends ago, and the affects thereafter, I'm convinced that the misfortune that Friday the 13th brings indeed hits the lucky the hardest.

For months I had planned a trip down to Dallas to witness the sealing of a friend to her adopted baby (a post on that later). The big day was scheduled for 8/14, so I was set to fly down on Friday, 8/13. On Friday I made it to the airport without a hitch. We boarded the plane, taxied toward the runway and then stopped. There was a problem with the right engine, so we had to turn back to the gate. Bummer. I hate airlines. We sat on the plane for a good 20 min when the pilot announced that it would be at least 2 hours before the plane was fixed, so everyone was then deboarded from the aircraft. My flight was eventually canceled and I got in line as soon as I could so I could try to hop on a different flight. My flight was the last flight down to Dallas (of course), and by the time it was my turn to talk to the agent, the earliest morning flight was completely booked up and the soonest they could get me to Dallas was 10:30, which would be too late to make it to the sealing. Did I mention I hate airlines? Since my parents are in Indy and my boys were staying with them anyway, I asked to be booked on the earliest flight out of Indy. That was a success, so to the road I returned.

I must segway for just a minute to mention that earlier that week, I came down with Hand, Foot & Mouth - a terrible virus that almost everyone is exposed to when they're children. Well apparently, I was lucky enough to escape it when I was a child, but then caught the virus 25 years later from my own children. Ugh. I had a fever, sores all over my mouth and sores on the bottom of my feet. Not. Fun. OK, back to the weekend...

On the way to Indy, I started to feel a little puny, and by the time I reached the half-way point, I was feeling downright awful. I barely survived the 2 hour drive and immediately crawled into bed when I got to my parents' house. I took my temperature = 103 degrees. Lovely. I prayed and prayed that I would be well by the morning so I could make the trip to Dallas. By morning, my fever had broken and I pretty much felt better, so I went ahead with my travel plans.

Thank goodness, the stars were aligned and I made it to the temple with 5 minutes to spare! Everything was perfect and I was a happy traveler...until the afternoon. I started feeling sick again and my throat hurt. I asked Liz's mom to take a look at my throat. With one look, she said, "Oh wow, Honey. You have strep throat. White blisters everywhere." Bummer. Again. I eventually was able to get an antibiotic (sometimes it's lovely being married to a doctor), and I immediately headed to bed afterward. I slept for like 13 hours. Boy, was I a fun house guest! The next day I headed home (without kissing those sweet babies at the risk of infecting them). :-(

By Monday evening, I finally felt like I was getting over my strep throat. Tuesday was fine, and then Wednesday I started feeling crappy again. What the heck?! Wednesday night was awful - I had a 103 fever all night and no medicine would break it. I woke up (well, really I never fell asleep) with a back ache and a massive headache. I was so sick that I took the day off work (something I've done only twice in 6 years!). To add insult to injury, Jordan climbed into bed with me while I was sick, pointed his stubby finger at a giant zit protruding from my forehead and said, "Oh Mommy...I see your headache." ...Gee, thanks. I went to the doctor that afternoon, and it turns out that I'm just a walking virus - "Something bad is going around. I've had patients with 103 fevers that have lasted 3 to 5 days." Bummer. Again.

Hand-Foot-&-Mouth, Strep and some bad virus within the span of 1.5 weeks? Oh yeah, not to mention the travel craziness. Well, as you can see, I survived my Friday the 13th week from Hell. I think next time I'll just stay in bed. :-)

8.12.2010

One of my favorite things...



There really is no need for words here, but one of my favorite things is going in the boys' room at night to tuck them in and finding them like this - in bed together, usually head-to-toe, but sometimes spooning each other. ;-) Melt my heart...

8.09.2010

Quote of the Week

Well, actually this quote is from the week of our vacation, but I'm just now getting around to blogging it. It was too cute to ignore. :)

First of all, Matthew is super girl crazy (I think I've mentioned that in previous posts). He's going to bring me so much trouble when he's older... ;-)

So, we were swimming in the kiddie pool in OBX when this cute little girl walked through the gate. Matthew saw her and immediately started jumping and splashing all around her. He was flouncing around like one of those male birds on Discovery Channel, trying to get the attention of the female. So. Funny. Anyway, later that afternoon, we were in the car on the way to dinner, and Jeremy and I listened to the following conversation:

Matthew (sighing blissfully): I love that girl.
Jordan: But Matt-matt, she doesn't love you ... She just loves her mommy!
Matthew (after a long pause): But...she can love her mommy too...


All I gotta say is, "Bros before hoes, Dudes."

8.04.2010

OBX Vacation - Days 6 & 7

Day 6: Cape Hatteras National Seashore & Currituck Beach Lighthouse
- 10am - 2pm: Beach day at Cape Hatteras National Seashore
- 2 - 4pm: Naps
- 5pm: Swim in the pool
- 6:30pm: Visit Currituck Beach Lighthouse
- 7pm: Dinner in Corolla

Day 7: Currituck Beach Lighthouse and Pack up to go home
- 10am: Climb Currituck Beach Lighthouse
- 11am: Head home - We'll miss you, Outer Banks!

Cape Hatteras National Seashore
For our last full day in OBX, we drove down to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. This was the most amazing beach ever. There was just us and the beach for as far as you could see. We walked all along the beach looking for "sheshells", played in the waves, built sandcastles and skim boarded. Unfortunately, it started to rain pretty hard, so we had to leave a little earlier than we wanted to, but it was a fantastic day.
I love some of these photos of the boys because you can tell that we were totally by ourselves on this gorgeous seashore. In this first picture of Jordan, he's standing at the water's edge just contemplating the wonders of the universe. :-)










Swimming in the Pool
I'm pretty sure Matthew's favorite part of the whole vacation was diving to the bottom of the pool. Seriously, he can't even swim, but he'll dive to the bottom of the pool and push off the ground with his little feet to rocket himself back to the surface. It was so hilarious. I've included a video this time too. I'm recording him under the water, and as he's diving, he looks at the camera as if to say, "You're getting this, right? How awesome am I?!" No joke - this kid is going to be the next Michael Phelps.
Jordan also loved the pool, but he preferred to stay in the kiddie pool. :-)





Currituck Beach Lighthouse
What is it about lighthouses that are so romantic? I adore them. The Outer Banks is home to 4 or 5 lighthouses, but we were only able to make it to one. The Currituck Beach Lighthouse (just about 1 mile from our house) was built in 1875. All of the lighthouses were painted with different designs (some stripes, checkers, etc.) so sailors could tell where they were along the coast. The Currituck Lighthouse was kept the original red brick, though. Anyway, there's your history lesson for today, and here are some pictures. :)

The lighthouse was closed when we went on Friday, so we just got some pictures with everyone at the bottom that day. Jeremy and I returned with the boys on Saturday so we could climb the 214-step spiral staircase to the top.


(this picture taken earlier in the week when my dad and Max climbed to the top)

OBX Vacation - Days 4 & 5

Day 4: Another Beach Day :) & Search for Corolla Wild Horses
- 10am: Head to the beach
- 2pm: Quick swim in the pool
- 2:30 - 4:30pm: Naps
- 5pm: Pick up some fresh seafood at the market
- 6pm: Enjoy a yummy seafood dinner at our beach house (cooked by amazing chef, Jeremy Crouch)
- 7pm: Drive to the top of the island to look for Corolla Wild Horses

More of the Beach


Corolla Wild Horses
Because the top of the island is a reserve for the Corolla Wild Horses, the road ends and the only way to go further by car is with 4-wheel drive. On Wednesday evening, we saddled up in our Trailblazer and took on the beach in search of the wild mustangs. It was a crazy ride (I was terrified, actually), but SO worth it. We didn't see a dozen wild horses frolicking in the ocean like I expected, but we did get to see this beautiful guy. He was so serene and amazing. This was Jordan's favorite part of the whole vacation.




Day 5: Wright Bros. Memorial and Hang Gliding @ Jockey's Ridge
- 11am: Wright Bros. National Memorial
- 12:30pm: Lunch at Kill Devil's - such YUMMY burgers & frozen custard
- 2pm: Hang Gliding lesson @ Jockey's Ridge State Park
- 9pm: Crab chasing on the beach

Wright Bros. National Memorial
Since the boys are obsessed with two things - sharks and airplanes - they had a good time at Wright Bros. National Memorial, which is the location of the first flight. We browsed through the museum, saw a replica of the Wright Brothers' workshop and walked the path of the first four flights. It was cool to stand in the very places where the Wright Brothers took off and landed.

The Memorial (on top of the hill)

The Wright Brother's airplane hangar

The Wright Brothers' workshop

The take-off spot and the first 3 landing spots

A replica of the Wright Flyer

Hang Gliding @ Jockey's Ridge State Park
Jockey's Ridge State Park is home to the tallest sand dunes of the Eastern United States. It is from the top of those sand dunes that Jeremy, Daniel and I took a hang gliding lesson! It was super hot and windy up there, but we had a blast. By the end of the lesson, all three of us were landing on our feet like pros (well, kind of). ;-)




Crab chasing on the beach
Once the sun goes down, all of the crabs come out of their little holes in the sand. You'll see them if you're out walking the beach at night, and if you shine a flashlight on the ground then you'll see crabs scatter everywhere. It's no exaggeration when I say that there are 100's of them! Aren't they cute?

8.03.2010

OBX Vacation - Day 3

Day 3: Explore Roanoke Island
- 8am: Head out early so we can hit Roanoke Island Festival Park before it gets too hot. :)
- 9am - 12pm: Roanoke Island Festival Park
- 12pm: Picnic lunch at Roanoke Island Festival Park
- 1pm - 4pm: Roanoke NC Aquarium
- 4:30: Swing by Fort Raleigh National Historic Site (the actual site of the lost colony)
- 7pm: Dinner in Duck (in my opinion, the cutest little town in OBX)

Roanoke Island Festival Park
For anyone who is not exactly brushed up on their American history, Roanoke Island is the site of the Lost Colony - Fort Raleigh, the first English settlement in the United States. Roanoke Island Festival Park is a tribute to the Lost Colony, and takes you back to the 16th century with their American Indian Town, English Settlement Site and a replica of the Elizabeth II which brought English settlers to Roanoke Island. The boys had fun pretending to be Indians, and Jeremy & Daniel had a good time hoisting the sails on the ship. There was also a children's museum which walked through the history of Roanoke Island from the 16th century to present day. Matt and Jordi loved the pirate costumes! :-)








Roanoke NC Aquarium
The aquarium is just a couple miles from the Island Festival Park. There were all kinds of animals and fish to see, but of course the boys' favorite were the sharks (they're obsessed with sharks!). We also loved the sting ray tank where you could pet the sting rays.





Ft. Raleigh National Historic Site
Crazy to think that 75 men lived in this little fort.

8.02.2010

OBX Vacation - Day 2

Day 2: Another Beach Day :)
- 10am: Crabbing at the pier
- 11am: Head to the Beach (with a packed lunch)
- 2:30pm: Quick swim in the pool
- 3 - 5pm: Naps
- 5pm: Pick up some fresh seafood at the market
- 6pm until Lights out: Enjoy a yummy seafood dinner at our beach house (cooked by amazing chef, Jeremy Crouch), relax and watch a movie

Crabbing at the pier
It was so cool to go crabbing at our neighborhood pier! We learned how to hunt for blue softshell crabs. You hang some raw chicken on the end of a line, drop it down to the bottom and wait for a little pincher to start tugging. :-) We caught quite a few little guys, although none of them were quite big enough for eating. The boys were totally enamored by this activity.



The Beach
We spent the majority of the rest of the day playing at the beach. :)