Out with the Old...In with the New!

Time for a Trade-in! 

old...

new...

Okay, not really...

but I did make a trade-in.

We finally got a new van.  I really liked the old one, but with 127,000+ miles on it and things starting to

go...and we were looking at making some long road trips...

decided it was time to take the plunge.  

It's a Volkswagen Routan - and we love it.

Within 2 days of having Minnie (short for Minivan) we broke her in with a drive from OH to NY and then from NY to NC and then back to OH again.  Several thousand miles, several pukes (Ella gets car sick), a gallon of sand, lots of crumbs and one speeding ticket later (not me) - she feels like ours...

but I haven't actually made a payment yet though so that might change by May 1st...

I am extremely sentimental though, and it was very difficult to clean out the old van (it was such a pigsty!). We got the van in April 2002, before we even had Ella or Silas. I love our new Minnie but still miss the old van - I get a little weepy when I see similar vans out there. But don't get me wrong, I wouldn't give Minnie back - she's got a lot of great features that I've gotten used to - mainly a great stereo and power doors. And a DVD player with 2 screens.  And I love that the middle row windows roll down, and there is SO much more storage!  That is actually the best part. We don't have to pack in like sardines when we go on road trips.  

I'm hoping Minnie is as reliable - that we get another 8-10 years out of her...that should give us enough time to pay her off!

A Sampling of...Stuff

From none other than Silas James:

Mama, how does God make ear wax?  and where does God even live?

*

Does God make cat butts?

Me: probably

Si: does he touch them?

*

Will I die if I don't eat my vegetables?

*
Is Michael Jackson dead?  Is he a Zombie?
*
____________________________
And a few comments:

Mom, Ella is lying through her teeth gaps!
*

Si: every day I dream about weird stuff

Me: what kind of weird stuff?

Si: eating healthy stuff like milk and I get fat. I don't know how to change that.

Me: what do you want to dream about?

Si:Scooby Doo movies.

_____________________________

And a text between Ella and her daddy (on the way home from a fun day)

ella - I haded so so so so so so so much fun!

jp - Awesome! I'm so so so so so so so so glad that you did! Lyg

ella - I am so happy you respondid

jp - always

ella-  ok

_______________________________

the other morning I was rather startled when I looked out my kitchen window and saw a duck standing on my deck. 

He hung out for a bit and then decided our place was pretty boring. and loud.

______________________

Silas got a bike this year.  It became too pain for me to watch him bang his knees on the tricycle handlebars any longer.

  

I should have gotten the next size up but it'll do for this year.  He loves it and maybe we can try it without the training wheels...

And happily, it's tree climbing season again.

And this picture makes me smile...Ella's class is taking a trip around the world.  Their first stop is France.  This is a picture of her teacher/flight attendant giving out the in-flight snack.  I love that she adores her teacher!

(no wonder her teacher thinks she is such a sweetie pie!)
 

Bribery Works

Piece of Cake

A month later...I'm finally sharing the pictures from Ella's 7th birthday party.  A few weeks before her party she said she wanted to have a Hannah Montana theme.  Great - lots of Hannah stuff out there for decorating and dressing her up.

We had to retire her original "party skirt" that she's had since she was 3 years old.  One, because it was starting to get too small but mostly because I was tired of seeing the same party skirt at every party!!

I love the pink boots with the skirt!

She had her Hannah wig and microphone

What I hadn't counted on was that she didn't want a Hannah Montana cake...

she wanted a 3-tier orange cake. So, I bought all the round pans and tried my best. She loved it so that is all that matters :-)

Deep reflections on turning 7 and what to wish for!

The girls had a lot of fun doing a hula-hoop contest. 

Spring Break part 2

The 2nd leg of our trip landed us in Nags Head, NC - definitely a favorite spot of ours. It was a great trip - relaxing, very nice weather (which was great because we really didn't know what to expect this time of year) and lots of great memories.  
One of my friends commented on a picture that I posted on Facebook:
"...you guys always look like you are having some kind of Hallmark-International Coffees vacation..." - notice that I don't post the video that catches all the kids screaming and fighting? :-)

Honestly, I consider this one of my parenting responsibilities. I don't expect to create a "perfect" environment but I do want to make sure the kids grow up with family traditions and a vision of family expectations for their lives later. We don't take a lot of family vacations but when we do I try hard to preserve the memories with lots of photos! This beach trip was fantastic in that regard - long walks on the beach, watching movies, lots of play time and even "fresh cookies" one night. I want them to catch these snippets of their childhood in their brains and when they smell the ocean air later in life, remember these days and family time!

We spent some time in the hot tub, found a playground in Manteo with a beautiful view, and Ella strutted around in her new sundress and purple fuzzy heels.

One evening Mason and I ran around like crazy trying to find a good spot to catch the sunset over the sound. I was tired of the same spot.  

And I did manage to get up one morning and catch the sunrise.

And of course, our trip to the beach would not be complete without  our visits to the ice cream shop, where we got flavors like grape, Kahlua and coffee, German chocolate cheesecake, mango, and even just plain chocolate...

It was sad to pack up and head home - we were having so much fun.  Maybe it really was perfect after all!

 

Spring Break 2010 = Youngers Gone Wild!

I know I have other updates to post (birthday, new car, etc) but right now - it's SPRING BREAK!!  

We started the trip by driving up to the Finger Lakes (NY) to visit Grandpa J.  We rented a little cabin in Lodi for about the same price as a decent hotel in the area but with more room and a wonderful porch. Much more comfortable!  We've gotten to know the owners of the cabins. They actually purchased the land for the cabins from Jim when he sold the old farm house and land.  They have donated weekends for the CF Wine Opener and Donna, I and some girlfriends have stayed at the cabins during a girls' weekend.

On Sunday we drove around the Ithaca area to see waterfalls.  They were beautiful!  Grandpa J was our guide. He didn't walk the trails much but still hung in there with us all day.  It was the first time that we've spent a weekend in the Finger Lakes and did NOT visit any vineyards!

Grandpa J has had 3 rounds of chemo and it's sapped his energy, he's lost his hair and a lot of weight. The kids (Ella and Si, especially Si) had questions about where his hair went. It didn't take long though for them to adjust and it was business as usual.

One of our first stops was Taughannock Falls - one of the highest falls east of the Mississippi at 215 feet. 

It's never easy to catch all of us with a smile and open eyes!

It was a lot of fun to walk right down beside the falls. A little nerve wracking with Silas running off and all around!

After Taughannock Falls, we went to Treman State park. www.nyfalls.com has a lot of great pictures and information of all the waterfalls in the area.
 

 Ella got misted as we walked the trails closer to the falls.

I can't remember the name of this one but it was one of my better pictures that I took.

The rug rats posing for a picture.

It was a great and tiring day.  The kids slept like the dead that night and on Monday we made the drive to Nags Head. They were zombies most of the 12 hour trip!

The week so far at the beach has been wonderful. A MUCH needed break away. More updates and pictures from Nags Head to come sometime soon!

A Lesson Learned (the painful way...) updated

Sometimes in life, there are lessons that one must learn oneself.  No one thought to tell you any differently.  I had one of those lessons today.

Several weeks ago Ella pointed out to me that I have a bit of a mustache* (surely the sunlight was hitting just the right way and it was more obvious at that moment).  I've had it on my list of to do's: "purchase hair removal paraphernalia" but have not been at the right place at the right time to do so.  

Mason and I made a trip to the Food Lion this morning to get our spring break groceries. We decided to go over to the Dollar Tree to grab a few other things. While browsing the aisles, I happened upon personal care items and there...several "hair removal" items to chose from. 


After examining the options for several minutes, I decided on this product - it's only a $1 right?  Not a big deal if it doesn't work.

Lesson 1: Some things are best not purchased at the Dollar Tree (even if it's "only a $1")

Lesson 2: If something doesn't come with How to Use instructions, don't think "how hard can it be?"

Lesson 3:  Never take sandpaper to your upper lip**

Lesson 4: If you choose to ignore Lesson 3, do not take a beach walk in the sea salty air because it burns like a mother!

* we should all be blessed with a 7 year old that points this kind of stuff out to us

** I consider this to be the moral of the story


If you are smarter than thee (it has been said that I might be a little more "book smart" than "common sense" smart) - heed my warning and learn from my mistakes. 

Update:
Uncle Tim had to send me his 2 cents...

I'm doing much better now by the way - no longer in pain but I'm not ready to try any new methods just yet :-)