Busy Weekends...

I really do have things to write about.  The trick lately is finding the time to write them down.  Fitzgerald said something clever about that, and he was totally right.  Anyway, a quick summary of what I've missed:
Two weeks ago, the girls and I went to Atlanta for a Mommy night out opportunity: My sister volunteers with March of Dimes down there, and had promised to fill a table at their first ever fund raising dinner and auction.   She was short a few seats, so we drove down to help her out by eating crazy good food and bidding on really cool stuff.  It was a real sacrifice... especially since the money was going to such a good cause...
Anyway, there was a silent auction while we all enjoyed wine and other adult beverages and some lovely cheeses.  I bid on a packaged that included tickets to a puppet show, zoo, and museum with IMAX because I thought Ela would enjoy it.  I actually won, too!  So that was pretty cool, and now I have lots of new reasons to visit my sister.
And the food, people, oh the food... March of Dimes had gotten four local chefs to each do one course using local materials.  I didn't think to start taking pictures until the third course because I rarely get the chance to eat food that is worth photographing.  As much as I'd like to be, I'm not really a foody.  Anway, the first course had eggplant croutons that were super good.  The second course had grits and a chicken croquette.  I don't even like grits, but these were amazing!  The chicken might have been my favorite part of the meal, except it was all too good to pick.  Here's course 3: duck, endive, and apple sauce with a pecan chip thingy (remember how I said I'm not a foody?).  Soooo good.

 

 The fourth course was dessert: a yam spice cake with carmel/chocolate mouse and a little bit of what turned out to be pear gelato I think (it wasn't on the description).  Tell me you aren't hungry just looking at it...

 The things they auctioned live were a little out of my price range unless I wanted to give Zack heart failure later, but it was fun to be there, eat and talk to other adults without trying to coax food into one child while trying to keep the other satisfied with the amount on her plate.  And let's not forget the super yummy food. 

Anyway... This weekend was equally busy, even though we actually stayed home for a change.  Friday, we took the girls to a little carnival.  I learned something very important: my girls LOVE rides.  We started them on this:

 The ponies rock and the carts go around the little track.  That's it.  Ela giggled so hysterically that I had to get video.  It was funny.  Lily didn't want to get out when the ride ended.  That was small beans, though.  From there, we hit a bouncy house, and then a rocket that also just went around and around.  Then Ela spotted The Hurler.  
The Hurler is one of those rides that spins in several directions at once, so you get super dizzy.  I actually like these rides, too.  It's fun to spin, right?  Anyway, Ela insisted she wanted to go on it.  I showed her that she was not yet the requisite 42 inches to get on.  But then I saw that kids 40 inches and up could go with an adult.
Uh Oh.
Ela is 40 inches.  Can you believe that?  I couldn't.  We got out our tickets and on we went.  I was terrified that she'd hate it and come out crying.  I hadn't been on a ride like that myself in 6 or 7 years, so I was also mildly worried I might be sick.  Good thing my stomach was empty.  But Ela loved it.  She laughed, squealed, and wanted to go again the minute it was over.  Lily, by the way, was totally offended that she couldn't go too.  Neither girl wanted to leave when we were done.  I made mental notes to not take them near an amusement park until they were both 42 inches tall.

Saturday, we took it a bit easy as I got ready for an afternoon 5k.  That's right, I ran a 5k.  I can hardly believe it myself.  The run was called the Pink Shamrock and took me around downtown Raleigh.  It started at 4:00, so I left Mom with the girls during quiet time and went down by myself.  They met me at the finish line when I was done.  I finished in 36 minutes 31.8 seconds precisely.  That works out to 11 minutes and 47 seconds per mile.  I was super proud!  Now that 8k on Thanksgiving doesn't look quite as scary...

Sunday we checked out the International Festival downtown again.  We timed it so we could eat dinner from around the world.  All Ela would eat was this:

 Which is Dutch, by the way.  I couldn't pronounce the name, but it had chocolate sprinkles, and that was all that mattered to her.  The rest of us had a much more balanced, if not entirely healthy, meal from the Phillipines, Columbia, France, Turkey and Vietnam.  Yum.  Ela decided to try the chocolate cake from France, too... Then we checked out the booths.  There were informative ones, such as this one on Columbia:

And also places where you could buy things.  All us adult girls got henna tattoos.  Ela got a balloon animal.  It was a good time all around. 

Next weekend, we're off to Ohio for a little family fun.  So there will be more to say, and I'll get better at carving out time to say it.

Abingdon, VA

Last weekend, I tossed the kiddos in the car and we headed out to get in some quality time with Zack's folks. The destination: Abingdon, Virginia, home to the Virginia Creeper Trail. The plan was to bike it and take in some of the beautiful mountain scenery. We stopped in Boone on the way up to visit with some friends, but still arrived in Abingdon in time to check out some fishies and eat dinner before bed. 

We headed out the next morning to ride the trail. 

Grandpa took on the challenge of hauling the kiddos.  That adds somewhere between 50-60 lbs of weight, not counting the trailer, but the route is mostly downhill, so it didn't become an issue. 

And of course we stopped along the way to check out the scenery.  Ela loved watching the water and wanted to stop over and over again.  Lily just wanted out of her helmet. 

We stopped for lunch about 7 miles from Damascus (our final destination) and then booked it the last leg.  The bad thing about riding with kiddos: the grown ups are tired at the end of the ride, but the kids have done nothing but sit all day.  Ela was ready to wiggle so we took her to check out some trains.

She was sad that they didn't move, but she enjoyed climbing around in them. 

Grandpa was having so much fun with the girls that he volunteered to take them for the evening so Grandma and I could go see a show.  Tarzan was playing at the Barter Theater, so after dinner we headed out.  I enjoyed the break from my little sillies. 
We headed back to Winston after breakfast the next morning.  It was a lovely trip.  I bet it would be really amazing as the leaves change, and I hope we get to go back some time and ride again. 

Ela Goes to Preschool

I really don't know where I went last month, sorry about that.  We're rolling into the fall routine now, so I should get back to the blog a bit more now.  I wanted to post a picture with this, but my camera is being uncooperative so I'll have to settle for some stories about Ela's grand return to preschool.
Preschool started Wednesday, but we've been building up to it for weeks now.  I had a parent meeting a few weeks ago, and when I was telling Ela about it, I asked her if she was excited about being a frog this year (that's her class name).  She replied, "Yes! I'll be a good frog.  I'll go ribbit! Ribbit!"  I nearly fell over laughing.
Last week, there was a room visit day, and Ela had  fun looking at all the new toys in the room.  She seemed less interested in the kids than I expected, but on the way home, all she could talk about was how she wanted Kate to come play at her house.  We haven't ever done a playdate with anyone who couldn't just walk over, so I'm looking forward to setting that up. 
This year, Ela's class gets to use the carpool at preschool, meaning parents just drop them off and teachers walk them in at the beginning of the day.  At the end of the day, the teacher brings them out to the car too.  The parent never has to leave the car, which for me and Lily, is awesome!  The school has a great system, so it all runs very smoothly.  Today when her teacher brought Ela out, she told me that Ela likes to eat lunch.  I had to double check and make sure she was bringing me the right child, since Ela doesn't eat... ever.  What we figured out was that she doesn't really eat much, she just really likes sitting at the table with the kids, and she's always the last one done. 
I know Ela's enjoying preschool because she sings on the way there.  Ela is not a performer by nature, but she'll sing to herself when she's happy.  On the way to school lately, she's been singing "This Old Man."  I've been impressed by her counting ability as the verses go on, but she doesn't really know all the words, so she makes some up.  Her version goes something like this (I'll start with a middle verse to give you the idea with the counting):
This old man
He played five
He played knick knack on his lunchbox
with a (mumblemumble mumble) BONE
This old man went rolling home.
This old man
He played .... one two three four five six...
He played six
He played knick knack on his carseat
with a (mumbledybumble) BONE
This old man went rolling home.
If she's having half as much fun in the class as she is getting to and from it, then I'm happy. 

Zack Update

Not much going on here this week, so I figured it was time to give a Zack update. There's not much new there, either. He's still working very hard.  He had a little stomach trouble, but it's clearing up now. I suspect it was stress. Whatever the case, I'm glad he's feeling better.

Zack has been working on a graduate school class in his "free time" and he just got his first paper back with an A on it, so that's good. It's not a paced course, but he's hoping to get through it before he gets back. He's also been visiting the gym regularly, getting buff. He's got some workout buddies, so he's learning new routines and getting to be a faster runner.

So that's the news from Zack. He sends his thanks for the various care packages people have sent. He likes getting pictures and happy thoughts from home. Thanks to everyone who is thinking about him!

Road Tripping

Apparently, my mom and I are gluttons for punishment, so last week, we decided to drive to Moline, IL with the girls to visit my great-aunt, among other people. It's a 16 hour drive, and we did entertain the notion of flying, but have you seen plane ticket prices recently? Ugh. The girls did really well on our trip to Pittsburgh, so we decided to see how far we could get them.

We started out Thursday afternoon, hoping they'd nap, and rolled merrily along until dinner time. We learned that Ela travels a lot like this:

And Lily travels a lot like this:

We stopped for dinner that night and then rolled on until we ran out of steam. The next day, we got up with the girls, and continued. We stopped in Effingham to visit one of Mom's cousins, which was a lot of fun. Then it was back in the car and we arrived in Moline in time to have a nice dinner with Aunt Margaret and my dad, who was in the city on business.

Saturday, we had a very fun day. We went swimming at the pool in the morning, then we went out for lunch at a lovely place owned by a friend of ours called Lagomarcino's. We got lucky and our friend was there, so we had a nice chat, too.

We had a little time, so we went down to the John Deere Pavilion to see the tractors, and instead we hit the jackpot. John Deere is celebrating it's 175th year, and they were having a "Farm Day", complete with animals...

...some of which wanted to eat the girls's skirts. But really, it was the very best petting zoo I've ever seen.

There were also games. Ela is still talking about milking a cow.

It was super fun.

After another lovely visit with some old friends, we headed back to my aunt's for another lovely dinner. The next day we went to see one more friend, had lunch with my aunt, and headed back onto the road. We drove until we hit Lawrenceville, where we stopped to visit Zack's Aunt, Uncle and cousins and have a quick dinner. Here are the girls with their second cousins. 

It was quick, but nice. We drove again until Lily ran out of steam, woke up a from a dead sleep and screamed until we stopped the car. So now we know exactly how far she can go before she's done. And it's really freakin far for a fourteen month old.

We had breakfast Monday morning with one more friend, and then it was back on the road for the day. We managed to make it to Winston in time to celebrate Zack's Dad's birthday with him and have another lovely dinner.

The girls liked the ice cream the best. After dinner it was a short drive home.   The whole trip went really fast, and we were busy non-stop.  It was actually a very good time.  I was really glad we could see so many people in such a short time.  And I'm also really glad the girls travel well.  I suspect it will come in very handy in the next several years. 

I Work Out

Before I was chasing kiddos around, I used to go to the gym in Japan.  I liked it for several reasons: 1) it was free  2) the yoga instructor was awesome 3) They had American TV, which I could watch on the eliptical when I needed a USA fix.  When I got pregnant, I had to take it easier, so the gym slipped out of my routine, but I totally meant to go back to yoga and/or a gym when we got to DC.  I even did the research to find one.  My conclusion: it was way too expensive.  I mean, membership was one cost, childcare another, and then you paid for the classes separately too.  I could handle just walking.  And on walking alone, I managed to lose my Ela-weight and get back to what Wii Fit called "normal"... just in time to get pregnant again. :::sigh:::
When we moved to Cary, I went on a gym hunt again.  This time, I found a place that had affordable membership fees that included both childcare and classes.  Win!  So I joined.   And I have to say I love it!
I love that the gym will watch my kids when I'm ready to pull all my hair out.  I love the girls.  They're good girls, but we all need a break from each other.  The gym provides that without me having to pay them huge sums and without any preplanning.  When I find myself resisting the urge to scream, I can  just go to the gym. 
Also, I can take a shower there without an audience.  I know, this is crazy, but I honestly look forward to the occasional shower at the gym.  Why?  Well, Ela has started showering with me on occasion in the morning.  And even when she isn't there, Lily freaks if she can't see me.  So there is always at least one little girl observing my cleaning routine.  It's no big deal, but it is nice to occasionally wash myself without the girls.  If you're a parent, you probably get this, right?   Anyone? 
So the fact that the gym has childcare actually is providing me with extra motivation to go, which means I'm making some serious progress on the whole get fit thing.  I have never been that strong or even remotely athletic.  I took a barbell class on a whim, since it was included anyway, and now I'm hooked.  I'm starting to get a little muscle tone.  I don't ever plan to be a body builder, but it is kind of cool that I can do it.  I feel much more comfortable around weight machines now.
In fact, the only class I've tried that I didn't enjoy was Zumba.  I know, I know, everyone loves Zumba.  Not me. I am not a dancer.  I never have been. And I don't want to shake any of me in front of anyone.  So Zumba is not my thing.  I'm glad the rest of you love it though.  Keep going!  :-)
Mom and I have also made plans to run an 8k with my sister (okay, may be not with so much as at the same time as) in November, so I downloaded the Couch to 10 k app, and we've been doing the runs.  Now that it's a million degrees out, the treadmill at the gym is the only reason I can keep going.  And I can now say that I can "run" (slowly) for 20 minutes straight and not drop dead at the end.  Never before in my life has that been true. 
With the membership to the gym, I got a heart rate montior kind of as a "thanks for joining" gift.  So now I have multiple ways to measure my improved health: the scale, the montior's numbers during runs, and how I generally feel.  All show improvement.  I feel really good about that.
Another thing I like about the gym is the people watching.  I recognize a lot of the people there now, because it's not that big of a place.  I make up names and back stories for them.  It's kind of fun.  Don't tell them, okay? 
I look forward to the prospect of going jogging with Zack when he gets home, and even just the look on his face when he sees me again.   He is a big factor in my whole getting fit mindset.  Somehow, the fact that he's gone makes it easier to do.  He loves me no matter what my scale says, but I feel a lot less like a sissy when he's not here running three miles a day.  It gives me a long time to focus and work towards his level.  And knowing how excited he'll be when he gets back is a great motivation for me. 
So despite the incredible odds against it, I've become a gym person.  I miss it when I can't go.  I look forward to it when I plan to go.  And it's starting to show. 

Fun with the Grandparents

Over the last few weeks, the girls and I have been spending some time with their grandparents. It's been a lot of fun for all of us.
First, we got to go to a picnic at John Deere, where my dad works, to celebrate its 175th anniversary.  It was quite a big to do. There was ice cream, crafts, bouncy toys, face painting, or knee painting in Lily's case...

...and of course lots of tractors and mowers to play on. Ela has read a book about "Allie Gator" about a millions times, so she was especially excited about meeting Allie.  But she was happy to climb on anything that might move.  I'm so proud that I have a girl who likes tractors (and trains). 

The surprise high point of the picnic, though, turned out to be a bouncy slide. This thing was super tall, and looked scary to me, but Ela really wanted to try it (having been scared out of the regular bouncy toys by the fact that she could barely stay standing in them).  Convinced that I would have to retrieve her, I decided to let her go and watched as she climbed the ladder to the top of the slide.  When she got up, she was hanging out as far from the edge of the slide as possible.  I braced myself for my own trip to the top, then called to her to come down the slide.  To my great surprise, she threw on a big grin, and dove down...

Several trips later, she was still making the face of terror and giggling like a maniac. So I guess I have a future roller coaster rider on my hands.
A few days after the picnic, we headed up to Winston Salem for a visit with Zack's folks.  It was warm and a very short visit, so we kept it low key.  Ela's favorite part was a trip to the pool.  We tried to convince her to go to the indoor one, but she really wanted to come to the neighborhood outdoor one, so we slathered on the sunscreen and off we went.

Lily hasn't really been in many pools, so while Ela ranged all over, gradutally getting braver, we worked on getting Lily wet without upsetting her.

I'd say we had some success. By next year, she'll be chasing her sister around.

It's really nice being in North Carolina full time.  We love that visiting family isn't such a big production just now.  We intend to make the most of it while we can!