Monday, October 29
I went into work a bit late so I could cook breakfast for Kate before she left. Russ joined us for some bacon before heading out to work around 8:30.
I had a really nice time just sitting at the breakfast table drinking coffee with my two sisters. I cherish those moments because they are so few.
I finally had to head to work around 9:45. Dawn stayed
with the boys, but Kate headed North. It was tough to go, but I knew that Dawn
was having a great time with her nephews. They played in the basement and went
to the playground and just had a nice time rekindling that special bond.
I made it home around 4:30 or so, and set to work - with Dawn's help - making some hamburgers for
dinner. We roasted some potatoes and enjoyed a nice dinner together. We talked about the week's plans, and made some gluton free brownies for Mom. They turned out really well.
We got the boys in bed a little after 8:00, and watched the latest episode of the Roloff's and then
Jon & Kate + 8 on TLC. It was really nice just relaxing together over a couple
of good shows. I was pretty tired, so I headed to bed, but Dawn watched another
show while Russ played his football game on the computer.
Tuesday, October 30
Russ and I went to work at the usual time. Dawn stayed
home with the boys again, and helped get rooms ready for Mom & Dad's arrival. I
put Liam's toddler bed in Jaxson's room, so he could sleep in there with Jaxson while Kate slept in his big bed. However, after Kate left, Liam wanted to continue to sleep in Jaxson's room, so Dawn moved into his big
bed, and made the guest room ready for the folks. That really helped. Dawn called around 11:30 to let me know that Mom & Dad had arrived, and they were getting a little
lunch. I'd put a pork roast in the crock pot with some saurkraut, and it was
beginning to smell tasty. Dad took his usual nap on the couch while Dawn and
Mom had a chance to visit a little, since the boys were down for a little nap.
On my way home, I stopped by Vintage Values to pick up a few articles to help with Dawn's "Wonder
Woman" costume. She'd bought a red cape, and we had some gold fabric for accessories,
but she needed some sort of red boots with white stripes. I didn't find such
boots, but I did find a pair of old red sweat pants with red stripes down the sides, so I figured we'd whip up a pair of spats. I also found a good pair of Batwoman boots for myself.
I got home a little before 2:00 and the boys had just started their nap, so this gave Dawn and I
time to work on our costumes. We had a great time putting them all together,
and Mom got a good laugh at our "creativity."
After Dad (and Liam who was sleeping with him on the couch) got up from his nap, he and I tackled
the Water Heater. As luck would have it, Russ had 90% fixed the problem. With the help of Dad's voltameter, we discovered that we did, indeed, replace the
correct element. The only thing that we didn't do was push the reset button! So, soon we had lots of hot water, and one less monkey off our backs.
Later that afternoon, we started making some mashed potatoes to go with the crock pot fare, and
Russ made it home a bit early. We all had a really nice dinner together with
good conversation. After dinner, we set to carving pumpkins in the dining room. They all turned out pretty well, but the glasses that Liam drew on his pumpkin proved
challenging for me to carve out, and then there wasn't enough air, so the stupid thing didn't stay lit! Once we got all the pumpkin guts cleaned up the boys got pajamas on and watched "It's the Great Pumpkin,
Charlie Brown!" with Dad and Grandpa while Mom, Dawn and I made some prep for the next day's "pseudo Thanksgiving dinner." I seasoned the Turkey. Once that was
done, Dawn and mom got the boys to bed. We spent a little time watching TV, but
pretty much all of us were getting really tired, so it wasn't long before we all headed for bed.
Wednesday, October 31
Unfortunately, I had to go into work for a couple hours because of a meeting. So I was up and out of the house before most everyone else was up.
Russ had the day off, so he helped to get everyone breakfast. Dawn and
Mom got the sweet potatoes and green bean casserole fixed so that when we got back from the Go-Kart place, we'd only have
to shove it in the oven while the Turkey fried.
I got home just a bit after 9:00. We let the boys put
their Halloween costumes on (Liam = Batman, Jaxson = Robin) and we piled in the van to go to the Go-Kart place. All was going well, until we sadly discovered that the Go-Kart place was CLOSED!!! So, since Dawn had never been to a corn maze before, and we in that area anyway, we headed up to Bowles
Farm again (and hoped that it was still open for the season).
Though the Farm was open, and PACKED with about 100 school kids, we still had a nice time. We meandered through the corn maze and only got "lost" a couple of times. We then took a wagon ride around the farm, and the kids who were also on the wagon just awed at Liam and
Jaxson in their costumes. I really think Liam's head was about to burst out of
his Batman mask when the older kids just played right along with his persona. After
the wagon ride, we played around in the corn pit and visited the animals. They
didn't have the barrels going, and we didn't need any more pumpkins, but the day was a beautiful one, and it just felt good
to be outside. We thought about going to lunch somewhere in Leonardtown, but
decided to go home since we had a lot of leftovers, and didn't want to eat too much knowing that we planned an early dinner
before going Trick-or-Treating.
Once home, the boys got a quick lunch, and then we got them settled down enough to take a brief
nap. Russ too, took a nap on the couch because he was still recovering from a
slight, but annoying, cold. We all got a bit of lunch. Unfortunately, the bit was probably bigger for all of us than we planned.
We lounged around and visited in the living room while the house was on the quiet side.
Around 3:00 Russ was up and getting the Turkey Frier fired up.
He'd missed the discussion we'd had about postponing dinner to around 5:00 since we all ate more lunch than we should
have (except for Russ who was napping!!). Oh well, we figured, we'd just cook
it all up, and knew that once it was ready we'd be hungry enough. We figured
right. Though I didn't fill my plate full, everything tasted so good, that I
kept going back for seconds - and I wasn't alone! The turkey turned out really
good, and the sweet potatoes that Dawn helped us improvised (brown sugar can be made out of molasses and white sugar!) were
outstanding!!
Though our bellies were full, the boys were excited (including Russ) to get ready, and soon the
band of Superheroes was formed. Russ was the Hulk (or "Bulk" as he jokingly called
himself), I was Batwoman (complete with light up Bat Braid that Dawn got me), Dawn was Wonder Woman, Liam was Batman and Jax
was Robin. Grandma and Grandpa went along as "Citizens of Gotham City." We were kicking ourselves that we didn't "dress up" the wagon as the Batmobile, but
oh well.
So, we got our pumpkins lit, the candy set out and hit the street.
Liam knew just what to do this year. He had no problem with the "Trick
or Treat" part, but got a little ahead of himself when he grabbed for candy BEFORE saying the traditional greeting. He still had to be reminded to say Thank you, but I'm sure that's a common hurdle. Jaxson caught on too, and began grabbing for candy. His problem
was that he would grab the candy, but get pretty upset when he had to put it in his treat bag instead of in his mouth! We all had a really great time circling the block.
We laughed and joked, and got some great pictures. It was hard to call
it all to an end, but we were ALL getting pretty tired, so our house was a welcome sight to return to.
Of course, the candy bag was dumped on the coffee table before we could all get in the door. I let the boys each have a couple pieces of candy, although I steered him to the fruit
roll up hoping it wouldn't give him as big of a sugar rush right before bed. Yeah....
right.
We got cleaned up, and our Halloween holiday sadly came to an end.
Liam would love to wear his Batman Costume 24/7. I promised him he could
have my Batwoman mask after Halloween, and he couldn't wait to put it on. He
has also fallen in love with the black boots I got at the thrift store, and it is hilarious seeing him clomp around in them.
Thursday, November 1
I really HATED to have to go to work again on Thursday. I
planned to go in late again, but decided to ride in with Russ so Dawn could have the van to take the boys to StoryTime at
the Library. This worked out well since the cleaning lady was due in around 10:30. I think Mom & Dad headed back home around 9:30 or so. Their visit was just too short, but we look forward to seeing them again at Christmas.
It sounded like Dawn and the boys had a nice day going to the Library. When I caught a ride home, they were all playing in the clubhouse out in the back yard. I thought about making some Chicken or Salmon for dinner, but we had so many leftovers, that we saved ourselves
the trouble, and just foraged the fridge for dinner. The boys finally got a good
bath and to bed at a reasonable time. We were all pretty tired, so we relaxed
while watching Survivor. After the show, we watched a DVD about Pit Bulls that
Russ had gotten for Dawn through Netflix. It was a pretty fair documentary even though a few scenes were graphic in the saddest
of ways. I was pretty groggy through the last half of it, but knew that I didn't
have to go to work the next morning.
Friday, November 2
It felt so good to just wake up without having to go to work.
Poor Russ, still had his day to fill, but at least he knew that he'd be there with a light crew and a fairly easy day. Dawn and I planned to spend the day together.
I called the daycare lady to tell her that we'd be a little late dropping off the boys that morning.
I was surprised to hear that she was allowing the kids to wear their costumes that day for a little Halloween party. This was good news for the boys, but left us scrambling through the laundry for some
reasonably clean costumes!
We dropped the boys off, and they were pretty happy to see their friends. Jaxson was pretty reluctant to go, seeing as though he was JUST getting comfortable staying home with Aunt
Dawn all week, but he was quickly swayed, and Dawn and I slipped out the door. I
knew they'd all have a good day.
We took the big dogs to the dog park. It was really
windy, but it did the dogs good, and allowed Dawn and I to make a game plan for the day.
After about an hour, we returned home and did a quick doggy drop off before heading out to do a little shopping. We went to a few local stores and antique shops throughout the day. It was really nice to just visit and have a relaxed day together. We
ate lunch at a local "dive by the river." Dawn was brave enough to eat a "spider
on a bun." If you don't know what that is, you'll just have to look it up. I must say they are quite tasty. I had a crab cake sandwich and it was really good
too. We were about the only ones in the place, and though the wind made our spot
by the window a little chilly, our sandwiches warmed us up along with good conversation.
We continued our shopping up in the North part of the county.
We went to Dawn's favorite store in Loveville, called Traditions, as well as a couple other Antique shops along the
way. We didn't get over to Solomon's island, but figured we'd get over there
tomorrow. The afternoon got away from us, but in the last moments of our shopping
time, Dawn found a pair of really nice prints in Leonardtown that will look great in her house. They kind of reminded us of Home Home. It was a very special
time together.
We picked up the boys around 5:00. Russ was even home
before we got there, so that was a nice bonus. We decided to go out to dinner
over in Solomons. We made a quick loop on the island, but went with our first
choice of eating at Stoney's. What a GOOD choice it was. Everything was incredibly good. We had a couple of appetizers. We ordered Oysters Rockefeller (always good) and the Scallops wrapped in bacon with
BBQ sauce (OUTSTANDING!!!). Even the kids loved the scallops! I got the Baby Steamer platter, Dawn got the mussels, and Russ got his favorite - Alaskan Crab Legs. We even saved room for dessert, and then waddled our way to the van to return home.
Saturday, November 3
Another morning to just wake up and not have to rush. I
was in the mood for pancakes though, so when I got up and around, I was quick to fire up the griddle and get the bacon frying. That got the rest of the family up too. After
a hearty breakfast, Dawn and I decided to take Jaxson and head over to Solomon's to finish up a little nautical shopping. Liam wanted to stay home with Daddy. Can't
fault him for that.
So, we finished up some shopping and even swung by the museum gift shop. At the gift shop, Dawn bought Russ and I special "Thank-you" book called, Weird Maryland. I have a hard time putting it down. It's a collection of unusual
folklore of the state, much of which centers in Southern Maryland where we live.
Once finished on the island, we decided to return home, get the kids a quick PB&J lunch, and
then go to Bear Creek and back up to Leonardtown to see if the Go-Kart place was open.
Dawn, Russ and I had a good lunch and then we were eager to go. The boys
were going without a nap, but seemed to be faring well enough.
Liam was SO excited when we got to the Go-Kart place. He
could barely contain himself to wait for his Dad to get tickets! It is entirely
enclosed, and though there were a few other cars in the parking lot, it wasn't too crowded.
We were going to ride the Go-Karts first, but there had been a minor wreck requiring some repairs, so we headed for
the moon bounce area instead. Though a little tired, Jaxson REALLY loved Toddler
World. Liam too, enjoyed bouncing around.
He even got to play a couple of video games with Aunt Dawn.
After about a half an hour, the Karts were running again, so we decided to race a few laps. It was a lot of fun. Jaxson was still
too little go to, so we took turns waiting with him. After about another hour
or so of fun, the boys were getting really tired. It was nearing 3:00, so we
thought it best to head back home. We had some tickets left over, but they were
good for anytime, so it wasn't money wasted.
The rest of the afternoon was nice and mellow. We played
with the kids and just hung out around the house. Again, since there were still
plenty of leftovers, we just fended for ourselves for dinner. Sadly, Dawn started
packing for the trip back home. We had to have her at the airport by 10:30 in
the morning, so we needed to get an early start. It wasn't a happy evening, but
we did watch the movie, Delta Force with Larry the Cable Guy and Bill Engvall. Russ
and I nodded off, but Dawn stuck through it and even chuckled a couple of times despite the stupidity of the flick. It didn't take a lot of persuasion to shut off the TV and head to bed.
Sunday, November 4
The van was pretty well packed. I got the boys out
of bed just before we were ready to leave. I left them in their pajamas, and
just planned to dress them when we got to the airport. We stopped by Sheetz to
fill the tank and get some breakfast sandwiches before heading out of town. I
had to laugh at Dawn becuase at first she said she just wanted a plain bagel, then she wanted nothing, then she saw they had
spicy breakfast burritos and ordered one of them! Quite a change of appetite
all in about 30 seconds!
We didn't hit any traffic on the way to the airport. Unfortunately,
this left Dawn to wait a bit before her departure. We dragged our feet a little
at the gate, but knew we were just delaying the inevitable, so we did some quick hugs to avoid tears, and said our goodbyes. It had been a wonderful week. Pretty
event packed for sure. I think next time, I will plan less to do, and more time
to just visit. I'm not sure if Dawn had a relaxing vacation or not, but I know
we got some really nice pictures and some long-lasting memories. Sometimes that's
all that counts.
After we left Dawn, we took the first right out of the airport to go to Gravelly Point. This is a little park right by Regan International Airport. You
can sit really close to the runway, and the big airliners fly right over your heads.
Russ was in heaven. He took some pics and movies, and was like a little
kid. The boys had a good time watching the planes too, although Liam seemed just
as enchanted with the seagulls. We had a little snack and enjoyed our time out,
but the breeze was chilly, so we left after about half an hour. When we were
leaving, Liam said, "I miss Aunt Dawn." Choked me up a little, but up until then, I was doing pretty well.
Since we were in the area, and not quite ready to return to an empty house, we decided to go to
the new Air & Space museum near the Dulles Airport. Russ had been there a
couple times before, but the boys and I had never been. It was a really neat
place. Pretty big too! We enjoyed
getting their early before the crowd. We had no trouble going up to the simulated
Air Traffic Control Tower, and I found it quite peaceful. Then we went into the
main hanger to see all the planes, including the Concorde, SR-71 Blackbird, and the Space Shuttle. We didn't get too far though, because Jaxson was in a foul mood.
We decided to get a bite to eat at McDonalds right there in the museum (warning, they jack up the prices by about $2!). That helped a little, but Jaxson just couldn't nod off in the sling. He was fine if we were moving, but if I stopped to read a plaque, he tested out the echo of the hanger
with gusto. We spent nearly 3 hours at the museum, and had a nice time. Liam got a GEEBEE plane, and Jaxson got a spinning light thingy at the gift shop. Russ got his usual - a book, but I was surprised he limited it to just one.
The kids slept all the way home. I even drifted off
for a few miles.
It was a chilly day, so once home, I asked Russ to build us a little fire in the fireplace. He happily obliged. I did a little laundry,
but forced myself to not to anything more than just get diapers and a few clothes ready for the coming week. I spent most of my time sitting in front of the fireplace reading Weird Maryland. The boys played in the basement and got along pretty well. They
were probably just too tired to fight with each other. As expected, we got a
pizza for dinner. The kids got a good bath, and I got Liam to sleep back in his
big bed. I tried to stay up, but with the time change, I just couldn't manage
it. Fortunately, I'd get an extra hour of sleep, but realistically... it didn't
help much.
The week has started now, and the house is quieter than usual.
I miss the family already. Jaxson has been really grouchy. Maybe that is his way of getting back into routine. Liam still
clomps around in the Bat boots, and seldom takes off the Bat Mask. We have a
long week ahead of us, but are trying to get back into our usual schedule. It
is nice that we have Monday off for Veteran's Day. That will give us a nice weekend
to work in the yard and get some wood stockpiled.
Playgroup is at the Go-Kart place on Saturday, and we've promised to babysit Liam's little friend,
Rosie, that afternoon. We are just hoping for sunshine. I'd be willing to bet we'll have another fire in the fireplace, and if I can find a few moments, I'll dive
back into Weird Maryland before Russ hides it in the bathroom.
