Friday the weather was a little dicey but nothing like the prediction was going to be.

Erin went in to make up time and I worked in the afternoon while the kids were napping and on Sunday afternoon getting a mailing ready for my work.

 

Friday night Erin and I played the Wii for quite a while and enjoyed it a lot learning what a lot of the games do. We also secured our router thanks to some helpful advice from friends.

 

Saturday Erin and Jaxson went to a shower for Erin’s co-worker, Lindsay, and had a nice time. She had made his and her ring slings so they can wear there new baby daughter to be, named Rylin.

 

Liam and I left Saturday morning to see the Monster Jam show in Baltimore’s 1^st Mariner arena for the second year in a row. Our friend Rick was gonna come too but he came down sick.

It was much wilder than last year!!

A lady shot herself across the arena from a cannon. Then they had a wheelie competition and the Gravedigger won out of the eight trucks which were Gravedigger, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, Broker, Eradicator, Prowler, Predator, Aftershock, and Backdraft.

Quad racers came out after this for the first of three heats of racers. These guys were wild kicking and banging and trash talking (clean language) after the races in interviews.

The Monster Truck races occurred then (drag style across half the floor). It went from 8 trucks to 4 to the finals which was TMNT versus the Gravedigger, by far the two favorite trucks. We were right above the finish line and the crowd thought Gravedigger won but they gave it to TMNT.

Freestyle was much wilder than last year after intermission. Eradicator lost a back tire off it's wheel from a high impact landing. The Broker lost a rear drive line. Aftershock flipped over. TNMT did two sets of donuts that rumbled the arena!! Then last, but definitely not least, Gravedigger driven, not by Dennis Anderson, but Pablo Huffaker, who walked right into our section and waved at the kids earlier, came out. This is one of many Gravediggers on the tour. Pablo is my favorite driver and drives Captain's Curse and is the 2007 Freestyle Champion. Liam is all about Batman and is in hopes that it will come to Baltimore someday.

Pablo brought the house down in the Digger. He launched higher than anybody and ended his 29 point (the scorer's, audience members, were right in front of us) out of 30 points with a wicked donut that I heard even while driving home. The whole arena floor shook. It was a sight to behold. I counted on my movie that he spun eleven times in donuts before coming to a halt and a standing ovation. The fun is worth the price of admission. They come every February to Baltimore and we will go back again.

I highly suggest ear protection for yourself, although I am dumb and don't use it. As a parent it should be mandatory and a no-brainer for kids to have it on be it muffs or ear plugs. It was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

 

Saturday night Liam and I stopped for dinner and Erin called and said we would all be arriving about the same time. The kids were really tired so we lit a fire after they went to bed and Erin read on the Harry Potter she borrowed from Jodi and I watched a DVD on NFL Films about the 1971 Washington Redskins that I loved.

 

On Sunday we puttered around in the morning playing with the kids. Erin then took the dogs to the dog park. I finished up my tasking for work in the afternoon while Erin played on the Wii. It was a pretty uneventful day of rest.

 

With all the travel and stress we have had lately Sunday was a blessing. Loida is back now and the kids are back to their normal schedule. The Grands were awesome to help us out in our crisis of Daycare and I think they enjoyed the time with the kids.

 

On Monday I met Erin at the Elementary school were Jaxson is getting his speech therapy. Erin had to get back to work and I had just dropped Liam off. It was his first session with Miss Penny. She comes highly regarded and recommended. Jaxson was great and didn’t miss a beat even when his mom left. We played with bubbles and read a story and also played with balls. Jaxson was very interactive and was very comfortable with her. I was very proud at how well he signed. We will need to start doing more exercises massaging the muscles around his mouth. Penny and I both noticed that he was VERY interactive and cooperative to get her to blow bubbles. We will definitely be doing more of that at home. He goes back in two weeks.

 

We made it through the week without the boys.  We dropped them off with Grandma and Grandpa last Sunday at the Cracker Barrel in York, PA.

 

Mom and Dad were excellent at getting the kids over their colds, and keeping them from getting into too much trouble.  We checked in every night, and as the days wore on, we could tell they were getting a little tired… but even WE get that way too!

 

The bonus for us was a Valentine’s Evening home, but without the kids!  We ordered some gourmet take-out from the place around the corner, opened a bottle of wine, and enjoyed a leisurely dinner before watching our favorite shows (Survivor and Lost) on TV.

 

Friday morning, we packed our suitcases and headed North to “Home Home” to retrieve the kids.  We planned to spend the long weekend up there too.

 

We arrived just as the kids were waking up from their nap, and we were pleased at how happy they were to see us.  However, it seemed that the good behavior that continued all week, seemed to wear off just as we arrived.  Figures.  It was still wonderful to see them, even if there were a few squabbles.

 

 

 

 

 

The weekend was really nice.  It was relaxing to say the least.  Russ had a little work to do to prepare for a software delivery, so dad and I helped him out at the kitchen table.  We also got the chance to take a few sled rides and a couple jaunts around the farm on the ATV.  In the evenings we watched movies… some really good…. Some REALLY bad.  

 

 

 

Russ and I found a cute castle play set at a thrift store that both the boys enjoyed.  We had some great dinners together, and just relished the time we could spend with the boys and the grands.  

 

   

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

The snow melted one day, so I took the kids down by the crick to throw in some rocks.  Then we took a trip into town to dink around a little.  Russ bought a really nice oil painting of a lighthouse scene, and we stopped by the bookstore that is run by one of my high school friends.  As usual in the mountains, the snow came back just as we were heading back home to MD.  

 

 

Well Friday I was making up time for leaving early Monday and Liam tagged along with me as Jaxson stayed with his Mom. We were only there for half a day and he kept himself busy drawing pictures and talking to me. Mommy and Jaxson enjoyed the one on one time with each other. We tried to spend a lot of time with them as they were heading to Grandpa and Gramma's for the week so we could work while Loida, the Daycare lady. is in the Phillipines.

 

When we left we took the mandatory tour of the planes and the long way away from work. Liam was even lucky enough to see an F-18 taxi close by and see the pilots helmets. We stopped by McKay’s grocery to take advantage of a huge sale they were having on seafood. Liam is such a precocious child these days. When we get in line to put the goceries up for purchase I am pulling them out of the cart and I here this:

“That is my Dad his name is Russ”

Checkout lady: “oh yes”

“and my name is Liam what is yours”

 

The checkout lady told him while her and I chuckled.

 

When we arrived home we all had lunch and then spent the day playing with the boys.We also watched a cool Knights and Armor show from Netflix that Liam set and watched the whole thing with us. It was quite good and informative and played right into his new phase of digging knights.

 

Friday night I continued our obsession trying to get a Wii. The world has gone crazy for this game system and we are a little loopy ourselves trying to find one. We did fit in the latest Harry Potter movie either Thursday or Friday night. Erin had not read the book in a while so her giving me background was not as quick as when we usually watch them. She thought it was okay but rushed through the story. She is currently reading the last one she borrowed from our friend Jodi while we were in Norfolk.

 

On Saturday morning my Wii obsession became a hundred dollar embarrassment as I overbid on what I thought was a new console but is used. We are stuck with it and have our fingers firmly crossed it will arrive okay. We have seven days to figure out if it is okay so we are going to play it a WHOLE bunch to make sure the first few days. The Wii is actually a lot of fun and gets you off the couch playing games such as Tennis, Boxing,  Bowling, and Golf where you actually interact with your character through the joystick and your movements. Erin was upset but did not rake me across the coals I was already raking myself over. I always read the fine print on Ebay but was rushing this time and missed where it said used and missed the fact the GAME was missing. That cost me another chunk of change on a bid so I ended up paying about $100 over retail for a used system… I am not happy but I am in hopes it will work fine.

 

We enjoyed being with the kids all day as Erin made Valentine’s cards with the boys after a crafts run to Michael’s. Liam was VERY interactive in making them with drawings and ideas of what sticker to use for which person.

 

I had a fun session of making playdoh at the kitchen table. We made statues and creatures and pretended we were making pastas at a pasta store. I also had fun interviewing Jaxson with my Playdoh microphone. It is funny if you pretend that you are interviewing Jaxson he will try his best to talk into the microphone. It is a fun exercise for him.

 

On Saturday night we didn’t due much as we wanted to turn in early. I watched the Budweiser shootout while Erin continued reading Harry Potter and talked to Brian and Jo out west for a bit.

 

Sunday morning we awoke early and were out the door by 7:15. We were meeting Grandpa and Gramma in York at the Cracker Barrel at 10:00. We got a good start but Liam was still sick with a little fever but on the ride he complained of his stomach hurting and ended up throwing up right before we could get to a McDonalds. Ironically though, he started feeling better after that. Dad Day called us when we were about fifteen minutes out saying they had arrived. We arrived and exchanged hugs and went in for a bite to eat and to stretch our legs. We hurried the packing and goodbyes but the kids seemed to do good with only Jax crying for his Mom for a minute. I really miss them as I type this!

 

Before we left York we stopped at a Best Buy and got an extra controller for the Wii coming in which came with a game which is a better deal than purchasing it separately. After that we were on the road. It was a quiet ride home. I talked to Dave and made plans to see him and Paul in March so we could talk about Paul’s wedding that we are in in September. The Grands called us as they were arriving. They got home right when we were arriving home so that must have been a good halfway point. The boys slept a lot of the way.

 

That afternoon we started our quest of watching the show Heroes thru instant viewing on Netflix. Quite often we will spin the small couch around and watch the computer using Netflix free Instant Viewing. After the third episode we were hooked. We watched three more on Monday night. We also called up home home to check in Monday night. Gramma said things were going well but Liam wouldn’t nap so he was ready for bed. Things sounded great and it will only be for a few days. We cannot express how much gratitude we have to them for taking care of the boys this week. Grandpa is really pitching in and helping out. He was bathing the kids as we called. So in a few days we will spend a long weekend up there just like last year. We are both looking forward to and most of all grabbing those boys of ours in a big hug! 

 

 

 

Finally, we were all fairly well and heading to Norfolk to visit our friends, the Proffens.  Russ had a toothache and a scratchy throat and Jaxson’s nose was running, but that didn’t stop us.  The drizzly rain ALL the way didn’t detour us either.  In fact, we even hit a couple of easy geocaches on the way down.

 

 

The trip down on Friday wasn’t too bad and Carl met us at the gate right around 4:00 in the afternoon.  He escorted us to their house on the base, and we settled right in.  Caleb and Liam gave each other a great big buddy hug and immediately started playing together.  It wasn’t long before they were all decked out in medieval regalia and the “sword on sword” rule was in effect.  Abigail liked her little princess costume, but joined in the sword fight just like the renegade maiden she is.  Jaxson was just super glad to be out of his car seat!

 

 

That evening we just caught up on lost conversation while the kids played.  I got to learn all about their splendid salt water fish tank while the guys went out to retrieve a pizza and some adult beverages. 

 

 

After dinner, we got the kids settled down and tried out the slumber party experiment upstairs. We put all the kids in the same room, and I was pretty amazed that within about half an hour they were ALL asleep.  That’s when we fired up the Wii.

 

Carl and Jodi had gotten a Wii game system right before Christmas… and right before the short supply/high demand prices kicked in!  We had a grand time playing the assortment of games even though the tennis and boxing games caused a couple of minor injuries to Jodi and Erin.  There’s a REASON they now pad up those controllers! We enjoyed bowling, boxing and tennis the most.  Got to love a video game system that actually gets you OFF the couch!

 

 

 

 

Though we had a late night, the kids got us up early.  The day was bright and sunny and we’d planned to do a couple of caches, but we kept finding one distraction after another throughout the day.  When the kids went down for an afternoon nap, it wasn’t long before all the adults followed their lead.  Caching never happened, but we all still had a nice time hanging out together at the house. 

 

 

Russ and I wanted to take everyone out to dinner, so around 6:00 we headed out with Applebee’s in mind.  Once at Applebee’s, however, we were discouraged by a 45 minute wait for a table.  Luckily, Pizzeria Uno’s across the parking lot took is right in.  We had an excellent dinner together.  The kids were good, the food was good, and the conversation was great. 

 

After dinner we headed back home.  It was getting late, and the kids needed to get to sleep… so we could play Wii some more!  This time, we played this cute and quirky board like game that had us competing against each other in all sorts of mini games like shaking cans of soda, paddling lily pads and catching falling balls.  It was another late night, but so much fun.

 

On Sunday we DID plan to venture outside to hit a couple of geocaches.  We planned to give the kids a light breakfast, head out to find a couple and then come back for a nice steak and eggs brunch before heading back to Maryland.  Caching, however, had its own timeline.

 

We started out fairly well hitting a couple of easy urban ones in local parking lots.  Then we went to the Marine Exchange to see if they had any Wiis for sale.  Yes, Russ and I were so smitten that we decided to find the money and get one for ourselves.  As expected though, there were none to be found.  We tried another Exchange with higher hopes, but to no avail.  Even worse, was the fact that I locked our keys in the van.  Fortunately, we weren’t far from their house and Russ had packed the extra set of keys. 

 

After bailing us out and unlocking the van we decided to try to find another couple of caches.  One cache was at the beach.  It was a beautiful day, and the kids were so cute as they ran around just for the fun of it.  Caleb and Liam even took our picture! 

 

 

 

One of the last caches that we ventured to find involved finding a nanocache (a tiny magnetic container not much bigger than your thumbnail) that was stuck on an old canon near an off ramp of the highway. We found the canon, and happened to meet two other Geocachers from Arizona who were trying to find the elusive container as well.  To help in the meticulous search I set the GPS down on top of the canon so I could use both hands.  All of us had to keep an eye on the four kids since we were somewhat close to a highway.  I was the lucky one that day, and just happened to look at the right spot just as the sun hit the nano.  BINGO!

 

 

After that find we knew it was getting late, so we needed to head back home.  Russ still had a Travel Bug he needed to drop off in a larger cache, so Carl showed him one on the way home.  Russ didn’t even need the GPS for this find and it was a quick drop.

 

By this time it was nearing 2:00.  I hated to leave the Proffens in such a rush, but we needed to get on the road if we were going to make it home by kick-off time for the Superbowl (Patriots against the Giants).  So, I threw our gear back in the suitcases and we headed out.  Little did I know that I embarrassingly left a half a dozen items! 

 

So, we grabbed a quick fast food lunch, and headed out of Norfolk.  Once the kids ate, Liam and I drifted off for a transit nap.  Jaxson just wasn’t in the mood to nap.  In fact, for some reason, Jaxson just wasn’t in the mood to do much of anything. About every ten minutes he decided to have a bit of a fuss fest in the van.  I guess he was just sick of riding but it made for an irritable ride home for all of us.

 

As we neared the VA/MD line, there were a couple more easy geocaches that we wanted to hit on the way home.  Russ asked me to pull out the GPS and get it locked on.  I attempted to get things ready when I made the terrible discovery that I left the GPS on the CANON.  Needless to say, that this was the third forgetful incident I’d had that day, and it didn’t go over too well.  I called and left a message for the Proffens to PLEASE go back to the canon and look just to see if there’d be a slim chance it was still there.  It was an odd spot, and about the only people who’d come close to the canon would be geocachers, so we had meager hope. 

 

Once we got home, I just had the main goal of getting the kids fed and in bed.  I emptied the van and did my best to unpack while the kids ate some spaghetti in the kitchen.  My fast food lunch was taking a long time to digest so I didn’t join them.  Russ had gotten some crab to eat while he watched the game, so I didn’t mind.  The good news came when Jodi called to tell us that she’d found our GPS in the grass next to the canon and would put it in the box with the rest of the forgotten items to mail to us. 

 

I finally got the kids settled down and in bed.  Then I took some time to unwind myself.  Russ had drawn me a hot bath, and that combined with a gin and tonic, captured my sanity so that I could spend a few minutes with Russ watching the game. 

 

It was a GREAT weekend.  I do so hope we can do it again soon.  THANKS, CARL & JODI & CALEB & ABIGAIL!!

 

Now we are on to the next hurdle.  Loida has to close the daycare for nearly 10 days while she goes to the Philippines to care for an ailing grandmother.  Luckily, Grandpa and Gramma are going to be able to watch the boys.  So, we’ll be meeting them in York on Sunday to drop off the boys so we don’t have to take off a lot of work time.  Then, the following weekend, we’ll head all the way back up to Home Home to spend some time and bring the boys back home. 

 

Patience, Patience, Patience… <sigh>