I'm sure most people have heard by now that we are moving to Iowa City IA shortly. We've been up to a lot of other stuff, but for now I'm just writing to give an explaination of the pictures of the house that we're buying.
Here's the garage and the parking pad
Here's the driveway
This is the giant willow tree that we were surprised to learn was actually on the property and not the neighbors
This is a picture of the trees along the side of the yard
These are the trees in the backyard
Here's the corner of the house and more of the backyard
Here's the parking pad
Here's the front door and porch
This is the side of the house
Here's the back of the house
Here's another view of the back
This is the laundry room, there are also cabinets and I think a counter on the wall behind where I stood to take the picture. The laundry room is upstairs with the bedrooms.
This is the upstairs bathroom that the boys will use
This is the master bath: One sink, the other sink and tub, commode area, jetted tub, shower
Master bedroom, I kind of like those lamps on the wall
Master closet
One of the upstairs bedrooms
closet in another of the upstairs bedrooms, that's Xander
The "lookout bridge"
View from the lookout bridge down the driveway...
View from the lookout bridge toward the chandelier and top of stairs, complete with what will likely be my piano nook :)
The infamous cubbies in the mudroom
The rest of the mudroom with the window seat, complete with storage and the large reach in closet.
The pumpkin half bath
The kitchen
The pull out recycling center
The lazy susan cabinet
the pantry
The living room or family room or whatever
The screened section of the deck
The open section of the deck
The little bench or whatever at the bottom of the basement stairs
The media section of the rec room in the basement, complete with nice sconces on the wall
under stairs storage closet
Double sided fireplace in rec room
Other side of rec room
Basement bedroom, likely to be our computer room
Basement bathroom
Water-heater and manibloc plumbing
Unfinished area
The office or library or whatever on the main floor with built in bookcases
Dining room from front door, showing the shape of the room, from the kitchen looking into the dining room
The tile in the mudroom and half bath on main floor
Garage, lawnmower parking or whatever
Stub for natural gas bbq on screened part of deck
Exterior light, this one is on the back of the house, but it has similar ones on the front.
So, that's the picture tour, such as it is, sorry the exterior shots were blurry, I had a smudge on my camera lens and didn't realize it till later, but I did get it cleaned off for the interior pictures :)
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Back From Tahoe
We just got back from our trip to Lake Tahoe yesterday. We drove up there from Las Vegas. It took about 9 hours. Which made for 2 long days in the car there and back. But, we all had a lot of fun while we were in Lake Tahoe. On the way up we made a short stop at Rhyolite ghost town, which was fun, and much more authentic than our trip to Virginia City later in the trip.
We stayed at the Hyatt at Incline Village. I think Incline Village was my favorite area near the lake. It wasn't nearly as touristy as a lot of the other areas. The first day we walked across the street to a private beach for Incline Village residents and $14 got us all day access. The kids had a lot of fun there. They played "Pooh Sticks" (dropping a stick on one side of a bridge and seeing whose stick is first to pass through to the other side) and climed in trees. They also had a nice playground for the kids and Xander spent a while on the beach putting his feet in the (69 degree) water. Later that afternoon we took the boys swimming at the heated pool at the hotel. They had a kids only pool that was only 18" deep, which was awesome since I forgot to throw their life jackets in the car.
We also drove around Carson City to check out that area, we didn't really stop and do much there though. On Monday we went to South Lake Tahoe. We drove over to Emerald Bay on the California side (that is where Jason's brother Jeremy is getting married next month). And, on the way to Emerald Bay we stopped and took a short hike that led us to a place where they had windows so you could see under the stream and see the trout swimming around in there. The boys really enjoyed that, but I forgot to take my camera, since we hadn't planned on doing a hike right then.
After seeing Emerald Bay we went back to South Lake Tahoe to eat lunch and ride the Heavenly ski resort Gondola. Xander was very excited when he saw the gondolas, and kept saying "Ride that?" over and over until we got on it. It was a long scary ride for someone as afraid of heights as I am, but the boys loved it. They got some souvenier stuffed animals at the midstop gift shop. (Andrew hadn't brought a stuffed animal to sleep with and it was driving him crazy not to have one, so he got a bear wearing a Heavenly hooded sweatshirt). We didnt' really get to stay at the top since there was lightning in the area and they were sending everyone back down for safety reasons. It actually rained really hard that afternoon, so we spent the afternoon checking out more of Carson City, and surrounding areas.
On Tuesday we went and did the MS Dixie II family fun cruise. It was an hour and a half and we had lunch on board the ship. That seemed to be both of the boys' favorite part of the whole trip. Xander climed up and down to every deck on the 3 deck ship a million times (at least it felt that way to me, following behind him). We went up to watch the paddle wheel turn several times. It sailed across the lake from Zephyr Cove to Emerald Bay and we got a close up look of Vikingsholm ( a viking castle styled house on the shore of Emerald Bay). By the time the cruise was over Xander was very sleepy. He napped in the car on the hour or so trip to Virginia City. I was kind of disappointed in Virginia City. I had expected that it would be touristy, but it was even more so than I thought it would be. There are a few museum type things and original buildings that you can tour, but it's mostly just tourist trap shops. I preferred Tombstone, Arizona, I think. After Virginia City, we drove up through Reno, which was much larger than I had pictured, before heading back down through Truckee to Lake Tahoe and Incline Village.
Wednesday was just our trip home. We went down through Bishop, California. Then we cut across to Nevada on Highway 168. It goes past the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest (which we didn't drive over to see). It is the most curvy and most up and down piece of road I have ever been on. I came about as close to being car sick as I get. It felt like we were on a roller coaster. In hind site, it probably wasn't the best route home, but the canyon was pretty, and it was an adventure. :)
We stayed at the Hyatt at Incline Village. I think Incline Village was my favorite area near the lake. It wasn't nearly as touristy as a lot of the other areas. The first day we walked across the street to a private beach for Incline Village residents and $14 got us all day access. The kids had a lot of fun there. They played "Pooh Sticks" (dropping a stick on one side of a bridge and seeing whose stick is first to pass through to the other side) and climed in trees. They also had a nice playground for the kids and Xander spent a while on the beach putting his feet in the (69 degree) water. Later that afternoon we took the boys swimming at the heated pool at the hotel. They had a kids only pool that was only 18" deep, which was awesome since I forgot to throw their life jackets in the car.
We also drove around Carson City to check out that area, we didn't really stop and do much there though. On Monday we went to South Lake Tahoe. We drove over to Emerald Bay on the California side (that is where Jason's brother Jeremy is getting married next month). And, on the way to Emerald Bay we stopped and took a short hike that led us to a place where they had windows so you could see under the stream and see the trout swimming around in there. The boys really enjoyed that, but I forgot to take my camera, since we hadn't planned on doing a hike right then.
After seeing Emerald Bay we went back to South Lake Tahoe to eat lunch and ride the Heavenly ski resort Gondola. Xander was very excited when he saw the gondolas, and kept saying "Ride that?" over and over until we got on it. It was a long scary ride for someone as afraid of heights as I am, but the boys loved it. They got some souvenier stuffed animals at the midstop gift shop. (Andrew hadn't brought a stuffed animal to sleep with and it was driving him crazy not to have one, so he got a bear wearing a Heavenly hooded sweatshirt). We didnt' really get to stay at the top since there was lightning in the area and they were sending everyone back down for safety reasons. It actually rained really hard that afternoon, so we spent the afternoon checking out more of Carson City, and surrounding areas.
On Tuesday we went and did the MS Dixie II family fun cruise. It was an hour and a half and we had lunch on board the ship. That seemed to be both of the boys' favorite part of the whole trip. Xander climed up and down to every deck on the 3 deck ship a million times (at least it felt that way to me, following behind him). We went up to watch the paddle wheel turn several times. It sailed across the lake from Zephyr Cove to Emerald Bay and we got a close up look of Vikingsholm ( a viking castle styled house on the shore of Emerald Bay). By the time the cruise was over Xander was very sleepy. He napped in the car on the hour or so trip to Virginia City. I was kind of disappointed in Virginia City. I had expected that it would be touristy, but it was even more so than I thought it would be. There are a few museum type things and original buildings that you can tour, but it's mostly just tourist trap shops. I preferred Tombstone, Arizona, I think. After Virginia City, we drove up through Reno, which was much larger than I had pictured, before heading back down through Truckee to Lake Tahoe and Incline Village.
Wednesday was just our trip home. We went down through Bishop, California. Then we cut across to Nevada on Highway 168. It goes past the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest (which we didn't drive over to see). It is the most curvy and most up and down piece of road I have ever been on. I came about as close to being car sick as I get. It felt like we were on a roller coaster. In hind site, it probably wasn't the best route home, but the canyon was pretty, and it was an adventure. :)
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Kicking off another week
We survived Xander's first week of school. He still tries to make me feel guilty. But, ultimately he did pretty well for his first week. He even used the potty once at school. He will always sit on it when they ask him to, and one time on Wednesday or Thursday he actually went. We've had a few more successful trips to the potty here at home this weekend too. With any luck we might be through with diapers by the end of the year. And then I can take away the binky :) I hate to put him through too much all at once. I'm trying to be more strict about only letting him have it in his bed at least.
Andrew has decided his favorite video game is Hot Wheels World Race for the Playstation 2. He's actually doing really well at it. Better than I can do on the tracks he's raced on a lot. Andrew is just getting so big, sometimes the things he says is so funny, he sounds so much older than he is sometimes.
I didn't get many constructive things done the first week with both kids in school. Hopefully this week will be better. 4 hours sounded like a lot of time. But, it's really not. By the time I drop them off and get back here 30 minutes is gone. And then lunch usually takes almost an hour, even when I eat at home. I'm sure I'll find a routine soon though. It is so weird to have a little bit of peace though.
They are getting very close to being finished with Madden PC at Jason's office, so hopefully the two week shut down is just around the corner. I know everyone at Budcat and their families are looking forward to it as much as we are.
Andrew has decided his favorite video game is Hot Wheels World Race for the Playstation 2. He's actually doing really well at it. Better than I can do on the tracks he's raced on a lot. Andrew is just getting so big, sometimes the things he says is so funny, he sounds so much older than he is sometimes.
I didn't get many constructive things done the first week with both kids in school. Hopefully this week will be better. 4 hours sounded like a lot of time. But, it's really not. By the time I drop them off and get back here 30 minutes is gone. And then lunch usually takes almost an hour, even when I eat at home. I'm sure I'll find a routine soon though. It is so weird to have a little bit of peace though.
They are getting very close to being finished with Madden PC at Jason's office, so hopefully the two week shut down is just around the corner. I know everyone at Budcat and their families are looking forward to it as much as we are.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Xander's first day of school!
Today the Drew went back to school, and it was Xander's first day of school. Andrew was very excited to get back and see his friends. He was looking forward to seeing Xander on the playground.
Xander does know how to make me feel guilty. He cried as I went to leave. But, I didn't get any calls from the school to come get him. They said he calmed down and seemed a little unsure what to do some of the time, but that he was good. He sat on the potty every time they asked him to, but nothing came out. It seemed like he ate his lunch good, there wasn't anything in his lunch box when I picked him up.
I picked Xander up first and he just wanted to leave. The assistant principal ended up getting Andrew from his class for me, Xander wouldn't go with me to get Andrew.
Andrew was sad that he didn't see Xander on the playground really today. He said he saw him once riding a bike when he was on his way to another class for science. Andrew was sad he didn't get a chance to give Xander a hug and kiss on the playground. :) It was pretty cute.
Anyway, hopefully it will go as well tomorrow as it did today :)
Xander does know how to make me feel guilty. He cried as I went to leave. But, I didn't get any calls from the school to come get him. They said he calmed down and seemed a little unsure what to do some of the time, but that he was good. He sat on the potty every time they asked him to, but nothing came out. It seemed like he ate his lunch good, there wasn't anything in his lunch box when I picked him up.
I picked Xander up first and he just wanted to leave. The assistant principal ended up getting Andrew from his class for me, Xander wouldn't go with me to get Andrew.
Andrew was sad that he didn't see Xander on the playground really today. He said he saw him once riding a bike when he was on his way to another class for science. Andrew was sad he didn't get a chance to give Xander a hug and kiss on the playground. :) It was pretty cute.
Anyway, hopefully it will go as well tomorrow as it did today :)
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Happy Birthday Xander
I finally got some new pictures posted. Including pictures of Xander's 2nd birthday. I can't believe he's so big already! He got quite a bit of outdoorsy stuff for his birthday, he's such an outdoorsy kind of kid. And, I wanted him to have something do to in our backyard besides just throw rocks.
Not a whole lot has been going on since my last post. We had a pretty laid back 4th of July. We grilled on a little charcoal grill in the backyard (our built in gas grill is still broken), and the kids played in a little wading pool we picked up at Wal Mart. We did do some sparklers, and then we drove around and saw some fireworks from the car.
The boys and I took a short trip to California and mostly visited my grandparents and my uncles, although we did go to my parents for a little while. Andrew actually went home with my mom that Saturday and had a sleepover at my parent's house. He had a really great time. Then on that Sunday, Xander and I went over and picked him up. My mom drove back to Vegas with me, and then she rode home with my dad when he came over on Wednesday for Xander's birthday. While we were in California we visited a children's museum that had some real police motorcycles, a police car and an ambulance that the kids could climb around in. They really had fun doing that.
And, as I already mentioned, Xander had a lot of fun on his birthday. He seemed really happy with all of his presents and the boys played outside in the wading pool again while we grilled hamburgers and hotdogs for dinner.
Now tomorrow is July 18th and Xander starts preschool. How crazy! I'm sure the first couple days will be a little hard on he and I both, but I know he'll love it once he adjusts. Andrew has done so well at that school.
Not a whole lot has been going on since my last post. We had a pretty laid back 4th of July. We grilled on a little charcoal grill in the backyard (our built in gas grill is still broken), and the kids played in a little wading pool we picked up at Wal Mart. We did do some sparklers, and then we drove around and saw some fireworks from the car.
The boys and I took a short trip to California and mostly visited my grandparents and my uncles, although we did go to my parents for a little while. Andrew actually went home with my mom that Saturday and had a sleepover at my parent's house. He had a really great time. Then on that Sunday, Xander and I went over and picked him up. My mom drove back to Vegas with me, and then she rode home with my dad when he came over on Wednesday for Xander's birthday. While we were in California we visited a children's museum that had some real police motorcycles, a police car and an ambulance that the kids could climb around in. They really had fun doing that.
And, as I already mentioned, Xander had a lot of fun on his birthday. He seemed really happy with all of his presents and the boys played outside in the wading pool again while we grilled hamburgers and hotdogs for dinner.
Now tomorrow is July 18th and Xander starts preschool. How crazy! I'm sure the first couple days will be a little hard on he and I both, but I know he'll love it once he adjusts. Andrew has done so well at that school.
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Happy Father's Day!
We haven't been up to a whole lot over here. Jason is working to finish up Madden PC. But, the good news is, Psychonauts PS2 comes out this Tuesday, June 21st. Everyone go and check it out. :)
The boys are getting so big. Andrew is doing Camp at Merryhill Preschool. He still has one more year of preschool since his birthday is after the cut off. Xander is going to be starting preschool after he turns 2 this summer. I am looking forward to having some time to get caught up on some of the stuff around the house.
We had a pretty low key Father's Day around here. Jason wanted to go to a hobby shop and look for a slot car track, so that's what we did. After getting it put together, he and Drew were racing, and Andrew won the first race fair and square, all that video game time he gets paid off I guess.
Anyway, not that much else going on. The countdown is on for Alexander's birthday. And for the new Harry Potter book 3 days later :)
The boys are getting so big. Andrew is doing Camp at Merryhill Preschool. He still has one more year of preschool since his birthday is after the cut off. Xander is going to be starting preschool after he turns 2 this summer. I am looking forward to having some time to get caught up on some of the stuff around the house.
We had a pretty low key Father's Day around here. Jason wanted to go to a hobby shop and look for a slot car track, so that's what we did. After getting it put together, he and Drew were racing, and Andrew won the first race fair and square, all that video game time he gets paid off I guess.
Anyway, not that much else going on. The countdown is on for Alexander's birthday. And for the new Harry Potter book 3 days later :)
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Mother's Day at Merryhill
Andrew's class had a Mother's Day thing today. So, I left Xander with Jason and went to Andrew's school. They had the moms go in one at a time and our child handed us a red carnation and then escorted us to a seat. Very cute :) Then they sang us two songs (the video of which I will try to get up soon) and then we sat in circle while Mrs. Wineinger read us a book. The book was called Love You Forever. By the end of the book all of us moms were in tears, including the teacher :)
Then we had muffins and juice, and then went out on the playground with the kids for a little while.
Not much else has been going on around here really. The boys are both getting so big! I saw one of the 2 week old sister's of one of Drew's classmates at the school the other day, it doesn't seem possible that my two were ever that small and quiet :)
Then we had muffins and juice, and then went out on the playground with the kids for a little while.
Not much else has been going on around here really. The boys are both getting so big! I saw one of the 2 week old sister's of one of Drew's classmates at the school the other day, it doesn't seem possible that my two were ever that small and quiet :)
Monday, May 02, 2005
Happy May :)
Happy May everyone!
I can't believe it's May already! Where does the year go. Pretty soon my baby is going to be 2 already. We had a busy week last week, I had a dentist appointment where they hooked me up to a computer to determine what my natural jaw position should be, it was another step along the way to my smile makeover. I finally made it to the eye doctor and am getting some new contacts. And my organizer came by and we did quite a bit of work on the kitchen. We spent 4 hours going through stuff and rearranging stuff, but there's still more to do.
This week is shaping up to be busy as well, I'm going to meet with my trainer at the gym 3 times a week for a couple weeks because I'm bad about getting in for extra cardio work. And, there's a special mother's day thing at Drew's school on Wednesday and his Cinco de Mayo luncheon on Thursday. Not to mention Drew's dentist appointment on Tuesday and my eye doctor appointment to pick up the new contacts on Friday.
On Saturday April 30 we took the boys over to the Challenger School for a "Touch a Truck" event. It was pretty cool, they had all kinds of trucks from firetrucks and garbage trucks to an RV and a limo that the kids could climb into and honk the horn and just see what they're like inside. The boys had so much fine climbing in and out of all of those vehicles. I'll get some pictures up in a day or two I hope.
Yesterday we hung out with uncle Jeremy for a while and then I took the boys swimming at our clubhouse. We didn't stay very long, but the boys enjoyed getting to the pool :)
Xander was cracking me up yesterday morning, he climbed onto Jason's lap and wiggled his way under the blanket that Jason and Drew were sharing while they watched Spongebob. Then, he started to make his fake snoring noise while resting his head against Jason, with his eyes wide open. He's so cute sometimes :) They both are. Andrew is so serious about things, he always has very important things to tell you. And, he is the worst backseat driver, whether you're playing a video game that he's played before, or even driving someplace he's been, he'll give you directions.
Well, I have to go eat some breakfast before Xander's soccer class and my trainer appointment.
I can't believe it's May already! Where does the year go. Pretty soon my baby is going to be 2 already. We had a busy week last week, I had a dentist appointment where they hooked me up to a computer to determine what my natural jaw position should be, it was another step along the way to my smile makeover. I finally made it to the eye doctor and am getting some new contacts. And my organizer came by and we did quite a bit of work on the kitchen. We spent 4 hours going through stuff and rearranging stuff, but there's still more to do.
This week is shaping up to be busy as well, I'm going to meet with my trainer at the gym 3 times a week for a couple weeks because I'm bad about getting in for extra cardio work. And, there's a special mother's day thing at Drew's school on Wednesday and his Cinco de Mayo luncheon on Thursday. Not to mention Drew's dentist appointment on Tuesday and my eye doctor appointment to pick up the new contacts on Friday.
On Saturday April 30 we took the boys over to the Challenger School for a "Touch a Truck" event. It was pretty cool, they had all kinds of trucks from firetrucks and garbage trucks to an RV and a limo that the kids could climb into and honk the horn and just see what they're like inside. The boys had so much fine climbing in and out of all of those vehicles. I'll get some pictures up in a day or two I hope.
Yesterday we hung out with uncle Jeremy for a while and then I took the boys swimming at our clubhouse. We didn't stay very long, but the boys enjoyed getting to the pool :)
Xander was cracking me up yesterday morning, he climbed onto Jason's lap and wiggled his way under the blanket that Jason and Drew were sharing while they watched Spongebob. Then, he started to make his fake snoring noise while resting his head against Jason, with his eyes wide open. He's so cute sometimes :) They both are. Andrew is so serious about things, he always has very important things to tell you. And, he is the worst backseat driver, whether you're playing a video game that he's played before, or even driving someplace he's been, he'll give you directions.
Well, I have to go eat some breakfast before Xander's soccer class and my trainer appointment.
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Adventures at Disneyland Resort
We are finished with our trip to Disneyland. The boys and I drove over from my parents on Monday. We got checked into the hotel by 10:30 AM and then went to California Adventure. We went straight to It's a Bug's Land. We were able to walk right on to all the rides. Xander really liked the ladybug boogie ride, he was just laughing the whole time.
We also saw Flik and Atta from the movie Bug's Life, Xander gave Flik a big hug. After Bug's land we went to Paradise Pier and had lunch and rode the Carousel and the Sun Wheel. Then it was time for Playhouse Disney Live. After the Playhouse Disney Live show we went back to the hotel to get our room, since we had checked in before it was ready. Xander had fallen asleep on the way there and took a nap. When he woke up the boys and I went down to the pool at the hotel. They both put on life jackets and swam around and went down the small watercolors until Xander got too cold. Then we went to the hot tub for a little bit and then back to the room. We got dressed and decided to go over to Disneyland to eat dinner and maybe ride a ride or two. We ate pizza in tomorrowland and then rode the train that goes all the way around Disneyland....Eventually. We had to wait a long time to get on the train at New Orleans Square, but we finally got to ride the train, then we got our stroller and headed back to the hotel.
The hotel room had a queen size bed, and a set of bunkbeds, which Drew thought was awesome. They had a playpen in the room for Xander to sleep in. We all went to sleep by about 9:30.
Tuesday April 12th
We did the early entry into Disneyland, the lines were really long, but we eventually got in there and were able to pretty much walk right on the new Buzz Lightyear Blasters ride. It was a dark ride and you have a gun to shoot at targets inside the ride. Drew thought the ride was kind of scary and Xander didn't want to leave the gun in the car when it was tim to get off the ride. We went to downtown Morning Madness and all become honorary citizens of downtown. The boys both rode Gadget's Go Coaster. Then Andrew and Jake went on Big Thunder Mountain. I don't think Andrew really liked it. He was very nervous about "drops" after that. Xander and I went to the Little Patch of Heaven petting zoo area that was near Big Thunder Mountain to wait for Jake and Andrew. Xander loved the goats and the cows.
Andrew then came over to pet the animals. He and Xander were petting one of the cows. The cow started to pee and Andrew exclaimed, look Xander the cow is giving milk! :)
We also took the boys on Pirates of the Caribbean, which put Xander to sleep, but he lasted until the last hill back up to the beginning of the ride. We also went into Tarzan's Treehouse, into the Tiki Room, King Arthur's Carousel, Teacups, and Winnie the Pooh. Andrew and I rode Splash Mountain. Poor Drew was scared about the big hill, but he seemed like he liked the ride well enough after it was over, although he said he wouldn't go on it again. Andrew and Jake also rode the monorail. We stayed at Disneyland till around 7 and then ate dinner at La Brea Bakery. The boys were pretty exhausted and fell asleep pretty quickly that night...
Wednesday April 13th
We started the day at Disneyland. We rode the monorail over from Downtown Disney. Then we took the boys on Autopia, Xander loved driving, and so did Drew. Then we did Small World, which both of the boys loved. We did Alice in Wonderland, which Drew had been dying to do, but he really doesn't seem to like the dark rides. But, we drug him on Mr Toad anyway, as it is a must do at Disneyland. But, I didn't make Andrew do Haunted Mansion, although I did want to take Xander on it since it is another must do at Disneyland and it was his first trip. Jake took Andrew over to Tom Sawyer's Island while Xander and I went on Haunted Mansion. I don't know if Xander liked Haunted Mansion, but he didn't cry. His eyes were big as saucers and he let me hold him all the way through though. On most of the rides he wanted to sit on he seat by himself and he didn't want me to even touch him.
Then Xander and I met Andrew over at Tom Sawyer Island. Both of the boys loved it over there. They loved exploring the caves and goin gover the bridges. Andrew loved the tree's and Xander even climbed the ladder and up and down the stairs of the tree's all by himself, with jakes watchful guidance of course. :)
After lunch in Frontierland we visited the Buzz Lightyear gift shop to fulfill a promise to Andrew and then headed over to California Adventure. We went to the Redwook Creek Adventure Trail. The boys really loved that, I think it was their favorite part of the entire trip. Andrew got Jake to take him on the Jumping Jellyfish ride at Paradise Pier, while Xander and I went on King Triton's carousel and then back to It's a Bug's Land, we rode Ladybug Boogie one last time. After that it was about 5 PM and we were all theme parked out. So we headed back to the hotel. After relaxing for a little while, Jake and I headed out with the boys to get some dinner. We ended up at ESPN Zone, since the line was shorter than at Rainforest Cafe. After dinner Jake offered to watch the boys for a bit in the hotel room while I did some final souvenir shopping. It was a much needed break for me, and the boys had a good time with their uncle. He even had them both asleep when I got back :)
Thursday, April 14th
We checked out of the hotel a little before 9 AM and drove back to my parent's house. We just had a down day and both boys took good naps.
Friday, April 15th
Jake and the boys and I got up and got ready to go to the airport with my boys to pick up Jared and surprise my mom. We went to the mall and got some pictures of my brothers and I taken for my mom as another part of the surprise. We did a couple with my boys in it too, they turned out really good. My mom was super surprised. We were able to sneak my brother in, so she saw the picture before she saw him, it took her a minute to put two and two together. It was so much fun :)
Saturday, April 16th
Today was just a visit to my grandparents. My uncle David was there, it was a nice afternoon. It was the first time I'd seen them since their bouts in the hospital this past winter. They both looked really good and really enjoyed the boys.
Ok, I think I've rambled long enough. :)
We also saw Flik and Atta from the movie Bug's Life, Xander gave Flik a big hug. After Bug's land we went to Paradise Pier and had lunch and rode the Carousel and the Sun Wheel. Then it was time for Playhouse Disney Live. After the Playhouse Disney Live show we went back to the hotel to get our room, since we had checked in before it was ready. Xander had fallen asleep on the way there and took a nap. When he woke up the boys and I went down to the pool at the hotel. They both put on life jackets and swam around and went down the small watercolors until Xander got too cold. Then we went to the hot tub for a little bit and then back to the room. We got dressed and decided to go over to Disneyland to eat dinner and maybe ride a ride or two. We ate pizza in tomorrowland and then rode the train that goes all the way around Disneyland....Eventually. We had to wait a long time to get on the train at New Orleans Square, but we finally got to ride the train, then we got our stroller and headed back to the hotel.
The hotel room had a queen size bed, and a set of bunkbeds, which Drew thought was awesome. They had a playpen in the room for Xander to sleep in. We all went to sleep by about 9:30.
Tuesday April 12th
We did the early entry into Disneyland, the lines were really long, but we eventually got in there and were able to pretty much walk right on the new Buzz Lightyear Blasters ride. It was a dark ride and you have a gun to shoot at targets inside the ride. Drew thought the ride was kind of scary and Xander didn't want to leave the gun in the car when it was tim to get off the ride. We went to downtown Morning Madness and all become honorary citizens of downtown. The boys both rode Gadget's Go Coaster. Then Andrew and Jake went on Big Thunder Mountain. I don't think Andrew really liked it. He was very nervous about "drops" after that. Xander and I went to the Little Patch of Heaven petting zoo area that was near Big Thunder Mountain to wait for Jake and Andrew. Xander loved the goats and the cows.
Andrew then came over to pet the animals. He and Xander were petting one of the cows. The cow started to pee and Andrew exclaimed, look Xander the cow is giving milk! :)
We also took the boys on Pirates of the Caribbean, which put Xander to sleep, but he lasted until the last hill back up to the beginning of the ride. We also went into Tarzan's Treehouse, into the Tiki Room, King Arthur's Carousel, Teacups, and Winnie the Pooh. Andrew and I rode Splash Mountain. Poor Drew was scared about the big hill, but he seemed like he liked the ride well enough after it was over, although he said he wouldn't go on it again. Andrew and Jake also rode the monorail. We stayed at Disneyland till around 7 and then ate dinner at La Brea Bakery. The boys were pretty exhausted and fell asleep pretty quickly that night...
Wednesday April 13th
We started the day at Disneyland. We rode the monorail over from Downtown Disney. Then we took the boys on Autopia, Xander loved driving, and so did Drew. Then we did Small World, which both of the boys loved. We did Alice in Wonderland, which Drew had been dying to do, but he really doesn't seem to like the dark rides. But, we drug him on Mr Toad anyway, as it is a must do at Disneyland. But, I didn't make Andrew do Haunted Mansion, although I did want to take Xander on it since it is another must do at Disneyland and it was his first trip. Jake took Andrew over to Tom Sawyer's Island while Xander and I went on Haunted Mansion. I don't know if Xander liked Haunted Mansion, but he didn't cry. His eyes were big as saucers and he let me hold him all the way through though. On most of the rides he wanted to sit on he seat by himself and he didn't want me to even touch him.
Then Xander and I met Andrew over at Tom Sawyer Island. Both of the boys loved it over there. They loved exploring the caves and goin gover the bridges. Andrew loved the tree's and Xander even climbed the ladder and up and down the stairs of the tree's all by himself, with jakes watchful guidance of course. :)
After lunch in Frontierland we visited the Buzz Lightyear gift shop to fulfill a promise to Andrew and then headed over to California Adventure. We went to the Redwook Creek Adventure Trail. The boys really loved that, I think it was their favorite part of the entire trip. Andrew got Jake to take him on the Jumping Jellyfish ride at Paradise Pier, while Xander and I went on King Triton's carousel and then back to It's a Bug's Land, we rode Ladybug Boogie one last time. After that it was about 5 PM and we were all theme parked out. So we headed back to the hotel. After relaxing for a little while, Jake and I headed out with the boys to get some dinner. We ended up at ESPN Zone, since the line was shorter than at Rainforest Cafe. After dinner Jake offered to watch the boys for a bit in the hotel room while I did some final souvenir shopping. It was a much needed break for me, and the boys had a good time with their uncle. He even had them both asleep when I got back :)
Thursday, April 14th
We checked out of the hotel a little before 9 AM and drove back to my parent's house. We just had a down day and both boys took good naps.
Friday, April 15th
Jake and the boys and I got up and got ready to go to the airport with my boys to pick up Jared and surprise my mom. We went to the mall and got some pictures of my brothers and I taken for my mom as another part of the surprise. We did a couple with my boys in it too, they turned out really good. My mom was super surprised. We were able to sneak my brother in, so she saw the picture before she saw him, it took her a minute to put two and two together. It was so much fun :)
Saturday, April 16th
Today was just a visit to my grandparents. My uncle David was there, it was a nice afternoon. It was the first time I'd seen them since their bouts in the hospital this past winter. They both looked really good and really enjoyed the boys.
Ok, I think I've rambled long enough. :)
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Road Trip!
We left today for the short drive to California. The boys were really good in the car, Drew didn't start asking how much longer until we were almost 30 minutes down the road :)
The boys watched The Incredibles, and Hot Wheels Acceleracers on the DVD player (thank goodness for that!). We stopped off at Barstow at the McDonald's that has train cars that you can eat in. Both boys thought that was really fun, and it was a much needed stretch our legs break.
We left Vegas at about 10:45 AM and got to my parents about 4 PM. Traffic wasn't as bad as I was afraid it would be for the Sunday heading to LA traffic.
My mom made me porcupine meatballs for dinner and my dad had bought a birthday cake for me. It was nice to spend my birthday with my parents.
It's kind of funny, Jason got to spend his birthday with his mom this year and I got to spend mine with my parents this year. And considering that our birthdays are 2 weeks apart, and our parents live about 2000 miles apart, that's pretty amazing :)
But, I better turn in so that I can make it through our first day at Disneyland tomorrow! :)
The boys watched The Incredibles, and Hot Wheels Acceleracers on the DVD player (thank goodness for that!). We stopped off at Barstow at the McDonald's that has train cars that you can eat in. Both boys thought that was really fun, and it was a much needed stretch our legs break.
We left Vegas at about 10:45 AM and got to my parents about 4 PM. Traffic wasn't as bad as I was afraid it would be for the Sunday heading to LA traffic.
My mom made me porcupine meatballs for dinner and my dad had bought a birthday cake for me. It was nice to spend my birthday with my parents.
It's kind of funny, Jason got to spend his birthday with his mom this year and I got to spend mine with my parents this year. And considering that our birthdays are 2 weeks apart, and our parents live about 2000 miles apart, that's pretty amazing :)
But, I better turn in so that I can make it through our first day at Disneyland tomorrow! :)
Saturday, April 09, 2005
Our first blog post
One of the things I miss from the old sodabox is telling stories about the pictures I post. So, I'm trying this method. We're just kind of chilling out today and the boys and I are getting ready for our trip to Disneyland and to visit my family in California.
I recently posted some pictures from our trip to Iowa and of Drew's new big boy bed. We had a really nice visit in Iowa and the boys had tons of fun with their Grandma Anderson. They especially liked coloring easter eggs. Andrew was very careful with his, but Xander cracked every egg he dropped in the cup, then he spilled the blue dye, hence the pictures of Xander in only a diaper and spots of blue all over him.
Drew's new bed is huge, but he's loving it. I need to take some pictures of all the stuff he's put on his new shelves and in the drawers. He's arranging his toys like they're precious knick knacks, it's pretty cute. Once the bed was all together he couldn't wait to have Xander come up and explore it with him. Although, he wasn't so happy a couple nights later when we got his full size mattress and Xander decided that he should sleep with Andrew that night. Xander went into his room and got his blanket and carried it up the steps to Drew's bed. Then he went and layed down on the second pillow, like he was so sleeping there that night. :)
Anyway, you guys will have to let me know how you like this whole blog thing.
I recently posted some pictures from our trip to Iowa and of Drew's new big boy bed. We had a really nice visit in Iowa and the boys had tons of fun with their Grandma Anderson. They especially liked coloring easter eggs. Andrew was very careful with his, but Xander cracked every egg he dropped in the cup, then he spilled the blue dye, hence the pictures of Xander in only a diaper and spots of blue all over him.
Drew's new bed is huge, but he's loving it. I need to take some pictures of all the stuff he's put on his new shelves and in the drawers. He's arranging his toys like they're precious knick knacks, it's pretty cute. Once the bed was all together he couldn't wait to have Xander come up and explore it with him. Although, he wasn't so happy a couple nights later when we got his full size mattress and Xander decided that he should sleep with Andrew that night. Xander went into his room and got his blanket and carried it up the steps to Drew's bed. Then he went and layed down on the second pillow, like he was so sleeping there that night. :)
Anyway, you guys will have to let me know how you like this whole blog thing.
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