Take-off.

Ian admires my dad and loves to hear all he has done with his life.  One of the things that caught Ian's interest was flying.  My dad has his private pilot's license, and Ian recently expressed a desire to get his as well.   That's all my dad needed to hear and the next thing you know, Ian has his first flying lesson scheduled for the morning after Ian arrived in Orlando for his visit.

Ian's loved his lesson and would like to continue accumulating enough air time to get his license.  Dad bought him a few books to begin studying and Ian has shown them to me now 4 different times thru FaceTime.  It's cute to see how excited Ian is.  

Summer 2018

Summer is in full swing!  We kicked off the start of our break with a wonderful visit from Max.  Max is my cousin's son who is 6 weeks younger than Ian.  The boys are like two peas in a pod and it's always a pleasure when we get to spend time him and his family. Max is a huge Phillies fan and Ian loves the Nationals.  It was serendipitous that the Nationals was having a home game against the Phillies during one of the nights Max was with us.   Other than rain the first 20 minutes or so, the evening was gorgeous -- no humidity and high 60s.  Yay for us!

The kids just came back from 2 1/2 weeks in Orlando, hanging with my side of the family.  Their visits are always special and they love spending time with their relatives.  This year we tried something new and Ian and Sam flew back by themselves. Success!  Southwest doesn't require the unaccompanied fee for kids ages 13 and older.  :)

And in just 2 weeks, we drive up to Palmer, MA for the kids to go Camp Ramah.  Ian and Samantha will be there from July 25 to August 19.  Ian and Samantha have been looking forward to returning for another summer and they are thrilled that all their favorite friends have been assigned to the same bunks.

Let's do the math -- out of 9 weeks of Summer, the kids will be away for a little more than 6 weeks.  It is nice to have a break and being able to take it easy, especially after all the running around we do during the school year, but I do miss the kids.  The house is so quiet when they are not here.

Since I am no longer working for the Crazy Man and the preschool is closed for the Summer, I have lots of time during the day to fill.  Jeff and I cleaned out our utility room and I binged watched all 6 seasons of "The Americans".  What a great show!

I came up with the idea to repaint several rooms in our house.  After being in our house for 14 years, we've never repainted and it was beyond time to freshen up the place a bit.  Jeff and I aren't quite on the same page with what I want to do, so now I'm not repainting.

So far I haven't run out of things to do.  I spent a few days creating the photo album from Ian's Bar Mitzvah.  And I finished the yearly photo books I do for each of the kids. I cleaned out my email inbox (13,000 emails received, 22,000 emails sent -- all gone!). I keep seeing a closet, drawer, cabinet or area in the house to organize and declutter.  I think I've hit every single one of them by now.  I hate clutter!   I've met some friends for lunch, taken Lucy to the vet and other errands, including presenting a letter to Congressman Connolly's office with other moms letting him know its wrong separating kids from their parents.  Oh, and I took a trip to the National Zoo to see Moke, the 9 week old baby gorilla.  What a cutie!

I know I should be embracing the peace and quiet when the kids aren't here, but I really do enjoy being with them, especially when we can do stuff and have fun. It's nice to have some time taking a break, but I don't think I achieved a good balance this Summer.  6 weeks within a 2 month period being apart from Ian and Samantha is a little too long.   Please remind me I wrote that when we are back to living la vida loca in the Fall.  :)

Meeting SDW ♥

My sister had a baby!   Sarah Dylan Wronsky was born on June 7, 2017.  She is beautiful and sweet and everything amazing.  Sarah joins big sister Rachel who is 3.5 years old and thrilled to have a sister.   In fact, Rachel thinks of Sarah as her baby. She is very possessive about her. 

Lori and Ben had Sarah's baby naming in early July and we had the best visit meeting Sarah and spending time with the family.  Now there is another reason to add to the list for wanting to move to Orlando. 

Flying solo

The helicopter mom in me is always at odds with the free-range mom in me.   This duel has been going on as long as Hamilton vs Burr. 

I want my kids to be well-adjusted and be able to think for themselves.  I want them to be able to problem solve and figure things out.  I'd like them to be able to take care of themselves and show me they have a good head on their shoulders.

But then I think, "Ian's only 11!!! (or whatever age he is when I'm having this tug of war in my head)  Samantha is only --!!"  They aren't ready to be independent.  They still need me.  I want to be needed!  They have their whole life ahead of them when their dad or me won't be around and they will be forced to sink or swim in this game of life.  Let me help them now. Why can't I parent them in a bubble and keep them firmly tucked under my wing?   Because that would be a disservice to them and society.

Most of the time my free-range parenting side prevails.  I am quick to let the kids stay home by themselves.  I am quick to tell them they need to make their own breakfasts and lunches.  I am quick to let Ian be part of a small group of his friends where he crosses a very busy intersection near our house and does lunch on his own.  I'm quick to let Ian walk home from school on his own if I need to take Samantha to an activity or an appt at the same time school lets out.  There have been several instances where the kids had to leave the house on their own and walk to school in the morning when Jeff and I couldn't be there.  I've taken a bold leap in letting the kids exert their independence and start doing things on their own.  This was never more evident then when Ian flew to Orlando for a long weekend by himself.  Yes, without me, without daddy, without anyone he knew.

Getting ready to board the plane, all on his own!

Ian handled it like a champ.  Me, on the other hand, had a few tears after saying good-bye to him and watched him get on the pane.  I can't believe at some point I thought this was a good idea.  What was I thinking?!?!?   They board unaccompanied minors first. Before anyone else gets on the plane, the unaccompanied minor is sent to take their seat and get settled.

I gave Ian 5 minutes and then started texting him on this spare cell phone we let him use for the trip.  This was our conversation as all the other passengers were boarding:

Me:  Hi.  Just checking in.  Everything ok on the plane?
Ian:  Yes I'm fine.
Me:  Ok.  I'm proud of you. You are going to have a great time. I love you.
Ian:  thanks.  I love you too.
Me:  Did someone help you get your suitcase in the overhead bin?
Ian:  Yes.
Me:  Ok, have a great trip. I love you.
Ian:  Bye. I love you too.
Me:  Has anyone checked on you to see if you are ok?
Ian:  Yes.
Me:  Ok, I will stop bugging you.  Make good choices.  I love you very much.
Ian:  Bye.  I love you too.

Ha!  Baby steps on this whole free-range parenting thing, right?  :)

I am happy to report that we both survived Ian's trip.  Ian did great.  I figured this is good training for the summer when the kids are at camp for a whole month.  Another instance where the helicopter mom in me was grounded big-time.  

Ian's rockstar kind of weekend

About a month ago Ian told me how much he misses his relatives in Orlando.  I had an idea that if it was ok with Jeff and Ian was up for it, he could fly down to Florida for the long Memorial Day holiday all on his own. And so that's just what Ian did.  From Saturday, May 27th to Tuesday, May 30th, Ian had 4 days he will never forget.  

Years from now when Ian reflects back on his life, this trip to Florida will inevitably be at the top of his favorite things to remember.  My dad, stepmother, mom, stepfather, both sisters, niece and brother-in-law all went way overboard in showing Ian a good time.  OMG!  In my kind of way of putting things, they could either go BIG or go home and they went BIG!  Really BIG!   So big that I was a bit concerned we wouldn't be able to get Ian on a flight back home.  I am pretty sure part of him would rather stay in Orlando being adored by all these relatives who love him and don't bug the shit out of him like his sister does.

Ian said he would love it if everyone (all 9 relatives) could be with him the whole time he was visiting.  He wanted everyone to show up everywhere he was going.  I told him that wasn't realistic. He should know that everyone was fighting over him and they all wanted him for themselves the whole time he was in Orlando.  Somehow they managed a rotating schedule that made sense and Ian stayed a night at Dad/Rita's house, a night at Lori/Ben/Rachel's house and a night at Mom/Jim's house.

What Ian didn't know was there were many, many surprises in store for him.  And yes, everyone was going to be at almost every place he went.  My family raised the bar ridiculously high!

Saturday:  Dad, Rita and Meghan picked him up at the airport.
Saturday lunch:  Surprise!  Everyone was at Carrabas for lunch.
Saturday afternoon:  Surprise!  Indoor Skydiving with Dad, Rita and Meghan
Sunday evening:  dinner at Sweet Tomatoes with Dad and Rita.  

Sunday morning:  Everyone (except Lori & Ben) went to the make-your-own pancake place.  A favorite restaurant among our family.
Sunday afternoon:  Mom, Jim, Rachel and Ian spent the day at New Smyrna Beach.
Sunday evening:  Ian went for sushi with Lori, Ben and Rachel

Monday:  The Sanford Zoo with Lori, Ben and Rachel. This was a special request from Ian on wanting to go here.
Monday later in the day/dinner:  Surprise!  Dave and Buster's with everyone.  Mom planned a little party for Ian's upcoming birthday and had a cake ready to go.

Tuesday morning/afternoon:  Time spent with Mom and Jim before the airport with Mom-Mom's world famous oatmeal. 

WOWEE!  Ian had a jam packed 3 days going to all these awesome places with his favorite people.

I love that Ian got this time and this amazing experience.  And I love that my family treated Ian like a rockstar and went all out.

The day Samantha met Santa

While we were in Orlando, mom and Jim took us to their favorite orange groove stand.  OMG!  These oranges are something else!!  So yummy!  This orange grove stand has an amazing business with not just produce, but a variety of other items too (special wines, honey, gift sets, etc).  In addition, there is a big farm where you can walk among chickens, roosters, cows, and pigs.  What a cool place to visit.

On the day we arrived there was a special VIP.  Santa Claus!  He was employed by the orange groove stand to greet the kids and do his Santa thing.  We just happened to arrive when there was no one around Santa.  Samantha made a beeline for him and started up a conversation:

Sam:  Are you a real Santa?

Santa:  I could be.

Sam:  If you are real, what are your reindeer's names?

Santa:  Blitzen, Rudolph, etc,...until he names them all.

Sam:  Where do you live?

Santa:  The North Pole

Sam:  Where is Mrs. Claus?

Santa:  Back at home getting the elves ready for Christmas

Sam: Is your beard real?

Santa: Try pulling on it.

Sam does.  It's a real beard!

This interrogation went on for 20 minutes!  Sam did not stop firing questions at Santa to see if he was real or not.  It was hilarious!  After she was convinced that this was the real deal, she sat on his lap and Santa asked his magical question:

Santa:  What would you like for Christmas?

Sam:  Not sure how to answer this one, Sam looked at me.  I told Santa we actually don't celebrate Christmas; we are Jewish and therefore, celebrate Hanukkah. 

Santa:  Great!  What would you like for Hanukkah?

We had the best conversation with Santa.  Turns out he is a super nice guy and has a dream to work for Macy's in NYC.  He wants to be the Santa in the parade and at the store.  He has four children, a new granddaughter and we learned all about them.  I think we must've chatted with this Santa for about an hour before a child approached him and wanted a turn.  

What a fun, spontaneous visit to the orange grove stand.  It was awesome!  And I love how social Sam became striking up a conversation with Santa Claus.  While she believes the Santa she met at the orange grove stand is real, she is still skeptical the Santa's at every mall she sees them in isn't.  :)

Sam thinking hard questions to ask Santa to see if he is real or not.

Sitting on Santa's lap after Sam's interrogation is over.

70 Candles on the cake.

So I messed up. Big-time.  A few months ago, I said I was coming down for my dad's birthday.  He is turning 70 and it's sort of a big deal.  Back when I made my intentions known, dad kept saying nothing is being planned and there won't be a party.  I said, it doesn't matter, I'll be there.  I didn't press the issue with Jeff and the kids and made the decision that they could stay home rather than spend the money and miss all the activities we already had on the calendar.

A few days before the big weekend, I woke up and decided I'd take Ian with me. SOL testing was done for him and it wouldn't be a big deal for him to miss school on Friday afternoon and all of Monday. Furthermore, we had enough Jet Blue points to cover the cost of a ticket.   I should've insisted that Jeff and Sam join us.  The birthday celebration turned into something spectacular, complete with a fabulous party on Saturday night and a brunch the next morning.  All of Team Toppall should've been there.  Next time I will do better.

The whole weekend was wonderful and filled with family.  Ian and I had a great time.  I always go back to this one sentence:  I adore my family.  I absolutely love spending time with them and can't imagine not being a part of every celebration, milestone or birthday celebration.  Being with my sisters, dad/rita, mom/jim, neice, and brother-in-law has the ability to make an ordinary day extraordinary.   I can tell that Ian feels the same way and truly values spending time with the family.  He gets just as much enjoyment from it as I do.  We kept Ian's last minute travel plans to join me a secret from dad.  Ian was so excited to surprise Papa.  It was the coolest moment ever when my dad's face lit up seeing Ian standing in his kitchen. 

Rachel stuck to Ian like super glue.  She couldn't get enough of him.  It was super cute watching the two of them together.    Meghan and her boyfriend Bradley spent Sunday with Ian bowling and then I joined them for go-karting.  So much fun!

Surprise!  Ian is here!!

Chilling at the pool at my dad and Rita's house

Besties

The whole gang, plus a cousin or two.

Fun at the Fun Spot!

Love.

Picking Rachel up from day care before we went to the airport

Heartbroken.

I woke up on Saturday morning at 6:30am.  A text had come to my phone at 6:17am alerting me to the fact that my friend's mom passed away the night before.  I wished I could be instantly transported to another city.  I never before so badly wanted to be anywhere but where I was.  Without hesitation, I didn't care what we had planned for our weekend; I was going to be on the next flight to Orlando.   This is a feeling that I've never experienced before.  

I've always had plenty of time to plan my trips to Florida before.  Even when I went for 10 days to be with my mom when she had her triple by-pass surgery, I had a few week's notice and was able to plan out my arrival and departure.  This was different.  

My friend Amanda and I have known each other since we were 5 years old.  Our families have a long history together.  Unfortunately, Amanda's father passed away on the same exact day I gave birth to Ian, 10 years ago.  It takes a special person to wish you congratulations on the birth of your first child (she was the very first one to call me) and not mention that her dad died just minutes before.  She didn't want to take away my joy.  I only heard about the timing of her father passing thru my own dad.  Wow.  I wasn't able to be there for her then, I was surely going to be there for her now.  

I quickly told my boss at the preschool why I wouldn't be able to go to work on Monday and Tuesday.  My boss said it was wonderful I could be there for my friend.  My reply was, it wasn't optional in my opinion.  I knew where I needed to be.   You can easily show up for the good stuff, it's the times when you show up for the crappy stuff in life that counts.  

I am heartbroken for my friend.  To say Amanda was close with her mom is like saying Siamese twins have a bond.  It's going to take some time for her to get used to this "new normal".  Ugh.

In the Jewish religion, it is custom to have the funeral within 24 hours of the person passing.  Due to people having to travel from Israel, the service was moved to Tuesday.  I was able to get a 9:00pm flight back to D.C. on Tuesday night.  It gave me plenty of time to attend the funeral and do a Shiva call before heading to the airport.  It made for a very long day, but it didn't matter to me how tired I would be getting home at 12:00am.  I was able to be where I felt I should be.   

There are not many people (other than family) I would drop everything I was doing, without even giving it a second thought, and change my world upside down to be with them.  Amanda is one of the few.  

I was home for 4 days.  It had been too long since my last visit when Jeff, the kids and I was there for Thanksgiving.  While I hated the reason for being in town, I cherished the time I got to spend with my sister and her family and my parents.  I've told my parents I am going to start infusing formaldehyde in their veins to preserve them.  It totally sucks to see them aging.  My friend's mom's passing hits way too close to home.  

Last, but not least, I can not write this blog and fail to mention my husband.  He is my rock and never-ending source of support.  As soon as I read him the text, early this past Saturday morning, before I could even say it, he said, "You've got to go."   With no notice, he rearranged his life for the 4 days I was gone and took over being the mom and dad to Ian & Sam.  Furthermore, about 6 hours after I left, Sam developed a fever and was home for the next 3 days.  Two days of missed school, a trip to the pediatrician and generally holding down the fort.   To say I married well is an understatement.  

The best was when he gave me a stern lecture on how I need to hold it together for Amanda. "This isn't about you."... I should be strong and not cry in front of her.    Yes, right....whatever.  I made it all of 10 minutes and then lost it.  As I was losing it, I was telling Amanda what Jeff told me.  Then I started laughing because I am sure whatever Jeff was imagining, I was much, much worse in reality.   Ugh.  

On Monday, I spent from 9:30am to 6:30pm with my friend helping her get everything ready for the service the next day.  It was a very crappy reason on why I was spending the day with her, but she appreciated me being there.  And for those 9 hours there was no where else I wanted to be.  Sometimes life sucks.  

Cool new gadget alert.

 At the end of April, I made a very much needed trip to go home and spend a long weekend with my family.  By myself.  From Friday morning to Monday afternoon, I had a great time seeing everyone and spending a few days at the beach with my mom and Lori.  I loved my time and absolutely cherish whenever I get the opportunity to be around them.  My family are the best!  It's hard having the distance we have between us.  That's why its important to me that I go down at least once a year, on my own, and get some one-on-one quality time.

I stayed one night at my Dad and Rita's house.  Since I had been there last, Meghan got a new shower head in her bathroom.   It has to be the coolest thing I have seen in a long time.  The shower head has a display showing the temperature of the water.  And it is color coded based on how hot it gets.  So incredibly cool!  I believe it changes from purple to red when it hits 110 degrees. 

Just think how neat it would be to turn on the water and not ever have to worry you didn't get the water hot enough or it was too hot before you stepped in.  You can find your perfect temperature you like, get the water going and step in to a perfect shower time and time again.  How awesome would that be?

I have no idea if this shower head has been around for a long time (and maybe it has), but I am so happy to have discovered it.  Just when you think that something can't be improved any more than it is, this comes along.  :)

Display reads:  104 degrees.

Display reads:  110 degrees.

The international language of yummy.

One of our favorite families goes to Orlando the same week each year.  They take advantage of the teacher work days and visit all the Disney parks.  Over the past several years, I've been fortunate to go down with either one or both of the kids for a long weekend and meet up with them.  It's become our thing and we all have a great time.

This year we did Epcot.  One of the coolest things I've ever experienced happened around lunch time.  We went to the American restaurant for lunch.  Our plans were to go right next door and check out the singing group and the show in the American pavilion.  The skies were gray and we knew it was going to rain.  As we were walking to the building right next to us, we noticed the pouring rain was coming towards us.  We could see it moving across the lake.  It was wild to witness this.  We made it in the building in enough time and timed it perfectly that when we were done and headed back outside, the rain was done too.  To see thick sheets of rain move rapidly across a body of water and head directly to you was something out of a movie.  So incredibly neat.

The first half of the day we spent doing the rides.  At 5:15pm we had reservations in Mexico for dinner. For the remainder of our day (until Epcot closed) we ate our way around the world.  A different dessert in almost every country. It was so yummy!  And a rare treat the kids don't normally get.  By the end of the day, my FitBit said I logged 23,000 steps.  Yowzer!  That level of activity was needed with all those sweets.

Eating our way thru Epcot is not for the faint of heart.  Good thing Ian and Samantha were up to the task. 

Surprise! We are here!

My sister Lori turned 40 at the end of January.  A party was being thrown to celebrate this milestone.  Of course I was going.  I don't even need a reason this big to justify a visit.  My mom wanted me coming to be a surprise.  Lori knew there was no way I'd stay away and was expecting me to show up. It was fun though to keep her guessing.  Over the phone, Lori kept trying to get my kids to let the cat out of the bag.    I did surprise her though by bringing the kids with me.  Ian and Samantha showing up at the party was something she didn't expect. 

The timing was perfect as Ian and Sam had Friday and Monday off from school for teacher workdays.  We flew to Orlando on Friday afternoon and flew back on Tuesday afternoon.  The kids would miss only one day of school.  Sweet!

We had a great time.  Not only did we attend Lori’s swanky cocktail party (complete with piano player), but we had wonderful plans for the rest of time in Orlando. We ate breakfast on Sunday at the awesome make-your-own-pancakes place, met up with my friend Amanda and her girls for dinner on Saturday (before the party) and was able to spend the day (12 hours!) at Epcot with one of the kids’ and my favorite families on Monday.  It was an eventful 4 days.  We made the most of every hour.

Our weekend getaway started the day after the show “Parenthood” had their series finale.  I was very much in mourning over this show ending.  Without a doubt, this had to have been one of the best series ever in television history.  Each Thursday, I would check in with the Braverman’s for one hour and be transported to a family who faced head-on all that life threw at them (cancer, abortion, alcoholism, PTSD, aspergers, lesbianism, heart disease, adoption, bullying, fertility, cheating, divorce, etc) with humor, courage, and gusto.   And yes, each Thursday at the ending of the show, I was usually in tears.  It was that moving; that genuine; that fantastic.  The storylines, the actors, the writing were all top-notch.   Who didn’t want a family like the Braverman’s?  Sure there was fighting and many issues among the family members; but they were there for each other.  Always. As Hank once said, “The Braverman’s are like Starbucks. You can’t escape them. There’s one on every corner.”

On Sunday when my family got together (very early in the morning! after a very late night partying the night before) it dawned on me why I was so sad seeing Parenthood end.  We are the Braverman’s!!  I am lucky enough to have my own version.  We bicker, we laugh, we cry, and we are there for each other.  Always.  My version lives in Orlando. I could relate to this tv family and turn in each Thursday night to check in. In some strange way, it was like visiting relatives.  Unfortunately, the show is over and so are my weekly visits.

Thank G-d in real life my family lives on.  We are a crazy bunch, teasing each other, celebrating birthdays, milestones, laughing at the big moments and the little ones, and supporting each other through illness and disappointments.  Just like the Bravermans, we are always there for each other.  No cancellations here. 

Can I get that to go?

My dad and stepmother are currently enjoying themselves on a cruise.  When I heard they were leaving, I was instantly reminded of a very funny story that occurred during a vacation when the whole family got to go.

We were all gathered together, ready to leave.  We were just waiting for Lori to meet up with us.  My dad calls Lori to see where she is.  We don't here what she says to dad on the phone, but we do hear my dad's side of the conversation. 

Dad:  Lori, where are you?

Lori: -------

Dad:  Well can't Robyn pick that up for you?

Lori:  ------

Dad: Ok, we are ready to go when you get here. 

It turns out that Lori told my dad she was getting waxed.  Hahahahaha.  Um, no.  I can't pick that up for her.

This is one of those inside stories that keeps making its way into conversation.  Whenever I speak with Lori and we hear the other is getting waxed, we joke "How about you just pick that up for me?"

Gosh, I love my dad.

Thanksgiving wrap up.

It's taken me a while to get back into the swing of things.  Most days I feel too exhausted to want to write.  However, I love looking back and reading how I felt, what the kids were up to and what our family was doing.  This can only happen if I actually write it.  :)   I plan to do a better job of getting back into the routine of writing with the frequency I used to.

I have the best family.  Hands down, that's all there is to it.  I am so thankful for so many things; my life is truly blessed.  I don't have the newest car (it's become a family joke how many miles are on it) or the biggest house (by far I live in the smallest in my family), but I am rich with love.  So much love.  It's the best when we get together.  You'd be hard pressed to find a family that enjoys being with each other more than mine.  It's non-stop reminiscing, making new memories and laughing non-stop. 

I know my family will not be around forever.  I can cry buckets just at the thought of losing one of them.  It's important to me to go down to Orlando as much as possible.  There is nothing like family.

This past Thanksgiving I took the kids for a week. Jeff hadn't built up enough vacation time at his new job and stayed home while we flew down.  My niece turned a year old on November 13th.  Lori & Ben had her first birthday party while we were in town. 

It was a jam packed visit.  Not only were we around to attend Rachel's first birthday party, but we also witnessed her taking her very first steps.  How exciting! 

While traveling, my bucket of what I was grateful for overflowed.  Here is a just small sampling - some are very trivial, some not so much.  But all touched me in some fashion.  In no particular order -

* The airlines lifting the "no electronics" rule on take-off and landing.  Wow, I can't even begin to tell you what a difference this makes when flying with the kids.  I don't think they even realized we had taken off or landed.  It was a breeze.  I am not sure I could do a cross country flight with them right now, but I'm getting much closer.

*Ian being a wonderful big brother and letting Sam have the window seat on our flights. 

*My dad/stepmother and mom/stepfather not only getting along, but truly caring for each other.  It makes coming together for the holidays a breeze.  There is never a discussion of which house my sister and I will spend the big day at; it's just a question of who is hosting. 

*Having 3 different residences (my mom, my dad, my sister) all fight for us wanting to spend the night at their house.  We were there 6 nights and I split it up equally-- 2 nights at each place.  It gives me a gushy feeling to have so many want us to invade and make a lot of noise in otherwise quiet, peaceful homes.

*When we realized it wouldn't be possible for Jeff to go with us, it wasn't a question that me and the kids would travel without him.  To have the ability to purchase plane tickets (when we would have otherwise been driving with Jeff) is something I don't take for granted.  Having Jeff's parents take us to the airport and pick us up when we got back was a few more drops in my bucket of gratefulness.

*The woman who sat in front of Sam on the return flight. I am thankful for her gracious and understanding nature.  In an uncharacteristic move on Sam's part, she intentionally kicked the seat in front of her, repeatedly.  Ugh.  It took about 25 minutes before I could get Sam to finally stop.  She is known for a lot of inexcusable behavior, but she has never kicked the seat in front of her.  I guess there is a first time for everything.  The woman who sat in the seat in front of Sam was very sweet and should've been highly annoyed every time she involuntarily lurched forward again and again.  Miraculously she wasn't.  Believe me, Sam got punished for this, especially when she refused to apologize to the lady.



I love these people.

My gorgeous niece turning 1!

*My friends Amanda and Molly.  I've known Amanda since I was 6 and Molly since I was 12.  To show up at random times in Orlando and have a date instantly get put on the calendar for us to get together warms my heart.  Our kids are only weeks apart in age.  How awesome it is to have a playdate for my kids whenever we need it.  And a girls night out for me is always a must; I don't lack childcare to help take care of the kids.

Our girls at 6 months old and again at 6.5 years old.  Love.
 

It wasn't all sunshine and roses.  Southwest Airlines did lose the kids' luggage on the way there.  Fortunately, It was found the next day.  But for about 12 hours, it was a pain to think we'd need to quickly buy clothes, shoes, toiletries for the kids for the week.  On Tuesday, it rained ALL DAY LONG.  Like hurricane type rain.  That kept us mostly indoors hanging out at my mom's house.  It actually turned into a nice day being with my mom and Jim.  Mom and Sam made cookies together.  And, lastly Sam had a few major temper tantrums that I am still recovering from.  She has been pushing my buttons big-time.  Most days I feel majorly beaten-up by the time nightfall comes.

I can't complain.  I am truly blessed and I know it. 

Spring Training

This is a first.  Jeff in Orlando. Without me.  In the 10+ years we've been together, Jeff has never gone down to Florida without me.  It feels so weird to have him down there and me in Burke. 

Jeff and Ian came up with the idea to head South and catch some of the Spring Training baseball games.  They've been planning the trip since before the Spring Training schedule was even available.  From Thursday evening to Monday evening, Jeff and Ian had a fantastic boys weekend planned.  Not only did they see three baseball games in three days, but they got to spend a wonderful amount of time with my dad, Rita, mom, Jim, Lori, Ben and Rachel. 

My mom ended up in the hospital shortly before their visit started.  I was so grateful that Jeff and Ian could visit mom and see her multiple times throughout their time in Orlando.

The boys had an amazing trip!  I am sure now that my secret is out (visiting my family is the best thing ever) I will no longer be going as much as I had on my own.  There will be some stiff competition for long weekend trips to Orlando.  Especially when you are experiencing 80 degree weather and come back to 7+ inches of snow freshly falling.

We got lucky with the scheduling as Ian was originally going to miss 2 days of school (Friday and Monday) but because of the snow, school was cancelled (yet again!) on Monday, March 17th.  Ian ended up only missing 1 school day and didn't even miss gymnastics.  Monday was St. Patrick's day.  It was the luck of the Irish!

As Jeff was unpacking he said these were 3 of the best days of his life. He loved getting to have this time with Ian and create these memories. I know it was pretty special for Ian too. 

Ian getting tackled by Orbit, the Astro's mascot

70 Candles

A week ago, I was down in Orlando to celebrate my mom turning 70.  If you know my mom, you'd know she doesn't act like she is 70.  Most days she has more energy than I do and keeps going, going, going like the Energizer bunny.  She is funny, thoughtful, quick to lend a hand and one of the best people you'd ever be fortunate to meet.  My mom is beautiful inside and out. Simply put, she is my best friend.

My sister Lori and I threw my mom a small party for her 70th. Originally Jeff and the kids were going to travel to Florida with me, but after spending 2 weeks with everyone at the end of December, and Jeff's upcoming trip with Ian in March, it didn't make sense to spend hundreds of dollars on airfare for a long weekend.  So I got to have a wonderful weekend back home, sans kids.  The timing could not have been more perfect as I was really needing a break. 

This most recent trip going solo got me thinking.  There were many moments when I wished Jeff and the kids were with me.  I wanted to hang out with my mom/Jim, dad/Rita, Lori/Ben/Rachel, and Meghan with my kids and husband.  It was hard to be at the party and not have them there.  Hanging at my sister's house with her new baby really made me want Ian and Sam to get to know their cousin as much as they could.  It didn't seem right that I got to hold her and no one else on my Toppall team could.

My other thought that hit me was "What the hell was I thinking moving so far away from everyone?!?!?"   I absolutely ADORE my family.  The amount of love I feel towards the Florida crew can not be measured.   On Monday afternoon, a few hours before my flight back home, Rita, Meghan and I went for a quick lunch.  It is not an exaggeration to say that we laughed our way through the entire lunch.  Oh, what fun we had!  This lunch was such an impromptu, last minute idea and it will bring smiles to my face every time I think about it.

I know it is not practical to even consider moving back to Orlando (nor do I want to deal with the heat), but if given the right opportunity, I'd jump at the chance.  My sister's baby (Rachel) is so blessed to be growing up with her grandparents and aunt a mile or two away   I am not a jealous person, but this does get me teary-eyed on how special it will be for her.

Every time I come back from a visit down South, I feel incredibly grateful to have had the chance to go. I also instantly get depressed that I won't be around my family until the next time I go down to visit.  As of now, I don't plan to go back until July.  Gosh, that seems so far away.  I may need to do something about that. 

This was my mom 'back in the day'.
Wasn't she beautiful?

My mom with her 2 girls.