Four Very Special Days, Part 2.

It was Sam's turn to go down to Florida and spend some time with my family.  We had an amazing trip!  We boarded a plane on Friday, March 29th and made it in time for a birthday celebration dinner with my sister Meghan.  How nice that each of our trips allowed us the opportunity to celebrate one of my sister's birthdays.

I'll let the pictures tell the story of our four day adventure.

FRIDAY:

We went to Kobe, a Japanese steak house to celebrate Meghan's Birthday.  Sam loved the show!
 

Sam successfully ate with chopsticks

SATURDAY:

 

Spent 10+ hours at the Magic Kingdom with my mom, Amanda and her little girl Sammy.  I've known Amanda since I was 5 years old.  Her daughter is just 2 months younger than mine.  Coincidentally, they are both named Samantha.

The girls became princesses at Bippity Bobbity Boutique.  Afterwards we had lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table and enjoyed lunch with the princesses.  It was a magical day!

The girls bonded quickly!

SUNDAY:

We spent the day with my dad, stepmom, and sister Meghan at Green Meadows Farm.  This place was great and very hands-on. 

Sam milked a cow!

MONDAY:

It was time to hit the beach with my mom.  A sunny, breezy day with temps in the 80's.

Sam loves to pose on the beach!

TUESDAY:

Chilled at my mom's house until it was time to leave for the airport.  Lori (my other sister) came over for lunch.

Mom-mom and Sam used their time wisely and made a pumpkin pie together.

I loved that I could do these trips with the kids.  It means the world to me that we could spend some quality time with my family doing things that each kid would love.   Next year I think there is competition for my trip.  Jeff and Ian have plans to go down for Baseball Spring training.

The middle

I recently did my trip to Orlando with Sam.  It occurred to me as we were seated in row 13, seats F and E on the plane, that from now on I will forever be stuck in the middle seat.  As long as I am traveling with one or both kids, I am doomed to be sitting in the middle seat coming and going.  This is just a matter of fact.  There really is nothing I can do to change it.

I believe we've finally gotten to the point that we can get on a plane and my 3 worst fears won't come true - 1. do something that causes an emergency landing, 2. get us kicked off the plane, or 3. make the 6:00pm news.  The flight with Ian in January was a dream.  And my flight with Sam in March was almost perfect.  We managed to go the entire flight (both ways) without alerting any of our fellow passengers we were on board.   This is HUGE!  Most certainly I never thought I'd see this day coming.  The woman next to me on the flight back home gave Sam a major compliment on how great she was behaving.  If she only knew what it was like in previous years! 

I am no longer holding my breath for the two hours we are in the air.  I don't even need to come armed with tons of toys, snacks or bribes.  It is a pleasure to get from Point A to Point B (in the most efficient mode of transportation possible) and not be a stress case.

As for ALWAYS getting stuck in the middle seat, this will be a small price to pay.

A funny ha-ha moment:  Sam had to go to the bathroom during our flight back.  While she was sitting on the toilet, she looked over and noticed how close the sink was to her.  She said, "How great is this!  You can wash your hands and pee at the same time."  Only Samantha would find a benefit to a very small bathroom.  :)

My Gluten-Free Hero!

I am one of those rare birds who LOVES Passover foods.  Other than twizzlers, the biggest disappoint to me in having to go gluten-free was never getting to eat a Matzo Ball again.  Oy, the travesty!

Enter Stage Right:  My fabulous mother-in-law who has single-handedly brought back my long lost love and many other amazing gluten-free foods.   Jeff's mom lives in Pikesville (outside of Baltimore) and not too far from Seven Mile Market.  It is a one-stop shop for all your Kosher needs and a wonderland of Gluten-Free Passover foods.  They have EVERYTHING...panko crumbs, matzo meal, enough desserts to put you in a diabetic coma, noodles, matzo ball mix, and so much more!  All gluten-free!!   My mother-in-law called me frequently from the middle of the store, saying she felt like a kid in a candy store telling me all gluten-free offerings.  How wonderful of her to think of me, shop and stock-up on my behalf.

I am no longer in a matzo ball depraved world.  I actually don't even need the rest of the meal.  Just give me a big bowl of matzo ball soup and I am loving life.  Yum-O!  And let me tell you, these matzo balls are SCRUMPTIOUS!!

Passover may have come and gone, but I am one lucky duck who gets to enjoy these treats for the better part of a year.  It's good to be connected. 

Pullover

 

Ian is now able to do a pullover in gymnastics, all on his own.  Before he needed his coach's help to get himself completely over.  Ian has got the move down.  Woo-hoo!   I am so excited for him.

 

 

 

Hitting a new milestone

A few weeks ago, I picked Ian up from school and was reminding him that we had about 30 minutes before having to leave the house and make our way to Sam's swim lesson.  Ian asked if he could stay at the house by himself.  Hmmmm, why not?  At age 8 (according to the State of VA), Ian is technically allowed to stay by himself for up to 1.5 hours during the daytime. 

Ian turns 8 years old in about 2 months. In anticipation of this, we've been quizzing Ian at random times what he would do in various situations if Jeff and/or I am not at home...the doorbell rings (does he answer it?  Nooooo!), the phone rings (does he answer it?  Yes, if he recognizes the number, but never say we are not home.), he gets hungry (does he cook himself something?  Noooooooooo!  But he can get himself a snack, piece of fruit, drink), etc.

Ian has a great head on his shoulders.  I was ok with him staying home when I took Sam to her swim lesson.  From the time we pulled out of the driveway to our return, it would be almost a full hour.  We called Jeff and asked him his opinion.  I wasn't about to make this monumental decision on my own.  Jeff spoke with Ian for a few minutes and then gave his blessing too.

During the 55 minutes we were gone, I called Ian 3 times.  Every 15 minutes, I checked in on him to make sure he was ok.  The first two calls his voice sounded a little shaky.   By the 3rd call, he said it was going great and he was very happy to be home. 

I can't wait for 3 more years when Sam turns 8 and she can stay home too.  Then I can go to the swim lesson all by myself.  :)

Heard and Observed #39

The other day Ian did something that really upset me.  I yelled at him (frankly, I can't even remember over what) and he sulked off, leaving the room I was in.  

As he moped away, Sam says to him:

Don't worry Ian, I still like you.

****************************************************************************


 

Here's a little tale from the Crypt

The Crazy Man:  We need to call the FBI.  I think I received a fraudulent letter and I want them to take a look at it.  

Me:  Ok.  How important is this?

The Crazy Man:  Let's do it tomorrow.

Me:  Ok.

 The next day --

Me:  Do you still want me to call the FBI?

The Crazy Man:  Yes!  This is very important.  I am almost certain it is a fraudulent letter.

Me:  Do you have a copy of the letter?  Because I don't have it.

The Crazy Man:  No, I can't find it.

Me:  Um...(REALLY!?!?!?  OMG!).... the FBI's first question is going to be to show them the letter.

The Crazy Man:  Yeah, your right.  Let's do this another day then.

Me:  Ok.

Seriously, I can't make this stuff up.  :)