Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
South Carolina: Last Day :(
Today Aunt Maeve, Mikey and Leighanne did a lot of geocaching and a little shopping.
First we headed out to the Old Mill in Lexington. We couldn't find the microcache, but we found some other neat things while looking around. First, Aunt Maeve found a cool turtle shell but then we saw where a snake had shed it's skin so that did make us a little nervous about looking too hard for the cache so we gave up and headed across the street where there was this neat waterfall.
Our second cache attempt was also a bust. Another microcache that Aunt Maeve has looked for before. When we searched for hints, it looked like a few folks had had some trouble in the past so we didn't feel too badly and Mikey had a nice time playing in the park where the cache was located.
After we had looked around for about 20 minutes though, this is what he looked like:
After two DNF (did not finds), we decided to try our hand at shopping. We had some Sandy's hot dogs and headed to a series of accessories shops in an attempt to find some gifts for mom to take back to the girls. Even though we saw a lot of neat things, no dice there either so back we went to geocaching. Mikey had woken up from his nap and was NOT happy so we dealt with a tantrum while we headed for another cache. Luckily...this time success! Aunt Maeve found a cache under some holly and we launched the duplicate "Gone Fishin" travel bug in memory of grandpa Bruce at the Make Tracks geocache.
After our success we decided to keep going, but mom's cell phone battery died and so the next two caches we searched for were also DNFs because we had pretty much nothing to go on except some printed out descriptions of the cache - which if you've ever gone geocaching, you have to know is not all that helpful...big bummer too as one of the caches was a Travel Bug Hotel and it would have been a nice place to pick up some bugs to head to MI.
So, again, we went shopping. Mikey got in another much needed nap and mom managed to find her last gift for the girls. After that, we decided to launch the other travel bug we had picked up at a "known" cache that Aunt Maeve had already found before. To mom's delight we found another travel bug to swap for so she'll take that back home to MI tomorrow.
After a long, long day of temper tantrums, geocaching and window shopping, we were pooped and hungry so after a brief pitstop at home so we could meet up with Uncle Aaron, we headed out to Hudson's - which was by far mom's most favorite meal in South Carolina.
As you can see, mom finished her whole plate (as did everyone else) even Mikey dug his "hawg dog" (BBQ pork on a hot dog bun). We even tried fried okra and found it quite yummy! After dinner we made one more stop at Sonic and got a banana split and hot fudge sundae for dessert. Yum. As you can imagine, we're all in a food coma here now (well, except babyzilla) and mommy is a little bummed to have to pack everything up tonight since we'll have to leave a little before 7am tomorrow to make it to the airport for our 8:30am flight. Daddy emailed to say there is lots of snow expected, so hopefully we won't run into big delays...we'll see, right now it shows "on time."
Sunday, February 24, 2008
South Carolina: Day 4
Mikey has taken to saying to Aunt Maeve and Uncle Aaron "I wanna hold you" on a pretty consistent basis. Last night he spent some time watching You Tube with Uncle Aaron.
We got up this morning and had a nice big breakfast at the Waffle House. From there we headed to the Riverbanks Zoo We had a great time despite the brrr, cold weather! It was a gray, cold day. What a bummer. It was a nice zoo though with a long walking trail.
After the walking trails and going over the bridge above, you end up at the main zoo and Mikey took a ride on the endangered species carousel.
At one point at the zoo you can buy a cup of nectar to feed the "Lorys" We didn't buy any nectar, but we saw some folks who did and one dad was literally covered with birds. Mikey thought it was neat enough just to be that close to them and those little things squawked about as loud as Mikey did.
Outside the bird house, there was a little dinosaur that Mikey decided he wanted to share his sucker with.
Here's Mikey and I at the fountains at the garden part of the zoo - we managed to keep him out of these which is good considering how chilly it was!
In the aquarium, we saw this cool jelly fish exhibit. I thought it would be neat to get a picture of Mikey's reflection in the glass.
After the zoo, we stopped by Sonic for some strawberry lime-aids and then headed back home and once again, the adults tried to crash on the various couches and chairs while the energizer bunny kept going and going. We managed to watch a little TV and left for church around 4:45pm. After Mass we headed back to pick up Uncle Aaron and went out for dinner at Five Guys Mikey really perked up at dinner and enjoyed the laid back atmosphere of Five Guys. At one point he said to us "be right back" and went off to check out the people cooking behind the counter. Later, he noticed someone sweeping and went after her. We encouraged him to ask her if he could sweep and I think if he had just a little more advanced social skills, he would have. As it was, she went to the bathroom and left her broom and dustpan next to the wall and Mikey seriously eyed it, but was just a little too afraid to scoop it up.
After that, he was very lovey dovey with mommy and gave me some nice big kisses and Aunt Maeve even managed to get a little video.
We haven't done our geocaching yet, but hopefully we'll be able to get out and do it tomorrow. That reminds me I need to get offline and look them up so we'll have some ideas to orient us tomorrow.
We got up this morning and had a nice big breakfast at the Waffle House. From there we headed to the Riverbanks Zoo We had a great time despite the brrr, cold weather! It was a gray, cold day. What a bummer. It was a nice zoo though with a long walking trail.
After the walking trails and going over the bridge above, you end up at the main zoo and Mikey took a ride on the endangered species carousel.
At one point at the zoo you can buy a cup of nectar to feed the "Lorys" We didn't buy any nectar, but we saw some folks who did and one dad was literally covered with birds. Mikey thought it was neat enough just to be that close to them and those little things squawked about as loud as Mikey did.
Outside the bird house, there was a little dinosaur that Mikey decided he wanted to share his sucker with.
Here's Mikey and I at the fountains at the garden part of the zoo - we managed to keep him out of these which is good considering how chilly it was!
In the aquarium, we saw this cool jelly fish exhibit. I thought it would be neat to get a picture of Mikey's reflection in the glass.
After the zoo, we stopped by Sonic for some strawberry lime-aids and then headed back home and once again, the adults tried to crash on the various couches and chairs while the energizer bunny kept going and going. We managed to watch a little TV and left for church around 4:45pm. After Mass we headed back to pick up Uncle Aaron and went out for dinner at Five Guys Mikey really perked up at dinner and enjoyed the laid back atmosphere of Five Guys. At one point he said to us "be right back" and went off to check out the people cooking behind the counter. Later, he noticed someone sweeping and went after her. We encouraged him to ask her if he could sweep and I think if he had just a little more advanced social skills, he would have. As it was, she went to the bathroom and left her broom and dustpan next to the wall and Mikey seriously eyed it, but was just a little too afraid to scoop it up.
After that, he was very lovey dovey with mommy and gave me some nice big kisses and Aunt Maeve even managed to get a little video.
We haven't done our geocaching yet, but hopefully we'll be able to get out and do it tomorrow. That reminds me I need to get offline and look them up so we'll have some ideas to orient us tomorrow.
Weekend with Daddy
Well the girls certainly have missed mommy and Mikey but they have been having a good time with daddy and enjoying mommy's blogging. They all still have mild coughs but are in great spirits. There is a Rosary kit that circulates throughout our school so that every family gets a chance to pray with this special Rosary and so we did so on Friday evening. We ate out at Red Robins & Paneras (the girl's favorites), went to see Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium at the PENN and of course we made a trip to Marvin's. Maria was able to spend the day Saturday with her friend Sarah from school while Daddy, Carmen and Isabel made a trip to Border's. Isabel got her Pink Princess Cookbook, Maria got The Great Big Book of Snakes and Reptiles, and Carmen got a Build your own Volcano kit, ala Peter Brady. Carmen's teacher, Mrs. Hayward, said that Carmen's reading is already where it should be at the end of first grade. We are so proud of Carmen and so thankful for Mrs. Hayward for being such a great and dedicated teacher to 2 of our children. We spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa's house and went to mass at Shrine this morning. Grandma Paula made a wonderful lunch as usual and then we went to the mall.
Playing with the puppies at the mall
Saturday, February 23, 2008
South Carolina: Day 3
Well, you saw how we start our day, now you can see we end it in pretty much the same place. Here's Mikey and I before bed last night...
We decided to head to Charleston today since it looked like today would be the warmest day. Sure enough when we walked outside around 10am, it was a nice balmy 60ish even though the sun wasn't out just yet.
This is a picture of one of the many bridges around all the islands and different parts of Charleston.
We left around 11am and got there about 1pm. We immediately went to Battery Park and Mikey enjoyed his first fountain of the day.
After Battery Park we headed up to the old Slave Market which is now a flea market type gallery. We did some 'window shopping' I guess you'd call it since we didn't buy a thing...well, except this lovely purchase. The lollipop in the picture below kept Mikey busy literally all afternoon. It was well worth the $2 purchase price!
Other than the sucker and lunch, we did make one other purchase. Aunt Maeve and Uncle Aaron insisted that we try the boiled peanuts. Mommy was excited to try them out, but as you can see, her anticipation was not rewarded. She was not a fan.
Though Mikey looks like he didn't enjoy them from this picture, he did in fact like them a lot.
After our boiled peanuts and walking around shopping for a few hours, we decided we were hungry so we had lunch at the Southend Brewery Mikey really enjoyed the elevator that went up 3 floors.
After our lunch we walked down to Waterfront Park and saw some dolphins from the pier. At Waterfront park there was this fountain that happened to be a Waymark (that's for daddy's enjoyment). But Mikey really liked this fountain more and luckily mommy thought ahead to bring another set of clothes because he ended up having a really good time. Many Charleston tourists really enjoyed Mikey's antics.
We decided to head to Charleston today since it looked like today would be the warmest day. Sure enough when we walked outside around 10am, it was a nice balmy 60ish even though the sun wasn't out just yet.
This is a picture of one of the many bridges around all the islands and different parts of Charleston.
We left around 11am and got there about 1pm. We immediately went to Battery Park and Mikey enjoyed his first fountain of the day.
After Battery Park we headed up to the old Slave Market which is now a flea market type gallery. We did some 'window shopping' I guess you'd call it since we didn't buy a thing...well, except this lovely purchase. The lollipop in the picture below kept Mikey busy literally all afternoon. It was well worth the $2 purchase price!
Other than the sucker and lunch, we did make one other purchase. Aunt Maeve and Uncle Aaron insisted that we try the boiled peanuts. Mommy was excited to try them out, but as you can see, her anticipation was not rewarded. She was not a fan.
Though Mikey looks like he didn't enjoy them from this picture, he did in fact like them a lot.After our boiled peanuts and walking around shopping for a few hours, we decided we were hungry so we had lunch at the Southend Brewery Mikey really enjoyed the elevator that went up 3 floors.After our lunch we walked down to Waterfront Park and saw some dolphins from the pier. At Waterfront park there was this fountain that happened to be a Waymark (that's for daddy's enjoyment). But Mikey really liked this fountain more and luckily mommy thought ahead to bring another set of clothes because he ended up having a really good time. Many Charleston tourists really enjoyed Mikey's antics.
After that we headed home for Lexington. We made a pittstop on the way for ice cream cones at McDonalds. Mommy thought Mikey would keep sleeping after he fell asleep 10 minutes from home, but no such luck. It's 8:41pm now and the 'energizer bunny' is going strong. He's begging for "pop-ohs" (popsicles) from Aunt Maeve as I type.
Looks like tomorrow we'll head to breakfast, then the zoo and maybe geocaching and then to church at 5pm since that's the Mass that Aunt Maeve likes. The improved weather sure is nice and mommy and Mikey are feeling a bit better too. Hopefully we didn't give our colds to Aunt Maeve and Uncle Aaron.
Friday, February 22, 2008
South Carolina: Day 2
Day 2 started out the same. Coffee and banana bread. Mikey had a cereal bar and juice. We did some laundry and then, since it was another rainy cold day, we decided to hit the mall.
We shopped til we dropped...well, until Mikey dropped. He fell asleep a few hours into the adventure. After he had been asleep awhile, Aunt Maeve and mommy realized it was 2pm and we hadn't eaten yet, so we headed from the mall to Olive Garden.
Mikey LOVED the minestrone soup.
When we got home, Aunt Maeve made a frozen pizza for Uncle Aaron. Mikey thought it looked so good that he had to have a seat right next to Uncle Aaron and a piece of pizza too. Sitting still didn't last long and since we've been home for about the last two hours, Mikey has spent his time bouncing around while we all lay around on various chairs and couches watching TV and wondering what to do tonight. Still not sure...
We shopped til we dropped...well, until Mikey dropped. He fell asleep a few hours into the adventure. After he had been asleep awhile, Aunt Maeve and mommy realized it was 2pm and we hadn't eaten yet, so we headed from the mall to Olive Garden.
Mikey LOVED the minestrone soup.
When we got home, Aunt Maeve made a frozen pizza for Uncle Aaron. Mikey thought it looked so good that he had to have a seat right next to Uncle Aaron and a piece of pizza too. Sitting still didn't last long and since we've been home for about the last two hours, Mikey has spent his time bouncing around while we all lay around on various chairs and couches watching TV and wondering what to do tonight. Still not sure...
Thursday, February 21, 2008
South Carolina: Day 1
Mommy and Mikey boarded the plane last night around 9:30pm for South Carolina. Mikey was enamored with the McNamara terminal at DTW airport. There was a little indoor train and a fountain that he just thought was so neat. He did pretty well on the plane. Lucky for mom, the seat next to her was empty b/c the plane was very tiny and it would have been a sad trip for some unsuspecting stranger. Mikey buckled and unbuckled his seat belt for a half hour or so while we waited for our turn down the runway, but by the time we took off, he had nursed himself to sleep and slept most of the plane ride. At the very end, he was sad to wake up and cried a bit, but a few passengers commented on how well behaved he was so I guess it could've been worse.
Aunt Maeve was there to pick us up and we took the new truck back home to their house in Lexington. We had a late night snack of leftover pizza and water and then went to bed for the night around 12:30am. Mom and Mikey have colds, but despite that we slept pretty well and got up around 8:30am. Had coffee and banana bread and Mikey helped himself to Aunt Maeve's candy dish. After some TV and showers, we got ourselves together and Aunt Maeve took us on a ride to see the sights in Lexington and Columbia. We saw the capital building and DHEC where Aunt Maeve works, the storage place and TJ Maxx where she used to work, the Catholic church in downtown Columbia
and a few other sights. After Mikey had enough of the driving tour, we headed onto our destination, Edventure Mikey had a great time and Aunt Maeve and Mommy did too!
Now we're back home, just chillin' and watching TV. Mikey took a short nap on the way home (about 15 minutes) and Aunt Maeve made us quesadillas and salad. We'll probably wait for Uncle Aaron to get home from school and then who knows? It's supposed to rain today and tomorrow and be in the low 50s, but Saturday, Sunday and Monday are supposed to be a bit sunnier and in the 60s. We'll take it! One of the funny things about Edventure today was the "snow" exhibit where it snows indoors. All the SC kids found it very exciting, Mikey, as I'm sure you can imagine, was quite non-plussed. I think I may have even heard him say, "you call this snow?!?!"
Aunt Maeve was there to pick us up and we took the new truck back home to their house in Lexington. We had a late night snack of leftover pizza and water and then went to bed for the night around 12:30am. Mom and Mikey have colds, but despite that we slept pretty well and got up around 8:30am. Had coffee and banana bread and Mikey helped himself to Aunt Maeve's candy dish. After some TV and showers, we got ourselves together and Aunt Maeve took us on a ride to see the sights in Lexington and Columbia. We saw the capital building and DHEC where Aunt Maeve works, the storage place and TJ Maxx where she used to work, the Catholic church in downtown Columbia
and a few other sights. After Mikey had enough of the driving tour, we headed onto our destination, Edventure Mikey had a great time and Aunt Maeve and Mommy did too!
Now we're back home, just chillin' and watching TV. Mikey took a short nap on the way home (about 15 minutes) and Aunt Maeve made us quesadillas and salad. We'll probably wait for Uncle Aaron to get home from school and then who knows? It's supposed to rain today and tomorrow and be in the low 50s, but Saturday, Sunday and Monday are supposed to be a bit sunnier and in the 60s. We'll take it! One of the funny things about Edventure today was the "snow" exhibit where it snows indoors. All the SC kids found it very exciting, Mikey, as I'm sure you can imagine, was quite non-plussed. I think I may have even heard him say, "you call this snow?!?!"
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