Going to See the Fishies!

We had the best time at the Newport Aquarium! Just outside of Cincy (a very sunny day as you can tell by the squinty, pained look on our faces!), on the Kentucky side of the river, is this lovely little area on the levee. There are shops and restaurants and, yes - the aquarium! We wanted to do something fun this holiday weekend and this was it.

Aidan was so excited, he jumped out of bed asking to go see the fishies and the sharks! He even uttered the famous, "are we there yet?" on the highway, too cute. It takes about an hour to get there, and it's highway all the way. Not the most interesting drive but the anticipation of a fun adventure kept everyone happy in the car.

Once we got there, we explored exhibits that modeled differents parts of the water world. We went to the Amazon, saw Deadly creatures and walked under tunnels and tunnels of fish, rays and sharks.

The aquarium had a new exhibit called the frog bog. It housed all sorts of frogs - go figure! - and it had a really cool playground/climbing contraption. The kids loved it!

Olivia really loved the tunnels of fish, rays and sharks and Aidan thought the jellyfish gallery was cool. He told us how Dory rode the jellyfish in "Finding Nemo."

At one point, we rounded a corner and saw this sign about a monster coming to the aquarium. We thought it would be really funny to take a picture of Aidan next to it - he is our little monster after all!

At the end of the visit, there was a tank of sharks that they allowed visitors to pet. Both the kids plunged their hands into the water to touch a shark - no fear!

It was a very quick 2 hours worth of wonder. We all enjoyed the animals and each other. A rare family trip, but I hope we can do it again soon!

Brunch Fun, or Was It?!

No really, we had fun until the little mister had a meltdown. Oh, umm . . . back track - what am I talking about, right? We went to a friends house on Sunday for brunch. It was actually an "Olympic" Brunch. The idea was that everyone would play games a la the Olympics. Except that we played hill billy golf and corn hole! We were excited to be invited and brought Danish and, regrettably, a tired little boy.



When we arrived, Aidan immediately saw the mini moon bounce in the backyard and he ran to it like it was his long lost mother. He was thrilled, claimed it as his own and wouldn't let anyone else in it from time to time! Olivia was happy because she had her friend to play with. All was well - for now. We chose teams and the games began. Rick and I made it through our rounds of hill billy golf without a peep from Aidan. We visited with the other guests and got to know some new folks, again without any problems from Aidan.



As it got closer to 1pm, we started to see the signs - red, puffy eyes, bad attitude and sluggish movement. We knew we were about to hit a wall but, we hadn't eaten yet!! Sure enough, the minute brunch was announced, Aidan started screaming and yelling. It was fun. Not at all embarrassing!! So, alas, we didn't eat. We dragged him to the car and straight home for a nap. Enjoy the pictures - pre melt down!

Something New!

I have found something new to consume all of my free time, FaceBook! Woa (yeah, just like Joey on "Blossom"). I know this isn't new to everyone else but it is new to me and I AM ADDICTED!! It is soooo much easier than MySpace. And, frankly I want easy. So, if you are reading this and want to check out my FaceBook - go for it! If you don't have a FaceBook - get one! Well, back to FaceBook!

My First Day Back!

(This post is from Olivia. I thought it would be fun for her to tell you all about her first day of 4th grade!)

Hi people! I would like to think of this as a well, Interview, well here it goes!

Well to get the day started I walked to school with me very stylish in my new Jonas brother bag. Me and my mom talk about what we dreamt of last night and they were kinda weird I have to admit. Well back to school as we walked I remembered that I have this thing called STLP(student television legal production) So I start to ponder, when do I start this thing because I want to do it this year? And I get to school and I catch up with my friend Keeley. And then I go to STLP and then I start the day with my morning work and learning all my procedures and then i go to library and check out the books The House of Dies Drear and The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, both battle of the books books which I will be doing and then more procedures wheww procedures procedures procedures all day! And that's pretty much it. Well thanks for reading bye! Your host Olivia

School Days: Let it Begin!

I just got back from walking Olivia to school. It's a beautiful morning and not too far to hoof it, so we set out at about 7:30am. Livi loves to walk to school and while we are close enough and I have the time in the morning, I really try to make it happen.

Of course, she was up at about 5:30 this morning - so excited about getting back to school! We planned her outfit last night. She chose it, I approved it. It was not what I picked out, but I guess we are coming up on that phase sooner than I'd like.

Livi informed me that she doesn't want to take a backpack to school this year. She wants to use her Jonas Brothers tote bag. It is an adorable bag, but I am worried that it won't be practical. "Oh, Mommy!" was Liv's response to that!

Once we got to school, we found out that Olivia could go straight to the library to participate in the morning news program. This was something that she participated in last year and really enjoyed. She was excited to get to start off the first day on camera. Is she my kid or what!?

We ran into a friend and classmate right away - Keeley. She and Livi have been great friends since first grade. They have lots of fun together and this year, they will be in class together.

We had to get a picture with her teacher, Ms. Patrick. She seems so nice and so full of energy. I know Olivia is really going to like her.


















I will be thinking about my baby all day long, and sending her good vibes to start the year off right!

Beijing Baby!

We, along with most of the rest of the world, watched the opening ceremonies for the 2008 Olympics last night. What an amazing evening!

The performances were stunning. I was blown away, really. Rick will tell you - I was talking to the tv like crazy!

"Look at that!", "how did they do that?!", and "that is BEAUTIFUL!" plus many more comments were flying out of my mouth every 10 minutes or so. Rick got a good giggle out of me enjoying the show.

While it is hard to narrow down my favorite performance, I think it has to be the LED screen and the dancers who painted a traditional Chinese painting on a canvas in the center of the LED screen. It was incredible.

The dancers were so graceful and flexible as they contorted their bodies in order to create not only the painting, but also a visually captivating physical performance. Wow! I LOVED it.

I also really enjoyed the build of the whole show as it took you through most of Chinese history. It just kept getting more and more impressive as the show went on!

One of the reasons I have been excited about these games, was to see and experience (through the television) the culture of China. I think the opening ceremonies definitely delivered.

Okay, one sour note - the "you & me" song at the end. Come on, they don't really believe that garbage. Yeah, you and me - unless you are from Tibet, right?!

Little Did He Know . . .

Oh, doesn't he look so happy here? So carefree. Frolicking on the path at the zoo. He had no idea what was in store for him just two days later! Poor baby.

I mean how do you explain surgery - tonsillectomy, to a three year old? I know! Impossible, right? I tried, I really did. On Sunday, I told him that we would be going to the doctor, or docker as he likes to say, and that when he got home his throat would hurt for a few days. He didn't get it, why should he?

So, Monday morning came and I think both myself and Rick were ready to back out of the whole thing. We were just so nervous and of course, I just couldn't stop thinking about all the worse case scenarios. I won't share any of the gory details of those scenarios, don't worry!

Cut to after the surgery and I just can't believe how well it went. It was super fast and really, other than seeing my baby so out of it in that sweet little hospital gown, I kept it together pretty well. Once I saw him in recovery though, I did shed some happy tears!

We have been home and on the mend for a few days now. Aidan has really been on a roller coaster ride. At times, it's as if he didn't have surgery at all. He is talking, wanting to eat foods that he shouldn't, roaring like a dragon - all that boy stuff, ya know? Then, at other times he is a big bag of miserable unhappy! He is whiny and CRANKY and weepy and, let's face it, almost unbearable. The kid knows how to work the mommy. He plays me like a fiddle!

I hope that he will only feel better and better as the days progress. I know that's what is supposed to happen, I just hope it all goes according to plan!

The little daredevil deserves a quick recovery, bless his "I just had surgery, but I am going to scream at the top of my lungs" self!

I want it!

'Nuff said. Okay, not really! I LOVE making little scrapbooks. This will be the perfect book to add to my collection. I must make time to run right out and buy it!! Alright, now - 'nuff said.

EDITED: Hee, hee - I got it!!

Visiting Little Miss Abbie

I just got home from visiting my niece! Oh, and my sister and brother-in-law. It was SUCH a good time. A short but very sweet visit!

I did lots of Abbie holding and playing and diaper changing and just general Auntie stuff. All of it wonderful and fabulous - even the crying parts. Yes, as all babies tend to do, Abbie shed some tears. But, even in those moments, I was so happy to be there to comfort her and to help Kate.

My sister and I had a great time too. We went to dinner, and went shopping - Abbie in tow, of course and she was such a good girl. We even got to go to the movies to see Dark Knight. Matt, the awesome brother-in-law, watched the baby so we could go out. So nice! The movie was frickin amazing, even on my second viewing. But that is a discussion for another time.

Kate and I also spent some good old fashioned time at home. We caught up on our reality tv viewing. We both like Flipping Out, Tori and Dean, Project Runway, and Kathy Griffin. Thank god for my sisters DVR!

I also got to see the Dallas family, which is always nice. We went to my cousins house and visited with she and my uncle for the afternoon. Didn't get to see all of my cousins, but that's okay. Everyone is out living their lives and sometimes it's hard to get together.

Don't know when I can make it back to TX. I hate to think of Abbie growing so much and me missing it. It's also become so important to see my sister more. I just love all of them to pieces!