Thursday the kids slept until almost 6:00am!!
We drove over to visit with Dave's grama (aka Great-Grama, whom Lillian is named after) in the morning. We visited with her for a bit, then left to get some lunch. And to give her a break - she is 97 (98 next month) and Tipton and Lilli are loud and constant motion - they tend to make one tired just by looking at them. The kids wanted to go to Wendy's for lunch, and we all just wanted something easy and that the kids would eat. After lunch we went back and visited with Great-Grama for a little while longer. Then drove home.
It was hard seeing Great-Grama. Since she got sick back in May she has really declined. Her mind is starting to go and she gets confused. But she loved seeing the kids and they liked seeing her, too. One of the highlights of the visit was when Lilli saw Great-Grama's name, "Lillian Middleton", labled on her walker. Lilli pointed to it and said "That's my name! That's me! This is mine!" Then she climbed onto the seat and Great-Grama took her for a little spin around the room.
Cousin Donna came over for dinner. We had rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes and broccoli with hollandaise. Yum! We managed to keep the kids awake until about 7:30, so we should be back onto a normal sleep/wake schedule now. I hope.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Wonderful Wednesday
We're turning the corner on jet lag. The kids slept until a little after 5:00 this morning - woo-hoo!
The guys went to get their hair cut (well, Tipton and George needed haircuts, Dave had gotten his cut before we left Sweden) while Kay and Lilli and I went to Lane Bryant - I needed new jeans.
We all met for lunch at El Rey Tolteca's. Mmmmmm. Mexican food.
That afternoon we all just sort of crashed. Dave's Uncle Bob came by for a visit in the afternoon.
We all fended for ourselves for dinner. Managed to keep the kids awake until 7:15.
The guys went to get their hair cut (well, Tipton and George needed haircuts, Dave had gotten his cut before we left Sweden) while Kay and Lilli and I went to Lane Bryant - I needed new jeans.
We all met for lunch at El Rey Tolteca's. Mmmmmm. Mexican food.
That afternoon we all just sort of crashed. Dave's Uncle Bob came by for a visit in the afternoon.
We all fended for ourselves for dinner. Managed to keep the kids awake until 7:15.
Tuesday, Still Jet Lagged
2:30am. 3:30am. 4:45am.
2:30am Tipton woke up. He played in their room. He did not play quietly. He had the light on and was singing at the top of his lungs. Lilli, however, managed to sleep through it all. Thankfully. I, unfortunately, did NOT. I got up several times and reminded him that the rest of the house was still asleep, and that if he woke Lilli up he would "regret it."
3:30am Tipton went back to bed. Not sure if he actually went to sleep or not. But he turned off the light and quit singing.
4:45am Lilli woke up for the day. She tiptoed into our room and whispered in my ear "I need breakfast!"
So we came downstairs for Ego blueberry waffles. Tipton wasn't long behind us.
Dave needed to have his glasses fixed, so we went to the mall. The kids fell asleep in the car on the way there. And they woke up hungry. So Kay and I took them to Chic Fil A while Dave and George went to drop off Dave's glasses to be fixed. They met us back at Chic Fil A and said that the line was too long to wait to drop off the glasses and that they'd try again after lunch. So when we we'd finished eating they went back to the drop off the glasses and Kay and the kids and I went to Stride Rite. Both Tipton and Lilli needed new 'outdoor' play shoes. Lilli had been wearing her little black patten mary jane shoes to play outside (not exactly good for her feet.) And Tipton's shoes had a rock embedded so far into the bottom that he could feel it inside his shoe. Youch!
The guys were still busy so we went on to and ran a few more errands. Then met back up at the eyeglass place.
For dinner that night Dave made chicken stir fry. Yum! We managed to keep the kids awake until almost 7:00 before they begged to go to bed.
2:30am Tipton woke up. He played in their room. He did not play quietly. He had the light on and was singing at the top of his lungs. Lilli, however, managed to sleep through it all. Thankfully. I, unfortunately, did NOT. I got up several times and reminded him that the rest of the house was still asleep, and that if he woke Lilli up he would "regret it."
3:30am Tipton went back to bed. Not sure if he actually went to sleep or not. But he turned off the light and quit singing.
4:45am Lilli woke up for the day. She tiptoed into our room and whispered in my ear "I need breakfast!"
So we came downstairs for Ego blueberry waffles. Tipton wasn't long behind us.
Dave needed to have his glasses fixed, so we went to the mall. The kids fell asleep in the car on the way there. And they woke up hungry. So Kay and I took them to Chic Fil A while Dave and George went to drop off Dave's glasses to be fixed. They met us back at Chic Fil A and said that the line was too long to wait to drop off the glasses and that they'd try again after lunch. So when we we'd finished eating they went back to the drop off the glasses and Kay and the kids and I went to Stride Rite. Both Tipton and Lilli needed new 'outdoor' play shoes. Lilli had been wearing her little black patten mary jane shoes to play outside (not exactly good for her feet.) And Tipton's shoes had a rock embedded so far into the bottom that he could feel it inside his shoe. Youch!
The guys were still busy so we went on to and ran a few more errands. Then met back up at the eyeglass place.
For dinner that night Dave made chicken stir fry. Yum! We managed to keep the kids awake until almost 7:00 before they begged to go to bed.
Monday, Monday
2:21am. That's what time the kids woke up. Ugh. Dave got up with the kids so that I could "sleep in." Lilli climbed into bed with me around 3:00 and put her little ice block feet against my bare leg. That was pretty much the end of my 'sleeping in.'
We have a really nice set up here at Grama Kay and Papa's house. We have the second floor (the loft) all to ourselves. There are two bedrooms. Dave and I are in one bedroom and the kids are in the other. They've got bunk beds. We also have a full bathroom, and a large area that has become the playroom. There is also a TV with a dvd player and a recliner chair. This playroom area has been a godsend. When the kids wake up in the wee hours of the morning they can play without waking up Grama and Papa. When they become too loud we can put on a dvd for them to watch. It also keeps the toys on one location (which means that I am not constantly picking up toys so that they don't get stepped on/tripped over by the grandparents.)
We went to Foster's for lunch. Mmmmmm - great big American hamburgers (aka "gut bomb".) And they have the best fries, too.
That afternoon Kay and Lilli and I went to the grocery store. American grocery stores. Where you actually have selection. And junk food. We tried not to go too crazy. We got the kids a few new dvds to watch. And Lilli picked out a sticker book. We picked out a Star Wars activity book for Tipton. It came with a light saber pen. That has been the biggest hit. He takes the book and pen with him everywhere we go.
For dinner I made chicken nuggets. We didn't have potato chips so I just used bread crumbs. Not as good without the potato chips. Again, halfway through dinner the kids were asking if they could go to bed. I think we were able to keep them awake until almost 6:30.
We have a really nice set up here at Grama Kay and Papa's house. We have the second floor (the loft) all to ourselves. There are two bedrooms. Dave and I are in one bedroom and the kids are in the other. They've got bunk beds. We also have a full bathroom, and a large area that has become the playroom. There is also a TV with a dvd player and a recliner chair. This playroom area has been a godsend. When the kids wake up in the wee hours of the morning they can play without waking up Grama and Papa. When they become too loud we can put on a dvd for them to watch. It also keeps the toys on one location (which means that I am not constantly picking up toys so that they don't get stepped on/tripped over by the grandparents.)
We went to Foster's for lunch. Mmmmmm - great big American hamburgers (aka "gut bomb".) And they have the best fries, too.
That afternoon Kay and Lilli and I went to the grocery store.
For dinner I made chicken nuggets. We didn't have potato chips so I just used bread crumbs. Not as good without the potato chips. Again, halfway through dinner the kids were asking if they could go to bed. I think we were able to keep them awake until almost 6:30.
Back in the USA
We arrived back in the USA on Sunday, November 9th.
A friend dropped us at the train station and we took the train to the airport. The kids behaved themselves in the airport. This was our first plane trip without Lilli's car seat. So she got to sit in the plane seat. She figured out how to unbuckle the seatbelt pretty quickly. Because she wasn't in the car seat, she didn't sit as high up and so she couldn't see the video screen as well. Consequently, she spent much of the NINE HOUR plane ride in MY lap. Ugh! On the way back I will have to stack all the pillows and blankets in her seat so that she can see her OWN video screen. Since Lilli was sitting in my lap I had to watch age-appropriate videos. The kids movies were Wall-E and Finding Nemo. We've got Finding Nemo at home, and we had seen Wall-E this summer (and I didn't find it very exciting.) However, they also had Mamma Mia! So we watched that for most of the plane ride. As much as I like that movie, I think three times in a row is a little much.
Of course, neither Tipton nor Lilli slept on the plane.
The kids were very excited to see Grama Kay and Papa waiting for them when we came through baggage claim.
We managed to keep the kids awake on the drive "home" (Grama and Papa's house) by making them sing silly songs. Once home, we started getting dinner ready. The kids were just barely awake enough to eat a few bites before begging to go to bed. They were in bed, asleep, by 6:00. Dave and I weren't far behind them...
A friend dropped us at the train station and we took the train to the airport. The kids behaved themselves in the airport. This was our first plane trip without Lilli's car seat. So she got to sit in the plane seat. She figured out how to unbuckle the seatbelt pretty quickly. Because she wasn't in the car seat, she didn't sit as high up and so she couldn't see the video screen as well. Consequently, she spent much of the NINE HOUR plane ride in MY lap. Ugh! On the way back I will have to stack all the pillows and blankets in her seat so that she can see her OWN video screen. Since Lilli was sitting in my lap I had to watch age-appropriate videos. The kids movies were Wall-E and Finding Nemo. We've got Finding Nemo at home, and we had seen Wall-E this summer (and I didn't find it very exciting.) However, they also had Mamma Mia! So we watched that for most of the plane ride. As much as I like that movie, I think three times in a row is a little much.
Of course, neither Tipton nor Lilli slept on the plane.
The kids were very excited to see Grama Kay and Papa waiting for them when we came through baggage claim.
We managed to keep the kids awake on the drive "home" (Grama and Papa's house) by making them sing silly songs. Once home, we started getting dinner ready. The kids were just barely awake enough to eat a few bites before begging to go to bed. They were in bed, asleep, by 6:00. Dave and I weren't far behind them...
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
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