Boycott?

So...

let it be known that when it comes to concerts with Kimmee, we don't have the best luck.

Let me quickly get you caught up to speed:

• We saw Gavin DeGraw with Julie and it rained and we had to huddle under a tiny awning with lots of people.
• We saw The Pussycat Dolls and The Black Eyed Peas, and it rained so hard that we had to change out of our clothes and into back-up clothes once we got back to my car, and overnight, my clothes molded.  I'm not talking about a drizzle - I'm talking about a downpour.
• We saw The Dave Matthews band on the hottest day of the year in 2010 and maybe you remember, but Kimmee's flip-flop broke and we NEVER stopped sweating the entire night.  The temps read 103 when we got out of the car.

So I'm not exactly sure, to be perfectly honest, how I talked her into venturing out again with me to see The Dave Matthews Band this year, but I did:)

And our adventure certainly did not disappoint.

Aside from the fact that I couldn't decide what to wear and was feeling too old to be going to concerts anymore, we were doing great (and running! on! time!) until we were in concert traffic and the temperature gauge on my car came on.  We were overheating - and quickly.

We moved out of concert traffic, pulled over, stopped the car, and called for back-up.  Our plan was to head to the nearest gas station for coolant.  We never made it there.  We tried, but Siri was confused and there wasn't a gas station close enough to keep the car from dying. 

We ended up back in concert traffic, but were able to pull off to the side literally second before the car cut off.  We were 1.9 miles from the concert.  Now what?

As thousands of concert-goes filed past, we sat on the side of the road while waiting for a tow-truck.  Kimmee was sure we were heading home.  I was sure we were getting to the concert.  We decided a tow-truck would come get the car, the driver would drop us off at the concert, and then Brad would come pick us up while my dad stayed with the sleeping babies.  I was bound and determined to make this mommy's night out happen.  One way, or another.

Turned out to be another.

The first tow-truck somehow got messed up, but our insurance called to assure us that another company was on the way.  They'd be there within the hour - uh oh, we're cutting it close to Dave coming on now, and I was starting to panic.  Not to mention we were being eaten alive by mosquitos but didn't want to wait in the car because it was smoking, smelled horrible, and might have blown up at any moment.  Or so we thought.  We finally decided we'd take our chances - the mosquitos were vicious.  Good thing I'd decided to wear jeans.

The tow-truck driver called and announced he was at the Hooters and he was looking in our direction.  "Where are you?" he asked.

"I'm no where near a Hooters!  I'm 1.9 miles from a Dave Matthews concert that starts any minute!!!"  

Turns out he was not in the right location.  The motorcycle cops who happened to drive by (for the second time) gave him directions and said he'd be there within 15 minutes.  We could wait 15 minutes.  I asked the cops if they had extra helmets we could use so they could drop us off.  That was a "no."

A few minutes later, the phone rings, and the insurance company informs me that the tow-truck driver decided it was too far and that he was no longer coming.  They were trying to locate another tow-truck driver to help us.  It wasn't easy, but about 20 minutes later they found one that was on its way.  I informed the company that the car would be unoccupied, we wrote a note on a napkin for the cops so they didn't tow the car, and we were off.  On foot.  For 1.9 miles.

As we got closer and it started to get dark, we could hear Dave playing.  So we ran.  Yes, we did.

{This is us, running.}

We jumped a fence (no sense in running around to the road since we didn't have a car), 

and made our way into the concert venue, tickets in hand.  Finally.  And it seemed as though Dave wasn't playing.  In fact, everyone was out and about, getting food, and chatting.  We! made! it!  We were so excited.  We grabbed some food and found our seats just as he started to play.

During a song neither of us recognized, we decided to go get another snack, when we heard a vendor yell out, "Last call for alcohol!"  The alcohol part didn't matter because neither of us were drinking, but how was this possible?  We'd only been there for 45 minutes!

I'll tell you how it's possible.  We arrived during intermission.  

It's okay.  Really.  I took a deep breath, and we thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the concert.  We still had an hour to go and heard lots of great music...some of which I'd never heard them play live before.  It was a good time.

When the concert ended, we gave Brad a call, and he was already on his way towards us.  We began to walk, planning to meet him on a road about a 1/2 mile away.  Key word: planning.

That road was closed to incoming traffic.  What this basically means is that Kimmee and I had to run 1.9 miles, in the dark, to get to Brad.  We called him on Kimmee's cell phone, and for safety reasons, kept him on the phone as we made our way to him.  He had to listen to us huff and puff and laugh for 1.9 miles.  I'm sure it was amusing.  For him - not for us.  

I was sweaty and hot - running 1.9 miles isn't easy when you don't run.  Too bad I decided to wear jeans.  But we made it - safely and soundly!  We had fun:)

So...will we boycott concerts in the future?  We probably should.

But something tells me when Dave tickets go on sale next year, we'll be in line:)

Overdue

I realize that I never wrote about our Father's Day...I meant to - I just hadn't gotten around to it quite yet.  Tonight's as good a time as any...

Prior to Father's Day, I tried to work on an art project with the littles for their daddy.  If you follow me on Instagram, you've already seen one of these pictures, but it didn't go the way I pictured it in my mind:

It seems we're not quite ready for painting projects just yet!  However, while the project didn't look like the model I saw on Etsy, it was still pretty cute, and Daddy loved it!

Daddy also got a nice watch and a helicopter that Jack picked out.  Jack was very excited to fly the helicopter with his Daddy:)

After opening Daddy's presents, the rest of our Father's Day was pretty packed - lots of time with family:)  

In the morning, we headed over to my dad's house and talked him into joining us on a trip to Udvar-Hazy.  He was a very good sport - I'm not sure that he's ever gone out with just me and the kiddos before.  I'm not sure if he'll ever do it again:)

Let's just say that it didn't go as smoothly as planned - if you've read my blog long enough, you're probably realizing that nothing does around these parts.  Hannah was sleepy even though she napped right before we headed out, and Jack wasn't as in to the air and space displays as I'd hoped.  I think he thought he was going to get to go into the various planes, so he seemed a little disappointed.  My dad and I enjoyed the displays, and I tried to take a couple of pictures, although most of them came out a little blurry because I was holding a little, wiggly girl most of the time:)

Rear view of the Discovery

The Enola Gay from above

F-14

The Discovery

Jack really liked the astronaut.

This was my favorite shot.

SR-71 Blackbird

After our museum trip, we grabbed a little lunch and then headed home for naps.  Everyone slept very well.

That evening, we had dinner at Joe's Crab Shack with Brad's mom and dad.  Hannah practiced her walking and Jack enjoyed the indoor playground.  Cute little side story about Jack, when our food arrived, Brad went to get Jack from the playground, and when he got there, he saw Jack playing with a little girl who was maybe two years old.  Brad decided to hang out to the side and watch for a few minutes - our little man was helping this little girl around the playground and didn't know his daddy was watching.  Jack would climb up the ladder, and then lean down to encourage her and help her up, and then he'd go down the ladder, turn around, and say, "It's okay, you can come down now."  So adorable, and Brad came back and told the rest of the table about it, and Jack was so proud of himself.  He's going to be so good with Hannah as she gets a little older - we can't wait!

Here our some photos I snapped on my phone from our evening:

I most certainly did not forget the most important men in my life:)  Happy Father's Day - to my husband and the father of my children, to my dad, and to my father-in-law...I love you all so much:)



Turtle Huntin'

Last Friday, Daddy got home early from work because he attended Jack's Father's Day party at school. We decided to pack up the kiddos and do something fun with our extra time together as a family, so for the first time this season (yes, they'll be others), we went turtle huntin'.  

I know, it sounds funny right?

It's like our own version of a suburban Swamp People.  And for the record, it's one of Brad and Jack's favorite things to do.  We swung by Harris Teeter, picked up some chicken legs, and headed to a local nature preserve where we proceeded to catch turtles.  Rather, Daddy and Jack proceeded to catch turtles, and Hannah and I looked on and took pictures:)

Turtle #1

This was the only picture I could get of Jack.  He was running around so excited, and all the other shots came out way too blurry!

"But I don't want to hunt turtles!"

Pretty girl

They really like chicken.

A lot.

Her hair was blowing in the breeze - we're getting closer and closer to ponytails.

Using her sippy cup

Turtle #2 was not as happy.

Quite a dinosaur...

Don't worry.  After Brad pulled the turtles out to take a peek, he carefully put them back into the swamp.  No turtles were hurt, only admired.  Well, admired by most of us, anyway:)

And while the next pictures were very underexposed...they were just too precious to delete.  So I tried to make them work.  

Have I ever told you I'm in love?  Because I am.

Deja Vu

Remember last summer when Jack practically lived in these Spider-Man pajamas?

Well, this morning Miss Hannah woke up before Jack, and she and I went downstairs to let the puppies out and to get her breakfast bottle.  I was getting ready to feed Hannah when that tiny, little voice I love called out to ask if I was downstairs.  As I turned to watch my little man come down the stairs, I saw that same three year old all over again.  He'd chosen to wear these jammies last night...the ones I haven't seen him wear in awhile.  And he was holding Skinny Bear and his blue blanket, and he just looked like that little boy who is quickly disappearing before my very eyes.  

It took my breath away.  And I just smiled and hugged him and secretly thanked him for that moment.

Ten Months and Teething (or not)...Alternately Titled: Sleepless Nights

Peanut,

I'm very behind, and I'm sorry.  I took these pictures at least three weeks ago.  And I uploaded them into this post at least a week and a half ago, but then it's taken me this long to actually write it, and now, things have already changed and you're closer to eleven months than ten.  I don't think you'll mind though, so I'm just going to go with it.  I promise to be more timely in your next monthly post. 

At your last well visit, you weighed 18 pounds and 11 ounces, but my guess is that right now, you are closer to 20 pounds.  You're in the 50th percentile for weight, but in the 25th percentile for height (you were 27 1/2 inches long).  Maybe you'll be on the petite side like your mama...we'll have to see, Baby Girl.

You have a very fun personality, and it's oh-so-different from Jack's.  You seem to be more strong-willed, more independent, and more likely to take a risk.  You try every new food we offer you, and you eat it like it's going out of style.  Everyone around you comments on what a great eater you are!  Thank you for that!  Maybe Jack will come around with your influence...

You make the most expressive faces.  We can tell when you're silly and when you're upset very easily just by what your eyebrows are doing.  You have the cutest little belly laugh and you love to be tickled.  

You wear a size four diaper and most of your clothing is 12 months, although you can still wear some of your 9 month dresses.  We took you for your first shoes just the other day, and you are wearing size 4 shoes.  I can't believe it.  We thought it was about time for a pair of shoes since you are eagerly trying to take steps on your own.  When we're out in public, you want to be put down to explore, so it's probably best that those little tootsies are covered up:)

You no longer enjoy our monthly photo shoots because you do not want to be told where to sit or for how long to stay there.  At all.  In fact, you very rarely ever stop moving.  Recently, when you are really tired, you've developed a little tendency to rest your head on our shoulders, but it doesn't happen often and you certainly don't stay like that for long.  Just long enough to tease us a bit.

You have the saddest little cry, and I just hate to see it.  Breaks this Mama's heart, and you know it.  As soon as I pick you up, it goes away!

At the time I took these pictures and uploaded them onto the post, you were still my gummy girl with no teeth.  Since then, you have one little, bottom tooth, and it's the most adorable thing...  I was thinking that you were teething for a very long time.  In fact, just a few days before I got out of work for the summer, you came down with a fever, and I was sure it was because you were teething.  We stayed home and snuggled, but you weren't sleeping, drinking, or eating well.  After a middle of the night call to the doctor and a trip to Harris Teeter for baby ibuprofen, the fever finally broke, but we were instructed to go to the doctor in the morning.  You had a poor virus all along, Peanut, and I was just waiting for a tooth.  I felt so bad...  After three sleepless nights, you finally started to feel better.  Still no  tooth, though.  It wasn't until about a week later that that little bugger showed up!

You love to play with Jack, but not at all with your toys.  You only want to play with Jack's toys and things that have small pieces.  It's a tricky thing to navigate, that's for sure.  You can already say Mama, Dada, and bye bye (with a corresponding wave), and you have finally mastered that blowing kisses also involves your hand:)  We're also working on signing, and the other day, I swear you signed please when you wanted some of my food.  I think they must be practicing with you at school, too!

You get so excited when I come to pick you up from school or when you see someone you know.  Your little, chubby legs go crazy, and it's so fun to see.  You love to dance, and you like to be sung to as well.  We like to sing, "Found a Peanut" and "The Wheels on the Bus".  They seem to be your favorites.

Hannah Bear, You are the sweetest, most precious little girl I've ever known.  And we're so happy that you're ours.  Jack dotes on you, and your daddy is in awe of how much he loves you.  You have changed our lives and made our family complete.  We simply can't believe that in a little over a month, you will be one year old.  I still remember barely being able to roll over because I was so pregnant with you at this time last year.  And now look at you...  I just can't get over it.  Motherhood is an amazing thing, and I thank you and your brother for giving me the greatest experience of my life.  I love you, Sweet Girl.