Melissa’s Blog

We got in late last night. The kids were great on the plane but didn’t sleep. They were loving watching Little Einsteins, their new favorite show. So funny at one part of the show, they say blast off and the kids repeat it and they just scream it on the plane. so silly. Finally at 11:00PM I strolled them around while Bret got the car and luggage. They fell asleep. We slept at Grammy’s so Bret could help Grammy with some things in the morning. The kids didn’t sleep in as late as I had hoped. It was nice to be home again. We had a great trip but always nice to come home. The Howards from Sacremento are here visiting. N&J were so excited to see them. They were at CA Adventure so the kids were sad they weren’t here. At home we just got organized, did laundry and have a ton more to do, spent a few hundred dollars at Costco. The kids were so excited to see all their toys and play outside. We decided to meet the Howards at CA Adventure. Nicole was starting to melt down and thankfully both kids fell asleep for a short while on the way to the park. We had a great time at the park. The kids loved the Clubhouse show and we went on a few rides, caterpillar and bumper cars. The kids loved the bumper cars. It was a great day. We went to Red Robin for dinner and the kids were so good. Nicole was so hungry and excited to play with baby Brennan. When we got home we read the kids some books, put laundry away, and put the kids to bed. It took the kids a while to fall asleep. It was nice catching up with our friends.

Pics from our trip to Canada can be seen at: http://www.cybersand.com/gallery2/v/Vacations/Canada+2009/

This morning we got packed up and ready to go over to Lisa and Todd’s. The kiddos played over at Todd and Lisa’s for a bit. It was sad saying goodbye knowing we won’t see them for a few years. With Henry’s recovery they won’t be able to travel for about 3 years. We went on our way to Niagara, picked up the games we left at the last hotel. Then we checked into The Great Wolf Lodge. The best family hotel ever. The lobby is silly with a big moose, bear, and tree talking. And over the fireplace are pretend wolf dogs and racoons. The kids were amazed but then we saw the water park. It is incredible. We had a quick lunch and then headed to the water park. We had a great time in the water. We were there for a few hours. The kids had a blast. We did the lazy river, the wave pool, the fountains, etc. We were so water logged though. After we came back to the room and rested a bit. Then we headed down to the game room. We all had fun. Then we headed up to the lobby for story time. The story time was so cute. The bears, moose, owl, raccoon etc did a little show, the kids were all into it. Then a person told a few stories. It was really interactive and cute. I love this place! We got a little snack then headed to the hotel room. The kids needed some play time. We had so much fun playing with the kiddos in the room, there was so much giggling and playing. I taught the kids to jump from one bed to the other-I know what was I thinking. The kids climbed all over us and we put our legs on the other bed, so the kiddos used us at bridges. Just a great family time! After all this playing Justin decided he was hungry, so we went and got a bagel and muffin. We had the snack in the lobby by the fireplace and the talking animals. It was fun hanging out. We came back to the room, packed up, got the kiddos ready for bed. Everyone is sound asleep. I am so sad we have to go home tomorrow, I love it here!

The kiddos slept in a bit. I woke up and went to the gym to run a few miles. I gave the kids a shower. Then we headed to the Toronto zoo. We had a great day at the zoo-the weather was just perfect too. We saw lots of animals, zebras, giraffes, baboons, monkeys, gorillas, etc. Justin liked the monkeys the best and Nicole liked the elephants. Actually Nicole has corrected me in saying she liked the pink elephants in the bathroom the best. We got a great view of the elephants, giraffes, and zebras- lots of animals were sleeping. We stayed for a few hours and walked around a lot.  We are finding lots of things here don’t open until May, so part of the zoo was closed as well. It took us forever to get back to the hotel. We got in the city at commuting hour and we were afraid we wouldn’t be able to turn left, so we thought just go around the block. What a mistake! Some streets were blocked off and the traffic was terrible. The kids did great, I did have to pull out the travel potty though. We made it back and Grammy and gang met us at the hotel. We went to a great restaurant in the mall. The kids were really well behaved, especially since they heard their meals come with ice cream. This mall has everything as we ran out of dental floss and the mall actually has a drug store. Then we went swimming. This time Meghan and Todd joined us (Nicole was thrilled). Nicole is so silly when she gets in the pool she has this huge smile on her face and lets out a giggle. Justin loves the pool too. And he surprised us all by wanting to go under the water and touch the bottom (like Meghan did). Nicole wanted t o do everything Meghan did, kicking, holding onto the edge. Nicole/Justin showed Meghan how they jump in. We had great family time in the pool as usual. The kids came back to the room and hung out naked, jumping and playing their Leapsters. They are pretty tired as are we. Tomorrow we head back to Niagra to a really cool hotel-I can’t wait but I am really sad our trip is coming to an end.

This morning we had breakfast in the hotel room. The kids played and watched TV. I ran to the mall for a bit. Then dad and the kids met up with me. So cute when the kids come running up to me-I love that. We walked around the mall but the kiddos were kind of whiney and kept on wanting to go back to the hotel room. All Nicole wanted to do was go swimming. We braved public transportation and made our way over to Todd and Lisa’s. The kids played and played. We went to High Park. There was a cool castle there. The kids loved it and ran around a bit. They played ball as well. We came back to Todd and Lisa’s to have dinner. Nicole was so excited to go swimming when we got back to the hotel. Dad and I had no desire but were so happy we did. The kids had a blast so it was worth it. Justin even dunked his head with daddy! We all went into the jacuzzi as well as it was cold outside of the pool. We came back to our room and the kids played. They were hungry after swimming. The kids jumped on their bed and did lots of forward rolls. We read some books and they were sleeping soon after. I don’t know how we have managed to stay on CA time but we have. Tomorrow is zoo day.

This morning we woke up and gave the kiddos a bath. Of course a bath in the hotel is way more fun than we imagined. The kids had fun playing with the bars of soap. We went to the museum today (ROM). Bret and I were a little bored but the kids had fun. Nicole really liked digging for dinasour bones. The kids wore goggles and got paint brushes and found bones. We saw lots of dinasours. Nicole and Justin touched a Madagascar Cock Roach, ewww. The kids liked looking at everything. There was a little dress up area as well. Nicole tried everything on. Justin was into playing with the dinasours and even put them in bed to go to sleep. We decided to have street food for lunch, hot dogs. So now we are officially city people. We took the subway today and street cars. Justin was so excited for the subway but even more excited for the street cars. We just rode the street car for fun and then headed back to the hotel. The weather was really nice today so we lucked out. We got back to the hotel and Nicole and I ran to the mall to get her a bathing suit while dad and Justin hung out in the hotel room. Uncle Todd picked us up at the hotel and we came back to their house. We all had dinner. Then the kiddos played. Nicole and Meghan played doggie. Nicole was calling Meghan Pali. Justin liked all the toys as well. They made a mess. Dad and I relaxed a bit. Todd took us back to the hotel, the kids are loving the circle doors. We decided to go swimming at the hotel. The kids loved it. Both loved jumping in and us catching them. Nicole really thought she was swimming and loving it. The kids held onto the edge and went all around the pool. We had a really great family time in the pool. The kids went to bed pretty easily. Justin actually woke up last night for the first time to pee.

This morning the kiddos slept in a bit. I went to run on the treadmill for a bit, just 2 miles. Then we all went to the mall to get some breakfast. However we are still on CA time so no breakfast was to be had. So we ate lunch for breakfast. We drove over to Todd and Lisa’s. The kids love the rental car and rolling down the windows. The kids were so happy to play with all the new toys here. Justin went for the train table and cars, Nicole was playing with the animals. They loved hanging out with Grammy too. Lisa and Henry were at the hospital for chemo but arrived at the house a few hours lately. We had a nice day with family. Meghan was a bit shy with us but finally warmed up to the kiddos. Nicole is really liking being with her. We walked over to the park. The kids had a great time at the park and it was gated which was nice.We didn’t stay at the park too long as we were afraid it was going to rain. Meghan wanted to the kids to have dinner with her. So we stayed for dinner. Not a very exciting day but pretty relaxing! After dinner the kiddos played with each other. Meghan and Nicole were pretend swimming, and then they all played dog. Chased the ball like a dog, etc. I got to read Henry some books. What a sweet boy, so sad everything he is going through but what a trooper. He is really cute! Todd drove us back to the hotel. We left our car at their house since it is so expensive to park at the hotel. This way we can take public transportation which the kids are excited about taking a trolley. We got some breakfast food on the way back to the hotel. The kids were all hyper when we got back to the hotel. So excited to be in the hotel room. They were jumping all over their bed. We are hoping to get them to bed a little early tonight.

We got in yesterday. We flew into Buffalo NY and drove to Niagara. The kids were most excited about the rental car. They did really well on the plane, it just took a lot of entertaining on our part. The first flight the kids played with Leapsters, coloring, sticker books, snacks, Little Einstein video. The kids loved the moving walkways in the airport. The second flight was amusing the kiddos with their toys. Justin picked out some planes from Toys R Us that we took and Nicole played with her Polly Pocket car/doll and pet shop dogs.  She loved the pink dog the best and named it arf arf. We got in late east coast time but so far we have tried to stay on west coast time. Dad ended up getting a huge suburban for a rental car and the kids love it.

Today we went to see Niagra. We had a great view on the falls from our hotel. After breakfast we went to walk around and see the falls. We didn’t realize how long the walk was to Maid of the Mist. The kids did well walking but were tired near the end. Along the walk we stopped and smelled the roses, the kids sat on the benches, we fed a squirrel, it is really pretty here. Not sure if the kids cared too much about the falls (but later they talked about the falls); they kept on saying they wanted to go in the rental car. We went on the Maid of the Mist and got cute pics of us in our raincoats. It was fun and we got wet. It was just a little cold.

Walking back Justin saw a big tower with a yellow elevator. He wanted to go in it. There were games in there as well. So Nicole and I stayed downstairs and played games while dad and I went into the big elevator. We had lunch then headed to Toronto. It was a long drive and some traffic but we made it. When we got to the next hotel the kids were hyper. So they jumped on the couch and jumped more. Todd, Lisa, Grammy, and kids came to our hotel. It was great to see them. N&J were so excited to see Grammy, she was surprised at how much our kids had grown. We just went to the mall that is attached to our hotel and had dinner. Nicole and Justin had fun running around with Meghan. We came back to our room and played. Justin played with his Leapster, Nicole with her car toy and dogs. They claimed to want to go to bed so we got them ready, read books, etc. But dad and I wanted a treat-I wanted a smoothie and him ice-cream. So the kids got all crazy again. They jumped and pretended to go to the waterfall. They also played with ice. Well we only left one thing at the last hotel, the kids games for their leapsters. We will pick it up on the way home.

We were greeted early this moring by Justin, so cute though. Back to pre school today, spring break is officially over. I was working today. The kids were most excited abotu sharing. Justin brought his plane and Nicole a doggy stuffed animal. It was so hot that most of the kids opted to play in water. I was an outside mom so we played parachute, water table, squirt bottles, etc. The kids had a great time being back at school, both wanted to paint! We came home and as the kids were getting out of the minivan, Nicole pushed Justin and his head hit the garage floor. It was awful. Poor Justin and it took him a while to get over it. He needed some relaxy time so we watched one Curious George then the kids had lunch. After lunch the kids just played. I took all the stuffed animals off the futon so the kiddos had fun playing on the futon. Plus I moved some of the toys to the family room so the kiddos played with them. Toys they hadn’t seen for a while. They played with beads and Mr. Potatoe Head. I ran around and tried to pack up. So much stuff to take. Paula and Krista came over to play. The kids played in water since it was hot. The kids played in the jacuzzi as well. Justin and Nicole weren’t too happy though as there was a lot of squirting going on. I think N&J were a bit overwhelmed. When everyone got out of the jacuzzi thats when Nicole and Justin went in and had fun. They loved playing with Paula’s kids squirty toys. All the kids played inside for a bit. I realized I never gave the kiddos a snack so we had an early dinner. The kids played outside and then decided to color and cut. The kids are grocery shopping in the play store with dad right now, so cute. We went upstairs and played a bit more. The kids talked to grandma and we got ready for bed. Thank goodness the kids went right to bed. I think Bret and I have done all we can for tonight.

I didn’t sleep really well last night, ugh. I just wanted to hide in bed this morning. The painters came bright and early @ 7:30 so our lights are now complete! The workers liked our old lights and took those too so we don’t have to worry about getting rid of them. It looks great in there, really modernizes it. So the kids are really into dumping things, putting things in boxes and dumping. I let them dump some bins in the kitchen but stopped them after a couple. They were great about helping to clean up though. The kids played on their white boards and had a good morning playing at home. We had an early lunch then headed to our last My Gym class. The kids had fun, lot of mommy’s were there so it was nice to see some friends. The kids loved the space swing. After My Gym we did a few errands, Carters, Lowes, the toy store. It is 100 degrees out again, really hot. The kids were looking tired so I let them rest in front of the TV. I was kind of blah today too, doctor increased my meds so I have been out of sorts. I called him today and we are going to decrease again. After TV the kiddos took a bath and decided to fight a lot in the bath. I was trying to pack up the kids suitcases at the same time. After bath though the kids were having a great time, pretending to be cleaners. I took them over to Paula’s so dad and I could have a date night. I was so blah though but I finally snapped out of it. We went to Macaroni Grill and had a nice time. Just so nice to sit at home for a bit by ourselves then have a peaceful dinner together. When we picked up the kids they had a great time. Justin played with a helicopter almost the entire time Paula said. They loved what Paula cooked for dinner. We came home and brought the kiddos upstairs, read a few books, and off to bed. I went for a walk and now time to pack.

This morning Bret had to do some work. The kids played pretty well for a little while then we headed outside. The kids helped me wash my car. It was so hot though. After drying the car Justin played with the hose. The kids played in the backyard for a while with ice and big cups. It kept them occupied for a long time. Then we headed to Aliya’s 3rd birthday party at the Santa Ana Zoo. The kids loved it as it was a Curious George theme. It was really cute. Nicole got a monkey painted on her face. We rode the train and the carousal. The kids couldn’t wait for the cake. After the party we hung around the zoo for a bit and the kids played. They loved feeding the goats and playing with the hand washing station. The kids are showing us what big kids they are by drinking with no lids. I can’t believe how big they are getting. We came home and the kiddos watched TV. Since it was so hot after TV we played with water in the backyard. We got out the little swimming pool and water table. The kids had so much fun. The part they enjoyed best was splashing the basketballs in the pool. Justin loved splashing us. Nicole hid in the play house. She looked out the window and we pretended to order food (drive thru). So fun watching them play in the water. Bees started coming over to the water so we hid inside. The kids were busy chasing daddy all over the house so we played on the green belt. We ran around with the kiddos and played hide n seek. We went to Red Robin for dinner and had a nice family meal. Jusitn branched out and ordered a chicken quesidilla (usually he gets corn dogs there). Also all of a sudden Justin decided to try salad and he liked it. Nicole tried a little bite. Justin kept eating off dad’s salad and both kids tried tomatoes. We went over to the frog fountains and played. Dad gave Justin advice, don’t spend too much time with one frog, there are plenty of frogs in the fountain. We came home and the kids seemed pretty tired. I packed a little while the kids played. Justin was so happy he finally got to wear his shark jammies and Nicole her ice cream ones. However, it took a half hour to get them to bed tonight. Justin kept calling me to tell me Nicole called him a sneaker.