In answer to your requests and a very late follow through to my promise - here's my "red" hair.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Hanging with Daddy
Monday, July 13, 2009
Like sister, like sister
This picture had me cracking up. I never saw their hands until I got these uploaded. They were watching Ratatouille together one morning. It was very cold, so I popped both sleeper-clad girls under the big colorful duvet/comforter and started to snap away.
**Aunt Heather, that's the "I love my Auntie" sleeper, it fits now.
**Christina, that's the sleeper you bought a year and a half ago. Still going strong - I'll make her wear it until she no longer fits it. Which isn't far off if she keeps growing!
Naomi eyeing her toys
This is a trial run with Flickr. We'll see how we go...
**Update** Ooooh! I'm a fan! Big pictures finally!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Joshua Matthew Photography
It's been on my mind lately to "go further" with my photography. See, I love taking pictures and I love composing them, editing photographs, and capturing a moment. I struggle with the technical side of things - for a while I thought I was doing really well and then realized I had my camera set on 1600 ISO (no good for most shots, only for really dark shots). When I changed it back, my stuff went bad again (blurry, orange glow, etc). But I endeavor to get better. That and I endeavor to buy a flash sooner or later. Probably later...
But that aside, I've been told I'm good. I know I'm a creative person by nature, so the artistic side of photography comes to me pretty easily. If only I had the finances, time, and a place to do a photography course I'd be on Cloud 9. But alas, that's not the case at this point in our lives. In the meantime, I'll just continue studying my camera manual, asking Rachel, Amanda, and Andrea questions, and practicing.
Another thing I enjoy is learning how to use PSE (Photoshop Elements) which I received as a birthday present. I didn't say much about it at the time (April 17th) because I was only a week into my postpartum recovery and I certainly wasn't up and bouncing around taking pictures to edit. :) It was probably a month before I really got a chance to sit down and work with it. Since then I've been learning a lot.
The other day I was looking at a photography student's work (he's in his 2nd year) and realized that I could do better than him (he'd shot a wedding). That's what has encouraged me to follow through with a dream I've had for a while now.
Introducing Joshua Matthew Photography...
I'm learning. I don't claim to be great. But I, more than most, understand how precious a picture is. And not just any picture, a photograph that captured a moment in time that will never be again. Our time with our son Joshua Matthew was precious and quick. His photos are one of the most important things to me in the world. If I were to lose his photos, I'd probably have to be peeled off the floor. It was Joshua that got me interested in photography - not just family photos.
So there you have it. I have yet to decide if I want to signature my photos with Joshua Matthew Photography, or the byline Be Strong & Courageous. We'll see. I'm thinking I'll stick with BS&C, because JMPhotography gets looooong on photos. Not sure yet. Want to weigh in?
Nothing's really changed. I think I'm just finally admitting to myself that I would love to be a photographer. I'd love to capture once-in-a-lifetime shots for people, to show them how they were at a moment in time, and provide precious keepsakes for a lifetime.
But that aside, I've been told I'm good. I know I'm a creative person by nature, so the artistic side of photography comes to me pretty easily. If only I had the finances, time, and a place to do a photography course I'd be on Cloud 9. But alas, that's not the case at this point in our lives. In the meantime, I'll just continue studying my camera manual, asking Rachel, Amanda, and Andrea questions, and practicing.
Another thing I enjoy is learning how to use PSE (Photoshop Elements) which I received as a birthday present. I didn't say much about it at the time (April 17th) because I was only a week into my postpartum recovery and I certainly wasn't up and bouncing around taking pictures to edit. :) It was probably a month before I really got a chance to sit down and work with it. Since then I've been learning a lot.
The other day I was looking at a photography student's work (he's in his 2nd year) and realized that I could do better than him (he'd shot a wedding). That's what has encouraged me to follow through with a dream I've had for a while now.
Introducing Joshua Matthew Photography...
I'm learning. I don't claim to be great. But I, more than most, understand how precious a picture is. And not just any picture, a photograph that captured a moment in time that will never be again. Our time with our son Joshua Matthew was precious and quick. His photos are one of the most important things to me in the world. If I were to lose his photos, I'd probably have to be peeled off the floor. It was Joshua that got me interested in photography - not just family photos.
So there you have it. I have yet to decide if I want to signature my photos with Joshua Matthew Photography, or the byline Be Strong & Courageous. We'll see. I'm thinking I'll stick with BS&C, because JMPhotography gets looooong on photos. Not sure yet. Want to weigh in?
Nothing's really changed. I think I'm just finally admitting to myself that I would love to be a photographer. I'd love to capture once-in-a-lifetime shots for people, to show them how they were at a moment in time, and provide precious keepsakes for a lifetime.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Miles - Updated
Update: This was hid Gramma Deb's comment:
You'll probably recognise this cute face from all the pictures I reposted over the weekend.
This is Miles Taylor, the son of good friends from college/university. His parents - Bryce and Christina - were some of our few friends who got to meet Joshua and hold him, before he went home. They've spent a lot of time praying for our family - I know they have.
And now it's my turn to pray for them.
I don't know the particulars just yet, but little Miles was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes over the weekend. As far as I know he wasn't having any particular health difficulties, but was in the hospital over the weekend either during or after his diagnosis.
Please pray for Bryce, Christina, Miles, and his little brother Levi while they all adjust to the newness of Miles' condition. From what I gather, he'll be taking four shots of insulin a day, along with all the necessary finger pricking. I can only imagine what it's like to dofinger pricks for a 3 year old... Christina told me that several months ago Miles got pink eye and it was a hair-raiser getting the eyedrops in.
Love you guys! Hugs and kisses for Miles!
The last of our trip
Harrisburg, PA airport (MDT) is the coolest! Talk about Pennsylvania Dutch (Amish) country, there's rocking chairs before security so you can hang with your family before your flight! These are Matt's parents - now there's a face to the name "mom sams" in comments, but that's Pam and Dennis. They are wonderful people. Love them to bits. (Well, except you Dad! You don't want us around anyways. At last you're rid of us! - Don't worry folks, that's an inside joke)
A very happy/sad Gramma and Naomi. See that pretty purple applique? It's covering a stain that refused to come out after Oceana killed it....A very
Oceana wanted to photograph Grampa. He was being a ham just for her...
Burger King at LAX. At this point she was out of fries to dip in the ketchup, so she was ignoring her burger and eating ketchup off her finger. COZ SHE CAN!
How Naomi enjoyed Burger King... She was a tired little thing by that point. It was her bedtime, and it was still 4 hours until our flight went out... Poor buhb! I forgot that I'd get the boy/girl confusion and dressed her in a green onesie and blue socks. I just had to get over all the "How old is HE?" comments. Oh well...
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Reposting 15
Carl
Did I just get "the nod" from a 3 year old?
Birthday cake at the Pruitt's for all the missed birthdays!
Reposting 14
Hannah and Ainsley listening to Ainsley's iPod she won
Watching Oceana drive over Naomi (Pruitt)'s flowerbeds!
Reposting 13
Mal-Mal, as we knew her when she was little. Now she's a rather grown up Mallory.... who likes to "worry" babies as her Dad put it. She's in love with babies, and just wanted to touch her 24/7. :)
Reposting 12
Autumn, my cousin Holly's little girl [19 months]
Playing in G.G.'s bedroom [Great Gramma Mears]
Love those eyes!
James, my cousin Natalie's first [8 months?]
Reposting 11
I love you
Kisses
Wait come back
I said "WAIT!"
That's where we started yelling "Let him go!!!!"
Reposting 10
Dad Sams and his nephew Jason "arguing" over coins. They both collect and were trading at the reunion. They make me laugh... Something about proof sets and new rolls of Lincoln pennies?
Somebody went swimming with $$ in their pockets...
The Sams Family including Butch (Little Anthony's [Anthony Jr] "baby")
Reposting 9
Evan Charles
Matt and his Aunt Carol - watching over two crockpots full of meatballs. The Sams women can make a MEATBALL! Woo! I gotta learn how they do it!
Gramma Sams and Naomi at the family reunion
Aunt Carol and Naomi
Reposting 8
JD
Baby Kai [5 months] (Meeka Jade's little brother)
Aunt Melody and Oceana
Momma-Love for Melody
Reposting 7
Meeka Jade
Hugs
Someone called these Oceana's Daisy-Duke's. Ahem. Well, they're size 18m. But they still fit. So I think they're now officially retired. Ahem
JD the soccer player
Reposting 5
More yogurt-eating at the park
JD [2 1/2], Oceana [3], and Meeka Jade [2 1/2] (Jacob's cousin, so roundabout-edly Oce's adopted cousin?)
Settling down in front of TV before naptime
Reposting 4
JD at the park in Greece, NY
"To 'Finity, and BeYON!" (Toy Story, "To infinity and beyond" as heard from Oceana daily)
Chowing on Tim Horton's yogurt, Momm and Aunt Melly needed coffee in a big way!
Reposting 3
Sunnies
The quiet moment in betwen chaotic ones. Jacob and Oceana
We're a Veggie-lovin' family. Jacob Daniel at 2 1/2
Carseat row!
Reposting 2
Playing Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. This ended when Evan smashed his eyebrown between the two pull out couches.
Sleeping in a lounge chair on the deck
With her adopted angel statues from Gramma's garden. They were named Naomi, Oceana, and Momma. ;)
Sporting the bruise from Five Little Monkeys. Eating with Grampa on the deck
Reposting pictures that disappeared June 09
Naomi on her boppy
Oce and Daddy riding at Chocolate World
Checking out a Hershey Kiss at the Chocolate World store
Evan Charles, our nephew (Matt's older sister Heather's son). He's 17 months old. So handsome. So forlorn in this bathtub shot!
Taylors and Oceana
Miles
Levi - who turns 1 in just 3 days!
I thought this looked like a modern take on one of those B&W yesteryear photos of children.
I told you he hated the camera. :)
The Taylor Family
This is the Taylor family, who came to see us from Virginia!
I think this collection of photos is the FUNNIEST thing I've ever shot. There was no cooperation from Miles. He was tired, grumpy, and camera-murderous (forget shy, he wanted nothing to do with me).
I think this collection of photos is the FUNNIEST thing I've ever shot. There was no cooperation from Miles. He was tired, grumpy, and camera-murderous (forget shy, he wanted nothing to do with me).
Alive and Well
We've made it back home! We left Pennsylvania at about 10:30 on Wednesday morning and made our way to Dulles Int'l (Washington DC) where wer got to SIT for 4 hours waiting for our plane. Our first flight got moved up an hour (what? why EARLY?) and our second flight was an hour late, making that stop much longer than anticipated. Oceana was already in "rocky territory" behaviorally-speaking, but she found some friends to color and play with while we waited.
Our flight from DC to LA went pretty, except that Naomi had a hard time settling. We missed three days in a row of Gentian Violet (for her/my thrush) and I think her poor little mouth was hurting. I'm definitely hurting, so I can imagine she does too! I fought tears on that flight because she wouldn't stop crying. I didn't want to admit I was sobbing, but those pesky tears still dribbled down my face - even though I didn't want anyone to know I'd reached breaking point. It was a breaking point that came way too early in the day(s) of travel for my taste.
But I kept my cool. Most of the time. I had to keep reminding myself that I don't like that breaking-point-version-of-me. Our stop over in LA was nearly 7 hours long, but between new friends (ironically, they were one of the families we played with in DC too!), Burger King, and some coloring books, we survived. After we got on our flight to NZ we realized Oceana had been awake (besides a short nap) since 7:30am and it was now 3:30am. That poor girl was SHOT!
Both girls kept their cool most of the time on our flight and Nay-Nay did very well sleeping about 7 hours straight at one point (unfortunately I wasn't able to sleep that same 7 - but I can survive on three hours that weren't consecutive). She did her share of being unsettled on that flight, but our semi-celebrity fellow passengers didn't seem to mind [as a side note, I told Matt they had to be from WWF - WWE was close enough, and they are all the size of TREES].
We arrived in New Zealand at 8am on Friday morning and got home to Tauranga around noon. (8am Fri was 4pm Thurs EST). It was a long trip, but nothing went missing. I found my black long sleeve, that apparently I'd left in our van in New Zealand never taken with me. And upon arriving home I trashed our house by opening all six suitcases and five carry on bags in the middle of our dining room/living room. But the coolest part? My dad made us dinner (my Mom's in Fiji for three weeks). Following dinner a very tuckered-out girl crawled under the table to play with her Baboo's toes. A few minutes later we looked under the table and discovered her sound asleep on her tummy with her hand stretched out toward Baboo's feet. :) She lasted till 7pm, that's pretty good considering all the travelling and her normal bedtime is 8.
Naomi slept 6-1, ate, and slept again till 5:30. Oceana slept 7 to 1 and needed a sandwich (we're reliving this night-time-snack-routine), and slept again till 5:30. We're doing pretty good. Matt and I collapsed at 9pm, we were so exhausted!
And now? Now I'm gonna put away all the STUFF and start with laundry (Naomi was in a pukey mood on the plane and since), but not before I post PICTURES!
Our flight from DC to LA went pretty, except that Naomi had a hard time settling. We missed three days in a row of Gentian Violet (for her/my thrush) and I think her poor little mouth was hurting. I'm definitely hurting, so I can imagine she does too! I fought tears on that flight because she wouldn't stop crying. I didn't want to admit I was sobbing, but those pesky tears still dribbled down my face - even though I didn't want anyone to know I'd reached breaking point. It was a breaking point that came way too early in the day(s) of travel for my taste.
But I kept my cool. Most of the time. I had to keep reminding myself that I don't like that breaking-point-version-of-me. Our stop over in LA was nearly 7 hours long, but between new friends (ironically, they were one of the families we played with in DC too!), Burger King, and some coloring books, we survived. After we got on our flight to NZ we realized Oceana had been awake (besides a short nap) since 7:30am and it was now 3:30am. That poor girl was SHOT!
Both girls kept their cool most of the time on our flight and Nay-Nay did very well sleeping about 7 hours straight at one point (unfortunately I wasn't able to sleep that same 7 - but I can survive on three hours that weren't consecutive). She did her share of being unsettled on that flight, but our semi-celebrity fellow passengers didn't seem to mind [as a side note, I told Matt they had to be from WWF - WWE was close enough, and they are all the size of TREES].
We arrived in New Zealand at 8am on Friday morning and got home to Tauranga around noon. (8am Fri was 4pm Thurs EST). It was a long trip, but nothing went missing. I found my black long sleeve, that apparently I'd left in our van in New Zealand never taken with me. And upon arriving home I trashed our house by opening all six suitcases and five carry on bags in the middle of our dining room/living room. But the coolest part? My dad made us dinner (my Mom's in Fiji for three weeks). Following dinner a very tuckered-out girl crawled under the table to play with her Baboo's toes. A few minutes later we looked under the table and discovered her sound asleep on her tummy with her hand stretched out toward Baboo's feet. :) She lasted till 7pm, that's pretty good considering all the travelling and her normal bedtime is 8.
Naomi slept 6-1, ate, and slept again till 5:30. Oceana slept 7 to 1 and needed a sandwich (we're reliving this night-time-snack-routine), and slept again till 5:30. We're doing pretty good. Matt and I collapsed at 9pm, we were so exhausted!
And now? Now I'm gonna put away all the STUFF and start with laundry (Naomi was in a pukey mood on the plane and since), but not before I post PICTURES!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Winding down
Our time here in Pennsylvania is coming to a close. It's been a great time. We've had the chance to visit family and friends, and even went to a Sams Family Reunion. We've done BBQs and eaten out. We've been sunburned (me and Matt, not the girls) and bitten by bugs (probably just me). We've been to the doctor (me and Naomi) and we've opted for natural options instead (Gentian Violet for nursing thrush works wonders). We've been prayed for in church, and we've dedicated little Naomi's life to the Lord at our home church here (along with her 16 month old cousin Evan).
And now begins the next "rush". That fabulous time before a trip home, where I'll spend my whole day trying to "funnel" our belongings back into the room we've stayed in. I've tried my very best to not allow the "wandering" that inevitably happens. But it has happened, and now I'll be darned [ooh hoo, watchyerlanguageyounglady] if I can find Naomi's one warm sleeper and my favorite winter weather long sleeved shirt anywhere. Harumph. My plan was to each have one warm outfit to bring with us - we arrived in them and we'll leave in them. I use that phrase loosely, as I well know I won't make it LA alive if I try to wear a long sleeved shirt when we leave Harrisburg, headed for Dulles on Wednesday morning! Oh dear summer, we're gonna miss you and your sweet temps! Back to the land o' claminess we go.
I'd love to live-blog the next few days. But alas, without Twitter on a mobile phone, or the where-with-all to get on the computer every half hour, it probably won't happen. I've pretty much given up on posting pictures until I get home and have internet access on my laptop again. Sorry if you were hanging out for updates in that regard.
Naomi is laughing and gigging now. Her smiles can easily be "worked for" and her giggles are hysterical. It seems she's a ticklish baby, since her collarbone, ribs, tummy, legs, knees, and even hips are time tickling targets. Blowing raspberries on her feet have also been known to produce giggles. And this little stinker apparently didn't get the memo that said babies don't roll over until about 5 months of age. Especially from their back to their tummy, since this requires my body control. See, Oceana rolled over a few times at 2 months old, but it was a fluke and she stopped doing it. Put Naomi on the floor for a minute and you'll see her flip from her back to her tummy in record timing and often flip again to her back. Ahem. "Excuse me madam, you're not supposed to do that yet."
I gotta go. I need to do some laundry, some packing, some cleaning, and a bit of shopping. It's gonna be an adventure in packing all the things we have acquired while we've been here. Wish me luck!
And now begins the next "rush". That fabulous time before a trip home, where I'll spend my whole day trying to "funnel" our belongings back into the room we've stayed in. I've tried my very best to not allow the "wandering" that inevitably happens. But it has happened, and now I'll be darned [ooh hoo, watchyerlanguageyounglady] if I can find Naomi's one warm sleeper and my favorite winter weather long sleeved shirt anywhere. Harumph. My plan was to each have one warm outfit to bring with us - we arrived in them and we'll leave in them. I use that phrase loosely, as I well know I won't make it LA alive if I try to wear a long sleeved shirt when we leave Harrisburg, headed for Dulles on Wednesday morning! Oh dear summer, we're gonna miss you and your sweet temps! Back to the land o' claminess we go.
I'd love to live-blog the next few days. But alas, without Twitter on a mobile phone, or the where-with-all to get on the computer every half hour, it probably won't happen. I've pretty much given up on posting pictures until I get home and have internet access on my laptop again. Sorry if you were hanging out for updates in that regard.
Naomi is laughing and gigging now. Her smiles can easily be "worked for" and her giggles are hysterical. It seems she's a ticklish baby, since her collarbone, ribs, tummy, legs, knees, and even hips are time tickling targets. Blowing raspberries on her feet have also been known to produce giggles. And this little stinker apparently didn't get the memo that said babies don't roll over until about 5 months of age. Especially from their back to their tummy, since this requires my body control. See, Oceana rolled over a few times at 2 months old, but it was a fluke and she stopped doing it. Put Naomi on the floor for a minute and you'll see her flip from her back to her tummy in record timing and often flip again to her back. Ahem. "Excuse me madam, you're not supposed to do that yet."
I gotta go. I need to do some laundry, some packing, some cleaning, and a bit of shopping. It's gonna be an adventure in packing all the things we have acquired while we've been here. Wish me luck!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Hands On House - Lancaster, PA
To see their website, click here. And to do those little underlined links, as per a commenter's question a few weeks ago, highlight the word you want to use as a link, click the green button between your text color and left align buttons in your blogger dashboard and pop the link into the box that comes up.
Trial run
Please let me know if this photo of Samuel shows up. Several people have commented that the photos from the last few days didn't show up. And now they won't show for me. (They did a few days ago). I think it may be a combination of too many and too large (they were all very large and took forever to upload in the first place). I'll try to resize and reupload the shots, but you all can see how many photos I uploaded. It took me the better part of a morning to do, so I may not get them all redone. Ugh...
Friday was an awesome day. The Taylor's and Tavares' came over for an all-day barbeque. It was SO good to see them and their [collective] four boys, Miles, Levi, Samuel, and Zachary. Bryce and Matt went golfing (Josh hadn't arrived yet), and later Christina, Danielle, and I went shopping for BBQ food and some hair dye. Oh yes my dear blog readers, I am no longer the same. Matt's not crazy about the changes, but he's not one to tell me to change if it's not a crucial issue.
I'm intrigued by the change, since I've never been anything but blonde, except for a dismal 72 hours at camp one year. Since I know you'll just bug me to know what that 72 hours looked like... I had heard you could color with food coloring. Well, sure you can, but it's not that great. I thought that food dye worked like hair dye and just kept rinsing until the color stopped (mostly) showing in the water. Instead of my desired aqua blue mane (oh yes my dears, I was a crazy little 16 year old!) I was the not-so-proud owner of a snot green mane. It rained through most of camp, so what little there was remaining in my hair trickled out over the weekend. A friend of mine stopped me at the end of camp and said, "You know, you'd almost walk past and not think 'I wonder what that girl did to her hair' now." In other words, "Not yet. We still wonder what on earth you did." To make it better, it was a guy who said that, who are known for their not-so-observant tendencies. I'm sure every girl at camp wondered what was wrong with me. I was looking forward to sporting some bright blue hair. It looked awesome when it was wet... not so much after it was rinsed and not dripping blue on my shoulders...
The new color? Ah yes, I'm keeping you in the dark until I have a good picture of myself. I had my hair looking good yesterday, but failed to take a picture at Adam & Kristin's wedding (so much fun to be there!). In fact, I failed to take my camera. We left late for the wedding, so by the time I realized my camera was till at home, we were too far to return for it. No wedding pictures, no cute family picture. One of these days we HAVE to get some pictures taken! :)
Looks like we're headed to Hershey Park tomorrow (the amusment park) with Matt's sister Heather and her son Evan. I used to be a big fan of rollercoasters, but after one bad experience on our honeymoon, I'm not so fond of them anymore. (Bad experience: So nauseated from the ride, I spent the next 3-4 hours hoping I would chuck my cookies so I'd feel better). It pretty much ruined our day at Geauga Lake, OH - I guess it's closed now, otherwise I'd like it. There's nothing quite like being on your honeymoon and having to ask your husband how to stick your finger down your throat, hoping that the overwhelming sense of cookie-chucking would go away.
I'll probably man the snacks/drinks/strollers while Matt and Heather fill their thrill-seeking quota for the year. I'm just fine and dandy on the kiddie rides with Oshee and Evan, thanks very much! They might be able to get me on one or two rides, but I no longer feel the need to prove my bravery. I used to be all "I can do anything" when it came to rollercoasters, in fact that's a lot of the reason I did them. But to be perfectly frank, I hate them. I hate the sensation of falling. I hate heights. I break into cold sweats just standing in line. And I just don't feel like putting myself in panic's way. :)
I've learned a new talent. Putting baby to sleep while typing. Her head's in the crook of my left elbow, her body's across my lap, with my left knee up heigher so that she's "reclined" nicely. She was fussy - enough so that Matt had to come find me while I was folding laundry earlier. Oh well, I knew she was tired, sometimes she just needs to read my blog so she can be bored enough. :D
Catch ya later!
Friday was an awesome day. The Taylor's and Tavares' came over for an all-day barbeque. It was SO good to see them and their [collective] four boys, Miles, Levi, Samuel, and Zachary. Bryce and Matt went golfing (Josh hadn't arrived yet), and later Christina, Danielle, and I went shopping for BBQ food and some hair dye. Oh yes my dear blog readers, I am no longer the same. Matt's not crazy about the changes, but he's not one to tell me to change if it's not a crucial issue.
I'm intrigued by the change, since I've never been anything but blonde, except for a dismal 72 hours at camp one year. Since I know you'll just bug me to know what that 72 hours looked like... I had heard you could color with food coloring. Well, sure you can, but it's not that great. I thought that food dye worked like hair dye and just kept rinsing until the color stopped (mostly) showing in the water. Instead of my desired aqua blue mane (oh yes my dears, I was a crazy little 16 year old!) I was the not-so-proud owner of a snot green mane. It rained through most of camp, so what little there was remaining in my hair trickled out over the weekend. A friend of mine stopped me at the end of camp and said, "You know, you'd almost walk past and not think 'I wonder what that girl did to her hair' now." In other words, "Not yet. We still wonder what on earth you did." To make it better, it was a guy who said that, who are known for their not-so-observant tendencies. I'm sure every girl at camp wondered what was wrong with me. I was looking forward to sporting some bright blue hair. It looked awesome when it was wet... not so much after it was rinsed and not dripping blue on my shoulders...
The new color? Ah yes, I'm keeping you in the dark until I have a good picture of myself. I had my hair looking good yesterday, but failed to take a picture at Adam & Kristin's wedding (so much fun to be there!). In fact, I failed to take my camera. We left late for the wedding, so by the time I realized my camera was till at home, we were too far to return for it. No wedding pictures, no cute family picture. One of these days we HAVE to get some pictures taken! :)
Looks like we're headed to Hershey Park tomorrow (the amusment park) with Matt's sister Heather and her son Evan. I used to be a big fan of rollercoasters, but after one bad experience on our honeymoon, I'm not so fond of them anymore. (Bad experience: So nauseated from the ride, I spent the next 3-4 hours hoping I would chuck my cookies so I'd feel better). It pretty much ruined our day at Geauga Lake, OH - I guess it's closed now, otherwise I'd like it. There's nothing quite like being on your honeymoon and having to ask your husband how to stick your finger down your throat, hoping that the overwhelming sense of cookie-chucking would go away.
I'll probably man the snacks/drinks/strollers while Matt and Heather fill their thrill-seeking quota for the year. I'm just fine and dandy on the kiddie rides with Oshee and Evan, thanks very much! They might be able to get me on one or two rides, but I no longer feel the need to prove my bravery. I used to be all "I can do anything" when it came to rollercoasters, in fact that's a lot of the reason I did them. But to be perfectly frank, I hate them. I hate the sensation of falling. I hate heights. I break into cold sweats just standing in line. And I just don't feel like putting myself in panic's way. :)
I've learned a new talent. Putting baby to sleep while typing. Her head's in the crook of my left elbow, her body's across my lap, with my left knee up heigher so that she's "reclined" nicely. She was fussy - enough so that Matt had to come find me while I was folding laundry earlier. Oh well, I knew she was tired, sometimes she just needs to read my blog so she can be bored enough. :D
Catch ya later!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Now that you've been caught up on pictures
I feel the need for photos when I post. It bothers me that I have pictureless posts. Just a pet-peave of mine. But since I've fixed up my quota for like... ever... I'll just stick to catch you up on our lives!
We are loving Pennsylvania! The weather has been great! While there's been a few muggy/humid days, and some serious heat once or twice, the majority of the weather has been pleasant and mild. Soooo nice. Believe me, I'm wanting to get home to my house, my kitchen, my... well - Me Me Me - basically... but I'm not looking forward to the winter weather. Eek!
We've had the chance to catch up with a lot of friends and family - as per the pictures. It's such a blessing to have friends all around the world that we can pick up with like time has not passed. But it's a bummer we don't all live in the same town!
Yesterday we spent the day with the Taylor's at Hands On House in Lancaster, PA. It was a great day - inside at least. The kids had a blast. It was the only time we - the parents - have had to prod children through a museum. They'd get bogged down on one exhibit and we'd get bored with it before they did! It's a great museum, love it! They had fishing and face painting, car building and germ-killing (LOL, sock the germs!), grocery shopping and dress ups, engineering and a treehouse. It was fantastic, except that everyone else in the area seemed to think so too. It was pouring rain (like, scary to drive kind of rain) and it was a great option for little kids. :) Great minds think alike???
Today we're having the Taylors and Tavares' over for a BBQ. It should be a GRAND time since Samuel, Oceana, and Miles are all three years old. Levi is 1 in a few weeks and Zachary and Naomi are two months old. The decibels will be in a "heightened state" today! :)
We are loving Pennsylvania! The weather has been great! While there's been a few muggy/humid days, and some serious heat once or twice, the majority of the weather has been pleasant and mild. Soooo nice. Believe me, I'm wanting to get home to my house, my kitchen, my... well - Me Me Me - basically... but I'm not looking forward to the winter weather. Eek!
We've had the chance to catch up with a lot of friends and family - as per the pictures. It's such a blessing to have friends all around the world that we can pick up with like time has not passed. But it's a bummer we don't all live in the same town!
Yesterday we spent the day with the Taylor's at Hands On House in Lancaster, PA. It was a great day - inside at least. The kids had a blast. It was the only time we - the parents - have had to prod children through a museum. They'd get bogged down on one exhibit and we'd get bored with it before they did! It's a great museum, love it! They had fishing and face painting, car building and germ-killing (LOL, sock the germs!), grocery shopping and dress ups, engineering and a treehouse. It was fantastic, except that everyone else in the area seemed to think so too. It was pouring rain (like, scary to drive kind of rain) and it was a great option for little kids. :) Great minds think alike???
Today we're having the Taylors and Tavares' over for a BBQ. It should be a GRAND time since Samuel, Oceana, and Miles are all three years old. Levi is 1 in a few weeks and Zachary and Naomi are two months old. The decibels will be in a "heightened state" today! :)
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
hi everybody!
posting from buffalo new york at cliff and naomi pruitt's place :)
we made a quick trip to new hampshire to see my grandma, aunt, uncles, and cousins and then decided on the way up that we'd really love to "drop in" to buffalo and see our old neighbors from college days.
so we did.
it's only a few extra hours in the car.
like... 9.
but we are so happy to be here and see our extra family the pruitts.
and i just gotta say - hi to mary pruitt's friend from accomack county, virginia - toni is what cliff said - I think. so HI to toni! i guess you're a stalker - but you've now been called out! :)
i promise the pictures and updates are coming.
but we have bryce, christina, miles, and levi coming to see us on thursday and friday and josh, danielle, samuel, and zachary coming to see us friday and saturday. it's gonna be SO MUCH fun to see our old friends. a photo shoot is in the works - coz those four boys are just gonna be paparazzi'd like no one's business. and so are hannah, ainsley, mallory, and carl for that matter.
watch this space!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
just letting you know i'm here. just haven't gotten the chance to post. was away visiting my best friend/ adopted sister who had her appendix out last week. she's a single mom to jd who's 2.5. i took the girls up to visit while matt stayed home to hang with his high school friends. and caps are for people who aren't standing and rocking fussy babies. no sign of a nap over here. send sleep vibes! :D
Friday, June 5, 2009
Live, Learn and Leave *See bottom of post for Q&A*
On travelling with small children.
Find the peanut butter jar and a spoon, locate nearest closet, step inside, close the door, and eat peanut butter. Forget about travelling with small children. That's what I think.
Ok, so seriously though, travelling with small children is not for the faint of heart. It takes patience, resolve, and a really good reason to make the trip.
LIVE
My experience is fairly vast here. I was a well-travelled kid in my early years. My parents lived in Virginia and since my grandparents lived in Vermont and New Hamshire, that gave us 12 and 14 hour trips to their houses, respectively. We made those trips in non-stop fashion (ie. bathroom breaks not included) over one day. I flew to New Zealand in 2000 at the age of 14, my younger siblings were 12, 10, and 8. I was pretty good at travelling.
And then I had kids....
At 4 weeks old we drove with Oceana 4 hours to Matt's parents, from NY state. She slept most of the drive, if not all. I'm a little fuzzy on the details now.
At 7 weeks we drove with Oceana from Harrisburg, PA to Burlington, VT for my friend's wedding. We drove non-stop. I pumped in the front seat, then crawled in the backseat to feed her the bottle. I even changed a diaper by undoing the bottom of the belt for a few minutes. I learned my lesson there though, as 2 minutes later she spurted baby poo all over her clothes, carseat, carseat straps, carseat base, and seat OF the car. Never. EVER. Again. (Add to that my obssessive carseat safety criteria now).
At 8 weeks we flew with Oceana from Philadelphia, PA to Los Angeles, CA, to Auckland, New Zealand. We made no hotel stops, it was a straight shot trip.
At 14 months we flew with Oceana (and 10 weeks pregnant) from New Zealand to Pennsylvania and back again in the space of 16 days.
At 3 years of age Oceana flew to Pennsylvania and Naomi was only 7 weeks old.
I have my TravellingMummy credentials. ***If you know what TravellingMummy is, please comment. I'm so curious how many of you have wandered over***
LEARN
I have done my research. There are a lot of website that have information travelling with kids. Just do a google search for travelling with small children/toddlers/babies and you'll find plenty. Anybody who's travelled much can tell you a few things too. I've also learned a lot by Trial and Error. I hate Trial and Error - she's a pain in the butt!
I am a list person when I travel. I have to be. Part of that is because travelling with children means you've probably got leftover-baby-brain, preggo-brain, or baby-brain. NONE of these are acceptable frames of mind for travel; go hide in the closet with the peanut butter.
The week before I leave, I think about the trip almost constantly. If I think of an item that must come along, I write it down. Don't tell yourself you'll remember. You won't! We made a trip once that caused Matt to shop for underclothing, as he had none.
Three or four days before your trip start doing the laundry. Decide which items must go and make sure you get them clean and don't wear them before you leave. We usually look a bit silly the days before a trip to make this happen. Be sure to set aside the good burp rags and blankets as well.
As you do the laundry, put clean things in the suitcase. Leave it open on the floor in your room and put stuff in it as you go. I list in numbers: 6x underwear, 8x baby socks, 8 onesies, etc. When something is completely done, I scratch it off my list. As the list gets smaller, I circle what's left to do so that I don't miss anything amongst my scratches. (Highlighters probably work well too, but does anyone own one that works?!?!?!)
Pack one to two days before you leave, but be sure there is extra space in the top as there are ALWAYS a few more things that go in at last minute.
Your carryon luggage should be thorough, but scarce. If you have to wrangle two children (whether or not you have your spouse/friend with you) you do not need a purse, a laptop bag, a diaper bag, a bag for each kid, a carry on bag for yourself, and all your coats too. Try to hold all that, plus the carseats if you have them, and the stroller up to the gate. Let alone getting on the plane and through the aisles. Closet? Peanut butter?
This last trip I took one rolling carryon and put the digital camera and the video camera inside. Also in this bag was a change of shirt for me (puke, my dear friends, puke), a change for Oceana, a change or two for Naomi, and the sling (and candy... heh heh). Then I carried the diaper bag with zippers. My normal diaper bag has no zipper, just a flip/velcro lid. That's not a good idea for airports - stuff falls out. In the diaper bag I had about 12 diapers (The first flight was 12 hours, there were extra diapers in the checked luggage), two or three outfits for Naomi, a full pack of wipes, two empty grocery bags, a small water bottle, my mp3 player, my glasses case, two bottles in case of an emergency, and snacks for Oceana. I also attached three caribiners to my bag's buckle and attached my Moby bag to this when I didn't need it. I also attached a burp rag with a caribiner, via the rolled tag. This way I could get to it quickly without digging through my bag.
Oceana had one small backpack with her toys in it. It was light enough for her to carry all the time. Inside the bag: one newish coloring book; one pencil bag with the one colored pencil for each of the colors of the rainbow, as well as black, white, and brown; one book, a set of "sewing" cards and laces (*made my own with cardboard, a holepunch, and ribbon taped at the end*); a snack or two, finger puppets in a clean peanut butter container, two small containers of play doh, a picture album with friends/family in Pennsylvania, a one-time-use camera, and a few other small items.
That's all I carried. I could pull the rolling suitcase, sling the diaper bag over my shoulder, had Naomi wrapped in the Moby, and still had a hand to use for other things. Matt pushed Oceana in the stroller.
Strollers: While your kid may be outgrowing the stroller, it is so handy in an airport. They get tired, they get slow, and having the stroller means that you have an option other than carrying your not-so-easy-to-carry-not-so-little-preschooler.
Carseats: If you think your kid will sit still better in a carseat, this is a good option. I knew that it would be one more thing to wrangle on our trip, so I skipped both seats this time. Oceana slept better being able to curl into her seat than she would have in her stroller.
Bassinets: International flights have bassinets that attach to the bulkhead wall. Call your airline after booking your flight and "request a bassinet for your lap baby". It is only a request, as bassinets are given to the smallest babies that request them. Naomi had a bassinet, as well as the nearly-2-year-old who was next to me. If you don't do the request before your flight, there's no way you'll get one.
Children's Meals: Call the airline after booking and request a special children's meal (this applies to Int'l flights again). This is also handy because not only are the foods kid-friendly, they also are distributed first, which means your kid won't watch someone else eating before he does (Melt.Down).
Extra assistance: Take it. Use it. Make those flight attendants work for their money man!
Board the plane early: If it's going to take you a few minutes to get situated with your littlies and bags, board when they invite families to board. On big flights this might give you 10-15 minutes.
Immigration/Customs: Sometimes there are lines for families, watch for this. LA airport also had a cheat-line for families at security. Sah-Weet!
A pen: Take a pen for goodness sake. Neither Matt or I had a pen this last time. Do you know how much you need to write down/fill out on a 24 hour trip? Yeah! Bring a pen! Or six.
Passports: ALL CHILDREN must have passports, regardless of age. They can no longer fly based on their name being written in the parent's passport. Important to know!
Snacks: Most countries will not allow you to come into theirs with fresh foods. They will allow packaged foods that do not contain fruits, seeds, or meats in them. (ie. Oatmeal raisin cookies are okay, packages of raisins probably aren't).
Dirty clothes: I took our small wet bag that came with the bumGenius diapers. A grocery bag works too. Keep the nasty-smelling, sopping-wet, or otherwise clothing/blankets off the clean stuff in the bag.
Clean clothes: Take a change of clothes for yourself. Christina's husband flew from Virginia to New Zealand with puke on his jeans last year. Yehaw for 24 hours of puke-stench!
Shoes: Wear slip ons, in case security wants you to take them off. Your kids may have to remove shoes too. Crocks work well.
Security: Skip belts, jewelry, loose change, putting any random objects in your pockets, or anything that will take a while to take off/put on a security. Have a system, keeping in mind that your stroller has to go through the machine too. So far, of the two women I know who have recently flown in the US, as well as myself - none of us were asked to take our babies out of their slings/wraps to go through the metal detector. They DO have to come out of their carseats/strollers though. Keep this in mind for ease. I'm big on babywearing while travelling, can you tell?
Pajamas: Oceana wore her jammies onto the plane on our overnight flight. Naomi wore only sleepers for our trip. Outfits are more work all around.
Makeup and hair: Easy, managable. For me that's no makeup and a ponytail.
Leave
So there it is my dears. Take it, use it, and leave any more ideas or questions in the comments. I'll add to the bottom of this post as I answer questions.
*Q&A*
*What's the deal with baby food, baby formula, and liquids with the new aviation safety rules? This is the TSA (Transportation Security Administration, the ones who make those rules) website. They have all the rules spelled out and some information on travelling with children as well. This is an article about specific rules regarding formula, breastmilk, and baby food. Breastmilk can be brought on board in amounts larger than 3oz if it is declared at security checkpoints. So when you pop your little baggie of liquids out of your bag, pull your pumped bottle out too, and put it through the machine separately.
The TSA specifically notes that you will not be asked to drink breastmilk, formula, or juice to "prove" the substance. However, Matt was asked to take a drink from his bottle of water at security in LA - instead he chose to throw it out. I stood at security and guzzled mine so I could keep the bottle. I then refilled it at a water fountain after security checkpoints.
*No one asked this - but regarding laptop bags - you don't have to remove the laptop from its bag if its in one of these bags. That's useful information, as the two bags we own aren't like this and we have to take our laptop out and run it through the xray machine separately. It's just ONE MORE THING to do at security. Security is my nemesis by the way....
**Any suggestions on how to entertain an 18 month old on a long flight?
I have to admit that of all our international travel, Oceana at 14 months old was the hardest. She was active, but didn't understand that she wasn't allowed to - especially when the seat belt sign was on because of turbulence.
I found a website that suggested this idea though. But one new gift per hour of flight (The Dollar Tree works great!) and wrap them individually like a present. Whenever they get antsy, let them open a new present. Be sure to put away one toy before opening another - helps you reuse them later. Also, spend a dollar on a roll of wrapping paper and rewrap them before you fly home! This worked pretty well. I don't remember specifically, except that I know I took playdough, crayons, and paper. Beyond that I'm a bit fuzzy about what I took that time. But you know your kid best - you know what will entertain them. But let me urge you, don't take stuff with little pieces, lots of pieces, or that are important to you. Assume that you will lose some things, or break some things. Assume that you will have to pick playdough out of the seat. But it's a small price to pay for a bit of peace and quiet. Another thing that helps is to take the favourite blanket or teddy. Oceana's not attached to any one thing right now, but some kids WILL NOT sleep without their blankie - a long flight's not a good time to try and break that habit! :)
And above all - ignore rude people. You have kids. They make noise. They are tired. They don't want to be on that airplane any more than the grumpy business man behind you. And if they whine or complain, sure you're going to try to settle them down. Don't let yourself get stressed out over people who aren't gracious to you and your kiddies.
Find the peanut butter jar and a spoon, locate nearest closet, step inside, close the door, and eat peanut butter. Forget about travelling with small children. That's what I think.
Ok, so seriously though, travelling with small children is not for the faint of heart. It takes patience, resolve, and a really good reason to make the trip.
LIVE
My experience is fairly vast here. I was a well-travelled kid in my early years. My parents lived in Virginia and since my grandparents lived in Vermont and New Hamshire, that gave us 12 and 14 hour trips to their houses, respectively. We made those trips in non-stop fashion (ie. bathroom breaks not included) over one day. I flew to New Zealand in 2000 at the age of 14, my younger siblings were 12, 10, and 8. I was pretty good at travelling.
And then I had kids....
At 4 weeks old we drove with Oceana 4 hours to Matt's parents, from NY state. She slept most of the drive, if not all. I'm a little fuzzy on the details now.
At 7 weeks we drove with Oceana from Harrisburg, PA to Burlington, VT for my friend's wedding. We drove non-stop. I pumped in the front seat, then crawled in the backseat to feed her the bottle. I even changed a diaper by undoing the bottom of the belt for a few minutes. I learned my lesson there though, as 2 minutes later she spurted baby poo all over her clothes, carseat, carseat straps, carseat base, and seat OF the car. Never. EVER. Again. (Add to that my obssessive carseat safety criteria now).
At 8 weeks we flew with Oceana from Philadelphia, PA to Los Angeles, CA, to Auckland, New Zealand. We made no hotel stops, it was a straight shot trip.
At 14 months we flew with Oceana (and 10 weeks pregnant) from New Zealand to Pennsylvania and back again in the space of 16 days.
At 3 years of age Oceana flew to Pennsylvania and Naomi was only 7 weeks old.
I have my TravellingMummy credentials. ***If you know what TravellingMummy is, please comment. I'm so curious how many of you have wandered over***
LEARN
I have done my research. There are a lot of website that have information travelling with kids. Just do a google search for travelling with small children/toddlers/babies and you'll find plenty. Anybody who's travelled much can tell you a few things too. I've also learned a lot by Trial and Error. I hate Trial and Error - she's a pain in the butt!
I am a list person when I travel. I have to be. Part of that is because travelling with children means you've probably got leftover-baby-brain, preggo-brain, or baby-brain. NONE of these are acceptable frames of mind for travel; go hide in the closet with the peanut butter.
The week before I leave, I think about the trip almost constantly. If I think of an item that must come along, I write it down. Don't tell yourself you'll remember. You won't! We made a trip once that caused Matt to shop for underclothing, as he had none.
Three or four days before your trip start doing the laundry. Decide which items must go and make sure you get them clean and don't wear them before you leave. We usually look a bit silly the days before a trip to make this happen. Be sure to set aside the good burp rags and blankets as well.
As you do the laundry, put clean things in the suitcase. Leave it open on the floor in your room and put stuff in it as you go. I list in numbers: 6x underwear, 8x baby socks, 8 onesies, etc. When something is completely done, I scratch it off my list. As the list gets smaller, I circle what's left to do so that I don't miss anything amongst my scratches. (Highlighters probably work well too, but does anyone own one that works?!?!?!)
Pack one to two days before you leave, but be sure there is extra space in the top as there are ALWAYS a few more things that go in at last minute.
Your carryon luggage should be thorough, but scarce. If you have to wrangle two children (whether or not you have your spouse/friend with you) you do not need a purse, a laptop bag, a diaper bag, a bag for each kid, a carry on bag for yourself, and all your coats too. Try to hold all that, plus the carseats if you have them, and the stroller up to the gate. Let alone getting on the plane and through the aisles. Closet? Peanut butter?
This last trip I took one rolling carryon and put the digital camera and the video camera inside. Also in this bag was a change of shirt for me (puke, my dear friends, puke), a change for Oceana, a change or two for Naomi, and the sling (and candy... heh heh). Then I carried the diaper bag with zippers. My normal diaper bag has no zipper, just a flip/velcro lid. That's not a good idea for airports - stuff falls out. In the diaper bag I had about 12 diapers (The first flight was 12 hours, there were extra diapers in the checked luggage), two or three outfits for Naomi, a full pack of wipes, two empty grocery bags, a small water bottle, my mp3 player, my glasses case, two bottles in case of an emergency, and snacks for Oceana. I also attached three caribiners to my bag's buckle and attached my Moby bag to this when I didn't need it. I also attached a burp rag with a caribiner, via the rolled tag. This way I could get to it quickly without digging through my bag.
Oceana had one small backpack with her toys in it. It was light enough for her to carry all the time. Inside the bag: one newish coloring book; one pencil bag with the one colored pencil for each of the colors of the rainbow, as well as black, white, and brown; one book, a set of "sewing" cards and laces (*made my own with cardboard, a holepunch, and ribbon taped at the end*); a snack or two, finger puppets in a clean peanut butter container, two small containers of play doh, a picture album with friends/family in Pennsylvania, a one-time-use camera, and a few other small items.
That's all I carried. I could pull the rolling suitcase, sling the diaper bag over my shoulder, had Naomi wrapped in the Moby, and still had a hand to use for other things. Matt pushed Oceana in the stroller.
Strollers: While your kid may be outgrowing the stroller, it is so handy in an airport. They get tired, they get slow, and having the stroller means that you have an option other than carrying your not-so-easy-to-carry-not-so-little-preschooler.
Carseats: If you think your kid will sit still better in a carseat, this is a good option. I knew that it would be one more thing to wrangle on our trip, so I skipped both seats this time. Oceana slept better being able to curl into her seat than she would have in her stroller.
Bassinets: International flights have bassinets that attach to the bulkhead wall. Call your airline after booking your flight and "request a bassinet for your lap baby". It is only a request, as bassinets are given to the smallest babies that request them. Naomi had a bassinet, as well as the nearly-2-year-old who was next to me. If you don't do the request before your flight, there's no way you'll get one.
Children's Meals: Call the airline after booking and request a special children's meal (this applies to Int'l flights again). This is also handy because not only are the foods kid-friendly, they also are distributed first, which means your kid won't watch someone else eating before he does (Melt.Down).
Extra assistance: Take it. Use it. Make those flight attendants work for their money man!
Board the plane early: If it's going to take you a few minutes to get situated with your littlies and bags, board when they invite families to board. On big flights this might give you 10-15 minutes.
Immigration/Customs: Sometimes there are lines for families, watch for this. LA airport also had a cheat-line for families at security. Sah-Weet!
A pen: Take a pen for goodness sake. Neither Matt or I had a pen this last time. Do you know how much you need to write down/fill out on a 24 hour trip? Yeah! Bring a pen! Or six.
Passports: ALL CHILDREN must have passports, regardless of age. They can no longer fly based on their name being written in the parent's passport. Important to know!
Snacks: Most countries will not allow you to come into theirs with fresh foods. They will allow packaged foods that do not contain fruits, seeds, or meats in them. (ie. Oatmeal raisin cookies are okay, packages of raisins probably aren't).
Dirty clothes: I took our small wet bag that came with the bumGenius diapers. A grocery bag works too. Keep the nasty-smelling, sopping-wet, or otherwise clothing/blankets off the clean stuff in the bag.
Clean clothes: Take a change of clothes for yourself. Christina's husband flew from Virginia to New Zealand with puke on his jeans last year. Yehaw for 24 hours of puke-stench!
Shoes: Wear slip ons, in case security wants you to take them off. Your kids may have to remove shoes too. Crocks work well.
Security: Skip belts, jewelry, loose change, putting any random objects in your pockets, or anything that will take a while to take off/put on a security. Have a system, keeping in mind that your stroller has to go through the machine too. So far, of the two women I know who have recently flown in the US, as well as myself - none of us were asked to take our babies out of their slings/wraps to go through the metal detector. They DO have to come out of their carseats/strollers though. Keep this in mind for ease. I'm big on babywearing while travelling, can you tell?
Pajamas: Oceana wore her jammies onto the plane on our overnight flight. Naomi wore only sleepers for our trip. Outfits are more work all around.
Makeup and hair: Easy, managable. For me that's no makeup and a ponytail.
Leave
So there it is my dears. Take it, use it, and leave any more ideas or questions in the comments. I'll add to the bottom of this post as I answer questions.
*Q&A*
*What's the deal with baby food, baby formula, and liquids with the new aviation safety rules? This is the TSA (Transportation Security Administration, the ones who make those rules) website. They have all the rules spelled out and some information on travelling with children as well. This is an article about specific rules regarding formula, breastmilk, and baby food. Breastmilk can be brought on board in amounts larger than 3oz if it is declared at security checkpoints. So when you pop your little baggie of liquids out of your bag, pull your pumped bottle out too, and put it through the machine separately.
The TSA specifically notes that you will not be asked to drink breastmilk, formula, or juice to "prove" the substance. However, Matt was asked to take a drink from his bottle of water at security in LA - instead he chose to throw it out. I stood at security and guzzled mine so I could keep the bottle. I then refilled it at a water fountain after security checkpoints.
*No one asked this - but regarding laptop bags - you don't have to remove the laptop from its bag if its in one of these bags. That's useful information, as the two bags we own aren't like this and we have to take our laptop out and run it through the xray machine separately. It's just ONE MORE THING to do at security. Security is my nemesis by the way....
**Any suggestions on how to entertain an 18 month old on a long flight?
I have to admit that of all our international travel, Oceana at 14 months old was the hardest. She was active, but didn't understand that she wasn't allowed to - especially when the seat belt sign was on because of turbulence.
I found a website that suggested this idea though. But one new gift per hour of flight (The Dollar Tree works great!) and wrap them individually like a present. Whenever they get antsy, let them open a new present. Be sure to put away one toy before opening another - helps you reuse them later. Also, spend a dollar on a roll of wrapping paper and rewrap them before you fly home! This worked pretty well. I don't remember specifically, except that I know I took playdough, crayons, and paper. Beyond that I'm a bit fuzzy about what I took that time. But you know your kid best - you know what will entertain them. But let me urge you, don't take stuff with little pieces, lots of pieces, or that are important to you. Assume that you will lose some things, or break some things. Assume that you will have to pick playdough out of the seat. But it's a small price to pay for a bit of peace and quiet. Another thing that helps is to take the favourite blanket or teddy. Oceana's not attached to any one thing right now, but some kids WILL NOT sleep without their blankie - a long flight's not a good time to try and break that habit! :)
And above all - ignore rude people. You have kids. They make noise. They are tired. They don't want to be on that airplane any more than the grumpy business man behind you. And if they whine or complain, sure you're going to try to settle them down. Don't let yourself get stressed out over people who aren't gracious to you and your kiddies.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Hey Hey Hey! Fat Albert-esque
My dad had the records of Bill Cosby's comedy routines when I was a kid. We listened to the Fat Albert stories about Buck Buck and snowballs down snowsuits. Anyways, just had that running through my mind, and thought I'd give you a quick jaunt down memory lane.
We have arrived in Pennsylvania at my in law's house near Hershey Park. :) Yay for free tickets to the park! Woohoo! Thanks Joel and Kimmi! It was a LONG trip. Oh my gosh, the idea of doing it again in a month makes my skin crawl. I wish I could say it went like a breeze. But... ok, so it definitely could have been worse. But it could have been a LOT better. I'll probably write a post very soon about how to travel with small children as well as how not to treat mothers travelling with small children. BUT LET'S NOT GO THERE RIGHT NOW, shall we?
The jet lag has been a problem. The first night Oceana and Naomi were awake till about 5am, then slept till 11am (me included actually). Second night Oceana was awake from 12-4 (wide awake and hungry, as it was dinner time in NZ), Naomi slept 9-1:30 and 2-7. Third night Oceana went to bed at 8, but never fell asleep until 1:30am - poor thing! She's still asleep now, at 7. I'll wake her up by 9 though if she isn't already up. We're trying out best to help the girls settle into a routine. Naomi slept 1 to 6, but I think she's about ready to nod off again (7am). And me? Well, I'll live. Like a told someone yesterday, I'm tired - but I have a newborn - it's kind of normal!
Adios!
We have arrived in Pennsylvania at my in law's house near Hershey Park. :) Yay for free tickets to the park! Woohoo! Thanks Joel and Kimmi! It was a LONG trip. Oh my gosh, the idea of doing it again in a month makes my skin crawl. I wish I could say it went like a breeze. But... ok, so it definitely could have been worse. But it could have been a LOT better. I'll probably write a post very soon about how to travel with small children as well as how not to treat mothers travelling with small children. BUT LET'S NOT GO THERE RIGHT NOW, shall we?
The jet lag has been a problem. The first night Oceana and Naomi were awake till about 5am, then slept till 11am (me included actually). Second night Oceana was awake from 12-4 (wide awake and hungry, as it was dinner time in NZ), Naomi slept 9-1:30 and 2-7. Third night Oceana went to bed at 8, but never fell asleep until 1:30am - poor thing! She's still asleep now, at 7. I'll wake her up by 9 though if she isn't already up. We're trying out best to help the girls settle into a routine. Naomi slept 1 to 6, but I think she's about ready to nod off again (7am). And me? Well, I'll live. Like a told someone yesterday, I'm tired - but I have a newborn - it's kind of normal!
Adios!
Monday, May 25, 2009
6 week pictures
She's so round now!
The smiles and giggles are still in a "must-be-worked-for" state (she doesn't just deal them out freely). But they're gorgeous! And her giggles are so adorable!
Doesn't this just scream "Moby Advertising"?
A friend gave Oceana a Tinkerbell knickknack with paints. We put it up for a while, but now it's been our Mommy & Oceana time - sans Naomi if we can. She's on her second layer of colors now - pretty much on her own - I just try to keep the paint drips from happening. I loved this shot though with her tongue hanging out. I guess that's her concentration method?
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Hey just to let you know ,Miles went to the Dr's because he was extremly thirsty and going to the bathroom a lot. The Dr. said a virus can spark it and probally started the wk. he got sick with a high fever just before seeing you guys. sorry so run on......it is very stressful for them.Thanks for your prayers !