Day 273: Events and Belly Laughs

This morning the kids woke up in a great mood. Everyone got ready for the day and made their way downstairs for breakfast. Caleb soon made his way onto the bus, and Maddie made her way to school.

Daniel and I drove into work in battled traffic yet again. This is a daily thing that usually gets old pretty quick, but there is nothing you can really do about it. I spent the day juggling other people's calendars, and eventually finished with most of my to do list marked as complete.

Daniel and I also spent part of the day at the frame shop. When we travel to different cities, we really enjoy finding local art as souvenirs. We took various pictures in today and debated for a while over what colors and frames would work best with each piece. 

Once we decided what would work with the art, we went back to work. Daniel went home to get the kids shortly after, and I went to a social event. I had such a great time meeting different people. 

When I got home Maddie was still awake. I checked in on Caleb and kissed him good night, and then made my way to Madison's room. She was so happy to see me, and immediately found her second wind. 

I laid down with Maddie for a little while and we found ourselves laughing at one another. She would say something or do something and I would respond to it. She thought this was the funniest thing and would "belly laugh".  At one point she was laughing so hard that she had to catch her breath. She is growing so fast and I love the personality that is blossoming.

I'm looking forward to what tomorrow holds. Goodnight! 

Day 272: Dentists and Breakfast

This morning began around 3:30am for Madison and myself.  She woke up and was mostly undressed.  She had peed in her sleeper and was trying to take it off.  I helped her get everything fixed and got her back in bed (our bed).  She didn't care to go right to sleep, so she whined a little while before knocking out.  She slept in a little later though and got up a little before 7.  She had a better morning than yesterday, but she was still a little grumpy.

Daniel and I made our way into work and finally arrived.  Thanks to traffic, our almost 7 mile drive takes anywhere from 30-45 minutes depending on the time.  We had great days overall and got quite a few things checked off our lists.

Caleb had a great day at school.  He had chess afterwards and said he enjoyed it.  He didn't win the round he played, but he enjoyed playing.  He had a little bit of math homework, so he knocked that out and played a math game with Daniel once he was home.  

Maddie had a good day, too.  She took a short nap and woke up a little tired, but had fun playing with her friends.  When I picked her up she was holding a baby doll and rocking it back and forth.  She then told me that she was getting a present.  She also added that she was going to eat chocolate, too.  

I had a dental appointment at 5:30, so I headed off for that.  I clinch my teeth/jaws when I sleep and that has caused a few other issues.  Thankfully, it's nothing serious and I only needed a bite guard.  I was going to get one a few years ago but it's an insane amount of money.  It was still expensive here, but not nearly as bad, so I went ahead and opted to do it while we were here.  

When I got to my appointment, I waited a little while before going back.  The cutest little girl was in the lobby speaking to an assistant and was talking in English with the most lovely accent.  It was adorable.  When I went back with the doctor, she told me about the splint I would be getting and then proceeded to try it out on me.  It didn't fit properly, so she had to sand it down a bit.  After sanding, adding a goop that tasted disgusting, and sanding some more, she was content with the splint.  She did the sanding process about 15 times before everything was said and done. 

I left and headed home where Daniel had made breakfast for supper - my favorite.  We all enjoyed our breakfast sandwiches, and the bacon and eggs went perfect on our wonder bread!!  Thankfully, I have someone who listens to my randomness and scored me a loaf while away on travels.  I may have gotten a 12 pack of diet coke, too, which only made my day a million times better.  I've really missed "real" diet coke.  

Anyways, after supper we made our way upstairs and began putting our house back in order.  We put away clothes that have been needing a home for a while and we also got Maddie bathed and ready for bed.  Because she's been peeing through her pull-ups, I put her back in a "nighttime" diaper.  It's crazy how that one thing made her look so much younger.  She's growing up so fast and she's truly a ball of energy and love (and fire and sass when she wants).  

Overall, we had a very productive day.  We are very thankful and blessed for our two munchkins who keep us on our toes and all of the friends we've made so far!

Goodnight all.  

Day 271: Busy Mondays

This morning Maddie came to our bed bright and early. She was upset that she had left a few princess behind, so she whined for those for a few minutes until falling back to sleep. 

We got up shortly after that and got ready for the day. It was chilly outside so we bundled and headed off to work and school. 

I spent the day digging myself out of emails and scheduling multiple meetings. Daniel was pretty much the same. It was nonstop. The day got away from us both and we worked a little later than we had planned. 

When we got home the kids were playing with Ms. Anna. She and Maddie were reading Mickey Mouse and Caleb was watching tv. We told Ms. Anna bye and then prepared a quick dinner. 

Maddie has been singing, "Let it go" from the movie "Frozen" lately. She loves to belt out certain parts of the song. Daniel found the video on YouTube and had her watch it. She then played it about ten more times. 

We all showered and then got to bed a little later than normal. Hopefully, we'll feel better tomorrow and the sinus/allergy crap goes away. Goodnight!

Day 270: Chopin in the Park

This morning Daniel woke up feeling pretty sick. We sat around for the first part of the day trying to get a few items checked off of our to-do lists. 

We had decided to do Chopin in the park this afternoon, and even though Daniel didn't feel the best he was ready to get out of the house. Chopin in the park, for those of you who do not know, is a piano concert of Chopin's music. It's approximately 30 minutes long, and it's relaxing and nice. Everyone sits around in the grass and enjoys the music

We decided to take a few snacks. We had gotten a cheese tray from the airport on our way back from Paris, so we took that along with some fruit and bread I had just picked up from the market. Along with some goldfish and a peanut butter and chocolate granola bar, we were ready to enjoy the music and fight off any hunger pangs. 

Maddie had fallen asleep on the way there, but woke up as soon as we sat down. She may have gotten a total of 15 minutes of sleep in. She's been fighting it since. Clearly she was in play mode in the picture above. At the end of the concert Maddie and Caleb played for a minute while we packed up. 

Once the concert ended we walked through one of the connecting parks. We fed some fish and watched the peacock and squirrels roam the grounds. 

We finally made it back home and the kids took baths while I finished dinner. Remember that spaghetti squash I found yesterday? Yeah, it's not spaghetti squash. I was excited to see one so large I had forgotten what I was looking for. What I actually purchased was butternut squash. 

Since I had never done anything with butternut squash, I found a Pinterest recipe and tried a simple butternut squash soup recipe. The kids were not impressed, but Daniel liked it. So, that's a little progress!! We enjoyed some soup, sandwiches, and broccoli for dinner. 

Even though we aren't feeling the greatest, we made the best of our day. Goodnight! 

Day 269: A Relaxing Saturday

This morning Maddie let us sleep in until 9 AM.  That was a nice change.  We then made our way downstairs and enjoyed some coffee and TV. 

I decided to go ahead and go to the store and produce stands for some groceries since we didn't have much on hand.  I got quite a bit and I was so happy to find spaghetti squash!  I haven't had it in a really long time, so I was happy to come across it.  

When I got back home Daniel was in full swing of doing laundry so I began cleaning produce that I purchased.  We ate lunch and cleaned up a little around the house. 

We FaceTimed with Nana and Poppy and caught up on how our family and friends have been.  Daniel has a childhood friend who went into a coma at the beginning of the week during a lung biopsy.  She's been fighting to wake up since.  Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she just completed one battle, only to begin another. 

After our chat, we ate dinner and watched the Georgia Bulldogs play.  It's been a nice day to relax and catch up on some household things. 

We hope to be slightly more productive tomorrow, but I wouldn't mind repeating today if that's what happens. 

Goodnight all. 

She put on my socks and then posed with her leg out for me to take her picture. 

Day 268: Our Last Day Touring Paris

This morning we slept in a little later than our normal 6:30-7am wake up time. We got dressed and made our way out of the door to the Louvre. We decided to shop for street art today and remembered seeing a lot of vendors between that location and Notre Dame. 

We rode the metro in and debarked right outside of the Louvre. We walked through the same areas just as we did a few days ago and briefly debated on entering. Since we only had a few hours before we left Paris, we decided against spending it all in one place. 

We left the Louvre and found an ATM and  then shopped from the various street vendors. I found exactly what we were hoping to find. The painting is huge and has accents of red. It's perfect. 

The kids entertained themselves as we shopped. 

We made our way down another street and headed towards Notre Dame. We finally made it and decided again not to waste too much time in line. Instead, we posed in various pictures and then headed to the metro so we could visit the Eiffel Tower again. 

She keeps posing for pictures differently, but this is one of her favorites. 

Once we got off the metro we walked through an open park area towards the Eiffel Tower. It was really nice. Maddie even threw a fit for a French couple sitting on the bench. 

This was on the opposite side of our walk through the park. 

We made it over to the Eiffel Tower and took a lot of pictures (again). The sun was out today and it was high 60s, so we were warm! The kids ran around and Maddie enjoyed some gelato. 

Beside the Eiffel Tower and restrooms. 

A family from Texas asked to take our photo. 

Once we left this beauty, we realized we had just enough time for some wine, cheese, and ice cream. We found a cafe close by and partook in some French basics. 

Everything was delicious!

We finished up and took the metro back so we could get our suitcases. We gathered our items, made sure everything was cleaned up, and then left for multiple metro rides. We had to take three separate metro lines to get to the airport and it was 5:00 so everyone was commuting from work. Maddie fell asleep on our way to the second one. I was hot and my back and arms (legs too while I'm complaining) were killing me. It was painful but we made it! 

We found our flight and checked in. Security was amazing and overall pretty easy to get through. It was nice! We made our way to our gate and stopped for dinner and snacks. 

Once we made it onto the plane the guy in front of me tried to let his seat back. I was still in "mom mode" so I told him no and I'm sure he also felt my knees in his back. I was willing to bet that between him or the kid behind me my flight was going to be terrible, but thankfully it wasn't that bad. The kid behind me liked to kick my seat but at least the older kid in front of me kept his seat up. I'm so glad because I already have very little leg room on these airplanes (and this wasn't one of our go to cheap airlines).

This is the only bottle of wine I purchased on our trip. I had planned to get more for friends, but that didn't pan out as I had hoped. This wine didn't last long. It was great during my plane ride. 

Maddie loves to grab our face (and hers) to make funny faces. She has a nice southern accent when she says, "Look at my face" and as she says that she has her cheeks and eyes pulled down. She had us cracking up on the plane! Others weren't that amused.

Once we landed we made our way to the baggage claim to get our suitcases. We then headed towards the bus and caught a ride to our house. I plan to do nothing active this weekend, as I think I've walked plenty and climbed many steps. 

Overall we enjoyed Paris. I would have to say it's my favorite so far.

I'm off to unpack and get everyone ready for bed. Goodnight all! 

Day 267: Disneyland Paris

This morning Ms. Alayna left for London and the rest of us got ready to tour Disneyland. Maddie was so upset to see Alayna go, but she calmed down a bit when we told her we were going to see Mickey. 

We took two different metro lines and a train to get to Disney. After an hour or so, we arrived! The kids were happy to see the park and I was happy to just be there. 

First things first, we found the stroller rental and got Madison a sweet ride for the day. We then found a few park maps and navigated towards the castle and the toddler friendly areas. 

Our first Disney ride was the Merry-go-Round. Maddie loved going up and down and cried once it stopped. She didn't want to leave her horse behind. 

Our second ride was with Dumbo. Although the wait times weren't terrible,  we waited in this line the longest. Maddie wanted to keep her Dumbo at the top so she didn't touch the lever again once we were up in the sky. 

After Dumbo, we made our way over to the tea cups. Daniel and Caleb took off, but Maddie decided that she wanted to ride, too. Daniel said she loved it. As Caleb would spin it around she would say this is fun! After that ended Maddie and Caleb wanted to ride again, so I had to join. Daniel can't keep up in his old age (his words) and I was up next. I despise rides that go in circular motions, but I did it for the kids. Maddie kept her arms back and loved spinning. 

We left that ride and found something to eat and then ventured to the side with Thunder Mountain. Caleb whined and refused to ride any type of roller coaster. He said he was not happy about our decision to make him ride, but he did. He rode Thunder Mountain with Daniel and came off so excited. He loved it and wanted to do it again. We went ahead and grabbed a fast pass and then walked over to Space Mountain. 

Daniel and Caleb rode this. This line was the shortest with a 5 minute wait time. Maddie and I played in the square as the boys rode. Once they were done, Caleb and I rode it. It was probably one of my least favorites thanks to the beating it gives your head. Besides that part, it was great. 

We left Space Mountain and rode in Buzz's laser ride. It was fun but it scared Maddie so she had her head laid down during the ride. We then rushed back over to Thunder Mountain and used our fast passes. This time Caleb and I rode it and had a lot of fun. He went from being afraid to wanting to ride it over and over again. 

We wrapped up the night with dinner and souvenirs. We found the train and got in line to purchase the tickets. After being in line for a few minutes there was an announcement in French. Almost everyone took off and a few were left standing around. I asked one of the guards what was going on and he said due to the high volume of people in line, they were allowing people to go without purchasing tickets. So, that was a $40 blessing! 

Maddie curled up and slept on my lap and woke up as soon as we got off. We did our few metro stops and made our way back to the apartment. Once there, Maddie played with all of her princesses and soon took a shower and then went to bed. 

We had such a fun day, even though there were some ups and downs. We're looking forward to soaking in our last day tomorrow. Goodnight!

We found Daisy!  This was a fun way to pass the time while Daniel and Caleb rode the roller coaster. 

Maddie fell asleep on me during lunch. She was tired!