Recently, I've had several conversations with a few friends about "making time" & "friendship" and I felt compelled to write about it. Making time, you say? Now, there's a concept. How do you make time between family, work, baseball, the doctor, birthdays and showering? Pretty much if it's not marked on the calendar, then it most likely won't happen - and even when plans do get a spot on our calendar, it's fair game for cancellation. Doesn't attempting to make plans count for something?
As I've grown older I've learned that life pulls us in a million directions. As if a husband and work weren't enough, I had to go and add kids to the mix, but I wouldn't change it for the world. Being on the go is how my family operates and the ones who fit their schedules in the cracks are what I like to consider, blessings. I have learned that friendship is not gauged by physical time spent together, but rather, the ability to cherish time that has been spent and looking forward to the next get-together. Friendship is respecting that some one's way of life may be different from mine now. Friendship is loving a person for who they are, loving what they love and supporting what they represent. I always hope that my friends will support me in what I love most and stand for, which is my family. I guess if I was forced to come up with a magical answer, I'd say - there comes a time that we all grow up and may grow apart. However, just because we see each other less, doesn't mean that the friendship lessens. It is definitely a tough pill to swallow, but it is what I believe in.
My "Two Half Men" and my husband are my LIFE. And I like to think of friends as the whipped cream and cherry on top! I don't always have the extra money to get the toppings, but I always want them; just like I may not always have the time to see a friend, but I will always love them.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Great Wolf Lodge
This past weekend we took a trip to Great Wolf Lodge for V's birthday. Man, is that place awesome! As soon as we arrived, we rushed to the room to change. Just to paint you a picture - we entered our room, dropped our bags, unzipped them like there was a million dollars in there and yanked out our bathing suits. After we all changed, oh in about 10.8 seconds I'd say, we headed down to the water park. Waiting to be checked in by the "height police", all you heard was V saying (in a laughing squeal), "Oh my gosh, this is so awesome" and Riley shrieking with excitement! Enter perma - smile on Daddy & Mommy's faces. This is going to be a great weekend, I remember thinking. Nothing but SLIDES! We all took a dip in the wave pool at first, but it was time for V and I to give the slides a good test run, which meant time to climb - three, winding flights of stairs, I might add. You have to go up in order to come down, right? But, the climb was so worth our splashing pleasure on the way down. The best slide by far was one known as, The Tornado! Imagine being caught inside of the funnel of a tornado shuffling from one side to the other and that's how you get The Tornado. Luckily, some little girls in front of us gave us some tips and let us ride with them. I just remember going down the slide for maybe two seconds and the girls yelled out, "Hold on tight!". We dropped STRAIGHT DOWN...into the funnel. We splashed from side to side on the walls of this tornado until we washed down the tunnel into the pool. What a rush!
Please excuse the poor quality of the picture. It was a "water-proof" camera, which after I developed, I realized it was to be used "outdoors only". Oops. This was one of two that you can make out. However, you get the point...water gushing all around while it pushes you up one wall and down only to be pushed back up the other!
Next, we hopped on the tunnel slides that wrap in and outside of the building, known as Alberta Falls. Not too sure how they came up with the name for that slide But who cares...It was fun!
Ahh, there we go, a picture that looks 1/4 decent! I guess the outside light coming in through the tunnel helped my photo shoot here.
OK, OK, so now that we were gone for about 45 minutes, we decided it was time to check on Dad and Riley. And where did we find them? In the kiddie pool with buckets of dumping water and animals that shoot water out of their spouts with the pull of a trigger, of course! We walked up to Riley squirting Daddy right in the face! They may have been having more fun than V and I were! Now, it was time for V to take his Dad on all of the slides. So they did a run through while Riley and I hung out in the wave pool. All Riley kept saying was, "I having fun, Mommy! I splash in the water, Mommy!" It was magic to my ears! The kids were both having a blast which meant the weekend was already a success - and it wasn't even over yet.
After V hit the slides a few times and Riley attacked whoever crossed his path in the kiddie pool, we had worked up an appetite. And it just so happened that we were in the right place to do some eating. Juicy prime rib, yummy pork roast, home-baked fries, sesame chicken, Thai noodles, fresh garlic green beans, sweet & crunchy corn, creamy mashed potatoes, salad bar, fresh baked rolls...OK, I'm gonna stop now 'cause my mouth is watering! Oh, but wait, I can't leave out the chocolate molten cake, strawberry cheese cake and ice cream. Now, I'm done.
Onto happy hour in the lobby. The Lodge hires a guy to provide kid-friendly entertainment, from dancing to limbo. Riley didn't quite get that you're supposed to take a "turn" during these activities. He decided he would just stand in the middle of everything and bounce and sway. It was hilarious! V occasionally was able to budge Riley out of the way, but Riley was pretty set on where he wanted to be - The Center of Attention. Needless to say, we all got a great laugh. Next stop, the Arcade. This is where V got to shine! That kid can master any kind of shooting game he gets behind. A little over an hour of shooting in different situations wrapped up the evening. I started to wonder how I was going to make it up the stairs, I was so tired. But, we did and into the bed, Riley and I fell. V and his Dad went back out for another round in the water park until it closed...and back to the arcade into the late hours of the evening.
After they called it a night, we all settled into bed. We had to get our rest so we could run around the water park again before we left. Thanks to our little alarm clock, aka Riley, we got up at 7:30am. We hit the breakfast buffet and then onto one last splash. But this time - we pretty much had the water park to ourselves! No long lines to wait in and we actually got a few chairs to put our stuff down. Score! So, off V and I went to hit up the slides one more time before leaving. This time we got in all four in twenty-five minutes. All the while, Daddy got Riley to go down the small slide in another part of the park. (I have to admit, V and I were a little upset that I didn't get to see him do it.) Sadly, it was time to say Good-Bye to Great Wolf Lodge.
We cannot wait to go back next year and make it a new family tradition! It truly was like a mini-Disney, just cheaper and closer! Ya can't beat that. Until then....hooooooowwwl!
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| Inside of The Tornado |
Next, we hopped on the tunnel slides that wrap in and outside of the building, known as Alberta Falls. Not too sure how they came up with the name for that slide But who cares...It was fun!
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| Inside of Alberta Falls |
Ahh, there we go, a picture that looks 1/4 decent! I guess the outside light coming in through the tunnel helped my photo shoot here.
OK, OK, so now that we were gone for about 45 minutes, we decided it was time to check on Dad and Riley. And where did we find them? In the kiddie pool with buckets of dumping water and animals that shoot water out of their spouts with the pull of a trigger, of course! We walked up to Riley squirting Daddy right in the face! They may have been having more fun than V and I were! Now, it was time for V to take his Dad on all of the slides. So they did a run through while Riley and I hung out in the wave pool. All Riley kept saying was, "I having fun, Mommy! I splash in the water, Mommy!" It was magic to my ears! The kids were both having a blast which meant the weekend was already a success - and it wasn't even over yet.
After V hit the slides a few times and Riley attacked whoever crossed his path in the kiddie pool, we had worked up an appetite. And it just so happened that we were in the right place to do some eating. Juicy prime rib, yummy pork roast, home-baked fries, sesame chicken, Thai noodles, fresh garlic green beans, sweet & crunchy corn, creamy mashed potatoes, salad bar, fresh baked rolls...OK, I'm gonna stop now 'cause my mouth is watering! Oh, but wait, I can't leave out the chocolate molten cake, strawberry cheese cake and ice cream. Now, I'm done.
Onto happy hour in the lobby. The Lodge hires a guy to provide kid-friendly entertainment, from dancing to limbo. Riley didn't quite get that you're supposed to take a "turn" during these activities. He decided he would just stand in the middle of everything and bounce and sway. It was hilarious! V occasionally was able to budge Riley out of the way, but Riley was pretty set on where he wanted to be - The Center of Attention. Needless to say, we all got a great laugh. Next stop, the Arcade. This is where V got to shine! That kid can master any kind of shooting game he gets behind. A little over an hour of shooting in different situations wrapped up the evening. I started to wonder how I was going to make it up the stairs, I was so tired. But, we did and into the bed, Riley and I fell. V and his Dad went back out for another round in the water park until it closed...and back to the arcade into the late hours of the evening.
After they called it a night, we all settled into bed. We had to get our rest so we could run around the water park again before we left. Thanks to our little alarm clock, aka Riley, we got up at 7:30am. We hit the breakfast buffet and then onto one last splash. But this time - we pretty much had the water park to ourselves! No long lines to wait in and we actually got a few chairs to put our stuff down. Score! So, off V and I went to hit up the slides one more time before leaving. This time we got in all four in twenty-five minutes. All the while, Daddy got Riley to go down the small slide in another part of the park. (I have to admit, V and I were a little upset that I didn't get to see him do it.) Sadly, it was time to say Good-Bye to Great Wolf Lodge.
We cannot wait to go back next year and make it a new family tradition! It truly was like a mini-Disney, just cheaper and closer! Ya can't beat that. Until then....hooooooowwwl!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
On the Go!
Ahhh, I just love this time of year...when everyone in our family is in and out the door in the blink of an eye. Between baseball practices, softball games, boot camp, traveling or simply a dinner date with friends (which are hit or miss most of the time because of baseball, softball and boot camp) - we are busy. V (formerly known as "little Vaughn", but is not so "little" anymore) plays baseball for his team, The Braves. Yes, his Dad named it that because of his love for the Atlanta Braves. I guess we'll let him have naming rights since he's the coach. And big Vaughn plays softball for The Pour House. So, basically Monday - Thursday they are at softball or baseball games. I get to catch a few baseball & softball games here and there around boot camp. I can't begin to imagine what it's going to be like next year when Riley has an extracurricular activity. I like to tease Daddy and tell him that I'm going to enroll Riley in soccer or dance, but he insists on T-ball. But, if you ask Riley, he'll tell you he wants to dance. That kid loves to dance (I guess he gets that trait from me)!
So there you have it why I haven't been updating the blog as much as I would like to. I plan to update later today so I can share stories and pictures from our trip to Great Wolf Lodge! But, I've got to run for now...
So there you have it why I haven't been updating the blog as much as I would like to. I plan to update later today so I can share stories and pictures from our trip to Great Wolf Lodge! But, I've got to run for now...
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Happy Birthday!
This past weekend was quite eventful with birthday celebrations! To kick it all off, Riley's Godparents had their first child. Dayton James Clarke, aka Riley's new best friend, made his entrance on Thursday, 3/31/11. Riley was so excited to meet him - and that he did on Friday! What a special moment for all of us. He kept wanting to give "Day-ton" hugs and kisses. He's going to be such a great, big best friend!
Fast forward to Sunday...we celebrated V's 12th birthday. How in the world have 12 years gone by? Sheesh! He is not supposed to be 12 yet. Can we just start going backwards in years? Anyways, it was a great day for a cookout. We had the family over and it was great just to sit back and watch the kids run and play.
I really need to work on some magic potion that I can give the boys to make them stop aging! It is just too much fun right now...and Dad and Mom are still cool. Maybe I can just come up with a potion to brainwash them into always wanting to hold our hand, give us a hug in public or cuddle on the couch.
*Note to V and Riley - Please don't ever lose that fun-loving, goofy spirit that you both possess.
P.S. If anyone has an idea for this "invention" to make kids stay young, let me know!
Fast forward to Sunday...we celebrated V's 12th birthday. How in the world have 12 years gone by? Sheesh! He is not supposed to be 12 yet. Can we just start going backwards in years? Anyways, it was a great day for a cookout. We had the family over and it was great just to sit back and watch the kids run and play.
I really need to work on some magic potion that I can give the boys to make them stop aging! It is just too much fun right now...and Dad and Mom are still cool. Maybe I can just come up with a potion to brainwash them into always wanting to hold our hand, give us a hug in public or cuddle on the couch.
*Note to V and Riley - Please don't ever lose that fun-loving, goofy spirit that you both possess.
P.S. If anyone has an idea for this "invention" to make kids stay young, let me know!
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| Meeting Dayton |
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| Vaughn & Beth |
Friday, April 1, 2011
Changing Things Up a Bit
Change is good, right?
The blog formerly known as The Rilenator is now referred to as Two Half Men. I still plan to use this forum as a place to talk about how Riley is growing and changing everyday. However, it is just impossible not to include a huge aspect of his life, aka, his Big Brother! And why not have a place to talk about Vaughn's changes and journey through life, also?
I tell you - I have never seen love like the love that these two boys share! It absolutely melts my heart, as well as Daddy's. Vaughn is about to turn twelve years old next week, but he is the most mature almost-twelve-year-old I've ever met. He helps with dinner, bath time, cleaning and just plain ol' "running around" for us. (His dad often jokes by saying to Vaughn, "Son, this is why you have kids...so you can make them do everything for you")! Most importantly though, he makes sure to spend extra time with Riley. He plays trucks, watches Handy Manny and apparently has earned the role of Riley's personal jungle gym. As soon as Riley walks in the door everyday, he greets him with a great, big hug. And, then it's off to run laps around the house or push Riley on his scooter. All I can say, is the connection between those two is amazing! Vaughn is definitely the big brother that anyone would want to have!
The blog formerly known as The Rilenator is now referred to as Two Half Men. I still plan to use this forum as a place to talk about how Riley is growing and changing everyday. However, it is just impossible not to include a huge aspect of his life, aka, his Big Brother! And why not have a place to talk about Vaughn's changes and journey through life, also?
I tell you - I have never seen love like the love that these two boys share! It absolutely melts my heart, as well as Daddy's. Vaughn is about to turn twelve years old next week, but he is the most mature almost-twelve-year-old I've ever met. He helps with dinner, bath time, cleaning and just plain ol' "running around" for us. (His dad often jokes by saying to Vaughn, "Son, this is why you have kids...so you can make them do everything for you")! Most importantly though, he makes sure to spend extra time with Riley. He plays trucks, watches Handy Manny and apparently has earned the role of Riley's personal jungle gym. As soon as Riley walks in the door everyday, he greets him with a great, big hug. And, then it's off to run laps around the house or push Riley on his scooter. All I can say, is the connection between those two is amazing! Vaughn is definitely the big brother that anyone would want to have!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Wow! That's a lot of Firsts!
It's funny how when you have a baby, you spend an awful lot of time taking note of every "first" event. What makes one worth noting more than another? For instance, did anyone document the first time their kid picked their nose or projectile vomited all over Daddy? If you're wondering if I did...no, I didn't. (Although, that would have made a really funny picture!) But - I do have some photos of "firsts" that I felt important enough to capture. Drum roll please...
That's a wrap, folks! And you thought there were going to be pictures of boogers and vomit, didn't you?!?
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| 1st Rollover |
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| 1st Halloween |
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| 1st Thanksgiving |
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| 1st Attempt at a Bumbo |
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| 1st Solid Foods |
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| 1st Christmas |
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| 1st Snow |
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| 1st Attempt at Crawling |
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| 1st Time Pulling Myself Up |
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| 1st Swim |
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| 1st Big Boy Bath |
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| 1st Teeth |
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| 1st Time I Stood Up |
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| 1st Time Walking on my Own |
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| My 1st Birthday |
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| 1st Time at the Beach |
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| 1st Haircut |
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| 1st Trip to the Mountains |
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| 1st Tractor Ride |
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| 1st X Games Practice Session! |
That's a wrap, folks! And you thought there were going to be pictures of boogers and vomit, didn't you?!?
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