Showing posts with label keri. Show all posts
Showing posts with label keri. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Live Journal
In case I forget, which I will... I did, in fact, transfer ALL posts from LJ to Blogger. From Madd's page, Faye's page, my page, and our community page. That's all. Thanks.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Tension Headaches
People with tension headaches commonly report these symptoms:
Episodic Tension Headaches (occurs less than 15 days per month)
- Pain is mild to moderate, constant band-like pain, pressure or throbbing
- Pain affects the front, top or sides of the head.
Pain usually begins gradually, and often occurs in the middle of the day- Pain may last from 30 minutes to several days
Chronic Tension Headaches (occurs more than 15 days per month)
- Pain may vary in intensity throughout the day, but the pain is almost always present
- Pain affects the front, top or sides of the head
- Pain comes and goes over a prolonged period of time
Associated Symptoms of Tension Headaches include:
-
Headache upon awakening
-
Difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep
- Chronic fatigue
- Irritability
- Disturbed concentration
- Mild sensitivity to light or noise
- General muscle aching
Migraines
The symptoms of migraine headaches can occur in various combinations and include:
- Moderate to severe pain (often described as pounding, throbbing pain) that can affect whole head, or can shift from one side of the head to the other
- Sensitivity to light, noise or odors
- Blurred vision
- Nausea or vomiting, stomach upset, abdominal pain - Sometimes
- Loss of appetite - Sometimes
Sensations of being very warm or cold- Paleness - Never paid attention before?
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
-
Fever (rare) Bright flashing dots or lights, blind spots, wavy or jagged lines (aura)
Cluster Headaches
- Intense one-sided pain described as having a burning or piercing quality that is throbbing or constant
- Pain is located behind one eye or in the eye region, without changing sides
Pain lasts a short time, generally 30 to 90 minutes. But, it can last from 15 minutes to three hours. The headache will disappear only to recur later that day (most sufferers get one to three headaches per day during a cluster period).- Headaches occur very regularly, generally at the same time each day, and they often awaken the person at the same time during the night. - Only because I wake up with them and they don't go away.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Breakfast Proteins
Is your breakfast low on protein? Get creative. Add one of these protein sources every day:
* Eggs, cooked any way you like them (hard-boiled eggs are easy to have around for a quick protein boost)
* Unsweetened yogurt or cottage cheese with berries
* Refried beans spread on whole grain toast or tortillas
* Nut butters
* Burritos with eggs or beans and cheese on whole grain tortillas
* Breakfast steaks, lean pork chops or turkey bacon
* Chicken or vegetarian breakfast sausage
* Hummus on whole grain or corn tortillas
* Nuts added to oatmeal, yogurt or cereal
* Tempeh
* Scrambled tofu
* Unsweetened kefir
* Cheese sticks
* Cream cheese on whole grain crackers
Ideas for Inspired Lunches
Stuck in a peanut butter and jelly rut? Try these ideas for a little something different:
* Whole wheat tortillas spread with peanut butter sprinkled with raisins or dried cherries, rolled up and cut in two.
* Pizza quesadilla or a tomato cheddar soup and cold antipasti spread including tortellini, meats, cheeses and green beans served with grapes any other fresh, bite-size fruit.
* Hummus and spinach wrap, cherry tomatoes with string cheese, and yogurt.
* Baked corn chips, black beans, cheese wedges and fresh pico de gallo with jicama sticks.
* Whole wheat or buckwheat noodles with peanut sauce, sugar snap peas, a pear, almonds and a fortune cookie.
* Tuna salad with grated carrots, served with crackers or in a pita.
* Cheese triangles served with pepperoni and whole wheat crackers for stacking.
* Crostini (toasted French/Italian bread slices) served with chopped olive salad, roasted turkey and hard-boiled eggs.
* Vegetarian brown rice sushi rolls with soy or ponzu sauce.
* Smoked salmon, cream cheese and cucumbers on mini bagels.
* Shumai dumplings/potstickers packed cold with ponzu sauce or peanut sauce.
* Vegetable fried rice (make the night before or use dinner leftovers).
* Chocolate almond butter with graham crackers.
* Fruit kabobs made from assorted colors of melon balls and other fruits on a bamboo skewer, served with yogurt for dipping.
Grab-and-Go Natural Snacks
One thing that differentiates snacks from meals is that they should be easy and quick. Pack your pantry and fridge with the following foods so kids can grab and eat them without needing any help or prep work:
* radishes, pre-cut or baby carrots, pre-cut bell peppers, squash, celery (with optional dips or spreads)
* “finger fruits” like grapes, strawberries, cherries, raspberries, cherry tomatoes
* easy to handle fruits like apples, pears, plums, bananas
* nitrate-free deli meats
* smoked or canned salmon
* soy milk
* string cheese, cheese cubes or pre-sliced cheese
* low-fat yogurt
* hard-boiled eggs
* nuts and seeds/dried fruits/trail mix
* cereal/granola
* popcorn
* soy or rice crisps
* high-fiber whole wheat crackers
* applesauce
* fruit leather
* dark chocolate
* Eggs, cooked any way you like them (hard-boiled eggs are easy to have around for a quick protein boost)
* Unsweetened yogurt or cottage cheese with berries
* Refried beans spread on whole grain toast or tortillas
* Nut butters
* Burritos with eggs or beans and cheese on whole grain tortillas
* Breakfast steaks, lean pork chops or turkey bacon
* Chicken or vegetarian breakfast sausage
* Hummus on whole grain or corn tortillas
* Nuts added to oatmeal, yogurt or cereal
* Tempeh
* Scrambled tofu
* Unsweetened kefir
* Cheese sticks
* Cream cheese on whole grain crackers
Ideas for Inspired Lunches
Stuck in a peanut butter and jelly rut? Try these ideas for a little something different:
* Whole wheat tortillas spread with peanut butter sprinkled with raisins or dried cherries, rolled up and cut in two.
* Pizza quesadilla or a tomato cheddar soup and cold antipasti spread including tortellini, meats, cheeses and green beans served with grapes any other fresh, bite-size fruit.
* Hummus and spinach wrap, cherry tomatoes with string cheese, and yogurt.
* Baked corn chips, black beans, cheese wedges and fresh pico de gallo with jicama sticks.
* Whole wheat or buckwheat noodles with peanut sauce, sugar snap peas, a pear, almonds and a fortune cookie.
* Tuna salad with grated carrots, served with crackers or in a pita.
* Cheese triangles served with pepperoni and whole wheat crackers for stacking.
* Crostini (toasted French/Italian bread slices) served with chopped olive salad, roasted turkey and hard-boiled eggs.
* Vegetarian brown rice sushi rolls with soy or ponzu sauce.
* Smoked salmon, cream cheese and cucumbers on mini bagels.
* Shumai dumplings/potstickers packed cold with ponzu sauce or peanut sauce.
* Vegetable fried rice (make the night before or use dinner leftovers).
* Chocolate almond butter with graham crackers.
* Fruit kabobs made from assorted colors of melon balls and other fruits on a bamboo skewer, served with yogurt for dipping.
Grab-and-Go Natural Snacks
One thing that differentiates snacks from meals is that they should be easy and quick. Pack your pantry and fridge with the following foods so kids can grab and eat them without needing any help or prep work:
* radishes, pre-cut or baby carrots, pre-cut bell peppers, squash, celery (with optional dips or spreads)
* “finger fruits” like grapes, strawberries, cherries, raspberries, cherry tomatoes
* easy to handle fruits like apples, pears, plums, bananas
* nitrate-free deli meats
* smoked or canned salmon
* soy milk
* string cheese, cheese cubes or pre-sliced cheese
* low-fat yogurt
* hard-boiled eggs
* nuts and seeds/dried fruits/trail mix
* cereal/granola
* popcorn
* soy or rice crisps
* high-fiber whole wheat crackers
* applesauce
* fruit leather
* dark chocolate
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Happy Firth Birthday Faye!
Top Left Corner going Clockwise: June 2008 - May 2009 (Birth-11Mo). Center: June 2009 (One Year Old!)
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Our Birds
We first noticed these little guys on May 3rd. Two little eggs sitting in a nest on the potting bench on our patio. And then soon after that, we saw three eggs.
The next day, I caught a picture of Mama sitting on her nest, through the window of the garage door - that's why it's so foggy looking.
And then there were FOUR eggs!
Tuesday night, Wednesday morning, around 12:30AM it was so windy that our neighbors tree blew over. I was a little worried about the poor little Robin and her nest.
They were not harmed at all! Yay!
Fast forward two weeks. May 16th. We have some babies! Two weebit babies! Scraggly looking things!
May 17th, we have two more! One is still halfway in it's shell.
Look at those giant eyes!
Bummed that this one didn't turn out clear.
Mama bird got rid of the final shell. I think the one bird got all tuckered out waiting for food!
We're trying to stay off the patio and to go out the front door and around the house if we need to go in the backyard but it's really tough. Especially since it's BBQ weather and the kids want to play outside! Hopefully in two more weeks the babies will be all grown up and leaving the nest!
Our baby birds are getting big already. Here they are two days later and they are already bigger and darker and have dark little spines.
This is a picture of where their nest is. On the first shelf above the Ice Cream bucket. The potting bench is on our Patio and the door on the house goes into our garage. This is our main door into our backyard.
Faye and I went outside today to take a picture of the babies and to check on the gardens. I didn't notice the Mama and Papa birds in the nest when we came out and they flew away right away. We looked at the gardens first and stood in the yard to watch the birds. They were flying from tree to tree and along our neighbors fence watching us. The Papa bird came to the patio and had a mouth full of food. We stayed out in the yard so that we did not disturb them. My father in law came out of the garage and the Papa bird flew away, but not too far. They waited until everything was clear and slowly made their way to the nest. We watched them and when they went to their nest, we went around the other side and took pictures from a distance that was OK with the birds.
The Papas on the left on the patio and the Mama on the right on the fence.
Here is the Papa waiting on the patio with some grub!
Mama feeding, Papa waiting his turn
Mama checking us out
The Babies!
These little guys (or girls) are getting so big! Here they are on May 22nd. 5 and 6 Days old!
Begging for food!
After they realized that I wasn't their Mother or Father, they decided to nap!
May 24th, 7 and 8 Days old!
The hollow shaft of their feathers are very long now and they have started to sprout the barb.
They are opening their eyes now!
AND This evening I got a video of Papa feeding his little babies! And taking some poop out of the nest!
It's almost over! We have a fledgling now. This evening - May 28th, one of the little chicks hopped out of the nest, flapped down to the ground and walked and flapped into the garden. His/her mother found him/her, fed her, and took off. We haven't seen the little one since! We still have three birds in the nest (as at 9 PM).
Here they are, all snuggied up on May 25th.
I love this picture!
They've become quite skiddish around us. Whenever we go out, they popped their little eyes open. If they are fluffing their feathers or doing anything at all, they'll stop as soon as they see us and try to sink as far into the nest as they can.
Here they are on May 26th. All lined up in a row!
and on the 27th, they're so big they are stacked ontop of eachother!
And now, for today's pictures! Their feathers are turning orange! This big guy on top is probably the one that left today. It's hard to tell because they all look alike!
Those poor little birds on the bottom are probably glad that the top on left!
Here he goes!
S/he then took off into the gardens and mommy was waiting with a worm!
The mommy was calling for the baby and every couple whistles you could hear the baby chirp. The baby went into the garden and all you could see was leaves on one of the plants moving. Birdy got stuck! S/he turned around and mommy saw him, ran up to him with a worm, fed him and then took off. The baby is in the green plant on the left side of the mommy.
And now there are three!
Original Post: Sunday, May 17, 2009 10:14 PM
First Edit: Thursday, May 21, 2009 5:55 PM
Second Edit: Sunday, May 24, 2009 9:07 PM
Third Edit: Thursday, May 28, 2009 10:28 PM
And then there were FOUR eggs!
Tuesday night, Wednesday morning, around 12:30AM it was so windy that our neighbors tree blew over. I was a little worried about the poor little Robin and her nest.
They were not harmed at all! Yay!
Fast forward two weeks. May 16th. We have some babies! Two weebit babies! Scraggly looking things!
May 17th, we have two more! One is still halfway in it's shell.
Look at those giant eyes!
Bummed that this one didn't turn out clear.
Mama bird got rid of the final shell. I think the one bird got all tuckered out waiting for food!
We're trying to stay off the patio and to go out the front door and around the house if we need to go in the backyard but it's really tough. Especially since it's BBQ weather and the kids want to play outside! Hopefully in two more weeks the babies will be all grown up and leaving the nest!
Our baby birds are getting big already. Here they are two days later and they are already bigger and darker and have dark little spines.
Faye and I went outside today to take a picture of the babies and to check on the gardens. I didn't notice the Mama and Papa birds in the nest when we came out and they flew away right away. We looked at the gardens first and stood in the yard to watch the birds. They were flying from tree to tree and along our neighbors fence watching us. The Papa bird came to the patio and had a mouth full of food. We stayed out in the yard so that we did not disturb them. My father in law came out of the garage and the Papa bird flew away, but not too far. They waited until everything was clear and slowly made their way to the nest. We watched them and when they went to their nest, we went around the other side and took pictures from a distance that was OK with the birds.
The Papas on the left on the patio and the Mama on the right on the fence.
Here is the Papa waiting on the patio with some grub!
Mama feeding, Papa waiting his turn
Mama checking us out
The Babies!
These little guys (or girls) are getting so big! Here they are on May 22nd. 5 and 6 Days old!
After they realized that I wasn't their Mother or Father, they decided to nap!
May 24th, 7 and 8 Days old!
The hollow shaft of their feathers are very long now and they have started to sprout the barb.
They are opening their eyes now!
AND This evening I got a video of Papa feeding his little babies! And taking some poop out of the nest!
It's almost over! We have a fledgling now. This evening - May 28th, one of the little chicks hopped out of the nest, flapped down to the ground and walked and flapped into the garden. His/her mother found him/her, fed her, and took off. We haven't seen the little one since! We still have three birds in the nest (as at 9 PM).
Here they are, all snuggied up on May 25th.
They've become quite skiddish around us. Whenever we go out, they popped their little eyes open. If they are fluffing their feathers or doing anything at all, they'll stop as soon as they see us and try to sink as far into the nest as they can.
Here they are on May 26th. All lined up in a row!
and on the 27th, they're so big they are stacked ontop of eachother!
And now, for today's pictures! Their feathers are turning orange! This big guy on top is probably the one that left today. It's hard to tell because they all look alike!
Those poor little birds on the bottom are probably glad that the top on left!
Here he goes!
S/he then took off into the gardens and mommy was waiting with a worm!
The mommy was calling for the baby and every couple whistles you could hear the baby chirp. The baby went into the garden and all you could see was leaves on one of the plants moving. Birdy got stuck! S/he turned around and mommy saw him, ran up to him with a worm, fed him and then took off. The baby is in the green plant on the left side of the mommy.
And now there are three!
First Edit: Thursday, May 21, 2009 5:55 PM
Second Edit: Sunday, May 24, 2009 9:07 PM
Third Edit: Thursday, May 28, 2009 10:28 PM
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tampontification
Tampons are a big part of the monthly female lexicon. American women spend about $2 billion on them annually and will use about 11,000 during their lifetimes. But they are a product that few people regularly discuss.
That dynamic needs to change: Tampons, which come into contact with some of the most sensitive tissue in a woman's body, aren't as straightforward as they seem.
Tampons are typically made from a variety of materials including conventional cotton, rayon, or a blend of both fibers. Conventional cotton is one of the "dirtiest" crops in the modern world. According to the USDA, in 2003 U.S. cotton farmers applied an eye-popping 55 million pounds of pesticides to their fields. And global cotton production also uses high levels of pesticides.
Many of these agricultural toxins are classified as "extremely or highly hazardous" by the World Health Organization. In addition to polluting groundwater and soil, seven of the 15 most commonly-used cotton pesticides have been identified as possible human carcinogens by the EPA. (Others are known to damage the nervous system and are suspected of disrupting the body's hormonal system.)
When we buy tampons made with conventional cotton, we are contributing to these kinds of environmental pollution.
Rayon also needs further scrutiny. The wood pulp that forms a base material for most rayon is typically treated with chlorine-based bleach. This manufacturing process results in the creation of chlorinated toxins, which can accumulate in the environment over time.
Conventional tampons can also contain any number of other ingredients that women might not want to be intimate with. These include absorbency enhancers, synthetic deodorants, and artificial fragrances.
Add it all up and the term "feminine protection" becomes a bit of a misnomer. An alternative is to use 100% organic cotton tampons. These products are made from pure natural cotton that hasn't been grown in a soup of pesticides. They don't contain rayon or synthetic additives, and most have been manufactured using a chlorine-free process that doesn't create chlorinated toxins. When you purchase 100% organic cotton tampons you make a statement that you want to prevent the accumulation of toxins in the environment and that you want to make the world a safer, healthier place for you, your family, and generations to come.
Choices like these do more to protect our world and the people who live on it. They're part of the conversation about safer alternatives that parents need to have with their daughters and women should have with one another. Having the conversation today will keep everyone healthier tomorrow.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Blah
Normally I'd have a million things that I want to do and look at online. Tonight I am sitting home alone with just Faye here and I'm bored to tears. I have nothing to do online and don't really want to watch TV (what is that anyways?!) or go to bed. I want to eat Apple Pie that I made this evening, but I do not want to eat it yet because it is still very juicy. Clayton got me a Big & Tasty with Fries and a Soda before he left tonight and it didn't even touch my hunger. I ate two bags of 100 Calorie Oreo Thin Crisps and I still want more food. I had two pieces of toast with sunbutter this morning and 8 chicken nuggets for lunch and my poor little baby is not getting much milk from me because my stomach has been growling all day long. She woke up shortly after I finished eating and I nursed her and she got a little and went back to eat. Now I need to find more food to eat without having to actually make anything.....
And the gums above my top front teeth are red and swollen? All of a sudden and mostly just above one of the teeth. I don't know why or what from. Cannot tell if I irritated it with something I ate (but what? LOL), or if it's some kind of vitamin deficiency catching up with me (been taking fish oil and l. acidophilus, but need some regular vits and calcium...), or what the deal is.... But they are red, swollen, and they HURT.
And the gums above my top front teeth are red and swollen? All of a sudden and mostly just above one of the teeth. I don't know why or what from. Cannot tell if I irritated it with something I ate (but what? LOL), or if it's some kind of vitamin deficiency catching up with me (been taking fish oil and l. acidophilus, but need some regular vits and calcium...), or what the deal is.... But they are red, swollen, and they HURT.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Tennesssee
Amy (my sister) picked us up at 5am on Friday. We started out with 5 kids and 2 adults in the mini van and Kerry (my sister's SO) and his friend, Mike, in the U-Haul behind us. We didn't really get on the road til around 6-6:30am. The first stop that we made, about 2 hours into the trip, my nephew Dante went and road in the U-Haul with his dad and stayed there until we got to Tennessee - which I'm sure made for a more peaceful ride (lol). It took us around 17 hours to get to her house in Milan, TN (about 1.5-2 hours northeast of Memphis). Her kids slept almost the entire time. My niece, Ariana was awake for maybe 2 hours total (lol). Maddox took a half hour nap around 7am and then fell asleep again at 7pm until we got to Tennessee and then went back to bed around 12:30-1am. Faye slept most of the time and I fed and changed her every two hours. She even slept really great that night even after sleeping all day long.
We got to her house around 11:30pm and when the boys in the U-Haul got there, we went over to Walmart to get groceries. We didn't do a whole lot while we were there. They have a huge backyard and mostly the kids just played. Amy took me around her little town and we drove up to the biggest city near her (Jackson, TN which is about the size of a small-average sized Mpls suburb). We had Lee's Famous Recipe for lunch on Saturday and Tuesday (for my nephews 8th Birthday) and for Dinner on Sunday night. We had a BBQ at Kerrys friend, Charlie's, house (his family owns Lee's Famous Recipe, the restaurant that Kerry will be working at) on Monday night. Amy's yard has no tree's except a small little area at the very end of it and so I taught Ariana to fly a kite and she did awesome at it. Amy kept her house so cold that I wore a sweater inside and outside the entire time I was there and I gave Faye a bath outside in the little shark pool LOL
My nephew Kaden (Maddox's BFF who is 6mo younger) made me cry on the way too Tennessee when he was crying to his mom that he wanted to go home. Amy said "we are going home, we're on our way" and he cried "no, to my REAL home" meaning here in MN. He made me cry again when we were leaving. Amy wanted to get a picture of the boys hugging. Maddox gave him a huge hug. Normally Kade is the hugger, but he just stood there with his head hanging down and his arms limp at his sides. I got down and wrapped my arms around him, kissed him and started bawling. I still cry when I think about it. I tried to talk Amy into letting me bring him back home with me, but it was a no go!
Amy drove Maddox, Faye, and I out to the Memphis International Airport. We had 1 checked suitcase, a checked car seat, and two carry on backpacks. They helped me get my boarding passes and everything and when I got to security they wouldn't let me through because they never put Faye on the boarding pass. We had to walk back over to the check-in place with no shoes on or anything and they wrote her on the passes with pen. The flight to Atlanta was really fast. 1 hour and 20 minutes and it felt like a half hour.
The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport sucks and so do all the people in it. When we got off there was a guy calling for transfers. I went up to him and told him that we were going to Minneapolis and needed gate D2. He said "yep, gate D2", I asked where it was and he said Concourse D but was completely unhelpful after that. We got off at Concourse C. I decided I would get Maddox to the potty and change Faye's diaper as she had been in it since before we left for Memphis at 9:30am and it was now 2:30pm. We got to the PACKED bathroom and they have no changing tables. A woman informs me that there is a family bathroom down by a different gate. We go over there and wait for 15min before knocking on the door. The woman asks what we need and I said we needed to use the bathroom. She yells at me that she is changing her sons diaper. We waited for 5 more minutes and went into the regular bathroom so that I could at least get Maddox to go potty. We come back out and the same woman is STILL in the bathroom. There had been a woman waiting in line before us that left and a man that was waiting behind us that was still waiting when we got out of the regular bathroom. I was frustrated that that was the ONLY bathroom that I was going to be able to change her in and cannot figure out how in the world it would take more than 20 minutes to change a kids diaper. A flight attendant that was in the bathroom told me that if I didn't get to our gate, it would close soon. She showed me how to get there. We had to go downstairs and take a train to the next concourse. There were no seats on the train so I had to get Maddox pushed up against the wall of the train and holding on to the rail. There were 4-5 people surrounding him to make sure he stayed put and I had to hold a pole because the thing just took off. The airport was large and hot and full of rude people.
Faye fell asleep right before the plane took off and Maddox fell asleep right after the plane took off. He was mostly unimpressed with the airplanes. He thought it was fun to open and close the window. He watched out the window as we took off and landed and looked out while we were in the sky, but didn't really care. Both kids slept the entire way. Faye was wiggly and fussy, but never really cried.
When we got to Mpls-St Paul International, it took forever for our stuff to come off the baggage claim thing. The car seat was the very last thing to come off and our suit case was around 10-15 suitcases before it and the plane was full. The guy that lined up next to me at the baggage claim said if I had more than one thing, he'd grab it for me, but his suitcase came off right away and he took off. There was another guy that was wondering around and came over to me about half way through the suitcases being dropped down and said he would grab my stuff if I wanted him too. I declined politely. He grabbed his suitcase and said he would stick around if I wanted him to get our stuff, but I said we were fine (Faye was strapped to my chest). Maddox waited very patiently next to a column with our two carry on backpacks and we waved and smiled at each other.
Clayton was just leaving from work in rush hour (which is around 20min during NON-rush hour) when I got off the plane and got there before our bags came down!
Poor little Faye was soaked and smelly half way through our second flight and had to stay that way til we got home :( Yay for Cloth diapers though, she didn't get any diaper rash or anything.
I brought 10 cloth diapers with for the car ride down and changed her every two hours. I planned on using disposables while in TN. I used all of the diapers and put her in a disposable. Changed her once and threw all the diapers in the wash. I used 3 disposable diapers and was done with them and used cloth the rest of the time. I brought about 20 or so disposable diapers and left them for a friend down there who has a 4 week old.
The cool flip down mirror thing - you can see all of us, except Faye.. even the cats!
Kaden
Kerry, Dante, and Mike
Ariana (lol)
Maddox
The clearest pictures of Faelyn that I have
Scooby Doo van in Wisconsin
Lee's Chicken Dinner LOL
The Mall Of Milan.........
Lee's Restaurant
Dante & Ariana's new Elementary School
Pretty self-explanatory... lol
Picture of Amy's house taken from the end of the back yard
Cuties in Boxes!
Ariana's Horses
Faye's Tennessee Bath
(sorry it's so small, a tidbit of baby parts that I didn't want to show)
Kite flying
Miss Smiles
The boys cuddled on the couch
Dante's Birthday at Lee's
Dante and Ariana getting ready for their first day of school
Before the kids left for school
Flying Three Year Olds
Tons O' Cheese with Kaden and Maddox
Memphis International Airport
Memphis to Atlanta
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Atlanta to Minneapolis
Atlanta
Southern Minnesota
We got to her house around 11:30pm and when the boys in the U-Haul got there, we went over to Walmart to get groceries. We didn't do a whole lot while we were there. They have a huge backyard and mostly the kids just played. Amy took me around her little town and we drove up to the biggest city near her (Jackson, TN which is about the size of a small-average sized Mpls suburb). We had Lee's Famous Recipe for lunch on Saturday and Tuesday (for my nephews 8th Birthday) and for Dinner on Sunday night. We had a BBQ at Kerrys friend, Charlie's, house (his family owns Lee's Famous Recipe, the restaurant that Kerry will be working at) on Monday night. Amy's yard has no tree's except a small little area at the very end of it and so I taught Ariana to fly a kite and she did awesome at it. Amy kept her house so cold that I wore a sweater inside and outside the entire time I was there and I gave Faye a bath outside in the little shark pool LOL
My nephew Kaden (Maddox's BFF who is 6mo younger) made me cry on the way too Tennessee when he was crying to his mom that he wanted to go home. Amy said "we are going home, we're on our way" and he cried "no, to my REAL home" meaning here in MN. He made me cry again when we were leaving. Amy wanted to get a picture of the boys hugging. Maddox gave him a huge hug. Normally Kade is the hugger, but he just stood there with his head hanging down and his arms limp at his sides. I got down and wrapped my arms around him, kissed him and started bawling. I still cry when I think about it. I tried to talk Amy into letting me bring him back home with me, but it was a no go!
Amy drove Maddox, Faye, and I out to the Memphis International Airport. We had 1 checked suitcase, a checked car seat, and two carry on backpacks. They helped me get my boarding passes and everything and when I got to security they wouldn't let me through because they never put Faye on the boarding pass. We had to walk back over to the check-in place with no shoes on or anything and they wrote her on the passes with pen. The flight to Atlanta was really fast. 1 hour and 20 minutes and it felt like a half hour.
The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport sucks and so do all the people in it. When we got off there was a guy calling for transfers. I went up to him and told him that we were going to Minneapolis and needed gate D2. He said "yep, gate D2", I asked where it was and he said Concourse D but was completely unhelpful after that. We got off at Concourse C. I decided I would get Maddox to the potty and change Faye's diaper as she had been in it since before we left for Memphis at 9:30am and it was now 2:30pm. We got to the PACKED bathroom and they have no changing tables. A woman informs me that there is a family bathroom down by a different gate. We go over there and wait for 15min before knocking on the door. The woman asks what we need and I said we needed to use the bathroom. She yells at me that she is changing her sons diaper. We waited for 5 more minutes and went into the regular bathroom so that I could at least get Maddox to go potty. We come back out and the same woman is STILL in the bathroom. There had been a woman waiting in line before us that left and a man that was waiting behind us that was still waiting when we got out of the regular bathroom. I was frustrated that that was the ONLY bathroom that I was going to be able to change her in and cannot figure out how in the world it would take more than 20 minutes to change a kids diaper. A flight attendant that was in the bathroom told me that if I didn't get to our gate, it would close soon. She showed me how to get there. We had to go downstairs and take a train to the next concourse. There were no seats on the train so I had to get Maddox pushed up against the wall of the train and holding on to the rail. There were 4-5 people surrounding him to make sure he stayed put and I had to hold a pole because the thing just took off. The airport was large and hot and full of rude people.
Faye fell asleep right before the plane took off and Maddox fell asleep right after the plane took off. He was mostly unimpressed with the airplanes. He thought it was fun to open and close the window. He watched out the window as we took off and landed and looked out while we were in the sky, but didn't really care. Both kids slept the entire way. Faye was wiggly and fussy, but never really cried.
When we got to Mpls-St Paul International, it took forever for our stuff to come off the baggage claim thing. The car seat was the very last thing to come off and our suit case was around 10-15 suitcases before it and the plane was full. The guy that lined up next to me at the baggage claim said if I had more than one thing, he'd grab it for me, but his suitcase came off right away and he took off. There was another guy that was wondering around and came over to me about half way through the suitcases being dropped down and said he would grab my stuff if I wanted him too. I declined politely. He grabbed his suitcase and said he would stick around if I wanted him to get our stuff, but I said we were fine (Faye was strapped to my chest). Maddox waited very patiently next to a column with our two carry on backpacks and we waved and smiled at each other.
Clayton was just leaving from work in rush hour (which is around 20min during NON-rush hour) when I got off the plane and got there before our bags came down!
Poor little Faye was soaked and smelly half way through our second flight and had to stay that way til we got home :( Yay for Cloth diapers though, she didn't get any diaper rash or anything.
I brought 10 cloth diapers with for the car ride down and changed her every two hours. I planned on using disposables while in TN. I used all of the diapers and put her in a disposable. Changed her once and threw all the diapers in the wash. I used 3 disposable diapers and was done with them and used cloth the rest of the time. I brought about 20 or so disposable diapers and left them for a friend down there who has a 4 week old.
The cool flip down mirror thing - you can see all of us, except Faye.. even the cats!
Kaden
Kerry, Dante, and Mike
Ariana (lol)
Maddox
The clearest pictures of Faelyn that I have
Scooby Doo van in Wisconsin
Lee's Chicken Dinner LOL
The Mall Of Milan.........
Lee's Restaurant
Dante & Ariana's new Elementary School
Pretty self-explanatory... lol
Picture of Amy's house taken from the end of the back yard
Cuties in Boxes!
Ariana's Horses
Faye's Tennessee Bath
(sorry it's so small, a tidbit of baby parts that I didn't want to show)
Kite flying
Miss Smiles
The boys cuddled on the couch
Dante's Birthday at Lee's
Dante and Ariana getting ready for their first day of school
Before the kids left for school
Flying Three Year Olds
Tons O' Cheese with Kaden and Maddox
Memphis International Airport
Memphis to Atlanta
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Atlanta to Minneapolis
Atlanta
Southern Minnesota
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