Word "less" Wednesday

Word "less" Wednesday

My first macaroni necklace.

Toll Road = Tropical Destination?

Last week I got this crazy idea that Charlie and I should go on vacation. You know, just the two of us. The last time we went on a "real" vacation was our honeymoon. Yes, we have taken trips to Vegas and I loved them but that isn't a "real" vacation. Vacation = fruity drinks, sand, long days at a pool and sun kissed skin.

So, there I sat on the toll road in traffic, thinking of tropical destinations. If I was going to get Charlie on board it would have to be on the East Coast and somewhere that doesn't take too many layovers. Then the lightbuld went off.....The Riveria Maya or Mayan Riveria.

The last time I was there, I think I was 11. We stayed in a house that had no running water and a storm came through our first night there and knocked out the power. My whole family, My Aunt's whole family and my grandparents were then moved to a hotel in Cancun. I've heard a lot has changed since I was last there. I'm 35 now, you do the math.

When I got to work, I emailed Charlie asking what he thought. I was fully preparing myself for him to say, "You must be crazy." I sat and waited for his reply........He replied, and I think my eyes popped out of head because he said, "Yes." As soon as I heard from him, I checked with my mom to make sure she would not be on a cruise and I immediately booked her to watch the kids.

Oh I forgot to mention this vacation, it's not until next April. Yes, April - we have a pretty busy life and it was really the first time I thought we would be able to get away. Don't even get me started on what the next couple of months look like for us.

Okay, back to the fun stuff. I always check with Trip Advisor and check with friends who have been there. I mean who else is going to give you the feedback you want to hear. A mom friend had a map and showed me locations and hotels that fit into different zones. From there I went and checked out Trip Advisor, looked up some hotels and just browsed rates.

Well, then BAM, lightning struck and I fell in love with this all inclusive hotel in Playa del Carmen. No kids, food and drinks included, ocean front view and a jacuzzi in the room. Then I looked at the room rate thinking, no way, but I was surprised. They were running an early bird special and the rate was $172 cheaper than the actual rate AND we are able to cancel without any penalties (that was a big thing for me.) I went back to my sources and it was checking out to be a good deal and an amazing hotel. So, the next logical step was to book it, and I DID!

So, here it is.........

I'm probably never going to say this again, but, "Thank you, Toll Road for letting me sit in traffic and dream about tropical destinations."

I'm actually going to blog

I noticed that I haven't actually been blogging, just kind of posting pictures here and there. The reason for this, is because well our life is non stop and by the time I sit down, I don't think about blogging. I have a lot to catch up on.

Let's see, we brought home the puppy, we then left five days later for Albany, dropping the puppy and Henry off at my brother's house. My amazing SIL and brother watched an 8 week old puppy along with four kids, that pretty much = craziness. We took Mary to Albany so she could meet the family. She got to meet Gigi (one of her namesakes) and Poppy and Nanny (another namesake), and all her Great Aunts and cousins. It was a good trip and Erica and Scott's wedding was BEAUTIFUL! I was impressed with how well Mary did in the hotel and her overall mood was just great!

What's next....we came home from the trip and worked on training the dog. Soccer ended for Henry. They gave all the kids medals and he wanted nothing to do with it. That Saturday, we also got a sprinkler system put in. Probably the best investment so far, because it saves not seeing Charlie for two hours every night.

After that, we got prepared for the arrival of the Baker's. They just weren't coming for a visit, they MOVED HERE!!!!! Henry made a sign welcoming Julia to Virginia. We are all very excited to have them here. They came in last Thursday and the kids played and we grilled out. Friday their truck showed up and moved their stuff into Dad's house. Saturday, we did a water day with the kids in the yard. They had a blast. We did a slip and slide and blew up the CARS pool. I'm pretty sure they were out there from 10am - 3pm, with a 30 minute lunch break.

Sunday, we said good bye to Mom as she headed back to Florida. It was sad to see her go and I hope we get to see her soon! That afternoon we headed out to Round Hill for a graduation party. Becky was graduating from High School. Ummmm, just six years ago, she was running around my wedding. Where does the time go? Henry had fun and Mary got to meet more family.

That brings us up to this week. Henry started preschool on Monday, yes, preschool. I cannot believe it. The new room looks like a real classroom. We had just started good drop offs in his old room and now we are back at square 1. Dropping him off is painful, you literally have to drag him into the room. After about five minutes he is fine, or so they tell us. I am sure he will adjust but it is heart breaking.

Home life is insane with a 3 year old, a 5 month old and a puppy. The easiest one....the 5 month old. Henry and the puppy are just not at the buddy level yet. He gets hyper when he sees her and then , she gets excited and starts jumping on him. We are trying to show him to just walk and not run around her, but we might as well just talk to the wall because it just is not happening.

Other then that, this weekend is Father's Day and we are going to a BBQ over at Dad's. On Saturday, we are going to the Nationals/Yankees game. Henry is very excited for this. Melissa is going to watch Mary on Saturday while we take Henry, a little family of 3 time. Charlie is torn but thinks he will wear a Nats shirt and his Yankee hat, Henry is going full Nats and I am going full Yankees. May the best team win ;)

That pretty much catches things up and as you can see, we have not stopped and there really isn't any stopping until maybe mid July - yikes!

Word (less) Wednesday

This is what my house looks like in any given evening and this next picture is how I feel about it.

Mary - Five Months

Mary turned five months yesterday!!! We don't go to the doctor this month so I don't have any stats on how tall or how much she weighs. We don't own a scale so I can't even guesstimate. She is still her happy self and just loves talking out loud. She takes her good nap in the morning from about 9/10 to 12/1. Any nap after that is just a cat nap, but honestly it's ok because she is happy most of the time.

I'm pretty sure she is teething because she is a drooly monster and loves sticking anything and everything into her mouth, unless it is a binky. She does not take one and at this point who cares because it is one less thing to have to get rid of.

She still does not roll over. I don't think she really cares but she is giving her mother anxiety. She gets all the way to her side and then just stops, plays and rolls back to her back. She has however mastered slamming her legs onto her crib mattress. WOW that girl can kick.

Other than that she is just a joy to be around and can really make you smile when you need one. Just look at those cheeks - how can you not smile?

Word (less) Wednesday

She loved her carrots! The spoon could not get to her mouth fast enough.