It's late but I had to write this because it was pretty funny and I wanted to do it before I forget what was said!
The kids say the funniest things!
Braedyn was in my room because it was the last night of break that he gets to stay up late and hang out with mom and dad. The TV was on and it was on the debate because X Factor just got over. He was watching the debate! I am sure most 8 year olds would have found Cartoon Network after the first 5 minutes!
I was in the office working on the last blog and I heard the conversation and was amazed at Braedyn's attentiveness to what was being talked about in the debate.
Charlie asked him, "So are you watching the president's debate and how is it going?,"
Braedyn said "good", he asked him "which one do you like", Braedyn responded, "that mitch romney guy", so Charlie corrected him with the right name and asked him "why". To which Braedyn's response was, "Because he said he was going to lower taxes". We both laughed and Charlie asked "well how do you know that is a good thing" and he said, "because we would have more money." Then Charlie told him he better go back and watch some more to find out whats going on, so he ran back in the bedroom to watch some more. He then came running out and said, "and he said he is going to create more jobs!"
I think we might have a future politician on our hand...and if he can argue like daddy then watch out!
Busy Wife and Mom to 3 boys... blog with thoughts on raising three boys, life, running, and easy recipes...
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
A Teachable Moment
I take these teachable moments with my children when I can even if it is after a program we have watched on the television. Some issues are hard to talk about in terms that a young child will understand. I had an opportunity that came along last night as we were watching TV and I thought I would share with you. It touched my heart and I could tell that it had an impact on my boys.
I had the TV on ESPN, the channel you will find it on most of the time at our house, a show was beginning called E:60. It is an investigative sports show. They usually have some really good stories on about sports figures, courageous sports stories, etc and the boys like watching them as well as Charlie and I. Tonight, it first caught our eyes because we thought it was about a runner but soon found out it was about so much more than that! I was in tears by the end of the show and when it was over, I took it as a lesson to teach my boys on why it is important to treat people the way they would want to be treated and how some people may be different on the outside but they have feelings too. We talked about how it is never acceptable to be mean to someone because they are different. Boys can be mean and say rude and crude things...Like I said it is hard for kids to understand sometimes to know what you are talking about....when I told them I better never ever hear them use the word retard. They got it! What a wonderful story! Get your kleenex ready!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4foXehDmWs&feature=youtube_gdata_player
I had the TV on ESPN, the channel you will find it on most of the time at our house, a show was beginning called E:60. It is an investigative sports show. They usually have some really good stories on about sports figures, courageous sports stories, etc and the boys like watching them as well as Charlie and I. Tonight, it first caught our eyes because we thought it was about a runner but soon found out it was about so much more than that! I was in tears by the end of the show and when it was over, I took it as a lesson to teach my boys on why it is important to treat people the way they would want to be treated and how some people may be different on the outside but they have feelings too. We talked about how it is never acceptable to be mean to someone because they are different. Boys can be mean and say rude and crude things...Like I said it is hard for kids to understand sometimes to know what you are talking about....when I told them I better never ever hear them use the word retard. They got it! What a wonderful story! Get your kleenex ready!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4foXehDmWs&feature=youtube_gdata_player
As They Grow....
Three little boys
spening my life tripping over toys
They have the biggest hugs and a sweet lil kisses
Thats why momma's gonna miss em
Time goes by so fast
I can't even catch a breath
in this crazy mess
Their little fingers and little toes
Holding them til I can't no more
they've hung the moon and stars
they'll spread their wings
and find out who they are
There's always a superhero within reach
when Supermans flying from the stairs
catching batman in the air
while spiderman spins his web to share
there are days fightin like cats and dogs
then givin each other hugs.
From Monster trucks, cars and trains
to one day I'll be putting my baby on a plane
a little boy to a young man
ready to explore and head out on a new adventure
the not knowing and unsure
of what the future will hold
but he will be brave and bold
just as he was told
His first love and the woman he adores
as some may come and some may go
He's a momma's boy first
This is always true
He will always love you!
spening my life tripping over toys
They have the biggest hugs and a sweet lil kisses
Thats why momma's gonna miss em
Time goes by so fast
I can't even catch a breath
in this crazy mess
Their little fingers and little toes
Holding them til I can't no more
they've hung the moon and stars
they'll spread their wings
and find out who they are
There's always a superhero within reach
when Supermans flying from the stairs
catching batman in the air
while spiderman spins his web to share
there are days fightin like cats and dogs
then givin each other hugs.
From Monster trucks, cars and trains
to one day I'll be putting my baby on a plane
a little boy to a young man
ready to explore and head out on a new adventure
the not knowing and unsure
of what the future will hold
but he will be brave and bold
just as he was told
His first love and the woman he adores
as some may come and some may go
He's a momma's boy first
This is always true
He will always love you!
hmmm? A fourth...
Bet that title made your mouth drop!
Answer 99 percent ~NO. But wow, it sure makes a difference having fourth boy here all day! I have not heard one fight. They have all played so well. If you can't tell~ look at all the writing I have gotten done today and laundry too!
Braedyn has a friend over all day to play. When they go off Cooper ends up with Jordan or all four have been playing very well together.
Usually we have an odd man out but not today! It's been a nice day! Bummed that we are not at the beach which is where we planned to be this week but at least the sun came out this afternoon and we got to use the pool!
Answer 99 percent ~NO. But wow, it sure makes a difference having fourth boy here all day! I have not heard one fight. They have all played so well. If you can't tell~ look at all the writing I have gotten done today and laundry too!
Braedyn has a friend over all day to play. When they go off Cooper ends up with Jordan or all four have been playing very well together.
Usually we have an odd man out but not today! It's been a nice day! Bummed that we are not at the beach which is where we planned to be this week but at least the sun came out this afternoon and we got to use the pool!
Braedyn's First Kid Pitch Little League Game
Braedyn also was busy when we got back home. He missed two baseball games for fall ball league. He had a game when we got back. He has been working on pitching with dad and the head coach from Cedar Ridge is also one of Braedyn's asst coaches and Braedyn really wants to pitch and the coaches thought he was good enough to give it a try in a game. Braedyn is the only 3rd grader on his team pitching. I thought maybe they would have him try it out later in the game. No, after warm ups, the boys and I made it back from the playground to the field and Braedyn was standing on the pitching mound. All I could think was he looked so little up there! I started getting really nervous. I know how Braedyn is. He is hard on himself so I said a quick prayer, to give him the confidence, strength and courage to do this. He took the mound with a quick confidence and looked at me with a big smile. This not only was his first kid pitch game to play in, it was his first pitching experience ever and they were out in the field first to start the game! I don't know who was more nervous me or him! He did great. He was throwing strikes and balls and walked some too. I was just so proud of him for doing it and not getting down on himself if he walked someone. He just kept trying. He also played some infield positions throughout the games. The coach likes to rotate to different positions so kids get a feel for it all. So not only did he pitch, which he has never done before, he also played catcher. He has never done that before either! He did awesome as catcher. He even almost got a runner at second base! At this level, it is more about base running since there aren't a lot of hits since kids are just learning to pitch. He was so cute in all that gear on! I have to bring the camera next time. He used to be scared to play catcher in the machine pitch league because that ball comes at 40 mph and it can hit you pretty hard. He wasn't scared at all this night! The game did not end in their favor but they played well and were coming back! The coach ended up giving Braedyn the game ball for being asked to do things he had never done before and doing them pretty good!
Mom and dad were proud of him! He has three more games left for fall ball....
Mom and dad were proud of him! He has three more games left for fall ball....
Cooper's a Junior Hurricane!!!!!
We got back and Cooper had hockey evaluations to be on a team. He will be on an 8U Team this year. Cooper has taken to hockey and is a natural. He loves it! I love watching him play too!
He has been playing hockey since he was 3 years old. Yes, I know that may seem strange to people in the South but when you learn to walk in Minnesota not long after that you learn to skate!
He had been playing in Hillsborough and it was more like lessons, clinics and fun cross ice programs. He didn't play on a team last year because he wanted to try flag football. Well, that was a waste of time quite honestly! So he took almost a whole year off of skating. He got back on the ice this past spring thru summer and I told him he could be on a team in the fall when youth hockey starts up.
I was really dissappointed in the Hillsborough organization as it was not organized at all. I wasn't getting information and it was a bit concerning. The person who runs the youth programs is NOT the same person who runs the team programs. Cooper was sad to leave Mark since he has been with him since he was 3 and he just turned 6 in July. We will see him back at the camps that he runs in the summer. We wanted Cooper to have the best opportunity to learn and play so we chose the Raleigh Youth Hockey Organization. It is a big youth program which is well established and organized. Cooper will be a Junior Hurricane this year and he is so excited! They affiliate themselves with the Hurricanes so you know it has to be a well run organization. It is just a longer drive for mom as you have a home ice and the games rotate to four different rinks they use and none of them are close to us. His home ice is The Factory in Wake Forest!
I took him to Evaluations on Saturday. They had some when we were gone. You had to make at least one weekend for evals. I asked the person running the show what group was going out on the ice with Cooper. He said this is the beginners. He said, they grouped Cooper in his age bracket since he wasn't here last week to evaluate. I looked at him with a concerned look and said Cooper really isn't a beginner. He apologized and asked what his experience was and he told me he would be back to talk to me if needed. I didn't say anything, but I knew he would be back. It took a matter of 10-15 minutes with Cooper skating cirlces around the others as he was the only one getting the puck and he came back and said Cooper definately needs to move up to the intermediates and he might be a high level intermediate or advanced but I need to see him with that group, so can you stay another hour. Luckily, I didn't have anything going on that day so we stayed. Not only did he move up to intermediates which is also a age group above his own he is in the middle level intermediates group. They do a cross-ice program where it is divided in three games going on at once. The first group was kids just moving up from beginners into intermediates, second grp was good level intermediates, next group was kids that were almost ready to move to advanced. The advanced group's birthdate is Braedyn's age bracket 04/mostly third graders. I was very proud of Cooper. He got back on the ice after the first hour and went after it the second hour. All our running/biking - the kids got endurance! This is his first team experience and so far it is going great!
He then had to be at the rink on Sunday morning. He wanted Braedyn to come and watch this time. He had to be there bright and early at 7am and this time it was in Garner which is a good 45 minutes without traffic! I got Cooper up and he hopped right out of bed excited to go and went asked dad if he was coming but since Jordan was still sleeping he said he would stay home with Jordan. Then he came upstairs and said to Braedyn, "Braedyn, dad is going to stay home but you are still going to come right." He wanted his big brother there! So we went and Cooper did great and it was good for him to be with kids that were on the same level. He is the type of kid who will play up to the other's and he doesn't like to get beat or shown up. He works hard. I am amazed at his ability and after being on the ice three times a week he is going to be even so much better by the end of the season. In Hillsborough he was only going once a week. After Sunday's evaulations they have a draft and set up the teams. There are over 200 kids in the 8U program from beginners to advanced. It felt like an eternity to Cooper to wait. He kept asking all afternoon on Sunday and all day Monday if they had called or emailed with what team he was on. They called on Monday night to tell us what team he will be on. He is on the 8U North Intermediate Bruins team. His first practice is tomorrow night in Wake Forest, then Saturday mornings and games on Sunday mornings. So his first game is Sunday.
Ever since Saturday he and his brothers have been in the driveway playing hoceky all day everyday. I think if we had an icey pond in the backyard I would never get him to come in the house!
He has been playing hockey since he was 3 years old. Yes, I know that may seem strange to people in the South but when you learn to walk in Minnesota not long after that you learn to skate!
He had been playing in Hillsborough and it was more like lessons, clinics and fun cross ice programs. He didn't play on a team last year because he wanted to try flag football. Well, that was a waste of time quite honestly! So he took almost a whole year off of skating. He got back on the ice this past spring thru summer and I told him he could be on a team in the fall when youth hockey starts up.
I was really dissappointed in the Hillsborough organization as it was not organized at all. I wasn't getting information and it was a bit concerning. The person who runs the youth programs is NOT the same person who runs the team programs. Cooper was sad to leave Mark since he has been with him since he was 3 and he just turned 6 in July. We will see him back at the camps that he runs in the summer. We wanted Cooper to have the best opportunity to learn and play so we chose the Raleigh Youth Hockey Organization. It is a big youth program which is well established and organized. Cooper will be a Junior Hurricane this year and he is so excited! They affiliate themselves with the Hurricanes so you know it has to be a well run organization. It is just a longer drive for mom as you have a home ice and the games rotate to four different rinks they use and none of them are close to us. His home ice is The Factory in Wake Forest!
I took him to Evaluations on Saturday. They had some when we were gone. You had to make at least one weekend for evals. I asked the person running the show what group was going out on the ice with Cooper. He said this is the beginners. He said, they grouped Cooper in his age bracket since he wasn't here last week to evaluate. I looked at him with a concerned look and said Cooper really isn't a beginner. He apologized and asked what his experience was and he told me he would be back to talk to me if needed. I didn't say anything, but I knew he would be back. It took a matter of 10-15 minutes with Cooper skating cirlces around the others as he was the only one getting the puck and he came back and said Cooper definately needs to move up to the intermediates and he might be a high level intermediate or advanced but I need to see him with that group, so can you stay another hour. Luckily, I didn't have anything going on that day so we stayed. Not only did he move up to intermediates which is also a age group above his own he is in the middle level intermediates group. They do a cross-ice program where it is divided in three games going on at once. The first group was kids just moving up from beginners into intermediates, second grp was good level intermediates, next group was kids that were almost ready to move to advanced. The advanced group's birthdate is Braedyn's age bracket 04/mostly third graders. I was very proud of Cooper. He got back on the ice after the first hour and went after it the second hour. All our running/biking - the kids got endurance! This is his first team experience and so far it is going great!
He then had to be at the rink on Sunday morning. He wanted Braedyn to come and watch this time. He had to be there bright and early at 7am and this time it was in Garner which is a good 45 minutes without traffic! I got Cooper up and he hopped right out of bed excited to go and went asked dad if he was coming but since Jordan was still sleeping he said he would stay home with Jordan. Then he came upstairs and said to Braedyn, "Braedyn, dad is going to stay home but you are still going to come right." He wanted his big brother there! So we went and Cooper did great and it was good for him to be with kids that were on the same level. He is the type of kid who will play up to the other's and he doesn't like to get beat or shown up. He works hard. I am amazed at his ability and after being on the ice three times a week he is going to be even so much better by the end of the season. In Hillsborough he was only going once a week. After Sunday's evaulations they have a draft and set up the teams. There are over 200 kids in the 8U program from beginners to advanced. It felt like an eternity to Cooper to wait. He kept asking all afternoon on Sunday and all day Monday if they had called or emailed with what team he was on. They called on Monday night to tell us what team he will be on. He is on the 8U North Intermediate Bruins team. His first practice is tomorrow night in Wake Forest, then Saturday mornings and games on Sunday mornings. So his first game is Sunday.
Ever since Saturday he and his brothers have been in the driveway playing hoceky all day everyday. I think if we had an icey pond in the backyard I would never get him to come in the house!
Family Vacation Fall Break 2012
RECAP OF OUR TRIP.....STILL WORKING ON DOWNLOADING THE PHOTOS....
Wednesday, September 19th-getting ready to go...
Today Jordan still was not feeling the greatest so we found ourselves at the Dr.s office once again just to make sure it was just a virus. It was. Then we got home from that and noticed Jake was itching again and I thought ~oh great! Fleas again! So we carried him up to the vet just to make sure and then from there, after getting a clean flea free check up, we took him to the kennel. That was a little emotional as we have never left Jake anywhere prior to this trip. The boys were very concerned about Jake and I even got a little teary eyed. Cooper said, "It's going to be weird to go home and Jake's not there." They were really worried about the other dogs that they were going to be mean to Jake. It was a great kennel that was referred to me buy a friend. It is in Pittsboro and Jake only gets crated at night to sleep. So he will be a happy dog at this place. He may not want to come home after being at this "doggie hotel". He gets better food at this place than at home and he has friends to play with! Later that afternoon, my neighbor stopped by to see if I wanted to go running or for a walk before we head out of town which was very nice of her to do. I needed a little stress relief. Getting ready to go on a trip is stressful. Of course, I took her up on it and she watched the boys while I did a short quick run.
As the night went on the boys were so excited, it was hard to get them to go to sleep so I just gave up on that idea! Charlie got home from work very late at 9. He was planning on coming home early to rest but I knew that wouldn't happen. We finally got everyone to sleep about 10 on the couch and rested until 2:30 am and pulled out of the driveway about 3 am. They stayed up for about an hour and the boys and I fell asleep. Poor Charlie had to drive! I cannot drive that Hummer.
Thursday, September 20-in route
I woke up to daylight just before the Georgia-South Carolina border. So we slept until about 1/2 way. We had about 5 hours to go. Had a quick rest stop to the potty, gas up, and grab a breakfast that I had packed for the kids. We also had to get everyone situated with their electronics. They each had their own movies, which were Mighty Ducks, 1, 2 and 3! I had to make sure their things were in reach and off we were in the Hummer once again. Florida Bound!
We were cruising along almost to the Georgia line and these police cars were sitting in a tree-lined median. We passed them and we were going the speed limit as others were passing us. So we thought nothing of it as one of them pulled out. They caught up to us and Charlie noticed him closing in and said, "I can't believe this, he is pulling me over"! This is the first time daddy has been pulled over with the boys in the car, so I can't imagine what they were thinking. Charlie NEVER goes over the speed limit. He walked up to the vehicle on my side and said, "Sir, I pulled you over because you were speeding back there, I clocked you at 76." Charlie responded and said, "I had the cruise set at 70 sir and my GPS also has it." Then the officer very sternly spoke in a very southern accent and said, "Sir, don't argue with me, please step out of the vehicle." I was shaking and Charlie may have been too...I thought, oh no ~now what is he going to do. I was also praying that Charlie would humbly speak to the officer and his argumentative attorney voice wouldn't come across to the officer. So he took him back to the back of the hummer and I could hear the conversation going somewhat like, "if I had a nickel for every time someone used their GPS to tell me how fast they were going...." then I started getting concerned questions coming from the backseat! Then I also heard the officer nicely ask, "Charlie, what is it that you do for a living?" Charlie answered, "I am an attorney."
"What kind of attorney?"
"Intellectual Property."
"What's that-break it down"
"Patents, copyrights, and trademarks."
That's why if someone asks I just say, Patent Attorney. Then you eliminate a step:)
The officer and Charlie came back to the hummer and we chatted and he now was very friendly. Except for the fact he was a Southern Carolina Gamecocks fan so he wasn't a big Gator fan:)! So he gave Charlie a hard time about that. Then he gave him a warning and said slow down...Geez could they have profiled a little more! I can guarantee he did not have us going that fas,t he just wanted to pull that flashy hummer over. After we got going, Charlie looked at our GPS and it showed he never went over 74 so he never even hit 76! He cleared it because now if it happened again he can show them. So be careful when driving in South Carolina! We laughed about it for awhile as the boys were writing in their journals that daddy got pulled over.
The rest of the trip was uneventful. When we crossed the Georgia-Florida border, Braedyn got out the map and was following along as we were driving thru the small little dumpy towns driving from Jacksonville to Gainesville. I was thinking those roads were very similar to those you see in murder mysteries! Kind of scary places! They were so excited when we pulled into Gainesville! We got to campus and I was amazed at how big and busy it was. I thought we lived in a college town. Chapel Hill doesn't even compare! I would say we live in a quaint little country college town and Gainesville is a college city! We were at a stoplight in the heart of campus and Braedyn was very quiet just taking in all the sights. I asked him, "Braedyn, you think you could go to school here, do you like it?" He then said, "Yes, this is cool, and dad~there sure are a lot of pretty ladies around here!" Oh no, it starts! Daddy was proud of that comment! We got to the hotel at the University Hilton on UF campus. It was a neat, nice hotel with all the decor in orange and blue! Everything is orange and blue! We relaxed for awhile in the pool and headed over to the stadium because we were told it will be closed Friday to start the festivities. We got there and were disappointed as this is the first time they have decided to close it Thursday too. But what a site! We then walked across the street to the McConnell Center were they play volleyball, basketball and there is also an indoor pool. Then we wanted to walk over to the baseball stadium which was behind the McConnell Center. The neat part about that walk was the football practice field is by the baseball stadium and they were having practice. It was a closed practice but we could still see thru the fence. So the boys thought that was pretty cool. Man, those guys are HUGE! The baseball stadium was nice and bigger than it was when Charlie was there. They have added on. There was someone practicing, so of course Braedyn wanted to watch for awhile but there was a storm coming in. So we just stayed for a little while. I do have to say, and Braedyn agreed, Boshamer Stadium was nicer and seemed bigger. University of North Carolina's Boshamer Stadium is probably one of the nicest stadiums in college baseball! We quickly made our way to University Drive to find something to eat and of course had to go to "The Swamp". We also had to have gator tail. They boys tried it and loved it to. It tastes like chicken....We also quickly realized, we have our own driver~the van shuttle, so we had few cocktails and called our driver and headed back. We had a great first day in Gainesville to start the trip!
Friday, October 21st-Tourists not a college student anymore!
This is the first time in 13 years Charlie has been back, so things have changed quite a bit and this place has gotten bigger! There is around 65,000 students compared to 30,000 at UNC...so that's probably why I thought it was so big! Charlie didn't remember it being so busy with traffic. Traffic was horrible. Being here brought back many college memories he shared with us but now he was here with a wife and three little boys. He is enjoying UF in a different stage of life. We decided to do the touristy thing today and he had a camera strapped over his shoulders instead of a backpack. He was driving a Hummer instead of a Cannondale!
We had the hotel shuttle (which was the best part of staying on campus in a hotel!) take us to the engineering building where Charlie spent many days and nights becoming Dr. Charlie Jacobson!
We met some of his old professors and his advisor, Dr. Park. He was a very nice Korean man. He and his wife also invited us to their house that evening for dinner. It was fun to see where he spent most of his time and was showing the boys the labs. They were having a board meeting and he chatted for awhile as the boys patience was wearing thin. From there we went for lunch at the Copper Monkey and it was a neat little bar/restuarant. We decided to walk back to the stadium and check out the Univ. of Florida Football Hall of Fame at the Stadium where they have all the National Championship trophies, SEC conference trophies, Heismans, and other trophies. They also had some neat interactive things the boys enjoyed. We had the hotel shuttle pick us up because we were a little tired from walking around campus and so we went back to the hotel and went swimming and just relaxed at the pool for the rest of the day. The boys were playing by the pool and we met some guys that were having a guys football weekend, 3 of them. They were from DC and one of them was from Vero Beach area. Charlie and one of them played with boys in the pool and before leaving to go to dinner at Dr. Parks, Charlie had invited them to go tailgate with him in the morning since I wasn't planning on tailgating at the crack of dawn.
We went to Dr. Parks for dinner. He had a beautiful home and his wife Youngsun were so gracious. They made a wonderful dinner filled with Miso soup, shrimp tempura, sushi, sashimi, Mongolian beef and rice. You are probably thinking, what did the boys eat. We had a conversation on the way over to his house that it was very important that they try new things. They did and they liked it! I was quite impressed and they were using their manners and they politely sat while everyone finished. They knew it was important to dad that they behaved and they did! It was fun visiting with them and they told us next time we come we have to stay with them. They have two grown children so they are emptynesters with a quiet big house. We just might have to take them up on that!
Saturday, October 22nd-GAME DAY!
Charlie met up with the guys from the pool and they rode with Charlie down to tailgate at 8:30 in the morning. I told him I would just have the hotel shuttle drive me to as close as they could get me and the boys to where they were tailgating. They got to the engineering building and they were the first ones there so they had prime spot! Only 2 blocks from the stadium! The boys and I slept and in and got ready to go. We headed down there about 10:30 and the wonderful driver from the hotel took me directly to the engineering building and student union. We met up with the guys and the boys got to tailgate for a little bit and brought their football and played catch. Charlie had befriended some people that had a grill and food. Since all Charlie and the other guys brought was a cooler of beer! So we ate with them and they had two kids, a little girl Cooper's age and a little boy about Jordan's age. So they all played while the adults visited. It was a VERY hot day and projected to be close to 100! I had bought a cute little Gator strappy sundress for the game and thank goodness because even that was sticking to me! The tailgating at UF is on a different level. It is like something I have never experienced. I thought tailgating at the Vikings game in below zero weather in that old parking lot by the stadium was craziness. This is craziness on a whole different level. These people know how to tailgate!! From the huge lots full of RVs, big spreads of food to the pimped-out pull-behind trailers with flat screen TVs and stereos. We passed it all on the walk to the stadium. No wonder Charlie loved it here! It was fun and I wasn't even in the throws of it all!
We got to our seats after the rush of thousands going into the stadium. The boys did catch a picture and met the dance team. I was surprised Charlie didn't get in that picture:)! They were great seats. I was amazed at how big the place was! It was very cool. It was much more spectacular in person in than on TV. It was so incredibly hot. Jordan fell asleep in daddy's arms just after the game had started and slept until the beginning of the 3rd quarter. Charlie was hot and had a sleeping, sweaty child on him, I took him after halftime. The boys loved the game and really got into it and never complained how hot they were. They did great. The score was 38-0 at the end of the 3rd quarter so we figured we had enough and the sun was getting to us all. My back was fried. The only thing I forgot to pack was sunscreen! We went back and hopped in the pool to cool off! We had dinner at the Outback that night since it was close to the hotel. Our vacation in Florida was coming to an end. After we got our meal and said grace, Charlie said, "it sure was nice spending time with my family this week" and Jordan the comedian bursted out with, "you said it sista!" We were all laughing. I don't know where he came up or learned that one! But that summed it up!
We woke up and it was time to head north. First stop, Savannah, Georgia!
Sunday, October 23rd- Savannah
Before leaving Florida we had to see some Alligators! Charlie promised the boys we would go and see some this morning. We went over to Lake Alice on campus where there are a lot of alligators. It is also by the bat houses on campus but we did not see the bats. They come out at dusk...thousands of them pepper the sky. We walked around Lake Alice for just a few minutes before spotting a gator. At first it was a little frightening as it was coming towards us in the water but it just stopped shy of the shore. It just hung out-staring at us. The boys snapped several pictures and Charlie got some really neat ones too that I will get posted. We walked a little further and found a couple more and also some huge turtles. They were very happy that they got to see some alligators!
We got to Savannah about 3:30. What a beautiful city! We stayed on the riverfront at the Hilton Doubletree. It was a very neat, beautiful, historic building. After unwinding in the pool in the afternoon, we headed out to the riverfront. We found a quaint little bar/restaurant on the bay called "Tubbies". There was music coming from the front of the place and it was just a single guy playing acoustic guitar but was VERY good! After eating a very delicious seafoody dinner, we went up to watch him sing. The boys, especially Braedyn, were very into it. Braedyn walked up and requested a few country songs and he did one of them. He seemed like a nice country boy. He is a singer/songwriter/artist from Nashville but a local Savannah boy that was back visiting and he does little shows at this place when he is back. So that was cool. The other cool part about Savannah is when you get the tab the waitress asks, "Do you need a to go cup for your cocktail?" You can walk around with open container! That is nice when you have the kids, they are done eating and don't like waiting for daddy to finish his beer:)
Monday, October 24th-Tourists again
We thought it would be cool to see the city in the trolley and get the full history tour. The architecture in the city is like being in Europe, the buildings are so old with details and the artistry is so different than anything I had ever seen. this makes me want to visit Europe sometime! If you ever go to Savannah I highly recommend this tour. We did the on/off tour. You can ride and stop, get off and walk and hop back on at various stops throughout the city. The city is mapped out on a grid and every area has a square with different monuments. One of those squares is where they filmed Forrest Gump sitting on the bench. The city has various movie locations and the book "Goodnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" is based here. We saw the house where the murder took place. The Catholic Church was beautiful as well as all the other old churches. The cemetery was very cool but I think that creeped Charlie out. I wanted to go and walk around that old cemetery but that was not popular with everyone else. It was a cemetery that looked like it belonged in a movie. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. The history in that place dates way back to the early 1800s. Braedyn was getting into the history lessons and took several pictures of his own. Jordan fell asleep. Forsythe Park had the prettiest fountain I have ever seen! That place was huge. They had a nice play area for the kids so we stopped there and let them get their sillies out for awhile. We ended the last day of vacation playing in the pool and eating at another place on the river called the "Cotton Exchange".
Tuesday, October 25th-Heading home
Today we headed home. It was a great vacation and we all survived in tiny hotel rooms for five days! Our first family road trip and vacation with all five of us! We made lots of memories and it is always sad to have vacation come to an end! We started our trek back home and arrived at the kennel just in time to pick Jake up at before 5. He was so excited to see us and come back home, it was hard to get him to sit on the way home.
Now we know the boys can do the trip to Gainesville, we will do it again. After being there again, I think Charlie decided it had been way too long! We could do this once a year and make it a tradition to go to a Florida football game at least once a year. Eventually, maybe it will turn into a daddy and son weekend! We need to start making traditions and memories. This is one the boys will remember! They still talk about it and can't wait to go back again...
GO GATORS!~
Wednesday, September 19th-getting ready to go...
Today Jordan still was not feeling the greatest so we found ourselves at the Dr.s office once again just to make sure it was just a virus. It was. Then we got home from that and noticed Jake was itching again and I thought ~oh great! Fleas again! So we carried him up to the vet just to make sure and then from there, after getting a clean flea free check up, we took him to the kennel. That was a little emotional as we have never left Jake anywhere prior to this trip. The boys were very concerned about Jake and I even got a little teary eyed. Cooper said, "It's going to be weird to go home and Jake's not there." They were really worried about the other dogs that they were going to be mean to Jake. It was a great kennel that was referred to me buy a friend. It is in Pittsboro and Jake only gets crated at night to sleep. So he will be a happy dog at this place. He may not want to come home after being at this "doggie hotel". He gets better food at this place than at home and he has friends to play with! Later that afternoon, my neighbor stopped by to see if I wanted to go running or for a walk before we head out of town which was very nice of her to do. I needed a little stress relief. Getting ready to go on a trip is stressful. Of course, I took her up on it and she watched the boys while I did a short quick run.
As the night went on the boys were so excited, it was hard to get them to go to sleep so I just gave up on that idea! Charlie got home from work very late at 9. He was planning on coming home early to rest but I knew that wouldn't happen. We finally got everyone to sleep about 10 on the couch and rested until 2:30 am and pulled out of the driveway about 3 am. They stayed up for about an hour and the boys and I fell asleep. Poor Charlie had to drive! I cannot drive that Hummer.
Thursday, September 20-in route
I woke up to daylight just before the Georgia-South Carolina border. So we slept until about 1/2 way. We had about 5 hours to go. Had a quick rest stop to the potty, gas up, and grab a breakfast that I had packed for the kids. We also had to get everyone situated with their electronics. They each had their own movies, which were Mighty Ducks, 1, 2 and 3! I had to make sure their things were in reach and off we were in the Hummer once again. Florida Bound!
We were cruising along almost to the Georgia line and these police cars were sitting in a tree-lined median. We passed them and we were going the speed limit as others were passing us. So we thought nothing of it as one of them pulled out. They caught up to us and Charlie noticed him closing in and said, "I can't believe this, he is pulling me over"! This is the first time daddy has been pulled over with the boys in the car, so I can't imagine what they were thinking. Charlie NEVER goes over the speed limit. He walked up to the vehicle on my side and said, "Sir, I pulled you over because you were speeding back there, I clocked you at 76." Charlie responded and said, "I had the cruise set at 70 sir and my GPS also has it." Then the officer very sternly spoke in a very southern accent and said, "Sir, don't argue with me, please step out of the vehicle." I was shaking and Charlie may have been too...I thought, oh no ~now what is he going to do. I was also praying that Charlie would humbly speak to the officer and his argumentative attorney voice wouldn't come across to the officer. So he took him back to the back of the hummer and I could hear the conversation going somewhat like, "if I had a nickel for every time someone used their GPS to tell me how fast they were going...." then I started getting concerned questions coming from the backseat! Then I also heard the officer nicely ask, "Charlie, what is it that you do for a living?" Charlie answered, "I am an attorney."
"What kind of attorney?"
"Intellectual Property."
"What's that-break it down"
"Patents, copyrights, and trademarks."
That's why if someone asks I just say, Patent Attorney. Then you eliminate a step:)
The officer and Charlie came back to the hummer and we chatted and he now was very friendly. Except for the fact he was a Southern Carolina Gamecocks fan so he wasn't a big Gator fan:)! So he gave Charlie a hard time about that. Then he gave him a warning and said slow down...Geez could they have profiled a little more! I can guarantee he did not have us going that fas,t he just wanted to pull that flashy hummer over. After we got going, Charlie looked at our GPS and it showed he never went over 74 so he never even hit 76! He cleared it because now if it happened again he can show them. So be careful when driving in South Carolina! We laughed about it for awhile as the boys were writing in their journals that daddy got pulled over.
The rest of the trip was uneventful. When we crossed the Georgia-Florida border, Braedyn got out the map and was following along as we were driving thru the small little dumpy towns driving from Jacksonville to Gainesville. I was thinking those roads were very similar to those you see in murder mysteries! Kind of scary places! They were so excited when we pulled into Gainesville! We got to campus and I was amazed at how big and busy it was. I thought we lived in a college town. Chapel Hill doesn't even compare! I would say we live in a quaint little country college town and Gainesville is a college city! We were at a stoplight in the heart of campus and Braedyn was very quiet just taking in all the sights. I asked him, "Braedyn, you think you could go to school here, do you like it?" He then said, "Yes, this is cool, and dad~there sure are a lot of pretty ladies around here!" Oh no, it starts! Daddy was proud of that comment! We got to the hotel at the University Hilton on UF campus. It was a neat, nice hotel with all the decor in orange and blue! Everything is orange and blue! We relaxed for awhile in the pool and headed over to the stadium because we were told it will be closed Friday to start the festivities. We got there and were disappointed as this is the first time they have decided to close it Thursday too. But what a site! We then walked across the street to the McConnell Center were they play volleyball, basketball and there is also an indoor pool. Then we wanted to walk over to the baseball stadium which was behind the McConnell Center. The neat part about that walk was the football practice field is by the baseball stadium and they were having practice. It was a closed practice but we could still see thru the fence. So the boys thought that was pretty cool. Man, those guys are HUGE! The baseball stadium was nice and bigger than it was when Charlie was there. They have added on. There was someone practicing, so of course Braedyn wanted to watch for awhile but there was a storm coming in. So we just stayed for a little while. I do have to say, and Braedyn agreed, Boshamer Stadium was nicer and seemed bigger. University of North Carolina's Boshamer Stadium is probably one of the nicest stadiums in college baseball! We quickly made our way to University Drive to find something to eat and of course had to go to "The Swamp". We also had to have gator tail. They boys tried it and loved it to. It tastes like chicken....We also quickly realized, we have our own driver~the van shuttle, so we had few cocktails and called our driver and headed back. We had a great first day in Gainesville to start the trip!
Friday, October 21st-Tourists not a college student anymore!
This is the first time in 13 years Charlie has been back, so things have changed quite a bit and this place has gotten bigger! There is around 65,000 students compared to 30,000 at UNC...so that's probably why I thought it was so big! Charlie didn't remember it being so busy with traffic. Traffic was horrible. Being here brought back many college memories he shared with us but now he was here with a wife and three little boys. He is enjoying UF in a different stage of life. We decided to do the touristy thing today and he had a camera strapped over his shoulders instead of a backpack. He was driving a Hummer instead of a Cannondale!
We had the hotel shuttle (which was the best part of staying on campus in a hotel!) take us to the engineering building where Charlie spent many days and nights becoming Dr. Charlie Jacobson!
We met some of his old professors and his advisor, Dr. Park. He was a very nice Korean man. He and his wife also invited us to their house that evening for dinner. It was fun to see where he spent most of his time and was showing the boys the labs. They were having a board meeting and he chatted for awhile as the boys patience was wearing thin. From there we went for lunch at the Copper Monkey and it was a neat little bar/restuarant. We decided to walk back to the stadium and check out the Univ. of Florida Football Hall of Fame at the Stadium where they have all the National Championship trophies, SEC conference trophies, Heismans, and other trophies. They also had some neat interactive things the boys enjoyed. We had the hotel shuttle pick us up because we were a little tired from walking around campus and so we went back to the hotel and went swimming and just relaxed at the pool for the rest of the day. The boys were playing by the pool and we met some guys that were having a guys football weekend, 3 of them. They were from DC and one of them was from Vero Beach area. Charlie and one of them played with boys in the pool and before leaving to go to dinner at Dr. Parks, Charlie had invited them to go tailgate with him in the morning since I wasn't planning on tailgating at the crack of dawn.
We went to Dr. Parks for dinner. He had a beautiful home and his wife Youngsun were so gracious. They made a wonderful dinner filled with Miso soup, shrimp tempura, sushi, sashimi, Mongolian beef and rice. You are probably thinking, what did the boys eat. We had a conversation on the way over to his house that it was very important that they try new things. They did and they liked it! I was quite impressed and they were using their manners and they politely sat while everyone finished. They knew it was important to dad that they behaved and they did! It was fun visiting with them and they told us next time we come we have to stay with them. They have two grown children so they are emptynesters with a quiet big house. We just might have to take them up on that!
Saturday, October 22nd-GAME DAY!
Charlie met up with the guys from the pool and they rode with Charlie down to tailgate at 8:30 in the morning. I told him I would just have the hotel shuttle drive me to as close as they could get me and the boys to where they were tailgating. They got to the engineering building and they were the first ones there so they had prime spot! Only 2 blocks from the stadium! The boys and I slept and in and got ready to go. We headed down there about 10:30 and the wonderful driver from the hotel took me directly to the engineering building and student union. We met up with the guys and the boys got to tailgate for a little bit and brought their football and played catch. Charlie had befriended some people that had a grill and food. Since all Charlie and the other guys brought was a cooler of beer! So we ate with them and they had two kids, a little girl Cooper's age and a little boy about Jordan's age. So they all played while the adults visited. It was a VERY hot day and projected to be close to 100! I had bought a cute little Gator strappy sundress for the game and thank goodness because even that was sticking to me! The tailgating at UF is on a different level. It is like something I have never experienced. I thought tailgating at the Vikings game in below zero weather in that old parking lot by the stadium was craziness. This is craziness on a whole different level. These people know how to tailgate!! From the huge lots full of RVs, big spreads of food to the pimped-out pull-behind trailers with flat screen TVs and stereos. We passed it all on the walk to the stadium. No wonder Charlie loved it here! It was fun and I wasn't even in the throws of it all!
We got to our seats after the rush of thousands going into the stadium. The boys did catch a picture and met the dance team. I was surprised Charlie didn't get in that picture:)! They were great seats. I was amazed at how big the place was! It was very cool. It was much more spectacular in person in than on TV. It was so incredibly hot. Jordan fell asleep in daddy's arms just after the game had started and slept until the beginning of the 3rd quarter. Charlie was hot and had a sleeping, sweaty child on him, I took him after halftime. The boys loved the game and really got into it and never complained how hot they were. They did great. The score was 38-0 at the end of the 3rd quarter so we figured we had enough and the sun was getting to us all. My back was fried. The only thing I forgot to pack was sunscreen! We went back and hopped in the pool to cool off! We had dinner at the Outback that night since it was close to the hotel. Our vacation in Florida was coming to an end. After we got our meal and said grace, Charlie said, "it sure was nice spending time with my family this week" and Jordan the comedian bursted out with, "you said it sista!" We were all laughing. I don't know where he came up or learned that one! But that summed it up!
We woke up and it was time to head north. First stop, Savannah, Georgia!
Sunday, October 23rd- Savannah
Before leaving Florida we had to see some Alligators! Charlie promised the boys we would go and see some this morning. We went over to Lake Alice on campus where there are a lot of alligators. It is also by the bat houses on campus but we did not see the bats. They come out at dusk...thousands of them pepper the sky. We walked around Lake Alice for just a few minutes before spotting a gator. At first it was a little frightening as it was coming towards us in the water but it just stopped shy of the shore. It just hung out-staring at us. The boys snapped several pictures and Charlie got some really neat ones too that I will get posted. We walked a little further and found a couple more and also some huge turtles. They were very happy that they got to see some alligators!
We got to Savannah about 3:30. What a beautiful city! We stayed on the riverfront at the Hilton Doubletree. It was a very neat, beautiful, historic building. After unwinding in the pool in the afternoon, we headed out to the riverfront. We found a quaint little bar/restaurant on the bay called "Tubbies". There was music coming from the front of the place and it was just a single guy playing acoustic guitar but was VERY good! After eating a very delicious seafoody dinner, we went up to watch him sing. The boys, especially Braedyn, were very into it. Braedyn walked up and requested a few country songs and he did one of them. He seemed like a nice country boy. He is a singer/songwriter/artist from Nashville but a local Savannah boy that was back visiting and he does little shows at this place when he is back. So that was cool. The other cool part about Savannah is when you get the tab the waitress asks, "Do you need a to go cup for your cocktail?" You can walk around with open container! That is nice when you have the kids, they are done eating and don't like waiting for daddy to finish his beer:)
Monday, October 24th-Tourists again
We thought it would be cool to see the city in the trolley and get the full history tour. The architecture in the city is like being in Europe, the buildings are so old with details and the artistry is so different than anything I had ever seen. this makes me want to visit Europe sometime! If you ever go to Savannah I highly recommend this tour. We did the on/off tour. You can ride and stop, get off and walk and hop back on at various stops throughout the city. The city is mapped out on a grid and every area has a square with different monuments. One of those squares is where they filmed Forrest Gump sitting on the bench. The city has various movie locations and the book "Goodnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" is based here. We saw the house where the murder took place. The Catholic Church was beautiful as well as all the other old churches. The cemetery was very cool but I think that creeped Charlie out. I wanted to go and walk around that old cemetery but that was not popular with everyone else. It was a cemetery that looked like it belonged in a movie. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. The history in that place dates way back to the early 1800s. Braedyn was getting into the history lessons and took several pictures of his own. Jordan fell asleep. Forsythe Park had the prettiest fountain I have ever seen! That place was huge. They had a nice play area for the kids so we stopped there and let them get their sillies out for awhile. We ended the last day of vacation playing in the pool and eating at another place on the river called the "Cotton Exchange".
Tuesday, October 25th-Heading home
Today we headed home. It was a great vacation and we all survived in tiny hotel rooms for five days! Our first family road trip and vacation with all five of us! We made lots of memories and it is always sad to have vacation come to an end! We started our trek back home and arrived at the kennel just in time to pick Jake up at before 5. He was so excited to see us and come back home, it was hard to get him to sit on the way home.
Now we know the boys can do the trip to Gainesville, we will do it again. After being there again, I think Charlie decided it had been way too long! We could do this once a year and make it a tradition to go to a Florida football game at least once a year. Eventually, maybe it will turn into a daddy and son weekend! We need to start making traditions and memories. This is one the boys will remember! They still talk about it and can't wait to go back again...
GO GATORS!~
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