{the long journey home}

On Friday it was time to say goodbye to GiGi, Pop Pop, Granny Nanny and Rudy so that we could start the long journey back to Cincinnati. We decided to leave mid-day so that we could break the trip up into 2 days again. Our plan to wear the girls out that morning before getting into the car was successful and Kenzie was asleep within 5 minutes of being on the road. Lexi was awake but happily playing with her baby doll.

Since we weren’t in a rush we decided to stop in Hattiesburg, MS to have lunch at a restaurant that one of Randall’s friends from Southern Miss recently opened. The Depot was a fun coffee shop & bistro and we enjoyed some delicious sandwiches and soups. Randall got the chance to catch up with an old friend and it was a perfect lunch stop.

We were making pretty good time and the girls were being very good and then it started pouring down rain. Our plan was to make it to Franklin, TN before stopping for the night and the last 60 miles or so were slower going because of the rain. We checked into the hotel at around 10pm and the girls were very excited to be staying in a hotel again.

The next morning we had planned to check out historic Franklin in the daylight. While it was light, it was still raining hard. It happened to be Main Street Festival which would have been such a fun experience had we not been soaking wet. Due to the weather we really only checked out a couple of booths and one very cute home store before heading into Puckett’s Grocery for lunch (but really more to escape the rain and to dry off a bit). Lunch was yummy and the skillet chocolate chip cookie that we had for dessert was to die for.


After lunch we decided to get back on the road. It rained off and on, but we made it home by 6pm. The girls’ first request was to stop and check progress on the new house. The foundation and footer had been poured and the basement walls and rafters completed, so we were able to step foot into our new home for the first time. Kenzie & Lexi were so excited that they insisted on getting their babies from the car so that they could show them their new house.

While we had a great week away, it felt good to return home to Cincinnati.

{west palm beach getaway & new orleans play}

Randall and I had a great little getaway to Palm Beach and while we were there the girls had a blast in New Orleans with GiGi and Pop Pop.

Randall was in Florida for a sales conference so on the evening that I arrived we had a P&G dinner to attend. While a “work” dinner is not my top choice when on “vacation”, we did have a fun evening. The next day Randall had to work again, so I had a “no obligations” day. I slept in, went for a run, did a little shopping, met Randall for lunch, went and had my hair and makeup done at the P&G Innovation Studio, read. Not a bad day. The next day Randall was also on vacation and we enjoyed a relaxing day together. We had breakfast overlooking the ocean, relaxed by the pool, had lunch poolside, went to the spa, and then joined another couple for a fun and delicious dinner. The next morning we again enjoyed our beach breakfast, followed by a run on the beach, before we sadly had to pack up. On the bright side, we were looking forward to seeing our girls again.

While we were away they had been having fun in New Orleans.  Pop Pop and GiGi had an impromptu Crawfish Boil (complete with crawfish dresses for the girls) and the girls had fun playing with their “New Orleans cousins.”  They took trips to the park and to Audubon Zoo.  They went out to lunch with friends and enjoyed homemade red beans & rice.  They went to watch Bryan play baseball and visited Pop Pop’s office.  They got spoiled and stayed up late.  They were pretty good, but I think they still wore GiGi out. 

When we got back to New Orleans on Wednesday evening the girls greeted us with huge smiles and bear hugs at the airport. The next day we all had some New Orleans style fun! We went down to the French Quarter and our first stop was Café Du Monde for beignets. Putting powdered sugar on our noses has become a tradition for our New Orleans visits. Next we walked around the quarter, stopping to say hi to the Blue Dog. We walked back around to Jackson Square and Kenzie insisted on taking a horse and carriage ride. The girls were excited to say hi to our horse (or technically mule) Cash, but Kenzie was sure not to turn her back to him as she did not want the “horsey to bite her butt.” This time both Kenzie & Lexi stayed awake for the entire carriage ride and we all learned a little something new from our great tour guide. Our next stop was for Po-Boys and a little local shopping. Once we returned home we went for a walk to the levee and along Lake Ponchatrain. A good, busy day.

We enjoyed one last morning in New Orleans before packing up for the long journey back home. The girls were sad to leave and GiGi and Pop Pop were sad to see them go. I think that even though the girls might have worn them out, that GiGi and Pop Pop thoroughly enjoyed their week with their granddaughters. And Randall and I were so grateful for the little break. Thank you Gail & Gene!

{new orleans bound: mommy-daughter road trip}

We had been planning a trip to New Orleans for some time.  The plan was for the whole family to drive down so that Randall could compete in the half-ironman triathlon and then the girls could spend the week with GiGi and Pop Pop while Randall and I went on a trip (most likely out of the country) to celebrate his 40th birthday.  Well, about 6 weeks before this planned trip Randall found out that he had to attend and present at a conference in West Palm Beach Florida the same weekend of the triathlon.  Big bummer.  At first we thought we would just postpone the entire trip, but GiGi had already declined to go on her 50th high school reunion cruise because she was planning to watch the girls that week, so we figured it wasn't right to diappoint her by not coming.  So that meant that I would be embarking on an 800+ mile road trip solo with my girls.  We started talking about it several weeks in advance.  About how they would have to be very good so that mommy could drive safely.  We purchased many items to keep them entertained, had snacks and drinks on hand and DVD's ready to be played.  And last Friday afternoon Kenzie, Lexi and I embarked on our mommy-daughter road trip.  The girls were very excited for the road trip itself and to go visit GiGi, Pop Pop and Rudy in New Orleans!

Before we even made it to Mt. Lookout Square Lexi asked "Mommy, are we almost in New Orleans?"  Now for those of you who don't know, Mt. Lookout Square is less than a mile from our house.  It was going to be a long trip.  This is also the point where I realized that I forgot to give Kenzie Dramamine to prevent car-sickness.  So less than 1 mile into our journey we had to detour to the CVS (which had about 10 elderly people in line all with 21 questions about their medication) to pick up some childrens Dramamine.  30 minutes later, Dramamine ingested, we were back on the road.  Just in time to hit Cincinnati rush-hour traffic.  It took us about 30 extra minutes to get past downtown and over the brige into Northern Kentucky.  During these 30 minutes the girls asked at least 30 times if we were almost in New Orleans.  It was going to be a very long trip indeed.

But thankfully things improved.  Traffic strated moving and we made it 127 miles before we had to stop at a rest stop for a potty break and to get some quick exercise.  After we got back in the car, both girls fell asleep for a while and we made good progress.  After the girls woke up we played the cow spotting game.  Basically you look for cows and when you see one you call out the color, "Black Cow!  Brown Cow!  White Cow!  Spotted Cow!"  This game kept them entertained until we were almost to Nashville.  We passed through Nashville and I saw a sign for Franklin, TN.  I had heard great things about Historic Franklin so that is where we decided to stop for dinner.  Luckily the historic part of town was less than 3 miles from the highway and we quickly found our way there and to a parking spot.  We walked down Main Street and looked in the windows of all of the cute shops.  When I asked the girls what they would like for dinner they agreed on spaghetti and meatballs.  So then we were on a hunt for an Italian restaurant.  After consulting with some friendly locals we knew exactly where to go.  We enjoyed a delicious meal including calamari for an appetizer ... also selected by the girls.  It took a bit longer than a McDonald's roadside stop, but it was so much more enjoyable. 

Then we were back on the road as I wanted to make it at least half-way before stopping for the night.  The girls watched some Mickey Mouse, played for a bit with their baby dolls and then drifted off to sleep.  We made it Cullman, AL before I started to get sleepy and we stopped for the night.  Checking into the hotel solo with 2 sleeping girls proved a bit challenging.  I carried my half-asleep girls inside and set them down on a couch in the lobby while I checked into a room.  I then carried them back outside to get our bags - luckily we just had 1 small overnight bag, my laptop bag and their soft blankies to carry inside.  We took our things up to our room and then had to come back downstairs to move the car - by now the girls were fully awake so I was worried that they would not want to go back to sleep.  But they were very good girls and the 3 of us were soon fast asleep in a big king sized bed. 

The next morning the girls were excited to be in a hotel.  My 2 little monkeys spent some time jumping in the bed.  Then they did some hallway laps before we went downstairs for breakfast.  They thought it was pretty cool to be able to choose their own breakfast from the buffet.  After we ate, the girls took their Dramamine and we loaded back into the car for the second half of our trip.

I was soon regretting the decision to stop the night before, wishing I had continued on while the girls were sleeping.  This morning they were full of energy and not too happy to be back in the car.  "I want to be at GiGi's house now!"  "I don't feel good!"  "Are we there yet?"  "Why is it taking a too long time?"  Then about 30 miles into the drive Kenzie said "Mommy, I realy don't feel good.  I need my bucket."  Uh oh, not a good sign.  And sure enough a couple of minutes later she got sick in her bucket.  Poor thing.  So we got off at the next exit to get cleaned up.  This is also when Lexi started complaining about a stomach ache.  And for her it started coming out the other end.  Fabulous.  Over the course of the next 2 hours we stopped 4 times so that Lexi could use the potty.  At one stop we went to the bathroom, got all strapped back into our carseats, pulled out of the gas station only for Lexi to say, "My belly hurts.  I need to go to the potty again."  So we pulled into the gas station next door, got unbuckled, went inside (thankfully to a much cleaner bathroom than the last).... rinse, repeat. 

At one point Lexi said she had to go potty and we were literally in the middle-of-nowhere Mississippi.  I promised her we would get off at the next exit, but when that finally came 10 miles later, there was NOTHING at the exit, so we pulled along the side of the road, got our froggy port-a-potty out of the back and Lexi happily relieved herself while sitting among the wildflowers.  The girls actually thought this was hilarious and both Lexi and Kenzie took multiple turns sitting on the potty in the sunshine.  I knew that potty would come in handy in case of emergency :)

Between potty stops, the girls colored, watched DVD's, asked me 1000 times, "Mommy, how do you get up there? how do you get down there?  how do you get over there?" (This is their new thing, they are so curious about how the roads connect and how you get from the highway to the overpass, etc.)  Eventually Lexi drifted off to sleep.  Kenzie was still chattering away and was getting a bit whiny and mischevious.  I was anxious to be done with the drive.  Kenzie had a box of Goldfish crackers and a bottle of water in the back seat and started giggling.  "Mommy, my fishies are swimming in the water!  Mommy, I am getting wet.  My shirt is all wet!  Stop Mommy!  I need a new shirt!"  She had poured her water into her Goldfish box and it then leaked out all over her.  "Honey, I can't stop right this minute,"  I said as I cruised down a hill and right past 3 police cars that had been hiding in a cutover in the median.  "Shoot! How fast was I going?  Oh no, that police officer is pulling out behind me.  I must have been going too fast" 
"What mommy?  What is happening?!"  Kezie yelled. 
"Mommy is getting pulled over by a police officer."
"No Mommy!  Keep going!  I don't want to see the police officer!"
Of course I did not listen to Kenzie and pulled over.  When the officer came to my window I pleaded with him, "Sorry officer.  I am 750 miles into an 820 mile drive with my 3 year old twins and I just lost track of how fast I was going."  Meanwhile Kenzie was screaming hysterically in the back seat.  Lexi continued to sleep.
"License and registration," is all he said before walking back to his cruiser.
Whle he was in his cruiser Kenzie continued to scream and I tried to calm her down.  Reasuring her that everything would be alright.  The officer returned with my license and ticket in hand.  "I wrote you a citation for going 88 in a 70.  You have until June 13 to appear in the Pearl River courthouse or to pay your fine.  Drive safely."  Clearly he had no sympathy and did not undertand that girls just want to have fun.  Big bummer.  Mad mommy. Sad Kenzie.
We continued on our way, sure to keep to the speed limit.  And while Kenzie had stopped crying, she was silent, terrified that the police officer would stop us again.  She eventually fell asleep... exhausted from the whole episode. 

Those last 70 miles into New Orleans seemed to last forever.  At least the girls both snoozed until we were about 15 miles from GiGi and Pop Pop's house.  So when they awoke and asked "are we almost there yet?"  I could actually say, "Yes we are.  We will be there in 10 minutes!" 

"Yippee!" they cheered.  We were all excited to pull into GiGi and Pop Pop's driveway.  We had survived and even enjoyed (for the most part) our girls road trip!  I was very proud of my girls for being such good little travelers. 

We were in New Orleans .... let the good times roll.

{the zoo & the farm}

Twelve hours after I returned home from Geneva, Randall had to depart for San Francisco.  His mom was still in town so the girls and I enjoyed a nice weekend with GiGi.  On Saturday the girls were all out of sorts.  They were moody, they were dramatic, they were letting mommy know that they were not happy that she had been gone & that daddy was now gone.  It was an exhausting day.  So on Saturday night when we went to bed we talked about Sunday being a new day.  A happy day.  So on Sunday morning we woke up and got ready to go to the zoo.  It just so happened that George & Skylar were also planning to go to the zoo, so we met up and enjoyed a great morning at the zoo together.  We followed up our zoo visit with lunch together at LaRosa's.  It was a wonderful day!

On Wednesday the girls had a field trip to Gorman Heritage Farm.  It stormed heavily the night before and I wasn't sure if the excursion would still be on, but the rain stopped just before we were scheduled to start and so we headed out to the farm in our rainboots and rain jackets.  The girls had a blast with the little friends.  I love these rare chances to get a glimpse into their school lives.  Watching them interact with their teachers and their friends.  It is amazing how far they have come since September.  Even when I compare this field trip to the one from the fall.  Their bonds with their friends are so much stronger.  They are more outgoing.  Their personalities continue to be so different from one another.  There were 2 rules on the farm.  Stay on the path and listen to your farm teacher.  Lexi, the rule follower, did just that and reminded others when they forgot.  Kenzie, my free spirit, was often wandering off the path, to run her hand along the fence, to pick a wildflower, not out of ill will but just because her mind was drifting.  Oh so different but oh so lovely in their own ways.  Watching them hold hands with their classmates, skipping along in rainboots, made my heart happy.  I am so blessed to be their mom!

{home}

On a Friday evening a few weeks ago we met our builder and designer at our lot to make some exterior selections.  When we were done some of the kids on the street had set up a lemonade stand and so we walked down to say hello and to purchase some lemonade.  Suddenly an impromptu happy hour sprung up and we were offered beer, the girls pizza and cookies, and we enjoyed a wonderful evening with some of our future neighbors.  I love this and am so excited that we are moving from one friendly street to another.  I think we are going to be very happy in our new home.

It was the start of a gorgeous weekend!  The next morning Randall went for a bike and the girls and I went "shopping" with the girls at the Herschell Woods Lane street sale.  They insisted on bringing their shopping carts and hit the jackpot at Eliza's house where they aquired some play food, a doll suitcase, a play hair styling set, a Care Bears movie and some stamps and ink pads.  They had blast selecting their merchandise.  On our way back to the house Kenzie spotted a guitar from across the street and insisted on purchasing it.  It is missing some strings but it was definitely her favorite purchase of the day.  After our shopping adventure we went to meet daddy in Hyde Park Square (aka "the farmers market" by the girls) where he completed his bike ride.  The girls were so happy to run around the square in the sunshine.  So happy that it finally felt like Spring!

The next day was another gorgeous day, but unfortunately I had to depart for Geneva mid-day.  We spent the morning playing outside and when Daddy said the girls could accompany him to drop me off at the airport, they rushed and got their princess suitcases and set them by the car.  Luckily they weren't too disappointed when they realized that they weren't actually getting on the plane with me, but they did insist on taking their suitcases in to Nordstrom when Daddy took them there for lunch after the drop off :)

I had a good work week in Geneva, but I always miss my girls (and Randall) so much while I am away.  My flight home on Thursday was cancelled, so by the time I finally made it home on Friday evening I could not wait to see them.  I could not have asked for a better welcome from my ladies!  They had made a big welcome home banner and the smiles on their faces could not have been bigger.  There is no better feeling in the world than to have my two little loves sprinting towards me as I pass through security.  It felt so good to be home!

{go reds! opening day & our first game of the season}

The girls came home from school one day during that last week of March saying, "The day after Easter and Daddy's birthday there will be a parade.  And we will cheer "Go Reds!" and it will be SOOOO fun!"  Apparently they had talked about opening day at school and they were very excited! 

So on the day after Easter and Daddy's birthday the plan was for Sara to bring the girls downtown for the parade and for Randall and me to meet them for lunch.  That Monday morning was freezing cold and at one point mid-morning it even started snowing.  Sara debated not coming as she was afraid the girls would just be old and cranky, but they were insistent, they wanted to go to the Reds parade!

So they came downtown and I met them for lunch on fountain square.  It was packed.  I realized that I had actually never before come down to the parade and had only watched portions of it out my office window.  I was amazed at how many people were out and how festive the atmosphere was despite the cold.  The girls complained a bit about the cold but they were excited once the parade started.  They enjoyed it until Mr. Red Legs came over to tell them hello.  Then Kenzie nearly crawled out the back of her stroller trying to escape his reach.  She was terrified of this larger than life "boy" and said she wanted to go home.  She was worried that the "boy with the baseball head" was going to come back.  I was afraid that this experience might have traumatized her for the duration of the baseball season, but she recovered quickly and by them time I got home from work that evening she said, "Mom, you know that boy with the baseball head, I know his name.  It's Mr. Red Legs and the lady is Rosie.  Mom, I wasn't scared of him, my baby was scared." 
"Oh, ok," I answered.  "So you still want to go to a Reds game"
"Yes, Mom!  We do," they replied.

And so that weekend we went to our first Reds game of the season.  The girls were so excited!  When we arrived at the stadium they were excited just to play with the baseball player statues outside of the ballpark.  When we got inside they wanted to go straight to the play area.  So we let them play and had lunch before actually finding our seats.  The girls were mesmerized by all of the sights and sounds.  They enjoyed the music as each player came up to bat, loved cracking open peanuts and throwing the shells on the ground.  They were so excited that they could see the river and the boats from our seats and thought eating ice cream out of a baseball cap bowl was about the coolest thing ever.  ANd halfway through the game Lexi exclaimed," look Mommy!  There are mens playing a game down there!"  With all of the other distractions and excitement it was only then that she realized that there was actually a baseball game in progress.  Too cute! 

I think it is safe to say that they enjoyed their first game of the season.  They weren't even scared of the fireworks that followed the home run because they remembered them from last year.  And while the Reds didn't win this one (our future neighbor who is the Nationals pitcher actually came in and ended up winning it for the Nationals) it was a fun day and we will certainly be back at the ballpark for more fun this season!

{well if you mustache, randall is 40}

On March 31st we celebrated Randall's 40th birthday and Easter!

Randall's birthday festivities kicked off on Thursday with a celebration at the office.  His admin had decorated the entire floor with pictures and signs.  It was really cute!  We had Friday off since it was Good Friday.  Sara stayed with the girls and Randall and I spent the entire day together.  We made some house selections in the morning, had a delicious lunch at a new restaurant and then checked into the new 21C hotel downtown.  We enjoyed fabulous massages and an afternoon of relaxation.

I then surprised Randall with a night of celebration with some of our closest friends.  We met for pre-dinner drinks, enjoyed dinner at Metropole and continued the party into the wee hours.  It was such a fun night.

The next morning we slept in until 10AM!!! (that has happened in 3 years ... and was only after we both initially woke up before 7AM, but still.), enjoyed a yummy brunch at Nada, and toured the 21C galleries before heading home to our girls.

Sara and the girls surprised daddy with some handmade gifts and cookies for his birthday.  They were so excited!  So sweet! 

The next morning was Easter morning.  The Easter Bunny visited and brought the girls and the birthday boy some goodies.  We went to church and then to brunch at Cumin.  It was a rainy Easter morning, but happily the sun emerged while the girls were napping so they were able to do an easter egg hunt in the afternoon.  They had a blast running around finding eggs and asked us to hide them over and over again :)

We continued celebrating Randall throughout the day with cake and dinner out.  It was a great day of celebration.  Happy 40th Birthday to my fabulous husband!  You deserve to be celebrated!

{progress}

Life is busy and I haven't had much time to blog, so I'm going to do a couple of quick posts to try to get caught up.  Here's a recap of the past month in many pictures and few words.

We have been monitoring progress on the house on a nearly daily basis.



The girls had a blast celebrating Super Ry's 4th birthday at Ault Park.  Pint sized super heroes are the best.

The weather has been crazy.  Snow one day, sunshine and t-shirts the next.

The girls at 3 are fabulous and challenging ... they know what they want and they want it now.  I swear they are 3 going on 13.  Love them!