Family Lanes Update

My dad didn't read my post about our flight home, but the next day he e-mailed me this link regarding airport security lanes & the upcoming holiday season. Business travelers rejoice!http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27648265/from/ET/ (this is my first attempt at putting a link in my post, so hopefully it works)!

The Diva Strikes Again!

Well, I could not think of one good reason to tell Samaya, no, when she asked to wear the sparkly purple dress she saw hanging in her closet. So that is what she wore today to go to the doctor to get her flu shot (mist) & to the grocery store. In a way, it kind of worked out because Todd's dad had a doctor's appt. in Columbus today & came over afterward to have dinner with us. So he got to see Samaya all dressed-up. Not to mention, my mom loves to buy the girls dresses, which is great because whenever we a have to go somewhere that requires us to dress-up, I can usually just pull a dress out of their closets. But unfortunately, they often only get to wear each dress one time before they outgrow it. So actually, Samaya may be on to something here! Sometimes it is hard to step back & put myself in her shoes, especially when I already have an outfit set in my mind. But it is so fun to watch her develop her own sense of style & see what her likes are. I hope I can remember to try to go with the flow as she continues to express her budding sense of fashion. Who knows, maybe she will make formal attire all the rage among preschoolers this year!

Ding-You Are Now Free to Move About the Country.

Well, I just finished unpacking the last of my suitcases from our trip to California. Whew! It's not so much the unpacking that takes a lot of time, as it is the making room in the girls' closets for all of the wonderful new items they come home with courtesy of Aunt Melanie, Grandma, & Grandpa. (A wiser woman would've cleaned out the girls' closets when they were in California so she didn't have little hands helping her out)! As I packed up summer clothes & clothes that have been outgrown, I felt truly blessed as I was able to replace those items with winter clothes in each girl's current size--gifts from family & friends. Each season that seems to be the case, & I am so thankful. Because of the generosity of family & friends, I have rarely even had to buy clothes for the girls. And I cannot begin to tell you what a help that has been for us!

Anyway, I just wanted to quickly talk about how great our flight back from California was--no, I'm not being sarcastic, it really was. Now I know a lot of people cringe at the thought of travelling cross country alone w/ a 3 & 1 year old, but when your parents live on the other side of the country you do whatcha gotta do to get the grand babies to them! However,I will admit, although me & the girls have made the trip several times, I was a little apprehensive this time, simply because Aleesha is bigger & much more active since the last time we flew in July & I wasn't sure how she would do in my lap for 5 hours. Also, typically we fly in the evening so at least I can usually count on at least one of the girls to sleep. But this time -thanks to a fare that could not be beat- we were flying during the day. The day got off to a slow start (our flight was scheduled to leave at 6am which meant a 4:30am departure from my parents' house, which meant getting up at 3:30am. Not to mention we left on election day, so I had stayed up late the night before listening to all of the pre-election commentary). But I managed to make it to the airport in time. Now, for me, the two hardest parts of travelling alone w/ kids are getting through security and actually boarding the plane. I had noticed when I had arrived in California (Ontario airport) that they had signs indicating that they were using the coded security screening lines: one line for the expert business traveler, one line for the casual traveler, and one line for families. I had heard a story on the news a couple of years ago that they were going to be doing a trial of such a system in Denver, but I had not yet encountered it at any airports. I thought it sounded like a great idea because getting through security (imagine unloading all of your stuff onto the conveyor belt, getting off your own shoes/jacket, then having to do two more sets, then fold up your stroller & get it on the conveyor belt--all w/ a baby in one arm & while trying to keep the 3 year old contained) is stressful enough w/o having to deal w/ the annoyance of the "expert business traveler" sighing behind you (and we've got it down to a pretty good science). So I'm sure you can imagine my dismay when we arrived to the security area only to find the family line closed (which seemed to annoy the business travelers even more). But we made it through, regrouped & bought our $5 bottle of juice & $10 breakfast sandwich, & boarded the plane. We lucked out & did not have full flights, so I was able to take Aleesha's car seat on board--at least I wouldn't have to worry about trying to hold her. Our first segment was only 1 hour (CA to Las Vegas). I thought eating would take most of the flight, but the girls actually managed to fall asleep after they got done eating. I was not really happy about this, because I was worried it would mean they would not sleep on the next flight--the long one from Las Vegas to Ohio, but I decided they must have needed the rest,so I left them alone (besides, I think the golden rule of travelling w/ kids is not to wake them if they're sleeping). Anyway, they must have been super tired from 3 busy weeks in CA & also from getting up so early because after we boarded our next flight, they were both asleep before the plane reached its cruising altitude & they both stayed asleep for over 3 hours! (They don't even nap that long) They woke up just shortly before we began our descent into Columbus. I couldn't believe it! I mean, usually the girls do pretty good travelling, but this was by far my easiest flight with them. I did not have to entertain them at all, because when they woke up I gave them a snack & then it was time for the plane to land. Samaya asked to watch a movie when she woke up & I hesitated because I knew she would not be able to watch her DVD player long before it would be time to put it away again & in the past she sometimes has had problems understanding this, but I guess I was feeling good because I had even managed to sleep a little so I let her get it out. And I guess she was feeling good from all the rest, too, because she did not cry or whine or complain when we had to put it away. I felt like I had scored another traveling victory as we received a variety of "they were so good!" as people got off the plane. Even the business travellers couldn't help but smile as they exited the plane to Samaya's little voice telling everyone "bye...have a great day!"

Need to post!

I need to get over my need to have pix to go on every post, which has resulted in me not blogging in a month. Anyway, just wanted to give everyone a quick update on whats been going on in our world (other then BARACK OBAMA BEING ELECTED PRESIDENT!!!!!) The girls spent two weeks in California w/ grandma, grandpa, & Aunt Melanie. I then went out to pick them up &b spent a week out there myself. We just got back Tues. afternoon (ELECTION DAY!!!!) & we still are trying to catch our bearings (& unpack). Not to mention trying to get the girls back on Eastern time (& daylights savings) & break Aleesha Mae into the harsh reality that Grandpa is no longer around to rock her to sleep every night! You would think that with two weeks of no children I would have had time to update my blog, right? Anyway, Todd & I were somewhat productive & (w/ a lot of help from his brother & sister-in-law) painted our family room & put down new flooring. Maybe I will get pix up before Christmas, but don't hold your breath. I'll also try to get up some pix of the girls from CA.
Did everyone get to witness Barack Obama's acceptance speech? Talk about a moment in time! I think that no matter who you voted for, you have to feel a sense of pride about the historic results of the election and how much it says about where this country has come. I cannot describe how it makes me feel to know that the girls are going to grow up seeing the Obamas in the White House.......

Aleesha Mae is One Year Old!!!!!

It's been forever since I blogged--hopefully my old readers will find this! Anyway, on October 5 Aleesha turned one! We celebrated with a party in Todd's hometown, Fostoria, OH. Aleesha had a ball eating hot dogs, pasta salad, & of course--CAKE!!! She could've cared less about the presents, but loved going after the candy from the pinata. Aleesha at one is in a word--BUSY! She loves exploring & is into everything. She also loves following around her big sissy, drinking from a sippy cup (especially Samaya's, which she loves to grab & run out of the room), blowing kisses, & throwing herself on the floor when you tell her, "no." I cannot believe that it has been a year already! I can still remember my labor & delivery vividly (after having an emergency c-section w/ Samaya, being able to deliver Aleesha vaginally was one of my proudest moments. And having Todd coach me through labor was such a bonding experience for us). What a joy it is to watch Aleesha Mae grow each day. She has been such a special addition to our family!

Lordy Lordy Guess Who's Forty!!!!

I'd just like to take a moment to offer my condolences to my sister, Melanie, who officially goes "over the hill" today! When I asked Samaya how old Aunt Melanie was going to be, she simply replied, "OLD!" (She is so very wise for a three year old). HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEL!!!! I love you!

Love your eternally younger sister, Robby!

Barack Obama Visits Ohio!

Yesterday Barack Obama visited Ohio & I was fortunate enough to get into the rally & witness history in the making! The day started around 12:30pm when me & my co-worker, Jaclyn arrived at Dublin Coffman High School in Dublin, OH (a suburb just NW of Columbus about 15 min. from me). The gates were scheduled to open at 4:30pm & the program was to start at 6:45pm, so we didn't know how early to get there (tickets were free but on a first come first serve basis). Our timing turned out to be pretty good & we actually got there early enough that there was still parking at the high school. We were probably in the first 50-100 group of people there. The weather here yesterday was beautiful, so it was a perfect day to camp out & wait for the gates to open. Coincidentally, Aleesha's childcare provider, Ms. Shalonda & her family were there & in line just a few people ahead of us! I thought the day would feel long just waiting around, but oddly enough it seemed to go pretty quick. I packed lots of snacks & water, chatted w/ others about the excitement of this election, checked out the vendors' Obama gear, & of coursed people-watched. It was also an excellent opportunity for me to get to know my co-worker better. I found out that Jaclyn is extremely passionate about politics & social causes & has been regularly volunteering for Barack Obama's campaign. Around 3pm they came around passing out our tickets & then we all started getting excited! Initially I didn't think that the crowd looked too bad, but at one point, Jaclyn had gone back to her car & when she returned she told me that the police were diverting people to other sides of the school so it wouldn't get too crowded in our area. Around 4pm they started moving us through security & into the gates (my apple got confiscated although my baby carrots & cherry tomatoes made it through). Once we got in the gates it was kind of a mad house w/ people wanting to fill in the front rows of the bleachers (the field was reserved for special volunteers) while the volunteers tried to convince people to fill in the back. At first I didn't understand why the volunteers would think that those of us who had waited for four hours would want to move back & let the late-comers get front row seating. But since I tend to be one follow directions, I paid attention (instead of arguing & refusing to move like some people) & boy am I glad I did. What the volunteers were trying to explain was that we had entered on the opposite end of the stadium from where the podium was set-up (which was kind of difficult to tell at first w/ all of the other equipment on the field for various media) & so we would actually have a better view the further down we went. So although we were a few rows back- maybe 10 or so- we were right on the side of the podium & had a great view! (We also ended up right in front of Ms. Shalonda & crew & I also discovered my doctor two rows behind us). Once we were in our seats, I had a bird's eye view of the crowd & could not believe it. There were four different lines coming into the stadium each with no visible end in sight. We could also see the highway where traffic to exit was at a standstill (& the exit was a good five miles from the school). It was amazing to see so many people come out to show their support for Barack Obama! And what a diverse crowd-all ages & colors! When it was all said & done, both sides of the bleachers were filled & so was the football field. At one point I looked around & everything felt sort of surreal to me as I looked out over the crowd, music was playing, there was a slight breeze, & the sun was just starting to set--I closed my eyes & just took it all in. It was a beautiful moment in time & I will never forget it! The program began around 6:15 w/ the Pledge of Allegiance & then a prayer followed by various local democrats who are running for office this fall. Our Governor, Ted Strickland, was next, followed by our former Congressman, John Glenn (the astronaut), who introduced Joe Biden & Barack Obama! They both came out together, with Joe speaking first. The first thing I was struck by (besides how wild the crowd went when they came out) was Barack's demeanor while Joe was speaking. Its hard for me to describe, but he just seemed so comfortable & casual, like I could have walked right up to him & struck up a conversation. Someone in the crowd waved to him while Joe was giving his speech & my view was so good, that I could actually see him grin & wave back! Although I was there primarily to see Barack Obama, I was very impressed w/ Joe Biden. He also had a very natural feel about him as he spoke. Very charming & well received by the crowd. Of course, though, nothing could compare to the reception Barack received when he finally took the podium! It was so exciting to actually be there in person to see this brilliant man & orator share his plans for our country! It was amazing to see how excited everyone was to hear his vision. (Jaclyn pointed out how much could be accomplished if each person there volunteered just one day). Even for myself, although I feel it is my duty to vote & always do so since so many before me fought for me to have that right, I have never felt what I would consider excitement when it comes to politics. But after seeing Barack Obama (& the whole experience) I have definitely decided that I need to volunteer some of my time for this campaign. He truly inspires hope in others that together we can make great strides in improving our country! In fact, that is how I felt watching him--inspired! I am going to post some pix & attempt to post a couple of video clips that I took w/ my camera (I've never used the video on my camera before, so if I actually figure out how to post it, it will be sideways b/c I didn't realize I had to turn my camera-sorry). And I should add that last night & this morning I didn't have a voice from screaming so loud. "Yes we can!"