I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane...

and am highly nervous. i have not flown by myself in a very long time. chad does it all the time, but not me. i used to, and the closest i've come in the last 10 years is when i flew with colton and chase when chase was a baby. i don't even want to re-live that experience, so i won't. but i will tell you the part of the story where my mother-in-law dropped me off at the airport with 2 babies...one of which had a respiratory virus, 2 carseats, 2 umbrella strollers that were tied together, and a diaper bag. she could not go any farther than the luggage carwash due to rules and regulations...bla...bla...bla...that i think should be waved for moms traveling alone with more than 1 small child. with no questions asked. so, there we were. me and my boys. needless to say, i was in survival mode. colton was too young to walk through the airport at a mere 23 months of age and chase was a tiny baby. i made it to a bagel stand where i bought 1 for me and 1 for colton to snack on once we got on the plane. i stuck them in the top of my drawstring backpack...on top of burp rags, blankets, pappies, extra clothes for them both, comfort toys, etc...for easy access. once i boarded, it would be smooth sailing. i already felt like a 3 ring circus. everywhere i went...people just watched. other moms would offer glances of pity and support, while business men just tried not to make eye contact. all i had to do...was to get down the ramp, get chase and colton out of the strollers, plane side check the carseats, fold up both strollers to plane side check them, while pinning colton against the wall so that he can't run off and holding chase and the diaper bag. i got into the waiting line and made my way to the dreaded end of the ramp. when it was "go" time, i slung the bag over my shoulder in order to get the boys out of the strollers and when i did, the bagels flew out of my bag and onto the floor. there was this obviously annoyed business man behind me who had been clearly irritated by the slow moving strollers and fussiness and was probably in the middle of a prayer that we would not be sitting next to him when the bagels hit the floor near his feet. i...half-squated down with a baby half in my arms...looked back at the bagels and then up at him. he looked at me and said...and i quote... "i would get that for you...but my hands are full." he had a briefcase in one hand and a boarding pass in the other.

that is a true story.

well, tomorrow's trip to south carolina won't involve that i suppose. i am headed out for a girl's weekend with some much-needed relaxation at a lakehouse in clemson with friends. i'm excited. however...as much as i don't want to admit it...i think...tomorrow...when i'm on that plane alone...i won't even no what to do with myself. is it possible to already miss them? i haven't even left yet.

i feel like a kid again

this last weekend and its happenings have made me feel like a kid again. and i must admit... aside from a few sore muscles...it feels great!!

it all started with a purchase of 3 concert tickets to a concert featuring a little band i like to call the "very first loves of my life." that's right. NKOTB!! that's New Kids On The Block for all you losers who didn't know. :) the concert is in october and it will be my 5th New Kids concert. there. i said it. i was a crazy, jumpy, hyper, obsessed, wait in line all night to buy the best tickets i can fan. this time i didn't stand in a line all night to buy the seats. i'm a little more "normal" now. that...and with computers...you don't have to. :) i asked chad to get me backstage passes for my birthday so that i can finally meet joe face to face and declare my, like, bizzillion year love for him, but i don't see it happening. none the less...i feel like i'm 14 again. not to be compared to the much more mature 14 year olds of today. keep in mind that 14 now is the new 21.

then...as if that wasn't enough...on sunday, we got to go wakeboarding. now...i LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to wakeboard. we had a boat when i was growing up and we used to ski all the time. then, in graduate school, i learned how to wakeboard and i've never gone back. but...i have not done it in about 10 years. i never lost my love for it though. it just makes it a little difficult when a.) you are either pregnant or nursing for, like 7 years; and b.) you don't have a boat. or a wakeboard for that matter. so...this last birthday, i actually asked for a wakeboard. i didn't get one, due to the fact that the only way i would be able to use it would be to set up the blow-up baby pool in the back yard, strap it to my feet, and have chad and the kids spray the garden hose in my face and dream that i'm on a lake behind a boat. well...as fate would have it, chad and i started a new small group about a month ago and there is a fun, young couple who, not only has a ski boat, but a wakeboard as well. so, there you go. i was so scared that i would not even be able to get up, but i guess it's in my blood, because i popped right up and even managed to go in and out of the wake a little. wooooohooooo!!

i'm just a little sore.

actually, i can't move my arms...but totally worth it.

then, today, i booked my flight for a girls weekend with all my friends in south carolina. i have not been away on vacation for anything like this...well...ever. so...i think i'm due. i leave in a week and a day and get to see my clemson friends that i have not seen in almost 5 years. luckily...i'm great at long-distance relationships. :)

like i said...i feel like a kid again!

the past week

wow. chad was gone in ukraine for a week and a day. he is finally back and brought me a starbucks mug from germany to add to my collection. needless to say he got two big hugs when he walked through the door. the first being a welcome home hug and the second being an "oh my gosh!!!! i have a germany mug" hug. we are glad he's home.

colton and aiden had a nice brother/sister bonding experience lately. she was about 5 steps up the stairs and colton happen to be at the bottom of the stairs. she slipped and fell to the bottom and her brother actually caught her and kept her from falling to the ground. colton yelled for us and aiden was crying...but not because she was hurt but because she was kind of scared and shocked about what had happened. chad and i got to the base of the stairs and asked what had happened. aiden, half crying said, "i hurt myself on the stairs and colton saved my life." we looked at colton and he shrugged and said, "i totally saved her life."

it was very serious to them and very sweet to us. we smiled and said, "WOW colton!! what a great big brother you are. aiden...you are so lucky to have a brave brother like colton." they were so proud.

meanwhile, back at the ranch...

we were watching something on t.v. and i can't remember what. but, i think there was a commercial on or something. all i remember is that colton said, "hey...that's like the wizard of oz." little chaser...always marching to the beat of his own drum and seemingly somewhat confused said, "what???? the wizard of bob's????"

i just looked at chase and smiled and started to tell him it was wizard of OZ but aiden beat me to it and blurted out, "what the heckda?" (that's her version of ...well...you know what.)

then they all started laughing with aiden and wondered where she got the "what the...." line. i guarantee you that chase still thinks there is some wizard named bob out there. just like he still asks to wear his human form no matter how many times i say, "uniform. it's uniform." just yesterday, in fact.

i love these little people that live in my house. i'm always very proud when someone says to me..."they get that from you."