As a Beehive Advisor I got to participate in an overnight activity with the Young Women in our ward. I took Ezra with me during the day to Sam's Club to load up on (too much) food and then Chris came home early so I could head to the activity which started Friday evening. The Sequoia came in handy as we loaded it to the top with food and sleeping bags and 4 young women to ride with me. During the drive to the lake I was educated on current pop culture such as the Jonas Brothers, Hannah Montana, and High School Musical, and So You Think You Can Dance. It was fun to listen to them talk about various things and to observe how their standards and morals really did affect how they viewed things.
That night I enjoyed getting to better know the other women that served in the Young Women's Program. We eventually called it a night around 1am (?) but of course we didn't go to sleep then. I didn't get much sleep period, but that is to be expected. I didn't mind being the leader that asked our wound up girls to be quiet though. It was so funny when after I'd ask them to be quiet, (trying to sound serious and all business) I'd want to laugh when I'd hear them whispering and as they would get louder and louder I would hear bits of "Shh. . . Sister Brough. . . . . Shh, . . . . Brough . . . . " I just smiled in the dark and eventually fell asleep.
I wasn't worried about leaving Ezra at all. I knew that he would be happy and well with his dad. Throughout Saturday I was impressed with how thoughtful, nice, and helpful our young women were to include and help other young women. I thought they were a pretty good group of girls and enjoyed getting to play with them at the lake. It was a nice get-a-way. There was a peaceful feeling to the house we were in and life seemed simple and fun. It was weird to not be revolving my day around Ezra's schedule though! I felt like I was forgetting something because I was so used to catering to his needs and schedule. I thought about him during the day, especially as other leaders came up for the day with their young ones. It was a good 'first time leaving the baby' experience. It was a good warm up for what was coming at the end of the month!
*****
I turned 26!
8.5.08The morning of my birthday I woke to Chris walking in our bedroom, holding Ezra, who was grinning and holding the ribbon to a big birthday balloon. It was lovely to wake to their two smiling faces. It was almost as if Ezra knew something was special about this morning because he was so smiley and cute. The balloon was this big pink heart with flowers and it reminded me of a Barbie balloon, so it made me want to laugh because it was just so funny and sweet at the same time. I appreciated Chris starting the day off feeling celebrated. Ya know, I think that is the first birthday balloon I've ever received. Balloons are just fun. It had a pink heart anchor so Ezra had fun playing with it and I would smile every time I walked by it. It doesn't matter if it is a note on a post-it, a single rose, or a big pink balloon; those simple things are a symbol of thoughtfulness and love and I appreciate it. I think I'm pretty easy but maybe that's just me. Chris could have just given me the balloon and I would have been good. Just to know that in advance he thought of my birthday and wanted to do something to show he was thinking of me, meant a lot.
I'm not sure who appreciated the balloon more, me or Ezra. :)I only had a day or 2 to pack and get ready for our 10 day trip to California, so I was trying on Tankinis that I had ordered from Land's End. Several women had recommended this brand to me but I had no luck with them. I ordered several cuts and sizes and it just didn't work for me. If I knew how to sew I would have considered buying a suit and then altering it to fit me, but I had no such skills and no time. It was disappointing and a bit of a problem since we were vacationing on the beach and I needed a bathing suit. Uuhh!!! Post-partum shopping for a bathing suit was not a fun experience for me.
Earlier, Ezra had pulled down my cheap full length mirror and it shattered. Luckily none of it got on him. So I had resulted to standing on a chair in my bathroom to use the mirror over our counters, and Ezra would pull himself up to be standing, holding on to the chair. When I got off the chair he pushed it and took his first few steps! I was excited for him, but also sad that he was learning to walk already!! Oh my goodness this is all happening too fast!
Right after Ezra's morning nap, my friend Kristen came to take me to lunch. She was very patient as I scrambled for a few minutes to get ready. She and another woman in the ward had been thoughtful and put together an unexpected group to meet for lunch in celebration of my birthday. She gave me such cute things too. I so don't expect gifts (I'm not a big gift-giver myself so it makes me a little uncomfortable to receive.) It was a little entertaining as most of us brought babies or young kids but we all managed to get in a bit of conversation here and there while trying to keep our little ones happy and I appreciated every one's efforts to be there though I know it is never convenient. I felt thought of and that was nice. Thanks ladies!
We got back in time for me to put Ezra down for his afternoon nap and then I tried to start packing. My friend Trish then stopped by to drop off a cute gift. I had told her my black flip-flops had broken (Karis, those flip-flops we've had for 4 years sadly ripped when I was at the lake just a couple days before!) and I didn't have time to shop for replacements, so she went to Target and brought me 3 pairs of flip-flops to choose from. Isn't that cute? And, she saved the day by lending me a Tankini she got from Costco of all places. (Now why didn't I think to look there?) We talked for too long though and when Ezra woke up I wasn't packed! Ah, there just wasn't enough time to do everything that day! I had hoped to pick up a sitter to do a few selfish things that afternoon, but by the time I packed for Ezra and a bit for me, I didn't end up picking her up till 8:15 that night! Gross! I almost gave up, but Chris was a good sport and kept the party moving. Well not really a party, but he convinced me it would still be fun to at least go out to dinner so we went to the yummiest sushi which just happens to be very close to our house. Then we did some errands that I wanted to get done before going out of town, and that was that. Chris saved the night for me. I was tempted to feel stressed and disappointed but he knew how to make me laugh and adjust. I love how he can do that for me!
Ezra gave me a nice birthday treat. My super busy body of a baby actually snuggled with me and fell asleep in my arms when I put him down for his morning nap. I absolutely savor those moments! Then of course he snapped back to his normal self once I set him in his crib as he woke and bolted upright. Oh well. I still enjoyed the moment and he eventually fell asleep again.
My birthday treat to myself was that I cleaned my house all the day before. I love my super motivated days. I got up at 5:45 to go jogging before Ezra got up, and then cleaned my house (between taking care of Ezra of course) all day, till almost 11pm. Really, it takes me all day to clean top to bottom, and a lot more creativity to clean with a mobile baby who wants to clean the toilet too and get into the trash (both gross!) and slip and slide on the wet floors, etc. I even mopped all my floors downstairs which is really not my favorite thing, but eventually and all too often the smudgy hand and foot prints from my drooling and spitting-up munchkin call for it. I loved waking up to a clean house and shiny floors. Nothing like the satisfaction of good old-fashioned work.
*****
Can I just say that I appreciate technology and BabyCenter.com and reading fellow mom's blogs to pull information from? I got the boost I needed to start giving Ezra finger foods. I tried to give him mashed up beans, but he still doesn't chew much so I worried about him choking. But today he had baby peas and pieces of a Morning Star breakfast sausage pattie and did quite well.
*****
Ezra is easily and all too confidently pulling himself up to standing. He pulls himself up on anything he can, including very unstable objects like the rocking ottoman, the swivel chair in our office, an open cupboard, and my leg. Possibly my favorite is our glass shower door which he then pats and gives big kisses while one of us is in the shower.
He loves to throw his head back to hang upside down when we are holding him. This is usually great and fun but sometimes he tries to arch back and it is all I can do to keep his little head from hitting something. He is definitely getting heavier and harder to wrestle in my arms but I'll do it as long as I can!
I love his kisses! He'll occasionally grab my face with both of his hands and then sort of "Ahh!" on my jaw or cheek. It is a bit slimy, but so sweet and cute that I figure I can just wipe the drool off later. I'm not going to pull away from my baby just because of a little drool! :)
*****
The morning of August 7th we flew to Southern California! It was Ezra's first CA trip. We spent the weekend in Oceanside in a wonderful, new Marriott Residence Inn. It was very handy to have a separate room and the kitchenette for Ezra. Since we didn't mind being 15 minutes inland from the beach we got quite a bargain. John, Lorena, and Odin came down from Hollywood to meet us that weekend. It was Chris and Ezra's first time meeting them! Odin was great to share his cool toys with Ezra. Mostly during the day we did our separate family activities as our boys had different needs, but at night we would visit and eat dinner together in their room while Ezra slept in ours. We got a room at the very end of the hotel, right under their room, so our video monitor worked in their room and it was like being at home with Ezra upstairs in his room. It was great because he could be sleeping peacefully in our hotel room while we were visiting in their room, able to see and hear him all the while. I know those video monitors are expensive, but I have appreciated it every minute and it was worth every dollar. If I had to pick only one baby item, this would be it!
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We took Ezra to the beach for the first time and he loved it! He wasn't fazed by the cold ocean water at all. In fact, it was all we could do to hold him back from crawling right in. He would keep going till the water was too deep and getting in his face. He didn't want me to hold him back or pick him up for a second. As you can see, he wasn't too thrilled that I picked him up to take a picture and is reaching to get out of my arms. My little beach baby.
John dug Odin a little water hole in the wet sand, so I sat Ezra by it so he could watch Odin playing in it. Ezra wanted to be right where Odin was so he crawled in head first and was quite happy to be in there with him.
I don't think he ate any sand, at least not that I can remember, but this picture makes me think he might have gotten a taste of the ocean.
He loved the stringy seaweed.We didn't get to stay at the beach too long though because Ezra needed his nap. We tried to keep him on his nap schedule so he would be a happy traveler for our entire trip. When he gets tired it is like his switch gets flipped and he melts down into a very different baby from what most people see. We try very hard to keep him rested and happy because then we are all happy. :)
Our happy little traveler!
One night we watched the very cool opening ceremony for the Olympics. Another, John and Lorena threw me and Odin a birthday celebration (his birthday is August 12th) so we opened presents and had cake one night. It was a nice weekend get-a-way and I was happy that Chris was finally able to meet John, Lorena, and Odin, and for them to meet Ezra.
Lorena, Odin and John.8.10.08
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Sunday afternoon we checked out and headed a little north and closer to the beach to meet up with my mom and dad, and all of their kids for our first ever reunion/family vacation! All seven of the children were there, but we were missing one spouse; Lisa's husband Chris. He had to stay for work. (Bummer; it's so hard to be responsible sometimes.) My parents got 3 condos for all of us. My parents were in one with Chantal, her boyfriend Sean, and my brothers Ben and Joseph. Then Sandi and her husband Jackson and their son Landon were in one. Then me, Chris and Ezra had a room in a 3 bedroom condo with Lisa and her two boys Damian and Kolby, and Amber had a room for her, Zao, and Robert. Cool! I thought it all worked out very well. I do think it would be grand if somehow in the future we could rent a huge beach house and all be in the same house together, since I definitely saw much more of Lisa and Amber's families and got to visit with them more since we were in the same condo, but I still got to see everyone so I'm not complaining in the least bit. Maybe that would be too much togetherness? All that matters is that it worked out quite nicely, thanks to our parents who provided this great opportunity for all of us!
Our Condos were just a parking lot away from the beach. On the walk to the beach we passed a little Marina which added to the cute, touristy vibe. We went jogging around the area a few mornings and eventually found a trail. The Condos had a pool and kiddy pool, a basketball court, and tennis court. I finally got Chris to play tennis with me, although I'm not sure you could really call it playing tennis. It was more like just trying to hit the ball with lots of chasing and laughing. I liked it though and would really like to learn how to play. One day I got to play doubles with my dad, opposite Ben and my mom, who was eventually replaced by Joseph. I definitely benefited from playing next to my dad who took lessons growing up. If we lived closer I would try to convince him to teach me. It really helped hearing a few things to think of when trying to hit the ball. And I am not a natural at sports in any way. Watching my little brothers across the court play so much better and with such natural ease just made me laugh as I scrambled and hit plenty of air balls. We really are all given different talents and abilities that come more natural to us and sports is not one of mine. It was still very fun to play with family members though! It really doesn't bother me to not be good at something like a game. I don't think I'm competitive at all in that way. I'm more about having fun with people and enjoying some good laughs, but I do worry about my lack of skills annoying whoever is on my team.
Our stroller got a few good work outs on the beach during that trip. Ever since then, I have been trying to get all of the sand out of our stroller and the wheels have seemed more stiff but oh well, it was handy at the time. :)We would walk down to the beach where Dad, Ben and Jo surfed every day, Chris boogie-boarded for the first time, and Ezra enjoyed playing in the sand with his cousins.
Jackson & Sandi
and their son Landon.
Landon and Kolby.
Lisa, Joseph, and Chantal.
I think it is safe to say that Ezra ate some sand that day. Every baby has to try it, right? :)
Lisa, Amber, Damien, Kolby, Chris, Ezra and Zao.
Zao, Amber, Chantal, Sean, and Kolby.
Zao and Landon.
Sunscreen and salt water make great hair gel.
*
*
and who could resist such a cute little baby? We were a little tired by the end of the trip, but it was all good and worth it.
*
One evening my friend Amy, whom I've known since Jr. High, drove up from San Diego with her boyfriend Kevin. We went to a sushi dinner and then back to our condo (which was quiet since the rest of my family was at Sea World) to put Ezra to bed and then visited over dessert. It was so nice of them to come up to see us and it has been nice to keep in touch over the years! Thanks Amy and Kevin!
*
One night my mom agreed to put Ezra to bed for us so we could sneak out to go to the San Diego temple!! It was such a treat to be able to do a session with Chris. Ever since Ezra has been born, it has been more tricky figuring out how to do sessions together. I think this temple is so beautiful. I think it is special to me because it is symbolic of my goal as a youth, to go to the temple some day. I think the first time I can remember really wanting to be able to go to the temple was when we drove by this temple during a family trip to San Diego. I remember seeing it for the first time and thinking it was the most spectacular building I had ever seen and I knew I wanted to go inside. I could tell by the feeling I had when I looked at it that it was a unique and special place. I am so grateful to be able to go now. I enjoyed being able to take Chris there for his first visit there. I was so glad we took the time to do this during our trip. Nothing compares to the peace and perspective that is gained at the temple.
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A few nights we got together for dinner with the whole group. I made chili and Lisa made tacos, and my mom made big pancake and french toast breakfasts. It was fun to get together for big family meals.
We had some pool days, played games, watched the Olympics, and all of the little boy cousins had a blast playing together!(That's right, no girls yet in this batch of cousins.)
Ezra liked to be where the action was so he could watch his older cousins. He was in heaven playing with their big boy trucks and tractors. After that trip, Chris and I knew what to get Ezra for his birthday. ;)
Ezra was watching his cousins and reaching for a tractor when Chantal took this picture with her cell phone. I love the look of determination on his face as he bites his lower lip. So cute!It was a little tricky being the only one with a baby that took 2 naps and ate baby food and all that fun baby stuff. Ya know, needing diapers and wipes and sippy cups and baby food and somewhere quiet and enclosed to sleep, etc. I found myself just having to be ok with not doing some things because it wasn't worth it if Ezra was melting down from missing a nap or being hungry and off his schedule. I'm sure we could have done more things than we did, but it would have been stressful for me to have Ezra acting how tired babies act, so I did my best to keep him on somewhat of a schedule. But then I'd worry that I was offending or disappointing family members by not participating in some things. I was probably the only one worrying about it though.
Friday evening was our big family photo session with Kristen! We hadn't taken a family picture since Chris and I were married, and that was over 4 years ago, and before that, well I was probably in high school. So I figured we better take advantage of the rare opportunity of having all 7 siblings together. I had been talking to my friend here in Texas about possibly helping me find a photographer in Oceanside for our reunion and she asked when I was going to be there and it just so happened that she was going to be in San Diego that weekend for a friend's wedding. So I asked her if she'd be willing to drive up to Oceanside to be our photographer and I was so excited when she said yes!!! I literally hooted and hollered for joy. I was really happy that it was working out so nicely and how awesome that my great photographer friend could take our pictures for us! I thought it was ideal. So after many phone calls to family members we got things scheduled and Friday night was a hit! Kristen took a bunch of great pictures and here are a few:
Yay!! We did it!Thanks everyone for your help and participation!
Our beautiful baby. Isn't he just golden?
http://www.kristendukephotography.blogspot.com/
http://www.kristendukephotography.com/
Thank you Kristen!!
*****
I thought this little church ensemble for Ezra was pretty cute, so I had to take a few pictures Sunday morning, to remember.
8.24.08*****
My friend Kristen hosted an End of Summer party for the kids that her children had played with that summer, the day before they all went back to school. We got to come along, as her kids had played with Ezra when we had gotten together. Mostly it was big kids in the back yard with the slip and slide, trampoline, water balloons, and popscicles . . . . .
. . . . while the moms hung out in the family room so babies could play on the carpet
. . . . . while we snacked and talked. I remember being concerned at the time with how much Ezra did or didn't eat, should I let him feed himself, etc., and I appreciated learning from these other moms. I always enjoy talking and getting together with women (as rare as it may be) and appreciate the things I learn from their experience and the fun we have sharing things.
I just love these play dates, they are so good for our kids (wink, wink). :)
Becca, Jackie, Kristen, Jennifer, Stacy, and Me. Ezra is in the striped shirt and is grabbing Benny Black's arm. Benny was born just a couple weeks after Ezra. Benny's mom is Becca and she is one of my Visiting Teachers. After seeing how interested Ezra was in playing with Benny at this party I knew we had to get these boys together to play in the future.
*****
I was released from my calling as the Beehive Advisor and called to teach the Sunbeams, the 3&4 year olds! How fun! I was just feeling like I was getting into the groove with the Young Women though, so I was a little sad to be leaving them and the other leaders so soon, but we never know how long we will have a calling. And really, for this time in my life, I didn't feel I could be as available to the many evening activities that the youth have, so it is best for me to be where I feel I can better do my calling. I'll miss the girls that I was just beginning to get to know, and I'll miss seeing those women who serve them so well, but on to a new adventure it is!
*****
Branson
My mother and father-in-law wanted to take all of their daughters, daughters-in-law, and grand daughters on a trip and Branson it was. When I first heard plans of this trip I was sure I would take Ezra with me, probably because I assumed he'd still be nursing and not taking a bottle. But since that was no longer the case, and after traveling with him in Oceanside,as hard as it was to make this decision, I decided it would be better if I didn't bring him. If the purpose was to better get to know and spend time with these women, then it didn't sound ideal to bring my baby. As cute as he is, and as much as I love being a stay-at-home mom, he really requires much focus and energy and revolving around, so it would have defeated the purpose of the trip I decided. Plus, being the only one with a baby and having people possibly wait on us or have to cater to Ezra's needs, stressed me out, even though many assured me it would be no problem. Lucky for me, Kristen was willing to watch Ezra during the day while Chris was at work, Thursday and Friday, and then Chris picked him up each evening and was home with him through the weekend. Thank you Kristen for making this possible for me!
I told myself I wouldn't cry when we dropped Ezra off to Kristen on our way to the airport, but I couldn't help it! I knew Kristen and her family would be wonderful with him, but it is still hard to leave your baby. I had such a contradiction of emotions going through me as Chris drove me to the airport. Part of me felt horribly selfish for leaving my baby, for burdening a friend so I could go have fun, for leaving my husband to be off with the girls, and I felt guilty to feel any sort of excitement for the trip! I was confused. Did it mean I wasn't happy with my baby if I was happily anticipating a fun weekend without my husband and baby? No, of course not, but I didn't know how to allow myself to be happy about this in the beginning. As I flew to Missouri my brain felt almost numb, or at least most of the capacity which had been revolving around Ezra, Chris, and our home, didn't know what to do with itself. I felt this weird quietness. I felt like I was forgetting something as I walked around by myself, with just my purse. (Please know there is a sense of humor in here!) I remember Chris telling me to just be myself when dropping me off at the airport, after I had expressed my silly concerns about feeling socially awkward, nervous, saying the wrong thing, laughing too loud, etc. After he said that I realized, well, what if I don't know what being myself is anymore? I mean, I don't try to be someone I'm not, but I'm not normally by myself, most things I do and think of revolve around Ezra and Chris or others in some way, like what to make for dinner, what will I have time to do between naps, does Ezra need a diaper change, etc.
Once I got off the plane, Kami came into the airport to wait with me for the others to arrive. She was in the process of moving to Georgia so she drove to meet us in Branson. Once we were talking I was good. I felt normal again. This was going to be ok. It was going to be fun and quite enjoyable. It wasn't long before everyone else arrived and I was so excited to see everyone I gave hugs all around, which is so not like me. I probably lucked out the most on this trip because at the time, I was the only one not living close to the family, so it was such a treat for me to get to be with all of them.
Our first destination was to Lambert's Thrown Rolls for dinner. They really do walk around and throw rolls to you. And you know you are in the south when you see people at a public restaurant holding hands in a circle and praying before their meal of huge preportions. After dinner we drove to our hotel. I was surprised at how pretty Missouri was. Very green, lots of trees, and some good hills compared to what we have in our area of Texas.
Once we checked in, we met in the hotel pool for some water aerobics, taught to us by Lanelle. I didn't think it would be such exercise but man, Lanelle can make you feel the burn in no time! That night we also met in one room to go over our answers to a Brough family quiz. For those of us who didn't grow up in the family, we got the help of our spouses as the quiz was e-mailed to us in advance. This might have been one of the funniest nights of entertainment I've had in a while. I had some good laughs and those are always appreciated. We do need to laugh more often. Some of the questions were like "What is the funniest memory of mom?" to which one answer was when they were up at their ranch in Wyoming and she was chasing a calf, trying to head it off and she slipped in a cow pie. Or when she stepped on Joe's eel while he was cleaning the tank. Can't you see how fun this was for me, to hear these fun stories? Monte I guess waterski'd in his black socks. They also asked about common sayings, who got away with the most, who caused the biggest scare, who was the bossiest, who pretended to be most innocent, who had the most car accidents, etc. All of which provided great stories. I learned that when Chris was 5 or 6 he caught fire when he was wearing a puffy jacket and backed up to a heater or something, and luckily his uncle was quick to act, got him on the ground and patted the fire out. Maybe one of the best stories was hearing about how Dalene got out of a speeding ticket with her incredible acting skills as she pretended to have quite the stomach ache. I think the cop even helped her around to the passenger's seat so someone else could drive? Oh there were lots of good stories and I just loved them more for sharing them. :) I also realized that while all of these women were devoted and great wives and mothers, they seemed happy and to be having fun doing something like this, so it was ok for me to be happy about it too, and I didn't need to feel bad about it. Sounds like such a simple thing probably, but it took me a while to not feel guilty about it! Maybe it was because it was the first time I took a real trip and left my baby, when I'd had the option to bring him, and I felt selfish for leaving him or something, I don't know, but we all survived just fine. :)
Friday morning some of us met for more water aerobics. Then we did different things in groups like miniature golf, the IMAX theater, and shopping at the outlets. Since I didn't have a baby in tow or his schedule to worry about, I went shopping and actually had fun! Kami was quite the personal shopping assistant as she found me cute shorts on sale ($5.99!) at Banana Republic and would give me much appreciated feed back, along with Tora and Lanelle who were also in the dressing room area. It was fun to shop and try things on together, pass and trade, share feed back, etc. I made out like a bandit! I got sandals, shorts, a couple shirts, and all off the clearance section at Banana. Awesome!
Friday night we went to the Dixie Stampede. It was a choreographed show to music on horse-back. Does that make any sense? Some of the things they did with the horses were pretty cool. The seating was around a large, indoor arena, and they served us dinner while we watched. Lots of loud music and costumes too. After the show I took pictures of the largest horses I've ever seen. I'm sad to not have those also, but oh well!
After that show we went to the Presley Family show. That was one talented, musical family. One girl in particular had a very beauitful voice. I wanted to be her for a moment. (Ok, not really, I don't want to wear bedazzled yellow leather jackets with long fringe while performing in Branson, or trade my life for one in showbiz, but her voice was pretty awesome.) It reminded me of my family when they get together for extended family dinners and gather round the piano for playing, singing, flutes, saxophones, guitar, more singing, etc.
Saturday morning we had to be up and checked out to see a show at 9:30am!! Do I love these people or what?! :) Really, it wasn't bad, I probably would have been awake anyway, but I had stayed up talking with Kami, whom I shared a room with, so ya know, we were a little tired, but hey, Girls Just Want to Have Fun! :) Our first show on Saturday was the 12 Irish Tenors. (I hope I'm remembering all of this correctly. I could have it backwards, but that should be ok.) Great voices and lots of singing. During intermission and after shows I shopped for souveniers for Chris, Ezra, and Kristen (as she was watching my baby for me, allowing me this gleeful, girly trip) but I just couldn't find anything appropriate. I thought about this lovely fanny pack, but thought it might not blend in with the rest of Chris' camo gear while hunting, and it just wasn't quite bright enough for Kristen. (Ok, I must be tired, the sarcasm just wants to come out! :)
Kami was so kind to model this for me, as we searched for possible souveniers.After the show we walked next door to drive Go-carts. It was a pretty fun track of wooden planks, like a board walk, and the track had a little spiral up and rolling hills back down. Here is a lovely picture of me and Tora in line for the go-carts. Such a quality cell-phone picture.
And yep, these are my only pics from Branson, these 2 pics that were on my cell phone.Unfortunately I was not dressed at all appropriately for this fun activity. Not only was the fear of being scalped put into me so I tied my hair back as best I could with whatever I found in my purse, but I was wearing a denim A-line skirt and my new pair of espadrills from my Banana shopping spree. Trying to straddle the steering wheel in a knee-length skirt, while trying to be modest, and keeping the wind from picking up my skirt, and then trying to reach the gas and brake pedals with my platforms and knees together around the steering wheel, was well, tricky, but I managed. (And they say girls can't drive, please.) I just decided to fall back to be last so no one would be around if the wind picked things up a bit. :)
While I was in Branson, Kristen sent me a cute picture of Ezra that she took with her cell phone. I really appreciated my cell phone and picture messages during that trip! Chris sent me these pics of Ezra while I was there:
After the Go-Carts we went to lunch at a Texas Steakhouse restaurant. Then we went to see the Shanghi Acrobats. (Do I have that name right?) Oh my! These acrobats made the olympic gymnastics look easy. They did some pretty amazing things. After the show Kami was able to use her Mandarin skills (which she picked up on her mission to Taiwan) with the acrobats, who spoke no English but lined up in the entrance area for pictures and autographs. Many of them had started training around 7 and were now about 21. One boy was only 14 though. I was amazed at how petite they were, including the men. I guess I haven't been around gymnasts for a while, j/k. While performing their incredible, physically demanding feats, they appeared so muscular and strong, but to stand next to them, well, I felt quite large though not in any muscular sort of way.
After this last show we left Branson and drove to be closer to the airport. We ate one last meal together and talked about possible trips in the future. The trip went by so fast and was pretty fun, but it was enough time that I was ready to get home to my boys. Thank you Lanelle for all your time and efforts to plan all of that for us! It would be hard to coordinate with everyone and have to make decisions for so many different people, but I thought she did great. And thank you to Monte and Lanette for taking us on that trip! It was fun to hang with the girls, and Monte. :)
And thank you again to Chris for supporting me to go and to Kristen for taking such wonderful care of my baby for me! (Ok, I'm done accepting my award now.) Really though, I felt so full of gratitude when I got back for what they did, to make it so I could have that fun trip.
Kristen went above and beyond the great friend call of duty, and made a blog of her time with Ezra while I was gone! (http://ezradays.blogspot.com/) Isn't that so cool?! Wow, I really felt in debt to her.
She took a bunch of really cute pictures and here are a few:
8.28.08
Kristen's 3 kids are so great with Ezra!
I think he had way too much fun to even miss me.I'm glad he was such a happy boy!
8.29.08
*****
