Husband, Dad, Mechanical Engineer, Bass
Player ...
Obsessed with all things Engineering.
AMY
Wife, Homeschool Mom, Webmaster ...
Obsessed with all things Political.
RACHAEL
Daughter, Sister, Sophomore ...
Obsessed with all things Geological.
NICHOLAS
Son, Brother, 8 year old ...
Obsessed with all things Historical.
(especially Egyptian!)
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The Well-Trained Mind Singapore Math Greenleaf Guides Apologia Science AIG Science curriculum Story of the World
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More Florida pics
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Here are some pics that I forgot to post earlier when I was creating my Florida entry. Some of these I just don't want to lose in case of a computer crash, others I just find humorous (like the 'official Walt Disney World 100% UV Protection glasses' with no lenses!)
After leaving the hotel, we took advantage of our Children's Museum membership by visiting for a little while. The kids & I have been there numerous times, but Jeff hasn't been there in years. Of course, we'll be heading back later this week for the King Tut tour, so I didn't want to get him too sick of it before next week!
We went with a group of homeschool families to the local fireworks display, which happened to be on the 3rd of July (go figure!) On the afternoon of the 4th, we were trying to decide what to do that evening. Jeff asked me to look on Priceline to see if we could get a cheap room in Indy. We ended up staying at the Hyatt Regency in downtown for $45. We've stayed there before, and it's one of Rachael's favorites due to the waterfall elevator. Upon check-in, the gentleman asked us if we had a floor preference, so Jeff chose the highest available - the 19th. Most of these photos were taken from just outside our room looking down on the lobby below.
We ate at the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner, and drove to a perfect spot to see the fireworks that were to be set off atop the Regions Bank building downtown. Unfortunately, due to the rain, the fireworks were cancelled...but not until half an hour AFTER they were supposed to have begun. Grrrrr...
Jeff got free tickets to a Pacers game, so we decided to go. Neither one of us are big sports fans, but seeing a live game is much more enjoyable than watching one on tv. One interesting thing that we discovered - both of our kids are afraid of heights. We were in the nosebleed section and spent the first part of the game just convincing them that they weren't going to fall onto the court. The Pacers ended up losing by 2 points in the last seconds of the game. We had a good time, though. The kids' favorite part? The nachos & cotton candy(!)
My in-laws agreed to watch both kids this afternoon so that Jeff & I could eat dinner & see a movie. We saw Ghost Town (Good Movie!) and ate at Shyler's. I didn't take my camera, so I'm posting pictures from Chuck E. Cheese's. We ate there last night after the museum...
Because of Nick's CP, we were able to get free tickets to a preview of the cMoe's newest traveling exhibit, "AccessAbility." The exhibit was pretty interesting. You could type in Braille, try out a hand-powered stationary bike (which is what Nick needs!), and see what it's like to attempt many everyday tasks while being handicapped in some way. However, it wasn't the exhibit that affected me the most. Since this was the preview, the museum was closed to the public and was only open to disabled children and their immediate families. Whenever I'm in situations like that, I am always reminded how incredibly blessed we are. While, yes, Nick does have some motor deficits, the fact that he has no cognitive delays or communication issues is such a blessing. We would have loved him unconditionally, no matter what his disability might have been. But on those days when I start feeling sorry for him because he can't do a lot of things that the other kids do, I need to remember evenings like this. There are so many other kids with the exact same diagnosis who struggle so much more than he does.
II Corinthians 12:9 - And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness... "
We went apple picking today, and there were 3 horses and a donkey grazing among the apple trees. Our apple picking efforts quickly got tossed aside in lieu of petting the horses. The horses were very sweet - following us wherever we went. We did get a couple of bags picked, but we'll probably go back in a week or two when the Golden Delicious are a little more ripe...
Since my in-laws are on our cell phone plan, we needed to go with them for my mother-in-law to exchange her new phone. She didn't like it because it was black, so she exchanged it for a shiny, new, metallic, hot pink phone (yes, it's actually pink!) After we left the store, we went to the newly opened Mr. Gatti's restaurant. The buffet was great, the service was excellent, the games were cool, but it was WAY too expensive! The food is reasonable, but many of the games are $1.00 - $5.00 each! The kids loved it, of course. I'm glad we went, and we'll probably go back, but we definitely won't make it a habit. On a side note, they have All-You-Can-Drink Frozen Cokes on their buffet...that in itself is worth every penny of the buffet price! YUM! ;-D
My mother-in-law called this morning before church and asked if we wanted to go out to eat this evening. We agreed, and then she told us that she wanted to take the kids to Chuck E. Cheese...the very place that we went to yesterday for Sophia's party! Oh well, the kids had a fun time - you can never get enough Chuck E! Nick had a breakdown after watching Uncle Brian (Jeff's brother) on an old video. He started crying and saying that he missed him...the strange thing is that he's only seen him a few times! Brian has been in Hawaii, Alaska, & Iraq since Nick was born. I guess the few times that he's been around must have really made an impression!
Our morning began with hopping into the car to drive to church, only to discover that our battery was dead. Apparently, Nick's seat belt got caught in the door which caused the interior light to drain the battery. We called Progressive's Roadside Assistance line and were told that there was no one on their list who had the equipment to help us. Um... equipment?!? Heck, even WE have jumper cables! I should have just told them to send a truck and we'd jump it ourselves...unless the motorized vehicle WAS the missing equipment. I know I'm not the most observant person in the world, but I don't recall too many horse-drawn carriage towing companies in the area. Anyway, after about 3 more phone calls from Progressive, they found a company - over 40 miles away! At least the elderly gentleman that showed up was prompt, professional, and polite.
Our evening was exponentially better. We went to dinner with my parents & step-sister to Jillian's. None of us had been there before, but it was a neat place. It's sort of like an adult's Chuck E. Cheese. They have games (and even a bowling alley!) for families until 9:00pm, and then it turns into an over 21 establishment. The games were entertaining, albeit expensive, and the food was wonderful. I had the grilled chicken which was yummy, and the caramel cheesecake which was double-yummy!
After dinner, Jeff, Nick & I went to the Riverfront. It was a gorgeous night (which also meant that it was exceedingly crowded). I did manage, however, to snap a few pictures of Nick at sunset...
My mom went with us to pick up Rachael from camp. Even though she didn't know anyone, she made several friends and had a ball! Camp concluded with 8 baptisms, including 2 of Rachael's new friends. Jeff met us at an Amish buffet on the way home. The food was good (though not as good as the Grand Colonnade!), and the scenery overlooking the lake was beautiful.
We met some friends for a Mexican lunch followed by the movie Wall-E (again!) We had a great time, as Wall-E is one of those movies that you can see multiple times and still enjoy! After Jeff returned home from work, we went to the county fair. We bought both kids a wristband which offered unlimited ride opportunities. Nick, the daredevil, loved every one. He was heartbroken that he couldn't ride all of the "adult" rides as well! He'll be a blast at the theme park when he gets a little taller...
We also engorged ourselves on fair food including the scrumptious funnel cakes...YUM! We spent a small fortune, but oh well, it only comes around once a year!
Today is the 4th of July. This day marks the birth of our great nation, and the death of many. This morning, I was saddened by the passing of Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina. Although I didn't agree with all of his positions, his service to our country and his unwavering support of democracy, the constitution, and the pro-life movement was unquestionable. This also happens to be the same day that my dad died 21 years ago. It sure doesn't seem that long!
On a lighter note, we went out to eat with Jeff's parents, then went to the fairgrounds to watch the fireworks. It was rather misty, but it didn't really rain. The fireworks were excellent!
We took the kids to see Kung-Fu Panda this morning followed by lunch at a local Mexican-American restaurant. When we arrived at the restaurant, I was busying myself trying to get Nick out of his carseat, when Jeff whispered, "Hurry up before we get stuck behind these clowns." I couldn't believe he'd say such a thing! Just as I was opening my mouth to voice my disbelief, I looked up and saw them...2 CLOWNS! Nick made a bee-line to the door to make his presence known, while Rachael kept her distance. Not quite as intense as her fear of dolls, clowns are a close 2nd! The male clown talked to Nick while we were waiting for a table. Once we were seated, we watched as more and more clowns started filing in. Of course, Jeff and Rachael were pondering exactly HOW many clowns they could fit around the small table when Jeff exclaims, "Man, this place is a circus." From that point on, the puns never stopped. (Except when Jeff & Rachael were debating on what exactly you would call a group of clowns... a herd? a gaggle?) After a little while, one of the clowns came to our table to make Nick a balloon puppy. Nick was enthralled and elated. I think he may have found his new career. I could see his old dreams of being a doctor fade before my very eyes... ;-D
Name: Amy Home: Indiana, United States About Me: I am a Homeschool Mom of 2 awesome children. This is my attempt at Project 365 - to chronicle our world through daily photos... See my complete profile
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