Wet & Wild (but not too wild) Weekend

1 Year, 26 Weeks.

Kohlden:  24 lbs  8.5 oz
Madelyn:  24 lbs  1 oz

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.



No, sadly, I am not Canadian.  But this is one of those occasions where sometimes I wish I were one ~  Those people we share the North American continent with;  The neighboring country of which we really aren't too worried about our borders and illegal immigrants.  Their constantly polite demeanor and positive attitudes.  For giving us ice hockey and maple syrup, and that heavenly pink dessert stuff Amy Zbaraschuk makes.  For Michael J. Fox, Alex Trebek and Justin Bieber.  For being overly hospitable.  For having their Thanksgiving holiday in October.  For the way they say words like "aboot"  and tacking on the "eh?" to every sentence.  For being so patriotic and proud of their country and heritage, even though they live thousands of miles away. 

We know a few of these individuals here in Orlando and consider ourselves very lucky to have them as friends.  I guess you can say this was a mini tribute to all things Canadian, eh?

Definitely not in Florida!

The forecast over the weekend was gloomy, and I mean that in the literal sense.  Apparently we had a low pressure system that didn't know what to do so it decided to just hang out over most of the state for the entire weekend.  Well, you can definitely throw out plans to do anything outside!  And as much as I've always complained about not having enough rain, this was a bit excessive.  I guess this was as close as we would get to us experiencing any tropical storm or hurricane this season, but somehow it made me think of Noah and the great flood.  And although we weren't in any way close to having a major catastrophe, being cooped up indoors with 3 energetic kids could almost be considered one! 

Kohl trying on some shades even though he wouldn't need them over the weekend.

I had to go back to the mall to pick up my watch so I took them to the play area for just a few minutes, and left quickly thereafter.

She got up there all on her own!

Having a quick tea party before bedtime.

Patique and Marge enjoy some grapes.



Sabbath was a day of soaking, to say the least.  I kept thinking of those living in the Pacific Northwest and how they have to endure those constant windy rainy days.  I was a bit hesitant about heading out to church as I was concerned about the weather and the logistics of keeping the family dry from parking lot to building.  But then I was reminded of the fact that if we didn't go to church, then we'd be stuck at home.  With rambunctious kids!  So off we went, umbrellas and all.  The kids got to wear their rain boots so that made it a little more fun for them.  And it was nice to see our friends and share in some adult conversations.

This was what greeted us on Sabbath morning.

The kids watch the rain, while Brae "calls" her friends on Tangie's old Blackberry.

En route to church with the rain boots.

Kohlden wet.  Get it?

Tangie makes our sweet potato dish. 

After naps we paddled upstream to Apopka where we joined our friends to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving.  This is where the whole Canadian tribute comes into play ~ we even wore red to commemorate the event.  Our hosts were Rob and Lisa Deininger, along with the Zbaraschuks, Johnsons, Cochrans, Holloways, and Bergherms and all their children, so we had quite the group!  We were in charge of bringing the sweet potato dish, and, being Asian, decided on a sweet potato and leek patties dish with a sweet and very spicy ginger sauce.  A little ethnic contribution with a "how's your father?" zing.   The spread was spectacular and the conversations most enjoyable.  Like I said, Canadians are a fantastic people.  Tragically, in the rush to get all of us and the food out the door in time for supper, I forgot our camera.  So unfortunately I was only able to get 2 photos of the festivities on my phone.  So sad.

A quick snapshot of the children at the kids' tables, telling us they're hungry.

The magnificent feast awaits!

Now, originally we thought that the Thanksgiving dinner was going to take place Sunday evening, until a good friend reminded me that it was, in fact, the Saturday night before.  We had also made rsvp's to attend some friends' birthday party on Sunday afternoon, and Tangie was invited to have a brunch with the local moms and spend money on personalized bags & purses.  So Sunday was a full full day, despite the weather.  Well, the birthday party was cancelled due to one of the celebrants coming down with a fever, and, of course, the Thanksgiving dinner ended up happening Saturday night, so aside from Tangie going to brunch with the girls, we, as in me and the kids, ended up coming empty handed with no plans and nothing to do for Sunday.  And, with all the rain, there was absolutely no way I could do my usual Sunday lawn mowing either.  So what now?
 

Me and my homies.

Another drizzly day.



It's always good to have a family like the Grodacks to do stuff with, and especially when it is last minute.  Realizing that Corey was going to attend the same brunch as Tangie, and that Duncan was kind of in the same boat I was in, I jumped to action at the possibility of putting 2 and 2 together.  So I called.  Why not have a Daddy/children date?  To Monkey Joe's?  We'll meet you there!  Done.  Tangie had purchased months before a Groupon for the indoor inflatable play center so admission was covered for all 5 kids.  Sweet!  So we dropped Tangie off, with her catching a ride with Corey back to their place later on, and met up with Duncan and his girls at MJ's.  Along with the rest of Orlando.  Sheesh!  Why do people always have to have the same idea as us?  We should've just gone to the beach!  Sure, the weather was bad, but at least it wouldn't have been as crowded!  But the kids had a blast, as usual.  Thanks Duncan for watching Braelyn with Calleigh and Aubree; I had my hands full trying to keep the twins from being trampled by all the bigger kids.  After an hour of play we crashed back at the Grodack's place and ordered pizzas for lunch while we waited for the mothers to get home.  After naps we started doing laundry and picking up around the house to prepare for our annual party in a couple of weeks.  

Monkey Joe's just moments before the torrent of people arrived.

The twins try to steady themselves.

Whoa!  Look at all this stuff!

They even thought these were for climbing.

Quick snapshot of Brae before she disappeared back into the bouncy houses.

They were fascinated by the colors and sounds.

Step right up and play the game!  Winner gets two life-sized twins!

Calleigh starts winding down after an hour of play.

The girls hanging out at the Grodack's home.

New toys!  Yes!



I'm thinking of investing in a mushroom farm.



This week was Spirit Week for Braelyn at OJA.  On Monday it was "Wacky Hair Day"; Tuesday "Sports Day"; Wednesday "Twins Day" (she and a classmate dressed alike, pigtails and all); Thursday "Pajama Day" and Friday "Mix 'n Match Day".  It has been a lot of fun putting all of it together and her getting in with the "spirit!"  This weekend Brae and I are planning to attend the first official camp out for the Adventurer's at Pine Lake Retreat, about 45 minutes away.  We'll be bunking it and sharing a big house with several family friends so it'll be lots of fun for sure.  She is very excited and wants to pack A LOT of stuff, even though we'll only be attending 2 nights.  This will be a good opportunity for her to learn to ride her bike, as we'll be bringing that along.  More on that next week.

Lots of twists and curls for "Wacky Hair Day".

Our little tennis player on "Sports Day".

She and her classmate Taylor on "Twins Day".

Sporting Uncle Mike's logo on "Pajama Day".

Enjoying her Soba noodles for dinner.

She's getting better and better each day.

Learning about prayer in Adventurer's.

All the Little Lambs together.

Drawing a one-legged angel in her prayer book.

The twins continue to have their moments:  Of fun.  Of not so fun.  Of laughter and giggles.  Of crying and sniffles.  Of adventure.  Of shyness.  Of hunger.  Of contentment.  Of sharing.  Of selfishness.  Of togetherness.  Of annoyance towards each other.  Of soggy or poopy diapers.  Of exploration.  Of clingyness.  Of independence.  Of separation anxiety.  Of reassurance.  Of quarrel.  Of affection.  I could keep going, as each day I'm exposed to more and more of these moments, all of them unforgettable and priceless.

Braelyn keeps Kohl from touching the trophies while Daddy puts in his order for PumpkinFEST.

Why does he feel he needs to do that?

Nothing like breakfast still in your pajamas!

I turned around for one minute.  ONE MINUTE!!!

The checkout lady at Home Depot entertains the twins while Maddy mimics a monkey.

I told Maddy her feet smelled.  She agreed.

Oh, to sleep like this.

Afternoon slumber.

  

2 reasons we shop at Publix:  proximity and the free balloons!

Wagon ride while big sister practices on her bike.

Obviously enjoying themselves.

This week's randoms:     

Go ahead and say that law firm's name 10 times fast.

I saw this and thought of the Whitakers, except that they didn't have all 5 at the same time!  Wow.

Kind of hard to speed with only a one lane road and all cars at a dead stop, don'tcha think?

Oh good.  My supply was running low and was wondering where I could restock.

A sampling of meals this week:

Vietnamese Pho noodles with beef.

French rack of lamb with garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed asparagus.

Japanese Soba noodles with wasabi and dashi sauce.

Indian madras lentils on basmati with naan and lima beans.

This week's conversations:

• On Friday evening I was grilling out on the patio, trying to replicate the delicious rack of lamb dish Tangie had ordered when we went to that French restaurant for my birthday a couple weeks back.

           Brae:  "Daddy, what are you doing?"
           Me:  "I'm cooking supper, honey."
           Brae:  "I can smell it.  It smells good.  What is it?"
           Me:  "Meat."
           Brae:  "What kind of meat?"
           Me:  "Lamb."
           Brae:  "Like, 'Mary had a little lamb?'"  
           Me:  [weakly] "Yes?"

           She had some of it, and afterwards proclaimed, "I LOVE lamb!"

           So does Mary.  Whew!

• On Tuesday Barak Obama was in town for a fundraiser and all the major local channels were covering his speech.

          Me:  "Brae, do you know who the President of the United States is?"
          Brae:  "Rock Obama."
          Me:  "And do you know what Barak Obama looks like?"
          Brae:  "No."
          Me:  "Well, look at the TV.   Who is that man on the TV?"
          Brae:  [looks at TV] "Consternation."

          Where on earth did she come up with that word?!?

• We were having supper with the twins, and Kohl had just taken some food and deliberately dropped it on the floor.  I had just cleaned up another mess not 2 minutes earlier.

           Me:  [big sigh and muttered under my breath] "Kohlden..."
           Brae:  "Oh lord."
           Me:  [looking at her and shaking my head]  "Nah-uh.  We don't say that."
           Brae:  "Why?"
           Me:  "Where did you learn that?"
           Brae:  "You."

           Whoops.

Our three munchkins.

Have a great weekend!