8.31.2011

Best Friend Betrayal

We all have that best friend, the one who knows more about you (even more than your spouse0, the one that you trust beyond anyone else in the world, the one you call when you foolishly take a pregnancy test at work and get a positive. So you can no doubt imagine how it feels when this friend sends you a text to tell you about this:

At first I ignored it but after one bad day, I couldn't ignore it anymore. I have three obliging sidekicks who were not going to send me to Sonic alone and so we journeyed yesterday after school to check out this magical Pumpkin Pie Shake. It was after that first sip that I knew I was in trouble. After I finished my first cup of yumminess, I seriously spent the rest of the evening wondering how I could justify a second one. (No, mom I did not go and get a second one.)
After I got over my desire to have a second one, I started to ponder the relationship with this so-called best friend. Why would she do this to me? She knows I am in a state of weakness, she knows I love fall treats, she knows I am not in her same obsessive workout routine. Is she really a friend or an enemy? And so I am declaring revenge not only on this friend but on Sonic in general.  It has started slowly by me telling everyone else I know about this new treat. I will not suffer alone. And for that special best friend who opted to tell me about this treat, she can't hide from me. I am formulating a plan and she will suffer come Christmas-time (fair warning!).

8.28.2011

The Social (Quilt) Experiment

Chandra and I are kindred spirits for many reasons including our excitement for Halloween and our commitment to crafting despite our many setbacks.
So when Chandra purchased her sewing machine and started checking out various quilt designs it seemed kismet that we would combine our Halloween love with our craft-can-do-(who cares how much we get mocked by our husbands)-spirit. It also helps that Chandra discovered this image:


We took this inspiration, spent our summer searching for fabrics, and now we both have identical piles with the intent goal to create Halloween quilts. The obvious idea being here is how we will both use what we have.



I really like the original design inspiration but admit to feeling intimidated that I don't have a pattern to work from. So with my goal to start cutting my fabric this morning, I am instead online cheating to find a pattern. And I am terrified that we don't have enough fabric and after a panic buy yesterday Chandra and I are questioning one of our fabric choices but we shall see what happens. Really, I just hope that we both get something done before Halloween!

8.26.2011

Road Trip Frustration

As if it isn't obvious, I love taking photos. I usually make my people suffer by posing but rarely do I get to actually post those photos because in the midst of each photo taking event there is one member of the family that has to get some smart-aleck remark in, which means he tends to ruin photos. Below is my evidence of such photo shenanigans from Fort Sumter.






Roadtrip - Savannah

Our original intention was to sail in to Savannah, hang out for a bit, go to a game, and then leave town. We all found Savannah fascinating and we definitely regretted that we didn't research the city more and make better plans for our day. Despite that, we managed to roam around and see some of the Savannah and definitely put it on the list for a return trip.

I've broken the photos in to two groups for this one. I did my usual collage of the baseball game (hint: if you click on it, it will open larger) and the other is a slide show.

The Sand Gnats ranked as every one's favorite game. It is a tiny ballpark with more of the old-time feel. The ballpark is tucked away in a neighborhood and part of a large city park. When we went to purchase tickets, we requested (as is our usual request) to sit by the home team dugout. The park is so small and friendly that the ticket lady politely warned us that there is a season ticket holder who would be sitting near us and that some people don't like being close to him. We opted to risk it and took the seats. It turned out to be a fine choice as the season ticket holders we were sitting by were actually really nice and although there were some loud moments, we have definitely experienced worse.
The best part for the boys was that upon entrance to the ballpark, they were recruited to play some between innings games.JT got to run the bases with the mascot and Zach played let's make a deal; opting between 4 tickets to a game or what was in the box. He took the box option and ended up with a contact sheet of the season baseball cards.

Keeping with our dining on the local ball-park delicacy, Rick and JT dined on waffles and chicken and gave it two thumbs up.


We changed our plans at the last minute and stayed at a hotel rather than driving through to Charleston on the same night. Since we stayed the night, I convinced the boys to stop by the Bonaventure Cemetery after reading the following:
The site was purchased for a private cemetery in 1846 and became a public cemetery in 1907. This charming site has been a world famous tourist destination for more than 150 years due to the old tree-lined roadways, the many notable persons interred, the unique cemetery sculpture and architecture, and the folklore associated with the site and the people.
The cemetery provides a walking guide and we wandered freely looking for the various points of interests and learned about some of Savannah's most famous dead people. Of course I took a ton of photos. I typically try to avoid loading a slide show but there were too many to make a collage (this also gives you the option to skip them altogether). We did use the cemeteries grave site finder but we could not locate any Flisakowskis (odd I know) and we found a Lucas but couldn't locate their exact site.



There is one photo that is not from the cemetery and that is from the Flannery O'Connor child hood home. We stopped by the day before just before the house was closing and didn't have time to get a full tour.  I would love to go back to Savannah sans kids and get to see more of the city especially take advantage of some of the house tours.
And if you do view the slide deck, you just may catch a shot of my big basketball belly courtesy of JT.

8.23.2011

The First

Today is the first day of school. Hard to believe. It was a bit abnormal morning for us as Rick was asked to sub for the first two weeks and he had to be out the door earlier. The boys and I managed to pull it together with just a minor hiccup but my photo taking definitely suffered and it didn't help that poor Jet had no clue what was going on and wanted to be in every photo.


A disclaimer here for Nana - JT's hair was combed out before he left. He had used some water to wet down his bed head.

The walk to school was interesting. JT who is usually more like me, shy and nervous in new situations, was full of energy and excited for the first day. Zachy on the other hand, who is normally very gregarious like Rick, was silent and obviously very nervous this morning. And to make matters worse, we didn't notice before we left the house that he had his sock on too low so while we walked to school he was complaining that it was hurting. And of course since I am quickly losing my ability to bend down and didn't realize what was going on, I asked him if he could make it to his classroom. By the time we dropped off JT and got to his room he had developed a blister. Poor little bug. He was trying so hard to be strong but was also so nervous. It just broke my heart. Luckily his teacher had some band-aids so we got one on and she said she would check on it later in the day.

This next photo is not  first day of school related but it is a first. A sweet friend stopped by on Saturday with my first baby gift (no I am not counting the diapers that I have been given although those are welcomed). Check out these two fabulously cute outfits! I have to admit that these two cuties have helped me get just a little more excited about the girls. Just look at those little coats!

8.19.2011

Cagney and Lacey

Well, it is official, there is a god, she is a woman, and she has a sense of humor. That is the only way I can explain the news that Chip and Dip are going to be Chipette and Dipette or as Rick now prefers Cagney and Lacey.
It hasn't all sunk in just yet, and by all I mean the fact that we are having a third (and a fourth) and now to know that they are girls. The Lucas household is definitely not one to be boring and this kicks it up a notch for sure.

In a few weeks I will be heading in to see a specialist (since I am old with twins) so we will get more details about their growth, organs, and any other concerns (like how can someone who is 5'2" with virtually no torso even have twins). We will also get confirmation as to whether they are identical but for now it definitely appears that they are.

And for added cuteness factor, unlike the last ultrasound where they were kick fighting each other (a sign for me that said they were boys) this time around they were holding hands. They still sit head to foot but perhaps that is because of the aforementioned lack of torso.

We are taking name suggestions so start sending them our way.

8.16.2011

Road Trip - Warner Robins

Originally I had planned to keep this updated as we traveled but by the time we hit WR, GA, I got accustomed to relaxing, eating ice cream, and logging in only as needed to take care of work stuff. But we are officially home so now I will collect the 1000 of photos I have and get some postings done.

So after our stop in NOLA, we trekked to Montgomery for baseball, and then we found ourselves in the town of Warner Robins, who has several claims to fame (Little League championship baseball team, Air Force base) although our sole reason for stopping was so that I could get in some girl time with Lexi. This was even more important since our girl trip for this year had to be postponed because someone had to go off and get pregnant.

While Lexi and I enjoyed girl time the boys enjoyed swimming, running through the house, and rotting their brains on video games. To totally bum out my boys, school in WR started that Monday so while Joel and Patton were off at school Rick was sweet enough to take the boys to the local Aerospace museum, which ended up being a huge hit for the day. Lexi and I did what we do best, ate, drank coffee, and stopped at a few stores. We also ate enough ice cream to ensure Chip and Dip had enough calcium while in-utero (at least during their time in Georgia).








8.01.2011

Road trip - Montgomery Biscuits

Our first official game of the road trip  was the Montgomery Biscuits. We got to the ballpark early for an autograph session with the players.The highlight for JT was getting to meet and fist bump Tim Beckham who he saw play on TV in the Futures Game.

Our seats were right in front of the Biscuits bullpen so we got to watch as the pitchers warmed up. The Biscuits ballpark definitely ranks as one our of Top 5 favorites. I didn't get the greatest shots but one of the unique features was that they built the ballpark using existing buildings including one that was used as a Confederate jail that held over 700 Union POWs. The gift ship and admin offices were part of that building and then the suites were all included in the other building. The ballpark also gets high marks as having some of the nicest employees as moments after JT got his soda, he dropped it, which prompted an employee to escort JT to the concessions stands to get a free refill. Zachy somehow managed to get a free sausage wrap in the 7th inning. And of course the whole family dined on biscuits (what else are you going to eat when you are at a biscuits game?).



Road Trip - enroute to Montgomery

On our way to see the Biscuits we stopped by the check out the Mobile Bay Bears ballpark and the Hank Aaron museum. We didn't get to see a game but we may try for one on the way home.

The museum was Hank Aaron's house that they relocated to the ball park and filled with baseball memorabilia as well as items from his childhood. We were the only ones there, which was a treat. The boys were a little shocked by the original size of the house, which was 600 sq. ft.



Roadtrip - New Orleans

Our first official stop of the 2011 road trip was New Orleans for some quality Lee and Rebecca time and a Zephyrs game. The bad news, it is monsoon season in NOLA, which meant no baseball and not too many outside activities.

We managed to find some fun which included a trip to the New Orleans Museum of Art, which had an impressive collection and the traveling exhibit of Madeline Albright's pins. I know it doesn't sound so thrilling but it really was fascinating to read how she decided to wear the pins she did and where some came from.

Our final night, Lee and Rebecca treated us to a crab and shrimp boil. JT got to be Rebecca's sous chef and hopefully some day soon he will be recreating the fabulous dinner for us.