More LOST Talk

Okay, let's talk LOST. Apparently Desmond can see into the future but he doesn't necessarily seem to understand that. He's a strange cat for sure. Apparently Jack was taken hostage in order to save the life of Henry, Benjamin, leader of the "others" who has a huge tumor on his spine. And apparently Kate loves Sawyer, which I think we knew already, and he loves her. She also loves Jack, I think. Interesting. I liked the pace maker trick the others played on Sawyer. However, I don't like when the show gets so violent and I especially don't like when everyone is dirty! Time for a shower folks!! And for crying out loud, Sawyer needs a haircut! I guess we have two more weeks of new shows and then nothing until February. I hope some of these loose ends that LOST is so famous for are tied up before the long break.


Here's a couple more pictures from our trip. I love this one of the three girls peeking out from around this tree at MGM Studios. And the picture below of Buzz Lightyear with the girls is so cute. Allison LOVES Buzz. She loves Woody too but we didn't get to see him. Lately she wants me to sing the song from Toy Story 2 - Woody's Roundup. I don't know the song so I keep singing "Woody's Roundup" over and over. She doesn't care. She thinks I know all songs.

Cold, cold, cold, here in western MA. Cold I say. Have a great day!

Back Home

We're home. What a fun week we had, with great weather and manageable (mostly) crowds. Allison got to ride on just about everything so for the first time since we've had children all five Cooks could ride the fun rides together! Usually we have to settle for the "baby" rides but not this time! We saw LOTS of characters and got the autographs too. Ed and I loved seeing Katie, at 11 years old, enjoying the characters as much as her sisters! She had a blast!

Here's Rebecca (she wants me to call her Rebecca now, not Becky anymore, and I told her I'd try) and Makenzie. They LOVED being together! Makenzie is so sweet, I miss her, but I'm so thankful that we got to spend a couple of days with her!

This picture cracks me up because Ed is posing with one of Allison's imaginary friends, I think this one is Emily. Every once in awhile she gets on an imaginary friend kick where we'll hear about Olivia, Emily, or Jessie. What a hoot!

Ignore this picture as it is a repeat and I, of course, couldn't figure out how to delete it without deleting my whole post!...

Some things I observed while on vacation...Disney World is one place where being a family and being with your family is celebrated and appreciated! It's about being together and doing stuff together! Sometimes I feel like I'm being pulled in a hundred directions with one somebody saying we need more family time. Then another somebody telling me my kids need activities to enrich their lives, like ballet and piano. It's hard to know the balance. But this week it was about being with each other and I liked that very much!

Another observation...All children have meltdowns. Anytime and anyplace. From any country. You can't judge parents of children who are having a meltdown, that's not fair. Perfectly good parents have children who have meltdowns. Some children have them more frequently than others but, make no mistake, all children have them. Yesterday on the monorail, Allison was less than happy but not quite in meltdown mode. A very nice couple from Britain with two little boys, told me that their youngest boy had just had his meltdown right before we got on the monorail. It's good to be in the company of folks who understand this phenomenon of childhood. So next time you see a child in meltdown mode, give his mom a smile of understanding, and try not to judge her, she's doing her best.

I also noticed that I didn't see as many tattoos as I seem to notice here in Mass. Hmmm, interesting. Perhaps that means that tattoos are more popular in different parts of the country and world for that matter. I did notice some older women with small tattoos on their ankles or the back of their shoulders. I wondered if they were new tattoos or ones they've had a long time. Someone should do some sort of tattoo poll, don't you think.

We met a family from our town while we were in line to meet Buzz Lightyear! One of the little girls told her dad that Becky, excuse me, Rebecca goes to her school. So of course we got to chatting. Isn't it amazing what a small world it really can be sometimes.

I'm sure there will be more photos of our trip. I've given up the idea of putting them into an official scrapbook and have opted instead for the traditional photo album! By the way, the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique was the best! I don't know who enjoyed it more, me or the girls!

Disney Journal

It's day 3 of our trip and we're still having fun! Day 1 and 2 were spent with Ed's brother and our niece. It was so great to see them and spend time doing all kinds of cool stuff. The first day we went to the Animal Kingdom. We saw lots of animals and did a lot of walking. Animal Kingdom is not the park to head for if you're looking for rides. It's more of a seeing park, rather than a doing park. There are a couple of must try rides though. We did Expedition Everest which is the newest thrill ride in Disney World. All I can tell you is that it was way cool!! It's a roller coaster where you start out going forward, then as you head toward a mangled mess of track you stop, and reverse direction! The track actually shifts so you don't go back the way you came. Instead you head through some dark tunnels where, for me anyway, it was very disorienting! It was, as they say in Maine, wicked fun! The adults and Katie rode that one, Becky, Makenzie, and Allison sat it out. Becky had a blast being with her cousin. They really are the best of friends and it was awesome that it worked out for Keith and Makenzie to be here while we are!

Day 2 took us to the Magic Kingdom, which is my favorite park. There's just something about walking down Main Street USA and seeing Cinderella's castle, it's so impressive and beautiful, and magical! We went directly to Pirates of the Carribean which has been redone to include Captain Jack Sparrow a.k.a. Jonny Depp. It was okay. With so much hype surrounding the ride I expected it to be a little more interesting. From there we went to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain. Allison met the height requirements for both and had a blast riding them!! For the rest of the day she kept asking about going on more rides! There was more to 'do' at the Magic Kingdom and I think the kiddos enjoyed it more than Animal Kingdom. We said goodbye to Keith and Makenzie at the end of the day. We'll probably see them at Thanksgiving time.

Day 3 we stayed at the hotel and went fishing and swimming. Then we went to Downtown Disney and ate at Planet Hollywood. That was pretty cool! Lots and lots of movie memorabilia, including Dorothy's dress from the "Wizard of Oz" and the bus from "Speed". The food was really yummy too.

I have tried to post pictures but our internet connection runs way too slow and I'm not able to. When we get home I'll post the pictures for sure!

Some quotable quotes: As we're on the plane getting ready to take off Allison, thinking she's on some sort of ride, says, "I'm going to put my arms up and scream!" We talked her out of that! Then as we're beginning our descent into Orlando Becky says, "We're going down!" Ed says, "You mean to say we're landing." That statement could've caused a panic!

I'll try to post again before we head home until then, as they say at Disney World, "Have a magical day!"

Soccer Results

I forgot to mention in my earlier post this morning the results of the soccer tournament! Katie's team took first place! They are undefeated! Six straight wins during the tournament! Katie made some great plays and scored one goal! We were so proud of her! It's been fun to see her progress this season. Her confidence has grown so much. She's aggressive on the field and plays her wing position well. YAY! Katie.

Field Trip

Allison and I went apple picking with her preschool class this week. While it was overcast, the temperature was around 60 and the views were still gorgeous. I wish the day had been clear because the foliage was at peak this week and the colors were the most beautiful I have ever seen. I love the apple trees in the foreground of this picture (left). I hope some of the colors will show up in these pictures.





Here's another view from the hayride we were on. More beautiful rolling hills and mountains, covered by amazing and brilliant color. Lots of times I wish we lived someplace that is warm and green all the time. And then sometimes I look around me and I can't imagine living anywhere else.








Allison had a blast picking apples. There were "Honey Crisp" apples at the orchard. I'd never heard of those kind before. We didn't get to try any but I hear they are very sweet and delicious. When we ask Allison about her field trip she talks about how she and her friends played Ring Around the Rosie and how she pretended to be a kangaroo. Funny how that's her favorite part.


We are headed south this afternoon. I'm all packed. After I bring Lucy to the "pet resort" I will give the house the once over and be ready to go. I don't like to come home to a "needs to be cleaned" house.
I got out the camcorder last night to charge it up for the trip. The tape in the camera was started in January 2004! YIKES! That means I haven't been taping my children very much! Shame on me!! We will be doing quite a bit of taping next week!

On another note, we have dropped out of our ballet class. We tried the Wednesday class and Allison was pretty excited about going. She went in to dance with no problem but after a minute or so she came running out very upset. Poor thing. She just can't do it. Errrr that Miss Vickie!! I believe she sucked the wind right out of Allison's ballet sails and pretty much ruined it for her!!! Oh well, not much I can do now. The other thing I noticed is that Allison was having a hard time sleeping at night for about a week and a half. When I told her she didn't have to do ballet anymore she was glad about it and has been sleeping well ever since. Hmmm...I feel bad that she's had this stress on her mind. We've signed up for gymnastics, which we did last spring. Hopefully she'll feel comfortable enough to go in to the gym and participate. She's definitely having some separation anxiety issues. I think the ballet thing sort of magnified the separation anxiety but it isn't completely to blame for it. Must be a phase, right?

I will have the laptop with us on vacation and I will try to do a post or two. Until then, great day to all.

This and That

I came across this picture the other day of Becky and Katie. Two things strike me about it: 1. Their smiles are just alike; so are their eyes, and 2. In this picture Becky is the age Allison is now and Katie is the age Becky is now, 3 and 7. I was about 5 months pregnant with Allison when this was taken. How the time flies!!

We are enjoying another beautiful autumn weekend. Katie's team won both of their games today. They play two more games tomorrow. If they win at least one more game they'll advance to the finals on Monday. Nothing like an action packed soccer game on a bright, crisp, fall day!

I think Ed's dad is enjoying his visit with us. It's nice having him here. In some ways, being away from our family has made the time we're together more meaningful. My girls have never gotten to spend this kind of one on one time with their Grampa Cook before. They are enjoying being with him. I hope, however, that they don't start saying "Holy Crap!"

Dick's Sporting Goods opened this weekend! I love Dick's Sporting Goods! They have an awesome selection of, well, everything for sports! It may just become one of my favorite stores! I think I like it so much because shopping with Katie is easy there. If you haven't shopped with an 11 year old girl lately, you can't possibly understand the magnitude of that statement, and you should count your blessings! If you have shopped with an 11 year old girl lately you totally get what I'm talking about!

Ballet didn't happen yesterday. I couldn't even convince Allison to put her ballet clothes on let alone actually go to class! We're going to try the Wednesday class next week. We'll see what happens!

LOST

Okay. So is Juliet, Desmond's former fiance? I'm trying to figure out the connection with her. Her speech about "Free Will" at the start of the show makes me think she may turn from the dark side that is "the others" and come to Jack's rescue. I have to admit it took me about 3/4 of the show to really get into it, and now as usual, I'm anxiously awaiting next week's episode.

Tonight is Survivor. I will say that I'm not as hooked as usual this season. It's all interesting enough to keep me watching. I have no favorites yet, no predictions, it's too early.

The Unit is wicked good! A must watch if you haven't yet. Tuesdays at 9:00. Check it out.

Okay - enough TV talk.

I made an appointment for Becky and Allison at the Bibbiddi Bobbiddi Boutique in Disney World. They will have their hair, shimmery makeup, and nails done! The boutique is owned by the Fairy Godmother and Fairy Godmothers in training provide the services. How cute is that! Katie isn't interested in getting made up although she realizes and appreciates how fun it will be for her sisters and she's looking forward to being there. After being beautified, they will wear their princess dresses and off we'll go to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom. Katie is going as...A Soccer Player - big surprise there! It's a really fun time where the kids get to trick or treat in the park, there's practically no lines for the coolest rides and the Magic Kingdom is beautiful at night!

Today in the car Allison and I had a cute conversation. We were admiring the gorgeous foliage all across the mountains.

Allison: "There's bears in the mountains."

Me: "Yes there are."

Allison: "Bears are scary. Do you think so?"

Me: "Yes I do."

Allison: "Daddy is not scared. He'll hit the bear with his sword! Daddy has a blue sword. You can hit him with your pink sword."

And then onto something different...

Allison: "I like my new shoes..."

I gotta tell you, last week when I was helping in Allison's class I observed the cutest thing. During playtime the boys were all hammering and sawing to make a pretend house. The girls were playing dress up and making pretend food. Then the girls went over and offered food to the boys! It was so stereotypical yet so natural! I got a kick out of the whole scene! It kind of goes along with Allison's idea that boys have blue swords and girls have pink. Then of course, the scene changed and everyone got to building the house, the girls still in their dresses and high heels, and now some of the boys in their fireman outfits - too cute!

The ballet saga continues. I talked to the school director and if Allison can't participate tomorrow we'll try a different class next week. I actually tried to get her into the different class this week but the director didn't call me back until after that class had already met, so we couldn't set it up. She's very upbeat about going tomorrow...we'll see. Several people have offered their encouragement and words of wisdom which have been very helpful! Can you imagine!, so much drama over a preschool ballet class! Who'd have thought.

Another soccer tournament this weekend! Every three day weekend since Memorial Day we've had a soccer tournament. We never have to wonder how we'll keep busy... The weather is supposed to be perfect and it's close to home so it'll be fun. Ed's dad is coming down. It'll be nice having him here to see Katie play.

Here's a funny mind tricker I got via e-mail. Sit down and hold your right foot in the air moving your foot in a clockwise direction. At the same time, draw a number six in the air with your right hand. Go ahead, try it... Can't do it can you. Let me guess, your foot automatically changes direction! It's impossible, not to mention pretty funny! Try it again, and again, and again, and have a great day!