Vacation Slideshow

Go ahead and get your groans out now folks because you've just tuned in to the first of what could be many posts about the Brock Family Vacation, 2010. Let the eye rolling and snores commence!

Last summer was Maddy's first home so this was the first time all four of us were taking to the open road in pursuit of fun, scenery and relaxation. We thought a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone would be a perfect way to introduce the girls to road tripping. And who doesn't want to drive close to 2000 miles round trip with a five-year-old and 19-month-old?

Safely buckled...

...and pacified in the Swagger Wagon for the first leg of the trip. Mapquest told us it would take 7 1/2 hours to drive from Seattle to Missoula, Montana. Mapquest lied. They clearly did not figure in the numerous bathroom and meal stops needed when toting two little girls. We finally arrived after our 10-hour car ride with our two troopers who really did amazingly well. Luckily we'd arranged to stay at a hotel with an indoor water park so there would be a big fun reward at the end of the day! Vacation just shouldn't be synonymous with "strapped in a car seat".Isabelle was in heaven. This was her first water park and after trying out the kiddie slide she bravely rode down the huge one numerous times with Mommy and Daddy. Madeleine did too! They loved it so much we booked another night's stay there for our return trip.

Maddy says: "This vacation stuff is pretty awesome. I'm ready to go on day two!" We knew we had about 8 hours of driving ahead of us to get to our resort outside of Jackson Hole so we planned accordingly...

...with frequent breaks. Has anyone else out there experienced the phenomenon of vacation ice cream? I don't usually eat ice cream but somehow when on vacation I must have it - especially freshly-made from an Idaho dairy!

After another long day of driving that included a ride through a powerful electrical storm in the middle of nowhere we finally made it to Teton Springs Lodge and Spa. It was a fantastic resort nestled in the Teton Valley at the base of the Teton Mountain Range. We had a beautiful view of the mountains and golf course out our window and we were really well taken care of by the staff. Here's Isabelle to give you a tour of our suite. She has a new pose you'll be seeing frequently. Embrace it, love it, because it's here to stay.

Isabelle is standing outside our room right in front of her hideaway bed. She thought it was so cool that a bed could pull out of a wall. Maddy had her own little crib to sleep in by the window.

Posing in the girls' bathroom.

"So glad we're here!"

After donning fresh outfits it was a race to dinner!

Isabelle seems to be saying, "This vacation stuff is hard work! When do I get a break?"

After all that traveling it was so wonderful to unpack and get settled for the week ahead. Our adventure had only just begun!

A Few Weeks Ago...

...it was Isabelle's fifth birthday! On June 15th Isabelle finally (according to her) turned five. If you ask me, it came way too fast. While I really love throwing parties at home, since we'd only been in our new house for a few days, I was glad I'd reserved a spot at Color Me Mine, a paint-your-own-pottery shop. It was nice and quiet and the best part was that there was no clean-up! We just showed up with our treat bags and food and they did the rest!

Before we get to the real birthday pics., here's one of the cupcakes Isabelle brought to school for her pretend birthday. I got the idea from one of my magazines and was so excited to find lollipops in the shape of actual flowers! Thank you Michael's Crafts!

The invite.

Isabelle posing with the gift bundles we made.

Treats!

Maddy was ready to par-tay!

Isabelle with her best friend Laney and Laney's big sister Emersyn. If you're wondering why all the girls are wearing make-up it's because they came straight from ballet pictures. We really don't put lipstick and mascara on our children everyday. :)

Pottery selection begins.

Time for a break to play Ring Around the Rosie.

Maddy loved getting in on this action!

Isabelle got to take home a commemorative plate with her hand print in the middle. Each of her friends stamped their thumbprint which were later turned into butterflies with their names. Too cute!

There was even time for painting on bracelets.

Yay for jewelry! - Even the smeary kind.

We're heading out tomorrow for our big road trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. Stay tuned for Isabelle's ballet recital and vacation pictures. And, if you're so inclined, send some good thoughts our way. We are taking on a 14-hour road trip with a very opinionated, needs her own way right now, 19-month-old. Yikes!

We're In!

Last Monday night we finally moved into our new house. Yeah! We'll probably be unpacking for the next three months or so but we're here and loving it!

In the last week we've:

• installed our phone, internet and cable service (did you know the time frame the phone company gives you is "anytime between 8 A.M. and 5 P.M."? Sure, I've got a day in the middle of the week to sit around doing nothing - doesn't everyone?)
• had new appliances delivered
• had the carpets cleaned
• shuttled Isabelle in full costume, make-up and hair to two photo shoots for dance
• had Isabelle's birthday party (I'll post pictures soon!)
• completed all my report cards just in the nick of time - whew!
• started a list of all the items that are damaged and missing from the move. So far the list consists of: one broken dresser (both back legs broken off), two missing computer speakers, one webcam, one well-loved and frequently used baking stone.

Even with all the work and hassle it has been to get into our new home it is so worth it for my girls to be able to run and play in a backyard and have their own space to play in the house. We are so lucky!

Grooming, not Moving

The good news is that we closed on our old house yesterday as planned! The bad news is that because someone made a big mistake and didn't push the button at the right time we didn't close on our new house, beginning a series of catastrophic events. Hmmmm, I guess "Lost" is rooted in fact. We are now temporarily homeless, relying on the kindness of strangers, and stuck with no toys and no clean clothes in a hotel until at least Monday at noon when we will once again be trusting that someone else pushes a button at the correct time. Because of the big mistake our moving bill has doubled and we're having to eat out at every meal. Believe me people, as fun as it sounds, it gets old fast.

Since staying within the confines of a tiny box of a hotel suite for 48 hours straight is not an option we're keeping busy this weekend by getting pedicures (Isabelle and Aubrey), having our hair cut (Isabelle) and shopping for new hair products (Madeleine).

I sure wish I had some pictures to share but sadly the camera is packed away. Everybody keep your fingers crossed that Desmond does his job Monday morning and the button is pushed!

New Skills

Madeleine has a new fascination with the toilet. She's in the bathroom ALL THE TIME! (And, let me tell you, the word "privacy" is certainly not in her vocabulary.) She spends so much time in the loo I decided to let her try out Isabelle's old potty seat. She thinks it's grand. Nice and comfy, great view, and toilet paper within easy reach. I know she's only 18 months old but why not try a little potty training?

Here she is on her new throne! How fun she thinks it is to run through the house shouting, "Potty! Potty! Potty!"

We've even had several successful, well...you know. :)
But, just when we think Mensa will be calling our little genius any day now she goes and does something like this:

No, her big sister didn't do this to her this time. Maddy saw the recycle basket, contemplated removing all the paper and then proceeded to put the basket on her head. This kept her entertained for a good half hour. Einstein did this too, right?

What?!

We actually sold our house! It took almost three years (if you count the stop in the middle to adopt Madeleine), one failed offer and practically giving our current house away but it's finally happened. Now, I am being cautiously optimistic because deals can always fall through at the last minute but hopefully on June 4th we'll sign papers on our brand new home! We are so excited to possibly, hopefully, maybe be moving into a neighborhood we've wanted to live in for a long time and we are definitely ready to bid adieu to the teenage hooligans we're surrounded by now.

This is it! We're almost doubling the size of our current house so there will even be room for visitors to stay without kicking Isabelle out of her room. We really wanted to be settled somewhere before Isabelle started kindergarten and we're coming in just under the wire. The house has everything we wanted including a bonus room to do bonusy-type things in.

One of the biggest reasons we wanted to move was so the girls would have a backyard to play in. We have a play set in our backyard now but there is absolutely no room to do anything else. There's also practically no front yard and our street really isn't safe enough to ride bikes. Now we'll have 1/2 acre and a nice quiet cul-de-sac to play on!

Just visiting the house was fun for Isabelle the day we made the offer. Yes, that is a fire pit so we are camp-out ready!

Anyone up for a relay race?

I hope I haven't jinxed us by announcing our news. Everybody please keep your fingers and toes crossed that we actually close on this house! We would feel so lucky to actually have everything work out this time.

P.S. I do have one dirty little secret. Shhhh. Don't tell Jason! Our house has been on the market for nine months straight this time around. That means every night we clean the house before going to bed and every morning beds need to be made and breakfast dishes washed before running out of the house to work and school. We're usually pretty tidy but to never even leave a scrap of paper out has been a bit challenging with two wee ones. Now that the house has sold we don't really need to do this anymore but Jason doesn't realize that yet and I think I'll bide my time before I tell him. It's really been nice to never have to beg him to put his dirty socks away! I know, I'm a terrible person. Boo to me.

A Day Out

A few weeks ago we were so excited to see my friend Brenda perform with the Seattle Women's Chorus at their FREE children's concert. We'd been trying all season to get out and see one of their shows but we kept having scheduling conflicts. It was worth the wait though because we were able to see the men and women perform, as well as children from Village Theatre's Kidstage.

It was Madeleine's first theater experience and she loved it!
However, we did need to remind her that public exhibitionism is really a no-no - even though we do live in Seattle.

Isabelle always likes to people watch from the balcony of McCaw Hall.

After the show we took the girls out for dinner to one of their favorite restaurants - The Spaghetti Factory!

Madeleine took her time perusing the menu...

...and Isabelle gobbled up every bite.

Why is The Spaghetti Factory such a favorite? Every meal comes with ice cream of course!