First Stop - My Uncle Andrew and Aunty Judy's

So on day one once we had arrived we went and picked up our rental car. The first thing we tried to do was get my dads GPS to work. He had said it could take some time to find itself since last time it knew it was in Utah. So we waited .. and waited some more .. nothing. So we had to resort to MapQuest printouts that Mum had brought. This wouldn't have been so terrible except that they were maps from the airport, we were now at the off-site car rental place. Needless to say we ended up following directions back to the airport and THEN following MapQuest directions. And even that having been said it wasn't as easy as it sounded. We took a couple wrong turns that took us several miles out of our way. Unfortunately with the English roads you can go LONG periods of time between exits. Finally we made it to my Uncle Andrew and Aunty Judy's house in Petworth. They have a really pretty house with a rather large and somewhat traditional "garden". We were to stay there for the next three nights so it was nice to settle in somewhere. We didn't do too much upon our arrival than just sit and visit, it was nice and relaxing. I managed to stay awake until about 9pm, which was pretty good considering how long I had been awake! Did I mention that Wyland slept the ENTIRE way here? Literally the entire way. I do believe he was asleep before the plane actually took off and then didn't wake up until we were at the car rental place. What a GOOD boy!

Woodlea

The Garden

Aunty Judy and Mum

Uncle Andrew (my dad's bro) and Wyland

Enroute to England

We decided it would be a good idea for Jeramie to take Baylee and Jackson out before Wyland and I actually left for the airport. We were at this point downplaying my departure. The night before when I got the suitcases out to pack them Jackson got very upset with the idea that I would be leaving. It was kind of disturbing and funny all at the same time. He told me that I couldn’t go because I would get hurt. He said I would crash, and hurt my leg, bonk my head, and get hurt so “you can’t go Mom”. He went into great depth about how I shouldn’t go and why. So we decided that it wouldn’t be a good idea for him to be home when we actually were picked up to leave with the suitcases. Jeramie took them to his mom’s house. This worked out really well because Jackson said goodbye like he would see me again in just a couple hours. Gave me a nice hug and kiss without getting upset. Baylee was an absolute sport about me leaving. She was completely prepared for staying home with Jeramie and the fact that both myself and her Grandma were going to be gone. So we were officially off to the airport. My dad stopped by and picked myself and Wyland up. When we got there it was quite a trick to get all four suitcases as well as four carry on bags, Wyland and his stroller all inside .. oh and the carseat too. So we finally get inside and in line. We plug all the required information into the kiosk and it tells us it can’t complete our check in. So at this point I go and stand near where the ONE lady working the kiosk counter of at LEAST 6-8 stations. This lady then proceeds to help 2 separate groups of people that were there AFTER we were. So this point we’re starting to get a little irritated. Finally she comes over to help us and she tells us not to worry that this will be really quick. So she goes through the same process that we just did and tells us the problem is that Wyland doesn’t have a ticket. Well Wyland was on our itinerary and the United Airlines phone people had said we just picked up the ticket when we got here. Needless to say we then had to go over and stand in ANOTHER line. There was another lady that then proceeded to help another man that hadn’t been waiting as long which of course added the ongoing frustration. It’s a good thing we showed up 2 hours early. So finally it’s our turn and instead of stepping over to the counter that we were waiting the lady just stands there and waits for us to move to the counter she’s standing at. Which of course isn’t just moving us, it’s moving all of our luggage too. We are clearly not off to a good start. So this lady starts off by just being downright snotty with us and says that we should show up to the airport with all of our travel documents prepared, otherwise we need to be patient (like an hour in the other line wasn’t patient enough). So she has to call into the reservation center and is put on eternal hold. The entire time not really telling us what’s going on, so my mum says to her “Is there a problem?” She then starts to practically YELL at us!!! Which her raised voice attracts the attention of the original lady (who was also rude), she says to her, “Do we need to call the police over?!!” Umm .. are you serious??? Call the police on your customers who asked if there is some sort of problem? Needless to say I was completed at a loss for words that United Airlines would actually treat their CUSTOMERS like this! So about twenty minutes later we were finally on our way through security. After arriving at the airport 2 hours early we literally had time to get a cup of coffee at Starbucks and then walked straight onto the plane. Just RUDE RUDE people. Who threatened to call the police on my mum and I. Like really? What were we going to do to this woman that she needed to call the police? INSANE!! So off to Denver airport we went.

Wyland waiting at the gate.

I thought this was funny that they could just pop out the window out the front of the plane in order to clean it prior to departure.

Wyland on his first airplane!

Wyland sleeping within minutes of getting on.

Getting Ready to Go

I was lucky enough to be invited to join my mum on a trip to England. Originally my brother Evan was supposed to be meeting her there but then his big European vacation fell through. So Mum was looking for a travel buddy. So off I went. It wasn’t without major preparation. Both my green card and my passport were coming up for renewal. The tricky part was that I had to change my last name on them both which meant that both agencies wanted to see the original copy of my marriage certificate. Even that isn’t that simple either. Since Jeramie and I got married in the Bahamas our marriage certificate is obviously from there. So this means that it’s different than what they are used to seeing. So I had to wait for my green card appointment, which meant I couldn’t send off for the passport. When I went for to the Naturalization office they didn’t like my marriage certificate, fortunately I had my marriage license as well. Even though that didn’t actually indicate that we got married, it just said that we were planning to (well that was enough for them I suppose). As soon as I had been to my green card appointment I dropped the passport renewal application in the mail. Then the clock started ticking. I had obtained Wyland’s without a problem. So two weeks before we were scheduled to leave I got an email from the British Embassy telling me that my pictures were declined because my teeth were showing!!! Of all things?? Well after recounting this story multiple times up until I left it turns out that there are actually three US states that are going with this new methodology. It makes it so that the passport or drivers license pictures work with photo recognition software. So back to Costco I went for new pictures were I wasn’t smiling or frowning, etc. Long story short, I got my passport literally three days before we left!! And so the next chapter begins.

Bathroom Improvements

So I've been wanting to redecorate our bathroom since we moved in. This is the half bath on the main level (so it's the one that most visitors see). It was this really dark orange paint with a black door. So even when the light was on in there it was just this really dark and small room. When we moved into the house we repainted all of the upstairs bedrooms before moving in, so this wasn't our very first experience with this type of home improvement. However this was our first solo attempt. When we moved in my parents were there to walk us through it and work along side us. We started with ripping out the door and door frame. It needed to be replaced because it was slightly warped. My dad came over to help Jeramie take out the old door frame and put in the new one, as well as help us with the trim around the door. Other than that we were on our own. Together we painted and put up the wall paper border. Jeramie then replaced the ceiling fan that was above the toilet with a new fan that also had a light, so this added some more light into the small room. We also replaced all of the fixtures in there except for the lights above the sink. I must say we are VERY proud of the finished product. Jeramie keeps telling me that I have great taste in bathroom decorating. Frankly I think it's decorating in general, but he limits me to the bathroom at this time. So check it out ...

Jackson helping us spackle the holes in the walls.

He didn't understand why he wasn't allowed to paint like us.

So this would be standing in the doorway.

Already you can tell the difference that the new light with the fan makes.

So a couple more things to note here. We replaced the mirror with this REALLY cute one that hangs on a ribbon. We also replaced the faucets on the sink, with nice nickle ones. Then below is a close up on the border. It is London, Paris, Italy, and New York. I loved it. I basically bought the border and then picked paint to match.

All in all I think it turned out really nice. Next we will be moving on the the kitchen. Although we really can't afford to do all that we would like to do to our kitchen and dining room right now, we definitely think that we can make some improvements. At least make it prettier than it is now.

Day Out with Thomas

My mum, my brother Mike and I took all the kids to see Thomas the Tank Engine at Heber this weekend. It was a lot of fun. We went last year and Jackson had a good time. This year I'm actually surprised that he seemed to enjoy it even more. I say I'm surprised because I don't think he actually plays with his trains as much as he used to. But he seemed to enjoy the different activities this year. You should have seen us trying to get organized and out the door. My mum had packed a picnic lunch for everybody and Mike was driving us all up there in the "Monster Truck". Well when we got up that morning it was literally dumping with rain. Jeramie wasn't very optimistic that it would clear up and he was headed up to the lake with my Dad and Evan to go fishing. A more age appropriate activity for Jonathan and J'Von, as well as some "necessary" 2 on 1 time with Jeramie. So here we were trying to load all the kids and car seats in the monster IN THE RAIN. Luckily I had my waterproof jacket on, which did prove to be waterproof (good to know before my upcoming trip). So eventually we were all loaded and on the road. The kids enjoyed watching Incredible Hulk on the way up there and kept relatively quiet (mental note to self .. get some of those strap on the back of the seat DVD screens with player before summer). As soon as we passed the lake the rain practically stopped. We lucked out and didn't get rained on the entire time we were there! The kids had a blast.

Zarley, Jackson, Owen, Baylee, Wyland, Xavier

All the kids ready to ride the train.
My little cherubs.

Wyland REALLY seemed to enjoy the train ride.

Mr. Train Conductor

Baylee really liked him.

Our picnic lunch (thanks MUM!)

Jackson had a lot of fun playing with the train sets.

Baylee was a "helper" in the magic show.

Wyland and his toothy grin.

Good 'ole Thomas

Jackson's Car Collection

So basically I have this awful habit of going overboard when one of my kids decides that they like something. I think that Jackson has just about every Thomas the Tank Engine train out there. When he moved on from Thomas it was the Disney Cars, which aren't quite the same. There isn't nearly as many and unfortunately they don't display the name on the bottom (so I can never remember them). When it comes to the trains Jackson pretty much knows every single one of them by heart. It's amazing and he's known a lot of them for over a year now. I guess the good thing is that Wyland will grow into these toys as well. Also this is the fun age where Jackson and Wyland are sometimes starting to play together a little. Not so much actually pretending together but they'll sit next to each other and Wyland will chew on Jackson's toys while he plays. So SORT of playing together.

Jackson proud of his car collection.

Jackson's Last Birthday Party of the Year

We celebrated Jackson's birthday for the last time with my family on Mother's Day. It was an action packed day. We had a lot to do that day. We were up bright and early that morning to meet my family for brunch. This was another accomplishment that we've obtained this year. We are now able to take Jackson out to restaurants again. There was a good two year period where we just couldn't. He was so bad all the time. So just in the last 2 months we've had several good experiences in restaurants that we may now be joining the eating out folks more often. It's definitely something that we've missed. I think however our days are numbered because Wyland will be closely approaching that stage. So we'll make the most of it while it lasts. Jackson also missed out on about a years worth of shopping trips because he refused to sit in the shopping cart and I just didn't have the energy to chase him around the store every time we went. He is now allowed to come shopping as well. So it's been a big couple of months for him. So anyway back to where I began. We met my family for brunch to celebrate Mother's Day. It was a nice brunch, everybody ate too much. Wyland pulled over one glass of water, other than that the kids mostly behaved. After brunch Jeramie went home with my dad to our house to work on the bathroom. He and my dad had pulled out a door frame and replaced it, we needed my dad's help and his saw to put the trim up. Since Dad was heading out of town that week we needed to get the help while we could. I took the kids shopping with me while I picked up some groceries for the week. Then it was a mad rush home and quickly put away the groceries and headed over to Jeramie's family to wish his mom and Grandma a Happy Mothers Day. We gave Robie a digital picture frame. Which I think she liked. However, I'm a slacker because I haven't put pictures on it yet. One of the many things I'm trying to get too but have been distracted with birthday preparations as well as bathroom redecorating, etc. It's on my list as we speak. I have one for myself that I'm trying to do as well, so I'm doing them consecutively. So after a visit with Jerm's family we headed up to my parents house. There we celebrated my sister in laws birthday (which happens to be the same day as Jackson), then Mother's Day, and then the MAIN event, Jackson's birthday. (I TOLD you it was an action packed day!!). Here are some pictures from throughout the day.

Wyland hanging out with Grandma in my parents backyard. Which I have to say their yard is something to aspire to. It's huge and well maintained, has a giant deck and a pond. So much work, but it's gorgeous and I would love to say we'll have on like it one day.

Wyland really likes my mum's dog Polly. Here she landed one spot on!! GROSS!

Here's Baylee supervising Jackson opening his presents.

He had some help with his candles.

Jackson loved his new Batman car that my parents got him.

And there you have it. The weekend long celebration of Jackson's birthday. He was a very lucky boy and we thank everybody that joined us in celebrating his 3rd birthday.

Jackson's Party with the Kramer/Flores Families

On the evening of Jackson's actual birthday we hosted a BBQ at our house. My parents were going to the Eagles concert that night so we had to wait until the next day to celebrate with them. Jackson had spent the entire week saying it WASN'T his birthday coming. I don't think that he really understood that this was a good thing. So we ended up with more people that we had expected and he was such a good boy, waiting patiently to open his presents. Every now and then he would come and ask me if it were time yet. I would have to tell him no, but soon. Then finally it was TIME!

Waiting to open his presents.

Let the festivities begin!
His new spiderman bike from mom and dad.

Birthday hug from Great Grandpa Flores

Birthday hug from Aunt Gelasia

In the end Jackson had a fantastic day. He was a very lucky boy. He got some new Disney Cars, a couple outfits, some Batmans, a Hulk. Plus the new bike. He has such great manners too, he said thank you to everyone.

Here's my first attempt at a video upload. This was actually the second time we sang to him, he loved it so much the first time we had to do it again. If you listen carefully you will notice that Jackson is singing along and instead of "Happy Birthday to you" he keeps saying, "Happy Birthday to Jackson". So CUTE!

Jackson's Birthday Party

For Jackson's 3rd Birthday party we took him and his cousins to The Farm. We'd been there once before and it was pretty fun. They offered all types of party packages but wanted like $150 for basically the same thing we could walk through and do. So we had a do it yourself party. It wasn't really a big birthday party, more like a get together to do something fun just for the kids. Jackson's favorite friend is his cousin Owen. But I'm sure if you read my blog all that often you probably already know that from the many pictures of them together.

Jackson and Owen checking out the cows.
Jackson giving the donkey just ONE piece of cornmeal.
Wyland just along for the ride in his stroller.

Who's weird husband is that??
Jackson in the forefront and Owen in the background. Jackson to my surprise really enjoyed the pony ride. He's usually such a scaredy cat that I didn't think he would like it at all. In fact it was the complete opposite. Owen in the background was the one that hated it!

Wyland really got a kick out of being on Jeramie's shoulders. So cute!

Baylee taking care of her baby brother.

Xavier got a hold of one of the big kids Popsicles and just went to TOWN.

Jackson Turns 3!!

I just can't believe how quickly he is growing up! Here's three years of pictures. This year he has continued to amaze us all the time. We weren't sure that he would potty train before his third birthday but he did. Some of his favorite things this year were the same as last and then there were some news ones. He continues to enjoy Disney Cars, Thomas the Tank Engine (and that's TANK engine, not train! Blows me away that everyone says it wrong!), those are some of the same from last year. This year we added action figures, Spiderman, Batman, and the Hulk. So we have incorporated many super hero movies into the mix. He continues to LOVE my hair (such a weird obsession). We got rid of the binky for the most part before Wyland arrived but he still LOVES his bottle. That's our next big hurdle. The biggest thing that changed in his life this year was having a little brother. It was rough for the first couple months and he was very emotional. Now that Wyland is crawling he wants to play with him all the time. I totally love watching them play together and am so excited to see the brotherly friendship develop and grow.

What's ahead for us this year? Dropping the bottle all together. I'm trying to convince him to give them all to Wyland. Plus he will start pre-school this year. Hopefully learn to ride the bike that he got for his birthday. Maybe spending some more time on the tube when we're boating. I can't wait to see all the new things he will learn this year! Happy birthday baby!!!

Jackson at birth.Age 1

Age 2

Age 3

ABC's of Me

A - Age: 34 -- I must say that turning 35 is harder than turning 30 was. It's close to 40 which is like half a lifetime!

B - Bed size: Queen -- And I must say I LOVE my bed.

C - Chore you hate: I would have to say laundry because with 3 kids it seems never ending.

D – Dessert: Chocolate cake!! I'm such a sucker for cake and ice cream.

E - Essential start your day item: Definitely my toothbrush. It is without a doubt the first thing I do in the morning, I hate morning mouth. A big travel mug of tea is a close second though.

F - Favorite color: Red, always has been.

H - Height: 5'4 3/4" .. so almost 5'5" Everybody always seems to think I'm taller though.

I - Instruments you play(ed): Clarinet and drums. Good times! It's been awhile though. I would like to learn to play the guitar though.

J - Job title: Manager of Customer Advocacy. I have to say the idea of working in Customer Service was exciting to me, the thought of "helping" people all day long. I've decided now though that it's a very negative environment which is hard for me to swallow. All day long people complain and are mean and if anything goes wrong it has to be Customer Services fault because we interact with the customer. PLUS, everyone seems to think that they are doing ME a favor when a customer needs something. They all seem to forget where their paycheck comes from!!

L - Living arrangements: A decent little 2 story house. I didn't love it at first but in these economic times I've learned to be more grateful.

M- Mom's Name: Sharon

N - Nicknames: Every now and then "Kerr" but that's pretty much it. My dad used to call me Keredwin when I was little, but that was a LONG time ago.

O - Overnight hospital stay: Having all of my babies. That's it. I feel lucky in that respect.

P - Pet Peeve: Ignorant people. Mean people. Unkind people. Rude people. Unappreciative people. People who are always victims. The phrase, "I don't care" (everybody cares!!), "I don't mind" would be different, but to say you don't CARE about something? I could go on.

Q - Quote from a movie: I can't remember exactly, but in The Wedding Date at one point the guy Dermont Mulroney (sp?) says something like, To the Men who've lost you, the something something, and the men who will never know. I TOTALLY can't remember but I remember loving it! Now you'll have to go watch the movie!

R - Right or left handed: Right.

S - Siblings: 2 brothers whom I adore.

T - Time you wake up: 7am (and even that's too early)

U- Underarm deodorant?: Um .. of course!

W - Ways you run late: Baylee often makes me late. The girl marches to her own beat.

X - X-rays you've had: I don't remember the last x ray I had.

Y - Yummy food you make: III think I make a mean lasagna. It takes HOURS.

Z - Zoo animal: I think I like the elephants and giraffes, they're just SO big!