We were all up bright and early and back on the road by 6am today, it was a long drive made even longer due to my back. Seeing as I was going to be doing some of the driving I couldn’t take any of the muscle relaxers Mom gave me. Thankfully Melissa was able to do some driving and I was able to rest a bit and change my position to relax my back. Kylie, as usual, was completely great during the drive, she played with her Leapster and did other activities she brought with her. We made numerous stops to stretch out my back and get fuel and eat, we made it home about 7:30 though, so, we still made really good time. We unloaded the truck and took 3 bins out of the trailer, but that was all my back could handle for now so we will need to finish unloading the rest tomorrow.
Monthly Archives: August 2010
An Extra Playdate
Today I needed to go pick up the U-haul trailer we need to bring everything back home, unfortunately the nearest one was up in Albany. So Kylie wouldn’t have to be bored during this errand (Nana, Melissa, and I were all going up to Albany) we dropped her off at Aunt Wendy’s so she could play with Tyler. When we came back they were playing outside in the yard and having a blast, I even tossed a couple of balls to each of them so they could take turns batting, and I must say both of them were great at it. Afterward we went back to Nana’s where Uncle Sonny and Cousin Alex were nice enough to load the love-seat Nana was giving us and my 6 tubs of stuff into the trailer for me so I wouldn’t have to worry about my back. It’s amazing how fast these couple of days went by, tomorrow is going to be a very long drive, especially for me.
There Goes The Back
Well, today was the day that was supposed to be equal parts fun and work for me, but it turned in to almost all pain. It started out well and as planned, I started going threw the stuff i still have at Mom’s to decide what I was bringing home and what I was getting rid of, turned out there was more than I thought there was. I thought everything went fine, even got rid of some things that I realized I didn’t need, then I jumped in the shower to clean up for the family picnic and when I reached to adjust the shower head my back went out. Apparently I moved something wrong and that last reach for the shower head was all it took. How awesome is that? Second day of my vacation and now I’m in a lot of pain. Oh well. Pushed threw to the family picnic, it went really well and it was great to see everyone again. After the picnic we took Kylie and Tyler to the playground, watching them run around and play was great!
Uncle Sonny’s Camp
We weren’t sure if we were going to be able to pull this one off due to the shortness of our visit, but man am I glad we did! Because we arrived earlier than planned we were able to go up to Uncle Sonny’s camp ground tonight and listen to some live music, sit by a fire, and spend time with a lot of family and really nice people. This is the second time that Daddy and Melissa have been up to camp, having come out briefly last year for another event, and I have to admit that if I lived out here I would be spending a lot of time up at camp with everyone! Kylie was playing with her cousin Shauna for a while but then found some new friends closer to her own age to play with, she really does make friends quickly! It was actually really kind of cute, one second Shauna and her boyfriend Mike were playing with Kylie, the next they were sitting on a piece of play ground equipment while Kylie was off playing with other kids. Then all of a sudden Shauna and Mike were back, and Kylie was still playing with the kids, I looked at Shauna and she said “Kylie said I could go now because she was playing with her friends.” It was a great night and I really wish we could do it more often, living so far away does tend to make some of life’s little joys much more difficult.
We’re Here
Turns out the Inn had a free breakfast in their lobby, so we were able to eat there this morning before getting back on the road. It was the type of breakfast you would expect from an Inn; donuts, cereal, toast, juice, coffee, etc. It was enough, however, to ensure we had something in us and could start right out on the road. We just missed my goal of 7am but only slightly and only because when I tried to check us out there was only one clerk working and he was getting a family from Germany checked in. Even so we were still on the road by 7:30 with no rushing or issues, so it was a good start.
We go to Mom’s (Nana’s) apartment about at 2pm, we would have been there a bit sooner but I stopped first at the cemetery so Kylie could see where Papa King was buried. I explained to her that this was a monument where we could come to visit Papa King’s name and remember him. When she gets older I will further explain about cemeteries, but at the time I did not want to try to explain all of that. In any event was a very solemn moment and Kylie asked if any of her other family was here, so I should her Great Grandpa’s and Cousin Darrin’s markers as well. She got very sad and said she missed her family, so at the point I felt it was time for us to go on to happy places.
When we got to Nana’s Kylie was very excited to see her and Great Nan and everyone else she knew she was going to get to see. When Nana opened the door the happiness, joy, and excitement made the long trip and the tinge of sadness more than worth it!
Start Your Engines
Our NY trip began a day earlier than planned as we decided to leave tonight as opposed to waiting until tomorrow morning. We are already packed and ready so leaving tonight and getting a hotel and an early start tomorrow means getting there earlier and spending more time with the family. Seeing as this is going to be a very short trip anyway, the more time we get to see everyone the better. The plain was to get a hotel out near Buffalo, making half of the trip today and the rest tomorrow. Kylie is very excited about spending the night in a hotel and can’t wait to get there. We ended up staying at a Rodeway Inn just east of Buffalo getting there at about 11:30pm (6.5 hours into the trip) and it wasn’t bad for the price ($80) but I have definitely stayed in better, then again I have also seen much worse! Tomorrow I hope to be back on the road by 7am.
Eye Doctor Results
Mommy took Kylie to the eye doctor today and it turns out that she will need glasses. The optometrist said that Kylie is +4 farsighted (difficulty in seeing things that are nearby) and so she will need glasses. When Mommy told me this information I was very upset. I had to start wearing glasses when I was young for the same reason, and I remember being picked on a lot growing up because of the magnifying effect the glasses had on my eyes. After speaking with Mommy though I don’t think Kylie will have the same issues I did; Kylie is much more outgoing than I was and her personality is very loving and kind, additionally Kylie seems to make friends very easily, so I am sure she will be fine. Kylie, on the other hand, was very excited today because she got to pick out two pairs of frames for her new glasses, and as usual, she is very stylish! Now we just have to wait a while for them to come in.
Kindergarten Prep
Today we took Kylie to the doctor for her 5 year and pre-kindergarten check up. As of today she is 43.5 inches (3 feet 6 inches) tall and in the 50th percentile for height, she grew 2 inches from last year; she currently weighs 48 lbs and is in the 90th percentile for weight. Today they also checked her blood pressure and that was 92/50, which they told us was good. She received 2 shots today as well, her last MMR and last chickenpox, which are required for kindergarten. Overall everything checks out perfectly normal, however they did suggest that we take her in to an optometrist to have her eyes checked as it appears she is having some issues. Mommy has had a suspension that she may need to have them looked at because Kylie appears to have trouble reading her sheet music for her violin. We will get that looked at as soon as possible and hope everything is fine.
Last Day of Summer Ballet
Today was the last day of Kylie’s summer ballet class, and continuing with the schools policy, we were allowed to come into the room a few minutes before the end of class and see what they have learned so far. During this session of her class they learned fifth position and how to tie it in with all of the rest of the moves they have already learned in previous sessions. I am really looking forward to see her next recital in the spring. I am sure they are going to learn something new in the next session of her class and seeing everything come together is amazing. Some pictures of her and her class can be seen here, additionally a video of the end of class can be seen on the video page.