Our Fall Break Staycation

For some crazy reason, the powers that be in AZ think it is a good idea to have a week off of school for Fall Break.  Actually, I don't mind it at all, except that AZ decided to bring back the 100 degree temperatures, which really wasn't all that nice! 

Feeling like I've travelled a little too much lately, I decided we would stay home this week and just have fun here.

The first Saturday, we headed to Red Mountain park, because that day was GORGEOUS!!  It was about 80, and we had fun playing there.

Savannah, cousin Hannah, and Addi. Conner was running around somewhere else.

Now, one of the hazards of being an aerobics instructor who teaches at 3 different gyms, and being in town while we don't have school is that everyone wants you to teach their classes for them!  And me being the can't say no kinda girl, I did.  I was able to rack up 4 classes on Monday, 4 on Tuesday, 1 on Wednesday, plus a tennis match, 1 on Thursday plus a tennis match, and 4 on Friday.  Saturday (today) I didn't teach at all, so I enjoyed a nice 5 mile run instead! :)

On top of that, I had the opportunity of leading a 1 minute jumping jack bonanza (?) at the rec center.  As part of the Michelle Obama get moving thing, someone somewhere was trying to break a jumping jack record by having the most people do jumping jacks for 1 minute straight.  Places all over the US were doing it, and joining their numbers to try to break the record.  Anyway, Kayla brought my kids over and they all participated and had fun doing that.  I'm sure that 1 minute of jumping jacks burned at least 1/8th of an Oreo!

The kids at the Jumping Jack thing.  We even got Kayla to get out and do it, and SHE ended up on the news! 

After the jacks, my little billy goat Savannah wanted to climb the rock wall at the Rec Center, so she took off up that a few times.  The kid can climb so fast.  I guess that's what happens when you weigh all of 50 lbs? 

 We also enjoyed Addi's little dance performance at her class.  She takes a combo tap/jazz/ballet class.  It was so dang cute to watch all the girls lined up and dancing there - except for her.  She was doing her own variation of the dances almost the whole time.  Hilarious!  I'll tell myself she is too young for me to write off her dancing career yet.

PS on Addison - this Wednesday she gets surgery on her "tail".  Her herniated belly button.  Little sweetie won't have people asking her anymore, "What happened to your belly button?" or "Why do you have a tail coming out of your belly button?"

We also discovered this week that Savannah is one heck of a foot massager!  Geez my whole body was hurting this week (I wonder why?) and Savannah gave me a great foot massage!  I LOVE having my feet rubbed and tickled.  Is that weird?

Friday we went bowling.  I made the mistake of letting the kids talk me into pre-paying for 2 games.  I KNEW they wouldn't last that long!  By the 3rd frame of the second game, they were all over doing the video games and playing those claw games to grab candy, etc.  I was hanging out at the lane bowling for them half the time.  Can I say bowling when your legs are SUPER sore isn't very fun????  Yikes!

I also was reminded yet again that I will probably never be a professional bowler, as my highest score was 104 ...... with the bumpers up!!!!  AAA!  Actually, I did get 3 strikes and 1 spare in one game, but really, it was quite pitiful.  I'll blame it on the sore legs. :)

Libby, Savannah and Conner 

Finally, today was super exciting because Savannah scored her first goal this year in soccer!!  Conner and Savannah had their games at the same time, so I was sitting in the middle of them looking back and forth. (Thank heaven they were relatively close to each other!).  I just happened to walk over to get a better look at Savannah's field, just in time to see her get the pass from a teammate, dribble forward a bit, and do a cool kick on an angle right into the goal!  I was so excited I'm sure everyone wondered who the crazy screaming lady on the hill between the two fields was.  

It is so fun to watch your kids do something and be good at it, isn't it?

Finally, I painted the master bathroom today.  It is amazing what changing white walls to tan does to a bathroom isn't it?  The photographer comes Monday to take pictures of the house.  We'll put it on the market this week, and pray that it sells.  I need one more bedroom and one more bathroom.  And a neighborhood with kids instead of all old people.  

So there's the update!

Playing some more catch up.

I haven't blogged for a little while.  I guess I've been a little busy, and there's not a ton of blog-worthy material to put on here!  Guess the kids are staying out of too much trouble, or I'm just running everywhere, and my mind is everywhere else and I'm not thinking of the blog!  

Tonight, though, I find myself home alone with all the kids.  Lane is in Austin visiting our good friend Troy.  I've decided he isn't allowed to go out of town on the weekends.  They are very long and kinda lonely!  So, I went through my pictures and found some updates to put on here for our posterity, though nothing is really earth shattering, nor super funny!  So here goes:

We took the whole family to the last regular season Diamondbacks game.  Everyone was decked out in their Dbacks attire, and dad couldn't have been happier.  Conner was not quite so thrilled.  Funny that he loves to go to the games, but this night I guess he wasn't in the best mood.  He kept complaining that it smells like beer and he wanted to go home.  Funny kid.  Must be like his mom, because I can't stand the smell of beer either!  Ugh!

Kayla got asked to Red Mountain's Homecoming.  She went to Mountain View's Homecoming a few weeks ago, and now is going to her own school Homecoming.  She isn't pretty or anything.... :)

A few nights ago Addi came into our room around 12:45, after we had just turned out the lights at midnight to go to bed.  She said she threw up and was feeling yucky.  She was trembling like crazy, and breathing very hard and labored.  Freaky, as she had gone to bed totally fine.  Well, in classic Lane fashion (love ya hon) he freaked out and after a few minutes insisted we take her to the ER because she couldn't breathe.  So, at 1 am we loaded her into the car and went down there.  Service was fast and efficient, and of course, she is perfectly fine.  Probably was freaking herself out and breathing funny because she had a little phlegm in her throat, etc.  She did throw up all her dinner there, and then fell asleep.  So, at 4 am we got out of there and home in bed by 4:30 only to have the alarm go off at 6:30 so Lane could leave to Austin and I could get the kids off to school.  Yeah, we were tired.  And for the bargain price of $150, we knew that Addi was OK.  Double ugh.

Snug as a bug after puking real good.

Our last night in Italy we found the most charming and fun plaza filled with artists doing portraits everywhere.  Lane wanted to get one done of me, so we did.  I carried that thing in my hands all the way home the next day (1 train ride and 2 flights).  When we got home, I couldn't find it!  AAA!  $70 down the drain!

Well, 2 weeks later, on a whim I called the airport lost and found.  I asked if they had seen this drawing, and the lady said "Yes!  We had that!"  She described it and said they thought it looked "special" so instead of throwing it away like they usually do after 10 days, they sent it to the Phoenix police warehouse to be held there.  Wow, that was a blessing!  So, I asked them to mail it to me, and that came this week!

Funny, because I don't think this particularly looks exactly like me, but it is a nice drawing.  Now where in the heck do we put this thing?  I mean really???

Today was a GORGEOUS 78 degrees and sunny.  After teaching a couple of aerobics classes this morning, and trying to take a little nap (which I have tried for 3 days in a row and still had no success - ugh!)  I loaded the kids and cousin Hannah in the car to the park.  We played kickball, basketball, and on the swings and in the trees.  Mother of the year right here :).  It was a beautiful day, and had I had a little chocolate with me and my Diet Dr. Pepper on the blanket in the shade it would have been perfect!  

Addi climbed up this tree all by herself.

Hannah and Savannah clear up there!

So there you have it folks, the life and times and excitement of the Cooks.

A couple of funny things...

Conner is obsessed with Rocky.  This summer Lane bought the series Rocky 1-4.  We started watching, and the kids were hooked, and LOVE it!!  Well, Halloween is coming, and Conner wants to be Rocky.  Lane found him a cool costume online and ordered it.  Every day Conner gets home and asks if it is here yet.  The kid can't wait.

Well, the other day in the car was the first time Conner told us he wanted to be Rocky for Halloween.  I said I'm sure we could make/find him a cool costume.  Then Addi pipes up, "Yeah, and I'm gonna be Apollo Creed!!"  I wanted to die laughing.  Anyone have an Apollo Creed outfit for a little 4 year old girl? I haven't found one on the internet yet. :)

Then, this last week just me and Conner were in the car.  He asked, "Hey mom?  How do you end up knowing if you are going to marry a girl?  Do you just, like, hang out and stuff til you get comfortable, then you just ask them if they want to marry you?"

I tried not to laugh.  I love seeing how the little wheels are turning in their heads, and they are trying to figure life out.

I told him something like yes, you'll find a girl you like, and you'll hang out, and you'll really start to like her a lot, and she'll like you, and one day you will decide you want to marry her and be with her all the time.  You'll pray to Heavenly Father about it to see if she is the right one, and if he tells you yes, then that's when you will ask her to marry you.

Then he said, "Is that what you and dad did?"  Yup, I said, that's what we did. :)

I love that boy.  I also didn't remind him that just last year he told me he doesn't want to marry a total stranger and have to move out and live away from me. :)

Suddenly I'm worried that s e x questions are going to start coming.  Good thing Lane gets to handle him on those! :)

A regular life post

So I am stuck updating our trip because my pictures are on the camera at Lane's office!  So, I'll do an update on life at home as we know it.  :)

The kids had their first day of school, and I haven't even posted their official pictures.  Bad mom!  I will rectify that right here!  August 10, first day of school, and our anniversary!  It was a good day for all.

So, there they are - yeah, I know, our kids are kinda cute.  Don't even talk to me about the oldest one .... YIKES!!!

We also had a birthday celebration for me and Addi a couple of days apart.  Just the family - nice and easy.  Except turning 39 for the second time really isn't easy. :(  oh boy oh boy oh boy...

Here I am with my birthday loot.  An I-pod touch, chocolate bars, good earphones, and a mug with Lane's face superimposed on a male model body :).  A girl can dream, right? ha!

Blowing out the candles on my cake my friend made for me.  It was sooooo good and rich - chocolate of course! :)

Then, a couple of days later we celebrated Addi's 4th birthday.  She loved her presents and cake, and tells everyone she isn't a baby anymore.  If she would stop peeing on the floor, in her pants, in her pull-up, etc. we just might believe her! :)

REEPUNZEL!!! (That's how she says it!)

"Repunzel" dress up that she wore for  a week after that.

Cookie monster cake

Cannes (Nice) France, and the French Countryside

Day 2 found us docked at Cannes, France.  Home of the annual Cannes Film Festival, but also close to Monaco, Nice, and a beautiful location on the French Riviera.

We all voted to rent a car with a guide to drive up into the countryside and tour some little provincial towns of France.  We met Jeff, our guide, and all 6 of us hopped into the mini van ready for a great day. Bargain price of $700!!! OUCH!!

The drive up the hills and into the more "real" country France was beautiful.  You would wind around the roads, and see a village up at the top of the hill.   Obviously because these were old villages, the higher you are, the safer you are.  

One interesting thing to note was that we saw a ton of bike riders out on these roads.  Because of the steep hills and beautiful climate, many riders were out that day.  Kinda made me wish I had my road bike with me! :)  Maybe another trip....

Anyway, here is a beautiful view we had from along the road on our way to the first village.

Here we are looking up to the village.  You see the walls and the climb necessary to get up to the mountain.

Our first village seriously made me feel like I was on the set of Beauty and the Beast, when Belle is waltzing through the town reading her book and they sing, "Bonjour!"  The cobblestone streets, houses, shutters, shops, flowers, etc.  It was freakishly like we were in the movie or something!  So, so charming!

Not everyone is a Saint! :)

Here is everyone at a beautiful lookout before we came to the next village.

Some of the homes in these villages had dates carved or inscribed over their door, or to the side of the door.  Saw several from the 1600s!  People live in them today too!  Crazy!

In the second town we visited, we tried violet ice cream and candy.  The town was famous for the violets they grow, so that was their signature.  The ice cream was a lavendar color, and really tasted like a flower, and really was made with the flower in it.  The candy was pretty good too.

This particular village had several perfume stores where you could make your own perfume.

We loved walking through the narrow streets and arches and seeing the windows and doors.

This next picture was taken in the last village we were in, which was not a tourist village at all.  Because it was a Sunday afternoon, it was very quiet and still.  We walked around looking at real life in country France.  Near the end, we came upon several women sitting out at this table in front of the beautiful ivy covered building.  We said hello to them, and enjoyed watching their grandchildren play in the water fountain there as well.  Our tour guide translated a conversation between us all, and said we probably gave them something to talk about for the next month, as they don't usually have groups of Americans passing by.

At the end of our day, we stopped at the Cannes Film Festival building which is literally right there on the beach.  Had to take the picture up on the steps where many of the great actors/actresses have walked before, right?  

Back on the boat, it was formal night that night, so we all dressed up and met for dinner and pictures.  Not being a really formal gal, I brought the same formal dress I wore on our last cruise.  Maybe that will become my "Formal Night" costume for every cruise I go on! ha!

The next morning, we found ourselves docked at Aijoccio, Corsica, France.

This island really didn't have a lot to see or do, so we decided to head to the beach for a little, and walk through the town.  We did see where Napoleon Bonapart lived, but that was the big excitement for this island.

It was nice to relax on the beach and actually swim in the Mediterranean ocean!   Just look at that beautiful water.

We had now been gone from home about 10 days, with very little contact with home because of the time difference.  So we went on a search for an internet cafe, and found one.  It was fun to get on the internet and hop on Facebook and see what my friends, and family were doing.  That is where I had the pleasure of reading Kayla's post that said, "Oh Crap!  I need a bigger garage!"

Uh oh, that isn't good to read when you are halfway around the world!  Came to find out later that she was backing my car out of the garage, and Lane's truck was parked very close to my car, and my front fender scraped along and caught on Lane's back bumper and kinda bent it a little.  Great.  At least no one was hurt, right?  That's what we keep telling ourselves!!!

Bon Voyage!!!

OK, now here is where writing about this trip gets hard, because we saw so many cool and fun things, but really I can't put a picture of every single house, chapel, statue, etc. on the blog.  I tried to just throw a cool shot or two of each place to remember.

So, we took a train from Rome down to the port.  We were able to board the Royal Caribbean Grand Mariner of the Seas ship easily, and got up to our rooms to freshen up, and then go search the ship to see what it had, and find our friends John and Sara Visser.  I was so excited to see them, as we always have a blast with them.  They had also invited some friends of theirs from Bentonville, Arkansas (Where they live) to come. 

Lane and I were walking around the boat, and sure enough, we find the Vissers up exploring by the pool as well.  It was a happy reunion, and I knew we were in for a fantastic week.

Sara and I on the top of the boat

We met the Visser's friends, Scott and Marcie Bayles at our dinner table that night, and we all hit it off great.  We enjoyed the amazing gourmet food you always find on a good cruise and had a great time getting to know each other.  

A funny note about the first night:  We were seated at a large table for 12.  There were 6 of us, and they had seated 4 other ladies there with us.  They were Egyptians from New Jersey, if you can imagine that.  I seriously felt like we were sitting with the geriatric version of The Jersey Shore!!  Dark eyeliner, dark lips, sexy tight clothes, ratted up hair, and big jewelry.  It was interesting. We had mom (in her 60s?) and her sister, then the daughters who were in their 40s.  All on a girls trip.  Well of course we felt like we had to make conversation, etc. the whole night.  Lane and John, in an attempt to seem friendly and interesting, grilled the ladies about their work, where they live, how many kids they have, what they do on girls' trips, etc.  I was dying laughing inside.  Finally, the dinner ended and we said our goodbyes, and we never saw them at our table again!  Ha!  I think they asked for a different table somewhere else, or the later dinner, or something, which frankly was fine with us - we eneded up having the whole table all to ourselves the rest of the cruise! :)

Our first stop was at Genova, Italy.  It doesn't have a lot of momentous or truly significant historical sights, except for the birthplace of Christopher Columbus.  It basically is a port city that had some fun buildings and churches to see.

We took a tour of this house which had a lot of the original floor, art, and furniture of the rich family that lived there.  Interesting, and a bit on the warm side in there. :)

Here we are at the courtyard/gardens on top of the house, with a perfect view of our ship behind! 

In our wanderings up and down the streets we came across this beautiful fountain in a piazza there.  Funny, this is what I pictured the Trevi fountain being.  But obviously it is very diferent.  This city was WAY less crowded so we could really enjoy walking and taking in the sights.

Here is the birthplace of Christopher Columbus.

This was a fun and crazy church.  Look at the columns all straight, swirled, striped, etc.  It was really cool to see in person.

That night we got back to the ship, cleaned up and went to dinner, then went to watch the entertainment for the evening.  I still am amazed at how these ships get such amazing talent to come and perform.  It was really pretty top notch singing and dancing, which of course I love to watch!  We all were loving it so much that we decided to hit the disco after, and do a little of our own dancing!  We laughed pretty hard that night.

Marcie, Sara and John doing the "Robot"

The nights up on deck were so beautiful and warm.

I guess the highlight of this night (besides the dancing) was that we went to watch the game show "The Weakest Link", and I was called up to play!  Now I love games and trivia, so I thought it would be fun.  They called 8 of us up to play.  We had to introduce ourselves and say a little about us.  I said I was a mom and taught aerobics classes.

Then the game started and they started firing the questions just like they do on the show.  After each round, everyone votes somebody off.  Throughout the course of the game, the host would stop and talk to one of the contestants to find out a little more about their life.  When he came to me, he asked about aerobics, and asked what I do.  I kind of explained I teach everything, and blah, blah, blah.  He then asked me to demonstrate something I would do to warm up the class.  I asked, "Really?"  he said, Yes!  Show us some moves you would do.  So, I did!  I was up there doing grapevines and jacks and reaches. You had to be there - it was very funny.  Somehow, I found myself in the last 3 contestants.  Again the host comes back to me and asks me to do some more aerobics.  He really made me get out and do more combos, and came and did them with me.  It was hilarious.  The audience loved it.  Then, the other two contestants (who happened to be brothers!) voted me off after that round.  Thus ended my run for The Weakest Link champion!

Our ship - The Grand Mariner of the Seas.