Blog Overdue Makeover

 

Figured it was time to update the description of the blog since it looks like our only destination will be Austin now. (Plus, Dean has changed so much and doesn't look anything like that old photo anyways)!

Happy Father's Day

 

Happy Father's Day Ed! Your boys may not be old enough to buy you a gift or take you out, but they sure know how to make you smile:

http://blip.tv/pelaezfam/fathers-day-2012-6209024

We had a fun day today going to the Reston Zoo. They had a tractor ride where the animals walk right up. There was also a bird sanctuary where the kids enjoyed the birds landing in their hands and feeding them. The kids had fun and even after all that, Morgan's favorite was still the bunnies : ) They both feel asleep on the ride home and then we grilled out for dinner.

Happy Father's Day Ed, we love you!

Pelaez' unite and/or fight

The cousins are having a good time being with each other. Meanwhile, my kids are still having issues getting along... Just when you think everything is great, you hear a scream and run to find that your eldest and bitten your youngest in the cheek, and I mean really, really hard. 2 and a half days later, the bite marks are still visible. Dean is a tough little guy and let's hope that doesn't ever happen again.

Welcome to Maryland

Well, we made it. It only took 1,859 miles across 9 states.

About an hour into our drive from North Carolina to Maryland, Morgan requested me to tell him when we see the "Welcome to Maryland" sign. He was very much looking forward to it, asking again and again during the drive if we had passed it yet. Finally, when it did come into view, I had to laugh as I simultaneously heard the lyrics of the song playing on the radio: "You'll go away but you'll come back some day..." How fitting! We arrived to Rich and Jill's house around 8:45pm and although it was past bedtime, the kids were wound up, excited to see each other and the basement full of toys. Ed and I set up our temporary lodging on the sofabed in the basement with Dean in the pack n' play around the corner while big boy Morgan happily slept upstairs on the bottom bunk in his cousin Owen's room. It's like camp!

We are happy to not see the inside of our Honda Pilot for a while, or at least not for the majority of the day. We've had visits from Ed's mom, stepdad and grandmother and are making plans to get together with friends. It will be good to see everybody!

Greenville & Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Well, I wish we could have visited in better health, but upon arriving to my mom's in Greenville, Ed's illness worsened, keeping him holed up in the guest room for pretty much 5 days. Morgan, Dean and I however were able to enjoy our time including playing at Nana & P-Pop's with their dog Sandy, going on hikes and playgrounds, checking out Little Washington and my mom's gallery there, visiting my grandparents and eating some good home cooking, which was welcome after all those meals on the road. Towards the end of the week as everyone was feeling better, I was the one feeling nauseous. Needless to say, after driving to Chapel Hill to stay with my brother and his family, the virus was in full effect and we ended up spending most of our time in the house while I recovered. At least we were able to attend my nephew Jonas' 6th Birthday Party at Mapleview Dairy Farm where we got to milk cows and eat fresh ice cream : ) We will have to return in better health next time so we can explore more with the kids! Thanks Nana and Darren for your hospitality and clean bathrooms : )

Charlotte Rhymes with Vomit

Per Morgan's request, we made sure to include Charlotte's NASCAR Hall of Fame in our itinerary. Coincidentally, it landed on mine and Ed's 11th Anniversary. How romantic.

The museum was still every bit as exciting to the boys as it was 9 months ago. Dean was more able to enjoy it this time, pointing to every car we walked by. Ed and Morgan raced in a simulator but were disqualified this time. Oh well. Afterwards, we had a quick bite to eat at the Buffalo Wild Wings (really, really romantic), then back to the hotel for the night where we were all in bed by 9:00. Unfortunately, Ed woke up feeling ill, so went back to sleep while I walked around with the kids for a couple hours. After a late start and somewhere halfway to Greenville, NC, we heard that gagging noise from the backseat that you never want to hear while you are going 65 mph on a cross country trip. Ugh. Dean threw up. All. Over. We took the closest exit to a gas station where we changed him and cleaned the car seat as best we could, but it was in all the crevices and we still had 2 hours to go. At least Dean was acting ok and I moved to the back seat for the rest of the way, ready with an empty Big Gulp cup in hand.

So I guess Dean and Ed picked some virus up along the way... yuck. Needless to say, we are happy to be in Greenville for a while, spending time with my mom and Tom and recovering from whatever it was.

streets of Charlotte

ATL

Spent 5 days visiting my dad and sister Jackie in Atlanta. The kids enjoyed the pool, hiking, Stone Mountain, the Atlanta Aquarium, and just hanging out with Poppy. I also helped decorate his new place -- it was fun to pick out stuff since I don't have a place of my own! I can tell I miss having a real house : ) It was good to spend time with family and be stationary for a while. Next stop, Charlotte!

On the Road Again

After Morgan's Graduation ceremony, we began our trek back East. Didn't even make it out of Texas on our first day, spending the night in Beaumont, TX near the Louisiana border. Not a very notable city, but it was good enough for passing through. Sunday was our longest drive day, driving straight across Louisiana, a little through Mississippi, then to Mobile, Alabama. I hadn't heard much about Mobile but was pleasantly surprised. It was charming and we got there early enough to check out some of the sights like the USS Alabama Battleship. We also had some great seafood at Wintzell's Oyster Bar downtown. Even the hotel turned out to be a big hit with the kids, with a view of the harbor, highways and a train station. It was hard to pull them away from the window!

From Mobile, we drove to Atlanta where we will spend 5 days with my dad and sister Jackie. It'll good to not be driving for a while, or at least until this weekend...

Morgan's Graduation

Morgan's school had an end of year celebration this past Saturday. It's hard to believe only one more year until he starts kindergarten. We really enjoyed his school and he and most of his classmates will be returning in the fall. Check out their performance of the "Days of the Week" song:

http://blip.tv/pelaezfam/morgan-singing-days-of-the-week-song-with-class-6180087

Goodbye Date Nights

I know, I know, I am remiss in my posting. Things have been crazy with packing up and planning the move. Let me catch you up...

Our whole last month in Austin, Ed and I had 3 date nights/week to try and get a more adult perspective on Austin before we left. We were able to go to some great restaurants that we had heard about (Swift's Attic, Barley Swine, etc -- the kind that don't have high chairs ; ) as well as just do simple things like play tennis together, or my favorite date: riding bikes around Towne Lake, eating BBQ and then renting a canoe to watch the sunset and the bats under Congress Bridge (see photos). I even got a girl's night out with Siiri and Maria! Ed and I were sad to say goodbye, but glad to be coming back at the end of August. It feels kinda like college where we'll be back in just a few months!