Am I Ready Yet?

"Mommy, when will I be big enough to ride? I want to do it now!"

Revenge!

Maybe the tides are changing around here!

Laughing Babies

I was in the kitchen baking cookies yesterday afternoon. Lillie and Elliott got up a little early from their nap, so I threw a few Cheerios in the pack and play with some toys and let them play in there for a little while. I could hear them laughing at each other. I tried to get it on video. Of course they calmed down a little when I got the camera out.

(the quality is poor. i tried to zoom in where they would not know i was filming them)

I Yi Yi

On the Upper West Side when people see me out with my kids you hear: "Wow, you have your hands full," "I've never seen a stroller like that before," or you just get a look like you've totally lost your mind to come out in public with a stroller like that and 3 kids 2 and under.

In West Harlem people are nice and friendly. They hold doors for you and smile. They try to talk to us, but being that they are mostly Latino's their English is broken and hard to understand. Today in the grocery store, which is another conversation, all one lady kept saying a lot is "I yi yi" every time we passed her. Then we ended up in the same check out line. I yi yi!

10 Year Reunion

A week from today we'll hop on a plane and head to TN for my 10 year reunion. I'm excited! Don't know what to expect, but excited. I'll let you know in a few weeks how it goes.

Yesterday while cleaning out a few things I came across my final senior research paper. It was a great assignment. Mrs. Williams told us to imagine it was time for our 10 year reunion. Someone from our 3rd period English class was flying everyone and a guest to New York City, paying for our hotel and reunion banquet, and giving us spending money. We had to write a classmate and talk about our travel plans, what we would do while we were there, how much everything was going to cost, who we thought was paying, and catch them up with what's been going on in our lives for the past 10 years. I loved this! I researched every detail, so much fun. I think it's funny that I live here now. I could have never imagined that! I typed the paper, stayed true to how it was typed 10 years ago, to post here. It will be long, but some of you might think it's kind of funny. I've made a few comments in red regarding what I wrote. Enjoy!

375 Portside Road

Seattle, WA 98060

Dear Natasha, (we were good friends, I think I've seen here once or twice since graduation. she is signed up for the reunion which I'm excited about)

I’m not sure if you recognize the name or not, I used to be Susan Alfonso. I was just looking at pictures the other day from prom and our senior trip. I feel terrible that I have not kept in touch with you after everything we did together in high school.(these last two sentences are true. we went to prom together and on our senior trip and we have not kept in touch) How have you been doing? It’s hard to believe we’re making plans for our ten year reunion. It does not seem like it has been that long since we graduated from Clarksville High School. So how has life been treating you? I heard from Michelle McKenzie, Michelle Towe that you are living in Hawaii now. That’s a nice place to end up int.

Did you receive your invitation from Mrs. Williams? Can you believe someone from our third period English class is sending us and a guest to New York City? I have been trying to figure out who it is, so many people have run through my mind. Do you remember Roy Longton or Bill Risher? I’m not even sure what they are doing for a living now, but I always thought they would end up pretty wealthy. If I had to guess one person I would say Megan Affleck is paying for all of this. Do you remember her? She used to be Megan Kurita. We roomed together in college(one year... that's all), but after that she moved to Hollywood to pursue her directing career and I have not heard from her since then. About a year ago, on Entertainment Tonight, I saw where she was a successful film director and married Ben Affleck. The reporters said they had a private wedding in Beverly Hills with family only.

It’s been so long since we’ve talked, so I’ll fill you in on what’s been going on in my life. I went to college at Middle Tennessee State University(yes) and graduated in 2003(yes) with a Bachelors Degree in Education with an emphasis in Elementary Education(yes). I had to take a course in pedagogy and psychology as well as a course in elementary school curriculum. During my third year I became a student teacher where I taught a second grade class(yes) and also a kindergarten class(6th grade). While student teaching I was able to learn what is taught in those grades and also was able to sharpen my teaching skills.

The summer of 2003 I went to Seattle on a church mission trip for Habitat for Humanity(I did spend that summer doing missions in San Antonio, TX. It had nothing to do with Habitat for Humanity). While I was there I met Tyler Kates(this is a made up person. it is similar to the name of a guy i liked a the time, but to my knowledge Tyler Kates does not exist), he was the architect in charge of the project. That summer we became very close and the following fall, 2003, I moved to Seattle and attended Seattle University where I got my Masters Degree(no masters degree, no desire to get one either). In August of 2004, I got a job at Arbor Heights Elementary School, in Seattle, teaching second grade and I’m still working there today(Taught 8th grade starting in 2005, only for a year and a half). I don’t make very much money(that was true!), about $30,000 a year, but I love my job and being around the kids all day, I would not trade it for any higher paying job. In April of 2005, Tyler and I got married(Obviously I married Freddy T. in 2004). We went to Aruba(Antigua) on our honeymoon and stayed at the Aruba Grand Resort and Casino(Sandals Resort). It was very nice and romantic, you should go there sometime. A little over a year later(we had been married a little over 2 years at this point)on July 3(December 24), we had our first child Cole Andrew(Jack Thomas) and two years later on November 21(this was pretty close... November 7) , we had our second(and third) child, Megan Beth(Elliott David and Lillie Beth). Cole will be three in July and Megan will be one in November. Our life sure has changed in the past couple of years(yes). It’s been quite an experience raising two(three) children. Megan was born three months early with underdeveloped lungs. After several months in the hospital she was able to come home and now she is perfect and you would never know she was ever sick. (i think this is kind of funny since the twins were in the hospital, thankfully only 2 weeks. and you would never know today)

Last September we began a huge project, desiginging and building our dream home(last September we began a huge project too... moving to NYC!). Tyler gave me the job of designing a house that met the needs of our family. We took the plans to a professional home designer, and she had to make a few adjustments, but onec we got all the kinks out we went and bought a lot and Tyler and his father, who are in the contracting business together, built our dream home. Finally, this past May the house was completed and we moved in. We have four bedrooms and three and a half baths. We watch the sun rise out of our living room windows, over the Cascade and Olympic Mountain Ranges and we watch the sun set, over the Pudgett Sound, from our back porch. I love it here in Seattle. At first I did not like that it drizzled at least once every day but I’ve learned to carry a hat and an umbrella in the car with me everywhere I go and that takes care of that problem. Our back yard runs right in the Pudgett Sound so in late June and through early August we got out on our boat quite a bit. We have a dock right there in our back yard which makes getting gout on the waters vonvenient. We go camping quite a bit in the summer too. Up here we are big Mariners fans so we try to make it to as many baseball games as we can during the season. It really is beautiful here and we would love for you to come visit sometime. (i really lived in a fantasy world didn't I? a little unrealistic)

I can’t wait till our trip to New York City. Tylers parents are going to keep the kids, so they are taken care of. We thought about bringing a babysitter with us, but with Cole always getting into things and Megan being so little, we decided it would be better for Mr. and Mrs. Kates(even though there is nothing wrong with it, I can't imagine calling freddy's parents Mr. and Mrs. Wyatt)to keep them, that way I feel better and it also gives them time to spend with the kids too. We found a round trip ticket to New York City for around $560.00 on United Airlines(I just looked this up. You can get a ticket today and travel in a month for $258 on Delta non-stop, a little suprising). There is a connection in San Francisco, but then it is straight to New York City. We’re landing at JFK apirport and when we get there were going to rent a car, which will cost about $70.00 a day.(why would we rent a car?) We’re leaving on the 26^th of July and that day when we arrive we’ll probably go sightseeing. I don’t think our flight arrives till that afternoon, so that will be about all we’ll have time to do, by the time we get to the hotel and check in and everything. Hotel Casablanca(i'm not even familiar with this one) sounds like it is going to be great. Located in the heart of Times Square and only two blocks from 5^th Avenue, I bet it does not take long to get places from there. Our hotel room is going to cost about $375.00 a night($422.00). We decided to stay in one of the suites; I figured if someone is going to pay for it we might as well live it up. The evening of the 27^th we are going to see a Broadway show. We’re either going to see Les Miserables or Chicago, which ever one we don’t see on the 27^th we’ll see the next day around noon and then go to the banquet that night. We got orchestra seating for both shows and the tickets for tat are going to be about $80.00 per seat. (now it would be closer to $110 per seat. i don't think either of those shows are here anymore)I was trying to figure out what were were going to do about meals and since we have $1,000.00 per person per day I figured we could eat at all the expensive restraints. If we do that , then we’ll spend about $100.00 per meal and I figured we will probably eat about seven meals while we’re there. With some of our spending money we’re going to go shopping and buy things for us and the kids too.

This is going to be quite an expensive trip for the person paying. I figured out the cost of the trip for just Tyler and I, with $375.00 a night for three nights in the hotel, that’s $1,125.00. Our plane tickets are $560.00 each so together that’s $1,120.00, plus $70.00 a day for car rental, that’s $280.00 for four days. For foold we will spend about $700.00 during the whole four days, but I’m including that in the $2,000.00 per day. For the two of us to travel it is going to cost $10,525.00. If that is approximatelyhou much everyone else spends it is going to cost $357,850.00 for our third period class to go to New York City. I can’t imagine being able to afford all of that. It’s going to be a lot of fun and I can’t wait to see everyone again. Write back and let me know your plans and maybe we can get together while were there, besides the night of the banquet. I’m looking forward to seeing you.

Sincerely,

Susan Kates

Elliott and Jack

Elliott LOVES Jack. Jack's just being silly.

So far today... and a little from yesterday

Yesterday I took the kids to New Jersey to our friends house to take Lillie and Elliott's 9 month pictures. Yes, you read that right... 9 months... 2 days after they turned 11 months. I guess I'll push back the 1 year photo a month or so, that way they won't look the same at 9 months and 12 months. Anyway, even though I was 2 months late on this my purpose for sharing is that we made it to NJ and back just the 4 of us. Another "first" to add to the week.

The babies ate lunch after the photo shoot but Jack and I only had time to eat in the car. He requested McDonalds, so I pulled in and we sat in the drive through line. Jack, as serious as he could be, said "Mommy, its right there." He could not understand why were were sitting in a line and waiting when the store was right there. The whole drive through concept was foreign to him. I never though about that being a new experience before.

When we got home Lillie found Jacks half piece of toast on the couch left over from breakfast. She finished it. Jack came running in the kitchen saying "She ate it! It's gone! Lillie ate my toast!" She came crawling in with crumbs all over her mouth.

Jack was on the balcony yesterday afternoon, where I could see him, and I turned my back for a minute and when I turned around he had a stick beating my mum. I finally had a nice plant and Jack almost destroyed it. It's a quite pitiful looking right now. I guess that's what boys do?

Last night we hosted 9 or so friends from church. We had a great dinner celebrating Mickey's birthday and hanging out till the wee hours of the morning. Made 6:00 come real early this morning.

More friends are coming over for lunch. Freddy T. and Jack are down grilling hamburgers right now. I do a bible study with 2 of them during the kids nap time on Saturdays.

Tonight we are going to a birthday party, all 5 of us.

Elliott just had a meltdown, he did not take a good nap this morning so he went down for a few more minutes.

And while I was putting him in the bed, Lillie found her way to the toilet and decided to play in it. The arms on her pajamas are soaked.

It's only 11:15... still a lot more day left.