Sunday, December 7, 2014

Disney trip in detail....

So I know I promised the details of our Disney trip long before this but life, school, kids and holidays got in the way and while I have other stuff I should really be doing right now, this seems like more fun.

You know the premise but here are some little fun facts:

  1. You can make a 10 hour drive with kids and no electronics (other than DVD for movies) which completely SHOCKED me. I am not saying this to brag but rather because I am honestly stunned by that fact. I had bought the jumbo pack of batteries in multiple sizes figuring that we were going to use every Leap Pad, Kindle, IPad and phone in our arsenal. I was WRONG! They did watch movies/cartoons but they spent most of the time coloring! God bless Crayola and their no mess markers and coloring books!
  2. The Dollar Tree can be your best friend. I stole the idea from a few other mom-friends and bought shoe boxes with secured lids for each of the boys. Along the drive, I would give each boy a little trinket to add to their box. Favorites: tiny spinning tops that could spin inside the box and not get lost; Finn McMissile toy car; Mickey Mouse figurine; glow in the dark race cars. The boys were so enthralled with everything and they did so well that I actually came home with some they never even got! Total cost: $25 and worth EVERY PENNY!!
  3. IExit is the BEST app going for Interstate travel! It can literally tell you where anything you need to find is located. From restaurants  to rest areas to liquor stores, you can get locations, specific driving locations (turn left, turn right, which side of the road) or search by specific name. If you are coming to a major interstate junction and you are leaving the one you are on, yep, it lets you change that in your feed as well. BEST thing for traveling on the interstate!
  4. I am willing to do this again! I can't believe those words came out of my mouth but the boys did so well on all parts of this trip that it makes me more likely to embark on some longer car rides. Those of you with kids, especially young kids, know how taxing a car ride of any length can be on the adult passenger. I know driving isn't all that fun but have you ever had to climb from the front seat to the back seat 12 times in a 15 minute window to get, grab, fetch, calm or cover? I have, and it is MISERABLE! The older the boys get and the more they can 'do' for themselves, the better this is for me. Why do you think I always offer to drive when we travel!
Now, I know you are waiting for the pictures and all the stories so I am going to do that now. However, Jason had made my life (and my blog entry) that much better. He took the time and energy to create a video of our trip from start to finish. It includes narration, still photos and videos. It is long (about 30 minutes) so I will understand if you skip it, but I have to say, if you want to know how our trip really was, this nails it!

I hope everyone who takes the time to view it enjoys it as much as we do. We have watched it multiple times and with each viewing the kids get excited and chatter with each other about their favorite part. My favorite part? The memories we have created as a family and the thought that this is just the beginning!

Liner family Disney Trip video

Happy Holidays to everyone. It may be after the first of the year before I get anything about Thanksgiving or Christmas posted as life is moving at warp speed! Be safe and remember to cherish every moment (even the crummy ones because they can turn into the best stories after the fact) because life is short and those you love may not always be around.......

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Hurricanes games are just better when you sit on the glass!

Last Tuesday night, Chase and I went to the Carolina Hurricanes game using some of SciQuest's corporate tickets.  SciQuest has a about 10 or 12 tickets to every game scattered around the arena, but the good ones are right down on the glass...front row!  I am able to get these tickets for 2 or 3 games every year, so this was not Chase's first game sitting on the glass.  However, as he gets older and starts to understand the game of hockey more and more, he seems to have more and more fun each time we go.

Not only are these tickets on the glass, but they are in the corner of the arena where the visiting team enters and exits the ice.  On Tuesday night, the Canes were playing the Nashville Predators so we got to see them up close as they entered the ice to start the game.  The action was right there in front of us!



In fact, sometimes, it was really close!!

Towards the end of the 1st period, the Hurricanes got the puck down into our corner (which was their offensive end at that time) and Andrej Nestrasil did a spin move and flipped the puck in front of the net where Jeff Skinner scored a goal to take a 1-0 lead.  That was cool, but then they celebrated right in front of us.  Even cooler, was that we saw ourselves on the jumbo-tron high above the ice.
We watched SportsCenter the next morning and it wasn't televised, but we did find it on YouTube (video here) so we could see ourselves.  There is a quick glimpse of us at the 0:03 mark, and then another long distance shot of us at the 0:12 mark.  Here's what that one looks like:


The other really cool part of the night was at the end of the first period.  The Predators came off the ice into the tunnel...


Shortly after the team went into the tunnel, one of the Predators' staff-members came off the ice and handed us a broken stick from one of the players.  Technically, it was just cracked (about a foot from the top), but it was obviously taken out of play so he was just giving it to a fan...and Chase was the nearest kid to where he came off the ice, so Chase got it.

Turns out, the stick was that of Eric Nystrom, so we got a picture of him coming off the ice at the end of the 2nd period.  He's # 24 right there.


Chase thoroughly enjoyed the night.  In addition to the game, he also got to chat with his buddy Alex (Jon and Dana Tiller's son) the entire night.  And trust me, two six year olds can chat through the ENTIRE game!


A few days later, we finally had some time to hang the stick on Chase's wall in his bedroom.  We hung it right under another stick he got under the same circumstances last year.  That one, from a Philadelphia Flyers player named Andrej Meszaros, was totally broken in half.  Chase doesn't really understand that most kids never get close to the ice, much less get any souvenirs.  Chase has already gotten two broken sticks and 4 or 5 pucks from NHL games!!


Thursday, November 13, 2014

A Magical, truly Magical Vacation

So about a year ago, my grandparents decided that they wanted to take one last trip with the whole family. The whole family being my grandparents, ages 88 and 86, my Mom, Jason, myself and our boys and my brother, his wife and their son and daughter. After talking about the best option, a plan was in place. A Disney Cruise!

And with that, the planning was set in motion. I looked at my nephew's school calendar and the potential calendar for Chase with his start of Kindergarten and the year-round system. With that in mind, I went online and scouted for the cheapest times of the year. We settled on the week prior to Veteran's Day. The boys would only have to miss 1 day of school because they would be tracked out and the rates were significantly cheaper because it was an "off-time". Perfect. Next step - where to go.

A couple of my boys have serious car-sickness so I was afraid there may be some issues on the cruise as well so we settled on a 4 day, 3 night cruise out of Port Canaveral with the only stop being at Disney's private island, Castaway Cay.

From there, each family made their own transportation plans as well as arrival and departure dates. Of course, because this is a Corn-family function, there has to be a few kinks in the plan. The biggest is that in June, Matt and his family moved to Columbus, Ohio for his job. Now that impacted their plans because they decided to extend their time and come down on Monday to Orlando (ship left port on Friday) and go to a couple theme parks. So let the next round of planning start.

Jason and I decided to drive down Monday and spend the night in Savannah and finish the drive to Orlando on Tuesday. The boys didn't know anything about the trip until I started packing on Sunday. Then all I would tell them is that we were going on a trip. Wouldn't even say where we were going. Monday morning as I dropped everyone off at school, I told them we were driving to Florida but frist would get to stay overnight in a hotel. Then Tuesday morning we told them we were driving to Orlando but not any more than that. My grandparents met us at the time share so the boys were pretty excited but the excitement ramped up once my Mom, Matt and his family got back from Sea World and the boys figured out we were all going to be together on the trip. We stayed at the time share on Wednesday and let the kids swim, play on the playground, have fun in the sun and just enjoy being with each other.

Thursday we ALL went to Magic Kingdom. We didn't tell the boys where we were going until we drove through the gates and we filmed their reactions. It was so neat to see them get excited and then all they wanted to do was see "Mickey's Castle" (sorry Cinderella, in our house, it belongs to Mickey!) Since we had 2 cars so we took my Mom and headed out early while Matt and family brought the grandparents. We put them on motorized scooters and after a rough start to the morning trying to get synched up, the afternoon was a blast. We didn't get to all the attractions we wanted to simply because we had too many bodies to keep up with and both the oldest and the youngest had a threshold for line waiting that we tried to be aware of.

Friday morning we loaded up and drove to the port. We told the boys the night before that we were going on a Disney cruise but it didn't register until they saw the boat as we approached the port. The got really excited and again we have some video of their reactions that I will share in a future post. After a relatively smooth check-in process, we got on the boat, had some lunch, put swim suits on the kids and let the fun really begin.

We got off the ship on Monday morning and drove straight home to Raleigh. We made it home in 10 hours and 10 minutes including meals and potty breaks! I was really proud of how the boys did and am more willing to do some more longer journeys with them in the future.

This was the overview to our trip and over the next few days I will post a detailed post of each event with pictures but I wanted to at least share what the big surprise was that I alluded to in the previous post.
 Update before crazy gets anymore out of hand

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

An update before the crazy gets any more out of hand!

With Halloween a few days away and a BIG surprise trip less than 1 week away, I thought it best to try and get caught up on the last few months.

Even though everyone is back in school (Chase was tracked out for 3 weeks at the end of September/early October) I can't seem to find the time (or energy) to sit down and actually get this stuff on paper! So here it goes:

July

I feel confident that we got it covered between Chase's birthday and him starting Kindergarten. Update on that: after a ROUGH week #2, we turned a corner with the help of Dunkin' doughnuts and some extra love from Mom. Now, he is rocking it at school and is already in his second quarter. More on that to come.

August

Since Chase was in school, I had to be careful not to spend too much time at the pool during the day with the littles because it was a hard enough transition for him to think about missing time with them, if we had too much fun during the day without him, it was even worse for him. Now, don't take that to mean that we didn't have fun without him because we had a great time. Play at the Y, story time at the library, visits with Mom-mom and Pop-pop, our days were filled and before we knew it, we were piling in the car to get Chase from school and head to the pool for some swim time. We also said good-bye to our beloved Rokky. At just over 16 years old, he lived an amazing life and we were grateful to have the chance to say a proper good-bye. We have not gotten another dog and I'm not sure there will be a time in the near future where we will. We have been blessed with our family pets and they will be hard to replace so we will have to wait and see what the future holds for us.
A visit to see Wool E. Bull at the Durham Bulls baseball game

/
One last shot with our beloved Rokky - RIP 7/15/1998-8/21/2014



September

Happy times for Mom - the triplets went back to preschool - and 3 mornings a week. Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:00-Noon they are in school. We are at a new school this year and LOVE it! Did I mention I LOVE IT! Their teacher, Mrs. Sara, is fabulous and they literally run into the classrooms! They are making great progress and I was relieved to hear from her that she is impressed with their academic, social and physical abilities. She wasn't sure because they were triplets if there would be delays but she is reporting to me that all three seem to be above average, if not leading the class, in all three areas. (insert sigh of relief from Mom here). While I try hard not to compare them to each other, Chase or other kids, it is so hard not to worry about their progress in terms of development. Each boy has his own style and ability but is successful in his own right.

Labor Day weekend saw us take a trip to the beach and the kids had a blast! We are so thankful to Meme and Popi for allowing us the use of their fabulous place.

My sand creatures - C, A, G, J



Mid-month, Chase finished his first quarter of school and got his report card. Mom will brag just a moment about his high marks and his great test scores on a standardized test he took right at the start of the year. What Jason and I both find surprising is that he scored higher in Reading (and its related areas) than he did in Math. With his natural affinity for Math, we just assumed that would be his strong subject but he is excelling in Reading which makes me equally as happy.

Chase also received an award at school for showing outstanding character. He was recognized as one of 10 Kindergarten students (out of 125) and attended an award ceremony before school one morning. It just so happened it was held the morning of my surgery so Grandma went for Mom and Dad and got some great pictures for us.

Chase's Character Award at school 9/10/2014


During his 3 week break, we took advantage of the later start to our mornings and some free time to explore the area. A couple of days when the littles were in school, Chase and I would have some fun just the two of us - including but not limited to - smoothies after a 1 1/2 mile long run, 9-holes of golf with Grandma, lunch with Mom-mom and Pop-pop. We also made a trip with some friends to the Greensboro Science Center which houses an aquarium, zoo, dinosaur exhibit and Human body center. It was a great time and a wonderful day trip to take with Grandma coming along and Nana joining us from Winston-Salem. We also did some hiking at Blue Jay Point and saw a pre-season Carolina Hurricane's hockey game.

We are ready for college football! G, A, C, J

Skipping rocks at Blue Jay Point

Pre-season Hurricane's game

Monkeys at the aquarium at the Greensboro Science Center (A, J, G, C)


We had planned a trip to Meme and Popi's beach house but the weather turned cold and we decided it would be much more fun if they just came here instead. So Meme got an extra day and night at home and we enjoyed pretty weather here at our place with soccer and lots of backyard shenanigans.


October

Fall is officially here and the weather has been PERFECT! We started with some cool weather and rain but then the rain stopped and the weather has been gorgeous. We spend most of our time outside either riding bikes, throwing ball, shooting baskets, hitting golf balls - well, you get the picture. Chase is back in school. I got a trip to South Bend to watch Notre Dame play North Carolina with just my Mom. We drove to Ohio and spent the night with my brother and his family (who I haven't seen since June when they moved) and then the adults headed to the Bend for a glorious weekend of football and sunny skies. I got to see my Aunt and Uncle from California who were generous enough to let us stay at their place. A little campus walking, Irish ice hockey and family and friends were just what the doctor ordered for this Mom. Jason and his Mom held down the fort while I was gone. That included dentist appointments for all 4 boys, a field trip to a farm with the littles and soccer for Chase on Saturday. We all survived and had a great time. We have visited some indoor play places, attended Fall Festivals and I coached the littles' soccer team (where they dominated the league!) We celebrated the 67th wedding Anniversary of my Grandparents as well.

Rookie Soccer Fall 2014

While Mom is at the game, we cheer at home - J, A, C, G - we needed our rally caps for this Irish win!
Perfect Day at Notre Dame Stadium

67 years of marriage!

My little pumpkins - G, C, J, A

Spider-Chase

Bat-Graham

Giraffe-Anthony

Bat-Jack


Jack - scaling the wall of the inflatable

Anthony and Graham having a shooting contest

Dark Knight, Robin and Batman with A, J, C, G




As the end of the month rolls around and Halloween approaches, I have a bag with several costume options for the boys because they just can't seem to make up their mind. We will be joining friends this year to trick-or-treat and then we have to get our stuff ready for a big trip. You'll have to stay tuned to hear what it is and how it went!

Friday, July 25, 2014

Six Years Old! - Chase is really 6!



My dear Chase,

I am honestly sitting here struggling to put into words how much emotion I feel when I say those words out loud. You are six years old. I walk through the halls of our house and look at the pictures of our lives hanging on them and see you as a newborn resting on my chest 
Melting my heart just a few days old




And then I get to one with you as a one year old



Adorable at 1




Only to walk a few more steps and see you at two years old

Sweet 2 year old




Followed by you at three years old where I pause because my baby looks like a little boy

My silly 3 year old




And then I see you at 4 and think you can't look any more grown up



Headed to preschool at 4 years old


Only to start wiping away the tears that form with the memories of you being a five year old



My 5 year old


And now I see this 
First day of Kindergarten - 4 days after turning 6



And it makes me remember that I have been lucky enough to have been a part of all of this. You have blessed me with memories and kisses. Boo-boos to make better and tears to wipe away. You have filled my heart with so much joy and love that I thought it would burst until the next moment where it gets replaced with something not that nice! But somehow through all these memories and stolen moments, you have turned into an amazing person. I like to think that I get some credit in that but honestly, it is you. From the way you love others – friends and family alike- to how you pour your heart and soul into your passions and pursuits. To the fact that you just don’t give up. You push and push until you have done everything you set your mind to. You amaze me every day!

I have to embarrass you just a moment here and tell about the FLIRT you have become. You have managed to snag 3 middle school – soon to be high school girls- at the pool and they hang on your every movement. You used your brothers as the bait and then reeled them in! You make me laugh on a daily basis and for that, I thank you. You remind me to not take life so seriously and to remember that sometimes the joy isn’t in actually doing something but by just being around to watch it happen.
I am constantly amazed at your kind spirit and generous nature and I love to see you share this spirit with others. I am grateful that you still want to snuggle with me on the couch or read me a story and that you don’t mind kisses at drop off. Just because you are excited and eager to keep growing up, I’m not so sure. While I love to see you gaining more independence and strength without me, it saddens me to think that there will come a time where you won’t depend on me for much. I know that is my job and I hope I am doing it well, but it still gives me pause.

I want you to know and remember this forever – You will always be mine. You will grow up and make friends and fall in love and create your own family but you will always be mine. In my heart, in my soul and you will always be one of the best pieces of myself that I have created and shared with the world.

I love you buddy and can’t wait to see what the next year has in store for us!
Love, Mommy
 



Celebrating Chase turning 6 years old