Laura's 2 week visit!

So as I said in my last post, I'm behind in my blogging for a number of reasons. I'm slow enough as it is normally, so I know this has been a difficult time for my loyal following (all two or three of you). ;) Well - I'm going to try and make up for my extended leave of absence by doing what I do best...picture overload (I've only been told by a couple people that they enjoy the ridiculous number of pictures I upload per post, but it may be annoying to the rest of you)!! I just assume most people would prefer to see pictures rather than read all of my ramblings. Don't get me wrong, I know everyone enjoys reading my very moving and articulate writings, but even I need a break from my infamous ramblings every now and then. ;)

My friend Laura came to visit me with her two little kiddies, Hailey and Drew, for two whole weeks back in September. Sure it was a long time ago, but I'm still going to write about it! :) Since it would take me forever to actually write about all of the details, I'll attempt to abbreviate her visit by posting more of a log of what we did. So when Laura arrived, I was only 16 weeks pregnant at the time. I was feeling more chunky-looking than pregnant-looking at the time, but I took a picture for your viewing pleasure anyways. ;)

16 weeks pregnant

Sept 9th - The girls and I picked up Laura and her kids from the airport. After giving her a most grand and glorious tour of the house, we headed over to the commissary for groceries, had dinner and went to bed kind of early since we were all exhausted.

Hailey and Kristin's first night getting reacquainted in front of the Nintendo Wii (Laura and I had them exactly a week apart while we were living in Maryland)

Sept 10 - We spent most of the day jabbering away non-stop until we decided to finally take a break to take the girls to Kristin's gymnastics class. For some reason, I don't think I took any pictures during their class - and I'm not sure why (Laura and I were most likely talking). We had dinner around 8 or 9pm (like we did almost every night Laura was here - I'm not sure why it was always so late though), gave the kids a bath and put everyone to bed (well - except for Kristin...she somehow weaseled her way into staying up with Laura and I for just about all of our late nights). This was the first of the rest of our nights together - that Laura and I stayed up until about 3am each morning jabbering the night (and morning) away!! I didn't think it was possible to survive on 4-5 hours of sleep a night for almost 2 weeks straight! I guess I was wrong - somehow I didn't suffer more than a few more dark circles under my eyes (as if I needed any more) and a couple of headaches.

Bath time! Girls first!

Sept 11 - We spent most of the day jabbering away...again. We weren't very productive, but who cares when you're having fun cackling the day away?! :) After Jason went to bed at his usual time of 9pm (since the poor guy has to wake up at 430am every morning...the life of an Anesthesiologist), we put the kids to bed. Then Laura and I went out for a 4 mile walk around the neighborhood doing what we do best - jabbering and cackling away. Then we came in to wind down before bed...and ended up staying up for another 2 hours jabbering some more! I'm amazed that we never ran out of things to talk about the entire time she was here! How is that possible??!! :)

Katie enjoyed getting to know her Auntie Laura

Sept 12 - We decided to actually get out of the house and only made it as far as the neighborhood playground. :) Then we raced over to the hospital for my 16 week appointment (I can never seem to make my appointments on time - or anything for that matter)! Afterwards we had lunch at Taco Cabana. Later we ate dinner while Jason went to a nearby hotel to pick up his brother Mike (who was in town from Oklahoma with a convoy of Air Force guys who were awaiting orders to go down to Houston to help with Hurricane Ike victims). They went out to a sushi bar for dinner where they discovered their love of saki and The Dragon (a glorified version of a california roll). Jason brought Mike over to spend the night and Laura and I went out for another 4 mile walk until 1am and then stayed up afterwards til 330am.

Katie and Hailey at the playground

Drew, Katie, Kristin and Hailey

Drew and Kristin

Drew and Katie

The photographers who never get photographed taking a picture of themselves ;)

Kristin and Hailey at gymnastics (Kristin is hesitant to hug back because she's worried about what Jason told her after her first gymnastics class - to "NEVER play around and always listen to your teacher or we'll take you out of gymnastics!"). I think she's the best listener in her class! :) I'm glad she loves something enough to try and do her best, so she can stay in it!

More gymnastics

Hailey on the balance beam

Kristin on the balance beam

Listening to the teacher at the end of class

Sept 13 - Hurricane Ike hit the coast, but we had nice enough weather to go to SeaWorld. It was practically empty because everyone thought we were going to have horrible weather that day and they all stayed home. It was great! Jason is only used to going to SeaWorld in 2 hour bouts, so we didn't stay long (much to Laura's disappointment), but she has season passes to all of the Anheuser-Busch amusement parks, so I planned on bringing her back another day...while Jason was at work. ;) Later on, Jason picked Michael up again (since he was still waiting for his orders to go to Houston) and brought him home. The two of them concocted a magnificent plan (or so they thought) that included having me drive them to Benihanas for saki and Dragon Rolls, so they didn't have to worry about driving after drinking too much saki (man do I feel used)! ;) I agreed to their selfish plan and took them out after putting Katie to bed and leaving Kristin in our bedroom to watch TV (while Laura put her kids to bed down the hall). After we got back, Michael and Jason fell asleep and Laura and I stayed up to watch Nanny Diaries before going to bed.

Jason and the kids trying to pet the dolphins

A rare photo of Laura and I with all of our kiddies

Laura, Hailey and Drew in front of the Hospitality House (Jason and my favorite place to go at Sea World (when I'm not pregnant that is) - you get two free beers for every visit to SeaWorld!)

Hailey, Drew, Kristin and Katie with Shamu

On our way to the Shamu roller coaster

Kristin and Hailey riding the Shamu roller coaster

Jason enjoying getting Hailey all wet

Hailey doesn't seem to mind that she's completely soaked!

Laura, the kids and Jason getting ready to ride a kiddie ride

Laura, Drew and Hailey on the Texas Splashdown (or as Jason and Kristin like to call it - the Water Drop)

Jason and the kids waiting for one of the water rides to come splashing down

Kristin is VERY sad to have gotten wet! :)

Katie, Hailey, Kristin and Drew with the Dolphin (I'm sure she has a name, but who cares - she's no Shamu!!) ;)

Katie enjoying her Uncle Michael's work boots.

Clinky! Mike and Jason enjoying their warm saki


The Dragon...

2 small carafes of saki later...

"Saki!!!!!"

Michael passed out on our floor within minutes of walking through the door

Jason finally falls into bed after amusing Laura and I with his silly behavior

Sept 14 - Jason picked up Mike again and I ran to the commissary to pick up some stuff to make dinner. Up to this point, we had been eating frozen food from Costco - because I couldn't afford to make yummier more home-ish dinners for so many people. :( I decided to finally make something - it wasn't that big of a deal, but at least it wasn't frozen! We had Club Pizza (out of my Pampered Chef cookbook) and fruit kebobs. Laura made some yummy brownies for dessert. After that, I drove Mike back to his hotel and then Laura and I went out for a 2 mile walk (complete with jabbering) before we headed off to bed at our usual time 2-3am.

Sept 15 - After almost a week, we finally decided it was time to get out and see some of San Antonio (not that there's all that much to see in my opinion - but that's just me). :) After a little trouble, we finally found the one and only place there is to go for a tea party here in San Antonio - Madhatter's. Then we stopped by the Riverwalk for a little while before heading over to the school store - where Laura and I drooled over all of the school things we wish we could buy for our home schooling adventures.

Laura and I are much too greedy - we ordered an Afternoon Tea for Two and a Kids Tea for Two for each of us! (Hey it isn't our fault - normally tea party spreads are really tiny and delicate...just not in Texas)!!

The Kids Tea - peanut butter and jelly, ham and cheese, turkey and cheese tea sandwiches, petite feurs and a pot of Panda Bear Kids Tea

Kristin enjoying her cup of tea

Hailey and Laura about to dig into their sandwhiches

Me and Kristin drinking our tea

Kristin approves!

And so does Katie!

My petite feurs

My cinnamon scone with butter and jam

I didn't get a close up of my tray! :( I had cucumber and cream cheese and smoked jalapeno tuna salad tea sandwiches, cinnamon scones, petite feurs and a pot of decaffeinated British Breakfast Tea

Laura, Hailey, Kristin and Drew at the Riverwalk

Riverwalk

Me and the kids at the Riverwalk

Riverwalk

Sept 16 - Went to the San Antonio Zoo for a few hours, picked up some pizza for dinner on the way home and watched Made of Honor after we put the kids to bed...then stayed up until 2am talking and cackling as usual.

Hailey and Kristin watching the bear roam

Me pointing out some stinky-smelling birds to Kristin

Kristin getting all up in the monkey's face ;)

Hailey and Kristin before going into the butterfly exhibit

My boring pic of a butterfly (go ahead - oooohh and ahhhhh - you know you want to) ;)

Hailey was a master at catching hundreds of butterflies without much effort

Kristin finally got up the courage to let a butterfly rest on her hand...

And so did I!

Passing the butterfly off to Laura and Drew

Katie and Drew entertaining themselves in the butterfly exhibit

The kids staring at a monstrous rhinoceros wallowing around in the mud...what a filthy pig!  ;)

Katie being cute as usual (the rest of the time she's just annoying) ;)

Sept 17 - The next afternoon, we decided to pickup some Subway sandwiches and have a picnic at Brackenridge Park by the Zoo after visiting the Zoo's gift shop (since we didn't get a chance to visit it the day before since they decided to close early).  We were harassed the entire time by a very persistent little bee!!  The dumb thing was infatuated with Laura's soda straw.  Then we headed over to the train to take a ride around the park.  After losing track of time, we raced over to the girls' gymnastics class.  Afterwards, we had dinner at Mamacitas - my most favorite Mexican restaurant by far!

Our bee predator who can't seem to tear himself away from the blasted soda lid!

Laura and her kiddies on the train

Laura reenacting our picnic with the bee...that retarded bee ruined a perfectly good afternoon!

Me and the kids waiting for the train to depart

Kristin and Katie (Katie's not trying to gag herself - she's licking Cheetos off her fingers) ;)

Dinner at Mamacitas...Mmmm - yummy!

Mamacitas

Sept 18 - The next day we decided to go to the Children's Museum in downtown San Antonio. Then we made a somewhat quick stop at the Japanese Gardens before stopping by Jack in the Box to pickup some dinner.  Laura and I finished up the evening watching 27 Dresses and talking and cackling the night away until we dragged ourselves off to bed.  

Kristin making a huge bubble

Laura and the kids making bubbles

Drew and Katie working hard at the bubble-making table

Kristin looking for another photo opportunity

Time to test out the airplane

Captain Hailey

Captain Kristin

Laura and Kristin pretending to be airline employees

Last call for this flight!

Laura dressed up and telling a story

Katie is listening intently...

Kristin will never pass up an opportunity for story time!

Hailey milking a cow (okay it wasn't milk it was water, so I guess she was watering the cow)

Kristin giving milking a try

Japanese Gardens (it's also called the Chinese Tea Gardens - I think it's confused)

Laura and the kids at the Japanese Gardens

Japanese Gardens

Sept 19 - We all went to the hospital for Katie's 18 month well baby checkup. Then we stopped by the commissary after the girls' gymnastics class was over. We whipped up a couple of dishes - my potato salad and Laura's strawberry shortcake dessert - for the next day's Anesthesiology potluck (that Jason missed because he was on call at the hospital).  Laura and I both fell asleep watching Made of Honor - for the second time.  I think our lack of sleep over the past two weeks had finally caught up with us.  It was either that or the movie wasn't worth staying awake for.  ;)

Sept 20 - Dropped Laura and her kids off at SeaWorld while the girls and I went to the Sprint store to have someone look at my retarded cell phone (which of course didn't have any issues at the store).  Then I brought in some picnic food and met them outside Seaworld for a picnic on the grass.  We went into the park only long enough to catch a Shamu show and then we headed back home to pickup our dishes and run over to the Anesthesiology picnic.

Sept 21 - We were all on our way to SeaWorld and when we arrived, Jason received a message on his phone that said he was to leave for Houston (for his cardiac anesthesiology rotation at a hospital down there) and report to work the next day.  He had been told to wait on leaving - because of the damage done from Hurricane Ike.  We ended up dropping off poor Laura and her kids again and racing out to the Sprint store to replace my messed up phone, pickup some food for Jason at the commissary, get him a haircut and pack up his car.  He left around 5pm and got into his apartment in Houston by 8pm that night. After Jason left, I headed back out to SeaWorld to pickup Laura (who probably thought we had abandoned her forever).  We ate dinner and then rented What Happens in Vegas (not anything great - that's for sure)!   

Sept 22 - We stayed home for most of the day (where Laura snapped a picture of my then 18-week pregnant belly) and then later we headed out to the mall to look around for a little bit and get some ice cream at Marble Slab.  After that we stopped by the BX, so Laura could buy a few San Antonio souvenirs and then we picked up Jack in the Box for dinner on the way home. Even though Laura and the kids were leaving the next morning, we still stayed up until 2am (whoa - we went to bed a whole hour earlier than we had been)!

Man!  My tummy really started to pooch out during Laura's visit!!  

Sept 23 - We took Laura and her kids to the airport in the morning.  We probably didn't get a whole lot done or enough site-seeing accomplished, but it was still a fun visit!!  Thank you for coming all the way out here just to visit little ol' me!!!  My most favorite part of Laura's visit had to be all of our late-night cackling sessions...now if only I could get used to going to bed earlier like I used to...  ;)