Welcome to the world little baby...
Introducing:
Trinity Maealani Kawena Kai Pacheco
Mike's brother Chris and his wife Circe, whom live in Hawaii, welcomed her into the world on 7/13.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Starbucks and Pinkberry??
Can I just say that my wildest dream has come true?? When I walked into Starbucks this morning, they were giving away samples of their new smoothies made with Pinkberry yogurt!!?? Who knew about this why didn't anyone tell me!?!?
Our "Vacation"
Let me start off by saying that we all know how very fortunate we are to have been able to go on vacation. We realize that no adventure comes without occasional bumps and bruises. I will now tell you our story...
Packing our 2 GIANT suitcases, 2 carry ons, a car seat, a stroller, 8 bottles,3 sippy cups, snacks, and diapers took me 2 days. You can imagine how many things you need to pack for 2 adults and 1 toddler going to another country. I may have gone a bit overboard, but better to be over prepared than under, right? I had also watched a special segment on the today show about packing one emergency outfit per person in your carry on so that in case your baggage doesn't make it, you have one extra outfit to wear. I took that very seriously. Mike and I each had one extra outfit, and Jake had 3.
It was supposed to be a big family vacation, but at the last minute, my dad and his wife Shelley had to cancel, due to illness. That left, Mike, Jake, myself, my mother in law Janis, my sister Jen, my stepsister Danna, and Jen's friend Sandra.
Being that this was our first vacation with Jake, I can easily say that I was beyond nervous. I had major anxiety about flying with a toddler (would he sit still? would he scream and cry the whole way? would we get stuck in the plane for hours on the tarmac with no food, water, or air conditioning? would he be able to sleep in a strange place? what happens if any of us, especially Jake, get sick...will we have to go to a Bahamian doctor?? etc.)
Day 1 (day of travel) Thurs. 7/10/08
My dad picked us up at 7:45 that morning. We got to the airport over 2 hours early as to comply with the FAA. Going through security was uneventful. Jake was being squirmy, but what toddler wouldn't be. We all take turns running Jake around trying to burn off all of the excess energy we can. We were flying from LAX to Miami, and then taking a small plane from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas. We finally boarded the plane (on time).
We sat on the plane and waited to take off. Every few minutes the flight attendant would make an announcement saying we would be taking off in 10 minutes. Apparently, an airline mechanic was fixing a part on the plane, and we would take off shortly. To make a REALLY long story short after 2 hours of just sitting on our seats, unable to move-the pilot came on the speaker and told us that the plane was unable to be fixed, and we would have to get off. They were going to arrange another plane for us to take. They did indeed arrange for another plane. I t would leave in another 2 hours.
We found out that we were not going to be making our connecting flight to Nassau, and that we would have to spend the night in an airport hotel in Miami. Oh ya, and we were not allowed to retrieve our luggage. It was going to be locked up in the airport in Miami. (THANK GOD, I watched the Today show, we all had emergency outfits!)
So, it had been 7 hours since we left our house before we actually got off the ground in a plane on the way to Miami. Jake did the best he could, he REFUSED to sleep or at the very least even sit in his seat. For 5.5 hours Mike and I took turns standing and rocking him, trying to get him to sleep, but to no avail. He was just too excited... We were so fortunate to have kind people on the plane who didn't yell at us for having a crying baby. I of course, I was panicked, all of my nightmares were coming true.
We got into Miami at 11 PM. We had been officially travelling for 13 hours. We were all exhausted to say the least. The airline was "kind enough" to supply us with a travel toothbrush and a dollop of toothpaste. We were instructed to take a tram to our airport hotel. We all wearily boarded a tram, and off we went. By the time we got in our room it was 1 am. Jake had still not slept one time the whole day. After waiting another hour for a crib...we finally got him to fall asleep. We would have to be up by 7 am the following day to make it back to the airport to catch our plane to Nassau.
Day 2-(another travel day)
Jake woke up SICK. He was congested, coughing, and hoarse. The poor kid...We shleped back to Miami Airport, went through security AGAIN. We arrived 2 hours early again per the rules. We chased Jake around for 2 hours, and finally, yes, finally, we got to board our teeny tiny plane to Nassau.
We landed without issue. To our pleasant surprise all of our baggage landed in Nassau as well. Things were shaping up. All 7 of us hopped in a van and headed to our hotel. When we checked in, they told us that we had lost our reservations b/c we were now a day late even though we called to let them know. Somehow they managed to scrounge up 3 rooms. Thank goodness, we got to FINALLY move in. At that point it was after 3pm. We had lost a whole day! We all napped. Jake FINALLY slept for the first time in 24 hours. We grabbed a bite for dinnner, and off to bed we went.
Day 3-
Jake is getting much sicker. I am sick now. Mike is on the verge of getting sick. We manage to get the energy up to check out Atlantis. After all, we made it this far.... We decided to take a dip into the lazy river. That was actually a lot of fun. We head back to the room for another nap. Jake and I nap a lot that day. We eat dinner, and go to bed.
Day 4-
We are all full blown sick now. We try our best to enjoy the hotel. We decide to go for a swim in the ocean. The whole time it has been cloudy and muggy. Pretty much what you would expect for the tropics. Then out of nowhere, it starts raining like something out of a movie! I am not kidding you, raindrops the size of hamsters start falling on us. Everyone starts running for the hotel like it was the end of the world. We are rushing to get Jake out of the pouring rain. It is wet and slippery. My poor mother-in-law Janis slips and falls and scrapes up her leg. Thank goodness she didn't break anything! We go into the hotel and enjoy a really good buffet. (Food always makes everything better!)
Janis graciously offered to watch Jake that night for us so that Mike and I can go out on a "date", and get some much needed rest. We went out to dinner, gambled in the casino for 45 minutes, and came back to our room by 10pm. We were too sick and tired to really go out and have fun.
Day 5-
I woke up feeling better. Mike and Jake on the other hand wake up feeling much worse. We decide to go to the doctor. I call the hotel operator to find out the name of a doctor. She tells me (at the Clinic) that you go to see a nurse first, and then if she deems it necessary, you move on to see the doctor. We get on a shuttle to the clinic. They open at 11am. Yay, we were the first ones there! The nurse looks at Jake and Mike and tells us, that they need to see the doctor (DUH!!!). We are relieved. But, the doctor won't be in until 1pm....(Whaaaaat??) Could they not have told me that on the phone? We go back to our hotel. We rest. We get back on the shuttle at 1230, and arrive at the clinic at 12:45. I want the doctor to see them first!
Long story short, the doctor diagnosed both Jake and Mike with bad colds and fluid in the ears. I swear, both of them are really sick. I don't get it? He does not give us any perscription medication. But being that we are coming home tomorrow on an airplane, he says I need to give Jake a decongentant (DUH again) to relieve ear pain.
(I guess this would be a good time to mention that as soon as we got home, I took Jake to the pediatrition who diagnosed Jake with a double ear infection. Mike went to his doctor and got diagnosed with bronchitis borderline pneumonia.)
MORE COMING SOON............................
Packing our 2 GIANT suitcases, 2 carry ons, a car seat, a stroller, 8 bottles,3 sippy cups, snacks, and diapers took me 2 days. You can imagine how many things you need to pack for 2 adults and 1 toddler going to another country. I may have gone a bit overboard, but better to be over prepared than under, right? I had also watched a special segment on the today show about packing one emergency outfit per person in your carry on so that in case your baggage doesn't make it, you have one extra outfit to wear. I took that very seriously. Mike and I each had one extra outfit, and Jake had 3.
It was supposed to be a big family vacation, but at the last minute, my dad and his wife Shelley had to cancel, due to illness. That left, Mike, Jake, myself, my mother in law Janis, my sister Jen, my stepsister Danna, and Jen's friend Sandra.
Being that this was our first vacation with Jake, I can easily say that I was beyond nervous. I had major anxiety about flying with a toddler (would he sit still? would he scream and cry the whole way? would we get stuck in the plane for hours on the tarmac with no food, water, or air conditioning? would he be able to sleep in a strange place? what happens if any of us, especially Jake, get sick...will we have to go to a Bahamian doctor?? etc.)
Day 1 (day of travel) Thurs. 7/10/08
My dad picked us up at 7:45 that morning. We got to the airport over 2 hours early as to comply with the FAA. Going through security was uneventful. Jake was being squirmy, but what toddler wouldn't be. We all take turns running Jake around trying to burn off all of the excess energy we can. We were flying from LAX to Miami, and then taking a small plane from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas. We finally boarded the plane (on time).
We sat on the plane and waited to take off. Every few minutes the flight attendant would make an announcement saying we would be taking off in 10 minutes. Apparently, an airline mechanic was fixing a part on the plane, and we would take off shortly. To make a REALLY long story short after 2 hours of just sitting on our seats, unable to move-the pilot came on the speaker and told us that the plane was unable to be fixed, and we would have to get off. They were going to arrange another plane for us to take. They did indeed arrange for another plane. I t would leave in another 2 hours.
We found out that we were not going to be making our connecting flight to Nassau, and that we would have to spend the night in an airport hotel in Miami. Oh ya, and we were not allowed to retrieve our luggage. It was going to be locked up in the airport in Miami. (THANK GOD, I watched the Today show, we all had emergency outfits!)
So, it had been 7 hours since we left our house before we actually got off the ground in a plane on the way to Miami. Jake did the best he could, he REFUSED to sleep or at the very least even sit in his seat. For 5.5 hours Mike and I took turns standing and rocking him, trying to get him to sleep, but to no avail. He was just too excited... We were so fortunate to have kind people on the plane who didn't yell at us for having a crying baby. I of course, I was panicked, all of my nightmares were coming true.
We got into Miami at 11 PM. We had been officially travelling for 13 hours. We were all exhausted to say the least. The airline was "kind enough" to supply us with a travel toothbrush and a dollop of toothpaste. We were instructed to take a tram to our airport hotel. We all wearily boarded a tram, and off we went. By the time we got in our room it was 1 am. Jake had still not slept one time the whole day. After waiting another hour for a crib...we finally got him to fall asleep. We would have to be up by 7 am the following day to make it back to the airport to catch our plane to Nassau.
Day 2-(another travel day)
Jake woke up SICK. He was congested, coughing, and hoarse. The poor kid...We shleped back to Miami Airport, went through security AGAIN. We arrived 2 hours early again per the rules. We chased Jake around for 2 hours, and finally, yes, finally, we got to board our teeny tiny plane to Nassau.
We landed without issue. To our pleasant surprise all of our baggage landed in Nassau as well. Things were shaping up. All 7 of us hopped in a van and headed to our hotel. When we checked in, they told us that we had lost our reservations b/c we were now a day late even though we called to let them know. Somehow they managed to scrounge up 3 rooms. Thank goodness, we got to FINALLY move in. At that point it was after 3pm. We had lost a whole day! We all napped. Jake FINALLY slept for the first time in 24 hours. We grabbed a bite for dinnner, and off to bed we went.
Day 3-
Jake is getting much sicker. I am sick now. Mike is on the verge of getting sick. We manage to get the energy up to check out Atlantis. After all, we made it this far.... We decided to take a dip into the lazy river. That was actually a lot of fun. We head back to the room for another nap. Jake and I nap a lot that day. We eat dinner, and go to bed.
Day 4-
We are all full blown sick now. We try our best to enjoy the hotel. We decide to go for a swim in the ocean. The whole time it has been cloudy and muggy. Pretty much what you would expect for the tropics. Then out of nowhere, it starts raining like something out of a movie! I am not kidding you, raindrops the size of hamsters start falling on us. Everyone starts running for the hotel like it was the end of the world. We are rushing to get Jake out of the pouring rain. It is wet and slippery. My poor mother-in-law Janis slips and falls and scrapes up her leg. Thank goodness she didn't break anything! We go into the hotel and enjoy a really good buffet. (Food always makes everything better!)
Janis graciously offered to watch Jake that night for us so that Mike and I can go out on a "date", and get some much needed rest. We went out to dinner, gambled in the casino for 45 minutes, and came back to our room by 10pm. We were too sick and tired to really go out and have fun.
Day 5-
I woke up feeling better. Mike and Jake on the other hand wake up feeling much worse. We decide to go to the doctor. I call the hotel operator to find out the name of a doctor. She tells me (at the Clinic) that you go to see a nurse first, and then if she deems it necessary, you move on to see the doctor. We get on a shuttle to the clinic. They open at 11am. Yay, we were the first ones there! The nurse looks at Jake and Mike and tells us, that they need to see the doctor (DUH!!!). We are relieved. But, the doctor won't be in until 1pm....(Whaaaaat??) Could they not have told me that on the phone? We go back to our hotel. We rest. We get back on the shuttle at 1230, and arrive at the clinic at 12:45. I want the doctor to see them first!
Long story short, the doctor diagnosed both Jake and Mike with bad colds and fluid in the ears. I swear, both of them are really sick. I don't get it? He does not give us any perscription medication. But being that we are coming home tomorrow on an airplane, he says I need to give Jake a decongentant (DUH again) to relieve ear pain.
(I guess this would be a good time to mention that as soon as we got home, I took Jake to the pediatrition who diagnosed Jake with a double ear infection. Mike went to his doctor and got diagnosed with bronchitis borderline pneumonia.)
MORE COMING SOON............................
Friday, July 4, 2008
Happy 4th of July!!
Happy 4th of July!! We started off the day by going to our neighborhood's yearly kid parade and breakfast mingle.
Great Grandma and Great Grandpa came for a visit!
A few weeks ago, we had a mini family reunion (Mike's family).We were so excited to see GG Harold and GG Peggy. They came for a visit all the way from Dierks, Arkansas. We also got to spend time with Mike's Aunt Frances and Uncle Russ. It was so great getting to know them.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Parade in the Sky
So, Jenny, Jack and I got to ride in a float that is attached to the ceiling at the Rio. It's part of their Mardi Gras Parade. Basically there are floats that travel in a giant circle all around the casino. Each float has dancers on it...they throw mardi gras beads to people below. It was friggen hilarious to watch all of the people flashing us for beads. We weren't permitted to bring our camera on board :(
But they did take 2 photos of us before getting on. The other 2 photos are a bit grainy, but check out those happy faces!!
We had a BLAST on that float. I have to say it was one of the highlights of my trip!!
Turning 30 was a blast!
I am finally getting around to posting about my 30th birthday in Las Vegas! I had the most amazing birthday that I could ever wish for. So many people helped make my day extra special!Mike and I headed out to Las Vegas on Friday, we checked into our gorgeous room at the Wynn. Upon our arrival there, we had a phenominal fruit basket and chocolate covered strawberries waiting for us. After checking into our room, we went over to the Paris hotel to greet our very good friends Jenny, John and their adorable son Jack. Upon arriving there, champagne and strawberries were sent up to the room. We all munched on the berries, and sipped champagne. We then headed off to the Rio to partake in their parade in the sky. Jenny, Jack and I got to ride in a float high up in the sky above the casino.
When we got back to our room later that night, we came home to a great surprise! My parents, my sister and Mike arranged to have our room decorated for my birthday ! There were tons of balloons, a cake, a chocolate sculpture and champagne! If that weren't enough, Mike put out my beautiful birthday present which were gorgeous earrings. I truly felt like a princess.
On my actual birthday, I got to enjoy a massage at the spa! To top off my amazing day, Jenny, John, Mike and I went out for a YUMMY dinner at Grand Lux. When we went back to Jenny and Johns hotel room, they surprised me with an AWESOME birthday cake-it was seriously the best cake I have ever had!!
The rest of the weekend was filled with eating, gambling and sleeping! I got to sleep in til 9 am on Sunday morning which was such a treat!
I have to add a VERY special Thank you to my mother-in-law, Janis for taking care of Jake for the weekend. We felt so comfortable knowing that he was in such good hands!
All I can say is that I am so grateful to have such an amazing husband, family, and friends. Thank you to all!!
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