October 17-23, 2009-Trip home to Texas
So the adventure began several months ago when I got a call from my niece in Pflugerville, TX. as her husband’s (Juan) company was planning on some training in Canada. At that time Nicole had asked me if I would consider coming to keep the kids at their house since she had not intentions to leave them if they had to have their daily routines disrupted, especially since Justin is a 3rd grader and Allison started kindergarten this year not to mention the new addition who was 1 year old this August-Miss Lauren. Now mind you-the 3 kids are my great nieces and nephew. At the time we talked about their trip Thomas and I were in British Columbia with Caitlynn, Denyse, and Hans for his 81st birthday trip. I assured Nicole that I’d not have a problem coming as I wouldn’t miss that opportunity! I believe that this is the first time since Juan and Nicole married that they have taken a couple only trip for more than a night together (10 yrs?) We live so many miles away that I take every chance I can to visit for any length of time; some trips have to have business mixed with pleasure to get there. Nicole is very good about keeping us informed of all the activities/events in the kid’s life, along with sending pictures on our cell phones, etc. but that would never replace getting to spend quality time with them.
Thomas and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary yesterday and I got things caught up at the sleep lab, packed and left this morning before 5 AM to get to the airport in Roanoke in a timely fashion since my flight is scheduled to depart at 6 AM. Caitlynn said her good-byes to me as she went off to bed last night because she really didn’t want to get up this early to see me off but Thomas was a trooper and drove me to the airport and got me through the ticketing process. We said our good-byes before I took the escalator up to make my way through security-what all good Americans love! The weather in Roanoke this week has been cold and wet with a high temperature of 52 so far, the forecast for Austin is bright, sunny and 70’s for the week-whewwwwwhoooo.
I changed planes in Atlanta and had a 3 hour layover so I ate a healthy breakfast at TGIF’s then headed to my next gate as I “window shopped” while I walked that direction. For those of you who know me, I don’t watch TV unless it’s a movie that we watch as a family or football but being in the airport for a while you can’t help but see a TV somewhere. So the headlines today are the Category 5 storm named “Rick” and the 20th anniversary of the earthquake in San Francisco: Hurricane Rick continues "remarkable" development in the words of the National Hurricane Center with sustained winds nearing 145 mph Saturday morning. The storm has an estimated central pressure of near 938 mb and is moving WNW near 12 mph. The NHC's morning discussion update calls for Hurricane Rick's maximum sustained winds to approach 160 mph on Sunday, putting Rick into rare category five status, albeit for a brief time before weakening begins around Monday. With sea surface temperatures near 84-86 F and very little upper level wind shear (winds less than 10 kt.) Rick will remain in a very favorable environment until Monday as the massive storm nears the central/southwestern tip of Baja California.
1989-Loma Prieta, CA-Today is the 20th anniversary of 6.9 Richter scale earthquake which were three events about 1.5 and 3.0 seconds apart, respectively. Sixty-two people killed, 3,757 injured and damage estimated at 5.6 billion U.S. dollars. Maximum intensity IX in parts of Oakland and San Francisco. Numerous landslides occurred in the epicentral area and liquefaction occurred in some areas of Oakland and San Francisco. Felt from Eureka to Los Angeles and east as far as Fallon, Nevada. Also felt in highrise buildings in San Diego. A small tsunami with maximum wave height (peak-to-trough) of 40 cm was recorded at Monterey. Known as the World Series Earthquake. The earthquake caused game 3 of the World Series to be cancelled.
I arrived in Austin a little after noon time with a bright sunny day outside and temperatures in the mid 70’s-now this is Texas! You always know when you step off the plane and you’re in Texas because people all around you wear cowboy hats and boots. I wear my boots with suits and dresses in Roanoke now. As Thomas once told me when we were dating, he’s never been to a place where people are truly proud to be from as Texans. U.T. (the University of Texas) is playing football as we deplane and the game started about an hour ago so I’ll be looking for the score as soon as possible. The game is in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl since they are playing OU (Oklahoma University) huge rivalries so there has to be enough space for everyone and the drive for both teams. As I walked toward the baggage claim area I sent Nicole a text to let her know I had arrived. She sent one back telling me she and the kids are here and would drive around to wait on me. When I walked outside the doors, it wasn’t long before they drove up to me as I waved. I’m so excited to see them all! I haven’t been back to Austin since January when Lauren was 5 months old-now she’s walking and chattering, Allison’s now in real school and Justin grows more every time I see new pictures! So I hurried to their vehicle to put my backpack in, grab Justin and return before the luggage carousel started. Justin and I talked about everything from school, swimming to football. He loves to give me a rash since he lives in Austin but was born in Lubbock so now he’s a Texas Tech football fan. Naturally I no longer live in Texas but grew-up in Austin and remain a U.T. Longhorn fan so we always have football to talk about. Today he’s wearing his “Marathon Kids” t-shirt and so I told him that I am preparing for a half marathon in April but just ran a 5K last weekend. I asked Justin if he knew what a triathlon is, he did not so I explained to him that it is 26.2 miles like a marathon but has 3 different events such as cycling, running and swimming and that a strong swimmer usually wins because they can make up the time so well. I assured him that I felt like this should be something he investigates doing next! He looked at me and said yes and grinned like a possum-not sure if he agrees with me or thinks I’m crazy? My luggage finally came and we made our way back to their vehicle. Allison’s feet have definitely grown and Lauren-wow, she is getting so big so fast I can’t believe it! I asked Allison who her best friend is and she replied, “Reed” and then I asked her if she had any other friends and she said “Cameron”. Unsure but thinking that those were 2 boys names I then followed up to ask her if she had any girlfriends and she quickly responded, “no, I am too young for those!” We all cracked up in the vehicle, I especially did since I am sure these are words she’s heard from her mom and dad as they prepare her and themselves for her teenage years! Nicole tells me that she calls her friends that are girls “Sista Girls”, now that is funny…
I thought we were driving to Nicole and Juan’s house but Justin was hungry and when he thought to tell his mom she informed us that we would be stopping at Whataburger to pickup lunch for us all, in my honor. I LOVE Whatatburger!! Nicole always says that she thinks their ketchup packets are the best, I laugh as she reminds us of this since I’m not thinking that the Texas burger chain does anything ‘special’ to their ketchup (it’s manufactured in Corpus Christi, TX)…
We sat at their dining table all together, blessed the food and enjoyed our Whataburgers. The kids had so much to show me including Justin’s new bedroom set-a bunk bed! This setup gives him a lot more room but I’m not thinking I’ll be hiking up that ladder to sleep with him like I have in the past. He plays a fort battle game with his dad sometimes as his dad can sit in his bedroom with Justin in his as they run some cable between Juan’s laptop and Justin’s PC so they can build forts and stuff-he loves doing this. Allison has a big keyboard that she has borrowed from a friend and its in her room to practice playing the piano (her new project), a cute shoe holder on her closet door and she loves to play CD’s in her player on top of her dresser-she loves to sing! Miss Lauren has discovered that her room is pretty entertaining also as she walks in there a lot now and seems to always find something fun to check out. I can’t believe how much she’s grown in the last 8 months since I’ve seen her! She’s a happy baby and I love to see her dimples when she smiles. She is such a lovebug, when you pick her up she immediately lays her head on your shoulder and rubs your back-I love it! We spent the evening chatting as Nicole and I got caught up while she started doing some laundry. The kids and I played and Nicole showed me the “notebook” she had made for me to follow with the kid’s schedules, etc. in it. It will be a good guide for me but I’ve always been an independent thinker pretty much but I appreciate the help. It has everything from Tamara’s phone numbers (Nicole’s friend) to the eye doctor’s contact information-not to mention her meal planning for us (and she had already bought the groceries needed-wow). Now let me just tell you, Nicole had emailed me the “agendas” a week or two before I came and she teased me as she said Juan told me I’d be tested over the information later. I cracked up as I reviewed it and she had written on Monday “this is our busiest day” and at the end of the agenda for Monday she wrote “one day down”. I reviewed it and told Thomas that I have created a niece that is me on steroids, he laughed. My employees and family think I’m ‘agenda driven’ but Nicole is more so than me it seems. So I emailed her back and said, “I can do this blindfolded and with a limp”, she just chuckled up as she read it. So here am I and will put it in action tomorrow after taking Nicole and Juan to the airport-I believe we will be just fine with a few modifications of mine! The evening winded down as we looked at pictures on Nicole’s laptop that she has taken in the last year. We had an awkward moment when Nicole was clicking thru pictures she had taken when Justin was young and all of a sudden there was a picture that obviously she and Juan had taken during a private time and Nicole just about freaked out as she covered Justin’s eyes and raised her voice at Juan who was just laughing as I was at this point. Juan said, “WHAT I didn’t do it”. She changed pictures and then she decided it was time to put Justin to bed. I jokingly asked her why she yelled at Juan when she was the one in the picture not Juan and the 3 of us just laughed together. After we visited, Juan had already gone to bed (not sure if he was tired or embarrassed?) and it got to be midnight Nicole and I decided to call it a night since everyone else had gone to bed. I joined Allison in her bed and cuddled up with her. It’s been good to be back with them, I’m trying to go to sleep as I ponder: My niece and Juan are examples of people with attitudes of gratitude. I don’t understand when this attitude of entitlement entered our nation’s consciousness as I commonly witness these days. I seem to recall a pretty good speech by John F. Kennedy (a few years back) admonishing us to “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” Well, that concept went out with the hula hoop I believe. The Greatest Generation has replaced by a younger In-Gratest Generation and I think our nation’s founders would all turn over in their respective graves and grit their collective wooden teeth in despair if they could see it today. Now we live in a culture where parents want to be their children’s best friends more than they want to be their children’s best parents. And they think children need things far more than they need them. I can whole-hearted say that I feel Nicole and Juan make an attempt every day with all 3 of their children to teach them the importance of appreciation and gratitude for even the simplest things in life. As I have told Thomas on several occasions when talking to Nicole or even visiting their home; this is when I feel like I have arrived. To see their family and the relationships that have developed with each of their kids and each other makes me feel fortunate to have been a part of Nicole’s early stages in life and hopefully in some small way I contributed to her adult life and I feel so proud to watch them in action as a family-good night all.
Sunday, October 18, 2009-Today in history:
1867-The United States took possession of Alaska from Russia
1892-The first long distance telephone line between Chicago and New York was opened
1931-Inventor Thomas Alva Edison died at age 84 in West Orange, N.J.
Chuck Berry turns 83 years old today and the R & B singer, actor Ne-Yo turns 30 years old today.
We woke up and got ready for church. We would all be going at the same time this morning as they have a young couple in their Life Group who just miscarried on Friday so Juan will be taking his kids class for him today. Nicole has a 3 year old class that she helps a couple of ladies with for first service so Justin and Juan left first (in the guy’s car-the Mustang) and went off to their classes then Nicole and I took Lauren to the babies class (she loves the older man to in her class-she went right to him and he rocked her). Allison’s class was around the same hall so we took her there and then went to Nicole’s class she teaches. Today they are merging 2 classes so we had 13-3 year olds but 4 of us adults counting me. Together we read, sang and made crafts after their snacks. Our class finished and we met Juan to go to the main sanctuary for services. I do enjoy their church as this is my 3rd time of visiting here. They play contemporary Christian music which I enjoy and listen to this type of music on the radio most of the time at home so the songs are familiar to me. After services we retrieved all 3 kids and made our way to the house to indulge in Nicole’s famous pot roast that she does in a crock pot. She actually put it on late last night before we went to bed so it should be nice and tender. This is Justin’s favorite meal that she fixes, I too LOVE pot roast! The afternoon was spent getting Nicole and Juan packed for their trip, each of them packing for themselves. I laughed as Nicole had packed her blow dryer and I informed her that I felt sure the Wynn http://www.wynnlasvegas.com would have one in the bathroom since Steve Wynn owned most of Vegas. As a typical woman she had packed 4 or 5 pair of shoes for 5 days but she was unsure what she’d want to wear since this is her first time of ever going to Vegas. I warned her that they would be doing a lot of walking! Juan has been to Vegas before but not with enough time to do much so he was also excited. I’m happy that they are excited about their trip and being able to spend some quality time together, alone as a couple-it will be good for them. The kids and I played and Lauren took her usual afternoon nap before Justin was picked up by Tamara to go to a friend’s party at 3 pm then the girls and I took Juan and Nicole to the airport around 4:40 pm and sent them on their way. Allison cried a few minutes after we drove off but she subsided when I told her we could go to the new Pflugerville McDonald’s so she and her sister could play a bit and eat. McDonald’s fries always makes things better, regardless of your age! Lauren had a great time and so did Allison, they ate well for me too. Tamara called when they were 5 miles from the house so we loaded up and met them at the house. Justin had a good time with his friends. We picked out Justin and Allison’s clothes for morning then started the bath routines for all 3 of my kids. Allison washes her hair every other night which she doesn’t really like to do, Justin totally takes care of his showers on his own but you have to be sure he brushes his teeth his mom reported to me and Miss Lauren loves her baths. I put Lauren to bed first then the other 2 kids and we discussed our 3 blessings for each of us for the day (a tradition Caitlynn-they refer to her as “KK” and I have had until she got in 8th grade, I still practice it myself), said our prayer and off to sleep. Nicole had washed her bed sheets before they left and I placed them in the dryer when we returned from McDonald’s then put them on their bed since she said I could just sleep in their room while they were gone. I offered Allison and Justin to sleep with me, Allison accepted after I mentioned the nice thing is they would not have to make their beds each morning this way! Justin denied as he wanted to sleep in his bunk bed so off he went to his room. It wasn’t long before I heard him coming down his ladder and then came down the hall and looked in the room at Allison and I, she wasn’t asleep either as they waited to talk to their mom and dad when they changed planes in Dallas. I asked him if he was sure he didn’t want to sleep with us in his parent’s room and he again said no but he wanted to know if I had set the house alarm. I had not so he offered to take care of it then my cell phone rang and it was Nicole and Juan as they were changing planes. They talked to both kids and Justin knew the exact time difference for us and them once they got to Vegas, he kept telling me our time then what Vegas time would be. They all said their good-byes and off Justin went back to his room but I did not hear him going up on the ladder then I looked down the hall and he stood there, he asked me if I wanted to borrow his alarm so I would be able to get up in the morning. I told him I wake up pretty much on my own, especially when I’m not at home. I again asked him if he was sure he didn’t want to join us, this time he agreed but whispered to me that he “did not want Allison to sleep next to me because she kicks me” so I offered to sleep in the middle. He climbed up in the bed with us and it wasn’t long before both of the kids were off to sleep. I can hardly believe that I am actually here with them-what a great day!
Good morning all-it’s Monday, October 19, 2009 and I was up around midnight with Miss Lauren. She woke up crying so I went into her bedroom and rocked her for 15-20 minutes as she went right back to sleep. I placed her in her crib and spread her favorite blanket (Pink with large brown, pink and bright green poka dots-very soft!) over her and she remained sleeping. I returned to Nicole and Juan’s bed with Justin and Allison. I woke up around 6 AM so I reviewed my agenda for the day and starting getting Justin and Allison thinking about waking up at 6:30. Justin’s alarm went off shortly, Ally got right up and I had her waffles (chocolate chip that Nicole had made and put in the freezer for us this week-their favorite!) ready with apple juice. Justin was shortly behind her and he had the same thing but with chocolate milk (all that chocolate should get him moving). I stood outside with them to wait on Tamara with backpacks and waterbottles in hand. It’s cool but clear this morning at 54 degrees and expected high of 75 degrees. I then realized that Lauren watches a 30 minutes portion of “Yo Gabba Gabba” in the mornings as she ate so I had to get Justin to run back in to instruct me how to turn on their TV. He got a kick out of this but struggled thru the instructions with me-I am challenged since I hardly ever watch TV and theirs is a fancy, modern techno challenge setup for me! This week at Pflugerville Elementary is Red Ribbon Week. It is when children and adults across the U.S. promote the importance of a drug-free lifestyle. So this week at the kid’s school they will have each day with a dress-up theme to help the kids celebrate it. Today is wear blue day ‘drugs give you the blues!’ Allison and Justin picked out their clothes last night and both picked blue t-shirts, and they both chose shorts to wear since the weather will be nice. Justin is all about checking and knowing the weather forecast. So I taught him how to check it on my cell, he thinks that is cool! The kids are all excited as they told Tamara when she arrived to take them to school at 7:15 AM that I will be coming to school each day but Tuesday…she just laughs as they drive off to school. I cleaned the kitchen and realized I needed bleach and stove top oven cleaner so I started a Wal-Mart list. It wasn’t long after the kids left with Tamara for school that Lauren woke up ready to cuddle a bit then eat. Of course, I did manage to find the recorded (DVR) of her show to watch “Yo Gabba Gabba” for about 30 minutes before we started our morning. We got to the school at 10:30 so we could unload the stroller and check-in at the front office. Everyone in the office knew Lauren and she laughed as they all talked to her while they took my driver’s license and scanned it then it printed out a sticky pass (just like the picture on my license) that I had to place on my shirt to display at all times while here as a visitor. It even has the location that I should be at such as: cafeteria. Wow how times have changed in schools. We greeted Ally as she was grinning ear to ear when she spotted us; she was earnestly looking for us when she entered the cafeteria. We sat at the Guest Table but I gave her the choice of sitting here or we could all sit with her class. She chose to sit at the Guest Table but went back and forth telling her classmates who I was and reminding them that Lauren is her baby sister. She thought this was quite a treat. Since her lunchtime is 10:40 AM (that is really brunch time to me) I decided to eat an apple and Lauren snacked on peaches while Ally had chicken nuggets for her meal. Several of the teachers that came in recognized Lauren and asked me where her mom was, I explained to them that I am their great-aunt and came from VA to babysit while their parents went to Vegas for their first trip away together since they married. One of the teachers couldn’t believe I am the great-aunt, I assured them that with 3 little ones I will feel like it by the end of the week but will love every minute of it! We hung out then until Justin’s class came in at 11:40 AM for his lunch time and we ate with him. He too wanted to sit at the Guest Table and as kids he knew walked by us he was sure to tell them ‘hello’, the kids would all yell “Justin” and wave to him. Lauren loved all the attention and would go back and forth to Justin and I. We said our goodbye’s at 12:25 PM to get back to the house for Lauren’s nap in a timely fashion. I put her to bed and turned her CD on and off to sleep she went. Almost immediately upon entering back into the living room the door bell rang. I looked out the front door to see a delivery man standing there with a package in hand and a clipboard for signing. I opened the door and he told me he had “a delivery for a Raquel Rothe”. I told him, “ok, that’s weird” and I signed for it. The return address written with my last name-Rothe but this address and it was actually addressed to me here at this address, awkward. I opened it to find the gift bag outside a very nice jewelry box, then opened it to find the ring that I had liked at the Gem Gallery’s display of their ‘Rebecca’ signature line of jewelry earlier this week. When Thomas and I had gone to dinner last Friday for our anniversary I told him about it. He asked me why I didn’t buy it and I said because it was too much and he told me to use my $100 he gave me in my anniversary card and get it for myself. He always says “You deserve it” but I still feel guilty if I indulge in myself something of that caliber, besides it is always so much fun getting for others! Anyway it was the ring and my husband had gotten it and mailed it to me here, he is so good to me-all the time. My day was bright already just having the opportunity to be here with the kids even without Thomas’s little surprise but now it’s amazing-I am blessed to have family that loves me as much as I love them! I continued my afternoon before it was time to pickup the kids from school so I busied myself as I did some laundry and checked on the sleep lab and Kim Wells since her mom is scheduled to have a back procedure performed today. It got to be 2:20 PM and so I had to wake Miss Lauren up so we could get to the school since Ally gets out at 2:40 PM and Justin at 2:50 PM. The procedure for pickup after school is the parents/adult has to park and then the teachers release the children to you. This makes it a little difficult when you have to get a small one and their stroller unloaded then make your way to the sidewalks to gather your child(ren). We got it done though. We loaded the vehicle and headed to Allison’s piano lessons (luckily the teacher lives 6 streets from Nicole’s) since it is at 3 PM. We dropped her off and I took Justin to the house for a snack and to gather swim team stuff then we retrieved Ally and made our way to Gilleland Creek Pool since Justin’s swim team practice is at 4-5 PM. Our little Michael Phelps changed and put his swim cap on, gathered his fins and made his way to the pool. Coach Flow (not kidding, I believe his last name is like Florindo or something so they shortened it to Flow. Funny since he watched the kids ‘flow in the water’…..he started them on 100 meter freestyle, then kickboard, next was streamline and so forth. We watched for a bit then Ally was restless along with Lauren so we walked behind the pool area to a playground. Pflugerville (http://www.cityofpflugerville.com) is a nice community with a population of 47,000 and as typical Austin-style they love the outdoors of any kind. They have a trail that goes around the entire town and there is always someone cycling, walking, running or just strolling and enjoying the creek on the trail. The trail is alongside the pool so it is really nice and serene, I took the girls to play and run around a bit as we kept an eye on Justin’s practice. When he got finished I thought we’d do what all good aunts do (out of the ordinary-a treat) and we went to Baskin-Robbins for a “treat”. Now I know you’re thinking its 5 o’clock and they haven’t eaten dinner yet and yes you are correct. My Nana Miller (my dad’s mom) always told us “life is short, eat dessert first!” so I feel like I need to pass such history down to these kids. I got my usual-Rocky Road in a sugar cone, Justin got his favorite-chocolate chip cookie dough, and Ally got Rainbow Sherbet. The young ladies working there saw me letting Lauren lick some of mine and offered us a sample size of their soft serve-vanilla for Lauren. She liked it!! Justin tells me she’s never had ice cream “her whole life” he says exactly, I am so proud since I pride myself on doing “firsts” with them when I get the chance. After we finished our dessert we went back to the house to eat leftover roast that Nicole made yesterday. I did tell the kids that if we ate dessert first they WOULD have to eat a good dinner for me and they did. Miss Lauren always eats good so I wasn’t too worried about her. I find it ironic that she loves mandarin oranges like me! Every time they are on sale in the can, I buy them up to enjoy as much as possible. Lauren would eat a whole can if you let her but then she has “blow outs” and that can be interesting (I have discovered on this visit already…..) After dinner we did homework, baths and started bedding down. It was cute as Justin, Allison and I sat on their parent’s bed and talked about 3 blessings from today. I went first then Justin and Allison. I was proud that each of them said me visiting was a blessing for them-no more than for me! Justin and Allison slept with me in their parent’s room again but after I got them situated in bed I came in the living room to call Caitlynn and Thomas then maybe watch some of Monday Night Football. As I talked on my cell Justin came around the corner and told me he was having a hard time going to sleep so I let him sit in the living room with me and watch football until 8:15 PM. I was also writing this story and he sat by me as he inquired what I was doing. I explained to him that any time I spend a night away from home I journal the story and post it on my blog. He said he was learning about blogs at school so I showed him my blog site: http://rothetravels.blogspot.com and read with him the trip I made here last which was in January. He chuckled as he read parts with his name in it. We decided to go to bed and I rubbed his back until he fell asleep. I of course had to sleep in the middle (Justin’s request), is there really a better place to be-I’m not thinking so. Good night!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009-woke a little before 6 AM with 54 degrees and high today should be 79 degrees. My baby (Miss Lauren) slept all night! I put her to bed after her bath and lotion at 7:45 PM and she slept until 6:50 AM. Today for Red Ribbon Week it’s inside out day ‘drugs turn you inside out’ so the kids wore all their clothes inside out, Ally even wore her socks inside out! Fed the 2 big kids breakfast and as they ate so did Lauren. After they were off to school I got on the elliptical for my exercise. Tracy and Joy ran the Fincastle Run on Saturday at home in VA and they were about 2 minutes apart in finishing Tracy tells me so I have to keep my pace up and could use some improvement before our 5K run in Lynchburg on Nov. 21st. Lauren busied herself watching her show while I utilized my 30 minutes. She was enthrottled with “Yo Gabba Gabba” this morning and ever so often she would look around at me but kept watching the TV.
Today I did not eat lunch with the big kids since I had a conference call with the Sleep Centers of Excellence committee as we prepare for our panel discuss on “The Role of Accreditation” for next week in Chicago at 12:30 CST. So beforehand I fed the little lady and got her down for her nap a little early-right at noon and was on the call for about an hour. I then called the office and checked on things, sent a couple of emails and an e-card to my wonderful handsome to thank him for just being him and then talked to Caitlynn a bit. Nicole had sent me a text to see how the kids were today; I replied “great-enjoy your time!” In no time it was 2:15 PM so Lauren and I got things gathered and left to pickup the big kids. Lauren and I strolled around the school 4 times before Allison’s class came out and we greeted her, we enjoyed the exercise and sights. Their teachers are so cute as they hug each kid to say their goodbyes and release them to their family. Ally came running over and hugged me then Lauren. Lauren lights up each time she sees either of her siblings, its so cute. Ally stood there with us talking to different people and waving. As Kristen went past, Ally yelled “Bye Sista Girl” and they waved at each other. Reed went past and Ally yelled bye to him then she took off and ran over to him and hugged him tight from his backside. He just grinned and she came back over to me. Justin was 10 minutes later and we walked on the cross-walk this time since Justin reminded me yesterday that we did not cross on it and that is the rule. We loaded up and I needed to return something to Target so we made a quick dash there then to the house to get Justin a snack and gear for swim team then left so we’d be on time. While Justin practiced the girls and I strolled around the trail, took turns swinging each of them and let Lauren push her stroller for a bit, returned to watch Justin again and take a small video. As we walked back to the vehicle with Justin, his coach, Coach Flow came up to him and told him how proud he was of his effort and told him the next 2 days they would be learning the breast stroke and the butterfly stroke, Justin grinned with excitement. He assured Justin that even though he is new and learning new strokes everyday he is doing well and practicing effectively. He also told him how nice it is to teach a child that listens. We checked the binds under ‘Palacios’ and there was a newsletter and Justin’s US Swim Team member card for the year, he was very proud as we walked and he read every bit of it to me. He chose Sonic for dinner since they have ½ price burgers on Tuesday from 5-close, of course Ally wanted to eat chicken strips. Justin says she’s going to grow feathers if she doesn’t quit eating chicken everywhere they eat at. She frowned at him when he told me that. Justin’s favorite drink here is watermelon slush and Ally always chooses Sprite. We got our food to go and went to the house to eat, do homework, go thru their backpacks and sign all the necessary stuff. I had started a stack for Nicole and Juan to review upon their return and added to it daily….Everyone bathed and got their pajamas on and Lauren was the first one down when Nicole and Juan called to talk to the 2 big kids. Ally was next in bed at 7:35 PM and she wanted me to scratch her back so I did. Then she decided she wanted me to rub it so I did, then she decided she wanted me to scratch it ‘under her night shirt’ and I did. After all our options she was fast asleep. Justin stayed in the living room with me for a bit. He told me it was hard sometimes to go to sleep and when his parents are here he just lays there in his bed until he ‘finally goes to sleep’ so I let him play Xbox 360 for 30 minutes and he would stop at different times to come sit next to me and peek at my story I’m typing and grin. Last but not least its time for Justin to bed it down so he headed to bed (Ally, Justin and I are still sleeping in their parents bed-they like not having to make their beds in the AM…) and I went with him. We barely got situated in the bed and in typical boy fashion he let out some gas! “Oh my Justin” I said, he giggled and waved the bed sheet and said “Ally won’t notice since she’s asleep” and we just giggled together then got still for a minute. He then kept moving as if he was restless so I told him I go to sleep each night praying in my head and I think about everyone who needs special prayers then I start thanking the Lord for my family, friends, loved ones and blessings I’ve been provided in my mind then I just fall asleep. I scratched his back for a few minutes then told him I have an app on my IPod for ‘e-sleep tunes’ and he laughed and asked me if I was serious, I assured him I was and went to get it. I explained that some people have to listen to soft soothing music to relax enough to sleep (spoken like a true sleep expert to a patient) so I got the free app to check it out a few months ago. He grinned as I placed my ear buds on him and started it then he giggled. The ocean waves and soft cosmic reflection music started playing and Justin said “and in the beginning the process begins” we both laughed. It wasn’t 7 minutes and he was out like a light! I of course remain sleeping in the middle but who cares, it’s been another great day with my great nieces and nephew-Life is good!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009-Our baby slept all night again and woke around 6:50 AM as the other 2 kids were eating breakfast. It must of rained last night as the ground is wet, it’s 65 degrees with expected scattered showers for the day. Justin told me the meaning of precipitation (though he had a hard time pronouncing it so I taught him a simple way to do so) he learned in science-he loves anything weather related. Today is cowboy day for red Ribbon Week ‘Texans give drugs the boot’ but Ally didn’t have any boots (she reminded me she ‘used to have some pink boots but my mom sold them on eBay because they got too little for me and never bought me more’) when we went to pick out her clothes last night for today. So I thought it’d be appropriate to let her wear her Tony Romo Dallas Cowboy jersey to school-besides her dad and uncle Thomas are huge die-hard Cowboy football fans so they would be proud. Justin wore a cowboy hat that KK had gotten while she was here visiting in August and since she had no room to pack it (she had gone shopping several times it seems while here for the month!) and had to leave it for another time. I told Justin she would love for him to wear it so he put it on with a smile, even this early in the morning. Off they went with waterbottles in hand and I had washed both of their pairs of glasses to start the day off bright even though it was overcast outside……Miss Lauren started her 30 minute increment of “Yo Gabba Gabba” while I used my time on the elliptical. She snacked on Cheerios and when I got finished I fixed her an egg, slice of cheese and ½ piece of toast. She is a good eater so I sat with her to eat my Activa with a handful of nuts and we faced out towards the back yard to enjoy the quiet morning’s rain shower that just began. “Biscuit” the Rat Terrier dog of theirs lies up in the cushion of their lawn table/chairs under the porch. I’ve been coming out each morning to love on him and play a bit. Early each morning I have been opening the windows in the house (closing them before the day heated up) and enjoying the freshness and today was no exception, except not as much to prevent the rain from coming in. Lauren enjoyed the gentle breeze as much as I did with her. We finished and made our way to get ready for the day as Justin had decided he’d like Arby’s for lunch at school today. I talked to Caitlynn and she’s helping out at my office today and Thomas went to Dr. Priddy for his annual checkup, I will wait to hear the update this evening when we talk.
I gathered my baby and we left the house at 10:15 AM so we could get the 2 big kids lunches and make it to their school by 10:40 when Ally eats. As I googled Arby’s on my cell I realized that most restaurants will still be serving breakfast until 10:30 AM then I would be late getting to the school so I opted to go get Chikfila for both of them then let Justin pick out dinner since he’d have to eat chicken and he really wanted roast beef. So I got them both Kid’s meals with the chikin’ minis and got to the school just in time after checking in. It had started to rain again so I decided I would not get back out to get Justin something different even though we’d have an hour in between Ally eating and Justin’s time for his class to eat. Lunch went well and I broke the news to Justin that he’d get to choose our dinner and where to eat and he was thrilled with that. He is always so easy going, as along as it is within the rules…haha. He laughed as Lauren got fussy and I wouldn’t let her back out of the stroller again and she had eaten all her snacks so I grabbed a baked Cheetos of Justin’s and gave it to her as we only had a few minutes left before we’d leave. I looked up at him and said, “see she likes them because you do”, he grinned and said “wait until I tell mom that Aunt Raquel fed Lauren ice cream and Cheetos”. I said “Justin, it was a baked cheeto-there is a saying that goes ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’, when Aunt Raquel is here-what happens here stays here” and he looked at me and we both chuckled. I did tell him afterwards that I’d let his mom know before I left though, he just grinned. Nicole and I have often agreed that he’s got the typical first child attitude in the aspect that he never wants to let his parents down and wants everyone in the family to go by the rules as he does, he’s such a little man. We finished our lunchtime and left for the house to get Miss Lauren down for her nap in a timely fashion. She’s such a good baby, she went right to sleep after I hugged her then kissed her before putting her in her crib and said ‘night night pretty baby girl” and she didn’t fuss at all and was asleep in less than 10 minutes. I then got busy in the kitchen as I’ve been cleaning the oven inside and out (it is gas so the burners tend to get very difficult to clean without soaking and scrubbing which I’ve been doing for the last 2 days), microwave and countertops with bleach. Nicole makes specialty cakes and decorates many edible things with her business (mrs_palacios@yahoo.com-Nicole’s Creations) so the icing will stain depending on the color, I am getting it all nice for her to come home to after their trip. I know from experience that women LOVE to come home to a clean house, especially when they left it clean. It’s hard enough for me to come home with dirty laundry so I like things to be tidy and I’m sure with her daily schedule and 3 kids it will be pleasant for her.
It’s rained off and on all day but the temperature was still 79 degrees, just humid. I woke Lauren up at 2:20 PM so we could leave to get both school kids. We all returned home and made chocolate chip cookies while Justin ate some Ravioli that was left over from Sat night (carbs are good before a work-out, right?) before we were off to swim team practice at 4 PM. Since it was wet and muddy I decided to take the girls to Hanna D’s while Justin practiced, he agreed as we let him out and watched him walk to his area that the team meets at then we drove off. Lauren got a little fussy as she saw all the wonderful colors and bling, I’m sure she was anxious to touch it as us girls love to do. I had handed her my wallet to entertain her thinking that she would not be able to open it-SURPRISE….she sucked on my book of checks so the routing number has disappeared off the bottom. Oh well, I didn’t need to write a check here in TX anyway. Ally found a necklace and she decided that the couple of dollars her parents gave her at the airport would be useful now. I found Caitlynn a Christmas gift and me a pair of earrings. It was time to leave so we could be back at the pool where Justin was practicing before they were finished, he likes timeliness. We accomplished that as we were 7 minutes early and waited on him, he walked to meet us in the vehicle and my mind wondered as I again realized how big and responsible he has become. He is so good with both of his sisters even though Ally’s at the age that she pushes him at times, he still takes the high road and that is an admirable trait in any age of person.
Justin picked Arby’s for dinner so he ran his mom’s GPS as we drove in the rain; it directed us to Round Rock where we went in to eat. Ally said, “We never get to eat in, we just take it home”. I explained to her a lot of that is because of the little lady since its hard to keep her occupied and its more sanitary for kids not to be touching then eating after many people. As we started to leave when we finished eating the rain was really coming down so I hustled the kids in the vehicle one at a time so they wouldn’t be totally soaked. On the drive home Justin (I called him a fart blossom after he repeatedly ‘expressed himself’ today, not to mention last night-haha) again had some gas and I told him if I didn’t know better I would think something had died it smelled so bad, he just laughed and laughed. Ally said, “Justin always does that and next time I’m going to do it to him when he sleeps”. To be so young he is such a man at times.
Nicole called at 7:05 PM just as we were about to start baths and both of the big kids talked to her then we finished our nightly routine. I told them we would go to the new Donut Shop in the morning if they went to bed and got up well in the morning. They are excited since this has been a tradition that I do with them each time I come. Justin tells me that it is the same donut shop but just another location so I felt we needed to approve it or not and there’s no way to do that but give it a shot in the morning. Justin was the first in bed as he asked to wear my IPod with the e-sleep tunes again and he shared 1 ear bud briefly (she couldn’t be still) with Ally then she was next in bed as I bathed Miss Lauren. They were all in bed by 8 PM after we counted 3 blessings a piece then prayed. They are very good kids and a joy to spend time with. They all went right to sleep so I finished my journal entry for the day and bleached the silverware holder and the dish drainer in the drawer that I repaired in the kitchen today, straightened the baby’s toys after I left Thomas a message and called Caitlynn to visit and tell her good-night. Answered a few emails for work and my business class, folded the laundry and Thomas called me back. He had his 50 year old check up with his Family Practice physician-Dr John Priddy this morning so I wanted the update. His blood pressure is 124/82 and his weight is down 7 lbs. from his last yearly checkup which Dr Priddy was pleased with all- good news! I did my devotions and made my way to bed. It’s been another good day-my 3 blessings of today: being able to kiss each of these 3 precious children; and tell them I love them as I tuck them in bed for the night after we prayed together.
Well our baby got up several during the night, I would hold her and rock her and she would slowly go back to sleep after I changed her diaper. I’m not sure why other than it has been raining most of the night and maybe it’s her molars? We called it a night at 5:40 AM and welcomed “Yo Gabba Gabba” to our new day. Today is the day the 2 school kids get to wear their PJ’s in support of Red Ribbon Week for “Follow your dreams-don’t do drugs”. The students can wear their PJ’s to school (how cool is that!). So we are going to the new Donut Shop-our tradition that I have done with Justin and Ally since they moved here to Pflugerville so this is a 1st as I get the take all 3 kids this time. I told them if they got up well this morning then we’d go, just jump in the car after brushing their teeth and hair since its PJ Day. Justin’s alarm went off at 6:20 AM and I know it wasn’t 5 minutes when he and Ally came around the corner into the kitchen area with their PJ’s on and ready to go to the Donut Shop! It’s amazing how fast they can move in the mornings when they have their own agenda-haha. We immediately got their raincoats on and left for the Donut Shop. It was drizzly outside so Ally wore her cute little raincoat that is red with big black poka dots on it, like a ladybug. I got our baby covered up and the four of us were in pursuit of fresh kalaches and donuts as we left the house by 6:40 AM. It is 61 degrees with rain and an expected high of 70 for the day, today is Thursday, October 22, 2009. This is the last day for Nicole and Juan’s visit to Las Vegas as they fly out for home tonight.
We stayed busy for the day as we rounded up all our little projects (including fixing the silverware drawer as it needed to be placed back on track). Lunch was good with both kids when we visited the school and Lauren took her scheduled nap. She is such a good baby and I have really enjoyed spending time with her. I got the school kids picked up and Ally was disappointed because I would not let her “run around to play tag with her friends” today since I had parked the vehicle on the side so I could see it from the sidewalk because Lauren was asleep in the car seat. She had a fragment sleep night so I guess she’s making up for it now. It wasn’t long before Justin came out with his class, I stood watching each class come out and laughed to myself at all the cute PJ’s the students and teachers wore today. All loaded in the vehicle we went to the house for a quick snack before swim team practice. Ally was getting cranky again and Justin kept saying to me, “Ally is t-i-r-e-d” as he would spell out the word each time. He told me when she acts that way with their mom; Nicole makes her go to her room until she can get a better attitude. I look at it this way, they’ve been without their parents for 5 days and that has never happened in the history of the kids so I gave her grace. Besides, isn’t that what aunts are all about?? It rolled around to 3:45 PM and we left so we’d be at the pool in a timely fashion. We walked Justin to the pool and then the girls and I walked on the trails and took turns swinging in the swing for Allison and playing on the playground equipment for Lauren. We started walking back to meet Justin and I let Lauren walk the trail instead of sitting in her stroller. I laughed so hard because as she walked she would stop and step over every crack that separated each section of cement. I told Allison to watch her as she continued doing this for the whole distance of the trail-we both enjoyed watching her as we giggled at her, she’s just look up at us and grins with those cute dimples. Justin finished up and we decided that we’d eat frozen pizza that his mom had bought for us tonight because he has quite a bit of homework including preparing for his spelling test for tomorrow. This way we’d have time to play with “Biscuit” also since we had been doing that a little each evening. “Biscuit” was out of the last litter that my dad bred for Nicole’s pick when they got “Biscuit” and we got “Val”-Thomas’s dog. It’s hard to believe they are 3 years old now! One of Justin’s chores is to feed and water “Biscuit” daily-he loves to see his boy Justin when he comes outside to him…….it a dog’s life. I myself love dogs. Some people are cat people (not my daughter) or horse people (I used to be but wow-a lot of work) or gerbil people or fish people, but I’ve never been anything but a good old-fashioned dog person. The Miller family has had Rat Terriers since I can remember. It’s the only breed of dog I remember my grandparents (Nana and Granddad Miller) having. The tradition continues as I have 3 and Nicole’s family has their 1. Justin chose the name “Biscuit” from a book series he read in school.
Well, as we arrived back at the house and started unloading backpacks, waterbottles and kids I was holding the house keys in my hand and laid them down to assist Allison more effectively. Then I reached for Lauren and as I pulled her out of the car seat Allison helped me by shutting the vehicle door and Justin had pushed the ‘lock’ button before he shut his door (which was before Allison closed hers). So much to my fear as I looked around for the keys-I spied them sitting in Allison’s booster seat, with all of the doors shut and locked. Now I know Justin well enough that he doesn’t like anything to go wrong with an agenda as it causes him distress. We have had a great week without being late (in fact early for almost all events we had on our agenda) and no distress for our boy but I’m thinking we are about to break our ritual. So I thought about how to tell him so I could decide what to do to get in the house, not to mention how I would pick Nicole and Juan up at the airport at midnight tonight……I had been opening the windows of the house in the early mornings as I spoke of earlier on in the story and continued to do so today since I was cleaning the inside of the oven and did not want our baby to be exposed to the fumes so I opened the house and worked mostly while Lauren took her mid-afternoon nap. I began to calmly explain to the kids that the keys were just locked in the vehicle but then I told Justin that I felt like he could probably go in the back yard and get in thru one of the windows that had been left open. We would have to take the screen off and my fear was that we’d need to perform this operation in the back yard since I don’t live here and if someone saw us “trying to get in the house” it would not be a good experience and if it caused further disruption Justin would BE distressed with that scene! Especially if someone called the cops and they came squealing down the road with their lights flashing before they pulled in the driveway and pointed their guns at me I’m thinking about now. Justin thought it was cool because he had the responsibility of taking care of us girls and as we waited (me entertaining the girls-watching and waiting) it wasn’t long at all before Justin came right out the front door with a grin on his face. I asked, “How did you get in without me helping take a screen off?” He just grinned big and said, “The back door was unlocked so I just came right in!” I felt relief but then remembered that I had fed “Biscuit” scraps before leaving to get the kids from school this afternoon and obviously did not dead bolt it back-lucky us! Nicole and Juan I want you both to know that I locked every door, closed every window and set the alarm every night-I promise!!
We did homework, ate dinner and began baths. I put Allison to bed first as she was giving Justin a few fits and at this point I figured she was T-I-R-E-D so I’d try her mom’s trick and put her to bed after her bath by 7:05 PM and she fell fast asleep. Lauren was next and Justin lagged a bit and by 8:15 PM I told him he’d better try to bed down since his parents would be home around midnight and I was sure they’d come in and kiss them each and tomorrow is a school day still. He wanted to read some of my story so I let him (for this trip); I smiled as he enjoyed reading different parts obviously. I had put the 2 big kids in their beds tonight since their parents were coming home to sleep tonight. Tamara’s niece has babysat the kids before and Nicole had talked to her about coming tonight after her job to stay with the 3 cute sleeping kids while I drove to the Austin airport to retrieve their parents so she called to reconfirm the time she needed to arrive for me to leave. I talked to Thomas and Caitlynn as I look forward to seeing them tomorrow and they’re likewise. Nicole and Juan’s flight arrived right before midnight and we got back to their house at 12:47 AM and chatted a bit as Juan went to bed 1st then Nicole and I followed around 1:10 AM. I was texting Kim and Dottie at the lab until 2:25 AM and then climbed in bed with Ally to hold her for the last night of my stay-this time.
Well today is Friday, October 23, 2009-woke up to a brisk 52 degrees, at home (in Roanoke) this is a good temperature but here it seems colder. Red Ribbon day is to dress crazy “drugs are ridiculous” so the kids can dress anyway they choose. Justin and Allison both chose to wear their new t-shirts that their parents brought them from Vegas. Allison did wear shorts that didn’t match but Justin did no-his clothes matched. Nicole and I got up around 6 AM and chatted before she woke the kids up. My heart skipped a beat when I came around the corner of the living room when I woke up and she was holding Miss Lauren (they were cuddling), Lauren looked up and saw me and actually stuck her arms out as she grunted and wanted me to pick her up-I was so excited and Nicole just smiled as she handed her to me! Ok, now I have to go home today-what? Nicole went into each of their rooms as she woke Justin and Allison up. They were so excited to see their mom and she shared with them their t-shirts, M&M’s from the factory in Vegas and some pictures on her camera. Juan is off today so he’s sleeping in. The time change is always tough to transition to when returning from the west coast. Nicole fixed them breakfast and Justin’s class today gets to have “game day” (Mrs. Barnett) so he is taking his DS to play and for snack it will be 2 kalaches he ‘saved’ for today from yesterday morning. As he got ready we seemed to have misplaced the kalaches, not sure how but he seemed a little distraught (it’s that 1st child syndrome-he likes systems/routines that stay the same) so I offered to drive them to school so I could go get more kalaches for his special day-right, what are aunts for again? Nicole agreed as I assured her that way she would not have to get Lauren out this morning either and she accepted my offer with a grin. (She says the kids will have to come back to reality after I leave….) I pulled up at the school to drop them off and they both asked me when I would be coming back again (we talked about this earlier this week) and I told them Dec. 5th. Justin knew what day today is so he counted the days as I gave him an approximate total of days and reminded them that Uncle Thomas and KK would also be with me for a weeks visit. They were both excited as we talked of the future plans, then Justin realized he left his DS at the house as we left so I told him I would go get kalaches and his DS then return them to school for his play day. Off I went on my mission and when I got to the house Nicole was feeding Lauren, I told her what I came to get and she had realized after we left that he left it so I took his things and returned to the school. I went into the main office at the elementary and told the ladies I was leaving to go back to VA today as I gave them Justin’s things. They said, “I’m sure the kids will miss you, they have enjoyed you being here”. I smiled as I departed and as I drove off I did have a bout of sadness come over me but then realized how fortunate I am to be able to come and spend this time with them. It’s been a great week and as I drive and think back to the many conversations we’ve had together this week, I realize how important it is to listen to their ideas and to keep them challenged and energized. Now more than ever we need to listen and encourage the future leaders of our society to build on their gifts and strengths and to live with an adventurous spirit. In this way, we teach them to spread their kindness, understanding, love, beauty, and joy to our families, our communities, and the world which we live. What children gain through education can guide them through any situation and take them to great levels in their lives. Someone once asked Helen Keller what could be worse than being blind. Her response? Yes, her response is one of my favorite quotes for life: “Having sight but no vision.” (For anyone who knows me well knows that she and Thomas Jefferson are 2 people that I would love to have met-I think they are both amazing, long before their own time) We must embrace and encourage our youth to be the shining stars they deserve to be. Encourage them to be whatever they want when they grow up, so long as they enjoy it. Teach them to work with passion and dedication-to live healthy, active lives. And most important, appreciate their vision and creativity. Everyone has a talent-a gift to share with this world that we live. Let’s allow our children to dream big! Be bold! Go for it! Fortunately I am blessed with 2 great nieces, 1 great nephew, 11 Rothe nieces/nephews and my brothers and sister have 7 nieces and nephews between them all. Today I am filled with wonder and amazement at life and I am reminded that each of us is the author of our unique mission here on Earth-give birth to your dreams!
I returned to Nicole’s to do my morning run for 50 minutes, take a shower, finish my packing and head to the airport to see my husband and daughter-it’s been a good time here! Juan and Nicole wanted to take me to eat Mexican food (one of my favorite food when I come home to Texas) and I didn’t want to miss out on that so we had an early lunch together. Thank Goodness I ran this morning! Nicole, Juan and Lauren took me to the airport. As Juan drove, Nicole chuckled as she told me the kids would have to get back in the routine since I would not be there to cater to their every want like I had all week long. I politely reminded her that is what aunts are supposed to do! I thanked them for allowing me the opportunity to spend time with their great kids and hugged everyone as I said my good-byes. Home to Virginia, home sweet home.
