Week 119 and Week 32.5 - Hotlanta!

Sorry again for the late post - computer was down yesterday.  Had a great experience at the Apple store (they really take retail to the next level).  Fixed two DVD's stuck in my computer... I think that this is a Charlotte thing (not to blame her, but even in my zombie mommy state I don't think I would put a DVD upside down in my computer).  All is better now, thank goodness.

Blast from the past this week - Amy Green (Bender) was in Madison and she came over to our house!  We haven't seen each other in twenty years.  Facebook is cool for chance meetings like this.  Great to see you Amy!

Kathy and Bob and Shirley both visited the girls our final weekend in Madison.  We ate at the Weary Traveler (food was good but I generally don't like onion mixed in my burgers) and Monte's Blue Plate with Dan and Laura which was super cute and good.  The Rutlins also invited us for dinner on Saturday - it was great to finally see their house and spend a nice evening with Bizjaks and all the kids!

We left Wisconsin Monday morning on an on-time departure at 6AM from Madison to Atlanta.  Though the mechanics of this flight were great, everything else was pretty difficult.  The security process was so ridiculous (word of warning - if you fly through Wisconsin's airports, they take their security job VERY seriously) and almost missed our plane.  We got on the plane a minute before they closed the door and were the only kids there (as this is a commuter work flight).  Charlotte cried the ENTIRE time except in the final descent into Atlanta - excruciating.  We did have the greatest flight attendant though - Adrieene Williams.  She was so amazing with the girls (even grumpy Charlotte!).

We have now spent a few days in Atlanta and it is HOT.  In a strange turn of events I am driving (Drakes - can you believe it?  Matt wanted ME to drive.  I can't believe it either).  We are in an apartment style hotel (two bedrooms) which is great!  We have done our annual shopping trip to the outlets and we have met the cousins.  Sabrina wants to touch Sophia constantly ('finally!  Another little person!).  Charlotte only wants to sleep in the big bed with Imee.  Charlotte had a runny nose and sneezed on Sophia (again!  C needs to be sequestered) and now Sophia is sick (coughing, sneezing, rubbing her ear).  Wish us luck on the plane to Boston tomorrow!

We took Min to The Spence for dinner and it was good - a great destination restaurant the next time you are by the new areas of GA Tech.  Reva also met us and the family at Chili's (my favorite Atlanta spot - after all these years!).  So great to see Rev!

Here is Rev and the girls at Chili's - she is not happy this is a video instead of a picture!

Amy Green visits Madison!

Charlotte eats the undigestible corn!

Adorable Zoe!

Matt does a great job in his kitchen!

Cheeky Sophia with Grandma Shirley:

Bright Grandpa and Charlotte:

Grandpa and Sophia:

The grandkids!

Sabrina is serious:

Retro photo of the week in our hotel pool:

Rev meets Sophia!

Rev and the girls!

I love this photo - everyone has their own agenda here... :)

Week 118 and Week 31.5 - More normal

Sorry for the late post again this week.  In a battle against the blog or a nap the nap won.

Yet a less hectic week overall spent mostly at Home Depot.  Matt will kill me if we step into that store again as it is literally sapping the energy out of us.  Trying to buy things for yet another housing/ renovation project.

Went to Concert on the Square and tried to stop the girls from drinking the beer.

We went to the Concert again last night and got rained out.  Ended up at the Union for some grub and punk rock dancing.

Bob and Shirley came for Saturday and we went to Tim and Ahna's on Sunday for a fun pool party.  Charlotte swam till her lips were blue!

I almost forgot to mention the massive food/will wars on Sunday as well.  Argh... 2!

We have spent much time with Claire this year - a nanny to the stars I would say.  She is AMAZING with Charlotte and Mackenzie and Zachary.  Claire - if you are reading this - please start a sassy nanny column!

Sophia is sitting up much better as of this week - mostly unassisted.  She can sit up and bite on this plastic chicken (like a chicken roast) which is so funny.  Her top teeth are also coming in which means a lot of noisy sleeping.  Charlotte continues to amaze me with her verbal abilities - maybe we understand 85% of what she is saying.  This week she upset Imee and Charlotte said to her "Yaya, I miss you.  I love you.  I am sorry."  Too cute to be too upset at.

Matt also called her "Char" this week and she corrected him: "Charlotte".

Our pals the Briggs came to visit - so cool to see them in Singapore and now here in Madison!

Pool party with Claire, Ahna, and Charlotte, Mackenzie and Zachary:

Daddy plays with Sophia on the floor:

Lovely Laura and DB on Laura's birthday:

Look at me - I can sit!

Charlotte sits on Grandpa:

Bob and Shirley at the Nau-Ti-Gal:

Charlotte and Daddy:

A Wisconsin girl:

Sitting sisters:

Food war crying:

Ahna meets Sophia:

Zachary, Mackenzie, and cheeky Charlotte:

Swimming!

Claire reads a bedtime story:

Shriner Sophia of the Whipped Cream Brigade!

The lovely Briggs Family:

More Wisconsin girls:

Charlotte loves Auntie Claire:

Tim and Mackenzie:

Imee and Sophia:

Auntie Claire and Charlotte:

Funny faces:

Week 117 and Week 30.5 - Wedding!

Up early this morning to try to sneak the blog post in.

Man was it a busy week.  Rebecca got married on Friday and all hands were on deck the week leading up to it to celebrate this momentous occasion.  Plus it was the 4th of July on Wednesday.  Plus it was a hundred plus degrees from Wednesday to Friday (did I mention that the wedding was on Friday?).  I thought our wedding in Phuket would be hot - but this one took the cake.  Luckily the bride had her attendants were silk chiffon which was extraordinarily forgiving given the heat.

My first experience being in a large wedding - wow what a blur!  I hear this is par for the large wedding course.

Charlotte got to realize my childhood dream of being a flower girl.  Funny every wedding I went to as a kid was Korean and I do not remember any flower girls.  I suppose as a precocious young tot it is not easy to vie for such a position (plus it would not have been a very Korean thing to do).  O well.

Charlotte and Brooks walked down the aisle (mostly).  Charlotte I think grew shy at the crowds and (predictably) ran to a comforting sweaty Daddy at the end of the aisle.  There were cute pictures.  None taken by me as I was without my camera for most of the prep time and was nursing later on.  Sadly I took very few pictures of the actual day.

Last Wednesday we went with Matt's siblings and Dan out on the boat where Matt did not want to leave.  We then joined a thin crowd to Concert on the Square.  It was again hot but we persevered.  It was bearable like Singapore is bearable but there were occasional gusts of wind which rivaled exhaust fumes for comfort.

Thursday was the rehearsal and the dinner at Bellini Lounge.  I drove the girls home as it was hot (thanks to a power outage) and missed some of this as I (of course) got lost getting back (for a small town Madison sure can be confusing at times).  Kudos to Jan and John Felkner who exhibited great grace under a rather unanticipated circumstance.

Friday night (at 1:30 in the morning) I got pulled over for suspected drink driving/a fake-license-plate-light-being-out excuse.  Of course I didn't drink all day (I didn't want to look red in the photos) so all was fine except we did not have valid driver's licenses among Matt's mom, Matt and me.   The Maple Bluff (read: tony suburb) police officer was nice enough - no excessive light shining in the eyes or anything.  We made it home without a scratch or even a formal warning.  We will not drive through Maple Bluff at night again.

Saturday we were up early to set up for a brunch for the bride and groom.  Fiftyish people descended on our house and Laurie kept assuring me that we were not bursting at the seams (but we were close).  Now we know our house can hold that many people (there were less than fifty people at our wedding!).

Sunday we had some of Matt and Laurie's friends over for a boat ride and (Mexican) brunch leftovers. We went to Nau Ti Gal for dinner with the Rutlins and their beautiful cherubic baby Zoe.

Sophia is seven months old today!  She is still a little baby among giant (babies) but I swear her legs are getting chubbier.  She is eating 2-3 times a day and getting a bottle supplement once a day.  She still nurses much overnight but I don't mind so much except I really don't know what to do with my arms while we co-sleep so there is some soreness there.

We realized at Becky's wedding there is a lot more to eat in Madison.  On the list this week was Dotty's (overrated) and Mickie's Dairy Bar (good and old school breakfast joint).

So - here it is - a more robust update.  Hope you enjoyed our crazy week!

Too big for the seal!

The happy couple two days before the nuptials:

Sophia loves classical music and her sister!

Sleeping through classical music:

Ringbearer and flower girl practice time:

Rehearsal:

Bride getting ready:

The ringbearer and the flower girl (thanks Uncle Randy for the photo!):


Dan Line and I:

Brunch:

There are many iterations over many years of this very photograph:

Dan Line not so happy about sharing a seat:

Bower Family:

The happy couple!

Dense seating at Mickie's Dairy Bar:

Six dollars buys much more in the US than in Singapore!

Aunt Laura and Sophia:

 Sophia!

Zoe, Matt and the birthday girl Nicki!

 

Aunt Laurie and Sophia:

Charlotte stains:

Charlotte in pigtails and naked spaghetti!

Sophia wakes happily during classical music!

And laughs in Madison!