Surprise Trip to Washington

While sitting at work one day I was looking for various trainings I could attend that would help with my job and I stumbled across a training that was located in Portland. I figured I should apply for it and see if it would get approved. To my surprise it did!!! I was really happy because this meant I would get a free trip home. I took some extra time off and decided I would go spend some time with my family. I was REALLY excited because this meant I would get to see my sisters kids again!! It had been almost a year since I had seen them. It was a wonderful trip and I was so happy to be able to be home for a week. Michael is such a big boy and waited for me and my dad to get home from the airport. He was shy at first and didn't want to say anything but just watched me and smiled. After being at the house for about 15 minutes he wasn't shy anymore and climbed into my lap and asked me to read him a book.

Eventually we all decided it was time to go to bed, it was already a late night. Michael, my sister, and I went downstairs and I found that Rafis crib was in my room so it looks like it was going to be the two of us in there. I was ready for bed and told Michael and my sister goodnight. I believe I went to sleep around 2:00am. I figured I would get up around 8:00 and be fine for the day. I was wrong!!! Mr. Rafi had other plans and woke me up nice and early at 5:00am by saying HIIIIIIIII and standing in his crib with his bottle and blanket in his hand. This guy was ready to get up!! He was so happy and excited, I couldn't leave him in there so it was time to get up! Rafi had also woke my sister up so we all went upstairs and got breakfast started. Michael got up around 9:00am and we started our day. After breakfast my sister was on the phone so I thought I would help speed things along by getting the boys dressed for the day. It turns out this was a little more complicated than I originally thought. First I had to change Rafi's diaper, it wasn't so bad, he didn't pee on me!! I found some clothes in a drawer and he was ready to go. Now Michael. Poor little guy!!! I thought i was doing good getting him dressed, I had shorts on him and was trying to find a shirt for him to wear but apparently all the shirts were Rafi's, he thankfully told me this before I tried to squeeze him into them. When I took them upstairs and my sister laughed because I had squeezed Michael into Rafi's shorts!! I didn't know and he didn't tell me so I thought they were fine. Oops, oh well. My sister changed him into his clothes and we went to the park!! It was fun and I rode with Michael on the slides. They are good little boys.

On Mothers Day Rafi woke me up again nice and early and the night before we stayed up late because we were playing with Michael so it was on to day two with little sleep. Man it's tough being a mom! Rafi and Michael helped me in the kitchen and we started dinner so it could cook all day. I think we did a good job. Then we had breakfast together and got ready for a day of shopping. I wanted to go to the craft store but I quickly learned that maybe that isn't the best place to take little kids lol. After we left there we went to the mall and cruised around. This was fun. I put Michael and Rafi in the toys and put quarters in so they could ride them. They seemed to really like it. They further proved this to me when they didn't want to get out and go into the mall. Ooops, should have done that on the way out, not in. I always had to learn the hard way with those two hahaha. We went into some kids stores and found them summer clothes, yes Tia spoiled them rotten!! Michael wanted to walk on his own instead of being in the stroller so he walked with me and held my hand. He is so cute when he looks up at you and says Tia and asks a question. Sometimes I needed my translator to tell me what he was saying. I'm not quite brushed up on my kid language yet. Hopefully I improve.

We did great in the mall until I wanted to go into Barnes and Noble on the way out. We went in and Michael threw a fit which ended with him and my sister leaving to go to the car and me and Rafi in the store with the stroller. I got to be mom for about 15 mins and those were some of the hardest 15 mins of my life!! Rafi decided he didn't want to be in the stroller and kept standing up. You might ask why he wasn't buckled, well Tia didn't know there was a buckle or how to use it..... I didn't want him to fall so I let him walk thinking he would walk by me like Michael does.....NOPE, he took off running!!! This ended with the stroller being left in the aisle, with a purse sitting in it while I chased him down. Bad babysitting, I know..... After I caught him he went back into the stroller where he continued to stand. This resulted in me carrying him in one arm and me pushing a double stroller with one hand which means it went cricked. I was starting to hate the stupid stroller. Eventually I made it to the Barnes and Noble doors, if youve ever been inside this bookstore you know those doors weight a hundred pounds!! I am now trying to force the door open by ramming the stroller into it, doesn't work. So I open the door with my butt and try to pull the stroller through from the front, stroller goes cricked and now were all stuck in the doo!! Literally almost in tears and don't know how people do this. Some nice woman opens the door for me and her son opens the other door. I said thank you and looked really embarrassed. She told me it was ok and that its always hard with the first one and that I'll get better at it. I couldn't tell her he wasn't mine and just said hopefully I get better and thanked her again. I gave the child and the baby things to my sister and went BACK into the store to get what I had wanted. Wow, 5 minutes in and out, with no kids!! Still don't know how people do it.

One morning my Rafi alarm clock went off and I decided my sister could use a break so I took him upstairs and fed him breakfast. I didn't know how to operate the high chair which translates to getting the tray to open so he could sit in it. I pulled and pushed and even tried to stuff him in from the top, I don't think he was thrilled about this. So far my breakfast idea was not working. Sooooo I put him in the living room on the floor and heated up some frozen pancakes for him. I saw my sister give them to him the day before so I knew he could have them. Once they were warm I put them on a plate and we had breakfast while sitting on the living room floor, yes I know, he should have been in his high chair but that was already explained. Once breakfast was over I didn't know what to do sooooo we went for a walk in our pajamas. I got him in his single stroller, not the devil 2 kid stroller from the day before, strapped him in and off we went. I did make sure to give him his sunglasses and we cruised around in our pjs until the rest of the house woke up. I told Jessica about our morning and she laughed at me. I told her if they didn't make kids things so hard to use my life would be easier. She said they are just kid proof, and I glared at her while she laughed more......

I got to take Michael to the park that evening by myself because it was Rafi's bed time so off we went to the park with the single stroller. It was a lot of fun!! I taught Michael how to climb up and down some of the toys by himself and told him to show mommy later. I also taught him to high-five me as he went down the twisty slide. He ran around in the grass and there were all kinds of dandelion seeds in the grass. It used to be one of my favorite things to do when I was young so I showed Michael what happens when you blow on the. Well the little guys lounges aren't quite strong enough to get the seeds off so I showed him how to shake it really hard. These are all things kids should know how to do!! After the park he decided he didn't want to be in the stroller and kept crying so I let him walk and yes, we were the people going down the road with an empty stroller and the kid walking next to it. He also decided to collect rocks on the way home so the 10 minute walk turned into 45 minutes. His mom saw us coming up the road and laughed as we stopped to pick up rocks every 5 steps. Once he saw his mom he forgot about rocks and ran to her. Finally we made it home!!

That night Michael asked me if we could watch a movie while we waited for Grandma to come home from work. My sister was doing something so I found the kid movies and looked to see what the most interesting one was and asked him if he wanted to watch it. I asked if he wanted to watch Kung Fu Panda, I might as well enjoy the movie too!! He said yes and sat on my lap and watched the movie. His mom came out and I told her how impressed I was with his movie watching skills. He literally hadn't moved since I started it. She came further around the corner to see what we were watching and she looked at Michael, who was now smiling and hiding while on my lap. She laughed and said he knows he isn't supposed to watch that. That little rascal always gets me in trouble!! I said it was with the kid movies and no one told me!! She also said yeah but wasn't it on the bottom? How was I supposed to know!?!? She never did say why he couldn't watch it. Grandma got home while we were on round 2 of Kung Fu Panda and Michael was kind enough to demonstrate why he is not allowed to watch this movie. Michael decided to try to Kung Fu Grandma as he took a flying leap off of the couch. I almost died instantly in my chair and had to leave the room before I began laughing hysterically. As his mother went to discipline him he took off running yelling for Tia which was even worse!!! I got the poor little guy in trouble! Note to self, no more Panda. I later found out that his Kung Fu is usually performed on his little brother but since he was asleep already Grandma became the target. Let's just say from then on I stuck with putting in Dora or Diego, no matter how annoying the music is.......

Michael became my mini me while I was there. He always said Tia what you doing and come on Tia! He always held my hand and dragged me all over the place. I was going to miss this little guy, I knew he knew who I was. I took him in the backyard to play for a little while and visited with my sister. After a few moments I noticed him picking the dandelion seeds and shaking them REALLY hard. I pointed it out to my sister and said I taught him that!! We looked at each other, laughed, and said I won't tell Grandma if you don't tell her!!!! My mom used to get sooo mad at us for doing that, oops. Michael is too cute to get into trouble anyway!

Bath time was also interesting. FINALLY the boys like playing in the bathtub!! I watched Rafi try to swim around, he is hilarious. While I was drying him off my sister put Michael in and let me watch him while I was drying Rafi. Oh I watched him, I watched him stand up and pee in the tub and THEN play!! Aghhhhh!!! So gross, I told my sister and she laughed at me. Apparently I'm a greenhorn when it comes to this kid stuff. After they were all clean I decided I wanted to shower and I didn't get very far with this idea because of a little guy named Michael. He decided to follow me into the bathroom and play on the floor. I had to remove him so I could shower and he cried outside the door for his Tia, made me feel bad!!

The morning I was supposed to leave I had breakfast with Michael. He showed me how he could feed himself his cereal. This was the first time he had cereal, the other days were eggs or pancakes so I was impressed. Once he was done I showed him a trick. I showed him how his spoon could stick to his nose. After that we all died laughing because he kept doing it and was so proud of himself!! I sure miss the little guy. Rafi showed of his sunglasses and I held him before I left. I read Michael one more story and it was time to go. Rafi didn't really understand but Michael stood at the door and cried and called for me to come back, broke my heart. He didn't want to be left behind. I talk to him on the phone and he always says he loves me and gives me kisses. I'll have to go back and visit again soon!!