Amy's Travel Service

Ethan called around 8:30am... we were still asleep. I love that about Mike's job, he doesn't have to get up at the crack of dawn - unfortunately, he works until midnight many nights. Ethan was in usual form, he was leaving a message on the answering machine in a very poor Elvis impression - I thought it was some crazy guy before I woke up and realized it was little "E."

I've been instructed that they will require what my mom semi-jokingly refers to as "Amy's Travel Service." On the fly, during trips my mom has been known to call and request that I hop on the computer, visit one of those hotel reservation sites and find a nifty, inexpensive hotel for them to stay at. I once got them into a 5 star hotel just outside of Boston for under $100 a night. Not bad!

Ethan also requested that I visit one of his favorite websites The Shadowlands to find specific places for hauntings in Gettysburg, PA. Hmmm... let's see, it's GETTYSBURG, I figure if you spit in any direction you are probably going to hit something haunted. Boy, was I right, there might be a gas station there that's not haunted, but that's probably about it.

So the conversation went a bit like this:

"Good mornin' Baby"

"Ethan you are such an ass"

(laughing... then to my mom - who is driving)

"Nana... hey Nana - she said, You are such an AHHHHH" (he never repeats the bad word).

(more laughing)

"Hey, we are going to need Amy's Travel Service later, ok, mom?"

(more background voices)

"Nana, shut up! Stop talking for a minute, I can DO this!... Ok mom?"

"Yes, Ethan," I said.

(my mom in the background again, saying something I can't understand)

"Just ignore her, she's crazy" (I hear my mom shriek and everyone start laughing)

"Yes, I know, Ethan."

(this time, loud and clear, "Amy tell your son to stop calling me names!" and Kate in the background, "He IS calling her names too, MOM!!!")

"I am NOT you are such a liar!" (more laughing more inaudible voices)

"Oooo! Who's calling names NOW, Nana? Did I cuss at YOU????... (more background voices)
I AM going to get off the phone, but YOU keep talking to me!"

(more laughing)

Then, they went through a bad spot and the phone cut out...

Now, I am waiting for a reservation request...

"Hello, Amy's Travel Service, we cater to the certifiable, how can I help you?..."

Our Young Travelers Update...

Talked to this kids early this afternoon, they were in the middle of big thunderstorms. Yesterday they toured Ashland Highland, President James Monroe's home in Charlottesville, VA. They have also visited the University of Virginia as well.

On a less historical note, yesterday they went to the movies (gasp, yes, I know, a MOVIE when they are on the east coast... geez) and saw "Bewitched." Today they went to the movies again, presumably to get out of the thunderstorms (severe lightening and thunderstorms are NOT something we get here regularly and are usually pretty entertaining...) to watch "War of the Worlds."

Despite poor reviews the all the kids (and my mom especially) loved "Bewitched." They said Nicole Kidman was absolutely adorable in it and that Will Ferrell was hilarious. Without a doubt, Tom Cruise is in questionable standing, yet the kids (and my mom) said that "War of the Worlds" was intense and very good. Ethan says it is the best movie he has ever seen.

Regardless of my personal feelings for Tom Cruise, I still want to see the movie. It just looks thrilling!

East Coast Vacation Saga Continues...

My mom took the kids to see "Bewitched" yesterday. My mom and Kate loved it and even Ethan said it wasn't bad. Mike and I had to wonder why on earth you would go all the way to the east coast to see a movie... but oh well. They are having a good time and that is all that matters, right?

Poor Kate had some kind of allergic reaction. She's always had sensitive skin and will often have itchy red welts appear out of nowhere. Typically it can be attributed to new clothes or new fabric. Kate attracts skin irritations easily... if there is a mosquito within a 5 mi. radius it will find Kate, without fail.

Back here on the west coast - Maggie is driving us nuts! It's not that she is difficult to take care of - but a concentrated dose of Maggie goes a long, long way. LOL Ethan and Kate play with her so much that she is always stimulated and busy... when they aren't here... she just finds mischevious things to do that keep ME busy. The worst of it is when you can't HEAR anything at all and just KNOW she is into something she shouldn't be. Funny thing is, most of the time with Maggie, it just means she has wandered in and been mesmerized by a cartoon on TV. Although, I'm not willing to trust that and everytime she gets quiet I rush around looking for her.

Mike is so lucky, he gets to go to work and be with grown ups ALL day long.

LOL

Pogo...

We've been playing games on Pogo a lot lately. Our favorite games are Poppit and WordWhomp. The kids and I will usually crowd in around the monitor and play together. We really have a good time and sometimes we get a little loud and rowdy.

I enjoy it because in the few moments of quiet that I get, occasionally, I can just focus on something that entertains my brain a bit and gets my mind off of everything else. I like the word games because they are pretty stimulating. One of my favorite games is WordMojo, they don't have it at Pogo, it's over at MSN games. It's like a timed, one-player, version of Scrabble with a twist. It really keeps you thinking.

Anyway, I've updated the template on our blog here a bit, today. Over on the right there are some links to our websites and our usernames over at Pogo in case you decide to join and want to look us up.

If you get the chance, I hope you'll take a look over at the HBP Gift Shoppe, the items are all my own designs and I have had such a blast creating them. I'm already selling things and the bumper stickers and graduation T-shirts seem to be pretty popular. Also the Nana, Granny, and Grandma section seems to be a hit as well.

There is also a Doran Gift shop - all things Doran. Although, there are only a couple of things there right now because my focus has been more on the HBP Gift Shoppe. But, I do plan to add more stuff to the Doran gift shop soon.

Our Travelers...

Mom, Ethan, and Kate called from Trump Tower. They had already visited the Empire State Building - but didn't go up to the top because the line was two hours long! They visited Rockefeller Center and Studio 1A (where they do the Today show).

Ethan loves New York, he says he would love to spend a week there and likes it almost better than he does Las Vegas. LOL After years of watching Law and Order he was very nervous about going to NYC - but he says it's very nice (except for the traffic and the cars that never stop for pedestrians).

Maggie and the dogs are getting on quite well here. Although every time one of the dogs shakes their head Maggie attempts to copy them, often while walking and usually ends up falling down. It's actually pretty funny...

Almost Forgot...

If you need to reach me via email while I am away - you can contact me at
kinseymillhone97 @ yahoo.com

(ignore the spaces, I'm trying to avoid spammers! Thanks!)

The Kids Are In New York Today...

Everyone arrived safely in Philadelphia last night... no one is more glad to hear that than Mike and I! This morning they got up and headed to New York. First stop is the Empire State Building. The kids sounded excited and a little tired when I spoke to them this morning.

Kate and I went shopping last week and bought her some cute things at her favorite store. Ethan picked up a couple of things at American Eagle Outfitters as well.

Maggie and I are over at my mom's house enjoying the pool and keeping an eye on the dogs, Zander and Molly, mom's cocker spaniel. Maggie has spent most of the morning in and out of the dog's water bowl, chasing the dogs, and occasionally sitting down for about a minute to watch Blue's Clues.

Mike is working his tail off so that he can have a few days off for the fourth of July. We'll leave a week from today to spend 4 days over at the coast and relax. It's been a while since we took the kids on a vacation. The last time was two years ago when we went to Disneyland. We had made the reservations well in advance and the week before we were to leave I found out I was pregnant with Maggie. We had a good time in spite of the fact that I was sick through most of it. LOL

Maggie Sleeps Through The Night!!!

For those who don't know... Maggie has been up at least twice a night since birth. Actually around 10 months or so she started waking up only once a night between 2:30am and 3:30am, like clockwork!

For almost two weeks now Maggie has slept in her crib until 6 or 7am! We don't know what to do now that we are getting a solid night sleep! It's amazing, in fact, as tired as we complained to be, we didn't realize how TIRED we actually were until we slept straight through a few days.

Maggie is quite unlike Ethan and Kate, both slept through the night by the time they were between 6 and 10 weeks old. Mike has always referred to Maggie as our little "party girl" and she truly is. She loves the night life, loves to stay up late, and especially loves having late night snacks with her Dad, who often comes home from the office very late.

Ooops - where've we been?!?!?

Sorry for the lack of posting recently! Sometimes it is just difficult to get through a day and manage to remember to brush your teeth.

The kids are out of school now and are getting ready to embark on their annual vacation with Nana. They'll be in Charlottesville, Philadelphia, and who knows where else! This year they will only be gone about 7 days. Which is shorter than the usual 12 or so. It's a toss up as to which parent misses them more when they are gone. For my part, I know I'll be a nervous wreck until I hear they have landed safely.

For the second year in a row we are going to skip our 4th of July barbecue. Last year we were just too tired as Maggie was just 7 months old. This year with Mike working very long hours and us not getting to spend very much time with him, we've decided to take the kids to the beach for a family vacation. This will be Maggie's third trip, she loves the sand and the ocean! This time she can walk so we are very excited to see her run on the sand and play in the waves!

By next year we should be in a new house and be able to get back to the good, old-fashioned, Doran 4th of July Blast!