All Shook Up!

Wow, what a shaky Tuesday! 


I woke up and did all my normal things, went to check on the still sleeping kids, turned on the TV to watch a little of my "mom-shows" (that's what Logan calls anything that's not a cartoon), checked Facebook, and checked my email. 


I got an email from Kyle's mom that asked if I wanted to meet her at the zoo with the boys. I then checked the weather and saw that it was going to be a gorgeous day, so I thought, "why not?". Well, after we had it all planned (I would ride the Metro into DC and meet her at the main entrance of the zoo), I kind of had second thoughts. This would be my first venture into DC with two kids on the Metro by myself. I called Kyle and asked his opinion. Naturally he said it was a bad idea. This just gave me the fuel I needed to tell myself that I am a strong woman and I can do it all by myself!


So, we're off to the zoo! (First - let me apologize for lack of pictures :( I had forgotten to charge my phone the night before, and leaving the house with less than 20% of battery remaining is NOT a good idea. I decided to save my battery for phone calls). The drive to the Metro station and finding a parking spot were all uneventful. We get our passes and find a seat on the train - again uneventful. As we take off, I say a little prayer that it all goes smoothly. I'm not a very religious person, so I thought that it was a little strange to find myself in prayer, but I thought, "eh... it couldn't hurt.". 


We get to the zoo and waited for Donna to meet up. We finally meet up and take a walk down Asia Trail and go see the much-adored pandas! We're watching one play with his food and eat with crumbs all down his (her?) big belly, then we walk away for a minute to go look at the exhibit they have set up for learning. I glance over at the panda and saw it stop eating, look around, and run. I thought to myself, "how cute, the panda is running!", and then hear a loud noise like a truck is driving over the roof of the exhibit. I know that's not possible, because it's not a road, so I shook it off ( quite literally). Then a few minutes later, Donna gets a call from Kyle's dad who said they just had an earthquake! I then get a text from Kyle asking if I was okay, so I put two and two together in my head a realized that I just experienced it too! 


After a lot of "omg-ing" and "wow, I can't believe it!", we started walking around the zoo again. By that time, all of the buildings were closed, then after about an hour, the police shut the zoo down! This is when I learned that the Metro (the transportation I relied on to get home) was operating at 15mph on all tracks. Ick. I now knew that my commute home would be like Hell. 


Donna & I separated ways (I will note that she offered to drive me to my car, but I declined because I had already purchased my Metro fare - thanks anyway, Donna!), and the boys and I headed toward the Metro station. We waited 30 minutes for our train, and when it came I saw that it was packed and there was NO way I could fit a stroller into that mess, so I waited for the next one to see if it was better. As I was waiting, Dylan became fussy so I fed him a bottle. As I was burping him, he decided to projectile spit-up EVERYWHERE. So, now I'm in a sea of post-earthquake shaken business-people who think that baby spit-up is the grossest thing in the universe, with puke on me, Logan, Dylan, the stoller, my diaper bag/purse for the day, and the ground. I shamefully clean up and walk away to avoid nasty stares. There was NO way I'd be hanging out in a Metro train with these people for the next two hours. 


I find another spot to hang out in and wait for the train. It finally comes and we hop on. There were no available seats, so we just push ourselves in the little spot near the doors that was clear. We start moving (slowly, I might add) and then Dylan becomes fussy. 


Perfect.


I pick him up out of his stroller and thankfully, a kind gentleman offers me his seat. Too bad Logan won't fit in the seat with us, because he now gets upset that he has to stand. At every stop, more and more people jump on, and nobody gets off. So now we're SUPER packed and Logan is almost invisible to all these DC commuters. After about an hour and a half of this, we finally get to breathe as we're nearing the end of the orange line - our final stop. We get off the Metro and walk to our van. Ahhh.


How was your Tuesday?

Slacker

Okay, I admit it. I'm slacking. I really don't have much to say because nothing fun has been going on. Just working and enjoying my kids. I guess the most exciting thing I have to say is that the countdown to vacation has begun! 23 more days until we're on our way to OBX!


If my life gets more exciting, I'll let you know.

A lazy pool weekend. Aaahhhh!

This weekend was the first weekend in over a month where we had NO plans! So, we made a plan to make it a lazy pool weekend. Yesterday lived up to just that. We went to the pool (after running around to 3 different stores to find a baby float for Dylan...), came home and relaxed, had dinner, then hung out with some of our awesome neighborhood people. Today, the plan is to do exactly the same thing (even running around to the store to get floaties, due to a hole that one got yesterday), except Mimi & LaLa are coming to visit and join us! 


Oh - and in more exciting news, I'm getting my Flip Camera!!! Kyle is awesome and sold the laptop that he hasn't used in years on e-bay, and with the money he got for that, he bought a Flip for us! It's supposed to arrive on Thursday, so get ready for some awesome HD videos :D

Drunk Driving Kills

Last week, my 5 year old niece had something happen to her that should have NEVER happened. She suffered the loss of her best friend, Lilly. Lilly was 5 years old and was killed by a drunk driver in a car accident. The rest of her family was also in their van and were injured, too. Following the story through my sister's blog, my heart breaks every time I read something else about it. If you would like to read the articles about this terrible tragedy, read this one then this one. 


The family needs help with hospital expenses for themselves (they were all injured and poor Lilly's dad is unsure when he'll be able to return to work due to his injuries). Please read my sister's blog (click here) and how to help this family. If you can do anything at all, I know they'll appreciate it so much.


Drunk driving is so stupid. There's no reason at all to do it. Taxis exist, friends you can call exist, and if you can't rely on either of those, there's no reason to drink somewhere if you have to drive home. This poor little 5 year old girl lost her life, my niece lost her best friend, and that poor family has to live every day of their life suffering the loss of their daughter/sister. 


Please, if you drink, DON'T DRIVE!!

Family, Fun, & Fireworks!

This weekend was filled with lots of fun things! We went to two cookouts, hung out with friends and family, and saw awesome fireworks! Saturday was a preparation day, with me making lots of pasta salad to bring to the cookouts (in addition to me working that morning-afternoon). 


Sunday was cookout #1. Logan had a blast at our friend's house - they set up an inflatable water slide because it was SO HOT out that day. Logan is definitely getting brave with water! I wish I had pictures, but our camera finally bit the dust that day, so now we're relying strictly on our iPhones to take pictures (BTW - can't wait until I can upgrade my iPhone to get a better camera, the 3g camera blows, but in the meantime if anyone would like to contribute to the Get Tiffany a New, Awesome Camera Fund, I'll gladly give you my PayPal address ;)). We did fireworks on the street after it got dark, and while Logan is brave with water, loud noises still scare him :( Somehow Dylan slept through the fireworks, but he would get his fair share the next day!


Monday, the official 4th of July was spent at Grandma & Grandpa's house for their annual 4th of July block party. We got to meet their great friends from CA for the first time (well, for me & the kids anyway but Kyle hasn't seen them in at least 10 years), hang out with the "Ferry Branch-ers", and play some ladderball and washers. For those of you who don't know what washers are, it's basically a redneck version of horseshoes, if horseshoes could get any more redneck. It was ANOTHER scorching day, so we set up a sprinkler for the kids to play in. Luckily, we had the only broken camera, so others got pictures and if I get some, I'll post them!


After the cookout at Grandma & Grandpa's, we met Mimi, Poppy, Lala, and Sunshine for fireworks! Logan covered his ears again and I covered Dylan's ears, but they both loved the fireworks! 


Happy Birthday, America! Thank you to all the men & women who have served, are currently serving, and will serve our great country in the future.

 

T-17 minutes!

ORS-1 Minotaur rocket from Wallops Island, Va.
(obviously a previous launch...)

So I've turned into a supernerd and found out that there is a military satellite rocket launch by NASA on the east coast of Virginia tonight, and we're supposed to be able to see it! The launch was originally set for 10:05pm, but due to some problems it's now for 11:09pm. I am trying my hardest to keep Logan awake because I think this is an awesome opportunity for him (and me, too!). 


To make me more of a supernerd, I follow NASA on Twitter (follow me @tiffany_lynne83) and I tweeted them and they replied! I'm such a geek that nobody has ever replied to me on twitter and so I'm super excited that they did.


11:21pm-edited to add that we didn't see anything :( I got my hopes up for nothing. Oh well. But now I have decided that I want a telescope! Guess I'd better add it to my wish list...

E-A-G-L-E-S-EAGLES! (and cheesesteak. Oh, and a LONG trip home)

In an earlier post, I mentioned a horrific trip back from New York and said I'd mention it later. Well, since the kids are napping, I guess now is as good a time as any. What was supposed to be a 6-6 1/2 hour trip home actually turned into a 9 hour trip home. We left Long Island at 2:30ish (mistake #1) and thought we'd be home by 9 at the latest. Ha.


We kind of weren't in much of a rush at all, so when our GPS decided to take us through the city to get back, we decided what the heck (mistake #2). Kyle had never been to Manhattan before, so at least he'd see some of it. Well, that nice Manhattan trip turned into a not-so-nice Bronx trip. The traffic wasn't too scary, but the tolls sucked (note to self: get an EZPass for our next trip ANYWHERE, the lines are MUCH shorter!).  As we finally got onto the NJ Turnpike, Kyle decided that since we would be "so close" to Philadelphia that we should just swing by Lincoln Financial Field to get a look at it (for those of you that don't know, Kyle is a huge Eagles fan) and also get some authentic Philly cheesesteaks. I reluctantly said okay (mistake #3), because I knew that a "quick" trip into Philly wouldn't be so quick. Boy was I right.


We got into Philadelphia and right away went to the stadium. Luckily the Phillies game had already ended, so there was no traffic or anything like that to deal with. We drove into the parking lot and got some pictures, then left to go find a cheesesteak. Logan & I had already eaten at a rest stop off the NJ Turnpike (don't do that - 2 small meals at Roy Rogers cost us $20! - mistake #4), so it was just Kyle looking to get one. 30 minutes later we find the place that he wants to go (Geno's, which I'm told is one of the best), find a parking spot, and the kids & I stay in the van while he goes and gets his much-awaited cheesesteak. 


While waiting, Dylan gets hungry and decides that he needs to eat now or else! So, I feed him in the front seat and wait for Kyle to get back. He does, eats his food, we get Dylan situated back in his car seat, and we're off again. We run into a bit of traffic, and about an hour later Dylan decided he is done with this car ride. We pull off to get him out and walk around a bit... mistake #5.


After we're done with potty breaks and a quick walk around the rest stop, we decide to forge ahead. Dylan wasn't too happy with the mini-break, and boy did he let us know! I thought he had some loud fits before, well... those were nothing compared to this! Apparently he was tired (so was I), and he fell asleep. About 20 minutes back into our trip, right after Dylan falls asleep, another little voice from the back of the van says, "I have to go potty." Oh, Logan....


So, we stop for yet another potty break, all the while praying that Dylan doesn't wake up when the van stops. Luckily he didn't! We get going (again) and all seems well. Then the traffic in Maryland is awful. I finally get some rest (many thanks to Kyle for being our chauffeur all weekend ♥), and about an hour into my nap, Dylan woke up and started screaming. Again. This time, he's not hungry or tired, just bored and ready to get out of the car seat. I have to shimmy my way between the two captains chairs in the van (the back seat was folded down to allow room for all of our "gear") during bad traffic, and I have to sit there consoling Dylan for what seems like an eternity. My legs were both asleep, my head was pounding, let me just say I hope it's something I'll never have to do again.


He gets quiet. Then traffic stops in Virginia. To save you the misery, we find a back way home and finally make it home at 11:30 pm.  What a day.

The Pool is Cool!

Logan, Dylan, and I made a trip to our community pool today for the first time this summer. Logan hasn't been too keen on swimming, especially without hanging on to me or Kyle. But today he shocked me! He jumped right into the pool, went down one of the water slides the pool has, and even JUMPED OFF THE DIVING BOARD! GO LOGAN!

Here are some videos (sorry they're poor quality - I have an iPhone 3g which doesn't have a video camera, so it's an app and it sucks). Once I get my Flip (*cough, cough, Kyle*) I'll be able to take nice HD videos...

What a weekend!

This past weekend sure was a busy one! Kyle's brother got married in Long Island, NY and we make the trek up there. The ride up there was not so bad; the kids did great and we made it there in pretty good time. The trip back, however, was a totally different experience... but more about that later. 


Logan was the cutest ring bearer you have ever seen, Kyle was a great best man, and I was on baby duty. Unfortunately, during the ceremony I had to leave due to an unhappy Dylan, but I heard it was a beautiful ceremony. Luckily I got to see Logan do his thing, then the beautiful bride (my new sister-in-law!) walk down the aisle with her parents. But then I had to leave :( 


Once I get more pictures I'll add them, but for now I have a few taken from our iPhones... but first a video of Kyle & Logan shaking their butts at the reception!

The best man & ring bearer

The happy couple
with Logan

The cutest baby ever &
my mother-in-law

We ♥ LaLa!

We'll be leaving Wednesday for New York to go to Kyle's brother's wedding. While we're there, LaLa (my sister) is so graciously staying at our house and watching our dogs. I feel so much more comfortable with this, rather than leaving the dogs at a boarding facility. Ever since Rocky starting having seizures, he's been on medication twice daily for it, and I know LaLa will give it to him, and he'll be much more comfortable at home. And Oscar... well, we all know he's a diva and won't be caught DEAD at a boarding facility...

Thanks LaLa!

Happy (early) Father's Day!

Logan & Grandpa at Disney World!

Kyle & Dylan

Poppy, Logan, & Dylan

I just wanted to wish all the dads (and moms that deserve it) a happy father's day! Yes, I'm a little early, but I'm not sure if I'll be updating this weekend so I figured I'd do it now. The awesome fathers in my life definitely deserve it, putting up with Kyle & I :) So, to my dad, Kyle's dad, and Kyle - HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

All About Us! (Not that you already didn't know...)

Just us 

Kyle & I have been happily married for over 7 years. We have 2 wonderful, awesome sons, Logan & Dylan. Logan turned 5 this year and is SUPER excited to start kindergarten in the fall! Dylan was born at the end of February this year and is quickly learning the ropes of being a Steffensmeier! We live in Northern Virginia, where Kyle works as a computer geek and I'm a veterinary technician.

Logan & Oscar

Quirky ol' Rocky

We also have 2 very cool dogs, Oscar & Rocky. Oscar is a miniature dachshund who will be 8 in November, and Rocky is a weird mixed breed dog who's age is unknown. We think he's about 9 or 10. They add some cuddle into our lives, as they can never be too close to anyone (or their lap!).

Welcome!

Welcome to our new blog! We've had a blog in the past, but I figured with all the new and exciting things going on with us, I'd start a new one. Hope you enjoy, and if you have any suggestions please let me know!