Swim Lessons

Sarah has been doing great with her swimming lessons. We started back at Swim Jim with Miss Leslie three weeks ago. Sarah and I did Mommy and Me swim class there when she was a baby. After a successful summer last year, we didn’t want Sarah to get rusty on her skills. So we signed her up for lessons again (indoor, heated pool). Sarah loves her teacher and has jumped right in (literally!) Her newest accomplishment is floating on her back. She wants to go swimming every day – she has even put on her bathing suit and jumped right into our 70 degree pool several times. Every day she wants to know if it is summer yet!

Rodeo

We took Sarah to the rodeo last week.  Of course we knew she would love it because she loves animals so much.  She saw a picture in the newspaper of the new baby pigs that were born and was very excited to be able to see those.  She got a pink cowgirl hat and a pink lasso.  She also got to go for a pony ride!

Disney

Taking Sarah to Disney World for her first time was truly magical. We left right after school on a Thursday and drove to Beaufort, SC. Friday we had lunch at our favorite sushi place that we drive halfway across the country for! Then we spent the day Saturday in Charleston and got to see Adrienne (who is at College of Charleston) while we were there. Sunday we left for Disney. The girls started looking for Mickey Mouse signs, and as we got closer they were not disappointed! We had a late dinner at Shades of Green – just in time to watch the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, our table was just about the only table in the restaurant that did not have a view of the huge screen tv.

Monday was our first big day at Disney. The girls got decked out in their princess attire, and we were on our way to breakfast with the princesses in the Norway part of Epcot. Even though it started raining on us while we waited outside for our table, the breakfast was a huge hit. Right when we walked in the door the girls got to take a picture with Belle. Then we sat down at our table and ordered drinks. The poor Norwegian waitress looked baffled when we ordered mimosas. Oh well! Breakfast was surprisingly good – eggs, bacon, hash brown casserole, and lots of fruit and pastries. While we were eating the princesses came around to take pictures and sign autographs. We saw Sleeping Beauty (Sarah’s favorite), Snow White, Mulan, and Jasmine. After breakfast we strolled around Epcot for a few hours, sampling some global beverages along the way. When it started raining pretty hard Kenneth and I decided to take Sarah back to the hotel. She was exhausted and fell asleep on the bus and slept for a good couple of hours.

Tuesday was probably the biggest day for Sarah – Magic Kingdom. Our first stop was to get Sarah a new princess outfit – she picked Belle. We also got her some Minnie ears with her name embroidered on it. We wandered around the park stopping to ride Dumbo (Sarah’s favorite ride) and the Magic Carpet ride. Kenneth and I took Kaitlyn and Lauren on Splash Mountain then Jannette and I took them on Thunder Mountain. Lauren rode Pirates of the Caribbean several times. Then Kenneth and I took Sarah and Kaitlyn over to meet Minnie and Mickey. We walked through Mickey and Minnie’s houses, which was pretty cute. Sarah was in awe over meeting Minnie, and we got a really cute photo of them hugging. After meeting Minnie we went to watch the show at Cinderella’s castle, which was actually pretty cute – about how dreams come true.

Wednesday was really really cold, so what did we decide to do? We went to Animal Kingdom – just about the coldest of all the parks! We went to the petting zoo and on a safari – which Sarah loved! We went to Rainforest Cafe for lunch but Sarah did not like the “thunderstorms” that popped up every few minutes. Kenneth and I rode Expedition Everest which was really fun! Kaitlyn decided she wanted to ride it so Uncle Ken took her next. Then I decided Jannette needed to ride so we rode after Kenneth and Kaitlyn. We got two great photos out of those rides! Jannette, Kenneth, and I got to go to Downtown Disney for a grownup dinner at an Italian restaurant.

Thursday Jannette and I took Sarah and Lauren to Magic Kingdom again while Kenneth and Kaitlyn went to Hollywood Studios. Lauren got to participate in Captain Jack’s pirate show which was pretty funny. After Kenneth and Kaitlyn joined us at Magic Kingdom we had a funnel cake snack and then watched a parade with all the princesses and Disney characters. Sarah watched from Daddy’s shoulders and loved it! We went to Ohana for the dinner show. The girls got to do some hula dancing and coconut races while we grownups got to relax! The food was really great and we had a great time. We got a peek at the fireworks show while riding the monorail back to the hotel.

Friday morning we arrived at the monorail station but the lines were so long that we decided we were Disneyed out. So we drove around a little while and had lunch at Olive Garden then spent the afternoon hanging out at the hotel.

Saturday we drove back to Beaufort and stayed for the weekend. John got the jumpy jump out for the girls and we all enjoyed a beautiful sunset. We drove home Monday and Sarah was back at school on Tuesday! It was an amazing experience and Sarah can’t wait to go back!!

Sarah the hairdresser

Last night I brought home a pair of scissors (Sarah likes to call them safety scissors from watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) for Sarah to practice with, since her class is learning how to cut in preschool. She had the scissors for all of 2 minutes when I turned my head for a second. Of course what do you think she did? She chopped off a 3-inch long chunk of hair from the back of her head. Luckily she has so much hair that it is not noticeable and she has a haircut scheduled for Wednesday anyways. But there was a lot of hair on the floor! The things kids do...

Hurricane Ike

We survived Hurricane Ike! I have not been good at updating everyone, so sorry about that! We rode out the storm in Sugar Land, and it was like nothing I have ever experienced. We didn't sleep much Friday night because of the wind and the trees banging against the house. We sat on the patio until it got too windy to be outside and watched transformers going out in a flash of lime green light. Not a good sign. Power flickered on and off about 10 times before finally going out for good sometime after midnight. We were able to listen to news coverage on the radio so that was good. Once the sun came up we were able to go outside and look around. Tree branches and leaves littered the yards and streets but nothing too terrible. Saturday afternoon Kenneth tried to get back into Seabrook to see if our house had flooded but was turned away by the police. He got a firsthand look at the disaster on Highway 146 - boats strewn all across the road. So we decided to head up to Ft. Worth since the power was not expected to come back on for a while (Kenneth's grandparents in Sugar Land got their power back on today - Thursday).

We had to detour through Austin because I-45 up to Ft. Worth was closed due to debris. We spent the night at a friend's house in Austin before heading up to Ft. Worth on Sunday. It was nice to arrive in Ft. Worth - Kenneth went to the yacht club for a Sunday afternoon race and Sarah and I relaxed with my mom. We stayed until Tuesday when Seabrook was finally opened to residents. We stocked up on fuel and groceries before hitting the road.

Driving through Houston was unbelievable - roofs torn up and billboards knocked over. Once we got down to Clear Lake we were completely speechless. Bulldozers had cleared most of the debris from the roads but it was all stacked on the sides of the roads. Boats were everywhere. I will try to upload our pictures later when I find the cable to hook up the camera. We stopped by Lakewood Yacht Club to check on some friends' boats. Let me just say that it is going to take a very long time to clean that mess up. There were 50-foot boats in the parking lot resting on their keels. The sail lockers where people store their sailing stuff was completely gone. The gazebo on the point - vanished. The cabanas have holes blown through the sides of them. It was a very sad sight to see. We have always seen hurricane damage on tv but this time we know all of the places the pictures are being taken.

So we very nervously drove through Seabrook past a police checkpoint to our house. All we could see was ruined furniture and people's belongings stacked by the curb waiting for pickup. Most of Seabrook east of 146 flooded - I think they are estimating that 1/4 of the city has been displaced. There are houses missing from the road our subdivision is off of. But as we turned into our subdivision we were extremely relieved. The debris line from the flooding stopped just inside the entrance to our subdivision. We were spared - one of 2 neighborhoods east of 146 that did not flood. We feel extremely blessed and unbelievably relieved. We lost some shingles off our roof and a few sections of fence are down. The two trees in front of our house were blown over but we were able to re-stake them, and they should be fine. Power is out still and the sewage/water system is in emergency operation. The geniuses who designed the main water treatment facility planted it right off the bay. There are rumors that it will have to be completely rebuilt. So we have no power and essentially no sewer system and the city is under a boil water order. The fire station and city hall flooded, which is a logistical nightmare for the city leaders.

We decided to retreat to Kenneth's parents' house, which has had power since right after the storm (they have underground power lines - lucky dogs!) The League City boil water order has been lifted so we plan on hanging here for a while. A few grocery stores are starting to open - but mostly on generator power. So no refrigerated/frozen goods are available yet. I can't believe how we ever survived without eggs, butter and meat before now! We were able to pick up some boxed milk in Ft. Worth so at least we have that!

Sarah's preschool is closed until further notice - our church suffered severe roof and water damage. But her gymnastics school opened today, so on Monday we can resume class. It will be nice to have an activity for her to look forward to. So after sleeping in 4 different beds in a week, we are leading a semi-normal life again even though everything/everyone around us is in disaster mode. We are safe, we did not lose any of our belongings and that is a wonderful situation to be in. I will try to upload some photos and now that we are somewhat settled I can try to catch up on my blog postings - Sarah's birthday, etc.

Alaska

8.10.08 - Sunday - On board the Norwegian Pearl! Of course we went straight to the buffet and had some lunch as the ship departed. Not intimidated by the rainy and slightly chilly Seattle weather, the Horne side of the family ate by the pool. Sarah was surprised by some streamers and balloons and a big Happy Birthday cake when we opened the door to our cabin. Once our bags arrived at our cabin, we unpacked and hung out until an early dinner at the buffet. We went to the opening show and Sarah thought it was so entertaining that she promptly fell asleep! So back to the room with a sleeping Sarah (who slept all night in her bunk bed right above Mommy and Daddy's bed). Kenneth, Bob, Jan, and Pam met in the casino for some gambling.
8.11.08 - Monday - Sarah's big #3! She opened some small presents from Mommy and Daddy as soon as she woke up. Then after quick breakfast at the buffet, Sarah was off to the Aqua Kid's Club to watch some Dora and play with Legos. She even got her face painted! Some excitement on the ship as a Coast Guard helicopter had to pickup two passengers for medical evacuation (one lady broke her hip and a gentleman had a heart attack). Big formal dinner tonight - everyone got all dressed up. We did a big family picture on the stairs. Sarah yelled "banana bread" (instead of "cheese") every time the photographer took a picture so there were some big smiles in the photo! At dinner, Kenneth got Anthony to try the duck and it was a big hit with both of them. Everyone sang Happy Birthday to Sarah and shared some more cake.
8.12.08 - Tuesday - Had breakfast outside on the back of the ship even though it was cold and misty. We saw some icebergs too! Sarah went to Kid's Club again - she sang songs, went to the jungle gym, and watched a movie. Meanwhile Bob, Jan, Anthony, Ashley, Kenneth, Bevin, Misha, Mica, Moshe, and Machi went bowling! We had a blast even though the ship rocked every once in a while. Ship arrived in Juneau. Doug, Treanne, Misha, Mica, Jan, Ashley, Bevin and Sarah went window shopping downtown and then rode a tram up Mt. Roberts. We saw a bald eagle that had been injured in the beak and left eye. It had an amazing wing span of 6.5 feet! We climbed through muddy terrain and saw some beautiful scenery. Misha, Mica, Ashley and Doug went all the way up and saw some snow! We watched a little movie about the Tlinglit Native Americans and after yawning (loudly) twice Sarah fell asleep. Meanwhile, Bob, Anthony, and Kenneth toured the local watering holes. It was pouring down rain as we waited to get on the ship and of course Sarah had to go potty. Poor thing had a complete meltdown - thankfully we had lots of family to help us (thanks Misha and Treanne!) Sarah and Mommy ordered room service and relaxed and then Sarah chatted a little with Grammy via cell phone.
8.13.08 - Wednesday - Arrived in Skagway. Cold and rainy. We walked down Broadway (the main street) and went into some shops. Sarah got a stuffed igloo with some animals and Bevin picked up some scrapbooking necessities. Then Bevin and Sarah went back to the boat for a much needed nap. Woke up at 5:30 and got dressed for dinner. Met up with Ashley, Anthony Misha, Mica, Moshe, Machi, Doug and Treanne and ate at Summer Palace. Sarah spent the night with Misha and Mica in their cabin. Mommy and Daddy went to the casino and met up with Bob, Jan, and Anthony (who had been making friends in the hot tub!). Kenneth and I played craps and had lots of fun. We all had midnight snacks at the Blue Lagoon. The waiter told Kenneth he'd "scumbag" (come back but with an accent) so we had a little fun with that.
8.14.08 - Thursday - Cruised through Glacier Bay and saw some really big glaciers. We even saw a waterfall pouring through a hole in one of the icebergs. We sat on the back deck (Great Outdoors) to watch the glaciers. In the afternoon we saw some whales splashing too! Sarah played in the Kids Club all morning while Kenneth, Bob, and Bevin enjoyed a couple of cool drinks in the Bliss Ultra Lounge. Cool thing about Kids Club is the phone/pager they give the parents. It can call anywhere on the ship - for free!! Then Kenneth, Bevin, Bob, and Sarah had a late lunch (at the buffet!). Then it was nap time until it was time to eat AGAIN! We had dinner at La Cucina Italian restaurant with Jan, Bob, and Anthony and enjoyed a bottle of wine. Towards the end of dinner the ship was rocking quite a bit
8.15.08 - Friday - Arrived in Ketchikan - Salmon Capitol of the World! We walked around all the shops and watched some salmon swimming upstream. We saw a sea lion in the middle of all the salmon too! I was able to find a beautiful Christmas ornament for our collection at one of the artisan's shops. When we got back on the ship we went swimming with Bob, Anthony, and Ashley. There was a huge water slide but Mommy's bottom kept getting stuck so we didn't go down very many times! Then Sarah and Mommy had lunch and a little nap. Sarah went to Kid's Club while the rest of the family met for dinner - I had some delicious mushroom risotto. Mommy picked Sarah up from Kid's Club and we went to the Chocoholic Buffet. Then we went back to the room and ordered the Horne family favorite - mac and cheese!
8.16.08 - Saturday - Last day at sea! Sarah went to Kid's Club in the morning and Mommy and Daddy took a long nap! We arrived in Victoria and took a short (ha ha!) walk to the Inner Harbor in Downtown Victoria. The short walk took forever and we opted for a cab on the way back to the ship! Jan, Bob, Anthony, Ashley, Kenneth, Bevin, and Sarah had sodas and some awesome fries at a little restaurant overlooking the harbor. Once back on the ship we finished packing - we were ready to go ashore in Seattle!

The Chronicles of an Almost Three-Year Old

I can't believe my baby will be three on Monday! You can tell she's outgrown the "terrible" twos because she is so sweet and loving now. She has got a huge heart and a lot of love to give. The other day we were doing our swimming lesson, and Papaw was videotaping. She swam over to the camera and said Papaw, this is my best friend Mommy, my very best friend Mommy. I almost cried it was so sweet and how cool that it's on video? And boy does she love telling stories - they start "And one day..." Then each additional sentence starts "And one day..." It's so cute, and she is so creative - she comes up with some sweet little stories (mostly about animals and princesses).

I just love the way she talks these days - the other day she said refrigalator for refrigerator. And her new favorite movie is Lion King so she will sing Hapumba Matata (Hakuna Matata) for you anytime. She's not a shy child either - that's for sure. We went clothes shopping a few days ago, and she found a shirt she liked. Well she wasn't waiting until we got home to wear it...Before I could blink, she had taken all her clothes off (including panties) and was putting the new shirt on. And LaLa had a new shirt on as well by the time we left the store =).

Anyways, the big birthday party is coming up pretty quick, and we look forward to seeing everyone. Sarah is very excited - she talks about her BIG party all the time. Since her feet almost touch the end of her toddler bed, she got an early birthday present from Memaw and Paw - a new twin bed. She calls it her new big comfy bed. She sleeps like a champ! (Can't say she sleeps like a baby because, well, babies just don't sleep very well in my opinion!) Well off to go play!