I wish I had never seen......

Tonight we went to McDonald's. Without having to type the whole long story, I'll just say that I had to go up into the play place. Gross. Excuse me. I meant GROSS.

This was a nice McDonald's with a nice looking play place - from the outside. I just can not even tell you how dirty and nasty it was inside though. I was so tempted to crawl back out so I could get my camera from my bag and take pictures. The girl who worked there said they clean it every night. There's just no stinkin' way that's true. I don't believe it for a minute. We're talking caked on black and massive amounts of food crumbs. I told her that their manager should crawl in there just to see what it looked like.

My children will not be returning there. No thank you. I guess a dirty play place is only one more reason why we shouldn't be going there any way. It's a hard habit to break when you're a busy mommy. =( Sigh......

Sibling Rivalry in its Truest Form

This is my brother, Jeremy, and me. We were rocking at Cracker Barrel.

Here we are again in one of my dad's famous "fat angle" pictures. Jeremy, however, counteracted the "fat angle" picture by sticking his neck out and sucking in. Thanks for leaving me to look fat all by myself brother.

We all went to a jump house place and Jeremy and I decided to race each other through the obstacle course inflatable. This is us stretching.

I was painfully aware that I haven't stretched and warmed up for enough things in my life to even know what to do. Can you tell?

These are our rears jumping in as soon as Davus yelled "Go!"

Here I am laughing so hard I'm about to wet my pants. I don't know why it was so funny to race through that thing but it was. I could hardly stand up!

I'm not sure what's happening in this picture, but it serves as further proof that I was in that inflatable.

Here's my mom and Joshua "cheering" from the sidelines. Check out how intently Joshua is staring at that ice cream bar. Yep, he's my boy.

We finally made our way out of the end. This is where we were accusing each other of cheatin'. Smile when you say that.......
(not a Lucy fan? sorry, you won't get that one.)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So he won. I still looked good after going through that death trap. That's an accomplishment too, right? =)

Thanks for the fun memory, Jermus! Loves you......

side note: as mentioned before, my brother is available. interested parties MUST send all personal information to yours truly. thanks.

He's a Champ!

At the rec center near my parents' house is a rock climbing wall that John David wanted to conquer. He had never climbed anywhere before so his little boy confidence was so cute. One of his new things is saying, "I'm a champ!" in a hickish kind of way. After he finished climbing two walls he decided he most certainly was........

Rocker Boys

John David asked for a guitar lesson from Uncle Jeremy. Before it was over, they were rockin' out! I think John David thought he would be able to play like Jeremy after just one lesson. This was one of my favorite moments....

Welcome to Denver!

Riding the train thing at the airport is always fun - am I right?

Uncle Jeremy was waiting for us! (yes, my good looking and incredibly talented and funny brother is available. submit all inquiries to me for approval. thanks.)

Grandmamma and Dodie had prepared a "Monkus Party"!

John David sports his monkus mask - he is, after all, the head monkus.

And Julia models hers too....

Aulora was trying to understand all of the craziness.

Joshua just wanted to snuggle with his monkey.

Our first meal was hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill. Yum!!!

Even Julia thought it was good - that's an accomplishment!

Now Boarding......

for our trip to Colorado!


We had some time to kill before boarding the plane in Oklahoma City. I didn't realize just how small that airport was and we had allowed plenty of time to go through security. Let's just say that when we walked in the security people looked at us and said, "Howdy! Ya'll must be the Sullivans! We've been waiting on ya all week!" (just kidding.....but there was no line and it was a small airport.)

Aulora and Julia sat by Dodie (my dad) on the plane - they were angels! (Busy angels, but angels nonetheless.)

I would be good too if my grandma had a bag full of all kinds of new toys and books and markers!

John David got a window seat. He usually likes to keep it closed and then push the call button for the flight attendant to bring him a blanket and pillow. He has trouble understanding why they don't have big feather pillows and down blankets on the plane. What kind of business are they running here???

Joshua had the best idea of all. We were all tired since our day started with an early morning drive with Daddy to get to the airport.

(many, many more posts will be forthcoming as I have time!)

I've been a bad, bad girl......

I think I'm going to sue Ben & Jerry's for the money to buy bigger pants. It's going to be their fault when I can't fit in my current (not so small anyway) clothes. Last night I discovered their half baked flavor (I think Jenny mentioned it in a post not too long ago) and, well, I'm probably about 10 pounds heavier today than I was yesterday. Crud. It's just so good!

What's that saying? Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels? Whoever said that obviously never tasted this ice cream. All of you trying to get fit and healthy seriously need to stay far, far away from this little sin. I wish I had. Now I've tasted it and I don't know how I can ever resist it again.

I really do want to be healthy. Good food, exercise, water, all of it. Some days I do soooo good. And other days (like today) I really struggle. My sweet tooth is just so honkin' huge. What's a girl to do???

Am I Dorky?

Okay....I admit it......I've been watching High School Musical Get in the Picture. I've never seen the movie (really, I haven't), but I couldn't resist watching this reality show all about music. I'm also really looking forward to America's Got Talent 2 hour season finale next Tuesday night. Can't wait!

I guess the title of this post is rhetorical. I am for sure dorky. At least I have the guts to admit it.

Unpacking, laundry, and dreaming of a house (still) - All very exciting stuff, I assure you

I'm still buried under laundry....(When you don't live in your own house, you don't have your own washer all to yourself. You have to wait until you can squeeze in the cycle.) I finally got my first load going a few moments ago. Yea!

The suitcases are almost all unpacked and put away. I lack only one small duffel bag. I've been slow because I woke up yesterday with an eye infection of some sort. Which means, not only have I been "slow as a healing scab" (as my son likes to say), I've also been having to wear my super hot and sexy glasses. That was totally meant sarcastically. My medicine is working though so by tonight or tomorrow I'll be back to my super model self! Again, sarcastic. ;)

We went to see that house on Sunday. Even though our realtor got there early to try to cool it down some it was so very, very hot in there. We're breaking heat records here in the falls, you know. 109 yesterday. My little (I wish) body is in shock since we were just in lovely Colorado. If I had the money, I would fly right back. Oh, back to the point. The house. We saw it along with John's brother and wife and Clay and Sandy. It was nice to hear all of their ideas too. The heat was melting John's brain though and I guess he still hasn't recovered because he's unable to process anything regarding the whole idea of buying and remodeling it. I've looked at it and estimated the cost of everything we would need to do, padded that number and can see that it will be a good investment and we can indeed make money. I vote yes. John, on the other hand, feels the need to have a VERY detailed plan prepared before moving forward. Detailed, as in, exactly which fixtures we will buy and what color paint will be on every square inch. Well, that's great except that while we're figuring all of that out, someone else will be signing the papers.

I think he's mostly stuck on the master bedroom closet. It's small. Did I say small? I meant small.

We had that problem in our last house and we were able to make it a huge walk-in closet. So far, the perfect solution has eluded us here though. There are options, just not perfect ones. Soooo, we'll see. If we don't get that house, we'll find something else. A house to buy, a house to rent, or even a big apartment or town house. This momma needs her own place! =)

I've got more to say but the kitchen needs me. So off I go......

Home Again!

We're here now - home sweet home. (Although my parents' house is pretty sweet too.) I thought I had posted a blog on Friday night from my phone, but apparently it didn't work. Not sure why. I did all that annoying typing on those tiny little Treo buttons for nothing. =(

Lots of pictures and videos and stories will be forthcoming soon. First there's unpacking, doing laundry, spending a few hours with John (who will leave again early in the morning!), seeing a house for sale (!!!), taking a nap (I can dream about it anyway), and opening the huge mound of mail that was waiting for us when we got home. Yea for long trips! =)

I love you, Davus and Biggie. We had a wonderful time (of course!) and I'm looking forward to getting all our memories posted to remember always.......

Almost All Better

Joshua is now the only child (unless you count my brother, but he's pretty grown up these days) who is still not totally well. Thankfully, he woke up feeling WAY better today. That cute little man even smiled some at me. So, thank you Pedialyte. You've helped this momma make it through. 

What a bummer for a whole week of our vacation to be sucked up with sick. Oh well. There's always next year......

Two Thumbs Down, Two Thumbs Up

I had heard great things about Wendy's new milk shakes so of course I had to sample one. (For the sake of this blog, obviously.) The price is good - only about $2.30 for a small one which isn't so very small - but you're better off keeping your money in your pocket. It was gross. Definitely not calorie worthy. In fact, I didn't even drink half of it which is something we can all be grateful for. 

Carl's Jr., on the other hand, has some rockin' milk shakes. They're right up there with Chickfila and Steak and Shake. It's true. And you heard it here first. 

It's a Winner

I definitely love my haircut. LOVE it. I've never had a haircut this great and I think I actually look good with my hair down now. That's a first. Welcome to the new millennium, La. 

Still a Blogger

I think once you stop blogging for awhile, it's hard to get back in the groove. It seems like I have tons to say but nothing I feel like putting in a post. We're still out west, enjoying a break from the intense heat of Texas. Instead we're getting a taste of intense heat in Colorado, which thankfully, isn't near as bad. 

All this past week we've been fighting sick stuff. It started with Aulora. I was changing her diaper last Sunday morning and without warning she starting throwing up everywhere. She was laying down so you can imagine what a mess that was. For three days she was sick with that bug. Then Julia got a yucky cold. When she was done with her cold she traded Aulora for the sick bug. Julia doesn't wear diapers anymore (although sometimes I think she should) so we enjoyed her throw up debut in the middle of the disney store at the mall. And now Aulora has the yucky cold plus a horrible sounding cough. I really need a can of Lysol. 

I got my hair cut on Friday at an Aveda salon. I LOVE Aveda! If you've never smelled and used their stuff then you need to. I didn't bring all of my hair "tools" so I'm having a hard time doing it but it's definitely a great cut. 

My mom cooked a Martha Stewart worthy lunch yesterday. Homemade chicken strips, fried pork chops, gravy, mashed potatoes, corn, and whole green beans. Oh, and some awesome rolls. She doesn't cook very much anymore because she works a lot, but every once in a while she'll make a big meal just to remind my dad and brother that she can. They don't mind the reminder. =)

I got up the other morning at about 6:00 and actually had some time to watch a movie. It's pretty sad when that's the only chance you have to watch a movie. I still enjoyed it though. You want to know what movie it was? Well, this is even more pathetic - "The Pursuit of Happyness". Do you know how long that movie has been out? I have wanted to watch that forever and haven't had the time. And YES, that is how the title is spelled. 

It's now 11:20 here and Joshua is still asleep. He's been sleeping since 9:00 last night, with the exception of an early morning bottle in my bed. I've gone in a number of times just to make sure he's still alive. Obviously, he is or I wouldn't be sitting here blogging.

Two nights ago, Aulora was getting over her stomach bug and developing her cough. She threw up in the bed (that she was sharing with me) at about midnight. I cleaned up and we went back to sleep. The rest of the night every time she coughed (which was often) I sat up in a panic thinking that she was about to throw up on me again. I was soooo well rested the next morning. 

Okay, I'm going to get my boy. I can't take it any more.......

Blogging from Colorado

The kids and I arrived in Denver on Sunday, the 6th, and we've been having a great time. My parents both use laptops so I've found it hard to blog. But I just spied my dad's macbook sitting all by itself just calling my name so here I am.

We learned last year that a busy, jam-packed schedule of fun just doesn't work with so many kids. And that was with only 3 kids. Now that there are 4 we knew for sure that we had to keep it simple. So we've played games and watched old home videos (what a fun thing to do with your own kids!), we went indoor swimming and outdoor swimming, we went to a park and to a bounce house place, we saw Wall E. (or however you spell it - not that great a movie in my opinion) and ate popcorn. We went to church on Saturday night and slept in on Sunday morning. We crammed like sardines into the Mountaineer and drove to Bass Pro Shop and then ate at Cinzetti's. I mentioned that restaurant in my blog last year but it's worth mentioning again! Think Carino's or Olive Garden where everything they have is out for a buffet. (Not a golden corral type of buffet - fancier.) Then add a custom crepe chef and a gourmet dessert bar - godiva chocolate covered strawberries, ice cream case, bread pudding, and so many other yummy things that I don't want to embarrass myself by trying to spell. The only reason I didn't have to be rolled out of there was because I had children to take care of and they kept interrupting my eating efforts. =)

Aulora has been sick today so we are just staying home. My parents have TONS of movies that I haven't seen yet and then my dad bought 3 more this morning that I really want to see. Maybe today I'll finally get to see one. The problem has been that I can't just put Aulora in her bed and let her go to sleep on her own like I do at home. We have 2 pack and plays - one for Joshua and one for Aulora, but I learned on our first day here that she's too big for that. I'm still not sure if she fell out or climbed out but either way, out she was. So now I lay in my bed with her until she is sound asleep. Sometimes it's fast and other times, like Saturday night, it's over an hour. It's really eating up my nights. Oh well. She's a super "snuggle buddy".

I've got lots of pictures to post but those will have to wait. I'm kind of busy enjoying being here right now. Later, when I'm back in the scorching Texas sun, I'll put them up......

Jumbled Thoughts from My Spaghetti Brain

• Happy Birthday, Johnny! You're my favorite and I love you. =)
• We had a birthday feast tonight - steak, sausage, grilled tilapia with mango salsa, baked potatoes, feta cheese salad, grilled vegetables, homemade banana ice cream and pound cake. Wow! There was so much and it was SO good!
• I'll have you know that Mimi makes the BEST pound cake you've ever eaten in you life. Seriously, it's good. I was pretty glad I wasn't doing Choose to Lose when it was dessert time tonight!
• I took all four kids to Walmart today. I dropped the van in the back for an oil change and then we trooped in using the double stroller for the babies and a basket pushed by John David for Julia and the groceries. This whole idea would have been great if I had thought about it being the day before a holiday. I seriously needed some blood pressure medication from the pharmacy when it was time to leave.
  
• To make it worse, this was the SECOND day in a row that the eye doctor's office was randomly closed for a long period. They decided to close for TWO hours today. I REALLY need to pick up my contacts and the prescription they have for me. My contacts are in bad shape and I do NOT want to wear my glasses the whole time I'm in Colorado. (I should add that this is at a Walmart across town from us since the store close to our house doesn't have an eye doctor.) Very frustrating.
  
• I went to see that house that's for sale. I like it a lot. Of course, it needs a new kitchen, new bathrooms, new fixtures, and new floors. But I like it. We need to run some numbers and figure some stuff out. John David's school is only 1 block away from it though and it's about a 1 minute drive from John's parents' house. The backyard would be perfect for letting the kids go out and play. It has a fireplace and a pantry. A PANTRY. Did I say already that I liked it? 'Cause I do.
  
• The next two days will be filled with getting ready to go on our trip (!) and maybe some firecrackers here and there. I don't even know what we're doing for the 4th yet. I hope I get to go to Dillards for the massive sale they have right now. It started Wednesday morning and I still haven't gone. Now I'm not sure if there will be much stuff left. Hmmmm.....I have to decide if it's worth risking the trouble of taking the babies. I do like to shop though.
  
• On second thought, I'd rather have a house.
  
• I do need clothes though.
  
• and shoes.
• and a belt. I want a sparkley belt.
• although, a spakley belt would look better once I'm not my current size.
  
• Crud. I should be out jogging instead of blogging.
  
• That's it! I'll go to Dillards and get jogging shoes. Then, tomorrow I can go jogging instead of blogging.
  
• I can feel my brain shutting down now (and I'm sure anyone reading this can sense it happening too) so I'm heading to bed........
  

Right now.....

I'm sitting at Chuck E. Cheese's blogging from my phone. Very nice! I feel so high tech....what a poser I am. :)