A Smile on My Face

I don't know why, but early this morning, while I was still in bed, I remembered something that made me smile. You know that old pick up line that goes something like "Did it hurt?....When you fell from heaven." When John and I were first married we like to change pick up lines so they would compliment ourselves instead of the other one. (Yeah, we're that lame.) John used to always say, "Did it hurt?" Of course I would answer, "Did what hurt?" And he would say, "When I fell from heaven and landed on you." Then we would both laugh and laugh.

That made me smile to myself this morning so I thought I would share so I could have a happy post! =)

I'm taking the kids to our new city today so I'll miss all of you at RTP. I hope it's lots of fun! Whatever will it be like without those two Sullivan children running wildly around? =) Take lots of pictures to share later, please! Especially of A as an egg!

Another Last

I just rocked my baby girl in her room for the last time. It's the same room I rocked my first baby girl too. So many sweet memories. I'm not sure why I even bother with makeup these days. I just keep crying it all off..........

Sorry my blog is full of sadness lately. It's just hard to leave so many people and things and memories. Soon it will be happy again. Promise.

Box Tip

If you're ever in the market for boxes, check behind all the stores in the Bed, Bath, and Beyond shopping center. Whoa! It was a box jackpot! =) I finally had to stop because my van was packed.....

Pudgie Boy

My brother came to town last night. I wish it was just for a visit, but no, there's more. He came to take our Pudgie dog. It's really his dog, but for the last several years we've had him.

John and I have tried to think of ways to get rid of him plenty of times. Whenever he happened to escape out of the gate we would joke about moving before he came back. Or locking the gate so he couldn't get back in. Of course, we were just joking. He's a great dog - as far as dogs go. His only annoying feature (more annoying than normal dog things, I should say) is that he likes to dig. So the grass in our back yard was slowly and methodically turning into big uneven piles of dirt. But he rarely barks. And he killed his share of backyard intruders (see picture below for an example). And he loves my kids. They LOVE playing outside with him and making him "soup" and feeding him "coconuts" (pecans) and making him chew on sticks. He's their "country dog" - you have to say that with a really thick Texas accent.


But we can't take Pudge with us. So my brother has come to take his rightful place as dog owner and Pudge is leaving for Austin with him this afternoon. I'm going to miss that stupid dog. I will probably even cry. In fact, I did cry yesterday when John David and I were outside talking about it all. I didn't want Little to see though so I changed the subject and went back inside.

All the goodbyes are so hard. This is like taking a really long time to pull off a band-aide. Maybe we should have told everyone we were moving the day before. That would have been quick and way less painful. My hormonal emotions really need some hellos instead of goodbyes. Sigh........

Seven Years Ago......

I was a brand new mommy. Wow. It's what I had wanted to be my whole life! I cannot begin to think what our lives would be like if we had never been given our sweet "Little" that Saturday afternoon. Things would probably be quieter and cleaner - little boys have to have lots of tiny toys and make lots of noises when they play, you know. We would also have more money - all those tiny toys cost a lot of money.

As I sit here thinking back on that day, it's not so hard to remember since I have another "Little" kicking me and wiggling around. I remember how anxious I was to meet him and yet so sad when I could no longer feel him moving within me. I remember how indescribable that moment was when I first saw him, heard him, and then finally held him. What a monumental moment for a girl only 20 years old. I remember when they took him away to take care of some "boy business". I felt so helpless to protect him and I cried and cried until they brought him back. And then I cried some more.

I remember all of his beautiful dark hair. I loved to brush it over and over. He lost all that hair and was bald later on, but that was ok too. I remember his wonderful smell - no doubt the best smell in the world. I remember how tiny he looked and how his tiny little clothes were huge on him.

I remember the red roses my husband brought me. He was so excited that day - he had a little boy! He's never been anything less than the perfect daddy. What a treasure our children have in him. One day they will understand that.

All of the sweet memories are wonderful and I love to think about them. Usually, I get out the scrapbook and cry a few tears. I can't do that this year because it's already packed away for the move. =( But, the moments we have now are equally as wonderful. What a handsome, intelligent, creative, humorous, loving boy we have.

No, he does not fit the mold and he most certainly does march to the beat of his own drum. But isn't it better that way? Isn't that what the world needs? How can you be a world changer if you are the same as everyone else? Thank you, Jesus, for this precious gift. We couldn't ask for more.

Catching Up

Aulora started walking on Friday afternoon. Real walking. She had taken a teeny tiny 1/2" step before but nothing more. On Friday, she took off across the living room rug to go to Julia and the toys. It was so exciting! Even though she's #3, it was still amazing to watch those first little steps. She was smiling so big! I hollered for John, who happened to be home since it was a Friday. We spent the rest of the day trying to entice her to come across the room. I've yet to capture it on video. I'll try soon.

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In other news, John David and Julia's favorite new thing to play is "electric eel" or "giant squid". One of them will be the sea creature and the other one will try to capture it. They capture it by putting a big storage tub on its head. Often, Aulora is the electric eel. She never volunteered for this, but they decided it would be fun. I don't think she agrees. She doesn't like that tub on her head or being put inside of it - unless they push her around like it's a train. Then everything is fun again. I just can't help laughing when John David is the eel though. It's pretty comical to see him in the tub flailing his arms and legs (he's electric, remember), as Julia pushes him around.

They have really been playing together much better lately. It's fun to watch them be creative together. They are currently making Pudge (our dog) "soup" outside. They accomplish this by adding all kinds of outdoor things to his water bowl and then stirring it up. Poor Pudge. Good for him his days with us are numbered. My brother is coming to take him home to Austin. It's his dog anyway. I'll miss ol' Pudge though.

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We signed some papers for our house today. Not "the papers" to close, but the papers agreeing to the offer. We have a home inspection on Friday that I'm not looking forward to. I just keep thinking about how this house is 25 years old and that they might find some huge horrible thing wrong that we have to pay to get fixed. Yuck. On the other hand, if there was some humongous thing wrong, we would probably know about it, right. Yes, surely.

I'm to that stage now where most things I do could be "the last". I do that every year when it's nearing New Year's Day. I can't do a single thing without constantly thinking, "This is the last time blah blah blah." Mundane things. Like stopping at a particular stop sign or seeing a bush. My poor brain is so overloaded right now! We are:

• Changing Jobs
• Moving
• Moving in with family
• Having another baby
• In the middle of birthday season for our kids! Party planning!

Just a little stressful is all I can say.

Whew.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

"Help! Help!"

Judging from Farmer in the Dell's last post, I think she can really appreciate the following story. As I've admitted before, I often hallucinate at night. Last night, I'm proud to say wasn't a hallucination at least, but I don't think it was any better.

John came to bed after me and I was already sound asleep. He did, however, jiggle the bed enough getting in that I woke up just a little and went back to sleep. I dreamed then that when he came to bed, he left the hall light on by our room and it was really bothering me. He wouldn't get up to turn it off so I had to do it. (I was definitely dreaming though because I didn't actually get up like I would in a hallucination.) In my dream I got up and for some reason all the switches were in the garage so I had to open that door and go out there. When I opened the door, a boogey man was waiting for me and he grabbed me from behind so I couldn't see him. He immediately tried to cover my mouth so I couldn't scream but I was determined to yell for John.

At this point I let out the loudest, weirdest holler ever. I woke myself up yelling, "Help! Help!" It sounded like a dying cow though. John started shaking me asking what was wrong. I told him my dream and then he asked, "But why did your voice sound like that?" I answered, "Because that man's hand was over my mouth." We both busted out laughing at that moment. I'm still laughing now. I wish I had a recording of my voice yelling. You would pee your pants. I think we laughed for a good 15 minutes or so. Every time we finally stopped, one of us would start again. My stomach hurt when it was all said and done. My husband was kind enough to point out that I must really be out of shape if a good laugh makes my muscles hurt.

I seriously just can't stop laughing about all of it. So I'm smiling big today. Even though today is the day the packing must start. Bleh. I don't even know where to start. Suggestions???

You might be a redneck if.......

......this sign is in your front yard. I saw this on the way to HSU. I can only hope that this is "creative advertising". I would like to dedicate this post to Steve. He never could say "fire". It always came out "far". The funny part was that he thought he was pronouncing it right and everyone else was wrong. What a good laugh he always gave us as we tried to come up with ways to get him to say fire. =)

Strange Things

Seven things you never knew about me and now wish you didn't. Or as you put it...seven strange/weird/crazy things about me....

(I'm pretty strange so you get a whoppin' ten things. I could have given you soooo many more things.)

1. I hate shower curtain liners - unless they are brand new and never used. They're just gross and if any part of my body happens to come in contact with one while showering, I freak out. My worst nightmare is to be murdered and then wrapped up in a yucky shower curtain when my body is dumped.

2. I will not touch a toilet handle. Not mine, not yours. It doesn't matter if I just cleaned it with bleach. I can't bring myself to touch it. I always use toilet paper to flush.

3. Do not use my bar of soap. Ever. If you do, I'll throw it away. I don't care who you are. Not even my husband is allowed to touch it. And I can always tell if he has. I have a sixth sense.

4. If I touch something with one hand my other hand feels left out and has to touch it also. This also applies to my fingers. If one finger gets to push a button on the radio, the nine other fingers also want to touch a button. This is really annoying but I guess my body has very sensitive feelings.

5. Bottoms of shoes freak me out. Mine, yours, my kids. All shoes. It's just incredibly gross when you think about all the places those shoes have been. Feet I don't mind so much, just the shoes. For this reason, you will find a shoe shelf outside our door in the garage filled with shoes. My family is trained to take off shoes before ever entering the house. They do it at other people's houses too. All of our youth group was trained too. =)

6. I LOVE rubbermaid tubs. (Well, actually Sterelite brand. I'm cheap.) Everything seems so much nicer and organized when it's in a tub. And if there's a label that was printed off the computer describing the contents, I'm even happier. I would put my children in tubs if I could. Their labels would read "Thing One", "Thing Two", and "Thing Three".

7. My bladder has a horrible warning system. I get about 5 seconds notice I have to go to the bathroom. As a result, I have many (much more than I would care to admit) stories of wetting my pants. No, I'm not sharing any during this post. Maybe I'll work up the courage another time. (And this is when I'm NOT pregnant. Imagine the excitement when I'm with child.)

8. I'm obsessed with matching hangers. I don't keep store or dry cleaner hangers. If I had lots of money, I would get those nice wooden ones. As it is, our closets all have the thick white plastic ones. And of course the clothes have to all face the same way. (Ahem, A.) Before I had kids, I even had clothes divided by color and within the colors there were the different seasons or styles. I like my closet to look like a store. Now that I have 3 kids, I have to settle for neat, orderly, and matching hangers. Colors and such just can't be a priority right now. One day.....

9. I get goose bumps a lot. I get them when I'm cold. I get them when I feel dirty and need a shower. I also get them when I need to go to the bathroom - see, I told you I get them a lot.

10. I have super duper long toes. Even better, I have a second toe that is longer than the first. Sorry, Amy, I invented the toe pinch. I seriously don't think I would have too much trouble if I ever lost all my fingers. My toes could do it all.

***1,2, and 5 are due in large part to the fact that when I was a teenager, my parents bought me a "bacteria farm". Some kids had ant farms. Not me. What kind of parent buys their kid something like that??? I was able to take samples from all kinds of things from around the house and then watch bacteria from my samples grow in little petri dishes. I've never been the same. Can you blame me? It really does explain a lot, doesn't it? =)

Silly Ol' Me (as Julia says)

Here's me and my new boyfriend. Isn't he so cute? hahaha

No, really. I was at Walmart the other day and the Pillsbury doughboy was there! I had to have my picture with him! Unfortunately, he was so big (not that I'm so small these days or ever for that matter) and my arm could only reach so far. It made for an awkward looking La in this picture. Obviously, I have not mastered the art of self picture taking. Chin down, is it? So enjoy my big face and neck all becoming one in this little gem. It's still a memory I'll always treasure. =) And my kids think I'm the coolest and luckiest mom ever....

The Birthday Party!

Yesterday was the big Strawberry Shortcake birthday party for Julia and her friend, A. Big A (only meant to differentiate between the very little A and her mom) and I spent lots of time putting everything together and we had so much fun! We are very glad it's over though. =)

Thanks to everyone who came! I tried to get lots of pictures, but I still didn't get one of everyone who was there. I can't wait to see what pictures everyone else has!

Here are "the girls". I wish soooo badly that we could stay here and watch
them all grow up together! How much fun that would be!
They are all wearing the aprons that we gave as favors for the party.

Julia and A blowing out their birthday candles.
Julia gets 4 candles and A gets 3!

Lots of presents to open!

The great Strawberry Shortcake cake.
Would it be believable if I said that A and I made it ourselves?

We had a "berry hunt" outside. It felt like Easter time! Mostly there were
just strawberry candies to find, but there were some bigger things as well.
Here's Julia showing off her puzzle she found.

We let all the guests open their prize right before the birthday girls opened their presents. The girls got aprons and the boys got an archaeologist dinosaur egg thing.

A gave Julia an apron with her name on it for part of her present.
Now Julia has two aprons. Get to cooking, Julia!

Julia with her friend JD. Her eyes are closed but aren't they so cute?

Julia and F. They used to be enemies in the nursery - we never could figure out why. But now they get along great! Sometimes Julia even says F is her best friend. Girls!

Still opening presents....

A on her new bike!

The little girls just chillin'.

Hey, look! I'm actually at the party!
I gave the camera to John to take some pictures this year. =)
Now he's not in any pictures.....

Here's one of my favorite pictures. Why is this my favorite, you ask?
Because that's A's husband trying to pry into one of Julia's presents. Hahahaha!
She took it to him to try to open instead of us. Life is so great....

WOOHOO!!!!!

It sold! It sold! It sold!

I'm smiling sooo BIG right now!

John had to tell me to stop jumping up and down so I wouldn't give our baby brain damage.

All of the stress of the day and making sure the house was perfectly clean paid off!

Thank you, Jesus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ready for Bed

Today has been long, hard, and busy. A good busy though. In the midst of getting all the stuff ready to haul over to JBF (I had to wait to work on it since I couldn't have it laying all over the house for a few days) I got a call from our realtor saying that she wanted to show the house. I couldn't say no to that, so then mopping and cleaning and all that good stuff had to be done too.

It doesn't sound so bad now, but I should have taken pictures of ALL the stuff I was tagging and taking to the sale. There were mountains of it! I got it done though and finally fed the kids and was about to make my final trip to drop stuff off when the realtor called again. The man wanted to see the house again this time with his wife. Arghhhhh but Yea all at the same time.

I ran back in the house and quickly cleaned up all the messes the kids had already made and put the dinner dishes in the oven (what else could I do?) and got out of the house. The people were here for nearly an hour! I'm really, really hoping we get a call saying that they want it. Why else would they be here so long? They must be at least seriously thinking about it, right? The suspense is killing me. =) They are using our agent so I know she knows something. I called her after they left to see what she could tell me. She didn't answer. That's just cruel. So, I'll dream sweet dreams tonight thinking about the couple that will buy our house. Yes, that's what I will do......

Disappointing

So it wasn't that great. Again. It was better than the spring sale for sure and I'm sure it will be even better next spring. But unless you are in the market for an excersaucer, stroller, or maybe some baby girl clothes, it's probably not going to be worth your time. They already sold lots and lots of stuff before it is even going to open up to the public. Too bad. =(

JBF Reminder

Just a reminder that the Just Between Friends sale is this weekend. It's open 8:00-8:00 Friday and then 8:00-1:00 on Saturday. Most things will be half off on Saturday. This year the location is Johnson Street Church of Christ Gym at 2200 S. Johnson Street. =)

Dennis the Menace

Every morning I comb my son's hair. He repeatedly tells me that only one other boy in his class has his hair combed and so I shouldn't do his. That excuse does not fly with me. But, no matter how hard I try, he usually ends up looking like Dennis the Menace. This is thanks to him always standing up to get in and out of the van and rubbing his head against the top of the van. Inevitably, that goofy section of hair in the back is standing straight up. Not even mommy spit can fix it. I've tried. Maybe I should start keeping water, gel, and a comb in the van. He would really be happy about that, I bet. =)

Shhhhhhhhhh........

There's a reason you shouldn't take your 3 year old (or any child who is old enough to talk) with you to your OB/GYN appointments. I'll leave the rest to your imagination since there's no lady-like way to explain it all (or maybe I should say it's all TOO lady-like). I don't think I've ever begged Julia to talk quietly so many times. Oh, fun times.......

No More Cokes For John

I can laugh about it now, but over the last couple of days this has been no laughing matter. I thought we would have to lower the price of our house over it or put in new carpet, or at the very least, rearrange the furniture some bizzare way.

Friday night, after our relaxing dinner where John spilled his coke everywhere, there was another disaster. I didn't know about it until the next morning when I found wet towels overflowing out of the previously empty laundry basket. Hmmmmm. I knew something had happened. I just didn't know what.

Apparently, my husband cannot carry more than 3 things if one of them is a coke. He had his book, a small bag of goldfish crackers, his highlighter, and a glass of coke. According to him, the highlighter put him over the edge. It was just too much for him to carry all at once!

As he walked through the living room (which, in case you have not been to my house, is carpeted with an ivory colored berber carpet) and dropped his large glass of coke. He might as well have thrown his coke all over the living room - floors, walls, and all. It was awful. He did his best to clean it up, but it was there in all its glory. Brown and Big. An ugly looming mess in the house we are supposed to sell.

Stain Out Carpet Cleaners is my favorite new company as of this morning. They did a great job and you would never know what happened (in that spot or anywhere else). What's scary is they spray a chemical all over your floors before they start and it highlights all the stains. What had appeared to be relatively clean carpet was now covered in huge spots and stains everywhere. And they got every single one up. Oh happy day. They have the best rates too. I was skeptical since I've always used a company that costs a little more, but Stain Out was even better. 2 rooms for $46. Not bad.

So John is forgiven. He can stop sleeping on the couch now. Hahaha. Just kidding......

Watch Out For That Guy

I couldn't believe it when it happened and I don't believe it now. I was putting the girls into the basket at the dollar store today. Out walked a family only a few feet away from me. I was in very plain sight but this apparently made no difference to the father. As they walked by he made his presence known in the stinkiest possible way, if you know what I mean. And it was not silent either. We're talking loud and smelly. How gross is that? What's worse is he was all smiles about it. His wife didn't seem too shocked about it. How sad. If my husband ever even thought about doing that, he would find himself quite lonely all of a sudden. Thank the Lord my husband has manners and uses them at all times.

Julia's Costume

Julia's new fall festival costume came in the mail today. It was custom made and we were so excited about it. I was disappointed to find that it reeked of smoke. =( So even though it looks crisp and new, now it has to be washed and aired out. Then I have to iron it! Someone get the camera out - La is going to iron......

(I'm not telling what the costume is. You have to wait for pictures.)