Makes Me Wonder

This is what happens....

(the bruised, rug burned, bloody nose, not the chocolate on the face)

...when you take this...

and add a couple of these.

I have no idea how the riding toy made it up all those stairs. I suspect that there was a bit of this...

...audience participation!

Food Tag

So I think I have done this one before, or one similar to it. But, I figure people have more than just five food quirks. I know I do.

I made a sandwich for lunch and it got the ball rolling for these five.

1. I only like one slice or layer of meat on my sandwiches and burgers. Double patty burgers make me gag. However, I will eat a thick patty burger from Red Robin, Chili's, etc.

2. I never ate a (ripe not waxy) tomato, I didn't love. I could eat a tomato with a little salt and pepper at every meal. This makes my husband and my sister gag. There are a lot of tomato haters out there. When I was pregnant with Micah I would buy yellow tomatoes, supposedly they are less acidic. It helped with already queasy stomach, because I could not give them up.

3. I like the "meat" or majority of my sandwich to be lettuce. I just really like it. I have always loved salads and lettuce wraps are one of my favorite things to eat. I am so grateful Micah loves all things salad and vegetable. She asks for salad for a snack.

4. I love apples. My favorite is Gala. I discovered them while trying to find a softer apple for my then toddler Micah. I just kept buying them because I loved the flavor. Right now we are eating red delicious, only because they are .50 less a pound.

5. There are not many chocolate chip cookies I like. I do not like store bought. I haven't liked most homemade ones from other people. (No worries, they do get eaten) The one I do like is my sister Brittany's recipe. Everything she bakes is wonderful. I guess one of the reasons I am picky is I do NOT like dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate. I make my sisters recipe with milk chocolate chips, but still hers are better!

I am not going to tag anyone, but if you want to do it, feel free.

I love Saturday...

Thanks for joining me while I have chosen to go private for a while. I feel for now this is in the best interest of my family.

We went on a fun adventure Saturday.

It went alright. We brought enough food to satisfy our super busy children. I think this picture is the only time they stayed in their seats.

Have you guessed what it is yet?

If you guessed this, you would be right.

We will probably do it again. It only cost about $12 for all of us. We watched 'Horton Hears a Who' and 'Drillbit Taylor.' The kids didn't pass out til half way through the second movie, at about midnight. We had a good time none the less.

For Now

I am going to close my blog for a while. This really saddens me because I have loved blogging since the day I started mine. I just really don't have a whole lot of positive energy right now. I really need to focus what I do have on my family and issues we are going through. I hope one day, sooner than later, I will come back.

I just wanted to leave one last post to let everyone who I have met through this blog know, that I have really enjoyed your friendships. They have meant a lot. I hope when I come back, you will still be around and we can reconnect. Until we meet again, Happy Blogging!

Mock Zoo

Last week we met up with cousins to go to our "Mock Zoo." It really is a zoo, but it does not have any large animals. It is not like the kind of zoos we are used to. We have accepted it over the last year, and promises of bringing large African Animals keep us impressed.

There is a decent selection of monkeys, birds, and wild cats. My girls enjoy the Komodo dragon and the cool Meerkat exhibit. Now that I think about it I do not ever remember seeing a Komodo dragon at any other zoo I have been to. Anywho, it was fun to hang out, thanks for inviting us, y'all.

My girls new obsession....Sunglasses. They have been wearing them everywhere. So I thought I would share these silly pics.

Happy B-Day

We celebrated my Mom's %#th birthday while at sea. The crew suprised all of us by bringing out a cake and singing to her a day early. Oops!! I think she enjoyed it none the less.

Also her room was decorated and we got her a big bunch of roses. All for an extra fee of course. It seems on an all inclusive cruise, nothing is free. Hey, at least all amenties are offered.

We had a great time celebrating it with her.

We love you Mom.

What Keeps Me Smiling

We got some bad news when we came home from our trip, which I probably will not blog about. It pretty much knocked the wind out of our vacation sails.

But, these little faces keep me smiling!

They can be so goofy sometimes.

I love 'em.

Daughter of a King

Our ward had a really fun Enrichment activity. A dinner for all the little girls and mommies to get dressed up in their finest princess attire. After all, we are ALL daughters of a King. There was yummy food, crown making, picture taking, a great lesson, and fun company. M was so excited to go and get all dressed up in her princess attire. She was a little disappointed to find out her favorite friend was sick and would not be there. I didn't get dressed up since I had already had two formal dinners the previous week. But, we had a really great time. I, being absent minded, forgot my camera. So we rushed home after it was over so I could get a few shots of my little princess.

Activities

My first thought about cruising, what is there to do for seven whole days?!?

LOTS!!

(click on the pic grid to get a better view)

Jeremy and my brother-in-law Josh entered a ping-pong tournament. They were good, but some were better. A seventy-one year old Chinese woman beat Jeremy (and many others). I must admit though she was awesome, with many, many years of practice and a killer serve.

Next was the Sexy Legs contest. This time our family took bragging rights. My brother-in-law Brandon took Sexiest Legs. It was well earned, his soccer legs ARE the sexiest.

We also got to hold a newborn baby lion, (don't worry it was sponsored through the local zoo) visit a LOT of sea lions, hold a parrot, and see tons more animal life.

Sight seeing was fun, we also went horseback riding along the shore, the boys had fun on the ATVs, played some shuffle board, and we parasailed. Parasailing was scary for me. Of course on my turn the wind slowed down and I was only about ten feet above the water starring down at a school(?) of hammer head sharks. That will be my one and only time taking that adventure.

The funnest thing we did was the canopy tour. Well it was fun for some of us. Zip Lining from tree to tree was exhilarating. We had the funniest guides, they kept us in stitches the entire time. We were not allowed to take any pictures, but we bought the c.d. and we have to wait for that in the mail.

You would think I was out of pictures at this point, but you would be wrong. I will post more later. Hope everyone had a good week.

Time to Eat

ALWAYS!!!

(click on the pic grid if you need a better view)

It was always time to eat. It seemed as though we were on an every two hours eating schedule. I am not just talking snacks, but full fledged meals including dessert. The food was delicious and we probably gained close to six pounds a piece. My stomach has been growling all day, but I will not give in and eat like I am vacation. Seriously, I have six pounds to lose (from this cruise).

I must say the best part of our trip was the service. Everyone was so nice, friendly, and made our experience so terrific. Our wait staff was so awesome. They took good care of us and always gave us fantastic tips for every port. I can not believe these people work seven days a week for six months straight and still smile all day long. Thank you Royal Caribbean Crew for a wonderful time and for your week long friendships.

CALIFORN.I.A

It was B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L!

The weather was awesome. Sunny with a light breeze. We could not have asked for anything better.

We rented a convertible so we could soak in as much California sun as possible. People kept warning us about the traffic in L.A. We found it comforting, it made us home sick for Dallas.

Our first day was spent at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Jeremy's little kick back for taking me on a trip. It was a Friday, the lines were short, and we were able to ride every ride. The next day we headed along the Pacific Coast Highway. It was Gorgeous! We had to make a stop in Newport Beach and eat at Sprinkles , a super yummy cupcake shop. Can anyone spot me a couple million dollars so I can live out the rest of my days in Newport??? It is fabulous, I would walk on the beach there every day.

Our next stop was San Diego. We could only take a picture of the Temple in passing, on our way to the Red Bull Air Race . Another kick back for Jeremy. Afterwards we met up with my beautiful cousin and her hubby for a Yummy Mexican dinner. We had a great time visiting with Mandy and Jason.

This unfortunately, is what happens when you have a redhead complexion and ride in a convertible for two whole days. It was worth it, though, I'd do it again to be back in Cali.