My AWESOME friends!

I've had a great, busy, crazy day. The to-do lists were long, but everything got crossed off and oh what a great feeling that is. We are leaving tomorrow for vacation and everything is pretty much ready. But let me just tell you about my AWESOME friends. I have had so many calls today wishing us a good vacation, friends calling to see if there was anything they could do to help me out today, neighbors asking to help with mail, paper, etc. These people are AWESOME and I am feeling the LOVE.

Check out what Princess and Pinky brought over!!



I don't know who is more excited, them or us! Thanks girls for ALL the goodies! Andy loved the undies.
I'll try to blog while we are there, (for my 2 readers) but no promises!
See ya all soon!

How a 3 year old thinks!

During the colder months on Sunday evenings Andy goes to bible study. I LOVE that he is involved in a bible study, but the day and time of the study are not my favorite. In my opinion, Sunday evenings at 6:00 should be family time. Anyway, we usually do a quick family dinner, and then the kids and I get baths, jammies, and all our get-ready-for-Monday chores done before we settle in to watch ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition. We love to watch them demolish the old house and rebuild a brand new one. I love seeing the layout and decor of the new house, but most of all, I LOVE to hear the stories of the families who really need the help. They have done some beautiful houses and changed the lives of so many people. I usually get a little chocked up by the end of the show. If you don't know the show, the basic idea is that, the family goes on vacation (the last few shows we have seen, the family is going to Disney) and when they get back, they have a new house. There is always a big bus blocking their view and then they all say "Bus driver, Move That Bus!"

Knowing that background, and knowing our upcoming trip to Disney, Max starting talking about something earlier this week and I couldn't figure out what he was talking about. I have to admit I wasn't paying attention to him completely the first time he brought this up, but then I figured it out. This is what he said.

"Hey mom, when we get back from Disney, do we get to say 'Move that bus' and then we'll have a new house?"

I wish it were that easy!

Do you drink too much coffee??

This morning, like every weekday morning, I wake up to a local talk radio station. This would not be my first pick of radio stations to wake up to, but Andy LOVES talk radio and if it helps him to get up and get going I'm all for it. I do have to admit that I think maybe I'm starting to like talk radio too. It's nice to hear the traffic report that I don't have to worry about. It's nice to hear what's going on in the world, since Disney Channel is the only "news" I get around here. I also love to hear the weather, knowing how to dress the kiddos is always a helpful tool in the morning. The more I listen, the funnier these guys get, I was actually laughing this morning.

This morning I heard them give their top 10 ways to know:

You Drink Too Much Coffee

• You answer the door before people knock.

• You’re the employee of the month at the local coffeehouse and you don’t even work there.

• You can type sixty words per minute ... with your feet.

• You don’t sweat, you percolate.

• You’ve worn out the handle on your favorite mug.

• You go to AA meetings just for the free coffee.

• Instant coffee takes too long.

• When someone says. “How are you?”, you say, “Good to the last drop.”

• You want to be cremated just so you can spend the rest of eternity in a coffee can.

And this one was my favorite:

• You have a picture of your coffee mug on your coffee mug.

Maybe it's just me, but I thought these were cute. It was a great way to start the day!

Happy Earth Day!

On this very beautiful earth day, I got two little green gifts in the mail. These darling little Chico Bags are reusable shopping bags, so I don't have to take home any more "MART" bags. Check out here what the "mart" bags are doing to our planet. The Chico Bags are about the same size as the "mart" bags, but come with their own little pouch to stuff them back into and a clip to clip on your purse so you don't forget to take them into the store. I think they are so cute! I'll keep you posted on how I like them.

Working Girl!

Last week at Maggie's preschool they talked about different jobs. On Monday she had to take in a few items that show what Daddy's job is. Wednesday was Mommy's job, and then on Friday she had to dress up for whatever "job" she wants to do when she grows up. Can you guess where she wants to work?

Maggie Mouse!

Her second choice was DQ!

Watch for this outfit again at Halloween!

Snack Spectacular!

Only 11 days to go!

Those of you who know me, know that I have been making lists for Disney, since the day we booked the flight. My lists are now all clipped together and my computer/craft room is busting at the seams with Disney "stuff." I have planned to take a lot of our own snacks, just to keep costs down at the park, so this is a picture of our Snack Spectacular! It seems like a lot, but you have to remember that this will be used for the plane ride, and 7 days at Disney...I actually have a few more things to purchase. All this stuff is going to be packed in the suitcase, so I hope that it arrives safely.

Moment with Max!

Yesterday, for a brief moment, my life jumped ahead 10 years. Max and I were heading to the gym for my 9:45 step class. We were a little early so when we got parked, I let him out of his car seat and he jumped in the front passenger seat next to me. We had a nice little conversation while I ate my Kashi bar and drank some water. I snapped this shot just to remember the moment.



I sure hope that he will be the same sweet boy at 13 that he is at 3!

OCD? What do you think?

Last night, I dropped the kiddos off at my parents house. Andy and I were meeting in P-town for a meeting with our investment guy. When we were finished with the meeting, Andy took off for a quick bike ride and I went to pick up the kiddos. On the drive to pick them up, I finished a bottle of water that I had with me. When I pulled into the driveway of my parent's house, I grabbed the empty bottle to put in the recycle bin. This is what I saw.

A very organized recycle bin!

I told my dad, as I was taking this picture, that I would be blogging about this and this was his reply, "Oh, great, people will say that I have OCD", my reply was "Ya think?!", in my best Hannah Montana voice. Can't you just hear her saying that.

Now I must say, that if I had the extra time, I might try to do the same, as for now and I'm sure for a long time to come, this is what my recycle bin looks like.

A very unorganized recycle bin!
By the way, the guys come tomorrow to empty this!

My girl and Star Wars!

Tim T…this post is for you!

I don’t completing understand where she got it, but Maggie LOVES Star Wars! Andy likes it and we have a few of the movies, but I wouldn’t say that he is a huge fan or anything. Although we do still have the Star Wars pillow case he had as a kid, which he is saving until the kids are older, or as he put it, done drooling on their pillows at night. Maybe he is bigger fan than I realized. Anyway… Maggie was so excited when Andy told her it was going to be on Spike TV all weekend long. Two weeks ago on Friday night the sick people (I better say, ill people) got sleeping bags out, made popcorn, and had a little Star Wars fest, while mom was scrapbooking at church. This past Friday night, Maggie got to stay up late to watch it with the babysitter, (Even Hayley likes Star Wars!)
But this past Saturday night was the kicker! We had some friends over for a very casual night of catch-up, kids playing and pizza eating. Andy made the mistake of reminding Maggie earlier in the day that Star Wars was going to be on that night; when our friends came in the house & before they could even get their coats off, she informed them that we would be watching Star Wars that night and that it starts at “8:00, 7:00 central”. Oh so sad, she would ask every 10 minutes when it was going to be on, and was only finally content when she was able to watch it. She would go back and forth playing with the kids and then back to the movie. I would have turned it off and made her play with the kids, except the guys were into the movie as well.

I thought Star Wars was a “boy thing” I guess not, and honestly, as much as I hate to admit it….last night after the kids were in bed, I found myself watching it too!

So, Tim T….I sure hope your twin girls will be into Star Wars as much or more than Maggie….I’m sure you’ve got them in training already!

Sleeping In!

Let me just start by saying that it never works out how you hope it will. Sleeping in that is!

Max is usually my sleep-in kid. Last week he was still in bed at 8:00 every morning, in fact, last Monday, I actually had to wake him at 8:30 in order for him to get dressed and eat something before we left the house at 8:55 to take Maggie to school. Maggie on the other hand is pretty much our alarm clock…the girl is up at 6:45ish every morning just trying to find something to keep herself entertained until her clock turns to 7:00. However, once you get her some OJ, she will go downstairs and turn on Playhouse Disney…and lay quietly by herself on the couch. It is kinda nice.

So, last night we had a babysitter. (Thanks again Hayley! Oh and just let me tell you again how awesome it is to have 9 confirmation girls who are always eager to baby-sit!) Andy and I played euchre with our card group, (we always have so much fun…it’s a great group of people and boy did we have some good food last night…) anyway…the kids got to stay up later than normal, one of the special perks of having a babysitter and they also got to watch Star Wars…more on the Star Wars topic yet to come, and so…………

Why, oh why, did Max get up so early today? 6:30ish to be more exact. Why, oh why, couldn’t he have slept in till 8:00 or 8:30, or even 7:00 for that matter? Do these young people know that Mommy stayed up later than normal…had a few cocktails….would love to sleep in just a little? Do they know it is Saturday, the day when no one has to be up at a certain time? I guess not.

But, I’m going to look on the bright side…it could have been a lot earlier and he didn’t have to wake me with such tender, sweet Max kisses. Those kisses have already made my day!

I hope you all have a great Saturday too!

I got me some COW!

Here’s how the story started. My good friend Brenda (aka Sassy) is a farm girl…she grew up on a farm in Iowa with 3 brothers…so needless to say, she is somewhat tom-boyish. I call Sassy my beer-drinkin’-friend. She is honest, a great listener and can always see a situation from a different angle than me…and that is what I love about her. Anyway, last year in the last few weeks of my mil’s life, we had people bringing us food ALL the time. One day Sassy called and said she was planning on bringing tacos over for everyone that night. I kindly informed her that we had tacos on Tuesday (remember Taco Tuesdays?) and we wouldn’t want to eat tacos again that week. She insisted on bringing something, so what she did was bring us a big tub of already cooked grounded beef to use for chili, tacos (some other night) or whatever we wanted to use it for. It was perfect. We ended up making chili with some and then used the rest later the next week for tacos. Okay here is my point…..after tasting the difference between my usual beef and the real cow beef….I was hooked.

I immediately called Sassy and left her a rambling message (imagine that) that went something like this….”Hey girlie…thanks so much for the beef…and how do I get me some of that cow?” Of course her husband got the original message was cracking up at my comment.

Well yesterday, Sassy delivered me some COW…..83 pounds of hamburger, 10-12 packages of steaks, 10-12 packages of roasts, 10-12 packages of stuff I really don’t know how to use…. Look out Google, I have a new project on my hands….How to cook “such & such” kind of meat.

My freezer in the garage is full….and that was only a ¼ of the COW…..WOW! Can anyone say “It’s time to grill!”

Way to Go!

What a great lookin' group of girls who know how to DANCE (and eat doughnuts)!
Way to go...I'm so proud of all of you!
Congratulations on making the Dance Team!

Good Luck Girls!

Just wanted to send some
good luck wishes to my 7th Grade Confirmation girls
today for Dance Team tryouts!
You know who you are!
I'll be praying for all of you!
Love ya all,
Traci

Have any tips??

Not literally. I'm not looking for fingernail tips to glue on...but I am asking for any tips on how to get Maggie to stop biting her nails. Her fingernails look horrible. I bought some clear polish that is supposed to taste bad when she puts her fingers in her mouth...but I'm looking for any other tips that may have worked for you or someone you know. I told her last night that if she would try really hard not to bite them that we would go get them painted and maybe even get a mickey mouse head painted on.

Check these out....YUCK!

I'll keep you posted on the progress!

So Polite!

On Monday, we played outside for a while...it was nice but a little breezy which made it seem colder than it was...anyway...our Papa was outside too and so the kids ran next door to check in. We all chatted for a while and then invited Papa over for dinner that night. It was Taco Monday...usually we have Taco Tuesday...but we had other plans on Tuesday, so we moved taco night to Monday. Later that afternoon, Max put on his crocs and a sweatshirt jacket and informed me that he was going to see Papa. I kindly told him that Papa would be coming over soon to eat tacos and that he needed to take off his crocs and sweatshirt and go find something to do until dinner. A few minutes later Max came back into the kitchen and asked if he could go to Papa's NOW! My reply again was the same and that Papa would be coming soon. His third attempt was the best....we walks into the kitchen with his hands on his hips and said, "What if I say mother may I", in which I responded, "That is very polite honey, but no you may not go to Papa's house...he will be here soon" He finally went to find Maggie to see if she would play Mother May I.

It was so hard not to laugh...he was just so cute...just like this picture!

Just my opinion!

Now I know that I have been out of the fashion loop for quite some time....honestly, I was probably never really "in" the loop, and maybe I'm just so used to my old, stained, have-one-in-every-color classic t-shirts from Old Navy, that I don't know what is "in"anymore...but I have to say that Paula's top-half attire on American Idol tonight entitles her to a phone call from Stacy London from TLC's "What NOT to Wear" show. Seeing those "girls" about to pop out made me very nervous.

Camera Test Pics

I've been trying to figure out my new camera....new toys are so much fun!
These are just a few random shots!


Max wearing Maggie's helmet! Love the purple buddy!

Max, Autumn, & Maggie

Max, Connor & Maggie in "retro"mode

Maggie & her future husband in black & white

Max, Connor & Maggie
Funny Faces!

Max & Charlie!

Birthday #35

Do you remember when you were a kid, how excited you would get for your birthday? I used to love getting cards in the mail (still love that), love having people call with their birthday wishes (still love that too) and my mom has always (and still does) given me great gifts. Thanks again mom, love the purse and gift certificate.

I can honestly say that this year hasn’t been the best birthday ever….but I can say that I got the best gift ever!

Here is why it hasn’t been the best:
•A sunny bright Thursday morning turned into a cloudy and somewhat wet Thursday afternoon.

•I missed my Thursday morning Bible Study group…in order to take Maggie to the doctor to make sure she didn’t have strep….she doesn’t! AMEN!

•Andy went back to work this morning, but came home again…still sick…yuck!

•I have been doing lots & lots of laundry and lots and lots of spraying of the Lysol can (I think my finger is cramping) ....still trying to kill those germs.

•My back and neck are still hurting from sleeping on the couch last night and letting Andy have the entire bed to himself, that’s what I would want if I were sick.

•Just a regular Thursday! Poor Me!

Here are ALL the good things:
•I got lots and lots of phone calls…and stop bys…and gift drop offs…..I LOVE THEM ALL

•My parents stopped by too and let me run to the post office…by myself…no kids…LOVED IT…I forgot my cell phone at home and found some lovely faces outside the post office.

•My father-in-law & sister-in-law waiting for me to come out of the post office to take me to lunch…..what a GREAT surprise!

•My sick husband and kids got me a new camera…a tiny one…one that will fit in my small purse! I LOVE it too!


But this was the best part of my day and the part that I will NEVER forget:


As many of you know, my wonderful mother-on-law passed away right after Christmas on 12/29 after a very long battle with cancer. I loved her very much as did so many other people. She was the kind of person who could lift your spirits no matter what kind of day you were having. Just being around her made me happy. The past few months seemed to go by so quickly…and I miss her dearly.
As I was in the shower this morning…kinda feeling sorry for myself, (I knew early on that day wasn’t going to be spectacular). I actually heard my mother-in-law talking to me. I know some of you might be saying, yah, sure, whatever…but I actually heard her and I talked back. This is what she said…..Only you can make today a good day, put a smile on and enjoy your birthday. My response was, I know, I know…you’re right! I miss you! Tears were pouring out my eyes! Even in heaven she is lifting my spirits and I thank her for that. What a great gift I got today. I will never forget my 35th birthday! I love you Joy!

Thanks again to all of you who have called, sent cards, or stopped by….and for keeping my little kid birthday feelings alive.

Princess, I LOVE the apron…YOU ROCK!

Round Two!

Well…the rest of in the Sullivan house now have the wonderful germs that have been floating around. Andy is not feeling well at all, he had two big meetings this morning and had to be at big yellow. I heard him tell Maggie this morning that maybe after his meetings he’ll come home and they can rest together. He got home about 11:00. Max is still not feeling 100% and ended up sleeping in our bed most of the night, which means that Mommy didn’t get any sleep and now I’m coughing, have the chills and am achy all over. I guess it was bound to happen… Lysol can’t kill every germ. We have a pre-school field trip, to help serve for a church dinner, and a few other random things going on this week…being sick just isn’t in the plan this week!

P.S. Happy Birthday Mike T….hope you had a great day!

P.P.S. I wish this was my April Fool's Day joke....but it's no joke! :(