Goodbye 2008!

Here are a few highlights of 2008! Enjoy!

Birthday #35

Grandpa!

100 Memories!

I don't want to miss this!

Bike Race

Max in Temper-tantrum Tuesday!

Maggie can tie!


Wishing you all a very happy New Year, full of many new memories and blessings!

Oh boy! I need your help!

I come from a family of all girls. My grandparents have 6 granddaughters and they didn't get a grandson until they had a great-grandson. And still there are only 2 boys! Max is one of them!

So, we know a thing or two about girls, we know that they can be moody, super-sensitive, and sometimes over-the-top drama queens! We know how to shop, doing a little cooking and best of all chit-chat, that is one thing we are really good at!

The problem is that I still know nothing about boys. I was so nervous when I was pregnant with Max, and found out he was a boy. I didn't think I would know how to take care of him. In fact, after he was born and was circumcised, I didn't change his diaper until he was all healed up. I was so afraid I was going to hurt him. Andy came to my rescue, as he always does. Thanks honey!

Thus, the reason for this post. I need help and I need help from someone who knows something about boys. My little guy, the sweet, sensitive guy that he is has found a new hobby, and a not so appealing hobby, I might add.

The boy can't keep his hands out of his pants. What's up with this? I know he's only 4, but holy moly, I'm getting tired of reminding him to get his hands out of his pants. He gives me several different reasons for his actions, like "it's pointing up and I need to push it down" or "it's tickling" and the best one, "I'm just touching my underwear." None of these reasons seem to matter to me. I could understand if it was a few times a day and I understand that he might have to "adjust the goods", however, it is ALL the time for him....ALL THE TIME!

Please tell me it's a phase and that it's just something boys go through. Any advise, tips or helpful hints would be much appreciated!

One year!

Today is the one year anniversary of the passing of Andy's mom.

Joy was such a wonderful person, I truly wish all the world could have known her. She had something special about her that I don't see in many people. She was special. Her love for the Lord showed through her love for everything else. She was a daughter, a sister, a wife, a friend, a nurse, a mother, a grandmother, and a spiritual teacher. All those duties, were performed with the Lord by her side.

She battled the cancer for 3 long years and was a trooper every single step of the way. And even though is hard for those of us left here on earth, knowing that she is pain-free and with her Lord and Saviour makes all the difference.

Below is a letter that I found that Andy started to write. He was planning to read this at the funeral. His feelings took over and he wasn't able to read it, but I feel that it is totally worth reading...

Mom, Joy, is there anyone more fitting to carry that name? You have impacted so many lives and spread so much love and joy. While preparing this, I did some searches for joy, and found a wonderful quote from Mother Theresa that sums it all up.

Joy is prayer - Joy is strength - Joy is love - Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.

Mom, you are that net. No one will ever know how many people you consoled, counseled, and led to a better relationship with the Lord, but the numbers don’t matter.

Your devotion to us, your family, and God, has been an example for all. As I reflect back on everything you’ve done, there is incredible consistency. That consistency is your dedication to God, never ending selflessness, and abundant compassion. You never had to tell us “Do as I say, not as I do”. You taught by example, not by words. When asked to serve, you willingly gave. You were never too busy or too tired. On the contrary, you embraced every task as a blessing and opportunity to serve the Lord.

We miss you very much!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all

Make a Smilebox greeting

Thankful for my girls!

Fit Friday - What's the point?!?!?

Oh yeah, I was trying to get some of this weight off....last week was just plain bad and this week hasn't been much better.

I have only been to the gym 1 time this week, and I can feel it. I'm with Missy, I think we all have so much going on right now, that we need a little break. I find that it's hard to prioritize what has to be eliminated. For me, it's the gym. This time of year is just so busy and I can only get so much done in one day and not totally ignore my children. I want to create memories for them to enjoy, not memories of me stressing out more than normal.

So this week, I only drank water or milk during the day, I did have a couple of "mommy drinks" this week, but still no soda. However, Andy's 2-liter of Dr. Pepper keeps calling my name...but I will not cave.

I have been making all kinds of goodies, which isn't too good for the Fit Friday plan...but hey it's the holidays, it's like tradition.

So my Fit Friday friends and I are taking a break, we'll be back on January 9th to finish this fun-filled fitness festival!

Ice, Ice Baby.....

Remember this:




I thought of this song at 4:30 this morning as I was up checkin things out. The ice storm finally hit us last night. They were predicting that it would start around 3:00 yesterday afternoon, but God willing, it held off for people to get home from work safely. We met with friends for dinner last night, when one of the guys got a call saying that the local snow plows were sliding around. We got out to our car and it was covered in ice. The rain was freezing instantly.

Here's what it looked like this morning:


Maggie woke up at her usual time and I went downstairs with her to watch the t.v. knowing there wouldn't be any school today....as I waited for the "M's" to roll across the bottom of the screen...I missed it. I flipped to another channel and missed it there too. Finally, I got online to check the school website. They didn't close school. I think we are the only district in the area that isn't closed. I called my neighbor to make sure, and she was just as shocked as I was. So, we rushed around trying to hurry, so that we could leave a few minutes early. I don't like to be late and I'm not a huge fan of driving on ice. Andy ended up taking the kids and said that it really wasn't too bad out, but this is coming from a guy who was trying to spin out the van on the way home last night. I told Maggie she was lucky to be able to go to school, this way they won't have to add a day on at the end of the year!

I guess there is a lot of people with power out in the some-what big town across the river from us. I guess we could say that we are pretty lucky it didn't hit us harder. However, even though we do have power and I am so grateful for that, we at the Sullivan Sitcom do not have heat! It felt a little cold this morning so I check the pretty new green back lit thermostat. To my surprise, it wasn't so pretty today. It was black....I touched it so that it would come on....and it didn't come on. Hum...I went to get Andy out of bed, on his day off....(do you ever really get a day off when you're at home with kids???) He came down and fiddled around with it....nothing....he called the service guy like any good husband would and they tried to do some things over the phone. Still nothing....so he is coming out sometime day. Sometime day???? It's cold and to top it off...our nice-new-pretty-green-back-lit-thermostat goes down to 66 during the night....so it was cold to begin with and it's getting colder! Yikes! On the bright side, we do have a Papa who lives next door that we can invade.

I am praying that the problem is small and simple and can be fixed with the switch of a button. I really hope that nothing has to be replaced, repaired, and paid for again....this is a new unit and should be working fine.

They say "Nothing can stop a Trane".....but an ice storm can!

Winter-weather Wednesday!

It is cold here in the Midwest and we have a big storm heading our way, we are expecting to get lots of ice in the next 12/24 hours. It doesn't sound like a lot of fun, but the kids and I had a lot of fun inside the warm cozy house today.

We made all kinds of goodies. We made these super cute reindeer cookies. I saw these in the Family Fun magazine and they are super easy!


Then we made 2 batches of regular Chex mix (for Andy) and a batch of sweet Chex mix too. I have a new roast recipe in the crock pot as we speak...and it smells divine! It called for a bottle of beer, that has to be good, right?!.... I'll let you know how it turns out.

But that wasn't the "fun" part. Grandma and Paca stopped by with a little surprise and the kids had a blast! Check out their creation!

I think Max ate more frosting than he used on the gingerbread house. And Maggie can't wait till Daddy gets home to see it! (Oh, and also because she can't eat anything off it, until Daddy get to see!)

These sweet little faces make my heart melt and they are what make Christmas so special for me!

Friends

We have the best group of friends. We have so much fun with these people. We are also blessed to have each and every one of them in our life.

Once a month we gather to play euchre, have some great food and drink, and laugh till we almost pee our pants. This month, we didn't even get to the "cards" part. We decided to do a white elephant gift exchange this year and what a hoot it turned out to be.

The group

Jason got an electric bug zapper (looks like a tennis racket to me!)

I got this beautiful set, I can't wait to hang them in the bathroom! (Owl towels!)

Andy got the YES/NO pillowcase! Just to make things clear!

Nicole got.....

A package of 40 hot dogs....(if you are thinking dirty thoughts...shame on you!)

Lisa got a gorgeous broach!

Donna got an "EASY" button....lucky duck!

There was the box of half eaten chocolates, the gift bag full of spare computer parts (my hubby was in heaven), the awesome little book full of jello shot recipes, an original Billy beer and a box of Wheaties that you could put your picture on. We laughed so hard, I had makeup running down my face. It was a great way to kick off the holidays!

How lucky we are to have such a great group of friends!

9 more days!

Notice my Christmas countdown widget???? Only 9 more days till Christmas!!!!

Oh my goodness, normally by this time in December all the gifts are purchased, wrapped and I'm spending my evenings (after the kiddos are in bed) curled up watching a Christmas movie on Lifetime.

Not this year! And I'm stressing! I'm still buying gifts, wrapping is a long way away and if I sat down to watch a movie, I would probably be out like a light within the first few minutes.

I finally figured out why this year is different from in the past. It was much easier when the kids didn't notice every single thing I brought home from the store or put in the cart. I could buy something every time we went to the store, do the shopping little by little. If they did see an item, it was soon forgotten and we went on our merry way. Those days are gone. They notice everything, they don't forget and the little man can't keep a secret to save his life. This slight change has me all out of whack. All my shopping has to be done when I'm alone (or at lease kid free) and that is a rare occasion.

Lucky for me, we have grandparents close by and I am asking them for help in the last few days before Christmas. Tomorrow is the day, I'm going to knock the list out, get all the shopping done, I'm going volunteer my wonderful hubby to wrap and I hope to lay on the sofa and watch a Lifetime Christmas movie in the very near future!

How are the last few days before Christmas going for you????

Fat Friday - Week whatever!

Yes, that's correct....it's not a type-o in the title. This has been a baaaaaad (like a sheep would say) week!

Why is it that with all the goings on this time of year - when we are celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior - that we have to eat all kinds of things that we wouldn't normally eat, just cause it's the holidays?!??!

I'm really not a "sweets" person.....I tend to think of myself as "sweet", but I'm more of a bring-on-the-salt kinda girl, but holy cow, I have been baking(which totally isn't my thing), eating cookies(why did I say I would help with the church cookie sale?) and snacking on my most very favorite, chocolate covered pretzels or the pretzel rings with a melted Hershey's hug inside them. Oh, my goodness....it's just been so bad!

To top it off, with everything being so hectic and crazy, and feeling like I live at church, I haven't been to the gym but only 1 time this week! I am going today, but that will still only be twice this week! Yikes!

And just one more thing to add to this awful week! Tonight is our monthly cards group which is so NOT a healthy place to dine. My favorite slush that Nichole makes will be there for me to drink and I just can't disappoint the hostess! This slush is so yummy! Drinking this wonderful slush isn't part of my Fit Friday plan either, but I will drink it, so I'm doomed!

Saturday starts a new day! Wish me luck this next week, it has to be better, right?!?!?

WFMW - A warm bed!

Okay girls, if you live in any part of the country where the temperatures gets cold, you are going to want to read this. Living here in the Midwest, it gets pretty chilly cold and I hate getting into a cold bed. About a month ago, I purchased a heated mattress pad from Kohl's. It wasn't the top of the line, and it wasn't the bottom of the barrel either...I bought one that had duel controllers, since I knew my hubby (the heater!) wouldn't normally use it on "his side." But I also wanted to give him the option, in case he had a cold/flu or something like that.

Let me just tell you, I LOVE it!

I usually turn the bed on when I'm upstairs putting the kiddos to bed. I'll come downstairs and hang out with my hubby for a few hours/watch t.v./blog/etc. and then when I go up to bed.... it is all toasty and warm. It's almost as if the bed totally just sucks you in. It is pure heaven girls, I'm tellin' ya! It totally makes the end of the day something to look forward to.

I have even called home on a few occasions when I have been out with the girls or at a church meeting to ask Andy to turn my bed on....he now knows and when I call, he'll say," I've already turned it on!" What a great guy I have!

Lately, I have felt Andy's cold feet sliding over on to my side of the bed more often....he's trying to get his feet all toasty too!

Anyway, this works for me and I know that if you live where it is cold...this will work for you too! Check out all the other great tips over at Rocks in my Dryer!

The Tree(s)

You might have already seen my trees earlier this week when Sara had us show them off....We are THAT family is showing them off today....so I'm linking up there too!

The "Mommy" tree....yep, this one is all mine. White lights with silver and clear glass ornaments and my most prized Christmas possession. The ceramic nativity under the tree belonged to my great-grandmother. And even though the angel's wing has been broken and re glued several times and the donkey's ear is missing. I LOVE this nativity!

This is the "kid's" tree down in our family room. This tall and slender guy and looks so much better than the "old Charlie Brown" tree that has been there the last few years. When I put the old tree up this year, I could see more wall thru the tree than wall without a tree in front of it. It was pitiful. The kids already had it decorated and everything....but I just couldn't take looking at it for an entire month. My hubby wouldn't allow me to purchase a new tree before Christmas (that just wouldn't be smart, and I agree.) So, I came up with another plan. My cousin, Tina had moved and wasn't using her tree this year....it was being stored in my parents basement....so I called Tina up to ask if I could borrow this tree until I could purchase a new one after Christmas. I solved the pitiful tree problem AND made my hubby happy all with one brilliant idea. This borrowed tree is perfect. This tree has the fun, colored lights that my kids love and it has a combination of ornaments given and handmade from my childhood and theirs.


The kids each have tall, slender trees in their rooms and they love to put the lights on in the morning when it is still kinda dark and they really love to see the lights glowing from their room. I have found them both in their rooms just looking at their trees. What great memories. My mom also gets them each a new ornament every year and so when they are all grown-up and have their own trees, they will have enough ornaments to fill it up.

Maggie's Tree!

Max's Tree!
(it looks like it's leaning, but really it's my poor camera skills!)

I usually have a tree in the kitchen too....however with all the "redo stuff" going on in there...I didn't do it this year. Next year, there will be a tree in the kitchen again....

Hope you enjoy our trees....I can't wait to see all the beautiful creations all my bloggy friends have.

**sorry about my spacing issues...I don't have time to try and fix it! It's driving me nuts!**

She's coming around, finally!

My girl, my sweet Magpie, is finally starting to come around. She isn't as shy and stand-offish as she used to be. She is starting to show her true personality as the friendly, sweet girl that I know she is. Going to school everyday has been a great blessing for her!

Last Tuesday night was her school Christmas program. I think I was more nervous than she was. You see, my sweet girl, isn't much of a performer. She doesn't like to be the center of attention in any setting. She doesn't like when people make a fuss over her. It's just not her! So when we were talking about the upcoming school performance, she confessed that she was a bit nervous.

So I told her, "don't worry, everyone will be"......and she totally interrupted me with this, "looking at their own kid, I know mom!" The girl took the words right out of my mouth.

She went on to tell me, "You know, Nana would have loved to come to my program, we're singing 'Joy to the World', and that has her name in it!"

My reply, "You're so right honey and guess what!?"

She did it again, "Nana will be watching me, won't she mom!" Does this girl know me or what?!

"Yep honey, she will be watching from heaven, smiling and probably crying cause she is so proud of you!"

"I'm gonna sing my best for Nana!"

Tears were pouring out my eyes by this time and she said, "Are you sad Mom?"

"Yes, honey, I'm sad.....I just really miss her!"

"Me too, but remember that she is always in our hearts!"

Oh, how I LOVE this girl. She totally "gets it" and I love how her little mind works, even at the age of 5.



Here is the video of her school program: Check her out, she's the girl behind the boy in the stripe sweater in the front.





This one is Maggie and Max (in the front) at the church program yesterday! Short and sweet!



What a blessing these kids are to me, I am thankful everyday that God gave me these two wonderful kids to bless my life and show me all the love they give. God is so good!

Look what my hubby sent me......

And he thinks I'm wasting my time.....I'm sure he searched all day to find this! What a turkey! Love ya hun! Happy Monday!

Fit Friday - Weeek 8!

My "plan" for the week didn't go as planned! Max and I ended up with the flu. I got it Saturday morning and was in bed ALL day. The vomiting and "other" stuff every 20-30 minutes was not fun.

Max didn't start until in the middle of the night Saturday night, so then I was up with him every 20-30 minutes. (Wanted to make sure hubby didn't get it....I'm so thoughtful!) It wasn't a pleasant sight.

It didn't last too long, and Monday I was feeling almost 100% better. The one good thing about it was that I lost a few pounds (3 to be exact!) and I haven't put it back on as of yet. I still don't have much of an appetite and that is fine with me. Maybe my stomach shrank a little, who knows! I would totally be okay with that too!

The bad part of the week is that I haven't been to the gym at all. I just wanted to take it easy and make sure we where okay before I started back. Oh, and I drank 7-up! But I think when you are sick, it should be okay.

Hope all my Fit Friday friends had a better week with the exercise and I really hope that the flu bug doesn't hit your house. Stay healthy, we only have 20 days til Christmas!

Can't they find some new names?

A few years ago, I was sitting on the sofa at my sister-in-laws house, just minding my own business, enjoying someone else playing with my babies for a half a second so I could look at a magazine, when I opened the Ballard Designs catalog to find this:


Now I LOVE Ballard Designs, I love their style, the colors they use, and the art...wow! So this has in no way changed the way I feel about them. If you haven't seen their stuff, you can check it out here!

Don't get me wrong. We are aware that our children have names that are also very common for dogs (and even cats) to have. This was not something we planned. We are not super-over-the-top-dog-lovers who had to have their children named after their first pet or something weird and crazy like that. We do love our dog, Charlie (sorry if that is your kid's name!) but not more than our kids. So when I saw this in the catalog, I thought it was cute, maybe even kinda funny. I tore it out of the catalog and had it on my fridge for a while.

We have also met several dog friends named Maggie and Max and we always try and get their picture. They usually look like this.

Little white fur balls!

If you google "Top 5 dog names"...... yep, you guessed it! #1 and #2

Top 10 Male Pet Names

1. MAX
2. BUDDY
3. JAKE
4. ROCKY
5. BAILEY
6. BUSTER
7. CODY
8. CHARLIE
9. BEAR
10. JACK

Top 10 Female Pet Names

1. MOLLY
2. MAGGIE
3. DAISY
4. LUCY
5. SADIE
6. GINGER
7. CHLOE
8. BAILEY
9. SOPHIE
10. ZOE

So, I guess my deal today is, can't Ballard Designs (and I do love them very much!) pick a few new names from the list to advertise their beautiful dog dishes? I mean, come on, isn't 4 years long enough to use my children's names!

Any one else have children with a dog name??? Just curious!

Temper-tantrum Tuesday!

This is what happens when you've been cooped up in the house for too long!



Can't wait to show this one to his girlfriends in a few years!

Sharing the love!

I couldn't wait to pass this beauty on....oh how I love to share!

Here are the 10 things that make me happy today:

1. Finally feeling better after the flu bug hit our house! I woke up this morning and I feel like a brand new person! Still not eating too much, but I think I have enough fat stored up that I'll be fine. Losing a few pounds already this week, could make my Fit Friday a good one! (Aw, who am I kidding, I'm sure I'll make up for any loss later in the week!)

2. Getting a huge surprise yesterday afternoon. I special delivery of get well wishes/handmade cards from many dear friends at church!

3. These beautiful flowers dedicated to one very special girl's confirmation teachers (Yep, I am one of them!)


Yesterday was Abbey's 14th birthday and "they (the flowers) were given to the Glory of God in gratitude for her confirmation teachers!" Isn't that the sweetest! The very sad part is that none of us teachers were at church to see them in person!
***Abbey, so sorry we missed sharing your 14th birthday with you! We love you!***

4. To have a husband who gets all the kids Christmas stuff out and up (cause you know the kiddos just can't wait!) Even if I will be moving it all around again today! Thanks hun, for trying!

5. Friends who call to check and see if you need anything at the store or offer to pick your kid up from school....knowing you've been sick! God has totally given me great friends and that just makes my heart smile!

6. Looking out at the pretty white ground and enjoying the start of the holiday season!

7. A happy little guy who makes me laugh even when he's sick! He's doing better today too....he wants to vacuum the couch. I always know he's better when he wants to clean. Gotta love that boy!

8. A very sweet and responsible girl who wants to make sure the rented movie gets back on time.

9. Listening to Christmas music, while I type this post in my jammies!

10. And last, but not least.....all my bloggy friends!

These are the things that make me happy today!



Now who to share this purdy one with! Gosh, there are so many to choose from! Drumroll please......The winners in no particular order are:


Nicole @ Life in Progress

Lisa @ Blessed

Brittany @ Becoming Me

Liz @ Mommy of two beautiful boys!


Love you guys! Enjoy your award! Share the love!

Here are the rules per Meme,
Please pass on the love by posting at least 10 things that make you happy and nominate at least 5 of your favorite bloggers.

Hope you all have a wonderful Monday!