Ray's Mountain Bike Park!

This past weekend we took a little day-trip to Milwaukee.  To Ray's!  Ray's is an indoor mountain bike park.  Andy was super excited, the kids too....me, not so much!  But I was blown away!  This place was a ton of fun, even for me, the pretty much non-rider.  I could have posted more videos, but this gives you an idea what this place offers!

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Please say a little prayer!

**Update - Andy's surgery went very well.  He is home, has a full belly and is enjoying his pain medication.  Thanks for all the prayers today, we definitely felt them.  Please continue to pray for a speedy recovery and a few prayers for my sanity wouldn't hurt either!  :)  Thanks! **

For my hubby.

He's having surgery today.

He's having not one, but TWO hernias repaired along with another "very manly" procedure.  Getting it all done in one big swoop. 

Biking season is right around the corner you know, oh what am I talking about, he's been biking all winter long.

Everything will be just fine, we know that.  It's the recovery time that might be a little tricky.  Thank goodness he's a strong, active and otherwise healthy guy.

So if you have an extra minute today, say a little prayer for my sweet hubby.  It would be greatly appreciated.

02-02-02

February 2, 2002 was the day I married the best guy in the whole world. (At least in my eyes.) It was a day I will always remember. A day filled with lots of love, and sharing it with our family and friends was the best part.

You can read our entire love story here!

Andy,
The years have flown by and even though we've had some challenges, I wouldn't have been able to get through them without you! Your compassion for others is one of the things that attracted me to you, along with your ALWAYS positive attitude! (This one drives me a little nuts sometimes!) Thank you for being who you are, a great husband, a fabulous daddy and a giving friend! Happy Anniversary! I ♥ U!


Today, as we celebrate 10 years of marriage and being together for 15, we are taking some much needed time for the two of us.  As you read this, we are (hopefully) flying high in the sky headed to sunny San Diego.  It's going to be a really (short) long weekend, but we are really looking forward to it. 

The big 4-0!

Today is a BIG day here at the Sullivan Sitcom!

The man of the house is "Over the Hill!" 

And how are we celebrating, you ask?  Well, the above said man of the house is taking the little man of the house to a Cub Scout meeting!  How very exciting is that! 

I could list 40 things I love about this man, or come up with 40 adjectives that describe him, but today I just want to thank God for bringing this wonderful man into my life.  I'm so blessed to know him and even luckier to have him as my husband.  It's amazing how God works, never in my wildest dreams did I think I would marry this man.  So thankful that our paths crossed when they did.  I'm one lucky girl!

Happy Birthday Andy....I love ya!

All about DAD!

This is what Maggie had to say about her dad:

1. What is your dad's favorite dinner?
The same thing he always gets when we go to La Fiesta!

2. What is your dad's favorite color?
Blue

3. What is your dad's favorite drink?
Soda

4. What is your dad's favorite game?
Soccer

5. What is your dad's favorite thing to do outside?
Bike Ride

6. What is your dad's favorite fruit?
bananas

7. What is something dad always says to you?
be good to your brother

8. What makes dad happy?
Mountain biking

9. What makes dad sad?
When we do stuff bad!

10. How does your dad make you laugh?
Tickles us and farts!

11. How old is your dad?
39 1/2

12. What is his favorite thing to do?
Mountain bike and run!

13. What does your dad do when you're not around?
plays on the computer!

14. What is something your dad isn’t very good at?
Picking up his stuff! (I would totally agree with this one!)

15. What is your dad's favorite food?
chips!

16. How do you know your dad loves you?
He makes me laugh!

17. When you are all grown up, what will you remember most about your dad?
How much he played with me!

18. What has your dad taught you?
How to ride a bike, how to Rollerblade, how to chew with my mouth shut!

19. What is your favorite thing about your dad?
He'll do a bunch of things with me!

20. If you had to describe you dad in one word, what would it be?
Adventurous!


This is what Max had to say about his dad:

1. What is your dad's favorite dinner?
corn on the cob

2. What is your dad's favorite color?
light blue

3. What is your dad's favorite drink?
beer

4. What is your dad's favorite game?
Sorry!

5. What is your dad's favorite thing to do outside?
dig

6. What is your dad's favorite fruit?
watermelon

7. What is something dad always says to you?
No

8. What makes dad happy?
Me givin' him smooches

9. What makes dad sad?
no smooches

10. How does your dad make you laugh?
he tickles me

11. How old is your dad?
38

12. What is his favorite thing to do?
Mountain bike or run

13. What does your dad do when you're not around?
I don't know...I'm not here! duh!

14. What is something your dad isn’t very good at?
cleaning up

15. What is your dad's favorite food?
cupcakes

16. How do you know your dad loves you?
He gives me kisses!

17. When you are all grown up, what will you remember most about your dad?
How much he plays with me!

18. What has your dad taught you?
wrestle

19. What is your favorite thing about your dad?
He wrestles with me all the time!

20. If you had to describe you dad in one word, what would it be?
Goofy!

To the very best Daddy in the whole, wide world!

Happy Father's Day! We all LOVE you very much!

Note to self....

...and hard working husband.

In the future, please do NOT purchase a bag of very yummy Doritos before leaving the country.  I know that you purchased them "for the kids", so that they would have something yummy to take in their lunch, but while packing/or making the above said lunch this mama has snacked on way too many of the delicious, and oh-so-bad-for-you, get-your-fingers-all-orange snack.  They are no longer allowed to enter this home!


Thank you very much!

Man of the House

My hubby is on a trip, a business trip to England.   For some strange reason, I haven't heard much about the work part, but I have heard about the yummy pub food and drink!

Before Andy left on Saturday, I overheard the start of a conversation between Andy and Max.  As I was walking by his room, I heard Andy say, "Now while I'm gone, you're going to have to be the man of the house...."

Maybe it's just me, but this totally just warms my heart!

So as the kids and I were getting ready the next morning for church, Max comes out of his room, dressed and ready to go.  Sporting is khaki pants, button up shirt and sweater vest he walks into the bathroom where I was curling my hair and says, "So, since I am the man of the house....you know what that means, right?!"  I reply, "What does that mean?" curious to hear his answer.  He says, "That means I get to sleep with you!"  I couldn't help but laugh.  It was so cute, however I was quick to inform him that everyone would be sleeping in their own beds and that I was actually looking forward to having the bed to myself for a few nights. 

I did enjoy the first few nights of having a bed to myself....but I'm ready for Andy to be home!  At least I know that if I really need some company, the little man of the house will be there for me!

Let the races begin!

Racing season has started. This means many of our weekends are booked. This also means that my man is trying to get in as many miles as possible for training. So I'm officially a bike widow.

He is also racing on a team this year which means it's not all about having fun! Although, Andy's pretty good at not-stressing-about-anything! No pressure for him!

Maggie is becoming a pro at the water-bottle-hand-off!

All kidding aside, we are very proud of him and love going out to support him! Way to go!

02-02-02

February 2, 2002 was the day I married the very best guy in the whole wide world. (At least in my eyes.) It was a day I will always remember. A day filled with lots of love, and sharing it with our family and friends was the best part.

You can read our entire love story here!

Andy,
The years have flown by and even though we've had some challenges, I wouldn't have been able to get through them without you! Your compassion for others is one of the things that attracted me to you, along with your ALWAYS positive attitude! (This one drives me a little nuts sometimes!) Thank you for being who you are, a great husband, a fabulous daddy and a giving friend! Can't wait to share 90 more years together. Happy Anniversary! I ♥ U!


Today, nine years later, we are stuck in with what is said to be a "record-breaking" winter storm. Enjoying each other and our great kiddos! I can't think of a better way to spend my wedding anniversary! (Well, maybe a flight out for a long, adult-only weekend to Florida!....Still keeping my fingers crossed!)

The Murse!

So for a while now, Andy has been giving me a hard time about taking his lunch to work. The problem isn't actually taking his lunch, it's what he has to put his lunch in to take it.

Remember a long time ago, I posted about Maggie's new lunch bag. (BTW, that giveaway is no longer going on...Wendy V. won that...see what happens when you stop by this little blog!) Well, I also purchased a brown one for when I have to travel with my medicine. (It's a pain in the you-know-what...but I have to keep that darn medicine cold!)

So, on the "brown bags" off days, I told Andy he could use it (I love multi-purpose items!) for his lunch. With much hesitation and almost down right refusal, he started to use it.

He has been using it for some time now, and everything has been fine....until last week!

As he was walking out of work, his boss and another guy stopped him...to talk about work related stuff. But as their conversation continued, one of them noticed the bag. And as you can imagine, it all went down hill from there.

So today, I dug out an old lunch bag that I found in the back of the pantry. It's just a plain ol' gray guyish insulated lunch bag that would have been put in the garage sale pile a long time ago if I had known it was up there.

And he was thrilled!

So it's out with the "man-purse" and in with the ol' gray guyish looking bag.

Whatever makes him happy!

Pogies!

Remember this picture!
Andy is sewing! (His mom would be so proud!)
What is he making you ask?

He's making pogies!

What in the world are pogies? That is what I asked when he told me that he wanted to make them.

Pogies are like gloves for his mountain bike!

They go over the handle bars and also cover your hands. To give you better control when riding in the winter! (What crazy person rides a bike in the winter?!?!...that would be my husband!)

So this is what they look like!

He made them all on his own. I did set up the sewing machine and show him how to use it...but otherwise he did it all by himself. Pogies can cost about $60 plus dollars if you order them, and his little project cost about $10. And they work. He doesn't even have to wear gloves under the pogies since they keep him nice a toasty! Pretty impressive, don't you think!

Since he's now a pro...I just might have him work on some projects for me!

Crazy!

My crazy husband is outside right this very second mowing the yard.

What's so crazy about that you ask?

Well...first of all, it's pitch black outside (it's 6:50 p.m. here) and second of all, it's all of 32 degrees out there!

Want proof...

He's got his tunes....which makes it all good!

Guess he's getting some good use out of that several-hundred-dollar mountain bike head lamp!

He's a little square!

Okay, really I'm the square one, but I think it might be time to buy a few stripe work shirts for my man....we really need to venture "outside the box", if you know what I mean!

Happy Birthday Andy!

To my very loving husband on your birthday!

You love your family and are such a great daddy....

You are caring and compassionate and ALWAYS think of others....

and you're a little wild and crazy too!

Happy Birthday!
We ♥ you very much!

Pump It Up!

We spent the long weekend in Iowa visiting friends while Andy was a hour away doing a 24-hour mountain bike race. Yes, you read the correctly, they rode their bikes from noon on Saturday till noon on Sunday. Doesn't that just sound like great fun?!

On Sunday, my girlfriend and I took the kiddos to Pump It Up! What a great place. Basically it's a building with great big bouncy houses inside. My kids were the perfect ages....I could see smaller kids getting bounced around too much, but her kids were able to hold their own too. They even let the adults jump. Andy would have loved the place.

The best thing about it was it totally got out tons of energy the kids had bottled up and it made them a tad bit tired, but oh so happy! Just look at these smiles!

Oh, and Andy's team won the race...and that made him tad bit tired, but oh so happy too!

Great big puddle = Big time fun!

It rained really hard last night and when it finally let up....Andy and Maggie found a huge puddle up the street. The kids (all three of them) had a blast and they all got soaked.

Doesn't it look like fun!

What I miss!

Andy's away this week on business. Business that has to be done in England. So while the week will be busy and I'm sure the time will go by fast, I'm reminded again of all the little things that I miss while he is gone.

* he's not here to place all his stuff on the kitchen counter, (keys, phone, wallet, etc) instead of on the little desk area where it should be (did I say I was going to miss that, okay...really, not going to miss that at all!)

* he's not here to keep his side of the bed warm. My side is always nice and toasty due to my fabulous heated mattress pad...but if I roll over when he's not here...brrrr!

* he's not here to press the garage door opener when he's coming home from work. That is such a wonderful sound at the end of the day, knowing that daddy is home to take over.

* he's not here in the evening, doing work on the computer till all hours of the night. Even though I get frustrated a lot with this, at least he's home and I know he's here. It makes a big difference.

And the one I miss the most...

* he's not here to give me my morning hug goodbye. The hug where his cologne lingers with me for hours. That is what I miss the most while he's away.

Have a great week Hun...we'll see ya on Friday!

The big debate!

This past Saturday morning, we got our "team" together for a little cleaning of this house of ours. The sun was shining, the music was loud and together we knocked it out in a short period of time.

However, the discussion started between "Mr. Clean" and myself. I have always done the dusting first....then the vacuuming. That's just how I was taught to clean. I always thought that if you did the dusting after the vacuuming....you'd just be wiping all that dust on to your clean carpet/floors? Right?!?

"Mr.Clean" thinks it's okay to vacuum first, because your dust cloth is picking up the dust and not "dropping" it on the floor!

Anyway...I'd love to know what you do first....the dusting or the vacuuming? Not that I'm going to change my ways or anything (unless someone has a really good reason for me to!)

It's kinda like how the toilet paper goes up and over, NOT down and under!


** Oh, and just for the record....I'm totally grateful for a hubby who is willing to help clean....so please don't think I'm complaining! **

My new communication tool! Try it...it works!

I originally saw an ad for this store on another blog. Then I'd find it again on another blog, and then see it again. It was almost like this site was haunting me. There have been many giveaways on different blogs for something special from this store and of course, I never won. But I always, (I'm talkin every single time) kept coming back to the same necklace. This one! Isn't it just beautiful!

So I left a GREAT BIG HINT in my hubby's email in-box. It said something like this:

"If you still need an anniversary gift idea, this is it! And I would want to be exactly like this...."


I'm just hear to say, the hubby's email in-box is a great communication tool. I think I'm going to be using it a lot more often!

Great Gift!

My husband is wonderful. He is a great guy who is always willing to help others. He is compassionate and sensitive to other people's feelings and he is a super great daddy.

He is NOT the best gift giver.

Now don't get me wrong, I have received some really awesome gifts from him. And he has surprised me on several occasions, but I think he has a hard time coming up with cool ideas on his own.

And that's okay...I still love him!

All that said, I have been dying to tell you all about one very special gift I received this year.

A book of my blog!

A 220 page, hardback book of ALL of my blog posts in 2008! (That's when I started the blog!)

I had been working on blurb.com for quite a while and getting very frustrated. I was trying to make it perfect and get it exactly the way I wanted it. It stressed me out so much that I stopped.

So after getting the idea from a friend, he worked on "my book" every night after I went to bed. Of course, he got a little perturbed at me since I changed my header and background the night before he sent it off to be printed. Oh well.

I have looked through this wonderful book so many times, reminiscing over old posts and reading comments from all of you. It's wonderful! Now I have an instant scrapbook of all the fun little things that have happened in our lives that year...which is just the reason why I started this blog in the first place.

I can't wait for the 2009 version!

♥ Thanks honey, this was a wonderful gift and I LOVE it!