Car Color

As some of you may know, my Dad stood up at my wedding and told all the guests that it took me longer to decide what color to paint my Suzuki then it did to decide to marry Ben. Well I'm at it again. I need to choose a color for the VW. So here are some color options. Please use the survey to left to make your choice. It is an anonymous survey and you don't need to sign in, so please vote.

Backseat Driver

So today the girls and I were driving to a play date at a jump castle place and Nora yells from the backseat "Stop Mommy!" and then later says "Go Mommy." She is telling me when to stop and go at the traffic lights. It is so cute, but I hope I get used to it soon because the first time it is a little bit startling!

We went to Celebration Town in Summerville today to play on all the jump castles. I didn't know such a thing existed, but for a mere $5.25 per child you can let them go run, jump and slide on 8-10 different jump castles. The girls loved it! And it was cold and rainy outside so it was the perfect day for it. Afterwards we went to lunch and the girls were great all day. I really love days like this!

Ready for the rain

I think this sums it all up

I was surprised Morgan could make it up the stairs on these things, but she wasn't
scared at all. When she face planted she just bounced right back up.

American Idol

Okay, so I'm a junkie for this show. Which is odd because I have the musical ability of a flea. Wait a flea might actually have more musical talent then me. When I was little, my sister Amy, told me that I couldn't carry a tune if it chased me down the street and jumped on my back. Needless to say I have never once thought about auditioning for this show. I also enjoy watching this show with Ben because if I'm not sure if they are good or not I can always tell by the look on his face. And if he catches me glancing he will give me a nod. I hope the girls get his musical ability, he really is talented.

Anyway the point of this post is to point out the new feature on my blog (look left). I will post my favorites and you can feel free to leave comments on any post letting me know if you agree or not. Let's enjoy season 7 and be happy that they are all better than Sanjaya!!!

Storm

One thing I remember about living in the South was how much it rains. However, we are in the middle of a drought so the storms haven't been quite as crazy since we have been back. But last night we got between 3-4 inches of rain. The thunder was so loud it woke me from a dead sleep. I was certain the metal art piece above our bed was going to rattle off the nail it hangs on. The storm woke Nora too and she was so sweet when she crawled into bed with us. The rain continuted to pound for hours.

Spring is arriving in the South. The azaleas are starting to bloom in the yard and the grass is getting green in places. We even saw a little lizard on the patio yesterday (I prefer them outdoors). We are trying to spend lots of time outside now before it gets too hot.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope everyone is having a great day! Here are a few pictures of our little valentines.

Normally I wouldn't buy my daughter a balloon that says "want you" on it, but I was in a hurry at the store and didn't notice until I got home. Ben thinks it is fitting since she gets her hair cut at a sex shop.

Nora and I made some sugar cookies today. She was very good with the cookie cutter and loves eating sprinkles!

I have known for a while that Nora got the type A gene, but I thought Morgan would sneak by until I saw this. At one point she had all four bridge pieces lined up right together like that.

Marching Band

We had our friends Delaney, Anna and Bethany over for tacos last night and it broke out into a marching band. Gotta love the costumes! Hope you like the video, make sure you have your sound on.

Bethany the queen

Princess Anna

Nora the dragon drummer

Morgan the hedgehog, fairy, with monkey legs

Tagged: You'll Wonder How You've Gone Your Whole Life Not Knowing This

Miranda has tagged me...again. So I have something new to write about:

10 years ago: I was a boy crazy girl hanging out in bars, playing lots of tennis and softball, finishing college at night, dragging my friends on last minute trips to Vegas, and I had just bought my first home.

5 things on my to-do list today: Taxes, write some thank you notes, do some banking, paint (I have had the paint since early December and the wall is primed and ready to go, it's only one wall you would think I could just knock it out), and sell some Coke stuff on ebay.

Things I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire: Hire someone to paint my wall while I am on a Disney cruise with Ben and the girls. Start a car collection, well continue the car collection. Play lots of tennis. And of course give loads of cash to charity.

3 of my bad habits: Junk food, running late, and I occasionally say bad words.

5 places I have lived: Michigan - Holt, Colorado - Aurora and Denver, South Carolina - Charleston and Goose Creek, and Utah - SLC.

Jobs I have had: Hat shaper at Shepler's Western Wear, lots of customer service gigs (my favorite was American Century - Thanks Karla!), and fundraising.

Things people don't know about me: I must be an open book because I am struggling with this one. hmmmm, oh I would love to be in movies. I even recently auditioned for a commercial, but didn't get it. I put in to be an extra for the Army Wives show so hopefully the writers strike is over and they will need me some before we move.

Now, I tag Layne (because otherwise he never posts anything new), Marly (because she is new to blogging), Todd (because he needs material), and Elizabeth (because she has tons of free time now that she is staying home with her sweet baby, ha ha). Have fun!

A few good things

Here are a few miscellaneous things that I meant to post this week, but I'm not sure where the week went.

Orders - Ben received official orders to stay in Charleston for Prototype, so we will be in the South through the fall and will likely move just before Christmas.

Weather - I know I complain about living in the South all summer because it is so hot, but I sure love it now. It has been sunny and 65-70. So if you need a break from the snow where you live please come visit. The girls and I have been trying to get outside a lot to make up for the summer when we are stuck indoors.

Nora - How do you know when you are too tired? That's right, when even candy can't keep you awake.

Work - I was writing up a Mary Kay order yesterday and Miss Nora was sitting on my lap. I started typing and she started writing. I started to get annoyed that she had scribbled on my "work stuff" then I looked at what she wrote and I was so excited! Can you make out what it says? She might have my handwriting skills :o)

Florida Road Trip

Mom, the girls and I started our road trip to Florida on Friday the 25th. We drove 11 hours straight through to Ft. Lauderdale. The girls were great in the car thanks to the new DVD player (that broke before we got home). I booked a room at the Homestead Suites because it was the only place I could find for less than $170 a night. I will definitely pay attention to the reviews next time. One of them said the water was brown, I didn't think this would be a big deal. We have hard water right? Well if you can't see the bottom when there is only two inches in the tub that might be a problem. Unfortunately, I had to bathe the girls because their feet were so gross from walking on the floor in our room. At least the sheets were clean. Oh and there was a little lake out back where the girls fed the ducks. They really enjoyed it and were so funny running when the ducks started coming close for the crackers.

Dirty Bath Water

The girls running from the ducks

The purpose for our trip south was to see my Grandma Fran. Her 85th birthday was on the 26th. She is pretty ill so this might be the last time we get to spend time with her. It was so great to share this special day with her and for her to meet the girls. My Dad and Mary also happened to be in town, so we got to spend some time with them too. We celebrated Grandma's birthday at her house with pizza and funny stories. The girls loved playing at her house. She had this basket and 11 strands of beads that the girls played with the rest of the trip. Who knew they could be so easily entertained? Nora also loves the angel necklace Grandma Fran gave her.

Aunt Betty, Grandma Fran, & Aunt Nancy

....................................................................Nora's bead photo

From Ft. Lauderdale we headed across Alligator Alley to stay with Mr. and Mrs. Groenleer. It was very nice to have some place relaxing to stay with the girls. They had a pool, piano, Sparty, and the newly aquired basket of beads, what more could we ask for?? And it was way cleaner than our hotel! It was warm enough that we could swim in the pool and Nora loved this! We also met up with Bob, Emily, and Tommy Fonock for dinner. The next morning Nora helped her "friend" Bob make corn muffins for breakfast and they hung out with Sparty. They need to learn the correct team to root for, can't have them growing up blue bloods like their father.

Bob, Morgan, Sparty, Wilma, & Nora

Nora & Sparty

That afternoon we headed north to have dinner with some of the "Ohio Cousins" and got to swim in the pool again. Martha Belle, Harold, and Tom filled us in on what was going on with all the family and made us a yummy home cooked meal. I think this was the only time I didn't eat french fries all week. .......................................................Nora in the pool at Martha Belle's

After dinner we headed north again and spent the night with Al and Norrean. Nora walked right in and gave them both big hugs. We ate a yummy breakfast and loaded into the car yet again. We had to stop at Bob Evan's for lunch so Mom could get coleslaw, rolls, and bean soup. For dessert we enjoyed some circus peanuts. I think I must be getting older because these weren't quite the delicacy I remember from my childhood.

After lunch we stopped in to see Aunt Betty and Uncle Jim for the afternoon. I was nervous about stopping because my Aunt had a hip replacement eight days before our visit, but she looked fantastic. She was up on her walker and came out to watch all the kids play. Nora and Morgan loved climbing all over the playground and playing with Ethan and Hannah. In fact, Nora may have had her first date. I thought I would die when I saw her climb in a convertible with a boy and drive away. Then when she was driving by herself she nearly took Aunt Betty down. Yikes! When the kids started to wear out we walked across the street to Five Guys Burgers. If you live near one of these I suggest you visit immediately! Their fries are fresh cut and so yummy!!

Aunt Betty, Mom, & Uncle Jim

Ethan, Nora, & Hannah
(She looks very protective of her brother :o)

Me enjoying fries from my new favorite burger place

And after dinner...you guessed it we got back in the car! We headed to Orlando so we could be minutes from Sea World so we could get started playing as soon as they opened...well close to when they opened. Anheuser-Busch has a fantastic program for military families called "Here's to the Heroes". They let you into one of their theme parks free one time each year. This was great because we could enjoy the morning and when the girls tuckered out about 2:30 we could leave and not feel bad about missing part of the day. Nora is a huge fan of sharks and other fish so I thought this would be a fun way to end our road trip. Sea World did not disappoint! There was a show we watched in the morning that had dolphins working together to twist a performer around under water. I realize this description leaves a little to be desired, but just believe me when I say it was really cool! Then Morgan fell asleep in the stroller, so she hung out in the shade with Grandma while Nora and I saw the sharks (not as cool as Ripley's) and went on the kiddie rides. Nora went on her first roller coaster ride. She was so excited to go, but she had quite a look on her face when we got off. While we were on the rides Mom was in line for the Shamu show, but had to wait for us to get seats. Then while she was in line for hot dogs, I went with Nora to find Cheetos and they almost didn't let us back in. That would have been a bummer! Luckily we got back in and found seats just out of the soak zone. Then the whales decided they weren't really interested in performing at just that moment so the trainer filled us in on some other information about the park. They did eventually finish the show and it was spectacular. On the way out we picked up some stuffed animals which were a big hit when Nora woke up from her nap.

All in all it was a fabulous day that ended a nice trip of catching up with family and friends. Thank you everyone for your wonderful hospitality!

P.S. In all we drove nearly 1,500 miles on our 6 day road trip. Nearly 100 miles could be in U turns alone. Our trusty GPS did a good job of getting us from point A to almost B. Then when we were on our way home and just switched drivers this piece of caution tape hitched a ride. I can't believe Mom could drive over an hour with this thing flapping in her face. No wonder she didn't get tired. ha ha...