Here's a little bit about our little trip:

• Day 1: Drive to Mobile all the while greatly angering this man.
• Day 2: Drive to Orlando, sleep.
• Day 3: Check out what Disney World and Epcot have to offer.
• Day 4: Have our lovely Christmas morning. Hang out in the hotel & swim in its pool. DW gets so busy that they STOP letting people in!
• Day 5: Check out what Sea World has to offer. That night, we drive to Melbourne.
• Day 6: Take Travis' boat to the Spoil Islands and explore.
• Day 7: Chill on Sebastian Beach, check out Ron Jon's and Cocoa Beach.
• Day 8: Go to St. Augustine, FL; the oldest European city in America. That night, we drive to Pensacola.
• Day 9: See beautiful beaches of Pensacola and drive to "Nawlins, Luzianne" (New Orleans, Louisiana). Have ourselves some delicious gumbo and beignets. Drive to Houston to appease afore mentioned man.
• Day 10: Drive to home sweet home. Prepare for the new year by watching 1st season of Arrested Development with Ste. Turn in early.

You might get details and pictures later on, but for now I'm weary.

Happy New Year. It's been rather exciting year for us, full of change and blessings. We look forward for what 2008 has to offer.

Fond Christmas Memories

Though this is NOTHING like what my home looks like or looked like growing up (no foul on the mantle and our tree was fake and flocked - which I'm pretty sure has given us kids any and all of our health problems to date) yet we did get deer once in a while. I've been thinking of Christmases from when I grew up. Thought I'd share the things I've been missing....

• Mom baking (and me always being put out that she gave it all away!).
• Ryan playing Carol of the Bells (over and over again. It was his recital piece that one year he took piano lessons. He tortured that poor piano over and over again. I know in his mind he could hear that hard core version Transiberian Orchestra put out).
• Sledding at Birch Creek (and being envious of how much air Scott could get on the jumps all the while getting frost bite on my toes).
• Snow (only on some days - you know those days you'd give anything to wear moon boots again).
• Anticipation of SC (though the anticipation of my kids' reaction is pretty awesome).
• Endless boardgames (I still rock at Monopoly - but can't seem to manage real money or real estate).
  
• Remembering what Christmas is really about (and the retelling of the fill-the-manger-with-straws-that-represent-service-you've-done story. You know the one I'm talking about, right?).
• Family Parties (whether you like them or not).

It's funny, but none of these will be happening this year, and yet it still feels like Christmas.

Merry Christmas everyone! We're of to sunny Florida.


And as they say in the 5th grade, "See ya next year!"

Huh, this is my 200th post. I'm not sure what that means, but I thought it was worth a mention.

Rash Guard

Yesterday, during church, Olivia seemed fussier than normal. She's usually good, and if she isn't, she's fine as long as we're standing with her. It just wasn't happenin'.

Because I'm leading singing time for the younger ones, Steven is on Oli-duty. By the end of church, he was pretty exhausted. I picked up the other two monkeys and headed over to relieve Steven. As I approached a weary husband and a screaming child, he said, "I think she's allergic to her dress."

Sure enough. Once she was undressed, it looked like she was wearing a shirt of rash (right where a surfer's rash guard should be). Her diaper and tights protected lots of her body. Poor thing.

Really, did I need another reason to NOT buy polyester? Okay it wasn't all polyester, it was only lined in polyester. But, it was really cute. Oh well. I'll just have to force myself to buy her another one.

Darker Days

I went dark.

'Tis the season, right?

I like it.

For now.

Olivia approves of the changes.

Prima Donna

What I meant to say is, Prima Ballerina.

Not really.

You must know by now that Emmy has her moments of stubborn glory. I've mentioned it lots. But when she's going to her dance class she can do just about anything and I let her get away with it.

After every picture I take the kids scream, "I wanna see. Let me see!" I show them the back of the camera so they can see the digital screen. After this picture, Emmy furrowed her brow and said, "my hair looks like a boy's. Take a picture from the side."

So here it is.

Really? Do other 3-year-old's fret over looking like a boy in the most feminine of outfits? She's donning a tutu for crying out loud! I am officially creating a new job title that officially belongs to Emmy. Princess Diva, her ladyship. They've been used separately in the past, but since Emmy's arrival on earth it's time to put them together.

Time Waits for No Man

-A saying my dear grandmother is famous for spouting out if you're not working fast enough.

I know I'm done shopping and everything, so you'd think I'd have all this time on my hands to blog. I just can't figure out where it's all going. Actually I know exactly where it's going:

• This month I'm leading singing time in Primary.
• I teach preschool this week.
• Olivia.
  
• Saturday, alone, we had our family pictures taken, tithing settlement, a birthday party for one of Bradley's friends and a Christmas party with one of Steven and my friends.
• I'm trying to plan a trip to Florida for under a $1000. That's just not going to happen.
• Emmy.
• Baking for neighbors and friends - I don't bake.
  
• Got my hair cut.
• Only because I also spent time trying to cut it myself.
  
• Got my cavities filled.
• Then tried to get my teeth cleaned - TWICE - and still haven't!!! (It's a long, ugly story that leaves me having an Emmy mouth.)
• These dern Christmas cards, be patient, they're coming.
• The boys of the house (they're not as bad, so I'll group them together as one).
  
• Endless house chores that aren't getting addressed as readily as they should be.
  

I'll be back, though. Just not as often this month.

See you soon.

Shittake Mushrooms

No, I've never eaten them.

There's this stupid movie (wasn't that stupid until this happened) my kids watch called Spy Kids. It's a series of 3 and in the first two, one of the main characters jokingly says, "oh shittake mushrooms" during a moment of crisis. She pauses at just the right moment during that word....you get where I'm going with this.

My kids began saying this oh-darn-it phrase and we nipped it in the bud by asking them to say holy moley or holy cow or ANYTHING ELSE. Emmy is now catching herself in the middle of the statement before she fixes herself. And she stops right in the middle, well, you know exactly where she stops!

Well, last night, just like I knew she would, Emmy dropped a toy outside and said, "oh sh*#, I mean, holy moley." My neighbor - another mother looks at me like I'm the devil raising my replacement. I've been controlling my natural-born sailor's mouth for 5 years and Spy Kids is what is making me look bad. Urg.

Jealous?

Last night I finished. And all before December 1.

Done.

Completed.

Through.

Ready.

Prepared.

Oh ya, and broke.

Let the (stress free) Christmas season begin.
Now I just have to do those darn cards.
Send me your address if you've moved in the last year.
mickmonkeys@gmail.com