We had a wonderful, relaxing time in Oklahoma. It was nice to see my family. The girls have been asking me for a few months if I missed MY mommy, so it was nice to get to see my momma and daddy :) I got to spend some time with my granny, the girls' great-grandmother. We should all look so good and be so spunky when we get to be her age. I got to see my brothers, Phil and Chris and sister, Kristy. We both were chasing rugrats, so we didn't get to talk as much as I would have liked, but it was nice to see and talk to her. We got to see our Auntie Carol, who showed the girls how to do origami.
I really enjoyed playing with my nieces and nephews. We have 4 nephews, Dylan, Simon, Lucas, and Seth. Of course, they are the most handsome boys on the face of the planet, but I'm really proud of what sweet and kind boys they are. My nieces, Marah and Livvy are just beautiful - inside and out. They and the girls got along so well. The first day we were with them, the 5 girls had a clothes swap. Marah and Livvy wore the girls clothes, and my girls wore Marah and Livvy's clothes. We were able to get out of a slumber party, but I bet next year will be different.
On Monday, we took the five girls and ran to the city for a girls' day. We went to Target - oh so fun!! Then we went to Chik-Fil-A for lunch. Mom and I used to celebrate my birthdays this way - the mall and shopping and Chik-Fil-A for lunch :) We dressed the 5 girls alike. We got so many comments on how beautiful they all were, and questions about how old they all were and were they sisters??? You see, Marah is 6, Gracie, Sophie, Izzy are 5, and Livvy is 4. Marah and Sophie look like twins, and Gracie and Livvy are blonde - it was hilarious watching people watching them. Sam took Dylan to a Redhawks game, much to Dylan's relief. I don't think he was excited about spending the day with 7 women :)
Pa Pa George took the grandkids for "Zuki" rides. I think the best part is all the scary stories he tells them. He takes them through "Booger Woods," and they have to keep an eye out for "Scruffy Bears!" He also hooked up two trailers to the lawn tractor, and all the kids took turns riding and driving.
Granny Linda is Super-Granny! She had a birthday cake for the March and April birthdays. There was never a hungry tummy, nor a bored grandchild. She always has something special planned.
The farm is just the most wonderful place to me. I got to see the girls enjoying so many things that I remember doing as a kid. Uncle Phil and Uncle Chris took them to the pond, and they were all up to their knees catching tadpoles, fry, and frogs. They found the most spectacular mudpuddle, and did what every kid loves to do - get horribly, terribly, mucky, muddy and filthy! They dug worms and grubs, found cool bugs, held chickens, played with kitties, and chased bunnies. Uncle Chris found a tortoise. We let them play with (torture) the poor thing for a few hours. They admired the large goldfish and bullfrog in Pa Pa and Granny's fishpond. How no one ended up IN the fishpond is beyond me. They got to go fishing with their daddy and caught some perch (and saw a few snakes). Daddy also put up the tent, and we camped in it one night. I went into the nice, warm bed around 5:00 in the morning, and being the good mother I am, left the girls and Sam, so I could have it ALL TO MYSELF. It is nice to hear the crickets and coyotes and other sounds of the country. The tent also got attacked by Pa Pa and Granny's kitties in the middle of the night, but excitement is excitement. Every day on the farm is a wonderful adventure. I even got to see a wonderful, Oklahoma thunderstorm.
We are blessed to have the wonderful family we have! Our girls have 5 wonderful, doting grandparents!
I'll post pictures and video later.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Prayer Request
Please pray for our friend, Chrissy and her son Ryan. He is 5 and is in the hospital - just diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.
Chrissy, know that Ryan, you, and your family are in our prayers!
Love and Hugs!
~Michelle
Chrissy, know that Ryan, you, and your family are in our prayers!
Love and Hugs!
~Michelle
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
What's next?!?
Earlier in the week, I heard Gracie use the word, "Da@#!" Yesterday, Izzy said, "Da@#, this is good juice!" We had a long talk about curse words. They didn't know they were bad words, but NOW they do. We discussed words that we could use instead of those words, and how pretty girls don't use ugly words blah, blah, blah. Today, Little Miss Sunshine (Izzy) is sitting in the pool, and I hear, "Da@#, it's hot without sunscreen!" What?!?!?! She got a spanking (not near the one she would have gotten if we were inside) and a long timeout. I told her I would wash her mouth out with soap, if I ever hear it again. Of course, now I'm stressing over the chemicals in soap, so if someone in the States could send a bar of Ivory soap, I would appreciate it.
Now for a really weird moment...Gracie was standing at the table looking angelic. I had praised her on what a really good girl she has been lately. She has been so helpful and sweet. I grab her and catch a quick snuggle. I'm looking at her precious cow-lick, and ask her if she wants me to cut her bangs, or leave them long? We've been letting her hair grow out, because she will finally let me "foof" it. I'm looking at her hair and notice IT"S BEEN CUT! The bangs have been cut -not all, just some, and she has cut the sides also. She looks at me and bursts into tears. I know it has just happened because I gave her a bath in the last hour. Of course, she is mortified, so I can't get angry like I'd really like to, but......grrrr......this isn't the first time!!!! So, tomorrow, I will be cutting Gracie's hair.
This is why I drink.
Now for a really weird moment...Gracie was standing at the table looking angelic. I had praised her on what a really good girl she has been lately. She has been so helpful and sweet. I grab her and catch a quick snuggle. I'm looking at her precious cow-lick, and ask her if she wants me to cut her bangs, or leave them long? We've been letting her hair grow out, because she will finally let me "foof" it. I'm looking at her hair and notice IT"S BEEN CUT! The bangs have been cut -not all, just some, and she has cut the sides also. She looks at me and bursts into tears. I know it has just happened because I gave her a bath in the last hour. Of course, she is mortified, so I can't get angry like I'd really like to, but......grrrr......this isn't the first time!!!! So, tomorrow, I will be cutting Gracie's hair.
This is why I drink.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Vacation - Turks and Caicos
Here's a link to our Turks/Caicos pictures: http://imageevent.com/tri_pod/vacation2008/turksandcaicos2008
After visiting Fort Worth, we went to the Turks and Caicos for a week. The island, Provenciales, is beautiful! The water was the most beautiful turquoise color, and was as clear as the swimming pool. We stayed at Beaches, which is an all-inclusive resort, so we ate and drank whenever we wanted.
We chose Beaches because they had lots of things for the girls to do. Several days, they went to Camp Sesame. They got to swim, dance with Zoe, Elmocize with Elmo, bake with Cookie Monster, and lots of other fun activities. The characters would drop in to play during the activities. The girls really enjoyed going, which left Sam and I to entertain ourselves during the day. Sam went scuba diving, and I hung out on the beach reading entertainment mags. It was really hard for me to relax, so I would go watch the girls swim. It will be interesting when they go to school - I think I'm going to be very lost for a few weeks :(
On his first dive, Sam saw a black-tip reef shark. He really enjoyed the diving. One day, he and I walked down the beach to go snorkeling together. It was a gorgeous area, and we saw lots of tropical fish, and several Barracuda! We would be swimming along, look up, and they would just be sitting still in the water staring at us - very creepy. Sam took me out further, and we saw two sea turtles eating grass on the floor. I found several pretty shells, a baby conch, and a sand dollar. On one of our last days, I went snorkeling at the beach in front of the resort. I was out for over an hour, and this adorable little fish stayed with me the whole time. I tried to shoo him away, but he insisted on staying write under my chin. Again this made me nervous with the barracuda, but he and I had a great time. When I saw something interesting, I used my fins to get there quicker. The little fish would be swimming with all his might to stay just a little out in front of me. When I got out of the water, he came to the very edge of the shore with me. He was a very charming little fish, but I'm sure I was being USED as cover. During that expedition, a man came in and asked if I'd like to see a ray. I followed him out, and he showed me a beautiful ray on the floor. It had this large fish following it to get scraps.
In the evening, we would hang out as a family. Sam found a guitar player, and the girls went several nights and danced on his stage. Several other children would dance also. The guy was so nice, and would even have everyone applaud the kids, but you could see the look of relief when the kids all left :)
At breakfast and dinner, there were two cats who would hang around the tables. Of course, the girls and I would feed them. They really enjoyed seafood night! They would even let the girls pet them.
The day before we left, we took a day cruise. They took us to Little Water Cay, which is an island inhabited only with Rock iguanas. They are only found in the Turks and Caicos. We saw several iguanas and several rays swimming in the water around the little island.
Next they took us to a beautiful snorkeling spot. One of the ladies on board said she saw a shark when she first got in. A school of trigger fish and some parrot fist hung around the boat. The captain gave the girls some Doritos to feed them - now I know why they come "running" when the boat shows up.
Our last stop was an island known for it's sand dollars. I found several that were still alive, and one that I could keep (dead one), but I broke it on the way in to shore. I found a starfish and brought it in to show the girls. Sam found a nice sand dollar on the shore. As we were walking back to our boat, another boat had come in. The crew had let off its passengers and were cleaning some conch shells. Next thing we know, there is a beautiful yellow shark coming up to the shore to get the conch meat. We had to tell Gracie to get out of the water. She saw something she wanted and could have cared less about the shark in the water. I'm guessing it was a lemon shark because it was a beautiful yellow color.
It was a wonderful vacation and anniversary present.
After visiting Fort Worth, we went to the Turks and Caicos for a week. The island, Provenciales, is beautiful! The water was the most beautiful turquoise color, and was as clear as the swimming pool. We stayed at Beaches, which is an all-inclusive resort, so we ate and drank whenever we wanted.
We chose Beaches because they had lots of things for the girls to do. Several days, they went to Camp Sesame. They got to swim, dance with Zoe, Elmocize with Elmo, bake with Cookie Monster, and lots of other fun activities. The characters would drop in to play during the activities. The girls really enjoyed going, which left Sam and I to entertain ourselves during the day. Sam went scuba diving, and I hung out on the beach reading entertainment mags. It was really hard for me to relax, so I would go watch the girls swim. It will be interesting when they go to school - I think I'm going to be very lost for a few weeks :(
On his first dive, Sam saw a black-tip reef shark. He really enjoyed the diving. One day, he and I walked down the beach to go snorkeling together. It was a gorgeous area, and we saw lots of tropical fish, and several Barracuda! We would be swimming along, look up, and they would just be sitting still in the water staring at us - very creepy. Sam took me out further, and we saw two sea turtles eating grass on the floor. I found several pretty shells, a baby conch, and a sand dollar. On one of our last days, I went snorkeling at the beach in front of the resort. I was out for over an hour, and this adorable little fish stayed with me the whole time. I tried to shoo him away, but he insisted on staying write under my chin. Again this made me nervous with the barracuda, but he and I had a great time. When I saw something interesting, I used my fins to get there quicker. The little fish would be swimming with all his might to stay just a little out in front of me. When I got out of the water, he came to the very edge of the shore with me. He was a very charming little fish, but I'm sure I was being USED as cover. During that expedition, a man came in and asked if I'd like to see a ray. I followed him out, and he showed me a beautiful ray on the floor. It had this large fish following it to get scraps.
In the evening, we would hang out as a family. Sam found a guitar player, and the girls went several nights and danced on his stage. Several other children would dance also. The guy was so nice, and would even have everyone applaud the kids, but you could see the look of relief when the kids all left :)
At breakfast and dinner, there were two cats who would hang around the tables. Of course, the girls and I would feed them. They really enjoyed seafood night! They would even let the girls pet them.
The day before we left, we took a day cruise. They took us to Little Water Cay, which is an island inhabited only with Rock iguanas. They are only found in the Turks and Caicos. We saw several iguanas and several rays swimming in the water around the little island.
Next they took us to a beautiful snorkeling spot. One of the ladies on board said she saw a shark when she first got in. A school of trigger fish and some parrot fist hung around the boat. The captain gave the girls some Doritos to feed them - now I know why they come "running" when the boat shows up.
Our last stop was an island known for it's sand dollars. I found several that were still alive, and one that I could keep (dead one), but I broke it on the way in to shore. I found a starfish and brought it in to show the girls. Sam found a nice sand dollar on the shore. As we were walking back to our boat, another boat had come in. The crew had let off its passengers and were cleaning some conch shells. Next thing we know, there is a beautiful yellow shark coming up to the shore to get the conch meat. We had to tell Gracie to get out of the water. She saw something she wanted and could have cared less about the shark in the water. I'm guessing it was a lemon shark because it was a beautiful yellow color.
It was a wonderful vacation and anniversary present.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Vacation - Fort Worth
Here's a link to pictures of our trip to Fort Worth.
http://imageevent.com/tri_pod/vacation2008/fortworth;jsessionid=fgg9pzi1j2.tiger_s
It was wonderful to be home again! We got to spend some time with Granny and Pa Pa Glenn. It was wonderful to get to visit and hug them. Bandit is getting to be quite old, but still very spoiled. Mom hosted a little get-together and made yummy tacos. We got to see Bobby, Debbie, Justin and Megan, and we enjoyed the chance to visit face-to-face, instead of by email. They were so kind and took us to eat at Chili's -YUM! We missed seeing Scott, Jan, Ashley, Josh, and Malorrie!! Renee hosted a get-together with some of my friends, Cindy, Lorrie, and Courtney. I also got to see my former student, Jade, who is in junior high now! She is a beautiful young lady, and as sweet as I remember! It was great to spend some extra time with Cindy, who was so patient with all my ditzy behavior - she's a true friend :) I'm really hoping that Cindy and Courtney will plan a trip to Japan soon (wink, wink) :)
Sam was so sweet and had a limo pick up the girls and me at the airport. The flight was nice - much shorter than going to Japan, and the girls slept quite a bit. Of course, that means they were wound up when we got to Fort Worth. We also got to ride the Shinkansen, which is the Japanese bullet train, to Tokyo. It was incredible! It's very sleek and quiet.
I'm such a dork, but seeing the American and Texas flags was really nice. The girls were so excited about hearing people speak English. Sam said a lady bumped into him and said, "Excuse me," and he didn't know what to say :) When we were at the Chinese restaurant, Sophie told the waitress, "Domo arrigato." She just laughed and told us how to say thanks in Chinese.
I realized when we got to Fort Worth, that I forgot my credit cards. We never use them in Japan - most everyone uses/accepts cash, so credit cards and checks aren't used much. I did run to Walmart the first night :) Driving there was interesting. I hit a couple of curbs, had to really pay attention to what side of the road I was on, and turned the windshield wipers on several times, instead of the turn signal. I would also think I was going really fast, until I checked the speedometer - you Texans are speed demons!
Back to Walmart - it was so nice having a big cart. In Japan, the carts are all very small, because most people don't have large fridges, so they can't buy large amounts of food. I bought some Carlo Rossi Sangria, and I was amazed how cheap everything was! It was actually very overwhelming. I miss the wines I can get in Texas :) On the way back to the hotel, I stopped at Don Pablo's for some chips and salsa.
The hotel room had a garbage disposal. We don't have them in Japan. And it was nice not having to sort trash :)
We took the girls to Build-A-Bear and the Fort Worth Zoo. The rest of our time was spent at the doctors and dentists.
After the Turks and Oklahoma trips, we returned to Fort Worth for a few days to rest before flying home. We stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge, and our friends, drove up from Cost to play with us. They have triplet girls that are 10 days younger than our girls, and we can't forget Kathryne, the big sister :) We had a great time playing with them. They are so incredibly sweet. It's as if we've known them our whole life. The girls actually referred to them as sisters :)
We had a wonderful time, but it just wasn't long enough!
http://imageevent.com/tri_pod/vacation2008/fortworth;jsessionid=fgg9pzi1j2.tiger_s
It was wonderful to be home again! We got to spend some time with Granny and Pa Pa Glenn. It was wonderful to get to visit and hug them. Bandit is getting to be quite old, but still very spoiled. Mom hosted a little get-together and made yummy tacos. We got to see Bobby, Debbie, Justin and Megan, and we enjoyed the chance to visit face-to-face, instead of by email. They were so kind and took us to eat at Chili's -YUM! We missed seeing Scott, Jan, Ashley, Josh, and Malorrie!! Renee hosted a get-together with some of my friends, Cindy, Lorrie, and Courtney. I also got to see my former student, Jade, who is in junior high now! She is a beautiful young lady, and as sweet as I remember! It was great to spend some extra time with Cindy, who was so patient with all my ditzy behavior - she's a true friend :) I'm really hoping that Cindy and Courtney will plan a trip to Japan soon (wink, wink) :)
Sam was so sweet and had a limo pick up the girls and me at the airport. The flight was nice - much shorter than going to Japan, and the girls slept quite a bit. Of course, that means they were wound up when we got to Fort Worth. We also got to ride the Shinkansen, which is the Japanese bullet train, to Tokyo. It was incredible! It's very sleek and quiet.
I'm such a dork, but seeing the American and Texas flags was really nice. The girls were so excited about hearing people speak English. Sam said a lady bumped into him and said, "Excuse me," and he didn't know what to say :) When we were at the Chinese restaurant, Sophie told the waitress, "Domo arrigato." She just laughed and told us how to say thanks in Chinese.
I realized when we got to Fort Worth, that I forgot my credit cards. We never use them in Japan - most everyone uses/accepts cash, so credit cards and checks aren't used much. I did run to Walmart the first night :) Driving there was interesting. I hit a couple of curbs, had to really pay attention to what side of the road I was on, and turned the windshield wipers on several times, instead of the turn signal. I would also think I was going really fast, until I checked the speedometer - you Texans are speed demons!
Back to Walmart - it was so nice having a big cart. In Japan, the carts are all very small, because most people don't have large fridges, so they can't buy large amounts of food. I bought some Carlo Rossi Sangria, and I was amazed how cheap everything was! It was actually very overwhelming. I miss the wines I can get in Texas :) On the way back to the hotel, I stopped at Don Pablo's for some chips and salsa.
The hotel room had a garbage disposal. We don't have them in Japan. And it was nice not having to sort trash :)
We took the girls to Build-A-Bear and the Fort Worth Zoo. The rest of our time was spent at the doctors and dentists.
After the Turks and Oklahoma trips, we returned to Fort Worth for a few days to rest before flying home. We stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge, and our friends, drove up from Cost to play with us. They have triplet girls that are 10 days younger than our girls, and we can't forget Kathryne, the big sister :) We had a great time playing with them. They are so incredibly sweet. It's as if we've known them our whole life. The girls actually referred to them as sisters :)
We had a wonderful time, but it just wasn't long enough!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Jet lag, tonsillitis, and an eye infection
WOW! We had an amazing vacation and home visit!
We got in Monday night at about 9:30 p.m. We all slept really well and woke the next morning feeling refreshed. Sam and I were bragging (yes, we know better) that the jet lag coming, vs. going was soooo much better....then came 2:00 p.m.
On Tuesday, hours before the big "Glenn Crash - 2008," I took Gracie and Izzy to see Dr. Saskake. Gracie has some crazy eyelid infection, and I was worried Izzy had an ear infection. Sophie and I were so happy that she was HEALTHY! Well, as we are walking to the pharmacy around the corner from Dr. Sasake's, Sophie starts whining that her head hurts. She didn't eat breakfast, so I chalk it up to her low blood sugar. By the time we make it home, it's obvious she's sick - temperature and headache. By 4:30, we were all sound asleep around the house, except for Sam, who had gone to work.
While I enjoyed the extended sleep time for us all, 2:00 a.m. was NOT FUN. Sophie woke up first. Bless her heart, she was in a lot of pain. Her throat was hurting her really bad. She is not coughing a lot, but had an asthma attack. I gave her a treatment, and it took care of the coughing. But, my little nappers woke up and none of them ever made it back to bed. Sam was awesome and got up with them around 5:00, and I caught a couple of hours of sleep.
So, today I took Sophie back to Dr. Sasake. He diagnosed her with tonsillitis. The rapid strep test came back negative, but the girl's got some "pretty" white blisters on her throat. She has slept a large part of the day again. They all crashed in bed with me around 5:00. Sam called around 5:30 begging to be let in - he had rung the doorbell "several" times :(
Please, please, please pray that the other two don't get what Sophie has.
The good news, Gracie's eye started draining today, so hopefully we won't have to see an opthamologist.
I'll write and post vacation pics soon - it was so nice getting to see family and friends!!!
Love,
~Michelle
We got in Monday night at about 9:30 p.m. We all slept really well and woke the next morning feeling refreshed. Sam and I were bragging (yes, we know better) that the jet lag coming, vs. going was soooo much better....then came 2:00 p.m.
On Tuesday, hours before the big "Glenn Crash - 2008," I took Gracie and Izzy to see Dr. Saskake. Gracie has some crazy eyelid infection, and I was worried Izzy had an ear infection. Sophie and I were so happy that she was HEALTHY! Well, as we are walking to the pharmacy around the corner from Dr. Sasake's, Sophie starts whining that her head hurts. She didn't eat breakfast, so I chalk it up to her low blood sugar. By the time we make it home, it's obvious she's sick - temperature and headache. By 4:30, we were all sound asleep around the house, except for Sam, who had gone to work.
While I enjoyed the extended sleep time for us all, 2:00 a.m. was NOT FUN. Sophie woke up first. Bless her heart, she was in a lot of pain. Her throat was hurting her really bad. She is not coughing a lot, but had an asthma attack. I gave her a treatment, and it took care of the coughing. But, my little nappers woke up and none of them ever made it back to bed. Sam was awesome and got up with them around 5:00, and I caught a couple of hours of sleep.
So, today I took Sophie back to Dr. Sasake. He diagnosed her with tonsillitis. The rapid strep test came back negative, but the girl's got some "pretty" white blisters on her throat. She has slept a large part of the day again. They all crashed in bed with me around 5:00. Sam called around 5:30 begging to be let in - he had rung the doorbell "several" times :(
Please, please, please pray that the other two don't get what Sophie has.
The good news, Gracie's eye started draining today, so hopefully we won't have to see an opthamologist.
I'll write and post vacation pics soon - it was so nice getting to see family and friends!!!
Love,
~Michelle
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