Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Full Circle

Sea World was the first park we had passes to the year after we moved here...and we've come full circle. Since that first year we've done Disney World, Universal, Wet N' Wild, and on Saturday we went back to Sea World! Here's a picture of the kids back in 2004 when we had passes. I can't believe how little they were!


And here are some pictures from Saturday. We were in the second row at the Shamu show, also known as the Soak Zone, and yes, we got soaked! But it was a hot day and it felt GOOD!



Brady and the girls rode Kraken a few times (the big roller coaster) but Tucker breathed a sigh of relief when he wasn't quite tall enough! I think he takes after his mom when it comes to roller coasters... :)

Sunday, May 11, 2008

The Change Commercial


This was one of my favorite "commercials" from Saturday Night Live and about the only thing I remember from my SNL days (thank goodness). The reason I think it is so funny is because I have become that commercial!

We have started an allowance for the kids. Here's the details:

Each child earns one dollar for every year that they have been on the earth. They get paid twice a month (on our pay days) and 10% goes to tithing, 10% to long-term savings. On every birthday they get a "raise" with another 10% going to savings, until their savings and tithing combined reaches 50% of their pay. Complicated? Not at all, when you compare it to what I do at the bank every two weeks!

Here's what I get from the teller:

23 Quarters

9 Dimes

2 Nickels

14 One dollar bills

They always look at me a little wierd but I just smile and say, "Five suckers with that please!" :)

So, you can see why I like this change commercial so much! If only my bank were called CitiWide.


Friday, May 9, 2008

In Honor of Mothers

Hope all you Mom's out there have a great Mother's Day! Here's a little post to honor all mothers.

Dad's Survivor Challenge
Here's how it works:

Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 3 kids each for six weeks. Each kid will play two sports and either take music or dance classes. There is no fast food. Each man must take care of his 3 kids; keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, and complete science projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of 'pretend' bills with not enough money.

In addition, each man will have to budget in money for groceries each week. Each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out on time. Each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut appointment. He must make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per child to the Urgent Care. He must also make cookies or cupcakes for a social function.

Each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned house, planting flowers outside and keeping it presentable at all times. The men will only have access to television when the kids are asleep and all chores are done. The men must shave their legs, wear makeup daily, adorn himself with jewelry, wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes, keep fingernails polished and eyebrows groomed. During one of the six weeks, the men will have to endure severe abdominal cramps, back aches, and have extreme, unexplained mood swings but never once complain or slow down from other duties.

They must attend weekly school meetings, church, and find time at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or a similar setting. They will need to read a book and then pray with the children each night and in the morning, feed them, dress them, brush their teeth and comb their hair by 7:00 am. A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be required to know all of the following information: each child's birthday, height, weight, shoe size, clothes size and doctor's name. Also the child's weight at birth, length, time of birth, and length of labor, each child's favorite color, middle name, favorite snack, favorite song, favorite drink, favorite toy, biggest fear and what they want to be when they grow up.

The kids vote the dad's off the island based on performance. The last man wins only if...he still has enough energy for some quiet time with his spouse at a moment's notice. If the last man does win, he can play the game over and over and over again for the next 18-25 years, eventually earning the right to be called Mother!

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Happy Birthday Jordan

Don't ask me how old I feel to have my baby turn five! Ouch. Where does the time go? Here are some of my favorite pictures of him, plus some old birthday photos. I think I have his first, second and fourth birthdays. No idea where the pictures of his 3rd are! He keeps us laughing. Here's something funny he said last week when I gave him a "buzz" haircut with the electric trimmers - "It feels like you are doing a taser all over my head!"
He wanted a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate ice cream. It's in his blood, handed down from Grandpa Larry, through his mom and now he's infected too. A true chocolate lover.
He's opened three presents already, all from mom and dad (yours are next Grandma and Grandpa's!). He got the DVD "Snowbuddies" (his FAVORITE movie), a Webkinz (an Alaskan Husky he's already named Shasta from the movie), a game (Cover your Tracks) and two swimming suits! Whew! Okay, if you're counting I guess that's technically more than three presents but a few were wrapped together! :)




Wicked


In an effort to spend less time blogging and more time doing things that are being neglected, all I can say is "Awesome!" Our Christmas gift in December was enjoyed yesterday and it was SO great. Loved, Loved, Loved it.