Random Snapple Facts

#170 - "In 1878, the first telephone book ever issued contained only 50 names."

Hmmm... I wonder how large of an area that covered...

#683 - "Snails have teeth."

Dang! Note to self... Don't fight with snails!

#752 - "A group of twelve or more cows is called a flink."

So if those twelve cows took a test and didn't pass, would you then say that the flink flunked?

#798 - "Tennessee was previously named Franklin after Benjamin Franklin."

Wonder who decided that Tennessee was a better option, and how Benjamin Franklin felt about that...

#820 - "Relative to size, the tongue is the strongest muscle in the human body."

Really??? What purpose does it serve on the inside of the mouth then? Why not attach it to the elbow or something so we could whack people with it?

The Birds (And Stuff)... The REST Of The Story

Coming to you straight from my mom....

Thursday, June 24

We checked the nest this morning before leaving for Vacation Bible School ... another baby bird!

Looks like Big A was right yesterday when he said one of the remaining eggs had a crack in it. Hope the other one hatches tomorrow. Boy were those birds hungry. Mom was still hovering around with food in it's beak, but waited until we left to return to the nest. Meanwhile, those babies were HUNGRY!

Guess we haven't mentioned the new deer hanging around the front yard... We thought there was only one new fawn, but the kids later saw a second one that wasn't yet able to jump the fence and join its mom and sibling. We haven't seen any of them lately, so Big A figures they are off exploring and might come back soon.

And we spotted a turkey yesterday on our way home from VBS, too. We stopped in the street for a while and gobbled at it from the truck while it tried and tried to find its way through the fence. No luck. We finally left to get home in time to check the nest for more babies.

Monday, June 29

We checked the bird nest today (we've been watching the baby birds grow every day) and here is what we found...

Empty nest... No mom, no babies, and a broken shell on the ground.

Although they were there last night, today the babies are all gone, apparently eaten by crows, and the mom is no where to be seen. Nature is vicious...

So sad, but that's life!!!!


Bummer! The kids were so excited to see the babies. This will be a tough one to explain.

More Random Stuff

Yesterday we spent the morning being lazy. After we all got up and around we decided it would be a great day to head to San Francisco. Well... Right after we headed to Kaiser, that is. Yep, Little A has another (actually the same one not all the way cleared up) ear infection.

We arrived in the San Francisco close to 5pm which was perfect for us because it gave us just enough time to walk around and enjoy the sights, eat dinner, and return home. First stop.... BUNGEE JUMPING! Big A had been before, but it was Little A's first time. She was SO excited that she finally weighed enough to have a turn.

(Pardon the picture quality, I only had my phone... SO unlike me!)

Big A jumped first. We couldn't convince him to do a flip, "TOO SCARY!"

Because Little A is so light, the guy kept having to pull the bungees for her to keep her bouncing. She didn't care! She even threw her head back and tried to flip. NO FEAR!

After bungee jumping we headed to dinner. While we waited for a table with a view to open up, we walked around some of the nearby shops. B found a new hat for himself (which you'll see below) and the kids each picked a small treat. Big A picked an Alcatraz 18-wheeler, and Little A picked a purse with a little puppy inside (J, the puppy is named "Sierra", because she looks like Sierra).

We had dinner at our favorite pier restaurant, and enjoyed watching the sea lions lounge on the piers and the boats come in and out of the harbor while we ate. After dinner it was finally time to ride the carousel. If it were up to the kids, we'd have ridden the carousel and jumped the entire time!

We hit the fudge store and the Del Sol store before heading out to get a closer look at the sea lions. Big A wanted to wait until one of them jumped in the water before we left, but I finally convinced him that the water was too cold and they didn't want to swim anymore that day.

And then we headed home. Everyone was tired but everyone agreed that we'd had a GREAT time.... A M A Z I N G, to be exact!

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Today I commented to Big A that he was getting on my LAST nerve. He said to me, "Mommy, if I break your last nerve, you'll never get hurt again because the nerves tell the brain to make you hurt. If I break your last nerve, you'll say, 'THANKS, BIG A,' because you'll never hurt again!"

Of course I was quite impressed with his knowledge and said, "Big A, that's SO smart! Where did you learn that?"

"GRANDPA!"

VBS - It Was A Galactic Blast And A HUGE Success

My family spent last week at VBS at our church. A core team of us have been planning and prepping since January and last week was the finale. I must say, it was awesome. As a good friend kept telling us, "The kids showed up, had fun, and learned about God. Our mission is accomplished." The bottom line is that he's right. All of the minor disagreements between staff members, problems with equipment, etc., was NOTHING, in the grand scheme of things.

My mom and I spent the week directing the preschool program which both Big A and Little A were a part of. B spent the week leading outdoor games and recreation with our friend, Michelle. Along with games, the older kids (grades 1 - 5) also rotated through science, story time and crafts. The preschool group did the same things, only on a much smaller scale.

During the week, our sound technician took pictures of the activities and put together this video.

It's hard to believe that after six months of planning and almost weekly meetings, VBS 2010 is over. Until next year....

PS. If your church is using Galactic Blast from Cokesbury, let me know! I'm happy to give feedback, information, etc. While the decor and the overall SPACE aspect is great, it's lacking a little in the 'GOD' part.

Fun At Grandma And Grandpa's

This week I've taken off to help direct VBS at our church. However, with the end of the fiscal year looming, I've had to go to work a couple of days to meet some deadlines. Luckily, the kids have been able to spend the time with Grandma and Grandpa and as far as I can tell, they're loving EVERY minute of it! Who needs science camp when you have Grandma and Grandpa??? Check it out, straight from Grandma!

After lunch and Walmart, we made a stop at the Fish and Reptile store where we checked out the turtles, tortoises (I think Big A has learned the difference), Iguanas, Geckos, Bearded dragons, lots of other lizards, snakes, coral (he now knows that coral is an animal, not a plant, and not also not a fish - and the gal even took some out of the water and let him touch it), and awesome fish, we headed home. The kids asked if we could look at the bird eggs again to see if the babies had hatched. They know not to walk past the side steps anymore so they won't scare the mother bird and she will stay on the nest, but we do let them look once a day.


We saw the mother bird hovering over on the rock with something in it's mouth, so I thought the babies might have hatched. Sure enough, there are two so far, with two eggs yet to hatch! One of the baby's had it's mouth open the whole time we peeked at it! Great to see and very exciting for the kids! They wanted to take a picture, so we got the camera and went back out one more time.


The mother was so nervous - she jumped from the rock, to the wall, to the fence, to the deck railing, and finally flew to the nest after we came inside and watched from the living room window. They loved it, and we wondered how the mother will keep leaving the nest to hunt for food for the two babies while managing to keep the other two eggs warm until they hatch. We will check again in the morning. Maybe by then they will all be hatched, as Big A insists another of the eggs is cracking open.

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Little A's Tattoo...

Check out the placement of Little A's tattoo. I'm trying to teach her to at least wear her tattoo like a lady if she insists on having one!

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Oh, yes.... The final story...

Big A - "Do you want to play house?"

Little A - "Sure, you be the dad and I'll be the mom."

Big A - "Okay."

Little A - "I have a baby in my tummy."

Big A - "I have to go to work now; I'll be working late because I want to stay home tomorrow when you have the baby so that I can spend time with it."

Oh dear! What's next!?!?!?

And that, my friends, is fun at Grandma and Grandpa's! They sure do keep us on our toes!

Oil Spill In Your Town

Every day we're bombarded by news and images of the BP oil spill on the Gulf Coast... How much oil, how it's spreading, effects on aquatic life, clean-up efforts, cost, etc., yet we really have no way of putting into perspective the extent of this oil spill and the mass destruction it's causing. Here's something that will help.

To put the sheer size of the BP oil spill into perspective, someone has created a program to let you measure it against the land mass surrounding your home town. Visit Visualizing The BP Oil Disaster to see the comparison. Enter your city, and state in the location box on the top of the page, then click, "Move The Spill".

Scary!

My Three SonsDads (and ONE Husband)

On this Father's Day, I'd like to take a minute to thank the men in my life...

Jim - My Father - The man who was there when I was born; The one who loves me very much but for a long time wasn't around as much as I needed him to be. He has a role in our lives now and loves being around the kids. Thank you, Dad, for being a part of our lives. I'm glad you're back.

John - My Dad - The man who came into my life when I was nine and jumped in with both feet being my 'DAD'; The one who supports me through ups and downs, good times and bad; The one who encourages me, pushes me, accompanies me and assists me; The one who loves me unconditionally and shows it constantly. Thank you, Dad, for being my dad... For stepping up when you didn't have to, for loving me as a daughter and for being you.

Burke - My Father-In-Law - The man who made my husband who he is; The one who welcomed me into his family with open and loving arms and accepts me as a daughter. I love you and appreciate you so much. Thank you, Burke, for being like a dad to me, for all that you do and all that you are.

B - My loving Husband and Friend - The man who loves and cares for our children and me; The man who would do anything in the world for us. THANK YOU! I love you forever and a day.

Happy Father's Day to all of you, and THANK YOU for being a part of my life!

Magnetic ABCs

I guarantee that you'll never guess what this post is about... But try it, just for fun....

Give up?

Over at Kelly's Korner each Friday she features a "Show Us Your Life...." post and today it's about marriage proposals. This is the first time I've participated, but when thinking about it, I realized that many of you probably don't know how B proposed either, so I thought I'd share.

It was Valentine's Day, 2003, and I was at work. Since B had to work later in the day, he was supposed to come meet me for lunch. He called about half an hour before we were supposed to meet and told me to just come home instead. I didn't want to do that and argued with him but somehow he finally convinced me that it would be easier that way.

I arrived home to find all of the blinds closed (which he KNOWS I can't stand) and when I walked inside, it was dark. Our bedroom door was closed (you have to understand that we lived in a one bedroom apartment, but it was VERY small) and B was nowhere to be found. Sitting on the kitchen counter was a HUGE stuffed dog holding a card. The envelope said, "Read me first, then turn around." I don't know why I didn't cheat, but I didn't. I also couldn't see the point in turning around since all that was behind me was the door I'd just come in. ODD!

I read the card (it was mush and lovey but I have NO idea what it said after what happened next....) and then turned around. Written on our metal door, in magnetic letters, were the words, "WILL YOU MARRY ME?"

I couldn't believe it! It was SOOO unexpected! Okay.... It wasn't unexpected that he'd propose, but the timing was completely unexpected. Apparently the fact that he'd just gotten a really solid job convinced him that the time was right and that he was finally ready. Thank goodness!

Anyhow... Shaking, I walked to the bedroom door, knowing that he MUST be in there since there really was nowhere else he could be, and went inside. B was there waiting to embrace me and waiting for an answer. Of course I said yes!

The bummer thing? We both had to go to work right after the proposal. We didn't get to spend time enjoying the newness of our engagement until the next day, but it was still fun!

As a side note... When I called my mom to tell her I said, "Guess what I got for Valentine's Day..." After she responded I said, "A proposal."

There was silence for a few seconds and then she said, "OH! Did you want one?" I was shocked. She KNEW I wanted one, and my parents both really liked B, so I couldn't figure out why she sounded so stunned. Then she said, "I got one once. It was a German Shorthair."

She'd thought I said POODLE! Ahhh.... The wonders of cell phones!

The Morning After

Last night the kids had a sleep over at Grammy and Papa's. Little A was super excited to go over but Big A was a bit hesitant at first. I assured him repeatedly that he'd have a great time, and he did (of course!).

From what I hear, they had a BLAST! They played outside with squirt guns and balls, built a house, did puppet shows behind the ottoman, ate Eskimo pies and watched 'just a little bit' of television. They were even asleep by eight o'clock!

B picked them up early this morning so that he could get Big A to soccer camp on time, and then came home to play with Little A, shower and get ready for work. He got in the shower around eleven o'clock this morning and left Little A (still in her dress-up clothes) on our bed watching television. He came out of the shower to this...

It would appear that SOMEONE had just a LITTLE too much fun...

Thanks, Grammy and Papa! The kids can't wait to do it again soon!!

Abby Sunderland

Has anyone been following the story of Abby Sunderland, the 16 year old from Thousand Oaks, California, who was attempting to be the youngest person to solo circumnavigate the world? Quite an interesting story! I've been following Abby faithfully since I first saw the clip of her on the AT&T/Yahoo page while opening my email one day.

I began following Abby's story back in April, shortly before she decided to head into Cape Town, South Africa, to make repairs to her auto-pilot system. Since then Abby has had quite the adventure, eventually being forced to activate two emergency beacons and end her journey after her boat was dismasted in a storm while crossing the Indian Ocean.

Since the story of her rescue has unfolded, many people have begun criticizing Abby's parents for letting her make this journey, accusing them of being neglectful, saying that she made the journey to escape her father, saying that she shouldn't have been in the Indian Ocean this time of year, etc. Really, people? Just because she had the misfortune of meeting a storm in the Indian Ocean that dismasted her boat, rendering it impossible for her to continue her journey? Because of THAT INCIDENT, her parents are now bad people?

What if Abby had successfully completed the goal she set out out to attain? Would her parents be bad people then? Would they still be neglectful? I just don't get it!

Now I'm not saying that as a parent I would let my child solo circumnavigate the world at age 16... I don't even know that I'd let my child travel solo across the country at age 16, but that's neither here nor there. From what I have read, Abby had been training for this since she was 6 months old... Sailing was in her blood. Her boat was well equipped, she had a team of supporters and experts here in the US working with her and for her to chart courses, keep up with weather patterns, etc., and she knew what she was doing.

So where does this leave the Sunderland family? It leaves them trapped in the middle of a media circus at a time when they should be excited about the arrival of their new baby and praising God every day for the fact that Abby is alive and well and safely on her way back home.

I think we are much too quick to jump into other people's business and make judgements. I admit, to some extent I'm guilty. Here's a thought for the day... If we could all try to learn facts before making judgments, wouldn't the world be a better and happier place?

Abby, reach for the stars... Go forth and achieve your dreams! You are a strong girl and you can do anything you set your mind to... NEVER GIVE UP!

Cancel Your Credit Cards Before You Die

Okay, so maybe it's because we've all been in similar situations with telephone operators, or maybe it's because I'm in a MAJOR funk today and don't feel even one little bit like writing a blog post today, but I thought this was pretty funny.

Be sure and cancel your credit cards before you die. This is priceless, and so, so easy to see happening, customer service being what it is today.

A lady died this past January, and Citibank billed her in February and March for their annual service charges on her credit card, and added late fees and interest on the monthly charge. The balance had been $0.00 when she died, but is now somewhere around $60.00.

A family member placed a call to Citibank. Here is the exchange:

Family Member: 'Hi, I am calling to tell you she died back in January.'

Citibank: 'The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply.'

Family Member: 'Maybe, you should turn it over to collections.'

Citibank: 'Since it is two months past due, it already has been turned over to collections.'

Family Member: 'So, what will they do when they find out she is dead?'

Citibank:'Either report her account to frauds division or report her to the credit bureau, maybe both!'

Family Member: 'Do you think God will be mad at her?'

Citibank: 'Excuse me?'

Family Member: 'Did you just get what I was telling you, the part about her being dead?'

Citibank: 'Sir, you'll have to speak to my supervisor.'

Supervisor gets on the phone...

Family Member: 'Hi, I'm calling to tell you she died back in January with a $0 balance.'

Citibank Supervisor: 'The account was never closed and late fees and charges still apply.'

Family Member: 'You mean you want to collect from her estate?'

Citibank Supervisor *Stammering*: 'Are you her lawyer?'

Family Member: 'No, I'm her great nephew.' (Lawyer info was given...)

Citibank Supervisor: 'Could you fax us a certificate of death?'

Family Member: 'Sure.' (Fax number was given...)

After they get the fax...

Citibank Supervisor: 'Our system just isn't setup for death. I don't know what more I can do to help.'

Family Member: 'Well, if you figure it out, great! If not, you could just keep billing her. She won't care.'

Citibank Supervisor: 'Well, the late fees and charges will still apply.'

(What is wrong with these people?!?!)

Family Member: 'Would you like her new billing address?'

Citibank Supervisor: 'That might help.'

Family Member: 'Odessa Memorial Cemetery, Highway 129, Plot Number 69.'

Citibank Supervisor: 'Sir, that's a cemetery!'

Family Member: 'And what do you do with dead people on your planet???'

Steppin' Out With My Baby...

Little A has been in a ballet/tap class since January. Last weekend was their spring show, "Dream". Although I wasn't crazy about the first picture I saw of the outfits, seeing all nine girls together changed my mind. They were ADORABLE!

Little A's class did a tap dance to Steppin' Out With My Baby... TOO CUTE!

The week before the show they had picture day. Her class was all together and in uniform. I can't wait to see how the pictures turned out.

The girls standing are Little A's class and their teacher, Tina. The little girl in front is Little A's friend, Sam, who is in the Saturday class. The Wednesday and Saturday classes were combined for the show.

And without further ado....

Little A after the show with her FOUR bouquets

Little A with her friends Kendall and Kylie

Little A with the Saturday teacher, Miss Kacie

With the Wednesday teacher, Miss Tina

I'm not sure what next semester will bring or where it will take us for dancing, but our first experience was a good one. Thanks, Miss Kacie and Miss Tina! We love you!

Random Stuff

Happy Sunday! I was PLANNING to post the pictures from Little A's dance recital today, but I'm working on uploading the video so you'll all have to wait. Trust me, they're CUTE!

In the meantime I'll just share a couple of other random things with you.

Let's hear a shout out to my niece, Tessa, who graduated from high school yesterday. Congrats, Tess! We're proud of you. Now on to bigger and better, huh? Tessa plans to start beauty school in August and become famous! You go, girl!

For Mother's Day I got a book about how to turn ordinary cupcakes into this...

Isn't that awesome!?!? Unfortunately, I can take absolutely NO credit (other than lending Molly this book, What's New, Cupcake.) Molly made this awesome treat for a friend's 21st birthday. I'm sure he'll love it! Great work, Molly!

It was a SUPER busy weekend... We attended Big A's end of the year picnic at the park on Friday morning, Little A got her 2nd ear infection since her new tubes and we took our first trip to Kaiser, we spent tons of time at dance between the dressed rehearsal and recital, and we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast with long, lost friends yesterday morning and dinner with Molly and both sets of parents/grandparents last nigh. I was definitely ready for a nap today!

And now... I think I'll go to bed.

Goodnight!

Where's Waldo Bob?

Awhile back we were eating breakfast with some friends and I was trying to get one of the girls to sit next to me. In an attempt at reverse psychology, I told her she couldn't sit next to me because my friend, Bob, was sitting there. She asked where Bob was and, pointing to the chair next to me, I said, "He's right here. Can't you see him?" The kids all thought this was SO funny but apparently my plan backfired.

Nothing was said about Bob until the next time we ate breakfast with the same friends at the same restaurant. Bob made a return appearance, this time being a friend of the kids'. Ever since them, Bob has become the culprit of many unclaimed occurrences in our house. He takes toys out, he makes messes, etc.

Little A is the most frequent offender of the "Bob did it" club. Last week while she was at my mom's she came out with a good one. My dad had put her down for a nap, rubbed her back for a couple of minutes and come out and said to my mom, "She's asleep." Knowing what a great faker Little A is, mom didn't REALLY think she was asleep so she snuck down to the bedroom to prove herself correct. Sure enough Little A was sitting up in her bed with a big grin on her face.

Mom told her she needed to lay down and take a nap, and she obeyed. A few minutes later mom was making a phone call and in comes Little A insisting that she'd taken a nap already. Mom talked to her about lying and told her that if she lied she may have to have a consequence. She didn't like the consequence idea so she came clean and fessed up. "Okay.... Actually Bob took a nap already."

Much to my chagrin, the Bob thing has taken off in the WAY wrong direction... We're working on it! Live and learn, people... Live and learn!

Butterflies, The Final Chapter

The final chapter of the butterfly story, as told by my mom...

"We decided to release the butterflies today so that they could enjoy the same freedom that Big A and Little A enjoy, running and playing in the field. Big A and Little A both agreed that neither of them would want to be kept in a little cage, but instead would want to be outside playing anywhere and everywhere they want. So, out went the cage onto the deck. Impatient Big A took the first butterfly out and let it go before I could get the camera. But he was a little more careful with the second butterfly and held it gently in his hand while he posed for several pictures.



Boy, does that boy like "bugs" and other small creatures! Little A sat by and watched, and then decided to move a little closer when the second butterfly landed on the deck rather than taking to the sky like its brother/sister had done.


Big A picked the butterfly up one more time, and we caught a final picture just as the butterfly was leaving his hand.


Big A laid the last butterfly on the railing, as it seems to have a deformed wing and probably will not make it. We discussed that this butterfly might end up blowing into the bushes and will probably die, but then "that's life."

As for the fourth butterfly that had originally emerged, it was already gone. That one managed to escape into the kitchen a few days ago when I opened the cage to add more sugar water to the feeding cup, so Grandpa opened the kitchen door and set it free early.

So, now, all the butterflies are free!"

Roam free, painted ladies, roam free!

And so ends the butterfly story... UNTIL NEXT YEAR!!!