Want to know what I think about the Swine Flu?

The answer is probably no, but in case you are curious, my bloggin bud, Tib, said it all in this post. And she said it better than I would have. Thanks Tib for cutting my work in half tonight:)

What happens when the kids get a hold of the video camera

If you've seen the movie, Bedtime Stories, then you'll understand all of the "dwarf kicking me in the leg" stuff:)

Easter dresses. . FINALLY!

Cali was sick on Easter Sunday and then the following Sunday Ella stayed home from church sick, so finally this past Sunday all 3 girls were at church and were able to wear their Easter dresses. (Wow, that was a long run-on sentence:)

Presenting 3 lovely ladies. . .

Thanks Mom for their dresses-they are beautiful!

Hollyology

So, I've seen this meme/tag on a couple of blogs today and thought I'd give it a whirl. Cali is napping and the older two are at school, so why not?! The laundry can wait:) Feel free to copy and paste and then change the answers for your own post! Its fun!

1) What is your salad dressing of choice? Caesar
2) What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? Any place with good Mexican food(current area favorite-Manny's. ) Oh, and Cheesecake Factory too!
3) What food could you eat for 2 weeks straight and not get sick of? Mexican food, but I do realize this would cause excessive gas. Its cool. I can roll like that.
4) What are your pizza toppings of choice? Pepperoni & black olives. I also love barbecue pizza, hawaiian pizza, fruit pizza, garlic chicken, pesto, fresh roma tomatoes and mushrooms. Okay, so I love pizza in general....and okay, so I actually love food in general too. I ain't gonna lie.
5) What do you like to put on your toast? Butter and jelly OR butter and honey. No matter what, butter has GOT to be on it.
6) How many televisions are in your house? Two, but only one is actually plugged in and used. The other one just sits in the den/playroom upstairs.
7) What color cell phone do you have? Silver and pink(mauvish)
8) Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right
9) Have you ever had anything removed from your body? Oh yeah, lots of things. But my 3 favorites are Aubrey, Ella & Cali:)
10) What is the last heavy item you lifted?I don't lift heavy things!(unless you count my kids) If there is something that is heavy that needs to be moved, Joedog moves it for me:) Love you babe!
11) Have you ever been knocked unconscious? Nopers.
12) If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? No thanks. I'll pass. If I knew, I think I would think about it all the time and it would drive me crazy.
13) If you could change your name, what would you change it to? I really wouldn't want to. I'm nobody else but Holly, by golly!
14) Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? Yes. I'd even be willing to do it for $500. Any offers out there?
15) How many pairs of flip flops do you own? Maybe 7-8?
16) What is/are your goal/s for the year? To get preggers and to have a healthy succesful pregnancy this time around. We're working on that. . .
17) Last person you talked to? My mom on the phone
18) Last person you hugged? Ella when I told her goodbye at school this morning
19) Favorite Season? Fall
20) Favorite Holiday? Christmas
21) Favorite day of the week? Saturday
22) Favorite Month? November, when the weather is cooling down, the leaves are changing colors, and the holidays are right around the corner.
23) First place you went this morning? Aubrey's school
24) What's the last movie you saw? In the theater, The Hannah Montana Movie. At home, Hancock.
25) Do you smile often? Yes, and I have the wrinkle lines to prove it
26) Do you always answer your phone? No.
27) It's four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it? I better be dreaming.
28) If you could change your eye color what would it be? Green
29) What flavor drink do you get at Sonic? Cherry Lime
30) Have you ever had a pet fish? Yes, we have had 2 Beta fish(I'm all about low maintenance when it comes to pets.). Gill and Dasher. Gill RIP, but lived for a good 3 years. Loved the lil fella. And Dasher is dashing as I type.
31) Favorite Christmas song? I really can't say one. I LOVE so many. I know, I know, thats a crappy answer.
32) What's on your wish list for your birthday? A new camera or a sewing machine
33) Can you do push ups? Yes, probably one good one:)
34) Can you do a chin up? Probably not.
35) Does the future make you more nervous or excited? Both, but more excited than nervous.
36) Do you have any saved texts? Yes, I save every text from my man.
37) Ever been in a car wreck? Nope, knock on wood.
38) Do you have an accent? I've been told I don't. People are surprised that I'm a Texas native actually. But I do say y'all all the time!
39) What is the last song to make you cry? Can't recall.
40) Plans tonight? Movies with some galpals. "17 Again" here we come! Zac Efron-woohoo:)
41) Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? No. Life has been good.
42) Name 3 things you bought yesterday. Nothing. It was Sunday y'all!
43) Have you ever been given roses? Yes, I actually have some on my counter right now. Joey is a sweetie.
44) Current hate right now? The Leftist mentality.
45) Met someone who changed your life? Joey
46) How did you bring in the New Year? We just partied at home as a family. We moved our clocks secretly ahead and the kids though they rang in the New Year when it was only 10pm-haha:) Joey and I stayed up and spent time together and when the ball dropped, we kissed and drank sparkling cider. Oh yeah, we know how to par-tay.
47) What song represents you? Lucky by Jason Mraz.
48) Name three people who might complete this? Anayansi, Nicole B. & Jennie?
49) What were you doing 12 AM last night? I wasn't sleeping. Refer to #16. !)
50) What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? How much I wanted to stay in bed. It was raining and the sound of the rain was just so relaxing. I would've stayed in bed all day if I could.

Dallas Zoo 2009

Today was the first Saturday we've been able to do something fun in a long time. Healthy kids and great weather meant zoo time! We decided to try out the Dallas Zoo this time around. A year and a half ago, we visited the Ft. Worth Zoo because we heard it was much better(which really is true) but we wanted to go somewhere new this time. And the Dallas Zoo is much closer and a lil cheaper. All in all, the Dallas Zoo was fun too. Their kids section is AWESOME, but the rest of the zoo is definitely lacking. Not quite as good of a variety of animals and the habitats didn't seem big enough for a few of the animals. But we still had just as much fun at this zoo as we did at the Ft. Worth Zoo. So, if you want a comparison of the two, either is great if you have little kids. Kids are easy to please. All they need are a few animals to look at and a play area:) And I actually think kids may even prefer the Dallas Zoo. There is a lot of fun stuff in the kid section. If you don't have kids, however, then definitely the Ft. Worth Zoo is the way to go. Its definitely nicer. Okay, so there was my review. :)

Now, here were the highlights. The gorillas got so close to us, face to face through the glass! The kids(and Joey and I) thought that was awesome. We saw one kid knock on the glass and the gorilla knocked back(and it actually was a gentle knock, not a big bang like I expected and secretly hoped for:) The kids loved the petting zoo area and getting their feet wet in the stream. We also went to the bird encounter area where you could buy a bird seed stick and the birds come and eat it off of your hand. I actually had never done that myself before and it kinda scared me! A bird came swooping down at me as soon as we walked in. It scared the crap out of Ella(see the pictures for a priceless photo of her face). She ran for her life. There was no way in heck she would've held a stick:) Aubrey was brave and fed one of the birds. It did scare her, but she was strong and kept holding on! Another highlight was riding the monorail. Okay, so the monorail was ghetto, but it was something fun to do and an opportunity for our feet to get a break from all the walking. Another highlight was watching Cali's reactions. She was old enough to really react this time around and that was fun. I do have to say though, the dogs we saw on the way out were what gave her the biggest reaction(wha?). There were some on leashes and in cages up for adoption and when we walked by them, she got so excited. Go figure. All we had to do was take her to the nearby Petsmart:)

The 3 Piggy Opera

Aubrey and the entire 1st Grade performed "The 3 Piggy Opera" for us parents last night. They were so cute!!! The singing and acting was adorable. Aubrey was nervous to be up there. She doesn't like to get up in front of people at all, but she did it and she was great. They were 100 of the cutest lil piggies you have ever seen!

Aubrey is in the middle laughing with her friend. This was when they first walked out and were all giggling and embarassed. It was pretty funny, especially because Aubrey had no idea they were going to have to wear those masks and pig noses! I had asked her before the program if they had to wear pig noses or costumes and she said very positively-no. I had a feeling it was otherwise and I was right! When she walked out with the other kids wearing that mask I could tell she was embarassed, but she was still smiling, so it was all good:)

Here is part of the piggy chorus

Here are the wolf and the 3 little pigs. They all did a great job. And the overachieving PTA moms did a great job with the backdrops and props:) j/k I only say that because I'm jealous of their skillz. Jealousy is an ugly thing. :)

A close-up of our little piggy

And I'll finish this post off with a little piggy booty shake. . .

Sister storytime

These girls just love to read, especially together. Makes a mom's heart happy.

Are you a Nip or an It?

I'm dying to know where your cheese cracker loyalties lie. . .

Choice A

Choice B

If you answered "Choice B," you answered incorrectly and will be punished.

j/k :) Okay, so we are all entitled to our own cheese cracker preference, but c'mon, even the Cheese Nips box is cuter! And the cheesy goodness inside can't be beat! I am personally a Nip lover and I'm proud of it.

If you are wondering why the heck I am posting about this today, the fact is, Wal-Mart Supercenter(the upscale grocery store I shop at, don't be jealous) is no longer selling Cheese Nips. I've noticed the past couple of months that they aren't on the shelves-at least not at any of the Wallyworlds in my neck of the woods. Its very disappointing. I've actually purchased a couple of Cheez Its boxes and tried to grin and bear it as I eat, but the smile isn't genuine. In reality, I'm dying inside. Cheez Its just don't compare. You can try to persuade me otherwise, but these taste buds don't lie.

In other horrifying food news, my Wal-Mart is also temporarily not selling On The Border Tortilla Chips. Wal-Mart, are we going to have to break up? I will not eat that Tostitos crap. I just won't!

Do I have food issues? :)

Shrinky "Dinkies"

My mom bought the girls Shrinky Dinks or as the girls keep calling them "Shrinky Dinkies." :) It was such a blast from the past! I hadn't seen these in years. I remember having so much fun with these as a kid. My mom found them at Target a few weeks ago for anyone interested in buying some. So fun! Anyways, the girls had a great time coloring and cutting out the designs and watching them shrink in the oven before their very eyes. . .

Aubrey meticulously coloring her fairies.
Ella working hard on her horses.


Cali hard at work, well, eating her M&Ms:) Its a tough job, but someones gotta do it!

A funny smile.

Whoa! Look!

Look how teeny they are! I wish I had taken a before picture of the actual shrinky dinks to compare:( Oh well. They were originally at least 3 times that size. So just imagine.
The Shrinky Dink kits came with things you can accesorize. Aubrey made a little keychain for her lunchbox and decorated a little purse.

Ella attached ALL of hers on one little denim cowgirl pouch. Shes an all or nothin kinda gal.

Thanks Mom for a fun activity! Not only did the kids enjoy this, I did too....ahh, the memories:)

R U Hairy?

I just couldn't resist taking a picture of this hilarious billboard on our Houston trip. . .

Cali was rubbing my leg the other day and saying "yuck" over and over again. So I guess my answer to that question is yes:)

Cali's pig tails

I was actually able to get Cali's hair up in little pig tails yesterday! Doesn't she look so much older now, like an actual two year old!? And not only older but pretty dang adorable! And another amazing feat is that she left them in all day long! Woohoo! I never thought I'd see the day:)

Easter: Ups & Downs, but we made the best of it!

I'm a little behind with posting, but here it is- Easter at our house 2009! Cali got a nasty virus(that Ella is now enjoying as I type-ugghh) last weekend which she also ended up getting Croup from, so that wasn't fun. Joey stayed home from church with her on Sunday and it was disappointing to not all be there together. The kids will just have to all wear their new Easter dresses this coming Sunday(if we are all well, that is!) So, it wasn't the picture-perfect Easter, but we still managed to have some fun, despite illness. We did the traditional egg dying on Easter Eve. . .

Gettin silly with the egg holders:)

We gave Cali some kids cooking utensils to play with while the bigger kids did the egg dying. Here she is sayin, "Sup?" with her oven mitt and spoon:)

We did a few of the wrapped eggs this year and they turned out cute. I love doing these eggs. Its like magic the way they wrap around the eggs. I'm easily amused.

We left some goodies and letters for the Easter bunny along with the dyed eggs for him to hide for us. He, of course, hides his own candy-filled eggs too.

Ella taped her note on the door along with a necklace for him to wear. This is so Ella:) She loves tape and uses it daily! Aubrey had made a pouch(see picture above) with a necklace and a note. Both of their notes told him how much they love him. I know he loved everything:) These girls are so thoughtful and sweet I tell ya.

The Easter bunny surprised the girls with all kinds of stuff! Chocolate bunnies, candy, thingamajigs, sleeping bags and lanterns(the Easter bunny must know of our plans to do some camping soon-Joey can't wait! He just got a tent from his parents for his birthday and we are gonna test that bad boy out this month).

I love holiday morning sleepy faces and smiles.
Lovin the sleeping bags.

Cali's carseat was in the house(I had cleaned the car on Saturday and hadn't put it back in the car yet). While it was in the house, it was her favorite hangout spot. Here she is chillin out after hunting eggs in the house. Yes, that was another damper. Our Easter was very cold, rainy and thundery, so the Easter bunny had to hide the eggs in the house. But the kids didn't mind at all and had a blast running around the place.

Time for dinner! It was just the 5 of us this year. We missed all of our extended relatives dearly, but still had a lovely dinner together as a family: ham, potato casserole, whole wheat breadsticks(Aubrey's primary teacher gave these out at church-thanks! We all enjoyed them!), relish tray/veggie tray & deviled eggs.

I LOVE this picture.

In the evening, I attempted to make a bunny cake. Well, that stupid bunny did not want to come out of the pan. I guess I'm no cake pro like my lil sis. He came out in a million pieces. I guess this just isn't my talent. Tara, stop laughing.

The kids made the best out of the mess I gave them and actually whipped up something that looked like a bunny. Great job guys! You totally covered up your Mom's mistake!

Hope y'all had a FANTASTIC Easter with the ones you love!

Calling all Patriots! Book Club This Thursday!

My wise and politically like-minded bloggin bud, Sarah, has decided to put together a Patriot's Book Club! Here is what Sarah had to say when deciding to form the book club(copied and pasted from her blog, Tales from the Duchess). . .

"March 19: So Glenn Beck's special tonight revolved around the fact that we really are the people. That there are more of us than there are of them (politicians and/or government in general). If you feel like common sense is gone and the country's prevailing attitude is so far off base you're not alone. Even after you call your representatives they still don't listen you're not alone. If you think their solutions of "go shopping", "too big to fail", and social engineering are the real problem you're not alone. Glenn reminded us that back on 9/12/01 nobody had to tell us who we are or how to act. We just were. We instinctively knew we had to unite, to extend our hand to our neighbor, and to recommit ourselves to pursuits of real value. It lasted for a short time and now we find ourselves divided, frustrated, and disenfranchised.

Glenn proposed that the 9 Principles and 12 Values are a way to find the solution to today's ills because these are the same principles and values the founding fathers adhered to when crafting the Constitution. He also emphasized that we, the citizens of this great country, must educate ourselves so we can be armed with the wisdom necessary for these troubled times. He suggested we start with The Real George Washington. The final part of this 9/12 Project is for us to take the next 6 months to do our part to make a difference and then reconvene on 9/12/09 to report back.

That got me thinking...what am I going to do about it? The time for lip service is over. I'm going to form a Patriot's Book Club where we read and discuss not only the historical events but the values and principles associated with them as well."

Amen Sarah!!

So, here is the book club list(drumroll please). . .

Common Sense (Paine) 16 Apr @ 7:30pm, Sarah's house (Yes, this Thursday!)
The 5,000 Year Leap (Skousen)
The Forgotten Man (Shlaes)
The Real George Washington (American Classic series)
Liberal Fascism (Goldberg)
Atlas Shrugged (Rand)
Lone Survivor (Luttrell)
The Real Benjamin Franklin (American Classic series)

All are invited who are interested! Leave your email address in my comments if you don't know Sarah and need her address. Or if you are interested in coming with me, let me know and I'll pick you up and we can go together! It'll be fun! Completion of the reading material is not required. I look forward to gathering with friends to discuss the principles in these books, what we can do to protect our rights, save the consitution, and unite for the cause of freedom. Small things can make big differences! I'm excited to be part of this.

I Know That My Redeemer Lives

I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful Easter Sabbath, spending time with family and friends, attending church, watching the kiddos enjoy their Easter loot, eating a good dinner, but most of all, remembering our Savior and His atoning sacrifice. It is through Him, that we will all live again. I just wanted to share this video with you today- beautiful music, gorgeous paintings, and a wonderful message of Jesus Christ. I know He lives and loves us all. . .

Good times with the Smithies

While in Houston, we were able to see my mom and brothers(who, might I add, are ALL taller than me now-that makes me the shortest in my family and I'm the oldest child!) We had a great time together. My kids just love their Grandma and of course their uncles too. I hate not living closeby anymore. . .maybe someday we'll be closer again Mom! We miss not being able to see you as much:(

I think the highlight of our time together was visiting the Kemah Boardwalk. I had never been there before-it was so cool!!!

We met the real Sponge Bob!!

This dude was really nice when I asked him if the kids could see the bunny. He said, "Sure!" and just handed Aubrey his tophat. She was thrilled(and a little nervous at first:)

Ella having a blast in the water spray area.

The girls had fun steering mini-boats.

On the actual boardwalk. I didn't take a picture of this, but there was an area where you feed catfish. There were a million of them flopping on top of each other when you'd throw a food pellet their way. The kids(and all of us) thought that was perdy darn cool.

Can't have a cool boardwalk without a cool juggler to entertain you.

We had nice lunch at Aquarium-a cool restaurant with lot of aquariums. They actually let us eat inside of an aquarium, see how blue we are under the water? It was a little hard to breathe, but we managed.
Cute fishy pics(once we got out and dried off:)


Cali eye to eye with a shark. This scared Grandma. She thought he could jump out or something:)

My mom brought lots of gifts to give to the girls. We did little hotel gift openings at the hotel:)Here is Cali opening her birthday presents-an adorable mailbox, a cute outfit and shoes. She LOVES that mailbox. Thanks Mom!

My mom also put together Easter bags and got the girls beautiful Easter dresses(this is something she has done for the girls just about every year for Easter-she always picks out gorgeous dresses). The girls also definitely got spoiled with lots of cool toys and candy. The coolest toy, in my opinion, were packages of Shrinky Dinks for the older girls. We just did them the other day, Mom, and had so much fun-I'll post about it soon:) It brought back so many memories from when I was a kid. Thanks again!

We love you guys and can't wait to see you again soon!