Back To Chicago

A really great trip, great to see old sights and reminisce about good times! Overall, a very happy time in my life! Thanks for the trip mom and dad.

My kind of town...CHICAGO!

Hailey and I decided on Thursday that we would pack up and join my family for a very extended Heck (my maiden name, c'mon bring on the jokes) Reunion in Chicago and left on Friday. That was a quick pack and jump on the plane idea! We are in Carol Stream, outside Chicago, and are heading over to Palatine today for a trip down memory lane. This is where we lived from about 1st grade through my 8th grade year. I have not been back for 22 YEARS!! Wow, lots has changed and I am excited to be here. The reunion got over this morning and now we are free to just explore and have fun! (Not that reunions with 3rd cousins, twice removed isn't fun!!) We will head to downtown Chicago later today and do the city for 2 days, then I'm back on Tuesday night. I'll post pictures later...till then, me and my inner child will be doing some healing and re-visiting the past. Wish us luck!!

That was fun...

I just spent my lunch with Hudsen and Hope at their school cafeteria, wow that brought back some childhood memories. Besides my traumatic flashback of being picked up and thrown into the trash can in the girls bathroom (Yes, that really happened to me) these are good memories. Sitting with my girls and all their friends made me remember what it was like to be young again. Some of the things I miss are; Number One...being able to fit in those tiny picnic-like tables in the cafeteria. You should have seen my fat *** trying to climb into the seat...that was a serious task! Number Two...I miss eating blue jello and thinking it was actually tasty. Number Three...the tots, they were awesome! Number Four...telling secrets and giggling until I peed my pants. (Ok, so I still do that...why?, what's the problem with that...don't you do it too? No...?Yeah me too...I was just kidding!)

Yeah, I miss those days!! I loved being a little girl, I loved dressing up and putting on shows in the backyard for my family. I loved singing into my hairbrush, while my (stinker) sister listened outside my bedroom window. I miss covering my bedroom walls with pictures of Ponyboy and Soda and sleeping over with girlfriends. I miss piling into our green van and driving straight through to Florida for vacation. Wow...being a kid was pretty great :) Hope my kids will feel that way some day as well!

Someone Loves Their Dog

Last night, around 1:30 am, I went upstairs to check on the girls. This is what I found in Hope's room! Now I'm not positive but something looks wrong with this picture. Hope is sleeping on 3 pillows pushed together, and Mocha is on the comfy bed. This CAN NOT be comfortable for Hope...she must really love her dog. Two additional notes; 1. I did not turn on the lights at 1:30 AM to take this picture, I'm not that cruel. My flash actually carried that far. 2. This is when you know you are a true blogger or true psycho, which ever way you want to look at it, when you go upstairs to check on your kids and then go find the camera to capture the shot so you can blog it the next morning!

I don't know...

Does this new picture make my blog look big? (You know the gigantic pic at top of my blog...the one with all the bananas...oh yeah and some definite arm and back fat!)

I miss this girl...

Our little Hailey has been off vacationing with her cousins in Mexico this week. She doesn't return until Tuesday and I am MISSING her soooooooooo much! Just doesn't seem the same when someone is missing from our family! I like to tuck all 4 of my girls in at night, see their sweet faces and know we are all safe. Hurry home Hailey, your mommy is missing her little girl!

So Happy Together

Can I just say how happy I am that these two wonderful people moved back to SLC? The whole Davis clan is just awesome and some of my favorite people on this entire planet!! We had the chance to have a great dinner (thanks guys) with them at Gateway last night and just enjoy their company. I love to be around them, they are continually making me laugh. And if you put Jeff and Randy together you never know what perverted comments may come from their mouths!! But it's all good...they at least keep me rolling with laughter. So thanks to my brother from another mother Jeff, for moving that cute family back up where you belong...we love you guys!

Is this too scary for kids!?

So I was reading to Hudsen the other night, like I try to do every night, when she brings one of her books to me. It was a Barbie one that we've read before, but for some reason it startled me this time around. All the pictures are of actual barbie dolls that they have posed and took pictures of, they just seemed to unsettle me. Check them out and tell me what you think...

This ensemble of fruit slices and an ugly hat...disturbing.

Barbie seems to be wearing a wig and her bangs look like Skipper cut them...disturbing.This is the news director of the station where career Barbie works. His hair, glasses, goatee...all very disturbing.Again the chick with the fruit slice ensemble and Barbie with her 2 inch waist...disturbing.

The camera man at the news station, is he a lumber jack on the side?

And this is a close up of his feet...are slouched socks back in....disturbing!

I think we should go back to reading "Cat in the Hat", although when I think of that, Dr. Seuss does seem to be in his own hallucinated state as well.

School Carnival

Tonight was Hudsen and Hope's school carnival. And can I say what a nice mother I am...it went from 5-8 and we stayed almost the entire 3 hours. Now that can be long at a carnival no doubt (for me at least), but I dug my heels in and went to work. Ok, so I sat on a blanket and chatted with neighbors almost the entire time, but that still counts...I was present. I did get up and meanered through the crowd in search for my offspring every once in awhile. The girls had a blast and it was a great way to get them to do their chores before we left the house. All in all, it was a great evening of snow cones, cotton candy, nachos, pizza, soda, silly string, gigantic blow up rides and catching up with neighbors. (Oh and my kids did get to indulge in the snow cones, cotton candy, etc as well!)
P.S. This is where the nachos ended up at the end of the night, down my leg and all over the garage floor....NICE...good thing we have a dog!

Just once more...

I just can't stand the thought of my Brad going further and further down my page so here he is once more. Can I get an AMEN for this terrific gene pool... Man, I know I'm whacked, but he is sooooooooooooooooooooooo yummy! For more of the good stuff click here, or scroll down my blog!

Thankful

Can I just say how grateful and thankful I am for a wonderful support system. I am surrounded by family who love me unconditionally and by the greatest friends of all time. When I feel my life is too hard and face challenges, this support system never fails me. They don't stop worrying about me, they don't give up on me...they encourage me and love me!! This is truly a gift and one that not everyone is so lucky to have. My parents are the best...there is nothing like their love, it is never failing. My husband continually stands by my side, takes my hand into his and loves me like I am his one true love. My children are daughters of God who constantly cheer me one, there is nothing like 4 beautiful daughters to help one stay on the straight and narrow. And my friends are always there with a listening ear, a hug and a smile...always on my side. What more could I ask for? Really, I can't think of anything else...I am blessed.