Grandma Dot & Grandpa Herm

I've been so lucky to be able to visit so much with Grandpa Herm. He came and stayed with us again this week, mostly to try and get some work done on his life history, but also partly just to visit. Somehow this all started a couple of years ago and some conversations we had at Stephanie's wedding. He came to visit last fall and we spent a lot of time just talking. (Although we did take a break to go with Dave's parents to the Jazz game. Thanks again, Loren & Marilyn and Tom for the tickets!) Well a couple of days into the last trip Dave said I should record everything and write it down. At that point it was a little too late to go back over everything again, so we decided the Grandpa would record stories and send me the tapes. A year later, he realized that it's not so fun to talk into a recorder and booked another flight so we could do it together. So this week we have been talking, talking, talking. We both wore ourselves out each day, but I think we go a lot accomplished. He flies home tomorrow and I'm so sad to see him go. I have loved having so much time with him and reminiscing about all of the old times.

Today, though, was an especially hard day since it was the anniversary of Grandma Dot's death. I have so many fond memories of her and the great lady that she was. I think about her quite often and wish she was still here with us. I think that if she was still here my dad's side of the family would be closer. The older I get, the more I wish I had a close family, yet it seems to be farther apart than ever. She was the glue that held everything together and very much the heart of the family. I will never forget the times I had with her and the lessons she tried to teach me. She is the most classy lady I have ever known, yet also the most down to earth and fun. So 23 years after her death, I want to tell her how much I love her and how much I'm looking forward to seeing her again in the next life. I know she watches over me and has played a part in me & Grandpa getting closer and being able to work on this project together.

Dallas Trip

I'm a little behind in posting everything from our trip to Dallas, but better late than never, right? Dave & I took Jackson, Davis and McCall with us this time. Dave's training was in super nice resort just north of Dallas in a city named Grapevine. While I would have loved to stay in that hotel, it just wasn't the best for kids. Lucky for us, we found the absolutely BEST place to stay with kids right across the street. It's called the Great Wolf Lodge. There are several around the country and if you ever have a chance to take your kids, they will love you forever! It was pretty pricey, but when the company picks up the tab, who cares? The boys loved having their own room and bunk beds.

They had an indoor water park right there at the hotel that was included with your stay. Anyone that knows Jackson knows that this is his kind of place. That kid loves water more than anything! We spent any extra time we had at the water park going down the slides and playing in the wave pool or kiddie pool.

On top of that, they have this ultra cool game that you can play throughout the hotel. It's called MagiQuest. Basically, you buy a wand and then can go through the hotel pointing it at pictures, treasure chests, etc. to make them light up, talk or give you gold points. We went on several scavenger hunts trying to find all of the clues to solve the puzzles and win the game. We often were out searching until 11 PM when everything shut down for "Hibernation hours". I thing we easily could have never left the hotel and still have had plenty to do and keep busy with. Between the game and the water park, there was never a dull moment.

We did break and head to the outlet mall to find Jackson an early Christmas present--a Cowboys jersey, and to see High School Musical 3. Such a cute show!


On Friday, I took the kids on a train ride to Fort Worth Stockyards. We ended up having to wait for over an hour to leave because of a freight train clogging up the tracks, but it was worth the wait. This was a really old train and it took us down to where they still have a cattle run daily. We had some lunch, saw all the real cowboys and then headed back to Grapevine. Davis was in heaven and basically bouncing off the walls all afternoon. The normally quiet little boy was wild! We're guessing that he really liked it.

On Sunday, Dave and Jackson headed off to the Cowboys game and I was going to take the little kids to the zoo. As we were walking out of the hotel, Davis started puking and continued through breakfast. What I thought was going to be a fun day wasn't looking so great. We dropped off Dave & Jackson at the stadium and started toward the zoo, looking for a Target or something so I could get Davis some clean clothes. Well, there's nothing in downtown Dallas that closely resembled a Target, so I hoped for something at the zoo, even if it would cost more. Sweet little McCall gave up her stroller to her sick brother and we headed in to the zoo. That day happened to be their "Boo at the Zoo" day and the handed the kids a trick-or-treat bag and a handful of tickets. Davis continued to play dead until after the first treat station where McCall turned in one of her tickets for a candy bar. All of a sudden, he thought he felt good enough to sit up and participate. One more stop for treats and he was all better, running from station to station collecting as many treats as he could. Thanks to Dallas Zoo for curing my sick child!

The boys had a blast at the Cowboys game until it took me an hour and a half to figure out a way to pick them up. The police had blocked off every road getting anywhere near the stadium, making it impossible for me to get to them. After being yelled at, flipped off and sworn at, I was in tears. Just when I was ready to give up, they opened a road into the parking lot and we were able to find each other and rush off to the airport.

But, in keeping in line with the way my day had gone, our flight was overbooked by 4 people. After some discussion, we decided it was worth the free flights, hotel, etc. for me to stay with Davis and McCall and take a flight home on Monday. It actually ended up a little better, because for the first time on our trip, I got to bed before midnight! Dave & Jackson continued home (despite Jackson's begging to stay) so that Jackson could get back to school Monday and Dave could relieve our babysitters. The rest of us got home about noon on Monday after flying all over the country to get here.


This was a one of the funnest (I know it's not really a word) trips we've taken. So many thanks go out to Aubrey & Britton for taking such good care of the kids we left home. They had so much fun and were well cared for. Thanks to Kim & Chet for taking the kids to church with them and always letting my kids be a part of their family. Only a parent knows how valuable it is to have someone else that will love your kids when you can't be there.

21 Friends

As many of you know, Seth has a great love and adoration for money. He is our little entrepreneur, always looking for ways to make money. He's proposed getting different jobs and starting his own little businesses only to be shot down by his mother. It's very cute, but he does take it to an extreme at times. Keep in mind that he's only 6.

Well, tonight he came to Dave for some help. He keeps his money in a little Spiderman wallet he got at a friend's birthday party. The only problem is that there isn't any way to keep change in it. This never used to bother him because, as he said, "I don't like change." Until we finally explained that if he had enough change, he could trade it for dollars. Dollars speak to him. So, up he comes to Dave with a handful of change and his long forgotten piggy bank. "Can you help me put these in my bank?" he says to Dave. "Money is my friend. Look," he says as he holds open his hands, "I have 21 friends." Dave couldn't help but laugh as they counted the 21 coins into the piggy bank.

Sometimes I worry that he loves money too much, but with the crappy economy and our retirement fund shrinking, maybe I should encourage him. He may be the next Donald Trump. He may be our retirement.

Making Progress

Several of you have asked how my weight loss plan is going, so I thought I'd give you an update. It's been 3 weeks since I started and I've officially lost 10 pounds. Most days are pretty good, but the hard ones are really bad. I'm mostly satisfied with the foods I'm eating, but sometimes I just want a yummy treat. (Brownies, sugar cookies, M&M's, onion rings and chips & salsa top the list.) I haven't cheated at all (Yeah me!) but I sure want to some days. I think this is the longest I have ever gone without sugar. I have more energy and generally feel a lot better. The bummer part is that I still have a lot to lose and looking forward over the next couple of months and all of the holidays and yummy foods just makes me sad. I haven't decided exactly what my final goal weight is, I have more of a range. We'll see how strong I can stay and how far I can get without it being absolutely horrible. I just wish I had more time to exercise and speed things up. Between dance lessons, helping at the school and trying to get everything done before kids get home, I haven't done so well and I'm one that will only exercise in the mornings. I get too worn out by the end of the day and I hate to take a shower only to get sweaty again. The kids have a long weekend so maybe I'll be able to get going again.

Porter Party

Spencer's best little buddy, Porter, got to stay with us this weekend while his mom & dad went to a retreat. He's such a good little boy that I never mind having him here. Yesterday, they got into the Halloween box with all of the old costumes and found something for everyone to dress up in. They ran around in costumes for most of the afternoon. What's sad is that Halloween is still 4 weeks away.
This morning, we had a little role reversal. I took Spencer, Seth and Porter to Home Depot for the Kids Club project and Dave stayed home to watch the little kids and make cookies. He never complains about making cookies though, because he gets to eat more dough that way. I'm always kicking him out of the kitchen when I make them. But I have to because he seriously eats a dozen cookies worth of dough! I wish I was a foot taller and could do that with out looking like a blimp when I was done.

The boys had a lot of fun and are begging to go back next month. They have all carried their fire trucks that they built around all day and say it is their favorite toy. Seth was my big surprise. He did quite well, working quickly and building like he does it all the time. Maybe we've found a new talent of his?

And, of course, once he was done, he had to go talk with the lady in charge and explain how to build one and what all of the different parts are. He has always liked to talk to adults and will carry on a conversation with a complete stranger for several minutes. And heaven forbid they should respond to him because that just fuels him on. I probably could have left for an hour and he wouldn't have even cared. Not like my girls that panic if I go out to get the mail without promising I'm coming right back.

They wanted in on the dress-up party too. This is what I came home to...

I WANT CHOCOLATE!!!!!

I've finally gotten to a point that I'm sick and tired of being fat. I am disgusted every time I see myself in the mirror or in pictures. I know how the weight came on - each pregnancy gave me 5 pounds (except Seth, he gave me 10) and then I turned 40. Everyone warned me that they immediately gained 5-10 pounds once they turned 40, but I was sure that wouldn't happen to me. Guess what...It did. So now I find myself, a nauseating 35 pounds heavier than 10 years ago when we got married. Now, as much as I would love to have a 20-something body, I do realize that I don't, and sadly, it will never be back. But that doesn't mean that I have to stay fat, either.

So, last week I started the South Beach diet. I've done it before, but have never had the willpower to stay on it longer than a week. But this time is going to be different. For starters, I'm now telling all of you what I'm doing, so if I fail, everyone will know. But more than that, I have to lose some of this weight. I hate my body and can't stand to see it. I'm embarrassed to go anywhere and see people that knew a thinner me. Dave and I are going on a cruise for our 10th anniversary and I don't want him to have to go with a pudgy wife.

I'm on day #9 of Phase 1, for those of you that know about the diet. Most of my cravings for sweets have disappeared, but I miss having treats. It's so hard to live in a house full of kids and a husband that like cookies, chips & treats and not eat anything. I have had NO sugar, NO breads and NO fruit. I love eating more healthy, but I hate not being able to eat whatever sounds good. I'm having to cook 2 dinners every night (one for me and one for everyone else), but they are very yummy dinners. With it being summer, the fresh veggies are so good and I really enjoy them. They would just taste better with a little butter on them and some ice cream to follow. The closest thing I've had to a dessert is a bowl of sugar-free jello. Better than nothing, but not exactly a gooey fudge brownie. I have 5 more days until I can add in a whole grain and a fruit each day and I'm so looking forward to it. You know it's bad when an apple becomes a treat to look forward to. If I can stay strong, it will be at least a month or 2 before I have a treat I really like, but having a body I like is more important to me.

I guess I'm just rambling on because I can't eat and type at the same time and hopefully by telling you all, I'll have greater success. As of Monday, I have lost 6 pounds and have another 20 to go. I'm excited to get to where I'm happier with my reflection even though I do so miss my chocolate.

What Did You Say???

Everyone knows that kids say the darndest things. Mine are no exception. Here's a few of the latest ones around here.

Today at McDonald's when I asked Seth what he wanted to drink he replied, "I'll take care of that."

Every Sunday at church Tiara asks if she can have fruit snacks after the "snack-a-mint" (sacrament).

Last night I told the kids they were having their favorite babysitter. Tiara asked if Daddy was staying too. When I said no, she said, "Daddy's not big enough?"

Davis calls mac & cheese "macky-cheese", pizza "peepuz", marshmallows "smashmallows", and Seth "Fess".

The kids have been off-track and whenever I've told Seth to sleep in, he replies, "I want to sleep out." (wake up early)

I know there's lots more, but that's all I can think of now.