The Robe

This past weekend, we went to visit my brother and his family in Tulsa. My parents came too and we had a great time. Our favorite thing to do, of course, was to investigate the hotel rooms. Much to our delight we discovered clean plush robes. Boy, were we excited about the ROBES! We each slipped on the robe and were swept away into luxury.

Here is Brett engaged in casual conversation sporting complete comfort.
CHEERS!

Wilson was a little reluctant at first, but once he put on the ROBE--look out Donald Trump. Work it baby!

Maisy with the POUTY LOOK.
We even got Grammy and Grandpa involved.
Here's Grandpa just glancing over the room service menu in his ROBE. He's deciding between caviar or sushi.

To answer everyone's undying question: No. We did not slip the ROBES into our suitcases. But, we sure had fun wearing them.

Sister Sympathy

The other night, Wilson was complaining about not feeling well. He sat on the couch and moaned a little bit. Then he went up and got his Pooh Blanket. He moaned a little more with a little "I don't feel good" inserted in. He asked that I cover him up with his blanket and so I got him all tucked in.
Maisy came in and saw Wilson in his condition and became concerned.

Maisy: "Wilson, you okay?"

Wilson: "No, Maisy. I don't feel good."

Maisy: "Oh. I sorry. I don't feel good too."

I could tell this really frustrated Wilson. How could anyone possibly understand how he felt right now?!

Wilson: "Maisy! Do all your body parts hurt like mine do?! I don't think so!!"

Maisy: "Yes. My bum hurts."

Wilson: "If your bum hurts, that just means you have to go to the bathroom!"

Maisy: "No."

Wilson: "Yes it does. Just go potty and you'll be fine."

Maisy: "No." So, Maisy did her best to share sympathy with Wilson. Miraculously both sick children were cured of ALL AILMENTS when I suggested a snack. Thank goodness.

Lazy Summer Days

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days. We just haven't had that much going on. For us, this summer has been like ice cream churning, maple syrup, and Heinz ketchup--slow and sweet. Once it stopped raining, we decided to spend more time at our neighborhood pool.
Those swimming lessons have totally been worth the money for Wilson. He would have NEVER jumped off the side before the lessons. He just keeps getting better at swimming every time we go to the pool.
Here is Maisy doing what she does best--lounging by the pool and sporting her tan. She really has quite the tan lines. Wilson on the other hand, has maintained the brilliant white shade that we love so much. It's so bright and brilliant that he actually glows in the sun.
We've also had a great time making new friends this summer. Hope ya'll are having a FUN and LAZY summer too!

Not Until Now

We have a continuous game going on at our house. It is so fun that Brett is thinking of turning it into a children's book someday. It's called "Not Until Now."

The premise is quite simple. One participant asks another if they have ever seen something silly or incredible. Hopefully the question rhymes and portrays a unique and silly visual image. (Example: Have you ever seen a deer taste a root beer?) The other participants in chorus style chime in with, "Not until now!" It is then the next person's turn to come up with his own splendid statement. The game continues until a child falls asleep or a parent's pateince wears thin.

Here is an excerpt from Brett's soon-to-be-published tome:

Have you ever seen Maisy turn into a daisy?

Not until now!

Have you ever seen a shark play a song in the dark?

(Everybody together!)

Not until now!!

Have you ever seen a stool make a girl feel so cool?

(You know what to do)

NOT UNTIL NOW!

Have you ever seen a sock that was a trusty mop? (That almost rhymes)

NOT UNTIL NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have you ever seen a baby who was a crazy lady?

Not until what?

NOT UNTIL NOW

And finally,

Have you ever seen a smile make you laugh for a while?

That's right, make this your best one . . .

NOT UNTIL NOW!!

The little holes in my nose...

At breakfast the other morning, I turned to get Wilson some milk and when I turned back around...I had THIS staring at me. I gasped and said in a shout whipser, "No no, Maisy! That's dangerous! Take it out. But wait--let me take a picture first!"
What is SO fascinating about those TWO little holes in our nose? Children all over the world either have stuck something up their nose, are about to stick something up their nose, or are seriously thinking about sticking something up their nose.

This incident reminded me of a very intense situation we had in our household when I was growing up. One afternoon (it was probably a Sunday afternoon because that is when we always got into trouble), my older brother Jaron and my younger brother Cameron where messing around as usual. Their *messing around* always consisted of Jaron kindly torturing Cameron, yet making him feel like he was having fun. My sister and I were not really paying attention until we heard hysterical cries from Cameron. Apparently Jaron had stuck a popcorn kernel up Cameron's nose. He had convinced Cameron that it would be cool to stick it up there and then blow it out. Well, the problem was that Cameron became too hysterical to actually blow the kernel out. All I remember is Jaron yelling, "Cameron! JUST BLOW IT OUT!" Then Cameron would whimper, try to blow it out and then suck the kernel farther up his nose--then more hysterics. It was a vicious cycle. Luckily, we did not have to go to the hospital. Hey! Whatever happened to that kernel?

It is not always food that is curiously stuck up the nose. My brother, Jaron, tells a story about his son, beads, and THE FASCINATION. His daughter Cozy and his son Luke were cleaning up a bracelet that had broken and scattered all over the floor. Jaron checked on his children to make sure they were picking up the pieces and he found Luke hunched in the corner. "Luke! You are suppose to be helping your sister clean up." He frightenly looked at his father and said, "Well...but...it's just that...I can't get this bead out of my nose"--whimper whimper. Jaron grabbed Luke's head. Sure enough, it was a good ways up the nose; just far enough up the nasal passage that he nor anyone non-medical could attempt to reach it. They were not so fortunate and had to visit the ER that evening.

I think just about everyone has a heightened object-up-the-nose story. Any good ones out there?

4th of July

We had a fun-filled festive 4th of July this year. Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays, so we like to celebrate big...HUGE.

The Fire Department held their 1st annual 4th of July pancake breakfast. They were trying to raise money for new equipment. They were expecting about 75 people to show up. They under estimated slightly; that many people showed up in the first hour.
Here's our friend Cody Boren. He's the EMT Captain for the department. (He is actually in the bishopric in our ward at church.) He was very busy that morning cooking up pancakes. Let's just say he was on fire!
However, he did take some time to show us around the FIRE ENGINE.
We certainly hope that this breakfast becomes a tradition for Melissa because we had a blast.
Nothing says the 4th of July like LLAMAS on parade! After the pancake breakfast we went to the Melissa 4th of July parade. It started at 11:00 am and ended at 11:13 am. We loved it! And the llamas loved us, because they couldn't stop staring at us.Wilson and Maisy had a great time waving to all the parade participants. In fact, at one point, Wil with his hands full of goodies said, "Here, Dad, hold this stuff. I gotta wave!" We decided to cool off after the parade, so we went swimming with our friends the Hopewells.
Once it started cooling off a little bit (85 degrees down to about 75 degrees) we headed off the the Frisco Freedom Festival. They had tons of games and booths. A lot of the restaurants came out to advertise their food.
But the whole reason we came was for the fireworks show. I LUV FIREWORKS! It is not the 4th unless I see GRANDE fireworks.
I have always loved fireworks ever since I was a little girl. I think I'm bestowing it upon my children. Wilson said his favorite fireworks were the big ones that exploded into many colors. Maisy loved the green glittery star ones. I, of course, love the purple and gold ones (as pictured above.)

We had a spectacular day. Happy 4th of July!

A Forever Family

I LOVE a summer evening with no plans but hangin' out with my family.

Sometimes when I stop and REALLY think about it, I'm totally blown away at how much I just love sitting around playing UNO with my sweet little family.
We are SO blessed to be together...
for this life and for eternity...

This post is dedicated to Elijah Frederick Sorensen: March 15, 2007-June 30, 2007. We all loved you so much and you will be missed.And to Quincy, one of my best friends: You are a wonderful mother. I don't think I'd be the same person if I had not know you. You are an inspiration to us all. I love YOU!

Resturant Review: Scotty P's

On Saturday we went to Scotty P's for dinner. It is located on the north side of El Dorado and Craig. It's right there in that strip with Old Navy and Famous Footwear.

This is a BANG-UP burger joint, BABY. I should know because burgers happen to be one of my favorite foods. (Nothing like a good burger, cheesy fries, with a shake on the side.)
The atmosphere is fun and friendly, which allows children to be their riotous selves.
They have this wall of colored pictures right as you walk in. The kids thought it was fantastic. They were so inspired to color their own pictures in hopes that it would be displayed on the wall along with the others.
Here is Wilson working HARD to create a masterpiece.
Here is Maisy working not quite as hard on her picture. She was a little distracted.

Okay, now to the food. Yum is the best word I can use to describe these cheeseburgers. We loved the freshly grated cheddar cheese piled high on each perfectly cooked, juicy burger. Brett got the Barbecue Cheeseburger, of course, which Maisy eagerly shared with him.
Personally, my favorite part was the CHEESY FRIES! They are made with real cheese--not the processed psuedo nacho cheese. They are so good they had to name them Cardiac Fries.

Maisy agreed. She licked the bowl clean. It's a dangerous combination for her: french fries AND cheese.

We would definitely recommend Scotty P's to one and all. We think Scotty P's potentially has the best burgers in McKinney. What do you think?