Thankful Thursday - 8/27/09

Wow, it's Thursday again! Time just blows by doesn't it? I'm glad to be taking the opportunity to consider more deeply the things in my life that put a smile on my face. I hope you've been inspired to do the same.

This week I'm thankful for:

- Witnessing the marriage of my cousin Shaina and her new husband Andy. I have a theory about weddings...if the groom cries while saying his vows....the marriage will weather whatever life brings the couple. Andy cried :)

- My friend Susan. She is an amazing cook and fellow foodie and always introduces me to new and yummy things. My lovehandles fear her but my mouth loves her dearly.

- Sabra brand hummus. Specifically the roasted garlic variety. This is the hummus that hummus-haters love. Try some, it'll change your life.



- Getting the opportunity to see Poison and Def Leppard at Fiddler's Green, and for my awesome brother and his fiance' for organizing the outing. I can't believe that as a teen it was my dream to marry Bret Michaels....YIKES!!!

- Unanswered prayers. I don't think I would weather life as Mrs. Bret Michaels very well.

- Two babies that sleep the night!! Hallalujah!

- Sunday afternoon "Italian supper" at my parents house. One of my favorite childhood memories is the enormous Sunday suppers we had at my Nana and Papa's farm. Now my babies get to have Sunday spaghetti suppers with their Nana and Papa.


Hope you are having a blessed week and a Thankful Thursday,
Kristen

Hello? Waternoose?!

Last night, Annalise picked up her Daddy's cell phone and began an interesting dialogue.

"Hello? Waternoose?! Why you put Michael in time out? He's scared out there!"

For those of you that have no idea what she was talking about, let me introduce Michael (aka Mike Wazowski)........



Mike is her favorite character from the movie, Monsters Inc.

I had to think a bit to understand where she was going with the "Why you put Michael in time-out? He's scared out there!" Then it dawned on me. In one of the more suspenseful scenes, it is revealed that Mr. Waternoose (the CEO of Monsters Inc.) is actually a bad guy, and in an attempt to cover his evil plot, exiles Mike and Sully to the frigid and snowy Himalayan mountains. There they meet up with the also exiled, and incredibly charming, Abominable Snowman. At this point in the movie, Mike is hysterically ranting about how his life has been ruined and he is doomed to a life of frigid misery with nothing to eat but yellow snowcones, yes I said yellow snowcones, interpret that however you wish.



I love that my sweet little girl is concerned about Mike's well-being.

I love that my sweet little girl responds so well to time-outs. Just the mention of time-out immediately remedies the situation.

Being the science-minded nerd that I am, I ponder....1) if Annalise thinks time-out for Mike is scary and 2) Annalise responds in a New York minute to the words "time-out", then 3) Annalise must equate time-out with snowy exile with a monster and a diet consisting of bodily fluids!!! Am I scarring her for life and paving the road for lots of high dollar trips to a therapist to undo the damage that I've inflicted to her psyche?

Hopefully not. And if someday she should need to revisit this topic with her therapist, I'd like for her to know that I'd eat a truckload of yellow snow before I'd ever do anything to intentionally harm her, and that exile to the Himalaya's is simply out of the question. Period. No matter what she does. Ever.

Because, I love her more than there are stars in the sky and fishes in the sea.

Thankful Thursday - and it's actually Thursday!

How did it get to be Thursday already? And how is it that I've been doing laundry since Monday morning and am still not finished??!! Oh well, I'm celebrating because today I know what day of the week it is and I remembered to do my Thankful Thursday!

This week I'm thankful for:

- Sprayway glass cleaner. The stuff is awesome and makes the kitchen smell oh so clean.

- Costco and Sam's Club. I don't know how I'd survive if I couldn't buy diapers by the truckload.

- The six hours of uninterrupted sleep that I got last night.....woohoo....it's been 9 months since we've slept that long.

- Spanx. No further explanation necessary, thank you very much!

- Getting to spend a couple of days in Trinidad visiting with Aunt Josephine and Uncle Jerry. We love and miss you guys!

- Karma.

- Our patio. We eat dinner out there most nights and eating outside feels like a mini-vacation to me.

- My washing machine!


Happy Thursday and I hope you all have much to be thankful for,
Kristen

Orlando - Part Deux

Before you get to the second half of the Orlando pictures, I wanted to share a couple of travel tips if you should ever frequent our travel route.

- I wouldn't recommend the Hard Rock Hotel. It's run down, kinda dirty, and customer service is blah for the most part. If you want to stay at a Universal property, pick the Portofino Bay Hotel.

- If you do stay at the Hard Rock Hotel, don't rent the cabana's by the pool. They aren't worth the money.....again, dirty....it is still blistering hot in them and there are so many trees around the pool area that there is plenty of free shade to be had.

- If you are going to spend much time at Universal Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios, I would HIGHLY recommend getting an Express Pass. You get them for free if you stay at a Universal property or you can purchase one at the park if you stay at a different property. All of the rides have an Express pass line that is significantly shorter than the other line......this will spare you HOURS of standing in line.

- Islands of Adventure is opening a Harry Potter section of the park. Hogwarts was under construction while we were there...it looked AMAZING!! Don't miss that!

- The Hard Rock (and possibly the other Universal Hotels) have a "concierge floor". Ask for a room there if they are available. It will cost you about $15 bucks a night more than a room on any other floor, but they have a continental breakfast, snacks during the day, appetizers in the evening, and milk and cookies at bedtime. All free. This includes sodas, milk and alcohol....this saved us gobs of money!

- Don't go in late July/August. TOO HOT!




Monkey business.



Thing 1 and Thing 2 at the entrance to Seussland.



McElligot's Pool was sooo cool (Seussland makes you want to rhyme!)



Lovin' on the Thing dolls.



Annalise loved to ride on Trev's shoulders. EVERYTIME she got up she had to put her hands over his eyes. He was such a good sport!



Riding the Cat in the Hat....ahhh...air conditioning!



Providing cover for Bart....



Busted!!!



You really didn't expect me to pass up the gratuitous cheesy tourist photo did you?



The cutest Thing 2 I've ever seen.



Chillin' like a rockstar.



Finally!! It only took 6 days of pleading before we broke down and got Trev a turkey leg.



Ian's first swim!



Ian's first ride on "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish". See him in between Nana and Papa sucking away on his fingers?



Sea World, definitely the highlight of the trip for Annalise. She is still fascinated with fish.



But, lunch with the sharks was not a hit. About 15 minutes in, she was scared of the "big teef" and sat on Daddy's lap for the rest of lunch.



Shamu!!



Feeding the stingrays....see him in the water taking the food out of her hand...eeeww!



Riding the kiddie version of the "Tower of Doom". She looks scared but ended up loving it and wanting to ride again.



The night before we headed home. We are in front of the replica of Portofino Bay at the Portofino Bay hotel....it was very cool!

Happy future travels,
Kristen

Orlando - not Tony, the Destination

Ah yes, it was time for the Ault family vacation. Every other summer we try to take the family somewhere "away" from all that is familiar in our everyday lives. Sounds fun and easy and exciting, right? Well, kind of. Planning vacation time for our crew is a task that is seemingly equivalent to reforming healthcare. Having to juggle Brian's work schedule, Zach's baseball schedule, Trev's band schedule, the vacation time the boys have with their mom, and my parent's schedule is a task not for the faint of heart. Once we finally nailed down the dates, we let the boys take the reigns on deciding what to do.....


They elected to "relive the best vacation they ever had". See, when they were 6 and 7, Dad took them to Orlando. They stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel and went to Universal Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. They still talk regularly of the fun things they encountered on that trip and were REALLY excited to do it all again. Me, with my mental telepathy, was slightly less than confident that this trip could live up to their memory. See, I've been there and I'm sure most of you have as well. Isn't it strange how our mind's eye remembers things from the early parts of our lives, then when we revisit those places later in our lives we are somewhat saddened that it's "just not like we remember". Plus, I was thinking Orlando in August........seriously........with two babies...........are you mad??!! Yes, they were. They know it now too. It's nice when the universe reveals to teenagers that their parents aren't the complete idiots they believe us to be :)

So, this year we went to Orlando, stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel, visited Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios, and squeezed a day in at Sea World. Yes, I know what you are saying.....NO DISNEY??!! And yes, I couldn't agree with you more. How you can go to Orlando and not want to do Disney is truly beyond me. It's unnatural. It's like oil and vinegar....it just doesn't work.....unless you're making salad dressing that is. But, I guess teenage boys don't think Disney is cool. Universal has Spiderman, Hulk, Superman, guy stuff, and Disney is for "little kids". Our two little ones are small enough that they will have little to no memory of this trip, so I conceded my desires for breakfast with Mickey, knowing that we can hopefully take that trip in the future. To Universal's credit, they do have a great area of the park called Seussland that caters to the little folk and they have done a lovely job. It was like walking into a Dr. Seuss book....if I only had packed my fishing pole I would have headed down to McElligot's Pool.

We have tons of pics and I haven't yet sorted through all of them, but here are some of my favorites so far.



A lesson in aerodynamics from the two-year-old prior to boarding the plane.



Our little man's first plane ride. Yes we feed him Starburst, don't all parents? Just kidding!



He got his flight wings and a tour of the cockpit.



Dinner at "The Kitchen". Home of the best Mac N' Cheese ever. I think Zach ate this pasta yumminess 4 times while we were there.



Papa and Bart. Bart scared the babies. Bart scares me.



Look, it's Brett Favre!!! Not really, it's my handsome hubby, but several people mistook him for the Wrangler wearing QB. Several people mistook me for Shamu...



Papa and Nana in front on the Hard Rock Guitar fountain.



If only they made strollers in my size I would have followed little man's lead....except I probably would suck my thumb.



The children that won't nap at home slept in the theme parks....I guess the trick is 104 degree temps with 100% humidity.



Papa in his element. He is THE Colorado Parrothead.



Trev's face says it all. He was a HAPPY boy!



Zach's "Thing" impersonation :)

Thankful Thursday - The Monday Edition

Okay, okay.....I forgot on Thursday, and Friday....and Saturday.....I remembered on Sunday but didn't get to it until now. I am having some brain malfunction issues lately. Thankful Thursday was only one of the casualties.

I packed up my family and took them to Grand Junction for the Palisade Peach Festival (hubby had to go for work, but I made it a family get-away weekend). My darling husband even had roses in our hotel room when I got there to celebrate the occasion (I have wanted to go for several years and we never seem to make it.) But, the Palisade Peach Festival is next weekend.

Last night, I was unpacking our bags and discovered that my bottle of conditioner exploded all over my husband's duffel bag and shaving kit. Being the doting wife I am, I wanted to get that cleaned up in a jiffy, so I threw it in the washing machine. Good wife, check. Later, "Honey, have you seen my phone charger?" Nope, sorry, I haven't. The phone charger was later discovered in the washing machine along with gooey Q-tips and some other random, unidentifiable items. Water was oozing out of it and his work phone (which is capable of launching a space shuttle) is now in need of a new charger. I guess I missed a pocket....

So, my point is, I forgot about Thankful Thursday....but it could have been much worse.

Thankful Thursday - The Monday Edition

• I'm thankful for sidewalk chalk. My hubby and daughter love to draw on the basketball court together. I have watched a lovely bond take shape between them.

• I'm thankful for the night out we had with some friends on Friday. It has been over 3 years since we spent time with other adults, sans the bambinos.
  

• I'm thankful for my kind-hearted, good-natured, forgiving husband that just laughs when I haul the family 4 hours away for a Peach festival on the wrong weekend and/or wash his phone charger.

• I'm thankful for books on tape (I guess CD is more accurate). They make a road trip so much fun.

• I'm thankful that the junk food purchased at gas stations on road trips is calorie-free....it is, honest. My momma told me so, and we all know that if your momma says it, it's true!
  

• I'm thankful for Palisade Peaches. They are AMAZING! Eat one, they'll change your life.

• I'm thankful for certain types of family stressors. There are the kind that drive a wedge and there are the kind that draw together. I'm thankful for the kind that draw us together.

• I'm thankful for the occurrences in my life, good and bad, that remind me that I have been entrusted with such precious people to nurture and protect.

Happy Thursday, errrr, I mean Monday :)

Applesauce and Flamingos

There are some things about having a two-year-old that are challenging, I'm not gonna lie. But, there are some things that make it all worth while. This is one of them.

Yesterday, my sweet daughter was sitting on the kitchen counter "helping" me make dinner. This is a fairly normal occurrence. She decided to drift away from her responsibilities (sticking every clean utensil in my utensil jar into the salad dressing) and open the cabinet door where I keep Ian's baby food. Then like such a grown up she placed her hand under her chin and used her index finger to stroke the side of her mouth (like she was REALLY pondering her findings). Then she said "Hmmmm, what do we have here? (pause) Applesauce and Flamingos!!! (much excitement)". Funny, right? Well it gets better. She took me by such surprise and I found it so humorous that I couldn't help but to laugh out loud (I try not to make a habit out of laughing at her). She then turned to me with a scrunched up nose and her finger pointed at me and said "No Mama, you not laugh at my flamingos!" with so much authority in her voice that I felt like I was being scolded by a teacher.




(I had no video or picture of this little scene, but this look is fairly similar to the one she threw my way)

Have a blessed day everyone! And happy flamingo hunting, you never know where one may pop up....

West Star Wilderness - We Love You!

I love West Star Wilderness. It has changed my life. It has changed Trev's life for the moment and hopefully for a long time to come. I guess I should provide some background to clear up my ramblings.

Trev is the younger of our two older kiddos (that sounds confusing, doesn't it?). He is the chocolate to his older brother's vanilla....literally. Those boys really couldn't be much more different. One of the obvious differences is in their extracurricular activities. Zach is the baseball player and Trev is the soulful musician. Typically, our summers are dominated with Zach's baseball and the rest of our clan gets to tag along to his activities. Dad was absolutely set on finding something just for Trev this summer, something he didn't have to share with his brother, something to reinforce our love for him as he begins high school and navigates all of the insecurities and stresses of teenagerhood. After much searching and consultation, Dad found West Star Wilderness http://weststarwilderness.com/. It was a five day hiking and camping trip in the Rocky Mountains. Up to twelve kiddos set out with a group of adult counselors and nothing other than the packs on their backs. The goal is for the kids to build relationships with others and gain a sense of accomplishment. Good stuff. And this is RIGHT up Trev's alley, he loves outdoors, camping, "roughing it". I was hoping that it would be a positive experience for Trev, but I didn't forsee the positive for our family. We set out to give Trev a gift, and true to the wisdom of the ages, "when you give, you get". Our gift to Trev turned out to be such a blessing to our family.

When Trev got home last Friday, we heard his fun stories of the amazing scenery they saw and the friends that he made, some of the low-points (dehydrated food, outdoor bathroom challenges), but what I didn't expect was the change in his view of our family. He could not stop gushing about how much he missed us, about how much he appreciates my cooking and all of the things we do for him, how much he loves us and in particular, his baby sister and brother. He immediately started helping me out with little things around the house that I usually have to solicit help with. Then we headed out for Orlando the next morning and I noticed that throughout the duration of our trip Trev was always searching for a way to help, carrying the diaper bag for me, buckling the babies into the stroller, taking on more of his share of bags when going through security (which is no small task!). Other changes were also evident, he was cognicent of what things cost and kept talking about being less wasteful and spending less money, he blew off the hurts that Zach doled out rather than retaliate. It has been an amazing transformation to witness. I just love the beautiful things that happen to our lives when we stretch outside of our comfort zones.

Thanks West Star for providing Trev with many lovely memories and for returning to us a more compassionate, thoughtful, helpful young man.

Here are some pics Trev took:



Trev and his new friend Chris. They bonded hard and fast.



Trev and his counselors/guides.




Trev and Chris in the shelter they built.




Beautiful scenery. Trev's turning into quite the photographer!




Trev and his favorite counselor, Tim.




Purple mountain majesty.



Self portrait.




The entire gang.