In 83 days...

Think the movie Cocktail- with the young Tom Cruise.

"Aruba, Jamaica, Oooh I wanna take ya to Bermuda, BAHAMA, come on pretty mamma. To Key Largo, Montego, Baby why don't we go down to Kokomo......"

Before I was old enough to see the movie, I had the movie Soundtrack on Cassette. It was completely worn out. By the time I was a teenager, I would hear this song and think to myself.... "One day, I want to say I've gone to at least one of those awesome places on this song."

In 83 days, I will not be here. I will not be at my desk (working or playing). I will not be doing laundry. Or dishes. Or cleaning. I will not be cooking either. I won't even be in my house. I will not be stressed. Or worried about anything that is our krazy life. I won't even be in Arkansas.
I will be in Florida boarding a cruise ship to the BAHAMAS!
That's right!! We are going on a REAL vacation. For the first time since our honeymoon.
The reason for this trip is to celebrate 10 YEARS OF MARRIAGE!!! To the most wonderful husband in the universe, I might add.
We are even taking our kids along on this trip, which I know will be wonderful. You should've seen their faces when we told them! They're a little confused though, they think the Bahamas is in Florida! I need to get out that globe that MeMe and PaPa got Braden for Christmas and give a little geography lesson, I think!

We got a great deal on the trip and we are all over the moon excited about it. Probably me more than anyone else, but I've been dreaming about a great vacation for so long!!

I am so thankful to be able to be planning this. And I'm also sore because I'm back on my hard-core diet and excersise plan. Started yesterday. Today, Day 2... I've already got my 1 1/2 hr work out in. Had my healthy breakfast. Now all I need is a hot bath to ease some of this soreness! Ah, perhaps after I get a few hours worth of work done I can. I am determined to lose those last 15-20 lbs of the baby weight I've been trying to get off-for almost 3 years! I have almost 3 months. I think I can do it!
83 days and counting!!!!!!!!!!!

Fun Long Weekend

We started off our week of Spring Break with a bang! We picked up the boys from school about 1/2 hour early and we headed to Tulsa. We had so much fun there last summer that we have been wanting to go again. We chose to go back in the Spring this time because last year, July was SO hot that we didn't get to see lots of the animals at the zoo. Our plan paid off! We had so much fun!
We stayed at the Radisson again so we could take advantage of the indoor water park.

Gracie LOVED going down this slide! It took her a bit to warm up to it, but by Saturday night, she was going down it over and over and over and over... my back was cramping up as I bent over and watched her come down all those times!

Rhett was running around that place like a little wild man! He tried everything at least 10 times. Here he is shooting the water gun at people.

Braden spent most of his time going across the floating discs with the rope bridge. He made it across several times.

We went to the zoo on Saturday and Sunday. We all had a great time, as usual. We even bought a family pass for the rest of the year. They were running a special and it was actually cheaper to buy a pass than it was to pay for all of us to get in 2 days. Now we can go anytime we want for free! (If we have a whole day and plenty of gas, that is!)

It was quite a bit colder than we expected on Saturday. It was supposed to be 68 degrees. Turns out, it never got above 53 degrees and it was cloudy and windy and even rainy most of the day. We all had jackets, but the short pants were probably not that great of an idea! Rhett and Gracie stayed covered up in the wagon most of the time when we were outside, so they were fine.

We hit the carousel pretty early in on in our day at the zoo. Otherwise, we knew we'd hear Gracie crying about it all day!



Braden and Daddy checking out the Elephants.

Jason took the kids in to pet the Aldabra Tortoises and watch them eat. They ranged in age from 70-100 years old. The boys were amazed by that!

Looking at the giraffe. Gracie wanted to be sure and climb on the fence just like her big brothers!


Playing on the playground after lunch.








Our Little Monkeys!




Saturday, the weather was MUCH nicer. It warmed up to 78 degrees and was sunny by the time we left that afternoon!
Here's the kids on the first picture of the day at the entrance to the zoo.

Rhett got to ride a camel!

We rode the train right away in the morning before it got too busy.


The boys wanted to take a picture with the water fountain to replicate a picture like this that we took of Braden at the Baton Rouge Zoo back in 2004.


The boys wanted to hold the big Lion!!


Here's Braden at his favorite exhibit. The Amazon Rainforest. He did a project on this habitat earlier in the school year and it was super neat to see some of those things he studied in real life!

Here's the last shot at the zoo. Our Krazy Monkey Family!!

Back at the Water Park... we closed the place down 2 nights in a row!!



On Monday before heading home, we took the kids to the Incredible Pizza Company for some fun and some lunch. We had a great time. (And were ALL ready for some major naps by the time we were done and we hit the road... Alas, Gracie was the only one who slept, the boys should have but refused and the ones who wanted naps most didn't get one, as usual... Mamma and Daddy!)

Braden was "so close" to a hole in one!

Rhett got a hole in one on hole #7!!!!!!!


Braden posing by the mini replica of the Texas Cadillac Ranch on the mini golf course.


Gracie riding the dinosaur on the mini golf course


Gracie got to ride this little train all by herself. She thought she was big stuff!


Giddy Up, Rhett! Ride 'Em Cowboy! YeeeeHaaaawwww!!!


Braden and Gracie playing Alien Stomp. Kind of like Dance Dance Revolution, but they had to stomp on little green aliens on the tv screen on the floor. Super fun!


We had SO much fun! Jason and I have decided that life would be much easier if we could take a little trip like this once a month. Yeah right, if only!!!!!

Oh, Gracie!

So last night, I was wiped out. Jason didn't get home until almost 9:00 and days are always longer when my helpmate isn't home to help.
About 2 minutes before I was going to go to bed, Gracie came into the living room and told me she made a mess.
She had been playing with her puzzles in her room, so I figured she meant that she had mixed up all the pieces again.
Oh, if it could've been that easy.
I was horrified when I walked in to the room to find this:











As you can see, she scattered baby powder all over almost every square inch and possession in that room.
It took Jason and I over 30 minutes to clean it all up. She was in her crib watching us the whole time and after getting punished and watching us clean it up the whole time, I think she understood that she did wrong.
Here's her pathetic little sad face...

And for the record, I was too mad to take these pictures, but Daddy thought it was pretty funny and made sure to capture them. I'm glad he did.
And another thing, can you get high off of huffing baby powder? Seriously..... We were both getting light headed in there! We opened the window and turned on the fan, but we still didn't let Gracie sleep in there. You know, since my middle name is Paranoid and all...