O.k. here we go...Day 2

So on day two of our great spring break vacay we got up and of course took advantage of the hotel's free breakfast.  We loaded up all the kiddies to head off to church. I have a former MOPS mom friend whose family has relocated to Corpus so we joined them at church.  And, by the way who doesn't want to get up each Sunday and go to church just steps from the ocean??  Also, on this particular Sunday their family became members so it was nice to be there for that as well.  After service with a funny pastor (my favorite kind) and a rockin' worship band we headed to lunch at Taco Cabana.  Gotta love lunch on the patio :)  Then we decided some bowling was in order...now we usually go bowling while on vacation only to get whooped by Dad.  This year our wii-athons paid off...I actually won, which never happens YAY! For dinner it was good ol' Denny's for some diner food.  Then we hit the pool and the hot tub for some relaxin'.  We try while at home to make Sundays a relaxed family day....this was a go with the flow kinda day!!

Ready to bowl a strike...

Okay so it's that time of year around here...

Time to tell ya what we did for Spring Break this year...we even borrowed an extra kid to take along for the fun this time.  You either love hearing about vacations/travel or see ya in about two weeks when I am done with these posts LOL :)

Gonna break it up cause it is one: too much for one post and two: too many photos to get in as well, so here we go....

Day 1:

On our first official vacay day we went to the Corpus Christi Science and Natural History Museum (this was picked with the Love Bug in mind since she is our science nut).  There are two replicas of Columbus' ships.  Neat thing we learned is that Spain actually picked Corpus Christi to receive these ships for the museum.  At the time they were built they actually sailed all the way to Corpus from Spain....which I found very cool!

Putting them to work sailing the ship...

We told her this was a boyfriend we would let her take home...lol

This ballroom and ceiling were both awesome so C and D gave it a whirl...

Being beacons of light....

They decided to recreate it....

They got to dress up like birds...they wanted to fly away

Love Bug would have been the Captain for sure...

Just buggin' around....

Myself and my Sweety...we were ready to set sail

Royalty and Explorers..Ta Da

On the poop deck with Dad...

Ride Em' Cowgirls...two look happy the other two are like: Reallly??

The tree was still wider across than all of them...

  So after a fun morning at the museum we decided we were famished so, off to lunch we headed and that in and of itself was an event.  We went to Joe's Crab Shack to get some yummy seafood and because Miss C had never been to one. Taking Miss C on vacation with us provided a van with extra laughter, silly faces for pics, lots of singing from those back seats, and a loads of clapping to the beat.  Had we had the Clapper on us it surely would have been broken.

They wrote on their crab bibs...her's said FEED ME :)

Insert Crab Here.....

I love Joe's legs...

I have crabs.....she did not think that was funny at all (no really she laughed, we told her we were not bringing any Sebastian's home with us in the car)

 After lunch which made us all so full we could barely move we went to play glow in the dark Mini Golf and hit the arcade....lots of giggling in the dark and my favorite ski ball.  Then we finished up the day with dinner at Weinerschneitzel...with chili cheese fries (which the teens are obsessed with) and hot dogs.  We have two rules on vacay...one: have fun and two: if at all possible no eating at places we have at home.

Stay tuned for day two....

Haven't done this one in a while...Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...bright sunshine but, when the wind picks up Brrrr

I am thinking...I need a cup of something warm to sip on

I am thankful...that there are only 9 1/2 days till vacation

In the kitchen...we are having pork tenderloin for dinner

I am wearing...black pants, duck day t-shirt

I am creating...always working on calendar in a box

I am going...nowhere today

I am wondering...not much actually

I am reading...Grace for the Good Girl

I am hoping...to get caught up on my study this week

I am looking forward to...VACATION

I am learning...that it is o.k. if it all doesn't get done

Around the house...need to put my plants out once it warms up some more

I am pondering...what to have for lunch today that is quick and easy

A favorite quote for today...In hard times we learn 3 things: Friends are closer than we knew, family loves us more than we thought, we can be stronger than we EVER imagined! ~Rick Godwin

One of my favorite things...Cranberry Peace Tea

A few plans for the rest of the week: catch up on reading, catch up on online study, catch up on onlne t.v. shows, good scrub down of fridge, casserole dish cabinet organized, animal cages cleaned, chalkboard project to next step after curing

A peek into my day...some reason it won't load at the bottom so my beautiful family is at the top :)

10 things I've always wanted to do that I haven't done (yet)

Number 1:Read the Bible cover to cover

Number 2: Learn a foreign language

Number 3: Taking dance lessons

Number 4: Take in-depth cooking classes

Number 5: Have a girls' only vacay with my Bestie

Number 6: Finish my degree

Number 7: Own my dream car 66' Mustang convertible

Number 8: See all my girls' graduate and head off to the lives of their choosing happy and knowing they were loved well!!

Number 9: Get back to my "fighting weight" and stay there

Number 10: Travel (and the list is LONG) all over with my DS...the traveling done here in the states in an RV home with our dogs :)

Mood: Got a bunch done today so....satisfied
Music: None watching Life Today as I type
Dinner: Mickey D's cause we thought DS was going to practice
Exercise: None today was supposed to rain...they lied
Weather:  Well it acted like it was gonna give us some good rain then it turned into a sunny 78 degree day
Random Thought: Well intentioned people are so sweet and God bless them for sharing their concern, what would I do without those who really want to pour into me??

Normal is....

A face book message from a friend got me thinking...what's normal in our world (as in our family life).  What does normal look like for you??  For us we have things that have to be done every week and then things that are apart of who we are as a family.  I try to keep us on track as far as house upkeep, projects, home work, and socializing for the kiddos.  We have animals that take maintaining which also makes for a good teaching tool for the girls'.  Kids' have youth group each week which is a great infusion to the middle of the week.  DS has praise band practice and of course the occasional extra meeting/event up at the church that he is involved in weekly.  Middle of the week while they are at youth group is either get caught up on a project, girl time with my MIL, maybe a dinner out with a girlfriend, down time cause it's been a busy week, or usually some combo of the above.  Normal for a select period of time right now for me also includes my online Bible study group which has really sparked some great discussions.  I am doing my satellite church on two different campuses because I like them both so much I can't decide on just one.  I listen to my weekly Kay Arthur, Beth Moore, and Joyce Meyer talks which gives me strong ladies to learn from.  I am trying to make sure I keep up with my daily devotionals...one online and one book I have here at home.  I love to keep learning new things so that is always something I try to seek out each week.  Something that I also work on each week no matter how big or small is individual time with each of my girls'.  If that is a movie with me, a craft project, or just running errands I try to make sure we do something just us gals'.  Normal when the weather around here cooperates is walking/working out.  I love it even more when I can walk with one of my girlfriends at the walking trail.  It becomes the best of both worlds....feeling good from the exercise and from the fellowship.  Lately though normal has been that it is 50 degrees or below in the morning so my trail walking has been nonexistent.  I have been getting in my afternoon walk when it has warmed up to go get the little's from school.  I am enjoying after the flu getting out in the fresh air and sunshine.  Unfortunately in the last few weeks normal has been trying to get the flu and it's after effects to go away too.  Our energy levels are the thing that seems to still be out of whack.  I am probably running at about 80%.  Hoping shortly we will all be back to normal in that area as well cause we are all just wiped and that's not our normal for sure!!  So what does normal look like for your family??

The LUUUUUUVE Month...

has begun, I break out the red, pink, and heart shaped stuff usually today.  Unless DS feels generous enough to go get it out of storage it is waiting til Sunday when he is off work.  I would say I am at about 80% now and things are getting done.  I have the energy to go til about 7 or 8pm now and then it is mandatory down time.  I have gotten a craft I was wanting to start under way...calendar in a box as I am calling it. It will be kinda slow going the first year but, in a few years it will be nice to look back and see what we did each day.  Hoping to get post cards from friends to use as my monthly dividers to make it more personal. I have loved that it is still cold in the evenings (even though it has approached 80 degrees here during the day several times this week) so I can still warm/cozy up with my crock pot soups and stews.  Was able after shopping around and finding great clearance to get all three girls' presents from us for next Christmas to put away in storage. YAY!!  I have started my MIL's shopping but, want to look for some specific things too.  DS is always the hardest so I usually pick up things for him on the fly which tends to work well for hiding purposes as well.  I love getting the bulk of the shopping done around this time because then if I see a thing or two over the year I can grab it and put it back.  This is also great for birthday shopping as well...which I have two of the three girls' done for that already too.  Diva will be spending her birthday this year in Spain so I think in lieu of presents we are just gonna give her spending money for her trip.  As for the month of love my DS always makes sure I get flowers which is a language I adore as well as some yummy chocolate.  I am so spoiled and adored that Valentine's day is fun but, we don't make too much of a deal out of it.  This year we might try to go out to dinner though...we are still undecided.  So how about you Valentine's Day, love it or hate it?

Mood: Loving my nice quiet house
Exercise: Hoping my cough is totally gone so I can get back to a regular workout besides my walk
Dinner: we are making pizza tonight
Music: None
Weather: Very windy but, sunny
Random Thought: ooooo I also got the littles a few outfits/their new swim suits for our Spring Break trip on the cheap today too.

Cautiously optomistic....

That is how I want to say I feel but, I fear saying it out loud that the flu germs make a repeat appearance and take me down again.  This past week has been for lack of a better term from  HELL.  I woke myself up many times sing songing  grammar school style songs made up only in ones feverish mind.  I have decided coughing should be labeled aerobic activity and that I have done enough of it for at least a dozen people.  On days one and two I swear I felt as if I had went about twenty rounds with a prize fighter and he so won!!  I want to wake up and jump right back into my normal busy bee routine however I am operating at about 30% and by 3pm I know I have to stop or back slide.  This year we have found out that getting the shot doesn't guarantee you won't get the flu just that basically you will only get a mild form of it.  It sure has made me think long and hard about how much more awful this must be on those with compromised immune systems.  I believe my Busy Body brought it home to us and it filtered its way through the whole lot of us.  First our poor token male took down with it and I thought his cough was gonna break down the walls.  Then our little's each took sick with the mild form while I was confined to the sick room with the worst strain. I thought our Diva had escaped unscathed after making it through the week and the weekend youth retreat feeling totally fine.  Alas Monday morning she was achy and feverish too....thankfully we were able to get her right into the doc and get the antivirals to lessen it for her.  Now we all are past the contagious part and seem to just be dealing with some sniffles and lingering coughs.  I truly understand now why they say people can die from this....it is AWFUL!!!!  Praise the Lord for my DS who while I was sick kept things going- he made sure we were kept medicated, fed, hydrated, the laundry was done, and the house was mostly picked up.  What a treasure he is!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I am of course behind on everything around here but, I am just gonna do what I can and let the rest sort itself out.

Mood: Wore out
Music: Silence-all kiddos headed to bed
Dinner: Cheesy Vegetable Noodle Casserole
Exercise: Coughing lol
Weather: It was so warm and sunny today I broke out shorts
Random Thought: Maybe tonight will be the first night in a week that I will sleep all night-fingers crossed!