Week of Fun

Rob's work has spent the week in office limbo - so he spent a lot of time working from home. Lucky for us, it was a slow week at work, and we were able to do a lot. Our first adventure was the "all new" aquarium that for months I had begged Rob to go see. If anyone out there is also considering visiting the aquarium - let me strongly advise against this ridiculous idea. I do realize that I am from Chicago, and have been a bit spoiled with luxurious museums, aquariums, and planetariums - but never have I been SO fooled. We drove thirty minutes to get there, and my huge smile and dancing feet faded when I had to ask Rob, "Why is the aquarium in a strip mall?" I kid you not; they replaced what looked like an out-of-business Chuck E Cheese with an "aquarium." We then paid seven dollars per person to walk through two hallways of tanks. I've seen better fish at Petsmart. There was one cool thing - they have a bunch of sting rays that you can pet (see pictures). Twenty minutes later - we were on our way back home. At least we'll always have the laughs!

And then she decided to walk

One day she was a crawler, the next she was a walker.

Fire in the Sky

A few weeks ago Rob and I decided that this year's fourth of July was going to be AWESOME. Ironically, it rained that day - and we went out for Japanese food. Not exactly what we had planned. But in accordance with our original idea, we took a road trip to Wyoming to purchase some "not quite legal" fireworks. I picked out a few cheesy sparklers, and some noisemakers. Rob on the other hand had a cart full of HUGE boxes. Being the fireworks idiot that I am - I just thought, "well, we came all this way - and it is buy one get one free..." Needless to say we ended up with a RIDICULOUS amout of fireworks that were much more illegal than I originally had planned. So last Saturday we had a 45 minute light show in our back yard: roman candles, artillery shells, M150s, and tons of multi colored - seen only at baseball games - fireworks. I literally winced after every explosion just waiting for the police to show up. I had no idea that you could purchase such HUGE fireworks...I thought they were only sold to dealers and firefighters.
The 45 minute show was only the first half of the fireworks, and the police never came. The second half were lit at my brother Derek's block party - where the police DID show up. Luckily, it was right after we had done the grand finale, and just as Rob and I were driving away. The cop asked Derek if they had any illegal fireworks, and if they were finished. Derek's answer was "we're finished." Derek's next door neighbor then joined in the conversation and said, "Sir, I can honestly tell you that no one here owns any illegal fireworks." I must say it was the best Saturday night we have had in a long time.

It's all Fun and Games Until...

Madelyn has decided that her favorite thing to do in the tub is drink the bath water. Rob and I try to stop her - but she's REALLY determined. Here she is taking a gulp.

This is when she stood up, and peed in the bath water.

And this is when she sat back down and started drinking again. I wanted to vomit...that is, right after I took a picture!

A Day With Chuck

Maddie, Abby, and Sydney enjoyed a day of over priced pizza, horrific singing gorillas, and broken skee-ball. They had a gay old time.

Day of Milestones

Although Madelyn can practically sprint along side the couches, she doesn't seem to want to walk on her own. So yesterday (only FIVE months after pulling herself up) she took her first steps. We knew that she could, so Rob put her in the middle of the room - and she took about five steps to him. She's taken a few more today, so hopefully she'll be full on walking by the time she's six.
Rob and I also had our first doctor visit for the new baby. He quickly found the heartbeat, and said we have an incredibly active and healthy child. He also said that the baby's heartbeat was high, and according to "baby mumbo jumbo" that would mean we're having another girl. Although nothing has been proven just yet, I've been saying "girl" all along. We'll let everyone know when we find out!

Happy 1st Birthday Madelyn

Madelyn did not appreciate all the effort that I put into her first birthday cake. She cried, wiped it all over Abby's shirt, and threw it on the floor. Not one bite entered her mouth!



We then moved on to opening presents - another chore. She was mad that we wouldn't let her go off and play, and by the time we were done, she only wanted a plastic tube that she found on the floor.

But things finally turned around when we got home. We opened up all her toys - and she was thrilled with them. She did the typical toy introductions (they all met eachother), and then she played for over an hour. She took her first bike ride, and also had her first accident. Overall, a good day for pictures. One day she'll appreciate it all!

For Rent

Is this the next generation of mail-order-brides? And who pays who in this situation?

Chicken, Burgers, Tacos

Four score, and seven years ago my best friend Mary and I decided we were SO good at eating out, that we should probably be food critics. With this new occupation, came our book: Chicken, Burgers, Tacos: 101 places to eat in the Provo/Orem Area. The title came from a game that we played to decide where to eat. I would say "Chicken, Burgers, Tacos" and Mary would eliminate one that she didn't want - I would then eliminate the other - leaving only one kind of food. The book itself, though still unpublished, was in my opinion - one of the highlights of my sophomore year in college. We ate a lot of food - and gained a lot of weight. Mary graduated from BYU that year, and moved back to Chicago. I think the book is still in her old planner.
The reason I bring this up is because Rob and I went out for breakfast this morning, and ate at a place that would be perfect for our book. It was called "Ma and Pa's." A tiny little restaurant on State Street in Lindon. The first thing that I noticed when I walked in was the fact that the chairs were padded folding church chairs. The second thing I noticed was that none of the tables matched. It was just a hodgepodge of furniture. I immediately liked the place. Then "Ma" walked by our table and served as "Pa" cooked in the back - Ma and Pa being a cute older couple. When we asked for a high chair, they came back with a REAL high chair - the plastic kind with pull out tray and padded seat. They served Coke in the big red, dingy, plastic coke cups. Every meal starts with "home-style" and comes with a side of biscuits and gravy. They open at 6:30 am, and only serve Breakfast and Lunch - with the exception of Friday and Saturday where they have "Extended their hours" and now have a buffet dinner until 8:30.
All of these things sat quite well with me, and I must say I'm a huge fan of "Ma and Pa's." According to our old rating system - I'd give it 4 out of 5 Tacos. There's only one thing that has me a bit confused. When Rob ordered toast - it was served with this jelly:

What I Missed

I guess it was just your typical business trip. Hanging out on the beach, helicopter rides, luaus, snorkeling - just the basics. I mean, when I think about all the boring stuff Rob did while he was in Kauai - I'm glad I didn't go. Who needs tropical luxurious hotels anyway??

Alone Again, Naturally.

Well, here I sit - my daughter asleep in the front room, and my husband on his way to the airport with one of his best friends. Granted, they are going on a business trip, but it just seems wrong that "business" includes going to Hawaii with your best friend. The VERY place that we went on our honeymoon. So for the few hours I have of alone time, I'm going to think about what I can do that is EQUALLY exciting. My mom is flying in to keep me company for the week that Rob is gone, and I'm sure many of you know, we are quite lethal when it comes to spending money. It's been a long time since my mom and I have had a full week to shop together. I'm open to shopping suggestions - and keep in mind, it is HAWAII!!

Oh Abby...

My five year old niece, Abby, is the smartest, sneakiest, and wittiest kid I've ever met. This girl can make up a story, tell it to you straight faced - and do it with such confidence, that you almost feel bad calling her out on it. Case in point: the other day, she walks up to her younger sister, Sydney, looks at the toy she's holding, and flat out grabs it from her. Sydney lets out a bit of a squeal, and grabs the toy back. Abby gets TICKED and smacks her upside the head - Sydney starts bawling. I come over to break it up, and (even after seeing it) ask what happened. All Sydney says in between sobs is, "AAAAAAbby." Abby's version is CLASSIC. " Sydney came and tooked the Polly Pocket I was playing with. And when she came to steal it her head accident bumped my hand on accident."

She found out that I was pregnant today and said, "Another Baby!!! Yeah! I hope this one comes out just like Maddie so they can be twins." She then came back a bit less excited, and said, "I don't think you should have another baby, Melissa. you've already got one, right here."