Resolution 2012 - 35 Pounds Gone!

I have always disliked the idea of resolutions.  They always seem half serious and there is never much weight behind them and so I have never really had one.  Until 2012.  My weight had bothered me since my son was born.  I had this idea that I would have my babies and the weight would just kind of melt off over night.  Not so much.

I lost most of the weight I had put on within a couple of years of having Wyatt but then Lorelai came along and at 35, it just stayed put.  Well, I should say, some came off and then it started coming back on.  Kids have a way of needing food constantly.  Snacks, snacks, snacks.  Then there is the problem of them leaving bits and pieces here and there for you to throw out.  Which annoys me to no end.  I hate wasting food!  So, I ate with them and cleaned up after them.  And then there is the problem of my sweet tooth.  I have always had one and until this point in my life, it didn't seem to get me in much trouble.  I have a hard time turning down anything sweet.

Now let me make something clear.  I judge no one based on their weight, I just wasn't comfortable in my own skin.  To each there own.  I didn't feel like I could keep up with my kids and seeing my body in the clothes I really liked to wear was, well, depressing.  So on January 1, 2012 I decided to shed the pounds and get my body back. Or what was left of it after have two kids!

I didn't have much of a plan going in.  I knew I didn't want to take supplements or meal replacements.  Those are things I just can't stick with for the rest of my life.  I can't cut out food or replace it with what I consider non-food.  It just isn't my style.  I am not a crazy health nut that won't touch a dessert (Lord help me if I have to turn down chocolate!) or has to eat chicken the rest of my days.  I do love chicken but I won't turn down a steak!  So, I found an app for my phone called MyFitnessPal and decided that at least 5 days a week I would exercise and see where it took me.  The app was truly my lifesaver.  I don't think I would have been able to lose the weight if I hadn't used it for the simple reason that I had no idea how much I ate in a given day.  And I ate a lot!  Remember the snacks?!  With the app, I put in my numbers, decided how much I wanted to lose and what I thought was a healthy time frame to do it in and how much I planned to exercise.  It spit out the number of calories I should eat in a day to accomplish my goals and I was ready to go.  I loved the fact that I could enter recipes and it would tell me calories per serving.  Since I cook a lot, I needed this.  And I really found very few foods that weren't in their database already. If I found a brand that wasn't in there, it was super easy to add.

No, it wasn't easy.  For 2-3 weeks I felt hungry as my body adjusted to what it should be eating.  I found healthy things that I love to eat, namely popcorn.  I could eat popcorn every day of the week!  I am also a bit of a cereal nut at night before I go to bed.  Love my pre bedtime bowl of Lucky Charms!  See, told you I wasn't a health nut!  Since I cook for my family every day, I was able to make adjustments and cut out unneeded calories.  I am in love with Dreamfields pasta.  I had been using it a lot prior to my weight loss quest because my Mom is diabetic and she can have this pasta.  It is low in carbs and tastes no different than traditional pasta.  This is the kind of pasta I use in 90% of the foods I make.  Another food I love is bread.  I grew up in a home where bread was served at pretty much every meal and I have a soft spot for it.  Like I said earlier, I don't like to cut food out of my diet so I adjusted the amount I was eating.  Instead of eating 2 rolls with my dinner, I ate one.  Simple and effective.  I still get to eat the things I love, but I eat it in moderation. 

Regardless, I exercised and ate my way to a healthier, lighter me and 35 pounds later, here I am.  I quit following my app quite some time ago and haven't felt the need to do my daily diary although I have days I feel like I just need to plug things in to keep myself in check.  I use it from time to time when I am eating out and want to know what the healthier items are at a restaurant and it works great for that. 

So, I guess resolutions aren't weak.  It is the amount of time and energy and love you put into them that gives them their strength.  Will I always be this successful when I set a goal, nope.  But I have certainly showed myself that you can do it all by your big bad self and feel good about it.  I haven't totally decided what 2013 is going to be about for me.  I just know that I am going to love every minute of it in my own skin. 

The Perfect Tree

Every family has their own traditions when it comes to their Christmas tree.  Some go to a tree farm and cut one down, other just unpack the box and decorate to their hearts content.  Growing up, my families tradition was load up in the car and head to one of our pastures in Nebraska.  Mom and Dad would pretty much turn us loose and my brother and I would take off through the pasture on foot.  Climbing through the creek bed, over fallen trees and just having a blast being outside and free.  I have no idea what my parents were doing while all this running around was going on.  My guess is they were just trying to keep up!  My Dad recently told me that they would hear us yelling "I found one!" and then we would all have to go check it out. Once the perfect tree was found, Dad would cut it down and we would haul it back home, set it up in the front room or the living room and then listen to Christmas music while we decorated the tree.  I can even remember one year we hand strung popcorn garland.  It took forever but it sure looked great! 

Wyatt took this picture of us!

Now with my own family, we have tried to find our own traditions.  We have always had an artificial tree but this year we finally decided to donate it to my parents church and get a real one.  Mike had never cut one down before and I was pretty excited to take the kids out to hunt for the tree.  We found a local tree farm and off we went.  Lorelai saw the horse drawn wagon and just HAD to ride it.  She just kept saying "horsey, horsey"!  We took a short ride through one field and then ended up at the second little field looking through the Virginia Pine.  We jumped off the wagon and it took the kids a minute to realize they were out in the open and could just go.  Then they were off.

It didn't take too long before we found "the one".  They searched a bit more to make sure and then had Dad get the saw.  Both kids had to get in there and be as close to the action as possible. 

The kids had a blast and so did we! We went back via wagon pulled by a tractor and had some hot chocolate and apple cider.  And the best part?  I think our family found our tradition.  We found the perfect tree and came home and decorated it with ornaments the kids have received over the last several years while listening to Christmas music and of course trying to keep Lorelai from bringing the whole thing down.  Needless to say, I don't think there will be wrapped presents under the tree until the kids go to bed Christmas Eve! 

Thanksgiving 2012

I can't believe Thanksgiving was a week ago already.  This means I will be saying the same thing in a month when Christmas is here.  Time just speeds by and hopes you can keep up!  We are a little slow deciding what we are doing for the holidays so our somewhat last minute decision to travel to Kansas City to celebrate with family meant we were going to look like the Clampetts going down the highway.  The dog sitter was booked so we loaded the two dogs in the back of the truck, the two kids in the back seat and us in the front along with most of the house and refrigerator.  Luckily it is a quick trip there!

I did a couple of projects with the kids before we left.  They made a turkey picture for Aunt Shelley's fridge and we also made some pretty cute turkey sugar cookies.  Lorelai's is the one with only two candy corn feathers on top and if you look close enough, you can see the little bite out from between them!


We had dinner Thanksgiving eve at my sister's apartment and started the festivities with tons of food and family time.  We were all piled on top of each other and it was perfect.  Grandpa and the kids were under the dining room table having a ball.  Leave it to my Dad to completely get my kids laughing under a table with his silly faces!

We ate too much and then speculated whether or not we were going to make it the entire 5K we had planned to run or walk on Thanksgiving morning.  Considering none of us had really ran much over the past couple of weeks, then piled the food on, the jury was out.  We headed back to my Aunt and Uncle's to get some rest before the early start, which turned into a complete fiasco.  Those of you who currently have young kids will know what I am talking about.  Kids NEVER sleep well when they aren't at home.  And this was no exception.  Lorelai hasn't been the best sleeper over the last month or so but now we added Wyatt to the mix and by the morning there were two adults and two kids sleeping in a double bed.  Good gracious.  I had been up since 4:30am trying to keep the kids to sleep and somehow had to get my mind wrapped around running a race. 

Uncle Max trying to get Lorelai to settle down for bedtime

But Happy Thanksgiving!  Everyone except my Uncle loaded up and headed to participate in the Ward Parkway Thanksgiving 5K and it was a blast.  We did get there later than we wanted too but really, I think we did okay considering.  There were some great costumes and you can't find a better atmosphere than a 5K race.  Everyone is having a good time and I don't think anyone takes themselves too seriously.  My Dad, Mom and Aunt pushed the kids in my stroller and after Shelley, Mike and I got done running we headed back to intercept the walkers.  Wyatt of course wanted to run the rest of the race.  Nothing like burning off some energy running a mile up a hill!  Mike gave him his number and off he went.  He to this day thinks he won the race!  Lorelai was more into watching the people but she crossed the finish line at a jog and was just stinkin cute! My Mom made us all these adorable purple animal print scarves to wear and it was the perfect amount of warm weather clothing to make the race comfy.

Aunt Shelley

After we raced we headed to Starbucks for a little treat and then back for a big, yummy dinner and my Aunt and Uncle's.  Oh and here is a picture of Mike with his enormous pie.  Yep, he ran a 5K then took a pie home with him instead of a t-shirt!

 My Dad and Uncle actually went to Walmart Thanksgiving night and experienced a little Black Friday madness.  Amazingly all the women stayed home!  We had such a great time, despite the lack of sleep.  The food was fabulous and the family time was cherished.  So much to be thankful for!

Wyatt's New Room

Change doesn't happen easily for little or big people. When the little people in your life decide to make a change, that means you get to change too.  And in many cases, you don't get much time to process their decisions.  You just get to go with it and try and figure out how to deal with it as you go.  Well, Wyatt pulled a fast one on us yesterday and wanted to move his bedroom out of his sister's room.  This was something I eventually wanted to have happen.  And I stress the eventually. Like when he was 7, not 5.  But that was not in his plan and I just had to go with it.  So, I sit out here in the family room.  Lorelai in the very room her brother occupied at about her age when we first moved into this house, and Wyatt in his new room.  He was so excited, stepping out of his comfort zone, while I was left to stretch mine.  And it doesn't stretch easily.  So, I am trying to mentally figure out how to put kids to bed in different rooms when both seem to need you by their side as they fall asleep. And I wonder if my treadmill will wake him up when I use it on those days when I don't get a workout in during the day.  And if he wakes up in the middle of the night, like he usually does, will he be okay navigating his way to my room dragging his moose and his pillow?  And where in the world is everything going that was in his new room prior to him moving in?  One thing I do know is that this is just one of many fast ones these kids will throw us.  I just have to get my mitt up.  And take a deep breath and let them grow up.

Halloween 2012

I have to admit, this is my least favorite holiday.  Always has been and since I am now gracefully getting closer to being "over the hill" and my opinion hasn't changed yet, I am going to assume my opinion will not be changing any time soon! Our Halloween was a little strung out this year. Mike was leaving for work so we started earlier than usual with the celebrating so he could do some trick or treating with the kids. They have a great trunk or treat at our church so they got dressed up and Dad got to have some fun too. Five seconds before we had to take Dad to the airport, we got the pumpkin carved.  Whew! 

Trunk or Treat Time!

Pumpkin Carving

Now, back to the "this isn't my favorite holiday" stuff. I am not one to buy costumes.  I figure we can find something around the house to wear. Afterall, I have baseball and football uniforms everywhere among other things so surely we can make something out of that! Lorelai was wearing her ladybug costume from last year. It actually fit this year. Last year we kind of lost her in it! Well, Wyatt asked me five million times if he could be a super hero of some sort.  I of course said, how about a baseball player?  He chose football, hence the football uniform you see.  Well, Halloween day came and he was really laying it on thick. He had seen a Batman mask while we were out shopping and just HAD to have it. I started to feel guilty. Just because I am not a Halloween lover doesn't mean my kids can't like it right? Well, at 3:30pm on Halloween, I gave in and we drove to the store and bought a Batman mask, cape and a black t-shirt. I have rarely seen this kid happier. He came flying out of his bedroom like he was Batman himself and I am pretty sure his mouth hurt due to how big his smile was. Needless to say, it was awesome! Mission accomplished and everyone was happy.

Lorelai hiding from me!

Heading out to trick or treat

Lorelai and Aunt Shelley

With Dad gone, Aunt Shelley came to hang out and trick or treat with us. She also helped the kids tackle their mountain of candy!  We only lost Wyatt once and Lorelai had "thank you" down by the time we got done. It was a great night and my little ladybug and Batman had a blast! And my lesson was learned too. Just let the kids be kids and if a super hero is how you see yourself, then by all means, be that super hero!

What Would You Do?

I had something happen to me today.  I was leaving a restaurant at lunch, loading my kids in the car when I saw a woman walking down the sidewalk.  As she passed by, she asked me if I had two dollars so she could get to the food bank and get food for her kids.  My mind instantly went to where yours probably just did too.  Oh really, you want some money to get to the food bank?  Sure, you are probably going to use it for something other than bus fare and I will be out two bucks.  I told her I didn't have any cash and she thanked me kindly and went on her way.  Mind you, towards the bus stop.  As I watched her back as she walked away, I instantly felt like a complete fool.  Who am I to judge whether or not this woman is really using the money to go to the food bank?  Is this what God expects of me?  To come to conclusions about another person in this manner and not help them?  What if she really did have kids who were in school at that moment and she has been trying to figure out how to put dinner on the table for them when they get home.  Well, I called after her.  She stopped and turned around really slow and I told her all I had was a dollar bill (the truth).  She came back, I gave her the dollar, she thanked me and went on her way.  I finished loading my kids in the car and I too went on my way.  I saw her up the street, walking towards the bus stop.  And did I feel better?  Nope.  I was disappointed in my initial thoughts and I really didn't feel great that somewhere there are probably kids that are eating from a food bank.  I hope if she did need to get food for kids, that is what she did and I hope she is able to find a way to ensure they always have a good hot meal on the table.  I suppose I just passed one of the many tests God gives us each day.  Her test was obviously much more difficult than mine.  Much more difficult.  May God please bless her and her family.

Kansas City Vacation!

So my son had high hopes of a really exciting vacation to Chicago this Summer.  Complete with a train ride there on Amtrac and a Cubbies game.  Well, Mom couldn't get excited about planning a trip that far, possibly because we had to take a crazy 1 1/2 year old that can't sit still for longer than a minute with us.  And Dad doesn't plan anything but when his next trip to the coffee pot happens so I opted for Wyatt's next best idea. Legoland in Kansas City.  Turned out to be a really great trip and one he has been talking about since we went! Since it happened to be my birthday weekend, two of my Aunts and an Uncle were so sweet and had a cake for me and you can't beat lunch at K&M BBQ in Spring Hill.  Yummo!

We were going to stay in a hotel while we were there, even though we have family in the area.  It is always so special for kiddos to stay in one and there would be a pool so we could swim at any time.  It turned out, my sister was headed to Canada to visit her boyfriend for the weekend so we got to apartment-sit for her while she was gone!  Totally great idea!  Nothing like having a separate room to throw the kids in, a full kitchen and' the complex had a really great salt water pool.  Score. 

Swimming at Aunt Shelley's

Our first day (Friday) we met with the aunts and uncle for my bday fun and then headed to the apartment. Wyatt was super excited to head straight to Legoland until he saw Aunt Shelley's pool.  His world stopped and nothing else was happening until he went swimming.  So, in the pool we went. After we finally got him out it was Legoland time.  We weren't sure what to expect.  I had read that you should visit there after 2pm due to lines so by the time we got there it was 4pm and we walked right in.  Total little boy and girl love at first sight!  Both kids couldn't get enough of the place.  It wasn't too bad for Mom and Dad either.  There are Legos to build with everywhere so wherever your kid plopped down, you could sit and build with them.  They had a couple of little rides that were fun and Wyatt especially liked the area you could built cars in and then dropped them down a ramp to see if they would stay together.  I think he must have put that car together a hundred times!

The Ramp At Legoland

Ride At Legoland

Blowing Out The Candle

 Lorelai's favorite part was the little girl area.  It had a little swimming pool sized container full of Lego cupcake parts.  She carried a cupcake around with her everywhere!  We spent a good 3 hours there before Mike and I decided we needed food.  Fritz's is right across the street in Crown Center and a favorite place of ours.  Just burgers and fries but a total family friendly place and the best part?  All meals are delivered by little trains suspended on tracks above your table!  A must see place if you haven't been before.  After dinner, it was back to the apartment and bed to get ready for day two!

Waiting For Our Dinner Train

Crown Center Fountains

Put Him In Coach!

 Saturday, we got up and of course went swimming AGAIN.  I swear Mike and I are raising a school of fish at our house!  In looking for something different to do while in KC, I came across tours of Royals Stadium.  Wyatt is a Blue Crew member (something well worth the 20 bucks if your son likes baseball) and they always give him a coupon booklet. There was a coupon for a free stadium tour and it was a blast.  We did the $15 tour that lasted an hour and a half.  They take you in the dugouts and out on the field.  In the interview room and then on an elevator to the press box.  We scrunched into the elevator with the rest of the group and oh you know, Ned Yost!  Mike I think about passed out.  Friendly guy although he looked a little worn down.  If you watch the Royals, you know why. :)  Mike, Wyatt and Lorelai had a blast pretending to be interviewed by the press and then we got as much time as we wanted in their Hall of Fame Museum.  Really neat! 

I'm Going To Win One Of These!

Changing Pitchers

Overlooking Royals Stadium

After the tour, we decided to head back to Crown Center to take in the aquarium and grab some lunch.  Just a note... Crown Center is a busy place on Saturdays, especially Legoland and the Aquarium.  Looking at the incredibly long lines outside both places made us wonder if we would ever get in so we had a Panera lunch while we decided what to do.  Never mind the heat too, I didn't want to stand in line that long.  Then I remembered something I may have read in all my planning.  Did I remember if you had pre-purchased your tickets you didn't have to wait in line?  Maybe.  We walked across to the aquarium and Mike asked.  Let me tell you, there are times I do things right and this was one of them.  As the worker walked us around the long line with families baking in the heat and children losing their patience we both decided to keep our heads down and our smiles to ourselves.  Holy cow we are walking right in!  Yep, that is right.  You have a ticket (which we purchased the night before when we went to Legoland), no waiting in the line.  We were looking at fish in 30 seconds!  Lorelai was screaming with joy. Total fish lover she is. I think the people around us thought she was being too loud but I didn't care.  Enjoy those fish Lorelai!  Wyatt loved all the little hidey holes they had for you to crawl in and he wanted to touch a starfish but just couldn't make himself do it. To cap off the night, we ate Mafia Mike's pizza and got some sleep.

FISHHHHHH!

Inside the bubble

Whew!  Mike and I made it!  We felt a sort of personal victory successfully navigating the kids easily through all our stops.  Wyatt of course wanted to swim one last time before we drove home and then we bid KC goodbye.  Pretty great vacation for the Sullenger Family!

Notes for those of you thinking about headed to KC: Legoland is great and probably a place we will go again.  The Aquarium is a one time visit.  Neat for the kids but not as great as I thought it would be.  Buy your tix for both in advance and no waiting in lines.  KC Royals tours are awesome and so is Fritz's! 

Wichita Area Hidden Secret #1

Our family has some favorite things to do in the Wichita area. Every time we find a new one I think I am going to write a short blog about it and give the place some kuddos so here goes with #1! Hopefully you will check the places out and enjoy them as much as we have!

Wichita Area Hidden Secret #1 - Mosley Street Melodrama

This is an absolute FAVORITE place for Mike and I to go on a date night! The first time we went was with a group from Mike's military unit for a Christmas party and we left there having laughed so hard our faces hurt. That was 9 years ago and we still love going to their shows. 

Cast from a show we attended

The actors are full of talent. Some do this in their off season, others are there every show. A few of our favorites are Scott Noah, Monte Wheeler and Marty Gilbert (who married our good friend Astrid and is also the stage manager!). The servers are really great too and manage the entire room easily. Ask for Astrid if you go and tip big!

My Mom being pestered by the villain!

I would highly recommend their Christmas show but call early. There are lots of business Christmas parties that get scheduled so they fill up fast. They do a great job with large groups so if you need a place to schedule your office Christmas party, this is the place to go. One group I took was to the Christmas show and we went in November. Perfect time since everyone wasn't crazy busy with Christmas stuff yet.

My Aunt Monica and I enjoying our drink of the night

Mosley Street is an audience participation theatre. That means you have certain things you say when a character comes on stage. Every time the villain comes on stage you yell "BOO, HISS!" and "YEAH!" for the hero. Then there are the select few audience members that get to go on stage to actually participate in something during the show.  Mike has actually been up there in a coconut bra and grass skirt! The story lines are hilarious and the musical comedy review showcases the singing talents of the cast.  Having a birthday or anniversary?  Make sure you let them know when making your reservation.  The lucky person will get to take a picture (so stinking funny!) with a member of the staff to take home with them. Bring out the Polaroid! They have an open bar and always a yummy drink of the night, plenty of popcorn for your table and if you are hungry, you must have dinner there.  They serve wonderful bbq from Pig In Pig Out!

 If I haven't convinced you yet to do this on your next date night, call me.  Mike and I would love to go with you and show you the ropes.  Good friends, good food and good shows. Nothing better!

Water Fluoridation in Wichita

A family who is passionate about having healthy teeth!

 About a month ago, my son had his first visit to the dentist.  While I know some of you take your kids to the dentist long before this, ours does not see them until age four and I am guessing this is because its when he went on our insurance.  Anyway, I was nervous for him.  The kid had been to the dentist to watch me go through cleanings, etc since he was born and I have to say, it wasn't pretty.  Up until about age 3 he threw the biggest screaming fits and the poor ladies in the office would do whatever possible (including fill up his tummy with freezie pops) to get him to calm down.  So driving to our dentist that day, I was a little on the nervous side.  I mean, the kid had to sit in the chair by himself and get his teeth cleaned.  With the little tools that look like torture weapons.  Well, he did great.  No problems and picked the zebra polisher and cinnamon tooth polish all by himself.  Then came the bad news.  Two cavities.  In a four year old.  Are you kidding me?  But there they were.  I have looked at enough dental xrays in my life to know no one was pulling my leg.  I was furious at myself.  I felt we had brushed his teeth like we should have, didn't feed him excessive amounts of sugar/juice, etc and took care of his teeth.  I instantly thought of my experiences in the chair getting fillings and began to panic for my son.  How could we, his parents, have let this happen?  The hygienist explained that the cavities were not in between his teeth where food can get stuck and cause cavities if not brushed or flossed out.  The cavities were in the middle of his teeth.  Could be brushing but since we felt we were doing a good job in that department I didn't believe that was the problem.  So explain to me how a four year old gets cavities?  Then the dentist told me.  Wichita does not have fluoride added to their water and this is the cause of lots of tooth decay in the area.  Possibly my son's.  Since Wyatt's birth, we have lived in two towns outside of Wichita, both of which use Wichita water for our supply.  I. WAS. FURIOUS.  How can something so simple and inexpensive not be done to prevent tooth decay in my kids ( In comparable cities to Wichita, it costs 50 cents per person per year to fluoridate the water)? 

Mike and I talked at length about it and figured out that we have both had way more cavities since moving to this area than anywhere previous.  Both of us grew up with fluoridated water.  So I started doing research and I ask that you do to.  Below is some information I want to share with you and I welcome any comments.  Talk to your dentist about it too.  I truly believe this is an issue that any parent in the Wichita area should be well versed on and while I know each of us has our own beliefs on supplements to our family's diets, I believe you will agree this is one that is a must.

Following my son's fillings, both of which he was a champ for, our dentist told us our son's teeth are hard like chalk instead of hard like granite.  Thus, more susceptible to tooth decay.  He was put on a fluoride supplement to hopefully catch the permanent teeth forming in his mouth and make them stronger.  This has been an eye opener for our family and should be for yours.  I can't believe how much money, stress, time and teeth could have been saved if Wichita had fluoridated their water.  Fluoride is not a poison, it is a mineral that is a necessity for healthy teeth!

Information on Fluoride  www.fluoridefor.us/low-cost/

I encourage you to email your city council members regarding this issue.  They are currently split on the issue with one undecided.  The more parents emailing them with their stories, the better.  Use the form at this link and select Entire City Council under choose a council member you want to contact.

Email the Wichita City Council

Thank you for reading!

4th of July Fun!

Today ended such a fun-filled week for us. The 4th of July is a special holiday to our family with my husband in the military.  Our family is pretty blessed because of what he does and the 4th is a great way to spend some time together. 

This year Wyatt was way into fireworks.  Thankfully his Dad has interest in it too because I do not.  When I grew up, we were usually in the middle of wheat harvest for the 4th and wheat stubble and dry conditions did not make a good recipe for the addition of fireworks.  So, we never had them.  This is not going to fly with Wyatt.  Once he learned what the white tents were for on every corner, we were getting fireworks at our house.  He took his Dad to buy some and promptly informed me upon returning that they had missiles and he wanted one.  Great!

This kid loved her corn! :)

My parents made the last minute decision to come visit us and when they got here we loaded them and the kids in the car and headed to the Esterline home for some 4th of July fun!  It is never a dull moment when we are all together.  Five total kids under the age of 4 1/2 means everyone is on their toes and moving.  We were also blessed to get to see the Munn's who I haven't seen in oh so long.  We all went swimming (Wyatt for 3 hrs!) and Then. There. Was. Dinner.  Can you say yummmmmm?  Mr. Nick made us some of the best steak EVER.  The grilled corn was pretty fantastic too.  Just ask Lorelai!  He and my husband are now in the ranks of the best at the grill if you ask me.  I wish I had taken a picture of it all but alas, you will just have to trust me on this one!

These two had just as much fun as the little kiddos!

We then headed to the street and the fireworks started!  Wyatt was in heaven and so were the rest of the boys.  Nick and Mike included.  The bigger the boom, the better. 

Hanging out in the shade with Grandma and Grandpa

Thanks so much to our friends for hosting our family.  We had such a great time and it was fun being with both our family and friends for this special holiday.

Baby Housten did not appreciate the fireworks!

On Friday we kicked out the Grandparents (not hardly!) and ushered in Aunt Shelley!  Wyatt and Lorelai were having a ball with all these people around.  Way more fun than just dealing with Mom and Dad!  We spent the rest of the weekend just hanging out at home and doing a few projects here and there.  Mike and my Dad got a door replaced before they left for home and it is so nice to have a new door to the garage.  And the bonus?  They didn't kill each other! :)  We are now exhausted and all needing to get back on a schedule of sorts but it was so much fun.  Way worth the kids being cranky here and there and me not being able to keep my eyelids open.  So to that, I hope you all had a great 4th of July.  I hope you were as blessed as we were to spend so much time with our family and friends!