As Cute as Tigers!

Early Friday morning, Tyson and Alayna met up to attend a puppet show, Barefoot Puppets Presents "Trickster Tales" and a face painting at the Salem Library. The puppet show was truly incredible. I think Joanna (Alayna's mommy) and I laughed more than the kids did. All of the puppets were handmade and boy were they very intricate. The sound effects and background music were also created by the artists. I am so glad we didn't miss out on this event. After the puppet show, to our suprise, there was a face painter there. Take a peak at how adorable our little kiddies looked after they got their face painted! Some of the BEST things in life are FREE.

Help Ty WIN!!!!

I just entered Ty into the "The Great American Photo Contest". Please vote on his picture by using the link BELOW. Thanks for your vote.

https://www.greatamericanphotocontest.com/voter1/index_c.aspx?id=655106&referid=strm_d1_1_tst3_0718&referid=strm_d1_5_randazzo&width=122&height=150&ext=.jpg&p=655106&x=.jpg

Monkeying Around on a Friday Night!

After a yummy dinner at El Rodeo and a visit to Starbucks, Darren, Tyson, and I stopped at Pet City, on Williamson Road, to buy some more African Cichlids for our fish tank. The pet store contained more than just fish. It had reptiles, birds, kittens, dogs and monkeys. The monkeys are NOT for sale, they're just something entertaining to watch while the customers shop. I had the opportunity to speak with owner and I learned some interesting facts about "Winkie". Being that I took such an interest in his "son", he was kind enough to let Tyson and I enter his "room" to pet him. I was very nervous, but Winkie remained calm since his daddy was in there with us.



Some Interesting Facts about Winkie:

• Winkie is 42 years old.
• Winkie absolutely loves Hardees hamburgers, Taco Bell tacos with extra cheese and no lettuce, and a scrambled egg sandwhich on lightly toasted bread and a small amount of mayo.
• After Winkie escaped (accidentally) from the pet store, on Mother's Day last year, the owner dialed 911. When the operator asked what the emergency was, the owner responded, "I need to file a missing person's report!" 9 cop cars rushed to Pet City and after 3 hours, Winkie was captured.
• Winkie had a brother that accompanied him at Pet City, but he died last year.
• Winkie is famous. He used to be in a few movies in Myrtle Beach, SC.
• Winkie is set free in the store towards the end of the day (about 1/2 hour before closing). We got to experience him roaming the store.

2008 Annual 4th of July Beach Trip "Gone Bad"

My sick little man.

They say, "vacation used to be a luxury, but in today's world it has become a necessity." True! But, they also say, "No man needs a vacation so much as the person who has just had one." MORE TRUE! After this last trip to Myrtle Beach, I couldn't agree more with the latter quote.

Usually, one complains about a particular family member or the weather ruining their vacation, but not in my case. This time around it was a gastro-intestional virus that plagued our 8 bedroom, 9 bathroom beach house.

Darren and I arrived on Friday, June 27th. Things started off great, like they usually do. And then the "fun", not really, began. My mother-in-law came down with, what we now know to be, a really bad virus on Saturday. She even had to go to a local urgent care facility to get pricked and probed and diagnosed. On Sunday, Tyson got it. On Monday, Darren, Whitney and my mom got it. And on Tuesday, three other family members received it. From then on, it was a downward spiral. Out of 15 vacationers, 11 (to date) have contracted the virus. Many viruses last about 24 hours, but not this one. Tyson is still sick (6 days later) and as a matter of fact, I spent 4th of July cleaning up puke ALL OVER MY 4 Runner. Oh the joys of motherhood.

It's so true when you hear, "be careful what you wish for!" I have longed for solitude for months now. Well, when I finally had the opportunity to be alone, because everyone was bed ridden, I realized those family members and friends who can drive you the MOST crazy at times, really are the ones you miss the most when you are alone. You'd think I'd be grateful to be one of the few healthy people standing and don't get me wrong, I am, but it was so boring, not to mention lonely. There was no one to eat those fattening foods with and no one to talk to on the beach. As a matter of fact, almost everyone, on this trip, lost a minimum of 3-8 pounds on this trip, while I gained about 5. HA HA....

So.... How did this trip change my life? I'll tell you. Most anyone who knows me, knows I am overly clean. However, I never considered myself even remotely close to being a germaphobic person aka mysophobic. I used to laugh at certain people in my life who washed their hands every time they used the bathroom. I even have one close friend who brings her own towels and sheets from home when she travels (never mind the fact that she Clorox wipes everything before "living" at her rented "home"). Now, I have gone from clean to CLEANER! I walked around the house with clorox wipes the rest of the week, I bleached my bathroom from top to bottom, I refused to eat or drink after anyone, and even worse, when we returned home I put all of Ty's toys in the dishwasher, machine washed my flip flips and pillows, and I even went as far as trashing ANY food that we brought with us.

Thankfully so, I am still standing and healthy. I've read the virus can live inside of me for a few days before it shows up, so let's hope that I remain healthy and don't contract the virus. I would be shocked after sleeping in the same bed as Darren and Ty (one morning waking up to TY's diarrhea all over the bed) and cleaning up puke, if I don't get it.

Overall, I am sure from the pics, you can see we made the MOST of our trip. It's ashame that this is the way we had to spend our vacation. We all have come to the conclusion that it was the HOUSE that caused all of this chaos. We plan on contacting the new residents, this week, to see if they got sick. If so, we hope that we can get our money back for all the hardships.

We are most thankful to be home in a clean environment. There's no place like home!

Ty and Daddy sick as a dog!

Ty Gets His First Skate Board.

Ty was beyond thrilled to recieve this skateboard. Can you tell?

From God to Skate Boards, the Higginbothams have become great influences in our lives. Every Wednesday, after church, TY witnesses Julian on his skate board and almost EVERY Wednesday, Ty says, "Hey Mom, maybe one day I can get a skate board!" It's so cute!!! After running into Goody's tonight, I spotted a miniature skate board, just the perfect size for Tyson. So, I suprised him with it. I think, by far, this is his favorite gift ever. The "Higgs" have not only brought God back into our lives, but they are turning our son into a cool skater dude! LOL!

Off he goes!

"WIPE OUT!"

Ty really gets into skate boarding~ take a peak at the video clip above.

Pool Party FUN!!!!

Tyson and I enjoyed some pool party FUN as we hosted a party with some of our greatest friends. A gorgeous day, some yummy food, and amazing fellowship, who can ask for anything more.

"I am thankful for the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends." ~Nancie J. Carmody

TGI FRIDAY'S!

KIDS EAT FREE ON SUNDAYS AT TGI FRIDAY'S RESTAURANT. DINE IN ONLY. ANOTHER GREAT DEAL. NOW IF WE COULD ONLY FIND A RESTAURANT WHERE KIDS CAN EAT FREE ON M, W, TH, F, AND SATURDAYS, MOMMY WOULDN'T HAVE TO COOK EVER!!!!

FIREHOUSE SUBS!

KIDS EAT FREE ON TUESDAYS AT FIREHOUSE SUBS. DINE IN ONLY. WE LOVE A DEAL! YOU KNOW WHERE WE ARE EATING TONIGHT.

Summer Time FUN Begins!!!!

For those of you who are unaware, I took it upon myself, last week, to create a "Summer Time Fun Calendar" for Tyson and all of his friends as well as mine. The first event was TODAY! For those of you who could not attend, you really missed a GREAT and EVENTFUL day. It started at 9:35 am. Ty and I picked up, his buddy, Adam Warren. We headed to the movie theatre to view the movie, "We Are the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything", A Veggie Tales Movie. Ty had already seen it, but every TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY & THURSAY our local movie theatre invites children to view a movie for FREE, so we didn't mind going to see it again. We pigged out on popcorn and drinks ($1 each - what a deal) and relaxed while watching a flick! Afterwards, we grabbed a bite to eat at Chick-Fil-A and the kids got to play on the playground. Finally, we left Chick-Fil-A to go to the Salem Library. The Mill Mountain Zoo brought some small animals for the kids to look at and touch. Some of the animals we got to see and touch included: a snake, a gecko, a hedge hog, a frog and a tini tiny turtle. At 2:00 pm we arrived home. Tyson is OUT cold now. What a day to say the least! If you are local and would like to join us for the next event, it's a POOL party at my neighborhood pool (June 26th). I am supplying the hot dogs & buns, you bring a side dish, and your own drinks. Take a peak at the calendar by viewing it on my blog. See above bullet titled, "SUMMER TIME FUN CALENDAR". Click on it to get the latest updates or to see what TY is doing on any particular day of the week. Below are a few pictures taken of today's events.

Alayna Visits for a Couple of Hours!

Tyson's newest crush, Alayna, comes over to play while her mommy and daddy get the house cleaned up before Grandma's arrival. They spent much of their time playing, dancing, and snacking. I believe their favorite time together was when they painted. Both Alayna and Ty made sweet pictures for their daddies for Father's Day! It used to be that Ty wanted to marry me ONLY, but now it appears I have competition. The other day, I said, "Do you still want to marry me?" He said, "Yeah, but I want to marry Alayna too."

I just loved taking care of a little girl. Girls are so sweet!