3.14.10

I've seen Crocodile Dundee where Linda Kozlowski is almost eaten alive when she dips down to fill her canteen....

(and I remember a family vacation to Orlando when some crazy Hunsakers got stuck inside the Crocodile Reserve in Florida after hours)

So, perhaps I'm a little slow, but I recently took my kids and husband to an alligator park.  

This was "better" than going to the zoo.  

There were so many birds, and turtles....and gators.

No fences

No rails

Just an open lake and walking trail.

('nough said?)

Blue skies smilin' on me!

And then when we had enough of the gators, we headed south for some fun in the sun!

Drivin' on the beach!

3.29.10

I love that you wear crocs and shorts outside to shovel snow.

I love that you would rather wear a baseball cap than gel your hair.

 I love that you love veggemite and sardines.

Even though I find them DISGUSTING!

I love that you compose music and sing out loud!

I love that you sing about us.

I love that you speak a foreign language.

I love that you are a techno geek.

I love that you've nicknamed yourself and all our kiddos.

I love that you wrestle with the kids.

I love that you are spontaneous, and require no plans to have fun.

I love that you eat my food.

I love that you stay up late just to talk with me.

I love it when you notice my eye shadow.

I love that I loved you first, and that you were my first and only choice!

I love that you love me back!

I love that we have stinkin' cute kids!

I love that they love you too!

I love the way we all miss you!

I love remembering all the reasons why I love you!

So even though you say its our 5th

(because we have spent 2 of the 7 years in different states)

I still count all 7!  

i love you!

Oh, what a night!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I can't wait until it is over! My little Anastasia turned 5 yesterday! She was very cute! First thing in the morning she jumps out of bed to tell me that today is her birthday! She was very helpful, (like when someone wants something so they are sweet to you) knowing that she would have to wait to open her gifts! It wasn't much, but she liked her water magna doodle, and weaving loom. She is almost done with her first pot holder already. She is a BRIGHT girl! But then again, we all knew that! Ereland wanted to open her gift so bad, (and I am a sucker, and her birthday is only 7 days apart from Anastasia's) so I caved...and she too loved her Tinkerbell polly pocket.

Later that night we had our special birthday dinner on mom's china and silver. Anastasia called it the "best fancy nanciest" dinner ever. Her menu request was shrimp(s) and noodles. So alfredo pasta, lemon garlic butter shrimp and green beans were devoured before the polar bear cake and blue bell ice cream was presented. It was good until later, later that night when we all got food poisoning! I don't know what it was exactly, but I was the only one who escaped unharmed. Weird huh? Poor Anastasia started off the night in the bathroom at around 11 pm...and the rest of the kids kept us up and going until about 2 pm today! Hundreds of loads of laundry, 2 carpet cleanings, and 2 cans of lysol later,(but not quite so many dishes as yesterday) it is now dark outside again. Time means nothing, sleep means everything!!! This is when I would really like to take off and have a massage!

I think (and pray) everyone will be feeling better tomorrow, it looked like a nice day outside, from our beds. We are all caught up on our sitcoms, Disney shows and PBS trivia if anyone has any questions! Happy St. Pat's but thank goodness it is over!

Let the Good Times Roll!!!

Well, we finally got that snow storm that I was expecting this winter. It has been fun to play in and see and hear the girls' excitement. David and I decided to take some time away from the snow and visit my parents in the warmer weather of Texas. It was beautiful weather! It makes it hard to go back to the snow and ice! We drove thru the night all 27 hours, figuring out that it was better to drive while the kids were sleeping, and skip the frequent potty stops. Despite the snow, the roads were dry. I appreciate the snowplows and David and I wondered at one point how much money the city spends each winter to clean up the freeways.

Anyhow, when we got to Texas the girls ran in to see my mom and dad, and hugs and kisses were freely given. Except Ereland, who was just waking up from a nap....and was rather moody. Go figure! We took some time to unload, and then slept.

We spent some time with David's twin sister, Melinda and her family. The kids played well together and before this, I honestly couldn't remember when the last time I had seen them was. I left early one year from the reunion, and so it had been quite a while. CJ was just a baby then, and now she is three! We went to the dollar theater to watch Percy Jackson and The Lightening Thief. I hadn't read the books and thought it was a good movie. But the Stucki's all read the series and thought that it was a great disappointment from how the books read. My poor girls didn't know what to expect, and there were a few parts that were a little advanced for them, and they spent the remainder of the show on my lap, but by the end of the show Anastasia had her arms behind her head, reclining back in her seat saying, "Mom, I'm not scared anymore, I can handle this!"


Then in a flash we were off to Mardi Gras in Galveston. My parents joined us, and we had sooo much fun catching all the beads, stuffed animals and cups! The local neighborhood reminded me of our most prized piece of property in Toledo. Before the parade began, Melinda went to take some of her kids to the bathroom, and on the way back a intoxicated local started to follow her and so she hustled to catch up with the only other white family she could see....(trying to blend into their group) but she stepped into a pot hole and sprained her ankle!


Brandon went to rescue her and after a run to CVS for an ice pack and ace bandages she had some relief. The rest of the night we watched Adam mimic the high school dancers with his interesting dance moves.







Steve had a strategic approach to getting beads. He sat on the porch of one of the houses and as the people on the float would try to throw beads up to the balcony of the house, they would inevitably hit the siding and Steve made out good! I think his total was 70 strings of beads. It must weigh at least 8 lbs. Ereland sat on my shoulders and we danced and bopped up and down to the street music. Anastasia and Grandma did well too. There is enough costume jewelry now to last for quite some time! Let the good times roll!

David, Brandon and Grandpa took some of their collection to work and teased that she wouldn't take any beads that she didn't earn! Haha! I am sure there were places where that was true, but we thankfully stayed safe and clean!


It was a good break to take some time off and see some family that we hadn't seen in a while. We played hard this weekend, but now it's time to get back to work! Ugh! How many more days until spring break?

Well hello iPad!

I don't think it is a secret that since I have been married, David has turned me into a soft "techie". My recent fascination has been the apple tablet. Today Apple revealed their product, the iPad. I was so excited to see it, that it may have felt a little like Christmas eve around here last night.


It was fun to watch the live blogs today, but I will say the iPad is a little disappointing for what I was hoping it would offer. And when David came home and told me about sixth sense technology, I was even more disillusioned. A video about sixth sense technology and its potential influence is here.

My only question is with people like this, why aren't they working with larger corporations to make this kind of thing a reality for the masses? One thing is for sure, I can't wait to see what the future brings!

Happy February!

I have always felt gypped that we only get to celebrate Valentines Day for the first 14 days of February. Unlike the big holidays like Christmas and even Halloween that are celebrated for an entire month, so I took it upon myself to put up my "virtual" decorations early. Plus, I have really cute kids, so I had to show them off. We hope that you enjoy Valentines Day this year and know that we are thinking of you!

Winter Inside Activities!

It's been cold and windy this winter and so I've had to do a lot of entertaining inside. Back in November I started a project that finally was finished last night! They are fabric dollhouses. Very cute dollhouses that I made from the cardboard from old diaper boxes, batting and some spare fabric. I started in November because I decided to make a barn for my sister this Christmas. Last night I finished the beach house for Anastasia's Ariel doll and a garden cottage for Ereland's princess Belle. I really liked how they turned out. Now the girls can entertain themselves while I am at choir, or during the last of these winter months. The girls seem to really like them so far, and I am grateful to give them something made from the heart. I am not sure about their durability, so here they are prior to any "tender loving care".
(P.S. now you know why I haven't blogged lately!)

From the mouth of babes!

Anastasia has said some pretty funny things lately, so I thought I would share a few.

We have a new family in the ward that is comming from Manhattan, and I was telling her about their two boys that are the same ages as Anastasia and Ereland. She was excited at first to meet them, but then she started saying,
"Mom what if the boys tickle me?"
"Well they probably wont do that to you, but if they do, you can just say, please don't tickle me."
"But what if I can't say that because I am laughing to hard?"

She thought on this for a minute or two, and then she said, "Mom, boys are so funny."
"Why is that Anastasia?"
"Boys get nervous around me."

Oh, if she only knew what was comming. A talented, beautiful girl would make me nervous too if I were a boy, but maybe she was thinking about her inhibitions and disregard for fear or social customs. She might be a terror to them after all.

And then one morning I was up a little earlier than normal because I had to go visiting teaching up by the church and David and I were in the bathroom getting ready at the same time. Anastasia wakes up and promptly comes in to the bathroom and says matter of factly, Mom it is okay if you go to work with Dad today. I can babysit Ereland and Cardin.

I hope that I never forget the sweet moments my kids create for me. Ereland this morning over cereal told me in her sweetest little voice, "Mom, I love you." And this makes me melt anyhow, but then she leaned over to Anastasia and said,
"Steesia, I wuv ooo too." And Anastasia even responded! (Must have been a good morning) "Ereland I love you back!" And they shared a hug! What cute girls! I think that they will be pretty good friends as they grow up!

Families are forever, and mine is deffinitely a keeper!

Happy New Year!

I dedicate this post to Laura, my sister in law because she maybe mentioned that I was slacking off lately. You would think that with the new year, there would be stories to tell, and fun to be had, but really....we aren't too exciting lately... but here goes.

2010....here we are.
New Years Eve came and we thought about going to a party, but Ereland has been pretty sick lately, so we decided not to share our "icky bugs" with all our friends and we stayed home and watched movies. I am told that when I was a kid, my parents used to let us ring in the new year at 8:00 and tell us it was midnight. I don't know how long that went on, but let just say it wasn't just one year. I miss the annual pizza making, puzzles, and cheeseball, and due to the absence of cable, we didn't even see the ball drop. But we did spend some time together and that is all that really matters. It was nice to just veg out with David. The girls were in their room but stayed up well into the night.... Probably until 11pm before I had to lay the smack down. Tired girls lead to very tired mothers and I was already exhausted from the previous week.

Really, since then,...not too much has happened... just kids being kids. It is getting bitter cold lately, so we are staying indoors. I am grateful that everyone is healthy now and happy.

I am looking forward to more snow, that is perhaps the one thing we have done recently. It gets a little warmer when the snow falls. Anastasia has gotten the hang of snowball fights, and every time we go outside, even if it is just to get in the car, she throws one right at me! l love her for that because I know that that means she loves me. She took it upon herself to dig up the bugs under the leaves under the snow. She missed the bugs so much she had to see them I suppose. And Ereland with all the sick days she has clocked in lately, is my little cuddle bug. I have tried to be extra patient, and gentle with the kids, (a mental resolution perhaps) and she keeps telling me, "Momma, I wuv ooo". I tell her that I love her, and she says, no, I love you! (Emphasis on I). And we go back and forth until she starts to get upset and that is my que to start tickling her and reassure her that we can both love each other.

Cardin is a little army crawler, and is moving everywhere. He loves to crawl to the kitchen and bang on the linoleum because he likes the sound it makes. He still smiles everywhere and is growing up to be just as cute as my big girls!

One thing is sure, WE LOVE OUR FAMILY!!!!!!
Saving the Bugs!

My little snow bugs!