Spring Break-a-Thon Part 2

This time it's personal!

So after Leelah woke up from her Sea World nap she said in a daze, "Another show??" This was in the parking lot. We were not about to be going back in. Sorry kid, love ya but we gotta get our grub on. Or try to...
So we went to Buffalo Wild Wings which was fine until Gillian "diva'd" out and had to leave because I'm allergic to smoke. Note to self: don't eat in any restaurant that has "bar and grill" in the name. Just like John and I's honeymoon, I'm now sick from the 20 min of smoke received in the non-smoking section. Yeah, I'm a little on the high maintenance side but don't want to be. It's health issues.

So we headed on over to IHOP, "the pancake place" where we waited for another hour for our funny face pancakes. It wasn't even crowded. We threatened to leave in a nice way and got free fruit. We weren't trying to be hatin' it's just that my baby's gotta eat!!! We finally made it home that night at 12:30. We had to stop at Buc-ee's and eat some ice cream of the future- Dippin' Dots- but isn't it ice cream of the past now? Seriously.

Next Day: Tuesday (forgot the St. Patrick's completely) RODEO DAY!
John had never been and now wants to go everyday. Funny part- we were starving before we got there (notice a pattern?) so I begged John to take us to Freebirds since "they only have bbq at the Rodeo!" and so we made the special trip to F'birds. What is the FIRST sign we notice once we get to the Rodeo? FREEBIRDS. Dang it. Yeah I had to literally eat my words. Leelah absolutely LOVED the petting zoo, but the carnival not so much. Too much clown faces and carnies I guess. We're working on her.


Hey I have a good idea! Let's put our daughter in the middle of a John Deere Tractor Wheel? Okay Sounds good!

The Agventure part was really great. Educational and fun - a parent's dream! We saw newly hatched chicks, newly birthed calves, a big ol' longhorn (Hissss!) and bulls, a huge flemish rabbit, and the petting zoo All kinds of fun! Leelah did have to be restrained from feeding the pets their own habitat straw. "No Leelah that's for what they lay on!" and "No Leelah that's poop!!!"
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And what happened when she got to rollin' in her stroller too late again?



She got tuckered out!
Thank you Jesus for this glorious family time! John's the man- we had so much fun with him taking some time off! What a blessing he is to our hearts. He's also the funniest person I know. Popcorn + John for 2 days = best times ever! I like hyperboles!

Spring Break-a-thon 2009!!

Whew! We packed a whole mess of fun into 2 days- Texas Style!
First we did the unthinkable attempt a trip to Sea World on the start of Spring Break this past Monday. It was a day of waiting for the real! We waited to get into the park - 2 hrs and almost ran out of gas, bladder space and our sanity...



Once we got in we waited in the line to get in until awesome Mark directed us and our e-ticket selves to the entrance! Go Mark!


Then we were naturally hungry - Buc-ee's was 3 hrs old by then and digested by stomach acids- so we waited in the lunch lines (we left several) for another hour plus... (I'm not complaining I'm just documentin'!) Waiting at Sea World is a luxury. I'm merely making light of the wait

...
Leelah got too ravenous and starting eating her sunglasses...
Once we got done eating it was about 3:00ish. Something told me (Jesus) we better go get our seat for the 4:30 Shamu show. Good thing I listened!!!
During the show Leelah announced that Sea World- "This place is so really cool!" and she got confused about which show she was at and yelled, "WHERE'S BIG BIRD?!" since we'd been talking about seeing that show too.





So next up was the Big Bird Beach Party. Before the show started kids were dancing up front and Leelah told us, "I want to go up there and meet some new friends." How can you say no to that?

Then on the way to the next show- The Cannery Row Caper aka where you see the big ol' walrus this happened...

Day 2- The Rodeo will be posted soon. I only have so much time people!!

Good News!

Doc Holz says- "No infection" in lefty!! Hooray! Praise the Lord! Good stuff. He says that the pain is attributed to the fact that I've had 2 big surgeries in that eye and that it is "grumpy". So wait a sec, it's grumpy and lazy? Who am I Snow White? Seriously. But it's cool. I can totally live with grumpy thanks to artificial preservative-free (must be) tears 3 times a day. Whoop!

Righty will just have to do it's thing before the docs touch it. Will either have the lens drop further or the cataract move in- which is happening. But thank God that I have the BEST eye docs for when this happens.

Will be trying new contacts in left to hopefully see if it will even work- remember it got lazy (amblyoptic?) on me.

As for now I'm going to rejoin my daughter and husband in the living room where there is a fort and puzzles. Fort, puzzles, Friday night, and rain. Yes!

BABY SUMNERS IS HERE!!!!

Praise Jesus for this sweet new baby boy!!! We are so excited for Ashley (former sidemate/roomie from aTm), Jon, and baby Jake! May the Lord bless their time together as a family. Please keep them in your prayers as they adjust to each other and the many tasks of parenthood. Pray that baby Jake is healthy and praise that the delivery went well for mommy and baby! So very excited. I'll let Ashley tell you all the details! www.thesumners.blogspot.com

Yay Hooray!!!!!! So excited for you Ashley!!!

Eye can't believe it's not better...

Life is good around the Nichols' place. It's been "especially delicious" (Nacho Libre weekend has got me laughing! "Hug, Hug, Kees, Kees, Big hug, little keees") because I've finally implemented a daily quiet time with the Lord. I finally heeded the advice of giving God the "first fruits" meaning wake up and do a little Bible studying first thing. Hopefully before Leelah Monster runs in with her hair all askew a la Donald Trump. Why does her hair grow forward? Tell me? Anyhoo, this quiet time thing is AWESOME! It's been about a week since the Lord made me do this and I listened. Take the beginning of last week. I was feeling down and out. All kinds of unexplained sadness and frumpy dumpy time. Then I went to Wednesday morning Bible study at church and heard the whole "you got to do the quiet time in the morning" spheil. So the next day I did it. And that whole day and the subsequent days, I felt better and could rejoice where I would have been all gripey-gripey. So thank you Kristi for your lesson on that last week. Not like she's even reading this. But I am giving her the shout-out nonetheless. Thank you Lord for speaking through the women of Second Baptist!

So the eye appt... Arrrgghaghahhhghah. Or as Richard Dreyfuss says in one of my all time fave movies "What about Bob?" - GETOUTTATHTACCAHHHHH" But let me stop myself from getting on the complain train and remember:
"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Romans 8:18. Not even worth comparison? Cool!

So I will simply ask for your prayers that God does some healing with the left eye (okay throw the right one in too). But the left eye is facing possible infection again. Endopthalmitis is not enjoyable number one. Number two) I really don't want another surgery - due to financial constraints. Number 3) I don't want them to take out the lens implant b/c then it's back to legal blindness (kind of there already) for another 6 mos. So please pray that the pain I am experiencing in that eye that leads me to believe is re-infection- pray that that is not the issue and that it will subside and or be taken care of. I go into the back of the eye (vitrectomy) doc on Friday to check on it. They couldn't tell me anything on Monday because they dialted it.

RIght eye's sight is starting to get weird on me. Seeing foggyness, black shadows, of course those crazy floaters are still happening. So I'm thinking the lens will drop soon or the cataract is moving in. Not really my problem since God is taking care of everything. Which is nice, because I'm seriously inept. And not a doctor. Hey, even doctors need help!

Leelah has got the ol' sinusitis and is at Cling Stage 5 right now. Poor child. Do NOT stop giving them Claritin when you can visually see the pollen. Sorry child! She did tell me something so sweet I had to write it down. Humor me while I share this,
"Mama I was talking to Jesus in my bedtime and he made me so happy in my bedtime." Ah jeez. I love that little kid I can't help myself I gotta tell ya! Katz's never closes (old school Houston deli commercial reference).

Eye of the Tiger

Yeah, I'm running out ot titles that are eye-catching. So a lot of people have been wondering- those who have asked I'm not just assuming and omnipotent- what's the eye dealy-o?

Today I am going in for another contact fitting appointment. I'm really not sure how this will turn out. My eyes are just not cooperating but I am praising God that I have not fully lost vision. I am so thakful for this. As for now I am waiting on what the Lord has in store for my sight. I have tried wearing the contacts. The left eye (surgeries eye) is just being a lazy toot and has decided hey I had 3 yrs of not working why start now? Great. A phlegmatic eye. The right, well that's a whole other story.

Will give an update after today's appointment.

Where in the world is Carmen SanDiego?

Okay guys. I ain't even playin' when I say that I have already made my appt at the end of this year for getting a flu shot. We will be there. As a family all wearing sleeveless shirts, arms at the ready getting injected with sweet gold. Well Leelah will probably have to thigh it up, but you know what I mean. Let me tell you. I am just now feeling better and John and I were stricken with the flu virus 2 Fridays ago. Holy Chills Batman. That was terrible. TERRIBLE!!!!!! I have not been that ill in a while. I have lost 4 lbs in one week. I'm not complaining, but I love me some food so you know this is bad crap when I tell you that. So bad I had to use the word 'crap'. I can just now smell things- today. I lost my sense of hearing in one ear- so I feel you Callie although not to that extent- and lost my sense of smell. I threw up like I was in elementary school. People offered to meet us at Freebirds for dinner one night- I said no. For days my voice sounded like the Scream movie "hello Sydney" voice. Scary. John and I died. It was again- TERRIBLE!!! Leelah became a "re-flu-gee" and was banished to the land of grandparents- Huntsville for a whole weekend. She loved it! Thank you Nana and Poppa! So the moral of the story is when someone asks you if you want a flu shot say YES!!!!! Even if you are getting eye surgery the next day- JUST DO IT!!!

Now please to enjoy random pics...

You's a big fine crochet hook won't you back that stitch up! Thank you Mindee queen of things awesome- for teaching Tina my homegirl and I how to crochet!!! That was way fun lookin' all "smarmy" and such!

This is a pic of Leelah with Mr. Andrew and sweet baby Elizabeth- she is BEAUTIFUL! We met up with them and Ms. Becky and Mr. Bruce a while back at the wonderful Freebirds.

This awesome pout lip was captured by aforementioned Mr. Andrew Grohmann- it is an awesome shot!

Leelah pre-church time.