Post in Progress: Southern California Summer vacation

I'm baaaack!

Wow...can't believe it's been a month since my last post. Summer is flying by here! We just got back from an awesome summer trip to So Cal (The OC as I referred to it the entire time) and I have lots of pics to share. I will be working on that post next, but here is a preview of our GREAT time:(The girls with Robbie and Danielle Peyton.....awesome friends and former neighbors who now live in Huntington Beach,CA)

As soon as I sort through the 900+ pictures I took, I will have a trip report for y'all. Since we got back, I have been busy with all the post-vacation stuff there is to do...laundry, bills, grocery shopping....you know, all the stuff that drives one to go on a vacation in the first place. However, I've also made time to watch ALL 5 Harry Potter movies with Claire (with guest appearances by Meghan, Anna and Jack during certain movies). Phew!! What a task. Four different directors on the first five films and not a one could get the movie under 2 1/2 hours? Are you kidding me?

Claire had not seen them (I've seen the first 2) and wanted to watch them all before going to see the one out in theaters now. (As an aside, I can never remember the names of any of these movies so I make up my own. For example, movie #4 would be Harry Potter and the hot guy who plays Edward Cullen in the Twilight movie.) Anyways, we watched #5 last night (Harry Potter and that Annoying Woman who Likes Pink Alot) so we are all caught up on the series! I think we may hit the movie that is in theaters (Harry Potter and the Record Breaking Opening) this weekend sometime.

I will leave this post with the single most awesome thing I have seen this week (and yeah, that includes all those HP movies.) Apparently this youtube video is the hottest thing currently, and I can see why. I LOVE IT. Now, which daughter of mine can I get to do this in the future? Enjoy.....because I TOTALLY did.

I got nothing: redux

Picture, as promised, of Anna's retainer. Pretty cool, huh? Anna asked them to throw some silver sparkles in the mix too. You know, just in case the hot pink/bright green combo wasn't doing the job of adorning the roof of her mouth enough.

Goodness, why do I feel I am teetering on a slippery slope here by posting a photo of Anna's ortho apparatus? I mean, what's next? Wanna see a picture of the inside of my dirty oven? How about the weeds in the backyard? I need something exciting to happen! Something cool and blogworthy! Otherwise this is just another boring blog from someone who thinks her cats are cute enough to post countless pictures of for everyone to oooh and ahhhh over. What? Did someone mention cute kitties?

My mission today? (and if you are thinking clean that filthy oven or pull the weeds, well, you just don't know me that well.) Find something... anything to blog about our summer so far. And it can't be about the weather. (Hello high temp of 101 tomorrow!) I am determined. Let the quest begin.

A before and after

Sorry for the lack of posts of late. I guess the lazy days of summer are to blame. Not much exciting going on. Lots of sleeping in, staying up late, swimming and Wii Mario Kart lately. I have to share these pics of Anna though. After 11 months, she got her braces off on Monday. She looks so different! Two days later we were back at the ortho though for her retainer. She pretty much has to wear it 24/7 for the next year. I have to get a picture of it to post. It actually looks like a watermelon (yeah, if I didn't see it, I wouldn't be able to picture it either.)

As a parting gift, her orthodontist handed her a card and told her it was a gift for being such a good patient. Inside was a $15 Target gift card! Part of me thought, "What a cool idea and a nice gesture. Then another part of me thought, "Hey where is the gift for the parents who decided to write a check in full a year ago (for a measley 8% discount)? I want my Target gift card too!" OK, I am selfish, yes, but really, I could do some (minor) damage at Target with my own $15 gift card. Where's the love Dr. Brown??

OK, one more thing.....Jack and I went to go see Hangover last week. Oh. my. HILARIOUS. It has been such a long time since I have seen a movie strictly for adults. And boy, it deserved the "R" rating.....but, it was so damn funny. We LOVED it. It was terrific! Jack was laughing so hard I actually had to shush him a few times because he was so loud! So, leave the kiddos home and go have a date night with your spouse/significant other. It is the most fun I have had at the movies in quite awhile.
P.S. Stay for the end credits...it is a MUST.

Sweet 16!

As promised, pictures of Meghan's 16th birthday yesterday! Cannot believe my oldest is 16 and now driving! That was the first order of business yesterday: standing in line at the DMV (which Texas calls DPS...'cause you can get gun licenses here too......dear Lord, love Texas) to obtain the driver's license. Thankfully, she had already taken both the written and driving test through her driver's ed class last fall, so all we had to do was present the proper paperwork, fork over the cash, and her temporary license was placed in her freshly minted 16 year old hands. The next thing we did was grab some bagels for breakfast, make a surprise stop to pick up the cake pictured above (Meghan was so surprised!) and then back to the neighborhood where Meg drove to get Natalie.

Then more surprises arrived for Meghan:

a gorgeous cookie cake from our dear friends in Minnesota, the Mustas (Meghan and Nate were babies together!!!! Now they are both driving......Nate gets his license next month!!!)

an adorable birthday box from Grandpa & Grandma Sowerby. It had a teddy bear, cookies, candy and chocolates. (Please ignore Claire's hair as she was acting goofy, but DO take note of how tall she is compared to her older sister!)

Jack arrived home with an armful of beautiful flowers for Meg.

More kids arrived for pizza and cake (but I can't show them because I don't do that sort of thing unless I have parental permission.) But that cute girl with Meg and Natalie below is Nat's big sister, Nicole. Love Nicole. Love Natalie. Meghan is such a lucky girl. She gets to spend a day with them at the the Aquarium in downtown Houston as her birthday gift.

A beautiful James Avery bracelet from her friend Jace.

There were other nice gifts and more fun. Jack and I got Meg an iPod Touch and she was thrilled with it. Then the kids all went to see a movie. I think Meghan had a very fun day. And it was also the last day of school (even though Meg had been off for 2 days for final exam exemptions), so that just made the day even more exciting.

Sigh.....can't believe she is 16. Where did that little bald-headed, sweet baby girl go?

School's Out for Summer!

Back by popular demand: a new blog post! My fans demanded it, so who am I to withhold any longer? Seriously, read the reviews I have received recently:

"You need to blog again! I go there pretty much every day and there is never a new post!!"
Claire McAfee, sent via email

"I am sick of seeing Kris Allen at the top of your blog."
Jack McAfee, via IM conversation

Whatever on that last review.

So, anyways, last day of school was yesterday!! Currently, it is 8:05am and I am still the only one awake in the house. Ahhhh, cup of coffee and peace and quiet. Love summer vacation.

Other big event yesterday: Meghan turned Sweet 16!! And she has the driver's license to prove it! More on that and the rest of her birthday in the next blog post which I hope to have time for later today. Until then, I am enjoying my slumbering house and the full expanse of summer ahead.