CRUISE - Day 4

Our ship stopped in Puerto Vallarta today. Below is a picture of the Sapphire Princess.
There were really neat sand sculptures along the Malecon.

Gibson and I sitting on some of Puerto Vallarta's famous sculptures.

We have a secret place in PV that we always visit. It's up the river from the flea market and it's always quiet and clean. There are clean restrooms and we ALWAYS find cats. We found this one up in a tree. Some turkey got him down, though.

The cat decided we were okay to sit with since we kept feeding him our turkey sandwiches.

Gibson sitting down at our yummy, delicious lunch! We found this shaded table right on the beach front and parked there for the afternoon. They brought out our lunch and drinks and Gibson and I played in the ocean.

Gibson loves playing in the ocean waves! (except when he gets knocked down and gets salt water up his nose!)

CRUISE - Day 5

This day we visited Mazatlan - our favorite stop! We take a funny 'golf-cart' taxi to the Golden Zone, do a little shopping and then play on the beach.
This year we decided to go over to Deer Island for a quick visit. We took a Catamaran and played on the beach for about an hour and a half. We decided we like the beach at Mazatlan better.
Brady and I on Deer Island (it was nice having Gibson to take pictures!).

Where is Gibson? And whose head is that sticking out of the sand?

I ordered ONE Pacifico beer and this is what they brought me - an entire bucket! Rob, where are you??? Brady wasn't any help in drinking all the beers!

Gibson and I playing in the ocean at Mazatlan. Gibson loved having the waves knock him down.

CRUISE - Day 6

Our final stop was Cabo San Lucas. This visit, Brady and I just decided to stay on the boat. There's nothing we really love to do in Cabo, and we wanted a relaxing day on the ship.
A view of Lover's Beach from the ship. (We visited this beach last year. We didn't go again because the water is too cold to snorkel this time of year).

The famous Cabo Arch.

This night was our final formal night. We stopped a couple and asked them to take our picture and discovered they were from Sandy. Too bad we met them on the last night, as they were fun to talk to.

CRUISE - Day 7

Gibson having dinner with his friends in the Horizon Court Buffet. The picture below is our room. Gibson is up on his bunk. The ladder went into the center of the room, so Brady and I had separate beds this time!

Gibson watching a movie with his friends in the kid's area on the last night of the cruise. The kid's program was really exceptional on this cruise. They did so many activities and he got so many prizes (stuffed animals, shirts, etc.).

DISNEYLAND - Day 1

Back at Disneyland! It had been over a year since our last trip to Disneyland and we were so excited to visit again! We love it here! I would have to say that this trip to Disneyland was probably my most favorite. The weather was PERFECT - 80's during the day and the nights only required a light jacket. The flowers were beautiful and the crowds weren't too bad. We just had a really, really enjoyable time. We were not ready to come home when it was over. The Matterhorn was only open the first 2 days of our visit, so it was the first ride we visited! We went on it multiple times, as it is one of my favorite rides! It's kind of hard to see them, but there are a lot of blue and purple Delphiniums in bloom and they were beautiful!

This was our first visit to Disneyland since "It's a Small World" reopened. They had to dig out the channel and make it deeper since people have gotten "heavier" since the ride was built. The boats were scrapping bottom. They also made some changes inside. There are now Disney characters scattered throughout the ride - and it was fun trying to spot them.Here's Cinderella and some mice.

Brady and Gibson standing at the entrance of "Pirates of the Caribbean". Gibson has always like pirates, but he's now obsessed with them since this trip. He has proclaimed this his new favorite ride, as evidenced by the fact that we probably rode it 8-10 times.

If you need proof that we run ourselves ragged at Disneyland, Gibson actually fell asleep in the bathtub this night!

DISNEYLAND - Day 2

Brady and Gibson standing in front of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - Gibson's FAVORITE ride. As Brady said, we could go on this ride all day and it wouldn't be enough for Gibson. We learned an interesting piece of trivia - Disneyland's BTMRR is the only one modeled after Bryce Canyon. The rides at the other parks (Disneyworld, etc.) are modeled after Monument Valley.
Brady and I eating our favorite Disneyland treat - pineapple ice cream!

Gibson finally got to visit the Lego store (in Downtown Disney)! He LOVED it! There were so many Lego sets and awesome things built out of Legos (he's standing in front of a Lego robot). He got to pick out a Pirate Lego set.

The theme this year at Disneyland is "Celebrate Today" and they had this cute display on Main Street.

Brady and Gibson on the Teacups (one of the few rides I refuse to go on!). They are in the orange teacup.

This is one of my most favorite roller coasters in the world! It is so fast and smooth! Unfortunately, Gibson was only 1/4" too short to go on it this time. Maybe next time.

DISNEYLAND - Day 3

We got to go on the newest ride at California Adventure - the Toy Story Midway Mania. It is actually a very fun ride! 2 days in a row, we got to California Adventure right before it opened and headed straight for this ride.
For all of our trips to Disneyland, this was my first sighting of a cat in the park! The security guy told me there are quite a few resident cats on site!

There's a fun play area in California Adventure - Brother Bear's playground. Gibson LOVES going on this swing.

And Brady loves going down the slide ;) (sorry it's sideways).

DISNEYLAND - Day 4

Gibson and I waiting at the entrance to California Adventure. We arrived about 20 minutes early so we could hurry and get to the new Toy Story Midway Mania ride. You can see we are right at the front of the rope. There is absolutely no running allowed once the park opens (the security guard threatened to track down anyone who ran and personally eject them from the park). So we put Gibson in the stroller and I walked as fast as I could. Of course, the ride is at the very back of the park and there are hills and narrow corridors between construction fences. It is quite the race. I was neck in neck with another man pushing a stroller, but we won! The tops of my feet were actually rubbed raw by my crocs from walking so fast.

Brady and Gibson - the first ones on the Toy Story Midway Mania ride! (During the day, the line can be 1-2 hours long, so it's worth the "fast walk" in the morning). We got off and back on 2 more times!
Gibson and Brady on Splash Mountain! We finally don't have to bribe Gibson to go on this ride anymore - he likes is now that he has figured out that he can just put his head under Brady's shirt on the big splash (so he doesn't get wet).

Brady and I are SO grateful that Gibson does not like to visit with the characters at Disneyland - standing in those lines is such a waste of time. But there was no line for Pluto this day and we thought it would be fun to get one picture. Gibson did not like it and Brady had to hold him. (Look at the beautiful flower bed!).

Upon leaving Disneyland, I had to take this video. I just thought it was so beautiful on this trip. The sky was always blue, the trees were in bloom, the flowers were beautiful. Although there's a lot of crowds and it's busy, I actually find it to be peaceful because I'm so happy there! Goodbye Disneyland, until next time!

Family Pics

We had these family pictures taken a few weeks ago. This picture is my mom, myself, Courtney, Casey, Chelsea and the grandkids: Gibson, Carter, Paige and Lukas.
This is a picture of grandma with her 5-year old grandsons: Carter and Gibson.

A Flower in February!

Looking out at the yucky snow today, I'm reminded of how nice last weekend was. It was warm enough (even for me!) to go outside and do some yardwork. I even found a flower blooming! How nice! I'm really, really glad we get to escape to some nice weather this coming week. Enough winter, already!

Support PSB!

If you love me, you will listen to this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsYzsV4RzdE

New Comics

On the bottom right side of my blog, I have a list of my favorite comics. I added a new one from the Zits comic strip. All week, this comic has followed this subject. It helps explain why I'm more of a recluse this time of year!

Gibson's Proud of His Picture!

Yes, I think this picture is cute - but I posted it because Gibson insisted. He drew it and handed it to me and said, "mom, put this on the computer."
This picture shows our house in summertime. The brown things on the side of the house are the open windows, "so the people can have fresh air" and the flowers are sunflowers. I personally like the green grass (I wish I could see some out the window right now!).

The Once-A-Year Suit Fitting

Fortunately, the suit we bought Gibson for the cruise last year still fits (the one and only time he has worn it was the cruise last year!). We did buy a new dress shirt as that was too small. Here's a comparison of how much he's grown in the last year.

A picture of Gibson taken today when he tried on his suit:

The picture taken exactly a year ago when he tried on his suit.

Surprise! Animal Pictures and Gibson's Work

My fat girls looked so cute sitting together on the couch that I had to take a picture!

Gibson went into the office and closed the door, saying that he was making a surprise for us. This paper is what he brought out! What a sweetie! (And they haven't even talked about Valentine's Day at school yet).

More art(?)work

When Gibson brought this paper home from school, I was telling him how proud of him I was! He wrote a whole sentence (The artic fox turns white) and drew a cute picture. Then he pointed out, "Mom, I drew a butt -see! And this is his fart!" I chalked it up to being a boy, but apparently my friend's girl finds farts funny, too. I then looked to Brady who claimed he had nothing to do with it!

Such a Smart Boy!

Last Friday, Gibson and I picked up the first set of "Bob Books" from the library. We came home and as I was putting things away, he took the first book, sat down in the living room and started reading! I just walked in the room and caught him mid-book; I was abolutely amazed! I had thought that I would have to help him more, but he's just taken off. So in the past week, he's read through book 6. Brady and I are so proud of him! Here's a video of his reading one page.

Shoes, shoes and more shoes!

To understand why this information is even post-worthy, you have to know that Brady and I loathe shoe shopping and never buy new shoes. Seriously, we've both needed new shoes now for at least a year. I would be happy wearing crocs all year if the stupid weather cooperated. But we finally got our butts in gear and set out to buy a pair of new shoes last weekend. Well, for having waited so long, we definitely chose the right weekend! Everything was on sale! We got killer deals. I ended up buying 4 pairs and Brady 3! My favorite buy were the $60 hiking boots that I got for $15! I need them for Moab. Shoe shopping is fun when you find these kind of bargains!

Gibson Gets His Groove On!

Tonight Gibson told me that he wants to be in a dance competition when he grows up! "Dancing is hard work, mom. Feel the muscles in my leg!" He was so proud of himself. I'm proud of him - he just LOVES music. He asks for songs by name and artist. When a song is playing, he knows the lyrics and is really good at my "who is this?" game! A man after my own heart.

Be sure and watch this entire video - the move at the end is the best! And then you can see when he notices that I'm filming. I feel fortunate to have gotten at least a minute of video!

Baby Lucas

Here are some adorable pictures of Justin and Alissa's new baby: Lucas. I think he looks like Justin! He was so sweet - just slept in my arms the entire time!

Hallelujah!

Dr. Lindsey is back! My doctor of Chinese medicine returned today from a long vacation overseas. His office opens at 12:00 and I was there at 12:01. However, when I walked in the door, my friend Amy S, was already there and she started chanting, "I beat you, I beat you." We've both been eagerly anticipating his return. Now Gibson's back on his "superman" juice and hopefully we can all stay healthy for our upcoming trip!

More of Gibson's artwork!

Gibson drew this picture of an otter at school this week - it's so cute! He laughs and says that he put "kangaroo" ears on it!
Gibson drew this picture of a school today and was insistent that I put it on the computer! It is hard to see because he drew it with a yellow highligter.

Funny Things Gibson Says

I keep a file of some of the funny things Gibson says. Here is one from today. I will go back and find some old, good ones and post them, too.

January 13, 2009: Gibson has been told that he cannot get out of bed in the morning until his clock has an ‘8’ at the front (8:00). This morning at 7:50, I heard him get out of bed and walk towards his door and then turn back to look at his clock. He said, “Dang it! It is still a 7! It’s been a 7 for like 8 hours now! No, for like a MILLION hours now!” And then there was a little hesitation followed by a “who cares” and he came out of his room!

Silly Animals

So Squeakers hasn't tried to run outside since the weather has turned bad. But yesterday, when I opened the back door to let Sassie out, Squeakers ran out! He is impossible to catch and he always hides under the trailer where you can't reach him, so it's very frustrating when he gets out!

But yesterday, he went down the stairs and his 2 front paws stepped in the snow! He FROZE! I've never seen him do that. He was looking around and you could see he was thinking, "this white stuff is surrounding me - there's no where to go." I was able to pick him up and put him back in the house. I had to take a picture of his 2 perfect paw prints in the snow - they were so cute!
The other day I found Baby Girl in our bedroom like this. She had possession of the favorite catnip mouse (I only have 1 and all 4 cats fight over it) and was using it as a pillow. And she was laying next to the heat vent, which was on, and thus blowing warm air right onto her belly! She is so smart! What a cutie!

Great News!

Both Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode have new music coming out shortly. Depeche Mode has also announced their "Tour of the Universe 2009" (no US dates yet). For more info visit: http://www.depechemode.com/

From the PSB website (http://www.petshopboys.co.uk/):

2009 will see the release of Pet Shop Boys' new studio album, "Yes".

We can now confirm the complete track-listing:
1. Love etc.

2. All over the world

3. Beautiful people

4. Did you see me coming?

5. Vulnerable

6. More than a dream

7. Building a wall

8. King of Rome

9. Pandemonium

10. The way it used to be

11. Legacy
The album has a running time of approximately 48 minutes. Tracks 1, 6 and 10 are Pet Shop Boys/Xenomania co-writes. All other songs are written by Pet Shop Boys (track 2 with a little help from Tchaikovsky). As we have previously reported, the album was produced by Brian Higgins/Xenomania and has a provisional release date of March 23rd.

Thanks to a friend for keeping me up-to-date on these things, as I just don't have as much time as I used to to devote to these issues! (although, NO less interest).

One Down....

You know how you have that list of things that you are going to do one day... well, I finally got around to doing one of them, after 5 years of wanting to do it!

I made a Shadowbox with Gibson's baby items. This outfit is the one that Brady and I bought the day we found out we were having a boy. He's wearing the outfit in his birth picture. I also have his first binky and binky holder. He would never part from either one. (Although when I offered them to him today, he wasn't very interested!).

Brady and I are in disagreement about where the hang this shadowbox - so please take the poll on the right and vote where you think it should go. Thanks!

p.s. if anybody needs a shadowbox - they're 50% off at Michael's this week!

Christmas Lights and Snow

One of the only times that I enjoy snow - it's so pretty when it's deep enough to cover the candle Christmas lights that line the flower beds. The snow looks like it's glowing.