Everybody should go on a CRUISE!

Yes, we've returned from our Family reunion cruise and IT WAS AWESOME!! We had such a great time, seriously everyone should do this at least once. We stopped in the Caymen Islands, Ilsa Roatan(Honduras), Belize, and Key West, the last stop was supposed to be Cozumel but it was canceled on account of the ridiculous pig flu. Regardless, it was great! We went snorkeling: I got stung by some unseen thing and had to stay out of the water.
We literally played with monkeys inside of their cage: one tried to grab my camera and smacked me in the face.
We went to the Mayan ruins in Belize, an amazing experience for so many reasons!
We took jet skis around Key West: the Atlantic Ocean was not meant for jet skis, however the Gulf of Mexico is. . .
We bought a hammock, swam in the Gulf of Mexico, ate A TON, sang Karaoke(even Dustin), played phase 10, had family skits, SLEPT IN!!, missed Damen(a little), ate lunch at the chocolate buffet, gambled(only $1 in the slot), and did I mention ate A TON!! It was seriously the best Suggs/Lewis family reunion EVER! Here are a few pics:

Dustin and me docked in Miami

Dustin with a monkey on his head

My arm after being stung?bit?something. . .

Ruins at Altun Ha in Belize, and Lori, this is the only picture I took before my camera battery died!

My brothers-in law, dad and Dustin singing karaoke, Beach Boys of course.


PS we(the 6 of us with kids) didn't bring any of our 10 kids and our professional opinion is, don't bring them! Unless of course you go on a Disney cruise, otherwise people would wonder. . .

Happy Mothers Day

The wedding day, the day you give your heart away to, in some cases(mine especially), practically a stranger. We take a giant leap of faith that this person will be faithful, love us, and never leave us. We extend our heart out in hopes that it will be well taken care of and never broken, it can be a tough decision.
It does not compare to how a mother gives her heart away when her child is born. A tiny little life, no bigger than a loaf of bread, is placed in her arms, helpless. At that moment it is too late to change your mind, you're already in love. In love with someone they've just met, a mother has no regard for how her heart will be treated by this person, no worry, no doubts about his or her faithfulness, her entire heart is given away with no thought to it being broken. That is being a mother.
I am so blessed to have a wonderful loving mother of my own who loveS me so unconditionally and I am double blessed this day to be a mother. The Lord sure knew what he was doing when he brought us here to love a tender small child SO much, even when they are screaming, kicking, or in some cases telling US to go have a time out. Love at first sight is an exception not the rule with finding a husband, but it is always the rule when becoming a mother.
With all of my love to my dear mother, my sisters, and my friends, Happy Mothers Day.

Legoland, again, and other stuff

Last week we just filled up again on all kinds of fun stuff! We went back to Legoland (season passes:), went to the park with Olivia, and went to the Celebration of the Children at the local community college. There Damen got to ride a horse and experience for the first time a blow up bouncer, loads of fun! And here are the pictures to prove it all:


We went to the new aquarium at Legoland this time, Damen RAN through it in a half hour, but it was really neat!


CLOSE up!


They have lots of water spray areas and it was HOT, too bad mommy forgot swim trunks or a towel, but Damen didn't seem to care. OH, he is wearing underwear.


Giving loves to Olivia at the park


Not the first time on a horse, just the first time with a camera.


Damen chilling in the bouncy house.


Yesterday we got these super cool RayBans in the mail from Lori(my sister), since I already have a pair we are now a super cool RayBan family(Lori's words not mine) Cute huh?

For Nicholas

I've known Jessica since grade school, we played soccer together on into high school and she recently found my blog and has been keeping in touch. Just this last week her 11month old son, Nicholas was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. I want to ask those of you that read my blog to please sign this petition for research money on the disease and to keep her family in your prayers. Her blog is listed down below so you can read her story. If you can, pass this on. Thank you.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/182/petition-to-cure-SMA

Crafty things

So I've been crafty! I've finished four of the five things I was contracted to make for my blogging friends and three of them have been delivered. I took pictures before I sent some of them off so I could "showcase" them and who they went to. Yvonne, if you could take a picture of yours and send it to me, that would be GREAT! And Allysia, I need you to email me your address so I can mail yours off!

For Jessica: you can't tell from the pictures, but the words are on the outside of the glass, it is a more 3D image.


For Melissa: I only gave her the eggs, not the whole basket:)

Easter, Legoland, Zoo, fun!

OK, I'm a little bit behind on posts, we've been busy! The Saturday before Easter we went to a community Easter egg hunt, it was FREEZING but the kids enjoyed the themselves and the candy. On Easter we had an egg hunt in the living room, Easter baskets, church, and then to the Daffodil Gardens. It was so bittersweet because it was (as always) beautiful, but it was also the very last day the garden would be open, ever. The gardner has been doing this for over 40 years so she's retiring, sad. On Thursday Damen and I ventured to Legoland YEAH! We had a really good time, it was hot and crowded(spring break) but we had fun. Then on Saturday we went to the Zoo with our friends Dan, Melissa and Olivia. I couldn't find a good picture of Damen and Olivia together but they had a good time running around the zoo. What a busy busy fun fun week!!

POO (yes that's what I'm talking about)

Ok, way back when we started potty training, in January I think, we didn't focus too much on pooping, I figured we'd get what we could into the toilet and be grateful. Well, here we are almost three months later with a very well "potty" trained boy, but not so much a "poopy" trained boy.
We've tried everything to get him to poop in the toilet, bribes, lectures, taking things away, giving him things, trying to catch him in the act, playing it low key, EVERYTHING!! Then after asking most everyone and reading almost everything about it, I called my friend Kelly, who I've known since before we could even remember hanging out (like 6months old), who has 4 kids, and I figured she could tell me something I hadn't heard already. And she did! She told me her oldest daughter wouldn't go for anything, just didn't care(same as Damen), so they told her she could go to Disneyland if she went in the toilet and that sealed the deal. I thought about it and figured Damen was just too young to even understand what that would mean, but I tried it anyway. I showed him a video of Bob the Builder at Legoland and told him if he pooped in the toilet we could go there and see him in person, and whatdoyaknow, IT WORKED!!! He's not perfect, who is, but since Sunday he has gone in the toilet almost every day, and today no accidents so far!!! HALLELUJAH!!! So, Legoland here we come and thanks Kelly.