Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you: he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'"

Luke 2:10-12

I"m Doing Something Right, I Guess

The title of the post is partially said in jest, but, maybe partially not. I'm not sure how other kids are, but mine love to clean. It all started when Chris was younger - around 2-ish. He fell in love with the vacuum. You can ask his grandparents. Every time we'd go to their house, all he wanted to do was vacuum. At home, he wanted to vacuum. All the time. I chalked it up to Chris being a quirky kid.

But now Emily loves to vacuum. And the other day, Chris was playing in the sink, and when I walked into the kitchen, Chris had bubbles covering every inch of the sink. I asked him what he was doing, and he said,

"Scrubbing."

"Oh, okay."

And I turned and walked out of the kitchen. Scrub away, my son, scrub away.

A post for the day when I have nothing to post....

All about the Holidays

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Both! But holy cow, the calories in eggnog is outrageous!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? When I was little, the gifts from Santa were in and around the stocking - unwrapped. Bobby and I are really downplaying Santa with our kids, so we haven't ever done gifts specifically from him. They just have some small trinkets in the stocking.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Multicolored on the tree. None on the house ....yet. I'm working on him.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Yep - a fake bunch of it. Right in our entrance. Most people don't even notice it though.

5. When do you put your decorations up? A couple of weeks before Christmas (this weekend), but we leave them up a long time! har har.6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Gosh, I love almost all of it. Probably the green bean casserole and stuffing are my faves.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: When I was 7 or 8, I was starting to have doubts about Santa, so my parents staged a Santa "break-in". They woke me up to spy on Santa coming in our back door and leaving presents. I remember peeking around the corner of the hallway at him and counting all the grown up relatives that were "hiding" from him and realizing that all of them were accounted for.... so, Santa really did exist! That lasted for about 2 more years.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Oh, a couple of years later, I just kind of knew. Parents kind of confirmed - I guess they gave up trying to convince me. They said something about the "spirit" of Santa and giving to others.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? I used to be able to open one present on Christmas Eve.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Tons of colored lights and then ornaments.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I love it for looking at and playing in and skiing on. Driving... not so much.

12. Can you ice skate? I could when I was 13. Haven't since.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I've gotten some really great ones. But, there isn't any ONE that stands out. Maybe the trips from my parents - those are hard to beat. Of course, now, it's all about my kids.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ with my family.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Christmas cookies!!!!!! I LOVE them.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Going to church on Christmas Eve and doing the whole candle thing while singing Silent Night.

17. What tops your tree? A star.

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Well, I'll NEVER turn down a gift. But, I do like finding the perfect thing for someone and then watching them open it up. : )

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Joy to the World, Carol of the Bells, Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire,

20. Candy Canes? Eh, my kids don't care for them so much... I do hang some on the tree.

Join in the fun and let me know what your Christmas is like.

Snow Day

Crazy Oklahoma weather -- Tuesday was in the 70's and today was in the teens... yikes. I bundled the kids up like the little boy in Christmas Story, heehee! Emily wasn't real thrilled because it was windy, but Chris had a ball and then came in for hot chocolate. He didn't last too much longer than Emily did. :)

All my names

1. Your real name: Jenny

2. Your Gangsta name (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) : Cookie Dough Ladylock

3. Your "Fly Guy/Girl" name (first initial of first name, first 3 letters of last): J Ket

4. Your Detective name (favorite color, favorite animal): Green Cat

5. Your Soap Opera name (middle name, town where born): Louise Plattsburgh

6. Your Star Wars name (first 3 letters of last name, first 2 letters of first name, first 3 letters of mom's maiden name): Ketjeand

7. Superhero name (favorite color, favorite drink): Green Dew

8. Iraqi name (second letter of first name, third letter of last name, any letter of middle name, second letter of mom's maiden name, third letter of dad's middle name, first letter of a sibling's first name, last letter of mom's middle name): Etsnu-e

9. Stripper name (name of favorite perfume/cologne/body spray): Breathless

10. Witness protection name (mother and father's middle names): Louise Bruce

Thanksgiving Feast

Well, today was the Thanksgiving Feast at "school". It was really nice - cute kids and great food. Each class put on a little presentation -- a song or poem or whatever. Neither of my kids uttered a word when their class was up. Oh, well.

The pastor if the church said a few words before we prayed over the food. He said that he was watching the parents during the presentations and that we were all grinning like idiots (my word, not his!) and waving our arms, trying to get the kids to look at us, and taking pictures with multiple cameras. He mentioned that it was great how proud we are of our kids and how much we love them.

Then he said that that is exactly how God feel about us, His children. He loves us even more than that. Wow. What a neat illustration. There are times that I forget that. God loves me. And you. I know that in my head, but sometimes I don't feel it so clearly. When the pastor said what he did, I felt it to the tips of my toes. How awesome. And how much we have to be thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a Weekend

We had a pretty great weekend this past weekend. Bobby's birthday was on Thursday. Since he works on base, and they had Friday off for Veteran's Day, he went ahead and took Thursday as a vacation day. It was awesome.

The kids were at school, so we had 5 whole hours all to ourselves. We just did some running around town - went to a music store, the new huge library downtown, and ate lunch out. Then we came home and watched Lucky Number Slevin. I thought it was really good - I like suspense movies a lot.

The timing was perfect. As soon as the movie was over, it was time to go get the kids. Then we ran to Walmart to pick up the "guitar" birthday cake. We met the rest of the family at Olive Garden (Bobby's favorite restaurant) and then all came back to the house for cake and ice cream.

Friday was a real nothing day. Sleeping in and hanging around the house, playing. We started working on our new hobby/side "business". (I'll tell more later.)

Saturday was pretty much the same - just more running around town. This time with the kids. Then went to our favorite 5:30 church service.

After church, we came back home and changed clothes and Bobby and I went to Steve's karaoke bar while the local grandparents stayed with the kiddos. Bobby played his guitar and sang 2 songs in front of the audience. He did really well, but the sound system is new and there were some feedback issues. Then after a couple of margaritas and much pleading, Steve and Bobby convinced me to sing for the very first time at a karaoke bar. I did awful, but it was fun.

Sunday was another lazy sweatpants day. We played in the back yard with the kids and watched MI3. It was better than I expected.

Typing it all out, just now, it doesn't seem like anything special. But this long weekend with my favorite people was the perfect amount of "out" time and "in home" time. It was an awesome weekend. :)

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Picture found at liducks.com

October Fun

Pumpkin Patch --- Carving "Bob the Tomato" Pumkin ---

Cute Cat and (10 minutes before he gets sick all over the living room) "The Thing"

Why I Love Ebay

9 pairs of little girl shoes for $24.50!

Wahoo!

Chris Has Done a Bad Bad Thing

I'm just now getting on to share some very bad news with you. Elmo lovers should avert their gaze....

The other night, I looked up from the computer to see Chris carrying Elmo around like this:

Horrifying, yes? Well, the brutality just gets worse. Chris begins to delight in the awful display of torture and swings poor Elmo, mercilessly, around the living room. Be sure to notice the loud "clink" before the wailing and weeping begins. I'll tell you what happened after you view the evidence.

The clink? Elmo's eyeballs hitting the fireplace door. Terrifying.

WARNING!! Our house is NOT Elmo friendly. Sob.

Mish-Mash Catch Up Post (long)

Okay, I'm still here. I finally uploaded a ton of pictures from my camera. Thought I'd catch up on about 10 different random things that have been going on or that I've mentioned in previous posts.

1. Grandma is doing better. She's being moved 1 1/2 hrs. closer to home to a cardiac rehab center. This is good. My Mom has been driving pretty much daily to be with her and although she'd never admit it, it's got to be taking a toll on her. I'm glad for both of them for this move.

Four Generations

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2.Yesterday I did the craziest, stupidest thing ever. The kids finally went back to "school" (Mother's Day Out/ Little Sprouts -- whatever... we call it school). Anyway, occasionally I like to go to the heath food store to look around. I have these great plans to one day wake up a vegan health nut, long-distance runner athlete. Hasn't happened yet, but anyway.... while I was there, I saw some of this Mochi that I'd heard about online. It's this weird rice concoction that you bake. It puffs up on the outside and the inside is chewy.

So, I get home and am putting away the groceries and decide to bake up some of the Mochi to try for lunch. I turn on the oven to 450 to preheat. Not 2 minutes pass and I start to smell something strange. Sometimes our oven has a "hot" smell when I first turn it on, kind of like the first time you turn on the heat for the winter and it gives off that burned dust smell, so I didn't pay too much attention. Just another minute or two later and I really smell something not right, so I turn around and see smoke pouring out of the top of the oven. It looks like a scene out of a movie.

I open the oven door and there are FLAMES and all of this blue gook dripping all over the rack and the element. I gasp and shut the oven door, trying to figure out what was in there. Then I remember that I'd left a pan of brownies in a pyrex pan with a plastic snap on lid in the oven. The night before, I'd pryed open a corner of the lid to slice off part of one of the brownies. The family saw me, so I just pulled the lid the rest of the way off and brought out the whole pan for us all to finish. I'd left the 13x9 plastic lid in the oven and in less than 5 minutes it had completely melted into liquid!

The kitchen and house were rapidly filling with (toxic) smoke, so I ran around and opened doors and turned on fans and our exhaust fan. Then ran back to the oven -- still flaming. So I grabbed the baking soda and tossed it on the flames. That put them out, so then I called Bobby and confessed.

Anyway, the story has a happy ending. The oven rack was basically plastic-coated and I was certain it was ruined. But, with a utility knife, the plastic just peeled right off. It also came up from the bottom of the oven in big plastic chunks. The only thing permanently harmed is probably my poor brain. It's already pickled from all of the Diet Mt. Dew. The last thing it needs is toxic, burning plastic fumes, huh?

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3. This has been "my" spot for the last 4 years....

Bobby discovered YouTube.

I've been dethroned.

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4. Here are a couple of before and after pictures of our bathroom tiling that I mentioned months ago. Enjoy.

Well, suddenly Blogger won't download pictures...again. So that's it for now. I guess it was only 4 random things!

I've Been Tagged

This is the perfect post for today. I've been in with sick kids for two days following a a stressful weekend.

Thanks, Sara!

REVEAL A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF:

NOW

Is your hair up?: No

Is your phone right beside you?: No

Do you wish you were somewhere else?: I always love to travel - so, sure, where are we going? :)

Do you have plans for tonight?: No

Are you wearing makeup?: No

Are you wearing chapstick?: No. I need some desperately.

Are you cold?: No

Are you tired?: Yes, but I don't plan to go to sleep for a long time.

Are you watching t.v.? Yes, Dancing with the Stars

Are you wearing pajamas?: Yes

Who's the last person that IMed you?: Nobody - I don't IM.

Who's the last person that called you?: My Mom.

PAST

Anything you regret?: Gee.... I'm sure there are lots of things that I've said and done that I regret. Nothing specific pops to mind, though.

Ever stuck gum under a desk?: Ew, no.

Ever spit at someone?: Not the gross way.

Ever kick something living?: I've kicked Bobby under the table!

Ever had your nails done?: Yes

Ever thrown up because you cried so hard?: No.

LAST WEEK

Had any plans last week?: Nothing special.

Who did you see most last week?: The Kettlers

Was last week interesting?: I can't even remember. It seems so long ago.

TODAY

Have you cursed?: No.

Have you yelled at someone?: I've spoken sternly, but no yelling today.

Have you gotten mad at someone?: Nope.

Have you cried? No.

Have you seen the person you like? Yes, lots of them!!

Have you called more than 3 people?: Nope.

Have you IMed more than 3 people?: Nobody.

Have you eaten anything gross?: Just good stuff here....

SPILL YOUR GUTS

Q. First thing you did this morning?: Went in to help Chris with his coughing.

Q. Last thing you ate?: A grape, just now. Before that, a cookie.

Q. What's something you look forward to most in the next 6 weeks?: Halloween and Bobby's B-day.

Q. What's annoying you right now?: Chris won't stop asking me questions.

Q. What's the last movie you watched?: Just My Luck - it was cute.

Q. Do you believe in long distance relationships?: If there's no alternative - I think it would be tough.

Q Where is the last place you went?: Hibdon to pick up the van - new brakes.

Q: Who is the last person you called?: ???

Q: Been cheated on? No? I don't think so.

Q: Do you think that someone is thinking about you right now?: Maybe.

Q: Choose one to have (love, beauty, creativity): LOVE, definitely.

Q: Do you wish on stars?: No.

Q: Does it work?: Eh, I don't thonk so.

Q; Do you untie your shoes every time you take them off: Never.

Q: When did you last cry?: Saturday.

Q: Do you like your handwriting?: Sometimes.

Q: Are you a friendly person?: I try.

Q: Are you keeping a secret from the world?: No.

Q: Who's bed did you sleep in last friday night?: Mine.

Q: What color shirt are you wearing?: Ugly mustard yellow - a sleep shirt....poor Bobby.

Q: Do you have any pets?: No.

Q: What is the color of your bedsheets?: Green, tan and rose floral.

Q: What were you doing at 9 last night?: Watching a movie on my couch.

Q: Last person you talked to in person : Bobby.

Q: When is the last time you saw your dad?: The 30th of Sept.

Q: Look to your left: Chris leaning on me, Bobby and Emily on the couch, and the TV with the end of Dancing with the Stars.

Q: Ever cried yourself to sleep?: Yep.

Q: Ever cried on your friends shoulder?: Not in a long time.

Q: Are you a normally happy person?: Usually.

Q: Is your self-esteem low?: Sometimes.....

Q: What color are your eyes?: Green.

Q: Long or Short Hair : Just below my shoulders - growing it out.

Scary Weekend

Those of you who know me well (and I think those are the only ones who read this thing!) already know, but we've had a bit of a scare in the family this weekend.

I'm not going to go into all the details, because they are long and confusing, but my Grandma had a heart attack and today had bypass surgery. This is an awesome outcome. Just 2 days ago we weren't sure that she was going to live, so we are just so thankful and know that this is nothing but answered prayer. God is good all the time!

My parents and my Grandma were actually just here visiting us, for my birthday, a little more than a week ago, so I'll post pictures in the next day or so. We took a pretty good one of 4 generations of girls. : )

The Big 3-0

This is a quote by Andy Rooney from CBS 60 Minutes and I think it's perfect! Enjoy!

As I grow in age, I value women who are over 30 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why:
A woman over 30 will never wake you in the middle of the night to ask, What are you thinking? She doesn’t care what you think.
If a woman over 30 doesn’t want to watch the game, she doesn’t sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do. And, it’s usually something more interesting.
A woman over 30 knows herself well enough to be assured in who she is, what she is, what she wants and from whom.
Few women past the age of 30 give a damn what you might think about her or what she’s doing.
Women over 30 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won’t hesitate to shoot you, if they think they can get away with it.Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it’s like to be unappreciated.
A woman over 30 has the self-assurance to introduce you to her women friends.
A younger woman with a man will often ignore even her best friend because she doesn’t trust the guy with other women.
Women over 30 couldn’t care less if you’re attracted to her friends because she knows her friends won’t betray her.
Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 30. They always know.
A woman over 30 looks good wearing bright red lipstick. This is not true of younger women.
Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 30 is far sexier than her younger counterpart.
Older women are forthright and honest. They’ll tell you right off if you are a jerk if you are acting like one!
You don’t ever have to wonder where you stand with her.
Yes, we praise women over 30 for a multitude of reasons!

Sacrifice

The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ from the Thief on the Cross Perspective - Music Video (3rd Day) I saw this video and just thought it was so good. I need reminded often exactly what (who) was sacrificed for me. Jesus did this for ME. (And YOU.) Sometimes it's so easy for me to get caught up in my petty little sahm life. Life is not about this world - this world is nothing - a mist. Please Lord, Help me to remember every moment that life is eternal. This is the commentary after the video: After Seeing the Price That Jesus Payed for the punishment of our sins - our prayer is that you Trust Jesus for Salvation and Forgivness of Sins Will you go to Heaven? Here's a quick test. Have you ever told a lie, stolen anything, or used God's name in vain? Jesus said, "Whoever looks upon a woman to lust after her has committed adultery already with her in his heart." Have you looked with lust? Will you be guilty on Judgment Day? If you have done those things God sees you as a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer-at-heart. The Bible warns that if you are guilty you will end up in Hell. That's not God's will. He sent His Son to suffer and die on the cross for you. Jesus took your punishment upon Himself -"For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Then He rose from the dead and defeated death. Please, repent (turn from sin) today and trust in Jesus, and God will grant you everlasting life. Then read your Bible daily and obey it.

"Little Sprouts"

I hate, hate, HATE leaving my babies with people who don't know them or care about them. They're just another "kid" in the crowd. Sob.

I'll just torture myself with a couple of pictures. :)

Moms for Modesty

I'm joining in with a group of "mommy bloggers", organized by Everyday Mommy, who are petitioning for more modest clothing for girls. There are bloggers who (unlike me) are on the radar of local media and who have been able to be a voice for the stay at home mom. So, the thought behind the petition is to have every concerned mom "sign" the petition by commenting on the central post at Everyday Mommy's site and then spread the word through linking to it from posts about the same subject, if they choose.

Moms for Modesty Mission Statement
As a Mom for Modesty I believe in common-sense modesty for girls and young women.
I believe in refraining from sexualizing our girls and young women.
I believe that it is unwise and unfair to taunt boys and young men by permitting my daughter(s) to dress in an immodest manner.
I believe that true beauty comes from within and I strive to teach my daughter(s) this truth.
I will loyally shop at retailers that provide girls' and young womens clothing that is modest, affordable and stylish.

This petition is so timely for me. I just mentioned to Bobby the other day, after I'd been in Target, that I'm not looking forward to the days of shopping for Chris and Em for school. Even already with Emily we've run into sizing issues. At 12/18/24 mo. the shorts are cut low on the hips and with very short inseams. They're essentially Daisy Dukes for babies! Even some of the tees are beginning with an "attitude" message: It's Hard Being a Princess, Diva in Training, Spoil Me, etc. And they just get worse as they get bigger. The issue originally was sparked by a question about some tees that Jules had posted. They said things like Bite Me and Man Eater. These were sized for little girls ages 6-8 or so.

I want my kids to look stylish and "cool" just as much as the next mom, but some of the clothes out there is just plain scary. I want my little girl to look cute and modest. She doesn't need to let her belly button show or have messages on her rear to look stylish. I know that I have a long road ahead of me.

Several women made some suggestions for places that do carry cute clothing that's appropriate for small kids. Among them were: Land's End, Gymboree, Old Navy (most of the time), Children's Place, Hannah Andersson. I didn't link to them because I'm lazy. Maybe we can send more business to these types of retailers to thank them for maintaining their standards.

Feel free to join in on the petition. You don't have to have a blog to do so. Let's keep our little girls innocent!

Vomit-ville

Warning: This is long and somewhat graphic.

Do not come to my house. Do. Not. We are firmly in Vomit-ville, not to be confused with Margarita-ville, which is where I would love to be right now.

It all started Sunday night. Bobby and I had successfully finished tiling the front bathroom (post to come - with pictures!), had congratulated each other, gotten the kids to sleep in their beds and had settled into one of those wonderful bone-tired sleep sessions.

When.... around 5 am Emily throws up everywhere - and I mean everywhere. Oh yeah, she was in bed with us at the time. So, being as tired as I was, I used baby wipes to clean her and her hair off and changed both of our clothes while Bobby stripped the bed. (#1)

He joined Chris in his bed and I took Emily into her bed in her room. (Sidenote: In the past, even when he was small, Chris would throw up once and then be done. Just for the record.) So, I'm drifting off to sleep again, when, yep, baarrrff. All over Emily's bed. I take her out to the couch while Bobby strips the bed. (#2)

I stay out on the couch with her all night, sitting/reclining/dozing while she continues to be sick every 20-30 min. Bobby and Chris wake up in the morning, Emily wakes and acts the rest of the day like she's feeling great.

Monday night at around 1:30 am Emily cries, I bring her into our bed (lined with a towel "guard" just in case) and she promptly throws up, completely missing the towel and soaking our sheets. Bobby strips the bed (#3), goes in with Chris, and Emily and I go into her room. I spend the rest of the night with towels strategically draped everywhere, jumping at every sigh and groan, ready to catch the inevitable puke. There is none for the rest of the night.

Tuesday is great. We go to the grocery store and the park and eat chocolate chip cookies. The weather is nice and cool - it's a perfect day. Bobby gets home from work and suggests that I go to the library to pick up a couple of things that we had reserved while he grills burgers and lets the kids play outside. I take my time, browsing around. Walking in the door, I can immediately tell that something is very wrong. Chris' clothes are draped over the washing machine covered in....what? I think "Oh no, Emily threw up on Chris!" Nope. Chris threw up on Chris.

Apparently, minutes after I walked out the door, Chris started feeling yucky in his tummy. By the time I got home, he'd been sick a handful of times and Bobby had cleaned up the floor a couple of times. The poor boy continues to be "sick" all through the evening and into the late, late night. He throws up at least 20 times. He even gets to where he has nothing left - he's just dry.

In the meantime, I fix some dinner for the rest of us and try to carry on, in-between rubbing his back and wiping his little mouth. Strangely, Bobby declines dinner, saying that he doesn't really "feel like it". Okay, whatever. I'm in the bathroom giving Emily a bath when I hear a weird loud thunk and some sort of splashing sound. You guessed it -- Bobby. Heaving his guts out. Several times.

So, at around midnight, the two sickies go to bed together again, armed with buckets and towels. I stay up waiting for my sheets to finish drying. Chris has a couple of "episodes" during the night and of course I dash into the bedroom to make sure everyone (Bobby) is okay. At one point Chris turns to sleep with his head at the "foot" end of the bed. During one of his "episodes", Bobby can't reach down with the bucket fast enough. So, I stripped the bed. (#4)

Emily makes it through the night without incident. Chris wakes up feeling much better and happily breakfasts on popcicles. Bobby stays home from work and hangs out in his sweatpants all day, recuperating. I do laundry, put diapers on my shopping list (Emily's condition has moved further south now), do laundry, rent movies for the day, do laundry, BLOG, fix chicken soup and grilled cheese for dinner and do laundry.

How has your week been??

Ta Da! - Thanks Sara.

I was originally going to post a ton of pictures, but decided to keep it simple and not press my luck. Here's a sampling from our trip to PA.

Chris, waiting for one of the rides to start and Emily, on probably her 4th time around on the carousel.

Slip and Slide!

Flying in Pop's plane.

Amish fella on rollerblades - cool!

Vacation Notes

I am sooo frustrated that Blogger won't let me download our vacation pictures. Aargh. I've been trying and trying for a couple of days and I guess this will just have to do.

We had a wonderful time on our 10 day vacation this year. We flew to PA to visit my parents and see my Aunt and Uncle and Grandma, too.

The day after we arrived we went to an amusement park called Idlewild. It had rained earlier in the morning so it was fairly cool - it just ended up being the perfect day for such an outing. The park has a separate section of rides for the smaller kiddos, which Chris really enjoyed. But he really amazed us all by being fearless on many of the bigger rides. Basically, any ride that he was tall enough for, he wanted to ride - and he had a blast. So we rode the Spider, the Scrambler, the Log Jam, Ferris Wheel, and his very first, real live Rollercoaster!

The following day Chris and Pop went for Chris' first ride on the back of a motorcycle. I didn't see them in person, but Bobby videoed it, and when I saw my little baby boy hanging on the back of that thing it just scared me to pieces. Chris is getting to the age where I'm having to let go a lot and it's hard for me! Later on we went to a gorgeous park that has a walking trail around a lake. Mom and I walked Emily while Chris and the guys "fished" and then played on the playground.

Sunday, after church, we gathered at my Aunts house for a cookout with one of her nephew from her husbands (my uncle) side of the family. They have 2 children that are almost exactly Chris and Emily's ages, so it was fun to watch the kids play together. They pulled out a Slip n' Slide too!

Monday morning we drove to Lancaster County - the Amish Country. I've had a fascination with the Amish lifestyle for years and after reading tons of books, fiction and non-fiction, it was really neat to be able to see the land, houses, buggies, gardens, and people with my own eyes. The funny thing is that, in my mind, I pictured them so set apart that I almost thought of them as fiction or in another country or something. But being there right in the heart of the Amish, everything just seemed so normal. Yes, the were dressed differently and drove buggies instead of cars, but their houses were right alongside non-Amish (English) houses, and they smiled and waved back at us, and were just regular old folk. It was just another city in the USA with Target, and TGI Fridays, etc, and some gorgeous farmland.

While we were in Lancaster, my parents treated Bobby and me to a show at Sight&Sound, Ruth. It was wonderful! The stage is huge and wraps around the seating area. All the shows are Bible-based stories. They use live animals and it rivals (I think it's better than) a Braodway show. Bobby and I want to see all of them now!

My parents kept the kids while we were at the show and went swimming in the hotel's salt-water pool and ate ice cream cones and grilled cheese sandwiches and finger painted.

After Lancaster, we travelled to Hershey, PA. We went to Chocolate World, which has an interactive ride of their chocolate factory. I wish I could show you the look on Chris' face when we told him we were going to a real live chocolate factory. The boy LOVES Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the original version! And then, they give you candy when you finish the ride. What can be better?

Then we went on to Hershey Park, the second amusement park in one week, for us. Chris rode an even bigger rollercoaster, and I was nearly in tears waiting for him. Of course, he absolutely loved it. In fact, he was upset when Bobby, Pop and I rode the really scary rollercoasters. He wanted to go too! These rides were so crazy that I got a huge bruise on the back of my arm from one of them. I was praying that my children would not become orphans in the 2.5 minutes that I was screaming my head off. I survived.... barely. :)

After our drive back to my parents house the next day, we were able to get in some relaxation. We went flying in Pop's airplane and visited some more with the family. And then, sadly, our trip was over. The night we got home, Emily slept 14 hours. I think that sums up our trip quite nicely -- we had fun until we collapsed, literally!

MIA

I'm so sorry that it's been so long since I updated the blog. It always seems like there's such a letdown after a vacation. I always get in a mini "funk" and it takes me a couple of days to get back into the groove of life.

Pictures to come soon - I promise!

p.s. Our trip was AWESOME!!!

PA Please!

Well, we're gearing up to head east. We're at T minus 28 hours and I have a list about 6 feet long of "things that should be done before our trip" and nothing is done. Scratch that. I got the epi-pens.

That got me to thinking...

Airport security these days is highly unpredictable, yes? Some places practically do a cavity search (the last time we flew, they checked Emily's diaper), while others wave you through, smiling and blowing kisses. Emily has a peanut allergy that is highly unpredictable. She is soon to be on an aircraft filled with tiny bags of peanuts all being opened simultaneously and I'm going to have a giant hypodermic needle in my purse, just in case she reacts. (For the record, I don't expect that she will.) Do you think we'll be "flagged" by security when the super-duper x-ray scanner sees that hypodermic needle in my purse? I'm taking bets.

Anyhow, Bobby and I are in desperate need of this vacation. Our kids are in desperate need of this vacation. We are sick to death of Oklahoma heat and staying in this house with PBS kid shows on all day long. You know it's bad when a trip to Target is a highlight in your day and going swimming is losing it's charm. We need our Grammy and Pop fix and some cooler weather and a change of scenery. I'll definitely try to post while we're there, Sara :), although I probably won't be able to do any pictures until we get back.

Stay cool. We'll miss you.

Saturday Errands

We just found out (the hard way), not too long ago, that Emily has a peanut allergy. Being the "on top of it" Mom that I am, I still haven't filled the prescription for the Epi-pen.

This evening Bobby and I were talking about what needs to be done tomorrow.

J: "Oh yeah, and I need to go to the pharmacy and get those epi-pens for Emily before our trip."

B: "Epi-pens........ those are for her hair, right?"

J(cracking up): "I'll be right back. I need to go blog real fast!"

Big Trash Treasure

We found this on the curb of the house, 2 doors up from us, the night before last.

It was dark and we were heading home from swimming at Grandma and Grandpa's house. We were coming down the hill toward home when I spotted it. Chris and I went for the initial inspection and when it passed, I came back and reported to Bobby. Bless his heart, he humored me and headed out to check it himself. We still have a chair in our attic that I found on a curb, 5 years ago.

After a couple of minutes, Emily and I went outside to see what his verdict was and saw him struggling down the street, carrying this thing, in a big bear hug. We ran to help him and after a little sweating, grunting and bruising, it's now residing, proudly, in our front living room. After I get it fixed up, it'll go in Chris' room.

I think it's perfect for a preschooler. I showed Chris how it has a special spot just for his backpack. He, on the other hand, thinks it makes a great house. He's claimed the section with the door as his hideout.

I'd like to remove the stickers and possibly paint it. I was really inspired by how turkey feathers transformed her microwave cart.

Roll your mouse over the picture to see the before and after. Cool, huh?

Any ideas on how to remove the stickers easily?

Pears and Plans

So, since our weather has been over 100 for the last several days, we've been inside alot.

When I'm home, I love to keep a candle burning. It makes the house smell great and I like to see the pretty glow coming from our kitchen counter. It just seems cozy to me.

This month's candle of the month scent is Japanese Pear and it is wonderful. I'm not usually a fan of fruity scents - mostly because they tend to be very sweet and cloying. This, however, is light and fresh and just perfect for summer!

I really struggle to balance my "real work" (raising my kids) with my "at home work" (home candle business). Oh yeah, and my "housework" and my "hobbies" (reading blogs and surfing the net!) and the "exercise" that I'm suposed to be doing and spending time with hubby. Guess which ones often get overlooked? Yep - the business and the exercise. Those are the two activities that take effort in the beginning. But they are also the two (besides kids and hubby) that can yield the greatest rewards!

Now, things wil be easier in September when Chris and Em are at their Mother's Day Out program twice a week, but until then, I have a plan. Just like working out, it's so much better to do a small amount every day than to wait and try to cram things in in one big burst of inspiration.

My summer resolution: I will do one thing daily to build my business. There are many things in the business that can be done in 15 minute increments, so I will take advantage of the times that the children are otherwise occupied and instead of reading fluff, I'll build my family's future. Okay, I feel better now that I've got that out on "paper". I'll work on the exercise later. :)

Here are a couple of non-fluff blogs that I like to read:

Mrs. Wilt

and

Antique Mommy

Thoughtful and funny - what a great combination!

photo supplied by allposters.com

Kid Pics

Heard today:

Emily: "Gaaah, Maah, Doc!"

Chris: "She said 'I want popcorn!'"

He knows better than I do. :)

Just some extraneous kid pics. Enjoy, Grammy and Pop!

We love you!

Mmmm, Muffins!

If You Give a Mom a Muffin

If you give a mom a muffin,

She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.

So she'll pour herself some.

The coffee will get spilled by her three year old.

She'll wipe it up.

Wiping the floor, she will find some dirty socks.

She'll remember she has to do some laundry.

When she puts the laundry in the washer,

She'll trip over some snow boots and bump into the freezer.

Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan supper for tonight.

She will get out a pound of hamburger.

She'll look for her cookbook. (101 Things To Make With a Pound ofHamburger.)

The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.

She will see the phone bill which is due tomorrow.

She will look for the checkbook.

The checkbook is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two year old.

She'll smell something funny.

She'll change the two year old.

While she is changing the two year old the phone will ring. (Of course!)

Her five year old will answer it and hang up.

She remembers that she wants to phone a friend to come over for coffee on Friday.

Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.

She will pour herself some.

And chances are,

If she has a cup of coffee,

Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

Written by Kathy Fictorie

Based on If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff

Found at this site.

More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Me

I am blatantly copying an archived blog over at Enjoy The Journey. I know that Lindsey doesn't know who I am, so hopefully if she finds out, she'll forgive me.

Since you're here reading this, you might as well get to know me. : )

100 Things About Me
The Basics:
1. I turn 30 in Sept.
2. This milestone birthday is affecting me more than I thought it would.
3. I've been married to my husband, Bobby for 7 years.
4. We have 2 children.
5. One son, Chris, 4 and one daughter, Emily, 1.
6. I drive a tan minivan.
7. I have lived in Oklahoma for a combined total of 21 years.
8. I was born in New York state.
9. We attend a very contemporary Christian church.
10. Neither of us wanted to attend a contemporary church, but when we heard the pastor, we knew it was "it" for us.
11. My husband is an electrician.
12. I have several burned out light bulbs in my house.

Food:
13. I am in the process of losing weight - again.
14. My very favorite drink is Diet Mountain Dew.
15. I also really enjoy margaritas, but I don't get to have one very often.
16. I do not like Coke or Pepsi.
17. I have some sort of natural talent for making food taste really good.
18. I make a mean chocolate chip cookie.
19. My Mom and I have daydreamed about opening a bakery or cafe together.
20. Bakers awaken at the wee hours of the morning - I am a night owl.
21. We eat pizza at least once a week.
22. I love salad bars because I can doctor up my salad with all the different toppings that I don't take the time to fix for myself at home.
23. I once ate only fruit for 5 days.

Family:
24. I am an only child.
25. I have a very close relationship with my parents.
26. They live 1100 miles away.
27. My in-laws live 2 miles away - it's a good thing that I LOVE them!
28. My hubby and I knew each other for 7 1/2 years before we started dating.
29. We dated for only 6 months before he proposed and then were engaged for 6 months.
30. My father-in-law was once my sunday school teacher.
31. I have 3 gorgeous neices.
32. Sometimes I think it would be really amazing to have a large family - with 6+ kids.
33. Then I realize that my 2 kiddos are perfect and our family is just right.

School:
34. I was a "gifted" student in school.
35. I graduated with the title of "Valedictorian" - there were 40 of us with that title. ;oP
36. I have a degree in Spanish.
37. I taught 8th grade Spanish for one year and hated it.
38. I taught high school Spanish for 6 months and loved it.
39. For several years, I've toyed with the idea of going to nursing school.
40. I am intrigued with homeschooling.
41. I subscribe to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and frequent homeschool forums.
42. We have decided that our children will not be homeschooled - for now.

Hobbies:
43. My hubby and I love to go to the movies together.
44. I have an odd knack for remembering actors names and previous movie roles and I rarely forget one.
45. I really enjoy going for long walks outside.
46. When I'm in the habit of it, I actually like to work-out.
47. I get out of the habit of working out very easily.
48. I was part of a marathon relay this past spring. I ran/walked a 5k leg.
49. I have dreams of one day participating in a full marathon.
50. I love scented candles.
51. Prior to having children, we played pinochle almost every weekend with our BIL and SIL.
52. We're all very competetive!
53. I count reading blogs as a hobby. : )
54. I also really like watching reality TV. I've seen every season of Survivor and Amazing Race.

Random Things:
55. I've have my private pilot license for single engine airplanes.
56. I spent one summer working as a lifeguard after I was married.
57. I also have worked in a bridal shop.
58. I've also been a waitress and I think that everyone should be one at least once in their life.
59. I'm an Air Force brat.
60. Both of my parents, both of hubby's parents, hubby, his brother and brother's wife (our SIL) have all served in the military.
61. I have lived overseas in Iceland and Germany.
62. I've travelled to countless other countries.
63. I love to travel! Hubby and I plan to travel as much as possible - especially after he's retired.
64. I want to take my kids to Europe.
65. And Australia, Hawaii, Canada, Brazil and Africa.

Reading: (a big enough hobby that it gets its own section!)
66. I'm a voracious reader.
67. I often have 30 books (the max amount) checked out from the library at one time.
68. I worked in a library the summer that I was pregnant with Chris.
69. I also love to read magazines.
70. I tell my hubby that the internet is like having a huge library right in my living room!
71. I have probably read all of the Bible - but I've never read through the entire Bible, Genesis to Revelation.
72. One of my goals is to read through the entire Bible.

Music:
73. I played the piano as a kid.
74. Then I joined band and switched my focus to the flute.
75. I loved marching band in high school.
76. Yes, I am aware of the term "Band Nerd", but we thought we were cool and that's all that counts!
77. I've always wanted to learn the cello.
78. I played in my church bell-choir for 9 years.
79. Bobby played in the bell choir too.
80. That's where I sparked his "interest" with my bee-you-tiful smile, hee hee.
81. Now I get my music "fix" by singing as loud as I can while I'm driving.

The home stretch:
82. I used to be very organized - before my kids were born.
83. I still love making lists, though.
84. I'm an introvert and crave alone time.
85. I think my kids have the same tendencies - if we get too busy we all get cranky at each other and just need to Go. Home.
86. We live in the same house that I lived in from the ages 5-8. My son will be 5 next year and it's neat to think that his memories as a youngster may be very similar to mine.
87. I'm a cat lover.
88. I want to buy a fixer-upper house to renovate and do the work ourselves.
89. I can't do a cartwheel.
90. But my thumbs are double-jointed!
91. I'm pretty tall.
92. Yes, I played basketball in school. For one season. Because I was awful at it. I'm not aggressive at all. Just call me a Gentle Giant.
93. I may be gentle, but I'm also a bit sarcastic.
94. I hate housework, especially cleaning bathrooms.
95. My favorite holiday is Christmas, followed by Easter.
96. As I get older, I'm getting more emotional on the 4th of July. The fireworks get me every time.
97. I like the color green.
98. My eyes are green.
99. I put my hair in a ponytail almost daily.
100. My favorite passage of scripture is 1 Corinthians 13 - the love chapter. I use it as a guideline for my attitudes and behaviors as a Christian. Every time the word "love" or "it" is used, I substitute my name or "I", so Jenny is patient, Jenny is kind, etc.... It's a good self-test.

Wow. I didn't think it could be done. Congrats on making it to the end. Let's go take some Tylenol now.

True Love

I wanted to share with you Emily's obsession. At the tender age of 15 mo., she is in the midst of a love affair with a bear named Boz. You can meet him here.

It really is a cute series - well, if you can call 2 dvds a series. It's what they call "faith based", which means that they talk about God, teach about sharing, helping, respect, and end each show with a little prayer. They also include the standards: colors, shapes, counting.

Confession time. When we first got these, I loved them. We would all sing the songs together - it was just too cute. Now? I'm so sick of Boz. If Emily didn't love him so much and look like this when he is on the TV, I'd "lose" them. What can I say? When a green bear has the power to stop a meltdown mid-tear, he's welcome to stay in my home as long as he likes. : )

Welcome!

I'm jumping in on the blog-wagon and I'm excited and nervous all at the same time.

I'm using this as my forum to organize my thoughts, keep family and friends updated on our life and possibly share something uplifting.

Let the blogging begin!