Life Happens...

Race Catch-Up Post (October-December 2011)

2012-01-22T13:11:00.000-08:00

I have ran in a few races that I have yet to blog about and I am not going to leave them out because I had some great finishes! Just looking back at my times and the pics has me itching to run again. It's been almost 6 weeks of rest and I am ready to get back out there....may give it a shot in the next day or so and see how it goes.
Back, to the races.
The first race was Ocrober 22, 2011 and I believe it was called the Survivor Challenge. I ran my first 10k there. I was so happy with my time of 53:58. I had really wanted to finish under 55 minutes if possible and I actually managed to finish under 54 minutes!
The second race was November 5, 2011 and it was another 10k. They added a curve to the course because they were afraid that it would end up being too short and we ended up running 6.7 miles. My time was 56:33, so I didn't beat my other 10k time, but in fairness it was longer than a 10k. In that race I came in first in my age division! (Thank you Laura for winning the overall female award so that I had that opportunity--haha!)
Then, I ran a "fun run" on Thanksgiving morning and although it wasn't officially timed, I still had a great run. Plus, what a great way to start off Thanksgiving by banking a few calories before the big meal!
My last race was December 3, 2011. It was the annual hometown "Yule Run" and I had bronchitis at the time. I guess knowing that made me push myself harder. I had ran it the year before with a time of 28:14, so I just wanted to beat that time. Well, I managed to run it in 25:39--my best 5k time EVER! I also came in 2nd in my age division! YAY! I was so happy!!
Here are a few pics from those races:

Ready to Run!!

Wrapping up at the 10k

Me and Laura at 10k

Me and Weston at Survivor's Challenge--he did so good!!

Me and Lexy and Ang at Survivor's Challenge

Me and Laura at Survivor's Challenge--our first 10k!

Me at finish of 10k

Me and Laura at the 10k

Laura, Me, and Jenny at Thanksgiving Fun Run

Thanksgiving Fun Run w/ the Savolds!

5k Yule Run--Check out those funky pants!!

Yule Run!

Me during the Yule Run Race!

Yo Gabba Gabba LIVE! (From November 2011)

2012-01-20T14:07:00.000-08:00

STILL trying to catch up my blog! In November, Richie and I took Landen to see Yo Gabba Gabba LIVE for his birthday! He wasn't quite sure of the whole thing....lots of lights, loud music, and his favorite characters dancing around really overwhelmed him. But, I do think he really enjoyed it even though he tried to put on his "tough boy" act! We had a great time though watching his face in amazement when Brobee and Muno and his other favorite characters came out on stage! Here are some pics from the evening:

2011 Catch Up Post--October

2012-01-01T21:17:00.000-08:00

I am so behind on my posts, so this post is gonna catch up on some of the things that happened in the last few months of 2011!

Halloween! The big kids wanted to have coordinating costumes for all 3 of them....well that is so hard to do with the age differences we have. So after hours of scouring the websites for ideas, we finally decided on Scooby Doo! They were all so adorable!!

Laura also hosted a "Fall Festival" party at her house and we had a great time helping and hanging out! Here's a few pics from that as well.

Landen had to have a pumpkin for school to decorate. Well, he fell in love with the Pumpkin Patch! He had a great time looking for pumpkins! It was so cute!!

To 2012!!

2012-01-01T21:02:00.000-08:00

I started a post back in 2006 that reflects back on the previous year and answers the same questions each year. It seems like this year I can't quite keep up with blogging, so I am a little later posting this than I wanted, but I refused to let the first day of the new year go by without doing it! I can honestly say that 2011 went by so fast! I can't believe it's gone. Our year was a busy one with tons of changes, so here goes on the reflection post!

2011--What kind of year was it???

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?

In 2011, I ran my first 10k and did so much better on it than I had ever anticipated! I can't believe I was able to run my very first one in under an hour. I remember thinking that a 10k seemed impossible, but if you stick to it, anything is possible! I also got my fastest time in a 5k ever--25 min, 39 sec!

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

My New Year's resolutions for last year were to run a 10k or even a 1/2 marathon...and I ran a couple of 10k's! I averaged under 55 minutes on them, so I am very pleased! I never thought it would be possible, but it was! I also managed to get a couple of medals in some of my races as well! My other resolution was to be debt-free. This day last year I started the Dave Ramsey plan and I am STILL doing it today! I am very happy for this accomplishment because we have saved so much money and are better prepared for our futures! I am still doing monthly budget spreadsheets and can honestly say it makes it much easier to plan for the month. I still have some fine-tuning to do, but I am pleased with the results so far.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

I can't remember anyone giving birth this year (and I am gonna feel horrible if I have forgotten someone. But my cousin from Las Vegas announced this year that she is pregnant and will be having a baby next July!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

We didn't lose any family members this year, but Ms Patsy, who was Weston and Kylie's daycare director for several years passed away this year. The kids were so torn up about losing her. Kylie has known her since she was just 4 years old.

5. What countries did you visit?

Well, no international travels for me this year--it was too busy and hectic with building our house!

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

Last year I wanted to feel more settled and we are finally in our new home! I also wanted a toned body and I really felt like I worked hard on exercising last year and would love to keep that up. It's gonna be tough this first month or so, but hopefully by spring I will be back to my old self.

I guess for 2012 I would love to have more security and comfort in my job. It seems that the economy has everyone on edge and I always worry our industry will get hit once again. I have been beyond fortunate to stay in this field for nearly 5 years and I would love to make it for another 15 years!

I think another thing I would love to have is more involvement at my church. I love the people there and really hope that we can get connected and more involved in the things going on. It's just so hard and hectic sometimes, but I think if I make that more of a priority, it will happen!

7. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Gosh, I can't think of a specific date, but there are so many memories in this past year!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I think one of my biggest achievements as far as work goes was launching a new drug. At first, I wasn't doing so well, but I really buckled down and tried to think of some things I could do to push myself and I ended up having the top sales in Arkansas and one of the top performers in my region for our new drug. I really hope to keep up that momentum in 2012 as we launch another version of this drug! It'll be tough, but now I know I can do it!

As far as family goes, I think we had a great Thanksgiving and Christmas Breakfast in our new home!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Well, I had surgery mid-December. Something I have wanted to do for awhile. I am still healing and recovering, but quicker than I expected. I think that being in shape helped me to heal. (not to mention I am NOT good at sitting around)

I do have to remember to take it easy though. I have pushed myself far more than I should have in the past few weeks.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

I finally broke down and got a Mac desktop. My poor Mac laptop was over 4 years old and was busting at the seams from all of the pictures I had on it. Plus, it seemed I always had a few free moments to get on it about the time Richie would be on it. So, I cleaned off the laptop and gave it to him and am loving my new desktop!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

2 years ago, we had a falling out with a group of people. I never expected or honestly desired to mend fences with them. Don't get me wrong, I didn't go looking to be hateful or anything, but I wasn't looking to be good friends. But, a turn of events that even I didn't expect saw some of the people moving and then some of them reaching out to apologize and ask forgiveness. If you had told me this a year ago that it would've been that way, I would've laughed. But, God works in some mysterious ways. And I am very thankful for the opportunity to once again work on those friendships.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

I guess I get frustrated with people who treat others as if they are better than them. Almost like they are perfect people who would never do anything wrong. Aren't we all human? It breaks my heart that people can kick at people while they are down. It hurts me to see people shun someone that has done nothing to them. Why?

14. Where did most of your money go?

We put a lot of blood, sweat, tears, AND money in our new home. But I am so pleased with the results. I think we have a beautiful place to call home and grow old for many years. I can't imagine living anywhere else. I love it here.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

I think the whole first half of the year built up some serious anticipation about moving in to our new home. I loved watching it grow from an idea one evening, to hours of digging through house plans, then putting some stakes in a field, to now this beautiful place!

16. What song will always remind you of 2011?

Katy Perry's "The One That Got Away"....the year went by too fast!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

happier or sadder? thinner or fatter? richer or poorer?

I am much happier. I have learned a lot in the last year about what I want and need and 2012 will be a year of communicating and pursuing those needs!

I am not necessarily "thinner", but by pushing myself to run 10k's and my surgery a few weeks ago, I feel so much better in my skin! Now I am just ready to get back to working out!

I feel poorer after building this house, but after a year of Dave Ramsey, we are SO much better off than last year!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Traveled! Even if it was to the lake more or a weekend here or there, I wish we had gotten away. But, with building the house and all, it was almost impossible.

But we will definitely find time in 2012! Vegas anyone? :)

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

I think I wish I had wasted less time on people and things that didn't matter.

20. How will you be spending New Year’s?

We went to eat with some friends, then came home and watched a movie in our new "movie room" and had a glass of wine. Loved the down time!

22. Did you fall in love in 2011?

I think that there are times we think we are in love with things, but then when we step back and think about it, most of the time, those things aren't what's really important. I love my God, family, friends, and my job. That's my focus for 2012.

23. What was your favorite TV program?

Justified, The Good Wife, Desperate Housewives, Hawaii 5-0, Person of Interest

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

I don't want to hate anyone, but I think there are definitely times when it's best to just move forward without people in your life.

26. What was the best book you read?

I loved The Help!

27. What was your greatest musical (re)discovery?

I HEART Adele. :)

29. What did you want and not get?

I was really hoping to be completely debt free (excluding house of course) and didn't quite make it, but it is completely possible in 2012!

30. What was your favorite film of this year?

I watched Water for Elephants the other day and loved it. I also really enjoyed Courageous!

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 33...ugh. Does it ever stop?!?

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

I need a house cleaner. Plain and simple.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

I loved the flat boots, jeggings! Thank goodness for leggings while I healed from surgery. I also broke down and bought some "Toms" (although mine are Bobs because they are actually way more comfortable to me).

I am on such a dress kick right now for work--so comfy and fun! :)

34. What kept you sane?

I agree with the saying that running is cheaper than therapy. It is such a stress reliever (trust me, my sanity is slowly going away over the last 3 weeks of not running).

And I can't say enough good things about our church--the music, the message. It is definitely the best way to kick off my week.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Gosh, I think I am tired of celebrity/public figures being idolized. I am more impressed with some "common" folk. I admire Coach Jones--not as our football coach, but as a church leader and member. Such a great guy and a big heart for God. I have enjoyed working with him at church this past year.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

The fact that we cannot escape a presidential election without a candidate having some sort of scandalous past.

37. Who did you miss?

No one. If you aren't in my life right now, I'm sure there's a reason and I am good with that. :)

38. Who was the best new person you met?

I can't say I have met a ton of new people this year! Richie and I hung out with some new friends this summer from his work like Eric/Diane and Chad/Christy, but that's about it!

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011:

We all have a story to tell. It's easy to judge or criticize someone, but you will never fully understand what is going on in their life. So, keep it simple and be nice.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

The song "What Have You Got to Lose" by Third Day. You never know until you try!

Sin and shame
Guilt and pain
Pride and your conceit
Here and now
Lay them down
At the Savior’s feet

What have you got to lose
What have you got to lose
And tell me why you’re so afraid
What have you got to lose
What have you got to lose
Think of all you have to gain

Hope and dreams
And all the things
That you have ever made
It don’t mean much
If in the end
You have lost your way

Let go of all you know
Only then can life be found
Surrender all you hold
Lay it down, lay it down, lay it down

*************************************

I wish everyone a wonderful 2012. May you see this year as one of your best years yet! Enjoy it, for it will soon be over!!

Christmas Eve in the New House!

2011-12-24T21:38:00.000-08:00

I am beyond behind on my blog. I have never had a hiatus like this, but things have been beyond busy. And I so wanted to keep everything in chronological order, so I wait til I have til time to post the things that have already happened, which only puts me further behind! So, forget that idea--It's Christmas Eve, and everything that has happened in the last 6 weeks can wait a bit longer. I have had this blog for 6 years and have done a Christmas Eve post every year....I'm not changing that this year!
I have been under the weather the last week and a half, so I am so happy to finally get out the last couple of days and see the world. Last night, we did the annual "Christmas in Oklahoma with my Mom's real dad and that side of the family. The event never disappoints! However, I felt like I disappointed!! The last few years since our grandparents have retired, we have drawn names and bought presents for each other. Well, we have spending caps on the age groups....why have them if people don't follow them? I felt horrible because I don't know my aunt's boys very well and wasn't sure what to get them. They are "tweens" and so I thought iTunes gift cards can't ever go wrong with that age group...but they do if they don't have iPods. Oops. So, I offered cash to the boys and "bought" their gift cards back from them. Then, my kids got nice gifts from my uncle and his family (that's who drew their name). So, I felt horrible when I had stuck to the spending limit. Oh well, I'll do better next year--I drew the exact same people!
Last night after we got home, Landen had such a horrible cough and it got much worse. It was very warm at my grandparents' house in Oklahoma (we check the thermostat--they had it set and it was 76 degrees in there!). With all the people and the heat on high, we were roasting and it only made Landen's cough worse. By the time we got home and put him in bed, he was wheezing and gasping for air while he tried to sleep. Well, it scared both of us. So, we put him in bed with us. Well, we never slept--he coughed, turned, gagged, wheezed, gasped, and flopped! Then, he would wake up and cry and shake. It was awful. Finally, he threw up and threw up. I felt so bad for him. We bathed him and he asked to "take a nap in his bed", so we put him in his bed and hooked up a humidifier. Before, we could turn the light out, he was fast asleep. At this point, it was 3:30 am and Richie and I were past exhausted! We slept in this morning only to hurry and run late to make it to my Mom's house for lunch! After lunch and presents, Landen and Richie grabbed a quick nap.
Then, it was off to Christmas Eve service at our church. It was such a GREAT service! They sang and read verses from the Bible of the Savior's birth. It was the only place I wanted to be today. I loved it.
From there, it was off to my MeMe's house for Christmas with that side of my family. We had a great time, got lots of great gifts and just got back a few minutes ago. Santa has already come to our house this evening! The kids were so excited and ready to get to bed.
It is so wonderful to be in our new HOME...the place where my kids will grow up and my husband and I will make great memories and spend our 1st Christmas here. I can't think of anywhere else I want to be tonight than here with my family.

Kaden, Chad, and Landen with the Singing Reindeer!

Chad in his "Christmas Sweater". LOL.

Alyssa and Kaden

Landen

Weston and Kylie...couldn't get a good one of all 3

Reindeer Richie!

Me and MeMe just relaxing!

Oh No! Someone got an Angry Birds shirt!

The Christmas Present Dance!

The Christmas Present Richie and I gave ourselves...a picture over the fireplace! Thanks Shannon for an awesome pic!

Santa has made his stop here!

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

My Little Man

2011-11-11T20:05:00.001-08:00

I haven't done a post just on Landen and how much he's growing in such a long time. He cracks me up all the time. He is talking SO good--3 and 4 syllable words, big long sentences, and his conceptual understanding is phenomenal. Smart little guy (just like Momma! LOL!)
Today, when he was at preschool he had a funny conversation with one of his teachers that went something like this....

Landen: "You got glasses on your face?"
Teacher: "Yes, I've got glasses. And so does _____ (insert random kid's name here) and ______ (insert another random kid's name here). Do you have glasses, Landen?"
Landen: "No, I've got eyes on my face."

Funny little man!

A few weeks ago, his buddy Addi came over to play and I got a couple of cute pics of the two of them.

Weston's 2nd XC Event

2011-11-02T19:54:00.000-07:00

Weston ran in his 2nd cross country event (yes, a few weeks ago, I'm THAT behind again) and did SO good! I was really impressed with how well he is running and how much he enjoys it. He finished 11th overall for the 6th grade class out of like 30 or so runners. I can't wait until 7th grade when he can be "officially" on the XC team! Right now, he and a few hand-picked 6th graders are allowed to run with the older kids, but they have to keep this on the "down low" because the coach doesn't want the other kids to know they have been invited and the others haven't. It's funny because they have a code name "our house" for the times they talk about XC! But these kids are a great group of guys who really enjoy running and their Coach sees that in them! I am so happy he's looking out for them and their running futures!

Trees for the Kids

2011-11-02T19:31:00.000-07:00

On Landen's birthday weekend, my Dad and Grandpa came to the house and planted 3 apple trees in our yard. He wanted to do something special for the kid's birthdays and felt like planting trees would be something that would "last". I thought it was a great idea and I was so excited that he and my grandpa wanted to do this for the kids. It was a really special day because my Grandma died almost a year ago and it means a lot to have my Grandpa here when the trees were planted. He's not doing very well and hasn't been for some time, so it was nice to have this time with him and make a memory as a family.
Here's some pictures of our tree planting and the kiddos!

Mud Run (from September)

2011-11-01T18:41:00.000-07:00

Laura and I did a Mud Run back in September and with life so crazy lately, I am just now putting up pics from it!
We had such a blast--it's like a 5k race/cross country race, but with 16 obstacles along the way. We got a little crazy and dressed up in tutu's and tank tops to show our spirit!
I did pretty good during the race. It only took me an extra 3 minutes to complete the course!
Here's some pics from the race!!

Mud-Slingin'!!

Me, Dr. Sanders, and Laura

Mud Slide!!

Beginning of the race--our kiddos were kind enough to take a few pics

Tu-Tu Girls (notice our shoes taped? That was for the mud pit!!)

Pittbull Cheer Time!

2011-10-09T17:22:00.000-07:00

Kylie is doing Pittbull Cheerleading this year and loving every minute of it! Here are pics of her at the Kick-Off as well as at her first game! She is doing so good and her tumbling skills are really standing out--very proud of this little cheerleader!! :)

We were meant to be COURAGEOUS!!!

2011-10-09T16:42:00.000-07:00

Well, it finally came--we went to see the movie Courageous that you see a banner above on my blog. I have been looking forward to this movie for awhile. And let me say, it was SO worth the wait! I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more, and I cried some more! What an awesome message and a great story! You must go see this movie! And, if you are a Dad (or a Mom who wants to influence a Dad), then GO SEE! Everyone can relate, but to me, it has such a special message for fathers. At the end of the movie, we were all wanting to stand and say "I WILL" with them! The whole theater (which was packed by the way) clapped at the end...it's that inspirational!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Landen!!!

2011-09-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

Today Landen turned TWO! Oh my, that cannot be right! I remember being pregnant. And I remember sleepless nights...to think he is two already is so sad to me. I guess it's because he's the baby and I know he's the last! We had an Elmo (and Sesame Street) birthday party tonight and he had such a great time! He got TONS of Elmo stuff which just made his day. It was so cute watching him open all of his presents--he loved it every time he opened a box and Elmo was in there! I made his cake and although it came out pretty good, I wasn't 100% pleased. The icing was a little runny so it wasn't very smooth. Thank goodness Elmo is supposed to look furry, huh? Plus, red is the absolute hardest color to dye icing and so he isn't quite the red I wanted, but guess what? Landen loved him and that's all that matters! He was so tickled when he saw his Elmo cake!

Elmo Cake! Not perfect, but just right to a 2 year old! :)

Landen's new hat and singing Elmo (p.s. he insisted on putting the hat on himself!!)

Reading one of his new books--he said it was a big scary dog (it's Clifford)...

New guitar like Bubba!!

His new Elmo blankie my Mom made him--he would NOT let it go!! We had to fight to get this pic!

Cake-cake time...I couldn't get the paper off fast enough for him!

All of his new Elmo goodies! He was in heaven!! And no two were the same!! :)

The First Six Weeks!

2011-09-25T15:08:00.000-07:00

I just realized I didn't post a pic from the first day of school and it's already the end of the first 9 weeks. I have to say that life has been going at lightning speed lately and I just can't seem to keep up. I used to blog at least every other day or so and now I go weeks without a post--it's just crazy and chaotic around here.
So, here's a pic of the kiddos on the first day of school--and their 9 weeks report cards were just fantastic! Weston has all A's and is doing phenomenal in school! Kylie has all A's and one B, but I know she can bring it up if she just tries a little harder! She really enjoys class and her teachers as well!
And not to be left out, Landen started "pre-school" after Labor Day. He's in the 2 year old class, so I don't know how much you can call it preschool, but to him, he is going to school. The first day, I asked him if he wanted to go to school and he asked if he could ride the bus with Kylie and Weston! It was just so cute--he thought he was going to BIG school!
So, great job kids on the first 9 weeks of school! Now, if Mom could just keep up with all of this stuff.....

Da Boys!

2011-09-09T13:22:00.000-07:00

I thought this was a sweet picture of my boys from the other night and I just had to share!

CRASH!!!

2011-09-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, I had just eaten lunch with Richie and was heading back out of Greenwood when I stopped at Denver/Center St intersection light. I had just gotten stopped when I looked up in my rear view and see a big truck coming very fast right at me. I knew he wasn't going to get stopped. I pushed hard on my brake and braced myself (of course all of what I described happened in about 3 seconds). The man ran smack into my van and my head ended up hitting my head on the steering wheel. The impact also pushed me into the vehicle in front of me, but luckily she didn't have to much damage. It was so scary! I haven't been in many accidents and I've never been hit quite that hard before. I called Richie who had headed back to the office and luckily he wasn't too far and turned right around and was there in about a minute. Then, while the officers were working the scene, a driver wasn't paying attention (probably checking out the wreck/damage) and rear ended the car in front of him in nearly the same spot as my wreck. His impact caused damage to the 3 cars in front of him. So, in less than an hour, there were 7 cars in a wreck!
Now to just deal with all the administrative stuff that comes with having a wreck in a company vehicle. Even though it wasn't my fault, there is still a lot of paperwork to do--mostly because I carry medicines in the car and they have to be accounted for and I certainly don't want to give out damaged medicine.

Run Weston Run!

2011-09-06T20:08:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Weston mentioned that he was interested in doing cross-country. He ran the 4th of July 5k with me and did an awesome job! So, I was all for him doing it! Well, he brought the paperwork home and we signed up. He now practices 4 out of the 5 days each week and his buddy JT is also on the cross country team! The guys have really bonded through their running time and Weston always comes home and gives me a report on how great they are improving every single day! He seems to really enjoy it and I am so proud of him for taking the initiative! I can't wait to run another 5k with him!

Fall Baseball!

2011-09-06T20:06:00.000-07:00

Weston is playing fall baseball this year and the season has just gotten started! A couple of weeks ago when I went to pick him up from practice, he got in the van and handed me his new uniform shirt. I unfolded it to get a good look at it and here's what I saw.....OOPS!

Kylie's Cheer Award!

2011-08-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

Kylie is doing Pittbull Cheerleading this year. She loves to dance and after a couple of years of competitive cheer and then a 18 month break from it, she was ready to get back into the cheer scene. So, at their practices, they have an award they give to one girl from each color's squad for their teamwork. Well, they only had one of the awards at their first practice, so they decided to pick one girl from all 3 squads and KYLIE got the award. She said they gave it to her for helping some of the other girls with the dance routine. I was just so proud of her!!

Kylie's 9th Birthday!

2011-08-29T18:41:00.000-07:00

Kylie opted for the "no big party, but nice gift" birthday this year and so we took her out to eat to Fuji's and Goody's with her friend Aaron. We had a great dinner and after-dinner yogurt! Then, a few nights later, we had the "family" birthday where my parents/grandparents came over for pizza and ice cream. Nothing fancy. Her present was a new chair for her desk in her room. It's a really nice and cute zebra chair that matches her new room decor! It's hard to believe that she's already 9 years old. Time is passing much too fast....She had a great birthday and got lots of birthday money! She even got her very own hair straightener and blow dryer which she loves! Please pray my house doesn't burn down..... Happy Birthday Kylie-Bug!

Sleepy Head

2011-08-29T18:36:00.000-07:00

Ever since we let Landen "cry it out" several months ago, he does AMAZING at nap and bedtime at home! It was so hard to do those few nights, but well worth it! Now he sleeps "like a baby"! And yes, that is a pacifier in his mouth--he only gets it at nap and bedtime (in fact, it isn't allowed to leave the bed), but I really need to break him of it....UGH.

My Lil Bro Turns 24!

2011-08-29T18:29:00.000-07:00

My baby brother celebrated his 24th birthday a couple of weeks ago. His girlfriend threw him a surprise party--Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme! He loved the Ninja Turtles as a little boy, so she really went all out for the party. We were also able to keep the party as surprise and used Kylie's birthday as the cover for getting him to my parents house. It was so funny because that day was his actual birthday (13th of August) and he was SO mad that I would schedule Kylie's party for that day when her birthday is the 16th. He never said anything to me, but had made comments to my Mom about it--he was pouting all week! I LOVED IT! I gave him so much teasing for that once he showed up for the party! Here a few pics from the night!

Jordan's cake that Joy made--she did an AWESOME job!!

Jordan in his TMNT "outfit"!

The cake and cupcake table! Joy's sister even hand-painted the balloons!

Swim Fun!

2011-08-21T18:34:00.000-07:00

I am once again weeks behind on all of my posts! I have been finishing up my projects for a class I took this summer and with that, work, kids, kids starting school, etc, I am so behind...on everything!
So, here's some fun we had....3 weeks ago!
Diane and Eric brought sweet baby Jordyn and Brayden over for some cookout fun and swim time. I found the cutest little "beach" pool at Wal-Mart and it was the perfect size for Landen and Jordyn.
We had a great time with them! We also learned in the process that our BBQ grill was finally toast. It has been slowly showing signs of wearing out, but that night I knew it was time to get a new one!
Here are some pics from the evening!

Jordyn loved the 4-wheeler

Landen in the pool...well, standing BY it which he did the first half of the evening!

Landen running under the palm tree! He loved this once he got in!

Jordyn and her 4-wheeler. She would cry if Diane took her off of it!

Jordyn in the pool...such a cutie!

Jordyn, Brayden, and Eric

Did I mention Jordyn LOVED the 4-wheeler? :)

Cutest pic of her!! :)

Summertime at the Lake!

2011-08-10T19:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday we spent the day at the lake with Laura, Craig, and JT and had such a great time! I just love going and could spend every weekend out there if the hubby would let me! I love the time away from home because you are "forced" to relax--just float and have fun! Here are some pics from the day!

Craig on the tube!

Weston on the tube...while it wasn't moving behind the boat! LOL! He's not big on the whole tubing/boat thing...baby steps, I keep telling myself.

However, he was all about the front flips!

Splash!!

I MADE IT UP ON ONE SKI!! At least long enough for a pic! :)

The boys!!

Richie on the tube...I LOVE driving while he tubes! HEHE!

And this my friends, is what the lake is ALL about...just chillin'!!

JT on the tube!! He caught some SERIOUS air on this ride!!

Me and Laura posing...er, uh, what the heck Craig?? It was a good pic!! LOL!

CRAIG!!

Me and Richie

Me on the kneeboard--love when my camera girl comes so I can get some pics!! :) Thanks Laura!

Richie tubing--and me trying to throw him off!

Lovin' the Lake!!

2011-07-30T08:29:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we went with my brother and his girlfriend and a couple from Richie's work to the lake. We haven't ever done anything with this couple before, but have gotten to know them over the last year or so. Well, they are an amazingly sweet couple and were so gracious and thankful to be invited with us to the lake! I didn't manage to get a lot of pictures at the lake as we were having fun and relaxing, but here's a couple! My brother took his jet ski and they zipped around the lake as we went skiing, tubing, and knee boarding. I was able to get up on the knee board on my very first try EVER! So excited because it's kind of hard--lots of arm strength needed and I don't have any! :) I also got up on one ski 2 different times--something I have been working on. I can ski on 2 skis all day long, but 1 ski tends to kick my rear! Fun times! I'm ready to go back to the lake!! P.S. I'm all cut up on my blog!

Eric on the Tube!

One of Eric's many attempts at the knee board!

Kylie's Hair Cut

2011-07-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

Kylie has been growing out her hair to cut it for Locks for Love. Well, it has gotten pretty dried out this summer (and has a slight green tint to it). She has also been begging me to just cut it off as it's so long and driving her crazy with all the tangles. So, I decided that by the time we cut off the split ends, etc, there wouldn't be enough left for Locks for Love. So, I caved and let her cut it off like she wanted! She was thrilled!!! And boy did it start to curl right up! All the weight was gone and her curls bounced right back!

Here's the BEFORE shot..keep in mind her hair is still down past the bottom of the pic when you compare the AFTER. Her hair is curly here from her braids she had in at her softball game.

AFTER! She got at least 6-8 inches cut off! She is SOOO happy!

4th of July 5K!

2011-07-28T16:48:00.000-07:00

I had my one year anniversary of running 5k races on the 4th of July! Last July, my time was 31 minutes and I knew I could beat that, so I set a goal of 28:14 or better for myself since that was my time on the same course in December at the Yule Run. Well, I ended up running it in 28:47. I was disappointed! :( But it was pretty hot! However, Weston ran his first 5k with me that day! He trained for about a month and the whole time he was nervous that he would get lost during the race. I kept telling him, "Mom will be in front of you and if you run during the race, then there will always be someone behind you, so you will be just fine." WELL, HE FINISHED BEFORE ME! He caught up with me about the first mile and stayed with me until about the last mile. I could tell he was holding back so I told him to go for it! He finished with a time of 28:15! I was just so proud of him! Also, my Uncle Kenneth who has Parkinson's Disease ran the race as well! I was so proud of him for finishing the race. He is 70 years old and has ran races all of his life. After he was diagnosed, he took a little break from running and made his comeback at this race. His son came to watch him, too. I had tears in my eyes when I saw him there to run! My Uncle Lionel also ran, so we made the race a family affair! :)
After the race, I took the kids down to the square for the Freedom Fest. I only managed to take one picture at the festival because I had my hands full with the 3 of them! I was able to snap a picture of Landen's first horseback ride! He loved it!
Later that evening, Richie and I brought Landen back down to see the fireworks. At first he was scared, but then he started to enjoy them. Fun Day all around! :)

The Family Run

Me and Laura--Before

Me and Laura--After

Landen on Horseback!

July Happenings!

2011-07-28T05:54:00.000-07:00

Finally, I am blogging in the same month as the posts are occurring!
Landen has such a sweet babysitter. She bought the kids a little blow up pool and has converted her carport into a nice shady place for them to swim and play. Landen is loving "simmun"! She is even sweet to send me pics of him having a ball!

Still June--but we finally moved in our house!

2011-07-27T05:38:00.000-07:00

Well, as soon as I got back from Vegas, it was moving time. Richie had already started because I had committed us to be out of the dupex by the end of the month, so he had a lot of the big stuff moved. However, there was still a TON of stuff to move. UGH, UGH, UGH. We were so worn out by the time we got everything moved. But good news is, we are in the house and a month later I can honestly say most (not all) of the stuff has been put away. Don't get me wrong, still plenty to do, but it is definitely starting to feel like home. I just love this house--it's perfect in every way. I think knowing we started with an idea a year ago and now we have this home has made it feel like that. I literally thank God everyday for such a great blessing. I love the location, too. So easy to get to town but still close to Gwd. Anyway, here's a few pics I took toward the end. I really need to get some final pics taken, but just have been too busy! As I get each room situated, I'll try and post some interior pics as well! Thanks to my brother and his girlfriend and our good friend Jeremy for helping us move. We honestly could not have done it without them! Such life savers (and back savers, too)!!

Front bed landscaping--Richie did this all by himself and he's just so proud of it!

The staircase with carpet. I love the caramel color and pattern!! Please ignore the dusty bannister--this was right after the carpet was installed.

Vegas, Part 2!! (Yes, over a MONTH ago...)

2011-07-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

I am just so far behind it's not even funny anymore. BUT, I do not want to miss posting on some great things that have happened lately!!

So, to Vegas, Part 2!! I went back to Vegas about 5 days after I got back from the first trip. It was another work trip, but a little different this time and not so crammed with things that we had to do. So, I was able to really enjoy this visit! Another cool thing through blogging is that I meant such a sweet, dear friend--JEN! She stumbled upon my blog and was so sweet to comment one time and I just had to check out her site and left her some love as well. From there, we just hit it off--we have an incredible amount of things in common--Adventures in Babysitting movie, Moscato d' Asti, you name it, we both love it! She was also the sweet friend who helped talk me through how to make a wreath for my front door. My wreath didn't even come close to how cute hers was, but it was worth the shot.

Anyway, we met up for dinner and shopping one night and had such a fun time exploring the Vegas Strip. We ate at a great Italian place and then shopped a bit before heading over to the Cosmopolitan to check out the great foyer! Then, we were off to find the gigantic high heels that she has her picture in on her blog. We found them! Supposedly they don't want people climbing on them, so we had to be super sneaky and wait for the security guy to walk by and then we jumped in real fast and snapped away! It as so funny if you watched us just get the courage to do something "daring"! :) We also went to Sugar Factory which is basically a candy store but it's famous for all of the stars that come in it! The girl that was ringing up our candy told us that Holly Madison always comes down there and gets cinnamon gummy bears. She said that after Holly leaves, all of the customers buy whatever Holly bought! Too funny! They also have these sucker sticks that are $15! You just buy a different sucker and use your "bling stick". They are covered in "bling" and different stars design their own....I almost bought Kylie one but couldn't bring myself to spend $15 on a sucker stick! Jen, I had such a great time with ya!!! Can't wait to hang out again!! Don't forget, it's your turn to come to my hometown--HAHA!!

The large chandelier in the Cosmopolitan

Cosmo foyer

The "experience" in the Cosmo--the towers change designs continuously.

The infamous heels!

The black heel--we played it safe here and didn't get in!

Sugar Factory

Chillin' at the Cosmo!

Still Playin' Catch Up!! Vegas--Part 1

2011-07-13T13:52:00.000-07:00

I am still trying to get all my June stuff posted--so far behind! But I am taking that as a great sign! Been super busy!! :)
My biggest part of June was spent in Vegas--two separate weeks for work! The first week was our National Meeting and we are so busy during that time that we really don't have a lot of downtime!
But, I did manage to go see The Lion King--what an awesome show! I don't know when/if I'll ever make it to New York to see it and this was the last year it was running in Vegas, so I really wanted to see it. I was so pleased--the kids would've loved it too!

My old manager Julie, MISS HER!!

One of my coworkers, Kim--super sweet gal!!

We stayed at the Palazzo for our meeting...such a pretty hotel inside. I didn't take a lot of pictures really during this week since we were so busy, but I managed to get a few the last evening. Here's our final night celebration and a lot of my great coworkers!

Summer Vacation!

2011-07-03T20:10:00.000-07:00

Well, since we have been working on building a house, we don't really have the time/money to go on a summer vacation this summer. So, my parents had a weekend the first part of June at their condo in Branson they weren't going to use and were gracious enough to ask us if we wanted to spend the weekend in Branson. They knew how hard we had been working on our house and that we were ready for a little getaway! We had a great, relaxing time doing pretty much nothing! Saturday my brother and his girlfriend came and spent the night with us. We went to the pool at Big Cedar Sunday and hung out as well. Fun Times!!

Kylie's Church Camp Experience

2011-07-03T19:51:00.000-07:00

This year, Kylie went to church camp with our new church youth group. She had such an awesome time. Lisa Belue was there with the girls and was so sweet to text me updates and pics of Kylie during the week! But the best news of all came when Lisa texted me and told me that Kylie had something to tell me. When Kylie got home, she told me that she asked Jesus into her heart. She was just beaming when she told me the news! So proud of my sweet baby girl!!

What Happened to June?

2011-07-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

I literally blinked and June is over. Gone. And I didn't blog a single day in June. But once I tell you everything I did in June, you will understand completely why! I felt like I didn't stop for the whole month! Where to begin? I think I'll do several small posts because I have so many posts that deserve pics and their "own post". Such great times happened in June and I don't want any of them getting skipped!
So, the kids went to school until June 4th since we had the massive winter weather season of the South around here. But, honestly, I didn't mind! :) Not sure what they thought, but with the house getting close to completion, I really didn't want to deal with kiddos out of school a day sooner than I had to!
So, here comes all of my JUNE posts!

More House Pics!!

2011-05-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

I am SOOOO ready for our house! It's coming along wonderfully! Here are some more pics of progress. So far, everything has worked out wonderful! The only mishap we had was with paint. The paint guys painted our ceilings a couple of weeks ago and when we went by that evening the color just didn't seemed to be what I had remembered....so, the next night I brought my small can by of the paint sample and asked the paint guy to just humor me and check it. I just knew I was seeing things and for some reason it just "painted" differently than what the sample showed. Well, I was surprised (and very glad) to find out that the paint people gave him the wrong color!! I know he wasn't so pleased though! Luckily, like I said, he only had the ceilings done at the point, so that was all he had to redo thankfully. I am just glad I said something though because I don't think I could've lived with that other color. Richie and I thought that other color reminded us of old lady make-up foundation! Ha ha!

The stairs again, but with stain this time!! (No carpet yet though...still to come)

Upstairs looking down...LOVE the way they turned out!

Master bathroom tile--picture just doesn't do it justice. It's such a pretty color!

And no house is complete without deer in the yard!!! Richie is beyond thrilled!

More pics to come!! We are almost there!!

Another 5K!

2011-05-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, this was from last weekend, but I didn't get a chance to post yet! Anyway, Laura and I did yet another 5k and had our personal best times! Laura even came in first in the overall category for females! She is SO fast!! Anyway, I did great with a time of 27:04 and came in 2nd in our age group! Tons of fun as always and such a great challenge! Can't wait for the next one!

Before the race...how is it I always look like crap on race day and Laura looks awesome?? :)

After race with our medals!

Chillin' out in the middle of the road!

House Update!

2011-05-29T15:44:00.000-07:00

Our house is ALMOST done! We are SO ready to get out of this duplex and have our own space....These pics are from a few weeks ago....I have some more updated ones I'll post later. It's taking forever to load pics!

Upstairs Balcony/Gallery before being stained

Another view of balcony

View of house from across the street

Stained cabinets! So pretty!

More cabinets!

Paint on the 20 ft ceiling

Arch in master bathroom

Paint on ceiling of dining room

Start of stairs...downstairs.

House from the outside! LOVE IT!!

It's coming along so nicely!

Mother's Day!

2011-05-16T19:55:00.000-07:00

I am a little late posting Mother's Day pics, but gosh being a Mom means NOTHING is done on time!
Anyway, I had a GREAT Mother's Day--got lots of great homemade cards and goodies. Weston bought me a card and a Sanctus Real CD. Landen made me a picture frame at the babysitter's with his picture in it and Kylie made me some cute cards. Then from the whole gang I got an IPad carrier with the kids pics on it (I'll have to post pics of it) and a new cookbook! Love my babies!!

3 Smiles AND facing the camera! SCORE!!

"Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star...."

Momma and Babies

The Sheriff In Town

2011-05-14T20:09:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the Webster University graduation ceremony. Since I am faculty, I was required to attend the festivities. The Director asked for my help in choosing the keynote speaker and I suggested Sheriff Hollenbeck. So, she gave me the honor of introducing him at the ceremony. I don't think anyone noticed, but while I was giving my introduction, my vision started to spot up and I had a hard time seeing my notes. Well, that made me beyond nervous! I didn't want to mess up his intro! But thankfully, I could see just enough to trudge through and made it just fine.

Here's a pic of me and the Sheriff!

The Birds and the Bees? More Like Lions and Tigers and Bears!!

2011-05-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

Last week at Weston's school, the 5th graders were supposed to have the "health development" class with the school nurse and counselors. Well, supposedly some parents complained and so they cancelled it. Which that totally confuses me--we had the same class when I was in the 5th grade! Plus, in today's society I would love for my children to get a "clean" version of the birds and the bees from healthcare and psychological professionals! Don't get me wrong, I had planned to have my own discussion with them to help them tie a biblical understanding as well as answer questions.
Well, because they cancelled it, I felt like I shouldn't leave the topic undiscussed. When Weston told me they cancelled the class, I asked him if he knew what it was about. He said, "yeah, they tell you to wear deodorant and take showers." Cute kid. So innocent. Until his Momma decided to take a stab at it.
I asked him a lot of questions to gauge where he was at in his understanding...level ZERO. The poor kid had no clue--genuinely none.
So, we started talking. And at first he was cracking jokes and taking it all pretty well. I was helping him understand what the girls were going to discuss and he said, "who cares, what's that got to do with me?"
Then, he made a couple of other jokes, but for the purpose of keeping this post G rated, I'll leave them out. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't trying to be gross, just showing his lack of understanding....
Anyway, we get to the "mechanics" of the conversation and he says, "I don't think I want to know this Mom!!" We finished the conversation and he gets up from the table, starts crying and runs to his room.
I have officially scarred my child. Great.
Dear School--Please don't cancel that class anymore!!!

Houdini the Stinker Monster

2011-05-14T19:57:00.000-07:00

Things have been beyond busy here....between the house, kids, work, baseball season, and life in general, we are swamped!

I feel like I have neglected poor Landen on here. I know that I will look back in a few years and regret not putting more posts in here of his new things!

So, a quick run down...This morning, when he woke up and I went to get him out of his bed, I noticed that as I got near the door, he sounded like he was right by the door. I thought, "that's weird, his bed is not that close." He sleeps in a play pen while we are in the duplex and he actually slept in it for awhile at our old house (probably since he was 6-8 months old)--just seemed to sleep better than in his real bed.

So, I opened the door, and he was RIGHT THERE. He was standing by the door and said, "hi momma!" He managed to CLIMB out of his playpen!

It totally scared me to death. So, today at morning nap time, he did the same thing! Well, I tried to get him to show me how he does it at his afternoon nap and he would "try" but wouldn't give it his all. And just that much scared me to death!

So now I am paranoid he's going to do it and hurt himself. I can tell I won't sleep tonight.

Richie's ER Visit

2011-05-06T20:51:00.000-07:00

I am quickly turning into a "weekend blogger" and I hate that. But, life is beyond busy right now! Plus, when I sit down to blog, it takes me an hour to catch up on blogs I follow!
We have had one crazy, busy week! I hope he doesn't kill me for sharing the week's events on the blog, but our busy week started Tuesday afternoon when I was in Conway. I was at a lunch at a doctor's office and Richie called. When I was able to call him back, he told me he was having chest pains and was thinking about going to the doctor. I told him to go straight to the ER because the doc's office wouldn't be able to do anything, so he did. Well, he wasn't having a heart attack thankfully. However, they wanted to do more tests to make sure there was nothing wrong. So, they decided to admit him and do the tests the next morning. So, after he called, I sped home from Conway to make sure Landen was picked up on time and to get to the hospital to see him. Ok, a 19 month old at a hospital is a BAD IDEA. I am sure the entire 3rd floor were happy to see us leave. I hated to leave hubby at the hospital all by himself, but I was honestly afraid we would be kicked out!
I took off the next day and got the kiddos off to school and Landen to the sitter's house and ran a few errands while Richie was in his tests and then headed up to the hospital to see him. I had scheduled a haircut appt for Landen that afternoon though, so I was only able to stay a couple of hours before I had to head back to Greenwood to take care of that. At that point however, he had gotten a few test results back and everything was coming back normal thankfully! So, don't think I am a bad wife--I knew he was in the clear for the most part before I left! After they got the final results back, all were good by the way, he was discharged and came home!
Tuesday night (when Richie was admitted to the hospital), was Weston's 5th grade performance. I HATED to miss it as I know it's his last one, but I really wanted to be with Richie and support him. It was hard though because I hadn't told the kids where I was going, so I had hoped that Weston wouldn't be upset at me.
I am so very thankful to have my husband back and that his heart is OK (and as his buddies said, to find out he has a heart! ha ha!!)....

Weekend....Wet Weekend! UGH!

2011-05-01T17:19:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it's Sunday already! The weekend is over! But we had a decent one--nothing much to comment on really, but still a good weekend.
Friday night, we went to a cook-out at the FS campus of our church and just hung out with some great folks and ate some good food. Then, we sat around a campfire and sang a few songs. Such a nice, relaxing evening...low key, but fun!
Yesterday was full of house stuff. We are to that stage now where we are trying to pin down paint colors, stain, etc. Such fun! Then, yesterday evening, Weston and I went birthday shopping for him. His birthday is on Mother's Day, so he is having his party Friday night with friends and then Sunday we will celebrate with family. He is to that age where I don't dare buy clothes without him with me! So we headed to Old Navy where he got several shirts/shorts! He's set for the summer!
Today was church and I was thrilled to hear our worship team sing a Third Day song off of their new album! LOVED IT!
Here's to next week!! :)

Easter!

2011-04-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter! However, I don't have a SINGLE picture from the whole day! :( It was kind of a busy, whirlwind day. And I kept thinking--need a picture, snap a picture, but didn't really have the time to take any. And honestly, with the weather, we couldn't do an outdoor egg hunt, so it was kind of hard to get in the picture mode.
But that's OK. I may try and "recreate" Easter this weekend! :) I want to at least get pictures of the kids....and what's 7 more days?

What a Good Friday It Was!

2011-04-23T09:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, on several occasions I thought of what the day meant as a Christian. I think that's the first time in my life I REALLY reflected on the day's meaning like I did. There were times I was sad, there were times I was thankful, and times I was happy. What a day! To know that God would do such a thing as to give his only Son for us...amazing!
I found some great tweets yesterday about Good Friday....

"Just when it looked like evil was going to win; it didn't. A LOT can change in a weekend."

"Betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter, abandoned by the eleven, forsaken by God. Darkness, you get one hour. Then you die."

Happy Easter!!

I Have a Choice

2011-04-21T11:28:00.000-07:00

After the last two tumultuous weeks, I had some drive time Monday and Tuesday and that always gives me plenty of time to think! :)

And think I did. And I made a few decisions. But those thoughts and decisions didn't come until after I heard a sweet song on the radio Tuesday.....It's called Blessings by Laura Story. And what's so ironic is that another friend who knows the pain in my life right now blogged about the same song!

But the words in that song reminded me of a few things. The song is full of questions like "What if blessings come through raindrops?" or "What if the trials of this life are your mercies in disguise?" And those questions got me to thinking--I have a choice. I can choose to be bitter and resent the people that have hurt us or I can choose to see the situations as what they might possibly be--blessings. Looking back in life, some of the most trying times of my life ended up being some of the biggest blessings. And I have to trust Him that this very situation is a great example of that yet again. So, I did a weird thing yesterday--I invited some of the very people that hurt us to go to church with us. After I did it, I thought, "what did I just do??" I texted Richie and told him and said I didn't really know why I did it and he just responded, "Because you are a good person with a kind heart. That's why I married you." Made me feel so good. Then, a few minutes later, someone else got wind of what I did by overhearing a conversation with the people and I got a text out of the blue that said, "....I overheard ___ and ___ talking about a text you sent to ___ about them going to ya'lls church this Sunday. I am so proud of you and Richie. You have both handled this mess with such grace and poise. You have no idea how much I admire and appreciate you. You will both be blessed for letting Christ's love and grace flow through you!!" I had tears in my eyes after reading it--It made me feel so blessed to have people in my life that care and love us. And after that I made a choice. I am done with hurting. I am done with this stuff consuming our lives. I can't change people. But I can change my response. And my response now is I refuse to be bitter. God knows what he's doing and I have to trust that. Until I understand (and I may never) the reason, I will continue to love these people. And I can honestly say from that moment on, I am at peace. I am happy with whatever outcome may head our way in this.

Here are the lyrics to the song. Such wonderful words!

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home,
It's not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

The Pox

2011-04-20T17:38:00.000-07:00

As if we didn't have enough drama around here, Weston has the chickenpox! Well, I guess I should say "had" the chickenpox as he is finally on the mend and should be able to go to school for the first time this week.
It started Friday when I came home from work. He was laying in bed and felt warm. I checked him and he had a fever of 100.4. He then says, "mom, I have these red dots on my arm" and pulls up the sleeve of his shirt. I knew at that moment. But, I hoped it wasn't really that!
So, we went to the dr first thing Saturday morning--and it was. Ugh. But, Dr. J was good to put him on an anti-viral medicine in hopes of lessening the duration and extent. He said that the older you are when you get them, the worse they are. So, I am thankful he chose to be proactive and shave some time of this thing!
However, it wasn't enough time because Weston still had to miss his first baseball game last night. He still had a few blisters and I was so scared that he could possibly bust one open and get a staph infection (not to mention infect someone). However, he looks tons better today, so he will be back at school tomorrow!! Bring on the make-up school work! :(
**IMPORTANT**I could not figure out how he got the chickenpox at his age. There are at least 4 cases at his school. I called his pediatrician and he received the vaccination at 1 yr, however they did not require a follow up booster for school when he started, so he only had the one shot. Please call your pediatrician and check to see if you child has had the 2nd booster!! Kylie had not had it and we took her first thing Monday to get it!

This was Friday when he was just starting to get spots

By Saturday morning, we were facing this!!

And by Sunday, they were on his back/belly....and a few on legs, head, face.

Day 3 when the blisters started to form

Words

2011-04-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

Words--I have plenty of them right now to say, but for some reason I can't. I am baffled. I am shocked. I never imagined the cruelty of people. I have seen my fair share of heartbreaks and hurt feelings with me and my family, but gosh, this?
And how do I remain faithful when I don't understand to begin with? I know faith isn't connected to understanding. I realize we don't always like the outcome of situations. I know life isn't fair or perfect. But just once, just once can't the right thing happen? Just once can't the honest guy prevail? Just once can't people treat each other with respect? Why am I asked to forgive when others continue to hurt me and the ones I love?
I know I sound so bitter in this post, but like I said I have a lot of words. Words that are meshed inside feelings. Words that are masked with as much of a smile as I can muster. And sometimes words that are hidden behind a blank stare.
I am sick and tired of it. I am sick of being sick and tired of it.
I only want what's best for the ones I love. And I know that maybe right now God knows what's best and I don't. That's the ONLY thing keeping me sane. That's the ONLY thing keeping me from using my words. That's the ONLY thing keeping me from lashing out. Because when it's all said and done, that's all I have left--hope that God is going to show me that he has a better answer than the one I thought was best.
So, I will keep my words unspoken. I will put my faith in the One that holds the answer. And I will trust--trust that He knows what he's doing!

But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him." 1 Corinthians 2:9

Happy Anniversary!

2011-04-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

On April 12 (Tuesday), Richie and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary! It was a crazy day full of the typical ho-hum of life, but thankfully we "observed" our anniversary on Saturday night with a dinner and movie, so that made up for it! We went to eat at Beef O'Brady's and to see Lincoln Lawyer. Great food and good movie!
I can honestly say Richie is my best friend. He cracks me up sometimes. He talks about how birthdays and anniversaries are "just another day" (he gets that from his Dad I think). I am the total opposite! I look forward to birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries! I love the memories you make and the opportunity to just stop and appreciate life and those who are in it. We have seen some wonderful times and we have had our fair share of storms to weather. But the amazing thing is, we have done them together--side by side. I couldn't imagine anyone else standing with me throughout life!!
I love you, Richie! :*

Uncle Ju-Ju Babysits

2011-04-14T18:58:00.000-07:00

My brother Jordan was kind enough to babysit Landen last weekend so that Richie and I could go out to eat for our anniversary....I think he has as much fun as Landen! He took him to Bell Park where his Dad lives and he was having a BBQ. They managed to run up the hill to the playground and Landen got to swing! He had a ball!

Spring Wreath

2011-04-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I made a cute spring wreath with the assistance of Jen! What a sweet gal she is! I had the pleasure of chatting with her on the phone and she was so kind to walk me through the steps to making a cute spring wreath. My wreath is not anywhere as cute as hers, but hey, it works!

House Update....with pics this time!

2011-04-14T18:52:00.000-07:00

Last time I tried to post about the house, the pictures wouldn't load. So, now I think my technical difficulty is fixed and I thought I would show some house progress!

Brick going on the house....

Back corner of third car garage

Side of 3rd car garage w/rock trim on corner

Landen checking out his new house!

Play Room

Media/2nd Living Room

Garage

A View of the hall between living/dining area

Sheetrock Tape/Mud

Front Door--Great brick work above the door!

Another view of front door

Tomorrow, I should have some more updated exterior pics--final product of rock/brick work. It's coming along great! I spent the week picking out carpet, wood flooring, and paint...ugh, too many choices!!

A Day at the Park!

2011-04-09T09:52:00.000-07:00

Too funny--my computer is letting me add pictures again, so I will post more house progress later, but for now, here's some pictures of Landen yesterday at Bell Park. His sweet babysitter loaded up the kiddos and took them to the park to play. They only got to stay a half hour because it was so warm, but it looks like they had such a great time while they were there!

Rockin' House!

2011-04-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I tried to load several pics of house updates, but for some reason they wouldn't load. I did manage to get this one to load, so you can see the finished rock wall in the middle front of the house. I am really happy with the way the brick/rock are turning out! They have finished the sheetrock in the entire house and have started to tape/mud it. The brick should be complete by Monday on the entire house, and we hope to have garage doors on it in the next few days. The house is coming along great....however, estimated completion date is around June 1-10. Well, that sounds wonderful except for one minor glitch--I will be in Vegas for work from the 13th-24th!! Ouch! I really, really wanted to at least have all of our stuff out of the duplex before I left. I know I won't have things put away, but it would be nice to not have the rent and at least be IN the new house before I was gone. So, we will cross fingers and toes that the people get on the ball and get this thing finished before we run out of time!!

Spiritual Warfare

2011-04-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

Spiritual Warfare...that's how my Mom summed up this week for her and my step-dad. And you know what? It fits mine too. It's been a stressful, emotionally draining, and tense week. I am trying to remain positive. I am trying to be faithful. And you know what? Some days it's just plain hard to do. I know it's what I have to do, but at times it's not what I want to do. I want things to be fair in the world. I want people to respect each other. I want peace and happiness. But, the reality is, that's not always the case.
I saw on Katie's blog a verse that seemed rather fitting for the week and a great reminder that I need to lean on God during tough times. I know that good will come out of this if we remain faithful and I have to believe that evil can't always prevail. So, this is my verse. This is what I am telling myself, reminding myself of in these times.....

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Our First House Guest

2011-04-04T20:17:00.000-07:00

SEVERAL POSTS TODAY!!

Richie was over at the new house sweeping and cleaning after the sheetrock was hung. Well, he was upstairs all of the sudden heard something and went in the hall to check it out. There coming up the stairs was a little Schnauzer dog! He said the dog looked in a few of the rooms, came over to him, and then walked back down the stairs to leave!!

Little Man

2011-04-04T20:14:00.000-07:00

I feel like Landen is literally growing and changing right before my eyes! Tonight, we went to Wal-Mart and since we were just running in for one thing, I let him walk and hold my hand. Well, we headed over the the "lingerie" section to look at a slip for a dress I bought. He was standing next to me while I looked at the slips and all of the sudden I hear him giggling like someone had tickled him. I thought, "what in the world is so funny?" I looked over and he was eye to eye with a section of bras and he was squeezing the cups and just laughing up a storm!! RICHIE'S SON! It was soooo funny!!
His new question this week is , "Whatcha doin, ______? (fill in blank with whoever he is talking to)
Then, tonight he got in trouble and Richie said, "do you want a time out?" and put him in the "corner" of the kitchen. The face he made was hilarious. I snapped this with my phone so it's horrible, but if he knows you are taking a picture he immediately says, "SMILE!"

Congratulations Kylie--2011 Petite Little Miss Greenwood!

2011-04-04T20:06:00.000-07:00

Kylie had such a great time Sunday at the Miss Greenwood pageant! It was a last minute entry for us as I have been more than swamped with work and I wasn't even sure how we were going to pull it off. But I drove up to my step-sister's house in Springdale Saturday morning and borrowed a dress and then drove to my Meme's house for alterations....until 11 p.m.! I also spent last Thursday frantically trying to pull together a spring outfit!
But, it was all worth it--Kylie WON! She did such a great job--I am so proud of how confident she has become. When she started this 3 years ago, she was petrified to be on stage and did not want to talk into a microphone. Now, she has confidence and enjoys being in front of people. She has come such a long way! Kylie, I am SO proud of you! And, not only did she win the crown, but she also won Miss Congeniality! I thought that was so awesome!

Here's some pics from the day!!

Kylie modeling spring wear--I wish I had gotten a better pic!

Answering her onstage question

Backstage waiting with the girls!

Me and Kylie

Kylie and her cousin Madi

Kylie and Miss Arkansas Alyse Eady (and 1st runnerup Miss America!!)

"The Glam Squad" Ang, Kylie, and me--Thanks Ang for helping out with hair. You saved yet another day! :)

Kylie's Crowning Moment!

Mr. Inquisitive

2011-03-25T17:19:00.000-07:00

Landen's "new thing" this week is asking questions. Not a moment goes by without a "what's that" or "where's ________" (fill in the blank w/mom, dad JuJu, Andy, etc....).
It's such a cute age--in fact my favorite age has always been 18 months--the inquisitive nature, the innocence, and the orneriness! Last night was the first time he said, "hold me"! So sweet! He can be a little toot though and is not afraid to throw a NO! at you.
Last Sunday we spent the afternoon at Laura's parents' new house. They have a built a beautiful new home and we were invited to their Open House. Thanks Savold's for the invite and great food! Here's some pictures from the afternoon!

If the shirt fits, then wear it! :)

Kylie and Miss Pate

The girls and Sandy (Sandy LOVED licking Landen from head to toe!)

Me and Laura

1/2 Marathon!!

2011-03-20T19:11:00.000-07:00

JT snapped a pic of me crossing the finish line!

The Savold Girls and me before we ran. I look awful, but that morning wasn't about looks or fashion!! :)

Laura and I (and her sister) ran in a 1/2 marathon Saturday and I was able to finish! I was SO happy (and very exhausted)! There were some issues with the course and the group I was in got sent an entirely different way than Laura's group. Well, I am glad I had my GPS and MapMyRun program running because when I got to the finish line turn off, I had only completed 10.75 miles. So, I wasn't about to turn and finish the race without running the entire 13.1 miles--I just made laps around the block until I had went far enough and then turned down the finish line. I ended up going 13.21 miles in 2 hours 28 minutes. (Do you know how HARD it was not to just cross that finish line when you are that close to it after running 2 hours!?) I think my biggest accomplishment was that up until yesterday, I have never been able to run more than about 3.7 miles without walking. Well, yesterday, I ran 8.5 miles before I started walking! Then, from there I alternated each mile between running and walking! Laura was such a machine--she finished under 2 hours!

I think we did very good considering we did not train for the 1/2 marathon at all. Like I said, we only do about 3.5-4 miles on our daily runs, so we were very pleased to not only finish, but to have such good times for our first 1/2 marathons!

I am excited, because now I know I can do a 10k!

Kickin' The Bucket....List!

2011-03-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

Now that I have the 5k thing down, I decided to go to the next level--oh, heck, skip the next level! Laura and I are doing a 1/2 marathon this weekend!!! Saturday morning, I will spend my morning trying to find a way to make it 13.1 miles! I know there is no way I can run the whole thing--haven't ever tried and it's hard enough to make it the 5k amount for me. But, I am going to try run/walk a mixture through the course. It's not about time for me at all, just completion at this point. I just want to be able to say I DID IT at the end of the day!
Here's to the race Saturday (and the hopes I can walk the next day)!!

The Week END

2011-03-13T16:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, the whole time change thing has me very out of whack! UGH! But, I managed to make it through the day so far without a nap in hopes I can sleep tonight! Today, Landen and I went for a nice, long walk while Richie is over working at the new house. We ended up walking nearly 7 miles! He was content in his stroller and it was absolutely gorgeous outside, so we just kept going and going. I had no intentions of walking that far at all! But, it was nice and relaxing....

Last night we went out to eat at Fuji's with Jeremy and Catina and had a ball! Jeremy hadn't ever been before and he was a little nervous. I was afraid he might not like the food, but they both ended up loving it and had a great time. We bought movie tickets before dinner and if you've been to Fuji's, you know how it takes forever. Well, we got to the movie right after it started and the 4 seats that were left were scattered all over--one here, then one 4 rows up. There was no way that we could even sit together as couples! So, we went back out and spoke with the manager and he was very nice and gave us a refund! We went to Kirkland's and Target after that and walked around and got ideas for our new house. We were all glad the movie thing didn't work out because we were so tired anyway!

So, the house progress for this past week was the completion of the siding. We had a little minor issue with the rock, but hopefully they will still get to start around Tuesday at the latest.

Here's to a good week! I am ready for one!

Front View

Another front angle view

Back View

Front side angle

The Weekly Update

2011-03-12T12:32:00.000-08:00

I had a great birthday week, minus a cruddy day Thursday-- nothing major just one of those days I was SO done with by about 10 a.m. My class grades have been submitted and I am FINALLY finished. I really did enjoy teaching this class--very fun, but I have learned a lot for next time around and will do a few things different from the beginning....
Richie is at the new house site today cleaning up shingle scraps, etc in preparation for the rock and brick layers over the next couple of weeks. I cannot wait! That will totally change the looks of the house! The siding was completed this week and it is really shaping up to be a beautiful home. I went and finalized my light fixture choices yesterday--made a few swaps and have to say I'm excited with my final choices!
Today, Landen and I have hung out while Richie is gone and he has been quite the character...a little fussy, but overall good. Today, he has a few things that I haven't really heard before. First, instead of just saying "thank you", it's now, "thank you, buddy". I guess that's from us saying that to him--TOO cute! Then, when we were changing his diaper, he was asking, "what's that?" about various things in Kylie's room. Finally, when we brought our groceries home, he helped me unpack them and would say, "here you go" as he handed me the stuff. I must say, quite impressive for a 17 month old!
Tonight, we are going out to eat/movies with Jeremy and Catina for my and Jeremy's birthdays! Not sure what we will see since Gracecard is only playing in the afternoons. :( But, maybe there's something else playing that will be good!
I'll post this week's house progress later when Richie gets me some new pics! :)

A Birthday Blast!

2011-03-09T19:11:00.000-08:00

Today was my birthday and gosh, I wish I could have more if I didn't have to get any older! But, regardless, I had such a fun day!
The day started off with my 3 sweet kiddos serenading me in bed....too cute! Landen joined in and then just put his sweet little head on me! He was in such rare form--Kylie taught him to say, "Happy Birthday Momma!" I thought I would cry--so funny that 3 little words can move someone so much--but when your little baby speaks, it's so meaningful! After I got the family off to work/school, I enjoyed a cup of coffee in a quiet house. I had to study for my new drug, but that was OK--I just sat in my robe and read in the peace and quiet.

Then, it was off to meet Laura for birthday lunch! We had SO much fun today--we were in rare form to laughing and having a great time.....the guys at La Fiesta serenaded me and brought me two sopapillas (and yep, I ate them BOTH!!).
After lunch, I finished up grading the papers from the class I taught and then it was off to take Landen to the eye doctor. They were going to remove the tube from his eye, but decided to give it another 3 months....while we were there though, he put on such a show. One older man even gave him a dollar and everyone kept talking about him and how smart he was and how good he could talk--he was so cute to watch!
The hubby gave me a birthday card and let me pick out my own presents--Fashion Boutique, here I come! The kiddos also got me a sweet card, too. My parents got us a "wine cooler" for the new house--it is really nice and will go great in the new kitchen. We don't drink much wine, etc, but it'll be great for my Dt. Mt. Dew, too! My Dad even mailed me a gift card, too. That was so special--I think it's the first b-day gift in like 25 years from him. :)
Then, tonight we had my birthday dinner at my grandma's house. I requested Geno's pizza and chocolate covered peanuts for dessert--YUMMY! Lots of great fun and laughs! Thanks to everyone for making the day special!!

Student of the Month

2011-03-08T18:35:00.000-08:00

Kylie has wanted to be Student of the Month for a LONG time. In fact, last year she even asked her teacher what exactly she had to do to get Student of the Month. Well, this year, her teacher said that everytime she announced the Student of the Month, she would watch Kylie as she sat at her desk with her fingers crossed mouthing, "please, please, please" in hopes it would be her.
So, last week when the letter came home she had won, I knew she would be excited, but I had no idea just how excited.....I came home from work and she met me at the door with an envelope that said, "To the Parents of Kylie", but it had a smiley face after it so I knew it wasn't anything too bad! :) Well, I had no idea what it was, so when I opened it and I read it I looked at her and told her what it said and she just started smiling and laughing....and then all of the sudden just bawling! She just fell into my arms! She was crying so hard that Richie came out from the bedroom and asked what was going on. She had wanted it for so long that all of those emotions just erupted!
Today was the Student of the Month breakfast and Kylie has been planning this day since we got the letter--what she should wear, who all would be attending, etc. We had breakfast, but I noticed she didn't eat much. Then, she didn't seem like herself. As the breakfast wrapped up, she put her head on the table and started to cry. She felt sick and was miserable. I felt so bad for her! She has been looking forward to today! But, I honestly think it was all of the emotion and excitement that made her sick. She stayed home with my Mom and slept for about 3 hours, then she ate a big lunch and was back to her normal self. So glad she feels better!

CONGRATS KYLIE!!!

My Other Children

2011-03-07T18:49:00.000-08:00

Last August, I went to the Women of Faith conference and had such an amazing time. I have been meaning to blog about something that happened while I was there, but time has just gotten away from me. So, when I saw the mail on the table today, I knew I had to write about this.....

I have been to many Women of Faith conferences over the years and I have heard them speak about World Vision and sponsoring children, but I haven't been to a conference since I went on a mission trip to Guatemala. So, when they started talking about the conditions these children live in, I immediately found myself back in Guatemala and walking amongst those kids. I could smell the foul odors, see the innocent faces smeared with dirt, but most importantly I could see true happiness and peace they had. They literally had nothing--their house are typically a piece of sheet metal on one side, a tarp on another, and the final side made of sticks. One side was typically open. They had to cook right over a fire, their children breathing the smoke (and suffering the consequences later). Maybe it was really being there at some point in my life that made the discussion so much more impactful--maybe it was now having 3 kids that did it. But, whatever it was, I knew I had to consider sponsoring a child. So, I tested God. I told him the only way I would consider is if there was a boy from Guatemala with the EXACT birthday as Weston, down to the year. Guess who won the challenge? Yep, God. (I will write more about the boy we sponsored later). Then, I decided that Kylie would probably like to have someone to write to as well. I was looking through the kids and no one was really grabbing me--sure they are all sweet kids and need a sponsor, but I wasn't moved....until I saw her. Those beautiful brown eyes, the sweet, innocent smile. She didn't share Kylie's birthday, but she is very close in age. She was born April 26, 2001. Her name is Yennifer Alexandra.

Yennifer Alexandra

Kylie has written her a couple of letters and for Christmas we sent her a Christmas card with silly bands in it. It takes awhile to get a response, which is hard for the kids to understand in the world of technology we are so accustomed to. But today, Kylie got her first letter in the mail from Yennifer! It was such a sweet little letter. We did also get a picture she colored of her country with some facts about it as well as a Christmas card, but this is the first real letter we have received.

Yennifer's letter

It says, "Hi, Kylie, I was very happy to receive your letter and get to know you and your family a little more. They had to read the letter to me because I was in my grandmother's house in Quindio. I was born there. Kylie, the thing I like to do the most is to sing. I'm very good at it so that's very good. I also like to play with sisters and friends. I also like to take theatre and dance classes. I love and appreciate people very much. I'm 9 years old and I'm going to start 5th grade. I have 5 sisters but I only live with 2 of them. Laura Cristina is 11 years old. She came from Caqueta recently. My little sister is Yelsi Gisne and she's going to turn 7 years old. She is my favorite one. I'm very happy. I have been living with my stepmother for 8 and a half years now. I also live with my dad and my two sisters. I hope you are a very happy girl as well. May the Almighty God bless you and your family. I want to stay in touch so that we can tell each other many things. TQM (I love very much)

Here is a picture Yennifer drew and included with her letter.

Kylie hasn't had a chance to read her letter yet since she had to go to her dad's house after school today, but I know tomorrow she will be so excited to see it! I can't say how much these kids are a blessing to my and my kids--I really hope that we can all learn something from this experience! I really would like to take Kylie to meet her one day. If you have never sponsored a child before, you should definitely give it some thought and prayer. It's such a wonderful experience!

I'll write about our boy next time!

ELMO!

2011-03-06T20:21:00.000-08:00

**SEVERAL POSTS TODAY!!**
I haven't posted in awhile about Landen and how much he is changing. I can't even tell you how many words he can say because he says almost everything. He has even gotten to the point of combing two and three words! He has quite the vocabulary and personality to match. The other day though was the cutest thing. I turned on the TV and flipped over to Sesame Street for something for him to watch while I got ready. He has never watched Sesame Street at home. I didn't say anything except, "do you want to watch some cartoons?" When he looked up and saw the TV, he yelled "ELMO"!!! It was so cute! I know that's not much for anyone else, but for him to recognize and say it was adorable. I immediately texted the babysitter and she said they watch it there. I couldn't figure out how he knew who Elmo was!
He is changing so much lately--definitely more the toddler type now! He loves saying, "noooooo" and dragging it out. And he means it too! He is learning how to throw little tantrums--all a part of that terrible two's that is about to come!
Overall though, he is a great little guy! He has such a sweet personality and is very social. Richie and I were just talking about how outgoing he is and how he is the life of the party! He is definitely the "baby" of the family with all the attention he gets!

Hot Springs sans the kiddos!

2011-03-06T20:17:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Richie and I got an all-expenses paid trip to Hot Springs with my work. We had a meeting the Wednesday-Friday before that and then all of the spouses drove in for a little R&R. It was great! No kids, great food, good company! We went to the horse races on Saturday. We had a great time, but gambling is not either one of our hobbies, so it wasn't as exciting for us as some people. We signed up for the membership and they give you $20, so we gambled on their money! That's my kind of gambling! We didn't win anything though, but it was a great experience. Then, Saturday evening Richie and I had dinner at a great restaurant called Porterhouse. YUMMY! I have to say I ate well from Wednesday to Sunday while I was there--probably too well!
I really enjoyed the downtime and time with my hubby!

And some more house progress!

2011-03-06T20:14:00.000-08:00

I am SO far behind on posts, so here goes on the catch up posting! These pictures are about a week old, but there's not much progress to photograph while they install electric/plumbing. So, really if you drive by, this is still what you see!

The shingles are all complete now, but this is most recent front pic I have on computer.

Back view with shingles!

Arches in the living room

These are the living room windows that are level with the 2nd story--it's a 20 ft ceiling in living room.

Dining room window being installed

A Roof Over our Heads

2011-02-22T13:26:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of last week's progress. The framers should be done by tomorrow and I think the "roof" crew is coming tomorrow to start on the shingles. I did a walk-thru today with the cabinet guy and the electrician....I am WORN OUT! So much to think about--then I worry about silly stuff like, "what if I need an outlet there? Is that enough light in that room? What if the cabinets are too low? Too high? Too little?" UGH! Too much to process!
It wouldn't bother me if we weren't going to live there forever! But knowing--THIS IS IT--makes it completely different!
Then, I left the construction site and said, "Thank you Lord for letting me have the opportunity to even worry about where outlets go and lighting for the rooms". I know this a huge blessing from Him to even build this house, so I am glad to "sweat the small stuff"!

Front view with rafters going up. Office to left, front door, dining room window, then garage.

Head on front view--office, front door, dining room, 2 car garage, boat garage from left to right

Back view of porch going in--yes it's quite tall!

SkyLift being put to good use. Back patio/porch work being done.

Another front view of house

View from neighbor's house on our road. Kind of neat to see a different angle.

Back view with porch complete..

Valentine's Day....I know I'm Late.

2011-02-18T15:59:00.000-08:00

This week has been nothing but running behind for me! With trying to study for my certification exam, I have felt like I have had no spare time and a mushed brain. But, I took my test today and made a 98 percent! Hallelujiah! :) One down, two more tests to go! UGH!
Back to Valentine's Day though....Each year Richie and I go to Mt. Magazine for dinner at the lodge (it's where he proposed), but this year with all of the snow on the ground, we were afraid to try it. Not to mention we only had a babysitter for Saturday night after 6:30 pm, so beggars can't be choosy! :) So, with the limited time we headed to town. But anyone from around here knows that we have a limited amount of restaurants and tons of people out and about to celebrate Valentine's Day. Our first stop, Longhorn, would've been a 2 hour wait! UM NO! We scanned the Cheddar's parking lot....and didn't even bother to ask. So, we headed to Bravo's. Richie had never eaten there and wanted to try it. They told us it would be a 45 min wait, but we didn't wait longer than about 15 minutes. The food and ambience was great! It was SO nice to have a night out with NO kids! I know some people feel like Valentine's Day is over-rated, but I have to admit that I like it. I don't ever doubt my hubby loves me any other day, but I like the fact that the holiday encourages us to stop and spend some time together on our own. I know we wouldn't have made it out for dinner last weekend without the excuse! We are trying to not waste money (thanks Dave Ramsey), so we stuck with our Valentine's Day budget for gifts. Richie really wanted a meatloaf, so I made him one for Valentine's Day (he's easy to please). And he had seen me tear up the house looking for chocolate for the last two weeks and so he bought me a TON of chocolate! YUM! I'm usually not a chocolate girl, but something is seriously wrong with me lately and I have been craving it. So thanks Richie for the chocolate!
Kylie had a great Valentine's Day as well. She bought her "boyfriend", Aaron, a teddy bear and balloon and we drove to his house the night before, left the goodies and knocked on the door. Then we drove down the road and watched him find his surprise! It was so cute! Then, the next day he sent her a blanket, roses, a stuffed animal and a card to school! I wouldn't be as tolerant if I didn't know his Momma!
Great day! Love You Richie!

Snow Day #2...Big Kids Style!

2011-02-16T11:50:00.000-08:00

So, after two days of being couped up in our little duplex trying to study and keep kiddos entertained and out of my hair, I decided that I would load them up and let them sled over at my grandparents house. They had SO much fun! I took a break and was able to grab a few pictures, however Landen went down the hill on a little sled as well and I was inside studying at the time, so I missed it! :(

The snow was so powdery that the kids had to "make" a slide down the hill!

It was a LITTLE difficult at first! Kylie had a hard time getting going!

Here we go!!

The next adventure was sledding by the 4-wheeler!

Weston's turn--he was a little timid at first, but he did enjoy it. He had a wreck and I was so proud because he got up and got back on. He told me later, "Mom, I just remembered the TobyMac song "Get Back Up" and I decided to do that!" CUTE!

Some cool kiddos!

Behind the 4-wheeler

Kylie did a face plant while behind the 4-wheeler. Wish I had had the video camera handy!

My Papaw decided to try out the snow scooter. This is him right before he crashed in the snow!

And not to be outdone by the kids, Papaw got on the little sleds as well. But, he cracked it the first time down!

The kids had such a great time! I am very glad they had an opportunity to play in the snow--something to remember when they are sitting in class in June!

Snow Day Pics

2011-02-15T21:11:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in another post, I have had some changes at work and well, that basically means I get to study, study, study and then take a big 'ole test! So, snow days for me last week were nothing but stressful. With kiddos and a tiny duplex, my study time seemed fruitless! I felt like I was retaining nothing and it was so frustrating. My poor kids were cooped up inside and told to not make a sound--so boring to them. So, one evening when Richie brought Landen home, I let the kids bundle up and play in the snow. I really, really wanted to get some pics of Landen and his first real time to experience the snow....and it was so cute! Because at the end of the day, I won't remember what product I was studying, but I will never forget the sweet smiles and laughter my kiddos had in the snow!

Excited to get outside finally!

Fun in the snow!

Except it's a little hard to walk when you aren't quite coordinated yet!

The birds caught his attention!

Back up and at it again--lift those feet little man!

My Landen! My Landen! :)

Poor baby! Face plant in the snow! :(

When it was time to go in, he was NOT happy. He screamed and threw a little fit--guess he had fun out there! More snow pics to come of the big kids!

R & T Wrecker Service

2011-02-13T18:52:00.000-08:00

With the bad weather comes wrecks and my brother and my cousin both experienced them during the last couple of snow storms....So, each time Richie and I loaded up to help out. Both of them were shaken up, but otherwise OK. Thank goodness! Here's to spring and dry, safe roads!

**Also, I posted several posts today--finally had a few free moments**

My brother's Mustang, minus part of the front! He also had a few dents on the passenger door.

This one is hard to see, but I wasn't about to get out of the truck. It was on Hwy 71, and I was afraid someone else would run off the road and hit me! Anyway, they are pulling my cousin's car out of the median in this picture.

My Little Chef

2011-02-13T18:37:00.000-08:00

I thought these pictures were so cute....The other day Kylie dressed up Landen in her apron and bonnet. It was precious!

Snowy House Progress!

2011-02-13T18:28:00.000-08:00

So, here is the 2nd round of the 2nd floor progress, with some snow! This is actually some of the first floor also--crazy to see snow in our bedroom! :) Thank goodness for 70 degree weather today--here's to a week of progress this week hopefully!

House Progress--1st Half of Week

2011-02-11T12:42:00.000-08:00

With this weather, I am just glad to say there was some "progress" on our house....it wasn't much though! But hopefully, with next week's temperatures, they will get back on schedule. I just found out they are going to work tomorrow and Sunday--thank goodness! Before the bad weather this week, here is the work they were able to get done!

Media/Bonus Room Upstairs

Looking down into living room/kitchen

View from Landen/Weston's rooms of media room? Below to the right is the master bedroom

View of back of house

Side view of house

Working hard!

Another view of media/bonus room (can you tell which room they were able to work on that day??) LOL!

Stairs leading to the 2nd floor

View from living room of Kylie's room??

I'll post another round of pics later of the rest of the week's work! Slowly but surely, we should have a new house one day!!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

2011-02-08T21:38:00.000-08:00

So, tonight was my class that I teach. We missed last Tuesday due to weather, so we are making up that time (a 4.5 hr class!!) by staying late each week for the next 3 weeks. UGH! Anyway, I have had some issues in class that I have tried to let slide, but they have bothered me a bit. I have really tried to be accommodating without eroding the integrity of the class and master's program, but I have felt that a few students have been out of line a little bit. So, I decided to talk with Director--I have hesitated, I didn't want her to think I couldn't handle the class, but I finally decided she needed to be aware of the situation in case it escalated. She was SO understanding, very disappointed in some of the students and told me I had her full support with how I chose to handle the situation. And the meeting with her couldn't have come at a better time. I left her office and went into class. There's one man in particular that has been disrespectful. Well, we hadn't been in class for 10 minutes when he decided to be a jerk about a particular assignment. I had had enough. Knowing my Director was aware and supporting me made all the difference in my confidence level--I decided to address the situation immediately in front of the whole class. And I am SO glad I did....the entire dynamic of the classroom changed from that moment on. The rest of the class was very supportive and offered such kind words and the man even changed his attitude as well! It was something I probably should've done from the beginning, but being new to teaching a college course, I have tried to not get too upset over things. I have learned my lesson--I need to speak up sooner! I had one woman after class tell me she was very impressed with the way I handled myself--she said she admired my ability to keep my composure while dealing with such a difficult situation! It made me feel SO good! I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching this semester except for the few instances of disrespect and I decided tonight that I wasn't going to let that ruin my experience!

Date Night and a Jeremy Camp Concert

2011-02-06T18:38:00.000-08:00

Last night Richie and I had a date night and went to see Jeremy Camp. It was an AWESOME concert! We had seats on the 2nd row right smack dab in the middle, but the 2 seats in front of us were removed for handicap access, so we were basically on the front row! There were 2 little girls and their Mom sitting next to us that were about Kylie's size and they were the nicest people. So, when Jeremy Camp came on stage, I told them to come get in front of me in that space where the chairs were removed and they were SO excited and kept saying thank you! The people in front of them were very tall and they had a hard time seeing, so that made their night--it was sweet to see them get excited! It was funny because the lady next to me wasn't very happy with me...and you know what? I didn't care one bit! She could see right over the girls' heads and they were the most well-behaved little girls that I didn't care if it bothered her. Hope someday she realizes life isn't all about her....
I loved hearing Jeremy's testimony about his 1st wife. Last night was the 10 year anniversary of her death and he still got emotional talking about it. I know it's hard, but it's such a testimony to hear about the hurt and pain and then see the life he has chosen to live that honors God. Such a huge message that we can overcome things with God on our side.

The concert was great, but I have to say that the ride home was amazing. Besides the hazelnut coffee we stopped to get (ha!), I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation between me and Richie. Several times last night he referred to "the old me" when he would talk about how he would've reacted to a situation. But, he's different. And you could see it in the way he reacted to things and hearing him talk. My heart just melted all over again for him! :)

Changes...But the snow is still here!

2011-02-04T16:33:00.000-08:00

How about the snow? I honestly thought it would just be a "light dusting" as they kept claiming, but this was a full blown stick-to-the-ground snow day! Guess it was a good thing the kids were already out of school, huh? And this snow just keeps DRAGGING OUT our house progress. Hey, we just hope to be in by 2011 at this point!
So, we had a conference call for work yesterday. Honestly thought it would be a routine, "here's your info" kind of call, but by the time I hung up, my "work world" was completely different. I am a little bummed. My "babies" a.k.a. the drugs I have promoted from day 1 are no longer mine in about 6 weeks. :( It's like someone came and took my kids from me and gave them a new home! And, I am the only one in my area getting a new drug. Scary! I'm all by myself....so worried. What if I fail? Ugh. Such pressure and stress. I just lay in bed this morning worrying and stressing, then praying. I want to have such a positive attitude about this change, but it's so hard!
I found a verse that I am going to really try and focus on and hope that I can keep the pessimism about of my head!
Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever.

So, here goes nothing!

Mer's Birthday Dinner!

2011-02-02T17:04:00.000-08:00

Miss Mer turned 26 years old Sunday and we celebrated her birthday tonight with dinner at La Fiesta! We had a great time catching up and we were so happy not to have to rush through our meals like we do at lunchtime! Happy Birthday, Mer!

Icy Snow Day!

2011-02-01T18:10:00.000-08:00

I am actually glad we had a snow day today! It gave Weston another day to get better. And he seems so much better! Landen however started feeling bad last night. He had a severe case of diarrhea and I just knew he was going to be the next flu victim. But he never ran fever, never got a cough, and never acted like he felt the least bit sick. He just had horrible diapers. So, the snow day helped buy me time off of work to keep him home to make sure he wasn't contagious before going back over to the babysitter's house!
Weston told me something today that just broke my heart for him. He said that someone asked him about his new house and he told them all about it and when he told him about his new room, they informed him that they had had a room like that and hated it! He wouldn't tell me who said it--just that it wasn't a kid, but it broke my heart for him. He has been SO excited about his new house and new room and to think someone would be so mean as to say that about something he is excited about really hurts me for him. People can be so rude though! I just told him that all that matters is what he thinks and that he shouldn't let people decide for him what he likes!

First Victim

2011-01-31T13:17:00.000-08:00

Well, we have finally succombed to the dreaded flu. Weston is the first victim! Poor guy, but from what I can tell and from what the doctor says, he has a very mild case of it thank goodness. He will spend the next couple of days home, but since he started his journey to "Fluville" on Saturday, she said he will probably be good to go by Wednesday/Thursday. So, wonder who's next???

House Progression #3

2011-01-30T18:16:00.000-08:00

And now to the most recent house progress! The framing! This part has made the biggest difference in making the whole house building come to life. This is my first time to build my own home and it's such a fun experience watching all of the progress!

Stage #3.....the framing of the first floor.

This is the first day of framing...huge progress made in just one day!

A view from the master bedroom looking out...to the right is the master bath.

Another view of the whole house

Another view....I know it's hard to tell what it is

View from afar

This was Friday's progression--exterior walls going up and the floor joists for the second floor. This is a view from the back--master bedroom on the right and breakfast area to the far left with the patio in the middle.

Another view from the back--patio in middle, master bedroom on right, breakfast area with big window to left.

Another view from back showing 3rd car to the left

Interior view showing the floor joists on the top!

So, that's where we stand at this time! I know progress will be slightly slowed next week due to the weather, but hopefully we will have a few days with pretty weather! Second story here we come!!

House Progression Post #2

2011-01-30T18:05:00.000-08:00

Here's the next stage of our house progression! It seems like it is going by so fast, yet it can't be finished soon enough! I have to note on this stage that Richie and I had to do some manual labor. They poured the foundation a day or so before the last round of snow that we received. We knew that the standing water/ice/snow was not good on the foundation, so we headed out there and swept off all of the water the day after. Luckily, it was a very sunny day and the foundation was dry within an hour. Whew!

The next stage: Footing and Foundation.

The materials for the footing

The Footing--people who saw this picture nicknamed it the "moat"!

Another view of the footing

Here comes the cement truck...and our foundation!

View from the road as the foundation is poured

Smoothing down the foundation

The finished product!

More pics to come of the next stage! :)

House Progression Post #1

2011-01-30T17:56:00.000-08:00

So I have said many times that I would post the progress on my house and have yet to do it. Today, Laura and Pate stopped by to check it out and she told me I had to get some pics up soon or it would be done! :)
So, here goes. I think the best way to do this is in multiple blog posts because I have waited and waited so long that there are just tons of pics!

So, here is the first stage. We officially broke ground on December 21st.

Breaking Ground!

A House Pad

Another view of the house pad

The driveway and house pad--check out the view we will have from the back porch!

Another view from the road

I will put some more pictures in another post of the next stage!

This Is The Stuff!

2011-01-25T16:04:00.000-08:00

I heard this song on the radio the other day and I honestly think whoever wrote this song had me in mind. Let's see, in the last week, I have managed to lock myself out of my car AND house at the same time. Then, there's the GWD PD that flashed his lights at me for speeding (luckily I didn't get pulled over, but geez where's the family discount??). Add to it that I NEVER can seem to find my phone and when I lose it it's ALWAYS on vibrate. UGH. I loved walking outside this morning to find my car windshield frozen over. There goes 20 minutes of my commute as I wait for it to defrost! And how about the nasty nurse and ugly doctor I dealt with today? Then, there's the class that I am teaching tonight. They are busy taking a test right now, but 20 minutes ago, it was whining and moaning and begging for a word bank!
My head is killing me! But, thank goodness for this song and the reminder....this may be the stuff that drives me crazy, but it is useful. Without adversity, what would we overcome? Without fear, where would we find courage? Without challenges, where would we learn patience? It all seems so frustrating, head-throbbing, and ridiculous, but it's the stuff we deal with. I just keep reminding myself that big or small, God has a purpose for every single event. Now, where are my keys?? :)

Lessons in Leadership

2011-01-23T16:29:00.000-08:00

Our church is doing a series on leadership which couldn't have come at a better time since I am teaching a leadership course. The pastor said something today that I immediately had to write down. "A {good} leader knows the need ALWAYS outweighs the cost." I LOVED this quote...for so many reasons. First of all, there have been a few situations in my life where I have taken the "unpopular" stand and chose the need before the cost. And you know what? I would do the same thing again if given the chance. The biblical reference he gave was 1 Thessalonians 2:4. He summed up this verse with this--we are NOT here to please man. I am not perfect at all, but at the end of the day, I want to know that the decisions I make are for the right reasons, not necessarily the popular reasons. Some of my decisions based on need have cost me friendships, money, and success, but they have always left me with a clear conscience. And the times I put the cost before the need? I have been left with scars--lessons I have learned from and experiences that have made an impression on my heart.
When we move into our new home, I told Richie, I am going to get a sign made that has that quote on it. I want it to serve as a reminder when I am faced with that choice of what it could cost me versus what I need to do, that I remember which one I should always choose.

Chicken and Dumplings...Finally!

2011-01-23T16:21:00.000-08:00

There's not a lot in this world that I won't try to tackle, but making chicken and dumplings has always scared me! I don't know why but I have been too afraid to ever try it. So, last night, I mustered up the courage and gave it a shot. And they were SO yummy! I always make up my own recipes for my dinners--borrowing a few ideas from this one, adding a little from that one, and finally throwing in a few things to give it my own touch. I didn't write the recipe down as I went (I didn't want to jinx myself), but after it got 5 thumbs up of approval, I knew I had to document my success.
In this house, if Weston will eat, you know it's a winner!

Ebates

2011-01-22T08:19:00.000-08:00

Awhile back, EB introduced Ebates to the blogger world and I have to say I love it. It's great to know that I can not only shop at home but I get a little cash back in the process. And since I'm all about saving money right now, it's great. Here's a link that you can sign-up if you haven't already done so!
And if you do, I get a special reward! Pretty cool!

http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=F%2Fw3Zbvi0can4nK9ULcDeg%3D%3D

New Blog Pics and a Rough Sunday

2011-01-17T19:05:00.000-08:00

I am so happy my new pictures are finally up on my blog! Some of my other previous pictures were at least 3 years old! The pictures that are in my header and the ones down the side of the kiddos are courtesy of Shannon Walker. GREAT PICS! Thanks Shannon--I LOVE them. I can't wait to get settled into our new house so I can hang some big prints of the fam!
Yesterday was one of those days--you know, the day were you think, "I got out of bed for this?" The morning started out with us only running a few minutes late to church. Well, some much for that. Richie and Landen had already headed out to the van and I was hot on their trail as I was scooping a last minute breakfast together for me. I locked the door to the house, and trotted out. Richie said, "you got the keys for the van?" I started digging in my purse and then digging some more. Nope. NO. KEYS. And no spare key anywhere either. Great. So, I had no clue what to do. We were locked out of all vehicles AND the house. So, I called the Property Manager. I knew she would be in church, but I thought I would give her a heads up and just hope that she could help us after church. By this point it's 10:15 a.m. Well, she called me right back and had her husband come and unlock the door for us. I was so thankful she was able to help. However, at that point, it was 10:35 and we had missed most of church. So, we decided to head to Lowe's to get some paint color ideas. Well, Richie walks across the yard and steps in dog poop. UGH. And the day continued that way with one little setback after another. We were so tired and cranky by mid-afternoon, I took advantage of a nice nap with Landen after we got home!
I was so disappointed about missing church! We are doing a series on Spiritual Leadership and I really wanted some spiritual guidance for my class Tuesday night. Oh well. For some reason, we were meant to stay home.
But, gosh I could've done without the drama! :)

Landen-isms

2011-01-16T13:45:00.001-08:00

I know I just posted recently about Landen and some of the new things he is doing, but I kept thinking of so many more....and he keeps adding to the list.

So, today he put 3 words together and made a sentence! I can't remember now what he said, but he repeated me. I was feeding him "bites" and asked him if he wanted more bites and he repeated me. He has also been putting two words together lately as well. Then, this morning, he learned where his belly button is and said, "button".

Another thing he has been doing for a month or so now is saying "mine" and we went to see Dr. Ashcraft the other day and when Nurse Kathy heard him say it, she was floored. Not because he could verbally say "mine", but because he was using it in the right context. I am in trouble!

But, I have always heard that kids who can communicate well have a little easier time with the "terrible twos" because they aren't frustrated. So, hopefully some of the "two's" will be easy!

He had his first true ear infection this week. Thursday night, he woke up at 1:00 a.m. and fussed and cried and asked for "juice". It was 2:30 a.m. before he finally got comfortable. So, Friday afternoon I decided to take him to see Dr. A. I was worried about bronchitis or a sore throat with the cough he's had lately. But no! He had an ear infection! He is doing much better though thankfully since we caught it early enough to get some antibiotics started.

Little Man is such a joy to be around--I am so thankful God blessed me with another baby. Love him so much (even if he's a little ornery now and then). The smiles I find on my face daily are constant reminder of the joy he has brought to us!

Fun Night with Friends!

2011-01-16T06:16:00.000-08:00

Richie and I had such a good time last night! First stop was Fuji's for some great food with Craig and Laura. The food was SO delicious last night! We had a little bit of a wait, but it was well worth it. Then, it was on to hear a hometown band full of friends play! Such a fun night without kids and with good food and friends!

Me and Richie

Me and Laura

Craig and Laura

5k Run Fun

2011-01-16T06:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning started off with the Special Olympics Fun Run. I wish they had kept time, but it was nice to get up and get 3 miles or so in first thing in the morning. The weather was so nice, a little chilly, but with the right clothes, you are just fine! After the race, I came back home and worked on some stuff for my class I'm teaching. So far, it's going great. I can't believe that in a week and a half it's mid-term. But, being only 9 weeks long, it flies by! I'm trying to develop a test right now. I don't want it too hard, but I don't want it too easy either!

Christian-themed Police Movies!

2011-01-15T06:12:00.000-08:00

My husband came home yesterday and told me about a new movie coming to theaters next month. It's a Christian-themed police movie! Grace Card comes to theaters February 25th and has a great "beginning" story about the man who wrote it if you get a chance to read it. Then, on 9/30/11 (Landen's b-day) the makers of Fireproof have a new movie coming out called Courageous! I loved reading their tagline "Honor starts at home". POWERFUL! I think these are two movies that are police department should take a field trip and go see!

Dave Ramsey, I'm Trying!

2011-01-13T08:19:00.001-08:00

So, as you noticed on my end of the year post, one of my resolutions is to become debt-free. And what led me to that epiphany was two of Dave Ramsey's books I read over Christmas break. I loved the idea of not having any debt and being able to retire comfortably one day! So, I made a budget, bought some envelopes, and waited for January 1 to come. And it did....and so far, two weeks into my resolution, I am still going! It's tough some days!

I think when I first approached Richie with my idea, he thought I was nuts. I know he felt like he was getting an "allowance" when I told him about it, but hopefully now he realizes that we are going to be so much farther down the road one day!

Dave always says, "Live like no one else, so one day you can live like no one else!"

My kids cracked me up at the grocery store last weekend. I pulled out my "grocery" envelope and got ready to pay the lady my cash and Kylie said, "WHOA MOM! Where did you get all that money?" They are not used to seeing me pay with cash for anything and she though we were just rich because we had cash. What's funny, it wasn't hardly any money at all!

There are times it's hard, but I keep thinking about how much further ahead we are and will be one day and it doesn't seem like a big deal after that.

I love looking at the debt snowball worksheet and playing around with ways to pay off the debt faster!

So, thanks Dave! I'm trying! And if you see me out, don't laugh at my tattered envelope, because one day, I'm gonna be debt free!

Desperate Housewives Religion

2011-01-13T07:55:00.001-08:00

So, I watched my DVR'd episode of last week's Desperate Housewives and I got a little dose of religion at the same time...stop laughing. :)

But Bree and her Pastor got in a bible verse war and I learned one that hit me right square between the eyes. OUCH!

¹⁴ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15

When I heard that verse, I just sank in my chair. UGH. I knew what I had to do. You've heard me hint at an issue that has weighed very heavily on my heart for about a year or so. And I keep telling myself I forgive these people. But, I find myself forgiving them 20 times a day. Why? Because 5 minutes after I "forgive" them the bitterness and resentment just comes pouring over me. But, when I heard that verse it really hit me. I HAVE to truly, truly forgive them. And not for them, but for me. I have to get rid of my bitterness and resentment because it's bothering me, not them. So, after hearing that verse, I realized that if God forgave me like I forgive others (saying it, but still bringing it up 5 minutes later), then I would be miserable. I guess part of me wanted them to apologize, but that's not gonna happen. And honestly, that's not what forgiveness is about anyway.

So, I asked God for an opportunity to show them my forgiveness.....so, here goes.

And it wasn't just DH episode that made the difference. I had a talk with a sweet friend the other day that really touched my heart. I appreciate her strong grounding in her faith. Thanks T!

Landen's 15 Month Checkup

2011-01-06T15:41:00.000-08:00

I am SO behind about Landen's growth. I honestly don't think I have posted since his first birthday. The kid is growing though and is saying a TON of words. In fact, he went to his 15 month checkup today and Dr. A said that he has the vocabulary of at least a 2 year old! I don't doubt it one bit. Some of his favorite words are "cracker, apple, pizza....." Do you see the connection? :)

He weighed 22 lbs and 15 oz and is 30 inches tall. He is only in the 25th percentile for both of those categories, but his head is still in the 95th percentile!

He loves riding his new 4-wheeler and his rocking horse. He is walking and even running at times! He loves to put things in the trash and shut any door that's open! You can give him something, tell him to put it in the trash and he will take it there, throw it away, and shut the pantry door. Oh yeah, and when he finishes, he wants to give you a fist bump! That's his new "trick"!

He loves my Papaw, but won't hardly have anything to do with my Mom. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that he hasn't gotten to see her much since she's been sick. And a little bit of it is ornery too! When would ask him to say "Grammy", he wouldn't even try! And when we would ask her where she is at in the room, he would look everywhere but in her direction....I think he was just trying to bug her!

He is such a fun kid, but he is definitely ornery....just like his Daddy!

The Cruel Things Kids Say

2011-01-06T15:20:00.001-08:00

Weston has come home the last few days telling me about some things a couple of kids on the bus have been saying to him. The other day a kid was calling him "short stuff", etc. I feel so sorry for him because I know he is a small guy for his age. But, he is such an amazing kid and I wish the other kids could look past his height! I think the part of the conversation that touched my heart. When I asked him what he said back, he said, "I just told them please don't talk that way in front of my sister." He wasn't even worried about himself.

Then today, another kid was picking on him about where he lived. The kid told him, "at least I don't live in an apartment!" Weston just told him he was moving soon and went on. I hate that he is having to endure ridicule for where we live! These duplexes are so nice! But, kids don't see that. They see an opportunity to hurt, a way to get somebody upset.

I am so thankful for my kids--that they are good ones and that they have a great attitude when faced with ridicule. AND, if you ever see my kids acting any differently, PLEASE let me know!! :)

Twenty Eleven!

2011-01-03T10:17:00.000-08:00

It's a new year! And it's definitely going to be a busy one for sure. But, if you know me, you know I like to stay busy!
Tomorrow night I start teaching a Master's class at Webster and I am so excited! Nervous, but excited! I am ready for the challenge! Too funny though, I have already had a student email me and ask me if we can leave early for the Sugar Bowl game!! :) I'll do my best--but we do have work to do!
The house is coming along wonderfully....I know it's going to go by fast once the framing starts. I have pictures from Day 1 to upload, but I want Richie to help me put them in order before I post them.
So, I am ready for the new year, the new opportunities, and the new challenges! Here's to 2011! May everyone find blessings and wonderful memories!

Here's to 2011!

2010-12-28T19:26:00.000-08:00

I started a post back in 2006 that reflects back on the previous year and answers the same questions each year. Such a great way to see how much change can happen in just one short year. I can honestly say that 2010 flew by! I can't believe it's gone. But, they say the older you get, the faster it goes and I believe it's true.....So, here's to 2011!

2010--What kind of year was it???

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?

In 2010, I ran my first of several 5k races! What fun! I have really enjoyed making new friends and getting into shape and I hope to run many more in 2011!

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

My New Year's Resolutions last year were to make a huge impact in my job and I can say that I definitely succeeded! I had my best year ever and even won the Silver Qualifier Sales Award! I was so honored and so proud of all my hard work. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you set your mind to it! The other resolution was to spend more time with my kids. I really wish I had more time in the day to do everything I want to do. With all of the changes at work this year, I am on the road more and more and feel like I am not home as much as I would like to be. And that doesn't look to be getting any better at all in 2011. So, I will have to make the most of each moment....and hope to that everyone gets their little bit of time! And my final resolution was to lose that last little bit of baby weight....and it is definitely gone! The running has been such a great exercise and stress reliever!

And now to this year....I want to continue running! Maybe even a 10k or a 1/2 marathon? That would be so tough, but if you had told me a year ago I would be running 5k races and even getting a medal, I would've laughed. So, who knows? It's definitely possible!

I would also like to be debt-free and I have set up a budget and other worksheets to get there. It's definitely possible if I make some concessions and work hard! I realize it won't happen all in one year, but I know I could make a big dent in my debt in 2011, so here goes nothing! I would love to own my home by the time Richie retires and it can be be done with a little effort!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

My cousin Alyssa had baby Kaden in February! Now Landen has a playmate as they are just 5 months apart. I hope they grow to be close cousins and friends.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Yes, my my Grandma Hart passed away in November. This is my first grandparent on either side to pass away. I am really trying to reconnect with that side of my family as I realize now that time is definitely not going to slow down and every moment is one to cherish.

5. What countries did you visit?

I didn't visit any countries this year. Having a baby/toddler keeps you pretty close to home. However, Richie and I were able to go to Oregon for a week which was like another country. It is absolutely beautiful there! We had such an amazing time!

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?

Last year I wanted a toned body and I think I am as close to it as it is gonna get! Running is helped me develop so much muscle tone and just feel better! I also wanted to feel settled...well, guess what? I had no idea we would sell our house and move to a duplex. So, I have to say, I don't feel the least bit settled. But hopefully 2011 will find us finally settled in our dream home! I would like to have more patience and peace in 2011. I felt so stressed in 2010 with everything that was going on. Is anything going to be easier in 2011? Absolutely not. But, I want to accept that and find my own peace with my life!

7. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

I think September 30, 2010 will be a date I won't forget. It was Landen's first birthday! My last "first" birthday! :(

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I think winning Silver Qualifier was a great achievement....took a lot of hard work and I made it!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

No illness, no injury....I think this is actually the first year in many years. I will have to say I had a few rough days in the summer/fall while I was running everyday. That really wore on my body. I am trying to cut back to 3-4 days a week and no more than that. I want to be in better shape, not hurt!

11. What was the best thing you bought?

I got a new iPad for Christmas and I just LOVE it! It's nice to surf the web with a little computer in my lap. I love how I can play a game, zip over and check out my photos, or listen to some music. Tons of fun!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

I am giving it to Kay Lynn. We had parted ways about 3 years ago after some hurtful things were said/done when I was going through my divorce and ultimately left ABF. But, this year, she wrote me a sweet email apologizing. I know it took a lot to do that. And I genuinely appreciated it. It was definitely a lesson in forgiveness--that no matter how much time has passed, we can still mend fences. And that people do deserve our forgiveness. Kay Lynn and I are great friends again and I am so thankful for her friendship.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Gonna go with a certain group of PDers. Yep, you win. Congrats.

14. Where did most of your money go?

This year most of our money has went in savings. And I am so happy because it has allowed us to start building our dream home! I hope to continue saving and can establish some healthy spending/saving habits for 2011.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

That God has given me a wonderful year of lessons, memories, and life experiences. I can honestly say that 2010 was a year of changes, both good and bad. And I am so very thankful to him for them. We have a church home. I joined the church this year and have enjoyed the messages, the music, and the fellowship. We have parted ways with friends and made new ones. And I love the people in my life right now. I know that without that experience, I might not have met these people. I was able to keep my wonderful job during a layoff in our company. And I thank God for that blessing.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

I think it would be "I'm Not Who I Was" by Brandon Heath. I don't feel the same and I am happy for that....this year has been a year of growth, both spiritually and physically!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
happier or sadder? thinner or fatter? richer or poorer?

I am happier, although it was a tough year. What a roller coaster ride! I don't think I'm thinner, but in much better shape. And I am going to be poorer after this house gets done, but I have some big plans to be richer in the long run!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Relaxed. Read books. Spend time with my kiddos. (This hasn't changed in 3 years!!!)

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Less worrying. (Same as the last few years too!!)

20. How will you be spending New Year’s?

I am not sure just yet....still trying to figure out what we want to do.

22. Did you fall in love in 2010?

Yes, I did. I have such a closer relationship to God than I have had in years. I am so very thankful for that and the experiences in my life that pushed me there.

23. What was your favorite TV program?

House Hunters, The Good Wife, Desperate Housewives, and HAWAII 5-0!!!

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Nope, I don't bother wasting time on someone if they don't deserve it.

26. What was the best book you read?

Dave Ramsey's Money Makeover!

27. What was your greatest musical (re)discovery?

I love, love, love Brandon Heath, Jars of Clay, and Third Day!!!

29. What did you want and not get?

A good night's sleep! I thought babies were supposed to sleep through the night at some point??

30. What was your favorite film of this year?

Wow, this is tough because I can't remember the last movie I saw....wait, it was Tangled! I guess that gets the best film for the year since it's the only one I remember.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I am 32. And I had one of the best birthdays in years. I took off a day of work and spent the day at the spa where I got a facial and a massage. Then, I came home and sat on the couch and read a good book. Such absolute bliss!!

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

I think it would be better if I could just have more time in the day....it seems like the days are packed and I have so much to do with so little time.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

I had a blast this year! From nude colored heels, to leggings then jeggings, it has been fun to play in all the 2010 fashions!

34. What kept you sane?

My sanity came from God constantly telling me it was going to be OK. The little reminders that he's in control and not me, that was the best. I think being reminded that by letting him write my future, I am better off is the best sanity out there!

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

I am not sure honestly. I have enjoyed hearing about the ''royal wedding" and reading about the young couple. I am impressed with their "beyond their years" logic....it seems that William has learned a lot from his parents' mistakes/life experiences and it is refreshing to see young people learn from others instead of having to experience the pain themselves.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

Heathcare, the economy, gas prices....will it ever get better? I have my doubts. But I pray it does. Soon.

37. Who did you miss?

I don't really have anyone I miss--I love the people in my life right now.

38. Who was the best new person you met?

Love ya Laura! I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know you and becoming friends! And I am so thankful for Mer and her friendship (and for introducing me and Laura!!)....

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010:

Forgiveness. It was and is a struggle, but I have learned that we need it and we need to give it. No matter how much time has passed, if you should ask someone for forgiveness, then do it. You will be surprised by the relief, the renewed relationship, and the peace that you can experience. And you will love the respect that comes with it too....

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

I would have to say that Brandon Heath's song I mentioned earlier takes the cake!

"I'm Not Who I Was"

I wish you could see me now
I wish I could show you how
I'm not who I was
I used to be mad at you
A little on the hurt side too
But I'm not who I was

I found my way around
To forgiving you
Some time ago
But I never got to tell you so..........

Well the thing I find most amazing
In amazing grace
Is the chance to give it out
Maybe that's what love is all about

I wish you could see me now
I wish I could show you how
I'm not who I was

*************************************

Thank you Lord that I am not who I was! I am so happy to be the person you want me to be and that you are continually working in me to be. I am not perfect, I am who you made me to be. Thank you for 2010--the experiences, the memories, the challenges, the tears. It's made me who I AM!! :)

Here's to 2011....a year still waiting to be written! Make some memories, mend some fences, and make some changes!