Life and Laughter

Olan Mills Pictures

2010-12-07T09:09:00.008-06:00

These are pictures from mid-November when our church was making a new pictorial directory.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T18:58:00.001-06:00

Happy Holidays!

Lauren, Will, and Claire on Santa's lap at the Richland Mall

November 24, 2010

Kendall and Stephanie's Wedding

2010-11-24T13:43:00.005-06:00

Thanksgiving from Will

2010-11-24T13:39:00.001-06:00

Will was asked by his Kindergarten teacher the following questions...

Q: Where do you get a turkey?

A: You have to hunt for them.

Q: How does it look?

A: It has colored feathers and a yellow beak and a red thing that hangs down from his mouth and feathers on his head.

Q: How much does it cost?

A: $100

Q: What's the first thing you do to it?

A: Put it in a pot and add hot water.

Q: How do you cook it and for how long?

A: Put it in a pot and stir it up and turn on the hot heat. It would take 100 weeks to cook a turkey.

Q: What do you serve with it?

A: Rice and green beans, soup with noodles and carrots and corn

Q: What are you thankful for?

A: My mom and dad and my sister.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T00:33:00.007-05:00

Sunset at the Kaska Family Farm near West, TX on Oct. 16

Juxtaposition of some of God's greatest beauties The kids in the corn crib (yep, that's corn)

The lens is not dirty. That is the dust in the air after sunset at the Kaska Family Farm

Claire's sweet smile at the pumpkin patch at Kaska Family Farm.The kids picked some small pumpkins to paint from a local church's pumpkin patchClaire dressed as a 1920s 'flapper' for Zoo Boo

Claire getting her face painted like at a cat at Zoo Boo.
The paint lasted 2 minutes before she wiped it off. Claire and Scott at Zoo BooPirate Will ready for some spooky stuff at Zoo Boo

Eating at Fazoli's after Zoo Boo. Do you think Will had fun?

Excited pose in front of our Jack-a-Lantern.

Halloween, Colorado & Leaf Piles

2009-11-12T11:30:00.008-06:00

Two flappers and a pirate!

Claire getting her face painted.

Will and half of Claire at a trunk-or-treat. They really liked this blow-up thing. Will asked if the bats inside were real. I think he was disappointed that they weren't!

The day after Halloween, Scott and the kids drove to Colorado for vacation with his parents and grandmother. They stopped for a play break at Lake Abeque (sp??) in New Mexico.

Nov. 2nd was Papa's birthday. Here is the crew waiting for cake!

On an excursion to Lemon Reservoir (I think!) up by Durango, CO.

Hiking up Treasure Falls in Pagosa Springs (Claire, Will, Grandma Connie and Papa).

At Treasure Falls

Pic of the waterfall

Scott and the kids at the falls.

Scott at the falls.

Cute pic of Will...not sure where? Still at the falls, probably!

The kids with Grammy, Papa, and Grandma Connie on a bridge at the falls.

On the way home...I think they were tired!!!

Our pecan trees started REALLY dropping their leaves this week. We have raked about four times and our yard is still covered! This was the initial pile of leaves on Monday.

Jumping in the leaves...so much fun!

Cute kiddos!

Throwing them back in the air is almost as fun as jumping in the pile!

Kids and Mom (with no make-up!)

Sept. & Oct. Pics and Update

2009-10-29T11:29:00.006-05:00

Okay, so I lied. Evidently I do not have all the pictures from my mom. So, here are a few from the last couple of weeks that we have taken with our new camera. I don't have many pics from the Pumpkin Patch because my mom was with us and she did most of the picture taking (and has all the really good ones).

In September my mom had surgery, so Claire and I went down there for a couple of weeks to help out. She took a lot of really great pictures then, so hopefully I will get them and post them eventually. Mom came back up with us and stayed for another week. While I was gone, Will's class at school started the color behavioral system and he wasn't doing so hot. He's a very willful and spirited kid! He likes to talk. A lot. So we started a reward system that he can pick something from a clear plastic tub if he gets one of the top colors (we put those little colored garage sale stickers on the prizes to coordinate with the color he gets at school). Since we started that, he hasn't gotten a bottom color. He's even gotten green a couple of times (the best!), so we are very excited about that.

Before and after my trip to Houston, I have been busy at work with homecoming mums and garters. Thankfully, last week was the last one, so we are done with that for the year! However, Christmas Open House is right around the corner and our shop has not one Christmas thing out! So, I will be quite busy with that coming up.

We are looking forward to Halloween this weekend. The kids have dress-up day and parties at school tomorrow and we'll go to a little festival on Saturday night. Claire is going as a flapper and Will hasn't quite decided yet. He has a great pirate costume, but if it's anything like last year, he'll change his mind at the last minute!

The only pics I got of when we went to Katy in September are of the kids swimming (it was still plenty warm enough!)

Scott tossing Will into the air.

Watching a movie after their swim. I just love how Claire perched herself on the arm of the couch.

I stole these of Mom's Facebook...Claire lying in my great-aunt Rutie's hammock at Lake Livingston.

Beautiful sunset at the Marina at Lake Livingston.

Lego fort that Will and Scott built

Sweet boy

Pretty eyes

Scott and Will at the Pumpkin Patch

Will showing off a prize he got (from us) for being good at school.

Cutie Claire

Claire dressed in Halloween shirt, skirt and leggings

Halloween arrangement I made at work...it's a cat ^~^

Finally!: July Trip to Katy

2009-10-27T19:58:00.008-05:00

Okay, so...I finally got all the pictures from my mom from this summer, we finally got a new camera, and I finally have time to actually post them! So, please, if anyone is still out there, keep coming back because hopefully in the next few days I will be posting several catch-up blogs! I have so much to share! :) For now, here are a few pictures from our trip to Nana and Grandpa's in July:

Nana painting Claire's nails

Look how long her hair was!!

Claire helping Grandpa play guitar. (I think she ended up putting the pick in the hole!)

We went to the circus and met up with our friends, Reuben and Shannon Chance who used to live in Big Spring.

The kids got ridiculously expensive whirly toys.

Will's favorite part was the motorcycles going around in the cage.

Claire's favorite part was the ladies hanging from the rings and scarves.

My favorite were the elephants.

The finale.

Claire loves her some ice cream.

The kids playing in the pop-up fountains at La Centerra.

We went to an Astros game (in which they were defeated quite horribly), but it was fun. Here we are in front of Left Field at Minute Maid Park.

Claire really enjoyed the clapping, music, etc. Will didn't like the loud noises as much.

Me and my boy.

Some pictures to share!

2009-08-24T23:08:00.002-05:00

Thanks to my mom and some others, I have a few pictures to share from this summer!

Claire opening her birthday gift from Nana and Grandpa.

Princess night gowns!!

Getting ready for a swim. I have no idea what that look on her face is!

The kids and I in the pool...yeah, I've got a dorky hat on. ;)

Dad and Will having a water war.

Will at his CDO water day a few weeks ago.

Scott shooting at people at a friend's swim party in June.

And last, but certainly not least...my favorite pic of the summer. This was captured by a friend of ours at a swim/birthday party. It's priceless. I will cherish this always. (And yes, he had permission to do this by the homeowners!) ;)

Claire's First (Real) Haircut

2009-08-13T17:50:00.005-05:00

I say "real" haircut because I have trimmed a teeny bit off the ends in the past, but this time I actually took her to the hairdresser and she cut quite a lot off. Claire had some natural layers going on and I wanted to even it up a bit. She looks a LOT older :( , but I think it's very cute. And of course, it will grow! :) (By the way, these pics were taken with my webcam since we don't have a camera; that's why they're a little weird!)

From the front...

...and the back. It's a little kooky, we didn't style it or anything...I will do that later tonight after her bath and take more "styled" pictures.

...And Mom got her hair cut and colored, too! Fun times. :)

Breaking the Silence

2009-08-08T15:16:00.003-05:00

I thought I should at least explain why I haven't posted in two months. Our camera was stolen on June 15, out of our car. It was partly my fault, as I forgot to lock the car, but I'm still blaming the thieves, too! I like to post pictures along with the text, so this is why I haven't posted. We have had a busy summer, though. Here are the highlights:

June 15-June 17 -- VBS. I taught 2nd grade with my friend Callie and it was great!

June 28-July 3 -- Mountain View Christian Camp. We had a great time visiting with old friends and making new ones. Scott taught classes and the kids and I found lots to do. I even learned a new card game that I am looking forward to playing again soon!

July 7 -- Area-wide youth devotional hosted by our church, with Scott as the emcee and speaker.

July 8 -- Claire's 2nd birthday!!! Poor kid didn't get a party because of all the craziness going on, but she did get brownies and some sweet gifts!

July 9-20 -- Scott on Wilderness Trek in CO, the kids and I in Katy, to visit Nana and Grandpa. Scott got to climb one of the tallest mountains in CO, sleep in a tent and not bathe for 5 days (he he) and the kids and I got to do lots of fun things including an Astros game, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and swim every day! The three of us came back with nice tans ;) My mom took lots of pictures while we were there, but alas, I don't have them. (Hint, hint, Mom!!)

July 21-22 -- Scott and Will went to Arlington with the youth group kids to see a Rangers game and go to Six Flags. Well, Will didn't go to Six Flags. He got to play with his pal, Raylee all day instead!

Since then, we have tried to rest! There have been a few little events here and there, but mostly we've just been working and enjoying family time.

Sorry I don't have much interesting news or pictures! Hopefully I'll have some next time!

Big Girl Bed

2009-06-09T11:01:00.006-05:00

Claire now has a big girl bed! The actual bed is my old day-bed (it's almost an antique!), but the mattress and bedding are new. She seems to like it, but is still making the nightly trip to our room right now.

The kids decided to get in the picture. I tried to get them to pose to no avail :)

In other news, we have been trying to potty train Claire, but she is not very interested. She will sit on the potty if she has clothes on, but the minute you take off the diaper, she stiffens up and freaks out! I have tried buying her "pretty" panties to entice her but that didn't work either. She is ready in the sense that she is showing all the signs, but she just doesn't want to make that transition. Any suggestions?

Our lives are taking on that busy summer schedule that comes with being a youth minister. Scott is having service week this week, VBS is next week, then camp is two weeks after that. July is just as packed with activity, if not busier. However, we are enjoying the summer--playing in the pool, sprinkler, etc. We took the kids to see UP the other night and that was lots of fun. They both sat quietly through the whole thing. I was pretty amazed! I recommend the movie if you haven't seen it already. But bring tissue!

Birth-iversary!

2009-05-27T11:12:00.007-05:00

My parents sent us to a Bed & Breakfast in Buffalo Gap, Texas, for our 9th anniversary/my 30th birthday! We haven't been on a vacation together away from the kids ever, so a couple of nights in a sleepy little town was the the perfect gift. Here are a few pics from our get away!

The B&B where we stayed was an old church building You can see the church bell on the left.
The second photo is the cornerstone of the church, built in 1937.

The front door of the church/B&B. It says "Peace and Grace to All Who Enter."

The private garden. Wish we could have been there when it was in full bloom!! The steps you see on the right go up the the hot tub.

Part of the room. It was so pretty!

On Monday we went to the Buffalo Gap Historical Village, which was about a block away from out B&B. Here we are on the porch of the Hill House in the village; it was Marshal Tom Hill's home circa the 1880's.

I saw this sign in the old train depot at the BGHV; I thought it was pretty cool!

What did the kids do while we were away? My parents took them to Chuck E. Cheese, bought a sandbox for Will's birthday and set it up for them, and let them play in the pool. Yes, they were quite spoiled!

So, today I turn 30 and Scott and I celebrate 9 years of marriage and 10 years together. We are so blessed! I hope you all have a wonderful May 27th...I plan on it!

Where Have I Been??

2009-05-16T15:44:00.007-05:00

Well, I'll tell you. I've been at work! But as of last week, I have gone back to part-time and I couldn't be happier about my decision. I am so glad to be back at home with my kids two days a week!

Since I will be at home a couple of days a week again, I will hopefully be able to update a little more often. Since my last post at Easter, a lot has happened! Scott graduated from LCU on May 2nd, earning his second Masters degree, a Master of Arts in Biblical Interpretation. Scott's parents and grandmother were able to join us for the event. We are so proud of our daddy and all his accomplishments!

That same day, when we got home from Lubbock, we had Will's 4th birthday party. This year, we went with a pirate theme; Will dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow in the costume we got him. It was a crazy day, but we had a lot of fun! Since we were going to be out of town the day previous to Will's party, I bought his cake from the bakery this year instead of making it myself. They did a great job and it was delicious!

Will's actual birthday came on Mother's Day, May 10th. That day we celebrated by going to Midland, eating at Rosa's, shopping, and having birthday cookies on Spider-Man plates at home. It was a good day for all. We just can't believe that our big boy is FOUR!

Here is a random picture of Claire reading in her chair that I thought was too cute and had to share! The next picture is Claire at her end-of-the-year CDO program. They are singing "Twinkle, Twinkle." I don't have a very good picture of Will; we took more video of him than pictures.

We are excited that my parents are here this weekend. They are going to take care of the kids while Scott and I get away for a couple of days (our anniversary is coming up). Then, summer is right around the corner and our lives will be filled with VBS, camps, mission trips, youth rallies and the like! It doesn't seem possible that summer is so close.

I am looking forward to updating more often and keeping myself updated with all of you!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T13:16:00.005-05:00

Claire's class after their egg hunt at Children's Day Out.

Will after his egg hunt. They got to have theirs at the park.

Dying eggs!

Today after church in the neighbor's garden.

This is the only decent one that we got of them together!

Pictures by Robyn

2009-03-13T12:51:00.002-05:00

Robyn was able to take photos of us while we were in Lubbock a few weeks ago! Check out her photography blog for a sampling of the pictures!

Goings-On

2009-03-10T18:10:00.003-05:00

Hello! I am still alive :)

So much has been going on, and most of the time I am way too tired to even consider blogging, but I thought I'd update since I have a few pictures to share.

A couple of weeks ago, we went down to San Antonio to visit my grandmother and meet up with my parents. The kids and I went on with my mom and dad to Katy and Scott returned home to work on his essays for his comprehensive exams. We returned a few days later by plane. THAT was an experience I'd soon like to forget. Plane travel alone with two kids is not much fun. I did survive, though :) My mom took a lot of great pictures of my kids riding my brother's girlfriend's horse, but alas, I do not have those. Maybe my mom will email them to me (hint, hint!) ;)

Scott has since finished his essays and turned them it (Praise God!) and we are done with grad school stuff for a while. We also found someone to baby-sit our kids on those days that they're not in "school." So that is another "Praise!" The flower shop was extremely busy last week with several funeral pieces, so I definitely got in some "practice." This week has been a little slower so far, so that's kind of nice (it is our local schools' spring break, which is always notoriously slow).

The kids are doing well. Claire was sick for a while before we went to my parents' house, but she is better now. Will is currently obsessed with pirate "jewels" (which will explain a couple of pics), however we haven't watched Pirates of the Caribbean for several days as he is currently hooked on Star Wars (my fault, I let him watch it the other day). He still likes to dress as a pirate, though. Claire likes to do everything that Will is doing and is a sweet little helper. She is showing her intelligence here lately by recognizing some of the letters of the alphabet and talking more and more. She loves to sing and dance and is even starting to show interest in the potty. Kids grow WAY too fast!!!

One funny thing that Will has been doing the last few days is asking me if I am going to have a baby. I am not sure what has prompted this question...maybe it was the fact that we went shopping for a baby shower gift a few days ago. Anyway, he's asked me several times since about it and I have told him, no, that I'm not going to have a baby anytime soon. He says that I should and he wants a brother. Hmm. I'm not so sure.

Anyway, time for the pictures!

Scott and the kids watching Cinderella in our bed.

Claire's ponytail!

"Smarty Pants!"

Man, I wish this picture wasn't blurry! It would have been so great!

Will watching a movie while wearing his "pirate jewels", a Mardi Gras mask, and his Capt. Jack Sparrow hat.

Will (again with the pirate jewels) and his St. Patrick's Day hat he made at school (so cute!).

Claire with the leprechaun hat.

This is how I found my children when I came home today...Claire asleep in her chair (but sitting in it the wrong way, with its back on the ground)...

...and Will deeply engrossed in Winnie the Pooh, with my couch's arm cover on his head and wearing (of course) his pirate jewels. Funny.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

2009-02-21T19:00:00.003-06:00

Oh, my. Where do I start? We've had an interesting few weeks at work. Valentine's Day was pretty horrible, not because we were so overloaded with work but quite the opposite. It was the worst V-Day that I've ever seen, and I've worked in the flower business for about seven years now. Aside from that, we've had some people leave the shop, mainly for health reasons; they needed health insurance and my boss can't really provide insurance that's reasonably priced--it's a small business! However, the people that left included the lead designer for the shop, who has had 25+ years experience in floral design. She is phenomenal in what she can create and do. The other person that left has been our other full-time designer since October. I have been designing some off and on for the past few months, but not in any major capacity. I only work three days a week.

Sooo....guess who's the new lead designer? Yep, you guessed it...ME! This is both exciting and scary at the same time. Today I went in thinking I would only work from 9:00 to 2:00, but ended up having to stay til 5:30 because we had a lot of funeral work orders come in. But, I made two $75 dollar standing easels and several other things and everything looked pretty good! Not 25+ years-experience top-notch, but certainly not bad.

This means I am going to have to try to go back to work full time. This is going to be hard because I don't really have anyone to take care of my kids. So, please pray for me in this new position and also that I might find a good place for my kids to go on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays (they go to "school" on Wed. and Fri.). Scott is also trying to finish up his comprehensive exams, which is really 4 papers, in the next couple of weeks for his Masters of Arts in Biblical Interpretation from LCU. So, AHHH! This is a crazy time for all this to be happening. I am just asking for prayers as we try to accommodate all these new changes.

Oh yeah, and Claire has been sick with RSV for the past week--bad timing! She seems to be at the tail-end of it, though :) To close, I leave you with a couple of random pictures...because what's a blog post without pictures??

My sweet hubby surprised me with roses on Wednesday! Beautiful!!

At long last...Scott's diploma from ACU came in a couple of weeks ago!

Sweet little red shoes on Claire for Valentine's Day (from Nana).

And finally...

A sign of the future?? Will decided he needed to take a nap outside in this cardboard box the other day. (He stayed in there for about three minutes) :)

The Highlights

2009-02-10T23:40:00.003-06:00

We were able to go to Master Follies this weekend and it was a great show! Here are the highlights:

Koinonia's Golden Marching Band

"Sweet Dreams" performed a cappella by the hosts and hostesses

If you didn't get to go, I missed seeing you! We had a great weekend and loved seeing everyone. We were also blessed to have Robyn take our pictures, so hopefully I will have those soon to show :)

25 Random Things

2009-01-29T12:49:00.001-06:00

1. I can't stick with one hairstyle for very long. I have to get it cut, colored, or *something* pretty regularly.
2. I have recently figured out (after many many years of trying to) what I want to be when I grow up. I am planning on starting a MLS degree (Master's of Library Science) in the near future in order to become a children's librarian.
3. In the seven years since college, I have worked in a funeral home, high school and flower shop.
4. After working for the flower shop for six years, I am finally a "designer" and will have my first Valentine's Day as such in a couple of weeks. I am scared to death.
5. I don't really like to cook, but I will. I prefer baking.
6. I am a very indoors-type person. But I do like spending time outdoors, too. I just never think about it.
7. I am a major list person. I have lists for everything.
8. I don't think I am funny, but my friends do. I guess their opinion matters more! :)
9. I love to sing and am so happy that my daughter likes for me to sing her to sleep every night. (My son doesn't like it when I sing to him).
10. When I was little, I had my own "library." I guess I should have known then.
11. My favorite food is popcorn, but I hate real corn.
12. I am turning 30 this year and hoping to take a fun trip sans kiddos.
13. Sleeping and reading are my favorite hobbies.
14. I am hopeful for our country's future.
15. I recently discovered that I like bleu cheese dressing (by accident--I thought I was getting ranch).
16. My favorite series of books is The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. The first book was over 500 pages and they just keep getting bigger with each new installment. I am very anxiously awaiting the 7th book coming out this coming fall; to prepare I am rereading the 5th and 6th books (with so many pages, a lot goes on.)
17. The main character in the book is named Claire and I only sort-of named my daughter after her.
18. My son's name is Will and he is the most aptly named child I've ever known. He has the strongest will. Ask anyone who knows him!
19. All of my best friends live at least two hours away from me. This is only slightly annoying.
20. I was born on my father's 26th birthday. If my son could have held on 17 days longer (not that I really wanted him to!), he would have been born on my 26th birthday.
21. Scott and I were married on my 21st birthday. No we didn't necessarily plan it that way, it just worked out that that was the best weekend available.
22. My husband is the smartest person I know and I am exceedingly proud of him and his accomplishments. I am also very glad he is inclined in math and physical sciences because those subjects are definitely not my forte.
23. My children never cease to surprise, amaze, and entertain me. They are precious and I am so thankful God chose me to be their mom.
24. I am definitely not a morning person and don't know if I ever will be. I am a night owl and rarely go to sleep before midnight.
25. I love television and movies, and easily get addicted. Most of the shows I like happen to be NBC shows because that is the only channel we get at our house. We don't have cable and our house is in some kind of twilight zone that only gets the one network station. And it's fuzzy (of course!). We did get the digital TV converter but it doesn't work 3/4 of the time. Very annoying!

I'd love for anyone who wants to do this to post a "25 Random Things" as well...I love learning more about my friends!

iTunes Game

2009-01-23T19:27:00.004-06:00

Here's another fun thing to do!

1.Put your iPod or other music player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer. The Name of the song is your answer!
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
"Shifting Sand" - Caedmon's Call

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
"Just to Look at You"-Bebo Norman

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
"Speak to Me"-Rebecca St. James

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
"Love Song"-311

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
"Standing Still"-Jewel
Hmmm....

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
"42"-Coldplay
Odd...

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
"More Than You'll Ever Know"-Watermark
Ha ha!

WHAT IS 2+2?
"Where You Lead Me"-Mercy Me

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
"Unbelievable"-EMF
Again: ha ha!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"Sh-Boom"-The Chords
Fitting...

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
"You Win My Love"-Shania Twain

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
"Never Alone"-Barlow Girl
Interesting.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"Please Only You"-Steven Curtis Chapman

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
"Jump Around"-House of Pain

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
"Mud on the Tires"-Brad Paisley
We've already gotten married (duh), but I'll bet Scott would have liked to dance to this song. Funny.

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
"A Cradle Prayer"-Rebecca St. James

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
"Frozen"-Madonna
Weird!

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
"Immortality"-Celine Dion
Ha ha ha...I've fooled you all!!!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
"I Don't Know Why (But I Do)"- Clarence "Frogman" Henry

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
"I Have No Doubt"-Point of Grace

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
"California Dreamin'"-The Mamas and the Papas

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
"You Know Me Better Than That"- George Strait

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
"With Every Little Kiss" - Steven Curtis Chapman
Good one...

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
"Nothing Compares"- Third Day

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
"The Kingdom"-Caedmon's Call
I am the Bride of Christ!

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
"Bullet the Blue Sky"-U2

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
"Nightengale"-Norah Jones

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
"One Piece at a Time"- Johnny Cash

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
"Do Not Fear"-LCU Praise Choir

New Hair and New Hope

2009-01-21T22:08:00.005-06:00

I got my hair cut yesterday. It always makes me feel better to get my hair cut. I feel like a new person, somehow. I can't ever stick with one style for too long. It always amazes me when I watch make-over shows and these women (or men) say they have had the same hair-do for twenty or thirty years. I'm like, "Seriously? Don't you ever get bored??" But everyone's different!

This weekend we were blessed to visit our dear friends, the Malletts, in Arlington. We didn't do a whole lot--just took the kids to the park and ate out a few times--but we just had a good time being together. Since their son Ryland is one of Will's favorite people, he was just ecstatic. When Will found out that Ryland had a full gammut of pirate costumes, he was in hog heaven. I didn't take many pictures at all the whole weekend, but I did manage to get a couple of Will in Ryland's Jack Sparrow costume and of Raylee, Will and Ryland together with their guns and swords.

I just felt like I needed to express what I'm feeling right now about hope. My outlook has changed a bit since this past fall. I still don't agree with everything he stands for, but I am very hopeful about our new president. What I have seen these past few days and even weeks has been so encouraging to me; that maybe our country isn't "doomed," but is possibly in for a few good changes. I was so moved yesterday watching President Obama, just knowing that an African-American has done what so many never dreamed of, or never wanted to see happen, is awe-inspiring to me. That in and of itself, makes me proud to be an American. It was so moving to see so many people, of all races, so excited that this man has become our president. I am proud of our citizens, and that gives me a new hope. I am excited to see what lays in store for our nation in the weeks and months to come. I am praying that the many people who are still doubtful will support our authorities and our nation and not bring it down. Like he said in his inauguration speech, what we need now are hope and virtue in order to move forward.

On a completely different and lighter note: Will was the only one in his Bible class tonight. The story being taught was Adam and Eve. When the teacher told him this, he promptly told her, "No, it's Wall-E and Eve." I thought we ought to send that one in to Disney/Pixar. What do you think?

You Can Quote Me on That

2009-01-13T22:19:00.007-06:00

It's been a while since I've done something "fun" with my blog. So, I'm stealing something I saw on Facebook. Here's the scoop:

1. Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb.com and find quotes for those movies. Post them.
3. Have friends try to guess which movies the quotes come from.
4. When someone gets it right, bold the quote and put the title of the movie.*

Have fun!

1. All my life, when I'm quite grown-up I will always remember my grandfather and how he smelled of...tobacco and peppermint. - Susan; The Parent Trap (Way to go, Melanie and Mom!)

2. When I'm wrong, I say I'm wrong...You looked wonderful out there. - Jake Houseman, Dirty Dancing (Carrie scores one)

3. Our first television set. Dad just picked it up today. Do you have a television? - Lorraine, Back to the Future (One for Harmony, two for Mom)

4. Person 1: War, war, war; this war talk's spoiling all the fun at every party this spring. I get so
bored I could scream. Besides...there isn't going to be any war.

Person 2: Not going to be any war? Why, honey, of course there's gonna be a war. - Scarlett and one of the Tarleton twins, Gone with the Wind (Mom gets a third point)

5. I don't know, but I think what I've got is something slightly resembling... GUMPTION! - Iris, The Holiday (Alright, Dad!!!)

6. Leslie and I have an amazing relationship and it's very physical, he still pushes all my buttons. People say 'oh but he's so much older than you' and you know what, I'm the one having to push him away. We have so much in common, we both love soup and snow peas, we love the outdoors, and talking and not talking. We could not talk or talk forever and still find things to not talk about. - Sherri Ann Cabot, Best in Show (Yea, Bethany!)

7. I put a bird in my hair. - Carrie, Sex and the City: The Movie (Good job, Kelly B!)

8. John, get ready to have some kids! - Mary, WALL-E (Carrie scores again!)

9. Is this toothbrush approved by the American Dental Association? - Kevin, Home Alone (Two for Harmony, four for Mom!)

10. What's the décor? Early Mexican brothel? - Armande, Chocolat**

*If no one guesses the correct answer, I'll post them in a week. Have a great week!

**No one guessed #10, so I kept my promise and posted the answer on 1/20. This was fun; I'll have to do "fun" things with my blog more often. Thanks for playing!!

Trying Something New

2009-01-08T16:53:00.005-06:00

We decided to convert Claire's crib to a toddler bed last night. Of course, she only slept in it for about an hour and when we went in to check on her she had fallen onto the pillows on the floor and woke up when we came in the room. Once she saw us, she wouldn't be consoled, so back to our bed she went. She did sleep in her bed for her nap this afternoon, though. She has weaseled her way into our bed for the past few weeks, making it increasingly hard for me to actually sleep and get up in the morning, as she likes to flop all over ME (meaning, not Scott). So, I was thinking maybe her own "big" bed would encourage her to actually sleep in it. We shall see! I'm sure it will be interesting.

Speaking of interesting, there hasn't really been any of that as of late. We are just taking life as it comes, living each day at a time. Work is slow right now, as it always is in January, but V-Day is just around the corner. Ugh. I don't want to even think about it! It hasn't quite hit Scott yet that he doesn't have to return to school this semester, as we're still in the break-time between semesters. I'm sure he'll feel more freedom in a couple of weeks when he realizes there is no homework to be done.

Will and Claire are still immensely enjoying all of their Christmas gifts. Their time is mostly occupied with playing or arguing over who gets to play with what. They did start back to Children's Day Out this week, and I have to say I'm sort of glad. I do love spending time with them, don't get me wrong, but our schedules work out a lot better when they are in "school."

I will leave you with a video Scott took of Claire (I think it was last week, or maybe the week before...I can't remember!). Will had a Frosty from Wendy's that he had forgotten about whilst trying to hide it from Claire. Well, she found it and dug in. It's pretty amusing and shows her personality quite well :)

Merry Christmas, A Little Late

2008-12-26T18:32:00.004-06:00

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas this year! Ours was great; we had a quiet little family Christmas at home. Our kids were awesome and slept in til 9:30. After we opened presents we made Cracker Barrel pancakes (someone gave us a basket with the mix) and we enjoyed watching all the DVDs Will received for Christmas including WALL-E, Kung Fu Panda, and The Polar Express. I even got a nap! It was great!

Claire amid the mess!

Claire playing with her dollhouse

The mess in full view...Will and I are talking to my parents via Skype on the laptop.

Will and Claire playing with his new pirate ship in his room.

Will and Claire eating their pancake brunch while watching WALL-E.

We had "Christmas" with our families back on the weekend of the 12th & 13th when Scott had his graduation. It was nice to have everyone here then and get to visit. In the interim between our Christmases, we went to Lubbock to give presents to the kids at the Children's Home twice (we found a rouge present in Scott's office after returning from the first trip), hosted the LCU Praise Choir students for their Christmas Tour, and had a Christmas party for the Youth Group kids. Scott's 31st birthday was also last Monday; as his "present" to Scott, Will slept til 11:30 that morning!

Scott and Claire both have sore throats right now, but other than that, we are well. Since we were home for Christmas this year, I have been working at the shop as designer the past couple of days as our lead designer is on vacation. It's been really fun and I have done a lot of funeral work which I haven't been able to do yet. I have really enjoyed it.

I guess that's about it for now; Scott has to preach this weekend, so I'd better let him work on his sermon! If I don't post again in the next few days, I wish you all a happy New Year as well!

Commencement

2008-12-14T13:29:00.005-06:00

Scott is the second person on the second row.

I think they are conferring the masters candidates' degrees upon them here.

Scott being hooded.

Receiving his "diploma" (an empty tube).

Afterward, at the reception, we met up with Scott's professor, Dr. Doug Foster.

The whole family

Will loved Scott's graduation cap and wanted to wear it all weekend. We let him wear it in Cracker Barrel and Target (without the tassel) and we got lots of comments on it :)

Congratulations, Scott. I am so very very proud of you. I love you!!

Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas-time!

2008-12-08T19:54:00.009-06:00

We had a busy but fun Saturday. In the morning, our friend Amber came to photograph us for our Christmas cards. She is a professional photographer that attends our church and if you live in or around Big Spring, you should check her out. She does amazing work. Here are a few of my favorites from the shoot:
If you are interested in seeing the rest of the pictures, you can follow this link: http://www.staceyphotography.com/prather/

That afternoon, I took Will to our local museum where Santa and Mrs. Claus just happened to be spending the afternoon (*wink, wink*). He had his picture taken with them, too, and we decorated gingerbread men cookies and looked around the exhibits at the museum. I then took him for a late lunch at his favorite place, of course--McDonald's. A grand time was had by all. We had a great "date." (The Santa picures won't be ready until Dec. 16th, so I will post it then).

Then that evening was the big Christmas parade. We ended up in the same spot as last year next to the same family. We had a good time chatting with them, waiting for the parade to begin. The kids soaked up the parade, crying, "LOOK!!!!" at every single thing that went by. We saw horses, monster trucks, motorcycles, classic cars, low riders, fire trucks, tiny cars, a boat, semis, and of course lots of people riding on the back of trailers. I think this year's parade was better that last year's. Some of the floats were really awesome.

The Steer mascot dressed as an elf led the parade.

Here comes the band!

I thought this guy was funny.

This one doesn't really need a caption...

Western Container's float (they make Coke product bottles--I think).

I guess this horse is a Clydesdale. It was enormous!

The boat full of cheerleaders.

That's the Grinch in jail! (Sheriff's Office float)

And last but not least, Santa and Mrs. Claus end the parade!

Since then, I have been trying to get my house decent for visitors. The first of the visitors come tomorrow; Scott's parents and grandmother. The first of his finals is tomorrow also and his second final will be Wednesday. Then we are home free! Graduation is this weekend and we are so excited. My parents will be meeting us in Abilene on Friday and then coming back to Big Spring with us for the rest of the weekend. I usually work on Mondays, but Scott needed extra time to himself to study and write today (he has a paper due tomorrow, too) so I stayed home today and it was probably a good thing because the house needs constant attention with my two running around taking apart everthing I've just done!

Claire is really starting to spout off the words now. She picks up a lot from her brother. You can really tell by the fact that she has started growling, much to my chagrin! Anywho, there's a little update on her.

As for Will, he just cracks us up all the time. Today he told Scott (albeit quoting from a movie), "Dad, sometimes I just think I'm a genius." Really?

Until next time (hopefully with graduation pictures!).

Aww, Nuts!

2008-12-04T12:30:00.008-06:00

With Fall comes harvest. We've had a bit of a harvest of our own lately. We are the proud owners of three pecan trees, two in the front yard and one in the back. While our dogs regularly snack on the backyard pecans, our front yard is brimming full of ripe, ready to shell and eat nuts. And boy, are they tasty this year! We've spent a bit of time collecting them and have shelled quite a few.

I'm sorry I've been so lacsidasical in posting lately...I know I always say this, but we've really been quite busy. I was sick a couple of weeks ago and on top of that was my shop's open house and a meal the youth hosted for the senior adults all on the same weekend. Whew...I'm tired just writing that. Then of course, Scott promptly turned up sick, too. Thanksgiving was the next week and we enjoyed seeing my family and Scott's brother's family. We spent a little time relaxing and my mom and I went shopping on Black Friday. It was a good time. We returned on Sunday night and I have been trying to get my home decorated and in order in time for our families to arrive for Scott's graduation next week (whoot woo!).

Of course things aren't complete around here without a few glitches. Scott began itching all over his body severely last night and began to notice hives. He took some Benadryl and went to bed, but when he woke up this morning they were still there and now his upper lip is all swollen. Oh, and did I mention we're supposed to have our Christmas card pictures made on Saturday morning? I just have to laugh, you know?

I am just so excited that Christmas is almost here. I guess I am really in the Christmas spirit this year because I know my kids, especially Will, will really enjoy it this year. He is already amazed by every Christmas light display he sees, no matter how pitiful or extravagant, he yells, "LOOK!" It's quite cute. So, merry Christmas, even though it's still early! I will leave you with a few pictures of the Christmas decorations I have done and some others.

If y'all remember from last year, I'm a bit of a Christmas tree-aholic. I have them in almost every room. This year, however, I am lightening up a bit. Instead of a big tree in both my "formal" living room and the den/family room, I am just doing one in the formal living room. So, I have combined my ornaments for both those trees this year. I did this for the simple reason that I can sort-of cordon off this room from little hands. Claire is very interested in the tree and wants to pull all the ornaments off of it. And she's not that gentle about it. I did hang all my breakable ones up high, so I can at least rest a little knowing that she can't really break any of them :)

A mini tree on top of the desk in the family room. I put all my really "folk-sy" ones on it.

Just Will :)

Claire having fun with a piece of cardboard that came with a mixer I got.

Random...

2008-11-15T11:12:00.003-06:00

Here is a shot of the back of Claire's head after a bath...it's pretty long when it's wet and you comb it out!

Will in the tub. I have some really cute ones of both of them, but alas, I can't put them on the Internet!

Will and I back at the farm...we took the youth group kids and Will last Saturday night. It was really cold, but we had a lot of fun. This time we did the corn maze, too.

On the cow train again :)

Not a whole lot has been happening around here as of late. Scott had two big papers due this week, so we're glad those are behind us. However, the semester is far from over! His graduation is set for Friday, December 12th. We are excited. He got his regalia the other day and it just felt even more real.

I started a new cross-stitch this week...I haven't done any since before Will was born...and I am feeling pretty old. I think I'm going to have to get one of those magnifying glasses that you rest on your chest in order to see where I'm stitching! If I finish it, it will be really pretty though, so I'm hoping I can stick with it to the end :)

Next week will be a busy one for us. Scott and the youth group and the elementary kids are doing a Thanksgiving meal for the senior adults of our congregation next Saturday. That same day, I am going to see Twilight the movie, with some friends from church who've also read the books. On Sunday, we will be having our big holiday open house at work from 1:00 to 4:30 (if you live in Big Spring, be sure to come by!). Of course, the week after that is Thanksgiving. We will be traveling to the New Braunfels area to spend the holiday with my family. My aunt and uncle have a new house and I'm excited to see it! It will be a nice chance to get away and spend time with those for which I'm thankful!

Kreativ Blogger Award

2008-11-04T13:14:00.005-06:00

I am most honored to receive the Kreativ Blogger Award from my college friend, Kisti (sorry, Kisti, for some reason Blogger isn't letting me link to you--you can find Kisti's blog in my sidebar!). I am especially honored because I find Kisti highly creative, as she is talented in so many ways. To think that she finds me creative is a big compliment! In winning the award, my job is to list six of my favorite art forms. So without further ado...

1. Painting

2. Card-making/Scrapbooking

3. Floral design

4. Decorating/Interior design

5. Photography (although I'm not very good, it's fun to play)

6. Sewing (again, not very good at it, but willing to learn...I am lacking in the time department)

I don't have a lot of time for arts n' crafts, but I love to do them. Thankfully, I do get a lot of hands on experience with floral design and interior decorating with my job! The past week has been filled with decorating the shop for Christmas, one of my favorite things to do! I will also add a few pics of my most recent creations...

The diaper cake I made for my friend Abby's baby shower this past weekend.

The silk floral arrangement I made for the same shower.

Now I get to nominate people for the award! I nominate: Melanie H., Harmony, Emily S., Bethany, and Kelly W. (Sorry, still don't know why it won't let me link to you guys!)

Farm Fun with Nana

2008-11-02T22:38:00.004-06:00

We were so excited to have my mom with us this weekend for trick-or-treating and other fun. We went to a farm a little ways outside of Midland that has a corn maze, hayride, pumpkin patch, cow train, and other fun stuff on Saturday night. It was a little cool, but we had a GREAT time. Will LOVED it! In fact, he said that over and over again. We will definitely be going back with Daddy in the near future in the daytime.

Nana and Will on the cow train, riding "Elsie." This was especially neat because my mom's dad worked for Borden's for a very long time, so Elsie is near and dear to our hearts!

Claire and I riding "Daisy." This was also funny because my favorite dog growing up was named Daisy! Claire didn't like the cow train as much as Will did...

Will, mesmerized on the hayride. We saw lots of pumpkins and several deer. It was really cool!

Me, Claire and Will on the hayride.

Posing with some pumpkins...Claire was ready to go home :)

Will doesn't usually pose for pictures this well, so you can really tell he was very excited and had had a great time by the permanent grin on his face!

Sister and brother posing together.

Will and I pushed our pumpkins to the car in the pumpkin barrow. Every family gets one pumpkin to take home, but since it was after Halloween, they said we could have two.

If anyone who reads this is in the Midland/Odessa area, you should go out to Fiddlesticks Farms. They will be open til November 29th. It is lots of fun for the whole family!

MoRe HaLlOwEeN fUn!

2008-11-01T00:13:00.006-05:00

Will's preschool class--notice: almost completely BOYS!

ARRgh, me mateys!
Will decided he did not want to be an astronaut or a cowboy yesterday morning. He wanted to be a pirate. Well, we don't have a pirate costume, so mom had to improvise! Here he is in his old cut-off black sweatpants, a pair of tights I had bought (when I was considering being a pirate myself) that had a runner in them which I cut up and put around his waist, a long red satin scarf around his head, and of course, to finish it off, his cowboy boots. Voila--a pirate :)

Claire's first real trick-or-treat.

Will trick-or-treating at a friend's house.

Claire is mesmerized by their dog, who is also named Claire!

The Claires face off!

Will knew right where their toys were...here he looks like a "cowboy pirate." Bang!

That gun is almost as tall as she is!

Will said, "I can take off my shirt and go swimming in there!" This fountain was INside the house!

The four of us back home after trick-or-treating.

Our jack-o-lantern...Will said it was Claire :)

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Fun

2008-10-31T01:10:00.003-05:00

Happy Halloween! We've had some Halloween fun already this year. We took the kids to a local church's fall festival last Saturday night. Then tonight, my bunko group had a Halloween/costume theme. We all dressed up and it was lots of fun! As for Halloween night itself, we are going to Midland to pick my mom up from the airport with costumes in tow and plan to head back to some friends' homes here in town so the kids can trick-or-treat. We are greatly anticipating Nana's visit!

At the festival...me and Claire, sans her antennae (I wore them most of the night!)

Will the Astronaut

Will playing with his friends, Malaki and Cash. They both came as Optimus Prime (the Transformer).

Claire and Daddy...she's actually wearing the antennae in this one!

Me dressed up for Bunko...I went as "Solo in the Spotlight" Barbie.

Scott having fun with the camera...

Katie the Clown and Aubrey the Hershey's Kiss

Barbara (with her eyes closed) and Pat

Abby the Hunter (in case you can't tell, the target is on her pregnant belly!!)

Trissa and Callie and Alice Cullen and Victoria from the Twilight series

Driving Lesson

2008-10-23T22:43:00.003-05:00

Today the kids were playing outside and didn't realize I was watching them. They were both sitting in the little Cozy Coupe car and I heard Will saying to Claire, "this is how you drive." It was so cute! I tried to sneak up on them to take a picture but that didn't work so well...but you get the idea!

Showing her the proper "10 and 2" hand positions (as he likes to remind us all the time, "drive with both hands!")

These are a little blurry, but they were just so cute of Claire hamming it up for the camera.

Learning to Design

2008-10-20T22:09:00.007-05:00

One dozen roses

A $35 arrangement

A $30 arrangement

A half-dozen roses

A $55 arrangment

My attempt at Teleflora's Halloween special...it is a $50 arrangement

Another view of the Halloween special

The bats are made out of holly leaves painted black :)

I've been dabbling as a designer at the flower shop the last few days. It's been something I've wanted to do ever since I started at the shop six years ago. Here are a few pics of some of the arrangements I've done the past few days. I still have a lot to learn, but I'm satisfied with what I've done so far :) It's been fun, at least!

Pigtails!

2008-10-20T21:59:00.002-05:00

The back of Claire's hair is finally long enough for pigtails! They are too cute, if you ask me :) However, they don't like to stay up for very long...we're working on that!

Lil' Ladybug

2008-10-05T14:39:00.005-05:00

I was unsuccessful in finding a ladybug costume I liked or could afford for Claire. So I decided, why not make one? My extremely talented friend, Jen, was with me this weekend and we thought it couldn't be that hard. We set out to Wal-Mart to get a simple pattern and some material. However, as I was walking into Wal-Mart, I remembered something. Ours was remodeled this summer and they did away with the fabric department. The whole fabric department. You can't get anything. So, we decided we wouldn't give up hope yet...I had seen a red fleece blanket for $4. And they do have those little swatches of felt, so we got some of those in black. We made this costume in a couple of hours last night without a pattern. I'm so proud of us!

*By the way, in case you're wondering...no, we don't have carpet in our den anymore. That's just the bare concrete floor. Our hope is to someday refinish it (stain or paint it), but for now we just wanted to get rid of that carpet. So that's what you're seeing in those pics up there :)*

In other news...homecomings are over and we are trying to return to normal at work. Claire is really starting to walk well. Claire woke up with hives all over her on Friday so she had a big shot of benedryl on Friday. She's still got some, but it's much better. Will is as silly as ever...he is in that fun stage of not wanting to take any more naps! Yea!

As for me, I am busy working on several projects, one being our church's Ladies' Day coming up in two weeks. I'm one of the people "in charge," so there's several things to be done between now and then. I don't think our life will ever slow down. I should change the title of this blog to Life and Laughter in the Fast Lane :)

S.T. Prather, Treasure Maps, Mums and so on...

2008-09-21T21:29:00.009-05:00

A lot has happened since my last post, and that's the reason I haven't been posting! We've been so busy in the last month...after Will's surgery and recovery we've been going, going, going. Will has changed schools--he's back at Children's Day Out on Wednesdays and Fridays along with Claire. He has been doing really well there, and seems to remember his old classmates. He is as funny as ever and one of his new things is dressing himself. He comes up with some funky outfits. Take this one for example. My first thought was gansta rapper!

Claire took her first couple of steps a couple of weeks ago and hasn't really started "taking off" yet, but she's gradually getting there. Every day she goes a bit farther on her own.

I have been VERY busy at work, making LOTS of homecoming mums and trying to get my other work done as well :) We had two of our local homecomings on the same week (not this past Friday but the one before) and our other one is this week. We are just trying to get caught up because they were all so close together at the beginning of the year. It's been nuts. I stayed at work one night last week til nine and the next night til eleven. I even worked today from 12:30 to 6:00! Craziness!This is the mum I made for Claire (we went to one of the school's homecomings b/c one of our youth group girls was on the court)

And of course, Scott began his semester on the 26th. He is taking two classes this semester, and both are 8:00 classes in Abilene, so he has to get up those two mornings at 5:30 and drive for 2 hours to get to class! But the nice thing is, he's done by 11:00 and can get back in town to eat lunch and get back to his office (that is, if he doesn't need to do any library time!).

We've gotten to do a few fun things since Will's surgery as well. On Labor Day weekend, I was able to travel up to Amarillo and spend a few fun-filled days with my two good friends, Jen and Chelsey. It has been a tradition for us for about the last seven years to spend Labor Day weekend together. It's something the three of us look so forward to each year and we really enjoy our time together. We had fun just hanging out, cooking, and watching movies. We went to see both Mama Mia! and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, which were both good girly movies.

The following Wednesday, Harmony came and stayed with us as she had some work to do here in her Big Spring office. It was fun to see her again and she stayed til Friday morning. That night, Jen came again (her hubby has a hunting lease and our house is on the way!) and stayed til Sunday. That next Wednesday, my mom had some unexpected time off and came to visit us. That was also the same week of Hurricane Ike. Her work was cancelled, so she was able to stay until Sunday.

On the hurricane: My Dad stayed home to weather the storm with their dogs and watch the pool, etc. He did lose power for about 12 hours, and had some minor debris and damage, but nothing too horrific. A neighbor down the street lost a pretty big tree, but thankfully it fell into the street and not on their house. My parents' backdoor neighbors had a worse fate: the house they had just spent the last 6 months remodeling flooded on Sunday due to backed up drains (remnants of Ike dumped another 5.5 inches of rain on Katy on Sunday morning). My dad helped his neighbors rip up the flooring they'd just finished laying not a month before. My grandparents still do not have power at their house, last I heard, but are managing. Thankfully the weather at night has been cool enough to allow for sleep. My great aunt who lives on Lake Livingston had some damage to her small peir and two trees came down. She sent me some amazing pictures of the waves slamming the bulkhead that are below. It is amazing how the storm held up so far inland.

Okay, so about S.T. Prather: Claire now has a new nickname, as of tonight--Snaggle Tooth. At our youth devotional tonight after church, she fell on some brick steps (in the backyard of the house at which we were having the devo) and chipped not one, but two of her teeth! It was quite frightening as there was blood coming from her mouth and with her screaming like she was. The chips aren't bad; we're going to consult with a dentist who goes to church with us and see if he thinks anything needs to be done.

Cross-pollinated pumpkins: Yesterday, we needed to make a quick trip to Abilene to pick up a book that Scott needed for his class that was unavailable til this week. He needed to read part of it by Tuesday, so he needed it right away. We used the opportunity to visit our friends, Ty and Beth, who live there and see their new baby boy again. They have several varieties of pumpkins planted in their backyard. They didn't realize until after they had planted them, however, that some of the varieties need to be several acres apart in order to grow properly! So some of the pumpkins have cross-pollinated. We went out to show Will the patch and found a rather interesting looking pumpkin. They let us take it home (I thought it looked pretty cool!).

Treasure Maps: I FINALLY finished a gift for some friends at church I was working on for like 6 months! Their son's nursery is done in a pirate theme and I wanted to make a pirate's treasure map for them. So I started it back in March and just finished last week. Here's the final product...I'm pretty proud of it!!

Well, that's about all I can think of to share right now. I hope that everyone who might have read this and hasn't completely given up hope on me is doing well and loving life. We are, even if it is a bit hectic!

Will's Surgery

2008-08-15T20:02:00.005-05:00

Will's surgery went very well. It was so quick that when the doctor came out to tell us it was over, both Scott and I thought something must be wrong because it seemed like he'd barely been in there but just a few minutes. Everything went smoothly and there were no complications. He has been recovering quite well, also. Here are a "few" pictures from Wednesday :) :

On the way to the hospital in the van. It was probably about 5:45 am in this picture.

Waiting for our name to be called after signing in; about 6:15 am. Don't we look thrilled to be up that early?

A day full of waiting...this was just the beginning. Here are Will and I in his very small hospital bed. He was watching some kind of cartoon and I was dozing. It was probably around 7:00 am here.

This picture actually belongs before the last one, but oh well. Here, Will is posing in his "hospital pajamas." It was the cutest little gown with cartoon tigers all over it and the saying "tired little tiger." :)

Riding to the OR.

Here is Nurse Sheila and the CRNA (nurse anesthetist) whose name I don't remember) with Will right before they took him back. He was so cute, he asked Nurse Sheila for the hat.

There they go!

Back in his room, after the surgery. He is all pink from the anesthesia.

He burrowed under his covers.

Here is the super-cute bear they gave Will, complete with his own anesthesia bag and IV-taped arm.

Trying to drink some apple juice (he didn't like doing that very much!).

On the way home (actually this was taken in the pharmacy parking lot, waiting for his prescriptions to be filled).

Back when Will was a baby and getting bronchitis all the time, Scott's mom gave us her old stethoscope from nursing school. Scott pulled it out the other night to get him used to being listened to by all the nurses. After the surgery, he decided he wanted to "take our tonsils out," and proceeded to put the stethoscope around his neck (not in his ears--that's not how it goes) and listen to our chests and backs. Then he would look in our mouths and ears with the tiny maglite (see below). It was so precious!

Eating a popsicle; after being very headstrong about not eating popsicles or drinking juice in the hospital all day and scaring us that they wouldn't release him to go because of it, Will ate about four or five popsicles later that evening at home. His favorite is purple which he calls "black."

The Smile Award

2008-08-12T14:14:00.006-05:00

Carrie, one of my best friends from college and former roommate, has given me the Smile Award. I am a little shocked--I have never recieved a blogging award before! Thank you so much, Carrie, for giving me this unexpected and undeserved award :) I want to tell you a little about my friend. This has been an emotion-filled year for her family. After fighting the good fight against cancer, her dear mother-in-law Pam went home to the Lord in February. Just a little over a month and a half later, a little angel came from heaven to live with them--a new daughter, Ella Jean. Admist the roller-coaster of emotions and life-changing events of the past few months, I know Carrie has been a rock for her family and can always put a smile on everyones' faces!

Now, I must return the favor and grant the award to five more deserving bloggers!

These are the rules:
1. The recipient must link back to the awards creator the babblings of mere.
2. You must post these rules if you receive the award.
3. You must chose 5 people to receive the award after receiving it yourself.
4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award, as posted by Mere.
5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank your giver.

Characteristics for the Smile Award:
1. Must display a cheerful attitude (not necessarily at all time--we are all human)
2. Must love one another
3. Must make mistakes
4. Must learn from others
5. Must be a positive contributor to blog world
6. Must love life
7. Must love kids

And now...the five winners are...

1. Tracey is my mom's best friend who went to live in Thailand last year because her husband's work took them there. Her only daughter just became a new mom and Tracey keeps smiling despite the fact that she can't be with Vanessa and little Riley all the time. Tracey also has a real heart for teaching children (she was a teacher in the States for many years) and has used that skill even despite a language barrier in Thailand. You can read all about Tracey's Thailand adventures (and she visits neighboring countries, too!) on her blog.

2. Amy is a friend from college whom I've reconnected with through blogging. She is a Christian mom who is as witty as she is compassionate for the neighborhood kids to whom she ministers. Amy has kept smiling (and making others smile) through many hardships, specifically her baby brother's untimely death and her own constant battle with MS. Check out Amy's antics and her heartfelt ministry.

3. Chelsey is another dear friend from college. We actually met the first day of orientation (we were in the same group) and became fast friends. Our lives went in different directions for a while, but we became close again when we ended up in the same literature class our first senior year (ha!). We have kept up ever since and I am so glad we did. Chelsey is a fighter and keeps on smiling when life throws her those curve balls. Like Carrie (above), Chelsey lost her mother earlier this year. Though Mary Sue had been sick for as long as I've known Chelsey, this blow still hurt just as much. Chels has kept up her smiling attitude, even through her pain.

4. Terri, my mom, is always someone who makes me laugh and smile. Her stories, like her current one about croaking toads, are just "smile-worthy!" And of course I know she loves kids, because she loves mine! One of the best things about my mom, though, is that she loves and supports her friends family. No matter what anyone is going through, you can always count on my mom to be there for you. And most likely, she will put a smile on your face while she's at it!

5. Finally, (man, I wish I could give out more than five!), Harmony, is one of my best friends. We knew each other in college, but didn't really become friends until we both ended up in Big Spring. She and her precious family moved last summer, but thankfully, we have been able to remain in touch (in fact, we just returned from her house on Sunday!). I playfully call Harmony "Super-Mom," because she works two jobs, keeps her house in order and clean, and cares for her three children and husband and makes it all look very easy. I know it's not and she knows it's not, but she does it all with a smile on her face and that's why she's Super-Mom to me. Go see pictures and read fun stories about Ry, Ray, and Reese on Harmony's blog.

Thanks again to Carrie for my first blogging award. You make ME smile too!!!!

Recently

2008-07-29T10:31:00.000-05:00

Well, Scott is home and we are back to normal. Kind of. I mentioned in one of my birthday posts that Will has been sick yet again. He started running fever a few days after Scott returned home and it got up to 103.3. He was just miserable and he was having trouble turning his head (sore lymph nodes in his neck), as he has been the last several times he's been sick. We took him to the doctor and reminded her that this is the fourth time he's been in with a sore throat since May (our regular pediatrician moved this summer, so we've seen two or three different people since May). She agreed that it was tonsillitis again (his left tonsil was swollen past the midpoint of his throat) and said it was time to see an ENT.

I was able to get an appointment early the next week with an ENT in Midland. This doctor comes highly regarded and recommended. It was so nice to have him listen to us and take our concerns to heart. He examined Will's throat and asked us about his sicknesses this past year and concluded that it is time for Will to have a tonsillectomy. As I said, this doctor is highly regarded and a Christian, so I feel very comfortable putting my son in his hands for surgery.

Will's surgery takes place on August 13th (my little brother's 21st birthday!) in Midland. Please keep him in your prayers. It will probably be a tough recovery, but I am just looking forward to having my son healthy and happy after it is all over and done with. These past few months have been very difficult with him being sick every two or three weeks. Hopefully that will be put to an end!

Other news...I have changed my work schedule again. I am going to be spending Mondays and Tuesdays at home with Claire (and maybe Will--we have to iron out some things first) and she will go to Children's Day Out on Wednesdays and Fridays and stay home with Scott on his day off on Thursdays. We are hoping this will reduce my stress level and increase the level of cleanliness at our house! Also, Claire has gotten to an age where she wants to be playing, crawling (not walking yet!), etc. all the time and she just can't do that at my workplace without getting into everything and making messes of herself and lots of other things! Not that my boss wanted her to go...she is actually quite sad Claire will be leaving the office, but it will just make me a more effective employee. I'll probably be able to do as much or more in three days than I was able to do in five with Claire around.

In a couple of weeks, we are going with our youth group kiddos to Arlington for a Six Flags trip. Bonus! We also get to see the Malletts, our dear friends who left us out here in West Texas a year ago. I am excited to get to see our pals. We haven't told Will yet, but I know he will be super excited to see Ryland and Raylee too.

I'll leave you with a few cute pics from the last couple of weeks:

Claire loved playing the piano! She was even singing along as she hit the keys.

Will, wearing Claire's hat. He wanted to wear it because it was green and so were his shirt and pants. Matchy, matchy!

And finally, while I was in Katy I used my birthday money (plus a little extra) to purchase a new bedding set for our bedroom. I surprised Scott with it when he came home. I really love the colors and the curtains make our room REALLY dark which we LOVE!

There & Back Again

2008-07-28T10:13:00.000-05:00

Finally! Pictures from our trip to Katy are here.

On our way, we stopped in Austin to see my brother Kendall (as you might remember from a previous post). Here we are with Kendall and his girlfriend, Stephanie.

Claire playing the part of a pool-side hottie :)

Will LOVES to swim. Here he is doing his thing!

On the 4th, we went to my great aunt and uncle's house in Coldspring on Lake Livingston. Here are Uncle Tom, Claire, and Aunt Ruthie.

Aunt Ruthie and Will in the "little pool" (aka hot tub).

A view of the lake house looking up from the shore.

Looking from the deck to the pier and the lake.

Claire opening birthday gifts (and Will helping).

My grandma, Mom, me and Claire.

Claire and me in my parents' pool.

Birthday Girl Pictures

2008-07-27T14:38:00.006-05:00

My college friend Kathy lives near my parents in Houston. She is an amateur photographer (she has two adorable little boys that she can't help but take pictures of) and we asked her to come and grace us with her talents on Claire's birthday. She took some amazing photos of Claire that day while Will and her oldest boy, Patrick, played with my mom in the pool. Here are the results!

This one is my absolute favorite. My little birthday girl in her birthday suit with a great big grin on her face!

A classic Claire face. Ooo!

Yummy cupcake!

...And in the blue outfit :)

Claire's Birthday Party

2008-07-27T14:29:00.002-05:00

Yep, I'm a bad mom. I know it's been like 3 weeks since her birthday, but we had some camera problems and sickness (AGAIN--more news on that later), so I haven't gotten caught up til now. Anyway, here's pictures from Claire's first birthday party on July 4th!

That morning, eating her blueberry muffin

Happy Birthday, Claire Bear!

2008-07-08T10:14:00.001-05:00

Mom, Dad and Claire a few minutes after birth.

Will meets Claire for the first time.

First "family of four" photo

Claire in the hospital with an IV, two days old.

Sweet brother; Claire is about one week old.

A special dress and shoes; about one month old.

Miss Priss; about 2 mos. old.

Thanksgiving

Christmas

Springtime

One year ago today, we were blessed by the birth of our precious daughter. Claire Elise Prather was born at 10:14 am, July 8, 2007, weighing 6 lbs. and 10 oz. Her hair was light brown and she had dark blue eyes. She now weighs about 18.5 lbs. and has very blonde hair (she's been called a tow-head and a cotton-top) and striking blue eyes. Here are a few of my favorite things about Miss Claire Bear:

1. She loves to hug and kiss.

2. When I put her to sleep, she pats me.

3. She loves to sing and dance. Her favorite song right now is "The Backyardigans" theme song. She'll just start bobbing along to it with a big smile on her face when it comes on.

4. She adores her brother with all her heart. He just looks at her and she breaks into a huge grin and most times just cracks up laughing.

5. She has the best belly laugh.

6. She makes the funniest sounds...I can't even begin to describe how she does them. My favorite sound she makes is something that sounds like "deedledeedledeedle..."

7. She has no fear. She likes to hang upside down, climb, etc.

8. She said "mama" for the first time on Mother's Day.

9. Her favorite word right now is "cat." My parents have a cat and Claire is obsessed with her. However the cat is not so impressed with Claire :)

10. She is a very easy baby (when she's not sick or teething!). She is not afraid of most people and is pretty easy-going about being handed off to others.

11. She's a good eater. She'll eat just about anything and loves table food. She's going to be so much easier to transition from baby food to regular food than Will was!

Claire in Florida at 10 mos.

Happy Birthday, Little Claire Bear!

*Of course, on a special occassion such as this one, my camera card is not working. So, I can't show you any of the pictures we have taken in the past week, including Claire's birthday party on the 4th! As soon as I get it working, I'll share those...stay tuned :)

Still there?

2008-07-03T15:29:00.004-05:00

Are you still there?? I am still here! I know...it's been almost a month since I've posted anything and you probably have every right to NOT check my blog anymore, but hey, give me a break. I've been pretty busy and therefore wiped out whenever I do have time.

So...what's been going on, you might ask? About the minute we got back from our Florida trip, Will became sick again (he had just finished a round of antibiotics). We got him well and then a few days later he was sick again. I'm beginning to think this kid may need to get his tonsils removed.

Then, last week, Claire started running fever...a pretty hot one too...about 100 to 102 degrees. She was really irritable and not eating well. She was super-restless at night. I chalked it up to teething, but by the fourth day of the fever, I was thinking maybe it was something else. Especially since I hadn't seen anything tooth-like in her mouth. I took her to the doc on Monday and he said her throat was red and prescribed Amoxicillin. Tueday, she woke up with a rash. I immediately thought, she's allergic to penicillin, because both my parents and I are. I took her back to the doctor and he said that he was pretty sure the rash would have come even if she hadn't taken the Amoxicillin because of her other symptoms. He said she had the "three-day measles" or Roseola. He did change her meds (probably just to set my mind at ease). He rash is pretty much gone now and she is eating and sleeping better. However, I have been giving her Benedryl to help with the itchiness of the rash! :)

In the meantime, Scott was busy getting ready for three back-to-back events starting on June 28th. He left last Saturday for Wilderness Trek in Colorado and will be returning on the 5th, only to turn around the VERY NEXT DAY and drive back to Wyoming for a mission trip. He will return from that on July 13th and our local VBS begins at 9:00 AM on the 14th and lasts three days. Thankfully, for the first two trips he doesn't have just a ton of responsibilities once he's there, but it is physically taxing. However, for VBS he is in charge and that comes at the very end of two physically exhausting trips. Please keep him in your prayers.

So, when not caring for sick kids and helping busy husband, I've been at work. Work has been a little nutty lately as it is full-swing wedding season and we only have one designer (we used to have three!). Since she's the only one, we've all been trying to pick up some of the slack.

Since Scott will be gone for two consecutive weeks, the kids and I have made the trip down to old H-town to stay with my parents. My mom flew in to Midland on the 1st and we drove here yesterday. On the way, we were able to visit my brother, Kendall, at his workplace, Callahan's General Store, in Austin, where he is a hat blocker. Then we ate dinner with him and his girlfriend, Stephanie. It was good to see them; it had been April when we saw them last.

The kids and I will be here until the 9th, when my dad will drive us back home. That means we will be here to celebrate Claire's first birthday! Tomorrow, we are going to my aunt's lakehouse for the Fourth and will have a little party for her there. So, I will definitely be posting again in the next few days to document that!

A Neeewwww Car!

2008-06-06T23:13:00.004-05:00

Just imagine Rod Roddy saying it to the contestant on The Price is Right as Bob Barker puts his arm around them. The big obnoxiously Sixties-style double doors slide open to reveal . . .

A neeeewwww car!!!

Nope, I didn't win it on The Price is Right, but I am the new owner of this sexy red 2002 Honda Odyssey :) I admit, I am one of those people who said over and over again, "I will NEVER drive a minivan." But here I sit. Let me tell ya ladies, never say never.

I love this vehicle. It is amazing. The space is unbelievable! If you have small children, this is the way to go. AND, it doesn't guzzle the gas. Yea! God is good.

Water, Water, Everywhere

2008-06-01T20:41:00.002-05:00

Will got this nifty sprinkler from Nana and Grandpa for his birthday. Tonight it was 102 degrees, so we decided to try it out. Will enjoyed it quite a lot. Thanks Nana and Grandpa!

Pictures from the Sunshine State, Part II

2008-05-29T23:06:00.007-05:00

For the second half of our trip, we went to Destin:

Claire playing peek-a-boo with her daddy at Chick-fil-A.

Nope, he's not pouring water on the large, tan man...he's just pouring it on the sand :)

Fun in the sun!

Claire asleep in the beach tent.

Claire got a little cold in the pool, so Dad took her out to get her warmed up. Her lips are almost purple in this picture and with all the other blue around, it makes her eyes look even more steely blue. Pretty neat :)

Will loves the pool...it was hard to get him out of it.

We went to an outdoor shopping center and they had a cool kids' playground and water-poppers. Will was unsure about it at first, but when he finally tried it, he had a blast!

The Destin attempt at the family portrait.

Just the four of us.

Scott and me.

Scott's pictures of the sunset on the bay in Destin.

On our way back, of course we stopped in Milton, where Scott's family lives. My parents also stayed there; it was neat to have our parents all together again. It was probably the first time since our wedding 8 years ago that all four were together. The following pictures are of that gathering.

Pictures from the Sunshine State, Part I

2008-05-29T22:00:00.005-05:00

We have returned!! We had an amazing time in Florida and are getting back to "normal." Of course, as soon as we passed back into the city limits on Monday night, Will became sick yet again. So, Scott and I have been trying to catch up at our jobs whilst only going to work half a day (he goes in the AM, me in the PM or vice versa). Thus, I haven't really been able to sit down and get these pics up til now. I decided to do the pictures in two installments. Part I is the first half of our trip in Panama City Beach:

The view from our balcony.

Will's first time in the ocean.

Scott's mom and my mom at the beach. (Scott's parents only live a hour and a half from the beach).

Scott and Will in the surf.

I love this picture. Actually, there is a series of them, but this is the best one. Claire wasn't too fond of the beach (didn't like getting her toes sandy), but loved the pool!
Will playing in the sand.
Our little sunbathing beauty.

Three generations.

Family portrait.

Scott got some phenomenal pictures of the sunset from our balcony. They almost look photo-shopped, but they're not!

Party Time! Excellent!

2008-05-13T23:14:00.006-05:00

Will's birthday party finally happened last night. We didn't have a great showing, but I understand. We still had a blast, though!! Below are pictures I took before the party of decorations, etc.:

During the party--fun and merriment:

I had to take a picture of this...three different people (myself included!) bought this cool cowboy card for Will!

Mother's Day Photos

2008-05-11T12:53:00.004-05:00

This is one of my favorite "holidays." Not because it's a day dedicated to me or all moms, but because it's a day to reflect on being a mom. I am reminded of the days when I found out that a little life was growing inside me. I look back on the two days that changed my life forever--May 10, 2005 and July 8, 2007. I have been blessed with two beautiful, sweet, precious children and I am so thankful to be their mom.

Scott was sneaky and hid my cards all over the house...in my bathroom drawer, in the refrigerator by my coffee creamer, and in Will's underwear drawer :) The cards he picked were absolutely perfect and it's been a great day so far. The "photo shoot" was so much fun and later today, we plan on planting my gift...new flower beds!

Happy Mother's Day!!

William Reed is Three!

2008-05-10T23:13:00.009-05:00

Birthday cupcakes for Will's pre-school class

Eating the goodies

Playing in his tent this morning

Will got sick this week and we had to take him home early from school on Thursday. Therefore, his party on Friday night was postponed to this coming Monday night. We think maybe he had strep throat...we aren't sure, though. The culture came up negative but sometimes it takes a while to show up, evidently. Either way, he had/has some type of throat infection. However, I had ordered 2 dozen cupcakes to take to his school on Friday afternoon, so we went ahead with our plan to bring the snack for his class on Friday. He enjoyed having his friends sing to him.

This morning we celebrated by having our traditional birthday blueberry muffins. Will "didn't like them" this morning, but that's okay. I am attributing it to the fact that he wasn't feeling well. It was fun seeing the look on his face when he saw the muffin with the candles it it, though! Look for our birthday party post in the near future!

I tried for about 13 hours to upload video of Will's class singing happy birthday to him but it never loaded. I gave up. Maybe I'll try again later when I have more patience!

Amazing!!!!

2008-05-07T23:38:00.004-05:00

Two posts in two days??? Ahhh!!! Where is Lauren and what have you done with her?

Nah...just kidding. It's me. Really. I am alive (Mom). And I am jumping for joy. My husband's semester is OVER!! Yea. He's celebrating in style by going to be before one o'clock in the morning for once this year. He's been in bed since eleven. Hopefully my clickety-clacking on the keyboard isn't disturbing him too much.

Anyway, I just wanted to post a few pictures and also tell you that I put up a post on my work blog. I created this blog back at the end of January, but things got so crazy around home and work that I really just couldn't keep it up for a while. I don't know if anyone ever looks at it or even knows it exists (I only ever did one post on it and we didn't ever put the web address on our statements or anything, so there is really no reason for anyone to know it exists except my boss and I. But I suppose one might stumble upon it if and when they searched for "Inspirations Flowers and Gifts."). So, anywho-ey...go check it out! It has lots of cool pictures of our works of genius :)

Okay...on to the fun stuff:

Uncle Kendall making waves in the pool for Will to ride. He LOVED it.

My mom thought this was too hilarious. She wanted to paint Claire's toenails. So to distract her we grabbed the first thing we found that we thought she couldn't hurt and it happened to be a tampon box. My mom took about ten pictures of Claire with this tampon box!

Mom and Dad's church has the most beautiful garden. There is even a pond in it that they use as their baptistry (I'm sure it's chlorinated and I know it has safety rails and steps, etc.). When they have baptisms, they video it and the congregation watches it live from inside the auditorium. It's pretty darn cool. Anyway, here are a few pics of Will in the garden. (Claire was asleep!)

The Malletts came to town a couple of weeks ago so Leland could help his old Big Spring kids with their yearbook. We were blessed to spend three different meals with them and their precious kids. Here's a pic of the baby girls--Claire and Reese--standing at our coffee table.

Will's birthday is Saturday and we are having a rootin', tootin' cowboy party. My mom found some western duds at her favorite store, Gymboree, and we got the package in the mail today; in time for Will to wear them to his party on Friday! Thanks, Nana! We love them!

An End in Sight

2008-05-06T20:09:00.004-05:00

I just wanted to give a quick update on the goings-on around here. We have an end in sight to some of our madness. Scott's last paper was emailed yesterday and his last final will be taken tomorrow afternoon.

This is Will's birthday week--he will turn 3 on Saturday! We will have a mini-party at pre-school with cupcakes and then a "big" party at home on Friday evening. Our party at home will have a cowboy theme and we'll eat hotdogs. We've invited our church friends to that party. So this week (actually more like Thursday and Friday) will be filled with lots of cleaning the house for guests and baking.

Finally, it is Mother's Day week. For those of you who know me, you know that's almost as stressful at my job as Valentine's Day. Thankfully, we just have to send things to women on Mother's Day, so that cuts out a lot. Also, it's a lot of plants and mixed arrangements, as opposed to lots of dozen-red-roses and balloons.

After this week, we hope to see things calm down quite a bit around our house. Next Thursday, we'll be heading out of town to embark on our vacation! We are going to Destin and Panama City, Florida, with my parents. Also, Scott's mom and dad live a very short distance from the beach, so we'll be spending time with them, too. It'll be a fun way to end the semester. We are all looking VERY forward to it! We'll return on Memorial Day weekend and then that Tuesday after will be my 29th birthday. Woo-hoo! I like birthdays :)

Well, kids, I don't have a lot to say other than that. And I don't really have any pictures, either. For a couple of cute ones of my kids at my parents house, head on over to my mom's blog and check 'em out.

Happy Mother's Day to all you awesome mamas out there and blessings to you!

Saddle Up!

2008-04-14T18:19:00.009-05:00

We went to the Old Sorehead Trade Days in Stanton this weekend. Will got to ride a pony and LOVED it! I wish we had gotten a picture of his ear-to-ear grin!

Petting the baby ponies

Claire watching her big brother ride

Pretty Words

2008-04-11T00:16:00.005-05:00

Claire officially turned nine months old on Tuesday. Happy Nine Months, Claire! Unfortunately, I don't think she is feeling very well this week. She's been moodier than normal, but she's still a great baby! Growing so fast in so many ways. I can't even remember what I've written lately, but in case I haven't said it, she does have two teeth, both on the bottom. I think her top two aren't too far behind.

Claire has decided to make her nine month birthday a special one by saying a few words. For a long time (since she was tiny), it has sounded like Claire says actual words. For instance if you asked her a question such as, "Do you want to go to sleep now?" it might sound as if she answered you, "No," or "Maybe." Obviously, this was just coincidence. Well, in the last few days, I think she has actually begun to speak. My boss was showing her a necklace on Wednesday and saying to Claire, "pretty." Then Claire plainly said, "pretty." We looked at each other with a that's-creepy expression. Then she said it again. And again. And about 10 or 15 more times.

The previous evening Will was standing in front of Claire and talking to her and playing with her. I pointed at Will and said, "brother" several times. Claire then repeated something that sounded strangely like brother. The next morning we all ended up in our bed to start off the day. Again, the kids were talking and playing together. And again, Claire clearly said something very much like "brother" in Will's direction. She has repeated "pretty" a few times in the last day or so, and also said something very like "bye-bye" and also "baby."

So, is she speaking? Since I'm the one who gets to write down her first words in her baby book, I'm going to go ahead and say yes, her first words were pretty and brother. How cool is that? :)

Easter

2008-03-26T11:38:00.004-05:00

We dyed eggs on Saturday aftternoon and the Easter bunny visited us later that evening because he knew it was going to be too cold to hunt eggs the next day! Easter Sunday, we found our baskets and went to church. It was, indeed, very cold! We were blessed to have our friends, the Chances, over for Easter lunch...lasagna!

Will showing us the egg dipper

Dying the eggs

Claire, "hunting" her eggs

Will and Dad opening the eggs after the hunt

Cute kids

Easter baskets

Will on Sunday morning

Claire on Sunday morning (her bow is sliding down her forehead!)

The kids together

The whole family (thanks, Shannon, for taking the picture!)

A Few Cute Pics

2008-03-20T22:29:00.003-05:00

A rarity lately...getting Will to actually smile for pictures!
Mowing the lawn :)
sleepy girl
Look at my super-sweet shoes!
kick that leg up!

Smiley :)

A few tidbits:

Scott's comprehensive exam papers are due next Thursday! Yea! That means no more overnight stays in Abilene.

Claire is really army crawling well and has another new tooth coming in. She loves our dog Frank. Everytime he comes near her she cracks up. It is quite funny. She is such a sweetie and still loves to snuggle.

Will is just as funny as ever. I caught him in the backyard a couple of days ago sitting in his Cozy Coupe car leaning out the window, "ordering" food in a pretend drive-thru. Scott said, "Does that make you feel bad about how much we eat out?" I said, "Nah."

I am doing well...finally. I got sick again last week with another (or a continuation of my previous) sinus infection. I think I am actually getting well this time; we tried a different anti-biotic. I have actually been at work every day so far this week. However, tomorrow I will be missing the morning portion because my dear son has to stay home from school as it is Good Friday. But I am excited that I get to be home with my kids tomorrow morning when none of us is sick! Maybe we can just have a good relaxing time :)

Not a lot is going on. I am just ready for Scott's semester to be over. In one month, we will be going to Katy to visit my parents. That weekend is also the 30th anniversary reunion for my high school drill team (Katy Bengal Brigade--woo hoo!), so I will be able to attend that while I am down there. Then, about one month after that, we'll hit the beach! I am so looking forward to going to Destin, Florida, in May. My parents are going with us, and Scott's mom and dad live about an hour from there, so it'll be perfect. You can visit my mom's blog to see pictures of all the clothes she got for my kids' first beach excursion!

Oh, and Larissa, if you're reading, I want you to know that you inspired me. I bought some red heels. And I LOVE them :)

Will's Easter Party

2008-03-20T22:12:00.002-05:00

Will's school didn't have spring break, but they do have Good Friday off, so today was their Easter egg hunt and party. Here are a few pics from the afternoon.

Yummy "egg" cookie!The "caboodle"

Asking Dad to open his Skittles!

Easter Chic

2008-03-20T22:02:00.001-05:00

Marching On

2008-03-02T22:16:00.003-06:00

Wow! It's March! Where did January and February go? Why do I STILL have a blasted Christmas tree in my front room???

I just wanted to give a little explanation as to why I have written so rarely lately. One reason is that Claire and I have been sick and it has taken a while to get over it. Secondly, I have been working more often--every day. It has been a little stressful, but I'm managing. The main reason, however is that my husband is a grad student. Yes, I know, he's been a grad student for 6 years. But this semester has been the toughest yet. I would venture to say that it would be tough even if we didn't have two young children, but that just further complicates things.

As most everyone knows, Scott is working on his masters of divinity. This degree requires a big "comprehensive exam," or "comps." They only offer the comps course once a year, in the spring semester; so even though Scott won't graduate til December, he still has his comps this semester. As if that wasn't enough, he is also taking one of the hardest graduate Bible courses, History of Christianity, from one of the hardest professors (or the hardest) at ACU. Because he has to write three major papers (his comps is actually two papers written about two "cases" that he has to defend) this semester (all due within the month, I believe), he's been spending a lot more time in the library. Remember, we live 100 miles from Abilene and that library is in Abilene. He has been leaving on Monday afternoons to go the library, spends the night with our friends, then attends class Tuesday morning and spends the rest of the day in the library. He's been getting home on Tuesdays at around 11:00pm. Aside from the extra library work (which may not even be enough!), he has to spend a lot of his time at home actually writing, reading and researching. Plus, he has a full-time youth ministry job. Hopefully all this hard work will pay off!

Now, I'm not typing all of this to get sympathy! I just wanted to let everyone know what is going on in our world, in case you are wondering why I have been somewhat absent. I have been spending most of my days working, caring for my children, and by the time I have time to actually sit down at my computer, I am just too tired. I try to keep up with you all, but that's been hard, too. So, I apologize if my comments on your blogs are non-existent or if I just seem to not know what's been going on. I probably don't! I need sleep!

After saying all of that, let me give you a quick update on my kids:

Claire: She is growing so fast...growing more beautiful every day. She has her first little tooth barely poking through now. I think more are going to come very soon. She is so close to crawling. She is definitely "scooting" and even trying to pull up some. Her hair is getting longer, too, but she's still pretty bald. What hair she does have is quite blonde!

Will: A mess, as always! (I say that in the MOST loving way possible!) He is just doing really well. He's still thisclose to being fully potty-trained, but we just can't seem to get over that one little hump. He is growing, too; I can tell by how his clothes are fitting. I look at the two-year-old pictures we had done almost a year ago and I think, "wow, he looks so small!" This kid is so smart...almost too smart for his own good. I think that's why we have trouble with him sometimes. Everything is a negotiation. I mean, everything. It can be quite comical sometimes. I just love him to pieces!

Thanks for reading this novelette. Love you all and I'll try to catch up with you, too!

Nana Comes to Town

2008-02-25T12:49:00.003-06:00

My mom was able to come for a couple of days this weekend. We had a very windy trip to the park and just an all-around good time :) Thanks for coming to visit, Nana!

Sunday Afternoon Photo Shoot

2008-02-25T12:38:00.002-06:00

Please Pray

2008-02-18T09:33:00.005-06:00

I got the above picture from Foxnews.com (they have more good pictures of the smoke). This is what the the cloud looked like just a few minutes after the blast.

These two pictures are from our front yard, about 9:30 am.

At about 8:15 this morning, my house literally shook. I was still in my bed (I'm sick today) and I bolted up thinking my house had been hit by a falling tree or a car. What happened was worse...the Alon Refinery here in Big Spring had a major explosion. We ran outside to see a huge mushroom cloud in the sky...about a mile up. For those of you who don't know, we live on the opposite side of town from the refinery. Several schools on that side of town have been evacuated due to the smoke. My plan is to leave if the smoke comes this way.

We do have several friends that work out at the refinery and as far as we know they are all okay. Since today is President's Day, a lot of people were home from work. Today was the first day off in a month for one man we know...praise God. We don't know anything yet about injuries or fatalities, but we're sure it can't be good. Please pray.

******************** UPDATE ********************

The reports coming through right now (10:30 am) are that everyone has been accounted for at the refinery. There have been three injuries within the refinery and one injury suffered by a passer-by on I-20. Hopefully that is it. The fire is under control and supposedly the smoke does not pose a threat to the community.

I Survived...Barely

2008-02-16T10:52:00.003-06:00

Another Valentine's Day has come and gone...yea!!!!!!!!!! This year was no different...it was still very stressful and frustrating, but we made it. We had a few hang ups, such as on Tuesday afternoon, the car rental company that we were going to rent two vans from called and said they had no vehicles to rent us. So, after a few moments of panic and freaking-out, we were able to find some vehicles to use. Then, on the very day of Valentine's, one of our extra drivers quit in the middle of a delivery run (we put two people in a van, one to drive and one to "hop"); he asked his partner to pull over and let him out because it was just "too stressful." Wow. And yes, we did have some guys show up after we had locked the doors begging us for flowers. It happens every year.

I said I survived (barely) because now I seem to be getting sick! My throat is all cruddy. I guess my body just let me be well enough to get me through V-Day. Oh, and if you were wondering what Claire did during all this chaos, I will ease your mind. She stayed with some very good friends of ours and had a nice relaxing time.

Other news:
Claire's first tooth still has not poked through. What's up with that?
Will is doing well in his new school.
Scott is knee-deep in papers and such for school.
Because we have been ultra-busy, sick, and way too tired, our Christmas tree (naked, mind you) is still standing in our front room. We are going to try to get it down TODAY.
Thanks for your prayers and thoughts for me while I was in the melee of Valentine's. I appreciate it!

What's Been Going On

2008-02-03T23:44:00.000-06:00

Will went to Children's Day Out for the last time on Wednesday.
He is starting a new school this Monday (tomorrow) which is every day. He'll only go from nine to three, though.
I am going to start working every day at the flower shop.
Claire's first tooth is about to break on through to the other side.
Will has now been passy-free for one whole week and a day. He has asked for it several times, but we've been strong :) I don't recall him asking for it at all yesterday or today, so that is wonderful!
Last Tuesday was the one year anniversary of my brother-in-law Bryan's death. Please remember my mother-in-law LaDon and my niece, Rebecca in your prayers.
This past week, two of my friends lost their mothers--both after long, tough battles with illness. Please keep Chelsey and Carrie in your thoughts and prayers.

Put the Passy in the Trash-y

2008-01-28T12:00:00.000-06:00

I'm a little afraid to post about this because I could jinx the whole thing, but Will has been pacifier-free for about 36 hours (give or take). We decided to try an incentive to get him to give up the pacifier. We've been reading a book for a couple of months now called "Pacifiers are not Forever," and talking about how we'll need to throw it away soon.

On Saturday I went to Toys R Us and bought him something I knew he really wanted...Mack the truck from the movie "Cars." His cousin Cade has this truck and he fell in love with it when we visited with Cade this summer. It's very fancy; you open it up and it has all this stuff for Lightning McQueen--a bathroom, weight room, refrigerator...yeah, pretty crazy. Anyway, I wasn't going to show it to him until later but he found it on Saturday night. I told him that we would open it when he decided to throw his pacifiers away. At first he was all for it, but I knew he would want to get them right back out of the trash. So we discussed (several times) that once the pacifiers go in the trash, we don't get them back out. The trash-man will come and take them to the dump and they'll be gone forever. So, he then said, "I will tell the trash-man that I need it." So we had to discuss further that it doesn't quite work that way.

Anyway, he really wanted to open Mack, so he threw his pacifiers in the trash. That night, he went to bed really well and didn't even mention his pacifier. He didn't even wake up in the night asking for it. Then yesterday afternoon he did ask for it and we just went through it all again and I told him they were gone. Same thing happened last night. But, we've stood firm, which is what we have to do and haven't given in. We couldn't even if we wanted to, though, since he threw all the passies away and I refuse to buy more! So, REJOICE with me everyone and say a little prayer for Will as he has lost a good friend. But, it's a very good thing and we are so very proud of our growing boy!

New Me

2008-01-24T14:34:00.000-06:00

I feel like a new woman. I have new glasses and a new hair color. I used to have my hair highlighted all the time in high schoool and college. So often, in fact, that my own aunt thought it was natural. Well, since I've stareted having kids, I've let my hair go and it's become totally brown...and not the prettiest of browns, either. So, I am now a blonde once more!! Hooray! And my husband can start saying his favorite answer to "how do you like your coffee?" again--"Blonde and sweet, just like I like my women." Ha :)

Here I am before the color:

And after:

And with my new specs:

Splish Splash, I Was Taking a Bath

2008-01-19T11:41:00.000-06:00

Will and Claire took a bath together for the first time last night. It will also probably be the last time for quite a while, just because of the sheer volume that was created in that short time frame. My ears are still ringing. All they did was shriek at each other. Albeit, it was happy, laughing shrieking, but it was still shrieking nonetheless. They had a great time, though. The picture below captures it perfectly:

Will also got a pretty major goose-egg on his forehead yesterday while running through the house and not looking where he was going. OUCH!!

Fun with Laundry Baskets

2008-01-19T11:36:00.000-06:00

Bow-dacious Blooms

2008-01-19T11:23:00.000-06:00

Thanks, Melanie, for these awesome blooms! We love them.

No News...

2008-01-14T13:33:00.000-06:00

...equals good news. Nothing interesting is happening with us lately...sorry for no postings, guys! We are just living :) Scott starts back to school tomorrow. Unfortunately his first class it at 8:00 AM, so that should be interesting seeing as Scott is not a morning person! He has to leave here by 6:00 to get there on time...wow!

For me, the newest thing going on is that I am getting new glasses. Woo hoo! My prescription has actually improved which explains the headaches I've been getting with my current prescription. I have been wearing my glasses a lot more now that I'm home with my kids three days a week. So, hopefully by this time next week, my glasses will be in and they will look fabulous! (Yes, because I have such horrible vision, they actually have to send off for my lenses and can't just make them in an hour).

The kids are doing great...Claire is six months old as of last week and she is doing fabulous. She is sitting up on her own quite well and eating more an more solid foods. She really likes sweet potatoes and pears. She's been such a good baby...we are so very blessed. She is still waking two or three times at night and we're really working on that; it's been a battle. Other than that, I can't complain.

Will is just hilarious. He cracks us up. Last night he bowled for the first time using the bowling ball slide (I don't know how else to describe it). He loved it and even scored about a 75. It was fun. He still has not decided to fully convert to the potty, but we're working on that, too. My goal is to get him completely potty trained by his birthday. So we now have four months before our time is up!

I don't really have anything else to report right now. I will try to take some pictures and get them up soon...

Well!

2008-01-03T13:18:00.000-06:00

Yea, we are well again! Hopefully for a long time, too. That was the sickest I had been in quite some time. Now that we are well, we have the wonderful tasks of finding our house again under all the clutter and then taking down Christmas decorations. That's always such a bummer. I enjoy having them up so much! Oh well, we got to enjoy them a little longer this year since we were sick :) We also have to get used to "normal" life again...going to work, school for Will, church, etc. Last night we all went to church and it was so nice just to get out of the house!

Other fun updates: as Claire approaches her 6 month birthday, she can successfully roll over and is very close to being able to sit on her own. She can sit on her own for several seconds, but she still falls over a little too much to "leave" her. I'm looking forward to her sitting up really well by herself so I can bathe the kids together, etc. Also, she is eating food really well and isn't nearly as messy as she once was :) I can actually leave her clothes on her while she eats now.

Will is just doing great, making us laugh all the time. He is enjoying his Christmas gifts...especially his cars, boots, tent, and Little Einsteins DVD. We have watched that DVD countless times. At least it's educational!

I suppose I'd better get busy on the housework now. Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers sent our way! We appreciate them!

Ringing in the New Year...

2008-01-01T18:58:00.000-06:00

...from my bed :( Scott and I have both been sick for a week now. Mine started on Christmas evening with a tickle in the back of my throat. By Thursday morning it was a full-blown throat infection. I also have an ear infection. I went to the doctor on Thursday (not my normal one, because of course, she is out of town!), got anti-biotics, ear drops, and a shot. He told me I would be feeling a little better by that afternoon and to call him on Friday. I called on Friday and said, "I feel worse! And now my husband is sick, too." So we both went in on Friday. Scott got anti-biotics and I got another shot. (Oh by the way, Scott has a viral and bacterial infection in his eye. He went to the eye doctor on Thursday for that). By Friday evening, Scott was in bed like me with fever and chills. So, now we both feel like utter muck and have two children to care for. We called a mother of one of our youth group members and asked if she could take Will for the evening. As the night wore on, we knew we were in no condition to keep up with him. Our friends offered to keep him for the night and we gratefully accepted. Saturday morning came and we had no improvement. Will ended up staying with our friends until MONDAY morning. They are so wonderful and we are very very grateful. Neither Scott nor I feel 100% better yet. In fact, we both still feel pretty crummy. But we are hopefully on the upswing. And our regular doc will be back in the office tomorrow :) I am so ready to get out of the prison of my house and wear clothes other than pajamas!! Happy New Year, everyone!

Christmas Morning

2007-12-26T16:26:00.000-06:00

Christmas has come and gone, but I wanted to share some photos from Christmas morning. We were very blessed with an abundance of gifts from family and friends. My mom and dad were able to come and spend the few days leading up to Christmas and that morning with us. Sadly, my brother who works in Austin at a retail store was not able to join us, but Mom and Dad went home by way of his house. Will was sick again, and not in the best of moods, so it was interesting, but I think he still really enjoyed his Christmas. Claire enjoyed hers as well. After weeks of being around sick people, I've finally caught the bug, so hopefully I'll be feeling better soon, too. And how could I forget...a major milestone occurred last Saturday...Scott turned 30!! Happy birthday to him! We made a cake and had balloons...fun for the whole family :) On with the pictures!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-23T23:43:00.000-06:00

This video is awesome...Merry Christmas everyone :)

Scott's Family's Visit

2007-12-18T14:21:00.000-06:00

We were excited to have Scott's parents and grandmother here for a few days last week. Unfortunately, his mom started feeling bad, so they had to leave a little sooner than first expected. But they still had a good time, especially playing with the kids. Here are a few pictures from their visit.

Will's Christmas Program & Party

2007-12-18T14:12:00.001-06:00

Will's Christmas program and party were on Friday. The picture from the program is dark because we were pretty far away, but you can see him...the only way he'd get up there was if he had his lion and pacifier, so there he is! He did well, though and although he didn't sing, he did let out a very loud and long, "yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!" after Jingle Bells. Even though we weren't really trying to hide from him, he didn't see us, so he didn't freak out or anything. Good!
We love the last picture of him. We asked to borrow the reindeer antlers so we could take his picture with them on and they let us. We told him to say cheese and this is what we came out with! As Scott said, "that's a blackmail picture!"

More Christmassy Stuff

2007-12-10T11:53:00.000-06:00

O Tannenbaum

2007-12-10T11:26:00.000-06:00

Mini trees!

Five Months & Lights

2007-12-08T22:23:00.000-06:00

Claire is five months old today!! Wow, how time flies! Last week we started her on rice cereal. So far she loves it, but she is quite the messy eater. I have just forgone the bibs and now feed her whilst she is only wearing a diaper. Then, it's straight in the tub! Below are a couple of pictures from tonight's seriously messy feeding session!

Laughing girl!

And now, some pictures of our outside Christmas lights that Scott so graciously (and masterfully) put up for us!

The tree through the window

Hark, Hear the Bells...

2007-12-02T16:28:00.000-06:00

...sweet silver bells, all seem to say, throw cares away...Christmas is here!

I finally got both my trees up and completed! Now all I have to do is the kids' trees and the outside lights (I think). Then, I have to speed clean my house because I'm hosting a Christmas party in ONE week! Ahh!

But, to be festive, I thought I would share a few pics of my trees and a few of the fam. As I mentioned in my last post, my parents gave me my present early--a fancy new digital camera, so we've been having fun playing with the different settings. My favorites for the trees are "candlelight" and "night scenery." Scott's a better photographer than me as he takes the time to actually read the manual and try stuff out :) But, I digress. Here ya go:

The den tree--my traditional one. I also have one in that little corner. Yes, I am one of those people (You know, those that have a tree in almost every room). Sorry, I got it from my mom; but I really think she learned it from our old next door neighbor, Ruth Ann, so we'll blame her!

The front living room tree. It's my "elegant" one.

(Above & below: Some of Scott's fancy photography.)

In Pottery Barn's Christmas catalog they featured a family tree with framed photos on it. I thouhgt that was pretty neat, so I tried to copy!

And how could I forget...I took the kids to the parade last night. Below, Will is pointing at something...not sure what!

Claire Bear at her first parade

One of the many floats

Also, I have been tagged yet again by Kelly, but this is a special Christmas edition. I think I did it last year, but hey, it's the holidays. let's do it again!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I prefer wrapping paper at Christmas-time for some reason. Of course, if a gift is impossible to wrap and would go better in a bag...by all means, I use the bag.

2. Real tree or artificial? I love the way real trees smell (love walking by the tree lots!) but artificial is so much more practical for me.

3. When do you put up the tree? Anytime after Halloween is fair game for me. Since I have so much to do and two little rugrats, the sooner the better. They might be up and naked for a coupld of weeks before I can get to them!

4. When do you take the tree down? After New Year's

5. Do you like eggnog? Nope. Scott does, though.

6. What about fruit cake? Again, nope!

7. Favorite gift recieved as a child? One Christmas I got everything Barbie...the house, the car, clothes, and of course, several of the dolls. My poor aunt got the job of putting it all together and sticking all the stickers on. Thanks, Aunt Shirley. I still remember. What a great day!

8. Do you have a nativity scene? No

9. Hardest person to buy for? grandparents and in-laws; and Claire, because she's a baby and doesn't need anything!

10. Easiest person to buy for? Will (I want to get him so many things!)

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever recieved?

12. Mail or Email cards? I definitely prefer snail mail, but this year, I think the cards ain't happnin'. We just have too much going on. So maybe email would be a good alternative to nothing!

13. Favorite Christmas movie? I have so many...it's time to start watching! White Christmas, Home Alone, A Christmas Story, It's a Wonderful Life

14. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually around October or November...as soon as it occurs to me that I need to start!

15. Have you ever recycled a Christmas gift? Yes.

16. What is your favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Ham, my grandma's sweet potato casserole, pumpkin pie, candied pecans, pecan pie, hot chocolate

17. Clear or colored lights on the tree? Clear!

18. Travel for Christmas or stay at home? I prefer to stay at home, but we end up traveling a lot to be with family.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, & Rudolph

20. Angel or star on top of the tree? Star

21. Favorite Christmas song? religious--O Holy Night; secular--Winter Wonderland

22. Open the presents on Christmas Eve or morning? Usually Christmas morning, but sometimes we open one on Christmas Eve.

23. What is the one gift you really want this year? An iPod stand alone player. I already got the digital camera I also really wanted.

24. What is the most annoying thing about this time of year? The crazy holiday shoppers. And things like going to Midland to get more ribbon from Hobby Lobby only to find out that Hobby Lobby is completely sold out of ribbon.

25. What I love most about Christmas? I love the joy and fun of it. I love the special, warm, fuzzy feelings that are so prevalent. I love giving gifts and seeing people open them. It's just a warm, cozy, wonderful, sweet time of year!

I've Been Tagged!

2007-11-29T21:52:00.000-06:00

I was tagged by my pal Beth!

1. Name: Princess Consuela Bananahammock. Just kiddin'--Lauren :)

2. Birthday: May 27, 1979

3. Birthplace: Houston, Texas

4. Eye Color: green

5. Hair Color: light brown

6. Height: 5'7"

7. Ethnicity: Anglo

8. Weakness: purses, shoes, jewelry...the normal girly things

9. Most missed memory: childhood!

10. Thoughts first waking up: "Noooooooo!"

11. Last time you cried: I can't remember, but I'm sure it was ridiculous.

12. Song title that currently says how you feel: "I Can't Fight this Feeling Anymore"...I'm tired!

13. What is the perfect day for you: Spending the day with my family...either just relaxing or doing something fun and adventurous

14. Ever been asked for an autograph? Not that I can recall

15. How do you vent anger? I like to be alone with my anger.

16. Who do you talk to most on the phone? I'm not really a phone-talker, but my mom and friend Harmony both are, so they are really the only ones I talk to

17. As a kid, were you a lego builder? Oh yes, I loved the Legos. However I think they really belonged to Kendall.

18. Do you chew on your straws? Yep. It annoys Scott, too.

19. Do you sing in the shower? Depends on how awake I am and what's on the radio.

20. Who's the last person you stayed up late talking to on the phone to? My mom...she's the only one who calls me at night.

21. The last place you went to in a plane? Houston

22. Do you cry at weddings? Sometimes, if there is a super-sweet moment that really grabs me.

23. Are you afraid of the dark? Nah.

24. What are you addicted to? Lots of things...Diet Coke, my TV shows (Chuck, Heroes, The Office, 30 Rock), hugging and kissing my kiddos, Nestle Drumsticks

25. Crunchy or creamy peanut butter? creamy

26. Who do you fight with the most? I guess I would have to say Scott, just because he's the one person who is always around and knows me the best. Sometimes life just gets stressful and we take it out on each other because we are the people closest to one another. We don't really fight a lot, but when I do "fight," it's with him.

27. Who can you tell anything to? Scott; and pretty much all my best girlfriends--Jen, Chelsey, Harmony, Abby, Beth, Kara, and Carrie

28. Do you recycle? No, but I want to. I just recently found out that the Big Spring State Hospital has a recycling center. So, I need to find out more about that. And I bought one of those permanent Wal-Mart shopping bags.

29. Who makes you laugh the most? Hard to say, because I know so many funny people. But again, since Scott is the person I see the most, I'd have to say him. We have a lot of inside jokes. Also, Will. The kid is hilarious.

30. What is the worst feeling ever? Seeing your kids sick and knowing there's really nothing you can do about it. Also, worrying that you might come home to dog-sicles.

31. How many pillows do you sleep with? just one

32. How many rings before you answer your phone? I try to answer it as soon as I can, because it usually only rings when my kids are asleep.

33. How many times do you press the "snooze" button? As many times as I can get away with.

34. How do you sleep? Sporadically...ha! If this is referring to position, I try to start out on my back or sides but I wake up on my stomach a lot.

35. Last time you laughed: probably sometime today, but I just have a really bad memory.

36. Ever looked at someone ugly and said "EWWW"? No, I think my reaction is usually sympathetic in nature.3

7. What is your favorite color? Red, but I really love green, purple, brown and pink, too.

38. What is your favorite state? I'd have to say Texas for the people, but Colorado and Florida for vacations!

Now I get to tag...Chelsey, Terri (Mom), and Tracey!