holy jellybeans

...That is what my sons are saying this morning, "Holy Jellybeans! Look at the snow!" "Holy camoly! Look at the trampoline covered with snow!" "Holy smokes! Look at the street!" You get the point. My kids have been watching too many superhero shows, I guess. But I love their excitement!

They were also excited to find out that school had been cancelled. It is funny, last night before any of this started, they were cancelling things. I remember when I was in school, you had to wait until the snow was actually falling to cancel anything. Don't get me wrong--I was hoping they would cancel. Two hours of school is not worth driving back and forth in ice and snow.

So hopefully, this afternoon, we will get to go out and play. I don't know how long the snow will last, but I hope at least a day. I will try to get some pictures.

If the weather is bad in your neck of the woods, stay safe!

ahh, memories

...I uploaded my pictures and discovered that I didn't take that many pictures. I guess I was too busy enjoying the moment. And, I am okay with that. Here are a few that I took of our Thanksgiving. Enjoy!

Krista is the lucky one in the middle of all the cute kids!

Good-bye time. That is why Cameron and Noah are so sad. Well, Cameron was sad because he didn't want to go to the potty, but Noah was very sad that everyone was leaving that day. Me too.

Rhett and Noah helped their Grandmom with her apple coffee cake. This was before everyone else got there. I think they had fun. They also helped their Great Gran make rolls. That kept them busy for a while! Who knew dough was so much fun?

storm's coming!

...So it looks like today will be the last 70 degree day for awhile. A cold front is blowing in tomorrow and it might even snow! I bought the boys some snow boots which means it won't, but that is okay. Be prepared.

I actually like snow. I don't like to drive in it but it makes things so beautiful and it is so fun to play in. Last year, it snowed on Rhett's birthday and we spent the whole morning outside building snowmen and having snowball fights. In Midland, the snow lasted all of the morning and then melted away, but hopefully here, it will last longer.

Some of my favorite memories are of Casey and me going outside in the snow to play. Mom would make us wear bread bags over our shoes to keep our feet dry. We would get our overalls on and get all bundled up and then out the door we would go to make fresh footprints in the snow. What fun.

I still haven't uploaded my pictures. Maybe tomorrow....

Off to tend to my mad child. Any guesses of who it is? :)

a little recap

...for you. The Thanksgiving holiday was so much fun. We had 7 little ones running around, jumping on the "jump-o-lene" as my niece Isabel called it, playing video games, opening Christmas presents and celebrating their birthdays. I loved getting to spend time with my family and was pretty sad yesterday when everyone had to leave. It just went by too fast.

Some highlights:

Downtown in December: Oklahoma City's Bricktown had a Christmas tree lighting ceremony with fireworks. That was pretty neat by itself but we also all went for ice cream and for a boat ride around the river. I loved that Rhett and Nicolas kept asking questions on the boat. I loved that Cameron was so excited to be on the boat. I loved that Isabel thought that she would get to see dolphins on the boat.

The weather: It was so beautiful. Not cold at all. We had our pictures made by a friend of a friend (and now a new friend of mine) outside at a park and I think she got some good ones. The ones she posted at her blog were good anyway. I am excited to see the rest. I know it was really difficult to shoot 16 people--7 of them being impatient children--so thank you Kim for this! It means so much to me and my family! Anyway, after the pictures, we enjoyed the park for awhile and took a little stroll on the hiking path. I love those kids!

The jump-o-lene/trampolene: The kids spent most of their time outdoors on this thing. They loved it! I think this was one of the best things we have ever gotten for our kids. The trampolene helped us bond with Phoebe, who wasn't too sure of all of us. It was so funny to see them interact with each other on it. Cameron and Isabel just loved getting on and off of it. The bigger boys played rough on it, even tackling Grandmom, which made Isabel cry. Mallory loved jumping on it with me or her mom.

Late night talks: We were wiped out most of the time but I am so glad that we stayed up to talk and catch up. My sisters and brothers (including Chris) are so interesting to me and they mean the world to me!

I will post some pictures soon. But for now, I am going to finish decorating for Christmas. It is raining right now, so I can't finish the trees outside, but that gives me a chance to clean up in the house....

Have a great day!

gobble, gobble

...This will be my last post for this week. Family starts coming today and I am so excited. Krista, see you tomorrow. I love getting to say that!!! Absolutely!

I hope everyone has a fun, fabulous Thanksgiving. I will be surrounded by my loved ones, good food, and I know we are so thankful for that. Remember to be thankful for what you have.

Oh, and one more thing on my thankful list. I am thankful for...

YOU. My blog reader. You could be my faithful friend, an occassional reader, one of my lovely family members, someone I don't know or someone I know very well. Whoever you are, I am thankful that you make time to stop by and read this thing. I love blogging. It has brought me closer to friends and family and has made me record events that would otherwise be forgotten. So, thank you. Have a great, great holiday!

a little conversation

...This morning Noah came into my room. I haven't shared a conversation with one of the boys in awhile, so here it is:

N: Will you scoot over, Mom?
(I look at the clock 7:13 am. It is okay. I need to be awake anyway).
N: Thank you!
silence for 8, 9, 10...
N: Mom, what are cheeks for?
me: Uhh, for holding your food in your mouth.
N: Ohhh. That's what they are for. I LOVE cheeks.
...
N: What are tummys for?
me: For holding your food inside your body. (Can you tell I was hungry?)
N: What are these for? (pointing to chin)
me: A Chin? So you can open and close your mouth. (have you ever tried to explain why your body has parts to an almost 4 year old? It is hard).
N: Ohhh. So if you didn't have a chin your mouth would just do this. (holding mouth open)
me: Yes.
N: Look. This is my Little Dog. See it has my name---Noah Houston (on the tag)
me: Yeah.
N: How do you spell Noah's dogs?
me: N-O-A-H-'-S D-O-G-S
N: What is a chee?
me: G!
N: Ohh. I get it. A G!
me: Yes.
N: Look. Rufus is a hairy dog. You can sleep with Rufus.
(hands me Rufus)
N: Joker's hair is spiky. He could poke Rufus with his hair....I wish Rufus was hard. Like a robot.
N: Mom?
me: Yes Noah?
N: I wish Rufus was a robot dog.
me: Ok. I am going to go to the bathroom.
N: If he was a robot dog, he would be hard and bark and move.
N: (a little louder now) Can I have a robot dog for my birthday? I want a big one!
...
N: MOM! Did you hear me?
A: Noah! I am in the bathroom!
N: Okay. Okay. I just wanted you to know about my robot dog.


I am thankful for the random minds of my children. I love that they can jump from one thing to another. I am thankful that they are so curious, although I wish I could come up with better answers. But how do you explain to a little child where water comes from? They don't understand elements. The first time Rhett asked me where water comes from, I said it came from the ground. (I was using the hose at the time). No, he said, where does it come from? Totally stumped. Then the 2nd time they asked I remembered (Ok, Seth reminded me) H2O. So I told them. Huh? Yeah, exactly. I am thankful for my kids. They keep me on my toes, they keep me laughing, they keep me on the move, and they always remind me how much I've got in this life. I am thankful that in less than 4 days, I will have my nephews and nieces here and we'll have 7 kids making us laugh and feel blessed. Thank God for kids.

_______________________________________

We are going to see Happy Feet today. The boys were so good yesterday while I cleaned the house, so this is their little reward. I'll let you know how it is. But I know it will be cute. I love penguins.

Happy Birthday Mom!

...So, my mom turns 30 tomorrow! At least, that is what Rhett thinks and I am too good of a daughter to tell otherwise! :) I do have to say my mom does not look her age at all and that is good for her daughters. Hopefully, we got her genes.

My mom is someone I am very thankful for. I have many reasons why so I'll just write a list. Can you tell that I like lists?

1. She is a fantastic grandmom.
2. She helped me realize that you never stop being a mom--no matter how old your kids are.
3. She is always there for her kids and her grandkids.
4. She is a wonderful role model.
5. She has great taste.
6. Her love of Broadway musicals, The Beatles, and great musical movies.
7. She always makes her pies from scratch. And there truly is a difference.
8. She always made us a home-cooked meal--even after a full day of teaching. I never realized how special that was until I became a mom.
9. She is beautiful, inside and out.
10. She is an awesome teacher.
11. She believes in us.
12. She dragged us out of bed at 3 am in the morning to see (or not see) Haley's Comet. It was cold and we could not see a thing, but the point is she and dad made us try.
13. She passed on her love of books to her children.
14. She let us get real Christmas trees for many years. I love that smell.
15. She took pictures of us every year on the first day of school.
16. She made Casey and me two different cakes for our birthdays. That was a big deal. She could have just fixed one. But she made two.
17. I only heard her curse once. But when she did, it made me love her more. Why? Because I was a teenager and thought it was cool. :)
18. She is creative.
19. She has played the organ for the church for as long as I can remember. I don't even think she gets paid for it anymore, but she just does it. She taught me to do things for others and do right by God.
20. Because she is my mom. And because of her, I strive to be the best mom I can be. I love you Mom!

Have a wonderful birthday!!!!

days like this

...are good just to stay under your covers, not go out at all. Unfortunately, we had to get up, go to work (Seth), get on the bus for school (Rhett), drive Noah to school (me), and be carried into school because it was so windy and cold that we had to hurry (Noah). Yes, Noah got off easy. The wind is terrible--we had to make sure everything was secure outside last night and thank goodness we did because our trampoline would have blown away by now.

It is hard to be thankful for days like this, because I don't like the wind. It makes my head hurt, my hair messy and my bones cold. But I guess it is days like this that make you appreciate the comfort of your home, the warmth of your bed, the roof over your head. It makes you appreciate all those things you have that keep you safe and dry and warm. Others aren't so lucky.

Here's hoping you are safe and warm today. And here's hoping we don't blow away...

all about books

...I checked out Krista's blog and she had answered a book quiz and suggested that we, her readers, answered it too on our blog. So, that is what I am going to do. And I will sneak in my #8 for my thankful list too. :)

1. A book that changed your life.
Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself by Judy Blume. I think this was one of the first "big" books that I read and I absolutely loved it. Sally was imaginative, like me, and a dreamer, like me and I was instantly drawn to her. My real love of books began with this book. It had humor, drama and real-life history mixed in to make a great story. Wow.

2. A book you've read more than once.
Like my sister, I love re-reading books. I love re-reading biographies: Michael J. Fox, Nelly Connolly's, ect. and also great classics like To Kill a Mockingbird.
I re-read the Harry Potter collection every time a new one comes out.

3. A book you'd want on a desert island.
I think I'd want 3--The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. It takes me awhile to get through it, but I could read those three books over and over again. Classic good vs. evil.

4. A book that made you giddy.
Ummm, I really don't know. Maybe Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man because it was so hilarious and I just fell in love with Daisy Fay. And also, while I was reading it, I came across a passage that I had read in high school in my Prose competitions in Speech and I was so excited to read that again.

5. A book that you wish would be written.
A book that would never end. I don't like when the books I read end. It makes me sad.

6. A book that wracked you with sobs.
I don't know if a book has ever wracked me with sobs, but I know Where the Red Fern Grows came pretty close. Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco made my kids wonder what was wrong with me because I was crying so hard, I couldn't see the words. The Velveteen Rabbit is also a touching story. And that leads me to what I am thankful for:
#8. Good, ole Rufus. My mom and Christy may be the only people that remember Rufus so let me explain. He was a small, stuffed sheepdog. He had long, soft hair that covered his eyes and he wasn't stuffed very full, so he was pretty floppy. I think I got him in Jr. High, almost too old to play with stuffed animals, but I saw him and instantly loved him and told mom I wanted him for my birthday. So she gave him to me. Years after sleeping next to me, he was stuffed in the attic, along with my other childhood toys. The other day, I was cleaning out some things and I found this huge bag of stuffed toys. I went through them, wondering if I could wash some of them and let the boys have them. And who did I find? Rufus. He looked a little crumpled, but I gave him a good wash and dry and he came out good as new. I presented him to the boys and said to take good care of him. Now Rhett sleeps with him. He makes me give Rufus a kiss every night. And I love it. Absolutely love it!

7. A book you wish had never been written.
This is hard. I wish I had never read A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry because it was so sorrowful and disturbing that I could not go to sleep right away for weeks afterward, but to say I wish it had never been written would be wrong because things like those in the book really happen. Which is terribly sad.

8. A book you are currently reading.
Honestly, I have been reading cookbooks. And that is it. I am getting ready for Thanksgiving! :)

9. A book you've been meaning to read.
Look at Krista's blog. Every one that made her list, I am going to have to check out!

Now, it's your turn! What are some books you love?

brothers and sisters

...I have a new favorite show: Brothers and Sisters. It is really a great show about family. I love that no matter what the problem, they always are there for each other. They make each other mad, even crazy sometimes, but they love one another fiercely! It reminds me of my family. We have been through some stuff, as every family I am sure, these past few years and I think it has only made our relationships stronger. And it has made me very thankful for

7. my big family

I have always been a fan of big families. My grandfather has 5 brothers and sisters (all still living--my family has great genes) and I loved the times when all of them, with their children and grandchildren, got together. Now I love when we all get together with our children. 7 little ones running around is so much fun! And total chaos but that is okay. I love that we are not perfect, that we have problems, because that makes us normal and strong. I love that we are there for each other. I love that we have kids around the same age. I love that we can laugh and have a great time but also know when to hug and cry. I am always so excited to see them and always so sad to see them go. Yesterday, I was sad because I knew on Sunday in 2 weeks, my family would be leaving my house. (Isn't that funny? They haven't even come yet and I am already sad that they will be leaving!)

Families come in all shapes and sizes and they are always changing. But, just remember, as Rachael Ray said, "Families who eat together, stay together!" :)

show and tell

...I took a break yesterday from doing what I was supposed to be doing and we did something that was a whole lot of fun. We made Christmas trees!







I saw the idea for the paper trees in Creating Keepsakes and had to make my own. The boys helped with the glitter and cutting the strips. The beaded tree took a little more time, but it turned out pretty too. I really went tree crazy because I also am making trees with fall colors. I just had too much fun.

#6 on my Thankful List is:
*Goof-off Days
I really could have waited to do these trees until December. Especially since Thnaksgiving is a mere two weeks away and my house is a complete mess and I need to do some things to get ready for my family coming, but it was one of those days. You know the days when you feel like you are in a rut and just can't bear to do one more load of laundry or pick up one more toy? That was me yesterday. So when Rhett came in wanting to do a craft, I jumped up and said, "Let's go to Hobby Lobby!"

I love goof-off days.

that's life

...We all know life is hard. Sometimes we feel life is harder than it has to be, than it should be. But, then again, there are no guarantees from God that life will be easy.

These past two weeks, I have had my eyes opened about difficulties other people in my life are facing. Whether it be about health, jobs, big decisions, or waiting for prayers to be answered, these things are making their lives hard. Like I said before, God never said life would be easy. But He did say he would love us. And that's what I am going to be thankful for today.

6. God's love
It is a simple thought: God loves me. But it has profound meaning and it can get me through some tough times. And it is the only thing I can think of to say to all those who are going through rough times right now.

God loves you. He loves you for who you are, he loves you no matter what, he loves you all day long, he loves you during easy times and difficult times. And that love will never go away.

Thank heavens for that.
____________________________________

I forgot to mention that Tuesday was my brother-in-law's birthday! (I know, Miss I-Love-Birthdays forgot to give a shout-out to Scott!) Anyway, Happy Birthday Scott! I can always count on you to make my husband laugh and for that, I sincerely thank you.

like a good neighbor

...The fifth thing on my thankful list is something I am so excited about. When we lived in Midland, we didn't have this. Now, here, we do and I am so thankful

5. For good neighbors
Our neighbors have welcomed us with open arms, have been friendly toward us, they have helped us become familar with Edmond and they actually act like they mean all of this. I realize (now after not having them) that good neighbors are hard to find. Living in the country growing up, I had one neighbor--my grandparents and they were supposed to love us. It is so nice to be able to be able to trust your neighbors with things such as babysitting your kids, watching our house while we are away for the weekend, sending your kids to play with their kids and not worry. And all of this good neighborly stuff makes me want to be a good neighbor back. It makes it easy to be a good neighbor. This is one reason I love Edmond so much: My neighborhood.

I feel lucky.

all about the boy

...We have a neighbor boy, around 9 years of age, that waits at the bus stop with Rhett and some others. Rhett thinks he is totally cool and always follows him around and tries talking to him. I say "tries" because this boy totally ignores Rhett. He has two younger brothers and I guess he thinks Rhett is just like them, I am not sure. But it doesn't faze Rhett. No sir. My #4 thing that I am thankful for is:

4. Rhett's attitude toward people
Rhett is such a pleaser and just loves to be friends with others. It doesn't bother him at all that this kid does not pay him the time of day. He just smiles and goes right on talking to him. I want to scream, "Hey, you, what is wrong with you? Rhett is a good kid! Don't you hurt him!!" but then I look at Rhett and am so proud of him. He still likes the neighbor, still wants to be around him and is still so happy. And I know in my heart that he would never do that to others. He is a protector. Yesterday, we went to church with their grandparents and they asked for guests to come up and Rhett, who is so shy in front of large groups of people, put his arm around his little brother (who totally isn't shy at all) and they made their way up to the front together. He is such a good friend to Noah and an awesome brother. Yes, he does do annoying older brother things sometimes, but for the most part, he is so loving and caring. I am so proud of who is becoming.

tgif

...Of course, I have to be thankful

3. It's Friday!

Today, Rhett doesn't have school because of parent-teacher conferences. So I told them both last night, "Ok, tomorrow you can sleep in! You don't have to get up at the crack of dawn!"(time change is never a good thing around here. Do the boys know the time changed? No. Do they realize that now they are getting up a full hour earlier than they used to? No.) Well, that didn't work. But that is okay. They are in good moods and I am about to go make pancakes for them. It will be a good day. The sun is shining, we are going to see the grandparents this weekend, we are going to spend time being a family and enjoying each other, we are going to make a turkey for Noah's school together and it will be a great weekend.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend too!

cowboy up!

I have my issues with Wal-mart. A lot of issues. It is always crowded, I can never find everything I am looking for, and its ethics are sometimes lacking, to name a few. But I have to give credit where credit is due. Because of Wal-mart, I have my #2 thing I am thankful for:

2. Cowboys boots.



My son is deliriously happy today because yesterday he got cowboy boots. This is something he has wanted for a very long time and I was really going to wait until Christmas, because they are expensive. But the other day, I found that Wal-mart has them for $15. That is great! That means we don't have to shell out some bucks for him to try boots and decide he doesn't like them. Or only wear them for a month before he outgrows them (his feet grow like weeds!) He hasn't taken them off since yesterday. He wore them with a pair of carpenter jeans today. It looked a little silly but I didn't say anything. I just went out and bought him some boot-cut jeans, told them to try those and really buttered him up--"Now, those are cowboy jeans! You look amazing!" And he said, "Let's take a picture!" So I did. And just look at him posing for the camera. Isn't he something?

It is a little thing. But it made my son so happy. I hope that today you find something small thing that makes you happy.




BTW, here is a link to Krista's book. It is an amazing story of a woman and her family who made a fresh start in West Texas. And what is so neat is that woman happened to be my great-grandmother.

23 days

...until Thanksgiving! That means 22 more days until I see my sisters and their families! I am so excited! And because Thanksgiving is all about being thankful, I will post one thing I am thankful for each day of November. (or each time I blog). Because I really am thankful for so many things. So here's the first:

I am thankful for...
----my grandparents. Today is my grandad's birthday so I have been thinking about him and both my grandmothers a lot. I realize how lucky I am to still have living grandparents, because so many people around me do not. I realize how lucky my kids are to know their great-grandparents. I realize, now that I am older especially, how cool they are and how much they have lived through. My sister, Krista, edited a book of my Great-grandmother's diaries and I think my family is so fortunate to, one, have such a talented person to go through all those writings and actually get them into book form (thanks sis!) and two, have Grannie actually write down her history. Because now, not only do I get to read what life was like in her life, my kids and future grandkids do too. Cool. Anyway, my point is that I wish my three grandparents would do something similar. My late maternal grandfather was in the war and never really liked to talk about it but I wish that he had or at least wrote it down because wouldn't it be so cool to know his experiences? Wishing aside, I am very grateful for the time I had with him and have with my other grandparents.