this week

Nothing extremely interesting in the Barnhill house this week. I decided on a whim to repaint my guest bathroom. I have lived in this house for over 7 years and am just now getting to it! With repainting comes redecorating as well. I just got my new light fixture up today.

Matthew got his first individual color change yesterday. (His table has gotten one before for fighting over colors!) He has gotten to be best friends with one of his classmates (whose b-day party he just attended) and they are having a difficult time controlling the shear exuberance that a new friendship brings! He came home and said, "Even though I was talking in line and got a color change, you are still my one and only, ever-loving mother!" I assured him that he wouldn't think I was so "ever-loving" if this were to happen again!

The Today Show kicked off its two week stint at the Olympics today! I am an Olympics fanatic. I recently wrote how stories about animals will get me to cry every time. I am the same way with the Olympics. I just can't keep the tears in when an American wins the gold medal!

The last summer Olympics started the week that ME was born. I was so tired during the evening events that I didn't get to enjoy them as much as I usually do. The last winter Olympics I spent in the hospital with my 2 month old Thomas who developed a high fever and had to spend 3 days in the hospital running a lot of tests. Yes, our family will be glued to the TV for the next two weeks. I can't wait!

This week's recipes

I was so pleased by how many people enjoyed last week's recipe! I hope that everyone who tried the casserole enjoyed it.

I have been wracking my brain trying to decide which recipe I should follow up with. What I chose was New Years Black Eyed Peas. I chose this one because it is another family favorite that I make often, it has few ingredients, EXTREMELY EASY, and it is another double up and freeze dish. I also included a dessert.

I first ate this dish last New Year's Day. I was at one of my dearest friend's house and she made this for our family. We all went gaga over it and I have made it a ton ever since! It is what I call a "man pleasin'" recipe!

New Years Black Eyed Peas
6 strips of bacon-saute until crisp
1 onion chopped, sauteed in bacon grease
4 cans of black eyed peas
1/2 jar chunky salsa
1 package of smoked sausage sliced into desired thickness

Throw it all in a pot and heat through. That's ALL!

Serve with cornbread. I usually put a big hunk of cornbread in the bottom of a bowl and serve the black eyed peas over it. Yum! Yum!

Mary Beth cookies
The week before Mary Beth was due, Bryon had a meeting in San Antonio. This was an important meeting that he hated to miss, so he drove the boys down to my in laws for the week so I could rest the last week of my pregnancy.

I was really sad when they all left. I think it had a lot to do with hormones, but it made me sad thinking that the next time I saw the boys, they wouldn't be my only children.

I started pouring through my cookbooks trying to cook and freeze as much as I could in anticipation of ME's birth. I was thumbing through my favorite cookbook author's book when I found "Miss Mary Beth Cookies"! I figured it was a sign! I had to made them.

If I had my choice, I would always choose a chocolate chip cookies with nuts, oats, and coconut. Bryon like them plain. These are his FAVORITE cookies! So simple, but delicious.

1 C butter
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
2 eggs
3 C flour
1 t. salt
1 t. soda
2 C chocolate chips

Cream first three ingredients. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time. Mix together next 3 ingredients and pour into batter until just combined. Add chips.

Bake 350 for 8-10 minutes for tablespoon sided balls. (I usually make them bigger! ;)

Enjoy!

weekend highlights

Another weekend, come and gone! A few highlights:

*Lots of trips to Home Depot/Lowe's/Sherwin Williams/Kelly Moore. We are doing some painting and repairs on our current house.

*Lauren spent some time with us on Saturday while Josh was reffing a Dodge Ball Tournament at church. It was fun having her hang out with us.

*Boys' Night Out on Saturday night. Usually once on the weekend, the three boys go out together. Matthew and Thomas look forward to it all week. They will either go to the store, Barnes and Noble, or the movies. Saturday night, they went to see 8 Below, the new Disney movie about dogs that were stranded in freezing weather for several months. They said it was wonderful!

*I took Matthew to his best friend's birthday party on Sunday.

Matthew feels like it is the ultimate compliment to a child to root for their favorite team even though he doesn't like that team. Case in point: Matthew had a girl in his class who was hospitalized with pneumonia in December. The whole class wrote her get well cards. I saw the girl's mother over Christmas and she thanked Matthew for the "Texas Tech" card he made for her!

On the way to the party, he told me that he was going to tell Ethan "Gig 'em Aggies". He said, "I am going to whisper it, though, because I don't want anyone else hear me say it!"

*We went driving yesterday looking at houses. We are still working on the house plans to the house we are eventually going to build on our lot. The more I look, the more I change the plans, the more confused I get.

*We watched the Super Bowl over at my parents house last night. Mom made corn chowder which is one of my favorite things she makes. In the second quarter, Thomas and ME had "potty issues" which forced me to go home with them. Bryon and Matthew stayed for the game. Thomas was very disappointed that Seattle didn't win. He had a hard time keeping the tears in. My mother went to Seattle this Fall and brought back a Seattle sweatshirt and football for Thomas. Thomas adores the football and calls it "footbie". He carries it around like a stuffed animal.

*Watched Grey's Anatomy after the Super Bowl. I honestly don't know how I will wait another week for the conclusion!

The weekends come and go so quickly! I am looking forward to a great week.

Four Things

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. HEB grocery sacker/checker/photo lab worker.
2. Actress in commercial (I have been in three).
3. Local gift store employee.
4. Speech-language pathologist with a local hospital.

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. Napoleon Dynamite
2. Office Space
3. Princess Bride
4. Gone With the Wind

Four books I could read over & over:
1. Roots
2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
3. Redeeming Love
4. Gone With the Wind

Four places you have lived:
1. Tuscaloosa, AL
2. Champaign, IL
3. Abilene, TX
4. Waco, TX

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. The Office
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. Oprah
4. Criminal Minds

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. England/Scotland
2. New England
3. American West
4. Bermuda

Four web sites I visit daily:
1. Drudge Report
2. My bank account
3. My blog
4. Other blogs

Four of my favorite foods:
1. chicken fajitas
2. steak
3. chocolate chip cookies
4. wedding cake

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Cape Cod
2. In bed
3. Some place that acually has a winter
4. At a nice restaurant

This week

I can't believe it is already Friday! Here are a few highlights from my week:

*Monday, I took Thomas and ME to the museum where we met some friends. We were watching a boat float by and ME said, "Bye bye, boat!" My baby's first 2-word utterance! The speech pathologist inside of my was very proud. Since then she has also said, "Hi, Mama." and "I want cookie."

*Tuesday was of course, the Globetrotters.

*Last night, I watched the Black Ninjas increase their record to 4-0. I love watching the boys play! Matthew has a very serious game face. I can't believe what an incredibly intense child he is. Thomas enjoyed defending and dancing around the court.

*Today has been a blessedly lazy day. The weather this morning was windy, cold, and rainy. ME stayed in bed until 10:30 so I enjoyed some quiet this morning.

We will be hanging around the house this weekend. A few weekend fix up jobs around the house and Matthew's best friend from school's birthday party. Should be fun!

Comfort Chicken Casserole

Well, I had such a great response to my Snip-It Salad post, that I thought about once a week, I would write a post about some of my very favorite recipes.

I could live in the kitchen! Cooking is theraputic to me and one of my most favorite ways to show my family how much I love them. I treasure my recipe book above almost all of the items in my house! I also love to hear stories that go along with recipes.

Now, about thatComfort Chicken Casserole....

Right after Bryon and I got married, we went to visit his parents. Bryon's mother doesn't cook often, but she made lunch after church on this particular Sunday. She was trying out a new recipe for Chicken Casserole. I took one bite of it and I swear, if there had been enough, I would have gone swimming in it!

I took the recipe home, and it was a staple in my newlywed kitchen. I made this and my grandmother's spaghetti (which I will write about soon) quite a bit! It was the first meal that I made for my parents, and I have made it many times for friends who have had babies.

Once a month, I double and freeze alot of meals so I can have them on hand during the weeks. This one is in the mix quite a bit, so without further ado...

3 lbs. chicken (I either stew or slow cook a whole chicken or bone-in chicken
breasts).
1 medium onion
4 celery stalks
1 lg can chow mein noodles
1 lg can evaporated milk
2 cans cream of chicken
2 cans cream of mushroom
2 1/2 cups Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing (I ALWAYS use more!)
1 stick of butter


*Cook the chicken and either shred or cube and set aside in a large bowl.
*Saute' onion and celery until onions are translucent. Now hold it there.... Part of the "comfort" in this casserole is the smell. Nothing smells homier than sauteeing onion and celery!
*Add to bowl. Also add chow mein noodles
*In small bowl, mix the next three ingredients and add to bowl. Mix well.
*Pour into 9X13.
*Mix stuffing and butter in a saute pan. When browned a bit, put on top of casserole. Again, I always use more stuffing. This is the best part!

Bake at 350 until bubbly.

Some variations:
Almonds and/or water chesnuts are a nice addition.
My friend likes to use turkey sometime instead of chicken.
This is easily doubled and frozen.

This is great served with green beans or a salad. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Globetrotters

Tonight, we had the treat of taking the kids to see the Harlem Globetrotters. Both the boys are really in to basketball right now and they were in awe of these incredible players! It was a fun time had by all.


One of my favorite moments tonight was an indication of the new pecking order in our family. Bryon took ME to get popcorn, and when he returned, ME held the bag of popcorn and took turns shoving fistfuls of popcorn into the boys' mouths! Queen Bee, ME!

Oddly, the program was touted as family entertainment although it was still going strong at 9 o'clock on a school night when we left. A little late for my kindergartener!

Of course, Matthew is firmly convinced now that he will be a Globetrotter one day and he was happy to show off all his new "moves" when we got home. Dream big, little guy!

Why did I do it?

It is now close to midnight. I am usually in LaLa Land at 10:30 so it is really late for me! I started reading Marley and Me yesterday and couldn't put it down.

I knew what was coming. I knew it.

No best selling, self-respecting, book about a dog ends before the dog's life does. Still, I continued. Not to spoil the ending, but Marley dies. Don't worry, he was 13 and it was his time, but nothing chokes me up more than animal stories. Now I can't sleep because I have been crying. Why couldn't I have waited to finish it until tomorrow?

Book news and dogs

I started and finished Friendship Cake on Saturday. It was a cross between Mitford series, Ya-Ya Sisterhood, and Steel Magnolias. Of course, since it is a modern book, it also has a token homosexual. It isn't shoved in the readers face like it is in almost all movies and TV shows these days, but still, it is really necessary?Overall a sweet book. I would recommend it.









I am now reading Marley and Me. It is about the adventures of a dog owner and his hyperactive lab. Much of the book reminds me of the first years with our black lab, Angus. Bryon and I got him when we had been married 4 months. He was the center of our universe. He was also huge and very energetic. We figured he needed a companion, so we got him a girlfriend. Maggie was a beautiful blonde who looked like she had eye liner on. We loved both of them, but they quickly destroyed our yard.


Two months after we moved to our current house, (and seven years ago tomorrow) Bryon and I attended a wedding. When we returned home, we had a message from a man who had our dog, Maggie. We were very confused until we called this man. Apparently, Maggie and Angus had escaped our house and were returning to our old house. They made it quite a ways up a very busy street, but then tragedy struck. Maggie darted out into traffic and Angus ran after her. Angus was hit and died instantly. Maggie was shaken up but was rescued by this nice man. He cried when he told us the story.

Losing Angus was extremely hard on me. He was my "first baby" and my heart sank every time I thought of how he died. Maggie became everything to me. I even took her picture with me when I went on vacation. The day we brought Matthew home from the hospital, I looked at Maggie and realized that she wasn't a baby. She really was a dog! It got harder and harder to take care of Maggie. She was horribly frightened of ambulance sirens and when a fire house was built near our house, she howled all night long. It was hard enough getting up a lot with Matthew, but Maggie as well? I was also completely engrossed in Matthew and didn't spend near enough time with her. I know that sounds awful, but we decided it was time to find a new home for her.

We eventually gave her to a man who owned a florist in town. He had tons of acres and Maggie fit right in. It was a relief knowing that she was happy and had lots of new playmates.

I don't know when we will ever own a dog again. I know the kids will want one, and I don't want to deprive them of the experience of owning a dog, but I am not pushing it! Who needs another body to clean up after and feed and climb all over me?

Saturday mornings

Yes, Saturday mornings are sacred family time in the Barnhill house as well as most homes in the country. While I can't imagine a bad one, this morning was particularly great. A thunderstorm rolled through this morning bringing much needed rain. We haven't had this much since August! Nothing like waking up to a thunderstorm. As Beth Moore would say, "Can I get an Amen?"

As I was waking up, I smelled the wonderful combination of coffee brewing and cinnamon rolls baking in the oven. Bryon went out with the guys last night and I think he was making it up to me!

Yes, Saturday morning. There are few other two word combinations that can bring a huge smile to my face. Here are a few others:

God's grace
hot coffee
fresh cookies
filet mignon
girlfriend lunches
romantic dates
back massages
baby breath
funny movies
engrossing books
Cape Cod
snow days
norther fronts
Christmas Eve
turkey dinner
pecan pie
comfortable jeans
clean house
roaring fires
uncontrollable laughter
Alabama football
sister talks
mom talks
sleeping in
manicure/pedicure
hot baths
Children's Place
kids sports
footy pajamas
Matthew dates
Thomas dates
Mary Beth
fancy restaurants
The Office
Grey's Anatomy
new clothes
Food Network
quiet time
long drives

Nothing beats them!

Snip it salad

I am a food kick kind of gal. If something tastes good to me, I eat it over and over again. My sophomore year in college, I ate Cream of Wheat every day! Lately, I have been eating snip it salad once, if not twice, a day. My girlfriends and I made it for a friend's small, sit down dinner, baby shower last year, and I didn't make it much until December. Now, I can't wait to eat it every day!

Snip it salad
(Named this because all you have to do is snip open packages to make it)

1 bag spring mix salad greens
craisens
glazed walnuts
feta cheese (of course, I omit this one!)
raspberry viniagrette

Such a beautiful and delicious salad. I think I need another bowl!

Is this week over yet?

Ohhhh, its only Wednesday. When will the weekend get here?

Everyone is over the throw up thing. It was fast and furious. Today Matthew went back to school, Bryon went back to work, and Thomas resumed his usual routine. Mary Beth still isn't quite herself.

Being still fairly new to the whole mothering a girl thing, I am constantly amazed at the differences in boys and girls.

Case in point:

The threshold before crying for:
Matthew-Some sort of injury involving blood.
Thomas- Getting sent to his room.
ME- Because it's Wednesday. Why not cry?

Poor little thing cried all day. Don't get me wrong, she normally has a very sunny, happy disposition. Not today. I pretty much held her all day. I don't know if she still feels yuck although I doubt it. Everyone got over it really fast. Maybe its her four teeth coming in. Maybe it's just Wednesday.

Hell hath no fury like....

A stomach virus running rampant through our entire family!

In the past 36 hours I have:

*Received a call at Matthew's school that his tummy hurt.

*Woken my sleeping baby up to pick Matthew up from school.

*Held Thomas's head while he threw up after I put said baby in car.

*Picked up Matthew who played and was happy all afternoon.

*Took Matthew to piano lessons because he was feeling much better.

*Gotten a call that Matthew threw up at lessons all over the piano at Baylor and the new clothes that I had just cut the tags on.

*Woken up at 3:30 in the morning to a screaming Thomas. Run in to their room in a panic that he had thrown up again. Turns out he can't find "Footby" his Seattle Seahawk football!

*Gotten the kids up to take them to MDO this morning as well as get ready for my doctor's appointment.

*Held ME while she threw up all over the kitchen.

*Put the kids in the car to take healthy and well Matthew and Thomas to school. School nurse said to wait one more day before bringing him to school as a stomach virus has been going around. On the way to drop off Thomas, ME throws up all over her outfit and carseat.

*Race home to change ME and get the final things ready for my trip to the doctor. Baby has really, really bad diaper (need I elaborate?) and change her again.

*Call Bryon in route to the doctor to please meet me there so he can watch the two kids I have. At doctor, ME has another explosion and leaks all over her third outfit and on my sweater.

*Endure a trip to the eye doctor smelling a tad like diahrrea!

*Said good bye and good luck to Bryon as he leaves with the two kids and heads to WalMart to buy new pants for ME and take the kids to work with him. God bless him!

*Went to appointment. Come home to find Bryon incapacitated with same stomach virus. Take care of Bryon and ME, the newest victims of virus.

*Prayed very hard that I don't get it!

My first blogiversary!

One year ago today I started blogging. I remember talking to SG right before ME was born and she was describing what it was. At the time, I couldn't imagine enjoying something like that. Over the next few months, I started reading several blogs and got sucked in!

My primary purpose for blogging was (and continues to be) to document the day to day life of my kids. I was forgetting funny stories about the kids and needed a way to be held accountable to write them down! Last month, I started looking over old entries and read things the kids said and did that I had forgotten. Oh, how I wished I had started sooner!

Another benefit has been getting to know many people in the blog community. I enjoy reading about your lives and children. I also enjoy keeping up with a few friends that way, although most of my friends hardly know how to operate a computer!

I never would have dreamed that I would still be here one year later. Thanks for reading and thanks for the hours of enjoyment I have received reading your blogs as well!

A showerful weekend

Well, we finally are settling down after a busy weekend with two wedding showers. Michael and Jilinda came home yesterday morning. There was a couple's shower last night hosted by my dad's colleagues at Baylor and a church shower today. I can't believe that my brother is getting married in 6 weeks! The showers this weekend have helped to make it real.

We enjoyed getting to meet Jilinda's parents and seeing old friends. I was so glad that Kristen and Kevin got to come. Seeing their kids grow up through her blog and pictures is fun, but I enjoy seeing them in real life!

I can't believe how tired I am after having a few social events this weekend. I guess I am just used to staying home all the time.

Here is their engagement announcement. Scroll down to Robinson-Sowers on the left hand side.

The first half of Friday

Well, Mary Beth hasn't had any fever since 3:00 this morning, She woke up crying and wouldn't settle down until I put her in bed with us after about 4:00.

I will admit, that it was sweet hearing her say, "Mama! Mama!" in her crib. A consolation for a night of interrupted sleep is knowing that I am the one that can make ME's world better.

Something I hate about myself is that generally, when I am woken up in the middle of the night, I can't go back to sleep. I have been up since 3:00!

Fortunately, I was able to catch up on my TiVo'd shows at 4 in the morning. Unfortunately, I am exhausted at 9:40 a.m! This will be a no make up, warm up wearing, pot of coffee drinking, low key day!

I am grateful that the fever seems to be over. Maybe the dreaded "VIRUS" only wanted a quick visit.

The last half of Thursday

I took ME to the doctor. She couldn't find anything bacterial so she thinks that she just has a virus. It sounds strange, but I would rather her have strep throat and have an antibiotic instead of "wait and see--she might feel better tomorrow or she might feel sick for 10 days." Yuck!

Well, the Black Ninjas continue their winning streak. They are 2-0 and the boys are on top of the world. Matthew asked me tonight if they qualified for the national championship yet! (This after watching Glory Road this weekend.)

Here is hoping that little ME isn't up all night!

Mother's Day In

Tuesdays and Thursdays, I drop the younger two off at church for Mother's Day Out. Many of my friends use this time to run errands. I like to run my errands on the weekends and a few during the week when I have the kids home with me so I can enjoy the time at home by myself. I also try at least one of the days to eat with friends-either coffee, breakfast, or lunch.

I usually clean the house, cook for the night, read, catch up on tivo'd shows. Spending the time in a quiet/clean house fills my Mommy bank up so I am ready for the withdrawls during the rest of the week! I have always been someone who needed alone time, and I think the lack of that is the hardest thing about having children at home.

After I dropped the kids off, I went to grab a coffee with a friend. While I was there, MDO called me to let me know ME had a fever! She was perfectly happy this morning and they said that she acted fine until about a 1/2 hour into it. She became lethargic and was running 101 degree fever. This is only her second fever of her life and she looked so pitiful when I went to pick her up.

We are having company come this weekend as my brother and his fiance are having two wedding showers this weekend. To err on the side of caution, I am taking Baby Girl to the doctor to make sure it is nothing serious. Actually, I just looked at the clock and I have got to go! Wish us luck!

Little ME Lou Who

Looking back on recent posts, I realized that I have written a great deal about the boys but not as much about ME. This might not be interesting to anyone but me, but I feel the need to write this down. Here is what my 17 month old is doing now:



*She talks constantly. Of course, most of it we don't understand but she seems to love the sound of her own voice! Almost every morning, she wakes up around 8 but I don't get her out of bed until she begins to cry almost 2 hours later because she is entertaining herself. Yes, I know how blessed I am!

*She mimics everything we say to her. Same prosody and length of utterance in baby talk. Some of the things she is saying: no, mama, dada, baba, mama, nana, deedah, yaya, josh, mamo (michael), ball, football, zoo, turtle, lion, otter, bow, shoes, nose, ear, elmo, juice, please ("eeeeeee!"), hello, bye bye, food, down.

At the moment, her favorite of these is "No". She will strut around with her lips puckered saying, "No, no, no, no, no, no!"

*Her MDO teachers call her "Little Miss Thang". She already has a bit of Scarlett O'Hara in her. VERY DRAMATIC! When she doesn't get what she wants, she melts to the floor. We have actually had to start spanking for that this week. If someone she loves hurts her feelings, she holds a grudge for up to 15 minutes. She will see the "offender" after she has stopped crying and start again.

*She is very outgoing. She is happy going to strangers and has never cried going to church or class.

*She sticks to Bryon like glue when hwe is home for fear that he will leave her and go to work. When he says, "I gotta go!" she starts crying and I have to pry her off of him much to his heart ache.

*One of the biggest delights in her life is her brothers. They baby and pamper her so I don't blame her! When I pick her up out of her crib, she starts leaning around the corner with her lips puckered waiting to see "Baba".

*She loves football and cars and she loves dolls. Classic ME the other day: walking around with ballet slippers on her feet and a football helmet on her head!

*She loves to eat. If she sees me going into the kitchen, she cries because she wants food or drink. She eats about as much as the boys do. A wonder that she is only in the 25% for weight!

*This girl can dance! I play lots of music around the house just to watch her in action. Even when I sing to her, she starts waving her hands in the air.

*This girl can climb! If there is any elevation in the room, she will find a way to climb it. I have found her standing on our table (at 10 months of age), climbing into the bathtub, chairs, fireplaces, stools at the drinking fountain. I can't keep my eyes off of her.

I can't believe 17 months have already gone by. It is so much fun seeing her get a kick out of life. What a blessing she is to our entire family.

This weekend

Friday night, Bryon and I took the boys to see Glory Road while my parents watched ME. I would highly recommend the movie especially if you liked Remember the Titans, Hoosiers, Friday Night Lights, etc.

The movie was about the 1966 NCAA championship game. Texas Western University defied all odds to win the game against basketball giant Kentucky. Texas Western played an all black starting line up for the first time in history. The movie portrayed what all the black players had to go through. From physical and verbal abuse to threats and propery damage.

When we left the theatre, Matthew was asking a lot of questions about why everyone was so mean to the basketball players. It shocked him to hear that they were hurt because of the color of their skin. This is a great testament to the innocence of children and how the world has changed in 40 years. Jerry Bruckheimer, the director of the movie, said that most of the reaction from children watching the movie has been the same as Matthew's.

Saturday was spent helping Lauren spruce up her house getting ready for Baby James. She is in major nesting mode and I had a blast helping her with the little touches to make her house more homey. I love doing stuff like that!

Yesterday was spent cooking and freezing meals. My weeks seem to go so much smoother when a lot of the meal preparation is done ahead of time. It is a pain to do it all at once, but I am always happy I did during the week!

Last night after the kids fell asleep, Bryon and I watched Grey's Anatomy. This is my favorite hour of television each week. I am so addicted to this show although most of the plot lines are ridiculous. The patients at the hospital suffer from things like finding out they are hermaphrodites, men finding out they are pregnant, and two patients getting impaled by a single pole following a train wreck. Apparently the residents of Seattle don't drink Starbucks coffee and eat wile Alaskan salmon either. They would rather eat the entire contents of a novel, doll heads, and shards of glass.

I guess the real reason I watch it is I have a celebrity crush on Dr. McDreamy. Bryon thinks this is hilarious and enjoys watching me enjoy watching the nerd from Can't Buy Me Love.

Matthew has the day off from school and Bryon is coming home early because the courts are closed. When I was younger, the "lesser holidays" always annoyed me. The banks are closed! The mail doesn't come! Now I enjoy having a little respite from life without having to buy a present for someone and organize a class party!

A fun evening and a huge relief!

Tonight was Matthew and Thomas's first basketball game.



Bryon signed up to be Matthew's coach in November on one condition...that Thomas could also play. I had strong objections to Thomas playing with kids who were 2 years older than him, but Bryon said he was tired of Thomas always being on the sidelines while Buddy got to play. He is as tall as some of the kids on the team and judging the athletic ability of many of the kids in the league, Bryon thought it would be fine.

My objection was that I never want Thomas to feel inferior to Matthew. Of course Matthew is more coordinated than Thomas right now--he has a two year head start! I just thought it would be better for Thomas to wait and play with kids his own age. Bryon persisted and won the battle. When I saw how passionately he felt about it, how could I say no?

Over the past few weeks, the Black Ninjas have been practicing. The first practice, Thomas could barely dribble the ball. Bryon had to help him score. You know what? He was so proud of himself!

"I am Thomanator the Dominator!", he would shout.

He loves to scream, "Daddy helped me score two times!"

It never occurs to him that he is any less of an athlete than anyone on the team. All the boys on the team love him and Matthew protects him. When Thomas talks about what a good job he is doing, Matthew rolls his eyes and quietly whispers to me, "You know he is the worstest player on the team, don't you?"

My fears subsided a bit, but I was concerned today. Both boys eagerly anticipated the game. My parents came as well as Matthew's teacher and her husband. If you ever want a little comic relief, try and find a basketball game played by 5 and 6 year olds. What a treat! So hilarious.

Matthew started the game and did great. He ended up scoring twice and had several assists. He looked so handsome to me running around with his hair messed up and playing so well. I can't believe how big he is getting!


During the second quarter, Thomas came in. He knew what to do and ran to the boy he was supposed to cover. He kept his arms up and stuck by him like glue! He did a wonderful job at defense and I was so proud of him! All my fears were relieved when I saw how much fun he was having and knowing that he was also proud of himself.

In the end, the Black Ninjas won 28-14. We celebrated at our local favorite hamburger place. It should be a fun season!

Today

Well, just dropped the younger two off at church and I am home stalling before I begin to clean!

Real life is back in full swing. Matthew was really teary eyed going back to school on Tuesday. It is funny, but I remember feeling the same way going back after a break. It is a little bit scary. Everything is fine again, and he is loving being in school again.

As I was driving the kids to MDO this morning, Thomas asked me to put a cd in. He found a cd in my cd holder that was red (yes, he is still obsessed with red) and he wanted to hear it. It was Chicago's greatest hits. I hadn't heard it in a while and so I happily put it in. First track-Your'e the Inspiration. I hadn't heard this song in years and thoroughly enjoyed it. I cranked it up and sang at the top of my lungs. I am sure the people around me thought I was crazy and would have laughed out loud if they knew how cheezy the song was that I was jamming to!


Now it is time to do laundry. ME has two blankets that she is attached to. They both are backed by minke (sp?), the soft, bumpy material that has become popular in baby bedding. One of them was really dirty and I had to put it in the dirty clothes yesterday. The other one disappeared yesterday. We looked all over the house last night and couldn't find it. Poor baby cried until 10:00 last night b/c she didn't have her "bibi". Having a baby who is so attached to an object is a new thing for me. ME has a hard time settling down without her bibi. She puts it in her mouth with her thumb and makes sort of a munching sound. So cute except when we can't find it!

Marcus Vick could learn a lot from a kindergartener!

Bryon and Matthew were on their way to Matthew's school this morning listening to Sports Talk Radio. The announcer was discussing Marcus Vick, the ex-Virginia Tech quarterback's, demise. A once bright and shining future for the brother of Michael Vick, a recent past of bad behavior has potentially ruined his career.

The radio host said, "You know, when you put your job first, your family suffers. When you put your family first, your job suffers." Matthew looked at Bryon and said, "If he had put God first, everything would have been much better!"

I'm back!

Well, I believe this is the longest I have gone without blogging! Life has been quite busy the last few days. Matthew is still not 100% but has made dramatic improvements since last I blogged. He is off pain medicine and sleeping through the night again. Yippee! He lost between 5-10 pounds during the ordeal which is a lot considering he started at only 55 lbs! This weekend, he got his appetite back and is eating around the clock.

This weekend, I saw Memoirs of a Geisha. A beautiful movie but the book was so much better. Entire story lines were omitted from the movie.

This morning I went with one of my best friends to the zoo for a last fun outing before school starts. My friend has the same family as me-same birth order and spacing just one year ahead of me. The only difference is that she got two for the price of one with her last one! Our boys have a lot of fun together and the girls are just now getting interested in each other. After the zoo, we went out to eat. I love the stares we get when we walk in with 7 kids under 7! It is a look of pity and "Don't these girls know about birth control?"!

Well, the holidays are officially over tomorrow. Normally, I am so ready for school and life to return to normal, but I am dreading it this time. I have loved having Matthew home and having no obligations during the week. With school starting, Mother's Day Out, sports, piano, and church get into full swing again. The kids are ready, I just need to get my tennis shoes on to get ready for the rat race to begin again!

My boys

I have gotten to spend a lot of time with the boys together these past few weeks. It is so amazing to me that two boys who share the same parents and who resided in my womb only 25 months apart could be so different.



Matthew: Age 6. Brown hair. 50% for height.
Thomas: Age 4. Blonde hair. 95% for height.

Matthew: Talking in sentences at 18 months. Presence in a room is definitely noticed! Loud carrying voice.
Thomas: Started talking a lot a 2. Quiet presence. Quieter voice.

Matthew: Never had the patience to play with toys. Would much rather be running around.
Thomas: Has great concentration for games/puzzles/blocks, etc. Will play for hours. He is a whiz at memory and beats me legitimately most of the time!

Matthew: Not inclined to be very physically affectionate.
Thomas: Very physically affectionate. Loves hugs and kisses!

Matthew: Strong willed, but takes criticism and discipline well. To my knowlege has never said the phrase, ".....hurt my feelings."
Thomas: A bit of a stubborn streak. Criticism and discipline crush him. Very sensitive.

Matthew: A homebody. Loves to stay home with me if Bryon goes out.
Thomas: Loves to go out. Going out with Bryon is one of his greatest joys. Is crushed if Matthew leaves without him (other than school).

Matthew: Great offensive player in football, soccer, and basketball.
Thomas: Great defensive player. Loves to tackle or defend the goal!

Matthew: Extremely competitive in sports and in life.
Thomas: I have watched him let his brother and/or sister "win" to make them happy. He has said recently, "You go ahead. I want you to win today."

Matthew: Believes there are 3 adults and 2 children living in our house. People are constantly commenting on how old he acts.
Thomas: Loves to be babied.

Matthew: Very coordinated. Good at sports. Always lands on his feet.
Thomas: More clumsy. You can bet that if he is holding a drink, there is a good chance it will be spilled!

Matthew: Very intense personality.
Thomas: Happy-go-lucky.


Regardless of these differences, the boys really enjoy being together. Of course, they do have their moments of deriving great pleasure from annoying one another, but it doesn't usually last long! I think they enjoy the differences in each other because they fill the other's need. Thomas loves to be babied and Matthew is only to happy to "parent" him! I enjoy both of their personalities so much and feel blessed to be their mother.

Beautiful day for an outing

Today, I decided to take the kids to the zoo. Since it is 84 degrees (not a typo) and sunny, why not head outdoors?

We went with a good friend of mine whose daughters are best friends with my sons. It was good for all the kids to be around kids other than their siblings and Matthew really hasn't left the house since his surgery. We had a great time, but Matthew was definitely worn out by the end of lunch.


Things are very, very slowly getting better. Nights are always hardest. I think he still is mouth breathing so the sores get really dried out at night and he cries everytime he wakes up. "When is this ever going to stop hurting?", he asked me last night at 3 in the morning. I hate seeing him in such misery and hope that he feels like himself soon.

I am loving having nothing to do this week. I am such a homebody and would be thrilled if I didn't have to leave my house most of the time! Yesterday, we never even got out of our pj's! It will be nice to get back on a schedule next week, but until then, I am savoring every nonscheduled minute!

Roll Tide!

For 4 gut wrenching, heart palpitating hours, the kids and I have been watching the Cotton Bowl. Alabama, who has one of the best defenses in the country played Texas Tech, who has one of the best offenses in the country.

Tech didn't score a touchdown until the final few minutes of the game tying it up. Jamie Christensen, who by all accounts is a mediocre kicker at best, kicked an ugly career long field goal that barely made it through the uprights to win the game for the Tide! This after only making 1/3 attempts today. My brother and dad were there. Mom and I watched the end together via the phone and Matthew couldn't stop kissing the screen!


Ironically, Christensen won 3 games for the Tide in the final play of the game this year. I guess he came through when it counted!

The good news is, I cleaned out most of the drawers in my kitchen with all my nervous energy. Bryon called and told me to rewind it and watch it again while I clean the office!

Reasons why I love January

New beginnings.
Resolution time.
Long nights, short days.
Lots of chili.
The possibility of snow days.
Relaxed social schedule.
Not a lot of need to spend money (Always nice after Christmas!)
My house always looks clean and decluttered after the holidays.
Alabama in the Cotton Bowl today. Roll Tide!

Happy New Year!

Well, I rang in the new year by falling asleep at 9:15 reading a book! I feel like I have a newborn again because Matthew has been up a lot at night with throat pain so anytime I sit down, I feel the sleepies coming on!

The best New Year's Eve of my life was 1997/98 when Bryon and I celebrated at Times Square. The windchill that evening was -5 degrees and we were stuck standing in a crowd for hours, but I am happy to have had that experience. New Year's Eve from then on haven't quite lived up to that!

I stayed home with Matthew this morning while Bryon took the younger two to church. After church, my parents and grandmother joined us at home for a New Years feast complete with black eyed peas and chocolate crossaint bread pudding.

As I look back on 2005, I can say that our family was blessed. It was a quiet year without a lot of big changes. Since I am someone who doesn't like change, I guess it was a good year! This year will start off with two big changes in our family. I will gain a sister in law in March and a nephew in April.

We all have fallen in love with Jilinda, Michael's fiance'. We couldn't have handpicked a more suitable companion for Michael. She is beautiful, fun to be around, and loves my kids. Seeing Michael so happy and complete has been such a blessing to our entire family.

This year, we will also celebrate our 10th anniversary. It should be a fun summer!

I wish everyone a happy and blessed 2006!

Some of my favorite posts of 2005

Copying Donna.
Here are a few of my favorite posts of the year. I haven't looked back at any of them, so it was fun reliving some of the year!

Uncontrollable Laughter at Inappropriate Situations
Embarassing Moments
Changing World
Barefoot At Walmart
Night at the Rodeo
When Professional Pictures Go Very Wrong
100 things about me

I have to add in a few of my favorite "Kids Say the Darndest Things" posts as well!
Thomas
Matthew

Today

Well, we are in Day 2 of recovery and so far it hasn't gone as smoothly as I expected. We had to call the surgeon last night and have him call in nausea medicine for Matthew because he couldn't keep water down. You have got to love a kid who knows that he is going to get sick and makes it to the toilet every time (knock on wood). God bless him!

Matthew has been very clingy and teary eyed which is polar opposite of how he usually is. This morning, he looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, "I am having a really bad day." He went to sleep several hours ago and I am about to wake him up because his teacher is coming by with ice cream. Seeing how Mrs. B____ is his main squeeze, I know it will brighten his day. Many kids call their teachers "Mom" but Matthew calls me "Mrs. B____!"

Other than taking care of Matthew, Bryon and I have been quite busy overhauling our house. He took the week off and we have been painting, doing yard work, repairing dry wall, cleaning windows, and taking down Christmas decorations. We repainted the boys room last night while they slept in our bed and put on new bedding. It turned out really cute and Phase 2 of big boy room is now complete!

In book news, I finished Memoirs of a Geisha on Tuesday. It was a wonderful book and I couldn't put it down. Those kind of books are priceless! I am now going back to finish the Rebus series by Ian Rankin. Rankin is rated the best crime novel author in the world and I have loved this series! It is about a policeman named John Rebus and they are set in Edinburgh, Scotland. I have been to Edinburgh twice and my ancestors are from there so the books are particularly interesting to me. This is my 12th one out of about 16 in the series and so far so good.

I am hopeful that by tomorrow, Matthew will start to feel better. I am pleased to report that his voice hasn't changed since the surgery. I have been told that it happens from time to time and I was sad thinking about that loud, hoarse being a memory!

Tonsil and Adenoid Free!

After a long morning, we are finally home! Matthew is doing OK. He has been throwing up fairly regularly since the surgery, but says he is feeling much better.

Matthew was a trooper through it all and went through the halls of the hospital with his Batman robe on telling everyone he saw that he was getting his tonsils and adenoids out that morning. His good spirits kept me from getting too upset when they took him away.

I am looking forward to spending the rest of the day pampering him and bending to his every whim! Isn't that part of the Mommy Constitution?

Tonsil and Adenoidectomy Day

Say a little prayer for Matthew this morning. He will be in surgery at 9!

It's all over.

Well, all the presents have been unwrapped, all the calories have been consumed, all the miles have been driven. Christmas is officially over.

We had a wonderful time! Mom really knocked herself out and we had a fabulous meal 4 nights in a row. We also enjoyed having Jilinda join our Christmas festivities for the first time.

The only downer of the whole holiday occurred on the 23rd. We had workmen over repairing drywall and our tree had to be moved. It wasn't anchored down very well and when Matthew went to show Thomas an ornament, the tree came crashing down shattering several of my favorite sentimental ornaments. Yes, I cried but quickly stopped when Matthew looked at me with huge tears dangling in his eyes and said, "I am so sorry! Now Santa won't come."

I spent Christmas Eve morning cleaning up broken ornaments, putting the tree back, and retrimming the tree. What a pain. Matthew and Thomas got right to work making new ornaments including one Matthew colored that said "1999" since one of the broken ornaments was a "Baby's first Christmas 1999". When the tree was finally up again, Matthew began dancing around saying, "Yeah! Mommy saved Christmas!" It was the least I could do.

Now back to the good stuff. As per tradition, we ate Mexican food on Christmas Eve and watched "A Christmas Carol". Then we went back to the house and arranged the things for Christmas morning. When the morning came, Lauren, Josh, Mom, and Dad came over at 7:30 to watch the kids discover the Santa gifts. The highlight of the morning was watching Mary Beth with her toys. I bought her a few things so that Matthew wouldn't think Santa had slighted her, but had no idea that she would squeal with delight and dance her heart out to all the music!

After the Santa gifts were sufficiently played with, we headed over to Mom and Dad's to eat breakfast, open gifts, and eat turkey and dressing. We all had a great time and enjoyed being together. I am always so sad once all the gifts have been unwrapped and the tree looks so bare!

After an incredible dinner prepared by Mom, we headed down to Conroe to open presents with Bryon's parents. We were all pretty tired at that point! Matthew did manage to lose a tooth while we were down there. Of the 7 teeth he has lost, 3 of them have been during visits to Conroe!

We got back home a few hours ago and are starting to sort through toys and take down a few decorations. I know most people keep their things up through New Years, but it makes me sad looking at the tree and garland knowing that the fun is over.

I hope everyone's Christmas was merry. I added pictures to the album to the right of the screen.

Christmas tag

More than likely, my last post until after the holidays. Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Egg nog. I hate eggs but this stuff makes me weak in the knees. I allow myself one or two sips a night! Great with ice cream and nutmeg.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa does not wrap gifts. Everyone has a pile with their stocking laid out beside their stash.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White, although they were colored when I was little.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Never

5. When do you put your decorations up? The weekend of Thanksgiving. I like getting the full season out of them!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Mexican food Christmas Eve. Turkey/dressing/sweet potato casserole with so much butter and sugar that it should techically be called a dessert! Holiday breakfast casserole on Christmas morning.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? My favorite memories as a child revolve around Christmas. It was just magical. Dad was off from teaching at ACU and spent a lot of time with us. The anticipation on Christmas Eve. Watching A Christmas Carol which we do every Christmas Eve. The smells in the kitchen. Waiting by our bedroom door while mom and dad took forever lighting the fire and starting their coffee. Hearing Dad say every year while we are waiting by our door, "I think Santa made a mistake! He left way too many presents for just the three of you!" We still make him say it every year! Doing a big Christmas puzzle that sits on our table. Nonstop Christmas music. Reading the Christmas memory book that Mom has kept since we were little. I wish I could bottle it and bring it back every now and then.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Second grade. Diane McKissick
told me. I was told not to tell Michael and Lauren because Santa would stop coming. I still haven't told them.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Never! I hated this when I was a kid but now it makes me happy to anticipate Christmas morning. Christmas Eve, we eat mexican food and watch A Christmas Carol. Christmas morning, we would play with our Santa toys, eat a little breakfast and begin the slow process of watching everyone open gifts.

10. What kind of cookies does Santa get set out for him? Sand tarts or sugar cookies

11. Snow. Love it or Dread it? LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT! I live in the WRONG state!

12. Can you ice skate? Tried it a few times in high school and loved it. Haven't done it since.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Cabbage Patch Kid. Mom told me that it probably wasn't going to happen so it was quite a surprise. She and a friend went out at 5 in the morning one morning and got one for my sister and me! I got a new bike one year and a microscope in 5th grade that I was crazy about.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Replaying the traditions that have been a part of me since my very first Christmas. Getting to relive childhood through my children. Great food. Being with the whole family.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Pecan pie, our traditional cookies, white hot chocolate.

16.. What tops your tree? A star.

18. Which do you prefer Giving or Receiving? Giving.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Carol? Have yourself a Merry little Christmas, Merry Christmas, Darling both by Karen Carpenter.

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? If they are sitting around, I will eat one.

Sliding into home

Well, the craziest 5 weeks of the year are coming to an end. Starting with Nov. 18th (Matthew's birthday) and ending on Christmas Day, I have the boys' birthdays, Dad's and Grandma's birthday, various Christmas parties, room mother duties, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I always joke that starting with Matthew's birthday, the race begins and I don't sleep until January! The stress and busyness have started to take their toll this week; however, and I am feeling like I am running on fumes. I feel like I am crawling to the finish line!

I have spent much of today running errands and dragging my poor kids store to store. I bought a new mailbox and lantern today. We are having a difficult time getting in touch with the girl who wrecked our old one. The only contact information I had on her was her mother's place of employment. The mother has been avoiding our phone calls the past two days and finally called me last night at almost 11 o'clock, not to apologize, but to gripe me out for bothering her at work. Apparently the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I was raised with the value of taking responsibility for my actions drilled into me and I find it amazing when others don't share that same value. I will keep you posted...

Matthew's class Christmas party was yesterday and went well. I am happy that tomorrow is the last day of school and I can enjoy all the kids home for a while.

Yet another fabulous reason why teenaged girls shouldn't be drinking and driving at 2:30 in the morning.

Fortunately for me, I have next to nothing going on this week so making this top priority shouldn't be a problem. Said tongue in cheek.

Merry Christmas, blog family!

Opening gifts

Do you open gifts Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?

Excited and nervous

I found out today that Matthew will have his tonsils and adenoids taken out the week after Christmas.

I have been asking his doctor for years if we could get them out. I think I bugged her enough this past checkup to get a pediatric ENT consult!

Matthew has suffered for years with stuffy nose, snoring, hoarse voice, and tonsils the size of an adult male! Unfortunately (or I guess fortunately) he has never had a throat infection so my doctor never considered taking them out.

When we went today, I explained all of his symptoms. He took one look in Matthew's mouth and said, "When do you want to get these guys out of here?"

I was happy to hear that he would take the tonsils and adenoids out, but got slightly nervous when he made me sign the consent form showing every possible post op problem. I know they have to do that for legal reasons, but scary none the less when thinking about my baby.

Matthew got scared talking to the doctor and cried from his office to the car. He always does much better when we can sit and talk it out and once I explained to him that after the surgery he could have all the ice cream he wanted and that they might use laughing gas on him, his disposition completely changed! I don't know if they use laughing gas at all, but he was thrilled at the prospect.

I am excited that they will be able to get him in in two weeks since Bryon is taking the week off.

Other than that, I have stayed busy (like everyone else) baking for parties and getting ready for Matthew's school party. So busy, but so much fun!

Ghosts of Christmas Past

No more sweaters with goofy images on them!

This picture taken at Holiday in the Park at Six Flags makes me laugh.
We (Mom or I) buy Christmas sweaters for the boys every year after Christmas for the next year. I guess last year was the last year to do that!

Matthew has put a ban on "sweaters with goofy snowmen on them"! Thomas looked adorable in his, Matthew refused to wear it with the snowman showing. He would much prefer to wear in inside out and backwards (notice the tag in front).

I forced him to wear a different one to church this morning. Jilinda asked Matthew what was on his sweater. He huffed and puffed and covered his sweater immediately.

"Plain sweaters from now on, Mom!"

I wasn't expecting the "I am too cool for you" business for a few more years!


You tell me which one looks goofy! ;)

Happy Birthday, Thomas!

Tomorrow is Thomas's 4th birthday and I wanted to say a very happy birthday to him!

Four years ago tonight I was in utter agony. Of my three pregnancies, this one was the worst. Sciatica was a huge problem and I couldn't move a foot without pain. I was a little depressed thinking that I had more than two weeks to go before my due date on Christmas Day.

The next afternoon, Monday, Dec. 10th labor started! I was so excited! Not only was I about to not be pregnant, but it was my Dad's birthday and I couldn't think of a better present for him!



I went to the hospital and everything went smoothly. Of all my pregnancies, this was the easiest labor and delivery! The only funny conversation I had was with the delivery doctor. I had been telling my doctor for weeks that Thomas was bigger than Matthew and he said probably not. The delivery doctor (not my normal O.B., who was at a Christmas party) checked me right before Thomas came and said that he might be 7 pounds. A few minutes later, out popped my 9 lb. 3 oz. beauty! Goes to show mothers know better than doctors sometimes!


From the moment he was born, Thomas was a completely different child than Matthew. I remember telling my mom that when he was 6 hours old! The nurses had to "mess" with him a little to get him to cry. He just seemed so content and easy going.
Fast forward 4 years later and he still is the same way. I can honestly say that he has never given us any trouble and has been a joy to raise. From my fat Gerber baby, to my beautiful 2 year old with a headful of blonde curls, to now my sweet and sensitive 4 year old, we wouldn't trade him for the world!











Thomas is the perfect middle child. He is just as content tackling Buddy playing football as he is holding ME on his lap and kissing her. He is also very sensitive to the needs of his siblings.

"I am so excited about Christmas! Buddy will love getting presents!"

Also, he never gets out of the minivan until I have taken out ME.
"I don't want her to be lonely when everyone gets out of the car."

Thomas has always been a ray of sunshine in our lives. The child who delights in giving us the "warm fuzzies". We couldn't love him anymore!
Happy Birthday, Sunshine!

Need to vent

Not in the best mood this morning! I was so excited about the snow/ice storm coming our way. It is one of my favorite things. I love being forced to stay home all day with nowhere to go. What a luxury! All day the temperature kept dropping into the 20s. I knew that Matthew's school would get cancelled.

No such luck. I woke up this morning and it hardly looked snowy/icy at all. School wasn't cancelled, it was just delayed 2 hours so instead of me staying home and Bryon taking Matthew to school, I have to get everyone bundled up to take him 2 hours late.

Mother's Day Out; however, was cancelled. I was counting on today because I had a hair appointment that I made in September for this morning and lots of Christmas shopping to do!

Aaaaarg!

2 cakes, 2 birthday boys, and 1 confused almost 4 year old

Several weeks ago, we had the boys' friends birthday party. This was confusing for Thomas because Matthew turned 6 the day before the party so he technically was 6 at his party.

"So am I 4 now?" he asked.

"Um, not exactly. You will be 4 in a few weeks."

He did get to open some presents a few weeks ago from my in laws while they were in town. This helped pacify him.

Tonight, we had birthday cake for Thomas and my Dad, who shares the same birthday as Thomas. My sister and her husband are leaving in the morning for New York and Dad is going out of town Thursday, so this was the only night we could do it.

"So, now and I four?"

"Um, not exactly. You get to open a few more presents tonight but your real birthday isn't until Saturday."

Poor, confused Thomas!

This year, I decided on a red velvet cake. Thomas has been obsessed with the color red for most of this year so I thought it was pretty appropriate. I had never made one before but a good friend of mine makes a great one so I used her recipe. I guess I missed a step or the planets weren't alligned but it was a total flop. Tough, not sweet, soggy, yuck.

In the trash can it goes! I had 30 minutes until I had to pick up the kids so I ran to the grocery store to buy more red food coloring and they were out. Aaaaaargh!
Picked up the kids and went to another grocery store. Success!

When I got home, ME was very fussy and into everything so I had to hold her throughout most of the baking process with RVC #2. Fortunately it was a success and I was able to present it to my family without humiliation.

When I cut into it, he got so excited! Definitely the right choice this year!

Monday

Yesterday evening was lots of fun. First, Matthew had his first piano recital! I was completely nervous for him. I remember being petrified before all of my ten years worth of recitals so I think I was projecting on him! He was oblivious to the possiblity of getting stage fright and he played his two pieces perfectly. Never have I heard a more awe-inspiring interpretation of Old McDonald! ;)

Matthew reaction, "This was the first time I have been on stage and had an audience!" I am sure the first of many! We now have a one month break before lessons start again. Hallelujah!

This was one of my favorite recitals to attend. Twelve kids played and it was over in 20 minutes!

Afterward, Lauren and I took him to Fazolis for a celebration dinner.

While Aunt Lauren, ME, and I were at the recital, Thomas went to Nana's to make sugar cookies. He had a great time cooking and spending time with Nana and Deedah.

A fun evening had by all!

Gift of a weekend

Recently, our preacher preached on gratitude. One of my favorite "nuggets" from that sermon was to consider small, wonderful, unexpected happiness as a gift from God. I feel like this past weekend was a gift! We had only one thing to do and the rest of the time was spent having quiet family time at home. A calm before the Christmas storm, if you will.

The highlight of the weekend was Historic Waco's Breakfast with Santa and Santa Wonderland. One of SG's and my good friends headed it up and it was lots of fun! The kids got to eat breakfast, watch monkey tricks, meet Santa, go on a horse drawn carriage, ride a Christmas train, get their faces painted, etc.

The highlight of this event was not meeting Santa, it was meeting Shawn Bell, the quarterback for Baylor. For those of you not familiar with Baylor football, you have to know there wasn't a huge line to see him. We almost had a winning record this year which is better than the last, say, 10 years. Despite all of this, my boys idolize Shawn Bell. They have his jersey. Matthew writes about Shawn Bell in his journal at school incessantly. Matthew cried when he didn't start the UT game.

Several of the Baylor athletes were in a line ready to sign autographs but the boys were locked in on Shawn Bell.

"Are you the real Shawn Bell?" asked Matthew, eyes wide as saucers.

"I am sorry you didn't get to go to a bowl game." said Thomas always ready to make someone feel better.

"Wow you played great in the Oklahoma State game." said a still awestruck Matthew.

Shawn, who I am sure is not used to so much idolization, hollered over to his father, "Dad, you have got to meet these kids!"

The boys talked to Shawn's father and then when it was time to leave, Shawn gave Thomas a hug.

"Shawn Bell hugged me! Shawn Bell hugged me!" Thomas said jumping up and down.

What a sweet moment! The boys then proceeded to get their faces painted. Not with bugs, butterflies, or other things the kids were doing but with BU #11. They then rushed back over to show him. I think he was genuinely touched as were the boys.

The rest of the weekend was spent watching football, cooking, and me getting over the second strep infection in a month. No one in the family is getting it but me. My doctor seems to think that Matthew is a carrier. He is picking it up at school and transferring it to me without him getting sick. Talk about the gift that keeps on giving!

70-3 Texas!

Apparently, Matthew is now a new recruit to the Longhorns fan base. After their stunningly large victory over Colorado for the Big 12 championship yesterday, Matthew wrote

70-3
TEXAS

very largly in black permanent marker on Thomas's back! I am just about ready to send him back to the boy store!

Making fudge with Nana!

Unfortunately, my Dad was out of town so there are no pictures of Mom with Matthew but I still think these pictures are cute! Mom has had lots of fun with Matthew tonight painting, watching Christmas specials, and of course, making fudge! I will try to take some in the morning when we pick him up.

Pajama Time!

Today was pajama day at school. The kids got to go to school in their pjs and also bring their pillow and sleeping bag. I had to scrounge to find a pair of pajamas for him. PJs for Matthew usually consist of a pair of underwear! Matthew was so excited that he didn't have to get dressed today!

He woke up, got his pillow, sleeping bag, books, and stuffed animal together and left. The next thing I know, Thomas quietly went and changed into the identical pajamas that Matthew was wearing, put a stack of books together, and brought them into the living room while holding onto his favorite stuffed animal! He was trying to be just like Buddy!

Pajama Day was fun. Another mother and I came in to read stories to the kids and I made red and green sugar cookies for the kids' snack. What a fun day!

Christmas cookies!

Tomorrow night, Matthew is going over to my parent's house for his annual date with my mom to make fudge. Since he was 2, this has been a special tradition. When I ask Matthew what his favorite thing about Nana is, he always says, "Making fudge with her!"

This year, Thomas is going to join the tradition by going on a separate night to make red and green sugar cookies. Thomas, my football junkie, is excited about making Baylor and Alabama cookies! Mom's plan is to find a special Christmas cookie that she makes with each of her grandchildren.

Every year there are 5 cookies that are found in Mom's (and now my) kitchen. Christmas wouldn't be the same without them!

1. Red and green sugar cookies-These aren't the ordinary sugar cookies. She uses powdered sugar rather than regular sugar. These are probably my favorite!

2. Sand tarts-The little snowballs of joy! We were always instructed to put the whole thing in our mouths so as not to spew powdered sugar everywhere! These are our friend, Paul's, favorite cookie.

3. Fudge- I am not a big fudge lover, but I love Mom's (and Matthew's) fudge. The best I have ever tried!

4. Peppermint bark- I loved it as a little girl because it is PINK!

5. Almond toffee- Stick-to-your-teeth good!

Every year, new items are introduced. Some don't make it back. These are always there year after year.

What about you?

A lesson in humility in order

One thing I have always loved about Matthew is that he travels to the beat of a different drum. He likes being with everyone but doesn't feel a need to "fit in". When I ask him who his favorite friend is, he usually says, "Everyone!"

Imagine my surprise when we were walking down the hall recently. Several kids came up to him and said, "Hi, Matthew!" He looked at me with a smug face and said, "I am so popular! I have waited my whole life for this!"

Who loves ya, Baby?

I love this picture of ME. Her new favorite thing is to kiss by puckering her lips as far as they can go (think duck bill), lift her head high, and lean in for the kill! She makes a face afterward like, "Aren't you glad I graced you with my presence and offered up one of my famous kisses?" She kisses everyone in sight. If she is restrained by her carseat, she will air kiss repeatedly! I guess she is a lover, not a fighter!

A visit from Riders of the Son

I love my church. I feel like the members at Crestview really have a heart for the poor in our community. Every year, we have a toy drive to benefit Mission Waco. This is a wonderful organization in town that helps give the poor and destitute a hand up. A toy store is opened during Christmas and the poor are able to buy the donated gifts for their children at drastically reduced prices. This helps give the parents ownership in the process.


I love how the toys are collected! On the first Sunday after Thanksgiving, a group of motorcyclists known as The kids get a kick out of all the noise and they are able to take pictures on the bikes. It is always fun hearing the roar down the street in anticipation of them coming!

This year, Matthew and Thomas asked that everyone coming to their birthday party bring toys for Mission Waco instead of giving them to the boys. They were so proud this morning to hand the toys to the bikers knowing that many of them were donated by them. The head of Mission Waco talked to Matthew and told him that many little girls and boys would be happy because of his decision to give his toys. He was so happy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful this year for:

God, who continues to shower me with blessings.
My three happy, healthy, beautiful, funny children who keep me hopping!
My husband who loves me and works so hard to support our family.
My mom and sister who, along with Bryon, are my biggest support system.
Friends who help make life fun!
My brother finding a fiance' who is beautiful, funny, and a great addition to our family!
My daughter who finally started walking!
Dave Barry
Bryon loving taking the kids on little dates to the movie store, hardware store, grocery store, etc. It gives me a 30 minute respite which helps replenish a little energy.
Matthew's kindergarten teacher who lets me help in Matthew's class and always happy to fill me in on his progress.
Thomas's MDO teacher who goes above and beyond to make class fun for the kids.
Thanksgiving
Christmas coming up.
My digital camera.
Diet Coke, coffee, Diet A&W root beer
Birthday cake (I have absolutely no will power with this!)
Rediscovering frozen cappuccinos at the local coffee house.
Bryon being off for 4 days!
My nephew who is healthy and will be joining our family in April!
Matthew constantly cracking me up with what he says.
Thomas snuggling with me and enjoying taking care of his sister.
Matthew and Thomas's close relationship.
ME and her funny personality.
ME dancing everytime she hears music.
TiVo.
Food Network.
Having lots of hobbies I enjoy.
Oprah, Grey's Anatomy, CSI, The Office.
Rediscovering my love of the piano this year.
Living close to my family.

Even when life is hard and I am mired down in work, I have so much to be thankful for. Thank you, God, for all of my blessings!

Thanksgiving memories

I love Thanksgiving. Maybe because it is my favorite time of year. Maybe because it is a good excuse to be with family. Maybe because I love the food. I just love it.

We have spent every Thanksgiving since we were engaged in Conroe, where Bryon's family is from. They have graciously invited my parents to come every year to celebrate with them, so I get to be with both sides of the family on Thanksgiving.

This year my mother in law asked me to bring the dressing. Dressing is my favorite part of the meal so I feel an extra burden to make it the best I can. My mother cooks it "in the bird" and I think it is so much better that way. So....I bought my first turkey yesterday for the sole purpose of cooking my dressing inside! I will freeze the meat and eat it next week.

I am so excited about cooking my first turkey and dressing. It is a no stress way to venture into the most famous meal of the year.

Having the cornbread in a big bowl on the counter brings back so many memories. When we were growing up, Thanksgiving wasn't a big extended family affair. Our closest relatives lived more than 800 miles away, so it was just the 5 of us. From the first memories of Thanksgiving, my mother cooked the entire meal for the 5 of us. No going to a local cafeteria. No pie from the local grocery store. Everything was homemade. Our holiday was quiet, but magical thanks to our wonderful mother. We always enjoyed watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade while Mom cooked and we could smell the turkey, dressing, sweet potato casserole, and rolls cooking when Santa Claus appeared on the TV ending the parade.

When I met Bryon, I was introduced to the "35 members of the family Thanksgivings" that I had always seen on commercials. Bryon's mother always enjoys having the entire family at her house.

We usually go to Old Town Spring on Friday with my parents and go shopping. We eat at Wunsche Brother's restaurant and watch the A&M/UT game and buy a few holiday decorations.

I am looking forward to the holiday weekend and excited/anxious about my Thanksgiving turkey and dressing debut!

Signs my boys are obsessed with football

*Matthew brings home a paper today that he signed "Dru Bledsoe"

*Matthew wants to change his name to Drew Bryon Bledsoe.

*When the boys are fighting about who gets the green cup and who gets the blue cup, Thomas says, "I want to be Baylor, not SMU!"

*Most of the journals Matthew writes in school have to do with Shawn Bell, the quarterback for Baylor.

*Matthew recently saw a sign for BBQ and he said, If you turned the letters around, you would have QB which stands for quarterback!"

*I recently took the highlights out of my hair. When Matthew saw me, he said, "I hate the Aggies and I hate your new hair!"

*Thanks to my brother-in-law, who is a huge Georgia fan, Matthew now sings "Glory, Glory to Old Georgia!" at the top of his lungs whenever possible.

*Thomas makes me participate in Baylor cheers at home. "I say Baylor and you say Bears, Mama!" Or he says, "B-A-Y-L-O-R, Baylor Bears Fight!"

*The boys live for the weekend to watch football. I can usually hear one of them screaming, "Go, Baby,Go!" at the television.

*Both the boys can tell you who Baylor beat this year.

*The only book the boys wanted from the book fair this year was My Brother's Side about Tiki and Ronde Barber.

Party weekend

We had a great birthday weekend! Friday was lots of fun. Thomas, ME, and I brought doughnuts to Matthew's class and he enjoyed his "King of the Universe" status! He got to be line leader and lead most of the songs during the day. He kept saying, "This is the best day of my life!"

The party on Saturday was my favorite party that we have thrown. Since Thomas's birthday is in a few weeks, we decided to have a joint party as many of the same kids would come regardless.


It was a camping theme and it was on the nature trail near our lot. We couldn't have asked for better weather: sunny in the 70s. Perfect campfire weather! The kids enjoyed making walking sticks that quickly turned into light sabers, eating hot dogs, making s'mores, and going on a nature walk. Parties are always a great reminder of how much I love my friends and family who love my children!
The afternoon was spent watching football. Bryon, his dad, and brother took the boys to the Baylor game. They won! I watched the Alabama game on TV. They lost! Quite painful to talk about, actually. Thank goodness I had a lot to do to keep my mind off of it!

Saturday evening, the boys opened their gifts from Bryon's parents who had to leave early. Then my family came over and we ate eggplant parmesan and pumpkin gingerbread trifle. Then Matthew opened more presents. Thomas will get to open his on his actual birthday! Our house looked like Christmas morning! Everyone left at 8 p.m. and I was dead asleep by 8:30!

Today was spent playing with all the new toys and resting from a busy day yesterday. A funny story: Bryon took the boys to the grocery store and Matthew noticed that egg nog was for sale. Matthew ADORES egg nog and talks about it frequently during the year. Bryon bought a small bottle and Matthew had a chug tonight. After his first sip, he exclaimed, "This is just like old times!" What a hoot!

Happy Birthday, Matthew!

Six years ago today, my life changed forever when I became the mother of Matthew Bryon.

When I think about this day six years ago, the first word that comes to mind is LONG! The birth story began the day before when I went in for my 39 week appointment. I was expecting my doctor to say that I was 5 centimeters dilated and ready to give birth. What he told me was that it looked like I had at least another week and that it would be after Thanksgiving before Matthew arrived. I proceeded to burst out crying in front of my doctor! I am not a big crier so this event still makes me laugh! I drove home in tears and was too depressed to go to church that night.

Fast forward 12 hours later to 3 a.m., Thursday, November 18th. Regular contractions started and I was very excited about going into the doctor that morning and telling him he was WRONG! I was admitted to the hospital knowing that Matthew would be born on the 18th.

Fast forward 20 3/4ths hours later and it was 11:55 at night. My doctor said that I was ready to push and did I want Matthew's birthday to be today or tomorrow? I said I had worked hard all day so today had to be it! Matthew Bryon was born at 11:58 at night!

Matthew was a happy baby and always had a 1,000 watt smile on his face. He didn't sleep through the night until he was 9 months old so that was a tough introduction to motherhood!















The toddler years were quite difficult. Matthew has several qualities: high intellegence, insatiable curiosity, and lots of energy, that would converge quite frequently into a perfect storm which left a path of destruction that kept me in tears on many days! It seemed from 18 months to 3 years old, there wasn't a day that went by where Matthew wasn't popping my car into gear and going down the driveway, putting my lipstick all over his body, running down the center aisle of church naked during the service, "making dinner", or writing on his walls. Fortunately for Matthew, his charm and cuteness saved him from my wrath and tears of frustration usually gave way to tears of laughter.

From the time that Matthew turned 3, we were much more able to reason with him and life began to turn around. He started going to Montessori at almost 4 which also helped satisfy his curiosity and energy.

I am enjoying Matthew being in kindergarten and watching him interact with his teachers and friends. Everyone knows Matthew and he acts like he owns the place! He shouts "Hello!" to everyone in his booming "Moses" voice.

During his 6 years, Matthew has become a big brother twice. I marvel at how much he enjoys the role of "Big Brother". He and Thomas are inseparable and watching him baby ME is so sweet.

I am proud of the person that Matthew is becoming. His exuberance for life, concern for others, love of family, and love of God are such wonderful characteristics and I can't wait to see what he will do with his life!

When professional pictures go very very wrong!

Today, I am thankful for

Watching a norther come in and bring the temperature down 40 degrees!

Driving down a secluded road covered with leaves that have fallen off the trees.

Throwing a shower for one of my best friends and enjoying a great meal (and cake!) together last night.

Hearing Thomas tell me that he is excited for Christmas because, "Buddy will be so excited to get presents!" What a sweetie!

Seeing my daughter take steps in her thick, pink, footie pajamas that I remember wearing when I was a little girl.

Remembering the birth of Matthew 6 years ago on Friday.

Getting excited about having a big birthday meal on Saturday for Matthew.

Getting excited about the boys birthday party on Saturday and watching them get excited too.

I am having a great morning and hope you are too!

Weekend happenings

This weekend was filled with a lot of cleaning, family time, and stomach viruses!

We continued to work all day Friday on the house. I worked on closets and Bryon worked on the driveway and back fence.

Friday evening, we did a retake of family pictures. Up to this point we had not taken a professional picture of the three kids. It was a valient effort on the part of the photographer, Bryon, and me, but I think we got a few cute ones!

Saturday morning, Mom and I went shopping. I wanted to get a few things for Matthew's birthday and the boys' birthday party. I also wanted to get Lauren a few little "boy" things to get her excited about having a son (as if she weren't excited enough!).

Saturday night, Bryon and I went to a friend's surprise birthday party. Usually when we go out with friends, it is "Boy's night" or "Girl's night". It was fun having all our couple friends together.

Sunday morning, I was up at church at 8:00 because my group was up to sing on the microphones during our service. When 9:00 rolled around I went into our class to greet our kindergarten class and Bryon walked in looking very flustered. This is very rare for Bryon who takes the three kids out a lot and never gets overwhelmed. He said that he had gone into Starbucks to get me a coffee and Thomas threw up. Matthew started gagging and almost threw up himself. Right about then ME had a blow out diaper!

I couldn't take Thomas home b/c I was singing and I needed Bryon to teach Bible class for me since we had 17 KIDS! Bryon is much better at crowd control than me! I sat out with Thomas during class then Bryon took the three kids home while I sang. During the middle of church I started feeling really bad but was able to stay until the end. Whatever Thomas had, he gave to me. I ended up parked on the couch all yesterday and up until 3 am this morning with a stomach virus.

Fortunately Bryon was home and we had a nice day yesterday all things considered. The boys' favorite book right now is My Brother's Side which is written by Tiki and Ronde Barber, twin professional football players. I sat on the couch with Matthew and Thomas and watched the NY Giants game and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game so they could watch Tiki and Ronde play!

I finished The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency yesterday as well. A very cute, easy read that I would recommend.

I am feeling much better today and am looking forward to a busy week with the boys birthday party this weekend!

I am going to have a nephew!

I am excited to report that I am going to be an aunt to a happy, healthy, active nephew! Lauren's ultrasound went great and the doctor says everything looks normal. He moved around a lot during the ultrasound which made Lauren think that he was going to be like Matthew!

Lauren is a great aunt to my boys so I know she will be a great boy mama! Matthew and Thomas are so excited. Matthew has already said that he wants to teach him how to exercise! If anyone can teach him how to move, it's Matthew! Thanks to everyone for your prayers on my nephew's behalf. I can't wait to meet him!

A break from cleaning

I am taking a few minutes break from cleaning to blog. Bryon took the day off from work since the courts are closed and we are using it to organize and clean the inside and outside of our house. The house is showing signs of neglect due to weeks of weekends full of soccer games and Baylor football!

In the next hour or two, we will hear about Lauren's baby. I can't imagine anything is wrong so until I hear otherwise, I am going to think positively. I can't wait to know what he/she is! Lauren is tough competition, but I think I am going to be the worlds most doting aunt! I can't wait to give Lauren a run for her money!

Matthew's soccer season ended last night. I am always so excited to start the season and always ready for it to end! This will be our last year to play in this league. He will be in the big city league next year. We will still be around the smaller league next year, though, when Thomas starts playing! How are we going to do both? I guess we will figure that out next year!

Well, back to scrubbing toilets. Have a great weekend!

My confident Mama's boy

While my younger two kids would prefer to be with Bryon over anyone in the world, Matthew is a bona fide Mama's boy. I find this to be quite interesting because he, too, was a Daddy's boy up until he turned three.

Anytime Bryon leaves to run an errand, Thomas superglues himself to Bryon's leg and ME holds out both of her hands, shakes with intensity, squealing for "Dada"!

Last night was fairly typical. Bryon got home and decided to go to the movie store for a rental. The younger two were in the car and Matthew came out to say goodbye.

"Please go with us Matthew! I want to spend time with all three of my kids."

"No thanks, I want to keep Mom company."

"Come on, Matthew. We will just be gone 20 minutes."

"I would rather stay home and give Mom the best 20 minutes of her life."

Bryon and I busted out laughing. You just can't argue with that!

At least we are raising a boy with confidence!

A prayer request

I got the news today that my sister, Lauren's, alpha fetal protein levels were low. This could be a sign of down syndrome. I have known several people who have had this test and it was a false positive. Apparently 60% of the time it is. If you have any words of encouragement for her, please drop her a comment.

She will have an ultrasound done on Friday and we will know for sure if my niece/nephew is healthy or not. And whether it is a niece or nephew!

Please pray!

Happy anniversary!

Today is our 10 year engagemaversary! No, we don't celebrate it every year, but 10 years is a nice time to reflect on the night.

This night marked the end of the 5 most magical months of my life. The last 10 years have been wonderful as well, but there is nothing as magical as first falling in love! During those 5 months, I also went to Europe for 5 weeks and moved in with my best friend.

Bryon, who is horrible about keeping secrets, had already told me that it would be between Harding Homecoming and Thanksgiving. We had something planned every weekend between those two dates so I kept wondering when it would happen.

Saturday, November 4, 1995, Bryon was a groomsmen in his friend, Shawn's wedding. We spent most of the day in Dallas, and then it was time to go home. Bryon asked me where I would like to eat dinner, and I told him I really didn't care. I was tired from the day and would have been happy ordering pizza in my apartment!

He told me to get dressed because he was taking me to Waterworks. This was my favorite restaurant at the time which has since shut down. They had great steaks and seafood. This is also where we had our official first date. We were going there to celebrate the news that Bryon had passed the bar exam which he found out about on the 3rd and to celebrate 5 months of being a couple.

When he picked me up, he drove me to the law school. He parked the car and gave me a rose and said how thankful he was that he had decided to go to Baylor Law School because he met me. How romantic, I thought! NO CLUE what he was doing!

Then he drove me back to my apartment complex and gave me another rose. He said he loved my apartment because we had spent a lot of time talking and getting to know each other there. This is where I cooked for Bryon for the first time (Actually, my mother had cooked everything and brought it over to make it look like I had made it!) and where we kissed for the first time.

Then he drove out to my parents house. There he gave me another rose. We sat in the car and he told me how much he enjoyed getting to know my family. How much he enjoyed Dad being our Sunday school teacher and he looked forward to my family eventually becoming his family.

Then he drove me to church. He gave me another rose and said how happy he was that he decided to go to our church. That is where we met and the reason we got together. This is where he had asked me to lunch 5 months before that started our relationship.

At this point, I still had no clue. I figured he was giving me 5 roses for the 5 months we had been dating which was very romantic and fairly common for Bryon back in the day. I tried to guess where the last place would be.

Then we pulled up to Waterworks and he gave me the last rose. He said this is where our first official date was and where he had fallen in love with me.

Well, we went inside and enjoyed a nice dinner. At one point, I told Bryon I would like to look at dishes sometime soon, and he said that he really didn't want to think about dishes until after we were engaged. Any hope I had that this was the night were dashed.

After dinner, the waiter brought me one dozen white roses that Bryon had brought over while I was getting ready for our date. After the waiter left, Bryon got up, got down on his knees and asked me to marry him! I would love to tell you what he said, but I was in such shock that I have no idea!

What a night! What a relief! Weeks of anticipation had led to this point. Turns out Bryon was just waiting on his bar results because he didn't want to get married until his future was secure. We decided that night that August 3rd, 9 months later would be THE DATE.

Happy Engagemaversary, Honey!

The morning after

Well, I am feeling much better this morning. Yesterday, I was diagnosed with strep throat and, childbirth notwithstanding, I can say that I hadn't felt that bad in years and years.

Trying to take care of a 3 1/2 year old and 14 month old when I saw black spots everytime I stood up was scary. Thomas, bless his heart, was such a great helper! He would bring me the things I needed and moved Mary Beth when she was in harms way.

Two miracle drugs helped me on my road to recovery. Penicillin and Lipton noodle soup in the box. I always prefer the homemade version of everything, but something about the soup when I am sick always cures what ails me!

The afternoon wasn't too bad. ME took the longest nap of her life (3 1/2 hours) and Thomas had a movie marathon! I was able to get an hour nap which was helpful. Bryon came home around 4 to watch the kids so I could rest. He took them out as soon as he got home and other than dropping off the soup, I didn't see him until after church which ended at 8! Bless that man!

I am feeling much better today despite the fact that I can hardly move the leg that my penicillin shot went into. Those things hurt!

Say Cheese!

What a ham!

A visitation, a recital, and memorable Halloween memory

Yesterday was a strange day as you can imagine. I spent most of the day hugging my kids. A cold front moved in with tornado warnings and the atmosphere really fit my mood...cold and dreary.

A few things I am reminded of after the death of a friend's husband. We only are promised this moment. Live each moment like it was your last. Don't spend so much time worried about petty things.

After I dropped off the carpool, I ran home and got Matthew dressed in his costume for his first recital. All of the children and instructors from the Baylor piano program were to be in costume. We then raced over to Baylor to watch the recital. I had a few minutes between Matthew's individual lesson and the recital so I took the younger two to the Chilis and Starbucks parking garage on campus. Of course they had nothing like this when I was there! It was my first time in there and I stuck out like a sore thumb with two children in tow.

Off to the recital. Thomas, ME, and I had to walk quite a ways. Looking around the Baylor campus, I was reminded of my time there. So many fun memories. I also couldn't help to think of Jen. So much of her life revolves around Baylor.

Matthew's recital was a hoot. He was asked to make up a composition that reminded him of his costume. Seeing how he was a cop, he played the keys up and down several times to sound like a police siren. He played his pieces perfectly and insisted on doing it with his handcuffs on!

When we got home, Bryon was waiting for me. He came home early to help with trick or treating so I could go to the visitation. We got the kids all dressed up and out the door. Time for the visitation.

I got there 10 minutes after the doors open and the line was already wrapped around the corner. In the line were mostly college students as well as a who's who of Baylor 10 years ago. It was so nice seeing people I hadn't seen in 10 years although quite akward under the circumstances.

After standing in line an hour, Jen's best friend came through and showed me where Jen was. I wasn't interested in seeing Kyle's body, I just wanted to give Jen a hug. She looked so frail and helpless and my heart ached for her. Hard to describe the scene so I think I won't even attempt to.

I went to my parents to meet up with Bryon and the kids. We were laughing thinking back to Halloween 10 years ago. I was at Baylor and Bryon was in Temple. He called to say he was on his way to pick me up. This should normally take 30 minutes. He didn't show up for a hour and a half! I was so mad/relieved when I saw him!

I found out later that he had asked my parents to marry me. He would start on his prepared statement and then, "Ding Dong! Trick or Treat!" It took him a while to say what he had to say with the interruptions!

When I was reunited with my little family last night, I just looked at all of them and thanked God for them. I only have this moment. I am going to savor it.