Merry Christmas...

From Our family to yours!

In front of our tree before church this morning

At church with all the cousins

Another year older...

Today I add another year to my age. I'm in good company as Brad Pitt, Steven Speilberg and the later half of Tom-Kat, Katie Holmes also add a year to their number today.

Since having kids, I always think of my parents on my birthday. I almost feel as if I should get them a cake and a present to commenmorate this day. Let's face it, thirty seven years ago today I was just going with the flow. My Mom was doing all the work, and my Dad was the one walking the halls. Really they should get presents and praise today... But they get to take the glory from their parents on their birthdays, so I guess it all evens out. :)

It's funny how I don't feel any older than I did yesterday, but the rest of the world considers me a whole year older. On the other hand, when I look back ten years ago to 27, I do feel older. Yesterdays have a way of adding up before you know it! Ten years ago I was still a newly wed. Rob and I were about to find out that we were moving from Midland to Hurst, Texas and kids...well we had our dog Berkley. That seems like a life time ago. Five moves, 6 jobs, and three kids later, almost everything about my life is different. However, I am still am very much in love with my husband, and I am still a child of God. It's nice to have at least two constants.

The biggest change in tha last ten years.... I am a Mom! Everyday I am amazed by the little people God has entrusted to Rob and me. Since my kids are my full time occupation right now, it seems that being a mommy has predominantly colored every thread of my being. I can barely remember what I did, who I was, or what life was like before becoming a Mom...and that is not all bad! I can't help wonder what the next ten years will bring! One thing is for sure, no more babies AND, that is not all bad either! :)

I look forward to this next year, and all the coming years. I am proud to be my age. Yes, I wish I had my 27 year old pre-mommy body and energy back ...but I wouldn't trade it for my 37 year old life with family, experience, and "rugged hope" the years have given. Sometimes I dream about the past or try to imagine the furture, but the here and now is good.... not without it's challenges, for it is after all life! But it is a good life and I feel very loved and blessed.

Well enough reflection! Birthday or not, I have a long to-do list, and the days a waisting! Hope y'all have a wonderful day and enjoy it for very thing it is!

A little bah hum bug

Even though I wasn't crazy about this picture, I was proud to have had my Christmas cards ready to go last week. Then my Mom noticed something wasn't quite right. You may not be able to tell from this small picture but something is misspelled (SHOCKING, I know!)
So I have been sitting on these cards for days wondering if I will send them out anyway or pay to have all 100 of them re-done. Rob says we are sending them as is, no re-doing allowed. Everyone knows I can't spell....but my own name??? It's given me a little bah hum bug! UUUGGGHHH!!!!

Blessings of the Season

December is going by so fast! Can you believe that Christmas is less than two weeks away? Where does the time go? This weekend we did get our tree up and decorated...The rest of the house will be done by Friday or not at all.

This weekend was also big because Kolby went on her Girl Scout trip to the metro-plex! I was a bit apprehensive about this over-night trip because it's was her first out of town over-night trip with out family. But Kolby worked hard selling Girl Scout nuts to earn this trip and I could not deny her going. They had a blast! They went ice skating, had a Build-a-bear party, spent the night in a hotel and then rode the Amtrak train back Sunday afternoon. Kolby's Scout leader is the most creative, organized, brave women I know. She had those girls pack a certain way in a back pack and had them keep up with all their stuff. I don't think I could have trusted Kolby to anyone better than Ms Gabbie! I'm so grateful to people who love my kids and work hard to show them a great time while teaching them big lessons. THANKS GABBIE!

Ella Kate also had a big first this weekend. She started eating rice cereal! Ella Kate is quite a hands on eater! Not sure if you can tell from this picture but, the only way I can get food to EK's mouth without her grabbing it and smearing it all over is to let her hold one spoon while I feed her with another spoon! Too funny that little EKG!

Rhett didn't have any big first, but he had a big fifth! Friday I took Rhett to the doctor and found out for the fifth time in twelve months, he had strep throat! We may be consulting with an ENT about having Rhett's tonsils removed this summer if he has strep again. But despite the strep, he felt pretty good after just one dose of medicine. I think he enjoyed the extra attention he got while Kolby was gone. However no one was more excited about her coming home! Rhett is such a sweet brother! He loves his sisters. Speaking of little sisters....

Sunday Ella Kate wore her Mrs Santa dress to church. Last year around this time Kolby and I were shopping and saw this dress at Old Navy. I'm not sure if we had even sent out the Christmas cards telling everyone that we were having a baby yet, and we certainly didn't know if we were going to have a boy or a girl... But we bought the dress anyway. Doesn't sound like much, but at the time, it was a real leap of faith for me. I remember not wanting to buy anything until I was a lot further along ( 3 miscarriages will do that to you). But Kolby was so excited and it was so sweet that she wanted to get something for her "maybe sister" that I just made myself believe it was safe to buy something for the baby. A year later, to actually see our sweet baby girl in that little dress is such an incredible blessing! God is good. I have to admit that there have been times in the last year that I have really questioned God and questioned what he was doing or not doing in my life. BUT over and over again he has proven to me that he is faithful, he is good, and he does love me! God gives me faith when I can't muster it on my own. He reminds me of who he is and how much he loves me when I least deserve that love. God doesn't have to prove himself, Jesus did that on the cross for all time! But he reminds me of who he is and how he loves through things as simple as a little Santa dress, or as miraculous as the sweet baby girl wearing it!

So even though this Christmas season seems to be going by at light speed, I am grateful for the little reminders and blessings of the season that point me towards the greatest sacrifice and miracle God ever gave us... His precious baby boy who he sent to us and eventually sacrificed for us! May the joy in our hearts over that incredible love and sacrifice light this, and every, season of our lives.

Hope you find many, many blessings in this season!

Talk the talk

So I found myself wondering if I was even capable of writing a blog post that was not centered around K-I-D-S. There are a few big people thoughts swirling around in my head...So here it goes. Read slowly as you know I am rusty at this....

Cosmo Kramer
From 1989 to 1998 I loved to laugh at Kramer. Who didn't? And somehow in syndication he seemed more funny. Then there was that thing in the comedy club a few weeks ago. I heard one comedian say Michael Richards had torched his career and was finished for good. I don't think I bought it though...I mean this is KRAMER! Fictional Cosmo Kramer. Can real life Michael Richards hurt the Kramer we all grew to know and love? Surly after all these years, Michael Richards may go down in history as a tatrum throwing racist, but Kramer will always be Kramer. But then I actually watched the full video clip. Disgusting. It was the kind of un-called for bad that isn't funny. But still, this is Kramer! So days later I'm flipping through the channels and I stop on the Seinfield "BIG DRAWERS" episode. I have rolled in the floor laughing at that particular episode before. But that day, well, not so much. Nine years of laughs deminished forever by three minutes of hate and stupidity. It can happen.

Global Warming
Thoughts to ponder. It does seem like the world is warmer than it was when I was a little girl. I remember having to wear a big coat to go trick-or-treating and having ice on the river IN WEST TEXAS at least once a year. Is Al Gore right? In the last 30 years have we damaged the ozone and created an irreversible green house affect? OR is the Earth just going through cycles and we are in a warm one right now? Aren't the Global Warming people the same ones who therorize that at one point most of the Earth was covered in glaciers and ice? So at some point wouldn't it have had to have gotten awfully warm to melt that ice? I wonder in another 300 or so years will people be talking about Global Cooling ?

Paris Hilton
Really what is it that she does? When did "the Paris Hilton" become a blond heiress and not a hotel in France? Seriously. Does she have a job? Has she ever? Why do so many care about what she wears, who she hangs with and who she is currently "caught on tape" with... I don't get the whole Paris Hilton thing.

A Cappella Music
Why do I like it in church and the shower, but not the car? (Zoe excluded) Why does it bug me that this is such an issue? It has never been an issue for me. I don't feel either style is more or less "right" in the eyes of God. Why do I feel so ambivalent about it? I love instuments in Chrristian music. I love the sound of Acappella singing with voices blending and harmonizing. I wish there was a way to have both in church, but neither exclusively. Seems like that just never happens. It's always all or nothing. How do you feel?

Supply vs Demand
According to the laws of supply and demand, if the the demand is greater than the supply, the cost of a product goes up. If the supply is greater than the demand, the price goes down. So how is it that SUV's and trucks are piled up on car lots across the nation, our major US auto houses are hurting and forced to lay-off thousands and close plants, and sales are basically stagnate yet SUV and trucks have the highest sticker prices in decades! A nicely equipped Suburban cost more than what my parents paid for the house I grew up in.... What's the deal???

Other adult buzzings in my brain...

Will the text messaging generation "B NE"worse at spelling than I am?

Why doesn't the salvation Army have bell ringers at Easter? The weather would be so much better.

Why does the term "cooperate worship" seem like an oximoron to me?

Does the world really need Diet Coke and Coke Zero?

Why are Soap Operas devoid of music and singers?

AND LASTLY if the infamous "Virginia" were to write a letter questioning the existence of Santa today, would she get the same answer. I just have to wonder. I am suddenly finding it hard to tell, or even suggest, to my kids that they should Believe. (Despite what some of my favorite Mary Englbright Christmas Decorations say!) I guess I worry that when they find out that the bell from the Polar Express is a myth and Santa is more a feeling than a person...They will think the world (and more importantly their parents) have lied to them. Will they feel betrayed and start to doubt other things presented to them as real? Will they think that Jesus is just cultural focus pocus too? This has never really bothered me before, but now it is. Please share insight.

Well that is all the big people talk I can muster for one sitting. I'll be back to snapshots, sweet babies and other mommy-isms next time you check in!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
( P.S. I heard it's once again PC for Christians to say that phrase with out the rest of the world thinking you want to take the Christ out of Christmas... What a relief! ; )

Guess who is 5 months old today????

Our happy baby!
I can't believe she is 5 months old and yet I can't imagine life without this sweet girl! Our family has been so blessed by our baby EKG.

So I guess you may have noticed that in the last five months this has become a purely kid/baby picture blog. What is that saying about a picture being worth 1000 words??? Truly, I can't help it. I am just so enamored with the little people living here! God has blessed Rob and I far beyond what we ever dreamed.

Happy Tuesday!

Visit with Santa

Here are some more pictures from last weekend. I was very grateful to have these pictures taken and in hand when I saw the long line to see Santa at our mall! Tis the season!

Our little angel meets the Santa for the first time! Kolby & Rhett are old pros when it comes to "the Santa Picture."
They have all been pretty good this year!

IC(E)y start to the Holidays

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving was a little unusual because all my cousins and my sister were out of town. We didn't have a 20+person meal with lots of kids, dessert and football. But my parents and my family made the best of it and had a grand old time!

Besides having my favorite meal of the year (turkey, dressing, all the trimmings, SWEET POTATOES and Pumkin Chiffon Pie), we went to the Gaylord Texan to see ICE over the weekend. We could have skipped the ICE exhibit and still had a great time. The Gaylord is an incredible place to stay...but ICE was Amazing! Here we are with my Mom about to go into the ICE exhibit.

Amazing what people can do with a big block of ice....2 million pounds of ice to be exact!
I spent a few hours Saturday trying to get a Christmas Card picture in the picturesque holiday setting at the Gaylord. I discoverd that getting a good (OK, I admit I really wanted A GREAT picture) of my three kids was far from easy. Here are some failed attempts...


Luckily that was the only hard thing about our trip. The hotel was amazing. We hit the traffic just right. (Sorry to any of you who got stuck in the hours long 1-35 traffic jam Sunday that was right by the exit to our house!) We Also learned that, yes, we can take seven people in the van out of town! My parents may never be the same as it was a little crazy...but over all we had the most wonderful time!

Despite how it looks in the above pictures, Ella Kate was a little angel for her first over night trip away from home. She slept and ate at all the right times and was so good! Since we don't go out of town much anymore, I forgot how much you have to pack when you have a baby! I'm still unpacking and doing laundry. I miss that maid service and clean little hotel room already!

This picture is from the hotel room. My kids enjoy a hotel stay more than anyone I have ever met. One of my favorite parts of this (and any) trip was watching the kids ooh and ahh over every detail of the hotel...like when Rhett ran out of the bathroom saying "They even have shower caps!" Honestly I feel the same way. I once traveled for a living and I never stopped feeling the thrill of checking into a nice hotel! I'm older now so I don't squeal or "ooh and ahh" like my kids, but I totally understand why they love it so!

As you can see from the pictures above my girls wore a few of their matchng outfits this weekend. ( Gotta love Children's Place!) Even though they are 8 years apart Kolby begs for clothes for EK that match hers. She says she "has waited her whole life to be able to match a sister!" In a few years she won't want to anymore, but in the mean time...aren't my girls cute! :)

Rhett loved the reindeer at the Gaylord, and thankfully, this one did not bite him like the fake one did last year! Notice the hat, gloves, and scarf...it was almost 80 degrees outside but Rhett was determined to wear his new winter duds to see the reindeer and ICE! He is so excited that it might actually freeze here in the morning so he can bundle up!

I'm going through that litte "let down" feeling that I always have after a long anticipated trip or event is over. Back to the real world! This week is the deadline week for the PTA newsletter so it will be busy. For the first time in years it's "after Thanksgiving" and my Christmas decorations are still snug in the attic! YIKES! We won't even talk about Christmas shopping. I haven't even made a list...let alone started checking it off! BUT I swore I would not let the hustle and bustle of the season get to me this year. I just want to enjoy the cooler weather (which is supposed to hit tomorrow) and the joy of the season. Anyone care to join me???

Hope your holiday season is filled with love, family and friendship! Happy Holidays!

Little Miss Thing

Had to share the four month pictures. Hope to have time to blog more soon.

Baby talk

Ella Kate is 18 week old today! Click below to hear her discuss this milestone!

Halloween 2006 Wrap-up

This was our little pumpkin's first Halloween. We had a great time! I think Halloween is really my favorite time of year ! The colors, the weather, the costumes, the smell of cinnamon and pumpkin spice...I even LOVE the color orange!! I just love all things FALL! Then you add cute pictures of kids in costume and fun family times...What could be better? Now if I could just get rid of some of this candy!
This Halloween, Jack ~of Jack in the Box fame~ came to stay with us! That Jack is really down to earth considering he is a fast food mogul. He's just an all around nice guy....and I had heard that he had a big head! :)
He went with me to a costume party last Saturday and then stuck around to take the kids trick-or-treating last night.
This year was also the first Halloween for our "Great Pumpkin" in the front yard. This was one of my "week after = 75% off" purchases from Target last year...I've been waiting all year to see if it would even work! And it did! Many a trick-or-treater stopped to get their picture in front of our pumpkin last night. It was a big night in the neighborhood for trick-or-treaters!

We had SO MANY trick-or-treaters! I started out with a huge kettle of candy and was down to a handful when we turned off our porch light at 7:45. We also did it to enjoy a big family dinner and birthday party for my Uncle Rick "doorbell" free. I hate it that I missed some kids but this year we seemed to have lots of grown-up kids...and they didn't even dress up. OH well... All the little trick-or-treators below were part of our celebration. These little cousins and friends always have so much fun together.



Even the babies seemed to have a great time. Here is Ella Kate hanging with Elvis and his cute sock hop side kick.

I think we wore the baby out! She almost wore her thumb out dozing off to nap today! Hope you all had a great Halloween!

Halloween 2006

Here are this year's Halloween pictures! These are a bit blury as they are from the Sears website. It is really hard to get a good picture of three kids!!! If you would like to see the previous 7 years of Halloween scroll down



Wonder Woman is 8 Superman is 5 and Wonder Baby is 3.5 months old!




1998 This was our first Halloween with our little pumpkin...or Strawberry in this case. Don't we look young!

1999 Kolby is 20 months old and would not get her picture made at Sears. She was totally terrified of photographers. My friend Kristi snapped this one at a Halloween party. 2000 Our Hot Pink Leopard picture from whenshe was 2. (finally found it!)2001 Dorthy is 3 Toto is 6 weeks old. 2002 Tink & Peter Pan.


2003 Ariel and Cpt Feather Sword

2004

2005 (These pics are from the Sears website and are very blurry!) Padme & Anikin

"My little Doll" or..."Birth of a Bow Head"

You Decide!
I held out as long as I could. EK was three months and 4 days old before she wore her first bow. All it took was three people in one afternoon saying what a pretty little "BOY"! So I broke out the bows! Now there is no mistaking!

You know I never really played with baby dolls growing up. I never really got into the whole dress up thing. But now, with my real babies... I am having a blast! Kolby quit wearing bows last year. Just didn't want to do it anymore. I was a bit sad to be honest. So now little EK inherits the big bow drawer..and I get to play real live dress-up for at least seven more years! :)

EK laughed a big belly laugh for the first time the other day. I can't imagine, this side of heaven, a more delightful sound than baby laughter. So sweet, so precious! Wish I could bottle it! We are all cherishing every minute with this baby girl!