Smile!

I can not look at these pictures without smiling! Just wanted to send a smile or two your way! :)

Rhetter-roo

My baby boy is growing up so fast. How is it that he is five (almost five and a half he will tell you ) and acting like such a little man? Here are a few stories and Rhett-isms written to help me remember my five year old boy for prosperity...

~ Last Friday was Snowman day at Rhett's school, which was so appropriate considering it was his first day of school last week due to icy weather! Anyway, knowing Rhett is way too cool to wear a sappy old snowman sweater or anything "cute" like that, I decided to go for the cool snowman look and take a minimalist approach. I cut black "coal" shaped buttons out of peel and stick fun foam and then cut a little tiny white Snowman out of white for his black skull cap. Thinking I was the coolest Mom around, I assembled Rhett's monochromatic snowman ensemble and called him in to see. The clothes were cool enough but upon seeing the buttons and the snowman, Rhett announced he would not wear those because he would "look like a jerk." WHERE DID HE LEARN THE WORD JERK AND HOW DOES HE KNOW WHAT ONE WOULD LOOK LIKE?

I didn't push the issue but the next morning I insisted that he put the buttons on ...just for a picture. He got dressed adding sunglasses to his attire and posed for the picture, then started to rip the extras off. I convinced him to wear them to school just to show his teacher, then he could take them off and do whatever he wanted. He agreed, sighing " The things I do for you..." I had to bite my tongue not to laugh but again ...WHERE DID HE GET THAT? I really love that little man!

~ Last Sunday a friend of ours subbed in Rhett's Sunday School class. He asked all the kids at the beginning "Are you excited to be here and learn about God today?" Rhett flatly replied "No, I already know all about God." That is just so Rhett.

~ For about two years, one of Rhett's favorite things to say is "That's disgusting!" He knows what it means and uses it in context, however when he says it it sounds more like "that's' igggssscusting!" I know I should correct him and I'm sure his sister will soon if I don't, but I am kind of attached to that word igggsscusting and will be a bit sad when he gets it right.


~ Rhett loves his Daddy! Now that they are out numbered, the guys have really bonded and stick together. Rhett wants to do eveything his dad does, even dress like him. Every other Friday is a flex-day for Rob at work which means he could have every other Friday off. Every week Rhett asks if Daddy is going to have a "stay home day." He loves the days when he can hang out with his Dad no matter what they end up doing. His Dad is one of his "dudes" and we all think that is pretty neat.

~ Rhett would be a video game junkie if we let him! He has an Nintendo DS (thanks to aunt Sari) and could literally play all day long if I didn't insist on limiting his play with the kitchen timer. His favorite game , bar none, is Star Wars Legos. He shares this passion with his cousin Justin (aka J-dog) who has Star Wars Legos I for Playstation...Which means they can both play at the same time. Justin's Mom and Dad have even videoed them playing because they get so excited. It is a sight to see! When they are doing really well or have conquered a level, Rhett will jump up and say "SWWeet! Justin we rock!" High fives and body slams ensue. The other day while eating out with Justin's family anticipating the games they would play when they went home, in the middle of lunch Rhett asked "Justin are you ready to kick some Star Wars Lego Boodie?" Those boys! The thing is they really can kick boodie! Their Dads are amazed and proud that their son's have inherited their video game prowess!

~Rhett loves numbers. He has been able to count to 100 for over a year now and can also count to twenty by 2s, to fifty by 5s. and two hundred+ by 10s. He is very aware of the time and the temperature display in the van. Though I try not to worry, since Kolby has had a time dealing with and overcoming some dyslexia, it has come to my attention that Rhett often reverses the order of numbers. For example he sees the temperature is 43 and saying "It's thirty four degrees outside." To some extent I know this is normal for this age..but still.

~ Rhett knows all our phone numbers, my Mom's home and cell phone number, our address and all our family's full names. He gets a bit confused on why my parents don't have the same last name we do, but he knows all his cousins have different last names. He gets that we are all one big family with lots of different last names. He is just beginning to understand all the states, cities and their relation to our country. He will ask me what all the states of Russia or Africa are...and I have a hard time explaining that. Rhett knows that Disney World is in Florida, Disney Land is in California. He knows that Uncle Eddy lives in New York the state, while the planes crashed in New York City where mommy loves to go to see plays. Sari traveling the country and sending postcards from all over has peaked his interest in geography and I am scrambling to keep up. He also knows his daddy was born in Japan, and grew up in Spain...but he doesn't get how far away those places are.

~ Rhett can write his first name and is working on his last name. He hasn't learned to spell Thomas yet, but recognizes it by sight. Rhett knows some sight words and likes to tell what letter words start with, but he hasn't wanted to read. I think much of that comes from watching his sister struggle with reading. I'm not going to push it, but hope to work with him more and more before Kindergarten next fall. Rhett likes letters and likes identifying them, but he hasn't shown much interest in writing, drawing or coloring. He does not like to do crafts but he does like to paint. He also does not like stickers and will tell anyone who tries to give him some so...we are working on that.

~ Rhett loves his sisters. Kolby is his best friend and play mate and he will do about anything she suggests. He gets very upset if Kolby gets in trouble and will try to talk me out of punishing her. He also loves his baby sister and wants to hold and play with her...for a minute or two anyway. He is really sweet to Ella Kate and will get on to me if the he thinks I am letting her cry or struggle. If she ever learns to crawl it will be amazing as Rhett will pick her up if she even squirms!

~ All in all Rhett is a great little boy. When I think of that baby in the neo-natal ICU who just couldn't seem to breathe right, I can't believe that he grew into my rough and tumble, always sliding, always falling, always wrestling Rhett! And I thank God for him everyday! We love our Rhetter-roo!

It's Melting!

I love winter. I love snow. I love snow days. I love school starting at 10:00am. I love staying home. I love cooking warm comfort foods and soups. HOWEVER, after being basically at home since last Thursday with sickness and/or icy weather... Today I loved watching the sun come out and the ice start to melt away!


Even our "ice injuries" are starting to melt away. Kolby can sit down with out wincing and the Rhett's eye is more of a rainbow color than black.





It was fun. We had lots of together time. Lots of PJ time. Lots of fires in the fire place. Lots of good food and hot chocolate. Lots of board games, card games and video games. And did I mention I have cooked. Lots of cooking!

I cooked more in the last week than I have in a very,very long time. Breakfast, lunch, and supper.. cause we all know that you just can't eat cold cereal, poptarts or sandwiches when it is that cold outside! Eggs, bacon, pancakes, soup, Mexican food and hearty home-made meals are all that sound good when sleet is hitting the window and a warm fire crackles in the fireplace! :)

But after 7 days...The dish washer is in shock. The pantry is in dire need of replenishment, and there are so many left overs in the frig you can barely get the milk in and out with major re-organizing.

Not to mention being cooped up in the house with three kids for several days in a row. I love them dearly and my kids are pretty great, but I think we all could use a little exercise, a little space, and a little"me" time! My ears are soar from of hearing "MMMoooommmm!" over and over and over....

I would not make it up North. After one week of winter weather, I am happy to see the sun. AND I am thrilled that it is going to get into the 40s today! I'm ready for the kids to go to school, Rob to go to work, me to go to Target! :)

Yes. The ice is melting. It is time.

PS Two prayer request for those who feel so inclined.

~Our beloved pediatrician, Dr.Kemper lost her mother to cancer Monday. The funeral was delayed because of the weather and will be tomorrow. It's been a very hard couple of months. I pray for peace and comfort for her as I know how close she was to her mother.

~A family at church has a new baby in Cooks children's hospital in Fort Worth. He has been there all but 24 hours of his two weeks of life. Please pray that God will comfort and heal this baby and family. Here is a link to their MSN updates for those of you who want to keep up with their progress.
THANK YOU!

Winter is here... time to spring clean!

Today Kolby's school started at 10am and Rhett's was canceled. At first I was bummed about Rhett's school because I had an extra long list of to-dos after being cooped up in the house more or less since last Friday. But as I drove Kolby to school it started sleeting and I (being a total weenie when it comes to driving in ice, sleet or snow etc ) was only too happy to pull back into the safe confines of our little garage.

I don't see myself leaving until I go get Kolby at 3. Pondering the importance of Dance at 4:30? AND then I noticed we are supposed to turn in the Girl Scout Cookie Sales totals today....Oops! Were we selling cookies? I think we all kinda forgot that. No door to door sales today, so I'm afraid Kolby is going to be far short of her goal of 240 boxes... like 190 boxes short at best! Anyone want to order Girl Scout Cookies????

In other news I am on the verge of a clutter/disorganization breakdown! My house just doesn't look or feel like my house with all this stuff around. The next few weeks are going to be dedicated to re-organizing a cleaning out. Pre- kids this would have taken me two days tops. Now, I am hoping to be at least half way there by March! And in the process of this I want to re-paint the living room, dining room , kitchen, laundry room, the halls and totally re-do my bathroom. I would also like to build a desk and filing cabinet area in the nook attached to our bedroom and clean out my closet...which has not been cleaned out since we moved in almost five years ago. In addition to all this I have six years of scrapbooking to catch up on and the PTA scrapbook for this year to put together.

Seriously, does anyone know if that clean sweep show comes to Texas??? Seriously!

So why am I sitting here blogging during precious nap time???? If you don't see me around blog world you know where I am...If you do see me around, you'll know what I am avoiding! :) Everyone bundle up and keep warm because it is cold out there! :)

BRRRR Chilly!

We are all snug as a bug in a rug today! Rob planned weeks ago to take a vacation day today to be home with the kids. With ice all over the trees, sidewalks and maybe the occasional bridge, we are not going to leave our snug little home. It's been a weekend for snuggling up and staying inside.

This morning the kids were just giddy about the ice and insisted on bundling up to venture out and investigate. I thought it might be a cute photo op and after I got them bundled up and out I started getting Ella Kate ready for her winter ice debut. I almost had her ready and Rob ran to the nursery for a blanket. Suddenly there was a crashing sound immediately followed by wailing. Before I could figure out what was going on, Rob ran from the hall and sprinted out the back door. The crying was really loud. I was trying to figure out who it was coming from when Rhett emerged from the back door saying he didn't do anything...He had a big purple spot welling up under his eye. Then Rob raced in carrying Kolby who was sobbing but a little more quietly...

Seems the kids decided to try to get some ice-cycles off the roof by climbing some garden chairs onto a little shingled lean-to on the side of the house (that was used for firewood before the gas logs). Since the roof was covered in ice, Kolby of course fell off the lean-to roof hitting her brother and the chairs before landing on her bottom on the hard cold concrete! OUCH! Rhett's eye was hit by a flying chair but his face was so cold he didn't feel it right away. Needless to say we decided to come in and not venture out again.

I spent the next half hour making sure nothing was broken and warming up my frozen wounded kids. Ella Kate's ice debut will have to wait. Our pictures from the morning are not at al what I envisioned! Take a look.

Black eyed boy!

Yes those are frozen peas on her bum! We were trying to ice it.

Our frozen yard!

Anyway we are just hanging out inside with a fire. I have enjoyed cooking some of our favorite winter foods... Chicken-n-dumplings, Santa Fe Soup, Frito pie, `Beaner weaners and plenty of snowman soup aka hot chocolate! Hope you all stay warm, safe and cozy today!

My two front teeth...

Guess who has two front teeth!!!

On January 5th EK turned 6 months old. For two weeks she had been quite the little slobber monster. Then two days later on January 7th I thought I felt something one her gums.....Low and behold...She had two little teeth poking through!

I tried to get a good picture of the teeth but between the slobber and her tongue...This is as good as it gets.
Look carefully and on her bottom gum you can see two tiny little teeth tops sticking through! WOW! I think she is the earliest one to actually have little white nubs, though Kolby and Rhett also got their bottom two front teeth two at a time during month six...Just not two days into month six!

My baby is growing, growing, growing! At her six month check yesterday she weighed 17 pounds and 3 ounces. She is 26 3/4 inches long and her head circumference was...Well I don't remember that one but, in all three categories she is in the 75th percentile making her my smallest 6 month old thus far. (Kolby was in the 85th percentile and Rhett was off the charts.)

Since I am not dong great at scrapbooking or journaling these days, I'll use this blog to write about what our little Miss is up to. Feel free to skip the sappy mommy details if you wish! :)

At six months Ella Kate can roll over both ways at will and has excellent control of her head and neck. She can sit with help for long periods and without help for a minute or so. She is trying to pull her self up from laying on her back, but has not figured that out so it looks like she is trying to do crunches or sit ups!

She has a very strong grasp and can grab anything within her growing reach. She loves to pull hair as Kolby and I have learned the hard way! She loves to play with her toys that rattle and crinkle. SHE LOVES HER TAGGY BLANKET! She will sit and play with the tags in her fingers and mouth for long periods of time. She is also most recently fascinated with remotes and cell phones...Though for now she just wants to eat them!

Speaking of eating... I started weaning Ella Kate at 5 months by adding one bottle to her day every week for five weeks. At six months we are down to a night feeding, but that seems to be fading fast. She has only acted like she wanted to nurse twice over the bottle and of course it both warmed and broke my heart. I need to wean this baby for many reasons, but I am a little sad to see this stage end. I'm pretty sure it is harder on me than the baby, as most transitions are so far! Ella Kate loves her rice cereal and the few foods she has tried...Though she is a pretty impatient and messy little eater! Now that she is on formula and getting teeth, I'm sure we will work more foods into her routine.

Ella Kate loves people and gives big smiles freely to all she meets. She looks for her brother and sister and squeals with glee at the sight of her Mommy and Daddy! She also has a big soft spot for her Mama K and cried when she left the other night...Which was sweet and heart breaking all at the same time! She also has a great time talking to her Papa and will just rattle on and on We don't know where she gets that! :)

EKG has always been vocal, though she rarely cries. In the last few weeks she has found her squeal!!!! Like her brother Rhett, we are pretty sure she can communicate with marine animals with this high pitched squeal. Unlike Rhett, Ella Kate's squeal is reserved for happy times and conversation.... though she has used it in anger/boredom/frustration once or twice. She has fussed a bit more since teething began but still is quite content.

Ella Kate is such a happy baby! When it is time for a nap or bedtime we just lay her down in her bed and turn on her birds and she coos herself to sleep. She never cries when she wakes up, but will talk loudly if she wants up before we get her. She laughs and laughs when we play pee-pie or make funny noises. She is ultra ticklish on her feet, sides and under her chin! Few sounds are as precious as her sweet little laugh and baby cackles! She is such a joy and we are all just crazy our sweet Ella Bella Katie Baby! I wish I could freeze dry these moments and remember them forever! We thank God constantly for this precious happy, healthy girl!

Happy New Year!

So I am a bit tardy in my New Years greetings! 2007 WOW! Can you believe it? 2007!

I wanted to post a picture of my cute little New Year Baby...it's the last time I will have a baby baby at New Years, but blogger just won't cooperate. Speaking of the baby...she turned six months old this week! SIX MONTHS OLD!!! What a blessing she has been and continues to be.

Not much to blog about these days, but I wanted to check in. Will try to upload that picture soon. Hope the first week of 2007 was good to youand will continue to be good! :)

REVISED OK if you just want the sterile "happy" blog stop reading here.

At few days ago I got this youtube video in an e-mail.

Besides making me totally crazy over what type car seat my children are in, it was just so hauntingly sad. These kids look so familiar. So I followed the link mentioned in the video to find out a little more and spent the next hour reading through this little boy's mom's account of his life and death...and the many many comments that people have left them...all the while tears were streaming down my face.

What touched me more than anything was reading what happened in the words of this little boys mommy. But it was these words that brought me to my knees in tears and prayer...

We truly made the most out of the short time we had with Kyle and I will forever be grateful for that. If I had known in advance that we would only have 3 years with our son, I would change absolutely nothing about the way we lived them. I am eternally grateful for that.

If something happened to Rhett today, I'm not sure I could say that. I feel like Rhett gets the short end of the stick sometimes.

For the last year and a half, with the pregnancy and the new baby, I just haven't been the Mom I want to be for Rhett. Kolby sort of demands attention just because of her age, birth order, and all the school and dyslexia related special time we spend together. Ella Kate is a baby which also demands and gets my full attention most of the time. But then there is Rhett. Rhett is happy, independent and often so content and capable that I have accidentally taken advantage of his good nature and missed out on a lot of time with him. Rhett goes to Kindergarten next fall. I just haven't done all the things I wanted to do with him before he starts school... So for the next eight months until Rhett starts school I am going to really work at being a better Rhett mommy. I guess that is one of my New Years resolutions, though I'm not big on resolutions.

I share this with you because so often it is the words of you, my fellow bloggers, that make me want to be a better person, a stronger Christian, a more loving wife and mommy. You (and I think you know who you are) generously share your life in the words of your blog and by doing so, you inspire me. I don't blog very deeply...and I'm not sure I will ever be the blogger some of you are... But know that I am so blessed by you guys. When inspiration hits or God gets through to me...I want to share it with you.

So again happy New Years... I hope we all accomplish what God reveals for each of us to do in 2007!

PS I'm not at liberty to give any details beyond these, but there is a newborn baby boy named David in Cooks Hospital in Fort Worth who needs prayers for his liver to function properly. Please take a minute to pray for him and his sweet family. Thank you!

Happy New Year!

  

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!