Resuming Life

Nope.  This is not what I should be doing right now.  This is what I want to be doing right now.  Ruby turned one month old a couple days ago (I'll get to writing about her birth at some point).  I'm finally getting back to regular life and I don't really know where to begin.  

Will has been leaving for work around 10:00 everyday since Ruby came.  He left at 8:15 today.  Ruby had a doctor's appointment.  Amazingly, we all made it to where we needed to be, on time, and with real clothes on.

I'm at the point where I have so much to do that I don't know where to begin.  Laundry.  Cleaning.  Bills.  School responsibilities.  Boxes of clothes to be sorted and organized.  Items to be returned.  You get the picture.  Life.

Emma and Taylor have been very helpful.  Their helpfulness started before Ruby even arrived. Here are some pictures of them raking the leaves in August.

They needed a break.  It was hard work cleaning up that small pile of leaves.

 

Will has been incredibly helpful, too.  I don't have any pictures of  him doing the dishes or washing mountains of laundry.

So, I guess I just need to start.  I'll start with the bills.  It will be hard to do the other things if the electricity gets shut off.

Taylor Swift

Taylor asked for a Taylor Swift CD for Christmas and was so excited because she got it!  Her cousin got a ticket to her concert.  She was okay with that.  Until the concert got closer and she started hearing about it non-stop on the radio and TV.  Even then, she didn't really complain, she just said things like, "I wish we could go." 

I explained that the tickets were sold out.  She said she heard on the radio that people could win them.  I told her that all contests were only giving away two tickets and we needed at least three so both girls could go.  Emma said she would be fine if just Taylor went.  It was a very sweet comment, but in reality I don't think it would have gone over so well.

I looked on Craigslist at ones that people were selling and they ranged from $300 - $400.  That was impossible for our budget.  I gave up looking.  Then, a week before the concert a deal popped up on my facebook page that I couldn't pass up.  There was great deal on a name your own price website.  I bought three tickets.  This would be a great before-the-baby-arrives date for Will and the girls. 

We kept it a secret until the day before the concert.  They were so excited!  We explained to them how big the arena would be and how crowed it would be.  We told them about being wanded to make sure know one was bringing a gun in their pockets.  Taylor said, "I probably won't even have pockets!"  Then Emma said,"...And, we don't even have any guns!"

I asked them to show me their "excited" faces.

Now, remember, I got these tickets for a super great price - that doesn't mean they were close seats.

They were up so high that Emma and Taylor were a bit overwhelmed and Emma was afraid she might fall.

They were better after the opening act.  Taylor Swift puts on quite a show.  She even did a portion of the concert on a stage that was closer to the cheap seats.

They got home around 10:45 and were filled with excitement.  After telling me about every detail of what she wore and the songs that she sang their heads hit the pillow and they went right to sleep.

These were some of the highlights:
Taylor Swift gave her black hat to someone in the audience.
Taylor's favorite part was everything.
She wore beautiful dresses.
Daddy got them popcorn and pretzels.
Taylor Swift was wearing red sparkly shoes, just like Emma.  Notice the picture below and compare with Emma above.

Some low points:
She didn't sing Taylor's favorite song.
They never found their cousin, Peyton, in the audience.

Unexpected Visitors

Will's mom, Martha, passed away when he was 8 years old.  Her family lived in West Virginia and Will lived in Oklahoma.  It made keeping in contact with Martha's family difficult.  Will said the last time he saw his aunts was when he was 16 years old.  We've talked about visiting them when the girls were old enough to remember it.  Two of his aunts planned a visit last fall, but things came up and they didn't make it.

Last month we got a call on a Tuesday saying that Will's Aunt Gingy and Uncle Konk were coming for a visit.  They were stopping in Tulsa first to visit Will's brother, Patrick, and would be at our house on Monday.  We were very excited, but I admit I was a bit nervous.  People that I had never met before were staying at my house!  I wanted to be a good hostess and keep them entertained.  

I had nothing to worry about.  They were totally laid back.  Their only agenda was to spend time with us.  To get to know us.  To catch up on the last 20 years. 

It was a great couple days.  They parked their camper in the driveway and we just hung out.  The only place we went was the neighborhood Dairy Queen to get some ice cream.  Gingy played dolls with the girls and read them books.  She even helped them clean their room a few times.  She, of course, made everything fun.  After she left and I made them clean their room by themselves, Taylor said, "I wish Gingy were here." 

I loved hearing remarks like, "They have Martha's eyes", and "Martha had hair like that."  I enjoyed asking questions about Martha and hearing stories from when they were kids.  I felt like even though I never got to meet Will's mom, I got a good glimpse of who she was by spending time with her sister.

Konk (Frank) reminded me so much of my dad.  When he was tired of chatting and needed a break he just went out to his camper to take a nap or watch TV.  He talked about NASCAR and drank milk with his bologna sandwich.   These similarities made it very easy to get to know this stranger.

Actually, it never really felt like I was with strangers.  They were family from the very first hug to the last goodbye tears that were shed.  The girls still talk about them all the time and we can't wait for our next visit.

I now look forward to meeting Martha's last surviving sister, Genie.  Hopefully sooner than later.

11 Years of Predictability

Last month Will and I had our eleven year anniversary.  I struggle sometimes with feeling "old".  Everything in our lives is a pretty predictable routine.  We eat at the same restaurants, watch the same TV shows, sit in the same seats at church, and it is a really big deal if we stay up past 11:00.

Will has commented that when I talk to other people on the phone I sound like a completely different person.  I sound happy and chipper, like I'm really happy to talk to them.  On the other hand, when I talk to him on the phone its for a purpose - could you pick up milk?  When will you be home?  How is your job going?  Its just routine.  I tried to sound happier on the phone with him, but it just sounded ridiculous. 

So....for our anniversary we went to dinner at my favorite place.  Yes, the same place we go every year.  But this year, we really stretched ourselves.  Afterward, we went to a late night movie.  I mean the really late movie.  Not only was it late, but it was in 3D.  We were really living it up.  I admit it was a lot of fun, but I definitely could not stay up that late again for a while. 

I guess its okay to be predictable as long as we change something up every once in a while.  What we're doing seems to be working!

Tooth Fairy Surprise

I hope that the next few days bring a marathon of blogging.  Since being pregnant, I haven't wanted to do anything.  I'm serious.  I've become very lazy.  I'm  17 weeks along now and I'm feeling a little better.  Not great, but well enough to work one day a week and I'm forcing myself to do some things around the house.  Anyway...I've got a lot to catch up on.

Sometime in the beginning of March Taylor lost another tooth.  I was gone for the evening so Will got the girls ready for bed.  I got home and this was what I found.

An arrow pointing the tooth fairy in the right direction.  If you didn't know, fairies like shiny things.  That explains the pile of coins and jewelry.

This was just in case the tooth fairy couldn't remember who's house she was at.

 

The tooth fairy can have a very busy night.  The girls thought she may need to lie down for a bit to rest.  It turns out they were right because when they woke up in the morning fairy dust was found on the blanket!

 

I have to admit that I'm glad I wasn't home that night.  When it comes to bedtime, my patience grows very thin.  I think I would have stifled some of their creativity.  I would have missed their excitement the next morning when finding that the tooth fairy appreciated their efforts.

Thanksgiving 2012

This post is kind of late, but I forgot my camera at the girls' school and couldn't get it until today.  That's just the way things go.

Emma and Taylor's school had a Thanksgiving feast last week.  It was a BIG deal.  Parents donated, prepared, decorated, and served the kids.  Each grade had a responsibility for helping - the kindergarteners made place mats.

All the kids got to eat with their buddy.  I have great pictures of the girls with their third grade buddies, but I'm not posting them because I don't know or have permission from their parents.  Emma and Taylor absolutely adore their buddies.  I even caught Emma's cutting her meat for her.  How sweet.

The days leading up to Thanksgiving we spent time every night talking about one thing we were thankful for.  We wrote it on a "leaf" and glued it to a stick.  It was our tree of Thanksgiving.  It was good for the girls because they sometimes had a hard time thinking of things.

Here are our lists:

Will

getting off work

Mommy's good cooking

having dinner together

days off

weekends at home with the family

a wife who makes my lunch every day

T.V.

*I kind of think that maybe he likes us. :)

Emma 

Jesus

pumpkin pie

nature

blankie

snow

turkey

Taylor

bugs

colors

my mommy and daddy

my toys

my dogs

my sister

money

nature

Alisha

Jesus died for me

dishwasher

books 

coffee

getting to be a stay-at-home mom

getting mail that's not a bill

music

Happy Late Thanksgiving!

Past Times of Yester Years

Every year they have a Museum Day or other discounted museum day.  We take full advantage of those opportunities.  It is way too expensive to pay for all four of us at regular prices.

This year we went to one that celebrates our communities history.  Its fun and educational. 

The incredible heat kept most people away.  That is unfortunate for the museum, but very nice for us.  We didn't have to wait long for anything!

This was on our covered wagon ride.  The girls got to ride up front and Will and I got to enjoy having child-free laps.

10 Years

Will and I celebrated ten years of marriage yesterday.  My goodness, time goes fast.  I'll keep the sappiness to a minimum, but let me tell you - I married a really good guy.  He is definitely my favorite person to hang out with.  We have both changed A LOT in ten years, but what holds us together is a firm friendship and our faith in God.

Since we went to to San Diego a few weeks ago, we felt like a night out might be a bit overindulgent.  We chose, instead, to make it a family celebration.  We all got dressed up and had a fancy dinner.  If you look closely at the table you will see that I finally just decided on Chili's takeout.  Way less clean up.

Afterward we watched our wedding video and looked through pictures.  They got bored pretty fast with the video.  I knew they would.  At one point Emma said of Dave, the pastor, is that really how he talks?  I said yes.  Then she gave a very impressive impersonation.  This is only funny if you actually know Dave.

The girls were in awe of my wedding dress.  Taylor covered her mouth when she saw it.  One of them said (I wish I could remember which one),

"Did you use your real voice?"
"Yes."
"No, brides talk like this."
She then demonstrated the high pitched voice that I should have used at my wedding.
Thank you, Disney princess movies.

A Few Random Thoughts

Overheard while the girls were "cooking" in the kitchen. 
Taylor:  "This recipe says you need tomatoes, onion, bikini, and squash."
She meant zuchinni.

Overheard while the girls were playing in the living room.
Taylor:  "Emma!  You did that on purpose!  On purpose means that you need to go to time out!"
Maybe I should teach them that doing something on purpose can be a good thing, too.

We have been making the girls start using correct L's.  They can make the sound, but out of habit, make them all W's.  They both are doing a good job, but Taylor has over-corrected.  All of her W's are now L's.

Will has often commented that I wake up really grumpy in the morning.  I have to admit that maybe I do.  I can't help it - I have to get up one to three times a night with kids, dogs, or husbands.  (I only have one husband, but it didn't sound right without the s.)  I went to bed last night determined that I would wake up happy, with a smile on my face.  I tried it.  It didn't feel right. 

Great Plains Nature Center, Part 2

I forgot one very important event when I wrote about our trip to the Nature Center.  While we were in the gift shop we picked up dessert for the evening.

Yep, that's right.  Larvets, a cheddar cheese worm delicacy.  The girls loved them and couldn't wait to serve them to Will.

I really wanted to catch his reaction before it went away - that's why my finger blocked the shot.

He was totally grossed out.  He was really bothered by the fact that you could really see their legs.  Eating it was completely out of his comfort zone.  He did it out of love - for the children, not me.  They really aren't that bad.  They're just basically airy shells.  They don't taste much like cheddar cheese, though.

We can't wait to share them with our extended family!

Okay, the last thing I want to talk about is the game that I made. 

I had to make a game for the class I took earlier this summer at the Nature Center.  This is super easy and anyone can do it.  

Make a generic board of some sort and make some question/activity cards.  Each player finds something in nature to be their playing piece.  Find a piece of bark to determine how many spaces each player moves.  Rough side means two spaces, smooth side means one.  Roll it just like a die.

The game will be different each time its played because the cards are specific to the nature you are in.  Here are some examples:  Find something rough.  Look for a cloud, what does it look like?  Find two insects.  How are they the same and different?

Keep it in your car and you always have some extra fun on hand!  

The girls loved it.

Find a soft spot to lay on.

Act like an animal.  - She was a deer.

Updates

I wanted to take a moment to update you on a few things.  Emma's night terrors/sleep walking has gotten much better.  The past week and half she has had some episodes, but most of them have been in her bed and easy to take care of.  Last night she didn't have any problems at all!  Thanks for those of you who prayed for her.  Pray that it continues to be better!

A couple days ago the girls were watching a tree trimming company and Taylor declared (therefore, Emma agreed) that when she grows up she wants to run the wood chipping machine.  Not exactly what I had hoped her occupation would be, but hey, at least she'll have a job.

And finally, I just wanted to leave you with some pictures of a great Daddy.

Mr. Right ***Warning***This is a mushy one***

I met my husband, Will, at church when I was in college.  I liked him long before we ever dated.  I would see him in the hallway and my heart would beat faster.  He would talk to me and I would feel butterflies in my stomach.

Last Sunday I had to be at church a few hours before he and the girls.  My morning was really busy and, I can't believe it, but my family had not even crossed my mind.  I was going about my business and I saw him turn the corner.  My heart started beating faster and I felt butterflies in my stomach.  I know this is sappy, but I enjoyed being surprised by those feelings.  He's a cutie!  And now, he's all mine.

This picture was taken on my birthday 10 years ago when we were dating.

Outside Fun

We've spent some time outside in the mornings to avoid the heat.  The 105 degree weather doesn't bother the girls, but this momma just can't handle it.  Here are a few pictures to show some of our recent fun.

Dirt Dessert - dirt pie and mud pudding.  Mmmm...delicious.  And yes, those are cicada shells that are decorating Taylor's pie.  I wish that I'd gotten a picture of them "walking" up her arms.  I can't keep these two out of the dirt - they are just drawn to it.  And bugs too.  Its definitely not just a boy thing.

Taylor gets very involved in her sidewalk chalk drawings.

And last, but not least, is this super cool toy firetruck.  It was Will's when he was a kid.  You hook it up to the fire hydrant and you are ready to put out fires!  They just don't make toys like they used to.