What is wrong with people?

I will be the first to admit I love shopping and I love a good deal, actually I search until I find one, Doug tells me he loves that about me, because I research online and any ads before I buy something. But there is a problem when people have no respect for those around them. I couldn't believe what I read yesterday about a worker at Wal-Mart in New York getting ran over by all these customers. If you haven't heard about it or read it the link is below:

Police Eye Shoppers in Trampling Death

On another story it talks about to men shooting each other because the women they were with got into a fight with each other in a Toys 'R' Us store in California. Why did these men have guns? And aren't we supposed to be adults? Now these men are not going to be around to celebrate the holidays with their families. Over what? Probably a cat fight over a simple little toy you can pick up anywhere. Sometimes the stupidity of people can really amaze you. The link to this story is below:
Two Dead in Shooting at Toys 'R' Us

I worry sometimes about the world my children are growing up in. But we can't always shelter them all of the time. If we did that they would never want to grow up and go out on their own. As a parent these things really worry you because you start to think how can I do better or show them this is not the way to act? Yes, we have the Lord to guide us in all that we do and this is how we show our children what is right and wrong. Our job is to raise them to the best of our ability and then let them choose their own path in life. Nobody every said it was going to be easy especially with the way people are acting today.

It's Bedlam!!!!

Today is the day my house is divided until a winner has prevailed after our lovely football match up tonight. Who do I want to win? Well of course my beloved Oklahoma State Cowboys. Who does Doug want to win? His beloved Alma mater, the University of Oklahoma Sooners. On game days we both root for our teams and occasionally talk trash to the other, actually more him than me. We both root for each others team when they are not playing the other but when game time rolls around it's like a whole new ball game around here. Tonight though, we are not together watching the game. Doug is in Little Rock and I am here taking care of the boys, we will be watching the game simultaneously just not together. I believe this year it is going to be a good game, actually every year is, for some reason no matter how good or bad each team is doing that year, bedlam is always fun to watch. We can't wait to take the boys to their first Bedlam game, Eli likes the Cowboys and Nic likes the Sooners. At least I am not outnumbered in this house on that. We always joke around about where the boys will go to college at but we both agree we don't care as long as it is not Texas. So, tonight's game is going to be a good one, at least I hope anyway. Both are doing so well and I hope they continue to do so. No matter who you like I hope you have fun enjoying the game.

E.R. Run

The boys have been fighting colds off and on since Saturday, right after they got their flu shots. Eli has a runny nose and cough but no fever. Nic has had a fever off and on since then with a runny nose. Yesterday afternoon right after his nap he was kind of playing but then at dinner he wouldn't eat and he is my big eater. He crawled down onto the tile and laid there and then got up and went and laid on the den floor. I go and pick him up and he is burning up, check is temp and it is almost 102, second time this week. I gave him Tylenol and got him to drink a couple sips of Gatorade but he just laid on the floor all limp, so I call Doug and then the pediatrician and Doug again, the decision is to go to the emergency room. We make our way there and get in no problem, no one in waiting room, a good sign, think again. They take us to triage, Eli stayed in the waiting room with my mother-in-law, the nurse weighed him and checked his temp, even higher than at home, they send us back to waiting room there are no rooms available. After about fifteen/twenty minutes we go back to a room and were told a nurse would be in to see us. Over two hours later still not a nurse or doctor in sight, it was like a ghost town around there. By then the Tylenol was working some and I had gotten him to eat some and even drink, so a consensus between Doug, his mom and I, we leave and nobody said anything to us. I get home and give Nic some Motrin, temp 100, not bad, he slept all night and we have been rotating Tylenol and Motrin all day and are doing his breathing treatments. Luckily, we still had some on hand, but this is usually what happens when he gets a cold so we are back to doing them two times a day until his cold his gone.

On a side note, I was going to do my first Black Friday this morning, but after getting the boys in bed and trying to relax a little is was midnight before I knew it. I wasn't about to get up at four in the morning to be in town by five, just plain crazy. I did go this afternoon while Nic was down for his nap, Eli got to have a little quality time with Dad for a little bit. A very good two hours by myself and I got almost everything on my list, pretty good. And all my boys loved it when I got home, now doesn't that make you feel good when you hear, "Mommy's home" as you walk in the door. The boys are asleep, Doug is on his way to Little Rock and I need to pick up a few toys and put them away before I can go to sleep. A crazy twenty-four hours, I can at least say my life isn't boring with all that goes on around here.

Flashback Friday

I am participating in Melinda's flashback Friday and our assignment was to find a picture from a past Thanksgiving or Black Friday and wouldn't you know it I couldn't find any. Well, the two I did find are of both the boys last year right before we went over to their Great Grannie's for Thanksgiving lunch/dinner. I remember this because that evening we went to look at the lights at Rhema, which are absolutely beautiful. Can't you tell they look so pleased that I was taking their picture right before we leave. I am definitely going to have to break out some of the pictures I took of our house last year after the ice storm, the worst week we have had. Next time I promise to find a better picture and wouldn't you know I couldn't find any of Doug or I on a previous Thanksgiving together, until we had the boys we really didn't take a whole lot of pictures. Now I am on top of it all the time.

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! This year we kept it real simple with just the four of us and oh my was it so much more relaxing staying at home. I made everything last night that way this morning all we had to do was stick everything in the oven this morning and we set down for dinner at 12:30, absolutely perfect. Our menu included turkey, of course, stuffing (my first time to ever make it), sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes & gravy, cranberry sauce, cheese logs & wheat yeast rolls. And for dessert, which we haven't had yet, pumpkin roll and pumpkin pie. I am going to have to up my treadmill and Pilate's next week before Christmas gets here or I may work it off tomorrow during my Black Friday marathon (a first on this also).

With that said, I would like to say what I am thankful for.

I am thankful for the Lord because without Him we would not be where we are today.
I am also thankful for the most wonderful husband any girl could ever ask for and the two most beautiful boys that we have in our lives.
I am thankful for being able to enjoy such a great meal with the three people that mean the absolute most to me in the world.
I am also thankful for a place to call home and enjoy it with the ones I love because without them there would be no Me.

From my family to yours, hope you have a very Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving Feast at Preschool

Yesterday morning Eli's class had their Thanksgiving Feast, it consisted of nuts, bananas, grapes, apples, oranges, raisins and marshmallows. A pretty good little fruit feast if I say so. Anyway, the kids were all so adorable and they really enjoyed some of the parents coming up to watch them. They all sat down at their seats and said their Thanksgiving prayer and loved eating their snack. It was so cute watching them pour their own drinks and just have fun, it is a side of preschool you don't always get to see when you drop them off and pick them up. I am going to laminate his little place mat so that it doesn't get destroyed, at least not on my watch. They have also been preparing for a Christmas pageant, I will definitely have to break out the camcorder for that.

Thought I would toss in a picture of Doug & Nic from yesterday.

Mr. Eli pouring his own drink at the feast.

The look of starvation, their snacks are being delivered.

Preparing to sit down and enjoy.

Guess I better get back to preparing my Thanksgiving feast for us tomorrow, a couple things down and a few to go.

Blogging Sweetness

I would love to thank Melinda over at Bloggin' It From the 'Burbs for this great blog award. I am glad someone out there enjoys reading my crazy thoughts and happenings in my family's lives. So, I would like to thank you so very much for the honor I truly appreciate it.

According to her blog, "This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

So the eight people I nominate are:

1. It's not Megan it's Megan

2. The heart of Life in Oklahoma

3. Moms are for Everyone

4. The Byrd House

5. From Chaos To Grace

6. 6 Happy Hearts

7. Oklahoma Mom 4 Him

8. Our Peculiar Life

I would like to Thank you again and I truly appreciate it!

Tasty Tuesday

It's that time of year with all the delicious food everyone will be eating for the next few weeks I figured I would start sharing a few of my family's favorites. I hope everyone enjoys and tries these recipes, yes they are delicious but some, if you are not very careful in the portion category will expand those waistlines. So proceed with caution.... This time of year this dish is our favorite and we only have it twice a year, Thanksgiving and Christmas not quite sure why we do not have it more but it is great regardless.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Prep: 20 min. Bake: 1hr, 40 min. Stand: 20 min.

4 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract (I use pure vanilla)

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/4 cup cornflakes cereal, crushed

1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional, if you like)

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 1/2 cups miniature marshmellows

Bake sweet potatoes at 400 for about 1 hour or until tender. Let cool to touch; peel and mash potatoes.

Beat sweet potatoes, sugar and the next five ingredients (milk, butter, eggs, vanilla & salt) at medium spped with an electric mixer until smooth. Spoon into a greased (with butter) 11"x7" baking dish. Combine cornflakes cereal and next three ingredients (pecans, brown sugar & butter) in a small bowl. Sprinkle diagonally over casserole in rows 2 inches apart.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle alternate rows with marshmellows and bake 10 more minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy.

Great Pediatrician Switch

Well, it is official after Nic ran a 102 temp late Saturday afternoon and evening and talking to the doctor, we now have a new pediatrician. I have nothing against the doctor I just have not be very pleased with the way he handles situations and sometimes it appears that he is just too busy to be concerned. So, this morning I have been on the computer doing some research and talking to my insurance company, we go next week to see their new pediatrician. This has been bothering me for some time and I finally had it after this weekend. I watched channel 6 this morning and called and talked to their pediatrician on call and asked some questions and he said if I was concerned to definitely get a second opinion. With that Doug and I decided the time was now and for the best for both boys, we need someone who will spend more than a couple of minutes with them and then do nothing about it. Everyone always says to follow your instinct, I have been trying to ignore it, but the time comes to just listen and do what is best for everyone.

Family Portraits

We recently had our family pictures taken, the day before Halloween, a very warm and windy day. Our photographer Liz was absolutely amazing, she put us in a few poses otherwise she just let the boys explore and have fun. We can't wait to get our pictures back and send out our Christmas cards. These are just a few samples of what she took. Thank you so much Liz we had such a great time and we love all of the pictures.

Flu Shots

This morning the boys and I went and go our flu shots, very lovely I must say. Their pediatrician doesn't give them and tells everyone to either go to the Health Department or somewhere else to get them. Last year we went to a pharmacy that gave them to children, $30 each, but she requires consent from their doctor to give them, which was a hassle them and this year he completely refused because he didn't want to be held liable. Let me tell you I am about feed up with this pediatrician, he is starting to get on my last nerve and that takes a lot to do. So, we missed the one yesterday, they only have them every two weeks, actually I just didn't want to get out yesterday morning. But, I knew there was one this morning in another town about 15 minutes away so we decided to go there instead. I get there and the nurse gives me the paperwork to fill I and I notice she gave me three, so I start to take them all back up to her. She says, "Aren't you going to get one?" I think about it not really wanting to because I have never gotten one and reply, "I my as well for them." We head back to the shot room as Eli called it and take a seat. She decided to do Eli first, we were going to do the Flu-Mist but he would not hold his breath long enough during the practice breathing, she was afraid he would get the full dose he needed needless to say the poor guy got a shot instead. After he gets his it's Nic's turn, while I am holding him Eli starts to get real pale and the nurse wrapped a wet paper towel around his neck. I get my shot real quick and hold him and after about five minutes he starts to get his color back, he got a little anxious with the shot and now he is all better. Let me tell you what, my arm is sure hurting right now but at least now we are vaccinated and don't have to worry about that anymore.

Operation Thanksgiving Pictures

Christmas Candy Recipes

I received this in an email from my mother-in-law a while back and thought I would share with everyone, many of them sound delicious. Hope the links work!!

"Christmas Candy Recipes"

CANDY
This is remarkable If you have no particular interest, please pass it on to the bakers in your life. Just click on the name of the CANDY and bam, the recipe appears!
2 Minute Microwave Fudge
5 Minute Fudge
7 Layer Bars
Aaron's Buttery Cashew Brittle
Almond Bark
Amanda's Peppermint Creams
Ann's Cream Nut Candy
Bavarian Inn Peanut Bars
Beth's Delicious Fudge
Brownie Fudge Dessert
Buckeyes
Buckeyes
Butter Toffee
Candied Yams
Candy Bar Brownies
Candy Cane Brittle
Candy Cane Fudge
Caramel Krispie Treats
Caramels
Carmel Corn
Carol's Christmas Treats
Chocolate Almond Bars
Chocolate Balls
Chocolate Billionaires
Chocolate Chow Mein Candy
Chocolate Covered Cherries
Chocolate Covered Nuts
Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls
Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Chocolate Nut Caramels
Chocolate Popcorn
Chocolate Silk Bon Bons
Chocolate Truffels
Christmas Candied Walnuts
Christmas Crackle Candy
Christmas Mice
Chunky Mallow Candy
Cinnamon Hard Candy
Cinnamon Popcorn
Cranberry Nut Fudge
Cream Cheese Candy
Creamy Chocolate Truffles
Creamy Microwave Pralines (Texas Stye)
Crispy peanutbutter balls
Dark Chocolate Fudge
Deborahe's Holiday Chocolates
Disappearing Marshmallow Brownies
Dish of Dirt
Divinty
Dorothy's Peanut Butter/Butterscotch Noodle Cookie
Dreamcicle Fudge
Easy Candy
Easy Divinity
Easy Divinity Easy Divinity Candy
Easy Fudge
Easy Granola Candy
Easy Microwave Carmel
Easy Microwave Fudge
Easy Pecan Logs
English Toffee
English Toffee
English Toffee Bars
Fabulous Fudge
Fake Brittle
Fantasy Fudge
Festive Chocolate Truffles
Five Minute Fudge
Fool-Proof Fudge
Frosted Pecans
Fudge
Brownies
Fudge for One
Fudge Puddles
Georgia Nuggets
Grandma Donna's Nummies
Grandma F's Delicious Fudge
Grandmother' s Holiday Fudge
Hard Candy
Hard Tack Candy
Hazelnut Fantasy Fudge
Ho-Ho Hash
Holly Confection
Honey Comb
J & D's Peanut Butter Balls
Jeanne's Tiger Butter
Jen's Chocolate Meringues
J's Cream Fudge
Kim's Famous Cashew Brittle
Magic Marshmallow Fudge
Mama's Fudge
Maple Rum Balls
Margie's Best Candy
Martha Washington Candy
Martha Washington Mounds
Marzipan
Melting Moments
Melting Moments
Memaw's Reese's
Meme's Best Ever Peanut Butter Fudge
Meringues
Micky's Mints
Microwave Peanutbutter fudge
Microwave Pralines
Milk Fudge
Milky Way Bars
Million Dollar Fudge
Mimi's Famous Fudge
Mocha Truffles
Mom's Mints
Mr. Monroe's Famous Fudge
Mrs. Eisenhower's Fudge
Never Fail Fudge
Never Fail Fudge
No Bake Rum Balls
No Cook Peanut Butter Fudge
No Fail Fudge
Novia Scotia Treats
Nut Mallow Goodies
Nutty North Pole Fudge
Orange Balls
Orange Glazed Pecans
Out Of This World Fudge
Oven Carmel Corn
Peanut Brittle
Peanut Brittle
Peanut Brittle
Peanut Brittle (Microwave)
Peanut Butter Balls
Peanut Butter Balls
Peanut Butter Balls
Peanut Butter Bars-An Elve's Favorite Treat
Peanut Butter Candy
Peanut Butter Candy
Peanut Butter Cups
Peanut Butter Cups
Peanut Butter Fruit Squares
Peanut Butter Fudge
Peanut Butter Fudge
Peanut Butter Fudge
Peanut Butter Snowballs
Peanut Clusters (mircrowavable)
Peanut Krispies
Peanut Patties

Operation Thanksgiving

On Sunday at church it was announced that we would be doing Operation Thanksgiving. What is that, well the church is providing the turkeys and is asking the congregation to supply the additional items for a traditional Thanksgiving meal (mashed potatoes, stuffing, broth, green beans, cranberry sauce, pumpkin & rolls). We are doing this to provide meals for families in our community that may not be able to get quite everything they need for their Thanksgiving dinenr. Everyone was asked to take a grocery bag or two and fill them with the items by today and bring back to the church. So my husband being the generous person he is went up there and came back with a handful of sacks, (how many you ask?), fifteen to be exact. So I am thinking to myself as was Doug, this is a great project for our family, not only will be helping these families we are teaching our boys the joy you feel when you help those in need. I had my list in hand and on Monday afternoon the boys and I loaded up and went to Wal-mart to get everything we needed. Eli enjoyed counting everything out and putting them into the basket. The thing that bothered me was people kept staring at us like we were crazy and I am thinking to myself well how hard is it to by a few extra things (ranging $7-$9 a bag, without a turkey) to help a family that may not be able to have a Thanksgiving meal. Sometimes people really amaze you, one old lady asked what I was doing and she said that is so generous of you and your boys are learning a valuable lesson. By the time we got to the checkout line our basket was nearly overflowing, luckily I didn't have to use very many of those plastic bags (hate those, I use the Eco bags), I mainly grabbed the boxes that held the canned items which made them easier to transport. For the boys being such wonderful helpers we stopped off at McDonald's on the way out. After Eli got home from school yesterday morning we started our process of loading all of the bags with each item. The boys really enjoyed doing this (I will upload a slide show as soon as photo bucket starts working), after we were done we headed up to the church to take everything into the church kitchen. I believe we were told with all the bags gone after the service on Sunday our church was going to be able to help out 130 families in the community. This is wonderful and we love that the boys are learning at such an early age you need to help other people, especially when we tell them over and over to love thy neighbor.

Our little Houdini

I get a call yesterday morning from Doug, (I am almost home from taking Eli to school), he proceeds to tell me that he heard a noise and thought someone had gotten into the house. He gets up and walks to the bedroom door and there is Nicolas standing at the door. The little monkey was tired of waiting on Daddy to get him out of bed so he decided to crawl out of his crib on his own. I on the other hand thought it was pretty hilarious and said when you heard him you should of went and got him out because when that boy is ready to eat, you feed him. This is the first time he has done this and I know it won't be the last. Matter of fact this morning, Eli got up and decided to lay down on our bed while I took a shower and just as I am about to get out here comes Eli with Nic walking into the bathroom. Eli tells me Nic scared him when he came walking in. I knew this day would come but I am still not ready to put him in a toddler bed, other wise I will have to put a gate up in his bedroom doorway to keep him from wandering around at night. I really don't think he will get out in the middle of the night, this has only occurred in the morning (knock on wood), even after his nap I go get him out of bed. So there is our new surprise, our little man is growing up way too fast for us.

Cleaning Make-up Brushes

I am not sure what kind of make-up everyone uses if you use any at all. I, myself will not walk out of my house without a little bit of something on my face, everyone has there good and bad days at any given time. Well, I have been using the id Bare Minerals makeup for almost three years now and I love it. I don't usually wear make-up everyday and don't really go through it all that much because with this make-up it doesn't take much for it to work. I don't think I have bought more than three containers of the base mineral make-up, you can usually get the starter kit for $60.00 at Ulta or Sephora, those are the only places I know of in Tulsa. The kit comes with everything you need and only takes about five minutes to put on everything. I personally was tired of messing with the pressed powered and base and it can get messy if you are in a hurry. It can get expensive but usually everything you need is in the kit unless you want a different blush. Anyway, I needed to buy new brushes because I hadn't yet, yes that is gross, I know. So, I needed to go buy new mineral foundation and was going to get new brushes, I needed four for the whole process. Well the prices for brushes range from $22-$25 each, that's right almost $100 for new brushes. I decided to do a little research on the computer before I left and found the bare mineral brush conditioning shampoo, apparently this will clean your brushes and make them like new again, it takes about 18 hours for the brushes to dry completely. The reviews people wrote were completely correct, my make-up brushes felt so soft and brand new this morning I was truly amazed. I would definitely recommend this product if you use this make-up because for $14 instead of $100 who wouldn't want to try it a least once.

Nicolas' Baptism

Elijah on his Baptism

Nicolas on his Baptism

Today was a wonderful day, this morning when had Mr. Nicolas Baptized at church. He was such a little pro and it didn't bother him being in front of everyone and of course the boy loved the water. He didn't want to go to the nursery afterwards because he knew where the water was at and wanted to stay in there. Afterwards, we visited with the boys cousins and Godparents for a little bit and we came home and ate lunch and Nic went down for his nap. It has been such a wonderful and blessed day and I am so glad we finally got him Baptized. We had Mr. Elijah Baptized when he was six months old. Things kind of slipped by these past few years and you tend to forget until you are looking through baby books and realize, oh great, we forgot one of the most important things in life.

Keeping it simple for Thanksgiving & Christmas

Well my friends it is that time of year again where everyone will most likely eat way too much and gain those pesky unwanted pounds. At my house this year we are keeping it very simple, it will be just the four of us. Doug is working Thanksgiving evening, I know horrible right, well that's the way it goes when you are a pharmacist, somebody has to work right? It's really not that bad, we only go through this every two years, but it is easy to live with. The deal is you volunteer to work Thanksgiving or Christmas, in our case always Thanksgiving, and the next year you are off both holidays, they try to make it fair. Otherwise if you do not volunteer, your name gets put in a drawing and you may end up working Christmas morning or not at all, but who wants to take the chance, just volunteer and be done with it. Anyway, we are used to this every few years and it really isn't a big deal for us anyway. So I will be making our dinner, I love cooking this time of year, well most of the cooking, you see I don't do raw Turkey, absolutely disgusting, I in turn have ordered my Turkey from the Hamlet (if you haven't tried them, they are the best and they deliver worldwide), everything else I will make. My family hasn't done Thanksgiving in five and a half years, since my Nana passed away, but they want to start doing them again. Since right before we go married we always had Thanksgiving with my family but after Nana passed away it was too hard for everyone to get together, so we starting going over to Doug's grandparents. We didn't go the Thanksgiving after Nic was born, Doug had to work and I wasn't toting a two year old and a one month old out in the cold and taking care of them by myself, so we did dinner here that year also. They say once you have children your priorities change and ours are a changing. My aunt decided to go ahead and start our Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions again this year, you know where we will be going from now on, but with Doug working we will not be making our Thanksgiving trip this time. On my side of the family, everyone loves seeing the boys not that they don't on Doug's side but it seems like all the kids are in the way and there really isn't anything for them to do. And as for Christmas we will be doing the same, if his Grannie does her thing on Christmas Eve we will be there and then come home, because I have dinner to start getting ready for Christmas Day. Our new tradition is staying at home Christmas Day so that we can relax and the boys can play with all their new things. In days of old we would go to Grannie's, then to his mom and dad's which turned into a very late night and cranky children (and we would always have to turn around and be back by noon for dinner/then they would start without us anyway), those days are gone, my family comes first and I don't care how anyone feels about it. I know feelings will be hurt but that's just the way things go sometimes, but when people have double standards (preach and act one way and then do something totally different) I begin to draw the line. My family and beliefs come first and we are raising our boys to be MEN of GOD and do the right thing and it starts with Doug and I. So with that, I try not to hurt peoples feeling, actually I do everything to try to help and please but morals and the right thing will always prevail in the end. And this is exactly how our boys will be raised. Sorry about the rambling but sometimes you just have to get things out.

Happy Birthday Mom!!

I would like to say a belated Happy Birthday to my Mom, I didn't make a post yesterday so now I am making up for it. Anyway, Mom/Mama (as the boys call her) we would like to wish you a Happy Birthday and hope you had a great day!! We don't get to see you that often but the boys always love talking to you on the phone and loving spending time with you when they do see you. They love when you come over and watch them so mommy and daddy can go out and you never complain about them staying out late. Thanks for always watching the boys so we can go out on our Anniversary or Christmas shopping or when we finally decide to go out for an evening. It doesn't matter that you live an hour away you are always willing to watch them and will change your plans because you want to come see them. I know we don't have to call you three and four weeks in advance to make plans so we can go out and the boys really enjoy showing you everything they have. When you know we have plans you always make sure our other arrangements haven't fallen through or you will drop what your doing so the boys have someone to watch them, even if that means taking a day off work. I know I don't say this often enough but I Appreciate and Love You very much. And I hope you had a wonderful Birthday. I know it wasn't easy having a baby, actually two, when you were a teenager but you did a great job, although you aren't told enough. Thank you very much for everything. We truly do love you!!

Mother's Day 2008

Brunch on Mother's Day

Mom and I, circa 1980, I was about 5 months old.

Our church is taking up a challenge

I love our church and I enjoy listening to our wonderful sermons every Sunday. But now that the Pumpkin Patch is over it has been decided we need to reach further out into our community, as the Bible states, "Love thy neighbor". So, my fellow church members are on a mission to find our perfect outreach into our beloved community. I know there are churches out there that have many different outreaches into the community and some too many that they can handle. Not saying ours is perfect but we help chair our community food bank and our members are very generous in giving whenever it comes to something or someone in need. But I think our focus is now on reaching out and helping more with everyday needs. We were asked to give suggestions and ideas of ways to reach out and help. I offered up our church signing up with the Angel Food Ministries, we do not have one in our community, this is a week's worth food provided to a family of four for $30. And I bet if we could get every member/family in our church to buy one meal a month we could easily buy 100 boxes and donate them to needy families. There are a few programs in a couple of the surrounding towns but not everyone may be able to drive there or even afford to buy these meals. I know they are very successful and helpful to families that just cannot afford to buy everything they need at the grocery store. This was one option another is the Backpack Program where money is raised or food is donated to the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. This program is designed so that children have something to eat during the weekend when they are not in school. I think it is a great idea and apparently for $150 per student, this will feed a child on weekends for an entire school year. It breaks my heart to think that a child will miss a meal if these backpacks are not sent home with them. And our church members our coming up with many ideas and I know we will definitely pick the right program, heck maybe even two. With the economy the way it is, I hate to think one program will get picked over another. But if we act on one and pray about the other, I know we will receive the answer we are looking for. You never know what the fruits of your labor will be until you try.

Thank a Veteran

Today is Veteran's Day and it should be celebrated by all. I know there are people out there that protest and do not agree with the war going on right now and those that have occurred in the past, but the men and women that sign up to defend and fight for their/our country deserve respect. I also know there are Veteran's out there who speak out against the wars and I can see their point of view as well. But today is a day to Honor our servicemen and women who have served their country with pride and the many who gave their live for our freedom. I truly appreciate their sacrifice and see their service as an honor and privilege that I am living in a country where we appreciate our freedom and are able to experience a life without boundaries. I am proud to say that my Papa served in the Army and Doug's grandad served in the Navy during World War II and we are very proud of their service, (may they both rest in peace). This Veteran's Day is very special because my brother has been back from the war in Iraq for three weeks, he serves with the Oklahoma Army National Guard. I am proud of him for serving his country and thankful that he came back from his year long deployment safe. The boys and I were able to stop and see part of the Veteran's Day parade on the way home from preschool this morning and we very much enjoyed it. So next time you see a veteran please thank them for their service and let them know how much you appreciate them serving our country and defending our freedom.

Peace & Quiet Time

After we got home from church this morning and the boys ate their lunch, the magice hour had arrived, Mr. Nicolas' beloved nap. Elijah surprised me today and said he was tired and wanted to lay down, this usually means he doesn't feel good. So off to bed he goes and this lasts 20-30 minutes but hey it was nice while it lasted. But I did convince him to lay down and be quiet in the living room and he really didn't seem to mind at all, I think he likes a little quiet time every now and then, actually who doesn't. Last night, I made chili for dinner, great weather for it also, this was actually my first time to every make it, I guess I never felt the need to try it before. I must say it was pretty delicious and the boys really loved it. I myself like to put ketchup in it, I know a little weird but it is delicious, so Nic decided he needed to try it also and he loved it. For dessert we had pecan pie, also a first for the boys, they did ok but I think they would rather eat cake instead. I figured I would snap a couple of pictures of them eating because you never know if they will eat it again.

Our donation to the Salvation Army

I decided to a little cleaning of the den or boys play room as we call it. We had a remodel two years ago two weeks after Nic was born and converted our garage into a den. By doing this it made it easier for Eli to play without waking up Nic and all toys were taken into that room alone. Neither boy has toys in their rooms, cruel right, instead the idea was to confine everything in one room and not throughout the house. It made it nice because at the end of the day there is only one room and I don't have to go through the whole house and pick up and put things away. On Thursday, after Nic went down for his nap, Eli and I proceeded to go through all of the toys. I got rid of a whole lot of things, big and small. I went through both toy bins (each have 9 small cubbies) and loading everything up in boxes that they outgrew or don't play with anymore. Now all small toys are in the cubbies in a particular bin (i.e. music, small cars, animals, phones) a little weird I know, but if the boys what to find something all they have to do is look for the correct one. So, once this was all done I started to load all this into the back of my Explorer. With the third row seat laying down I filled the back up completely all the way up to the ceiling. Who knew two little boys could have so many toys? I admit some of the big stuff, like the Leap Frog Learn and Grove Musical Table and Fisher Price Musical Chair we have had since Eli was six months old. My car was completely loaded and yesterday afternoon, after nap of course, we all loaded up and took them to the Salvation Army in Tulsa. All the while Doug and I are telling Eli and Nic they did such a good job helping go through everything, so now little boys and girls that probably don't have anything to play with will be able to have something, especially with Christmas coming up. This made Eli feel so good and we have decided to get a few things for Toys for Tots and maybe get an Angel or two off the Angel tree at the mall. I am so glad Eli understands that not everyone is able to have a lot of things and it is nice to give back when you are able too. There is one thing we didn't load into the car and it is the Bounce And Spin Zebra, we are taking that to church and giving it to the nursery. I fell like Nic has outgrown it, at least he doesn't seem as interested in it anymore and if he stills wants to play with it he can play with it in the nursery.

The People Have Spoken

After nearly two years of campaigning it is finally over, we officially have a new President-Elect. All we can do right now is pray for our country and our leaders and hope they can guide the United States of America back to all of her beauty and glory. Everyone needs to pull together and not stand divided so that our country remains the greatest place to live and work. It's ironic that the people of America voted for a new President last night but soon after that was announced all of the news anchors starting talking about who they thought would be running in for the next election. At least let this new President take office and then in a few years let's start talking about that, because I don't know about anyone else but I am completely tired of all the hype. Let's just fix what needs to be fixed and continue to live our lives without all this bologna that is going on behind the scenes of which party is better suited to run the country. I am to the point I say let's get rid of them all and start fresh with people that have never been in politics before then maybe we might get somewhere. There are business men and women out there who know how to run companies, not people always looking out for themselves and taking money on the side. But right now we do have a new President-Elect and he needs to do his job and help our country get back to it's grandeur, hopefully he can accomplish that during his term. So, it doesn't matter what party you are or who you voted for our wonderful country needs it's people to stand together and support and pray that our leaders can accomplish the right thing.

I was tagged.....

I was tagged and now I get a chance to talk about my wonderful husband. Thanks Megan!! I would also like to take this opportunity to tag Melinda and Emily (you don't have to if you don't feel like it girls). How do I explain about the man I love and the best father any child could ever have? Let's see, Doug and I had our first date in March of 2000, we were engaged in June of 2000 and married on December 30, 2000 and that is the beginning of our wonderful life together. The love of my life and most precious gift I could ever receive is the most caring person that I know. He will help anyone with anything if he is able, he is the one you can count on regardless of what time of day it is. And he loves the Lord with all of his heart. He is the greatest man, husband and father anyone could ever ask for. So here it goes a few tidbits about my loving husband........

Doug loves the University of Oklahoma (GO SOONERS) and cheers for any and every sport. He is a very proud alumni of this great school earning his Doctor of Pharmacy. He doesn't care that I love OSU and that I am a closet Sooner fan, except for when they play my team. He also can't wait to take Eli & Nic to their first Sooner Football game.
He loves Dr. Pepper and drinks it day and night, I swear he has withdraws if there is not any in the refrigerator.

He loves a good Filet Mignon steak, he gets it every time we go out to a good restaurant.

He loves his family so very much and would do anything and everything for them. We are his heart and what keeps him going throughout the day.

Both of our prayers were answered the day we met and our wedding day was one of the most beautiful days of our lives together and the other two included the boys being born.

He loves spending time with his boys and making them happy.

Even if playing means going outside with chalk or watching football or NASCAR on T.V.

These three boys mean trouble when they are together but being out numbered doesn't bother me because I love them so much.

Our favorite vacations came before we had children and they include where we went for our honeymoon and our 1st Anniversary, Freeport on Grand Bahama Island. It has to be one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Our vacations were so much fun, on our 1st Anniversary vacation we swam with the dolphins which is a blast and we can't wait to take the boys.

Another vacation that was a favorite was Colorado Springs and going up to Pikes Peak, during Labor Day weekend (OU happen to be playing up there that weekend, coincidence, I think not, notice I am wearing an OU sweatshirt), absolutely beautiful view and makes you feel so much closer to GOD. He loved taking me to Las Vegas for my birthday one year, which was so much fun.

Doug also loves NASCAR and his favorite driver is Tony Stewart, whom he has met and got his autograph a few times. We went to the race in Texas every year up until Eli was born, I sure miss our trips down there. You know it's love when you drive 4 hours down there for an autograph before the race weekend and your wife is 16 weeks pregnant and doesn't complain about waiting and having to pee every 30 minutes. Definitely well worth it to see him happy about seeing his favorite driver up close and personal. A few years in a row we got pit passes and was so much fun, we were able to see the drivers up close and get a lot of autographs. The boys will definitely love this when they get older and can go with Dad into the pits to see all the drivers.

This year we were in the pits and took a picture with the championship trophy, he had such a blast. Before children we also loved going to concerts. We have seen Tim McGraw & Faith Hill (multiple times), Kenny Chesney (multiple times & nearly seven months pregnant) & Lonestar, to name a few. We have been to Bedlam baseball & the Big 12 Championship football game in 2000, the same year OU won the national championship.



There are so many reasons I love my husband and how much we have done together is amazing. He is my perfect fit, he knows what I want and makes me feel better when I am down. By far the best thing we have done together is having Elijah and Nicolas come into our lives. Even though you think you have such a great relationship, once you have children this brings you even closer together. Our bond has grown stronger over time and continues to grow each day. I wake up and go to sleep everyday thanking the Lord for this wonderful man. These are just a few things about Doug and what he loves to do and there is so much more. So here's to you honey, I Love You Very Much!!!!