Christmas

Oliver holding one of his two new baby cousins, Lena. He's getting some good practice.


Christmas Morning

Our best attempt at family pictures.



My sweet girl and me.

I'm Back...

I haven't been good at updating my blog this month. Alex just returned from a two week work trip and it was all I could do to just keep the kids fed and clothed:) I am, however, starting to feel better. At almost 11 weeks, the sickness is subsiding. I am getting more and more excited, and can't wait to find out if this sweet little baby is a girl or a boy. We debated on whether or not to find out since we have clothes and bedding for both sexes, but neither of us can wait. We kind of consider it our suprise halfway through. We'll keep the name a surprise, for an added bit of fun...and I welcome any girl name ideas anyone has.

We will be home this Christmas, which is nice since Alex has been on the road so much these last two months. We'll spend Christmas Eve with Alex's family and Christmas Day with mine. I did so much of my shopping online this year, and we cut back all around on gifts, which has been a relief. I'm so looking forward to spending time with our little family and our extended family.

I'm hoping to get a good picture of our family at Christmas to either snail mail out or email. Kind of behind on that...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

In July

In July, Meredith will be big sister for the first time, and Oliver will be a big brother again. I found out when Alex was flying overseas, and waited to tell him until he got home. The kids wore these shirts (made by my amazing friend Tara) to the airport to pick him up. We are thankful and excited! I just have to get through all the sickness of the first tri-mester.

Halloween

Daddy, Oliver, and Uncle Max after carving pumpkins.



Dora the Explorer, and a sweet little cowgirl and cowboy.



Our friends Zoe' and Anthony hosted their annual Halloween/Birthday Party. After we mingled a while, we took all the kids trick or treating in our neighborhood. The kids had a blast, and it was warm, thankfully, since I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt.

Chapters

Life has so many chapters, doesn't it? As the holidays approach (which I love, because I am totally a holiday kind of girl), my mind keeps drifting back to my Grandma Ilene and remembering that this will be the first Christmas in 30 years that I haven't spent with her. I think of small things like the pink recliner she always sat in, the funny and honest stories she told, the smell of vegetable soup on the stove, and sharing with her all the bargains I got while shopping (and what each one cost). Those of you who know me, will note that the bargain apple doesn't fall far from the tree:)

I also think of my Dad, who has had to close this chapter in his life. It must feel hard and strange and surreal to lose your parents. He is a loyal and kind-hearted soul, which he got pretty honestly. I'd like to do something special and memorable for my dad this Christmas. Anyone have any ideas?

As Grandma's estate was getting settled, I received two important momentos to keep and pass on to my children. One is a black onyx ring that my grandpa gave my grandma. The other is an engraved banglet that my great-grandfather gave my great gradmother when they were dating. I have vivid pictures in my head of her wearing both.

Ah, life. Chapters open, chapters close. I am thankful God gave us a brain capable of storing memories.

Owl Shower

My creative sister-in-law Kelli and I hosted an Owl themed baby shower for our sister-in-law April. I have never worked with fondant, and it was fun to experiment with. Kelli had lots of cute ideas, including making onesies for the baby using seasonal iron-ons (wish I would have taken a picture of them). Can't wait to meet my new little niece of nephew next month! Here's a picture of our cake.

U2 at OU

U2 is one of the bands Alex and I have always wanted to see live. They haven't come to Oklahoma City in 26 years, so when were heard they were coming, we really wanted to go. Our friends found us tickets (because I gave up hope after the pre-sale tickets sold out). They were amazing, and the concert was a blast! It was perfect outdoor concert weather.



This is their 360 Degree Tour, so the stage was circular and looked like a rocketship.



And of course, here's one of Bono...

it's just part of life...

The car was quiet tonight as the kids and I drove home from my parent's house. I even had the radio turned off because I have an ear infection and can't handle extra noise.

Out of the blue, this conversation began.

Oliver: Mommy, I need to ask you a question
Mommy: Ok
Oliver: When I was at Awana I told a little girl that she needed to share a toy with me. I told her she had to share because it's just part of life, and she said, no, it's not part of life, and I said yes it is.
Mommy: (holding in a chuckle) Well sharing is part of life, and you just need to make sure you share when you have a toy.

It's funny the things that come out of kids mouths. I know I have reasoned with Oliver more than once with the "it's just part of life" saying. I keep a list of all the funny things Oliver says...this will definitely make the list. Maybe I'll keep the radio off more often.

Fall

Fall is my favorite season. This fall is off to a good start. Bible Study, substitute teaching, and Young Lives (teen mom mentorship) are in full swing. Oliver and I are going to a preschool class together at a Children's Museum on Thursday mornings. I am thankful everyday that I get to be home with my kids. Even on the hardest days, there is no place I'd rather be.

My good and forever friend Cristy and I baked and decorated 600 jersey shaped sugar cookies a few weeks ago for the Young Life Banquet. We had some help, or it would have been crazy(and even with help it was a little crazy). We loaded them all in my van and drove really slow so they wouldn't tip and spill all over.





Meredith graduated from her high chair to the booster seat, so her and Oliver get to sit together every meal.



We had a family movie night, complete with popcorn. We rolled out the sleeping bags and laid on the floor. Daisy especially liked the sleeping bag on the floor part.



Alex has been working like crazy on the basement. Lots of electrical work both in the basement and upstairs. He has to do a little more framing, then floor leveler, then comes the drywall. I need to take some pictures and post them soon.

The Prairie Rose

For my mom's birthday we went to The Prairie Rose (chuckwagon dinner and musical entertainment). It's about 20 minutes east of Wichita, and a great, relaxing place to go. Oliver is really into cowboys right now, so he felt right at home. During dinner they throw out bisquits. When they asked who wanted one, Oliver automatically held his hands out to catch one. Nothin' like a good biscuit. Meredith agreed....especially a biscuit with honey on top.








The kids watching an old western on the big screen and enjoying/spoiling their dinner.



Meredith was a little unsure about the whole thing...but she looked so cute in her western shirt, jeans, and boots.



I think the evening brought the cowboy back out in Pa. Oliver and Pa even roped a few stationary cows:)



We bought Oliver and Meredith hats in the gift shop to go with their Halloween cowboy costumes. More pictures to follow in October.



Oliver and a real-life cowboy.

Dual Purposes

While checking on Oliver this afternoon to see if he had fallen alseep, I noticed that the laundry hamper serves dual purposes...for dirty clothes and naps! This sweet little guy can fall asleep anywhere. Reminds me of my brother.

Summer Time

This Summer has been filled with lots of fun; a small town festival (Oliver has his hand over his heart during the national anthem), art projects, celebrating cousin Jude's second birthday, and eating corn on the cobb from Gran's garden. The kids also enjoyed swimming more this summer, and we've played at the park and taken walks. I have loved the summer, but am getting excited now that Fall is just around the corner!

New York

Just before Alex flew to Rochester, New York last weekend, I found out that I was approved to tag along with him. It was a great weekend! We got to see Niagara Falls, visit the jeweler who made my ring over 8 years ago (who happens to live in Rochester), shopped, saw a movie, and ate some good food. Best of all we got to spend time together. It was like a mega date weekend. Thank you to our parents who graciously took care of our our kiddos and our dog while we were gone:)

Fourth of July

Our family and my parents took a road trip to Houston over July 4th. The week was filled with family, friends, and great fun! It has been three years since I had been there, so it was great to reconnect with everyone. It was relaxing, and our kids had a blast playing with my cousin's kids. My Aunt Betty throws a fantastic Fourth of July party. The kids were too pooped to watch the fireworks, but we got to see some on the ride home that evening. Oh, and the picture of Alex drinking barbeque sauce...that was a stop at Rudy's, a delicious barbeque joint.

Look Out World!

She is walking, talking more, and on the go. I tried to post a video of her walking, but it took forever to upload, so I gave up. Meredith is at such a fun age (almost 15 months), and we are enjoying her little personality. A friend gave us this dress, and it is too cute, so I snapped a few pictures before church.