Busy busy busy!

It's been kind of busy around here....

My birthday was Thursday. I'm now moving more into the 30s....kind of sad, but it was a nice day. It was the kids' last day at school, so I dropped them off and killed some time at the mall. Then, I had the best massage EVER! It was so wonderful!

After some lunch with Chris, we headed to Caleb's class Christmas party. It's hilarious to watch the semblance of order with a bunch of 3 and 4 year olds! The director of the Mother's Day Out read a story. Then the kids got to open their presents (a book each parent sent for their kid). The kiddos of course were going nuts opening and enjoying their gifts when Mrs. Lindsey (director) tried to calm them down to read the Christmas story from the Bible. Not happening with that crowd!! They were too busy to slow down and listen to a story! I'm so glad Caleb likes his school. I got to meet some more friends and parents, so that was nice. The one he talks about most is "Camel" (Campbell). I met him at Halloween but got to meet the folks this time. Apparently, Campbell talks about Caleb just as much at his house!

We had our Sunday School party that night, too. It was fun....lots of gift stealing going on there! I'm glad to have some great friends up here. They're becoming more like family. For a while, it seemed like all we were encountering were problems and more problems, but God is good, and things have been looking up!

Now we're gearing up for Christmas. Our sweet church family gave us Christmas gifts yesterday morning. They are an incredibly generous bunch. Then we went caroling to some shut ins and nursing home residents last night before meeting back up for some yummy soup and chili! The kids enjoyed it, and I think those little old ladies enjoy seeing the boys. They are cute! But I'm biased...

It's fun having little ones. You can work on their gifts right in front of them, and they never know it! Chris is building a table for some hot wheels stuff and Caleb's Diego train, and they have no clue what it's for! So innocent! Hope you all have a very merry Christmas and get to spend some great time with family and friends. We'll be up here, our first Christmas not with the rest of the family. I think it'll be good, but I'm sure we'll be missing the fam!

Surviving the Ice Storm

We have spent the last 2 days covered in ice. Everything basically shut down yesterday, and NOBODY was out. Today was a bit better; at least it got above freezing! Caleb wanted to go outside and play in the snow. He was a bit disappointed to find that it was just lots of hard ice, but once Chris found a "sled", all was right in the world! I have a long rubbermaid box that holds all my gift wrapping materials, and Chris decided that looked like a great sled! All 3 of my boys loaded up on it and off they went.

We started out on the small hill that goes out of the front yard onto the road we live on (a very low traffic road). That was fun for a while, but my dear sweet husband needed more adventure! We live on the corner of our road and a very busy road. Our house sits up a bit, and there's a HUGE hill leading down to the busy road. Granted, no one was out hardly yesterday. The whole time we were out, I saw less than 10 vehicles. But, my husband felt the need to conquer the big hill. He went by himself first. Of course, Caleb has to do everything Daddy does, so Chris took him down next. He took both boys down also, but Joshua wasn't a big fan! I don't have any pics of the big hill, but I'll post video once I download that. It was hilarious! I was a bit nervous, of course, but I'm the momma! I have to learn to let my boys explore that adventurous spirit, I guess! Here are a few pics from our fun time yesterday.....

Christmas Play

Our church's Christmas program was Sun. night. Both my boys were in it...and were absolutely adorable! It was sort of like It's a Wonderful Life, but with Jesus taken out of the picture of Christmas. It was really good, and it had some great music, too. Caleb was an ornament. At first, he wasn't sure about going out on stage, but he finally went for the first song and ended up waving at me. He also went out on the last song, and by that time, he was hamming it up and dancing around with Joshua.

Joshua was "Mighty Machine Man." It was the toy one of the boys in the play talked about, so every time he was mentioned, Mighty Machine Man went out on the stage. So cute! Here are some pics of them that night.

Now I understand why my mom was always wanting to take pictures of me before all those plays. Proud parents always want pics of their precious children!!

pics

Here are some pics from our trip to TX and our decorating fun for Christmas. Enjoy!

This is at Chris's parents'...Joshua loved playing on the lawn mower! Most of the time he was laughing, though....

Christmas early with Chris's fam....I love my boys!



Why can't everyone smile and look at the camera at the same time????

This was taken on an impromptu hayride at my parents' house.

Mom bought the kids pajamas....aren't they cute?

Cheesy grin!

Back in Arkansas decorating our tree. Caleb was so excited to put the star on top! I think I had more fun decorating than ever this year because Caleb can help now! So sweet!

Welcome, Frosty! Aren't these kids just adorable!?

Christmas Moments

Well, we're back in the swing of things up here in Arkansas. I'm wrapping up the semester and posting grades.....

I only had one student appt. yesterday, so I was able to pick the boys up from school (which never happens!). Afterwards, I called Chris, and he was at Lifeway, so we headed there, too. We had to hit the Veggie Tales/Kids section of course. But, up in the front of the store was a kids nativity set. It comes with a book to tell the stories of all the characters in the nativity. Each character comes in a little box. Caleb proceeds to take each person/animal out of the boxes and set up the nativity. As he does, he's singing Silent Night. How sweet! I didn't even know he knew that song yet! He learned it at school. It was so adorable!! The final box is "what God wants for Christmas." It's a box with a mirror in the bottom, so it's you. Caleb asks why that box is empty, and I tell him it's what God wants for Christmas and show him the mirror. In his 4 year-old wisdom, he looks at me with that silly grin and says, "Mommy, I'm not a Christmas present!! That's just a mirror." You gotta love that logic!

We spent the day Monday cleaning up around here and decorating the outside of the house for Christmas. We have a huge "Frosty" in front this year. The kids love the lights and the snowman. Caleb was a great helper (haha) for his daddy while I took care of Joshua and made us some yummy hot chocolate! I'll post some pics later!

Back in the Lone Star State!

We're in Texas!!! We made it in around lunchtime yesterday. It's kinda weird being back. We haven't been here since my graduation in May. We'll be at Chris's folks' for a few days and then off to Fairfield. I'm already getting all relaxed with no schedule to maintain!

The boys have been here for a few days, so Chris and I were totally ready to see them when we got here. Can I tell you how great it is to hear "Momma!!!" and see those smiles as those boys ran to hug us? I love being the mom! They had a great time, but I think they were ready to see us. We're having Thanksgiving and Christmas tomorrow, so our holiday season is upon us!

Chris and I made a list of restaurants we must visit while we're down here....we've already had our Whataburger french fries and Lupe's enchiladas....I wonder what we'll tackle next! Most of our "must eats" are mexican joints....not a lot of good mexican food in Arkansas! Just one of the reasons it's good to be back in TX!

Fun Girls' Day

Well, the day started off way too early. You guys know I'm NOT a morning person! Chris and our youth pastor, Justin, were going to a conference at Greenbrier (outside of Conway), and Jamie (Justin's wife) and I tagged along. We were dropping the boys off with Chris's parents today. :( They wanted a little extra time with them, so they met us all the way in Conway this morning to get them. It'll be nice to have a few days with Chris, but I'm missing my boys. The quietness here is a bit deafening! They're having a blast, though. Caleb is so busy playing with his cousin, Nathan, that he doesn't even have time to talk to us on the phone! Little toot!

Anyway, we dropped the guys off at their conference, and Jamie and I headed to Conway for some serious shopping. Loads of fun!!! I haven't laughed as much as I did today in a long time. It's like everything was exceptionally funny today for some reason. (Rebecca, you know what I'm talking about!!! We used to have lots of those days!) We had so much fun just hanging out and shopping. I bought some really cute boots, and I discovered a great bookstore with great prices and bought lots of books. I'm a nerd, I know, but I love books! It was just a great time. Jamie and I don't get to spend lots of time without husbands or my kids. I needed a good girls day. It was totally freezing out, but still good shopping! Now we're home in the quiet hunkering down for a cold night....supposed to freeze tonight!

Breakthrough!

Yes, it is possible.....Joshua can actually go to "school" and like it! We've been taking him to Mother's Day Out since school started. At first, he just screamed when we left him. Then, he'd say "Nooo" and whine a bit when we left. Now, this week we can put him down in his room (with him carrying his own lunch box-too cute!) and he turns around and waves and says "bye". YEAH!!! His teachers are getting more attached to him too. The other day, his sheet for the day said, "He is too perfect!" He is just a little sweetie, I must say!

Caleb got to graduate to the bigger kids class today. I didn't know that was the plan, so when I took him to his room, Miss Carol told me to take him to the next room. I was kind of worried because he LOVES Miss Carol, so I told him how big he was getting to graduate to the next class. He looked up at me, chest puffed out, and said, "I'm big like you now, Momma!" He's 4 now you know. He's decided since he's 4 that he's as big as I am! The logic of a 4 year old!

More Estrogen, Please!

We headed to Conway on Thurs for the AR BMA meeting. I'm not a big fan of these meetings; they kind of bore me! Thankfully, I have 2 sweet boys that can't sit through all that! We packed our bag o' toys and played in the foyer while Chris went into the meeting. It was nice to see a TX face in the crowd there. For all you Ag friends out there, I got to say hi to Bobby, my former pastor. He's serving in Conway now. Always great to see a familiar face!

Then we got to the fun part. We went to Heber Springs/ Greers Ferry on Fri to go camping with Chris's brother and nephew. The drove up for some fishing. I was surrounded by way too much testosterone! I wish Ronnie would have brought along my sis-in-law!!! The camping was beautiful and way cold! We threw rocks in the river and saw an eagle. He perched up in a tree and even flew around a bit. So neat! I realized, however, that Caleb is growing up. So sad! He just ran right into the woods by our campsite with Jacob to go exploring. I sat there and watched him thinking how big he is going out there without us. I hated to have to come back Sat. afternoon. I have found that I actually like camping....of course, since we bought our camping trailer, it's really nice!

We had a great time hanging out with family this weekend. It's always nice to have visitors up here. Yesterday afternoon, we got out to play in the leaves again, and Ronnie buried Caleb and Jacob. They were "leaf monsters!" Joshua was more occupied with pulling around the wagon!

On a more serious note, I'd like to ask you all to pray for us as we minister here. I don't want to go into specifics, but you minister's wives/ kids out there surely understand where I'm coming from, and the rest of you know just how stubborn I am and how much I want to lash out! Pray for wisdom and strength for us. Thanks so much!

It's Raining Leaves!

I wish I would have gotten my camera out this morning when I looked out my window. There are a couple of huge trees in the back yard, and their leaves have turned a beautiful yellow in the last week. Well, so many are starting to fall off that it looked like it was raining yellow leaves this morning! Now our back yard is covered with leaves and in desparate need of a rake! We took the boys out back a while ago and let them play in all the leaves. Lots of fun throwing them up in the air!

Pardon Caleb in his underwear....He still hates wearing pants even though it was a little chilly out! At least he knows to keep them on in public! The pics don't do the colors justice at all, but maybe you can tell a little bit how pretty it is up here right now! Happy Fall!

To God Be the Glory

I think that title adequately expressed the theme for Jill (Jarvis) Atteberry's life. I found out about Jill's tragic death last night as I was browsing through blogs from my Aggie buds. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I was expecting to see her and Scott this weekend at a meeting in Conway. I actually look forward to meetings for the simple reason that talking with Jill and Scott seems to brighten those dreary hours!

I don't know that Jill will ever know the impact she had on so many lives. She loved God and she loved people. An awesome legacy to leave to her little man, Bryce. As a mom, I am saddened that she will not see him grow up. As a wife, I am saddened that she and Scott will not have a long, happy marriage and enjoy growing old together.

However, I must take comfort that Jill is rejoicing in Heaven today and sitting at Jesus' feet. My little tiny mind doesn't do a great job comprehending that there is so much more that this short life. May God help me to have a Kingdom mindset in all things.

We will all miss Jill. I remember teaching aerobics with her at the ABS center. I remember so many things about her. She was always a light in a dark world. Please pray for Scott, Bryce, and the rest of the family during this time. I can't imagine what they're going through. Chris and I were talking about how this could happen to any of us at any time. All of us have unbuckled to turn around and take care of a baby at one point. I know I have. I hope we all realize what a gift each day is and what a gift our loved ones are. I'll not let folks not know how much I love them now. May God allow me to be a light like Jill.

On to the next holiday!

We made it through Halloween! The boys were adorable, of course. We went to one of the local church's "Trail of Treats" for our trick or treating. The boys liked it, but Caleb got scared of some of the other kids' scary costumes! Then we went to a Halloween party at some of our friends' house. My friend Jamie bought Caleb some special Diego trick or treat candy, so we couldn't miss that!

On Sat., we did some "spring" cleaning in the fall. Whew! That was not a fun job. We cleaned out everything but the closets. Thankfully, we had cleaned out the pantry because our sweet congregation pounded us on Sun! They did that for us last year, and I have yet to buy paper towels. Now my pantry is overflowing and my bathroom closet is full of toilet paper and paper towels! These folks up here are so sweet! They take good care of us.

Funny story....I made cupcakes this afternoon after I got home from work. A little while ago, I was icing them when I heard this "Mmmmm" behind me. I look down and Joshua had taken one of my non-iced cupcakes and was eating the top off! The little thief! He liked it even better when I put a bit of icing on it. He's a sweet lover like his daddy!

Here are a few pics from the last week, minus Caleb's birthday party. Still haven't downloaded them from my friend's camera....

Absolute Beauty

Wow! God made us a beautiful world to live in! I love love love this time of year, especially now that I live in the land of having 4 actual seasons! Chris and I loaded up the kids this morning and headed to the hills. We live about an hour away from the eastern Ozarks. There's a little town called Hardy up there that we like to visit, and it's been a LONG time since we made it up there. There is the best restaurant ever (the blue restaurant, no clue what its actual name is) and lots of fun, crafty stores. And, we mustn't forget Caleb's fave, the candy store! Every time we go he has to get his giant lollipop there!

My favorite part of the trip was the seeing the beauty of nature all around me. The colors are peaking, and the trees were just popping with color today. BEAUTIFUL!!! I hate that I didn't have a camera, not that pics would do it justice! The reds and oranges and yellows are so bright right now. How can people think there is no God when they see beauty like that? How could we have come from some bang or a little amoeba or something!? God is so great to give us a world to enjoy. We so don't deserve it, but He blesses us continually. Yea God!

We took the long way home just so we could see some more trees! It's not just the trees; the brush turns red, too! Beautiful, gorgeous fall day!

Fall Fest and Birthdays and Halloween, Oh My!

We've had a busy week at the George house, and it's not over yet! I wanted to put some pics up because I've got some cuties, but my camera has decided it doesn't like me. So, those will have to wait, but here's the low down!

Last Saturday, we had our church's fall fest. A couple in our church hosts it every year. They're farmers (which translates to TONS of land!), and we have a fire, loads of food, games for the kids, and a hayride. They even had a bouncy house...Caleb loved it, and so did Joshua. The lady who hosts this (and her daughter) are totally creative, and supposedly this gets better every year. This year we got off the hayride to go through the "Spooky Forest." It was so cute (not too spooky). There were different ghosts and pumpkins and things throughout; then it was back to the trailer. Then we go to "Mimi's Mansion." (Janet's a "Mimi" to her grandkids.) Last year they had a Sonny and Cher karaoke show, but this year they had some popcorn and movie bits from the Adam's Family. We didn't do the scary hayride, so Caleb loved it. Chris got scared, though, when he saw the cows out in the pasture! What a baby! The kids got to wear their costumes, too....the first of 4 times!

Sunday afternoon was Caleb's birthday party at the park. He asked for an elephant birthday cake (his favorite animal). So, we had an animal themed party with the elephant cake. I feel like such a domestic supermom after making that cake! A friend of mine gave me a template to go by, and I even piped the icing on. Of course, I ran out of icing with about 2/3 of it done, but thankfully I mixed some more to the same color gray! It was kind of weird not having family at the party, but we had our friends there. Caleb had a blast. Great 4th birthday!!! He got his big boy bike from us (still with training wheels). He had the cutest grin on his face when we brought it out!

Last night we had a party at church for Caleb's class, and they wanted to wear costumes. So, Larry the Pirate (Veggie Tales) went back on. His little "girlfriend" was SuperGirl. Too cute!

We put the costume back on this morning for the Halloween Carnival at school. I got to go, too, and it was fun. They played games and had a pizza party. It was nice to meet some of the other moms and finally put some faces to the names Caleb talks about when he comes home.

Now we're just waiting for tomorrow for the last appearance of Larry! One of the churches in town has a "Trail of Treats" that we're going to go to. It should be fun! Happy Halloween everyone!

Yuck!

I guess I got what the kids had last week, but I've decided mine's worse! Joshua ran a temp, but that's about all that slowed him down. Caleb had a temp and a sore throat, but his only lasted maybe 2 days. I've had a sore throat/fever since Sat! YUCK! I didn't work today because it still hurts to swallow (and eat...great for the diet!). The fever has finally subsided, but I'm stubborn and don't want to go to the doctor. I figure I have some NP friends at school who can look in my throat for free tomorrow! I have an afternoon class (that hopefully I can make through without losing my voice!), and I'll find someone to look in my throat. Oh well....I guess I should stop whining!

I was feeling a bit better this afternoon and went to Wal-Mart for a few essentials. We were out of milk, juice, bread, all the necessities! After that I watched Chris play with the kids at the park for a little bit. Caleb is just a big fat ham! He would swing from this bar and drop to the ground and loved it, but before doing it everytime he would say, "Don't worry Momma! I'll be OK!" 'Cause you know I was worried about that 10 inch drop!! He's just adorable. Joshua is great on the slide....he thinks you're supposed to slide backwards on your belly. Feet first, but on your belly. Too cute! He's a lot braver than Caleb was at that age, but I hear the second one always is!

Chris finally got my fall decorations out of storage today. YEAH! I'm so excited about fall. The weather is fabulous, and the colors are beautiful. We bought a pumpkin; Caleb is pumped about decorating it. I think we might carve one and go buy some more to paint (more kid-friendly than the sharp knife!). Now my house is going to be all fall-y with my pumpkins and scarecrows and pretty leaves. Awwww....I'm such a girl now. What has happened to me in my old age???

But Mom, if you.....

Caleb is working on his negotiating skills. We went to the mall today. Our fall wardrobes leave a bit to be desired! We were headed back to the car (after a not very successful trip!) and had to pass Build-A-Bear. There was a lady standing outside the store, but I didn't pay much attention to her. Caleb was being his slow-poke self because he was getting tired, so he was a few steps behind me. Apparently, the lady was giving stickers away. Caleb caught up to me as I was going in the last store and told me he needed to go back to the "bear shop" and get a yellow sticker because "yellow is my favorite color." Now, his favorite color has seemed to change a lot lately due to whatever he seems to want at the time! I told him I wasn't going back and dropped it. As we headed to Target to leave, he matter of factly tells me, "Well Mom, if you don't let me get a sticker, I won't let you buy me any more toys." OK I say! I guess he won't be getting any more toys! He told me that all the way to the car. Poor kid! He just doesn't get the whole negotiating thing!

Joshua is mastering the art of pouting. (He gets that from his dad!) Yesterday, I don't know what I did, but it made him mad, so he walked away from me with his back to me toward the fireplace. He wouldn't acknowledge my existence when I talked to him! He just stood there with that precious little frown on his face and ignored me! It was so stinkin' cute! He didn't last long, though, because he saw that I was on the floor, and apparently that means it's time to wrestle. He ran and piled on me! What a sweetie.

This morning we headed to Wal-Mart to order Chris some new contacts. The boys were so darn cute when we dressed them (we had accidentally semi matched them!). So, we got their pics made at Wal-Mart. So cute!!!! We did the fall backgrounds. They were so precious! I can't wait to get them back.

Last night, I got to go on a hot date with my husband! Our Sunday School class all met to watch Fireproof. Awesome movie! Take your tissues! I'm totally turning into my mom the older I get. I was sniffling the whole time. Thank goodness for the funny parts! Seriously, you should all go see that movie. It was fabulous. My mom says one of her counseling buddies thinks that movie should be a must-see for all married couples and actually gave that as an assignment to a struggling couple! We had a great dinner beforehand and loved the movie. I even got a great cup of coffee afterwards! One of the ladies from church volunteered her time to watch the kids, and she and her kids came to the house. The boys had a blast and didn't even miss us! Great night!

Poor Baby!

Caleb has been after me to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua since he saw a preview on a movie he rented last week. Chris did NOT want to go, so I told Caleb I would take him yesterday when I got off work. Chris's mom joined us at the 4:00 show. Caleb was so excited....he loves to go to the "big movie theater." We got our popcorn and sat down to watch the show. It wasn't as bad as I expected. At some point during the show, Caleb said he was cold, so his MeMaw gave him her jacket. Then he fell asleep! This was totally NOT my child. He does not take naps! He decided a long time ago that he was too big for that, and if he does for some reason take a nap, it is impossible to get him to bed that night. He slept for the last 20 or so minutes of the show. When he woke up, I noticed he looked a little off. I asked if he felt bad, and he said his belly kind of felt funny. I felt of him, and he felt a bit feverish. So, we went home, and sure enough, he had a fever. My child also refuses to take children's liquid medicines. So I chopped up a Tylenol and he went to take it. He usually is so good at swallowing pills, but not yesterday. He just spit and gagged. So we decided we'd go get some chewable pills since we needed to take back some movies. In the meantime, he lies down on the floor, still dressed (which is also abnormal for my no-pants-wearing child!) and covers up with a blanket. I asked if he wanted to go to town with me and he told me he "really" wanted to go to the movie store. Off we went. We were in the movie store and he sat down on the floor and threw up! ARG! I cleaned that mess...the girl working looked really young and totally not into cleaning up our mess, so I cleaned up as best I could. We had the talk about telling me when he needs to throw up so we could lessen the mess, and he informed me that he didn't need to do that anymore and that it was "OK Mom" accidents just happen! What a ham!

We finally got home, and he loves his chewable Tylenol. He went right to sleep but woke up around 3:30 this morning. Chris went in there with him. That little punk stayed up till 5 am! Chris said he talked his ear off the whole time! He seems to be doing much better now...jumping around hollering and all! Joshua did the same thing a few days ago, so I guess it's just a little short bug. Joshua doesn't know any better to slow down when he's sick, but I knew Caleb was sick when he wasn't his usual self!

Well, I've got a class this afternoon....I guess I should go get all "teacher=y!"

Girls Aren't Tough!

Saturday was one of those days when all you feel like you do is say "No! Stop that! Don't do that!" I know you all know what I'm talking about! Caleb was just being so bad that day! I got on to him most of the day. It didn't matter how I disciplined him, he was acting up 5 minutes later. That evening we were sitting in the living room, and I pulled him into my lap. I told him I knew I had been tough on him that day, but I wanted him to mind me and be a good boy. We talked about doing what Mommy and Daddy say, not talking back, etc. Here I thought we were having this great talk about how to act properly, when he looks at me (all cute, mind you, with that thoughtful expression on his face), and says, "Mom, girls aren't tough!" What???? Such a goofball! So, girls aren't tough, they're sweet (and he says they like to kiss boys!). Where does he come up with this stuff????

MeMaw and Papa came to visit yesterday.....and brought toys. Joshua got a bouncy zebra thing (which he loves!) and Caleb got a remote control dinosaur. I don't think they've stopped playing except to sleep since they got them! I'm going to have to turn the living room into the playroom if they don't stop getting toys! And...Caleb's birthday is in a couple of weeks. Too many toys!!! I think we're going to have to weed through them again before Christmas!

I finished up one of my classes today. I had to sit through hours of head to toe assessments....arg! It wasn't bad; at least my group of students was prepared! This accelerated program is crazy fast. They just did in 7 weeks what my sophomores do in 15. At least I'll have Wed mornings off for the rest of the semester! I'll pick this group back up in the spring. I've decided I like being a college teacher. Class schedules are so much better than high schools. I've got great hours! Hope you all have a great week!

Busy Days

Wow, the last few days seem to have flown by! It's been a busy week. This week was the first week Joshua started going to "school" 2 days a week. Chris and I took the boys on Tues. I dropped Caleb off in his class and went down the hall to meet with Chris at Joshua's room. As Chris handed Joshua off to the teacher, he looked at Chris, puckered those lips, and said, "Nooo."
It wasn't really a screaming crying no, just a loonnngg no. The way he smushes those lips together as he does it is so cute! He did it again yesterday!

Caleb is continuing to be the ladies' man. I think he's been this way since birth! Chris took the kids to the park around the time I was getting off work today. When I met them there, he said everytime he looked around, Caleb was in the middle of a group of little girls! Look out when he's a teenager!

Yesterday I took Caleb to the movie store. He absolutely loves going to the movie store. I had been telling him we would go, and yesterday afternoon, he came in after I got in from work and told me that he just didn't like his movies and he needed to go rent some more. His little vocabulary is just great! I think he said, "Mommy, why do you keep not taking me to the movie store?" I've kept not doing stuff for him a lot lately!

I'm so glad today's Friday! I picked up an extra shift today at the hospital. I don't like getting up early ever, but I really didn't like it today! I had a good shift, though. I did have a man with head lice, so of course, I felt like my head was itching all day! I went straight to the shower as soon as I got home, not even stopping to kiss the kids or Chris! I feel better now! To start our weekend, we're off to the big Westside High football game. For some crazy reason, they're playing at the ASU stadium tonight. It seats about 30,000 (I know, it's no Kyle Field!), and our school is about the size of a 3A in Texas. I do believe the stadium will be pretty bare, but it'll be fun anyway! Go Warriors!

Wow! What a weekend!

So, Friday morning Chris said he wanted to get out and go for a drive. As I was getting the boys ready, he suggested that I pack a bag for a night...we might just go somewhere and spend the night in a motel. So I packed our bag (with 1 change of clothes) and off we went. I wondered what he had up his sleeve, but we were off on our adventure. About the time we got into Kentucky (about 2 hours from home), we were talking about how stressful the last few weeks had been. Chris has a lot on his plate right now, and it was finally just getting to him. I saw the look in his eye and said, "You want to find someone else to preach Sun, don't you?" He didn't feel like he would be much good in the pulpit this week, and decided that some refreshment and time with the boys and me would be the best choice. He called and lined up a couple of our preachers from the congregation to fill in for Sun services and let one of the deacons know he wasn't going to be there. Then the adventure really began......

He just had this look in his eye, like we were going somewhere we've never been. I wondered why he had headed the way he did because we really haven't found anywhere we really like that way. Somehow, I just knew (what can I say, I know my husband!); I looked at him and said, "You're totally going to drive to Chicago, aren't you?" And, off we went! We rerouted ourselves into Illinois and made it just north of Champaign that night. Amazingly, the kids were fabulous!

The next morning we drove into Chicago. First stop, Wrigley Field! I had always wanted to see it since I just love baseball!

Then we headed to the Sears Tower. Wow! That thing is huge! It was fun to have such a fantastic view of the area. Lake Michigan was absolutely beautiful. As we walked through downtown Chicago, it was amazing to know where I was based on movies I'd seen. Many a chick flick has been filmed there!

After getting a slice of yummy Chicago style pizza (Caleb ate more than I did!), we went to Navy Pier. It juts out into the lake. Of course, I loved the lighthouse. Caleb liked the rides. There was shopping and restaurants and carnival rides and lots more. It was a really fun place! Caleb and I went up in the 150 ft high ferris wheel! He was a little scared at first, but was loving it after a minute. He and Joshua rode the Thomas the Train. Too cute! What a busy day!

Then we headed to Kenosha, WI for the night. We ate at this place called the Brat Stop.....yummy! One of the best brats ever! After swimming (indoor pool, of course, it was freezing there!) and washing some clothes (remember the 1 night thing?), we crashed!

It was pretty rainy on Sunday, so we drove around and looked at some beautiful places in Wisconsin. Wish we could have explored some more, but oh well! We headed back into Illinois and spent the night there.

Monday we woke up and headed to our last stop...the apple orchard. Chris found this really neat orchard south of East St. Louis, Eckert's farm. It was some kind of operation! They had a restaurant (yummy), a store, a gift shop/greenhouse, ice cream stand (also yummy!), and they roded you to the apple orchard to pick your own apples. I really wanted the fujis, but they won't be ready till this weekend. So we picked the sweet crisps. They are really good! I'd never heard of them, but they're one of my faves now! Caleb was excited to pick apples off the tree. Joshua wanted to help, too. I was afraid he'd eat one of the rotten ones off the ground, but he was a good boy! Then we got to pick a pumpkin at the pumpkin patch. Finally, we headed for home.

One more stop on the way home...we found this beautiful covered bridge and just had to pull over!

We got in around 8 last night....just in time to get baths and get to bed. Then it was up for school this morning! Back to normal! It was crazy....but loads of fun!!!!