Crazy Days

NEW BLOG

2010-08-29T17:32:00.003-05:00

I've changed my blog, so for all one or two of you who read this, it's now located at http://curiousgeorges.shutterfly.com I opened a share site there and it's way easier to download pictures and blogs there, so we're going to see! If it doesn't work, I guess I can always move back here, but for now I hope you can keep up with our crazy life at the other site. I've already blogged our back to school journal there!

Summer Review

2010-08-21T20:58:00.002-05:00

How have I let myself let my blog get away from me for the whole stinking summer!?

Well, here's a little recap for all 2 of you who read this thing!

We are settled into our new house just outside of Lufkin and loving it! The church is fabulous, and I love the people here. They have been so welcoming and refreshing. I think God should let us stay here for a long time! Chris is loving being back in the ministry, and God is blessing the church greatly. It's been amazing to watch, and we're just thankful to be a part of it.

The kids are adjusting well. They've made new friends at church and love their new classes there. Caleb is about to start kindergarten and is super excited. I, on the other hand, am kind of sad that my baby is about to start school! Joshua turned 3 this summer and will start his own "school" next week. I don't think he's quite as excited as Caleb! They have both turned into superhero fanatics over the summer. It's kind of sad that Caleb's outgrown the animal thing, and Joshua, of course, has to like what his big brother does (though he's still really into Cars and Toy Story)! I now know lots of superheroes I never knew existed!

We didn't go a lot over the summer, but it seems like we were awfully busy. I guess that's just the moving/settling part of our life. We did have a mini vacation to Lake Palestine and a big vacation to Surfside Beach. Both were fun! The kiddos love the water. They both got to go tubing at the lake (with their daddy). They LOVED it! Then there was lots of fun times at the beach. "Sharky" was a hit; they had fun riding the waves on him! Sharky and the boogie boards got lots of use that week! My family was with us for both trips...so much more fun to hang out with family! Chris, the kids, and I stayed gone for a couple of days after the beach trip, and we went exploring in the hill country. We decided there were WAY too many people floating the rivers (looked like a bunch of ants out there!), but we loved Marble Falls. It was mostly relaxing, but we saw some pretty country!

Now the summer is over, and it's time to get back to work. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time off! It was my first summer vacation since college! I definitely have a fantastic job. I'll be starting my new job at Angelina College on Monday. I've been doing a little orienting since the first of the month, but faculty technically goes back on Mon. The people I've met so far are really nice. Many are strong Christians, so I'm really looking forward to that! God put me in just the right place!

I'll try to do better about updating this thing more often....

Catch up....

2010-06-11T22:13:00.002-05:00

Can I just tell you how incredibly CRAZY the last month has been!? It is my sincere prayer that our life is about to sllloooowwwww down! We are in the new house (parsonage) next to the church and are almost completely settled in...just a few things to hang on the wall and some misc. stuff. The church is fantastic! I know we're in the honeymoon phase, but these folks have been so great to us. I can just feel the excitement here, like we're all just anticipating what great things God has in store for us. It's really great to be a part of that. I know God's up to something good here, and I'm so thankful that He's allowing me to be a part of it!

Chris finished up his job at Mother Frances today. Yipee for no more driving 5 days a week! Now I think he'll finally get to settle in here. It's just been so stinking busy with him finishing out his time there and pastoring here. So you can see why I think life is about to get better...he'll actually be home again!

Caleb is an official preK graduate! I still haven't downloaded pics and video from that, so I'll post some of those later, but let me just tell you how cute my sweet boy was! His teacher told the class that their time on the stage was not the time to be waving and making silly faces, so Caleb tried his best not to acknowledge us too much. But, he did have some funny faces when he was "trying" not to notice us! The class sang some songs, and he had a solo in one of them. AWWW!!! I could tell he was really nervous, but he did great! His teachers made each student (all 18) his/her own scrapbook for the year. It is awesome! Every picture they took of Caleb and group pics and some artwork are all in there. Talk about time consuming! It's definitely a keeper!

Joshua is getting used to being in a new place. For a while, he kept saying he wanted to go to his house, but he's finally getting used to this being his new home. He and Caleb had to get used to being together all the time again, so there were lots of fights at first! Now they're doing better (still fighting) and enjoying their new playroom. Joshua is really starting to express himself. He'll tell me (all seriously) "Momma, I need to talk to you" and then just rattle off something silly about his cars or something! It's still so cute when he can't quite pronounce words correctly. This week our front yard was "flocked" with pink flamingos for a fundraiser. Every morning Joshua wakes up and wants to look out the window at the "camingos". What a sweetie!

As for me, I'm in the job hunt. I have interviewed with Angelina College twice and will interview with SFA next week. Pray that God will give me the job He desires me to have. I just want to teach! Right now, I'm just loving being off with my boys for the summer. This teaching schedule is fantastic! I've registered Caleb for kindergarten and found Joshua his "school" too. Now we can just enjoy ourselves for the rest of the summer and worry about school later! Don't know all the stuff we'll do, but I'm looking forward to some fun times!

It's Official!

2010-05-11T09:44:00.002-05:00

Before I get into the weekend's activities, I have to tell you about my sweet Joshua. We were laying down together yesterday, and I rolled away from him to scratch my back. He told me to roll back over, and I explained that I had an itch on my back and had to scratch it. He says, "OK, Momma, I pet your back!" He proceeds to scratch a tiny portion of my lower back and then rolls over on his belly and says, "OK, my turn. You pet my back!" He laid super still while I "petted" his back...already rotten like his momma there!

Anyway, we headed to Lufkin this weekend for the big vote. I was pretty sure this would all work out because Chris and I both felt that this was where God was leading us. So, Chris preached on Sunday morning, and a family invited us over for lunch. Good to know how they all fit together because I had no idea they were related! Sweet people, and the kids had a blast playing. Then that evening we had a Q&A session where the congregation could ask us questions. They sat us up on the stage, and the kids followed....So here we are, Chris answering a question, and Caleb has a tissue stuck up his nose trying to "get the boogers out" and Joshua just digging for gold or something in his nostril. IN FRONT OF EVERYONE!!! I finally got them out with a lady who we have spent a lot of time with over the last few weeks, so the kids were OK leaving with her. Oh my goodness! At least the church can overlook my kids' nasty behavior!! Then after the evening service, the church voted unanimously to call Chris as their pastor!

While they were voting, Chris and I were in the fellowship hall where several of the young kids were. There was even a bouncy house in there! While it was the girls' turn, Caleb and 3 of his new friends went into one of the Sunday school rooms and had a "Superhero meeting". When they came out, they ran one at a time up to the little stage and posed in their best superhero pose! So stinking cute! Caleb's super power was being able to freeze things with his eyes. Such an imagination!

So, we're headed to O'Quinn Baptist Church in Pollock, TX! We're actually moving our things over today. Chris has given notice to the hospital, and I've told all the folks at my job. Please pray that God will open doors for me to find a new job. I'm looking at SFA and Angelina College, so we'll see what happens. We're pumped to be back in the ministry...I think God's got great stuff in store for us at O'Quinn!

Sweetness from Joshua

2010-04-29T13:23:00.002-05:00

I had to get this down before I forget! Last night, Joshua's twang was in full force. He's been exaggerating his words lately, and one syllable words are now becoming two syllable words, like help, ow!, and others. So, we were in the car last night, and we saw the moon. It was a beautiful, big full moon if you missed it! I pointed it out to Joshua and he said, "Waaa-ow! Look at dat moon. It looks like a cookie!" How cute!!! Then that stinking moon kept hiding behind the million foot high pine trees, so it was a treat whenever it would peek out, and I would get another "waaa-ow!" Love the things my kiddos say!

The latest craziness...

2010-04-28T13:52:00.003-05:00

So the people who owned our house sold it. Our lease is up Fri. The new folks want it Sat. Therefore, we're moving AGAIN! Now, this is not recent; we've known about it for a month or so, even tried to get them to let us stay through mid-May so I could at least get out of school. But, no go. We're out on the streets! Not really...

I guess I should give you a bit of background info on our housing dilemma. Chris and I have been praying for God to open up a new ministry opportunity for us. Chris is missing pastoring (it is his passion!), so we began searching for the next church God would have us serve. Well, we're headed to O'Quinn Baptist Church in Pollack (just outside of Lufkin) next Sun. Chris is preaching in view of a call that day, so the church will vote that night. Next Sunday I will know if I have a house or not! I really feel like this is the place God desires for us to serve, and I think that's the vibe I'm getting from the people there, too. We've been there twice now, and we love it! Pray that God would continue to guide our journey to where we need to be.

Another beautiful thing about this church is that it has a parsonage! So no house hunting necessary! It's a nice, big, spacious home. The music minister's wife was one of the former preacher's kids, and she says we have free reign to do what we want with the house. Soooo nice since I've heard some horror stories about parsonages too! I'm looking forward to setting up house for a loooonnnngggg while! In the meantime, we're going to stay with parents until we know something for certain, and if this doesn't work out, we'll find something else! God knows where we need to be!

As for my kids, Joshua doesn't really care what's going on. He's just concerned that the toys are packed in boxes. Of course, those boxes are great to climb on and jump off. I caught them both climbing on one of the big ones the other day! Crazy kiddos! Caleb is excited to have another house. I think he likes moving. Ugh! We spent the afternoon in the parsonage Sun. between services, and he ran through it saying, "Is this our new house!???" I think he'll adjust just fine. They both love their Sunday school classes, too. Very much a load off with Caleb....he doesn't take change that well!

So, pray for us as we complete this latest move, and I'll keep you updated!!!!!

Pretty like Brittany....

2010-04-15T13:50:00.003-05:00

Kids say some crazy things. My children are chipmunk fanatics right now, so we've watched the old cartoons and the new movies lately. Caleb thinks we all have to be a character in everything we watch, so in the chipmunks, I'm Brittany from the Chipettes. The other day he asked me why I was never Janette or Eleanor. (Usually there is no changing of minds allowed!) So I said, "Well, I could be Janette since I wear glasses, and I'm chubby like Eleanor." lol! Then Caleb says, "And you're pretty like Brittany!" Awww! He can be sweet sometimes!

Last night we drove over to Fairfield to see the folks and get some STRAWBERRIES!!! The berries are finally ready and super yummy! We went up to the patch to pick some, and Joshua only ate them while I filled his bucket. Caleb's thoughts were that the strawberries weren't nearly as good without chocolate on them! Joshua was too cute. His face was totally covered in red strawberry juice, and he kept on eating them well after we went back to Nana and Pop's house! We took a box to their teachers this morning, too. Caleb was happy to give his over, but Joshua didn't understand why I wouldn't let him open his box and eat them! Oh well, at least they're healthy....

My sweet darling husband

2010-04-08T09:46:00.002-05:00

I've gotta brag on my man....

These stinking allergies have dragged me down this week. I've felt awful, I'm tired of hacking up my lungs, and I even lost my voice! Now that I'm through with the pity party, let me tell you what Chris did for me Tues. night.

He got to stay home from work that day because they didn't have any procedures, so he spent most of the day in my office studying for his sermon for this weekend (he's preaching at a church near Lufkin on Sun.). When we got in that afternoon, he told me to sit and rest. He would take care of supper. Now I must say, when Chris cooks, it can't be mundane, easy supper. It's going to be big. He decided this time to make a grilled chicken breast with bacon and cheese on top and fried potatoes. Then he even did dessert! Warm banana bread with sliced bananas, vanilla ice cream, and caramel sauce on top. YUM-O!

After dinner, he drew me a luxurious bath, put on music, and took the kids outside so I could relax. He cleaned up in the house, bathed the kids, and put them to bed! All so I could rest and go to bed early! Isn't he great!? I just love my sweetie!

Now if all the pollen would just go away.....

Easter!!!

2010-04-08T09:34:00.002-05:00

Easter weekend was stinking awesome! Too bad my camera wasn't cooperating to get some cute pics! It was beautiful outside, so we spent a lot of time outside playing. Easter festivities started with the kids' parties on Thursday. I got to go to both. Caleb's class had made baskets out of milk jugs that looked like bunnies...too cute! Those kids were crazy with the egg hunt! I've about decided that Joshua doesn't do well with me at his parties. He thinks it's time to go home when I show up! He didn't seem to enjoy his party as much, but he sure did like all the snacks!

On Saturday, Mom and Chappie brought Emily and Evan over to hunt eggs. We dyed some hard boiled eggs (and our fingers!), too. The kids had a blast. I got that one on video with Caleb running around pantsless with tennis shoes on! Great blackmail footage for the future! Then Chris grilled some yummy steaks, and we chowed down.

Saturday night, Caleb and I made Resurrection Eggs. I got the recipe from a good friend. As we made the cookies, we read scripture that related to Jesus' death and resurrection. We beat the pecans like Jesus was beaten. We smelled the vinegar and talked about the wine vinegar Jesus was offered. We talked about how sad it was for Jesus' followers as they laid Him in the tomb. Then we "sealed" the tomb (oven) with tape and went to bed. The following morning (Easter morning), Caleb ran straight to the oven. He told his daddy all about what we had talked about the night before. Then we opened the tomb, and the cookies were done! We bit into them, and they're hollow, just like Jesus' tomb was. How cool is that!? It was a great object lesson for Caleb. He's talked about it lots since then. And, the cookies weren't half bad either! I'm so thankful that he understands the reason we celebrate Easter is not for candy and bunnies and eggs, but to celebrate the fact that our Savior Jesus Christ has conquered death and risen from the dead!!!! Can I get an AMEN!?

We spent Sunday with Chris's family and had a great time. Lots of great food and a great egg hunt. Caleb was thrilled with all the eggs he found! Joshua had his own little few set out just for him, but he thought he was in the big time with the big kids! We even got a little sun that day regardless of the fact that we were sitting in the shade!

Fantabulous Weekend!

2010-03-29T14:00:00.002-05:00

I'm soooo loving this warmer weather even though it was stinkin' windy this weekend! We had a great time this weekend. Chris and I took the kids to Mom's Fri evening so we could have a nice dinner sans kids. So nice to spend some time just the two of us, even if it's just to steal away for dinner. I'm thinking we need a for real date night soon!

Chris took Caleb to Six Flags Saturday. He was so excited (and Caleb was too!)! We decided after our last trip that Joshua should not go back until he's big enough to ride some bigger rides, you know when he's actually as big as he thinks he is! Anyway, Caleb was fearless the last time we went, and he wanted to hit the Judge Roy Scream right off the bat. Chris told me he should have broken him in a little more slowly, but off they went. As they got to the top of the first big hill on it, Caleb looks at Chris and says, "I don't think this was such a good idea!" Needless to say, that's the only time they rode that one! They had lots of fun and lots of bonding, and the log ride was the best ride of the day.

Meanwhile, Joshua and I lazed around at Mom and Dad's for the day. It was super nice to have no plans and just relax and play. Mom and I tried to go to a couple of shops in town, but it's not a lot of fun with a 2 year old! There's this artsy antique-y store in this old building downtown, and Joshua liked it around the windows, but we couldn't go down the inside rows cause it's too "cary" (scary) down that way! Then Evan got to come play in the afternoon. Big times at Nana's house!

Yesterday, we went on an Easter egg hunt at the church where my great grandparents went (and some of my extended family still attends). Caleb was being a bit lazy and asked me to just put some eggs in his basket and he'd just eat the candy. Excuse me!? I told him if he didn't find eggs himself, he'd get to watch Joshua eat some candy, and he'd be out of luck. So, he decided he'd hunt. Of course, at the end he was super proud of himself for all the eggs he found! He's getting good in his old age! So the parade of candy begins.... Now we have hunts at school later in the week. Definitely will have to weed out most of the candy so I won't eat it!

All in all, it was a great weekend. Now we're back in the routine, and I'm procrastinating from grading papers! Have a great week!

March Update

2010-03-22T10:25:00.002-05:00

I have been told that it's been too long since I blogged.... Seems life's been a bit busy these last few weeks, so here's a quick update!

We headed up to Jonesboro a couple of weeks ago for a visit with friends. It was great to see our old church family. I'm so thankful God has sent a great new pastor for them, and the church seems to be doing great! It was fantastic to hook up with our friends and their brand new baby, Hayden. He is too cute, but he didn't like me much! I think it was probably the fact that Joshua was hanging on me every time I tried to hold him! Little jealous??? Poor Caleb got the stomach bug while we were there. Poor baby! He was such a trooper, though. For him to be a whiny kid, he didn't whine at all as he puked his guts up. I felt so bad for him. I hate for my babies to get sick! It was fun to play some bunco with my ladies while I was up there too. I miss those girls!

My spring break was a week before everyone else's, so no real fun times for us! I worked some extra at the hospital...nice extra money!

We've been enjoying the beautiful warmer weather (until this weekend, of course!). We've spent tons of time outside. Joshua loves to race his big Tonka truck all over the drive and sidewalk. It's too cute! Caleb's into playing racing games. We're having to work on good sportsmanship with him. He thinks he should win every time! We've also spent lots of time at the park here in Palestine. The kids love it, and it's way bigger than our little play fort thing in our yard!

Mom was on spring break last week, and she came over Thurs. We got the kids out of school early and headed to the park. For some reason, Joshua was a little scared that day. Don't understand why...he's usually fearless! He played a lot on "James" the train though. He's started to get into Thomas lately so every train we see is one of the Thomas characters! Caleb had to show off his "belly slide" to Nana. What is it with boys having to be daredevils on playground equipment (and everything else!)?

Friday Mom and I went shopping. Great girly time without kiddos! I've missed having those times with my mom when I lived in Arkansas. We bought too much for the kids and not enough for ourselves, but it was fun nonetheless!

Chris and Caleb went out to the lake in Fairfield for a while Fri. evening with his brother's church group, so we decided to just hang out at Mom and Dad's for the whole weekend. We had a super lazy day Saturday since you couldn't get out and do anything anyway! What's up with this stinking cold weather!? I'm ready for warm sunshine-y days! Yesterday, Chris filled in for our former pastor at Round Prairie. He preached both services. I just love listening to him preach! It was great to see our old friends there and catch up a bit with them. Joshua cracked us up yesterday morning. I asked him if he was ready to go play in the nursery, and he says, "Sounds like a plan!" Goofy kid! Guess I've said that a few too many times....

Now we're off to the start of the new week. I'm running on low already since Joshua decided to have a bout of insomnia last night. He woke up around 3am. I layed down with him, and I don't think he really slept well the rest of the night. He kept crawling over me, laying on top of me, whining, talking, jumping around on the bed, you name it! He finally went back to sleep hard after Chris left around 530 this morning. UGH! So, I had a grumpapotamus on my hands for a while this morning. But we made it out the door on time! Hopefully, the week will look up from here!

SNOW AGAIN!!???

2010-02-24T15:05:00.002-06:00

OK, I moved back to Texas expecting much warmer weather!! I'm thankful for the snow and all, but come on, I should be wearing shorts in a few short weeks! (And who knows, I probably will be knowing this weather!) The snow started falling here yesterday around 10:30am while we were finishing up my morning class. I had other students from my afternoon class calling to see what was going on with that, and some of them who live west of us already had 3-4 inches. We eventually cancelled class, and I went to get the kiddos. Their school was closing early too.

As soon as we got home, it was snow clothes on, get outside time. They were super pumped about playing in the snow again. We built a much better snowman this time. No decapitating or crushing wounds on this guy! It still wasn't as big as we could have got it, but hey the boys are 5 & 2; their attention span is not very long! After the snowman, we went in to warm up. Caleb ordered some "warm hot chocolate!" He doesn't like hot stuff, obviously! We settled in with our snacks, and the kiddos played and watched videos.

Then Daddy came home....much more (and wilder!) playtime outside! They chased each other, threw snowballs, knocked each other down in the snow, you know all that crazy boy stuff that they just love! All the while, the snow is still steadily falling. I think we got about 8 inches! It was a great time enjoying this beautiful stuff God created that we don't get to see too often!

Caleb was upset he had to go to school this morning even though he went late. He thought since the snow was still in the yard (but totally off the roads!) he should stay in. I would have loved to take a snow day, but I figured I should get some work done. My lab for today was cancelled, so we took our time getting to town. Fun lazy morning! I think we should get out for good weather sometimes too!! I like this school starting at 10 business!

Bottomless Pit and other happenings

2010-02-15T13:50:00.003-06:00

Valentine's weekend was very nice and mostly relaxing! Chris wasn't on call (woo hoo!!!) so we had some uninterrupted family time for the first time in what seems like forever! We got up Saturday, and Chris and I made a big breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast. Caleb's my picky eater, so all he wanted was cinnamon toast, but my young son has a bottomless pit of a stomach! Chris makes really yummy eggs, and he made 6. I think Joshua ate 3, leaving Chris and me to share the other 3! He also had 2 pieces of bacon and 2 pieces of toast. Where does it go??? He came over to me and said, "Mommy, you eat your eggs and toast?" I told him yes, and he says, "I go eat my eggs and toast!" And off he went... O, what am in for when he gets older!?

Then Chris and I had a much needed date night Sat. night. Mom and Dad kept the kiddos, and we headed to Waco. I have been really wanting to see When in Rome, and I finally got to see it! Soooo good! I will totally be buying that one when it comes out on video! We got to go to Mardel's and shop (sans kids!!!), so taking turns in the kids section that day! We did go to the kids section to buy a new Bible story book for bedtime that the kids are loving. And I got some great deals on fiction....love their clearance section! We had some yummy Mexican food and headed home.

Yesterday we went to church with Chris's parents and visited most of the day with Chris's uncle and cousin who are in from Colorado. It's always great to see them. These guys are story tellers! You always get a good laugh when they're around! Just wish they lived closer! I guess they brought the snow with them!

I forgot to talk about our snow day Friday. SNOW!! Can I tell you how excited Caleb was!? He woke up early for one thing, which didn't make this momma happy, then wanted to immediately head outside. We had a great time throwing snowballs and built a little snowman, but the boys aren't patient enough to build a good one. Joshua kept knocking his poor little head off! Then we headed in for homemade donuts and chocolate milk! Too bad my boys don't like hot drinks...I thought cocoa would be better!

Stubborn-ness!

2010-01-26T17:01:00.002-06:00

I think I'm getting payback for my childhood... Apparently I was a stubborn child! Who woulda thought that!?

So my younger son (Joshua) is following in my footsteps. I've already determined that he is the best birth control ever! Since he turned 2, it's been pretty rough! He can be so sweet one second and a complete terror the next! This time he had been playing outside and wanted some milk when we came in. OK, no problem. Now we've been teaching him to say please and thank you and actually have some semblance of manners. I ask, "What do we say, Joshua?" His response: "I can't say please!!!" So, I tell him no milk. This progresses into a full blown tantrum. He even has to go to his room for a while. Fast forward about 15 min...he's calm and comes and asks for milk. "What do we say, Joshua?" This time (little punk!) gets a sweet sweet grin on his face and says, "Pweeze!!" WHAT??? Why does he have to do this? I guess I earned it according to my mother!

As for other news, thankfully we're not too busy right now. I mean we're always busy with work and stuff, but not a ton of extra stuff right this second. We've LOVED the weather lately and have spent lots of time outside. The kids got 4 wheelers for Christmas, and they've been riding on those. We got the little basketball goal out and the baseball tee the other day. Joshua loves shooting baskets, and Caleb loves t-ball. We even worked on coach pitch on Sunday afternoon. He is doing really well with his hitting! I'm not proud or anything! :) He said he's ready to be on a "real" baseball team. I guess we'll be playing t-ball when it starts up!

Back in the Real World!

2010-01-13T14:45:00.002-06:00

We are still alive! Just been taking a for real Christmas break! Since the only option I have in the sticks for internet service is dial-up, we have no internet at home...so I feel like I've been in another decade for a while! I did steal a few moments here and there on Mom's computer, but for sure not long enough to blog!

Anyway, we had a fantabulous Christmas break! Technically, I was supposed to get 3 weeks off, but I had to come in some last week for new student orientation and work on the lecture I had to do yesterday, so I really only stayed home 2 weeks. The kids (especially Caleb) were thrilled to get to skip school, but now I'm paying for it with Caleb. He's my clingy kid, and he's still adjusting to leaving me at school. Doesn't matter what we say, he still gets upset when I leave! I keep hoping it will get better and not take as long to adjust as it did in the fall! Joshua, on the other hand, could care less if I'm there or not! Independent little booger!

As for our break, we had a great time hanging out with family. The kids got way too many presents, as usual! It's so much fun watching the kids on Christmas morning open their gifts. We're so blessed to have 2 great little boys! Now to work on their thankfulness....

Another big breakthrough during break.....Joshua is now in big boy undies!!! We worked really hard since I had a big chunk of uninterrupted time with him, and he's doing great! He's completely into Cars right now, so when I told him if he started going in the potty good, I'd get him some Cars "shortie boys" (as they're called in the George clan!). He loves his new undies! He can't seem to decide between Lightning McQueen and Mater sometimes though!

Chris and I celebrated our 8th anniversary Dec. 29! That night we just went out to dinner together, but this weekend we took a little trip to the Dallas area to just hang out with each other sans kids! We wanted to go back to San Antonio (where we had our honeymoon), but it was too stinking cold to do all the outside stuff! At least in Dallas, there's stuff to do inside! We saw grown up movies and ate good food and just had a good time reconnecting. It's hard to believe it's been 8 years, and I still adore that crazy guy!!

Wrestlemania and other silly moments

2009-12-10T14:20:00.002-06:00

Last night was a crazy one in our household. It started out so nice and peaceful with a cup of hot cocoa and marshmallows and a nice warm fire..... That peace never lasts long in our house!

The kids decided they were going to "take Daddy down!" So wrestlemania starts. The boys run and "tackle" Chris and he throws them around. Lots and lots of noise and grunting! This progresses into picking them up, throwing them in the air or onto the couch, being Superman through the house, etc. Then Chris acted like he was hiding from them. He'd run into one of the bedrooms down the hall, and the boys would tip toe up to the room to get him. About that time, Chris would, of course, jump out and roar or something else equally loud and scare the daylights out of the boys! Their faces were absolutely priceless as they screamed and ran like crazy back into the living room!

My favorite quote from the evening: Chris (to both boys): "You want some of this?"
Joshua (after Chris has thrown Caleb around): "I want shum Daddy! I want shum!" How cute is that!

As for other hilarities last night, I need to remember to download a video I took of the kids. I bought them each Santa hats yesterday, but Caleb's the only one who wanted to wear one. Then he decided to stand by the Christmas tree (in his t-shirt, underwear, and Santa hat!) and do a little song and dance for me. I videoed him singing the Chipmunks' Christmas song....too funny! It'll be great blackmail one day! Joshua was not too interested, but when I asked him to say "Merry Christmas" for the camera, his response (with his cute pursed lips), "No, I can't! What a goofball!

Hope you're making fun Christmas memories this year, too!

Funnies

2009-11-24T15:13:00.002-06:00

Where do kids learn the funny things they do? Here are a couple of our recents funnies....

Joshua holds a car out to Caleb. "Caleb, do you want to play with Doc?" Caleb: "Yes" as he reaches out to get it. Joshua: "No, no! Don't touch it!" And he thinks it's so funny! He repeats it over and over. And, he does this every couple of days. Silly boy!

In a not so funny moment, Caleb comes to the rescue. Last night the boys were rolling aroud on the living room floor just playing and laughing. A nice change to the fighting I was hearing earlier. Oops, Caleb runs into Joshua, who starts crying. It really didn't look that bad from where I was sitting. He runs and jumps in my lap, and I cuddle and soothe him. Then he looks up at me and there's blood running from his eye. What a great mom I am! He had cut his eyelid just above his lashes. Poor baby! We started dealing with that, and Caleb disappears to his room. He comes out dressed in his doctor clothes, stethoscope around his neck to "check Joshua out!" He says, "I'm on call today, Mom. I'll make sure Joshua's OK!" I guess Chris has been on call a bit much lately!

Hope you all have fantastic Thanksgivings! I'm thankful to be near family again and able to celebrate with them. God is good!

Obsession

2009-11-04T13:34:00.002-06:00

What is it with kids being totally obsessed with certain toys!? Joshua LOVES the movie Cars. We have 3 Lightning McQueen cars at the house, but there's one special one with crazy eyes. (The others are cheaper, plastic versions, not the cool diecast one!) Of course, Joshua knows the difference and only wants the one with the crazy eyes. Then we got Doc after his doctor visit last week, and he didn't put those 2 cars down all weekend! He even wants to sleep with them. He just doesn't understand the safety issues of sleeping with hard toys! Monday I couldn't get Lightning McQueen out of his hand to go to school, so it went with him. I've started hiding them at night so he can't find them before school in the mornings. What is it with these toys? He asks for them in the morning, but thankfully I can distract him with food. Then he starts asking as soon as we get in the car after school. Crazy kid! We have a whole room full of toys, and all he wants are these 2 little cars. Big problems when Caleb also wants to play cars....maybe we should ask for the entire Cars collection for Christmas!

We had a great Halloween weekend. The boys spent Friday night with their grandparents, so Chris and I got to have a date! Woo Hoo!! Then we visited with both sides of the fam on Sat and trick or treated there. We finished up our Halloween at the church we've been visiting. They had "The Great Pumpkin Party", and it was so much fun! Huge turn out for our little village! The kids spent most of their time in the bounce house/slide, but they found a little time to play the games and eat, too. On Sunday, we ended up eating lunch with the pastor of that church and his family. He and his wife have 5 kids....talk about chaos! I thought our house was crazy! It was a blast, though, and great to get to know new people. They're coming to dinner at our house tomorrow, so it'll be a wild night at the George house!

This week is flying by...can't believe it's already November!

Birthday Parties and Pumpkin Patches

2009-10-26T13:41:00.003-05:00

What a wild and crazy weekend! My baby turns 5 this Thursday (the 29th), and we had his party Sat. evening. Of course, I thought I could squeeze all kinds of activities into my day, so we had donuts for breakfast, had to get a few things in town, and of course the cake! Then I went to Fairfield to have lunch with one of my dearest friends, Robin, and her new baby. She's just precious! And you know we talked FOREVER, so I was a bit late getting back to the house to get ready for the party. Thankfully, I had cleaned the house on Fri except for the floors. Those pesky floors always seem to get dirty as soon as I clean them, so I saved them for last. And wouldn't you know it, the party started at 5, and I finished at 4:50!

We had a big time at the party. It was a little schizophrenic this year. I let Caleb pick out what he wanted, and since he likes everything at the moment, we had an Ice Age cake and Transformers party hats. Whatever makes him happy! The whole fam came over. We had lots of playing outside and then in the playroom, lots of food, and fun times visiting. Caleb got some cool stuff, and I asked him if he would take me shopping with his money, to which he responded, "No girl stuff, Mom! Just boy toys!" What a cutie!

Then yesterday, we headed to Canton for the pumpkin patch. For any of you anywhere near Canton, you need to take your kids. It was so much fun! Check it out at cantonchristmastreefarm.com . They had inflatables, kiddie rides, cotton candy (and other food, but who cares when there's cotton candy!), hayrides, face painting, pony rides..... So fun!! Joshua didn't care too much for the helicopter ride once it left the ground, but the train and the cars were great. Of course, Caleb's favorite was the roller coaster. We went with my parents and brother and sis-in-law and kids. My dad and brother liked the pumpkin launcher and the corn cannon the best. It was a beautiful day to be outside, and the kids had a blast. It's so fun to watch your kids enjoy fun stuff and experience new things!

Now we're on the countdown to Halloween and more fun!

Singin' in the Rain!

2009-10-14T09:44:00.002-05:00

Not so much singing, but lots of yelling and playing! It has been POURING here basically for 2 days. I'm getting a bit ready for some sunshine! Anyway, I digress. Caleb and I were at home yesterday evening, and it really started to come down outside. I asked Caleb to open our front door so we could see what it looked like outside. Wow! We had ponds in our front yard! The flower beds were flooded over the sidewalk, and it was just plain wet out there! Caleb looks at me and says, "Can I go out there???" Mind you, he has the cutest look on his face at this moment! It wasn't lightning or anything, so I let him go for it! At first, he just stood at the edge of the porch where the rain was coming off the roof. Then he started running down the sidewalk and back, and then he got adventurous. He was so excited that I let him play in the yard too! He ran out in the grass and slid into our "ponds" and got so stinking muddy, but he was so darn cute! He had the best time! Big time bath after that, but it was a fun time! I just hate that Joshua missed it. Chris had to work late, so they got home about 10 min after we came in.

Joshua wouldn't have cared anyway. He was sleepy when he came in since he had fallen asleep on the way home. Right now he stays with my mother-in-law, which is about 40 min from our house. Chris drops him on his way to work everyday, but that's about to change because there's a spot for him at Caleb's school! He'll start there in a couple of weeks. Anyway, I was making dinner when they came in. By the time I got it on the table (about 5 min after they came in), Joshua had curled up on the floor and fallen asleep! It was just after 7 at this point. I was worried he'd wake up and fight me by 10, but I couldn't get him to wake up! We ended up putting him to bed, and that tired little fella didn't move all night! Must've had a big day at MeMaw's! Thankfully, she feeds him all day, so I didn't feel bad about him missing supper! Maybe I'll get to play with him this evening since he's all rested up....

YUCK!

2009-10-06T15:10:00.003-05:00

The flu (or at least I think it's the flu) has invaded our house! I was afraid Chris was coming down with something. Sure enough, as we're enjoying a day to ourselves (which involved a trip to Canton AND Hobby Lobby: don't ya just love my husband!), Chris started to spike a temp. He'd been a bit achy for a day or so, but here came the fever. We headed home, and he hit the couch. On Monday, he tried to go to work, but ended up leaving a little early because the fever came back. He's not allowed back until he's fever free for 24 hr. Since he had a temp earlier today, I guess he'll be home again tomorrow! Poor thing! I just hope we've been aseptic enough to keep the germs away from the rest of us! I really don't want the kids coming down with it. I hate it when my babies are sick.

On the upside, Chris and I did have a fabulous time together this weekend. We went out to dinner and a movie Fri. night and shopping on Sat. We need some stuff for the house, both furniture and decorative stuff, and we succeeded with the decor part. Chris even got a little crafty and is making me some stuff like we saw at Canton! So, now at least my walls won't be bare. I just need a few pieces of furniture to round out the house. I guess we'll be hitting garage sales and craigslist!

Caleb and Joshua had a great time playing with their cousin Nathan this weekend. It must have been a wild time because they came home with bruises from playing outside and burns from sliding on the trampoline! I'm glad to be home and closer to family so the boys can grow up with cousins. This weekend we're getting to visit with my cousin and her kiddos! Lots of family time. Need to catch up for the past two years!

Wild Weekend!

2009-09-29T09:51:00.004-05:00

This past weekend was our first opportunity to really spend time together just as a family since we've been back in TX. It was great! Chris, my lovely spontaneous husband, calls me on Fri and says, "Let's go to Six Flags tomorrow." OK! He gets great deals on stuff through his job, so this isn't the huge hit on the wallet that it could be! So we get up Saturday morning and decide to get some yummy breakfast before we leave town. Herschel's in Palestine has fabulous breakfast, so we were ready to scarf some down! Joshua, however, had another plan. He whined the whole time, got syrup and eggs on my clothes, and poked me in the eye with a syrupy fork! Great way to start the day!

Then we're off to Arlington. Caleb is soooo excited! He went to Six Flags with MeMaw and Papa during the summer, so he's pumped. Finally, we make it! We didn't think it would be very crowded since it's not peak season, and Fright Fest hadn't started yet. So not true! Not only was it season pass member appreciation weekend, but there was some HUGE muslim family celebration thing going on! TONS of people there. Caleb didn't have to face long lines last time, so that took some getting used to. Joshua will not go back until he's bigger! He thinks he's a big kid and should get to ride everything that Caleb did, so we had some breakdowns there. It really was a super fun day! Caleb is big enough to ride some "big boy" rides, and he was so excited. He even got to ride the Judge Roy Scream! Chris said he was scared at first, but was cackling after the first hill! My boy is fearless!

Then we stopped by the Parks mall for a second so I could go to Lifeway. Next door was Halloween USA, so we went in and got costumes! Caleb is going to be Bumblebee (transformers), and Joshua is Batman. So darn cute! They had to try on the costumes as soon as we got home!

Sunday we spent the day with my family. Dad's birthday was Friday, so we had a big dinner Sun evening. Love my mommy's cooking! It's always nice to hang out with cousins and grannies (and I guess my brother) too! It was a great weekend!

Settling In

2009-09-21T14:26:00.003-05:00

Can't life ever be a little "uncrazy?" It seems like it's been neverending chaos since we left Arkansas in August! Finally, though, we are at least settling in our new home. Boxes are unpacked (except for a couple in the office!) The house is actually seeming like a home with stuff on the walls and things back in their familiar places. Caleb is just amazed that his stuff followed him all the way from AR! Such a sweetie! We were saying our prayers the other night, and he thanked God for our new house. Heart melting!!! He and Joshua LOVE the new place! There is just so much room for them to roam, both inside and out. We're loving the backyard (complete with fort/slide/whatever it happens to be to them that day!). I imagine we'll be spending lots of time out there as the weather keeps getting nicer and nicer. It's been weird coming home at night with no agenda. I told Chris we spent more time together last week than we had in years! No meetings, no visitors popping in, just us hanging out as a family. WOW! It was great! We even had family over all day Sat, and Chris's dad popped in last night. It's so nice to have family close again.

Now to figure out where we need to plug in and serve. You guys out there can pray that God will lead us to the church where He desires us to serve. We've visited a couple of places: one totally traditional, the other totally not. Of course, we're not exactly traditional people, so we like the other one, but we don't want our preferences getting in the way of God's plan! I'm just ready to settle in to that area and get to working! Caleb doesn't take change well, so this different church every Sunday is not good for him. Joshua could care less. If there are toys there, he's cool! I just don't want Caleb to dread church. I worry about that with him. He did ask me the other day why his daddy wasn't preaching anymore. So we had to have the talk about Daddy having a different job now but that didn't mean that he didn't love God anymore or anything. He did decide yesterday that he likes to see people get baptized. The church we were at yesterday had 5 baptisms, and Caleb got this huge grin on his face each time. Then we had the talk later about what that means. Don't think he's ready to understand that yet, but one day.....

As for the rest of our lives, we're settling into work and school comfortably. I love my job! It's great, I have great students, a great schedule, and great coworkers. Chris is enjoying his job, as well. He just has a bit of a commute to get there. Caleb has decided he likes school now. He told me (AGAIN!) this morning that he was not going to cry anymore because he likes going to school. He's made some friends, too. He's my shy child, so I worried about that. Joshua is just Joshua. Too cute, always up to something! He's staying with Chris's mom right now. I have him on the waiting list at Caleb's school, but this works for now. He's getting to bond with and get spoiled by his grandparents! Maybe now that we're settling down, I'll be more apt to blog.....

No Money :(

2009-08-25T21:26:00.002-05:00

My child comes up with the craziest things! We were in Palestine the other day and stopped by a realtor's office to check on houses. Chris went in while the rest of us stayed in the car. I explained to Caleb what his daddy was doing, and he told me that it would be a long time before we could get a house because a house costs "lots of dollars." I asked him why he thought it would be a long time, and he replied, "because we don't have any money!" WHAT!? I asked him why he thought that; did I tell him that a lot or something? His reply: "Yes, Mommy, every time I ask you for a gumball you say you don't have any money!" How funny! True, I rarely have a quarter in my wallet for a gumball, and obviously, one could deduce that I just don't have any money! The way kids' minds work....

In other news, Chris and I are both hard at work (sort of!) this week. My students start back tomorrow, but my first class isn't till Thurs. Caleb starts preK next Monday. I'm a bit anxious about that, but I know he'll do great! I'm just ready to get settled into our routine (as if that'll ever happen)!!

The beach, the zoo, and pirates, too!

2009-08-18T18:47:00.002-05:00

It's been a happening week! We went to the beach last Wed. with my parents and grandmother and stayed through the weekend. Such a relaxing, fun time! We stayed on the west end of Galveston, and it was the first time I'd been to Galveston and actually could see my feet when I waded in the water! The sand was even white! Pretty beach, beautiful sunset on the bay side. The condo we were in had a big pool with a waterfall, a kiddie pool, and another big pool with a lazy river. We had tons of fun in those too! The kids had all kinds of adventures in the pool, and I loved watching them run around in the ocean and knocking over their sandcastles as soon as we built them. It was a great time with the fam! Even got to have lunch with a great friend in Houston on the way home!

When we went shopping on the strand, Mom bought the boys pirate hats and swords. So cute! They're still playing with them! Joshua only knows Veggie Tales' The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, and he would come up to us with his hat and sword and say "Pi-at Yang-yang!" (His version of the pirates who don't do anything!) So precious!

Yesterday we made a trip to the Waco zoo with Rebecca and kids. The new orangutan (did I spell that right?) and kimodo dragon exhibit was open. Caleb and Kellen had a big time together. We saw lots of great animals and had a fun picnic in the park afterwards. Great ( but HOT!) day! It's nice to be back in TX where we can spend time with friends and family again!

I started my new job @ UT Tyler-Palestine campus today. I think I'm going to love it. I meet my students tomorrow, but I got to know the faculty/staff a bit today. Looking forward to a great year!

Texans Again!

2009-08-08T18:58:00.002-05:00

We made it! Chris and I traveled all day yesterday....what a long trip with no one in the car to talk to! I made it OK once I found a great 80s station to sing along with (and dance to a little when I got really tired!). The kids had come in the day before with Chris's parents. That was a great load off for us not to have to travel separately and with the kiddos! It's nice to be home. We're hanging at Mom and Dad's for a few weeks until our house is ready. That should be interesting!

On the kids' trip home (that included 3 of the other grandkids, also), my nephew Nathan asked Caleb why we were moving back to Texas. Caleb looked at him and seriously replied, "Because God wants us to!" What a great answer! We've talked some about our reasons for coming back here, but I'm so glad he realizes that we truly did consider what God wanted for us in making this decision.

He's really starting to question about all this God stuff. The other day he asked me where his little sister was. What??? He asked why God only gave us 2 boys; where was the sister?? I asked him if he really thought he needed another brother or sister, and he was adamant that we needed a sister! Don't know that that will happen, but it's nice to know that Caleb would like it!
Joshua, on the other hand, would probably be completely jealous! He doesn't even like it when I share my lap with Caleb; how would he take a little one?

My little Joshua is one fearless dude. He'll try anything, especially if his big bro does it! Today, he and Caleb were jumping off the couch onto one of those kid sized foam fold out couches. Screaming super heros, the whole thing! So fun to watch them! Then the other day, Chris and the boys were wrestling, and Joshua climbs on my chair and jumps onto Chris! Thankfully, Chris saw what he was doing, and there were no injuries. Anyone see this move on WWE or whatever that wrestling stuff is??? We don't watch that, so he came up with that all on his own!

So much fun having boys.....

Too much time on my hands...

2009-08-04T10:19:00.002-05:00

I'm monitoring my students in an NCLEX review right now. Still don't know why I'm really here; I just make sure they're here and put in the video. But hey, I'm getting paid to be here! I'm now on my second novel (since yesterday!), and I've played LOTS on the computer. And, I have 2 1/2 more days of this! It's nice to have time to read and relax, but my brain is on all the things that need to be done at the house to get us ready to move by Fri!

We had our last Sunday at church. I did well and didn't cry too much! I have made lots of good friends here and will miss them, but I know it's time for the next adventure. The house is basically packed except for the few things we needed to keep out for this week. Of course, my sweet sons like playing in the boxes instead of packing them! We had to give them a couple of boxes especially for them! My in-laws are here to help with final cleaning and packing and helping with the kids. They brought some cousins, too, and it was a madhouse last night! It's like the kids know when you don't have much energy (after my 4 hr sleep the night before!) and they go crazy! I must say, it was hilarious watching Chris wrestle 4 kids. They wore him out!

It's really starting to sink in that I only have 3 more days as an Arkansan. It's kind of weird! Caleb is ready to be a Fairfield Eagle! Time to readjust to small town living....

UGH! Packing, packing, packing

2009-07-30T22:01:00.002-05:00

Will it ever end??? We've been packing the house this week for the big move next week. It's been OK; I'm just not very motivated! Chris has been a huge help! We keep each other going (once we finally get to work!). Not much left...bathrooms, little bit in the kitchen, and then just the random misc junk!

We pulled our toys out of storage today to clean out. Keep in mind, we've already packed what was in the playroom. TONS of toys...why do we have this much??? We got to give lots of the baby stuff to our friends who are expecting their first baby in Feb. I just wish they would have taken more! Now to repack into "keep" piles and "garage sale" piles!

The kiddos are getting ready for the move. Joshua doesn't get what's going on, but Caleb's starting to talk about it. I think he's finally over not being a Westside Warrior! We went to see G Force today. Wow..that's 2 hours I'll never get back! Great show for a 4 year-old, not so much for grown ups! Talking guinea pigs who save the world....come on! Caleb was happy. Joshua went for the popcorn! Love hanging out with the kiddos, even if it means watching a dumb movie!

Little Cassanova

2009-07-27T22:34:00.002-05:00

Caleb is the ladies' man! He likes the ladies, but he's figured out it's fun to play hard to get. Oh, the trouble I have to look forward to....

First, we went to the mall the other evening, and Chris took the kids to the play area so I could do some fun baby shopping for a friend. Apparently, Caleb met himself a chick who chased him around the play area trying to kiss him! He comes running up to hide behind Chris saying, "She's trying to kiss me!!!!" Hearing Caleb retell the story was quite amusing, as well....

Then we go to his "wife's" birthday party yesterday. Caleb and Natalie "married" last year when they were the ring bearer/flower girl for our friends' wedding. So funny the way they still talk about being married. Natalie has even asked her mom when she and Caleb are getting their own house because "that's what married people do!" Anyway, Natalie runs up to Caleb and gives him this big hug when we got to the party, and Caleb just looks away and rolls his eyes. We had a great time at the party, but when we got ready to tell Natalie bye, she had on her new Bratz sunglasses and her new pink purse and proceeded to pay Caleb back....totally ignored him! How do these kids learn this stuff!?

Cute now, what'll it be like in 10 years!?

The Scoop

2009-07-26T14:06:00.002-05:00

So I haven't updated in over a month, and there have been all kinds of changes going on around here. First, the move...

Our last Sunday is next week. I have less than 2 weeks left in the state of Arkansas. Kind of hard to believe! I'm excited to move, but I've made some great friends up here, and I'll miss them bunches!

Suprisingly, we're not moving to Albuquerque. We're moving back to Fairfield (my hometown). I'm going to be a Texan again! Before we went to visit in Albuquerque, we began figuring out what it would take to make it out there. We were starting a new church movement from scratch and needed good jobs out there to make it work. What we were finding were not conducive to a good family life. The kids would be in daycare too much, and the schools are not exactly what I want my kiddos in! If we mess up with these boys, our mission work is in vain, so we decided to go to Albuquerque to see if that was really what God was doing, or if He would open up other options. While talking with the missionary we'd be working with, we really found clarity in what we should do. We would love to work with Anthony and Mary, but right now we'd be going for the climate, the mountains, and the fellowship, not because we have this huge burden for Albuquerque.

In the meantime, we talked about moving back home and serving and ministering to others the way we feel like God would have us to but without all the ministerial constraints of being paid for it. While we were in Albuquerque, I spoke with my nursing school, who had been on a hiring freeze, and they had just that day opened a full time postion and were super happy to talk to me about it. So, it's looking like I'll be teaching at UT Tyler this fall. I just have to complete the application process. Chris is pursuing a couple of options and just has to make up his mind what suits him best.

We are so exited about being near family and friends again! I want to catch up with those I haven't been able to really see in a few years! It's going to be a great move for us. I think God is going to do great things with us. We've learned in the last 2 years that you don't have to be in some crazy place to work for the Lord. There are plenty of people in the Bible belt, some who even sit in a pew every Sunday, that don't know Jesus. May God see fit to use me to further His kingdom, wherever he may place me!

Albuquerque!

2009-06-20T10:05:00.003-05:00

Well, it's been an interesting few weeks around here! Crazy busy with summer activities....VBS last week, kids' camp this week! I'm exhausted! In the meantime, we had an opportunity presented to us about church planting in Albuquerque. Chris and I have wanted to do this forever; we even considered it when Chris was finishing seminary, but it wasn't the right time. A missionary friend of ours is heading out there, and he was needing an associate planter. Chris and I prayed about it, and we feel like this is where God is moving us! Kind of scary....I didn't even know how to spell Albuquerque! I'm totally excited, though. It's going to be totally different from anything I've ever experienced, and we're planning to start a church unlike anything I've ever experienced. It's going to be hard and great and stressful and fun and all kinds of other stuff, and I'm pumped! We move mid-August. I have teaching committments here until then. I had to tell my boss that I couldn't take that comfy full time job this year, and that kind of stinks, but I just have to think God's got something even better for me in New Mexico!

We're heading out there in a little over a week to find a house and hopefully have some interviews lined up. Chris will be going back into nursing, so we've both put in some apps at a few places. Please pray that we'll find a house and jobs! Obviously, I'd love to teach, but I've applied for some other positions as well.

We've told Caleb. He was a little disappointed at first about not getting to be a Westside Warrior this fall, but he decided it would be cool to go to a "desert school." Of course, he also told me he wanted to see a camel when we move to the desert. Not that kind of desert! Maybe he'll settle for a lizard or something!

Please pray for us as we make this move that God would use us in a mighty way to impact the folks in Albuquerque. 80% of the population is unchurched there....they need Jesus!!!!

Some pics....

2009-06-02T19:40:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to share a few pics from the last few days....

Caleb is God's warrior! He learned about the armor of God and got to bring home the costume....the breastplate and belt are in Chris's truck, so we improvised!

Here are some of Joshua in his big boy undies!

How cute is he!?

Weird Day

2009-06-01T22:37:00.003-05:00

Hope you all had a better Monday than I had! I didn't tell many folks (cause it's not something I enjoy talking about!), but I have had belly issues for about a year now. So I finally broke down and went to the doctor. Of course, being the great nurse that I am, I self diagnosed myself, but the doc just wouldn't give me what I wanted! He wanted to do a....colonoscopy. YUCK! I knew he would say that; it's why I took so long to go. So, I skipped church last night to do the prep. I was more scared of that part because I would be completely conscious for that! It wasn't as bad as I had dreamed it would be :), but no fun nonetheless. Got up super early this morning. Praise the Lord for great friends who watched my kids and took care of me afterwards while Chris had to work! It would happen that the nurse who got me ready was a lady I teach with! I guess that's better than being the nurse actually in the procedure. Honestly, I don't remember much after that. Yipee for drugs! Thankfully, everything turned out OK. No major problems. Praise God!

So, I pretty much slept a lot of the day away due to the drugs. This afternoon after Chris got home we went outside for a while. My plan is to start potty training Joshua tomorrow, so we went and bought big boy undies for him the other day. He brought Chris the package right before we went outside, and Chris put a pair on him. Totally cute! You could tell he thought he was so big! He wanted to go to the bathroom outside once he saw Caleb (yes, my son loves going outside!), but he couldn't figure out how to make it happen. We eventually had an accident, but at least he's getting the idea. Hopefully, he'll be as easy to potty train as Caleb.

We had a wonderful evening playing at the park. I'm feeling much better now! I needed to get out of the house. The kids just love the playground. I really need to take them more often. Joshua is fearless out there! He loves the slides. He can do the same thing over and over again. Caleb's getting into climbing....up the ladders, up the slides (not down!), etc. Such a fun time watching the boys!

The Stars at Night.....

2009-05-20T12:43:00.002-05:00

That song (Deep in the Heart of Texas) has been in my head for weeks now! We're here, and I can't believe it's almost time to head back to Arkansas. It's been a great break for us and a great time with family. We had the joy of bringing a couple of our friends with us, too! Of course we had to teach them the words to Deep in the Heart of Texas because they kept messing it up! We kept telling them that TX wasn't really like in the movies, but we haven't exactly done a great job of dispelling that myth! Jamie wanted to milk a cow and ride a horse and generally have a "farm experience!" Easy to do at my folks' house. Horse ride-good, working cows- traumatic experience! She didn't know all the nastiness that comes with working cows! Then at church on Sun, it was the annual picnic day, and instead of the usual praise music, they had bluegrass! So Texan! It's not hard to find cowboy hats and boots in Fairfield!

Fairfield was a blast. Got to eat some yummy food, headed to Aggieland to see how much it's changed in the last couple of years and see Rebecca, and just got to hang with the fam. Worked a little at the strawberry patch, but probably ate more than we sold! Love those berries! Wish some could have made it home with me.

Now we're at Chris's parents house. We've relaxed a lot here and rode backroads on the 4 wheelers. Let me just say how adorable Joshua is riding! He rides up front with his daddy, hands on the handlebars, thinking he's driving! Too cute! Today is our last day here. Tomorrow it's off to camp back in the hills of AR. Chris's family is coming with us. Supposed to be beautiful camping weather! Can't wait! Thankfully, a few more days before back to the real world.....

Crazy Night....

2009-05-08T10:53:00.002-05:00

So I was smoking crack the other day when I signed up for work...I need to work a little at the hospital since school's out, but the kids were having a Mother's Day Brunch yesterday at school, and I totally wanted to go. So, I did that at 9 and signed up to work 3p-11p. What was I thinking!? It really wasn't that bad except that I miss being home for evening/bedtime routines and hanging out with my boys. It was a nice easy shift until about 10:45. I had this patient that was going in and out of v tach (Clear! shock....bad rhythm!). He'd been doing this all shift and the doc knew but hadn't given me orders. The bad beats came more often and longer duration and eventually he was in full blown sustained ventricular tachycardia. This is typically where the patient falls out and we run a code, start CPR, the whole bit. However, this guy had an internal defibrillator, so it was doing the shocking for us. I am used to this happening in the controlled environment of the ICU with UNCONSCIOUS people, not totally awake and alert people!! This poor fellow was totally with it the whole time! His defibrillator was shocking him and it knocked him up in the air, scared us to death, etc! We called a code, so weird since he was awake, and gave him some meds that fixed his heart rhythm. YAY! I felt so bad for the guy. He was scared to death and just wanted his wife (who had just left 5 min before!). Thankfully, he's OK now. He told me after it was all over that he wanted us to just knock him out if it happens again and wake him up afterwards! I don't blame him! Needless to say, I got out of work late and totally wired. Late night last night.....but it's Friday now!

I have 2 weeks off! We're headed down to Texas next week to see family and friends. I'm making a trip to the holy land (AGGIELAND!) on Tues. We need to brainwash these kids a little! It'll be great to relax and catch up with everyone. Now to get the clothes washed and packed and get out of Arkansas!!!

Real Nurse....

2009-05-06T19:44:00.003-05:00

It's been a busy week, and it's only Wednesday! Yay for me....my grades are posted for the semester! Graduation is Sat., but I figure I'll have to go once I go full time, so I think I'll skip this one! Since I have a break from teaching for a while, I've gone back to the hospital. I've been a real nurse the past couple of days! It's so funny when I'm at the hospital as a staff nurse, and I see my students. "Hey Mrs. George!!" I hate being Mrs. George!! I don't feel old enough to be Mrs. George! Several of my students are techs at the hospital, and it's hard for them to make the transition from teacher Julie to nurse Julie. I had to tell one of them today that it's OK to call me Julie! So weird.....

Chris and I had a great date Mon. night. We were supposed to double with some friends, but they had a previous engagement. So it was off to the 5 (the best restaurant in town!) for some yummy food. Then we saw 17 Again....so great! It was great to hang out with my sweet husband sans kids. Not that I don't love the little fellas, but sometimes it's nice having dinner without being interrupted by Caleb's crazy questions or Joshua wanting "more!"

It's almost time to go to Texas! We're coming down for a couple of weeks to visit fam. I'm so excited! We need a break. It's been a stressful few months getting this building finished, so it'll be nice to relax and unwind! Can't wait!

Fun Friday

2009-05-01T16:28:00.002-05:00

I didn't have clinic today!!! That's one good thing about the end of the semester. It's been a fairly uneventful day, but good nonetheless. Of course, the one day I get to sleep in my lovely baby Joshua wakes me up around 7:15! I try to tell him that Mommy doesn't get up until 8, but he doesn't seem to get it! Caleb's not a problem....this is one area that Joshua could start copying his brother!

I had a mini reunion lunch today with my first students, who happened to be the first accelerated program students. One of my teaching buddies is doing a paper about some of their clinical experience, so she organized a lunch to catch up and also get some research too! It was good to see them again. Most of them are in the Memphis area; not far, but I still haven't seen many of them since last year. Fun to see the different things they're doing!

Met Chris and the kiddos in town after our lunch. They were eating at CiCi's. My kids can put away the pizza! Then we decided to walk down to KMart....great place to get kid clothes right now! We found all kinds of stuff for the kids, and it was all on sale! Yay! After picking up Joshua in his 12 month clothes yesterday (the ones I sent last fall in case of accidents), I realized that neither child is really prepared for spring! Not anymore! They're going to be adorable!

Tonight is girls' night! Yipee! We're playing bunco for awhile, and then we're going to catch the late show of "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past." One of the women I play with is a HUGE Matthew McConahey (how do you spell that!?) fan. Should be a fun, but LATE, night! Have a great weekend!

Weird Child....

2009-04-28T18:49:00.003-05:00

What is wrong with my kiddo? He is so strange sometimes! Last night as we were laying down for bed, Caleb looks at me and asks if I'm taking him to school, and I was since I don't have any more early clinics this semester. He gets all serious and says, "I think I'm gonna cry when you leave me tomorrow." What!? This kid LOVES school. Why has he started this crying thing now? He told me he'd be better if I gave him a hug and kiss, took Joshua to his class, and gave him another hug and kiss on the way out (I have to pass back by his class on the way out). OK. "Don't forget, Mom. Did you hear what I said?" "Sure, Caleb. I'll remember." So I did his thing this morning, and he still cried when I left. What is this about!? It's like he's decided to do this for no good reason. He always wants to go to school, even on off days. Like I said, weird child.

Joshua, who used to be the problem child, runs all the way down the hall and opens the door to his classroom, oblivious to me! This afternoon he didn't even want to leave. I think it was because he hadn't had his after nap snack yet. Leave it to my child to want his food before we leave! Once Ms. Stacy gave him a handful of goldfish, he was good to go!

My other boy (Christopher!) got a new toy today...we are now proud owners of a 4 wheeler! He's been wanting one for as long as I've known him (really longer than that!), and he and our friend Justin went to Memphis to pick it up today. It's nice. Chris laughs at me because my first question was, "What color is it?" It's green, by the way; I wanted blue! We're going to break it in good in a couple of weeks when we take it camping with us. Loads of fun ahead for us!

Randomness....

2009-04-27T20:01:00.002-05:00

Yes, it's been a while....

I was reading another blog just now, & I agree with Melissa- I've been stinking busy and can't remember why! For the first half of last week, Chris was in Branson for a meeting, and I had to stay behind to work. The one week that I couldn't reschedule stuff had to be last week! I really wanted to go to Branson. So, the kids and I had a big time, didn't do much, but had fun playing!

We hosted a youth rally on Friday night. It went fabulously! I have dusted off the old keyboard and started playing again, and a group of us led worship. So great to be a part of people singing praises to our great God! I was totally nervous because I had to play one song without other instruments (I like not being the leader here!), but it went well. Some of our jr. high students did a skit, and Chris spoke for a few minutes. It was great!

Saturday we went to a petting zoo at the university. The kids had a ball, of course! Caleb didn't really want to pet them at first (strange mood, I guess!), but he was not to be outdone by little brother! The funniest part was when the turkey gobbled at him and scared him! Then it was just funny. Caleb would walk towards his cage, and the turkey would let loose. Too funny! We went with our friends Justin and Jamie. They don't have kids yet, and Jamie was just as excited as the kids...or more! She's a hoot!

Yesterday was our last service in the old building! We make the complete move sometime this week. Pray for a smooth transition! I'm so excited to get this building program behind us!

Today I took the kids for shots. Yes, both of them were due. Caleb had to get his 4 year-old series for pre-K, and I'm just a couple of months late for Joshua's 18 month stuff. We went to the health dept. Where I come from, just a quick stop, but here....3 stinking hours! ugh!!! The kids did well waiting; Joshua even fell asleep. Then for the shooting time...they actually did OK! Caleb was good for 2 and only let loose for the last one. Joshua's just a tough little guy and got better as soon as he saw that lollipop!

So, I guess I do remember a little of my random, crazy week! Now I just have 3 more days of school! I'll be done Thurs. afternoon! Whoo hoo!!!

Adios, Guys!

2009-04-16T14:37:00.003-05:00

I can't believe the week's almost over! Time seems to be flying faster all the time! Chris took Caleb camping for the weekend. They left early this morning and met his brother and his fam in S. Arkansas somewhere. From what I hear so far, they're having a blast already! The weather's gorgeous, and Caleb got to "drive" the 4 wheeler earlier. Chris says he's been grinning from ear to ear the whole time. I think he's excited about having some time with Daddy. He doesn't have to share him for 3 whole days!

So, it's just Joshua and me for the weekend. I shortened my afternoon class today so I could pick him up from school, and my fabulous friend Jamie took him for me and is watching him tomorrow while I work. She's been telling me she needs some "Aunty Jamie" time, and now she's got it! I don't know what we'll do, but I think it'll be nice to hang out with Joshua for a few days.

Hope you are all enjoying some beautiful spring weather....it's finally getting nice up here! Have a great weekend!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T16:39:00.004-05:00

I actually already downloaded my pics! I'm never this on top of things!

Hope ya'll had a fabulous Easter weekend. We had our very first service in our new building this morning. It was great! I know we had some people just curious about the new building and others visiting family, but we had a huge crowd! The great thing is, though, that God had each one of them there for a purpose! Here's a pic of the sanctuary.

Easter up here is a bit different for us than it is back home. We don't have all our family up here, so it's kind of weird not going to someone's house and eating and hunting eggs with all the cousins. But, we've had a great weekend. Our church hosted an Easter egg hunt yesterday, and the kids had a ball there. Lots of kids, tons of eggs! Today, Chris wanted "home food" for lunch, so I made him a chicken pie (he called me Grandma!) and the fixins. Several people invited us to join them this year (our friends are so sweet!), but we kind of just wanted to hang out as a fam today. It's storming this afternoon, so there is no more hunting happening up here! It's been great and relaxing, and bonus....I got in a fabulous nap! It's been a great day to celebrate Christ!

What a happy camper!

Our sweet family!

Get down.....

2009-04-09T18:59:00.002-05:00

You know kids say the craziest things.....and who knows where they get it from!

Caleb did this Tues on his way to school. Let me preface this story. We live 2 seconds (about 1/2 mile) from the church, and we're always running up there for something. We are bad parents and don't always buckle the kids! I think he heard this from others too, but here's the story.....

Chris put the kids in the truck (buckled up!), and Caleb starts singing a song. Totally typical behavior.. always making up songs. His song for the day was, "Get down, Get down, Get down before the policeman sees you! Get down, Get down, Get down before the policeman sees you!" Where does he come up with this stuff!? Chris called me at work, and my students and I got a great laugh out of this one!

In other news, we're going to have our first worship service in the new sanctuary this Sunday! I'm so ready for this project to end! We've been in a building program for most of our time here in Jonesboro. I hope stress will decrease over the next few weeks! Pray for us to use this tool as a way to reach the community for Jesus!

Happy Easter!

IT"S SPRING BREAK!!!

2009-03-26T11:20:00.002-05:00

I'm not excited about that or anything! I am sad, though, that it's already Thursday, and my spring break's almost over. I think this is one of my favorite parts about teaching nursing....I get the breaks too! Last week was Mom's spring break, so she and Chappie came up for a few days. It was great to see them, of course, but I'm just a uterus. They only came for the kids!

We had a ball playing and reading and watching movies. We went to the Memphis Zoo (one of the kids' favorite places!) one day. I'm so glad the weather's getting nicer so we can get out more. We love it outdoors!

This week has been nice, too, even with the little rain we've had. Joshua is my truck man. He got a big Tonka truck for Christmas, and he's started wheeling it through the house and running over anything in his path! I made him take it outside the other day, and he rolled it all over the yard. So cute! Now he's brought it back in and is wreaking havoc even as I type!

Chris's parents are here this week. They brought my nephew Nathan with them this time, so Caleb is totally excited! They have been playing nonstop since they got here. They're so cute!

We haven't done much this week for my spring break...my goal was to read, relax, and read! Jen, I got hooked on Karen Kingsbury's Baxter series because of you! I'm down to my last 3!! I'm addicted! I think Chris will be excited to have me back once I'm done. I just need to find another series now!

Hilarious!

2009-03-11T08:44:00.002-05:00

So I know I've been out of pocket a while....it's been just a bit busy around here!

Anyway, last night I think I laughed harder than I have in a long time, and I had to be way too quiet in order to really enjoy the moment! Caleb has been my difficult child to get to sleep. Joshua-no problem! They sleep in the same room, so most nights Caleb falls asleep in my room and gets moved when Chris and I are ready for bed. Apparently, he wanted to be the big brave brother last night. Joshua has been a little more whiny when we lay him down for the last few nights, nothing major, but I guess Caleb noticed. He told me last night that he wanted to lay down with Joshua so that he could say, "It's OK, Joshua. Don't cry." How sweet is that!?

I was totally on board with that. I would love to just put both boys down and not have to worry about moving them or anything! So, we had it kind of rough at first. I had to put them back to bed 3 times in about 15 min! Then Chris came in from his meeting and put them in bed. We went into our room and just listened to them. They are the cutest things ever! They talked for a minute, and then we heard them get out of bed.

At first, Joshua just walked down the hall by our room. Caleb knew enough that he wasn't supposed to get back out of bed. He crawled past our room like a little army guy! Neither of them saw us. Caleb went to the bathroom and then they went into the living room for a minute. I can't believe they didn't cry when they didn't see us. On the way back down the hall, you could hear them talking and Joshua growling like a lion, but right before our door, they both dropped and crawled past! So cute! They saw us then, but we acted like we were sleeping. They played right there for a minute. Joshua was right in front of the door, but Caleb just peeked around occasionally to make sure they were still safe! Chris told Joshua to go back to bed and that he was coming to check to make sure that Caleb was still in the bed. By the time he got around the corner, the umbrella that Caleb had been playing with was on the floor, and Caleb was in the bed! He thought he fooled us! It was the funniest thing! Joshua went back to bed, too. Caleb fell asleep quickly after that, but Joshua talked to himself and his animals for a bit longer. We just enjoyed listening to the sounds of our sweet boys! They make us laugh so much! I wish we could have videoed that. It was just precious!

Be My Valentine

2009-02-12T17:47:00.002-06:00

Caleb had his Valentine's Day party today at school (he only goes on Tues and Thurs). Yesterday we made a mad dash to WalMart to pick up goodies. You know he's still totally into coloring, so he picked color your own valentine's cards for his classmates. And bonus, the cards had animals on them! He had a ball coloring them and kept telling me all the kids he would be giving them to. They partied hard today; he came home with a bag full of cards and candy and other goodies. Lots of cards from Claire and Kaylie..... He told me today his girlfriend is Kaylie. What a ladies man! Last night he told my friend Jamie that she is his Valentine and told her husband Justin that he would have to find another valentine!

Joshua could care less that it's Valentine's Day...he was just pumped that he got cupcakes for snack today!

Chris and I have some crazy Valentine's plans this weekend. I get 2 dates this weekend! Tomorrow the boys' school is offering a parents' night out, and we're going out to my favorite restaurant, and Sat. our church is having our Valentine's banquet. The theme is Treasure Island or something like that, so I'll have to post some pics of us in our pirate costumes! Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Mail....

2009-02-10T16:53:00.003-06:00

Getting mail is so much fun when you're 4. Caleb LOVES to get mail. Joshua gets a bit excited, but it's mainly all about Caleb! My mom sends the kids mail fairly often. Today, they got 2 things! Mom ordered the kids Madagascar 2, and it arrived today. YEA!! We also got our Valentine's box today. There was something for all of us in there! I actually got fun mail too! Caleb got a new coloring book, Joshua and I each got a book, Chris got some beef jerky (yum!), and there was (of course!) some candy in there too. I miss the days of fun mail....all I seem to get now are bills!

Chris and I are trying to be healthier...please pray for success! I've lost 35 pounds already, but I'd like to drop 20 more. All the baby weight would be gone and then some!!! Anyway, Chris got onto me today. I said I was going to come home to eat after my clinic this morning. He had already planned a lunch meeting (church business, you know!), and planned to eat as well as possible. I succumbed to pressure and went to eat with some students instead of eating my good for me food at home. However, that burrito, while not as good as Freebirds, was stinking awesome! Chris picked at me all afternoon! What can I say: I just can't resist yummy burritos! I'll eat well for supper tonight!

We've also increased our exercising. I forget that I'm no longer 20 years old and not in the best of shape! I have some kick boxing videos here that I enjoy, but I seem to think that I can do more than my body wants to! I'm a bit sore at the moment! I did the quick 20 min cardio one today instead of the 45-60 min ones I've been doing, and it seemed super easy....guess that means I'm doing something right! Now if we can just get some warm (and dry!) weather up here so we can get outside!

Poor, pitiful Caleb!

2009-02-07T18:45:00.002-06:00

We went to the Arkansas Sportshow at ASU today. We've started a new men's ministry at our church, and some of the guys set up a booth there. There were lots of "manly" stuff everywhere...camo, guns, boats, animals, food! It was actually reall fun. We had our pic taken with a big black bear. Caleb was loving that! The picture is too cute; the kids are looking at the bear, and Chris and I are looking at the camera.

After looking around at all the stuff (and eating some yummy cotton candy!), we went to hang out in the booth with the fellas. This thing actually started last night, so Chris was there then too. He was bragging last night about the dinner I was cooking him at home...he had marinated some pork chops and I fixed them after work. One of the men asked him how the food was, and he raved about that. Then Kenny asked Caleb if he liked the pork chops. My darling son, totally serious, looks at him and says, "I didn't have anything but water last night." WHAT?!? He's such a goof ball! We all got a great laugh out of that one! I did actually feed my kid last night! Caleb gets a glass of water at bedtime every night, so I'm guessing that's what he was talking about!

Joshua is being his goofy self. Right now I'm wanting to strangle my in-laws for buying him that crazy loud popcorn push toy thingy that he's pushing around right now! That thing is WAY LOUD! His eye is healing well...he fell into the brick around the fireplace last week. Not ER worthy, but bloody none the less! He's getting such a personality. Such a sweetie, too. I love it when he runs up to me and gives me hugs and puckers those lips for a kiss. I love being a mommy!

Have a great weekend!

WE SURVIVED!!!

2009-02-03T20:52:00.002-06:00

Wow, this has been the craziest week ever! The ice storm was massive. I've never seen ice like this before! It covered the trees, and I bet the ice was at least 2 inches in diameter! It came through last Tues. I had class that morning (students and I were not too happy about that!), but by that afternoon everything closed down. We lost electricity that morning. Thankfully, we have a gas fireplace and a gas cook top and best of all HOT WATER! Chris's parents were up visiting (poor things!) and endured it with us for a few days. Tues night, Chris and I tried to brave sleeping in our bedroom (super cold!) and it sounded like gun shots through the night as branches and huge portions of trees fell outside. Kind of creepy! By Wed. morning, most of the area was without power. We luckily found a restaurant open and got us some grub.

Jonesboro was up and running for the most part by that evening. We spent lots of time in the play area at the mall over the next few days just to stay out of the house and keep warm! I never thought I'd be tired of going to the mall! After that first night, we all camped out in the living room by the fire. Schools were closed all week. Most are back open now, but there are still some out indefinitely.

It was quite interesting taking showers! While the water was hot, it was freezing cold outside the shower! No hair dryer....lots of bad hair days! We survived, though, and it was not the most ideal situation, but I am thankful for what we did have.....

Some friends of ours live in town, and they got power back Sat. morning, so we packed up days worth of laundry to take to their house and catch up at least a little bit! That evening the kids and I were headed back home while Chris was off to the hospital to see another friend. I was talking to him on the phone when I came over the hill to the house, and my garage light was on! I never knew I'd be so excited to see a light bulb glowing! We were (and still are) the only house on the street with power. Our internet/cable was restored last night, so now we have more than one fuzzy channel! Power came on at the church Sat, also, so we were able to have services on Sun., and we were able to feed community members and electric crews last night.

There are still tons of people in the area without power. The crews up here are working very hard, but it will take probably till the end of the month to get everything back up and running. Pray for those still without power. This morning, about half my students were still without power. We'll make it through though! God is good!

The kids took it all in stride. Joshua was WAY out of his routine....bad napping, not wanting to go to sleep at night, etc., but we're getting back to normal. Caleb was concerned that he was not going to school, so he was pumped this morning to get back! I must say, I'm kind of glad to get back to a routine too!

Nasty Gunk!

2009-01-25T17:48:00.002-06:00

Do kids have this uncanny sense to get sick a couple of weeks before the new health insurance kicks in? I think Joshua knows! Yesterday his runny nose got nastier and nastier. He sounds so nasty. It's like there's all this gunk that he needs to cough up but won't. I guess I can't ask too much for an 18 month old! So he started running fever last night and this morning it was up to 101.5, and it was no church for us. We went off to the doctor. Thankfully, no ear infection, just an upper respiratory infection. Thankfully, this is my child who LOVES his medicine, so it's no problem getting his antibiotic down! You can tell he's sick because he's actually sitting down some today (this is my running child!) and he gets out of breath when he does try to run around! Pray that Caleb doesn't catch the bug!

Not much else is happening in the George household. Memaw and Papa (Chris's parents) arrived for a visit last night, so the kids are totally pumped about playing with them. Caleb is into coloring this week. Yesterday he colored an entire coloring book! He's working on staying in the lines. Now if we could move onto using multiple colors! He uses only one color per picture! So weird! So we have purple snowmen and yellow dogs, etc. Anyway, he told Memaw that he needed a new coloring book today, so they had to take a trip to Wal-Mart for some new stuff. He's now working on the new dinosaur book! He also got this Cars drawing book that you can draw on and then erase. Pretty neat! He's doing very well with his drawing, too. I'm impressed with some of the stuff he's drawn on his magna doodle this week. It's amazing how you can see the effect your praise has on him. We're all like that; it's just magnified in 4 year olds! I love his face when I tell him how great his drawings/color pages are. It's so sweet. I love being a mommy!

Now we're gearing up for a new week. My sophomores (nursing students) take care of their very first patient this week....they're terrified! Pray for sanity!

Dancing King!

2009-01-20T15:45:00.002-06:00

Caleb has such a straightforward little mind. I was flipping through the channels and stopped on The Notebook. It was the part where Noah and Allie were just getting together, and they danced in the street. Caleb asked why they were dancing in the street. I told him they just wanted to. He gets that thoughtful look on his face and says, "But Mommy, you're only supposed to dance at the ball!" What was I thinking? Of course that's where you dance! He had watched Enchanted with me a few days ago and I'm guessing that's where he figured out that you dance at balls. At that time, he thought it was silly that you danced at balls and you threw balls. That mind is always going!!!

Ladies Man

2009-01-19T11:39:00.002-06:00

My son loves the ladies! Caleb has always been partial to the girls, but it was totally evident this weekend. On Saturday, we decided to take the kids to the donut shop for breakfast. We ran into one of the little girls from his class, Anna. Cutie pie little girl! He kept telling us all about her, and she was telling her dad all about Caleb. When we sat down to eat, Caleb said the blessing, but he was staring Anna down the whole time! Usually, my strange son eats the edges around the donut and leaves the inside part. He was so consumed with Anna that he ate the entire donut! Then he starts "whistling" at her. Kind of just making a whistling sound at her and putting his fingers up to his mouth. Where does he learn this stuff??? It was so cute! Anna kept turning around to check Caleb out, too. She left first, and Caleb wistfully looks at her and says, "Bye, Anna." I asked if he thought she was pretty, and I got an enthusiastic "Uh-huh!!"

Then yesterday after church we had another little conversation. There's this girl (a 6th grader!) named Sarah that he is totally in love with! She's so cute and bubbly and just dotes on Caleb. We always have a greeting time at the beginning of service, and Caleb talked to Sarah for a minute yesterday. After church, he looked at me and said, distraughtly, "Mom! Why did I not give Sarah a hug today?" He was so upset! Oh, the things I have to look forward to!

The good thing is at least he is still innocent....He's gotten into drawing, and he was drawing an elephant or something the other day with his dad and wanted to make it a girl elephant. Thankfully, in his mind, the way you make something a girl is to add hair!!! So sweet!

My other little man is oblivious to the opposite sex at the moment! He's totally into boy stuff...wrestling and balls and trucks. He is getting more affectionate. I'm loving that! He comes up to me all the time and puckers those lips wanting a kiss. He's giving great hugs too! I'm glad I'm the only woman in his life!

Awww Moments

2009-01-07T15:55:00.003-06:00

So, I, also am behind on Christmas/New Year posting....I'll get to it soon!

For now, Caleb is keeping us on our toes with his inquisitive mind! Sunday night we were eating dinner with our youth pastor and his wife (newly married, no kids!). Here's how the exchage went:
Caleb: Justin, do you know why God made you?

Justin: Why, Caleb?

Caleb: So you could love on him!

Awww! He says he learned this at school, but this is the first I've heard it, and he's been on break. Too sweet. Then when I picked him up at school yesterday, he asked me why God made me. He told me so I could love on Him and He could love on me. I hope he really starts to get this!

Last night, we were laying down for bed when Caleb started another God talk with me. He asked me again why God made us, and we went through it again. It's like he knows I like to hear him say that! Then he asked if God could come to our house. I tried to explain that God is everywhere, but you know how well that goes with a 4 year-old! Here's a bit of that conversation:
Caleb: God doesn't live here. We can't see him.

Me: We can't see God, sweetie. He's invisible, but He's everywhere and He sees everything that we do.

Caleb: How is God invisible?

Me: He's God, baby. He can do anything?

At this point, he's a little satisfied.

Caleb: Would God like to play with me?

Me: God loves to watch you play.

Caleb: You think He'd like to play with my big pirate ship?

At this point, he goes off on how God would like all of his toys, so it's pretty much over! How sweet that he's getting interested in God. Please, God, help me to teach him well!

On a totally non-spiritual note, Joshua's vocabulary is starting to develop. He's trying to form words and can, but he's a bit stubborn about it sometimes. The other night he just decided to be a little ham when we tried to get him to perform. He's learned "Nana" (my mom), and when I tried to get him to say it for a friend of mine, he got his mischievious little grin and growled it. It sounded so evil, but totally hilarious! When we laughed, he just kept on going. Every word we asked him to say was growled. He's such a goofball! I hope I can get that on video soon!

Busy busy busy!

2008-12-22T17:09:00.002-06:00

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

2008-12-17T17:06:00.003-06:00

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

2008-12-17T16:55:00.003-06:00

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

2008-12-10T13:32:00.003-06:00

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

2008-12-10T11:09:00.003-06:00

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!

2008-11-21T14:05:00.002-06:00

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

2008-11-15T20:14:00.002-06:00

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!

2008-11-13T17:36:00.002-06:00

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!

2008-11-10T17:11:00.007-06:00

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!

2008-11-05T17:04:00.003-06:00

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

2008-11-04T16:01:00.003-06:00

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!

2008-11-03T19:20:00.004-06:00

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

2008-10-31T17:22:00.002-05:00

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!

2008-10-30T19:43:00.002-05:00

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!

2008-10-20T18:40:00.002-05:00

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.....

2008-10-18T18:44:00.002-05:00

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!

2008-10-15T12:18:00.000-05:00

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!

2008-10-13T16:24:00.001-05:00

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

2008-10-10T17:53:00.000-05:00

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!

2008-10-07T22:11:00.001-05:00

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!!!!

Feelings

2008-10-02T17:31:00.000-05:00

My son....I just don't know what to think about him sometimes! Caleb has been going to Mother's Day Out for about 6 weeks now. Apparently, he doesn't like what I pack him for lunch. I learned this today...

He won't eat a sandwich anymore for some crazy reason, so I usually pack him a lunchables jr with chicken strips since he loves chicken. He told me he ate his lunch; I'm guessing he meant he ate the fruit and yogurt and goldfish or whatever else I packed! Today his teacher told Chris that he hasn't been eating his chicken. They even offered to warm it. He told them he doesn't like his chicken warm or cold. When they asked him why he didn't tell me that he didn't like this chicken, he told her, "I just don't want to hurt her feelings." Where does he come up with this stuff???? He's got an imagination, that's for sure! He and Joshua both did well at school today. Joshua has been fussy when we leave lately, but Chris said he was much better today.

I spent a long day at the hospital today. I worked one of the cardiac floors. There must be something in the air here....it was code blue day all day long. I felt bad for those working the ICUs! There was even a man who went down in the waiting room on my floor! There are lots of scared families at St. Bernard's right now.... Other than that, my day went fairly well and basically smooth. I was the IV queen, but that's not a problem...I like needles! I only left late because my relief was late!

Now it's off to play outside in this beautiful weather! It only got up to about 74 degrees today. It's even chilly in the shade now! Have a great Friday!!!

I love my brother!

2008-09-30T22:13:00.000-05:00

So we're playing outside this evening in this BEAUTIFUL fall weather. Joshua is playing with his Cars ball, and Caleb decides he needs to play with it, too. He proceeds to go over there like he's going to just take it when I, being the good mom I am, tell him not to! He responds, "But Mom, I love my brother, and it's nice to share!" Great deductive capacity, this one! He kept just giving mean looks to oblivious little Joshua yelling "I love my brother" at the top of his lungs. We're still working on this sharing thing!

We also took a nice walk tonight. Joshua loaded up in the wagon, but Caleb wanted to walk. He decided we needed to race or play tag during most of this walk around the neighborhood. I really noticed those hills today, but it was fun! I'm just glad Caleb's liking running around. He likes to play, but I worry about him being too "bookish" sometimes! He's really getting into playing ball and tag. Now I just have to get in tip-top shape to keep up with him!

I'm deciding I like being on the other side of the teacher/student relationship. I gave a quiz (announced and reviewed for last week, mind you!) today in my class. It just cracks me up to see the looks of pure terror and all the studying of those ever important notecards in the minutes before class. It was a simple quiz too! The grading papers part is the only downside, but I finally finished grading health histories and posted grades! Yea!!!

I'm back!!!!

2008-09-29T12:44:00.000-05:00

OK...so it's been a year and half since I updated this thing! Well, a lot has happened, so here it is in a nutshell. Last Feb. in my last post, I quit my job. Then Chris finished his master's at seminary, I had Joshua July 2, we moved to Jonesboro, Arkansas in Oct., I finished my master's in May, and now I'm teaching nursing at Arkansas State University. (How much teasing do you think I endured when they beat the Ags a few weeks ago!?) It's been a bit busy! Chris is preaching at Herman Baptist Church. We're building a new church building, and we hope to be in it by Christmas. The church is going great. I think God is really at work there, and we are loving being a part of it. I'm loving living in AR. It's really beautiful up here and already cooling off. The leaves should start changing in a couple of weeks. Fall is my favorite time here. The people in our church are fabulous. They've become our new family. I didn't know what to think of being the preacher's wife, but it's going pretty well!

The kids are getting too big too fast! Caleb will be 4 Oct. 29. How cute is he in this pic! He was the ring bearer in our friends' wedding a couple of months ago. He is in "school" now 2 days a week. He goes to the Mother's Day Out program at one of the churches in town. He loves it. He thinks he's really going to school. His friends at church are all a little older than he is, and they started preK this year. He thinks he's going to school just like them! He is totally into animals and knows more about them than I do! He's already ordered an elephant cake for his birthday party! Now I have to figure out how to make one!

Joshua turned 1 in July. He's just precious!

This was taken at the beach this summer. He's turning into the little brother pest. He's just plain mean sometimes!

I have a long road of discipline ahead of me! He gets to go to school too, so he's getting to make new friends. At church, he's the oldest of 6 babies born within a year. He likes the little girl closest to his age, Vada. She was born in August of last year. She's a cutie!

As for me, I'm enjoying teaching. I'm just part-time right now, and I'm loving it. I'm procrastinating from grading papers right now, but it can wait a bit! Chris and I really like living here. There's a lot to do outdoors up here. The weather gets pretty hot in the summer, but not like Texas! We love to go exploring and camping. I think we're going to try out a new campground this weekend! Chris is doing a fabulous job with the church. I know he's too hard on himself, but I know God is doing great things through him! The people really seem to respond well to him. We're seeing a lot of families getting involved, and that's our passion: to see men lead their families and see them all grow in their relationship with the Lord. It's great to be a part of it! Here are a couple of pics from our latest adventure. Mom and Dad were up this past weekend, and we went to a pumpkin patch north of here. It was lots of fun! They had pony rides and petting zoos, hayrides and corn mazes. They even had a friendly fairy tale forest for the kids instead of the haunted version. We had a great time, and the kids loved it!

OK ya'll...I promise I'm going to try to do better now! I'll try to keep you more updated!

LAST DAY!!!!

2007-02-15T10:29:00.000-06:00

Today is my last day of work! We're all going out to lunch for my last day. Of course, I picked Mexican! Today, it was not so hard to get up!

We didn't do a whole lot yesterday for Valentine's Day. Chris and I are going out this weekend to celebrate. Chris gave me a beautiful bouquet of spring flowers....several of my favorites in there, daisies! Caleb gave me a little box of chocolates, which he wants to eat! Caleb was so excited when we brought in his package from my parents. He squealed, "I wanna open present!!" He got a box full of goodies from Nana and Pop.

We've had a set back lately getting him to bed without trouble. We (Chris and I) had a knock-down, drag out over it with Caleb the night before last. It's amazing that Caleb thinks he can win! Well, I was gearing up for another tough time last night, but when we put him to bed, he said his prayers and stayed there! No argument! God is good! Caleb has gotten soooo cute when he says his prayers, whether at dinner time or at bedtime. He thanks God for his food, his puzzles, his animals, his toys, and finally gets around to thanking Him for Mommy and Daddy and all the grandparents and great-grandmas. If he's really wound up, he'll name all the aunts, uncles, and cousins, too! We're trying to get him to start praying for Joshua too, but he forgets sometimes! It's super sweet when he kisses us goodnight and then kisses my belly to kiss Joshua goodnight, too!

It's a boy!

2007-02-12T09:59:00.000-06:00

So I know it's been forever.....Here's what's been happening....

Caleb is not having a baby "stister". We found out last week that we're having another little boy! I think we're going to name him Joshua. Luckily, Caleb didn't really act upset about changing to a baby brother. He even hugs my belly and kisses it and talks to Joshua. So cute! He thinks that he can tickle Joshua through my belly button and really likes to "get" him by poking my belly button!

He's getting way too smart for his own good. His comprehension just amazes me some days! His new favorite things are his puzzles. He can sit and play with those forever! He's got 2 that have different animals on them and one that's got sea animals. He gets to take one with him when we go somewhere. Luckily, he picks the chunky one; it's easy to manage! It keeps him occupied in restaurants!

I quit my job! I put my notice in week before last, so this is my last week here. I'm excited about getting to spend more time at home. I'm going to just work a couple of prn shifts a week. YEAH!

Not much else is happening with us. I forgot a funny Chris story....he's getting nesting syndrome instead of me! Yesterday, he went at it cleaning the house when we got home from church. He rearranged the living room and Caleb's room and gave Caleb's room a deep cleaning and really cleaned the rest of the house. Yeah for Chris! I was doing a paper for school, and I got tired just watching him! The house looks great. Don't I have the bestest husband in the world? Now we've just got to keep it looking so great!

Back in the swing of things

2007-01-22T15:19:00.000-06:00

I'm just having a rough time getting back in the swing of things since the holidays. It was like this last year too. Since I have all that time off at Christmas, I just don't want to do anything when it's time to get back to work! Lucky for me, I only had to work 2 days last week! Last Mon was MLK holiday for us, and Wed. we cancelled work because of the weather! YEAH! It was nice to be home more. Of course, it was just Caleb and me because Chris was stressing getting through his week long Old Testament class. I'm so glad that's done....I didn't see him all week!

Not much has been going on....Mom came to visit the weekend before the weather got bad. We took Caleb to get his picture made; it's been way too long since we did that! No go, though...Caleb was not going to cooperate that day! Put that back on my to do list! We pretty much stuck around the house last week because the weather was so bad. Caleb has decided that every time it rains, we are in the rainforest, so that's what he said every time he looked out the window or the door last week! When it was snowy/icy, I told him it was ice, and he told me it was an ice forest! Where does he come up with this stuff?

You know he loves his animals....when Mom was here, they were reading one of his animal books, and Mom pointed to the hippo and said "hippopotamus." Caleb replied, "No, hippo not want the potomous!" He just didn't get it! Now he'll say hippopotomous, and giraffe-potomous, and lion-potomous, and rhino-potomous, etc! Crazy little man!

The pregnancy is moving right along. I felt the baby moving the other day. I've got myself a little fish swimming around in there! We find out what we're having in 2 weeks; I'm so excited! Now our problem is deciding on a name; we're having more trouble this time!

Crazy Cravings

2007-01-08T12:01:00.000-06:00

This pregnancy has brought with it an unusual craving. I have been seriously craving some wings from Wings N More! Of course, there's not one of those around here, so I've been trying to satisfy the craving with different wings to no avail. But....last night I found WingStop! We went there after church last night, and the wings are VERY similar to Wings N More!!!! Now I have a place to get my wing fix! Chris totally doesn't understand my excitement, but I am pumped!

Caleb has jumped on the bandwagon with everyone else who says I'm having a girl. His cousin asked him last week if he wanted a baby brother or a baby sister, and he said "A baby stister". Now when we talk about the baby in Mommy's belly, he calls it the baby "stister". Too cute! When we tried to tell him that there might be a baby brother in there, he says "NO! It's the baby stister!" So, Caleb's vote's in! We'll hopefully find out next month what's actually baking in there!

Thankfully, we had a pretty uneventful weekend. Chris started one of his one-week long classes today, so he was doing lots of work this weekend getting ready for it. He'll have the rough one next week; then it's just making it through the spring, and he's done!

Caleb has taken a love to going to church lately. Everday he tells me he wants to go play in the nursery. He was so excited that he actually got to go yesterday! Of course, you wouldn't have known it while we were getting ready and I actually made him put his pants on! (I have an exhibitionist on my hands!) Last night as we were pulling in, he made sure to tell me he was going to the nursery (like I didn't know!). Then when we went to get him after church, he said "I stay in da nursery!" Oh well, at least he likes going now! It's much better than the period we went through and he would throw a fit when we left. This is much better!

Sugar

2007-01-04T17:28:00.000-06:00

I know....the mind reels that I could post twice in a day, but I just had to share this funny story!

I had lunch with Chris and Caleb today. When I asked Caleb for a kiss, he teased me and laughed as usual. So, I gave Chris a kiss, and Caleb came running to separate us! He said "Daddy no wanna kiss Momma!" Then his lips puckered and he wanted me to kiss him! What a jealous little man. He then gave Chris some sugar. He can kiss each of us, but we can't kiss each other! Silly boy!

Holidays

2007-01-04T11:36:00.000-06:00

We survived the holidays!!! I was off from the 21st to the 3rd, so that was GREAT!!! Now I'm back at work (YUCK), but that's OK. We had some great times at Christmas. Lots and lots of presents (some that are still in my car)! Caleb got the unwrapping thing down this year. He thought he should open all the presents, so a few of our gifts got given with a few tears in the paper! He figured out that fun stuff was under the paper, so every time I told him we were going to a Christmas party (at MeMaw's or Nana's or Grandma's, etc), he said "I wanna open!" At my mom and dad's, he had way too many gifts (Mom loves to spoil the grandkids!), and at first he opened a couple of toys. The next gift was some clothes, and when he got that opened, he looked up at me and said "NOOO!" and cried! Glad it was my mom's gift, not some random person! He chilled out and was happy again when he found the next toy! He got some great stuff. Lots of Diego toys, animals, cars.....I have no idea where to put it all! Overall, we didn't get too exhausted with all of our running around, a major feat!

We were in Fairfield for New Year's. We had dropped Caleb off at my parents' on Friday so we could go to Dallas for our anniversary......5 years! We had a good, but really wet, time! The weather was pretty nasty. We stayed at the Omni Mandalay in Las Colinas...very nice. They have the canal down there and it's supposed to be really pretty and you can take gondola rides out on the water, but we didn't get to enjoy it because of the rain! Oh well....we still had a good time, just the two of us!

Chris preached at Round Prairie (our old church) on Sun and did a short sermon Sun night before their New Year's festivities. Our plan was to visit for a little bit and head back to Jville, but we got to talking to the kids, and Chris played basketball with them, and we didn't get out of there until 11! We even got to watch some fireworks (HUGE hit with Caleb)! We ended up staying at my parents' house one more night. I think this was the first year in a long time that I was actually awake at midnight!

Caleb is just a complete entertainer. He keeps us laughing all the time. He's really started mimicing what you say. I was just on the phone with him, and he repeated everything I said! It's so funny when he messes up words. One of his favorite movies is Lion King, and he has to watch all the previews before the movie. The first one is for Pocahontas. He was watching it yesterday and came in and told us "It's Pokey-Pontas!" and ran back to watch some more. Too cute!

3 more hours!

2006-12-21T14:57:00.000-06:00

I'm counting the minutes till the end of the day.....in 3 hours I'll be on vacation! I'm soooo ready for my time off. That's one good thing about my job; I love Christmas time off! We're gearing up for a busy weekend. We're going to see my family over the weekend and come back to see Chris's family on Christmas day. I still have to finish shopping! We'll do that tomorrow hopefully. Luckily, I only have a couple of more left.

We've made huge breakthroughs this week with Caleb's bedtime. I've been fighting with him for a few weeks now and have been pulling my hair out about it! It seemed like it was taking forever to get him down! Well, he's finally decided to be a big boy and is going down without me having to sit next to him for a while!!! I actually feel like I have some "me" time to do whatever now! I even get to talk to Chris! I'm loving this big boy attitude. Not much else has been happening this week.

I actually have a date tomorrow; I'm excited! Chris is taking me out for my birthday. Have no idea what we'll do, but I'm ready to go!

Happy Birthday Weekend

2006-12-18T17:03:00.000-06:00

My mother-in-law's birthday was Sat. She turned 50, and all of us kids were going to throw her a little party. She LOVES Mercados in Tyler, so we all were going to go eat. Well, it ended up being Sun. lunch, but she had a good time! My job was to get the cake and balloons. I called Brookshire's and ordered a white cake with white icing and black writing and confetti-ish decorations. When I went to pick it up, the whole cake was black!!! There was even a little mound of icing in the center for "over the hill"! It was horrible looking! I was supposed to get all black balloons too, but I made an executive decision and put a little color into the party with those! The cake, as bad as it looked, was actually good! The icing, amazingly enough, was white underneath all the black! It looked like they had just painted black on the top!

Poor Caleb spiked a temp this weekend. That was the only thing wrong with him, though! Once his Tylenol or Motrin kicked in, he was running around like a crazy man! He's doing much better today. When I dropped him off this morning, he just looked at me, waved, and said "Bye, Momma!" I guess he doesn't need my petting anymore! Lucky for me, he's become a little more attached to his daddy, too. Now Chris can console him too!

My in-laws decided that yesterday was a good day to give the grandkids their Christmas presents, so we went over there when they got in from Tyler. Caleb had just gotten up from his nap, so he was a little groggy (and grumpy) at first. But, he eventually realized that there was something fun under that SpongeBob paper, and he unwrapped his basketball goal! Nathan got one, too, and they were having a blast with them. We set them up in the carport, and we had a full court basketball game going! They'd run from each goal to the next "shooting" their balls and having the best time. That was the best they had played together in a long time! It was short-lived, though, because they were fighting by the end of the evening! Oh well, one day maybe they'll get along!

Christmas Lights

2006-12-15T20:02:00.000-06:00

We went to Athens last night to check out the Christmas lights with my parents. It was a blast! Caleb was just enthralled with the bazillions of lights and other stuff to look at. We saw all kinds of animals and tractors and Santa and his reindeer and all kinds of other stuff. As we drove through, my favorite part is all the lights that are on the lake. Caleb loved the octopus there. He got to see Nemo, which he still talks about. My sister-in-law has taught him how to say "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout Willis?" (from Different Strokes), and when he saw all the elephants, he said "What you talkin' 'bout elephants?" How funny! Emily rode over with my parents, and the kids had a big time together. They were even good when we went to the steakhouse for my birthday dinner. I just love going over there to see those lights; they're really neat.

Now I'm watching Chris and Caleb barking at each other. Just a couple of crazy guys! It's a big wrestling match going on! Caleb loves it when Chris puts him in the "scissor lock" and slings him around with his legs. Caleb's running around screaming "SCISSOR LOCK!!!" It's going to be a wild night!

BABY!!

2006-12-13T17:46:00.000-06:00

We got to hear the new baby's heart beat today! This little one tried to hide for a little bit, but we finally got to hear him/her. How cool is it to be able to hear this little baby in my belly!? Caleb was going to get to hear it, but he was being a little terror.....all because I made him put his pants and shoes on! What was I thinking? Luckily, Chris's dad took him outside to play.

Chris and I got to go out last night with all the people from his department. We had their Christmas party at Cheddar's in Tyler. Good food! It was nice being out with grown ups! A couple of the folks brought their babies (little babies), so I got to play with some little ones!

Caleb is just crazy! He has been so good sleeping through the night without a peep for so long. But not 2 nights ago. I don't know what his problem was, but he woke up 3 times in 30 minutes! The first time, I sat down beside him and he closed his eyes. As he turned over, he said, "No, cow" with this little smirk on his face! It was too cute! Then he wasn't so cute by the last time he woke up and threw a little fit because he wanted me, not his daddy. What's wrong with his daddy????? Anyway, I got up AGAIN and finally got him back to sleep. We don't need more of those nights!

Road Trip!

2006-12-11T11:01:00.000-06:00

We headed to Austin this weekend to go to Chris's cousin's Christmas party. The whole fam (minus Chris's brother and family) went down. We had a blast! Caleb was crazy good in the car on the ride down. That DVD player is a fabulous invention! We stayed in a really nice hotel by the Arboretum. Caleb had a blast pushing the buttons for the elevator. Luckily, we kept him from pushing all of them! The actual party was fun. It was nice to be able to visit with everyone. Caleb did a good job entertaining everyone. A couple of the little girls were doing cartwheels in the living room, and Caleb tried to copy them. He'd bend over like he was going to do a front roll and then pop up with his hands in the air like he'd done something great! So funny!

We headed back a little earlier than everyone else yesterday because Chris was supposed to preach that night. About a half hour after we left, we got a phone call that his Nana and aunt had gotten in a rollover accident. So, we turned around and headed back. Luckily, no one was hurt, just pretty sore. God is good! Obviously, we didn't make it back for Chris to preach. So, we stopped off to see my parents. I felt like such a bad mom when we got there. About 20 minutes before we got there, Caleb started telling me he needed a new diaper. He's started doing that right after he wets it, so I said we'd change it at Nana and Pop's house. Well, he had soaked right through, and his pants were soaked! I felt so bad! He didn't care, though; he got to run around with no pants on! He had to put on a big show for my parents. He had some new animal toys to play with; my mom bought them for her house. The animals even had to eat supper with us! We FINALLY got back to the house around 10 last night, so my weekend wasn't the most relaxing! Now it's back to work.....only 7 more days to work before vacation!!!!

Update

2006-12-06T16:26:00.000-06:00

So, I know it's been forever! Things have been a madhouse around here! Thankfully, school is winding down for both Chris and me, so I've actually got a little time on my hands now! I had a group project to finish and a big paper due last weekend, so I was a "little" stressed about that, but YEAH! it's over! I don't have any finals, just viewing presentations online for the next week, and I'm done with my first big semester! Chris will finish tomorrow, and he'll have one more to go!

Well, for a recap of the last couple of weeks......We got to visit with both of our families on Thanksgiving. We spent Thanksgiving with Chris's family and Friday with mine. Of course, it was incredible watching my Ags kick some Longhorn hiney! Caleb was actually very good through all the madness of the holiday. He had a big time playing with Emily at my mom's. They're really starting to play well together. Out at Chris's mom's, it's another story. Caleb and Nathan have not been getting along lately. He's gotten in trouble a few times for pushing Nathan around. The other night we were all over there, and the kids were already in the back room. Caleb went back there but wouldn't go in because Nathan was in there. He kept saying "Nathan, get out!" Hopefully, this will pass soon!

We're having fun with the Christmas tree; Caleb loves the lights. He keeps wanting to touch the ornaments, but he knows there's only 1 he can touch. We need to take him to look at lights around town. He's just amazed by them. I usually have some really funny stories, but I can't seem to think of any right now! He is the most disgusting kid on the planet, though. Lately, he's taken an interest in his poo. He knows when he goes, and he'll come tell me and have it all over his hands! YUCK!!! He's really gross. Keeping pants on him doesn't even work! He'll pull his pants down to get to it! We're going to have to break him of this quick! Other than that, not much is going on right now. We're about to get in the swing of holiday stuff, starting this weekend. Chris's cousin is having a party in Austin, so we're heading down there this weekend. It's going to be a busy time!

Model Child

2006-11-19T21:49:00.000-06:00

I have no idea who has been inhabiting my child's body today! He has behaved amazingly well today! This morning we visited a church in Alto. The pastor (and youth pastor) go to school with Chris. Since we were a bit late, we took Caleb into the service with us. He had his stuffed elephant and a couple of his little plastic elephants from Noah's Ark with him, and he was an angel! He loved the music and clapped along with the songs. Too cute! He only got a little irate towards the end of the service when Nathan started playing with one of the elephants. Then tonight, we went to FBC Jville, and we explained that we would drop him off and come back after church. I told him if he was good and went into the nursey nicely, I would give him a piece of gum. He was the best little man ever! He went right on in and didn't even notice when I came back! Then we were standing outside talking to one of Chris's profs, and Caleb put on a show for everyone. My sweet little ham! He's never acted this good for a whole day. I wonder what alien has invaded his body! He's welcome to stay, whoever he is! Now he's running around like a crazy man! I hope he acts like this some more! My favorite thing today.....he's still into "helping" his animals pray. Every time we said our prayers or they prayed in church, he would bow his head and his animals heads and pop them back upright when he said Amen! It's too sweet!

catch up

2006-11-17T15:28:00.000-06:00

I know, I know.....I haven't blogged all week! So, I have this crazy schedule lately. I actually have to work, and I have tons of stuff due in the next few weeks for school, so give me a break! Anyway, besides the fact that things have been busy, it's been good, too. Chris and I had a fabulous time on our trip last week. Washington and Idaho are absolutely beautiful! The place we are specifically praying about now is actually a city in the northwest panhandle of Idaho, Coeur D'Alene. It's a beautiful place, and there are very few churches there, so they desperately need to hear about Jesus! Great hospital and other job opportunities, and it's only 15 minutes from Spokane, so there's lots of opportunities there, too. The weather was good....cold, but good! A big storm was coming in on Mon (when we were supposed to be coming home), so we ended up catching an earlier flight Sun. afternoon.
This pic is of Snoqualmie Pass. Nothing like the mountain passes in Colorado, not as scary! It was already snowing in the high areas, but not much in the low spots.

This is Spokane Falls. We rode the gondola over it. It's really cool! I love waterfalls, you know! The water (not just here) was up from all the rain they got last week. Isn't it beautiful?

Now for the update on my crazy man! I know he's dressed in a hideously ugly shirt (his dad's), but he's just too cute! He brought that shirt to me and said, "I wanna wear Daddy's shirt." Who can say no to that? I couldn't get that thing off him! He had a blast spending last weekend with the grandparents, part of the time with Chris's parents and part with mine. My dad took him fishing, and he caught a fish. Apparently he was a little skiddish around it. At first, he wanted to touch it, and then he'd back off saying, "No, I not touch it!"

Now he's on this "honey" kick. Every sentence is ended with "Honey." Mommy hold it, honey. It's OK honey. You name it, it's honey! Don't know where he picked that one up! Oh well, he's an adorable little booger! Don't know if I told all of you he's going to be a big brother, too. We're expecting a new addition in July! I went to the doctor yesterday. All is good so far! Now I'm just going back and forth between being nauseated and really hungry! Today's a hungry day!

I know I'm forgetting some great funny moments, but my mind's out of commission right now! I'm off to work on my ethics project! Have a great weekend!

FINALLY!!

2006-11-05T19:25:00.000-06:00

I've been told that I haven't blogged since Caleb's birthday, so here's the scoop! Caleb and Emily both had birthday parties last week, so we did Emily's on Friday. It was at a gym that had a jump castle, and Caleb loved it. He would jump a while and then we would climb up and slide down out of it. It really was a lot of fun. The kids also got to play on the trampolines and other stuff in the gym. One of the tramps had a foam pit you jumped into. Caleb didn't jump of the tramp, but he did love stepping off the edge into the pit. He loved it when my dad threw him in! We went dressed in his sheriff's clothes so Mom and Dad could see his Halloween costume. Isn't he precious!
Saturday night was Caleb's big 2nd birthday party. We had everyone over, and the kids had a big time playing on the playground. Caleb loaded up with stuff! I'm so thankful he finally has clothes that fit! He got some pretty great toys, too. He didn't even think about TV for a few days after his party. He was too busy playing with his cool new toys!

Here he is playing and striking a pose! Emily had to help blow out the candle!

Here we are at the end of the party and still with all the great green and orange icing on his mouth!

It was a fun weekend. This weekend was Wade's 1st birthday party, so we went to that last night. He's such a cutie! He's just enthralled with anything that rolls!

Fun story....we're teaching Caleb to say his prayers, and we've gotten him to bow his head when we pray. Well, the other day we were saying our prayers, and Caleb had a couple of his animals with him. When we told him to pray, he not only bowed his head but his animals' heads, too! Then when we said Amen, he put their heads back upright. Too cute!

For any of you who haven't heard from me this week, we've got some exciting news....Chris is going to have an exciting birthday present next year. We're expecting our second little one! He/she is due in July. We're totally excited. I know Caleb's going to be seriously jealous, but I'm sure he'll be a great big brother!

Poor Baby!

2006-10-23T11:13:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, my sweet little boy decided he didn't want to take a nap. Fortunately, he didn't turn into a little terror! He was asleep by 8:00 Sat. night, before Chris got in from work (he got called in). So, we head to bed a little after 10, and I hear "Momma!" I go to check on him and sit with him a second and he goes back to sleep. I hear him again a minute later and go in and he's flipping back and forth saying "No, no, no!" and he wakes up crying. My poor baby was having nightmares! I sat with him some more and it happened again. I felt so bad for him. Somewhere in there, though, he must have had a good dream because he started mumbling and all I got was "hippo" out of it, so he must have been having fun with all his animals! We ended up staying awake till almost 1 that night, and it was like he was scared of his bed. He wouldn't lay down even with me. I ended up taking him to my room, and eventually Chris ended up in Caleb's bed because there's not enough room for all of us in that bed!

Last night we went out to Chris's parents' house and had a hayride. Steve pulled us behind his tractor, and Caleb had a ball! He was so excited to be riding in the trailer. It was pretty chilly, but he didn't get too cold! He wouldn't hear of letting me cuddle up with him under the blanket! When we got back, they had rigged up a screen outside, and we all watched Old Yeller. I told Caleb there was a puppy coming on, and he was all about watching the puppy show! By this time, he was starting to get a little tired, and he cuddled with me under the blanket for this one! He was so good. He kept turning around and telling me about all the animals in the show. Too cute!

smell those flowers

2006-10-19T17:22:00.000-05:00

Caleb and I took a walk last night when I got home. We "hurried" up the sidewalk to mail a card. The chapel at the seminary has some flower beds outside, and they have some pretty pansies growing right now. Caleb wanted to go "smell flowers" and he took his daddy 2 that had fallen off their stems. It was so funny watching him "hurry" back down the sidewalk to Chris with one flower in each hand. If he'd drop one, he'd stop and pick it up. Of course, it was a big production to give Daddy his flowers, and they had to smell them again.

He turned from sweet to completely nasty while I was on the phone with my mom last night. He came in and showed me his hand that had brown all over it. I turned him around, and there was poo hanging out of his diaper! YUCK! It was such a fun time cleaning that one up! I'm sure Mom got a kick hearing me and Chris trying to clean him up and not get any on any of the furniture! He sooo needs to hurry up and get potty trained!

I have 35 more minutes till the weekend!!!!!!!!!

Momma Clothes

2006-10-18T09:36:00.000-05:00

My sweet son decided to wake up at 6:00 yesterday morning, 20 minutes before I'm supposed to wake up. Wasn't that sweet of him? He was fussy so Chris brought him into the bedroom thinking he'd go right back to sleep. Well, he has this thing for picking at my shirt sleeve when he's tired. Much to his dismay, I had worn a tank top to bed the night before (I got these cute new pj's over the weekend), and Caleb was totally upset. He kept whining and saying, "Momma, clothes!" over and over. I got up and grabbed a t-shirt and slipped it on and got back into bed. As soon as I did that, he started fiddling with my shirt sleeve and was as happy as could be! What a little runt!

Last night I got to go to the movies with Farrah and Helen....girls night! We went to see Employee of the Month. It was pretty funny, and we had a good time. It's nice to get out with the girls every once in a while. Caleb was still wound up when I got home (his late power nap kicked his energy up a notch!), and when he saw me at the door, he came running up, smiling, and yelling, "MOMMA!!!" like he's so excited to see me home. Does it get any better than that? He was a mess last night, running around and dancing. It's so cute!

Today he's getting to stay home with Chris. Let's see if Chris gets any of his school work done!

Good Momma!

2006-10-16T09:56:00.000-05:00

Well, the angel behavior on Friday didn't last long. Around 10:30, Caleb decided he needed me to play with him. Since it was a beautiful morning, I thought I could distract him outside. So we got our shoes on and headed out. I got in my chair with my computer, and no go. He kept coming over saying, "Momma, get up!" He tried to shut my computer too! So, we went and picked up pine cones, but if I tried to sneak back to my chair, he'd come running! I gave up and decided I'd just play a while; he needed some company! So, then he decided we needed to "hurry, hurry!" up the sidewalk. We ran into some of Chris's professors on our walk, and then Caleb ran to the playground. There's this tunnel on the playset, and Caleb calls it a bridge. Well, he was playing in it and said, "Momma, get in bridge." So I put my head in, and Caleb was pleased and said, "Good Momma!" How cute! Then he started playing goodnight in the tunnel. Don't know where he learned this one, but he'd say "goodnight!" and lay down and act like he was snoring. Then he'd jump up and hollar and say "wake up!" He's such a sweetie!

I did finally get my paper done while Caleb was napping that afternoon and got it sent in Friday evening. It wasn't even due till last night! Unfortunately, I haven't had a restful weekend because I caught a cold. I'm staying home today because I don't want to spend the day wiping my eyes and nose at the office! I think I'll be OK to go to work tomorrow, but I sure would like another day off!

I forgot another funny story. Caleb stayed at Farrah's house for a while Sat. evening while Chris and I went to dinner. When we went to get him, he wanted to sit outside with Chris and his dad. I wanted to sit out there too, but he then decided we needed to play. He'd run down their sidewalk to Steve's shop, and he discovered his shadow. He'd start dancing around and waving his hands and thought it was so exciting that his shadow did the same thing. He even had me playing with my shadow! He just laughed and laughed. It's amazing what entertains him!

For Mom

2006-10-13T09:31:00.000-05:00

Mom has told me that I'm not blogging enough, so here's a quick update!

It's been too crazy this week to keep up with anything! Luckily, Monday was a holiday, and Chris and I were both off. We decided we wanted to go to Tyler and go to the wildlife museum. There are lots of cool animals there, which would totally entertain Caleb, and the best part is it's free! Farrah and her family joined us, and we had our Fazoli's fix and then decided to skip the museum and go for the real animals at the zoo! The kids had a blast of course! Caleb was getting tired by the end, so we had a couple of grumpy moments, but he did great overall.

I think Caleb must know that I'm stressed with school this week, and he's done a great job of increasing that stress! I don't know what's up with his sleeping schedule, but he won't sleep! He'll be exhausted by 8 but won't go to bed and throws fits when you make him! And, he's only had 2 good naps this week! SO, I have a paper due Sun. and a test that I haven't even started studying for on Mon, and I'm starting to really freak out! Today he's being an angel (so far), so I hope he'll be a good little boy and let me get some stuff done. At least he let me sleep until 8 this morning!

We don't have an exciting weekend planned; I have to do a health fair tomorrow. Yea for the comp time I'm earning! Maybe next weekend I'll get to relax!

kisses

2006-10-04T14:31:00.000-05:00

Caleb has learned how to pucker his lips for a kiss. Usually, he just puts his lips to your cheek, or he gives those big wet ones with his mouth wide open. Last night, he came up to me and said, "Mama....I want kiss." Then he proceeded to pucker his lips and kiss me right on the mouth! He thought it was the funniest thing! He had to kiss me over and over and over, and he busted out laughing each time! Such a sweetie!

It's been a pretty uneventful week so far.....we're still recovering from the weekend! I fell asleep in Caleb's bed last night. I had gone in there to put him down and ended up laying down myself and going straight to sleep! I woke up around 11, and Chris was still up working on school stuff. I didn't think it would be that late since he was awake and had to be at work early this morning, and I was surprised to find out I'd been asleep 2 hours! It was nice, though, to get that extra sleep!

Camping trip

2006-10-02T17:20:00.000-05:00

I went camping! It was my first camping trip ever, and I had a blast. I slept in a tent and everything! My mom thought I was crazy, but it was so much fun. All of Chris's family packed up Thurs. and went to Arkansas. We stayed by a river, and the weather was perfect. It was after dark by the time we got there (I didn't take the whole day off), and it was COLD! Since Caleb would rather run around in a diaper all the time, he wasn't happy about having to put on long sleeves! Farrah and her family were already there, so we set up camp beside them and then sat around the fire. During the day, it got warm enough to play in the river, so Caleb threw about a million rocks in the river over the course of 2 days! Between him and Nathan, they almost built a dam! They were too cute. We went hiking, too, well, as much hiking as we could stand with a 2 year-old! Chris and his brother decided to climb the "mountain" on the other side of the river on Saturday. He said that they went from dumb to incredibly ignorant about halfway up! It was straight up.....very steep! I'm sure I wouldn't be to happy to know some of the crazy things they did getting up and down that thing!

Caleb was so funny. When we first walked down to the river, he saw the huge rocks jutting up out of the water, and he yelled, "Lion King!" The rocks really looked like the rock from the Lion King where they lifted Simba in the air. After that, he always wanted to go down to the "water hole" to throw rocks. Where did he get that? All the kids had a blast. I think it was more fun just to watch them. I definitely want to go back!

ARG!

2006-09-27T16:49:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was going to Dallas. I had an appt. at noon. What happened? I was driving (and safely I might add!), and all of a sudden I hit something, who knows what, and I heard this loud BANG! I thought maybe I'd had a blow out, but my car didn't feel like the wheels were messed up. So, when I pulled over and walked around the car, I found gas gushing out of the tank! I hit something that put a pretty good gash in the tank because the gas that I bought yesterday morning was flooding the grass! So I was stranded about halfway between Jacksonville and Dallas. I finally got a hold of Chris, and he headed to my rescue. And, my fabulous father-in-law brought his trailer and hauled the car back to Jacksonville. In the meantime, I got my appt. rescheduled, and I got to Dallas around 12:40! Whew! What a day!

Now I'm counting down the hours till noon tomorrow. I'm going on my first ever camping trip! For real deal, sleep in a tent camping trip! We're heading up to Arkansas, and it should be a blast. Luckily, I didn't tear up the van, so we're still good to go with that vehicle!

I think that Caleb's figuring out that it's fun to go to the grandparents' houses. I already wrote how excited he got at my folks' house last weekend. Now last night he decided he wanted his MeMaw. Helen and Farrah came over to get some luggage from us, and when they were leaving, Caleb just followed them to the truck and got in! He thought he needed to go with MeMaw. I didn't put up a fuss either! I was exhausted and just wanted to sleep! So we kissed him, and off he went, and I was asleep by 9! YEAH!

Whoopin' Weekend

2006-09-25T15:29:00.000-05:00

We got to go to College Station for the football game on Saturday. We dropped Caleb off at my parents' house on our way through, and he wasn't the least bit upset that we were leaving! I told him I loved him and kissed him, and he threw that hand up in the air and said "BYE!" Glad to know I'm loved.....

College Station was great. It's always nice to get down there and eat some good College Station food. We got to eat some wings with Rebecca and catch up with her. You would know it that right after we got to the football game, the lightning got really bad and it came a downpour. I'm no longer one of those hard-core, sit in the rain Aggie fans (I'm getting too old!), so we left. Eventually it cleared up, but we didn't go back. Oh well, it was a fun day anyway!

Yesterday we had a birthday lunch for my dad. Emily said that we had to have birthday candles for his cake, and she helped him blow them out. Then Caleb decided it was his turn to "blow it." He remembered that last weekend was Grandma's birthday party because when I would talk to him about it being Pop's birthday or when he'd see Grandma, he kept saying "Happy Birthday, Grandma!" Talk about a good memory! After lunch I was holding Evan, and Caleb got so jealous. He thought he should be up in my lap too. So he was on one leg and Even on the other. Caleb looks like a giant next to Evan! He was cute though, and kept pointing at him and saying "baby Eh-en." How jealous will he be when he becomes a big brother? Maybe he'll handle it better by then!

CALEB!!

2006-09-22T19:00:00.000-05:00

I just had to tell ya'll this cute story that just happened. Caleb and I are eating supper. He grabbed his drink, nothing out of the ordinary, and all of a sudden he said "CALEB!" in this crazy low voice. I wondered what he was saying that for, and I noticed his drink was spilling on the floor. He was saying his name like I do when I'm getting onto him! While I was cleaning it up, he said, "Caleb, what do that for?" How cute!

He's been so good today considering he should be tired. Last night he woke up at 12:30 and didn't go back to sleep until 4! We cleaned the house this morning (YUCK!); it was bad this time. We've been busy this week and haven't kept on top of things. Then we went out to Chris's parents' house to wash and wax his car. While Chris and I were washing the car, Caleb and Nathan played in the water. After we moved on to waxing, they splashed the rags in the bucket and played with the hose. They were soaked! But they had a blast. They're too cute!

Now we're hanging out in our nice, clean house, and Caleb is throwing around his animals. He's really gotten attached to his animals lately. Right now he's helping them "jump" off the couch. Tomorrow we're headed to my folks house and then to College Station for the ball game. WHOOP!