Sweetness from Joshua

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...

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....

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

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!!!

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!

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

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!!???

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

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!

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!

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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!

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

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 :(

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)!!