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)!!

The beach, the zoo, and pirates, too!

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!

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...

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

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

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

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!

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....

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

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.....

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....

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!!!