Merry Christmas 2007

Here is the overall haul they both brought in Christmas morning

Claire at her table and Brock with Slinky Dog

They got these cool Yo-Yo's in their stockings

Claire with Baby Alive and Brock opens his gift from Claire.

There was some serious fun had at our house this holiday season. I have to say it was an Incredible Christmas, no really, we watched the Incredibles at least 4 times that I can count off the top of my head. Brock has a whole new genre of movie quotes now. He is amazing at how fast he can pick them up! Claire got the "Baby Alive" that she wanted along with a new table and chairs complete with the B monogram. Her favorite gift however, came from her brother. It is a High School Musical microphone that you can sing into and it also plays a couple of songs from the movie that you can sing along with. Brock got a race track complete with Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart race cars. He is very excited about making sure that Tony loses to Jeff every time. He got a slinky dog just like the one in Toy Story that is a wonderful addition to the Toy Story gang we already had here. They both got more toys than they could process the night before at my parents house. They both got digital cameras that will be hilarious to post pictures from in the future, as soon as we can afford all the batteries that we need. Seriously. Anyway, I hope that your house was full of joy and fun. I am starting to get the post holiday let down that I always get. Hopefully the Hogs will win the Cotton Bowl and that will help me come out of my funk. I have always hated to see a good time come to an end.

There is a great story behind this, but I must say there is nothing better than giving your 14 year old nephew who is really cool footed pajamas. I will also add here that the other day while I was at Home Depot I saw a lady in there wearing the same pajamas. You read it right!

Merry Christmas!

The first round of Christmas celebrations are in the books for 2007. The kids are now tucked in their beds with the most adorable excited looks on their faces. They are waiting for morning and the excitement of what Santa brings. I have enjoyed this Christmas season more than any other in my life. It has been super busy, but along with that a lot of wonderful memories have been made. My children can't possibly get any more adorable than they are right now, and I know that one day I am going to miss them being this age. I can truly say that if I could freeze time I would choose the here and now. I have always enjoyed them, but right now life is so magical through their eyes, and not nearly as much work as when they were small! Here are a few pictures of what they have done so far. I will post more pictures later and tell about the Christmas morning fun. Merry Christmas to all of you!

How about that Mississippi education?

This is the kids with their Aunt Amy who gave them these...

and face paint too...

We used to like her.

Claire just being cute!

Brock's Christmas Program

Friday Dec 7th was the 2nd Pres Christmas Program. Brock has been practicing on this program for a long time, and the kids did amazing! He really enjoyed being on stage and in front of people! There were several times that he had the whole crowd laughing. Brock asked Tim if he saw him doing his donkey ears and Tim said "Yeah, why were you doing that?" Brock told him "I just wanted to make you laugh." Oh that boy is like his mother! He even had a speaking part which he delivered very loud and clear. He said "He is the reason we worship and sing." Following his line, he saw his cousins sitting up near the stage and did a special little dance to them. I will put on some video clips as soon as I figure out how exactly to do that. I am so glad that he has such a great personality. I hope that he will always retain that self confidence and ability to be in front of hundreds of people and still want to make them laugh. He is a funny, funny kid!

A special thank you goes out to my precious niece Blakely for taking the pictures. She was able to get right up by the stage where I couldn't get to take these shots. I think that she did an excellent job, and especially since she is only 11 years old. We may have found her future calling as a Children's Photographer.

It keeps getting better!

This year was the 2nd annual girls trip to Dallas, and it did not disappoint! I hope that you have a great group of friends, because I do. Last year, a group of 6 of us ventured down to Dallas for a fun night away and a day of shopping. We had so much fun that on our way home we decided that this year we had to make it a full weekend away. GOOD THINKING! This year our group grew by 4 which was such a blessing. I laughed so much that I am pretty sure that I didn't gain any weight from the extra food I ate (yeah right!). It is so nice to know that you have friends that know how to laugh together until you hurt, but can also cry together when you hurt. I know that God looked down on us this weekend and said "that is GOOD". What an amazing thing to know that you have friendships that were designed by our creator and Lord. One thing that I have to say about this group is that no one takes themselves too seriously, and really there is no limit that some will go to make the rest of the group laugh.

This is Brooke and Myra as we were getting ready to go eat. Myra took off her costume but Brooke wore the wig to the restaurant. It ended up getting passed around and most of us took a turn wearing it. Our waiter didn't know what to think of us.

Cortney looks cute even with a mullet!

We had the same waiter that we had last year!

Tina Pilgreen with her "Power to the Peeps!"

"Redneck Lelah" finds her true love Joe Dirt!

Saturday we had a day of pure Christmas shopping. I found some awesome gifts that I can't wait to give. Shopping is something that I absolutely LOVE to do, and getting to shop with my friends, well that was a piece of heaven. I think the best store however was when we all started trying on things that we would never wear. Tina and Susan won the award but I promised them that I wouldn't put the pictures on the blog. However, I do have them in case I ever need them! That night we went to Dave & Busters and watched Darren McFadden get the shaft once again from the Heisman voters. He will always be the Heisman trophy winner in my book! We played games in the arcade which was great. We found out that none of us will ever do the following: win Dancing with the Stars, play pro basketball, drive on the NASCAR circuit, race snowmobiles or be a jump roping champion. That is fine because we are experts at having the best time possible!

In closing, I want to say something about my friends that joined me on this years adventure. I can't say enough how much I love, respect and can't get enough of you guys. You make my life so much fun to live! It is times like this weekend that I know that heaven is going to be a constant party. I am already excited for our trip next year!

Remembering Andrew

Andrew is the 2nd from the right.

One year ago, I lost a good friend. Andrew and I had known each other for more years than I can remember, and he knew me better than most people did. Our friendship was funny because we fought so much of our time in high school. We were both very headstrong, and for some reason, we chose each other to duke it out with when either one of us was spooling for a fight. We had some memorable ones too! The thing is that when push came to shove, either one of us would have fought to the death for the other one. It was more similar to a sibling relationship rather than friendship. In the year since his death, I have thought about our relationship a lot. I figured out that Andrew was the only person who would call me out on my bratty behavior. Whenever I would get too sure of myself he made sure that I knew he wasn't putting up with it. Oh the times. In his high school years, Andrew was hilarious. (As long as his barbs were not directed at you.) One of the stories that was told over and over at his memorial service was how Andrew was cut from the basketball team his senior year. I remember that day like it was yesterday too. It was such a devastating thing to him because he had played basketball with the other guys since elementary school. Over the years, he used that as a quip on life, but there was another side of the story that wasn't told. A lot of guys his age would have been angry and never shown their faces at the ballgames. Not Andrew. That season he never missed a game. Not only did he not miss a game, but he was the biggest cheerleader there. He made the games so much fun. That year we were voted the rowdiest crowd in Arkansas. He was so talented at making the other team so frustrated and they couldn't play to their optimal. More than once, we had to sneak Andrew out of gyms. We got in trouble more that year and had more fun doing it! I think that Mr. Diles read us "The Sportsman's Creed" in chapel after EVERY home game, and a few away games. It was more fun that I can put into words. There are so many stories that I carry with me from those years that today will still make me weak with laughter. In his adult years, Andrew dedicated himself to CAC and the students in the school. He touched so many of their lives, and his dedication to them was beyond any teacher that I have ever seen before. There are young people in this world that are Christians because of the influence he had on their lives. What a legacy to leave behind. So, one year later, I want to pay tribute to my friend. Andrew, I am so proud of the life you led, and I am so glad that you were my friend. There is a void in this world that will never be filled. I will see you again some day. Until then...

School is exhausting!

This week has gone by in a blur, and it is only Tuesday night. I always had this idea in my head that when my kids went to school I would have free time. Now, I am wondering how in the world that I am going to survive next year when I have two in school! Monday morning started by getting to school and leaving at 9Am to begin our field trip. The four 1st grade classes began their singing rounds in the Baptist Hospital lobby.

You can always see Claire because of her bow!

My sister brought my grandmother to see Claire sing! I am so thankful to have such a thoughtful sister. Because of her, Claire had her Great-Grandmother there to see her sing.

From the lobby, we marched 80 children, with their entourage in tow, around to Baptist Rehabilitation Institute. They once again sang their songs for the crowd there. There was one man that I sat near that enjoyed those children like nothing I have ever seen before. He had a smile plastered on his face and was quietly singing along with them. Occasionally he would wipe away a tear. After their performance, I asked his therapist to wheel him over to the children so I could take a picture of them with him. I am going to print it out tomorrow and take it to him. It was very special to see the children touch someone like that without even knowing what they were doing.

From there, we once again marched the 80 1st graders to the Baptist Hospital cafeteria for lunch. It wasn't the most relaxing lunch to say the least, but they were all super well behaved the entire day. The teachers had done an amazing job in getting control of them before we ever left the school. After lunch, we loaded them back onto the buses and went to the state Capital. It was beautifully decorated for Christmas. Due to some inside connections, our class was able to go into the Govenors office, and later he came and found us for a photo opp. Of course, my camera decided to act up when I had the perfect opportunity to photograph my kids in a beautiful place. After a little touring, the kids sang once again. They were so exhausted by this point that during their songs yawns were breaking out all over the place. I think several of them fell asleep on the busride back to school. All in all it was a great day!

This picture cracks me up!

Today was the Baker Bazaar, which was TONS AND TONS of work. Each class produces a product to sell and hopes to make a profit. Our "class" (meaning me and another mom or two) made Window Warmers (tights cut off at the top of the leg, filled with rice and decorated with felt and google eyes to look like animals.) I am proud to say that we made around $400 for our class to buy some great new books, and several other items they need to further their ever so important educations. It was a long day as well (10am-8pm) so I feel like I have been run over by a Maack truck! I am going to go downstairs and relax now. I am looking forward to this weekend in Dallas! It will be another year of memories to be sure! Look out big D here we come!

I think I may be crafty afterall...

Okay so after the lampshade my confidence was boosted, and I have begun to venture out of my box. I wanted something for my front door but didn't want the normal wreath. So last night I went to Hobby Lobby and began pooling all of my creativity and here is what I came up with. I was sitting in the floor putting it all together and Tim just kept looking at me trying to figure out what had gotten into me. Anyway, here is my front door...

The next project I decided to tackle was my Christmas cards that I have sent out over the years. My sister has the pictures from each year framed and always displays them at Christmas. I thought that was a really neat idea and wanted to copy. I have been sending (as most of you know) the cards you get from Sam's, Walmart or anywhere which are a really odd size. I looked several places and determined that there were no frames that size, and I would have to come up with something else. Here is what I ended up with. I found two $5 11x14 frames at Walmart then got a yard of Christmas fabric for $2.50. I wrapped the cardboard in the fabric and glued it down. I then arranged the pictures onto the fabric. I think that they look really neat and they were cheap and easy. What more could you want!

Anyway, that is what I have been up to lately. I am rather excited to find this side of myself!

As for the whole Razorback situation, here is my opinion. I feel like I have just witnessed a large group of four year olds throwing a major fit in the floor only to get their way. (The fact that Wally Hall isn't much taller that a four year old may be swaying my thought process. Not that I can really comment on someones shortness, but I will.) Anyway, I am glad Houston got a great new job and wish him and his family well. I will not be surprised in the least when he brings his team and repeatedly kicks our tails and smiles while doing it. I think he deserves that after all he and his family have endured this past year. In the off chance that the classy person or people who have been vandalizing his elderly mothers house should be reading this I just want to say "ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?" I hope that you are happy with your efforts to terrorize an elderly woman over COLLEGE FOOTBALL. You are so cool. I wish being a Razorback fan was a club that the rest of us were allowed to kick other people out of. It is people like that who give Arkansans the reputation that we have. Nice. I hope the Head Hogs up on the hill are able to pull in a great coach and we win a lot, but I am curious about how long it will be until the same group of four year old fit throwers will be dissatisfied and they start pitching a fit all over again. Any guesses?