Thanksgiving 2007

Well, originally, we had planned on going to Dallas to visit the Dowdneys, but they had to rush to OK for emergency surgery for D's dad :( So, we ended up staying home, and Eric's parents came over. Eric's mom made ribs, and we had baked potatoes, salad and gooey butter cake--mmmm! Very non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but it was good :) After that, Eric and his dad worked on finishing redoing the back screen door, and MJ had a blast running around outside in the COLD weather! Overall, it was a nice and restful day, which was good since we actually got up early for Black Friday.

EM & Grandma A ready to bear the cold!






Daddy & Pop putting the screen on the door while MJ helps--or maybe I mean gets in the way--or maybe just being a kid and running around all over the place :)







Brrrr!!












They drilled...











And they sanded...


And they put the handle back on...


And, after 4-5 hours of hard work, voila, Eric re-attached the spring!!



See the tiny green bananas and bloom that's about to bud on our banana tree?!

The Time Has Come

For Elijah's hair to stay down! I'm actually kind of sad about it b/c it was really becoming his trademark :) Now people are going to have to re-learn what he looks like! He can't be the mohawk baby if his hair doesn't stand straight up! Also, notice how fast we can change temperaments--we start out smiling for the camera...

and then, for some random reason, we burst into tears with THE MOST PITIFUL cry...








on the road to recovery :)

Starving...

For sleep, that is. This preciousness (that would be Elijah--and sometimes MJ :) ) has kept Mommy awake a lot lately :) And Daddy has had almost the whole week off, so there've been no naps b/c we've been running around playing and having fun together. The Lord sure knew what He was doing when he made babies so cute! When you look at those smiles, you can't help but be amazed at their precious little lives. Just when I start to get frustrated b/c I get no sleep, or b/c I literally get spit up on all day long, I think of how totally sad I would be if for some reason either one of my little ones was taken from me. It definitely gives me a different perspective on things and makes me truly grateful for these times which will pass before I know it. So I'm trying real hard to remain happy and energetic and joyful even when I desperately need some sleep :) Thank you Lord for carrying me through these times and giving me the strength I need to be joyful and cheerful for my sweet hubby and babies. Hopefully my hubby and babies agree that I'm cheerful and fun to be around (at least most of the time--we all do have our mean Mommy/wifey moments :( )

Razzing the Tummy

Today I was trying to video Elijah scooting and talking, but Mikaela noticed and started razzing his tummy. Her laughing made him laugh, which makes me laugh :) Anyway, he seemed to think it was pretty funny :)

Naptime

This is Mikaela preparing for her nap today. She now has to carry around 4 of her 6 babies at all times :) When we eat, her "babies (are) hungwy too." The problem is that she tries to fit all 4 babies into her one tiny high chair--then she tries to throw a fit b/c she can't make them all fit! For her nap today, she added the two bears and two bags (hiding under the blanket). She also tries to bring the carrier, stroller, high chair, bottles, bowl, spoon and fork with her too for nap- and bedtime :)

Tagged!

I was tagged by Desiree Van Essen

Once tagged, you must link to the person who tagged you. Then post the rules before your list, and list 8 random things about yourself. At the end of the post, you must tag and link to 8 (or however many people with blogs that you know) other people, visit their sites, and leave a comment letting them know they’ve been tagged.

1) My favorite color is RED!

2) My favorite age-group is 0-5 years--even after lots of babysitting and having two of my own in that age-range (although there is now a greater appreciation for the older girls and boys who are great helpers :) )

3) I play the flute and a tiny bit of piano.

4) I asked my husband out for our first "date" (my family's Thanksgiving get-together) almost 6 Thanksgivings ago! He thought that by family I meant immediate family, but growing up, family always meant immediate plus extended family :)

5) I have 2 math degrees--this does NOT make me brilliant, as people seem to think when they hear the word math--it just means God gave me some incredible determination and a love for numbers :)

6) Babies make me happy--even after they spit up on you, pee on you, keep you from sleeping, etc.--there's just something about them that has always made me happy if I'm sad and even happier if I'm not sad :)

7) I love to teach and try to see how much a person is capable of learning in whatever the subject matter may be--the downfall is that I don't like to let them stop until they've succeeded, and they're not always with me on that! Mikaela has already put her foot down at 2 minutes :)

8) Breakfast is my favorite meal--there's almost always something sweet w/o having to have "dessert!"

I now tag: Becca Carlton, Dayna Nichols, Anna Florida, Monica Bayse (sorry--4's as good as it gets :) )

Our Little Puppy Dog

I was under the impression that we had gotten rid of all dogs in our house, but it seems that one still lives here! Our little sweetie-girl thinks she is a puppy dog for some reason and feels the need to bite, chew, eat, swallow, etc. anything made of paper, plastic, wood or any other material around our house! Here are a few examples of some things she has partially destroyed. Unfortunately, I failed to get a picture of the thank you notes that were in envelopes, with stamps that she ate :( Yes, she ate the corners--stamps and all!

You might have to click on this picture to zoom in, but this is our changing table, which is right next to Mikaela's bed. Before she decides to go to sleep at night, this is one of the things she's been doing! She's actually gnawed it all the way through so that the wood is splintering up!!

Shoe Fetish

Mikaela is going through the stage where it's a blast to wear other people's shoes--especially if they're bigger than her own :) So if you're shoes are off and she's anywhere near, be warned--she will have them on in about 5 seconds :)

In the first picture below, Mikaela is wearing some white flip flops of mine, which she claims are hers by saying, "Mys." For some reason, she seems to like these the best--go figure?! She has worn them so much that she has blisters/scabs between her big and second toes (that's what the next picture is--it's kind of hard to tell, but they're pretty red :) ); that hasn't deterred her from wearing them! As for the blue shoes with the yellow flowers--these were given to Mikaela by a friend. I just took them out of the car after our trip b/c I've forgotten they were there (for a few weeks now :) ). It turns out to be a good thing I forgot about them for so long b/c she LOVES them, and they make the loudest racket on the floor when she walks in them!! Eric said it's no wonder they were given to us! Thanks Sonya :) Anyway, we'll see how long Daddy can stand them before they magically disappear :)

Trip Time

Well, sorry for no posts the past few days :( I've been completely internet-deprived for almost 3 whole days!! Eric went to Arizona for a mens' conference with our church, so Mikaela, Elijah and I headed to College Station to visit Grandma F and Granddaddy (and one of their phone lines died, so that's what left me "internetless"). It also just happened to fall on my mom's birthday weekend, so hopefully it was the best present Grandma could have gotten :) We had a good time, and now Mikaela keeps sayng, "I see Gammaw; I see Ganddaddy!"

Grandma F, Elijah & Mikaela outside the shop playing & watching for trains



Granddaddy playing w/Elijah



Grandma was itching to get the cradle cap off Elijah's head :)



Elijah w/his baby-oiled slick back do :)



Look at those eyes--they're still blue!!



Grandma F, Mikaela & Elijah posing for Mommy



Elijah already getting Mikaela back for pulling his hair :)



Mikaela posing w/Kendra after lunch & visiting

Thank You Grandma!

Thank you Grandma for another cute, cute outfit! It fit perfectly! If you ever want to start taking orders, there are lots of people who would pay for some adorable, homemade garments :)

Doesn't she have the most infectious laugh/smile?!



Being silly :)



For Grandma F

Church Picnic

Today we had our church picnic at Kitty Hollow Park, which was organized by the couple below (and I'm sure all 8 of their children helped them out :) ). They did the most wonderful job in organizing what food was to be brought and who would bring it, who would be doing the cooking, cleaning, etc., and best of all, they had the most amazing field-day games setup! There were sack races and bouncing ball (the ones you sit on) races for all the kids, tug of war for the older kids and volleyball and a softball game for everyone! They had the cones and flags all set up and everything for the events. They also rented a Moonwalk (those big blow-up things that you get in and jump around in) for the kids to play in! Then, all the younger kids got a different present that was wrapped, and they each received a certificate for completing the games, and they even each got a bag of candy to take home (for Mommy to eat :) )! There were also quite a few jungle-gym and swing areas for the kids to play on. All in all, we all had a blast! I have to give them kudos--they did an amazing job!! Oh yeah--an added bonus was that the men did all the cooking, setting up, cleaning up, etc.! So we ladies were blessed to get to relax, fellowship, play games and just enjoy ourselves!!
I wasn't able to get a picture of everyone :( but here's what I did get. Click on the picture below to see the entire album.

SGC 2007 Church Picnic

Johnny Jump-Up

Elijah has really been enjoying the johnny jump-up! I thought that he might not be able to hold his head up well enough yet, but I think it has helped his neck to get stronger! He'll actually stay in there for 30 minutes to an hour before he gets tired of it!! Notice how, towards the end, he turns to look at me when I call his name :)

Party Time!

Since this past Wednesday was a fifth Wednesday in October, our care group had a games/fellowship night. We try to do this every time there's a fifth Wednesday in the month. In addition to games and fellowsip, we also had a birthday party for the sweet lady in the first picture below! She is a wonderful example of a godly wife and mother, and it was a great time getting to celebrate this special day with her and her family. And Mikaela had the best time wearing and walking around in everyone's shoes--when she got tired of one pair she would just go trade out for another :)

mom and son



sisters and friends



the guys & Elijah



giggly girls--isn't this the cutest pic?! :)



the teenage guys



decorating Mom's cake



the finished product



cake time and a sweet speech by hubby :)



posing pretty



another mom w/her cutie



the much desired birthday gift--whoo hoo!



hostess w/baby N



CM w/ Elijah



just visiting

4 Months Old!

Our sweet boy turned 4 months on Tuesday! He weighed in at 14 lbs. 10 oz. and was 24 3/4 in. long. He was in the 50th percentile for both height and weight (Eric always has to know that part :) ) He still spits up like crazy, so the doctor suggested going ahead and introducing him to some rice cereal to see if that helps him keep the milk down. So, as soon as I can get to the store, I'll get him some and try it out! If that doesn't work, she suggested putting him on some Zantac--NO!! My baby is not going to be put on unnecessary medication at 4 months old! The whole spitting up thing is way more frustrating to me (and it sometimes grosses other "holders" out :) ) than it is to him. Elijah seems to be just fine with it--he'll spit up and then look up at me and give me this huge smile :) So if the cereal doesn't work I'll just have to deal with it until he outgrows it :)

His hair sticks up higher and higher with each day :)