Goodbye 2007

See ya later 2007. We were just passing through....

I normally don't do resolutions. I always wonder why set myself up to fail? I can do that on my own just fine without the hassle of feeling like I expected it or something. But this year is different. Why? I have no idea but I am going to try it. After I eat my black-eyed-peas tomorrow I will post my resolutions. I have some good ones in mind and hope to keep 50% of them. (Setting myself up for success already!)

Have a wonderful night everyone.

Y

The week in review

We have been so busy this past week. Does anyone relate? A good busy though. I really love this time of year and up until about 10 days ago I wasn't enjoying one minute of it. I was just down and didn't know how to turn things around so that as a family we were enjoying this season. Well God really did a number on our family. He has blessed us tremendously and I am so happy that we are all healthy, happy, and together. Together you might ask? I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Wonder what Kassie is waiting for?

Yep, Jerry came home from Iraq. He had been given bereavement leave because his step brother passed away. But the very blessed part is that because of his papers already being processed to come home in January he was allowed to just stay and not go back to finish out his tour. AND this just all happen to fall during Christmas. hmmmm... Coincidence? Nope!!! God! So he got a 17 day leave and will go back to base in Killeen and then have his official vacation for a month before they are back down there for good. As a family. Together. Whole.

Of course what Christmas season isn't complete without the million trips to see Santa? Well as always it never is truly complete until we see the REAL Santa. My dad. He is so wonderful at playing Santa. I really enjoy seeing how the kids light up when they see him. Cannon was extra cautious and Gracelyn was skeptical because she thought it was Boppy but Mason was pleased as punch to sit and have Santa hold him for a while.

We started our holiday with Christmas Eve at Nana-B and Papa's house. Each grandchild got a "riding" toy. The big kids bikes, Bella a wagon and Mason a walk behind or sit hippo. So fun for the kids to get such great gifts. The bikes will get to stay out at their house so that they can learn to ride and be on a level surface. Our driveway does not prove to be the best learning field.

Christmas morning was fun. Santa really pulled through for Gracelyn. I had already prepared the speech about how the elves hadn't made enough Dora scooters for every little girl. That she might have to have Barbie or Hello Kitty but Santa really pulled through and got a Dora scooter after all. Whew! My picture won't upload to blogger but oh well. She sure is cute!

Most importantly we are healthy, happy and blessed this holiday season. We had a fabulous time with my family as well. A never take pictures because I am too busy having fun with them. What an amazing family God blessed me with. Thank you all so much for your generosity and company. We love you very much.

Tagged (and more than happy to oblige!)

Wade got me with a 12 Random Things About Christmas meme . . .
1. Christmas is my most favorite time of the year. Seriously there is a magical glow around everything that I see and I am in a land of fairy tales and make-believe about it. Everything transforms into magic to me. The look on my children's faces when they see Santa is what inspires this for me.
2. This year I have been in a funk because I believe that Christmas is slowly slipping away and I haven't enjoyed it to the fullest. I can't explain it well enough in a blog but I am in an almost depressed state because of it. Hard to imagine loving something so much but disappointed because it is slipping away. I know it is hard to understand for me to.
3. I have done about 10% of my Christmas shopping. I know, I know, I know it is the 17th and you can still see my tree skirt. I am forming a plan...
4. My brother-in-law is providing us with the best Christmas surprise. We will be getting to share it with him this year after all. Under very sad circumstances (a family member is dying) Jerry gets to come home 3 weeks early from Iraq.
5. I made Gracelyn's stocking. About 4 years ago I got the GREAT idea that I would make my entire family stockings. Well it was very well planned that each family would have matching stockings and that they would all coordinate with the other families. I made roughly 13 stockings in one sitting. Well 2 of those family members have passed away (grandparents) and I didn't make enough for Renay's family (she had to go and have twins on me) so no one except my parents use their stockings anymore. I still have Gracelyn's though because it was very sweet and girly.
6. Although I would say our house is moderately decorated for Christmas it only took about 2 hours to complete. That includes setting up the tree. We just get in a rut with where things go and if I don't add anything to the decor each year it is very easy to spread things out here and there through the house.
7. I buy each child an ornament each year that I write their name and year on. Gracelyn gets a snowman. Cannon gets Santa and I bought a reindeer to start off Mason! I need to get him a "baby's 1st Christmas" one though like the others have.
8. I collect snowmen. Although I love all decorations from angels to Santas I am partial to snowmen.
9. Wrapping paper all the way baby! I save the gift bags for Cameron. I prefer to give and receive in paper!
10. Cameron gets me a piece of jewelry every Christmas. I have 10 years worth of necklaces, earrings and rings! Thanks babe. That is a good thing!
11. My most favorite Christmas gift was my Baby Alive. I don't know if it was an actual Baby Alive so to speak but it ate and pooped like a real baby.... Soooooooo GROSS but so fun!
12. Jeremy Littlejohn got swats in the 2nd grade for blurting out in the middle of class there was no Santa. I remember thinking that he was going to get coal in his stocking because of it and that he forever changed the way I thought of him. I don't care how cute he was. Stinker face.

Thanks for the tag, Wade!
I'll tag Renay because she always has fun things to say and has been lagging in the posts lately.
... Melissa because she is so hilarious.
... Jill because I want to know how my sweet friend will respond to this. She is so thoughtful in her posts.
... Michelle because there isn't a person I know that has more Christmas decorations than her.
...Jordan because no matter what she writes I am guaranteed to get teary eyed!
Here are the rules:
1. List 12 random things about yourself that have to do with Christmas.
2. Please refer to it as a 'hoopla' and not the dreaded 'm'-word.
3. You have to specifically tag people when you're done. None of this "if you're reading this, consider yourself tagged" stuff is allowed...then nobody ends up actually doing it. The number of people who you tag is really up to you -- but the more, the merrier to get this 'hoopla' circulating through the blogosphere.
4. Please try and do it as quickly as possible. The Christmas season will be over before we know it and I'd like to get as many people involved as possible.

Sit and stay a while

We took a trip south for the weekend and really enjoyed getting out of town! We had a credit for Southwest Airlines so we decided to fly the entire family down there. It was fun to take the kids on a plane trip. They did great!!!! There are a ton of pictures so stick around for a while.

This was Cameron's cowboy hat when he was young. Random picture to throw in I know.

My middle child thought Santa was terrifying! The ginormous tree at the Gaylord Texan.

A Texas twist on Santa.

Cameron held Cannon literally the entire weekend! Olivia and Grace, not only are these girls so pretty they are smart too!
We took the girls to a place called Sweet-n-Sassy. Here they are getting their nails done. It was a great little place.

Ms. Sweet & Sassy herself~D'Sha', she is the most fetch person I know! Cam and Cannon talking planes They are identical!! The kids ready for the flight home!
Just what we all want, Cannon getting hyped on coke before we board! Thanks Cam!
Gracelyn hated her ears popping.
Olivia is just precious!
Kelly is a heart breaker already
Justin is ready to keep up with the big kids!

Jones kids with Santa.

Justin turned one while we were there!! I loved his approach to eating cake. All or nothing!

D'Sha' took the piece of cake away from Justin so he wouldn't drop it and boy he was ticked off! It was the first time I ever saw him get upset!

We had a great time and loved being with the Jones' crew! Thanks for letting us share some Christmas spirit with you!

Y

Tagged, once again~

I got tagged by Wade and this time I am none too happy. The object is to come up with an adjective to describe yourself using the letters in your middle name. While Wade was thrilled that he got away with a 4 letter name I on the other hand have 9 letters! So if I can come up with 9 words then by all means everyone I tag can participate as well! :)

Energetic~Yeah I am one of those. A rah, rah, rah, sis boom bah type of person. Never was a cheerleader recognized by the school with a uniform but I was one in my heart. That would have been the coolest thing in the world in my book... I have always thought that being a cheerleader would be so fun. Now I get to be an energetic, almost on the verge of obnoxious, with my kids!!! :)

Loquacious~I talk a lot and always have. I got check marks on my report card when I was in school to prove it. I like to talk. But most importantly I like details when I talk. So if we ever strike up a conversation don't be vague. I want to know the who, why, where, when and how of it all.

Independent~Don't get independent and alone confused. I don't like being alone but I like being independent. Camp was always a fun time to be away from my family and friends for a break but I was with new friends and fellow campers. I found myself at ACU without a roommate that I met prior to move in day but I had many friends to share in my time there. So I like to do things and be out of my comfort zone a little bit but I don't want to do it alone!

Zealous~I like to get thing done and when I get started on a project I want to get it done and over with. I am not the type of person who is good with starting something and having to put it away and then bring it back out later to complete. This drives me bonkers. In all of my hobbies I have this zealous attitude that if I can't get it done in one setting or within a VERY short time frame I won't start it. I love to sew but won't start a new piece because I can't keep my stuff out. I haven't scrap booked in so long because I am so far behind. Sadly this takes over housework too. Ever have your house in such a mess that it seems hopeless to get started on it? Well I am at that point. I need help!

Affectionate~I like to hug my kids and show them how much I care through touch. I am always patting them or playing with their hair or just simply holding their hand.

Believer~I am a believer that the Lord Almighty is my Saviour! What a blessing that is to know without a doubt that I am child of His.

Eloquent~Now I know that I am not the most eloquent person around but I try to choose my words wisely and carefully. Appropriate speech is important to me and sometimes I fail miserably at it but for the most part I try to think of my words so that my friends and family will know that I am sincere.

Trustworthy~I like to believe that I am trustworthy. That I honor my friends and family with the importance of being deserving of their trust.

Honest~Well this word has many different facets. I don't want to come across like Abraham Lincoln. I will tell a fib to spare some feelings if necessary. But I like the truth. We have worked very hard with Gracelyn about speaking the truth in our home. She gets it and for the most part really fesses up and strives to be honest when the need arises.

I do want to add that I had the help of a thesaurus. There was no way I was coming up with all these words by myself.

Thanks Wade, that wasn't near as bas as I thought it would be~now I tag Renay, Jill and Michelle. Can't wait to see your posts girls!
Y

Boo hoo the boys are sick

Saturday we took the boys to the doctor and discovered two things. I really like Dr. Medford (not my regular ped.) and that when you think it is nothing or just a cough it could always be worse and usually is!

Mason has a double ear infection, the bacteria that causes a form of pink eye, and a respiratory infection. So plan of action: breathing treatments, eye drops, antibiotic for ears.

Cannon has severe infection in his left ear, and the same eye junk as Mason. Lungs are clear despite the horrible cough. So plan of action: eye drops and antibiotic for ear.

When we got done with all the medical stuff she asked if Cannon had not been complaining about his ear and I kinda laughed and said he doesn't talk. (I didn't mean he never talks I meant that he doesn't talk like other 2-year-old talk~If you know Cannon you know what I mean!) So she just looked at me and asked if he had been evaluated by a specialist for hearing loss. Nope, so we got a referral for Dr. Reed and an ECI referral. I am THRILLED!!!! If it is all chalked up to him being perfectly fine and just a slow-to-speak child then that is great but if there is something that we can do to take care of his speech/hearing then I am ready to get things going!!!!! I was also told it would be weeks before we could get in but when the dr. office called back today we got an appointment for the 12th. So I am so happy that we can possibly get some answers before the holidays and get something set up after the first of the year if need be.

For this week we are concentrating on getting the boys well to fly to Ft. Worth this weekend. It will be their first flight and Gracelyn is so excited to be flying in a plane and seeing her curly headed friend Olivia. I don't know how I feel about it yet. Ask me next week when we come home... :) I'm sure it will be fine and that their ears will be clear before we leave. If not that's what Motrin and Benadryl are for right?
Y

Exciting day in our house!

See anything exciting about these pictures??

I got an email from Gracelyn's teacher today around lunch and she told me that Gracelyn pulled out her own tooth. She was really excited for her and wanted to let me know. I sat and cried. Why you might ask. Well because this is the 2nd child to loose a tooth without me being the one to do it. I am holding out for Mason though.

Y

When all else fails...

Just post pictures of your kids!

Stupid Socks

I would be getting into big trouble using the word stupid in Gracelyn's book but oh well. I have a real dilemma with socks in my house right now. I am about to resort to Papa Sam's method to match up his pairs. He takes a sharpie and marks either the alphabet or shapes onto the bottoms of each pair that way he knows which sock doesn't have it's mate. Genius in my book... I am so tired of Mason wearing Cannon's socks, Cameron wearing my socks, me wearing Cam's socks. The only person who gets their own socks is Gracelyn because they are pretty easy to tell the difference... Pink with ruffles is a dead give away most times. :) I come up with all this on laundry day. Mondays are dreaded because we go through a mountain of laundry in a week. I do some loads during the week of course but Monday is the day to get it ALL done up... So now my couch is covered and my coffee table houses the folded piles! And after it is all said and done I always have 4-5 socks without mates. Or I might have had "help" and some get mis-matched.

All I ask is that you don't make fun of any of my family members when our heals are up on our calves or Cam's dress socks are actually my knee-highs! We are aware of our problems without you pointing them out to us!

Y

Blessed

I am thankful for so much in my life. Blessed is more like it, because I know that the wonderful things that are happening around me are not because I have done anything~it is God. So here is a very rough/random list of things that I am thankful to be blessed for.

• My growing relationship with God. I appreciate the word that He has written and the guide that it provides for my life. I fail miserably at being his servant but I relish the fact that he still calls me his child.
• Cameron~This man is beyond my knight in shining armor. He forgives freely, blesses me with his smile, and calls me sweetie always.
• Gracelyn~What a girly girl. I love her spirit and unique ways that are so different than myself. She has taught me that being strong willed is not a bad thing.
• Cannon~He is my firecracker. The new words that come out of his mouth amaze me. I love his latest-wrorry (sorry) He is independent and completely dependant on his daddy at the same time. I love that.
• Mason is sleeping through the night now and that is sweet bliss. He is starting to wave and gives kisses at the right times. What a joy.
• My family & extended family~You're the best!
• Church family (you really fall into the extended family category in my book)
• Friends~How lucky can one girl be? I know, I know, It isn't being lucky it is blessed. I agree whole heartedly... Friends make the world go round right?
• My job~13 kids keep me on my toes but I make it through with my co-teacher Teresa!
• My house. Although there are many days that I can tick off 5-8 things that I want to change I am grateful beyond words that it is mine to change if I ever wanted to.
• Living in a town that experiences each season. Now there are sometimes that I wish we could skip summer all together but I do love it deep down.
• Gifts that have special meaning and not just because I need a new shirt because my favorite has every kind of baby food on it mixed with some poop.
• Fluffy towels
• New chapstick
• Cell phone batteries that don't need to be charged at the end of every day
• Toys that do not need batteries
• A stocked fridge and pantry
• Great smelling candles
• Light bulbs that last more than a few months
• Good smelling coffee. I don't normally drink the stuff but I love the smell. Especially hazelnut.
• Being able to find a pen when needed and not having to look for 10 minutes because I hid them all from Cannon.
• Fresh flowers on occasions that aren't Valentines, Birthday or Anniversary dates.
• Sleeping past 8:00 am

I could go on and on so I better stop but you get my point. There are too many things in my life that I am thankful for. Some being more serious and important than others.

Another simple way to put it~

I love my life!

Y

The smartest girl I know

I met with Gracelyn's teacher today and it was awesome. I knew she was doing okay but I didn't have proof. Her teacher has never not one time sent a piece of paper home with work on it so I was beginning to think what in the world is up. Well today all my suspicions were put away and I found out that Gracelyn is just awesome and doing so well. She is very adamant here at home that school is not necessary all the time so I brought this concern to her teacher and she said that there was no problem at school and that she is very sweet. Well I knew that but it was good to hear anyways. As far as academics go, Gracelyn is right on track. She knew all her letters and sounds. She is starting in a new reading group and is loving math. So YAHOO she is right where she needs to be. I can't ask for more than that. Since her teacher bragged that she can count to 100 we have been hearing that countdown non-stop... UGH, Thanks Mrs. Dawson...

The thing that I am the most proud of is that Gracelyn invited her teacher to church. After all the school talk was over with she told me that she knew we went to church with the principal. (I was keeping that on the down low~been there done that with parents knowing the principal) But she said that Gracelyn asked her to come to church with her and then she found out that Doug went there too. So I think her family might come visit. They recently moved from Dumas and are searching for a church family. I was so proud of my daughter to ask her teacher. When I asked Gracelyn about it she said that she wanted Mrs. Dawson there because she loves her so much. AWWWW... I really love that about Gracelyn.

Aunt Kassie had her tonsils out today :( so she is on the mend at home. They kept pushing her surgery back in the day and that is always sooooo nerve racking. But she had her surgery at 1:00 and was walking through the door of the house at 3:30... that is awesome... YEAH!!!! I knew it would go smoothly. I know she will feel so much better once she heals and is back to her old self. Well not really her old self~ her new self. :) Get well soon Aunt Kassie.

Mason has two teeth and is starting to use those teeth so much.. OWIE! But we are pushing through and making it.

Cannon got a cool new do. Thanks Kami for the awesome haircut. I love it. He looks so handsome. He even has the sticking-up hair in the front that all the cool kids are wearing. I call it the Ator hair-do but you can call it whatever...

Have a great weekend.
Y

Footloose and 40!

My friend Angel had her prom last night. I got to go stag because Cameron was home with the kids... Now that sounds appropriate huh?? We had a fun time and really enjoyed dressing in our 80's garb.


I can't believe I am putting this on the internet but here goes nothing.

Teresa and I in our vintage dresses! How old does something have to be to be considered vintage?? That was my sister's prom dress from 1993! Teresa and Randall (AKA Don Johnson)Michele getting footloose

The prom queen cutting a rug

Carrie, Michele & Teresa

The prom queen & king