Umm... girls can look cute in blue, right?

Ok.. so I had my 36 week appointment today. Nothing really special. He was listening for the heartbeat, found it and said it was registering at 150. Casually, he asked, "So, how is SHE doing?" I sat there and said, "Fine, but it's supposed to be a boy!" He looked a little speechless and then said, "Oh. This is going to be a fun delivery!" In his experience, babies with heartrates above 140 are usually girls.... As for MY experience... I have to agree. :-) Neither of the boys EVER went above 120 and Brodie never went BELOW 150.
So... how did we miss this at the Ultrasound? The U/S tech said about 3 words during the whole 45 min process. Before we started she asked if we wanted to know the sex of the baby. Not 2 minutes later, as Jason and I were talking, she said, "It's a boy," and continued her examination. No "look, here are the boy parts," "let's get a picture," NOTHING. Those were her ONLY words the whole time! By the time I turned my head to look at the screen when she said that, she had moved on to another part. Jason said the glimpse he got showed a very long "boy part." He said he knows he's not an expert on U/S but it looked more like an umbilical cord than "boy cord."
SOOOOOO.... In 3 weeks, or less, we shall find out if this is Colt Jesse or Devon Quinn. Maybe I should buy some pink lace to add to all the blue things hanging in the baby's room! This could be VERY intresting!!!! Reminds me of when I was expecting Randy. I didn't have a clue, but at least I was prepared with yellow and greeen! Hey....nothing wrong with girls wearing blue!
So... in light of the recent activities... I'm curious what YOU think I'm going to have? I'm posting a poll... let me know what you think!

Traditions

As we enjoy the day before Christmas, I go through the familiar traditions that I've done for many, many years. Decorating cookies for Santa, reading the Bible Story and "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," going to bed early so Santa will come early... those things done by many families throughout the world tonight. I began wondering what other traditions we do as we prepare for Christmas Day. I'd love to hear things you do, year after year, maybe even things you have done since you were little that you try to carry on with your own children... I'll start, and please leave a comment and tell me what you enjoy about this time of year!!!

*We have chili, tamales and cornbread on Christmas Eve. I think we started it because Mom needed that one last batch of cornbread for her homemade Dressing for the turkey, but I'm not sure. Dad would make a BIG batch of slow cooker "Five Alarm Chili," complete with homemade tamales (although some years we'd by frozen when we could find them!) and warm tortillas! Yum!!!
*We always open one gift on Christmas Eve... usually it's the ornament for that year or a game we can play as a family as we got older. It was always highly anticipated... that "teaser" before the next day! With my kids, we do ornaments so far. Something that reminds us of something we enjoyed that year... this year, it was Transformers Ornaments for the boys and Dora/Diego and Cinderella for Brodie.
*We listen to Bing Crosby on Chritmas morning while we open presents...gotta have my Bing!!!
*We open our stockings together first thing... usually taking time to enjoy the quiet before the "Big Bang" happens! Then we take a break, have Cinnamon Rolls and OJ/Hot Tea, and settle down to start the presents.
*Fudge, Trash (Chex Mix that my Dad makes), cookies and Date Loaf are always on hand for yummy snacks!
*Depending on where we are and the weather, we sometimes drive around the neighborhood on Christmas Eve to look at the Christmas lights. Sadly, there were very few houses on West Point that were decorated with lights and the other neightborhoods are too far to drive to!
*Dad would read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" before bed... even when we were in High School and home from College. However, he would read us his "real version" which meant he changes words around... we NEVER knew what to expect him to say! By the end of the story we were laughing so hard we were crying! (He continued this tradition throughout the year by singing the "real" words to songs on the radio!)
*Mom would make cut out sugar cookies and we would spend hours decorating them. We would always do one or two that were SO fancy we would get tweezers to pick up sprinkles to place them in just the right place. It was almost like a competetion to see who could get THE most complicated on a cookie.... we should have taken pictures!! But I know Santa appreciated them!

Well, that's about all I can really think of at the moment... I'm sure there are more, but those are the ones that stick out in my memory the most and the one's I try to pass on. I've tried to start my own traditions, too... so we will see how they turn out in the years to come! Thanks for reading!!

Only 2 more hours.... so I'm going to say it now...

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!

My favorite song

I love Christmas time... but my favorite thing is the music. I'm a HUGE Bing Crosby fan. There isn't a song I don't like. It's one of those that I can't help but sing along to, no matter my mood. My ALL time favorite song is a duet he did with David Bowie. Not the pair I would have expected, but the song is incredible!!!!
I have literally spent YEARS looking for this song on CD. It's not a very well known song, so not one you would normally find at WalMart in their jumble of Christmas songs. I did find it one year, played it continously, and then something happened to the CD... go figure. Anyway... with our wonderful world of technology, and itunes, I FINALLY have it! It's not only on my ipod, but on my computer and on a backup hard drive! I'm set!!!
Anyway... I wanted to share my favorite song of this time. The words are too true, even more so now that I have kids of my own. There's just something about Bing and his voice that I'm drawn to listen to the words, not just the music. He also reminds me of my Grandfather, so it's a pleasant combination!!!
2 days to go!! I hope everyone is enjoying the days before the Miracle.

Is it really only 4 days???

I can't believe Christmas is only 4 days away!!! Where has the time gone? I'm ready for it, but I'm still in shock that it's so close! I think since the boys had school today and it's the weekend, it just seems like a regular week. I've got some fun things planned for Monday, so maybe that will help kick-off the full Christmas Eve feeling! Jason has to work next week, which is a bummer, but he really only has to go in, make an appearance and then leave.... I hope! That's the price we pay for not leaving the area! We'll know better for next year! Of course, I wouldn't be a very good travel partner right now, either. Stopping every 2 hours to pee makes for a LONG trip!!!

Even scarier, though... only 28 days till Colt is here! WOW!!! Time is flying by!!! Again, I'm ready, but the whole thought of the baby being here in less than 30 days is flooring me!!!

Ok... I'm off to put my feet up for a while.. speaking of baby, he's been very cranky lately and I've been having some mild contractions every time I move. I'm officially 35 weeks and my next appointment is next Friday. Cross your fingers for me that I will not have to stop by and check out the L&D this next week!!!

Happy Holidays!!!!

I spy...

Thought we'd play a little game this morning... If you are familiar with the game "I Spy," then you will do fine. If not, then good luck!!! So, let's begin:
This is a picture of my backyard and everything I will ask you to "spy" is back here. Ready?


I spy a pile of leaves, a big red rake and some misplaced toys.
Two little pink shoes and a horn that makes noise.
A bucket, a pail, a plastic cell phone.
A little doll and her identical clone.


Did you find them???? Seriously, they are ALL there in the picture! Too hard? Ok, let's try a different version of the game. Maybe that will get you warmed up. Ready?
I spy... something WHITE!!!


Ok... that was bad, I know! But still fun!
I FINALLY took picutres of the ornaments I have made for the past several years for the boys' teachers. Every year I make them, give them and never take a picture or make one for me! This time, my very first one went on MY tree!!!
This year I found some really cool "flakes" for the snow. They had blue and white ones and I couldn't decided, so I mixed them together and liked the results! The stamped image is from "Flaky Friends," my favorite snowman set from SU! The ornaments I made for the teachers and our cadets had a little tag stamped on Shrinky Dinky that said "To" and "From." I had the hardest time finding ribbon for the ornaments this year, but finally found a stack of 4 at Walmart that had assorted blue/snowflake ribbons that worked well. Each one was a little different, but overall, I was pleased with the outcome.
So, what do I do now that my Christmas cards are out, my ornaments are made, given, and kept! And Christmas is only 5 days away???? RELAX!!!!! I still have 4 weeks till this little one makes his appearance, so I'm not rushing the announcements! Of course, I still have to come up with a thank you card, too! Oh the fun never stops! And when it does, I think I will be bored!!!
Merry Almost Christmas!!!

Oh, the joys of pregnancy

Here I sit at 11:49pm instead of upstairs sleeping. Why... lovely heartburn! This is the only downside I really have about pregnancy. I can handle just about everything else, but this heartburn is terrible!!! I've had problems with it in every pregnancy, so you'd think I'd just chew my rolaids and deal with it... augh! It doesn't get any easier! I think it actually gets tougher cause you KNOW what it's going to be like. And to make it worse, there is nothing on TV!!!
I've already surfed the web and read too much about "poor" Jamie Lynn Spears and her 16 year old pregnancy scandal... it's funny actually. Jason and I were just talking about her yesterday, saying she actually seemed to have her priorities in line and seemed to be taking a different path than her sister, when WHAM! Reality! :-) My heart goes out to the infant and those children who looked up to her. Kids these days don't seem to have many role models they can truly take pride in wanting to be like. Between teen mothers and druggie athletes, kids need someone they can look up to... makes Spongebob not look so bad!!!
See what happens when you mix midnight, heartburn and bad TV programs??? Rambling, pure rambling! SO I'm going to take my Rolaids, prop up with extra pillows and try to get some sleep. At least till this dose of Rolaids wears off and I wake up with a fire in my throat!
So.. sleep tight, especially for those of us who CAN'T!!!!

It's snowing again!

I know this isn't the best picture, but I was trying to capture the falling snow. It doesn't do it justice at all... I wish I could capture it on film, but I either don't have the setting right, the know how or the patience! Either way... it's beautiful right now. It's a very soft snow, falling non-stop. There is about 1/2" right now on top off all the yucky, plowed stuff, so it's very pretty. The air is so still and it's so quiet, yet you can hear the snow falling through the frozen branches and remaining leaves. I would have stayed out there longer, but it's getting cold! It got up to 38 today, so I don't think it's going to stay around... not to mention it was still 36 as the snow was falling, but it's supposed to drop down to 29 tonight, so it might freeze a bit more on the ground. To be honest, I'm not holding my breath for school to be cancelled, because I'm about to have all 3 kids at home for 2 weeks!! Plus, Riley's school Holiday Party is tomorrow and I want him to be able to go. Maybe 1/2 a day on Friday would be nice, but I think they really need to go to school for these last 2 days!
I've been taking it pretty easy the last couple days... not doing much of anything except what I absolutely have to do! You know, laundry, dishes, cleaning... those things just don't seem to get done unless I do them! I have only made a few thank you cards, and every time I walk by my stamp table, I am drawn to it... but I'm trying to pace myself these last few weeks of my pregancy. I wouldn't mind going early, but not before 36 weeks. I'll be 35 on Friday, so I can wait! I've had some contractions due to this flu thing I have, so I've slowed down. I still need to do my announcements and I decided to do that this next week while the kids are home to entertain Brodie! I like having her "help" me, but with the announcements, I think I'd like to get them done without having to "re-do" several of them!
So... as for now, I'm going to go read a book to the kiddos and then hopefully get Brodie to sleep!
Good night to all, and to all a good night.

Budding artist???

This weekend at Austin's birthday sleepover, Randy started making a shirt, painting it with the fabric paint markers. He didn't finish it, so he brought it home to work on it. I must say I am impressed! He was using these HUGE markers, with a pretty big paintbrush tip on them.... and the details he managed to get in this shirt is amazing!!! If you can't quite figure it out, it's a Transformer Car. I'm not sure which one it is, but he's done an awesome job copying the car's colors. He even got the windshield wipers on there! If you saw the fabric markers he was using, you would understand why I'm so impressed! He has such patience when he works on something like this... like for instance... his new project at home is making a Lego Instruction book. Seriously. He has instructions for abot 4 projects now, ranging from a car to a house. He draws each piece used, color coded and how many of each, on the back. Then he goes through step by step on how to build it. Just like the books you get with a Lego Kit. I think the kid has some AWESOME artistic abilities! He takes after his Uncle Scotty! (Hence the middle name, too!) I look forward to seeing where his creativeness takes him!!
My creative expression today. I needed something different for a few thank you cards. I got the idea from the front cover of the Stampin' UP Catalog, but added a few of my own touches. I LOVE the set "Priceless" and liked how this one turned out. I used the "in-colors" I had, but didn't have any of the ink, so I ended up using Versamark and clear embossing powder to give me the darker image. My Secret Sister from Church gave me an AWESOME collection of embossing powders and a HUGE embossing pad, so I was set for this card! I couldn't figure out what to use on the right hand side of the card, but remembered I had the dry embossing template for Priceless, so it worked out perfectly! I love it when everything comes together!

I'm off to finish these cards, continue laundry and try to take it easy. Colt is being a pain today, literally. My flu and cough isn't helping me get him to settle down... I cough, he kicks. It's a viscous cycle! I've been trying to watch Pirates of the Caribbean 3 for a week now and have watched all but the last 3o min 3 times now! I'm determined to finish it today!!! Wish me luck, savvy?

Oh, the weather outside is....

Acutally, not too bad, but school was still cancelled, so maybe it's worse than it looks! We had nothing but sleet yesterday, so mix that with the sleet and snow already on the ground and it's not even fun outside today! There is a crust on top of the snow, but once you break through that it's all grainy. Not fun for building snowmen and it's thick enough that when you break through, you sink below the crust so our sleds get bogged down. Not to mention the wind is terrible and makes it much colder outside! It's 25 degrees, but it says it feels like 12!!! I believe it! That wind is terrible! Ok, so maybe the weather outside IS frightful!!!

On a side note....I had a Parent moment this weekend. I realized that even as your kids get older, they still have plenty of "first moments" that you and they will cherish. Randy had his first sleepover Saturday night. First "first moment." I was ok with that. That's one of those things he will have to experience on his own for it to be a true "sleepover." I'm sure he will want to invite his friend over to stay here, soon, so I will be able to experience THAT first moment with him! Anyway, so Randy's friend, Austin, invited him over for his birthday party/sleepover on Saturday. They went to see "Alvin and the Chipmunks" (I LOVED the Chipmunks when I was little! Guess he is my son!!!) and they went ice skating. Second "first moment." Randy has never been on rollerskates much less ice skates, so I was a bit hesitant. But Austin's mom said that none of her boys have been on ice skates either, but the other guest had, so hopefully he could encourgae those who hadn't. So... they went. Apparently he did fine! Was a little nervous at first, but finally made it all the way around, without falling! Yes, this is one of those "moments" that you wish you could see for yourself. It's kinda up there with "first step!" Sometimes the first step on ice skates is harder than the real first steps our kids take!!! He was so proud of himself when he called to tell me he did it without falling! But, that's ok, too. He's bound to have more of those! I'm just determined to take Riley for his first ice skating trip so I don't miss out on that one, too!!!

But, I got over it... or so I keep telling myself! Randy spent pretty much all day yesterday with Austin, doing "kid things," as he told me. The sleet kept them from bringing him back as early as they planned, but it was still a good day. I'm glad Randy finally has a "best buddy" as he calls Austin. It's important... for both of us! I guess it's just hard when he tells me he didn't want to come home because he was having too much fun with Austin! I guess so, considering the amount of "goodies" he came home with! I was beginning to wonder who's birthday party it was!

Riley wasn't left out, either, though! We had our freshman cadets over for a study break, since their finals started Saturday. Riley LOVES having the cadets over, and he had their undivided attention! He also had sole possesion of the computer and the movie selection! I think deep down he missed Randy, but didn't want to admit it too much! We took some time to make some ornaments for him to take to school for his Holiday Party. That was fun to see his creativity bloom! As well as Brodie! She LOVES glitter glue!!! Go figure! Riley also got to earn a few extra bucks when he helped us clean the house, and he LOVED seeing the money go into his bank!

As for Brodie, she's pretty much happy with anything! Unless she wants something specific and can't get it, then NO ONE IS HAPPY!!! But today is a new day, and I've got to find something for them to do before they get in my hair! I guess I should get used to it since this is their last week of school till Jan 7th! 4 days of school left... and I NEED them to prepare myself! Not for Christmas, but for full-time kids!!! I always thought that line in the Christmas song "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" that goes, "and Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again!" was funny, but now I see the truth in it!!! Bing Crosby knew what he was talking about!!!

So.. enjoy the last 8 days before Christmas! I know I'll try!!!

Belly shots

I've had several people ask how Colt is growing and I finally decided to take some pictures. This is the biggest I've been with all 4 kids... not sure what that means! I've actually been losing weight between appointments, but he still seems to be getting bigger! I sure hope he's not trying to outdo his 10lb oldest brother!!! The first shot looks like I literally have a ball under my shirt. I never realized how round I am. My belly button is stretched almost completely flat.. never done that before!

The second shot is more of a side shot. Looks like I'm trying to imitate the UT Orange balls on the Christmas tree! I'm at 34 weeks right now, which means I have exactly 5 weeks to go, to the day! They changed my delivery date to the 18th, which is a Friday. They had too many surgerys on the 14th, so they pushed me back to Friday. Jason so kindly reminded me that I actually started having contractions 2 weeks early with Brodie, and ended up going in for an emergency C-Section, so we shall see how this one does. I'm scheduled to deliver only a week early, so hopefully we will make it that long! My next appointment is the 28th of Dec. We'll see how things are progressing, if at all. I am so uncomfortable at this point, I'm ready! It's a bad sign when I have to borrow Jason's long sleeve shirts and live in T-shirts because even my maternity shirts don't fit anymore! I know it will all come too soon, so I'm enjoying these last few weeks....but I'll be glad when I can finally bend over without straining and sounding like I'm old!!

Now that's what I call snow!

Yep.. it's been snowing ALL day!!!! It started at about 8:30am and it's now 4:58pm and STILL coming down. We had sleet for awhile which I'm sure did wonders for the road conditions, and now we aer back to big flakes! The kids and I did manage to get out in the snow to sled before it turned yucky and with as much as we might get, I think we will more than likely be back out tomorrow in it!



I tried to take a picture of our front yard with snow and our Candy Cane decorations. The candy canes are half buried in the snow!!! They are about 12" tall and you can only see the top half of them so far. Pretty cool!!! I LOVE the way the lights look on the snow. I wish I had blue lights in the bushes to the right because that is my absolute favorite sight! Blue lights glowing on snow. Oh well, maybe next year I can get that done! Hanging lights on the roof is out of the question so we have to come up with something else to do. We've had these candy canes since Kansas and the boys were excited to acutally see them again! And in snow!!!!!

So.. that's our fun for the day! I got all the ornaments made I had planned on making and tomorrow the kids (hopefully they will be home!!!) and I are going to have a "Cookie Marathon!" We're making batches and batches of cookies for the Holidays! I know it's kinda early, but we have our plebes coming over for a study break on Saturday night and we are giving them goodie bags of cookies and their ornaments. Plus... it's an excuse to bake!!!! I'll let ya know how it turns out and how much weight I gain!!! (I can blame it on this baby.. I think he's going to be a big one! But that's for another post!!!)

It's beginning to look a lot like...

WINTER!!!! It's snowing again. The boys are home from school. They actually never went in this morning, which was funny, because school was cancelled before the snow even started! It started at about 8:30am and hasn't stopped as of 10:38am. We have about an inch, I'd say, but I'm no expert, but I was out driving in it! Of course, like a Texan, I put off grocery shopping till the day it was supposed to start! But, it wasn't supposed to start till AFTER noon.. didn't the weather get that news bulletin??? We managed to get to the little, and I mean little, grocery store downtown right outside of West Point... of all days, today the Commissary didn't open till 11am! We got what we needed, except Velveta.. how can a store NOT carry Velveta Cheese??? And now we are home, enjoying the snow, the warmth in the house and relaxing. I'm making ornaments for the boys' teachers and later we will probably start baking cookies. What a way to spend a snowy day!!! If it warms up a little bit, I'm sure we will head outside and sled a bit. But 27 is a little too cold, especially with the wind blowing!

Product Plug...sewing machine

I don't normally do this, but after this past week, I have to tell you about my sewing machine! I have the SINGER INGENUITY 7436. I'm not sure if you sew, or if you are looking for one, but if you do and are.... this is THE machine! I LOVE IT! I've always been particular to Singer, but only becuase that's all I've ever used. My first one was one from my mom that I grew up using. It was older than me, bought when they were stationed in Etheopia. It was a GREAT fully metal machine and withstood an uncounted number of military moves. However, it finally decided it was time to reitre and we found out it was going to cost more to special order the parts needed to fix than it would to buy a new one. So, the search began.... I'm pretty picky about my machines, since I know what I like, so I looked for a while to find it. One night, while sewing my son's cub scout uniform (needed for the next day) "old faithful" died and I didn't have a choice anymore. I looked online and found one in a decent price range, that seemed to offer what I needed. When I went to Walmart to pick up it, it was $40 more than what they advertised online! With much haggling with the manager, he finally gave it to me for what was online... afterall, it was THEIR website that was offering the cheaper price! Let me tell you... after "playing" with it for the last 2 weeks, at least 2-3 hours a day, I would pay FULL PRICE for it! It is AWESOME!!!

Here are my selling points....

*EASY to thread needle... the thread paths are actually numbered with arrows showing which way to thread the thread.

*Self threading needle! 2 steps to actually thread your needle, and it's all attached!

*SIMPLE bobbin assembly.. this was a BIG plus for me!! (If you sew, you know what I mean!) Easy to fill bobbin on top of machine. EASY bobbin holder under needle... simply drop it in and in 2 steps it's threaded for you!

*Push button stitch change. (I used a decorative stitch for something recently made and it was easy to switch between decorative and straight.)

*Attached thread cutter on side of machine... no need to pick up sissors to cut thread.

*Lightweight, sturdy plastic case that everything snaps into. (I miss the durability of the metal one I had, but this one is SO light, and still sturdy, it's worth it!)

*SIMPLE to do button holes... touch button sets the machine to do 1 of 3 button holes.... all you do is press the pedal and watch it go!

*Bright LED light that says it lasts a long time! Haven't had to price the lightbulbs yet, but it's plenty bright!!!

*Storage box that flips down with lots of room.

*Slide off section that allows for easy cuff, sleeve, hem ability. NICE!!!!

I haven't used any of the attachments that came with it... extra pressure feet, but there were at least 3 extra feet included, I can't wait to play with it! It also came with extra bobbins, needles and some other pieces that I haven't really read into yet... but it is SOOO worth it! The only thing I have to complain about is the position of the pressure foot lever to raise it, but that's because I was so used to my other machine... but after these 2 weeks, it's not really an issue now!

Overall, it is an AWESOME machine and I would suggest it to anyone that is looking for one! It's simple enough to do a straight stitch, but also simple if you want to venture into more decorative stitches, too! Ok.. I'm stepping off my box and putting it away now... even though I love it, I'm tired of sewing for a while!

Raising Cadet Morale

Cadets here start their finals on Saturday, so in an effort to help them through and let them know they aren't forgotten, Jason asked if I would make these little "West Point Morale Bags" for them. I made them for Jason's soldiers when they were deployed to Iraq and they were received with much appreciation! However, that time I had my mom's help, and we only made about 100. This time, I manged 150 of them, all in about a weeks time. My goal was to get them out before Friday to all the cadets, and I made it!!! YEAH!

The card says:

A stick of gum to remind you to stick with it.

Fire Jolly Rancher to light your fire when you feel burned out.

3 Musketeers to remind you how sweet teamwork is.

Tootsie Roll to remind you not to bite off more than you can chew. (I should take this to heart!)

Starburst to give you a boost of energy.

Butterfinger to remind you we all make mistakes.

Chocolate kiss to remind you, you are loved.

Whoppers to remind you to always tell the truth.

Smarties to help you when you need some extra brain power.

Snickers to remind you to take time to laugh.

A bag to help you keep it all together.

West Point's colors are Black and Gold, hence the black bag and yellow ribbon! They were fun, but I don't want to do them again for a LONG time! Now I'll just have to make them for the plebes (freshmen) each year, but that's only about 30 or so... I can manage that!

And since I had the camera out, Brodie had to have her picture taken, too!!! She is saying, "Taaa Daaa!" because we were finished. She actually helped me, too! She put all the little bags of candy in the black bags and had to give me five everytime she did it! It was cute, and actually very helpful!

So, now I'm off to my next project... Christmas presents for the boys' teachers and our "adopted" cadets! I honestly don't know what I'd do if I didn't have a list of things I needed to do! Probably sleep!!!

Things that make you think....

Today Randy had an appointment with a doctor notorious for running at least an hour late. As we sat in the waiting room, I watched a funny situation play out. The water fountain in the waiting room was not working. There wasn't a sign on it, but the front panel was off, indicating that something wasn't right about it, or so you would think! What was amazing was not how many people tried the water fountain, but how many of them tried MANY times to make it work. They would mash the button down, multiple times. Some would even step back and look at it and then try again. It was too funny! I love "people watching" especially when it's a situation that you KNOW is going to end up humorous. One guy even came back 3 times to make sure it was still broken, pushing the button several times, stepping back to look at it and then trying once more just incase his eyes had magical power to make it work! The lady sitting next to me and I had a hard time not laughing! It was almost a dissapointment to be called into the doctor's office!

We had a really bad ice storm yesterday morning, leaving LOTS of ice on the trees and grass...but it's funny. Here, we live on the top of a mountain. The rest of the base, the school, hosptial and the Academy, are all below us down the hill. Our yard is still covered in patches of snow, ice and the trees are weighted down with ice on the branches. Drive not 2 minutes down the hill and it's ALL GONE! It's like entering a seperate world! Everything is wet, but it's muddy and yucky. There is a chill in the air, but you can manage if you have long sleeves on. On the way back home, up the hill, the change is drastic. You drive around a corner of the incline going up the hill and you are transported to a Ice World! The branches creek as the slight breeze moves them. The ice drips in a slow, but steady drip, and yet the limbs are still heavy with ice. The ground crunches when you walk and it's hard to avoid piles of snow. There is a cold that goes right through you, too. Even with a warm jacket. It averages about 4 degrees colder up here than down at the Elementary School. (Makes it hard to dress the kids the right way when you KNOW it's going to be warmer once they get to school!)
I've always loved looking at the tops of the mountains as they are covered in snow while the lower half was barren, but I've never lived in the beauty of it all! Honestly, I love it. As long as I don't have to get out in it, it can stay pretty for as long as it wants!

Here is hoping that y'all can find beauty in your weather... no matter what it is.

Blog Candy!

I'm not usually one to post things like this because my stampin' audience is relatively small, but this one sounds like fun! And anything free is always good!
Visit this site for a chance to win a stamp set!!!
Let me know if it's you!!!

Birthday...

So, today was my 33rd birthday. Could anyone have noticed outside of the house, nah. It was just another day. Did dishes, fixed meals, did laundry, argued with the kids. Only difference is now when someone asks my age I have to remember to say 33. Does it really matter anymore? Sometimes I think we should just go by 10's. Go a whole year saying we are 30, then when we hit 40, now THAT'S something to celebrate, or mourn...

The kids made an effort to make me feel special today... saying "Happy Birthday" as soon as I came downstairs and then several more times as I was making them breakfast. They are truly sweet and still see the importance of celebrating every birthday. Randy asked me if I was going to have any friends over for my party today! I did manage to get to the store and buy some cupcakes to eat. However, after only one, I had had enough. Sweets don't agree well with me and this little one. I AM craving an apple, though, and I can't find any store around here that has any really crunchy ones!! I can't do mushy... it has to be CRISP and CRUNCH with just the right amount of juice... ok, I need to stop talking about it cause now I REALLY want one! Speaking of cravings...

In my past, I've always gone to Red Lobster and had Crab for my birthday. It was something my dad always took me out for. Mom and I LOVE crab and we don't get it very often so Dad rewarded us with a trip to RL. (That way he doesn't have to stand the smell of it in the house when we steam it ourselves!) I managed to go last year when my in-laws took us to the Lobster place, now, however... it's not that simple! The nearest Red Lobster is 30 miles away and there is ice on the ground.. something almost unheard of in Texas on the 9th of December!!! But I made do. I bought some fake crab meat and some cocktail sauce and pretended. I also bought some crab cakes that I will more than likely indulge in tomorrow when everyone is gone. At least the fish I ate in the fake crab meat was good for the baby!

I do miss a tradtion we always did when I was growing up. My family would always go and pick out our Christmas Tree on my birthday. It was our special family outing after we went to RL. We always took forever to find the perfect one, and we usually did finally agree on one! I tried to keep up the tradtion but with little kids we've taken to artificial. I miss the smell of a real tree, the look of the real tree, but I have to admit, having a pre-lit tree sure is nice! No remembering to water, no dead needles to clean up! Now that I've found a Yankee Candle that smells like pine, it works! I put it near the tree so when I walk by I can still smell it!

But, I'm making new traditions for my little family. I enjoyed playing in the snow, the kids have been doing an advent calendar (with chocolate!) given to them by a cadet, we talked about the ornaments we put on the tree, they've made some ornaments and we will make more in the coming weeks... and can't forget the sugar cookies! We decorated about 120 of them last night and are sending them in with Jason for the cadets. I kept some out for us to enjoy, but I decided that instead of keeping them and eating them, or throwing them away when they get stale, we will send a little bit of "home-away-from-home" in for the cadets about to start finals next week! I've also been making some morale bags for each of our 150 cadets... I'll post about that later when I get them all done. So, I guess I've been keeping busy.

And now that this post has become a novel, it's time to sign out. I hear the rain falling outside and the grass is glistening in the lights from the ice. It's pretty knowing I don't have to get out in it tomorrow! It's supposed to keep up all night and into tomorrow. Not calling for snow, just yucky showers with ice. Makes it hazardous instead of fun! I'm going to finish watching Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and then go to bed! I've been waiting patiently for this to come out so I can finally see it! Arrrrr.. I love me pirates, savy?

Sledding and more!

We had snow again yesterday and last night and this morning enjoyed it!!! We hit the slopes early this morning and wore them out! This is the first time any of the kids have been sledding and I was a bit curious what they would think. Needless to say, they LOVED it! We have the perfect hill right by our house. Not too steep, lots of coasting room and away from traffic and parked cars. Even Brodie was asking for more before the sled even stopped moving!

This is Randy on his first ride down! He was smiling from ear to ear! He couldn't wait to get back up the hill and do it again! and again, and again!

And here we have Riley... as you can tell, he's in heaven! This is his first sledding attempt, too and he was eager for more! They both kept saying "this is the best day of our lives!" And you know what.. it was mine, too! I loved seeing the kids enjoying themselves, being kids and truly having fun!

I had a hard time getting a picture of Brodie on the sled, except the first one with the boys, because she was climbing off before it stopped to do it again! She even got to where she could climb up the hill on her own and would yell down, "Come on boys!" We walked to the park again, and of course, Brodie had to swing, again. She LOVES her swing!!!

And yes, I got in the fun, too!!! I thought ahead and bought 2 single disc sleds for the boys and a double person sled for Brodie and, ok, me! I knew she couldn't do it on her own and I wasn't sure about her sledding with the boys, so who else could do it but me???? And I LOVED IT! I realized I hadn't been sledding since high school. What a rush! I forgot what a thrill it was when you start to pick up speed and you hit a bump and fly!!! Oh wow!!! If it weren't for this big belly, I think I would have been running up the hill pushing the kids out of the way to get there first! (Randy did a good job taking this picture, didn't he! I was determined to not be hidden behind the camera the WHOLE time! Proof I do get out and have fun, too!)

Now we are inside, eating cookies and warming up. I'm sure we will be back out there again soon. Thanks for viewing our little corner of the world!

Stamping again!

My friend Angel is doing sketches again, and I've finally started stamping again!!! I've been a bit busy and my stamp table has been neglected... and buried! I got it cleaned, rearranged and reorganized and I'm ready to go! For the first one back, I started with something simple. Her challenge was to use something from past christmas cards, or wrapping paper, or something used. Easy!!!! I had THE perfect card with the cutest candy canes on it that I KNEW I had to use! I didn't like it at first... but it's since grown on me. The second one, I used my favorite thing in winter... snowflakes! Well, that and snowmen, but you wouldn't have snowmen without snowflakes, so they kinda go together! Wrapping paper and ribbon from a gift recently received. The squares are from a Christmas card last year that fit perfectly. Again, this card wasn't my absolute favorite, but for a quick sketch, it works!

My life, an interuption

Today was a good day at my Bible Study class. We had a special Holiday Party instead of our normal bible study. It wasn't just celebrating Christmas and the birth of Christ, but we had some very special visitors. I think I have mentioned a group our PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapels -or military wives group) ladies sponsor. The Walter Hoving Home is a rehibilitation center for women recovering from alcohol, drug or other addictions. They go through a 6 month or 12 month program where they learn to overcome their addictions through the love of Christ. It's an incredible group of 60 women and the powers they have overcome! Today, we had 20 come and sing some wonderful songs and give testimonies. Then we had a casual brunch with them and got to know them as women better.
After the hour and a half we spent under their calming presense, there was not a dry eye in the chapel! The director gave a VERY heartwarming talk about her job at the Hoving Home. She has been there for 15 years and to my surprise, she then said she had gone through the program herself, taking 2 years to do so. I never would have guessed this strong, Christian woman, had been through so much in her life. It goes to show what Christ can do in a life!!! Something she said stuck, though. She said that everytime Jesus performed a miracle, it was due to an "interuption." He didn't set out to do this feat, or that... it happened along his way as someone would interupt what he was doing to seek his help. That's when a strange thought hit me. I am an interuption.. and He NEVER says "in a minute" when I bother him! Why do I get so frustrated when my children interupt me? Maybe this is God's way of reminding me that I do the same to him!
So, now my heart is open, my eyes are wide and my spirit is soaring! After listening to what these women overcame, I have NOTHING to complain about! I have been so fortunate in my life and I have one reason for that. God is GREAT!!!

Yep, it happened again!

As you can tell from the pictures, we had REAL SNOW!!!! We had about 2 inches today and are expecting more in the next 3 days! It's starting to freeze outside now and all the scrapping and shoveling we did is now a sheet of ice!
The kids had a ball today! Unfortunately, we were not as prepared as we should have been. Only Brodie has snowpants and boots! The PX here is terrible and only seems to carry girl stuff! As soon as it clears out some, and the mountains are safe to travel, we are finding the right gear for the boys... of course that means it won't snow again! We even made it to the park today, and Brodie just HAD to swing! At one point she would lean all the way back in the swing so she could watch the snow falling on her. It was too cute! The boys stood still long enough for me to take ONE picture of each of them...then it was off to play! We finally had to go in when Brodie kept saying she was "feezing," and the boy's pants' were solid ice!
I'll be sure to take more pictures if the kids don't have school tomorrow! And even if they do, I'm sure they will want to be outside when they come home! I'm enjoying this now, but in a month it needs to stop so I can have this baby without slipping on the ice on the way to the hospital!