Woof, Woof...meooooow

My friend asked a question on her blog. She asked if you were a dog person, a cat person or a 'both' person. I had to tell her I was a 'neither' person. It's sad, but true. I have never been an animal lover. I know I am a rarity. Most people love their pets or wish they had one. I wish I were like that, but I'm just not. I don't mind animals, I just don't want to own one. I guess a lot of it goes back to never having pets growing up. I kind of dread the day my kids come to me begging for a pet. I think I will try to persuade them to get a fish.

I compromise by saying that I like people, a lot. That makes up for my animal aversion. 

Since I like the question, I thought I would ask the same. Just answer the poll. I'll be curious to find out what everyone loves. 

Santa gone bad

Yesterday evening after dinner and baths we decided to attempt the mall.  Noah was super excited to go see Santa Clause. Brad and I both knew it probably wasn't going to work out because Noah is known for his ill-feelings towards anything that wears a costume or mask. He was gung ho until we were within sight's distance of the man in the red suit and then he decided that he "doesn't like Santa that much." Kayt, on the other hand, was loving the set up. Kayt climbed right up in Santa's lap. He was talking to her and she blabbed right back at him. She even showed him her shiny black shoes. Noah was glued to Brad's neck, but I was proud because he didn't cry. That's improvement people.  He waved to Santa and told him his name was, "NOAH!" Just as we were about to leave, Noah turned back and yelled, "Hey! I want a guitar!"  At least he got his point across.

Although we didn't get pictures with Santa, I was able to get a few away from Scary Clause. 

Then we ventured on to the play area. The kids love it, but we try to go when it isn't overly crowded. It was a fun night of mall adventures!

Brad and I have loved the holiday movies and shows on t.v. this week. After the kids go to bed, we make apple cider and watch the Christmas movie we recorded. Last night, we watched Christmas in Rockefeller Center and the Grammy nominations. Did anyone see the John Mayer and BB King performance? It was phenomenal!

Happy movie watching!

For Dude

My mom calls me everyday and asks when I am going to update my blog. I guess talking on the phone is not enough for her. Here is an update just for you, mom. I'll tell about your favorite people, Noah and Kayt. :)

I got the stockings in that I ordered...finally. I was a little freaked out because I heard our front door open, just as I got up to see who was coming in during the middle of the day, the doorbell rang and a man ran around the corner of our house. My heart was racing until I looked down to see the package laying at my feet. Have you ever heard of a mail man who opens your door and lays the package inside? I thought that was a bit odd. I opened to the package to find four stockings. Brad, Noah, Kayt and Zachary?  Geeze. They are supposed to ship me the Ashley stocking soon. We will see how long that takes.

I hope our Christmas cards come in sooner than the stockings or it may be 2009 before I get them mailed.

Noah does so great with using his manors. He makes me laugh. Today after meeting some friends to play, he said, "Fanks Mom, that was weawy gweat! (Thanks Mom, that was really great)" After every meal, he says "Fank you for making food for us, it was weawy good. I wubbed it!" 

His prayer every night goes like this:

Fank you for God.

Fank you for Jesus.

Fank you for the needs and nourishment to our body (then he opens his eyes and looks at me and says, "that was for Pop")

Fank you for keeping the tiger away.

Here is the church, here is the steeple, open the doors and here are the people (while doing the hand motions that go along with it)

Amen.

I think God likes it. 

Kayt makes me laugh a lot too. She is a monkey and is not afraid of anything. She would scale the walls if it were possible. I am afraid that she might find a way to do that soon. She dances all the time. 

She is saying a lot of words:

mamma

da-da

bubba

papa 

pop

nanna (Nanna and banana)

cheese

no no

hi

bye bye

shoe

diaper

bay-bay (blanket)

ugh oh

nie nie (night night)

Kaaayyyyy (Kayt)

wa wa (water)

Ba-ney (Barney) 

That's all I can think of right now. Maybe those aren't a lot of words, per say, but I understand exactly what she is asking for or telling me. 

Okay Mom, that is all I have time for. I love you, have a great day!

p.s. my kids call my mom Dude. Is that funny? I am so used to it that I don't think twice of it, but everyone else laughs. I guess it could be worse. I have one friend whose daughter calls her grandma Burrito. Dude is better than Burrito. 

Snippets

A run-down of my thoughts and my life....

~I have not blogged because I just have not been up to it. This is a very busy time of year. I had actually decided I would take a break until after the first of the year but then, well...I don't know. I still might. I guess I will leave you on your toes. 

~We have all of our Christmas decor out, but our stockings have not arrived yet. I have my snowflake card holder hanging on the wall. Every time I walk by it, I wonder who we will receive our first Christmas card from this year. 

~I am still unsure of what I want for Christmas this year. I am thinking a new slow cooker and possibly a new ceiling fan for our room, but those are so boring. I guess this is what happens as you get older, hugh?

~Noah has broken five ornaments, Kayt has broken one. You would think that I would have learned by now. 

~I bought really pretty initial ornaments this year. I decided to hang them on a big mirror in our living room. As I was hanging them, I remembered that our initials (Brad, Ashley, Noah, Kayt) spell BANK. When Brad saw what I had done, he stared at it with the most perplexed look. He said, "BANK? I....don't get it."  It is kind of funny to see everyone's reaction upon seeing the word BANK spelled out in silver initials. 

~Last night I had coffee with Megan and Sarah. The barista at Starbucks turned the lights off while we were still deep in conversation. I guess they did not realize that I only see my friend twice a year. 

~Speaking of coffee shops, I was at another coffee shop today and noticed that they will be opening at 3am on Friday for the early morning shoppers. On Thanksgiving, I will be so thankful that I don't work there.

~I had a really bad headache today so I proceeded to take allergy/sinus medication. It was non-drowsy, but it made so sleepy. I had to put Kayt in her crib to play and let Noah watch Barney, because I could feel myself falling asleep while standing. I don't think I was out long, but I woke up to Noah grabbing my face between his two little hands, telling me "Baw-ney is OOOBBBEEERRR! Mom, I've been telling you dat." 

~I have never done the day-after-Thanksgiving-shopping thing before. I am not much of a shopper. For those of you who have, I am genuinely curious if snagging the early morning deals are worth it? I would love to know if it would be worth my sleep for me to fight the early morning (probably crabby) shoppers this year. If you are convincing enough, I just might consider it. Maybe. I seem to fall into the category of people who have a great idea the night before that does not seem all that great when the alarm clock goes off.  Can I get an amen?!?

You may not think I'm crazy, but I am. Seriously.

Yesterday evening, I met my friend, Ashley, at Starbucks for coffee. We had the best time catching up and enjoying our time alone, without any kids. Ashley was the first friend I made when we moved to Amarillo. We actually met her and her husband when we were in town interviewing for Brad's job. After we moved, we found out that our boys were only a few months apart, and Ashley was pregnant with her second. Not long after, I found out I was pregnant with Kayt. Since that time, Ashley has had another baby. She now has three children under the age of three. She is amazing! 

After coffee, I went to see the midnight showing of Twilight with a few friends. I loaded up on caffeine, seeing as how I typically object to the ten o'clock showing of movies because my eye lids begin to close when I enter a dark room late at night. So, midnight was really pushing it for me, but I wanted to see the movie. 

(Judy's friends, Kristen and Carrie, Judy, Donna, me)

For me, this adventure was crazy. I felt like I was living on the edge being out until the early hours of the morning with all of the high school students. 

The movie was....okay. I mean, I liked it, but I didn't love it. If you have read the books, you should definitely go see the movie, but I cannot imagine how it would be very entertaining if you did not already know the story line. If you have seen it, what did you think? I am curious to hear other's opinions. I think the girls I went with liked it more than I did. It did go by very quickly, and they captured most of the book sequencing correctly so I guess that makes it a successful movie. 

Today, it is Christmas decorating! After my boys get home from Dudes and Donuts, we are going to get to work decking the walls. Tonight we have Brad's staff Christmas party. A day full of Christmas, and it isn't even Thanksgiving yet...love it!

About the photographer...

To answer a few questions....

My friend, Stevi, and her husband, Matt, took the picture on our header. Stevi is a great friend of mine from high school. She has the most precious spirit and disposition. When she comes to visit Matt's family, we try to spend some time together.  Stevi and Matt live in Chicago and are the team that makes up Avery House Photography. Check out their work!

Stevi took pictures some time ago that I posted here. 

The picture on my header was taken in May. Stevi sent me a disk of the pictures several months ago, but being the very responsible adult that I am, I misplaced the disk. I was too embarrassed to tell her for quite some time. Finally, I told her about my idiocy and she recently sent us another disk. 

I will post more of the pictures later; Stevi and Matt are incredible!!!

And for those of you who called me and said something about the kids looking young, you are right. The pictures are over six months old. It is crazy how much children change in a mere six months. But, the pictures were too sweet not to use for a little while, at least. 

Brad's Ordination

Yesterday evening was Brad's ordination service. It was such a special day for Brad and our family. In his four years in ministry, Brad has had several opportunities to be ordained, but he never felt like it was the right time. He takes his calling and his position as an ordained minister very seriously. 

Many special people were a part of the ceremony. Thank you to all of our family and friends who attended! Clay, Brad's brother, spoke about Brad and the great relationship that they have.

Jody led worship.

Our friends, Ryan and Heather, came in from Dallas. Ryan spoke and did a fabulous job. My camera battery died before we were able to get a picture with them. 

The elders prayed over Brad and I, commissioning him as an ordained pastor and petitioning the Lord on behalf of our family.

It was a memorable, encouraging day!

Obla-Dee, Obla-Dah

Several times this week I have started posts.

They are all boring. 

When I think of something fun to say, I'll be back.

Until then, I will just go on with my life. Plus, I have spent very little time on the computer this week. It has been wonderful!

Peace.

Any ideas what to write about? 

When I try to tell you what is going on in my life, it takes too many words. I get tired of typing, so I just stop.

I STRONGLY Like Them

My sister-in-law, Tara, tagged me quite some time ago to tell of my five current obsessions. When she tagged me, I was a bit perplexed. I would never consider myself an obsessive person, that just is not my personality. Being the literal person that I am, I had to think about what I really like, as opposed to what I am obsessed with. I know, I am obsessive about being literal, I am currently seeing that. For me, it is like calling my wants, needs. No, I don't need a new pair of shoes, I want a new pair of shoes. Weird I know, but that is me. 

My current obsessions strong likings are as follows:

These stockings 

from Ballard Designs. I am ordering them for the four of us! I think I like them so much because they are polk-a-dotted. Maybe I am obsessed with large prints in subtle places around the house.?!

Texas Tech football

and their journey to the National Championship. 

Bath and Body Works Lip Gloss

mmmm, it smells so lovely.

My Handheld Vacuum

I use it all the time, it is my closest companion.

And my latest obsession...

The Twilight series

I am mid-way through the second book, New Moon. I am addicted

I tag Ashley and Darci

Rules:

Tell of your five current obsessios.

State who tagged you.

Tag two friends.

It Is Expected

It has been a busy week in my small world. When I haven't been mothering, I've been working and thinking. But mostly, I've been mothering.

Since my last, hurried blog, our nation has a new president-elect, the Tahoe has four new tires, my baby girl has contracted the 'yuck' and my home has accumulated astonishing amount of dirt. 

I've spent the past few days thinking about expectations.

As a woman, I have expectations to fulfill.

As a wife, I have expectations to live up to.

As a mother, I have expectations depending on me.

As a daughter, I have expectations to keep.

But who has placed the expectations in my heart and mind? 

Society? Others? The Lord? Myself?

I have aimed to sort through so many of the 'things' I feel that I am expected to do or expected to be or expected to juggle. Many of the expectations in my mind are placed there each morning by yours-truly. 

I love maintaining a spotless home, having home cooked meals on the table each evening, staying caught up on laundry and spending much time primping myself each morning. But I cannot do it all, everyday, and still maintain my soul. I cannot feed my soul, grow up in spiritual maturity and still meet all of my expectations. When I do meet all of my expectations, something is always overlooked. It is usually the thing that matters most, my soul. 

I have to let something go. Recently, grabbing dinner on occasion, as opposed to cooking, allows me to spend my day focusing on what matters most, not on what will be eaten that evening.  The care of my soul, and the soul's of my spouse and children are what matter most. For me, I also have areas of commitment that I need to step away from. Overcommitting myself, with good intentions, has caused me to push my spirit aside. 

If I were to let you know a bit about me, I would tell you that cleaning toilets does not refuel my spirt. It does for some women. I am not one of them. Do I like clean toilets? Yes. But that is not where I get the extra surge of energy that I need in my day? I am learning what does refuel my soul though. And it does not include a mop or a broom.

I am working on examining my expectations, seeing who, or what has placed each particular expectation on my life, and determining whether it is an important expectations, determined by the Lord, or if it is merely an expectation I can let go of to grow up my soul. I cannot run ahead of myself in efforts to reach a certain level of expectation, and throw away the growth that has come at too high of a price.

Some of my expectations seem ludicrous, yet I strive to meet them. Most of the 'things' I expect from myself, I would scoff at the person who actually accomplished them. I would never expect from another what I expect from myself. Am I making any sense? What do you expect from yourself that no one else expects? What can you forgo to focus on your soul? What refuels your spirit?