My New Favorite

Photography By Allie ~ I just downloaded pictures and found this one that Allie had taken. It is one of my all-time favorites. I think I'll frame it.

Santa Clause Came To Town

Every Christmas Santa comes to our town via the city fire truck. You know that he is near your house when you hear Christmas music blaring from speakers on the truck, an occasional siren, a loud "ho, ho, ho", and the sound of kids yelling and laughing outside. It is great. It's part of what makes our neighborhood all that I ever dreamed of a neighborhood being. For the last several nights we have heard Santa making the rounds, and we have opened all of the blinds and watched for him, but somehow we missed him. Last night, the other kids on our street were quick to announce that they had seen him while we were gone. Tonight my kids and I were in the car when we heard "Jingle Bells" playing in the distance. It was Santa, and we were on a mission to find him. Step one: Return home to get the camera. Step two: Reassure Cooper that he doesn't have to sit in Santa's lap... he just gets to catch the candy that Santa will throw to him. Step three: Roll the windows down, so we can listen for Santa better while we circle the neighborhood playing our version of the hot/ cold game. Step four: At the sight of the red flashing lights, quikly pull the car over, grab the camera, jump out of the car, yell "Somebody get the baby!", and assume our candy-catching and picture-taking positions.

Mission accomplished.


Cooper waving "bye" to Santa ~


The kids all got candy (Jack even chased the firetruck down the street to get more... and more candy.), and I got pictures. When we were heading back to the car, Cooper - with fistfuls of Tootsie Rolls - said, "That was a great Christmas, Mommy!"

Another Niece!

Chloe Grace. I just love that name! I got the call today that the baby that my brother and his wife are expecting is a girl! I am so excited! Either way would have been fine, but I am thrilled that my niece, Skyler, gets to have a sister. We should have known. All of the nieces & nephews in my family have alternated girl, boy, girl, boy, etc. We were due a girl. It's kind of funny for my brother though... all of his siblings are girls and now all of his kids are too. Do you have the "girl thing" down yet, Coby?

Happy Baby-Day Coby & Adrielle! I am so happy for your little family. I love you all so much, and I can't wait to get my hands on little Chloe Grace!

Ornament Of The Day

December 13, 1991 - 16 years ago (last week) Corey asked me to marry him. This ornament reminds me of that time in our lives and our first Christmas together... the tiny town that we were from, the little trailer house that we lived in when we first got married, the blue furniture, the pastel dishes, the Skip-Bo games that we played because we didn't have the money to do anything else, the move we made that left us living hours away from everyone that we knew, the Christmas tree that we cut down in the woods of our friends' land that made Charlie Brown's tree look good, the Ramen noodles, the very creative gift giving that we had to do that year, the failed attempt at peanut brittle, the Christmas ornaments and stockings that we bought at the dollar store, the dependance that we learned to have on each other, the comitment to each other than was unimaginable, the love that we shared, the life that we began to build together...

I love you Corey!

A Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Today I had big plans of finishing up all of our Christmas shopping while the kids were at school. Today was my last chance to get it done as they only go to school one more day... and only a half a day then. Well, much like the last few weeks of my life, today did not go as planned. (Remember? "flexibility with a capital F"? Now, we are up to all CAPS! FLEXIBILITY. The theme of my life right now.) After I dropped the kids at school, I got to feeling really weak, so I came home and headed to my bed for a power-nap. Corey is still home (waiting and taking pain pills), so he took Cooper downstairs to watch a show while I slept for a bit. After a half hour or so I felt so much better and was ready to hit the shops. Before I left, I took Corey into the garage to show him something that I had gotten for someone for Christmas, and when we tried to go back in the house we discovered that we were locked out. Cooper was inside watching a show - alone, and we had no key and were barefoot in the garage. I ran to my neighbor's house to get the spare key to our house, and Corey knocked on doors and called through windows to Cooper. Neither of us had any luck with our attempts at a rescue. I went to another neighbor's house to see if they still had a key from the time that they dog-sat. Not home. Cooper was still alone in the house (not hearing any of our cries for help), and I was starting to get nervous. I went to another neighbor's house to use the phone when I finally decided to call the police's non-emergency number and ask for help. The police lady said, "I'll send a fire crew right away." Oh great! I could just imagine the big fire engine with its lights and sirens coming to our house and breaking down the door with their *axes. (Surely that would get Cooper's attention.) A moment later the "spare-key neighbor" arrived home, and we finally got in. All was safe and sound inside. Cooper never even knew that he was alone. Finally, sometime after noon I made it to the store. I made it to several stores actually, and I think that I can see the light at the end of my shopping tunnel. Woo Hoo!

Now for wrapping...

*my imagination

Help Jack With Research Project - Check.

If only all of the things on my list for today were checked off...

Jack and I had a good time looking up facts about Socrates together today. He loves to learn and actually had a few facts in mind from the lesson he had learned about Greek philosophers at school before we even got started. I was really impressed with the illustration that he drew of Socrates too.
I am so honored that I get to be a part of educating my kids. Somedays I have to remind myself of that (today was one of those days), but when I really stop and contemplate what I am doing, I am so glad that I am doing this!

On a different note... Corey is still waiting for his kidney stone to pass. They say that this process is the closest thing that a man can experience to giving birth (I'm not sure about that, but whatever...), and my urologist friend that I talked to today said that even though the kidney stone is about the size of 1/2 of a grain of rice, it feels like a lemon wrapped in barbed wire to him. Poor Corey!!! If you think about it, please pray for him.

What I Learned Today In 2nd Grade

Today I am helping Jack with a research project for school, and we are looking up facts about Socrates, the Greek philosopher. These are my favorite things that he said that I have come across today.

"Know thyself."
"The only thing I know is that I know nothing."

I think that these are very interesting statements. One is almost the opposite of the other, but I can so relate to both of them. In trying to figure myself out... my life... my philosophy... my faith, I am more convinced that I know nothing at all. Every time that I think that I figure something out, everything changes, and I realize how little I really ever knew. I guess that that is what this process of life is about. Learning. Growing. Changing. Adapting. Surrendering.