Thursday, December 28, 2006

Hi from Washington!

Hello! We're having a great time here in the Pacific Northwest. Now this trip hasn't been perfect by any means, what Christmas holiday is? only 1 black eye, 1 trip to the ER....the normal drama! Here are a few pictures to give you a peek at our fun filled vacation!

Happy New Year!

this is all of us in front of my father-in-law's Christmas tree.

this is Hailee in front of one of those silly mirrors at the mall. We were waiting to see Santa. We did a HUGE family photo (me, Darren, both kids, my 2 brothers, my sister and her husband!)


this is me and Braden at the ER on Christmas Eve morning. He had a horrible cough that was diagnosed as an Upper Respitory Infection. Poor little guy. He impressed all the nurses because he was so happy while being sick.

We're at my mother-in-laws now but don't have any pictures on the computer yet. Guess that means I'll update you again later!

Saturday, December 16, 2006

tomorrow is almost here!

Well we leave bright and early tomorrow for our Seattle adventure. And what an adventure it will be....3 of the 5 houses we're visiting are without power due to a major storm. Should be interesting! lol

so this is my sign off for a few weeks....today I have like a gazillion things to do to get ready and am hoping to squeeze in a few hours sleep tonight before my alarm goes off at 2:45 tomorrow morning!

Have a very merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year!!!!

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

5 more sleeps!

yep! only 5 more! Sunday morning I get to wake up at 3am and get ready to go to Seattle! 3am....wow....and to think I'm actually looking forward to that day! lol I'm still a little stressed but it's getting better. I'm getting things done and I should be fine by Sunday. Today I'm taking Sammy to the vet for his rabies shot, then off to get Braden's cream for eczema. The rest of the week will be spent doing laundry and trying to pack without leaving the kids naked the rest of this week! lol Saturday I'll be at the hair salon and then doing some other errands which will hopefully make the day go by quickly. I'm at the point now where I'm so excited I just want Sunday to get here...but am not ready yet! Darren has to work all week, has a meeting tonight, plus has to get his December invoicing done all before Saturday night. wow, he sounds busier than me....but it will all work out and we can get on that plane and start the most fun, unrestful vacation we've had in a long time!

Saturday, December 09, 2006

What a deal...

so we got this great deal on the Canon a540. Look what it can do! My scrap pages are going to look so much better with these perfectly clear pictures!


Thursday, December 07, 2006

We finally got the picture taken


Well we may not have been able to keep Braden's hand out of his mouth, but at least behind the hand is a smile! He did so good! While I was paying Darren tried to take Braden off Santa's lap and he wouldn't let him. Santa just sat there with both kids in his lap and talked to Hailee and Darren. What a great guy he is! This is the same Santa as last year and we were so glad. He's very patient, knows the right things to say to the kids, and really seems to enjoy his time with them.

Merry Christmas!

Sunday, December 03, 2006

A mommy's letter to Santa

Judy posted this at www.scrapbookeronline.com and I just had to share. I can relate!

Dear Santa, I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor, sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground.

I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes: I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze; but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store.

I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy.

If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music; a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals; and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools.

I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your brother," because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.

If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container.

If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season.

Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely.

It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back.

Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold.

Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always, MOM...!

P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children young enough to believe in Santa.

Saturday, December 02, 2006

Trying to get it all together!

for Seattle that is! I finished and wrapped all of the crafts that I made for gifts. All 16 of Hailee's crafts are done and wrapped, too. Now I just need to tape the first box going to my mom's and take it to the post office Monday. Hopefully the 2nd box will get out the same day! but you know how those things go :) I'm feeling less stressed now. Except, on my gifts there's magnets. we have now discovered (of course after wrapping them all!) that the magnets try to peel off in the cold. SOOOOO....we'll have to take some strong adhesive with us and fix them as people open them. How tacky is THAT??? ah well, what can you do?

The snow is still on the ground. Our yard got about 7" and Tulsa got about 10". That's a lot for us. And it's still so cold that it hasn't melted yet! yay! Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.