Our Christmas vacation started like most people's with kids in elementary school did...a week full of Christmas parties. Owen had his on Friday and got to wear his pajama's to school as well. That pretty much makes for a perfect day for any 5 year old. Owen loves his teachers and I truly feel they were chosen just for my son. He has thrived in their class this year and continues to grow. I am very much looking forward to how much more he will learn and grow in the second half of school. Thank you Mrs. Wheeler and Mrs. McGivern for all you do for Owen. I know and realize he's not the "easiest" child and so that makes me even more thankful for both of you:)
Another thing I am BEYOND thankful for this Christmas break? Our oldest son Will accepted Jesus into his heart on December 22nd at the age of 8. He has been asking a lot of
questions over the last few months and I knew he was right at the cusp of wanting to make the life long decision. Of course, Steven and I wanted it to be his decision to make. I don't believe in pushing something like this on my children because it needs to truly come from his heart. And, we believe it finally did on the 22nd. He was ready and it made us so proud as parents that he will now be joining us in Heaven for part 2 of our lives. I am beyond thankful that Jesus gave us His son this holiday season and now MY SON will also be given Jesus for all eternity. What an amazing Christmas present for our family!
Hope all of you also had a great Christmas together with family and friends. Great blessings to you for 2015!
To have to pick only a few pictures to show in my blog was pretty hard. I just picked a good collage of pictures. To say they are my favorites would be a lie because every picture my
friend took was my favorite. Melinda Hunley at www.melhunphotography.com does great work (just in case anyone was or is needing a photographer).
We went to TU in the late fall (I think it was sometime in October) and got all 10 of us together for a little
shoot. Of course, the girls were perfect little smilers and my boys were off running most of the time and getting their knees wet and muddy. In some shots you can even see their knees all wet. I guess I will remember that years from now looking back at these photo's. My boys and their skinned and torn jeans at the ages of 5 and 8.
Make some memories with your family today. It's worth it.
This boy Owen melts my heart. He also can make me the most mad and crazy of either of my children. Overall, he's a lover and a charmer and a clown. Friday he proved that in full force.
My dad took the boys bowling after school as a Christmas break celebration. They played and snacked on all kinds of food.
More than that though, my sweet lover Owen found a little grandma to charm. She was old (in her 80's), named Alice, and had just finished chemo treatment to beat cancer. He saddled his way into her lane and she ooh'd and aww'd over him the whole time. She fell in love with him and his willingness to love on her, speak to her, and make her laugh. This, my friends, is one of Owen's strongest traits (and I love that about him). After a short while he noticed her hair and bluntly asked, "Is your hair real?" After she said no, he then proceeded to ask if he
could try it on. What 5 year old's do this? Apparently this one!
After they returned Alice's hair and she went on her merry way, the boys and Pappy hit up the arcade. I am sure my dad dropped some good money on these plastic hillbilly teeth. Those teeth were most likely a good $20! Thanks Pappy for the taking the boys on Friday. They enjoyed it so much and did NOT want to come home with me 3 hours later when I
picked them up.
On another note, I wanted to include this super cute picture of me and my running buddies that we took this week at Maxson's 2nd birthday party. I love these girls. Unfortunately, life got in the way this week and we weren't able to squeeze a run in but I know we will again soon. It's great to have people that keep you accountable in life. I would recommend finding some friends like that. They really are a blessing!
Happy Sunday everyone!
Most of our weekends are spent driving here, going there, doing this, watching that, get this DONE, finish that homework project, go to this game, watch this practice, LAUNDRY, and the list could go on and on. I am sure most families during this stage we are in feel about the same way. This weekend was different. We, for once, in a
LONG time had a very non-busy and relaxed time together as a family.
Steven got a round of golf in on Saturday morning, I got an afternoon run in, we went to church, Will had a sleepover that he completely enjoyed, and I got caught up on all
housework, laundry, SAM's trips, and Christmas cards. For some of you that might seem like a pretty busy weekend still. For us, it was nothing and that felt entirely Heavenly.
I hope everyone else had a great weekend too. Now, I am going to go snuggle up with my boys on the couch and listen to the rain pouring down outside while we watch "The Grinch". A perfect end to a great weekend.
I truly am blessed and take nothing for granted. Thank you Jesus for all our blessings.
This is a blog about a watch, and only about a watch. If I have already bored you, feel free to resume your regular life. If you're interested than let me fill you in on my super cool watch that I got for Christmas from Steven. Yes, I'm already wearing it because it's the ONLY thing I got from him and I want to begin using it. I'm an adult and don't have to wait for the 25th if I don't want to:)
Anyways, this watch tracks my speed, distance, pace, mileage, heart rate, etc. It does everything. In fact, it does so much that it has taken the better part of two evenings for Steven to "train" me on it. It's a rather large face (which I'm going to have to get used to) and seeing as how I have a super skinny wrist the watch appears to be larger than my actual arm. It's close, but not larger:)
I love this watch and would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone that runs. It even tracks inside running on a GPS. For those that run, you know most running programs like RunKeeper CAN NOT track accurately on a treadmill. This Tom Tom does and I can officially say I am in love with a Tom.
The End.
Any parent of children know that a successful road trip requires at least the loudest child (extra blessing if both) fall asleep at some point during the journey. We scored big
on the way to Dallas over the weekend with BOTH boys knocking out out of boredom and tiredness from Thanksgiving. Steven and I scored about 1 1/2 hours of true peace and quiet on the way into Grapevine. A.maze.ing. Now, if
this only could have happened on the way home that would have been great. But, alas, we got stuck in a flipped semi wreck on a two lane road that made our 4 hour journey about 5 1/2 hours, no children fell asleep, and we were too late to Tulsa to pick up Norman in time so he had to stay kenneled
one more night. Can't have it all right?
For 6 months we have told Will we were going to take him to Great Wolf Lodge over his birthday weekend. Lucky for us, Thanksgiving weekend is the second busiest weekend of the year. *Happy Dance* (the first busiest is Christmas weekend if anyone was wondering). People
everywhere. I'm talking, sounds of kids laughing, crying, screaming, falling water, splashing water, a constant drone of sounds. Some people might find this a little off
setting after awhile and even I had a hard time with it after 48 hours. The boys seemed totally fine and in their element at all times of the day.
You know how swimming takes every bit of energy out of you? I always thought it was the sun bearing down on you
while you were swimming but that proved not to be totally true because we didn't have the sun factor over the weekend and we
still were super tired. Case in point, I went to take a shower after several hours of swimming and I came out from the shower and this is how I found my family. I thought it was pretty funny. Will even fell
asleep holding the remote while watching college football. That's classic for him.
Overall, we loved GWL. The only thing that Steven and I didn't like were the prices. Man, when and if you go there make sure you plan accordingly. It is a one of a kind place but you will spend one of a kind prices as well:) It's worth it and the memories my boys made are worth it but I just need to remember that when looking at my checkbook in these next few weeks.
Hope you all enjoyed your weekend too. Maybe got a little Black Friday shopping in? If so, you're crazy but I still love ya!