Photo Blog

I couldn't get blogger to download the pics from my previous post, so scroll down if you want to read about it. Here's the recap in pictures: WARNING - there is a lot of them! I'm tired of Flickr right now, so I'm posting the good ones here. There are more, but I'll post those later.

Easter Highlights

Here are a few pictures/highlights from our fun, busy Easter weekend!

* We were able to stop in Ft. Worth and see my Papa. He has been in the hospital/rehab for a couple of months now, and we've only been able to see him one other time. He was having a very good day - up and walking around and talkative. He even ate a huge cupcake (or pupcake as Kaitlyn calls them) that the Easter bunny brought him.

* Friday afternoon/evening we hung out with Nana and Papaw - James' parents. Kaitlyn played outside and had fun chasing their cats around the house. We watched Chronicles of Narnia which was wonderful!

*Saturday we went up to McKinney to spend some time with Jan. The Easter bunny had left Kaitlyn a swimsuit over there, so we heated up the hot tub and let her swim around. Oh yeah - and Kaitlyn fell in the pool. I definitely jumped in with my clothes on to get her out. She had fallen backwards over the hot tub into the deep pool. I was shaking for so long! Swim lessons - here we come. This did not scare her too much b/c she was back in the water in no time!

* Sat. afternoon we took Kaitlyn to see the Easter bunny. He was in the neighborhood just hanging out at a neighbors house! You could take your own camera and snap a picture or two with him. Kaitlyn acted all shy, but we got a cute picture anyway!

* That evening we had a birthday party for Jennifer - James' sister, and Lofton - James' niece. We had a big game of wiffle ball - which our team won - a pinata, and cooked out hamburgers. We had blast. The kids put on their swimsuits an played in the sprinkler.

* Sunday we got up early and made it for early service at PC. It was good seeing friends that we haven't seen in a long time. Kaitlyn got to catch up with Hannah - they sat together during church and enjoyed each others books, stickers, magnets, and snacks. Can't tell you one word that Prentice said.

* The Easter Egg hunt was fun when we got back. Kaitlyn, Lofton and Graham got after it! When it was all said and done, K had lots of chocolate, a few quarters, and even 2 whole dollars. She was so excited.

* After her nap we ventured over to an awesome "water park" in Allen. We had taken her there last summer, but I have to say she had a LOT more fun this time. She had a blast splashing around. Even Daddy got in on the fun (see the picture below.)

* We didn't get home until after 10:00 last night. We were wiped out! But it was a really fun Easter!

Here are more pics:

Whatever. I hate blogger. I'll post pics later. Sorry!

Events from the weekend...

So.. this past weekend was lots of fun! Friday night my cousin Nathan came into town and we watched the Maverick game together with my other cousin Brenna that goes to school here. She is the most intense Mavs fan you will ever meet. We had fun watching the game - hanging out with both of them is hilarious. I laughed a LOT. And the Mavericks won - so everyone was happy.

Rise and Shine EARLY Saturday morning for the 5K run downtown. It was windy and cold, but we did it! It was really fun, I'm excited about doing more of those. One funny story about that: about 1.5 miles into it we saw a bucket full of ice with lots of bottles of Gatorade. We thought it was our drink stop, so we grabbed one out. Well, turns out it was some construction workers refreshments. They were working on one of the buildings downtown. Oops!

Here is a picture of some of the "Moms on the Move" girls that I wrote about a long time ago: (the little girl on the far left is 10 years old. she is a daughter of one of the moms. she finished in like 20 minutes. whatever.)















Saturday afternoon I got a surprise phone call from one of my friends from college that I had not seen since we graduated 5 years ago! Amanda was in town from Virginia with her two sweet girls visiting her grandparents. So, we decided to meet up downtown for all of the Founders Day festivities. It was so good seeing her, and letting Kaitlyn and Aiden play together.

They had so much fun going down the huge inflatable slide, playing in the jump house, eating a $5 funnel cake, watching a barbershop quartet sing (they were amazed by this), riding the train, and doing some little games they had set up. It was a fun afternoon! We were wiped out when we got home. We just got fast food for dinner, gave Kaitlyn a bath and just hung out before hitting the sack.

Sunday morning Kaitlyn got to wear her Easter dress to church. We won't be at Highland this Sunday, so she can wear it two weeks in a row. She looked SO cute, but was embarrassed for some reason, for me to take her picture. She refused to look at the camera.

Sunday afternoon we helped Lee and Stephanie with their house. James helped paint the outside of the house they are moving into, and I helped Steph pack up her dishes. Kaitlyn and Sophia enjoyed playing together. I'm going to have to get some before and after pics from Stephanie to post. It's amazing the work they have done! It's been neat to see it change from week to week. I'm so excited for them to get moved in and start this amazing ministry!

Have a good week! I'm going to get my hair chopped off during lunch. Wish me luck!

What's the matter with me?!

I'll write about our weekend this afternoon or tomorrow when I get my pictures downloaded, but here are the 3 dumbest things I did:

1. I was late to James' soccer game on Saturday, so poor Erica had to watch Kaitlyn for me until I got there. I whipped into my parking spot and saw Kaitlyn and Erica coming out of the bathroom. I got out of the car, picked her up and headed over to the fields. When I got back to the car about 45 minutes later, I realized that I had left the keys in the ignition, the car unlocked, and THE CAR WAS RUNNING. Nice Leslie.

2. When I sat down in the car - still in disbelief - my rear got completly soaking wet. I then realized that I had put my bottle of water down in my seat - without the lid on. What? Am I on drugs?

3. This morning I was running a little bit late for work, but I really wanted some cinnamon toast to go. So, I fixed it and ran out the door. I got in the car and took a big bite - only to gag on it. I had put chili powder on it instead of cinnamon.

Happy Monday!

A Contact Wearer's Worst Nightmare

I love everything about Abilene, except for the occasional dust storm. This is what it looked like yesterday afternoon.

It's FRIDAY!!!

How do you feel about that?!
















We've had a pretty good week this week. It's actually gone by really fast! James has been busy some in the evenings with a little part time job. He's getting to work for one of our friends at church, which is really a blessing. We are both thankful that it worked out.

Wednesday night we went to church and to McDonalds for ice cream with David and Amanda. Kaitlyn was nothing short of hyper while we were there. We sat outside, so she was fenced in - but the girl was just wild. The time change has really flipped her out I think.

Last night I had bible study at our house. It was good to catch up with the girls. We watched a video from the family retreat that Kara had made that was absolutely hilarious. Throw some brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and few funny stories in there - and you have a pretty fun evening! I am really thankful for Thursday nights and look forward to them each week. James and Kaitlyn passed the time at Chuck E. Cheese. Always a winner.

Tonight we don't have anything planned, which I am thankful for. Tomorrow morning I'm running with my friend Stephanie in a 5K downtown. Looking forward to that - seeing as I haven't run in like 3 weeks. That should be fun! After that, I will either go to James' soccer game, or go help Lee and Stephanie with their house that they are moving into in less than 3 weeks. Yikes! Then, we will probably take Kaitlyn for some fun activities downtown. Only in Small Town, West Texas does the whole city take part in something called Founders Day. Happy Birthday Abilene!

Sweet Baby Ryan

One of my absolute dearest friends had her baby this week. I just love newborn babies!! I can't wait to go visit little baby Ryan and smell his sweet head!! I am so glad she now knows what it feels like to become a mom and the overwhelming feeling of love that comes with it! Love you Julie!

Family Retreat

We had a wonderful weekend at the Highland Family Retreat. Kaitlyn remembered it right away when we got there - she was so excited. We got there Friday night and found that we were staying in a cabin with lots of people that we did not know. One family of four and another mom with 3 kids and a babysitter. Random! Kind of strange all sharing one bathroom... but it all worked out!

Friday night we unpacked and headed down to the "main room" to meet up with everyone and play some games. Kaitlyn had so much fun with "her best friend Jerry." Jerry is about my dad's age and Kaitlyn pretty much hung out with him all weekend. So cute.

Saturday morning we woke up to rain and it continuted to mist throughout the morning. But don't worry - that didn't stop anyone from playing outside! James and Kaitlyn took a little late morning nap while I went on a hike with some of the Sophomore girls, their huddle leaders, and some other friends. Listening to conversations from 15-16 year old girls is hilarious. They were awesome, and it was a really pretty hike. Here's a few pics from the top:

By the afternoon, it had warmed up enough for all the kids to go swimming in the river. The Frio river - it was pretty chilly, but the kids loved it. Next spring I will remember to bring Kaitlyn's swimsuit, but this year she just swam in her clothes and absolutely loved it. She made fast friends with a sweet girl named Hannah.

We did lots of looking at fish, playing sand volleyball (I broke so many blood vessels in my arm, it's pretty nasty), walking on big rocks - Kaitlyn's favorite, and swinging on a huge tree swing that Calvin set up for all the kids. He is the one swinging with Kaitlyn.


I think it is safe to say, that Kaitlyn is not shy. She is more social than anybody I know. She walked up to people that she has never met and sat on their laps and just started talking to them. During the talent show there were a couple of young girls dancing to some song and Kaitlyn just runs down there and starts dancing with them. Hilarious. She did not get her moves from her mommy that's for sure!

So many people told us how fun, wonderful, cute, funny she is. To most of these people, I responded with a "Thanks - you may rethink that if you lived with her all the time! She wears us out!" But, I was so proud of her and so thankful that she brought joy to so many people while we were there. She made lots of people smile - like she does for us all of the time. At one point during the weekend, James just said, "We are so blessed." There were so many people there that we got to know a little bit better.

So, to all of them - thanks for making us feel welcome, for teaching and leading us, and for showing love to Kaitlyn.

Here's a few more pictures:

I'm just a little annoyed...

2 Things that bother me:

1. We got new cell phones a couple of weeks ago, which I was very excited about. The only thing I didn't like about it was having to enter in all the phone numbers again. Yesterday, we got new phones again - we couldn't hear out of the other ones. So, we had to enter the numbers again. Does anyone else share in my annoyance with this?! It takes forever!!

2. Our dryer is about to kill over. The "heating element", I think it's called, has gone out again. This is the second time it's happened in the past few months. I really don't want to dish out money for a new dryer! But it is SUPER old. Now, I'm probably gonna have to go to the laundromat to finish up. Annoying!!!

I will post stories and pics from our awesome weekend tomorrow. We had a wonderful time!

Have a good Monday!

Bloggers Block

Don't have a whole lot to say this week! It's been a pretty uneventful week filled with just work, school, and hanging out in the evenings!

We did go to church on Wednesday night. We are going to try and get in the habit of going on Wednesdays because in August we start leading our Huddle group - which consists of meeting every Wednesday night for 4 years! We are really excited about that...

The Butterflies had soccer pictures last night. Kaitlyn sure did wear her jersey and jump in the team picture, as well as a special picture with just her and her Daddy. It was pretty cute. We then took advantage of $1 chopped brisket sandwiches at Bette Roses with the Beards. Kaitlyn and Kaylee had fun running around.

We leave today for the Highland Family Retreat. We had such a blast in the Fall, and can not wait to go back! The weather is supposed to be beautiful! Hopefully we will have a fun weekend of fishing, hiking, wading in the "pebble beach", spending time with friends, sand volleyball, frisbee golf,canoeing and much more! It's absolutely beautiful there - sure doesn't look like Texas!


















Have a good weekend!

Where are people without Church?

Have you ever had "one of those Sundays?" Where you feel like God is saying, "Are you listening, (enter name here)? This is for you!!!!" Everything about church yesterday was great. The funny thing is, I almost didn't go. James was out of town, and I knew beforehand that we would be taking communion at the front of the auditorium. This is not something I usually enjoy doing. Especially by myself. A little out of my comfort zone. But, I sucked it up and went anyway. I took Kaitlyn to "her church," and listened to God. The songs we sang were great. I really tried to focus my attention on the words, which I don't do near as often as I should. Mike's sermon was on being "A Place of Non-Condemnation." Not judging others. Forgiveness.
It was just really convicting.

The Lord's Supper was wonderful. They didn't dismiss us by rows, but instead just said that the table was open - come share. I thought people would be more hesitant, but everyone just hopped out of their seats, eager to commune together. I really enjoyed watching everyone do this. It was neat to see families with young kids go down together, or an elderly couple hold hands as they walked down. I don't know the older couple who served me the bread and the cup. But the wisdom behind their eyes and the sincerity in their smiles was special. It was an awesome communion experience.

I love our class. I don't know why I was all sappy and emotional yesterday, but it seemed as though everything set me off. A couple that I had not yet met announced they are pregnant with their first baby. The wife started crying while her husband was announcing it.

I looked across the room and saw a friend who I know had a really hard week, and shocker - got teary eyed.

The leader of our class got really emotional talking about his daughter who has made tremendous strides in her life lately. Got me again.

How do people survive that don't have the love of Christ and the support of a church family? How can people not believe in God?

Our teacher in class taught about confession and prayer. Confession is another thing I am uncomfortable with, but need to do more. One question that was asked that I am still thinking about is, who do you confess to? How wide do you go? Confess only to God? To your best friend or spouse? To the person you sinned against? To your class as church? All of the above? Just something to ponder....

I am so thankful for my parents. I am thankful for the faith that they instilled in me. I am thankful that they started this path for me to follow. I hope that I can do as good of a job with Kaitlyn.

Sorry this post was so deep - again, not usually like me.

Farewell Mr. Purple!

Mr. Bob Hunter's office is a few doors down from mine at work. The sweetest man you will ever meet. He gave his secretary a purple fish 2 years ago to keep on her desk. His name was Mr. Purple. Since I started working here last June, Kaitlyn has loved going to see Mr. Purple. (Granted there was also a candy dish right next to him, but whatever)

I just went to rinse out my coffee cup, and I found a sad sight. In the break room was Mr. Purple's home for the last two years, next to the sink... completely empty. Poor little guy.

"All drains lead to the ocean" - or so Nemo has Kaitlyn convinced. So, I'm sure this will not phase her. The candy dish will still be there! But, I got a little sad! Mr. Bob Hunter is retiring soon, and I guess Mr. Purple just couldn't bear to see him go.

It's been awhile.....

It's been 7 days since I last posted. Yikes! I don't even know where to start! Let's just do a little play-by-play....

Friday: My mom was in town keeping Kaitlyn... it rained ALL day long, and Kaitlyn got a haircut. It was looking more and more like a mullet every day. It was almost to the middle of her back in the back, and a little past her chin in the front. Time for a change! She was SO excited to go get a hair cut, which made it really easy! Here's what it looks like now:



Saturday: Mom and I got up and went shopping in the rain. We got Kaitlyn lots of new clothes that she REALLY needed. At noon we went to a birthday for one of Kaitlyn's little friends, Sophia. Here, she had her first pinata experience! She smacked it pretty good 2 times! Check out her stance with the bat!

On Sunday it rained all day again.. so we just layed around all afternoon. James taught our class Sunday morning - his lesson was about silence and solitude. He talked about how we need to make an effort daily to spend quiet time alone with God. He did a really good job of stepping out of his comfort zone to lead class. It was so nice to have a long afternoon to listen to the rain and thunder, and just spend time with God.

Monday it was bright and sunny - but really cold. I was not expecting that! Here is our crazy story from Monday evening:

When I got home from work, James and Kaitlyn went to play in the backyard. About two minutes later James starts yelling at me, "Leslie, get your shoes on right now and come see this thing before it moves!!!" So, I put my shoes on and go out there and James said, "Just start walking towards the trash can and tell me what you see." I was like, ABSOLUTELY not!! You tell me what's out there, and I'll decide if I want to go see it or not. So, he pointed it out to me and said, "See that huge thing with it's head sticking up?" I saw it pretty quickly. Is it sad that the first thing I thought was, I have to take a picture of it - this is a good blog story!! I'm a huge dork, okay? So, I went in the house, grabbed my camera and climbed on top of Kaitlyn's playhouse. Here is what I saw:


I was freaking out. This whole time we are trying to keep Kaitlyn away from it. She wants to go touch it and hold it. Right. After I get a good look at it, this is James and I's conversation:

J: "Does it have teeth?"

L: "Yes it has teeth!! It's mouth is wide open. I think it's in attack mode. It's not shutting it's mouth."

J: "Okay. I'm gonna throw stuff at it to see if it will run away."

So, James starts throwing anything he can find at it. After a few failed attempts with throwing pecans, he grabs a plastic yellow bat and hits the thing right on it's back. It doesn't move. Which makes me look closer at it. I said, "James it's not even breathing or moving at all."

This story could have a totally dramatic ending, but Mr. Lizard man was FAKE. That's right. And when James realized this, he began beating the heck out of it with the plastic bat. Then Kaitlyn said, "Now can I hold it?" Hilarious.

Have a good day!

Date Night/Video

We had a fun date night last night! James agreed to go walk around Target with me - I could do this for hours. We had a good time, and I did good - I only bought new shampoo, conditioner and some make up. I didn't even go to the clothes section. I was pretty proud of myself! After Target we went to eat at Chilis. I could eat chips and hot sauce every single day and not get tired of it. Then we went to go see Failure to Launch. It was a pretty cute show. I do have to say that Sarah Jessica Parker just bugs me. Her tan was so fake and uneven, and she wore WAY too much make up. I think Rachel McAdams or Kate Hudson could have played that part better than she did. But Matthew McConauhay - that's a different story! Then we came home to a very quite house.. strange! We watched American Idol and went to bed!

Here is another video for you. This one is of Kaitlyn saying the Lord's Prayer. Pretty cute!



Video Sharing at DropShots.com

Trip to Midland

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEIL!!!! (Sorry, got tired of changing the colors)

I am just a little bit tired this morning! We drove to Midland last night to celebrate my brother's birthday. The big 2-4!! Crazy...
We met my parents down there and all went to eat at Olive Garden and then back to his apartment for cake and ice cream. It was fun to see him - we haven't been to visit since we moved him in last summer. His apartment was all clean and nice! I was so proud!




Kaitlyn had a fun time singing Happy Birthday and "helping" him blow out the candles. After the par-tay was over, my parents took Kaitlyn back to Lubbock with them for the rest of the week! James and I are trying to decide what to do with ourselves the next couple of nights... any good suggesstions for movies? I heard Failure to Launch is good, but that's about it.

By the way, did anyone watch "Miracle Workers" on TV Monday night? That show was amazing! I think this will be another regularly recorded show.

Here's a couple more pics from the day....

Never mind... blogger won't load anymore pictures.

*%!#@$&!!!!!

I just typed an ENORMOUS blog with pictures and everything and it somehow got deleted. I'm about to drop kick this computer across my office.

I'll be back when I cool down.

Hello!

HAPPY MONDAY!!!!

I'll write more about our weekend in a little bit, but for now check out the video below:

Testing this video thing out

Here is Kaitlyn singing Away in a Manger. One of her favorites. This was really late last night - she seems to not remember the words so well. Sorry the video is kind of dark:


Video Sharing at DropShots.com

Totally random thoughts...

Can it be a little more windy outside today? K, thanks. Seriously. Why did I even brush my hair this morning?

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I accidentally bought 5 pair of earrings from Sammoon.com yesterday. Oops. I thought by clicking "continue" it was just going to tell me how much my total would be IF I did decide to purchase. But nooooooooo, somehow my credit card information was saved on there from a few months ago, and when I clicked "continue" it said, "Thank you for your purchase." YIKES!! I was so nervous to tell James. But, being the awesome husband he is, he didn't really get that upset. So now I'm really excited to get them! (And really, is $28 that bad for 5 pair of earrings plus shipping?)

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Two words. Super Suppers. I know all of you Dallas girls are familiar with this place, but we just got one in Abilene. It's actually a couple from Highland that opened it. James was able to get them as an account! This place is awesome. They have a different menu each month, and you can go in and cook up to 12 meals. There are fun little kitchen areas, and all of the ingredients/supplies are there for you to use. So, because James has hooked these nice people up, they let him cook a couple of things for free! So, we had cream cheese chicken enchiladas, and some kind of braided bread with lots of delicious stuff inside of it. He did a good job!

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I really love the people that I work with. I love that I work in a place where we can meet every Wednesday morning for a devotional. I love working in a place where people make me laugh on a regular basis. I love talking to high school students that are so excited about coming to ACU this fall. I love thinking about the awesome experience that they will have here and the lifelong friendships they will make.

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Here is my question of the day: Besides being a parent (if you are one), what has been your favorite job? Or, if you could work anywhere or do anything, what would you do?

Weekend happenings....

I wish it was still Saturday!! Or Sunday even. Anything but Monday. My hair looks nasty, I'm so tired, and I totally need to go home and re-think my clothing. But, I had a fabulous weekend!

Friday after work I went to Body Step - I haven't done that class in forever. It was good to be back! It was wonderful, except for the part that my friend next to me totally passed out. That was scary. I guess that's what happens when you work out while having PNEUMONIA!! Crazy girl. But, she's okay.... a little embarrassed, but okay. Friday night we just stayed home and enjoyed doing nothing! We just had sandwiches for dinner and called it a night.

Saturday morning we took Kaitlyn to Wal-mart to spend her Valentine's Day money from her Grandparents. She picked out a Dora jump rope, a Cinderella/Belle pillow case, and a Tweety bird Pez dispenser. Cheap toys are her favorite I'm afraid! She will only sleep on the Cinderella side of the pillow. She thinks Cinderella has "chapped lips" because they are red.

After Wal-mart I was off for my 2 hours of pampering! I got to go cash in my gift certificate for an hour massage and facial. I've only had one massage before, and I've never had a facial. I loved every single minute of it! (Except for the eyebrow wax. That hurt a little!) When I left, I felt like I had been asleep for like 4 days. My voice even sounded like it does when I first wake up. What is up with that? Anyway, it was wonderful! Thanks James for such a great present!

Sunday afternoon was the Butterflies first soccer game of the season. It was pretty much sooo windy, but a lot of fun to see the girls back in action again. I made the mistake of letting Kaitlyn wear her jersey - she thought she could be out there with the team the whole time. But, we had a lot of fun. For a play by play of both games and some cute pictures, check out Erica's blog!

On the way home from the soccer game, I got pulled over. Nice. Kaitlyn was like, "HI!! What's going on? What's that little guy doing?" I swear, she said hi to the officer like 7 times, and he never said hi back! Oh well, I could have gotten like 4 different tickets (speeding, no seat belt, incorrect address on license), but he only gave me one for my inspection sticker being one month past due. Thank you!!!!!

Sunday was a great day at church... we found out that the Spring family retreat will be the last weekend of this month. We're so excited to go back! The place is beautiful, and Kaitlyn had an absolute blast. We are looking forward to making these retreats family traditions.

We got to see my parents on their way through town, and give my dad his birthday present. Kaitlyn had fun coloring, stamping and putting stickers on Pappy's card. She loves getting to see them so often!

Sunday night, our small group was finally able to meet again! I was so proud of Kaitlyn for sitting quietly for most of the time. For those of you that know our sweet Kaitlyn, she is not the "sit quietly" type of girl. But she did great.. worked on her puzzles and sticker books. She did sit next to our friend Eric for quite awhile. I think she has a little crush. And every time someone read a scripture, she would bow her head and fold her hands in her lap. I guess she thought we were praying. Bless her little heart.

I hope all of you had a fun weekend! Have a good week!

Boz the Bear

OK - all you moms out there looking for something new to show your kids.... Go to www.bozthebear.com

These DVDs are about to be released in a couple of weeks to Christian bookstores like Lifeway, Mardel, etc. Boz the Bear was created by a company in Dallas (that my uncle helped start) and by the same people that created Barney.

They are great, faith building, funny and educational shows. You can go to the website and request a sneak peek DVD to be mailed to you for free. (You'll get it really quick too)

Just something fun for you to check out!

Here's my question of the day:

What was your favorite TV show/video growing up?

Weekend, and a little about Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn and I had a fun weekend in Lubbock with my parents. James had to stay in Abilene because he was supposed to coach a soccer game on Saturday - but it got rained out. So, it turned out that he could have come with us. But I think he enjoyed the quietness of the house, and being able to take lots of naps. I wonder what that is like?

We didn't do a whole lot in Lubbock, which I love. Everytime I go home I just feel the need to curl up with my favorite blanket in the big recliner and just chill out. I did get to enjoy my mom's spaghetti and some pineapple upside down cake. I also played golf with my dad for the first time on Saturday. It was freezing to say the least outside, so we just played 9 holes. It was really fun! I wish I could play more often so that I could maybe improve, but we had a good time. And like a little kid, I loved driving the golf cart around! Kaitlyn and my mom went to the Science Spectrum. Kaitlyn loved it. We took her there a few months ago, but I think she enjoyed it much more this time around. She got to see and do lots of neat things.

I also stayed up late with my dad (If 10:30 is late to anyone) and watched Apollo Ono win the gold medal in speed skating. That was exciting! And the relay one?! That is madness!

We got back to Abilene pretty early on Sunday, so that we could get to a banquet at church that evening. I'll blog more about this later, but James and I were asked to be huddle leaders starting this fall. We are soooo excited about it. I'll tell you more about it soon.

Here are a few things Kaitlyn is doing right now. Just wanted to record them somewhere:

* She can say the entire Lord's prayer. It's about the sweetest thing in the world to hear.

* She still loves singing the books of the New and Old Testament.

* While we sing in church, if she sees anyone with their hands raised, she raises her hands. She will leave them up for the entire song. That's always good for a few laughs from the people sitting around us!

* She is getting a lot better and saying her prayers at night and at meal times. When she prays, her voice gets really high. It's pretty cute.

* When I tuck her in, she always says, "Talk about your day and my day." I then have to tell her really slowly every detail of our day. From waking up to tucking her in. And if I leave something out, she is quick to tell me.

* She loves to play baseball with pecans in the backyard. She will throw a pecan to James and he will hit it with a plastic baseball bat. I got James really good the other day when I acted like some of the shell had flown into my eye. He was freaking out. I laughed real hard at that one.

* The girl can eat okra like nobody's business. She thinks the outside skin is like a shell, so she peels it off of each one and just eats the green part in the middle. This could keep her occupied for hours. As well as peeling peanuts.

* She, like her mommy, enjoys her music. We don't have the same taste quite yet, but she can sing along with best of "Toddler Tunes", Veggie Tales Bible Songs, and some other Praise and Worship kids CD. I love listening to her sing, "Skinny Ma Rink A Dinky Dink."

* When I wash her hair at night in the bathtub, she always cries and says, "Don't get it on my tongue!!!" Drama.

* She can put back the chocolate milk. If she sees me making it for her, she has to have 3 "bites" of it with the spoon before I put the lid on her cup. 3 bites. No more, no less.


Kaitlyn is absolutely the funniest person on the face of the earth. She is such a joy. She is very strong willed, and can throw a tantrum with the best of them, but her personality is priceless. I am so very blessed.

Two stories

So, the other day in Walmart the most random thing happened. I was just strolling along, pushing my basket (or buggy as Holly would say). Kaitlyn was sitting in the front part. Let me preface this by saying that Kaitlyn had a SLIGHTLY runny nose. It was by no means running down her chin or anything. It was just a clear, slight run. Okay. So, this lady that we were next to while getting some milk literally stops in her tracks and says, "Oh my Gosh (she used the Lords name in vain however), DO YOU NEED A KLEENEX?!?!!?!" I looked at Kaitlyn thinking she was bleeding or foaming at the mouth or something outrageous - I mean, this lady was totally freaking out. When I noticed that nothing out of the ordinary was wrong with my daughter I said, "Uhh, no thank you, I have some in my bag." Are you kidding me? It was like she had never seen anything like a minor runny nose before. And just because she weirded me out, I did not even wipe Kaitlyn's nose. Just to make her mad.

It gets better. About 10 minutes later, we pass the nose Nazi again. This time she was ready for us. I swear, she was following us around the store. We started to pass each other going opposite directions. She was armed with klennex in hand - AND REACHED OUT TO WIPE KAITLYN'S NOSE. Are you serious?!?!?! I stopped her before she could though and said, "Excuse me, please don't touch my daughter." That's right. I said it. She had a look of total disgust on her face. Kaitlyn even looked cute that day! I put a bow in her hair and everything! And again, just to tick her off - I didn't wipe her nose until we got to the check out line. Not that there was even much to wipe.

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This morning on the way to school, this was our conversation:

K: It sure is foggy outside Mommy!
M: Yes it is!
K: Yeah. Maybe I can see a hog.
M: What?
K: Maybe I can see a hog.
M: A hog?
K: Yeah!!!
M: Wondering why she is thinking about a hog, and how it relates to fog.
K: I love those kinds of birds.
M: Oh, a hawk!
K: Yeah. Those are my favorite kinds of birds! Maybe I can see one of those.

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Just a couple funny stories for you! Hope you have a good Wednesday!!

Sing Song and Curious George

I hate the feeling I have after I haven't blogged in a long time. I feel that there is so much to write about, but I can't think of anything good to say. I'm sure Kaitlyn has said hilarious things that I have already forgotten. She keeps us laughing, that's for sure.

This weekend was Sing Song, so ALL of my family was in town. It was a lot of fun to see everyone. Kaitlyn enjoys seeing her cousins. (Really they are her second cousins, but closer to her age than my age)
Friday night we hung out with my parents, brother, my aunt and my grandmother. My cousin Brenna is a Siggie (they were Penguins this year), so she came over after the Friday night show. Kaitlyn wasn't too sure about the paint she had on her face!

Saturday it was FREEZING cold, so we just made chicken tortilla and potato bacon soup for everyone for lunch. It was soo good. We had a little birthday celebration for Brenna with a Double Chocolate Decadence cake from McKays. YUMMMMM.


We went to the afternoon show of Sing Song. It was a lot of fun to watch, but it lasted for forever. Like 3 1/2 hours. I have to give a shout out to Siggies though, for being the cutest little penguins ever. They did the whole show on their knees. Costumes were so cute - they even had a slide that a few little penguins slid down. It was real funny. They ended up winning on Saturday night. But not with out some drama. They announced that Gata got 3rd, Kojies 2nd, and Alpha Kai 1st. WHAT? So, Alpha Kai celebrated, and some people had already left the coliseum. They then called everyone back in and said there had been a huge miscalculation and Siggies had in fact won. Insane.

Saturday evening I got to go see my two roomies Sara and Sara and their sweet baby boys. I wish I could have spent more time with them!

Sunday Zoe was at Highland. Awesome. Mike was in full effect, our class was overflowing with people... it was a great Sunday.
That afternoon, mom and I went shopping and got Kaitlyn her Easter dress, and some other clothes and shoes.

We took Kaitlyn to see Curious George after her nap - she loved it. It really was a cute show - I recommend it to all of my friends with kids! I really enjoyed the music - Jack Johnson does all of the music. He's my new favorite!!


All in all, a good but busy weekend. I'll post more pics later. Have a good Monday!

Valentines Day

Last night the three of us were just sitting on the couch and these are some of the most precious things Kaitlyn said:

"I love you Daddy. Happy Valemtimes Day."

"I love you Mommy. Happy Valemtimes Day."

"We are all a family."

"Lets just hang out for a couple of minutes."

"You're my best friend ever."

"We're all together!"

"Your name is James, but I will call you Daddy. It makes you sad when I say James."

"We're a special family."


It was the most fun 10 minutes we have had in a long time. She was being so sweet. It was the greatest Valentines gift ever.

Highlights

This weekend:

* Enjoyed a fast food dinner with my parents on their way to Ft. Worth to visit my grandad. Mom brought us my favorite cookies, and some awesome candles. :)

* Got to help some of our good friends Lee and Stephanie fix up their house they will be moving into in April. I will need to blog about this whole thing another day. They are doing an amazing ministry here in Abilene.

* Went to a Valentines Dinner/fundraiser to help support some Marriage and Family Therapy students go to Zambia. It was so fun. We went with really fun friends, had a yummy dinner, and James even bid on a gift card to an awesome spa here - and won!! Yay! Massage and facial, here I come....

* Church was great, as usual. I'm mostly excited about next week when Zoe will be at Highland!
* Ate lunch with friends from church, and got to meet a new family that just moved to Abilene from Austin. They have a little girl about Kaitlyn's age that I'm sure she will play with soon.

* Enjoyed playing Texas Hold'em with James. This is my new favorite game. I'm highly considering quitting my job and joining the World Poker Tour. Good idea?

* Watched Grey's Anatomy and totally freaked out. My favorite show BY FAR. Love it sooo much.

*Also watched the Olympics for like 3 hours. I got teary eyed over Michelle Kwan dropping out. I have no control over my emotions. Also, I love the red-headed snow boarder. He was fun to watch. And I was really sad that Apollo Ono fell and didn't advance to the finals. I love the Olympics!

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Happy Monday!

I want a vacation!

My life really isn't that stressfull. I don't have a very hard job, and we live a pretty simple life. But I still REALLY want to go on a vacation. Just me and James. And I want to go to a place that we can just relax and don't feel like we have to fill our day with tons of things to go do. (Though a few things would be fun.) So, my question for this Thursday is:

Where should we go?

Happy Birthday James!

Thank you for always making me laugh.

Thank you for being such a wonderful, fun daddy to Kaitlyn.

Thank you for supporting me when I want to try something new.

Thank you for your prayers.

Thank you for doing the laundry.

Thank you for getting Kaitlyn dressed, fed, and packing her bag 98% of the time in the mornings.

Thank you for working hard to support our family.

Thank you for moving to Abilene.

Thank you for telling me I look good, even when we both know I totally don't.

Thank you for always asking me how my day went, and sincerely caring about it.

Thank you for forgiving me when I screw up.

Thank you for your patience.

Thank you for teaching me how to play Texas Hold 'Em.

Thank you for back rubs.

Thank you for being a wonderful friend to me and to so many others.

Thank you for choosing me to share your life with.

I love you! Happy 28th Birthday!!

Birthday Weekend (a little early)

We had a most busy weekend. I can think of one place I would like to be right now. In my bed asleep. However, that is not an option... so here I am "working." As tired as I am - we had a blast this weekend celebrating James' birthday. (His birthday is tomorrow.)

Friday night my parents came through on their way to Ft. Worth to see my grandad again. While they were here, my dad was fortunate enough to get in on a poker game James had set up with a few friends. James "transformed" our shed into a poker room - but that is another blog for another day.

Saturday morning we enjoyed breakfast at Town Crier - a wonderful place that is becoming our Saturday morning tradition. That afternoon Kaitlyn had a birthday party to go to at Chuck E. Cheese. That place is insane on a Saturday. She had a good time playing games with her friend Boston.


Saturday night was the big surprise.... James' parents came down and surprised him for his birthday. I told him we were meeting some friends at Texas Roadhouse - and when we walked in and he saw his mom - he was soo excited. I'm glad I could pull that one off. I'm not a very good liar. So, we enjoyed a wonderful steak dinner, and Kaitlyn had fun cracking peanuts for an hour. After dinner we went back home to another surprise.. I had invited some of our friends over for desert. We had so much fun - I haven't laughed that hard in a REALLY long time. I am so very thankful for our awesome friends that we have here.


Sunday morning James' mom made breakfast pizza for us (James' favorite meal). While she was cooking, I beat James at his own game - Texas Hold 'Em. Too bad, sooooo sad. I think I will play more often - that was fun! After breakfast we went to the famous Abilene Zoo. James had fun entertaining the monkeys, and it's always fun to feed the giraffes.

After a short nap that afternoon, more friends came over to watch the Super Bowl! I ate sooo much junk food it's not even funny. We had a blast with the Woods and David and Amanda. I have to say, I kind of wanted Seattle to win - I love going for the underdog. Oh well.

What was your favorite Super Bowl commercial?

And Grays Anatomy was amazing as usual. I did NOT want it to be over. Next week looks sooooo good. I love that show!

Adventures in Babysitting, and Question of the Day

Last night we had the pleasure of hanging out with Kaylee and Campbell while Cary and Erica went out for Ericas birthday. We had a really fun time. Kaitlyn and Kaylee played so well together - I only had to get on to them one time for laughing and yelling so loud! I know that Kaitlyn plays with other kids all day long, but I rarely get to see her, and the way she "plays." They played with dress up clothes, played catch, played in Kaylee's bed and pretended they were asleep, played the piano, made "special things" in Kaylees kitchen.... they never got bored.

Campbell is about the cutest thing ever too. Other than the 10 minutes she cried - she was SO happy. She really liked James, she smiled at him the most. Kaylee was so sweet with Campbell all night, but especially when she started crying. It took Kaylee 1.6 seconds to run to her sister and try to comfort her. So sweet. Kaitlyn got super jealous when I was rocking Campbell, but she got over it pretty quick.

Here are a few pictures from our fun night:























I know it's Thursday - so it's time for the question of the week. I'll make this a two part question I guess. Since babysitting is fresh on my mind - what is the craziest/funniest/scariest thing that has happened to you while babysitting? (I'll post my answer in a comment)

I am also inspired by Alyssa's blog today. So, if you don't have a good babysitting story, what is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?

Have a good Thursday!

TV Shows and a fun night out

We had a really good weekend visiting my Papa in Granbury. I think I'll save that blog for another day though. I think I'll just write about random stuff again today -like I did on Friday. Hmm.. Gray's Anatomy - SO GOOD! I was dying when Derrick and Meredith were in the closet. And I can't believe Izzy has a daughter! Crazy. But, next week looks amazing. Being the genius that I am - I had no idea what "Code Black" meant - so I definitely looked it up on the internet. Now I can't wait to watch on Sunday!!

Who watches the Bachelor? Who is your favorite? For some reason, I really like Moana. I don't know why - she's honest I guess. Nashville girl bugs me, and I kind of like Susan. Thoughts?

I stayed up WAY too late last night. There was a movie on about Flight 93 on September 11th. It was really good, but very tense. My chest still hurts. James and I were on our honeymoon over 9-11, so we never really felt or experienced what everyone else did on that day. Watching that gave me a much clearer picture of what went on and I was flooded with so many emotions. It's sad to think that so many Americans have become desensitized (sp?) to the tragedy of it all. I'm really glad I watched it. Even though it was over at 2:00 in the AM!!!!

Last night I went to dinner with my fabulous cousin Brenna and my new favorite friend and co-worker Katie. We had so much fun. Those two girls can make me laugh SO hard. My stomach is sore from laughing - literally. We enjoyed yummy food at Chilis, an awesome trip to Target, and a drive through stop at Bahama Bucks (the best shaved ice ever) on the way home. Here are some pics....


Me, Brenna, and the one and only - Emmitt Smith. Nice.













Yay for the timer on the digital camera! (Notice Katie's new fabulous necklace she purchased at Target)











It was really fun hanging out with these girls and pretending like I was back in college again. But the second I went home and saw Kaitlyn sleeping in her bed with her hands tucked sweetly under her cheeks, I was so thankful for the stage of life I am in right now and wouldn't change it for the world.

Friday!

Today is Teacher Sheryls last day to teach Kaitlyn. She will be switching to another day care center. This has really made me sad! Kaitlyn talks about her all the time, always wants to take her a donut in the morning or color her a picture. She always runs right in to class and gives her a hug. She missed school Monday and Tuesday of this week b/c she was sick. My parents were in town on Wednesday morning, so they went with me to take her to school. I thought Kaitlyn would not want to go since Mamaw and Pappy were there, but she went straight to Sheryl. She is wonderful with all of the kids in her class. They did the neatest crafts. She has been so patient with Kaitlyn through her "stages." Sheryl has probably spent more hours with Kaitlyn than I have. She has been very instrumental in who Kaitlyn is, and I am so thankful for her. I wish her much luck as she begins a new stage in her life, but she will be missed by many!

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James's good friend Cliff is staying with us for a couple of days while he speaks at a conference here at ACU. I think Kaitlyn is in love with him. She has always loved older men - I don't know what it is. Especially guys with beards. And man does Cliff have a beard. It's awesome. I'll try to get a picture of them together. This morning Cliff was sitting at our kitchen table with his computer getting things ready for his presentation. James told Kaitlyn that she could sit in there with him, but no talking because he was working. So, Kaitlyn goes into her room and gets her toy laptop. She set it up right next to him, didn't say anything and just began "working." It was so cute. It would have been a very funny picture, but of course the batteries were dead on the camera.

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I read this headline this morning: "Should Brad and Angelina get married? Of Course! Then the gossip can start about divorce!"

Seriously? This was kind of wake up call for me and my love for Hollywood news. I love looking at People magazine, US Weekly... anything of the sort. And I don't really think there is anything wrong with that - but why was that quote a LEAD headline on MSN? What does that say about our society? What does that say about how marriage is viewed? There are many, more important topics to write about. I could go on and on about this, but I'll stop there.

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It's Friday! Kaitlyn and I may head to Ft. Worth. My Papa is in the hospital. He fell this week, broke his hip and had surgery on Wednesday. He could use some cheering up! Plus, it would be fun for Kaitlyn to play with her cousins for awhile.

Hope everyone has a fun and safe weekend! Say a quick prayer for baby Seth O'Quinn. You can read about the latest at www.theoquinnfamily.blogspot.com

Would You Rather.....

I decided to try and make Thursdays the day that I ask a random question. Except today, I'm asking 10 "Would you rather" questions. Feel free to answer all, or expound on one particular one that you have a great answer for. Or - just read through them, and answer to yourself. (But it would be more fun if you shared with the class) So...

Would you rather:

Be put in prison for 15 years or have all of your teeth pulled out?

Be able to fly or live to 200?

Sit on a fire for 5 seconds or eat 50 flys?

Be 4'1" or 7'9"?

Live without music or without TV?

Be gossiped about or never talked about at all?

Be able to hear any conversation or take back anything you say?

Publish your diary or make a movie about your most embarrassing moment?

Have one wish granted today, or three wished granted in 10 years?

Write a mystery or a poem?

An Email from a 2 year old... with her Daddy's help

Dear Mommy,

I love you, and playful. I gonna write mommy a book. I’m gonna make mommy an e-mail. I want to do something else on your computer. Hey, I want to do something else . I love you. I don’t want to tell a lot of things.

Miss you, have good day at work.

(this was what Kaitlyn would have typed if she could, instead I just typed what she said. She did type the subject line)

Yada, Yada, Yada

Here is what we did this weekend for all of you that care... However, if James is right - all of you are bored with this blog and I am writing this just for myself. Either way... here is what occupied our time Friday-Sunday.

Friday night: I went to Body Step at 5:30. Yes, I'm the loser that works out on a Friday night. The teacher came up to me afterward and said, "I have really enjoyed having you in my class. Your facial expressions are just so animated." Hmmmm.... Good or bad?

After working out I ran home to quickly change clothes, pick up the family, and head to the ACU bowling alley for some non-stop fun and excitement with our good friends Clayton, Felicia, Amanda and David. We had the lanes to ourselves and the girls lane was fully equipped with the bumper things. (There are some advantages to having a 2 year old on your team). They even had cute little bowling shoes that were just her size. She called them her "special kicks." She did pretty good throwing her ball down the lane!

Saturday: An awesome day filled with shopping with Erica!! I was so excited to spend as much time as I wanted just hanging out going to fun stores that I don't go to very often. We had a great lunch at Beckers Loft in the middle of our trip. I was pretty disappointed that the only thing Erica bought was some wallpaper paste, but she was great company! (And if you saw the wallpaper the former owner had up in their kitchen, you would be buying anything to get it off) She has such a good eye for decorating.. their house is already so cute.

Oh - but before I left to go shopping we spotted a mouse in our house!!!! YUK!!! Hopefully the 37 traps we set out will get the whole family. I'll keep you posted on that situation....

Saturday evening Kaitlyn went with me to get some grocery shopping done. The girl LOVES Walmart. Just wait until she experiences a Super Target.....
While there, she got to pick out a new fish. Gill, our previous fish lived for quite a while, but passed on not too long ago. So, she got to pick out a new one. She named him Jesse. He was dead before morning. She had no problem with this. She noticed he wasn't moving so she came into the living room and said, "Jesse is still sleeping. I need to go to Walmart and get another fish that swims around." She helped James flush it down the toilet. According to Nemo, all drains lead to the ocean, so she had no problem with it.

Sunday: Got another fish, whom she named Treith. Pronouned Treeth. I have no idea where she came up with this. I tried to change her mind about the name plenty of times. It had to remain, Treith. (If that is even how you spell it.) Treith the fish was dead this morning. What is the deal?!? No more fish for awhile.

IT RAINED!!!!! I'm not gonna lie, I almost started crying in the middle of the night when I woke up and saw lightening and heard the rain outside our window. On the way to church Kaitlyn said, "Thank you God for the rain!" So sweet. Sunday afternoon we were L-A-Z-Y. We all took naps. I love naps. Sunday night I went to a fun surprise dinner for a good friend at Abuelos. The best Mexican food ever. And fun times with friends!

In the middle of all this madness, James and Kaitlyn are not feeling good. They both have horrible coughs. Kaitlyn has not slowed down one bit, so I hesitated to even take her to the doctor. But, today I took James and Kaitlyn both to the doctor. They both have viral bronchitis. Fun!! Kaitlyn LOVES Dr. Martin. She laughed and laughed when he looked in her ears and her nose. When he was finished looking at both of them she walked over and gave him a hug and a kiss on his hand. Too bad he had just sanitized them. Oh well.

Hopefully they will feel better soon!! Have a good week!

Odds and Ends

James told me yesterday that I needed to post something interesting. Was that a shot? Is my blog really that boring? He said for me to write about something else besides what we do every day. I proceeded to tell him that the purpose of this blog is not for other people to necessarily read (though I LOVE when lots of people comment), but for me to journal about our life and what is going on, so that one day I can look back on it and remember the good and not so good times.

I am not good at coming up with a random topic, or interesting question for people to ponder and comment. But - I decided to try and come up with one random question a week to just throw out there to see what others have to say. These could be serious questions, or silly - pointless questions.

But, before I ask my random question of the week - let me just say how glad I am that the Beards are now in Abilene. We called them totally last minute last night to go eat at Chilis for dinner. They are awesome people that I know James and I both wish we would have known better when we lived in Dallas. So, now that they are here we can start a new, great friendship with such great people. They may not think we had a good time last night b/c Kaylee "had not had a nap" if you catch my drift - but we had a blast, and look forward to spending more time with them.

Okay.. here is my random question:

What is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?

Think about it and let me know...

Ramblings...

Thank you to everyone who posted advice on the sleep issue. Let me just tell you... since the day I posted this -the technique I tried has worked better and better each night. And last night, our sweet Kaitlyn fell asleep completely on her own and slept in her own bed until we woke her up at 7:15 this morning!!!

So, I went with the Nanny 911/Shanta technique. We went through our nightly ritual of reading 2 books, maybe sing a song or two, say our prayers, kiss goodnight. Then I just sat my bootie on the floor and stared at it for what seemed like FOREVER - and slowly inched my way to the door. The first night it took her about an hour and a half to fall asleep. The second night, she was asleep in about 20 minutes. Night three she regressed a little bit, taking about 45 minutes - but then last night was perfect!! I hope I am not jinxing anything by writing about it. I seriously did not think this technique would work. I was sure that she would hop right out of bed and start playing, or she would talk to me or something. But it has been great. I will also add that I took her to Walmart so that she could pick out a fun night light. I thought that may help. She chose a Dora and a Strawberry Shortcake one. So, which ever side her head is turned she can see a friendly face!! Whatever works, right?

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We had a fun weekend. My parents came down on Saturday from Lubbock. Dad helped James replace a CV joint? Something on "Silvia" (the Honda). I was really impressed with James's ability to replace this certain thing. It was huge! Kaitlyn, mom and I had fun and just hung out. We ate fast food all weekend and just enjoyed each other's company.

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I was SO disappointed to see my boyfriend Peyton Manning lose on Sunday! What an exciting ending though! We have some friends that are HUGE Steelers fans (what?!).. they came over on Sunday night sporting their black and gold. Whatever.

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I really want (not a need, just something I would like) a new, fairly inexpensive digital camera that takes awesome pictures. Any suggestions? Kristen OQ... what kind do you have? The pics on your blog are always so good and clear!

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We desperately need rain! Everything is so dry in so many parts of TX/OK and other states right now. I'm so tired of hearing about fires every where! Pray for rain people!

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Gray's Anatomy last night? Loved it. Did anyone watch The Office last Thursday about "The Injury?" That was the funniest episode of anything I have seen in a long time. Golden Globes are on tonight - I LOVE award shows.

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I have a really awesome boss. There was a few of us that had to work on this day of celebrating MLK. He just came in and said I could leave whenever, but still put a full 8 hours on my time sheet. And I can use this day as another paid day off whenever I want. YAY! Now I can go to Body Step and Pump! This is turning out to be a good Monday..... Have a good day!

The Longest Night Ever....

The evening started off well, with James cooking us a wonderful dinner of pancakes and eggs. I LOVE having breakfast for dinner every once in awhile. The 3 of us enjoyed sitting down together, talking about our days... just enjoyed each others company.
Not long after dinner, it was time to get Kaitlyn ready for bed. For the past few weeks, it has been the biggest struggle putting her to bed. She has always been a good sleeper - since she was a baby. All of a sudden, she turns 2 and forgets how to fall asleep on her own. When we moved her into her big girl bed she still did okay going to sleep on her own, but she would come into our room sometime in the middle of the night. We thought this was a phase... she would stop doing it eventually... it really didn't bother us, etc. Well, this has continued for months now. And for the past 3 weeks she will not go to sleep unless someone is in the room (preferably in her bed) with her. Warning! Pushover Parents alert! Warning! "Sure honey bunches of oats, we would LOVE to spend 2 hours laying with you until you fall asleep!" Idiots.

So, yesterday I decided to end it all - let her cry and cry and cry, but the girl needs to go to sleep on her own. This can not go on. So.. here is a rundown of our night:

7:30PM - bathtime.

7:45PM- She wanted me to play with her dollhouse with her instead of watching a video. NO problem. I let her know that I would play with her for a few minutes - then we would read books and go to bed.

8:00- Read 2 books (with a fight because she thought she was still getting to watch a video)

8:25- left her in her room after saying our prayers, I love you, Goodnight.. Started crying almost immediately

8:30-She stopped crying, but she is up out of her bed putting on a pair of her jeans.

8:45- Begins putting pieces from her dollhouse into one of her rainboots.

9:00- I make the decision to go in her room and put her back in her bed.... starts crying

9:10- Gets out of bed to get her bible and looks at it for awhile.

9:15- James and I hear a few chords being played on her piano.

9:30PM- I go back in to check on her because it sounds like the walls of Jericho came crashing down... put her back in bed.. more crying

9:40PM- Starts reading her bible again.

9:50PM- We hear her Rudolph stuffed animal start singing.

10:00PM- Go in her room to find her with no pajamas on, no socks on - sitting in a half-daze in front of her doll house. Put her back in bed (4th time), left her crying for her Daddy with her eyes closed... this HAS to end soon...

10:20PM- ASLEEP!!! For how long....

12:45AM- She comes into our room, and James carries her back to bed

1:35AM- She comes back into our room, and I carry her back to bed

2:00AM- Back into our room.. I take her back again.. she starts crying VERY hard.

2:45AM- Who is crying harder, Kaitlyn or Leslie?

3:00AM- Still screaming her head off saying she is scared, monsters are going to get her, she doesn't like the water heater, her tummy hurts, her bottom hurts, she has 2 boo-boo's.....

3:30AM - Has not let up yet... I am about to go insane. By this time I am wondering how long do I do this? All night long? Should I go lay with her until she goes to sleep? Right as I go in there, she is at the door, so I just pick her up. She has never held on to me so tight in her life. I carry her to our bed and she is asleep in about 30 seconds.

What have I done? This is so hard. We tried a reward system sometime in there - but that didn't last long at all.

Needless to say, I will struggle all day with keeping my eyes open.

Any suggestions for what to try tonight? James will be out of town, so I'm all on my own.

Weekend rundown...

Man, I am TI-RED this morning! Monday mornings usually hit me pretty hard. We had a really enjoyable weekend just being at home and not having any big plans. Friday night we took Kaitlyn to Chucky Cheese - she loves that place. Expensive food, but each ride/game is just one token, so that helps! The bigger winner of the evening was James, however, winning about 80 something tickets on this game where you have to push a button right when it lights up on the Jack Pot. I was pretty impressed! For her prizes, Kaitlyn picked out some rubbery fish and lizards, 3 packages of Smarties, a purple bracelet, and some airplane toy.

Saturday the weather was SO pretty! I got up and went to Body Step (my new favorite class). When I got home James took down the Christmas lights while Kaitlyn and I picked and ate some pecans. I tried to help James with the lights, but I wasn't "wrapping them right," so I had to quit. Sorry... I didn't know there was a certain way! But, when he was all finished - they did look very neat and organized!
For lunch we went and got some chicken and had a picnic at the park. We took some bread to feed the ducks - but there were so many birds - they were huge and white. They looked like sea gulls, but I don't know if they were. Anyway, we fed them instead. James picked out his favorite one that he fed. This particular bird was pretty awesome. It would catch anything in mid air that James threw to him.

After our picnic, we played at the park for a good while - playing a couple of games of follow the leader. This is one of Kaitlyn's favorites.

Saturday night we had dinner over at our neighbors house. Kaitlyn loves playing with Kelly, their 3 year old daughter. They got a trampoline for Christmas, so Kaitlyn was in heaven jumping on that thing! We had a good time cooking out hamburgers and getting to know them better.

It was good to be back at Highland on Sunday! We still aren't having classes until next Sunday - I'm ready for those to start back up! After church 30 of us went to Olive Garden for lunch. Yes - 30 people! It was one of the girls in our class birthday - and her husband made reservations for our whole class to go. We had a really fun time, but Kaitlyn was so hyper and would NOT stay in her chair. This gets annoying VERY fast! She played with her friend Emma most of the time though - so I can't complain too much!

Sunday night I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned some more!! I got the bathrooms shiny and organized, floors swept and mopped, dishes done, and furniture dusted. That's always a good feeling when you finish.

I was then so excited because there was a new Gray's Anatomy on TV, but then it turned out to be an hour clip show. Disappointing. Next week looks good though!!

Have a good Monday! (I'll post some pictures of the weekend tonight or tomorrow)

Back to School & Goals for the New Year

Well, the end of my first week back at work after the holidays is almost over! I love Fridays. Work has been really busy this week - tons of emails, and lots of phone calls - I'm ready for another break!

Kaitlyn got to go back to school today for the first time in over 2 weeks. (Why they start back on a Friday, I have no idea). I was curious as to how she would handle going back, but she was SO excited. James called me and said he has never had to get her dressed and ready so fast before. He said she literally ran into her classroom, and when he left her, she was just sitting at the table laughing. I guess she was getting a little bored of hanging out at home with mom and dad. I mean, we're fun - right? It does make me feel good to know that she is going to a place that she likes and that she misses when she is not there.

I also thought I would take this opportunity to record my goals for the New Year. Not just because everyone else is doing it, but so that in a year I have something I can literally look back on and see if I held up to them or not. So.. here goes:

1. Stop biting my fingernails. I got some stuff I'm supposed to rub on my cuticles for Christmas - maybe that will help.

2. Read my bible WAY more than I do now. I can read "Christian" books all day long, but I really just need to spend my time in the Word itself. I would love to memorize the book of James.

3. Become a more patient mom and a more self-less wife. One of my struggles is after being at work all day long, I just long for time by myself to do what I want. I really need to quit being selfish and spend more quality time with James and Kaitlyn during the week.

4. Eat healthier. I think I have finally got the exercise part down - but what good is that doing me if I just eat junk all day long?

5. Add on to our family. I realize I'm not the one in control of this, but I would really like it if Kaitlyn could have a brother or sister!

I'm sure I could make a much longer list, but those are the main ones.

Here is to Fridays and to 2006!!!

Here's to 2005...

Part 2 of my holiday posting. Another year bites the dust. Let's see what all has happened this year..... (in no particular order)

1. Made a huge move in jobs and cities! After 3 years in the DFW area, we moved further west to Abilene. One of the best decisions we have made, I think. (Hopefully James will agree)



3. Celebrated Kaitlyns 2nd birthday, right after we got to Abilene.

4. James started working for Sysco Foods and I am back at ACU working in Admissions.

5. I got to see my best friend get married at a beautiful wedding in Nashville, TN. (Also the first time I got to meet her husband, Ashley. Love him!!!)

6. James' 5 year college reunion. Got to see some WAY fun people. I'm so glad I married someone from that class... they are awesome.

7. 2 of my roommates from college had babies!! I'm so thankful for the weekend that we had to hang out together! You girls need to move back to Abilene!

8. James and I went through a miscarriage. I debated on whether or not to add this one in... but it was a big part of our year. It made us even more thankful for Kaitlyn (if that was possible) and more aware of what a miracle babies are!

9. I went to my first ever ZOE conference with one of my very dearest friends, Julie. This was an amazing spiritual experience. I can't wait to go back.

10. I watched/am watching the greatest TV show, Alias - come to an end. Horrible. I would be fine if it didn't even finish the season. I also gained a new favorite show, Gray's Anatomy.

Anyway... those are some of the highlights. James and I spent the New Year holiday in Lubbock with my family. We took in a few movies, ate lots of good food, enjoyed the weather (except for Sunday when the wind blew like 175 miles per hour), and took it some good basketball games. My high school girls bball team was playing in a tournament and they made it to the championship game, which they won! I'm glad James was supportive and went with me! Go Mustangs! My brother and I had got my parents a chiminea (sp?) for Christmas, so we enjoyed sitting by the fire at night. Kaitlyn really liked helping my dad throw the wood in, and we even roasted marshmallows. She wasn't too sure about the taste of those.

I'll end this post with a few of Kaitlyn's favorite things/things that she does right now:

1. She no longer has her paci!! I meant to write about this a long time ago, but never did. She's been without it for about a month and a half now. Yay!

2. She still comes in our bed every single night. I can't wait for the day that I wake up naturally and not to someone trying to poke my eyes out.

3. Her two favorite shows right now are Little Einsteins and Charlotte's Web.

4. She has only seen Little Mermaid once, but she likes to sing the "Ah, Ah, Ah's" while I dance around. And then I sing, and she dances. We're dorks.

5. Some of her favorite foods/drinks are: chicken nuggets, spaghetti, capri suns, apple juice, orange juice, m&m's, (really anything chocolate), pecans that we pick from our trees, green beans, corn, chicken nuggets, spaggettios, and did I say chicken nuggets? We have a real healthy eater.

6. She would wear her plastic, pink, Hello Kitty rainboots everyday if we would let her.

7. She is on the verge of being potty trained. She has stayed dry for very long periods of time, but we just can't seem to get it all together.

8. She has been saying "Don't be hateful" a LOT. This really bothers us, but we figure if we ignore it, maybe she'll just stop?

9. She can say the Lord's prayer. So sweet.

10. She is so smart, beautiful, a little messy a lot of the time, funny, observant, greatest gift I have ever been given.

Okay, enough of this long, long post.

On to 2006!!!!

Christmas!

Goodness... where to even start? My last post was like 12 days ago! I feel completely overwhelmed! We had a wonderful Christmas/holiday/New Year. As I read on someone else's blog, I won't bore you with every detail of what we did and every gift received, but just hit on some highlights. Also let me say, with deep sadness, that my camera was totally messed up off and on throughout the week, so I didn't get all the pictures that I wanted. :(
Anyway.. here is a BRIEF rundown of the Mayo family Christmas 2005:

Our first stop was my grandmothers house in Ft. Worth. Kaitlyn loved getting to see and play with her cousins. (Second cousins actually, but cousins none-the-less) We gave my grandmother a video that I had put together of pictures of all 13 of her grandkids. It turned out really good, and it was fun watching her watch it. James and I also got a quilt that my grandmother and aunt made out of our old college Tshirts! We love it!!
















Our next stop was in McKinney to see James' dad and Jan. It was really good to see them - it had been awhile! They had a BEAUTIFUL white Christmas tree up. Kaitlyn had a blast over there chasing their cats and running up the stairs to the top of the balcony and shouting down at us. We had a good time opening presents, and were also blessed with a beautiful concert by Kaitlyn on her new keyboard with microphone. It was hilarious. Quite the rock star she is!

















Destination #3 was to Parker to visit James' mom and Ron. Kaitlyn got to play with more cousins over here too! It was so fun watching her and Lofton and Graham play together. We hardly ever get to see them! One of the highlights here was listening to James read The Night Before Christmas to the kids. I'm afraid this will have to become a tradition. All three of the kids slept on pallets in Nana and Papaw's room on Christmas Eve. They loved doing that! We played a few games that night, and then had fun putting out the "Santa gifts." Christmas morning was really fun - Santa wasn't supposed to come for Kaitlyn until we got back to Abilene, but he remembered to leave a few things for her here! How nice of him. She got lots of fun toys, games, and a princess vanity set. We also got a DVD player for the car which made our trip home so much easier!! June always makes such good food when we are there - I'm sure I gained like 10 pounds at this house alone!







Our fourth house was back to Ft. Worth to see some of my dad's side of the family. Quick story: my grandfather was in the Korean War, and my dad had purchased a brick with his name on it that will be put on a memorial wall in Lubbock that is being built to honor veterans. My dad thought it would be neat if Neil (my brother) and I were both there to give him his gift. This was one of those times where my camera wasn't working - but I'll include the picture anyway. We had fun over there playing ping pong, eating more good food, and seeing some amazing Christmas lights. I swear, this house was just like the Griswalds....
















Final Destination: HOME!! We made it back to Abilene about 9:30 or so on Sunday night. We were tired!! My parents and brother came back with us, so that we could have our Christmas with them on Monday morning. We put Kaitlyn to bed, put her dollhouse together, filled our stockings... got everything ready. It is a tradition with my family to open one present on Christmas Eve. Since this was our Xmas eve together we went ahead and did that. We all thought that was so much fun, so we just kept opening! So we had Christmas with my family at midnight on Sunday night! It was really fun! I was so excited to get my own printer for my camera. It's so easy to do and prints really great pictures! When you are really tired, everything is funny... needless to say, we laughed a LOT. Sadly, I have no pictures. And even more sadly, I only have ONE from our Christmas morning with Kaitlyn. ONE. And it's horrible. Are you ready? Wait for it..............
















Is that amazing or what? I mean - just look at the quality of the picture. DANG CAMERA!!! And check out those boots! They go really well with her pull-up. Oh well.... we have video. Oh wait, no we don't!! We didn't even have the video camera out. Sorry Kaitlyn - your parents have failed this year. Christmas morning was fun for Kaitlyn. However, by this time she had been so many places, seen so many people, opened SO many presents... the girl was worn out.

We are such a blessed family. However tiring it may have been, we were so lucky to have 4 houses to go to and love on family. I wouldn't have changed anything about it.

Stay tuned for Part 2! We went to Lubbock for a long New Years weekend. More stories and pics to come.

It's good to be back!

The Christmas postings are coming soon

Ok, Leslie is going through withdrawls because it has been a whole couple of days since anything has been written.

I assure you tomorrow will be the longest post ever or broken up into a week of posts. Ho Ho Ho who would know.

In the meantime, I have come across some comedy genious to keep you busy for abouot 2 minutes. Many of you have seen it but others of you only wish could write this stuff.

I didn't want to see the chronicles of Narnia until after this video.

Enjoy and let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch.php?v=IggTu7kV7No