Twins

My in-laws gave me the most amazing anniversary present. Yah, yah....I know. Anniversary presents are supposed to be for both of us, but this one was really for me.

I can usually read his mom like a book, but she TOTALLY surprised me with this one. I had no idea that she and my father-in-law had been busy as beavers scanning and copying all their old family photos and all of Kirk's baby pictures. She put them all in an album, complete with names and dates.....it is such a treasure.

I have poured over each and every picture -- giggling at my mother-in-law's hairstyles and cat glasses, snickering at my father-in-law's purple plaid blazer, and guffawing at my brother-in-law's Miami Vice Don Johnson white suits and tank tops. I've grown misty-eyed looking at the old black-n-whites of Kirk's grandparents....like his Grandpa's war photo....those get me every time. Then there are the pictures of Kirk in Jr. High wearing jams and hightops.....I want to remain married, so I'm not going to post them (but, oh, how I want to!). There are even pictures of Kirk and me when we first started dating....I was baby-faced, blonde haired, and had my hair in a ponytail tied with a white ribbon.....seems like ages ago.

This is the one that gets me though.....

This is Kirk in the 1st Grade.

And this is Tate.

Can you believe how much Tate looks like him? Twins, I tell ya, twins. Look at those dimples....there is no denying this one, Kirk!! :)

Thank you, Joyce & Eli, for such a precious gift and for being so super sneaky....love it.

The Christmas Run-Down

Our Christmas started last Saturday. Santa comes early to see our family. We like to say it is because we are special....it's really because we travel all through the holidays and don't like to schlep Santa with us.

I got my pink laptop bag....so amazing. I also got tools. Totally a good thing. Probably the first occasion EVER that tools were okay with me. Kirk also got me a couple of CDs I'd been wanting. Put all that with the yummy Lindt chocolates that I'm totally addicted to, and I came out pretty darn good!

The boys gave Kirk and I some pretty amazing gifts. If you missed how we do the Dollar Tree Extravaganza, check here.

Yes, you are seeing right....that is High School Musical lip gloss. I've been forced to smile through countless applications of the nasty stuff. The stuff tastes terrible....it is SO hard to pretend that I like it. The things we mothers do for our kids....

And Kirk's Santa hacky-sack and Rope Knot picture....whoa.

One of Keaton's favorite gifts was his MP3 player....we spent all day buying songs online and downloading CDs....Kirk and I have decided that we have lost our son forever. Although it does totally crack me up how he sings at the top of his lungs and completely off-key, forgetting that no one can hear anything...but him!

Sawyer got his BB gun. Ahhhhh.....country boy bliss. We've been shooting cans and targets ever since. So far, no one has shot their eye out!

One of Tate's favorite gifts was his Indiana Jones whip. I waited too late to get the set that came with the hat, but that wasn't a problem for our Tater. He made fast work of running to his room and getting one of his cowboy hats, a green pistol, and boots. After hurling himself around the house whipping everything in sight, he settled down in front of a Indiana Jones movie......excuse the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle undies, but have you ever seen anything cuter?

We headed to Kirk's parents house on Tuesday. We ate a gigantic meal at his grandmother's on Christmas Eve, and had a fun time opening presents and hanging with the cousins. One of Kirk's cousin's wives had an AWESOME new phone.....I played, petted, and coveted it all day. Want.One.Now.

Christmas Day was an onslaught of Christmas madness all day. The boys woke up SUPER early and opened their presents from their grandparents. Then a couple of hours later, our nieces and nephew came over and we opened presents again. A couple of hours later, Kirk's brother, his wife, and his stepson came over and we opened presents again. A couple of hours later, Kirk's uncle and family came over and we opened presents again....and finally got to eat. A couple of hours later....I took a nap. *smile*

Yes, Kirk is holding a VS box.....this sucker is passed between his brother and him every year. It was Kirk's turn to get it this year. His brother threatened to acutally put underwear in it this year, but opted for tools instead. Too bad.

Look at this crew all squeezed into a not so big house.....good times.

And look....we even had a dog dressed in a Santa suit.....

Friday, we headed for my sister's house for my family Christmas. Kirk ended up with some funky eye thing, so I had to drive THE WHOLE WAY. I fell asleep twice while driving (yikes!). Because I had forgotten to pack Kirk's glasses and because he had the funky eye thing, we had to drive all the way to our house first to pick up the stuff he needed, and then we drove on to my sister's. WE SPENT ALL DAY IN THE CAR....WITH ME DRIVING. Ugh.

We opened presents that night. And made the grandkids suffer through the annual pose-in-front-of-the-tree-and-pretend-like-you're-happy pictures.

We had our huge Christmas meal on Saturday night. Look at this food.....we had an Italian feast.....so much better than more turkey and dressing! I can still feel the ravioli and Cresent Roll Lasagna just sitting in my stomach. Ate.Way.Too.Much.

Here is a picture of my dad sleeping.... He can't stand it that I do this to him, but it is so much a part of our holiday traditions, that it would be close to sinful for me not to include it! *sorry, Dad*

Kirk and I celebrated our 11th anniversary on Saturday, too. We have spent every wedding anniversary with my family for the past 11 years. We probably will spend it with them for the rest of our lives. I bought myself a new pair of shoes to celebrate!

On Sunday we went to church, ate, napped, and went to a movie. Perfect day. We saw Marley &Me. I didn't all out boo hoo, but I did shed a tear or two. That dog totally reminds me of Ozzie.

We came home today. My house is now a mess of Christmas bags full of presents, suitcases, and dirty clothes. I decided to not do ANYTHING this evening, but save all those projects for tomorrow. Tonight we are just lounging around in our jammies, watching the movies the kids got for Christmas, and ignoring the mess.

Our Christmas was great. The presents were nice. The food was yummy. The time spent laughing and talking with family was the best. Remembering Jesus' birthday.....Perfection.

11 Years....

Eleven years ago today....I married my best friend.

Happy Anniversary, Kirk! I love you to the stars and back.

I'm Outta Here....After the Husband Gets Back From Hunting Coyotes

So, we're getting ready to jet out of here....

I really don't need to be taking this little bloggy-break, but I wanted to check-in for a few minutes before the house turns into a complete free-for-all of "Where are your socks?" and "I can't find my hairbrush!"

All I have left to do before we pull out is packing suitcases. Shouldn't be too hard, since ALL the laundry that I've been doing (all 21 loads of it....I know, pathetic) is folded and piled on Keaton's bed. I thought it would be easier to just lug the suitcases in there and pack, instead of putting all the clothes away, just to go and dig them back out. Poor Keaton...he had to sleep on the couch last night, since his bed was just a bit piled....

I'm not in to much of a hurry this morning, since the husband won't be back for awhile. He celebrated his first day of his 2 week vacation by going coyote hunting with a couple of buddies....yes, you read right, coyote hunting. I don't ask questions anymore. As long as he doesn't bring one of those home expecting us to eat it...I'm good.

I also discovered that I've forgotten to get one of our little cousins a present. I would never have realized it, but thankfully the boys were pulling out the presents under the tree for me, and separating them into piles as to which ones went to which grandma's house. They were reading every tag, and I noticed that they hadn't said "Alex." So, I, of course, thought they had overlooked his present.....uh, no. We searched and searched. Nothing. Then it hit me....I just returned his present to WalMart yesterday. Returned it....again, you read right. I had 2 SpeedRacer car sets setting on my table, and for the life of me, I couldn't remember who I had bought them for. I had gone over and over my list and couldn't find anyone that the cars were supposed to go to. So, I chalked them up to just being extra presents, and I took them back yesterday to get my money back before one of my kids opened them. THOSE WERE TOTALLY FOR ALEX! Argh. So, I'll be stopping at Toys R'Us on our way up North today.....Kirk is thrilled.

Although I've struggled a bit with the whole "I want to be at my house Christmas Day" thing, I'm beginning to look forward to lazing around my mother-in-law's for a few days. She makes the best Chex Mix, so I'm getting used to the idea of being a couch potato for a couple of days stuffing my face with bowls and bowls of Chex Mix! Our teenage nieces are going to be there, too, and we always have fun playing Dance Dance Revolution together, so it should be a good time! After we leave my mother-in-law's, we're headed to my sister's house. My parents are in the middle of a move (they just unloaded their U-Haul yesterday), and Mom wasn't about to try and have our family at their house for Christmas....so, since I had Thanksgiving, Michele gets Christmas.

I hope each and every one of you has an amazing Christmas. Presents are fun. Family is great. Food is amazing. But Jesus is awesome. Let us each strive to remember the true Reason for this Season, and worship our King in everything that we do.

Merry Christmas!

Randomness Run Amuck...Even Into A Men's Restroom

Tomorrow we head out on our road trip full of Bug Juice, Laffy Taffy, and the License Plate Game. Our car will be packed to the brim with suitcases, presents, pillows, coats, and all those Happy Meal toys and beef jerky packets we'll collect along the way. I'm taking a break in my pull-my-hair-out preparation day to take a computer break, and everything that is running through my head is on the far end of the random scale...

I'm wondering if I can get all my laundry done in time to pack our suitcases. I've done 14 loads of laundry this weekend, and you can't even see a dent in the dirty clothes piles. Could have something to do with all 4 of my men feeling the need to change clothes a bazillion times a day. Also could have something to do with me not having done a stitch of laundry all last week....but, we're not going to dwell on that.

Speaking of laundry....here's how bad it is. Keaton, bless his heart, has been wearing my athletic socks for the past 3 days, because his drawer is e.m.p.t.y. This is much to his dismay, but I've promised him that no one will see the pink stripe on the toe....as long as he keeps his shoe on. Just might have screwed that kid up for life.

We went to town this morning to run 5 errands....5 fast errands. Left at 7:30...didn't get home until 11:45. *frown & growl*

We ate at McDonalds today for lunch. The kids think it is because they were getting a treat. It's really because I don't have a clean pot in the house to even cook mac and cheese in, and cleaning the kitchen isn't at the top of my to-do list today. Another nomination for Mother-of-the-Year....I know....keep 'em coming.

Sawyer ordered a grown-up meal at McDonalds today. I began to wipe a tear from my eye, getting all reflective on how time flies and how my little boy is turning into a man. Uh-uh. He just wanted to be able to have a bigger cup than his brothers.....

My oldest son is either clueless or he played a dirty, dirty trick on me today. I'm hoping for clueless, because it was SO not funny. While in Wal-Mart, Sawyer had run into the bathroom, under the strict instructions to "HURRY!". I was standing right outside the bathroom, and hadn't see anyone go in or out in what seemed like 5 or 10 minutes. Sawyer is notorious for playing in the sink, so I sent his usually responsible big brother in with a message...."HURRY!". Still no Sawyer. So I wait.....I send Keaton back in....still nothing. Repeat. Nothing. On the last time out, Keaton told me that Sawyer's hands were covered in soap and he was running from sink to sink playing in the water. So, I say, "Keaton, are there any men in there?" He says, "I don't think so." Well, neither did I, since we'd been there for eons and seen no signs of male life around the restroom. So, I prance to the door, push it open, stick my head in, shouting, "HURRY!" as I go.....only to be horrified at the sight of 2 stunned men using the urinals just inside the door. Nice. I scramble out of there all while giving the stare-down to Keaton, who hasn't a clue as to why his mother is now red-faced and babbling like an idiot. To make it worse....Sawyer continued to slow-poke, forcing me to greet each of the men as they left the restroom. Sawyer is SO banished to the women's bathroom with me for the rest of his life! Keaton, too....maybe....just because.....

I still need to post all our pictures from our family Christmas. My in-laws live in the Sticks, and don't have internet access, so I'm going to be on a Blog-iday for the next few days. I'm going to try to get some posts together tonight to have ready for the next few days....we'll see if I can get that done...it is on my list! Anyway, all our wonderful present pictures (like our Dollar Tree gifts....fun!) are on the list of things to leave for you....but, I couldn't wait any longer to show you my new fantastic laptop bag.....isn't it mah-va-lus?!

So....off to climb Mountain O'Laundry....again. After that it is packing suitcases, cleaning house, and wrapping presents. I also have a nap to take....just might do that first!

Merry Christmas Eve Eve Eve!

I Just Thought I Had the Christmas Spirit....Now I Really Do!

So, we had our little family Christmas Saturday morning. Amidst all the wrapping paper remnants and the remains of the many battles with toy packaging (another post altogether...grrrr), I looked around my quaint little living room and smiled. I was really beginning to get into the Christmas Spirit....something that I have been so lacking of for the past however many weeks.



We lazed around the house playing with all our new toys, then meandered our way towards Hot Springs, to finish up a little Christmas shopping. It was actually a really enjoyable trip. Nobody cried. Nobody got lost. Nobody showed out in the store. Kirk stayed happy. It was probably the most pleasant mall trip that our family of 5 has ever had....and it all happened the Saturday before Christmas. Miracle. Seriously. So, I came home blissfully even more in the Christmas Spirit than before. Things were really looking up.



I've stayed in the Christmas Spirit all day today. My little family has giggled and laughed. I even made some Christmas goodies for our church get-together tonight. I even had big plans of blogging tonight about all my amazing presents (like my electric pink laptop case....just think Legally Blond....) and posting pictures of my little family opening up their treasures. I had it all planned out...I had already come up with some witty captions for my oh-so-fabulous pictures.



I was seriously feeling Christmas..........



.....and then I went to church tonight......



.....it started out with a fellowship pot-luck meal (which are always amazing and put me in a good mood), but then we moved into a time of worship. All the lights were turned off except the Christmas Tree lights and the flickering lights of the Advent candles. We sang carols and worshipped through the reading of the Christmas story.



I sat in complete and total awe.



Awe of the beauty of the moment. Awe of the precious sound of my middle son's voice singing "Away In a Manger." Awe of the oneness of mind of this fellowship of believers that I love so much. Awe of the togetherness of families singing together. Awe of the way that hearing such a familiar story can still give me goosebumps and make me cry.



But most of all, awe of what Christmas is all about. Tonight, sitting in the dark of my beloved church, I got it. I've been running myself ragged for the past few weeks. Filling jewelry orders, shopping for lists and lists of gifts, worrying myself to death about being ready for Santa, and beating myself up for not having 20 minutes left in a day to make a batch of Christmas cookies with my kids.



It isn't about any of that. As important as family and traditions are to this Season.....they don't hold a candle to that tiny Baby born 2000 years ago. That tiny Baby born to humble people, because God knew that The King didn't have to be a king to be The King.



Tonight we sang my most favorite Christmas song ever. It is one of those songs that when I hear it, I want it to go on and on forever. I just love it so much. I'm going to go to sleep singing it, and it will be stuck in my head all day tomorrow....but, you know what, I don't care.


Want to see a beautiful video of my favorite singer singing my favorite song.....go here. Please, oh please....you'll be so glad you did!

So Boy Crazy, I Am, I Am

I had a discussion at lunch today with some of my coworkers (over enchiladas and chips/salsa...yummo!) about the whole girl vs. boy issue.


I've written about this before, but I couldn't help but rehashing this whole concept...


I think God knew that I needed to be the mom of boys. Aside from hairbows, tutus, and that one dress from AddieMae's Closet that I've had my eye on for my imaginary daughter.....I really don't think I'm girly mom material.


Right now....this is what I see....











And I'm perfectly happy with all of it....except the dirty socks...I could do without those!


Really can't imagine my life with a daughter....actually would pity one to have to live in this Boy Crazy World!