Christmas Traditions

Do you have traditions for the holiday season?

We pick new ornaments as a family each year. It is fun to add to the tree and have memories connected to our decorations.


Christmas eve we let the kids open one gift. It is always a book and I keep them put away until Christmas Eve. That way everything under the tree remains a secret until Christmas morning. then we watch "How The Grinch Stole Christmas". After singing Christmas carols, we read the kids' their new books and tuck them into bed.

Christmas morning is always fun! Santa leaves a big present unopened to greet the kids first thing! After opening gifts, hubby makes a special breakfast of Eggs Benedict...yummy:)

It is always so wonderful and I feel very blesses to have the family that I have!
Merry Christmas to you all!

Party!!

We celebrated my mom's birthday this weekend :)
I made the cake, my uncle cooked out, and my aunt provided the sides. Too fun!

(That is my hubby putting "bunny ears" on my mom in the background)

Vegas Fun - Family Style

The CircusCircus has it's own theme park. It's not HUGE, but it has many fun rides! Even a roller coaster! The Adventure Dome was calling Isabella
the second she saw it ;)

Yup....Isabella and I are on this. Can you believe I did this? And it was the first ride we went on...hehehe...wish hubby had taken a picture of my face after the ride!

My lovely daughter, Isabella. This is on the hot air balloon ferris wheel.

My dear son Jaxson. He is fascinated by all the lights, sounds and people.

Isabella and I are on the boat at the very top...we are waving to hubby and a concerned Jaxson below!

Father gives daughter first driving lesson. I wish I could get videos to work when I upload them. I took a video of him driving all around the outside. It is hilarious, they may have been bumped once. Everyone else gets in jams and bumps...my hubby is careful and cautious...hahaha...it was sweet :)

Jaxson on the carousel

Hubby and jaxson waiting to get back on the carousel!

My kids after the day!
Jaxson fell asleep in his stroller on the looonnggg walk back to the room. We didn't want to risk waking him. Don't worry! We put on the brakes and stayed close by to make sure he didn't fall over.


Our view from the room. You can see the Trump Tower and many cranes. They worked all the time building things! It was amazing!

Give Me Five Monday

It's that time again! I thought this was a great meme for today :)

Give Me Five current projects you are working on: crafts, around-the-house, church, work, etc.

1. Organizing closets - especially the kids, it's amazing how much they seem to grow in just a few short months! It's fun to go shopping for school clothes, though! So, far I have donated 4 boxes of clothes. And I have one closet left to do...next shoes...

2. Homework - mine and Isabella's i am taking a Humanities course this semester. I will have to do 2 book reports and an oral report is due in December (yikes!) I have already checked out a few of the books the professor suggested.
Isabella has homework about every other night now. I can't believe it! I am not sure we had that much homework when I was in 2nd grade.

3. Volunteer - I decided not to take a position on the PTA board this year, but I am will be volunteering in different areas. I like being involved but not having the stress of board meetings.

4. Scrapbooking

5. cross stitching - this is something my step-mother taught me years ago. I have recently picked it back up....it is soothing

Hope you have a great Monday!!

Vegas Baby!

Vegas in August is HOT....in case you wondered what the desert was like in the summer.

We went to marry off my brother-in-law. It was a wonderful trip despite the fact we had very little (make that zero) time to sight see. But I did manage to catch a few photos of the Las Vegas Strip our first drive in.

Isabella was the flower girl, Jaxson was supposed to be the ring bearer but he decided to be his full 2 and half year old self instead. He spent the wedding strapped in his stroller eating fruit snacks. But he looked snazzy and had a good time later :)



My biggest worry was how the kids would do on the two and half hour plane ride. We had to drive 4 four hours to the airport first (to ensure we wouldn't have plane changes) But they did outstanding!!!! I have to say it was waaaayyyy easier than I has imagined. I wish I could have those hours (days) back that I worried and fretted!
Props to the airlines for letting families board first. That way you have time to get them settled and comfy.

Hubby and i are now discussing a return trip. We now know the following insider tips...do not stay at a hotel with a casino, if you have to, use valet parking. Take the back roads off the strip...going down the strip takes FOREVER. And we have a list of places we know we want to see next time. Some of them being erased after the one glance as we glided slowly by the first time....

Here are a few pics....



This is where we stayed...sigh...grandparents picked it out. It was fun for the kids. Circus, Adventure dome and magic shows...but we had to go through 2 main casinos and ride 2 elevators to get to our room.

Room with a view :)


I will post more on the trip another day. Hope you all had a great weekend and it is good to be back in blogland!!

Back on track....

Kids are back in school and the routine is setting up nicely. I like routine. Sure, I get bored and have to switch things up a bit, but overall I enjoy a routine.

My daughter started 2nd grade. I can't believe how big she is getting. The time really does fly by. Can you believe how fast this year has gone by?

I hope you all had a wonderful summer. It's good to be back in blogland!

What to do with those egg cartons?

We made a robot!!

Happenings....

Things are happening fast and furious here. Summer started with a bang! Water guns, finger painting, soccer, dance recitals, weddings, vacations....whew! I am going to be in and out of blog land until fall. Please Please Please Forgive me!!!!! I have not forgotten you. I still read the blogs on the fly. I should comment more...(bad sara) but I promise to try harder to let you know I am alive!

Hubby got a promotion (Thank the Good Lord!!!!) He starts in 2 weeks. This is something he has been working toward the last 2 years. We are excited!
that was another factor in May. He was in and out of interviews and we sat the entire month on pins and needles waiting to hear! Throw in summer activities and I was a little overwhelmed.

Hope you are all feeling as blesed as I and I will chat at you soon!

Tornado Alley

Yup, that's where I am. And last night was kind of freaky! We had my mom over for dinner and right after we cleaned the kitchen, the sirens went off. Mom took the kids to the bathroom, while hubby and I went to peek outside. It was dark and the air was heavy, very heavy. We went in and rode out a storm that lasted about 20 minutes or longer. A tornado touched down by mom's apartment. It was small, no one was hurt. There was damage and several trees down. She was extremely glad she was with us! It was a little too close for comfort!!

Hope the weather is fairer where you are!

Did you know?

I know that there things in this world we cannot protect our kids from. I also know we should give our kids tools and the knowledge to go into the world ready for the inevitable trials they will face.
I am having a little trouble however, with something that happened at my daughter's elementary school. Forgive me if I sound overprotective. Maybe I am just not ready for her to have to deal with this sort of thing yet.
Yesterday, they had a drill. Not a fire or tornado drill. I am not sure the exact name they gave it. But my daughter said they went to the cafeteria, hunched down in a row and turned off the lights. This was practice in case someone came into the school with a weapon. I just looked at her. She asked her music teacher why they were doing this, her reply? "In case someone comes in with a gun or knife and tries to hurt us." Yeah...that's what you need to tell a 7 year old. Idiot.

On the flip side, (according to the principal), the world has come to the point where we have to prepare for these cases. They want to have something in place, on the off chance a kid gets a gun and brings it to school.

Thoughts? comments?

Here Today Gone Tomorrow

I wrote about the frustrations of my brother moving here last August. Mostly frustrating because he left his first child 6 hours away with his first wife. If you are new to this particular drama, you can read about it HERE and HERE.

Well, as fast as they came, they have gone. Didn't tell his job, didn't bother to notify his apartment management (he was in his third month of a six month lease), didn't even bother to stay through May which he had paid for. Just woke up yesterday and decided he wanted to go home. He packed up his apartment, loaded his girlfriend and 3 babies up and left.

My mom is a left a little winded. We went over to see her last night and I am glad we did. She seemed a little blown out of the water. I am having her over for dinner tonight as well. Although in the long run this will be better on her health, it is no less shocking. She had really gotten attached to the girls.

So,I am back and a litlle dazed. Hope you are all well. Thanks for not giving up on me!

MIA

That's me!

I have taken an unscheduled and unannounced bloggy break. Sorry about that! I am feeling better and things on the home front are looking up. I plan to do some catch up this weekend and next week. I just checked my email and blog today for the first time since last Saturday. Thanks for not marking me off completely! Sometimes there is so much going on in the "real world" that blogland has to take backburner.
(the very nerve)

Talk to you all soon! And yes I actually have a list running of blogs to catch up on!

Cheers :)

Frustrations of a new kind....

If you are wondering where I am, I am here going a bit crazy...lol

Hubby was asked by his supervisor to work nights for a couple of weeks. No problem, hubby is a go with the flow kind of guy. He calls me at 9:30pm night before last, "Honey the car is missing." My heart drops into my stomach, Las Vegas trip vanishes before my eyes. We cannot afford this again!!!

Again, you say? Hubby works downtown, or as I call it the "hellpit" (not in front of the kids...geez) This past November hubby's car was stolen from the parking lot at 11:20am. It took the thief 2 minutes to get in and take off. Have the police recovered it? No, apparently there is a year long donut sale going on. Besides it was an older car, we only had liability on it (so no rental) and in Oklahoma you do not have to have a title on a car 10 years old or older to sell it for scrap. I am guessing that puppy was sold and smashed within a couple of hours.
This changed our routine a bit. I now get up early and take hubby to the bus. He had asked for a new parking pass for the downtown lot, but never heard back. Being the laid back guy he is, he didn't follow up. For a while this did not matter because he was riding the bus.

Well, duh! Neither of us thought about it when he agreed to work the night shift for a couple of weeks, and the dumb @#@$#*%! security officer had his car towed. There are not that many people working at night, the security officer could have checked around....anyway. Hubby was able to find a ride home that night. Yesterday morning my mom took him to the car lot they had towed it to. After paying 165 dollars, he went to work quite grumbly. This night gig will be over Friday.

Thank goodness because I am grumpy too! I tripped over Jaxson the other day and jammed my toe, and twisted my already bad ankle. After walking funny because of the toe and ankle, my knee and hip hurt....hahahaha I do look kind of funny hobbling around. The kids miss their dad at night. Kids like routine and get grumpy too, when it is changed.

Hope you are all well! i have not forgotten any of you! I have a growing list of blogs to catch up on, and I will. I promise!!
:)

This is my outlook today...what's yours??

Unexpected

There are times I expect his memory. I seem to psyche myself up for those dates. As they grow near, I cry, I take flowers to the marker with his name. His birthday, Christmas, the actual due date he was expected.

But there are days that I am not prepared for the overwhelming loss. It has been a little over 3 years and I still ache.

I went to counseling but there is only so much of that I could stand. They suggested group therapy, but the thought of listening to other women cry and grieve was not something I thought I could handle. I could barely handle my own emotions.

Yesterday was not a stand out date. But I was flooded with memories and sadness. I bought flowers and hubby took me to the cemetery. We haven't been there since February. Some people think (and have actually told us) that we should be over this by now. How on earth do you "get over" exactly. Maybe I should have stuck with the counseling long enough to find out.

Today I feel better. It seems to help, taking flowers. Talking to him, hubby clutching my hand tightly to let me know he still shares the same pain. It is no less gone from him than me. And knowing that helps too in a way.

Friday Fill-Ins

1. The last time I lost my temper I took a walk around the block to calm down!
2. Schools over testing our kids is what I'm fed up with!
3. The next book I'd like to read is Kite Runner.
4. Our trip to Vegas in August is what I'm looking forward to.
5. If you can't get rid of the skeleton[s] in your closet, better lock the door!
6. The best thing I got in the mail recently was my Taste of Home magazine.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going to bed early, tomorrow my plans include working a few hours and a nice dinner with the family and Sunday, I want to relax, maybe go to the zoo again or to the park, hopefully it will not rain all weekend!

Go HERE
for more Friday Fill Ins

reading time

I picked up 2 books at the library a couple of weeks ago, Alphabet Weekends by Elizabeth Noble and Weight of Water by Anita Shreve.

Alphabet Weekends is a delight. Elizabeth Noble is an author I have really enjoyed the past few years. Her book The Friendship Test is wonderful.

Anita Shreve is good too, but way too depressing at times for me. Light on Snow was good. Sad, but good. I thought The Pilot's Wife was very good as well.
Weight of Water has got to be one of the most disturbing and depressing books I have read. I ended up having to flip ahead, unable to read every page. Maybe it's just me.

I want to read Kite Runner, there is a 3 week waiting list at the library for a copy!

What are you reading?

Heads Or Tails

This week's theme/prompt is:

HEADS - Tip
*OR*
TAILS - Anything that rhymes with Tip.

Trip down memory lane

I have been thinking of my grandmother lately. She was a strong, gentle lady with a generous and loving heart. I miss her. Her wisdom, her singing, her understanding....I miss everything about her. She was the glue that kept our family close for years. We are still close but time and circumstances have distanced us. When I think of her, I am also flooded with family memories of get togethers, birthday parties, holidays...laughter, joy and belonging.

Inspiration

I have found the greatest source of inspiration this weekend!!
Hubby bought me milk chocolate Dove squares that have creamy caramel inside...oh yum.
The interesting thing about these candies, is they have a message written inside the wrapper. Like fortune cookie.

"buy yourself flowers"
"dare to dream"
"send a love letter this week"
"wink at someone driving past today"
"get your feet massaged"

Lovely messages! And lovely chocolates :)

**UPDATE: Here are two wrappers

*If they can do it, you know you can*
*Smile before bed, you'll sleep better*

Chef Isabella

Somehow Bella always makes the best pie (despite the plastic after taste)

How I fought the BLUES today....

As some of you know, I work for a few hours on Saturdays. Today I went in at 4am. My mom works in the same department, actually we sit in the same cube! She is a Monday-Friday fulltime employee, so it is rare that I see her. Today I was lucky (and blessed) to spend time with her. She was trying to get overtime and has been helping with my brother's twin girls since the birth of his son a few weeks ago. Between schedules, health issues and Jaxson having a cold, I have been out of commission to help out much.

I told her to bring the girls to me and she could have the afternoon off to rest.
I had so much fun! They are too sweet. Just learning to walk, eating solid food and soaking up the actions of my kids.....they took it all in.

They left tired and happy. Hopefully they will sleep all night!

Blues

Don't you hate it when you get the blues?
I have the blues. No particular reason, just have the blues. I think part of it is, hubby and I have plans for the future and the future seems far away. Does that make sense? I know we will eventually get there and I will eventually get to return to school and accomplish my goals, but it seems so far away. Time seems to fly by, the kids are getting older and life just seems so fast. I feel like my chances of doing the things I want to in life, are getting fewer and far between.

Hope you aren't totally depressed by this. I am overall happy. And I feel a little guilty feeling the way I do. There are people who are worse off than I. My marriage is good. My kids are healthy. I am healthy. So that should be good enough right?
Why do I want more? Is it just human nature? Am I being selfish? Is it just a bad day and tomorrow I will feel differently?

How Time Flies

It seems like just yesterday that I brought her home from the hospital. I would dress her in the cutest outfits, bought 15 pairs of shoes before she could walk, and sing to her every night.

Now, she can read, write and asserts more independence every day. One part of me is quite proud of the young lady she is shaping up to be, another part is wants to slow time down. Just for a bit

Meme about Me

I was tagged by Working Mum On The Verge for this meme
I have answered these before, so I will try to use new answers :)

What was I doing ten years ago?
I was 19, therefore I knew EVERYTHING. Wish I had a time machine, so I could go back and slap some sense into myself...oh well, I wouldn't be where I am if I did that. And I like where I am

5 Things on my To Do List today
1. clean out fridge
2. laundry
3. finish library book before I have to return it (yeah right)
4. make dinner
5. work on potty training Jaxson...sigh

5 Snacks I enjoy
Cheez Its
any cheese, except bleu cheese....yuck!
granola bars
Dove chocolates
Strawberries

Things I would do if I were a billionaire
buy a house
travel anywhere and everywhere
put my kids in private schools
buy my mom a house
pay off debts and family's debts

Five jobs that I have had
receptionist dating service...hehehe
supervisor for book store
customer service
part time auditor for a casino...hehehe
my first job was at a sno-cone stand, that was fun!

Three of my bad habits
I worry too much
I wait until the last minute to get out of bed and then have to rush around
hmmmmm....another one?

Five places I have lived
Texas
Oklahoma
how boring is that?

I decided not to tag anyone specifically for this meme, but if you are reading this and want to play along, go for it! Let me know, so I can check out your answers!

Congrats!

I want to thank Working Mum On The Verge for honoring me with the Award of Distinction! She created this award for blogs that make you, "think, laugh, cry or sigh" The only rule is you should pass it to another 5 blogs.

And I am passing the award to the following blogs!

So Shiok! for making me laugh (she is funny!) and sigh, because I would love to see some of the places she posts about!
Babywearing Buzz for making me laugh and think
Comedy Plus for providing great laughs and entertainment!
Three Weddings for making me laugh,cry and think
As good as it gets for making me laugh and think..I am glad I found ya again!!

Congrats everyone!

Heads or Tails

Today it is HEADS
and the theme is EXPRESS, you can use the exact word or any form of it!

My favorite pics of the kids' expressions









To see more Heads Or Tails, go HERE

Give Me Five Monday

Today's Theme

Give Me Five favorite candies, of all time or currently.

1. Hershey's chocolate bar
2. Jelly Belly Jelly Benas...cuz they have so many flavors you can combine!

3. York Peppermint Patties
4. Bottle caps...especially the rootbeer ones...I would fight for it..hehe

5. Carmello candy bar...yum!


For more Give Me Five Monday entries go HERE