Texans and Hoosiers

Heeeeeeeeere We Go!!!

2010-06-10T17:00:00.002-04:00

Ok, the silence has gone on WAY too long. And so, with encouragement from many of you to get this party started once again, here I am! =)
So many things have happened over the last several months. I have learned more than I could possibly record in the short time I have to blog this afternoon, so some of that will have to wait. I am actually going to try to go through my photo files and back-blog important things. It's either that or Elias' entire first grade year be missing when I order my blog printed in book-form someday. =) And there have been some GREAT moments! Don't get me wrong- this season has been REALLY difficult and trying, but we are exactly where we know we are supposed to be in this moment. And there is just an unexplainable peace in that.

So I greet you once again, sweet friends, with a funny story (which I recently said on Facebook was so funny and blogworthy that it would end the 6 months of silence on my blog)...

All four of us were sitting at the dinner table when something came up about Elena turning four soon. Elena began to talk about, as she regularly does, "when she was a baby". The conversation them moved to when Elena was in my tummy and Elias used to talk to her. All of the sudden, Elias began to ask questions about how Elena got out. Normally, we just answer questions like this on a truthful, but age-appropriate answer such as, "Well, when God decides it's time for the baby to come out, the Mommy goes to the hospital and has the baby. Then the doctors make sure the baby is ok and eating well, and they both come home in a couple of days." Typically, this type of answer is completely satisfactory. Not this night. No way, no how. The boy wanted answers. And he wanted them right there at the dinner table. As we kept straight faces and continued to re-word our answer over and over, his questions got more intense. His progression went something like this...
"How did Elena get out of your tummy though, Mommy?" *insert simple explanation here*
"Did she come out your mouth? Through your throat?!" *insert Mommy gagging on food from both hilarity and complete disgust at this idea. Then repeat simple answer*
"Did she come out your belly button?!" *Again, trying not to laugh, explaining (because he REALLY does want to know!) why we all have belly buttons. Talk about how babies get all their vitamins and nutrition through the tube that attaches the inside of Mommy to baby. Hope he forgets original question.*

*Pause* Hope that scientific explanation and distraction really worked...

"I just don't get it, Mommy! How did she get out?! Wasn't there a HOLE?!?!?!"

Me: "You know what, Elias. When Elena came out, she was really gross and slimy. And I don't really want to talk about it at the dinner table." *rush to Amazon.com and order the next book in the Focus on the Family sex-ed series*

See, aren't you glad I'm back!!! ;)

Friday Five!

2009-11-09T13:51:00.001-05:00

last week’s friday five had a challenge rather than a question:
try to incorporate dancing into your week and tell us how it goes!
let’s see how the five did…and feel free to share any dancing adventures of your own.

lissie- so…i can think of 4 times i got to dance this week.1. i babysat ethan a little on sat morning to give brent and meredith a small break and we played a kiddie cranium game that involved some dance moves.2. halloween night at nathan’s turned into a kitchen dance party. it started with couples being goofy and turned into everyone moving around. that was a blast!!3. chris twirled me around a little at the joe nichols concert on tuesday night.4. my class got canceled last night so i joined tracy and some friends for some bday dancing downtown. while it was good to hang out with girls, djs refused to give me any 80s, ac/dc, or bon jovi so i went home early. punks. i thought of cory getting his groove on at 80s/ladies (or however that goes) and wished i could teleport to columbus.

kimi- Kinda a lame dance week for me. I was expecting to have more to say. Went to a group lesson at the studio wednesday night. It was a pretty standard lesson, with all stuff that I already know, but I impressed my instructor with the stuff I had been working on. Then he gave me the CD to listen to for the solo I am going to do in December. The song is cell block tango from Chicago and I have to test out the edits he made. We have been planning out the choreography and which parts of the song I would be acting out. We’ll start the actual movement work on that tonight. The best part however, has be designing costuming for that event in the style of the musical. Lots of black fishnets and gothic-y looking clothes. Fun.

Jen- I had a week that I was completely unprepared for. In the midst of unexpected events, I wish I had remembered that our challenge this week was to dance- maybe it would have made it all more fun!
As it was, I danced a few times with my 3 year old (which is pretty normal). My favorite dance time was when she was hooked up to a breathing machine getting an albuterol treatment at her doctor’s office and we were dancing around the exam room together while she sang an impromptu song about medicine smoke coming out her nose. hehe. And I don’t mean sweet dancing like me holding her and swaying. I mean both of us on our feet, boogie-down, rock-out dancing. With breathing tubes and mask and all. =)

Rachel- There was not enough dancing in my week! On Monday we had over a professor and he brought his two-year-old child, and we danced. After dinner we cleaned up the kitchen and put on fun music and shook our booties a little while putting away our mismatched plates. I know Jill Scott songs were involved. That was super fun.
I think the only other times I danced while was preparing cookies or brushing my teeth. That seems OK. You just have to be careful that you don’t hurt yourself with the toothbrush. Hygiene is dangerous!

Cory- about dancing, mine has been irreverence. i didn’t go out dancing or anything this last week, but there were a few times when i was being talked to, and i didn’t really like how the talk was going, so i just started to shake it. dance as protest.

Happy 7th Birthday, Elias!

2009-10-31T22:23:00.003-04:00

I know this post is a couple of weeks late, but I thought I'd at least get it up while we are still in the month of October. =) (I have about 3 hours left...)

Elias had a great birthday this year. As usual, it was more like birthday week with the celebration of both of our birthdays ran on and on. We ate at Spaghetti Warehouse, which was major excitement since his favorite food ever is spaghetti. He opened gifts from the family on his actual day and then had a birthday party a few days later at Gattiland.

I honestly can't believe that I have a 7 year old. It just doesn't seem possible that he could be that old. Not that it's old, but it just doesn't seem like that amount of time can possibly have passed with him in our family. What a joy he is to us! I thank God every day for allowing me to be his Mom, and I can't wait to see what his future holds.

Elias was excited about his new "Bee-noculars" from Honey & Raun

We got him a Nintendo DSi, which he has wanted for about a year

He also got this case to hold his DSi and games, etc. He opened it, read the package, and exclaimed "YES!!!! My very own UNIVERSAL TRANSPORTER!!!" He still calls it that. heehee

Party with friends at Gattiland. What a great time!

Star Wars birthday cake.

Friday Five!

2009-10-24T12:39:00.003-04:00

Hey friends! Life has been a little crazy here the last few months, and I have- once again- fallen off the blogging bandwagon. In an attempt to start the habit of blogging again, I am participating in something called "The Friday Five", in which five different bloggers tackle the same question or experience. We actually started this last week, but I couldn't get it to post. Maybe I'll try again in a bit...
*note: even though my answer this week is super-wordy, I am pretty sure mine was the shortest answer last week*
I hope you have fun with this and feel free to share your answer as a comment (or even in your own blog!) as well. =)

This week’s question:
When was the last time you stayed up all night or most of the night? How was school or work the next day? What’s your stay-coherent technique on days like that?

Lissie: the last time i stayed up all night, or practically all night, was two thursdays ago for my cousin’s bachelorette party. we got in and slept for about 3 hours before we were up and running for day-before-wedding festivities and prep.
the next day wasn’t awful like going in to teach kindergarteners has been after an all nighter. i had enough shots of espresso and family drama to get me through the day. it was saturday that i paid the price. word to the wise: don’t spend 8 hours walking around and dancing in 3 inch heels if you have to wear heels at all in the following week. your feet will hate you!

Kimi: The Last time I stayed up all night was last March. I had gone to see Dirty Dancing on stage in Chicago that day and then ended up talking in my friend’s (now boyfriend’s) apartment until about 6:30. This was a Saturday night. I do unfortunately work on Sunday mornings because I work at a church. So I drove straight from his apartment to my church which took about 1 hr due to the nasty road conditions. It was one of my busier days at work so I was running the entire time, but I remember very little of that day, except several kids telling me that I looked really really bad and asking me if I was sick. I got home from church around Noon and then slept until 5:00PM, when I headed out with him again to see another movie.

Rachel: I got 2.5 hours of sleep on Monday morning after getting home from Manhattan at 2 a.m. My pals and I went to see David Bazan at the Bowery Ballroom. He didn’t start until 11 p.m.! That’s late for us old people! The show was super awesome, and it was totally worth exhaustion throughout the next day. We drank coffee on the car ride home and so I didn’t get to sleep until 3:30. I was up by 6 to write more on my paper and to get to an 8:30 a.m. class. Woooo!
My stay-awake plan: drink lots of water, drink lots of green tea, don’t rely on coffee, eat very little sugar and eat light meals. Sugar makes me get really tired. Oh – stretch a lot, too.

Cory: well, as it happens, i stayed up most of the night last night. sadly, no Ladies/80s, but i helped a friend move some furniture and talked, then i went home stayed up watching movies on AMC with way too many commercial breaks. i just can’t not watch Stargate…
my coping techniques are going to be drinking lots of water, and since it’s friday, i might put some music on at work. i will probably hit the breakroom coffee machine a few times too.

Jen: I thought I was going to have to write about a few months ago when both of my kids alternately puked all night, but, alas, I remembered a more recent late-nighter that is much happier and less gross. =)
Our church has an annual girls retreat at Log Country Cove near Marble Falls. 20 or so log homes are rented for the weekend, and there are 10-18 women assigned to each one. There is a “hostess” (who makes contact with each of the women assigned to her cabin before the retreat and generally keeps the weekend moving along) and a “presenter” (who presents the actual teaching sessions planned for the weekend). I have served as a hostess for two years now, but this year held a bit of a surprise. =)
I got my list of ladies in my house a couple of weeks before the retreat, and there were only a couple on the list who I didn’t already know. One was “Mary Smith”, and her contact info was all the same as my presenter’s info. I thought that was a little weird, but my presenter told me she was a friend from out of town and that she would forward any correspondence from me to her.
Soooo, we all arrive at the retreat on a Friday (this was about 3 weeks ago), and a car full of girls pull up to our cabin, As I walk over to give them a hard time about taking so long to get there, etc, I notice that one of the girls in the car looks eerily like one of my best friends, Jenna Spears. But Jenna lives in Atlanta. As I got closer and realized it actually WAS Jenna, I laughed and cried and exclaimed “shut UP!!” all at the same time.
All that to say, that night was pretty much a school-girl slumber party. We stayed up till the wee hours of the morning chatting and laughing. And then my ridiculous body decided it should still wake up at 6:30am in the spirit of routine.
My coping mechanism the next day was pretty much to just keep the adrenaline going. I SOOOO could have used a nap, but instead rented a boat with a bunch of girls and went skiing for the first time ever. I even did a backflip off the boat (just to prove that I really AM still young and hip…. or something…).
There came a point that night when I hit the wall though. I pretty much knew that if I didn’t go to bed right then, I was either going to get really mean or be reduced to tears over nothingness. So, off to bed I went, followed by Jenna, where I feel asleep in the middle of a conversation. =)

The First Day of First Grade

2009-08-27T22:00:00.006-04:00

Anyone out there ever seen the VeggieTales Jonah movie? You know the "Billy Joe McGuffrey" song they sing in the van on the way to the Twippo concert? I have been singing that song ALL week. Only we made up our own words and verses about "Elias Daniel Jordan" and the first days of first grade. It's been a GREAT week!

First of all, I recognize how blessed we are to be able to send Elias to a Christian school. It warms my heart to hear staff from last year speak highly of him and know that they have been praying for these kids all summer.

I love that this morning, as Mrs. Baker taught one of their summer books "The Three Little Pigs", she explained to them that this wasn't just a story about pigs. It is a story about us. About how well we listen to instruction from God (In this version, the mom pig tells her 3 sons to build their houses out of strong materials but only one pig does so. The other 2 actually get eaten, which I thought was a little harsh until I heard her tie it all in.) About how if you build your "house" out of things that won't last, the wind that will eventually come will blow it down. Wow- I am 32 and sometimes need that reminder! How great to hear at 6!

I love that, every morning, Mrs. Baker takes prayer requests from the kids and begins the day asking God to guide their little minds. I did have to stifle several laughs as I listened to some of their requests while I did some filing in the classroom yesterday. :)

I love that Mrs. Baker didn't just tell them where to put their backpacks, water bottles, and lunchboxes on the first day. She explained to them that God is a God of order (just read the Genesis account of creation and try to argue that one!).

I love that when Elias was given the opportunity to participate in the gifted and talented program, we were able to go to the leadership of the school and ask them to join us in prayer about God providing the funds to make that happen. And that I knew they would actually pray! And that today, less than 24 hours later, someone came to find me to say that a gift had come in to the school specifically to help a GT student. I have seen God move people's hearts so many times that it is ironic that this would surprise me, but it still did! I wish I could write that family a letter telling them of the journey we have been on- praying for God to provide a way or to fill our hearts to overflowing with contentedness with what we have. I really can't express the appreciation I feel that such a thing was done for my child. Makes me wonder how God must feel when we do nice things for His children.

So here are some pics from the first day. It was a great, great day. Elias' first favorite things about first grade were that he is in Kelii's class (and they actually sit right next to each other- brave woman that teacher is!) and that Mrs. Baker likes to say "BINGO!" when someone gives a correct answer. :)

Here We Go Again!

2009-08-24T21:10:00.002-04:00

The first day of first grade is tomorrow! I can't even begin to explain how excited I am about Elias' class- his teacher, his classmates, the parents! I absolutely LOVE our school and feel so blessed to be able to be a part of the community there.

Quick, funny story: A little birdie told me which class Elias was going to be in for first grade, but I didn't pass the information on to him knowing that there was a chance he could be moved between classes. As the summer progressed, we decided to start praying about his first grade class. One night, at the dinner table, we had the following conversation:
Elias: "I know which class I am going to be in. I am going to be in Ms. King's class because they had their Camp Watermelon tents setup before any of the other classes."
Mom: "Hmm. Actually, Ms. King won't be teaching first grade next year."
Elias: "Oh. Well, I know I am going to be in Ms. Gates class."
Mom: "Remember last year when we prayed and asked God to put you in just the right Kindergarten class? He did a GREAT job with that, didn't he? God already knows who your teacher is and we don't have to try to figure it out, but we can pray for whoever it is going to be and that it would be just the right one for you."
Elias: "Ok." *places his hands over his heart and looks up at the ceiling for about a minute. maybe two.* *laughs* "I was wrong!!! It's Mrs. Baker! I am in Mrs. Baker's class!"
Mom: *totally looking confused* "WHAT?!"
Elias: "I just asked God, and He told me it is Mrs. Baker!"

Well, God and Mrs. Baker, we can't wait for the year you have in store for us!!!

Alarming

2009-07-17T17:43:00.007-04:00

Monday night was an exciting time here at the Jordan house. We had hosted our first night of Backyard Bible Club, so the kids were up a little later than normal. Adaryll and I were wound up from the evening and stayed up until around 11:30. Needless to say, we were dead tired by the end of the night!

I was awakened at 12:30 to something beeping. As I sat up in a stupor, trying to figure out what that sound was, I realized there was also a child screaming in terror- "Moooooommmmmmmmmyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!" I got out of bed and walked out of our room to quickly realize that beeping was in Elias' room, and the child screaming was Elias. As I opened his door and turned on his light, the beeping suddenly stopped. Still not fully awake, I went over to his alarm clock to check and see if it could have accidentally been set to go off in the middle of the night. Even though I fully knew that was NOT the sound his alarm clock makes. Nope- still set for 8am. I then began to awaken and asked my crying curled-up-into-a-little-ball child, "Was that your smoke alarm???" He didn't know. But that HAD to be what it was, right? What else would possibly be so friggin' loud and obnoxious??! So I told him I needed to check the house. (meanwhile, Adaryll is still fast asleep)

I walked the entire house, sniffing deeply for any sign of smoke. I had a hard time discerning between real smoke and the bacon smell that was left over from dinner, but I didn't see any fire anywhere. When I went back to his room and sat in his chair to think, the alarm started again. Seriously, these things are like the loudest, highest pitch, ear-piecing sound I have ever heard. Elias begins to scream and cry again- I think he thinks the house must be burning down??? After a couple of minutes, it stops again. I realize I am not equipped to handle this on my own (ceilings are too high!), so I go get Adaryll.

We go together to Elias' room with a step ladder and proceed to try to disassemble/destroy the alarm. Meanwhile, it continues to alarm off and on as it darn well pleases. Finally, I give up and go downstairs to call the fire department and ask them how the heck to make it STOP!!!! Noone answers. (Obviously, I did NOT dial the emergency number!) So I call the police non-emergency number and tell them what's up, and they transfer me to the fire department. Pretty quickly, the guy on the phone asks me how many people are in the house and tells me that we all need to evacuate immediately. He says there is already a truck on the way. WHAT?! "No, no, no", I say. There is no fire! He then explains that there can be fire in the attic or inside a wall, and we would not even know it. So, I hand the phone to Adaryll and go wake Elena up to take everyone outside.

Minutes later, a GIANT fire truck, 4 fully decked-out firemen, and all their gear/tools arrive. They go into the house with heat detectors, axes, etc. And then ANOTHER GIANT firetruck arrives. They turned off the sirens at the neighborhood entrance, but the lights are enough to wake the dead. Needless to say, neighbors began to emerge to see what was going on. We told them it was nothing. And 15 minutes or so later, that was confirmed. A faulty alarm, they said. Still, the kids thought it was the coolest thing ever.

We came back in (an hour has passed now since the alarm first started), and we put the kids back to bed. Elias gets a pallet on our floor because I seriously think he may have a heart attack if this alarm wakes him again. Adaryll and I vacuum out that smoke alarm in case it has dust inside (which it thinks is smoke) making it go off. Finally, we head back to bed. Which is where I lay awake for the next TWO HOURS. ARGH!!!

Then- you will not believe this- the alarm in OUR room begins to "chirp". Are you kidding me?!?!?! I throw back the covers and wake up Adaryll to tell him our alarm needs a new battery. Seriously, is this really happening?! I go get the big ladder from the garage (our ceilings are even higher than Elias'), march it up the stairs, get a battery, and switch it out. (note: Elias slept through this whole drama)

We decided to take cookies to the firemen who came to our house, since we probably woke them up too. And I can't even fathom the amount of needless paperwork we created for them. Poor guys. So we went to Costco and bought cookies (because those of you who know me well know that had I actually baked cookies, there might have really been a need for the fire department). The kids carried the box of cookies in together, and they were invited in to see the trucks, tools, kitchen, bedrooms, etc. It was such a neat experience for them, and I am grateful for how friendly the firemen were. Overall, the while ordeal turned out to be a very positive thing for the kids. They got to experience real-life fire response in a completely safe environment. They got to see the guys in all their gear, which can look pretty scary, and realize that they are here to help us. Plus they got to do something nice for their local firemen. :)

1, 2, 3, Goooooo Redwings!

2009-07-14T22:33:00.005-04:00

Elena decided she wanted to play t-ball this summer (like brother, like sister!). She is playing on a 3-year-old team through the YMCA, and she is the only girl on her team. Since she didn't actually turn 3 until the 2nd or 3rd week of the season, she is also the littlest one out there. Does she know that? Doubtful. She LOVES playing with "my boys", and she also loves being the representative-of-pink of the team. In fact, when we talked about signing her up, we dug out Elias' first glove for her to use. She quickly pushed it away and said confidently, "Ummmm, I think I need a PINK one. And a PINK hat." After a quick trip to Academy, she was set to go. (aren't you proud, Kirsten?!)

Her team is the Redwings, which is pretty cool considering her fascination with birds! Here are some pics from the most recent game...

Saying the YMCA pledge

Bow-head

"Hi Mommy!"

C'mon, ball!

Got milk?

All the moms thought it was great that she gave me a little pose before her swing.

BAM!

This is FUN!

Running to 1st base

Made it to 2nd base!

Waiting on 3rd

Run HOME!

Are You Transformed?

2009-07-12T13:02:00.005-04:00

This week kicks of The Great Adventure 2009. The Great Adventure is a month-long summer focus on loving and serving people all over the world. We start tonight with the Concert of Prayer, where we will pray for all the teams traveling on GO (global outreach) Trips, the work they will do, the people they will get to meet and work alongside, the Backyard Bible Clubs that will be happening all over Austin this week, the families who will attend them, the Extreme Adventure camp for 5th-7th graders, the Summerfest street party this Friday, etc. At the end of The Great Adventure (5 weeks from now), we will close the season with the Concert of Praise, thanking God for all the work He has done, for how He has grown us closer to Him, and for the lives He has changed.
The theme this year is "Transformed- More than Meets the Eye". And, yes, if you hear my cellphone ring in the next month, you will hear that my ringer has been changed to the theme song from Transformers. Elias thinks I am the coolest mom alive. :)
To illustrate how we can be transformed by God, Elias was given one of these at Sunday school today...

It's a mealworm. Thankfully, the nice teachers gave it oatmeal and a slice of potato, so there is nothing else we have to do for it. We don't even have to open the jar. Ever. :) Elias decided it is a girl, and he named it "Sarah". Not to be confused with "Sara", who is a friend from Kindergarten. Over the next 5 weeks, this is what it will become...

Yep, it's a beetle. Gross? Yes! Am I gonna touch it? No way! Is something gross transforming into something grosser (I know- not a word) going to help teach my son about the way God works in our lives? Absolutely!!! Am I excited about it? YAH-HOO!!!!

Mommy, What year were you born in?

2009-07-08T21:56:00.003-04:00

Conversation in the kitchen as I prepared dinner yesterday:
Elias: *runs in out of breath* Mom! I was born in 2002! What year were you born in?
Me: 1976. (that never sounded like a LONG time ago until i JUST said it)
Elias: WOW!!!! That was a looooooooooong time ago!!!!!!
Me: MmHmm.
Elias: What did they have back then?
Me: (thinking- "back then??? really???")
Elias: Did they have houses?
Me: *laughing hysterically now* YES WE HAD HOUSES!
Elias: What else did you have?
Me: Well, we had t.v. But no DVD. We got VCR's when I was a little girl though. (didn't even try to explain BETA vs VHS)
Elias: Did you have a phone?
Me: (how old does this kid think I am????) YES WE HAD PHONES!!!! Only for the house though. We didn't have phones for the car. Actually, we got one when I was a little girl and it was bigger than this house phone.
Elias: What about video games?
Me: We did have a video game. I was probably about your age when we got it. It was an Atari. And then we got a Nintendo a few years later.
Elias: Nintendo DS or Nintendo Wii?
Me: Nope. Just Nintendo. The ORIGINAL.
Elias: Hmm. What games did you play on it?
Me: Super Mario Brothers.
Elias: Oh yeah! Like Mario Cart?
Me: Nope. Just Super Mario Brothers.
Elias: What did the controls look like?
Me: OLD.

My Model

2009-06-30T20:14:00.007-04:00

I don't think I could have found a better model for my bows. And to think that all this one charges is food, shelter, love, and snuggles. A small price to pay for all the bows she sells. :)

Don't you want to go buy some bows now? :) http://www.unbelievabow.com/

Happy 3rd Birthday, Elena!

2009-06-29T22:17:00.003-04:00

3 years ago today we welcomed sweet Elena into our family. I couldn't have possibly anticipated what a wonderful addition she would be! She is so super fun, sweet, and loving. Tonight, as we were having our rocking chair time, I told her some things I love about her. One of those things is how incredibly maternal she is. She "mothers" anything and everything that crosses her path. I love watching her bounce a baby doll up and down and whisper "Shh. Shh. Shh. Shh. It's ok, Mommy's here." I love her laugh- the deep belly one that comes out when she is being tickled. I love when her voice gets REALLY deep and she says something hilarious in a growl. And then she breaks out that laugh I mentioned. I love how she converses about EVERYTHING. (ok, I don't always appreciate this in the moment, but we are talking about overall here!) She doesn't just watch TV, she watches and tells you all about it, play-by-play, as it is happening. She talks non-stop in the car about everything and nothing at all. Her favorite knock-knock joke is "Knock knock", "Who's there?", "A LITTLE GIRL THAT CAN'T REACH THE DOORBELL!!!!!!!" I love her singing voice. And that she knows the songs on my ipod as well as I do. And that, when in doubt of a lyric, she will just make one up. It may not even be a real word. She doesn't care. I love that she messes up her pronouns. ("Her is sad, Mommy." or "I are done, Mommy") I love that she still fits in my lap. That when I rock her, she can still bend her legs and wrap her knees around my waist and lay her head on my shoulder. And that she still licks her wrist when she is going to sleep. I love that she asks, before bed, "Daddy, will you pray me?"
This list could go on and on. There is just so much to love about this sweet girl. Instead, I present you with fun pictures from our family birthday party. We had dinner at Chuck-E-Cheese. (which is where she insisted on going, but with the agreement that Chuck-E would not actually come near her. "He is staying in his nest" is what she kept repeating. The "nest" is a little round stage where a curtain opens and the mechanical Chuck-E sings songs. In case you were wondering, she still has a bird obsession.) We had cake at home, thanks to a dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free cake mix from Whole Foods.

The guests at her party: Baby Jordan, Baby Bunny, and Lasagna
"Happy Birthday, Sister!"

Elena playing the bee game

Riding the bicycle helicopter

Giddy-up, caterpillar!

"Cheese!"

"I got TICKETS!!"

Elena-safe cake

Happy Birthday to ME!

Summertime!

2009-06-27T23:12:00.006-04:00

I never really had an appreciation for summer until this year, but I am LOVING this summer break! The kids and I are doing really fun things and I am getting to spend some good time out in the sun. It's like being a kid again! Add to that the bonus that I am getting to hang out with some great girl friends on a pretty regular basis, which is always nice!

We left the day after kindergarten graduation to go to San Antonio for 3 days. We did SeaWorld, the Riverwalk, the Alamo, the pool at the hotel, etc. It was such a good family vacation. The kids had a blast, and I think they are now at the age where they will look back on these vacations as adults and remember the fun we had.

After San Antonio, we came home for a couple of days and then headed north. We spend a night in Dallas with my sister, a night in Oklahoma City at a fancy-schmancy hotel downtown with some friends from Indiana, and then another night in Dallas with Adaryll's dad and his wife. Again, great memories made for all of us. We got to see several sets of people who have been very influential in our lives and who we haven't seen in several years. So, so great!

Once we got home, I decided I better make a plan for the rest of the summer. (some of you are laughing. stop it.) So I mapped out our weeks and thought out which day we would do swim lessons, sprinkler parks, neighborhood pool, etc. (are you seeing a pattern here? it's 108 degrees for Pete's sake!!!) It feels good to have some structure and routine, but still have the complete freedom to do what we want if what's on the calendar doesn't sound appealing that day.

The kids are loving their swim school. (http://www.nitroswim.com/) Elias has been terrified to go under water all his life, mainly because he ends up inhaling a gallon of water up his nose everytime he tries. But these people had him complete submerging himself, without holding his nose!!!, by midway through the second lesson. I am so excited for him!

I feel renewed and refreshed and energized by all the fun we've had already, and we are really only going into our 3rd week of summer! I've so enjoyed getting to watch Elias and Elena play and laugh together, and I have loved standing outside a room and listening to their conversations. I just love these kids! I'm sure I will embrace the structure and routine of school when August comes, but I am going to eat this up while it lasts! :)

Soaking up the Texas sun

My sweeties! Their friendship has blossomed so much this summer as they spend all day playing together. Elias recently told me he was going to marry Elena when they grow up. :)

Elias, Elena, and their cousins Jacob and Wyatt

Run from the BOYS!!!

Go Tech!!

My cousin CRACKS ME UP!

Let's go swimming!!!

Onward and Upward

2009-06-27T22:15:00.008-04:00

Disclaimer: This post is way overdue.

Elias has graduated from kindergarten! Yay, Elias! Boo-hoo-hoo, Mommy. Not that I'm not excited for first grade- I really am looking forward to it! And it isn't really the kind of sadness coming from "awe, my little baby boy is growing up" either. It was just SUCH a good year. And it's over. I feel like it will be hard to top.

Elias had the most wonderful teacher for kinder, and she has become a pretty close family friend. She and I get along really well, she's obviously great with the kids, and she tolerates Adaryll's made-for-shock-value comments surprisingly well. I just kind-of feel like she is irreplaceable.

So, in that way, I just feel like it is the "end of an era". And it makes me sad.

On the other hand, I am completely looking forward to first grade and the teacher Elias is going to have. I know it will be different, but I also know it will be God's best. Another season to be excited about.

Here are some pics and videos from the Kindergarten graduation as well as the Knight of Celebration the week before when each child was honored with an academic and character award. Elias received the Bible Memory award (I think he has more verses memorized at 6 than I do at 32. No, I know he does.) and the Dependability award. I am so proud of him!

Elias, Ms. Horvath, and Kelii (who also is Ms. Horvath's nephew)

Elias getting ready for the ceremony

"Cheese!"

The Three Musketeers: Holloway, Elias, and Calloway

"I am a Possibility"

Yes, son. Yes you are!

UnbelievaBow!

2009-06-14T22:04:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I have just had my longest hiatus from blogging to date. I miss yall. I hope the break is over and that I can get back into the habit of posting more regularly. After all, this is the only written record I have of the goings-on as our kids grow and say ridiculously funny things.
What in the world has kept me so busy? I'm glad you asked, because I can't wait to tell you. Or show you. :) www.UnbelievaBow.com is the culprit.
I made some hairbows for Elena a couple of months ago, and people all over town began making comments about them. People started asking me where I got them and if I would sell them. I hadn't ever considered such a thing, but enough people were asking that I began to evaluate what that might look like. Adaryll and I agreed that I should give it a shot. And so the adventure began.
I started out by buying a website and having a friend, Mike Meadows (who ROCKS), design the layout. I made dozens of bows to put on the site. All the while, since Elena was wearing the bows most days, orders began to trickle in from people who saw them on her. So then I was trying to finish bows for the site and fill orders. You know- in all my "free time". *wink*
So pretty much every moment I got at the computer was spent on the website. I can't even explain how relieved I am that it is up and running! Whew!!! I still have lots of bows to make and add, but at least it is there.
Check it out and let me know what you think! Better yet- buy a bow for your favorite little girl! :)

www.UnbelievaBow.com

First Trip to the Dentist

2009-05-13T23:59:00.003-04:00

Elena had her first trip to the dentist Monday. Well, not her FIRST trip to the dentist, but HER first trip to the dentist. (That would have made more sense if you could have heard my voice inflection and emphasis. You just can't type that.)

She has been to the dentist with Elias and I each three times now, and nothing painful happened to her any of those times. In fact, she was given a new toothbrush (one of her top 5 favorite things in life) and a toy from the grab basket each time. So, when I told her that she had her own dentist appointment Monday, she was actually pretty fired up! They have toys in the waiting room and everyone there is super nice, so what's to be afraid of, right?

If yall could only see the acting job I have put on at the dentist's office the last year and a half. I should seriously win a prize. See, I am terrified of the dentist. Ok, maybe not now, because I have been every 6 months since we moved here and we received dental coverage. But I think it had been probably 3 years before that. And maybe 4 or 5 before that. You get the picture. What's interesting is that I have always disliked the dentist, even though I have never had a cavity or a filling. I did have a HORRIBLE experience with my wisdom teeth surgery, but I was freaked about the dentist years before that. Like make-myself-sick freaked.

But my first appointment with our dentist here was piggy-backed with an appointment for Elias. So I had to act like it was something super-fun. "Yay- someone is going to scrape 3 years worth of plaque from UNDER my gums with a really pokey thing! GREAT! Wooo-hooo!" I actually ended up asking for a numbing cream it was so painful. But Elias feel for it- hook, line, and sinker. And he has LOVED going to the dentist ever since. (even when the dentist had ME pull his 2nd tooth using the tooth-pulling-tool while we were there last October. Apparently Elias is lacking in the pain-sensing-nerve-department)

Elena fell for the act as well and was so excited for her first "tooth shower". (again, I am confused about why she would look forward to this considering she is scared of the actual shower.) The goal was to get her in the chair and count her teeth. Instead, she had a full cleaning and exam by both the hygienist and the dentist!! Her teeth all looked great, but we may be concerned about an under bite. Beth C.- her bottom teeth were actually in front of her top teeth when she bit down. He wasn't sure if she was being silly or if it was her real bite. YIKES! I'm hoping for silly. Haven't really noticed that before. Any tips on getting a good look at it??

btw, the bows on her head are a sample of the bows I am making and selling. i promise a post on that whole thing is coming soon!

Stinky. A Story In Pictures.

2009-05-11T17:52:00.006-04:00

Golden Tooth

2009-05-03T14:16:00.004-04:00

Ok, I know I have gone a little overboard trying to catch-up-post today. But if I don't get this one down now, I know I will forget it. And that would be sad.
Between the two Jordan boys, we have had all kids of dental drama in the last few weeks. Elias lost both of his top front teeth (with no sign whatsoever of the permanent ones coming anytime soon), and Adaryll had all 4 wisdom teeth extracted Monday. Just that word- extracted- gives me the heebie-geebies. yuck. That's a whole other post! Anyway, because of all of that, teeth have been a hot topic at the Jordan house for a while.
Today, on the way home from church, we had a conversation that went something like this:
Elena: When I get home, I want some canty. (Elena-ese for candy)
Mommy: No. No candy today.
Elena: Why not?
Mommy: Because you had that candy at church.
Elias: What candy?
Mommy: (man these kids should be lawyers!) That mint you both had at the welcome center. (ok, it wasn't exactly candy, but whatever)
Elias: oh yeah.
Elena: I want more candy.
Mommy: Do you know what happens when you eat too much candy?
Elias: Yes. You get cranky it isn't good for your body.
Mommy: And what happens to your teeth?
Elena: (listening intently)
Elias: Well, you get cavities.
Mommy: Right, and then they get rotten and fall out.
Elena: And then you have to go to the doctor!
Elias: And then you have to get fake, GOLD teeth!
Elena: YAH!! And you get to have PRINCESS TEETH! And it will be SOOOO PRETTY!

hmm, not exactly where I planned on that going.....

Easter 2009 in pictures

2009-05-03T14:07:00.005-04:00

Easter was so special this year. My mom, Raun, and my grandma all got to be here with us. As always, taking pictures of the kids was hugely entertaining. I still laugh out loud when I look at these.

TTU + UT = ???

2009-05-03T13:51:00.003-04:00

Ok, so everyone out there knows how we at the Jordan house feel about the UT Longhorns. The problem with how we feel is that we live in Austin, TX now. And there aren't many here who would agree with us. :) I don't remember if I told yall, but when Texas Tech beat UT in football last year, Elias made the Texas Tech guns up with one hand and the UT Longhorn with the other hand. Then he pointed the Texas Tech gun at the UT Longhorn and shot it. The UT Longhorn hand fell over dead. Adaryll and I have had few prouder moments. :) We quickly told him to never, ever do that out in public in Austin though.

So, the thing about raising kids here is that they make friends. With kids of UT fans. Surprisingly, we have found that there actually are some cool UT people out there. (I know, I can't believe I just wrote that either.) But some of our newest, closest friends have ended up being Longhorns. So, do you all know the signs for the TT gun and the UT Longhorn? Adaryll and I realized that if you put them both together, you get the ASL sign for Love. Who knew? And with that word, I leave you with pictures of what some would consider child abuse, but we are learning to embrace in our new, burnt-orange culture....

Little Gymnast

2009-05-03T13:41:00.005-04:00

After a month in the 2-year-old class, Elena's gymnastics coaches decided to have her try the 3 and 4 year old class. She LOVES it! She totally understands that she has gymnastics on Mondays, so she has started asking about it several times a week. "Is it Monday?" "When is Monday?" "Do I have gymnastics Monday?" "I want to wear my leotard." I get such a kick out of sitting in the hall watching through the window each week. The best is when she makes eye contact with me and just starts waving super-excitedly as if she didn't know I was there. Here are some pictures of the cuteness...

KerPLUNK! Konk! Boing!

2009-04-26T01:40:00.002-04:00

That is the sound of all the balls I am supposed to be juggling hitting the floor. Clearly, blogging is one of them. I am pretty sure my hiatus is the longest in my blogging history.
But I'm back. Don't get too excited as this post isn't going to be worth your 2 week wait. It's mainly just to let you know that all the Jordans are still alive. In case you were starting to wonder.
There is just so much to cover from the last couple of weeks, and it is 12:44am. So I will sum it all up in a list and, hopefully, elaborate later.

My Grandma (and the kids' Grandma-Great) got to visit from Tucson, AZ.
My mom and Raun came with her and they all spent Easter with us.
Elena puked all over herself in Sunday School on Easter. Then she spent the next week with intestinal problems which eventually spread to both Mommy and Daddy.
Adaryll went to a gun show. (I know, you are dying for an explanation, aren't you?)
Elias had a field trip to Barton Springs and Zilker Park
At the suggestions of many friends and the prompting of 2009-2010 tuition for Elias, I have started a hairbow business. I have been making bows like a maniac and plan to build a website this week. The official launch will be in a week, but I have already delivered bows to paying customers!
Elias has been "Coach Elias" on his t-ball team because of his broken foot. The cast comes off Friday!!!
Adaryll played the national anthem at a Round Rock Express baseball game
Elena did the trampoline/bungee cord thing at the Express game.
Elias pulled out his 4th tooth. (Completely by himself!!)
The boys went on their first HCBC Father/Son Campout

And that, my friends, is just the tip of the iceberg. There have been dozens of conversations and happenings which brought forth the thought "I need to blog about this". I only hope I can keep my brain cells long enough to get them down. Which will never happen if I keep staying up this late, so goodnight!

The Rest of the Story

2009-04-12T23:06:00.002-04:00

Ok, so it's Easter Sunday (Happy Easter!), and that means I better get on the ball and finish these Easter egg posts!! Had I realized that there were actual people out there wanting to do this with their kids, I would have tried much harder to post each day. Instead, I would log on with the intention of blogging and get caught up reading all yall's blogs instead. So, really, it's your fault. If your blogs weren't so interesting, mine might be. :)
At least everyone can copy and paste and keep these for next year...

Egg #5
Item inside: A piece of leather cord. The string of leather reminds us of the ropes and whips that Jesus was beaten with.
Message: Jesus was arrested and flogged, or beaten, even though he had not done what the people accused Him of.
Scripture to read: Mark 15:1-15
1Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.
2"Are you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate.
"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.
3The chief priests accused him of many things. 4So again Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of."
5But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.
6Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
9"Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate, 10knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.
12"What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them.
13"Crucify him!" they shouted.
14"Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"
15Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

What I can't get past in this passage is the reminder that Jesus was INNOCENT! And Barabbas was completely, beyond a shadow of a doubt, GUILTY! And yet, Jesus was the one sentenced to beating and death on a cross. And Barabbas was let go, scott-free. I can't help but think about how I am Barabbas. Completely guilty of so many thoughts and deeds that are just despicable. And yet, I am able to walk away without paying the penalty required (like Barabbas) because Jesus did on the cross.

Egg #6
Item inside: Thorns. The thorns remind us of the crown the soldiers made for Jesus to wear.
Message: The soldiers placed a crown of thorns on Jesus' head and made fun of Him. They did not think that He was really a king like He said He was, so they thought it was funny to make Him wear the crown.
Scripture to read: Matthew 27:27-31
27Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. 30They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

Both kids actually got poked in the fingers while handling the thorns. (it was a stick about 2 inches long from a really thorny bush, so just getting it out of the egg was a little tricky) I asked them to imagine thorns much longer and pokier being pushed into their head. It wasn't a pleasant thought. Each night the kids usually start with egg #1 all over again and recount the story up to the egg we are opening that night, but Elena never touched egg #6 again after this night.

Egg #7
Item inside: A cross. (you can buy little wooden ones at Hobby Lobby or Michaels or make one out of broken popsicle sticks) The cross reminds us of Jesus, beaten and bruised, carrying His own cross toward the place where He would be crucified.
Message: Jesus carried His own cross.
Scripture to read: John 19:17
So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha).

Something I would love to do when the kids are a little older is to actually research the size of the typical crucifixion-cross in Roman times. If I could build one or locate one of similar size and weight, it would be a cool experience to have us each try to shoulder it and walk. It would definitely give us all a clearer understanding of this part of the story.

Egg #8
Item inside: Dice. The dice reminds us of casting lots, which is what the soldiers did to decide who would get to keep which pieces of Jesus' clothing.
Message: The soldiers cast lots, or played a kind of game, to divide up Jesus' clothes among themselves.
Scripture to read: John 19:23-24
23When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.
24"Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it."
This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said,
"They divided my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing."[a] So this is what the soldiers did.

Again, this is another fulfillment of Old Testament prophesy. See Psalm 22:18 and show your kids that God knew all of this would happen long before Jesus came to earth.

Egg #9
Item inside: A nail. The nail reminds us of the nails they used to hang Jesus on the cross. They placed one nail through each of his hands and another through his two feet. Then they raised the cross up and He hung there to die.
Message: Jesus was nailed to a cross and pierced in His side.
Scripture to read: John 19:18 and John 19: 31-37
18Here they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

31Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken,"[a] 37and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced."[b]

We got to do something neat at church on Good Friday. We were each given a piece of dirty fbris on which to write our names. This represented us and our righteousness, which is like filthy rags. Elias and I talked about how, without accepting God's forgiveness, no matter how good we try to be, it isn't good enough to get to heaven. It isn't perfect. It can't be. The only person who has ever lived on earth who achieved living without sin is Jesus, and that is because He is God! And we just aren't capable of that. So, no matter how "good" we think we are, the cloth representing our life is NOT white. It is dingy and dirty. Actually, it's filthy.
We were asked to write our name on the cloth and then nail it to a cross. The nails were pretty big. I laid my hand on the cross and put a nail up to it and Elias and I talked about what it would feel like if he hammered it through my flesh. It took some convincing to get him to put his hand up and let me hold the nail against it. It was a pretty good visual.
On that note, if your kids ever have the unfortunate experience of stepping on a nail (yes, I did this as a kid- actually I jumped down onto a piece of lumber with a nail sticking out about 2 inches. It was instantly attached to my foot until one of my parent pulled it off and took me to urgent care), you can use that situation to remind them what it must have felt like for Jesus to have nails hammered into his body. Not right then, maybe. But later. :)

Egg #10
Item inside: Spices. (we used whole cloves so the kids could actually touch them and not make a huge mess) The spices remind us of the way the Jews prepared Jesus' body for burial. They used spices and linen, a type of fabric, to wrap up Jesus' body before they placed it in the tomb.
Message: Jesus' body was wrapped in spices and linen and placed in a tomb.
Scripture to read: John 19: 38-42
38Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. 39He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.[a] 40Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Elias loved the spices. He loves to smell them. And he thinks it is awesome to think of Jesus' body being wrapped up like a mummy. Hey, he's 6 and he's a boy. Not sure what else you expected from this one! :)

Egg #11
Item inside: A stone. The stone reminds us that the huge stone that sealed Jesus' tomb had been rolled away.
Message: Jesus' body was placed in a tomb which was sealed with a huge stone. But when Mary Magdalena and the other Mary went to the tomb on the 3rd day, the stone had been moved away and an angel was there.
Scripture to read: Matthew 28:1-5
1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.

Elias went to "big church" with us today, and the whole sermon was about the evidence of the resurrection of Jesus. They had a big tomb built on the stage with a video camera inside. So when Tim went in and told us all about what was in there, you could still see him up on the screens. It was really, really cool. When he came out, he rolled the stone in front of the opening. A little later, the lights went out and loud, thundering earthquake noise came. It was loud enough to shake the floor a bit, so the feeling of an earthquake (at least for a 6 year old) was pretty real. When the lights came back on, the stone was rolled away and the body that was in there covered with cloth was gone. Elias looked at me and asked, "What just happened? How did they do that?"
If you want to see a video of it, you can search for Hill Country Bible Church Northwest and download it on itunes. There may also be sermon videos at www.hcbc.com.

Egg #12
Item inside: Nothing. The last egg is empty, just like the tomb.
Message: The tomb was empty. Jesus had risen from the dead and come back to life! This is what we call the Resurrection, and it is what we celebrate on Easter.
Scripture to read: Matthew 28: 6-9
6He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
8So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.

He is Risen! HAPPY EASTER!

Will It Taste Like Pee?

2009-04-08T23:36:00.004-04:00

We interrupt this Easter Egg series of posts to bring you something a little more lighthearted. Actually, downright funny.
Last week Elias and I were talking about his broken foot. He has always had lots of questions about anatomy and physiology. Some of his favorite books are "See Inside Your Head" (about the brain and all the different parts), "What Happens to Your Food" (yes, you read that right), and "The Encyclopedia of the Human Body". I know. He's 6. But I think he knew most of the names (like actual medical names, not just made-up-by-mommy name) of most of the bones by age 3. Thanks LeapFrog.
So we were talking about his foot and how bones heal. I explained that he would need to get lots of calcium, and we started talking about how he doesn't drink nearly as much milk as he used to. He pretty much just wants water these days. Anyway, I told him that he probably needs to drink more milk. The conversation went something like this:
Me- You probably need to start drinking more milk again.
Elias- What kind of milk did I drink when I was little?
Me- Soymilk. (because he was allergic to dairy when he started milk)
Elias- Yeah. I don't like regular milk.
Me- Well, we can get some and you can try it. There is lots of calcium in both kinds.
Elias- Why don't I like regular milk?
Me- I don't know if you like it. It tastes different from soymilk because soymilk comes from soybeans. Regular milk comes from cows.
Elias- *confused look, followed by laughter* So, will it taste like pee?
Me- WHAT?!?!?!
Elias- The cow milk. Won't it taste like pee? *6 year old boy potty-talk laugh*
Me- NO!!! Why would you think that?
Elias- Because the cow pees out the milk, right?
Me- No! No, that is NOT what happens. And no, it does not taste like pee. *smile. i have a 6 year old boy.*

Egg #4

2009-04-08T17:59:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I have completely dropped the ball on the Easter Egg posts, but I plan on getting all caught up tonight!
It has been an eventful, both good and not so good, few days. More on that later...

Egg #4
Item inside: Coins. (we used 3 dimes since they are silver and together they make 30 cents)
Message: Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
Scripture to read: Matthew 27:1-4
1Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. 2They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.
3When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. 4"I have sinned," he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood."
"What is that to us?" they replied. "That's your responsibility."

Both kids were super-excited about the dimes. Who wouldn't be?! I'm not sure that they actually understand this part of the story though. Elias is starting to, but I think he is confused about why on earth anyone would have done what Judas did.
And yet I think about how I do this just about every day. I sell myself out. I betray what I know Jesus stands for. And I do it for things less valuable than 30 pieces of silver. Surprised?? I bet, with a little self-examination, we would all realize how much like Judas we each are.

The interesting thing about this is that, really, we can't NOT be like this. The Bible says that "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." So, basically, we can't help it. We are sinners- every single one of us. And none of us can reach eternity with God without Jesus' forgiveness. None of us. I may not have been the one who handed Jesus over to the authorities, but my sins are just as ugly as Judas'. And I am so thankful that I won't have to pay the penalty I deserve for that ugliness, because Jesus already did.

Egg #3

2009-04-04T22:57:00.002-04:00

I took Nyquil last night, so the egg #3 post didn't go up when it should have. If I had done it then, it would not have made any sense anyway. :)

Egg #3
Item inside: Little communion cup and cracker
Message: Jesus shared the Passover meal with his disciples the night before He was crucified. He told them that the bread they ate was his body, which would be broken for them and that the wine they drank was his blood, which would be poured out for them.
Scripture to read: Matthew 26:17-18 and Matthew 26:26-29
17On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?"
18He replied, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, 'The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.' " 19So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

26While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."
27Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28This is my blood of the[b] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom."

Elena ate the cracker when she opened the egg. We will have to get a new one. :)

Egg #2

2009-04-02T23:12:00.002-04:00

Egg #2
Item Inside: a cotton ball sprayed with perfume
Message: Mary poured expensive perfume on Jesus' feet. Jesus foretells of His own coming death and burial when he answers the questions of the disciples.
Scripture to Read: John 12:2-8
2Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3Then Mary took about a pint[a] of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5"Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages.[b]" 6He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
7"Leave her alone," Jesus replied. " It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."

When I read this passage, I am reminded that God is all knowing and all powerful. He is in complete control, no matter how ridiculous the events of my day might seem (and, trust me, today was pretty ridiculous!!!). See, Jesus clearly knew what was going to happen. He wasn't a victim, nor was He surprised when the Jews cried out to have him crucified. In fact, He was in on the whole thing. It was all part of His plan, set out before the beginning of time and predicted thousands of years before throughout the writing of the Old Testament, to glorify God. Knowing that Jesus is the one I have as a model, that also tells me that my purpose (and that of everyone else He has created) is to glorify Him as well. Of course, I am a sinner and an utter failure most days, but I can glorify God in the simplest of things: not grumbling, being humble rather than prideful, exhibiting self-control, resisting the urge to judge others, showing love and grace to people who may not deserve it. All in the name of the Lord who is the only one who can possibly equip me to do any of those things.

Of Unknown Origin

2009-04-02T22:58:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, in the car after school (still in the parking lot), Elias says to me, "Mommy, my toe hurts." He kicks off his Croc and puts his foot up in the front seat. I look at his toe and it looks fine. I squeeze it and he laughs. I pull it up and he laughs. I push it down and he yells, "Ow! Ow! Ow!" Then I notice that the top of his foot is really swollen and something is definitely wrong. I ask him how he hurt it and he has no idea. I ask him if it was hurting at lunch or recess or carpool and he has no idea. He says he thinks it started hurting in the car. Clearly, it was hurt before he got in the car or it would not be ridiculously swollen. Off to the pediatrician we go. Mainly because he has t-ball practice and I don't want him to go without being looked at. (but I don't want him to miss it if nothing is really wrong.)

After seeing our doctor and being sent somewhere else for x-rays, we came home to wait. They called this morning and said that he broke his tarsal. We would need to go see the pediatric orthopedic guy. After spending 3 and a half hours in his office, (and I have NO EARTHLY IDEA why it would take that long!!) we left with Elias sporting a Texas Tech Red cast. He has to wear it for 4 weeks. The real challenge is the no running rule (which we had to expand to "no jumping, hopping, skipping, galloping, or running just on the way out to the car).

He is such a trooper and still thinks the whole thing is kind of cool. But it is going to be a looooooong 4 weeks!!

Egg #1

2009-04-02T00:05:00.003-04:00

We began a new Easter tradition last year called "Resurrection Eggs". They sell these online and at stores like Lifeway and Family Christian Bookstore, but you can also make your own set. I made a set for each of the 15 kids in Elias' class last night for about $30 total. You end up with 12 eggs that you can open in order to tell the story of Easter. We begin the Wednesday (today) a week and a half before Easter, so that we can open one each night. We found that doing it this way builds anticipation of what will happen next, and it gives us all time to think about and process each part. So, over the next 12 days, I am going to blog about our Easter Eggs, what is inside each one, and what it reminds us of. I am also hoping there will be some sweet (ok, or funny) reactions from the kids to write about.

Egg #1
Item inside: a leaf (you can also use a miniature donkey if you have one)
Message: Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The people lined up along the road waving palm branches and shouting "Hosanna!" (This event had been written about and predicted in the Old Testament LONG before it happened. Look it up: Zechariah 9:9) It is really neat for kids to see that Jesus had been foretold so long before He ever came to Earth.
Scripture to Read: Matthew 21:1-11
1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."
4This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5"Say to the Daughter of Zion,
'See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' "[a]
6The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 8A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
"Hosanna[b] to the Son of David!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"[c]
"Hosanna[d] in the highest!"
10When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"
11The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee"

Since Elias is doing this at school each day, I asked him to explain to Elena why the leaf was in the egg. As he told her the story, he described how people were putting their coats and branches on the road for Jesus to ride over on the donkey. We talked about how that was a way of recognizing Jesus as royalty. I think Elias liked telling the story to his baby sister, and Elena was pretty excited about the leaf. :-)

The Open Window

2009-03-25T14:58:00.003-04:00

In the class I just finished teaching, there is a lesson about a phenomenon in parenting called "the open window". It's when your child lets you have a glimpse of their heart, who they really are, risking rejection or disappointment. One of the things we teach is that a great time to catch the window open is when you are driving. Since they aren't having to look you directly in the eye and you aren't even sitting face to face, this is an opportune time to ask your child questions that involve more of an answer than yes or no. Even boys will sometimes spill their hearts about a problem at school or a crush on a girl going down the interstate at 70mph.
The other really good time to catch an open window is at bedtime. If we will only embrace these quiet moments instead of rushing through them, we will likely get invited into the most intimate of conversations in a dark room at our child's bedside.
That, of course, is not the window I am writing about today. :)
After some t.v. time with Elena this morning, she told me it was time to go "night night" (a good 45 minuted before her normal nap). She turned off the t.v. and turned on the noise machine before crawling into the covers of my bed and asking me to snuggle. Now, I had to eat this up because Elena is not one to really be snuggly. Don't get me wrong- she loves her hugs and wants to be in my lap, but laying down and being still is not her thing. As I laid next to her wondering if she was actually going to go to sleep in my bed (which has pretty much only ever happened when she has been really sick and she has just passed out there), she asked me to rub her back. Thinking that was just really sweet, I started to rub. Back and forth, back and forth, with an occasional pat-pat-pat in there for good measure. As she closed her eyes and began to lick her arm the way she does when she goes to sleep, she whispered, "No, Mommy, open my window." And I realized she wanted me to pull up her shirt and rub on her skin. Not quite the bedtime window we teach about, but definitely one of the sweetest, most tender moments of mommyhood. :)

One Word Wednesday

2009-03-24T23:44:00.002-04:00

Since last week was Spring Break down here in Texas, I failed to post a One Word Wednesday. =(
To make up for it, I am posting 2 words this week! =)

(actually, I asked Adaryll to help me with a word and we couldn't choose between these two, so last week's hiatus is my excuse to not have to make a decision)

So, here goes. Once you read the words, choose one (or both) and post the thoughts and feelings you have when you read it.

Today's words are...........................................

bracket

and

knuckles.

Spring Break '09

2009-03-20T08:35:00.000-04:00

Funny how you don't really care about spring break unless you are (or have child who is) in school. I remember people asking us for the last few years, "What are you doing for spring break?" I also remember thinking something along the lines of "Huh!? Every week is spring break for us!"

Ah, but life is different now. With Elias in kindergarten now, we have quickly become proud members of the People-Who-Look-Forward-To-Spring-Break Club. So much so, in fact, that we even planned a real vacation this year! Ok- it was only overnight, and we only went an hour and a half away. But we went for the sole purpose of vacationing and we stayed in a hotel!!! I don't think we have done that since our honeymoon. I mean, there have been lots of trips over the years, but they all involved either visiting family, going to a conference, or Adaryll playing sax somewhere. Not just vacation for vacation's sake.

Even more exciting are the awesome deals we got!! We bought Seaworld 2009 tickets for the cost of 1-day tickets! We packed lunches in a cooler and ate dinner on a gift card someone gave me a couple of months ago. Plus we got a voucher for a free hotel night next time we visit. How cool is that?!

So here are some photo highlights of the trip. Elena's favorite thing was the penguin, which should not come as a surprise if you know about her obsession with birds. Elias loved all the shows and the Texas Splashdown. He also got to ride his first roller coaster. Both loved sleeping in roll-away beds pushed up next to each other and giggling for an hour before they finally went to sleep. :)

FinallyFast

2009-03-20T00:00:00.002-04:00

Today, as I uploaded pictures from my camera to my computer, Elias said to me, "WOW! Mommy, did you go to FinallyFast.com? Because those pictures are going on there really fast!"

Pictures of our spring break week coming soon...

So, So Stinkin' Funny!

2009-03-12T23:00:00.003-04:00

Leslie posted a funny Tim Hawkins video on her blog yesterday- if you haven't seen it, you should check it out. Hilarious. So I thought I would continue the laughs today and share this one.

One Word Wednesday

2009-03-10T23:00:00.002-04:00

In case you haven't played before, here is how to play: I will post a word. You will post a comment telling your thoughts and feelings about my word. Feel free to give a definition and use the word in a sentence. You can also comment about what other people have said, so check back to see what people are saying to you.
I have an ever-growing list of words in the newly formed One Word Wednesday vault. I have jotted words down that I have seen or heard out in public, and I have even googled "funny words" (which I highly recommend doing if you ever just need a good laugh). Now I have to make a choice of which word to post, and there are just so many good ones to choose from! I almost chose "Cacahuetes", but I am too afraid of what yall might comment on that one. No, it isn't dirty- it means peanuts in Spanish- but I can already hear what some of you are thinking.
Sooooooo, this week's word is................................

Lost.

Toothless

2009-03-10T13:51:00.001-04:00

Elias looks like he got punched in the face. For pictures and further explanation, go to Adaryll's blog. And show him some love- leave a comment!

Fashion Sense

2009-03-09T08:53:00.003-04:00

In case you were wondering, I am not the right person to ask for fashion advice. I mean, I like to look cute at all, but not at the same cost others are willing to pay. When I am making a clothing purchase, the main things that I consider are: does it fit right?, is it comfortable?, will it need to be ironed/dry-cleaned?, and THEN is it trendy? See, I'm just not all that into trendy. That is, unless the trend happens to fit and be very comfortable and easy to clean. :) I am more concerned with whether it is in-style enough for me to not look like a complete idiot. To me, that is pretty much as good as trendy. I like to think that I, for the most part, look put-together. Just not in a magazine sort of way. More like in a classic jeans and girly polo with flip-flops sort of way. With my hair in a ponytail and an au-natural face most of the time. It's just who I am.
So, I got a pretty big laugh the other night when Adaryll asked me for advice. You see, Adaryll is at the other end of the spectrum on fashion. He has been known to iron jeans. He is up on the trends and can usually tell me what is hip in L.A. and N.Y. I don't know how he knows all of this, he just does.
So, the other night we were out to dinner and he asks me, out of the blue, "So what shoes do you think I should wear with those new brown pants I just got?"
It's funny that, in every other aspect of life, I am the planner and he is fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants. Not with this. Most days, he has planned in his mind what he would like to wear. I, on the other hand, have no idea until I actually put something on. So, it was hard for me to identify with even thinking about what in the closet would go with what else in the closet without actually standing in the closet.
I started to answer. "Well, I guess if you were wearing a black shirt with the brown pants, then you would wear black shoes. But if you were wearing a baby blue shirt with the brown pants, you could wear brown shoes. Or black ones. Is this a trick? And, really, why are you asking me this anyway? I don't know why you would ask for my opinion anyway when you know that I am fashionally inept."
*both of us stare blankly and then start laughing hard*
He says, "If you really think that I think that, it's only because you just said 'fashionally'."
:)

2009-03-07T09:18:00.004-05:00

This is from facebook, but I thought I would post it here. Because if I get on facebook, I will get sucked into cyberspace oblivion. Which means I will spend 2 hours on the computer, instead of 7 minutes. =) Sad, I know.
So, after you read my answers below, ask your kid (even if they are grown!) the questions and post them exactly how they respond. I'd love to hear the answers.

Elias 6, Elena 2 (she obviously didn't get this, but her answers were too funny to leave out)

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Elias- That I did a good job. Well, most of the time.
Elena- Bouncy

2. What makes mom happy?
Elias- When I do the right things.
Elena- Having a fit.

3. What makes mom sad?
Elias- When I disobey.
Elena- Happy?

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Elias- When she makes silly faces and makes silly sounds.
Elena- The hi.

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Elias- Ummm, small and tiny.
Elena- Falling down.

6. How old is your mom?
Elias- 32
Elena- 2

7. How tall is your mom?
Elias- Really tall.
Elena- High. Like this (lays down on her back with her legs straight up in the air).

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Elias- Cooking stuff.
Elena- Go to Costco.

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Elias- Go to the Y. Cook dinner.
Elena- Be right back.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Elias- Painting.
Elena- Giving kiss and hugs.

11. What is your mom really good at?
Elias- Being a Mom.
Elena- Hide.

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Elias- Coughing.
Elena- no answer.

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Elias- Be a Mom. That's your job.
Elena- No, no job! No job!

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Elias- Lasagna.
Elena- Dinner

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
Elias- When she does the right stuff that a Mom does. Does that make sense?
Elena- Heeheehee. Because I want my Daddy.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Elias- Ummmm. Widget from Wow Wow Wubzy.
Elena- Green. And I will be a blue one.

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Elias- Do crafts sometimes. And we go to school together.
Elena- (hums a song) Go night night. Go to stores.

18. How are you and your mom the same?
Elias- We both have ears.
Elena- I don't know.

19. How are you and your mom different?
Elias- With our skin. Mine is tan and my mom's is pink.
Elena- I don't know. We hide all by ourselves.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Elias- Because she tells me!
Elena- (runs over to me and gets in my lap) Because I am sitting with her!

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Elias- Rudy's.
Elena- Go to school. Go get hotdogs at Costco.

Now it's your turn

Growing Pains

2009-03-06T21:34:00.004-05:00

I was asked last summer by our senior pastor's wife if I would be willing to participate in a discipleship/mentoring group with her and 3 other young pastor's wives. Thrilled that she asked, I wholeheartedly jumped into this group having no idea what it would really turn out to be. I think it is one of the best things I have ever done.
First of all, we meet at Starbucks! And there is childcare (at my house!!) for Elena. And I absolutely love each one of these girls. AND we are being led through this amazing material that is growing me in ways I could have never imagined.
The thing is, growing hurts.
The last few weeks, we have been talking about life principles. Things that you believe in your core. Because those are the things that shape how you think, feel, and act. Wow- talk about eye-opening!!! When Cindy first gave us her personal list, I was like "Oh yeah, I totally agree with that. Oh, and that one is really good. And, oh yes, that is so true too..." But then we were asked to just sort of watch ourselves live over the next couple of weeks and evaluate whether or not our feelings, thoughts, and actions actually reflect what her list said.
Did I mention how painful this is?
The next thing we were asked to do was to try to define the lies we believe (so that we can correct them!). You know the, "I'm not as good as other Moms. Everyone else has it all together." and "I am not valuable if I'm not valued by the world's standards." type of statements we sometimes tell ourselves. The thing is, based on your specific personality type, you will tend to wrestle with lies specific to your wiring. So, over the last few weeks, I have been making a list. Wow, again.

1. It's all or nothing. Either everything needs to be perfect or don't bother trying. I have tried to live up to this idea of perfection my whole life. And, really, the only one putting that pressure on me is me. I have always tried to put the blame on someone else, saying that they might not like/love/respect/whatever me if I didn't do everything perfect (or at least make it look that way on the outside). But the truth is that I'm NOT perfect. I'm completely flawed!! So if someone out there is liking me because they think I am perfect, then they aren't really liking me anyway, are they?
2. If I can know enough about something, then I can always "get it right". I love to learn. I always really enjoyed school. If a toy breaks or a clock quits working, you can find me with a screwdriver opening it up to check out its inards. I just like to see how things work! But there is a fine line between that and defining your value by how much you know. Everything in life is not a academic pursuit. You can't read a biography about someone and that alone make you their friend. You can be told how to do something (and completely understand!), and then fail miserably when you actually try. Because knowing and understanding are only part of the equation. Doing is the other part. Getting it right takes practice. And, even when you practice and become proficient, you will still make mistakes sometimes!
3. If I feel threatened, I should put my guard up and push back. I do this a LOT. Especially when I feel like someone is implying that I don't "know" what I am talking about (see #1 and 2!!!). But the truth is, I should always take people at their word and assume good motives.

That is just the tip of the iceberg, folks! Another lie on my list is that "being wrong is the worst thing that could happen". Because if you are wrong, that means that there was something you didn't know, didn't account for in the equation. Which means you must be stupid. (see #3 & 4!!). Which means I must be stupid, because look at all this junk I have allowed to fill my head! It's so discouraging.
So I am reminding myself tonight that it is a blessing to make these discoveries now, at 32, instead of at 42 or 52 or 62.. That God is showing me something grand, and that He has a plan of where He is taking me. That this process of "being in the fire" will slowly refine me. And that, while I am deceived, selfish, and sinful, God loves me more than I can understand. For who I am inside- the real me. The crazy, lie-believin' fool I am.

One Word Wednesday

2009-03-03T23:07:00.002-05:00

Allright, people! Here we go with round two of our newest game. I LOVED all the responses last week, so keep up the good work!
As a reminder, here is how to play: I will post a word. You will post a comment telling your thoughts and feelings about my word. Feel free to give a definition and use the word in a sentence. Also, you can comment about what other people have said, so check back and see what people thought of your comment.
This week's word is................................

jiffy.

Taking the Bed Back

2009-02-26T21:47:00.002-05:00

These are the photos to go with the story I posted earlier today. :)

8 In the Bed... from left to right: Elena, Pizza, Macaroni, Spaghetti, Baby Jordan (who I failed to mention in previous pose, probably because her name is so not memorable), Lasagna, Other Baby, and Mr. Frog

I decided this was really getting out of hand, but Elena did not want to part with any of the babies. So we brought in the baby bed from the playroom and put it in Elena's room.

5 babies moved into the baby bed at naptime today. After a few minutes, Elena started crying really, really hard and yelling "I WANT LASAAAAAAAAAAAAGNA!!!" So we ended up moving Lasagna back into Elena's bed. Tonight she tucked all 5 of these babies (the 4 Italians plus Baby Jordan) back into the baby bed again. So far, she hasn't had any second thoughts.

Little Mama

2009-02-26T09:43:00.004-05:00

Elena has slept with 2 babies in her bed since she was tiny. She has Mr. Frog, which Adaryll and I got her when she was about 5 months old. She has loved Mr. Frog ever since, and we have always referred to him as her official "lovey". Eventually she decided that she also wanted to sleep with a baby that was given to Elias when he turned one. (Thanks, Harris Fam!) This one is a soft, all-plush baby with a few short pieces of yarn for hair. This baby has been missing it's clothes for several years, so we used to refer to it as "naked baby". Elena renamed it "Other Baby" several months ago.
Then, when Elena was sick in January, she was given a ladybug baby doll. She immediately fell in love with it and insisted on sleeping with it, too. Eventually, she named the ladybug "Lasagna". So then there were 3 babies (and Elena) all together in her twin size bed. A few days ago, she started carrying around a baby doll that Adaryll's Aunt Sandra gave her almost a year ago. All of the sudden, she is obsessed with this baby (along with the other 3 still), and needs to have it with her or know where it is at all times. Including bedtime. Yesterday she told me this baby's name is "Macaroni" (pronounced Macky-Doh-Nee). At least we have a theme going, right? So, now there are 4 babies + Elena in the bed every night and nap.
She lines them all up across her pillow and tucks them in next to her. Which was fine when it was only Mr. Frog and Other Baby. But once we added Lasagna and Macaroni to the bedtime mix (that just sounds messy!), there was no room left for Elena on the pillow! So I did what any good Mommy would do: I found an old travel pillow with a soft, pink pillowcase and put it in her bed next to her regular pillow. Then I lined up the babies (really close together like sardines in a can) on that pillow, which left the regular pillow for Elena to have all to herself.
And, like any good Mommy would do, Elena proceeded to take all the babies, one by one, and lay them down comfortably across her pillow. And then she took the little travel pillow at the edge of the bed for herself. Oh, the sacrifices a mother makes! And how early we learn!
By the way, she decided to give names to 2 more babies (which she got for her 1st bday from my mom and grandma) this morning. Their new names are Spaghetti and Pizza. Girl loves her some carbs with tomato sauce! Or maybe she is confused about her heritage and thinks she is part Italian...

One-Word Wednesday

2009-02-24T23:16:00.002-05:00

I made up a new game. This will replace Wordless Wednesday for the time-being, mainly because I have run out of funny pics and need time to build up my stash again.
Here's how we will play: I will post a word (thus the name: One Word Wednesday). Then you will post a comment telling me and the rest of the people out there who read this your thoughts and feelings about my word. Feel free to also comment on other people's comments and come back to check and see what others have said about your comment. Make sense?

Ok, this week's word is........................................ *drumroll*.............................................

SNUGGIE!

Wrinkled Maps

2009-02-24T07:55:00.003-05:00

Last night Elena said something really funny. It took me a while to figure out what she was saying, but when I finally got it, I thought it blogworthy.
Let me start with a little background. Elias, our now-6-year-old, loved maps as a baby. He had a LeapPad that had a page with a USA map, and when he touched a state with the LeapPen (which is like a stylus), it would say the state's name. By age 2, you could ask him where any state was and he could point to it. Another testament to his crazy visual learning ability, I guess.
Elena has not shown as much interest in the LeapPad. Until Sunday. All of the sudden, she wanted to play with her own hand-me-down pink LeapPad, and that was pretty much all she wanted to do. She absolutely loved the map page! She kept touching Texas and Indiana and repeating their names. (which, by the way, are also the first 2 that Elias learned!)
So last night, after her bath, she was lying on her changing table while I got her dressed for bed. She looked at her fingers and asked me what they were. I told her they were fingers.
"Noooooooooooooooo", she said. "What's in them?"
"Ummmm, fingers?" I answered.
"Noooooo. What's this?" she asked, pointing to her thumb.
"Oh, that is your thumb."
"Nooooooooo, this." Finally I realize she is specifically talking about the pads of her fingers.
"Oh, those are your fingerprints."
"Nooooooooo. These are my *unintelligible word*."
"Your WHAT?"
"My *repeats same word and I have no idea what she is saying*"
I try to repeat the word back as I heard it. "Your tess-a-sis?"
"No. My *same word, still no idea what the heck she is talking about*."
"Your (try to guess again) tesasis?"
"No. my *same word, with a little more annunciation*."
"Your Texases?"
"YES! See?" (shows me her wrinkled finger pads from the bath)
"Ooooooooh. Those are wrinkles."
"Oh."
"Do you think they look like a map?"
"Yes!"
"And you see Texas?"
"YES!!!"

Wow. This girls is either really, really smart, or she has absolutely NO clue. Or maybe seeing Texas in your finger wrinkles is something akin to seeing Mother Mary in your PB&J sandwich. It is Texas, afterall.
Let's hope she's just REALLY smart.
To quote Home Simpson, "I am so smart. I am so smart. S-M-R-T. I mean S-M-A-R-T." :)

Unloading

2009-02-23T20:23:00.002-05:00

I have had this sinking feeling for several weeks every time I do laundry. It is like a guilt-ridden sickness in my stomach. Because we have so much. Seriously, I think to myself, "How can we POSSIBLY have this many dirty clothes, PLUS all of these clean ones that are waiting to be put away from the last time I did laundry, AND STILL have a closet full of clothes in each of our rooms?!?!?! Part of the answer is that I have totally slacked on keeping the kids closets cleaned out to just the size they are wearing, so they each had a lot of clothes in there that were too small. But a HUGE part of it is that we just plain have waaaaaay too much! I mean, really, even if you wear all of your t-shirts and like all of them, how many can you possibly actually need? 5 maybe? 10 to be generous? Anything more than that seems like a complete waste to me. It's not like we don't have a washer and dryer right downstairs!!!
Aaaaaaaah. That was a big, giant exhale. Because that feeling I would get when doing laundry actually carried over into some action. Which led to MUCH purging of the wardrobes. And I think it is pretty much done. Again, I just sit back and think about all the clothes I just got rid of, and I STILL can't believe how much is left in all the closets!!!
And then that led to cleaning out the playroom. Wow, I am completely ashamed to tell you how much I got rid of (a giant LAWN bag full!!!), because if you came over and saw how many toys we STILL have, you would think badly of me for actually having had MORE!!!
Anyway, I am glad I got that whole process out of my system. Now I can breathe.

Blahs

2009-02-22T21:29:00.002-05:00

I kind of have a case of the blahs the last couple of days. Not sure why. Have typed and deleted and typed and deleted and typed and deleted because everytime I read what I typed I realize how crabby I sound.
Here's hoping for a healthy week for all 4 Jordans. Surely cedar season is almost over, right?!

No Pain, No Gain

2009-02-19T22:56:00.003-05:00

It isn't exactly gain, per se, that I am looking for. Actually, it is just the opposite. You all know what I am talking about. We've all, at one point in our adult-lives, committed to exercise, be healthier, lose weight, etc. In my attempt at dropping a few (ok, a few more than a few) pounds, I have officially started "working out".
Wow- I feel like such a grown-up saying that. When did it happen that in order to stay in shape I had to "work-out"? I can remember when those types of activities were just part of a normal day of being. In high school that included sports, rollerblading, running, etc. In college there was the normal hauling myself and all my books across campus, but that's when exercise for the sake of exercise started to creep in. Going walking with friends was not just a leisurely stroll, it was for the intent of getting my heart rate up. I can't express to you how much I despised that type of stuff. While all my friends loved going to the gym, it just didn't seem necessary to me and wasn't something I enjoyed at all. The thing is, I didn't really have a motivation to do it. I was happy with my natural weight and could pretty much eat whatever I wanted and maintain it. What reason was there to exercise? (nevermind that I might as well have needed CPR after running up a flight of stairs to get to a class on time because my cardio system was so out of shape!)
Fast forward 14 years and 2 babies later. Ok, I still pretty much eat whatever I want, but my natural weight now is a far cry from what it was in those youthful days. And now my cardio is so bad that I might need CPR just from walking up the incline of our church's center aisle. I haven't been happy with my overall physical fitness in a long, long time. Plus I have been at the mercy of a painful post-surgery foot for 14 months (that sounds like a reasonable excuse, right?).
No more excuses! We joined the YMCA last week and I signed up for a 12 weeks to Fitness program which basically commits me to working out 3 times per week for 3 months. I started yesterday on a recumbent bike and an elliptical machine. (I'm trying really hard to avoid weight-bearing or at least stick to low-impact because my foot is still not healed properly) Yesterday it all felt great- I had all this extra energy. Today I did the same machines and am miserable. I tried to read while I was on the elliptical, so I only held onto the machine with my right hand while I held my book in my left hand. Tonight all the muscles in my right shoulder and neck are cramped and knotted as a result. Ooooooh, the pain!
I know they say no pain, no gain, but this seems a little ridiculous. I am officially taking tomorrow off and sticking solely to the ipod from here on out.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-18T20:59:00.003-05:00

After several weeks of neglecting this crowd favorite (and a friendly reminder from a member of the Pink Mafia), I am bringing Wordless Wednesday back! If you are new to Texans and Hoosiers and don't know how to play, I post a picture and you post a caption in the comments. Pretty simple. Sometimes, if I am particularly impressed with one caption (or am just in an unusually good mood), I will declare a winner the next day. Have fun!

The Hill

2009-02-16T21:59:00.002-05:00

Does anyone else out there own a bed with a hill in the middle? Our king mattress is almost 9 years old, and it is one of those "no flip" mattresses. You are supposed to just turn it every 6 months so that your head is where your feet were before. The thing is, you still have 2 bodies lying in the same ruts as before. Eventually, you have what looks like an un-plowed, 2-day-old snowy street in Indiana. Or a muddy farm road in Texas. There are 2 dips- one where we each sleep- and a hill in the middle.
I discovered this phenomenon about a year ago when I inadvertently rolled over after Adaryll had left for work early one morning. You wouldn't believe how much more support there is on that hill! It is like 8 inches of brand new mattress! Of course, I have to lay perfectly still or I roll to one side or the other. Still, those 30 minutes on the hill each morning are so nice.
I guess it is time for a new mattress. Ok, maybe it was time a year ago when the hill first appeared. Blah.

Jump Rope for Heart

2009-02-14T19:38:00.004-05:00

At school this month, Elias has been learning about living a heart-healthy lifestyle by eating right, exercising, and living tobacco-free. He has also been given the opportunity to raise money for the American Heart Association through Jump Rope for Heart. He has set a goal of raising $300 by this Friday and is already one-third there! If you are interested in donating, you can contribute online at Elias' donation page. (donations are tax-deductible and many companies offer matching-gift programs)

From Scratch

2009-02-12T17:48:00.003-05:00

Ok, I am now admitting publicly on the internet for everyone to read that I am NOT a very good cook. Maybe even "not very good" enough to land me in the "bad" category. "Oh", you say, "It can't be that bad." Yes, it is.

The problem is that I don't taste individual ingredients. If I am eating chocolate cake, what I taste is chocolate cake. I don't know whether there is too much flour, too little sugar, not enough salt, etc. Hey, if it is chocolate cake, who cares?!

But seriously, since I don't taste all the parts I can't discern by looking at a recipe whether or not it will taste good as a whole. So I pretty much go by the titles. (note to reader: most recipes that actually make it into cookbooks, whether they are amazing or disgusting, have catchy yummy-sounding titles). So, if there are 2 different meatloaf recipes, one called "Meatloaf" and the other called "Tasty Mexican Meatloaf", I will probably choose the second. Because what sort of a Texan doesn't love Mexican?! This is not a good way to decide which kind of meatloaf to make for dinner. Unfortunately, it's all I've got.

All that to say, I am working on this problem. At this point, it is kind of trial and error. I find a bunch of good-sounding recipes (ok, titles) and plan out the meals and shop. And then it is total hit or miss whether dinner each night is going to bomb or be awesome. (sorry now to my poor family having to endure this growing pain with me. Papa Johns is just a phone call away when it is too awful to endure.)

Tonight I asked the kids to help me snap the ends off green beans. Who knew it would be so much fun for them?! (and they LOVED hearing the "snap" they were able to make each time) I can't believe I had never thought of this before. When we were done, Elias stood up and said, "Thanks for letting us do that , Mom. That was really fun!"

I have memories of being as young as 4 or 5 and snapping beans with my Meme (dad's mom) out on their farm. Thankfully, she was a much better cook than I am, and everything she ever made was incredible.

Maybe the beans tonight will turn out ok. Really, how bad can I screw that up, right?!

My Pretty

2009-02-11T20:56:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I decided it would be fun to blow dry Elena's hair straight. I had only done it one other time, and that was about a year ago. (I think I actually posted pics on the blog when I did it, but I am too lazy right now to look for a link) Anyway, it turned out adorable. She looked WAY older than she is, and I couldn't believe how much hair she has now! So today, while at Target refilling her Pulmicort, I picked up a flattening iron. Wow! I have never used one in my life, but it definitely did the trick! Her hair went from super curly to completely straight in a matter of minutes. I still prefer her beautiful curls, but it is nice to know she's got options!

Literal

2009-02-10T18:53:00.002-05:00

Kids are so stinkin' literal about everything, aren't they? It amazes me how often they just don't get a joke or a prank because they are so focused on the exact words used and what they ought to mean. For example:

Me: Elena, do you want to come upstairs with me? I need to fix my hair.
Elena: Oooooh noooooooo! Mommy! You hair is broken!? (yes, sometimes she says "you" and not "your"- it is quite cute)

Or how about this one:
Me: Elias, you didn't find your coat at school today?
Elias: No. We can just buy a new one.
Me: Well, that costs money.
Elias: But you have two hundred dollars! (he knows this because I bought $200 worth of groceries Saturday and he was very concerned about whether or not I would be able to foot that bill. At the cash register, I proudly told him that, yes, I did have $200 for the groceries.)
Me: But I spent all that on groceries, remember?
Elias: Oh. Well, we can order it online then. (I guess he thinks we don't pay for things we order online that just magically appear in boxes on our porch?)
Me: We still have to pay for that stuff honey.
Elias: oh.
Me: Maybe you should get a job at HEB and earn some money. You could be a cashier.
Elias: Noooooo, I already told you, when I grow up I want to be a worker. (he recently told me that he wants to be one of the guys that fixes roads and builds bridges)
Me: Well, then maybe you should get a job as a worker and earn some money to buy a new coat.
Elias: I can't. I am not old enough. And I don't know how to build stuff yet. (man, this guy really should be a lawyer, shouldn't he?)
Me: I know. I am kidding. Maybe I should go be a worker.
Elias: Noooooooooooooooo! I want you to me my Mommy!!!!

Roadrunners

2009-02-09T21:53:00.007-05:00

No, this is not a post about an old cartoon. My son's basketball team actually named themselves The Roadrunners. Because they are so fast. And because they are five and six years old. And because no adults told them how silly that sounds. Actually, maybe the joke is on us and the kids all knew how ridiculous we would sound yelling "Go Roadrunners!"

So this is Elias' first season of basketball. Having been born a Hoosier, he has ALWAYS loved to shoot a ball in a hoop, so we were excited to find this opportunity through our local Y. He is having a great time and learning a lot. Really, the improvement in the first 4 weeks (especially considering that we missed 2 weeks with ear infection and trip to IN) has been tremendous.

Here are some pics and videos from his practices and games.

(Note that his team wears Texas A&M maroon. No, we were not thrilled about this. Yes, we are happy that it isn't burnt orange.)

Running down the court

Pregame Warm-up shot. (Elias is #21)

"Gooooooooooooooo Roadrunners!"

Pregame Warm-ups

Practicing shots

Practicing dribbling

Explanation for Lissie :)

2009-02-09T08:57:00.003-05:00

In an effort to help my friend (and Elias' Kindergarten teacher) on her quest of having blog posts named after her, I thought I would write about something funny that happened last week. Something so funny that, when it happened, I looked at Adaryll and said, "Oh, that is SO going on the blog!" I kind of forgot about it until I read Elias' version on Lissie's Blog. And now, an explanation is definitely required.
One night last week, as Elias was getting his pajamas on, it became apparant to both Adaryll and me that he was stalling. He was moving ridiculously slow and watching t.v. out the corner of his eye in our room. Adaryll told him to get his pajamas on.
In that 6-year-old-boy, I-know-everything-and-can-do-no-wrong voice, he answered, "I AAAAAAAM!" It was not quite the tone or the volume acceptable to Jordan parents. :)
So, Adaryll asked, "Did you just yell at me?"
Elias answered yes.
So, Adaryll (joking) says, "Well, then come over here and I am going to give you a spanking."
Apparantly Elias didn't get the joke. He immediately starts crying and pulls down the pajama pants that have now taken 7 or 8 minutes to get on. He pathetically walks, barebutt now, over to our bed where both Adaryll and I are sitting. Adaryll and I both start to laugh.
Elias looks at us confused.
I say, "Elias, Daddy is not going to spank you."
Through giant tears, Elias begins to laugh HYSTARICALLY. I can't even begin to explain to you how funny this scene was. All of us laughing and Elias crying at the same time.
Adaryll turns to me and says, "Well now, that is not in the parenting books..."

Elena's Interpretation

2009-02-05T17:07:00.004-05:00

Elias has been a big fan of The Lawrence Welk Show (PBS Saturday nights) for as long as I can remember. A couple of weeks ago, Elena decided to get in on the fun. Her dancing went on and on, and I finally just had to capture it in a video. I love the way she "feels" the music. It reminds me of her own version of modern interpretive dance. And how she applauds so enthusiastically at the end. Not sure this could be any cuter. (ok, maybe if she were wearing a tutu and leg-warmers)

Woooo-Hoooooooo!

2009-01-29T14:06:00.003-05:00

Well, I prayed a couple of weeks ago that God would send some snow to Indiana during our visit, and I guess His answer was YES! By yesterday morning, we had 12-14 inches on the ground, and I think there is more to come in the next couple of days. I heard it was the most snow dumped in one storm here in 30 years or something. Since we aren't responsible for shoveling a driveway or paying a gas bill up here, we are loving it!
We got to go sledding yesterday, and boy did we have fun!!! I don't know how many times I went down the hill, but it was enough that my legs are sore today from climbing back up. The kids are having the time of their lives (ok, Elias is at least). It really is so much fun to visit this for a week, and not to have to deal with it all winter. :)

SNOW!

2009-01-27T20:39:00.002-05:00

The kids and I are back in Indiana visiting friends, and having a ball!!! We arrived Friday and got settled in at the Millers' house (just down the street from our old house). Kylee and Ian didn't know we were coming, so when they got off the bus and saw Elias, it was like a scene out of a movie! (seriously- 5 year old girl running up the sidewalk, arms outstretched, towards 6 year old boy- I wish I had the camera!)
We spent Saturday just trying to recover from the 4am Friday wake-up (and the almost-missed flight because I forgot Mr. Pig and didn't realize it until we were halfway to the airport!). Saturday night we were able to visit with 5 or 6 neighborhood families and see how much all the kids had grown in the last year. I was amazed to see all the kids were in person, even though I follow all blogs.
Sunday we went to Traders Point, the church where Adaryll served from 2002-2008. I wondered if I would even actually make it into the service, there were so many people to hug! It was so, so good to see all those people in person! But what was even cooler was realizing that I have people in Austin at HCBC that I love just like I love the people here. And we have only been there for a year. It was an amazing realization. I really almost cried realizing that God would do that for me. That he has given me 2 amazing families of believers in 2 completely different cities. And that we are part of both forevermore. Wow.
I have more to blog about Sunday afternoon and yesterday, but I want to get to today's photos now so that Elias' teacher can show them to his class. There was a question asked of the class Friday about what was more fun- snowmen or snow angels. I think about half the class had to guess because they had never even seen snow. (how sad!!!) So here are our pics from today- and I'm not sure which Elias thought was more fun. But snowballs were right up there at the top of the list too! (we are supposed to have 10 inches of snow by tomorrow, so expect sledding videos tomorrow!)

Packing Up

2009-01-21T14:15:00.001-05:00

And heading out!!
The kids and I are coming to Indiana FRIDAY!!! YEAH!!! (it's probably too cold to wear crocs there though, huh?)
:)

20 Something

2009-01-20T08:52:00.002-05:00

I have finally succumb to the phenomenon we all know as Facebook. I registered an account last spring sometime, but I only actually went to the site about once a month. I just didn't see the point- I already blog and read everyone else's blog, which is WAY more interesting than just looking at a profile on facebook, right?!
But when Elena was in the hospital, the only internet access I had was my cell phone. Which is REALLY limited. I could see my emails and reply, but I could not access my address book to email out if I didn't have the email address memorized. Now I know a lot of useless information, but memorizing people's email addresses is not something I do. So, I started updating my status on facebook with information about what was happening with Elena. WOW! Talk about quick response! I had comments flying left and right and people all over the country were praying for her within minutes! Now I am addicted.
During the time we were in the hospital, I received a friend request from a Kim-last-name-I-don't-recognize. I saw that we had several friends in common, so I just ok'ed the request and moved on. Several days later she left me a comment and I went to her page to figure out who she is. Once I thought I knew, I sent her a message asking if she was Kim D. who I grew up with in ElPaso. Yes she was! We got to talking and it turns out we both got married around the same time, our boys were born within 2 months of each other, our girls are 3 weeks apart, she lives less than 50 miles for me, and both her kids' names start with Z (ours with E's). Her husband is in the military and we started talking about their life. It seemed so different from mine. But the more I thought about it over the last few days, it really isn't different at all. Her husband works so that people can be free- so does mine! Her husband has to up and go whenever his job requires- so does mine! I am thankful that my husband does not have months of deployment, but I also know that he is going to Europe this month (see his blog for more info) because God told him to go. And that we moved across the country 7 years ago and again 1 year ago because God told us to. So we are at God's beck-and-call in much the same way my friend's husband is at our government's. Interesting, eh?
The funny thing is, I had just blogged about this girl last November in my post about my favorite Christmas ornaments. She is the "childhood friend, Kim" that made that baked-dough-Santa. Wow, huh?
She commented on facebook about how my faith inspired her and I had to take a step back and ask myself "What faith?! I am really struggling here! I haven't slept in a week and I'm scared to death for my sweet baby who has been on oxygen for 7 days!" And then I realized that that is how God works. Rarely is someone inspired by the person with the perfect hair and makeup whose life looks so pretty. Funny, because that is the front I have tried to put up for a lot of years. But I have learned over the last several months and years that that isn't really who I am. And, frankly, God can work bigger miracles when you admit that you need them. So humbling myself, admitting my fears, and then deciding to still turn to God and rely on Him for strength is much more inspiring to someone looking on. Wow- I can do THAT!
Thanks, Kim, for the encouragement!

How's Elena?

2009-01-14T20:43:00.003-05:00

I can't even begin to tell you all of the things that God has and still is teaching me through Elena and her illness the last 2 weeks. Was it really only 2 weeks ago that we went to the E.R. in Dallas??? I am still processing all of it and promise to share soon- it is just all overwhelming and fresh right now.
I can't remember what all I have posted about this whole experience,and right now I am too tired to look back and read, so forgive me if I am repeating myself. :) The virus that landed Elena in the hospital was her third respiratory infection with wheezing since October, so the consensus of all the doctors is that she has "reactive airway disease" and will most likely end up with asthma. This means that, theoretically, she is going to have respiratory difficulties each time she gets a cold, etc. because her lungs are already inflamed. To avoid that, she is on a twice a day steroid breathing treatment at least until we see the pediatric pulmonologist next week. 3 of 3 doctors we have seen have said that she will stay on that at least through the winter to help get through cold and flu season, but the final treatment plan will be made by the pulmonologist.
She also has a different breathing treatment to be used for wheezing, but we have not had to do that in several days. (Praise God!)
All in all, she is doing great! She has definitely experienced some emotional trauma from the whole thing, but we are so thankful to have our happy, energetic girl back! (she even challenged me today on American Idol Wii!) Now it is a waiting game to see what happens to her lungs the next time she catches a cold. We appreciate your continued prayers for that!

Talking Heads

2009-01-13T21:46:00.002-05:00

We have this rule in our house- if you are thirsty in the evening, you have to ask for a drink BEFORE bathtime. It helps to avoid the inevitable "I need a drink of water" thing that happens as you are tucking kids into bed. Or after they have already been tucked. So, whenever Elias tries to ask for a drink as a ploy to delay bedtime, I can just casually state that he needed to have asked for it before his bath.
Lately, as he is climbing up the ladder into bed, he sometimes says to me, "Mommy, do you know what I was thinking tonight before bath?" Yes, I know. That you were thirsty. But apparantly not thirsty enough to let me in on it. Which means you will not wither away before tomorrow morning. Sorry- go to bed.
Tonight, though, he took me by surprise. He told me that he was thinking in his head before bath that he was thirsty. And that his head tried to tell my head. WHAT?! Sorry, I said. My head did not hear your head. Goodnight!

A Little Bit Confused

2009-01-11T21:56:00.003-05:00

As you read in last night's post, Elena LOVES the moon. She gets excited about it every night. If we are in the car, she talks to it out her window the whole way home. Maybe she will be an astronaut. :)
So, tonight, I thought I would take her love of the moon a little deeper. You know, give her an appreciation for the God of the universe who made that moon she loves so dearly. After asking Elias to let Elena answer my question, I asked her if she knew who made the moon. Silence. Again, I asked, "Elena, do you know who made that moon?" "Ummmmmm", she replied, "Santa Claus!"

Sweet, Sweet Kids

2009-01-10T21:40:00.003-05:00

As I sit here catching up on everyone's blogs, I can hear my sweet Elias singing in his bed. "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine." How great is that? When I went in to turn off his light and tuck him in, he had a "My First Hymal" in his bed with him and he was going through singing each one. No comments about how baptist it is that our kid even has a "My First Hymnal". :)
We actually got out of the house today. I have been in seclusion for 12 days: 2 days in Dallas at Adaryll's Dad's house, 7 days in the hospital (minus the ambulance and plane rides!), and 3 days here at home. When I realized how long it had been since I had gotten in the car and gone somewhere (anywhere!!!), I made a plan to get us out a bit today. I needed more albuterol for Elena anyway, and I needed to deliver some materials to a friend who will be teaching my Growing Kids class tomorrow so that Elena doesn't have to go to childcare at church just yet. Plus my sister had told me that the Crocs outlets were having a $4.99 sale on kids' crocs, and I could hear my name being called from the Roundrock Premium Outlets. So, after Elena's morning breathing treatment, we loaded up and ran some errands. Man, it felt SO good to be out amongst the living!! One prescription and 6 pairs of crocs later (I KNOW- it really is a problem for me!!! But $4.99?! Who can pass that up?!?!), we came home for lunch and naps.
Tonight, when Elena saw the moon (Wow- has anyone else looked out there tonight?!), she exclaimed sweetly, "Moon! Moon, Mommy, look at that moon! It's shiney, Mommy! I wanna take it home with me. Gnite moon." So, so stinkin' sweet.
And it's a good thing she is so stinkin' sweet because she decided last night was the time to act out all the trauma she has gone through. She cried out for me over and over during the night, and actually got out of her bed (gasp!) this morning and was beating on her door screaming for me. She has been in that bed since June and has never done this until now, so I am sure it is related to all the horrible things she experienced last week. Plus, I was sleeping right next to her all week in the hospital. Wierd that she waited until night 3 at home. So, tonight we talked about how scary the hospital was, particularly the tubes in the nose and the IV, but how all of that is over and she is back safe at home. And we prayed for God to help her to know that He is taking care of her and that He is keeping her safe. Now I am hoping for a better night!

Snap, Crackle, Pop

2009-01-08T22:58:00.002-05:00

Seriously, my daughter's lungs sound like breakfast cereal. It is crazy. They purr, the rattle, they wheeze. They could likely tour the country as a one-man-band and bring in enough money to cover that care-flight. (ok, kidding, the care flight was covered by insurance)
We had her follow up appointment with our pediatrician this morning. After a long night of counting respirations, looking for blue lips, checking for belly retractions, and listening to wheezes in the lower right lung, I walked into their office armed with my stethoscope. I know not every mother out there has a stethoscope, but now they know who they are really dealing with. :) I basically told them that I am listening with a stethoscope, whether I should be or not (just as I did with Elias and his virus that landed him in the hospital at 3 mths old), so they might as well re-orient and educate me on what I am hearing. Thankfully they took me as a concerned mother who wants to be involved in her child's healthcare as opposed to a crazy, sleep-deprived, over-reactive, dramatic mother. (though both may actually be true...)
I learned a lot in my 15 minute crash course on pulmonary sounds. We heard mucus plugs popping, wheezing, purring, and crackling. I learned that an inhale wheeze is a little more serious than an exhale wheeze as it means there is more inflammation and constrction. I learned how to discern between nasal congestion and lung congestion (nasal sounds the same in both lungs and gets louder as you move up where true lung congestion would be louder on one side and generally get quieter as you move up). I also learned how to adjust the stethescope to tightly fit your own ears. Hmm, I guess I have not been using it to it's fullest ability the last 6 years. Really, I am NOT trying to manage Elena's care on my own, I just want to feel empowered to make the best decisions for her. Does she or doesn't she need a rescue treatment? How bad did she sound before the treatment and does she sound better afterwards? You know, things like that. Actually, we gave her a treatment in the office and the wheezing completely disappeared. (which was great for the moment, but likely affirms the suspicion of asthma long term) I just felt so much better being able to actually hear for myself the improvement that she made.
It kind of stinks to be such a concrete thinker sometimes, because I need such tangible evidence to convince me of anything. But I think, in a situation like Elena's, being concrete and factual is helping me cope with the crazy emotions that have been overwhelming me. See, I am not normally a hugely emotional person- I rarely base decisions on emotion alone. But this is my baby we are talking about! And we are talking about her at a time that I am quite sleep-deprived! So, emotions have been pouring out of me in a way that I am completely unable to control. And it is kind of nice (at least more in line with my comfort zone) to get back to the facts. She was wheezing, we did a treatment, now she isn't. Her pulse oxygen also went for 95 (not terrible at all, but also not great) to 98 (very good for a sick kid!!!). I like seeing that and not having to base my perspective of how she is doing on how I THINK she is doing.
On that note, I am off to listen to the lungs one last time before bed. :)

HOME!

2009-01-08T01:00:00.002-05:00

We're home!!! It's midnight, so I really must not go into details- I really should just go to bed. But my little mind and then my feet keep taking me to Elena's door. Is she doing ok in there? Is she breathing? Are her lips turning blue? What is her respiratory rate? Is she retracting? I sure do wish I had an "OFF" switch to my brain! Actually, it has probably already switched itself off several days ago, and that is part of the problem!
We see her regular doctor in the morning, so it will be good for him to have a listen. I did a pulmacort (asthma treatment) in the nebulizer a couple of hours ago and there was a lot of wheezing. But she didn't seem to be in any distress. Actually, she seemed very happy to be in her own room, in her own bed, surrounded by her beloved birds.
So now I am going to go check on her (just one more time!!!) and go to bed myself. Aaaaah, what it will feel like to sleep in a REAL mattress with REAL sheets and an electric blanket!!! Heaven!!!

Once In A Lifetime (I hope!)

2009-01-06T18:33:00.006-05:00

Today Elena was transported by a careflight airplane from the hospital in Dallas to a hospital in Austin. I really can't describe the feelings I had in anticipation of the flight. I was excited to be going home, worried about how she would do, scared I might puke on the helicopter, sad to be leaving the nurses we liked so much, glad to be going to a great support system of friends at HCBC. I was all over the place. Those of you who know me know that when I get to be a wreck emotionally, I tend to unravel physically as well. Without giving you too much detail, I will say that I did not make it through this day without the assisance of drugs. No worries- it was over the counter stuff. :)

We were scheduled to leave last night at 7pm, but we kept getting delayed due to the ice in Dallas. They changed plans from helicopter to plane back to helicopter several times during the night, but we ended up on a plane this morning around 9am. The adventure speaks for itself in pictures, so I will just let you have a look. Enjoy!

In the ambulance from the hospital to the airport in Dallas

With a paramedic (we had a team of 3) in the ambulance in Dallas.

With another paramedic in the ambulance in Dallas. They were all so great with her! In fact, I was riding in the front seat and they got my camera out and started taking pictures!

Heading towards the airplane in Dallas

Our plane (notice the propellers!)

Getting buckled in on the plane

A little in-flight movie on my ipod. For what this ride must have cost, we figured their ought to be some entertainment. Earbuds provided by generous paramedic who let her borrow his.

"Look at the clouds!"

A little catnap on the plane

Getting off plane

Getting in ambulance in Austin

Having a great time with paramedics in ambulance on route to hospital

We made it to the hospital!

Getting into her new bed in her new room in Austin

(to which she replied, "I wanna go on another plane and go back to my other room")

You have no idea the trouble we went through to get you to this room, sister!

Let's Start at the Very Beginning

2009-01-05T21:39:00.002-05:00

As the song says, that's a very good place to start.
Many of you may remember the saga that was our trip to Houston a couple of weeks ago. Elena came down with bronchitis while we were there and I made comments about how one or both of our kids is always sick when we travel- remember?
Well, this time Elena has surpassed all expectations and, true to form, has brought much traveling drama to our lives. Let me start at the very beginning...
We were scheduled to make a trip to Dallas from last Tuesday (Dec 30) to Saturday(Jan 3). Adaryll's dad had gotten CottonBowl tickets for Adaryll and Elias, and we planned to surprise Elias with the tickets Friday morning. We would spend the week visiting with family and catching up with friends who live in the area. We had the car completely loaded Tuesday morning and were just waiting for the kids to get up to get on the road. (note: Elena had just completed her 7-day antibiotic from the Houston drama 2 days before this) When I got Elena out of bed, I immediately noticed her fever and she was wheezing. We decided to run by the pediatrician on our way out of town thinking she might need a few more days on meds. What we thought would take a few minutes took several hours. They ended up doing a breathing treatment there, ordering a chest xray, and then making us wait to leave town until the xray was read by a radiologist. It turned out that they could see infection, but that it didn't look too awfully bad. So, with 2 different kinds of breathing treatments to give every 4 hours, a new antibiotic, and lots of tylenol, we hit the road to Dallas. We got to Adaryll's dad's house around 6:30 that night. I told Adaryll that I felt like God was playing some sort of mean joke on me with her sick AGAIN while we were traveling. We had a good laugh about how God really is stretching me to trust in Him and not think that I can possibly have things in my control as I'd like to think.
So we got in and started breathing treatments every 4 hours (even during the night). She seemed to really be struggling Wednesday, so I stayed at the house with her while Adaryll, Elias, and Papa-G went running around town. Wednesday night she started the thing she was doing in Houston- she would cough so hard that she would gag herself on the phlegm and then throw up. We went to urgent care Thursday morning and they did another xray. They said she had pneumonia, switched her antibiotic, and gave her shots of antibiotics and steriod. They said she should improve within 8 hours or we should go to the E.R. We ended up in the Dallas Children's E.R. (at a brand new satelite campus in Plano) Thursday evening where they tried 3 back-to-back breathing treatments and then an epi breathing treatment. None of that worked and her pulse-oxygen was in the mid-upper 80's (it should be 100 if you are healthy and anything below 92 warrants putting on oxygen). So they started her on oxygen and put in an IV (that is a story in itself for another day). They didn't have a single bed open inpatient, so we were offered an ambulance ride downtown or a room in the E.R. overnight. We stayed in Plano because it is so close to Adaryll's dad's house. Needless to day, it was an awful night. Elena wanted me right by her every time she coughed, so I slept (not really) on a gurney by her side, and Adaryll slept in a recliner that didn't quite go all the way back flat. Friday morning we got a room upstairs and the boys went to the CottonBowl to watch Tech lose. :(
Honestly, from there everything is kind-of a blur. We have tried many times to wean her off oxygen and she just plummets when she goes to sleep. We have even had her totally off oxygen awake with her sustaining a pulse-ox of 92-93, only to see her drop to 84 at naptime. She has had numerous breathing treatments, therapy sessions (percussion beating on her back, blowing bubbles to make her cough, etc.) and a ridiculous amount of steroid. Her xray Friday confirmed that the infection is viral (as it affects the entirety of both lungs as opposed to one localized area). They could also see adelectasis- a condition where the lungs are partially deflated due to the stickiness inside the little tiny spongy parts. She has had tubes with vacuum suction stuck up her nose. And she has been SUCH a trooper!!! I think every nurse who has cared for her has left saying that she is their all-time favorite patient. She takes her meds easily, lifts her shirt anytime she sees a stethoscope, and hasn't yet tried to pull on her oxygen cannula, her IV, or her pulse-ox monitor. Amazing.
It is totally indefinite how long it will take her body to heal enough to go home, so we have requested that we be transferred to the children's hospital in Austin. At least there we can be amonst friends and Adaryll can bring me clean clothes! We had a careflight scheduled for 7pm tonight and the boys went on home this morning. Unfortunately, Dallas is having ice right now so our flight has been delayed until midnight. I am REALLY hoping they just postpone until morning instead. But we will take whatever we can get.
She is on a liter of oxygen now (which I think means 1 liter (think half of a 2-liter of coke) is being blown through her nose every minute), and her pulse-ox right now is at 92 sleeping. I am guessing they will up her enough to get her closer to 95 for transporting her.
I will try to be better about updating her condition. I kept feeling like I needed to blog, but it was all so emotionally overwhelming. I just didn't have the energy to rehash it all from the beginning. Sleep has been very sparse for me and I have not been out of this room much at all. Except I did leave yesterday to take Elias to urgent care while Adaryll sat with Elena. Elias had finished a 15 day antibiotic for a sinus infection and- guess what? He has an ear infection. Hey- at least they are consistent right?

Your Next American Idol!

2008-12-25T22:27:00.005-05:00

The consensus may very well be that American Idol has overtaken bowling and tennis as the new Jordan family favorite Wii game. We got this for Christmas and we ALL had so much fun with it today. I should take a picture of each of our characters. Elena's has a big, crazy afro. It looks quite like the afro she has here, actually! Elena was super excited when she discovered that "The Sweet Escape" was available to perform, as that is her most favorite song on my ipod right now. (no comments about the kids on the coffee table please- can't you see how closely it resembles the American Idol stage?!) :)

Merry Christmas to All!

2008-12-25T21:47:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone!!! We had such a wonderful day at the Jordan house! Our Christmas traditions are pretty solidified because it has always been just us on Christmas. When we got married, we lived in New Orleans (about a 10 hour drive from family). Then we moved to Indianapolis (an even longer drive!). So we have, from the establishment of our family, started and kept our own traditions.
I can't say that it was a simple thing to do. When two people from two different families come together, there are sometimes differences in expectations. But the uniting and tweaking of all the things we each loved growing up and then the addition of what we want for our kids is a beautiful thing. It all starts on Christmas Eve...
Since we've been married, we always go to church together on Christmas Eve. Since Elias was born, it has been us + child/children. I can't ever remember using childcare for a Christmas Eve service. It is a family thing. Thankfully, the services we have always attended have been fairly family friendly. Last night was no exception (to say the least)! In fact, our kids ended up sort-of stealing the show when they asked all the children to come to the stage to sing "Away in a Manger" with Rick Trevino (recording artist from HCBC who has been a part of the Christmas Eve service here for the last 19 years). Background info: Elias' kindergarten class performed all 3 verses of Away in a Manger in chapel last week. With motions. So who do you think was sitting at the VERY front edge of the stage singing (remember, WITH MOTIONS!)? Oh yes, my boy. And not only that, my girl as well. And she was watching him and doing all the motions he did. And singing as loudly as she could- which really was quite a bit louder than any of the others. Enough that it was very obvious that it was her. And then, during the instrumental interlude, she made eye contact with us in the 3rd row or so and yelled out "Hi Daddy! Hi Mommy!" while waving and smiling. It was absolutely hilarious. I laughed so hard I cried. If I only had a video camera with me!! And, to top it all off, it snowed inside the worship center at the end of the service. Beautiful, soapy-foam snow.
As I put Elias to bed last night, I reminded him that I would come get him this morning and we would all come open presents together. He said "But first we will read that really fun Christmas story!" I love that he even remembered our tradition, and that he was so excited about it! To try to remind the kids that the reason for Christmas is the birth of Christ, we have always read the Christmas story together in our bed before coming down to open presents. This year, Elias read some of it to us.
This morning, in keeping with what seems to be the norm for us, each of the kids had something under the tree unwrapped because it was just too stinkin' big to make the effort. One year it was a wagon, once it was drums. You get the picture. This year, Elena got a dollhouse and Elias got a big parking garage. To see the look on their faces when they came around the corner and saw their "big" gifts awaiting them! Oh, priceless! I actually took a video and will post it if it turned out. (update: it is posted below)
After all the unwrapping (and meticulous cleaning up of every scrap after EACH gift because I have created completely OCD kids), we got to relax the rest of the day! We tested out new toys, rested, read, played multiple new Wii games (we each have a look-alike on American Idol now, which is so much fun!!!). Adaryll smoked an amazing brisket to round out our first Christmas as a married couple in our home state. I think the weather was in the mid-70's, though I wouldn't know because I am still in my PJ's from last night. And that, my friends, is what Christmas should be!!!

You Better Watch Out, You Better Not Cry...

2008-12-24T14:58:00.005-05:00

Noone cried or even pouted for our annual pictures with Santa. I guess that means that each of the kids will only have one crying-on-Santa's-lap photo. I really thought Elena would freak out again this year, but she fed off of Elias' excitement. Elias told Santa that he would be happy with whatever Mommy and Daddy got him. But that, when he is seven, he would like an ipod. Elena told him that she wants H-E-B Buddy Bucks. (dollars that they give kids at the grocery store. then the kids put them in a crane machine and win a ball with a sticker on it. they keep the stickers in a book and can "buy" things when it gets full. actually, Elena is just excited about the stickers. about half the time, the stickers don't even make it to the book. needless to say, she has never redeemed them for anything.)

Here they are, along with previous years so we can all ooh and aah over how much they have grown...

2008

2007

2006

2005

(different Santa because I was pregnant with Elena and had a PICC line, so we decided to go to a mall that was a little closer to home)

2004

2003

2002

2008

2007

2006

Our Weekend (not-so-much-of-a) Getaway

2008-12-24T08:52:00.003-05:00

I am not a big fan of road trips. I would just so much rather fly. But I have come to start to appreciate the low-cost, convenience, and even fun (did I just write that?) of a road trip since we moved to Texas. You see, there are LOTS of places to drive down here in Texas- and a trip from east to west in our state is over 800 miles.
Soooo, this past weekend we had the opportunity to do some TX road travel. Adaryll was invited to play sax at a church in north Houston on Sunday morning and a church in Yoakum (read: charming little town in the middle of nowhere) on Sunday night. It was an opportunity to play with some guys who he used to travel with 10 years ago. These are really special guys- some of those lifelong friendships that you are able to just pick up where you left off when you get together. So I was really looking forward to seeing them all play together for the first time in a couple of years. And I was REALLY looking forward to getting to spend some time with their wives and kids (the newest of which was just born last week!).
So as we are driving to Houston, the kids entertaining themselves in the backseat, Adaryll driving, and me filing my nails for the first time in I don't know how long, I actually had the thought "Hmmm. I think road trips actually can be enjoyable! When was the last time I had a free moment to file my nails? I could reframe this in my mind and instead of being stressed out, I could consider this a relaxing, pampering thing. After all, I am just sitting here in the passenger seat with nothing really to do." (ok, the while ride there wasn't quite so blissful and required me climbing into the back of the van several times to get something for one of the kids. but still, when was the last time I actually sat for 4 hours???)
We got to the hotel, checked in and got settled. The boys went to get lunch while I put Elena down for a nap. Fast forward about 3 hours. When I got Elena up from nap, she had a 102 fever and wanted to do nothing but lay on me. (yes, the OCD mother carries a thermometer in her diaper bag. it is only fitting because one or both of our kids get sick every single time we travel. without fail.) By the time Adaryll was able to go to the store and get some tylenol and motrin, her fever was over 104. I called her doctor, who had just seen her Wednesday for a bad cough, thinking that they would just call in an antibiotic. No such luck. And not a single urgent care center open. But her breathing seemed labored and her cough was really awful at this point. As soon as I gave her the motrin, (literally within 5 seconds) she puked all over the hotel bed. The bed Adaryll and I would be sleeping in. After a call down to get new bedding and a night of her puking every 20-30 minutes I realized the one positive thing I could hold on to. I didn't have to do all that puke laundry!
I got her into urgent care while Adaryll was at church Sunday morning and she had bronchitis. They said that kids that age often puke with that because their body is just doing everything it can to expel the thick snot from their lungs and throat. Lovely, eh? They gave me an antibiotic and phenergan for her. She pretty much spent the rest of the day in a 104 degree phenergan coma, waking only to puke in the car on the way to Yoakum.
That night was much the same as the night before, and we drove straight to her doctor's office Monday morning when we got back to town. I just needed his opinion. He agreed with the other Dr. and gave us 2 more meds as backups. She seemed to start to rally yesterday afternoon and be much more like herself by the evening. I am hoping we are past the worst. And that all the throwing up wasn't too traumatic. She spend a good deal of time crying at bedtime last night saying that she needed her bucket and that she was going to cough in it. It took a dose of phenergan to convince her that she wasn't going to throw up anymore. Or at least to put her back into the coma. Ahh, the joys of parenting!

Coming to Town

2008-12-20T00:07:00.001-05:00

The Jordans (all 4 of us!!!) are coming to Indiana in January!!! Can't wait to see all of you!!!!! More info soon, but it is really official- we have plane tickets!!!

Family Photos

2008-12-19T21:07:00.003-05:00

You all know how obsessive I am about having the kids pictures taken often. I'm not nearly as good about family shots, mostly because that requires that I actually do something with my hair and face. And it seems like a lot of work to coordinate everyone's outfits, etc. But we were WAY overdue for a family shot, so we scheduled an appointment for this afternoon. I am really happy with how they turned out, and I'm even happier that I had a great coupon so 2 of the 4 were free! I posted the family pic on the right side of the blog. (replacing the 2 year old family photo in which Elena was only 6 months old...)
I love this one of Elias pulling Elena in the sled. Even funnier was the one of her pulling him, but he was laughing so hard that his eyes looked wierd, so we went with this one. I also love both of their individual shots. Elias looks so intellectual, which is quite accurate. And can't you just hear Elena saying, "Seriously!" That look on her face and hands on her hips just says it all- it is just SO who she is!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-12-18T08:43:00.001-05:00

I can't believe this was six years ago... it has gone by SO fast!!!

Texas in the Window

2008-12-13T20:54:00.004-05:00

For those of you who are wondering, our Texas (made of coat hangers and Christmas lights) is making it's debut in Austin tonight. I actually made it in 2000 when we were living in New Orleans, so this is its first Christmas in the state that it represents. I can almost hear it humming as I type... "Texas, our Texas. all hail the mighty state..."

Allergic to Nothing

2008-12-11T22:12:00.003-05:00

Conversation between me and Elias a couple of weeks ago:
E- Mommy, what was I allergic to when I was a baby?
M- Well, you were allergic to milk.
E- So I couldn't drink milk?
M- Right, you drank soymilk. But you couldn't eat cheese either. So you couldn't eat pizza. But you outgrew it, and now you love pizza, huh?
E- MmmHmm. So what am I allergic to now?
M- Nothing.

Conversation that occurred in my car on the way home from school Monday:
M- Hey sweetie, how was your day at school?
E- Good. Did you bring me a snack?
M- No, I didn't bring you a snack today. You can have a snack as soon as we get home.
E (with Elena agreeing)- Can we stop at McDonald's for fries?
M- No. But we will have a snack at home. I promise.
E- You really didn't bring me anything?
M- Right. So tell me about your day. Did you have Spanish today?
E- You brought me nothing?
M- (silence. I am NOT responding to this. I can see we are headed in a bad direction.)
E- You brought me NOTHING? But I am allergic to NOTHING! And you brought me NOTHING!?!
M- (still silence)
E- (under his breath, realizing I am not going to respond) Now I am going to have a rash... (quiet sobs)

Wordless Wednesday

2008-12-10T08:29:00.003-05:00

After record highs in the 80's yesterday, this is what we woke up to this morning. For Austin, TX, this was a "winter storm". I am speechless on Wordless Wednesday...

Wordless Wednesday

2008-12-02T23:43:00.001-05:00

Before I forget, I am posting Wordless Wednesday tonight. This week it will be a series of pictures, but only one caption is needed to sum them all up. Post your ideas in the comments.

Newsflash

2008-12-02T00:02:00.002-05:00

The Jordans have officially turned on the heater. At least for today. Brrrrrrrrr. My body has re-acclimated to Texas weather quicker than I thought it would. It was mid-40's today and I just flat out couldn't get myself warm!!! I am off to my fuzzy fleece sheets and electric blanket. Now you all know why we had such a hard time with that frickin cold up there in Indiana!!! (shiver. shiver again.)

A Few of My Favorite Things

2008-11-30T21:30:00.007-05:00

One of the things that I love about Christmas is reminiscing about the tree ornaments. I am pretty nostalgic, so having an old shabby ornament with a great memory attached to it is better than having a shimmery, new, pretty one. I thought I would do a post about some of my favorite ornaments on our tree. Why don't you all do the same? Which ones are your favorites and why? What is the oldest ornament on your tree and how long have you had it?

This is an ornament that I painted and then decoupaged one of our wedding photos on. I made these for all of our parents and grandparents the year we got married.

I think Adaryll's Dad (Papa-G) got us this one. A few years ago we had it signed on the back by Montae Raegor when he was doing a book reading for kids at a Starbucks in Indiana. (he played for TTU and went on to play for the Colts)

This is one of the 2 oldest ornaments on our tree. It was made by my childhood friend, Kim, in 1983. She gave one to each of us in our Brownie Troop that year.

We got this one for Elias his first Christmas. I grew up playing with trucks, not dolls, so I'm not sure if this was more for him or for me. :)

Elias made this one last year in his Fours-Plus class at TPCA.

Elias made the baby Jesus on the cross in Sunday school at TPCC a couple of years ago. The sax was given to Adaryll by my Dad and Karen a few years ago. Elena tried to play the sax before she hung it on the tree Saturday.

This is the best "Baby's First Christmas" ornament I have ever seen. Someone gave it to Elias for his first Christmas. It is a book with real pages where you fill in who you spent the holiday with, what his favorite things were, etc.

This one is a marshmellow snowman on a Smore. We had 5 families in our neighborhood who we were really close to. We used to sit out in lawn chairs wrapped in blankets and cook smores in our firepits together. So the Millers got us all this ornament to remember those nights together. If anyone wants to come to TX and make smores- we still have the firepit!

This is a hand-painted replica of the chapel at our seminary. I got it at a craft fair we had on campus one year.

This is a little girl carrying a teapot. I got it for Elena her first Christmas since her whole room was decorated in teacups.

I think this might be the oldest ornament on our tree. E.T. came out in 1982, and I am guessing that is when we got this one. I remember hanging it on our tree every year growing up.

I painted this one a few years ago. And now here we are- back in the Lone Star State.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

2008-11-30T13:51:00.003-05:00

Despite the warm temps, it really IS starting to feel like Christmas! The four of us had a great Thanksgiving lazing around the house, eating turkey and stuffing, watching football, etc. Then we had one of our babysitters spend the night so that Adaryll and I could both hit the Black Friday sales. I can't say what we got because then some of you would know what you are getting, but we got some GREAT deals! The thing that we decided to get for all the grandparents and great-grandparents was on sale (limit 1 per person) at 4am. We got up at 3am and headed to the store to find a line of people already waiting to get in. Everyone was very friendly and we even convinced several of them to buy the item for us (with our money) so that we could get as many as we needed. It was great. We finished our shopping and were home at about 6:30am. Then we took turns napping the rest of the day.

We always decorate for Christmas the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We are both pretty big on traditions, and this is one we really enjoy. This year, the kids got really into it and actually put about 80% of the ornaments on the tree themselves. I saved some for me to add at the end since the top 2 feet of the tree was completely bare. :)

What's This?

2008-11-29T08:56:00.002-05:00

Elias brought me a cassette tape the other day. By his reaction, I am guessing that he had probably never seen one before.
"What's this?" he asked?
"It's a tape. It has music on it like a CD." I answered.
With a questioning look on his face, he stared down at the tape he was holding. He kind of seemed doubtful. "How do you listen to it?" he asked me.
So I took him up to his room where he has an old boombox that he sometimes uses to listen to CD's or the radio while he plays. He didn't know that it could also play tapes! He was thrilled when I showed him how to put it in and push play. It was one of those tapes that goes with a book and dings when it is time to turn the page. We found several others and he spent the next hour or so listening to them.
Also, a few weeks ago I saw someone giving away a typewriter on a freecycle site. I emailed them and picked it up the next day. Once I showed Elias how it worked, he spent the next several days typing things. Being the perfectionist that he is, it was quite frustrating to not have "backspace". He has learned that he can X-out things that are misspelled and then try again.
Funny how something so "old-school" can be so entertaining!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T10:47:00.002-05:00

Current temperature: 61 degrees
Projected high for today: 76 degrees

Thanksgiving in Texas- aaaaaahhhhhhh! So much to be thankful for!

(although we will miss the always-fun-and-loud Thanksgiving with the Caseys!)

SOLD!!!

2008-11-26T14:31:00.002-05:00

Praise the Lord- we closed on our house in Indiana today!!!!!!! (deep breath) It has been a year this week since we put the house on the market. As much as I loved that house, I could not possibly be any happier for it to belong to someone else! YEAH!!!!!! (anyone want to go out and celebrate?!)

Wii Boxing

2008-11-26T12:59:00.003-05:00

Here is a video of Elias boxing on the Wii. I love how Elena cheers for him and how he gets all out of breath. :)

Gitcho Shake On...

2008-11-26T12:49:00.002-05:00

I did Elena's whole head in braids with little barrettes on the ends a couple of weeks ago. She loved how she could shake her head back and forth and feel them move. This is her standing on her "stage" (the coffee table- I know, what kind of parents are we??) and singing her "Dancie Girly" song...

Wordless Wednesday

2008-11-26T12:43:00.002-05:00

I have really been slacking on the picture-taking lately, but I just came across this one from a few days ago. Leave your caption in the comments...

Thankfulness Garland

2008-11-24T13:02:00.005-05:00

Remember how we used to make garland out of construction paper strips by taping them into loops and linking them together? I always loved doing crafts like that when I was little! My sister has been working on one of these with her son for several days, but she added a Thanksgiving twist. On each strip of paper, her son writes something he is thankful for. I love the idea of doing this over the course of several weeks and fostering the idea of thankfulness in the hearts of my kids. But since we only have 3 days left until Thanksgiving, and we had a full day today with nothing to do, we decided to do this whole project in one morning.

I used my paper cutter to cut strips of construction paper (which was super quick and easy!) and then asked the kids what they would like to thank God for. Seriously, I think they could have gone on and on and on forever. The only reason we stopped was that I ran out of glue dots. Some of their answers were really sweet and others made me laugh. After writing down all their answers, we linked all the loops together and ended up with a masterpiece.

If you have not already done some sort of activity like this with your kids this year, I would highly recommend this one. It was easy, fun, and now we have something to decorate the house with through Christmas!

So here it is- the grand list of thankfulness.

We are thankful for...

Summertime.

Paper.

Barney.

Aunt Sandra.

Music.

Restaurants.

Crayons.

My first basketball lesson in January.

God.

Time.

Papa-G and Gladys.

Blankies.

Going to places that are fun.

Wii Fit.

Honey and Raun.

Christmas.

AWANA.

Mrs. Blasig.

The Bible.

Ms. Horvath.

Grandma Jane and Grampa Morrie.

ABC's.

Elena.

Mario Cart.

Thanksgiving.

The Millers.

Birds.

The McCollums.

Classmates.

Grandma-Great.

Mr. Frog.

Kelii.

Mommy.

The Batistas.

Jaren.

Mrs. McGee.

Balls.

TV.

My backyard.

My bed.

Crocs.

Brent and Jenna Spears from Georgia.

GrandDad and Oma.

Hugs and kisses.

Daddy.

Jean and Jerry.

Mrs. Fones.

Toys.

Houses.

Sunday school friends.

The Himelicks.

My church.

Songs.

Elias.

Granny.

Hairbows.

Milk.

The Jacksons.

Books.

Downtown.

Holloway.

Mountains.

Pictures.

My family.

Aunt Jenny and Uncle Jeff

Craft.

Wii.

My brain.

Roller coasters.

Jesus.

Mr. Pig.

Friends.

Pajama days.

The zoo.

Ice water.

McDonalds.

The Pointers.

Coloring.

Babysitters.

Cousins.

Birthdays.

Bookmarks.

Candy.

Airplanes.

Breakfast.

Snow.

Long Time, No Post

2008-11-23T21:43:00.002-05:00

Seriously, I really didn't mean for that last post about poop to be my latest post for that long. Really, I promise. Sorry for all of you who may have been checking for an update throughout the week and had to keep seeing that visual each time. But it WAS funny, huh?!
Last week didn't go quite as planned. Monday night I started feeling like I was "getting sick" and realized it was too late to do anything about it. Elias was also coughing up his lungs all night and then had diarhea in his sleep during the night. (Thankfully, there are no pictures of that!)
So, off to the pediatrician we went Tuesday morning. And off to the family practice office we went after naps. Long day. Turns out we both had sinus infections. Actually, he had finished his sinus infection antibiotic the Friday before, but it hadn't done the job.
After staying home from school both Tuesday and Wednesday, Elias was a little stir crazy and ready to get back into the action. After dropping him off at school on Thursday, I went back to the doctor to find out I also had bronchitis. Seriously, could we just get some antibiotics that work for us? :) But we already had a trip to Dallas on the schedule, so we packed everyone up that evening and drove up to the metroplex. And even though I felt like crap, it was such a great trip! We stayed with Papa-G and Gladys (Adaryll's dad and his wife) and it was so good to get some time with them. The kids just adore them! Adaryll had a conference to attend on Friday, so the kids and I spent the day with my sister and nephews. I just love seeing that somehow kids just know who their relatives are and they are so drawn to them. These 4 cousins (the 2 older specially) just LOVE eachother and are SO excited to spend time together!
Saturday morning we drive back early and arrived home just in time to attend Kelii's birthday party and a TTU vs. OU party. (we won't talk about that game. just know that we were mad. and then sad. and then disappointed. and then disgusted.)
And that finally brings us up to today!!! I think we are all on the mend and looking forward to the week ahead. Elias has the whole week off, so I have some fun crafts and activities planned. I will try to take pics and update as the week progresses!
Love to you all! :)

Surprise!!!

2008-11-17T20:23:00.003-05:00

Have you ever had a REAL surprise? Meaning, something that you totally didn't expect AT ALL? This is probably completely wrong of me to share, but it is just so friggin' hilarious that I can't help myself. If you gross out easily, stop reading now. Click the little X on the top right of your screen and walk away.

You couldn't do it, could you? I know, me neither. A good surprise is fun every once in a while, right?

So here it is. This morning my sister was changing my 1-year-old nephew's diaper. We all know the routine, right? Diaper off, wipe the bootie, diaper on. Not often many surprises in the pee and poop department of being a mom (or dad, or grandparent, or babysitter). I am trusting now that everyone still reading has changed a diaper at some point in their life and isn't going to freak out at the photo I am about to post. Because this morning, there was a surprise in the diaper. (seriously, if you gross out easily- or even not so easily- now is the time to close your browser)

Thanks, Wyatt, for the funny surprise and the great, big laugh you gave me today! I especially like that the little lego man you swallowed is still happy and smiling after a 2 day trek through your insides.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-11-12T20:31:00.003-05:00

I totally forgot that today was Wednesday! I guess that might be another clue as to the losing of one's mind- not knowing what day it is...

Oh, and the winners for last week are me and Adaryll. That is probably cheating somehow (even though there are no rules), but here are the comments:

Me: "Elena for president!"

Adaryll: "The eyes of Texas are upon you."

Here is this week's picture. I can't wait to hear your captions! (and I promise not to play or at least not to pick myself as a winner again)

Thankful (continued)

2008-11-10T18:19:00.002-05:00

If you haven't read previous post, Thankful, you might want to start there to put this into context.

After having such warm, fuzzy, blogged-about thankful feelings this afternoon, I thought I should give an update. Lest anyone think that I have somehow got it all together, or that being a pastor's wife and mother of 2 incredibly beautiful kids is always "thank-filled", let me burst the bubble.

Although I truly am incredible thankful for both of my kids and their creative little minds (which is sometimes displayed in artwork), I am also incredibly thankful for my beautiful WHITE kitchen table. The combination of the 2 is not something I am too thankful for. I am about to scrub my table (and this is not the first time) with alcohol wipes in an attempt to get black sharpie off.

And in the midst of that, washing dishes (don't you love opening the dishwasher to find that you fully loaded it yesterday but forgot to run it? and now you have a sink full of more dishes that need to go in???), and cooking dinner- I discovered once again that I am losing my mind. I actually just found myself looking in the clothes dryer for a pound of frozen ground beef. I guess the one piece of sanity in that is that I didn't find any beef there.

Thankful

2008-11-10T14:11:00.002-05:00

The virtue of the month that Elias is studying Sunday mornings is thankfulness. He made a list yesterday of people he was thankful for. He was writing sort of big and using a fat marker, but he filled both sides of a regular size piece of paper. What a sweet heart. It is so rewarding to see how many people have invested in his life. Relatives who he only sees a couple of times a year, but he knows they are part of his family so he values them as such. People who he isn't related to, but they have spent a significant amount of time and energy pouring love into him so he loves them as family.
I have read some things online today that have made me stop and thank God for my life. My days might seem hard sometimes, but I have a loving, supportive husband and 2 beautiful kids. We are part of a great church with a solid vision. We serve a God who is sovereign and above all things. For all of that, I am incredibly thankful. :)

End of Season

2008-11-06T09:57:00.003-05:00

Elias has finished his second season of t-ball. This was his team, the Sluggers.

What a great group of boys!

Birthday Party

2008-11-06T09:36:00.004-05:00

Elias had his birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese a couple of weeks ago. He invited his whole class, plus a couple of kids from another class and a neighbor. He also invited Jeff & Jenny who traveled all the way from Indiana for the event! (ok, the event was scheduled around their already-planned trip. still, it was really special!) I think it is safe to say that everyone had a great time!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-11-05T14:14:00.002-05:00

I post a photo, you post a caption.

Old and New

2008-11-02T21:12:00.004-05:00

For some reason I thought of a random idea for a blog post a few days ago. This requires participation though. I am about to reveal something to you, and so you must reciprocate- at least with comments, preferably with pictures. :)

What is your oldest pair of shoes that you own? How long have you had them? How about your newest pair? How does the difference between those two pairs of shoes speak of the span of your life between them? Does that even make sense??

Here is a picture of my oldest and newest pairs. I have owned this pair of Berkenstocks for 16 years. That is HALF MY LIFE!!!!! Is that crazy?! I think I have had the hot pink crocs since May, so about 6 months. I guess that pretty much says that I have been kind of a tree-hugger type shoe-wearer for quite a while. 16 years to be exact. Which is pretty funny because I don't even recycle. I just like hippie shoes I guess.

Who Is He?

2008-11-02T21:09:00.002-05:00

The Kindergarten kids got to dress up as a Bible character for school on Friday. Can anyone guess who Elias is? Leave your guess in the comments.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2008-10-31T18:06:00.002-04:00

For the Jordan prediction of tomorrow's TTU vs. UT game, see the photo at http://www.hcbcredraiders.blogspot.com