We are all set to leave tomorrow for our Christmas vacation. First to Arkansas to spend Christmas Eve and Day and then on to Minnesota for a week of snowy cold. I had bought the gifts, washed the clothes and today was reserved for packing and finishing up a few last details. That is, until I realized that the one gift Jacob REALLY wanted (and that his sister was getting too), I had misplaced. I had been so diligent about…
Today my oldest daughter dead panned to me that “I’m the weirdest person she knows.” Now I know most middle schoolers may think their parents are at least a little bit weird so maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised. But her “announcement” followed my trying to convince her to carry a Christmas lunch sack (green with red mittens all over it) as opposed to the normal brown lunch bags she usually takes. Since I was completely out of the brown…
That when Caroline and I went to the nursing home on Saturday to play Bingo they assigned us to the “memory loss” room. What was even funnier…. when the nurses couldn’t remember where they put the Bingo game. It took everything I had not to say…”do you think it’s contagious?” That Caroline recorded Bill’s voice saying “Hey kid, it’s me” as my ringtone when Bill calls. I forgot she did that. When Bill called and my phone started saying “Hey…
Jacob and Bill were playing basketball in the driveway yesterday…their new favorite thing to do. Bill told Jacob he wished that he could stay 5 forever. They played a little more and then Jacob, ever the pleaser, said, “Daddy, it’s ok if you cancel my 6 year old party. I’ll just wait until you’re ready and then we can have it.” (Never mind that his birthday is still 7 months away!) I guess in his mind you’re not 6 until…
We put up our Christmas Tree tonight. It’s been a work in progress. We bought it last Sunday in between lunch after church and a 2:00 party. We had it picked out, paid for and strapped on the car in 15 minutes flat. (Not quite sure that “hurry up” was part of the Christmas memory we wanted to create, but that was literally all the time we had). Monday night Bill strung the lights, Tuesday Brittany performed in the 4th…
Well, this is something you don’t hear very often in Houston….it’s snowing!!!! It started about 3:00 this afternoon and it is still going. The kids were absolutely giddy. They jumped on a snow covered trampoline and Jacob kept yelling “This is a great Christmas Eve!!” Never mind that Christmas Eve is still a couple of weeks away. After almost 2 weeks of missed school during Hurricane Ike, I can’t believe I’m secretly hoping for a snow day from school tomorrow,…
It’s hard being a “blogger” in December. I really don’t feel like I have much time to think, let alone write! I just posted my facebook status as “Darla is considering buying reindeer antlers for her car and singing ‘Run Run Reindeer’ as she crazily drives around town trying to get everything done!” I’m serious. “Run, Run Reindeer” was the song Savannah’s jazz class danced to tonight and I really thought….I totally feel like the reindeer. There are days I…
My mom sent me this email which had some good advice. Thought I’d pass it on… 1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant. 2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Talk to God about what is going on in your life. Buy a lock if you have to. 3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, ‘My purpose is to __________…
I’ve decided that Thursdays from 6:15-6:45 are one of my most favorite times of the week. During those 30 minutes, I take Savannah to her violin lesson and I just sit. I sit and listen to her play with her teacher who sometimes accompanies her on the piano and sometimes with his own violin. She sounds pretty good on her own, but pair her sound up with another instrument and it’s beautiful. But the best part is, I just sit….
I know it is hard for my kids to believe, but when I grew up we listened to records, not CD’s or IPOD’s. We also didn’t have Christmas albums from tons of different entertainers and I only remember the radio stations playing 24 hours of Christmas music on Christmas Day, not from Thanksgiving until Christmas. Maybe we had more, but I only remember one Christmas record. It had a hot pink label on it and I looked forward to hearing…