Thanksgiving

We had a long Thanksgiving break this year (well, I did). Danny's parents came in Thursday & we, naturally, ate too much! Bob also managed to get about 4 pictures of us-I literally mean 4 pictures before Andrew was off & mowing! With cropping & such, I found one that looks great of Andrew, so he'll be on the Christmas card! Friday was Black Friday w/Jme in Tulsa-just so much fun to spend time with one of my best friends-the shopping is just a bonus! I stopped at the Salvation Army store before I left town & scored several candlesticks & a lamp base that I'm going to 'craft' into mercury glass-have I mentioned how much I love Pinterest? I never would've known about this technique otherwise! Danny put up the outdoor lights on Sunday while Andrew & I decorated the tree. There were a few 'agghh' moments (we were hanging Grandpa Parker's glass ornaments), but Andrew's been really good about not messing w/the tree since then.

I adore Pinterest-but I have no time

So, I'm a groupie. I love Pinterest-the online pinboard. I am able to see so many diverse things & save what I like-with pictures being the key component, I can select a catagory & immediately know if I 'like' or not! And since I make my own boards, no longer do I have thousands of random sites on my favorites tab-everything is organized *blissful sigh*. I've even managed a couple of the crafts w/little pain to myself! I had wanted to make this ornament wreath, but was afraid hanging it outside would just end in shattered glass everywhere....luckily, I'd already done a fall 'letter' for the door, so I just put together one for Christmas & shared the ribbon between the two (which also helps to anchor the ornament wreath-heavier than I expected)

Happy Birthday to me!

A bit self-centered, yes...but birthdays do come just once a year! Danny finally found a fire hydrant (we'd seen one in Eureka Springs, but decided to wait-mistake!) for the entry & on my last trip home, I saw the cabinet tucked in the folks garage. Since Momma & Daddy weren't using it, I asked if we could use it for the house. I love the way they look! Now to find some sort of art for the walls...I also had a special treat on Black Friday-Jme & I continued our tradition of early shopping. Early as in 7am, not the midnight madness experienced by some! It's always a great time to visit & also accomplish some Christmas shopping.

Andrew is two

I cannot believe that my boy is two. It's bittersweet being a parent-I love seeing Andrew face new challenges, but also wish he could just stay my baby. He gives the sweetest kisses now-I'm stocking up now so that I can manage those teenage years where I'll be lucky to get an eye roll;) He did great at his checkup-50% for height and 10% for weight. We worry about him being a little skinny, but the doctor says he looks great (as Andrew is running & climbing all over the exam room)! He's all of 34 inches and 25.5 pounds-our lean, mean, mowing & nekkid vacuuming machine (those pictures must, alas, remain offline;)

Boo!

Andrew did great trick-or-treating this year. We used the same outfit as last year-we weren't sure what Stillwater was doing since the holiday was on Monday & we had only gotten back from NYC Sunday...translation, "momma was tired!" He loved ringing doorbells and even said 'trick-or-treat' & 'thank you' a few times before turning bashful. He made Wilma go to our other neighbors house to ring the doorbell-he loves her!

Did I mention the Lego store? I think we need the dragon going through our house....I love their logo-they used the little Lego men to make it! We also strolled through Chinatown & Little Italy....Katz deli was yummy too! And Kerri...I know it's almost impossible to believe, but we had fried Mozzarella that was *gasp* better than Parkway! Cross my heart! I think what I will miss the most is the food quality & variety-everything was so fresh & flavorfull...and we weren't eating at anywhere terribly fancy-it was just all really great food!

The Big Apple

Well, Danny & I had an opportunity to celebrate our 5th anniversary in a big way-tickets to NYC-thanks to Mary Ellen & Bob! It was definitely NOT Oklahoma;) We didn't see a show, but we did just about everything else-including fireworks to celebrate Lady Liberty's 125th Birthday (of course none of the pics turned out-I was too twitchy!). We also met some of Danny's NY relatives, cousins Gwen & Marlene. They were kind enough to take us on a personal Brooklyn tour & gave us a taste of authentic family cuisine.....I loved the olives, breads & hammentosh (?) but (I'm sure to my Dad's total disbelief) I opted not to try the creamed herring. Gwen did say it was an acquired taste;) I got to cross two other items off my list-seeing the New York Public Library & the American Museum of Natural History. Can you say phenomenal specimen preparation? All in all, NYC was great, but I'm glad to be home.....especially since it started snowing our last day!

Boys of Fall

Jamie & I have been trying to get some pictures of the boys for quite a while now.....We both came in for Iowa Park's Homecoming last weekend & had planned for 'the shoot'. What I can say is that 1) Homecoming wasn't that much different from our highschool days (35-0, Decatur) and 2) Andrew is almost two & doesn't believe in pictures. Jamie managed a few shots of the boys together & I think half of those were blurred because Andrew decided to run off. In addition, I had forgotten about the library having a pond....it was like flies to honey! I think we still got some cute shots of both boys separate & together....maybe in 10 years we can bribe them;) At least the supercute shirts survived & may get another chance at photo glory when the Brown's have pictures with Teresa Berg (if you haven't seen her work, DO!)

t

Science Museum...no to the planetarium!

In August, we took a Sunday trip to OKC to visit the OmniPlex. We attempted a planetarium show, but about 2 minutes after the 'if you child needs to leave speech'....we left. Suffice it to say, Andrew wanted to MOVE! He had a blast demonstrating the proper slide technique & we spent a while constructing train tracks before he found the water area. So much for the rubber aprons!! He was a little small to handle the treehouse area, but in a couple years I think he'll want to spend the night (3 stories up).

Summer chores

So Andrew has a love affair with mowing & mopping. He loves the mower, but it wasn't until he saw our neighbor Wilma mowing that he really started copying everyone. I have video of him running up & down the sidewalk, following Wilma. A few days later, he did the same thing while Danny mowed the backyard. It's hysterical & a little intimidating to see how quickly he mimics what adults do! As for the mopping, I can only hope his infatuation with cleaning lasts until he moves out;)

Guys, planes & turtles

We had Mike & Rich at the house a couple weeks ago. Danny & Mike were up a little early so they took Andrew out w/the RC plane & Andrew's kite before it got very hot. Notice the shades on Andrew;) We also made a trip to the OK Aquarium last weekend (along w/the rest of OK). I love seeing all the different setups & fish-Andrew had a blast watching the turtle tank, but didn't seem that interested in the shark exhibit. We managed to get him to touch a stingray, but he preferred splashing the water most of all!

Andrew's Art

I've been wanting to do something with all the art projects Andrew brings home from school, but wasn't sure how or where do incorporate it in the house....Finally, Andrew brought home this dragonfly-it had such great colors, but since it was so small, Andrew & I had art time & made a background for it using some construction paper & scraps of handmade paper. I think it turned out pretty well-it's hanging in our bathroom now & just makes me smile.

Reunion time in Texas

A few weeks ago, I went to TX to celebrate a special birthday. Mandy & I have known each other since Junior High, but as usually happens w/geography, haven't seen each other in several years. Thanks to Facebook, we've been able to catch up a bit & that's also where our reunion plans originated. My parents watched Andrew & I met Mandy, Murphy and some other ladies for a night out. We had a blast reminiscing and talking about all the new things in our lives...Thank you ladies!

Success!

This is a rare post that doesn't have an accompanying picture! On Sunday, July 11th, Andrew used his potty for the first time! He's been sitting on it (with & without clothes) for a few months now, and is very interested in all things 'bathroom'. I never thought I could be that excited about my child going 'peepee', but this parenting stuff is full of surprises;) Just so we get the idea of how much A loves the bathroom, here's a shot of him & the 'shaving cream incident'. We decided to let him play w/the cream in the tub & he went crazy!

Mr. Newman

Mr. Newman (Uncle Bob's Dad) passed away a couple of weeks ago....What I remember most about Mr. Newman is William & I going to his woodshop when we were little kids. He always had a project going & didn't mind us being around-as long as we were careful. He made us each a table & chair set (like many of the grandkids) and it makes me so happy that I can pass it along to Andrew. In our current chaotic lifestyles, it's a rare legacy that's handmade and actually able to survive through generations. God Bless you Bill.

Vacation & rainbows

Out of everything I ever plant, the moss rose/portulaca sp. are my absolute favorite. There's just something about all the ruffled petals in such bright colors that just make me smile. This year I planted a hanging basket with these lovelies & they're doing great! Last week we had some showers & I looked out the kitchen window & saw a rarity-double rainbow. The last one I remember seeing was out at Grandma & Grandpa's house back in Texas, probably 15 years ago. I couldn't get far enough back to get the entire rainbow, but this was one side. Stormy weather can be frightening, but I love all of it....and finally-Somehow we managed absolutely zero pictures while we were on vacation, but we did bring home a kite! Andrew enjoys watching while Danny & I learn not to crash (Danny is much better than myself!)

Trailers Away!

On Monday, I finally purchased a bike trailer for myself..well, really for Andrew so that I can ride my bike when Danny isn't around to watch the little man. Danny & Andrew actually got the trailer attached to the bike & we went for a short ride that night and Andrew loved it! We've ridden every night, even in the rain.

That's Doctor Donelson! and Doctor Rogers!

This weekend we had two good friends, Sarah & Stephanie graduate with their respective PhD's at OSU. We didn't make it to the graduation ceremony (Friday night)...but apparently Garth Brooks did (he recieved his MBA) and was nice enough to take pictures w/just about everyone in attendance! Andrine hosted a party for Sarah on Saturday & I went over a little early to help set up-we met a lot of Sarah's family & had a really nice time visiting. We are so proud of each of these ladies & wish them all the best....as long as they don't leave Stillwater;)

Towels, playsets & trees!

A couple of weeks ago, Andrew & I went to Dallas to visit Jamie for her birthday....and she had the most fantastic towel in the guest bathroom. So, on a trip to Tulsa, I got a couple of the towels for our master bathroom as well! this week we managed to find a used playset for Andrew-he's been having so much fun at school w/the playground equipment and didn't have anything at home. He loves going down the slide-mostly backwards, but who really cares when you're having fun, right? The finale for the week was delivery of our trees! I'm so excited to have them in the ground & being 'finished' with the yard-now we can plan our yard-warming party this summer.

Birds have found us!

Well, we're not sure if it's because of the landscaping & adding all the plants or if it's because there's bird seed available-but we have all types of birds showing up in the yard. Last year we got a great feeder from Pam & Jerry as a housewarming gift-we put it out, but never saw anything other than hummingbirds. Last week, & I were at the table & a bird came up to the feeder. We were both sort of stunned & Danny said "well, maybe I should change out that seed". He put fresh seed out & today we've seen at least 20 birds all over the yard. While I was getting bed pictures, I saw this hummingbird fly in-he landed on the tomato cage & I managed a shot!

Finally! The yard is (almost) finished....

Well, I think the yard is 99% done. I still need to relocate the iris and peony plants....and the nursery still needs to deliver & plant our two trees-a lacebark elm & dwarf atlas cedar that go on either side of the hill. Four beds were added-the rock (center), two flanking the back gate & one along the back wall of the house. We really tried to incorporate plants with rich colored foliage & evergreens in these beds. It was a challenge passing up my usual favorites at the nurseries since our yard has a southern exposure, i.e. full sun all day long! Granted, once the elm gets a few years older, the yard will be more like the old house in terms of shade. We also put in a bed specifically for veggies-it's the one w/the large trellis & tomato cages-the plants don't really show up since they're still so small. I also tried to put some different sedums/rock plants in the wall-hopefully the rains won't wash out all the soil around them! You'll also notice the fences around all the beds....the pups think we put the beds in for them to dig around making 'puppy beds'.....I only threatened their lives a couple of times-mainly after I'd found Oscar 'fluffing' my mulch!