Snow Day

This is for the family in Texas. It has been snowing here all day. My camera will not work with my computer. That is the reason for all of the video clips. This is just to give you a sample of the Oklahoma weather.

Andy went out to shovel snow (which I do not understand because it was still snowing), so I made him take my cool little Flip Video with him.




Kayla went down the street so Caroline had to also go outside. This was much nicer than the Christmas snow we had. It is more of a powder, and it is not nearly as cold outside. She had fun running around in it.





A rough measurement of the snow

Time to go inside. Caroline just looks like she is having to work so hard to run. I guess it is tough when your entire feet, in those giant snow boots, are completely buried in the snow with each step.

It is a very pretty snow. Hopefully the power will stay on and the snow won't stick around for too long!

Christmas Presents

This is my first attempt at posting a video taken with my new Flip Video (Thanks Jenny!). This is also the kids first attempt at using their new Christmas presents. Everyone is having a great time.




It has been a great Christmas. The girls and I went to Waco last Sunday. Jenny's boys were already there, and Jenny got there Monday afternoon. Andy flew to Dallas on Tuesday night and drove to Waco with Steve. There were lots of Christmas celebrations and fun with family. We drove back to Oklahoma on Christmas Eve day. We made it home just before the blizzard struck. We had a quiet Christmas day at home. Today we all bundled up and went over to my dad's for another Christmas celebration. The fun continues tomorrow when my sister and her family come to town.

Quick Update

Most of you already know what has gone on with my dad, but here is a shortened version. He had his surgery on Tuesday, September 8. The doctor ended up doing 5 bypasses and a maze procedure. A few hours after that surgery was over they had to take him back to surgery because he had lost too much blood. By Thursday he was having trouble breathing. His heart was not pumping hard enough to get blood to all of his vital organs. His kidneys were failing and his lungs were struggling. They took him back to the operating room to put in a balloon pump. He gained 68 pounds of fluid and had to be put on dialysis. He remained sedated and on the ventilator until Saturday, September 19. Fast forward to last night. He is now off of everything. He is out of ICU and in a private room. He actually walked for the first time!!!! That is amazing news. All of the doctors and nurses are calling him "The Miracle Man." There is definately power in prayer.

My Dad

Please say a prayer for my dad and his sugeon this morning. At 7 am my dad will be having quadruple bypass surgery. The doctor said he should be done by noon. As my dad said "The Club Med portion of my stay is over" They have been monitoring him at the hospital since Friday. Today the hard part begins.

Time Flies

I can't believe that it is already time to start planning my baby girl's 8th birthday party. I am not a big fan of putting birthday parties together. I did a few in the beginning that required a lot of work, but now my goal is no work. That is why I love parties at BounceU or Pump it Up. They do everything for you. But this year Kayla wants a sleepover. I just can't do it. First of all, I don't want to. Secondly, where would we put a bunch of little girls? We just don't have the space.



Kayla and I have talked, and I believe we have reached a compromise. She wants a skating party. I agreed to let her have one or two friends come spend the night. I think I can handle that, and more importantly she will enjoy it. Now if I could just get Andy to call me back so we could agree on a day and time. I need to get the ball rolling and put down a deposit on the skating rink. Let the fun begin!

Hard At Work

Working on her first homework assignment in 2nd grade.

My Second Grader

It has taken me forever to do this post, but Kayla has also started school. Her first day as a second grader was on August 20th. We went to meet her teacher the day before school started. She was very excited to get the teacher she wanted, but she was upset that all of her friends are in different classes this year. Here she is with her teacher, Ms. Conway (love her!)

She seems like she is going to be a wonderful teacher. She is young, has a lot of energy and is very personable. She is in charge of the AR program at the school. I think Kayla is really going to be pushed on her reading this year. This is the teacher Kayla told me she wanted last year. She told me that when Ms. Conway had bus duty in the mornings she always said "Hi cutie". Kayla took that to mean that Ms. Conway wanted her in her class! I think this will be a good match.

Kind of far away, but here is Kayla at her desk.

The first day of school was not the best time for taking pictures. We did get a few in before it started to pour. It was so dark outside. Here is my big second grader. Notice the waves in her hair. She rolled it the night before with her American Girl doll hair rollers. It was fixed really cute, but pretty much went flat the minute we went outside.

We normally walk to school on the first day with Libby and Mallory. The traffic is always so bad, and it is impossible to get back in our neighborhood from the school. Kayla and Caroline both had school that day, and they both start at 8:30. Even before I knew it was going to rain I knew we were not going to be able to walk. When Kayla found that out she said (very dramatically) "Everything about second grade is dissappointing!" She was still upset about her friends not being in her class. So this year I gave all of the girls a ride. Here they are in the van. We could not do our normal outside group shots. It was POURING by the time we picked them up.

We made it inside, and it was time for everyone to head to their classes.
Here is Kayla's class. Don't you just love her teacher's outfit?

I was so excited to pick her up. I love hearing about the first day of school. I only wish I could get Kayla to tell me something other than "It was good." I did get bits and pieces from her later on. She found a friend in her class to hang out with and she loves her teacher. To quote her she said "I like her. I love her. I want some more of her." (I think she may listen to the radio too much!)

It was a really fun day for her. Her cousins, Tyler and Shelby, were still here visiting from Houston. They did not start school until the next week. Kayla was so excited that they were both there to pick her up from school.

The Girls


We invaded Braum's for an afterschool treat. The noise level went way up the minute we entered the building. It was me, Kayla, Caroline, Brigi (Caroline's friend that comes home with us 2 days a week), Tyler, Shelby, Robyn, Libby and Mallory. They had a great time!

Kayla rode the bus the next day. There are 8 kids that catch the bus in front of our house this year. Here are some of the girls.
Second grade is off to a great start. Kayla is excited to be back. However, she is not so excited about having to do homework again.

Second grade already...I just can't believe how fast this has happened!