The Witch Is In!

We Interrupt This To Bring You The Following...

Miss Priss counted to TEN all by herself!

Yep, you heard me, my little two year old can count to ten! (can you hear the shock in my voice) Now of course she doesn't do it on command... which I tried with the video camera with no luck.

She will gladly count to TEN if...
(a) you play hide-and-go-seek with her
(b) you let her jump on each of the ceramic tiles in the laundry room
(c) you let her throw ten goldfish to the dog (at $3.00 a box, I DON'T think so!)



Tonight we laid low with our Halloween activities, just playing games, taking a bubble bath, reading books and watching Grey's. Tomorrow night I've got a surprise game for Miss Priss... and I am looking forward to doing it!

St. Luke's Halloween Party

Tonight's activity was the annual Halloween Party at church! On the way, we stopped by Gigi and Jo's house so they could see Miss Priss in her costume.

Every witch needs a black cat, right?

Seriously... H.O.T.Y. keeps warning her that her eyes are going to get stuck like this!

Gigi loved seeing Miss Priss in her costume!

Miss Priss got in a little snuggling time with Jo before we left.

Reverend Linda told Miss Priss she was the cutest little witch this side of the Mississippi!

Miss Priss loves her friend Abby!

I think this might have been about the time I was wishing the church served Margaritas....

Miss Priss and Mercedes looked adorable in their big tutu costumes! These two just love each other and are becoming inseparable!

Miss Priss impressed us as she actually let them blindfold her for the "Pin the Jack" game!

Wearing out in the end... Miss Priss, Conner & Mercedes were ready to go home!

It was a wild, crazy night and I'm beginning to think Halloween can't come any quicker! Miss Priss has already got a stock pile of candy and now officially thinks that "Trick-or-Treat" is the way get candy... no matter what time of day it is!

Storybook Forest

Tonight's Halloween activity led us to Storybook Forest, which I will testify is MUCH better than a Pumpkin Patch! We went with our neighbors and had a great time! The kids walked along the trail "Trick-or-Treating" and seeing all the different Storybook Characters along the way! Ending with a Hay Ride and Carnival Games made this night a Must-Do for anyone in the OKC area!

Pumpkin Carving

In celebration of Halloween, we've planned fun activities for every night this week! Tonight we carved pumpkins and Miss Priss had a ball scooping out the pumpkin seeds!

I had an affair...

at An Affair of the Heart!

It's true! I flirted, I lusted, I lost all track of time... I spent the most wonderful moments of my weekend SHOPPING!!

For those of you who are AAOTH virgins, please let me explain; it is THE craft show of the state! Twice a year vendors from around the country fill seven huge buildings at the Oklahoma Fairgrounds, and then for three days THOUSANDS of men/women/children pour through them shopping to their hearts desire!

My mom and I are both die-hards, so we mark our calendars early and start saving as the BIG WEEKEND gets closer! This year I blew my budget within the first day (yes, I go multiple days) but am happy to say that I bought some GREAT stuff! I got a couple adorable dresses for Miss Priss, a cute outfit for myself, several Christmas Presents and one beautiful decor piece for our home!

As I wallow in my shopping sins, I indeed will find pleasure in the knowlege that the next AAOTH is just around the corner! February here I come!

I Want It Wednesday

...A Nap!

As I'm typing this, I'm actually really asking myself if it really is Wednesday?! It is, right? For some reason I woke up this morning feeling exhausted... and two diet cokes hasn't put a dent in my energy drive. Miss Priss must be feeling the same way, as she's lying right now on the Playroom floor with her eyes half shut, her right hand on her milk sippy and her left hand intertwined in her hair.

So off we go.... both of us get naptime today!

No More Pumpkins For Me

3 hours at the Pumpkin Patch + 30 mph Oklahoma Winds + 1 Fussy Toddler = PURE TORTURE

After four canceled attempts to go the Pumpkin Patch last week, I was thrilled to see the sun come out and know our trip would actually happen today... little did I know that I should have prayed for rain.

Miss Priss only took a 20 minute nap in the car, so we arrived at the Pumpkin Patch super early. I decided to go ahead and check in, as I thought I'd get some pictures taken before all her little friends showed up. Within the first 10 minutes, she had three melt-downs. Within the first half-hour, we were both covered in hay, her costume had broken and the wind had blown enough dirt in my eyes to make me go blind.

Once her playgroup friends came, she got a little better.... for awhile. Ever wonder how a group of Two-Year-Olds communicate? I like to call it the "Mine Langauge". Needless to say, if I had a dollar for every time I heard "Mine" today, I'd be a Multi-Millionaire.

Our last melt down of the day was in the Pumpkin Patch... or rather a large dirt field filled with rotting pumpkins. Miss Priss had quickly decided that it was fun to pick up every dirty pumpkin she could find and load it into the wagon. As we were only permitted to take two pumpkins home, I was unloading one pumpkin for every two she piled in. Well this really pissed her off. Within seconds she was laying in the dirt with big alligator tears screaming "My Pumpkin! My Baby Daddy Orange Tractor Witch Chicken Nuggets Pumpkin! MINE!"

Needless to say I'll be boycotting all Pumpkin Patches for the rest of the season and fully intend to take H.O.T.Y. with me next year to help out!

There's No Place...

...like Kansas City!

We had such fun this weekend spending time with our college friends in Kansas City. We tried to squeeze everything and everybody into our three short days there!

Miss Priss and Aubrey in their matching BFF jammies!


I finally got my hands on Baby Cole! I had tears in my eyes when I first held the little guy!


Such a long way we've come, two best friends with their sweet babies! (notice the LOOK on my sweet baby's face)


On Saturday morning BFF Lindsay made us a yummy brunch and Miss Priss and I got to spend time with H and Mommy2Be Julie! Miss Priss is a BIG fan of La la la Lindsay!!

Shanna's Baby Shower! Good times as we celebrated Baby #3!

We spent our last night in town eating spaghetti and apple pie and hanging with our good friends! It was amazing to see how much Miss Mimi has grown up!

Lisa and I had such fun watching the two little girls play together! We decided that it was probably a good thing that they live in different states... or they might make some major trouble together!

All in all it was a wonderful weekend and I was so sad to come home. I feel blessed to have made such amazing friendships in college, and to have continued and grown our relationships over the years. I love you all SO much!

Little Miss Picasso

Tonight while I was doing laundry, Miss Priss decided to climb on the kitchen table to get to her markers.

This is what I found....



And yes, she bit off the top of BOTH markers!!
Seriously, what am I going to do with her?

Inspiration

Every once in awhile, I get blown away by the most amazing people. Today was one of those instances. I was talking to my best friend on the phone and she was telling me about how lucky she felt for everything she had, when so many people have so much less. She pointed out that no matter how hard things get, she always tries to remember how much other people in the world are struggling worse than her.

It truly blew me away. And here's why....

Two months ago, her husband (aka "Mr Wonderful") was diagnosed with Colon Cancer. At that time, she was 8 months pregnant. Two days before Baby Cole came into this world, her husband started his rounds of Chemo and Radiation. In the last three weeks they've been challenged with endless doctors visits, chemo side-effects, sleepless nights with a newborn, a short bout of Jaundice, surging hormones and the frustration of trying to get Baby Cole to breastfeed (to name just a few!). And yet, every time I've talked to her, she hasn't complained once.

To listen to her talk today about how lucky she is, it really made me sit for a minute and put life into perspective. Instead of listing her worries (which at this point have got to be endless) she sat there and talked to me about others worse off than her!

It made me realize how easily I let all my "busy-ness" overwhelm me, and how little I really look at the "Whole Picture." I saw how I can over-analyze and try to perfect everything in my life, when really I'm just wasting time and energy on useless things. I saw how beautiful we can make life if we just stay thankful for what we have and give our endless "worry list"over to God.

So thank you my dear friend Emily. Thank you for being so brave and courageous, for being the inspiration I needed today.

And for the rest of you... you get to see the cutest little chicken ever! Here is Baby Cole...

I know his mommy will want to shoot me for posting this picture, but I couldn't resist! I think he is just the sweetest little thing on Earth and his face is priceless! For a three week old, I think he's pretty smart to be saying "Get me out of this thing!!"

I did it!

That's right.... I did it!! I ran my first 5K and it was AWESOME! I must say, I had such a great experience I'm still on a "Runners High" from it. And I beat my goal.... I crossed the finish line in 30 minutes, 38 seconds!

I'm planning to run two more 5Ks before Christmas - so let me know if any of you are interested in joining me!

(sorry for the fuzzy pics... unfortunately I didn't charge up my camera battery the night before, so H.O.T.Y. has to use his camera phone!)

Pumpkin Patch

Our weekend plans include a trip to the Pumpkin Patch (if the weather cooperates), so I thought it'd be fun to post pictures from Miss Priss's previous trips to the Pumpkin Patch.

5 months old:


16 months old:

Shaking in my running shoes...

My first 5K is only two days away, and I'm starting to get very anxious/nervous/scared-out-of-mind about it. It's weird, I know I can do 3.1 miles on the treadmill and I can even do it around the neighborhood.... but the thought that I'll actually be RACING is making my heart beat just a touch faster.
My goal is to do it in less than 33 minutes (my current record on the treadmill)... which is probably being a little hard on myself since that's in a nice, cozy, air-conditioned gym and not in the cold/windy/rainy weather that Saturday morning plans to have.
Anyone have any running tips to get me motivated?

I Want It! Wednesday

Fall is officially here and I'm wanting to dress Miss Priss accordingly! I stumbled across this little jewel on Etsy and am aching to get it!

Grammie, it's your year to host Thankgiving... don't you want Miss Priss to look adorable at your dinner table?

Marian & Miss Priss

I met Marian when I was 7 months pregnant with my first child. In church, Rev. Brinkworth had asked for people to sign up to visit the homebound, and I signed up because I thought it'd be something I'd enjoy. Rev. Brinkworth matched me up with Marian and from the moment we met I knew it was a perfect match! I'll never forget our first meeting... I walked in with my huge belly and she asked me right away if I was in the youth group!! After convincing her that I was a "grown up" and about to have baby, she then grew concerned about my hair and that I needed to have my dark roots touched up! Her honesty and frankness, while still being so concerned about me, is what made me love her from that moment on!

Because Marian and I got to know each other during my last few months of pregnancy, we both grew excited about the anticipation of the new baby. She loved hearing all about the nursery decorations, the baby showers, and preparing for the baby. By the time that little Miss Priss arrived in the world, Marian, and her daughter, Jo, had both become adopted "Grandmas". We called her with the news that Miss Priss had been born because we were eager to share the joy with our new adopted family! Since then, we have celebrated many wonderful occasions with Marian and Jo; such as Molly's Blessing at church and Marian's 100th and 101st birthday.

Like all of Marian's grandchildren, Miss Priss calls her "Gigi" and she just loves going to see her! As soon as we walk in, Miss Priss usually runs to "Gigi" with a great big hug! Just after she was born, we gave Marian a photo album to fill with Miss Priss's pictures. We've enjoyed sending a new picture to her each month and watching the photo album fill. Marian always tells us that she looks at the photos of Miss Priss every day! Because all of Miss Priss's real grandparents live out-of-state, we truly feel blessed that we get to have Grandma Jo and Gigi right here in town!

Marian is a true blessing to both myself and my family. For me, I value the beauty of her life and her loving heart. I look forward to visiting with her, because each time I do, she truly makes my day. I think of her as family and I know my husband does too. For the past couple of years, my husband makes a big pot of "Cheese Soup" in the fall and we go over to Marian and Jo's for dinner. It is a tradition we love doing with them! Just last night she asked H.O.T.Y. to make a double batch for her this year and to be sure to stir it with a long spoon!

Next month, Marian will celebrate her 102nd birthday, and I will be thankful to be there to celebrate such a momentous occasion with her!

Oh Boy!

As I'd mentioned in an earlier post, I have over a dozen preggie friends and another 5 or 6 with newborns. What I love most about being surrounded by all these friends is the opportunity to design their Birth Announcements!
Recently, it's been Boys Boys Boys, and I've enjoyed working with their new Mommies and Daddies creating something to announce to the world "Look Who's Here!"
Here are the latest four baby boys that I adore....

Halloween Decor

I have to admit, Halloween decorations make me giddy. I had such fun this year decorating our house! Here are my favorites: