We're not in Kansas Anymore!

Hope everyone made it through the random January string of tornadoes! We are all pretty sleepy here today from being up all night but we can deal with that. I am a complete coward when it comes to bad weather. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I was right smack in the middle of the big one that ripped through Battlefield 4 years ago. I don't care to do that EVER again! But we made it through and went to bed about midnight to our neighbor Dave Snyder on KY3 saying, "Well folks, thanks for tuning in tonight. Looks like the worst is over and now we will return to regular programming." So imaging my surprise when we woke up at 3:00 am to something hitting the house, the neighbors banging on the door and the phone ringing. I was literally running in a circle trying to decide if I should make sure it was Tony & Carmen coming through the garage, answer the phone, get the kids or pee my pants! I chose to answer the phone, tell dad we were up and grab the kids just in time to get to the basement and hear that the storm had already passed through Ozark. So we hung out for a bit just to make sure it was gone and headed back to bed for a few more hours of sleep. I said a little prayer and thanked God for granting us a reprieve yet again! When I heard that they were estimating that winds reached speeds of 75-100 miles per hour as it passed by I began to think....maybe the "house that Jack built" is sturdier than I thought!

Christmas

I was just looking at my blog and realized I left out Christmas stories! We had a wonderful holiday. It was different without our Oklahoma family but still pretty great. We enjoyed Christmas Eve with the Davidsons. Of course there was yummy food and we got to visit with family that we don't see very often. I can't believe that the Davidson boys are all grown up! Spencer who was about 5 when we met, is DRIVING!!! Talk about feeling old! Brian took over the duty of reading the Christmas story from the Bible. I am hoping that Claire will be reading by next Christmas! We exchanged gifts and especially enjoyed watching Grandma and Grandpa open their "Cruise wear" for their upcoming cruise to Hawaii! We left and drove around for a bit looking at Christmas lights. Claire loves to see the "Glow ups" (inflatables) but her favorite is to spot Mary and Joseph. She was pretty sad when she noticed that someone stole baby Jesus from our neighbors house. I assured her there was a special place for someone who steals Jesus! (totally kidding!) We came home and put little man down. Claire and I sprinkled reindeer dust in the yard. (Oats to attract the reindeer and glitter for Santa) Then she got her cookies ready for Santa. We got her tucked in and had a little time together in peace and quiet! When Santa comes he takes the stockings and gifts downstairs. So when Claire got up she ran in to check and see if the cookies were gone. Immediately her eyes filled with tears and she started to cry. I asked her what was wrong and she said, "Santa came and took our stockings and didn't leave anything!" I assured her that he took the stuff downstairs and directed her attention to a note that Santa left. She was so excited and she ran in to show Daddy. We took a few minutes to read a little book about the birth of Jesus and talk about what the day really means. The rest was chaos! She was a little overwhelmed with the presents. I am still trying to figure out how I spend months preparing and picking out just the right gifts. Daddy goes out two days before Christmas and picks out 2 toys and he is the hero!!! Claire loved her new tent and Cohen was really excited about his basketball goal. He was shooting baskets left and right. That is, of course, until Claire opened her Baby Alive from Grandma. Then he walked around for the rest of the morning feeding and patting the baby. It was REALLY sweet! We finished with gifts and then we ATE and ATE and ATE and ATE! A few hours later, we ate some more at my parents house! The kids spent time with their cousins Alivia, Garrett and Hunter. They had a great evening. I love my family and wouldn't give a million dollars for a single second I get with them. When I say family I mean my family by birth, marriage and by choice! I am so blessed with so many WONDERFUL people in my life. When I really stop and think about it I can't believe that I am so lucky. So with our bellies FULL and our eyelids heavy, we headed home and CRASHED! There was something truly magical about this Christmas. My life is really coming into focus thanks to the help of certain people and most of all my relationship with God. And I have to admit.....I LOVE WHAT I SEE. I am hopeful for what 2008 has in store. Of course my thoughts have been very focused on the Phillips family. If you don't know why, check my other blog www.stephsgonnawin.blogspot.com. I have so much faith that the Lord is working in Steph's life. I just wish there was something more I could do for her. I will continue to pray that He will lead me to do what I can. But this is her year. 2007 was the year she was diagnosed. 2008 will be the year that she beats it.

Blast from the Past

Here is my handsome hubby back in the day at good old KHS! It was quite a surprise when we started receiving calls and text messages about his picture in the paper last week. This was from the Blue and Gold Tournament in 1996 which would have been our first year as boyfriend & girlfriend! Who would have thought that I was cheering on my future husband! Who knows, maybe in 14 more years...this will be Cohen! Happy 2008!

Not stirring anymore!

I was reading a book with Cohen and heard a "SNAP!" We caught the mouse! Since Brian was not home and wouldn't be until today, guess who got to take it out to the trash? It stared at me the whole way out there. Oh, it was so gross! EEEEEEWWWWWW! But life goes on....just not his!

Christmas in OKC!

If you have talked to me lately, you know I was counting down the days until December 14th. We met our Oklahoma family in the City to celebrate Christmas together. We realized last year that our family is just getting so big and maybe tradition will have to change a bit. So, a few days before we left, I was finishing up some Christmas gifts (trying to get them ordered by midnight so I wouldn't have to pay thousands of dollars in shipping!) when I hear a huge THUMP from upstairs. By the time I reached the stairs I heard "MMMMOOOOOMMMMMYYYYYY!" A sound that sends chills down every mothers spine! By the time I got to Claire's room, flipped on the light and scooped her up off the floor.....this is what I saw.

Poor girl had tried to get out of bed, got tangled up in her blanket and hit the corner of her nightstand! It instantly looked like this! Needless to say, I sat up for at least 2 hours and watched her. The next day she was excited because her eye was red like Rudolph's nose. Only Claire! (Oh, I took this after lunch the next day...you can tell we had pasta!)

I spent Friday finishing up laundry (how does a child who wears NOTHING around the house create soooo much laundry? I may never know!) and packing for our trip. Gone are the days of packing light! As I loaded it all into the truck I kept asking myself "Are we going for 2 days...or 2 WEEKS?" We jumped in the car and headed out west! Cohen did not like the car ride one bit! It was a long trip. Not to mention, I didn't realize I needed new wiper blades (because if it's nasty out, I don't go anywhere!) until we got into rain and sleet on I-44. We finally made it and it was so great to see everyone. It had been a year since I had seen Phillip & Dana and their families and I've only seen Aunt Donna and Uncle Bobby once since then. So here are some pics from our weekend.

Our makeshift Christmas tree in our hotel. The kids had decorated cookies with a kit we bought at Target. My first Christmas ornament from 1980 probably tastes better than the cookies so we put them to good use!

Cohen and his 2nd cousin Trayden. The are 12 days apart!

You pick which one is Cohen! Mom and Donna had them out in the hall and someone asked if they were twins!

Sour face! Yes, I know that a lime is not really good for his teeth. But when a kid has been holed up in the same hotel room for a day and a half, you tend to give in on the little things! It kept him entertained for at least 20 minutes. (Limes are not an everyday staple in his diet, I promise!)

Koy picking up his mess! This is what happens when you turn your back on kids for 2 seconds! Notice, Claire's hand in the picture....I'm sure she had a little something to do with it!
Little Livi Jane! She was such a trooper. Unless you were cuddling with her you never even knew she was there! She was either perfectly content or sound asleep. Jarad & Ashley....enjoy it while it lasts!

Claire and her new dino from Aunt Donna. She loves it!

Daddy's so funny!

One of the highlights of our weekend was getting to watch Taylon play basketball. He is #23. (of course the tallest one on the court!) Hey played great and even got to show me his "fake" he has been working on. I was so proud of him! I can't believe he's growing up so fast!!!
It was a great weekend and it just reminded me how important it is that we all make time for each other. It has been a crazy year and we have gotten so caught up in life that we let too much time go by! I have really been hit hard this year with the fact that LIFE IS SHORT and so precious. I WILL NOT let another year pass without seeing my cousins! Christmas will be different this year for sure! We will have a few conference calls throughout the day, but it won't be the same. However, I am so thankful that we had this weekend together! Dana, I am now counting the days until spring break!!!

Not a creature was stirring, not even a.....

MOUSE?!?!? It is wonderful having a big wide open field behind our house. No nosy neighbors back there, the view is great (especially when it snows!) and we can pretend we live out in the country! The bad news....field mice. Unfortunately there is no Bunny Foo Foo to bop 'em on the head either! This morning, I came across a little visitor in the kitchen. I'm not super excited about it but at least it's not a snake! I DON'T DO SNAKES, so I'll take a mouse any day! He's pretty tiny too so I'm not scared! That little dude probably thought he had hit the jackpot when he made his way into the George household! There is an endless supply of cheerios, crackers and assorted crumbs on the floor at any given time and they are always fresh! As soon as I get them swept up, theres a whole buffet on the floor within 15 minutes. So it's off to the store to buy a mouse trap. We should be fine as long as he doesn't get out of the house and tell all of his friends and family that he found a Christmas feast at the Georges!

Here are some pictures that have been hanging out on my camera for a while!

While Brian was gone, I was exhausted one morning and just didn't want to roll out of bed. Claire was laying there with me watching cartoons. She heard Coco wake up and I told her she could go in and keep him company for a few minutes. When I finally made my way down the hall I noticed a familiar and surprisingly pleasant odor coming from Cohen's room. What is that smell? BABY MAGIC!!! Cohen and his crib were COVERED in it. And if you look close, Claire filled his bed with every toy she could find. Poor kid!



DADDY'S HOME!!!


Claire and Cohen enjoying one of the last beautiful days of the year! Cohen loves to ride with his sister!


My little ballerina. Yes, she dressed herself.


Claire waiting to put the star on the tree.


Dancing with Santa. I wasn't thinking this summer when I was cleaning out our storage area and moved Santa out. He was stored in his box, but his head wouldn't fit back in so I just carried it out. Claire FREAKED OUT and I wasn't sure if she would ever go near old Santa again! It took a few days but now they are old buddies! He's really not as creepy as he looks. (Unless of course you are home alone and forget he's at the bottom of the stairs....then you might need to change your pants.)