Dixie Dude Ranch on The Today Show

If you are a faithful follower of this blog, you will remember that we went to Dixie Dude Ranch in June for our family vacation. It is where Aaron's family has met for reunions for over 20 years. If you remember, I mentioned that The Today Show was supposed to be doing a segment there in May for "Today Takes a Vacation," but then cancelled because of the swine flu. Well, the story is back on, and this morning, they showed the segment where Kathie Lee and Hoda visit the Dixie Dude. I'm a little bummed that they didn't give more info about the place, its history, or interview Clay, the owner, or any of the workers...but it's still pretty cool that they did a story there regardless. It is the oldest working dude ranch in Texas! People from all over the world come to DDR to vacation, and get a taste of Texas livin'. So, if you are interested to get a glimpse of "the dude ranch"...Enjoy!

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Our Weekend

So, this weekend was rather full. Friday afternoon, we took the kids to the splash park after Daddy got off around noon. Then, one of our best friends from college/Norman came for a short visit. Josh brought us yummy cookies and hung out with us and spent the night. I got to do a good deed for a friend in need that night, while Daddy and Josh did their thing.

Saturday morning, we all got up early to do the kids' 15 month photo shoot. Our friend, Terae, who took their 6 month photos so beautifully, met us out at Blowing Springs park in Bella Vista to catch candids of Alec and Emma meandering through the grass and checking out leaves, sticks and rocks. We walked out toward some of the bluffs, but didn't stop much because they were on the move. It ended up being nice and cool and overcast, which was good...but there was also a lot of dew on the ground at 9am...and everyone's feet got nice and wet and grassy. We got some cute shots of the kids running in the grass and on the walking path. Also got some of all of us playing and checking out the bridges and spring together. We tried to get them to sit together on the drop...but they wouldn't have it. We only shot for about 45 minutes or so, because the kids were tired. I didn't want anything formal or fancy...just to capture them exploring and being the beautiful toddlers they are. We'll post pics when we have them!

Both Saturday and Sunday, our good friends from church, Will and Jess, came over to help us with our leak situation. On Saturday, Aaron and Will were able to locate the area from which the water is leaking. By cutting a bigger hole in our dining room wall, and spraying the outside wall with water, they found that it's coming in between the two big windows. Evidently, the brick needed to be sealed better on that ledge. Sunday, Will filed down the mortar and used some special caulk to seal it up. The weather has really cooperated with us in this endeavor because it has rained when we've needed it to, and been dry when we've needed it to. It is supposed to rain tonight/tomorrow through Thursday...so we should be able to see if this has solved our problem, and then we can move on to repairing the damage from there.

Sunday, our pastor spoke about the importance of using your gifts as the workmanship of Christ. I cannot express how much I see the example of this played out so clearly in our situation. Will has a gift, the knowledge, and experience in construction. He and Jess have given so freely of their time and talents, that it is really very overwhelming to me. We feel so blessed that the Lord has given us friends who are willing and able to be a source of help to us in an area where we are so uninformed and uneducated and inexperienced. We know that we can trust them, and we are extremely blessed by the way that they've stepped up to help us with this VERY FRUSTRATING ordeal that has gone on for far too long. So, Will and Jessica...if you are reading this...THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for all that you are doing for us! Truly, you are being the hands and feet of Christ for us!

Here is a funny video of when we found the leak. Obviously, I didn't make it clear to everyone that I was filming with our regular camera...because they all thought I was a wierdo for commentating!

Pretty Princess, Pouty Princess

So, I got to take Emma to David's Bridal last Friday, to try on some flower girl dresses. She and Alec will be participating in their Tia V's (Aunt V in Spanish) wedding in February in Houston.

Veronica Vallejo is one of my very dearest friends. We go back more than 20 years!!! We are so thrilled that she has found THE ONE. She is the bride-elect of Dr. Daniel Cano, another native of Victoria, TX, and from what I've heard, one terrific guy! (I haven't gotten a face to face audience with Doc yet, but I did send him a questionnaire in order to determine his awesomeness and compatibility factors. Girls gotta look out for eachother!) Needless to say, he passed with high marks, and we really look forward to meeting the man that my friend has fallen head over heels in love with!

So, back to Emma and Alec's involvement. They will be the Arras. In Spanish tradition, I believe that these are some kind of coins that are symbolic and bring the bride and groom good luck. Veronica, please comment to shed more light on this. Basically, think like little jr. flower girl/ring bearer type duties. All I know is that they are supposed to look cute, act cute, walk down the aisle, and (I'm praying) sit quietly with Daddy and G'ma Wanda through the mass. I never actually said "yes, they can participate in the wedding," because I was concerned about how young they are (they'll be 22mos. at the time of the wedding, Feb. 13, 2010). However, Veronica has been adamant that they MUST be in the wedding...so, they are going to be in the wedding.

She found a few different styles of dress that she likes, and so we went to try those on. The biggest issue is that many of the dresses' smallest size is a 2T. Well, Emmy is rather petite, and I was thinking that we'd be doing good to get her into a size 24mo. There is a pretty big difference between those two sizes, which you can see below. So, here are the two they had in stock for us to try. She was a little tentative with the first one, because she was wierded out by the tiny fitting room with no mirror. I took her out into the open area with the mirrors in the salon, and she got SO excited when she saw herself. But then she just wanted to run and play in her beautiful dress all over the store, which of course, I couldn't let her do. So then, when we had to go back into the tiny claustrophobic fitting room to change dresses, she was not happy, as you can cleary see in picture #2.

I think I'm going to try to hold off until Sept to order something, because then she'll have grown a little more. But, here is my pretty princess in her dresses.

Mom, why are we in this little tiny box?

Mama! Take me back out to the mirrors and the wide, open space!

Painted toes and Dress-up

My first attempt at painting Emma's toenails. Turned out nicely! I did them at the beginning of lunch, so they had time to dry.

Alec got to wear one of Daddy's shirts. Yay!

This is his "politician's pose!"

My Little Acrobat

This is my Emma, being her very UNcautious self. She is such a little daredevil. There have actually been times that she's stood on the pony and let go...but I won't take a picture of that...because I have to be ready to catch her.

A Mother's Prayer

I recently found this poem in a book called Meditations for Moms by Crystal Bowman (Baker Books, 2001). I thought I'd share this wonderful prayer with the blog readers, since many of you are parents.


My gracious heavenly Father,
Please hear me as I pray.
I come to you on bended knee
And ask of you today,
To give me wisdom, strength, and love
To raise my children for you,
That they might love and honor you
In everything they do.

I ask that you'll watch over them
Throughout their childhood years.
Protect them as they run and play
And calm their childish fears.
And when they reach their teenage years
I pray that they'll be strong,
To stand up to temptation
And turn away from wrong.

I pray that they would read your Word
And talk with you each day,
So they will know your perfect will
And follow in your way.
I ask that you would be their guide
As they begin to date.
Help them choose, dear Lord, I pray,
A loving, godly mate.

And when they're blessed with little ones
I pray that they may too
Have the wisdom, strength, and love
To raise their children for you.
(Bowman, pp.36-37)

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it.-Proverbs 22:6 NIV

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother"-which is the first commandment with a promise-"that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."- Ephesians 6:1-3 NIV

7th Anniversary!

Today, Aaron and I celebrate seven years of marriage. We thought about trying to have a date over the weekend, but the last several weekends have been VERY busy, and aside from not finding a sitter, we kind of just wanted to have a "normal" weekend with the kids. Our plan is to try to go out this coming weekend.

Saturday, Aaron did some yard work and I did some house work, and in the afternoon, we made a trip to Sam's, dropped off the recycling and then took the kids to the splash park. It's a nifty fenced in slab of concrete with a bunch of sprinklers, water canons and buckets that tip water out. Kids can just run around and get wet...and the parents get wet too. Alec and Emma had soooooo much fun, and we had fun watching them have fun! We got really wet too, which was fine considering it was mid 90's that day.

Sunday, after church, we all went to get Aaron and me some new running shoes. He always jogs or works out on his lunch hour, and his old shoes are shot. I've decided to start a running program because I need to reintroduce cardiovascular training into my life. Since I only teach one day a week, and it's logistically difficult at this time to hit the gym with two babies (even though they do offer childcare)...I've resolved to get up when Aaron gets up to run. I'm back before he leaves, and still have an hour to spare before the kids get up. Now, I know the dancers that read this may be gasping. Running, like skiing, is one of those things that dancers are NOT supposed to do. It bulks up your leg muscles and can be hard on the joints that you are already being pretty hard on. Skiing works against turnout (don't know about running). But, I'm not really dancing anymore, and walking doesn't get my heartrate up enough to feel like I'm really being benefitted, so...I'm trying the jogging thing out.

Another reason this is good, is for my dog, Cookie. Before the kids, we took walks everyday. For fifteen months, these have been sporadic at best, and I can tell she's dealt with it, but has been longing for her mommy time. So, Cookie and I will be hitting the pavement together again. She was pretty darn excited about it this morning. It was nice to have her drag me along behind her.

But back to the weekend. Sunday evening, some of our good friends from church, Harris and Sarah, came over. I made pasta, and they brought bread and dessert. They knew that our anniversary was today, so they brought us a cake, and also two cards: one from them, and one they made out to be from Alec and Emma. VERY VERY SWEET! We enjoyed their company, and good food together. The red velvet cake was soooo yummy, and we took some goofy pics cutting the cake together (wedding style).

I feel so very blessed every day to have the kind of husband that many women can only hope for. Over the years, he has supported me in all of my endeavors, in addition to supporting us as a family. He's made sacrifices for me and for our kids. He is loving and devoted, and he brings laughter, music, fun, joy, compassion, generosity, and Godly headship into our home. When I married him, I didn't realize that with each passing year, and with the birth of our children, how much more I would come to love and respect him. I would marry him again and again!

Happy Anniversary, Hunny Bunny! Thank you for seven wonderful years! I love you the most!

Fifteen Month Checkup

After their check up and after ice cream! Alec with a wooden spoon and Emma with a football. Somehow this is not that surprising!

This afternoon, we went to see our pediatrician for Alec and Emma's 15 month well visit. Poor Daddy accompanied us right after having some dental work done. Half of his face was still numb from the procedure. He's better now. Anyway, the kids were weighed and had their height and head circumferance charted. Alec weighed in at 23#6oz. Emma weighed 20#6oz. We were thrilled to be told that Alec was above the 25th percentile for weight for the first time EVER! Emma was above the 10th percentile for the first time EVER! Their head and length measurements have generally always been closer to the 50th percentile, which they were again today. For my two preemie babies, one of whom spent 10 days in the NICU, this was wonderful information. There was a time (I believe at their 2 month visit) that Alec was barely on the growth chart for weight and Emma was not on the chart at all. For a long time, it was a treat for us to even hear that they were even at the 3rd or 5th percentile. So, to have them climb the chart like that is very exciting to us!

They were also evaluated for their language and motor skills. CAUTION: This mama is now going to brag a little, because that's what mamas that are very proud of their children do. Please don't assume that my excitement is any affront to the development of your child or any other child you know. This is not meant to be offensive.

The pediatrician said that they both exceed the expectations for language abilities and gross motor skills. They both have more words than is expected at this age, and this is especially neat because twins often develop their language abilites later than singletons. You may have heard of twinspeak, a language that many twins develop for communicating with one another. This can inhibit the development of real language. Also, because twins always have someone around that they can relate to, they often don't feel the need for verbal communication that other babies do.

With regard to motor skills, the ped was totally taken by surprise when Alec started jumping up and down. She exclaimed "he jumps!" I said "yeah, Emma does too." She then explained to us that jumping is a gross motor skill not expected to be achieved until around or after 2 years old.

We were pretty stoked, and I have to admit, our heads were big after the checkup. I think we're just so pleased because when you have twins, you're told not to expect as much from them. They are born earlier, often premature, and you should look at their adjusted age when evaluating their development. We just assumed that it was highly likely that they would lag behind their peers. Although they have always been on the small side, we have been thrilled to find that the other developmental areas have always been right on target, and in some cases, even a little early.

Every child develops differently, and charts, graphs and expected skills are guidelines with months of give or take attached to them. We totally realize that kids go through phases and spurts, and I don't want to be one of "those moms" who expects her kids to be above average perfect geniuses. I'm just grateful that my twins, who started out as teeny, four weeks and one day early babies, are catching up and holding their own. Yay, Alec and Emma!

The last order of business at the ped's office was vaccinations. They both received 3 shots today, and since Daddy had also gone through some discomfort at the dentist's office, we decided that we all deserved ice cream. So, all in all...a great day!

Reading Books

Here is a video from a few days ago. We read together almost everyday. The kids have a Favorite Nursery Rhymes book that they love, and a book about animals that has fur that they can touch. Recently, I started reading them a Winnie the Pooh book about colors, which they seem to like quite well. They love to see the colorful pictures and turn the pages themselves. After I read to them, I give them a book to look at and play with themselves. For the last few days, when I've given them the books to play with, Emma has just gone to babbling and pointing and turning pages as if she truly believes that she is reading her book and it is just so darling. I've tried for days to get a good video of it, but the camera keeps running out of battery power or memory...so finally...here is one that is pretty darn cute!

Happy Fourth of July!

For the Independence Day weekend, we went to Enid to see my folks. We left Friday after breakfast, and came back Sunday after breakfast. The kids had a great time at Nana (my g'ma) and Mimi's (my mom) house. Mimi bought the kids a little blow-up wading pool to play with, since it was so darn hot! The first day we were there, the car said the outside temp was 103 degrees at one point!!! The kids played in the pool Friday afternoon, and then Saturday, for the 4th, we took them to Meadowlake Park to ride the carousel, and then came back to the house for swimming after their nap. We had a traditional 4th of July dinner of hamburgers and brats. Mimi made cute little hamburger patties for Alec and Emma...but they are weird with ground beef (I think the texture puts them off). So, they ended up eating bratwurst instead. They were very happy to eat the glorified hot dogs, if I'd stab it with the fork and let them put it in their mouth themselves. We also celebrated my aunt's birthday (5th of July) with a yummy chocolate and caramel cheesecake. We had a great time seeing all of the family, including my sister, Christina and her daughter, Kylie, my dad (PaPa) and Eula, who is like another aunt to us. Here are a few pics of us playing in the pool and at the park carousel.