Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Ice Storm 2010 (Although not nearly as bad as Ice Storm 2009)
A few videos from this morning. It started sleeting and freezing raining last night around 4pm and went all night long. This morning around 9am, it turned to snow. We're enjoying having Daddy work from home, and trying to stay warm and cozy! :-)
It's hard to see the snow amidst all of the gray, but if you look at the fence and focus on the foreground in the first video you can see it coming down.
It's hard to see the snow amidst all of the gray, but if you look at the fence and focus on the foreground in the first video you can see it coming down.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Where did the weekend go?
We had a very full weekend. Fridays, Aaron only works 1/2 day (unless they need him to stay for meetings or issues or whatever). Last Friday, he had some afternoon meetings, but he was still able to meet me and the kids at Chick-Fil-A for lunch and playtime. He met us back at home right as the kids woke up from their nap...around 3:30. Then, I went to do some shopping, and found an awesome deal on a dress for Veronica's rehearsal dinner.
Saturday, I went to Zumba class, and the kids took an early nap before we went to a friend's surprise birthday party. We had some really awesome carne asada tacos, and enjoyed being with lots of friends. When we got home, the kids were so worn out, they took a second nap.
Aaron and I watched Revolutionary Road over the weekend. Depressed the heck out of me, and made me really annoyed at people who are discontented with their lives for stupid and selfish reasons. Maybe that was the purpose of the movie...to get you to think about that. Gratitude is a really good antidote for discontentment. If you are always thinking about what coulda, woulda, shoulda happened...and all of the stuff that you are supposedly "entitled to" in this life...you will end up failing to live it. None of us are entitled to anything, folks. "Two women looked through prison bars. One saw dirt, the other saw stars." Okay, I'll get off of that soapbox.
Sunday was crazy. The kids woke up waaaay too early. We went to church after getting them to take a short, early nap...so they wouldn't make the nursery ladies want to strangle us! :-) I danced during the offering, while a friend of mine sang Our Hope Endures by Natalie Grant. It didn't occur to us until while we were both doing it, that the song speaks of earthquakes. We had chosen to use that song for a special long before Christmas. And it was amazing that we were asked to do "something" this Sunday, without any of us realizing that the earthquake would hit Haiti when it did.
Then, Aaron and I taught Kids' Church, and afterward, we had to go to an Angel Tree debriefing meeting with the main coordinators and pastor. Yeah, my kids were so done by then. There was a good amount of screaming, squirming, and the like at the restaurant. Alec ate a whole bowl of salsa with chips (he's totally 1/4 Mexican). Emma didn't eat much but applesauce and a little bit of beans. Then they rebelled against the high chairs. Emma was finally quieted when George brought out a stuffed animal for her to play with. Alec fell asleep on my lap. :-) Then we all came home to collapse.
I tried to take a nap, but couldn't sleep. So, I went to the grocery store. Got home, ate, put the kids down, and then worked on the song list with Aaron for next Sunday because we are leading worship. I have so much respect for worship leaders. It is so much more involved than just picking some nice songs. It's work...finding themes, and figuring out keys, intros, outros, and the like. Totally rewarding, but totally work.
Okay, my munchkins are waking up. Gotta go!
Saturday, I went to Zumba class, and the kids took an early nap before we went to a friend's surprise birthday party. We had some really awesome carne asada tacos, and enjoyed being with lots of friends. When we got home, the kids were so worn out, they took a second nap.
Aaron and I watched Revolutionary Road over the weekend. Depressed the heck out of me, and made me really annoyed at people who are discontented with their lives for stupid and selfish reasons. Maybe that was the purpose of the movie...to get you to think about that. Gratitude is a really good antidote for discontentment. If you are always thinking about what coulda, woulda, shoulda happened...and all of the stuff that you are supposedly "entitled to" in this life...you will end up failing to live it. None of us are entitled to anything, folks. "Two women looked through prison bars. One saw dirt, the other saw stars." Okay, I'll get off of that soapbox.
Sunday was crazy. The kids woke up waaaay too early. We went to church after getting them to take a short, early nap...so they wouldn't make the nursery ladies want to strangle us! :-) I danced during the offering, while a friend of mine sang Our Hope Endures by Natalie Grant. It didn't occur to us until while we were both doing it, that the song speaks of earthquakes. We had chosen to use that song for a special long before Christmas. And it was amazing that we were asked to do "something" this Sunday, without any of us realizing that the earthquake would hit Haiti when it did.
Then, Aaron and I taught Kids' Church, and afterward, we had to go to an Angel Tree debriefing meeting with the main coordinators and pastor. Yeah, my kids were so done by then. There was a good amount of screaming, squirming, and the like at the restaurant. Alec ate a whole bowl of salsa with chips (he's totally 1/4 Mexican). Emma didn't eat much but applesauce and a little bit of beans. Then they rebelled against the high chairs. Emma was finally quieted when George brought out a stuffed animal for her to play with. Alec fell asleep on my lap. :-) Then we all came home to collapse.
I tried to take a nap, but couldn't sleep. So, I went to the grocery store. Got home, ate, put the kids down, and then worked on the song list with Aaron for next Sunday because we are leading worship. I have so much respect for worship leaders. It is so much more involved than just picking some nice songs. It's work...finding themes, and figuring out keys, intros, outros, and the like. Totally rewarding, but totally work.
Okay, my munchkins are waking up. Gotta go!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Last Two Weeks
So, I know I haven't posted much in the last two weeks. At least I got several of the C'mas pics posted. The first week back from our cross-country adventures was spent indoors, due to the insanely frigid temperatures and snow, sleet and ice. I think the kids and I left the house once. It was just too stinkin' cold. I think one day the wind chill was -20! I mean, where do we live? Fargo??? Anyways, we miss the nice, mild, South Texas temperatures that were so lovely.
Then, last week, I tried to catch up on all of the things that I didn't get done the week before, because I was still getting over traveling for 10 days. This week was like a heat wave, compared to the last week. 42 degrees felt fantastic! It's nice to know that you're skin isn't going to freeze in like two minutes when you go outside! Plus, it's warm enough for me to run outside again. The weather was keeping me from my morning routine.
Speaking of routines...the twins are pretty much down to one nap per day, except in very rare circumstances. So...there's another reason it's tough to get my posts done. And, Emma came down with a fever on Wednesday, and was feeling puny until Friday morning. My aunts, Phyllis and Eula, came to visit us on Friday on their way from Nashville to Oklahoma. They brought some very nice Christmas gifts for the kids, and stayed with us until Saturday.
Last night, Alec came down with fever (to be expected- he generally follows Emma about a day later or vice versa). So, we stayed home from church today. We're just chillaxing at the house today...and trying to get a few things done about the house.We did finally take the Christmas lights down outside, and all of the decorations put up into the attic.
So, there are a few updates. Until next time...bye!
Then, last week, I tried to catch up on all of the things that I didn't get done the week before, because I was still getting over traveling for 10 days. This week was like a heat wave, compared to the last week. 42 degrees felt fantastic! It's nice to know that you're skin isn't going to freeze in like two minutes when you go outside! Plus, it's warm enough for me to run outside again. The weather was keeping me from my morning routine.
Speaking of routines...the twins are pretty much down to one nap per day, except in very rare circumstances. So...there's another reason it's tough to get my posts done. And, Emma came down with a fever on Wednesday, and was feeling puny until Friday morning. My aunts, Phyllis and Eula, came to visit us on Friday on their way from Nashville to Oklahoma. They brought some very nice Christmas gifts for the kids, and stayed with us until Saturday.
Last night, Alec came down with fever (to be expected- he generally follows Emma about a day later or vice versa). So, we stayed home from church today. We're just chillaxing at the house today...and trying to get a few things done about the house.We did finally take the Christmas lights down outside, and all of the decorations put up into the attic.
So, there are a few updates. Until next time...bye!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Happy Birthday, Pa-Pa!
This is a belated Happy Birthday blog post for Aaron's dad (G'pa Jeff)...lovingly referred to as Pa-Pa, by the twins. They are sporting the Dallas Cowboys jersey and cheerleader outfit that G'ma Wanda and G'pa Jeff gave them for Christmas. I was having trouble getting pictures to upload this week. His birthday was Monday. These are for you Pa-Pa! We had the greatest time visiting with you over the holidays...and we can't wait to see you again!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Christmas Pictures IV: Ybarbo Family
Playing with Aunt Linda
Probably watching a favorite music video.
Opening stockings.
Ooh! Jingle bells and antlers...and lots of other goodies!Christmas Pictures III: Davis Family
A little tired afterward!
Not too tired to pose here.
Happy Emma
Uncle Alex reading them their new Wonder Pets! book from Uncle NuNu
One of my favorite gifts!
Playing Santa
G'ma Davis, Uncle NuNu, Uncle Alex, Uncle Aric, Aunt Bobi Jo and CiraChristmas Pictures II: James Family
Emma found a gingerbread cookie.
Ojos!
Alec and Kylie
Emma and Kylie
Christmas Pajamas!
At Nanny's house
Cheese!
Mmm! What a scrumptious Christmas dinner our Mimi made!
Alec and Kylie
Lovies.
Emma's face is priceless!
Pretty cousins.Christmas Pictures I: Stuck in Tulsa
See the car stuck in the middle of the parking lot.
Well, I guess we're stuck!
Whatever will Santa do?!Not sure why we don't have pics of Emma...she was probably running all over! I have a video of them spinning in the desk chair. I'll upload that later!
Pictures from our Christmas Adventures
I'm going to post quite a few...but if you want to see them ALL, check out the facebook album. Here's the link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=131921&id=543072123&l=338de2e207
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=131921&id=543072123&l=338de2e207
Monday, January 4, 2010
Home, Sweet Tundra!
We made it back home last night around 8pm. We left Goliad at 9am, and our original ETA (according to the Garmin) was 7:04...so we didn't lose much time. We should have arrived back in the driveway at 7:30. However, NW Arkansas received about 5 inches of snow Saturday night, so that's what we had to come home to. From the Bobby Hopper tunnel north, we had some sleet and slick spots, and then from Fayetteville home, traffic had slowed to a crawl. This is a good thing, because I hate it when people think they can drive normally in hazardous conditions, but it's also a very frustrating thing when you've been on the road for 10 hours, and the last half hour takes twice as long.
The kids were FANTASTIC on the trip back. They took good naps, and they we're pretty well entertained by the dvd's we brought and the music we played...oh, and the food that we fed them. Poor Emma was done by Fayetteville, though. She kept saying "come on!" like "let's get out of here already" and grabbing my finger and trying to get me to push the button that releases her car seat harness. We had to stop in town for milk, though, because we were out at home, and according to the weather forecast (in the teens and single digits all week, wind chills below zero and snow again on Wed and Thurs) I didn't know if we'd be making a trip to the store any time soon. But alas, FINALLY, we made it home. We all did a little happy dance, and the kids got reacquainted with all of their toys and things. Daddy made macaroni and cheese, and I got us unpacked as soon as humanly possible, because I hate having bags and boxes of stuff just cluttering everything up. I didn't get to everything, but I did enough.
Today, I have done a whole lot of nothing...other than hang out with my kids, and make them breakfast and lunch. I still have my pajamas on, and I don't care. :-) I have bags of laundry to do, gifts to sort through, Christmas decorations to take down, and a whole lot of china to put away...but again, I just decided to take an "enjoy being back in my house" day!
The reason I have a whole lot of china is that Aaron's G'ma Davis told us a few years ago that she wanted to bequeath to us some of her china. It is white and gold Haviland, and it originally belonged to her grandmother, Lucinda Elizabeth Tinnin. (She told me the name...I hope I've spelled it correctly.) Because Lucinda was concerned about the china being broken, she didn't want to use it everyday. Well, her husband believed that if you're going to have something nice, you might as well use it, and that he and his wife were the most important people who would ever eat off of it anyway...so, to allay her fears about pieces being broken, he purchased her a whole other "extra" set. I've shared the story because I think it's AS important as the china itself. Having a "story" is what makes us all unique! So, over the last two trips, we have attempted to move as much of the beautiful heirloom china as possible. We still have several pieces to bring back...but we're getting there! God willing, Alec and Emma (and Alec's wife) will be responsible and appreciative enough to warrant having these precious items passed down to them! Aaron and I feel incredibly blessed and honored to be the new stewards of such a special gift.
I know this post is getting really long, so if you need to take a bathroom break or a seventh inning stretch or something...feel free. :-) We were gone 10 days, and it feels like we've been away for a month! Probably because so much happened! So, now I will dazzle you with a recounting of our marvelous Christmas adventures:
Christmas Eve, we left for Enid, but as you probably read, we were unable to make it any further than Tulsa because of the blizzard conditions in pretty much all of Oklahoma. We spent Christmas Eve night and Christmas morning at a Days Inn in Tulsa. Luckily, our children are too young to care! We had a scrumptious dinner of Arby's (one of the only places close by and open), and a hearty hotel breakfast of mini muffins and raisin bran. Actually, I was so glad that there was just food for us to eat in the near "white out!" Oh, I had a cooler full of all of the kids' food that we always travel with. Aaron and I could have eaten a Gerber graduate or some Chef Boyardee if it came down to it! The kids had fun running all over the hotel room, and playing on the spinning chair, and we watched Christmas movies on the hotel cable.
We decided to try to head out around 10am on C'mas day. We were the first to try to leave, and everyone thought we were nuts. All of the other people that were stuck there came and stood outside their rooms, arms crossed and eyebrows raised, to see if we would make it. Well, tires spun and we couldn't go anywhere...in 3rd gear. But, when we downshifted and punched the magical VTM-4 Lock button, enabling the 4 wheel drive, VOILA! Suddenly, it was like we were scaling mountains in a jeep. Well, getting out of the parking lot was the hardest part. We made it to a gas station, where a lady almost side-swiped us because she was impatient and decided she needed to turn into the station where not much of the snow was cleared and she slid toward us, narrowly missing the driver's side. Then we made it onto 412, where the 1.5-2 hr drive took us 3.5 to get to Enid.
A whole day later, it was nice to finally be at our destination. We enjoyed being with my parents and sister, niece and Nanny. We all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas dinner and some very lovely gifts. It was a nice, laid back time. The kids really had fun with their cousin, Kylie, this time. They wanted to play with her nonstop!
On Sunday after lunch, we headed to Norman, to stay with our pseudo-family, the Lees. Kyle and Dave prepared a yummy shepherd's pie for us, and of course, Kathy made her famous cookies. We exchanged gifts, and played games, and had a really fun time.
Monday, we took off for Goliad. The 9 hour drive was not bad at all, and we made it to G'mas house by 5:30, I think. The 6 days that we spent there were wonderful. Both of his parents were off for the week. Andrew only had to work a little bit. Alex was out of school, of course. Aric, Bobi Jo and Cira were there until Friday. We had lots of opportunitites to visit with the Aunts and other Grandma, cousin Eli and several other relatives. It was just so nice to have a nice long visit, and not to have to try to cram everything into just a few days. We had Christmas with his family and G'ma Davis on Tuesday morning. Then Tuesday night, we had Christmas with his mother's side at Aunt Linda's house. All of us were blessed with so many nice gifts. The kids have a whole new wardrobe and library! The best present was just getting to be together!
The rest of the week, we made a few trips to Victoria to run errands and see G'ma at Homewood. We ate at Dragon Palace, of course. Friday afternoon, I left for Houston to prepare for the bridal shower I gave on Saturday. It was the first time I've ever spent the night away from my babies. It was hard...on me and Daddy, I think. But we made it through! I had a ton of work to do to keep my mind off of it, and Aaron and a lot of good help with g'ma, g'pa and the uncles. The shower for Veronica went smashingly, and we all had a super time.
I have a lot of pictures to post, but that will have to wait for another time. I need a break because this post has taken me a while! I hope that everyone reading this enjoyed their holidays. We just had such a fantastic time, but we are glad to be back home too!
The kids were FANTASTIC on the trip back. They took good naps, and they we're pretty well entertained by the dvd's we brought and the music we played...oh, and the food that we fed them. Poor Emma was done by Fayetteville, though. She kept saying "come on!" like "let's get out of here already" and grabbing my finger and trying to get me to push the button that releases her car seat harness. We had to stop in town for milk, though, because we were out at home, and according to the weather forecast (in the teens and single digits all week, wind chills below zero and snow again on Wed and Thurs) I didn't know if we'd be making a trip to the store any time soon. But alas, FINALLY, we made it home. We all did a little happy dance, and the kids got reacquainted with all of their toys and things. Daddy made macaroni and cheese, and I got us unpacked as soon as humanly possible, because I hate having bags and boxes of stuff just cluttering everything up. I didn't get to everything, but I did enough.
Today, I have done a whole lot of nothing...other than hang out with my kids, and make them breakfast and lunch. I still have my pajamas on, and I don't care. :-) I have bags of laundry to do, gifts to sort through, Christmas decorations to take down, and a whole lot of china to put away...but again, I just decided to take an "enjoy being back in my house" day!
The reason I have a whole lot of china is that Aaron's G'ma Davis told us a few years ago that she wanted to bequeath to us some of her china. It is white and gold Haviland, and it originally belonged to her grandmother, Lucinda Elizabeth Tinnin. (She told me the name...I hope I've spelled it correctly.) Because Lucinda was concerned about the china being broken, she didn't want to use it everyday. Well, her husband believed that if you're going to have something nice, you might as well use it, and that he and his wife were the most important people who would ever eat off of it anyway...so, to allay her fears about pieces being broken, he purchased her a whole other "extra" set. I've shared the story because I think it's AS important as the china itself. Having a "story" is what makes us all unique! So, over the last two trips, we have attempted to move as much of the beautiful heirloom china as possible. We still have several pieces to bring back...but we're getting there! God willing, Alec and Emma (and Alec's wife) will be responsible and appreciative enough to warrant having these precious items passed down to them! Aaron and I feel incredibly blessed and honored to be the new stewards of such a special gift.
I know this post is getting really long, so if you need to take a bathroom break or a seventh inning stretch or something...feel free. :-) We were gone 10 days, and it feels like we've been away for a month! Probably because so much happened! So, now I will dazzle you with a recounting of our marvelous Christmas adventures:
Christmas Eve, we left for Enid, but as you probably read, we were unable to make it any further than Tulsa because of the blizzard conditions in pretty much all of Oklahoma. We spent Christmas Eve night and Christmas morning at a Days Inn in Tulsa. Luckily, our children are too young to care! We had a scrumptious dinner of Arby's (one of the only places close by and open), and a hearty hotel breakfast of mini muffins and raisin bran. Actually, I was so glad that there was just food for us to eat in the near "white out!" Oh, I had a cooler full of all of the kids' food that we always travel with. Aaron and I could have eaten a Gerber graduate or some Chef Boyardee if it came down to it! The kids had fun running all over the hotel room, and playing on the spinning chair, and we watched Christmas movies on the hotel cable.
We decided to try to head out around 10am on C'mas day. We were the first to try to leave, and everyone thought we were nuts. All of the other people that were stuck there came and stood outside their rooms, arms crossed and eyebrows raised, to see if we would make it. Well, tires spun and we couldn't go anywhere...in 3rd gear. But, when we downshifted and punched the magical VTM-4 Lock button, enabling the 4 wheel drive, VOILA! Suddenly, it was like we were scaling mountains in a jeep. Well, getting out of the parking lot was the hardest part. We made it to a gas station, where a lady almost side-swiped us because she was impatient and decided she needed to turn into the station where not much of the snow was cleared and she slid toward us, narrowly missing the driver's side. Then we made it onto 412, where the 1.5-2 hr drive took us 3.5 to get to Enid.
A whole day later, it was nice to finally be at our destination. We enjoyed being with my parents and sister, niece and Nanny. We all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas dinner and some very lovely gifts. It was a nice, laid back time. The kids really had fun with their cousin, Kylie, this time. They wanted to play with her nonstop!
On Sunday after lunch, we headed to Norman, to stay with our pseudo-family, the Lees. Kyle and Dave prepared a yummy shepherd's pie for us, and of course, Kathy made her famous cookies. We exchanged gifts, and played games, and had a really fun time.
Monday, we took off for Goliad. The 9 hour drive was not bad at all, and we made it to G'mas house by 5:30, I think. The 6 days that we spent there were wonderful. Both of his parents were off for the week. Andrew only had to work a little bit. Alex was out of school, of course. Aric, Bobi Jo and Cira were there until Friday. We had lots of opportunitites to visit with the Aunts and other Grandma, cousin Eli and several other relatives. It was just so nice to have a nice long visit, and not to have to try to cram everything into just a few days. We had Christmas with his family and G'ma Davis on Tuesday morning. Then Tuesday night, we had Christmas with his mother's side at Aunt Linda's house. All of us were blessed with so many nice gifts. The kids have a whole new wardrobe and library! The best present was just getting to be together!
The rest of the week, we made a few trips to Victoria to run errands and see G'ma at Homewood. We ate at Dragon Palace, of course. Friday afternoon, I left for Houston to prepare for the bridal shower I gave on Saturday. It was the first time I've ever spent the night away from my babies. It was hard...on me and Daddy, I think. But we made it through! I had a ton of work to do to keep my mind off of it, and Aaron and a lot of good help with g'ma, g'pa and the uncles. The shower for Veronica went smashingly, and we all had a super time.
I have a lot of pictures to post, but that will have to wait for another time. I need a break because this post has taken me a while! I hope that everyone reading this enjoyed their holidays. We just had such a fantastic time, but we are glad to be back home too!
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