Almost Christmas!!

This is my absolute favorite time of year! I LOVE Christmas. I love decorations, giving gifts, shopping, lights, cooking, getting together with family, putting up lights, looking at lights, hearing the stories, the carols, seeing the movies, etc. I LOVE Christmas!! And it means so much more to me b/c is the birthday of my Savior. It's the day we celebrate God sending His Son into the Earth to walk among men. He came and lived as 100% human, even though He was 100% God. He "was tempted in every way we are, yet without sin." He did that so that He could relate to us. How awesome is that??!! Do you realize what God did for you?? I can go to Him with anything, and He understands what I'm going through. He's been there! He gets it. That thought just wows me!!

So I hope that this time of year, you will take the time to stop and think about God did for YOU! Because His gift is out there for everyone! All you have to do is accept it.

MERRY CHRISTMAS my friends!!

long overdue

I can't believe the last time I posted was May. Oops. Guess I've been slacking - big time!! So, I will try to catch up on what's been going on. Let's start with the kids:

Madison is out of the cast!! She is in a hip abduction brace that keeps her legs as far apart as they can go. It's to keep her hip pushed into the socket to allow the bone to fully develop in the socket and therefore stay in place. She is allowed out of the brace for 3 hours a day. She will have another check up in February. At her last check (in October) the doctor was disappointed in her bone growth. :( He said we aren't back at square one (that's another surgery), just not as far along as he had hoped. So hopefully in February there will be a lot of progress.

Megan is in Kindergarten now. She only goes half day, but I'm happy with that. We get to spend the morning together, then her afternoons are at school. She's doing great! She played soccer for the Y in the fall.

Conner is in first grade. He got glasses last week. He looks so cute in them!! He had his eyes checked at school, and they sent home a note saying he needed a follow up with an eye dr. I asked him if he could see the chart at school, and he said "no, they made it too small to see." lol So now that he has glasses, he's realizing what he was missing out on before. Conner played flag football this fall. He had a bad coach and even worse assistant coach. I really wish I would have pulled him early in the season, but we stuck it out. We will NOT be requesting that coach again!

Caleb is in third grade - how is that possible??!! He is getting a "Reflections" award tomorrow night. This is a school-wide contest, and I am so proud of him!! He also played flag football, and has decided that he loves football. He is all about football now - watching it, playing it, etc. He is so cute!! He wants to be Sam Bradford. (OU quarterback before getting injured)

Chris was gone another 7 weeks this summer for Army training. It was easier this time. We were ready for it this time. He's back to taking seminary classes, so he stays very busy. We also celebrated our 1 year anniversary as youth pastor at our church this week. Very exciting!!

I'm pretty much the same. I'm teaching a different Beth Moore study at church right now. We are doing A Woman's Heart - God's Dwelling Place. It is so good, but I expected nothing less from Beth Moore. :)

We are welcoming the Christmas season!! We had to get a new tree this year, but that was expected. It's up and decorated. The rest of the house needs work, but at least the tree is up. Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!! This is my favorite time of year!!! I look forward to this month all year!! So excited!!!

Ok, that's our update for now. I will try to do better about blogging here. Love you guys!!

Glad it's a new day!!

Yesterday was just one of those days!! The night before, I forgot to put an extra pad in Madison's diaper. (remember, she's in a spica cast, and doesn't wear her regular size) When I got her up in the morning, I could tell her diaper had leaked. Oh my had it leaked!!! The cotton liner of her cast was dripping wet!!! So I spent a good chunk of the day blow drying her cast! Then Megan dumped a new bag of dog food on the kitchen floor. While helping her clean up, I burned lunch. Oh yeah! It was one of those days!!! But today is a new day! And the cast is dry! Madison is cranky today. Not sure what's up there. I hope she's not getting sick, and if she is, I hope she gets over it by next week. We have a cast change on Wednesday, and since they knock her out for that, they won't do it if she's sick.

Bible study is going great! I'm leading our women's group in the Esther Bible Study by Beth Moore. I feel so inadequate as a teacher, but my hubby said a couple of women had told him what a wonderful teacher I am. That is so humbling! I pray that God continues to use this study to change the lives of the women in attendance.

On Sunday nights, we are doing the Love Dare Bible study. (from the Fireproof movie) It's going great! Chris and I are actually in a good point in our marriage, but this just adds so much to it! I hope each of you will considering doing it!

I think that's all for now. Madison needs me. :) Never a dull moment around here.
(((HUGS)))

the journey continues

We are now entering week 3 of the cast journey. Madison continues to amaze me!! She is still so happy!! The cast rarely bothers her. She does get a little frustrated when she can't turn over, but for the most part, she's accepted her situations. She has started scooting around! When she sees something on the floor she wants, she tries to get it.

We had a major diaper leak this weekend - up her back, down her legs, etc. It was one of those that would be nasty on a "regular" kid, but one in a cast is even worse!!! I cleaned it as best I can, but boy is the doctor in for a treat when he changes the cast. lol I'm positive it won't be the first time. In fact, it's probably more the norm.

Speaking of cast change, hers is the 20th. We have x-rays on Wednesday, and then the cast change 2 weeks after that. I really hope her new cast is smaller.

That's the latest around here. We are getting closer to school being out. We are all looking forward to that! Hubby finished up his classes last week, so he has more free time now! woohoo!!

Hope everyone's doing well! (((HUGS)))

learning as I go...

We now have a week behind us in the "hip" journey. We've dealt with poopy diapers and so far so good! She seems to be more "regular" now, so that's good. We've had lots of firsts this week- first time in a restaurant, eating at family's house, going to soccer games, going to church, blow drying the cast, etc. And so far, we've done great!! I must admit, I'm proud of myself. I am doing what needs to be done, and learning as I go. I felt completely unprepared when I left the hospital. I told the nurse that when she called to ask about my "recent experience." She was so helpful and answered lots of questions over the phone. It's so great to find helpful people!!

Madison is doing WAY better than I anticipated. I expected (and was warned) for 3 days of misery. But Madison has totally accepted her new position in life. She's just taking life as it comes. She is one amazing girl!!! She does tend to get cranky, but she gets over quickly.

Church was pretty easy- I just kept her with me. It was our first Sunday, the nursery worker was gone, so it was easier to just bring in the stroller, and keep her with me. She did great! She slept through most of service (on me) which was wonderful!!

Those of you who aren't familiar with casts (like me before all this) might be wondering about blow drying a cast. Casts tend to get wet inside where the cotton liner is. It can happen w/ kids sweat inside the cast. After a while, it starts to smell! Not to mention irritating to the skin. So the best way to get rid of it is to blow dry the inside of the cast with a blow dryer set to "cool". My blow dryer had no such setting. And after getting a good whiff of the cast today, I knew I had to make a trip to Walmart. After walking all over I finally found the tiny section of blow dryers. I looked at all of them trying to figure out which one had a "cool" setting. None of them did! But what they did have was a "shot of cool air". huh?? So I opened a box, and tried to figure it out. Keep in mind I haven't bought a blow dryer since before I was married. So the shot of cool air was very confusing to me. Turns out it's what you do after you finish blow drying. Who knew? not me. :) Anyway, I found one that came with an attachment to make the end of the blow dryer look like it got stepped on (flat), which is perfect when drying to blow dry inside a cast! WOOHOO! It works, the cast is dry, and smelling much better!! I am so glad I found a "hip" group where other moms mentioned this trick to keeping the cast dry!

I have some amazing friends that have gotten me this far with their prayers and words of encouragement! I am truly blessed!!

(((HUGS))))

Madison's cast

The "hip" journey begins

Madison's surgery was Monday morning at 7:45am. I was strong for Madison, but once they took her from me, and they walked down the hall, I started crying. The nurse walking me to the waiting room said some thing like "Are you ok?" But I couldn't even answer. They just took my precious baby off to surgery! Of course I'm not ok. A woman walking by gave me a hug and said "God will take care of her." I made my way to the waiting room and cried some more. Our pastor and my parents were with me the whole time. Chris stayed with the other kids to get them to school and such. After 4 hours the surgeon came out to tell us all was good. Until that moment I had been sick to my stomach. Once he said all was well, I wasn't sick anymore, and actually felt hungry. He told us he did the open reduction on the left side, and also had to do a femoral osteotomy (cut her bone and turn it, then re-attach it w/ a plate and 4 screws).

She was very groggy and out of it all day Monday and most of Tuesday. We came home yesterday afternoon. I wasn't ready to come home, but apparently Madison was. Last night she finally asked for juice. I think that was the first thing she'd said since before surgery. She has a bright pink cast from arm pits to toes. So far, it's not bothering her. But she's only today starting to get back to herself. I'm sure tomorrow it's going to hit her that she can't move and she's going to be one angry baby girl! So far we are adapting. I'm getting creative around the house to accommodate her. We had to get a special car seat made for babies in spica casts. But I've tried our stroller and it will work. I've adapted the high chair to work. She finally had a poop, and we managed to get it clean without getting any on the cast. Yay!! She will have a cast change in 6 weeks, then 5-6 more weeks until we are cast free. Then we start on a brace. The better she heals the less time in a brace, so that's my biggest prayer right now - quick healing! Otherwise, it could be up to 24 months in a brace. Can you imagine her being in a brace for 2 year!!! I can't!

So that's the quick version of what's been going on this week. I'll update more as things go along.

update

I'm going to copy some posts instead of retyping it all out here. Here's what's going on:

From March 24th:
About 2 weeks ago Madison started walking. We noticed that when she walked, she walked with one hip up, so she did a sort of limp walk. I called the doctor and he saw her today. He immediately sent us for x-rays and said to bring them back to his office as soon as they were done. He looked at the x-ray and said "this is not good." He said it appears there was some damage to the growth plate, and now the hip is not where it should be. He's not sure how it happened, but he does believe it was fairly recent (not something she was born with). So we are now scheduled to meet with a specialist tomorrow. The doctor said it is not something that will be fixed quickly. And more than likely it will require surgery to fix. He said he expects her to make a full recovery from this, and not have problems with it in the future, but until then, his words were "you're going to be very busy." Please keep us in your prayers. This is very hard for a mom to hear. I will update as things progress.

The next day:
We saw an orthopedic surgeon today. He explained it all a little better to us. For starters, Madison was born w/ a dislocated hip (developmental dysplasia of the hip). This did not happen recently. The only thing to do to fix it is surgery. He wants it done soon, so even though he's booked up till August, he's bumping others and working her in within the next two month. He started off by saying of all the orthopedic issues to deal with, this is the worst. She has little to no hip socket. So surgery will be to go in and give her a socket, put the leg back, and then she'll be in a body cast for 3 months to ensure it stays. If during that time the hip comes out of socket - a likely possibility, the process starts over again. After the body cast comes a brace. I can't remember how many more months that is. My head is sort of spinning right now w/ all I've heard. There are many things that could go wrong, but he seems confident all will go well. All the "bad" have a low chance of happening, so we'll be praying for the best.

Today -
Surgery has been scheduled for April 13. I don't have a time yet, that will be determined at her pre-op visit on the 8th. I knew it would be soon, but had no idea it would this soon. I find it interesting her surgery is the day after Easter. We are doing our Easter musical that Sunday at church, and the next day, I will be dealing with something I never thought I'd have to deal with. I am so scared. I've never dealt with one of my kids having surgery before. Everyone keeps saying "she'll be all right." And I'd like to believe that, but I have no guarantee. Ya know? Anyway, I go back and forth between being strong, and being scared. I guess tonight is the latter.

So now I'll get to blog about having a "hip baby". At least it's something that's fixable. And after this whole process is over, she should be fine and have no lasting side effects. So that's something.

That's all I have for tonight. (((HUGS)))

Spring Break is over

Spring Break is now over. The kids start back to school tomorrow. It was a wonderful break! We had so much fun, and got in lots of quality family time. It wasn't all positive - each of the kids got hurt. :( Caleb fell at the park and hurt his leg. Conner got his fingers shut in the door, and Megan ran into a rope of some kind at my parents house. She has a cut on her face that starts under her nose, and goes across her cheek to her ear. OUCH!! Madison is finally getting a tooth on the top. woohoo!!

Madison is walking pretty good now. She's been walking for a couple of weeks now. But when she walks, she walks w/ one hip up which causes her to do a strange limp-walk. I've had a few people comment on it, so I'm going to call her doctor tomorrow and have him look at it. It's probably nothing, but everyone will feel better to have the doctor tell us that.

We got a lot of yard work accomplished this week also. Hubby had to mow, but first had to fix his mower. Chris and I both re-screened our back door that the dog tore up. We got this screen that is suppose to be "pet resistant". We'll see. But so far, so good. The flower beds are now ready for flowers. Our yard is ready for spring. And it must be spring b/c they are predicting storms for us tomorrow.

I guess that's all for us. Had a wonderful week. Back to routine tomorrow.
(((HUGS)))

Spring Break Day 3 (and a small rant) :)

Conner had a blast staying w/ the grandparents by himself. My mom said he was great! Tonight is Caleb's night. I did some spring cleaning today. I did some closet organizing - mainly in the boys' closet. Tomorrow will be the girls' room. We stayed in all day today, and just worked around the house. Then we had dinner our with my parents to swap kids. Another successful day!

As I was driving to dinner tonight, I noticed how dirty my windows are in my van. The main thing on them - little fingerprints. I just had to smile. I LOVE being a mom! I love having 4 kids. But I heard a story on the news that I found very sad. People are using "permanent birth control" b/c of the hard economic times. Ok, I can understand not having a child right now if you are struggling financially. But to permanently decide to have no more children b/c times are hard now? That makes no sense to me. What are you going to do if you are doing great financially in a few years?? Why make a permanent decision based on a temporary situation? Shouldn't the decision to have kids come from God not our bank account? I understand being responsible. But what decides financial stability? If we had waited till we could "afford kids" (by the world's standards) we still wouldn't have kids! But look at us - 4 kids, own our home, 2 vehicles, no huge mountain of debt, nice clothes, food, etc. I believe our world has turned into such a materialistic society that we don't know what has value any more. People would rather have a home theater than a baby. Moms would rather work 60 hours a week to afford "things" that stay home and raise their own kids. The things I value most in the world are my husband and my children. I'm the richest women in the world!

Spring Break day 2

Oops forgot to update, so here's how Spring Break day 2 went -
Playdate at Chuck E Cheese - All 4 of the kids (and mom too) had a great time!!! We met another friend there, but she didn't stay long, so it was just me and my kids!
I managed to get everyone down for naps when we got home. (including mom) ;)
My mom said the kids could stay the night w/ her and my dad this week, one at a time, as a special treat. So we decided to use it as a bribe. lol Whoever was the best, got to stay the night. All the kids were so good yesterday, it was hard to pick. So I went with Monday's best - Conner. So last night we took him over to my parents'. My mom said he's having a great time. Last night was pretty normal - kids bathed, in bed, and then Mom and Dad got to watch TV together.
I am really enjoying this time with the kids!
(((HUGS)))

Spring Break Day 1

What a great start to Spring Break! A friend told me about a "critter" show at the library, so we met her and her kids there. The kids got to see some "critters" (skunk, snake, turtle, etc) and learn a few facts about them. Then we wandered around the library, and each kid checked out a book. Then it was lunch at BK. From there we met up with another friend and her kids at the park. Madison got to swing for the first time. I think she enjoyed it. At first she was doing that laugh that could easily turn to a panic-cry, but then she truly enjoyed it. However, she wasn't a big fan of the slide. But the fun came to end when Caleb fell and hurt his leg. If he would have listened to Mom, he wouldn't have been hurt, but you know kids. So after cleaning up his wound, we headed home. Madison went straight down for a nap, and mom followed shortly. :) I was so exhausted, but woke feeling a little better. Tomorrow we have a playdate at Chuck E Cheese. Not my choice, but the kids love it, and I'll enjoy the "girl talk". For those of you on spring break, I hope you are having fun! (((HUGS)))

Out of the Mouths of Babes

I have had several people tell me my youngest son (6) is going to be a preacher someday. He just has that feel about him. Today in service the music minister said he wanted someone to praise God for something - just to share something they were thankful for, or some way God has moved in their lives recently. Now, numbers were down today (less than 20 there), and no one was saying anything. My son raises his hand and waits for the music minister to call on him. From the back row (where we sit since I have the kids w/ me during service, and the youth sit back there) my 6 yr old say "I'm thankful for life, and that I get to have birthdays."

Are you thankful for life? Do you remember to thank God each morning that you wake up? I don't, but I should. Thanks Conner for that reminder.

Sunday

Today was a pretty normal Sunday- church, home for naps, etc. But I'm joining the choir for our Easter musical, and tonight was the first night I got to go to practice. My hubby is "Jesus" in the musical. :) This is the same musical we did 4 years ago at our church in FL, and hubby was Jesus in that one also. I was also in the choir for that one, so I know the songs!! The only difference is this time I not 9 month pregnant. :)

I think Madison is getting sick. She's had a runny nose for a couple of days, and she's been cranky. She has a slight fever, but I'm not sure how high b/c I can't find a thermometer with working batteries. *sigh. I can tell it's not too high, so I'm not worried.

Tomorrow starts Spring Break. This could be a great week or not. It all depends on how the kids behave. I would love to do something fun every day, but if they start acting up, we will just sit at home and do nothing. Not that that's any fun for mom, but they've got to learn to behave! I must say - they've been doing a lot better.

I guess that's my update for today. (((HUGS)))

Madison is ONE!!

My baby turned one on the 5th. I can't believe it's been a year! Where did the time go? She's walking really well now. She still only has 2 teeth and very little hair. :) But she is the sweetest, friendliest, happiest baby you will ever meet!


The older 3 kids are all playing soccer. What a difference a season can make! All of them are playing so well. Caleb really has a gift for soccer. Megan is actually paying attention, and following the ball. She has even scored a few times. Conner is getting into it - running around, kicking, etc. Last time he played (a year ago) we could barely get him on the field. I am so proud of all of them! Here are some pics of the kids. I didn't get any of Caleb b/c I was shooting video at his game. But I'll get some soon. Funny that the "action shot" is clearer than that still shot. lol Just shows my wonderful photo ability.




The rest of us are doing good. Chris is working hard and studying harder. I'm just trying to keep sane. :)

That's all the update I have for now. Hope everyone is doing good!

(((HUGS)))

friendship

Friendship is a topic that has been coming up a lot lately. What is a friend? Who can you call a friend? Is a friend someone that is always there for you, or that you are always there for? or both? Does a friend have to be someone close by? Someone you've met face-to-face? known for many years?

I will be honest - I don't know!! I used to have an idea of what a friend was - someone that I spent time with, trusted with my deepest secrets, kept their deepest secrets, etc. But now I'm not so sure. I have a lot of "friends" that only come to me when they need me - when they need advice, a shoulder to cry on, someone to listen. But I can honestly say, they wouldn't be there for me. I know, I've tried. So what do you call a one-sided friendship? I don't know for sure, but I call it a ministry. I think of my ministry as being available to people that need me, even though I KNOW the favor will not be returned. So where do I go for support? Who do I turn to when I need a shoulder? 1) myself, 2) God, 3) my husband. For those things I can't share with my husband, I journal. Do I want a true friend - oh yeah!! more than you could know - unless you are in the same boat - which I'm finding more and more. I had no idea so many other women felt like I do. So if so many women feel like this, why are so many people getting treated poorly? I don't know.

Just my thoughts for today.

time for an update

Guess it's time for an update. I have been staying very busy. We got some snow/ice last week. The kids were out of school 3 1/2 days. They were so excited to finally get some snow. Actually I was too. :) We don't get very much snow around here, so it's nice when we finally see it. Although, everything shuts down when it snows. And those that do venture out have no idea how to drive on snow, so there are lots of accidents. Thankfully we are all safe. And we never lost power!! That's a huge blessing.

Kids are all doing well. I signed up the 3 oldest for spring soccer. Funny they call is "spring" soccer b/c it starts in February. We may even have some games gets "snowed out". But the kids really enjoy soccer, so we'll be there every Saturday - bundled up and drinking our cappuccino to stay warm. I missed some games last year at this time b/c I had a new baby. I can't believe Madison is going to be a year old in one month! How is that possible??!!!! Where does the time go? She is so close to walking. She will pull up and let go, take about 3 steps then fall down. She gets so excited to be walking, that she loses her balance. She is such a joy. As with each of the others, I can't even imagine our lives without her. And I even have my moments of wanting more. I can't say we are done b/c you never know what God has planned. I know of so many families that said they were done - even took steps to insure they were done, but God had other plans, and they ended up with more. So we'll just wait and see what God has for us.

That's all I've got for tonight. (((HUGS)))

are you in hot water?

I'm not! That's b/c our hot water tank went out. It's got a leak that drips onto the pilot light. So I called our home warranty company on Friday. But it was getting close to 5:00, so they said to not expect a call from the plumber till Monday. On Monday I called the plumber, and they said they would be out on Tuesday. Yesterday he looked at it, said it needs to be replaced, and told me he'd be back today. So here I sit waiting for him again. Yesterday he was suppose to be here between 9 and 12:00. Of course, he got here at 1:45. No telling when he'll show up today. He did call to tell me he forgot about some fees I'm going to have to pay. He had already told my home warranty company I wouldn't have to pay anything. So I called them, they called him, it was a crazy time of phone wars, but it was eventually decided that yes, I will have to pay some fee. great. At least my home warranty is picking up most of the bill. I will just be glad to shower again!

what's wrong with me?

Apparently in my "old age", I'm becoming more domestic. Today I actually got out my sewing machine and played around with it! Now this is big, and let me explain why - I haven't sewed anything since high school!! And even then it was homework for my home ec class. lol My aunt gave me her sewing machine many years ago - I think around the time Conner was born, so at least 6 years ago. It's the kind that comes in it's own table case - so when you fold it all up, it looks like a table. Well, that's how it's been for the last 6 years - as an end table in the living room! But I've really been thinking lately that I want to learn to sew. So tonight I moved it to the bedroom, which is quickly becoming my "craft" room, and set it up. It took me a while to get it threaded, but I only injured myself once. :) So I'm feeling pretty good about myself! My first project is to hem my kitchen curtains. They've needed it for 3 years, and now I can do it myself! WOOHOO for me!!

I think I'm just in this phase of life where I don't want to waste my time anymore. I'm doing more crafty things (making hair bows, sewing, cross stitching), and I'm spending less time on things like TV and internet. I want to do more things to make my family and my home better. I'm also becoming more picky about my friends. Maybe I'm finally growing up. :)

Are you kidding me??

I heard something today that just stunned me. I don't know why - nothing should surprise me anymore. But anyway - a kegger baby shower. Yes, having a keg of beer at a baby shower. Ok - what part of celebrating the birth of a child requires getting drunk?? Am I just getting old and crabby? To me, that seems pretty... low-life, red neck, inappropriate, etc. And this was coming from a friend that repeatedly tells me she wants to start living a better life - a Christian life. Ok, for starters - lay off the alcohol!! She assured me she would not be drinking b/c she's the one expecting. At least she has that much sense. But come on! Show a little class. She's not some 17 year old, first time mom. She's in her mid-20's and this is baby #3. Maybe it's just me. Maybe I look at the world through grown-up eyes. But to me, a keg at a baby shower is COMPLETELY ridiculous!!! Grow up already!! You're a parent, not a college frat boy!! Is this really what you want to tell you child about in the future?? Ok, stepping off the soapbox now - but NOT going to that baby shower!

They say it's your birthday

Yes, today is my birthday. I turned... well, let's not go there. If you know me, then you already know. ;) The day started off really good. Conner even made me a card. He did it all on his own, and it was so sweet!! The kind of thing moms keep forever. I also got to have lunch w/ my hubby. A few of the downers - almost having a wreck (crazy old lady driver!), cranky baby, fighting kids - gee, what a glamorous life I lead. *sigh Oh well. So today wasn't one of those days some women have - day at the spa, followed by tea w/ friends, a candlelight dinner w/ the husband - it was still a very special day! I got lots of hugs from the kids, a rose from the husband (dinner comes on Friday), and I got to take a nap! What more could I want? OH! I also got a great deal on some stuff at one of my favorite stores thanks to their semi-annual clearance and some birthday specials. Yay me!!

The kids started back to school this week. Everyone's doing well. My oldest finally has his regular teacher who spent the first half of the year on maternity leave. I know it will take some adjusting to a new teacher, but I'm not worried. He's my good kid. ;)

Tomorrow is a big day around here. It's the national championship game. Now considering my OU Sooners are playing, it's a big deal anyway. But given the fact that they are playing FL - which is where my husband's loyalties lie, makes it even more interesting. Too bad he has to work tomorrow night! I would love to watch the game with him. The Sooners better not let me down!

(((HUGS)))

A new year!!

So it's a new year, and one thing I'm going to try to do better is blog. So since it's 1/1/09, I figured it's a good day to start working on that.

Christmas was wonderful this year!! In the beginning I didn't really feel like decorating much this year, and it took me a while to fully get into the spirit of Christmas. Which is very odd for me b/c Christmas is my FAVORITE holiday!!! Not sure what was up with me this year. But the week of I really started feeling it! So the holiday was wonderful one. We got to see lots of family, which is always nice.

One of our gifts this year was a puppy. Hubby says she's my gift b/c I've always wanted a terrier. She's 1/2 fox terrier and 1/2 jack russel terrier. She is so cute, and the kids love her!!! We wanted to pick a name that is associated with Christmas, since that's when we got her, so the kids picked Angel. She has fully adjusted to our family, and is doing great, except for the occasional accident in the house. But we are working on it, and she'll figure it out soon enough.
The kids have been great these 2 weeks out of school. They've been getting along, and while they don't always listen and obey, they are doing much better. We've been working with Megan b/c her teacher voiced some concern (after I asked her) about Megan's behavior at school. So I've taken many opportunities to remind Megan of how we act at school. I think she'll do better once she goes back. Maybe she was just ready for a break from school.

Madison is doing great!! She is still such a happy baby! Smiles for everyone - even strangers at the store. She is cruising around, but not fully walking yet. I'm shocked by this. I just knew she would be walking by Christmas. She'll be 10 months in 4 days, so she's still ahead of schedule. She says many words clearly (not just to a "mother's ear", but to everyone's ear. lol) She says mama, dada, bye-bye, night-night, baba (which is bottle). And Caleb is determined to teach her bubba.

Everyone has been healthy during the Christmas break - hallelujah!! I was so worried that one or more of us would be sick on Christmas, but so far, everyone's been great!

I guess that's about all for now. Not bad for a first post of the new year, right? ;) Hopefully you'll be seeing more of me this year! (((((HUGS)))))