january thaw...

...when Wilson got off the bus yesterday, he wanted to sled on the front sidewalk. The north side of the house hadn't thawed... much. you see we pulled out the 'fancy-dancy sled' again...

wipe-out! (meanwhile, Walker is playing with the ice-cold water coming out of the eaves run-off)

...it was actually SUPER slick out there, because the snow/ice had melted really s-l-o-w-l-y. so it was turning into one large slab o'ice instead of individual pellets of ice... you know?

they both had a turn falling onto their little keysters...

I had to snap a picture of the 'thaw in progress.' I was standing between the street and the sidewalk to prevent any mishaps. This part of the yard was not blocked by the shadow of the house, so you can see it was fairly well melted... I still ♥ these shoes Brad.

...and always the diligent one- after a few turns on the sledding sidewalk, Wil wanted to finish shoveling the driveway. They pulled out their 'equipment' again, and got to work. Thankfully the sun did most of the work earlier in the day. Wilson was able to complete the job and enjoyed the satisfaction that came with his accomplishment.

Today was not nearly as warm as I had hoped it would be... but I will not complain, because I have a feeling most of you reading this would've gladly traded your weather for mine. I worked on a project outside. Curry and Barbie were kind enough to let Logan come help me. It was so fun hanging out on the freezing driveway with her today! Anyway, I am waiting to post pictures until the project is all done...

"snow" day #3... the fun never stops...

Wilson wanted to shovel the driveway today. I couldn't help but take some pictures... the equipment they are using for the size of driveway we have; pretty much is a direct correlation to the City of Lawton trying to clear the streets in town...

not even exaggerating... I saw a large tractor clearing streets on post today, I think they only have the one!

Wilson even tried a make-shift plow on his coaster car... very creative...

We did enjoy our day, it had a few bumps and a couple drops of Tabasco sauce, but overall, it was another nice, free day! I think tomorrow will be back to the grindstone. I kinda feel bad for the teachers after the kids had three days off in the middle of the week! I think Wil's class will be celebrating their 100th day (it was supposed to be Wednesday).

snow day - #2

this is what we call a 'fancy-dancy sled.' Oh, we are high-class folks for sure...

Seriously, this boy LOVED the sledding... even if it was in a cardboard box... We saw some other kids on the hill - their sleds were inventive as well... a turtle sandbox lid, a kiddie pool, and an underbed bin.

Walker didn't love the sledding so much...

This demonstrates part of the reason why...

Wil was a wee bit clumsy, he fell every-other-time he tried to get in/on...

Walker didn't mind giving his brother a little shove at the top of the hill, though!

And, of course, I had to take a posed shot... there was some sort of condensation taking place on the camera at this point...

It is supposed to be cold again tonight - below freezing. Which makes me wonder a little whether or not they will have school tomorrow. They don't really have much salt here, just sand... We shall see. Plus there is a chance for "freezing fog." Oh, there you have it... I just got the phone call - no school tomorrow. Wow... so different from the mitten!

Snow Day! (aka tiny ice pellet day!)

... Wilson was pretty surprised when he looked outside this morning. The boys keep referring to this as snow... but its really more like a collection of tiny pieces of ice. Nearly the whole town is shut down... even Fort Sill is 'closed.' You aren't supposed to drive unless you really have to... And I wouldn't want to anyway =)They tried to catch some "flakes" on their tongues...
And tried to make "snow" angels...

...not without some serious struggle. Walker's shirt and coat came up and he got some ice/snow on his back. He was done and ready to go inside after this incident.

Wil didn't want to come in, but I bribed him with some hot cocoa and the promise of venturing out again this afternoon.... Warming up with a good show!

I shot a little video, you can hear the sleet/hail/ice/freezing rain (???) falling throughout. You can also hear the wind a little. I thought Daddy would like to see his boys in the "snow."

long couple a' days...

... I guess two days in a row without a nap caught up with the little man. Wilson cam back to my room to tell me that Walker had changed the TV channel and when I came out he was asleep. I thought he was faking at first, because he often does that at bedtime... I put a diaper on him to protect our precious couch and Wilson and I went to work on the cupcakes. I thought for sure he would wake up during our baking... But no, he stayed asleep, tossing, turning, stretching out... (are his legs getting long or what???)

So I am guessing I better get to sleep quick because I might be in for an early morning tomorrow... either that or my baby might be coming down with something...

chop chop...

...here is a before... granted, it was taken right after working out... this isn't exactly how I look when I am out and about, but you get the idea... ...and after!

and the back...

Barbie had planned on watching Walker for me this afternoon during my Dr. appt, but then she volunteered to watch him all day! Oh my! So I had time to look online for haircut ideas, IM with Brad for awhile, and then talk through my hair options with my sis. Thanks Barbie! =)

Change is good!

also, Amy is having another giveaway. Her newest creation... click here.

momma got some surprises today!

first from daddy... a little shuffle to make my work-outs a little more interesting... Wilson thought it was "cute" I didn't realize until I was im'ing Brad later, that it had a little message on it... I've told you before and I'll say it again, My Husband Rocks

My second surprise was a little summer heat we had this afternoon. Ok let's be honest, its springtime heat here the summer is downright hot. Walker kept asking to go outside this afternoon and I had a terrible headache, but finally I relented and it was beautiful - like 75 degrees... So we walked down to the bus stop and the boys rode bikes for an hour...

..not sure why Walker wanted to wear the goggles. You never really know with that guy!

Walker cracked me up when he put this bib on... we use it for an eraser on our little chalkboard in the garage. Oh that boy just makes me laugh!

Ok, so seriously. Time is doing weird things right now. I know it is passing, and yet its like someone has pressed pause. For example, today at the gym, I asked when the other gym was going to be finished (it is being renovated and its right across the street from the childcare center, so I prefer that one).

The lady behind the counter answered, "March or April."

And my reply - for real - was, "A-whole-nother YEAR???"

She looked puzzled, Barbie looked puzzled... I finally realized its only a few months, but still time is confusing me right now.

what a day...

President Bush walked away graciously and with the same integrity that he led with over the past 8 years. I wonder what it will be like to wake up tomorrow without the burden on his shoulders anymore... You can write a message of thanks to President Bush at "I Thank W," click here. The site was a bit overloaded earlier this evening, but I finally got through.

Also, Beth Moore's LPM blog was hosting a day of prayer for our new President. You can click here to add your own prayer for the new first family. And if you don't click on over there, I hope you at least continue to pray for our leaders. Admittedly its a bit easier praying for someone you agree with, but biblically, I don't think that is a prerequisite.

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior. 1 Timothy 2:1-3

our day off...

my first handmade gift from Wilson didn't last long... Wil made this at school and brought it home all wrapped up for Christmas... sadly, after I hung it up; it cracked. Wilson suggested "Mighty Putty" to fix it... I'm thinkin we'll make another with real plaster, (pretty sure that would still be cheaper than Mighty Putty). Wilson used his paper recycling factory today that he got for Christmas from the Clements. Unfortunately Little Big Man helped himself to the directions before we got around to using this... google helped me find some vague directions. We shredded used up coloring pages last night and Wil was ready to go FIRST thing this morning... like before I even had a cup of coffee(!!!) He mainly wanted to make Daddy a valentine with this paper...

Then we met some girls at the park for bike/scooter/coaster car riding... It was a bit chillier than we thought it was going to be...

Wilson had a moment chattin' up Harley. He plans on marrying her, he has mentioned this on numerous occasions, usually in casual conversation quite matter-of-factly.
And after naps we worked on Daddy's Valentine box.

The boys each picked out some cards from the PX and they also made some of their own. You never know if it will take 6 days or three weeks to get there, so I try to error on the side of early. So far we haven't been late for any special occasions...

We enjoyed our MLK day. Of course we had a little chat about MLK (I think kids should at least know why they have the day off). Wilson asks the best questions. You wouldn't have believed the size of his eyes when I told him that people used to be treated differently because of what color skin they have. (I know prejudice still exists, but I am talking about the more blatant things...) I tried to explain how monumental tomorrow's inauguration is going to be. It is hard to put into words though. I haven't watched much TV this weekend, but I am guessing that the networks might be going a little overboard with the coverage. But the truth is, we are watching history. Regardless of political opinions, its a big moment for our country, I hope you find a way to celebrate it.

thank you for the wild weather patterns...

...we will take the warmth the day after the cold every time its offered. as promised, some pictures. I did try out some other settings, I can't really say that I can tell much difference, but its sort of fun to learn new tricks... This is a photo-of-the-month reject, kind of cute though, huh? oh, I just love me a good hand-holding picture...

I tried a couple of close-ups of the boys. They LOVED it... well, maybe not...

well, maybe a little...

we had a pretty lazy day, that unfortunately did not include naps, so there were three grouches by the time bathtime came around... I think the weather is supposed to be nice again tomorrow! Love it!

fantabulous!

...good sleep again last night!

my friend Amy is having a super giveaway and the entry requirements are a breeze! click here to check it out.

I remembered this morning that I snapped this pic with my camera yesterday at wal-mart of wall-e. He is becoming quite the little helper when I run errands lately. (We had to price items for the next PWOC program so I can submit a purchase order, so I can wait for someone to call me, so I can meet them back at the same place, so I can pick up said items, so someone can pay for them with the chapel credit card for the next program. I am finally getting used to the cycle now.) We are going to pick up some doughnuts from our fav place this morning and I am going to use my starbuck's gift card again for a hazelnut misto... then we are going to hang out around the homestead... oh, and I am going to see if the vacuum still works after 'the great smoke-out' on Tuesday. Wish us well - and have a fantabulous Saturday yourselves!

going to my happy place...

so my test last night was successful, I slept rather well. Although I was quite groggy this morning. Hmmm...

Also, thus far, I am unimpressed with my fiction book. Granted, it is the 4th in a series and I have not read the first 3, so I am having trouble keeping the characters straight... thankfully one of my friends is reading the series now and has volunteered to help me with some character mapping. I would hate for the story to deter from the bible study. I really feel like this was the right class for me, so I am certain I will not be defeated.

And furthermore, in the comments, my friend Molly mentioned the power of our thoughts, I have to copy & paste what she said, because this describes some sleepless nights I have had perfectly... I always used to get into bed and stress about the fact that I wasn't going to sleep. Of course I didn't sleep because I kept telling myself that I wouldn't and stressing about waking up the next day with not enough sleep. I had to change my thought patterns.
She is right. And like I said, I have done this before... I read once that you should visualize your favorite memory... use as many of your senses as possible to re-create that moment. I usually do this with one of our days of our cruise... when we were laying out on the deck. It was 'perfect.' I might try that tonight if I don't fall right to sleep...

I bought new batteries for the camera, so I should have some more pictures this weekend. I volunteered to take some pics of a friend and her family before her husband deploys... so I might have to practice some lighting/settings on the boys this weekend. They are going to LOVE it! For real, I am just hoping that a few of the pictures I take for my friend turn out well enough to print!

five steps to a more restful night...

1. drink sleepytime tea


2. enjoy a bubble bath


3. read a fiction book (my new 'bible study' this spring is actually a book club & bible study. Two ladies wrote the bible study curriculum to go with The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Tough ; should be interesting...)


4. take 3mg melatonin just before bed (thanks for the reminder Molly, I had some in my medicine cabinet, I tried it before and it didn't seem to work, but I am sure it won't hurt, so why not try???)


5. count my many blessings

I'll let ya know the results tomorrow...

Also... if we are ever independently wealthy and we own a private jet... I am totally going to see if we can hire this guy... Talk about a miraculous story.

I bet these folks are holding their loved ones extra tight tonight!

today's playlist

soak up the sun... building a mystery...

too legit to quit...

heaven in the real world...

these boots are made for walking ...

the temperature is supposed to bottom out tonight... with lows in the teens and a high tomorrow in the 30's... brrr... I'm guessing I am not going to get too much sympathy...

I made it through my 2nd work-out today... and I didn't even feel like I was going to throw-up! That's pretty good for me! I am hoping it helps me sleep tonight, the insomnia is rearing its ugly head again. I have a dr. appointment next week and will hopefully be able to get a prescription refilled (I have a new doc now, and the prescription was to help with sleep and avoid headaches, however its an off-label-use so you never know if this doc will like the idea...)

Oh, and in other news. We paid off my student loan today!!! One (loan) to go baby!

what was your song for the day???