Stained Beautiful

For Your Viewing Pleasure

2009-05-30T10:26:00.003-05:00

The rooms are still incomplete but too many people have been begging for photos. I've been inviting everyone to come see them but for some reason no one shows. You would think we lived in another country, as hard as it is to get some of you to visit us! Anyhow, I'm going to give you a peek at what we have been doing starting with the nursery/guest room.

The nursery still needs the artwork that Randy is creating, a mobile that I will make once I find what I'm looking for, and a changing pad for the space my magazines are currently occupying.

Lola's room is almost complete. I am going to do something to the new trunk we bought her for her books. The flowers don't quite match the feel of her room. I'm looking for some "pretty things" to hang from her shelf and Randy is also creating artwork for her room. It's nice to have a cool artist for a dad! However, he has been so swamped at work and is backlogged on a couple of other projects so I'm not sure when we will see the artwork on the walls! I don't dare use something to fill the space in the meantime, the blank walls will give him a sense of urgency!

I'll share photos of the completed rooms when they finally get there. Oh and by the way, Lola has acclimated to her room quite well. So well, that I'm missing our morning cuddle time. We only needed about four days of rewards but she still enjoys placing her sticker on her chart. We are about to implement the use of another chart to aid in some of the other things we would like to teach her to do. I'll let you know how it works out; enjoy your weekend!

What a Belly Dancer! and other stuff...

2009-05-23T12:30:00.002-05:00

Well it has been about a month so it is time for another update. You've been waiting with bated breath haven't you?

We found out that this little bundle I'm carrying is of the male kind. Yes, we are having a bouncing baby boy and he may be a football kicker. This boy is really active. In fact, a couple of nights ago he was rolling around and kicking so much that I was getting motion sickness. I felt like I had been on a roller coaster or swinging around the curves in the Ozarks at high speeds. It was a strange feeling to get motion sickness while sitting on the sofa. We still haven't decided on a name but the list is very narrow. Lola already has her choice picked out. Anytime we say another name, she says, "No! It's _________, I told you!" Now you want to know her choice, don't you? Well, you will be glad to know that I convinced her that Cinderella does not make a good name for a boy. If we were having a girl, she would be insistent.

I recently abused myself to sew three bedskirts, six curtain panels, crib bumper pads, a quilt, and numerous pillows withing a week. Then we painted and moved furniture, bought a bed and decorated all weekend long. The results are pretty cool. Randy will now be creating artwork and I'm searching for objects for baby's mobile. Other than a couple of small items the kid's rooms are done. Of course, I'm obsessing over those items. I'll post photos once they are complete. I will say that I would love to move into Lola's room. It's fabulous!

She loves her room. Once we got the bed up and everything done, she layed down and exclaimed over and over, "It's beautiful!" She was so sweet to say thank you a gazillion times, too. However, she is not so happy about not coming to our bed in the middle of the night anymore. We've been bribing her with little treats and she has been doing great, but she has let her displeasure be known.

One of those treats was a Dora nightgown. We let her choose between the Disney princess or Dora gown. When we got home from Walmart, Randy explained that she would only get her new pajamas if he didn't have to go lay in her floor that night. (Previously, when she woke up at her usual time he would lie in her floor until she fell back asleep.) She exclaimed with fervor, "Those aren't PJs, that's a dress!" We tried to explain that they were pajamas, just a different kind. She has only had one other gown, when she was about two, which she has obviously forgotten. Randy let her feel how soft it was and we continued to insist that her Dora dress was really for sleeping. She said, "Let me see it." He handed it to her again and she held it by the hanger, really looking it over and cocking her head from side to side. Then she thrust it at him and shrugged her shoulders and said, totally exasperated, "No, it's not pajamas. I'm sorry." Sometimes she acts like we are absolutely nuts!

Then there are the times when she makes you feel as though you are on top of the world. Like last week when we were cuddling and she threw her arms around my neck and kissed me while saying, "I love you, Mommy. You are my best friend!" Or a few days later when she told me I was the best girl in the whole world. Melt my heart.

My brother Bryan will be thrilled to know I walked through the living room to hear her say, "On your marks, get set, go!" When I looked, she had three of her strollers lined up to drag race. He'll be offering to pimp her strollers with racing stripes.

Lola has also become quite the monkey. Her friend Sophie from across the street is almost six and quite adept at climbing all over the swing set. She has shown Lola all kinds of tricks. When we were at the park the other day, she was doing tricks on the monkey bars and yelled, "Mommy, look at me! Sophie would be so proud!" Speaking of tricks, Lola had a fun time at Target a couple of weeks ago. We got the special basket with seats and room to stand on the front. As we shopped she was doing all kinds of tricks and singing at the top of her lungs. "I'm tricky, tricky, tricky. I'm so tricky. Look at me I'm tricky." Over and over and over and over and over... and you get the hint.

I have this habit of saying, "Oh, mylanta!" whenever the occasion arises. I blame it on Dana, she says it all the time. Erin & I were painting Lola's furniture in her room and she came in for the umpteenth time. I really can't recall if she touched wet paint (it happened several times) or if she was wondering why we hadn't finished or just what she was taken by; but she declared in the funniest tone, "Oh, mylanta!" as she walked out the door. Erin and I had a great laughfest.

There is no way to tell you all the funny, cool, smart things this kid does. She is brilliant and has miles of personality. I know she is going to be a great big sister. I can't think of anyone better to influence our new baby. He'll be cool just learning from her. One thing I am a bit concerned about is getting her to understand that she can't take over. When my sister's new son Rylan arrived, Lola kept telling us she didn't need us and that she could take care of him, hold him, change his diaper all by herself. I can see the battles ahead of us. But I am also thankful for the extra hands to help.

Now for a little about Randy. He has been working like crazy and some very late hours. His company laid several people off and have given some pay cuts while warning there may be more. So they have been working on a lot of pitches and trying to get new clients. There have been some upsides, though. He has had greater influence and control over his accounts and has a new office. The same weekend we tackled the house, we also tackled his office with new paint, I sewed curtains and covered some cushions and decorated for him. We are insane!!! His company seems to be on the upswing. They have landed some good accounts and strengthened others. We've been praying for their success, since it means ours as well and are hoping they will be spared through this recession.

I think I'll say goodbye for now. I'm going to celebrate my birthday in a few hours and I have a few errands to run. Love to all!

You might not care to know this...

2009-05-23T11:46:00.005-05:00

but Raelynn tagged me and I'm being dutiful to answer this survey.

What's your current obsession?
Nesting. About three months to go and I want this house ready! I've been sewing, painting, decorating, and shopping. Lola has a beautiful big girl room and the baby's room/guest room just needs a few finishing touches. Pictures will be posted soon.

What are you looking forward to this summer?
Lounging in the pool and seeing my high school classmates at our gathering in June. I'm also looking forward to getting this level 2 ultrasound over and hearing great news. Amen.

What are you wearing today?
I haven't decided yet. I'm still not dressed for the day. I have a big birthday celebration tonight.

Why is today special?
See above. Randy planned it all and only let me in on it when his mom slipped up about watching Lola. LOL. Boy did she get off the phone in a hurry when I told her I didn't know what she was talking about! Dinner with great friends at Mama Roja's (this yummy new Mexican place on Lake Hefner) followed by a jaunt to Michael Murphy's (home of dueling pianos and giant sing-alongs.) It's going to be fun. Plus, I get to spend the day with Randy, all by myself.

What would you like to learn to do?
Speak another language. Play the guitar.

What's for dinner today?
Mama Roja's. Did I mention they have three delicious salsas?

What's the last thing you bought?
We rented Gone With The Wind last night. I can't believe Randy had never seen it.

What's your favorite weather?
I love May when it is just starting to be really warm but there is still a bit of cool in the breeze. I guess we are past that now. Eat out on the patio weather. It's my best.

What's your most challenging goal right now?
Keeping blood sugars in range which usually means ignoring pregnancy cravings.

What do you think about the person who tagged you?
I miss this girl! She is a great friend, full of life, funny, and I love her very much!

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
As long as I'm dreaming, it might as well be for more than one of these. Honestly, somewhere tropical that's easy for my family to get to or big enough for all of them to live with me. I saw a movie when I was a kid that always made me dream of house high on a cliff in the Greek Isles. It was a really impractical climb down to the water though. That's all I remember about that movie.

Favorite vacation spot?
Hmmm... I enjoy Las Vegas. I'm going to say "yet to be discovered" because there are lots of places I long to visit but haven't yet.

What would you like to have in your hands right now?
My new nephew Rylan. I'm sure he already looks like a different baby.

What would you like to get rid of?
School debt. boo!!

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Only for an hour? Swimming with the dolphins somewhere.

What's your favorite thing about the city you live in?
There's an exciting vibe of revitalization and the people are really friendly.

If you had $150 now what would you spend it on?
Baby stuff.

Do you admire anyone's style?
My friend Heidi has incredible style.

Describe your personal style?
Right now it is maternity style... comfy. For my home, I love Hollywood Regency. A little glam, a little mod, a bit eclectic, but not cluttered.

Who is someone your heart is missing right now?
I've been thinking a lot about my Papa Bob. But I also severely miss my friends the Bumps and the Walters - who I'm celebrating with tonight. Yay!!!

Name 3 things you'd like to do, visit or see in the next year?
I want to buy my Mom's Envoy.
I want to go away alone with my husband for a considerable length of time.
I want to take Lola to Disney World. I know, she may not remember much but I will remember it!

Now the rules of this tag:

1. Respond and rework: answer the questions on your blog, replace one question you dislike with a question of your own invention.
2. Tag 7 other people you would love to learn more about.

And here is where I stray from the rules. I think I will tag people on Facebook because it is so much easier there.

Laughing with Lola

2009-04-18T00:21:00.002-05:00

Lola keeps us laughing all the time these days. She is so funny and smart. The girl is constantly surprising us with what she knows or notices. It is hard to remember all the things I want to share when I actually get around to posting here, but I hope you enjoy the following quips as much as I enjoy her.

- Lola was walking around the house the other day yelling, "I'm the king of the castle!" at the top of her lungs. I don't know where she came up with that but she was so confident that I didn't have the heart to tell her she is only the princess.

- She has been really helpful and concerned with me having to prick my finger and take shots so often for diabetes. She always asks to help me with the alcohol wipes and I thank her for being such a great nurse. (She loves the smell of rubbing alcohol; I hope she gets over that.) A few days ago we were working outside and I said something about thinking my blood sugar was crashing. After a while, I came inside to check it and get our lunch ready. After a few minutes, Lola asked Randy where I was. He told her he didn't know. Then she said, "Oh, she's probably just checking her blood sugar."

- Lola's favorite nighttime show is Dancing With The Stars. She always makes one of us get up and dance with her and the other one had better be watching. Honestly, it is quite hard for us to enjoy the show ourselves. Last week, we were watching the results show and one of the exhibition dances when Maksim lifted Karina in the air and spun her around. Lola gasped and exclaimed, "They can't do that!" When I finally figured out why she was so upset, I reassured her that they were not being judged and that it was okay for them to do a lift in this dance. She didn't understand the concept of being judged and just shrugged her shoulders and gave me a look that I'm sure meant, "Mom, you are crazy. They aren't suposed to do lifts." How does a 3.5 year-old understand that lifts are illegal in this competition... especially when she spends more time dancing than watching?

-Lola and I were driving down the road when a weather forecast came on the radio. The forecaster said there was lightning all around us and it would continue to thunder and lightning all evening so be prepared for continued storms. We hadn't seen any lightning all day and the sunset was beautiful through the clouds around us. Lola said, "Mommy, I don't see any lightning anywhere." I told her I didn't either and she said, "But he tells us there is! That's so silly. Why would he say that?" I was surprised that she was listening so closely to the forecaster and that she was so frustrated with him.

- Randy was putting away a couple of loads of laundry (Bless that man!) and Lola said to him, "You don't have a lot of hands so it takes you a long time to put those clothes up." Randy replied, "Yeah." Then Lola said, "Spiders have lots of hands, they could do it really fast."

Interview with Lola age 3

2009-03-20T23:28:00.002-05:00

1. What is something dad always says to you?
Do the guitar (he's playing guitar hero as we speak)

2. What makes mom happy?
A baby

3. What makes dad sad?
Your shirt

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
She laughed really hard and said, "Like that."

5. What was your dad like as a child?
A little boy

6. How old is your mom?
She held up her hand to show three.

7. How tall is dad?
Little... he's not a kid anymore (then she reached her hands up really high)

8. What is mom’s favorite thing to do?
Get a present

9. What does your dad do when you're not around?
Go ice skating

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
For ice skating (she wanted to go roller skating today with her friend and is a little fixated on the subject)

11. What is your dad really good at?
Going to do the computer

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Uhhhmmm, water

13. What does your dad do for his job?
Get some money

14. What is your mom's favorite food
Pineapples

15. What makes you proud of your dad?
Asking the cousin (do what?)

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Mommy

17. What do you and your dad do together?
Go to the park

18. How are you and your mom the same?
Different

19. How are you and your dad different?
He's having a party

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Your arms

22. Where is your dad's favorite place to go?
Go to the pet store

23. What is mom’s favorite thing to watch on TV?
The Grinch

24. What does your dad like most about your mom?
Weird stuff

25. What is mom's favorite thing to wear?
Blue

26. What does dad like to do around the house?
Go shopping

UFO Heard in The Village!

2009-02-26T16:14:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, Lola and I were in the living room when an airplane flew overhead and was quite loud. Lola looked up at me and said, "What's that, an airplane?" I answered her in the affirmative. She cut her eyes to the side, looking at me with a sassy grin, and said in a tone that's hard to describe, "ooorrrrrr... it's a flying saucer!" Which she followed by throwing her head back and giggling. After I stopped laughing I said, "Oh, you think so, huh? Where did you learn about a flying saucer?" To which she replied, "You know Mom, it's on one of my shows." I live with a three-year-old comedienne.

Inside My Head, Screaming to Get Out

2009-02-19T23:33:00.003-06:00

Me: You better watch it; I’ll invade the Olympics with gymnastic cyborgs.

Him: Hmmm.

Me: The gymnastic cyborgs have you shaking in your boots, don’t they?

Him: Maybe if you were an engineer.

Me: Hey, I have connections. With one phone call, I can get a pizza.

Ok, so my material might have come from some Hollywood writers but it’s clever nonetheless. You might need to know about Randy’s obsession with the Olympics to understand the severity of my threat. Thank you, Bolt and The Mentalist, for clever lines that stick in my head and come out of my mouth.

Fraidy-Hole

2009-02-18T14:19:00.002-06:00

Lola just climbed out of a tiny space behind one of the chairs in the living room. She had taken her baby, Raffi, a blanket and a few trinkets with her. When she first crawled in she said, "Mommy, where did we go last week to hide?" It took me a minute to figure out what she was doing and then I told her we went to Megan's to the cellar or storm shelter. She kept acting slightly confused and asking questions and then she finally said, "What were we hiding from?" She had forgotten the word tornado. "Yeah, that's it. We're hiding from a tornado!" After telling her to stay safe and a few other small conversations, she finally crawled out and exclaimed, "Whew, that was close!"

Now she is back in her crawl space or as I like to call it, her fraidy-hole; and has brought a whole lot more junk with her. Also, she just asked if we could go to the cellar again. I guess it was an adventure.

Little Miss Independent

2009-02-18T00:50:00.002-06:00

Lola has become self-sufficient in many ways. Tonight as I tucked her in bed, I started her DVD player. I know; please don't send me any nasty comments on how I'm ruining her sleep habits and exposing her to too much television. Anyhow, when the DVD began I noticed that it wasn't her usual fare of burned Backyardigans episodes. I mumbled, "What's this?" Then I asked Lola if this is what she wanted to watch. She answered, "Maybe... let's figure it out." I noticed it was Cars and asked if that would be fine. She told me that yes, she wanted to watch it and that she had put it in the player earlier that afternoon so she could watch it tonight. Maybe I shouldn't be, but I continue to be amazed at her expanding thought processes and independence. So I walked out of her room and asked Randy if he put Cars in the DVD player for her. Before he could answer no, she called out with a slight hint of frustration, "No! I did it!"

A Month's Worth

2009-02-16T01:26:00.003-06:00

Last time I admitted being a slacker, so it isn't news to you. I can't believe it has taken me over a month to get back here and that I never gave you the photos I promised. I've been a little busy with nausea, fatigue and the general maladies that accompany pregnancy. Yes, if you haven't heard, we are expecting another Baby Bradley in September. Of course, I've been busy with Lola, Randy, our gathering, some work projects and other things as well. So, I'm a royal slacker when it comes to this blog. So give me a break and let's get on with the stuff you want to read. I'm going to hit the highlights of the last month or so.

- After a day with one of Lola's friends, I cajoled her to leave the park with the responsibility of running some errands. Later that night as we were getting ready for bed, she told me that we didn't go to Erin's house. Erin is her Uncle Eric's significant other. I asked her what she meant. In an accusatory tone she told me, "You said we were running to Erin's." Remembering what I had said, I tried to explain what errands were. After failing to explain how errands are similar to chores, I finally said, "Lola, you know how we took that shirt back and then went to Bass Pro to get Poppy's jacket? Those are errands." Exasperated, she retorted, "Mom," (with two syllables) "Those aren't errands, that's shopping!"

- I was pleased for the short period before Lola's birthday and then again before Christmas to have the excuse of each event when not purchasing the objects of Lola's desire during shopping trips. "Mommy, I want one of these." "We'll see honey, maybe for your birthday/maybe Santa will bring it." After Christmas, she had a hard time understanding that Santa was going to wait quite a while to show back up with loot. So, I started using Valentine's as bait. She's still convinced Christmas is coming soon, though. Now, she just says, "Mommy, can I maybe have this for Christmas?" Poor girl is going to have new issues with Santa this year... namely his absence.

- On the subject of presents, Lola seems to be obsessed. This week has proven it. First there was the acting out of emotions we were reading in a book. I would ask her how you act when you are ___________. She had very dramatic responses to each feeling until I asked her how she acts when she is mad. No more drama, just a very succint answer - "You get a present." What, Lola? You get a present. What are you smoking? I've seen you mad. I'm sure you get the gist of my internal dialogue. "What do you mean, Lola?" With a slight sigh and roll of the eyes she informed me, "It makes you feel better."

- Then as we were putting her in bed Friday evening, after her stay with Eric & Erin while Randy & I went for dinner and the ballet, she proceeded to inform us that she would stay home again... for a present. While Eric & Erin watched her, they took her to get a card and a sweet little gift for us. She confiscated it right away, though - just as soon as she reluctantly let us open it.

- Lola got plenty of Valentine's presents. In her card from her MiMi and ProPro, she got $5. The next card she opened came with the exclamation, "There's no money!"

- Just so you know, Lola is extremely gracious. I realize the info above may lead you to think she's a greedy girl. However, she is unbelievably polite and grateful. I'm often amazed at her shows of affection and gratitude.

- Lola is a backseat driver. She may have been influenced by me; but that wouldn't be so if not for her Daddy's lackluster driving skills. ;-) On our way to Nana & Poppy's last weekend, I had to aggressively call Randy's attention to a stop sign he was about to run. Lola has been learning about stop signs. However, she thinks every sign is a stop sign. For the last hour of the trip, she carefully watched for signs and would yell out for Randy to stop. We keep trying to teach her the difference between signs and she keeps insisting he stop. I think she just likes to boss. I blame that on her Nana! I know that's where I got it.

- While at Nana's, Lola gave herself a haircut. I think it is pretty ironic since Mom gave me a lecture back in early fall about hiding all the scissors. Mom had three pair of her hair-cutting scissors right in plain sight in the brush drawer. She saw a big chunk of hair lying on Lola's shoulder and as she ran her hands through Lola's hair more and more hair came out in clumps. It looked like those scenes in the movies when cancer patients run a hand through their hair and look down to find a huge clump in their hand. Then we found a huge pile in the bathroom floor. Luckily, she basically texturized and layered her own hair. Only one really short chop of the bangs occurred and she left a few longer bangs hanging over that. She looks like a shaggy dog now but it could have been much worse.

- We had a little car trouble recently. It began as the Blazer's stubborness to start. It ended up as the complete and utter failure of the fuel pump. As we were leaving the house to go to church with Nana & Poppy, the Blazer really gave Randy a hard time. Finally, it turned over and Lola exclaimed, "You did it, Daddy. You saved the day!" Since then, whenever one of us does something that could be remotely heroic she praises us, "You saved the day!" I finally remembered where she came up with this saying... the Backyardigans - her very own personal heroes. We should be honored to be in such company.

I've got more to say but I'll save it for another day. I promise to show up sooner next time.

Catching Up

2009-01-08T11:37:00.002-06:00

I've been such a slacker. The holidays kept me too busy to post the way I wanted to and I've had about a week of trying to get back into the swing of things but still not quite there yet. And for the record, I still don't have my Christmas decor put away. Hopefully, this weekend!

So to get the ball rolling with this blog again, I'll just give a few highlights from the last few weeks:

~We spent a lot of time together. We shared the Twelve Dates of Christmas and had more fun and adventure than any other holiday season. Oklahoma City is a great place to live in December!

~Lola made the holidays so exciting. She loved Santa from afar most of the season. Finally, she let Dad take her close enough to stand near him for a conversation, photo and a candy cane. The next morning when she woke up, her first words were, "Mommy, Mommy, I saw Santa Claus last night!" I replied, "I know! I was there." She continued, "He's so cute! And he's nice, too. He gave me a candy cane."

~We spent a lot of time with family. Good times!

~We ate a ton of great food... incredible food.

~We fed Santa and his reindeer some yummy homemade goodies.

~We must have been nice because no naughty kids get the loot we came home with!

~Lola is obsessed with the baby in her stomach. She is constantly telling us to feel her baby move and that we can hold it when it comes out. This is thanks to Aunt Dana & Cousin Christina and their huge bellies!

~We've played Wii... a lot.

~Lola & I were playing Wii tennis and the announcer declared, "Deuce!" Lola turned to me and said, "I like juice!" Well, yes, you do, darling.

I'll probably post a slideshow in the next couple of days and be back to regular blogging and some new things next week.

Ciao!

'Tis the Season to Be Green...

2008-12-22T10:26:00.005-06:00

This year, the Bradleys are going green. We hope you enjoy our earth friendly holiday greeting. And that you have a wonderful season of celebration. Much love!

Out of the Mouth of Our Babe

2008-12-12T13:44:00.002-06:00

The light dusting of snow we had earlier this week prompted Lola to ask, "Does that mean Santa Claus is coming now?"

Our babe's choice of breakfast is peanut butter and crackers. In fact, many mornings she wakes up with this plea, "Mommy, I want peanut butter and crackers. PLEASE!!!" A couple of days ago, I guess she noticed as I threw the empty peanut butter jar away. The next day when I asked her if that is what she wanted and proceeded to fix her favorite breakfast plate, she crawled up in a chair next to the bar and said, "We have peanut butter! Why did you get that peanut butter?"
"I got it for you, Lola. Because I know you like it."
"Wow! You're AWEsome, Mom!"

Let it be known by all, I AM AWESOME!!!

Twelve Dates of Christmas

2008-12-04T16:23:00.002-06:00

I'm always looking for ways to create meaning in our holiday celebrations. I love to eat as much as anyone but for people who have great meals all the time, I don't think big family meals are necessarily the way to make our holidays special. My favorite Christmas traditions of my childhood include the obvious gathering of family but three things stand out most for me.

First, my Dad involved us all in decking our house out Griswald-style. He was a welder and had created all kinds of cool yule decor. He lit everything with spotlights, covered the house in lights, we had the plastic snowmen, and a nativity scene with a custom stable that was awesome. I loved playing with the plastic baby Jesus. We had a huge star that shared the rooftop with Santa and his reindeer. Somehow Dad mounted the sleigh where it looked like they were taking off to share toys with the rest of the world. We also had a HUGE cross beside our house. Since this was how I knew Christmas even before seeing Christmas Vacation, some of the humor was lost on me. I remember being upset that his family wouldn't help him and wondering why they wouldn't want to decorate. We loved watching the cars drive slowly around our block as they checked out our house. Our roofline is crazy steep and the lot behind the house is empty so Dad always made sure the back of the house lit up, too.

Second, I remember all five of us crammed in the car or truck and driving around looking at lights. Dad always made sure Christmas music was blaring and my brother was usually telling me to quit singing. Although, there were several songs that became sing-alongs.

Third, there was the children's Christmas program at church. Carolyn, our children's pastor, and all of her family were so amazing. It was always so much fun to participate. Of course, this always came with a new dress sewn by Mom who can make anything. So there were several days of fittings, rehearsals, and abuse for my family as they had to listen to me sing and rehearse lines prior to this.

Randy and I have a few traditions of our own. Over the next few weeks you might hear about a few of them. But this year we are starting a new one inspired by the Twelve Days of Christmas and by Lola. She and Randy have had a couple of Daddy-Lola dates to the movies over the past month or two. Soon after one of their dates, all three of us went to dinner and to the same cinema. She said, "This is where Daddy-Lola dates are. But this is a Daddy-Lola-Mommy date!" We got a kick out of it and whenever we drive by she always exclaims that we are passing our date place. Anyhow, when thinking of special ways to celebrate as a family I decided to create the Twelve Dates of Christmas in which we will find twelve special outings or activities to celebrate together as a family.

Tonight is our First Date of Christmas. We are having a light supper of summer sausage, crackers, cheeses, fruits and spreads. Then we are heading downtown to the Civic Center Music Hall to Merry POPs with the OKC Philharmonic. Afterwards, we'll try to catch the Sonic Santa in Bricktown and head back for hot chocolate with marshmallows and white chocolate dipped pretzels. I better go get dressed or I'm going to be late!

They Know Anatomy...

2008-12-04T01:28:00.004-06:00

... the proof is in the oven. I just had to highlight this photo of my cutie patooties: cousin Christina & little sister Dana. Lola has two more cousins on the way! Christina will give birth to little boy Racen Dell Stacy around the first of March. We're still waiting to find out what Dana will be having around the first of May. Lola keeps asking for her own baby to carry in her stomach. Patience, my dear.

Anatomy 101

2008-12-04T01:07:00.002-06:00

Disclaimer: If you are sensitive to anatomy discussions, discontinue reading now. Mother, don't be horrified that I'm actually writing this on the world wide web. It's funny, and Randy keeps telling me I should write with more sarcasm and humor so that I can become some famous blogger who rolls in the advertising bucks. Keep dreaming, Randal, but just in case...

OK, to the point. Today I was putting on my bra when Lola walked in my room and started a nonstop rant that sounded like this and came with wide eyes. "What's that? I don't have one of those. It's for big, BIG boobies. I don't have big boobies. I have itty-bitty boobies. I have to get older to get big, BIG boobies. Mine are just little."

I assured her that if she ate her green beans, her boobies would grow to be as voluptuous as mine.

Cheese Fries & Friends

2008-12-01T14:57:00.003-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, some of our very good friends came back to Oklahoma for a visit. Currently they call Colorado home. We took the opportunity to meet them and our other dear friends for cheese fries and more good food at Eskimo Joe's. These girls are Lola's first friends - Bailee held her the night she was born and some of her coolest clothes have come from Ella. Jaxson can thank Bailee for the special hug technique that Lola learned. And the boys... she's pretty smitten with them. Here's a look at how the Bradleys, Walters, Kofahls, and one Riley kid terrorized Joe.

Gobble, Gobble

2008-12-01T13:36:00.002-06:00

We had a great Thanksgiving! We spent time with family and friends truly giving thanks and honoring the Lord and each other. We ate incredible food. And, we battled a nasty stomach virus. Thankfully, Lola & I are back to normal. Here are slide shows from our gatherings. Enjoy!

Giving Thanks Together on Sunday

Thanksgiving Day at our House

Thanksgiving Feast at Mom & Dad's

Preparing to Feast

2008-11-24T13:29:00.003-06:00

Actually the feasting began last night with our gathering. We had a really beautiful moment of raising our glasses and thanking God for some amazing things in our lives. Several of us were moved to tears over our food, remembering Christ and recognizing His goodness to us! I'm positive that this is what Christ meant when He spoke at the last supper - this is true communion.

I'm looking forward to more of that communion this week. Randy & I are hosting our first Thanksgiving. I'm disappointed that more of our family won't be able to be here, but we are excited to celebrate in a meaningful way. We are going all out. I won't spoil all the details but suffice it to say that we are creating ways to truly give thanks besides filling our bellies. There will be plenty of that, though. Here's a look at the menu:

Appetizers
Crab Dip
Veggie Tray
Green Apple Salsa & Chips

The Main Event
Fried Turkey
Ham Rolls
Garlic Three-Cheese Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole
Smokin' Macaroni & Cheese
Pecan-Praline Sweet Potatoes
Spiced Tea Cranberry Sauce
Green Stuff
Homemade Rolls
Salad

The Sweet Stuff
Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Tiramisu Pudding
Espresso Cheesecake with Mocha Sauce
and other desserts from Grandma & Donna

That's just Thursday's goodness! On Saturday, we'll be celebrating in Warner with my side of the family. Mmmmm, Mmmmm Good!

Helping Hands Turned Blue

2008-11-24T12:28:00.003-06:00

About a week ago, our faith community spent the day at City Rescue Mission in downtown Oklahoma City. The mission offers emergency relief services to meet the immediate physical needs of men, women and children who are homeless and others who need help. Our crew has committed to befriend City Rescue Mission and make the deepest impact possible with our missions efforts. For us this means deep personal involvement rather than merely tossing some money their direction. Although we believe in that, too! On that particular Saturday, we cleaned and painted throughout the facility. The paint was a bright, deep blue and oil-based - explaining our blue hands. It was such a fun day, yet sobering. I made the comment that I had observed pain and loss versus hope and comfort. I thought it would have been entirely possible to walk away and be overwhelmed by the needs. But what I walked away with was overwhelming hope.... HOPE WINS! Other feelings were gratitude, humility, heartache, empathy, and friendship. We met so many people with stories that should be told, stories that I pray find a way to intertwine with Christ's story. Like the man with three college degrees, who worked for the CIA, started the first ambulance service in Oklahoma that wasn't owned by a funeral home only to be forced out of business when EMSA won the city contract, he eventually ended up with Multiple Sclerosis and is now struggling to stay healthy which takes precedence over housing. So he's finding help at City Rescue Mission. Or the recovering drug addict who ended up in Oklahoma because he was trying to find his parents after being raised in a children's home in Texas. There were moms with babies and other kids in tow. People who wouldn't look you in the eye and others who grabbed paintbrushes and jumped in to help. It's so easy to turn a blind eye to the severely impoverished among us. They hang out around shelters in areas of the city that we don't pass by much. We might occassionaly see one on the corner with a cardboard sign but are afraid to help because we might be enabling someone. I wish everyone could spend a day elbow to elbow with those who really aren't so different from us. I know it impacted our group more than our paint job did for the mission. Praise God I have an amazing family and friends who have helped us out so much over the years and that while I have made some pretty stupid decisions, none of them have been so devastating as to render me with nowhere to go. Praise God for City Rescue Mission and others who spend their lives ministering to those in need.

The volunteer director Jonathan told us that OKC has one of the highest homeless rates in the nation. OKC also has one of the largest faith-based populations in the nation. It's kind of staggering to think that in a place with so many Christians, churches, and other religions represented on every street corner, there's still such a lack of resources. I know that the problem will always exist; Jesus said the poor would always be among us. However, in all the talk of OKC becoming such an amazing city that is leading the way in revitalization, I pray that we become examples of how to take care of our neighbors. "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40

To learn more about City Rescue Mission, click here.

Scurring Squirrels

2008-11-19T12:12:00.002-06:00

Lola and I have added a new dimension to our relationship... partnership. For the last two days, we have been "scurring" squirrels away from the new bird feeder. Randy replaced the hummingbird feeder with a finch feeder and we've been watching lots of birds snack right outside our huge window. Of course, we've also been watching the squirrels chase the birds away and steal their food. Lola & I take turns noticing a bushy tail swinging from the feeder and rushing over to the window to hopefully frighten it away for good. At first all it took was a knock and a loud "hey" but now we are resorting to beating on the window and barking like dogs. I'm afraid of what will come next. After returning to our seats, my work and her show, following the last round of pretending to be big dogs, she and I looked at each other and burst into laughter and proceeded to discuss how crazy the whole situation is. She seemed so grown-up and I realized it was a really special moment... we had switched from caretaker and toddler (ok, sometime parasite) to partners in saving the bird feeder.

Before you start feeling sorry for the squirrels, they have total access to another bird feeder from which they are free to steal all the seed... and do just that. This feeder is on a small plant pole that is likely to spring right into our beautiful window if one of our theiving squirrels climbs it just right. And, the little bushy-tailed rodents are keeping the birds away from our viewing pleasure!

Transformation

2008-11-13T12:23:00.004-06:00

Recently I witnessed a transformation... Randy from doting father to proud, puffed-chest, spectator/father. Let me explain. Lola has been taking swim lessons. Actually, let me tell you the whole story.

Most of you know about Lola's social issue with strangers. Our bright, funny, performer daughter turns into a super shy, hands-stuffed-in-mouth toddler whenever forced to interact with strangers. However, if they show her no attention she's yelling for theirs. In addition, she is a very independent chick when it comes to playing. Trying to get her to follow direction is quite difficult, she wants to put her creative spin on everything. I wonder where she gets that? So knowing this, I enrolled Lola in the Mommy & Me swim class. I knew she would be way too advanced and was right at the end of the age limit for the class; but I really didn't think I could get her to participate if I weren't in the class with her.

Our first class proved to be way below Lola's skill level. The class was intended to get kids used to water - splashing, blowing bubbles, lying on their backs, etc. But Lola is a fish! She has no fear of the water and is a great swimmer (with floaties of course). The instructor recommended I send her to the next class; but as she noticed how Lola would freeze whenever she came around she began to understand my dilemma. Skip forward to the next class, Lola is taking off sans floaties with a noodle instead. The new instructor suggests moving Lola up, again I hesitate but Lola proves my point as she resists the new instructor. Class three and Daddy comes with, Lola recognizes the instructor from the last week and she does much better. The teacher suggests we stay for the next class which is more advanced. I slowly slink out of the water and Lola begins the class with resistance. It is hard to get her to cooperate, we even offer her ice cream to which she says no. Finally, after she gets out of the water again, we tell her that we are going home and she could swim more but she chose to leave the class. She decides to try again and to our amazement came out of her shell! I go to change clothes and when I return she is swimming at the other end of the pool. Randy explains that she was swimming so fast she was leaving the instructor and other kids behind. She's just playing, swimming in circles, waiting on them to catch up with her. He tells me about overhearing other parents talking about what a great swimmer Lola is and the teacher telling them that it is her first swim class and calling her a fish. We are both really proud of her.

But here's where the transformation takes place - her second "big kid" class. Lola takes a bit to warm up but finally decides to participate. The class swims to the rope and back and Lola doesn't realize that all of them are supposed to be swimming - usually the teacher only lets them swim one at a time. The teacher calls for Lola to jump in and swim. The other kids who are boys aged four and five are way ahead of her. Randy leans over and says, "Watch it, she's going to beat those kids." I say something like, "No way, Randy. She is starting so far behind them." To which he answers, "She'll be the first one to touch." I can literally hear the wind sucking into Randy's chest as I glance at him, arms crossed, chest out. He's trying so hard to not beam rays of pride. Trying so hard that in fact, he looks quite somber. It's hard to explain. I watch Lola as she laps the boys and reaches out in a Michael Phelps-like moment to touch first. She didn't even know she was racing, but in that moment I think Randy heard a symphony of Olympic medals clanking, anthems ringing, and the roar of pride residing in his chest. I look back over and he's still retaining composure. It was eerie.

These pics are from her third big-kid class.

Ouch!

2008-11-13T12:18:00.001-06:00

Lola had an accident with an exercise ball. I think this is going to take a while to heal.

See photo.

Countdown to Thanksgiving

2008-11-06T11:56:00.003-06:00

I helped Lola create a turkey with enough feathers to countdown to Thanksgiving. I'm trying to teach her about being thankful and that we are going to celebrate all the good things in our life with family and friends with some big feasts at the end of this month. I don't think she is ready for Pilgrims and Indians yet, she's much more interested in making up her own stories. It's a struggle to get her to let me read a book to her, it's always her turn. So I'm keeping it simple.

We created the turkey a couple of nights ago and forgot to take our feather off, so the next day we took two. When I asked her what she was thankful for, without hesitation she said, "Jaxson!" So I let her scribble on the feather and then I wrote Jaxson. For the second feather she said, "Dustin & Dana." We repeated the writing sequence and put our feathers in our glass canister. Yesterday, when we removed the feather her answer was Jaxson and Dana. We told her they were already in the jar that we needed to think of something else we were thankful for... we told her to think about what she prays each night - again, she brought up Jaxson and Dana. Finally, I said, "How about Jesus? Are you thankful that you can pray to Jesus?" She answered yes and started scribbling. I really wanted to say, "How about Mommy and Daddy? I mean, we take care of you everyday. Who do you think brought you into this world?" But I retained some self-control and decided not to manipulate her into being thankful for me - today at least. But if I don't show up on a feather before the end of the countdown is near, you can guarantee I'll be reminding her how much she owes me!

A Little Pixie Dust

2008-11-05T20:51:00.002-06:00

Lola made a fabulous Tinkerbell for Halloween. It's strange how much she actually looks like Tinkerbell. I think it's her eyes. People have always said she looks like a pixie, even since she was an itty bitty baby. Of course Lola loved getting all the candy but I think she most enjoyed getting her makeup done and the glitter hairspray.

We had a pretty busy day. I got her ready and dropped her off at Randy's work for a little gathering they had for all the employee's kids. I had to sing at a funeral so I didn't return for a while. When I did get there, she didn't want to leave. She was "working" on the computer and answering the phone. We took the opportunity for a little photo op with the horse in Jordan's lobby and at the fountains in front. Lola loves the fountains at Daddy's work.

We caught an early dinner at PF Chang's and then came home to ready ourselves for trick-or-treating. Our neighborhood was pretty dead so we headed a few blocks south to Nichols Hills for a bout of speed trick-or-treating. Randy was right, we hit the jackpot on candy. Full size Snickers bars, the big movie boxes of candy, traffic jams in the neighborhood, police bullhorns declaring trick-or-treat hours were over - it was pretty fun. Lola was having a blast and really enjoyed that her friend Zaine was with us.

Next we headed over to Eric, Erin & Nickie's to hang out for a bit and enjoy some cupcakes. Our last stop was our friend Micah's Halloween Party. Wow! She threw an incredible party. It was so creative with great gory food and fun people. Finally, we made it home to get all our Halloween garb off and snooze til morning. October was a crazy fun month and the candy will last quite a while if I can keep it away from Lola.

Once Upon A Time

2008-11-05T12:04:00.002-06:00

One of our Halloween week activities was a trip through the Storybook Forest at Lake Arcadia. What a great idea! It was super crowded and we had to wait in line but it was lots of fun. We walked through a trail decorated with scenes from fairy tales and nursery rhymes. Randy & I realized that we haven't been very good with teaching Lola traditional stories and songs. I don't think she knew any of the stories but Rock-a-bye Baby. Of course, it was her favorite because she could rock the baby. I guess I should be on the hunt for a fairy tale book so that she will be well read. After she gathered all her candy on the trail, she played games and then we took a hayride. They also had fire pits where you could roast your own hot dogs and marshmallows. Next year, we'll have to take some friends.

.

Under The Big Top

2008-11-05T11:22:00.003-06:00

One lazy morning not so long ago, Lola woke up wanting a story. I told her one about Zadie, our sweet cocker spaniel, running off to join the circus. Then she made up her own story and began declaring many times a day how she wanted to go to the circus. Despite the theme of her nursery and baby shower being a cool retro carnivale/circus, we've never actually taken Lola to the Big Top. So when Randy found a flier for the Family Fun Circus being held in Edmond last week, he took off work early and we set out for the circus before our planned trick-or-treat trip to the Storybook Forest.

Lola was super excited. As we walked up to the Big Top, we passed the pony rides and she started begging right away. We assured her that she would definitely get to ride the pony but that the show was about to begin so we had to hurry inside the tent. We payed a crazy price to get in - but Lola was free- and $4 for two cans of Dr. Pepper. Then we took our seats. This is a good time to point out that the Ringmaster was more of a salesman than anything else. Between each act was a sales pitch and special deal. I was surprised how many people kept falling for the deals and even more surprised that Lola never begged for anything they were selling: light sticks, peanuts, balloons on a stick, pictures with SpongeBob.

The acts were pretty good. We were definitely entertained and you couldn't have beat our seats. We were super close to the action. The hoola hoop girl was pretty amazing. Especially after the impromptu hoola hoop contest we had at my parents not long ago. We had special appreciation for her talents. Lola loved watching the dancing horses and the aerial acrobatics. She was also excited to see SpongeBob SquarePants and she thought the young clown was pretty funny, too. Randy & I were probably most entertained by the obviously veteran human cannonball. We were actually amazed that he made it out of the cannon. You might be able to tell why by the photo up there.

Since it was the 4:30pm show and the crowd was pretty small, the cheering was lame. Randy, Lola & I took the roles of cheerleaders and led the crowd in appreciating the talent. Lola was hilarious. Everyone around us was laughing at how she was getting into the woohooing and clapping.

After the show, Lola rode the pony, bounced in the moonbounce, admired the animals at the petting zoo, and changed into her costume for the Storybook Forest. It was a pretty expensive couple of hours but totally worth it.

Meow! A Tale of Three Kitties

2008-10-27T01:39:00.002-05:00

Our neighbors across the street host an annual Halloween neighborhood block party. Last year, we were moving in that weekend and weren't able to join them. This year, we donned our costumes and headed across the lawns. Our costumes were pretty retro which I loved. I kind of felt like a pinup girl in my Betty Paige hair. Lola will be Tinkerbell for the actual Halloween festivities but she had seen a Dora episode in which Dora dressed as a black kitty for the holiday. She has been asking to be a kitty so we thought it was a great idea to go to the party as a family of black kitty cats.

Lola had a blast with the kids. She especially made friends with one of the neighbor girls Sophie who is about two years older than her. She woke up the next morning talking about going to the party again. Then she would go to the door and look out and ask if Sophie was inside. She only did that about five times, but I can imagine my days may get pretty full of requests to play with Sophie. I'm actually grateful. I've been praying for little girls for Lola to befriend. All her friends here are boys.

We had a good time but I think the most fun was had getting ready. I forgot how fun it was to wear a costume. Ours were simple and retro but you should have seen the other costumes at the party. These people are serious about their costume contest. I better start thinking about next year's costumes.

She's a Foodie

2008-10-27T01:20:00.003-05:00

On Friday, I served Lola her lunch. I'm ashamed to say that I gave her SpaghettiOs or Chef Boyardee (I can't recall which) Shapes & Meatballs. She picked at it for a few minutes and then asked for more meatballs. I obliged and gave her the rest of the meatballs and told her she should eat everything, pasta too. Lola sweetly gave her response, "But Mom, they're not very TASty!"

It makes me think about the time we went to Deep Fork Grill, a very nice upscale restaurant here in OKC. We ordered fries for Lola. Their fries come with a white truffle cream. The waiter was attentive to her age and brought a bottle of ketchup for her instead. We requested he bring the truffle cream because I wanted to taste it. At the time, Lola detested ketchup but she was scarfing the truffle cream. When the waiter came back around and noticed he remarked, "Gosh, that kid has great taste. Super expensive, the truffles are locked in the safe; but great taste."

That's my girl!

The Hair Wars Continue

2008-10-26T01:09:00.005-05:00

A couple of days ago, Lola kept asking for Raffi all day. I persisted in telling her that Raffi was probably in her bed and she could go get him. Because she was too lazy to go look for herself, she continued to whine about it and because I was trying to be a good mommy and teach her some responsibility, I continued to stick to my line. For the past couple of weeks, she will state that she wants something but can't find it even before she has looked. She just wants me to be her slave, hence my tough stance. Honestly, she thinks I'm being so mean.

Fast forward to late afternoon. I was working on a big project involving time on the computer. Lola was bored and had decided to climb up beside me and comb my hair. As she was jerking the comb through my hair, I kept at my work trying to meet my self-imposed deadline. We were leaving for Stroud soon and I needed to finish the first round of my project, so I suffered through the hair-pulling and her constant repositioning of my head - much like she must endure from me. She went towards the kitchen and came back carrying something underneath her shirt. I thought it may be Raffi. She carries him like that sometimes and often puts him in her shirt as she is going to sleep at night. She climbed back up beside me. Wanting to prove my point that she was very capable of finding Raffi, I asked her what was in her shirt. She refused to answer and started grabbing the comb to go after my hair again. I noticed her being a bit sneaky and again I asked what was in her shirt. With no answer, I turned and faced her and forced her to show me what she was hiding. She pulled out the craft scissors that cousin Christina had bought her for her birthday. She was going to cut my hair!!! And she knew enough to be sneaky. I lectured her about not cutting hair, about only using scissors on paper that mommy approves and about not climbing on things. I had put the scissors in a plastic box, inside a basket, on top of a chest in the laundry room. I have no idea how she actually climbed up to get them or how she even knew where I had put them.

Disaster avoided this time. Battles won in the Hair Wars: Lola - 1, Mommy-1. Please pray for me. You have probably figured out by now that I really need it!

To The Moon & Back

2008-10-21T13:31:00.003-05:00

Since Lola was very little I've always said to her, "Lola, I love you to the moon and back and as big as all the stars in the sky."

This morning I woke up and she was laying beside me looking at me. She said, "Mommy, I love you to the moon and back." This was accompanied by the most beautiful grin I've ever seen.

Yes, Lola. You can come crawl in our bed in the wee hours of every night, crowding me to 10 inches of space in that huge king-size bed. It's worth it.

This says it all...

2008-10-18T23:18:00.003-05:00

As much as I would like to credit whoever created this, all I know is that he/she is a graphic design senior at Oklahoma State University. Go Pokes!

The Way The Other Half Lives

2008-10-16T15:44:00.002-05:00

We live next to Casady School. Behind its iron gates, lies a pretty little pond and a playground that caught Lola's eye. Driving down the road, she exclaimed to us, "I want to play there." Randy explained that we could not play there because it was locked up.

"Why?"
"Because they don't want us in there," he said.
"Why not?"
"Because they don't like to share. They're kind of mean."

At which point, I said, "I'm totally blogging that."

Will The Real Birthday Please Step Forward?

2008-10-15T18:25:00.003-05:00

It was a boot scootin' birthday. Lola semi-cooperated with a third birthday photo shoot. During our painful photo opp, she got a phone call from Nana, Poppy, Dana, Dustin & Jaxson. After they finished their round of Happy Birthday, she cried, "Sing it again!" and they obliged.

When asked what she wanted to eat for her birthday lunch, she said, "Pasta!" Like father, like daughter. We went to Spaghetti Warehouse and they arranged for all around us to sing to her. She slid down in her seat and stayed there for about five minutes. We asked her what was wrong, knowing full well she was embarrassed and she told Randy, "I'm shy, Daddy."

After lunch, we went to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art to see the Roman Art Exhibit from the Louvre. It was the last day of the exhibit and since I'm not sure I'll ever make it to Paris, I insisted that we see it. It was extremely fascinating. I mentioned to Randy that I wondered if Paul, the disciples, or even Jesus had looked upon some of the pieces. There were public mosaics and statues that definitely were throughout the Roman empire during that time.

We rushed home from the museum to put chili on for our Sunday night gathering. Our friends brought Lola gifts and lots of love. This little girl has really been celebrated!

To POPS and Beyond

2008-10-15T16:11:00.005-05:00

On Saturday we had the most amazing time with MiMi & ProPro! It was the day before Lola's actual birthday and we were in celebratory mode. We met in Arcadia at POPS which is an ultra cool gas station/diner/convenience store which specializes in pop. They have over 500 varieties. As you can tell from the photos above, there's some cool design involved and I think it is a unique experience that you should definitely make happen. I couldn't believe how busy the joint was. We waited outside in the hot sun for about a half hour only to get a seat on the patio. There was a huge yard where Lola played and got considerably muddy. For some reason they didn't have the umbrellas out and we baked while we ate our food but it still tasted great. Lola actually wanted and ate her first cheeseburger. For some reason, this kid has rejected all kinds of sandwiches. Very rarely, you can get her to eat a bit of a grilled cheese. But since POPS, I think we've entered a new era. I had a cheeseburger for lunch a couple of days ago and she grabbed it out of my hand for a couple of bites. Anyhow, back to Saturday's story...

After POPS we headed down the road to the Parkhurst Pumpkin Patch. We waited in line and lamented how this would be the last time Lola would get in somewhere free for being 2 or under. But we quickly turned to excitement again as we headed towards all the animals with our bag of feed. Lola swayed from timid with the animals to aggressively demanding to ride the pony. It amazes me how she can be scared of the mechanical car outside of Walmart but not at all frightened by the pony. However, I was horse crazy as a young girl, so I'm relieved to know there's some of me in her after all. She and ProPro animatedly ran us through the corn maze and she picked up all the hidden pumpkins with arrows and threw them. We tried to stop her and return what we could be she was a girl on a mission. No one will probably find their way through there again! Right at the end she led us out the side instead of finishing because she heard the tractor. She was not about to miss another turn on the hayride. She also had fun in the tire swing and the hammocks, climbing on hay bales, and picking out pumpkins. Lola & I were oblivious (or pretended to be) to the other's mourning for OU's loss to Texas. Eventually, we convinced Lola it was time to leave, load up our pumpkins and part ways with MiMi & ProPro.

As we were pulling out on Route 66, we decided to see if one of our old haunts and favorite BBQ places had ever reopened. Praise the Lord, it had. It was yummy food, but ended up a strange experience since I ran into someone I had went to high school with and not seen in 15+ years - a crazy suprise and a long way from Warner.

We hustled back to The Village and threw a spread together for noshing with the Nemcoks and Eric while we cheered the Oklahoma State Cowboys to victory over Missouri. GO POKES!!! By the time we hit the hay, metaphorically speaking, we had no trouble falling asleep.

Family Time

2008-10-15T15:49:00.002-05:00

Last week we had a special treat. Randy's family came to visit. His brother Steven just finished tech school for the Air Force and was home on leave before heading to his new station in Denver. Grandma Carol, Grandpa Wilmer, Kaylie, Steven, Eric, Randy, Lola & I shared dinner, stories, laughs, and hugs. We don't get to see each other nearly enough. Lola had Grandma down in the floor and everywhere else she asked. She made sure to tell Grandma when she could and could not take her picture. Lola also took some photos herself. Several from the show below are her shots. The black & white had some coloring issues but actually turned out to be a great pic of Grandma & Grandpa. We may have a budding photographer on our hands.

I know, I know. I'm queen of the slide shows today. But I need to do some catching up with posting and I want to share these photos with everyone!

2008 Hayride Birthday Bash

2008-10-15T15:23:00.003-05:00

I firmly believe in celebrating birthdays. And I absolutely believe in celebrating birthday months. Lola has had two solid weeks of celebration, I think it is waning. But costume and candy fun is around the corner so October definitely won't fizzle out.

We kicked this celebration off with a birthday bash for Ariel, Nicole, and Lola. We needed to do something special since this will be Ariel's 16th birthday; and because all three girls are October babies and getting family together is difficult, we had a triple birthday celebration. After the kids rode the Gator around the front yard, we moved inside for some food. We started out with a HUGE pot of chili, hot dogs, bratwurst, sauerkraut, chips and dips. Then we veered from the usual birthday cake and had brownie cupcakes. Then the girls opened their loot and boy, did they walk away with some treasure. Afterward, Uncle Dustin drove our rather large crew on a hayride where we played games, sang songs, told stories, and blinded people with flashlights and camera flashes. We came back to s'mores and hot apple cider. Randy is an expert s'more maker. He should patent his s'more contraption.

Unfortunately, the slide show above doesn't have any pictures of the actual hayride. Those are on Mom's camera and I neglected to download them. I'm betting most of them were pretty bad since the lighting was obviously atrocious, it being night and all.

I do however want you to pay special attention to this photo:

MeMe: "What are you doing, Linda?"

Mom: "I'm screwing the scarecrow."

Really.

These Are Some GRAND Kids!!!

2008-10-15T15:08:00.000-05:00

We recently celebrated all of the girls' birthdays which happen to be in October. I'll post more about that soon. But I wanted to share this slide show of some of the photos we captured during our weekend together. Enjoy!

Hair Wars

2008-10-08T22:32:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, I cut Lola's hair. After we got out of the shower I told her we should blow dry her hair and make it pretty for Daddy. She refused a couple of times and finally said, "I don't want to talk about it." So I proceeded to dry my own hair. She walked in and I asked her again to which she replied, "I can do it." So I told her to hold the brush and I would dry her hair, she wasn't going for it and ran out of the bathroom. I shouted, "Lola, please. Let's make your hair pretty for Daddy." Her reply? "No, Mom, I don't want to. PLEASE, don't make me sad," in the most sing-song pleading voice she could muster.

The Road To...

2008-09-18T13:37:00.002-05:00

After about twenty rounds of Where's the pink butterfly?, Where's the yellow flower?, Where's the green grasshopper?, Lola responded with, "Daddy, you're driving me CRAZY!!!"

Recycling 101

2008-09-17T16:30:00.003-05:00

Make Trash Fun!!!

The Gator box was recycled by Randy to make a playhouse for Lola & Jaxson. They had lots of fun during our stay at Nana & Poppy's.

Creepy Crawly

2008-09-15T12:57:00.003-05:00

"Daddy, it's a corn cob spider!" ~ Lola

Special Note: I actually had our own incredible shot of a similar monster, but I deleted it by mistake. I had to settle for this.

Midnight Tacos

2008-08-31T18:30:00.002-05:00

I wrote this on Friday night but due to technical difficulties, I'm just now able to post it.

12:04am - I guess that makes it Saturday morning...

I'm having a slumber party with my dad at the hospital tonight. It's been pretty tame although he's super funny because of all the pain meds. He's also really hungry. He has been talking about tacos for about an hour. He keeps waking up and asking me what I want to eat, asking me where his taco is, or looking for it in his sheets. My sister came upstairs after she got off her shift in the Emergency Room. She took his order and is now on a midnight taco run. Dad’s snoozing again. I wonder if he’ll ask what the heck Dana is doing with a taco, when he wakes up.

I can connect to the hospital network but for some rason I can't get any internet access. The hours would go by faster if I could surf around the WWW. I guess it's time to pull out my trusty Sudoku game.

Dad just woke up and asked where Dana went to get tacos. On cue, she walked thru the door. Bon Appétit!

6:37pm - Sunday evening

I'm about to hit the road to relieve my sister at the hospital. I've got another slumber party with Dad tonight. What new adventures will we have?

New Digs

2008-08-28T23:45:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday we drove to Stroud to visit MiMi & ProPro and check out their new abode. It's a great house and they have a large chunk of land with lots of room for grandkids to run around. After we arrived we took a tour and then we all piled in cars to eat at the BBQ joint down the road. By all, I mean Aunt Rhonda, GiGi, MiMi, and cousins David, Trina, Drake & Dylan in addition to Randy, Lola & I. After dinner, we stood outside and I heard cars running. Sonic was next door but it sounded like our car was running. Since it was hot outside, I thought if it wasn't our car then we should get the air going. So I asked Randy if he started the car. In his usual sarcastic manner he said, "Oh no, I left it running!" I shot him a look while his grandma GiGi laughed. We piled into our car and headed back to the house. Randy almost took off to the golf course before I jogged his memory that his parents didn't live there anymore. Once we got back to the house, GiGi came inside with her sing-song, "Misty, you won't believe what Rhonda did!" It turns out that Rhonda really had left her car running the entire time we were eating in the restaurant. Weird coincidence, right?

Lola had a great time playing with her cousins Drake and Dylan. She was sad that Drake had to leave to go to a Redhawks game. But ProPro came home from the golf tournament and it wasn't long before he & Lola were running through a sprinkler in the back yard. Lola had so much fun! I hadn't brought her extra clothes or a bathing suit so we stripped her down to her panties and let her go wild. Before you start thinking the poor kid had to go the rest of the day without underwear, don't sweat! Her skirt had built-in bloomers. After the water works, Lola & ProPro spent a long while snacking and rocking on the front porch while watching the passing neighbors and listening for a neighborhood motorcycle.

We spent the rest of the evening eating a fabulous meal of grilled chicken, fried squash, salad, and bread - and watching the Olympics of course! It was also a treat to see Uncle Dennis & Aunt Novie. We can't wait to go back and stay in our new room at MiMi & ProPro's.

Randy's brother Eric, Erin & Nickie moved into a new house just a few streets south of us. It feels great to have them in the neighborhood now. It's been a crazy couple of weeks so we haven't seen much of each other but just knowing they are closer is fun.

On Sunday we had brunch with a good friend at her new place. Donna was Jeff & Mary's neighbor until recently. We have gotten to know her by hanging out at the Nemcok house, having dinner, sharing drinks and wonderful conversation. She is a sweet, spunky lady who is absolutely fascinating and we think it is so cool that she hangs out with us. She recently moved into Concordia, a retirement village. It's like a resort... I want to live there! Brunch was an incredible buffet and we enjoyed some lovely mimosas. But the company was the best. Here is a photo of myself, Donna, and Mary.

Here's to all our loved ones and their new digs! May your homes be blessed and full of life, love and joy!!!

Country Cooking

2008-08-28T17:47:00.004-05:00

Sometimes you just need a good home-cooked meal... country cooking as people around Oklahoma call it. Our meal last night fit this category; however, instead of the eight side dishes you usually find on dining room tables around here, I only made two. We're trying to watch portion sizes and highlight foods which means simplify in my book. It may not seem like a very healthy dinner but I did use olive oil and Smart Balance - and considerably less than in the past!

I took pictures while still cooking so here's our illustrated menu:

Pork Chops: These were yummy! I'm not much of a pork person and I'm particular about my chops. I like them with the bone in and pan fried. Salt, pepper & garlic - that's all you need.

Fried Okra: ...or a mess of Okra as we Okies say. We grew a garden this year but I didn't plant okra. I actually haven't seen any fresh okra in the market or heard of anyone whose okra made good this year. So sadly, this was frozen okra which I floured and spiced before tossing it in hot olive oil. It was still delicious. Like the pork chops, this okra isn't done yet. It was nice and crunchy in the end.

Apples Deuce in Cinnamon Brown Butter: A duo of Golden & Red Delicious Apples cooked to perfection with a lovely sprinkling of sugar and Saigon cinnamon. The butter was really Smart Balance, but that isn't quite as appetizing as a moniker.

We also had tomatoes fresh out of our garden. Actually, I had tomatoes. Randy isn't a fan of fresh tomatoes - only cooked. He's CRAZY!!! Of course, we drank Iced Tea. Dessert was served much later and consisted of Chocolate Chunk Brownies.

I'm heading into the kitchen to make dinner now. Tonight it's tilapia. I made fresh salsa yesterday so dinner could take on a Latin flair... maybe fish tacos?

He's Seen Better Birthdays

2008-08-27T17:03:00.003-05:00

My dad, better known as Poppy, fell at work yesterday and broke his hip. He lost his footing on a 2x4 that was propping up a boat. He was there by himself and thank goodness he had his phone on him. He called 911 and had an ambulance take him to the hospital, but he didn't call them first. He called his cousin Ronnie to come and lock the business, pull the boats inside, etc. When his esophagus ruptured (almost three years ago now), he was knocking on death's door and telling my mom about an invoice that needed to be paid. Last week, I took my mom to have a routine medical test that required sedation and they had given her some extra pain medication. She's a tiny woman and she was quite loopy. Right after she said she needed two more days of that kind of sleep, she started asking me what I thought about a business idea... that's the kind of work ethic my parents have.

Today Poppy had surgery to repair his hip. Tomorrow is his birthday and Saturday is my parent's 36th wedding anniversary. Our celebration was to include a big crab boil but I suppose we'll postpone that. They probably won't read this post for a while but here's to Nana & Poppy!

Poppy - Get Well & Happy Birthday, which seems a bit ridiculous to say right now even though we have so much to be grateful for...

Mom & Dad - Congratulations on doing what seems impossible for most people these days. You are both pretty amazing!

Note: The photo is from my dad's 30th birthday at a gig he was playing with his band The Sundance Band. That was 26 years ago. You do the math.

Bitter:Sweet

2008-08-25T13:48:00.003-05:00

A couple of weekends ago, we trailed off to Dallas with some of our best friends Mary & Jeff to hit a concert by my current favorite band. I've been a fan of Bitter:Sweet for a few years now. Their sound is a bit hard to define because it is a melting pot of sounds - retro, ambient, jazz, James Bond (yes, that's a sound), and more. Their music is definitely fun to dance to and it makes me feel a little flirty so Randy & I joke about it being my "sexy" music. The concert was absolutely incredible. The venue was small - the Pontiac Garage at Dallas House of Blues - which is about the only way I will go to a live show. Otherwise, I prefer to catch my fave acts on television where I can actually see them and not pay the crazy concert prices for the view from my binoculars. But that is a rant for another blog. Back to the show... it was full of retro coolness, phenomenal musicianship, amusing showmanship, playful seductiveness, and the band was quite friendly. We took photos with Bitter:Sweet, but I don't have them to post right now. But you can check out the band here: www.bittersweetmusic.com

We drove to Dallas on Saturday after I took Lola to meet Mom who happened to be in OKC for a church outing. Our first stop in Texas was at David and Daniela's house where we stayed the night. David is Jeff's older brother and his wife Dani is from Brazil. They were amazing hosts and have a beautiful home. It was great getting to know them. We met up with Mary's sister Casey for dinner at a yummy Mexican cafe in Lakewood and went back to her place to eat cupcakes from Sprinkles, have a glass of red wine, and cheer Michael Phelps and the rest of the amazing USA team in their last relay to victory.

On Sunday, we noshed on some fruit, bagels, and a buffet of fruit juices. I'm not kidding, they had about five kinds of juice! Then Mary, Dani and I headed out for some shopping and a trip to Ikea. We barely made it back to the house in time to change into our uptown clothes and eventually missed our dinner reservations. But it turned out fine because we were still able to get into Sangria and dine on some really fabulous tapas with plenty of time to roam the neighborhood. Casey had joined us for dinner and acted as tour guide. We finished off with custard from Wild About Harry's and jumped into Z Gallerie (my favorite home store ever! it's like walking inside myself) so that I could ooh and ah over my wish list. Then we scooted on over to the concert.

Jeff & Mary waiting to get in the concert.

Our tickets had seating information on them so we were surprised when we got into the concert hall to find that there was no seating. Mary and I were both in heels and I was in a dress. The concert was getting a late start and we were growing more uncomfortable so we decided to head out to the car to change our clothes. On our way out, we ran into Mary's closest friends from MBA school and met some people they were going to the concert with so that was a fun bonus.

Posing at Waffle House.

By the time the concert was over, we had all worked up an appetite again. So on our way home we found a Waffle House and to our surprise the cook was related to Erin! Erin is our good friend and the girlfriend of Randy's brother Eric. What a small world! Randy, Jeff & Mary all had to work on Monday morning so I was the chauffeur on the way home. Once we got there, we crashed into bed about 3:45am!

What do boom-booms, pajamas, magazines, and babies have in common?

2008-08-15T00:46:00.004-05:00

Probably not what you are thinking!

Tonight we had a very loud thunderstorm. The lightning was fierce according to the news. The meteorologist instructed us not to use corded phones or electronics and not to take a bath or shower during the storm. Now, I've never heard anyone actually give either of those warnings on television. However, growing up I heard it from my MeMe several times. Staying off the phone, I could understand; but I always thought that the shower/bath thing was a little bit paranoid. I owe MeMe an apology. The thunderstorm hit as we were cleaning up after dinner. The dishwasher was full and I had to wash a few things by hand. I risked it but I kept thinking to myself, "I have an excuse to leave these dirty dishes lying here and skip out on washing. Why am I still doing this?" The answer - because I wanted to get it done. But now I know that whenever there's a good lightning storm, I have a good excuse to get out of doing the dishes.

The storm bothered Lola tonight. She has never been afraid of thunder. We have always celebrated the boom-booms. It could be because a couple of months ago she and I had a terrifying experience as we huddled in the closet to avoid a tornado overhead. We heard the famous train sound and the windows and doors (even the interior bedroom and closet doors) were shaking from the commotion. It did some damage along our street and we felt spared by God. Honestly, I have been experiencing nerves through every storm since then. We need a storm shelter!!! Anyhow, because of our celebrate the thunder philosophy we went around clapping and singing the old "Boom, Boom, Boom" call and response. She quickly began to lead us in the song and kept it going longer than was comfortable for either of us.

Speaking of comfortable, Randy has found a new way to cajole Lola into her pajamas at night. She hates to go to bed unless we are as well. She is a night owl like her parents and doesn't want to miss anything. She'll say, "Are you going to bed in a minute, too?" Lately, she's been starting to melt down when we get the pajamas and ask her to get her books. She knows it signals the bedtime routine. Now Randy says, "I want to get comfortable. I'm going to get my pajamas." Then she'll reply with, "I want to get comsorble, too!" Then we proceed with the routine.

And on the subject of routine, it seems like Lola has picked one up from us. On Sunday night after all but one of our guests had gone, Randy escaped to the bathroom. Lola came in the living room where I and my friend Micah were conversing and she left a little trail of offensive odor. I asked her if she need to poo-poo and she said yes. She went to the restroom and called me in because her shorts fell off and she wanted them back. I went to sit back down with my friend and shortly after Lola begin to yell, "I need a magazine! I need a magazine!" I looked at Micah and said, "Did she say magazine?" We began to laugh hysterically as I came to Lola's rescue with a catalog to peruse as she did her business. I returned to my conversation again until she called with the wipe request. This photo is from January when I caught her in my bathroom with reading material. I missed Sunday's photo op. In case you are wondering, she's "reading" the insert from her Cars DVD.

One other funny thing... Randy and I were discussing Lola's babyhood at dinner and how he used to hold her. I asked Lola if she wanted us to have a baby brother or sister for her. She said, "No, I have a Jaxson." Randy said, "You don't want a brother or sister?" To which she replied, "No, I see Jaxson this weekend. Four days. I hold him like a baby." She's been begging to see Jaxson, Dustin and Dana, Nana and Poppy all week. I told her yesterday that she was going to go home with Nana on Saturday. I think it's brilliant that she realized Saturday was this weekend. We certainly haven't talked about the days of the week. And four days? Well that's her answer for anything that isn't right now or in a minute. As for holding Jaxson like a baby - good luck! He was slinging her around like a rag doll when she dared play with his toys last week. They are about 21 months apart but he is almost as big as Lola is. Back to the story... I asked one more time, "Lola, do you want Mommy to have a baby?" Her quick response was, "I have a baby."

For Your Viewing Pleasure

2008-08-13T13:24:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, Lola & I went to Pelican Bay Aquatic Center in Edmond. We went earlier this summer when my niece Ariel came to visit and had lots of fun. I've been meaning to take her again but between traveling and the incessant heat, I'm just now getting it done. Lola loves the water. That's really an understatement. She can spend hours in the bathtub and is a great swimmer at 2-years-old. She can't enroll in swimming lessons at the local YMCA until she is three but that is definitely on the agenda.

Most of you know Randy's obsession with the Olympics. Each Olympic season he figures out the sports in which he could still possibly compete... he announced Monday that he could go in skeet shooting. I told him we could arrange for him to compete in the Special Olympics. This year he's also obsessing about everything he wants Lola to have exposure to and how we must start early and we're almost too late for some things... blah, blah, blah. (Yes, I know that is a run-on sentence, but I want you to feel my pain.) I asked my friend Julie what the Olympic equivalent was for the term stage father. Anyhow, I knew he would be proud that Lola begged to go off the diving board at the water park and would take credit for it since he's been making her watch Olympic coverage nonstop; and yes, particularly pointing out all the water sports including diving. Sadly, the diving board was in the big kid pool so we'll have to check out her diving skills later. But I do have this beautiful slideshow for you to watch!

I'm also offering these fun photos of some of the grandkids at our last visit to Nana & Poppy's. I ripped them from Ariel's myspace so all photo credits go to her. There are the typical myspace poses and a few attitude-filled shots. Lola thinks she is as grown as Ariel who will turn sweet sixteen on October 20th. Watch the roads! She already has her permit.

Lola's New Hairstyle

2008-08-13T13:13:00.004-05:00

Lola seems to like her new haircut. Actually, I think she likes not having to whine through combing the detangler through her hair all the time. I wanted to get a great pic that showed the sweet side angle, but she wasn't in the mood to model. These were the best photos I could get.

Fun with Family

2008-08-07T14:14:00.006-05:00

Lola and I just returned from a trip to visit my family in Warner, OK. Randy went with us last Friday and he came back on Sunday. Lola & I stayed to enjoy ourselves a bit longer and yesterday my sister took us to meet him in Seminole. We had lots of fun but as always, our trip was too short. The heat kept us indoors for most of the day. Even at night the pool was so warm that it was nowhere near refreshing.

We did linger out in the heat to supervise as Lola chauffeured her cousin Jaxson around in the Gator that Poppy bought for them. She is an amazing little driver. If any of you have ridden with Randy, you know she gets that from me! Dustin was watering the tomatoes and Lola & Jaxson on the Gator, as well as Nana & I during one of the Gator cruise sessions. Lola kept wiping the water out of Jaxson's face while we marveled over how sweet and nurturing she is toward him. He would then pat her hair and lay his head on her shoulder. All of this happened while she was still turning circles all around the yard.

We had the treat of spending time with Nana & Poppy, Dana, Dustin, Jaxson, MeMe, Aunt Dee, my niece Ariel, Granny Kay, and old friends at Warner First Assembly of God. We saw Poppy's new toy - a beautiful red and chrome 1968 Camaro. I left without a visual to add here but I intend to get a photo on my next trip.

One of my favorite moments happened when Dad was catalog shopping for his new toy. He is in a car club and will be showing the Camaro along with his old pickup which I have shown here. I asked him what all he needed to do to the Camaro and he proceeded to answer me about the heat and air. Lola was playing nearby and she interrupted, "Oh, Poppy, I need music in my Gator!" Poppy and I laughed and he told her he would have to trick it out with a transistor radio. I was amazed that she, seemingly oblivious to our conversation, connected Poppy fixing up his car with what he should do for hers. I'm sure she will get her wish.

When we pulled onto our street last night Lola began to cry, "I don't wanna go home! I don't wanna go home! I wanna go right back! I wanna see Dana! I want Jaxson! Go to Nana's! -etc., etc., etc." It was quite annoying and very sad. Randy recalled the same feelings when he would leave his grandparents. Since Randy wanted to catch Iron Man at the cinema I have previously mentioned, we compromised by taking her to the movie instead of back to Warner. By the time we did make it home, Randy was pretty miffed since he missed 20 of the last 30 minutes of the movie due to Lola needing a very long potty break. And he had been so ready for us to come home!!!

Hopefully, this weekend we will get to see MiMi & ProPro's new house. We are praying for cooler weather for the move. We're excited to see their new digs and celebrate this new phase of their lives. We are also hoping to spend time with our good friend Raelynn who is in Oklahoma for the funeral of her grandfather. We love Rae Rae! She is family and we want to show her our love and sympathy. She's lived with us a couple of times and we have missed her since she decided to live in the uber-cool land of Boulder, Colorado, with our other uber-cool friends. We visited there in May and have declared it our new home away from home.

Oh, yeah! Lola got her hair cut... OFF! It's cute but I've had quite a bit of remorse. I'll post a pic soon. Love to you all!

Living in the City

2008-07-29T22:52:00.004-05:00

Have I mentioned that we love living in Oklahoma City? We enjoy having so many fun things to do and because of the market, we can find inexpensive ways to do the things we love. For instance, Monday night has become our Fajita Bowling Night. A large group of friends usually joins us at our fave Mexican restaurant for the Fajita Special - $15.99 for double fajitas regularly $23.99. Casa Perico at NW 122nd & Penn is fabulous. It certainly blows Ted's Escondido out of the water. The handmade tortillas, fresh salsa, relish, guacamole, sopapillas and other yummies only add to the fact that Casa Perico definitely makes the best chicken fajitas we've had in OKC. (If you're going for steak, I still have to give props to El Chico which has a lovely steak marinade and uses a more tender cut of beef.) After we fill ourselves on our favorite cuisine, we head over for three hours of all-you-can-bowl for $8 at Heritage Lanes which is virtually next door. You would think that we would be pretty good bowlers by now, but we're still working on our skills.

Last night, as we were winding down we threw up bumpers on a lane and let Lola bowl for the first time. She had such a blast and squealed with excitement. As we left she said, "I'm so excited! I went bowling with an orange ball." We laughed that the color of the ball was important. Orange was the second color she learned. Pink being the first and for quite some time the ONLY color that existed. Randy actually started researching color blindness because he was worried. My assumption is that she is foremost girl and then an Oklahoma State fan. I'm certain this makes her bona fide cowgirl. And we must not forget her love of horses. Another interesting note in accordance with our bowling tradition... a few days ago Lola & I passed the bowling alley and she proclaimed, "That's where I go bowling!" I replied, "Me, too!" and marveled how she recognizes things when we are driving.

Another frequent feature of our life in the city is the cinema at Northpark Mall. Lola has recently proven to be a fun and well-behaved companion at the movies. She loves the popcorn! This particular cinema is our favorite because the tickets are only $1.75 and on Tuesday nights they are only 50 cents!!! Tonight we saw The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Of course, Lola did fall asleep for part of the movie tonight but last week we saw Speed Racer and Made of Honor. The movies are of course late in their running and we have taken to the habit of waiting for movies to make it to Northpark Mall to catch them. But I finally get to go to the cinema again and for cheap!!

Cheering for the YardDawgz

2008-07-27T14:22:00.008-05:00

Last night we went to our first OKC YardDawgz game with Eric & Erin and our friend Nickie. If you aren't familiar, the YardDawgz are an arena football team. We had so much fun. We love football and while this is definitely different than regular football, it certainly captures most of what we love about the sport. The announcer was entertaining and the music and video clips were fun for dancing and laughs. Lola got her groove on with the tunes and she loved the cheerleaders. As usual, she experienced her love/hate relationship with mascots. There were several Dawgz running about and she always wanted to know where they were and showed excitement to see them, until they got close. A couple of Dawgz made it close to us and she climbed over four laps to get away from one of them - even though he was still about four rows away. The OKC YardDawgz played the Amarillo Dusters and OKC won in sudden death overtime. It was a rush of excitement and we are thinking about getting season tickets next year.

Today I'm getting ready for our gathering. Each Sunday evening, we gather with friends to break bread, celebrate Jesus, share the Word, worship and pray. This summer we've been enjoying what we call Open Grill. Everyone brings something to throw on the grill and a side or dessert to share. We always have yummy food and a good time.

My Castle

2008-07-26T12:51:00.004-05:00

Lola & Randy were looking through pics on my computer this morning. I saved this picture from somewhere online a while back because it reminded me of my dream estate. I've always said I wanted a big beautiful house with a driveway lined by trees that ended in a circle around a fountain, and peacocks running all around. I can just see my mom rolling her eyes right now.

When this pic scrolled on the screen Lola asked, "What's that?" Randy said, "That's the house your mommy wants."

"I want it. That's my house," Lola exclaimed.

Randy asked, "You want a house with formal gardens and peacocks, too? Well, either you or mommy need to get famous and make us lots of money so we can build that house."

"That's not a house, that's a castle. That's MY castle!" declared Lola.

I guess she knows the difference between our humble house and this somewhat castle-like dwelling.

Laughs with Lola

2008-07-25T23:50:00.003-05:00

I promise I'll get into a better groove with this blog. We've had a very busy couple of weeks. I'll try to chronicle them over the next few days instead of creating one huge post that will lose you to boredom. I wanted to tell you about a couple laughs Lola has given us lately. Right now she is sitting next to me with Randy 'in her lap' rocking him, patting him on the back, and singing him a lovely tune. I'm finding it a bit hard to concentrate on this post. But here are the Lola giggles I promised:

-A couple of days ago, I hung up the phone in frustration after dropping the call three times. We've had no house phone for over a week due to Randy's changing of our phone service. Hopefully, we'll have the adapter for our phones very soon; but I digress. Anyhow, Lola is in the habit of asking "What happened?" every time she thinks she's missed something important. I answered her by saying, "Mommy's mad at daddy, but it's ok." Her reply? "No, mommy, don't. Daddy's a good girl!" After I stopped laughing I reassured her that I would forgive him. When Randy came home, I told him this story while she stood by. At the end she said, "That was funny!" Randy may be hoping for an Olympic medalist but he may end up with a comedian.

- Just a few minutes ago, Lola was pretending to put makeup on Randy as he lay in the floor. I watched her as she mimicked my routines and then proceeded to correct her when she pulled on Randy's eyelids and put her finger in his eye. She then did it to herself and again I told her not to do that because it wasn't safe. She said, "MiMi does it." Since she's in the habit of often saying so-and-so does it when I correct her for something, I replied, "No, she doesn't." Randy then pointed out that MiMi wears contacts. I apologized to Lola and she continued to show us how to insert and remove contacts from your eyes. I guess I'm not the only one she mimics.

We've had a great time with Randy's sister Kaylie the last few days. She came on Tuesday with Grandma Carol (Bradley) & Grandpa Wilmer. They and Randy's brother Eric & his lovely girlfriend Erin joined us for a birthday celebration. Randy, Eric and Wilmer all have July birthdays. We took Kaylie home today (Friday) and Lola has already asked for her several times. Kaylie is getting ready to start OSU this fall but I selfishly wish she were going to school here in the metro. She is wonderful with Lola and fun to be around. You can see how much Lola loves her...

Catching Up

2008-07-10T00:09:00.003-05:00

I wish we had started this blog long, long ago. I've not been very good about journaling Lola's life or her milestones. However, this blog will probably be about all of our lives together; and you'll guest star at times, since you are such an important part of who we are. We'll be sure to throw in pics & video to liven it up a bit.

I've already been thinking about all the things I want to jot down from just the last two weeks. Lola says the funniest things. She is quite clever and sometimes suprises us with her wit and expanding vocabulary. Here are a few things that have amused us lately.

- Lola recently discovered that her tummy growls. A few weeks ago, she came running to me saying, "Mommy, my tummy said Rawwrrr!" Although, I'm sure she is quite in touch with her hunger pains. We have an open pantry and she is constantly discovering her next snack. Several days later and soon after waking, Lola asked, "Mommy, are you hungry in your belly?" I can't recall how I replied but then I asked her if she was hungry in her belly. She said, "No! I watch Bugs first." She usually watches her favorite show while I prepare her breakfast. I think in her own way she was telling me to get on with the routine.

- Lola recently spent a week with her Nana & Poppy, Aunt Dana, and her Aunt Dee Dee. She would barely say hello to us on the phone and when asked she never wanted to come home. On her last day I called before we were to meet she and Aunt Dee. She didn't want to talk to me. When asked if she wanted to see Mom & Dad, she said no twice. Finally, I had Dee ask her if she wanted to see her MiMi & Pro Pro to which she exclaimed, "Yeah!" Then she grabbed the phone and said to me, "But Mommy, I come right back!" and promptly handed the phone back to Dee.

~About a week ago we took Lola to the dancing fountains in Bricktown. She was in heaven; like her mother she is a water rat. Also like her mom, she is fascinated with horses. She would run around the fountains and as soon as she saw a horse-drawn carriage pass by, she would run to the railing and cry out to the "horsies". I guess a carriage ride is in our future. Our time at the fountains was pretty entertaining - live music, dancing water, horses, a lightning show off in the distance, and the hustle and bustle of Bricktown on a Saturday night. However, Lola was the most entertaining attraction. She kept sipping from the fountains and as one dipped lower to the ground, I saw her bend farther and farther over till she was almost sucking the ground dry. I laughed hysterically as she chased that fountain to the ground. In between her antics, she kept saving me from imaginary spiders on the rock where I was sitting. I had swiped a spider off her chair at MiMi's earlier that day and I suppose she wanted to return the heroic gesture. Our favorite moment happened when she sat on a fountain and jumped up exclaiming, "Oh gosh, there are bubbles in my butt!"

- When asked how old she is, Lola always answers four. Not because that is the only number she knows; she actually knows she is two. However, she has an agenda. A while back she asked Randy about his tattoo and said she wanted one. Randy told her she could choose to have one when she was older. Her reply... "When I'm four?" Randy said maybe and ever since then her answer is four.

Isn't she adorable?