Just for Fun

When I woke up Christmas morning, I found that Santa left this next to my stocking (it wouldn't fit in it):

How fun is that?  It is my favorite colors (pink and silver) and it is a major distraction.  I love it!  I thought about taking it to school but I figured I better leave the fun at home for me and my family than giving the kids something else to watch instead of their work.  I've always wanted one, and it's fun to be a kid again for a little bit.  Thanks Santa!

So Long, Old Gal

After twelve glorious years of laughter, kisses, fetch, bubbles, walks, and trips, our dear Daisy has passed on.  For the past year she has had an injury in her back, causing her to have difficulties walking.  She was still sweet as ever, but she walked a little sideways.  Within the past week, we noticed she was having a hard time breathing, so we took her to the vet.  She was in bad shape.  We took her home to love on her for a little while longer, but we realized it was time.  She left us on the way back to the vet, with love surrounding her.  Even though she was a dog, she was our first child.  We loved her very much!  As sad as it is, we have so many fun memories of our girl.  Daisy, you'll be missed.

This was the day we got her.

They loved looking out the window!

An Old Friend

For many years I had the Pooh calendar in my kitchen. It has been keeping the days, seasons, and holidays for us since we lived in Mustang eons ago. When we moved to Woodward, I didn't want it up anymore and I was going to sell it. A year has passed, and it was still sitting in the box in the garage. Sunday morning while I was in the shower (some of my best ideas happen there!) I realized that I missed my calendar. So I put it up in the kitchen yesterday, as it always has been. Why, are you asking, does this deserve a blog post? Well, because of the enormous feeling that came over me as I was putting in the tiles and stepping back to look at it. I felt like I was home. Moving into a new house in a new town has been a big deal, especially since I lived in Moore most of my life. I didn't realize how unsettled I still felt until I put up that calendar. I guess it is one more step in being comfortable where we are. Home is where the heart is, or in this case, the Pooh calendar!


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Ramona and Beezus

The girls and I went to see this movie tonight.  It was a wonderful movie!  It is based, of course, on Beverly Cleary's classic books.  It was good clean fun.  Even the girls noticed and commented that the kids weren't mean to each other.  (That just shows how things have changed, but that's another topic entirely) I have to admit that I didn't read all of the books when I was a girl, but I think we will be buying a set for the house.

Our Furry Obsession

Oh How The Years Go By...

Anna has grown up so much.  She is amazing!  

Leonardo's

A little known fact about the girls and I is that during the summer we become hermits.  We stay at home, hang out, and have very little contact with friends and family.  I really don't know why, but we do.  I guess we get so wrapped up in what we are doing the summer just slips by.  Well, last night, my dear sister in law, Shannon, called and said, "Let's get together tomorrow!"  And so we did.  We met about halfway for each of us in Enid.  A dear friend told me about Leonardo's, a children's museum in Enid, so we checked it out.  We had so much fun!  Stan, Shannon, and I laughed just as much as the kids did.  It was a great day with wonderful family.  Here are some pics and video:

The video is of me by the anti-gravity mirror.  The adults laughed so hard I think the kids thought we were crazy!!

A Special Friend

At the beginning of this month, a very dear friend accomplished something huge.  Natalie, a close friend from college, graduated from medical school in Houston.  I am so proud of what she has accomplished.  It amazes me every time I think about it.  After a difficult pregnancy eight years ago, she decided to become a doctor who specializes in high risk pregnancies and deliveries.  So began her journey into medicine.  While she was in medical school, she had two beautiful sons!  So besides being a wife and a mother of four, Natalie became a doctor.  We were blessed to be able to be there to see her graduate and begin the next chapter.  She is now doing her residency and will go on to a fellowship to achieve her goal.  I hope that we can see more of them and be of help in any way we can.

  While we were there, we got to experience a little bit of the coast.  The University of Texas Medical Branch is on the island of Galveston, so the girls got to see the ocean for the first time.  We ate fresh seafood at a restaurant on the coast and played at the ocean for an afternoon.  We had a great time catching up and visiting with dear friends we don't see nearly enough.  The girls loved playing with the kids and finding seashells in the sand.  We all liked being in the water, getting ready for waves to wash over us.  I was amazed how far we could walk out and it was still shallow.  We fed the seagulls, and at one point had a curtain of them, waiting for a morsel. Way to go, Nat!  We love you!

Summer is Here!

After a quick but long school year (yes, these two things can happen at the same time--it went by fast but felt very long) summer vacation has finally arrived.  The girls were done on Tuesday, but I finally got all of my stuff done by Friday morning, so it still felt like school for the rest of the week.  Now that I'm sitting here on Saturday night, I keep thinking, "OK.  Tomorrow I need to clean and do laundry so we have clothes for the school week..."  WAIT!!  I don't have to do that!  Woohoo!  Days of staying home, playing with the girls, working on the house,swinging on the back porch, getting ready for next year and, the most important of all, sleeping in, have begun.  I love the anticipation of it and the feeling of having to remind myself that I don't have to rush.  I love the slower pace of summer.  It's so good!  I look forward to staying home and being with my family.

Ahhh...Summer.

Vera Bradley

As most of you know, I am a purse fiend.  I love them, always have, and probably always will.  I really don't go for expensive purses, but something cute and fun.  A couple years ago I picked out a pair of frames that had a Vera Bradley design on them.  Now I am enamored with her products!  I bought a purse around the beginning of the year, and it makes me smile every time I see it!  At the same time I purchased a lanyard and a little wallet and I love them both.  Then I caught a sale!  I got a hipster for a fraction of the cost.  I really like her things and I hope I don't get too addicted to the bright colors, quilty softness, and the overall fun of it all...oh wait!  Too late.

But you know what I like almost more than her purses and stuff is the presentation of the packaging.  I get a normal brown box in the mail.  When I open it, I see this white box with Vera Bradley's name emblazoned on the top.  It's a sturdy box too--not something flimsy that can get messed up in shipping.  Then I open it to find tissue paper, neatly wrapped around my purchase with a sticker on it to keep it in place.  Presentation of anything, whether it good or bad, can make anything so much better! 

When I check out the invoice, it is in a sleeve and on the back it says:

They won't even let you take care of business first.  How fun is that??

Our Backyard

Since we bought our new house, it has been an ongoing surprise.  When we moved in, everything inside and out was worn out, filthy, overgrown, or broken.  We have spent lots of time cleaning, trimming, fixing, and painting (of which I'm still not done).  It needs lots of love, and we are slowly giving it.  Our backyard is no exception.

The girls love the backyard.  It is big and has lots of potential for greatness.  It also has LOTS of plants in it!  I am sure that when the previous owners were taking care of it, it was beautiful.  We find traces and hints of what used to be flower beds, planters, and rabbit huts.  The girls have found many things in the yard itself, some of it kinda scary.  I'm glad that my girls are responsible and careful.  They come and show us everything they find.  Lauren is a little scavenger!  We are very careful when we go into the overgrown parts of the yard.

One of the good things about the backyard (and the front too) is that it holds surprises.  Nothing was blooming when we got here because it was so overgrown.  I have been trimming things on beautiful days and trying to get things cleaned up.  This has brought treasures!  We found three rose bushes, two patches of irises (they are beautiful!), a cactus (the hard way--I stepped on it), and this morning I realized that two of the bushes (both of which I was going to tear out) are honeysuckle.  I LOVE honeysuckle!!  My parents had it in our backyard in Moore, and that is one of my favorite childhood memories.  Opening the windows on a spring day and the smell of honeysuckle floating in...Divine!!  Needless to say, I won't be taking those bushes out. I wonder what else I am going to find.

Motherly Love

I am blessed to have many "Moms" in my life.  There is my sweet Momma that taught me everything she could with grace and love.  When she left us, I had three more Moms to take her place--my Mother in law, Pat, and my Mom's best friends, Paulette and Margo.  I know that it is a little late, but these lovely ladies deserve a shout out and how wonderful they are for Mother's day.  I wouldn't be who I am today without them, and they have given me so much in their own special ways.  I love you all!

Mom and I

Allen's Mom

Margo and Paulette 

Ol' Candace

Here is my sis, Candi.  I love this picture!  I picked her up for Easter, and, of course, she wanted to bring her hat.  My sister is quite the young lady.  She loves life.  It is rare when she is unhappy and is very funny.  She always cracks me up!  She calls me sweetheart and honey, and she has her own  vocabulary.  Here are some Candi "isms":



Hockay=okay
Pine=fine
Yummies=chips
Hom=ham
Olls=rolls
It's a box!=any present she gets
Cack=cake
Fra=bra (one of my faves--
I fell over the first time she said it!)
--as you can see, food is important!--

Some phrases she always says are:
"Good to see you back"  "Where ya been?" and "It's OK" (this is no in Candace speak)

She is way too cute.  I love her very much.  I am blessed to have her in my life to teach me simplicity, appreciation, and sheer unconditional love.

Complaining is not an option!!

OK.  I must admit today was not one of my better days.  My class was great, but other things contributed to it.  I feel like I've become a complainer.  I very much dislike complainers!  Don't get me wrong--there is a vast difference between venting to a friend and just complaining.  Venting is A-OK when you have a friend you can completely trust (and you know who you are, thanks girls!), but when you complain about stuff to more than one person, that is not cool.  I might have done that a smidge today.  I am really feeling bad about it.  But--I've made amends with myself, asked forgiveness, and made a vow--

NO MORE COMPLAINING!!

Now I've said my peace, go back to what you were doing.  Thank you.

Anna loves her pink basketball!

Since our house has a driveway that is big and flat (not like the Moore house), Anna has been throwing a little basketball up onto the roof over the garage for a goal.  The other day we went to check out how much a goal would be to put up.  We didn't get it right away, but we bought Ann a pink basketball.  She has played with it so much!  Allen decided to surprise her yesterday with a goal.  When he came home they put it together and played.  They had a great time.  Anna loves to play!

Strawberries

Lauren LOVES strawberries.  She always has.  She has eaten a whole carton before for a meal.  Her favorite way to eat them is dunked in a little bit of sugar, but she will eat them any way she can.  She begs for them every time we go to the store. Well, I brought some home today--they were a dollar fifty for a whole container, and they were huge strawberries!!  I couldn't pass it up.  Anyway,  I think since they were so big, they felt like they had a little fuzz on them when you bit in, kinda like a peach.  After her second strawberry, Lauren walks up to me and says, "Mom, what's up with the fuzz on the strawberries? They tickle my lip."  It was very funny.  I don't think she has ever said "what's up with..." before.  To hear her sweet voice was just precious.  We were cracking up.

Read Harry Potter

There's nothing like reading the book before seeing the movie--NOT the other way around!
This is Scholastic's new commercial to introduce new generations to the books.

Spring Break

Yes, it is that glorious week of staying at home, sleeping in, and playing--getting a taste of what summer will be like.  It will soon be upon us!  I realized Friday that it has been a year since Woodward entered our lives.  The girls and I came up over Spring Break last year to check it out and see if Woodward would be a good fit.  After visiting almost everything free to do in town, we decided that it was, and here we are!  How fast it goes.

This year we have had fun.  Monday the girls and I stayed home and tried to clean (a never ending battle), Yesterday and this morning and afternoon we spent in Moore, visiting family and shopping!  Plus, we had a complete girly slumber party at the hotel.  We checked in, got our suits on and swam for an hour and a half.  That was lots of fun.  Then we went back to our room, got our jammies on and piled into a big king-sized bed, watching TV until after midnight.  How fun is that?  Then we got up and shopped.  It was fun, but two things reminded me of home:  Allen, who had to work, we missed him; and there is NEVER that kind of traffic in Woodward!!  I was reminded of one of the reasons why I wanted to move: too much concrete.  For the rest of the week we are staying close to home and hanging out.  Recharging the batteries is a must.

 Happy Spring Break!!

Curling

I love watching the Winter Olympics.  Figure skating, speed skating, skiing, and my new favorite, curling.  I love it!  It's like a mix of bowling, marbles, and ice dancing all rolled into one.  But, if you don't know the rules it's a little confusing.  I just figured out how it all works tonight, then Allen sends me this delightful graphic.  Thanks to Ciaran Hughes and the Times of London for posting this up:

Now we all know.

Saturday Togetherness

I love my family.  Most of the time we always have something to do--school, work, chores, paperwork, church.  We do these things together for the most part, but it doesn't compare with being together just to enjoy being together.  Last night and today has been one of these times.  After school, we got home and just hung out--exploring the backyard (which is always an adventure), then going to eat out.  It was one of those places that you pile in a little booth and you're so close to each other it makes it easy to laugh and talk.  Then today we stayed home and played.  Dolls, houses, the keyboard, dancing, you name it the girls did it.  It was cold, wet, and foggy outside--perfect weather for being together.

Playing Barbies

When I was a kid, my sisters, friends, and I played with Barbies.  We would make these elaborate houses and cities out of our rooms and spend hours upon hours playing.  Quite a few summers were spent dressing up Barbies.  As we got older, of course, the Barbies were put on the shelf, but the memories of those days lives on. Now that we have our own little girls, the Barbie rage has begun again!  My niece, Joscelyn, found a little dress in with our bag of My Little Pony toys and wanted to know what it went to.  Ali told her it went to the Barbie baby.  Well, she had to ask Aunt Shell for it, and Aunt Shell came through! The girls and I went up this weekend and took the Barbie bag with us to find the baby.  What fun we had!  We found the Barbies, our favorite outfits, things we didn't remember (we decided they were Candi's), and the Barbie baby.  Joscelyn loved playing with her Mama's first Barbie doll.  She dressed it, made her dance, and even gave her a smooch from Ken!  Playing Barbies NEVER goes out of style.

Rugged Terrain

I have been always amazed by western Oklahoma's terrain.  It is scant, with lots of grasses and an occasional evergreen here and there.  Up until we moved to Woodward I thought it was mostly flat.  I was wrong!  I knew about the Quartz mountains down by Hobart and Altus, but I didn't know that there is quite an amount of plateaus and mountains (Oklahoma style) in northwestern Oklahoma.  It is absolutely beautiful!  It is hilly, and when you are driving you don't expect it.  You crest a hill and Bam!  A view.  The way to my sister's house in Kansas has a view like this, whichever way I go (and there is a few ways).  It takes my breath away.

Lawter Road

This link is to a video that our friend Chess put together.  He is one of the most talented people I know.  The song is called Lawter Road--a road in Weatherford that has lots of happy memories--hanging out, having fun, growing up.  Enjoy!

The Black Streak

Hello!  It's me, Hagrid.  I haven't taken over the computer yet, so I thought it was my turn!  I am the newest member of the house and I belong to Lauren, even though I love them all.  I like being a black dog.  In our new house,  the carpet is dark.  It is my hiding place!  I know I can get somewhere to chew on socks by myself if I go where there's not too many lights on.  I love it.  The people call me black streak because I come out of nowhere running...and I am fast too!

I have to tell you about my adventure today.  Well, first I have to tell you I experienced snow this past week--lots of it!  I could barely walk out there.  Now I couldn't hide very well out there.  I stuck out and everyone could see me in the white snow!  Anyway, that snow stuff was really cold.  I didn't like it very much.  I'd rather be curled up with my girl inside all cozy.

Back to my adventure.  I found a spot in the fence that was a little bigger.  I dug a little underneath it and whoopee!  I was free!!  I ran all over the neighborhood before I got caught.  I talked to the phone guy, some kids, and ran thru the park by some little houses all stacked up (I think they were called apartments).  The big tall person that usually holds me and loves me found me.  He was not very happy!!  Then we had to ride in that moving thing to get home.  I don't like that very much, then my Lauren put me in time out!!  After all that freedom it wasn't very fun.  BUT--my people still love me.  They hugged me and cuddled me and even gave me a treat later.  I guess that's what being a family is.

Shoelaces!!

For those of you who don't know (and most of you do), I taught preschool for a great many years.  One thing that is SO difficult for a kiddo to learn is to tie their shoes!!  If I had a nickel for every shoe that I have tied, I would be retiring about now. 

Now that I'm teaching grade school, this dilemma has not left me!!  I have 1st, 2nd, and 4th graders still coming up and saying, "Mrs. Law, will you please tie my shoes?"  In fact, we filled out a wish list today and I put a lacing board on there so I can teach these kids how to tie.

Then my dear husband sends me this link, on the same day, mind you, on how to tie a better shoelace.  I am soo excited to try this with my girls and my students.  It is the same kind of knot we all use to tie our shoes, you just follow different steps.  It's called 'Ian's knot' and I would want to claim it too.  Ian has an entire website dedicated to shoelaces.  You gotta love it!  Here's the link:

http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/ianknot.htm

A Snapshot of 2009

Again, here it is, the new year.  It's 2010.  Where did the time go?  A year ago we were contemplating Allen taking a 3 month long-term relief position in Woodward.  Five years ago, we were playing hard with a four year old and a one year old.  Ten years ago I was hugely pregnant, waiting for our little Annababy to arrive.  Now, we have a double digit birthday to celebrate in a few days, an artistic six year old, and a new town to get acquainted with.  Here are the highlights of 2009:

In January, Anna turned nine years old.  How big she is!!

We had a huge ice storm that broke our tree almost in half and kept us home for at least three days;

In February Allen had surgery on his thumb from his gokart fender-bender.

The girls had the best time decorating his cast!

In March, Anna finished another season of Volleyball, the best ever!

Joscelyn came to visit for the weekend, having a wonderful time with her cousins.

In April, we celebrated the Resurrection of our Savior in complete St. John's style:

Easter Sunrise service, breakfast, and the annual balloon launch, even in the rain!

In May, Lauren turned six!  Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

For her birthday, we welcomed our newest member of the family, Hagrid.  Just what she wanted.

We made a trip to Woodward to look for houses, and we found our new home.

 In June, Anna and Lauren spent a week with Uncle Leon and Aunt Stacy--they did tons of fun things, including fishing!

In July, we had our last July 4th celebration in the backyard, went to the dinosaur museum with the Princess Posse, and spent the weekend with Candi, Ali, and Joscelyn.

In August, we moved!  I got a job at the girls' school, and life in Woodward began.

September held getting used to a new school, orange closets, and bikes- since we have a great neighborhood to ride in!

In October we sold the Moore house, were visited by a witch and Supergirl, and I managed to get all four dogs in one picture.

November held fall leaves, tree trimming, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving with the Huggan's and Candace.

December brought crazy cold wind, a lost tooth, a little snow, and Christmas!

We all hope that your 2009 was as blessed as ours.  May your new year bring all the happiness and best wishes!  With love from Michelle, Allen, Anna, Lauren, and Candi