Jack the deal maker

These last two weeks have been very busy. A quick trip to Houston, Thanksgiving in Winters, and my dad's birthday this weekend in Granbury. I am also trying to write a paper for my class, but instead, I closed the window and decided to blog! (I am the ultimate procrastinator)! Jackson has done/said some hilarious things. It is so hard to hear your tones, phrases and words sneak up on you via your three year old. When we arrived at Winters, Jack got a little ignored initially. What did he do? Sneak out of the house and go to a tractor at least 50 yards away. I freaked when I realized he wasn't in the house, we all did! I ran around like a chiken with my head cut off, and Mike intelligently used his sense of deduction and realized that the gat was open, and that Jack had probably taken that path. He found him, thankfully, and Jack did not go outside without parental accompaniment anymore. Don't step on the cow poop was his favorite phrase to mutter while walking in the pastures. Molly was also surprised at the loudness of a cows moo, and she told us later, Cow was loud! She also has begun dropping things on purpose, then asking Mike and I "What happened?" This is hilarious, as she obviously knows what happened, and she always has an impish look on her face. The funniest thing lately is Jack's ability to "make a deal". Evidently we say this and don't know it? When faced with an unappealing option, he'll say, "let's make a deal", followed by a horrible option for us and a great one for him, and then he'll say, "does that sound good?" He also asks for five more minutes constantly, and has become aware of clocks. He goes to whatever clock is available and says, okay, when that says five, then I go! Today, though, was over the top. I started to leave him upstairs to begin lunch, and he said, "Hey, where are you going, old lady?" Excuse me? old lady? That was a low blow, but it made me laugh so hard! Not to long ago, while standing high above me on the playground equipment, he told me "you are too small to tell me what to do." That earned him a moment in time out. Still, three year olds, where do they get this? And, I have a feeling I'll be hearing these refutations for a long, long time!

A Psalm of Thanksgiving

for a long time, God has put this Psalm on my heart.

A Psalm of Thanksgiving

Watching my children sleep peacefully
I know I have surely been blessed
By the Maker of the World.

My heart is a well of pure spring water
filled by the Lord God
And, there, my family drinks.

My life has been touched by God's hand.
Blessings flow down from heaven
Like sunshine penetrating the
Bright white clouds.

My daugther's sweet creamy skin that's so soft to touch
Creates a smile on my face.
I am joyful imagining God knitting her
Together less than two years ago.

My son's songs are more beautiful
Than a harp. I hope they rise up to heaven
And permeate God's throne
With the Thanks and honor he richly deserves.

God's hand is on me.
He has made my heart his dwelling place.
In the corners of my soul that
No one else sees, I invite him to live,
So that he may hear the reverberations of my heart as they
Beat a Song of Thanksgiving and joy.

Nothing on earth has prepared me for
The gifts of the soul God has bestowed upon me.
In my gratitude, I enter his kingdom and
Fall down in worship and praise.

With every rise and fall of their chests underneath covers,
I praise God for my family.
This gift is as extravagant a gift as the world's treasure troves hold.
Not all the diamonds in Africa or the pearls of the worlds oceans
Compare to the love the Lord has shown me through my family.
My gratitude and praise are eternal.

Catch Up Pics and this weekend

Here are some fun pics that I've had on my camera.
At Mike's work, he got a smoked turkey as a happy thanksgiving bonus. That is what the box that the kids are in is from.
We went to Houston for a wedding this weekend, but I have no pictures of my own, because between carrying around all the stuff for two kids and myself, who could throw a camera in or have energy to even take pics! But, it was beautiful and now we have two drs. in the family. Dr. Raymond and Elizabeth Eich. (both have their Ph.D.s from Rice University in microcellbiology.) Congratulations to Raymond and Liz. Their wedding was so thoughtful and amazing. They even had toys at our table for Jackson and Molly. For two people who don't have children, I thought it was amazingly thoughtful. Their thoughtfulness did not end there, though. They had gambling that benefitted Raymond's father, as well as a brunch for everyone today. Amazing. I left that to other family.
It was a great time!

 

The Unit and Scott Foley

The Unit is by far my favorite show, and I don't even consider it a guilty pleasure. My favorite thing to do after we get the kids in bed on Tuesday nights is watch it on our DVR (Oh DVR, what did we do before you came into our lives!). One of the reasons I love the show is the exciting, compelling story lines. I love the idea of a secret unit even more elite than the Army Rangers who will risk their lives to stop the bad guys for winning. Now, I realize that all in this world is not black and white, but this romatic notion makes me love this show. The characters are really well fleshed out, and most of the members of the unit have families who are also detailed in each episode. But, especially, I think Scott Foley is a great actor (not bad looking, either...but I digress). He is so talented, and I know this is pathetic, but after each episode, I think Jennifer Garner is a fool for leaving him. He is clearly a rising star, and again, I am aware of how pathetic it is to comment on tv and movie stars personal lives, but every time I see the show, I just think that she is crazy for letting their marriage fall apart. (Of course, after watching the show, I am now considering maybe it wasn't she who was responsible for the separation...again, speculating on their marriages is really inane and pedestrian...I should be writing my first few pages of my paper...)I know she is married to Ben Affleck now with a beautiful baby daugther, and just based on our lives, I should way identify more with her, but I don't. Scott Foley is great, as are the other actors, and I hope he gets to ride this success into some challenging, deep and academy awarded and critically acclaimed successes.

Thirteen Random Numbers

1. 63 number of points my cholesterol has dropped since I began taking Lipitor. 0 number of points it dropped when I tried diet and exercise. I still have to up my dose to try to reduce it more. it was 278! Now it is 215. It needs to be under 200.
2. 15 number of hours I will have towards an MA in English after this semester (if I get credit for this class).
3. 2 number of children I have, Jack and Molly
4. 10 number of years I will have been married to my best friend this January 4th.
5. 11 number of pounds I have lost since last March.
6. 100 (at least) number of times I have wished for a part time job, providing Jackson and Molly would go willingly and happily into an excellent Montessori school while I worked at something English/language arts related. 100 (at least) times I have thanked God for the opportunity to stay home with my kids. (I know, it sounds a little contradictory. I must allow myself the chance to be contradictory!)
7. 1 number of times I went to the beach last year :(
8. 7 number of years I spent teaching in public education.
9. 1 number of siblings I have; 2 if you count an excellent, sweet sister in law.
10. 2 number of times I cried today because Molly was crying nonstop and yelling at me all day!
11. 2 number of times I cracked up laughing at something the kids did: When I asked Jackson what made him so sweet, he said, I don't know, but I am a sweet boy. Now buy me a truck. When Molly was crying, I looked back and she was actually laughing at me at the same time. (Referring to number 6, at least we know where she gets her contradictory nature!)
12. 32 inch waist: according to Oprah, the size that your waist should be. (I am a bit off of this target!)
13. 1 number of saviors it took to ensure I get to go to heaven; a happy, happy thought!

Halloween pictures!

Here are our Halloween pictures. Jackson was racing car from the movie cars, and Molly was a pretty kitty. I forgot to put whiskers on her until later. Halloween was fun!

I had one more fo Emaline and Molly, but blogger deleted it. I'll have to try again later. This is Parker and Jack. It is so fun that they live right down the street!