Three Boys n Me

Mexico Spring Break

2010-03-23T08:53:00.008-05:00

After having such a cold and wet winter we decided some much needed sun was exactly what we needed. We packed our bags and Carey's crutches and headed south of the border to Cozumel. We spent the first two days with our rear ends parked right outside our villa on the beach. We snorkeled, played in the water and of course tanned our white bodies! In my case blistered my white body. The water was so blue and clear. The fish came right up to us when we snorkeled which I found quite scary! Parker has absolutely no fear of the water, fish, lobsters or anything else associated with the ocean. It's so ironic how I can have a fear of the water and he has absolutely none. The third day we manged to pull ourselves away from the water and did a submarine tour. The sub went to depths of 122ft! Incredible! For someone like me who has never seen the bottom of the ocean floor this was a great experience. The reefs, sea life, plants... everything was such a site. It's like a whole different world under the sea. Although we pulled ourselves away for a short grocery run and tour the beach and sun called us back to see it's beautiful sunset. No words can describe how beautiful the rays look across the ocean water as the sun begins to set. The colors are like none other I have ever seen. The fourth day we spent the morning on the beach and then we decided to tour the bare side of the island. This side is none for it's strong current so no hotels or resorts are located on this side. Actually other than just a few road side vendors there's nothing at ALL on this side of the island. Natures beauty was awesome but again the force of the waves seemed a little scary to me. Mexico is beautiful and has everything that a family stuck in Oklahoma during one of the coldest, wettest winters ever recorded could want. With exception of the hassle of customs... UGH!

Gone to SD and Cade's broke nose

2010-03-02T16:16:00.004-06:00

The saying goes when it rains it pours. That saying is really bringing meaning to my household this last month. First Carey got hurt at regionals and found out he needed surgery. Foot surgery scheduled for Wed Feb 24th and guess who gets sick... I mean really sick like H1N1... yup, me! I threw up so many times my abs hurt. My parents came up be with Carey while he had surgery because I couldn't quit throwing up long enough to go although I did drive the 3 or 4 miles with a throw up bowl in tote to drop him off. My girls weekend planned weeks in advance before injured foot and H1N1 nearly taking my life was planned for none other than the weekend after Carey's surgery. With the go ahead from Carey to board the airplane in spite of his recent surgery and my interpretation of Lisa Nowak's diaper wearing days (not the plot to kill) I boarded the plane with my Imodium AD and pepto tablets. Despite not eating for 2 straight days and jet lag I was having a good time with my girls. Saturday I get a phone call from Carey telling me he was taking Cade to the ER because he had been hurt at baseball practice... another boys accidentally hit him with a bat IN HIS NOSE! All I could think about is how far I was away from my poor baby and Carey was on crutches AND he was bleeding AND he needed his momma AND his momma needed her baby! After calming down (and two Margaretta's) Carey called back and said Cade's nose was broke but he was ok. PHEW! All the crazy thoughts that go through a momma head. Thankfully this scared momma was catching a very early flight the next morning to come home to see her baby who by the way missed his crazy momma very much.

So proud of my boys!

2010-02-17T19:16:00.004-06:00

Our regional wrestling tournament brought both good news and bad news. Good news is both boys placed at our regional wrestling tournament last weekend. Bad news is during clean up Carey hurt his foot and is going to need surgery. UGH! Good news first...Parker wrestled in the morning session. He won his first two matches, pinning the kid in the second match and then lost his last two. Good enough to get him on the podium for 6th place which qualified him for state. Cade wrestled in the afternoon session. He pinned his first kid then met up with one of the toughest kids of the year. He lost this match but ended up winning two more matches to make it to the podium. So proud of my boys! Now for the bad news... during clean up time Carey was carrying mats outside and putting them on a trailer. He crawled up on the trailer (stacked high with mats) and while pulling the mats he fell off the back and tore a ligament. The joy from the day turned into What The Heck! The next 6 weeks will be spent taking care of 3 boys ... Parker, Cade and Carey.

Christmas, family, good times

2010-01-08T13:04:00.008-06:00

2009 where have you gone?

2009-12-30T18:58:00.011-06:00

In February the boys both placed at novice state. Cade placed in Regionals which qualified him for open state. Qualifiers for state above.

Parker placed 5th at novice state.

Spring time started our first year of travel baseball.

Both boys played and it was a lot of baseball!

Summer time always includes the lake and friends. This years we stayed in our new travel trailer and enjoyed our summer nights at the lake along a campfire.

In June Carey and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary. Our plans changed due to bad weather for a June trip to Jamaica to a July cruise to Jamaica and Grand Caymans. This was our first cruise and we had so much fun. The boys went with us and enjoyed the islands too!

August ended with a quick trip to Vegas with friends. A broken toe acquired while in Sin City which prevented us from hiking the next day but we still made the best out of a pink jeep tour to Red Rock Canyons.

August also starts the beginning of a VERY long football season. I don't know why this picture is so small but it shows Parker playing tight end with one of his first receptions of the year. Way to go Parker!

Of course we can't talk football without mentioning OSU football. We love fall because it begins tailgating and Cowboy football!

And finally we ended our year with a December trip to Breckenridge, Colorado for a ski trip. Stacey and my nephews went too. This was the boys first time to ski and they both agree it's their favorite place we have gone so far.

As I look back at 2009 it makes me look forward to all the possibilities for 2010. I am truly blessed to have such a great friend that I call my husband and two wonderful boys. 2010 will be great whatever we do and where ever we go!

More Breckenridge

2009-12-15T16:00:00.006-06:00

SKI BRECKENRIDGE

2009-12-15T09:13:00.011-06:00

WE WENT TO BRECKENRIDGE FOR A LONG WEEKEND. MY SISTER AND NEPHEWS WENT ALONG AND WE HAD A FABULOUS TIME! BRECKENRIDGE IS A QUAINT, BEAUTIFUL, DECORATED, LIGHT FILLED TOWN. IT IS DEFFINATELY A PLACE WE PLAN TO VISIT AGAIN REAL SOON! THE BOYS LOVED TO SKI AND EVEN MASTERED THE GREENS AND MADE IT TO THE BLUES THE SECOND DAY. THE DOWNTOWN WAS MADE UP OF UNIQUE AND CUTE LITTLE SHOPS PERFECT FOR HOLIDAY SHOPPING. OUR NEWEST BABY, RANGER, STAYED WITH A FRIEND WHILE WE WERE GONE. SHE'S TOO SMART FOR HER OWN GOOD AND DECIDED TO OPEN THE GATE AND RUN OFF TO PLAY MOST OF THE NIGHT. WE WERE WORRIED SICK BUT TO OUR GOOD FORTUNE SHE CAME HOME ABOUT 5:30AM. I MADE A QUICK TRIP TO GET HER THIS MORNING, LISTENED TO HER WHINE ALL THE WAY HOME UNTIL SHE RAN TO THE BEDROOM TO FIND HER DADDY! BOY WAS SHE HAPPY TO SEE HIM AS HE WAS TO SEE HER. NOTICE THEM BOTH SMILING IN THE PICTURE ABOVE. MORE PICTURES OF THE BOYS SKIING COMING SOON!

Haloween with girls?

2009-11-05T15:21:00.003-06:00

I don't know how it happened but the boys picked girl costumes for Halloween. Parker decided to be a cheerleader and Cade, ummm..... Hillary Clinton??? I'm sure Parker decision had something to do with the cute little cheerleaders in his class and his desperate act to get their attention. I'm not sure what was going on with Cade's decision. The other boy is a friend of Parkers. He is a 1920's gangster or pimp. You decide.

We're Country

2009-10-19T14:24:00.011-05:00

The boys love to fish and what better way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon than fishing. Parker has begged to set jug lines for several weeks but our busy life just doesn't slow down enough to allow us to do this very often. Although it makes the time that we do spend together fishing even better. Yesterdays catch = 9 total.

Random Tailgating OSU vs. Mizzou

2009-10-18T16:18:00.006-05:00

Carey and I before the game.

The three Cary's before the game... Carrie, Carey, and Keri

The girls pre game face.

Race for the Cure

2009-10-11T08:06:00.006-05:00

Me and my friends ran in the local Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure. We had tons of fun. I ran in memory of my Grandma and in celebration of my mom.

HAPPY 42ND ANNIVERSARY MOM AND DAD :-)

2009-10-06T09:08:00.003-05:00

It very sad that this is the most recent picture that I can find to post for my parents anniversary. I have pictures of my mom with grand kids and my dad with grand kids but no pictures of just my mom and dad together. So... this one must do. A picture of our family, me, my sisters and my wonderful parents married 42 years today. Oh, and my dog Hershie. Happy anniversary mom and dad. I couldn't have asked God for better parents. We love you!

Lil Man make a tackle... I mean pulls a flag

2009-09-23T10:50:00.003-05:00

Cade played in his first flag football game this past weekend. Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa stood proudly in the rain to watch Cade play this NON CONTRACT sport. Unfortunately Cade has watched his brother play tackle football for years and doesn't quite understand that flag is a non contact sport. Cade pulled several flags and there may have been a slight tackle before he pulled that flag. He also may or may not have made some blocks leading with his shoulder (again it's a non contact sport). All in all, how can a mom not be proud? Well, except when the other boy from the other team cried because of his flag getting pulled (ok... tackle).

KERMITS TWIN BROTHER

2009-09-23T10:42:00.005-05:00

The boys are obsessed with catching huge frogs. They intentionally try to catch them on their pole at the pond. Why would anyone want to catch a frog when there's fish in the pond? I guess it's a boy thing. This is our latest catch and I believe he is the biggest and ugliest so far. Sorry Kermit, I just don't think your cute in person.

We won and scored a touchdown!

2009-09-21T14:45:00.005-05:00

We won our first game of the season and Parker scored his first touchdown. He was so excited! He actually scored twice but one was called back with a penalty. There's a new confidence in their attitude and a swagger to their walk. Look out... it's gonna be a great season.

Carey and his baby

2009-09-14T17:33:00.003-05:00

Carey's dog had surgery today. The household will officially end with no more puppies. The final count is : 1 dad, 1 mom, 2 boys, 3 dogs, and 1 cat. We decided with 4 pets that we didn't need another addition to the Nicholas Farm. In addition to the family animals we also have been blessed with turkey, deer, snakes, fish, turtles, and anything else that Cade can catch before it bites him. So for now that's the lineage of the Nicholas family.

SMASH

2009-09-14T14:39:00.002-05:00

The 4th grade Pioneers traveled to Bixby Saturday and fell 0-6. Parker was very disapointed but he had a great game. This photo is a pitch play to the Bixby running back. Parker smashed him for a loss of 3. Way to go Parker!

Progress

2009-09-09T18:38:00.004-05:00

Our house before we started adding on the fitness room and extra garage. Progress

GOOOO POKES!

2009-09-05T19:38:00.006-05:00

OSU vs. Georgia Saturday, September 5th. OSU 24 - Georgia 10. Carey and I smiling for a picture taken directly into the sun.

Carey and his mom.

The boys - cheering for the fav team. ORANGE - POWER!

Kimie and I smiling although we were smelly, hot, and thirsty!

It's a first down!

2009-09-01T20:19:00.003-05:00

Toothless in Stillwater

2009-08-25T16:46:00.002-05:00

Today Cade lost one of his top teeth. This brings the total to 3 but this one is special because it came from the top and has been LOOSE forever. Check him out holding his cat, Sam. Isn't he cool?

First day of school

2009-08-20T09:10:00.006-05:00

Last years picture (Aug 2008) of Parker and Cade starting school. Parker's hair was curly and long. Cade's hair... well, that's just Cade. His hair hasn't changed much -- he just spikes it to the side instead of straight up.

Today starts the first day of school for my boys. I always think I'm ready for them to start back until 9am, which is when I get home from dropping them off. That's when I look at the pictures we took and I start to compare them to last years picture and realize how big they are getting... boo-hoo.... sniff-sniff.

What happens in Vegas....

2009-08-19T15:15:00.006-05:00

Sometimes what happens in Vegas follows you home. In the case of my broken toe! Walking - just walking - that's my story and I'm sticking to it! Somehow trying to get out of peoples' way I managed to jam my 4th toe in Carey's shoe and break my toe. UGH! In spite of a broken toe and a night in a "voo-doo" aka urgent care center, we still managed to have a blast. The hike the next day turned into a pink jeep tour with a small hike. Carey and Megan were the best. They never complained about how I slowed them down. We didn't get to do everything we set out to do but when your with the best company just spending time together can be fun enough. Megan your next trip to Vegas should really be with single ladies under 30. Your the best! Thanks for making the trip with us.

Vegas .... Baby!

2009-08-19T15:09:00.006-05:00

Not a fish story

2009-08-10T20:43:00.003-05:00

Good times....

2009-08-10T20:41:00.003-05:00

Happy 35th Carey

2009-08-10T20:24:00.006-05:00

Conversation with Carey

Honey let's celebrate your birthday with some friends.

No let's just do something with our family.

But babe, a small get-together would really make you happy on your big day... after all, it's really about mid-life.

What? No! I only have two friends anyway.

That's ok, cause I have plenty of friends you can barrow :-)

Friends and the lake

2009-07-17T11:33:00.002-05:00

The Caymans

2009-07-11T11:15:00.015-05:00

The first set of pictures are from a little stop called Hell, Grand Cayman. It's a real place that got its name from the natural rock formation that you can see in the back ground. It was strange being there just because of the name.

The next set of pictures are from the turtle farm. The first big turtle (sea turtle of course) weighs over 500lbs. We all got to catch and hold one. They are super nice animals. Remember finding Nemo? They have to be nice in order to help find lil' Nemo!

The third set of pictures are of us on the boat ride to feed, pet, and snorkel with the stingrays. I have more pictures of this later. It rained on us this day while we were in the water. It rained quite hard for about 15 minutes then was beautiful!

The rabbit pictures are another one of our bed guest by the house keeping. By the looks of Parker he must have thought it was rabbit season. Can't take the redneck out of a child no matter where he is.

The final picture is of one of the many boats that transferred people to the Caymans. They have a reef close to shore and want to protect it therefore the cruise ships have to anchor and transport passengers using small boats.

The Caymans was unexplainable. A real treasure and a place I would definitely go back to. The Island was very clean and the locals were gems.

Dunns River

2009-07-10T13:25:00.003-05:00

More Highlights

2009-07-10T12:55:00.012-05:00

The view of Jamaica from the ship.

Dolphins Cove and pirate encounter

Parrots life!

Ya, mon!

Hotel RIU

Family photo before getting off the ship to see Jamaica

Photo of me and the boys from our room balcony

One of the many animals made by the house keeping staff - the boys loved coming to the room every evening to find out which animal they would find.

I downloaded most of my pictures and I'm giving you the highlights from the first stop in Jamaica. Jamaica excursion included swimming with the dolphins and Dunns River. I will add the pictures from the river later. The boys L-O-V-E-D the water. If I have learned anything from this vacation it's that my boys would be perfectly content at any beach. They could care less about an exotic island. Swimming, snorkeling, and just being goofy was their favorite part. Carey and I both really enjoyed seeing the differences between the two islands along with the animals. Both boys really enjoyed the turtle farm from the Grand Cayman which I'm including pictures of tomorrow.

JAMAICA AND GRAND CAYMAN

2009-07-10T08:39:00.009-05:00

A few pictures that I was able to download this morning. The dolphin swim was done in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and the Stingray (picture with Carey and I holding it) was in the Grand Cayman. The boys touched the stingray but were much to busy snorkling to slow down for a picture. Carey and Cade had their picture made with a stingray but Cade kept bobbing his head under water for a closer look. This is just a few pictures made from a cd. I have plenty more to share later.

Scrappers place 2nd

2009-06-10T09:46:00.002-05:00

Parker's baseball team placed 2nd this weekend at the Edmond tournament. They played 5 games in two days in the blazing heat. It was hotter than Michael Jackson under all the clothes and face mask! Posted is a picture of his team from this weekend.

My baby is 7!

2009-06-02T14:39:00.004-05:00

Yep, that's right...Cade turned seven on Sunday. My baby is seven and my oldest is now double digits. Boy do I feel old! When Parker was a few weeks old and I was complaining about not getting much sleep to a family friend. He told me to enjoy every minute because they sure grow up fast. I remember thinking, "Sure, it went fast for you but it will take forever for this kid to grow up!" Of course I was sleep deprived and new at the mommy business and every day felt like a week. Those days certainly did go by fast and how I would love to rewind and spend another day in that decade. Oh if we could only do that! I managed to snap a few pictures of the birthday boy who is sporting his new flat bill hat (sideways... not sure what's up with that) and I even managed to get in one of the pictures with him. Happy birthday my baby boy!!

Another day on the Nicholas Farm

2009-06-02T14:35:00.003-05:00

Summary of the birthday

2009-05-13T14:36:00.004-05:00

For Parker's birthday he asked to take friends to the lake to camp. His idea included three of his best buddies fishing, tubing, and camping. However, the rain that has occurred nearly every day for weeks had other plans. With his baseball tournament getting canceled last minute we decided to take one of his friends to pole position for indoor racing. Hey... it's spur of the moment, I couldn't round up all three friends. Plus it was raining cats and dogs. We had a good time. We raced, we shopped for the new shoes he wanted, we even ate at one of his favorite restaurants. In my mind this was his birthday party but in Parker's mind it was just passing time while it rained. The next weekend we were suppose to be baseball-less so he wanted to camp with his buddies. The boy had camping on the brain! Once again the weather didn't cooperate. It rained most of the morning then turned out to be a decent day Saturday afternoon. We grabbed two friends and headed to frontier city. What fun! I rode two roller coasters with my double digit son and enjoyed every minute with him. I'm taking advantage of every minute with both my boys before I'm replaced with girlfriends, dates, and proms.

Mother's Day Picture

2009-05-09T10:47:00.003-05:00

In the first grade one of the teachers has every kid dress up in grown up clothes, hold a flower, and she takes a picture for each student's mom as a mothers day gift. Both my boys had the same first grade teacher (whom I absolutely adore... she's the best!) so I was able to compare their pictures. I L-O-V-E my pictures and found the similarites between the boys to be amazing! Check them out for yourself.

My double digit son

2009-05-03T15:05:00.003-05:00

Today is the 10 year anniversary of the horrible Oklahoma May 3rd tornado's. It's also the tenth birthday of my oldest son. I can't believe ten years has gone by so fast! I remember looking down at this baby boy born WEEKS early during such a violent storm thinking "I sure hope your temperament doesn't match the weather!" Parker was a great baby. He slept perfectly through the night in his crib by week 3! Looking back, I wish he still slept that good :-) If I were a natural writer I would be able to describe Parker quickly - in just minutes. I have been thinking about words to describe him for hours and still stumble to find the perfect words. So here's the best I can come up with....

P - Persistent

A - Athletic

R - Rebellious

K - Kind Hearted

E - Eager

R - Rare

Baseball is canceled... let's go fishin'

2009-04-30T16:24:00.004-05:00

One good thing about baseball practice being called off is the free time to do whatever we want. Last night Parker had the wiggles and just "had" to do find something to do before he just killed over. The fun endeavor... FISHING! We are so lucky to have so many water resources available. We have a pond, a creek, and pretty much a lake all on our property. We got the poles, the tackle box and caught us a fish. Check out our cool pictures!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEGAN

2009-04-30T10:37:00.002-05:00

Today is Megan's birthday. Megan and I have been friends for years but have become great friends in the past couple of years. She is freaking amazing with my kids and we absolutely love her! I can't imagine a season without her... especially boat season! haha I hope this day brings you lots of joy, buckets of happiness, your prince charming, and a day off from work!

With all our love -

Baseball and bad weather

2009-04-29T16:26:00.003-05:00

So it's no big surprise that we are still crazy busy with baseball. The only thing to make things a little less crazy would be if the weather would behave itself. With monsoon type weather the last few weeks we have the constant change of plans from outdoor practice to indoor batting practice and tournament changes. Cade's team isn't having much luck with rescheduling. Every time baseball practice is rescheduled due to rain, it rains again! UGH! Come July I will be thankful for the 3 inches mother-nature dumped on my yard but for now can we just have a little break. It would be nice if we could just be in charge of the weather. A light shower early in the morning to help sleep, a nice warm up with an ever so slight wind for a nice run. Sounds good, huh?

Parker's team had a great start and disappointing end to last weekends tournament. They ended up 3rd and a 10-3 record so far. This weekend is looking like another wash out. Coaches are considering dropping out of the tournament since the last 2 we didn't get to finish due to weather. I hate the thought of spending so much money for tournament entry fees, having our team winning, and having to cancel our last couple of games due to weather. It stinks!

Lake Time....

2009-04-14T15:16:00.002-05:00

I love this time of year. Spring time starts to give glimpse of summer, the grass is ready for its first mowing, and the water temperature rises with every warm evening. That only means lake season is just around the corner. The boys are looking forward to spending more time at the lake this year. We traded our small but practical travel trailer in on a larger and more practical travel trailer. The former TT had two bunks and the newer TT has 4 bunks. As the boys get older and the more time we spend at the lake, the more friends they invite to stay with us at the lake. Tonight I am putting new bedding on and transferring all the dishes, pans, bathroom supplies, towels, etc... while the boys go for a boat ride with a friend who bought a new boat. (Megan if your reading this, Clayton bought a different boat and is meeting us out there tonight) After the boat ride we are all looking forward to fishing off the dock. Does that sound redneck or what?

It's great to have friends

2009-03-23T12:26:00.003-05:00

Spring break... awww, what a nice break from the hectic pace of our busy life. We didn't follow through with our original plans to go to St. Louis to NCAA Wrestling, but instead we opted for some relaxing time at home. The boys had friends over several days, my nephews came over, we went to this cool place called pole position (indoor go-kart races), and my friend Megan came over and stayed Saturday night. Megan stayed with the kids while Carey, myself and a few of our other friends went out for a grown-up night. I hate that Megan didn't get to go cause she's one of my bf 's but she's one of the very few that can handle both boys overnight. Thanks Megan! The grown ups acted like kids, stayed out late and had a good time. Everybody needs one of these nights every now and then. Posted is a picture of Megan and the boys. They sure love you Megan. I need to write down their cute little stories they tell about you so I can remember to repeat them to you. I know your closer than your were a year ago but I think you need to move a little closer to us!

Tis the season for some baseball

2009-03-18T18:38:00.003-05:00

Both boys are playing baseball this spring. Cade's team played in a tournament already and Parker's team starts after spring break. Cade's team plays in Edmond where Parker's team will play most of his games (except a few tournaments) in Stillwater. I guess that means Carey and I will be split between the two boys when they have games the same night. I don't know how people raise 3 or 4 kids and maintain their sanity! In addition to baseball, they are also doing freestyle wrestling. They hope to wrestle a couple of tournaments when they don't have a baseball tournament. I started looking at my calendar from last year and realized that since August we've had 4 free weekends. Isn't that crazy? I've said this before but I'm so ready for my boys to decide which two sports they want to play and just play them. My luck they will both pick two different sports. Now that I've written a paragraph complaining about how busy we are I really should say that my favorite past time is watching my boys play sports. Honestly, with exception of a few weekend boating at the lake, my favorite thing to do is watch them play their sports. It's so exciting my two little boys develop into athletic young men. With a score book in one hand and a Kleenex in the other I sit in my lawn chair and cheer them on. The pictures I added are of Cade playing second base and the other is of Parker playing for the mudcats last year.

Happy Birthday Lil Man

2009-03-11T14:39:00.003-05:00

Today is my nephew's birthday. He is 10... double digits! I can't believe it was just 10 short years ago I waddled my pregnant self up to the second floor of the hospital to see your cute chubby cheeks! You have grown into a lil man that we are so proud to call part of our family. Here's hoping you have a great birthday.

I feel the beginning of summer....

2009-03-07T21:02:00.002-06:00

Cade's baseball team play their first tournament in Edmond this weekend. Actually we've only played pool play which determines your seed for the tournament tomorrow. Our team is very young, some haven't ever played coach pitch. This league uses a pitching machine instead of the coach pitching the ball to their own players. It delivers the ball about 35mph. That seems really fast for a 6 years old. My child is the only 6 year old out there and he looks SO SMALL! I took pictures but haven't downloaded them. That will be my focus for next week. Cade did a great job. He got a hit 4-5 at bats, scored once, and scored an RBI. Parker had practice in Stillwater and was invited to spend the night with a friend. He was really looking forward to spending time with his friend. Wish us luck on tomorrow game!

5+ miles, baseball, and blog neglect

2009-03-06T13:08:00.002-06:00

So I've once again neglected the blog. Since I'm primary writing to Megan I've considered just quitting the upkeep of the blog and just send her a weekly email. Although, summer is right around the corner and I hope to have a variety of content to write about. Something to ponder....

I ran 5.5 miles today! YIPEE... I wanted to just march on to 6 but I was spent! Two weeks ago I ran 5 so I'm hoping my next run will push me over the 6 mile marker. My time was nothing to brag about, so i won't even comment about it. However I think it is close to Megan's finishing time for her 10k. That means I would be 1/2 mile behind Megan when she finished her last 10k. I will have to look that up.

Baseball season is here and we jumped in running. Both of the boys teams started practice before we were done with wrestling. Cade has a tournament this weekend in Edmond. Although I was bummed about a tournament this weekend, due to the fact that it falls on Big 12 wrestling weekend, the bright side is there's always shopping in Edmond. :-)

Regional Runner Up @ 49lbs

2009-02-18T13:46:00.003-06:00

My little baby looks so grown up in this picture. He is going to state as a number 2 seed in his weight class. This past weekend Stillwater hosted the Open Northwest Regional for youth wrestling. Cade has already placed 4th at state at OKWA Novice State in Lawton. Since Carey and I had to help with the tournament that was hosted here last weekend we decided to let him wrestle with the open kids just to see how he would do. Much to our surprise he beat the #1 seed in the second round and ended up getting second place. This has given him the opportunity to wrestle as a #2 seed at Open State in Tulsa this weekend!!! He is nervous, anxious, worried but so excited. Regardless of how he does we are so proud of our little man.

Working on the bucket list

2009-02-12T15:59:00.003-06:00

I ran 4.5 miles! I took Megan's advice and quit worrying about pace and just decided to see how far I could go. I ran 4 miles a few months ago so I knew I could do it, it's just mental. Surprisingly it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I made myself run R-E-A-L-L-Y slow so when I got to my 3 mile mark I felt really good. I had to run my last mile uphill which sucked really bad but then my last 1/2 mile flattened out and I knew I was so close to my car. Now if I can make myself add a little to that distance every week I should be ready for my 10K... YIPPEE. Thanks to Megan's support and encouragement I'll soon get to check that off my bucket list.

One proud Momma!

2009-02-08T16:49:00.005-06:00

Pictures: Top Left Cade on the stage, 4th place. Top Right: Parker on the stage, 6th place. Bottom picture: Cade and his favorite coach, Chad. They just finished playing the Mario Bros on the DS.

I hate to brag but I have the best kids in the world. We spent our weekend in Lawton for OKWA Novice State Tournament. This tournament was huge - a similar tournament to Tulsa Nationals a few weeks ago.

Parker and his coach decided to drop down to the next weight class. He usually wrestles 76lb and he dropped down to 73lb. Three pounds doesn't sound like very much but for a 9 year old... kind of a big deal! I have to applaud Parker for extreme discipline in his diet for 5 days. He ate like he was competing in Mr. Fitness. Of course that meant I had to fix 3 very healthy edible meals for him every day plus snacks. This also meant packing coolers for trips and having a sensible solution ready to eat for melt downs. The three pound drop made a huge difference because Parker won his first two matches beating his opponents by a total of 10-3. Parker wrestled five times throughout the day (which was a 12 hour day... no kidding) and ended up placing 6th. Not bad, huh?

Cade - Cade - Cade.... he is such a unique child. I find myself at a loss for words when I try to describe him. He is such a perfect blend of both Carey and myself. He has Carey's drive to accomplish goals with my out-look on life. Cade had 30+ kids in his bracket. He went into this tournament with complete confidence of placing 1-6. He told me, "I know I can beat almost all these kids." Cade won his first 4 matches putting him in the semi finals. He lost in the semi finals in the last 20 seconds. He ended up taking 4th place. Cade placed in every tournament except one this year. He broke his arm during the season and came back to get 4th in the STATE... one word... AMAZED!

Both the boys have learned and grown so much. They make me so proud by showing such strength in situations that are so difficult. They are my pride and joy!

It's a snow... I mean ice day

2009-01-28T13:46:00.008-06:00

This picture was taken from the hill the boys have named "the big hill." This is where most the college kids sled on their snow days. Cade flew down this hill and finally stopped a few inches from my feet.

This picture is taken from our backyard. Carey is pulling the boys on the 4-wheeler. YEE-HAW!

Parker and I for our close up at the big hill. Right after this picture he asked if he could call Megan to come ride the sled with him because I was too chicken! Check out his chin... would you sled down the big hill???

Cade and I in our WARM sledding clothes. Check out his red face.

The boys were out of school Tuesday and again today (Wednesday) for bad weather. The weather included ice, sleet, and a little snow. We took the bad weather in stride making best use of our ATV and lake tube. Who said you can only pull a tube behind a boat? I was shocked to see Cade enjoying the cold weather this year. In years past, we spent more time watching dad and brother from the warm truck. :-) Not this year... another sign that my baby is getting big! Boo hoo!!

I really want to be a runner...

2009-01-22T14:57:00.002-06:00

Today was a picture perfect running day: weather was great (near 70), late morning, and a slight breeze. Only thing wrong... my iPod quit! Today I was going for a 4 mile run. Just a nice easy pace and then I find out my iPod isn't working. UGH! This 4 mile run quickly turned into a 2 mile killer run. It was the worst run in a long time. Enough complaining though. I came home and decided I needed some motivation. Here's some cool quotes:

"A bad day of running still beats a good day at work."

"No matter how slow you run it is still faster than someone sitting on a couch."
My favorite!

"Races aren’t just for those who can run fast."

Megan, you must read this one!!
If you say, “Let’s run this race together,” then you must stay with that person no matter how slow.

"All runners are equal, some are just faster than others."

3 more miles

2009-01-18T19:25:00.002-06:00

I have promised Megan I would run with her in a 10k in April. I run the small runs on the treadmill in the comfort of the indoors with tv and watch the weather for the "best" day each week to run the longer run outdoors. Todays weather was B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L! I hurried home after the wrestling match (OSU vs. Iowa), changed into my running clothes and headed over to the lake to run. My first mile was great, good pace and felt good. The start of the second mile I started thinking to myself, "maybe I should have paced myself better" by the end of the second mile I was telling myself, "there will be no walking so just suck it up" and finally my third mile and thought, "just make it to the car." By the time I made it to my car I had beaten my best time (which isn't that great) and finished the full three miles in just under 32:30. I know I am a morning runner: red bull, then run; exactly in that order. Megan I hope that when you are 30 (well 30 something) and have two kids that you still run with me cause if you don't .... well there will be hell to pay. haha

A few more pictures

2009-01-01T15:54:00.004-06:00

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T15:41:00.007-06:00

Bolder in November

Seattle in August

Moved into new house July

New Orleans March

2008 certainly went fast for me. Every year seems to go by a little faster. The boys continue to grow and get older and before long they will be teenagers!!!! 2008 was a good year. Looking back through photos I noticed we did a lot! Take a look....

2008-12-22T18:05:00.003-06:00

Today was the first official day of Christmas break for the boys. Parker had a friend over and although it was FFFF-RR-EE-EEE-ZZZING outside they wanted to play outside. They played outside for a while then would come in and warm up only to go right back outside. I kept calling Carey and asking him if they were ok playing outside since it was so cold and he told me to quit meddling and let them play. Cade and I decided it was much warmer and cozier inside. I find it funny how much alike we are. While talking with Cade about Christmas break and what he wanted to do he remembered the movie Marley and Me. This movie is suppose to be out on Christmas day. Megan and I have talked about going to see this movie so Cade decided Megan should take him to see the movie and not me. I am attempting to post a video of Cade asking Megan to take him and not me to this movie. So darn cute!

Posing Pokes

2008-12-17T20:43:00.008-06:00

My sister in law was offered the chance to sew the patches onto the OSU football team jerseys for the bowl game. My kids were SO excited to see (and try on) their favorite players jersey. Posted are a few pictures of the kids being silly in their favorite players jersey.

Yea for Michelle

2008-12-17T13:21:00.003-06:00

Last night I had a girls night/biggest loser party. A group of friends gathered at my house to cheer on Michelle towards her goal of The Biggest Loser. Thankfully she won! I couldn't stand Vicky and Ed didn't really act like he wanted to win so Y-E-A for Michelle!

Ready for another trip

2008-12-13T19:44:00.003-06:00

I love to travel. I love to see new places, different people, different smells, etc... Our last trip (to Bolder) didn't work out so well with everyone getting sick so I have the urge to go again. I'd love to go back to San Diego, which by the way is one of my favorite places I have visited so far. Since the football team will play there the end of the month I have been trying to convince Carey that we should go. Unfortunately I haven't had any luck. So I continue to nag and plead and maybe, just maybe we will go again soon. Somewhere... anywhere.... soon!

The verdict is in....

2008-12-03T18:26:00.002-06:00

The verdict is in and it's not great news. Another fracture. The good news is that because it's a small fracture he is only wearing a splint vs. a cast. The other good news is he only has to wear the splint until December 17th and then based on progress we either are done or go to a sling. Not exactly what I was hoping for but as the ladies in the waiting told me, "It could be much worse. He could need surgery." Thank goodness for nothing more serious but a sprain or just a strain would have been okay with me. Tomorrow I am off to find calcium chews. :-)

Wish us luck

2008-12-02T14:31:00.003-06:00

Saturday Cade and Parker were playing tackle football outside. Cade came running into the house screaming that he broke his elbow... AGAIN. I was hoping he was just exaggerating the pain but after a couple of hours of non stop whining we headed to the ER. The ER doctor looked at the ex-rays and couldn't determine if it was broken so he called the radiologist to come look at the ex-rays. Side note... this is the larger than life night in Stillwater, BEDLAM. So glad we sold our tickets early! I'm sure the radiologist was less than thrilled to get that call. I can only imagine the poor guy trying to do a little tailgating before the game and R-I-N-G goes the phone. I have a feeling he really didn't want to answer that call. His opinion was to sling the arm and check in with the orthopedic to see if there's damage to the small tissue connecting the elbow. UUGGGHHH! My lil' wrestler is side lined, or side mat... whatever you call sitting out. So, off we go to the orthopedic tomorrow to find out the good news (cups half full today, I'm being optimistic!). The wrestling coaches seem to think the recovery time is about the same for tendon damage vs. a fracture. My lil' boy is fragile. He gets that from his Aunt Stacey. I'm taking no part in the lack of calcium in his diet and transfer all fault to you aunt Stacey. :-)

Finally getting somethin' done

2008-11-26T10:47:00.003-06:00

We have lived in our new house about 5 months and finally I'm getting some stuff done. Carey and I were talking about Christmas the other evening and I told him I just wanted stuff done for Christmas. I have a list of things I have been wanting done and no I'm not even kidding! Floor reducers, mantel, different paint colors, and the gate entrance to our house. All of this stuff should have been done LLL-O-N-G ago but it gets pushed aside with the events of our hectic life. However, I am proud to say my mantel is up and mostly done. We still need the rack and logs but hey, it's a start. Since Christmas is right around the corner it is time to decorate it with my Christmas decor but for now, it's at least mounted to the fireplace. :-)

Can we take a break now?

2008-11-23T21:26:00.005-06:00

Cade pins his first match!

Parker pins his first match!

Anther boy from the wrestling club 4th place, Parker 1st place, Cade 1st place.

Boy am I ever thankful for Thanksgiving. Maybe more this year than any other year. Hopefully it will bring some much needed rest for my family. We have battled the stomach bug once and it seems to be trying to make round two for my family. We wrestled in El Reno this weekend and on our way home Parker fell victim to that pesky stomach bug again! Parker started complaining about his stomach hurting on the way home. Of course we had just eaten enough food at Teds for multiple families. Me, being the loving and nurturing mom that I am just told Parker he over ate. I did so I figured he did too! He kept complaining and complaining until we walked in the door of the house and he started vomiting. He vomited all night long! Poor boy - I guess he didn't over eat :-) He wrestled awesome this weekend. Both boys did. They both got first place. I think our hectic life is wearing him down. He has been puny all day today. I've spent most my day bleaching and washing everything... bathrooms, counter tops, sheets, blankets, clothes some dirty and some the kids just throw in the laundry because they don't want to put them up (remember those days mom?) So, I got a lot accomplished today and a short week to look forward to. Posted above are pictures from this weekend. Megan, I am posting one just for you. Look at Parker's butt! Where did he get that from? We all know my butt may be wide but it's not Jay-Lo like his. ha ha

Knelling to the porcelain

2008-11-20T18:49:00.003-06:00

The anxiety of catching the stomach bug is completely gone. Why? Because I knelled to the porcelain all night last night. UGGHHHHH.... my stomach muscles hurt so bad! I hate-hate-hate to be sick. Fortunately this stomach bug runs its course in about 24 hours. That means I only have a few more hours and I should be on the road to recovery. The boys are so funny and sweet when I'm sick. Cade laid in bed with me and gave me a foot massage. Parker just wanted to know if I'd be able to cook tomorrow. I don't think he enjoyed Carey's cooking (AKA... convenient store food). So I'm looking forward to a much better day tomorrow.

Parker's Choice

2008-11-18T21:16:00.003-06:00

Parker was upset because I didn't post his favorite picture from our trip to Colorado. For those of you that can't quite make it out, it's an elk. Isn't it HUGE? This picture was taken on our drive through Estes Park. Definitely a place I could visit again. Soon, I hope!

We're back and in the mood for Christmas

2008-11-18T13:43:00.007-06:00

Our trip to Colorado was fast, furious, and sickly :-( We went to Bolder to watch the cowboys play football and thought a little skiing would fit in great. Unfortunately, the stomach bug didn't get the message not to come around during our weekend in CO. Parker got sick at the game but managed to stick it out until half time. Apologies to the poor clean up crew.... sorry about the steps, the bathroom, and the parking lot. Oh, and the area near the concessions area. Surprisingly, he wasn't up to skiing the next day so a quick change of plans sent us to Estes Park and the Rocky Mt. National Forest. Cade fell sick to the stomach bug early Monday then Carey later on Monday. Uggghhhh! What can you say, it happens. I refuse to consider the possibility of being sick. What mother has time to ever get sick. Sometimes the thought of being sick is a thought that crosses my mind in a twisted way: laying in bed all day, having someone cook for me, somebody taking care of the boys and pets BUT who am I kidding??? I'd be doing all of that and be sick! ( ha ha ) I did manage to get a few pictures even though Parker really had to put on a pretend face. The mountain were B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L ! Family that's reading this... where did we get that? I think one of the kids, but which one said that all the time? I hope everybody had a good weekend, without the stomach bug! :-)

Tagged

2008-11-10T10:17:00.002-06:00

I was tagged by Brooke who was tagged by her friend who was... you get the idea. The tag was to open your fourth folder and post your fourth picture from that folder. I guess I had saved possible house plans to folders. I didn't even know I had this on my computer. This is the downstairs of one the house plans that we didn't choose to build. So here it is, interesting facts that proves I need to do some sort of clean up on my computer. ha ha!

More Wrestling

2008-11-10T09:46:00.005-06:00

Parker on top in orange beat this boy from Blackwell for third place.

Cade is on top in this picture. He pinned this boy, from our own wrestling club, for third place.

Megan and Cade in between matches.

This weekend the boys wrestled another open tournament. Open is for kids that have wrestled more than two years. My boys have only wrestled for one year but there's not many novice (beginner) tournaments close this early. The downfall to open tournaments, other than the competition is much harder, is they last ALL day long! Weigh in (to make weight) starts at 6am then bracket play begins at 9am. We got home Saturday around 5:30pm, just in time to watch OSU choke to Tech. (That's another post at a later time... still too upset to talk about that one). Both boys placed 3rd which in excellent for an open tournament. Wrestling takes a lot of dedication of both parts: parent and kid. The kid must maintain his/her weight all week. The parents have to be dedicated to check their child weight throughout the week AND to sit through a L-O-N-G tournament. It takes great strength to watch your baby possibly get put in a crazy, jacked up position and to be able to keep your composure so you don't yell something ridiculous! Megan drove all the way to Blackwell to watch the boys wrestle. I'll post a picture of her and Cade and a few of them from their matches.

Grandma of the year goes to....

2008-11-04T16:11:00.002-06:00

Many of you have laughed and teased about my mom and "Grandma of the year." My mom is great. She raised 3 wonderful, smart, independent, beautiful daughters and instilled her good values in us. So, I take back my words and give back the title to my mom. Here's to you mom... Grandma of the Year! Posted above is a picture of my mom, along with my dad and boys, trying to win back that title by cheering Parker on at a football game.

WHEW... What a weekend!

2008-11-02T16:47:00.006-06:00

It was another busy weekend in our house. So much to do and so little time. Where do I start?

Friday: Cade had a play at school. He was a ghost in the play. Actually, a red ghost. The play was followed by parties. Cade was a rebel and Parker was a nerd. Parker and two of his friends dressed up as nerds in his classroom. They were so funny! We trick or treated 3 houses and boy was I thankful for just 3! Who needs all that tempting Halloween candy. We ended up at my mom's house for a "treat" for dinner. My nephews were at grandma's house too. They had a ton of fun scaring all of grandma's little trick-or-treaters although I don't think grandma appreciated their help.

Saturday: This day began very early. Up by 7am for our first wrestling tourny of the year. First, let me add how nervous I was due to this tournament being an open instead of a novice. (Advance vs. beginners) I had so much anxiety about this tournament and it didn't help that I didn't find out we were going the night before. The boys did awesome and I'm so proud of them! Cade placed 2nd and Parker placed 4th. Way to go boys!!! We raced home, with two extra friends in tow, and went to the OSU game. Of course OSU won and it just made the day even better. We were suppose to take the 2 extra friends home and go out with grown up friends for my b-day but I was POOPED! I let the boys bring their friends back to the house for a few more hours of play then I took them home.

Sunday: Early church and worked the nursery during Sunday School. I love playing with the wee ones in the nursery. They are so cute and sweet! We work the crawlers room the first Sunday of every other month. It works out great, plus it's good for the boys to see how much work babies can be. Finally, Carey's dad and step mom stopped by with Carey's aunt from TX. Oh ya, laundry, laundry, laundry, and a few dishes. Trying to get it all done so I don't have to do a thing on my actual b-day. Carey is working on my mantel and our entrance gate. I was hateful when he asked me what I wanted for my birthday. Other than another trip (hehehe) I just want all of the final things done to our house... it's been 4 months. Waaaa...I know.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Update of events

2008-10-27T11:27:00.005-05:00

I have really neglected my blog. I hate people who use excuses but we have been incredibly busy. I haven't been conserned with posting lately due to the lack of comment but then I find out several of you just view my blog but don't leave comments. So, here's the run down of events for the last several weeks:

Cade and Snowball

Our beloved cat, Snowball, was ran over last week. Snowball was a great hunter and fearless cat. He, yes it was a he not that you could tell by his name, was the leader of our cat pack, the protector of the barn, and beloved friend to my boys. Snowballs lack of fear ended up getting him too close to the road the night of homecoming and he met his maker. Cade was devastated and demanded a new kitty. Of course, not being able to say no, I took him to Pet-Co and we bought a new kitty. Cade has named him Sam. Sam is nothing, and I do mean NOTHING like Snowball. Sam was born in a shelter, INDOORS, and fears everything. He loves our dog Daisy, or maybe that is backwards and Daisy loves Sam. Either way, we are stuck with this fearful, indoor wanna be cat, but we love him.

Parker

Parker has hunted with Carey since he was very little. He has never shot a deer and I expected this year to be the same. Although, this year they leased a different field to hunt on. It's about 15-20 minutes away and they have seen a huge buck and several doe all over this 40. I hate hunting but I figured it was good bonding time for Parker and his dad. He loves the outdoors and I cheerfully say every year, "You gonna shoot a deer this year?" Always hoping he gets my sensitivity and just enjoys watching instead of harming. Unfortunately this year he pulled the trigger. He brought home his first deer, a doe. I can mark this down as a partial battle won even though he shot a beautiful animal. Parker came home very upset and told me the entire story how the doe had fawns with her and they ran off momentarily after the gun shot but came back after a few minutes to finish eating off the field. He told me he never wanted to shoot a deer again. YIPPEE! Carey loves to fish and hunt and I love to feed and pet. They say God puts opposites together for balance. Boy does he ever!

Carey and Shanon

Carey and I have been working out together for nearly a month. We go right after we drop the boys off at school and do resistance training. I feel like "The Arnold!" I love working out with my husband although there are times when I'd like to drop a weight on his toe! It has been a long time since we have worked out together. Carey, as most of you know, is very lean and must have the metabolism of a rock star. He stays leans with definition regardless if he picks up a weight or steps on a treadmill. We have been working it like champions. I am finally getting those GUNS I wanted, biceps that is. I stay late and get my cardio in since he refused to go more than a mile.

Finally, a few nights ago I drove the Gator down past the pond to fill up the deer feeders... (YES we feed and watch, no shooting on our land:-) on the way back up to the house there was a beautiful harvest moon over our house. I took a picture, it's not the best but you and see a bright full moon.

So there it is. A few of the crazy moments in the past weeks from our household. We are anxiously awaiting Halloween and our trip to Colorado. I'll post more this week about Halloween.

Busy Weekend

2008-10-08T14:56:00.006-05:00

I have lots of pictures to post from our busy weekend. Megan is finally back in Oklahoma ... YIPPEE! She came to town to watch Cade play soccer, Parker play football, tale gate, go to the game, then spent the night with us. It's so good to have her back in OK! :-)

Family First

2008-10-01T13:14:00.004-05:00

My cousin, Kim, was here for a long weekend from Ohio last weekend. We have been best friends since we were little girls and I hate it that she lives so far away. She has her own family, four children all under 6, and I have mine so we cherish our few visits each year. The main reason for her quick return was to check on her dad. My uncle recently had a heart attack. Kim's relationship with her dad resembles the relationship with my dad. We are very close to our fathers and worry about them immensely. Since her trip was planned quickly she was unable to bring all the kiddos but she was able to bring her youngest daughter Gabriella, or Grabs as we call her. Grabs loved my little cocker Daisy, maybe a little too much!

Little Carey

2008-09-28T10:07:00.003-05:00

I was downloading pictures to the computer and found this picture that Parker took of himself. I can't believe how much he looks like Carey in this picture. I laughed out loud when I found it. Parker kept asking me, "What's so funny, mom? Do I look funny?" Everyone is always telling me how much he looks like his dad but I guess I just realized it for myself. We were at the OSU football game a few weeks ago when a lady stopped me and asked me if Carey was Parker's dad. At first I thought she was kidding, just trying to be funny... whose your babies daddy sort of thing, but then she proceeded to tell me she was Carey's 3rd grade teacher (the same grade Parker's currently in) and how they look just alike. She said she hadn't seen Carey in years. How funny! Enjoy the laugh.

My baby lost his first tooth

2008-09-24T19:42:00.003-05:00

Cade finally lost his first tooth. This tooth has been dangling by a thread for a couple of days but he was too scared to pull it. Tonight, mean mom told him to pull it or she would. After a few minutes of negotiating he finally pulled his tooth. Ironically you can't even tell he pulled it because his new tooth is right behind it and is as big as the baby tooth. Cade is on the phone with grandma to tell her about his big news in the picure. Good bye cute little baby teeth--hello big, chicklet, future brace teeth.

MY KNEES HURT!

2008-09-22T19:17:00.002-05:00

I set a personal goal a couple weeks ago to help motivate me with my running. I set a goal of 15 miles a week. This usually comes in a combination of many different ways. I may run 4.5 miles on Monday and then maybe just 1 mile on Tuesday followed by 3 miles on Wednesday etc... I try not to set a goal for each day or I will just set myself up for failure. This system of a weekly goal had been working until last week when my knees began to ache and hurt! I've been taking the maximum amount of Motrin and today I switched to Aleve. Of course everyone has heard about how bad running is on your knees but I'm afraid I'm experiencing it. I have this vision in my head from last weeks episode of the Biggest Loser when the Dr. showed the teams their body's advanced age from the lack of proper nutrition. The only difference is my body is in an advanced arthritic age stage due to years of squats, lunges, and running. So , my point is I guess I may as well eat all the food I so desperately crave and get fat and enjoy life. Just kidding!

Poor Kitty

2008-09-19T19:37:00.000-05:00

Since moving outside city limits we had four baby kittens. Early this week we were down to three, not sure what happened to the fourth one and I probably don't want to know. Especially if I had anything to do with the disapperance of the poor baby. Possibilites:

1) Kitty rode under my car to my mother-in-laws house and found a new home with nice caring neighbors.

2) Kitty ate some decon and met Jesus in the sky.

3) Kitty ran away to find its mom.

Since I was down to three kittens I thought I'd better take them to the vet to get their shots, neuter/spay, etc. The kittens were home less than 24 hours when our spotted kitty, Squeaky, started acting very odd. She was still bleeding from her surgery and still had no interest in walking, eating, or being around humans or it's fellow feline family. I called the vet and she got her in right away. Findings by the vet: popped a stitch and possible ingestion of some rat poison!!! I feel awful. I am waiting for my vet to call back to give me the news. The possible conversation that I'd give my kids lingers in the back of my mind. It starts with, "Mommy is an idiot for believing Grandma when she said the kittens wouldn't bother the decon." Ok, maybe not quite so dramatic but my mom definitely isn't getting Grandma of the year this year.

She's Moving Back!

2008-09-14T21:53:00.000-05:00

I am so excited! The best news that I've heard in months... Megan is moving back!!! Officially she will be back the first of October. Although, I'm working on her to come tail-gate for the next football game. No more late night text messages of "crazy hair" or having to wait in line in the LONG list of phone calls she has to return in her "window" before bedtime. Aaron, that also means you've been replaced come October. I will no longer need you to be my stylist. You made great choices and catty remarks but your services are no longer needed. ha ha Cody's band has been playing around here again. We will have to get the entire gang together for a night out when you get back. Can't wait to see you!!

Happy Birthday Holly!

2008-09-12T20:43:00.000-05:00

Last week several girls got together for my friend's birthday. Holly and I met about two years ago when our sons went to the same preschool. To celebrate her birthday nine girls went to the Sushi house for dinner and then to Marble Slab for dessert. The food was ok but the time with friends was a ton of fun. What mom wouldn't want a girls night out? We made an entire evening out of it. We had so much fun that we decided to do it again, only this time we did lunch. If I keep this up I will tip the scale and have to go down to the local feed mill to weigh. :-) The first picture is of my friend Holly and myself. The second picture is of the entire group minus one who had to leave early. Happy birthday Holly!

My little Pioneer

2008-09-10T16:18:00.000-05:00

This is the first year that the Stillwater Youth Football League has gone by the school name, Stillwater Pioneers. In past years they were known as the Stillwater Golden Eagles. They have new uniforms that resemble the high school football team. They look little men! I'm posting a picture of Parker in his uniform and the other picture is his first reception as TE in the new duds.

Few more pictures from Seattle

2008-09-08T19:49:00.000-05:00

Riley and Megan you asked for more Seattle pictures so here they are:

Parker, Cade, and Caleb at the Seahawks game being goofy. Cade got this foam finger taken away before halftime. The poor lady in front of him deserves free tickets to the next game.

Parker and Cade at Pike Place Fish Market. I loved this place! They had blocks and blocks of fruit, fish, flowers, candles, jelly and jam. This particular guy was very entertaining.

This pictures was taken at the Seattle Aquarium. They had tanks of fish and sea life the boys were allowed to touch and feel.

This is a picture of the boys and me on a dock off of the Alaskan Way. Not in this picture is a Norwegian cruise ship boarding for Alaska. We were intrigued with how large the cruise ship was!

Back from Seattle

2008-08-31T19:45:00.000-05:00

Sadly I'm back from the Seattle 60's and back to the Oklahoma 90's. I stepped off the plane in Seattle and immediately froze my bum off! With the convenience of Seattle shopping I was able to purchase some warmer clothes to manage their 50 degree mornings. How we forget what 50 feels like. The hometowners spotted me as a tourist quickly and made jokes about my coat. For real? How do they wear shorts in 50 degree weather? I have decided that I come from a family of very thin blood and boy do I HATE to be cold! At the football game a lady in the bathroom was laughing at our pom girls for wearing a jacket over their tiny little top. In my mind I was thinking how I wished we were playing this game in Oklahoma so I could see how their cheerleaders withstood the 100 degree heat. Then who'd be laughing at sweaty, stinky cheerleaders. :-) In spite of freezing while walking and doing the tourist things, I thought about how their weather this time of year is perfect for running. But who wants to run all by themselves in a city they barely know? Well, that was my excuse for not running. Then when I was so miserable after eating like a horse, I convinced myself I'd throw up if I worked out at the hotel fitness center. Excuses.... Excuses!!!

Are you ready for some football?

2008-08-21T13:04:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again. The time when we start to look forward to fall weather and football. We are once again that crazy football family. My son gets home from school, does his homework, eats dinner and off we go to football 3 nights a week from 5:30-7:30. We play games on Saturday so actually we play football 4 days a week. Many of our friends question the degree of this insanity but my oldest son absolutely loves it. He has played 3 years, yes that is right- a 9 year old that a 3 year veteran to the sport. He is doing such a good job and I'm so proud of him.

I did it!

2008-08-19T13:13:00.001-05:00

I have been reading about Christinia and Marybeth's accomplishments and honestly have become quite jealous. Today I took all that bottled up jealousy and hit the pavement. I drove back to my old neighborhood where I had all my former runs mapped out. I knew a nice and easy 4 mile run from my old house. I turned up the ipod and away I went. I ran 4.5 miles and I felt GREAT! Now that I am done and showered I wish I would have looped the neighborhood so I could say I ran 5 miles but oh well. So, now that I know I still have it in me I just have to get out there and do it!

First Day of School

2008-08-13T13:32:00.000-05:00

Both my boys started school today. In a way I was happy to have them back in school but on the other hand I was sad to see them start another school year. I often get busy and don't take the time to reflect and be thankful for having such healthy, happy, handsome young men. As each school year passes, so does another year that I know I'll greatly miss as my boys continue to grow up. Today as I sent them into their classrooms I had that moment where you have to rely on your faith that they are taken care of when they are out of mom's watchful eye. With a quick prayer and a wipe of the eye I was on my way out of the school. I have thought of my boy's several times today wondering about their day. So until the school calls me to tell me Parker's in trouble in the office or Cade's sticking his tongue out at the teacher I will continue to miss them.

Tummy Trouble

2008-08-11T12:36:00.000-05:00

Last night I mentioned on the running blog that I was meeting a friend to run Boomer early this morning. I got up early (6:00 is early for me) and met my friend and we ran/walked around Boomer. Following my run/walk I decided to do a quick circuit at my new fitness center. I did another 1.5 miles along with legs and abs. I was feeling fatigued but satisfied with my workout. I came home and started cooking for my boys when I suddenly felt awful. My stomach was turning and I ran to the bathroom to get sick. After one episode in the bathroom and a little food in my stomach, I was all better. Lesson learned.... I must eat something before running 4.5 miles and doing a short circuit. I have never had this happened before. When Brooke and I worked out hard I often felt light headed but never sick to my stomach. Does anyone else ever get sick to their stomach like this?

My quirky nature

2008-08-07T12:25:00.000-05:00

So I was TAGGED on my friend Brooke's blog to list 6 quirks I have. There are so many but which ones do I want to share??? hhmmm......
1. Link the person who tagged you...Brooke
2. Post these rules.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them.

Okay, you asked for them...here they are in no particular order.

1. I talk when I should listen which often means I interrupt. I think it is a nervous habit. When I am on the phone with someone this particular quirk is at it's worst. I hate silence, I find it awkward to wait for the other person to talk.

2. This one bothers me the most. I totally inherited this from my father and I will blame it on being a math person and having a small vocabulary. I have a difficult time expressing myself. I find myself at a loss for words to adequately describe my story and I become very irritated! Brooke helps me out here by filling in my blanks.

3. I am obsessed with my breath. I hate bad breath so I brush my teeth and use mouth rinse about 4 times a day. Weirdo!!

4. I pop my pelvis (at least I think it's my pelvis) every day. I discovered I was able to pop this joint at a very early age while stretching getting ready for basketball. It's like popping your knuckles, a habit you shouldn't start.

5. I have this inability to say no. This happens when the school, church, or family needs me to do something that I am not comfortable doing but yet I still can't say no. My friends say it's easy to do but I find it difficult. Situations arise often where I find myself talking silently in my head practicing the phrase but when the time comes the words no do not!

6. I have a 4 hour time limit in a car. This becomes a problem when we travel. Air fair is expensive but worth it versus listening to a grown adult ask, "Are we there yet?" (Reminds me of Shreck 3... the donkey going to far, far away.)

Now I must tag....Since I know very few people who blog other than the ones who have tagged me I will just leave this one to the blog stalkers.

Redneck Family

2008-08-05T13:57:00.000-05:00

Cade and Smokey

One thing that we have really enjoyed about living outside of the city limits is the ability to ride motorcycles and 4 wheelers whenever we want. My oldest son loves to ride. He definitely has his father's ability when it comes to off roadin'. I'm sure Jeff Foxworthy would use my family in his famous line, "You might be a redneck." It would sound something like this. If you put more miles on your atv each day than your car, you might be a redneck. We discovered that living in the country would require a few cats. A friend of a friend blessed us with 4 although we asked for 2 cats. The boys ride their motorcycles to the shop/barn everyday several times a day to check on our newest additions to our family. These cats are ok. They seem to lack a little of the cute genes but they get the job done which is taking care of the barn. The boys have named them smokey, nosey, squeaky, and snowball.

Promised Pictures

2008-08-04T12:43:00.001-05:00

Parker using the computer in office without office furniture.

Cade and his fractured elbow having a lazy Sunday.

Second view of the living room.

Kitchen

Formal Dinning Room

I had pictures of the Master Bedroom but my hubby was resting and gave me a gesture as I took the picture. I didn't think it was appropriate for the blog.

Cade talking to grandma. Notice the enormous blue cast!

2008-08-03T16:59:00.000-05:00

This is from Brooke
Name: Shanon Rae Nicholas
Maiden name: Sylvester
Eye Color: Green
Hair Color: Blondish Brown
height: 5'3" But I wish I were taller.
How would you describe yourself? Short, talkative, athletic, and thoughtful.
Either/Shy or Outgoing? Shy unless I know the group then deffinately outgoing.
Spender or saver? Depends what we are buying. Furniture or clothes... spender! Groceries or house supplies a saver.
Truth or Dare? Both.
Books or Movies? Deffinately movie.
Romantic Comedy or Action/Adventure? Romantic Comedy
Cats or Dogs? I have both and they all irriatate me in the new house.
Mountain or Beach? I just like to travel so I say both and let's do them on the same vacation!Sweet or Salty? Sweet.
Do you...Get Annoyed Easily? Are you kidding? Right now I am annoyed with all these questions. Like to Travel? YES! Going to Seattle the end of the month.
Like to drive fast? WEll ya. Who doesn't? I am still driving fast so I can name drop!
Sing Well? I like to think so.
Have a Talent? Sure I do.
Watch Scary Movies? Hate them. Bad dreams..
Shave your legs everyday? No, every other.
Floss regularly? Absolutely. Anyone that had braces as an adult will say the same answer.
Get Motion Sickness? Horribly. Can't even ride a rollercoaster anymore.
Have you ever...Performed on Stage? Sang as a trio at my high school graduation.
Been out of the country? Where? Yes, to Mexico
Had any body hair waxed? Of course.
Lied about your age? Probably.
Used a fake ID? Used my sisters
Gotten a Speeding ticket? A few
What is...The last CD you bought? Do people buy those anymore?
The last movie you saw in the Theater? Sex in the City
The last movie you rented? One for the kids... soccer dog? I think.
Your Greatest Fear? Something happening to one of my children
Your Greatest Strength? Faith
Your Greatest Weakness? My children saying... PLEASE
Your Happiest Memory? Finding out I was Pregnant.
Your Favorite...Movie: Too many
TV Show: Prison Break, The Bachelor, Samantha Who, and many more but the writer's strike last years has made me bitter.
Actor: Morgan Freeman
Actress: Cameron Diaz though some of her movies are stupid but I find her humor oddly similiar to my own.
Food: BBQ, VegiePizza, and Chips and Salsa (if we are eating bad)
Drink: Decaf Tea
Color: Pink
Scent: A clean house... doesn't happen much.
Season and WHY: Autumn -- crisp nights and beautiful colors.
Day of the Week and WHY: Fridays, mostly from my childhood but now I notice my kids are happier on Fridays for the same reason.
Favorite Stores: Nordstroms, Anthropologie, Niketown, and of course Academy
Quote: "Hard work beats ability when ability fails to work hard" Adrienne Peterson
What do you Think About... fitness, and health mostly
Miracles: sure I believe in them
Astrology: Scorpio
War: Scarey and misunderstood.
Ghosts: Definitely, but I don't want to think about it.
Reincarnation: Not sure again, scarey!
Karma: Yep, can't wait for some people to get their's!
Luck: Of course
Aliens: Hope not.
Tell us one of your most embarrassing moments: Why would I tell everyone my most embarrassing moments? That would be my most embarrassing moment.

YIPEE!!!

2008-08-03T16:47:00.000-05:00

The computer is finally up and running. It is sitting in the middle of the office on a rug but at least is working. The office furniture comes Tuesday (a birthday gift for the hubby) and then the house will look like a real home. All the rooms are now put together and unpacked. The last 2 weeks have been quite eventful. Last week my youngest son got tangled up with the dog coming down the stairs and fractured his elbow. He is in a cast for the next 5 weeks. I'll post a picture of the poor guy soon. Also, I finally made the decision that some of my daily routines need altered. Mainly, my commute to the gym. The gym that I have belonged to for 3+ years is across town. There's a gym with a pool, golf course, tanning, and game room for the kids less than 2 miles from my house. It only seems practical to join the closer gym and allow my kids some recreation. The kids are begging for some computer time but I'll post all the pictures I promised later.

Not much longer

2008-07-22T11:40:00.000-05:00

We are moved in and enjoying our new house minus a home phone and computer. The phone company is suppose to come today so I should have my home computer up and running by next week. I will try to get pictures posted soon.

MOVING DAY!!!!!

2008-07-11T20:17:00.000-05:00

Moving day is finally here. Tonight will be my first night in the new house. YEAH! The only thing left worth mentioning in the old house is my computer which I am currently writing my last blog on until my cable is hooked up at the new house. I will post some new pictures of the decorated house and maybe some pictures of the fam on ATV's. That's a whole different story but the entire family rode motorcycles/4-wheelers tonight. Gotta love that redneck entertainment.

Good Job Mudcats!

2008-07-07T14:49:00.000-05:00

Team picture with their first place trophies.

Parker on base looking to steal 3rd.

My nephew Cale throwing some heat!

This weekend was my son's last baseball tournament with his traveling team. We are glad to have a little break before starting football season the end of this month, but a little sad that his season is over and possibly done with the Mudcats. This team is out of Perry so we had to travel about 20-25 minutes one way for practices. He filled in the last 10 games for a boy who had to move. Although he didn't get to play the entire season with this team we already knew most of them and we will miss not getting to play with them next year. The boys had a great tournament. They won first place! My nephew, Cale, and my son, Parker, had so much fun and both played a great tournament.

Megan's Coming Home!

2008-07-01T14:18:00.000-05:00

My family is so excited that Megan is coming home for the holiday weekend. Cade has asked me every day for a week when Megan will be here. She has been in Dallas at her new job for a month but we miss her like it's been a year.

Bad Dog!

2008-06-30T16:35:00.000-05:00

The last few days have been quite intense. I am a little irritable trying to get stuffed moved, packed and unpacked, etc... Today was going fairly well until about 4:30. I was working on a hallway closet (junk, nothing even worth keeping) when I realized my little dog was outside digging her way to china while the boys were just laughing and encouraging her. She knows better than to do this. I have tried everything: covering the holes back up, spanking her, putting her in her kennel, putting her poop in the graved holes and covering them up (found this non-working trick on a website) and I finally just made her come in the house and put her in the kennel. Upon my entrance into the house I find my older dog eating my kids leftover snack (PB and apples) that they didn't throw away. When I yelled her name she looked up at me with PB all over her face and ears. For those of you who may be reading this doing a little blog stalking, please hear my advice. A dog doesn't need a playmate like a child does. They are not kids, one is perfect and two is a crowd. Don't get me wrong... I heart my dogs... most days! :-)

House Update

2008-06-24T13:32:00.000-05:00

I am posting some pictures of the house. We are so close to moving in!! I am trying not to get impatient and for the most part I am doing very well. I think it is because I dread moving all of our junk. I know it is going to be a major pain in the butt!

This is the master bath. Carey changed his mind last moment and used granite instead of tile as the border.

This is the kitchen sink. New progress includes faucet, sink, tile back splash. Notice the dishwasher (bottom right) is missing. Appliance is the next big progress.

This is the dinning room. The light fixture has been hung and the wood floors are almost done.

This is the kitchen island. I painted it black and I am trying an antique look with it. The light fixtures and floor tile were recently added too.

Baseball Weekend

2008-06-24T12:58:00.000-05:00

So this weekend wasn't our weekend to play great baseball. The traveling team that he played for has had a great season. They haven't lost many games and I know they are ready for a true summer break. Needless to say, they lost two games and we were done late (11:00 pm) Saturday night. I have to brag about Parker's overall performance. He went 5-8 at bat and hit 1 stand-up triple.

Wise ol' dad

2008-06-20T11:05:00.000-05:00

My oldest son is currently playing for two different baseball teams. He plays for one Stillwater team and recently started playing for a Perry traveling team. This weekend (Friday - Sunday) is the big state tournament. The tournament is in Moore so we are on the road again. I love-love- love to watch my son play baseball. I really can't think of very many other things I'd rather do. His little team is outstanding and it totally gives me chills to see my lil' boy playing ball and doing well at it. In addition to Parker playing with this Perry team, my favorite nephew also plays on the same team. Riley if your reading this I meant 1 of my favorite nephews. However, I am totally stressing out about how I'm suppose to keep everything together at my current house and continue to clean up after everyone at the new house. This process is absolutely crazy. Most rational people wouldn't take on 2 kids, 3 baseball teams (my youngest son also plays), 2 houses, and a move all at the same time. Who ever said I was rational? Sigh... I know my kids are growing up quickly and I can't say no to them when they ask to play additional sports even though the traveling makes me weary and weak. I know in a few years I will look back and wish for this time again. At least that what my dad tells me. So for now I will embrace the madness of the constant smell of sweaty uniforms and bug spray and remember my dad's wise words.

Sugar Detox

2008-06-16T12:29:00.001-05:00

I realized when browsing Christina's blog today that I never posted my goals for my sugar detox. My guidelines will be as followed:

3 healthy meals per day

2 snacks with choice of almonds or fruit

30 minutes of cardio/5 days per week or 15 miles

2 days of resistance training

minimum of 64 ounces of water per day

NOTHING in my mouth after 7:00

ABSOLUTELY NO SUGAR

I eat relatively healthy every day. My downfall is late afternoons when I crave something sweet. I decided to get on board with fellow friends to make this process easier. I plan to reward myself with a LLLOOOONNNNGGGG massage when I get my flabby belly toned.