State of the Union

I didn't watch to all of the State of the Union address, but I watched the end, and (shocker) I cried. Here's why...

Sgt Tommy Reiman



Wesley Autrey








The courage, character and love shown by these two men is awesome. And it did my heart good to see the nation come together - if only for a moment - to celebrate them.

This morning

This morning was just a typical morning, but both the boys made me laugh...

Nolan crawled into our bed around 2am & stayed there the rest of the night. As I got out of the shower I could here John laughing. Nolan was in deep sleep & having what I am assuming was a good dream, because he said "Oh man!" and then started giggling.

Ethan was getting dressed & I came over to hug & kiss him, and he promptly notified me that I could kiss him when I dropped him off at school, but not now - not just anytime I wanted to. It's starting already...I was really hoping I wouldn't hear those words until he was about 12.

Let it Snow!

Well, it didn't snow as much as the local forecasters predicted. They said to expect anywhere from 6-18 inches. I think we totaled out with maybe 4 inches of precipitation. There was a layer of sleet & ice under the snow. Today it's all melting away, so we are so happy we built the boy's first snowman.

His name is Frosty. The boys are hoping he'll come to life one day!

All About Nolan

Nolan's Favorite animals: alligators, puppies & penguins
Nolan's Favorite toys: Little People
Nolan's Favorite drink: any kind of juice or milk
Nolan's Favorite food: sausage, Salisbury steak, yogurt
Nolan's Favorite movies: The Incredibles and Happy Feet
Nolan's Favorite colors: red & pink
Nolan's Favorite thing to say: Anything Ethan just said (We call them Pete & Repeat)
Nolan's Favorite Songs: Twinkle Little Star & ABCs

Nolan loves: to play games, watch the Red Raiders, read books, and play with the dogs
Nolan is: full of energy and knows what he wants. He is very affectionate and adventurous. He follows his big brother and his Daddy everywhere, and always wants to learn from them & be like them. He is very funny and loves to dance & sing.

All about Ethan

Ethan's Favorite food: Noodles (any kind of pasta) and blueberry bagels with cream cheese. He enjoys most food - it just depends on his mood.
Ethan's Favorite toys: all his games, cars, Superheroes (especially Superman)
Ethan's Favorite animals: elephants, dogs, tigers, penguins
Ethan's Favorite things to do: play games, play with the dogs, read books, make snowmen, go out in the boat, stay home with Mommy & Daddy

Ethan's Favorite colors: Orange & pink
Ethan's Favorite movies: Cars, Happy Feet, Superman
Ethan's Favorite book: "Just a Bad Day" by Gina & Mercer Mayer (he says "It's kinda silly & funny")
Ethan's Favorite letter: E
Ethan's Favortie number: 3
Ethan's Favorite thing to say: We have never seen/done that before.
Ethan does not like: taking naps
Ethan loves: writing his letters, painting, helping Mom & Dad
Ethan is: very sensitive and loving and protective of his little brother. He easily figures out how to do things by watching & is eager to try new things & help out, yet way too difficult on himself (he's a little perfectionist). He is totally fearless, too.


I was inspired to do this after reading Emily's posts about her two precious munchkins (Luke & Claire). Thanks, Em. I think they deserve the spotlight!
Stay tuned for Nolan's turn...

A new family member!

No, I am NOT announcing a pregnancy.
We adopted a new dog yesterday. Her name is Virginia and she's a 2 1/2 year-old English Pointer/Treeing Walker Coonhound. We found her at The Haven. And she is fitting in great with the family already.
Chris likes her. They've had fun playing together in the backyard.
The boys adore her. She follows them all over the house & plays chase. She has jumped up a few times, but I think we can get that under control pretty quickly. There have already been lots of giggles due to her presence.
John & I are enjoying her, too. She slept in our bedroom last night. She was so glad to be out of the cold - she crawled underneath the bed & stayed there happily all night.



Here are some pictures of her when she was living at the shelter. She is much cleaner now, and I am hoping she will gain a few pounds - she looks a little too thin to me. Hopefully I will have better pictures of her before too long.
FYI - John is hoping to use her as his bird hunting companion, too.

Everybody is sick...

Let's see...

I am continuing to have GI problems. I have had stress-induced ulcers in the past, but every test we have done lately has been negative. So testing continues to rule out anything serious. We're hoping it's just IBS.

John is having intense shoulder pain. He has an MRI tomorrow to determine what the problem is & decide on treatment options. So far the doctor thinks it's a tear. Surgery is possible.

Ethan's tonsils are always so large they touch. He has trouble breathing at night sometimes and therefore has trouble sleeping. He has an appointment next week to determine if he needs surgery. I am betting he will.

Nolan's eardrum busted Monday morning. He had a simple cold, but the pressure change that accompanied the weather change was enough to make it pop. He is actually really happy and we're treating it with antibiotics, but we will have to watch him closely to ensure it heals properly and that he doesn't have further ear problems.

So, pray for all of us! Thanks!

More Christmas Pics

I love you, Elizabeth! And I love you, Nolan!


Go Cowboys!



Baby Caleb - he's so sweet. Let's keep him!


Cousin pile-up


Grandmother & Nana

Christmas pics

We had soooo much fun with all the family here. Ethan got very emotional & shed some tears everytime family members were leaving town. He's so sweet & sensitive...
Okay, so here are some pictures for your enjoyment!

Miranda, Darina & Lydia


The silliest 2-year olds ever - Nolan & Lydia


My heros


Joshua & Ethan - best of buds


TTU fans (at win 879 where Coach Knight tied the record!)



The boys playing with their Christmas toys