Elorra

Christmas is so fun. Look at my little man decorating his little tree. "Ight," he would say as he pointed at the lights. Balls on the tree, balls off the tree. Repeat process. Toddlers are fun too. Christmas with toddlers has got to be the best. The kids get so excited about every little thing from the decorations hung at Target to the candy canes we bought to put on the tree of which Holly managed to break about half. "Are these treats for going potty, Momma?" That's right Holly. Treats for going potty, in the potty. Get it????? She has gotten it for 2 days straight. Why do kids regress anyway? Am I not an honest person? Do I really deserve this challenge? I know I have been bad in the past, but I am so much better than I use to be. But still it is God's grace that sees me through. Filthy rags is all I have compared to His glory. Which brings me to what the Lord showed me the other day that I have been meaning to write about because it is so special. I have doubts sometimes. All of us do, but Thomas was the disciple that everyone remembers as 'the doubter.' Doubting Thomas is what we call him today. I have a feeling that he was actually a pretty neat guy, but that is not my point. You know, Thomas asked to see the Lord's scars. He said that he would never believe in the resurrection until he saw the scars himself. So Jesus showed Thomas the scars. Jesus showed scars on His holy, resurrected body. What? Scars, on our Lord, Who is perfect and was resurrected from the dead by God. Yes. Scars. Scars. We all have them. Physical scars and emotional scars. Before I had my knee surgery years ago, I was worried a lot about the scars it would leave on my leg. I notice everyone who has the same scar as I do on their knee. As for emotional scars, I hide a lot of them. But our Lord showed His scars to the one who needed to see them. I have to be willing to share my scars to those who need to see them to believe. I pray that God can use my scars. I know that I am forgiven for the wrongs that caused some of my scars. Jesus has the scars to prove it. But it is just such a sweet thing to have the Lord tell me that my scars are nothing to hide or be ashamed of. Even Jesus has scars and the truth is, I helped put them there. Ouch. But oh, how sweet it is to trust in Jesus. Which brings us back to Christmas. A time to celebrate the birth of our Savior. I am trying to make this a very blessed time for my family. I want to keep the holiday in perspective and guide my children to celebrate the reason for the season. I feel really strongly about that and pray that the Lord blesses my efforts. Amen

A germ magnet??? I get every virus that comes within 40 feet of my being. Cough, cough, hack, hack, sneeze, sneeze. That's what I sound like. Kemper is sick too. Can you see that runny nose? He is coughing and has a runny nose. Holly too. Didn't we just get over some illness? Kemper was up numerous times in the night with a sick stomach and messy pants. Yuck. Not my idea of a good night's rest. I heard it said that little ones can get 7 to 11 illnesses per year. We are almost at our quota. I wonder if we start the count again in January or do we go by school years? Hmmmm. On a brighter side, I finally found Holly a Christmas dress. It is a lovely plaid and I think she will look super cute for pictures and the Christmas program at the church. She is learning "Go Tell It on the Mountain" to sing at the program. That is the song her class is singing. I think it will be very cute. Today in the car, Holly was singing "Joy to the World." She knew all the words and I don't really know how. It was so sweet to hear her sing it. Sweet sounds of Christmas. Funny how we get tired of all the Christmas music until our kids start to sing the songs and then we can't get enough of it. Of course I have begged Holly to sing it again and she won't. Not a performer. Self motivated. That's what we will call her and I hope it makes her very successful one day. The kids and I had lunch with Travis today at Pizza Hut for the lunch buffet. Travis mentioned the opportunity to go to the Big 12 Championship Game in Houston this weekend. So now the hunt for a babysitter begins. We just don't leave the kids very much and I prefer to leave them with family. It will be nice if Heather will drive in and keep them. She would be the perfect person since she is their older sister. I really want Holly to be close to her, but it is hard since they are 16 years apart and Heather lives in Nacogdoches. I know Holly loves her. Another choice is my sister, Elissa. If she and her husband would drive down, they could stay at our house and watch the kids. But it is a 3.5 hour drive for them and Elissa may be working this weekend. I would not want to leave the kids with anyone else. So we will see how it works out. I really want to go to this game. Well, the Christmas tree is up. Kemper has already broken one ball and Holly broke another ornament. Let the destruction begin. I bought them a mini tree to play with and I put lights on it and got them some mini ornaments. It is a lot of fun, but they are still drawn to the big tree. The forbidden is always more fun. I have a few more decorations to put out and the garland on the stairs and then I will be done. If only those boxes could load themselves back in the attic. I will post pics as soon as I get them. Now, I must go make some fudge for National Chocolate Day. I thought that was Valentine's, but I think everyday could be chocolate day and I could live with that. So have some chocolate and good cheer.

First of all, we had a great Thanksgiving, but I got no pictures. NONE. I took my camera, but never got around to taking pictures of the family. What is wrong with me??? I feel like such a turkey. Maybe it was the 2 glasses of wine. Maybe it was the tryptophan???? Maybe I am just a turkey, gobble, gobble. We ate, we talked and then we ate some more. The kids really enjoyed going upstairs and back down. They really enjoyed playing with their cousin Amanda who is wonderful at entertaining them. She is so good with them I kept thinking we should get them all together more often so they can develop relationships and have great memories with one another. Miles had to leave early to go be with his mom, but Heather and Jack were with us the whole time. It was a great family event. I am so thankful to be so blessed. Today, we watched football. In fact, we recorded the game and it is playing again as I type. Hook em Horns, but who is the turkey there? The game just seemed OFF. Vince was just a big ole Texas sized target.

He had no mojo, no energy, no grit, no bite. He was sort of not even there. The OLine was a little loose, and no one really ran the ball, but who do we blame? Who is the turkey? I am going to say we just celebrate our win and move on. It is not time to lay blame. It is time to get ready to play in the Big 12 Championship. Woo Hoo.

I spoke with Elissa today as she drove to Mother's house. They are eating theThanksgiving meal tomorrow. I cannot wait to hear how it goes and who will be the turkey for that big event. Something always goes awry when my family gets together. Travis and I are not making the trip, but we will be going up for Christmas.

So, I guess we can always find someone to amuse us if we try. That's what is cool about life.

The Brewers: Here you see the lot of us who will be together for this year's Thanksgiving Day meal. I was just listening to an interview with Tiki Barber who is a famous running back for the NY Giants. He is such an interesting person. I am always amazed at the physical abilities of famous athletes. I was never meant to be a famous or accomplished athlete. I honestly do well for myself if I manage to keep in shape enough to run a mile. And that is not saying much because I don't remember when I actually did run a mile, but I still think I could. LOL. Anyway, Tiki said something that is still ringing in my ear. He is obviously a very driven person, determined and strong. He said that he was not driven by the fear of failure in his life but by the expectation of success. I love that. I spoke with Whitney Bethel today and she also said that as a pediatrician, she sees parents who are fearful about things involving their own child. Whitney said that she tries to direct their thoughts to what we know, not what we fear. This made so much sense to me and I thought of it again when Tiki made his statement. How much does fear drive me to do the things I do, think about the things I think about, or make the decisions that I make???? This is a very good question to consider. I like the idea of starting with what we know and working toward or working through what we don't know. Hmmmm (pressing finger to upper temple like Arsenio Hall.) I truly want to have an expectation of success for me, Travis and for my children. And I want them to have this expectation too. Holly is having a difficult time these days and I am not sure what to do about it. She has regressed in her potty training to the point of needing a diaper. What is that all about? People ask if she has gone through a major change or some stress, etc. My answer is, 'not that I am aware of.' It is frustrating. She seems to use it to exert some kind of control over me so I resist that. Who knows? I don't think she is getting enough rest for one thing. She refuses a nap even though I force her to lie in her bed sometimes. We put her to bed at night by 7pm these days, but she seems to be at that transition point between needing a nap and growing out of needing a nap. But it is later in the afternoon when I have the most trouble with her because she is tired. Arggggg(gritting teeth.) Other than that, she knows her letters, she knows her numbers, she can spell and write her name, she reasons well and is very smart. She does lack motivation sometimes to do simple things like put on her shoes or put away toys. I think it is all about control and she wants it. B-O-S-S-Y, that is Holly. Meanwhile, Kemper has learned to walk backwards. It is so cute. He is starting to imitate a lot of sounds and he says quite a few words as well as using some baby signs. He is still a small boy for his age, but he is very calm and pleasant and well, compliant. Sigh-of relief. So, I made some of Momma's fudge tonight. It turned out pretty good. Too good, in fact. I ate several 'test' pieces before sending some next door for the neighbors who are always sending stuff to me. I love chocolate and sometimes, I cannot get enough of it. Today was one of those days so PTL, the fudge came out good. I am planning to make 2 pies tomorrow and then baked sweet potatoes, green beans and broccoli & cauliflour salad for Thanksgiving dinner with Travis' family on Thursday. I love the holidays and cooking is part of that. In closing, I hope you and your family have a fabulous Thanksgiving and an expectation of success dominates your world. smile:)

Kemper is better. Holly is better. Thus, I am better. I really had a good day and I am so excited to feel the winds of change blowing my way. The cool air makes me so excited. I went to HEB and bought some marshmallows, whipping cream and decaf coffee with a special flavor great for Fall. I have a feeling we will have to savor every cool moment like I do the time I have with my children because it won't last nearly as long as I would like. You can see the page I finished of Holly. I cannot believe how old she is. And then the picture of Kemper makes him seem so thoughtful and pensive, like his father. Where is my little baby? Got some scrapping ideas today from my friend and purse designer, KayMay. She has a good eye for colors and pattern that I think I can transfer into a nice page. Hmmm. I'll come up with something. You can see her fabulous creations at www.austinhandbagcompany.com. I already have two of these wonderful bags and I want more. I was delighted to see my friend and I hope she visits my blog. I told her to get one too. As Thanksgiving flies toward us at sonic speed, I realized I need to start planning. The grocery store was insanely busy. I saw people with turkey in their cart. I bought some pecans to make pralines, but I forgot to buy the buttermilk. I love to cook and bake and make candy. Holidays are so good for that and since I won't be going to my mom's for Thanksgiving, if I want homemade goodies, I will have to do it myself. Guess this means I am grown up. What do you think? Holidays also make me remember my friend, Wendy, whose husband is in Iraq. He will be there until mid next year so she will be keeping the home fires burning during the holidays. Say a prayer for them if you can. I know she will appreciate it. So, to close, I want to be thankful. I am so blessed and really want to savor the feeling.

Kemper is sick again. I have lost count of how many times he has been sick since September. Holly too. They just bring it home to each other and then, of course, I end up with it. No amount of handwashing or vitamin swallowing can keep it from happening. Everyone has advice about not getting sick, but the truth is, I just have to deal with it. Holly had the stomach bug last week. Kemper has a cold with a fever. It is a good thing that he loves medicine. He opens his little mouth and sucks it right in and then grabs for the syringe so he can pretend to take more. It is very cute. Holly is not the type to make things that easy. Hopefully, she won't get his cold and he won't get her stomach virus. Well, we went to the last Longhorn home game on Saturday. It was fun and good to see Vince Young live, doing his thing. He really is an incredibly talented athlete. I would love to go to the Big 12 Championship game in Houston. I don't know when it is or how much tickets will be, but I think it would be a lot of fun. Of course, the Rose Bowl in Pasadena would be a great trip too, but that one is a lot less likely to happen. I forgot my camera on Saturday, so I have no pictures, but the one I posted is from Halloween. Holly was a horse and Kemper was a cowboy. Holly would not let Kemper have his gun. She took it and made it her own.

I haven't logged in and typed since I started this blog. My bad. There are so many excuses, I won't even list them. Today is Friday and it is a holiday so there will be no mail and no banks open. That will not keep me home though. I want to go to Michael's and use my 50% coupon on a system adapter for my Sizzix. Holly was sick yesterday, but she is better today. Kids are amazing when they are sick. She is full of energy even though she was only able to eat rice and a little bit of banana for dinner last night after throwing up all day. I was layed up on the couch after I had the same virus on Sunday. Holly is not one to go down easily. I guess in some ways, I am. Kemper hasn't gotten noticeably sick yet. Oh, I hope he doesn't. I do not want another day of that evil virus. I also don't want him to feel bad. He is napping right now. He is such a good napper. I love that about him. I feel cheated if he misses a nap because I have gotten use to him taking one so well. This weekend is the last home game for the Longhorns. Let it be a good one. I think it will be like the OU game. The score should be about the same. It looks like Texas is on the way to the National Championship and that's pretty cool. Hook em Horns. Well, I look forward to a busy weekend.