"Grrrrrrr!"

One of Brody's favorite animals is a bear. He loves to tell us that the bear says, "Grrrrr!" So...we thought this would be the perfect Halloween costume for him.

Here he was trying to run away from me and was laughing sooooo hard!

Productive Weekend

This weekend was productive, but very tiring! Friday night Mike went to St. John to pick up Nancy. When he got home we finished pricing everything for the garage sale. Saturday morning we got up early, loaded the truck/trailer, ate breakfast, and were in town before sunup to set up for the garage sale. Jed & Michelle graciously allowed us to have it at their house (since people wouldn't search for it out at our country house!) Michelle even hung out with me all day...and helped me load everything back up afterwards! We did pretty good with the sale...but I think we could've done better if it was warmer! It was in the 30's on Saturday morning! BRRRRRR! Michelle and I were freezing standing outside taking money from people!

The secretary at our church has started a new ministry. She has garage sales and then gives all the proceeds to our missionaries. I called her up and asked her if she wanted everything that was left over from our garage sale. She was excited about it (especially when she saw how full our truck was) and we unloaded it at her house for her to store until their next sale. I was just glad to FINALLY get all that stuff out of our garage!!!

While I did the sale, Mike took Nancy to Oklahoma City to meet up with Mark and Angela (who were delivering to Nancy the car she recently purchased in TX). It was a fast trip. They left at 10 am and he was back home by 11 pm. He wasn't feeling very well when he left Saturday morning and was even worse by Saturday night. Yesterday he didn't go to church with me because he felt so bad! This morning (before I left for work) I took his temperature and it was 101.4! He got a flu shot last Thursday. I'm wondering if this is a result of that shot? I've heard of people getting the shot and then getting the flu! I hope Brody and I don't get whatever it is that he has! I emailed his co-worker this morning and told him that Mike would call him whenever he got up...and I gave Mike instructions to rest!

Favorite Toy

Brody's current obsession is screwdrivers. Remember how he spent over an hour playing with a screwdriver and 2 screws with Namaw? Now imagine a set of 10 screwdrivers sitting on Junior's desk...just begging for Brody to play with them! Junior has given one to him numerous times...until Tina (a friend, gym member, doctor's wife, and Board member) gave us a lecture about how bad Brody could hurt himself if he fell on a screwdriver. From that point on Junior didn't allow Brody to play with his screwdrivers...which made work just a little more stressful! If Brody even caught a glimpse of a screwdriver...all I'd hear for the next hour was "da dar?!" (I know you'd never guess that means screwdriver...but that's what he calls them.)


Monday before last I was at Wal-Mart and found a toy tool set for $4.88. I took the screwdriver out of the package and put the other tools up for a Christmas present. I gave him the screwdriver at work the next day and he LOVED it! He also discovered very quickly that the bit comes out of the end of the screwdriver (so that you can change from flat head to phillips). He also figured out how to get the bit back into the screwdriver! This was a game that lasted a looooong time!
I was so happy to finally have a screwdriver that was safe for him to play with (mainly so I'd stop getting lectures from people!) Tuesday afternoon I took the screwdriver home from work so that Brody could play with it at home too. After I put Brody to bed on Tuesday night I started looking for the screwdriver to put in my bag for work the next day. All I could find was the bit and the toy screw that went along with it. Where was the base? Mike and I tore the house apart looking for this $1 toy! We NEVER found it!

This week Mike caught Brody putting one of his toys in our kitchen trash (we've taught him to throw away trash & his dirty diapers...but not toys)! So...Mike and I both think that Brody probably threw away the screwdriver base! Arg! Oh well. He LOVED having his very own screwdriver...even if it was just for one day.

"Me Me"

It may seem abnormal...but when I was pregnant with Brody, I wasn't worried about the labor and delivery. I wasn't worried about changing diapers, getting spit up on, or sleepless nights. Instead...I was worried about breastfeeding! I was sooo nervous that I wouldn't be able to do it "right" and that I wouldn't make it more than a few weeks. I'd heard so many horror stories from friends about how painful it can be and I was prepared for the worst.

To my surprise. Nursing came very naturally to me. Brody was a very efficient nurser (always finished his "meal" in 10-15 minutes max) and I enjoyed the bonding time with my little boy.

When Brody turned a year old I began a very gradual weaning process. He's been pretty easy to wean...it's me who's had the trouble! Since I've done it so gradual, I haven't had physical pain...but it's hard emotionally!

This morning was the hardest. I got Brody out of bed this morning and his first words (like any other morning) were, "Me me?" (This is what he calls nursing). My response was, "Oatmeal?" and then I took him into the office and started feeding him a breakfast of oatmeal, raisins, and cheerios. He didn't ask for "me me" again after that. I don't know why it makes me so sad. Shouldn't I be feeling a sense of freedom? Instead I feel like crying. Maybe because it's just one more reminder that my little boy is growing up.

APPROVED!

Do you remember when I told you about the ROM Quick Gym? I asked you to vote about whether you would use a 4 minute exercise machine?

Last week I wrote up a grant proposal seeking funding from the Rice Community Healthcare Foundation for a ROM Quick Gym for our fitness center. I was in Colorado when their Board met, so I sent RaeAnn and Dr. Mel Wright (the owner of Quick Gym McPherson) in my stead. They turned in my proposal to the Board and made a short presentation about the ROM.

We got word yesterday that the RCHF will FULLY FUND a ROM for our fitness center!!!! That's almost a $16,000 grant!!!! I put in the order for our ROM yesterday. We should have it before Christmas (maybe even before Thanksgiving)!!!! I can't wait! People are already starting to ask about making appointments!

Westcliffe '07

This weekend we went to Westcliffe, CO with the Wilson family. You may remember last October when Mike and Dwayne went to Westcliffe to work on the cabin Dwayne was building for his parents. The cabin is finally finished enough to use for vacation!

We made it to the cabin around 1:30 am (mountain time) on Friday morning. It was a HUGE relief to make it there as we had spent 6 of the last 8 hours listening to Brody cry about having to stay in his car seat. All 9 of us fit in the Tahoe Dwayne borrowed from his parents...so everyone had the joy of listening to Brody cry. I was glad that the Wilson kids didn't seem to notice and slept thru the major screaming!

When we woke up Friday morning I looked out the window and saw a gorgeous view of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range. Dwayne made pancakes for the hungry crew.
Then we headed outside! (I'm sure you'll notice Brody's nose. Apparently he fell down at the nursery at church on Wednesday night and got a nice rug burn on his nose! It scabbed up nicely by the time we arrived in Colorado).
The main task of the morning was to finish a tree house for the kids that Dwayne had started on a previous trip. Everyone got to help. Sydney, Taya, and Tyus all used the hand saw to cut boards to size (with Mike's help). Cedric was trying to help Dwayne nail them together. I took pictures (of course) while Brody played with the pine cones.
Isn't this the coolest tree house you've ever seen!!! (Notice how Sydney and Taya were starting to decorate with pine cones they had collected.)
Friday afternoon, Mike and Dwayne worked on a deck on the back of the cabin while Rene and I kept an eye on all the kids. When they got the deck finished, Mike and I took Brody on a walk while Dwayne and Rene played cards with their kids. The weather was gorgeous (in the 50's) and Brody enjoyed riding on Mike's shoulders.

The wind died down around sunset on Friday night which enabled us to have a fire and roast marshmallows! The kids were soooo excited to have smores (so were the adults)!
Saturday morning Mike and Dwayne went to Brush Creek to fish. The weather was much nicer than last year and they caught over 30 fish between the two of them! While they were gone Ben, Julie, and Malachi arrived at the cabin. The kids spent the day playing outside. Rene, Julie, Ben, and I sat outside watching them and talking for awhile...then we went inside to play cards.

When Mike and Dwayne got back to the cabin we loaded up the kids and went to Westcliffe to go bowling. For a SMALL town...they have a HUGE bowling alley!

We played guys vs. girls. Dwayne had 6 strikes. Nuf said! The guys easily beat the girls! The kids had lots of fun playing...but after one game we were all ready for dinner!
Ben, Julie, & Malachi at the bowling alley.

Saturday night we put the kids to bed and then Dwayne, Rene, Ben, Julie, Mike, and I stayed up late playing cards and laughing/talking. I'll just say that Dwayne was much better at bowling than he was a cards ;) We were in bed by 11:30 pm. That's where the fun ended!!!

Brody was awake and crying (hard) by midnight. By 1:30 am Dwayne and Rene had joined us downstairs in the living room. Brody was awake and playing like it was the middle of the day! We decided to just pack up the car (which took 2 hours) and head for home. By 4:00 am (mountain time) we had all the kids loaded up and were headed for Kansas. As we pulled onto the highway...it started snowing! It made us a little sad that we wouldn't get to see the cabin in the snow.

We made it home by 1:30 pm (CST) and by 2:30 Brody was taking a nap. He woke up from his nap and wouldn't stop crying! He was pulling on his ear...so we think he has an ear infection. I'm staying home from work with him today to try to let him get well. He has a low grade fever this morning...but he's not screaming crying right now (just won't let me out of his sight and wants me to carry him around the house without putting him down). If he gets worse this morning, I'm sure we'll be making a trip to the doctor.

Fire in the Sky

Sunday morning I was fixing breakfast when I looked out the window to see what looked like fire in the sky! The sky was mostly cloudy...and was bright red from the rising sun! What made it even more magnificent was the reflection of the sky in the water soaked fields.


Kansas sunsets/sunrises are amazing. Megan came to visit me one time (while she was still living in CA) and told me that she had to pull over on the side of the road to watch the sunset across the open fields (I think she also told me that she sang the Dixie Chick song "Wide Open Spaces".)

Every day that I see the sunrise/sunset, I am reminded of the love of God. I look at the horizon and see the colors that he has painted in the sky. I can't help but stop and talk to my Lord and Savior and thank him for the beauty his hand has created.

Special Friends

I got a surprise package in the mail on Monday! Remember our girls weekend back in July? I had so much fun with Megan, Juli Beth, and Suzanne (and missed Shauna being there)! So yesterday I opened my mailbox to find a package inside. It contained a scrapbook that Megan made for me of our girls weekend! Isn't she sweet! She's also REALLY creative! I took pictures of the book so that y'all could share in my excitement!

THANKS MEGAN!!!!

Blast-off!

A million points to the first person who can tell me what this game is called (not that it matters since I don't know how to put points on the side of my blog like Caleb has...but still...it's a contest!) After we have a winner...I'll tell you the story of this game :)

**********Yay! Dad still has a good memory! ;) **********

The name of the game is Blast-off! When we were little, Dad would have us sit in the middle of a sheet (the one in my memory was white with gold and olive green flowers all over it). Then he'd wrap it up around us and say, "3-2-1-Blast-off!!!" Then he'd carry us around the house slung over his back and we'd try to guess which room of the house we were in.

Sunday I was folding sheets and Brody kept climbing into the middle of the sheet...so I folded it up around him and introduced him to Blast-off! He LOVED the game (even though we couldn't really play the "guess what room you're in" part yet) and every time I'd set him down and unwrap him he'd say, "Me! Me!" So...we played it again and again!

My Man...

Since Juli Beth tagged me...and I can't think of anything else to blog about right now...
1. Who is your man? Mike
2. How long have you been married? 8 years, 2 months, 6 days
3. How long dated? 2 months before getting engaged, engaged for 3.5 months before the wedding
4. How old is your man? 29
5. Who eats more? Probably Mike...but I can definitely eat my share!
6. Who said "I love you" first? He did. On the couch at my parents' house
7. Who is taller? Mike..just a few inches
8. Who sings better? Me
9. Who is smarter? We both smart in different things. I think he's way smarter when it comes to the Bible.
10. Whose temper is worse? Both of us are pretty even tempered, but if I had to pick one of us I'd say Mike
11. Who does the laundry? Me
12. Who takes out the garbage? Mike usually does....mostly because I get really frustrated trying to the the sack out of the garbage bin...long story
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Right now...Mike. We seem to switch ever so often. I don't think we've switched as much since we got our new mattress. We used to switch because my shoulders would start hurting from laying on the same side every night.
14. Who pays the bills? I pay most of them since I keep track of all our stuff in Quickbooks
15. Who is better with the computer? Mike (it's his job) It's great because I have built in technical support!
16. Who mows the lawn? Mike and Brody
17. Who cooks dinner? Me, but Mike is a wonderful cook and will cook me dinner every once in a while
18. Who drives when you are together? Mike
19. Who pays when you go out? Most of the time Mike...unless we're paying cash out of the envelope...then I do
20. Who is most stubborn? Mike
21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Me
22. Whose parents do you see the most? Lately mine, but that's probably because Nancy doesn't have a car right now!
23. Who kissed who first? He kissed me on the first date...then we stayed up until 4:00 in the morning just talking
24. Who asked who out? He asked me to go have coffee with him. Well...actually it was supposed to be a group date, but the other two guys didn't find any girls to go with them...so it was me Mike, and 2 of his guy friends! lol After the coffee house they went back to their dorm while Mike and I walked around the park.
25. Who proposed? Mike (in front of 40+ of my sorority sisters)
26. Who is more sensitive? With out a doubt...ME
27. Who has more friends? Probably me (just because I have tons of blog/internet friends that I count ;)
28. Who has more siblings? Me. I have 2 he has 1.
29. Who wears the pants in the family? Definitely Mike (but isn't that the way God intended it?!)
I'll tag RaeAnn, Suzanne, & Teri :)

Working Weekend

This weekend we had company from Texas. Daddy Steve, Namaw, Caleb, & Audria came up for a visit. We didn't waste any time in putting them to work! They guys spent most of the weekend working outside. They worked on the log siding and on the porches. The girls cleaned out the shop and then cleaned out the attic! It was nice to have Audria (the organizer) there to help! The guys would come into the shop and ask us for a certain tool. After organizing it...we knew exactly where to find what they needed!
Whenever Brody was awake, Namaw's job was to play with him. She had it hard ;) Here they are playing with a few screws.
She said he spent about an hour playing with a screwdriver ("dada") and 2 screws!

Daddy Steve was in charge of cutting pieces of siding for Mike and Caleb to put up on the house. They saved the scraps so that they would have targets to shoot at when it came time to put the hammers down and pick up their guns!

Another project that Namaw and I worked on was making bedspreads. We made two of these bedspreads so that we'll have matching ones when it comes time to move Brody to the log bunk bed!
Mike and Caleb finally had some time to shoot their guns.
They set up the targets on the other end of the yard and had fun trying to hit them!
I was surprised that the noise of the guns didn't startle Brody at all. Instead...he was laughing when they would shoot! I guess he'll like to hunt like his daddy...I still get startled when the gun goes off!

We got over 3" of rain on Sunday night...so Brody got a little wet when he played outside on Monday morning (thanks to my cousin Julie for sending a bunch of new clothes/shoes for Brody that also included a pair of tennis shoes that can be "play" shoes!).
Even though we worked all weekend long (from sun up 'til sun down)...we had a lot of fun together and were sad to see them leave!

Birthday with an Angel

To our sweet niece, Alyiah Grace:
Today we would have been celebrating your first birthday. We would be watching you smash you hands in a birthday cake. I'm sure Brody would be eagerly trying to help you unwrap your presents. We would probably also be watching you walking around on unsteady feet...those of someone who had just learned how to walk. We'd see the joy on your parents' faces as they loving watched their daughter experience new things. We would be talking about the day you were born...and looking at pictures that show how much you have grown.

Instead...we remember. We remember the joy that you brought to our family the 9 months you were in your mother's belly...and the 52 minutes that you were alive out of the womb. We remember the way God used (and is still using) your life as a witness to others. We remember how your very life brought us closer to our Lord thru hours and hours in prayer. We remember the dark, full head of hair that you had...and your tiny little hands. We remember....

But we also praise! We praise the Lord that he has taken you home to be with him...and that we will see you again some day! We praise the Lord that he allowed you to spend precious minutes in the arms of your mommy and daddy. We praise the Lord that he created you and gave you life!

Today is a day that we will always be special to us. As you celebrate your birthday today in a most glorious place....a place where the streets are made of gold and there is no more pain or fear or tears...a place where you are in the presence of our Lord and Savior...a place where you can sing praises along with the angels...know that we are also celebrating your life. Know that we love you and will always remember.

"Da-deeeee!"

Brody's says many words...actually he says more words than I can even count. His favorite word (and person for that matter) is "Da-deee". One day I tried to count how many times he said "Da-deee" and I lost count before lunch! A picture of Mike is the wallpaper on my computer and Brody LOVES that picture. If I'm working on something and he can't see the picture of Mike, he'll say "Da-deee" over and over until I minimize my work so he can see the picture. The he gets this excited gasp and sighs, "Da-deee". He's saying "Da-deeee" in this picture:
As soon as we get in the car to go home he says, "Da-deee?" Every day I say, "No, Daddy is at work. We'll see him when he gets home." I hear "Da-deee" several more times before nap time...but it really intensifies after he gets up from his afternoon nap! Some days I'm trying to get work done inside, so Brody will sit at the back door (some how he knows when it's time for Mike to get home) and wait for Mike.
Other days waiting at the back door isn't good enough. We have to go outside to watch for "Da-dee".
"Maybe if I'm sitting by the mower when Da-deee gets home he'll take me for a ride!"
"Da-deee" is home!!!!!

What does Brody do when Mike finally gets home? Does he run into his arms and want to cuddle? No...he usually starts searching for a toy as soon as Mike walks in the door. Then he takes it to Mike and wants to play.

House Warming

Chris asked Mike to stop by his house on the way to Bible study on Sunday night because he had something to give Mike. I assumed he just needed to return some tool he borrowed (they trade lots of tools)! When we got to their house, Chris and Teri said they had wanted to give us a house warming gift....and two years later they had it ready to give us. We were shocked! Chris then proceeded to pull out this beautiful piece of art that he had his dad make for us! Dick (Chris's dad) carved this deer out of different kinds of wood. The different colors aren't stain...they're different woods! Isn't that cool?! We were so humbled to be given such a gift from the heart. Now comes the hard part. We have to decide where to hang it!!!