Snow Tubing

What a perfect way to celebrate all the beautiful snow!!!

Christmas Unwrapped

This year we added another stocking to our growing collection. Even though Isaiah is still small, he has already shown some interest in digger trucks, cars, trains, etc., so I was excited to find digger truck fabric to use to make his stocking.

This Christmas was different from others that we have had in the past. We focused on giving and being happy with what we already have. Most of the gifts where either passed on to us by others or they were homemade. Niah made rag dolls for her sisters (actually they are still being made!), and she made ornaments for Daddy and Isaiah. Aliya "decorationed" socks for everyone. I absolutely love my wildly creative and ORIGINAL socks!!! Kiahna made bath salts for everyone--that was a messy project!!! Isaiah just gave everyone some love and joy--it's what he gives best!!!

This year I had the opportunity to give a very special gift to my children. Many Christmases ago my parents built my older sister and I a horse stable along with accessories like water troughs, fence sections, and jumping poles. We also received several horses to use with the stable. It was a Christmas that I will never forget! A few months ago, I had mentioned to my mom that I would like to give something like that to the girls for Christmas this year. I was excited when she said that she thought they might still actually have it packed away.

I was THRILLED when she called a few days later to confirm that they did have it! After checking with my sister to make sure it was okay with her, my parents said that I could pass this gift on to my kids. When the girls opened up this very special gift, it was like I was opening up the gift all over again just like I did many years ago. This Christmas will go down in history as being one of my favorites.

This Christmas also will be a history maker because we had SNOW and lots of it! It started snowing pretty hard Christmas Eve--it made for a wonderful birthday present! By Christmas morning, we had about 14 inches. After the girls opened up their presents, they convinced Daddy to take them outside to play while I finished making Christmas dinner.

They had a great time! Daddy took them on a exploring adventure through the woods. I got many reports of all the WILD life that they saw. I'm not sure how much of it was real...but it was REALLY exciting none-the-less!!! This Christmas will go down in history as being one of my favorites.

Christmas Skating Party

Today we had our school Christmas party. They wanted to go "ice skating"--more commonly known as ROLLER skating. We had a blast!!! Niah and Aliya were able to skate by themselves. Kiahna had a pretty good handle of her skates as long as she was on the carpet; otherwise, she needed some help to skate around the rink.

Isaiah loved watching his sisters skate, but after a while, he began getting upset because he couldn't walk out on the rink with them. Niah checked to see if they had any baby skates (which they did!), and so we had Isaiah try them on. He actually didn't do too bad!

I really enjoy taking the girls out for special school parties and activities--I know they enjoy it, too! We had so much fun skating that we decided we should try to do it at least once a month.

Our Newest Addition

Keeping it short and sweet, this is our NEW VAN!!! We are excited! We now can all go together in one vehicle! This is a big blessing to us--those of you who know us, know the story already. We couldn't be more thrilled.

Isaiah--10 Months Old

It's hard for me to believe that in 2 more months, Isaiah will be a year old. He continues to be a BIG joy in our lives...and each day he continues to grow BIGGER!!!

Isaiah is very proud of his new abilities. He walks now. Yes...that's right. He is walking. He is still a little shy about it, though. He doesn't really want anyone making a big fuss about it. His best walking times are those when he thinks he is doing it alone or unwatched. If he thinks someone is watching him, he stops and just crawls.

Isaiah continues to put EVERYTHING in his mouth! He loves to eat and nimble on ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING! I was hoping that this phase would end as soon as we began introducing him to real food, but no. He does enjoy his new food (brown rice, sweet potatoes, avocados, wheat porridge, and oatmeal), but he's not quite ready to let go of his old favorites (leaves, lint, bugs, tinsel, sticks, foam, toilet paper, paper, crayons, etc).

TJ and I both thought that we were going to have a lot of trouble with Isaiah getting into the Christmas tree, but he hasn't really bothered the tree at all! I think it's because the tree "pokes" him, and he just leaves it alone.

It's hard to believe that last year at this time, we were still getting things ready for him to join us. We were constantly thinking about him, wondering what he was going to be like and how our lives were going to change. Now I can't imagine him NOT being with us!!! He is such a special part of our lives!!!

Aliya's Turns 7

Such a beautiful girl...

We have been celebrating Aliya's Birthday for the past week! First we had a little celebration in Arkansas while we were on Thanksgiving break. Yesterday we had a little party at the Ogilbee's house--so sweet!!! Then earlier today we met Daddy for lunch at Aliya's favorite place--Chinese, of course! Finally, we topped of the already-fabulous day by decorating for Christmas.

Aliya is now ready to BE more grown up. She is realizing that she is no longer a little kid--I guess I'm having to realize that, too! She still "plays" but she is also interested in more of the grown-up activities.

No matter how old she gets, she will always be my little Chunkie Love. I am so thankful and blessed to be her mother!

P.S. Even after all these years, I still can not resist kissing those cheeks!!!

Thanksgiving Break

The kids and I spent Thanksgiving week in Arkansas.--TJ was able to meet us up there later on in the week. There were so many fun things to do, but the best times were those spent with our "best friend cousins". Isaiah loved playing with Henry. In fact, sometimes he "loved" him too much!!!

Almost 3 years ago, 2 little girls danced around in a kitchen to a very catchy tune--actually, one girl stood and bounced while the other one moved all over the place! Almost 3 years later, the scene repeats...this time with 2 NEW little girls.

The girls also had a special dress-up day. They each wore a special outfit that they liked, and then Niah painted their faces. They loved the beautiful designs, but they didn't like how the paint felt on their skin. As soon as we snapped the pictures, they wiped off the makeup.

In our spare time, Betsy and I made cloth diapers. I needed to make several for Isaiah, and she needed to make some for Henry. I told Betsy that next time we get together, Isaiah needs to have an OU diaper, and Henry needs to have a Razorback one! That would make for a cute picture!!!

When it was time to leave, Taya and Kiahna shed some tears. It wasn't easy to leave behind our best friend cousins. The only good thing about "goodbye" is that it offers an opportunity in the future to say "hello" again.

Clever Climber

Isaiah was caught trying to climb out of his crib so that he could reach for some more toys. I'm sure this is only a preview of things to come!

Veteran's Day 2009

This picture was taken on January 18, 1995--the day I joined the United States Air Force. Even though I was REALLY excited, I was also very scared and nervous because I did not REALLY know what I was going to be getting myself into!

This picture was taken on Basic Training Graduation Day. Behind me is my "living" space. Even though Boot Camp was far from "fun", it was an experience I will NEVER forget. That training STILL shapes who I am today.

This last picture was taken during the final week that I was in the military. I was almost 8 months pregnant with Niah. These were some of the members of the late night shift at the Aerospace Medicine Squadron that I worked at while at Travis Air Force Base in Vacaville, CA.

I only served 2 years in the Air Force. I had planned to be career military, but that changed when I found out I was going to be a mom. Many of my friends who were military moms had tough choices to make. They gave up a lot (like breastfeeding and first birthdays, etc.) because of their duty to serve. One of my friends had to leave her 6 week old baby behind in order to spend 2 weeks on field duty (basically you're camped out on base, but they treat you like you are in the middle of the desert--you have zero contact with your family, even though they are only blocks away). I remember her crying and crying (I was about 3 months pregnant at the time), and she kept saying she wish that she had gotten out when she had the chance. She kept saying that it was much harder to leave her baby behind than she thought it would be. I took that in to consideration when it was my opportunity to make that choice.

I LOVED being in the military. In many ways I still miss it, but I love my children more and am very thankful to be home with them. Every veteran has their own story-- many are very tragic. As civilians, we can not even comprehend the sacrifice that these men and women have given so that we can be free--a "freedom" that they themselves do not even get to enjoy while they are serving. Military men and women sacrifice basic freedoms that we take for granted everyday. Freedoms such as calling in "sick" to work, deciding to change jobs, what type of job they want, what haircuts/hairstyles they want, and even how fat they want to be. The military even regulates the distance that service members are allowed to travel. At Travis Air Force Base, we had a 50 mile radius. We were not allowed to go past that unless we had specific permission or unless we were on official leave of absence.

My brother-in-law is currently serving in the military. He makes many, many unnoticed sacrifices for our country. That sacrifice extends even to my sister and my 2 nephews. They all pay a price for his service.

For all those who have served and who are still serving, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

Isaiah--9 Months Old

The weather was perfect today, so we went to the zoo for his pictures. He was a little upset that I was interrupting his napping schedule...so I never actually got a big smile, much less a laugh! We were both thankful when I finally called it quits.

He is growing up faster than I can comprehend. Isaiah loves to "talk" to his sisters, and he always has a lot to tell Daddy when Daddy gets home at night.

We are still doing cloth diapers AND still loving it. I have no plans to ever go back to disposable.

Isaiah is just now being introduced to foods. I'm not really ready for the mess, but I know it is something he enjoys AND appreciates! He loves to EAT!!! I wonder which parent he gets that from???!!!

The girls continue to dote over him. I do not have to be concerned about where he is. Aliya and Kiahna know EXACTLY where Isaiah is at all times. Two minutes after I lay him down for his nap, they will ask me where he is--they notice when he is not around!!!

The months are closing in, and it won't be long before he turns a year old. I'm not ready for that yet, but somehow I don't think that will matter. I just try to kiss his cheeks as much as I can everyday. He is my cutie guy.

Manly Time

Isaiah took a bath with Daddy today. They both love this special manly bonding time. I think it's cute (even though that is not a very MANLY word), and so I had to take a few pictures.

Big Brother, Big Sister

Two weeks ago today, TJ's oldest son Kenny and his oldest daughter Leanna came to the United States from France so that they could spend some time getting to know their dad. It had been about 12 years since TJ had last seen them.

Our girls were looking so forward to meeting their brother and sister. We had all been waiting a long time for this event. Unfortunately, Kenny and Leanna were not as prepared to meet us. With encouragement from other family members, arrangements were made for them NOT to stay with us. That was really sad and hard for us to deal with. The girls were devastated. We had already told them that school was canceled for the week so that they could spend time with their brother and sister. We now had all this time off and nothing to do, so the kids and I took a mini vacation to Arkansas. It worked out well--playing with cousins offered a GREAT distraction from the current events, and it gave time for TJ to work on things here in Oklahoma.

When we came back to Oklahoma, we finally did get to meet Kenny. The girls were excited, and Aliya became his little shadow. We were able to get together 2 more times before he had to leave. We couldn't speak directly to each other, but we did manage a few French words here and there. Kiahna even taught Kenny how to say "SWEEEEEEET!!!!!" That was funny!!!

We never did get to meet Leanna. The girls and I were really disappointed not to meet her. I know this has not been an easy or a fun post...but sometimes life is not fun or easy. This was a big event in our lives, and there were a lot of tears and frustrations mixed in with the joy and happiness.

Even though this chapter may not have ended the way we had wanted it to, the story is NOT over. It is still being written.

Twin Party

Today we went to my friend Lisa's house to celebrate her son Carson's birthday and Kiahna's birthday. They were both born on the same day, October 14, 2005. Interestingly enough, they both also measured the same at birth (7 lbs/8 oz and 21 inches in length). Since they share this special day, we thought it would be fun to have a special party just for them.

Isaiah enjoyed playing with "boy toys". Sad to say, he doesn't have any boy toys--he only has baby toys. Well, as of today, that has changed. Lisa so generously sent us on our way with a few cars, trains, road cones, etc. He is a happy little guy!!! I never really believed that BABIES would prefer one gender of toys over another. I always thought it was parental influence and conditioning. Isaiah sat on our living room floor playing with his new toys all the way up until his bedtime.