Piper Posts

Don't Cry Because It's Over...Smile Because It Happened!

2010-03-22T00:33:00.003-05:00

Wow! It's been over a year since my last post...so for those two followers I have out there...here it goes! I just read my blog header when I logged on to my blog and realized it totally fits what I want to say tonight! I was lying in bed, not sleeping, and thinking about the day. My beautiful twins (boy and girl) turned five years old today and what a five years it has been...I'm tempted to cry because those five years are gone, but I want to smile because it's happened (see header :).It's amazing to recall that five years ago, at exactly this time of night, I was nursing those babies for the first time and holding close the sweet blessings that God had entrusted to me. After ten years of waiting and trying and worrying and crying, we had been blessed with not just one baby, but two healthy beautiful children, both a girl and a boy. So much has happened in the short time that they have been with us. We moved back to our small hometown, I changed the school at which I taught and began commuting 60 miles total each day, I began teaching college classes, my husband was diagnosed with epilepsy and was in a bad car wreck from which he suffered crippling injuries (which btw, is one reason I haven't blogged in over a year), I regained my lifeguard instructors certification and managed the city pool, we became very involved with our church, and on and on, decisions have been made which have impacted our lives. Throughout these five short years, there have been so many moments during which I have cried, but there have been so many more during which I have smiled or laughed...to remember that during EVERY moment of our lives, we are so richly and completely blessed. It's good to remember, and I want to tell more about the events of this last year, I want to "blog" about so much more, I want to share with you the EVENT that was the PIRATES and PRINCESSES Birthday Party this day, but for now it's enough to say "Happy Birthday to my beautiful Princess and dashing Pirate" and to remind my friends not to cry because it's over, but smile because it happened.

Mama Mia!! Here I go again...

2009-02-21T11:17:00.002-06:00

Okay, I have Mama Mia on the mind because I finally got to see the movie last night over at my BFF Carrie's house and so now I know what all the singing and dancing is all about - such a great movie!!!!! But the other reason for the title is because of how I spent the first part of the weekend...my dear son, Cord, who made his first visit to the emergency room two days after he turned two years old, to get two stitches in his forehead after falling at my mother's back porch, decided that he needed to fit an ER visit in before he turned four next month. So we're actually going to get to bed on time Thursday night and we almost had everyone in bed by 9:00, but as I am getting our glass of ice water to take to bed, Chad and Cord come rushing in to the kitchen and Chad is saying we're going to have to take Cord to the Emergency Room...because he has a rock up his nose! Great...we try to get him to blow it out - no luck; we try to lay him back and look up his nose - we can't see ANYTHING. But, he continues to tell us that it's there, it's up there, he can feel it. We make a couple of phone calls (to our resident nurse, also a great friend) and she calls the ER in Childress to ask their opinion. Everyone agrees that we should probably go ahead and take him in before his nose tissues begin to swell around the rock and it gets further inbedded. We wrap up twin sister, Aidan and take her to the grandparents, and head off to Childress with blanket-wrapped pajama boy. Once at the ER, Cord is wide awake, not in any pain and now has decided that the rock is on the OTHER side of his nose. I'm beginning to think he is not being honest about the whole thing. The doctor on call that night examines him and can see no rock. He tries blowing it out, again with no results...so he calls in the x-ray machine. After two x-rays, it's decided that they can't really tell for sure if there is a rock present, so he says we need to do a cat scan. Okay...here's my "horrible" mom admission...all I could think was - great here's an expensive procedure and there probably isn't even a rock up there, but thankfully my husband insisted because he was pretty sure that there was a rock, and so off we go to the cat scan room. Being a science teacher, I'm always fascinated with this whole process, so even though it was my son, I thought it was really cool (and the bonus was I got to see a preview of his permanent teeth and they look like they'll be straight - YES!!!). OH, and by the way, the rock WAS there...in all it's 1.1 by .6 cm size!! It was lodged to the left side of the nasal septum right under the nasal bone, but too deep to just blow out. So the next order of business was to call an ear, nose and throat doctor in Amarillo and see how fast we needed to get him to a specialist to remove it. The doctor on call for Dr. Morgan (who we actually had visited while living in Amarillo and loved) said just to call her office in the morning and see when she could look at it. So we trooped back home and went to bed (at 1:00 a.m.) and then got up the next morning to make the trek to Amarillo. After making arrangements with Dr. Morgan's office to be "worked" in and knowing we might have to wait all day, we made other arrangements for Sissy and both of our jobs and headed north. We got to the doctor's about 12:40 and only had to wait about an hour and a half. It only took Dr. Morgan about 20 minutes to "suck" the rock into view and pop it out with a very skinny "crochet" needle. It wasn't near as traumatic as we thought it would be and I'm sure it was a fairly routine procedure for them. They did have to give Cord "laughing gas" (nitrous oxide) and he was loopy and silly. He never cried, whimpered, or jerked at all while they were doing the procedure. For that matter, he was good as gold for every bit of the ordeal (x-rays, cat scans, nasal probes, nasal picks, etc.). I think a lot of that had to do with his affinity for dark-haired girls. He proclaimed his love for the radiologist in Childress Dr. Jenks, and told that "sweet lady" that he wanted to marry her. Dr. Morgan and her nurse were also dark-haired and sweet talking and he was all smiles and sweetness himself. So alls well, that ends well and we have "the rock" to show for our little probably $500-$600 adventure. We can laugh about it now, until the bills come in!! So one trip to the ER when he was two, one when he was three, and we'll pray that he doesn't make a habit of this. Mama Mia!

The Joy of the Holidays!

2009-01-04T15:45:00.002-06:00

What an awesome holiday break it has been for me and my family! I have enjoyed the time off and it has been wisely spent! During the first weekend off (Dec. 20th) we hosted my husband's extended family in the "Piper Tree" and got to spend time with about 20 of our relatives at our house for a fun filled night of food and gifts. Then of course during Christmas week I finished up last minuted shopping, wrapped gifts, cooked delicious (if I do say so myself) food and spent time with my brother, Brother (his real name is Vince), and his two grown children, my nephew, Luke and my niece, ShaVonne. Luke is a successful landscaper in Destin, Florida at the age of 22 and rarely gets the opportunity to come home to Texas. ShaVonne, who lives in Lubbock, but still doesn't come home very often to see the whole family! After a great visit from Santa Claus, who delivered a large play tool bench complete with a chainsaw and various drills and the long sought after "swimming" baby, we spent Christmas day and the day after with more family who visited from Oklahoma City. My cousin, Chip and his wife, Kathy, enjoy coming down to Paducah and experiencing the small town life and they love for their 2 yr. old daughter, Darcy to spend time with the twins - it's really great fun to watch them all play together.

After all that family exposure, we got to spend the weekend after Christmas in Amarillo with my brother and sister-in-law, John and Anita, celebrating Christmas. We also got to attend a party hosted by my good friend, Kathryn and all of the girls that I used to spend time with in Amarillo were able to be there too. Including two of my friends who have also moved away from Amarillo. I was a great reunion and I had the best time reminiscing and relaxing with those old friends.

After returning home, we still had a whole week to spend celebrating the New Year with friends at home and just spending time together as a family. I got to play with the twins, even watch some movies with my husband, AND I finished a "drawer-cleaning" project during which I got EVERY DRAWER in my house cleaned out and organized!!!!! I have been so sick of not knowing where things are and just cramming and sweeping anything and everything into various drawers for so long, that it REALLY made me feel like I had accomplished something by taking 2 and 1/2 days and cleaning all of them out! I realize it doesn't take much to make my happy, but I can honestly say that this chore did!

So, tomorrow it's back to work and back to a busy, busy schedule, but I can definitely say that my holiday was rejuvenating and restful, and I will carry the JOY of the HOLIDAYS into the new year...hopefully until Spring Break - haha! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Brokenness and Blessings...

2008-11-20T10:54:00.003-06:00

Wow...it's been a long while since I posted, and time certainly gets away from you when you're busy, busy, busy...the story of everyone's life these days!! The post that has been on my heart lately though has been to blog about a recent adulthood revelation. This is going to sound so silly and so totally obvious to everyone, but I feel like my adult life has been a series of revelations that have come as thought processes over days and weeks and that finally STICK within my being. The first came in my twenties when I discovered that even though people could be great individuals and true friends, there were a great many people who just could not be counted on to get things done. It was truly a revelation to me that the majority of "things" in life get done by a very few people. Of course this is a blanket statement, but I guess it was really a disappointment to me that not everyone had been raised with the work ethic of responsibility that I had. Anyway...another revelation has come to me in my thirties...I guess I have always kind of held the belief that some people had it soooooooooo good. Don't get me wrong, I am truly blessed (we'll get to that in a moment), but there always seems to be that "grass is greener" mentality going on. Well, the revelation, no drum roll please, that has come to me in the last several weeks has been this...we are all broken. Everyone, yes, everyone, has some broken place in them that they must deal with. I know, I know, again it seems like a "duh" kinda statement, but it's really resounded with me lately. In our society, during this time, on the news, in our world, etc., etc. we are bombarded with stories of brokenness. And yes, in my own life there are some issues that I am dealing with, but I guess it just really HIT me, that everyone has their "broken" pieces to deal with in this life. The Christian song, "People Need the Lord" comes to mind over and over..."everyday they pass me by, I can see it in their eyes..." the need and the hurt and the worry of so many. No one is exempt, the wealthy, the poor, the healthy, the challenged, they all have brokenness. Which brings me to my NEXT point...

It's almost Thanksgiving...and I can truly say that while Christmas is a great holiday and time for family and friends and fellowship, my favorite holiday has to be Thanksgiving. It can be a stressful time of year, cold weather, sickness, worries about Christmas spending, but it can also be such a wonderful time to STOP, BE STILL and think of ALL the blessings. God is sooooooo very good to us. Not just me on a personal level, which is certainly true, but to all of us, as Americans who live in a free country and one with so many blessings and so much wealth (that's a whole separate post!!). Blessings from God are all around us and it makes it almost impossible to worry when you think of all you've been given. The brokenness we all experience on so many different levels can be "fixed"...maybe not back the way it was (i.e. the white vase from "Bring the Rain" blog link found here...) but God can help you find ways to cope - to see the blessings in your life and in your situation. I know I am not doing justice to the way I feel, but the two concepts - brokenness and blessings - can go together...maybe brokenness makes the blessings more apparent. Anyway - this Thanksgiving I hope that if YOU, dear friends, have brokenness in YOUR life, that it has been healed or is being healed, now and in the time to come, and I pray for blessings for you and yours...to be revealed and recognized.

Just a footnote of a few things that I am truly thankful for this Thanksgiving...and TAG to anyone reading this to post yours (this is what we do around my family Thanksgiving table - and it's never without a few tears!).

10 things I'M THANKFUL FOR...
1. the Creator of nature's beauty and for eyes to behold the color and wonder of it all.
2. the man I love and his friendship, counsel and undying love
3. the parents who have always so unselfishly loved and provided for me, and who taught me compassion and kindness...and for all the other family that have been so influential in my life
4. the beautiful, healthy children that God so richly blessed us with and the daily lessons learned from them
5. the friends (angels) that God has always put into the paths of my life and who have always been a source of strength, love, and understanding
6. the job that God has provided for me, not only as a source of income, but as an area of confidence, pride and testimony
7. the material things...a place to live, clothes to wear, a car to drive, food to eat (I'm especially thankful for this one!), coffee and tea to drink and so many more that I don't take time to appreciate every day.
8. my health...which although it's not perfect, I'm so thankful to be able to walk, to see, to hear, to feel and to function daily in the manner God intended
9. my education...which enables me to read, to communicate with others, to comprehend, and to teach...my chosen profession
10. music...for the ability to hear and to sing and to play instruments and to praise God with the talents he has bestowed on me...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

News and Goods...

2008-09-23T23:43:00.004-05:00

I have to share about this practice we've started at our house. Some months ago I was reading Parenting and it talked about this idea for sharing "News and Goods" at the dinner table. So on the nights when we are able to sit down as a family (as often as possible), we started this. The point is for everyone to go around the table and share their "News and Goods" from the day. With 3 1/2 year old twins, the things that they are able to share are often funny, sometimes revealing and never cease to amaze me. What also amazes me is that after the first few times of prompting by me, this has become a practice that my children LOVE! As soon as we sit down and say our mealtime prayer, "God is good, God is great...", Aidan or Cord, or both, begin prompting..."Mommy, say your news and goods!" They always want Chad and I to share first, while they are thinking of what to say. And while their first "news and goods" were pretty simple, for instance, "Um, today I played cars..." (that's Cord's favorite thing to share), the things they've shared recently have gotten more complex and detailed and they really get the meaning of the exercise. I remember always sitting down to dinner with my family growing up, even though both of my parents worked full time, and for most of my life, my Dad would return to work around my bedtime (he was the county sheriff for 20 years). I know that those memories helped shape me into the person I am and I hope to pass those memories on to my children. I also know that "News and Goods" around the family dinner table will always be a part of our lives.

I've gotta say something...

2008-09-01T23:53:00.004-05:00

OK - I have to post something so that I will quit seeing my Piper Posts with that "3 weeks ago" sign under it on all my friends blogs!!! As my friend Cowgirl at Heart said, it is time to get back in the groove, but I was talking to my friend Linda at school today, and made the analogy of having to "gear down" when school is out for summer (switching from high gear always going, going, going to a much more relaxed gear) and then how I just haven't "geared back up" yet. I feel pulled in 10 different directions and can't seem to settle on any one at a time yet. The twins started the Headstart Program last week when I started back to "big" school, and while Aidan is living large and loving school, Cord just hasn't decided it's the "best thing since sliced bread" yet. He is having some separation anxiety when his Daddy drops him off at school, although he always says he's ready to go back the next morning. He's also started throwing a lot of temper tantrums this past week and has Chad and I exasperated trying to empathize and discipline in equal amounts. I know it's just an adjustment phase, but it's extremely hard on a Mommy who is stressed with responsibilities and who feels guilty having to return to work ANYWAY! When your children are unhappy, it just adds to the worry and the guilt. So...I have my occasional breakdown, shed a few tears and then face the fact that - I have to go to work and I spend as much time as I can with my children when I'm home...pushing swings and playing Candyland, in between folding laundry, cooking supper, paying bills, etc., etc. And most likely, with a lot of prayer and a lot of love, they'll grow up just fine, like so many children of working moms do...I have to keep telling myself that!

Summer is over...

2008-08-07T13:15:00.002-05:00

What a bummer! My summer is officially over...Yesterday afternoon, although not TOO hot, I loaded up the kids and the snacks and we all headed to the city pool (where we have spent at least a couple of hours most every other afternoon for the entire summer, and where my children have learned to pretty much swim and love to jump off the diving boards). So driving out there, as we are driving up the small rise on which the swimming pool sits, I don't see any cars at the pool - absolutely NONE and my first thought was, "Uh-Oh!" Sure enough, when we got to the pool, there was a big piece of orange poster board that said Pool closed except for 4H party 8-8-08 (weather permitting)...Signed Mayor Henry Michael. My heart absolutely sank...I knew it was coming, with only 3 of the original 5 lifeguards remaining (2 having lost there jobs due to getting alcohol-related tickets this summer) and with 2 of those 3 having volleyball two-a-days, they had just decided to they were too tired to work in the afternoons and they quit!! Now...I'm really not too upset with them for their reluctance to work during the two weeks prior to school starting, but I do wish they would have taken the responsibility to fulfill the contracts they signed at the beginning of the summer and to have at least worked on the next few weekends. Anyway, it's closed and with all the trouble the city experienced at the beginning of the summer acquiring a pool manager and having a minimum number of dedicated lifeguards, not to mention the cost requirement to complete the needed resurfacing and repainting of the pool in the coming years, I doubt the it will even open next year. Our pool was actually built during the 1930's as a part of Roosevelt's WPA works program and measures about 90' X 30'...it's absolutely beautiful and such a great place to beat the "dog days of August". So after a few hours of "the dumps"...I am trying to have a hopeful attitude and not think too negatively. It helps that we are planning to go visit my brother-in-law and sister-in-law in Amarillo this weekend and GO SWIMMING at one of the pools in Amarillo that have slides and kids areas, etc. But as for my beloved swimming pool (for those of you who don't know I lifeguarded and spent many, many of my growing up years at this pool) is gone for now and maybe for good. What a shame...and what a bummer!

Influences...

2008-08-05T23:13:00.003-05:00

Sitting here at my computer and reading through the blogs of so many interesting people, many of whom are already friends, and some who have become friends through the blogging world, I am thinking of the things that influence my life...that truly leave a mark and make me really think about the way I live my life, and I wanted to share a few of them.

The time that I spend reading through blogs is an influence...many are lighthearted and I love reading about the lives of others, their varied experiences, their families, their jobs. And many are truly thought-provoking...I know there are literally "tons" of sites out there for every considerable issue, but I count Trey Morgan's blog, and Toby Tucker's "Positive You" blog and the one I've just started reading (but which was recommended by my dear friend a long time ago) called "Bring the Rain", as very influential reads. I find that in reading through these posts, I always take away a thought, a quote, a "piece" of something to "chew on" for hours and days to come...(not always a good thing, as I'm usually up late blogging, and then can't go to sleep because my mind is so busy!).

Most recently, as I said earlier, I started reading through Bring the Rain. What a powerful blog! The author, who is the wife of a Christian singer and who has identical twin daughters and then another younger daughter, started to blog when she found out in the 5th month of her fourth pregnancy that her unborn daughter had several defects and would most likely die at childbirth if not before. This incredible woman endured the rest of her pregnancy, knowing that she would lose this child, but seeking God's will and praising Him all the while. Her posts are so emotional and so full of hope and just unbelievable faith. I haven't even finished all of her archived posts because it is hard to read at times, but she just brings so many scriptural and amazing lessons to her outlook on her family and her situation...

...one of her "takes" on insomnia (which plagues me often - especially as school approaches and my mind whirs with anticipation) was that God was requesting her quiet time with Him to be from 3-6 a.m., and so she began using this time for exactly that purpose! And immediately I thought, "Wow, what have I been doing when I'm up in the late night or early morning hours? Maybe God is requesting the same of me and using many of the blogs I read to make me think about His word or His actions...so that's how I'm choosing to think of my insomnia now, and I'm sure using some of this time for that exact purpose.

...another of her posts was on disciplining her small children and how she wished she didn't have to constantly be telling them to say "thank you" and "please" and "I'm sorry" and so many other things that they knew but she wished they would remember to say on their own. Then she related that to God...how He has "bound His hands, so that we (His children) will hopefully make the right choices on our own, but with His continued guidance" ...what a concept, and I have to say that at the moment I read that, I had the clearest image of what the concept of God and free will meant, a concept I have often struggled with. Bring the Rain is definitely an influence for me and I will continue to read it often.

Other influences in my life, and in the lives of so many others, are the books/magazines we choose to read and the music we choose to listen to. Many of the novels or magazine articles I read (another one of my insomniac time-passers) are indeed fluff, but again, sometimes they are things that "stick" with you. One such novel is A Thousand Splendid Suns about the intertwined life of two women in Afghanistan. I won't review the book here, but it is definitely a book that will make you consider how blessed we are to have been born in the USA and to have been born into the faith we follow. I also read Texas Monthly, Texas Highways, Discover, Nature Conservancy, and am always pleasantly surprised at the truly influential stories I find there. Texas Monthly's July issue was packed full of stories that I found really interesting (The Killing Fields, The Texas School for the Blind) and the same can be said for the last several issues of the others (The State of the Gulf, Big Bend, It's Not the Size of the Bass".

Being the science geek that I am, I love reading about nature and about the ways that man has and/or can influence nature. I believe that the world around us is one of God's greatest gifts to us and the way we view it is a true testimony to your relationship with God. I'm also one of those people who believe that science isn't a subject that contradicts God, but one that truly supports belief in a supreme being who created our world...so those kind of magazines influence my view of the world.

And music! I agree with the line of thought that says you become what you surround yourself with (or something like that) and I know that the things you see, hear and do make you who you are. Music is such a tool for cementing things in your brain, and when you're listening to or singing positive, God inspired, spirit soothing music, it has an effect on who you are. It doesn't have to be praise music...Journey, U2, Bruce Springsteen have definitely all been influences in my life, but the take home message is clear.

So if you've made it to the end of this blog, what I really wanted to get you thinking about is like what the blog Positive You asked so much more succinctly, "What are you doing to influence the future of others? And how are you being influenced?"

I know I'm not the writer in the family...I blog just to get things I'm pondering out on "paper" and to preserve the memories of my family...but thanks to those of you out there who are dedicated to making your blogs thought-provoking and influential for others...you are truly appreciated for making us go, "Hmmmmmm....."

15 Things...

2008-07-26T10:37:00.002-05:00

I am borrowing this idea from Trey Morgan's page...but, July 17th, 2008 was my 15th Anniversary with my husband. He got me this wonderful little invention called the Flip video camera and I got him...not much - a braided rope choker and some vacation t-shirts. Since we were on vacation during the anniversary, I thought that I would post about it now...in no particular order...

15 OF THE THINGS I LOVE ABOUT BEING MARRIED TO THE LOVE OF MY LIFE!

1. I love that Chad makes me laugh, even when I'm mad at him, he can always make me laugh (which makes me even more mad!!).

2. I love that he is an awesome father. He loves his children more than he ever thought possible and I know he would do anything for them.

3. I love that he always tells me that I look great, and makes it sound sincere (even when I am scrounging around with no make-up and my hair unfixed...).

4. I love that he always fixes the kids plates. Without being asked, he just always starts preparing their food and making sure they have what they need.

5. I love that he cleans up after supper. If I cook, he always starts clearing the table and cleaning up as soon as we are finished eating.

6. I love that he is THE RECORDER OF OUR HISTORY TOGETHER. He has always been the one to have a camera or camcorder handy to record the moments of our life together. Even though it can be annoying sometimes, I'm always thankful that he had the camera to capture those moments that I thought I'd never forget, but that seem to slip away.

7. I love that he is a hard worker! In the time we've been together, he's always held down a job and brought home a paycheck, even though there have been times when the job he was working at was one he hated...he never quit!

8. I love that he knows tons of movie and music trivia. He is the KING of this type of trivia and his mind seems boundless in the recall of details. I know some of you out there have this same kind of talent...but I would have to say that Chad's the BEST!!

9. I love that he is a kind and gentle spirit...this is evident in the way he treats people (especially those with disabilities) and animals. He is compassionate and loving, and treats others with kindness, sometimes to a fault!

10. I love that he loves history...and his perspectives on situations in the world are always interesting and educating (to me and others). I love that we share a great respect for the military and the service of others for our country.

11. I love that he is a visionary...Chad always has ideas and sees the good in others - he is always an optimist!!! This is not only true of our family and his personal work (he always has new ideas for expanding his business), but it's true of our community...he shares the vision of several community committees of revitalizing our small town. I love that he is not sitting on the sidelines watching the death of our small town, but is always encouraging and thinking of ways to bring it back to life.

12. I love that he trusts in the plan that God has for our family and believes in the value of having our family in church and being involved there.

13. I love that he takes pride in his house and his yard and wants to keep them is good repair.

14. I love that he is truly a partner in our marriage and shares the responsibilities of raising our children and making our life together work.

15. I love that he makes me feel loved. He tells me he loves me every day and I know he means it when he says it. He makes it evident through the way he treats me and be being the kind of husband that he is.

There are many other reasons that I love you, Chad, but Happy "15th" Anniversary.

By the way...check out Chad's blogpage in my blog list!!

Achievement Log and another thing...

2008-07-24T16:11:00.003-05:00

Okay, Tucker...I'm going to be brave and toot my own horn...I guess I'm entitled since this is my blog. TTucker challenged us to make an achievement log of our "Top Ten Best Achievements" and to reflect on those, especially when we might be feeling down or overwhelmed. I liked the idea and started reflecting on my own list...so here it is, so far in my life.

1. Being a good wife (I do honestly try, Chad ;), mother, daughter, sister, cousin, niece, etc. I try to be a good family member in all that it entails. Notice I said try, I don't always succeed.

2. Going through with in vitro fertilization and receiving the two greatest blessings possible.

3. Marrying the love of my life (since I was 15 years old) and making a life together.

4. Always striving to be a good teacher, including studying for and passing the composite science certification exam.

5. Getting my Master's in Biology and completing a research thesis.

6. Being involved in service in my community/church.

7. Striving to be a good friend.

8. Striving to keep a clean house (relatively speaking - haha).

9. Keeping old family traditions and making new ones...like taking time for a family vacation.

10. OK, sorry if this makes anyone uncomfortable, but something I really count as an achievement is breastfeeding twins for 13 months...see below.

I wanted to make this brief comment about the last thing on the list. I was reading Texas Monthly this morning and read an article titled "Lactation Nation" about an author for the magazine who was trying to find out about breastfeeding from some lactation consultants in the Austin area before the birth of her child. She wrote about the La Leche League meeting she attended and how the consultant there who was still nursing her FOUR year old, totally turned her off of the concept. Then she visited another lactation consultant called the "Mobile Mama" and learned the truth about nursing. Needless to say, I am a proponent of breastfeeding and believe our society has made a turnaround, so to speak, in their opinions of the practice, but I know from personal experience that breastfeeding can produce an awkward, stressful situation. I am so thankful for one of the lactation consultants at BSA in Amarillo who was kind, patient and so very helpful. I know Tiffany helped many women see what a natural, positive experience it could be. The other consultant however, was almost the total opposite and left to her, I might never have made it through. So, for those who consider this TMI about me...sorry, but breastfeeding was literally my biggest fear about delivering twins (much more stressful and scary than the whole C-section itself). However, I was determined to succeed in this endeavor and was able to continue for an extended period of time (not FOUR years though...goodness, if that was the case, the twins would STILL be nursing - YUCK!). Anyway, I wish every mother the success that I had and would love to hear what other people think about the whole concept.

Vacation...all I ever wanted, Vacation...got to get away!!

2008-07-24T13:13:00.002-05:00

Okay...are you feeling Belinda Carlisle and the Go-go's? I am finally sitting down to post about our family vacation last week (during which we sang this song a lot), and what a vacation it was!!

Last Wednesday our family piled in our little "pregnant shoe" of a car...Chevy Aveo hatchback...with all of our luggage, cooler, snacks and toys for the twins, and headed to the Big "D"...Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. It was blessedly overcast on Wednesday and we actually encountered some rain around Wichita Falls, making our 4-6 hour trip a little cooler. I say 4-6 hours because our family isn't one that drives straight through...in fact, we stop VERY frequently! Chad and I both drink coffee, so besides both of us having to stop for potty breaks...our twins are also "frequent pottiers". That, coupled with the fact that Chad cannot pass a Starbucks without stopping and I always have to stop at Wal-Mart for something, means that our trip to Fort Worth took from 9:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., just over 5 hours! Anyway, since we were in Ft. Worth and it was still somewhat overcast and a cool 98 or so degrees, we decided to start our trip with a visit to the Ft. Worth Zoo! Totally great! It was the perfect amount of time and with the animals out getting ready for feeding time, we got to see lots of great exhibits. (By the way...Chad bought me a Flip video camera that downloads directly to your computer without tapes, etc. and we have TONS of video of vacation that we will be posting soon, but we have to figure out how to upload to YouTube first so that we can upload to blogger).

Next we checked into our hotel in Grand Prairie (only technically speaking as we were only 100 yards or so into the Gr. Prairie city limits) which was on Hwy. 360 and only five minutes from Six Flags. After changing, we had our first big meal at Pappasitos! Awesome!

The next day we started early and got to Six Flags by 10:00. We parked close to the entrance and spent the next 8 and 1/2 hours riding everything that 39" 3-year olds could ride...and that is A LOT!!!!! Honestly, I've been to Six Flags several times, and I had the absolute best time riding the little rides and just seeing my children enjoy themselves...it was a blast. It was hot, but we rode the "soaking" rides and stayed cool by being wet...and then spent an hour or so in Johnny Rockets in 70 degree AC letting the twins take a nap in a booth. It's amazing though, how many larger rides the little ones could ride as long as an adult was with them...plenty of big stuff and nausea inducing rides...like those darn teacups!!

After changing out of damp, sweaty clothes, we were off for another adventure at Pappadeaux...great food and great service and pretty good kids!

So Friday we headed to NRH2O water park in North Richland Hills. Just 15 minutes away, north of Ft. Worth, we had heard that this park was great for little kids, and they were right. Besides the wave pool and lazy river and several "fast" slides, they had two huge areas that were all about the little ones with slides and fountains and "lily pads" and anything that you can imagine to keep little water dogs busy...and my kids loved it! It was great, and because you could take in coolers, we saved by picnicking and then taking another snooze on lawnchairs in the shade. I would definitely recommend it for anyone with small children who like the water...the twins are STILL talking about it.

That evening, after changing clothes at the park, we ate at a great Italian food restaurant in North Richland Hills (right around the corner from the park) called Italiannos and then we headed to Northeast Mall to see Space Chimps. Now it could have been because they were tired out, but my kids didn't move as they watched this movie...they sat still and watched the whole thing and loved it! Whew, what a day...it was like 10:00 before we got back to the hotel.

So Saturday was a day we had reserved to spend in Dallas with my cousin and his partner who are the twins godparents. We had breakfast at this great restaurant called Breadwinners you should definitely check out if you're in Dallas...there's one on Lover's Lane (just off the N. Dallas tollway) and another (the original) on McKinney. After a great meal, we headed to the Dallas World Aquarium in downtown Dallas. What a great place! It has this super cool aquarium tunnel where you can see the sharks (tiger, hammer head) stingrays, and other cool fish swimming right overhead and a huge rainforest enclosure where you can see monkeys, crocodiles (huge!!!), turtles, bats, frogs, tons of cool stuff. They also have an awesome penguin exhibit where we got to observe the feeding of the small penguins about 5 feet away from us.

After this cool experience, we headed back to the hotel for a nap, some swimming (and chickenfights) in the hotel swimming pool, and then headed over to Parks mall on I-20 for our last big meal at Cheesecake Factory and another movie Wall-E.

We left on Sunday following breakfast with my cousin and arrived back in P-town in the late afternoon. No one can say we didn't make the MOST of every minute of our vacation and I know the twins had an absolute great time! And even though it was exhausting in its own way, so did Chad and I. Look for some brief video clips of some highlights of our vacation coming soon!

CAMPING WITH TWINS!!!

2008-07-09T11:47:00.003-05:00

As told by my husband in his Paducah Post column, "Whompyjawed", with a few additions by me...

Here's a story about a brave little boy, and two insane pods. We were invited to Roaring Springs this weekend as guests of our friends, Todd and Carrie Smith. We had a great time. The weather was nice, although a bit on the hot side, but the pool was cold and the food
was great. And you know me, I'm all about the food. I'd say it was a perfect 4th of July weekend.... ah, except for one thing.

Now, the first thing I noticed when we got to the campsite was there were a lot of golf carts and and 4-wheelers running around all over the place, and the majority of them were piloted by kids. I thought,
"You know, I can't believe there aren't any smash ups out here with all this traffic." That's called foreshadowing, folks.

Saturday evening a bunch of us were gathered around a couple of campsites cooking brisket and steaks and other types of meat (it was truly a PETA members nightmare). Todd and Billy Hutchinson were slicing and seasoning and doing all those red-blooded American things you're supposed to do on the 4th. The lady
folk, doing the same with corn, potatoes, and onions. That's just the natural order of things, people. Another part of that natural order is I stand there and sample everything. It's tough, but I somehow
manage. The children? They were doing as children are wont to do... playing and playing hard.
A little too hard.

So, I'm standing there waiting for another tasty morsel when all of a sudden, out of nowhere this golf cart comes barreling through the campsite. Now, my first thought is, "Crazy kids, just wait and see
somebody is going to get hurt and.....?"
That thought was abruptly ended by my second thought, "Holy Gone In Sixty Seconds, those are my kids!!!"
That's right, my sweet adorable chidlren had hotwired a golf cart and were headed for the border.

Actually, had it not been so nightmarishly terrible, I would have been proud of them. Seriously, Sissy was trying to do the steering and Bubby was on the floor pushing on the "go" pedal with his hands.
That's pod teamwork people. But, unfortunately, it was pretty awful and I do what any dad would... throw a flying tackle on the cart just as it bounces off a tree. It would have been nice if that had been the end of it, but again, unfortunately, it wasn't.

Looking back in the wake of the pods dash for freedom was little Tate Hutchinson, with cart tracks over his
little legs. Now, this brave little boy had tried to do the same thing I did, stop the cart. The only difference between what I did and what Li'l Tate tried to do was... you guessed it. Body Mass! I go
a good 275, and five year old Tate, well if he took a big breath might hit 50. I can eat that much in one sitting. In jacks and tic-tac-toe, mass doesn't amount to much. In golf cart tackling, it's
what you call a difference maker. BUT! Nevertheless, Tate got in front of that cart and tried to stop it before something bad happened to the pods. And as you can imagine, he didn't fare so well.

You may get a giggle out of this story, because that's the way I wrote it. But believe me, there was nothing funny about it at the time. We were all so lucky that Tate came out of his rumble with nothing more than some cuts and bad bruises. The Jody and I couldn't
say we were sorry enough or thank God enough that it ended like it did. It could have been so much worse, but it wasn't, and for that we are truly thankful.

But really this story isn't about us or how we felt about it, it's about a brave little boy who put himself in harms way to help two little friends. That's what were really thankful for. So, to Tate
Hutchinson, mine, the Jody's, and the pod's, hero of the week.

Other than that experience...camping was great! Just remember, if you are around my children, be sure to hide your keys!!

Are Skittles® the Miracle Candy???

2008-07-04T23:37:00.004-05:00

Okay...I know Skittles are great, but they have definitely become the star candy in my house. Any one who reads my blog, knows that I have struggled with potty-training my son for the last 2-3 months...nothing seemed to work...we tried M&M's for rewards, new underwear (Cars!), tinkling outside, new Thomas the Train engines for rewards (notice the rewards got bigger as we got more desparate) and nothing seemed to work. I was given tons of great suggestions, but the wisest advice I received was, "It's not going to work until he decides to do it", and they were right! So the beginning of the week started as usual, with Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday seeing some successes, but more set backs (in the form of messy accidents), then came Wednesday, and knowing I had a pack of Skittles in my swim bag from the pool concession stand, I made the promise that Bubby could have Skittles if he would tee-tee in the potty. I think I timed it just right and after asking him all morning if he needed to go, he finally said, "Yes..." Well hot dog, I don't even think my feet touched the floor as we flew to the bathroom, stood that little stool in front of the potty and waited...and then, lo and behold, miracle of miracles and a straight shot later, we had accomplished the impossible...pee pee in the potty!!!!!!! We danced, we sang, we cheered, we called Daddy at work and Meme at home and WE HAD SKITTLES!!!!!!! And that was it folks, since Wednesday morning, it's been smooth sailing...my brilliant son even made the connection about poo poo in the potty (sorry for the reference, but it IS my life!) and was rewarded FIVE Skittles for that accomplishment! So I will definitely keep the Skittles on hand; they are soooooooooooooooo much cheaper than Pull-ups and clean up is A LOT easier!! ;)

I know it's only been three days, and accidents are inevitable, but the time being, this hurdle has been passed. Although...I did spend most of July 4th holiday taking first one twin, then the other to the bathroom, I kinda feel like I'm back to when they were newborns, only it's a whole new world of poop and pee! YUCK!

What I've learned about myself...

2008-06-25T13:13:00.002-05:00

I know summer should be all about relaxing and resting...but I have discovered something about my personality. I am happiest when I have a lot to do! I know it sounds crazy, but I think I inherited this gene from my Dad, and it's called - the work gene. In the first few days of summer, I quickly find that if I'm without a "schedule" of some sort, I get lethargic and almost despondent. Yes, I love having the time to spend with my children, but I even feel the need to organize their days when I'm home. Many of my friends often ask me why I choose to do the things I do in the summer (i.e. teach summer college classes 2 evenings a week, work as the swimming pool relief operator, sign on to make jellies and jams for myself and others, etc.), but the simple fact is that if I have goals to get accomplished, I really am a happier person. None of this means that I don't enjoy "summer" things like swimming with my kids, reading, gardening, and cookouts with friends, but I just always have this "to do" list or project in the background which helps keep me oriented. Now I know the answer to the question I've often asked my father, "Why can't you just sit still and relax?" Oh well...

oh...the honesty of children

2008-05-29T23:15:00.002-05:00

Two quick stories about the honesty of my children...I went this past week to get my hair cut, and in getting in the "groove" for summer and thinking of spending lots of time at the pool, I decided to get my hair cut quite a bit shorter than usual. My hairstylist doesn't "style" your hair unless you specifically request it, so I usually just go home after the cut and style it myself. Anyway, after leaving the shop, I drove home and because of the shortness...it dried quickly in a very bed head, not-cute look. When I pulled into the driveway, my three-year old twins greeted me at the door and both got a very puzzled, kind of disgusted look on their face. Aidan remarked, "Mommy, who cut your hair?" and then quickly added, "I don't like it!" At which time her every-so-eager to agree brother said, "I don't like it eivver (either)." So after explaining that it just wasn't fixed, Aidan again thought it necessary to tell me, "Your hair all messed up - I don't like it!" Oh well...I was going for easy, not popular!!

Then this evening, knowing that I had a very important city council meeting to attend, my workaholic husband tells me he has to run to work and finish this and that, but he'd be sure to be home by 6:40...since the meeting started at 7:00. I agreed to this, even with the track record he has for being late. So, I fed the twins supper, freshened up my make-up and short hairstyle, and started waiting...6:40 came and went, 6:45 came and I started calling his office and got no response. I even went to so far as to walk to the end of the block looking for his car at 6:50 with no Jeep in sight! At 6:55, I got the barefooted twins in the car and started driving down towards his office, all the while muttering, "I'm gonna kill your Daddy!". Cord seemed very worried about this and kept saying, "Don't kill him, I love my Daddy!" I tried to explain that I was just upset that Daddy hadn't come home yet, but actually said I was gonna kill him a couple more times. At 7:05, with no Daddy in sight, I pulled up to the meeting and started making the twins promise that they'd be quiet if we went in to City Hall for the meeting. I managed to find some wipes in the car to clean the supper of their faces, then I toted my bare-foot babies in to City Hall, one on each hip. As soon as we got in to the meeting, my Mother, their Meme, came out in to the foyer to watch the children so that I could go take a seat in the open forum portion of the meeting. I was involved with the meeting, but at some point I didn't hear any comments from the twins any longer so I assumed their Daddy had shown up and taken them home. It was only after the meeting was over that my Mother told me the funny...when Chad came into City Hall, Cord saw him and immediately informed him that, "Mommy's gonna KILL you, Daddy!" However, seeing how I was in a good mood because the meeting had come out like I wanted, their father was spared again! haha!

Aggie Medical Terminology

2008-05-14T18:52:00.003-05:00

This is for my dear friend, Charla (the dearest Aggie I know)!! I found this while looking through some Science cartoons that ex-Science teacher extrordinaire, Marilyn Johnson, left to me...

ARTERY..............................the study of fine paintings
BARIUM.............................what you do when CPR fails
BENIGN.........................what you are after you be eight
CESAREAN SECTION...................a district in Rome
COMA.........................................a punctuation mark
COLIC.................................................a sheep dog
CONGENITAL...................................friendly
DILATE..............................................to live long
FESTER......................................................quicker
G.I. SERIES........baseball games between teams of soldiers
MORBID.................................................a higher offer
NODE.................................................was aware of
OUTPATIENT..................................a person who has fainted
POST-OPERATIVE.......................a letter carrier
PROTEIN......................................in favor of young people
SECRETION.....................................hiding anything
SEROLOGY..................................study of english knighthood
TABLET.............................................a small table
TUMOR............................................an extra pair
VARICOSE VEINS.....veins which are very close together
URINE..........................................opposite of you're out!

**This is very "tongue in cheek" and very unlike my English-teacher friend, Charla.
She is probably the most "correct-speaking" person I know (after my newspaper editor Mother)...so, Charla, please take this lightly!!

44 Odd Things About Me!

2008-05-14T09:31:00.002-05:00

Okay, Donna...I am going to do it...

44 ODD Things about Me!

1. Do you like blue cheese? no
2. Have you ever smoked? Ever? yes
3. Do you own a gun? Yes...several
4. What flavor Kool Aid was your favorite? grape, definitely
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? sometimes...mostly about blood pressure and weight!!
6. What do you think of hot dogs? Love 'em with spicy mustard, RELISH, chili and cheese
7. Favorite Christmas movie? A Christmas Story
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? COFFEE with cream and sugar!
9. Can you do push ups? Maybe...
10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? My new dragonfly pendant necklace
11. Favorite hobby? reading and cooking
12. Do you have A.D.D.? I don't think so...I have short term memory loss!
13. What's one trait you hate about yourself? Talk toooooooo much sometimes!
14. Middle name? Danelle...as in Jo'Lorie Danelle
15. Three thoughts I am having? Will my Seniors pass their quiz? Can we go out for lunch? How much money do I have in the bank?
16. Name 3 drinks you regularly consume. Coffee, Sweet Tea, and Water (and Coke)
17. Current worry? Money...it's right before payday
19. Favorite place to be? sitting outside in the evening with friends, beverages, and steaks on the grill
20. How did you bring in the New Year? with friends
21. Where would you like to go? New England
22. Name four people who will complete this? Charla, Donna (already done), maybe Don, maybe Corey
23. Do you own slippers? as in houseshoes...yes!
24 What shirt are you wearing? black sleeveless sweater
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? No...not comfortable when you have rough feet!
26. Can you whistle? Oh yeah!
27. Favorite color? blue, green, red
28. Would you be a pirate? No, I like to brush my teeth…and take showers!
29. What songs do you sing in the shower? whatever comes to mind...usually praise songs
30. Favorite girl's name? Aidan or Taylor
31. Favorite boy's name? Cord and Creed
32. What's in your pocket right now? No pockets...out of luck
33. Last thing that made you laugh? KP and JD's comments about swatting
34. Best bed sheets as a child? I don't believe I ever had theme sheets and honestly I can't remember...maybe pink striped ones?
35. Worst injury you've ever had? I had a car wreck, a collapsed lung and a brain injury (in a coma for 5 days) although no lasting injuries...
36. Do you love where you live? Yes...it's the small town life for me
37. How many TVs do you have in your house? 2
38. Who is your loudest friend? Donna!!
39. How many dogs do you have? ZERO right now
40. Does someone have a crush on you? IDK...but I don't think so!
41. What is your favorite book? Anything by Jodi Picoult
42. What is your favorite candy? Jelly Belly jellybeans OR Whoppers
43. Favorite Sports Team? Bobcats...and Dragons
44. What song do you want played at your funeral? I'll Fly Away...

Happy Birthday to me...

2008-05-13T11:48:00.003-05:00

So it's a little late...but I wanted to post about my experiences on Sunday, May 11th. This doesn't happen very often, but this year, both my birthday and Mother's day fell on Sunday, May 11th. My husband and I had taken our pop-up camper and gone to Palo Duro Canyon on Friday to spend a day with my extended Taylor family. It was a family reunion of sorts, with about 45 aunts, uncles, cousins, sitting around the "Mesquite" campground sharing memories and chasing kids!! I must say it was a pretty successful first "camp-out" with the twins, with Cord only waking up once Friday night crying because he was in a strange place and ME only making one mistake putting the camper up! I say ME because Chad had managed to hurt himself lifting weights and may be suffering from a separated pectoralis (chest) muscle. He was of limited assistance at the best, and every movement caused him extreme pain...not a very fun camper!! I took the twins hiking up some pretty "big" hills for 3 year olds, and they had lots of fun playing with their second and third cousins! Anyway - we left Amarillo about eight p.m. Saturday night headed back home. When we got home, we left most of the unpacking for the next day and just managed to get everyone to bed!

So...I get up Sunday morning to make breakfast and get everyone ready for church...needless to say, after camping no one was very enthused about getting up!! My first and sweetest moment of my birthday/Mother's day came when my son came wandering into the kitchen wiping sleep from his eyes and asked what I was doing. I told him I was making breakfast because we had to get ready to go to Sunday school and church. He said, "I don't wanna go to church." I told him, "Yes, we need to go so we can tell Meme and Ms. Tricia and Ms. Kim, Happy Mother's Day"...okay, here's the sweetest thing...He said, "How 'bout you, Mommy? Happy Motha's Day to YOU!" Such a sweet, precious moment. Then his sister came in and said, "Today's your birthday, Mommy?" They then proceeded to sing Happy Birthday to Mommy for about the next five minutes!!! What a sweet moment!

The rest of the day, however, was spent working to clean the house, do yardwork, do laundry (it's NEVER done!!!) and get things ready for the coming week...not rest for the MOTHER!!!
I did get a beautiful shirt from my Mom and the church sang me Happy Birthday!

I decided Sunday afternoon to make myself a Coca-Cola® chocolate cake (my favorite) for my birthday, because THAT is what I wanted!! Well, the recipe calls for an 11"X17" cake pan, and I only had a 9"X13", so you can imagine the chaos that created...after throwing away a good portion of the batter to fit it in the pan I had, I tackled the problem of icing it...I finally decided to dump the sheet cake onto a large flat tray I had to have room to ice it! It has to be iced when warm, so the "dump" occurred while the cake was hot...and not so good! Anyway, to make a long story longer...my BFF, Carrie showed up around this time and managed to salvage the cake, ice it, and make it look like I had planned it that way! Thank you Carrie!!! She also gave me a massage (1 whole hour!) for my birthday and I absolutely LOVED IT!!! If you ever have a chance...do it...I think I can now make it through the rest of the school year...Thank you Nakia Sexton Hargrove for a wonderful massage!

So...I come to school on Monday for another big surprise...my classroom decorated by BFF's , Donna and Charla, full of streamers and confetti and a gorgeous petunia hanging plant ( I LOVE PLANTS!!!). They also treated my to lunch at my fave, Thai Kitchen, and then gave me a beautiful dragonfly pendant which I will wear every chance I get - I LOVE IT!!!!!! It totally made my MONDAY and helped make my birthday a super one...I also loved getting the birthday greeting comments on my blog! Thanks friends.

Speaking of friends...I have found a long lost BEST friend from childhood through the world of blogging!! My best friend, Donnie Carroll was the Church of Christ preacher's son who lived right across the street from me growing up and I think we were connected at the hip until he moved away when I was 10. It was probably the first biggest loss of my life! Anyway, through the blog neighborhood, he found my blogspot and figured out that it was me and we have been communicating every since...he and his wife live in Coppell, TX and Donnie (who goes by "Don" now...) blogs through as his black labrador, Riggins. Check out his site link from this page...Black Diamond Riggins. So shout out to Donnie...I'm so glad you found my site...

And lastly...I'm still waiting for my birthday present from my wonderful husband of nearly 15 years. Chad is so very busy right now with the graduation edition of the paper and his volunteering to do the sports banquet video which has generated sooooooooooooooo many software & computer compatibility problems. Anyway, I love you, Honey and I know that my family reunion camp out was a BIG part of my birthday present and the rest is coming...I'll blog about that soon...

Okay, I'm out of things to say and out of time to say it...so until next time,
Another Twin Mother

Blessed Rain...

2008-05-07T18:25:00.002-05:00

In the last 24 hours we have been blessed with wonderful rainfall. Because Spring is my favorite time of year (see previous post A-Z), I love to hear the sound of rain...I don't like severe weather, but I love to sit and listen to the rain. Last night, as it thundered loudly all around and the lightening brightly lit up the sky, I took my little girl out on the back porch and sat and listened to the rain. We sat on the patio and rocked in our patio chair and just absorbed nature. What a blessed time...one that I will cherish always. As we stood on the back porch, I explained to both my children what a gift from God the rain is. I said those words over and over and the truth of it resonated all around me, what a true gift from God the rainfall is. And what a true gift to be able to observe God's glory all around me and the Earth's thirst being once again quenched by grace...it's no wonder that it also quenches the drought of my soul.

IRISH PRAYER

May the blessing of the rain be on you—
the soft sweet rain.
May it fall upon your spirit
so that all the little flowers may spring up,
and shed their sweetness on the air.
May the blessing of the great rains be on you,
may they beat upon your spirit
and wash it fair and clean,
and leave there many a shining pool
where the blue of heaven shines,
and sometimes a star.

A-Z...all about me!!

2008-04-29T18:52:00.001-05:00

WOW!! Two in one day...here is the "All About Me" list that is fun to write and I hope, fun to read...

A-Attached or Single? Attached…Married 15 years this July

B-Best Friend(s): Chad…Just under him, I would include Carrie (BFF the longest!), Donna, Charla, Kristie, Katie, Kathryn, Stacie & Laurie

C-Cake or Pie: Pie – gotta go with CHOCOLATE!!! And then buttermilk chess! BUT Cake is up there too – Coca-Cola cake is the BEST!!

D-Drink of Choice: Coffee (with half-n-half), Coca-Cola (leaded), Gin & Tonic, Rum and Coke

E-Essential Item: coffeemaker and travel mug

F-Favorite Color(s): Blue, Red and Green

G-Gummi Bears or Worms? BEARS…although I can live without both…I love Jelly Belly (or the knock-off) jellybeans

H-Hometown: Paducah, Texas

I-Indulgence: a bath…I think I’ve managed ONE in the last three years & even then had to share it with two three-year olds!!

J-January or February: January…still a little bit of Christmas break and you always feel like you have a chance to start fresh on some resolutions!!

K-Kids: twins…a boy and a girl (blessings for three years now!!)

L-Life is incomplete without: Good girlfriends…and the laughter shared with them.

M-Marriage Date: July 17, 1993

N-Number of Siblings: 1 older brother, Vince (50),

O-Oranges or Apples? I like both, but would probably choose an orange (especially the sweet little Clementines!)

P-Phobias/Fears: Don’t like rodents in my house (although if they are contained as pets…that’s okay). I have a fear of drowning, although I’m a strong swimmer and love the water…maybe it’s more like being out on the ocean surrounded by nothing but water…not sure I could do that!

Q-Favorite Quote: “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something.” – Helen Keller and “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Phillipians 4:13

R-Reasons to smile: great marriage/husband, blessings in children, close family, good friends, summertime is coming…being outside with all of the above!

S-Season: The spring/summer because I’m definitely a warm-weather person who likes to be outside and I love when the evenings last and you can spend time outside (see above). Also, I love swimming and camping and can’t wait to do both!

T-Tattoo’s?: No, but I think I will someday soon…I’ve always wanted a dragonfly.

U-Unknown Facts About Me: I was in a major car accident when I was 16, had brain damage and was in a coma for 5 days…but by the grace of God I am still around, with no lasting damage and only 1 small scar. I’ve been with my husband for 22 years…he was my first and only love – since I was 15 years old! I love to talk (okay – who doesn’t know that) and that personality trait got me swats in school three times – in Kindergarten, 1st grade, and my freshman year in high school! I like to make jelly/jams and can vegetables! I love to cook, read, watch movies, and garden!!!

V –Vegetable you love: I like lots of vegetables…but ANYTHING fresh from the garden (tomatoes, OKRA, squash, cucumbers, peppers), which is probably another reason I LOVE the summer!!!

W-Worst Habit: TALKING…often running my mouth when it would serve me sooooooooo much better to close it! Also…I tend to be a “habitual” eater and that’s really not good!! Last one I’ll mention (certainly not the last bad habit) is speeding while driving back and forth to work!

X-X-rays or Ultrasounds? Ultrasounds…I was so fortunate to get to have an ultrasound each and everytime I went to the OB when I was pregnant with twins. I was so reassuring and amazing to see both little bodies growing and moving…we spotted personality traits for both twins that they exhibited in the womb and have been true to ever since.

Y-Your Favorite Foods: so much food…so little time…I’d probably have to say hamburgers/steaks grilled out with potato salad and pinto beans are my fave (back to that summer thing), but I love Mexican food, Asian food and Italian food…It would be easier to say LEAST favorite foods, but I don’t seem to have many/any of those!

Z-Zodiac: Taurus (stubborn and selfish? Not really, but probably sometimes and I’m sure my husband would agree! Loyalty is another trait and I do consider myself a pretty loyal family member/friend)

If you read to the end...then TAG - you're it...post this on your blog!!
Until next time...
Another Twin Mother

Top Ten Cute Things My Kids Have Done Lately...continued

2008-04-29T16:54:00.002-05:00

Okay...it's been awhile, but two new posts are coming up here...so without further ado...

NUMBER 6...Sissy's new word is "actually", much to my amazement (she's only three!!!)...as in, after I commented to Bubby that there lay another apple that he didn't finish, Aidan remarked, "Well, ACTUALLY it's mine!" How fast that little girl is growing up - boo hoo!

NUMBER 7...My little boy's favorite comment is, "Mommy, that's widiculus!" (ridiculous)

NUMBER 8...Aidan, my princess, is really into dress-up clothes and can go through her whole princess wardrobe in about 5 minutes...good practice for a little Tiny Miss pageant she will be in soon.

NUMBER 9...One of Cord's most used phrases is often uttered after his sister receives a snack or a hug/kiss, and he will remark, "How 'bout me, Mommy - how 'bout me?" Pulls at your heart strings.

NUMBER 10...The sweetest thing my children say/do is our prayers, at suppertime or bedtime...for supper we do the "God is good, God is great, Let us thank Him for our food..." and they are so focused on holding hands in our family circle and trying their best to get the phrases in (with precious modifications of course). Bubby is especially reticent about starting and finishing the bedtime prayer, "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, May angels watch me through the night, and keep me in their precious sight...Amen", and will often make me start over several times so he can say it all. We end our prayer with what we call our "God Blesses..." and we have to go through the whole list of relatives and friends that we ask blessings on. I see my children learning compassion and love and I hope that these qualities will continue to develop in their gentle souls.

What a list...at least it's one that I have committed to page now, so I don't forget all the precious words and actions that you think you'll remember forever, but that so quickly slip the ever-occupied mind. I hope I haven't bored you too much...but this is the way of my life.
Until next time...
Another Twin Mother

Top Ten Cute Things My Kids Have Done Lately...

2008-04-10T21:06:00.002-05:00

Okay...I know I'm unoriginal, but I've had lots of things going through (and around and around) in my mind lately, and just can't seem to put my thoughts into words for a post...maybe when I have more time to sit and think about it! So here is my cop out, lots of cute things my twins have done lately and just a quick way to chronicle them...here it goes.

NUMBER 1: My son isn't potty trained at all yet, but my daughter not only goes in the potty, but has discovered how to go BY HERSELF and will often come in, sans clothes, to report on her most recent conquests. (I know, I know...I shouldn't start with potty humor, but since I'm here...)

NUMBER 2: Sissy has "led" her brother into the bathroom more than once when she is taking care of business and one of the latest times, she almost got him to tee tee in the potty...he made it to the top of the "tee-tee" stool, but did not make it to the goal line of the potty water, so it became another clean up job for Mommy!!

NUMBER 3: Bubby, in trying to escape doing something for himself, will often use the excuse of, "My arms is too tiny!"

NUMBER 4: Sorry, more potty humor, Cord also uses this excuse for not being able to tee tee when his Daddy stands him up at the potty..."My pee pee is sleeping, it's too tired..."

NUMBER 5: The twins have been spending alot of time in the backyard playing with their new fort swingset and tractor-tire sandbox...however, you know they've been out there too long when Sissy comes in without clothes reporting that she tee-teed outside...although Daddy is trying to teach Cord this trick, because that's how his Mama taught his nephew to go, much to the chagrin of his kindergarten teachers.

Next 5 coming soon...and maybe the next five will have less "potty humor", but...this IS our life!
Until next time,
Another Twin Mother

NUMBER 6:

Good to be Back!!

2008-04-02T08:34:00.002-05:00

Okay, okay...I know it's been a while since I've posted...but the time factor - yikes! We are back at school after a fun and busy Spring Break, during which the twins turned THREE! I can't believe how time flies...I'll be posting some new pictures of the twins in their Easter clothes soon, but I can't believe how much they've grown in just the last few months! It's never more apparent than when you drag out the clothes from last season and i.e. Aidan's foot is hanging off the back of her sandals...shoes I just KNEW would fit her again this warm season when I put them up last season! Anyway...it's been good to have some warmer weather lately...I really get happy (happier??) when it's time to start sitting outside and BBQing! We were sitting outside with friends the other evening...looking at the sunset over their farm property...and I just commented to them on how "this" is what life is all about. Spending time with family and friends, enjoying food and laughter, what more could you ask for in life. To me it puts things in perspective...to be able to enjoy God's creation and be happy in the moment, it truly reminds you how blessed we are. Those are my deep thoughts for today...I hope to post again soon with new pictures and some stories of life with the twins.

Until next time...
Another Twin Mother

A Trip to the Mouse House...Volleyball...and Deep Thoughts!

2008-03-05T08:41:00.014-06:00

Our latest news is that we have been to the "mouse house" and survived!! By Mouse House I'm speaking of Chuck E. Cheese and my children have now joined the thousands who LOVE this place! We had promised them a trip for their birthday, but we made a trip to Lubbock/Levelland this past weekend to see the Dragons win the Regional tournament and were also lucky enough to get to see my awesome niece Aubree compete with her club volleyball team and WIN the Texas Tumbleweed Tournament held in Lubbock. Not only is she awesome, she's only 16 and her "16's" team played up in the "18's" bracket and WON IT ALL!!!!!!!!! They beat the best 18's team in Amarillo (the AEV 18-1's) for the championship and were competing against a team of ladies, all but one of whom have signed with Division I schools to play Volleyball. She is awesome, and here is a picture of her and her teammates from the tournament...she's #7!!

So anyway...I got a little off track...but we ended up spending the night in Lubbock at the same place my brother-in-law and sister-in-law were staying and guess what it happened to be next to??? the Mouse House! We promised the twins that if they were good on Saturday at the tournament and at supper (eating out) that we would take them to Chuck E. Cheese on Sunday...and of course we did...so here are some pictures from the event.

So you can see that FUN WAS HAD BY ALL! One last thing we did on the way home is stop and photograph some of the wind turbines that have already gone up near Floydada. We are anticipating the building of some wind farms around our little town soon and Chad wanted to have some pictures for the paper. It brings me to some thoughts on alternative energy sources and the future of our country...maybe a little deep for this post, but I will be sharing some of my views in the future. If you read Texas Monthly magazine, maybe you've see this months 35th Anniversary issue about the future of some really important issues to Texans, Americans, and human beings worldwide...those issues of fuel, food and water are extremely relevant topics for us to be thinking about in the future. The magazine paints a pretty bleak picture about some of these issues and the science part of me tends to agree with them. Anyway...more on that later...

One last thought...on another deep topic. I am currently reading my friend Charla's (see blog list) book Blue Like Jazz...nonreligious thoughts on Christian spirituality by Donald Miller and we have been in discussion about the many interesting aspects and subjects broached in this book. It is really interesting reading and definitely a book that has had an impact on my thoughts. Maybe a review/discussion of some of the points on this will be forthcoming too! Along with some thoughts on evolution and the influence of another book I am reading called Finding Darwin's God by Kenneth Miller (the author of our Biology textbook at the high school level and a devout Catholic). Anyway - either of these books are definitely worthy of a perusal and are very thought-provoking. On that note...I am going to 'peruse' one of these right now!

Until next time...
Another Twin Mother

the blahness factor abounds!

2008-02-21T12:04:00.002-06:00

Okay - it's been awhile since I've blogged and it's so hard to get motivated for anything this week. Not sure, but I think with the weather, the sicknesses going around, the push at work to finish teaching hard concepts, etc. etc. - it's just been a bummer week.

I'm really one of those upbeat people most of the time, so it's hard for me when I am feeling bummed out and unmotivated. Like I posted previously, I need to keep remembering what's important in life and all the many blessings we all have...and it's nice to have something to look forward to, so I'll be working on that attitude of gratitude.

Here are some funny things...to me at least...my kids are saying some of the funniest things these days...their vocabulary and comprehension continues to grow at amazing levels...my son's newest word is "Ridiculous!" As in, "That's widiculous mama!" He also throws his hands out when he says this as if he's really asking, "What are you talking about?"

Aidan's newest thing is wanting to help cook supper (at every meal) and she drags her stool in the kitchen, climbs on it and proceeds to "help" me. Her favorite thing to do is wash vegetables and hand them to me to cut. She actually doesn't do to bad as long as she's not splashing excess water all over the cabinet by turning the faucet on full force. She and Cord both helped Chad and I wash the dishes last night after supper...Aidan helped Chad do the washing and Cord helped me do the "wiping" plates. I can definitely see them performing this chore in the future...the sooner, the better!!

Aidan is also very good at "putting me off"...in other words, when I ask her to do something, like pick up her princesses...she's great at telling me, "Just a minute, I doing something...I do it in just a minute!" She is a jewel at keeping her Bubby in line though (unless she's getting him in trouble), and I hear the SAME words that I say to him, coming out of her mouth...for instance, "Don't eat that candy!! It make you sick! Or, "Your teef gonna rot out of your head!" We had a good lesson is too much candy-eating and teeth-rotting from the TV show, "Tak and the Power of Juju". It made quite the impression on Aidan and she's been a proponent for NOT eating candy since then (way to go Tak!)!

Last but not least... my twins are becoming so excited about their upcoming birthday! We have promised to visit Aunt Nini and Uncle John in Amarillo and go to "the Mouse House!" a.k.a. Chuck E. Cheese. The House of Mouse was spotted by both when we drove through Abilene last Friday night en route to the Guthrie girls play-off game in Tuscola. After having to tell a small white lie (is that bad parenting) that the Mouse House was closed, we promised to go to Amarillo to Chuck E. Cheese for their birthday...you would think they might forget this promise at their age...but they have asked about it daily since then and it's now cemented in their heads. We will return to Paducah to have a birthday party here the day after their birthday...so watch out Chuck - we're coming to visit on March 21st!!

So - I hope your week is going well and I know mine will be better with Friday rolling around. Hopefully next week the Winter Blahs will be gone and I'll have something wonderful to blog about!

'Til next time...
Another Twin Mother

One Word Only - I had to play!!

2008-02-13T15:29:00.003-06:00

1. Where is your cell phone?desk

2. Your significant other? work

3. Your hair? short

4. Your mother? talented
5. Your father? dependable
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your favorite drink? tea
9. Your dream/goal? security
10. The room you're in? classroom
11. Your ex? Ohio?
12. Your fear? loss
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Paducah
14. Where were you last night? home
15. What you're not? sick
16. Muffins? oatmeal
17. One of your wish list items? fence
18. Where you grew up? Paducah
19. The last thing you did? teach
20. What are you wearing? heels
21. Your TV? old
22. Your pets? cat
23. Your computer? Apple
24. Your life? full
25. Your mood? happy
26. Missing someone? twins
27 Your car? economy
28. Something you're not wearing? pantyhose!
29 Favorite Store? OldNavy
30. Your summer? swimming
31. Like someone? unique
32. Your favorite color? green
33. When is the last time you laughed? morning
34. Last time you cried? Tuesday
35. Who will/would re-post this? unsure

Sick, Sick and More Sick!!

2008-02-13T10:11:00.001-06:00

What a fun time is winter's end...with all the sickness of family and friends! Haha...I'm trying my hand at playing Dr. Seuss. So - you guessed it, everyone I know...family and friends alike are sick, sick, sick! The upper respiratory bug that has landed in our area is taking no prisoners! Both my children AND my big baby (my husband) are sick with bronchitis, ear aches, AND now I think my husband has strep throat! What a fun place to be! I was sick with what felt like a stomach bug this past Saturday and wouldn't you know it...MOM doesn't get a sick day! EVER! Not that I'm griping...okay, maybe just a little bit...I'm really happy that I am a relatively healthy person who hardly ever gets sick. I'm sure God knew what He had in mind for mothers...able to take care of everyone when the chips are down.

I'm probably overly cautious with my kids...I don't like for them to be on antibiotics all the time...and I definitely teach that we, as a society, are becoming antibiotic resistant due to all the medicine we tend to take, BUT...I also fear that the bronchitis could turn into pneumonia or something even worse (i.e. meningitis). I need to just trust God to protect them and keep them in the palm of His hand, but those middle-of-the-night coughing sessions that go on and on are sooooooooooooo scary and you feel so helpless to help them through it. Along those same lines...(sorry if I'm rambling), even though we gripe about insurance costs...I'm soooooooo thankful for it! We try to keep a prescription of Xoponex (nebulizer medicine) for those scary times when breathing becomes difficult and a breathing treatment helps to relieve coughing, but that is an expensive medicine...even WITH insurance. I remember thinking in the fall, when we last had upper respiratory illnesses, what would I do as a parent if I could NOT afford that medicine and my child was suffering? I guess you would do whatever it took...but what a nightmare situation...and you know many parents are in that exact situation.

So - I pray health for all my family and friends...if you are one of the ailing, I wish you comfort and a quick recovery!!! Until next time...

Another Twin Mother

what's really important...

2008-02-05T17:13:00.000-06:00

We've all heard the catch phrases..."stop and smell the roses", "appreciate the moment", "count your blessings", etc., etc. My good friend Charla's blogpage has a post right now about putting down your burdens and resting for awhile...a great read! We all know we should be thankful every day for our bountiful blessings, but maybe we forget once in awhile to take the time to do this...or maybe the worries of the day take precedence over the blessings. Well, it only takes one incidence to snap you back into realizing what's really important in this life!

Many of you know that my husband, Chad, of whose wonderfulness I recently posted, was diagnosed with unprovoked epilepsy in December. After having a convulsive seizure in early December (and later recalling that he had had two more unwitnessed episodes which were probably seizures), spending the night at the hospital here (can I tell you how thankful I am to the medical staff we have here!!!???), seeing a neurologist in Amarillo and having a whole battery of neurological tests done, we have concluded that there is no evident reason for the seizures. I didn't realize until this happened that "epilepsy" is just a general term to categorize a seizure disorder - whether there are explainable triggers or not. Anyway - after the first seizure he was put on Dilantin, an anti-seizure medication. It has taken some adjustment, but he has adapted to the medication level and had been doing fine, without further seizures...until he ran out of his Dilantin and didn't refill it immediately...not a good situation, and I'm sure you can imagine the moral of this story. After two days off his meds, we went to the Jr. High basketball games in Paducah, and while I was off chasing the twins...Chad suddenly began having a convulsive seizure. Our best friends, Todd and Carrie, immediately became aware of the situation and surrounded him and then the nurse from our clinic, happened to be in attendance at the game and she rushed to attend him as well. As soon as I became aware of the situation, I held his head in my hands and knelt by him until the seizure ended. This caused quite the commotion and the ballgame was stopped...until everyone realized that there was no need for an ambulance or a defibrillator and the games started back up. If you have ever been around anyone who has a seizure, you know that the postdictal period after the seizure is basically a time when the person is just passed out and exhausted. This lasted - in the gym - for about an hour, until we were able to take my husband out. In the interim, we were able to reach his neurologist in Amarillo and get instructions for increasing his anti-seizure medication to get him stabilized over the next few days.

So...the point of this post...what's really important...the people you love. Seizures aren't, in themselves, life-threatening, but it's just all the unknowns that surround them. We've gone through all the tests, and Chad has received a "clean" bill of health, but you just never know when an episode like this will strike. The episode definitely scared me to death! I didn't witness the first grand mal seizure that Chad had in December...my mother did, and I have continuously thought about how I will/would handle an episode, should one occur. And still...you're never prepared to see that...I cannot get the images out of my mind.

Several times a day now I am just thanking God for my family, for the blessings that He has given me. I'm trying to be more aware of what's really important...the words I say to my husband and kids, the tone of voice and my actions. Yes, there are still daily chores and work to be done, but all I have to do is remember the literally seconds of fear that gripped my heart to realize what really important in this life. Have you thanked God for your blessings yet today?

Another Twin Mother

Today is a Good Day!

2008-02-01T10:16:00.001-06:00

Today my wonderful husband is 41! He hates birthdays and never wants anyone to know...so I guess he will NOT like this, but I think birthdays should be celebrated. It is another year that you have lived and created memories and have touched others with the things that you do. Chad is not another year older...he is another year younger and he has affected others by so many things he has done! I want to tell you just a few things about my husband and how the way he lives is special to his family and friends.

Chad is a good son...he loved his parents, who both passed away in 2002, and he has lots of great memories of both his mom, Sue and his dad, Arb that he (and our family) will always have of growing up in Paducah and Guthrie. I know that he will share many of those memories of the people his mother and father were with our children as they grow up.

Chad is a good brother...he and his older brother, John, are very close now as adults, but they both have memories that they share of growing up!! We love spending time with their family and look forward to spending many more years of holidays and vacations with John, Anita, Cole and Aubree! I hope that Chad and John are able to continue to share their love of sports, history, movies and small towns throughout their lives!

Chad is a good uncle...he loves his niece and nephew, Cole and Aubree, and feels a special kinship with his nephew Cole because they have such similar personalities! John calls Cole, Chad half the time! Chad loves to give Cole advice about his sports endeavors and artistic talents and aspirations...and one of his greatest joys is making videos of his niece and nephew's volleyball and football games! He also loves and rejoices in the accomplishments of his niece and nephew on my side, ShaVonne and Luke...he is proud of the adults they are becoming.

Chad is a good friend...he has always been someone who doesn't like big crowds of strangers, but he can be the life of the party when he's among friends. The list of his REALLY CLOSE friends is small, but they are definitely friends for a lifetime. One of his very closest friends is one he sees quite often now that we live back in our hometown and they have their own way of communicating that includes inside jokes from their days back at good ole GHS!

Chad is a GREAT HUSBAND! We have been together for 22 years this spring. We have been married for 15 years this summer. We have so many memories that have been created over 22 years, but most of my life has had Chad as a part of it, and I wouldn't give for any of those moments. The trips we have taken together, the friends we have made and the times we have shared have such a special place in my heart!

Chad is a GREAT DADDY! He loves his children more than life itself and he has said so many times that he can't imagine life without the twins. As his wife, I love him even more than I ever thought possible because he's such a great dad. Chad does his share of the work at a home where we both work full time and the time he spends with the twins is so precious...playing cars and princesses...and watching all the great Disney movies! The twins LOVE their Daddy so much and on the few occasions that he has had to get stern with them, they burst into tears!

So...Happy Birthday my love...I am so glad that you are the man that God chose for me. Your love completes my life and makes me whole. I am thankful for every day that God blesses me with...to have your company and your love. Happy 41st Birthday!

I love Mondays!!! NOT!

2008-01-28T12:12:00.000-06:00

Monday are always hard for me. I'm definitely glad for "this day that the Lord has made", but always a little sad to be back at work. Don't get me wrong...I LOVE MY JOB! Working at Childress HS and teaching the material that I truly am passionate about is a wonderful blessing, but I do miss my babies after a weekend of spending quality time with them. They know Monday is coming too...they begin to ask me on Sunday afternoon if I have to go to work...and if Maggie (their nanny) is going to come. They love her, but always start to cry and say, "Don't go to work, Mommy, don't go to work!" What a heartbreaker! It's hard being a working mom, not just the physical time (I'm not gryping, just sharing), but just feeling torn between doing something that is fulfilling and that allows you to use your talents (at work) and the obligations you feel to want and need to be at home. Guilt abounds either way!!

Yesterday in Sunday school we were discussing Timothy I, Chapter 2 where it talks about Paul's directives to women in the church...that they should be silent and submissive...which opened a discussion about some of the bible's directives for a woman's place in the household. I agree with the philosophy of the husband being the head of the Christian household and leading in spiritual affairs, but I believe so much of that has to be brought into today's society where so many families require both people to have full time jobs and it takes both partners to complete all the parenting and household chores. What a topic for discussion...

Anyway, I so enjoyed the warm weather on Saturday and playing outside with the twins (in the dirt) and taking them to the playground. We made a trip to Wal-Mart on Sunday afternoon (much to the twins delight) and also enjoyed some fun family movie time this weekend (Ratatouie). It was a wonderful weekend for family and a little hard to return to work on Monday...but every day is one day closer to Friday and next weekend!

Until next time...
Another Twin Mother

just another manic Monday...oh, Tuesday!

2008-01-22T19:12:00.000-06:00

Such a busy Tuesday...preparing for my night class which began tonight and prepping for genetics labs in Biology at CHS!! I posted a new picture of my sweet princess Aidan. Such a beautiful baby girl, but you should of heard us arguing last night. I know, you're thinking, don't argue with an "almost" 3 yr. old, but oh the drama in deciding what pajamas to wear (or NOT to wear). You would have thought I'd asked her to sleep in a horsehair shirt, but really it was only as bad as long-sleeved pajamas...considering it is WINTER! She did NOT want to wear them, was NOT going to have them and threw a kicking, screaming fit! After 10 minutes of trying to get her to choose from 5 pairs of long-sleeved pajamas because her fairy nightgown was in the washing machine...she FINALLY pointed to a pair of pink thermal ones...exactly the pair I had picked out for her to begin with. Oh the days and nights that await me in her future! She really is my princess...just a bit hard-headed (kinda like her Mama!). All this transpired with her Bubby and her Daddy just lying there on the bed and chuckling (at least Daddy was). And after it was all over...and she was dressed in the original pink pajamas...she actually said to me, "I not mad anymore, Mama", and how could I be either!

Another Twin Mother

Making a Blog List with Your Husband

2008-01-19T12:02:00.000-06:00

So now one of our favorite Saturday morning activities could be working on our blog page...this morning we (Chad and I) worked to create a new blog list for our page. The list is titled "Favorite 80's Albums - from Jody and Chad". We had to pick ones that we could somewhat agree on, but Chad's tastes ranged from New Wave to Hair Metal and Jody's included some of those and some "Poppy" Rock. All of you 80-ites should recognize many of the albums and maybe it'll take you back to the nights of "Night Track Videos" on TBS before we had M-TV or VH1!!.

I love Saturday mornings just lounging around and drinking coffee...watching my kids play and taking it easy! What I hate are the tinges of guilt I experience because I'm not getting anything done...like cleaning my house or school work or whatever. We're off for now...

Piper family

Just one little slip!

2008-01-18T11:39:00.000-06:00

Have you seen Chicken Little? The opening theme song is "Just One Little Slip" by ? Not sure what band, but sounds a lot like "Bare-Naked Ladies". Anyway...it's a great song about how one little slip (the whole "sky is falling" thing for Chicken Little) can be a big thing in your life...as we all know. Well, my latest "slip" is not that big, but I did slip on my Jenn-Air range top over the past weekend while trying to retrieve a cookbook and broke the WHOLE thing!!!! What a mess! Actually - I only BROKE the largest burner, but managed to send cracks through the other three burners. This happened during a discussion about finances and then, one little slip later, we have a costly appliance to replace...oh well!

Also slipped up and didn't show up for my first college night class on this past Tuesday because I was positive that class was scheduled for Thursday night. After a few phone calls to the Dean of Students, the mistake is all cleared up, but class will be on Tuesday nights...not such good news for Chad who had basketball games to attend and take pictures of on Tuesday nights! Another...oh well!

Cord and Aidan have been very "energetic" this week with the cold weather and not being able to get outside. They have both gone to the naughty bench (thank you Super Nanny!) several times for fighting, hitting, throwing, biting, etc, etc...as well as saying such tacky words as: "Shut Up!". You'd think that almost 3-year olds would be more angelic, but??? After Cord goes to the naughty bench...his most often offense is saying "Shut Up"...Aidan carries her little New Testament bible around and says, "I read my bible..." and then as she pretends to read out of it, she quotes, "Don't say tacky words, that's not nice...that hurts my heart!" What a smart girl! Of course, she's usually the one getting her brother in trouble because she's coming and telling on him..."Bubby say shut-up, Mommy". Oh the life! With the hectic schedules both Chad and I have had lately, we are thankful for the peace (did I say peace?) that our home and family provide.

Until next time...
Another Twin Mother

a new year

2008-01-11T08:11:00.000-06:00

Okay - here's my second post...coming up. I've been told by my friend Charla that blogging is addictive...and given my affinity for talking, that is quite possible. We (the Piper family) have started off the new year much like the last. The twins are back in the routine staying with their nanny, Maggie, while Mom and Dad are off to work. They are growing so fast and it's hard to believe they will be three years old in only 2 months. Our new favorite show is "Jon and Kate + 8" on TLC and we can definitely identify with their daily tasks with three year olds (although on a reduced scale, obviously). The things that their sextuplets do, however, are exactly the same kind of things that the twins do.

My latest undertaking is monitoring the twins language...they are definitely adept at picking up whatever is being discussed and Chad and I both have to watch what we say all the time! Aidan is especially good at picking up on the nuisances of discussion and her latest thing to say to ME is "I'll do it in jus' a minute...I busy!". Last night her response to me when I told her to scoot over in the bed was, "O - KAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" We had quite the discussion about that being "tacky words" and not a nice tone of voice to use, and she ended up in tears because I was being "mean". Anyway, it's an ongoing battle, but both of the twins seem to be sensitive to our tone, and definitely don't want us to be mad at them. Cord's favorite phrase is "Sorry, Mommy!", but he is overusing this and getting good at employing the phrase as soon as he's done something he knows he shouldn't, like choking his sister or saying "shut up". She does aggravate him on purpose though and elicits his frustration and anger quite often...I'm sure we're in for more of this through the coming years.

They are good children, though my brother-in-law might disagree, and every day is a blessing, watching them grow in to the little people that they will become.

Until tomorrow...
another twin mother

New BLOGGER!!!

2008-01-10T09:28:00.000-06:00

This is my first time blogging and I must say I'm a bit nervous about the whole thing. My friend, Charla, says this is the best thing since sliced bread with butter.

The main reason I wanted to start a blog was to keep my friends and family up-to-date on our life and especially the twins' lives.