The Highs, Lows, & Everyday Fun of the Teubners

VBS - Day 2

2011-06-22T14:05:00.003-05:00

Out word for day two was Compassion. We talked about the story of the wounded traveler. Our preschool kiddos really had a great time with this one!! We had a lot of activities with band-aids!! And, as many people know, preschoolers LOVE band-aids!! They got to put them on each other, pictures, and themselves - without the pain of an owie!! As our craft, we made stick puppets. Man, do these kids love puppets!! They wanted to play and play and play with them. I'm so going to have to get sticks so we can make some puppets at home - K would totally dig it!! The highlight from yesterday was when we were sitting around talking about ways that we can help our parents and show compassion. One little girl replied that her way of helping her parents was, "I wear panties!" I just cracked up!! As a friend pointed out, this is a big time help in the money department when they get out of diapers and into undies - so true!! Another highlight was when my mom was doing story time and she pretended to be sad. One of the little girls went up to her and gave her a hug - so cute!! At least they realize that the smallest person can be a help!

The only rough part about VBS week is that our house suffers. It isn't a total mess but needs to be vacuumed every other day (with two labs, it's a must). But we are all so tired by the time we get home, it just is not getting done. But, I figure this week, God has different plans for us which means the mess can wait!

But I must admit that I am looking forward to being about to cook real meals!! These from the freezer chicken nuggets and fish sticks are, thankfully, only for a few more days!

VBS time!!

2011-06-21T09:38:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was Day 1 of our church's vacation bible school. And this is the first time in three years that I have no been in charge of it. I had to step down from my commitments in December after A was born since I knew that my plate would be full with family, work, AND my Masters classes. So, I have really enjoyed being on the outer parts of this VBS. I helped coordinate the decorations and am running the pre-school version. I feel so blessed to have three other women whom I admire and love to help me. My mom teaches the story section. Dale J. handles the snack portion. And my awesome friend Cheralyn A. does games. I handle the crafts. We have 7 kiddos in our pre-school and we are already having a blast. Two of our kiddos are part of our Korean congregation. While they may not speak much English, they can certainly GET DOWN during the music time!!
While I can say that I am worn out from Day 1, I am so looking forward to Day 2!! Day 1 was all about gratitude. I personally have so much to be thankful for and am truly at a loss when I try to think of ways to say thanks sometimes. but, in a nutshell, I am thankful for the path that my Father has set before me and that he continues to walk with as I travel it.

Life's transitions

2011-04-11T14:19:00.002-05:00

Neither C or I slept much last night, and it wasn't because of the storms. His uncle has been on hospice for colon cancer for a few months now. We got a text around 10:40 saying that his bp was declining and his feet were cold. I prayed right then for Aunt D and Uncle S. I prayed mainly for God to be there with them during this time of transition. While we are all saddened by the loss of Uncle S, we are so grateful that he struggles no more, that his pain is over, and that he is free from the confines of his earthly vessel. He had a great smile - one that would make his eyes crinkle up to the point where you couldn't see his eyes. He was a bit of a codger but he truly loved his family. We were blessed to be able to see him a few weeks ago and introduce him to Miss A. He was so frail and so tired. It hurt to see him in such a shape. He has always been such a strong person so this was a shock for both C and I. We were glad that we got to see him and spend some time with him and Aunt D before he passed. We just pray for Diane and the kids for some comfort. But I realized this weekend that I hate cancer. I know no one likes it, but I truly hate it. I hate how it robs people of their vitality. I hate how is brings fear into their hearts. I hate how it steals people from families. I know that God has been with S & D during this time. I know that God's heart was breaking during the declining of S's health. Now, it is our turn to have our hearts break for a bit. God is rejoicing in having S in His kingdom while we are left to feel the void of his death. I know that we will see God so many times during our healing time. This past week also brought news of a very good friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer. It is small and localized which is a complete blessing. But, still, cancerous. This friend is a complete ray of sunshine. She has been through so much heartache with a previous marriage but found her Prince Charming a few years ago. Her husband is such a fantastic man who cherishes her and treats her like a queen. She has a completley amazing son who always makes her smile. She is just a precious woman! Unfortunately, she does not have health insurance. Her doctor is contacing some foundations to see about getting her some support for her medical treatments. I pray that she is guided to the right people and does not have to add finiancial woes to her plate of troubles. But, I just wanted to say that I hate cancer.

What we are giving up for Lent

2011-03-10T08:37:00.002-06:00

I truly love the Lenten season. I think it is my favorite holy season. This year, we are doing something a bit different. Instead of our usual "giving up" for Lent, we are adding things into our lives. We want to bring our family closer together and closer to God. Each week, we will add in something new to our lives. This week, Chris and I are starting to pray as a couple. We did this a few times during our study of In Love and War by John and Stasi Eldridge. (Excellent book for couples!!) We really could tell a different in our days and nights whenever we did this. We got out of the habit and have both missed it.
Next week, we will add in the habit of simplifying our stuff. This is an effort to make our lives easier and free up more time by getting rid of stuff. Then, we will add in a family walk every night. We also want to give more. Not of money but of ourselves to people who need help. I feel like we give a lot of ourselves at church through the things we help with but I just don't see how we are giving of ourselves to our neighbors who may need some help.
So, what are you doing for the Lenten season?

The Giggles at Bedtime

2011-03-01T10:19:00.003-06:00

So, last night, C put K to bed. I was doing some reading for school and missed out on the going to bed routine. I went in after my reading to check on him. He was still awake - as usual! He asked me to tell him a story. A few nights ago, I got tired of reading books to him, mainly because he chooses the same ones over and over and over and over again (mind you, he has shelves full of books!!) So, I told him a story about a little boy named K who was very special because he could make his mommy, and his daddy, and his sister laugh. He was also EXTRA special since he could also fly. I now realize I have created a storytelling machine!! He only wants me to tell him stories now. These stories have to include Batman and a very ugly witch (his arch nemesis) at some point in the story. Who knew Batman loved Hawaiian Falls as much as K does! Anyways, I walked into his room and saw that he was still awake. He turned and looked at me. I started trying to sneak in quietly in a very exaggerated way. He started cracking up and asking my why did I do that. Well, he was laughing which got me to laughing. We both laughed - belly laughs - for about 5 minutes straight. It was hilarious!! His laughter just cracks me up! There are many things that make me laugh (one involves extremely small backpacks), but there are a very few things that light up my soul. K is one of them. Is there a word to describe such joy and love and blessedness and praise that he makes me feel in the very center of my being? If so, I have yet to find it. I guess it can go back to the meaning of his name: little fiery one. I always took that to mean that he would be a big ol' ball of spitfire. But, reflecting on it now, I can totally see in a different way: his fiery light warms my soul. While he does have many spitfire moments (3s are definitely worse than 2s), he truly makes me happy. I am so looking forward to the days when A becomes her own little person, and we see God's work in her. But I am quiet content to sit there and hold her and enjoy the moments.

Sunday Lunch

2011-02-28T09:58:00.002-06:00

It has become a tradition in my family that we go out to eat after church. This saves someone from having to cook right after church. Plus, it really has become a great family time. Yesterday was no exception.
My nephew decided on lunch before my parents had left the driveway. He chose Steak N Shake - a family fav. We had not been in a while so we were all looking forward to it. What made this a special lunch for me was that we had company join us. The Smiths and the Palmers ate with us. Now, these people are like my second family. They have known me since before I was born and are very important to me. They always make me laugh and a such a joy to be with. I think it is so cool that M. Palmer babysat me. I babysat J. Palmer. M. Palmer and J. Palmer and J. Smith all babysat K. They can't wait to babysit Miss A! They have been there for the good times and have helped me through some rough times. I feel so very, very blessed by them. M and J regularly join us for lunch so have J and C come too was a thrill!! We all had a great time at lunch. J shared his fries with K. Ok, he shared a few fries and K took a few more! We oohed and aahhed over everyone's shakes. We shot straw wrappers at each other. And we laughed!! I kept thinking about lunch all day and what a great time we had. It made me realize that God doesn't just put people in our lives randomly. He plans not only the places but the exact times. It is so very humbling when you feel his grace through others. Just by them being there, the Smiths and the Palmers graced us. It was more than a good time. It was a God time for me.

New Blog

2011-02-28T09:04:00.001-06:00

I made a new blog to go along with my Homemade Gourmet Business. Check it out and let me know what you think! www.hgandme.blogspot.com

Wondering what my password is......

2011-02-23T13:39:00.003-06:00

I know....I have been neglecting my blog for way too long. But I have been busy. Still have a 4.0 in my masters classes (three more semesters left!). K is now 3 1/2. If he makes to for, it is only by God's grace - seriously!! Hmmm...what else...Oh yeah - our family welcomed a beautiful baby girl in December!!

So, everyone asks questions about her. Is she sleeping through the night? (Mostly) Who does she look like? (Everyone says K though a few say me) Is it fun having a girl? (YES!! Hello!!! The clothes!!) Can I take her home? (NO!! Waited to long for this one!)

A has a very special place in both sides of the family - the only girl. I was thrilled to learn we were having a girl. But then, the pressure hit me. I certainly do not want her to have to go through all of the body image issues I have dealt with - who does?? Plus, I want her to be strong yet caring, smart yet always thirsting for knowledge. I feel so blessed that she has such wonderful people as her grandmothers. She has three of them. They are all different but filled with overflowing love. She also has so many men in her life that adore her, namely my father and K. He told me last night that he wanted me to give A to him so that he could hold her. He said he was strong enough! He truly loves her in way that is beautiful. I so want my children to be close to their siblings. Neither my husband nor I was and we both feel like we missed out. Any suggestions you have for keeping the love between kiddos is greatly appreciated!

My favorite part of the day is when I pick her up from daycare. It takes her a second and then she sees it is me. She gives the biggest smile and starts wiggling. - melts my heart! Then here comes K, fighting pirates or stormtroopers, and he stops to give my legs a squeeze.

Ahhh...blessed!

What?? Fat Tuesday already??

2010-02-16T14:27:00.002-06:00

Goodness, it really seems like Easter gets earlier and earlier! Honestly though, I don't mind. I truly enjoy the Lenten season. Our church kicks it off with an Ash Wednesday service. It is C's favorite service and one of mine too. Our ministers have us write what we are giving up for lent on a card. We then pass in our cards and a few of the members take all the cards outside and burn them, along with the palms from last year's Palm Sunday. The ashes are brought back inside and mixed with black paint. Then, each member gets to draw a cross with the paint on burlap. To me, it is so comforting to see our three crosses looking back at me during this season. Yes, even K gets a little cross! I do wish the service was in the morning so I could wear the cross on my forehead all day. To me, it is such a powerful reminder of the cross Jesus suffered on for little old me.
And, of course, C and I have to rack our brains to figure out what to give up for Lent. There are so many things that we have given up previously that just are not a part of our lives anymore, like TV. so, this year, we have decided that as a family, we are giving up on going out to eat, even if other people are paying. I really want to take this time to focus on how our family shares meals. Plus, I have totally missed cooking in my kitchen!! I do believe that the dinner table keeps the family together. We did not eat together as a family often when I was growing up since Dad worked and Mom had work to do at home. I'm not meaning this to dis my parents since I know they did it for me and my brother. But I cannot tell you the joy that my soul takes on when sharing meals with family and friends. I think it plays in part to our desire to have a large family. I always cook more than enough food so we have a pretty stocked freezer. I just want to be able to get my family into the habit of dinners together.

Our Halloween Excitement

2009-11-02T09:41:00.002-06:00

Our day started off with breakfast and just taking it easy around the house. Momma had a Spa Party at her house during nap time. I got to go get pampered while C enjoyed the quiet time. If you have never tried Beauticontrol products, I highly recommend them, I used to sell Mary Kay and loved it. But these products do so much more with less steps. Plus, I really like Nancy, my consultant. They have some great products for people with dry skin including a bath soak that Nancy's grandson uses to help with his severe eczema. Anyways, had a great time getting pampered and visiting with friends. I also made a sale for my Moocher Munchies business. One of the gals placed an order so that she can have some snacks when her family comes to visit for Thanksgiving - yeah!!
After the party, I got my guys and headed up to a Fall Carnival at our friends' church. K had a great time one the bounce houses. His favorite part was the cotton candy!! That was a mess to clean up! After all that fun, including winning some goodies at the cake walk, we headed to Monterrey's for some dinner. While waiting for our food, the friends that we had just seen at their church walked in - how funny! It is always better to have friends that like the same eateries as you do!! We visited and ate and then headed over to our church to set up for Trunk or Treat. I truly love this way of trick or treating as we get to come together as a church family and have a great time. We had so many families come through!! It was fabulous to be able to serve our community. So many churches are moving from the north side of town, where our church is and we live, to the south side of town, where more affluent families live. We, as a church, have decided that the community we are called to serve is right where we are. So we are staying!! After all that fun, we trudged our tired Batman home, ready to crawl into bed. C had some unloading to do in the garage, so I went and got K dressed for bed. C came running into K's room and told us to come out to the garage. We had a visitor!! We went out and stood in the doorway to the garage and met our visitor - a birdie! The poor little thing was trying to fin the way out and would only fly above the garage door! I went and got a loaf of bread to try to coax it the right way but that wasn't working. Suddenly, it flew start for me and K in the doorway. We ducked and the bird flew INTO OUR HOUSE!! I screamed. K went looking for the bird to give it bread. C starting chasing it down. Luckily, the dogs were already outside but the cats were somewhere in the house. I set out to find them and shut the doors to the bedrooms. The birdie flew into K's room where one of the cats was. I quickly grabbed for Daisy and put her into the guest room. The birdie then flew out into the dining room. I called my parents and told them to come right over. Then, our other cat caught the bird in her mouth!!! Somehow the bird got loose and C grabbed the cat and put her in the guest room. Now the birdie was freaking out and flying all over the house!! Mom and Dad got there and just started laughing. First a snake, now a bird!! It kept flying from the back of the house to the laundry room and into the dining room. C opened up the front door to try to coax it out but nothing was working. And poor K is trying to chase down the bird to give it some bread!! Eventually, Momma was able to block off the birdie's path to the living room. It went around her and went straight for the laundry room again. Daddy was able to block it from going that way and it flew out the garage door. We were all happy that it found it's way. Then we wondered if it had left the garage or was still in there. I ventured out and, sure enough, it was still in the garage! After a few minutes, we were able to get it to fly out of the garage and into the world. After all this, we took about an hour or so to calm back down. What an adventure!
FYI - We checked the next morning. No dead birds in the yard - yeah!!

You know something's up when they are a little too quiet...

2009-10-27T14:31:00.002-05:00

So, I was making fabulous dinner last night and K was in his room playing. After a while, I realized that he was quiet. A little too quiet. So, I head back and open his door. He is quietly sitting on the floor reading his books. It was so nice to see him reading!! C and I have prayed that he is a lover of books like we are. I smiled a smug smile and went back to work. Much later, as I was getting ready for bed, I went into our bathroom to brush my teeth. That is when I noticed what he was doing before he went to read. K loves to climb into our bathroom cabinet and get stuff out of my drawers, especially my brushes. This time, he found a new favorite draw - my "Monthly" drawer. The ground was covered with tampon parts. He must have had a GREAT time unwrapping them, pulling the string, and then discarding them for a new one. Needless to say, I am going to have to find a new place to put my Monthly stash and resupply it.

Fabulous dinner: Totastic Frito Pie
1 bag of tater tots
1 bag of fritos
1 bag (2 cups) shredded cheddar cheese
1 large onion chopped
3-4 cans of chili or 5-6 cups of homemade
Salt and Pepper

Put enough tater tots to line the bottom of a square baking dish. Bake according to instructions (mine were at 450 for 20 min). When done, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then sprinkle with about 1 cup of cheese. Then put a thick layer of chili on top. Bake for 15 minutes at 350. When done, sprinkle on fritos, cheese, and chopped onion (in that order) and put back in oven for another 5-7 minutes. Serve.

Can I have a vacation from my weekend??

2009-10-26T09:39:00.004-05:00

We had a super busy and fun weekend. Friday night was a total blast with friends for the Kreative Whimzey party. The turn out wasn't as high as I had hoped but the people who came made it fun. I seriously think that we need to do that more often!! Saturday started with just K and I in the morning as C had to go work on a job for his new business. I asked K what he wanted for breakfast. "Tater tots." He told me, very definitely. "And chicken nuggets." I asked just where were we supposed to get chicken nuggets and tater tots for breakfast. He replied, "Nanny Pops." That is what he calls my parents' house. I called over there and explained to Momma what he wanted. She laughed as she has never served him tater tots. But she did ask if we wanted to come over for breakfast with her, Grandnanny, and my nephews. Sure thing!! I made bismark pancake and topped it with strawberries and bananas. She made scrambled eggs. K had a great time being silly with his cousins but he was getting grumpy so I took him back home after we ate. When C got home, we all piled up and headed out to M's 4th b-day party. This is really the only time K gets to eat McDonald's. He had such a fun time!! It was a good time for us too. Got to meet S (yes, he is freaking cute!) and visit with friends. There is just something about getting parents together, especially moms, that makes a good time even better!! I will admit that I part of my was jealous with all the cute girlie stuff M got. I cannot wait to meet the blessing that God has in store for us. I hope that one of our future kiddos is a girl just so I won't be outnumbered!! But, also, a girl would really change our perspective on things since they are said to be so different from boys. Anyhoo, we went home to get some stuff for our next party and K took a nap in the car. We headed over to my friend Dede's house for a pumpkin painting party. It was so fun!! I only knew Dede so got to meet some neato kids and their mommas. K had a fun time just being around so many toys. We took the kids outside while we carved the pumpkin. K wanted no part of sticking his hand in the pumpkin to pull out the insides - no thanks!! He wouldn't even touch it when it came out!! The kids seemed to completely enjoy being outside rides on some of M's toys and just being kids. We left there and headed over to Cedar Hill to meet C's family for dinner. I was completely tired and kinda grumpy and had hardly eaten all day. Nothing seemed to be going through the band. Made for a grumpy me! K completely enjoys his cousins. I guess they are just big toys to him right now. Luckily, they think he is funny and everything he does is cute. Even if it is his mac n cheese covered hand on their shirt sleeve!! We took C's grandmother home and then, finally, got to our house. I will say that it took about a minute for me to fall asleep - so tired!!
Sunday was church. My friend J and I took our boys around to the different Sunday school classes to invite them all personally to the Trunk or Treat that our church is having on Halloween night. It was such fun to see K as Batman and L as Superman. K kept calling him Super Batman. I was so pumped because K wore his mask!! He has never let us put it on and kept it on before!! Awesome!! After church, we went to have lunch with some friends of ours. They made fabulous fish. We had such a great time with them, but we always do!! After lunch, we headed home for nap which K did NOT want to take. He eventually fell asleep. The project for the afternoon was C and Daddy hooked up our new fridge to the water line so that we could have a working ice maker. After two trips to hardware stores, success!!! We now have water and ice!! Such a luxury after YEARS of not have it! We had a yummy dinner with the family before heading home for sleep. The rain was loud, but I slept so nice!!! This morning, all I wanted was to stay in bed forever!! Maybe next weekend!!

Happy Friday!!

2009-10-23T08:32:00.003-05:00

It is such a good day!! Sun is out, students are working, and I get to blog!! YEAH!
We have such a busy weekend ahead of us. Someone asked what we were doing after church on Sunday. I replied, "Napping." They asked me or Keegan. I said, "Both!!"
Tonight, Friday, my friend Leslie and I are hosting a party for our friend Kelly. Kelly is the mom of 4 kiddos (teenage girl, twin 3 year old boys, and an 11 month old boy). When Kelly returned to work after her maternity leave, she was laid off. So, she decided to turn her love of embroidery into a business, Kreative Whimzey. I think that is a totally cool name since her intials are KW too!! She does the best embroidery work!! She has done a few things for K. I am most impressed with her attention to details. We had her embroider K's name on his back pack. She went so far as to match the green thread she used to the green on one part of the backpack!! I love hosting parties. I finally get to use all those fancy dishes that I have in my china cabinet. Plus, I get to hang out with some fun people and help my friend Kelly do what she feels called to do.

Saturday will be an awesome day. We get to to M's birthday party!! We haven't told K yet because he would keep asking/telling us that he wanted to go. He loves birthday parties, especially if there is a slide involved.And we finally get to meet S!! We have enjoyed seeing him in pics but know he will be cuter in person - yes!! And R has great taste in cakes so I know it will be good!! And I get to visit with R & J!! We so need to go to DJ's or b'fast sometime!! We will then head home for naptime (yes!). The we have a pumpkin party to go to. I am excited to see K meet some new friends and hang out with some old ones. I am making a rice krispie Halloween "cake" - new recipe so I am excited!! After the party, we will come home and watch the Netflix movies for the weekend. Since we do not have cable, we tend to watch movies more. So, we opted to get Netflix. Each week, the mail brings us one kiddie movie and one movie for us parents. We try to use one night to have family movie night which is usually Friday. But, since I'm having friends over, looks like it will be Saturday night. Maybe I can make pizza rolls!! Yum!!

Sunday will be church and, hopefully, lunch at a friend's house. I am hoping the weather Sunday afternoon is nice so that we can take the dogs to the dog park or, at least, for a walk. This rain has them going so crazy with extra energy!!

Well, hope you have a fantastic weekend!

YES!!

2009-10-22T13:58:00.001-05:00

I can get to my blog from school!! I can update!! I can post!! Oh, blogging, how I have missed you!! Tune in tomorrow for updates!!

Our funny little boy

2009-06-14T17:26:00.002-05:00

So, this morning was a true adventure. K has finally learned that is it fun to sleep in on the weekends. He will get up and come get in bed with us and sleep for 2 more hours - YEAH!! So we had a pretty lazy morning. We started getting ready for church. I took my shower first and got ready while C and K took their shower. I went into the kitchen and noticed a funky smell - the pile of dishes in our sink - UGH!! I got to work and got them washed of and put in the dishwasher (yes, I double wash!). C called me back to the bathroom and said there was something I had to see. I walked back and they were both out of the shower drying off. C pointed towards the shower and told me to look in. There, in the middle of the shower, was a turd. Specifically, a K turd. We both died laughing. We are starting to introduce going in the potty but with no luck. Whenever he asks to go tee-tee on the potty, we immediately take him. We see this as step one. We have told K that if he goes in the potty that he will get candy and have even shown him the bag of candy. We decided that this was not a candy rewarding action since it was not a complete touchdown in the potty. C was shocked when he first saw it. He thought it was a huge water bug!! Nope. It was last night's dinner from Cheddar's!!

Why I love Mr. Clean Magic Erasers

2009-06-11T08:14:00.002-05:00

1. The fool who put in our tiled floors in the kitchen and guest bath (before we moved in) put down white grout. Yes. White. It shows dirt super easy and has completely grossed both C and I out. Then we discovered that the MEs worked wonders, cleaning the grout in a matter of seconds. It also proves to be a great stress reliever - have no idea why.
2. I am a big fan of buying used kiddie toys, especially the plastic play stuff. After having discovered some fun things at a garage sale, I brought them home and cleaned them first thing off the bat. They had been attacked by some rabid crayons but those war wounds soon came off with a quick clean of the MEs. They also get dirt off those plastic toys that have been outside and gotten dirty.
3. I am still getting used to my cooking pans. We have a love hate relationship sometimes. MEs work great at getting the burnt gunk that sticks to my pans.
4. I am a lover of Pampered Chef and have found that the MEs work wonders at getting them super clean without the use of soap!!
5. I dislike any scuff marks on doors and door frames. MEs can get those scuff marks and dirt off super fast which totally feeds into my tidiness.
6. The same fool who put down our tiles chose tiles that was bumpy. So dirt and gunk get stuck in the depressions in the tile and cement themselves in. With a quick scrub of the MEs, they are gone!!
7. My beloved PC baking dishes leave black scratch marks on my kitchen sink. The MEs make quick work of making the disappear.
8. The can get dirt, pen, and crayon off my refrigerator in a matter of seconds.
9. They get my counters super clean after a red Kool-aid spill.
10. They removed permanent marker!!

Swimming Lessons update

2009-06-10T09:02:00.014-05:00

K started his annual swim lessons with Miss Margaret on Monday. This class is mainly to teach the young ones (6 months - 2 years) how to save themselves if they fall in the water. Miss Margaret has had 11 babies save their own lives after they had been in the class. It is truly not K's favorite thing to do, but it is not meant to be that type of class. The class usually goes like this: First, we count 1,2,3 and then dunk the kids under water and turn them around so that they are not facing us. Second, we sit them on the edge of the pool and then pull them into the water, turn them so that they face the wall and them tell them to "Reach Up" for the side of the pool and crawl out. Third, all the parents (there are about 5 parent/child combos) stand in a circle and pass the kids underwater to each other. This helps us focus on other kids besides ours and helps the kids with dealing with new people. There is nothing like someone else's kid looking at you like a lifesaver and holding on for dear life. One kid grabbed my bathing suit straps and I swear he was stronger than a muscle man!

K seems to be doing a lot better this year in closing his mouth. He isn't coughing up water like he was last year. He also scrambles up the side of the pool so he can get out. He also is not allowed to leave the pool until he stops crying which is my rule. He calms down instantly when I tell him that we are not going home until he stops crying. He also enjoys the lollipop they give the kids on the way out the door!! We have been explaining to him that is he goes tee-tee in the potty that he will get candy. His response: "Home. Potty!"

The first day was pretty funny in showing me how smart K is. He was excited about being in the pool - for 2 minutes. Then I could tell he remembered last year. He started whimpering and looked me and said, "Home. Go home." I told him we were not going home yet. He then told me, "Diaper. Change diaper." Smart boy knew that the diaper is usually the key to getting out of a situation!!

So far, I have been the only one to go to swim class so no pics yet. I'm hoping my mom can go with us tomorrow so she can be photographer. So, here are some pics from last year's adventure.

Miss Margaret

The circle
Sitting on the edge

Dunking

Reaching up

Putting his head down on his own during circle

Funny Daddy!

Reaching up

Can we go home yet?

Our newest family member

2009-06-04T13:51:00.004-05:00

On Tuesday, May 26th, we made a trip to go pick up our newest family member. We had been thinking about getting another dog for a few weeks. The main reason is that our schnauzer, Neiley, will be 14 years old next month. He is slowing down and just not doing too hot. If he makes it until the end of the year, we will be shocked. We realized that our lab Duke would need a friend to help him get over Neil's death. So, we put in an application with the DFW lab rescue and waited for someone to contact us. In the meantime, I was looking on craigslist at the pets section. We had actually found a lab mix in Mansfield that need a home but she ended up getting out and a neighbor had shot her. I know. Horrible person!! So, I just kept on looking while waiting for the lab rescue to contact me. On Tuesday, I found a listing for a 4 month old golden retriever puppy in Joshua that was free to a good home. Now, goldens hold a special place for C. He has always wanted one. I sent him the link and he told me to contact them. I did. I found out that the reason they were getting rid of the puppy was that they just did not have time for her. The husband had purchased her from a breeder across the street on a whim and the wife just didn't want the dog. They had built a pen for her outside and she had spent most of her time in there. They realized that they were not being good dog parents when they realized that their Yorkie could outrun and outlast her. She would get tuckered out in a matter of minutes. We had some pretty serious discussions, especially since my mom would be home taking care of K for the following 2 days. How fair would it be to her to add a non-housebroken puppy to the mix?? We checked and Momma was excited about having a new puppy. She has known how much we have been wanting a new family member. So, we gave our Airhogs tickets away and drove out to Joshua. When we got out of the truck, we knew that we were going to be leaving with her. She is a red golden retriever - same color as our Maddie was. We played with her for a bit and made sure that she was not aggressive towards K and then all hopped in the truck. Her name is Abbie. When we looked at her AKC papers, her birthday was in November 2008. That makes her 6 months old. She has to go through her first heat before she can be spayed but she is in otherwise perfect health. We took her to our doc and everyone in the office thought she was precious! She has been a joy. Granted, I am not enjoying the potty training, but she is doing very well. We make it our job to take her out often. She sleeps in a crate at night and is perfectly happy in there. She love to roughhouse with Duke but knows that Neiley is in no mood to play. She enjoys barking at the cats, chasing Duke, and going for walks. She is perfect on a leash. We took her to the dog park and she got tired very quickly which meant she had no energy to try to play with other dogs. She really does not know how to play with other dogs so it is something we are working on. We are also working on her commands and go to puppy class every Tuesday at our vet's office. We took K the first time and that was a mistake. One of us was busy watching him and did not get the full instructions. Momma has agreed to watch K on the days we have puppy school. Abbie is very smart and learns quickly. Granted, she is very food motivated so that helps!

Please forgive me!!

2009-06-03T21:55:00.002-05:00

Yes, I have been horribly remiss in not blogging. I know. But not being able to blog at school is really getting to me. I seriously have no time to blog at home until K goes to bed and that is usually filled with doing dishes and picking up stuff. I know I am preaching to the choir on this but just felt like I needed to get back in the groove. I totally forgot the reason that I blog. I only scrapbook during the summer. My blog helps me remember things that have happened throughout the year that I might forget about. So, I am making it my personal goal to blog every night for the summer. I just need to get into the habit. So, look for more Teubner news!!

Kickin' it After Skool

2009-04-27T21:00:00.002-05:00

So, due to the rain, power had been off in our neighborhood since noon. I came home and picked up K and had a sudden realization. Our power was out so no Arthur or Wordgirl. it had been raining all day so no playing outside. What in the world was I going to do in a semi-dark house with an almost 2 year old?? C was not going to get home and take us out to eat (hey, side benefit of no power!!) until 5:30 or so. How would I keep my sanity and K occupied?? Then my creative side shouted at me, "I have an idea!!" A month or so ago, I subscribed to a fantastic magazine. There really isn't a magazine that I can pick up and see cool fun things to me and my family to do within the first 5 pages!!! My latest issue came on Friday. While we were out on Saturday, I bought the two things I needed to do this cool project. What cool project? I think of it as the uber-cool project. This project starts a few months ago. For Christmas, C's brother's family got K a pair of Chuck Taylors that were funky and perfect for K. He wore them a couple of times and then the zipper on the side broke. We were upset about it because they had really put in a lot of thought into this particular pair of Chucks. So, I hung on to them hoping that one day we could get them fixed before K outgrew them. Then, enter fabulous issue of fav magazine. In a special section on how to get kids active, they had this craft using old shoes. You take a dowel rod and put it into the shoe like it it a leg. You then screw the rod to the shoe from the bottom. Cost? $3 for one rod. I cut the 4 ft rod into two 2 ft sections. Took me about 10 minutes. End result? K and I spent the rest of the time playing "kick ball" in the living room. Luckily, the lights came on around 4:30. I was able to get dinner done and K had a great time!!

Good Night Moon...goodnight...what?

2009-04-18T14:31:00.002-05:00

The other evening, I was getting K ready for bed. He was up on his changing pad and I was just putting the last diaper strap in place when I said, "Bye, bye penis." K has started calling his business by the anatomical name. We have no idea where he got this but we follow his lead. K replied, "Night, night penis." Then he turned to look at me and put his forefinger to his lips and said, "Shhhh! Sleeping." and point to his business. I cracked up!! My thoughts are that it should stay asleep for a VERY long time!!

Super Yummy Casserole

2009-04-08T21:08:00.001-05:00

Here it is:

Santa Fe Chicken Casserole

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
9 oz. pkg. frozen fully cooked diced chicken (I used a 10 ox can of chicken in water)
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
24 oz. jar thick and chunky salsa
1 cup taco sauce
8 corn tortillas
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded Colby jack cheese (I used the Mexican shredded cheese)
Preparation:In medium microwave safe bowl, cook onion and garlic in olive oil on HIGH for 2-3 minutes until tender.(I am a saute person so I sauteed the onion and garlic on the stove top.) Stir in frozen chicken, black beans and salsa. (If freezing, cool onion and garlic mixture before adding frozen chicken.)
In 2 quart glass baking dish (I used a square one), pour taco sauce. Lay four corn tortillas over sauce. Top with half of chicken mixture. Spoon on half of sour cream in small dollops. Sprinkle with half of cheese. Top with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture, sour cream and cheese. Cover with foil. At this point, you can wrap the casserole well and freeze up to 3 months.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes until bubbly. Uncover and bake 5-10 minutes longer until cheese is melted. If frozen, thaw casserole overnight in refrigerator, then bake covered at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes until bubbly; uncover and bake 5-10 minutes longer until cheese melts. Serves 6 (This served 5 adults and 3 kids plus some had seconds and thirds AND we still had one serving leftover for C's lunch the next day!)

B-day Boy!

2009-04-02T21:43:00.005-05:00

My hubby's b-day is April 1st. That's right. I found my very own April Fool to have and to hold (I will hug him and squeeze him and call him friend). Unfortunately, it feel on a Wednesday. for us, those nights are church nights. Our church serves up an awesome $3 dinner (complete with Nestle Toll House cookie for dessert) plus I have bell practice - ugh! So, we saved the celebrating for Thursday evening. My parents, grandmother and two nephews came over for dinner. Before dinner, the boys came over to help us rip up the carpet in the hallway. We are big fans of hardwood floors. We put hardwoods in our house in Houston and they were gorgeous!!

Plus, our little guy is big time into cars and loves to drive them all over things and carpet isn't race car friendly. So, we asked our landlords if they wouldn't mind splitting the cost of hardwoods for the hallway with us. They decided that they did not want to do that. They wanted to pay for the whole thing - WOW! So, they boys came over to help us pull up the carpet. We told them that they would earn $5 in commission for their work. We are big Dave Ramsey fans and agree with the way he taught his kids about money. Our children will not receive allowances. They will earn commission. Basically, this is their first job and we are their first bosses. If they do the work the way they are supposed to, they get a commission. If they don't do it, then they don't get paid. We feel like since the boys are over here so much that we will give them commissions. Tonight was the first go at it. TE still had homework to do so we had to send him back to my parents. CE was ready to work! He is such a workhorse! He could not wait to get the carpet up. I showed him how to use a flathead screwdriver and a hammer to pull up the carpet tacks. He was in hog heaven. You could tell that he really enjoyed being able to use tools. TE came over after we had pulled up the carpet but he got to pull up the padding. He only worked for about 30 minutes and then went outside to play. We realized that he was going to have a quick lesson in commissions and how they pay out. CE worked right alongside C until the work was all done and dinner was ready. We had printed out recipes a few months ago and C picked out a new one to try for his B-day meal. It was awesome!! It is called Santa Fe Chicken. It was super easy to make, cooked in 35 minutes, and fed 8 people (and seconds and thirds for some!). It was soooo good. There is a little bit left over for C to have for lunch tomorrow. We then played a few rounds of our favorite family card game. Halfway through, it was K's bedtime so we did our routine and he went right to sleep. We then had birthday cake (C's favorite Mexican Spice Cake: Chocolate and cinnamon...mmmmm). C opened his cards and gifts. I got he and I tickets to see Dame Edna at Bass Hall. Hilarious!! Can't wait! After cards, it was time for the family to go home. We went ahead and paid the boys their commission. CE got $7 and TE got $3. TE was a bit confused and C explained to him that he did not do the all the work that was expected of him. He decided to play around. We also used that time to explain to the boys the three ways our family uses money. We explained that we first set aside money to give to God as our offering. We then explained that we set some aside for money for savings. The rest is for spending. They can spend their money on whatever they choose. Momma then explained that when they got home, they were going to work on decorating their three envelopes: Give, Save, Spend. Part of Dave deals with changing your family tree. We hope that by giving them ways to use money in a positive form and talking about it will help them be better with their money than we have been.

Speaking of Dave, mark your calendars!! April 23rd at 7 pm, Dave is doing a live webcast from OKC. He will be discussing the current economic situation. Our church is hosting a viewing of this event. If you need more info, just let me know!

Big event this weekend: Easter Egg Hunt at church. Pics and posting sometime afterwards.

Animals!!

2009-03-30T19:52:00.002-05:00

Some of you might not be aware but K loves animals. He enjoys the zoo so much and our natural wildlife around the house. We have to check for lizards whenever we head outside after I pick him up. We also have quite a few animal books and flash cards to run through and he enjoys it every time. Well, our newest animal fascination is llamas. The GP llamas are down from our neighborhood so we have to look for them whenever we go that way. Granted, we talk about the "Mamas" at home, outside, at church, and just about anywhere we go. He seems to be saying "Mamas" every minute so it is kinda driving me nuts, but it makes me smile to know that he is so excited about God's creatures. I feel so close to God whenever I tune into nature and it is so neat to see that in my son!!

BTY, if you haven't read R's blogs about dance class, you need to!! Click on The Dees link on the right side.

Ahhh.....boys!

2009-03-25T21:07:00.002-05:00

So, my little blessing has confirmed this week that he is truly a little boy. We love dirt, especially in our mouths. We have stinky feet. I am not looking forward to teenage K's feet already!! And, last, but certainly not least, we enjoy tooting our own horn! As I was getting him out of his car seat after church this evening, he let quite an impressive one rip. I looked around to see if my neighbor had dropped something while he was getting into his car. I turned back to my precious gift and he was smiling so big. It was then that I realized the sound had come from him. AND HE WAS PROUD OF IT! I asked, "What did you do?" (Giggle.Giggle) "Keegan, did you toot?" Yes. Toot!" So many thing that I am leary of.

Gotta brag....

2009-03-22T17:41:00.002-05:00

so, I have been recovering this week from surgery and I have not been the best patient. Since it was abdominal surgery, I had a hard time getting up from sitting down. Once I was down, I was down!! C was great in bringing my liquids to drink and letting me sleep!! He literally took care of everything!! He has changed all of K's diapers. He has gotten K ready for bed and put him to bed. He has fed the dogs, done the laundry, done the dishes, and done the cooking. He is really living up to the "for better or worse...in sickness and in health" of our vows. I have felt better each day but him stepping up to the plate has truly been the best meds for my recovery. I have known that he is the man God created me for and this just proves it before my eyes. I love you, Babe and look forward to our future adventures!!!

Some new words

2009-03-19T12:23:00.003-05:00

Here a list of new words that K is using:

"Thanks." He says this word with extra emotion so it sounds like he is super happy to be saying it.

"Mommies". We pointed out the llamas that live near us and he keeps asking about the mommies.

"Moo Moo Book". This is the book that gets read over and over again. We have taken to hiding it. But he gets so excited when he finds it!!

Feeling better

2009-03-19T11:59:00.002-05:00

Ok, so yesterday was not a good day. I didn't sleep very well. I guess I was that I didn't get a deep sleep so I was tired. I was also REALLY sore on my left side. That's where the port is and it is usually the sorest place since it is not really deep under the skin. I have a hard time getting out of bed but that is to be expected since you use your abdominal muscles so much in that activity. So, since I am feeling better, I wanted to go ahead and write about the surgery. I promise not to make this blog all about my band but I did want to write it out for those who are not familiar with the process.
C took me to the surgery center Tuesday morning. I had to be there by 7:30 and my surgery was for 8. We got there and there were quite a few people in the waiting room. They called my name after a bit and I headed back to change into the fabulous hospital gown, circulation hose, booties for my feet, and hairnet - I looked awesome!! This was my first experience with circulation hose. They are REALLY tight and make my blood keep moving so I don't get blood clots. They were supposed to be knee highs. With my short legs, they were more like thigh highs!! The nursing staff at the surgery center was fantastic! They were all cheery and happy and my nurse took extra care of me. She got me a longer set of circulation hose so that they went all the way to my hip and didn't roll. She also put in my IV and I seriously felt a small pinch - not a lot of pain. After I was all prepped, they allowed C to come back. He came back carrying one of those coasters that restaurants use to let you know your table is ready. Here, it lets you know when you can come back to see the patient after surgery. So, I felt like a table for one! C's mom had come to sit with him during the surgery. C went and got her so that she could sit with me for a few minutes. It was so nice to have someone there for C. One things I did not have to worry about! My doc came out to see if I had any last minute questions. I was ready to go but they were finishing up the gal who had gone before me. Oddly enough, her name is Sarah too! The anesthesiologist came over to talk with me about what meds he was going to give me. We were all waiting for the green light to go into surgery. I honestly do not remember going to the surgery room but I do remember being in there for a few seconds and then the next thing I knew, I was waking up in recovery. It was really foggy waking up but I did notice the clock. I went into surgery at 9 and I was waking up in recovery at 10:30!! WOW! I felt really nauseous so they put a patch on me and I felt better after a few minutes. They then made me get up and walk to the X-ray room. I had to drink barium and they watched on the screen to make sure that the new stomach opening was large enough to let liquids in. It was pretty cool to watch! Granted, I was still pretty drugged but I do remember that. They let c come back a few minutes after I got back in bed. They had given me morphine and I had to wait 30 minutes before I could go home. I pretty much slept. Nurses came and talked with C about what I needed to do to recover. One thing they made me do was inhale in this breathing thing. I have to breathe in and make this little ball hit the top of the container and hold it there for a count of three. No problem for me. The nurse said that the other gal had a hard time with this one. I guess she didn't want to go home as badly I as I wanted to!! They wheeled me out to the car and I don't remember much of the drive home. My mom was over watching K along with my nephews. When I walked in the boys looked really worried. I hadn't told them about the surgery. The youngest asked if I was pregnant. I laughed and said, "Cam, I know you want more cousins but it's just not going to happen right now." I went back to me bed and fell asleep. It was the second best part of my day. The first was the awesome hug K ran over and gave me when we got home.
Currently, my diet is liquids. I have been drinking two protein shakes a day. I also drink water, tea, chicken broth, and Gatorade. I am so excited about Sunday since that is the day that I can start eating mushy foods. C is going to make a roast and we're going to put in a lot of veggies. C makes a great roast and the veggies are so moist! I'm figuring just eating the veggies will be my first challenge. But I am so excited to try them! Yum!

Happy to be Home

2009-03-17T16:06:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that I got home around lunchtime. Doing really well. Not a lot of pain but more discomfort. It feels like I am cramping on my left side. So, I'm enjoying my room temp water and Gatorade and watching K run around. Thanks so much for the prayers. I felt very much at peace and am so thankful for that. I will type more tomorrow. Gotta get some sleep!

So, how did you spend your St. Patty's Day?

2009-03-16T21:16:00.002-05:00

I hope you are all having a great St. Patty's Day. I am actually having a life-changing one. Today, at 8:30 A.M., I will be having lap band surgery. I started this whole journey in August 2008. In order for my insurance to cover the cost, I had to do a lot of things, including meeting with a nutritionist for 6 months. I had my last nutritionist visit in January and was approved a few weeks later.
Most of you know that have I struggled with my weight for years. Honestly, it has been since the 4th grade. Coming to the decision to have this surgery took lot of talking with C and research. I decided on this surgery since it was less invasive and safer for pregnancy. The why and how I became overweight really aren't important. I have been able to lose weight but it is the keeping it off that is a big problem. I feel like this surgery will not only help me lose the weight and keep it off but it will drastically improve my quality of life. This is something I am doing for myself but also for my family.
Feel free to ask me questions. I'm not going to hide the fact that I had surgery. Personally, I see no reason to. It will be pretty obvious that something is going on. I have kept this pretty quiet since I was waiting for approval and really wanted to wait until I had all my info. So, if you would, please, just say a little prayer for me. I'm not really scared but just ready to get it done and start getting healthy. But I can always use prayers!

Sad, sad day

2009-03-11T20:06:00.002-05:00

I have really enjoyed blogging. The best part: I can blog from school! I hardly get interrupted unless someone has a question on their packet. I usually blog in the mornings since my kids really aren't awake yet. But today, that all changed. I click on our blog looking forward to adding in some fun things about K (he has started saying, "Thanks!"). It takes it an unusually long time to load. When it finally does, I almost cry. The school upgraded our already picky firewall to include blogs as blocked sites. Say it isn't so!!! I am really kinda ticked about it since the firewall is a big pain. I mean I understand why it is needed but come on!! SO, my blogging will get a bit of a hit on frequency. Sorry!

What a weekend!!

2009-03-02T08:04:00.002-06:00

I need a vacation from my weekend!! It was busy and filled with family fun. Friday night we went with my parents, nephews, and grandmother to eat dinner at Steak N Shake. It is one of our favorite burger joints. K seemed to like it too, especially the shake part!! Afterwards, my parents and nephews came over for a Tut-orial. We were going to see the King Tut exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art. You may not be aware but I am a complete nut about ancient Egypt and King Tut in particular. I got out some of my Tut books and told them some facts about Tut and the discovery of his tomb. It was so nice to be my inner geek!! We went to the exhibit early Saturday morning. It was FREEZING in downtown Dallas!! The wind was really. It took forever to get the money machine to take our bills for the parking lot we found. We hurried to get inside. Here's a tip for those of you who might be making your way down to the exhibit: Get your tickets on-line and get the earliest time slot. The later you go, the longer the line. We were able to walk right into the first room with no wait. By the time we left, there was line waiting outside the first room and into a tent outside!! C and I had seen the exhibit before. He took my to Chicago one summer and we went to the Field Museum to see this same exhibit. We really wanted to take K so that he can get used to being in a museum. Unfortunately, he got a little scared since some of the rooms were darkly lit. He is not afraid of the dark but we think the objects glowing from the light kinda scared him. Also, he couldn't see all of us so that kinda scared him too. C took him to the last room to wait for us. That worked good since it was a large room without exhibits. Plus, people hadn't made their way their yet so he could be loud without interfering with someone's museum experience. I walked with my Dad and pointed things out to him. About halfway through, C came and took over while I went and waited with my mom and nephews in the gift shop. K had a great time looking at all the goodies!! When we saw it in Chicago, we got our names printed out in hieroglyphics. We went and made K a print out too. He had fun trying on the Pharaoh hats - so funny!!
After we got done with gift shop, we set out to leave the museum. On the way out, there was a really cool exhibit. I have no idea what the point was. It was very out of the box art. On piece was a large circular fan that was suspended from the ceiling by a bungee cord. The fan was on and was just moving all around the room. The boys thought it was so cool. We then went through this tunnel. The sides of the tunnel were paneled with iridescent sheets and there such a beautiful purple and royal blue color. As you progressed down the tunnel, things began to change color. The tunnel ended in a room that was lit with yellow-orange lights. It made everything look black and white! The boys were thoroughly impressed!! K kept running out of the room and back through the tunnel!!
For lunch, we headed over to Knox-Henderson. There was a hot dog place we have always wanted to try and knew it was just THE place to take our family. It was a hit! One nephew ate two hot dogs!! It is called "Wild About Harry's" What we really liked was that the kid's meal came with a dog, drink, chips or fries, AND a kid's cup of custard with sprinkles!! K was in heaven!! We also tried their custard and it was so yummy!! I got chocolate-peppermint shake - oh so good!! They also have Thin Mint Blast custard and it was fantastic!! After our meal, we walked down to Froggies. It is a great toy store and everyone had fun playing with the toys. We had been in earlier that week and saw some big, plastic, magnetic letters. After getting home and talking, we decided that K needed those for the easel he got for Christmas. It came with these little foam letters that are way too small. After Froggies, we walked over to PBK to get K a toddler pillow. They had them for only $10!! But they did not have any pillow cases for that size. The gal suggested that I just go get a standard pillow case and cut it in half and sew the edges. It has been a long time since I sewed but I have been feeling the need to be creative so I asked my mom if I could borrow her sewing machine. Luckily, it was easy to get to in their garage! After PBK, we headed home. K slept in the car on the way home and for a bit after we got home. After nap, it was time for the boys to get their haircuts. It seems like every haircut ages K. When then headed out to Cedar Hill to pick up dinner for the family and go by Jo Ann's to get fabric. I was able to find some fabric on sale to practice with and some with baseballs on it to go with his new room. We are moving him into the other bedroom and decorating his room with a baseball theme. We stopped by Papa Murhpy's for pizza and then (finally) headed home. The family came over for dinner and games. We taught the boys a new card game that we learned from Kristen and Chris called Up and Down the River. At first, the boys were not into it but by the end of the game, they were hooked!!
Sunday was church. Since we are not teaching our Sunday School class, we decided to go to the Gracepoint service. We really enjoyed it since they play modern Christian music and we know the words!! It was also fun to sit with our friends and, of course, to let Luke "get" C's hand!! church, we headed out to Target and Home Depot and then out to my BIL's house in Midlothian for a birthday lunch for my nephew. We really like sharing birthdays at someone's house rather than at a restaurant. The kids can run around and be loud and it's OK!! It is so fun to watch K with his older nephews. He seems to have no idea that he is younger than they are!! Afterwards, we headed home. K slept in the car but would not sleep more when we got home. My mom and nephews came over. The boys wanted to play the card game and Momma came to help me sew the pillowcases. After much trial and error, my stitches looked like actual sewing!! I got one case made - yippee!! Since it came to be that the boys were going to be staying at my parent's that night, we decided to keep on playing cards and would eat dinner together. I tried the Bacon Cheeseburger roll-up and it was a hit! Dad came over after work. He brought some potato salad from Red, Hot, and Blue. It is the best!! We then played cards and had a lot of fun. I think my sides are sore today from all the laughing we did!!
So, as you can tell, it was a super busy weekend but filled with lots of memories. When's naptime for me??

Menu Monday

2009-03-02T07:50:00.005-06:00

Forgot to do this last week but I promise we ate!

Sunday: Bacon Cheeseburger Roll-up **New recipe** Click here for link

Monday: I have a Children's committee meeting at my house. We are all bringing something to eat. Who knows what's for dinner!! I'm making King Ranch Casserole

Tuesday: Chicken and Potato Casserole

Wed: Martha's BBQ pork samiches

Thursday: Taco Soup

Friday: Pasta

Saturday: Tilapia

Verdict on Bacon Cheeseburger Roll-up: YUM!! Super cheesy and very filling. Served it with mixed veggies and some potato salad from Red, Hot, and Blue. Was able to feed 7 with a slice leftover. Next time, I'll probably add a can of green chilies for some spice. I used ground turkey and no one could tell the difference.

A fun visit

2009-02-27T10:22:00.002-06:00

Last night we have the extreme pleasure of meeting a good friend for dinner. We have known Kendall since college. She and her family recently moved from Canada to San Antonio. It is such a joy to have them back in state (even though we didn't get to come visit!) She was in town for a business meeting and we met up for dinner at Cafe Express. This was the first time Kendall got to meet K!! Granted, he is acting like a two year old but he immediately said her name (Kennal)! We had a good time catching up on things and comparing parenting stories. We have GOT to make it down to SA to visit them. After dinner, we went to get gelato (yum) next door. This is where something has never happened...happened. K wanted to walk so he was just kinda walking around and then he noticed the gelato. He turned to Kendall and raised his hands so she would pick him up!! That is amazing! K never does that to new people. Must be that special K bond or something...who knows but I think it made Kendall's day!! Well, that and getting home to her guys!

Lent

2009-02-26T08:55:00.002-06:00

Last night was our church's Ash Wednesday service. It is one of our favorite services. We usually have a Mardi Gras themed dinner and a jazz service. This year was bit different. The meal was fabulous!! Jambalaya, Dirty rice, Red beans, and bread pudding!!! So yummy!! K really enjoyed the Jambalya!! We had a wonderful dinner surrounded by our family. C's mom was able to join us and that made the meal even more perfect. It is always a joy to see K having a good time with his grandparents. C and I both have had close relationships with our grandparents and we pray that K has a very close relationship with his.
Due to a tighter budget, we did not have the jazz band that we usually have. Instead, we had a drama skit about sacrifices. Guess who was in it!! Me and C!! It was C's acting debut and he did fabulous!! He ad-libbed a few lines perfectly. I was impressed with my man!! The most touching part of the service is when the pastors put the ash crosses on our foreheads. We have made it a point to have K with us during certain traditions in church. When we have Communion, C goes and gets him so that K can take Communion. It warms my spirit to see K picking up on how we do certain things. He is still working on holding out his hands to receive bread but he really like the juice!! We took him forward with us to receive ashes. After we got our ashes, we go and paint a cross for each of us on banners. What is really cool is that previously in the service, we wrote on a card what we were giving up for Lent. The ushers collected the papers and took them outside and burned them into ashes. These ashes are then mixed in with the black paint we use to make our crosses on the banners. These banners will hang in the Sanctuary for the Lenten season. It is a joy to look up every Sunday and see the three crosses that represent our family!
So, what did I give up for Lent? I gave up the word "No". I seriously feel like that word is overused in my daily vocabulary. Plus, it seems to be K's favorite word. I am consciously aware of how much he learns from us, whether we want him to or not!! So far, it has been hard. I am having to make a conscious effort to think before I speak (hard for me to do!) I feel like this is something that I will not be able to do on my own, like give up chocolate or something. It is seriously a problem that I will need His help with!! Grant me patience and words of love, Lord!

Big shoes to fill

2009-02-23T19:51:00.004-06:00

Some of my favorite pics of our nieces and nephews have been them trying on C's shoes.

Here's our youngest nephew C trying them out.

We have one somewhere of E wearing C's shoes. It is so precious but I have no idea where it is saved.

Trying On Daddy's Boots

2009-02-23T18:57:00.003-06:00

A new word for the day - PARK!

2009-02-19T18:48:00.003-06:00

C and I have been on a quest to find fun family things that are free to do that will keep us active. We do not want our kids to be inside kids. I personally feel closer to God when I am outside. While I don't enjoy getting up so early in the morning, I do get to see all of the beautiful sunrises that make me feel the wonder of God's creation. I really wanted to go out for a walk after dinner but I thought K might get too cold. C suggested that we all go to the park since K would be running around instead of riding in a stroller. Great idea!! And what made it even better was taking Duke with us. We stopped by to see if Pop wanted to go with. He enjoys spending time throwing Duke's toy and watching Duke go get it. We stopped by on our way out but he and GNanny were going out to dinner. We invited them to come along on their way and they took us up on the offer. There are a few things we figured out at the park.
One, K feels like he is too big for the kiddie playground. He spent the majority of the time climbing up the big kid's playset and sliding down the super fast slide. He seriously thinks he is years older than he really is!! His favorite thing to do was to climb up the big green climbing wall that leads up to the walkway that joins all of the slides. He would then run all the way to the end slide. He usually tried to just walk down the slide but we pretty much got him to sit down before heading down the steep part. Except for one time. He realized that while the slide is super fast, it is also super ouchy when you hit your head on it!!
Two, Duke loves it when you throw his green bouncy toy REALLY REALLY far. He starts before you let go and tries to beat it to it's landing spot.
Three, Duke loves climbing up the green climbing wall just as much as K does.
Four, and finally, Duke is my dog. C would throw the toy. Duke would run and get it and bring it to me!! He would also follow me up the green wall and walk around the walkway like he was my bodyguard.
When it started getting dark and Duke laid down on the ground, we decided it was time to go. It is amazing how a simple trip to the park gives so many things. And, hello!!! It's free!!

Last night, we were THOSE people

2009-02-18T07:52:00.002-06:00

Last night, we met Chris's family for a birthday celebration dinner at Patrizio's in the Uptown in Cedar Hill. We found this place a few months ago and really like it. Good Italian for good prices. Plus, kids eat from Sunday-Thursday!! We were almost done with dinner. K had bowtie pasta and really did a good job of eating it up. He decided he wanted a bite of his aunt's pizza. I told him he needed to take a drink of milk so that he could swallow some of the food he had in reserve in his cheeks. He kinda choked on the milk and spit up a bit. Then he started crying probably because he was scared and a bit embarrassed. So C got up to take him to the bathroom to calm down and wash his hands. I set to cleaning up his highchair. Then the family told me that C needed me in the bathroom. I head over that way and that's when I see the reason why. Hansel and Gretel were so lucky that they left a cookie trail. I had a puke trail that went from the hallway to the men's restroom. It led to an even worse sight. C was holding K and they both had puke on them. K got most of it though. We rushed into the men's restroom and were both trying to figure out what to do. I started stripping K and C went and got our waiter. While we are in clean-up mode, our wonderful waiter brought us a trash bag for K's clothes. He also went and got our bill ready and boxed up our food. C gave him our card and everything was taken care of within 5 minutes. The manager also came in to see if we needed anything. He got someone on mopping up the floor while he squirted a bottle with the ever lovely orange stuff. His phone rang while this was all going on. The person must have asked him what he was doing because he said to them, "Actually, I am mopping up vomit." I literally felt myself shrink to about 3 inches tall. I felt so horrible and kept apologizing and thanking everyone. They really were nice about it and never made me feel like they were upset with the situation. I went into the women's restroom to change K into a new diaper. And I found out something I did not like about Patrizio's - NO CHANGING TABLE!! The only place I had to change K was the marble counter. He cried and cried since it was so cold. Fastest diaper change EVER!! We calmly made our way out of the restaurant. We stopped by the family table to tell everyone bye. As we left the table, a man at a nearby table stopped us and asked if K was ok. He said he hopes the little guy gets to feeling better. How sweet!! My son totally grossed you out with his re-enactment of Mt. St. Helens and you hope he feels better. Again, I felt 3 inches tall. And we headed out the door. I had K in my arms and he was only in his diaper. GREAT!! I'm sure we got some wonderfully spiteful looks but we have yet to remember to pack K an extra pair of clothes. And the worst part?? We didn't get any birthday cake!! And it was really good. A gal at our church made it and they are WONDERFUL!! R - just your kind of icing!! She's a stay-at-home mom so I like giving her some business.
On the way home, we were both silently praying that this did not mean that K had the dreaded flu that has been making the rounds. It is just not fun being around a sick kiddo since there's not much you can do to make them feel better.
K has been fine ever since. He woke up and was really hungry - go figure! We're just thinking this was a sign that we really need to get those extra clothes into his bag.
C is going to call Patrizio's and thank the manager and our waiter. He is also going to recommend they install changing tables. When we go back, we will definitely ask for the same waiter!!

Little blessing

2009-02-16T09:21:00.002-06:00

So, C and I are still stuck about why K gets up so early. We are working on a set bedtime routine. We have K help us feed the dogs (It will be his job when he is older.) first and then we brush his teeth. Then it is story time in his bed. Prayers, hugs and kisses and then night-night. We are hoping that the routine will help calm him down so he can get that good sleep.
But I did have a revelation this morning. This year, my district changed out start time from 8:30 to 7:30. That means I have to leave the house around 6:45. Usually, K would sleep until 7 or 7:15 so I never got to see him in the mornings. I hated that!! But, this morning, I realized that with K waking up early, I get to see him in the mornings!! Totally changed my mindset about his early birdness. And this morning was a good one. He slept until 6:45. When it was time for me to go, i got my bye-bye kiss from him and then we went and found C. C picked up K and then leaned over to give me a kiss bye. K started saying, "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" and then he leaned over and gave me another kiss!! What a sweetie!!! Totally made my heart fill up with butterflies. C and I made the decision that we wanted our kids to see us being affectionate to each other. To have K recognize this made it a good parent moment.

Menu Monday

2009-02-16T09:20:00.001-06:00

No new recipes this week since we did not go grocery shopping
Monday: King Ranch Chicken
Tuesday: Dinner out For C's mom's b-day
Wed: Hot dogs at the church
Thurs: BBQ (new place on Main in GP - YUM!!)
Fri: Pasta
Sat: Dinner out (we're planning a "Thank God It is Over" dinner with my co-chair and her hubby!)

What a weekend!!

2009-02-16T08:58:00.004-06:00

Time to be honest: I was DREADING this weekend. I have been working with another gal on a couples retreat at our church for Valentine's weekend. The past week has been rough. Our books weren't going to get delivered on time so we had to hunt around for extra copies. It was crazy!! Now that it has happened, I can honestly say that all of the stressed and fiasco was worth it. We started Friday night with a fun game. We had placed bits of ribbon around the Youth Building at our church. Couples had to go around and find the bits and tie them together. The couple with the longest ribbon won. It was hilarious!! Our minister's wife is very competitive. She about knocked over one lady to get a ribbon!! The material we used for the retreat was "Fireproof Your Marriage" which is based on the new Fireproof movie. It is fantastic material!! There are six sessions and each one is set up the same way. We'd watch a video clip from the movie and discuss. Then we would read parts of scripture and discuss as a group. Then everyone would answer some questions on their own. The last thing was that the couples would go somewhere private and share their answers to the questions. There were some easy answers and there were hard ones. I personally found that this last part was my favorite since it was a chance for Chris and I to talk about us without any interruptions. I realized that we are not active in working on our marriage. We kinda just let things go their usual way and that's not fair to either of us. One of the sessions had the scripture that talked about how God knew me when he was knitting me in the womb. One lady said that it just hit her that as God was knitting her, he was making her for her husband and vice versa. What a thought!! It took my breath away to realize that the same way true for me and C!!
We played games during the breaks and my co-chair did a great job of finding fun games. We did a Valentine's Mad Lib. We played the Not-so-Newlywed Game. Our last game was Family Feud with gals against guys. The guys won but they gave their prize, a chocolate bar, to their wives - smart guys!!
Saturday night was our date night. All of the couples returned to the church for dinner and a movie. We had an unbelievable dinner catered by Mirepoix catering. There wasn't a lot of talking while we were eating since the food was that good!! Each couple had their own little table that we had decorated with confetti and their goody bag. We also asked each couple what their song was and complied all of the songs onto a cd. Each couple also received a cd with their goody bag. After dinner, each couple had couch to cozy up in with their partner. We watched the movie "Fireproof". If you haven't seen it, see it!! It is done by the guys who did "Facing the Giants". This movie was one that gave you such a powerful message without overpowering His word. That's a hard thing to accomplish!!
I feel that this was the best Valentine's ever for C and I. We were able to not worry about how K was doing since we had some great babysitters taking care of him. We were able to talk about some things that we just don't have time to give serious discussion and thought.
Being the GT kid that I am, I was constantly worried if people liked it or not. I mean I want people to feel like it was worth the time and money. After Friday night, I didn't worry about it anymore because I was having a great time! People are going to get out of it what they need to and I can't do a thing about that.
I think another thing I enjoyed is the great mix of couples we had. There were ten couples. Some had been married for under ten years and some were nearing the century mark. One couple was just dating!! Everyone felt comfortable speaking their mind which added to the great discussion. I feel like we were an intimate group since it was so small. I wouldn't have changed that for anything! We only had enough seating and couches for 10 couples!!
I also found a scripture to add to my favs list: John 4:19. So true!!

A-ha!

2009-02-12T07:58:00.002-06:00

So, I think I might have figured out why K is waking up so early. This morning, I was kinda snoozing and heard a loud thud come from his room. We moved him out of his crib a while ago. He's not ready for a big boy bed. We just have a twin mattress on the floor. He can't roll out since we have it shoved into a corner with a safety net railing on one side. So, he rolls into the walls. I'm thinking that when he rolls into the wall that it wakes him up and he decides it is time to get up. Now the hard part is trying to figure out how to prevent him from smacking into the wall. We might try putting his stuffed animals around the edge of the bed and see if that works. Granted, that might not be the problem. Then we'll be back at square one.

Our early bird

2009-02-10T07:52:00.002-06:00

So, the early mornings continue. K has been waking up around 5:30 or 6 in the morning. Not so bad during the week but a killer on the weekends. We are trying to figure out what we can do to get him to sleep longer. We tried putting him to bed later but no luck. We tried giving him some milk before bed (we did brush his teeth afterwards) but no luck. We are starting to feel like we did when he came home from the hospital due to the lack of sleep. We have started going to bed around 9. We are seriously not old enough for that!!! When he wakes up before our alarm clock goes off, we put him back in bed. He will get up again and we will put him back in. This cycle goes on until the alarm goes off and we're getting ready for the day. We are trying to convey to him that he doesn't get up until Mr. Sun is out but it is a total work in progress. I have already told him that when he is a teenager and trying to sleep until noon that I will gladly be running into his room before the sun comes up and wake him up!!

Gotta love the zoo!!

2009-02-09T07:53:00.002-06:00

We had a great time with our company this weekend. While all going to the zoo did not work out, the Teubners were able to go. It was great weather Saturday morning and we got there when it opened. It was such a joy to ask K what animals did he see and he would tell you!! He really liked the meerkats (kept telling the to "Come here!") and, of course, the elephants! I also packed his animal picture book so that we could show him some new animals, like the ostrich and kookaburra bird. The funniest thing happened when we were in the penguin exhibit. This was the first time that it wasn't totally crowded so K was able to get up on the ledge and walk around a bit. There was one penguin swimming. He kept swimming right past K's face. That just made him giggle. He also kept telling the penguin, "Hi!" C stood by him but I took the time to sit back and just enjoy watching my little guy. He is so amazing to us!! We sit back often and ask each other what did we do to deserve him? I don't think we will ever know!
Another funny happened when we were watching the kangaroos. There was a mom there with her two boys, the oldest was around 4 or 5. She pointed out the kangaroos and the oldest by said something to her that we could not hear. She let out a long breath and said, "I don't know who his archenemies are." We died laughing!!

Menu Monday errrrrr Tuesday

2009-02-09T07:45:00.003-06:00

Last week was a busy week and this one should be too! We are looking forward to some vacation time - just don't know when that will happen!!

Monday - Chicken and Potatoes

Tuesday - Taco Soup

Wednesday - Spaghetti @ the church

Thursday - King Ranch Chicken

Friday & Saturday - Out (We are having a couples retreat at the church!!)

Verdict on the Chicken Potato Casserole: YUM!! Think super easy chicken pot pie without the crust!! I had to add some spices to it to give it flavor but it is a recipe that you can really play with and get different tastes.

Menu Monday

2009-02-02T07:43:00.003-06:00

Well, we sorta already fell off the menu wagon since we decided that we were both too tired to cook last night. We had our annual chili cook-off at church which C was in charge of. Needless to say, he was beat!! So, we're doing a few minor adjustments!!

Monday - Indian

Tuesday - Tamales (homemade by the mother of one my students!!)

Wednesday - Tacos @ church

Thursday - Chicken Potato Casserole

Friday - Dinner out

Saturday - Dinner out

As you can see, we have some guests coming in from out of town. A good friend of ours from college and her fiance are coming into town. His daughter lives up here so we're all going to the zoo on Saturday. We are so excited since K is doing such a great job identifying and mimicking the animals. We are then going to have some adult time Sat night and go to a wine and cheese party that a friend is hosting. Don't know if we will make church!!

Got a new recipe to try this week. C did some searching on-line and found some new things to try. Our beloved freezer supply is running low so we want to fill it back up. I usually bake like crazy for a week but it is super expensive all at once. We have decided that it might be easier to try a new recipe a week and also make a family fav and freeze it.

Note: I accidentally bought cream of mushroom soup. Also, I decided to use crunched up goldfish instead of chips. We have goldfish on hand!!
Ingredients:
10 oz. can condensed reduced fat and sodium cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1-1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
3-1/2 cups frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1-1/2 cups frozen peppers and onions, thawed
1-1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1-1/2 cups crushed potato chips
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine soup, sour cream, milk, chicken and 1-1/4 cups cheese. Spread three-quarters of this mixture in a greased 2-quart baking dish.
Sprinkle hash browns and peppers and onions over the top of the casserole and press down lightly, then top vegetables with remaining soup mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and potato chips.
Bake casserole, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving. 8 servings
To freeze, assemble casserole as directed, except do not thaw potatoes, peppers, or onions and do not sprinkle with potato chips. Wrap casserole in freezer wrap or heavy duty foil and freeze. Reserve potato chips in pantry. To thaw and bake, let thaw overnight in refrigerator. Uncover and bake at 350 degrees F for 60-70 minutes until bubbly. Then top with crushed potato chips and bake 5-10 minutes longer.

Ice day

2009-01-29T08:27:00.002-06:00

Well, since we didn't have school yesterday. I got to spend the day with K. I was not a happy camper about having an ice day. We have plans to go camping with our friends the Lowries Easter weekend. This has become sort of a tradition for us. It goes back before kids and Laner joined out happy band. We go camp out at Inks Lake State Park that weekend. The town close by, Burnet, has their annual Bluebonnet festival that weekend. It is so much fun!! They have all sorts of stuff set up around the town square and even a parade. Maybe this year we can make it to the air show!. Last time we went, Laner and I were both prego. This will be an adventure since it will be K's first time camping and the first time we have all the kiddos together in the wild. If you are a camping person, you have GOT to go to Inks. It is a beautiful park with great wildlife, flowers, and swimming. We usually take our bikes too which would be another adventure for the family! We were planning on leaving Good Friday morning so that we can spend more time with our buds. Now it looks like school will meet that day!! UGH!!! UGH!!! I might just take that day.
K and I did enjoy our day together. We have found that he tends to get bored with his toys within a month. So, I split all of his toys and board books into three sets and rotate them each month. Yesterday, while K was napping, I was able to switch them around. K spent a good amount of time just looking through books and seeing what was new. He also gets really excited when he finds something that he remembers enjoying. I also took some funny videos of him just being funny. I wanted to make sure to get all of his animal sounds recorded. I also got him saying a prayer!! We're working on him saying, "Thank you, God. Amen." So far, you can only really make out the Thank You and Amen.

Verdict on BBQ chicken pockets

2009-01-26T07:37:00.002-06:00

They were a hit!! I still used the cream cheese since it holds everything together wonderfully. I added about 2 cups of bbq sauce, 1 cup cheddar cheese, and half a chopped red onion. Next time, I'm going to also add cilantro for just a little pizazz.

New phrase for the weekend

2009-01-25T16:46:00.001-06:00

As each day starts, I always wonder what K will say today. This weekend did not disappoint. We were heading out the door to go to Target to get meds, I told K to tell Daddy to come on. He turned and stuck his hand out and started beckoning C. He said, "Um on, Daddy! Um on!" We were both floored and impressed with our little boy. He, of course, had to show off his cool new phrase for Nanny, Pop, and Grandnanny.
He also was able to wish Grandnanny happy birthday. He will also wish you a happy New Year and a happy dinner.

Menu Monday

2009-01-25T16:27:00.003-06:00

Here's hoping we feel well enough to enjoy it!

Sunday: BBQ chicken pockets (Using the recipe from R but with bbq sauce, cheddar cheese and onions. Will let you know how the experiment goes!)

Monday: Spaghetti & Meatballs

Tuesday: London Broil (HEB)

Wednesday: Potatoes and Chicken (still trying to finish up K's chicken from his birthday party!)Thursday: French Bread Pizza (We kinda cheated and had that for lunch Saturday. It was FABULOUS! And R, you were not kidding about how super easy it is! We are going to buy extra loaves of french bread and freezes them just to have it on hand.)

Friday: Indian (leftover from a Christmas party)

Saturday: Tamales

Here's a fantastic recipe that we had for Sunday lunch. I texted my parents since they went to church and we didn't (darn this yucky congestion!). I got this from my co-worker Lori. She brought some for lunch on Friday and we made her called the MIL Momma Jean for the recipe. Momma Jean lives with Lori and does the cooking. This was perfect and so tasty!!

Santa Fe Soup

1 1/2 lbs ground beef (I used ground turkey)

1 chopped onion (I used red onion)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can rotel

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 can corn or hominy, drained (I used corn)

1 lb mild Mexican Velveeta cheese , cut up

1 bag tortilla chips

**I also added a can of green chilies for a little extra umph!

Brown hamburger meat with onions. Drain. (I browned the turkey and then added some taco seasoning and then onions. I let those all cook together. Turkey just doesn't have enough flavor for me so I had to add some.) In a soup pot, add canned ingredients. Add turkey and onions. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add Velveeta to the soup. Let cheese melt. Add however much water to the soup to make it thinner. We like our soup thick so I didn't add much water. Serve with chips (great for crumbling up into soup!) This was a total hit for our family and would be souper easy to make and freeze. Enjoy!

Making memories

2009-01-25T15:55:00.007-06:00

Well, I woke up Saturday morning totally pissed. There really is no other word to describe it. C has been sick since the later part of the week. He thought it was allergies due to everyone in the office having the congestion and such from construction going on in the facility. Not the case!! Allergies are not contagious!! I started feeling yucky sometime during the night. My chest felt horribly heavy and there was a tickle in the back of my throat. Plus when C is sick, he snores most horrid. Between him and my aged schnauzer Neil, I could not sleep. I got up and went into the living room to sleep. C woke up and felt really bad for me sleeping in the living room and told me to go to bed and he'd sleep on the couch. I was at the point of almost falling back asleep, and decided that if I moved too much, I'd wake up. So, he took K into our bedroom and let me sleep a little longer. That made me feel a bit better but I knew it was time to get up. K is a good mix of both of us. He gets up in a fantastic mood like me but doesn't like lounging in bed, just like C. Since none of us were in any condition to go anywhere, we decided to just have a fun day in. K wanted to go play on his new playset, but, as I explained to him, Mr. Sun was not out so neither were we. How do you keep a 1 1/2 year old occupied? Finger paints and playdough! C dragged K's kiddie table into the living room. We had a blast showing K how to finger paint. I was surprised that K enjoyed it as much as we did since he kinda doesn't like getting too dirty. But, we spent a good time just painting. Then, as it tends to be with us, we got a little crazy with the finger paints and ended up painting each other!! K was so funny about the whole thing. He reveled in the silliness of the moment. He even stuck his paintbrush with paint on it up my nose (I will SERIOUSLY be blowing red fingerpaint for a few days!!)

We told K to smile for the camera. What a cheese!!

Family portrait as painted by the Teubners

We got a bit cleaned up and got out the playdough. We would roll it into balls and K would squish them. The big fun came when he would put balls into the container and put the lid on it. He would then shake it furiously and have the biggest grin on his face. He would then pry the lid off so that the playdough balls would go flying and just scream with delight. We learned two things that morning. One, you can have a great Saturday making memories without spending tons of bucks. Two, Neil like playdough.

Saturday night was spent at C's Dad's house in Corinth. The cooked Asian (AKA ordered Pei Wei). We then played a game of Cranium. C and I were a team. His parents were a second team. His brother and grandfather were the third team. It was a total blast. C's Grandfather, Pawpaw, is wheelchair bound due to a degenerative spine disease. He was like a kid in a candy store, just drinking in the joy and laughter. There is one part of the game where you have to pose your partner into a pose to try to get them to guess the thing on the card. C's dad was like, "Ok, J, you get to pose Pawpaw!" We all laughed at that. In the end, C was the poser for that team. (What a poser!) Pawpaw really enjoyed the trivia questions. He'd even guess at other people's questions. He would say, "Is it ok if I guess it in my head? That way if I am wrong, no one will know!" After the question, I would asked, "Were you right, Pawpaw?" "Sure was!" Just a great evening to top off such a fantastic morning!

New words for the week

2009-01-23T07:44:00.002-06:00

Yesterday morning, I was getting ready and our little early bird was just running around the bedroom. I was putting on my necklace and K stopped and watched me. He got a smile on his face and then took off (K no longer walks ANYWHERE!) for some other place in the house . He comes back a few minutes later with the bathtub plug from the guest bath. He take the chain that it is attached to and puts it around his neck. He looks up at me with a smile and says, clear as day, "Necklace."
Wednesday we were getting in the car to go to church. My backseat is full of tupperware stuff that has yet to be delivered and it is all over the place! K looks at the stuff and then, gesturing with his hands over it all, he turns to me with a serious look on his face and says, "Mess, Momma. Mess." His tone was like he was telling me that this mess next to him is not going to work.
Yesterday afternoon, he kept pointing to his big vinyl shapes and saying, "This." I asked him, "What about this?" He would respond, "Ummmmmm....This." It went on for a good while.
Last night, he was full of energy when it was bedtime. We called my parents to come over and they said they would after dinner. So, we had a good chunk of time to wear him out. He would run into the kitchen and I would find a place to hide in the living room. He would run back into the room and ask C, "Where's Momma?" He would proceed to look for me. When he'd find me, he'd shout, "Hiding!" Also, I would sit in the big chair and he would run by me. I would reach out and tickle him on his way by. He would just belly laugh. The cutest was that the closer he got to me, he'd know what was coming and giggle even more.
What a true blessing this child is to us. We worked hard for him and he was worth every bit of it. Thank you God for K. Our lives are truly enriched by him.

Updated on weekley menu

2009-01-22T11:12:00.002-06:00

So far, this has been a good menu week. We had a minor change for Monday night. My mom asked if we wanted to join her, Daddy, and G-Nanny at Nina's for dinner. I'm not one to turn down free Mexican food so we were there!! K did a great job of eating. He really likes cheese enchiladas - YEAH!! So, we moved everything back a day except dinner on Wed since it was at church. We are saving the french bread pizza for next week - YEAH!! And I pretty much have everything planned for next week so here's hoping it all gets eaten! I am getting kinda low on frozen meals so it looks like I will have to start a cooking frenzy sometime soon to keep our easy dinners going. If I come across any yummy recipes, I'll be sure to post them.

Just sitting back

2009-01-20T07:17:00.000-06:00

I had such an incredible day with K yesterday. We didn't go anywhere, barely got out of our jammies but we had a blast!! I truly enjoyed every minute of it. I realized the hardest thing for me right now as a parent is sitting back and letting him just be. I try not to be a hovering parent but it is hard after 1 1/2 years of being his arms and legs. I'm just not having an easy time accepting this new role as guide and observer. I was struck by this thought as I sat at the computer. It was completely quiet (a little too quiet!) I turned around and K was happily sitting by his bookshelf surrounded by books and "reading" them. This is what I had been picturing in my mind for so many years. C and I adore reading and are trying out hardest to pass that love onto our children. But, as I see the love of reading taking hold, I realize that this is a moment where I am not needed - UGH!!! Yes, he will bring us books and ask us to read them but at this moment, he was just taking it all in by himself. I had to stop myself from getting up and going over to read them to him. I had to make myself turn back around and let him have some K time. I am a firm believer that everyone needs time to themselves. I guess it is time that I get it through my mommy brain that K deserves some of his own time!!

Melting my Daddy's heart

2009-01-19T10:06:00.002-06:00

While we were cleaning on Sunday, K was running all around. He ran over to C and stopped short and said, "Daddy. Daddy. I love you." C nearly dropped!! How sweet!!

Menu Monday

2009-01-19T09:37:00.006-06:00

**Blogger's Note: Last week was not a great menu week. Though it did make planning for this week even easier!!

Monday: Bubble-up Pizza
Tuesday:Brisket & Mac N Cheese
Wed: Beef Stew @ the church
Thurs: French Bread Pizza (Thanks R!! C is so excited to try this!)
Fri: Dinner at Momma's for G-Nanny's b-day
Sat: Dinner at C's Dad's house. We're going up there for game night.

On a side note, since we did not have school today, I decided to make breakfast for K and I. I decided on blueberry muffins since we had just about everything save baking powder (so inspired by R's cabinet cleaning out!) I called Momma and she had Daddy bring some down. They turned out wonderful!! The crumbled topping is like bits of sugar cookies. I had some batter left over so I put that into a mini muffin pan for K. He ate 3!!! R- M would be able to mix the topping since it has no hot ingredients.

Here ya go!!

Day-off Blueberry Muffins
1/4 cup butter or margarine softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg beaten
2 1/3 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup cold butter or margarine (NOTE: I softened it in the micro first just to make stirring easier.)

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg;mix well. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Stir in vanilla. Fold in blueberries. Fill 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Combine topping ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. Bake 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until brown (for my wonky oven, I have to bake for ten and then rotate it around for another 10 minutes and they were perfect. For the mini muffins, I baked for 15 minutes.) If you use frozen (which i did), do not thaw before adding to batter.

Enjoy!

Why I love garage sales

2009-01-19T09:27:00.003-06:00

#1: You get rid of stuff. It is amazing how much stuff we have accumulated in the short 8 years we've been married.
#2: You make money. We're working on our emergency fund and this really helped us jump closer to it.
#3: You meet your neighbors. We live in an established neighborhood and I really don't know a lot of people in our small area. I was able to meet all sorts of neighbors!
#4: You change your thinking. I realized that stuff is just stuff and I am fine without lots of it.
#5: You get disgusted with yourself about your spending. After seeing all that stuff filling up our dining room for the week before the sale, I am truly fine with none of it (save David's chair) coming back into our house. I was seriously grossed out by it all that I had trouble falling asleep!!
#6: You are a blessing to people. There was a lady who we met through craigslist. She is starting a in-home daycare and got tons of stuff. She thanked us profusely and said we were such a blessing. Just made me realize how God uses me in people's lives. =)
#7: You realize that your house isn't as small as you thought it was with all that stuff in it.
#8: You raise eyebrows. We sold a majority of our baby stuff. Our neighbor asked why we were selling all this stuff when we were going to have more kids. We explained that #2 isn't going to be on his/her way for another 2 - 3 years. We decided that in order for him/her to have a better start that we needed to be debt free. Besides, they'll come out with tons of new and improved stuff between now and then!
#9: You get traditional garage sale breakfast: DONUTS!!
#10: You end up saving more money. I have found that as I walk around Target that I see things through different eyes. All I think about is that one day it will all be garage sale fodder!

After everything was gone, we realized how neglectful we have been in our housekeeping duties. Needless to say, Sunday was full of cleaning!! I am so sore!!

On the lookout

2009-01-14T09:09:00.002-06:00

My best friend M called yesterday morning and asked how K was. I told her fine. And she was relieved. Seems that Monday evening, her daughter started coughing and they ended up taking her to the emergency room since she was having trouble breathing. Turns out she has RSV and M wanted me to be on the lookout for symptoms: coughing, runny nose. That made me remember how K had started coughing the night before. So, I called K's daycare and let B know. She called around naptime and said that K had been sleeping for about 30 minutes but woke up coughing and could not get back to sleep. C took off from work and picked him up and made him an appointment. The Dr. said that it was not RSV just a bad cough. He gave us a prescription to use in case the cough worsens. K slept pretty good last night but was up and going at 5:45 A.M.!!!! He truly is a mix of C and I. I wake up happy and cheery but am content to stay in bed and be lazy. With C, once he's up, he's up and will not lay in bed. K wakes up happy as can be but does not like snuggling for a little bit so we can get a few more minutes of sleep!!

100 things

2009-01-12T20:49:00.002-06:00

R had this on her blog and I jumped at the chance to see just what all I have done in my 30+ years. The ones in bold are the things I have done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (does an orchestra count?)
4. Visited Hawaii5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo (long time ago)
11. Bungee jumped (NEVER!!)
12. Visited Paris (And ready to go back again!!! My fav place to visit.)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (I can draw stick people!!)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning (Have not had Long John Silver's in 5 years!!)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (I visited but it was after 9/11 and the observatory was closed)
18. Grown your own vegetables (Starting my garden this spring - look for fresh veggiemails!!)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France (Nothing big. Literally.)
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked (NEVER!!)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (Duh!!)
24. Built a snow fort (Does snowman count??)
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping (teheheheh!!)
27. Run a Marathon (When do I stop laughing about this one??)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (Visited the place where my Dad's grandparents boarded the ship when they immigrated. Also, mom's family had land in what is now Southlake. Does that count?)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (Does igpa atinla count?)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (Not even in Monopoly)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing (On real rocks!)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (A few direct sell things)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (Used to regularly but have low iron so I never could)
65. Gone sky diving (NEVER!!)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (Luckily, it was when I worked in the bank - no charges!!)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (Not yet. R - John take riders???)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car (Was totaled in less than a year!!)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee (Stung by a wasp in my butt-tocks)

Thanks R for the fun!!

Verdict on chicken pockets

2009-01-12T20:46:00.002-06:00

WOW!! How yummy!! M - try these with Jordan. His creativity will jump at the possibilities! K was not a big fan and neither were the boys. They mainly ate the crust. C on the other hand ate up his and the other half of K's!! I added chopped red onions plus I steamed and chopped broccoli (K's a broccoli fan but not an onion fan). C suggested we try Mexican packets with taco meat, beans, and cheese!! Can't wait to try that! YUMMMMMMMM!!!

Menu Planner Monday

2009-01-12T08:11:00.002-06:00

Kinda had to tweak it due to some last minute plans but here it is:
Monday: Chicken Pockets. Got this recipe from R and am so pumped to try it out!! We will have C's brother's boys tonight for dinner (J&S are going to see Carol Burnett). They are kinda picky so we will see what their verdict is.

Tuesday: Tuna Casserole and Buffalo Chicken Lasagna. The tuna is for me and K. C loves the Buff Chick but I did not like the hot sauce used so he gets to eat it up!!

Wednesday: Church dinner - Lasagna!

Thursday: Mini Meatloaf. Got this from one of my new fav cookbooks. You used turkey and spinach for the main part of the loaf. C doesn't like spinach but you cannot taste it!!! He actually requested these.

Friday: Bubble-up Pizza. This is how to cure that pizza craving without ordering it and it's a whole lot healthier. See recipe at the bottom!!

Saturday: Brisket & Mac N Cheese. The brisket is left form K's birthday party. Really trying to finish that up!!!

Sunday: London Broil from HEB. Again, we miss HEB up here because their predone meats are FABULOUS!

Bubble-up Pizza
2 cans refrigerated biscuits
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
Whatever pizza topping you like (We use ground meat, onions, bell peppers mainly)
However much mozzarella cheese you want
Saute veggies for a a few minutes just to get them warmed up. Add in spaghetti sauce. While that's marinating on the burner, quarter biscuits. Add quartered biscuits into sauce and veggies. Stir until mixed evenly. The better the mix, the more even your topping get distributed during baking. Dump it into a 13x9 and top with however much mozzarella cheese you like. Throw it into the oven at 350 for about 10-15 minutes. We have an ancient oven so it's hit or miss sometimes.

Busy weekend

2009-01-12T08:02:00.003-06:00

I am straggling in late to wok this morning because we had a super busy weekend. Saturday was filled with meetings C had his UMM breakfast and I had a planning retreat at church that lasted until 1:30. It was such a productive meeting!! I am chair of the Children's committee and this was the first meeting with my fellow members. We got all of the dates set for the rest of the year. We also got the ball rolling for starting a family church newsletter with all sorts of goodies that will hopefully bring our families closer together. We also got the ball rolling on starting a MOPS in Grand Prairie. There is not one. The closest is in Arlington. A great gal is getting that going since we feel it is something that our church and community are in need of. This MOPS would be a small group to start and would meet in the evenings. I am truly pumped about getting these things going. I am also pumped that people volunteered to take on this missions!!
Saturday night was absolutely what I needed (and I think C & K did too!!). We went to our good friends house and had a great time just watching K and their daughter play. We were going to do some serious Wii playing but that got sidelined with the kids' antics. It was just a great moment to sit back and observe (and laugh!!)
Yesterday morning, C came to me and stated that we were in trouble. K has a stack of cards that have animals on them. He was looking through them and took out the horse one. He then took the card and placed it on his rocking horse!!! What a smart guy!!!
Today's word is "mallit". He found one of C's old phone covers and brought it to C and said, "Mallit?" C had to explain that, no, it was not his wallet.

Ready for the weekend!!

2009-01-09T10:56:00.002-06:00

I love Fridays!! I can't wait to get to school since that means I am that closer to leaving it for the weekend. The kids always as how I am doing and I tell them (in a completely cheery voice) "It's Friday!! I am fantastic!" We get to wear jeans on Friday (yeah...granted..I wore my jean capris because I want to) so that helps me out tremendously. This will be a busy weekend. Tonight I have a meeting at church. The great thing is that Momma has to be there to so we're going for Mother-daughter dinner - yeah!!! Tomorrow morning, Chris has UMM breakfast meeting and I have a committee planning retreat. I am the chair for the Children's Committee and am so excited!! We have a great gal who is our Children's director and I have some ideas on ways to bring our families out for fun events. Saturday night will be totally fun as we are going over to the Brinkman's for dinner. We found a long lost HS pal this week and he is coming over with his family. I have missed him over the years since he has such a sarcastic sense of humor and gives things an interesting perspective. Sunday will (hopefully) be our day of rest. I doubt it but we'll try for it!

Back to routine

2009-01-08T08:28:00.002-06:00

For some reason, all of the Teubner's are having a hard time getting back into the groove of back to work. Before Christmas, Chris and I were up at 5:30. K slept until 7:20 or so. Now, we wake up at 6 and K wakes up around 6:15!! AARRGGHH!! We just cannot wake up but K can??? Speaking of, he was totally impressing people at church dinner last night with his vocabulary. We had grilled cheese so he got to use "samiches" a lot. This morning, he had a new three word sentence: "I drink mulk". Just never stops amazing us.

It is so hard to blog!! Something will happen and I'm like, "Oh!! I need to put that in the blog!" But when I sit down to write it, I cannot remember what it was!! I need to start writing stuff down.

Yeah for Wednesday!!

2009-01-07T08:35:00.002-06:00

There are quite a few reasons why I look forward to Wednesdays. First, the week is half over. That means it is closer to when I get to see me guys all day!!! Second, dinner at church. Our church's Wednesday night dinners are great since it's only $3 a person. Plus, we get to really visit with people. Sunday's don't give us much visiting time since there is more of a time factor. I really enjoy people seeing K interact with people who I hold very dear to me. C's mom came to a few of the dinners and all she could say was, "There's no doubt that child is loved!" Third, bell practice is after dinner. While I am not blessed with a fantastic voice for singing in public (I totally rock car concerts and shower concerts!), I find that bells are a way for me to rejoice in Christ. Plus, the members of our bell choir are some great people!! And last, but not least, I am one day closer to summer vacation!!

New word of the day - "mamich" As I was making lunch this morning, K came over and point to the sandwiches and said "Mamich". It's not even a word we have been working on!!

PS - R - You will enjoy your son not just because he is a boy but because he will bring a whole new perspective to you.

Wordy Wordy!!

2009-01-06T08:11:00.002-06:00

It seems that in the past two weeks that our little prodigy's vocabulary has EXPLODED!! He is saying so much now and likes using his words. Well, he uses them except when he REALLY wants something then he reverts back to sounds and we have to tell him to use his words. Otherwise, words of all kinds make an appearance. His newest one is "Hiding". He will come up to you and say "Hiding" and then run and hide somewhere, usually the newly discovered guest room closet. The best is when he is using a new word and his face just lights up when he realizes that you understand him. He is so smart!! We are working on three word sentences, such as, "Milk please Mommy." Granted, when he says milk, it sounds like mulch!!

Menu Monday

2009-01-05T09:58:00.002-06:00

I saw this on R's blog and think it is a great idea. It will also keep me on the menu I keep at home which tends to be more flexible than I care for. I used to plan for two weeks but things always seemed to get off that second week so I am down to planning one week. Let's hope this works!!

Monday: Spaghetti and Salad
Tues: Shrimp and beans
Wed: Church dinner
Thurs: Pot Roast (pre-made from HEB - YUM!!!)
Friday: Tuna Casserole; Veggies (This is one of K's favorite!!)
Saturday: Dinner at the Brinkmans
Sunday: Tamales

Please note that the only dinners that are not frozen are Tues and Sat. I used the summer to make extra casseroles and froze them. Has made dinner planning and eating at home so easy!! If I get a chance this week, I'll put the recipe on for tuna casserole as it is pretty healthy and freezes beautifully.

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-05T08:12:00.003-06:00

Well, one of my resolutions is to do a better blog job. I have contemplated stopping the blog but realized that it really helps my during the summer when I scrapbook.
Our New Year's was spent with our good friends in Houston and their three. We headed down on Monday and took the dinner from Don Juan's. When they were up here while escaping Hurricane Ike, we introduced DJ's to them and they really liked it. So, for their Christmas present, we took some down. it is amazing to me the K can eat a whole kiddo burrito!! Such a big boy!! On Tuesday, the three of us headed to Sugarland to see what all was going on there. We lived in Fort Bend County for the majority of our time in Houston and miss it terribly. We drove around to see what all have been built (Which is tons!!) and stopped by the town square. There are tons of shops and a really cool fountain. We got out of the car to go to a toy shop before meeting a friend and her family for lunch. Surprise, surprise!! K had peed out of his diaper - a first!! We had no extra clothes on hand. We hopped back in the truck and headed to the mall that is next to the town square and bought some jeans. We had time to change and head over to Lupe Tortilla's for lunch. We meet Heidi and her family there. C met her at TAMUG and they have remained in touch since then. We went to Heidi and Dan's wedding (on the beach!!) and have watched their family grow to include two beautiful children. Dan has worked in the hotel industry for years and they have lived all over the Caribbean and are water lovers. It was such a good time! The last time we had seen each other was their wedding which was over ten years ago but it felt like we had seen each other a month ago. Their kids were so fun! Their son brought part of his rock collection to show us - very cool! Their daughter wanted to show off her new Sketchers shoes. And they love queso!! So much so that Dan ordered a second bowl of queso. The waiter brought it and it was a small bowl. The kids were like, "Well, that's not going to last." Needless to say, they are kids after my own heart! After lunch, we headed back to the town square and walked around. K loved the fountains and having Ben and Jerry's ice cream! Our next stop was to drive by our old house. We still love that house and miss it. If would, we would have moved it up here with us. We were sad to learn that it had foreclosed but were totally overjoyed when we pulled up in front of a well manicured lawn! And it looks like the Griswolds have moved in. The interesting thing is that we could see the trees that we planted in the backyard. They have grown so much that we could see them over the house! That was totally cool since we did everything to that backyard including putting in sod! We took the long way home so that K could nap.
The next day we decided to give M&A a break and took K and their two oldest to Galveston. What a treat it was to see the three of them in the backseat in their carseats!! It was really cute when the two boys feel asleep and were leaning the same way! We were anxious to get to Galveston to see how things were going after the hurricane. We had seen little signs even on our way to M&A's house (signs down or twisted, etc). As we approached the causeway, things became more drastic. On Tiki Island, there were many houses missing. Once over the causeway, it really hit home. There were boats in odd places, like front yards. There were houses gone. There were lots of stores and businesses closed but more were opened that I had expected. We immediately headed to the Seawall. Upon getting there, things looked pretty normal. We took a left onto the seawall. The most interesting sight was that the fishing pier was completely gone. The sign for it was still there but it wasn't. We turned around and headed back down the seawall towards our lunch spot. We took the kids to Rainforest Cafe. K didn't like all the animals moving AT ALL!! He would cry and grab for C since he was sitting next to K. Ev got scared at first but we explained that they were pretend to help us learn more about the animals without being in danger. The other E didn't care one way or the other. I will say it was interesting at lunch. K ate like a madman but the other two didn't seem to want to eat which meant no dessert =(. We had talked about taking the kids to the beach but it got colder so we just drove around the island afterwards. We went down the seawall and saw all the damage to the Flagship. That's the hotel that sits in the water. The bridge was still pretty much washed out and you could see through part of the first floor. Next to the Flagship was the remains of the the Balinese Room and the other buildings that were in the water. All that was left was part of one building and the support poles. The Balinese's entrance was a there but there was nothing else. Very sad considering the history of the place. If you want more info, just ask! We then headed to the Strand side of the island. That was hard since the majority of businesses were still closed. Some had "We'll be back" signs and quite a few had for lease signs. Someone had put up a tape line that showed were the water level was - SCARY!! And, always showing there is humor in everything, someone had gotten crafty. On most store windows, they list what the shop sells. One shop had "Sunglasses, Beach towels, Shells, Ecoli." We cracked up! We also visited TAMUG and it survived very well. The students should be able to return this month for Spring semester. We then headed mainland to meet some college buds for ice cream. We literally took over the place. I guess with three kids, it happens. We headed back hoping the kid would nap - NO SUCH LUCK!! When we got back, M&A had enjoyed their time and cleaned the house - CRAZY!! A little while later, the Copps joined us. It was their first time to meet their son, Calan. He is such a beautiful baby!! He looks like such a big boy and was making the cutest sounds. He has found his voice and is ready to talk. He just doesn't know what to say!! It was so interesting to sit back and watch us all being parents. We can't wait for next year when the youngest boys are running around with the other kids - so fun!! Plus, it will be at our casa - YEAH!!!

Closure

2008-11-09T22:02:00.002-06:00

Well, today marked a big day for us. We put Mattie to rest today. Granted, she's been resting pretty well since the below post (We know she has prime seatage in doggie heaven!). When Chris talked with the vet about what to do, we also had to decide what to do with her earthly remains. So many choices but only one seemed right. We chose to have her cremated. We're not much into burials since it just takes up space in our shrinking planet (who knew we were hippies!!) So, about a week after, Chris got a call from the vet to let us know that Mattie was ready. Chris went and picked her up after an early morning dentist visit. When I got home, I looked for her box (I chose a lovely little redwood box since she was a redhead). But her box was nowhere to be found. I called Chris and asked where she was. He said that she was with him since he figured I probably wouldn't want to find that greeting me when I got home. I asked if he had brought her into the office and he said that she was out in the truck. I was like, "You left her in the truck??" I mean give the girl some dignity!! When we discussed how to deal with her remains, we both knew instantly that we would have to wait for a Mattie day: Sun shining but a little cool with a few clouds in the sky. This past week has offered some great days but just not ready yet. Today, was a perfect Mattie day. Strangely, the day after she passed was the most gorgeous day ever! It seemed to say to us that she was just fine and happy and that meant so much to us. So, Chris took the box outside and unscrewed the bottom. He had never seen cremated remains before but I was familiar since my beloved Uncle Joey was cremated and his remains spread at my grandparents' lake house. Her ashed with in a plastic bag. Chris undid the twist-tie and I took the bag and spread half of her ashes around the yard, making sure to spread a lot in her favorite sunning spot. Chris took the other half and spread them on the side of the yard where we will be planting a tree in her memory in the spring.
I do have to admit that I teared up. I miss her terribly - especially with her favorite holiday, Halloween, happening. It was hard to see her costumes in the Halloween box. I still feel so guilty about our decision and figure I will for a while. I talked with God about it and have decided to hold onto that guilty for a bit. I have handed her over and she is safe with him but this part of her I want to keep. Sometime, I will be ready but just not yet.

A Hard Decision

2008-10-16T16:06:00.010-05:00

Chris and I had to make a hard decision yesterday. It was one that was a long time in coming but the time to make it had come. And it concerns our beloved dog, Mattie.

Before I get into that, here's a brief history about our favorite redhead. After Chris's graduation from TAMUG, he was in College Station visiting me. We had gone to dinner with some friends and walked down to the pet store that was in the same shopping center. In front of the store was a wire corral and inside were puppies. We checked them out and they were so cute! And only $20!! They were some sort of dachshund mix so they shouldn't get over 20 lbs. Well, Chris noticed one that was kinda in the corner, not wanting any attention. So, of course, that is the one that he picks up and he is immediately in love. This poor little thing just looked at him with sad eyes and Chris could not put her down. So, that night, Mattie joined our family. Chris went back to Houston the next day. Mattie stayed with me since Chris was not in his new apartment yet. She would stay with Neil and I until he got moved in. That evening, I noticed some swelling above her left eye. Kinda strange since she hadn't acted hurt or anything. I took her to Neil's vet for a check up since we got a coupon for a free puppy exam and Dr. Rupley's office accepted the coupon. Dr. Rupley was not happy with the swelling. It was eventually discovered that she has swelling around her eye. We had two choices: operate and try to save the eye or put her down. It was not a decision I could make on my own (especially since I was crying uncontrollably). I called Chris and he drove up that night. We decided to use Chris's graduation money to pay for Mattie's surgery. We just could not imagine putting such a young dog down when there was a chance she could have a good life. The surgery went great but the swelling caused permanent damage to her left eye. She would be blind in that eye for the rest of her life. In the last three years, she would also go through two types of cancers and their operations and the recovery for them.

Partial blindness did not slow her down. She was full of energy as a puppy and quickly discovered her favorite pastime - making it snow. She loved to get stuffed animals and pull all of the white stuffing out and spread it all over the place.

She LOVED dressing up!! Here is her attire for going to Pawpi's pool. When we would take the clothes off, she would nose them and look at us like, But I wasn't done yet!"

She was a fantastic nap dog and did not snore, unlike Neiley. She would curl right up with you and sleep like a rock! Her favorite place to sleep though, was under the bed. Specifically, under the bed UNDER Chris's side of the bed. She would drag her favorite toys that she did not want Neil to have under the bed since he didn't go under there. She was an expert at saying please by lifting her paw. She would lift her paw and cock her head and wait for the treat.

She also had a fabulous habit of burping in your face. She would go eat her dinner and then want love from Chris. She would stand next to him on the bed and he would scratch her chest and she would turn, so lovingly, and burp right in his face.

She would not only bark at cars, motorcycles, and bicyclists (her fav), but she would also bark at the pictures of people on city buses that drove next to us.

This last one leads me into the decision we had to make. Mattie has always been a dominant dog. When we fostered schnauzers, we had to only have males since she would rip into any female. Her aggression was also directed at children and men. She would especially go for the back of men's knee caps. We both had always felt safe with her and know that she would never turn her aggression on us. Keegan, however, was not on that list. Starting when he was about 6 months old , we would put him in his exersaucer. We noticed that Mattie would run over to it while he was in it and growl whenever he started jumping. We knew then that we were going to have a problem. We contacted our vet and began working with her behavior specialist trying to figure out how to handle the aggression without having any major attacks. We tried different sorts of meds to see if that calmed her down but it didn't. We tried different types of joint supplements in case her aggression was due to the pain from arthritis. but, again, no luck. We resorted to putting the dogs behind gates whenever we were in the living room.

That all changed Tuesday afternoon. I pick K up from Miss Becky's and brought him home. He truly loves our animals. He claps his hands and "talks" at them. When we were walking from the front door to the living room, he peeked over the gate to see the dogs and waved at them. Mattie charged towards him and got his fingers. She did not, thankfully, break the skin but did scare the both of us pretty bad. It was at that moment that I realized things had to change. I kept asking my self, "What's it going to take? How hurt is Keegan going to have to get?" And I didn't want to answer it. I called Chris and we knew it was time. He called our wonderful vet and talked things over with her. Our choices were few. We realized that the only responsible thing left for us to do was to put her down. Her aggression would never end. We would always have to be on guard. We would have to severely limit her way of living and that was just not fair. We also knew, from our years in rescuing, that aggressive dogs don't get placed usually. Plus, how responsible would it be for us to put this problem onto another family?

So, this evening, when Chris gets home, we are taking our red head for her last car ride. This is not an easy choice to make but we know it is best for her. Please keep us all in your prayers during these next few days. We aren't happy with what we have to do but, for her sake, we must.

So, here's to you Mattie Lou. May you spend the time between our next meeting sitting on green grass in the sun on a cool, breezy day. We will look for the trail of snow. We love you.

Our Ike-tastic Weekend

2008-09-30T10:37:00.001-05:00

Saturday evening

2008-09-30T09:17:00.003-05:00

Due to evacuations from Hurricane Ike, our great friends the Lowries (Mark, Alayna - aka Laner, Evelyn, and Everett) came up to visit. They had evacuated before the hurricane since they have two little ones and Laner is due with Evan in December. They had been staying at Mark's parents' house outside of Austin and needed a break. We were so excited to see them since we always have such a great time together. They arrived Saturday after lunch. We kinda sat around and chilled since the kids were all napping. When it got to be dinner time, we all headed up to our favorite Mexican dive, Don Juan's Romantic Mexican food. This place has bean (hehe) around for years and is a favorite. We were meeting lots of people there: Joyce, Charlie, David, and Steve Smith; Martha and Jordan Palmer; Momma, Daddy, and Grandnanny. Steve was in town before heading to NYC for the show he is currently working on. Don Juan's is not a huge place so we took up the entire back room. It was a great time. We squeezed into the booths and were all cozy. After the kids finished their food, we went ahead and let them run around since we were the only ones in the back. (NOTE: We never do this but since there was no one else, we figured it wouldn't be bad parent!) Everyone had a great time just watching the kids run around. Evelyn kept running over to my mom, whom she calls Nanny, and giggling. Then she'd run over to Steve and tickle him and then run back to my mom. She really enjoys my parents, especially since they bought a box of strawberries for her!!)

Sunday afternoon

2008-09-30T08:26:00.004-05:00

After teaching Sunday School, I returned home to a house full of people ready to go to the zoo. We got there and got all of kid gear unloaded. We decided to make our way down to the Texas end since it was close to lunchtime and we were getting hungry. When we go to the zoo, we pack a cooler with lunch - saves so much money!! I don't think we have ever purchased any food items at the zoo (souvenirs are a different story!) . Our bunch looked so cool though! Evelyn rode in a stroller. Everett and K sat facing each other in our Radio Flyer wagon. If you haven't seen it, it is decked out!! We have the canopy plus the attachable trailer. There's not a time that we go that people don't ask us where we got it. We realized the first time we went that there wasn't enough room for all of our bags plus K in the wagon. We saw a family that had the trailer and decided we needed one. Luckily, we found one on Craiglist.

The boys really enjoyed being in the wagon. They would sit there and just talk to each other. Laner asked Evelyn what the boys were saying. She replied, "I don't know," with a tone that suggested she was above baby talk. We ate our lunch and then made our way over to the little farm area so that the kids could see the cow, chicken, pig, and goats. Everett loved all the animals, especially the goats. He would just walk up and start petting one.

K on the other hand, showed his fear of farm animals. He just cried whenever Chris would get close to the animal. Such a big boy!! We left the farm experience and went into the reptile building. I stayed outside with the stuff since that building gets crowded. K and Chris came out and we sat on a rock and marveled at our "little" boy as he ran around. Out next stop was in the new penguins exhibit. It is in its own building. They have a glass window from floor to ceiling that goes the entire length of the exhibit. The smart zoo people even built a little ledge that kids can stand on. Since Mark go stuff duty, the rest of us took the kids in. We waited a bit for a space to clear and then set the kids up on the ledge. The penguins were swimming around. Everett got scared whenever one swam towards him. He took a step back and almost fell off the ledge. I caught him but my quick movement scared K so he started crying. After that, the penguins were no fun. We quickly left and took the Lowries to the really cool bird dome. It is filled with parakeets, cockatoos, and cocktails. You pay $1 for a Popsicle stick covered with birdseed. You walk into the dome and wait for a bird to land on your stick. We usually go to the zoo in the mornings so the birds are hungry. They will zoom to your stick. You can even have two at one time on it! By the afternoon, though, they have had their fill and it was tough getting a bird to eat on the stick. We did manage to get some though. I held Everett while Laner stayed outside with the stuff. Everett was so funny! He seriously was like that Looney Tunes character - he wanted to touch them and hold them and squeeze them and called the George!! So cute!! After the cool bird experience, we headed up the mountain to check out the big cats. It was awesome!! Before we even got there, we could hear the lion. He must have been feeling pretty frisky because he was calling out to any available females very loudly!! I personally have never heard a lion at the zoo. This one is usually sleeping whenever we have been there previously (again, get there early, not much action). He would yawn and show his teeth and tongue - HUGE!! The kids were really impressed by his calls. I was happy that K didn't start crying!! Next to the lion is the tiger exhibit. They recently put the new tiger cubs in the exhibit with their momma. I could see the momma up on a ledge sleeping but no babies. It took a while to realize that they were curled up with her!! I got our super cool camera and got a few close up shots of the babies - so cute!!

Next, we headed to the elephants - K's favorite. They were so active!! They were kicking balls around, kicking the barrel around, and swaying. And they were really close to the fence so the kids could see how big they really are.We really learned that the later in the day, the more we see and hear!!

I mean even the hippos were active. They were having a great time playing with the water spray.

We stopped by and saw the giraffes and then headed to our last stop - apes!! They were all pretty active except for the big gorilla in the center. He was sitting up at the top next to a window. We went up to check him out. He looked so sad in his eyes, like he was bored. K started crying when we tried to get him close to see the gorilla so that didn't last long. Needless to say, we had some tired kiddos and parents!! We went home and put the kids down for naps.

Sunday evening

2008-09-23T09:46:00.003-05:00

While at the zoo, we smelled the delicious odor of hamburgers on the grill. It was then and there that we decided to have a cookout for dinner. When we got home, the kids went down for naps. Chris and Mark went to the store to get stuff for dinner. I had invited my parents and grandmother over. I also invited our friends the Priests over. They have season tickets for the seats behind us at the Airhogs. Chris took charge of the grilling and did an excellent job. When we sat down to eat, we said our prayer. We have been holding K's hands or shoulders since he was a baby when it was prayer time. This time, he held our hands the whole time. After was said amen and did our hand squeezing, we let go of his hands. He then grabbed our hands and said "Amen!" It was a total thrill of my soul to see that he understands!! The burgers were great. Though we were reminded that K doesn't like burgers yet. I ended up making him some mac and cheese with veggies. He did eat that but was totally shoving the baked beans into his mouth as fast as he could. There was a whole lot of visiting and laughing and cheering (Cowboy game was on). It really felt good to know that we have people in our lives who enjoy being in our home and sharing a meal together. The best part of the the evening was when Everett and Evelyn started singing "Ring around the Rosie". Everett is hilarious at this. When it comes to "all fall down", he throws himself on the floor and just giggles!! And Chris and I lost it when K joined in. While the Lowrie kids are spinning in circles, our pride and joy stands there and twists his body so that his arms flail around. For "all fall down", he bends over and smacks the floor. The rest of the night, he was running around saying "Ashes, ashes, ashes, ashes." But it didn't come out as ashes. Sounds like he was calling for a donkey!!

Monday afternoon

2008-09-23T08:47:00.002-05:00

Chris and I had talked during the day about going to Don Juan's to eat dinner since Mark and Laner had enjoyed it so much. When I walked into our house this afternoon, the funniest sight greeted me. Laner was sitting in the green chair and Mark was sitting on the couch. Both had the "hand caught in the cookie jar" expression on their faces. Why?? Because they were snacking on Don Juan's!! We were kinda worried they didn't like it but I guess our fears were totally wrong!! Their kiddos were taking naps. They had a good day checking out the state park in Cedar Hill. They really enjoyed the beautiful nature the park offers but the playgrounds (a total must for all parents with little ones) were a complete bust!! Metal slide??? In the sun???? Crazy!! When Evelyn woke up, she went with me to go get K from Miss Becky's. She enjoyed seeing all the kids. Though she was a bit flabbergasted that it seemed like we walk everywhere! After Everett woke up, we watched the kids play for a while. We then went to Mike Lewis park which is close to our house. I made sure to grab the leftover hot dog buns we had since there are ducks at this park. We got there and unloaded the kiddos. This is a new playground and the equipment is not your typical equipment. There really aren't separate playgrounds for toddlers and older children. It is mostly for older children with lots of climbing things. Evelyn hopped up on the big wheel. You are supposed to ride it laying down and holding on for dear life. She wanted to ride it sitting up. So, I gave her a spin and she fell off. No cries though!! From then on, she laid down on it. They did have this little red cup that spins. I put K in it and spun him slowly. He wasn't too happy about it. He enjoyed walking on the stuff they put for ground cover. It is shredded tires and quite bouncing! We then ventured to the other side of the pond and waited for the ducks to come over to us. I will say that this moment was the highlight of my day. Each child truly showed their unique personalities. K was walking around saying "Mack! Makck! Mack!" - his immitation of a duck. Then he would go "Meow!"Meow!" Evelyn kept handing the bread to the ducks saying, "This if for you, your majesty." We tried to tell her that she needed to throw the bread but she didn't. Then one of the ducks got her fingers when he or she was trying to get the bread. She started throwing after that. Everett, was sitting there eating his bread. He would pretend to give it to the ducks but would quickly put it in his mouth. K also showed that he still cannot throw. He kept "throwing" the bread but it landed right by my feet. I was afraid that the ducks would mistake my white little piggies for pieces of bread! While feeding the ducks, Chris came to the park on his way home. He just laughed at our little boy quacking and meowing at the ducks. After the ducks, we went back to the playground for a few more minutes of fun. Mark put Everett in the little red cup. He really liked it. So much so that when Mark took him out, he cried. So, Mark put him back in and spun him some more. After a few minutes, it was time to go. Mark got him out of the red cup and walked over to the big wheel to give Evelyn a few more spins on the big wheel. While we were standing there watching the fun, Everett's tummy realized that it didn't like the spinning and he threw up a bit. But it didn't phase him at all!! He was ready for more fun. Before we got to go have more fun, we would have to stop by the house and change Everett's shirt.

Monday Night Dinner

2008-09-23T08:27:00.002-05:00

After some suggestions, it was decided that we would eat at the Oasis on Joe Pool Lake. Since the Lowrie's had explored that state park side of the lake, we thought they would enjoy seeing the other side that is managed by the city. The Oasis is a nice place since it is on the water. We decided to sit outside since it was a nice night. We got a table away from the smokers. the table looked so dirty that I had to pull out my trusty anti-bacterial wipes. Both Laner and I used a wipe but we were astonished to find that the table wasn't dirty at all!! The dark spots looked more like cigarette burns than anything. We ordered our food and just enjoyed talking to each other. Mark stated that this would be a pretty romantic place....if we didn't have the kiddos with us. And it really was with the sun setting, the splashing of the waves, and the cool breeze. Granted, you had to ignore the slightly fishy smell!! We really had a great time just sitting there talking and watching the kids. K kept looking over all the glasses to make sure that Everrett was still there. At the end of the meal, I put a napkin over K's head and asked "Where's Keegan?" He pulled it off and all the kids just laughed and laughed. So we had to go around the table letting each child "hide". So much fun!
I really did enjoy yesterday afternoon. It made me realize that we really are depriving ourselves of some great fun when we just sit inside during the evenings. I had a total paradigm shift about this. I always felt like the evening was half over when I got home from work. This day made me realize that there are so many things that I can go do with K outside. Looking forward to our next grand adventure - Wednesday afternoon at the library!!

Why we are nominated for Parent's of the Year

2008-09-18T07:58:00.002-05:00

Whenever I think I've got things under control, God reminds me that he is in charge. Last night, he did just that. And at church of all places!! We have a very full Wednesday night. Our church provides dinner on Wednesday nights for the low price of $3 a person - SWEET!! And it was spaghetti night - a Teubner family fav! I mean who needs desserts when there is garlic bread!!! Anyways, K tore into his spag and made a fantastic mess of it. It was time to clean him up so I open his diaper bag and come to the strange realization that THERE ARE NO WIPES!!! WHAT??#?$?#!?!?#!? But I put a bib and cup in there and didn't even notice!!! And of all meals not to have wipes! So Chris goes and gets wet towels (lovely, industrial strength ones that absorb no water and are horribly coarse). We get him "cleaned" up and Chris takes him to the class where he is setting up for the FPU class he teaches. I use the time to clean the high chair we used. Totally grossed me out but it will be the one that we use from now on since I KNOW it is clean. Ok, got that done and collect K to take upstairs. As I pick him up, an order hits me and it is not pleasant. Great!! I hated it when parents would drop off kids with dirty diapers when I worked in the nursery. And then I am floored with another realization. Not only do we not have wipes, we also have no diapers!! Great!!! Luckily, the gals in the nursery have a sense of humor and laugh off my lame apologizes for the situation. YEAH! After bell practice, I go to pick him up from the nursery. They are not smiling. The first words out of their mouths were "He had two poopy diapers." Great!! Thank you!! No, no autographs, please.

Why Rhonda rocks

2008-09-09T13:47:00.002-05:00

I have this good friend that I truly have known for a long time (And I've know her hubby FOREVER). Her name is Rhonda and I am so blessed to have her in my life. Not only is she doing what I would L-O-V-E to do (homemaking diva), she is active in her faith, community, and life PERIOD! She and her hubby are raising two beautiful girls. She has a fantastic laugh that she's not afraid to use. And she inspires me to write my blog even though she's the only person who does. I love that she shares freely things that she cooks for her family. She mentioned tilapia fillets at Costco and we picked some up. I am always looking for great ways to get more fish into our menus. Boy was she right on target with those. We all enjoyed them - even K! He ate a few bites and started going "Mmmmmm". He ate all but a few bites of a whole fillet. We were impressed!
So, in the spirit of sharing, here is one of our recent (and easy) recipes: Bubble Up Pizza

1 can spaghetti sauce (any flavor but not plain)
1 can refrigerated biscuits
toppings you like on your pizza (onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, etc)
mozzarella (2 cups)

NOTE: I like hamburger on my pizza so I brown a lb of ground meat (can be beef or turkey). Preheat oven to 350. Mix in other toppings in and get them warmed up. Add in can of spaghetti sauce. Quarter the biscuits and mix in with sauce and toppings. Mix in 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Put in a 13x9. baked for 25-30 min or until biscuits are golden. Put the other cup of mozzarella and baked for 5 more minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Our adventurous boy

2008-09-09T09:28:00.002-05:00

Well, Sunday was not a good day for Keegan. His absolutely loves climbing. He'll climb up anything - coffee table, kitchen chairs, the bricks in front of our fireplace, ANYTHING!! This weekend though was a rough one for our fearless wonder. On Sunday, he was playing in the kitchen and ran into the kitchen table and got a nice shiner under his left eye. Of course, this was BEFORE we went to church so he looked so beat!!
He also has about 6 mosquito bites on his face so he looks like he also is recovering from chicken pox.
The scariest thing, though, happened Sunday evening when we were preparing dinner. My parents and grandmother were coming over for enchiladas. K decided that he would crawl into one of the kitchen chairs. We try to prevent this by pushing the chairs in but he is strong enough to pull the back out. Anyways, he was standing up talk and then he lost his balance and fell. Face first. Onto the tile floor. We were both scared that he had chipped a tooth since the was blood in his mouth. And, being the 2 year old he thinks he is, he immediately clamped his mouth shut when we tried to examine him mouth. If you have never seen a toddler wail with their mouth clamped shut and tears running down their face, you are missing a sight! In the end, we finally got a peek and started wiping away the blood from his mouth. His teeth were still in place and no chips. I know that his mouth hurt so I gave him a Popsicle which totally cheered him up and stopped the tears.
My biggest fear was how his face would look the next morning. Due to the fact that I have to be AT school by 7, I do not get to see my little boy in the mornings. I called Chris and he said that K looked fine. YEAH!! Now we are looking for toys he can climb on.....in the living room!!!

All the little children

2008-09-05T11:17:00.002-05:00

For those of you who may now know, Chris and I teach the 3 and 4 year old Sunday School class in our church. We usually switch off months with another teacher but she delivered her first child in July so we taught the summer lessons. I have taught the class for the last two years and have enjoyed it so much more since Chris joined in to help teach it. Last Sunday was our last class until October. The lessons that our children's director purchased are super easy to use but a majority of the stuff we just can't do with our little ones (lots of cutting things out!!). Most of the time, I pick about 3 things to do along with our video lesson and song of the month. I did not get a chance to copy anything off so I just looked through the lesson. It was about offering - what it is used for and why we give it. I decided that this was a great chance for our kids to go on a field trip! We walked over to the sanctuary where there were setting things up for the 11 o'clock service. We were on a hunt for the offering plates. It took a few minutes but they were located and each child held one. We talked about if they were heavy or light, what they were made of, etc. Our pastor took a few minutes to talk with the children about the plates and why there was a cushion in the bottom of the plates (I didn't know why it was there - learn something new every day!). We also talked about what things offering was used for and how it helps people. So, we then venture back to our room to make our own offering containers. I had gone out on errands with my mom the previous day. At Hobby Lobby, I found boxes like the ones that Chinese takeout comes in. They were plain white and had a handle that were perfect for what we needed them for. So I get out the boxes and the kids get to coloring (crayons only since they were kinda slick). They kids had a great time coloring. One adventurous tyke (was supposed to be in the kinder class but didn't feel like going) colored the outside and inside of his gold. He took special care to paint the bottom of the inside red - just like the offering plates!!! We admired each other's boxes and then I told them that we had a problem with all the boxes - they were empty!!! We can't help people when our offering boxes are empty!! What did that call for? Another field trip! We went to the Adult building and visited the class that Chris and I belong to. It was really neat since some of our kids' parents were in there. We explained what we were learning and about our problem - we had no offering for children's church. They all immediately started digging out change and bills. The kids went around the room and ended up with "noisy" boxes. It was so fun to see them smile at everyone and hold out their boxes! We thanked everyone and headed out. We realized that we had extra time and room left in our boxes so we headed to the class next door, the Pacesetters. It is lovingly referred to as the "old people" class since the members of the class are super seniors. We knocked on the door and went in. Again, we explained our lesson and before we could explain why we were there, they were all ready getting out change!! The adults had a great time giving. It was so funny to see them making sure that they gave offering to each child!! We apologized for interrupting their class and they invited to come back anytime. We then headed back to the Children's building to show our children's director, Miss Julie, our offering and put it in the offering plate they use for children's church. She got out the plate which is a smaller version of the offering plates we saw in big church. I truly cannot describe how soul-warming it was so see the kids line up and pour the contents of their boxes into the collection plate. They totally lit up the room!! And they got really excited when the plate started to flow over and coins dropped on the floor. Miss Julie said that she had never seen the offering plate that full before. We headed back to our class and got ready for parents to pick them up. We told the kids that they were to bring their boxes every Sunday with their offering from the week in it. I doubt it will happen but at least the kids got a chance to experience what offering is. I am a firm believer in kids knowing why we do what we do in church, not just because it's tradition. Chris declared that it was the best class he'd ever been to!

Wonder of wonders, miracles of miracles!!

2008-09-05T07:07:00.002-05:00

I totally forgot to mention we had a complete breakthrough at the Airhogs game Monday night. I have mentioned earlier that K is totally enthralled with the mascot, Ace Bacon (hehehe). It has taken all season, with Ace dutifully coming to see us every game, for Keegan to not cry when he gets close. Well, Monday, it all came together. K let Ace hold him!! Yippee!! Ace was so excited that he has warmed up to him. I hope to post pics this weekend but no promises.

Air Hogs win!!!

2008-09-03T09:21:00.002-05:00

We were really ticked that they moved yesterdays home game from 7 pm to noon in order to have the game before any chance of storms rolled in. Luckily, Momma was able to go and keep us updated on the score. Our hogs pulled off a great victory. The Canaries thrashed us when we played them earlier in the season. So far, we are 1-1 in this final series. The winner is best out of 5. Here's hoping the Hogs can keep us the winning spirit that got them to the finals. Please keep the players and their families in your prayers as they travel up to Sioux Falls today. They play tonight at 7 pm. If you want to hear a fabulous play-by-play, they broadcast the game through their website. GO HOGS!!

Happy Anniversary, LOML!!

2008-09-02T13:40:00.004-05:00

Today marks 8 years of wedded bliss. It is sad to say but it truly has been bliss. Chris and I rarely argue (unless we are fake arguing in the car so that panhandlers will just walk by our car and not stop). To celebrate our anniversary, we went to Ruth Chris's Steakhouse in Downtown Fort Worth. It was fantastic!! It was expensive but we had a gift card so that helped. When Chris made reservations, he mentioned that it was our anniversary. When we got to our table, they had spread heart shaped confetti around the table. It was a little gesture that meant a lot to us. Right now, they have a summer special that is a three course meal for two for $89. It was fantastic! We cleaned our plates!!! Of course, if you pay that much for a meal, you either eat it all or take it home. There were people who were leaving food on the plates - what???? During dinner, we played a question game. We've always loved to do this to get conversations going and it really got us reflecting on the past year and looking forward to the next year. We took forever to eat our meals due to our conversation. It was lovely to just sit there and relax. It was funny that we were sat before the people around us and they left before we did!! The only low point of the meal was the couple next to us. They were silent for the majority of the meal. They were older but were hardly speaking to each other, only commenting one a few things, like the fact that her steak was bigger than his. I made Chris promise me that we would never be THAT couple.

While I freely admit that we had a great time, we did miss K. He stayed at my parents' house that night (Thanks Nanny and Pop!) When we got home, I missed him so much. I think it had a lot to do with our conversations at dinner. So, we called them and then walked over to their house to peek in on our little man. He was having a great time sharing a snack with Nanny. It was so funny to see him watch his Pop's every move and just smile.

So, in honor of our 8 years together, I have made a list for my beloved:
Reasons why my love for you grows
10. You make me see things from a different perspective (both intellectually and height).
9. You make me tell you how I really feel about something.
8. You make me laugh.
7. You are still a kid at heart.
6. You miss your family when you are gone.
5. You can and will cook.
4. You like doing little surprises for me.
3. You take me places all over the world.
2.You put up with me and my moods.
1. You take an enthusiastic approach to raising our family.

Those are just a few of the MANY things that I love about you, Babe. Here's to an eternity of anniversaries!!

Hogs keep on Truckin'!

2008-09-02T13:28:00.002-05:00

Our beloved Airhogs beat the Fort Worth Cats in a fantastic game Friday night. We had a great time as always. Even K joined in when we were clapping and chearing the team as the celebrated on the field. One great thing about winning Friday night - no game on Saturday!! That means our guys had 2 days of rest before playing the first game of the finals against the Sioux Fall Canaries. Go Hogs go!!

GO HOGS GO!!

2008-08-29T09:52:00.002-05:00

So, our beloved Airhogs lost last night's game to the Ft. Worth Cats 1-0. It was a great game filled with some awesome plays. While I am sad we didn't win, I am so impressed with our defense. That one run was a homerun. The guys did a great job of fielding and holding the Cats to base hits. WAY TO GO! We have another game tonight. If we win, we are in the playoffs. How cool that would be for a first year team to be in the playoffs!! Great for them and great for GP.
At the game, a man wearing a Cats cap sat down next to us. I said "Hi." He replied, "You're not going to run me off, are you?" "Oh heavens no!!" One thing that I want is for everyone who comes to QTP (Quick Trip Park) is to have a fantastic time and come again. I don't care who you support since we support the same thing - great baseball. We had the best time visiting with him and talking baseball. He seemed to enjoy it to. He did say that he could see how easy it would be to become a Hogs fans. We told him the next game he came to that he needed to get the same seat. He said he would. How fun!!
K was in total heaven being back at the park after a week of no games. He about fell out of Chris's arms when he saw Ace, the mascot. He adores Ace. Luckily, we know Ace and he makes it a point to come to our seats and tell K hi. If they make an Ace stuffed animal, K would truly be the happiest kid on the planet. He also loves going to the kiddie playground. He hasn't gotten the concept that you have to sit before you slide - a work in progress!! His favorite thing is for me to stand at one end of the playset and Chris to stand at the other. He giggles so loudly running from one to the other! We just smile and thank God for this ultimate blessing. I am starting to get emotional about K lately. Maybe it is because I am back at work and see so many kids who didn't get enough while they were growing up. Who knows! maybe it's because he is no longer the youngest at daycare. Who knows! I just am totally in love with my son. How can you ever thank God enough for all that your child is??
I did thank my mom yesterday for expecting me to go to college. I have noticed that so many of my students are afraid to graduate because they do not know what to do. Their parents barely expected them to graduate so who is there to hold up hope for a future? I''ll just add that to my list......

Long time no write!

2008-08-28T11:05:00.002-05:00

We had a GREAT summer filled with many firsts: swim lessons, story time, zoo visits, birthday parties, etc.

So what's new with the Teubners? Well, Chris got a new job working fora construction company. He's an estimator and really likes it when it is busy. It has taken him out of town more than his last job but not out of state!! I'm back at my same school. It was hard to come back (why aren't we independantly wealthy yet????) but things are better now that the students are here. K is not longer taking a morning nap. This is great becuase he has started going to bed earlier!! While he used to be a 8 or 8:30 bedtimer, he is now 7 or 7:30. This is great because that give us more time in the evening to keep the house picked up. It isn't not good on nights where we are out around 7 or 7:30. Nothing lilke a cranky little man to ruin a good time! Oh well. His current "new thing" is saying please. In order to say it, he has to scrunch up his face - so cute!! He also is a fan of the word "no" but for him, it is more like "Nawh".

Tonight and tomorrow, we get to go to the Airhogs playoff games - so excited!! Instead of taking a trip this summer, we decided to get season tickets to the Hogs. We have had so much fun!! K really likes going. We're hoping the Hogs stayed in (and win) the playoffs as that will give us more baseball. If you haven't gone, GO!!

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-13T10:00:00.002-05:00

Sunday was such a great day!! K woke us up around 6:30. I guess he was ready for the fun to begin. I got to open my presents. I got a inflatable pool from K that we can use this summer. From Chris, I got a video camera. It was so funny because on Saturday I was trying to get Chris to buy a pool at Target and he just wouldn't get one! It was like he was ignoring me. Now I know why! The camera is so cool. K does so many funny things that I know I want to capture and watch whenever he's being a teenager. It will remind me of how quickly time passes and he changes. We decided to skip church and headed out to Mimi's for breakfast. We really like going there - so yummy!! We then headed to Home Depot to buy some plants. After that, we went over to Granny's house to wish her a happy MD. She gets such a kick out of him. She just laughs at his antics. We headed home to get ready to go have lunch at Steak & Ale with my family. Grandnanny is still recovering from gall bladder surgery and was not up to it. I will never go back there for MD. It was so irritating because there was no parking. All the cheap people who didn't want to pay for parking at Six Flags parked in the A&A lot. Paying customers had to trek across two parking lots to get there! Try that in heels with a 22 lb baby and all the stuff that comes with him! The meal was ok. Just not a S&A fan. We went back home and got started on jobs that needed to be done. I cooked our meals for the next two weeks (gotta love casseroles!) and Chris worked in the backyard doing some planting. My dad came over to help Chris with installing the new screen door and switching out the dimmer light switches. Momma came over too and we just played around with K. Afterwards, we headed out to Cheddars. I wanted a Cookie Monster so bad!! But it was 8 o'clock and they had a wait where people were standing outside. FORGET IT! We skipped over to Spring Creek and walked right in. So yummy! A girl from our church works there and we got to say hi to her. She is so funny!! She had free ice cream brought over - YUM!! It is getting fun to see what K will eat. We are trying to let him experience a little bit off everthing. He LOVEd the green beans there and their mac n cheese. Granted, once he saw the ice cream, that was all he wanted. Good thing he is not lactose intolerant!!

K's going to be 1 year old next week - how I am not ready for that! We've got the party plans all down but I am just not ready to let go of my baby. While I do miss the baby phase, I am so enthralled with all he can do now.

I will say the best present I got on Sunday was a fabulous time with my parents. It is so nice to be able to sit back and laugh and goof off with your parents. I do feel sorry for people that do not have a good relationship with their parents. Trust, I am a firm believer that not every should be a parent. Some people don't realize it and others do. I for one am thankful everyday for my parents. They do so much for my brother and I. I am so blessed that God made them my parents. Granted, I think they didn't always feel that way but thank goodness I grew up!

What a weekend!!

2008-05-06T09:58:00.003-05:00

It was super busy. Saturday, Chris had to work Saturday until 3. We woke K up from his nap and headed out for errands. We spent the evening over at the Jackson's house for burgers and cards. It was so much fun watching Madison and K play. He really enjoys being around other kids. Is that a hint, kiddo??
Sunday, we played hookie from church. Since we taught our children's SS class for the month of April, we decided to sleep in and go out for breakfast. We went to Mimi's Cafe in Arlington. We really have enjoyed everything we've had there. The manager sat us at our table. He returned a few minutes later with a small plate that had a quarter of an orange and some Cheerios for K. We were so impressed! It was K's first time to try oranges. He really liked them and was smart enough to spit out the pulpy part of the orange. He is really interested in what we are eating but he didn't get a taste of our meals since we both ordered eggs. Afterwards, we headed to Target and Home Depot. We finally found a patio set that we liked, could comfortably seat 6, and not be over $400. We then headed home to meet up with my parents so that we could go to the Airhogs baseball stadium to pick up our season tickets. It was so much fun! We saw so many people that we knew. We found our seats and were delighted to find out that the people next to us were members of our church who also have young kiddos. Opening Day is the 19th of this month and we are so excited about going!!! We came home and cooked up some beans for our Dave Ramsey class graduation. It lasted 13 weeks and was totally worth it! We have enjoyed Dave for years and it felt so good to have the class. The cool thing is that once you take it, you can take it over and over again as many times as you want and not have to pay again. Also, your children can take it without paying - so cool!! When we finally got home, we were beat! We put K to bed and then called up our pals in Houston. We both have Wiis and just got Mariokart. This game is so cool because we can all go and race in the same race even though were hundreds of miles apart. It was so fun!
Monday was a great day - no school!! Gotta love not using those bad weather days! We dropped K off at the sitters and then headed out for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. It was so good!! Then we went to Best Buy to start using Chris's employee discount. Finally got the TV he's been wanting!! I met some friends from work for lunch at Cotton Patch and then we headed over to the movies to see "Made of Honor". It was so funny and will probably be one that I have to add to my chick flick collection!!

Thanks, Rhonda, for those good tips about how to avoid using the word no but still saying no. I'm going to try them out!!

Is it just me??

2008-05-02T14:17:00.002-05:00

So, now that Keegan has all this mobility, I feel like the meanest person in the world. I am getting onto him for what seems like a million times a day. "No." "No, Sir!" "Do not lick the cat!" I feel like all he gets from me is negative energy. I sit there and feel so terrible, like I'm not being a good mom. I know I am. He's healthy and happy. But I also feel like the Wicked Witch. Anyone else feel this way??

Just a quick update!

2008-05-01T14:29:00.002-05:00

So, time has just been flying by!! Here's a quick catch-up:

Keegan is taking steps!! He's up to three without falling. The funniest part is he knows what he is doing is really big because he looks at you with the BIGGEST smile on his face!! He has started throwing fits when we lay him on the changing table. He doesn't do this anywhere else. We have no idea why and are trying to figure something out because he really freaks out about it. I am having to learn how to quickly snap onsie bottoms while he is standing up!! He is also getting good at getting lost in the house. Chris had him in our bedroom and K just took off down the hallway. Chris waited a few minutes (since K loves to be chased) and went after him. Chris came into the living room and there was no K!! He asked if K was in the kitchen with me and he wasn't. Where was he?? He had crawled into our guest bathroom and crawled into the empty bathtub. When we found him, he was standing up IN the bathtub hitting the top of the edge of the tub. We took it to mean that he wanted a bath that night. So, we are making sure to keep the gates locked from now on!!

Chris has started a permanent substitute position as a 5th grade math teacher. He is truly learning by fire!! He comes home with some pretty interesting stories - for sure!! He will have officially been working at Best Buy for a month this Sunday. Why is that a big thing?? That means the he can now purchase items from Best Buy with his employee discount. He can finally get that plasma tv!! While he is worn out from working two jobs, he really has enjoyed doing something different. He is going for a job interview this afternoon for a position with a company that one of our good friends works with. It pays a heck of a lot more than teaching so it could be something for him to seriously consider.

I have been busy being the single parent. Since Chris works 3-4 days a week, I have found that making all of our dinners for the week on Sunday is the best thing for us. We're not eating out much anymore (so we're saving money) and we are trying new things. I have posted a new favorite recipe at the bottom. It sounds very strange but so good!!

We are all excited that we get to go to the new Airhogs stadium on Sunday to see our seats and get our season tickets!! Can't wait for Opening Day!!

2 Point brownies
1 box Ghiradelli Double Chocolate Brownie mix
1 15 oz can black beans

Puree black beans in a blender until completely smooth. Mix with brownie mix. Spray a 9x9 baking dish with Pam and pour mix into it. Bake according to box directions. We store ours in the fridge.

Chris has stated that he doesn't want me to make any other kind of brownie.

Olympic question

2008-04-10T13:40:00.004-05:00

There has been a lot of talk about the leaders of countries boycotting the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympic games in Beijing due to China's treatment of Tibet. This completely ticked me off. why do these world leaders decide that now is the time to take a stand?? Why not take a stand when they got into office? Why have they not spoken about it before?
I usually don't tell others who I vote for but I voted for Hillary in the primary. I agree with her view on education and abortion legislation. But I do not agree with her stating that Bush needs to boycott the OC. He is not there showing his support of that country. He is there showing support to the competitors who represent the US. I have a former student who is captain of the US boxing team. He has literally been working towards this his whole life. It means so much to him that he will be representing the US. If I could afford it, I would be there supporting him. I feel that, like our troops in Iraq, the more that our support is shown for their dedication to what they do, the better they will do. I am seriously rethinking my vote. Add to the mix that ALL presidential canidates have said that the President should boycott. Can no one make their own decision? I honestly have no clue who I will vote for. It all depends on the next few months, I guess.

1st trip to the zoo

2008-04-10T09:34:00.002-05:00

During our hiatus from blogging, we went to the zoo for the first time. For Christmas, my parents gave us the best gift ever - a family membership to the Fort Worth Zoo. I truly believe that this is the best gift to give. It requires not dusting, feeding, or finding a place to put it on display. Plus, it's something the whole family can enjoy. We got one for our friends the Brinkmans. Their birthdays are all within one week and we thought we'd spend that much on three gifts.
We played hooky from church the last weekend in March. Chris and I switch off teaching the 3 & 4 year old Sunday school class at church. We would start teaching again in April so we took the time to enjoy our gift.
We got there a little before the zoo opened and got a front parking spot. Chris had a great time putting on the canopy to the Radio Flyer wagon that Granny got K for Christmas. You could totally tell it was our first time to the zoo. We had the wagon AND a stroller. We realized that K has so much stuff that there would be no room for him in the wagon! So off we went to get our membership cards. After the couple of minutes that took, we entered the zoo and went straight to the primates. The big gorilla was not happy about having people check him out in his room. He kept coming up and banging on the glass. The best part what when he would go over to his door and look at the zoo keepers with an expression that said, "Ok. I've done the horse and pony show. Can I go play now??" The keepers did not have his breakfast ready so he had to wait. He just sat there blowing air out of his lips - totally not into this! K really paid attention to the animals. Once we pointed them out, he would follow them around with his eyes. We headed out doors to check out other animals and the gibbons were totally enjoying their play stuff. They were jumping and soaring all over the place and K was enthralled by them. When we got to the top of the primate exhibit, the orangutan was in his room playing with a blanket. There was no one else around so we were able to get K right up in the window. The orangutan noticed K and came right up to the window and put his hand on the glass. K's eyes were so big! It's like the orangutan was checking him out too!
We met up with the Brinkmans and headed out again. We got to see the new baby giraffe - so cute! K just loved watching the animals. He thought the cheetahs looked like Fat Cat. We also went into this neat exhibit they have. It's basically a walk in octagonal cage full of parakeets and cocktails. For $1 you can get a Popsicles stick with birdseed stuck on it. It was so cool to have the birds flying about and landing right on the stick you were holding out! Keegan really wanted to touch one but he hasn't quite learned you have to be gentle. (God bless Fat Cat. She is happy to let him tug and bat at her while he is learning.)
We both took lunch to the zoo and sat down to eat. It was such a fun time. Madison is getting to be such an independent person. And K just smiles at her! I think he might be smitten!!

Oh and, Rhonda, you are totally invited to the scrapping times!

Where HAVE we been?

2008-04-07T13:26:00.002-05:00

Yes, I am ashamed to admit it. I lost my zest for blogging. I guess part of me felt like no one was posting comments so then no one was reading. Seriously, who else thinks that my life is so funny besides Chris (Because he has to)? Then I realized I don't do this for other people but for me. My mom said that all this blogging will really pay off when I start my summer scrapbooking. I'll have all these cool little entries to remind me of things that happened over the past year.
The biggest news is that Chris got laid off about a month ago. We were kinda freaked the first day. After the shock wore off the next day, we realized that this was all part of God's plan. He would take care of us. Once we realized that, we were good! Chris started working part-time at Best Buy. He's pumped because of the employee discount (as am I). He will start April 14th as a permanent sub at an intermediate school teaching 5th grade Math. He has talked about teaching for a few years now and this is a great chance for him to get a taste of it.. If he likes and feels called to it, then he will go to the alternative certification classes this summer. It will be nice when he is on the same schedule as I am. If it isn't his thing, then he'll do some major soul searching and praying and then see where that leads him.
On the Keegan front, we bought our first pair of REAL shoes. We figured since he is taking a few steps around the furniture that it was time to invest. We took him to Stride Right to get his foot measured. He wears a 4 1/2 wide since his foot is chunky. He looks like such a big boy!! And we went ahead and bought a big boy carseat that does rear-facing, front-facing, and booster. He really likes it! We swear he just sits there and sings along to the radio. Granted, he looks like such a big boy in it! The bad habit that he has picked up is that he has learned his to arch his back when he is upset. That little trick won't go on much longer. I'm not much on whining or throwing fits.
As for me, not much is going on. School goes on for 11 more weeks. Can't wait for summer vacation. I am planning on scrapbooking at least 1 day a week with my mom and whoever else wants to join in. I kinda feel like a bad parent but I realize that I need to continue to take Keegan to Miss Becky's for a few hours each day. There will be things I need to get done that will take double the time if he's with me. Plus, he does not need to get out of the habit of being with her during the day. At least that's what I keep telling myself!

We're Walking!

2008-03-05T13:47:00.002-06:00

Ok, so K is now a little more than 9 months old. This past Monday, he started walking! Well, not on his own, but with a little help from his friendly Tonka truck. I'll try to post some pics soon, but in the meantime, I'll try to describe it.

So, Sarah's gone to take a bath Monday night, and K and I are in the living room hanging out. I made the adjustment on his Tonka truck, so that he could pull up and use it to hold him up while he stands. Well, he picked himself up, then took off across the living room! I couldn't believe what I was seeing! So, I yelled for Sarah to get the heck outta the bath, and grabbed the camera. I was able to get most of it on film, and eventually, you can check it out on our other website at www.teubner-ags.smugmug.com. So, Sarah finally made it in and we just sat there and watched him walk back and forth, pushing the Tonka truck as support, across our living room! So COOL!!! We called Nanny to come over and see him, and he did it for her, too! Last night, we went over to Granny's house (with the Tonka), and he performed for her.

I think he realizes how much we like to watch him, because he just gets this big grin on his face when he's the center of attention (which, lets be honest, is most of the time!)

Saturday, in the park.....

2008-03-05T10:44:00.002-06:00

We had such a great day on Saturday. The fun started with meeting the Dees gals at Mike Lewis park around 10. They were having the grand opening of the trail linking Lewis with Waggoner park. The trail is 1.7 miles long one way. They city of GP did a great job of making it a fun family time. They had 5 stops along the trail to get your trail guide stamped. Each station featured a different city group: Prairie Paws, Joe Pool Lake, Parks and Rec, Uptown Theatre & the coming soon Market Square, and City Services. At the end of the trail, you showed your stamped booklet and you got a T-shirt showing the Good Link which is the name of the trail. We are so excited to be adding to our GP T-shirt collection! While we were at the opening ceremonies, complete with a speech from Ruthie Jackson, we ran into Jerry from our church. He had his cutie puppy, Goldie. She is a blond lab mix. We started the trail after Jane had her bottle. So glad we had a chance to rest now that I think about it. I needed all my energy for the trail! We had a great time walking the trail. We took our time to enjoy an easy pace and each other's company. We got stopped by the camera guy for the GP cable channel. He interview Rhonda ("Nature is pretty") and Chris. It was funny when he told us to be on the look-out for the interviews on cable channel 16. None of us have cable!! We all had to pull out our shades when Mr. Sun came out. Mr. Keegan was such a Cool Dude!! Mazie can playground on her mind so she asked repeatedly when were we going to the playground. She felt like we needed to go to the playground immediately. Don't blame her a bit. So, we headed for the playground in Waggoner. One funny part was when we got our stamp for Prairie Paws. The ladies were asking everyone if they had their poop bag. What they were handing out was bags for dog owners to put dog poop in. We just cracked up over the responses we could have given them. "No, I went before I came." So funny! When we finally got to the playground, Mazie was in her element. She was fearless!! She climbed up the "rock" wall. She would walk up to any kid and just start talking and playing. It was so fun to see her so filled with joy. Keegan and Chris headed over to the swings since that is about all he can play with right now. He loves the swing. He loves to lean over and watch the ground pass under him as he swings. Chris did take him on the slides and to the part of the park that is for 2-5 year olds. Keegan crawled a bit but was more interested in seeing how the sticks tasted. After the playground, it hit us that we basically had to do the whole trail over again. My feet were tired but I was looking forward to the challenge. We were all so glad that they handed out trail mix at the stamp stops. Mazie is totally my kind of gal. She went for the chocolates first, then the raisins. She really didn't care for the rest of the mix so she played Hansel and Gretel. She picked up the seeds and let them slowly fall from her outstretched hand. Cracked me up. When we finally got back to where the cars were, we had a bit of an obstacle course. The Kid Fish had started and there were cars everywhere!! The road was reduced to where only one car could get through since cars were parked on both sides of the road. It was so packed, we couldn't even get through the line of cars to our car!! Crazy!! But we did get to the cars. Total props to Supermom Rhonda for getting the double stroller folded AND put into the trunk of her car. So impressed!! We then headed over to grab some romantic Mexican food at the GP standard, Don Juan's. Best burritos EVER!!! We got it to go and then took it over to John's school to eat lunch with him. He was working hard and needed some comic relief, which the kids provided. It was hilarious to see Mazie and Keegan playing. Keegan loves to crawl and chase people and be chased. Mazie would run and stop and look at Keegan. He would squeal and start after her. She would run to the other side and they start all over. So funny!! Can't wait for our next adventure with the Dees!!

Why did you let me down, Little Debbie? Why?

2008-02-14T09:22:00.002-06:00

So, we had a perfect plan for what to do for the Valentines goodies for the kids at Keegan's daycare. I had my teacher's aid stamp the kids' names on labels in really cute Mickey Mouse stamp letters. I had the brilliant idea of taking the labels and putting on those cute Little Debbie brownies made for Valentines. They are heart-shaped with pink frosting - so cute!! Yesterday, Chris looked at two Targets for them but no luck. I went to Tom Thumb and CVS on my way home from working out and no luck. They were not to be found! I was running late getting home so I figured I would just go to Albertson's after bell practice.
What was I thinking!! 7:30 at Albertson's the day before Valentine's is crazy!! I finally decided to just make my own heart-shaped brownies the easy way. I got little tin foil pans that were heart-shaped, a roll of premade brownie dough, pink frosting, and red sprinkles. They actually turned out pretty cute. And good!! I made two extra for Chris and I. Whenever I open my bakery, they will be the special of the day for Valentine's Day!!

Oh what fun!

2008-02-12T09:23:00.000-06:00

Well, Keegan is once again proving to us that he is a blessing from God. You can just tell that he doesn't feel 100% by looking at his eyes but he is still moving right along. He was running a fever Sunday night and woke up crying at 1 am Monday morning. He had a 6 oz cup (yes, cup! We are bottleless, cup only people now!) and went back to sleep. I was worried about him so I just put him in bed with us. He, of course, slept perpendicular so I had trouble getting comfy (he has pointy toes!!). But, after such a horrible night, he woke up in such a happy mood. That made us smile even though we knew he was not feeling well, he still made us feel better.

Our Lent adventure had begun!

2008-02-07T09:53:00.000-06:00

We attended our church's Ash Wednesday service last night. I was not in the best mood after spending 2 hours waiting at the eye doctor's office. Chris and I both look forward to the Mardi Gras supper that is served before the jazz service. I was so afraid that I would miss them both. I almost missed the dinner but Chris saved me a plate. I got out of my car in such a foul mood and that made me even more mad. I love getting to church early and enjoying the fellowship of my church family and I was missing it!! But, as soon as I walked up the ramp and the door opened, it melted away. There was Chris looking out for me and he had our sweet little boy in his arms, trying to get him to take a nap. It just made everything else seem so non-essential. I was able to just calm down and enjoy being there. Dinner was FANTASTIC! Carla did an outstanding job on the sausage jambalya. Yummy!! By the time the service started, my entire being was energized. It was such a great service too. We have a jazz band come in and provide the music to our hymns. I almost started crying. I was standing there singing along and Keegan was snoozing so soundly in my arms. It made me think of this time last year while I was pregnant with Keegan. So much hope and anticipation filled me then. We would never have believed how much he changed our lives and filled them with life. Keegan did wake up during the service and was in a fantastic mood. He kept smiling at Sally, one of our favorite people. We also took him up to the altar to have ashes put on his forehead too. That also made me cry since it symbolizes so much. After the ashes were placed, we went over to the side where they set up two large panels of burlap with black crosses painted on them. Before the sermon, our preacher gave us slips of paper that we were to write what we were given up for Lent. His son took them and put them in a coffee can and burned them. He then took those ashes and mixed them with black paint. We used the black paint to paint crosses on the burlap panels. Everyone at the service did this. They will take the panels and hang them in the sancutary during Lent so we can see that we are not alone during this time. It reminded me again of last year when we painted our two crosses and a tiny cross. This year, we painted two crosses with the inner crossbars angled down to a smaller cross. We left feeling so filled - just the way we need to be.

We just keep going and going and going....

2008-02-05T09:14:00.000-06:00

Such a busy weekend but fun! We started the fun with having Valenmas with the Brinkmans. We ate at Veracruz in Cedar Hill - yum!! They have great margaritas! Then we headed over to their house to exchange presents. It was so much fun watching Madison and Keegan playing.
Saturday started with Chris going to help set up tables at the church for the chili cok-off. When he got back home, we headed over to Dallas to meet Lynne, Tommy, and Mono for a birthday lunch for Lynne at Cafe Express. We got there early and had a great time looking around Right Start. We bought a little football for Keegan that he totally enjoyed chewing on. Lunch was a lot of fun. Keegan has his Momma's love of pickles so we gave im half a pickle spear. He had the best time munching on it. The funniest was when he looked up and had the pointed part of this pickle hanging our his mouth. It totally looked like a tongue!! He also got his first taste of whipped cream. He really liked it! Afterwards, we headed over to Costco and Target to get grocs for the week. We then stopped by my cousin's house to help them move. We got home, ate dinner, and totally crashed into bed.
Sunday was church. Afterwards, the United Methodist Men had their annual chili cookoff to raise money for scholarships for graduating seniors. We invited the congregation of Turnpike Curch of Christ over and it was great seeing them having a good time. While our awesome chili did not win, we had a great time seeing so many people supporting our youth. We got home around 2:30 and then had to leave around 3:30 for our Financial Peace class. We are really enjoying it. It is comforting to know that we are not the only people who are paying the stupid tax!! We got home afterwards and still had laundry, clean-up, and cooking to do for the week. It was a busy weekend but it was all stuff we had fun doing.