Christmas 2007

It's the day after Christmas and little Emma Lee (2-3/4) is wondering why? "Why didn't Santa Clause come again Mom?"

Christmas day started around 5:30am when the pitter/patter of feet trampled down the stairs. (Well, a few days earlier we had gotten a few movies Christmas movies at Blockbuster, so we asked them to watch a movie and to wake Mom and Dad up at 7am.) I didn't think it would fly, but they agreed! Yippee! Merry Christmas to Mom and Dad! We got an extra hour of sleep and then the fun began!

Zachary (8-1/2) has been asking for The Wave for some time now. We were hesitant to get him this "skateboard-like" thing. But then I found a Junior Wave on-line at Sports Authority and - Wa La - one happy skater! And guess what, it'll hold up to 225 lbs. so Glenn is also having a blast on it too! He wants one for his b-day! :)

Benjamin (10) is really into crystals and physics and all this kind of "science stuff." He has a brain that is constantly wondering and inquiring and asking me stuff that I have "no idea" on. Good thing he has a wonderful Dad who can answer all these questions! He has been busy doing things like...

Nicholas is really into Legos, but then again, so is Christopher. They both enjoy remote control cars too. So, they got their fair-share of these kinds of toys.

The last couple of days have been just gorgeous here. The boys are having fun jumping off the swing set. (I really do need to find out where the closest ER is.) And even though we are about 1100 miles from our family in AZ and about 600 miles from our family in NE, we are all doing well wishing that all of you guys had a wonderful Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

LASIK problems

I went back to Mesa last week to do some enhancements on my eyes. You see, a few months ago I had the LASIK procedure on my eyes. I felt at the time that all went well; there was absolutely no pain. Yet, I didn't have the best vision. I continued to tell myself, that over time, the healing process would help my eyesight become better.

Well, the first month passed and all was pretty good. Then the second month came and we moved our family to Dallas. During this time, I felt that I was having a harder time seeing but I just dealt with it. From time to time I would use Zachary's glasses and I would get by.

Then, it seemed as if I was wearing Zachary's glasses more than HE was. This posed a problem - he needed them for school! Glenn shooshed me over to Lenscrafters and after the apointment, I came out with a new pair of glasses.

LASIK - blah! Of course I was a bit unhappy. After all this $$ spent to ease my life, it did not work?!?! I went back and the procedure was just as before, yet I came out being able to see much better. But... it's not like it really really should be yet... maybe time will heal the bit of flaws I still have? Wait and see...

There is a very nice upside to all this - I got a GREAT 3-day vacation with Mom & Dad/Grandma & Grandpa! Thanks for a relaxing visit!

Double Digits

We are the proud parents of a young boy who just turned 10!

The BIG TEN!

Ben didn't have a friend's party this year - mainly because most of his friends are in Arizona. But by next year, he should have a few friends to invite over. :) We celebrated with presents and a chocolate cake!

Home Improvements

We stopped at IKEA the other day and look what we found. It is the most WONDERFUL purchase! (I'm not much into IKEA, for I think it's much toooo big and they just have toooo much stuff.)

But with 7 people in our family, that's 14 feet. That's 14 running shoes, 14 sandals, 10 rain boots and then all the extra soccer and baseball shoes at the appropriate time of the year! It can be a big MESS! (We use to have a great big laundry basket but the shoes on the bottom were always so so trashed.)



So, we were looking for some way to organize our footwear and as we drove past, Glenn said, "Oh, let's just stop and look." "NO WAY," I shouted. We had all the kids with us and it was after 8pm. I could see disaster written all over this! "What are you thinking?" I blurted.

But, it was indeedy a GREAT stop! And as you can see, I can put my potatoes on the top shelf and a few cookies that needed the frosting set on the second shelf... just lovely!

Turning Over A New Leaf...

While all of you out there are in a frenzy about hanging your lights, decorating your tree, going shopping and getting ready for the Holidays... I just have ONE thing on my mind... I WANT THE VAN IN THE GARAGE! I'm not asking much (I don't think) - and after just 3 weeks, my husband delivered!

You see - the rains are falling and the temps are dropping and there's a feeling of Christmas in the air! I LOVE IT! And, there's something about "getting in the van tomorrow morning" and NOT having to scrape the ice.

Now, with that said, I do want to report that the Holiday Spirit is catching up to us too. The tree is bought and after reading Uncle Eldon's post about his Holiday Tree Buying Experience, I'd like to report that that is the norm over the last few years at our house.

But, this year was different, we did not go to the local nursery as in year's past, we did not buy the artificial one either - instead, we went to THE HOME DEPOT! It was hard for me to accept that (and it was even hard to post)... but Glenn and I are to the point now that it's just better to let the kids run wild in an enclosed area while he and I hash out the "picking of the tree" and this year I feel good to report that after he picked a very nice one, I just said, "Sure Honey, it looks wonderful!"

I just don't know if I'll ever get to the point of buying that artificial tree?!?! (It does sound so easy and good.) But, after speaking with my Mom and Dad in Bruno Nebraska (Dad now 75+ years) they still do the yearly trek (now to the local nursery in a nearby city) and purchase that REAL TREE!

When I was young, that was "the thing" that my Dad and I did together each year. I believe that my brothers and even my Mom stayed home most of the years. It was just something that Dad and I did together each year! And, it just might be something that Glenn and Emma Lee get to do in the year's to come!

Christmas Is In The Air

There's a previous post about "the House That Glenn Bought." And as you can see, it is a very TALL house.

So, it is Christmastime and all the lights in the neighborhood are beginning to go up, and up, and up. And Glenn is bound-and-determined to put lights on this house - just he and a ladder!

Don't y'all remember reading in the paper last year around this time about a man who was hanging lights off his roof, and he fell and DIED?!? I am trying to explain this story to Glenn this afternoon and I think, I just think, it soaked in.

So, instead, I've got him out with the craft glue gun... attaching hooks to the brickwork. This is so we can hang some lighted garland.




We put some netted lighting on the front bushes and I think (beneath all these boxes we still have) we are going to be feeling the Christmas Spirit! Merry Christmas!

TEXAS - we're here!

WOW!

TEXAS IS BIG, LARGE, HUGE, BIG, GIGANTIC, BIG, BIG!

Everything in Texas is just plain old BIG!

The truck pulled into the Lone Star State last week. It was loaded on Tuesday morning and by mid-day (3ish) he was on his way.

The loading went well. We only filled half the truck. That evening and the next day we cleaned and cleaned and touched-up and got the house ready.

We said good-bye to lots and lots of friends and family! One can not image the treats, books, activity pads, CDs, gifts and snacks that were sent our way! WOW - thank you! The kids thought they were riding in Santa's Sleigh.

As many know, we drove both car & truck out here. I worried the night before that I would fall asleep at the wheel; I tend to do that occasionally (that's when Glenn & I would switch)! Well, there would be no trading for the 1100 mile trek! The excitement was great on Thursday morning and we traveled nearly 700 miles to Midland TX (with a few stops along the way). On Friday morning we continued the travel and arrived around 3pm. We swept up a few things at the new house that evening and off we went to stay at the fancy Hilton Hotel in downtown Dallas (courtesy of http://www.hotwire.com/ -- highly recommend it)! We jumped on the beds and swam in the pools. On Saturday, the truck unloaded and by noon we were residents of Frisco Texas. WOW!

Ben & Zach traveled with Glenn and mostly read books and did Power Point presentations on Glenn's computer. Nick, Chris & Emma rode with me and we sang so many songs, I'm STILL singing them today! Some of the favorites were "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and "The Mambo #5" and of course listening to the "Star Wars" theme song, over and over and over!

What's Texas like - well it's definitely BIG! Here's a few bits of information that I've picked up over the first week in the Dallas area:


The state was an independent nation from 1836 to 1845. So, when Texas was annexed in 1845 it retained the right to fly its flag at the same height as the national flag. (This is probably the "oddest" thing to see... driving by these incredibly BIG auto lots, to see the two flags flying side by side. Or driving by these BIG banks and BIG churches of every faith imaginable and seeing the flags, side-by-side.)


Dr. Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885. The Dublin Dr Pepper, 85 miles west of Waco, still uses pure imperial cane sugar in its product. There is no period after the Dr in Dr Pepper. (That tidbit of info was specifically for Uncle Brent! You guys need to come visit to get the REAL stuff!) There is even a Dr Pepper Ballfield nearby.

The state's cattle population is estimated to be near 16 million. (But we haven't seen one yet. We have seen more and more diggers and construction equipment than one can imagine. Christopher thinks he's died and gone to heaven!)

Texas includes 267,339 square miles, or 7.4% of the nation's total area. (I guess that's why everyone thinks BIG out here!)

As for all of us - we're doing just fine! The house is beautiful,but then one must not forget that stucco to Phoenix (Mesa) is like brick to Dallas (Frisco). The area in which we live reminds me much of Ladera Ranch (newness, colors, and currently beautiful temperatures). Glenn did do well and there is plenty of floor for guests. (I'm on the look-out for some furniture.)

The boys were off to school on Wednesday and as we get to know our neighbors and members of our church, we're beginning to realize that most of us ARE NOT TRUE TEXANS, and that's okay, y 'all! :)