MAJESTICSIX

Manipulation

2010-03-03T09:13:00.001-08:00

Hey blogger world! I haven't posted in so long...but had a few things on my mind, and really enjoy blogging about them. Most of my time is spent in the "business" blogging world - but I sure miss our personal blog! Just a few thoughts today...

Webster defines manipulation as: to control or play upon by artful, unfair, or insidious means especially to one's own advantage: to change by artful or unfair means so as to serve one's purpose.

Have you ever known someone who constantly manipulates a situation to fit his/her own purpose? Whether it be for their own self gain, or to make themselves look better in another person/child's eye?

I've thought a lot about manipulation lately and how hurtful and damaging it can be to those around you. The "manipulator" probably doesn't see the damage they are doing. And at times, I would say manipulation is controlling a situation or others for selfish reasons. But when you really get down to it, manipulation usually involves lying. If you are telling someone something for your "own" good or gain - you are usually twisting the truth to serve your own purpose.

We've all dealt with someone who is a manipulator at some point in our lives. My first reaction is to feel sorry for them. What a terribly painful life that must be to be in constant denial. My second thought is...shame on you for using others or trying to make others look bad to make yourself look better.

I'm not saying I have never been guilty of this myself...we are only human. Just want to be mindful how my actions effect those around me. And hopefully if I really think about my actions before I say or do anything - it will help me in dealing with others.

Our Baby Boy is 7 Today!

2009-11-27T18:40:00.000-08:00

I can't believe our baby boy turned 7 today. Where does the time go? I still remember driving to the baseball games - OU, Texas Collegiate, and even New Mexico with Sierra and Pierce. Pierce LOVED going out on the field with the "big boys" and we would find him smack dab in the middle - baseball hat and all!

Over the years, Pierce has grown into such a sweet, smart, funny little boy. His teachers have all told us stories of how Pierce is such the politician. If you tell him he can have one, he asks for three. If you tell him not to step over the line, he runs and jumps - then turns around and comes back over the same way. But always with a smile, and always telling you he loves you along the way.

Pierce is also a "true" friend. He has several close friends (Will and Jack) and Pierce would do anything for them. He is so compassionate and caring...and always thanks God during our evening prayer that he has them in his life. I truly believe Pierce would give them the shirt off his back if it was cold outside. Which brings up another thing about Pierce...if we would let him, he would very rarely wear a shirt or shoes. It can be 30 degrees outside and you will find Pierce in the front yard playing with his friends with only gym shorts on! haha

It's his love for animals that always makes me smile. Many mornings you can find Pierce sitting on the floor petting "his" dog, Pudge. If it is cold outside, Pierce begs us to leave Pudge inside so he won't get cold...even though he has a cozy doghouse up on the patio...Pierce always worries about him.

I've been known to spoil Pierce "just a little" - but I can't imagine my life without him. Whether as a son, brother, uncle, or friend, Pierce always brings a smile to your face.

It has been fun watching Pierce grow - and every day brings a new Pierce(ism). Sometimes there is a little drama involved, but that's what makes Pierce unique. He is a little mini-me of his daddy - looks, actions, and all! It is fun watching them together.

God blessed us when he gave us Pierce...he is one of a kind.

Happy Birthday, Pierce!
We Love You!

Sierra's 10th Birthday

2009-10-18T18:37:00.001-07:00

Wow...has it really been since August 21st that I posted? Sorry - you might say we've been a little busy lately. Since August, we have had Megan's 23rd birthday, Brandon's 26th birthday, my grandmother's 93rd birthday, my mother-in-law's (?) birthday, and Sierra's 10th birthday! Now we have our second grand-baby (Corden) who will be delivered c-section this Friday, October 23rd! Busy, busy, busy!!!

Sierra had a great birthday. She went out to eat and shopping with Grams and Papaw, on a dinner date and to Barnes & Noble with dad, AND most important...her DIVA party! She invited 3 girls over for a sleep-over and they had a blast! At 10pm they decided they wanted me to give them facials, fix their hair, put on make-up and paint their nails. I'm not sure who had more fun...them, or me! They were really good and everyone seemed to have a good time.

Thanks to everyone who made Sierra's birthday special. I can't believe our little girl turned 10...and that our other little girl is having her second child this week. They grow up so fast.

A "Moment"

2009-08-21T07:24:00.000-07:00

Last night, Pierce had gone to eat with Will, his best friend that lives down the street. So it was just the three of us - me, Brett, and Sierra at home. Sierra was sitting at the table doing homework. She had to make a "me" bag and write a paragraph about herself. In her "me" bag, she had pictures of her animals, a softball, jewelry, and a picture from our wedding of the whole family. As she was writing, Brett started telling her how proud we are of her. She has really grown-up and is becoming such a sweet, beautiful girl. She is kind-hearted, sensitive, and truly cares about others. During the conversation, Sierra looks up - straight at me and says, "I couldn't do it without you." Then she gets out of her chair and comes over to hug me. Of course, I teared up and started to cry. It was a "Moment" that I will never forget. I realize that I have a place in Pierce and Sierra's life as a step-parent. I don't want to take their moms place, or do anything to jeopardize their relationship with her. Luckily, I had a step-mother, and my children have a step-mother, so it prepared me for this time in my life. Sierra then looked at me and said, "sometimes I forget you are my step-mom."

I know we've had some tough "moments" and there will be more to come in the future. But who doesn't? That is part of being a parent..sometimes saying and doing things your children don't agree with, or understand.

But last night, Thursday, August 20, 2009, will be a day I remember for a long time.

First day of school

2009-08-18T11:24:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of school for Sierra and Pierce. Sierra is entering the fourth grade, and Pierce is going into first. They were both so cute, and excited about school. I thought Pierce would be nervous, but Sierra is the one that seemed nervous. I think there is a lot of pressure on kids these days - how they look, how they act, what they wear.
Sierra said over and over

how good she looked. :) She is getting so grown up and really likes dressing up for school. Pierce was more concerned with his watch (probably so he would know when it was lunch time, recess, and time to go home:), but he also was pretty proud of his new clothes.
They both took their lunch today - Sierra PBJ, her fav! And Pierce took his staple

Ramon Noodles. Which I had to make sure and get them just right. Guess I will find out at 3:30 if I passed the test. We actually did a test several days ago and made them in the morning, and he tested them that afternoon. haha Lot of pressure these days being a parent.

Other than a little rain, lightening, and traffic (due to road construction)...this morning was flawless. No stress, no worries, just two happy children. JUST the way we like it!

Happy first day of school Sierra and Pierce!!!

2009-07-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

Kind of weird to put song lyrics on your blog, but a friend sent this to me and it has such a powerful message and gives us much to think about.
What would you do if today was your last day?

If Today Was Your Last Day lyrics
Songwriters: Kroeger, Chad;
Singer: Nickelback

My best friend gave me the best advice
He said each day's a gift and not a given right
Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind
And try to take the path less traveled by
That first step you take is the longest stride

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had, if today was your last day?
What if, what if, if today was your last day?

Against the grain should be a way of life
What's worth the price is always worth the fight
Every second counts 'cause there's no second try
So live like you're never living twice
Don't take the free ride in your own life

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had?

And would you call those friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories?
Would you forgive your enemies?
And would you find that one you're dreaming of?
Swear up and down to God above
That you'd finally fall in love if today was your last day?

If today was your last day
Would you make your mark by mending a broken heart?
You know it's never too late to shoot for the stars
Regardless of who you are

So do whatever it takes
'Cause you can't rewind a moment in this life
Let nothing stand in your way
'Cause the hands of time are never on your side

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had?

And would you call those friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories?
Would you forgive your enemies?
And would you find that one you're dreaming of
Swear up and down to God above
That you'd finally fall in love if today was your last day

I Would Gather Children

2009-06-29T14:37:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite poems. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

I Would Gather Children

Some would gather money
Along the path of life,
Some would gather roses,
And rest from worldly strife.

But I would gather children
From among the thorns of sin,
I would seek a golden curl,
And a freckled, toothless grin.

For money cannot enter
In that land of endless day,
And roses that are gathered
Soon will wilt along the way.

But oh, the laughing children,
As I cross the sunset sea,
And the gates swing wide to heaven
I can take them in with me!
~ Author Unknown ~

Best Friends

2009-05-16T20:08:00.001-07:00

These are pictures of Pierce and Jack. They have been best friends since they were 3 years old and attended the same daycare. They no longer go to the same school or daycare - but we stay in contact with Jack's parents and get the boys together as often as possible. This past week, Pierce had Jack over to spend the night. They stayed up late and got up early playing non-stop. I don't think I heard them argue one time. They are so cute together and have so much fun!
Nice to have a best friend.

Kindergarten Field Trip

2009-05-09T08:33:00.001-07:00

Friday was the kindergarten field trip to the zoo. I went with Pierce and we had a blast! We were assigned two additional boys in his class, Zion and Dawnta. The boys were so cute and did so well together. It started out a little muggy but by the time we left, it was the perfect day for the zoo. Here are a few pictures from the zoo. Oh, forgot to mention...every time we saw a "mister" the boys had to get wet. Just wanted to let you know why Pierce has wet hair in all the pictures.

Pierce(isms)

2009-04-17T14:54:00.000-07:00

I had such a great time this week with the kids. Brett came in one evening as I was working on the computer, and told me that I HAVE to start writing down all the Pierce(isms). Here are a few we heard this week...

1) "Dad, Pudge (bulldog) is sick. Can we give him some cold medicine? If we have to take him to the dr. can you please ask them NOT to take his privates off like they did last time?"

2) "Mom, which finger is bad if I stick it up, and why?"

3) "Mom, if you REALLY want to get a hangnail off, you have to wait a day...and a few hours. Then whichever way your hangnail is leaning, turn it the other way. Then twist really hard. If you wait a day...and a few hours, the skin will be dead and it won't hurt."

4) "MOM, COME QUICK! If you call this number we can get 250 Bendaroos."

5) "Mom, we really need to call this number. They are selling water globes for your plants. The number is 1-800-2-sell-homes!" (of course we have all silk plants)

6) "Mom, this is the BEST day of my life. Even better than Great Wolf Lodge." (without two front teeth it comes out Wolf Wolf Lodge!) haha

7) "Mom, do you need to lose weight? If so, there is this number you can call and they PROMISE you will lose weight. Promise, they said it will work." (thanks!)

I am home with Pierce every morning until he goes to school at 1pm. My jaws hurt by the time I get him to school from laughing. He is one of the most sweet, funny, inquisitive kids that I have ever been around.

I will keep them coming! At least now we will have them in print :)

Hudson's Easter program...

2009-04-14T08:44:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures taken at Hudson's Easter program at daycare. He didn't cry...but he was a little "shell shocked" with all the people staring at him. He and Pierce had so much fun playing afterward.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
1 Peter 2:24

Actions

2009-04-08T08:57:00.000-07:00

This was sent to me by a good friend. I loved the story and wanted to share...

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, 'Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd.' I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friend’s tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes my heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, 'Those guys are jerks.' They really should get lives. ' He looked at me and said, 'Hey thanks!' There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends He said yes. We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, 'Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday! ' He just laughed and handed me half the books. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends..

When we were seniors we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor and I was going for business on a football scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous! Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, 'Hey, big guy, you'll be great!' He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. 'Thanks,' he said.

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began 'Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends... I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story.' I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. 'Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable...' I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize it's depth.

Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse, God puts us all in each others lives to impact one another in some way... Look for God in others.

Dinner with James

2009-04-06T06:40:00.000-07:00

This has been one of the best, very interesting, eye-awakening, weekends. First let me say, I had a wonderful weekend with my husband. We always have a great time when the kids are with us, but this past weekend we seemed to truly enjoy each other and the time we spent together. Friday night we went to dinner and saw some friends while we were out. We had a great time talking with them and dinner was great! Saturday Brett played golf with friends and I hung out and had a little "me" time...which is important for everyone. When he got home, we worked around the yard. We decided we would get dressed and go out to dinner. Literally, as we were driving toward Abuelos, Brett mentioned a new restaurant that he had heard about from one of the guys playing golf. You have to understand...we are creatures of habit. We never try new restaurants because we like our "favorites" too much. But not this time. We were feeling adventurous. So we headed to this new place (which I'll leave anonymous). Once there, Brett ran into someone he knew. He knows someone everywhere we go! haha Right off the bat, we loved the place. Server was great, they have more beer than Tapwerks, and their food was awesome!!! We had been sitting there about 30 minutes and in walks Bob Stoops. We laughed and said we guessed we were in the right place. I thought if we were going to go to a new place, I was going out on a limb and wanted to try new things. I had a Raspberry Cream and Banana Bread beer. They were the best i had ever tasted. We had been there about an hour and had just started eating our food (sandwiches and sweet potato fries)...when in walked James. James sat at the table next to us...which was a table for six. It was an awkward moment because I felt like everyone in the place stopped what they were doing and stared at him. You see, James was a homeless man. He had dirty hair, a huge hoop earring in one ear, a large gash over his nose (we were sure it was broken), dirty clothes and was obviously lit. Not sure if it was beer or drugs...but he wasn't all there. He hung his head and just sat there. Our sever walked up and asked if he would like a water or pepsi...he only had $2. He turned to say something to Brett and it was like the whole place went silent and looked at us. For some odd reason this was a very surreal moment. I felt like time almost stopped. Brett scooted over and started talking to him. As he was talking, a gentleman walked out from the back and leaned over and said, "we're going to have to ask you to leave." Brett looked up and said, "well, we have a problem then. I'm buying James dinner and a pepsi." The gentleman said that was fine, but no alcohol. For the next 30 minutes or so, we spoke to James, shook his hand or hugged him about a dozen times, and tried to let him know that we cared and wanted to talk to him. He spoke to Brett about Jesus and at one point he looked at me and said, "I don't want to offend anyone, but you're pretty." As we left, we asked James if he wanted to take our to-go box (which was half of an untouched sandwich and fries), and he said yes! We walked to the car, neither of us saying a word...and once inside, we both broke down and cried. We just sat there. Brett said he didn't feel good leaving him. I felt like everyone in that place looked at us like "what are you doing?" Maybe I'm wrong...hopefully I'm wrong. Maybe they were thinking...thank you for talking to him. I just know that no one said a word to James. On our drive home we only talked about James...how blessed "we" were to have met him. And I almost felt mad that "who am I" to think I'm any better than he is?? We don't know his story or his history. And sure, the downtown merchants have to deal with the homeless on a day-to-day basis. I know they may not have been happy that we bought him a meal or encouraged him to stay. But how do you just turn your back? What is wrong with our society today? It could be any one of us homeless at any given time. Again, there are probably circumstances we aren't aware of...all I know is that James made a huge impact on our lives. He was a kind human being and we feel very fortunate to have met him. He kept telling Brett he wanted to repay us. Brett told him the way he could repay us is to do something nice for someone else sometime. He said he promised he would.

Last...to top off a wonderful weekend, we went to Emanuel Baptist Church in Enid on Sunday. Brett's brother Wade is the pastor. This weekend William "Paul" Young, author of The Shack, was speaking at his church. I sat mesmerized as he spoke. I wish we would have gone to every service, but we only made it to one. He was incredible. When we got home from Enid, I started reading The Shack again for the second time. What a life changing book. And Paul Young was one of the nicest, most sincere people I have ever met.

What a great weekend!!

Defend Michael

2009-03-27T15:13:00.001-07:00

Hey all,

If you get time, go to this site. This young man is 25 years old and went to school with Brandon. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison with no chance for parole. He will be 50 years old when he get's out. Irven helped financially with his defense and said they sentenced him to one of the worst prisons in the system, Leavenworth. He has a wonderful mom and dad and two younger brothers. Please keep them in your prayers.

http://defendmichael.wordpress.com/

Spring Break 2009

2009-03-19T06:17:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a fun, and busy week. This week is spring break and we've had the kids - and sometimes Hudson. Yesterday we spent the day at Sam Noble Museum and Tiger Safari with my mom (Nanaw Margaret). I had never been to either, so it was fun for all of us. My mom is an animal lover, so she loved the Tiger Safari. The kids were really good and Pierce took Will with him. When we got home, Pierce had Jack over to spend the night. They are so cute together and are having a really good time. I'm going to attach pictures from both places and also one I took last night of Pierce and Jack. We didn't know they had gone in our bedroom and climbed into our bed and fell asleep.

Photos: Jack & Pierce sleeping, Kids in canoe at Sam Noble Museum, Snow Tiger, Kids holding a ferret, Pierce holding a baby alligator)

Hope everyone is enjoying this great weather!
K

Little Hambone!

2009-03-10T14:31:00.001-07:00

I kept Hudson yesterday and never stopped laughing. He is such a funny, and loving little boy! I'll attach a few photos of him eating lunch. He is at a stage where he wants to do everything himself. He won't let you help him put his clothes on, he wants to do it himself. As he was trying to put his shirt on, I told him I wanted to take a picture...hence the "cheesy" smile!

Another funny "Hudson" story. Today was his first day at his new daycare. He is now going to my dad's daycare here in Edmond. Megan is so excited because now she and Heath will be able to attend all special events, and not have to rush after work to get him. He is literally 2 miles from Megan now. When she dropped him off this morning...for the first time, he cried and didn't want her to leave. She called me crying and was SO sad that she had to leave him. A couple of hours later, my dad went by the daycare to do some paperwork and asked his director to go check on him to make sure he was okay. She came back laughing and said he was fine. Apparently he got into Mattie's cubby and got her underwear. He was walking around with it on his head!! That's the Hudson we know and LOVE!!!! Hope they were clean :)

Life of leisure

2009-03-06T11:34:00.000-08:00

This is how Pierce spends his mornings before school. Camped out on the couch - blanket and tv tray (with Ramen noodles of all things). I have finally gotten him to the point that if he wants/needs something, that he get up and come and get me. He used to just yell, "MOM" until I came in to see what he needed. I changed that pretty quickly. :)

On another note...we kept Hudson Monday and Tuesday this week. I am so amazed how good he is. He minds...seriously he does. If he gets something out, he will put it back. He cleans up his toys when he is finished playing. And, if he does something (like hit) you tell him to go to time-out and he actually walks over and sits in his time-out place. Now, he will give you a "mad face" until he gets out of time-out, but he will sit there. Oh, and did I mention he is only 21 months old?? He and Pierce are really close. They play non-stop when he is here. This past week Pierce taught him to say - Baby and Pierce. He would walk around the house yelling PIERCE! Megan called the house last night and handed the phone to Hudson and he kept yelling PIERCE into the answering machine. Cutest thing I've ever heard! Pierce keeps begging us if he can come back over and spend the night so he can teach him new words. One thing I forgot to mention...he is already starting to be potty-trained. I know, you're saying I sound like a bragging grandma. I'm just amazed at how quickly he is learning and how well he minds. Not to mention he is the cutest kid alive. Okay, now I'm bragging :)

Trying to understand

2009-02-25T11:34:00.000-08:00

Last weekend while we were at the Great Wolf Lodge with the kids, I got a text saying a friend of mine had committed suicide that day. It was such a shock because this person always appeared happy, adored his three young boys (ages 9,11 and 13), and seemed to have a strong faith in God. There had been some events in his life over the past year (divorce, change of jobs, etc.) that could lead to depression, but I have never understood someone taking their own life. The grief and sadness it leaves behind is beyond words. His two younger boys go to Sierra and Pierce's school. I just can't stop thinking about how this has changed their lives.

The funeral is Saturday and should be very large. He was very active in the community and worked in the political arena as well. Please keep his family in your prayers. They will need them for a long time to come.

KB

Redeeming Love

2009-02-24T09:41:00.001-08:00

I just finished a great book called Redeeming Love. It is fiction, which I normally don't read, but it was recommended to me by a friend so I thought I would give it a try. I loved it! If you are looking for a good book, I recommend this one. A little mushy at times, but good writing and great message.

In "Note from the Author", she writes...

Writing Redeeming Love was a form of worship for me. Through it, I was able to thank God for loving me even when I was defiant, rebellious, contemptuous of what I thought being a Christian meant, and afraid to give my heart away. I had wanted to be my own god and have control of my life the way Eve did in the Garden of Eden. Now I know to be loved by Christ is the ultimate joy and fulfillment. Everything in Redeeming Love was a gift from the Lord: plot, characters, theme. None of it is mine to claim.
~Francine Rivers~

Great book!

Back from Great Wolf Lodge and fading quickly

2009-02-23T13:40:00.000-08:00

What a wild, and fun, thirty-six hours we had!! We left around 8:30am on Saturday morning, drove to Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, TX. We went hard and fast until we got home Sunday evening around 11:15pm.

There were five couples total in the group and we had a blast! We rode water slides, got in the wave pool, hot tub and lazy river. Then when we weren't "wet", we were playing Treasure Quest with Sierra or in the Arcade with Pierce. The kid's ranged from 6 months to 9 years old.

WOW...what a fast and furious weekend we had. We wouldn't have it any other way! Below are a few pictures from the trip. We didn't have our camera with us inside the water park, so these are a few random shots (without Brett, of course) from dinner and inside the hotel.

Headed to the Lodge!

2009-02-19T14:43:00.000-08:00

Well, we're off again in a few days to Great Wolf Lodge. The kids are SO excited! Sierra has had her bags packed since last weekend. Girl after my own heart :)

We will post pictures once we return. There are approximately 4-5 families going. Should be fun times!

By request...

2009-02-14T09:24:00.000-08:00

Okay, if you know me you know I HATE pictures of myself. My dear, sweet husband :) is always hiding around the corner trying to take pictures because he knows I don't like them.

It's funny, I think my hair looks a lot different, but to others, it probably looks exactly the same. I had colored my hair back dark for the fall/winter, so when I went in yesterday I asked her to put a "few" highlights in it so I could gradually get a little blonder for summer. I left and felt like I was REALLY blonde. Hard to tell in this picture, but I am definitely blonder!

For the guys...I know you could care less, it's a woman thing. :) Just play along and act like you care.

Some things in life ARE FREE!!!

2009-02-12T10:39:00.000-08:00

Today started out like any other day. Get up early, shower, dress, and head to appointments or run errands. I had a 10am hair appointment and as usual, was in a dilemma...what to do? I never like my hair, so I'm always trying to figure out what to do with it. I leave telling Brett I'm going to come back looking different...get to the salon and chicken out. I come home looking exactly the same. Brett is so kind. He always tells me he thinks my hair looks the BEST he's ever seen it. Even when you can't tell. He's great for my ego :) So as I'm driving to my appointment today, wondering to myself "what shall I do" - I noticed something funny about the car. About 7 miles from the house, I pull over into a parking lot to make sure nothing is wrong. Flat tire. I called Brett who immediately took care of the situation. I love that guy!

Two things came from this story...

1) Roadside Assistance showed up, changed the flat, and didn't cost us a penny! Reason number 999 I will always drive a BMW. Love the car...LOVE the service!

2) Now I have even more time to STRESS over my hair. I rescheduled for tomorrow. I'm sure next time you see me you will have forgotten this story and I will look exactly the same as I always do.

Oh...the trivial things in life.

Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger

2009-02-08T16:42:00.000-08:00

In a world where sports stars or pop stars are icons, we just got through watching 60 minutes with Katie Couric interviewing Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger - Captain of Cactus 1549 flight of US Airlines on January 15th, 2009. As we all know, the end result was the plane landing in the Hudson, with 155 passengers saved and only 2 in critical condition who eventually made a full recovery.

Anyway - Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger is a hero to me for saving lives. He also is a hero in the way that he is accepting the praise that is coming his way.... with humbleness and grace. In fact, he said to Katie when asked, "People are calling you a hero, how does that make you feel?" - " Well, I don't want to diminish the fact that they may need a person to look to, but I have lost sleep wondering what I could have done to stop ANY of this from happening". (I - Brett - have paraphrased even though it is in quotes, but good grief, have you EVER heard anything like that???) It is SO REFRESHING to hear humbleness in receiving these days!!!! Granted, it is PROBABLY motivated by his perfectionist personality, but I am married to one of "them", so I have an understanding of those emotions.

Still - thank you "Sully" for being you. For loving life, for wanting to give your all in every situation, regardless of what may come about.

Sully may not have Jesus in his heart - but for whatever it is worth, he shows Him in the way that he does his job, and even more, in the way that he accepts the praise for a job well done.

True American Hero - wish there were more.....

Now I am done, have to go watch the Grammy's. :)

BRB

Is it Spring Yet?

2009-02-08T11:54:00.000-08:00

Okay, what is up with this weather? We have spent the past two days working in the yard. Our trees and plants are already trying to bloom. What in the world?? We are getting SO excited about spring and summer. I finally convinced Brett it "IS" fun to work in the yard :) Sorry Brett, I know you will read this. Last summer he actually enjoyed working outside. Each year we try and add something to our backyard. Last year we added a fire pit and more landscaping (mostly trees). One of our trees died, so in the next couple of weeks we are getting a new one to replace it. We now have 12 trees in our backyard alone! That doesn't even take into account all the bambo, grasses, crepe myrtles, and other shrubs. We have two new houses around us, one on the south, and one directly behind us. Our goal is to make our backyard as private as possible with trees and bambo. In our neighborhood, there are a lot of hills and slopes allowing neighbors to see directly into your yard. Not so good. As much as we love our neighbors, we like some privacy. Pretty soon our yard is going to look like a jungle and "hopefully" we will be all enclosed. At least that is the plan! And for our neighbors directly behind us (they haven't moved in yet)...I pity them. Pierce and Sierra have a fort toward the back of the yard that looks directly into their backyard. Grams & Papaw bought Pierce some new "real" binoculars for his birthday this year. He has already tried them out on the neighbors. He will go upstairs in his fort and look into others backyard. One day he shouted to me that one of our neighbors was on her back porch talking on the phone...of course she could hear him too :) Grams & Papaw...just hope you have a separate savings account for bail money. Something tells me Pierce may need it :):)

Here's hoping for warm weather soon...for good!

Friday

2009-02-06T13:31:00.000-08:00

Well, our week with the kids has come and gone. Seems like they go so quickly these days. Maybe it's the fact that we never slow down when they are here. Here is a brief look at our week...

Friday: Hudson spent the night, Sierra had a sleep-over, Pierce had a friend over until late
Saturday: Ballet, Brett & Pierce went to watch Will play basketball, Sierra sleep-over, Pierce sleep-over, took four kids to church Saturday evening.
Sunday: Played all day with kids, had Megan, Heath & Hudson over for Super Bowl
Monday: School, went to see movie Inkheart, Will & his dad went with us
Tuesday: School, Team Tuesday LaserTag, then had family night watching American Idol
Wednesday: School, worked book fair at school, friends over after school, family night watching American Idol
Thursday: School, friends over after school, Open House and book fair at school in the evening, took the kids to see movie Paul Blart Mall Cop.
Friday: Took kids to school............... Now what?

As much as we LOVE spending 1:1 time with each other, we love spending time with the kids.

We are planning to take the kids to Great Wolf Lodge again in a couple of weeks. Everyone is SO excited because some of our neighbors are going as well. We'll be sure and post pictures when we get back.

Well, that was our week in a nutshell!

Animal Trainer??

2009-02-02T20:11:00.000-08:00

Maybe...

I'm not sure what it is about our animals. You know how must people say their children are SO smart? Well, ours are - but so are our animals! First, Pudge loves to skateboard and go sledding. He and Kiara will run as fast as they can and stop right at the edge of our study (only room in the house with carpet and they are NOT allowed in). Kiara will even sit as close as she can with one paw touching the carpet - until she realizes we see her and she backs away slowly. And now DIVA! She is now taking after her big brother Pudge on the skateboard! We should have our own circus...we're sitting on a gold mine people! Okay, maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself...but it could happen.

Buckle up because you never know what we'll bring you next!! We're still thinking about tricks for the frogs. They're kind of worthless...but we'll think of something.

Life is good...

2009-01-31T13:52:00.001-08:00

Playing with kids, weather is great (a little windy, but no ice), and my husband spoils me rotten.

Need I say more?

Okay, I was wrong

2009-01-28T12:30:00.000-08:00

I told you "more to come" of interesting and exciting things today. Not so much. I am keeping Hudson today so that has been fun!

He is so funny. First, he's a climber (as seen in the photo). He stands on his bike instead of riding it. Not so great on concrete floors. Although you see I snapped the picture before I grabbed him :) No casualties. Second, he is a HAM!!! If you tell him to say "CHEESE" he immediately puts a smile on his face and poses. Brett calls him Hambone!

We were sitting on the couch watching Tom & Jerry when I looked over and he was out!! I took this picture of him sleeping. Ahhh...isn't he sweet??

Melt ice....MELT!!!!!
KB

Cabin Fever!!!!

2009-01-27T19:18:00.001-08:00

TWO POSTS IN ONE DAY...I must be bored!

Okay, so....another day inside, and YES...I'm getting a little cabin fever. This morning before my husband went to work, I "guilted" him into going outside with me (and the two dogs):) to ride the sled down the driveway. Okay, I know...how old are we?? The poor dogs have been staring at me for DAYS! I had to do something with them. SO...we head outside, bundled up, with our sled, and Pudge keeps chasing us trying to get on the sled! haha How funny is that? I'm sure our neighbors thought we were crazy - but we were just bored. Hope you like the pics!!!

I'm sure more to come tomorrow...more cabin fever!!

Weather in Oklahoma

2009-01-27T07:38:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe last week (Thursday), it was 80 degrees - and yesterday and today, an ICE STORM! We couldn't get the white, beautiful snow...NO, it is ICE. Our poor plants are drooping, dogs don't want to venture outside, and the birds keep flying by the window wondering when we're going to thaw their water and give them fresh food. Pudge and Kiara just stand at the door when you open it - then they turn around and run the other way. They are definitely "indoor" dogs :) Except Kiara is a "momma's girl" - wherever I go, she goes (see photo:).

Here are a few pics we took this morning. Pretty, but a pain! I'm too active to be stuck here in the house. Yesterday I exercised for at least 3 hours! haha Brett bought me a new Exercise Bike so I've been riding while I read, listen to music, and watch tv.

Hope everyone is staying warm & dry! Enjoy it now - in a day or two it may be 70 degrees again! Ahhhh...golf weather :)

Being Thankful

2009-01-26T07:41:00.000-08:00

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
`Melody Beattie`

Lazy Saturday....

2009-01-24T15:54:00.000-08:00

Ever find yourself just sitting around doing nothing? I mean, you might be reading a book, watching tv, or listening to music - but nothing that requires any effort. That is our day today. It is bitter cold outside, the house is warm, and it is just the two of us. No plans, no errands, nothing.

Kind of nice for a change. Although, I worry if that was today - does that mean tomorrow we'll make up for it??? Probably not :).

Organization

2009-01-22T08:33:00.000-08:00

My post today may be boring for some...well, most. But this is something we're really concentrating on with our children. In today's hectic world, it seems extremely important to be organized. Now, some who know me might say I'm a little "over-the-top". I sometimes plan days, even months in advance. But it drives me crazy when people use the excuse of being "laid back" or "not worrying about things" as why they are so scattered in life. Personally, I call it lazy. In today's corporate world being organized is a top priority. If you're not on top of your game and able to multi-task, you pretty much fall behind and someone passes you by.

We have started teaching our nine year old daughter to wake-up with an alarm clock, make her bed fist thing, then brush her teeth - before she does anything else. At first, she would do this about 50% of the time. Now, it has become habit. She is so proud of herself and will even remind us each morning that she has already accomplished these tasks. As she gets older, we will incorporate more responsibility so eventually these will become habit and she will become very independent. We are slowly doing the same with our six year old son. With age comes responsibility - but also with age comes privileges.

I found the article below online and thought it was interesting. Would love to hear feedback from those that read our blog. Sometimes I think I'm TOO organized (or obsessed):), but on the other side of things, I find that some people are dependent on others to take care of them due to their lack of organization.

Organization in sociology
In sociology "organization" is understood as planned, coordinated and purposeful action of human beings to construct or compile a common tangible or intangible product. This action is usually framed by formal membership and form (institutional rules). Sociology distinguishes the term organization into planned formal and unplanned informal (i.e. spontaneously formed) organizations. Sociology analyzes organizations in the first line from an institutional perspective. In this sense, organization is a permanent arrangement of elements. These elements and their actions are determined by rules so that a certain task can be fulfilled through a system of coordinated division of labor.

An organization is defined by the elements that are part of it (who belongs to the organization and who does not?), its communication (which elements communicate and how do they communicate?), its autonomy (Max Weber termed autonomy in this context: Autocephaly)(which changes are executed autonomously by the organization or its elements?) and its rules of action compared to outside events (what causes an organization to act as a collective actor?).

By coordinated and planned cooperation of the elements, the organization is able to solve tasks that lie beyond the abilities of the single elements. The price paid by the elements is the limitation of the degrees of freedom of the elements. Advantages of organizations are enhancement (more of the same), addition (combination of different features), and extension. Disadvantages can be inertness (through co-ordination) and loss of interaction.

Organization in management and organizational studies
Main article: Organizational studies
Management is interested in organization mainly from an instrumental point of view. For a company organization is a means to an end to achieve its goals.

Thoughts?

Update

2009-01-21T10:34:00.000-08:00

Not much "exciting" going on in our lives right now. I keep sitting down at the computer trying to think of something interesting to write...and nothing. So I'll just write about a few things that have happened in our lives this week.

We have the kids this week - and are having a great time! This morning, I took Pierce to see a preview of the Dinosaur Exhibit that opens tonight at the Ford Center. He thought it was really cool and can't wait to go see ALL the dinosaurs tomorrow night.

Brett was off work Monday for MLK Day so we took the kids bowling. That was a lot of fun and both kids are really good! I think bowling on the Wii has helped but they are both highly competitive (like their parents :).

Last night we all watched the Inaugural Ball and American Idol. We had a lot of fun - Pierce BOO'ING the bad contestants. haha I will say, I am a little disappointed in American Idol this year. It used to be more of a "Family" show...we had to monitor what they could and could not watch. Too bad they've moved away from the family audience.

The kids asked a lot of questions about our newly elected President and his family. It was a lot of fun to watch it with them and be able to talk to them about it. Brett is really good about explaining things to the kids. We think it's really important for them to see the "good" in our President - even if he wasn't who we voted for. He IS our President now and hopefully everyone will rally around and support him. I'm sure we won't agree with everything he does but when have we agreed with everything a President has done? Toughest job in the world!

Hope everyone is having a great week and enjoying this beautiful weather. I don't know about you but I would really like for it to snow. Then warm up quickly so we can play golf :)

KB

2009-01-19T07:46:00.000-08:00

God understands our prayers even when we can't find the words to say them.

New family member

2009-01-14T19:29:00.000-08:00

For those of you who know us well, you know we love animals. We have Pudge (Bulldog), Kiara (Shih tzu), who turned 1 year old today!!! Goldie and Spot (Fire belly toads), Zorm (Betta fish), and our newest member.................................
DIVA the Dove!! Sierra got a new Dove and she is awesome! She is so sweet and tame. Who would have thought a bird would be a good pet? She let's you hold her, sits on your shoulder, and doesn't make noise.

Stay tuned, who knows what we will have next??

SO STINK'N CUTE!!

2009-01-07T20:43:00.001-08:00

I know everyone thinks their children and grandchildren are the cutest...well, I'm sorry, but Hudson is the cutest baby I've ever seen! And to top it off, he is so darn funny!! No,the glasses aren't real - but I couldn't get him to take them off all day.

Sorry, just bragging on our grandson again.

A look back at 2008...

2009-01-01T13:39:00.000-08:00

January 1, 2009. WOW, I can't believe it's already 2009. Last year (2008) was an interesting year for us. Below are a few things (month-by-month) that happened in our family. Again, this is just a glimpse of 2008. Hope you enjoy!

January: I was winding down my 18 year career at the newspaper. It was a hard time for me, leaving good friends and a history behind. Sierra revealed that she was told there was no Santa. She was sad, but relieved that she told us. Celebrated our 2 year anniversary in our house.

February: Last day at the paper - celebrated with co-workers. Spent an awesome Valentine's Day with my husband (limo, The Mantle, priceless...). Spent time with our Life Group (which we hosted at our house). Celebrated my mom's birthday.

March: Easter with Kids, Spring Break (first one ever home with kids). Went to Arizona with Brett on his annual President's Club trip. Stayed at a golf resort in Tucson and had a blast!

April: Went to Long Beach, CA with Brett for a medical conference. Beautiful scenery and great time together. Megan got married April 19th.

May: Had a wonderful Mother's Day with family. Brandon got engaged. Some of our dearest friends brought home their baby girl Shiloh from Guatemala. Spent Memorial Day with family honoring our loved ones that have passed. HUDSON'S BIRTHDAY!! Hudson turned 1 years old on May 29th. Celebrated with a Backyardigan's party in Megan's backyard.

June: Celebrated my ?? birthday :) As always, my husband makes it a special day for me. Pierce learned to ride a bike and swim all in the month of June! Celebrated Father's Day with the special men in our lives. Community Pool opened, opened our pool and spent hours, upon hours outside swimming!

July: Started playing golf with Brett. My new favorite sport and we are playing every chance we get! Sierra went to the lake with a friend over 4th of July so we just had Pierce. Had a fun 4th with neighbors and shot fireworks in our neighborhood (oops). Four years of wedding bliss. We celebrated our four year wedding anniversary (will take annual anniversary trip in September). Celebrated Brett's dads birthday

August: Celebrated Brett's birthday. Took a trip to Great Wolf Lodge with the kids. It was a quick trip, but we didn't waste a minute! Watched the Summer Olympics and watched Micheal Phelps make history. Sierra started 3rd grade, Pierce started kindergarten. Celebrated Megan's 22nd birthday!!! Sierra started playing softball.

September: Spent 7 days at the Adventura Spa & Resort in Mexico. Attended a friend's wedding, and also celebrated our 4 year anniversary. Was a beautiful place with about 35 people attending the wedding. We had a great time! Worked in the yard a lot. Still swimming... OU FOOTBALL

October: Hudson is growing like a weed and as cute as ever! Lots of birthdays in October...Brandon turned 25, My grandmother turned 91, Brett's mom had a birthday (age ?) and Sierra turned 9 years old. Kids enjoyed playing outside (weather still really warm). We are still working in the yard and trying to prepare for fall. Fall break spent a lot of time with the kids (park, picnic, etc). Hudson found his shadow :) Halloween - took the kids to the Pumpkin Patch (Megan & Hudson included).

November: Our first black president was elected. Our beautiful grandson is STILL growing!! Spending more time inside...but enjoying our firepit outside on chilly nights. Thanksgiving and Pierce's birthday - both on the same day! Pierce turned 6 years old Thanksgiving day. We celebrated with a party, and also spent the night at the Retreat Center with Brett's family.

December: And finally...December. Shopping...lots of shopping. Took Sierra, Pierce, Megan & Hudson to the Festival of Lights in Chickasha. Took a horse and buggy ride and enjoyed the lights. The entire family came down with a stomach virus...not fun! Pierce pulled his two front teeth. Sierra lost her 10th tooth. Brandon graduated from college (YAY!), Megan got a promotion at work and we had a wonderful Christmas with family.

Well, as I said it is just a glimpse. I'm sure there are monumental things I am leaving out, but seemed like the year flew by! Maybe it was the fact that I wasn't working - and felt busier than ever. Or maybe it is just that with each passing day, each experience seems better than the last so you tend to forget the old. That is the beauty of computers (blogs). If you really want a glimpse of our life...go back to January 1, 2008 and start reading. I am going to try and do better job in 2009 capturing our lives on our blog. Not only to keep everyone up-to-date...but so when I am sitting here at my computer on January 1, 2010 I won't have a brain-freeze and forget what we did over the year :)

I am truly looking forward to 2009. I feel closer to God, my husband and my entire family...and just know it is going to be a good year.

Here's wishing you and your family a blessed and prosperous 2009!

Christmas at our house

2008-12-29T07:27:00.000-08:00

Below are a few pictures to give you just a "glimpse" of what our Christmas was like. We had a wonderful holiday with family. These pictures span over several days...letters to Santa, Christmas Eve at my Dad's, Christmas morning at our house, Christmas at my Mom's and Christmas with Brett's Mom and Dad. FUN TIMES!!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T06:43:00.000-08:00

May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through!

The Thrill of Victory...The Agony of Defeat

2008-12-22T06:05:00.000-08:00

Well, what started out to be a great evening, ended quickly. Pierce pulled both of his front teeth yesterday evening - both within an hour of the other.

Then...not long after his head hit the pillow, teeth underneath for the Tooth Fairy, Pierce woke suddenly with the same stomach virus we had last week. Poor baby. Let's just say he trashed his bed, our bed and the guest bed. He is still sound asleep this morning...and hopefully this is just a 24 bug for his sake. Now we wait, and pray that Sierra doesn't get it.

It was a LONG NIGHT...but when it is your children, it just doesn't seem to matter.

Hope everyone has a great week - and has finished your Christmas Shopping!

KB

Monumental Week!

2008-12-21T17:33:00.001-08:00

Last night Sierra lost her tooth! This is the tenth tooth Sierra has lost. Then tonight Pierce lost his third tooth! His top front tooth. He was SO excited! He is about to lose his other front tooth, and says he is going to work it until it comes out so he can lose it before Christmas.

Tooth Fairy and Santa all in one week! What more could a child as for? :)

Back in the swing of things!

2008-12-19T09:16:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day this week we have really felt better. Although - the day is still young :) Yesterday, we thought we were better. Brett went to work, I got up and ran some errands, and by mid-afternoon...it hit us again. We were both down again last night. Not sure what this is, but it doesn't feel good, and it sticks around WAY TOO LONG.

Also - New Book. I'm reading "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. It was a little slow in the beginning - but now I love it!

On a side note - my previous post "Obsession" (for my close friends who know the situation). Yesterday was yet another example. It's a feeling that is hard to describe - other than smothered. And sad. Keep us in your prayers!

Merry Christmas to everyone!

Tis the Season...to be sick!

2008-12-17T12:43:00.000-08:00

Monday evening sickness suddenly hit Brett. He turned white, headed for the bathroom, and then went to lay down. I first thought maybe it was food poisoning, but then I wasn't sick...yet. We both went to bed and before we knew it, we were both in separate bathrooms. This happened all night long - throwing up every hour ALL NIGHT LONG. At one point, me, Brett and Pudge (our bulldog), were all throwing up at the same time. I opted out on cleaning that up...glad it wasn't my dog. :) Around 2:30am, I received a text from our oldest daughter Megan that she was sick - same thing. Guess we all had a stomach virus or a slight case of the flu. Whatever it was (or is) it is nasty. We didn't get out of bed all day on Tuesday, and crawled out of bed today around 9am, now we're both down again. Fever, body aches, throwing up...UGH!

The bright side is at least we got it over with before Christmas.

Chickasha Festival of Lights

2008-12-08T16:42:00.000-08:00

Last night we took the kids (Megan & Hudson included), to see the holiday lights in Chickasha. We had so much fun! The first thing we did was take a horse & carriage ride.

Guess who had to sit up front with the driver? YES, PIERCE! He jumped up front next to "Sam" our driver and Sierra sat next to him.

The rest of us sat right behind them and we were all wrapped up in blankets. It was a beautiful night - and a great time with family. Next we got out of the carriage and walked around the lights. Pierce wanted everyone to go to the big red tree. We played tag, took pictures, and spent quality time with everyone.

We have a great family!

Little Drummer Boy

2008-12-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

If you get a chance, scroll to the very bottom and watch the video - Little Drummer Boy from Life Church. Pretty amazing!

Happy Birthday to our Sweet 6 year old!

2008-11-28T17:48:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, November 27th, Pierce turned six years old. Can you believe it? It seems like yesterday he was a baby. Since he was unfortunate enough this year to have his "actual" birthday on Thanksgiving day, we decided to make it a "week long" party. He didn't have any objections to that! :) We started with a day for the "boys" on Saturday. His best friend Jack came over around noon and they played all day. Pierce has so much fun playing at home, that he really didn't want to go anywhere. Sierra helped me decorate the house with streamers and balloons, and we also had a big chocolate chip cookie cake for him. Later in the day, he and Jack played at McDonald's, then we all went to see Bolt the new Disney movie. After the movie, Pierce opened presents and we all had cake and ice cream and Jack slept over. Turned out to be a really fun day and one that Pierce has talked about all week. On Tuesday night, Pierce, Will (his "other" best friend) Brett and Will's dad Andy all went to play Laser Tag. They had a blast! Although, I'm not sure who had more fun - the boys or the dads?? I stayed home with Sierra and we made homemade pizza and watched the movie Home Alone 3. Fun night! Will stayed over Tuesday night because there was no school on Wednesday for the Thanksgiving break. Wednesday evening we headed to the Retreat Center in Norman where we spent most of our Thanksgiving with Brett's family. We stayed until 10pm that evening - and again Will was able to go with Pierce...another fun night! Thursday, which was his birthday, we went to my grandmothers for lunch...she made Pierce a cake and we all sang Happy Birthday. We then headed to my mom's where she had more presents...and then off to the Retreat Center to spend the night. What Pierce didn't realize was we had already called Will's dad to see if we could go pick him up so he could spend the night with Pierce again at the Retreat Center. When we picked Will up, the boys watched Santa Claus 2 and The Grinch that stole Christmas in the car and laughed all the way there. At the Retreat Center, Pierce opened more presents, everyone sang Happy Birthday and then he had birthday cake. Talk about a birthday! Hope he doesn't expect a week long birthday party every year! haha

It was really fun and the kids had a great time. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Pierce and Jack

Pierce making a wish

Obsession

2008-11-22T20:48:00.000-08:00

Ever notice how you run across people in your life that seem to be obsessed with you? I mean, no matter what you do, where you go, or even the people you associate yourself with, there they are. Trust me, we know the feeling. Seems like these people (whom will remain anonymous) are obsessed with everything we do. Everywhere we turn, there they are. Whether it is at church, with family, or even the circle of friends we have…they find a way to involve themselves. My mother tells me it is a “form of flattery” – I say admire us less. It’s not that we don’t like them - it’s just that sometimes you would like some privacy and a life of your own.

Makes you wonder if your life is just that interesting … or they just don't have a life. Guess we’ll never know, and I guess we should just enjoy life and hope some day they will find something more interesting than our lives.

Hope your life is “obsession” FREE!

Ready for the COLD

2008-11-19T15:14:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for the weather to change. Don't get me wrong, I love the warm weather - swimming, playing outside with the kids, taking walks, etc... But now that the holidays are here, it just doesn't seem like Thanksgiving or Christmas with 70 degree weather. I could do without the ice storms, but bring on the snow! Guess we'll get a dose of it tomorrow. Cold, not snow. My poor plants can't decide whether to bloom, or shrivel up and die. And I just don't have the heart to dig them up when their still blooming.

Then there's my wardrobe. I'm so confused. I changed closets and put my summer clothes up and pulled out my winter clothes... but I look ridiculous running around in sweaters when it's 70+ degrees. So bring it on, I'm ready for sweater weather.

Have a great "chilly" Thursday!

Okay, okay...

2008-11-18T12:39:00.000-08:00

I've already changed the blog. I decided I would wait until at least after Thanksgiving before putting the Christmas colors in your face :) For now...this is a little more subtle.

Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weather!

Hudson

2008-11-17T12:36:00.000-08:00

Hudson spent the night with us last night. We had SO much fun! He played outside on the slide, fort, and in his sandbox. Once the sun went down - which is REALLY early now, he watched football with Pops (photo below), and also went outside to see the fire Pop built in the firepit (photo right). He was so cute in his little jammies, stocking cap and house shoes.

The picture below is of him sweeping the floor. He loves to sweep!! Funny thing is, those are JB's Spiderman boxers and white shirt. It's hard to believe Hudson is already in his clothes.

Can't wait to see him at Christmas. This will be his first "real" Christmas. Last year he was really too young to know what was going on.

Tis the Season!

2008-11-15T12:05:00.000-08:00

I thought I would change our blog to get everyone in the holiday spirit!

I can't believe Thanksgiving is around the corner...but even more so, that it is almost 2009! Where does the time go?

Here's to a wonderful holiday season!!!

Our Beautiful Grandson...

2008-11-11T08:25:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share!
KB

Change

2008-11-05T07:53:00.000-08:00

This was in an email someone sent me this morning...

Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Forget about those who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would most likely be worth it.

Some people are sad, and even scared about our new President. What is done, is done and hopefully everyone will support him and do what we can to turn things around and make them right. There were a lot of African-American people that were overcome with joy last night. I have no idea how they feel because I'm not in their shoes. What I do know, is we have the freedom to vote...THANK GOD, we have the freedom to vote. And more people turned out to vote in this historic election than ever in our history. SO, if electing our first African-American President is what it took to make that happen, maybe it will make an impact on our young children and they will someday vote and realize the impact that has in our day-to-day lives. I was amazed at the number of young people I heard say - I'm not going to vote because I don't like either candidate. How sad...they have the right and the freedom, but they don't exercise it. Hopefully if there is anything this election did, it is to open the eyes of everyone and help them understand that we are ONE, and we all have the right and the privilege to vote. You may not like the outcome, but at least we all had the opportunity to be heard. I don't know about you, but I was proud to wear my "I VOTED" sticker yesterday. And I didn't mind standing in line for 1-1/2 hours. And I watched until the final speeches were made. It feels good to be able to say you were a part of history last night. Either way, whatever the outcome, it was historical. I hope everyone will see the good, overlook any hatred or negative thoughts, and speak only good things to our young children about the new President of the United States. It's important that we all come together - especially now.

Trick-or-Treat

2008-10-31T09:29:00.000-07:00

Today is Halloween. I can't remember a recent Halloween that the weather has been so nice. Unfortunately, this is the first Halloween in four years that we have not had Sierra and Pierce. They are both excited and plan to dress-up as Princess Laya and a Ninja. Pierce keeps saying he is coming over here to trick-or-treat, but I think they will probably stay at the other house and go in that neighborhood. Either way, it is about them having fun and we are so blessed that which ever house they are at, they are loved and will have fun.

Hudson is dressing up as a Sock Monkey this year. He is not quite as excited as Aunt Sierra and Uncle Pierce about the whole trick-or-treat festivities - see picture below. This was taken at Haunt the Zoo the other evening.

I remember it took Pierce until he was about 4 years old to really enjoy it. I'll never forget when he was around 3 years old, we were trick-or-treating in our old neighborhood and an older boy with a really scary mask came up to him. He dropped his candy bucket, started crying, and ran as fast as he could toward our house. I thought he was going to be scarred for life! haha Now he wants to be the one dressing up in a scary mask scaring the small children. I guess pay-back time! Oh, how life does cycle.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween...and enjoys the nice weather this weekend. I don't think it's going to last much longer.

DON'T FORGET TO FALL BACK AN HOUR!!
KB

A fun day at the Pumpkin Patch!

2008-10-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

Sunday after church, we took Sierra, Pierce, Megan, and Hudson to the TG Farms Pumpkin Patch in Newcastle. Other than the wind blowing a million miles an hour, we had a great time! There was a lot for the kids to do...ride horses, petting zoo, corn maze, slides, and most importantly...each person got to pick out their own pumpkin to take home. Hudson seemed to enjoy sitting in the wagon eating cheetos the best. We all piled our pumpkins on top of him so he wasn't going anywhere. But judging from the cheese all over his face, I don't think he really cared about the pumpkins! :)

Attached are some pictures of our fun day. One of the funniest things all day was Pierce getting in the pig pen. He saw some other older kids doing it, so he slowly climbed over, but kept his distance. Below you will see a picture of him running from a "small" pig. He's definitely a City Boy!

Feast or Famine!

2008-10-24T17:48:00.001-07:00

We picked up the kids today from school. We have laughed all night because we go from a quiet week with just the two of us (me & Brett), to a house full of kids! Don't get me wrong, we love it! On the weeks Sierra and Pierce are home, the neighborhood kids are waiting on our doorstep when we pull into the driveway.

Tonight we only have two friends over. There have been times, when we have up to 8 kids at the house at once. I just cooked dinner, and now Brett has taken all of them to the Family Video store to pick out games/movies. Hope he makes it back in one piece. haha Let's just say they were a little hyper when they left :)

Here's to another great, eventful, LOUD, active, week at the Burleson house.

Heck... what's a few more running around here??

KB

Cutest Baby EVER!

2008-10-20T13:18:00.000-07:00

Hudson found his shadow this weekend and loved chasing it! He has to be the cutest baby EVER!!! And so affectionate. Although, I am a little partial :)

Tradition

2008-10-18T10:36:00.000-07:00

This past week Sierra turned 9 years old. In the past, birthdays and holidays have been about receiving gifts. As we looked around, we realized our children have more than they will ever use. We also know there are children, and adults, that go without every day. So, we sat the kids down and talked to them about starting our own family tradition. Every birthday and Christmas, one of our gifts to them is to drive them to the Jesus House and let them give some of their things to a needy child. They were both excited, and accepting of the idea. So Sierra collected some of her items...a new coat she has outgrown, shoes, clothes, etc.. and we loaded it up and drove her downtown. When we arrived, we got out of the car and met a really nice man. He was so nice to Sierra and told her he knows a lot of sweet girls about her age that he has dinner with every night. He told Sierra he would make sure they knew that she brought the things "personally" to give to them.

As we drove away, Sierra had a huge smile on her face...and of course I was crying. What better gift to give a child...the gift of giving. We are pretty proud of our children, and hope that this will be a family tradition they will pass down to their children.

"Children are the living messages we will send to a time we will not see."
~John W. Whitehead

Fall Break

2008-10-16T06:33:00.001-07:00

Beginning today, the kids are on Fall Break. Pierce is already up playing with toys, and Sierra is still asleep. We have a lot of fun things planned for the next several days. And it looks like the weather is going to cooperate! I love this time of year...and it's so much fun to be home and be able to share it with the kids. I owe that to my husband. He was determined that I was going to have "my turn" and stay home. He's so awesome!

Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weather as much as we are. I'll post pictures of Fall Break activities later.

Addition: Okay, we have had a great day! I took Sierra, Pierce & Will to the park. We had a picnic first, then fed the ducks/fish, then took a nature walk. We are getting ready to go see a movie with Will and his family as soon as Brett gets home from work. I'll attach a few pictures from the park. We have more fun things planned tomorrow!

Happy Birthday Sierra (Not Daddy's "little" Girl Anymore)

2008-10-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

Nine years ago today Sierra Burleson was born.
Who would know that she would grow into becoming one of the most caring young women in the world?!

She has a loving heart and beautiful personality.
She is a great daughter, sister and aunt (although a little too much like a "mom" sometimes). :)

It is scary to think that I probably cannot call her my "little" girl anymore because she has grown up so quickly, but I will probably call her that for the rest of her life. :)

Happy Birthday Sierra.

BB

The "BOO" Bandit

2008-10-13T18:57:00.001-07:00

Yes folks, believe it or not, this is our little girl. She and I went and "Boo'ed" her best friend tonight. We had SO much fun! Sierra put together a really cute Halloween sack, complete with everything her friend would like. Then she put anonymous notes inside...because that's what Booing is, being anonymous. She dressed in black - down to her shoes, and then we drove over after dark. I parked down the street and Sierra carefully, and quietly, sat the sack on her porch. Then she rang the doorbell and ran like the wind!!! She was so fast she almost scared me! haha She was yelling, "GO, GO, GO" and I kept thinking, how old are you??

Then I remembered...that's right, she has a birthday tomorrow and will be 9 years old. Our little girl is growing up, and just "Boo'ed" someone for the first time.
KB

The Fun Continues...

2008-10-13T08:16:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pictures from this weekend. See others in post below.

Megan thought it would be fun to let the kids do shaving cream art this weekend. They had other ideas to do with the shaving cream! haha Sierra and her friend Bailey decided to cover the trampoline. They had a blast!

We thought it would be best to use pudding for Hudson. He eats everything :) We soon found out, he doesn't like to get dirty! haha Megan spray painted his hair red, white and blue for the day. He was hilarious, and had so much fun with the big kids.

Pierce had a friend over from school, Zion. They were inside playing games. Oh, in case you're wondering...this was Saturday. The photo's below are from Sunday.

Best Friends!

2008-10-12T15:10:00.000-07:00

Today the kids both invited their "best friend" over to play. Sierra and Breck, Pierce and Jack, all played and had a great time. We love it when the kids have friends over.

THE BLACK PACK - The kids all dressed up in black and played hide-n-seek
Fun times!!

Birthday Pics

2008-10-08T16:19:00.000-07:00

We had a small family birthday party for Brandon's 25th birthday. It was a little late...but didn't stop us from having a great time!

Brandon & Megan

Brandon & Mom

Brandon & Grandpa Ezra

Brandon & Nanaw Margaret

Mimi & Momma "sandwich" Hudson

Yes, my friends and family...Brett WAS at the party. But as usual, he is always the one behind the camera. He does a great job taking pictures, but he is missed in the photos :(

Four Generations

2008-10-06T10:02:00.000-07:00

Photo of four generations (Mary Dell, Kelly, Hudson & Megan).

Saturday evening we had a birthday party for my grandmother, Mary Dell Daniel. She turned 91 on Saturday. Her sister, who lives in Texas, drove up with her care taker to help celebrate. My grandmother still drives to church, goes to the salon to have her hair and nails done, and still takes her friends out to eat (or cooks for them), on a regular basis. I hope I am this active, and look this good when I'm 91!
KB

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

2008-10-03T16:42:00.000-07:00

Brandon:
Twenty-five years ago today (October 3, 1983), God blessed me with a beautiful baby boy. I was twenty years old and just a baby myself. I was so naive, and didn't have a clue how to raise a child. But I loved children and knew I wanted a large family. Did I mention, I had married Brandon's dad July 9, 1981, and didn't care anything about going out with friends, or for that matter, going to college. I had a good job and was ready to start a family. SO...at 2am, October 3rd, I woke up and knew it was time to head to the hospital (he was due Oct. 1st). I got out of bed, showered, put on my make-up, rolled my hair...with Scott yelling at me to hurry the entire time. haha We got to the hospital at 4:30am and I was already dialated to a 6! I hadn't even had a pain yet. At 8:36am, I had a 9 lb, 3oz, baby boy with a head full of hair! He looked like a catcher from the beginning :) He was a perfect baby - I know all mothers say that. But he really was. From that day forward, I knew I was hooked. I am so proud of Brandon and what he has accomplished in his life. And he has a great future ahead of him. Even though I didn't stay married to Brandon and Megan's dad,we had two wonderful children. Now they are blessed with a great step-dad, and step-mom. Happy Birthday, Brandon!

Mary Dell Daniel:
Tomorrow, October 4th, is my grandmothers 91st birthday. She is such a great role-model in my life. She has not only been a great grandmother to me, she is a wonder grandmother to all 4 of our children. I love my grandmother beyond words...and I am so glad she is a part of my life.
Happy Birthday, Nanaw!

Mary Burleson:
Tomorrow is also my mother-in-laws birthday. She came into my life on July 23, 2004 and I feel so blessed to have her in my life. I never dreamed I would have an extended family as fun, loving, and accepting as I do. I look forward to holidays when the entire family is together - which is unusual for most families. And I truly love and admire both Mary and Paul (Brett's mom & dad). Mary is a very strong, independent, smart person, who loves her children and continues to grow in her relationship with all of them. I really admire that. Funny, Brett always tells me I'm a lot like his mom. I take that as a compliment :)
Happy Birthday, Mary!

Two Cuties!

2008-10-02T14:34:00.000-07:00

I know I'm a little prejudice, but aren't these just the two cutest kids you've ever seen?

Just wanted to share a couple of photos of the kids. They always like dressing up for school. In fact, they always want their picture taken! I seriously think Pierce is going to be a model. He posed about 10 different ways.

On a funny note...yesterday Pierce got in the car after school and threw his back pack in the back seat. He looked at me and said, "I have to change schools" haha. I asked what happened and he began to tell me how a little girl in his class pulled his Iguana (key chain we got him in Mexico) off his back pack and scratched him. He wants to go back to his old school. Whew...every day is a journey with Pierce. That's why we love him!

KB

Falling behind

2008-10-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

I know I have been falling down on the job keeping this blog current. But not sure life has been so exciting lately. Don't get me wrong...life is GREAT! But just not sure it is anything out of the ordinary, and don't want to bore everyone :)

This week I have had the opportunity to keep Hudson. He is adorable and I will attach a few new photos. Pierce is beginning to like school a little better. At least he doesn't dread going...but not thrilled about it either. He is riding his bike all over the neighborhood, and he and Sierra got new air guns. I know, I know...I wasn't in favor of them in the beginning. But we have STRICT rules about goggles, where they can shoot one another (shoulders down), and a laundry list of other rules. Plus, all the kids in the neighborhood have them so it has become a huge game for them to run around and shoot one another. The bb's are plastic - but they still sting. Both kids say they don't hurt. It's hilarious because Sierra is the only girl in the group. The rest are boys, and most of them 9 years and up. Pierce hangs in with them and holds his own. They have a blast playing with them! Last night, when Megan came to pick up Hudson, Pierce put on his goggles, got his gun, and proceeded to follow her around pretending to shoot her...in the buttocks! haha She tried to be serious, but couldn't help but laugh because he was so serious. She threatened that he wouldn't see his next birthday if he shot her, which he didn't understand...but he waited until she loaded the car and started backing out of the driveway - then it was over. He shot her car all the way down the street! haha Did I mention his gun is an automatic? Didn't hurt her car, but she said it sounded loud from inside. He knows he is not allowed to shoot cars (including ours), but Megan doesn't seem to mind, and he has caught onto that. After dad got home, they all (including the neighborhood kids), put on black clothing, waited until it got dark, then played hide-and-seek outside. They had so much fun! I sat outside and watched, plus gave a few hints along the way.

Thursday evening we are having our first annual neighborhood cookout. One of our neighbors took it upon himself to plan it. We are all meeting at the community pool (parking lot - since the pool is closed). They have huge grills and are going to supply all the food. Will be fun, and will give the kids (and adults) a chance to meet everyone in the neighborhood.

Last, our "little" Pudge lost his manhood yesterday. Brett was really sad and felt sorry for him. He came through the surgery just fine and I think will be better for everyone in the long run. Pierce cried when we told him, but then Brett explained that he would be just fine. I keep telling Brett he is going to bark like a girl now! haha He doesn't think it is funny. :)

I'll attach a few photos of the kids. Hope everyone is enjoying this great weather!!

Fall

2008-09-22T06:29:00.001-07:00

Today is the first "official" day of Fall. The weather is predicted to be in the mid 80's all week - not too Fall like, but great day to work in the yard. Speaking of working in the yard, we spent the entire weekend changing our landscape in our front flowerbeds. We added a Weeping Snow Fountain Cherry Tree, transplanted several trees to other areas, and planted some pencil evergreens. We also pulled out all of our potato vine (I got tired of cutting it back). I love working in the yard and watching our yard change...but what I really love is that my husband enjoys it as well. He has really gotten into the landscaping this year and it is a lot of fun. We now have 12 trees in our backyard and I'm sure we will regret it years down the road. But for now, it is really pretty. Last night my husband decided he was going to "wine & dine" me since we spent the entire weekend working. He grilled Tilapia, and set up a table on our deck - white table cloth, flower, candle and all! We sat outside and ate our dinner while watching the Cowboys play the Packers on the patio tv. Doesn't get much better than that! Oh, did I mention, he put a fire in the fire pit so once dinner was over (and he washed dishes), we sat by the fire. Sometimes life seems surreal, I almost feel guilty for being so happy. I can't imagine my life with anyone else.

Tonight it's Brett's turn...we're headed to play golf after work and then I get to cook dinner.

Side note...we took pictures of our two babies (Pudge & Kiara). Thought everyone might like to see some of the other family members (minus the frogs & fish :))

WE'RE BACK!

2008-09-13T13:14:00.000-07:00

(view from our room)

We made it back from Mexico...just in time. I don't think they got a lot of rain in Mexico, but we flew into Texas - which was hit pretty hard by Hurricane Ike.
Attached are a few more photo's from our trip. We had a great time and really enjoyed the people that attended the wedding. Most live here locally (Okc or Tulsa), some are from Texas. We are planning to have a get-together at our house sometime in the near future with some of the couples from the trip.

We picked up the kids on Thursday after school, and kept Hudson all day Thursday and Friday. Back to the swing of things!

Hope everyone is have a great weekend and staying dry. Our kids are playing out in the rain and loving life. Pierce has been playing in the rain all day with his "best friend" Will. He came in earlier and told us it is the best day of his life! haha

Life is good.

SUN!!

2008-09-08T18:38:00.001-07:00

Tonight we ate at a great little Italian Restaurant before coming back to our room to watch "American" football...not "Futbol" as they say here in Mexico! haha We are both roasted from being in the sun all day today (ouch) and decided to come back to the room and take it easy. We had a marathon day in the sun - not even realizing how long we were out there. We had so much fun with Lindsey and Brent that we lost track of time. We are paying for it now.

Hope you enjoy all the pictures so far...not sure if we will be able to post tomorrow, but will try and add more photo's when we get home.

Hurricane Ike

2008-09-08T16:20:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like we're just going to miss Hurricane Ike. Reports now say it should hit our area sometime Wednesday. Today was beautiful and we stayed at the pool most of the day - then we headed out to snorkel.

(Brett snorkeling...my toes:)

(Other photos: Waterfall at the resort, Kelly & Lindsey (new bride) at the pool today with swim-up bar in the background, Iguana's - there are TONS of Iguana's at the resort. These were sitting on a wall as we walked by. One even ate a leaf out of Brett's hand!) )

Hope you enjoy the pictures! We have many more we will put online once we get home.

MEXICO

2008-09-06T06:43:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is...our first blog from Mexico. We have free internet - we've just been so busy we haven't had time to write. We are having a great time and "so far" the weather has been beautiful. We have heard Hurricane Ike may hit before we leave, so we will continue to watch the weather closely.

Last night was the wedding, and everything was perfect. The bride rode up to the gazebo on a horse-drawn carriage. There are approximately 35 people here for the wedding, but most are leaving today. We are staying until next week to celebrate our four year anniversary.

Yesterday, Brett and two other guys played golf at the Jack Nicklaus Moon Palace Golf Resort. The pictures attached of the monkeys, Iguana and Tejons (look like ant-eaters) were on the golf course. Brett said they had to scare an Iguana off the tee box so they could hit. Funny how they are very comfortable around humans here. The Iguana's are all around the pool at the resort...and we're not talking "small" Iguana's either. Brett fell in love with Paco the Iguana (see photo of Brett holding him). They have a staff member that walks around with different "tame" animals each day. The picture of the Conch (saltwater snail), is from our beach at the hotel. Brett and Lee (one of the guys here for the wedding) found it while snorkeling. Pretty cool, huh?

It is Sunday, and we just got in from breakfast. We will probably head out to the pool soon. I think we are going to snorkel today, but if not, we will take our books and lay under a cabana and read. It's very relaxing, but we miss the kids and Hudson.

Feel free to email or comment on the blog. We will probably post again tonight or tomorrow with more pics. Hope the weather is nice back home - see everyone soon!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEG!!!

2008-08-27T11:04:00.001-07:00

Twenty-two years ago today, God blessed me with a beautiful baby girl. I remember being just barely 23 myself - and headed to the hospital at 6am on August 27, 1986 to have my second child. I wasn't really scared because I had done this before. Brandon was born three years earlier and weighed 9lbs, 3oz, so I knew I could handle anything. Once I got there and they admitted me, they induced labor. My regular doctor was out of town, so Dr. Curry was his back-up and decided to go ahead and induce me...she was two days past her due date. After several hours of labor, pretty intense labor, I wasn't prepared for what they were about to tell me...she was BREECH! Had no one figured this out before they decided to induce me?? They decided since she was "buttock" down, instead of feet down, they would let me go ahead and have her...no c-section needed. She was born at 2:15pm that afternoon and weighed 7lbs, 4oz. She was one of the prettiest babies I have ever seen. Beautiful skin, lots of brown hair and...Perfect. That's the only word that comes to mind. She was all, and more that I ever dreamed of. And, to top things off, she slept all night through beginning the first night she came home from the hospital. I wasn't prepared for that either. I would wake-up every couple of hours and just lean over and put my hand on her chest to make sure everything was okay. She slept the first couple of months in a bassinet next to my bed.

Three months after Megan was born, her dad and I decided to separate. We got a divorce after that and there I was, 23 years old, a three year old and a three month old. I can't tell you how many times I have thanked God for such wonderful children. They both were very respectful and never got into trouble. God has blessed me in so many ways, but being a single mom, I truly feel like he was always there to guide me each step of the way.

I was proud of her growing up, but I have to say...I think I'm even more proud of her now as a mother. She is a wonderful mother to Hudson. He is one lucky little boy.

Happy Birthday Megan! I can't believe my baby is already 22.

KB

Blue Like Jazz

2008-08-24T15:43:00.000-07:00

I finished another good book today, Blue Like Jazz. If you liked The Shack, you might like this book as well.

I'm not sure if it is the books I've been reading, the fact that we've gone to several different churches lately, or listening to people that profess to be Christians - but are very judgmental of others and say one thing and do another. But something inside me has changed lately. I feel closer to God - but further away from the church. I almost feel angry at the church right now and I'm trying to figure out why. It's like going to several different doctors and they all tell you something different. They both practice the same medicine, but their diagnosis is different. I feel that way about the church. Aren't we supposed to love EVERYONE the same? No matter if they are rich, poor, Christians, non-Christians, etc...? I don't feel like I'm hearing that right now. In fact, I had a person tell me just recently (and let me mention up front, this is a person that has invited us to their church, go every time the doors are open, and talk about their walk with God), tell me that she was glad we were going to another church other than Life. She said her son was dating a girl that went to that church and when she wouldn't change churches, he broke-up with her. He wouldn't date anyone that went to a church like that. Huh?? I don't understand that. I always thought having a relationship with God, meant that you loved people like God loves you...unconditionally. Am I missing something? No wonder so many people stray away from the church. Sometimes I feel like I should apologize to people that don't have a relationship with God...that "we" are the ones that have pushed them away. I say "we" meaning the people that go to church and have a relationship with God. Shouldn't we be the ones loving those people RIGHT WHERE THEY ARE?

Blue Like Jazz is a little different, and some people may not relate to this book...but I started reading it because my son (Brandon) read it and asked me to read it. He really related to it, and to be honest, has struggled with church and his relationship with God in the past. I thought if this is something that will help him grow spiritually, then I need to take the time to read it. And I'm glad I did. There were several things I really liked in this book...one was when he (Don, the author) and a group of his friends decided to put a "Confession Booth" on the University Campus. Not knowing how people would react, but they felt the need to do it. And they ended up confessing their sins, and actually apologizing to non-Christians (or so they thought were non-Christians) and ended up reaching out to a lot of people. They got out of their comfort zone and I think that is something I don't do often enough. And the other part of this book I liked was toward the end...the Chapter called "Love, How to Really Love Other People" - I love the way he writes and explains his feelings toward other people. How he says he was using love like money, withholding it to get somebody to be who "he" wanted them to be...disobeying God. Later in that chapter he writes, "When I am talking to somebody there are always two conversations going on. The first is on the surface; politics, or music or whatever our mouths are saying. The other is beneath the surface, on the level of the heart, and my heart is either communicating that I like the person I am talking to or I don't. God wants both conversations to be true. That is, we are supposed to speak truth in love. If both conversations are not true, God is not involved in the exchange, we are on our own, and on our own, we will lead people astray. The Bible says that if you talk to somebody with your mouth, and your heart does not love them, that you are like a person standing there smashing two cymbals together. You are only annoying everybody around you." That made me stop and think how many times I've been talking to a person and not truly engaged...because maybe they aren't my favorite person. Again, it just makes you stop and think about things and put them into perspective. Who am I to be judgmental or decide who to love? Again, God loves us unconditionally and that's the way I want to be. May not always happen, but at least I will be more aware of it in the future. AND, that's the way I wish the church would be. I wish we (as a church) could love people unconditionally.

I will continue to try and figure all of this out within myself. But in the meantime, I would welcome any comments, thoughts...or good books :)

KB

Day Three....

2008-08-22T13:30:00.001-07:00

This was the face I got when I pulled into school today. Happy? I think not.

This morning was a little better. Pierce had a great morning, and as usual we played games until it was time to go to school. We left the house a little early so we could grab McDonald's and go by and see Dad before school. He questioned why we were getting dressed so early, and I explained we were going to McDonald's! (trying to divert his attention). Not Pierce, he's too smart for that. But, like a trooper, he got into the car, put his headphones on, and off we went. Life was good...he was laughing at the movie, eating his Micky D's, and then it happened...we pulled into the school. I felt so bad because it was like I deceived him. I told him that school is FUN, and the more he goes, the more friends he will make. Again, the look. When he got into the car yesterday from school, he said me and daddy had told him school was going to be fun...and it isn't!

So today, like every other day this week, I walked him into school, talking to him - pumping him up about school...but he wasn't having it. He walked in, shoulders drooping and sat on the floor in front of his class. I talked to one of the mother's of a boy that is in his class and got their phone number. I think if we can help him get acquainted with some of the kids in his class, he will be more excited about school. Then again, as Brett used to tell me about Brandon...he may be playing me. I am full aware of that :) HOPEFULLY, the minute I leave he perks up and has fun.

Here's to his first week of kindergarten. Next week is Back to school night. A night that Sierra loves! The kids make things, hang them on the wall, and the parents get to go meet the teacher, see their work, and meet new friends from their class. I told Pierce this morning we would see him at Back to school night! He looked at me so serious and said...I HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL AT NIGHT?

Bless his heart.

Day Two....

2008-08-21T12:07:00.000-07:00

(Pierce sitting at his table in kindergarten. Notice how the kids around him are talking and seem to enjoy school)

And so the saga continues...

Pierce woke up this morning and decided he didn't like school and doesn't want to go anymore. THIS IS DAY TWO OF KINDERGARTEN!

Okay, so I do play non-stop with him...why would he want to go to a controlled environment? This morning we played Wii (tennis, bowling, golf & baseball). Then we moved to the study where we laid out my exercise mat and ball and did gymnastics(and he decided he wanted to be my trainer and put together an exercise program for me :)). We then moved outside to the trampoline to do more gymnastics and wrestle. After I was completely worn out, we came inside and I fixed him lunch. He ate lunch, watched Ben10, while I dressed him for school. This was all before 12:30.

I think I need to stop playing with him, "pretend" I'm really boring (ha)and he may be praying to go to school. Man, that's so difficult because I LOVE playing with him. Somethings gotta give...he has 13 years ahead of him and it isn't going to be fun if he doesn't want to go.

Well, here's to day three hoping it is better!

KB

School Year 08-09

2008-08-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

I can't believe another summer has come and gone! Today was the first day of school for Sierra and Pierce. Sierra is now in the 3rd grade, and Pierce started Kindergarten this year. Thankfully, they are now at the same school. Although, Sierra has to be there by 8:45am and Pierce goes in the afternoon and doesn't have to be there until 1pm. I pick them both up at the same time, so that is nice.

Sierra was SO excited about her first day, and couldn't wait to get there. She insisted on matching her "book bag" haha - right down to her pink & lime green nails!

Pierce was a little less excited, but looked adorable in his new school clothes. Not so sure the "white" Polo shoes will stay "white" long, but they look cute nonetheless.

When I picked them up, I asked them both if they made any new friends. Sierra said she had made four new friends - and was on cloud 9. Pierce said it had been too long since he read their name tags, that he couldn't remember his new friends. :) I then asked what their favorite part of the day was...Sierra said everything. She really likes her new teacher, and had a lot of fun on her first day. Pierce said his favorite part was going to recess, and recess. Not so sure he is as "pumped up" about school as Sierra. Let's hope that changes as he gets older.

Brandon actually started school on Monday. He has already applied for graduation and is scheduled to graduate this December.

(Sierra and Pierce this morning. As you can see, Pierce is already playing video games and it isn't even 8am)

One day down...many more too come!

Olympics 2024...HERE I COME!

2008-08-18T10:43:00.000-07:00

(Okay, straight down the center, turn, and come back...I can do that)

Megan and Hudson came over yesterday and we had so much fun with them. I can't believe how big he is getting! Sierra decided she wanted to swim, so we went out and sat on the deck to watch her. Hudson decided he wanted to throw all the diving sticks in the pool, and try on all the goggles. He is such a Ham! I guess that is why Pop's calls him HAMBONE! We think he's Olympic material, but then again, we are a little partial!

(Oh...it's so hard to decide which race to enter)

Great Wolf Lodge

2008-08-09T07:50:00.000-07:00

This past week we took the kids to Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas. Call it our "family" vacation, or call it part of Brett's birthday present...that's what we told him. No matter what the reason, we had a BLAST! We all are a little water-logged after spending 48 hours in the water, but no one really cared. The biggest part of the park is indoors, and they have an outdoor area as well (see photo taken from the balcony of our room). We rode every slide, took a tube down the lazy river, tried to jump over waves in the wave pool, and had a picnic under an umbrella outside. It wasn't a long vacation, but one of the best! The kids were awesome, and even said the drive wasn't bad at all. But why would it be when you watch movies (with headphones), play Nintendo DS, play with Bionicles, and eat McDonalds. In fact, I'm not sure they were ready to get out of the car. haha

(Swimming outdoors with the kids)

The room we stayed in was called the Kid's Cabin Suite. It had two separate rooms - one with a bed, tv, kitchen area with refrigerator, etc..., but the other was a cabin for the kids. It looked like a log cabin with two windows, bunk beds, and another twin bed. Oh, and did I mention...a flat screen tv and video games? JB was in heaven.

As we were leaving, they had an animated show for the kids in the lobby of the hotel. If you look closely, you will see our two on the front row - left side.
Last, but one thing they really enjoyed, was MagiQuest. It is kind of like a Treasure Hunt throughout the entire hotel. You purchase magic wands for the kids and they give you a treasure hunt guide book. You have to follow the instructions, go find the treasure, and then finish each quest. We split up and each took one of the kids. They got to keep the wands, and they are good every time they go to that hotel. There were treasures hidden in the stairwells, in treasure chests, and even pictures on the wall. The kids loved it and can't wait to go back. We are thinking about going over there Christmas break (if they have rooms available).

We will post more pictures once we download them, but for now, here are a few. If you ever get the chance to go - great place and they are adding on.

Picture in the lobby as we were leaving Thursday evening. It was 9:30pm and we had been swimming ALL day long (gotta love our JB!).

The Shack

2008-08-02T15:36:00.001-07:00

I think I mentioned in a previous post - I've been doing a lot of reading lately. I've read self-help books, biographies, and even the occasional U.S. Weekly (that was for my husband:). But not until my most recent book, The Shack, has a book touched me so deeply. For some reason, I resisted the book at first. Maybe it was all the talk about the book, or maybe it was just the name that didn't appeal to me. Whatever it was, each time my husband mentioned the book, I would say it didn't interest me. Last week I had just finished a wonderful book titled - There is no me without you, by Melissa Fay Greene. It is a heart wrenching story of one woman's odyssey to rescue her country's children (got that straight off the book;). It is about Ethiopia and the the millions of children that are homeless and in orphanages. They have either lost their parent's to Aids, or their parents cannot afford to take care of them any longer. Very sad story, but one that makes me even more determined that adoption is God's plan for us. My dad said it best - when I told him we were considering adopting a child from Ethiopia - and can I just say he was one I was the most scared to tell. He looked at me and said every child deserves a chance. I couldn't believe it, it made me even more determined! So, if you get the chance, and like to read, this is a great book.

Back to The Shack...I researched online (which I do for about everything) and tried to find another book about Ethiopia, Adoption, Aids, etc... and with a few books in mind, headed to Barnes & Noble to get a new book. Once there, they looked for every book I had on my list - oh, did I mention I ALWAYS make lists? haha When they couldn't find any of the books I was looking for, the very helpful lady at the customer service desk suggested a book. I think it was called, Mountain to Mountain. It is a true story about a Dr. that has spent his entire life trying to help those less fortunate. Sounded good, I took the book from her, and as I was headed to check out, The Shack was sitting on a table close to the front of the store. Again, did I mention that we have actually purchased this book before, loaned it to a friend on a trip, and he accidently left it on the plane? I've also picked this book up almost every time I've entered the book store and never purchased it. For some reason, this particular day, I had my book, I was ready to go lay by the pool and read, and The Shack was staring me in the face. My first thought was, I'll buy this for Brett, but I'll read it too because it is something that interests him. So I put my book down, thinking I'm doing my husband a "favor" and I check out. Once home, I put on my swimsuit and head to the pool. I have a new book, the weather is beautiful, and I'm laying on a raft relaxing...what could be better? Well, I guess Brett could have been there with me and that would have made it better :) But this day I was content...just to read and relax (which for those of you who know me, that is difficult for me). I started reading the book and before I knew it, I had been out there for almost 3 hours! I couldn't put it down. I was halfway through the book and consumed by it. I haven't had another chance to read (Pierce & Sierra came over Friday afternoon), until today. Sierra went to the lake with a friend, and Brett & Pierce were inside playing a video game. So I headed back to the pool, got my raft, and began reading again. By the time Brett came outside, I was crying...and I couldn't stop. This book hit me like a ton of bricks...talk about real! I told Brett it is the strangest feeling, I feel like I got more out of this book than I ever did the Bible. Maybe it is all the guilt I carry around, or maybe it is just the realness of our Heavenly Father - Papa. But whatever it is...I want to read it again, and again.From the book: ~Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction~ Man, I never thought of it that way - but with each chapter, I wept more. It was like a ton of bricks hitting me with the realization that we blame God for things that happen in our life. That we feel that he is punishing us when bad things happen, or that he could have stopped it from happening. One particular thing that touched me in this book was when God was talking to Mack... All evil flows from independence, and independence is your choice. If I were to simply revoke all the choices of independence, the world as you know it would cease to exist and love would have no meaning. This world is not a playground where I keep all my children free from evil. Evil is the chaos of this age that you brought to me, but it will not have the final say. Now it touches everyone that I love, those who follow me and those who don't. If I take away the consequences of people's choices, I destroy the possibility of love. Love that is forced is no love at all. WOW...how true that is. We "as humans" are the ones making the choices to make this world so destructive, but how easy it is to blame God. Why is it so darn hard just to love people RIGHT WHERE THEY ARE? I can tell you one thing, it makes you stop and take a good look at yourself. The all so "passive-aggressive" behavior that we at times possess. And to think, if we go to church, we're Christians? What does that mean? Growing up I went to church every Sunday with my grandmother...then when I became a single mother, once a week wasn't enough. I took my children Wednesday night, Sunday morning and Sunday night...well, good for me. I MUST have been a good Christian. NO, I wasn't, I was just going to church...but I didn't have a true relationship with God. It wasn't until I met my husband that I truly understood this. At first, it was a hard pill to swallow. But now, I know more than ever what it means to have a real relationship. It's a day-to-day, hour-by-hour, one-on-one, relationship. Brett talks to God like he is talking to me. I always thought that was weird (or he was weird:), until now. I SEE IT! I really see it. He IS our Father and we ARE his children. He wouldn't hurt his children anymore than we would hurt ours...and he hurts when we hurt. Whew...sorry for the Burleson sermon :), but I want to thank everyone who recommended this book. I may be a little slow...but I'm getting there. And THANK YOU to my new family for helping me along the way.

The Boys!

2008-07-28T07:09:00.001-07:00

Last week I was fortunate to get to keep Hudson. We also had Sierra and Pierce (and a few of Sierra's friends) that week. Each time they are here, they seem to grow up a little more. It's fun to watch this transition, but also saddens me because I realize how quickly that happens - looking at our two oldest. Both Sierra and Pierce are very good with Hudson. The photo of Pierce and Hudson was the sweetest thing ever! I was preparing Hudson's breakfast when Pierce woke-up and walked into the kitchen. He didn't say a word, pulled a barstool next to Hudson's highchair, and reached over to give him a kiss. Ahhh...kids, aren't they great! I DO LOVE OUR CHILDREN!!!

Oh, the girls, by the way...were still snug as a bug in bed. That's just what girls do. What can I say, a girl needs her beauty sleep.

Four years and stronger than ever...

2008-07-22T20:36:00.000-07:00

Four years ago, July 23, 2004, I married my best friend.

Just like all friends, we've had our occasional disagreements, but those are getting fewer and farther between. At times, I almost feel guilty about how happy I am, and how compatible we are together...but Brett always reminds me, we didn't have anything to do with it - God had a plan for us. Well, I'd just like to say the plan is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Not only did I get a wonderful husband, I also was blessed with two children and a wonderful extended family as well. God has more plans in store for us...and I can't wait to spend each and every one of them with Brett.

Here's to many, many, more wonderful years.

KB

Boring

2008-07-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

I'm usually pretty good about updating our blog. But for the life of me, I can't think of anything "interesting" to write about. Our life has been pretty low-key lately. Other than playing golf, swimming, and doing the occasional yard work, not much going on.

Thursday evening I came down with some kind of nasty stomach virus. By Friday morning, Brett had it too. We got the kids at noon on Friday, so that was pretty interesting. All we wanted to do was sleep, and when we weren't sleeping, we were in the bathroom throwing up. We were a sight to see! The kids felt sorry for us and pretty much stayed in their rooms watching T.V. I was bound and determined NOT to ruin their first day with us, so I loaded them up, and took them both to Target. I know I must have looked terrible, due to the number of people that were staring. Haven't they ever seen a woman white-faced, bent over walking with two small children?? Sierra got a new back-pack for school, and Pierce got a movie that he spent the evening watching (thank goodness for movies). Sierra left around 6pm to go to the lake with a friend. Pierce was an angel and watched tv with us until it was time to go to bed. We both are feeling better today...still moving a little slow, but I think we'll survive. Oh, did I mention, Megan was off work two days last week with the same thing? I felt like my face was on fire (but no fever), my eyes watered, my stomach cramped, and I couldn't keep anything down. Just wanted to give you the low-down in case you start feeling the same...again, no fun - and not interesting. Therefore, no blog lately.

Here's wishing you don't EVER get that nasty stomach virus. It's not a pretty.

KB

Our "only" Child

2008-07-09T20:05:00.000-07:00

This week we only have Pierce. Sierra went to the lake with a friend for the 4th of July holiday, and won't return until the 10th or 11th.

It is really nice to have that 1:1 time with your children. Pierce has been an ANGEL (just ask him:) and he is really enjoying the attention. I will have to say, I have laughed so hard my jaws hurt this week. He is SO serious, and funny at the same time. I really need to keep a journal to write all of this down - because as much as you think you'll remember, he says something new and I forget the last thing he said.

Pierce is a sweet, loving, funny, independent, smart, little boy. In fact, the other night we were outside looking for frogs. We found a huge toad in our front yard and Pierce bent down to pet it. Well, low-and-behold, this toad just sat there! Pierce not only petted the toad, he went and found 3 june-bugs to feed it. It is now his new best friend. I asked him how he got to be SO good with animals (and insects), and he said because he is just a smart animal doctor. He explained to me the reason he is so smart is because he eats a lot of smarties! Makes sense. I think I'm going to try it...can't hurt. He also asked me the other day if he could ride his electric scooter around the block. Now that we have sidewalks all the way around, we will let the kids ride around it "once" and check-in...we (or I) usually stand outside and wait until they get back - they also take walkie-talkies with them. But, knowing Pierce, and just that instinct that you get as a parent, I had a funny feeling about this. He gets distracted very easy and I just didn't know that he would actually just ride around the block, with no stops, and come straight home. Well, after what seemed like an eternity, I convinced Brett to jump on a scooter and go look for him. Not long after, here he comes, speeding on the side-walk, with dad behind on another scooter. He got to the house, jumped off his scooter, and said to me, "do you wanna know WHY I broke the rules?" and without a breath continued..."would you like a dog to die, huh, would you?" I acted very concerned and told him, of course not! He said he noticed a friends dog down at the pond and wanted to save it. He went to the friends house, they didn't believe him, so he had to take them there himself to prove it. All this to say - sorry mom, I didn't go around the block and come straight home. He was out of breath, dazed and just down-right horrified that a dog almost drowned! So he had to aide in it's rescue - which I found out later the dog always goes over to the pond to get a drink.

I could go on-and-on...it has been a wonderful, fun, week with Pierce. Tomorrow Sierra will be home and it will be really good to see her. As much as you love ALL your children, sometimes it's nice to have that special time when you can concentrate on them one at a time.

KB

Bragging

2008-07-08T07:10:00.000-07:00

Well, since my wife opened up this can of worms, I do believe that gives me the right to tell an incredible story. As posted below, Kelly has taken up golf. "Taken up" is such a light term when you compare it to where she seems to be emotionally with this lifetime sport. Yes, she has admitted that she wanted to get started playing because of my interests, but I think it would be safe to say that not only has she "taken up" golf, but she is now officially obsessed.

A guy at my office that I play often with will sometimes say: "That is the shot that will keep you coming back tomorrow" when someone (usually not me) makes a great shot. I wanted to tell a story of two back-to-back shots that probably led Kelly to get "hooked". It is the #2 hole at our favorite golf course and is a Par 5 - 400 yard hole from the ladies tees. We were playing last week sometime (can't remember the exact day because I think we played five days in a row)and Kelly stepped onto the tee box with her driver. She proceeded to drive the ball 250 yards right down the middle of the fairway (in fact she almost hit it TOO hard - through the dogleg left turn of the fairway). We got to her ball and it was sitting just on the edge of the fairway which left her about a 150 yard shot to the green. At this point I was incredulous and probably already said "That shot right there will bring you back tomorrow". Little did I know what was left to come.....

Kelly had a decision. You see, there is a creek that runs across the fairway right in front of the green on this hole. Most people "lay up" so that their third shot is down close to the creek with an easy approach shot to "up and down" for par. Kelly asked me what to do. I told her that if it were me (and this in itself should tell you something of MY golf game) I would go for it (try to hit it over the green and make it stop), but that she had to decide for herself. Kelly is a little more (maybe a bunch more) conservative than I am, so she asked what club would be the best to lay up in front of the creek. I told her that the pitching wedge would probably be the best, but said "You're not going to have the chance to be sitting 2 on the green on a par 5 very often, why not just go for it?" She reluctantly pulled her 3 wood out and proceeded to crush it right down the fairway toward the creek. Unfortunately, from where we were standing it was kind of a "blind" shot meaning we could not see where it was going, so we lost sight of it (pretty sure it went into the creek).

So we drove around the green and started heading down to look for her ball when we almost stepped on it. It was sitting about twenty feet from the pin on the fringe of the green. (ON a PAR 5!!) It was the two best shots I have ever seen (from ANYONE) back-to-back. It was incredible. See the picture to see where she ended up (and remember this is a par 5 - have I said that already?). I have another picture, but will have to get permission from Kelly before I post it with her posing next to the ball.

That is just one story of my VERY athletic wife that has taken up a very tough sport and just jumped in being able to compete VERY quickly. (You can see her swing in action on the previous post).

Kelly now has the golf channel on the TV in the background pretty much twenty four seven. And we are planning vacations around golf in the future.

My wife is awesome.

BB

New Interest

2008-07-03T12:09:00.000-07:00

Just recently we have picked up a new interest...well, I have, Brett has always loved golf. In fact, he is in Enid today playing with his brother, brother in-law and nephew. But I originally started playing because I knew it was something Brett liked to do, and I think it's important to have some common interests in a marriage. I quickly began to love the game! Now, I've got a ways to go to be a "good" golfer, but it's not difficult to love the scenery - and of course the company :) This week, we have played four nights in a row and one of those nights we played with Brandon.

Golf - what a nice, relaxing, sometimes frustrating, sport. But something we do together...which makes all the frustrations worth it.

KB

Summer

2008-06-24T07:55:00.001-07:00

(Photo: Pierce at our Community Pool)

Well, summer officially started Friday, June 2oth. Normally it is June 21, but the first day of summer is timed with the summer solstice, which this year is June 20th. If you're curious what summer solstice is, here is some information...

The earliest humans knew that the sun’s path across the sky, the length of daylight, and the location of the sunrise and sunset all shifted in a regular way throughout the year. They built monuments, such as Stonehenge, to follow the sun’s yearly progress.

Today, we know that the solstice is an astronomical event, caused by Earth’s tilt on its axis, and its motion in orbit around the sun. Because Earth doesn’t orbit upright, but is instead tilted on its axis by 23-and-a-half degrees, Earth’s northern and southern hemispheres trade places in receiving the sun’s light and warmth most directly.

At the June solstice, Earth is positioned in its orbit so that the North Pole is leaning 23-and-a-half degrees toward the sun. As seen from Earth, the sun is directly overhead at noon 23-and-a-half degrees north of the equator, at an imaginary line encircling the globe known as the Tropic of Cancer. This is as far north as the sun ever gets.

All locations north of the equator have day lengths greater than 12 hours at the June solstice. Meanwhile, all locations south of the equator have day lengths less than 12 hours. Whew...probably TMI, but interesting nonetheless.

Friday, June 20th was the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. But for us, summer began the day the kids were out of school - May 27th. It has already been a fun, action-packed summer! The kids do not "want" for things to do. They are either playing the Wii, PS2, PS3, swimming in the backyard or at the community pool. They wake-up early and start playing...which makes for pretty busy days! But I wouldn't change it for the world. I have one little one, Pierce, standing next to me right now begging to get on my computer to play games. That is one aspect of having young children..."me" time is very sparse. Not a lot of time alone. I laughed the other day listening to Megan tell me about having the "best" lunch ever, but Hudson saw her and started whining. She had to share. haha Part of being a parent. Either that, or learn early to hide while eating :)

Today is no different than any other day during the summer. Kids get up early, watch a little tv, play on the computer, then start to get restless. What can we do, where can we go, who can we play with??? All questions I'm sure I asked as a child. But I just look at them in amazement and think, what would you do if you didn't have ALL this stuff? Would you be better off? Would you HAVE to play with each other, be creative and think of games to play, or go outside and make up games like we used to do?? That takes too much energy, if you ask Pierce. Which brings me to his latest comment this morning. We put bunk beds in our extra bedroom. The one that has the Wii, flat screen tv, the kids computer and, for now, Hudson's bassinet. As I was helping him down the ladder from the top bunk, he got scared and said he couldn't do it. He was turned half way around watching Cartoon Network on tv while he was trying to climb down. I told him if he would stop watching tv it would help him concentrate on climbing down. He looked at me, with his oh so serious Pierce face and said, "you need to turn off the tv because I'm affected by it and can't help myself." I did, and he climbed down. At least he's honest :)

Family

2008-06-19T10:00:00.001-07:00

I know I've posted something about "Family" in the past, but this week I had the opportunity to spend an extended length of time with my family-in-law (is that a word?).

My father-in-law (Paul) is in the hospital and had two procedures this week. Two, pretty complicated procedures. We have all been a little worried, but no one wanted to admit it until the surgery was over. What a relief...it is over, he is doing great, and everyone can rest a little easier. He joked about being "Superman", but honestly, I think he is.

My point to this post is to say I was sorry we were all pulled together under these circumstances, but glad we were able to spend the time together. We do see each other on occasions, usually holidays. But I don't remember a time where it was just the adults. Normally we all have our children, or at least some of them, and we are pulled in so many different directions - which as you know, doesn't allow a lot of time for adult conversation. This week was different...we all sat there waiting, hoping, praying, and just enjoying one another. Leave it to Paul to pull us all together, and not even intentionally. I got to know my in-laws a lot better during this week, and I've got to say, I had a blast! There was a lot of laughing, kidding, some tears, and just talking. No pressure, no underlying messages (well, maybe with Brett & Melody):) It was so much fun to see Brett interact with his family and just relax. I love that about him. Family is SO important. But most of all, I got to know Mary (Brett's mom) and Melody (Brett's sister), a lot better. I figured out why I like them so well...they are a lot like me! haha Seriously, we all seem to have a lot in common - which is a compliment to me. But I also realized, that Brett is a whole lot like his dad. I know every child cringes at the thought of being like their parents, but if you knew Brett's dad, you would think Brett was just crowned the King of England by that statement. His dad is loving, funny (he was in rare form in the hospital:), and just genuinely kind-hearted, just like Brett. Which means I have a lot to look forward to in the future.

Some people are lucky enough to have one family, their immediate family that love and support them. I'm lucky enough to have two.

"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one"
~Jane Howard~

KB

Father's Day 2008

2008-06-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Father's Day and I wanted to post a short blog about the "men" in my life.

Brett - we have been married for almost 4 years now and I'm loving EVERY minute of it. He is not only a wonderful husband, but he is an amazing dad. I will have to say, he had a great role model in his dad and I'm proud that he is my children's step-dad.

Paul - a.k.a. Father-in-Law. Paul is my idea of what a father should be. He is kind, considerate and just down right real! All the kids love him and I see so much of him in Brett. I feel so blessed to have him in my life.

Ezra - a.k.a. Step-dad. Ezra married my mom almost 12 years ago (I hope I have that right). He married into step-children and step-grandchildren. He is a great person, with a big heart! He loves our children and would do anything for them.

Dad - I haven't spent a lot of time with my dad over the years, but he lives here in Edmond so we see him more often now. If I ever call and ask him a favor, he is always quick to help.

Father's Day 2008 was actually more of a weekend event. We spent Saturday morning with Brett's dad, Brandon took Brett to brunch Saturday afternoon, we took my dad to dinner Saturday evening, and spent Sunday with Brett and Ezra swimming with the little kids, Megan & Hudson. That is what Father's Day is all about...spending time with your children.

I thought this quote was great! How true it is...not only for father's, but parents in general. :)

“By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong.” ~Charles Wadsworth~

Our Little Boys Growing Up!

2008-06-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

(Photo: Pierce on slip-n-slide at Hudson's birthday party)

This was a monumental week for Pierce. He learned to swim without floaties, and to ride his bike without training wheels. Can you believe both in the same week?

Swimming - We didn't think Pierce would EVER learn to swim. He didn't want to wear floaties, but every time he would try and swim, his feet would start at the top, and slowly drift downward...which you can pretty much figure out, his body followed right behind. We would encourage him to just wear the floaties for a little longer, but in his usual "Pierce-Style" he resisted. You gotta love him for his tenacity! This week while swimming in our backyard with neighborhood friends, he just took off and started swimming - under water of all things! By yesterday, he wasn't only swimming, he was diving for dive-sticks at the bottom of the pool. We surprised dad when he got home from work, and he couldn't believe it!

Bike - Pierce and Sierra both have really nice bikes, several razor scooters, Sierra has an electric scooter, and Pierce has the newest thing on the market an Asphalt Fusion Sport Board(which is virtually a skateboard/scooter combined). So, needless to say, they have many options when playing with friends. Which has probably been a big reason why Pierce has never attempted to ride his "nice" Mongoose bike (pegs and all). One evening this week, while Pierce was playing with one of his best friends, Will, he jumped on another friends bike (that doesn't have training wheels) and tried to take off. The first few attempts were a little rocky...but Will quickly jumped to his side and cheered him on. As I was cooking dinner, Will ran in the house screaming "PIERCE IS RIDING A BIKE WITHOUT TRAINING WHEELS." We dropped what we were doing, ran outside, and sure enough, there was Pierce on the sidewalk riding away!! He decided to try his own bike, and without training wheels, for the first time, the ole Mongoose took a spin around the block.

I've gotta say, Mom & Dad were pretty darn proud of Pierce this week. Not too many 5-year olds learn to do all of that in 7 days. Leave it to our little guy to do it. He is pretty amazing, kinda cranky sometimes, a little spoiled, and just down right SWEET! For my birthday he took me to see Kung Fu Panda and told me 1,000,000,000,000 times that he loved me.

He had me at hello :)
KB

Picture Perfect...

2008-06-09T08:42:00.000-07:00

I just had to share this adorable photo that was taken at Hudson's birthday party. This is Pierce, Hudson and Sierra sitting on Hudson's new bench that Nanaw Margaret bought him for his birthday.

THANK YOU to Megan DeShazo (photographer & friend) for all the wonderful memories she gave us on Hudson's 1st birthday.

KB

A Birthday to Remember...

2008-06-07T21:32:00.000-07:00

Well, another birthday has come and gone. Funny, I seem to struggle with them more than most. I'm not sure why, but I can say that my husband has a way of always making them special for me. And this year was no exception.

I could say it was the awesome gifts that he bought me. Or, the fact that he got me a cake that read "Happy Birthday Mama" and the kids were SO excited about it. Or, the fact that he made sure that the one thing that I asked for on my birthday was to spend time with ALL of my children - and grandchild (who is still here sleeping:)...but most of all it is the fact that he always makes sure that it is MY special day. From the time I wake up, until I go to bed, he continues to tell me Happy Birthday and how much he loves me. How much better could it get?

I did get to spend the day with all of our children, except Heath who was working. That to me is the best gift of all. I almost hate to go to bed because I know tomorrow it won't be my birthday...then I realize when I wake up nothing changes. I still have my family (healthy, happy children), and my husband. It's like everyday is my birthday. ONLY NOT ADDING THE YEARS!

For those of you who know me well, I don't age gracefully. But who wants to age anyway?

Thank you to ALL my family and to my best friend DeDe who sang Happy Birthday on a cell phone message :) and to all my wonderful friends who sent me ecards or email birthday wishes. I am very blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life.

Life is good.

KB

Mimi's Boy!

2008-06-06T18:55:00.000-07:00

I never knew how AWESOME it would be to have a grandchild. People tell you all the time - children are great, but grandchildren are AWESOME! Well, they are right. I have the most beautiful grandson you've ever seen and I am pretty crazy about him! Now, that doesn't mean that I'm not going to feel the same about future grandchildren, it's just that Hudson was the first and he is Mimi's Boy! I love that little guy.

KB

Hudson's 1st Birthday!

2008-06-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Hudson is a year old! Yesterday was his "Backyardigans" birthday party in his backyard. Megan did a great job of preparing for the older kids that were there...with a clown "Clementine", a slip-n-slide, and other backyard water toys. There were approximately 30 people there and Hudson was the center of attention! Hudson had a blast digging into his "own" chocolate cake, as you can see in the photos. But the clean-up was not so much fun...the little guy did not want to be washed off. He actually ate almost the whole cake...well, except for what was on him.

After the party Hudson came home with us and spent the night. He was worn out and fell asleep in his stroller around 8pm. We took he and the dogs for a walk and he was out by the time we got back home. He slept all night and we had to wake him at 9:15am to get him ready for church. He is such a GOOD baby!

Well, a year sure passed quickly - and our little boy is getting big and almost walking. Won't be long and he will be running.

KB

Memorial Day 2008

2008-05-27T08:28:00.000-07:00

We had a nice Memorial Day with our family. We got up early and made our rounds to put flowers at the Cemeteries...both of Brett's grandfathers, two of my grandfathers and one grandmother. It was good to remember them on this day, and to include our children so hopefully they will understand the importance of this day. I've attached some pictures.

Once we were through, we headed back to the house to swim. Hudson has a new Wave Ryder, so we let him try it out. We had so much fun with the kids. The highlight of the day was Megan sitting in the living room eating a PBJ sandwich and Hudson decided he wanted a bite. He climbed up on her lap and when she least expected it, he went in for a bite! haha See pics...he was hilarious! Megan finally made him his own PBJ and he ate the whole thing by himself! He is getting to be such a big boy. He will be 1 year old on May 29th.

Another Memorial Day has come and gone...and a lot of great memories to remember.

KB

SHE'S HOME!!!

2008-05-23T06:55:00.000-07:00

We went to the airport last night - along with about 40 other people to greet new baby Shiloh. (Photos: Jenn and her brother holding Shiloh at the airport, and Jenn, Shiloh and Flipe getting off the plane). She is as beautiful in person as she is in her pictures. It was so awesome and touching moment when they walked off the plane. We all had pink balloons tied around our wrists and Brett had made a sign for me to hold up that read "WELCOME HOME SHILOH". Flipe and Jenn were very touched, and tired. It has been a long journey, but they are finally home. Jenn's parents and two brothers were there and they couldn't wait! One of her brothers is leaving today to pick up their new baby boy from Ethiopia. What lucky children to have such loving parents.

Brett took a lot of pictures at the airport and we will post them as soon as possible.

KB