Finally Friday!

YeeHaw! That's all I have to say about that!

I actually have to work tomorrow, but it won't be bad. It's for Academy Day which, is always my favorite thing. It's for kids who are interested in attending West Point, Navy or Air Force academies. I really love seeing all these kids who are really the cream of the crop vying for these coveted and few spots. They are really all deserving, but unfortunately we can't send them all.

I am also busy trying to plan my sister's personal shower. It will be a week from tomorrow. I have so much yet to do and no time to do it! Plus she found out today that she will be having surgery for a deviated septum on Monday and that will be rough. Hope she recovers well for the weekend.

Other than that really I have no plans. The State Fair started yesterday and I love that! I am hoping I can get out there sometime, but that will probably require at least half a vacation day, which is fine! They have the best cinnamon rolls! I can smell them just thinking about them...although I won't indulge because 25 weight watcher points just isn't worth it! YIKES! So, I'll just have my roasted corn, I suppose! The weather is beautiful today and it's a shame I can't get out there now! Tomorrow it's supposed to heat up again, oh well, I know Fall will eventually come.

Ahhh, the sweet smell of Pigskin!

Alas! Football season is upon us! I spent nearly all my free time at home this weekend keeping an eye on the games as they were played. My Sooners picked up their first win of the season, we won't talk about last week, and Fred's Dallas Cowboys eeked out an upset over the Chargers. Unfortunately my Jets did not fare so well, poor Jets!

As a steady OU fan I found it difficult but did cheer as best I could for the Texas Longhorns as they played their butts off against Ohio State. I'll route for any Big 12 team before I do anybody else. I was glad to see they pulled out the win, but I fear my Sooners will have a tough time against them this year.

In Baby news the Rachel put her first two words together "More Crackers" LOL! It was just too adorable! They are saying new words every day and it's just amazing the things they pick up. I have to say though, my favorite has been Rebekah repeating "Amen" after Fred and I pray over them before they go to bed. She has done it ever night for the past 5 nights, and I tell you it just melts my heart! No wonder Jesus loved children they way he did. Their innocense is so precious!

September Already?!

I really can't believe it's September! My goodness! Before you know it you'll be scrambling to buy Christmas presents -- or not, as you may have to spend your Christmas present money to buy GASP! OY!

I just want to take a minute to say that my thoughts and prayers are with the millions of others praying for the devastated New Orleans area. I hope that order will be restored soon and the water will rescind and the area can be rebuilt. The lives of those that lost everything, I know, will never be the same, but I hope they will be able to get the help they need to move on. God Bless!

Genetics

It is so fascninating to me to see the things in my girls that I know came from either Fred or me. The strangest thing so far that I think is the Rebekah is totally obsessed with shoes. Now, for anyone who knows me, it easy to see where she got this, but I never really considered that it could be a trait passed down. I alwasy figured that somehow I just aquired this love for shoes sometime in my teenage years or so. But in talking to my mom and laughing about Bekah's need to put on any stray shoe she finds and walk around in it, she told me that at that age I too loved to wear shoes and that I even slept clutching them (and she has a picture to prove it!).

Last night we were at the Mall and we strolled past a Kiosk with thos sparkly mule slippers and they had a pair that was "Bekah size" so for fun I tried them on her. The girl loved them! She threw one giant fit when the mean 'ol mommy took them off! Oh we are in for it, I can tell. I suppose I can only blame myself, eh?

How things can change!

So 24 hours ago I learned that my boss was thinking of running for Governor, my-oh-my! Here we just thought he was going to run for re-election! Who knows what will actually happen. I just know he would be running against and incumbent governor who currently has approval ratings in the mid 60's. An uphill battle for sure! I guess we'll wait to see how all this plays out.

Could it be???

I am whispering as I write this, but could it be that we are moving out of the age of high chairs??? Last night my girls ate sitting at their little Spongebob card table in their little tiny chairs! Still eating with their hands though. We really haven't gotten the hang of utinsels for eating yet. But I am totally excited about this as I really loathe cleaning up those high chairs! We'll see how it goes as we just started this, but last night they sat very good at their table until they got full and then of course threw the food on the floor...ah well, one thing at a time right?

Nothing Much...

It was a really rough week last week and I am happy it is over. My boss was in town last week and we did a series of Town Hall meetings, which usually go well, but you never know what you are going to get with those. Then a good friend and colleague of mine lost her father last week. He was too young to leave this earth, 59, and my prayers are still with her and her family as they learn to move on in life with the hole it has left in their hearts.

The weekend was, as always, a welcome break from the normal routine. Fred completed weekend #4 with his treatment. Every weekend I notice very slight improvements in him. I hope this continues and he can eventually get to where it doesn't bother him at all! What a weekend we would have!

The biggest news of all for the weekend is...drumroll please... WE ARE NOW BOTTLE-FREE IN OUR HOUSE! HOORAY HOORAY! For anyone looking for tips, I HIGHLY recommend the Nuby cups. They are fantastic! I just have to say how much I love my little girls! I can not imagine life with out the joy they bring with their tiny smiles every day!

You all have a great week and I am going to try to update a little more than once a week! HA!

Another Monday

I can't believe it's Monday already! But, here I am working away already. We had a better weekend than last though, and I am happy to report that Fred felt well enough to go to church on Sunday. He still wasn't quite 100%, but he recovered with a really long nap on Sunday afternoon.

We also had a quite lengthy discussion about the possibility of me going back to school! I know what you are thinking -- I don't have the time -- but I think I can do it and I really want to. We still haven't got into specifics yet and I am still trying to decide between two programs, psychology or MBA, but I have some time before spring classes start so I can make up my mind hopefully by then.

In toddler news: The girls are sprouting teeth like crazy! Bless their hearts they have been really great teethers. I am so thankful for that. Rachel now has 6 teeth and Rebekah has 9. Also, their little feet are just growing like crazy. They got new sandals over the weekend. I was hoping they would make it thru the summer with the ones they had, but it was not possible. Their little toes were poking out the ends. We are now in a size 4! I can't believe it!

It's been a while

Since I posted last it seems the world has gone mad...or at least my world. Fred did start his treatment a week ago last Friday and it was not a good weekend. Saturday morning his was just exhausted and he slept until about noon. Got up and was feeling well and around 5pm said he wanted to go eat. So we loaded up the girls and went to eat. The minute our food got to the table he started shaking and the color drained from his face. I knew I had to get him home, we left all our food on the table (in hindsight I should have asked for boxes but food was not my first priority at that moment) and drove the 10 minutes to home. By the time we got there he had a 103 degree fever and said he was freezing. He went to bed at 6:30 pm with flannel PJ's and his robe on and blankets covering him. He didn't get up until 11:30 am on Sunday. He started to feel a little better on Sunday evening and monday he went to work, but said he still felt very tired. Tuesday was the same and Wednesday he crashed and felt awful. Thursday was the best day of the week as he felt almost normal he said then we started all over on Friday because he had to have another shot. This last weekend was not quite as bad, but he was extremely fatigued. I am hoping that as his body gets more used to this medicine the sypmtoms lessen and he can at least be functional on the weekends. The girls sure do miss playing with him on the weekends.

In other news last Monday, after that awful weekend, my sister called me at work to say she was taking my dad to the ER. He had been helping her move some things into her classroom and had passed out and she could not revive him. When he got to the ER his blood pressure was 64/47. Very low. It took them until the next day to get his blood pressure up, and we still don't know the cause of this. At first they suspected a stroke or heart attack, but tests showed evidence of neither, which is good, but still you would like to know what happend. The important thing is that he is doing better now and they have taken him off all his medications, including the one he was taking for high blood pressure, ironically enough.

This week at least has been better on the health front. But I have to say that I have the most wonderful friends here who, when all this happened, pitched in to bring me and Fred dinner every night of the week and even this last weekend. I can't tell you how much that lifted my spirit and helped me out! I have the best girlfriends EVER!

So, that's the update from my little corner of the world. I guess it's time to get back to work now!

A hodge podge

Well, here we are in the midst of a summer heat wave today. This is supposed to be our first official day over 100, with a heat index of 107 it feels pretty icky! It's supposed to be this way all weekend.

Tonight my husband will start his treatment for his Hep C that we found out he had. I am terribly nervous and feeling apprehensive. I have been praying he will be one of the blessed few who show absolutely no symptoms from this treatment. For those of you who don't know. There is only one treatment currently available to those with Hep C and it's success rate is aproximately 50/50. We won't know if it's working until 12 weeks into the therapy. There are too many possible side effects to write here, but some of the scarier ones are suicidal thoughts, depression, hair loss, extreme fatigue and severe flu like symptoms. Please keep us in your prayers as we start on this journey. Pray that God will sustain Fred and keep his energy at normal levels and that he will suffer no side effects from this. I'll keep you updated on the progress.

Rachel has been, well, how can I say it... awful. Poor baby, it's not her fault. She has not been feeling well since Wednesday. The dr. thinks she is teething, and she is, but the poor girl just screams and screams. We are going to try some Hyland's teething tablets. I have been told they really work and at this point anything will help. She cries so hard and so long that she made herself sick once. This whole teething thing sucks!

In work news, a lady I worked a Dept. of Labor case for about a year ago called me today, Eve. She is the sweetest lady and made the cutest blankets for my girls when they were little - and she had never even met me in person. Then she found out that her daughter was having twins, and girls at that and there was a common tie there that we always connected on. Well, she needs help again and this time it's serious. She has breast cancer that has spread and she is currently undergoing chemo. I hope we can help her and I hope she survives.

In good news! I traveled to Muskogee yesterday for a work event and saw my contacts that help me in my VA casework. When I got there I said hello to my contact there, Cindy, and she didn't even recognize me! Now, for some of you that might not seem like good news, but since I have lost 60 pounds, to me that was great news! I was thrilled! :)

No big plans for the weekend really. I am just hoping it all goes smoothly with Fred and Rachel. One day at a time, I guess. That's always my advice to others so I suppose I should take it the same way.

Garage Sale

This weekend we loaded up the Durango and took and hour and a half trip to Fred's mom's house to put some baby stuff in a garage sale. As you can imagine, with twins we have a TON of baby items. We took a swing, carseats, toys, clothes, shoes and even some of Fred's old videos. A lot of it sold, but we are still going to have a garage sale of our own as we have a lot more stuff to sell.

Suprisingly, it was tough to let go of all those baby items that have been taking up so much spake in my dining room. I remembered my tiny babies in those swings in the early days when they wouldn't sleep any other way, or the first time we put them in the car seat for their first ride home and they were so tiny that you didn't know how that seat would keep them strapped in. It's totally amazing at how life flies by and all of a sudden the tiny babies are more like tiny girls. *Sigh*

Well, it's been forever...

Things have a way of getting so busy! I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since I updated anything. We had a great 4th of July, and then last weekend was so long. We had family here for the weekend which always makes the girls really cranky at bed time. Then our air conditioner quit working and man was that awful! So, I ended up taking Monday off to be at the house so someone could fix it. Thank goodness it was nothing too major.

In other news my sister has FINALLY, after weeks of trying on dresses, changing styles AND changing colors TWICE, chosen our bridesmaid dresses. I am happy to report they are gorgeous and a lovely shade of deep ruby red. Now we can move on to more important stuff like the bachelorette party!

Does it ever strike you as odd?

The way reportors ask questions these days I would swear they are all idiots. I guess to some degree a reporter has to ask the stupid questions for those in the listening audience who are indeed stupid, but most are not. Take for instance the recent press conference on the shark who bit the boy in the last couple of days. A reporter asks, "What do you think the shark was thinking?" I doubt the man giving the press conference has shark ESP, do you?! Or, "Was the boy swimming?" --No, the shark grew legs and was on the beach! I just don't get it?! OY!

Another year gone by...

Over the weekend I celebrated another birthday. I'm 28 now, and by the standards of my co-workers, I am still a "baby", but I have to say it just feels different. I am really starting to feel 3-0 creeping up on me and when I look back on my 20's I just can't believe it! Turning 30 won't be a bad thing, just a different thing. After all, turning another year old just means I've been blessed enough to see another year through. But, the reality that life will not last forever certainly looks you in the face a little closer as you begin to come out of those evey so tumultuous and life altering 20's. Again, not a bad thing, just cause for reflection, I suppose. No matter what the case, I am happy to report that I have joyfully celebrated another year and I look forward to all that this next one will bring! I hope I will always live each day to the fullest because life has no rewind button!

I cannot wait!

I am taking off on Friday and I have to say, that I wish it were here already! It has been so crazy at work that I just can't seem to get things organized and straightened out. You know when you feel like you've started a million things and can't get any of them finished?! YUCK! Anyhow, it's my birthday on Saturday so that seems fair, right? I want to go hang out and my parents pool and work on a tan that I don't have!

In other news, my girls can now climb up on the couch! What a fun time we will be having! I think I'll be moving the coffe table to another room as well. We have been lucky to be able to keep it in there this long, but now that they have learned they can hoist themselves up on that too, I think it's time for it to go!

Today

There are so many things I could write about today; the weather, work, how annoying it is to have to get ready in the mornings, but it really all seems so insignificant today in light of the fact that I have friends, friends of friends, and even my husband facing some serious health issues. I just want to give a prayer of thanks to God for all the blessings he has brought to my life, and one for all those who are struggling today.

I also want to tell my wonderful husband "thanks" for all he does to help me out. You are such a blessing to me and you do so much without complaining or me asking. You are truly one of a kind. "I love you" just does not seem to say enough, but I do love you so very much!

Random thoughts on Friday

Do Fridays at work EVER end??? I am sitting here at my desk with plenty to do, and eventually it will all get done, but I am just watching the clock hoping 5 o'clock will come swiftly! It seems that Fridays can be some of the longest days. Especially when you are tired because you were awake all night listening to thunder boom so loud it sets of your neighbor's car alarm FOUR times! I really hate thunderstorms at night! Why not come in the daytime?! Thunder is so much better in the light.

Though, in all fairness, one of the best and most hilarious times I have ever had came at night during a thunderstorm. One night while at our house during a thunderstorm in which we lost power, Gwen and I used a flashlight to make finger shadow puppets on the wall. I am sure it was so funny only because we were so exhausted, but it's a memory I will never forget and I think of every time there are thundering showers (as the say in England).

I must say that this Friday has come with some good news though! My little sister got a job teaching 5th grade today! Such wonderful news as it's been a rocky road for her since graduating college. I am so excited for her because I know how bad she has wanted this, and of course, she'll be the most fantastic teacher!

Things I never knew...

For instance: Ketchup was sold in the 1830's as medicine, and chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying. Fairly meaningless tidbits of information in the grand scheme of things, really, but things I did not know...

One thing I did not know until eighteen months ago, and am still learning, is how much I would absolutely love being a mother. I was completely prepared for how "awful" it would be; late night feedings, ear infections, getting puked on, never sleeping in again, completely losing my identity as I had known it, less flexibility, someone being totally dependent on me, less time for everything.

What I was not prepared for is how much I would love being the mother of these two absolutely incredible works of Heavenly art. Along with all the "awful" things come the humbling things; the hugs, the kisses, the smiles... I am in absolute awe over these two girls God gave me. As I sit here looking at the most beautiful picture of my babies, I think of a quote I once read, "I never knew what it was like to have my heart outside my body."

Being a mom has made me braver than I ever knew I could be. Most of the time I still have no idea what I am doing. But I love every single minute of it!

So this is my first blog....

So this is my new place to ramble.....I actually had not thought of doing this but I didn't realize until too late that I didn't need to actually do all this to sign another friends blog...OH WELL! I guess maybe I'll try this and see how it goes! I am extra tired today so maybe that's why I'm not totally with it. Maybe I should just be like Rebekah and grab my blankie and lay on the floor and it will all be better after some sleep!

We had our first real accident with one of the girls last night...and I wasn't even there to witness it! Dad had to deal with it all by himself! I was working an even last night and the girls were playing and runnin around in the living room. Rebekah fell and hit her nose on the coffee table and it bled and she screamed something awful he said. Poor Dad it really scared him! In 10 minutes, though, she was fine and running around again! Hooray for risiliant kids! :)