Woa...

I just watched some videos on YouTube of Beagles howling.  Maybe I need to think about this...

I want...

one of these.



I want one soooooo bad. They are soooooo cute!  Anyone ever owned a Beagle? Cause I want one.

Aislinn

Here's a couple video clips from my visit to see Aislinn today. Melissa called me to tell me that she was rolling over!!! I wasn't quite sure if I believed her, so I went over to see for myself.

Top 10 things I wish I had known before I married a Willeford...

It's Almost Christmas!!!

This morning I woke up and went into the living room and found this:

A HUGE present!!!  I have absolutely no idea what it could possibly be.  I'm already proud of Jeff for getting this home, wrapped, and by the tree without me noticing.  

How exciting!! Merry Christmas everyone!

Back to school

Well, I just got the call.  Broken Arrow will be back in session tomorrow.  So my days of staying home and relaxing are over.  It's back to work.  But I did get to watch Aislinn today.  It has been wonderful.   She's really getting old enough to smile and babble.  I just love it.  She's trying to roll to her side and is pretty good at it.  Jeff came home for lunch and gave her a bottle.  It was adorable!  

We finally got all of our Christmas shopping done on Monday.  It was a great relief to be finished.  We'll be headed to Duncan next week for a Christmas visit.  I can't wait to see the kids open their presents and go crazy and run around.  I'm sure Jeff will join in on the craziness as well.

That's all for now.  Hope everyone is doing well!  Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas!!!

Here's a picture of my newly decorated mantle. I just love decorating for Christmas.  And after this weekend, I will most likely have a huge OU on my roof.  Fun!

Merry Christmas!!!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Aislinn

Here's a video of Aislinn cooing and talking while playing with rings.  If you're not a "baby person" and you find yourself asking 5 seconds into the video "Is this all she does?"  let me spare you the time.  Yes.  This is all she does.  My mom made a a comment that she doesn't like the 15 second clips because they are too short.  So this one's for you mom.  :)

Well that's just absurd.

I was on my way home this evening.  I was driving north on highway 169 around 81st.  I was next to a truck when I noticed a child in the back of the truck with his head ducked down and the poor boy holding his hoodie over his ears.  The boy couldn't have been older than 10.  The truck was going about 70 mph, down 169, during rush hour!  So I called *55 to report it.  I had their tag number and everything.  THAT'S when I learned something.  The trooper who answered my call informed me that riding in the back of a truck was not illegal.  "But it's illegal to not be buckled up!?"  I asked.  The officer carefully answered that children under 6 must be in car seats AND it is not illegal to ride in the back of a truck.  Wha......?

In the last week..

In the last week I have learned that lawyers waste a magnificent amount of paper.  And when one of those lawyers asks you, "can you mail this letter?"  please be aware that it is NOT that simple.

Bowling...

Jeff and I went bowling last night with Rachel and Emmanuel.  I am horrible at bowling and usually drop the ball behind me at least one.  Well, last night the stars must have all been in alignment because I bowled a 141!  It was the first time I had ever broken 100.  I was pumped. And Jeff got beat by his wife.  :)  Fun times.

My Baby

I really didn't expect this.  Months ago, when Melissa was miserable and pregnant with horribly swollen ankles, we went daycare shopping.  We searched high and low and found one that would work.  I was feeling ok with it.  Luckily, through the joint efforts of Joe and Grandma, Aislinn has not yet entered the doors of a daycare.  

Well, the time is approaching when she will.  And suddenly, it's all different.  NO daycare is good enough.  NO person employed there can possibly care for her like her mom does, or I do, or her Grandma.  Things have totally changed.  As I sat here and called various centers asking about rates and hours and availability, I became angry.  It just shouldn't be this way.  The most precious things in our lives, our babies, are taken to daycares, where the workers are often without much training and paid horribly.  The CEO's out there living it up, are making millions.  But those entrusted with the most precious thing in the world are paid nothing.  And when you can't afford to pay well, we all know what quality of workers you get.   And I feel like I can say this because I work in childcare.  And I have for almost 10 years now.  I've been there.  I know what it's like.  I know what it's like day to day at a daycare.  People calling in sick. Directors frantically trying to cover all the classes.  Teachers getting frustrated.  Babies getting sick.  Babies crying for longer than they should.  And no. It's not like this all the time.  But even ONCE it too many.

I suddenly and urgently feel the need to quit my job and keep her from these places.  I was ok with it once.    It is COMPLETELY different now.  That was before.  Before I watched her take her first breath.  Before I heard her cry her first cry.  Before I saw her smile at me for the first time.  Before I KNEW her.   Before she stole my heart.

How can I justify going to work everyday to take care of babies, when my own niece is being taken care of by someone else?

The Shack

So I just finished reading The Shack and I'm not really sure how to describe it.  If you haven't read it and plan to, don't worry, I won't give away too much info.  The book is about a man who is dealing with the murder of his young daughter who was murdered in this shack.  He receives a note requesting him to "meet me at the shack this weekend."  This is where the story begins.  

Waiting there for him are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, each in very real and human form.  The way the author portrays each of them individually is very eye opening.  For a very conservative, Southern Baptist raised Christian, I was at first offended.  However, since my mother had recommended the book, I figured it couldn't be all that bad, so I kept reading.  After finishing the book, I was very glad I did.  I won't say much more so I won't give too much away, but if you've got an open mind and are willing to explore things a bit, I would suggest you read it.  While reading the book, I found my new favorite quote:

Faith does not grow in the house of certainty.

The Eagles

So I went to the concert.  I cried through the first half and left at intermission.  And it was beautiful.  I will never forget it.

Monday

Another Monday has come and gone.  It was such a sleepy day.  Listening to the rain on the roof while most of the babies in my class were sleeping was almost too much.  It was difficult to stay awake!  After school, I joined my sister on a trip to the courthouse.  She was showing me around and it was not what I thought it would be.  She went to "file" something, and the room was like a Tag Agency from.. well.. you know.  It was a huge room with buzzing fluorescent lights and stamps and staplers and noise everywhere.  Very much sensory overload.  

Now I'm home and avoiding cooking dinner.  I'm thinking chicken enchiladas.  I really want them, but I don't want to cook them.  I would love to have my own chef.  By the way, I just heard on the news that the first family has a personal staff of 95.  95! That's just incredible.  I wonder how many of those 95 are just sitting around waiting for someone to notice that they don't really do anything.  

Anyways.  Tomorrow night is the Eagles concert.  Jeff and I will be going.  I'm not really sure what to expect.  The Eagles was my dad's favorite group.  Many of their songs bring back intense feelings, memories, emotions...  Three months ago when I purchased the tickets, it seemed like a great idea.  Now, as it approaches, I'm not really sure what to expect.  I think it will be a good thing though.  

Hope everyone had a happy Monday.  And if you didn't, oh well, Monday is over now anyways.

Did you vote!?!?

I had a very enlightening conversation today at work.  About a hour before school was out, a co-worker asked me if I was going to go vote.  It had been a long day, and I told her that Oklahoma was "going McCain" regardless of my vote, the lines would be long, I don't really care for either candidate, and I was tired.  That was when she respectfully let me know her opinion.  She reminded me of the troops that have fought in the past and continue to do so today for our right to vote.  She reminded me of those who would give their lives for the chance to live in a country where they could vote, and of those who risk their lives by going to vote in some countries.  As I left work, I began to think on what she had said.  And she was right.  I was acting like one of those unappreciative Americans that other countries love to hate.  So I voted.  And from now on, I will appreciate what it means to vote.  Happy voting!  Now let's just cross our fingers for no dangling chads. 

My evening..

I just got home and am beginning to plan out my evening.  Tomorrow is Halloween and I'm so excited!!  We are having a pot luck at school tomorrow.  I'll be making 7 layer mexican dip. Or 8 layer. Or 6.  Everytime I make it I come up with a different number of layers.  This time I will be staring with a layer of refried beans, then sour cream, taco seasoned hamburger meat, salsa, shredded cheese, then topped with chunks of tomato, sliced jalapeno peppers, and olives.   Yum!  I usually make a huge batch of it for 2 selfish reasons.  1st,  I love this stuff and never make it just for me and Jeff b/c we'll sit and eat it all.  2nd, after eating some of the leftovers, you can take the rest, wrap it up in a few flour tortillas, top with some enchilada sauce and shredded cheese, bake for a bit, and have some fabulous enchilada/burrito thingys.  :)  Yum yum!

In addition to the dip, I'll be bringing cookies.  I'm going to make a batch of homemade sugar cookies, also my favorite.  I'm going to change it up a bit this time though.  I usually make powdered sugar icing, but this time, I'm going to use the icing that I put on my carrot cake, a cream cheese icing.  It's really my favorite icing, so I'm going with that, dyed orange.  I can't wait!

Since I'm spending all evening cooking things I can't yet eat, Jeff's bringing home some greasy burgers and fried okra from Ron's!

Man I love food!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Our busy weekend..

Jeff and I had a very busy weekend.  It started on Friday afternoon.  I came home from work and started getting ready for our trip to Duncan.  First, the dog needed a bath, because of course she would be joining us on the trip.  So after her bath, I needed a bath.  I then got us all packed, cleaned the house a bit, and was ready to go.  Jeff called to say he was on his way home from work, which meant that we would be on the road shortly.  Hooray!

Then the doorbell rang.  I looked out the peephole to see two boys that live a few houses down standing there.  I opened the door and greeted them.  The older boy asked if my husband was home.  I told them that he would be home in just a few minutes.  They both had flat tires on their bikes and were counting on Jeff to help them out.  So Jeff gets home and airs up their tires.  Well, except one.  One tire was flat. Totally flat.  With a hole.  And Jeff just couldn't leave the boys without their bike for the weekend, so he dug around the garage for something to fix it with.  45 minutes later, we were on the road.

We arrived in Duncan around 10:30.  We were pretty tired, as were Jeff's parents, who had been babysitting our 2 nephews all evening, so we all crashed.  The next day, I woke to the smell of bacon cooking, which is the best way to wake up.  It never fails, when we go to Duncan, that Jeff's mom cooks the most wonderful meals for us, starting will breakfast.  So I groggily got out of bed and wandered to the kitchen, where everyone else had already gathered.  

After breakfast, and a bit of snoozing on the couch, we watched some football and relaxed the day away.  It was perfect.  It was just the type of laid back weekend that Jeff and I both needed.

On the way back to Tulsa that evening, we decided to stop in Bristow for some Chinese food for dinner.  I called my mom to see if we could drop of Maggie while we ate.  She then told me that Joe had just finished making some homemade chicken pot pie, and we were welcome to eat there if we wanted.  So we did.  It was wonderful!  We then made our way to the fire pit outside to sit around and talk.  Before we knew it, it was 11:30, which is LATE for us, especially after being gone.  So we came home and crashed.  

We got up this morning, went to church, then to lunch, then to Home Depot.  After we got home, I planted some bulbs and Jeff worked around the yard.  I then ran out to get a little baby time in with my beautiful niece while Jeff finished up. 

I got home around 7 and began dinner.  I was tired so I thought I'd just make some spaghetti, since it's so easy.  My sister had asked for some spaghetti for her to take with her to work, so I had to make 2 batches.  One batch like Jeff likes it, and one like my sister likes it.  

And now, I'm laid back in my recliner avoiding doing my lesson plans for this week.  Which is the inspiration for this post.  Procrastination.   So my apologies for this post not being the most entertaining.  I guess I'll get to work now.  :)

A Lesson Learned

So here's something I learned today.  Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, under any circumstances, use the spray on Halloween type temporary hair color while indoors.  Spray it outside, not in your bathroom while looking at the mirror.  Don't ask.  Just take my word for it.

Deep Thoughts

Here's a few random things I think about.  So do you floss first, then brush? Or brush first, then floss?  Anyone?

And also, do people on the other side of the world see the same constellations as we do?  If so, why don't they move across the sky at night like the sun and moon?   And if not, how did sailors use to navigate by the stars.  Can anyone explain this to me?

Turkey and Dressing...

My favorite!  It really is a shame that such a wonderful meal is only made usually 2x a year, at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  With the cooler weather upon us, my friend Rachel and I started discussing just that.  So, we decided that we would try making our own Thanksgiving dinner.  So today is the day.  I really have no idea what I'm doing.  We've warned our husbands that if things go terribly wrong, we'll order pizza.   I'm making the turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and rolls.  Rachel is bringing green bean casserole (love that stuff!!) and 2 pies.  I  really can't wait.  I've been looking forward to it all week.  I'll let you know how it turns out!

yum yum!

Tomorrow is gameday!

So tomorrow is gameday.  I'm sure it will go better than last week.  And after this weekend, the first BCS rankings will come out.  I hate the BCS.  Have I ever mentioned that?   I mean, I understand why they stick with the BCS, with the bowl games and money and blah blah blah, but I really don't like it.  I would much rather prefer play offs.  Perhaps the top 8 teams, or even 4.  Especially with the way this year seems to be shaping up, much like last year.  Most teams looking to have at least 1 loss and no clear no.1 team.  But we'll just have to wait and see how it turns out.  BOOMER SOONER!  

Simple things bring me joy. #3 - UPDATE

Well, don't run out and buy one of those BraBaby's quite so fast. I've been using mine, and perhaps I'm no doing it right, but it really doesn't work very well.  One of the straps or part of the bra always finds it way outside of the BraBaby.  So perhaps it's not so sweet.  Sorry guys. :(

Well...

Texas still sucks....

Simple things bring me joy. #3

First, my apologies for any guys who read this blog.  Now, I'm here to introduce to you another simple thing that brings me joy.  The Tide BraBaby.  This neat little contraption consists of 2 plastic balls.  The first one, you wrap your bra around to keep the cup shapes.  You then put it inside the larger ball and then they are safe to throw in the washer! Fabulous!

Monday's Over!!

What a Monday it was yesterday. Whew. Glad that's over. Now I can focus on the more positive things lined up for the rest of the week. First, would be the weather today. I am so happy to finally have a chilly, breezy fall day. I love it! Second, this weekend will be the first major test for OU football! Are you ready?!?!? I can hardly contain my excitement. Anyone else out there hate Texas??? Which reminds me, the other day I was driving home from watching the most precious little baby who lives in Glenpool, when I passed this car. On the back, they had BOTH and OU and a Texas sticker. It really angered me. There is no way you could really be a fan of EITHER if you had the ignorance to put BOTH on your car!!! I'd rather you cheer for Texas then claim to be a fan of both. Being a fan of both Texas and OU is just not an option. Period. When I came home telling Jeff about this atrocity, he tried to defend the guy. He suggested that perhaps this person had children at both colleges. NOPE. This guy was about my age. No way that was the case. It just really bothered me and I needed to get that off my chest. Thank you for listening.

All together now:

Boomer Sooner!

Texas Sucks!

Our weekend guests

Jeff and I have company this weekend!!!  Our nephews are here for the weekend.  We have the weekend planned with many fun activities, one of which is flying kites.  After a few attempts, Uncle Jeff was able to get both kites flying.  Below is a picture and a short video clip from the adventure.  In the picture, Ben was helping Jones to hold the string.  It was really cute!!!

Jeff tries to fly a kite.

So Jeff decided that a great activitiy to entertain our nephews next weekend would be to fly kites. After much searching and several stores, we finally found some kites for sale at Academy. So as soon as we got home, Jeff was determined to try them out. The results are below. Enjoy.

(you can pause the music at the bottom of the page so you can hear the sound)

Melissa's first night away....

Well, she did pretty good. There were few tears, no outbursts, and things were pretty calm. And Aislinn did great too. Melissa and Jake went out on a date and left Aislinn for the first time. Both myself and my mom were left in charge of one tiny little precious baby. Melissa began texting about 20 minutes after she left to check on Aislinn. I texted updates to her throughout the night. Overall, I would call it a success. I think that Melissa was able to relax a bit and enjoy her night out.

Simple things bring me joy. #2

Magic Erasers.  Oh. my. ga.  Have you used them?!  They are simply amazing.  First, they take crayon off a wall like no body's business.  If you have yet to see these things in action, please, go buy a pack.  They are a bit pricey ($5 for a 4 pack) but they are SOOO worth it!  Please, take my word for it.  Go buy some, clean your bathtub with it, and get back with me.  I promise you will be amazed.

Fall??

Ok. It was near 90 today.  WHERE is fall?

Also on my mind, this evening I will be babysitting.  Melissa will be leaving Aislinn for the first time.  Melissa has been dreading this since she was born.  I think that she'll do good though.  She will be going to a concert with Jake.  I'm sure once she gets there, she will relax and enjoy herself...  OR she'll text every 15 minutes and come home early.  I'll let you know.

Simple things bring me joy.

Such as...

This stuff is GREAT!!!  I'm one of those people at the Olive Garden who never say "when" to the waiter grating the cheese.  But now, I can do it at home!!!  I found this at the store, sent Jeff to the Olive Garden to get some salad dressing, and have been eating salads ever since.  We've had spaghetti more than normal because it is SOOOO good!  Just wanted to share my find!  Go get some!

The weather

That's right. A post about weather. This morning, I raced out to my car, running a tad late, which is right on cue for a Monday morning, and was greeted by brisk, cool air!! I LOVED it! I have always been a summer person. It has always been my favorite season. However, I'm starting to lean more to fall. I just love these beautiful fall days with temperatures reaching the 60s and 70s and a blue sky full of sun. It's gets me all ready for the holidays. I'm ready to cook a batch of Halloween cookies, put a few pumpkins out, and decorate my house!

And, of course, the best part of fall....

Boomer Sooner!!!

Maybe Not

Nothing came of my last post.  Perhaps it was just the government wasting money on fuel.

SOMETHING is going on here....

Attention to all my faithful blog readers, which at this point, based on comments posted, consist of Megan, Melissa, and mom, I have to tell you something.  And that something is... that SOMETHING is going on here!  I live near 61st and Memorial which just happens to put me in a direct line with all the planes going to the airport.  Since I left work today, at 330, there has been some unusual activity.  First, a GINORMOUS plane flew over.  Large enough that I ran outside to see what was going on.  It was so loud, I fully expected to see a plane landing next to my swingset.  It looked like this:I'm not sure if it said Air Force, as I could not clearly see the print on the side.  But it was huge like this.  I thought this was a little unusual, but went about my business.  UNTIL, I hear ANOTHER huge rumbling sound.  I ran outside to see THIS:

It looked all white, not black and white like this one, and again, not sure if it said Air Force.  But it was huge and loud and headed towards the airport.  Strange..... I thought.  Again, I went back inside to continue my very busy afternoon of watching the most adorable girl on Oprah.  I was just settling in, and guess what happened!!  Yes! More loud planes.  This time I go outside to see....

Fighter jets!!! (there were only two, not three as pictured)  Whaaa.....???  Ok, I begin to think at this point that SOMETHING is going on!  I again, resist my temptation to call the local news, and go about my business.  Then just a few moments ago, around 7:15 pm CDT, ANOTHER plane flew over!!  One of these kind:

WOA!  So I have decided, that yes, SOMETHING is in fact going on here.  

So, the point of this post, is that tomorrow when Obama and McCain do a surprise debate here in Tulsa, remember, you heard it first here on erinwblog.blogspot.com.

Thank you and goodnight.

Maybe I'm not so old...

Jeff's gone for the evening and I'm tempted to have Spaghettios for dinner.  Maybe I'm not so old...

We're OLD!?

I can't believe it's already Monday again. I find myself saying this every week, probably just like most of the working world. Our weekend was busy but good. Friday evening we went just went out for a late dinner then came home. Very different from just a few short years ago in Norman. It really amazes me how fast we became "old." I mean, I REALLY thought that we wouldn't be one of those married couples who stayed home on a Friday or Saturday night to "relax." I knew it would eventually happend, but in just 2 short years!? Oh well. I guess I just need to accept that we're no longer young crazy kids. :)

Saturday was nice. I slept in, which now means waking up around 8 and forcing myself to snooze on and off until 9:30 or so (yet another sign I'm getting old). I got up and did a little light house cleaning and got ready for the game. Jeff had to go into the office for a bit, so I made a huge plate of beef nachos for him when he got home. I had resist eating them myself. What more could a person want, nachos, a cold drink, and OU Football. A perfect fall afternoon.

After the game, we headed out for a nice evening on the town. We started at HideAway Pizza, one of my favorite places! Yummm.. After eating, we went to watch my cousin's little league football game. Jeff asked me if I knew where we were going. I furrowed my brow and said, "of course! Well... maybe I do." I soon realized, that I was no longer in the 3A football world. Ya see, I am used to going to small town football games, where you just drive to the opposing teams' town, and look for the lights. Simple. Right? Well, not in Jenks. We head to Jenks, and soon I see stadium lights. "See!" I explained to jeff, "there's the lights. I told you we could just find it."

So we find a parking, make our way to the stadium, pay our way, and walk in. We wander around the stands looking for a familiar face. "Hrm. I don't see him." I said.

Jeff quickly replied with, "well... are you SURE we're at the right stadium?"

"Honey. It's little league. How many stadiums could there be?" I answered.

So I texted my cousin to see where he was sitting. He told me he was standing up near the top. We looked. No cousin of mine was standing near the top. Dang it. Jeff may be right on this one. I sure hate it when that happens. Turns out there is more that one football field. So we left and got directions and drove to another field, paid again, and finally found the right team on the right field. They ended up losing, 0-8, but it was worth it. It was a beautiful evening.

After the game, we headed to the Riverwalk. We wandered around, listening to the music and enjoying the beautiful atmosphere. After an hour or two, we were ready to call it a night. It was late, after all, almost 10:30. Wow. We ARE old.

Boomer Sooner!!!

Here is a picture of a house down the street from us.  Gotta love football season!!!

Pictures of Aislinn... Finally.

Aislinn Violet!!!

She's here! Aislinn Violet was born on August 28th at 7:14pm. She weighed 6lbs 11 oz. Baby and mom are both doing great!!!

I'll post pics soon.  I promised Melissa I'd let her post the first ones... :)

The big day!!!

Well it's finally almost here! Tomorrow is the big day!  I will try and post pics as soon as I can!  Please keep Melissa & Aislinn in your thoughts and prayers Thursday as we welcome a new life!

Aislinn Violet

Well, the clock is ticking...  Melissa is scheduled to be induced next Thursday, August 28th, unless she goes into labor before then!  Hooray!!!!

Our new toy...

Jeff and I have purchased a new toy.  We always knew that if we had the opportunity, we would buy a boat...  Well, opportunity came knocking.  We've only taken it out once so far, and with it being so late in the summer, probably won't have too many times to head to the lake. But that's ok.  I'm sure we'll make up for it next summer, and then some.  

We went to pick up the boat last Saturday.  When we hooked it up to the Explorer, of course, the trailer lights plug thingy wasn't the same.  And it begins.. the joys of owning a boat.  After lots of sweating (it was about 5pm and 100 outside) Jeff finally fixed it.  Yea!! We're headed home.  Well, not so fast.  Around 11pm, we were just about 10 miles from the Bristow exit and I was just about to doze off when BOOM!  I almost jumped out of my seat.  I looked in the rear view mirror to see the boat rocking and sparks flying.  "What happened?!?!" I shrieked to Jeff.  "That would be a blowout."  He said about as calmly as if he were ordering a cheeseburger.    We pulled to the side of the road to get out and inspect the damage.  Oh, and did I mention it was raining?  Well, sprinkling, but still.  Anyways, Jeff starts to get out the spare to change the flat while I try to gather myself.  Ya see, I was almost asleep.. or maybe asleep, and being jolted awake got my adrenaline going.  Anyways, I go back over to see how the progress is going.  Jeff looks at me and I could tell my his face, things weren't going so well.  The tire tool we had did not fit the tire on the boat trailer.  Gggrreeeaaat.

We were close to Bristow, so I called my mom.  She answered groggily, obviously sleeping.  Thankfully, Joe was still awake and willing to bring us a 4 way tire tool.  So we get back in the car and wait for our rescue.  Shortly, Joe arrives. He walks over to the boat, looks at the tire (which is in pieces) and says, "Man. That's going to take ALOT of fix-a-flat."  It was pretty funny.  Anyways, we get the tire changed and finally make it home, about 1am.  

The next day, even though it was cloudy and threatening to rain, we took the boat out.  We had a great time and Megan came to join us on our maiden voyage.  Here are a few pics from the lake.

Our happy little family...

Me attempting to wakeboard.  What you can't tell from this picture is that the whole time I was screaming "slow down! Slow down!!"

Megan wakeboarding!  Go Meg!!

Happy Birthday Jeff!!!

So a while back, my dear husband decided that he needed to have a Jeep Wrangler.  After searching high and low, he came across a rare find.  The jeep was a good price, in decent shape, the engine was solid, only one thing was lacking: a decent paint job.  

So we went ahead and bought the jeep with the understanding that we would paint the jeep.  So almost 2 years later, the same, neon streaked blue jeep was living in my driveway.  Time to take some intiative.  For Jeff's birthday this year, I decided it was time to give the good ole jeep a makeover.

Tada!!!!

Thank you to all who went in on this wonderful birthday present!!

Summer's over!?

Well it's happened.. summer is drawing to a close. School starts back for us on August 13th. All teachers must be back for meeting and such starting August 6th. This isn't very different for me, since I've been working all summer, but the summers are so nice. Fewer children, more relaxed, slower pace. It's really crazy to think that summer is already over!

Even though it is hard to say goodbye to summertime, with the lake trips, the warm weather, the grilling out.. i'm ready. That's right. I'm ready. Summer is nice and I love it until about the last week of July. Then it just become unnecessary. 105 in the shade?! No thanks.

So I'm ready for fall. For the break in the temperatures and also, two very important events. The first, football season!! My favorite season of the year. I can almost hear the band playing BoomerSooner! I am so excited for the games, the good food, and watch parties!! Go Sooners!

The second very exciting event is much more important than the first. My new niece Aislinn Violet should be making her grand apperance in just a few short weeks! Her due date isn't until September 7th, but I'm feeling pretty confident she'll be here before the end of August!! I simply can't wait!

July...

July is a busy month in the Willeford family.  Jeff, his brother, and his sister all have birthdays in July.  Because of this, we take an annual "July Birthdays" trip to the lake.  This year, we all loaded up and headed to Tenkiller.  The four or so days prior to the trip, Jeff and I were keeping our nephew Will while his mom was at a conference for school.  Below is a picture of Will helping us pack.

We left on Wednesday evening and stayed at my Aunt Patti's house.  Will was very concerned about the huge animal mounted above the fireplace.  It was really cute.

We got up the next morning and went for a swim before heading to the lake.  Will played basketball in the water and jumped off the edge over and over.  After about an hour of swimming, Will was beginning to get a little sleepy, which was perfect.  We were about ready to drive to the cabins to check in and then back into town to get groceries.  Will napped the entire time!

Later that day, we went on to the lake to check into the cabins.  The cabins were cozy... and had a wonderful view of the water.  Later that evening, the rest of the Willefords arrived.  We spent the weekend eating great food, watching the brave ones wakeboard, and swimming in the lake.  Jeff took some time to teach Ben how to spit watermelon seeds...  It was quite entertaining..

We had such a great time!! Can't wait for next year!

Snakes.. update

Well, it's not the end of July and we have seen no signs of anymore snakes. We've been on the playground a few times, with no trouble. We had a "snake specialist" guy from the zoo come out and he told us that all of our "snake holes" were not that. He informed us that snakes do not dig holes. They will sometimes use other animals holes, but they do not dig their own. He also told us that it is highly unlikely that poisonous snakes would live in our location. Hrm. So, we've relaxed a bit and are just assuming that the snakes have moved on.

Florida

For our 2 year anniversary, Jeff and I spent a week in Clearwater, Florida. We left on July 3 so we would be able to see some fireworks on the beach. It was amazing. Along with the fireworks, came the 4th of July weekend crowd. So the town was packed! All the restaurants were very busy every evening. So, one night, we decided not to fight the crowds, and rather get some food to go, and enjoy a nice, quiet dinner on our balcony overlooking the ocean. This turned out to be the best decision we made the whole trip. Shorty after we began eating, we noticed something in the water. We watched, and soon saw dolphins swimming and jumping right in front of our hotel. It was incredible. I tried to video them jumping with my camera. Here a link to the video:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=yfTDFQ7BvQE

Overall, the trip was wonderful. Spending a few days relaxing on the beach was perfect.

summertime...

Hello everyone!  Monday was the last day of school at Margaret Hudson.  Because we are part of the State Pilot Program for Early Childhood, the childcare center will be open all summer.  I agreed to work through the summer, so I'm still there along with a few others.  It's a much slower pace than during the school year, which is nice.  We only have a few babies this week, but we should have more coming next week.  It's a really good thing we have been slow this week, because we have had a slight problem with our playground.  Ya see, our yard guy told us that they saw lots of SNAKES!!!  That's right. A snake infestation on the playground.  They told us they saw rattlesnakes and water moccasins.  Ohmyga! So all of us ladies sort of freaked.  

Anyways, being the brave women we are, we decided to check out the playground and see what we saw. We went outside and looked all around and didn't see a thing.  So we decided to take our 3 children out to play.  There were 3 adults and 3 kids, so we figured we'd be ok.  We would just each follow right behind our child and walk around for a few minutes.  We had been outside for about 5 minutes when I noticed a small hole near the sandbox.  Huh, must be a snake hole, I thought.  So I walked around the sandbox to see if there were any more.  I walked around the box without seeing anything.  I was nearing the first hole, when I saw a second.  I walked towards it and saw a snake poking his head out of the hole.  I screamed and we all raced back into the building with the kids.

So, we decided to NOT go back outside until the snake situation had been taken care of.  We began calling pest and animal control places in the phonebook.  One after another, they all told us, "sorry, we don't do snakes."  So after an afternoon of calling, we had not found a single person who could offer us any help.  The best anyone had to offer was to tell us to go buy some snake repellent stuff.  It's some sort of sand or something that you put in the snake holes and it's supposed to smell bad and get them to go away.  So that's what we're going to try.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Weekend

Jeff and I had a very busy weekend. We had lots of company... The Willefords came for Mothers Day. It was great to see everyone and have a chance to play with our adorable nephews. We made homemade pizzas and went to the aquarium. We spent Saturday afternoon in the backyard, the kids playing, Jeff on the grill... what an All-American day. :) Here are a few pics for you to enjoy!

weather...

Nothing is on TV now except for weather. Tornados around.  Here is a pic of the clouds in my backyard.  So much for Grey's and Lost.  Happy Spring!!

wow...

Well, apparently I was correct when I said that I didn't enough going on to sustain a blog.  Or perhaps I'm just too busy/lazy to update one.  So here's my second post. Maybe this time I will keep up with this blogging thing. Time will tell.

Yesterday I went on a search for an area rug for my living room.  This was inspired by a comment my sister made.  She said something to the effect of, "an area rug and a floor lamp in that corner would really complete this room."  Well, ya see, I thought the room already was complete. So anyways, I went and bought both an area rug and a lamp.  What do you think?

Everyone else is doing it...

Well, I've decided to give this whole blogging thing a try. Not sure that I have a life that is interesting enough to sustain a blog, but we'll see.  I had been thinking about starting one, but tonight, when the State of the Union Address came on, I decided to get started.  As someone who knows nothing about politics or the government, I should probably be watching the painfully boring speech by a man who's public speaking skills are less than those of Pauly Shore.  I say that I don't know anything about what's going on, but truth be told, it's my own fault.  I don't pay attention.. I rarely watch the news.. I'm one of those people that my sister hates.  Those types that think that my one little vote doesn't really matter, so I'll just leave it up to the rest of you.  But then, when things go bad, I complain about our President.  The President that I voted for. The President that now scares me.  Perhaps on this next election, I'll leave the voting to you guys.