My precious one-year old

I remember the early morning that you were born. Your daddy and I had gone to the hospital the night before and I was ready. I was ready to meet you. We didn't find out if you were a boy or a girl at our 20 week ultrasound, but I felt that you were a girl from day one. We relaxed in the delivery room, listening to music, laughing with the nurses (your dad always likes to poke fun with the hospital staff). We wanted to have you on the 29th of December so that you could share birthdays with your Nana, who turned 80 the day you were born. Everyone was excited.

My labor was easy with you and when Dr. Mahoney said, "Hi, Katelyn!" I cried. I knew it. My heart was filled with joy. Not only had God blessed me with a beautiful little baby girl, but He trusted me to be your mommy.
We were love-struck. Luke even loved you. When he saw you, he said, "Hi, Katelyn. My name is Luke. I'm your big brother and I'm going to teach you everything I know."
I can't believe that you are one, Katelyn. You and your brother are the joys of our lives. You fit into this family so perfectly. I can't imagine what my life would be like without you. It's hard to not smile when you smile at me with your beautifully blue eyes.
Happy birthday, baby.

Update

As promised, here is my update. Nothing too exciting, but enough info. to keep all three of my blog stalkers satisfied.

I didn't get Christmas cards sent this year. I thought and thought and thought about when/what I should do about it. I figure that some may enjoy getting something after the new year, right? As most of you know, I'm not a procrastinator, but this year I have been dreading my Christmas letter and I can't pin point exactly why. My first excuse was that I lost all of the addresses that were saved in my laptop (a true statement). It has been nice to gather addresses again as I've received others' cards.

Katelyn has been doing so many fun things lately. It's amazing how in just a day's time she grows and does new things. I can hardly believe that she's going to be one next week. So, when do I stop calling her a baby and start calling her a toddler? She's walking all over the place and she talks, talks, talks. We hear a lot of "Dada, Mama, Papa, Bye, Hi, Uh-oh, entle (gentle-where do you think she's heard that?), and tonight, she did say grandma (which my mom was very pleased about beings that Luke took forever to muster out "grandma". He often called her "Shishem". We think he was trying to say Williamson. Who knows. And, I can gleefully say, all she got for Christmas was her 2 front teeth".... along with a few other things, of course.

Luke and I have been having fun with our advent calendar. We've made snow globes, a gingerbread house, peppermint playdough, have taken a ham to the city mission, delivered cookies to our neighbors and sipped hot cocoa while driving around looking at Christmas lights. It will be weird to get back into preschool in January. I have to start thinking about my lesson planning so we can make an easy transition.

We've joined the Columbus Y and love it. They have Y care for the kids, which allows me to workout. I only go 2 days a week and sometimes on Saturday to open swim. I wish it could be more, but it's hard when we have to go to Columbus to use the facility. I try to work out 2 hours while I'm there. I still need to lose about 15-20 more pounds until I feel satisfied. Ugh.

Bill is busy which equals him being gone... a lot. The school is in need of a morning bus driver and until they find one, Bill is the go-to man. He leaves the house at 6:30 a.m. and doesn't get home until 6:30p.m. (he coaches basketball after school). You just have to love living in a small community...he's a one man band most times.

Maybe I haven't felt up to writing my Christmas letter because I usually say all that I want to say through blogging. It's way more convenient and way cheaper. Oh, lahdee dah...maybe it will end up being a Valentine's Day letter. That would be a new one, wouldn't it? Wouldn't you be excited to get a family letter after the holidays? Why does it all have to stop after Christmas (can you tell I'm trying to justify my laziness? Nice.)

Have a Merry Christmas, all. Remember why we celebrate Christmas. I often think of the Herdmens in the book "The Best Chris-tmas Pageant Ever"; Christ has never been about beauty and elegance. He was ordinary, common and yet, a wonderful Savior.

Man That Works? Monday

Now introducing...
Da da da da da da daaaa!!! (Trumpets)
The CLEAN SWEEP! Have you ever been able to catch the show on TLC? I love this show. Something about it gives me warm fuzzies. Maybe it's the idea that it forces people to ditch things (usually odd things like the first tooth they ever lost...ewww).
I am by no means a pack rat. I'm quite opposite, actually, so organizing and sorting makes me feel complete. "It completes me" (Thank you for that oh-so-wonderful line Jerry McGui.re). So, PK (pre-kids) when we were DINKS (double income no kids), Bill and I started having a clean sweep of our own. We'd always do it over Christmas break, beings that we were both off of school, and we still do it to this day. We start in one room and take everything in that room and put it in the middle of the floor. Then, piece by piece we sort it all into piles of keep, donate or ditch. You would not believe the number of things we have gotten rid of over the years. And, every year, I feel like I can breathe once again and officially am decluttered. L-O-V-E it.
Now, of course, we don't go into as much detail because obviously with kids, we have more things. But, we still do the general concept. Even if it's just one closet, do it. Take it all out and dump it into a pile on the floor. Force yourself to go through it. You will be greatly rewarded (unless, of course, you're just not as weird as I am).

FYI-I fully intend to get you a full update on the happenings around here tomorrow (without pictures...we are in need of a new camera battery). I'm sure you all won't be able to sleep tonight because of the anticipation, right?

Man That Works? Monday...only it's Tuesday

Now introducing to you the Curry family 10-MINUTE TICKER! I absolutely cannot have a peaceful good-night's sleep unless my house is free of toys on the ground, dishes in the sink and piles on the counter. Just the idea of going to sleep with a messy house gives me the creeps (maybe I do need therapy). So, when we were first married, Bill introduced me to the 10-minute ticker. I loved the idea so much that we use it nearly every night so that this momma can get the rest that is so desperately needed.
After the kids are fast asleep, Bill and I set the kitchen timer for 10 minutes. During that 10 minutes, we get as much picking up done as we possibly can during that time. I mean, we seriously bust it out (I wore a pedometer once during our 10 minute ticker and I burned 100 calories...now that's what I'm talking about). The 10 minute ticker is not intended for deep cleaning such as vacuuming and scrubbing toilets (unless it's minor vacuuming like sweeping the kitchen floor). It's strictly for picking up. We both work hard for 10 minutes and whatever is not done by the time the buzzer goes off just doesn't get done until the next day. Let me tell you, it is b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l. You'd be surprised what you can get done in just 10 minutes! Let me know how the beauty of the ticker works for you!

Our Daily Advent

I love the idea of creating traditions that my family will grow to love. Ones that they will look forward to each year. This Christmas time is no different. I'm constantly thinking of what I can do to make Christmas special and unique for our family. So, when I went to Fam.ily Christ.ian in search of an advent calendar, I was thrilled when I found this...

As you open up the calendar, there is a mini book for each day of December.

The books can be pulled out by an attached string and can be used as an ornament on your tree. I'm too picky about what goes on my tree, however, so the mini books stay in the calendar.

This following picture is a bit fuzzy, but each book contains a short story. December 1st starts with the creation of the world and December 24th is the birth of Jesus. So far, we have covered creation, the fall of Adam and Eve, Noah's ark and yesterday, the book included the words to "Oh Come All Ye Faithful".

And, as a true blogger and mom, I have copied a fantastic idea from a friend. I use the advent calendar not only for the story, but I also slip a piece of paper behind the book. Written on that piece of paper is a Christmas project for Luke and me to complete on that particular day.

Luke gets so excited to see what our project for the day is. So far we've: Watched "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", made gingerbread cookies, decorated the gingerbread cookies and made a Santa door hanger.

I LOVE making memories.

I've messed it up...again!

Why is it that every time I try to change my template to something different I end up deleting everything? I know, I know...I should've saved before I changed. So, thus the temporary blurp on my blog page.
I had a blog all ready for "Man that Works? Monday" and then, of course, I deleted it. Mommy brain strikes again.
I wanted to tell you all about my new-found love, other than Vodka of course...Lemi-Shine dishwasher detergent. We have absolutely horrible-no good-rotten water in Shelby and our house in particular does not have soft water. My glass wear looked horrible with hard water stains. It was caked with white residue after I ran the dishes through the washer. I had tried everything. I read that polishing your glassware with white toothpaste would do the trick...WRONG. Plus, it takes way too much time. I thought I was doomed for chalked-white glasses until my grandma introduced me to Lemi. My glasses (and all other dishes, mind you) look like BRAND NEW! Plus, it doesn't just work in the dishwasher, it works for anything that hard water has got the best of (toilets, sinks, tubs). It makes my heart pitter patter to unload the dishwasher and see such sparkleness. L-O-V-E I-T. Try it.

Me and my Vodka

**Said in a slurred voice***
"I'd lllllike to introduuuce you to my lill' frrriend.

I must say. I felt humiliated, red-in-the-face, not to mention extremely red-necked when I tip-toed up to the counter of the Spirits department of Hy..Vee. Just moments before I had hidden a huge jug of vod.ka underneath the pam.pers in my shopping cart hoping that no one I knew would catch me with straight up alcohol in my cart. I peeked above the bottles and sneaked around corners praying that my pastor wouldn't be in the health food section where he could get a very clear view of me purchasing the biggest bottle of liquor I could find.

What kind of mom am I anyway? I have my almost-four-year-old son holding my hand, walking along side the cart singing "Old McDonald" and my 11 month old little girl with an adorable pink bow in her hair clapping and laughing at her brother as I'm traipsing up to the counter with a bottle, let me rephrase that, jug of, shhh, dare I say it?....vod.ka! Oh, Lord. Please forgive me.

Most of you who know me really well know that this whole scenario is out of the ordinary for me. And, truly, it is. Until now. I read that vod.ka is the BEST cleaning product that you can use that is totally environmentally safe, antibacterial and scent free. And, again, for most of you who know me real well, you know that I am a clean f-r-e-a-k. So, with a lump in my throat, I purchased the cheapest, biggest jug of vod.ka you can buy and after I tried it, I think it's safe to say that I LOVE vod.ka. My potties and sinks haven't ever had such a shine.

Ahhh...the tricks of the trade. The tricks of happiness to me. So, from today forward, I introduce you to "Man that Works? Mondays". All the cleaning "Wows" and "Reallys?" you could ever want. Tune in every Monday to see if I have something that may just work for you too. And, of course, if I see you in the Spirits department of Hy..Vee. I'll simply smile and wave.

Let's Keep it Simple-How 'bout a list?

I think it's pretty safe to say that I've fallen off the bloggy bandwagon (yes, Captain Obvious strikes again). I honestly can say that I feel overwhelmed by all of things that have been going on around here lately. All of these things are very blog-worthy, but I just haven't had the energy to sit down and write about it. So, this evening I told myself that I WOULD definitely write something out after the kids were all tucked in. To keep it simple, I thought I'd make a list. For those of you who know me well, this is very Tiffany-like. My left-brained tendencies can be obsessive most times, but in this case, it's my only hope in getting this blog done. Then, I'm hoping that I can just start over. Clean slate. So, as interesting or uninteresting as it may be here it is, in all of its glory, of course!

1. Luke and I are learning about penguins in preschool. I love getting the Mail-box magazine for preschool teachers (great ideas for my penguin unit). He is also beginning to put small words together and is very proud that he can count to 30.

2. Basketball season has officially begun which means that I will be on my own with the kids a lot more. Why is it that the sport that Bill has the most expertise in lasts longer than any other sport? Sheesh.

3. Halloween was great. We happened to be in Lincoln that day, so we stayed in town for the kids to trick-or-treat. Luke dressed up as Woody from Toy.Story and Katelyn was a ladybug. Luke LOVED the whole experience this year. As we went up to the doors, he'd say, "Mom, stay back...this is a Woody job!"

4. I made Pecan-crusted Salmon for supper tonight. It was great, but now I have heartburn. Exciting information, huh?

5. I turned the big 3-0 yesterday. Bill and my parents threw me a surprise party. I was overwhelmed and completely overjoyed to see so many of my closest friends and family there. What an amazing day.

6. I got new Christmas ornaments for my birthday and I'm totally excited about it. I'm going to have a "funky" tree. Woot!

7. I'm mostly done Christmas shopping. There are just a few things left. I love Christmas shopping because I love giving and finding that perfect gift for a person I love.

8. The kids were sick for about a week a few weeks back. It was tasking to have both of them sick, but I did enjoy playing nurse and taking care of my babes!

9. I'm doing a lot of Premier home shows. November is always so busy. I am definitely thankful for that, but it does mean a lot of trips to Lincoln. Good thing there's free babysitting there!

10. Seriously, I may need a Zantac.

11. The other evening, one of Luke's Cubbies teachers said, "Luke had a REALLY good night tonight!" What does that mean? Is he usually not good or was he just exceptionally good that one night?

12. Luke's great grandmother got him a subscription to "The Big Back-yard" and we LOVE reading it, along with Ran-ger Ri-ck. This month's feature was animals with antlers. So, tomorrow, we're going to make our own antlers for us to wear. We love projects at our house.

13. Katelyn is very close to walking. She walks 4 or 5 steps in between two people and just giggles. She's like my little tail and follows me all around the house. She waves bye-bye and says, "Bye!!!" So, now her words include, hi, bye, uh-oh, mooo and ho, ho, ho, for what Santa says. What a doll.

I'm sure there's more I could share, but I thought this would get me started again. It's about time for me to post some pictures too. Baby steps, people!

I must be doing something right

We were in town tonight after a volleyball game and as we were pulling out of the parking lot, we heard sirens. Any time we hear sirens, Luke says, "Mom! Is someone in trouble? Do you think someone needs help?" Tonight was no different, except he followed with saying, "Mom, maybe we should pray for those people that are in trouble." Amen, Luke. You've got it right. You've got it 100%, without a doubt, right.

I'm sure you would've wanted to be a fly on the wall...or not

What a great day. I had a meeting last night in Lincoln, so the kids and I stayed at my parents' house. I always love staying over, because 8:00 a.m. comes rather quickly when Sup-er Tar-get is less than a mile a way from their home. I had some things to exchange and found some other things to buy, since I had left over money from the exchanges, of course (see, I can justify just about anything). After Tar-get, we went to get my hair cut and then stopped by Sub-way, or Sub-ways as Luke calls it, for a quick bite to eat before heading out of town.
We were almost finished with our meal, when Luke exclaims, "I have to go potty!" So, I grabbed Katelyn and we jetted back as fast as we could (because of course, like most little ones, Luke waited until the last possible second to tell me about the urge he had probably had since we left the salon). I knew I was in for the long haul when he climbed up on the potty and took a seat. Great. He had to poop. But, this did give me plenty of time to form a plan as to how I was going to hold Katelyn and wipe Luke's posterior at the same time.
The wiping part didn't go as badly as expected, but then I began to think, "You know, I had better use the restroom too. After all, the hour trip home could get to be pretty long considering all of the fluids I had consumed earlier in the day (two cups of coffee at mom's, water in the van, a short pumpkin spice coffee from Linc-oln Exp-resso, a must have on my Lincoln trips, and two glasses of water at Sub-way itself, to be exact).
Hmm...this presented an even bigger problem. How was I going to get the job done while holding Katelyn at the same time? I cannot begin to describe the steps I took to get it done, but I did it. I realized that I can button my jeans with one hand and wash Luke and my hands while squeezing Katelyn in an upright position between my knees, all without breaking a sweat.
See what we're all capable of, moms? Trust me, it was truly a shining moment.

A is for....

Katelyn is going through a phase. It is the-only-person-that-dare-touch-me-better-be-mommy phase. It's driving me bonkers. She cried, excuse me, screamed for Bill last night when I took Luke to His Kids at church. Then, today, my friend Kelsey watched the kiddos while I did some cleaning. She screamed for Kelsey. Ugh. She even stands up in her crib and screams during nap time. This is not like her. But, I guess it is like her because she has some how morphed into the "screaming child".
Today, when I put both kids down for nap and Katelyn was, of course, crying, Luke said, "Mom...
A is for ANNOYING!" How can you not laugh?

Pumpkin Patch

Last Sunday, we made our annual trip to Nebraska City in search of THE perfect pumpkin. We had tons of fun and the weather was gorgeous. It was fun to create memories with both of my children. I can so easily remember Luke's first trip to the pumpkin patch and it feels like it was just yesterday. **sniff**
Things have been going well around here. We stay busy, especially with school functions. Luke is still enjoying preschool time and is very inquisitive about reading. He knows all of his letter sounds, and we have begun to read some small words. He's pretty quick at picking up on things and for this, I'm thankful.
Katelyn is in that phase right now where she does something different every day. She's not much of a crawler...just the army crawl. She's much more ambitious. She took three steps yesterday and can stand for a few seconds on her own. Today she gave me the sign for "more" and started to clap her hands. It is quite adorable. She babbles a ton and can say, "Uh oh, ball and 'moooo' for a cow". She amazes me everyday.

Fabulously Fullfilled-and Fabulously Broke

This past weekend was the weekend of all weekends. It's the weekend I look forward to the minute it's over until the beginning of the next weekend the following year. It's the friends. It's the food. It's the shopping.
Every year, my friends that I went to college with and I meet for a girls' shopping weekend, and let me tell you, it's glorious. Here's a brief history of how the shopping weekends have matured:

The Early Years...most of us married (Bill and I were the only ones not married). No kids born yet. Boys did something manly like camping, frisbee golf or paint ball. Girls shopped and talked.

The Reproductive Years...all married with some children and other children on the way. We were troopers. We still got together despite the growing number of kiddos.

The Tired Years...Lots of kids (Leslie with 2 boys and twin boys on the way, Makila with a boy and a girl and a girl on the way, Julie with twin girls and me with Luke)

The Smart Years...still growing in numbers (Leslie with all 4 boys, Makila with 3 and a 4th on the way, Julie with twins and close to adopting from Ethiopia, and me with Luke and Kate). We even figured that each year we have done this (starting in 2002) there has been someone pregnant except in 2004. Who will it be next year? Lord, please not me.
I call these the smart years because we have decided to leave behind the husbands and the crew that goes with them. The weekend was ours...and only ours. Way smart (although Katelyn did have to go with us because of her "I will eat from nothing fake" complex...but she was a trooper and I think she proved that the shopping trait in women is not only inherited but innate as well).

We had a fantastic time. We savored the best spinach and artichoke dip that I've ever had, went to Tar.get twice in a 24 hour period (for Les and Makila it was 4 times) went to 3 malls, 2 Ga.ps, 3 restaurants and a partridge in a pear tree.

It was like the stars were lining up for all of us. I found all that I was looking for and I think most everyone else was pleased with their purchases...well, kind of. There's still a desired pair of boots that were needed in a 9 1/2, but they only had a 6 1/2.
I even had a great trip home...on a usually over-crowded Hwy 92, I experienced an open road. Hus.ker football is great for so many reasons. Open roads has to rank right up there.

And now, I have another Monday to face. Oh well...I get to go through my loot and put it all away and just smile. I smile at the laughs and good stories shared. I smile at the sales I found. I smile because no matter where life has taken all of us, we can meet up every year and things are the same. I'd even venture to say that we all feel like we're 19 years old again; exactly where we left off 11 years ago.

To my dear friends: Les, Makila and Julie. I love you.

Teething Woes

It's 1:24 a.m. My poor Katelyn is crying in her crib. All of her needs are met and I can do nothing else for her. My heart just breaks. This is the part of parenting an infant that is difficult. And, Katelyn has been my "sleeper baby". This girl, from day one, has loved her crib. Tonight, however, not so much. She's almost 9 months old and has been working on these teeth for what I think has been close to 3 months now. I just put some night-time Ora-jel on those bottom gums, nursed her a bit and thought all would be well with the world. Poor Katelyn.

Around the House

We've been busy. The fall weather has put us all in a "get 'er done" kind of mood. As a matter of fact, there aren't enough hours in a day to do all of the things we need to do. But, we manage to find lots of fun through all of the busyness. We're constantly caring for the hundreds of apples ripening on our tree. We've finished priming the back shed and are preparing to paint it to match the house, but secretly hoping a strong wind comes through and knocks the thing over...at least that will put it out of it's misery. And, in the mean time, I've decorated for autumn, my absolute favorite season.

The Hoff

Katelyn and I were cuddling in my bed before I put her down for the night. While cuddling, I flipped the TV on to "Ame-rica's Got Tal-ent". I quickly realized that my daughter is a Da-vid Hassel-hoff lover. Every time he spoke, she grinned and giggled. Oh my. The Hoff. My daughter likes the Hoff.

This and That

I haven't posted in awhile, so I thought I'd keep you updated on things going on around here. It's nothing too exciting, hence the bloggy slackerness.

Preschool is going very well for Luke. We have learned to work quite well together and I have become way more patient. He's constantly spelling words out and asking me what they spell. He also loves to read the time on the digital clock. His quickness amazes me.

Katelyn is 8 months old now. I can hardly believe it! She's not crawling yet, but she is not content to just sit around. If anyone is sitting by her, she'll push up on their legs and stand up. She also has quite a repertoire of words for such a youngster. A few weeks ago, she said "Uh oh". The other day, Bill walked into the room and she said, "Dada" and has continued to do so. And, yesterday, we gave her a ball and she said, "Ba". Amazing. We know these aren't just "one-hit-wonders". She says them over and over. So fun.

Our apple tree is near ready for picking. Bring your buckets to Shelby for free apples. Honestly. I'm not kidding. Seriously. The tree is full of the best apples I've ever eaten.

This week is the official week of the beginning of high school sports. I like going to the games that Bill has to go to, so I'm looking forward to all of the hustle and bustle.

Tomorrow, we're going to the State Fair. Bill has to drive the band kids down to march, so we're meeting him there. I think Luke will really like it. We didn't get to go last year.

My home is completely decorated for fall. Last year, we didn't have our fireplace in, so this year I have really enjoyed decorating a mantle. It's smells like autumn here. I could hardly hold back with all of the fall-like weather we've had.

I'm giving up sugar for the month of September. Well, kind of. I'm giving up things with a ton of sugar. I'm not a huge sweets person anyway, so hopefully, this won't be too difficult.

Husker football this Saturday...yesssss.

And now, it's bedtime.

The Truth About Pom Poms

Craft pom-poms. We love craft pom-poms at our house. We make catepillars, glue googley eyes on them and all sorts of things. They are super fun. Luke, though, has a tendency to get them all out of the craft closet and carry them from room to room. I find little pom-poms everywhere. I found a whole storehouse of them in one of Luke's shoes and again under my bed. I'll shout it from the rooftops, "WE LOVE POM-POMS!"
Last night when Luke was brushing his teeth, he began to put his fingers in the 3 drain holes just beneath the rim of the bathroom sink.
He said, "Mom, put your finger in here!"
"Why, Luke?"
"It's pom-poms!"
"What on Earth are you talking about?"
"There are pom-poms in these holes!"
"LUKE! You put a pom-pom in the hole?"
"No."
Phew, I thought. What is he talking about?
"No, mom. I put 3 pom-poms in the hole."
Lovely.

School Days

I started Preschool with Luke today. We do have a preschool in town, but who better to teach Luke than me? After all, I do have a teaching degree. When I taught school, I always requested the upper-elementary aged kids. They were in the process of becoming young adults and often times, laughed at my jokes (which were often times, horrible).
After today, I know why I like those older kiddos. Luke was...um...very high-maintenance. He was so super excited (which was cute) that he kept hugging me (more like strangling) and gave me huge monster kisses. He wanted to do the next activity before we even got through with the first one. I never thought that learning the days of the week could be so exciting. I had to remind myself time and time again that he IS only three years old.
So, we filled out the calendar, talked about the days of the week, and decided that it was warm and cloudy out. For math, we did some coin counting. He loved sorting pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters into a muffin tin. We counted and sorted and counted and sorted some more.
After that, we played Alphabet BINGO, which Luke really liked. I had him say the sound that the letter made when he put his marker on the letter. He's really good at that, but gets confused by "W" every time. He thinks it makes the sound "Double U". Makes sense.
Take into consideration that I have never ever seen a preschool curriculum. I looked online for some, but wasn't satisfied. So, I'm making it up as I go. Any suggestions are more than welcome.
We have a nice little room that isn't being used downstairs that we have transformed into our school room. Luke helped me put up all of the posters on the walls. He loves preschool and when we finished today, he turned off the lights and said, "Good-bye school room. See you tomorrow. Mom? Is tomorrow Tuesday?" HA...I guess he was listening.

Boo Boo Bunny

Do you have a Boo Boo Bunny? If not, you need to have one. This tiny little ice pack clothed in bunny garb has been an absolute life saver in our home. It's perfect for any little scrape, bump and owie.
Last week, Luke ran up to me and cried, "Mom!!! I need Boo Boo Bunny!" I didn't ask questions, and quickly got him the bunny.
I didn't ask any questions. All of my questions had been answered. Thank goodness for Boo Boo Bunny.

The ER Osceola Style

The ER. I have fond memories of the ER. I was never in the ER too much growing up, but my brother was there every other week at least. And, actually, I am really glad that we haven't frequented the ER sooner than 3 and a half years of Luke's life. See, my son doubles as a stunt man, super hero and often times any animal that leaps high into the air. My mom had a super hero cape made for him for Christmas last year. Although cute, it's very dangerous at the same time. He puts that on and he thinks he can fly, walk through walls and automatically won't eat anything green because he thinks it is Kryptonite and it will deplete his power source (which explains why he wants to wear his super hero cape to supper when it's broccoli night).
On Sunday, we made our second trip to the Osceola hospital (one was for Bill...that's another long story). It was nice, actually. We didn't have to wait for a room and the on call doctor was there in a matter of minutes. Luke gashed, and I mean GASHED his head open at church. He was dancing around in the foyer, fell and hit the back of his head on the corner of a wall. Ouch. I don't do well with blood, but I kicked it into mommy mode fast.
The poor boy was traumatized, mostly about any preconceived thoughts about what would happen to him at the hospital. He did rather well through the whole staples in the head part.
And, now his injury is on the mend and looks like this


He looks a little like Frankenstein in the back, but all in all, not too noticeable.
Although a good experience, I hope that the Osceola ER doesn't begin to know us on a first-name basis.

11:03 and Counting

It's quiet.
It's 11:03 p.m.
The only sounds are the humming of the a/c (thank you, God)
And the bugs hitting our glass door trying to "follow the light".
I should be in bed.
But I'm not.
Bill is fast asleep, of course.
I've been busy all day.
Visited a great friend.
Attended a wedding.
And now, I'm making desserts.
My mother-in-law's birthday is tomorrow.
I said I'd make a fruit pizza.
Bill bought the ingredients.
I ran to Super Tar-get to get things he forgot...twice.
It's 11:06.
My mother-in-law is allergic to dairy.
I forgot about that.
Fruit pizza has cream cheese in it.
A LOT of cream cheese.
Shoot.
So, decided to make an angel food cake too.
Still have to frost both of them.
But I must wait until they cool.
Shoot.
It's 11:08.
Bill wants me to get up with him in the mornings
To see him off
Why isn't he up with me
If I have to get up with him?
Must be love.
It's 11:09.

So here it is! Our Arizona vacation pictures are finally here. I downloaded the pictures in reverse order to the way our trip actually took place, so just imagine yourself taking our trip starting from the last days to the first days!
The above picture is Story Hour at the Grand Can.yon with Ranger Nick. He did a very good job and Luke loved his story.

So, I don't know how this picture slipped in with the Grand Can.yon! No, it is not the Grand Can.yon, but Meteor Crater! It is the ruins from a meteor that dropped to Earth some time ago. Fascinating. Of course, being paranoid, I wouldn't let Luke get too close to the edge. The guardrail behind the boys was the only thing that separate the sidewalk from a straight drop down to the bottom. The Apollo 11 team prepared for their mission here at the crater sight.


Pictures do not do the Grand Can.yon justice. Breathtaking. Don't look too far over the edge. Just beyond the brick wall is quite a "drop" down the canyon!


This picture is taken at a shopping area in Sedona. I can't pronounce the name of it, so I won't even try! Sedona was quite beautiful. Very touristy and very new age. Like Bill said, "Well, I guess the psychics will know that we won't be coming to visit them today!"

This image welcomed us to Sli.de Rock State Park just outside Sedona. Gotta love the cheeks. Who wears speedos anyway? Sli.de Rock is a natural rock formation that has natural slides, shoots and swimming holes. The first day we came here, we were not prepared. The next day, we brought our speedos, I mean suits.

Luke and Kate on the rocks.



Katelyn and me dipping our toes in the icy water. It was freezing but we still brought our swimsuits to partake in the fun!






Here we are at the safari park ( I can't actually remember the name). At the beginning, we took a bus tour which allowed us to see several exotic animals upclose!

The bus driver gave us biscuits to feed the giraffe. It was exciting!

Grandma Curry, Katelyn and me. All smiles here but I'm really disguising my true feelings. It was about 110 degrees and so hot that I almost passed out on the bus. Why did I wear black?

Here we are celebrating Collin's birthday. Happy 2nd birthday, love!

This was taken shortly after we arrived in Phoenix and just before we went to the water park close to the Taylors' home.

We had a great trip and you have no idea the sense of accomplishment I feel now that I have this post done! I didn't download pictures from the trip to the Phoenix children's museum or Bob, Bill and Leigh's trip to a Diamondback game. We made such memories and it was quite a way to top off the summer!