A Couple of New Toys

So Lonnie bought us both an iPhone a couple of weeks ago.....If you are in need of a new phone, I HIGHLY recommend one of these! These things are incredible. You have EVERYTHING you could possibly need ~ right at your fingertips : )
He also bought himself a new 'toy' before he headed up to Colorado this past weekend. If he can't get to the hospital in a blizzard in this......he's probably not going to get there!

Happy Birthday Lauren!

Lauren celebrated her 11th birthday this past Wednesday ~

She was born in a birthcenter with a FANTASTIC Midwife
Lauren was born with a valvular heart defect which was repaired a few months after she was born
She has always been our "little" girl : )

Lauren is a great big sister to her brothers!

Happy Birthday girl! We LOVE you ~

Taking a New Job

Lonnie accepted a job in Woodland Park, Colorado this week. He had previously declined the job because the timing just didn't feel right and now we know why. Long story short, there were some unforseen changes which have recently taken place and have luckily worked in our favor. It has turned out to be a better deal than we imagined. The proposal has been pitched to the hospital, they accepted the deal and we are just waiting for contracts in the mail.

Lonnie starts work March 1st. The kids and I will stay here in Lubbock until school is out and hopefully sell this house by then!

We are excited......[some of us A LOT more than others], but I think we will have to invest in winter gear!

Worth a Good Laugh or Two

So I received this forward from my sister today ~ I got a good chuckle or two out of it....

Dear Tech Support:

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as NASCAR 6.0, NFL 5.1 and Golf Clubs 4 .1.

Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system. Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.

What can I do?

Signed,

Desperate.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
DEAR DESPERATE:

First, keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system.

Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme.html and try to download Tears 6.2 and do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update. If that application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5.

However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Beer 6.1. Please note that Beer 6. 1 is a very bad program that will download the Farting and Snoring Loudly Beta. Whatever you do, DO NOT under any circumstances install Mother-In-Law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources).

In addition, please do NOT attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0-program. These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance.

We recommend Cooking 3.0 and Hot Lingerie 7.7.

Good Luck Babe!

Tech Support

Quilts, Quilts, and MORE Quilts.......

There are quilt tops... ...ALL over my house waiting to be basted... ...and quilted...
What else is there in life to do, but QUILT?!?
[You'll have to check our quilting blog in about a week and a-half to see if I actually get these all finished!]

Last Christmas in Lubbock?....

We spent Christmas Eve at Lonnie's Parents in Abilene

The kiddos portrayed the Nativity story

Aiden was a shepherd

Lauren was a Star [so was Brigg, but his participation was VERY minimal]

Kenzie was the Narrator

We headed back home LATE Christmas Eve to spend one last Christmas morning in our home

Christmas morning started well after 9:30 this year, which was FABULOUS

We spent all day 'playing' and lounging

[and about the following 3 days straight playing Guitar Hero]

~ What a Christmas! ~

Girl's Day Out

One of our gifts to Kenzie was a 'Girl's Day Out.'


Last Friday she invited four friends from church to spend the night; unfortunately, only two were able to make it, but it was nice with a small group.

Saturday morning they went to the salon to have their nails done and then went out to lunch.

Kenzie chose to have her nails done in a 'stained-glass technique.' It's hard to tell in the picture how detailed they are, but here's what a small fortune will buy you at the nail salon! : ) You only become a teenager once right?...

Kenzie's friend Kenna told her "I wasn't sure what to get you, so I bought you something I know you'll love...your very own boy!" ~ too funny and so true ~

Happy Birthday Mackenzie!

Tomorrow night at 10:55 p.m. Mackenzie will officially be a TEENAGER!

Here's a quick glance at the last 13 years ~

This little girl had a rough start! She was born with a Tracheo-esophageal Fistula [an extra part if you will] connecting her Trachea and Esophagus. She underwent major surgery four days after she was born to correct the problem. This photo was taken on Christmas Eve 1995. Not exactly how we envisioned spending our first Christmas with our new baby ~

Three months later, she was strong and relatively healthy; you would never know this little one had such a beginning ~

~ Look at this cute baby [and her baby-faced daddy] ~

Mackenzie was a great big sister from the start. Maybe I should remind her more often how excited she was when Lauren came along.....hmmm...

Mackenzie has always been a very social person ~

This poor, deprived child has spent two of her birthdays at Disney World!

First year at Girl's Camp this past summer!

....This picture captures Kenzie's attitude perfectly!

How did she grow-up so fast?

Thirteen years......I'm not sure where they went ~ [I feel so old!]

The Stockings Were Hung by the Chimney with Care....

...In Hopes that St. Nicholas Soon Would be Here!

I finally finished sewing our matching 'Christmas Jammies' just in time to snap a few photos for a Christmas card ~

Brigg loves to be the center of attention! ~

~ Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night ~

And the Award for Mother of the Year goes to.......

So on Monday, Lonnie was able to pick the kids up from school. Aiden called me on the way home and told me he was 'Star of the Week' this week. For those of you unfamiliar, this is a VERY big deal at their school. It involves bringing a 'Star Poster' with pictures and information you want to share about yourself to display in your classroom and bringing a treat to share with your class on Friday afternoon during your 'Star Party.' Basically you are the star of the class for the week. And.......
I FORGOT! .....Needless to say, I was up late Monday night creating a Star poster to take to school Tuesday morning.

In my own defense, I have been a little busy. Last night I hosted a RS Christmas dinner for church. We had a sit down dinner for 70 people ~ in my house! I never really got a good photo, but the tables were beautifully decorated, the program was great, dinner was good and everything went smoothly. It was a nice evening. I just need to get my house back together~

Now it's on to planning Kenzie's birthday party on Friday, finishing the Christmas shopping and getting the gifts wrapped.....Merry Christmas!

New Quilting Blog

Check out our new quilting Blog

Quilting Sisters

[1/4 inch from the edge!]

www.quiltingsisters.blogspot.com

We created this blogg to share ideas with eachother [and anyone else interested] since we don't always have time to get together. There are some really cute ideas and great patterns; check back often for more great info!

I am Thankful for ~

My four children and the blessing they are to me [even though sometimes they drive me crazy!]

My husband

Religion

Family

Friends

Our home [we are beginning to wonder if we will ever be able to sell it!?]

A job that provides us the things we need [even though this particular job stinks!]

Modern conveniences [I would never have made it as a pioneer!]

Roll-out Pillsbury pie crusts!

We had seventeen people here on Thankgiving and no photos! It is always amazing to me that after two days of cooking, dinner is over in thirty minutes [or less]!

Good food

Good company

TONS of leftovers!

The Wisdom of a Five-Year-Old

Last night I noticed that "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" was showing on television. Even though we watch it every year, I figured Aiden did not remember seeing it before so I asked him if he would like to watch it.

He turned to me with obvious concern and asked me if the Grinch is real. I'm thinking to myself that he is worried because he is afraid of the Grinch. So I assure him that the Grinch is not real, that he is just a character someone made up.

With relief he says, "I'm so happy that the Grinch isn't real and that Christmas can't be broken."

....I couldn't help but smile....I'm glad Christmas can't be broken either.

Over the upcoming weeks, I am going to have to remind myself of this conversation and the wisdom of my five-year-old son. When I am

...fighting crowds at the store...

...waiting in holiday traffic...

...running all over town searching for that one gift...

...and when we are spending Christmas with my in-laws!

There are nine children in Lonnie's family. Add seven spouses and twenty-nine grandchildren and put everyone in a house that is made to hold a family of six. There is no other way to describe these gatherings than pure and utter chaos!

BUT........I will remember the spirit of the event we are gathering to celebrate, will be grateful to gather with family, and most of all will remember that Christmas cannot be broken ~

Goodbye to the Mullet

Brigg had his first haircut this week. The girls loved it long and shaggy, but he was a little overdue; he had started to grow a baby mullet! [it sure was cute though...]

Our neighbor JoAnn was nice enough to come over and cut it for us. He did fairly well sitting still with lots of help from Lauren and Grandma to keep him entertained. Luckily JoAnn was quick and got it all cut before Brigg had a total meltdown.

We were sad to see all the hair go, and it is taking a little getting used to the short bangs.

...I guess we'll keep him anyway : )....

Boys' Birthday Highlights

Here are some of the highlights from the boys' birthdays this week ~

Aiden took cupcakes to school to share with his class. The kiddos devoured them, but I think Aiden enjoyed them the most visually : )

Who doesn't love presents? .....

Aiden making a wish......looks pretty important. He says he wished to be a superhero! Hope he's not holding his breath on that one : )

The big one-year-old birthday boy. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with the presents, so of course he got lots of help from his brother and sisters.

Presents, presents, and more presents....

Enough excitement!

Diggin' into the cake.....

....I think Mikey liked it!

Grandma came for the week and endured all the noise and excitement. We had a good week, but I'm sure we all gained 20 pounds with all the cake and ice cream!