We are finally the proud owners of...

a Wii. After calling about 50 stores daily for the last three weeks, Todd finally happened upon a shipment of about 20 Wiis, his birthday present, at a nearby Best Buy. He is so used to people saying no that he is just glad he didn't stop listening or hang up before the sales clerk delivered the wondorous news! By the time he got there (about a 15 minute drive from his work) there were only seven left. Crazy if you ask me, but I'm just a girl who prefers to get excited about Scrapbook embellishments rather than small electronic boxes. I will tell you that we both ran the fitness simulation to test what the WII thinks our fitness level is (20 years being the best). We both scored at 71 years. I guess we will have to work on that...

So You Didn't Get the Babykeeper for Christmas...

No worries! Even if your budget is blown from Christmas presents,

you can still have your child or children contained for a fraction of the price!

Merry Christmas!

Hope your Christmas was restful and full of wonderful memories!

The Big 30!

Today Todd turned 30. He says that he doesn't feel it, but compared to my 26 years he seems to be slowing down a little. ;-) I tried to give him a day of doing things that he loves; sleeping, watching science shows, working on his electronics, and playing with the kids. I surprised him by arranging for his family from Tulsa to meet us for dinner. He had no clue! When the hostess took us to our table, he literally walked right past his family to a table for two. "Ahem," I said and as he turned and saw his family I thought he was going to have a heart attack! Gotcha Babe!

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Thanksgiving... a little late!

This Thanksgiving we visited my family in Mount Pleasant, Texas. They own Priefert Manufacturing and have a ranch that spans about 4500 acres. Lots of fun and exploring! We dined with about 80 family members. Priefert Manufacturing prides themselves in owning the largest horse in the world. All the kids took turns sitting on Radar(19 hands 3 1/2 in. and 2,400 pounds). Two years ago we all took turns sitting on Radar's predecessor, Goliath, (19 hands 1 in. and weighs 2,200 pounds). The weather was beautiful and the weekend was a perfect break from our busy schedules.

For the Grandparents

Last night Emmalyn and Blake took their first bath together with Blake as you might say fair game. He was not secured safely in his little tub, but sitting up splashing with the best of them. Emmalyn of course had to be in there since no one can have fun without her participating! ;-) Everything went well until Emmalyn thought playing peek-a-boo would be fun. She put the washcloth over Blake's face and he got so excited or freaked out, hard to tell when you can't see his face due to above mentioned washcloth placement, that he fell over and turned in to a very unhappy camper or maybe we should say bather. As a disclaimer: we did not have the water deep enough to even let water get in his ears. Emmalyn helped sit him up and gave him hugs until he stopped wimpering from such a traumatic experience. Activities then went back to normal, Emmalyn singing and washing her rubber ducky and Blake trying to devour the other rubber ducky. Fun times!

A Snowy Day

It has been sleeting here in OKC since 2 a.m. and snowing since about 10 a.m. They predicted 8-10 inches, but any seasoned Oklahoman knows that we should expect quite a bit less or quite a bit more. Anyhow this was Emmalyn's first experience actually comprehending snow and wanting to go out and play in it. She lasted about 15 minutes which is quite a while since it is about 18 degrees without the wind chill factored in. Since Providence Hall canceled school today there was no Latin to teach this morning and Todd's team at work decided last night that they would all stay home since it looked like all the kids would be out of school today. Therefore we spent the morning, all four of us (I'm seriously considering getting a king sized bed), in bed watching Dora, Diego, and about anything else that came on Noggin or Sprout! We tickled, giggled, jumped and napped. It is so wonderful to be able to just relax with your family.

Thank you Lord for snowy, blustery days!

As some of you may know, Todd is an avid puzzle putter togetherer. As some of you may know as well, that Emmalyn is also an avid puzzle putter togetherer. Here she is trying to help Daddy with his 1,000 piece puzzle. She is definitely his child, not that it was in question!

A Hint?

(No this is not Emmalyn)

My Father sent me an email suggesting that I may want to put one of these Babykeepers on my Christmas list. After I finished laughing I began to wonder why it is he thinks I need one. Does he think my children are so out of control that I need to have a device that I can attach them to the wall for a while so they can't go anywhere?

The fact of the matter is that this babykeeper is a perfect example of what our parents would have done to ensure control over any situation (remember those leash like things that allowed a child to walk in front of the parent and not get lost) and frankly this is exactly what I need when I take Emmalyn to the bathroom with me. Call me crazy, but too many bathroom stall doors almost opening or Emmalyn wallowing on the bathroom floor because I will not allow her to open the stall door makes this babykeeper look less outlandish and possibly an answer to keeping my sanity.

So it's going on my Christmas list! Great call Dad!

Headin North

We took a trip up to Beatrice, Nebraska (just south of Lincoln, NE) to visit my maternal grandparents. I wanted them to be able to see Blake before he was crawling around and not looking very baby like. Instead they got to see him sitting around not looking very baby like. The weather was beautiful and very Fall like. This was a huge surprise to all of us, since in the past few years whenever we visit it always snows! As you can see in the picture not all of us made it up there and Emmalyn was sporting her usual emotion these days - I want to do what I want to do and if I don't get to do it then I am going to cross my arms and pout emotion.

Drum Roll Please...

Blake can now sit up on his own for quite a while. He is about a month behind his sister in this department (possibly because he is at this point 3 months ahead of her in weight and height), but absolutely no one is comparing the two! ;-) It is unbelievable how long a child can sit hunched over whatever he is shoving in his mouth for what seems like forever and then when they fall over just lay there chewing on the above mentioned object for what seems like forever again. Oh how I wish Emmalyn would just revisit this stage of contentment for just 5 minutes!

6 1/2 months

16 lb. 10 oz * 27 in.

Blake's wardrobe: compliments of the Zetterholms.

A complimentary picture of Emmalyn. If Blake is getting his picture taken well then we obviously must have one of The Em!

And so the Cookie Crumbles...

Or should I say America's foundation has crumbled a little more after Tuesday night's results. The horrifying thought of the democrats ruling both Houses of Congress is a hard one to swallow. It saddens me to think that our country, as grand as it is or was, plans to continue down the path of destruction (all in all this is not a surprise since we all know that everything will eventually come to an end). Unfortunately the Republicans had plenty of time to turn things around and just didn't accomplish it. I have thought many times over these last few days about President Bush and the fact that he will need to finish his term with a democrat majority to contend with. It should be an interesting two years. May God give him strength to be bold for what he believes is right and strength to follow through with it!

From Lion to Queen

As many of you know, Emmalyn has her own little personality. However these two pictures capture her perfectly. She loves to roar at anything and sees herself as the one true Queen. Hmmm... maybe a clue that the growing up years are going to be challenging? Nah, she is just like her mama and I'd have to say that I'm pretty darn perfect! ;-)

In keeping with her love to roar, Emmalyn wanted to be a lion for her

Mother's Day Out Noah's Ark Party.

Here she is in her Queen Esther outfit. Can you guess which costume was handmade by none other than the super mom? ;-) I must give credit where credit is due - Emmalyn did help color and decorate her crown.

Finding An Alternative

After much discussion and prayer, Todd and I have decided that our family will not participate in any Halloween specific activities including Trick-or-Treating. Our reasoning? God has called us to be a light in this world. We hope that by not participating in Halloween our light as a godly family will shine a little brighter. Therefore, we started a new tradition last night by spending the evening exploring the colors of Fall through our food at dinner time and playing games like push the pumpkin across the room with a wooden spoon. Lots of Fun! Emmalyn was still able to dress up as Queen Esther at the church's Heros of the Bible Fair and as a lion for her Mother's Day Out Noah's Ark Party. Happy Fall Everyone!

*Pictures to follow someday... whenever blogger is in the mood!

And So He Is Blessed!

Today was Baby Dedication Sunday at our church and 9 babies, 7 girls and 2 boys including Blake, were dedicated to the Lord. We did not have any holy water, even though it did pour on us as we went in to church (maybe that was a heavenly sprinkle), just repeating commitments. The most memorable moment was when they had the family members who would be supporting the children stand. Blake's family took up an entire pew and definitely showed up all the other families. Of course Blake could not have been any cuter as he babbled quietly through out the entire ceremony.

The real blessings started to flow back at the house. My Father had put together a plethora of blessings found in scripture and everyone (16 people in all) read each one to Blake and then each man prayed for Blake. Todd and I are so blessed to come from a stong Christian lineage and we committed today, just as we did with Emmalyn two years ago, to imprint the words of God on our children's hearts and to encourage them in seeking a personal relationship with the Lord. Such an awesome task... the Lord will certainly give us guidance!

The Bug Guy...

...or so we call him came to our home this morning. As many of you may know I can not stand bugs and if I find one, a big one, in my house I have been known to put a bowl over it (which is sometimes more than I can handle) and then leave the house for the rest of the day. Bugs just are not my thing. Therefore we have the pest control people come out every month. We have had the same guy coming to our house for more than half of Emmalyn's little life and in the past she has always followed him around the house watching him spray the baseboards. Not so today! She totally flipped out and expressed to me, in between her insistent pleas to be held, that she was afraid that the "bug" guy was going to spray her. And so I am reminded how in the life of a two year old anything can change in a matter of seconds. For someone who is not incredibly flexible, somewhat flexible, but not incredibly, the constant change in my daughter's life is almost too much to handle sometimes! ;-) However, as many of you who are parents can attest to, when you see that look of panic and fear in your child's eyes you just want to sweep them up and hold them close in hopes of alleviating any uncertainities that they might have. So, I did the dishes and started a load of laundry with Emmalyn hanging on me for dear life. All in a day's work!

Some Much Needed R & R

We officially took our very first family vacation; no one to visit, no wedding to attend, no agenda! We headed out to Angel Fire, New Mexico (Todd's family has a house there) for a long weekend. We took a family from our church who has a little boy Emmalyn's age. This was a strategic move on our part in order to prevent going crazy from Emmalyn wanting us to play with her constantly. It worked somewhat! ;-) Blake enjoyed it as much as he could; especially since he was cutting his two bottom teeth while we were there. We had a wonderful time and will most definitely be returning in the years to come.

The trees were turning colors.

This was Emmalyn's little friend, Graeme. They liked getting cozy on the couch. I have a feeling we might have to keep an eye on them in the future! ;-)

Emmalyn looking down from the observation deck on the bridge over the Rio Grande River. It was pretty high up, but it didn't seem to bother her a bit!

Blake swinging for the first time!

Images of a 2nd Child

You know how everyone says that the 2nd child never gets as much attention as the 1st child did? I always said that I would not be one of those parents, but apparently even I can't prevent it.

I knew that Blake was tired, but I needed him to stick it out a little longer so that I could keep on the nursing schedule that I had fought so hard to keep today (Sundays are just not good for schedules!). I put him in the exersaucer, which he seems to enjoy more these days, to give myself the freedom to use my hands. I swear he was only in it for a few minutes (surely not more than 10 minutes?!?!), when one of the couples from our Bible study group pointed out that he had fallen asleep.

And so you see, I have become one of those parents. Surely he has not been scarred for life, but one thing is for sure, he will receive extra attention this week!

Those of you who do not have children and are laughing at me... just you wait!

4 Years & Counting...

We recently drove past a hotel named the Whitten Inn. (Note: our last name does not have the h!) It's slogan on the sign read:

Sleep with Whitten, purr like a kitten.

http://site.mawebcenters.com/whitteninn/index.html

I can safely say, that after 4 years of marriage, I am truely purring like a kitten!
;-)

What Were We Thinking?

We decided to go to the Zoo this evening for a special Family Fun Night that they were offering to the Zoo Members. It was actually a little cooler today at 98 degrees, but after driving around the parking lot for 20 minutes I actually considered heading home. Of course that was out of the question since Emmalyn had talked about seeing the animills (animals) all the way there. We were also meeting the other families that were in our birthing class when we were pregnant with Emma. I guess I should say when I was pregnant... It is amazing to see our children playing together when we all knew each other when they were in utero. It really clues you in to how fast time flies by! So we saw the flamingos, tortise, baby hippo, a lioness (which I had never seen before, leading me to believe that we really didn't have lions at our zoo), and took a break in the air conditioned gorilla house. All and all we had fun, which is especially amazing since I really don't like the Zoo (if you have been to one you have been to all of them). What you will do for your kids...

District 83 Has Spoken...

And so the campaign ends. Unfortunately my candidate lost by 234 votes to one of the slimiest guys I think I have ever had the privilege of meeting. My heart sank Tuesday night as we counted the votes and waited for the largest precinct results to be called into the Watch Party. Unless more people voted in Precinct #415 this time than they did in the Primary, we were not going to make it. Of course we all know that voter turn out decreases in run-offs. We came up short! The really sad thing is that Todd and I moved into the District back in July and now have to be represented by who we so warmly nicknamed McDandy (his real name is Randy McDaniel). It makes me sick to my stomach! I think that it would be best for me to sit out of politics for the next few years... ok maybe a few months! ;-) Needless to say the signature on my email will be changing from Campaign Manager to Mother of Two!

On a happier note, I have joined the faculty at a small Private School here in the area. The name of the school is Providence Hall and I will be teaching 7th grade Latin. Fun times!!! Apparently Dr. Farris will be visiting the school in about a week and a half.

Cheerful Disposition

It is amazing the amount of expressions that such a little person can make in such a short time!

I took these snap shots in a matter of seconds.

3 1/2 months*13 lb. 4 oz.*23 in.

A Night at the Pool

Today the high was 102 degrees, but there was a nice breeze that made it bearable. We took Emmalyn and Blake to the local city aquatic center tonight. Take a moment to remember your local swimming pool. It was probably something like a long pool with a diving board at one end. This place had an area that had water shooting out of the ground, a playground type area in the water with a slide, a lazy river, whirlpool, and a floating dinosaur to climb on in the deep end. Nothing like one extreme to another. Emmalyn, who loves the water but has not spent much time in it, was very concerned whenever the water would spray her, yet wanted us to take her to the deep end! Blake of course snoozed through the whole experience. It is such a joy to watch your children experience something so simple as playing in the water. It reminds me that it is the simple things in life that interest them the most.

Nothing Like Moving in July in Oklahoma

Old House

For those of you who have not made it out to Oklahoma to visit, this was our first house. Built in 1939 it had beautiful wood floors and an arched doorway among other neat little quirks, but it certainly was a fixer upper! We will miss the house, but more so the memories. This was where we lived when we had no children, I threw up for 8 months straight, brought my babies home to, and entertained my family and friends. May the young couple who bought it be blessed as much as we were there and have wonderful memories when they move on.

New House

We moved into our new house 4th of July weekend and unpacked everything but the garage (which is still not unpacked). We have certainly been having to get use to the amount of space we have now. It seems to take forever to get to the phone when it is ringing!

Peer Pressure

Soo... all my friends from college have these blogs and after reading some of them I decided I have to have one too. What else is new, Todd would say. So I will give it a whirl. To catch everyone up... Todd and I will be celebrating our 4th anniversary this September, Emmalyn will be two and a half, and Blake is now 3 months old! I have been working non-stop as a campaign manager for a State House race and on Tuesday, the Republican Primary, my candidate made it into the runoff. Yeah! Now I condense what I did over the last 9 months into three and a half weeks. Needless to say I can't wait till August 22nd arrives and I can go back to being just a mother and a wife!