The Wittens

The Calm Before The Storm

2011-02-08T10:34:00.000-06:00

Or not all that calm. The wind is blowing, but that is just the norm here anyway. Emma and I just finished her math at Starbucks and while she rewards herself by playing a few rounds of finger bowling on my phone I am sitting here wondering if I have enough groceries in the house to make it through round 2 of Blizzard 2011. More importantly do I have enough food to make it so that I don't have to go to the store with all the other crazy people. I've decided I have enough!

2010 Witten Christmas Card

2010-12-06T20:43:00.001-06:00

Frosted Glass Monogram Christmas Card

Get custom photo Christmas cards online at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Where have I been?!?!?

2010-08-12T15:27:00.000-05:00

I can not believe that our last post was in December. This year so far has completely flown by! We will start school in two weeks. Emma will enter 1st grade this Fall and Blake will try his best to pay attention to his preschool studies! ;-) Tyler turns two in October (how the heck did that happen so fast?!?!) and we are booked every weekend until the end of the year. My New Year's Resolution will be to slow down!

Winter in Oklahoma

2009-12-24T15:23:00.000-06:00

Can you believe it was over 70 degrees in SW Oklahoma yesterday and now this? Like Will Rogers said: "If you don't like the weather, just wait 5 minutes!"

Our back deck

Drifts at the front door!

Guess the pumpkins are done...

Our front yard, about a foot deep!

Neighbors aren't going anywhere very quickly!

Hope everyone is safe this winter!

Being Silly!

2009-08-24T13:41:00.002-05:00

Sometimes a Monday calls for some fun!

Blake took this one. He may turn out to be quite a photographer!

Blake without a funny face. Priceless and unusual!

This one didn't work out so well.

Emma took this one!

They do really love each other!

First Day of School

2009-08-17T11:08:00.001-05:00

We officially started counting days of school today. However, since Emma couldn't stand to wait, she started her workbooks several weeks ago. We put into place our morning routine and were finished with Bible, Language, Math and our morning chores by 11 a.m. This afternoon we will finish getting ready for our first day of Co-op tomorrow. The kids are so excited to meet some new friends!

DC Trip - Second Stop

2009-08-01T22:26:00.003-05:00

So, here we are, second night of the trip. After much weeping and gnashing of teeth, everyone is asleep and I finally have time to feed the Facebook addiction. Thought I'd actually post something here on the blog. This blog thing is so outdated... ;)

We drove through a rainstorm of epic proportions today. Felt like driving underwater at a few points. Took around an hour to go about 35 miles. I sure hope the weather moves on past us or North over the next few days. I really don't want to do that again tomorrow evening...

Embarking on a Trip of Massive Proportions

2009-07-30T17:34:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow we will leave for DC by suburban. We will take our time getting out there by visiting along the way and along the way home. Stops include Owasso, Springfield, Lousiville, Leesburg, Asheville, Memphis and Searcy. It will be long but full of fun and lots of catching up with friends. We will do our best to post pics so you can follow the longest Witten vacation yet!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-29T11:54:00.000-06:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

In Light of the Election Results

2008-11-05T14:31:00.003-06:00

I turned to my bible last night before I went to bed after Obama's acceptance speech. I looked at Psalm 4, since it was the 4th. It is spectacular how scripture can apply to any part of one's life at any time. I know that many of us have spent great amounts of time before God begging him to take mercy on our country and allow a candidate to be elected that would not throw us further down the path of destruction. It seems this morning that he did not hear us, but that is just Satan tricking us. Consider, possibly, that God did not choose to save our country through the presidency, but through each of us. As Obama begins to influence laws, social structures and our economies, possibly God intends for us to rise up and encourage others to take a stand for our morals as well as us as individuals to become more vigilant for God's cause. Take heart, as a good friend of mine said last night, God will never forsake us and will always take care of the children of the righteous. Take Heart!

Psalm 4

Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God.

Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.

How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame?

How long will you love delusions and seek false gods!

Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;

the Lord will hear when I call to him.

In your anger do not sin;

when you are on your beds,

search your hearts and be silent.

Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord.

Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?"

Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord.

You have filled my heart with greater joy

than when their grain and new wine abound.

I will lie down and sleep in peace,

for you alone, O Lord,

make me dwell in safety.

I Voted!

2008-11-04T16:52:00.001-06:00

We took our whole family to vote this morning. At first we thought we had made a mistake when someone said they had been standing in line for an hour, but finally having a last name at the end of the alphabet paid off. The M-Z line was much shorter and we ended up only waiting 15 minutes. The whole time Emmalyn explained to Blake how we were going to mark on our papers which men we wanted to run things. Both Blake and Emmalyn helped draw two of my lines (Emmalyn voted for the McCain and Inhofe while Blake got to vote for our State Representative and Senator. He even chose to vote independent with the guidance of his mother.) Tyler wasn't really able to vote, but I bet he shared his thoughts on the state questions with Todd.

It is truely a joy for me to include my children in my passion and instill in them a desire to always be heard. After all this is the only way we can preserve our freedoms, especially in the times ahead of us.

Two to Three

2008-10-28T22:48:00.002-05:00

Everyone says that the hardest jump is from one child to two, but I would like to politely disagree. It is much more difficult to keep track of two children while lugging a heavy car seat through the parking lot. Therefore, we stay home more which for someone who likes to be on the move is at times torture! We are adjusting though... haven't found our groove yet, but I choose to believe I will find it soon. ;-) I actually made dinner last night and finished the laundry. A great accomplishment! The kids love Tyler and can hardly stand not giving him a pat and a kiss every ten minutes. It is such a blessing to have beautiful, healthy children. Now if I could just get some sleep!

More Pics of Tyler and His Visitors

2008-10-16T11:05:00.002-05:00

Tyler Ryan

2008-10-16T10:05:00.005-05:00

Tyler Ryan arrived 4 days early on his own (wonders never cease) on October 3rd. He was 8 pounds 12 ounces and 20 3/4 inches long. He is doing great as long as we can keep Emmalyn and Blake from loving him a little too much...

Time Flies By...

2008-07-15T20:31:00.002-05:00

It doesn't seem like we have done much this summer, but it is already half way over! We have been to Branson for a great trip with Todd's parents, birthdays have been celebrated, swimming lessons successfully accomplished, the kid's rooms painted bright and fun colors & most importantly I have slowly gotten bigger and bigger. This summer has certainly not been one of our hotest, but I can hardly stand to be outside in the heat without starting to feel sick. I have just hit 28 weeks and have 3 months left - an eternity or what seems like an eternity. Emmalyn and Blake are very excited about the baby. They have nicknamed him Crabby. Interesting I know, but it gives them some ownership and thankfully Emmalyn has agreed that it is a good "nickname". We are still working on the actual name...

Camping - Natural Falls State Park

2008-05-22T11:26:00.001-05:00

Mother's Day

2008-05-12T11:31:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's Day! I love being a Mom!

Blake is Two!

2008-04-26T13:48:00.004-05:00

We had a Brunch Birthday Bash with fruit pizza, muffins, chocolate chip pancakes, fruit and juice with a little bit of cake at the end. Blake seemed to thoroughly enjoy his party this year and had a great time playing with his friend, Brooklyn.

A life in pictures...

2008-04-17T21:07:00.004-05:00

For those of you who don't know, my Mom's brother Mark passed away a couple of weeks ago. This is the slideshow Kerri & I put together that was played at his memorial service which shows his life as he knew it, in pictures. I hope you enjoy it. It's kinda big, so give it a few minutes to load and it's about 10 minutes long.

Mark, you will be greatly missed...

2008-04-17T21:00:00.000-05:00

2008-04-17T20:58:00.000-05:00

Bet You Have Been Wondering Where I've Been!

2008-04-17T20:44:00.002-05:00

Needless to say it has been quite a while since I posted anything, but what can I say? I have spent the majority of the last 3 months with my head in the toliet. Yes, that is right...

The Witten family will be expecting their third child in early October!

We are very excited and will be even more excited when I can actually get back to functioning as a wife, mother and just plain old human being. I am hoping that time will be soon. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Lots has happened in the past few months: We did go on our ski trip and enjoyed some of the best snow we have ever seen in Angel Fire. Upon return our home was immeadiately attacked by sickness and Blake and Todd ended up with RSV and Emmalyn with a double ear infection with a nauseated mom to take care of them to boot! Emmalyn turned 4 on March 12th and had a dress up party. Blake will be turning 2 on the 25th of April. Where in the world did the time go!

28 Days...

2008-01-09T15:11:00.000-06:00

Wasn't that a movie? It is exactly 28 days until we leave for our annual ski trip and 30 days before we hit the slopes. It will be so nice to spend time with our friends without the children running all around us. Hopefully this year will not be so hard on the body, since we have been spending time at the gym (new year's resolution). I know that Todd is counting the days, but our excitement is no match for Jared who has had his ski clothes folded and ready for about a month now!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T23:21:00.000-06:00

We hope everyone's Christmas was wonderful, relaxing and an enjoyable time to spend with family! Blake loved every minute of it and I'm afraid Emmalyn is certain that there will be a whole new round of presents under the tree tomorrow morning! Enjoy these moments because before you know it, we will be like my parents watching your grown children with their spouses and significant others open presents. Time flies... by the way for those who are interested Jessie and Travis got engaged on Christmas Eve! Now we have a wedding to plan for 2008! Congrats Jess!

Too much time has passed!

2007-12-18T21:25:00.000-06:00

I always find it irritating to go to someone's blog who has not updated it in over a month or more (Sarah ;-), but here I am turning into one of those people. We have been so busy it has been crazy.

We finally got semi-settled into our house by the first weekend in December. However it has not been until just last night that I feel like we are finally getting somewhere. We unpacked the office and organized it (this means that I can scrapbook again), we got all our stuff out of boxes in our bathroom, therefore putting an end to endless searches for that certain lotion, and Todd finally agreed to slowly start hanging all our wall decor. Since we are hosting Christmas here, we have to keep moving ahead!

We then celebrated Todd's 31st birthday on the 12th. In the meantime we have continued all our activities; homeschool co-op, music classes, bible study, and mother's day out. Throw in some Christmas shopping and you have a fast paced schedule. As many of you mothers out there know, there is no such thing as a slow paced schedule when you have children!

We hope everyone is having a great holiday season!

Homeless, Almost!

2007-11-25T22:33:00.000-06:00

We are officially out of our house. Most of our house has been packed before Thanksgiving, but we finished cleaning everything and taking every little thing out of house. I believe that we have checked all the cabinets at least 5 times. All we have to do is stop by the house on the way to the closing and dig up my crepe myrtle. We close tomorrow at noon and then will really be homeless until hopefully 4 p.m. If we are able to close on our new home tomorrow, we will have accomplished an eight day closing, a feat that is completely unheard of. In the meantime, we will continue to enjoy time with my family and hope that we don't out stay our welcome! I will post pictures soon...

Swing Graduation

2007-11-15T16:48:00.000-06:00

Blake has decided that he wants to only swing in the big kid swings now.
At least it is low to the ground. If he falls out of this one it won't
hurt as much. Another perk? Emmalyn can push him!

A pilgrimage to the East Coast & Back

2007-10-31T22:33:00.000-05:00

We took our annual (sometimes not so annual) trip to the D.C. area and had a great week of relaxation. It rained the first two days we were there, but that did not deter the kids from adjusting well to the time change and doing a little shopping. The weekend couldn't have been better weather and was full of catching up with great friends. The kids did great on the flight out and even better on the flight home. They are such cute travelers and got plenty of smiles along the way! Even though we had a great time we were ready to get home into our regular routine.

Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-19T22:48:00.000-05:00

We spent our afternoon today picking out our family's annual pumpkins. A big one for daddy, a slightly smaller one for mommy and so forth. Couldn't have been a more beautiful day for pumpkin picking!

The Joys of Being the Second Child

2007-10-17T16:06:00.000-05:00

Blake and Emma's old scooter have become inseperable.
He scoots or drags it behind him all over the back porch and inside.
Usually his cup or any other toy is placed very lovingly in the front basket.

Often he looks at me as if to say,

"Give me a break! Could you get me something a little more boyish looking?!?!"

Ready for Some Cold Days!

2007-10-17T15:45:00.000-05:00

Blake's first Carhartt jacket.
Thanks Papa!

A Night With the Cowboys

2007-09-30T21:47:00.000-05:00

I know that some of you are terribly confused and concerned for my sanity. An OSU game? you might be saying. Isn't this the girl who played Boomer Sooner out her dorm window whenever anyone walked by? Yes, yes that is still me, but you see I married into a family that appears to bleed orange and for the sake of my marriage I will on occasion support OSU in one of their sporting endeavours.

I will say and I am sure that no one will be surprised

that this Sooner will never bleed orange!

Boomer, sooner, boomer, sooner, boomer, sooner...

GO OU!

Oklahoma State Fair (or in my Dad's words: an Uber Walmart experience)

2007-09-17T21:51:00.000-05:00

On Saturday we ventured out to the fair. We had great fair food, rode some rides and then went to the Disney Princesses on Ice Show. Emmalyn brought along her friend Harper to see the show with her. They had a blast! To top it all off we had ice cream after the show at "Creamalot".

Daddy and the Kiddos

2007-09-17T21:49:00.000-05:00

Nothing like a perfect photo op! Doesn't happen too often at my house.

Our Little Ballerina

2007-08-21T14:56:00.000-05:00

Ballerina Emmalyn

It is unfortunate that her crown broke at the beginning of the recital. However, she showed us that the show must go on! We enrolled her in a Princess Ballet Camp for one week. She went every morning for 3 hours to practice ballet and tap. She had so much fun. I think dance lessons may be in our future.

Her Fan Club
(Poobah, Great Papa, Great Grammy, Emmalyn, Daddy, Aunt Abby, Grandma, Gran & Papa)

Abby's Getting Married

2007-08-21T14:48:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Abby on her recent engagement.
I still can't believe that MY little sister is getting married. Starting to feel a little old. The above picture was taken at Starbucks as she began a scavenger hunt that she thought would result in a proposal. Little did she know that this was only the first step of an elaborate plan that would unfold through out the weekend so that she would be really surprised when Riley popped the question. A picture of Riley can be found in the February 2007 archives.

Emma of course will be the flower girl!

Missing You...

2007-07-26T20:15:00.000-05:00

We Miss You Daddy & so does Mommy!

Summer Days

2007-07-25T23:18:00.000-05:00

Enjoying the Sun and Trying Not to Get Too Wet!

Friends

2007-07-07T20:11:00.001-05:00

Enjoying a day without rain with a wonderful friend!

Emmalyn & Harper

Rain, Rain Go Away!

2007-06-28T15:29:00.000-05:00

We are now on our 16th day of straight rain. We have set all kinds of records, the ground literally will not hold any more rain and I am getting real good at navigating through rushing rivers (flooded roads) and still lakes (massive puddles at the bottom of hills). After watching the news I am still amazed at the people who think that their bmws can drive across rushing water that happens to be next to a dam! I guess that is the fabulous decision skills that our teenagers are learning in public schools these days! ;-) Anyway, Blake is dying to play outside and the kid really doesn't mind if there is water pouring down on him. We ventured out this morning while it was only lightly sprinkling. We will let you know if we start building an ark soon!

These are Blake's new pjs. The shorts are more like capris!

Emma was very smiley this morning.

Maybe it is because she slept in till 8:45. Now that I think about it, I was pretty smiley this morning as well!

Em and Blake

Hmmm...

2007-06-26T12:32:00.000-05:00

If any of you know us at all you probably figured out that Todd posted the last entry (besides the fact that his name is at the bottom of the post).

Blake is actually running (slowly) and pivoting and running the other way as fast as he can go. He is usually running to the refrigerator when he hears the door open, I suppose in hopes that someone will give him a snack or he is running to hide with the cable remote!

Fun times at the Witten Household!

This is a test, this is only a test...

2007-06-20T23:05:00.000-05:00

... if this were an actual post, then something would actually be here. Probably something witty with a few cute pictures and some undeniable quote from the most iconic figure of whatever decade. However, since this is not an actual post and just a mere hole in the fabric of space time where multiple dimensions collide, may I submit for your viewing pleasure a short video (After waiting weeks for Google to approve this video, Blake is really walking now, not just stumbling back and forth. More video to come...):

T

Go Packers!

2007-06-12T17:32:00.000-05:00

I have always been a fan of the Green Bay Packers. No reason really. It was my senior year in highschool when I hosted a Super Bowl party that featured the Broncos and the Packers. I don't really remember who won, but I cheered for the Packers. Who would have guessed that one of my first and very good friends at PHC would be an avid Packers fan, that I would participate in a wedding rehearsal for said friend where all the bridesmaids and bride wore cheeseheads down the aisle and that my second born, a boy, would be given a Packers onesie. Needless to say we are Packers fans here at the Witten home whether we want to be or not!

Blake Turns One!

2007-05-30T14:46:00.000-05:00

Blake Alexander Witten

Alright so he is now 13 months. With finishing up school and compiling grades it is true the second child kind of slipped into the back of my mind. ;-) Blake turned one on April 25th and had a blast eating as much cake as we would let him. He was not much into the present opening and we had to continue to bring him back to the presents as he quickly tried to slip away to find bigger and better things.

Blake is 18 pounds 6 ounces and is 29 1/4 inches long. He looks very skinny which is surprising if you watch him eat. The boy packs away the food as long as you put it in front of him. We have had to increase our food budget just to keep up with his food intake! His hair still has a reddish tint to it and his eyes have stayed that true bright blue. At his birthday, Blake showed no signs of interest in walking. His crawling is very efficient and extremely fast. However in the past week or two he has started to walk out in to the middle of the room on his own accord. I have counted about 5 or 6 steps so far.

His two favorite things to do is go outside, especially if Emmalyn is outside playing, and climb up on fireplace, climb up on the arm of the loveseat and launch himself upside down onto the loveseat. Before you shake your fingers, I do try to always be there for these acrobatic moments, however, as I said earlier he is very fast! ;-)

Trying to Escape

2007-04-19T16:23:00.000-05:00

Blake had his friend, Fallon, over today and all they wanted to do was stand at the front door and look outside. Every once in awhile Blake would pound on the door and Fallon would cry as if they were saying, "Please get us out of here!"

Emmalyn Turns Three!

2007-03-19T23:35:00.000-05:00

My precious little girl is not so little anymore. Well in age she is not so little, but in stature she is still petite. She is 36 inches tall and 27 pounds big (her words). Her imagination has taken a soaring leap and her entire world has become a wonderful make believe adventure. For those of you who are not around her on a regular basis this make believe world includes a castle, Prince Charming and Cinderella. In the past month Emmalyn has gone from introducing herself as Emmalyn Kate Witten to Emmalyn Kate Witten Cinderella to just Cinderella. Such good times! Here is a rundown of her birthday week.

Saturday March 10th
We had a princess party at Gran and Papa's house in Collinsville. This is the party where the princess cake made her debut.

Monday March 12th
We had dinner at the new Chick-fi-la with an indoor playground (YEAH!) with Zach, Emmalyn's future husband ;-), and then cupcakes at Grandma and Poobah's house with all her Aunts.

Saturday March 17th
We had another princess party at our home with some of Emmalyn's friends. We have a rule that you only get to invite the number of kids that you are old. They had fun listening to the Cinderella story, decorating crowns, eating cake and pudding and playing on Emmalyn's castle (an outdoor playground). And just so everyone knows, I did make the cake. Sorry but I had to toot my horn! ;-)

It is a good thing that Spring Break followed all the festivities so that Mama could actually take a break and breath. Now the planning begins for the Blakester's 1st birthday at the end of April.

I'm Not Even Sure What I Have Been Doing...

2007-03-06T16:52:00.000-06:00

...but we all know that I have not been blogging. Have you ever looked back over a couple of weeks and there really was not a lot that was on the calendar or a lot that you remember doing, but you have been so busy that there has been no time to keep up with the cleaning, cooking, and laundry let alone just sitting around and relaxing? At least I have wonderful children who keep me entertained during the craziness of life.

So an update: Emmalyn is turning 3 in less than a week. THREE!!!!! Where in the world did three years go? I am now having very adult like conversations with the Em when a year ago we were still trying to guess at what she just said. Amazing! She is entirely enthralled with Cinderella and therefore we are having a princess party. Just the other day when asked what her name was she answered, "Emmalyn Kate Witten Cinderella". A little diva in the making!

Blake is 10 1/2 months and has been crawling about a month. He is so much faster than Emmalyn ever was and he also has more space to explore than Emmalyn had. Two things that cause my heart to stop when I can't find him within 2 minutes. He has figured out how to push open doors, crawl in a room and turn around and close the door. This is very effective in convincing mama that he possibly could not be in there since the door is closed. Very fun times here. I suspect it will not be long before he starts walking as he is already trying to stand up in the middle of the room without assistance. He continues to eat as if he is ravenous and has not been feed in days when in all actuality it has only been a few hours. He is 17 1/2 pounds and 28 1/2 inches long.

Todd is considering buying a bicycle so that he can ride with the guys from work. This is very ambitious of him as he has never been one to really like exercise. ;-)

I am still teaching at Providence Hall even though getting up in the morning is killing me (can you imagine - 6:30 a.m.), so much so that Todd got me a coffee maker for Valentine's Day in hopes of helping the early morning grogginess. We will see...

A BIG THANK YOU!!!

2007-02-12T20:37:00.000-06:00

Thank you to all, parents and sisters, for watching, entertaining, keeping track, etc. of our two precious children while we were away. Even though we missed our kiddos tremendously, some time spent with each other and other adults sans kids was a wonderful break from our very busy lives. We enjoyed two days of skiing at the Angel Fire Ski Resort. I only fell three times and Todd took a few more tumbles then can be remembered. The only difference between the two of us is that once I fell I chose not to go down those slopes anymore; Todd continued to be "adventuresome". Difference in personalities I suppose! Todd did, however, almost get ran over by a buck that decided to sprint across the slope just as Todd was passing through. You just don't see those kind of things very often. We are glad to be home! Thanks again to everyone.

Day Three on the Home Front

2007-02-09T18:59:00.000-06:00

The new room at Mother's Day Out was great to Emma! She doesn't seem to know a stranger and seemed to be right at home from the moment we walked in! When we got home we had to take a picture of both in their matching shirts. Then we spent some time drawing imaginative pictures together before dinner. Emma didn't want to quit as her creative juices were flowing, but Blake was HUNGRY! Gran and Papa arrived and we are having lots of fun!!

Day Two on the Home Front

2007-02-08T20:06:00.000-06:00

A good day with Grandma and Aunt Hannah! Everyone ate well, slept well, and played hard! Emma and Grandma made mini muffins, which Emma really liked! She set the table for dinner with PooBah (vegetable beef stew and muffins). Bath time was the best fun of the day! What will Day 3 bring?

Aren't They Cute?!?!

2007-02-05T21:47:00.000-06:00

This is my sister Abby and her boyfriend, good friend, courter, etc., Riley, and my two beautiful children. Thought I would just post a picture with a different Williamson girl in it!

Starting Them Young

2007-02-03T23:38:00.000-06:00

Last week we headed downtown to the Associated Wholesale Grocers Food Show to help Dad out. Emmalyn wore her little apron and pushed her shopping cart around with some fruit snacks that Dad's company carries. She would stop, pull out a packet of goodies and walk up to random people and hand it to them with a huge smile. This was her second debut as an employee of Profit's Unlimited. Blake just sat on the floor desperately trying to eat his way through a fruit roll up wrapper! Both a huge hit. As we left we were asked several times as we walked to the door "Will you be back for next Food Show?" Are you kidding me? This is a family business - every daughter is to report with any family members they can drag along! ;-)

And Again I Say: CLOSE THE BORDERS

2007-01-05T11:57:00.000-06:00

This was sent to me in an email.

Last week I purchased a burger at Burger King for $1.58. The counter girl took my $2 and I was digging for my change when I pulled 8 cents from my pocket and gave it to her. She stood there, holding the nickel and 3 pennies, while looking at the screen on her register. I sensed her discomfort and tried to te ll her to just give me two quarters, but she hailed the manager for help. While he tried to explain the transaction to her, she stood there and cried. Why do I tell you this?

Because of the evolution in teaching math since the 1950s:

1. Teaching Math In 1950 A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100.. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?

2. Teaching Math In 1960 A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

3. Teaching Math In 1970 A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?

4. Teaching Math In 1980 A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

5. Teaching Math In 1990 A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands.. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers.)

6. Teaching Math In 2006 Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80.

Hmmm...

And the 2nd Child Makes His Desires Known!

2007-01-04T23:09:00.000-06:00

Emmalyn says, "Can we get a donut this morning?" I thought hmmm, why not? So we got dressed (Emmalyn was so excited that she dressed herself in about 2 seconds) and bundled up and headed to Krispy Kreme. After viewing the donut making process and receiving our complimentary sugary treats, we headed to the glass case to choose our donuts. As I was talking through each donut with Emmalyn (she chose the one with sparkles or as we might say sprinkles), I felt my hand jerk. I was shocked and helpless, as I did not have any hands free, to watch Blake shove a handful of glazed donut into his mouth and smile. Of course there was no stopping there. Once we got settled at a table Blake protested loud and long enough that I gave him some more small pieces to eat. He was happy as a clam and laughed and laughed while Emmalyn entertained him running around the table singing.

So it is true that you become more lax with the second child whether you intend to or not.

A Ridiculous End

2007-01-02T00:04:00.000-06:00

There are so many things that could be said about tonight's game, but many of them will be kept to myself and my unfortunate husband. Let's just say that it is a miracle that our children slept through the entire game! Boise State played well, OU not so much. When we pulled it together in the end, we could not keep it together. Next year better be ten times better than this year and for that matter the last three years or so. Even so.... Boomer, Sooner, boomer, sooner... GO OU!

We are finally the proud owners of...

2006-12-28T18:52:00.000-06:00

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...

2006-12-27T11:27:00.000-06:00

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!

2006-12-27T11:21:00.000-06:00

Hope your Christmas was restful and full of wonderful memories!

The Big 30!

2006-12-12T23:07:00.000-06:00

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!

2006-12-12T22:49:00.000-06:00

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

2006-12-01T12:58:00.000-06:00

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

2006-11-30T17:51:00.000-06:00

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?

2006-11-30T16:14:00.000-06:00

(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

2006-11-13T14:12:00.000-06:00

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...

2006-11-13T13:39:00.000-06:00

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...

2006-11-09T13:49:00.000-06:00

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

2006-11-02T15:58:00.000-06:00

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

2006-11-01T19:31:00.000-06:00

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!

2006-10-15T23:00:00.000-05:00

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...

2006-10-11T13:10:00.000-05:00

...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

2006-10-05T13:11:00.000-05:00

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

2006-09-24T23:25:00.000-05:00

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...

2006-09-08T12:51:00.000-05:00

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?

2006-08-25T22:59:00.000-05:00

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...

2006-08-24T23:19:00.000-05:00

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

2006-08-16T23:48:00.000-05:00

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

2006-08-01T01:10:00.000-05:00

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

2006-07-29T22:49:00.000-05:00

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

2006-07-29T01:19:00.000-05:00

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!