Happy New Year 2009!

The beautiful thing about a blog is that you don't have to spend New Year's Eve documenting all of the things that happened this year. If people really want to know, they can read the blog history. Lucky for me! But I did want to share a pictorial review of 2008 (of things in and around Tulsa) provided by Tulsa World. While most of these happenings don't have anything to do with me, they are about life and that's what I'll be celebrating in 2009!

Happy New Year all.

Granny & Papa Doc's 65th Wedding Anniversary

Sixty five years is a long time for anything. But for Jason's grandparents, it is representative of the time they've spent together as a married couple. Weekend before last, we drove to Quinton, OK to celebrate this occassion with the family and I caught myself feeling very sentimental about marriage, family and more.

There are five children that are the products of this amazing marriage. Gammy Sandy is one of five children and Jason, Shara and Kara are three of 13 grandchildren. Most all were in attendance to share in this special occasion.

Dakota and Elle are two of 12 great-grandchildren. It brings us so much joy watching the kiddos play with their cousins and the both of them really enjoy their time on the ranch. Cousin Rynda is Elle's favorite of all!

Each of the grandchildren read a paragraph or two from the story of Granny and Grandpa's life together. I was amazed to learn that Granny and Papa Doc met for the first time when there were 11 and 10 years old.

What a proud day this was and I feel very blessed to be a part of this family.

Elle's Winter Dance Recital

This year's winter recital was ballet and I couldn't have been more excited. We were instructed to wear plain clothes and Miss Kristy added the headband and skirt to each girls' attire. Elle was precious and very happy to have had a cookie party afterwards.

She was concentrating very hard on the task at hand.

Such a beautiful ballerina! To see all the pics, visit her online by clicking here.

Winter 2008 Studio Recital

Junkie

I have to admit it, I'm a Facebook junkie. I love it. And after weeks of encouraging my huband to join in on the fun, he finally mde the jump. I've really enjoyed catching up with old friends and acquainences and silly as it sounds, I love reading their status updates. Is Facebook addiction a real thing? I'm beginning to think so. See you online!

7 Years, Where does the time go?

It was seven years ago at this very moment when I gave birth to my handsome little boy. The surprise that we were having a boy was told to us even before we heard his first cry. That's the case when a baby who is frank breach is taken from his mother's womb during surgery. I can remember it pefectly..."It's a boy!" said the doctor. Jason and I immediately started to cry and laugh at the same time. "Is everything alright? I don't hear him crying." I asked. "Everything is fine. We just haven't delivered his head yet." Everything was more than fine, it was perfect.

Dakota is now a first grader and is wise beyond his years.

He loves to read and ride his bike and like most boys his age, he loves some time on the Playstation. We're proud of Dakota and his academic accomplishments and even more so of his gentle disposition. His teacher tells us that he has a natural ability to lead and there are times that we're fortunate enough to witness his peer interaction and see the potential this young man has.

Dakota is growing although I suspect he'll always favor his grandpa Herman and have no trouble maintaining a respectful weight. He's about 45" tall now and weighs about 42.5 pounds. Unlike most first-graders, he hasn't lost a single baby tooth yet!

This past year, Dakota experienced several firsts. He witnessed his first (and second) NBA game watching both the Spurs and the Thunder. He learned to ride his bike. He went to the circus. He learned to tie his shoes. Dakota attended his first outdoor concert, went golfing with his dad and learned to drive the golf cart solo. And the list goes on...

We celebrated with his friends at the Tulsa Air & Space Museum and that was a huge hit. I recommend stopping by sometime.

We're proud of our little man. Happy Birthday son!

Eufala Lake at Sunset

This was taken at 50MPH on our way to Quinton, OK. The camera phone doesn't do it justice.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lost, then Found

Today's good news continues. Jason had lost his wedding ring and last remembered having it during our trip to Austin. After lots of searching and calls to our hotel, we'd given up.

Thankfully, the good people at LaMode Cleaners are diligent about checking pockets and they retrieved our treasure. I just went to pick up the clothes from 6 weeks ago (mostly because I'm cheap and knew that load would cost me) and I was pleasantly surprised to see the ring hanging there! I even woke Doc from his slumber so I could show him. It's nice to know that there are still honest people all around.

Now, if only some honest person would return his lost wallet...

Wow

I must say, I honestly never thought I'd see the day. I mean, I knew the days of $0.89/gallon were long gone. And yet, I didn't think there was hope for less than $3.00/gallon.

Thank God for giving us the gift of the unknown.

Holiday Thrift

I have to share the good news that one of my co-workers and friends shared with me. It's an online shopping rebate site that literally earns you cash back for your online purchases. Just sign up for an account by clicking here and then do all your holiday shopping online. You can earn cash back on every transaction plus get information on free shipping and other promotions.

I joined on just a couple weeks ago and now I can't shop online without checking my e-bates site first! I'm so pleased to be earning money back for the purchases I planned to make anyhow. Pass it on!

Halloween Treats, Compliments of Nana

So, my mom bought all these little Halloween give-a-ways for Dakota and Elle to package up for their friends. Naturally her thoughtfulness lead to a requirement that I do the only thing a good mom would do and make her gifts as thoughtful as could be. And so I ordered some Halloween stamps from my Stampin' Up friend Krystal and came up with some ideas for decorating our treat bags. Elle and I worked on hers one night and then Dakota, Elle and I teamed up to do the 18 we needed for his classmates. We became assembly line experts and the finished product was imperfect but handmade with love.

Livesay Orchard Pumpkin Patch

I wouldn't say that I love this time of year and mostly that's because I'm a wuss when it's cold. I don't like to shiver and I don't like for my toes to go numb. I do, however, like some of the activities that go along with the season.

This past weekend we made a visit to Livesay Orchards in Porter, Oklahoma. We were in need of some pumpkins and thought it might be fun to tie in a hay ride and other children's activities at the same time. Livesay does a decent job of combining the commercial with the traditional.

We took a tractor ride ($3 fee) out to the orchard where we got to trample the pumpkin vines and choose our loot.

We were promptly returned to the farmer's market where we pay for our pumpkins plus whatever other items our hearts desired at that time. Jason was quick to point out that they would do quite well if they had an on-site cafe and sold food to low blood sugar fathers who are along for the ride.

We ran into some old friends at the orchard and enjoyed watching their little guy save caterpillars in his pocket. And we gave the kids some play time in the hay maze, etc. Even Elle showed off her ropin' abilities and Dakota proved that he knows how to milk a cow's tit ("You have to pull AND squeeze Elle!").

Racine, MO

I took this picture while standing in front of Racine Christian Church. I was there for a funeral for my great Aunt Jean. It was nice to revisit her home place and I never realized how beautiful it was there. The last time I visited there I was a child and didn't have much appreciation for the landscape. This part of MO was very pleasant.

I also had little knowlwdge of Jean's early years. As it turns out, she was fond of dancing. And as her tribute stated, when we all go on to meet our creator, we should look for her on the dance floor. I know I will.

Oh no, say it isn't so!

We had to say goodbye to the man plant. It is sad. Guess I didn't give it the TLC it needed. It's legend lives on in spirit I suppose.

Capitol Building

I love visiting other cities and actually seeing something that doesn't look like all the rest. This shot is of the Texas capitol building taken out the car window. Sweet!

Blast From the Past

Funny...a friend of mine sent me this link where you can go and pull the top 100 songs from the year you graduated. I'd forgotten about a lot of them and some I didn't even remember. I wish I had the time to look them up on iTunes but I really don't care that much. The ones that I was quick to remember are listed. As my husband often points out, there aren't really any songs (or artists for that matter) from the 1990's that will ever be revered as timeless classics but as long as they make me smile, I don't care if they're not timeless. Wanna know your top 100?

Top 100 Songs of what year?
The rules:
A.) Go to music outfitters
B.) Enter the year you graduated from high school in the search function and get the list of 100 most popular songs of that year

My favorites from 1994:

2. I Swear, All-4-One
3. I'll Make Love To You, Boyz II Men
8. All For Love, Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting
14. Whatta Man, Salt-N-Pepa
18. Can You Feel The Love Tonight, Elton John
20. Fantastic Voyage, Coolio
21. Baby I Love Your Way, Big Mountain
22. Regulate, Warren G and Nate Dogg
26. When Can I See You, Babyface
34. All I Wanna Do, Sheryl Crow
35. Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm, Crash Test Dummies
38. I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That), Meat Loaf
42. Whoomp! (There It Is), Tag Team
43. Come To My Window, Melissa Etheridge
52. Gin And Juice, Snoop Doggy Dogg
54. Streets Of Philadelphia, Bruce Springsteen
60. Cry For You, Jodeci
65. Tootsee Roll, 69 Boyz
66. I Can See Clearly Now, Jimmy Cliff
74. Groove Thang, Zhane
87. Don't Take The Girl, Tim McGraw
90. Indian Outlaw, Tim McGraw
91. Always, Bon Jovi
92. I'm The Only One, Melissa Etheridge
94. Love Sneakin' Up On You, Bonnie Raitt
95. I'll Take You There, General Public

Proud Parents

I realize that some of you will think that I utilize this space to boast about my children and I promise that I try to include other interesting topics. But in this case, I just can't stand not saying anything.

Last year we would walk the halls of Dakota's school and I'd see kid's names posted to the wall on trophy laminated cut outs. The trophies are awarded year-round once kids read a certain number of books or reach a certain level or score a certain amount of reading points. Last year I scanned the walls for signs of my son's name until finally I inquired about why he wasn't there. Well, it's only for 1st thru 5th grader recognition. I would have been searching for a long time.

Five weeks into first grade and Dakota was posted to the wall! He must been recognized just yesterday because surely I would have noticed it before now (given my tendency to scan the wall on a daily basis). He is one of only three 1st graders with a trophy and I couldn't be happier!

Remember when...?

Do you remember the time when we were trying to teach Dakota how to ride a bike and it was a complete emotional disaster for both he and us? It was almost exactly one year ago today. Well, it's finally turned into success.

Dakota's been doing really well but mostly staying on the sidewalk and eventually began making the turn at the end of the sidewalk. He had been less inclined to venture into the street or make a U turn to get going another direction. Instead, he would bail off, turn the bike around and go again. He also has insisted that his dad or me help him get started. Despite our efforts to teach him how to start with the pedal upright and one foot on the curb, he still preferred a jump start.

Dakota's buddy Garrett came to spend the night and he brought his bike along with him. He said he would "teach" Dakota how to ride. Keep in mind that Garrett is 6 months younger than Dakota so I guess he wasn't too keen on having Garrett show him the ropes. Instead, he was off! He's starting himself and riding all over the place...making U turns and all. He's off the sidewalk and owning the rode. I couldn't be more grateful that the tears are gone and husband isn't having to carry him to the bike while he kicks and screams. Thanks Garrett!

He didn't believe us when we told him it would be fun once he learned how to ride. And now we can say "We told you so!". Now that's what I call success.

BA Downtown Play

Make a Smilebox slideshow

BTW Spirit

We went to the East Central Cardinals vs. BTW game on Friday night. The Hornets spanked them but the best part of it all was seeing my kids experience a little Hornet spirit. Doc's little sis Kara is a freshman at BTW now and we couldn't be happier to see her going to our old school. She's made the varsity cross country team and of course she's playing soccer for the girl's team. Kara is a solid athlete, strong in academics and cute as a button. We're so very proud of her! And she is sweet enough to allow her niece and nephew hang with her and her friends in the student section. What a treat!



Dakota spent a lot of time on the fence line playing with his helicopter and watching the Hornet mascot run along the sidelines. He even got to spend some time on the field with his dad while Dad worked so hard at manning his post (yappin' with his fellow coaches).



The Hornet was in rare form, dancing and giving all of the kiddos high-five. Elle finally mustered the courage to speak to him. It was nice to be amongst the crowd and my only complaint is that the T Connection Band is just not what it used to be. Go Hornets!

Emily's Visit to T-Town

Seeing long time friends who have long since moved away is always a wonderful thing to find time for. I'm always amazed at how busy we all are and how much effort seems to be involved in making a simple phone call, sending an email, god forbid we mail a written letter and never mind that we hardly ever have time for a girls luncheon. But we did it when Emily Alice visited her hometown and we're very glad we did.

As you can tell from the photo, my daughter joined us on our outing. And it was sort of funny to me that my four year old asked to go when I told her that I was leaving to meet some of my girlfriends for lunch. "I'm a girl", was her response. She wanted to go bad and I was grateful that Emily and Tonya didn't mind her accompanying us on our date. We went for sushi which wasn't exactly a four year old choice but she eventually ate some of her chicken and oranges. The tofu in the miso soup and the fancy presentation of the main course was a bit overwhelming to say the least.

She brought her Dora the Explorer toy and Tonya was gracious enough to loan her the Power Ranger figurine from her purse. Elle was a champ and I was grateful to have her there. I look forward to sharing many more girly lunches with her in the years to come.

The Pirates 1st Fall 2008 Game

The Pirates are official! They're wearing real uniforms this year and we even have a real referee. Watching Dakota play soccer is suddenly much more entertaining. His father got to serve as the coach this weekend because the coach was away for a family emergency. I think he did a fine job of filling in and making the kids enjoy their first time on the U7 soccer fields. Gammy Sandy and Auntie Shara even came to watch his Fall 2008 debut. And he scored a goal!

The fields are much larger this year which is great because there are less throw ins as a result of the ball going out of bounds so much. And the size of the field gave the kids more freedom to move around. Dakota took a good tumble on this one but he bounced back up and went after it again.


Coach Doctor doing his thing. The little guy to Dakota's right (left on screen) is one of his friends from school. They're quite good buddies.