Tulsa Trip

I know that I'm way behind in my blogging so I'm trying to catch you up on so many events.... please forgive me!! If we're not outside working then I'm inside trying to catch up from all the days spent outside. Also, Scott has doubled up on his school work to try and graduate sooner and so it's difficult to get the computer from him!!

Back in February the babies, Scott and I went and spent a week up in Owasso (outside of Tulsa) with my older sister Angie and her kids. We really had a great time! It had just snowed the weekend before we left and so there was still plenty for us to play in. We didn't get in until really late at night so the next morning the babies and I bundled up and went out and played in the snow. Thomas had a blast! He made his first snow angel and he and I had a snowball fight. It started to snow again and Thomas ran around trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue. He loved the fact that he was leaving tracks in the snow and wanted to play "tracker" where Natty Grace and I walked through the yard and he tracked us down.

Natty had gotten sick the day we were suppose to leave but seemed to be doing better when she woke up from her nap. We decided to go ahead and go to Owasso. She threw up on the way up there and just really felt crappy the whole way. The next day we tried to get her interested in the snow but all she wanted to do was suck on icicles. She and Tommy both thought that was really cool!

Thomas catching snowflakes on his tongue

Snow Princess!

Mommy and Babies taking a break from playing in the snow

Natty had enough of the snow, she was ready to just go inside and snuggle with Mommy. Poor Baby Girl just didn't feel good at all!! :(

It took Princess a good three days before she finally felt even half-way decent. Poor thing just kept running a fever and kept throwing up.... We spent the first few days in Owasso seeing the four walls of Angie's house! But thankfully, by mid-week Natty Grace perked up and really started to be herself again. We even were able to go to the zoo in Tulsa on our last full day there.

I was able to see one of the sweetest displays of brotherly affection that week! Since Natty Grace was feeling so terrible, she spent most of her time either in Mommy's bed or on the couch. On Tuesday, I was cooking breakfast and Thomas came in the kitchen and told me, "Mommy, Chipmunk doesn't feel good and she really needs me. Can you cook breakfast without me?" I told him sure, not a problem and asked him what he was going to do. His response (priceless!!!), "I'm going to give her kisses and love and make her feel better like you do me." He then turned around and walked off. I finished cooking breakfast and went to go check on them since they had been so quiet for a while. This is what I found.....

Tommy stayed in bed with Natty for almost half the day just reading books to her!! What an amazing big brother!! He has such big and pure heart!! I know he's going to do something amazing one day!! He's definitely my little LoveBug!

Later in the week Katie wasn't feeling good either and stayed home from school with us. She and Thomas hung out on the couch being little couch potatoes!

Every morning before school Marty would come in our room and watch cartoons with Thomas before he had to go school. We had stayed up pretty late one night and the next morning, as usual, Marty showed up to watch cartoons. However, poor Tommy just couldn't keep his eyes open! So he just gave up and snuggled up next to Marty to catch a few more Zzzz's!

Either my sister and I are really smart and brave, or really stupid.... I haven't figured out which! She had promised the babies that we could go to the zoo while they were there. But because of Natty being so sick and then the weather not cooperating, we kept putting it off. We finally got to our last full day there and still had not gone. It was suppose to be cold and drizzly all day and we were trying to figure out if we should still go. We watched the weather and it said that it was suppose to clear up by noon or so (little did I realize that the weather in Tulsa was as predictable as the weather in Texas!). We decided we would go ahead and chance it. We got there and there was no one else there except the staff!! We finally saw a man and his daughter but no one else showed up. I have to say that I have never been to the zoo when there were mounds of snow EVERYWHERE!! It was cold and wet, the temperature never got out of the 40's and the drizzle misty rain never once stopped. But we had a blast!! We bundled the babies up, rented them a wagon so that we could put blankets on them to keep them warm and we trekked onward! It was really pretty cool being the only idiots willing to go to the zoo in 40 degree weather and misty rain. We didn't have any one to compete with for anything! The unfortunate thing though was that there were several of the animals that were put up due to the temperature.... the most hilarious one was that the penguins, seals and polar bear were put up "due to frigid temperatures"... at least according to the sign... still trying to figure out how they survive in the North Pole if the 40's are considered to "frigid" for them....???

Thomas reading the map and telling us where we go next.

Little sitting area in the park. Notice the snow in the background? We were able to get away with climbing on the rocks for the picture because even the staff were smart enough not to be outside!

Tommy posing with the jeweled penguin

I will say that it was a really neat little zoo. The babies really did have a great time seeing all the different animals. We're hoping to go back once it's warmer and hopefully all the North Pole animals will be out!! But knowing our luck, all the African animals will probably be put up because it's too hot for them!! :)

Natty decided that she wanted to take over the driving.... it was a good thing no one else was there because she thought it was bumper cars!


Gigi and the babies looking at the flamingos (notice it was too cold for the penguins, but not for flamingos... go figure!!)

Snow Day

I've lived in Texas my whole life and one of my missions in life has always been to see "real" snow! I've seen the ice we get or the one or two inches of real snow but nothing more than that. So this winter/spring has really been enjoyable for me. I saw what I consider to be my first "real" snow fall in Fabruary and then I went to Tulsa to see my sister and they still had the remnants of their last snow storm. Then we were blessed with one more snow day in March. I never thought I would open our mud room door and see this!!

I loved the snow while it lasted, I thought it just made everything seem clean and pure... but it sure was a mess when it melted!! Glad that it only happens once a century!

Purge & Re-Build

Spring has finally arrived!!! And with it, a new beginning.......



A couple of months ago Scott and I decided that since neither one of us were working, we might as well make the most of the free time we have. Since then we have been going through the house, storage buildings and the property and getting rid of TONS, fixing what needs to be fixed and rebuilding or re-organizing what's left. Our first triumph was the babies' room, then on to the rest. It has really felt good to see the accomplishments and to see the improvements as well. At last, we finally have some control over our shattered lives! Maybe, that's why I've enjoyed it so much, me being the control freak that I am.... The great thing though is that with the weather finally cooperating and warming up, we've spent our time from sun-up to sun-down outside. The babies are EXHAUSTED (and Corby too!!) by the time we get them to bed at night and we all have a healthy tan and just feel better all the way around. After months of being shut up in a house, it's been great to get outside again and feel the warmth of the sun on your skin. It's almost like feeling alive once more.

Scott and I have really enjoyed working together, but more so our time with the babies. They are always saying things and doing things that keep us rolling!! One of my favorites was from Tommy. We were walking outside and I was telling Tommy how silly he was. That he was the silliest little boy I've ever known. In his sweet little voice he turned his face up to me and said, "Mommy, do you want to know WHY I'm so silly?" Laughingly I asked why, he said, "It's because when I was a little baby, Big Bubba (Timothy) taught me how to be silly, that's why I'm so silly!" Little did he realize just how true that was!!

Here are some of the pics from our hard-working days....

We took advantage of the last snow day and Scott and Natty replaced my kitchen sink.

You could look at this picture and wonder how many people does it take to put a faucet on a pipe??? Or how many people do you need in order to supervise Scott working.... :)

Tommy and Chipmunk having a blast!

Timmy and Tommy replacing the floor on our new trailer

Tommy and Natty Grace helping Mommy with the wheelbarrow


Big Bubba teaching Princess how to do "thumbs up"


Babies completely exhausted after a hard day of working!!


Even Corby had a hard time keeping up! At one point Corby was climbing out the doggy door and had gotten his head and front paws out before he just passed out!! He didn't even have the energy to crawl all the way through the doggy door!!

New Member of the Family

We now have a new member of the family!!

Through a chain of people we found out about a little puppy that was being abused by his owner. Our hearts went out to him and so we decided to take him in..... He is a little Corgi and is about 10 weeks old from our guestamation. Full grown he should only be about 27 lbs. So it doesn't look like he'll get much bigger than he already is.

He was immediately loved by all!! He is absolutely full of energy and accomplished two things that I didn't think were possible. Not only did he wear Crue out, but he wore Natty Grace out too!!

When Pop brought him in the house the babies immediately started doting on him. They were running through the kitchen with the puppy chasing after them. It was hilarious to watch them! The whole time that Natty was running back and forth the puppy was chasing her nipping at her little diaper butt!! Too cute!!

When then took him outside and he and the babies and Crue played for several hours! They would chase each other, tackle each other and then just wrestle around in the grass. It was like they were all made for each other! The puppy has already decided that not only is Crue his buddy, but Crue is his role model too..... I know, I know... we're in TROUBLE!!! ;)

By the time we stopped for lunch and naps, everyone was DONE! We came in and the puppy snuggled right up with Crue and passed out! He didn't move so much as an inch all through lunch. He didn't even get up until Natty got up from her nap and even then he was reluctant to do so! We then went back outside and played hard again until dinner time. The puppy didn't even have the energy to eat for a while after we came in!! I was afraid I might be up with him all night since it's a new home, but he's been at my feet under the desk for several hours now and hasn't budged.... not so much worried about it now!

After much negotiation, we finally convinced Crue that the puppy was a friend not a foe

Mexican stand-off!!

They played and tumbled so much!! Unfortunately for the puppy neither he nor Crue remembered how small he was!! It was too funny!!

Tommy couldn't handle it anymore, he had to join in on the fun!

LOVE those big ears and big eyes!!

So cute with those stubby legs and big paws!!

Passed out after a day full of fun!!

Day at the Park

After the great monsoon that we've been having, a sunny day was greatly appreciated and enjoyed!!



We got up last Sunday morning and decided to have a picnic at the park. So we drove to McKinney lake and had a picnic and then fed the seagulls and ducks. We had a blast!! After our picnic we went to feed the ducks. There were all kinds of ducks there and seagulls. The babies loved the fact that they could throw the pieces of bread up and the seagulls would catch them in mid-air!



After we fed the birds the babies and I went to the playground while Scott and Timothy played catch nearby. The babies LOVED the playground!! Natty Grace's favorite part was sliding and Thomas loved all the climbing on the bars!


Tommy teaching Natty Grace how to climb






Tommy pushing Chipmunk






Tommy showing Natty Grace how to cross the moving bridge






Natty attempting to cross by herself






Timothy playing catch with Dad






Tommy cheezing!




Tommy Two Shoes sliding with Chipmunk





Natty being Little Miss Independent!

Playdate with "Gaaaabriel!!"

Sorry that it has been so long since the last time that I've blogged.... Life got even more hectic than normal and then the bottom just fell out. I'm trying to "get back on the wagon" for lack of a better explanation so I will try to stay more current. No promises though!! ;)

Our wonderful baby-sitter, Miss Jenny, has a little boy named Gabriel whom Thomas loves and says is his best friend and Natty ADORES (i.e. is obessed with). Well, Gabe was sweet enough to agree to a play date at our house and the babies had a blast!! We fed the neighs aka horses, played on the tractors and watched Superman aka airplanes fly over our house. It was a very exiciting day and successfully wore EVERYONE out, to include Mommy!! But it was well worth it!! Here are a few pics from our fun day!



Best Friends for life!!



Natty getting some Gabe time.



Natty showing me the remnants of her sucker!



Tommy was telling Gabe that he couldn't go home and that he had to stay at our house forever because if Gabe left, then Tommy would be scared and wouldn't have anyone to play with and he would be VERY sad!! Way too cute!!

I also have to share another story that you may or may not appreciate.... it may be one of those kind of stories that you had to be there but here it goes....

B stayed at our house back in January to watch the babies for us. When she was getting Natty Grace ready for bed, Natty started to get upset because Mommy wasn't there. So B offered for her to call me which Natty Grace jumped all over (she LOVES to talk on the phone!! She's such a girl!!). I answer the phone and B explains the situation to me and then gives the phone to Natty Grace. Here is how the conversation proceeded:

Mommy: "Hi Baby Girl, I love you!! What are you doing?"

Natty: "Mommy?"

Mommy: "Yes??"

Natty: "Gaaaabriel!!"

Mommy: "Gabriel??"

Natty: (giggling in the background)

Mommy: "Whatcha doin' Baby Girl? I love you, I miss you!"

Natty: "Mommy??"

Mommy: "What Baby Girl?"

Natty: "Gaaaabriel!!" (more giggling)

Mommy: "I miss you Baby Girl, but guess what?? Mommy will see you in the morning!!"

Natty: "Mommy??"

Mommy: "Yes Baby?"

Natty: "Gaaaaabriel!!!" (even more giggling)

The conversation continued down this path for the next half hour!!! B told us later that she was laying on the bed, gently holding the phone and caressing it while saying, "Gaaaabriel!!". I have never had a conversation with anyone that consisted of only two words on their part!! At one point I finally sat the phone down and put it on speaker so that I could do other things. She did this for over thirty minutes!! She even had the nurses cracking up as they would come in because they could hear her over the speaker!! So like I said earlier, not only does she LOVE Gabe but she is to the point of being OBSESSED with Gabe!! Poor Gabe!

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a great weekend with the kids! We spent almost the entire weekend outside with them playing catch with the baseball and playing kick-ball.
I have to say that Scott and I got so much entertainment from watching Thomas playing with us! He would play on mine and Scott's team for kick ball and it was hilarious to watch him. Everytime he kick the ball he would go into panic mode as to which way to run! There was absolutely NO method to his madness!! One time he would run to first, the next time to third and the next to wherever Scott or I were! We tried to convey the concept of the game and finally had to just give up and let him do his own thing! So he would kick the ball and then it would be a toss up as to which base he ran to! I will say though, that is one base-stealing little sneak! Every opportunity that he had, he would run to a base! He stole more bases then the professionals!

Natalee was adorable! At one point she's over by the horses squealing and calling to them to try and get them to come over and play with her! She LOVES those Neighs!

Once Tommy had enough of kickball he decided to join Natty at the picnic table and they blew bubbles together. Tommy being the "older brother" had to go over the fundamentals of how you blow bubbles and what is acceptable and not acceptable. He went over it over and over and over and over..... The problem was not that Natty wasn't getting it, the problem was, she didn't really care! She just wanted to play with the soapy water.



At one point Natalee was doing a dance on the table!! Too cute!


Natty Grace entertaining herself.

Tommy trying so desperately to teach his sister how to blow bubbles!

Natty trying so desperately to dump the bubbles!

I will say this, after spending a weekend outside and running around all day, Scott and I both learned two very valuable lessons. The first being: We are not as young as we think we are. The second being: We are SOOOOO out of shape!!

He and I were both so sore by Sunday that we couldn't move! We decided that what better way to treat the symptons then a little "more of the hair of the dog that bit you". Not really sure that was such a wise decision now.