August

Wow! Time flies when you are busy!

Hamilton started school. He's doing great and so proud to be able to show
us around his school at open house. First grade is such a big change from Kindergarten. They work all day with very little free play time, if any. He gets one "special" a day. Specials are: P.E., Music, Computer, Library. His favorite specials are Music and P.E. He's a "car rider" again this year. If he gets good behavior marks during the week, he gets to pack his lunch on Fridays. He LOVES taking his lunch and gets so excited to see what treat I put in and what I said on the note I write to him.



Harrison is starting pre-school on Tuesday, Sept. 8. He has visited the class and is very excited. He'll be going to Yellow Balloon Preschool at our church. I'm wondering how I'll feel dropping him off for the first day. When I dropped Hamilton off, I drove to Wal-Mart and cried in the parking lot. I'm having a feeling I'll do pretty much the same thing with Hessie. I miss them like crazy when they are away!






Henderson is as big as the other two.....at least in his mind! He's eating with his own fork and spoon. He's growing up too fast! He is generous with kisses and will give you as many as you can stand. He loves to dance to music. He's socializing a lot at church - no longer crying when we leave him in the nursery.


Matt's back into the swing of work. He thinks this is the best group of kids he's ever had and is excited about getting to do more learning activities with them. He loves those little ones, and loves it when they "get" what he is teaching them. Lucky little kiddos, I say.....


I've recently started couponing. It's amazing to me that you can

walk out of a store paying NOTHING for a cart full of groceries.

It just takes planning, and lots of coupons! It's a game...and Harrison, Henderson and I love getting our "bargains" everyday!
Matt gets a big kick out of it too. I got all of these groceries, plus 2 Reese's candies for free at Walgreen's on Monday....plus had a $3.00 overage...so I made money on the deal! Pretty cool, I'd say!

Another neat thing coming up is I'm going to be on TV
talking about our Audio/Video ministry in September.
Every few months our church is asked to feature a ministry on a local Christian television show in Tulsa. They've asked Buffy and me to come talk about the importance of this ministry, and maybe give other churches some tips on how to get started or further their programs. I'm not really excited about being on TV, but I am excited about our AV ministry and how it helps people worship, learn and get closer to God.


Well, that's a lot of what's going on here in Owasso. We're excited about watching some football, eating chili and kicking off fall!!!!! We hope that you and yours have a wonderful September!

Our July

Hamilton began the month still recovering from his tonsils being removed. It was unseasonal how cool the weather was, so we were able to go see fireworks despite his not feeling well. He enjoyed getting out of the house for a while. After we returned home, we discovered our A/C was out. Luckily we were able to get that fixed the next day....THANK GOODNESS! We were relieved that it was not a costly repair.

We celebrated my birthday at home. Matt and the boys went out and picked out a new camera for me to carry in my purse. The boys were so cute, they could hardly keep the secret! They were so proud of their gift to me. My sisters and I went out for a "girls night out" and had dinner and did a little shopping. It's always nice to get out with them.

Sara's (my sister) family had a new addition to her family. Duke, a German Shepherd, and longtime family member, passed away. Sara found the cutest little German Shepherd puppy, named him Sergeant and we all love him like crazy. Our boys like helping him potty outside and helping to take care of him. I'll have to say, Spooky, our dog, has gotten lots of love since Duke passed. We love Spooky to pieces and can't imagine life without him.

Matt's dad had a heart attack at the end of the month. It was shocking to the entire family. Needless to say, Matt and I were scared. We went to Fayetteville for the day to make sure he would stabilize, and we came back that night, and then Matt went back the next day. We are waiting more tests tomorrow and they will either perform open heart surgery, or place a stint. Matt and I are going to Fayetteville for the day.

Matt started back to school. UGH! Its always hard for everyone to adjust after having him home all summer, but we are getting back into the swing of things! Hamilton starts school next week and Harrison's first day of preschool will be 09-08. I think they'll both like being in school. Right now the big question is: Will Hamilton ride the bus or be a car-rider??? Still undecided on this issue. I just can't believe I have a 1st grader!!!!

Another big change this month was the purchase of a new car. Matt's Jeep broke down...again. The transmission went out, and it was having many more costly issues. After the money we spent on it this spring, we couldn't see pouring several more thousand into it. We traded it in and he picked out a Chevy HHR. We love it! He drives it to work every morning and is so happy that it has air-conditioning. Then I drive it in the evenings when I go to work. It gets good gas mileage, and it does have enough room that we can fit 3 car seats in the back if we need to. We weren't really wanting another car payment right now, but we both have to have dependable transportation. We are happy about it.

That's all that I can remember right now for July. We're just asking for prayers for Matt's dad. We pray that whatever procedure is needed, that it is successful, and that he'll experience a speedy recovery. The kids can't wait until he feels good enough for them to be able to see him.

Our June

Our June was a busy one!

Matt ended his school year, as did Hamilton. Both were happy to start the summer.

VBS started the week after school let out - WHEW! It was a busy week for all of us! Hamilton attended as a 1st grader (what a biggin') and Harrison attended as a pre-schooler. Henderson was in the nursery. I worked on video/photography and Matt was a co-leader for the 6th graders. We all had exciting stories to tell and all had a blast!

We traveled to see Sarah and Hubert in Eureka Springs (Granny & Grandpa). It was our first road trip in the mini-van. It was SOOO much better with the extra space. The kids got restless the last hour of the trip, but all in all - it was WAY better!! We rode the train - the boys loved that! Henderson would laugh every time the diesel horn blew - he loved it! We played a lot in their yard - they had some new landscaping done - it is beautiful! Matt and I got to have a few "dates" without the boys and that was sooooo nice!!!!

Youth Force was exciting also. The youth from several United Methodist Churches get together every year (we rotate who hosts) and work on houses in the community. Our house was picked for one of the houses to be worked on this year. We got a new window upstairs - our old one was leaking when it rained. They also painted trim and repaired some guttering and added a storm window to our kitchen window. I worked at the church during youth force all day and into the night preparing for worship services in the evening. Matt worked on setting up for dinner, then preparing the worship center for worship again. It was a wonderful week - though exhausting!!!

Hamilton had his tonsils out on 6-26. The surgery went well, but the recovery has been very painful for him. The doctor said he had abnormal swelling, though he does seem to be healing. He'll be on pain medicine longer than most, but he seems to be doing a little better every day. It's been hard on all of us - I'd take the pain from him in a second if I could!

Matt and I have been working on our upstairs room. I work from home a lot for an inspection company, and work is picking up quite a lot. At the end of the year, I'll be working full-time. So, I need an office that is equipped for me to work in, yet kid-friendly so the kids can be up here with me. There was a lot of work to do - and we are about halfway done now. I have a big desk to spread out my work now. Next - the boys will get their own desks to do their homework on. It's light blue with white trim and LOTS of storage. I'll post pictures when we are done.

We are looking forward to a GREAT July! Matt goes back to work at the end of this month - but until then, we will enjoy all being home - and hopefully all being HEALTHY! With LOTS of swimming.

Kid-isms

Hamilton: If we get the pig flu, will it make us "oink"?

Harrison: Mommy, why are you always cleaning?

Mom: Because.

Harrison: Huh. It always gets messy again.

I brought cookies to school for Hamilton's class to celebrate his birthday. Afterwards, I was informed that I was pretty cool, but the really cool moms brought cupcakes with icing. (Which the teachers specifically request you NOT do!) I guess I'll settle for pretty cool.

Harrison: This song makes my bummby wiggle.

Last Wednesday night at church I was finishing up some pictures I needed to take for a slide show we are working on for Sunday morning. I went into Hamilton's choir practice and he exclaims "MOM! They let you out into the church???!!!" (I'm in the av booth a little too much, perhaps!)

Wednesdays after school is "Sonic Slushy Day". I always take them to get a mid-week treat at Sonic. When we got back this week , I sat my purse down and was putting Matt's drink in the fridge, turned around.......and realized the baby had dumped Harrison's ENTIRE slushy in the train drawer - all over the train track and trains. Needless to say, I was mad. Harrison said "It's OK mom, the baby seems happy!" He was right. It was OK. The baby was happy.

I learn so much from my little guys. I can't imagine life without them. They make me laugh a hundred times a day - they make me get in the floor and tickle and be tickled - they show me what true sincerity is. I can't say that I'm the best student in the world, but I can say, with great certainty, that I have the three best teachers in the world!

Easter

This is a picture of us at the Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday 04-11-09. One of our friends from church took this picture.

We had a wonderful Easter. We went to the Easter Egg Hunt at church Saturday morning. That evening we colored Easter Eggs on the driveway (it was so pretty outside, and I didn't want that stuff on my new table!)

Sunday morning the boys got their Easter baskets and I made breakfast before heading off to our Sonrise Service. I think they ate more candy than breakfast, but - hey it's Easter, right?????

We had Easter dinner at mom's house. We all brought something, so there was more food there than you could eat in one sitting. We had the traditional turkey, ham, dressing, dumplings, sweet potatoes, twice baked potatoes, green bean casserole, dinner rolls & my all-time favorite (can't have Easter without it) coconut cake! Then we headed home for an Easter nap! It was a perfect, rainy day for a nap - and we all took advantage of that!

It was such a joy to celebrate at church Christ's love for us, to celebrate with friends and family at Easter dinner and then return home to spend the evening together as a family. We are truly blessed!

Little Bitty Money

As I've mentioned before, Matt and have been working on a budget and really sticking to it and saving a lot of money. We have a family budget book that we are excited about - but so are the kids. They LOVE looking in our book to see how much money is in there. So, we decided maybe they should have their own little budgets. We werent sure they'd catch on to what we were trying to do, but, once again - they have surprised us!

Every week they get $3. One dollar has to go into their "Spend" envelope. One dollar goes into their "Save" envelope. And, one dollar goes to their "Share" envelope.

The "spend" money they can use however they wish. They can buy candy, toys or whatever. The hard part here is Matt and I not buying it for them (we're suckers.)

The share money is for charitable giving. When they get older, they can give it however they'd wish, but for now we've given them three choices. Their choices were to give it to the local animal shelter or buy food for the shelter, buy food for the food bank at church or give it in the offering in the church offering plate on Sunday mornings. They both are very excited about buying food for the food bank. We are suggesting that they save $10 and then we'll go shopping for the food bank.

The save money goes into their savings account at the bank. When they get $10 in their "save" envelope, we'll go to the bank. Our bank has popcorn and a little pop machine in it, so its a big deal to go into the bank. They also feel big handing the money to the bank teller.

A few weeks ago, I took the big boys with me to Kohls to buy a birthday gift for one of their friends. While we were there, Hamilton saw a Cat-in-the-Hat doll that he really wanted. They are $5 and support a charity. Normally, I would have gotten it for him because he REALLY wanted it, but I told him he had to save his money in the "spend" envelope to buy it. He was not really dissappointed that I didnt buy it for him, instead he was excited about figuring out how many weeks he had to save to buy him. So, last Saturday (the kids call it MONEY DAY!) after our lesson and our money hand-out we went to Kohl's and he bought his Cat-in-the-Hat doll. Then, when Harrison woke up from his nap, he HAD to have one too and was happy to spend his money to buy one! They LOVE their stuffed animal toy they bought with their own money, but both of them are looking forward to once again save money in their spend envelopes.

I think they are really learning about money. I was proud of how big they were at the checkout counter - handing their money to the cashier and getting THEIR receipt. They were so darn cute!

Every Saturday we have a lesson for our money day. Its nothing big - just something Matt and I talk to the kids about. Last week we talked about saving money and ways they could help save money in our budget book. They decided that they could make sure lights that were not being used were turned off. Also, they realized that when we throw food away, its wasting money. So - since then , if the sun is shining, we often hear "Mom - the sun is out and you dont really need this light on - we've got to save our money!" We think they are doing a great job - and we kinda miss the lights during the day :-)

Henderson's 1st Birthday!!!!

Oh What a day!

It was my very first birthday - and it's also on St. Patrick's Day! Mom had us all matching outfits. She was very excited about that. I think dad was not.

Granny and Grandpa came to visit me (and my brothers) this morning and brought PRESENTS!!!! They even watched us while mom and dad went out for lunch. It was very fun!

Then I had a birthday party at Pa-pa and Ga-ga's house. All my cousins were there, and there were many more presents!

Ga-ga made my birthday cake, a shamrock, of course! And, I even got my very own little cake. Mom put it on my tray, and we both blew out my candle. Then she said, "Go for it, big boy!" I have to admit, I was a little bewildered that mom would want me to dig in with my own two hands. Until now, she's always spoon fed me. Oh well - I went for it!!!! It was sweet and sticky and gooey and TASTY!!!!

I got so many toys and a lot of new spring clothes, but I wanted to play with the balloons from my party the most. It was a long day, and by the end of the day I was pooped. I ate quite a bit of pizza and cake and spinach dip (YUM!) and I finally pooped out at about 8:00. I think mom and dad were ready for us all to go to sleep. I already cant wait for my 2nd birthday!!!!

Kiddos

There's not much to report here. We are just getting through the rest of this winter - anticipating spring like everyone else!

Hamilton is doing well in school. We've talked about making good choices when it comes to friends. Apparently when he hangs out with the "rowdy" kids he loses all self control. But, when he hangs out with the "good" kids he's an angel!

We went to Barne's Elementary School's "Movie Night" Friday night and watched "Space Buddies" and ate pizza. It was a fund raiser for the PTA. Much fun was had by all! The baby slept on the gym floor through the entire movie! We couldn't believe with all the screaming and yelling and running going on around us that he could sleep through that!

Harrison has visited Yellow Balloon Preschool and loves it! He is set to start there in the fall. He's such a big guy! He's my cuddle bug! He loves to help me cook and he's one heck of a laundry folder!!!

Henderson is walking now. He mostly side-steps. He's so proud still when he walks up to you, and he expects there to be much celebration! He loves to hold on to your pant leg and walk with you wherever you are going! It's hard to believe he's almost a year old!

2 weeks until Spring Break! We are all looking forward to that. We don't have big plans but we always have fun just hanging around - having lazy days for the most part!

That's all that's going on here - hope everyone is doing well!
Janelle

Valentine's Day

Matt and I got all dressed up last night to go to our Enchanted Evening dance at church. It is one of my favorite times of the year. It's so neat to see everyone dance and be "in love" with his/her husband. It's just a different venue to see people in - very entertaining! Every year Matt and I promise each other that we will learn to dance better. We were better this year than last year doing a very basic two-step (which seems to be the most popular dance there!) Some people seem to have taken professional dance lessons and do the waltz & various other ballroom dances. We stick with our two step, slow dance and Carol (our youth director) and I are the queens of the Electric Slide! We had so much fun! We'll post our portrait when the photographer returns them to us.

While we were dancing the kids were watching movies. Some were in the theater upstairs, and the little ones stayed in the nursery downstairs to watch veggie tales. Harrison pooped in the potty for Miss Mary in the nursery, so we had to do the poo-poo conga to the car after the dance!!! He was so proud, as were Matt and I. Now if we can get any consistency with it!!!

Today we woke up and gave the kids their Valentine's presents, which they ate for breakfast (ick!) They got Valentine tattoos and have been sporting those today! Matt got flowers and chocolates for me and I got him his favorite chocolates and a trip to Barnes and Noble. What a happy day!

I'm wishing it would get cold and stay cold for a while to get rid of some of the bugs around here, but I don't see much of a chance for that in the forecast. I think we are headed straight for spring. That's fine too, because I'm always ready to plant some flowers!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful February!!
Janelle

Sickies

We are all so glad to be feeling better after being sick for about a week! This stomach virus picked us off...one by one. Harrison and the baby are still having a few problems, but overall we are all feeling much better now. Here are some sad, sad pictures of my sick guys! And (to encourage the kids to drink) we had a tea party! They loved that :) We are looking forward to a non-eventful weekend!!!!!

Margin

I was listening to the radio the other day, and a local preacher was talking about "margin." It was very interesting. I think it applies to us all.

I've recently started working for a small business and we are still trying to adjust as a family to the time I spend away. Almost every week-night I have something to do, or somewhere to be. And, Matt has things during the week also that he enjoys doing or is required to do for his work. Then it seems that Saturday is catch-up day on household chores or busy getting ready for church on Sunday. Then Sunday is busy with church and trying to get everyone ready for another week. I'm sure most of you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Our family has also budgets allowing us to save money and live more "frugally" (I like that better than cheap!) Budgeting takes some time and planning, but Matt and I agree that we want to do this together. We plan and think about our budget often and are always trying to find ways to save (we treat it like a game.) We've been trying to have "margin" in our financial lives.

This Pastor the other day made me look at other aspects of our lives too. It is important to have margin in EVERY part of your life. He said to have margin in your work day, and also after work to share with family and also financially. I thought about the pace of this world, and how hard it is to slow down (or have margin) with email, cell phones, TV's & and endless to-do list. So, our family is going to create a little "margin" time. It may be a night without TV or cell phones or computers. Maybe even a WHOLE DAY! Maybe its time to look at weekends - especially Sundays - as a time to recharge, not catch up - as a time to reconnect with loved ones - as time to experience all that God has provided us to enjoy - yes, time to smell the roses!

I hope you find time this day, week, year, lifetime to make a little margin in your life!
Janelle

Back Into The Swing

Hamilton got off to school yesterday as did Matt. I miss them both. It's been rough getting everyone ready early - we really enjoyed those lazy mornings and a few days of none of us getting out of our PJ's!

I am going through clothes and donating some and storing others. I got a few more bags of clothes from a friend at church. She gives me clothes and I keep what I want and give the rest to a charity here in Owasso. I'm also trying to clear out some toys (secretly.) I got caught the other day with a race track in the trunk. Hamilton could not figure out what in the world I was doing with that in my trunk. I told him it seemed like a good storage spot....but he was still very suspicious. So.....its back in the house. I didn't get rid of it soon enough! :)

I have several friends at church that are getting ready to have babies. One, Traci, had hers yesterday. I'm so happy for them (and glad its not me!) :) I wishing everyone healthy pregnancies and healthy little babies in 2009!!!

Hopefully the camera and I will happen upstairs together at the same time soon so I can post some new pictures!!!!

Have a good one!
Janelle

Happy New Year

Matt had to return to work today. That's always hard after a long break. The boys miss him bad - I do too!!! My best friend is gone!! :(

Today we had a play date with Monica and her kids, London and Aidan. It was nice to visit with her and listen to the kids play. We all had a good time and resolved to do it more often.

The laundry is caught up again. I took a little time off here and there over the Christmas break, and I thought I'd never get caught up again.

We had dad's retirement party on New Year's Eve. He was excited - we all are! What an accomplishment!!! I'm so glad he has his health to be able to enjoy this time in life. Mom and dad have a few days alone thanks to hospice taking Gracie for 5 days of respite care. Mom and dad have been all over Tulsa, eating at restaurants they wanted to try out, going to shops they want to see.....I think they are having a great time. I'm happy for him, and for them. And, for me too...I always watch the OU games with dad, but he never gets to watch the bowl games because he's always been at work. So, now we'll get to watch them together!

No real New Year's Resolutions this year. Matt and I are going to eat more healthy now that the holidays are past. blah blah blah.

One thing we will continue this year though is our budget. We read "The Cheapest Family in America" and loved the concept of financial independence and have put together a new budget for our family. It was very successful in 2008, so we are expecting great things in 2009! It's kind of tough, but once you get used to it, it's not all that bad. Matt and I are very excited about it.

Hope everyone has a great 2009! Treasure every minute!
Janelle