A Visit with Santa

Today we visited Santa at our local mall.  It was a relatively short wait at just 45 minutes.  Since Garrett has figured out the whole Santa thing, he wasn't too excited.  However, he put on a good show for his little brother.  What did Payton tell him he wanted?   A paint ball gun and a new toothbrush! 

The Tree is Up

The boys were so excited to put up our tree this year since we didn't have one last year.  Yes, it was the Christmas without a tree.  We moved from South Carolina to Virginia on 12/18/07.  As hard as I tried, there was just no way to get that tree up before Christmas day.  I hated it for the boys, but we all made it through.

All of that being said, this year's tree is super special.  We all missed.  We also had a little extra help putting it up and decorating it this year... Uncle Danny (Darrin's brother) joined us.  We shared a pot of homemade chili and then started playing the Christmas music! 

THE ornament... WVU

We have a pre-lit tree which has never given us any problems before..... before this year.  We had to wiggle and re-wiggle almost every branch to get all of the lights to work.  As is our tradition, Garrett and Payton each had a new ornament to put on the tree this year.  I always try to get them something that represents their interests from the previous year.  Garrett got a High School Musical 3 ornament.  He loves those movies!  Payton got a guy on a skateboard.  He's really been into learning that this year.

So, the tree is up and the house is looking all Christmas-y.  Bring on Santa!

It was Payton's year to put the angel on

Payton's Indian Project

Payton's second grade class had to choose one Indian tribe and make a project about the living conditions of that particular tribe. He chose the Plains Indians because he wanted to make teepee's. He and I had such a great time making this (I only helped a little). He helped pick out all of the materials to use and drew the symbols on the teepee's. He loved using the hot glue (while I supervised intently). He got an a A+ on the project and couldn't have been more proud. Way to go, Tater Tot!!

The Best Thanksgiving in 27 Years!

The "grown up" table

This Thanksgiving ranks as the best on in the last 27 years. Why was it so special you ask? Well, that's easy enough to answer.

You see, for the first time since 1982 both of my brothers, my mom and I were all together to celebrate this day of Thanksgiving. This hasn't occurred since I was 11 years old. So you can imagine what a special treat it was to have our whole family together.

My oldest brother left for the U.S. Air Force in August 1982. This past June he retired and decided to move he and his family back "home." He bought the house right next to my mom's. She was elated. We were happy that he was going to be a visible part of our family again.

Now it's not like we never saw him for those 27 years, we did. He came "home" for my wedding, for a Christmas or two and for a couple of weeks almost every summer. But, never for Thanksgiving.

My mom was especially happy to have all of her children at "home" at once. She, my two sisters-in-law and myself shared the cooking duty which made my mom even more happy. We had such a great time gathered around my mom's dining room table. We had much to be thankful for. We're all looking forward to many more years of holidays shared.

The "cousin table"

{They had never shared a T'giving dinner before}

You can click on each picture to enlarge them if you'd like. Pictured in the top picture starting on the left and going around the table is: me, Darrin, Lisa (sis-in-law), Rodney (middle child seeking attention), Jim (trying to hide), Dawn (sis-in-law), mom and step dad.

Celebrating 17 Years Together

Shane & Darrin ~ July 1990

On November 16th Darrin and I celebrated 17 years of marriage. I can not believe we have been married that long. It just seems impossible. It seems just like yesterday that we were dating!

November 16, 1991

We are both from a tiny little town in West Virginia. According to our parents, we've known each other since we were toddlers in church. We were the best of friends in high school. We'd spend hours on the phone with each other discussing our latest heartbreak with each other. It wasn't until my sophomore year of college that we actually started dating.

It was the first week of December 1990. I was in Fairmont, WV at college and made a trip to the local emergency room. The doctor determined that I had a bad kidney infection and needed to be hospitalized. My mom, brother and sister-in-law came and got me the very next day and I was admitted to a hospital closer to home. Darrin came to see me that very night... and the other five nights I spent there. We have been together ever since.

Before kids ~ 1994

We're more in love now than we were all those years ago which is a wonderful blessing. I still get butterflies when I see him. I still love it when he calls {from work} just to say "hi." And we still haven't ran out of things to talk about.

2003

The Lord has blessed beyond belief... with each other and with our two sons. We're extremely thankful too. I only wish everyone could find their soul mate and live happily ever after like I have.

I'm Half Way There!

I started on my weight loss journey on July 1, 2008 after seeing this picture of myself. It was taken just a few weeks before. I was W-A-Y to heavy. I won't say how heavy... not until I'm at my goal weight anyway. That picture totally disgusted me. I was extremely disappointed in myself. How could I possibly let myself get so big? Laziness and lack of self control, that's how. I would eat when I wasn't even hungry because I was bored. And, I always had a nightly bowl of Fruity Pebbles before going to bed. Fruity Pebbles people!

Now, four months and two weeks later, I am half way there. I am half way to my goal weight. I know the next half won't come off as easily. I know I'll have to work even harder, be more determined and exercise even more self control. I'm determined to do it though. I've come this far and I'm not stopping now. I love it that my clothes are too big. I love it that I'm down two pant sizes and dress sizes. I'm excited to be even two sizes smaller than I am now.

I will admit that some days are harder than others. When I mess up and eat more than I should, I just forget about it and start over the next day. Luckily my fondness of Little Debbie cakes, 3 Musketeers, Fruity Pebbles and Vanilla Coke have all but disappeared. They have been replaced with key lime yogurt, honey crisp apples, flavored water and diet Dr. Pepper. Those 100 calorie pack of Chips Ahoy and the like have become a favorite too.

Even though the holidays are coming up I'm going to stick to my guns and not fall off the wagon!

Pounds lost: 27
Beginning BMI: 29.4
Current BMI: 25.2

I'm Out of Here....

It was just announced that Obama will be our new President. 

I'm moving to Canada!

The Pencil Post

My Question: Why do you want to use a pencil that is so small? Isn't it hard to write with?

Payton's Answer: No, not at all! Plus, it's challenging!!

My Thought: Isn't school "challenging" enough? Is it really necessary to resort to making minuscule writing instruments? Plus, there's not even an eraser. What happens if you make a mistake? Why not just use a regular size pencil and go with the flow?

My {actual} Answer: Whatever!

I do not Own "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"

Photo from www.thegreenhead.com

Tonight, after carving our pumpkins, my boys are watching It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. It's such a special treat every year. We make our hot chocolate, with all the trimmings, and settle in on our couch for an hour. I know they sell this movie at every major retailer in the country, but I refuse to buy it!

Having this movie in our personal DVD library would take away its special-ness. If the boys knew they could watch it in the middle of summer it would just lose it's magic. Just like everything else, it would be taken for granted. Therefore, we'll continue to look forward to that one hour a year when we can snuggle as a family and enjoy the greatness of the pumpkin patch.

I remember when I was little... I would look forward to the one night a year that The Wizard of Oz was on television. Oh how I loved that movie. It's so magical, so wonderful. I would sit, undisturbed, in front of our TV through the entire movie. The possibility of ever owning this classic never even crossed my mind as a child. That was never even in the realm of possibilities. This was before we even owned a VCR for Pete's Sake. Even if my mom could have purchased it, I'm glad I didn't own it. I'm glad I had to wait 364 days to see it again. To this day it is one of my favorite flicks. That's another movie that I refuse to buy too.

So here's to the Emerald City and the Great Pumpkin, whom I shall only see once every 364 days. May you each retain your magic for generations to come!

Darrin was attempting to be all spooky and took this picture in the dark, hence the orange glow!

Help Me Sleep.... P-L-E-A-S-E

Okay, ladies, I'm in desperate need of some help! About three years ago I started having night sweats. Nothing too bad really. It only happened once in a while really. I wasn't too concerned and just lived with it.

Now, however, things are different. They have gradually increased in frequency. Now it's to the point where it happens more times a week than it doesn't. I wake up in the middle of the night absolutely drenched. I have to change my PJ's, go get a towel to sleep on and then try to get back to sleep. Meanwhile, I'm freezing to death. Crazy, huh?

I've had my thyroid checked and it was fine. My OB/GYN also confirmed that I'm not going through peri (pre) menopause. So, what's the deal?! What in the world can I do to stop this?

I sleep in a very light shirt and under a sheet and blanket. That's it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. :)

P.S. - Just for reference, I'm only 37!