Like Amber M. said a while back, I really have been blogging, but just in my head! However after getting a few things off the camera today and having a moment where I feel like I'm cool with not doing everything else on my list, I thought I'd actually post something! A lot of this is for family who hasn't had an update in way too long and for my own sake so I remember what was going on at this point in the year...

Life is pretty normal now with no "big" plans for a while... Todd's work isn't having him work long hours now and he's looking forward to the 747-8's first flight maybe on February 7th? Everything with Boeing is approximate... Which is why we won't be able to plan for any big summer trips or anything since he'll most likely be doing MORE testing at unknown dates that may shift... The only thing we're toying with talking about is "maybe" painting the house, but we'll see. The fun part is researching house colors!

I'm enjoying the Esther study by Beth Moore for my MOPS Bible study... I had to miss a few of the meetings with one or both of the girls being sick, but I'm back into the swing of things...

Couponing is still a fun challenge and I love seeing the savings on the bills!

I'm SO in the mood for spring with all the new shoots of green around here! Loving the mild winter (hopefully I don't jinx us) and cannot WAIT to get the compost spread, bulbs planted for fall, herb garden started etc.! I'm even forcing our apple tree branch trimmings to bloom indoors... but I could go on and on...

Girls' Update:

So Keeley's still our gentle giant and Sarah our Guru of imaginative play...

Nana got Sarah a doctor's kit with everything included and so began the examinations, shots, band-aid applications and the like... What I like best is when she's recording on her clip board the symptoms we've described and says them out loud in a slow, deliberate drawn-out voice as she's "writing", "Has...sore...throat..."

Keeley is 9 months now and still easy as pie... Sleeps and eats like a champ...

Last Dr.'s apt. measured her at 18lbs. (45%), 29" ("down" to 95% for length from 105%)

and just about growing out of her 6-12 mo. clothes! I've caught myself putting her clothes in Sarah's closet and vice versa... Crazy.

She has no real interest in crawling yet, but prefers to roll all over the place which is just fine with me. It seems like I was so excited for Sarah to hit all of her milestones as soon as possible, but since Keeley is our last, I'm just not all that anxious for it to happen... If she's 3 and still rolling well...

All of the "ga", "ba", "da", &  "ma's" are in full force and I swear she's trying to say "All done" with "aw da!" even waving her hands like the sign..., but I'd like Mama to come before that!

She and Sarah are just totally enamored with each other and constantly get into giggle fits at the table or in the car... and I'm just soaking it in...

It's been forever since I blogged, but not because life has not been full - quite the opposite. I'm not going to try and recap the past two months, but just post a couple of collages to give a small peek into our wonderful Thanksgiving we spent with our family in New Mexico and Texas...

 A bit of a hike in the Palo Duro Canyon

Sights of Texas and hanging out with family...

We were so blessed to enjoy Todd's sister, Joy's family, Grandmom and Peepaw, and extended family from there... And talk about yummy turkey! The marinated, fried turkey was so juicy and flavorful... I'll have to figure out the injectible marinade! We got to introduce Keeley to her cousins and meet the newest cousin/niece, Morgan! MUCH squealing, dressing up as princesses/fairies etc, between Sarah and Hannah... Grandmom and Peepaw even braved having them in their room for a sleep over!

 So there's this giveaway off of Fabulessly Frugal for the cool new site I'm eyeing... Vinyl decals for the walls that are so cute, but I've got to see where I can put one! Just wish I'd found this site before painting Keeley's name on her wall... I would've ordered a Large "K" instead! Thinking that the monogramed "L" with est. 2003 would look nice in our front entry way.... What do you think?

Studio JK vinyl

I just became a follower of a new blog named: Room Remix and have really enjoyed it! If you're kind of a decorating (ahem, H.C.)/DIY junkie like I am (that is when we have the budget for it) you might like it too... Right now they're doing a giveaway of a $35 gift card to a number of stores (Pier 1, Home Depot, Lowe's, etc.) and if you become a follower, you can enter too! Check 'em out... 

Preschool - noun

Pre-school - adjective

Problem solved! 

Thanks Mom!

Sarah's 1st Day of Pre-School 
(Preschool? Pre-school?)!

 

(Note Sarah holding Keeley's ear... What a goofball...) 

I was so excited to have Sarah get into this pre-school and I really like their set up - ESPECIALLY the mini-toilets they have in the bathrooms that are in each classroom. (Seriously, this was my main reason for choosing this pre-school.) Things seemed to go pretty well. She marched right into the classroom  and neither Mom, Dad, nor Sarah shed a tear... well that is she was fine until another kid came in crying and, having always been a sympathetic crier in the nursery at church, got a concerned look on her face and she joined in for a while... (The teacher told me when I picked her up.) Not really surprising to me... But a successful 1st day! She'll go Thursdays and Fridays of every week from now until May... Didn't get as much of a "break" with Keeley as I thought I might (she "napped" in the car a whole 7 minutes and then wouldn't really nap after that...), but I've got all sorts of ideas of how I can spend hour and a half breaks in the future!

It was a fantastic day for a hike, so we did!

 

Both girls did really well. Sarah's getting so good at climbing, we really have to hold her back! A few falls because she's pretty confident, but nothing more than a scratch... We weren't sure if she'd be more tired from practically running two miles or talking the WHOLE way! Keeley was a champ and seemed to really enjoy the hike, had a few little fussy cries, and then zonked out on the way back from the falls... A dream day...