Caleb's Christmas Program

We found out a couple of weeks ago that Caleb had been assigned a speaking role in the daycare's annual Christmas program.  I cringed inside, but took advantage of the advance notice to prepare him for the fact that there would be a lot of people and a lot of cameras.  I was hoping that we wouldn't have a repeat of the Jitterbugs incident or even the Christmas program of 2009 or, for that matter, the Christmas program of 2008.  (Obviously, we haven't had a lot of luck with Caleb being on stage.) 

This morning on the way to daycare, Caleb told Rudy that he was ready for the whole thing to be over with.  Bless his heart. 

And, now, I present to you the Christmas program of 2010:

Caleb was absolutely adorable in his crooked little crown, rope-tied robe and tennis shoes.  He carried that gold box like it was the greatest thing ever.  He was so excited that he even took off down the aisle too early.   Ms. Elizabeth headed him off at the pass, turned him around and took him back where he was supposed to be.  It didn't phase him, though.  He stood back there and waited for his cue and did it again.  And he did it without any hint of apprehension.  He was so proud of himself and we must've told him a million times tonight how proud we are of him.  Whew...glad we survived that.

There are lots of picture on Shutterfly of the program and the Christmas party that followed it.  You might notice that Nola is suspiciously absent from this event.  That's because she was at home.  She was supposed to be an elf, pushed along in the daycare stroller, leading the way for Santa Claus at the end of the program.  But a mild case of pink eye kept her (and me) home from school today.  Nana came over and watched her so Rudy and I could go to the program.  I was sad when the stroller went by with that empty seat, but there was just no way we could take her.  I guess we'll see how she does next year when she's an angel in the program and she walks down the aisle with her class.  (Hard to believe, isn't it?)

Caleb's 1st Razorback Game

I absolutely cannot believe I forgot to write this post.  I just looked back through my blog and realized that it was missing.  Let me back up for a minute, because this one is important!

Rudy had to go to St. Louis for a band contest the weekend of October 23rd.  I had planned to go to the Arkansas vs. Ole Miss game with my friend Jamie, but she cancelled because she was sick.  I decided to take the best date I could think of:  Caleb.  He was beyond excited about it.  I was nervous, because the weather forecast for the game was really really bad.  I packed a bag with ponchos, a camera and a few other things we might need.  We left early so that we could park close. 

When we got to campus, we walked through the Trough and down to the pit to see some friends who were tailgating. Caleb asked me several times to show him where Big Red lives because he has a book about Big Red going to college. We stood right on the walkway as the football team made their way from their buses to the Broyles Center.  We were standing by some cheerleaders and they were so sweet to Caleb, even gathering around him for a picture. 

After the walk-through, we made our way up Razorback Rd to see Aunt Harolyn and Uncle Poppie at a tailgate party. 

We got into the stadium in plenty of time for all of the pre-game festivities and Caleb stood there in awe as the band played, the Hogs took the field and everyone cheered.  He was pretty reserved until the second quarter, but started to come out of his shell just before halftime.  He was excited to get stadium snacks, including a giant pretzel, a hot dog, a gatorade and some popcorn.

 I thoroughly enjoyed having my little guy with me at an event that I love so much.  Unfortunately, the weather didn't hold through the whole game.  There was a major storm that came through, causing the stadium to be evacuated twice.  We took shelter in the concourse with everyone else until we finally got in touch with Rudy's co-worker Richard, who met us to take us up to the indoor box where they were sitting.  We watched the rest of the game, including a second evacuation from the comfort of the box.  Caleb loved that.  He made himself right at home in front of the window, cheering and having himself another hot dog.  When the game was over, it was still raining.  Richard and Ginny drove us to our car and we headed straight for home.  We were worn out.

 I wouldn't trade 10/13/10 for anything in the world.  I took my big boy to see his first Razorback football game, watched him call the Hogs with the best of 'em and, to top it all off - we beat Ole Miss.  I look forward to taking Caleb to the games with us next year. 

That Strange Virus

This is a photo-free post.  When you read it, you'll know why.  For one thing, you don't want pictures of this.  For another, I didn't exactly have the time or energy to take pictures...

Nola was sick with fever on and off all of Halloween weekend.  On Sunday night, she had fever, so Rudy stayed home with her on Monday.  She was fine all day long, but when I got home that evening, her fever hit again.  Rudy had to go to class, so I took both kids to the walk-in clinic.  The doctor who saw Nola was very nice and did a great job of listening to my concerns about the fact that she's been sick so much.  He diagnosed her with yet another ear infection (yes, her tubes are still in!) and wrote a prescription for an antibiotic.  He recommended that she be seen by an ENT soon to have her ears suctioned yet again.  On Tuesday (11/2), I stayed home with her.  I had been having urinary tract infection symptoms for a while, so I took the at-home opportunity to go see a doctor.  Turns out, I did have a bladder infection and got an antibiotic for that.  I took Nola to the ENT and got the fluid suctioned out of her ears, went to vote in the mid-term elections and then headed for home.  She went back to school on the 3rd.  Antibiotics are a good thing.

Life was totally normal for the rest of that week.  We worked, Rudy went to school, the kids went to daycare, Nola and I took our antibiotics, etc, etc, etc.  Then, there was November 8th.  Exactly one week after spending a Monday night at the walk-in clinic...

Rudy was at class.  I put Nola down to bed just like normal around 7:30.  I bathed Caleb, put him to bed and sat down with a heavy sigh at about 8:15.  I remember thinking, "Aaah.  Quiet.  I've been waiting for this all day."  That's about the time I heard Nola start crying.  I figured she had just woken up for a moment like usual, but she continued to cry, so I went in to her room to check on her.  I didn't turn the lights on.  I was just going to cover her back up, maybe pat her back and walk out.  When I went in, she was up on her knees, holding onto the side of the crib.  I reached in to lay her back down and that's when I realized that she was wet.  I thought her diaper had leaked.  I turned the light on and realized that she had thrown up in her crib...a lot.  I picked her up and put her in the bathtub with her clothes on.  I gingerly took her PJ's and diaper off and gave her a bath.  Once I got her dressed again, I sat in the big chair in the living room and held her for a while.  She fell back to sleep and I put her in her bed.  Rudy and I debated about daycare on Tuesday and decided that unless she got sick again, we would consider it a fluke and take her in.  She slept through the night, woke up hungry and went to daycare.  We thought it was all over until she did the exact same thing on Tuesday night.  Rudy stayed home with her on Wednesday.  She was perfectly fine all day long.  Wednesday night, she threw up again.  The pattern continued until Saturday night - the first night that she didn't throw up.  She was fine Saturday and Sunday, so we figured it was over.  Monday (11/15), she did it again.  I stayed home with her on Tuesday.  When I took her back to daycare on Wednesday, the worker in the classroom told me that all but one of the kids in the classroom had the exact same virus - throwing up only at night.  Who ever heard of such a thing?!?  Once the virus passed, she developed a rash and then it was all over.  (knock on wood...)

In the midst of all of that was opening weekend of deer season.  Rudy and Caleb went to Fordyce on Friday, 11/12.  Mom and Aunt Harolyn came up to visit Nola and I, even though I warned them about Nola's virus.  They stayed at the house all weekend, playing with Nola and enjoying a change of scenery.  I spent all day Saturday doing my Christmas shopping and got it all done!  I love having all of the gifts bought before Thanksgiving.  It makes the whole holiday season so much less stressful.  They left on Sunday morning and the boys came home on Sunday evening  (without any deer meat...thank goodness).

November Thankfulness

Lots of people on Facebook posted something that they were thankful for every day in November.  I did mine from November 1st through Thanksgiving Day. 

Here's my list:

1. Rudy. God has blessed me with a loving, patient husband who gives 1000% to his family. He is more than I ever imagined a man could be.
2. I'm thankful for my sweet Nola. Even when she's sick (which is most of the time), she's a happy & precious little girl. Her smile lights up a room & her snuggles warm my heart.
3. I am thankful for my vivacious Caleb. He is the true definition of a 4-year-old boy. Just when I think I might sell him for a quarter, he makes me laugh and melt and swell with pride. I can truly see God's fingerprints when I look at him.
4. I'm thankful for my mom who raised me with strong values and a strong work ethic. I'm thankful that she loves me unconditionally and that we survived my teenage years intact.
5. I'm thankful for "Mr. L." who married my mom even though the package deal included an adolescent girl. He filled a role that I needed filled, though I didn't know it at the time. I'll never forget him teaching me to drive and telling Mom we didn't need a plan if we had to stop on the inters...tate. He's the world's best Pops and loves my kids beyond my imagination.
6. I'm thankful that I have a job. I may not always love it and most of the time it provides more stress than joy but I get a paycheck every month and that's more than a lot of people can say. It's even better on the occasional days when I feel like I've made a difference for a kid.
7. The right and ability to attend church services with the great people at Central UMC. We continue to try to get more "connected" as our time there continues.
8. My cousins Becca & Julie. Becca and I tormented "Poor Little Julie" but the 3 of us always ended up giggling when we were supposed to be sleeping. The fun we've had (& continue to have) at the kids' table "is illegal in 32 states" so fah. I love you girls!
9. My Memmie & Poppie. They made sure I grew up knowing about my dad after he died when I was 4. They showed me what strength in the face of overwhelming adversity looks like. Though we have very different ways of looking at the world and the Word, they are my spiritual guideposts. I can't imagine the day I have to live without them.
10. I'm thankful for my friend, Stacy Schmidt. When we worked together, the kids thought we were sisters. We can go weeks without talking and pick up right where we left off or we can talk every day. Sometimes we don't even have to say anything at all and we understand each other. That's what friendship should be.
11. While I don't always agree with the actions of our military, I'm certainly thankful for the unbelievably brave men and women who willingly volunteer to put their lives on the line every day in the name of protecting freedom. Happy Veteran's Day to all of those who have served in our Armed Forces. Thank you.
12. Uncle Jimmy. It's not just because I thought he was the coolest person ever when I was a little girl or because he asked if he would get his own FB post this month. It's really because without Uncle Jimmy there wouldn't be an Aunt Kim!
13. Harolyn Gray Holmes is such an awesome aunt that she "invited herself" to my house for the weekend. She kept my mom company while I did all of my Christmas shopping today and did a great job of entertaining Nola as well. She has always treated me like I was one of her own and I love her dearly!
14. I was able to buy Christmas presents for my family without worrying how to pay for them. We aren't wealthy, but we have maintained through these difficult years when so many others haven't been as fortunate and now face the struggle of what can be left off of the grocery list so that they can give their children something for Christmas. I am grateful that I don't carry that burden.
15. I'm thankful for my in-laws, especially Jan Beaty, for raising my husband to be the man that he is today.
16. I'm thankful for my kids' daycare. It is so comforting to know that my kids are safe and loved when I'm not with them during the day. We have been blessed with some wonderful caregivers who I trust with my greatest treasure every day.
17. I am blessed to be on an awesome team of SLPs who make me laugh and let me vent and challenge me to do my best. We're in the trenches together and I'm always proud of how we support each other when one of us struggles.
18. a quiet Friday night at home
19. modern amenities in the comfort of my home. For example, I don't have to worry about lugging laundry to a laundromat. We are blessed to have the things we too often take for granted.
20. I'm thankful to have been raised and in a time and place where faith, family and friends were the highest priorities and where manners, respect and graciousness were expected. I pray that my children will learn the same.
21. I'm thankful for the technology that allows me to stay in close contact with those I love and reconnect with those who I wondered if I'd ever hear from again.
22. Right now, I am thankful for a little bit of quiet time in my house all by myself with the knowledge that "the holidays" officially start in approximately 36 hours. Feels a little like the calm before the storm.
23. I'm thankful that I don't have to wonder if I'll have a warm (and overly abundant) meal tomorrow. I pray tonight for the lonely hearts who don't have a family to share Thanksgiving with.
24. Most of all, I am thankful that God blessed my life with the love of Jesus, a family who raised me to know Him, a country that allows me to praise Him and the personal relationship that I have with Him. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

50 FREE Reasons to Love Shutterfly This Christmas

My way-back friend, Marji, posted about this on her blog and I was so excited!  I've ordered our Christmas cards from Shutterfly for years.  Here's a chance to get FIFTY of them for FREE!  If you're a blogger, you can take advantage of this offer by clicking here.  There are some really cute new designs this year.  

I love the modern-yet-retro feel of this swirly one. 

This one is so classically simple.  I love anything with a monogram and, of course, anything red.   

Plus, with this one, it's not so hard to choose just the right picture - you can use six of them!

And this one is just so "Christmas-y"!  I love the way they used multiple fonts.

To see more designs or choose your own, check out the Christmas photo cards page on Shutterfly.

The best part is that Shutterfly is so easy to use.  You just upload your pictures and drop them into the project that you choose.  We've been using Shutterfly since Caleb was born in 2006 to share our pictures with family and friends.  It has saved us a lot of time, effort and money because we don't have to ask everyone which prints they want.  They can just view them and order them to be shipped directly to their door.  Isn't technology wonderful?!?

In addition to prints, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the photo books that you can make on Shutterfly.  This will be the 5th year that we've given all of the grandparents a yearbook of our favorite pictures.  They all love getting their books and having a glimpse of how Caleb (and now Nola) have spent their year and how much they've changed since the last book.  I've even made a book of our vacation pictures and a special birthday book for Caleb's first birthday.  (I need to get started on that for Nola, I suppose.) 

Photo calendars make great Christmas gifts too.  You can take a look at those on the wall calendar page on Shutterfly. 

After Christmas, you might need some thank you cards for all of those thoughtful folks who gave you gifts.  You can order personalized thank you cards on Shutterfly too!

I can't wait to see how our Shutterfly Christmas cards turn out this year!

Halloween 2010

Halloween weekend didn't quite go as planned this year.  My parents have made a tradition of coming up to trick or treat with us.  They did come up this year, but their trip was cut a little short because they needed to get back to Hot Springs for a funeral.  But, they came up and spent Friday night with the kids so Rudy and I could go to our Halloween party.  On Friday afternoon, I high-tailed it to the daycare for the kids' Halloween parties.  Caleb's class had all sorts of treats.  They spent the morning trick-or-treating at a nursing home too.  Here's Caleb with his teacher, Ms. Elizabeth.

Even Nola's class had a party of sorts.  They dressed up in their cute little outfits and trick-or-treated in the strollers to the church offices.   She doesn't really know how to flash a peace sign, but how cool is this?

On Saturday, we were supposed to go have family pictures taken.  But...we came home from the party on Friday night a little early because Rudy wasn't feeling well.  On Saturday morning, he was beyond not feeling well - he was sick.  He stayed in the bed all day, feeling awful.  We ended up getting rid of our Razorback football tickets for that night and stayed home to watch the game on TV.  

Mom and Mr. L. had to leave Sunday morning.  Rudy was feeling much better, but Nola was running fever so we stayed home from church.  I spent the morning holding her while she slept like this...

. 

Caleb was beside himself waiting for time to trick-or-treat.  When it was finally late enough, we got everyone ready and hit the streets.  Caleb went as a deer hunter, complete with antlers attached to his 4 wheeler.  Rudy was the awesome dad who dressed in camo to match his kid.  (Love that man!)  Nola wore her cute Halloween outfit with attached tutu and stayed in the stroller the whole time.  Caleb got a big haul of candy and had a blast. 

Gene and Jean

Rudy and I were invited to a Halloween costume party this year. We went as Gene and Jean, a couple of wild and crazy retirees on a Tunica tour bus. The pictures barely do it justice...

Our friends, David and Jamie, joined the tour bus and went as Flo and Norm.

Pumpkin Patch

We made our annual trek to the Pumpkin Patch in Southwest City, MO on October 17th this year.  Our friends, Jeremy and Lauren Pratchard and their kids, Bella and Max went with us.  The babies hung out in their strollers while the big kids had all the fun.  Caleb and Bella did everything there was to do at the pumpkin patch (except we managed to skip the corn maze, thank goodness).  They rode the cow train, played in the corn box, climbed on some rocks and raced rubber ducks in some water.  We all rode the hay ride and then picked out our favorite pumpkins to take home.  It was a beautiful fall day and we enjoyed it to the fullest!

 

And, these two are just too cute for words...

Christmas Ideas for the Kids

Lots of friends and family have already started asking about Christmas gifts for the kids, so here's a little info.  If you want to get something off of their list and make sure that they don't get a duplicate, just send me a message and I'll remove it from the list. 

Caleb  (click here for his wish list)

Wears a size 5T or XS in "big boy" clothes. He weighs about 42 lbs (most tags list the approximate weight). He really has plenty of clothes and PJ's.   He's still in love with anything that has wheels, but we have a whole fleet of cars/trucks/planes etc. He also likes Spiderman and IronMan, but he has some of that stuff and really doesn't know what it is. I'd love to have a Superman toy for him, but those are really hard to find. He has a Nerf gun, every piece of sports equipment, and what seems like every race track and train track known to man. I tried to get him into Legos, but he's really not all that interested. He isn't crazy about video games either, but he does want the one that I listed because it is a car racing game and he likes those when we are at places with game rooms. He likes Toy Story. We have a Buzz Lightyear, a Sheriff Woody, a Mr. Potato Head and a T-Rex. He also loves Phineas and Ferb. We have the plush Phineas, Ferb and Perry the Platypus. He also likes to practice writing and has really started to enjoy doing art projects. His favorite TV shows are WordWorld, Martha Speaks, Phineas & Ferb and anything to do with wild animals. He LOVES wild animals, bugs, lizards and frogs and will watch National Geographic for as long as we will let him. (I do not love animals, bugs, lizards and frogs. Please do not get him live animals, bugs, lizards and frogs - no matter how funny you think that would be. Seriously. You will take home anything you give him that eats, breathes or poops. Seriously.)   He would also like interlocking puzzles suitable for a 5 year old, shrinky dinks and some refills for his lite brite.  Caleb is getting a nerf gun, a Jessie doll (Toy Story), a Toy Story snuggie, Mario Kart for the the Wii, a nerf bow and arrow, a new TV for the playroom and a fish tank.

Nola (click here for her wish list)
Wears a size 12 mos (9-12 mos).  She has lots of hand-me-down toys, but these are some things that I think she would like. Right now, she loves anything that she can chew on, but she's starting to get more interactive with her toys. She is crawling and pulling up on furniture and sometimes even cruising on the furniture.  She's getting a couple of baby dolls, some balls, an Elmo book, a push walker that looks like a stroller, a play kitchen, a stuffed Elmo, a stuffed Abby Cadabby and a couple of sing-a-ma-jigs. 

Happy Fall, Y'all!

I took the kids out for a fall photo shoot this afternoon.  I wasn't very pleased with the pictures overall, and was disappointed that I ended up resorting to shooting in auto mode because I got frustrated with the lighting and the fact that Nola's movement was all blurry.  I salvaged a few pictures and did this little editing job as a stress reliever tonight...

Dallas

On October 6th, Mom and Mr. L. came up to our house.  We spent the evening doing laundry and packing the kids' bags for their trip to Hot Springs.  On the 7th, Caleb and Pops went on a field trip with Caleb's class to the insect festival in Fayetteville.  Caleb loved having his Pops with him on the field trip!  When it was over, Mom and Nola met them in Fayetteville and they all went to Hot Springs for the weekend together.  They brought them home on Monday, 10/11.  The kids had a great time as usual and I didn't even worry about being away from Nola for so long.  I knew that they were in good hands and would be watched 24/7 while they were gone. 

That afternoon, Rudy and I rushed home from work, packed our bags and hit the road for Dallas!  We were so excited to get out of town together and do something fun after several weeks of constant stress from work and school.  The trip centered around Rudy's fraternity reunion and the Razorbacks' game against Texas A&M at Cowboys Stadium. 

We spent the weekend with the Montgomerys at their house in Addison.  On Friday, the boys played golf and the girls shopped.  I picked up several Christmas presents and snagged a beautiful Coach bag at the outlet store for a great price, so I was happy.  Friday night, we had barbecue at Reed's parents' house.  Saturday morning, we were up bright and early to tailgate before the game.  The game itself was boring and the Hogs looked awful, but we won, so that was fun.  After the game, some of us went out for a late dinner.  Sunday morning, Rudy and I hit the road for home.  We were completely worn out, but the weekend was so much fun.  Here are a couple of pictures from the tailgate party:

Rudy and me in front of Cowboys Stadium (AKA - the mothership)



Ashley, Stacy & Lisa, Josh & Stephanie, Susan & Matt, Jason, Matt & Mandy, Rudy & me, Brandon, Patty & Jake (Kevin got cut out of the picture by the photographer!)

October Randomness

Motherlode
Click here to read my 5 Minutes With a Mom interview on NWAMotherlode.  When I went to the photography class that they sponsored a couple of months ago, Shannon and Gwen asked me to do the segment on their site.  I was pleased with the way it turned out and it was fun to do.

Retail Shock Therapy
One Sunday afternoon in October as cooler weather was looming, I decided that I needed to get to some stores to get some pants and long-sleeved shirts for Caleb.  Nola's fall wardrobe was pretty much taken care of when I hit up the Rhea Lana consignment sale, but Caleb's closet was a little bare when the shorts and t-shirts were removed.  I headed out to all of the usual suspects:  JCPenney, Old Navy, Children's Place and - yes - WalMart.  I've always gotten the bulk of Caleb's clothes at JCP.  They carry these great mix & match separates made by Okie Dokie. Without fail, I've been able to get several shirts and several pairs of pants.  Well...not anymore.  He needs size 5T - which is very hard to find and the styles of the Okie Dokie stuff are not as cute as usual - lots of monster trucks and skateboards - not really what I prefer.  Old Navy and Children's Place totally threw me for a loop because they didn't even have 5T.  The next option is to move out of the toddler clothes and into boys.  Sizing got a lot harder.  Is he a size 4 or a 5?  What is a 4/6?  Is he an XS or a S?  When things fit around his middle, the pants and sleeves are too long...and let me just say - those clothes look huge.  Caleb is not an overweight kid, but he's not skinny either.  He's solid and pretty average-looking when he's out there on the playground with his friends.  Why is it so hard to buy clothes for him?  I ended up finding some 5T stuff in the Garanimals mix & match section at WalMart that is just perfect for daycare.  It's not all that cute, but he's going to daycare, so I'm not worried about him making a fashion statement.  I did find a few things at the other places that fit him and will be good for church or other outings.  I am not looking forward to next year when everything has to come from different stores.  Who has that kind of time to shop for a kid's clothes?

On a much easier note, though, I had a giftcard in my purse to Melody's Choices.  I'd been hanging onto it since Nola was born - looking for just the right thing to spend it on.  Lo and behold, I found these shoes:

and you know that I just about died right there in the store.  They were waaay more expensive than I ever would've considered if I'd been spending my own money, but it wasn't my own money.  It was giftcard money, which is like Monopoly money.  I ended up spending $15 out of pocket and holy hog calls, these things are cute.  They do happen to have squeakers in them, which I typically can't stand, but since she can't walk, it doesn't matter. 

My Car is a Magnet for Dents, Dings, Scratches and (apparently) Golf Balls

Anyone who knows me knows that if given a choice of color, I will always choose red.  It's not all about the Hogs, I just really like the warmth of a deep red, cranberry, not-quite-burgundy.  So, my car is red.  Actually, my last 3 cars have been red, including the Tribute that Rudy drives now.  Red is a beautiful color for a car, but it does show every little imperfection and every speck of dirt.  During the month of October, we've added 2 new imperfections to the ol' Mom Wagon.  In addition to the many door dings, scuffs and small scratches, the passenger side of my car now sports a big scratch all the way down both doors.  It's interestingly right at the height of a certain 4-year-old's motorized 4-wheeler that just happens to have a home in the garage on the passenger side of my car.  Coincidence?  I think not.  When I noticed the scratch, I asked Caleb about it and - to his credit - he didn't lie.  In his egocentric preschool nature, he simply said, "You were parked too close.  I couldn't get out."  It never dawned on him to ask for help.  It never dawned on him to tell someone.  He wanted to get the 4 wheeler out and did whatever he had to do to make that happen.  I was sick and parentally perplexed.  It was a true accident.  He didn't do it maliciously.  He just made a mistake that he didn't realize the gravity of.  He has no idea that a car costs a lot of money and that fixing a scratch down the side of a car costs a lot of money and he really doesn't care.  I opted for the heart-to-heart talk over a punishment.  Punishing him wouldn't make my car look better and it wouldn't make him understand any more than he already did. 

A couple of weeks after the 4-wheeler incident, there was the golf ball incident.  One of the roads that I travel to and from work every day runs right alongside a golf course.  I was driving down that road on a Monday afternoon with the kids in the backseat when I heard a loud smack and then another one and I saw something coming towards my window.  It took me a couple of seconds to realize that a golf ball had hit my car and folded my side-view mirror inward.  I pulled over at the first logical place and got out to see what had happened.  Apparently, the ball hit the front quarter panel of my car (leaving a dent and a white scuff about 3 inches long), then hit the plastic that wraps around my mirror hard enough to fold it inward.  My mirror is on a hinge so that it can be folded in for car washes, etc.  It is not easy to fold, though.  I have to put a lot of force behind it to do it by hand.  On the black plastic casing, there is a honeycomb impression left by the golf ball.  Here's the kicker:  the guy who hit the ball stood on the course watching this whole thing unfold.  He watched the ball hit my car and laughed as I got out to look at my car.  I was shocked by the whole thing, but called Rudy to tell him what had happened.  He, in turn, called our insurance agent to ask if there was anything we could do about it.  The agent told him that nobody is liable for the damage.  Seriously?  Our deductible is $250 - should we choose to have it fixed.  I can think of a lot better things to do with $250, but it still makes me mad.  The worst part is the "what ifs."  What if the ball had been 6 inches higher and had come through my front windshield?  What if the ball had hit further back and had broken the window right next to Nola?  It seems to me that golf courses should have nets up to keep balls from straying into the road, but I guess there's no reason for that since they aren't liable for the damage done to passing cars.

Knock-Knock

Rudy recently started teaching Caleb how to tell knock-knock jokes.  The process was much funnier than the jokes.  His timing was waaaay off and his delivery of the punch lines left a lot to be desired.  For instance...

C:  knock-knock

R:  who's there?

C: banana
R:  banana who?

C:  knock-knock

R:  who's there?

C:  banana
R:  banana who?  (this part continues a few more times - often a few too many times, then finally...)

C:  knock-knock

R:  who's there?

C:  orange
R:  orange who?

C:  orange you happy that I glad I not said banana anymore?

Hmmm...not quite the way it's supposed to go.  His other favorites are the one about "boohoo - you don't have to cry" and one about an interrupting cow that requires some pretty good timing.  When Caleb tells it, though, the cow usually doesn't actually interrupt, thus throwing the whole joke out the window.  He thinks it's all hilarious though - and that's really what matters.

Caleb's Weekend in Tulsa
I don't have a whole lot to blog about Caleb's mid-October weekend in Tulsa, because I wasn't there.  I do know that Jan and Bill took him to the aquarium and to a pumpkin patch and that they carved a jack-o-lantern.  My favorite story of the weekend is that Caleb refused to watch the OU football game on TV.  He told Bill, "That's not my mama's team."  I've never been so proud.

Nola @ 9 Months

I completely flaked on writing Nola's 8 month post in September.  I know...bad, right?  To top it off, when I took her 8 month pictures, I forgot to put Raggedy Ann in them.  Well, I've forgiven myself and moved on, so here's the 9 month post:

Nola turned NINE months old on October 27th!  Here's what she's up to these days...

• She went to the doctor on November 1st for yet another ear infection, accompanied by fever.  She weighed 20 lbs, 12 oz. 
• She still takes 8 oz bottles, now only when she wakes up.  She still eats a fruit for lunch and a vegetable for dinner.  I broke down and started buying Gerber baby food.  I simply don't have time to make her food while I'm working.  Plus, she's moved up to stage 3 foods, which means that meat has been added to some of them.  I can't bring myself to put meat in the food processor.  Gross.  Her favorite foods are apples, bananas and the chicken/rice/vegetable blend.  She also likes the spaghetti, but makes a giant mess with it.  Last week, I introduced the finger food puffs and yogurt drops.  The first effort was completely unsuccessful and resulted in a lap full of puffs and drops.  She's getting the hang of it, though and sometimes even gets them in her mouth on her own now.  She really likes the banana flavored puffs.
• She still wears size 3 diapers and we're transitioning up to 9-12 month clothes.  She can still wear some 6-9 month stuff, but a lot of it is pretty snug.
• Nola is completely crawling on her hands & knees now.  She can transition fully from any position to another (sitting, laying down, crawling).  She is a fast crawler and can get to anything she wants very quickly - especially any shoes or electrical cords that happen to be within her reach.   
• She started pulling up on furniture recently and now pulls up on everything.  When we go in to get her out of her crib, she's usually standing up, holding onto the rail and jabbering/yelling.  (This is one of my favorite things in the world.  I love opening that door and seeing the joy on her face.)  They had to move her crib at daycare because she was pulling up on the windowsill and looking out the window instead of sleeping.  She even cruises just a little bit - maybe a step or two at the most.
• She rarely stops babbling these days.  We hear lots of "babababa".  Sometimes, she varies her syllables and she often varies her intonation, which makes it pretty funny.  One day, it sounded like she said, "Lordy, Lordy, Lordy".  She imitates "bababa" when we tell her bye bye, but she doesn't wave consistently. 
• When Nola and Caleb went to Hot Springs in October, Pops taught Nola to bang on her highchair tray when he chanted, "We want food!"  Now she does it here and giggles every time.
• She is laughing a lot more now.  She laughs at pretty much anything Caleb does and gets beside herself with laughter when Rudy tickles her.  She laughs when I clap for her too.  She's a very happy girl.
• When she laughs, we get a good view of her two little teeth.  The first one showed up on 9/28/10 and the second one popped through on 10/31/10.  Both were ushered in by fever, diarrhea, congestion and running ears.
• Since she's had so much congestion, she hasn't been sleeping as well as usual.  We don't have to get up with her at night, but she does wake up coughing and crying several times most nights.  I try to wait it out for a few minutes before going to check on her and usually she stops within a couple of minutes and goes back to sleep.  It makes for some long nights and some tired days.  She's still not sleeping well at daycare - sometimes only 15-30 minutes during the day, but sometimes a good 2 hour nap if she's really tired. 

One Month:

Two Months:

 Three Months:Four Months:

Five Months:

Six Months:

Seven Months:

Eight Months (I forgot Raggedy Ann!):

Nine Months:

Bath Buddies

Nola is finally old enough that I trust her to sit up in the tub so that I can bathe both kids at the same time.  I know they will hate me for these pictures in the not-so-distant future, but I couldn't help myself.  They are just so stinking cute...

 

We decided to rock out a little too. 

(Nola looks a little more like a Kewpie doll than a rocker chick.)

 But Caleb is working that mohawk like the rock star that he is!



What About Caleb?

Nola has consumed so much of our time lately by being sick that I haven't had much to post about Caleb.  That doesn't mean that he's not still keeping us on our toes! 

Caleb is REALLY into bugs and animals right now.  He loves to watch "wild animals" on National Geographic Wild and collect any kind of living thing in the backyard.  There is a toad out there that must be traumatized by now.

The little guy has been a real trooper while Nola has been sick.  He has been patient on the nights that nobody has the energy to give him the attention that he wants and needs.  He worries about her when she's crying and he tries to comfort her.  It's really sweet.  We have noticed a little more whining than usual, but he's doing okay.

One night last week, I left my calendar at work and needed to go get it.  I took Caleb with me.  He was enthralled with the "big school."  He was so excited to go to the school where he will go to kindergarten.  He asked me if the big flag pole outside was where he would get to say the Pledge of Allegiance.  After we left my office, I showed him the library.  I told him it was time to leave and he said, "Hold on.  I'm looking around."  He was absolutely amazed.  He also liked the cafeteria and wanted to know what the stage was for.  I tried to show him a kindergarten classroom, but they were all locked up.  He came home excited about his school and now he wants to know when he can go there again.  Love it!

Caleb's new school skill is rhyming.  He doesn't really understand it, but he knows that the words sound alike.  He likes to come up with rhymes all the time.  He'll say, "jack-pack, they both say pack."  Not quite...but close!  He knows all of his letters and the sounds that they make and he's learning numbers too.  He can write letters and write his name, even though it's not always in the right order.

The boys across the street have been coming over to play a lot lately.  They know that Caleb is too young to go out by himself, so they come over and play with him in the backyard.  I love to watch him out there with the other kids - even if they are older than him.  He has no idea that he's not just as big as they are.  We even had our first doorbell moment the other day:  "Can Caleb come out to play?"  I couldn't believe we've reached that point already!

We still get some Calebisms now and then, even though they aren't as frequent as they used to be.  One of my favorites lately was, "Mama, we did something so cool at school today!  We had a potato drill!"  Come to find out, that's when the kids go into the bathroom and cover their heads in case there is bad weather...you know - a TORNADO drill. 

Big Surprise...Nola's Sick

When we went to the ENT at Children's on the 10th, he told us to follow up with our regular ENT if she wasn't better in about a week or two.  So...we made her an appointment on the 22nd.  Rudy took her to the appointment.  The doctor suctioned out her ears because they were still draining.  Otherwise, she was doing okay.  He gave her a prescription for some more ear drops and wanted to see her again a week later.

Rudy and I went to the Arkansas/Alabama game and had a great time on the 25th.  Jan called when we were on our way home and said that Nola was feeling a little warm and she thought that she might have a fever.  By the time we got home, her temperature was over 102 degrees.  She was sick all weekend - fever, ears draining, congestion, coughing, etc.  It was miserable for all of us.  Rudy stayed home with her on Monday and took her to the pediatrician.  I wrote down all of our concerns and questions and Rudy asked them all.  Dr. Scherer said that it was all related to her ears and that while he was concerned, he wasn't overly concerned.  He put her on Omnicef and said she'd be feeling better within about 3 days. 

I stayed home with her on Tuesday.  She didn't have fever, but she was still just miserable.  I called Rudy that afternoon and told him that while she COULD go back to daycare on Wednesday, I didn't think she SHOULD go back.  He agreed.  He stayed home on Wednesday morning and his mom graciously came over to keep Nola so that Rudy could go to work at lunch for the rest of the day.  I grudgingly took her to daycare on Thursday.  Since then, she's been feeling a little better every day.  She's still congested, her ears are still draining and she still gets tired very easily, but she hasn't had fever and her spirits are good.  She's babbling and smiling and scooting her little self all over the room.

Rudy took her back to the ENT on the 23rd and he suctioned her ears again.  We're supposed to go back next week.

HOGS vs. Bama

Jan came over on Saturday, 9/25, to watch the kids so that Rudy and I could go to the Arkansas vs Alabama game. 

Our friend Jamie invited us to join her tailgate group, so we got to the stadium early to take part in all of the festivities.  I have been going to Razorback games all my life but I have never seen anything like this game.  Arkansas was ranked #10 and Alabama was ranked #1 and the electricity in the air was palapable.  While we were tailgating, we got to meet the governor, have our picture taken with a human taco sauce packet, get up close and personal with Tusk and do some top-notch people watching.  And that was all before the game even started.

The game itself was amazing.  We scored on the 2nd play of the game and held onto the lead until the very end.  It all went downhill in a matter of seconds with an intercepted pass.  Alabama ended up beating us 24-20 and it felt like we had been slapped in the face.  To go from that high emotion to that low emotion in such a short time was devastating.  But - we realized that we had played the number one team in the country incredibly well and that gave a little (very little) comfort. 

Now, we're sitting at 3-1, #15 in the country and we head to Dallas next weekend to play Texas A&M.  It's a great time to be a Razorback fan!  GO HOGS!