What we got for Christmas

Haley got...


.

Auzlyn got..

.

They also got many numerous other items, too.

I got everything I asked for in my last post...and Robby got his Playstation 3.

All in all it was a GREAT CHRISTMAS!!! HOPE YOUR CHRISTMAS WAS AWESOME, TOO!!

HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Christmas Lists

Every year Robby asks me to what I want for Christmas. After I think and ponder for a while, I tell him. Several years ago he started asking me to print a picture of what I want of the internet. It has worked out very well...with a few surprises along the way.

The first year we started this I asked for a new one of these.... A Parallel Bible...this is 2 Bibles in one! You can't beat it! My Bible I was using was the one my church had given me with my maiden name engraved on it...Robby went the extra mile and had my new name engraved on it!!

The next year, I started collecting these......
This was an easy year...I believe I got 3 houses for Christmas that year.

Last Christmas I had 2 BIG things that I wanted....


I wanted an itouch....and a Callaway Big Bertha Driver (if you are not a golfer, these drivers can be quite expensive.) So, I was expecting one or the other...not both, which is okay (my birthday is just 3 weeks after Christmas, I would ask for which ever one I didn't get for my birthday!)

Christmas morning came, the girls opened their stuff, Robby opened his stuff, then I opened mine. Robby handed me a small wrapped box...the size of an ipod box...and to no surprise, that is what it was. Then he got up, went into the other room and came back with a long, skinny box. Well, there is only thing that could be in a box like that! I just sat there for a while just looking at it. I was in awe! I would have NEVER believed he would have gotten me both! As I am sitting there, the girls are jumping up and down telling me to open it, Robby is saying open it, so I open it. There it was...my Callaway Big Bertha Driver! I was so excited that I started crying! Here I am on Christmas morning, in my pajamas crying over a driver!! I kept telling Robby, we can't afford both of them, we have to take one of them back! He wouldn't let me...which is fine. I use my ipod on a daily basis...I have all of my important info in it, and my driver added about 20 yards to my drive (which I so desperately needed!)

So this year, I am asking for a new one of these...one of these, with lane assist...Robby NEVER drives in Dallas, and he's not too good with a map, this will help me out alot!

and of course one of these.....We will see what I actually get and if there are any surprises!! I'll be sure to let you know!!

Deeper Still

This past weekend, Leisa, Erika, Sara, Melissa R, Noemi, and myself went to Oklahoma City for the Deeper Still conference. It was AWESOME!! Leisa, Erika, and I left about 8:30 Friday morning and headed that way. We had some Christmas shopping we needed to do before hand! We had so much fun!! We laughed until we cried and our bellies hurt! We stayed up late...in fact, we only "napped" about 3 hours Friday night. We ate and ate and ate some more!! It reminded me of when Leisa and I were in high school going to the Dawson McAllister Conferences, except we didn't have any adults to tell us it was time to go to bed, or we had to be in the room by a certain time...scary thing! We had a blast, and learned sooo much!!

The conference itself was just awesome! Kay Arthur, Beth Moore, and Priscilla Shirer all had wonderful messages that hit home each in it's own way. I will blog more about each of them later, for some reason, I am feeling compelled to go back through my notes, reread the texts in the Bible, and write about how it impacts me. Now, I have never done anything like this, but I feel God is leading me to do it, so I will. It might take me some time to get all 3 of them done, but I will!

Travis Cottrell and his Worship team did the music. It was AWESOME! There is nothing like being in a big arena with 9,000 other women singing Praise and Worship songs! There were a couple of times, when they would quit singing in the microphones, the music would stop, and it was just accapella...it gave me goosebumps every time...you could just feel the Holy Spirit moving through that room!

If you ever get a chance to go to one of these, or any other conference, GO!! It will change your life!

I will post some pictures later...I forgot my camera, but Erika took hers and she is supposed to send me a copy of them. Hurry up, Erika!!

LET THE FUN BEGIN!!

What can I say...This is an extremely busy time of the year for me! There is always something going on, somewhere I have to be, and something that I need to be doing, but don't have the time!

This past weekend, Robby and I went to Oklahoma City to do some Christmas shopping. We got quite a bit done. I had two favorite parts of the weekend. The first was eating at Mama Roja's Mexican Kitchen on Lake Hefner. This has got to be the best Mexican food I have ever eaten by far!! It was pretty cheap, too! Five of us ate for $60! If you are ever in OKC, I would certainly suggest this restaurant!

My second favorite part of the weekend was going to North Pole City!! The only word I can come up with to describe this place is "Christmas Wonderland" and that is pretty much what it is. There is every kind of decoration you can imagine...and then some! It almost puts you into sensory overload...you have the smells, lights, and more lights, and all the textures. You just want to touch EVERYTHING! They even had a real Santa walking around! It was AWESOME! This is another one of my OKC musts!

That was the excitement from this past weekend. Of course I loved having quality alone time with my hubby...he really just spoils me (you should see what all I bought at North Pole City for me!) I am planning on getting him something he is truly not expecting for Christmas!

This Wednesday, we have the Thanksgiving dinner at church, Sunday we are having Thanksgiving dinner with my Mom and that side of the family. Wednesday is cleaning and rearranging the living room to put up the Christmas Tree :) Thursday is good ole Turkey Day!! Friday is putting up Christmas Decorations...The next weekend I'm back to OKC with the girls for Beth Moore Conference, the next weekend I am taking my girls and Bailey Faith to see The Nutcracker in Amarillo(this is her Birthday present from us since her birthday is Dec. 26) And then it is the busy week right before school is out for the Christmas Holiday! I can't wait! and Sometime in the midst of all this, I need to go back out of town to finish my Christmas shopping! Oh, well. I love this time of year, and how busy it is!!

Have a great day!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Well, Halloween is over. The only thing I really like about Halloween is the candy...not one of my favorite holidays. Here is a picture of my Go-G0 Girl and Rose Fairy, and also one of Haley, Auzlyn, Aubrey...and Cody. Now, LET THE REAL HOLIDAY SEASON BEGIN!!

I love Thanksgiving, and Christmas is my down right favorite!!! My Christmas shopping has already begun! I would put my tree up now (but Robby won't let me). I do have Christmas decorations up year round! I even invested in a display case to house all of my Department 56 North Pole Series Houses. They are just awesome!!

What I really enjoy about the Christmas season, is getting to spend time with my family and celebrating Jesus birth. I have so much fun finding neat little crafts for my Sunday School Kids to do, and they always look forward to Christmas because they just never know what I might come up with!!

REMEMBER there are just 52 more shopping days left!!!

What I found on Photo Booth

You never know.....
There are many more that I found, but these are my favorite!

My Little Girl is Growing UP :(

Last Saturday, we went to Wichita Falls. There was some woodturning symposium deal that Robby wanted to go to, me and the girls dropped him off there in the morning, and me and the girls went shopping. The girls needed some new Fall/Winter clothes, off we go to Kohl's (my favorite store in the whole world!)

The girls pick out several outfits and we head to the dressing room. Haley starts trying on her clothes, and puts on this really cute outfit. She starts looking at herself in the mirror, looking at the back, the sides. She looks at me straight in my face and says, "Mom, I don't like this. You can see my BOOBS!" I told her it's really cute, and she proceeds to tell me that "she doesn't care, you can see her boobs and she was NOT getting it!" In my infinite, motherly wisdom, I told her, "Get used to it, they are NOT going away! all your clothes from now on are going to show your boobs!" Needless to say, we didn't get that outfit.

Haley also needed new shoes. Best place for shoes...Academy. We start trying on shoes, first a 4, then a 4.5, and finally a 5. Oh my goodness! My baby is wearing a size 5 shoe! That means we are fixing to move to womens shoes! Where did the time go! It just seems like yesterday when she started Kindergarten, and now she is in 4th grade, worrying about her boobs, and wearing a size 5 shoe! I think I am just going to lock her in her room until she is 30!

THIS JUST REALLY BURNS ME!!

IT JUST REALLY BURNS ME WHEN SOMEONE TRESPASSES ON YOUR LAND! THIS PERSON HAS ABSOLUTELY NO BUSINESS BEING THERE! TO GET TO THIS PLACE, YOU HAVE TO BE GOING THERE, IT IS NOT ON THE WAY TO ANYTHING! BUT GUESS WHAT, WE CAUGHT YOU, AND WE ARE GOING TO FIGURE OUT WHO YOU ARE!!!



This is someone who can apparently go out when he wants. The date and time is stamped for Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 9:30.

QUIET LOVES

Our Sunday School lesson yesterday was about the Good Samaritan. The 3 girls (one of which is Auzlyn) in my 1st & 2nd grade class have been coming to Sunday School pretty much their whole life, so they know this story, as well as many others. For these common stories, I try to find something that they might not know.

One thing that my book mentioned was "Quiet Loves" and how to show love to your neighbor without coming right out and say it. At first, they didn't quite understand it, but when I asked them had their mom or dad ever put a little note in their lunch box, they all said yes. I told them that was a "Quiet Love" Just a simple little note, nothing big or bold about it. Then, we talked about other ways to show "Quiet Love" to people other than family. Let me tell you, these girls had some great ideas. I always wonder if they ever really hear what I am trying to teach them. I know they are listening, but are they hearing?

Last night, as I was heading to bed, I noticed that there was a piece of paper on my pillow as well as Robby's. I unfolded my paper, which was cut out like a heart, and inside it, it said, "Love is you and me. Auzlyn Grace Jones"(in cursive, because that is her thing now) with a piece of candy in it. I do not know when she did this, or where she found "Love is you and me" (She probably googled it at some point during the day.) Robby's said the same thing. It was so sweet! This showed me that they really are listening, and understanding what is going on.

"And to love Him with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Mark 12:33

HAVE YOU GIVEN YOUR QUIET LOVE TODAY?

Why Do You Always Bring That Camera With You?

This is the question I hear nearly every Saturday when we go check the deer feeders and swap out memory cards on the game cameras. I have to admit, must days there is nothing...except a couple of weird looking spiders. But today it all paid off! I don't think he will be asking me why I bring my camera anymore!

There were Mule Deer Everywhere!

When we were driving around Poppy's Place, we saw a calf lay in the hay, that looked like it had been out for a couple of days. Robby walked it back and around to the gate to get it back in with his Momma. See, he isn't such a bad guy after all!

Forgetful Tooth Fairy

Around our house, the Tooth Fairy is sometimes forgetful! For instance, Haley lost a tooth the day before we left for vacation this summer. Well, I guess the Tooth Fairy was so busy, probably getting ready for a trip, that she forgot to come and visit that night. When we got back from vacation, she had left a nice prize for having forgot.

Guess what? Haley lost a tooth the other day, and the Tooth Fairy almost forgot again! Keyword being almost. As the Tooth Fairy was laying in bed, she shot up and said "Oh my! I almost forgot the tooth!" Up she jumps, runs to the living room and starts digging for some money. When she finally finds some, the Tooth Fairy goes into Haley's room and carefully starts searching for the tooth under her pillow. As the Tooth Fairy is searching, Haley starts to kind of rouse up a little. The Tooth Fairy was thinking "Oh my, I'm going to get caught! I'll just bend down and kiss her goodnight" As the Tooth Fairy was bending down, Haley pops her head up, hits the Tooth Fairy in her mouth, causing her lip to bleed. But the money was placed successfully under the pillow.

As the Tooth Fairy went back to her bed, she turned on her light and Mr. Tooth Fairy asked "What are you doing?" The Tooth Fairy replied, "She raised her head and hit me in my mouth! She busted my lip and it is swelling! Next time, you are on tooth detail!" Mr. Tooth Fairy just laughed. It wasn't very funny!

Pictures!!!

Jamie has our pictures posted on her blog! Go check them out. I have a really hard decision to make now!!

http://deerinwaterdesigns.blogspot.com

It has been 6 years...

Six years ago, when Auzlyn was about 6 months old, our church was doing new directories. So I dragged Robby there and we had our picture taken. Needless to say, that was our last family picture. But.....

Today I got Robby to take a family picture again! Jamie Cherry(for Childress people)Deerinwater took them this morning at Lucy Park in Wichita Falls, and I am sooo excited! We had so much fun! Even Robby said it was OK after we left :) Now, I can't wait to see them! I know they will be AWESOME!! Can you tell I'm EXCITED!!

It was funny, when we were following Jamie to the park, she just took off...she didn't waste anytime getting there. Robby said, it must run in the family, I remember riding with her mom one time and she scared me to death! That was just a funny little tidbit I had to share.

Anyways, it has been a long day. I'm tired, my throat hurts, I can't quit coughing, and I am trying to lose my voice, so I am going to bed. Have a great day!

Labor Day

Well, what can I say about this weekend...I did pretty much nothing! We were going to the lake, but decided with it being a holiday weekend it would be crowded, so we stayed at home. We were busy though! Well, not too busy...We went to the carnival, one of the best ones Childress has had in a long time! I was quite impressed, the carnie's were not that dirty. We played 18 holes at Stoney Ridge. I shot a 115...I think I should try out for the LPGA, I could probably make it. We ate lunch Sunday with Bob, Barbara and Grandma...These days, Grandma doesn't care what she says or about who...it was quite hilarious! I cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom on Monday. It was quite gross. How can a kitchen get so nasty so fast? All I can say is my house is SPOTLESS compared to those on the show "Hoarders" If you have never seen it, it is on A&E, and it will almost make you want to vomit! It is just plain GROSS! I rested, played with the girls, watched them play in the rain, layed in the bed with Auzlyn and watched "Jonas Brothers" and "Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus concert." Robby made a couple of birdhouses on his lathe, and some pens. I helped him some, what little I can do. Overall it was a good weekend!!

Back to the Routine!

As we are starting the second week of school, it seems my life has taken on a familiar run of events. Get up, shower, get the girls up, fix them breakfast, get dressed, make sure the girls are getting dressed, fix lunches and then off to school. This is the same routine I have done since Haley was in Kindergarten...but hey, it works!

After school is when it gets really fun! Mondays, we go to the grocery store. Come home, put the groceries up and then it is bathroom cleaning time. I hate to clean the bathrooms more than anything, so that is why it is the first room of the week! Tuesdays are kitchen days...the second worse room to clean. Wednesday is piano and church night. That normally takes the afternoon up, so I don't do any cleaning that day. Thursdays are living room days...the girls can pretty much clean the living room by themselves, so I normally supervise them. Friday afternoons, I go to the Glass Shop, write checks, pay bills and do the deposit. Rule for Friday at our house is "Momma doesn't cook." My girls can tell you that! We will normally go eat somewhere, or order something.

Don't forget all the daily stuff like homework, practice piano, cooking and cleaning up supper...It just never ends! I like having my routine back. During the summer I just say, "It can wait until tomorrow" guess what? It never gets done!

On a last, off the subject note, I am asking that you pray for Winna Wilson. She is in Lubbock in the hospital. They are not sure what is wrong, other than her kidneys are trying to shut down. They also think there are some "hot spots" from her breast cancer 12 years ago. They will be putting stints in her kidneys tomorrow to see if that will help. As of now, she will be in Lubbock for an undisclosed amount of time. This woman means so much to me, and has been a big part of my life since I was in Jr. High. Winna is a big influence on my life, not only did she teach me to love piano, but she also taught me about faith and how God loves you, even when you don't think he is around. Now my children are taking piano from her and just love her to pieces! I know one day they will realize that Winna just doesn't teach piano, she teaches you about God and how he gives you talents to use while we are here.

Bella, Bella

Yesterday evening we came home and I just kept noticing that Bella was not moving from the spot she was in. She was being very quiet, and kept pulling on some loose rope from her bouncy rope. Well, this got me wondering, so I kept watching and noticed she would fall asleep in that spot...which is not normal, when she naps she is up at the top of the cage, and she was toward the bottom. Robby got up, opened the cage door, and when she tried to climb up the back of the cage, she couldn't! Her little foot was tangled up in the rope! I hurry out to the garage and get a tint knife, and Robby gets her cut loose from the big rope and gets her out of the cage. I start cutting the knot off from around her foot, and her little toes were cold. The problem was we didn't know how long she had been caught...neither one of us went home for lunch, I came home for a little bit before I had to go back to school, but I couldn't remember exactly where she was. We just held her the rest of the evening, and when we put her back in her cage she kept favoring that one foot.

We decided we would wait until tomorrow to see how she was acting. In the morning she was still favoring the foot. Robby called and talked to an Aviary Vet in Amarillo and he wanted to see her just to make sure there wasn't anything major going on. So at lunch we decided we should take her to the Vet. So Robby takes off to Amarillo with Bella. Once they get there, the Dr. looks her over and says she has probably just strained some of her ligaments, and her foot is a little swollen. Now, Bella has a prescription of Celebrex to take for several days...in a way that is just funny, I have taken Celebrex for my knee!

The good news is..Bella is going to be fine, and is healthy..the Dr. said she should live a long and healthy life!