Year End Holidays in Review

i cannot stand this weather

our Christmas tree

my lemon meringue and coconut cream pies

bee unwrapping at Aunt Jill's

juni unwrapping

the girls made a snowman all by themselves,
but refuse to have their picture taken

new years eve pedicures

and Martinelli's sparkling apple juice.

Thankful

I haven't walked on 2 feet for 2 weeks now. How am I suppose to keep up with these 2 gorgeous and mischievous darlings? I am some how. I find myself crawling sometimes, is a mom suppose to do that?

Are you getting excited for tomorrow? I know I am. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It is spent with my most favorite people ever, my family.

This is just some of my family. After church on sundays, we like to go to brunch. Lucky's on Cherry St. is one of our favorites. If I could spend time with them everyday I would. My Aunt Jill is the head matriarch of our family now my grandmother is gone. My mom and I have never made a holiday meal. My Aunt has always done it and I really think it is something she enjoys. I would love to cook some year for my family but that isn't going to happen soon. For all of my 31 years I have loved helping her in the kitchen. Every year she complains about one of the dishes being overdone, or salty, or too thymie, but they are always perfect. Always. This year is upsetting because all I can do is sit and watch.

I did get out to the gun range yesterday with my brother Peter, my Mom, and my cousin Michelle. Shooting with one leg for balance is hard. But I was out of the house, out of the bed!

That's my Mom and my brother. She is a great markswoman. Sometimes she needs help racking her gun, but after that, watch out! Her aim is true. And my brother just shows off when we go with him. He goes to the USSA range almost every day. Where does he find the time, oh yeah...no kids.

My best friend since elementary, Carrie, was in town this last week visiting her family for the holidays with her fiance, Tal. It was great spending time with her and her family. She gets married in May, the girls and I get to be in the wedding, we are very excited. We spent time dress shopping and looking for tulle for 2 little fairy/flower girl tutus:) Carrie was such a good sport with my limited movement and energetic kids.

I am so thankful for my friends and family who have been dragging me and my walker around town for visits and errands. Picking up the girls from school, bringing over food, helping us from boredom galore, I appreciate it all. That is why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Food, family, and friends is all I need for happiness.

Foot Surgery

Here is my beautiful foot before surgery a week ago. I got a bunionectomy. I have never had surgery of any kind before, the closest thing to any kind of hospitalization was when I gave birth to my daughters. I have had a fear of "going under," of not having control or having no idea of what was going on. The idea brought me to tears, but so did the pain in my foot. I was scheduled to have this same surgery 2 years ago, but chickened out. This time Marc was with me and I felt I wasn't so alone.

He was with me while they explained the whole process and took pictures of me with tears in my eyes as they explained the anesthesia. I sucked my fear up and left my cozy little room with my Dad and Marc in it for the big room where they hooked me up to monitors. To fight my fear I played a game with the heart monitor. Go fast! S-L-O-W down...Go fast! The numbers on the heart monitor would jump to the 90's down to the 70's in a matter of seconds. Thank you yoga. They put a block in at the back of my knee and my leg went numb. I felt very proud as the girl behind the curtain next to me cried and whined out loud as she got a block in her arm, I hardly let out a whimper as the burning liquid rushed into my leg.{Smug smile} They wheeled me to a room with large lights on the ceiling and told me to breathe some "oxygen." Right, oxygen. I was waking up to a nurse calling my name and a burning sensation in my throat. I just wanted my Marc-ee who also had my blankie. Marc and my Dad and Mom showed up minutes later. I also got a ginger-ale! I don't remember much but my fear of "going under" has been squelched.
I have been in bed with my foot propped on pillows for a week now. Marc has been wonderful, he puts cold packs on my foot, feeds me, bathes me, takes the kids to school, picks them up, packs the lunches, everything. Yesterday he took me to my appointment and they took 11 stitches out of my cuts they made. Everyone has been great. Now if I can just start walking....

Halloween Photos

Dios de los Muertos

JUne-Bug at a HAlloween PArty

Bee at HAloween PArty

Olive, Calder(Popeye and Olive Oyle), Bee, Henry the OWl, Junebug
at Boo HAHA

Dorthy and Toto, Pippi Longstocking

Rainy days...

Ughhhhh. I have just put the girls in time out for the 2nd time in a 15 minute span. Rainy days at the scooter shop means no outside, indoor activities only. So there ends up being many physical fights over crayons and coloring books and dress up items. I go and investigate and Beila is the one who seems to have the upper hand, I always have to watch her closely. She'll poke someone's eye out.

I think I am coming down with another cold. Netti pot and Oscillococcinum are my friends. Together we combat the tickling of my throat. So far this year we have been very healthy. No flu, as of yet, and not too much of the snotty nose virus has infiltrated our house.

We went to our favorite pumpkin patch out west this past weekend and had a ball as always. Marc followed the girls around with his iPhone taking video as the played with the goats. We also went on a hayride, ran through a hay maze about a dozen or so times, picked out our pumpkins, had hot chocolate, ate an odd shaped funnel cake, and forced an older woman to get out of the white bench so we could take our annual photo on it. We gave it back to her eventually.

Well it's almost time to go home. We are going to M.A. Doran Gallery before we go home. Kreg Kallenberger, a family friend, has a new exhibit there. I better call Marc and let him know he's going:)

Nothing Going On

Nothing is going on. Weather keeps on changing, sunny to rain, to cloudy then sun. We had fall break last week and went to the zoo with Olive and Calder, the free range twins. That is Olive in the background with Juni and Beila. We are preparing to pull out our winter coats at any time now.

The girls father and new wife just bought a house and the girls have been moving. They now live part time with a bulldog and another cat. They are excited.





School has been great. The girls had their parent teacher conferences. Of course they are smart little whips, a Montessori education is the best. Juniper will be moving to the elementary school in January, and Beila is learning to write her name and continues to make her teachers laugh with her vocabulary. June is continuing with her piano, and both girls take weekly swim lessons. Yes, we are very busy little girls!

Stuck at the FAir

I am stuck out at the Tulsa State Fair, in our scooter booth, with head cold. I feel like I am in a bag of cotton candy. Stopped up, can't hear or see straight, and tired to boot. I feel I have done okay with my food choices so far. Sliced caramel apple slices for breakfast, then a smoked pork loin sandwich for lunch, all washed down with coffee, $10 gone. I have many more booths of food to visit.
The girls are at school, my dad will be picking them up after swim lessons and entertaining them till my day time fair shift is over. Juni has lost 2 teeth this year, and another is loose. She just turned 6, not 2 weeks ago! Where is my baby girl gone to? My little Beila is growing too. She is sassy and smart just like her big sister. I am in for so much trouble. I need more memory for my computer so I upload more photos. On my list to do....