growing up norsworthy

I love it!

2011-03-03T17:49:00.001-08:00

Okay, it's been about 17 months since I last posted. Yikes. Sooooo much has happened. Long story short, I got certified to teach, got a job in my hometown and moved, and have been loving life for a little over a year now. Long story long, I started teaching Kindergarten in December 2009. I then moved up with my kiddos to First Grade in August. I love it. It is the most challenging and rewarding thing I've ever done - aside from being a mom. I love the people I work with and the support we give and get from each other. It's so nice to be home. :) The boys have grown up so much in the past 1 1/2 years. Gage is 8 and in 3rd grade, and Griffin is 5 and in the 4-year-old Pre-K program at our school. They love our little school and all their friends. Best of all, we have Gran'Mama 2 minutes away. :) We also have aunt BooBoo and Pops & Sharon nearby. We LOVE it! Both the boys played baseball last spring (Gage played machine pitch, and Griffin played t-ball). Gage also played Little Dribblers last year, RA's basketball this winter, and is starting Little Dribblers again on Monday. Gage LOVES to read. He read the whole Harry Potter series between August and December last year. He wants to read Twilight, but I want to read it first, and that is much easier said than done. I can't even find time to blog! Gage makes time to read every night, and if we go to football or basketball games he sometimes reads all the way to the game and through the game! I love it! He is an awesome student. In his free time, he loves to ride his bike, jump on the trampoline, play video games, check his email, and, of course, read. He's growing up so fast. He's witty and smart and just an awesome kid. Griffin loves to be at home. :) He would much rather stay home and cuddle or play than go anywhere. It's a challenge to get him excited about school. Actually, it's never happened except when he has a field trip. He enjoys himself and is successful while he's there; I see it. But the IDEA of school is not at all appealing to him. He says it takes too long. :) He and his best friend, Jude, are inseparable. He has lots of friends, including twin girls, Kianna and Brianna, whom he has already kissed on the playground (yes, both of them). Their mom asked Brianna why she kissed him, and she said, "Because he's so cute!" :) It's cute and innocent now, but my reaction will be a bit different in 10 years or so. Oh, gosh, I don't even want to think about it! For now, he's my little guy. He says he is going to marry me and we'll never get divorced. :`( He's sweet and silly and protective. He's my cuddlebug, and he's an amazing little boy. I guess that's enough of my long story for now. I have bedtime stories to read, laundry to do, and dishes to wash. This is my life, and I love it!

At the beach

2009-10-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

This post is way overdue... In September, we met Marcy and her family at Padre Island for some fun in the sun. We had the best time! We got a lesson in sand castle construction, caught crabs, collected sand dollars, had a bonfire and cookout, and just played 'til we were worn out. It was so much fun! Marcy's family is so precious for letting us join in their vacation. Here are some pics:

Coker Fair 2009

2009-10-19T20:26:00.001-07:00

Gage's school, Coker Elementary, had their annual fair a couple of Fridays ago.

We played lots of games...

...and ate....

...and drank...

...and were merry. :) Griffin won a cake in the cake walk. It was pretty exciting! And the cake was yummy!

Before we left, Gage played with his friend, Tristan, on the playground for a while.

Baseball Begins

2009-10-19T20:11:00.000-07:00

Gage started playing baseball a couple of weeks ago, and the Hot Shots had their first baseball game on Saturday. He is really good at hitting the ball, and he looks super cute in his uniform!

Fall Portraits

2009-08-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

I took the boys to a park by our house on Sunday and took some pictures.

Pics the boys took:

After Gage took a picture, Griffin wanted a turn, and he wasn't taking "no" for an answer. I was worried about the camera. :)

Meet the Teacher

2009-08-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

Both boys' schools had Meet the Teacher night on Friday night before school started on Monday. We got to see their classrooms and other parts of the schools, and we met some of their classmates and their teachers.

Griffin didn't want me to take pictures of him before we left...

Gage is always a good sport about my camera obsession...

Gage at his desk:

Gage's teacher is Ms. Courtney. She seemed very down to earth and mild tempered. She was happy to see all the kids, which is a good sign (or she is a good actress). Gage liked her and liked the school, too.

Griffin just layed in the floor most of the time we were in his classroom. I'm sure his teacher was very impressed. ;)

Griff's teacher is Mrs. Pierdolla. She is so sweet, and Griffin seems to like her.

My Cub and Hawk:

New Schools

2009-08-25T19:49:00.000-07:00

Both the boys are going to school this year. Gage is in 2nd grade, and Griffin is in Pre-K. We went to register on August 5th, and I took some pics of the boys and their new schools. Griffin is a Harmony Hills Hawk, and Gage is a Coker Cub!

Tutu Cute!

2009-08-16T23:31:00.000-07:00

My neice turned 1 year old over the weekend, and we went to Austin for her birthday party on Saturday. She is just the most precious little girl I've ever seen. She's full of energy and so funny to watch! It's already obvious that she is going to be a social butterfly. She's precious! See for yourself!

Gage and Griffin had a great time at the party. Uncle Luke ate at the kids' table with them. :) They loved seeing Grandpa, too.

The boys got Avery a Build-A-Bear dressed in a Cowboys Cheerleader costume, and they recorded a message that plays when you squeeze the bear's paw. They were really excited to give it to her. Both Gage and Griff are so good with Avery. It's so cute to watch them together!

Gage had fun playing football with Blaine and Uncle Luke.

Dinner with Friends

2009-08-16T23:21:00.000-07:00

Some of my dear friends in Katy took me out for a farewell dinner the week before we moved to San Antonio. We had such a great time. These girls are amazing. Love 'em all!

What is up with my hair in this picture? Why did someone not say something???

Camping

2009-08-16T23:10:00.000-07:00

Kamie and I went camping for July 4th at Canyon Lake. We had a great time! We floated the Guadalupe for about 8 hours on Saturday, and we drove back to Lubbock on Sunday. Mama kept the boys for me. It was so nice to have a little break from reality!

The view outside our tent...

The view inside our tent...

We saw Jason (Chris) Boland on Saturday night.

Tired, but enjoying the show...

The Barn Park

2009-08-16T22:54:00.001-07:00

At the beginning of June, Kacee and her boys and my mom came to visit, and we went to the park for some stress relief. Here are some pics.

Mama's 60th Birthday

2009-06-24T15:18:00.000-07:00

For my mom's 60th birthday, Kacee, Kamie, and I took her to Luckenbach to stay in a bed and breakfast for the weekend. We shopped in Fredericksburg and then floated the river near New Braunfels. It was so much fun! We all had a great time. I love my girls!

Chewy's Annual Haircut

2009-06-24T13:59:00.000-07:00

Gage and Griffin helped me cut Chewy's hair last night. They took turns brushing his hair and sweeping the floor. When we started, Gage said, "This is so cool! We should do this every day!" He lasted about 30 minutes before he had had enough. Griffin lasted a while longer... until he got a hairball in his mouth. Blech! He kept trying to wipe his tongue with his shirt, which was covered in hair. Chewy did very well. He layed still and let us use clippers, scissors, and a brush on him. I think he enjoyed all the attention. He was embarrassed afterward, but he's better today.

Warrior Prince Academy

2009-06-24T13:14:00.000-07:00

Last week, Gage and Griffin attended the Warrior Prince Academy at Second Baptist Church. They learned lessons from the Bible as well as how to act like gentlemen. I now have 2 little princes opening doors for me and using table manners more willingly! It's great! They also learned how to give a proper handshake and look people in the eye when they speak. Here are a few pics. (I have lots of Gage since I was his teacher but not many of Griffin.)

Griffin and Luke were in the same class. Griffin was happy to see me!

I snapped this at the end of the prayer before snack. Gage said the prayer one day. I was so proud of him!!

Gage's class loved our teenage helper, Charlie. Here they are in a dogpile!

Doing their Warrior Chant!

Griffin was so cute - he winked at me every time I saw him. And he did the little click with his mouth.

Sir Griffin and Sir Gage

Two of God's Warrior Princes

Gage's class with the swords and sheilds they made.

Gage's Birthday

2009-05-27T15:40:00.000-07:00

We finished celebrating Gage's birthday on Saturday with some school friends at Times Square Entertainment. We had a great time! Here's a video of all the fun we had celebrating Gage turning 7!

Enjoying the Weather

2009-05-11T10:40:00.001-07:00

It is starting to get into the 90's here, but for the past month the weather has been SO nice (except for the the rain and flooding we had one week). Gage, Griffin, and Luke love to ride their bike and tricycles on the sidewalk in front of our house. Griffin would spend all day out there if I'd let him. They ride up and down, meeting each other halfway and then racing to get to the next driveway before the other does. It's great fun! Here are some pictures and a video.

Happy Birthday, Gage!

2009-05-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

Today is Gage's 7th birthday! Actually he won't turn 7 until 8:01 this evening, but today is the day! :) Griffin and I woke him up this morning by singing 'Happy Birthday', and he smiled before he even opened his eyes. He got a stack of pancakes with whipped cream for breakfast, complete with 7 candles to blow out. Funny story about that... when I pulled the candles out of the pancakes, they had melted into the hot pancakes, so I threw that stack out and gave him 3 fresh ones. He said, "Yeah, wax tastes bitter." I said, "Well, it doesn't really have a taste, but it has a texture, and it's not something you want to eat." He kept insisting that it tastes bitter, and finally, as a last resort to make me believe him, he said, "I'VE TASTED MY EAR WAX!" He's always been a curious young man. :) Anyway, back to the birthday stuff... after breakfast, he got a phone call from Aunt Soosy wishing him a happy birthday. He was so excited! Here's a pic:

After the phone call, he opened some cards he got in the mail last week, and after seeing what was inside, he decided that we should go to Toys R Us. Thank you, Grandpa & Nana and Great-Grandma & Great-Grandpa Stover! After we dropped him off at school, Griffin and I went to Randall's to get a few groceries. Since we aren't having a party until later this month, I decided to get a treat for him to have tonight. I picked up a cookie cake that said "Happy Birthday" on it, and went to the counter to see if they could add "Gage" to it. I guess the regular cake decorator had the day off. Here's what it looked like after the little man finished.

I don't really care too much what it looks like, but I thought it was funny! The man was trying really hard and being very careful to spell it right. It was great. I showed it to Amber and she thought Gage had written his own name. OK... enough making fun of the little man's handwriting.

Gage is such a special kid. I hope he has a great day at school today! We (Gage, Griff, and I) are going to Chuck E Cheese's for dinner tonight. I'll post some pics of that later.

Swimsuit Season

2009-05-05T11:04:00.000-07:00

Ugh. I'm never ready. But I started going to the gym again this week. With hard work and a miracle, I'll be toned up by June. I have a friend who has graciously invited me to lay out with her at the pool at her loft, which sounds nice, except for the swimsuit part. So, today I decided to go shopping for a new suit. Griffin was excited and said, "We can find a BIG one!" :-( Yeah, a big one, to cover my BIG butt. Gotta love the honesty of a 3-year-old. ;)

Easter Rewind

2009-04-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

The kids and I did this cute little craft for Easter, and I loved the outcome so much that I wanted to share it here. I also wanted to share some pics of them dying eggs a couple of weeks ago. I know... I'm going back in time, but that's just how it's gotta be. (I do this pretty often... blog something and then think of something else that I should have blogged first. I usually delete the more current blog, blog the older story, and then reblog the current one. Tonight, I am being lazy, admitting my mistake, and blogging out of order. Don't judge me.)

Here's our craft: We took styrofoam eggs, wrapped them with cool, fuzzy yarn, and then used pipe cleaner, pom poms, and cute blue eyes to make them look like bunnies and chicks. It was fun and easy! Here's a pic (By the way, the first bunny with the pink nose is Griffin's, the chicky is Gage's, and the multi-colored bunny on the right is Luke's.):

Dying eggs:

Easter 2009

2009-04-16T19:07:00.001-07:00

For Easter we went to visit Josh's parents (Grandpa & Nana) in Abilene. We had a great time just hanging out and catching up. The last time we were there was at Christmastime. Josh and I got to take Saturday afternoon off and go to the mall. I love shopping with him. He actually likes it too. He needed a pair of sunglasses and a wallet (long story). I got a dress to wear to a wedding cruise on April 25th. It was fun to get a break from the kids and just have fun together for a couple of hours. Saturday night after we put the boys to bed, Josh and I got to spend some time with some college friends. It was a fun day.

On Sunday, we went to church with Grandpa at Southern Hills Church of Christ, and the boys got balloons, which, in their eyes, is probably the coolest thing that's ever happened to them at church. We heard a good message and sang lots of great worship songs. After church and lunch at Red Robin, we went back to Grandpa and Nana's house and had a little egg hunt for the boys. I say "little" because I didn't have many eggs to hide. I had intended to boil and color some last week for them to hunt, but I didn't get it done. So I filled about 15 plastic eggs with coins and dollar bills and let them hunt those. They were thrilled to get the money, and I was thrilled that I wouldn't have 2 boys on sugar highs running around. Plus, I always end up eating the extra candy, and that's just not good for my thighs.

Sunday night, Josh and I and the boys went to Sam and Kathi's house to visit them. Sam and Josh entertained Gage and Griffin, and Sam even let them feed the cows. Meanwhile, Kathi and I were free to sit and talk. It had been quite a while (years) since we had been able to visit like that. It was a lot of fun.

Monday, Josh had to catch a plane to KC out of Houston at 5:30, so we left fairly early that morning to drive back. It was a nice drive considering the DVD player wouldn't work. The boys surprised me by playing nicely for most of the trip. Griffin slept for a while, too.

We said goodbye to Josh Monday about 4:00pm, and he's been in KC all week. He'll be home tomorrow evening for the weekend and then back up there for another 5 days. After that, he'll be home for at least 10 days. I'm really looking forward to that. I am going to implement "Date Night" when he gets back. :)

Overall, the weekend was really great. We got to see quite a few people that we have been wanting to catch up with, and the boys got enough Grandpa and Nana to last for a little while. It's always fun to get away from the ol' routine, even if it's just a few days.

Here are a few pics:

Heaven

2009-03-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

Gage: In heaven I bet the blind can see again.

Me: Yes, I bet you're right.

Gage: Heaven is a magical place! I bet there are whoopie cushions all over the place!

Our Weekend with Daddy

2009-03-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

Josh was home for the weekend, and we had a great time being together after about 11 days apart. He got home Friday evening, and we all went out to see Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D. It was so exciting for the kids to get to go to the theater since we hardly ever do that. (Ok, I was just as excited! haha) The movie was great. If you haven't seen it, you should! There was really only one part that we thought was inappropriate for the kids. I guess Dreamworks thinks they have to throw in some adult humor to keep parents interested. I have to admit, it was pretty funny. :)Saturday we just hung out and Josh tried to squeeze in as much wrestling and hugging with the boys as possible. We played Life (the board game) that evening, and Dr. Gage beat everyone by about a billion dollars. Sunday we went to church and then did laundry so Josh could be ready for another week of hotel living. He left the house about 4:30pm and made it safely to Kansas City a few hours later. It was fun to be together for a couple of days. We are looking forward to his two weeks at home starting on Friday.

Here's a funny clip of the movie (this is the part with the adult humor):

Spring Break

2009-03-30T10:14:00.000-07:00

We had a great spring break (except for the fact that we were gone while Josh was home). The boys and I had planned to go to Abilene after school on Friday, but Gage had fever Thursday night, and after a quick trip to see Dr. Clarke on Friday, we found out he had walking pneumonia and an ear infection. So we decided not to go anywhere until he'd had a couple days of antibiotics. On Monday, we headed out to Abilene. We spent the night with Aunt Soosy and had a great time visiting and making final plans for the surprise party for my dad's 60th birthday that we were hosting the following Saturday.

Tuesday, the boys and I drove on to Lubbock and met Gran'Mama, Kacee, Cade, and Jacob for lunch. Then we went to Petersburg and spent a couple of days just catching up and enjoying being with family. It was so nice to wake up in the morning and sip coffee with Mama and Kacee.

Thursday night, Kacee and I went to Lubbock to spend the night with Kamie. On Friday, we decorated for the party until about 3:30 then gathered the troops and went to my dad's for a "fake" birthday party. We sung "Happy Birthday," ate cake, and he opened gifts. "It was really a nice party," my dad later said when he found out it was all a part of our plan. :) Saturday we all headed out, at different times, for different reasons, in different directions to different places... supposedly. In reality, we all went back to Lubbock to get ready for the party. By 6:00, there were 110 people at the church ready to help surprise my dad for his birthday. When he showed up, he was so surprised, overwhelmed, and happy. I don't think he stopped smiling for the next few hours. It was really a wonderful tribute to him. We all had a great time. We also had a great time planning it. We started in November of last year, 5 months ago. It really paid off to see my dad so happy and surprised.

Friday night:

Saturday night:

Josh's Birthday

2009-03-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

For Josh's birthday, the four of us had a little party at home. Here is a video of Gage blowing out a candle in honor of his dad's birthday.

In case you're wondering (grandparents, etc), we had a little talk about the use of the word "freakin'" after this was taken. :)

Strallbellies

2009-03-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks, Griffin has been working really hard to say his "L" sounds correctly. Until recently, when he said a word with an L in it, it sounded like a "w." I could see how hard he was thinking each time he said one of these words. At first, he was very slowly pronouncing the sound. For example, he was showing me his 2 Batman toys one day and told me, "This Batman is ber-lllue, and this Batman is ber-lllack." I never said anything but found this extremer-llly amusing. I was also very per-llleased to see that he recognized, on his own, the need to correct his speech. The past week or so, his self-help techniques have escalated and are becoming even more amusing. He's now replaceing ALL R's and W's with L's. Today he asked me if he could have some more "strallbellies." I gently colllected him and put some molle strallbellies on his plate. :) It's great to watch a 3-year-old mind at work.

I also love you.

2009-03-05T10:39:00.000-08:00

This little conversation happened this morning, and I thought I'd share:

Griffin: Do you almost like my daddy? And do you almost like my dog?

Me: I do like them. And I love them.

Griffin: Oh. And do you also love my brother?

Me: Yes.

Griffin: Oh. And do you also love me?

Me: Yes, I do love you.

Griffin: Oh. And I also love you.

My Firstborn

2009-02-25T19:09:00.000-08:00

This is a questionnaire I filled out on Facebook, and I just wanted to add it here since this is where I store all my memories now. Some of the numbers are missing, and I don't feel like correcting it, so just ignore that! :)

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? No - We were surprised to learn we brought home one extra souvenir from our honeymoon in Mexico

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Shocked and freaked out, but excited too

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 23

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? took a test

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? Josh

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND THE SEX? I wanted to wait, but Josh wanted to know, and I knew he would drive me crazy with it so we both found out.

9. DUE DATE? May 15

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? morning, noon, and night for the first 3 months

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? fried catfish, egg nog

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? the nausea; the husband, haha, poor guy

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Boy

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? Nope

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 52 - yikes! it was all the fried catfish and egg nog

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? A couple

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? No

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Abilene Regional Medical Center

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? I'm not sure, but we got to the hospital 5 hrs before he was born

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Josh

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Josh

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? natural

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? epidurals are awesome!

27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 7 lbs 10 oz

28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ? May 11

30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Gage Robert

31. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 6 years old!

Time

2009-02-20T17:29:00.000-08:00

My boys are fascinated with time. Gage got a watch for Christmas, and he is frequently telling me what time it is and which of the clocks are wrong (even a minute faster or slower than his watch is "wrong") at the store, in the car, and at home. He loves for me to time him while he does his homework, and it definitely speeds up the process. He is really grasping the idea of time and how it is measured, etc, which is great. Those who know me well know that time management is somewhat of a challenge for me, ha! So I love seeing Gage take interest and manage his time well. Lately, even Griffin has become interested in the concept of time. Instead of a watch, he uses the sun. He will look out the window and tell me if it is time to get up or go to bed. (We had to start calling nap time "rest time"). He gets so disappointed when he looks out and sees the sun has "gone to sleep." It's really making bedtime easier. If the sun is asleep, then we should be too, right?? Sometime in high school I think I must've gotten confused about that!

My Little French Fry

2009-02-18T16:51:00.000-08:00

Griffin: Mom, I wanna be dipped in ketchup!

Gage: You could just stick your head in there any time you want.

Me: Are you a french fry?

Griffin: Yeah! It's gotta be funny!

Valentine's Day and Other Good Stuff

2009-02-17T09:28:00.001-08:00

We had a good Valentine's Day. I took the kids to Target and let them each pick out a toy (this is their favorite gift for every holiday). They also got a little candy and lots of hugs and kisses! That night Josh took them to Amber's house, where they played and then spent the night! It was so nice for Josh and me to get a night to ourselves. We were able to enjoy a nice dinner at home, just the two of us. He surprised me with roses and a WiiFit that I have been wanting! I couldn't think of anything to buy him so my gift was going to see Friday the 13th with him. I would have preferred to NEVER watch it, so this was kind of a big deal. I also excused him from helping with dinner because he was coming down with a cold or the flu. The food turned out great, and the movie was tolerable.

Josh is still not feeling great, and now Gage has something. He had a fever yesterday morning but hasn't since then. He went to school today but has been complaining of a headache. Lots of kids around town are sick. One of Josh's vets said that out of his son's class of 20 kids, only 6 were left in school. Supposedly it is a mutated strain of the flu. I hope we don't get hit too hard! My boys are tough, so we should be okay.

Josh's company has postponed our relocation in lieu of the Wyeth/Pfizer merger. We have taken our house off the market for now, and we are waiting to see what comes next. We aren't panicking or stressing out about it. We have a sense of anticipation, but we know God will take care of us, and that is such a calming realization. Life is such an adventure! ;)

Gage is still playing basketball. We have won 1 game. :( We have 2 left. Gage is getting lots of good exercise (silver lining). Here is a video of his defensive skills. He is relentless!

Valentine's Day

2009-02-10T11:11:00.001-08:00

This year we are trying something different. Gage and Griffin are going to Amber's house to play with Addy, and Josh and I are going to come back home and cook dinner together (I still need to let him know about this) and then go to a movie. For dinner we are making chateaubriand with bearnaise sauce, steamed lobster tails, garlic mashed potatoes, and grilled asparagus. For dessert I am keeping it simple (since Josh isn't much of a sweet-eater) and making some triple-chocolate cherry bars. I think it will be really fun! I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's day! If you don't have a date, buy yourself some chocolate and look on the bright side: you don't have to share! ;)

Pictures

2009-02-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago I downloaded a trial version of Paint Shop Pro Photo X2, and I have been messing around with it a little bit, and I LOVE IT! I think I might need the full version for Valentine's Day. (hint-hint, Josh!)

Potty Talk

2009-02-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

Griffin has had a relapse in his potty training. Almost every day for the past week he has pooped in his pull-up. This morning, however, he asked me to take him to the potty. He ran to the bathroom saying, "I'm not gonna poop in my pants!" After he finished, I said, "Griffin, you are such a big boy; I am so proud of you!" Then he said, "Fanks, Mom; I'm so proud of you too!"

A few minutes later he said (in an authoritative tone), "Mommy, tell me if you need to use the potty." I guess he feels he has mastered this feat. I hope so! :)

Kip's Creations

2009-01-27T10:42:00.000-08:00

www.kipscreations.com is no more. :( It was too much to keep up with and wasn't getting much traffic anyway. So I cancelled my subscription. But you can still see my designs at kipscreations-thisandthat.blogspot.com. Click on the links on the sidebar to see Christmas or Baby designs.

House for Sale!

2009-01-27T06:41:00.000-08:00

Our house is officially on the market! There is a sign in the yard and everything. You can see the virtual tour here if you're curious. You should check it out because my house has never been this clean! :)

Well, we are off to Ft. Worth today to drop the kids off. They are staying with Luke and Lindsay while Josh and I go to Overland Park to look for a house. We are all looking forward to the trip. Every time Griffin wakes up or we get in the car to go somewhere, he asks me if we are going to "Uncle Wuke's house." Josh and I are flying out of Dallas tomorrow morning. Since Pfizer is taking over Wyeth (Josh's company) we aren't sure how long we are going to live/work in Kansas, so we've decided to rent a house until the next bomb drops. I'm not freaking out, but being a human makes it really hard not to worry a little bit. Meanwhile, we are all really excited about our trip! The boys can't wait to see their baby cousin, Avery. Josh and I are just happy to be getting a vacation together! Hopefully we'll be able to find a house, too. :)

I'm a Loser

2009-01-22T19:24:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went to Gage's school for "Stallion Stampede" where the kids earn Stallion Stash by going to different stations and learning/trying new things. There was lots to do, and we all had fun. Gage and I raced on little wheeled carts that you sit on and use your feet to move forward towards a cone, around it, and back. I was killing it on the way TO the cone, but as I tried to turn around the cone, my momentum was so strong that I made a really wide turn and lost a couple seconds trying to get going the right way again. Gage beat me by about a second. Grrr. And to think I used to let him win sometimes. Last night Monopoly, tonight the cart race. Tomorrow after school... Wii tennis. I'll let ya know how it goes.

Well played, son; well played.

2009-01-21T18:29:00.000-08:00

Gage just dominated a game of Monopoly he and I were playing. He had 16 properties including 2 monopolies, along with 3 hotels and 9 houses, and he had something like $4000 (which, in the 1946 version of the game, is a whole lot). I had $47 and all my properties were mortgaged. Apparently, he's better with money at age 6 than I am at 31. ;) It was fun anyway. And he's practicing his addition, subtraction, and money managment skills, so it's a win-win. Well, for him, anyway. :)

Preparing for Christmas

2009-01-13T20:15:00.000-08:00

I know I am a little behind with this post, but I'll blame that on the computer problems I had in December. ;)

Christmas 2008

2009-01-07T20:08:00.000-08:00

Christmas was busy, crazy, and wonderful again this year. Gage and Griffin loved every minute of it (well, you know, almost). They scored big at each of our four stops on our holiday route.

First, Gage, Griffin, and I went to Aunt Soosy's house in Abilene to open "Soosy Stockings," which were full of goodies! The boys cousins, Cade and Jacob, were there, too. They all had a great time and enjoyed being together. Their new toys kept the boys entertained all the way to our next stop, Horseshoe Ranch, in Lorenzo. There, Pops hosted a wonderful country Christmas and even brought the story of Jesus' birth to life with a late night trek out to the stable where he read from the Allmon Family Bible and a sweet Max Lucado book that told the story of Jesus' birth. It was awesome.

Our next stop was in Petersburg where Josh joined the party. At Gran'Mama's there was lots of cooking, snacking, and a visit from the big man in red who filled the stockings and ate the cookies. Along with the cookies and milk, Gage left a note for him, making sure to add in a few last minute wish requests. The boys' cousins, Cade and Jacob, were there as well and had apparently been very good this year, too! All the boys had a great time tearing through packages and emptying their stockings. It was magical and wonderful. It always feels that way when I'm with my sisters and mom around Christmastime.

Finally, we travelled back to Abilene to have our Norsworthy Christmas. Josh's parents and his brother and family were all there. It was especially fun to see Baby Avery again. She is so precious! Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures from the Abilene Christmas, but I did take a video. If I can figure out how to upload it, I will post it later.

Here are some pics from our trip to the playground. (We went on Christmas Day in Petersburg.)

Chrismas Morning