across the miles.

Grandma and Grandpa Allen came to visit the week of Thanksgiving.  They braved 3 days one-way in a car just to visit us, which made us feel super special!  The trek from North Carolina to southwest Oklahoma was a long one, but I think everyone agreed that our time together made it well worth it!

Olivia loved having Grandma and Grandpa around.  She got lots of attention, which is right up her alley ;)
She was thrilled to celebrate Grandma's birthday....after all, it meant more singing and candle blowing!

She convinced them to read her just a few books over the course of the week....(wink, wink, nod!)

Grandma was an expert at snake-rolling, face-making, and other Play-do related talents....

Grandma came bearing lots and lots of gifts, a favorite being a chest full of princess attire!

Grandpa got to meet Carter for the first time!

Thanks for traveling the many many miles from our house to yours!  We loved having you visit and are already looking forward to the next time! 

wordless Wednesday!

We missed last week because I was too busy slaving away in the kitchen prepping for our Thanksgiving feast ;), but have no fear because we are back!  

We are back to our usual lazy Wednesday!  Its our first day of the week without school or Bible Study, so we always enjoy staying in our pajamas and getting caught up on things around the house.  This morning we had a special treat though.....we went through the McDonald's drive-thru to get pancakes, eggs, and coffee while still in our pj's!  I even had my house slippers on!  

Happy Wednesday!

the only casualty was the TV remote.

Thanksgiving came and we conquered it!


We hosted at our house this year and I loved every minute of it!  My heart was indeed thankful, just as our mantle indicates......

A lot of firsts happened this year......I made a turkey,  (thanks go out to Pioneer Woman whose tutorials and recipes helped build my confidence and made me feel like a true cook!)

I made a pie crust and a cheesecake from scratch,

Olivia had a holiday feast and program at her school, (I got teary over this fact, which we all know isn't a first;)  She looked adorable in her turkey hat, don't you think?

and I consumed several bottles of wine while cooking up the feast.  Well, maybe that's not a first either, but that's not the point of this post ;)  So, lets move on......

Olivia was lots of help with the cooking and baking.

The menu included:  roasted turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, corn casserole, glazed carrots, stuffing,green beans, rolls shipped all the way from Indiana, deviled eggs, brushetta, cheese plate, veggie plate, spinach dip, pecan pie, Dulce de Leche pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin spice cupcakes, and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!  Can I get an amen?!  I think I'm still gaining weight by thinking about that menu!  Friends and family divided up the menu and we owned it!  There wasn't a single dish that I didn't want seconds on.

Andy's parents drove all the way from North Carolina to join us for the holiday (I will blog more about that soon with lots of pictures!), my sister and her family came down from Oklahoma City, and our friends the Blums and the Wests joined from a few streets over here in Altus.  It was fabulous!  Seventeen in all, but I think we could have squeezed in a few dozen more!  The more the merrier, right?!

Olivia checks out the table!
Look at all that food!!

the kids table

the adult table

 Cathy's Andy gets serious carving
the turkey while my Andy looks on

the play set got lots of use!

Carter looking like a BIG boy!  Oh, how I love this sweet boy.

And as the title indicates, the house was no worse for wear, but the remote is still to be found!  However, it is a small price to pay for the love and fellowship that filled our house.  I hope each of you had just as wonderful of a holiday.

Now, lets set our eyes onto Christmas (and find that TV remote!!!!!!)

in Olivia's words.

Sunday evening while snuggling on the couch.....and I quote.
O: Mama, God touch my head today.
Me: He did?  When did that happen?
O: at church!
Me:  God touched your head at church? 
O: Yes, Mommy and Daddy have a drink and snack and God touched my head. 

**Translation: We were all up at the alter where Andy and I take communion while Olivia gets a blessing.
______________________________________
Last week while pushing her on her swing....and I quote.
O: Mama, where does God live?
Me:  God lives in Heaven.
O: Where does Jesus live?
Me:  Jesus lives in Heaven with God, but Jesus also lives in your heart.
O: No, silly Mommy, Jesus lives in my tummy!  {begins laughing hysterically!}

______________________________________
Last night she and I were eating dinner when Andy arrived home from work....and I quote.
O:  DADDY'S HOME!!!!
Andy: Hi, baby girl.  Yes, Daddy is home.
O:  Daddy!  We miss you!
**Ahh!....she melts my heart sometimes with her sweetness.

______________________________________
While swinging on her play set in the backyard Saturday afternoon.
O: It's a beautiful day here at my park!

______________________________________
While driving in the car last week and Carter was crying....and I quote.
O:  It okay, Carter, we almost there.  Shhhhhhhhhh. Shhhhhhhhh.  It okay. Carter, it's Aiya.  We almost there. 

wordless Wednesday.

Good morning!!  Or is it?!.....

Olivia is not a morning person...

she gets that honestly from her mama.

snuggling with my babies.

a story that starts with Mandy.

This is Mandy and her sweet boy Caleb.  Isn't she beautiful?  And Caleb is sure handsome, too!  Mandy and I became friends our freshman year of college when we became pledge sisters.  Our friendship really strenghtened our junior and senior years, and now I consider her one of my best and life-long friends!  I just love how God brings people to you that He knows you will need forever.  And Mandy is definitely someone I want in my life forever! 

Anyhow, she lives in Dallas so one perk of moving to the bustling metropolis of Altus, Oklahoma was being closer to her!  She is now a short 3.5 hour drive away!   Hooray!  I have already gotten to see her twice and we've only lived here for just under four months.  That, my friends, is something my soul loves!

Andy came home one day and said he was going to the Texas Motor Speedway to work for 3 days and raise money for his squadron, which meant a road trip to Dallas!  I instantly called Mandy and she penciled me (and the children) in her calendar for that long weekend!

How could we miss a chance to let our kids do this....

good morning!



or this.....

ready for another car ride!

 I wish I could explain how happy it makes my heart to see our children interacting together!  Just yesterday (well, that's how it feels anyway) we were singing our hearts out at Harry's, swinging through Jakes to get some free hot dogs on our way to Stacks, and living the dream at 118 Waldron.  (for you non-Purdue readers, it is okay if you have no idea what that sentence means!).  

Lucky for me, Mandy is very easy going because not long after making arrangements with her to spend the weekend at her house I found out that was the same weekend as Andrea's baby shower in Austin!  Andrea and I became friends in kindergarten and have shared pretty much every life event together.  Some of my most favorite memories include her.  Remember last December when Andy and I left Olivia behind to go to Jamaica for her wedding?  If not, refresh your memory  by clicking here.   Mandy and Andrea know each other pretty well, too, because you can't really know me and not know one of those great ladies!

So, the stage was set and our road trip to Dallas ended up including a trip to Austin as well which was another 4ish hours south.  Mandy and I braved the drive with all 3 of our kiddos in my SUV!  Whew! is all I have to say about that.

We were happy to do it though all in name of Andrea and her adorable baby bump!




Olivia had quite a time because every house we visited had at least one dog!  Here she is learning to give commands to Rowdy (owned by our other awesome friend Julia).  Telling the dog to "sit" and "lay down" was right up Olivia's alley.  She has become quite the bossy 2 year old these days, but that is a post for another day!



Andrea's Great Danes were probably Olivia's favorite because they were the calmest of the dogs we met that weekend.  She followed them around constantly and even had to show them her pajamas and kiss them goodnight before bed!  She often referenced them as "the horsies" rather than "the puppies", which gave us all a good laugh!



The baby shower was Sunday morning and was lots of fun. I can hardly wait to hear the details of Andrea's baby girl when she arrives in early December!  I am betting that she is a petite and curly-haired beauty just like her mama!

Carter, we didn't forget you!

There was a game that included drinking juice from a baby bottle.
Guess who took over drinking my bottle?!!  Anyone see the irony
of this situation?!!  If not, reference back to the 'bottle crisis' stage of my life,
circa Aug/Sept 2009.

   Carter got lots of loving that weekend, too!  He loves snuggling with anyone who will hold him!



The weekend was quite the adventure, but all in all the children were very well behaved.  I only had to carry a screaming/kicking/shouting/crying two year-old out of a restaurant once (while everyone stared...ugh) during our many hours on the road! 

Thanks for a great weekend, Mandy!  Hopefully your house, your ears, Caleb, and Libby the dog have recovered from the chaos that always seems to follow me around ;)

wordless Wednesday.

this on is a preview of a post about our trip to Dallas!
stay tuned!