The Perkins

I spent my Christmas vacation at my sister's house.  It was so much fun hanging out with Mason and getting to know Tucker better.  They were gracious hosts and I hated to leave.  Mason kept asking when I was coming back to HIS house to visit.  (He was not interested in knowing when I would be in Dallas.)  I took a TON of pictures, so here comes the long train.

Lightening the Queen

Mason got the movie "Cars" for Christmas.  He has not been introduced to a lot of movies (of any kind).  He is in love with "Cars".  We watched it two days in a row while I was visiting.  He kept call it Lightening the Queen.  He finally asked his mom why he was a queen, because queens are girls.  Rae told him that it wasn't Lightening THE Queen, it was Lightening MCQueen.  He is so funny!

I love that he has his own little container of popcorn, like he is at the movies.

Musical Family

It never fails.  We always seem to get together for a sing a long at every holiday family gathering.  Usually we get the church hymnals, but this time Uncle Todd and Curtis decided to play Maw-maw's guitar and ukulele.  They found music to "She'll be coming around the mountain"...it was the easiest to teach themselves to play.  They didn't do too shabby!  Curtis' fingers began to hurt on the ukulele strings, so Maw-maw took over the guitar and Todd played the ukulele.  It was a fun way to spend the late afternoon of Christmas.

Christmas Morning

There is no other way to describe Christmas morning...it was a ZOO!!  Santa was SUPER generous as were the grandparents and Aunts and Uncles.  We had a great time watching all of the kids excitement from opening up the gifts.  This is all of the gifts awaiting the kids on Christmas morning.  I couldn't get everything in the same shot.

Kendall, Alexis, Ashley, Gramms (Mom), and Pops (Dad) came over to Mike and Rachel's house early Christmas morning.  Mason should have been up, but wasn't.  Mike woke him up and the kids came into the living room (aka my room) for the big reveal.

Mason got this really cool train table from Santa.  It was very neat and must have taken Santa HOURS to put together.  Mason loved it so much, that he was not all that interested in opening all of his other presents.

Kendall got a rocking horse from Santa.  You press one ear and it makes gallop noises and the other ear makes horse noises.  She was SO excited.  She just wanted to ride all day.



Poor Tucker was a little late to the party.  He wanted to sleep in a little.  He had no clue what the big deal was, but he was his usual charming self.

Here is a montage of some of Kendall's highlights.  Al and Ashley bought a big stuffed bear for the boys and a dog for Kendall.  Poor thing thought that both of them were for her.  She got a new fancy dress from Gramms and Pops, a grocery cart and play food from Taris and I, a baby stroller from Rae and Mike, and lots of books.

Like I said earlier, Mason played with his train set more than anything else, so I don't have a lot of pictures of Mason Christmas morning.  He did get plenty of other things though: a really cool helicopter, a doctor kit, and of course some play dough.



Tucker had a very nice Christmas, but he did not open a lot of gifts.  We opened gifts just about the entire week I was at his house.  I can't believe how big he has gotten.  (He is bigger than Kendall!)

Gramms asked for a Sonicare tooth brush and a carpet steam cleaner.  Pops asked for a new pocket knife and the latest Glenn Beck book.  They were both pleasantly surprised with their Christmas haul.

On a side note, it is amazing how much Tucker looks like my dad.  If you look at old photos from my dad as a baby, it is just uncanny!

All in all, I think this was a VERY productive Christmas morning!

Santa Cookies and Reindeer Food

After our all day Christmas Eve, I went back to Rachel and Mike's house to get ready for Santa coming to visit.  Rachel talked with Mason on the way home as to where we should put the reindeer food.  She asked him if they should put it in the front yard or back yard.  He said that they park in the backyard.  He then corrected himself and stated that the reindeer actually land on the roof, but definitely the backyard.  Rae asked if he wanted to put the carrots on the plate with Santa's cookies.  He looked at her and said, "Mom, reindeer are dirty and are not allowed in the house, so we need to put them on the ground in the back yard".  Rae agreed.  That nephew of mine is SO smart...I am not biased at all!  The collage below is of Mason spreading out the reindeer food and carrots, putting out Santa cookies, and of course a family picture.  When Mason was outside putting the food out, he saw his baseball laying in the grass in the yard.  He had to hurry and pick it up because the reindeer might eat it.

Christmas Eve

I flew into Abilene Christmas Eve and was greeted by quite a large welcoming party.  Mom, Al, Ashley, Kendall, Rae, Mason, and Tucker were all there to shuttle me to MawMaw's house for presents and Christmas dinner.  We had quite a gathering for Christmas this year.  Todd (my mom's brother), Nita, Kayla, and Curtis were there.  We had a great time playing games and catching up with everyone.  And to think, this is only day one!



Clockwise from left: Rae and Tucker, Kendall after pie, Al and Ashley, Mason




Clockwise from left: MawMaw, dinner table, Curtis, Todd



Lightroom

I have recently discovered a new favorite...Adobe Lightroom 3.  To say that I am diving in head first is an understatement.  Learning this photo program has been a SLOW process.  (And I would be lying if I didn't say that it is a little frustrating, but I refuse to let this program get the best of me.)  The things that this program can do to take my pictures from good to great are so exciting!  Hopefully, you will be able to see a huge upgrade in photo quality as time goes on.  I know I can't wait!

Grocery Snacker

I was unloading groceries today.  As I was putting things away in the fridge, I kept hearing this rustling.  Abbie was smelling something in the bag, but she just wouldn't give up.

Apparently, she just couldn't stop eating her buffet of grapes!



Sometimes I just don't understand these girls!

Feel the love

I guess the girls were needing some bonding.  I love when they cuddle with each other.  Aren't they too cute?

Surprise

For the last few days, I have been leaving the dogs out to roam the house while I am at work.  (It is my first time since Roxanne's accident.)  I am trying to get them ready for the dog sitter over the holiday.  The picture below is what I came home to.  Obviously, the girls couldn't wait to bust out of their kennels.

Oh Christmas Tree

Last year I splurged on a pre-lit tree and I am thrilled to report that I am still in love with it.  I actually stayed up on Thanksgiving Eve to put it all together.  I decided that since I was having to put it together and (more than likely) take it apart alone, I would go a little lite on the ornaments.  There is something about turning on a Christmas tree at the end of a long day that just brings happiness to the heart.

Black Friday




It is family tradition to be those "crazy people", as my mother in law would say, to wait in line, fight the crowds, and get the deals.  I took a newbie to the Black Friday adventure out with me.  Our first stop was Toys R Us.  They were scheduled to to open at 10 pm on Thanksgiving.  We arrived at 9:30, saw the massive line, and decided to forget about it.  So, we headed over early to Target.  Now, Target didn't open until 5 am the next day, but we were there and in line by 11 pm.  We both got everything that we were shopping for and headed over to Belk.  They had a great sale on clothes, so I stocked up for all of the kids.  Needless to say, I had all of my shopping done and I was back home in bed by 8:30.  The one thing that I have learned is that I am getting too old to be staying up all night to get the deals.  Happy Black Friday and bring on Cyber Monday!!

Thankful

Thanksgiving 2010 was a very relaxing day.  With Taris still deployed, I did not receive any visitors to entertain.  I spent my holiday at home and had lunch with my neighbors and some friends.  I volunteered to make my yeast rolls, my favorite side dish, green bean casserole, and every ones favorite...homey baked ham.  It was a great day and I could not have asked for better company...well maybe Taris there with us.  I didn't take a lot of pictures.  I did bust out my tripod and attempted to take pictures of me working in the kitchen.  I discovered that my new fancy camera was not compatible with my shutter remote.  So, all of my pictures of me are a little blurry, but they are what I have, so enjoy.

Still Here

Wow!  It has almost been a month since I last wrote on this thing!  I am so sorry that I have been MIA.  I am adjusting to our new normal these days with Roxanne, single parenting, and juggling all of the day to day activities.  I promise, I have things to write about.  My life has not been super exciting, but I do have things that I need to document.  Besides, I always find writing on the blog to be very cathartic...and lets face it, these days I need it!  More to come soon...I promise.

WE'RE DEBT FREE!

You read right!!  We are officially debt free!  Wow!  It feels good to write that!  (Can you tell how excited I am?)  We have actually been debt free for about a week, but with everything that has been happening lately I just haven't had the time to write about it.  In seven months, we managed to pay off almost $40,000!  Boy does it feel good!!  I can't wait to see the doors that God opens for us to use his money to help others that come across our path.  Thanks Dave Ramsey for kicking me back in line and getting me motivated.  It has only taken me until I was 30, before I realized the importance of living debt free.  I am so thankful that Taris and I agree on how we choose to spend and save our money.  The road hasn't been easy, but Taris has been VERY patient with me.  (Now we can start saving for that international bundle of joy that has been calling our name!)

Update on Roxanne

Roxanne is doing better, but the road of recovery will be long.  She has been showing signs of her old self a little more each day and we are so excited.  She now wags her tail when you say her name and is eager to run outside when Kacey gets a desire to go chase something out the doggie door.  She shows sign of feeling in her right leg, especially when she is having a running dream and she will move her leg when she is laying down.  She has not made the connection when walking yet, but I know it is just a matter of time.  She loves her time on the floor with me...because she seems to think that she has busted out of jail from her kennel.  Her favorite thing right now is to be able to go to the middle of the yard and just sit or lay and soak up the sun.  We have been so blessed with her recovery so far and are waiting for the ultimate miracle of her running and catching her ball...her first love.

National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Day

Today is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Day.  You can go here for more information about this nationally recognized day.  Obviously, it holds a special place in my heart.  Today, please remember and pray for all of those that have been affected by this tragedy.

Roxanne

This has been a really tough week and I can't tell you how excited I am that it is Columbus Day and thus have the day off.  On Tuesday, I came home to let out the girls and fix the fence.  I opened the doggie door, they all ran out, and I heard this awful screaming.  I looked outside and Roxanne could not move her back half.  She was trying to get up and just was crying out in pain.  I knew my vet closed at 6 and I needed to get her in the car.  I got everyone inside, locked the other two away, and quickly discovered that I could not lift 65 pounds of dead weight all the way into my car on my own.  I ran next door to get my neighbor.  She helped me load up Roxanne (in her car) and she drove me to the vet.  I quickly learned that Roxanne either blew a disc or she had suffered a spinal stroke.  (The disc is a much better outcome, so I was praying hard for that.)  The vet called ahead to the emergency room (where Abbie had her knee replacement) and Gena drove us there.  When we arrived, the surgeon was completing a procedure, so the on call vet did an initial exam and was able to give her some drugs to make her more comfortable.  The surgeon finally came in and after his exam, informed me that Roxanne had more than likely suffered a spinal stroke (or FCE).  They were going to do some tests and would be in a few to give me the bill.  (This place prides itself on money up front.)  Without thinking, I told them to do whatever they had to do, but Roxanne had to be OK.  (See, Taris picked out Roxanne...if it was up to me, we would be a one dog household.  With Taris deployed, I just couldn't handle it if she didn't make it.)  The doctor gave me a reality check of what the future might hold and the quality of life issues that would go along with that.  I sent Taris an email to call me.  The vet called that night to let me know that our worst fears were confirmed...a stroke.  Taris finally called at almost midnight and we Skyped about everything that happened.

The next morning, the vet called to let me know that Roxanne was able to move her back right leg and she could go to the bathroom on her own.    She has been home since Wednesday and we have been following the doctors orders to a T.  We do our exercises three times a day, only get out of the kennel to go potty and lay on the floor, and are trying to lose a few pounds (to make it easier for her to carry all of her weight on three limbs).  She has shown some movement in her left leg, but not when walking.  She is a fighter and has come leaps and bounds in just a few days.  They say that after about six weeks, what you have is what you get.  Obviously, we are praying for a full recovery.

I know that some of you might think that she is just a dog, but when you can't seem to have kids, these girls are all that keep me sane when Taris is gone.  They have seen me at my lowest and my highest and I couldn't imagine a life without them.  Hopefully I will have good news about her recovery to share soon.

I swear!!

I had every intention of playing catch up today on the blog, but I didn't get the memo from my laptop that it was going on hiatus!  The laptop (that acquired after the fiasco of the Charles de Gaulle airport) that I have only had since April 10th, decided to crash...and crash hard!  I called the warranty line only to discover that I could get my computer up and running right now, but I would lose everything.  The lady asked if I had anything important on it.  Um, YES!  Only all of my photos from the last time I saw my husband up to now!  She proceeds to tell me that I will need to contact someone to back up everything before we restore it.  She of course can't walk me through that...what was the price of the warranty for then, since I have to now pay someone to rescue my computer for me.  Technology is not as awesome as I always make it out to be!  Hopefully by the end of the week we will be up and running like nothing ever happened.

Journey to Vegas

I am out here for the week for a conference for work.  It was quite a journey and an adventure...which we already know I always have.  We (my boss, her husband, and I) made it and are squeezing in all of the fun on Monday because it will be all work starting Tuesday.  The conference is at the Venetian...which is quite nice.  My boss and spouse have never been to Vegas, so it is fun watching them take it all in.  Here are some pictures from getting to Vegas...room pictures to follow.

waiting at the DFW airport

Phoenix airport

Plane broken

at the Phoenix airport

Finally loading our bags in Phoenix

A neighborhood in Arizona...built in a circle

The strip

The other half of the strip