Our Dog Lover

Dogs have been getting a bad rap lately in the media. So I'm going to show you 'World's Greatest Dog." On Tuesday nights, we have Bible study, but during the summer we just have a 'gathering'; kids play and adults hang out.

Chloe in her cover up. She wouldn't leave it on, the zipper was fascinating and tasty. I was too afraid she'd choke, so we took it off.

This is Chloe begging Katie for ice cream.
She was lining up the ducks on the edge of the pool and talking to them.
Now here is Chloe's bestest friend, Scout/Cout Dog. Sam, the little boy who lives at this house, wasn't home, so Chloe literally played with Scout the whole time. She'd walk around the yard, "where'd Cout dog go?" Scout, or Cout in Chloe jive, would just walk around the yard avoiding Chloe dumping water on her. Scout is the sweetest dog I have ever met. She lets Chloe hug her, kiss her, pull her tail, chase her and ride her.
Here's Scout eyeballing squirrels in the neighbor's yard. Chloe lined up the ducks in front of her, which is funny b/c Scout is a retriever and she's a pro at retrieving ducks for Clay, the home owner. Chloe would take them one a time to Scout and place them in front of her and tell her something I couldn't understand. I'm guessing she was telling Scout they were ducks.

Oh and to answer your question of "do you guys have a dog?" That would be a negative. We take Chloe to Sam's house to get her dog fix. "We should get her one." you say. "UMM, no. Not until she can help take care of it and we have a yard." Why buy the dog when you can play with it for free?

A Picture Post

Here are some pictures I've taken over the past few weeks that I have been too lazy to upload on my computer.

There are two sides to every story...

Side One: Awe, isn't he cute and content?

Side Two: The crack and no that isn't Matt's crack with a diaper. That is our, apparently hairy on his back, Cooper Matthew. (Sorry for the blue tint, I didn't have time to adjust the color temperature on my camera.) Can you see his hairy lower back?

Johnstone Park. I took Chloe to this park because it's shaded and the toy is really fun looking. I'll spare you the story, but we do not go to Johnstone Park anymore; and it's not because of the mosquitoes.

Chloe's BB's or binoculars to the lay person. (They're packaged batteries.)

Now for some of the not so hairy side of Cooper.

I lied, he does have hairy feet, but they are scrumptious.

Friends.

Let me tell you about my day today. I woke up this morning groggy because I couldn't get to sleep last night. My morning routine consists of brushing teeth, peeing, changing Cooper and going in the kitchen to get Chloe's breakfast ready. I then go in the living room and get all of my feeding Cooper things ready, drag Chloe's chair in there, turn on the TV to Sesame Street and go into her room. Upon her room I open her blinds, greet her, change her and take her into the living room and put her in her chair and give her her food. Then I go back to Coop's room, grab him, wake him back up b/c he has fallen back asleep, go back into the living room and feed him. When he's done I then pump the rest out. I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Oh by the time Coop is done eating Chloe has finished and is tossing her stuff over board and is getting restless. I then get her out and we start our morning. I don't get to eat usually until her nap at noon.

About 11:00am on this particular morning, Chloe climbed up in my lap for no reason, and I was playing with her hair, singing a song and thinking; thinking about friends. In college I made my bestest friends ever. It's now years later, and all of us are married. I realized this very morning, that I don't have any 'good bestest' friends here. (If you are reading this and you are a friend of mine here in B'ville, please don't take offense. I believe we are good friends, but you have to admit, we are not best buds. I mean, I don't know many things about you; your struggles, fears, accomplishments. I've only known many of you for just a year there abouts. I am still in the 'getting to know you, still awkward conversations on the phone' stage of friend making.)

So I'm stroking Chloe's hair, getting sad, because I don't talk to the girl that was my very very best friend in college. I had two, and both I don't talk to anymore. (Very rarely) One is in Paris, as an Au Pair, the other is in Texas and is busy busy busy. It's partly my fault though, I met Matt in college and I quit hanging out with 'the gang' as much. See, I was dating a guy from outside the 'group' so Matt and I did our own thing. The 'gang' married within the 'gang,' if you will. When that happens those people stay in close contact. Like my best friend married, a guy in the group. Well, her husband is friends with everyone I was friends with, but since I married out, I lose touch. I get my info. through the grapevine.

Why am I sharing all of this? Well, because I am a bone head.

I was supposed to go to a friends house this morning. This girl friend and I are still on the 'getting to know you, getting to know all about you' stage. (You have to sing that part) So what do I go and do to possible ruin this 'work in progress' friendship?

I forget. Yep, I forgot about our play date this morning. (Curse me please! Boo and hiss!)

Let me explain this sweet girl that would be a good friend to me if I weren't a complete moron.

She is the gracious host, with a huge heart who loves her children and her husband with all she has. She raises her kids to love and be kind to everyone. (Hopefully that will include me.) She will have a pot of very tasty coffee ready upon your arrival and possible even a tasty treat. She'll tell her kids, "Chloe and Cooper are coming over today!" Her kids will be ready and waiting for you to come over and play. When you arrive they will greet you and be excited you are there.

So I am an idiot. I go and forget about this play date that we scheduled last week for this morning.

Do I have a reason? No. Lots of excuses as to why I would forget? Yeah. Are they worthy? No.

It's Like Riding a Bike...

Whistling. It's like riding a bike right? You never forget.

Well, one would think, but as of today, I can no longer whistle. I had a good whistler too and now it's gone! GONE I TELL YA!!!

My only guess is this: I am a teeth grinder. I wear a mouth guard, but haven't bought a new one in an embarrassingly amount of time. My teeth have really felt like they are moving around a lot lately, especially with all that is going on or lack there of. (moving, packing, searching, selling, buying, fixing, mowing, corralling etc.) Those things aren't directly causing my teeth to move. It's my thinking about those things, grinding my teeth and then they move and my gums recede.

If I place a finger just above the top of my lip, in the cleft part, and below my nose, the middle lower part that attaches to your upper lip and lift ever so slightly as to turn my upper lip slightly outward, I can whistle. As soon as I move my finger; no more whistle, just the sound of air leaving my body.

So either, my face has drooped in the past 3 days, I've had a stroke of the upper lip, I need a face lift, my teeth have shifted or my face forgot how to form into a whistler. I'm not sure, but one thing I know. I can no longer whistle.

The Last Lecture

I recently told you of some books I had read that I enjoyed. One of them was The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. I just read on-line that he has passed away, so if you haven't read the book, I highly recommend. His website is saying "this account has been suspended." I don't know what that means, but I still recommend the book.

What Goes Around Comes Around...

I thought I had it bad my parents naming me Megan with a long E sound, but then they had to go and call me by my middle name. So every new semester, I would hear, "Jean?, Jean Anne?..." from the teacher. Then I'd say annoyed and embrassed, "It's Jeanne, but I go by Megan." The teacher would look at me like, "Why do you go by a completely different name?" He couldn't see my middle name on the roll sheet. Ohh, the horror, but this poor girl had it rough!! Read...


A family court judge in New Zealand has had enough with parents giving their children bizarre names here, and did something about it.
Just ask Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii. He had her renamed.
Judge Rob Murfitt made the 9-year-old girl a ward of the court so that her name could be changed, he said in a ruling made public Thursday. The girl was involved in a custody battle, he said.
The new name was not made public to protect the girl's privacy.
"The court is profoundly concerned about the very poor judgment which this child's parents have shown in choosing this name," he wrote. "It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap, unnecessarily."
The girl had been so embarrassed at the name that she had never told her closest friends what it was. She told people to call her "K" instead, the girl's lawyer, Colleen MacLeod, told the court.
In his ruling, Murfitt cited a list of the unfortunate names.
Registration officials blocked some names, including Fish and Chips, Yeah Detroit, Keenan Got Lucy and Sex Fruit, he said. But others were allowed, including Number 16 Bus Shelter "and tragically, Violence," he said.
New Zealand law does not allow names that would cause offense to a reasonable person, among other conditions, said Brian Clarke, the registrar general of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Clarke said officials usually talked to parents who proposed unusual names to convince them about the potential for embarrassment.

A Realization II

My mind has been working over time lately, which explains my nightly teeth grinding getting worse. I have been thinking about events, people & unanswered prayers. Anytime my journey goes through a little change, I have an inner nervousness, a queasiness if you will. Not in a bad way, just in a curious way. (We are moving, that is the current change.)

I haven't blogged much, if at all, about our experiences at the boys ranch Matt and I used to work at. The way it ended was awful to say the least. I'll just leave it at that.

When we move, and we've moved a bunch, I often think back to the very moment Matt called his brother and told him we needed help moving, that we were leaving the ranch. That moment in time sent me into a year and a half of questioning God, questioning my Salvation, questioning every single thing I knew and hoped for. That was in 2004.

It's 2008, and I still think back to that day. When I'm holding Cooper, looking at Chloe and doing dishes, (Not at the same time of course, I mean I am a mom, but not that kind of a mom.) my mind & heart wonders and becomes eerily thankful. (If you knew what we went through you would understand the adding of the word 'eerily'.)

I tried finding some of the boys from the ranch and was successful. When I found his myspace page, I became so so sad, and wondered if what I saw was partially my fault. He has become his surroundings, like most of us do, but our general surroundings don't require us to use our fingers to show who we stand for.

I'm over the knife in the back Matt and I both received, but I'm so sad of what has become of some of the boys that have left. When I told Matt I had located this particular boy, he didn't say much. I told him, "He looks like you would expect." Matt was silent, I know he was thinking, "Megan, why did you even look them up? You know what that is going to do to your emotions." He's right, even though he didn't say that.

Thankfully God was there that day the knife penetrated my heart. Even more thanks, because He never left when I thought I was spiritually going to die. I look at my life now, and like I said, "I am eerily thankful. Praise God for the valleys."

A Realization...

I just gone done eating a small portion of my Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream that I was attempting to save for after dinner. I failed, miserable. I didn't eat it all though. I did, however, email this picture to Matt just to let him know what I was doing. (Mean huh? Yea, I'll hear about it tonight I'm sure.)

I'm eating my ice cream and watching Bob Ross paint. Have you ever seen Bob Ross paint? He's the white guy with an afro who talks and makes sounds while he's painting. Some might find it annoying, but I enjoy him. He'll say, "and maybe a little tree lives here." or "I think a rock is here and maybe a little house, with a family is here. Ya, they live in this little home in the forest, with a path that leads to only they know where."

(Here is good ol' Bob. I believe he has since passed away.)

That's his style. I sat there watching and like I always do when he's fixing to 'mess up' his hard work, I get nervous. I see him put a huge black streak down the perfect sky and I think, "Oh no! He just made it ugly. How is he going to 'fix' that?" He doesn't mess anything up at all, but to me the non-painter, it looks ruined for about 15 seconds. Then sure enough, a tree does live there and in fact, the painting looks better with that little tree.

Why can't I handle those 15 seconds? Chaos my friends, it's chaos! It's that same feeling that keeps me from shopping the big bargain stores or garage sales. I can't handle the mess, the clutter, the feeling of not knowing. I have come to this realization since living in Bartlesville. We recently got a 1/2 off 1/2 Name Brand Clothing Store. I went in there one time and will never go back, I don't care if things are free. If I have to search for the free items, I will not enter. It's just too chaotic.

I've learned that my parent's divorce, my sophomore year of college, made me this way. My life was chaos for a good year or so. When your whole being, your whole sense of security is stripped away, one tends to not lean towards chaos. Not I anyways.

Therefore, I will probably never paint like Bob Ross or find really great deals, but while you're digging through chaos to save $2.00. I'm just going to go to Wal-Mart and get it and go and save myself the panicky feeling.

A slightly random post, but what can I say. ;)

Catch the Experience Tonight!!

Below is the reminder email I got from LifeChurch, reminding everyone that tonight is the last chance to catch last weekend's experience. It's a doosy!!! There is nothing on TV tonight anyways, you'll better understand your God List.

The days are long, but the years are short. What does it take to remind us how precious time really is? Tonight at the LifeChurch.tv Internet Campus, we’ll have one last chance to catch an inspiring message about making the most of our short time here on earth.
Many people who attended the third week of our At the Movies series let us know they are looking forward to sharing this message with someone in their lives. Here’s your final opportunity! If you missed this weekend’s experiences, or you’d like to invite a friend, don’t miss the final showing of At the Movies: Week 3, 8:00 pm CST tonight at internet.lifechurch.tv.

Don’t forget that each At the Movies experience is a live-only, first-run event, and won't be archived for later viewing. Join us this evening as we see where pop culture intersects with spiritual truth!
See You There!LifeChurch.tv

Tasty, Uncharacteristically, Healthy Treat

Chloe is a big big fan of yogurt, so in an effort to save money, which I think I failed, I bought a big jug of Stonyfield Organic French Vanilla yogurt. I thought it would be cheaper and less waste than the individual servings. On the back was a recipe I thought I'd try. I'm not a big fruit and veggie person, due to reasons only God can explain, but I can do a smoothie as long as there are zero chunks. Here is the recipe:

Pomegranate Passion Smoothie

1 1/2 cup pomegranate juice (It's kind of expensive, but Northland is the cheapest I could find. The other brand I saw was POM, but it was more expensive and you didn't get as much. It had slightly less sugar, but pomegranate is naturally sweet; I think. The ingredient list did not show any added sugar. After looking on the back, it says they add filtered water to reconstitute pomegranate juice. Not sure what that means, but if some one has a better brand let me know. Click on their name and it will take you to the ingredient list.)

1 cup French Vanilla Yogurt (I used the Stonyfield Farms Organic, but any brand would be good I would think. If you click on their name it will take you to their site and you can print coupons.)

2 bananas, peeled (Now, I only add one banana, otherwise it's too bananaee for me. If you like bananas toss them in. I keep mine in the fridge, with peel on, so they help add chill to the smoothie. I also freeze some that are peeled.)

1 cup blueberries (This helps give it that extra sweet boost. I bought some at the "Farmer's Market" here in B'ville and the more I got to thinking about it, I don't think those blueberries were farm raised. So I just buy good ol' Great Value brand.)

Ice to taste (I added ice to mine even though it isn't listed on the ingredients. The ice gives it that extra chill and I don't know, I like smoothies better with ice.)

Toss everything in the blender and blend until smooth. I blend mine for quite a while as to ensure no chunks. Makes two tall glasses.

Even Chloe will try this, keyword try. I drank mine before this post, or I would have taken pictures of it for you.

My Bucket/ God List

With gas prices so high, we have been watching church online at www.lifechurch.tv The current series is At The Movies. This is by far the most popular series Craig does. What it is is he picks a movie, shows portions of it and relates it to life and Christ. Two weekends ago was We Are Marshall, about the football team who died in a plane crash. The point of that one; God will turn your mourning into dancing.

This past weekend, yesterday, was Bucket List. At the end, Craig told everyone to create their own God List. Some things can be silly, but to try to think of things that God would want us to do. So I've been working on my list, some are serious and some are things I've dreamed of. They are numbered, but the number 1 slot is the most important to me. The others are in no particular order.

1. Get my family saved
2. Go on a 'real' mission trip
3. Raise caring, God-loving children
4. Send my husband, his brothers, my dad and his dad to fish the boundary waters
5. Catch a big bass, bigger than Matt's biggest
6. Become debt free
7. Watch my children get married

I know there are other things, but these are the things I can think of at this moment. What would your God List say?

I'm Bored

I am bored right now, but not 'that' bored... What do I mean by 'that?' Well, let me tell you a little ditty.

Since Matt's new job, he's not as available as he used to be. When he worked here in B'ville, I would call him to tell him, "the neighbors are fighting again, or that the squirrel did to have babies, or that the momma robin was devouring all the ginormous earthworms in the backyard only to feed them to her baby." You know important things that matter in life. In case you didn't know it, the newspaper carrier is no longer driving a red explorer, in fact, it's some one completely different. It's a young girl, maybe in 6th grade. Her parents drive her, they stop in front of the houses, she jumps out in her tennis shoes and athletic clothes, darts across the street and tosses the newspapers on the porch and races back to the car. I think she yells, "Ok time! How fast was that?" once the door is closed and she's buckled in. These are the things that keep me sane through out the day. I'm sure going to miss watching people lose bumpers on the speed 'hump' in front of the house.

Yesterday, I called Matt about 2:30pm and he answered.

"Hey babe, whatcha doin'?" I ask.

"Oh just making deliveries. What's up?" He asks. The "what's up" question is code for I don't have much time so make it quick.

"Not much, just bored." I say pathetically.

"HA, well if you're bored go wake up the kids." He says laughing.

"Ohh, well I'm not that bored. Love ya. Bye."

He helped me put it into perspective.

So right now (Sat.), Cooper is in his crib behind me. (The computer is in his room.) He was placed in his crib head facing east, now his head is angled at a northeasterly direction. That boy squirms. He managed to get a leg caught in the rungs of the crib at 7:30 am this morning. 7:30 am may not be early to some, for me it is, especially since Cooper and Chloe regularly sleep until 9:00.

Chloe is in her room, I think she's awake. Soon she will let me know she's ready to get up. When I hear the pictures on the hallway wall begin to rattle and the echoing sound of what can only be a sledge hammer ringing through our quaint home is mistakenly none other than Chloe Joy kicking the wall. It is then I will know she is ready to get up.

Where's Matt? Ohh, he's napping as well.

Yep, I'm bored... Maybe it's Matt I'll go and wake up.

For laughs and at the expense of my first born. I thought I'd share a picture of her a year ago today. If you notice, she crawled under the exersaucer and decided to stand up into the seat and she couldn't figure out how to get out. I'm such a good mom, I let her suffer while I ran to get the camera and snap a photo.

Who's House? Run's House!!

One of my most favorite shows is one that might cause people to turn up their noses and scoff, but I absolutely love it. It's Run's House on MTV.

I'm not sure what draws me to this show, maybe because it's the only show on MTV that isn't about sex, lies and money. It's just a cute little show that makes me smile over and over because if it's on, no matter if I've already seen the episode, I watch it again and again.

That's my confession.

"Shut Your Pie Hole"

Mrs. Cole.
She was my 12th grade English teacher. The most popular teacher at Cleveland High and famous for her many quirks and sayings. "Shut your pie hole," would probably be her number one saying. There was one word you could say to get kicked out of her class and on her 'go to Hell, you're not going to pass this class' list. The word was 'retarded.' No matter what context you were using it, if you were calling someone that word or if you were referring to the redundant work school required. No matter what you meant, if you let that word slip, you had better hit the deck because she was going to launch looks, books and words at you. I don't recall ever saying that word, I didn't like that word before I met Mrs. Cole. After meeting her, I still don't use that word. If I hear someone say it I will often hit the deck myself while looking around for Mrs. Cole to throw some thing at the person who dared say that word.

I'm not sure why I'm even sharing this ridiculous story. I was laying in bed last night trying to think of something to write about and for some reason the phrase, "shut your pie hole," popped into my head. I can't remember how I was going to tie that phrase into an entry. I think it had something to do with my annoying sarcasm.

Matt may ask me a question and apparently I throw this look at him that makes him feel belittled and I usually follow that look with words that make him feel even worse. I don't mean to be that way, it just comes out. My parents weren't sarcastic with my sister and I. My only guess is that sometimes Matt will ask me a question or make a statement and nine times out of ten he just rewords something I already said. In my mind, that means he wasn't listening to me, so he'll get a sarcastic comment for having deaf ears. ;)

He sure is a good husband. I think any other man would have taken off down the street or curled up in a ball crying because I hurt their feelings. Not Matt, I think he's starting to come up with his own comebacks and I'm starting to tame my tongue.

The 'Dog Whisperer' not really

My dad sent me this.. too cute.

Mission Oreos

Matt made a life saving run to Wal-Mart on Saturday in the torrential rain. Why? He was on a reconnaissance mission to locate the new flavor of Oreo I recently posted about; the elusive strawberry milkshake flavor. Did our local Wal-Mart carry the intriguing flavor? NO!! of course not!!!! I'm in Bartlesville America people!! So what did my quick thinking husband do? He bought the double stuff and a carton of vanilla ice cream. Well done Matt, well done. Mission semi-accomplished.

Get Baking

I've been reading a baking blog that is way too cute. It's called Bakerella. There is a link to it on the right under 'some links'. This blog is the cutest little blog. She promotes a book called Hello, Cupcake! I have yet to purchase it, but she puts her own twist on things from the book. (I think) The 'baking girl' said there is a new flavor of Oreo..... strawberry milkshake!!!

I'm never going to lose weight!

(the picture is Bakerella's)

Our Joy

As of today, Chloe is one month away from turning the ripe ol' age of 2!! You say, "Ohh, here come the 'Terrible 2's!' I say, "HAH! I smite thee!" (I don't know what that means, but I think it's a line from a movie. I just thought it was funny. It probably makes no sense, but to me it does.)
I think when people say, "The terrible 2's." followed by the dramatic drum e/affect (which ever one) and the deep voiced guy who announces things as if it were the end of times; I laugh. Really, what is the terrible two's? I think, for Chloe it's the age of independence. It's the age of discovery, discovering what she can and can't do and what she should and shouldn't do (like hit mommy in the face when we don't get what we want). Here are some things Chloe has learned so far... (I'm going to show you the funny side of Chloe, not the 'I need a nap, so I am going to act like a crazy person' side.)

We (by 'we' I mean Chloe) have learned that we don't like a wet or poopy diapers, SOOO while we are napping it's fun to take it off and pee all over the bed and then get mad at mommy because our bed is wet and so are we.We have learned it's fun to ride on great grandma Janzen's walker while she shows us off to all her friends. (This is a highlight for great grans day.)

While we are at the 'grands' for a visit, we have also learned it is fun to steal great grandpa's walker so he can't get up. Finally, we have also learned that sitting in daddy's lap, holding Cooper is our most favorite thing to do in the world...
... next to riding rides at the Kiddie Park.

Hope for Each Day

I was reading Billy Graham’s book called Hope for Each Day. It has little devotions for each day of the year. The following poem was at the beginning of the book before the preface. I thought it was good for people I know and love.

Therefore I live for today-

Certain of finding at sunrise

Guidance and strength for the way.


Power and hope for each moment of weakness,

Hope for each moment of pain,

Comfort for every sorrow,

Sunshine and joy after rain!

-Anonymous

Books

As I get older, I am finding that reading a good book is something I thoroughly enjoy. As a kid, I didn't much enjoy reading. I wasn't really persuaded or made to read and I can't recall being read to very often. My resolution for 2007 was to read more. I accomplished that goal. For 2008? I was to keep it up, so far I've done pretty good considering I have 2 kids. ;) I like books with good words of wisdom, or life lessons, or ones that follow a 'true' story line. I'm not into sci-fi; books or movies, total opposite of Matt.

I recently finished reading The Last Lecture. I'm sure you've heard about it. I must say, "I loved it!" I read some of the comments people had about this book and I let them sway my decision; in a negative way. By that I mean, I almost didn't buy it because of what 'they' wrote. I finally got smart and said, "Megan, you need to just buy it, read it and form your own opinion." I did and my opinion is, "Good book." There was one sentence that Randy wrote that is the perfect motto for my life. "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted."

One I read in 2007 was, Under the Overpass. If you haven't read that book please pick it up. I'll even loan you mine, then you won't have to pay for one. It's about a Christian guy named Mike who with his buddy, decide to become homeless for a while. Good book on ministry and loving people no matter what their circumstance because you never know.

Another good read is The Secret Blend. A college friend of mine, father-in-law Stan Toler, wrote this book. He's the pastor of Trinity Church of the Nazarene in OKC. He's written many books, but this is the only one I've read. My friend gave me this book before it even hit the shelves I think 4 years ago. It's a 'reflection' book. By that I mean it makes you check yourself, but in a good way. Hard to explain, but 'Secret Blend' refers to coffee, life and enriching your relationships. I quoted part of that from his website. You can borrow this one as well. I try to read this book at least once a year. It's a good easy read.

About 3 years ago, I read In the Presence of My Enemies. This book falls under the 'true life' category. I ran across it in Mardel's and was on sale for pennies, so I picked it up. I had heard about this story, but didn't realize the severity of it until reading the book. If yo aren't familiar it's about a missionary couple who are kidnapped, with others, in the Philippines and held captive for a year. Good story, makes you pray for missionaries if you never have or pray harder if you already do.

I'm hoping to read more books to add to my library. If anyone has read a good book along the lines of the books I've mentioned please share. If you want to borrow one of mine I've mentioned just email me. I'm working on a Max Lucado book right now titled The Great House of God. So far I like it. I started it before Lecture, but put it aside while I read that one.

Amazon will meet all your book reading needs if you don't want to borrow.

Our 4th of July

This was Cooper's first holiday celebration and Chloe's second 4th. She didn't see fireworks last year and this year they scared her. haha I let her sit in my lap and help me take these pictures. The 'BULB' feature on my camera is really cool! We were so close to the action we were being pelted with firework shrapnel.

This Time Last Year

As many of you may remember, it flooded here in B'ville last year and Matt's store was in the thick of it.

The picture above and below are from the evening the water was rising. These were taken from his parking lot. Above is the business next door and below is across the street.

This picture below shows what we saw the next morning from a block away.

The water got 2ft. to 2.5 feet high inside. This event began a long ordeal of finding a new location, getting a building built and moving multiple times. Things still are being worked out. BUT luckily Matt doesn't have to worry about flooding anymore. The picture above is a full shot, I didn't zoom in on the store. Matt's store is the blue building behind the U-Haul trucks. Behind the billboard is the yellow building in the pictures above. If you look to the upper right side of the picture there is a bridge. That is where the Verdigris River is located.

Later this day or the next I can't remember, Matt borrowed a kayak and paddled to the store to retrieve some important paper work and cash that was left. We didn't think it would get this high.

The water was being funneled down the road directly in front of his store. The water is moving at a very high rate of speed, he almost didn't make it back. He said it kept pushing him back and sideways. (I advised against this little idea, but he was worried about losing the cash.) If he hadn't been able to fight the current he would have ended up across town.

Wearing Chloe Out!

We don't get out much during the day, the three of us. It's a lot of work taking them some where are there isn't a place to go that is cool enough, temperature wise, for Cooper. SO what usually happens is Matt gets home, we eat dinner and he puts on a smile as I say, "We need to get Chloe out of the house. Where do you want to go, Sooner Park, Dino Park or Kiddie Park?" (Matt now commutes to northeast Tulsa, so his days got longer.) We are so Okie that sometimes we will take her to Wal-Mart just so she can see people. Usually I need something anyways and it's cooler than outdoors.

We've been going to the Kiddie Park more often this year than last, since Chloe is bigger. The Kiddie Park for the non-Bartians (Bartlesville residents) is a mini amusement park. The rides have been flooded a few times and I think they were built in the Roaring 20's, but they still work. Chloe loves loves loves going there.

My 'Barrel Making Gift from God'

My 'barrel making gift from God' is my Cooper Matthew. It may not be as powerful as other names, but I figured the 'Gift from God' part took up for the barrel making part. I just like the name Cooper, it's a good athlete's name.

"Up to bat, hitting 3rd and playing short stop is Coooooperrrr Knox!" and the crowds cheer and the girls giggle.

Three months ago today at 0210, my barrel maker was born weighing 7lbs 10oz 20.5" long.

Here we are today weighing almost 14lbs!! and measuring 24" long!! It won't be long before he's bigger than our petite Chloe Joy.

He is the sweetest little person ever. Chloe was never much of a cuddler and still isn't unless she's sick. Our little Coop loves to be held, talked to, rocked, sung to and played with. He doesn't much care to be with out us which is cute, but can be annoying. Luckily he sleeps through the night, so I'll take the daily lovin' on.

He's been in the bassinet since we brought him home and tonight will be his first night in his crib. (Long story as to why he is just now leaving our room. We kicked Chloe out of our room at 6 weeks! No wonder she's Miss Independent!)

(Here is Cooper's room, poor guy. When we found out we were moving soon (by soon I mean I don't know when) we didn't hurry to decorate. We are just now getting around to buying his mattress! Matt finished the crackle and I like it, he hates it.)

I could have picked up the room for these pictures, but I'm just being real. His room is a disaster and with Matt's new job, Cooper's room got bumped on the priority list. "Sorry buddy. Thankfully, you won't remember."

Chloe is as much in love with Cooper as we are. First thing in the morning when I get her out of bed, "Pooper? Sshh, Pooooper." When she sees him she'll say, "HIEEEE POOOOPER!" She says it like "Well, there you are." He'll just grin and coo at her. I've caught her in his face saying, "What? What?" You know like we adults do to infants when they are talking? She's a sweet sister.

Blue Bunny Ice cream

I have found my new favorite ice cream novelty. (I just recently learned what 'novelty' implied. It means, 'secret weapon of mass destruction.')

I was searching a 'saving money' blog and found a link to the Blue Bunny website offering a $1.00 off any (1) Blue Bunny Novelty. I printed it and thought I'd give the novelty route a try. I am an ice cream addict always have been and always will be, I will never reform. No matter how high gas prices go or how high dairy prices climb, I will never turn my back from the fat inducing, water retaining piece of heaven some loosely call ice cream. I call happiness in a box, on a stick, in a bowl, but not so much on a cone unless it's of the waffle variety then I'll consider.

I was recently turned on to Skinny Cow's which are F-A-N-tastic, but since my recent discovery of (drum roll please) Blue Bunny Sundae Crunch Bar Chocolate, I have decided losing weight for my 10 year reunion isn't all that important in the whole scheme of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I am pursuing happiness right now.

Don't get me wrong, I have not dumped the Skinny Dipper's, their presence will still be mandatory in my freezer. They will just have a little company for the time being. I think after lunch I will eat a sundae novelty and after dinner eat a dipper immediately followed by a sundae. I'm breastfeeding for crying out loud; Cooper gets at least half of all I eat right? One for Coop the other for Mom.

The Milk Jug Makeover...

Apparently a milk company in Ohio has redesigned the gallon milk jug. It looks very different, but is supposed to be better for the environment, taste fresher and is .15c cheaper than the bulky jug. Here is the link to the story.

I personally could care less if milk came in a jug the shaped of a cow! If it's cheaper and tastes the same, I don't care.