O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree...

how lovely is your fakeness...

We totally purchased a artificial Christmas Tree on Sunday, I'm so excited. Because who wants to make you children's noses run MORE in the cold weather. When I was growing up if you asked me if I would ever have a fake tree in my home I would have looked at you like you asked me to put a tree made of turds in the corner of my living roon. Obviously, my views have changed. We grew weary of picking a tree, paying too much for it only to have the needles start falling off WAY too soon. I also got frustrated with using up a whole vaacum bag to suck up the 10 million needles that blasted off the tree as we shoved it out the door on January 1st, brown and crackly and could be. I do miss the smell and I'll probably miss the tree hunting tradition next year, but hopefully the pros will still outweight the cons.

So do you have a fakie or a realie?

Happy Birthday Mom, I Love you!

A time to be Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, I hope your day is filled with family, fun, and food!

We're having a different Thanksgiving. Jonathan's dad, Ray is in the hospital. When we got to Jasper he was fine and the next day he came down with what we thought was a stomach bug. Well he didn't get better finally after his second trip to the hospital he was transferred to Beaumont and had exploritory surgery. His appendix was inflamed and it was removed. The doctors said that wasn't the reason he was so sick. So we still don't know why he is very ill. His intestines are really inflamed and his abdomen is distended. He is is a lot of pain and is still quite nauseous. The doctors that took care of him yesterday thought they would find cancer when they operated so we're thankful that wasn't the case, so now it's just a waiting game. Waiting to see if the surgery will make him better, waiting to see what is swelling from surgery and what is swelling from something else. Say a prayer for Ray today!

gnirob

We sometimes say this in my family...it's boring spelled backwards. Last night Jonathan cooked a chuckwagon supper for some of Ray and Linda's friends. The food was yummy and perfect for a chilly fall night. That's not the boring part though. There is a couple that Jonathan and I went to college with that recently moved back to Jasper. The girl was President of my club back in the day and I remembered her as a funny, smart girl that everyone liked. She is still someone that everyone would like, minus the funny. I found it very uncomfortable that I coulnd't find enough to talk to her about. Mainly, we talked about our kids, which is fine, but I like to engage in other topics besides that. Especially when we could have been dishing on people we knew from ACU. Her husband who wasn't mister personality to begin with has only gotten, shall we say, more gnirob.

Oh how I hope no one can say that about me and Jonathan. In fact I hope we're the opposite. I hope, as we mature, we become more interesting rather than more boring. I may not be the center of attention, but please let no one who walks away from a conversation with me ever think I'm dull.

I tried to upload a funny picture of Bowen but I'm working with dial-up here in the Piney Woods of East Taxas so it was going to take forever.

I ran by myself today!

I had to do a long run solo today. I was really worried about it. First I was worried I would get lost on the route I planned. Then I worried I would get hurt or something and be alone and stranded. So at 6:40 this morning I set off on my adventure. I had great songs on my ipod, I had my dorky water fanny pack, I was ready. I made one wrong turn and figurd it out after about 20 feet, found the right way and didn't have anymore problems. It was a great route because it went through Colonial and I was on part of a Luke's run. I had plenty of people and houses to look at. So I survived seven miles of running alone, that's a record for me... it was a fun adventure but I'll be ready to have Julie back and hopefully Mere and Ryan will join us soon.

Christmas Shopping

My whole life I've loved to shop for Christmas. And after Laine was born, I even liked it her first Christmas. Now, it's different. Not good or bad, just different.

For example:

When kids are little they don't understand Christmas and more importantly don't remember if they see a gift you snuck in the basket at Target. I remember the when the forgetting dream was shattered for me. Laine wanted an umbrella for Christmas, she was two and we picked out a cute one at Wal-Mart. She remembered we bought it, she asked about it EVERY DAY for two weeks. Finally we distracted her with some new thing I'm sure to get her mind off the umbrella.

Now we even have to hide Bowen's presents from her because if she saw presents for him (especially those from S.C.) she would totally know. You're probably saying, duh Heather. I just think I was back in the day of one kid, and that one kid wouldn't remember his presents, but his big sister would.

Saying all that, it is more fun now because we see the magic of Christmas through Laine. Her excitement is contagious. Tonight she saw a Hallmark Christmas window, she was mesmerized, it was a wonderful moment as a parent. It's a blessing to pass on the Christmas excitement my parents made for Me and Mere.

So this year shopping will have to be done in shifts. Bowen will make a totally cool shopping partner, he can't talk! Hopefully Jonathan and I can escape and shop together a little.

Here's a Christmas poll. My family is divided on how this should be done. What's your preference?

Do you like for family to give you a list of ideas or do you like to shop sans list?

I'm a total list girl!

I'm back to explain...

OK:

Hypothyroid.

Well my hair started falling out a couple of months ago, it freaked me out but I attributed to hormones etc. I went to the Doctor for my hip pain and told her about my hair, she agreed about the hormones but tested my thyroid levels just to be sure. Once I got my results back I researched hypothyroid and I had more symptoms than I thought. Fatigue, hair loss, weight gain, irritability. I just thought I was tired and irritated because I was a working mother of two. I couldn't explain the weight or hair. My body isn't producing enough thyroid hormone so my pituitary gland is producing too much hormone called TSH to tell my thyroid to get in gear. It basically causes your body to slow down. I'm taking medicine to level my thyroid hormone.

Camel:

His name is Larry and one of Jonathan's students owns him. His job is to trim the trees, just like a llama might except he's way cooler.


Here are some pictures of Halloween, Larry, and the new kitty Pumpkin Batman. Laine named him, we think it's the best kitty name ever.

Soy un perdedor

I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me.

I have been a total loser blogger the last month, I promise to do better.

Meanwhile here's some randomness:

I've been diagnosed with hypothroid.

I took both my kids to the doctor yesterday.

Today I went for a bike ride. If the safety strap hadn't been on the bike trailer, Bowen would have gone shooting across Granbury Road without me.

Jonathan brought a baby camel to Laine's school today.

Bowen has snot coming out his ear.


I'll be back with Halloween pictures later!