Tank-Tu

The year was our year to go to the Rademacher farm (Jonathan's cousins) outside of Austin. I was so happy to wake up this morning to find that there was no remains of pink eye or green snot. I was also pleased that a stomach bug did not stop us this year from enjoying family time. We got there in time to take some family pictures. Every year Jonathan's parents take a family picture for their Christmas card. Every year it gets increasingly complicated but somehow it is always pulled off. The years that we are not there, I photoshop our family into the farm picture. However, this year, we had three children that did not want to cooperate in our plan. We will find out soon enough if there is one in the bunch that will work, but we have surrendered to the fact that there just might be one child crying or not smiling in the Christmas picture. Oh well....

Anyhow, after all of the hoop-la of the photo sesssion, we finally enjoyed some yummy food and conversation. I am pretty sure that most of my day was committed to keeping Jack happy. I resigned to that since he is a major mama's boy. Luckily, for once was glad that Keegan was a daddy's boy. After lunch, Jonathan and I ended up in the living room watching the Dallas Cowboy game with both boys asleep on us. We smiled at each other like.."oh well". There are so many fun things to do outside, but it was a sweet 45 minutes.

After that I spent time with Bill Rademacher's parents Buff and Pat. They are sweet couple that just loved on my little Jack Jack and let him eat cheerios out of their hands. They work with two year olds in their church nursery and you can tell that God has them exactly where they need to be. They have a warm, loving presence that radiates Jesus love. Thank you God for people like Buff and Pat who forget about their age and get on the ground and play with children.

Jonathan, Granny J, and Keegan rode the 4 wheeler out to where they were shooting skeet. (Keegan was observing from a distance as I was told.) Guns scare me so I stayed back. However, I know I trust my husband..but it will be a LONG while until I am okay for Keegan and Jack to get near one. We then fed the cows and I almost lost my lunch when I saw their big black tongue. We headed back after a long day and were stuck in major traffic on 290 where they blocked off part of the highway completely. Later we saw a car that we think we over the bridge. My heart was saddened and pray that there were no fatalities.

At 7pm sharp, the Aggie/Longhorn game was turned on the radio. As soon as the noise came out of those speakers, Keegan yelled, "Gig'em Aggies" with two thumbs in the air. Oh dear....

I have tons of pictures to upload and will show later, but thought I would write a list of what I am thankful for. Keegan says "Tank-Tu" instead of "Thank You" and it never gets old to me. He even says it when I do not ask. God must really get much more gratification when we thank Him.

Tank-Tu for good health.
Tank-Tu for a loving husband and father.
Tank-Tu for my sweet boys.
Tank-Tu for our family and especially both sets of parents who are still together.
Tank-Tu for our newest family member on the way. (It is not me!)
Tank-Tu for friends that are like family.
Tank-Tu for Houston Northwest Baptist Church and the blessings and new friends we have received.
Tank-Tu for Jonathan's job.
Tank-Tu for running clean water.
Tank-Tu for food when we need it.
Tank-Tu for Your son who died on the cross for our sins so that we might have eternal life.
Tank-Tu that we don't have to work for our salvation because it is freely given.

Amen.

Fall Fun

At Least I am Learning...Something

So I have to admit: I am a reality TV junky.

Here are my favorite with a few reviews...
Dancing With the Stars. I think Brooke is going to win, however it will be VERY tight. Lacey wants Lance. Cody wants Julianne.
Jon and Kate Plus 8. If you have to discipline your children during your wedding, wait until their older. BUT...those chidren looked so sweet in their outfits!! I will say that Kate is very creative and organized but not so nice to Jon.
The Hills. Spencer is abusive. Heidi is blind. Whitney is smitten. Lauren is a target for rumors. Lo is the mean girl. Audrina is blind. Justin Bobby has a girlfriend in every city. (how much you want to bet?)
America's Next Top Model. Mckey has it in the bag. We will find out tonight. I LOVE the photography on this show. They can make anyone look like a model.
Super Nanny: I actually can say that I am learn a little from this show. She is so creative with getting whipping kids into shape. I don't always agree, but she knows what she is doing.
Take Home Chef: Do you ever wonder if Curtis takes home any of the numbers of the girls he chooses?
What Not To Wear: I watch this show mainly to laugh at Stacy and Clinton. They are hilarious. I am wondering if I can nominate myself? PLEASE...take my clothes!

What's New Here

*Jack is eating slices of ham, turkey, macaroni, lots of cheerios, and cheese. We have an appointment on Wednesday for oral feeding therapy for some further help. He just started all of this last week, so I have debated canceling it, but I think I will go anyway to get help with other kids of food that he still spits out.

*I joined the choir at church a month ago and am going to try out for ensemble next week. It has been a LONG time since I have been part of a choir and it has been quite enjoyable. I have to break out my skills in reading music and remembering the notes on the page...so it is a good challenge. My heart has been so full to be able to sing again.

*My roommate from college, Kristin, just had her twin babies Miles and Sam. They are so adorable and I can not wait to meet those two! Check out the shirt that her husband Todd made her for Halloween (2 days before the babies came). It is cracking me up!

*We have a new neighbors two doors down. I went and introduced myself and found out that the husband graduated two years before me at Mansfield High School. Small world!

*We have a couple of women in my neighborhood that have strollers for their dogs. Does anyone else find this strange? They made a comment to us something like, "This is the only way to walk a dog." I am dumbfounded.


*So I am addicted to a show on MTV called "The Hills". I think I have been watching these kids grow up for 4 years now since Laguna Beach. If anyone watches it out there.."How about Spencer being put in place by Heidi's boss?"

*Keegan has made an exit out of his 5 o'clock wake up call. Thank you time change...even though it was supposed to get him to wake up earlier...it went the opposite way.

*I was looking at houses in this one particular neighborhood on HAR, and saw this picture.


*I host a table group on Tuesday nights once a month for "Women's Life" with author Chandra Peele as our speaker. She has written girls ministry books and I actually used a couple at HFBC for girls. So cool. What I love about this night, it is a melting pot of ages. I had some older women at my table last night. One of them before leaving said, "Can I sit at your table next month?" It made my heart happy.

Happy Fall Festival!

Last Friday did have a good ending. Keegan and I had a date at our churches fall festival while Jonathan and Jack stayed home sick. It took a good while to get his costume on (he hated it) but he allowed us to scribble on his face. Go figure. He made a cute little scarecrow! As soon as we entered into the parking lot he saw the Firetruck and he could not run fast enough to check it out. Then he saw the "choo-choo" and folks...he could die a happy scarecrow! We rode it around and the excitement that was built up in his body all came out in shrieks! Then the happiness ended when we had to get off the train and then we had a life lesson in waiting in the line to ride it again.

We walked around and nibbled on a extra fried funnel cake and then his attention landed on the band playing. (like mother like son) We made our way to the dance floor and he was a dancing fool. (Yall...this is a BAPTIST church...someone say AMEN!) We soon found our friends the Stengles, and their little twin girls, Kyla and Kyrsten (who were butterflies minus the wings...cause they only lasted a few minutes). The greatest moment is when Keegan ran onto the dance floor and took Kyrsten's hands to dance. (hmmmmmm.....) It was oh so fun for the soul.

Keegan and his bestie, Cade...the fireman



"Keegan and Kyrsten sitting in a tree"....oh sorry... getting a little ahead of myself!


Saturday, Jack felt up to putting on his costume and unfortunately there was no way...no how...that Keegan was going to put his scarecrow outfit back on. So, just imagine the scarecrow and pumpkin all smiles together in a picture...cause there's not one. Look how irresistibly cute he is. (Thanks Stacie for lending us this costume!)

(check out my new teeth!!)

Herpa-What?

Friday morning I woke up all pumped up for the fall festival at our church. I got Keegan out of bed and then Jack, but when I reached in to get him he had a fever. Ahhhhhh! Seriously? He had a slight temp before going to bed but I thought it was because he was getting teeth. So, I thought optimistically and gave him motrin right away. He was quite the fuss budget, so I gave him a long nap hoping it would cure all. Nope. When he woke up he was burning up and had the chills. So, I sat on our couch with him wrapped up while Keegan ran around the house like a mad man. I could not give him any tylenol for another hour. Poor guy.

I get an important phone call and while I have a sick baby in my arms, I also have to write down lots of info. At the same time, Keegan is running around the house like a mad man. (still) No structure...means CRAZY! While I am on the phone I see in the corner of my eye Keegan taking off his pajamas, undoing his diaper and jumping in his tent with all his stuffed animals. I hear, "TEE-TEE in TENT". Oh no! I finish with the phone call and look inside the tent to find everything wet and Keegan naked. He has this grin and said, "Funny". He did not think it was too funny a few seconds later.

I buzz the doctor because an hour after the tylenol, Jack has 103.5 temp. I took him in that afternoon only to find that his temp was 97.1 and he was waving at everyone in the sitting room. The nurse kind of looked at me like..."Sure!". I looked at her like..."Do you think it is fun to wake my kids up to bring my two kids here?" The doc comes in the room, checks him over and says, "I know what he has." Herpangina." HERPA-what? (Then a bell rings in my head because an old student had it.) In fact, the doctor slurs the word a little because it sound that awful. (Of course, this is the same doc that calls the boy part not what it is really called but an alternative word.) This is a virus that causes an ulcer outbreak in the throat. Whoever labels these viruses need to get more creative or at least think twice about what it sounds like. Jack..I am so sorry!

Bad news is Jack could not go to the fall festival but Good news is Keegan and mommy got to go and we had a blast.
Pics to come. :)