The Noble Windmill

A New Year Dawns

2012-01-05T22:12:00.001-06:00

By Justin

A new year is unfolding - like a blossom with petals curled tightly concealing the beauty within. -Unknown

In my persistence that I am neither a pessimist nor an optimist, rarely do I feel the need to look upon the new year as a time to truly make resolutions or changes. It is, in fact, just a day on the calendar arbitrarily created to document the completely human need to chronicle time. Should changes be warranted in your life, why should January 1st be any different than any other day.

However, this year I have been reading Dave Ramsey's EntreLeadership. His chapter on dreams, visions, missions and goals has pushed me to rethink my plan. I am giving 'resolutions' a go this year.

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. - Benjamin Franklin

So in line with his thinking, Holly and I have started the dialog about making our dreams for our family realities. Casting a vision and getting specific on what it is going to take to accomplish it. To look with anticipation forward into what our life can be as a family. These have big ramifications on the individual dreams and goals for our family as well and just like a good vision greatly affect the individual goals I am setting for myself.

For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning. - T.S. Elliot

I am not going to share my specific goals. I want the changes that are made to be done out of a genuine desire to see the vision to fruition. My accountability will be with myself and those individuals around me that I know and trust. I am excited to see what is just around the bend in the tracks ahead. A new year dawns...and I am excited.

Pinkwashing

2011-10-12T23:06:00.002-05:00

by Justin

I must start by saying this: Breast cancer is a terrible, horrible, no good thing. Like many of our cancers, it devastates lives and families. We can and should find a cure.

I must also say that the 'pinkwashing' of October makes me want to puke. I am sick of everything and the world that stands still and can be sold being in that perfect shade of pink. In Lubbock, Texas this month you could have attended a "Pink Out" - Texas Tech Volleyball Game, the Komen Race, or the "We Think Pink in Lubbock" event, among others.

Like everywhere else you can buy pink guns, pink pins, pink purses, pink...pink..pink. All with a 'portion of the proceeds' going toward the cure. On facebook I have no less than six friends raising vast amounts of cash for their Komen walks. Walking is great. Walking is rewarding. Walking can accomplish great things and fund great research.

The Komen for the Cure foundation spent 80.5% of their budget on program expenses last year. That is actually fairly respectable. Their revenue was some 312 million dollars. I am just left wondering if their popularization of pink caused a marketing boom, with little real ramification on donations.

I am aware that not all 'pink events' go to fund Komen. But by far they are the marketing geniuses behind this crazy. And frankly, I wish that I didn't have to stare at pink everywhere I turned for an entire month.

Roadside Memorial

2011-09-19T21:32:00.000-05:00

By Justin

Please, please do me a favor. If by some stroke of fate I end up dieing in a tragic roadside accident, please don't erect a memorial in my honor. I figure I have annoyed enough people in my life than to keep on annoying the guys who have to mow around my memorial long after I depart from earth.

This random thought brought to you by 23 hours alone in a car back and forth between El Paso and Lubbock, twice...

Life on the Road

2011-08-25T22:20:00.000-05:00

By Justin

Well I am going on the road for work. It has been a while, and never with two kids at home. I am headed to El Paso to lend a hand to my coworkers. I will be gone for two weeks followed by a week at a conference. Starting Monday I will spend two nights in my bed in eighteen days. It will be a challenging time for our family, mostly for Holly. I will be home on labor day weekend, but we are in Friona for the holiday. The following weekend I get home on Friday and leave Saturday morning for the conference. Bad timing all around, but necessary.

I have been surprised at the overall lack of response on the previous posts. The original post is the number one visited post on our blog in the last year. More interesting than that is the follow up post. I can see 'referring site' stats and the site that is the number one referrer is quite interesting. I won't put that out here for everyone to see, cause it really doesn't matter, but it definitely amuses me that I know people are reading, but not commenting. Maybe I am underestimating how much people care.

Maybe people just want to see pictures of the kids. Guess I can make that happen and really leave my ranting to my friends. They love it...no really they do...wait do I have friends..

hmmmmm Guess i will give you what you really want.

We’ve Got It Wrong – Part Two

2011-08-22T22:39:00.001-05:00

By Justin

If you are just joining me, you should go back and read We’ve Got It Wrong. It really lays out the foundation of how this has developed. The second part of my opinion is how the conservative branch of the Christian church is doing far more harm than good in the debate over homosexuality.

I am going to start with this. I am going to attempt to withhold my closely held beliefs on this topic and instead focus on what I see as a great misunderstanding and injustice being served by the more conservative parts of the Christian denominations.

In being emphatically driven to shout how wrong homosexual relationships are, we have become that which we work our lives not to be: judgmental, unloving hypocrites. We have decided to let people scream at the top of their lungs the evils of this behavior and preach condemnation from the pulpit. But let’s take a look at our universal example of how we should deal with these issues, Jesus.

Jesus lived in times of active and accepted homosexuality by the roman rulers of the day. While the Jews did not practice and condemned it, Jesus spoke out on issues of Roman and Jewish natures. I find it telling that not once in his recorded ministry did Jesus condemn homosexuality. Now he did reaffirm the biblical concepts of creation and of Adam and Eve’s union, but he stopped short of same sex condemnation.

Instead Jesus focused on support, love and openness. He saw sin, confronted it, forgave it and invited the individual to walk with him. So if we go to the least possible situation, at the most homosexuality could be classified as unrepentant sin. Jesus confronted this with the women caught in prostitution. What was his reaction to the crowd that was going to stone this woman? Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone. Then him, being the only one able to cast a stone, went to her and forgave her. Then invited her to go and walk in a new life.

If we were to model our view of homosexuality after this model, how could it be different? I think we’d be surprised how wrong we have gotten it.

On the other end of the spectrum is that homosexuality isn’t a sin at all. That God made all people and all things for one and only one purpose to love and cherish him. We should live our lives honoring and fulfilling that which he created us to do. If we’d understand that our purpose on this earth has less to do with who someone is in a relationship with and more to do with the condition of their relationship with God, I think this whole mess would be solved.

I think we should all just shut up and love one another. We should follow the commandments of our Lord and God to love the Lord your God and to Love your Neighbor as yourself. Our churches are filled with unrepentant sin, if in fact homosexuality is a sin, why do we have to treat it any different?

We’ve Got It Wrong

2011-08-10T22:27:00.000-05:00

(Post 350, wow)

By Justin

Sometimes things just get in my craw. This one has been there for awhile. And since I have decided that my blog is my own personal vent space, you have been warned. A few disclosures to start:

This is my opinion, and not that of my wife. You don’t have to agree, but you have to be respectful in your disagreement. If you enjoy a healthy discourse, then by all means add a comment and let’s roll!

For the most part, I subscribed to the more conservative Christian theology. I do not believe everything my denomination preaches and teaches is right, nor important. But for the most part they have it right on the major things of death, burial and resurrection. My heart has been heavy, for some time, over the discourse that has long since been brewing over homosexuality and the church. I believe that we on the right have it all wrong.

There are two main things that bother me. First is the political environment the second is the stance of the church on this issue. I plan to tackle these in two separate posts. First to the politics.

It is true that our founding fathers, for the most part, identified themselves as Christians. The effects of their Christian values are weaved throughout our founding documents. But important points have been lost, in my opinion. The pilgrims left their homelands over religious persecution. The founding fathers spent years debating the role of a republic form of government to prevent abuses by the majority on a minority. So concerned were they that a defacto monarchy could rise again, that they went out of their way to prevent the federal government from proclaiming a national religion, among other rights. Be clear about this, Christian men had an overwhelming majority in the drafting and ratifying the Constitution. They could have easily formed a ‘Christian Nation’, but they didn’t and went out of their way to prevent it.

So as we evaluate the political issue, let us seek to minimize the influence of religion on this portion of the discourse. In all honesty, I believe the government should do away with marriage. The states should simply get out of the marriage license business. The federal government should do away with married exemptions. Simply put, let us be a nation of individuals where ‘all men are created’ and treated ‘equal’.

Now how does this work? Pretty simple. If I want to buy a house and I need your income and credit to provide assurance, I will cosign. Just like my dad did on my first new car. Should we decided we are not longer ‘partners’ in the house then we will have to settle that amicably or go to the courts to resolve it. Should I die, then you are contractually required to settle the debt or surrender the asset. We do what we have been doing for years in contractual law.

Now before you have a heart attack, I’m not saying do away with marriage. I am saying do away with government sanctioning of marriage. For I believe that marriage, biblical marriage, has nothing to do with my marriage license. I couldn’t care less what the state of Texas has given me permission to do. What is important to me is the covenant vow I made with my Wife and my God in church two weeks after Texas gave me permission to marry. I say, leave marriage to the vows with God and your spouse and leave the government out of it.

Now I am a realist. This will never happen. So back to reality. Since this isn’t going to happen, then state sponsorship of marriage should be open to whomever wishes to marry. If you want to enter into a legal contract, also known as a marriage license, so be it. I don’t care if your gender is the same or not. If something goes wrong then go dissolve your legal agreement in court, regardless of your gender. I simply care not and honestly believe that our government shouldn’t either.

In the same vein, legal contracts (marriage licenses) should be treated fairly and equitably by all parties. I’m not forcing you to go ‘against my religion’ for our Christian beliefs teach at length about justice. See it as an ‘opportunity’ to love your neighbor.

But let us also be clear that the separation of church and state is a two way street. The government should not interfere with the practice of my religion, short of the protection of the weak, sick and young. The government (state or federal) should not require my church to perform, recognize or even support same gender legal contracts should my church decided it is ‘against our religion’. In fact, I’d argue that the Constitution protects our right for us to be the largest, loudest bigots on the face of the planet, should we so choose (westboro church, anyone?).

I’d also admit this is a slippery slope. If this goes to the extreme, then I can craft a ‘religion’ to allow or disallow anything. Polygamy could be deemed to be legal and the government really not have a right to prevent it, unless it can show cause of harm. ‘Child Brides’ and other controversial practices could become ‘acceptable religious practices’. I am going to opt not to be crazy extreme about this. I am sure FoxNews and MSNBC will do this for us.

So I will close on this: Government: get out of the business of marriage and if you decide you can’t, the let’s get it all equal. It is the least we can do.

The End Before the Beginning

2011-07-23T01:21:00.001-05:00

By Justin

Every good Presidential candidate hopes their vision of the future catches fire and propels them to greatness. Some write books. Some spend all their time in New Hampshire. Some just have the right last name. Sadly, these things never occurred.

So I am withdrawing from my fake presidential run. It seems, like Newt, I failed to 'ignite the base' or 'reach for the middle'. Now some will say that Energy and National Defense weren't really the best topics to start with, if debate and fire is what I sought. They might be right, but in my political world if you can't get fired up over a good "clean coal" debate, then we really shouldn't discuss civil rights and the role of faith in society.

So go back to CNN and listen to the hours and hours of nonsense and talking heads who have neither the ability to affect change nor the real answer, just a hypothetical of what might occur should something else occur in Congress.

And for the record: in the short term the end of the world and the value of the American dollar will NOT disappear on August 2, should we have a fictitious 'default' on our debt. Besides August 2nd was an estimate made by a political appointee, the Treasury Secretary. And the same department gets to decide if we don't pay our debt or don't pay our electric bills or don't pay Congress. So saying we default on our debt is saying it is our only payment due, which we all can attest, is not the case. So lets stop the nonstop stupidity on CNN, pick a few things we shouldn't be paying for anyway...and get a deal done that really does put the good ole USA in better hands going forward.

Platform Discussion: Energy Policy

2011-07-08T12:00:00.004-05:00

- 89% of USA energy consumption is from non-renewable sources (DOE)

- 41% of consumption is by residential users, 30% industrial, 29% transportation (DOE)

- The USA is the number one energy consumer in the world using 21%, China is next at 16% then Russia at 6%

It is easy and trendy to talk about energy policy when gas is $4 a gallon and we are fighting a war with the an oil exporter. It is less so when gas is $2 and CNN's lead story is Justin Bieber. The reality is there is not a single quick solution to the issue. Just like most major issues it is going to take decisive decision-making to free our self in the future. So a few planks to the platform.

1. Expand the use of nuclear power. Nuclear power made up only 11% of production in 2010 behind Coal, Oil and Gas. It is safe and unmatched with regard to output vs. impact vs. left overs. Yes the waste will outlive our kid's, kid's, kids. But this waste pales in comparison to the gains made by the zero carbon footprint.

I do not believe in clean coal. I believe domestic natural gas and oil discovery has reached its peak. I know the mining industry supports an entire section of our grand union's economy; however, we must work to lesson our dependence not just on 'foreign oil' but on all forms of nonrenewable energy. While nuclear is nonrenewable, it is long term sustainable.

2. Invest in renewable energies. Wind, wave and solar technologies need substantial government based investments to refine and make plausible in the near term future. We should redirect some of the governments research in the sexual habits of men in Russia and Appalachian fruits towards solving the issues on generation, storage and delivery of these renewable energies. It is easy to say that the government should get out of the way and let the private industry take the lead; however, the major players in the private industry have invested trillions of dollars into oil and gas exploration, delivery and refinement systems. There is no motivation to advance renewable energies at an accelerated pace.

3. Increase the gas tax by 25¢. This money should be directed to help offset the startup costs of new nuclear power plants and the investments in research. Easy as that. A new agency should NOT be created to manage this money. Throw it in with the Department of Energy grants and the oversight already created therein.

4. We should carefully exploit domestic energy reserves. We should be prepared for the possibilities that a 'friend' in the middle east is no longer a friend. While they need us to purchase their oil to fund their regimes, it can get into difficult politics should they decide to no longer sell us their oil. During this interim period of building nuclear plants and increase in research, we should complete careful exploration of domestic off shore drilling, Alaskan drilling, gas reserve locating and drilling in addition to continue refinement of the coal burning processes. Additional consideration should be taken to determine the stock piling of these precious limited resources for use or sale in the long-term future (100+ years) could provide our nation with a strategic advantage. As the amount of available resources diminished, the one holding the most reserves will be the one holding the trump card. We, as a nation, do not want to be on the wrong end of that equation.

A well rounded energy policy with clear direction is lacking in the nation. With each change of President and/or party holding the office a new set of thoughts comes into being. The result has been a policy toss around like a dingy in the ocean. A clear, defined and well funded energy policy is a must.

Platform Discussion: National Defense

2011-07-04T12:00:00.003-05:00

By Justin

The concept of national defense is tricky. There is the notion of 'homeland defense' and the traditional concept of 'defending freedom'. For this posting, we will tackle the traditional defending freedom. I think we should start with a few facts. As best that can be determined with little true research I turned to wikipedia. The USA spent 687 billion dollars in 2010 in 'military expenditures'. China is the next closes in expenditures at 114 billion.

So for 2010, the USA spent 6 times as much as the next 'superpower' in the world. In fact, it takes the top 20 countries in the world to equal the spending by the USA on 'military expenditures'. The fact is that the true cost of national defense is much, much higher. If you add in defense organizations such as the FBI, veteran affairs, portions of the State Department, etc. You easily get to a trillion dollars.

So the question of national defense is well warranted. So the Platform...

1. The Members of the Armed Forces deserve our admiration, respect and unwavering support. The line from a Few Good Men by Jack Nicholson is so very true:

"We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way"

It is easy for us to sit in our homes and complain about defense spending, conflicts and wars. While worthwhile discussions and rightfully apart of the conversation, we must not forget the individuals who are carrying out their duties. Spending on veterans should be examined, refined and reviewed. The Veterans Administration should be reviewed from top to bottom. The methodologies and support functions for our veterans should be modern and cutting edge whether that be GI Bills, home loans or medical care.

2. The United States should continue to be a recognized international force for stabilizing otherwise unstable situations. It is easy to say our role should not be a police force. But saying so is like saying that homeless person should just get a job. It isn't that easy. An international force to address and respond to crisis is necessary and the reality is our country has the wealth and influence to be that nation. It should be done with care, openness and always with the interests of the oppressed in mind.

3. The Armed Forces should be equipped to fight the newest threats with the more advanced technologies. Evaluation of the methodologies of training and types of equipment should reflect the threats we face. While all threats cannot be known, preparing for Icelandic space war should not top our spending priorities.

4. The monitoring, control, and (where needed) prevention of the spread of nuclear weapons is essential to domestic and international security. I realize it is easy to sit behind our nuclear arsenal and say you can't have one. I realize we are the only country in the history of time to use a nuclear weapon in an act of war. However, I believe our values as a people would not stand for us to be 'rouge' in another use of a nuclear weapon. Using our arsenal as an international veil of protection is warranted. Preventing rogue nations, tribes or groups from acquiring nuclear weapons should be mission one.

Overall Discussion: The talking of national defense could go on forever. The truth is the 687 billion dollars is a major driver of the USA economy. I am not a proponent of cutting defense spending, however, ensuring the spending is addressing current threats, preventing the spread of nuclear weapons, deployed in ways to assist those living under repressive regimes and ultimately providing the very best for the Men and Women in and out of uniform is key.

If I was President, that 687 billion would be evaluated and some priorities would be shifted favoring Veteran spending, modernization and nuclear threats.

Current theaters of war, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya need to be evaluated. I am not going to evoke President G.W. Bush's saying of 'Generals in the field will determine troop levels', but I will say that I have no vested trust that the Congress of the United States has the ability to not play politics with the US Military. To that end, the Joints Chiefs of Staff should be advising the President on the ends that meet the means. I will say I am confused on what exactly our ends, means or goals are in Libya. So in effect I am 'punting' on the current theater questions. Take that CNN!

I'm running for President

2011-06-30T23:10:00.000-05:00

By Justin

I love politics. I love talking politics. I love debating politics. Holly could care less. Holly would probably have hard time knowing who the Vice President is. That's okay. It is what makes our relationship tick! I hate that the 2012 campaign has already started. I think we should seriously consider a law that says you can't touchdown in Iowa before six months prior to the primaries. If you do, do not pass go, do not become president.

I will never run for political office. At least I don't think I will. So in the spirit of the current times I pleased to announce that I am running for President. Now I am aware that I do not meet the qualifications under article two of the Constitution. A minor detail. In reality I just plan to launch a few blog posts over the next few weeks that tackle the major issues facing the candidates and our country. I plan to post my views and maybe, just maybe, spur a little talking on the blog.

Now we won't agree. And respect will rule the day. If you want to be disrespectful, go run to be a Senator. This is a Presidential debate, and we will conduct our self accordingly. I also want to start with this: "THESE VIEWS ARE MY OWN. I do not speak for my wife." Often times we disagree over major themes. Also please do not try to box me into a political party, religious dogmatic theology, or even a regional belief system. It won't work. I also will not discuss the current President or GOP field of candidates. This is intended to be lighthearted and fun while really helping me think through the issues.

So come along for the ride. First 'Platform Discussion' is national defense.

Statistics

2011-06-16T21:47:00.001-05:00

By Justin

I can't stand it when a statistic is used to inflate a problem. Instead of framing a problem or issue in 'real terms' we use a statistic to make it seem oh so much better or worse. No other place is this more apparant than in journalism. They have crazy important deadlines and the pressure to make a story must be enormous. Do you need an example?

Well lets start with this story from KCBD Newchannel 11 here in Lubbock. To see the full article go here. It is a story about OSHA warning employers and employees about the crazy hot heat and heat stroke. In that story they make the following statement:

"Last year nationwide more than 1,790 people became seriously ill from heat and more than 30 died."

This statement get me worked up, bad. First off "more than 30 people". Is that 31 or 3,890,903 people? You have a fairly exact number at 1,790, but not in the death number? Where did this number come from? Did KCBD research it, steal it from the 'heat death index' website, what? Does KCBD make it a habit to keep track of deaths nationwide caused by heat?

But more than the lack of sourse, the really irking thing to me is the use of a number to make this story important. Before we go any farther please know that I understand that heat related deaths and illness are 100% preventable. But what this bigger to me is if you put this number in context of the scope this article discusses, then a problem really doesn't exist. If the problem doesn't exist, then there is no need for this story. If there is no need for the story, then what is the ultimate need for the new organization as a whole. Lets break it down.

USA population: 308 million Source: US Census
USA working population: 121 milllion in 2008 (non farm) Source: US Census

So the percentage of working population affected by heat illness is:
(1,790 divded by 121 million *100) = .0014793%

So the percentage of deaths in the working populations is:
(30 divided by 121 million *100) = .000024793%

I see an epidemic on our hands...

More than anything I can't handle unnecessary exageration. This story loses nothing if it focuses on the real risks and concerns, the searing heat. So take heed cause 1 in 10 of my blog readers agrees with me.

Driving 101

2011-06-13T22:37:00.002-05:00

By Justin
I know you are a bad driver when any of the following occur:
- You accelerate from the stoplight, and your brake lights are still illuminated.

- You hit your brakes and come to a complete stop to enter the center left turn lane.

- Your two year old is bouncing on the back seat of your car.

- You are on the inside of a two lane left turn and you aren't even smart enough to follow the 'idiot lines' helping you know which lane to go into.

- You drive a sports car but can't beat the school bus off the line at the red light.

- The time you require for a break in traffic to execute a turn can be calculated using an egg timer.

- You wait until you can see my car over the top of the hill to turn off your bright lights.

- You ride with your bright lights on even on a divided highway with on coming traffic.

- You see the big flashing arrow instructing you to merge and get mad when I don't let you.

All of these items and more cause me to deduct IQ points from you on a scale directly proportional to my annoyance at the moment. Happy Defensive Driving All!

Ode to Angela

2011-06-08T21:25:00.001-05:00

by Justin

You probably dont know her. If you do, you are probably blog stalking...

If you have a chance to meet her you should.

In my life I have probably spent a sum total of one hour in her presence. I wish it could be more.

Angela makes people happy, just being in her presence. She is contagious that way.

She makes Holly's work days better, just being an IM chat away.

She chose to be a USA citizen and now knows more about the USA than 99% of all native-born Americans.

She is really a Canadian at heart, EH!

She loves pink and pink ribbons. It is a good thing, but a sad thing all at the same time.

Her mom and grandmother both lost thier battles with breast cancer. Angela is an amazingly strong woman because of it, even if she doesn't know it.

She walks the Komen 3-day for the Cure in their honor. You should support her here.

Mostly she likes crazy cat pictures and jokes.

Here is to you, Angela. An Ode to You, from West Texas...

Everyone Graduates!

2011-05-24T22:51:00.002-05:00

By Justin

Kindergarten graduations...When did this become a standard of our society? I didn't graduate from kindergarten. In fact I only went half a day. Maybe I need to start over. But honestly Kindergarten graduations make no sense to me. What did you accomplish? You completed a year of school that isn't required (in Texas). Who came up with this? And now we have robes and ceremonies and cookies and punch. Oh and pictures. Don't forget the pictures.

I have also heard of middle school graduation. Seriously? This is getting even more crazy. What are you celebrating? Congratulations you still have five or six more years to go. Oh and you get to 'graduate' to Junior High where bullying and puberty will be oh so much fun.

High School graduation is odd enough. Whew you are done, but if you are smart you really aren't done. So live it up for a night, cause in about three months you start at the bottom of the pool again. And to show our immense intelligence on this day, what do we do? Throw our hats with four pointy objects into the air. Guess we didn't listen in Science class. What goes up, must come down (eventually approaching terminal velocity).

College graduation. Now that is a reason to celebrate. You are done with your formal education. You get to join the work force and pay for the baby boomers to retire and have health care. You are a 'contributing member of society'. Now go forth and conquer. But please don't conquer too fast, I don't need some young go getter to take my job.

Picture update

2011-05-20T00:16:00.000-05:00

By Justin

How about a quick picture update:

Easter Family Picture

I'm just helpin' mom...promise

Just Keep Smiling!

Put your hand up on your hip...

Just a little snuggle with momma!

Parenting = Auditing

2011-05-17T22:01:00.000-05:00

By Justin

I have thought for a long time that parenting is very similar to being an auditor. While driving home today I finally put some examples in mind.

1. You spend your life saying No and I'm sorry but the rules don't allow that. I don't make the rules, I am just in charge of making sure we all follow the rules.

2. Eli likes to count 1,2,3,5,12,49,69,85,12,5. See dad I counted to Ten! Clients like to count: 1,2,3,4...I am sure the rest of the inventory is there. Done! Sometimes it is the later numbers that are the most important.

3. Sometimes you have to ask the same question three different ways to see if the answers match.

to Eli: Eli did you get in trouble at school today? Eli: No

to Eli: Eli did you have to go to time out at school today? Eli: No

to Eli: Eli did you play nice and share today? Eli: No. to Eli: Why not? Eli: Welllllll, Emily took my car cause I wouldn't share with her so I hit her. to Eli: Did you get in trouble for hitting? Eli: Yes and I had to go to timeout.

@ Work: Are you aware of any fraud? No

@ Work: Are you aware of any thing that could be considered shady? No

@ Work: Are you aware of any one taking things home they shouldn't? Well Stephanie does use her credit card to go to Sam's with on occasion, but she always says she pays us back. Do you make sure she pays us back? Oh that isn't my job, isn't that your job?

4. No matter what I say or do, I am the bad guy. Even if I didn't make the rule, I am still in trouble. Eli doesn't like that I make him go to bed. The client doesn't like that I can't let them use the petty cash for lunch money.

5. At the end of the day, they both are rewarding in ways that is hard to explain to the outside world.

How is your job like parenting?

Where have you been?

2011-04-09T15:44:00.000-05:00

By: Justin

Well I've been everywhere man...

We have been busy. Parenting two kids is...well...hard. Rewarding (most of the time) but hard. So we have become those parents who don't really spend that much time posting things, reading things or what have you...

I also think that Facebook has killed blogging. I said this week to a friend, Facebook has caused us to know so much about our friends, yet know our friends less than ever before. I know where you ate last night, that your kid rocked it on the t-ball field and even that you have a test this week. What I don't know is how you really are doing. How your spouse or family is. Even if we are really anything more than 'facebook friends'.

So friends, lets all reconnect. Lets send some emails, calls..heck maybe even a letter.

What do you say? Huh..sorry my phone dinged....someone just commented on a facebook post...

brb..

Welcome Baby Zay Party!

2010-11-16T14:25:00.002-06:00

by Holly

Our dear friend Erin hosted a reception in her home for us in October, to welcome Baby Zay so that our friends could come to us instead of us having to try to make all the rounds. It was so sweet of her and we had a great time. So many people were able to make it and oh, how it made me miss my Allen/Plano area friends!!!

Kay Lyons, Lauren and DeeDee Murray at the refreshment table. Nice spread, Erin!

Erin Jones and Kim Whiteside, dear friends

Amy Tokarz with her sweet kiddoes Shelby, Knox and Jerzy

Abbey and Salomae Mulder- Abbey kept Eli for a few months after I went back to work, and what great memories!

DeeDee Murray with Baby Zay, me in the background. Our little angel!

Fun at Stonebriar Mall

2010-11-05T11:47:00.002-05:00

by Holly

We made a quick trip to Allen back in October to visit friends and introduce Baby Zay. The first big event of the trip was a visit to Stonebriar Mall (Zay's first, and the first that Eli remembered). We started with Build A Bear, where we had our nephew's bear repaired (his voice box was broken), made a puppy for Zay for Christmas and picked out new clothes for Eli's bear for Christmas. Eli had fun doing this and was so sweet to watch.

Next up was a man outside of Build A Bear making balloon animals. Of course we chose Elmo- how cute is this?!

Daddy with Zay and all of our loot, hanging out at the food court.

Our dear friend Erin paid for Eli to ride the carousel- fun!

South Plains Fair!

2010-09-27T15:44:00.002-05:00

by Holly

We had a great time at the South Plains Fair on Saturday, as we always do. It was Eli's second time around, although I don't believe he remembered being there last year. And Baby Zay's first fair experience! He was more interested in being fed than anything, but I love doing stuff together as our new family of four.

Justin and Zay leading the way into the festivities!

Eli's first carousel ride. I thought he might be afraid of the fast movement or loud noises, but he had a blast. The entire ride was narrated by his "Yeehaw! Giddyup, giddyup, giddyup. Yeehaw!" What a fun time!

Daddy and the boys walking through the pig barn.

Eli braving it to pet a sheep in the 4-H pen. The lady was very nice and assured me that he did touch the sheep, once. :)

He was more brave with the baby chicken, but he's a pro at this. Nana has a baby chicken that he made friends with last week. Too cute!

Baby Zay is 2 weeks old!

2010-09-17T00:27:00.002-05:00

by Holly

Can't believe its taken 2 weeks to get pictures of our precious baby Zay on the blog- wow! But I wholeheartedly agree with our pediatrician on this: "The first two weeks are about survival." Anyway, we are all doing well and Zay is growing and eating great. He is up to 9 lbs 6 oz as of Tuesday, and is such a joy to us. He's already outgrown the newborn clothes for the most part, which is a little sad, but so great that he's doing well. Eli is a wonderful big brother, wanting to hold and feed 'his baby', bringing us whatever we may need for Baby, and just so precious when he talks about loving his 'baby boy'. Thank you all for the prayers, visits, gifts and well wishes. The transition to a family of four is a little overwhelming but we wouldn't trade it for anything!

Daddy and Baby Zay, still in the OR. Note Zay's footprints on Justin's hat- thanks to a wonderful nurse who also took about 70 pictures for us so Justin could enjoy the birth without worrying about a camera.

Our first family photo. I love that I have an almost identical one from when Eli was born.

Eli is a big fan of Zay's bouncy seat and frequents it for watching cartoons. No worries- ours is stationary and doesn't actually bounce so he can't hurt it.

Proud big brother!

My boys! Eli, Daddy and Zay just hanging out on the couch.

Zay Isaac Noble

2010-08-31T09:16:00.002-05:00

Zay was born at 7:43 am. He was 8 pound 5 ounces. He was 21 inches long. Mom, Eli and I are super proud and excited. Pictures soon.

Baby Shower!

2010-08-22T17:00:00.000-05:00

by Holly

My wonderful friends from Sunday School and Eli's AWANA Puggles teacher hosted a beautiful baby shower for me at Olive Garden on Saturday. Delicious food was a given, but we also enjoyed this lovely cake made by Misty, great company and an overall good time. Thank you so much to all of you lovely ladies for celebrating with me, both you hostesses and other friends and family that attended. I felt loved and am excited about sharing our new bundle with you all in just a few days!

Holly and the beautiful cake- triple chocolate, strawberry and white cake layers with a fondant baby on top!

Me with the hostesses: Renae, Lee, Katie, myself, Sarah, Misty, Kelley

Teresa, Holly, Mom Kirby, Moma (Nana)

Nana and Holly with the beautiful basket of goodies from the hostesses

Isn't this gorgeous???

Summer Fun- Part 2

2010-08-21T22:27:00.002-05:00

by Holly

We took Eli to Mr. Gatti's to have pizza and play games the evening before he went camping with my family for 8 days. One last evening of fun with Mom and Dad. He loved it, but his favorite thing was to ride the motorcycle, which we do not put money in and he doesn't know the difference. So we left with nearly a full token card to use next time.

Picking peaches! We went to a peach orchard in July to pick peaches and we all had a good time. It was very hot, but it was an adventure and one of the rules was you could have for free as many peaches as you could eat while you were picking. We took full advantage! So good!

Eli inherited this car from cousins Jared and Tyler, and my brother loaded it in the back of our car with Eli still in it. He thought it was hilarious! I think its hilarious that he doesn't keep it in the backyard with his other riding toys, but insists it stay in the garage with Mom and Dad's cars. So cute.

Enjoying Bahama Bucks! Mama tries to order Eli light colors that will be less likely to stain his clothes but so far he hasn't been impressed. His favorite find has been Daddy's strawberry, so I guess I'll give in next time and let him order what he wants. Notice he has helped himself to all of our umbrellas!

Justin and I traveled to Palo Duro Canyon a couple of weeks ago to watch the musical drama TEXAS. It had been at least 10 years since either of us had seen it and it has changed so much. The things that matter though are still the same. We had a good time, but would have enjoyed a little breeze in the canyon that evening!

Summer Fun- Part 1

2010-08-05T14:05:00.002-05:00

by Holly

Eli and I spent the weekend at my parents' house a few weeks ago, while Justin was camping with a friend. It was very hot and we were glad to have the pool up even with a slow leak! This is Tyler (our nephew), me and Eli. E is still afraid of the water by himself, so I held him most of the time and pretended he was a motorboat.

At Friona's Cheeseburger Festival. Again, so hot, and very long lines but we are glad that its a big hit and has so much participation. The admission price gets you a bracelet good for 4 quarters of a cheeseburger and a bag of chips. Then you vote for your favorite cheeseburger. And your plate is a frisbee! I love stuff like this and had fun despite the heat. This is Eli letting you know how he felt about the experience. :) Actually he was very good, better than Tyler did with the heat and the lines.

Eli helping Daddy open his birthday presents. This was a gift card to Best Buy which Eli thought was a total waste b/c you couldn't do anything with it. Justin felt differently. Ha!

Eli's daycare had VBS a couple of weeks ago and each class did a program on the last day. Eli's class did Noah's Ark and Eli was the bunny rabbit. The parents were responsible for the costumes, which is why they are so different. Eli did great and he loved his costume! He insisted on wearing it the rest of the day, even for naptime.

Daddy, Eli and Mama after Eli's program.

32 Weeks

2010-07-13T09:56:00.004-05:00

by Holly

I'm 32+ weeks now, feeling generally okay, but having contractions and more discomfort than I did at this time with Eli. Our Cesarean section is scheduled for August 31st, 7 weeks from today. We are so excited to meet our new Baby, but trying to enjoy these last few weeks and prepare Eli for being a big brother. This weekend we were hauling the crib into the house and Eli asked what it was. We explained to him that is where the baby is going to sleep. He thought for a minute, then asked where the baby's room was. I showed him, and he pretended to hold baby in his hands, and had a precious conversation between himself and the baby, explaining where Baby was going to sleep and then showed Baby where Eli's room is. I was almost in tears at the sweet moment. I am so blessed!

15 weeks

25 weeks

30 weeks

32 weeks

4th in Eagle Nest, NM

2010-07-07T13:58:00.002-05:00

by Holly

We spent 4 days in Eagle Nest, NM at my parents' trailer house and enjoyed beautiful weather and a nice break from reality. Besides Justin, Eli and myself, the crowd included my mom, my grandparents and Justin's parents.

Eli enjoying some yummy chocolate ice cream from Kawlija's after the parade.

Eli, Mama and Daddy just after the parade was over. Eli had a blast! And this was the first time I've ever seen a boat as part of a parade- very fun.

Eli's very first parade candy. He was so excited, and made a great haul. The people in the chairs behind him made sure a lot of candy was thrown to him, and they shared all they caught with him as well. Thanks!

Serious farmer playing with his tractors on the porch. Eli doesn't do much at all without his John Deere hat, and even got to wear his John Deere boots for the first time this weekend.

Playing Cowbows and Indians on the porch. The slats in the porch made small toys a risk, and my mom did end up having to fish some things out such as playing cards, dice... :)

Holly's Birthday Surprise!

2010-07-06T16:05:00.003-05:00

by Holly

Justin surprised me the day after my birthday with a night out with the girls! Lee and Katie picked me up at the house, while Justin headed to Katie's house with pizza to share with her husband and kids. We had a delicious dinner at Abuelo's complete with Dulce de Leche cheesecake (mmm.....). After that we took in a movie, which was a treat as it had no affiliation with Disney or Pixar! Ha! Lee has two girls, Katie has two boys and a girl and I have my Eli, so our hands our full and we were delighted to have an evening off with adult conversation and a relaxing schedule. I can't wait for their birthdays in just a few weeks- free babysitting again, Dads??? Thanks Justin, it was a wonderful surprise and meant so much to me.

Lee, Holly and Katie

My actual birthday gift from Justin was the fabulous camera this photo was taken with! Its tiny and fits in a small case in my purse, and works amazingly well for its size. I love it!

Happy Birthday Holly

2010-06-28T08:42:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to greatest wife I know. Eli and Baby say Happy Birthday too, albeit with throwing cherrios and kicks.

My Eli

2010-06-09T15:36:00.002-05:00

by Holly

Justin bought me this fabulous pregnancy pillow for Easter and we all love it. Its a battle at naptime as to who gets it, but I usually give in since I use it every night.

These beautiful flowers are from Justin, the week following Mother's Day.

And these are lovely flowers that my Eli picked for me in the yard. He is so precious wanting to do sweet things for Mama, and he just learned how to use 'You're welcome' appropriately so we love telling him thank you even more now. :)

My Growing Belly!

2010-06-01T14:25:00.003-05:00

by Holly (I hope you didn't think this post was by Justin! :) )

Holly at 15 weeks

Holly at 25 weeks

Palo Duro Camping

2010-05-27T22:10:00.002-05:00

by Holly

We spent Mother's Day weekend in Palo Duro Canyon, camping with our friends from church, Kelly, Katie, Kole, Kade and Kennedy. We had a lot of fun getting to know them better, enjoying beautiful scenery and weather and just being away from our normal.

Eli, Kole and Kade at their 'big boy' table. Not sure what the faces are.

Katie, Kelly and Justin. Kole, Kade, Eli and Holly. Kennedy was taking her nap.

(Yes, I see where Justin's hand is.)

Holly and Justin

A view Justin had on his solitary hike in the canyon. Looks beautiful!

Taking a stroll through the campground. Holly, Katie with Kennedy, Kelly with Kade, Kole and Eli, dog Dolly.

Visiting Family

2010-05-25T09:36:00.002-05:00

by Holly

The evening of the zoo trip, we visited our family James, Cheryl and Savannah Brown in Canyon. James is Justin's uncle. They have a beautiful new home and we had a wonderful time playing on the playground near their house and having a delicious dinner.

Eli and Savannah watching Cars- Eli's current favorite!

We borrowed Aunt Cheryl's jacuzzi tub to get Eli bathed and in his jammies for the ride home. Catching a quick snuggle with Uncle James. Eli really latched onto him!

Cheryl telling something captivating, with James and Justin listening intently. I think the guys were wondering how long till she put the food in the oven. :) Just kidding Cheryl. Thank you again for having us. We had a wonderful time!

Zoo Fun

2010-05-25T09:08:00.003-05:00

by Holly

We met our friends Jeff, Canna, Brooklyn and Brianna in Amarillo a few weeks ago to explore the zoo there. It was small, but we had a great time with friends and the kids enjoyed the playground as much as the animals. All went well, even without naps, until our littlest friend Brianna fell and scraped her chin, mouth and nose. We departed soon after for ice cream.

Brianna, Brooklyn and Eli. What's in here??

Mama loves the lemurs. Eli isn't sure what all the fuss is about.

Daddy and Eli. You've got to get up here for the best view!

Here horsey horsey horsey!

Jeff, Eli and Brooklyn taunting the peacock. This was one of Eli's favorite finds, and he tormented the poor bird with his stick 'gun'.

Eli was also fascinated with the snake exhibit, the 'scewy snakes'! He has since come up with a unique noise he makes and we are to beware of the scewy snake when he directs it at us!

Women of Faith 2010

2010-04-27T15:28:00.002-05:00

by Holly

Praise God from whom all blessings flow! This wasn't a song we sang at the Women of Faith conference this past weekend, but it definitely could have been. I was blessed with a prize package including 4 free tickets, 2 hotel rooms for 2 nights and front row seats for the conference of my choice in 2010 and I chose the Shreveport/Bossier City conference. I took with me three of my closest ladies, Erin who I always attend WOF events with, my mom and my aunt. We flew to Dallas on Thursday and Erin picked us up for the drive to Shreveport from there. Our first blessing- missing by seconds a horrible car accident where a drunk man was weaving in and out of traffic and tailgating every vehicle he came upon. After my heart stopped racing when he passed us (I was driving), it was about 5 minutes before we found his car flipped in the median. He was okay, probably b/c his drunk body was so relaxed. That could have been us, but God had better plans for us that day.

The weekend was filled with laughter that we all needed, a break from the dailyness of our lives, and special moments of sharing together in what we are learning from our gracious God. The conference was amazing, as it always is, and the speakers seemed to speak right to our hearts, with words that encouraged and lifted us up and showed us the power and grace that only He can give. I won't even begin to pretend that my tears didn't flow freely, and Erin was even amazed that I cried within the first four minutes of being there. :) The praise team was singing "You are God Alone" which just took my breath away. As if the amazing speakers weren't enough, including guest speaker Andy Andrews whose books I highly recommend, we were blessed with concerts by both Mandisa and Nicole C. Mullen. Front row is where you need to be for these ladies! Wow! If I were a person prone to charismatic praise, this would have been the time and place. I'm not, but I did enjoy it immensely and purchased two CD's that I'm listening to even now.

I took so much away from this conference that I can't begin to put it all down here, but one quote that I am holding tight to is "If you are breathing you are still alive, and if you are still alive, you have not yet fulfilled God's purpose for your life." This doesn't mean you aren't doing what you are supposed to be doing, but that God may have a time/purpose/place/person you are supposed to be there for that has yet to come. Wow. We are not here just randomly. He has directed our steps and is with us for each one of them. May you be blessed today by His holy hand!

Erin, Holly, my mom Keri and my aunt Bobbi- waiting for the conference to begin!

Erin and Holly- these smiles didn't leave our faces much at all!

Patsy Clairmont, who is hilarious and inspiring. I'm reading her book "Kaleidoscope" which is a humorous walk through Proverbs and how to apply them to your own life.

Nicole C. Mullen. I first heard of her during nursing school many years ago, when her song "When I Call on Jesus" touched my heart and carried me through those rough 2 years. This was the second time I'd seen her at WOF and I cry every time. The kids are boys and girls she mentors, teaches to sing and dance but more than that, disciples to follow God's calling for their lives. They are an inspiration themselves.

The stage, about 10 feet away from our seats. Here's one interesting note- this CenturyTel Arena is used for their ice hockey team and the ice was covered with rubber mats that didn't quite cut the cold or the melting ice seeping through the cracks! Our floor seats let us enjoy that on a very real level!

Gay Divorce

2010-04-20T23:15:00.003-05:00

By Justin

Story from Associated Press

Yes I am going to go there. Currently circulating around our great State is two cases where gay people who were married in other states, where gay marriage is legal, are requesting divorces from Texas courts. Problem is the voters of this State in 2005 approved by 76 percent an amendment to our State’s constitution that defines marriage as between one man and one woman. Now we can argue all day on this amendment and get nowhere. But frankly I am annoyed.

Most people want to make this a case of equal rights. In my head it has nothing to do with equal rights. It has to do with a basic understanding of law. In these United States of America marriage is defined and governed by the states. Each state creates its own set of laws and rules on how that is to occur. In Nevada you can get married on a whim. In some states blood tests are required. In Texas you need 24 hours. Also in Texas, you must be a man and woman. Like it or not it is the rule of the land in these parts as decided by 76 percent of that balloting cycle’s voters.

This case is not unlike other rules we abide by. Seat belts are mandatory on a state level in 49 states. As you drive across this great Union, you are required to abide by the laws of that state, not the state you are from. The same is true for homeowner’s associations. In Texas, you are required by law to be told of an HOA upon signing an offer on a home. You agree to live by those covenants when you buy the house. If you didn’t read them, that isn’t the HOA’s fault that is yours.

So this case is simple to me. You chose to leave the State in which your marriage was valid and legal and opted to move to a State in which it is not. Please save our (yours and mine) tax dollars and stop pressing the courts to do something they should have to in the first place.

Now if we want to discuss gay rights….

April 15, 2010

2010-04-15T11:51:00.003-05:00

By Justin

Why is it that every April 15th the news feels the need to report on last minute tax filers. I realize that there is really nothing else going on in the world to report on. I am sure they can’t devote that three minutes of some poor sap standing by the main post office drop off to any other issue. And I guess honestly I care that you are such a procrastinator that you waited until the day of to do your taxes anyway. And who does their taxes on paper anyway (besides Jenise)? Haven’t you hear of taxact.com? If you are filing an extension, shame on you. Pay your taxes already.

To the poor sap on the news sorry? If you need story ideas email me.

Easter 2010- Its more than just about a bunny!

2010-04-09T13:23:00.003-05:00

by Holly

I believe that this Easter has been more meaningful for me than any other in the past. Not that I haven't enjoyed Easter's past, or that I don't have great memories of time spent with family, but just that I'm in a different place spiritually than I have been before, and so I was able to more fully embrace the true reason we celebrate Easter. We have gotten more involved in our church here in Lubbock, are working on developing some good friendships and have become more servant hearted, as that is a huge focus of our class and the church itself. And the rewards of that greatly overshadow any inconvenience of the service itself. But back on topic.

Our church had a Maundy Thursday service on Thursday evening before Easter. I've never attended one of these and didn't really understand what it was about, but I did this time. Justin was at a work dinner and Eli was at a birthday party, so I went alone. There wasn't a huge crowd, but a decent number, and I sat with a few of our friends that had come. The point of the Thursday service is to recognize and celebrate the Lord's supper, the night that Jesus taught his disciples to eat the bread and drink of the cup, in remembrance of Him. So after a moving service, we did enjoy the Lord's supper. I left feeling spiritually uplifted and full of hope, which is the whole point of why Christ died for our sins.

On Sunday morning we attended the early service and Sunday School so we could drive to Friona and spend the day with my family for lunch and to celebrate Tyler's 5th birthday. But the Sunday School lesson was on Abraham and how he listened to, obeyed and trusted God's instruction to sacrifice his son Isaac on the altar. God stopped him at the last second, and instead revealed a ram to offer as a sacrifice instead. What an amazing story of trusting in God. Could you do it? If God asked you to sacrifice your only child, could you trust Him? As if that was not powerful enough, then liken that to God sacrificing His only Son for our sins. That's right. Yours and mine. We did this. Wow. Who can hear that and not be overwhelmed. That is the right word for me right now (and yes McNeely, I did borrow that word from your Easter post). Overwhelmed not b/c of worldly pressures or worries or obligations, but overwhelmed that I don't have to worry about any of that b/c Jesus died and rose again, for me.

Thank you for reading, if you stuck with me that long. I did enjoy Easter celebration with my family and watching Eli's delight in finding and opening eggs, the goodies my parents gave him, and the fun he has with his cousins. That's like my favorite childhood memories of Easter. We were always with my cousins and my grandma always gave everyone a chocolate bunny. This is the first year she didn't and although I'm almost 32, I was a little disappointed. :)

Enjoy these fun pictures and see how our Eli is growing!

Eli on Easter morning.

Easter morning family picture.

Hunting eggs with Jared and Tyler.

Jared on his motorcycle and Eli with his Big Wheel, which he calls his 'bicycle'.

Tyler on his battery powered motorcycle.

Definition: Blog-stalker

2010-03-31T21:57:00.001-05:00

By: Justin

A blog-stalker is one who reads the blog, pretends they don't, then uses the information gained to 'test' the blogger about their life. It is a very immature thing to do, and very annoying. The best part of blog-stalkers is if we know you are blog-stalking us, we are having just as much fun in the cat and mouse game as you are.

Really the final decision came down to Holly making a very wise comment. Why does the majority of people have to be inconvenienced for the few we want to dodge? It hit a nerve with me because that is my annoyance with laws and rules in general. Somewhere we have decided to govern, teach and live by the lowest common denominator. Majority rules, so long as the minority isn't 'damaged' in some way. So in reality neither rules and utter chaos ensues. Alas, my definition has turned political, imagine that.

Anyway, for the few of you out there blog-stalking. Go ahead, get mad. I promise I am laughing. Holly is probably grimacing, but I am laughing! The rest of you can expect our blog to go on as normal. That is Holly posting family stuff and my random tidbits and rants!

Retraction

2010-03-31T17:09:00.002-05:00

by Holly

We have had an overwhelming response that we have faithful readers and that it would be unfortunate to have to use a password to continue reading. In all honesty, the password was aimed at a very small population, so to avoid inconveniencing the rest of you, we are going to remain password free and just pretend that small population is not blog-stalking.

Thank you all for reading, even if you don't comment, and please continue to visit our site! But comments are always appreciated!! :)

Blog Stalker Warning

2010-03-26T14:56:00.000-05:00

By Justin

We have tolerated blog stalking long enough. You don’t have to comment but you can’t read our blog and use it for your own nosy information. Effective April 1st, we will be putting this blog behind password protection. If you would like to have access please let me know and we will add you to the list!

This ain’t no April Fools Joke!
Management

Happy Blog-versary to Us!

2010-03-09T22:07:00.001-06:00

By Justin

March 9th...our Blog Anniversary. Since it seems that no one reads this anymore, we will just wish ourselves Happy Anniversary and move on.

Happy Anniversary Holly.
Happy Anniversary Justin.
Happy Anniversary Eli.
Happy Anniversary unborn child.

There, that about does it.

Stats: 313 posts to date.

Sweet Memories

2010-03-08T22:14:00.002-06:00

by Holly

Not much I feel like talking about right now, current event wise. So I thought I would just share a precious picture from almost two years ago. This was at our friends' Scott and Laura's wedding in San Antonio, April of 2008. That was a wonderful weekend of celebration with friends and Eli's first time in a hotel and first wedding. He did great! And what a handsome couple of guys here!

Happy Texas Independence Day

2010-03-02T21:38:00.002-06:00

"The Unanimous
Declaration of Independence
made by the
Delegates of the People of Texas
in General Convention
at the town of Washington
on the 2nd day of March 1836."

The sun has set on this day of jubilant celebration. I hope you rest in awe of the Great State of Texas and say a prayer for us sleeping in God's Country.

Victory or Death!

Ski Trip

2010-02-24T14:02:00.002-06:00

by Holly

In January, we took a trip to Eagle Nest, NM with my brother's family and my parents to go skiing. This was the boys' first time to ski, and only Justin's second. I didn't participate, as I wasn't feeling well and stayed at the trailer with my parents and Eli. The first day they went to Taos where the boys went to ski school, and the second day was at Angel Fire. Jared loved it, and Tyler hated it. Tyler was home with us the second day.

Teresa, Kelly and Justin, Tyler and Jared

Tyler and Jared

Christmas with Eli

2010-02-18T09:10:00.002-06:00

by Holly

Yes, I'm still getting caught up on blog posts from December. Bear with me. :)

Here Eli is opening presents with Mama. He was thrilled with each gift and we had to coax him on to open the rest of them; I'm sure that won't last as he grows!

What else could be in this stocking, Daddy??

Leaving milk and cookies out for Santa at Grandma and Pops' house. Eli was thrilled the next morning to just find some crumbs left!

Just beginning our snowman with Daddy and Pops. The snow would not stick to itself so we ended up with a little snowman-pile but we had fun anyway. We also made snow angels, but didn't get that on camera as we were all involved. Eli made snow angels all day long, in the grass, in the living room floor... he was thrilled to have a new skill.

Christmas at Nana and Papa's house. The best spot in the house- all the boys on the couch with the grandparents in the new log room. We had a wonderful time, so much activity with 3 boys!

My Christmas Decs, with a little help from Sarah

2010-02-10T14:47:00.002-06:00

by Holly

I decided I wanted to decorate a little more natural and woodsy for Christmas this year, but wasn't sure how to go about it. We attended a housewarming party for our friends Paul and Sarah a few weeks before Christmas and they had leftover evergreen branches in their yard that they offered me. So, I helped myself, bought some berry garland at Michaels and went to work.

This is a sideways shot of the wreath I hung on our backdoor. I loved these berries, as some were crystal-covered like sugar or frost or whatever your fancy.

This is my bread bowl that I try to change out with the seasons. I used the scraps of the branches and old red Christmas balls for our kitchen table.

Here is the wreath I made for our front door, again sideways. I used berry garland and fake peppermint candy to make this whimsicle and kid friendly look.

This is our mantel, with the new addition of Jazzy's stocking on the right. Note the evergreen arrangement to the right of the picture. They are everywhere! The picture hanging is of the foggy city park in my hometown of Friona, taken by a local photographer there.

And last, my favorite arrangement. This was in the corner of our living room on the stereo speaker. Thankfully Eli understood that it was 'pretty' and left it alone. The green pitcher was a wedding gift and I love it!

Jazzy

2010-02-05T14:31:00.003-06:00

by Holly

"How much is that doggie in the window? (arf! arf!)
The one with the waggley tail
How much is that doggie in the window? (arf! arf!)
I do hope that doggie's for sale"

Jazzy is quite spoiled and does not like the cold weather. We have to drag her out by the collar to go potty and when she's ready to come back in she waits on either of our bedroom window sills. Its quite amusing to see this, and I much prefer it to barking or scratching at the back door. And if anyone is really in love with her and needs a doggie, let us know...

Eli's 2nd Birthday

2010-02-02T23:44:00.002-06:00

by Holly

We had such a fun time celebrating Eli's 2nd birthday, with family and friends and everything a party should have. The party did happen a few days early so Pops and Grandma could make the trip before Christmas, but Eli just enjoyed stretching out the celebration a little longer.

This one is Eli on his new tractor from Papa and Nana, which proved to be the favorite toy and source of tears on more than one child's part. How do you explain to toddlers that new toys still have to be shared even when its your birthday??
Precious little boys crowded around me as I helped Eli open his gifts. Left to right: Tyler, Jared, Eli, Kole and Jonas in the edge of the picture. Claire must have decided not to join in on the boy fun, as she was the only girl at the party.

Daddy and Eli blowing out the "2" candle! What a big boy!

I made the cake this year, a yummy white cake with buttercream frosting. The ground under the tracks was crushed graham crackers and the tracks themselves were licorice Twizzlers. I'll toot my own horn for my first decorated cake!

Besides the white cake, I also made German chocolate cupcakes with the same buttercream frosting. I ate so many of these I finally had to send the rest to work with Justin to get them out of the house. Mmmm!

Big Brother!

2010-01-27T21:57:00.002-06:00

by Holly

Eli is going to be a big brother!! We are pregnant again and expecting our new little one in early September. We have been a little more cautious with the announcements this time, after the heartbreak we had with the miscarriage last fall. But we have had two sonograms and all looks great. The heartbeat is strong, baby is growing and we even saw it move yesterday.

I'm feeling so-so, mornings are good and then things go downhill as the day goes on. But I have gotten a prescription and things are looking up. The belly pictures don't start quite yet, but I'll try to be better about posting since I'm feeling a bit better.

12 Days of Christmas

2009-12-31T15:57:00.002-06:00

by Holly

12 white chocolate covered pretzels
11 wooden train tracks
10 thousand miles of driving
9 days of snow
8 pounds of chewy bars
7 sticky Eli kisses
6 blinking twinkle lights
5 snow angels
4 trips to post office
3 happy Noble's
2 family visits
and a precious 2 year old!

We had a great Christmas and hope you all did as well. We are actually still celebrating as we leave in just a few minutes for my family Christmas this weekend. Pictures coming soon!

How to Drive in Lubbock

2009-12-12T00:25:00.001-06:00

By Justin

1. Speed limits are made for people from Dallas and ‘those dang College kids’. Feel free to drive whatever speed you desire so long as it is at least 5 mph UNDER the posted speed.

2. The exception to the speed limit rule is on Sunday morning when you are running late for church. You should then drive as fast as you can to make sure you get YOUR pew. Jesus understands. Besides the police officer should be in church anyways.

3. At random intervals tap your brakes just to ensure the person behind you is awake.

4. Drive in the right most lane of THE loop. Do not mind those cars trying to merge on, they can just wait their turn.

5. The inverse is true as well. While trying to enter the loop with a full right lane, simply turn your left turn blinker on and start merging. They will either let you in or get hit. You’re insured, right?

6. Most importantly remember this: Red lights in this city are merely a suggestion to stop. Feel free to continue along your pace if you feel that stopping and waiting for the light to cycle will make you unnecessarily tardy. Note: At no point do you speed up to accomplish this task, simply continue on at your normal 5 mph UNDER speed.

Justin’s key’s to surviving Lubbock driving:

1. Don’t be running late for church. A little extra time here is worth keeping the grey-haired grandma out of your bumper.

2. Do not drive in the right most lane of the loop. The fact is by driving the speed limit you are going to be one of the fastest cars on the highway, so feel free to drive in the left most lane.

3. Avoid the loop.

4. Give it a good two Mississippi count after the light turns red. You think I am kidding on this one.

5. Get to know your car insurance man. The reality is that major accidents don’t happen in Lubbock, but a fender bender body shop man makes a killin’.

Lessons Learned (or not quite so much yet...)

2009-12-07T11:50:00.002-06:00

by Holly

My friend Erin and I went to lunch at a girlie bakery place on Saturday and I brought home a Christmas cookie each for Justin, Eli and Erin's husband Bryan. The men ate theirs immediately. Eli picked off the nose of his Santa cookie and ate it, but wanted to save the rest for later. Well, later turned out to be late last night when Eli should have already been in bed but instead sweetly asked for Santa cookie and I couldn't resist.

And here comes the lesson part: Eli was so excited about his cookie that he ran to show Daddy and then Jazzy (the dog). In true dog fashion, a treat extended under your nose means its your treat. Jazzy took the cookie, ran to our bedroom and ate it. Eli was wailing. He didn't understand why she took it and even more so why he couldn't still eat the piece she dropped. So sorry honey, but we don't eat after the dog, even if Mama does let you double dip.

Jazzy needs to learn not to take our food, but Eli needs to learn not to offer his food to Jazzy. Who do you think will learn their lesson first? My bet is on Mama not letting these situations occur if I can help it!

Carol of Lights

2009-12-03T13:47:00.002-06:00

by Holly

What a fantastic Texas Tech tradition, the Carol of Lights! This was one event that we truly missed when we lived in Dallas and were so excited to attend this year, even with it being moved to a Wednesday. For those of you questioning it being on Wednesday, go ahead and mark your calendars for the next two years as it has already been moved to the first Wednesday of December then too.

It was very cold out, so we bundled up and danced to the Christmas music to stay warm. Eli was taking it all in, and insisted on being on Justin's shoulders most of the time, when he wasn't playing peek-a-boo around my legs with the college girls behind us. :)

After the event, we went to Starbucks to warm up. I got my standard holiday order- peppermint mocha, and Justin resorted to his year round standby- grande vanilla latte w/ one shot. We asked for some steamed milk for Eli and they made him a 'kids temp steamed milk' in a tiny Starbucks cup and he thought he was soooo big! When we got home he wanted a refill so I microwaved some more milk and he drank that too. Glad he's easy to please!

Winter Wonderland

2009-12-02T15:39:00.002-06:00

by Holly

These top 2 pictures are at my parents' house on Sunday. It was heavy enough that we couldn't see past the tree line until into the afternoon and didn't venture the 14 miles to church. What a beautiful sight to wake up to! We even enjoyed snow ice cream midmorning.

These 3 are from our house yesterday. We didn't have as much accumulation as Friona did on Sunday, but the large flakes were just as lovely.

Jasmine

2009-12-01T10:36:00.002-06:00

by Holly

So here is our new dog. Her name is Jasmine and we call her Jazzy. She is 5 1/2 years old and is a mix of border collie and cocker spaniel. She is crate trained and loves the crate, which I love equally as much. She stays outside during the day if the weather is nice and inside at night. Eli loves his 'puppy' and is getting used to her sniffing and kissing him. A few days ago, he would just cry if she got too close and last night she had him pinned on the floor licking his neck and he was laughing so hard he lost his breath. Disgusting, but progress so I'll take it.

This is at my parents' house in their new addition, the log room. Without the rock floor, I suspect Jazzy would have had to stay in the garage, so we were glad the room is finished! This is not Eli in the background, but our little friend Cale Conklin. Also note how much whiter Jazzy's underside is in the top picture after a bath!

Daddy and Jazzy on her first night with us. Jazzy thinks she is a lap dog, and I guess it could be worse. She weighs less than Eli, at 26 lbs.

Eli, Daddy and Jazzy getting acquainted. He was happy to have a puppy, but wanted her at a distance. :)

Its Cold Out Here!

2009-11-24T14:36:00.002-06:00

by Holly
Eli doesn't remember cold weather from last year and is now loving his 'jackek' and 'gubs' and 'hat'. He discovered the crunch of the leaves a few days ago and loves to ride his car or tricycle through them.

For some reason all the pictures from this day were blurry (I seriously need to read the owner's manual, but suspect it got tossed long ago.) We're cute anyway!

Trips to the DFW Area

2009-11-23T09:41:00.002-06:00

by Holly

We traveled to the Dallas area the first two weekends in November, the first to visit Justin's parents and grandmother, and the second to stay with our friend Jenise and have a short visit with friends Curt and Kim. Although we were tired of the long road in between, it was nice to see family and friends and get out of town. Eli did well in the car both times which is a huge blessing!

Here Justin, Lannie and Eli relax on the front porch and soak up the beautiful weather.

Grandma got Eli one of these fun cars and he loved it! And in true grandparent fashion, they let him bring it into the house too.

Just a swingin'! Don't worry, I'm not letting go of my sticks!

Justin, Holly with Eli and Jenise Judah. Jenise and Justin have worked together at Tech, UTSouthwestern and Southwest Airlines. Jenise is still at SWA and travels seemingly more than she's home. We were glad to get on her in-town calendar for a visit to enjoy her new home. Its beautiful and we had a great time!

Justin, Holly with Eli, Kim and Curt Whiteside. These are friends from Plano Bible Chapel and we miss them dearly. Always a wonderful time in their lovely home and with laughs galore and yummy cooking we didn't want to leave!

News Flash

2009-11-20T09:26:00.002-06:00

By Justin

The major headlines of the day:

*The Rev. Jesse Jackson said Wednesday night that any black lawmaker who votes against President Obama's sweeping health care overhaul isn't really black, the Hill newspaper reported.
(Justin's Commentary: It is good to know that my race is now tied to how I vote. It is also distrubing that Mr. Jackson belives that the health care bill is created by the President. In fact legislators create bills and the President signs or vetos them. It is the basics of 'Checks and Balances' as outlined in School House Rocks. I will get you a copy. Everyone..I'm just a bill and I am sitting here on capital hill...)

Oprah Winfrey will announce on Friday's "The Oprah Winfrey Show" that she will end her talk show, said a spokesman for Winfrey's Harpo Productions.
(Justin's Commentary: I am wondering what the world will do on September 9, 2011. Will it simply stop spinning without Oprah on TV? I am also wondering how much crying and attention will be made of the most powerful woman in the world. Maybe she will finally get married, that'd be a good last show.)

and from the Lubbock Avalance-Journal, the lead headline...

The popular vampire movie "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" - opening on seven screens today in Lubbock - is on the fast track to making a high profit.
(Justin's Commentary: Guess I am sorry I am gonna miss this one. Maybe it is a good time to see another movie that no one else is interested in.)

A new day breaks...

2009-11-18T08:59:00.002-06:00

By Justin

There is no hope for a civilization which starts each day to the sound of an alarm clock. ~ Author Unknown.

It is Wednesday. I am tired. I don't want to work. I hate the alarm clock.

I'm done.

Trick or Treat!

2009-11-04T14:38:00.003-06:00

by Holly

We had a fun and spooky Halloween! Eli was an adorable black spider and I was his web! If you look closely you'll see the spiders on my web and necklace.

Trick or treating at the National Ranching Heritage Center. The workers were in period costume, handing out candy that was invented during the same time periods of their respective houses.

Justin and Eli hanging out on the choo-choo!

Eli having a blast at our church carnival, eating a sucker and playing with the bubble machine. His hair was wet and sticky from standing next to the machine for so long!

Eli's Painted Pumpkin

2009-10-29T11:05:00.002-05:00

by Holly

We bought a white pumpkin this year, for Eli to paint himself. Like a clean canvas for our little Picasso. :) It didn't take long for him to catch on and I'm very glad he was wearing nothing but a diaper! His hair, ears, legs, hands, diaper bottom and feet had black paint, as well as my legs and one hand. Oh, well, he had a great time.

Quarterback Jack

2009-10-27T10:38:00.002-05:00

by Holly

Our 6 year old nephew Jared has been playing flag football for the last couple of months and loves it. He is the quarterback for the Longhorns, and no comments are needed on that please. :) I know I'm biased, but he is very good and this past Sunday threw his first completed pass for a touchdown. His specialty though is the quarterback sneak and has scored quite a few touchdowns! The coaches are good, teaching them teamwork, sportsmanship... and they don't keep score.

Jared on the right

Coming back in after a play

Watch that little boy in front- he is fast!!

Pumpkin Patch Fun- Part 2

2009-10-23T13:29:00.003-05:00

by Holly

Canna and her youngest daughter Brianna while we were on the hayride out to the pumpkin patch. I didn't get a good picture of her older daughter Brooklyn.

Holly and Eli at the pumpkin patch. You walked around till you found what you wanted and the workers would come cut it off the vine for you. Pretty cool, except this end had been picked over and they were sparse. We found some good ones though.

Eli picked this tiny gourd before we knew what he was doing, but we laughed and told him he could have whatever he could carry. Not too big of a threat, his purchase was only 25 cents.

From the front, Brooklyn, Tyler, Jared, Teresa and Kelly with Eli making our way through the maze. Teresa and Kelly had the maps and were quite good at navigating. I fear we would still be there if I had been in charge!

Justin pretending to use his map. :) Really, we couldn't keep up with the turns as we were preoccupied with passing Eli back and forth. He got quite heavy through this ordeal!

Pumpkin Patch Fun- Part 1

2009-10-23T09:07:00.002-05:00

by Holly

We took Eli to the Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze near Shallowater a few weeks ago, and met Kelly and Teresa's family and our friends Jeff and Canna and their family there for an afternoon of fun.

Harder than you might think to get three little boys with minds of their own to all hold still and smile at the same time. Add to that that we lost the button to our camera that day and I was having to poke my earring down into it to get it to take a picture. Not too bad though!

Kelly helping Jared with the corn launcher. They stuff a half ear of corn down into the pipe and then aim it at hay bales decorated with non-Tech team logos. I think Jared hit the Kansas Jayhawk, but I'm not sure on that. He had a great time doing it for sure!

Jared, Eli and Tyler watching the bock-bock's. Eli's current favorite farm animal. :)

How precious is this? Jared loves his "Little Buddy" and watches over him as they walk around the pond.

Justin conquering the kiddie maze! Way to go honey! My brother looks on and laughs, as he got beat. It actually was a little difficult to do- you could only make right turns. Justin figured it out though, and I'm sure you aren't surprised that his analytical brain could do so.

Isn't this cute?!

2009-10-21T11:31:00.002-05:00

by Holly

Teresa with Jared, Eli and Tyler before a Tech football game.

Birthday Party

2009-10-20T11:28:00.002-05:00

by Holly

We hosted the September birthday party for my family in our home, which honored my Dad and my cousin Rusty. The same day, we babysat Jonas as his parents Paul and Sarah were moving to their new home! What a great day!

Eli and Jonas. Clearly Eli thinks he is in control of juice rations as he is a few months older.

My dad and mom. Happy Birthday Dad!

Looking at collage frames of our family tree. The next weekend was a family reunion at Lake Texoma and my aunt had put these together to share with the other families.

Michelle and Rusty, who Jonas became fast friends with!

Update

2009-10-14T12:40:00.001-05:00

by Holly

We did have a miscarriage, official this morning. I do not have to have a D&C and am thankful for that. God has prepared our hearts ahead of time so we have grieved and were not shocked this morning, but still very sad. Thank you for all of your prayers and support!

Our Cool Crowd

2009-10-12T20:35:00.002-05:00

by Holly

We ate at Texas Roadhouse on Sunday evening with Holly's family and had the best waitress. She was fun and joked around with the boys and was just great as a server. At the end of the meal she brought all the boys a pair of sunglasses which they thought was just too cool. Eli, Jared and Tyler, left to right.

Faith That is Real

2009-10-09T12:10:00.002-05:00

by Holly

Steve Wiggins is a musician from California that we heard at the Marriage conference last weekend. Besides hearing his worship music during our general sessions, we also attended the class he and his wife Misti were presenting on "How the Bible Transformed Our Marriage". Good stuff on both ends. This is a song that we liked at the conference but have taken to heart this week as God works a trial in our lives.

"Faith That is Real"

Consider it joy when the trials of life are upon you
Remember: a promise is given to all who endure
Bringing wisdom, filling completely.

With a faith that is real, a faith that is true
The source of strength to carry me through
When what I believe is not what I feel, I hold on
With a faith that is real.

Tossed by the wind and the waves
I have been double-minded
Faithless and doubting, till you taught me how to believe
You are my anchor! Lord I can trust You!

With a faith that is real, a faith that is true
The source of strength to carry me through
When what I believe is not what I feel, I hold on
With a faith that is real.

Oh, Lord, I know its by Your grace, alone that You saved me!
And the good that I do is only because You gave me...

Chorus
Oh, Lord give me faith!

A Few Things I'm Learning

2009-10-06T09:04:00.002-05:00

by Holly

I don't often profess outright faith and Christian beliefs in our blog, but these are things I'm learning through recent events in my life and by attending the Festivals of Marriage conference this weekend in Glorieta, NM (which was fabulous and life-changing!).

1. If you aren't right with God, you don't have a chance at being right in human relationships.

2. God loves us too much to leave us where we are at. The trials in life are his efforts to make our character look more like his own.

3. If you find yourself being judgmental about a negative characteristic in someone else, its likely that you have the same characteristic.

4. Instead of being critical or complaining about someone else's behavior, take a moment and consider what your life would be like if that person weren't in it.

5. Don't underestimate the power of the following phrases: I'm sorry. I'm proud of you. I love you. I forgive you. Thank you.

Have a blessed day! I plan to!

Plus One

2009-09-29T21:47:00.002-05:00

Well after much anticipation, we are announcing to the world the impending arrival of Baby Number Two (currently known as Punkin' Seed). Details are very few and far between, but the seed is expected to detach from the vine in late May. We are excited to enter yet another chapter of parenting!

Labor Day, a little late

2009-09-24T09:52:00.002-05:00

by Holly

So I've heard from some of our non-commenting readers that we should continue posting despite the lack of comments. Yes, this is for you Erin R. :)

Here are some pictures from Labor Day weekend. Justin's parents were in town for a visit and watched Eli so we could have some Justin and Holly time which was fabulous. We were able to go to a Tech football game and also to a Sunday School party without worrying about a babysitter. Thanks Pops and Grandma! And the visit was nice too!

Pops and Eli making play guns out of blocks.

Eli is fearless on the slide now and scooted right off the end of it this time!

Grandma and Eli swinging

Mama and Eli playing with Play-Doh. Eli's first time. He was more interested in throwing the little pieces than making anything fun, but I enjoyed it!

Habits

2009-09-12T00:59:00.000-05:00

By Justin

I was thinking yesterday, I do that a lot while mowing the yard, why is it so hard to break habits? Seriously, everyone has a tip or trick to help you break your addictions or behaviors. Some are twelve steps. Some are 21 days. Some are cold turkey. The common key is they all are merely one step away from backsliding.

Then I had a revelation. Creating the bad habit was a long slow process. I didn’t wake up ten years ago and say “I think I will start the following self destructive behavior”. No, rather it was small baby steps towards stupidity or small decisions that were every so slight movements in the wrong direction. Sometimes I could tell the decisions were bad, but in the moment the good far outweighed the bad. I only later to learned of unforeseen or unforgiving consequences.

Now I am not talking about huge issues in life. Rather the many small ones that have compounded. For instance, I am addicted to french fries. And it is no small addiction. I would rather eat good french fries than my meal. I systematically rank places on their fries. If I need ketchup, you know there is a problem. My french fry addiction must be a contributing factor in my “slightly larger than healthy” weight.

I also cannot stand water. On a hot summer day, after sweating it out mowing the yard, I want a coke. Water makes my stomach hurt. I can feel the indigestion start from the first swallow. Somewhere along the way in my life, water was much more palatable with sugar, food coloring and corn syrup. I take this as another baby step (maybe literally taken as a baby) towards long term weight gain.

So I have decided to take a new approach, for me, on reversing some bad habits. Instead of tackling all of my vices at once, I am going to try to take small baby steps backwards. No cold turkey stops on Coke. No forgoing of McDonalds french fries. Rather, I plan to start with the other side of the equation. Just like balancing a budget two things have an effect, inputs and outputs. To lose weight one must manage the inputs and exert some outputs. For me, I am going to start with outputs.

I made myself some very achievable short term goals. For example, this week they had absolutely nothing to do with losing weight. I told myself I would get up early in the morning twice this week and do at least 15 minutes of exercise. I was very excited to achieve my goal. Was it a stretch goal, absolutely not. It was a baby step goal. One to prove to myself it is worth it. That the gains made in those days were wiped out today with lunch, was not the concern.

It was the small baby step towards new habits that was important. I am testing a new theory. One that says years of bad habits were made one small step at a time and years of new habits can start the same way. You know the old saying, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”

Texas Tech Football!

2009-09-05T22:57:00.002-05:00

by Holly

Thanks to my brother's kind friend, we were able to go to the Tech season opener tonight using his season tickets and watch them win over North Dakota State. The Fighting Sioux. Since Justin would probably give you a very guy-like rundown of the game, I think I'll instead give you a top ten list of my evening's enjoyment.

1. Cagle's Steakhouse was at Raider Alley and I had a cardboard boat of steak and sausage with toothpicks. Now that is GameDay food!

2. There is now Kettlecorn at the games! (do you see a theme?)

3. Just in front of myself and Justin was a family with an adorable baby girl that couldn't have been over 6 weeks old. Darling.

4. I got teary during the school song and it totally caught me off guard.

5. I remembered every word to the school song and that was even more of a surprise.

6. Thoroughly enjoyed the cool Lubbock evening, once the sun went down.

7. Nice to be out for the afternoon and evening without having to cater to the demands of a toddler. (thanks Pops and Grandma for babysitting!)

8. Thought of said toddler many, many times during the game.

9. Besides my family, I saw 5 people I know.

10. Although I may not be a hardcore sports fan, I do bleed red and black.

Randomness

2009-08-28T22:20:00.003-05:00

by Holly

1. I'm never out and about in traffic in the mornings anymore.
2. I never watch the news, or really TV in general anymore.

So it was really crazy that today I saw on the shoulder of the Loop a red pickup with its tire at an odd angle, and then on the 10:00 news I saw that same pickup smashed to pieces because it was hit by another vehicle while it was parked on the shoulder of the Loop.

Post-Tubes

2009-08-27T20:15:00.002-05:00

by Holly

Eli has Reactive Airway again. So we are doing albuterol and steroids with the nebulizer as well as an oral steroid and have started daily Zyrtec. He's taking it as well as you would expect an almost 2-year-old to. He's pretty wheezy and has a cough, but the docs felt okay to go ahead with the tubes, so we had that done early this morning. We were in the waiting room 20 minutes before the doctor was back out telling us all was fine. Amazing. Eli's been quite cranky today and only took a few catnaps but nothing substantial. Justin and I can hear his ears crackling so that's got to be maddening inside his head. Lots of drainage, but hopefully it will stop soon and he will regain his hearing and decrease these infections.

Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes. We know this is a minor procedure, but as parents of little ones, nothing is minor when its your child. An added blessing today was two of our friends from our new Sunday School class bringing us a wonderful meal. It was delicious and felt so good to be cared for!

Lost in the Shuffle

2009-08-26T13:19:00.003-05:00

by Holly

Its awesome to see so many 'first day of school' photos on Blogs and FaceBook. Its wonderful to feel the spark of excitement in the air around people geared up for the new school year. It makes me smile to see school supplies at WalMart and little kids excited about their new backpacks.

Aw... we are totally missing out on this. Our next door neighbors are 3 college guys back in Lubbock for the next semester so its fun to see them back, but personally, not affecting us. Am I crazy to long for the dorm days, the time of fun we had with our friends, the anticipation of what our professors would be like and how hard the classes would be? The school zones are one down side, but thankfully I don't drive during school zone hours, so no problem for me.

I know I should enjoy the season of life I'm in, revelling in how precious our almost-two year old is and that before I know it he will be in school himself, walking the two blocks to his elementary school holding mom's hand and then saying goodbye. I'm not ready for that day, but maybe we could just borrow someone else's schooltime joy for a bit.

Maybe I'll just go buy a pack of newly sharpened pencils and smell them like Kathleen Kelly does in 'You've Got Mail'. :)

A Whole Weekend

2009-08-21T20:35:00.001-05:00

by Justin

What would you do if you had a whole weekend to yourself? The wife is out of town. The kid is away to grandparents? What would you do?

The Big D!

2009-08-20T08:15:00.002-05:00

by Holly

I'm putting the finishing touches on my packing/last minute to-do list before I head out to the Big D! Or Big A (Allen), however you want to think of it. I'm going to the Women of Faith Conference this weekend at the American Airlines Center, and staying with my friend Erin for the weekend. We went to the conference last year and jumped on this year's tickets as soon as they were available. What an experience!

Eli is also going away for the weekend, to stay with Nana and Papa, so Justin has the weekend to himself! I expect great things from him- sleeping, playing FarmTown, eating cereal 3 times a day... :) Enjoy your weekend dear!

Hi I’m…

2009-08-16T16:04:00.001-05:00

By Justin

Following today’s title standards I wish to now be referred to as:
Justin T. Noble, HD, MBA, MArch, ES, CIA

Seriously, isn’t enough enough on this stuff? I have been annoyed for a long time about people who place long series of initials after their names. The reality is most people don’t have a clue what they mean, and anyone who does understand really isn’t impressed.

I propose we change from initials to spelling it all out. At least then we will know what you are bragging about. With this I now wish to be referred to as:
Justin Thomas Noble, High School Diploma, Masters of Business Administration, Master of Architecture, Eagle Scout, Certified Internal Auditor

I will need bigger business cards, but it will be worth it in so I can brag on all my accomplishments. I think the initials that drive me nuts are the ones where people have started listing their degrees. Recently I have seen three different people put MBA after their name. Okay, let’s just be honest. I have an MBA. Is it an accomplishment, yes. The truth is that they are handed out like candy to make people feel good about having an ‘advanced’ degree and can get 100 more a month at their job. Some people parlay the MBA into senior management, but let’s not kid ourselves that it was a difficult item to attain and thus worthy of tacking it on to our name like we are a doctor or something. And seriously when did your degree get placed on a business card?

I have also witnessed this with Holly’s career. She signes her name, HNoble, RN. While she is required to include the RN, other coworkers have decided to do JJones, RN, BSN, XYZ. Somehow while doing the same job as everyone else, it is necessary to include the fact that you have a bachelor of nursing not just an associates. It begs the question, “If you have your bachelors, and it is worth calling out, why are you not doing something better than me”? I know the answer, but that may take cynical to the next level.

Alas I will just stick to my original plan. Let’s just all be people who do a job and forget about the “stuff behind the name.”

Thanks,
Justin T. Noble

P.S. If you think mine is bad you should look at Holly's:
Holly Jyl Jack Noble, Bachelors of Science in Human Development and Family Studies, Associates of Applied Sciences in Nursing, Registered Nurse, Registered Bone Densitographer or Holly J. Noble, BHDFS, ASN, RN, RBD. Or just Holly for short.

Eli's Ears

2009-08-14T21:30:00.003-05:00

by Holly

Thanks for all of your comments and suggestions on our Stealth Baby. The last two nights have actually been doable, last night like old times. Went to sleep easy and stayed in his bed without a peep until I went to get him up for school. I do believe this whole escapade is due to two things combined: 1) He is a toddler and is learning about his environment, and 2) He has horrible fluid and chronic infections in his ears and he doesn't feel well, so he's not himself.

That said, here's the rundown from the ENT appointment yesterday. Eli first had a hearing test by an audiologist, which was a very interesting process. We both went into a booth, where I sat in a chair with Eli on my lap facing a corner. She turned the lights off in the room outside the booth and watched us through a small window. There were two speakers in the booth, one to our left and one to our right. Below each speaker was a glass fronted box with a toy inside. These were darkened. As she would play a sound, if Eli heard it and looked to the correct speaker, she would 'reward' him by lighting up the box under that speaker to allow him to see the toy. This kept him looking at the speakers to let us know what he was hearing. I was urged not to prompt him and I didn't. What was disturbing is the number of sounds Eli didn't hear at all, or some that he heard but wasn't sure where it was coming from.

We were told later by the doctor that Eli's level of hearing right now is like us trying to listen with our hands held tight over our ears. That made me feel horrible, not that I've done anything wrong as his mother, or neglected to do something I should have done, b/c I've been playing by the rules set forth by our pediatrician, and I trust and respect him. Still, I feel bad for Eli. The hearing loss is not permanent and should come back almost instantly once we have his tubes placed, which is scheduled for August 27th. That's how long we have to wait for an early morning appointment, to avoid forcing Eli to fast during daylight hours. Bless them for thinking of that!

The verdict for now is that Eli has a lot of fluid in his ears, but it is not currently infected. The reason he can't hear is b/c that fluid is pushing against his eardrums, prohibiting them from moving as they normally should. Once the tubes are placed and the fluid is drained, he should be back to his normal self for the most part.

Here's something: I have noticed in the last couple of weeks that the adorable animal sounds and words that Eli can say have become more muffled, less clear than they have been as he's learned them. I wondered why he wouldn't care as much about pronunciation as he first did, but here's our answer. He can't hear correctly, so he can't speak correctly.

Thank you for reading and please pray that the tube placement is easy and without complication, that his hearing and wellness return quickly and that we can all get our normal Eli back!

Project Stealth Baby

2009-08-13T08:20:00.003-05:00

by Holly

If you are on FB, you know Eli has been sneaking through the house at night and scaring the bejeebers out of us at all hours. From what I'm hearing, this is normal development and the basic gist is 'Welcome to parenthood.' Wow, thought I was already there, but this is a whole new experience.

To start from the beginning, we have been hugely blessed that Eli never tried to climb out of his crib, slept well in the pack 'n play for the 2 months we lived in the travel trailer and transitioned easily to the toddler bed when we moved into this house when he was 15 months old. We've been so proud of his resilience and also the fact that when he wakens, he plays with his stuffed bear and moose or talks to himself until we go get him. That all changed last Saturday, when he showed up next to my side of the bed at 9 am, with Taggy in tow (his blankie). We thought it was adorable that he was big enough to walk to the other side of the house and find us, with such a precious little proud-of-himself grin.

Adorable until that night at 3 am when he repeated his performance. We found out he is Stealth Baby, making no sound whatsoever as he gets out of bed and walks through the pitch dark house to our room and stands staring at me until he loses patience or gets scared and starts wailing. I have never woken so suddenly or sat up so straight in my life. What good is a baby monitor if there is no noise to warn you of these goings-on?? It took only 10 minutes to get him back to sleep in his own bed, but an hour and fifteen for me to calm my heart and reassure myself that he wasn't coming back anytime in the next couple of hours. Justin lay awake feeling the same panic I did.

The next evening I purchased a baby gate. Its a cool, yet expensive, one that has a walk-through feature and extra pieces to adjust to several doorway sizes. It took a degree to assemble it, as the instructions could have been written by a 3 year old and made just as much sense. Needless to say, Eli was already asleep when I got it finished so I couldn't put it up that night. Too bad, b/c here he came about 30 minutes later. It was a rough night.

First night using the baby gate: We showed it to him to get him used to the idea and he didn't care one bit; kept on playing. Went to sleep easily and slept all night. Had to wake him the next morning for school.

Second night using the baby gate: Went to sleep on attempt #2, after calling in the Big Guns (aka Daddy). Slept all night, until 5:30, a full hour and a half before the alarm was set. Thankfully Daddy took his turn and found Eli standing at the baby gate, mad that he was trapped in his room. He got Eli back to sleep in his own bed in just a few minutes and got a little more shut-eye before it really was time to get up.

That brings us to now. I'm nursing a Tall Nonfat Iced Latte w/ One Splenda. Ahhh.....
Any prospective babysitters??

The Return

2009-08-08T22:02:00.000-05:00

By Justin

This blog was started by me at the begging request of ‘The Boys’. Trey, Scott, Armand and Ethan (The Boys) all had blogs and we kept each other up to date on life through them. Well it seems that life has gotten in the way of their blogs. Slowly but surely each one has dropped off the face of the blog world and thus our friends links to the right.

So in a directly proportionally way, my blog became the family blog. The less I blogged on my random thoughts and escapades, the more Holly blogged on family happenings. Now “Holly’s Friends” (which I count many among my friends) far outnumber the number of “Justin’s Friends” as readers. So I am at a crossroads.

Should I return to the blog? Should I create a whole new blog? After thoughtful consideration I am returning to this blog. In the true nature of even our family makeup, I will bring the off the wall happenings, sometime thoughtful considerations, but more often than not the cynical view from my end of this world.

Some of you will like it. Some of you will see ‘by Justin’ and move on. But mostly I don’t care. Our Blog is meant to capture our life. My life includes the odd daily happenings, watching Eli grow up and even the random thoughts that travel through my head.

Some of you are Facebook friends with me. If so, watch out. The random status updates I post might just become all out blog post. Now that should be frightening.

I also think it is prudent (since many of you haven’t spent significant time around me) to explain my cynical head. Many many people think I am a pessimist. They think I see the whole world as bleak and unfortunate. The reality is I am not a pessimist, but I am neither an optimist. I classify myself as a realist. In the old ‘glass half empty, glass half full’ analogy, I really don’t care which it is. The reality it is neither. What I want you to understand is it is NEITHER. If you say it is half full, you are wrong. If you say the glass is half empty you are wrong. It is both. And my close friends will tell you that I will stand on the street corner and yell at you till you acknowledge that fact. (Thanks to Jenise for helping me put the analogy together, on our daytrip to New Orleans of all places!)

So as I close, prepare yourself. I have made my return.

Camping Trip

2009-08-06T15:35:00.002-05:00

by Holly

We went camping in New Mexico with Holly's family this past weekend for 3 nights, which was wonderful but went by too quickly. The nights were cold and the days warm, allowing us to enjoy the weather but also have campfires at night. The crowd included the three of us, Holly's parents, Holly's brother and his family, and family friends Bill and Wanda. B&W have been camping with us, or rather us with them and their family since Holly was 2 months old. Great memories! We had to come home on Monday to return for work, but everyone else went on to Colorado to the campground we always went to growing up. I'm sad and jealous to be missing out on that, as we haven't been there in about 10 years. I spoke with my mom today and she said it is just as beautiful as ever and they are having a wonderful time.

Eli digging in the dirt. Yes, that's a flower behind his ear- he picked it and gave it to Nana but promptly wanted it back!

Jared and his two fish he caught that day. My dad calls him Willie Two Fish, as he always seems to catch them in two's.

Justin doing his thing with the campfire. Yes, that's lighter fluid. Wouldn't the Boy Scouts be proud? Seriously, we appreciated him keeping wood chopped and the fire stoked.

Group photo before we left this campground on Monday:

Back row- Dad, Kelly, Jared, Teresa, Mom

Front row- Holly, Eli, Justin, Tyler

Garage Sale

2009-07-25T18:26:00.002-05:00

by Holly

We had our garage sale today. We have had a garage full of stuff leftover from home renovation and just stuff we realized we didn't need after we moved in, and it needed to go. Our two big ticket items were the stove and dishwasher we replaced, but we didn't have so much as a lowball offer on either one. So, they will be going on Craig's List for another attempt. We did sell quite a decent amount of 'gently used junk' and we are happy about that. It was a multi-family sale, with my mom and brother and sister-in-law all here helping with their fair share of items to unload on customers. My brother also set up a card table in the shade of our tree with his Herbalife products. I don't know that he sold any, but he had quite a few people show interest and listen to his sales pitch, and gave a few catalogs and business cards to the ones that really seemed to care.

Justin has been pessimistic from the get-go on the whole garage sale idea, which I have been trying to tune out and combat. I think garage sales have a fun quality to them, whether you are the seller or the buyer. Well, his attitude changed a bit this afternoon when he learned that we made about $425 and that $200 of that was ours. I think we did fairly well.

So, I'm tired and ready for a shower and a nap. Eli's been asleep for about an hour and a half, so I'd better get going if I wish to do either before he wakes!

Backyard Fun

2009-07-21T13:22:00.003-05:00

by Holly

We have been enjoying having a covered back patio and the shade of the neighbors' trees, even though it is still very hot! Justin, Eli and I enjoyed a steak dinner complete with corn on the cob and grilled veggies on the patio one night last week. Eli didn't have to be instructed on how to eat corn on the cob- look at him go, and not a single kernel left!

A race to the finish! I think Daddy won, although Eli's ear of corn was smaller. Eli had to stop midway through for me to spray it with more butter! :)

Mama and Eli having a snack

Playing in the backyard in his diaper- I caught the 'tail end' of this new adventure!

Needing no help at all to go down the slide.

Shhh... Don't tell my son!

2009-07-16T14:11:00.003-05:00

by Holly

I took Eli to the doctor yesterday for a recheck on his ears. He has had 3 (both sides) ear infections in the last 3 months, with this one being the worst. Combined with the 3-4 we had last year, we have passed the max allowed by our pediatrician without having an ENT consult. Turns out the earliest appointment we could get with him is August 17th, but I was told to feel free to call anytime to see if there has been a cancellation. Thank you, I will.

Anyway, Eli was a good boy at the doctor, as he always is. I'll overlook him throwing the car keys at the doctor, because we had to wait a while and Eli's patience was thin and throwing is his knee-jerk reaction to being told no. I told him no, I would not open my lipstick for him to play with. I know, mean Mama. So, for being good, actually the nurse said, "For being so cute" Eli got a sucker. Not just any old sucker. It was the Safety Pop kind with the twisted loop handle, you know the kind like you used to get at your doctor's office when you were little. The memories flooded back! I didn't go to the doctor much, but when I did all the tears dissolved when I got to choose my flavor of Safety Pop! Eli's was Green Apple and it smelled so good!

Fast forward about 6 hours and I'm out running errands while my mom is home with Eli. I run quickly into the bank (I like the personal service as opposed to the little video screen with the person's face and the Jetson's-esque suction tube that takes your money who knows where but that's a different story.), take care of my business there and as I'm leaving the bank lobby what do I see in a beautiful crystal bowl? Safety Pops! I quickly snagged an Orange one and take it to the car thinking what a wonderful surprise it will be for my son to have two suckers in one day. I think that's fair as he is sick and I don't spoil him enough in my opinion. Well, a couple of errands later and that Safety Pop was looking pretty good. There's no sense in telling my son that he could have had two suckers in one day, but instead his Mama ate the second one and enjoyed all the memories it brought with it!

7/7 Posting (a little late)

2009-07-14T15:19:00.002-05:00

by Holly

So I forgot about my monthly postings of random pictures and its been a while. But here we go- the 7th picture in the 7th folder of pictures on our computer, because its July.

This is Eli at around 5-6 months and I love it! I made the bib as a joke at one of my baby showers b/c I don't like green beans and always had to eat them growing up. Ironically Eli threw a screaming fit while eating green beans while wearing the bib, even though he does and always has liked green beans. Just funny, and I made sure my parents had a copy of this one! :)

My Ultimate Goal!

2009-07-09T12:51:00.004-05:00

by Holly

I've done it! I have reached my ultimate weight loss goal with the guidance of Weight Watchers and the support of some very good friends and loving family. It has been a long road of 16 months from start to finish, but I'm so excited to finally be there! I will say that the last 5 lbs were the hardest, which seems funny, but your body adjusts to your new metabolism and bmi and levels off, so you have to work a little harder to push through to the end. Its so worth it though! Thank you to all of you who held me accountable, encouraged me, gave me much needed constructive criticism and celebrated each smaller goal and finally this ultimate one. Thank you!! I'm a much better me, with more energy to play with my son and take care of my family, and my self esteem allows me to buy clothes I never would have looked at before and to live life without wondering what people think of my appearance. What a blessing! The final result was a loss of 50 pounds on Weight Watchers and a total loss of 75 pounds from the time I had Eli to now. Here are some before and after pictures for you.

Before: Justin and me on the day we went into the hospital for induction- 12/20/07.

Before: Holly holding Rachel Lehmann, Teri Lehmann holding Eli- January 2008.

Before: Holly, Justin and Eli on Easter Sunday 2008.

After: Holly with Eli on Memorial Day 2009.

After: My mom and I on Mother's Day 2009.

After: Holly 4 days after officially meeting the goal! July 2009.

July 4th Festivities

2009-07-08T11:32:00.000-05:00

by Holly
Our little Firecracker- His shirt says: 'Rockets are Red, Fireworks are Blue, 4th of July is Fun Cuz I'm with You!'

Mama and Eli in the pool. We had overcast skies and wind, so the water was a little chilly!

Eli with a popsicle and a sippy cup. What else could you need?

Jared with his first catfish of the evening. He ended up with 5 catfish and 2 perch.

Tyler with his first catfish of the day. His final score was 5 catfish and 1 perch.

Justin's Birthday

2009-07-07T07:59:00.004-05:00

by Holly
Happy Birthday (one day late) to Justin!!! He's the big 3-0 this year!!! This is a picture of him with his birthday banana pudding, candles and all, from my mom. I took him to Ruby Tequila's on his real birthday yesterday to celebrate some more.

Justin's co-workers decorated his office, hallway and stairwells with 'Old Man' and 'Welcome to the 30 and over Club' posters, black balloons, confetti... the works. He loved every bit of it- thank you guys for celebrating him!

Love you Justin!

Holly's Birthday Weekend

2009-07-04T14:13:00.001-05:00

by Holly

My good friend Erin flew to Lubbock for the weekend to help me celebrate in style! We had tons of laughs, some great wine, quality time together and even a little exercise as we walked to the gas station to buy a can of gas in our snappy casual outfits! No, the hairstyles and cute clothes did not hold up in the summertime heat, but we got it done, and were on to our next adventure- a Wii bowling challenge with Justin!

Two lovely ladies pre-adventure.

Erin in the storeroom of the Llano Estacado winery, during our tour.

Holly in front of the vineyard at the Llano winery, post-tour.

Having a sweet Eli laugh and hug before his nap on my real birthday, which was Sunday.

Father's Day

2009-07-02T10:31:00.002-05:00

by Holly
Eli's gift to Daddy and Pops was manual labor! They spent 11 hours on Saturday assembling Eli's new fort/swingset. It was worth it, or at least to Eli it was! Eli helped out as much as he could.

Look how big our boy is!

The finished product- 11pm. Pitch black, working with a shop light.

When Eli tired of the swingset assembly, he had a good time playing in the sand tub that was by then mud after a full night's rain.

Yep- all boy! On the face and everywhere!!!

A Day With The Boys

2009-06-20T00:07:00.004-05:00

by Holly

We spent one fine Saturday recently with our nephews Jared and Tyler. It started with a teeball game which is a lot of fun if you haven't experienced this! Below is Jared ready for a play at first base. He's six and a half.

This is Tyler at short stop. He sucks his two middle fingers routinely so I'm not sure if that's what he's doing here or not. Tyler is 4.

After the game and lunch, the boys came home with us and they all played in the pool. This was fabulous! Eli did well with the rambunctious splashing for a little while. Justin and I sat in the shade and enjoyed watching them.

Eli had enough pool action and decided to play on his own. Look how grown up in his swim trunks!

Tyler and Jared relaxing after the swim. We were watching Nemo and having cookies and lemonade. What a day!

And one footnote: Eli's car hasn't been the same since this day. Tyler decided it was dirty and dunked it in the pool. No more sounds. I think the engine's frozen up.

Are We Getting Old?

2009-06-15T22:16:00.003-05:00

by Holly

I don't have anything of great significance to write about, or even have any pictures moved to the computer as of late, so here you go. I was wondering today if I'm getting old, for two reasons.

1. I love my birthday more than most anyone, and those of you that know me understand my celebration of my birthmonth. My husband helps me celebrate, last year hosting a fabulous party for my 30th. June is my birthmonth, so a few days ago Justin brought home a birthday banner from the store and hung it around the office, over my computer. Thanks honey! Why does this relate to me getting old? Because this year on my birthday, the majority of my family will be in North Carolina for a family reunion while we will be here in Lubbock... I will be going to church and then on to a bridal shower that afternoon and don't feel as if this is even recognized as the tragedy that it is in the 'birthmonth' scheme of things. No festive celebration with 50 friends? No every-member-of-the-family-must-be-present-for-cake shindig? Its so sad getting old.

2. We ate at Furr's cafeteria last week when my parents were in town, and picked up a coupon on our way out for $5.99 buffet on 6/15 and 6/16 only, good for 4 people. I've been looking forward to going back to Furr's all week, and tonight we did. I had liver and onions. Enough said on this point.

Happy Birthmonth to me, and to anyone else celebrating this fine June!

In All Fairness

2009-06-15T11:21:00.002-05:00

by Holly

Is it fair of me to get frustrated when my friends don't post often, when I just noticed that its been 11 days since I have?

Pandora Radio

2009-06-04T19:43:00.002-05:00

by Holly

I know I'm not 'up' on most modern things, including technology and basically anything happening in the world, so bear with me if you all already know about this. Pandora Radio! This is fantastic! Justin introduced me to it, where you enter your favorite artist and it builds your personal radio station around that artist and similar ones. You can give it a thumbs up or down, or flat out tell it never to play a song again.

Justin had made a station that he listens to at work at times, of course called Garth Brooks station. I just jumped onto his account, so I can listen to his station if I want, but I instead made 3 more stations myself. Just like the radio in my car, I can choose whichever one fits my mood at the time. Naturally, my first was George Strait station, to which I added Billy Currington, Don Williams and Johnny Cash. How can you go wrong with those? A most pleasant surprise with this one was when Pandora surprised me with a little Creedence Clearwater. That's right, CCR! Man, this is the best!

The next one is my Third Day station. I didn't add any artists to this b/c Pandora is doing a fine job all on its own providing me with variety here. And my third station is Sheryl Crow station. All I've added to her is Collective Soul so far. She's my newest one, just created today. I seem to be getting a lot of Michelle Branch and Natalie Merchant, but I guess they do have similar styles.

So, if you haven't tried Pandora out, give her a try. She's amazing!

My Baby is Sick

2009-06-02T09:28:00.003-05:00

by Holly

Gone are the days when feeling sick was also a good thing because you got to stay home from school and be free! Well, I called into work today, but staying home means my heart breaking because my baby is sick, burning up with fever, horrible runny nose and just plain doesn't feel good. We have an appointment with a new pediatrician, getting established with a new doctor not being on my fun list at all.

I know Eli doesn't feel like himself by all of his symptoms, but above all of that, he just fell asleep in my lap watching cartoons and he has NEVER done that before. So, he's napping on the couch till we leave for the doctor in a little while.

Pray for his quick recovery, but more than that, for the kids who are really sick dealing with issues far beyond a summer cold. May you and your little ones all be well and full of life today!

ADDENDUM: Eli actually has two ear infections, so we've got another round of antibiotics and are giving him Motrin and Tylenol for the fever, but it could be a lot worse.

Memorial Day

2009-05-29T18:00:00.000-05:00

by Holly

We hosted a backyard cookout for Memorial Day for some of Holly's family. My parents had been fishing the week before, so the meal consisted of grilled salmon and trout (and chicken for Justin), corn on the cob, boiled potatoes, yummy breads, cornbread salad, fruit salad and of course pie. Thanks to Mom K (my grandma) for serving up the coconut and chocolate delights!

First time using Eli's new pool, but he was more interested in watching his cousins than getting in himself. Jared's in the pool and Tyler is testing the slide. Look out!
Playing in the water makes me so hungry Mama! Eli actually slept through lunch and then when he woke up everyone was here, so he had to eat before the big meal was ready. He did love corn on the cob though and would lean towards mine with his mouth open when he was ready for a bite.

Mom K, my aunt Bobbi, my mom and Eli, who was playing peek-a-boo through the folding chair. (yes, he plays peek-a-boo with any and everything!)

And in the other corner... PawPaw, my uncle Larry, Dad, Justin, Teresa and Kelly

Nothing more precious than little boys! Jared and Tyler call Eli their 'little buddy' and are showing him all the ropes. I don't know what Jared and Eli were scheming here, but I loved it!