So Frustrating!!!

In many ways cars make our lives convenient and great, and in other ways they can be such a nuisance. It seems like every other month lately, either Jonathan or I have had some issue with one of our cars. His is a little understandable since it is older, but mine is only a few years old. It has been so frustrating! Anyway, just when we thought maybe things would settle down for awhile my check engine light came on. Probably no big deal, right? Well the not so big of a deal turned into almost $900 today. I about died! I know it has to be done, but it's just not fun to spend money on things like that. At any rate, my sweet husband has been taking the DART train for the last couple of weeks so maybe we won't have any issues with his car anytime soon. He found out that at Baylor Medical Center, where he works, that he can get a yearly pass for $40 a year. This is great in so many ways--we spend way less gas money, it is enviromentally friendly, no traffic jams to deal with, and Jonathan can study on the train. So far he really likes it; we'll see if this continues!

Back to School

I didn't think those words would apply to me for quite sometime, but I was wrong. Yesterday was mine and Mason's first day of Sunshine School. I had planned on substituting like I did last year and still having the flexibility to say no if I wanted to; however, that all changed 2 Sundays ago. One of the directors came up to me and said that they had had a 3's teacher quit and wanted to know if I would consider it. I don't know why this time was different and the thought of teaching seemed appealing to me, but it did. Anyway, after much craziness of getting a classroom together last week (thanks to a really great friend!) I'm so glad I said yes. Yesterday was the first day of school, and my class is so sweet! I think it is going to be a really fun year. Sunshine School is actually the perfect job for a stay at home mom because it is only 2 days a week from 9:00-2:00 and your child can go with you. Mason absolutely loves going to school and playing with all of his friends. Below is a picture of him and his teacher Mrs. Kendra. Kendra came up to me during the middle of the day and was telling me how verbal Mason is, but that he was saying some word that sounded exactly like the "f" word, and no she was not talking about fart. Anyway, the funny thing is that Jonathan and I have heard him say the same word, and we cannot figure out what he is saying. I promised Kendra that he had not heard that word at home and she just laughed.

Hanging out in Fort Gibson

Here are some other pictures from our weekend in Fort Gibson. We had a great time with my family! The only sad thing was that my brother wasn't there. He started college this week and had left the weekend before. It seems unreal that my little Joshie Squashie is already in college! I'm sure he would be thrilled with me saying that!

Mason on his big boy bed with PaPaw and Grandma

Mason wearing some random garage sale hat he found in my brother's room. I have to say it's not the prettiest of hats!

Riding the tractor with Old Papaw (my grandpa, Mason's great grandpa) This has become a new favorite when we go to Fort Gibson!


Mason with my parent's dogs Josie and Corky. I think he gets more excited to see them than my parents. No offense, Mom and Dad!

10 Year Reunion

A few of the girls I was good friends with in high school

My friends Kara, Kristie, and Kelley

Wow! I cannot believe it has been 10 years since I graduated from high school! This weekend we had our 10 year reunion at Western Hills on Lake Ft. Gibson. It was great to see everyone and find out what everyone has been up to over the last ten years. My mom kept asking me if anyone looked really different, and I have to say that they didn't. I have a feeling the answer may be different by the time our 20 year reunion comes around! The main change with most people was that a lot of us now have children. Saturday afternoon we had a picnic that we could bring them along to. Overall, it was a lot of fun, and I am definitely glad that I went!

Hide and Go Seek

Growing up hide and go seek was one of my favorite games. You just couldn't beat a good game of it at my Grandma's house with all of my cousins. Apparently Mason has acquired the same love for the game. At first it was really cute when he would be hiding behind a curtain wanting you to find him over and over again. Now, though, it has turned in to him wanting to play at 6:30 in the morning. Every morning for the last few weeks I wake up to the sound of Mason's voice yelling "Moooommmmy! Moooommmmy!" He continues to yell until I come into his room, only to discover him completely covered with his quilt. When I rip the covers back he squeals with delight everytime. It always makes me wonder how long he lays there under his blanket in anticipation of me finding him. Poor guy! I'm sure he wishes I had the same enthusiasm for the game that I used to.

Dinner and Dress-up

Last night Jonathan had a conference and my friend Rae's husband was out of town. Since we were both alone we decided to get together for dinner and let our kids play. Rae was sweet to make a Mexican pizza and salad. It was delicious! Mason loves Macy and Jarett and had a fabulous time playing with them. Macy was playing dress-up and both of the boys wanted to get in on the action!

Mason thought it was really cool when Jarett was dressed up like Elmo. He kept wanting to hug him!

Church Chaos

Going to church just isn't what it used to be. I know that when you have kids things change, but when it comes to church it can be soooo frustrating! Their are 3 main reasons that Mason is more of a nursery guy than a church guy 1) He likes to talk 2) He likes to talk LOUD 3) He hates sitting still. I know you may be thinking, "That sounds like every 2 year old," but it sure doesn't seem like it. I look around at church and see so many kids sitting and coloring, whispering, playing with cars, taking naps, etc. With Mason, I'm good to get 5 minutes from him and during that 5 minutes I've pulled out every snack, sticker, crayon, and church toy that we own. And yes, I do have a bag of special toys reserved just for church and yes, we do try to practice whispering at home and yes, I have even tried starving him before church so he will be really quiet and eat his snacks.

Anyway, before I sound too negative I have to say that Mason has done a lot better the last two Sundays. I think he knew I was about at my breaking point. This past Sunday was still somewhat crazy, though, between Jonathan spilling a cup of Goldfish and dried cherries during communion and Mason yelling "Amen!" in the middle of the sermon. Oh well, I guess church has to have a little excitement added to it. I just feel sorry for all of the people around me who are involuntarily subjected to it.